As school counselors our mission is to provide a comprehensive, developmental counseling program that addresses the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students. Through advocacy, leadership, and collaboration, school counselors are professional student advocates who provide support to maximize student potential and academic achievement.

Meet the Counselors! 

 K-2 School Counselor

My name is Hayden Love and I work with students in kindergarten, first, and second grade. This will be my first year at Benton Heights Elementary. I received an undergraduate degree in Sociology at UNCC and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Liberty University. My role as your student’s School Counselor is to provide support through individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom guidance lessons. I look forward to a great year! Please feel free to contact me via email at Hayden.love@ucps.k12.nc.us or by phone at 704-296-3100 x 3857

3-5 School Counselor

My name is Celeste McCauley Smaragdis and I will be serving 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students here at Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts. I received my Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wingate University and then went on to earn my Master of Arts in Counseling with a school concentration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This is my second year as a School Counselor but my first year at BHESA. I am looking forward to getting to know this community much better and supporting students, families, and staff as needed.

As I School Counselor, I strive to ensure that each of the following domains are addressed when working with students: academic, social/emotional, and career development. Fortunately, I am able to provide this support to students through a variety of outlets including classroom guidance lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling. I also collaborate regularly with teachers, staff, parents, and other members of the school community to best serve my students! Please feel free to contact me via email at Celeste.McCauley@ucps.k12.nc.us or by phone at 704-296-3100 x 3823

Confidentiality Statement

School counselors recognize their primary obligation for confidentiality is to the student but balance that obligation with an understanding of the family or guardians’ legal and inherent rights to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives (ASCA Code of Ethics).

The role of the school counselor in regards to confidentiality is:

• To support the students right to privacy and protect confidential information received from students, the family, guardian and staff members
• To explain the meaning and limits of confidentiality to students in developmentally appropriate terms
• To provide appropriate disclosure and informed consent regarding the counseling relationship and confidentiality
• To inform students and the family of the limits to confidentiality when: Student poses a danger to self or others, Court ordered disclosure, Consultation with other professionals in support of the student i.e. colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams, and other support personnel
• To keep personal notes separate from educational records and not disclose their contents except when privacy exceptions exist
• To seek guidance from supervisors and appropriate legal advice when their records are subpoenaed
• To assert their belief that information shared by students is “confidential” and should not be revealed without the student’s consent
• To adhere to all laws protecting student records, health information, and special services (i.e., HIPAA, FERPA, IDEA)