Santa Maria High School Honors Student Counselor Celest Gonzalez

Celest Gonzalez is known to students, teachers and parents as their Student Counselor at Santa Maria High School. She enjoys her position, as she gets to help and assist students and their families in many ways. Because of her hard work, she was honored by Santa Maria I.S.D during Counselor’s Week.

Among the many things she does is take the lead in the Anti-bullying program in place at the school for the protection of students. This is a much needed service because student bullying takes many forms and has many names.

She told LA FERIA NEWS that bullying occurs when a student or group of students engages in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic methods, or physical conduct against another student on school property, at a school-sponsored or related activity, or in a district operated vehicle.

It is bullying if it results in harm to the victim or the student’s property, or places a student in reasonable fear of physical harm or damage to the student’s property.

In a worst case scenario, it can be so severe and persistent, and pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment. The district has established a plan for addressing child sexual abuse and other maltreatment of children. This plan may be accessed at the District Administration office.

Gonzalez explained that to address these matters for students, teachers and parents, she visits each classroom the first week of each school year. During that meeting with students and teachers, Counselor Gonzalez goes over the Student Handbook, which contains specific language and guidance for cases of child abuse. . “We want every student, teacher and parent to be aware of what constitutes bullying and other forms of abuse,” she said.

“The second week of each new school year,” she said, “We invite Sergeant Uribe of the Cameron County Sheriff’s department to visit the school. He speaks to each student from the 9th to the 12th grade. Cyberbullying is becoming the latest means to make somebody’s life miserable. The officer explains what to do, and who to inform if one of the students becomes a victim of this pernicious, mean-spirited practice.”

Gonzalez said all we need to know about bullying is contained in these following five rules: (1) Bullies target their victims, (2) Bullying is not an accident; it is intentional; (3) Bullying is a re-occurring problem; Bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim, and, finally, (5) Bullying is unwanted aggression and is meant to do harm.

“Bullying takes the form of verbal, physical or emotional abuse, and is meant to harm and try to control another personal through mean words, social media, or even physical threats,” she concluded.

“If a child or parent suspects such abuse, they need to contact the school administration immediately,” she said, adding: ‘they’ll know what to do.”