Prez named top counselor
<p>Lewis-Clark State College representative Sam Maynes presents Clark Fork High School counselor Tom Prez with the counselor of the year award. (Courtesy photo)</p>
CLARK FORK — Tom Prez doesn’t much like to be in the spotlight, but his colleagues are putting him there anyway.
The Clark Fork High School guidance counselor recently won the counselor of the year award from the Idaho Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. This honor prompted school principal Phil Kemink to give him the attention he deserves but probably doesn’t want.
“This is a big deal for us,” Kemink said. “Tom’s heart is in the right place, and he works his rear off to help kids get into the schools into the right schools for them.”
The award was originally distributed in September at a conference administrated by the Idaho Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. State school counselors are encouraged to attend the conference, but Prez couldn’t make the trip this year. As a result, he didn’t learn about the award until much later — only a brief mention from one of his colleagues that his name was called at the conference gave him a clue. When Lewis-Clark State College representative Sam Maynes visited to speak with high school students about college applications, he surprised everyone by dropping off a plaque in commemoration of Prez’s award.
“The award was total news to me,” Kemink said. “It was a real shocker.”
The counselor of the year award is distributed by the organization every year at the meeting. Individuals that have shown signs of going to great lengths in helping their students are nominated, and a vote decides the winner for the year.
According to Prez, he’s just doing his job, and that’s to help his students plan their future. He works with high school students preparing for graduation to get the best situation possible in their higher education. That means finding promising scholarships, coaching them on academic goals and advising them on the best extracurricular activities to help them land an accepted college application.
Since his background is in elementary school counseling, Prez needed to make some adjustments and learn about college preparation when he began work at Clark Fork High School. However, Kemink said he’s done an excellent job in adapting to the environment.
“Last year’s seniors brought in a ton of scholarships,” he said.