They were chosen form 270 nominations.
Frederick, Md (KM) Three Frederick County School System counselors have been named Counselors of the Year for 2021.. They are Nikki Ramsey at Glade Elementary School; Rebecca Krause at Thurmont Middle School.; and Rachel Sessions with the SUCCESS program.
FCPS says Ramsay has been a counselor for 16 years. At Glade Elementary School, she complemented Wellness Wednesdays, which focuses on staff self-care, with Midweek Mindfulness, a program students can join and play in mindfulness activities. Ramsay also helped created the “Leader in Me” program at Glade Elementary which centers around the well known book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” and reinforces those habits in daily practice. She is a board-certified counselor.
Krauss, whose has been a school counselor for 19 years, help create the peer ambassador program with the goal of empowering students to become leaders and make positive connections with their peers, FCPS says. She helped put together the program with her counseling peers at Thurmont Middle School. Two program Krauss spearheaded were “Start with Hello Week,” and “Kindness Challenge Week.” Peer ambassadors helped facilitate that. She has been a part of the School Improvement Team and the Positive Behavior Team.
Sessions has been a school counselor for five years. FCPS says Sessions, working with the SUCCESS program, has facilitated programs which include implementation of missions within the community. Those missions are outings with students into the community which provide them with opportunities to learn functional life skills and community-based learning experiences. Sessions has also worked closely with police officers in Frederick County through the “Be Safe” program that encourages positive communications between law enforcement and students.
There were 270 nominations for the 2021 School Counselor of the Year. The School System says its counselors play an important role for students, parents, teachers and communities trying to cope with the global health crisis as well as dealing with physical, emotional and social needs.
By Kevin McManus