Jefferson Elementary counselor named national finalist

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has named five national finalists for the 2021 School Counselor of the Year award, and Olivia Carter, counselor at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, is among those named.

The award honors exemplary school counseling professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for the nation’s students, helping them achieve success in school and in life, according to a news release.

In October 2019, Carter was named Missouri State Counselor of the Year by the Missouri School Counselor Association, according to previous reporting.

Cape Girardeau School District spokeswoman Kristin Tallent wrote in an email Wednesday that Carter was also named the Southeast Missouri School Counselor Association’s Elementary Counselor of the Year in 2019.

Carter has been a school counselor for nine years, five of them at Jefferson Elementary, Tallent wrote.

The awards panel selected the finalists based on several criteria, including school counseling innovations, exemplary school counseling programs, leadership and advocacy skills, and contributions to student outcomes.

The School Counselor of the Year and finalists will be celebrated in a series of virtual events and will participate in briefings and webinars during National School Counseling Week, Feb. 1 through 5.

The School Counselor of the Year will be named in late fall.