Missouri News

Congratulations to the Missouri School Counselor of the Year

The afternoon of October 18 was a memorable one for Melissa Millington, school counselor at Aurora High School. Lisa Phillips, MSCA past president, was there to surprise Melissa with the news that she was selected as the Missouri School Counselor of the Year! As such, Melissa will be Missouri’s nominee for the National School Counselor of the Year recognition from ASCA in 2023. We are so proud to have Melissa represent the school counselors of Missouri in this process.

MSCA is fortunate to have great nominees and award winners each year. We are honored and proud of the slate of winners for 2022–23:

• Melissa Millington, State School Counselor of the Year and Secondary School Counselor of the Year, Aurora High School
• Lauren Jones, Multilevel School Counselor of the Year, Madison C-3
• Karrie Amelunke, Elementary School Counselor of the Year, Southern Boone Upper Elementary School
• Dr. Precious Kurth, Administrator of the Year, Liberty North High School
• Billie Hartgrove, Advocate of the Year, DeSoto Public Schools

All of these honorees will be celebrated in the Missouri State Capitol on December 3 at the MSCA Professional Recognition Ceremony. Anyone is welcome to attend this event from 1 to 3 pm.
 

Congratulations to Another Source of Missouri Pride

We are thrilled to share the news that Missouri’s own Geoff Heckman has been elected as chair of the Board of Directors for the American School Counselor Association! Geoff was elected by the Board members; he took office on October 1.

Geoff is in his third year on the ASCA Board. He has distinguished himself as a leader by chairing the Nominations and Elections Committee, and now as the Chair of the Board. Geoff is department lead at Platte County High School, a 2021–22 recipient of both the NRM and the RAMP recognitions.

We wish Geoff and the ASCA Board a productive and fruitful year as they guide our profession in collaboration with the ASCA staff.
 

MSCA Take Ten Conference

Monday, March 27, 2023
Save the date for the 2023 MSCA Take Ten Conference, which will be held on Monday, March 27. The one-day session will focus on the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Speakers for the event will include Kelli Hopkins, Esq., associate executive director of the Missouri School Boards’ Association; and Matthew Berry, MSCA Board member. Watch for additional details coming soon, including finalized location, registration and agenda.
 

Save the Date: 2023 Fall Conference

November 5–7 in Osage Beach
Save the date for MSCA’s 2023 Fall Conference! The event will be held November 5-7 at the Tan-Tar-A Conference Center in Osage Beach. Watch for additional information coming soon to moschoolcounselor.org.

Monthly Professional Development Webinars and Events

Events
MSCA hosts monthly webinars and monthly Counselors, Coffee and Conversation events. These are available for free to members in a virtual format and feature speakers on issues of importance to school counseling. Be sure to register for these events on the MSCA calendar of events page of the website – you must be logged in as a member to access registration. We look forward to having you join us and seeing you online soon! 

Online Library
Missed MSCA’s monthly professional development offerings? No worries! Recorded versions of these webinars are available for free to paid members. To access, please visit the MSCA website at moschoolcounselor.org. Please note that login is required to access the recordings.

Documentation for Monthly PD Attendance
Near the end of the 2022–2023 school year, MSCA will provide members with a certificate of attendance for monthly professional development opportunities. These certificates will be customizable based on the events you attended and/or viewed following the event. Information will be sent in May 2023 via email.