Working with kids is not an easy job. But Amanda Govoni goes between the Middle School and Pine Grove Elementary School every week to help young kids while mental health is at an all time high. 

Working with kids has always been an interest for Ms.Govani. Before she came to Triton Govani got her masters degree in social work at Salem State. This got her a position at Saugus Public Elementary. When asked about how she felt about the change from Saugus to Triton, she said “I really Like it! I think it’s a really great community, it’s a safe community, it’s a rural community. Coming from Saugus it was very city-like.”

After moving to Salisbury in 2020, Ms. Govoni, while looking for a job, found the Triton district on SchoolSpring while it was searching for new staff in the REACH program. She found this split position as a school adjustment counselor for both the Middle School and Pine Grove Elementary School. This position fit her masters degree well, and it was something that Ms. Govoni really enjoyed doing.

 However, moving between schools is very challenging, especially for a new teacher “My quite honest answer? It’s been difficult, but I think it’s a learning curve. It’s definitely different with the population of elementary and middle school and also trying to find the balance of meeting the needs of the students in the middle school and meeting the needs here at the elementary school, but I like it.” said Ms. Govoni about having to alternate between the two schools.

Even without the difficulty of moving schools, Ms. Govoni still faces many other challenges in her work. She believes that mental health is at an all time high for kids. Because of this, it is challenging for her to help those kids with  crises that are out of her control. Ms. Govonni tells us the first is identifying what is in their control and what is out of their control and how to manage that situation to the best of their ability. Sometimes students will require more support from outside of the school, so Ms. Govoni will refer out for extra resources and services to support the student’s mental health. Or maybe a student’s parent or family will need more support, so they will at least have more resources and support. In this difficult situation, she wants to provide the resources without herself trying to problem solve. “It takes a village, right?” said Ms. Govoni

After a good impression in the beginning of the year newsletter, Ms. Govoni has fit right in at Pine Grove. The Principal, Nicole LaPerriere, had this to say about her, “She’s just got this magnetic personality that the kids really are drawn to. She is picking up things quickly and is well liked by staff and students and families, and she’s definitely a part of the PGS family.” Kyle Campbell, a guidance counselor at PGS works closely  with her and was a part in introducing her to the school. “She’s a team player. She has a caseload, but in addition to her caseload she’s always saying if you need help or you want some support, she’s there for us” said Campbell.

Despite the challenge of moving between both buildings, Ms. Govoni has made a great impression on the Triton district. She is a great fit into the community, and both the Middle School and Pine Grove are excited to have her on the team.