Indiana Department of Education named Warsaw Community High School as one of 18 Indiana schools to receive the Indiana Gold Star School Counseling Award in 2009.
Gold Star schools undergo a rigorous process to raise student achievement by creating local community advisory groups that review student data, set specific student goals, and commit to maximizing the time and skills of the school counselor. The official award presentation will be at the Indiana School Counselor Association fall conference in Indianapolis Nov. 12."Indiana's Gold Star Schools use members of the community to help the school counselor make data-based decisions to ensure that all students are successful in school," said IDOE School Counselor Consultant Matt Fleck. "We recognize Warsaw Community High School for understanding the tremendous impact that professional school counselors can have in helping students succeed in school and also to plan for success in college and a career."
Warsaw Community High School joins more than 128 Indiana elementary, middle and high schools that have received the Gold Star Award since its inception in 1997. Six years later, IDOE began offering professional development opportunities for schools interested in aligning their counseling program with the Gold Star model. Schools that participate in the program choose a four-part workshop series or an online video workshop course to help them make the transformation to the Indiana Gold Star School Counseling model.
All Indiana Gold Star schools are eligible to receive the nation's highest recognition - the American School Counselor Association's Recognized ASCA Model Program, or RAMP Award. The award demonstrates that a school is "committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program." In June, 14 additional Indiana schools received the RAMP Award, making Indiana the state with the highest number of RAMP Award recipients (totaling 82) in the country.
To qualify for both awards, Warsaw Community High School submitted a portfolio with documentation that it meets the nine program standards found in Indiana's Program Standards for School Counseling.
Additionally, Lisa Ulrey, Elise Maller, Diane Quance, Pamela Rozelle, Scott Seney and Rick Swaim attended four training sessions in Indianapolis during the 2008-09 school year and learned how to implement the Gold Star School Counseling model. Students, teachers, parents and community members who serve on the local School Counseling Advisory Council also took part in the initiative. This group provided input and feedback as the Gold Star School Counseling initiative was being developed.
Members of the Advisory Council include: Jeff Grose, Tom Kline, Kevin Roberts, Heather Ousley, Linda Tinkey, Melanie Blair, Sandy Carmichael, Katrina Lowe, Caitlin Perrone, Mary Marty and Bill Kovach.
"The school counselors and others at Warsaw Community High School have worked hard to ensure that students have an accountable school counseling program that meets their academic, career and citizenship development needs," Sue Reynolds, executive director of the Indiana Student Achievement Institute, said. "These educators and community members are truly dedicated to the community's young people and are going the 'extra mile' to help students succeed."
For more information about the local initiative, contact Rick Swaim at Warsaw Community High School, at 574-371-5099, Ext. 2326.
