by Kaili Stuaffer (8th)
Chances are, you don’t know exactly who Mrs. Simonetti is, and though most students are aware that she’s one of our guidance counselors at CMS, not many have ever spoken to her, since her work mainly involves those whose last names are at the end of the alphabet.
Now, at the end of her 33rd year of work here, she’s announced her happy retirement! Luckily, during her very busy schedule, CMS Scoop was fortunate enough to catch her for an interview.
Ginny Simonetti has been an extremely influential and loving counselor during her years here, and upon being asked, she told us her biggest accomplishment was that she had gotten the job she’d always dreamed of, and that she's successfully completed it for all 33 years.
For Mrs. Simonetti, a normal work day was far from normal—every day had been a surprise, no matter what she would’ve had planned that morning. After students came off the bus, she’d be immediately ushered to IEP meetings, CARE Team Meetings, ISPT Meetings, Individual student sessions, 504 Meetings, and Color Team Meetings; in many of her days, lunch just didn’t fit in.
“The day goes by fast,” she said. “And I love the variation from day to day.”
Despite the bustling and busy daily adventure, Mrs. Simonetti’s favorite part of her work is getting to know her students and watching them grow. She recounted how she loves watching the adolescents she helps evolve academically and personally.
“I try to get to know the students, support, encourage, and build connections with them in order to help them feel enabled to grow.”
Sometimes though, there are tough cases—students who are hurting and Mrs. Simonetti can’t help—which breaks her heart. While circumstances often have a silver lining, they may not always have one. She holds it true that "knowing that you can change one person's life and make that better makes this job so rewarding” and when things don’t get better for kids, it’s saddening.
The beginning of any new job can be nerve racking. As you begin to learn your responsibilities and meet people, some of the stress is relieved. We decided to ask Mrs. Simonetti how she felt starting her journey as a guidance counselor here at CMS, to which she said, “I knew I’d found exactly where I wanted to be… I knew this would be my home until I retired.”
She still loves what she does, and feels connected to so many people that it’s hard to leave, but she also understands it is time for a change, and that she needs to spend time with her family.
With her retirement, Ginny Simonetti plans to spend time in Hawaii with her soon-to-be grandson and the dogs she’ll be fostering. She’s also excited to get more involved in her gardening, kayaking, hiking, dog walking, and other general nature activities.
All and all, Mrs. Simonetti has helped hundreds of children and their families throughout her time as a guidance counselor at CMS, and we will miss her so very much, but we’re tremendously happy for her to start this new exciting chapter in her life.
Image Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginny-simonetti-3516bb94