Ashley Wenskoski, Senior
For the last installment in our Unsung Heroes series for the year, the Pirates Pearl sat down with two of the most influential people in our building that deserve utmost recognition and do not always get the appreciation that they deserve. Ms. Losinno and Mrs. Tirjan provide Palisades High School with an extensive number of essential services, and students simply would not be able to function without their support regarding scheduling, college applications, graduation progress, emotional counseling, and much, much more. This week, they tackled some of our questions to provide insight into their day to day lives.
Where did you go to college and for what?
Losinno: I attended Bloomsburg University for undergrad teaching in special education and hearing impairment, followed by Kutztown University for my masters in school counseling.
Tirjan: I attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for psychology, and also got my masters in school counseling from Kutztown University.
Did you have any other jobs in this career before you worked at Palisades?
Losinno: No, I have worked at Palisades School District (I started at Durham Nockamixon Elementary) for 33 years!
Tirjan: This is also the only school I’ve worked at, and I’ve been here for ten years (since 2009). I also did a couple years at the elementary level.
How did you decide on entering the profession of becoming a guidance counselor?
Losinno: I always thought that I wanted to be an accountant, because my dad had an accounting business when I was young. Then, I got a job at a summer camp working with students with disabilities when I was 14 and knew that I loved it. I took my first accounting class in college, knew that I hated it, and decided on special education.
Tirjan: I always knew that I wanted to be a counselor. I worked in the nonprofit field for over 10 years out of college working with adults with special needs. I also worked with teens with brain injuries at renewal centers, which made me decide to get my masters in school counseling.
What gives you the most pride about what you do?
Losinno: I chose this job because I love working with kids. The best part is watching them grow and develop, helping them work through really difficult issues and watching them come out on the other side.
Tirjan: I also just love working with kids...seeing how you guys grow from freshman to senior year is the best.
What do you love about the Palisades community?
Losinno: The people....I love building connections with all the kids and teachers. The people are just the best.
Tirjan: The size of Palisades...because we’re a smaller district, we are really able to get to know our students well and build amazing connections.
What are some of your day to day tasks?
Losinno: Well, it’s kind of funny because usually whatever we have planned for the day doesn’t happen. We do so much between emotional counseling, parent/teacher interventions, outside resources and referrals for students going through a rough time, building the master schedule for the building, making sure people graduate, connections with community resources, hiring committees, software setup with Naviance, calculating GPAs and class rank.
Tirjan: It changes so dramatically everyday...school and emotional counseling, career planning, MAP testing and PSATs and SATs, IEP meetings and 504 meetings, and tons of committees from freshman connections to professional development.
How has the college application process changed throughout the years?
Losinno: It used to be all paper and pencil! Kids had to look through college handbooks to find lists of colleges with their intended major by state...we’d get huge stacks of transcripts for college applications and have to send everything out by snail mail.
Tirjan: It’s so much better for you guys now that everything’s electronic and the Common App is so widely accepted. Everything is so much more convenient and efficient through Naviance...I think I’ve only had to mail about five paper transcripts this year.
Do you have any advice for current juniors looking towards college?
Losinno: Try not to stress too much and enjoy the process. It should be a learning experience to find out who you are by exploring your opportunities...keep an open mind. Make decisions based on what you know and what will be best for you.
Tirjan: Don’t procrastinate!! It will be more fun if you don’t procrastinate.
Tell us a little bit about your families.
Losinno: I’m actually a triplet...my sister passed away when we were 35 and I raised her son, who has become my son. He’s 26 and recently graduated from Penn State, so my family is him and my dog. My extended family is also very close and we have a great sense of humor together.
Tirjan: I’ve been married since 1997 (my husband is a physics and environmental science teacher at Upper Perkiomen) and have three kids who all go to Pennridge; my daughter is a junior, my son is in 8th grade, and my other son is in 5th grade. We have three cats and a rabbit, and we’re very busy between all of my kids’ activities!
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