Contact: Sammy McDavid
Photo by: Megan Bean
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A veteran Oak Grove High School educator is receiving the 2005 Counselor of the Year Award from a prominent Mississippi State student leadership group.
Kay Coachys of Hattiesburg, head of the OGHS counseling program since 1992, is being honored by the university's Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholars Society, which represents some of the top students at the land-grant institution. A $500 check accompanies her award.
In 1999, society members created the homage to recognize "the significant contributions of high school counselors to the academic progress of their students."
In his letter of recommendation, Oak Grove principal Wayne Folkes said Coachys "always puts forth a maximum effort, completes all tasks with efficiency and produces high-quality work." He also acknowledged her as "the school's driving force concerning the National Blue Ribbon School Award that we received.
"The academics at Oak Grove continue to be ranked as one of the top in the state because of her leadership," he added.
In her letter to the selection committee, Oak Grove student Meagan Malone said, "My years in high school truly were enhanced by Mrs. Coachys' guidance." Through Coachys, she continued, "students gain opportunities to excel as leaders and achievers while in high school, college, the workplace, and in all aspects of life."
Before coming to Oak Grove, Coachys held counseling positions at the Lamar County Vocational-Technical Center, Purvis High School and Dyer Middle School in Bloomington, Ind.
She completed an associate degree in social sciences from Columbus (Ga.) College, a bachelor's in the same field from Auburn University and a master's in counseling and guidance from Indiana University, Bloomington. She earned vocational counseling certification in 1987 and became a nationally certified school counselor in 2001.