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Straughn High School counselor Stephanie Bryan was recently selected as one of 22 statewide recipients of the Alabama School Counselor Association’s Alabama School Counseling Program of Distinction Award for 2024-2029.

Good for five years and eligible for renewal, the Program of Distinction recognizes exemplary comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs aligned with the state plan and the ASCA National Model.

“Receiving this award means I have made a small movement toward some of the goals I had when I came into my current position. As counselors, we have to do schedules and several other assignments, and sometimes kids forget we can do more than that. This award has helped me be intentional in how I’m using my time. As a result, I have become more focused,” Bryan said.

Program of Distinction awards are presented at the ALSCA’s annual program in November.

“In the Program of Distinction, you document what you are doing in your program, what data you base it on, and how you deliver it to the students. You give pre and post-assessments to show the growth of your students through your counseling program. In Alabama, we do a lot more than just our student contact. This is based solely on the side of what you’re doing with your students as a school counselor. It talks about how you take the data, turn it around, and use it to help your students be more successful in another area or skill,” Bryan said.

SHS has 430 students enrolled in the 2024-2025 school year.

The program consists of 36 skill sets and attitudes to meet from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Bryan’s focus is on ninth through twelfth-grade students.

“The addition of more focused, data-driven small group lessons has proved very effective and valuable. In the past, my small groups were based on a need I recognized; now, my small groups are based on data. The ability to collect data about the group through a pre-assessment and then compare it to the growth of the group in the post-assessment is eye opening. I feel approaching small groups in this matter will prove beneficial to our school,” she said.

Bryan is in her eighth year as a school counselor after receiving her master’s in School Counseling in 2013. She was previously a science teacher in Paxton, Florida, before she came to Straughn.

“The goal of anybody who has a heart for school counseling is to work with our students more. Through being intentional and looking at the data, I make an opportunity to highlight character and life skills outside of regular scheduling sessions. The next step is to apply and hopefully become a nationally recognized program. I want to take what I’ve learned during the program and understand how everything we do impacts the data,” she said.

Based on the National School Counseling model, 80 percent of the time spent should be with or for students.

“Being in the classroom allows me to build better relationships with students. It’s more than when they come into my office and ask for a schedule change or where to attend college,” Bryan said.

The Prevention and Awareness for Total Health, known as PATH curriculum, provides a comprehensive approach to teaching students concepts related to social, emotional, and behavioral health.

“I’m currently working with students on grade level for lessons affiliated with the PATH curriculum. I go in with one teacher four times a year for each grade level. As students get older, in the tenth through twelfth grade, they get into dual enrollment and co-op. Traditionally, 15 to 20 years ago, everybody sat through English, math, history, etc. Now that we have dual enrollment, students have replaced classes. For group lessons, I look at who is going to have at least 95 percent of that grade level,” Bryan said.

Bryan’s program has become more data-driven from implementing the state and national models.

“Utilizing the model to present the data collected to drive my goals to my council members and then be able to show them the growth in the results reports has been priceless. It is one thing to tell someone why you are doing something but another to be able to show why and your outcomes in data charts. I have also geared my program to ensure we are providing students with lessons that will empower them as they leave our school and enter the outside world. I became more conscious about making sure I am addressing the attitudes and skills through our classroom lessons rather than just teaching students about test taking and schedule planning,” she said.

Bryan added that she is grateful to her family and peers for their support.

“It takes a lot to be a school counselor whether that’s the people at home, a fabulous administration, or a staff who supports any program I try to implement. As I continue in this role, I believe my program will become stronger and more effective. I will be able to help transform the role of the school counselor at my school and free up more time to better serve students. Using data will drive my lessons to be more relevant for our students whether that is individual sessions, small groups of about 10 kids, or classroom lessons with 20 or more students.”

More awareness about the program is offered through a “coffee with the counselor” meeting. She has a second session scheduled this month before students are released for Christmas break.

“At first, I was targeting students, but over time, I have started targeting parents. I had a session for senior parents in early November and allowed them to ask questions about scholarships. My ultimate goal is to have a coffee with the counselor meeting for each grade level,” Bryan said.

For more information email Stephanie.Bryan@cov.k12.al.us or call 334-222-2511.

“I’m so thankful to have Mrs. Bryan at Straughn High School. She has more responsibility than any one person should have. It is a challenging and often thankless job that she pursues excellence in daily as she supports the students of Straughn. I’m very proud of her and this accomplishment, and I hope she knows how much she is appreciated,” Principal Matt Cobb said.