There have been times when parents come to Poughkeepsie High School counselor Ann Marie Tucker’s office and, midway through the conversation, realize they need to ask a question:
“’Did your name used to be Miss Healey?’” Tucker recalled. “And I’ll say, ‘Yeah,’ and they’ll be like, ‘I had you at Poughkeepsie Middle School!’
“To have that connection, or to have that parent come in and I can remember exactly where they sat in my classroom, that’s been a huge value to me,” Tucker said, “to be here for that long, to see the second generation.”
Tucker came to the Poughkeepsie City School District as a middle school social studies teacher in 2003 and, since 2007, has served as a counselor, impacting the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of students. In some cases, lately – roughly two dozen in the 2028 cohort she’s shepherded for the past five academic years – that’s included former students’ children.
Her longevity in Poughkeepsie and contributions to the local community of school counselors was recognized earlier this month when she was given the Anthony Comunale Counselor of the Year Award by the Dutchess County Counseling Association.
The award was given annually to one counselor in the county from 1987 to 2019 before it was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award was revived this year and given to Tucker and one other counselor.
“She is and has been a support to so many people she encounters, in her profession and as a human being,” Dr. Janety Encarnacion, Director of College Readiness and Workforce Education, wrote in a letter nominating Tucker for the award. Encarnacion supervises the school counseling department, emphasizing “we are so lucky” to have her in Poughkeepsie. “She is a true team player. When challenges arise, she is the voice of reason and has the gift of communication.”
The last Comunale award honoree six years ago was Poughkeepsie Middle School counselor Rachel Birsner. Previously, Poughkeepsie’s Dr. Paul Jankiewicz and Anne Thomas won in consecutive years, 1997 and 1998. And the award’s namesake, Comunale, was Poughkeepsie’s director of guidance before his retirement in 1987.
“It’s pretty cool, the Poughkeepsie legacy,” Tucker said. “It means we work hard.”
Tucker moved up to the high school for the first time in 2024 to stay with the Class of 2028 as it progressed. At the middle school, she said, her role had more to do with social-emotional counseling than at the high school, where the focus is on academics and staying on track for graduation. Though, she said, she fits in some wellness exercises when possible, too.
“One of my favorite things to do,” she said, is what she and the students call “Tucker Time.” Roughly once a month she pushes into the classrooms to discuss transcripts and staying on track, but it always begins with a “mindful moment” in which they will do a breathing exercise or something similar. “It’s important for them to learn some self-regulation,” she said.
The continuity she’s had with the Class of 2028 has been invaluable.
“I’ve built good relationships with families,” she said. “They know that I know the family’s history, and the child’s history, so I think it makes conversations – sometimes uncomfortable conversations – easier because it’s someone they’ve built a relationship with and they can trust.”
Encarnacion wrote the parents “know that she will always have their child’s back. She always keeps the parents informed and is an advocate for English Language Learners, as well as for students with exceptionalities.”
In addition to her work inside the schools, Tucker works alongside her colleagues in the area in many capacities. She runs school counseling roundtables at Dutchess BOCES, leading conversations with counselors from around the county; she’s involved in the New York State School Counselors Association; and recently she served on the Dutchess County Counseling Association’s elections committee as it saw a change in leadership. In December 2023 Tucker earned her National Board Certification, becoming the first secondary counselor in the Poughkeepsie district ever to do so and just the 49th counselor to do so across the state. She now provides professional development to fellow teachers and counselors aiming to reach that goal, as well.
“It’s about being a change agent,” Tucker said of her various involvements. She’s also been able to use what she learns at those roundtable sessions and counselor gatherings and apply best practices to aid Poughkeepsie’s students.
The counselor noted she’s earned awards in the past for various reasons, recalling fondly how meaningful it was when Poughkeepsie Middle School gave her a plaque in recognition of her 21 years in the building during the 2024 Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony. “It was super emotional, because I had been there for so long,” she said.
This latest honor is “pretty cool” in a different way.
“To get this award from a professional organization,” Tucker said, “when I brought it home, my 10-year-old probably framed it best: ‘Mama, that means you’re the best counselor in the county.’
“It gives me a warm feeling to know that the work that I do makes a difference,” she said. “I’ve worked with incredible kids, and incredible families and incredible staff. I’m lucky to have my career here in Poughkeepsie.”