Check out our 2021 SCOY Finalists here!
Texas School Counselor of the Year
The purpose of the school counselor of the year awards is to recognize school counselors for their outstanding service and achievement.
School Counselor of the Year Award
Recognizing that professional school counselors devote their careers to serving as advocates for Texas students and ensuring student success, the Lone Star State School Counselor Association (LSSSCA) School Counselor of the Year (SCOY) Award honors outstanding professional school counselors in Texas. Through an extensive outreach process, school counselors, teachers, administrators, and others are encouraged to nominate professional school counselors who run exemplary school counseling programs.
The LSSSCA SCOY candidates complete an extensive application process similar to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) national awards process. SCOY nominees are judged by a panel of counseling professionals on multiple criteria, including: school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills and contributions to student advancement.
Annually one Texas SCOY winner will be chosen by the LSSSCA Board to represent Texas in the ASCA School Counselor of the Year Awards process. To date, Texas has had one (1) national SCOY and two (2) national finalists.
Eligibility for Consideration
- -Must be currently employed as a full-time school counselor in a Texas school.
- -Must have completed three consecutive years of school counseling service at the time nominated.
- -The nominee must be a member of LSSSCA (Lone Star State School Counselor Association) and ASCA (American School Counselor Association) by May 1, 2019.
- -Cannot be a LSSSCA School Counselor of the Year or a SCOY Finalist in the last two years.
- -Cannot be a LSSSCA board member or LSSSCA chair member.
Recognition Criteria
The nominee should maintain the highest standards of personal conduct and recognize that his/her personal conduct is held up to public scrutiny. Nominees strive to be model citizens of their community as well as the school counseling community and their broader professional community. They maintain high moral standards in their personal and professional conduct.
Nominees must have been responsible for school counseling innovations or further development of programs to support the career, social/emotional and academic development of all students. Nominees must demonstrate leadership, advocacy and collaboration in their work and promote equity and access to opportunities and rigorous educational experiences for all students to maximize student achievement.
The nomination form asks for basic contact information. Your nominee will receive an immediate notification via email and will be asked to complete the on-line application process.
Texas School Counselor of the Year Award Timeline
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March 1 - 8 |
Texas SCOY nomination link will be opened for nominations. |
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March 8 |
All nominees will be emailed with the Texas SCOY application link. |
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March 8-31 |
Texas SCOY application link will be opened. |
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April 12 - May 3 |
SCOY committee will review applications and videos and select the top 5 finalists to include for the Texas SCOY for 2019. |
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May 17 |
Texas SCOY for 2019 will be notified along with the other finalists by email and phone. |
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May 31 |
Nomination due to ASCA |
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Aug 15 |
ASCA applications finalized |
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October |
National finalists selected |
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November |
National finalist face-to-face interviews |
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November 3-5 |
Texas SCOY finalists and SCOY will be recognized at the annual LSSSCA Conference in Frisco, TX |
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Jan/Feb 2020 |
National SCOY activities in Washington, DC |
E-mail address for questions on the Texas 2019 SCOY award:
LSSSCA SCOY 2018 - Nwakaego Edordu-Dallas ISD
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The Lone Star State School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year program honors the best of the best in Texas -- school counselors who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program at either the elementary, middle or high school level. This year’s school counselor of the year candidates completed an extensive application process and were judged by a panel of counseling professionals on multiple criteria, including school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills, and contributions to student achievement. There were 50 nominations submitted, 15 semi-finalists and 5 finalists.
LSSSCA is proud to announce this year’s Lone Star State School Counselor of the Year is Nwakaego Edordu, from Billy E. Dade Middle School from the Dallas Independent School District. Nwakaego will represent the Lone Star State at the national school counselor of the year events managed by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in Spring of 2019. Congratulations Nwakaego!!
LSSSCA SCOY 2017 - Cristina Nunez
LSSSCA is proud to announce Cristina Nunez as the 2017 Texas School Counselor of the Year. She was selected from the top five (5) finalists based on several criteria including school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership and advocacy skills and contributions to student advancement.
| Cristina Nunez is a middle school counselor at Paso del Norte K-8 School in the Socorro Independent School District. Mrs. Nunez has also been named one of the top six (6) finalists for the 2018 School Counselor of the Year for ASCA. Official Press Release: 2018 SCOY |
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