Ashlee Nelson received the 2014 Outstanding First Year School Counselor Award from Fairfax County Public Schools. Nelson, who received her master\u0092s degree in counseling from Marymount University in 2012, is the fourth Saint to win the award since its creation in 2010.<\/p>\n
\u0093I\u0092m honored to receive this recognition,\u0094 said Nelson, who has counseled seventh and eighth graders at Irving Middle School in Springfield. \u0093I love working with students and can\u0092t imagine a job that\u0092s a better fit for me.\u0094<\/p>\n
Dr. Michele Garofalo, director of Marymount\u0092s school counseling program, said Nelson is a hard-working, dedicated educator.<\/p>\n
\u0093She\u0092s a pleasure to work with and an exceptional school counselor,\u0094 said Garofalo, who noted that Fairfax County has one of the largest school systems in Northern Virginia.<\/p>\n
The previous winners, all of whom received master of arts degrees in counseling from Marymount, were Heather McCarthy, \u009210; Jeremy Moftt, \u009211; and Paul Smith, \u009212.<\/p>\n
\u0093We\u0092re very proud of our students,\u0094 Garofalo said. \u0093They go out and do amazing things!\u0094<\/p>\n
Garofalo said one of Marymount\u0092s great strengths is its size.<\/p>\n
\u0093We\u0092re a small program and we give our students individual attention,\u0094 she said. \u0093Our professors know them, develop strong relationships with them and include them in their research and presentations. We work very hard to make sure that they leave us with the knowledge and skill base to be successful.\u0094<\/p>\n
Nelson praised Marymount\u0092s requirement that its master\u0092s degree candidates spend a full year interning at one school, which she said provides time to develop relationships with peers and students. Her internship was at Robert Frost Middle School in Fairfax.<\/p>\n
She is an Arlington resident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ashlee Nelson received the 2014 Outstanding First Year School Counselor Award from Fairfax County Public Schools. Nelson, who received her master\u0092s degree in counseling from Marymount University in 2012, is the fourth Saint to win the award since its creation in 2010. \u0093I\u0092m honored to receive this recognition,\u0094 said Nelson, who has counseled seventh and […]<\/p>\n