This year, Benilde-St. Margaret’s welcomes a new school psychologist Ty Cody. With eight years of experience with psychology in a professional setting, Cody is excited to work with students at BSM.
Previously, Cody worked at Academy Arts High School in St. Paul, where he was a school psychologist serving students in grades 9-12. Here at BSM, he already feels a sense of belonging and community. “So I’ve always known the school’s reputation of having a strong sense of community, and I think I really wanted to be a part of a school community that had a lot of support, positivity, and opportunities for students to connect with others,” Cody said.
Cody’s favorite part of psychology is witnessing the growth of people in special ways. He has seen this first hand at his previous job and is looking forward to continuing that passion here at BSM. “My favorite thing is seeing the unique individual strengths, talents, perspectives, and insights of students. That it’s just celebrating diversity and the passion that I have for working with high schoolers …. because they’re really eager to, you know, to start preparing for the future,” Cody said.
I think people are prioritizing mental health more than ever. We know that it’s something that needs the attention and resources to just build up our access to receiving therapy or even just support
— Ty Cody
Cody has been impressed by the BSM about co-curricular activities and student-involvement. “There’s so many groups, and then what was super cool was last week I saw that students were even encouraged if they had an idea for a new club or group that they could seek out that idea…. There are many more opportunities for students to become involved and explore their passions and interests. That’s just so huge,” Cody said.
The role of school psychologist is central to the success of students at BSM and Cody is optimistic about what he can bring to the table for the Red Knight community. “So, I spent a lot of time preparing for this role… I think a big part of it, for me, is a perspective of walking alongside students, being a support, being a trusted adult, providing non-judgmental support, showing empathy, and then being encouraging to students. So just walking alongside them being a really positive role model under lights,” Cody said.
Cody’s experiences have highlighted the importance of mental health care. “I think people are prioritizing mental health more than ever. We know that it’s something that needs the attention and resources to just build up our access to receiving therapy or even just support,” Cody said.