JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 A Jean Ribault High School counselor and alumna learned she is this year\u2019s Florida School Counselor of the Year with a surprise announcement Thursday Morning.<\/p>\n
The award was presented to Dr. Brianna Patterson during a regularly scheduled high school counselors meeting at the Schultz Center. Members of the Florida School Counselor Association (FSCA) were there to recognize Dr. Patterson\u2019s significant positive impact on local students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so overwhelmed with the most positive emotions,\u201d Dr. Patterson shared with the crowd following the reveal. \u201cIt feels good to come back to my community and make a difference every day.\u201d <\/p>\n
The association said Dr. Patterson\u2019s leadership at Jean Ribault High School has helped it attain a 90% retention rate in the school\u2019s Early College Program, a doubling of students eligible for dual enrollment, and an increase in scholarship awards from $13 to $18 million last year. <\/p>\n
Principal Dr. Gregory Bostic emphasized the vital role of school counselors in students\u2019 lives, and said Dr. Patterson\u2019s contributions played a part in the school\u2019s recent achievement of an \u2018A\u2019 grade.<\/p>\n
RELATED: <\/b>Jean Ribault High School opens with state-of-the-art facilities, funded by half-cent sales tax <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Dr. Patterson has served as a school counselor at Jean Ribault High School for five years and will be celebrated at the FSCA Convention in November. She is also a candidate for the American School Counselor Association\u2019s National School Counselor of the Year.<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n