Zoe O '27 staff photographer
This year, School Counselor Sachiko Donley joined the Marlborough faculty as a 7th and 8th grade mental health specialist. With Director of Education and Counseling Services Morgan Duggan, School Counselor Cristina Lopez-Green and now Donley, the Department of Education and Counseling Services (ECS) is aiming to provide more grade-specific assistance.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Donley has been counseling for 10 years, beginning her career at Princeton University. There, she helped first-year students acclimate to the college experience.
In her new venture as the 7th and 8th grade counselor, Donley has felt welcomed to the community by meeting students, building out the ECS department and most importantly, learning and participating in school traditions.
As part of the ECS department, Donley’s role is part of a larger mission of responding to the needs of each grade individually. Duggan emphasized the importance of grade-specific counselors that are accessible and knowledgeable.
“Each counselor kind of gets to know the grade, the ebbs and flows of that grade, the traditions and crunch weeks,” Duggan said.
Donley described that the needs of different grades are unique and highly individualized. In the case of incoming 7th graders, their Marlborough experience is especially challenging.
“Seventh grade specifically is such a big transition: a new school, new expectations socially, a new kind of level of academic rigor,” Donley said.
Heading into the new school year, the ECS department is also aiming to provide more guidance to parents and guardians, as they are frequently invested in the education of their children. Parents and Guardians Emotional Support will aim to connect parents with each other in the best interest of Marlborough students.
“There is no handbook to parenting,” Duggan said.
Middle school can be especially daunting, even more so when joining a new school. Donley encourages students to be open to making mistakes in hopes of easing some of that pressure.
“Creating spaces where mistakes are OK is important,” Donley said.