Ms. Sandoval Counseling Award

Ashley Chi
Ms. Sandoval, Counselor of the Year Award

Arcadia is all about prestige and honor. In addition to having a word-renowned racetrack, academically-excellent schools, and being named the Best Place to Raise Kids 2009 by BusinessWeek, Sharon Sandoval, one of AHS’s senior counselors, was named the recipient of this year’s Donald G. Hays, Counselor of the Year award.

The Donald G. Hays, Counselor of the Year award, presented by the California Association of School Counselors, recognizes one credentialed school counselor every year who carries on the esteemed spirit of Donald G. Hays, a prominent figure who developed important concepts for what was to become the American School Counselor Association's national model for school counseling. The counselor chosen for this award is examined based on his or her demonstration of student support and exceptional effort in the field of school counseling. This person also operates a successful student support program that includes resourceful activities and mentoring. “ADD QUOTE FROM STUDENT”

“PARAGRAPH ABOUT MS SANDOVAL’S COUNSELING METHODS, ETC after I get a reply from her, which should be Wednesday”

Once again, congratulations to Ms. Sandoval for her prominent achievement. Everyone at AHS is proud of you!

Prestige Lives at AHS
Be Proud to be an Apache

EDIT 2

AHS is, without a doubt, one of the best high schools around. We have an academically-excellent student population, award-winning bands and orchestras, and nationally-ranked athletic teams. However, without support and help from our excellent counselors, we’d all be drowning in a mess of grades, tests, and personal problems, without any time to care about the extracurriculars AHS is proud of. In fact, one of our senior counselors, Ms. Sharon Sandoval, was named the recipient of this year’s Donald G. Hays, Counselor of the Year award.

It’s clear that the key to Ms. Sandoval’s success as a counselor is the genuine care and advice she provides to students. Ms. Sandoval said, “Helping students realize their goals is satisfying…and to help disheartened students recognize their potential is equally gratifying.” Ms. Sandoval related that she has counseled in situations with “varying degrees of pain”, from “anxiety [over] choosing between two electives and [fear] over [having] not enough credits to graduate” to “grief over the loss of a loved one.” These situations, however hard they may be to resolve, motivate her to “do [her] best and improve [her] skills as a counselor.” Ms. Sandoval also has much experience under her belt, stressing that “different situations call for different methods and strategies. Sometimes students just need someone to listen objectively to identify their needs and feelings, [others] benefit from an instructional method, while students in crisis need a counselor to be very active and direct.”

The Donald G. Hays, Counselor of the Year award, presented by the California Association of School Counselors, recognizes one credentialed school counselor every year who carries on the esteemed spirit of Donald G. Hays, a prominent figure who developed important concepts for the national model for school counseling. Ms. Sandoval, beyond doubt, earned this recognition. She embodies the experience and true care and support every school counselor should provide.

Ms. Sandoval “believes that anyone who chooses one of the helping professions is motivated by the same fundamental desire: to reduce or eliminate pain and suffering in others.” She is, clearly, one of those people. Working a career others might find mentally grueling and tiresome, she embraces the struggle of helping others find their own emotional stability. Congratulations to Ms. Sandoval for her prominent achievement. Everyone at AHS is proud of you!