![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news_020326_michael-catalano.jpeg\")
Caption: Michael Catalano, New York State School Counselor of the Year.\n
Caption: Michael Catalano, New York State School Counselor of the Year.<\/p>\n
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\n Saugerties counselor Michael Catalano with Ulster BOCES students at a Habitat for Humanity building site. Photo Credit: Provided.
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Michael Catalano, Ed.D., a school counselor and member of the Saugerties Teachers Association, describes his upbringing as an unconventional one, where school wasn\u2019t easy and success didn\u2019t always feel like it was within reach. \u201cIt was a bumpy road, to say the least,\u201d said Catalano. <\/p>\n
Now in his 27th year as a counselor at Saugerties Senior High School, Catalano finds himself on the other side of the equation, helping students work through issues and build their own paths to success. <\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes kids struggle, and I remember how I was as a kid and some of the things I went through,\u201d Catalano said. \u201cI\u2019m sure there were a lot of people who wondered \u2018Will this guy ever figure it out?\u2019 But there were key people who were there for me still, so it\u2019s almost like giving back.\u201d <\/p>\n
For Catalano, who was recently selected as School Counselor of the Year by the New York State School Counselor Association, the desire to help others has been a driving force throughout his life. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhether I had a title or I was just a regular kid. I\u2019ve always enjoyed helping people.\u201d <\/p>\n
Caption: Michael Catalano, New York State School Counselor of the Year.
\nCaption: Michael Catalano, New York State School Counselor of the Year.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Catalano has found creative ways to combine that community-oriented spirit with his day-to-day work, forging a partnership with Ulster BOCES and Ulster County Habitat for Humanity to help build houses and allow students to get hands-on electrical and construction experience. <\/p>\n
For Catalano, who is also a licensed master electrician, his own volunteer work with Habitat motivated him to set up the program. As he worked, he knew it would help his students expand their learning beyond the school\u2019s walls and discover their own potential through direct experience. Said Catalano, \u201cWithin an hour or two I said to myself, \u2018I\u2019ve wired a lot of buildings. I think this would be great for the kids.\u2019 And the rest is history.\u201d <\/p>\n
Working on-site allows students to incorporate a community element into learning their craft, and to take what they learn in class and apply it to a real job for a real family in need. In the last five years, Catalano and his students have helped build nine new homes for community members, with many more on the horizon. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll the kids have different skill sets, and we try to work toward their strengths. Part of it is the world of work, to try to figure out \u2014 is this the career for me or not?\u201d said Catalano. \u201cCollege is one path, but it\u2019s not the only path. The trades, the arts, and all forms of skilled work carry deep dignity and value.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mary Banaszak, current president of NYSSCA and a retired member of the Victor TA, described Catalano spearheading the partnership with BOCES and Habitat as the perfect emulation of the collaborative nature of school counseling. <\/p>\n
Said Banaszak, \u201cThe work of school counselors is never done in isolation. It\u2019s the partnerships we have with other professionals that make us effective.\u201d <\/p>\n
Banaszak and Catalano both highlighted how school counselors \u2013 because they work with and interact with all students in a school \u2013 get to build their own problem-solving and creative thinking skills, and no two workdays are alike. <\/p>\n