State Honors Outstanding School Counselors
Nashville, TN – School counselors assuming a greater role in accountability for student achievement are being honored by the Tennessee Department of Education with Gold Star School Counseling Awards.
These counselors were selected based upon their use of MEASURE, a state model developed to help counselors evaluate which guidance programs have the greatest benefit for the students they serve. Eighteen Tennessee counselors were recognized for the exceptional MEASURES they have implemented.
“Counselors have a real and vital role to play in assuring students achieve to their greatest potential,” Acting Education Commissioner Tim Webb said. “They foster student well-being and help students address obstacles that hinder their success.”
The Tennessee Comprehensive School Counseling Model, passed in 2005, creates a formal connection between counseling programs and educational reform initiatives. MEASURE is one component of that model which defines steps to data-driven guidance program design. Rutherford County is the first district to pilot MEASURE system-wide.
“Counselors are partners to educators in raising student achievement and they are allies to students who need an advocate or additional guidance,” said Nicole Cobb, Director of School Counseling. “Tennessee’s school counseling model helps counselors use data to identify programs that will have the greatest impact and be accountable for the effectiveness of the initiatives they use.”
The following counselors exhibited exemplary work under MEASURE:
| Counselor | School | School District |
| Emily Jenkins | Westmoreland Elementary | Sumner County Schools |
| Stephanie Finch | Madison Creek Elementary | Sumner County Schools |
| Leigh Bagwell | School Counseling Supervisor | Rutherford County Schools |
| Karen Meador | School Counseling Supervisor | Rutherford County Schools |
| Steven Lay | LaVergne High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Stacie Brewer | LaVergne High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Sherrye Teague | Cedar Grove Elementary | Rutherford County Schools |
| Bentley Shofner | Riverdale High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Donna Breeding | Riverdale High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Dana Meyerson | Riverdale High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Paula Rodgers | Riverdale High School | Rutherford County Schools |
| KaVita Porchia | Stewarts Creek Elementary | Rutherford County Schools |
| Tommie Barrett | Siegel Middle School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Daniel Gregory | Siegel Middle School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Amanda Cross | Lascassas Elementary School | Rutherford County Schools |
| Nancy Rose | Edmonson Elementary School | Williamson County Schools |
| Deborah Barger | Clarksburg School | South Carroll County |
| Kelly Knott | Bradford High School | Gibson County Schools |
For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us.
