• About Us

     

    Who We Are

    Our department is comprised of six counselors and one chairperson assigned to students alphabetically by last name. We are supported by two secretaries who assist us, and our students, on a daily basis. Secretaries' names, contacts, which duties they are assigned? List letter range assigned to each dept member?

    Chairperson:

    Ms. Sarah Kern, skern@sufferncentral.org - ext.41322

    Counselors:

    Mrs. Ann Marie Casarella, acasarella@sufferncentral.org - ext.41324

    Mrs. Marissa Guijarro, mguijarro@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41323

    Mrs. Janet Leale, jleale@sufferncentral.org - ext.41320

    Ms. Meredith Reddy, mreddy@sufferncentral.org - ext.41321

    Mr. Robert Schelling, rschelling@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41316

    Ms. Shelley Stephenson, sstephenson@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41372

    Secretaries: Mrs. Ashley Saber, asaber@sufferncentral.org - ext.41308

    Mrs. Jesslyn Zenke, jzenke@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41309

    What We Do

    Counselors are a central part of student life at Suffern High School. Through presentations, group activities and individual appointments, counselors aid students on their journey through Suffern High School. Our office prides itself on our open door policy and students are encouraged to stop by before school, in between periods and during unit lunch to simply say hello or to schedule an appointment. 

    • Do you make referrals to other support personnel like a social worker, psychologist, speech/physical/occupational therapist? Or only academic/career counseling?
    • Scheduling: We ensure the scheduling of required courses so that the goal of timely graduation is met, monitor student progress throughout the year and coordinate post-high school planning. 

    • Working Papers: Suffern High School can issue working papers for New York State only. Students who gain employment in New Jersey, must visit a New Jersey high school for working papers. For working papers, please see this page and call or email Mrs. Zenke at jzenke@sufferncentral.org or 357-3800 ext. 41309. 

    • Scholarships: Our office acts as a liaison for many local scholarship organizations. Scholarship information is updated in the scholarship section of students’ Naviance accounts and on the Scholarships tab of this website. Typically, local organizations send us their applications in late February-early March.

    • AP Exams: Mrs. Kern, Chairperson, serves as Suffern’s AP Coordinator. Information on AP registration is distributed through AP classes.

    • Withdrawal from SHS: Please call or email Mrs. Zenke at jzenke@sufferncentral.org or 357-3800 ext.41309 for assistance withdrawing or transferring to another high school.

    *Special notes:

    1. Registration of new students is done at our central office located in Hillburn, NY. For registration information, please call the main office at 357-7783 and ask for our registrar, Ms. Natalia Montes.

    2. Students applying for accommodations on standardized tests (SAT, ACT, AP) should contact Ms. Taudel (ataudel@sufferncentral.org) for information.