Counseling Department Staff
Dr. N. Elder eldern@dearbornschools.org (School Counselor)
Electives Course Descriptions
Click on the links below for more information:
Quick Reference Course Descriptions by Grade
O.L. Smith Counseling Program
The counseling program at O.L. Smith Middle School is available to help students, parents, and teachers develop positive learning including individual counseling, parent and teacher consultation, group guidance, information services, referral assistance to other programs within the school and community, and student testing. The primary role of the counselor is to provide direct assistance to all students of the middle school.
Guidance Curriculum
In the middle school the Guidance Curriculum is implemented through individual, classroom, and group activities. The purpose of the curriculum is to provide students in the sixth through eighth grades with knowledge of normal growth and development to promote positive mental health, and to assist middle school students in acquiring and using life skills.
The curriculum includes developing career awareness and planning for high school and beyond. Counselors utilize the Career Cruising Program. By seventh grade all middle school students will have began to develop their Educational Development Plan (EDP).
The counselors also meet individually with each eighth grader to discuss planning, goals, and choices for high school classes. Students are encouraged to think and plan for the future. Other Guidance Curriculum topics include core values (honesty, integrity, responsibility, respect for self and others, courtesy), conflict resolution, peer mediation, behavior modification, organization and study skills, and decision-making skills.
O.L.Smith’s counseling department has actively been involved in the WEB program. A transitional program utilizing Eighth grade leaders to assist 6th graders and new students in making a smooth transition into our Middle School.