This year, counselor Alicia Scott received the Award of Excellence from the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE). The Award of Excellence is the highest honor from the ISBE’s “Those Who Excel” program.
Scott went to high school at West and enjoyed her time there, which led her to come back and accept a position as a counselor. As a counselor, Scott has made plenty of contributions to the school, such as a RAMP certification, which she helped the counselors at West apply for and is a big deal in the counseling world. Scott is part of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) team. She participates and takes charge of curriculum development, delivers lessons on college readiness and helps recruit and retain students in the AVID program. Scott was also part of the cheer team for four years at West and returned as a coach.
Scott was nominated last year by Assistant Principal Dr. Antwan Babakhani who went on to become a principal at Main South. New Assistant Principal Paige Powell went on to mention how Scott has helped her adjust at a new school, gave her a better understanding of how the counselor department at West operates and helped hire a new counselor at the beginning of the school year, all while preparing to go on maternity leave.
“This year was my first year at Niles West and Mrs. Scott has played an integral role in helping me understand the school counselor role as well as Niles West in general. We had to hire and interview a new school counselor at the beginning of the year, and it was before Mrs. Scott went on Maternity leave,” Powell said.
Scott has also had a positive impact on the students at West. Senior Milani Malinowski has had Scott as a counselor for years. She always felt comfortable confiding in Scott and has built a good relationship with her.
“Mrs. Scott has helped me these past few years by always making time when I needed to see her or seek help from her and has explained to me all my options and all the different ways I can choose to go on with life after high school, making it much less stressful,” Malinowski said.
Malinowski also mentioned her relationship with Scott, and why she feels it’s important to have a good relationship with your counselor.
“My relationship with Mrs. Scott has grown over the years. She has always been an understanding person from the start and always made me feel comfortable with her and I think it’s important to have a good relationship with your counselor, because they are there to guide you and help you move forward with your life,” Malinowski.
Apart from students, Scott has also had a profound impact on her peers as well. School counselor Katie Romack mentioned Scott’s impact on her in her years at Niles West, and what working with her is like.
“It’s been amazing working with Mrs. Scott. When I started last year, she was amazing in helping me and answering any questions I may have, and has been an incredible counselor to have as a mentor,” Romack said.
Winning the award has had an incredible impact on Scott, as it gives her a sense of validation in her field of work.
“When I learned this fall that I had been nominated I was already so grateful to be considered. As a school counselor it’s not about the validation, but in a validation at this scale is so full circle, because I also graduated from Niles West, and then being a school counselor here and being recognized for the work that I do It just feels super empowering and motivating to continue the work that I do,” Scott said.
