7 Jun 2011
Winner fosters collaborative culture at Winnetka Elementary to benefit students
DALLAS–Jazmin Greenwood, counselor at Winnetka Elementary School, has been named the Dallas ISD 2011-2012 Counselor of the Year.
As a school counselor I view myself as an advocate for students, Greenwood said. I believe that in order for students to be successful, one must first cater to the individual's emotional and physical needs.
Winnetka Principal Lourdes Garduņo, in nominating Greenwood for the honor, cited Greenwoods support of the schools collaborative culture through the schools Student Support Team. Individual plans and interventions are created for struggling students to address their specific academic, behavioral and social needs.
Our school counselors energy and vivacious personality are the driving forces that motivate children and adults to believe in themselves and to do their best at all times, Garduņo wrote. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to empower students, support the emotional, personal/social development, and academic needs of our students.
Elementary counselors are involved in various activities that foster a safe learning environment and encourage student success. They conduct classroom guidance lessons for social and academic skills development, individual and group counseling, Character Counts program activities, parent workshops, higher education and career awareness activities, academy and vanguard presentations, anti-bullying initiatives and other activities. The counseling program at Winnetka strongly emphasizes Character Counts, parental involvement and college and career readiness.
Greenwoods experience in a variety of school-related jobs helps set her apart. She began working in education at age 18 as a school secretary, and later as an AVID tutor. She taught kindergarten and fourth grade at Louise Wolff Kahn Elementary School. Having served in various school positions has been an asset, as I believe it has helped me as a school counselor to better serve the needs of our students, she said.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Diego State University, a Master of Arts in Education with embedded School Counseling Credential from Azusa Pacific University. She attended the Alternative Certification Program in Dallas ISD to earn teaching credentials in Texas.