November 13, 2009 - School counselors from the Wake County Public School System swept the awards at the NC School Counselor Association Annual Conference underway in Greensboro.

The association recognizes counselors at each grade level annually. This year, WCPSS Counselors at the elementary, middle and high school levels earned State Counselor of the Year honors.

The counselors are Rebecca Atkins of Millbrook Magnet Elementary, Jean Carter of Heritage Middle and Tammy Rhye-Butler of Middle Creek High.

Rebecca Atkins works to meet the diverse needs of the students at Millbrook through a comprehensive counseling program. Atkins has completed the process for National Board certification. Her hard work was also evident by the counseling program at Millbrook Elementary being awarded RAMP distinction from the American School Counselor Association.

Atkins has developed many activities for the school such as peer mediation, lunch bunch, compliments and contracts. She has developed positive relationships with students and they know that she cares deeply for them. She is passionate about helping students to become their best. Her tireless efforts have helped many students to become successful and lifelong learners.

Atkins works to make sure that student, parent, and staff needs are effectively met. She is a leader at the school, serving as chair of the school’s Student Support Team where she works to develop helpful school and home interventions for the student helping each to be successful.

Atkins actively works with students in classroom guidance, small group and individual counseling. In addressing tardiness issues at school, Atkins developed an attendance group where students met and the celebrated when they were successful in arriving to school on time. In addressing concerns about bullying, Atkins developed a “bully survey” and several students were identified by their peers as demonstrating bullying behaviors. Afterwards, the identified students met with Atkins, their classroom teacher and an administrator to develop a plan to improve behavior. Parents were also involved. Atkins then periodically checked in with students to monitor their progress. This bully prevention activity proved to be very effective in eliminating bullying behaviors.

Jean Carter leads an exemplary school counseling program that is comprehensive and data-driven.

Carter engages students and families with her resourcefulness and ingenuity. One of her former students writes “Mrs. Carter is one of the most caring people I have ever come across in my life. She was a great influence on me and a great role model. Without Mrs. Carter, I would not have the direction in my life, or the perseverance to pursue it.”

Carter also takes on leadership roles serving as leadership team representative, mentor to other counselors, and contact for programs such as Partnership for Student Success, homeless students and the crisis team.

Carter is a walking wealth of knowledge and information, and her principal depends on her expertise. Her diligence is evident in everything she does from counseling with a student to taking the time to explain the essentials required for school productivity to a parent. A teacher writes “her kind, gentle, non-judgmental personality makes her a person who is easily approachable and one whose opinion is highly regarded. Her work ethic and ability to communicate positively with students and staff is incomparable.”

Tammy Rhye-Butler through her work ethic and professional leadership, enriches Middle Creek High and touches students’ lives in profound ways.

A parent writes, “Tammy is one of those very special individuals who perfectly blends counselor, mentor and consummate professional. She is a champion for student causes. Her passion for students to achieve excellence, personally and academically, and her ability to convey to students that she cares about each as a unique individual is what sets her apart from other outstanding counselors.”

Rhye-Butler led her department’s work three years ago to earn RAMP certification, establishing her high school as among the first in the nation to achieve this recognition. Her skills to build consensus and ability to translate goals into reality helped the school become one of the first to use RAMP processes that connect counseling to student academic success.

Rhye-Butler is committed to students, balancing an understanding for each individual with a drive to push students to achieve beyond their expectations. Her principal writes “I set the goal to earn three million dollars in academic scholarships. Rhye-Butler pushed them for three years to work hard and remain focused on individual goals. She moved the class to exceed the goal by nearly one quarter million dollars. This same class also posted the highest SAT score in our school’s history.”