As school counselors, we are familiar with the concept of the "summer slide" - the loss of academic skills that happens during the weeks that school is not in session.

But students aren't the only ones who can experience the summer slide. Mind you, the fundamentals of being a school counselor are pretty well ingrained in us - it's unlikely we'd forget any of our essential skills. And I appreciate that we need this time to recharge so we continue to be empathetic and effective supporters of our students.

Summer, however, provides the perfect time to assess the past year, refine our presentations and programs, and engage in the planning that will help create a smooth start to the new school year.

Our main story in this issue of the Insider explores the many ways you can use this time off as a springboard for the future.

We also catch up with Heather Webb, a school counselor with Vista Valley High School and the 2025-2026 President of ACTEAZ, the Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona.

Here's to a restful (and fruitful) summer break! 

Sincerely,

Aja DeZeeuw
2025-2026 Chair
Arizona School Counselors Association

No doubt about it - you've earned this break. After months of navigating crises, supporting students through transitions, running groups, crunching data, and somehow keeping all the plates spinning, you are ready for the summer. 

For school counselors, however, the summer offers more than a chance to recharge. It's also an opportunity to step back, take a look at the past year with fresh, rested eyes, and set yourself up for an even stronger year ahead.

And here's the good news - this doesn't mean you have to make a major sacrifice of your time off. A few intentional hours spread across these weeks can make a huge difference when the new school year rolls around.

Here are a few places where you can focus that energy:

Reflect on the Year - at Your Leisure. One of the gifts of the summer break is a chance to review the year past with some perspective. When you are in the middle of a school year, it's hard to evaluate your work objectively; you're right in the thick of it with little time (or energy) to analyze it. 

Take advantage of the summer to look back honestly at the work you did in 2025-2026. What classroom lessons landed and what fell a little flat? Which small groups were effective? Were there groups of students who needed a group, but your team didn't have the bandwidth to run one? If you had a crisis, how did the response go? What would you change?

Refresh Your Space and Reset Your Calendar. Does your counseling office feel as welcoming as you want it to feel? Do you need to restock on supplies or maybe rethink the layout? It's also a great time to look at your calendar and map out all the important activities for the upcoming year.

Update Your Presentations. Lessons have a shelf life, so look at your presentations and see if they need an update. Do you need new examples or statistics? Maybe a refreshed discussion prompt or two?

Keep on Learning. Professional development doesn't have to mean sitting through a full conference when you'd rather be at the pool, taking a hike, or just relaxing in your own backyard. (Although, honestly, the ASCA summer conference in New Orleans this July looks amazing!)

AzSCA is offering a summer PD program that is meaningful, focused, and as close as your laptop. Our Summer Series takes place on Zoom on June 16 and 17 (9 am to noon each day), and this year's focus is MTSS — Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

The presenter is Dr. Peg Donohue, who co-authored The School Counselor's Guide to MTSS (Routledge, 2023) and Making MTSS Work (ASCA, 2020). Notably, MTSS was included in the 5th edition of the ASCA National Model (2025), making this training particularly well-timed for counselors who want to understand what that means for their school's counseling team.

Registration is open to current AzSCA members and closes May 31. Click here to register.

Summer is short. Rest, restore, and soak up every bit of it that you need. But take some time to look back on the year past and forward to the one ahead. You, and your students, will be glad you did. 

Although she was born in Buffalo, Heather Webb considers herself a native of Arizona.

"My parents moved here when I was about 6 months old," she said. "I went to Heritage Elementary School, then Pioneer Elementary School and Cactus High School, and I've been a West Valley girl ever since."

For more than 25 years, she's been offering guidance and support to students with a particular passion for career and technical education. She's also wrapping up her one-year term as the President of the ACTEAZ, the state's association of CTE professionals.

Much of Heather's childhood was spent in Peoria, where she and her sister grew up riding horses and barrel racing. It was no surprise then that she was drawn to her high school's CTE student organization - the Future Farmers of America - with a focus on horticulture and horse proficiency.

Her first job out of high school was at a Montessori preschool, and after earning her college degree, Heather pursued a career as an eighth grade language arts teacher, which in turn sparked her interest in being a school counselor.

"I don't know if you've ever worked with 8th graders before, but they require a lot of support, both social-emotionally and recognizing how their academic abilities connect to secondary and post-secondary interests," she said. "I was getting my masters in school counseling, and I felt like I was doing this already - why not make the jump?"

Originally, Heather was a school counselor at an elementary school level, which she described as "a treat" because of the wide range of interactions she had with students. 

"There would be kindergarteners in the morning and we're doing 'stranger danger' and know your phone number and what's in your backpack," she remembered. "I was Olweus trained, so it was a lot of anti-bullying programming for kids who were in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. And then by the afternoon, I was in the classroom with 7th and 8th graders, talking about career exploration and helping them with the transition to high school."

In 2007, Heather herself transitioned to high school, taking on a counseling position at what was then a new high school in the region, Valley Vista. She has been there ever since.

"I'm very blessed to have worked with such an incredible team of people over the last 20 years, to see the school grow, the changes, to be part of the culture-building there," she said. "I've had the privilege of having my children graduate from there as well, so when they say we 'bleed purple' on our campus, it's really a part of who we are."

Heather attended her first ACTEAZ conference almost 15 years ago, representing her school district. She quickly became active in the organization, appreciating how it supported all professionals in the CTE space, including CTE instructors who come from business and industry and for whom teaching is a new experience. ACTEAZ also refined her leadership, CTE program, and funding knowledge, as well as her advocacy skills. This encouraged her to advocate for CTE programs for her students at the local and state level. 

Her dedication to the field has been recognized through multiple awards, including the 2020 ACTEAZ Career Guidance Award, the 2021 ACTE Region V Guidance and Career Development Award, and recognition as a 2022 ACTE National Award Finalist.

When asked about the critical issues facing CTE programs, Heather notes that funding is a perennial concern, as is keeping CTE instructors from business and industry from returning to their (often higher paying) professions. 

But mostly, she said, it's about bridging the gap between the number of skilled workers ready for employment and what is needed by professional sectors in the state that are rapidly expanding. 

"Arizona desperately needs skilled, trained professionals who are certified and career ready, particularly in areas such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, IT security, and construction," she said. "School counselors play a pivotal role in supporting students with career discovery, high school course selection, and career or college pathway planning. That's why being a CTE champion is so important to me."