Five Brownwood ISD (BISD) schools have earned the exemplary Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (CREST) award for a third consecutive year. Schools and their counselors that earned the honor include East Elementary (Dawna Fulton), Coggin Elementary (Rachel Griffin and Lindsey Bigham), Northwest Elementary (Marci Reagan), Woodland Heights Elementary (Kimber Bennett), and Brownwood Middle School (Angie Bertrand and Denise Fletcher).

“We are blessed and grateful to receive the feedback that we serve well. Our goal is always to strive and improve,” stated BISD Mental Health Coordinator Danielle Howard, who also noted the unparalleled administrative support counselors receive at the conferences. “Representatives from our administration from every winning campus attended the awards ceremony either this year or last year, including district-wide representatives BISD Superintendent Dr. Young, Deputy Superintendent Liesa Land, and Director of Elementary Curriculum Jenny Swanzy.”

The CREST award is presented by the Texas School Counselor Association and recognizes schools across the state that appropriately utilize their Professional School Counselors and demonstrate a continuous commitment to building a campus team and programs based on the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs, endorsed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Award-winning campuses engage their Professional School Counselors to provide students with the classroom guidance, college and career readiness, and social/emotional skills needed to be academically successful and well-prepared for life. Professional School Counselors receiving the CREST award use data-driven results to show the effectiveness of their comprehensive guidance and counseling program.

“We love celebrating the work they all do so well,” said Howard. “Next year, as they have won three years in a row, they will be eligible for the elite CREST Leadership Award.”