Hoover High counselor named Counselor of the Year finalist

Tawnya Pringle, a full-time counselor at Hoover High School, has been named one of the five finalists for 2015 Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association.
 
The award honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates - and often lifesavers - for the nation's students. Pringle is the only finalist from the state of California.

The other finalists include Jennifer Degruise from Montegut, La; Jennifer Diaz, from Sugar Hill, Ga; Cory Notestine, from Alamosa, Colo; and Liz Parker from Laurel, Va.

Nominations for the School Counselor of the Year awards program were submitted by the state counselor associations.

The School Counselor of the Year awards panel was composed of representatives from the School Superintendents Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, No Kid Hungry and school counselors.

The panel selected the finalists based on several criteria, including: school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership and advocacy skills and contributions to student achievement.

"School counselors make significant contributions to the overall well-being of students and their success," said Richard Wong, Ed.D, executive director, American School Counselor Association. "They have unique qualifications and skills that allow them to address students' academic achievement, personal/social and career development needs."

Pringle, Principal Joe Austin and a representative from the California School Counselors Association will be flown to Washington, D.C., in January 2015. They will join the other finalists for three days of celebratory events. The honorees will have meetings with their members of Congress, attend a congressional briefing, be honored at the White House and be formally recognized at a black-tie gala.