An Aurora Central High School counselor is the best in the state! The Colorado School Counselor Association (CSCA) just named Vicki Helfer as the Colorado High School Counselor of the Year for 2023. It surprised her with this award in front of the entire school during an assembly.
The CSCA representative who presented the award described Helfer as a "fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion." This is Helfer's 5th year at Aurora Central and she said she loves working with students each day. "We just have so many underdogs here that when students tell me things that I know I can have an impact in, I just try my best to do so," she said.
Helfer said she's also proud of the impact the entire mental health team has made during her time at the school. Aurora Central has doubled its counseling team from four counselors to eight in the last four years. The school was also recently named a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), an exclusive designation that emphasizes the quality of Aurora Central's counseling department.
This fall, the CSCA will consider Helfer for an award for the best overall counselor in Colorado. She'll be going up against counselors in the elementary, middle/junior high and multi-level (such as a K-8 school) categories. Congratulations Ms. Helfer!