National award nominee: FIS guidance counselor
Carol Slatas, Farragut Intermediate School elementary counselor, recently was nominated for the national LifeChanger of the Year Award, sponsored by National Life Group.
“Our program celebrates those who are making a significant difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership” and “recognizes and rewards K-12 educators and school employees across the country.” NLG’s website stated.
Slatas learned of the nomination earlier this month and discovered Natalie Choate, a fellow counselor at FIS, nominated her.
“I nominated Carol because she works so hard every day to change the lives of everyone she meets,” Choate, also a counselor at Beaumont Magnet Academy, stated in a Dec. 21 e-mail. “I have never seen someone as dedicated and hard-working as she is.
“She is so good at what she does, whether that is helping a student work through anxiety, teaching a classroom full of children how to resolve conflicts or organizing a Career Day for all fifth-graders with a personalized schedule of speakers for each student based on their interests,” Choate added. “Not only does she go above and beyond to help her students at Farragut Intermediate School, but she is also always available to help her fellow school counselors and coworkers.
“She is energetic, generous, optimistic and kind. She is a life-changer with a bright and beautiful soul.”
“I was touched by Natalie’s kind words,” Slatas said. “ … She is at FIS with me one day a week and at Beaumont Magnet Academy the other four days.
“It is hard to measure the impact you have on others when serving in this type of position,” the honoree added. “It means a lot to think that others feel I have made a positive impact on our community.”
As for goals, “I would like to bring more awareness to the importance of having good mental health and continue to provide resources to support not only our students but also our families,” Slatas said. “We need more elementary school counselors in our schools.
Slatas, who has been a counselor at FIS since 2014, started her career in education in 1999 as a high school history teacher in Bethesda, Maryland.
“While teaching I received a Master’s in Counseling (degree) from Johns Hopkins University,” she said. “I’ve been a school counselor since 2005.
“When we moved to Farragut in 2010, I worked at Knoxville Christian School for a couple years before taking two years off to be with my young children,” Slatas added. “I joined Knox County Public Schools in 2014, working part time and then started working full time when the opportunity to work full-time at Farragut Intermediate became available.
Regarding the award selection, she said there is a committee of prior winners and higher-education professionals who decide the winners. Nomination deadline is Thursday, Dec. 31. Winners will be announced in the spring.
According to the NLG website, the grand-prize winner could receive $10,000 to be split between a $5,000 cash award and a $5,000 donation to the winner’s school/district.
Grand-prize finalists could each receive $5,000, which would be split between a $2,500 individual cash award and a $2,500 donation to the finalist’s school/district. Additionally, there are other individual awards, such as Spirit, Spotlight and Capstone.
To help Slatas or any nominee win, comments may be submitted, which are considered in the judging process. “Each nominee has a profile online that people can visit and leave a comment,” Slatas said. Her link is at http://app.lifechangeroftheyear.com/nomination_detail.cfm?NominationID=6198.
Slatas has been married for 16 years to Brian Slatas. They have two sons, Tyler, 13, and Jacob, 10.
