Warsaw Community Schools recently was notified that Ginger Barnes, administrative assistant at the Warsaw Community High School Guidance Department, has been selected as the 2022 Indiana School Supportive Staff of the Year.
The mission of the Indiana School Counselor Association (ISCA) is to support school counselors as they advance the academic, career and social/emotional development of all students, according to a news release from WCS. Each year, ISCA recognizes outstanding counselors, administrators and support staff across the state.
Timothy Adams, the chair of the ISCA Awards Committee, said, “This is a major accomplishment. We would like to invite Ginger to the ISCA Conference Luncheon on Friday, November 12, so we can recognize her and give her the official award. The luncheon will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott East for Ginger and two guests.”
The entire WCHS Guidance Department collaborated on the nomination noting how Barnes, with WCS since 2008, goes above and beyond on a daily basis to support their office and students. The nomination highlighted her tremendous work ethic and how she juggles a wide variety of responsibilities while helping to improve existing school counseling services, according to the news release.
It went on to add, “Mrs. Barnes has shown leadership in her work to assure the success of our office. She has helped train two new personnel in the last two years. She has shared her knowledge and empowered her co-workers to excel. Mrs. Barnes is also someone who thinks ahead of what others will need and oftentimes has a product ready before someone even asks. Mrs. Barnes is very detail-oriented and takes pride in her work. She is forward-thinking and a team player who has other’s best interests in mind. Mrs. Barnes does an outstanding job to help promote school counseling services. There are times when the counselor is out of the office, and she makes sure to keep the counselor informed. There are also times when she will complete a task to assist the counselor, so they return back to work with full support and continuity of tasks. Mrs. Barnes often has to provide triage support for students. She meets them with a gentle voice and a welcoming presence. She follows through with connecting students to the help and care they need. She is a key member of our team in supporting our school corporation’s mission statement of inspiring and equipping all students to continuously acquire and apply knowledge and skills while pursuing their dreams and enriching the lives of others.”
Barnes helps to support six school counselors with three school counselors fully on her workload. She successfully coordinates the WCHS Senior Scholarship Night, organizes cap and gown orders, and is an integral part of the commencement ceremonies. Additional responsibilities include coordinating scholarships and the scholarship awards night, liaison for dual credit classes, processing transcripts, supporting additional school counseling services and organizing past college fairs.
Dr. David Hoffert, WCS superintendent, thanked Barnes for her years of service.
