This year, school psychologist Dr. Tina Mannarino is one of Morgan’s new staff members. Working at both Eliot and Morgan, Dr. Mannarino serves an important role in our Clinton Public Schools system.
Although she originally planned to be a lawyer-psychologist, Dr. Mannarino has always intended to work with school-age children. Her career path shifted in college when an opportunity arose to take a school psychology course, and ultimately she “went with it.” Currently, she works with students from the middle school level up to the college level, as she works in the Clinton Public Schools system and at Albertus Magnus College.
At Eliot, her role is the same as it is here at Morgan. She described it as helping to manage the mental health and school adjustment needs of students. When asked if there was anything she wanted students to know about her role, she shared a quote she enjoys, “education is the social machinery for social justice.” If students are having trouble figuring out how to access that feeling, Dr. Mannarino enjoys being a part of the team that can help them access it.
Dr. Mannarino has “years of experience” working in schools and with students. She was a school psychologist across New York for “many years,” but eventually became frustrated with the speed at which she could make change. This led her to become an administrator for several years. Eventually, she found her way back to working with individual students though because “It’s just as important as it is to work with individuals as it is to have macro change.” She values the ability to help each of her students and fit their individual needs.
Laughing, Dr. Mannarino stated that the biggest challenge about adjusting to Morgan has been the schedule, a struggle that many can relate to. Other than that, she enjoys working at both Eliot and Morgan, although she admitted that working with high school students is her favorite. She finds the stage of life that high school students are in to be fascinating. They have “one foot in sort of childhood and one foot in adulthood, and I think It’s really rewarding to help to usher them through the transition.” She stated that she enjoys helping students “comfortably explore, in a safe way while being young, on the one hand, and looking forward to setting goals to being older, on the other hand.”
Overall, Dr. Mannarino explained that she takes pleasure in being a part of the Morgan Community. She mentioned that there is “true school spirit,” and she was impressed by the student body’s self-motivation level. “Overall it’s a beautiful environment, both with the way that the students and staff interact. The facility is really edifying, and overall you know it’s pleasant.” Dr. Mannarino is excited to be a part of the team that finds solutions to students’ mental health challenges.
