SCOY=School Counselor of the Year-It is an Advocacy Thing!

SCOY stands for School Counselor of the Year. We are excited in Iowa to name three SCOY finalists for 2016-2017. Being chosen is a GREAT honor and everyone who is nominated is a winner and deserves recognition. This year's nominees and finalists are all outstanding school counselors in Iowa.

 Please join me in honoring and recognizing the 2017 ISCA SCOY Finalists:

• Middle-Level Counselor of the Year - Paula Baumann - Dubuque CSD
• Middle-Level Counselor of the Year - Tina Chaplin - Indianola CSD
•  High School Counselor of the Year - Suzanne Schrader - Clinton CSD
•  ASCA SCOY Iowa Representative - Becky Lins - Cedar Falls CSD

We will recognize these school counselors at our annual ISCA Conference on November 7th during the awards luncheon. Once the Iowa School Counselors of the Year are announced, ASCA will accept three of those counselors for consideration as the Iowa Representative to participate in the ASCA School Counselor of the Year White House recognition ceremony. ASCA chooses one counselor from each state as either a representative or finalist. Finalists are interviewed, and one interviewee is selected as The School Counselor of the Year. Candy Reed, an elementary school counselor from Davenport, was selected as Iowa Representative and attended the White House Award Ceremony. Please read Candy's reflections from her visit to the White House as she represented Iowa at the ASCA SCOY Recognition in January of 2016 in Washington DC.

There were 48 counselors from across the nation gathered in the Blue Room of the White House. We were surrounded by so much history-United States Presidents walked the halls and sat on the very furniture on which we were sitting. Looking out of the window, I saw the Washington monument. Counselors and their guests came to the window to see the "First Dogs" on their daily walk. Through all the sites and sounds of the White House prepping us for what was about to begin, it became apparent that this event was the greatest form of advocacy for the profession of School Counselors. The School Counselor of the Year program brought us to this point. The process is not just about the counselor and his/her work. It is about teaching those that are listening about the students and their environment of learning. It is about addressing the subjects of poverty, suicide, LGBT, ADHD, equal rights and many more topics that school counselors work within schools and take home with them at the end of each day. The White House supports our work because we have an impact on students so that they are career and college ready. Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative recognized the fact that counselors have a large part to play on both elementary and secondary levels in preparing students for their future paths.

 Although I experienced this great program, it wasn't about me. I represented the 432 Garfield Elementary students, the 16,000 Davenport Community Schools' students, and the 448,319 Iowa students. I was called on to speak to community groups, school board members, the media and other professional organizations. I highly recommend the SCOY program as a vehicle to advocate for the work of  school counselor's work. When  FLOTUS recognizes school counselors, it is a big deal.  Michelle Obama endorsed the program as she invited us to her house to discuss the issues that our students face. Who could be a greater advocate for the professional school counselor than the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama?

Candy Reed getting to shake the hand of the First Lady.

Candy Reed is an elementary school counselor at Garfield Elementary in Davenport, Iowa.  Candy was the 2014 Iowa Elementary School Counselor of the Year and represented Iowa at the ASCA SCOY Recognition in January of 2016.  Candy has also been a RAMP recipient and RERAMP recipient.