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HUSD Home | A-Z Index | Contact Directory | Employment | Higley Unified School District Announces - Catherine Hunter – 2010 Multilevel School Counselor of the Year!

Mrs. Catherine Hunter, counselor at Higley’s Chaparral Elementary School, was recently selected as the Arizona School Counselors Association, Inc. 2010 Multilevel School Counselor of the Year. She will be recognized at the AZSCA Conference Awards Luncheon on March 26, 2010 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at the Mesa Convention Center.

Mrs. Hunter was nominated through a statewide application process in which letters of recommendation were collected from Chaparral teaching staff, students, site administrators, and District administrators. Mrs. Hunter has been with Higley Unified School District since July, 2008 and prior experience with East Valley Institute of Technology and the Department of Economic Security-Vocational Rehabilitation. Her educational background includes a 63 hour Masters Degree in Counseling from Arizona State University, a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. Mrs. Hunter is a licensed Professional Counselor with Arizona Board of Behavioral Health, is National Board Certified (NCC), and holds certifications in teaching, psychology/counseling, and K-12 guidance counseling.

Mrs. Hunter represented the State of Arizona as the spokesperson for School to Work Transition to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and Secretary of the United States Department of Education. She has developed a school-wide intervention program called Providing Assistance for Student Success which was presented at The Arizona School Counselor Association annual conference, the Arizona School Counselor summer academy, and the Career and Technical Education annual conference.

Chaparral Elementary School serves nearly 1,200 students grades kindergarten through eighth grade in the Higley Unified School District. Mrs. Hunter is the sole counselor for the school and is also responsible for chairing the following committees:
   • 504 Coordinator
   • Absentee Intervention Coordinator – CUTS
   • Behavioral Observation Coordinator
   • Behavior Intervention Plan Coordinator
   • Career Tracking – ECAP
   • Crisis Intervention Coordinator
   • FastForWard Administrator
   • Group Counseling Coordinator
   • High School Registration Coordinator
   • Individual Counseling Coordinator
   • Not My Kid – Intervention Coordinator
   • Red Ribbon Week Coordinator
   • Student Success Team Coordinator

Higley Unified School District and the students of Chaparral Elementary benefit from Mrs. Hunter’s expertise on a daily basis. From her in-class lessons that follow the National Counseling curriculum scope and sequence, to peer mediation and student advocacy work, Mrs. Hunter is invaluable to our district. Mrs. Hunter leads by example by exhibiting great character, being innovative, and focusing on the one reason why we are all in the education field: for the children. We are very proud and honored to have her as part of our team.