Hartfield Academy celebrates National School Counseling Week

2/7/2023

National School Counseling Week recognizes the vital roles school counselors play in the lives of students across the country. Each year during the first full school week in February, schools, administration, and teachers take time to show appreciation to the counselors who’ve made an impact on the lives of their students. This week, we want to focus attention on the unique contribution of our school counselors, Amy Thornton and Michelle Rankin!

Amy Thornton is our high school counselor and Michelle Rankin serves as our middle school counselor. This is quite the team and their hearts for the Lord allow them to make Hartfield the best place to be!

Our students started off the week showing appreciation by writing encouraging notes and placing them on their office doors to remind them each day how loved they are! Notes included some of the following quotes: “You are a light of God”, “Thank you for giving your time to others by listening and helping. We love you!”, “Thank you for everything you do for our school!”, “You are the best counselor EVER”, “Thank you for always being there for me.” - These sweet words are just a glimpse of the messages spread all over their doors! Some students even wrote bible verses meant to encourage Mrs. Thornton and Mrs. Rankin as they walk into their offices each day.

Our Upper School administration offices are taking the lead in the second half of the week by making goodie baskets for the week and sending them to lunch off campus to spend time with each other.

We had the opportunity to ask each counselor their favorite thing about their role at Hartfield. When asked, Mrs. Thornton answered “My favorite thing about being a counselor at Hartfield is the amount of love that our students continuously give not only to me but others around them. We truly have something different here and it can only be one thing, God!” - there are no better words to describe it, Hartfield is a special place number one because of God and secondly because of our people. Mrs. Rankin shared a few specific reasons she loves being a counselor at Hartfield. “Encouraging a student with scripture, praying with them after they’ve been crying or we’ve discussed something difficult, being able to comfort, give advice, and motivate students who are struggling, having the freedom to care for their spiritual and emotional well-being as well as talking through ways to get them back on track academically, last…but definitely not least, working alongside other Christians with the same mission for our students to try to serve, direct, and educate them the best we can”.

We are truly blessed to be able to call these counselors ours! Thank you Amy and Michelle for the continuous love you show to everyone around you each day. Here’s to a week celebrating you both!

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