Teacher and guidance counselor Mona Lee Brock of Oklahoma. She was often called “The Angel on the End of the Line.”

I love to share stories about teachers who go above and beyond, not only for their students, but also for their families. One of these is Mona Lee Brock from Oklahoma, who dedicated her considerable energy to helping suicidal farmers in her home state. In fact, she was often called “The Angel on the End of the Line.”

Mona was born in Madill, Oklahoma, on Jan. 1, 1932. She was one of eight children. As a youngster, she attended Kingston High School. As a young woman, she attended Southeastern State College. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1964. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Oklahoma in 1967.

Once she earned her degrees, Mona accepted a position as a teacher in the Moore Public School System in Oklahoma. She also served as a guidance counselor and the school’s principal.

During the 1980’s, farmers in her home state and elsewhere in the country were hit hard by droughts, high production costs, low prices, bad loans, and a Russian embargo on grains. The struggle to survive these conditions caused many farmers to commit suicide. To combat this tragedy, Mona personally manned a suicide prevention hotline, which she ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s how she earned her nickname, “The Angel on the End of the Line.” Her work was noticed by musician Willie Nelson, who contributed money to her cause. He was also motivated to launch his Farm Aid campaign, which raised over $50 million to help struggling farmers.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion succumbed to congestive heart failure on March 19, 2019. You can learn more about Mona Lee Brock through her obituary at the New York Times.

Wisconsin’s Eugene Powers, a school counselor a cut above the rest.

When honoring our nation’s Chalkboard Champions, we should remember that school counselors are members of the category, too. These hardworking, dedicated professionals toil tirelessly on behalf of students, their families, and even their colleagues. One of these champions is Eugene  Powers of Wisconsin.

Eugene Scott Powers was born on Oct. 26, 1958, in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated with honors from Proctor High School. He attended both Golden Valley Lutheran College and Concordia University. He earned his degree in Psychology, cum laude. He later graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Superior, with a double Master’s degree in K-12 School and Community Counseling.

Eugene worked as a school counselor from 1998 to 2020, most recently at Superior High School in Superior, Wisconsin. There he went above and beyond in his efforts to come to the aid of his most needy students. Parent Timothy McGrady remembers Eugene with great affection. “He was the school counselor for all of my sons at Superior High School,” McGrady recalls. “When I moved to Superior in 2009 with my autistic son who was seventeen at the time, I didn’t have housing, making me a homeless veteran with disabled son. We lived at a campground in a tent,” McGrady continued. “The first time I met Mr. Powers, it was when my son enrolled at the school for that year. Mr. Powers, after we were done, reached into his pocket and took $145.00 out of his wallet and gave it to me, apologizing that he didn’t have more,” McGrady described. “When I had the money to repay him, he refused to take it. Eugene Powers was a truly a cut above the rest. May his memory be eternal,” McGrady concluded.

This dedicated school counselor passed away on Jan. 17, 2020. He will be interred next to his wife, who preceded him in death, at Industrial Cemetery in Culver, Saint Louis County, Minnesota. To read more about Eugene, view this obituary published in the Duluth News Tribune.

Georgia’s Laura Ross named School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association.

Today we send congratulations out to Laura Ross, a school counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She’s been named the 2020 School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association.

Laura earned her degree at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. In fact, she has three degrees: A Bachelor’s in Social Work, a Master’s in Social Work, and a degree as an Educational Specialist in Professional School Counseling. In a career that has spanned nine years, she has spent the last five of them at Five Forks. Five Forks is part of the Gwinnet County Public School District.

“Laura is a true hero when it comes to helping us grow as a school in building relationships with our students,” remarked Christine Douthart, Principal of Five Forks Middle School. “She is a school counselor who has the best interest of students at the heart of everything she does.”

This amazing school counselor serves as a trainer for the Dove Self-Esteem Project. She facilitates presentations to educators about body confidence for teenagers. She has also spearheaded a movement to provide acceptance and support for her students in the LGBTQ community. To this end, she became a founding sponsor of her school’s first Gay/Straight Alliance.

The School Counselor of the Year Award honors professionals who devote their careers to advocating for the nation’s students. These Chalkboard Champions devote themselves to addressing students’ academic, social, and emotional development, and their college and career readiness needs.

To read more about Laura, click on this link to the American School Counselor Association.

This week is National School Counseling Week. Now, especially, is the time to focus attention on the unique and important contributions of school counselors. Learn more from the video below: