National School Counseling Week celebrates HISD counselors who empower students every day

National School Counseling Week, Feb. 6-10, is a week to celebrate the invaluable contributions school counselors make within their schools and in the lives of their students and communities.

At this year’s NSCW Celebration on Feb. 10, HISD recognized four counselors who have spent more than 20 years dedicating their careers to counseling their students to be the best version of themselves that they can.

Lisa Price, Madison High School, 24 years with HISD
Cynthia Hayes, Lawson Middle School, 29 years with HISD
Gloria Blanks, Bastian Elementary School, 22 years with HISD
Josefa Sanchez, Petersen Elementary School, 17 years with HISD

Lisa Price and Cynthia Hayes celebrate more than 20 years of service as HISD counselors

HISD is also celebrating three elementary schools that, thanks to grant proposals penned by their dedicated counselors, are receiving monetary grants for projects focused on their students’ mental health and social-emotional wellbeing.

Harris Elementary School counselor Sheryl Calton’s proposal, “Nurturing Mindfulness to Ignite a School Culture,” aims to use grant funds to create Calming Corners in classrooms. These spaces will be equipped with tools to help students regulate emotions and work through conflict in a healthy way. The grant will also contribute to training teachers to incorporate mindfulness techniques into their classrooms.

“It’s Okay Not to be Okay!” is a proposal created by Cornelius Elementary School counselor Rosie Munivez. With the funds from this grant, Munivez was able to purchase cool-down kits for 40 classrooms on the Cornelius campus to be used by students who feel overwhelmed and in need of emotional regulation. These kits allow students to refocus by teaching them to be self-aware and mindful of their emotions.

The final grant was awarded to Garcia Elementary counselor Kironda Burgess’s proposal, “Yoga and You and Teachers Too.”

The celebration included a luncheon for the attending counselors, door prizes, and encouragement that the counselors who are so dedicated to caring for others should take time to care for, acknowledge and appreciate their own hard work.

To learn more about HISD’s Counseling and Student Services Department, visit their website.