By Contributing writers Damian Petrosillo (’27) and Gianna Alicea (’27)

Joe Colligan is joining the counseling department at Jamesville-DeWitt High School. He is the person to contact for students with last names begin with the letters A-C.

Colligan was born and raised in Cazenovia and was raised with a big family. He went to St. Bonaventure University before traveling to Olean to live after university. During university, he had an adviser that helped him figure out that he wanted to focus on counseling.

Colligan has been a counselor for five years. Before he came to J-DHS, he was at five other schools. Last year, he was at Cazenovia Middle School. He worked at Ellicottville for two years and before that he was at a school for special needs for half a year throughout lockdown. Colligam claims that high school is more his “jam.”

His typical day usually includes schedule changes and meetings. He loves to socialize with the students, but not many have come up to him yet, which is a struggle because he wants to learn everyone’s names. As a newer staff member, he has been having trouble keeping up with the pace of the high school. “J-D moves at a faster pace but I love it,” he said.

Outside of working at J-DHS, he enjoys activities like hiking, camping, swimming, cooking, watching football, and walking his dog with his fiancée. Colligan really wants to visit Ireland to see the Cliffs Of Moher and to experience the area. Although he loves Ireland, he wants J-DHS and Syracuse to be his home. He currently lives with his fiancée and pets. Colligan feels at home here and comforted by the J-DHS community.