Home | Hannan Counseling

thumbnail_IMG_3202

IMG_0458

IMG_0455

thumbnail_IMG_3202

1/4

Leave a message

What is a School Counselor?

Professional school counselors are

certified/licensed professionals with a masters’ degree or higher in school counseling or the substantial equivalent and are uniquely qualified to address the developmental needs of all students. Professional school counselors deliver a comprehensive school counseling program encouraging all students’ academic, career and personal/social development and helping all students in maximizing student achievement.

West Virginia Department of Education

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

~Albert Einstein

Meet Your School Counselor

Hello

My name is Patty Blake and it is my privilege to serve as the school counselor for Hannan High School.

I have been an educator for more than two decades and I have worked with all age levels from PK-Adult. I love what I do.

I started my career as a business teacher for adults and from there I moved to teaching English at the middle school level. I took time away from the classroom as a teacher to be a stay-at-home mommy. During that time I returned to school as a part-time student and earned my Master's degree in counseling. When my children entered school, I returned to work as a counselor where I served at Riverside High School and Poca High School. Prior to coming to Hannan I worked at the Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) in Dunbar. As the Regional School Support Specialist (RS3), my primary responsibility was for the Graduation 2020 Initiative which was designed to reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate.

I am a life-long learner and continue to seek out current information, knowledge, and resources that will help me to be the best counselor I can be. I have obtained a certification in Administration and I have earned my Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. I hold several national certifications including certification as a National Dropout Prevention Specialist and certification as a Trauma-Skilled Schools Specialist.

My husband and I moved to the area and my hope is to remain at Hannan and foster a love of learning and a sense of hope in all our students.