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Editor’s note: Our guest blogger today is Kwok-Sze Wong. He is the executive director of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), which represents more than 28,000 school counselors across the nation. ASCA expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systemic change. It also empowers professional school counselors with the knowledge, skills, linkages and resources to promote student success in the school, the home, the community and the world. ASCA is a member of the Learning First Alliance.

Sandy Austin, a school counselor at Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, Colo., has seen her share of crises. As a member of the crisis team that worked with students and parents in Columbine in the wake of the shootings, Sandy knew students couldn’t focus on school until they could deal with their grief from this devastating tragedy. She also saw the strength and compassion students have and how important that compassion can be in helping others heal. To give students a way to help those in need, Sandy formed the BIONIC Team – Believe It Or Not I Care. Students in the group reach out to others to provide support when they experience a death, illness or other hardship in their lives. During the past six years, the BIONIC Team has reached more than 38,000 people, and more than 400 schools worldwide have shown interest in starting similar programs. 

Terry Malterre, a school counselor at Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, and TeShaunda L. Hannor-Walker, Ph.D., the school counselor at Northside Elementary School in Albany, Ga., may be separated by a continent and an ocean, but they are connected by many similarities. They both work at schools with a high percentage of low-income and underserved students. They both noticed that many of their students were failing because of high absenteeism, so they instituted home visit programs to involve families in learning. And they both found that helping those students get to the classroom helped those students succeed.

Sandy, Terry and TeShaunda are three of the finalists in the annual School Counselor of the Year program sponsored by the American School Counselor Association. Each year, the School Counselor of the Year celebration kicks off National School Counseling Week, which is Feb. 7-12 this year.

This week, we hope students, parents, teachers, administrators, schools and school districts will recognize Sandy, Terry, TeShaunda and the 100,000 other school counselors who work hard each day to help remove the barriers that can become obstacles to student success.

School counselors in the 21^st century don’t work just with the students on the college track or those facing emotional problems. School counselors help all students prepare for successful and fulfilling lives after graduation. School counselors help students develop the skills needed to succeed academically, and they help students chart a course for their education that fits best with their interests and abilities. School counselors help students deal with difficult situations like bullying or a death in the family, but they also help students face the daily personal and social challenges that come with just being a kid or teenager.

This week, let’s celebrate school counselors and the great work they do. School counselors are an important part of achieving a school’s mission. After all, life is a journey, students need a guide.