The selection process for the School Counselor of the Year will go through the process below.
County
A panel appointed by the county superintendent will decide the County School Counselor of the Year.
State
County nominees will apply online and upload the following to us between March 2, 2026, and 11:59 p.m. on May 11, 2026. Additional uploaded documents or pages beyond the requirements will not be considered.
Acknowledgement form with signatures from the candidate, the candidate’s principal, and the candidate’s County Superintendent (Chief School Administrator)
Two letters of recommendation (one from county superintendent and one from a colleague, administrator, or student)
Responses to prompt questions
Video (2-5 minutes in length) of your role and what drives your passion for school counseling
You may want to use the video to showcase any unique programs, tools, or strategies you have implemented.
Set the video privacy to "public" so the selection committee can review.
School counselors are responsible for taking the necessary precautions to protect student confidentiality and obtain parent consent.
A panel appointed by the State Superintendent of Schools will review online applications submissions. Following a review of the applications of all county nominations, the state review panel will interview the selected finalists face-to-face. The name of the state selected finalist will be forwarded to the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools for consideration as the West Virginia School Counselor of the Year.
West Virginia School Counselor of the Year Finalists will be recognized at the awards event in September 2026. The West Virginia Counselor of the Year will be announced at that time.