What does it take to be Kansas Counselor of the Year? Compassion tops list

Alicia Jackson spends her days talking with Olathe West High School students and helping them figure out how to achieve goals. This fall, she had her own achievement to share, when the Kansas School Counselor Association named her Kansas School Counselor of the Year.

The award means that Jackson will travel to Washington, D.C., in the spring to represent Kansas in the American School Counselor Association’s national counselor of the year awards. She found out about the honor at the organization’s fall conference in November.

“I can’t imagine being anything but a school counselor,” said Jackson, who has been in the vocation for 13 years. “I just try to help in any way that I can. There are so many good school counselors.”

Nominations for the award come from administrators and often from other counselors. The top three nominees have to write in-depth about innovative programs they’ve run, presentations they’ve made at conferences and leadership positions they’ve held at their schools.

Each nominee also has to provide three letters of reference to the committee.

Jackson is innovative and extra-involved,” said Lyndsey Brown, chairman of the awards committee.

“Her reference letters were amazing. … They talked about how she’s always willing to collaborate with teachers.”

“Alicia is somebody who has really great ideas and who shares them. … She’s able to promote the counseling profession by passing that knowledge on to other counselors in the state.”

In Kansas, the organization only sees approximately five nominations each year. According to Judy Hughey, coordinator of counselor education at Kansas State University and current president of the Kansas School Counselor Association, it’s because counselors are too modest about their achievements.

“Educators in general, we tend to be very humble, and it’s not in our nature to promote ourselves or to have even others promote what we do, which doesn’t serve us well. But (this award is) not about us. It’s about our profession,” Hughey said.

Counselors serving all grade levels, from kindergarten through high school, are eligible for the award.

“Alicia is incredibly skilled, and every student knows she cares about them in unique ways and wants what’s best for them with post-secondary opportunities, academic success and their social-emotional well-being,” Hughey said. “She’s been very instrumental in creating opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds and engaging them and their families in conversations regarding post-secondary and career options.”

Jackson put together an informational session for students who have Hispanic backgrounds, Hughey said, offering extra help for families learning how to apply to college, fill out federal aid forms and make sure college representatives connected with students who might be the first in their families to attend college.

She has been at Olathe West since it opened in 2017 and is currently the school’s lead counselor from a team of five.

“Opening a new building, you can really customize — everything’s brand new. You can shoot for the stars and dream what your dream program would be and make that happen,” Jackson said.

You might not realize it, but school counselors have a curriculum to follow, just like teachers do. Their programs need to address academic, personal, social and career needs of students.

Jackson had those in mind as she helped create a food pantry and clothing closet available to all students at Olathe West.

“When we meet those basic needs, then everybody wins: kids, families, teachers,” Jackson said. “…One thing as a school counselor I really try to always remember is to never assume.”

In July, Jackson will become president of the Kansas School Counselor Association for a one-year term.

This story was originally published January 1, 2019 at 7:27 PM with the headline "What does it take to be Kansas Counselor of the Year? Compassion tops list."