Mr. Jonathan Roman is a highly regarded guidance counselor here at Morris Hills, and his hard work and formidable efforts have lead to his being named the first Educational Specialist of the Year. This is Mr. Roman’s fourth year at Morris Hills after working for two years in Roxbury. Having graduated from Morris Hills, Mr. Roman is familiar with its campus and even some of its staff when he transferred here. According to him, this high school is home, and its staff and student body “like family”. However, the award still took him by surprise and he explained, “I heard the same time as everyone did. I actually couldn’t really hear my name being announced because I was helping a student at the time.”

Mr. Roman didn’t always want to become a guidance counselor; in fact, he started off majoring in pre-law in college. It was once he joined The Impact Project, a private children and youth agency, that he really decided which direction he wanted to go with his future. With that program, he was able to help inner-city students get back on track under probation. He also worked with kids at a day camp in his spare time. These experiences influenced him to take a different career path and brought him to where he is today.

Being a guidance counselor can be challenging; dealing with so many students makes for very busy days. Mr. Roman said his motivation lay in “being able to work individually with kids and watch them change and grow from freshmen until they are graduating seniors.”

When not working, Mr. Roman enjoys working out. He runs every morning before work and also coaches the schools boys JV soccer team. He states that these activities “relieve a lot of stress” throughout the day. As a guidance counselor committed to his work and to the students he helps, Mr. Roman is the most deserving recipient of the Educational Specialist of the Year award. As a school and a family, we applaud Mr. Roman for his hard work and dedication.