2014-2015
Counselor of the Year – Myrna Harp – Marina Village Middle School, El Dorado
Mrs. Harp received her Master’s degree and PPS credential from Chapman University and has held counseling positions at both the elementary and middle school level. At her current school, her teachers say she has “successfully changed the attitude, view and significance of the school counselor.” She provides a total program to her students, including such programs as WEB, a mentoring program for sixth grade students, and Club Live which is a student run and student led anti-drug, alcohol and tobacco program. She also maintains a schedule of individual and small group counseling sessions. At the national level, Myrna has received the ASCA Legal and Ethical Specialist Certificate as well as the ASCA Bully Prevention Specialist Certificate. We are proud to honor Myrna with the Donald G. Hays Outstanding School Counselor Award and place her name in nomination for the ASCA School Counselor of the Year award in 2015.
Administrator of the Year – Leonard Rodriguez – Principal, Potter Junior High School, Fallbrook
Mr. Rodriguez is extremely supportive of improving and expanding the school counseling program through his leadership and dedication to developing well-rounded students. Some of the many examples include:
- Advocating for more school counseling services and adding an additional counselor this past year;
- Positioning school counselors in leadership roles;
- Supporting professional development for school counselors;
- Embracing ASCA National Model implementation, and helping to create a school counselor evaluation piece that has been adopted district-wide; and
- Supporting the expansion of school counseling services. Mr. Rodriguez supported the goal of elementary schools receiving comprehensive school counseling services and the team’s efforts were rewarded with a $1.1 million Federal Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Grant to expand services district-wide.
Advocate of the Year – Aubrey Uresti
Ms. Uresti is a credentialed school counselor and a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) who has taught and counseled in settings such as residential treatment, public and private K-12 schools, county jail, and graduate school. She is in her second year as a doctoral student at UC Davis, studying school counseling services with urban education. Her dissertation will focus on disenfranchised grief among adolescents in urban public schools. At UC Davis, Aubrey serves on “Get on the Bus (a volunteer group that helps children visit incarcerated family members) and the Social Justice in Education Committee. Ms. Uresti is dedicated to advancing the professions of counselor education and school counseling, and has been especially committed to CASC, attending and presenting at every conference since 2008. We honor Aubrey Uresti with the Counselor Advocate of the Year Award.