Professional Partner of the Month: November 2007
Laraine Bortner
“Laraine works very hard to help youngsters resolve the issues with which they must deal. However, she can’t help taking more action when it is clear that the youngster is at a disadvantage. She has prepared meals for families, made or purchased lunches, taken students on food, clothing or school supply shopping trips, driven students to and from school, appointments, and activities, and frequently petitioned officials in support of students. I expect if she had not taken all of those steps, she would have several months’ salary and much more time available.”
- Dr. John Sheridan, retired educator, State College Area School District
“Laraine utilizes many of The Second Mile’s programs, from Children’s Fund and Nittany Lion Tips, to the Challenge and Friend Fitness Programs. She knows all these programs very well, and wisely targets the correct program for each specific student.”
- Karen Zawitkowski, Director of Programs, The Second Mile
“She keeps trying and trying to provide services for families and children. She never gives up on kids.”
- • Kristi Giuliano, Assistant Principal, State College Area School District
“Laraine utilizes many of The Second Mile’s programs, from Children’s Fund and Nittany Lion Tips, to the Challenge and Friend Fitness Programs. She knows all these programs very well, and wisely targets the correct program for each specific student.”
- Karen Zawitkowski, Director of Programs, The Second Mile
Based on the comments of her colleagues, clearly Laraine Bortner is succeeding in leaving her positive imprint at Park Forest Middle School in the State College Area School District, where her goal is to help students in grades 6-8 to be successful not only in the academic realm, but also in the social, emotional, behavioral, and career exploration areas:
- “I worry that we are losing sight of the fact that we must be concerned about the whole child in order to do an excellent job of educating and raising children.”
When asked to further elaborate on the more significant challenges facing the counseling profession today, Laraine added,
“I also worry that some schools are reducing the number of creative outlets for students when drama, art, music, and physical education classes are cut as school budgets are reduced. Young people have to find something that they excel in; these subjects also help them feel connected to and invested in school.”
Dr. Bortner puts her money where her mouth is, evidenced by her individual efforts in promoting the total education of her students, and in fostering mentoring relationships when possible. One of these mentoring programs includes an international partners group that she started with an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher to provide ESL students with “traditional” student buddies. Another initiative she’s championed is a school-based mentoring program. Add to these her active participation in the PRIDE anti-bullying program, and her promotion of staff wellness activities, and one begins to see a snapshot of a very involved person contributing to all aspects of a positive school environment.
As a school counselor, Laraine also runs various groups and does her share of teaching. For example, she has led several parenting workshops, including PEACE, or Parenting Early Adolescents Changes Everything, which she describes as “a lot of fun.” The New Student Group, in which students are invited to an ice cream social to meet other new students, is another example of Laraine going out of her way to make Park Forest students feel welcomed.
When our honoree was asked what gives her the most satisfaction in her job, she responded that she loves working with lots of diverse students who have all sorts of needs. Laraine sees middle school as a time of immense changes for young people, and she realizes that they sometimes need assistance making sense of their world and figuring out how they fit in it. Further, their parents/guardians also struggle with how to parent young people at this stage. Apparently, then, her position as a school counselor is the perfect niche for her, as there is so much variety in what she does, plus she never knows what to expect from day to day or even from minute to minute. And this changing landscape is perfect for her, as she shares that luckily she doesn’t get sick very often, probably due to her loving her job so much.
Many of Laraine’s colleagues point out her ability to find and then match up community resources with students in need. Certainly The Second Mile is part of this community landscape for Dr. Bortner:
“The Second Mile allows me to refer young people who don't have the same opportunities as more advantaged young people to wonderful programs. I love being able to recommend students to the Challenge program who would otherwise have nothing to look forward to in the summer. I have a student who came back to school this fall who was transformed by the experience. There is such a positive difference in her outlook as she has set goals for herself and is striving to achieve them. I have also referred students to the Friend Fitness program and witnessed the positive results when they have a mentor who takes an interest in them as a person. Students may begin attending the Friend Fitness program so they can work out and improve their fitness, but most students benefit by doing better in school, improving their self esteem, and making healthy personal choices, as well. I also appreciate being able to refer students who need financial help with a specific item that their families can't afford. This past year, The Second Mile provided the funds so that a student could join the public pool and the swim team. This student had dreamed of joining the pool and being a member of the swim team, but this would have never happened without its financial support.”
Additionally, Laraine will jump in to help cement these connections. Dr. Karen Wiser, Principal at Park Forest Middle School, offered many examples of Laraine’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to local children and families, including this one:
“Recently, the middle school liaison with the United Way Jeans for Teens program was not able to continue. Without hesitation, Laraine stepped up to the plate and began soliciting volunteers from our staff to assist students in their day of shopping. She also arranged the logistics for gift wrapping, storage and delivering of the gifts.”
This example of initiative and dedication seems to be a common theme for Dr. Bortner. She is known to work at all hours of the day and on weekends in order to better serve students, and to check in on how they’re doing. She has been described as “the consummate professional” who works hard to find and foster relationships between young people and significant adults who nurture and care for them. Laraine is also described as a deeply empathic person with whom others feel comfortable talking. John Sheridan added that “she is one of the most professionally ethical, focused, caring, and committed persons I have ever known.”
When not working hard on behalf of her students or others in the community, Laraine enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and gardening. Her husband, Jan Bortner, is an assistant athletic director at Penn State, and their three children include Jessica, a sexual assault counselor in New York City; Ashley, who just started teaching first grade in Fort Lauderdale; and David, a sophomore at Penn State who also plays on the tennis team. The Bortner have a black cat named Riley, and just acquired a new addition to their family this summer, a Yorkshire terrier named Samson. In any spare time that remains Laraine volunteers for Tides, a program for grieving children and their families.
One of Laraine’s favorite quotations is “People don't care what you know until they know that you care.” It’s apparent that all who interact with Laraine immediately know that she cares, and will therefore care what she knows and want to talk with her. Because of her excellent work with children and youth, and her collaboration with the community, The Second Mile is proud to salute Laraine Bortner as November’s Professional Partner of the Month!
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