Westfield Board Of Ed Appoints New K-12 Director of Counseling

WESTFIELD, NJ — At a special meeting on Monday, Westfield's Board of Education approved the appointment of Falyn Balassone as the K-12 Director of Counseling.

Balassone will replace Maureen Mazzarese, who is retiring as of Aug. 31, according to the district. For the past 11, years, Balassone has worked in the South Orange-Maplewood School District (SOMSD) serving as their director of counseling since March 2020 and as a counselor at Columbia High School since 2011.

“I am looking forward to learning about the excellent work that the counselors are already doing so that I can support its continuation and I also will be happy to bring a fresh perspective,” Balassone said.

As the Director of Counseling at SOMSD, Balassone supervises 15 school counselors and other department staff, oversees the college admissions process, monitors all incidents of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB), maintains a caseload of 200 out-of-district placement special education students and handles a variety of other responsibilities, according to the district.

During her tenure at SOMSD, Balassone also developed several innovative programs.

“As part of a larger initiative to increase and prioritize mental health awareness, I am very proud to have built the 'Counseling Annex' at Columbia High School — a place for all things Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) where students can access counseling, workshops, groups, and more,” Balassone said.

She also established Cougar Academy — an alternative program for student who benefit from a non-traditional learning environment — and revamped the Invention and Referral Services and home instruction processes.

"But I am most proud of the team mindset that was fostered amongst the counselors and ultimately benefited our students,” Balassone said.

Balassone also held previous positions as Admission Counselor at Drew University in Madison
and Counselor/College Readiness Instructor at North Star Academy Charter School in Newark.

“We are so pleased to welcome Ms. Balassone to the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Raymond González. “I am impressed not only with her professionalism and experience but also with her sincere and demonstrated commitment to a diverse school community and to ensuring the academic success and emotional safety of all students.”

Balassone plans to grow an alumni/community network to support the Westfield School District, particularly regarding college and career awareness.

“I'm also excited to contribute to anti-bullying and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives,” she said. “I am mostly looking forward to having faculty, staff, students, families, and other community members identify other areas of need so that we can then build responsive programming.”

Balassone received a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Media and Communication from Muhlenberg
College in May 2007 and a Master of Arts in Counseling in May 2010 from Montclair State
University, while earning certification as a K-12 School Counselor.

In May 2015, she received her Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Kean University and holds a Principal, Supervisor and Director of Guidance certification.

Balassone said she is impressed by how so many people who grew up in Westfield decided to
move back and raise their families in town and by how invested the community at large is in the Westfield Public Schools.

“I truly believe that if we all work together our students will grow into kind, happy, successful, and impactful global citizens,” Balassone said.

Having moved to Westfield with her husband 11 years ago, Balassone notes that you'll often
see the Balassone crew (her and her two boys, ages 3 and 5) biking around the neighborhood,
walking to town and supporting local businesses, or exploring Brightwood Park.

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