Ridgely Middle Counselor Named Maryland School Counselor of the Year for 2017

TOWSON, MD — A Towson counselor has been named the Maryland School Counselor of the Year for 2017.

Jill Jahries, who is the school counseling chair at Ridgely Middle School, received the award from the Maryland School Counselor Association, which praised her for her approach.

"She uses data to inform her practice," the association said in a statement. "She advocates for the needs of all students. She continuously and proactively works to improve equity in her school."

Jahries was lauded for advocating for the needs of all students and working to assist children transitioning between elementary and middle school.

She was not the only Baltimore County Public Schools staff to make the finals of the competition.

Melanie Martin, school counseling chair at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, was also named a finalist for Maryland School Counselor of the Year.

Martin was celebrated for incorporating technology into her program as well as starting a weekly lunch series with themes like "First Generation Fridays," based on needs she found among the student body.

Both Jahries and Martin will be honored at a Feb. 3 ceremony in Greenbelt. They were among 72 people nominated for the Maryland School Counselor of the Year award, which is determined by Maryland school administrators, superintendents, teachers, parents and school counselors.

Jahries will also be nominated for the national School Counselor of the Year, managed by the American School Counselor Association.

Image via Baltimore County Public Schools.