Revere counselor receives national award

by Sheldon Ocker

In decades past, high school guidance counselors spent most of their working hours advising students to take physics before chemistry (or vice versa), consider staying close to home for college (or not) and convince the kid with a tattoo to stop smoking in the bathroom.

The job is more complex now, and not just because of cell phones, vaping and social media.

Just ask Emily Rion, a Revere High School counselor who recently received a national honor, the 2026 Youth Mental Health Champion Award, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., presented by Active Minds, a nonprofit focused on mental wellness for kids.

The award is given annually to a school staff member, administrator or adult supporter who is paving the way for youth-led mental health advocacy, policy changes and opportunities that empower young people.

Rion has been a counselor at Revere for 17 years, and even though her professional experience spans fewer than two decades, emotional issues for teenagers have changed and maybe multiplied.

“I graduated from high school in 2004, and even that is different from talking with these kids now,” Rion said. “I didn’t get my first phone until I was in college, so the way I communicate with kids is vastly different.”

In part, the task of a school counselor hasn’t changed. Rion still helps students select courses, succeed in the classroom and choose the right college. But much of her attention goes to social-emotional support when students seem overwhelmed and confused by an increasingly complicated world.

“Things have changed and evolved,” Rion said. “You have to be able to shift your conversation really fast because you’re dealing with hundreds of students; you’re dealing with their parents; you’re dealing with staff; you’re dealing with the administration.

“You have different types of problems and issues coming at you. One moment you’ll be dealing with a student in crisis, the next moment they just want to talk about their classes.”

Rion said the work is nothing if not a whirlwind of challenges.

“It is nonstop, it is all day. From the moment I step in the door, I hit the ground running,” she said. “I’m very, very fortunate to work at a place like Revere, where I am constantly feeling the support of my staff and the students. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Rion said the district employs eight counselors throughout its four school buildings. She has always worked at the high school but collaborates with the other counselors.

Many high school students face common issues. Rion said anxiety is high on the list.

“Knowing how to handle certain expectations or getting through hardships,” she said. “They don’t know how to cope with some things you and I would probably understand, like stressors, because they’re growing up in such a different world with electronics at their disposal and things being instantly figured out for them.

“Sometimes it takes a minute for them to stop and think about what is actually happening instead of having an instant response.”

Rion also said students have problems with their own or others’ expectations of perfection.

“Especially in a district like Revere, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” she said. “But you and I both know that nothing is perfect. It’s good you want to achieve things, but you have to realize you’re human, as well.”

Social media has been blamed for all kinds of teen issues, but Rion said kids are starting to win the battle.

“They’ve gotten better at dealing with it,” she said. “At first I think it was a big issue, but kids have gotten better at managing it.”

But Rion warns about posting words or pictures on the internet.

“Whatever you post there stays out there,” she said. “Friends can see it, parents can see it, future employers can see it, colleges can see it. If it’s something you don’t feel comfortable showing me or your parents, you better not post it.”

Photo caption: Revere High School counselor Emily Rion was honored for promoting youth-led mental health advocacy. Photo submitted.