Adding on to the new staff members this year at West, we have Mrs. Fanella! Despite being relatively new to the field of education, Mrs. Fanella has already found a home and a job she loves here at West. She started off her journey here at West as Mr. Walsh’s Fine Arts Assistant, and has since transitioned to work as the assistant to both Mr. Wiencek and our team of counselors.
As the assistant to the counseling department, Mrs. Fanella is mainly in charge of managing administrative tasks and documents within the counseling office, as well as the enrollment of new students and giving them a warm welcome. Outside of being an initial embrace for students from different backgrounds, she is also busily tasked with planning field trips and events; designing flyers and documents for the school’s use; helping parents/guardians and their students; and her favorite, curating the office’s Spotify playlist.
Mrs. Fanella’s work is guided by a quote by Wendy Moss- “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” During her time here, Mrs. Fanella would like to do her best to help incoming families here, and make the intimidating process of moving schools easier. She hopes students feel comfortable stopping by the office for help, getting any questions cleared up, or even just for a chat.
When asked what she would like to tell students at West, Mrs. Fanella had two main points: she wants students to know that the counselors and support staff are here to help with anything they may need, and also wants everyone to remember to step out of their comfort zone and get involved within the school, as there is a place and activity here at West for everybody. “The school spirit is genuine and palpable, and I hope everyone can appreciate how special and rare that is.”
