Counseling

Welcome to Santa Rosa High School, the oldest and largest comprehensive high school in Santa Rosa! Our student population is approximately 1550 students. SRHS is steeped with school spirit and traditions (SRHS is the 9th oldest high school in CA). Since our campus is large, every student can find something that is of interest to them. SRHS has a unique demographic that few other public schools have in the county, over half of the SRHS population came from somewhere other than our feeder middle school. What this means to a student is, cliques are less pervasive and there is a beauty and appreciation for the eclectic mixes of student experiences, cultures, sexual orientation, gender identification, religions, socio-economic status, and attitudes. This is why our motto is, “Once a Panther, always a Panther.”

WELCOME to the SRHS New School Year

This year all SRCS (Santa Rosa City Schools) K-12 schools use AERIES, the SRCS Student Information System (SIS). Aeries can be used to view student grades, attendance, demographic information and more. Both students and parents can set up a portal. If students or parents do not have access to the AERIES portal, assistance with login information for AERIES can be answered by the Counseling Office staff.

SRHS Counselors will work with students in grades 9-11 between January-March to schedule their classes for the next school year. We know it may feel very early, but we are confident that we will have all of our students appropriately scheduled for the next school year if we start the process then. Your student will get information about selecting their classes for next year and when they will meet 1:1 with their counselor to finalize their schedule. We ask that our Panther families work with their students to review the information brought home and help their students prepare for their 1:1 meeting with their counselor. Working together, we make things happen!

Important Dates Scheduling Timeline: click here!

Navigation

SRHS Counseling Office is located in the main building and can be found by going through the historical front doors off of the horseshoe driveway. Turn right after going through the front doors and the Counseling Office is the first door on the right. The Counseling Office hours 8:00 am - 4:00 pm (M - F). The office is closed on school holidays and the month of July.

SRJC Enrollment

SRJC classes are available to our students. You can qualify for an "out period" per each class(up to 2) enrolled in at the JC. You must meet with your Counselor first to get approval for the course. If you plan to enroll in a course at SRJC for the Spring 2023 semester you must send a screenshot of the course to your School Counselor once you are registered if you are requesting a change in your SRHS course schedule or want to keep your current SRJC out period active.

SRJC Enrollment

SRJC Course Completion

If you completed an SRJC course that affects your class schedule this semester,your transcript will reflect this information. For questions contact our SRHS Registrar, Amanda Stephens at astephens@srcs.k12.ca.us

Free Periods

Qualifications

Must be a SENIOR.
Must have earned 180 credits at the end of Junior year.
Parent / guardian must approve and send an email to the student’s counselor.

If the student meets the above qualifications review the Free Period Information document. Complete and submit the Free Period form that will become available in the Counseling office in the late Spring.

School Counselor Availability

School Counselors and the College Career Counselor are available for drop-in and scheduled appointments before school, during breaks, and after school. We recommended students meet with their School Counselor when they are not scheduled to attend a class. To schedule an appointment please e-mail your Counselor. The School-Based Therapist meets with students on a referral basis only.

School Counselor Caseload

Students are assigned to a specific School Counselor based on the first letter of their last name. Many students are supported by the same School Counselor all four years of high school. There are approximately 350 - 400 students on the School Counselor's caseload. Please see the Counselors tab to find information on your Counselor.

Supporting and Empowering

School Counselors are generalists with a wide breadth of experience, training, and education. They support students with ALL aspects of high school: academic, social, emotional, college, career, mental health, and wellness. The School Counselor’s role at SRHS is to provide services for and with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to promote maximum student success. School Counselors may refer students to the School Based Therapist (SBT) or community resources to assist the student with in-depth social emotional and/or mental health needs.

School Counselors are members of the American School Counselor Association.

Counseling Department Staff

Amanda and Brittany are the first point of contact for students dropping in to see their Counselors and will help you sign in, get support during a crisis, or let you know what to do if your Counselor is unavailable.

Brittany Gibbs

Counseling Secretary

bgibbs@srcs.k12.ca.us 707-890-3850 x52124 fax: (707) 528-1902

Brittany assists families with student parent Aeries portal access, student registration, directs phone calls to the counselors, updates contact information for parents and students, answers general questions, notifies staff of active restraining orders/ changes in custody, and helps parents liaison with teachers. If she can’t help you, she will put you in contact with someone who can.

Amanda Stephens

Registrar

astephens@srcs.k12.ca.us 707-890-3850 x 4 fax: (707) 528-1902 Transcripts Form

Amanda is our rockstar registar! She helps with all things transcripts and can answer any questions regarding them or direct you to the right place if she can't.

Counselors

Counselor A - E

Seth Geffner

sgeffner@srcs.k12.ca.us
Introduction Video

Seth Geffner is from Southern California and a proud supporter of the LA Kings and LA Dodgers (we don’t hold it against him). He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1996 and then attended graduate schools at the University of Michigan and Sonoma State University where he earned his Master’s in Counseling. Seth is married to a special education elementary school teacher in Santa Rosa City Schools and they have two children. Their son and daughter attend SRHS. Seth has been a School Counselor at SRHS since 2003.

Counselor F-L

Marlene Nemoede

mnemoede@srcs.k12.ca.us
Introduction Video

Marlene Nemoede was raised in Madrid, Spain. She relocated to Sonoma County where she earned her Bilingual Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University. She then moved to San Francisco, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a PPS Credential from the University of San Francisco. Now, she’s back in Sonoma County and has been working for Santa Rosa City Schools for more than 20 years.

Counselor M-Rm

Adam Derum

aderum@srcs.k12.ca.us

Adam was born and raised in Santa Rosa and is a graduate of the Class of 2000 at Elsie Allen High School. Immediately after high school, Adam served for four years in the United States Marine Corps. During that time Adam visited 12 countries and circumnavigated the globe twice! After the Marines, Adam earned his BA in Sociology, a teaching credential in Social Studies, and as his MA in Counseling, all from Sonoma State. When not supporting his students at SRHS, you can find Adam on the golf course, watching the SF Giants/49ers, adventuring with his dog Bochy, or playing video games with his cat Maxwell on his lap. Adam is passionate about post-high school planning and helping students realize their potential path, whether it be college or vocational success.

Counselor Rn - Z

Kris Bertsch

kbertsch@srcs.k12.ca.us
Introduction Video

Kris Bertsch is from the San Joaquin Valley (Modesto). Kris grew up a “farm girl” and still loves the smell and feel of freshly tilled dirt. Kris graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1989 with a BA in History and a BA in Black Studies as well as a Coaching Credential. Once she moved to Sonoma County she then earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Sonoma State in 1994. Her children have ALL graduated from SRHS and were "Panthers from the Start." This experience assists her in working with not only students but SRHS parents, as well. Kris was a college athlete and two of her daughters were/are college student athletes. She has a lot of knowledge and experience working with student athletes and the NCAA eligibility system. Kris began her counseling career at Piner High school in 1993. Kris has worked at SRHS, off and on, since 1995.

MTSS Counselor

Courtney Crakow

ccrakow@srcs.k12.ca.us

Coming soon

College and Career Counselor

Tracy Batchelder

tbatchelder@srcs.k12.ca.us
Appointments
Introduction Video

Tracy is originally from Santa Barbara, CA and has lived in Sonoma County since 2005. She has a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, and recently graduated with her Master’s in School Counseling from Sonoma State University. She spent several years working in environmental conservation on the east coast and in Costa Rica and also lived in Mexico for five years while raising a family. She has three children, one of which graduated from SRHS in 2016. She enjoys working with high school students and helping them to define and pursue their educational and career paths.

School-Based Therapists

Urjita Parekh

uparekh@srcs.k12.ca.us
Introduction Video

Urjita Parekh (Jita) joined the SRHS Counseling Team three years ago as a full-time school-based therapist (SBT). Her office is located across from the counseling office. She meets with students by referral from their School Counselor. Jita's role at SRHS is to assist those students who may benefit from more intensive social and emotional counseling interventions by providing short term individual and group therapy, as well as making referrals for students and families to community resources. Jita earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and her Master of Arts in Counseling from Sonoma State University. For the past several years, she has been working in higher education at Oregon State University as well as at Sonoma State.

Ben Saxe

bsaxe@srcs.k12.ca.us

Coming soon

CEP Counselor

Arata, Forest

farata@srcs.k12.ca.us

Forest Arata grew up in Petaluma and has lived there most of her life. After graduating high school from Petaluma High School she went to Santa Rosa Junior College and then transferred to Sonoma State University where she earned her BA in Psychology. Afterwards she continued to work toward her Masters (MA) in Psychology, her School Counseling Credential (PPS) and her Marriage and Family Therapy License (MFT). Supporting students who are having a difficult time is her specialty. She has worked as a counselor for different Santa Rosa high schools for the last 18 years. She is married to her husband of 30 years and has two adult daughters who attend SRJC. She loves to foster puppies, garden and travel when she can.

Letters of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation is sometimes needed for the college application process or for attaining a scholarship or award. Neither the UC system nor CSU system require or accept letters of recommendation.

If you need a letter of recommendation, below are the steps you should follow.

IMPORTANT TIME LINE: Give at LEAST 15 business days (holidays and weekends don't count) for a professional to write a letter of recommendation. Both Counselors and Teachers can deny writing a letter if the above time line is not followed. Plan accordingly.

If you need your counselor to write a letter of recommendation you must first see them in person.

Counselor Letter of Recommendation: Counselors are required to be an active participant in the Common Application process. Not only do they submit transcripts and student data, most times they are also required to submit a letter of recommendation for the applicant. Prior to submitting the counselor's name and email address on the application, students are required to meet, in person, with their counselor and discuss the request. Counselors use a specific resume for their students that can only be attained in person. Speaking to your counselor should be the first item of business if you plan to apply to schools through the Common app or if filling out another college application that requires a letter of recommendation from your counselor.

Teacher Letter of Recommendation: If you are required to submit letters of recommendation from teachers, please speak to the teachers prior to inviting them on your application. Teachers are not required to write letters of recommendation. It is a privilege if a teacher decides to write a letter of recommendation for you. Many teachers have their own process and resume which they would like you to fill out to assist them in writing your letter. Below is a link to a form that you can use to provide additional information about yourself to teachers.

A MUST!!!! Write a thank you note to anyone who takes the time and puts in the effort to write you a letter of recommendation. Do not take these people for granted in your college application process, your admission to your dream college may depend on them. Treat them accordingly.

Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request Form

How to ask for a letter of Recommendation tips

PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES

707-576-8181

3322 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

If you or someone you know is experiencing a life threatening crisis, please call 911 immediately.

Community Resources

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