Ms. Sullivan, Guidance Counselor Who Implemented Naviance, to Retire

By Lila Bond ’26

When you look at Ms. Sullivan, you can tell that she is a very kind woman. When you talk to her, that becomes more evident. It also becomes clear that she is passionate and cares about the work she does at ELHS.

Graduating from North Adams State, now known as the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, she started as a business major, but majored in psychology. She realized she liked psychology far better than business and decided that she wanted to work as a guidance counselor. Going to grad school while her children were young, she got her degree and began her career.

Ms. Sullivan recalls the time when she first started at ELHS as very different than it is now.

“When I started, some of the things that stand out to me are not really about education, but how

people dressed,” she said. “There were no jeans allowed. We had a Casual Friday, but it couldn’t be jeans. It could be khakis or something. The assistant principal was in suits every day. Most of the male teachers wore at least a shirt and a tie. And I wore dresses and maybe nice slacks, but never jeans.”

She also talks about how she believes that the graduation rate in recent years is higher than it was when she started working here.

“I think it feels like more of a college bound group than when I started.”

Ms. Sullivan remembers the first year she worked as a guidance director for grades K-12. During this year, she implemented the program Naviance, which has, since then,helped many students with college-related questions and streamlined the college application process ELHS.

“I was able to get Naviance to the school, which felt really good to me. I wanted it for a while. No one in the area had it.”

School Superintendent Smith okayed it.

“He had faith in me. He allowed us to buy the software. It was a big deal. It was a big project to undertake.”

Her favorite part of her career has been the students, how they’ve made it better and the relationships that she’s built with them.

“I think that I can honestly say, I’ve never had a bad exchange. I never once felt disrespected by a student. I just always very much enjoyed working with the students.”

Another relationship that Ms. Sullivan has built through her career is her relationship with her colleagues.

“I’ve always been very impressed by the teachers here,” she said. “I’ve always thought we really had top notch teachers. I don’t live in town anymore, but I did. Both my daughters went to school here, and they had a wonderful experience with their teachers.”

In retirement, Ms. Sullivan wants to travel and spend more time with her family and friends.

“I’m going to Ireland for a wedding. After that, with the group from the wedding, we’re going on a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean. I’m also going to London in August with my kids and their husbands.” 

She will be missed by many and has truly left her mark here as a fantastic guidance counselor.

“She genuinely wanted to open doors for her students and lighten the financial burden of college on them as much as possible,” Ms. Shelby Matroni, Guidance Director, said. “She has an abundance of  knowledge when it comes to the college process and ELHS as building. As a counselor at ELHS, she teaches me things constantly. She will be missed next year.”