The Prince William Regional Counselors Association (PWRCA) has selected Donna Cole, guidance counselor at Mountain View Elementary School; Robin Grotheer, a counselor at Benton Middle School; and Carol Wakefield, career counselor at Potomac High School, as Counselors of the Year.  The Association has also named Jack Parker, Principal at Potomac High School, as Administrator of the Year.  Nancy Summerville, guidance counselor at Kerrydale Elementary School, was named Chapter Member of the Year.

  Donna Cole presents the guidance curriculum to her elementary school students using real life applications and visual aids to integrate school initiatives, respect, responsibility and rights into her lessons. She is an advocate for the learning disabled and often attends Child Study meetings to support the staff.   

 Three years ago, Cole instituted the Peer Mediation Team, identifying and training fifth graders who exhibited exemplary behavior to serve as role models for the student body. 
She is co-sponsor of the Student Council Association and supervises student-initiated community service projects.

Cole earned a B.A. in elementary education and a M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Virginia Tech. Robin Grotheer, Middle School Counselor of the Year, was part of the guidance team that opened Benton Middle School in the fall of 2000.  As an eighth grade counselor, Grotheer advises students on the opportunities available to them in high school and helps them set and reach their goals.  Under her direction, character education has been reinforced and students have exhibited good character traits, says her nominator.

Grotheer sponsors many school activities including “Stop the Violence” Week and Red Ribbon Week, when students pledge to stay away from drugs and alcohol.  She is a school mediator and a member of the Child Study Committee.  Grotheer helped establish an after-school tutorial program, a peer mediation program, back to school nights and celebrations for the Principal’s Honor Roll.

 A graduate of University of Louisville with a B.A. in elementary education, Grotheer earned a M.A. in counseling from Boston University.   

 Carol Wakefield, High School Counselor of the Year, will retire in June after twenty-one years advising thousands of students and helping them make career, educational and personal decisions.  Gary Anderson, Director of Guidance at Potomac High School, compares Wakefield to the “Energizer Bunny.” “Carol has always been driven by an unequalled passion to help each student realize [his or her] full academic, social, and vocational potential.”  As the scholarship coordinator, Wakefield assisted last year’s graduating class in obtaining almost 2.5 million dollars in scholarships and awards.  In her role as a Career Counselor, Wakefield coordinates the sophomore interview/career day, instructing the students on how to explore career fields.  Wakefield also helps organize the Prince William County Youth Salute Program and for many years was a sponsor for the Junior Civitan’s Club. 

Wakefield received her B.A. in education from Michigan State University and earned a M.A. in counseling from NOVA University in Florida.

Jack Parker is the Prince William Regional Counselors Association Supportive Administrator of the Year.  As Principal of Potomac High School since 1998, Parker “has made tremendous strides in improving morale and student performance,” says teacher Phyllis Hollis.  He immediately improved the physical appearance of both the inside and outside of the school, says Hollis.  

Parker totally revamped the Guidance Department into a working Career Center.  He helped develop the Potomac Academy for freshman students who were reading below grade level and who failed their eighth grade SOL tests.  Under his leadership, The Cambridge Program began at Potomac last year to serve students interested in a broad international curriculum.  Stricter penalties for rule infractions are in place and student expectations are higher.  

Parker has held teaching and administrative positions in Prince William County since 1972.  He was a middle school mathematics teacher, director of student activities at Stonewall Jackson High School, and assistant principal at Osbourn Park and Brentsville District high schools. 
A graduate of George Mason University with a Master’s in education, Parker also earned a B.S. in education from Concord College in West Virginia. Nancy Summerville, guidance counselor at Kerrydale Elementary School, has been named Chapter Member of the Year.  In her role as president of the Prince William Regional Counselors Association, Summerville presides over all the meetings of the Association and Executive Board and appoints committee chairs.  She is chair of the Human Relations Committee for Virginia School Counselors Association and is an active member of the Virginia Counselors Association Board of Directors.

At Kerrydale, Summerville initiated and implemented “Big P.L.U.S., Little P.L.U.S.” (Pupils Learning Under Supervision), a mentoring program involving Quantico Marines and parent volunteers.  A perfect attendance incentive program that she designed at Kilby and Kerrydale elementary school has resulted in significant increase in regular school attendance. Summerville earned her M.A. in counseling education from George Mason University and received a B.S. in elementary education from Missouri Valley College.