Three NBISD counselors have earned the CREST award for school counseling. Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (CREST) is sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) and awarded to school counseling programs that meet CREST requirements.

The CREST award winners are Alicia Brown and Shelby Garcia of Voss Farms Elementary and Amber Gillum of Memorial Elementary. The award was given for the 2023-24 school year. Gillum was the counselor at Memorial during that time, but she is now at Veramendi Elementary.

“I am incredibly proud of the counselors who received the CREST award and for being the first in NBISD to do so,” said NBISD Director of Counseling Kellye Shipman. “This award is a testament to their passion for guiding and uplifting every student they serve. We are fortunate to have a counseling team of compassionate professionals dedicated and committed to student success.”

CREST is a continuous improvement document that school counseling programs can use to demonstrate effective communication and a commitment to obtaining results.

In 2005, Texas School Counselor Association began a program called CREST to recognize schools with outstanding counseling programs. Schools receiving CREST awards have demonstrated a commitment using the Texas Model to improve the lives and achievement of students in academic, career, and personal social domains.

School counselors at 441 campuses in 71 school districts across Texas received the 2024-2025 statewide recognition for their outstanding service to students.

Brown, Garcia and Gillum were recognized by the NBISD Board of Trustees on February 10th. They were also recognized  at the TSCA Professional School Counselor Conference.

“These schools have shown the effectiveness of strong counseling programs that contribute to student success and development,” said TSCA President Jennifer Akins. “School counselors who earn this designation have documented the importance of their programs and the positive impact they have on students’ lives and education. We are proud to honor these schools and their great counselors.”

CREST looks at the counseling program in five categories:

• Introduction to the School and the Role of the Professional School Counselor
• Program Implementation Cycle
• Foundational Components
• Four Service Delivery Components
• Program Curriculum

The counseling team prepares a digital submission that highlights these areas and communicates what the counseling program is doing to help students succeed. These are sent to reviewers throughout the state of Texas to be judged according to pre-set standards of excellence.