When people go to work, most of the time they know what the day has in store for them. Lunch at 12:30, a meeting at 2:00, go home by 5:00. For Miss LaTricia Scutching, there are no guidelines for what the day will look like.
Today, she arrives at her office at Montoursville Area High School at 7:00am to get a head start on the day.
Scutching works for Joinder LC Children and Youth Services, but specifically within the Montoursville School District. Her main focus is to help families get connected with various services within the community.
The first thing she does when she gets to work is check her computer to see what she needs to do for the day. Most days, the first thing is to talk to a coworker in the building, or putting in a report for a student.
“I spend most of my time putting in referrals for kids, doing building reports, and helping students and families dealing with food insecurities,” said Scutching. “To do this, I have to work with the counselors, administrators, teachers, the school resource officer, literally everyone.”
After she puts in a referral or two, she goes to the courthouse to talk to a judge about a student.
“I can tell the judge what’s going on. Whether the parents just aren’t sending their kids to school or if there is something else going on. I can help put together a Student Improvement Plan, which helps me figure out if there is bullying, transportation issues, or mental health issues.” said Scutching.
Scutching said truancy is a huge problem. When a student misses dozens of school days, it puts them behind, and she gets to help fix that.
On many days, she finds herself talking to students and helping them talk through what they may be going through.
“She meets with kids, and gives them another space to talk to an adult if Mrs. Hornberger or myself are with another student,” said high school counselor Mr. Erick Edler.
Scutching said that students can come into her office just to talk to her and “process” whatever they may need to.
“During the summer, I get to take kids to the movies, Knoebols, or even Reptileland. I wish I could do more of that during the school year, some kids need that on the weekends too, but my schedule is just too busy,” said Scutching.
On many days, Scutching ends her day at the middle school or elementary schools to visit students and staff there.
“The best part of my day is when I go to the elementary schools…” said Scutching. “Certain kids like to hug me when they see me.”
Mrs. Mallee Hornberger said that the work she does with advocacy is very important. She works with many teachers on MAP, the MAHS Assistance Program.
“She helps set up students with therapy, support groups, and she can help with insurance,” said Hornberger.
Scutching has outside experience that helps her role today. She currently sits on the Dwell Orphan Care board, as well as the JUMP board. She is a member of the Junior League and the YWCA.
The connections she has to different nonprofits and agencies in the area benefit our students a lot. She is very knowledgeable about what different resources she can give these families, and she has special connections with them, said Edler.
“Many students and families face challenges that can make school success difficult,” said LaTricia. “My role is to connect them with resources, provide support, and help them recognize that there are people in their corner who want to see them succeed.”
Featured photo (at top): Scutching stands with her Women of the Year award she received on May 27th, 2022 for her volunteer work with the Junior League. This photo was taken at the WIlliamsport Community Arts Center. Photo provided by Scutching
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