STE. GENEVIEVE — The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District is excited to share that Bloomsdale Elementary is the first school in southeast Missouri to be recognized with a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation, which honors schools committed to delivering a data-informed school counseling program in accordance with the ASCA Model Program by the American School Counselor Association.
This year, Bloomsdale Elementary School is one of four Missouri schools to earn this designation, and only 12 schools in the state have achieved this honor. With an acceptance rate of 63 percent, there were 101 schools in 21 states who received this national recognition. Since the program’s inception, nearly 1,300 schools have been designated as RAMP recipients.
The four Missouri schools earning this designation are:
- Bloomsdale Elementary School, Bloomsdale, MO; school counselor: Amy Rowland
- Blair Oaks Middle School, Jefferson City, MO; school counselor: Maria Stokes
- Hawthorn Elementary School, Kansas City, MO; school counselor: Bianca Mayfield-Miller
- John Thomas School of Discovery, Nixa, MO; school counselor: Tyne Burns
The RAMP application process is the culmination of successfully showing evidence of direct and indirect services to students, program planning and improved student outcomes in the school counseling program. Bloomsdale Elementary was also recognized with the National Recognized Missouri Program Award (the NRM) and the Gysbers Missouri Comprehensive School Counseling Program Award. Bloomsdale Elementary will hold all three titles for the next five years.
“We are so excited to share this news with our dragon family,” Superintendent Dr. Julie Flieg said. “We would like to thank Counselor Amy Rowland, as well as the Counseling Advisory Council and all of those who assist in the Counseling Program at Bloomsdale Elementary, for their hard work and all that they do to assist our students, parents, teachers, and community members. We are incredibly proud of Mrs. Rowland for the hard work and dedication she infused into this project over the span of the last few years.”
The school counseling program is evaluated and analyzed in great detail, collecting and reporting on data that supports excellence in school counseling services. RAMP applications are reviewed once a year by a panel of school counseling professionals, who assess the school counseling programs in 10 different areas of expertise, some of which include: Annual Student Outcome Goals, Classroom and Group Mindsets and Behaviors Action Plan, and an Advisory Council. At Bloomsdale Elementary, the council involves garnering ongoing input from various stakeholders to help guide decisions within the school’s counselor program. Members include administrators, parents, Board of Education members, and teachers who help guide the process.
Counselor Amy Rowland began the process for this designation three years ago, and has thanked the following for their support, assistance, feedback and encouragement throughout this process: the Counseling Advisory Council, Bloomsdale Elementary students, faculty and staff, building and district administration, and her family.
“This achievement is such an incredible milestone for our school, and it is a testament to the support that our building has infused into the counseling program, whether that was through support with social-emotional learning, assistance in launching student-driven initiatives,” Mrs. Rowland said. “We want to share our story with other schools so that they, too, can understand the importance of focusing counseling work on student outcomes and making sure that counseling programming is an independent priority. I am hopeful that this will help my fellow counselors in our area advocate for this type of counseling programming in their schools.”
This accomplishment will be publicly shared at the RAMP Recognition Dinner on Monday, July 17, 2023, during the ASCA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
“This year’s RAMP honorees have shown their commitment to students and the school counseling profession,” said Jill Cook, ASCA executive director. “These schools used data to drive their program development and implementation so all students can achieve success. RAMP designation distinguishes these schools and encourages school counselors nationwide to strive for excellence.”
About the American School Counselor Association
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) professional organization based in Alexandria, Va. ASCA promotes student success by expanding the image and influence of school counseling through leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change. ASCA helps school counselors guide their students toward academic achievement, career planning and social/emotional development to help today’s students become tomorrow’s productive, contributing members of society. Founded in 1952, ASCA has a network of 51 state and territory associations and a membership of approximately 43,000 school counseling professionals. For additional information on the American School Counselor Association, visit www.schoolcounselor.org.