Every school district has staff that stands out as highly reliable, extremely competent, and willing to go above and beyond for students. Mrs. Josephine Shelton-Townes, MSSA, LISW-S, who has worked for more than 20 years in the Heights schools as a Certified School Social Worker, fits that description very well.
She has worked in Heights school buildings at all levels - elementary, middle and high school - and also at Bellefaire when it was associated with the school district. She also has specialized training in First Aid Mental Health, Critical Incident Debriefing and is a National Trainer for Trauma for the American Federation of Teachers.
Her days are very busy helping to link resources and services to families, providing supportive counseling to students individually and in groups, and doing crisis intervention. She said she “wants kids to feel good about themselves, about school and about the life that they are building for themselves”. In addition, Mrs. Shelton-Townes serves as a union officer and has sat on many advisory groups and task forces for the district helping to bring services to students and staff.
Her favorite quote is from Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Mrs. Shelton-Townes is married to Rev. Darrell Townes and has three adult children and four grandchildren. She loves traveling, shopping and gardening and of course, hanging out with her grands.
Heights Tiger Nation appreciates Mrs. Shelton-Townes' steady presence, professionalism, and deep compassion. She is cleary a highly qualified member of the CH-UH City School District Staff who shares her abundance of skills everyday with the students, families and staff in the Heights public schools.