get to know our school counselors
Ms. Ferraz
Last Names A-K
To schedule an appointment with
Ms. Ferraz, A-K here.
"Ms. Ferraz (she/her), earned her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Psychology and Gender Studies with a minor in Peace and Conflict Resolution. She moved to Portland, OR to pursue her Masters of Education in School Counseling at Lewis and Clark college!
Ms. Ferraz is originally from Brazil and has moved around for most of her life, residing in Texas, California, São Paulo, Hawai’i, and now Oregon! She completed her first school counseling internship at Punahou School in Honolulu, where she learned her passion for working in schools with community youth. Before coming to Gardiner, Ms. Ferraz worked in residential services, serving teens struggling with mental health concerns and substance abuse. This further ignited her to continue working in harm reduction and diverse communities, eventually bringing her to the middle school setting! Some of her favorite professional activities include creating and implementing social emotional learning (SEL) curricula, leading empowerment groups, and recovery goals for youth. She is passionate about making sure students feel heard, nurtured, and advocated for in the educational setting. :)
Ms. Ferraz lives in NE Portland and claims to enjoy the commute because she can listen to all her favorite music artists (no one believes her). She lives with her partner, Alex, and her cat, Amora. The constant debate in the home is whether or not to adopt another feline friend! When she’s not at Gardiner, she loves doing pottery, watching cozy movies, going to live music shows, and spending time with her friends and family. Ms. Ferraz is known to her loved ones as quite a social butterfly, so feel free to go to her office whenever you need a chat!"
Ms. Shelton
Last Names L-Z
To schedule an appointment with
Mrs. Shelton, L-Z here.
Ms. Shelton, (she/her), earned her Bachelor of Science at Pacific University with a double major in Biology and Spanish. Upon completion of her B.S, she moved to Granada, Spain where she volunteered in a children’s hospital working with physical therapists. This is where she discovered the joy of working with youth! Upon her return to the states, Ms. Shelton worked in the Beaverton School District and Vancouver School District as a Bilingual Instructional Assistant. With the opportunity to welcome and interpret for new latino families, Ms. Shelton quickly recognized that school counseling was her dream job! After graduating from Lewis & Clark College with a Master’s of Education with an emphasis in School Counseling, she landed her first job in Portland Public Schools at Roosevelt High School. After working in a school counseling and teen parent counselor role, Ms. Shelton moved to McDaniel (formerly known as Madison) High School in NE Portland where she worked in a diverse community for the next 12 years. Some of her favorite activities included developing vertical college & career programming, leading ninth grade transition success, and co-facilitating empowerment groups. In 2018, the Sheltons relocated to Oregon City and the commute to NE Portland became too much! On her September birthday, Ms. Shelton started her first day at Gardiner Middle School. Talk about a great birthday gift! Ms. Shelton’s passion as a school counselor is to make sure, through advocacy and compassion as a change agent, that all students have equal access to educational and personal growth opportunities so that they grow into their best selves!
Ms. Shelton and her family have grown to love and appreciate the Oregon City community! Her three children - Miles, Wyatt, and Adelyn - attend Oregon City schools and participate in community athletics and dance programs. Ms. Shelton’s husband loves the proximity to the Willamette River for all things fishing. Ms. Shelton’s free time is easily consumed with family activities like sports, fishing, camping, gardening, and spending time with friends and family. When she gets a moment to herself, Ms. Shelton loves to cook, garden, read, and occasionally do something crazy like OrangeTheory or sign up for a 10K race.