Every student faces a multitude of challenges each school day, but no matter what issues they face, within just a few paces, they can find a place to work through them. Located at the center of the school, Bonnie Simonelli, Revere’s at-risk coordinator, is ready to help any student get through the day, and each time she does, she is working toward her dream of impacting a million young lives.
Bonnie Simonelli serves as the Revere School District’s at-risk coordinator. While she is responsible for many different tasks, her most crucial role is the impact she has on students. Additionally, Simonelli involves herself in advising many student groups across the district.
The role of an at-risk coordinator is one that, from the outside, may not seem straightforward, but once the responsibilities of the position become clear, its importance is realized. Throughout the day, Simonelli experiences many different situations, and she explains how they fit into her role at Revere.
“My job is very eclectic, so I work in all the different grade levels. I do truancy and attendance. That’s one of the umbrellas. But then I also do group, and individual counseling with kids when they come in. I’m a school counselor by trade, but I focus more on mental health support through the after-school clubs that I run,” Simonelli said.
While Simonelli may have an office in Revere’s counseling office, her duties differ from those of RHS’ counselors in several ways. While counselors focus primarily on the success of students in the classroom and their path beyond high school, Simonelli focuses more on a student’s day-to-day life
“Although every student can always go to their school counselor, students kind of see me in a different role. They see me a lot before they get to high school with all of the clubs and time I spend in the classroom from fifth grade up. They’ve seen me at all the different levels and they kind of know that I’m here to help,” Simonelli said.
To make the impact she has possible, Simonelli has to invest time from early on in a student’s career to build a relationship that lasts. Throughout her day, Simonelli experiences students from seven different grade levels, and managing such a large span of kids can be a difficult task. Simonelli explained her outlook toward the situation.
“I love it, little kids are so real, and they just tell you whatever they want. And while that can be crazy, at least they are telling us. I think especially the middle schoolers have such a protection zone that sometimes they don’t share that much, so it [is] fun to see the opposite of that,” Simonelli said.
While Simonelli often finds herself outside of RHS during the school day, when she is at the high school she makes her presence felt. Simonelli gave a summary of a normal day at the school.
“My day starts by checking the attendance of kids that are on my radar and then calling them in to talk to them about what’s going on. What will also happen is kids will just come up here to talk through things that are going on. Sometimes I don’t even know them from before, they just come in here and they want to talk,” Simonelli said.
With the number of students relying on Simonelli, there are some struggles she faces. With only so many hours in a day, time can be difficult to manage, especially with so many students to attend to. Simonelli explained how time becomes an issue and how she combats it.
“Time is hard. I have a cell phone through the school, which I love. I can use it for kids, I give them this number and whenever they need me, even in the evenings, they can contact me. It also helps me through the day if something’s going on. I’ll tell a kid to email me and I can hear back from them at any time. Even with that, there could probably be a couple of me, one in each building, and there still wouldn’t be enough time for every student,” Simonelli said.
Outside of her primary duties at Revere, Simonelli also involves herself heavily with clubs and after-school activities. Simonelli serves as the adviser for five clubs at RHS alone and is involved in many programs throughout the district as well. She explained why she believes these organizations are so important.
“I just think clubs are really great. They are a place for kids to belong and somewhere to go that isn’t a big commitment for them. Whenever a student comes to me with a club idea I consider it, and if it’s a great one, why not help with it? So that’s how they all start, a student comes to me with a great idea, and I help make it a reality,” Simonelli said.
All of the programs Simonelli involves herself in can make for a stressful day-to-day work life, so why does she do it? To do the work that Simonelli does, a great amount of care is necessary, and that is exactly what she possesses. Simonelli explained her drive to do what she does.
“My goal is to help a million kids. This is my passion. Coming to work isn’t like coming to work. I feel very fulfilled here, I feel very good when I leave at the end of the day and the school year. I appreciate the time off to recoup in the summer, but even when I will get calls over the summer I love it. Some kids need to stay connected, and it’s really positive. I just have a really cool job and I don’t hate Mondays,” Simonelli said.
The impact that Simonelli has on her students does not stop when they leave RHS. It has the opportunity to follow them for the rest of their lives. Simonelli has experienced the effects of her commitment to her students, and it is a feeling she deeply appreciates.
“Once students graduate, if they keep in contact with me I get to see them grow up and see what they become. It’s amazing to see what they have done and the part I played in getting them there. Watching them live great lives, become good parents, seeing the growth they’ve made is the best part of my job,” Simonelli said.
To make an impact, Simonelli needs people around her to help support the same mission that she does. One of the many supporting Simonelli’s dream is RHS counselor Emily Rion. As part of the district’s counseling team, the two are responsible for ensuring that students have the best high school experience possible. Rion explained what Simonelli means to the counseling department and the traits that help her make an impact.
“Mrs. Simonelli is incredibly open. She’s open to talking to anybody. She’s willing to take on anything. She works incredibly hard at trying to figure out what the current needs are of the student body. She then executes that. She executes that plan, and she does a wonderful job at it. It’s very rare that Mrs. Simonelli will say no to something,” Rion said.
Simonelli creates a vast impact on the entire district, an impact that helps students through some of their toughest battles. A school counselor’s job is to focus on a student as a person, not just as a student receiving an education, and it is here where Simonelli finds her stride. Rion explained why having a resource like Simonelli is necessary for education and helps to create a better learning environment.
“If you are faced with so many different things outside of the school day and in the school day that are impacting your learning, you need to be able to have people within a school district that are trained professionals who know how to connect students with resources, or who know how to be that resource and support for students. And that’s exactly what Mrs. Simonelli does,” Rion said.
One of the most crucial aspects of Simonelli’s job is that nearly every time a student comes to speak with her, she has an open door. Whenever Simonelli is at the high school, and not already busy, her door stays open, leaving room for any student in need to walk in. Rion spoke about the significance of having an open door.
“[It is necessary] so that students and anybody, students, staff, parents, feel that they can get the help and support that they need. There are so many things that we are all faced with in life, and it’s okay to say, ‘I really don’t want to be alone in this right now.’ An open door allows the opportunity for people to have that experience,” Rion said.
Terri Reinhold serves as the administrative assistant in the counseling office, therefore she is the first face a student sees when seeking help. Due to this role, Reinhold interacts with Simonelli and the students that rely on her everyday. Reinhold spoke about the impact that Simonelli makes on the counseling office as a whole.
“Mrs. Simonelli is a good support system for the students, but the counselors as well. She’s really good with social emotional issues and helping everyone work out difficult problems,” Reinhold said.
Throughout everything she does, Simonelli works toward her goal, and whether she reaches it or not, the students she has helped will inevitably affect thousands of lives.
To read more about mental health at Revere click HERE
