Texas Counseling Association • 1204 San Antonio, Ste. 201 • Austin, Texas 78701

A Division of the texAs Counseling AssoCiAtionTSCA Newsletter March 2011, Vol. 21, Issue 1

The o f t h e S c h o o l C o u n s e l o r

the voice of the school counselor is a publication of tsca. publication of editorials, letters or advertisements does not imply endorsement by tsca

Table of Contents Message from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 1 2010 CREST Recipients Honored. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 2 Bright Idea - Elementary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22010 CREST Recipients Honored (Cont. from page 2) . . . . . pg. 3 Counselors As Campus Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 4Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 4 Closing The Cracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 5 Bright Idea - Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 5 The School Counselor - A Multifaceted Leader . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 6Who Can Counsel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 7 School Counselors As Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 7When SOS Means Santa For Our Soldiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 8 TSCA Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 92011-2012 TSCA Board Nominees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 10 & 11 TSCA Board 2010/2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 12

Enjoy this issue. TSCA is dedicated to serving our members. If you have comments, suggestions, questions, or an article that you would like to contribute, please contact me at benaglasscock@herefordisd.net.

Message from the PresidentThe second semester is well underway and I hope that each of you is having a wonderful school year. The theme of this issue of The Voice is Leadership. How are you a leader to your students, on your campus, in your district, and within the state? We would like each of you to take a look at how you can take every opportunity to be a leader and grow as a professional school counselor.

We are excited to showcase the CREST winners. These counseling programs, along with all of the schools that went through the process of completing the CREST application, are leading the way in demonstrating the exciting ways that comprehensive developmental guidance programs can affect change in schools. CREST will have a new look next year. With a more user-friendly and counselor-focused application, we hope that more schools will use this tool to highlight the positive effects of counseling programs in their schools.

During the month of April, you will have the opportunity to vote online for the next group of leaders of the Texas School Counselor Association. We are excited about the wonderful slate of candidates willing to serve the school counselors of Texas. I encourage each of you to vote. I would also encourage each of you to consider at what level of leadership and service you are willing to participate. Committee volunteers are needed from areas across the state as TSCA grows and provides more regional services to members.

You have received a number of email blasts from Jan Friese, Executive Director of the Texas Counseling Association, regarding the need to contact your legislators during this time of important decision-making. I would encourage you to consider taking part in one of the TCA Advocacy Days, writing a letter, or making a phone call to your congressmen. We all have to lead the charge to ensure that our schools continue to have the resources necessary to effectively serve all of the students in Texas.

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2010 CREST Recipients Honored

Bright ideaWritten by Michelle Shoulders

School counselors are frequently asked about different services the community provides. Because there are so many services available, parents, teachers, and community members often need guidance navigating these programs. One idea to maximize part of a school counselor’s already packed schedule is to have a “Community Resources” brochure printed and ready to go. These brochures can include but are not limited to- local counseling centers, parenting resource centers, food banks, local charities, emergency hotlines, and legal aid. Having the address, phone number, website, and operating hours on hand can prove very helpful to families in need or in crisis. So the next time someone requests information you will have it readily available to provide thus saving you time and work during the busy day.

Hollywood has the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and more….but the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) has the CREST Award! In 2005, TSCA began CREST (Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas) to recog-nize schools with outstanding counseling programs. This year 76 schools submitted a CREST document to be evaluated by at least one team of three reviewers. CREST reviewers are located all over the state of Texas and score ten areas: Principal’s Support, Stu-dent Support Team, School Climate and Safety, Student Results, Major Achievements, Community Partnerships, Volunteer Involve-ment, Focus on Improvement, and Communication. Completing a CREST document requires focus, reflection, courage, and commitment. The 76 schools who submitted an application are champions in their own right. They went the extra mile and took a chance. Kudos to all the school counselors around this great state of Texas who submitted a CREST application!On Monday, February 14, 2011, 37 schools were honored at the Texas School Counselor Association School Counselor Conference in Arlington for receiving the CREST award. Over 220 people attended the CREST luncheon to congratulate the counselors from these schools. Many principals, directors, coordinators, spouses, and parents made a special trip to Arlington to honor recipients. Myra Ortega, CREST recipient from John Drugan K-8 School in the Socorro ISD said, “The CREST luncheon was like going to the Academy Awards. We felt validated and special.” The following schools received the 2010 CREST Award:

Academy of West Birdville, Birdville ISD • Alliene Mullendore Elementary, Birdville ISD Andrews Elementary, Plano ISD • Bethany Elementary, Plano ISD `Daniel Webster Elementary, Dallas ISD • Deer Park Junior High, Deer Park ISD Ernesto Serna K-8 School, Socorro ISD • Frederick Douglass Elementary, Dallas ISD George E. Kelly Elementary, San Antonio ISD • Granbury High School, Granbury ISD Green Elementary, San Antonio ISD • Haun Elementary, Plano ISD HD Hilley Elementary, Socorro ISD • Henry Dye Boggess Elementary, Plano ISD James B. Bonham Elementary, Dallas ISD • Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary, Dallas ISD John Drugan K-8 School, Socorro ISD • John F. Kennedy Learning Center, Dallas ISD John H. Guyer High School, Denton ISD • Lakewood Elementary, Dallas ISD Luella Merrett Elementary, Fort Worth ISD • M.C. Lively Elementary, Irving ISD Memorial Elementary, Plano ISD • Montwood High School, Socorro ISD North Richland Middle School, Birdville ISD • Northwest High School, Northwest ISD Obadiah Knight Elementary, Dallas ISD • Preston Hollow Elementary, Dallas ISD Richland High School, Birdville ISD • Robert T. Hill Middle School, Dallas ISD

Shannon Learning Center, Birdville ISD • Skyline High School, Dallas ISD Snow Heights Elementary, Birdville ISD • SPC Rafael Hernando III Middle School, Socorro ISD Sun Ridge Middle School, Socorro ISD • Watauga Middle School, Birdville ISD

William Beverly Elementary, Plano ISD

Congratulations to these fine school counseling programs and we hope to see many more schools apply next year!

Cont. from Page 2

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Bright ideaby Genevieve Bennetts, Middle School Vice President

College and career planning are important pieces of the middle school guidance curriculum puzzle. There are many “fun” ways in which you can motivate your students about colleges and careers that don’t require a lot of ad-vance planning on your part. And, your campus will be eager to participate in the activities as well! Consider holding a College and Career Week for your campus with some of the following activities:

Host an essay contest through your Reading classes with a theme that your campus can select or vote on. Por-tions of the winning entries can be read on the daily announcements. “Why going to college is important for all students” is an example of an essay topic.

“College Bingo”- create a bingo card which has information that applies to your campus teachers’ college experi-ence. Ex: college mascot was an Eagle. Students have to find the teacher that can sign off for that square. When their cards are full, they can turn them in for prizes.

Collect college pennants, stickers, pens or lanyards from colleges and have a “college gear” drawing for any student who partici-pates in the essay contest or any another college activity during the week.

Play college fight songs on the daily announcements. Teachers can ask their students to guess which school’s fight song they are hearing.

Have students complete an online career cluster survey and allow them to print out results to take home to discuss with parents.

Create a “graffiti” wall where students can write their name, what college they plan to attend, and what career they plan to pur-sue.

Hold a college door decorating competition

Teacher “dress-up” day- Invite teachers to dress as a career that they either dreamed of pursuing or maybe a job they held at some point.

Career Day- Invite parents to speak to your students about their career or field. A simple way to do this is to do this is to divide the speakers into groups and have them rotate through different classes as a group.

No matter the activity, all students will benefit from the exciting atmosphere that the College and Career Week will bring and will be encouraged to begin dreaming of what college will be like for them!

Oftentimes, new students transferring to your campus from another district can fall through the “cracks” if they don’t receive direction and support in their new environment. Who can better provide that support than the number one student advocate, the school counselor? A key strategy to implement on how to serve new out of district students includes the following steps:

In consultation with your Guidance Advisory Committee, develop a plan to identify new students to your campus from other districts.

Develop a pre packaged lesson that will provide an overview of key information about your campus and district such as Bullying and Student Code of Conduct.

Establish a one time meeting with ALL new students who enrolled each month, for example, a meeting would be held with all new students who enrolled in February on March 2nd.

Invite parents to be apart of the group meeting. They too need to learn about their student’s new campus and resources that are available to help them make the smooth transition.

Providing a 30 to 45 minute overview of key information to new students can be critical to their success in helping them to adjust to a new learning environment. While new students may have missed key information provided to other students at the start of the school year, they can still receive valuable information that will have an impact on their personal, social, and academic needs.

Counselors as Campus Leaders: A Seat at the Table is Key

Leon Kilpatrick, Ed. D., LPC-S, Counselor Educator Vice President, Counselor Supervisor, Dallas ISD

The College Board’s National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) is campaigning the theme Own the Turf as a message to school counselors to step up to the plate and get involved. This is a term designed to send the overall message that counselors must strategically find a way to gain a seat at the table to help make decisions about issues and concerns that impact their professional roles and responsibilities. As the campus number one student advocate, counselors must be willing to take the leadership role. We must also have a seat at the table to educate others on how our roles and services make a difference in students’ personal, social, and academic success. Some professionals often have a narrow or inaccurate perception about the counselors’ role and what they really do as members of the cam-pus educational team. Next, counselors must demonstrate their leadership by example. Getting involved with school extracurricular activities can allow the counselor to become visible. In the eyes of some faculty, the perception of the counselors’ role is often vague. Counselors should also seek to attend meetings and school functions that are staged for parental participation. Capture any opportunity to interact, and let parents know who you are, what you are doing for their student, and when they can contact the counseling department in the future. If you are offered the opportunity to speak to a captive audience of parents, find a way to give out fliers with similar information about counseling services. A one page newsletter is always a good strategy that brings good dividends. In essence, counselors’ involvement and having a seat at the table can provide a level playing ground for making sure that others understand that counselors make a difference in student achievement both in and out of the classroom. Ask your campus principal to be placed on the faculty in-service agenda for both the fall and spring semesters. Too often, counselors are given a few minutes at the fall faculty in-service only. Having a place on the spring agenda will allow counselors to share the counseling services provided, give an update, and get more feedback from the faculty about counseling. Being on the spring agenda will also allow new faculty an opportunity to learn about counseling services and who you are as a school counselor. Without hesitation, become an active member of at least one professional organization. Active involvement in professional organizations allows you to gain professional growth and the opportunity to network with peers in the field of counseling. Also, your active membership is an excellent pathway to enhance leadership skills and demonstrate your sup-port for the school counseling profession. Counselors having a seat at the table are important to counselor accountability and helping others to understand how counseling activities support the instructional program and impact student success.

Closing the Cracks: Serving “New to District” StudentsLeon Kilpatrick, Ed. D., LPC-S, Counselor Educator Vice President, Counselor Supervisor, Dallas ISD

Jesus Juarez Emerging LeaderEach year, TSCA nominates one school counselor to be TSCA’s Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader. This person should be an outstanding school counselor who is active in their local chapter. The counselor who is chosen will serve on the TSCA Board for the year 2011-12. After having served on the TSCA Board, it is recommended that this person continue to be involved in TSCA as an officer or committee chair or member. Please nominate yourself or someone you know who would be a good candidate for Emerging Leader for 2011-12. Fill out the information below and return by May 1, 2011 to:

Michael KaprelianTSCA President-Elect

5601 West Parker RoadPlano, TX 75093

Name of Nominee: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone (work): ____________________________________________Phone (home):_______________________________________________

Nomination submitted by: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Write a brief paragraph describing the nominee: _________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR:A Multifaceted Leader

by Sharon Bey, TSCA Director

In a challenging world of political uncertainty, dwindling resources and politicians seeking to reduce education funding to bal-ance budgets and reduce deficits, The school counselor is being called upon to step out front and lead in new and different ways. Never in the history of school counseling has multifaceted leadership been more urgently needed then it is now. With all positions on the “chopping block” including school counseling positions, we as Counselors must not only move toward be-coming more full partners and leaders in the educational process of our schools, but also leaders in raising awareness of our critical positions. Unfortunately, the word “leader “scares many of us. We don’t want to discipline students, evaluate teachers, nor become involved in the education awareness of all to our valuable roles in successful functioning of modern competitive schools; we just want to help students! In truth, we cannot help students without first being effective leaders in our schools on these and other fronts.

We must be leaders of our school programs, advocate for students, advocates for change in our schools and be representa-tives of the counseling profession.

How do we become leaders and advocates for change in our schools? Research on this very question, concludes that ef-fective leadership happens when there is a strong counselor commitment to organize the counseling program around student competencies, and when the counselor’s time is devoted to the design, implementation and accounting for a comprehensive school counseling program. Counselors lead by designing and implementing activities that involve the building of an effective comprehensive school counseling program. To do this, we must aggressively and continually redesign our school counseling program to systemically address all students’ academic, career and personal/social development needs. This involves looking at our school’s data and determining what the needs of our school are, developing and implementing interventions, measuring the results, and sharing those results with our school’s Administrators and staff.

The American School Counselor Association provides School Counseling Competencies focused on assisting school counsel-ing programs to help you to effectively implement your school counseling program based on the ASCA Model (www.school-counselor.org).

A second way we can lead is through the empowerment and inspiration of the people we serve and work with. This can be done by believing in our students and the school staff who support them and communicating that belief, by being visible and accessible, and empowering them to do their best and be the best they can be.

Finally, Counselors must lead through political advocacy. Let your voice be heard in Austin. Attend TCA’s sponsored Advocacy days. Schedule an appointment to meet with, and write letters to your Representative and Senator. Visit Texas Counseling Association’s website at www.txca.org for help and information on how to advo-cate. Your example of leadership will inspire other counselors to join you.

Armed with courage, confidence, creativity and the commitment to use strong communication, consultation and data skills, you can collaborate with other professionals at your site and district level to influence systemic change and to advocate for every student. You can transform your school’s counseling program! We all must become even more effective multifaceted leaders or risk becoming a fatality of ever-increasing budget cuts.

School Counselors as Leaders in Educationby Lynda Shuttlesworth, Supervisor VP

When school counselors teach leadership skills to students, we talk about integrity, passion, commitment, courage and goals. We spend our days inspiring those we touch to be the leaders of tomorrow. I think we sometimes forget that school counselors are also vital members of the educational leadership team. Now is the time for all counselors, counselor educators and counselor supervisors to rise to be the leaders they were trained to be. Our schools are in need of many things and an excellent guidance and counseling program will provide our students the opportunity to heal, succeed and plan a future. We have never before needed to be more vigilant about our watch over those that are entrusted to us. Even as we feel the pressure of today’s economic problems, still we must meet our families’ many needs. We are seeing stress in our homes and in our schools. We must look inside ourselves and find the strength to lead our students to be strong and resilient.

Counselors are trained about the importance of effective communication, confidence, trust, and rapport with those around us. We must lead with integrity and have the will to encourage others. In times of crisis, the counselor has unique knowledge and training to calm the situation, be a good listener and communica-tor. We must provide clear information and display a passion to solve problems with a positive outcome. While leadership may look different depending on your job title, all of us are counselors in our various workplaces.

If you are the supervisor of counselors, you must ensure that the highest quality counselors are hired for your district; that comprehensive school counseling programs that benefit all students are developed, implemented and evaluated; that relevant professional development and supervision is available. Counselor supervisors must advocate for the needs of our students by identifying programs that facilitate student success, support a performance appraisal, advocate for students - to - counselor ratios that give counselors an opportunity to provide direct services to their students.

To implement exemplary counselor programs, counselor educators must select highly qualified candidates to arm with the skills and knowledge to reach every student in their schools on their first day on the job. Our task is heavy and there is little time for on-the-job training. All counselors must implement a quality counseling program driven by student data and based on standards of academic, career and personal/social devel-opment, so that their students can show improvement in academics, attendance and behavior. Students thrive when their counselors have a clear vision to motivate and inspire them

If we do our tasks with outstanding dedication, the staff, students, their parents and the administration will respect our leadership. While we have yearly evalua-tions by our supervisors, our true evaluation is seeing our students grow to be well-adjusted, productive citizens.

Who Can Counsel? Anyone can counsel. Look at all the educators, administrators, even superintendents who claim that all individuals counsel during their day-to-day jobs. I have heard administrators claim that bus drivers and cafeteria workers, custodians and construction workers all counsel students who cross their paths. With the insidious perception that anyone and everyone can counsel is it any wonder that the counseling profession is not validated...unless there is a crisis situation?

In my almost 14 years as a school counselor, I have heard the aforementioned claims numerous times. Yet, when a school district experiences a tragic set of circumstances - most recently, a house fire that claimed the lives of three of our district students - the counseling team is immediately dispatched as others simply do not know what to do or how to respond.

What an opportunity for advocacy! With budget shortages and misperceptions, now is the time for counselors, whether counselor educators, directors of guid-ance, or school counselors, to demonstrate their skills in the areas of responsive services, individual and group counseling, and career guidance. No longer is it acceptable for “counselors” who used the profession to “get out of the classroom,” to “use this as a stepping stone to administration,” or to “pretend they are helping students when they spend the majority of their days behind closed doors working on testing documents or administrative paperwork” to waste time pretending to counsel.

Our counseling profession deserves individuals who are dedicated to making a difference in students’ lives, who drive themselves to higher and more ardu-ous levels of education, who demand quality in-services to keep their skill level current, and who are willing to withstand the criticisms of the uninformed who demean the efforts made on behalf of students.

How can we advocate and follow-through as individuals? Collaboration and communication are the keys. 1) Counselors in the field can help encourage personal integrity at the campus level. If counselors are in need of assistance through lack of skills, speak up for additional training. Work within the ranks to mentor new counselors so that they do not feel too embarrassed to ask for help.

2) Directors can actively monitor counselors through data logs and, after cultivating working relationships with principals and other administrators based on trust and mutual respect, collaborate to address the specific needs of students at the campus level. Additionally, they can develop a New Counselor Academy to provide training that is necessary for their district - over and above the academic and experiential training. 3) Counselor Educators can place stringent entrance requirements on counselor applicants. When counselors-to-be show continued deficiencies in the skills acquisition arena, encourage career development in a related field, but do not allow them to retake courses in the hopes that they will, somehow, “get it.”

No, not everyone can counsel. When working with the human mind, we must expect and require the pinnacle of professionalism. Mediocrity is not acceptable. I will continue to advocate for the most qualified candidates, whether in the academic or school setting. Our students and our colleagues deserve no less than the best from the most trained and qualified individuals!

by Janise G. Pries, TSCA Secretary, LPC-S, NCC

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When S.O.S. Means Santas for Our Soldiers

by Barbara Gruener

It was a situation that even Santa wouldn’t have believed. But since Christmas magic has a way of making holiday miracles happen, we were making a list of things that soldiers might want or need and gearing up to solicit donations from our school family before we even had a single soldier to sponsor. Since our third graders had sent 44 care packages to our two adopted soldiers on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan last December, the Glaze-DeMarco leadership duo that pitched the project figured we ought to open it up to the whole school and see what would happen. Would donations double, or better yet, triple in size? We didn’t know, but we did know that the Rotary had doubled its contri-bution and paid for the first 40 boxes. You see, a flat-rate US Postal Service military box costs $12.50 each to ship, so we had to believe that we’d get the rest covered.

So our call for the names of soldiers we could support as well as for the donations we’d need went out simultaneously. We aligned our collection with Veterans Day – items would be collected between November 8th and 12th - so that the children could make a connection by honoring and saluting those who’d served before, and treating and thanking those who are serving now. Each of our 700 students at West-wood wrote a letter and drew a picture to be sent with the boxes. As the names of soldiers serving overseas trickled in, so did basic-need toiletries as well as games, books, toys, candy, non-perishable food and other fun goodies for our troops. Every afternoon, a little elf would pick them up from the classrooms and take them to the Donation Station, where volunteers stood ready to separate and sort the stuff. By mid-week, we had adopted 15 soldiers from the Westwood family and gathered a mountain of treats, trinkets, and treasures.

By the end of the week, our collection had exploded! I had stumbled on the illustrated picture book, A Soldier’s Night Before Christmas, by Christine Ford, over the weekend and picked up the five copies I found. Our volunteers thought we ought to have a book for each of the soldiers, so they headed out about town and found ten more so that we could include those in our packages as well. Monday afternoon, our elves moved the goods to our Packing Station and started to assemble APO boxes. Boy Scout Pack 445 phoned and asked if we could include some of their surplus popcorn packets, so Monday night we picked up their donation of eleven cases of kernels for the corps. By Tuesday, our students were packing the large shipping boxes for our troops. Before we left school that afternoon, we had 80 boxes ready to go and at least 28 more to pack. Unsure that we had secured enough postage, we put out an S.O.S. to rally the troops locally by asking them to Adopt A Box; before we knew it, offers to adopt one, two, five, and ten rolled in.

Wednesday afternoon brought us a sweet surprise when Sgt. Benjamin Stilwell, a Westwood alum and the recipient of 22 of our boxes from last year’s drive, stopped by Santa’s Westwood Workshop to help our first graders put the finishing touches on the packing process. He told the children how much their priority mail (and especially their pictures and letters!) meant to him and his platoon during his tour far away from home in Afghanistan. With a huge, child-like grin on his face, this 28-year-old soldier said that the Nerf football we sent was their favorite thing of all. Thursday afternoon found our amazing volunteers completing the 125 customs forms that it would take to ship boxes to all of our adoptees. First thing Friday morning, second graders from Teresa Waltenbaugh’s class helped carry out the boxes and load them into the vans so that our elves could transport them to their 9:00 a.m. appointment at the Friendswood Post Office.

It was a scene even Santa wouldn’t believe. Volunteers almost too numerous to count swarmed the van to offer a helping hand to the Santas For Our Soldiers project. Laura Danielson, whose son-in-law Patrick just returned from Iraq in July, cheerfully shared our story as an assembly line ferried the boxes to Patsy, the clerk behind the counter. Our community connection, Mayor David Smith, was on hand, too, to present the Rotary check for the boxes they’d adopted. Nancy Glaze, who saw the project through from planning stages to completion, was there to coordinate the Post Office stop with her friends Jamaica, Cheryl, and Holly. Pam DeMarco, who had also worked tirelessly from the start for this cause, was there in spirit! Three hours later, our goods were good to go, all 125 boxes, now en route to Iraq and Afghanistan to simply say, “Thank you, heroes, for your service and sacrifice. We appreciate you!”

And how does this service project opportunity affect our littlest learners? Our donations had almost tripled, and so had our joy. Bubbling with excitement, six-year-old Madison put it so eloquently when, with a twinkle in her eye, she told a reporter from Fox News, “I think it will make them happy and it makes my heart feel happy.” A worthwhile project like Santas For Our Soldiers has the power to create a synergy that can generate the happiness of holiday magic all around. It’s the little things that make a big difference. We believe!

Award Recipients, TSCA Conference, Arlington, TX-February 2011

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TSCA PRESIDENT ELECT - Lynda Shuttlesworth

I received my education at Stephen F. Austin State University. I have been a teacher, counselor, principal, and a coordinator. In 2008, I received the Elementary Counselor of the Year award and my elementary school received the CREST award. I have served as the 2009-2011 Supervisor Vice President and a member of the CREST Committee for the Texas School Counselor Association. I am a member of the American School Counselor Association, Texas Counseling Association, Texas School Counselor Association, and Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. In accepting the honor of the nomination for President-Elect of the Texas School Counselor Association, I embrace the role of being a strong voice for Texas school counselors. TSCA has provided me with support and incomparable professional development opportunities. As a board member, I helped develop the strategic plan, with goals to market TSCA identity, to advocate for the school counseling profession, and to improve member services. Membership in TSCA is vital and affordable, and I will strive to bring that message to all who are doing this valuable work every day in every school in Texas. Bringing expanded programs to under-served regions of the state will also serve to strengthen our individual counseling programs and have an immeasurable impact on the children who have been entrusted to us. Together we have a voice to advocate and the power to bring about change. School counseling is my passion and I would be privileged to serve as your president elect

TSCA SENATOR - Sylvia Lopez Dr. Sylvia A. Lopez is the Director of Counseling Services for the Dallas Independent School District. She has 35 years of educational experience, during which she has served as a school counselor and a principal of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. In her current posi-tion as the Director of Counseling Services she facilitates the implementation of the school counseling program, coordinates district wide training, promotes accountability, and actively supports and sponsors many of the college readiness initiatives throughout the district for all 400 elementary, middle and high school counselors. Her inspiration comes from the belief that every student has an opportunity to learn and it is school counselors who make those dreams come true for each student that they touch. Dr. Lopez has been actively serving on the Texas School Counselor Association board for the past 5 years. She has served a two-year term as the Vice-President for Supervisors and is currently ending a three-year term as Sena-tor. She has also served on the CREST committee as a reviewer and helped revised the new CREST application. In addition, she serves on the Super Saturday Symposium committee. The purpose of this committee is to provide training in remote areas of Texas for counselors who are unable to attend conferences offered by TSCA due to budget constraints or by distance.Dr. Lopez is eager and willing to serve another three-year term as Texas School Counselor Association Senator.

TSCA COUNSELOR EDUCATOR - Dr. Leon Kilpatrick

Leon Kilpatrick is a member of the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) Board and currently serves as Counselor Educator Vice President. A 38 year veteran in education, Dr. Kilpatrick (Dr. K) is an Area Counselor Supervisor with Dallas Independent School District. He is also a gradu-ate level adjunct faculty with Prairie View A&M University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling. Dr. K has held leadership positions in several professional organizations. Some of them include President of the Placement association of Texas (PAT), and Vice President of the Junior /Community College Student Personnel Association of Texas (JC/CSPAT). He holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and a Masters Degree in Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and an approved LPC Supervisor. Dr. K has been a workshop presenter at the TCA and TSCA Conferences, member of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA), American Counseling Association (ACA), Con-ference Planning Committee for Dallas, contact person for updating the TSCA website, and TSCA newsletter. As a member of the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) Board and College Counselor Vice President, I will continue to insure that I am accountable to the general member-ship and pledge to do at minimum the following:

• Continue to work faithfully and diligently in performing my duties and responsibilities. • Continue to carve out strategies for increasing graduate student membership and participation in TCA and TSCA. • Continue to work with other members on the board in making decisions in the best interest of TSCA and its members. • Continue to build relationships and market the purpose and professional benefits of becoming a member of TSCA to counselors in Texas who are non-members.

TSCA HS VP - Calvin Phillips

Most of us have experienced an occasion when a purpose or vision comes into focus. Once our vision is clear we can then take steps towards the implementation of that vision. For me, that clarification for the role of a campus and district guidance program came in 2007 when I was introduced to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. After studying the model I clearly understood that the role of the school counselor was to coordinate the implementation of a guidance program that aided the campus and/or district in accomplishing the academic mis-sion. I chose at that point in my career to return to the high school guidance office from being a central office coordinator in order to implement a program based upon the ASCA model that met the academic, vocational and personal/social needs of ALL students. I have served as a high school counselor, lead counselor and coordinator of college and career readiness for the past 16 years in Texas schools. I have also served on various district and regional committees focusing on increasing the number of students who are prepared to go directly to post-secondary education after high school. In 2009 I was selected as one of two Emerging Leaders for the Texas School Counseling Association (TSCA). Currently, I serve as the TSCA Professional Recognition chair. I would be honored to serve the students, parents and counselors of Texas as the High School Vice President for 2011-2013.

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TSCA COUNSELOR SUPERVISOR VICE PRESIDENT - Kathryn Everest

Kathryn Everest, in her 17th year as the Director of Guidance and Counseling for the Fort Worth Independent School District, has tre-mendous leadership experience. She has worked as a school counselor at every level and currently supervises 208 professional school counselors in one of the largest districts in Texas. Kathryn served 6 years on the Board of Directors for the Texas Counseling Association and 9 years on the Board of Directors for the Texas Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. At the state level Kathryn was recognized as Texas’ Counseling Supervisor of the Year and is the recipient of the esteemed Jefferson Cup given by the International Criti-cal Incident Stress Foundation of Baltimore, Maryland for her innovative and comprehensive implementation of crisis response in schools and communities. For her work in the area of “wellness” on a national level, Kathryn was recently chosen as a “Great Woman of Texas - A Woman of Influence” in Fort Worth, Texas. She is recognized as one of the best in her field. Kathryn’s wide range of experiences, coupled with her own unique perspective and insight intuitively and strategically addresses today’s issues as an advocate for professional school counselors both at home and at the Capitol. She has been awarded A Lifetime Achievement Award from TACES as well as an Outstand-ing Leadership Award for her role as a professional school counselor supervisor. Kathryn is a strong advocate and ally of professional school counselors.

TSCA COUNSELOR SUPERVISOR VICE PRESIDENT - Darlene Davenport Darlene Davenport has been in the counseling profession for over twenty years and in education for over thirty years. During that time, she has served as a high school teacher and counselor, coordinating counselor, and is currently the Director of Guidance & Counseling in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. She believes that work of the professional school counselor is essential for student success at all levels. Darlene is currently serving on the School Counselor Issues and Public Policy Committee in TCA and is a member of the following organizations:

• American Counseling Association (ACA) • American School Counselor Association (ASCA) • Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development (AMCD) • Texas Association College Admission Counseling (TACAC) • Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (TACES) •Texas Career Development Association (TCDA) •Texas Association for Assessment in Counseling (TAAC) • Texas College Counselors Association (TCCA) •Texas Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development (TexAMCD) • Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) •Spring Creek Counseling Association (SCCA)

Darlene is also currently serving as a member of the College Board College Keys Compact Review Committee. Darlene has demonstrated that she is committed to serving the counseling field through active involvement in all arenas of the educational e nvironment and advocat-ing for professional school counselors.

TSCA COUNSELOR SUPERVISOR VICE PRESIDENT - Jose Villasenor Jose Villasenor is originally from La Feria, Texas; a small town in the Rio Grande Valley. Jose has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, which he received in the spring of 1992. In the summer of 1997 Jose received a Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. He began his career in education in the fall of 1994 as a social worker with Communities In Schools at Memorial High School in McAllen, TX. He entered the Alternative Certification Program at the University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, Texas in the spring of 1995. Jose began a graduate program in educational psychology at the same time. He received his teaching certificate in Bilingual Education in the spring of 1996 and his School Counseling certificate in the fall of 1998. Jose has worked with Donna ISD in Donna, Texas where he taught 1st grade at Runn Elementary; Dalton Public Schools in Dalton, Georgia where he taught 3rd and 4th grade ESL at Morris Elementary; Plano ISD in Plano, Texas where he was an elementary school counselor at Beverly Elementary, a high school counselor at Plano Senior High School, and then was named Coordinator of Social Services. Jose currently works with Irving ISD in Irving, Texas as the Program Director of Responsive Counseling Services. His coworkers describe him as honest, reliable, and loyal. Jose will represent you diligently as your Counselor Supervisor Vice President.

TSCA HS VP - Debbie Cogan

Debbie Cogan has worked in the Fort Bend Independent School District for 32 years. Currently she is Lead Counselor at Elkins High School. She is married with four children and enjoys spending time with her kids, reading, visiting with friends and volunteering. Active in a number of professional organizations, Debbie currently serves as Chair of the Media Committee for TSCA and in the past has been Treasurer and Member Services Chair. She is also a member of the Texas Career Development Associa-tion and serves as Member at Large. Other professional organizations include TCA, NCDA, and the Texas College Counselor Association. Her passion is working with students as they explore college and career options thus she enjoys the networking and professional growth opportunities offered through these organizations.

2011 - 2012: TSCA BOARD NOMINEES

TSCA Board 2010/2011

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid

PermitNo.182Austin,Texas

Texas Counseling AssociationA Division of the Texas Counseling Association1204 San Antonio, Ste. 201Austin, Texas 78701

Executive Board for 2010-11 President Bena Glasscock President-elect Michael Kaprelian PastPresident Anita Horton Secretary Janise Pries TCADirector Sharon Bey TCASenator Sylvia Lopez ElementaryVP Michelle Shoulders Middle/JHVP Genevieve Zelaya SecondaryVP Dalia Gonzales CounselorEdVP Leon Kilpatrick SupervisorVP Lynda Shuttlesworth

Non-voting Members

Treasurer Tammi Mackeben

Committee Chairs for 2010-11 Advocacy Linda Hughes Ethics Gloria Montalvo, Diana Villarreal Media Debbie Cogan Membership Betty White HumanRights Laura Bannerman CREST Hilda Lopez ProfessionalRecognition Calvin Phillips Nominations Anita Horton, Past President Finance Tammi Mackeben, Treasurer Conference Anita Horton, Past President EmergingLeader Diane Lowe