School counselor Douglas Stech was named the 2022 “Counselor of the County” for Morris County, New Jersey, on Thursday March 17, 2022.
Stech, a school counselor from Woodmont Elementary School, in the Montville Township Public Schools district, was selected by the New Jersey School Counselor Association (NJSCA).
The NJSCA awards honor the school counseling professionals “who devote their careers to serving as advocates – and often lifesavers – for the nation’s students,” wrote Dana Karas, the NJSCA Professional Recognition Chair, who shared the announcement of this award by email with the Montville Township Public Schools.
“Counselors are selected for the ‘Counselor of the County’ Awards because of their ability to deliver an effective school counseling program which focuses on academic development, career counseling, and personal/social support,” Karas added. “They further distinguish themselves by proving to be leaders of systemic change, advocates for students, and collaborative professionals who seek the success of the ‘whole’ student in school and in life.”
Stech was nominated for this award by Cedar Hill Elementary School counselor Heather Praml.
“He is very deserving of this honor,” said Superintendent Dr. René Rovtar. “Douglas Stech is a leader in the Woodmont community, and throughout the district. His commitment to social and emotional learning – his commitment to Mindfulness – his commitment to helping all students achieve success academically, as well as in life -- is creative, inspiring, and fun. We are very grateful he is a part of the Montville Township Public Schools counseling team, and we are very proud that he has been recognized as the 2022 ‘Counselor of the County’ for Morris County NJ.”
Woodmont Elementary School is located in the Pine Brook, NJ, area of Montville Township, NJ. It is a kindergarten through fifth grade educational community that serves 300 students.
Counselors from the twenty-one counties within the State of New Jersey are honored by NJSCA annually. Each year NJSCA holds the “Counselor of the County” Awards Program. School counselors are nominated by their colleagues and are selected by their own county’s School Counselor Associations for this award. The New Jersey School Counselor Association is based in Somerset County, NJ. For more specific information on this association, visit: www.njsca.org.