The De La Salle Experience comes with a personal life coach who is committed to your mental health and scholastic performance.
We provide both academic and personal counseling for students who wish to take advantage of our highly qualified and experienced staff. You’ll find that we’re up-to-date on topics like anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, and grief-counseling and can provide research-based tools that both help the students’ mental health and improve scholastic performance. We are here to meet your academic, social, and developmental needs.
When you officially matriculate as a De La Salle Meteor, our Student Services Department will schedule an orientation day to meet you and your parent(s)/guardian(s). We’ll get an inventory of who you are: what you enjoy in school, what you’re nervous about, what subject(s) are your favorite, and what you hope to accomplish with your time at De La Salle. This information will help us get the conversation started so that we can best support you throughout your De La Salle Experience – from excited freshman to graduated senior and every moment in between.
Student Services Department
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Check grades, share concerns, or just say hello!
Dan Van Dyke
Director of Student Services
vandyked@dls.org
Nicole Merz
Director of Learning Services
merzn@dls.org
Student Last Names(A-E)
Nicole Accomando
Personal/Academic/College & Career Counselor
accomandon@dls.org
Student Last Names (F-L)
Carlos Nunez
Personal/Academic/College & Career Counselor
nunezc@dls.org
Student Last Names (M-R)
Tracy Aldaz
Personal/Academic/College & Career Counselor
aldazt@dls.org
Student Last Names (S-Z)
Sean Miller
Personal/Academic/College & Career Counselor
millers@dls.org
Academic Counseling
- You’re the boss. No. Really. You’re responsible for you and we’ll help you gain ownership of your life as you gain more independence. But we’ll also help you plan your courses and advise what might be best for the future of your academic career.
- We’ll keep you on track to meeting your academic and personal goals, including preparation and success on your ACT and SAT: your counselor will monitor your academic progress and identify issues to help develop action plans to get you “unstuck.” Expect to see us during classroom presentations (usually during your freshman IDA course – Introduction to De La Salle Academics).
- Prepare for college. The De La Salle CAP Program mentors students (and their families) during every step of the college application process. Here’s a window into the resources we offer.
- Family Connection, a comprehensive online resource that enables students to access very accurate college admissions data as well as the most important internet sites to conduct research about colleges, military, trade apprenticeship and potential careers
- Parent Meetings to help clarify any questions parents may have regarding the college admission process and Summer Seminars to get an early start on your planning & beat the rush
- Coordination of test prep to help prepare students for the ACT & SAT
- College Application Processing, where we work with students to present themselves in the most positive way in preparation of Personal Statements and other documents relating to college admissions.
- Things happen. Though we never anticipate an issue with a teacher, things like miscommunication happens. Your counselor will listen to you in confidence and can help facilitate communication between yourself and your teacher.
Personal Counseling
- Change is hard. Adjusting to high school can be challenging, so your counselor can help you work through the transition.
- We are in your corner as you manage personal challenges.
- Our Peer Mediation program helps students resolve any potential issues between peers. We enlist our most mature and objective upperclassmen to act as mediators in minor disputes and conflicts among our students. Resolution is sought through dialogue and compromise.
- If you benefit from working with a psychologist, Student Services maintains a close association with a counseling psychologist to assist in the management of any mental health issues. We have available contacts with outside agencies that provide ongoing assistance and counseling to our graduates.
- Not sure how to be your best self? We can help you identify your strengths and interests and teach healthy, sustainable ways to navigate through difficult times by initiatives like Drug Awareness Week.
- Is your family going through a difficult time? We’re able to discuss emotional or social issues that may be interfering with your academic performance. Come talk to us if you’re experiencing…
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Family Stress
- Peer Relationships
- Motivational Issues
- Self-Esteem
A counselor is always available to deal with emergencies throughout the day. Students may be referred for services by faculty, parents or themselves. All students are eligible for counseling.
