Joseph DeBold, the Cornwall Central School District’s director of guidance since February, went to college with the hopes of a career in criminal justice. However, he graduated with a degree in school counseling.
“I thought that fit the mold of what I wanted to do in terms of helping people,” DeBold said. “As I got progressively deeper into the program, I realized that what you do with criminal justice, although a noble profession, you are kind of rounding up people after the fact, after they’ve screwed up.”
DeBold wanted to be able to present students with opportunities and help them realize they don’t have to go down the road they were heading.
“Education and opportunity is the number one deterrent of crime,” DeBold said. “I wanted to be the person who can help in that aspect of things rather than be the person who does the cleanup after the fact.”
The Monroe-Woodbury graduate attended SUNY Albany where he earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice, but it was the internship opportunities the school provided that convinced DeBold to take a different career path.
One of those opportunities entailed being in charge of a group of students who were in Albany Juvenile Corrections. His job was to make sure they went to school, did their homework, were engaged with school, and not misbehaving.
“I actually saw the difference one person can make when you show a little care and show a little interest in someone’s life. The amount of turnaround that I saw was so impactful I said, ‘this is incredible; this is something I want to do.’”
DeBold was a little lost until he was told what he was looking for sounded like a school counselor. He then went on to earn his master’s degree in school counseling and administration, from Long Island University.
For 15 years afterward, DeBold worked in the Valley Central School District as a counselor and director of guidance. When a position opened in this district, DeBold jumped at the opportunity to work in Cornwall.
As director of guidance, DeBold oversees the entire guidance department, K-12. He also works with the district’s social worker and school psychologist.
The job focuses on three main areas: academics (making sure students are successful in the classroom); college and career (making sure students have a post-graduation plan and helping them prepare for that plan); and social and emotional – (if students are struggling emotionally or socially, it’s likely they’re struggling academically).
Although DeBold misses having a case load and interacting with students, he finds ways to create that interaction.
As a former football coach, he attends the Friday night games. He also speaks to students in the classroom by offering lessons regarding social and emotional learning. Over the summer, he helped a student create an SAT college assistance class. He’s also helping students find volunteer work if they want to be recognized for doing 200 hours of community service.
