Cedar Hill Counselor Started By Helping 9/11 Children Put Feelings on Film

Editor's Note: This is a profile of one of the 2011 "Teachers of the Year" Patch was able to speak with before their return to the classroom or to a school office with school's start in September. Each of those educators brings both experience and insight to key roles in the Bernards Township School District. Additional teachers who received the honor will be profiled as the school year begins.

An undergraduate degree in child psychology can lead to a wide choice of different career paths, from clinical work to social work. But for Cedar Hill Elementary School’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, Carley Aroldi, it was work in the film industry.

After graduating from college, Aroldi got a job at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City coordinating a program that showed children and teens who had been affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks how to express themselves through film.

This experience brought Aroldi back to the roots and original meaning of her undergraduate major.

“In that role I found myself counseling the students about the issues they were facing more than exploring the world of film. This experience inspired me to return to my first career path in the mental health field,” Aroldi recalled.

To achieve that goal, Aroldi pursued her master’s degree and arrived at the Cedar Hill School as a guidance counselor in 2008. Since then, she has been working with kids of all ages and watching them as they go through their childhoods.

"One of the best parts of my job is seeing the range of development in our students," Aroldi said. “A great day is when I have a lesson in a kindergarten class followed by a lesson with fifth graders. I love seeing how much they grow in such a few short years.”

Aroldi’s work is not only limited to interactions with students, she is aware of the teamwork that is required to help a child reach his or her full potential. So she constantly works with parents and families to help her students — a rewarding experience for her in Basking Ridge. 

“My favorite part of working in Basking Ridge is connecting with our incredible families,” Aroldi said. “As a counselor, I often work with people when help is needed and I am overwhelmed by the strength and resilience of the families in our community.”

“Their ability to face a time of turmoil, whether it is a financial down turn, divorce, or death, and persevere and grow from their experiences is inspiring. Also the amount of support our families show one another when someone is in need is a unique and wonderful aspect of the community,” Aroldi observed.

At the start of each school year, Aroldi said she looks forward to the eagerness and energy that fills the school hallways as the new school year begins. She said she encourages that energetic atmosphere to stay for the rest of the year.

“The beginning of a new school year is usually filled with much excitement and hope,” Aroldi said. “I hope our students are able to maintain this great energy as the year progresses. I urge them to focus on the good that surrounds them rather than being consumed by the negative.”

This year, Aroldi will not be working in her usual position because she will be on a maternity leave. However, she said she will continue to work behind the scenes helping Cedar Hill’s new guidance counselor transition into Aroldi’s position, while helping maintain and further develop the district’s guidance programs.

Specifically, Aroldi intends to help develop small group programs for social skills and leadership training that goes hand-in-hand with the district’s Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which helps schools nationwide address bullying to both classrooms and communities alike.

What parents should watch for in their children

As a new school year begins, Aroldi advises parents to go with their gut instincts when helping their children. Dramatic shifts in a child’s behavior require the attention of parents and educators, she advised.

 “I like to remind parents to trust their instincts when it comes to their kids,” Aroldi remarked. “Each child is unique and is going to react in his or her own way to challenges. Parents know their kids best. The biggest red flag to me is when a child dramatically changes his or her pattern of behavior…When a parent says to me, ‘I feel like this is not my child,’ I know we need to look closely at what is going on in their lives.”