Making connections for student success

Michael Catalano, Ed.D., a school counselor and member of the Saugerties Teachers Association, describes his upbringing as an unconventional one, where school wasn’t easy and success didn’t always feel like it was within reach. “It was a bumpy road, to say the least,” said Catalano.

Now in his 27th year as a counselor at Saugerties Senior High School, Catalano finds himself on the other side of the equation, helping students work through issues and build their own paths to success.

“Sometimes kids struggle, and I remember how I was as a kid and some of the things I went through,” Catalano said. “I’m sure there were a lot of people who wondered ‘Will this guy ever figure it out?’ But there were key people who were there for me still, so it’s almost like giving back.”

For Catalano, who was recently selected as School Counselor of the Year by the New York State School Counselor Association, the desire to help others has been a driving force throughout his life.

“Whether I had a title or I was just a regular kid. I’ve always enjoyed helping people.”

In recent years, Catalano has found creative ways to combine that community-oriented spirit with his day-to-day work, forging a partnership with Ulster BOCES and Ulster County Habitat for Humanity to help build houses and allow students to get hands-on electrical and construction experience.

For Catalano, who is also a licensed master electrician, his own volunteer work with Habitat motivated him to set up the program. As he worked, he knew it would help his students expand their learning beyond the school’s walls and discover their own potential through direct experience. Said Catalano, “Within an hour or two I said to myself, ‘I’ve wired a lot of buildings. I think this would be great for the kids.’ And the rest is history.”

Working on-site allows students to incorporate a community element into learning their craft, and to take what they learn in class and apply it to a real job for a real family in need. In the last five years, Catalano and his students have helped build nine new homes for community members, with many more on the horizon.

“All the kids have different skill sets, and we try to work toward their strengths. Part of it is the world of work, to try to figure out — is this the career for me or not?” said Catalano. “College is one path, but it’s not the only path. The trades, the arts, and all forms of skilled work carry deep dignity and value.”

Mary Banaszak, current president of NYSSCA and a retired member of the Victor TA, described Catalano spearheading the partnership with BOCES and Habitat as the perfect emulation of the collaborative nature of school counseling.

Said Banaszak, “The work of school counselors is never done in isolation. It’s the partnerships we have with other professionals that make us effective.”

Banaszak and Catalano both highlighted how school counselors – because they work with and interact with all students in a school – get to build their own problem-solving and creative thinking skills, and no two workdays are alike.

Banaszak pointed out that the theme of this year’s celebration of National School Counseling Week, held the first week in February, is “amplifying student success.” She noted how well it aligns with the work to which Catalano has dedicated his career. It was Catalano’s vision for school counseling, how he integrates career and tech programming, and his dedication to bringing out his students’ strengths that resonated strongly with his NYSSCA peers, who nominated him to be School Counselor of the Year.

Ever the advocate, Catalano expressed how honored he was to be nominated by his fellow counselors, saying that one of the benefits of being selected as School Counselor of the Year is that it gives him a platform to be a voice for his students and his colleagues around New York. The issues Catalano is most interested in bringing attention to include ensuring reasonable caseloads for counselors, more consistent support for counselors serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and a more balanced and equitable approach to curriculum — one that values technology education and the trades alongside the liberal arts. 

In accepting the award, Catalano drew a clear connection between his two career passions. “My work as a school counselor and as an electrician are connected by something fundamental: purpose. Every wire, every circuit, every connection serves a function — just like every student we serve,” he said. “Our job is to help them find where they fit, where their energy flows best, where they can safely and confidently light up their own future.”

For Catalano, it always goes back to helping others. “I like to help kids get to where they think they’d like to go. I’m a realist, I know that kids change their minds a lot. I try to just do what I can to support the kids.”