Schools
Howell High School Guidance Counselor Gets An Award Of Her Own
Fran Stevenson of Howell High School was named Monmouth County Counselor of the Year by the Monmouth County School Counselor Association.
HOWELL, N.J.— For honored guidance counselor Fran Stevenson of Howell High School, the best advice she can give her students - and students anywhere - is to stay positive.
"My advice to kids is to try to maintain a positive attitude. That will take them on a great pathway," she said.
Stevenson was recently recognized as the 2021-2022 Monmouth County Counselor of the Year by the Monmouth County School Counselor Association.Howell High School is part of the Freehold Regional High School District.
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Stevenson was honored at the 36th annual New Jersey School Counselor “Counselor of the County” Awards Program held at The College of New Jersey recently.
This is the first time she has won the award and Robert Galatola, guidance supervisor, said the recognition is long overdue.
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"Every year we get to nominate anyone we think is worthy. Fran has been overdue to receive this award because of her expertise in working with students and the relationships she has established with them. She'll do anything for the school. You don't have to wait a minute," Galatola said.
Stevenson lives in Freehold Township and has worked for the district for 13 years. She first took a business degree, then raised her children and was active in their schools.
"I decided to go back to school and got my teaching certification, but I chose to follow the pathway to become a full counselor," she recalled.
She chose counseling because she always had an interest in helping people out: "People like to talk to me. I like to solve problems," she said.
A basic part of her philosophy in working with students follows the Golden Rule: "I treat kids the way I would like someone to treat my kids," she said.
“Fran is our students’ biggest advocate and is always volunteering to support various charitable operations that work directly to support students in our community. The Howell Guidance Department could not be more proud of Fran for earning this distinction,” Galatola said.
Send local news tips to Pat McDaniel at patricia.mcdaniel@patch.com.
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