Students from all grades had their first experiences with new guidance counselor, Christopher Marinaro. Before coming to Morgan, he worked at both Success Academy and Venture Academy in Meriden, in a slightly different job than he does now. He worked with the alternative high school students as a guidance counselor. He worked with all grades but had a lot of struggles while working there. One of the biggest challenges was actually getting his students to get to school.
Becoming a guidance counselor is a very different career than most of the others in high schools. Mr. Marinaro didn’t always know that a career as a guidance counselor would be his calling. He first went into college admissions right after graduating college after getting his masters from Fordham University. After working closely with a school in Waterbury, he got very close with the counselor there who asked him one time “Would you ever consider being a guidance counselor?” The question was initially shocking, but he didn’t pay much mind to it until one of his younger brother’s friends made a similar comment after he gave the friend some advice. His wife, who is also an educator, agreed with those statements and pushed him into pursuing the career.
Mr. Marinaro needed a change of pace from Meriden and Morgan was the perfect place for him. With two little kids at home that are now starting sports, he wanted to be closer to home to support them. The proximity to home wasn’t the only thing that made him choose Morgan. He said “Morgan has memories of the high school that I went to. We were a close-knit community, and Morgan is very similar.” Mr. Marinaro is thrilled to be working here with students that are motivated and willing to work hard.
Guidance Counselor Joni Zdunczyk is currently on maternity leave which leaves her seniors without a permanent guidance counselor. The seniors were distributed evenly to the other three guidance counselors: Colleen Couch, Christopher Marinaro, and Moheba Sayed. Working with all 4 different grade levels wasn’t something that Mr. Marianro was unfamiliar with. The high school experience has a wide variety from freshman to seniors, but for Mr. Marinaro, there is one collective goal. He said that “In every case, you are trying to build a relationship with students and find their interest”
Mr. Marinaro is beyond excited to have this new opportunity here at Morgan and looks forward to meeting even the students that aren’t on his workload. His office doors are always open if you ever need his help.
