COUNTY — The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education, has honored Tina Kelly with its 2011 HEART Award for excellence in elementary school counseling. Kelly is a counselor at Ambler Elementary School in Pickens.
“Tina truly has a heart for children,” said Carlton Lewis, principal at Ambler. “She genuinely loves children and is passionate about encouraging them. She is a great educator who is definitely making a positive impact in children’s lives.”
The HEART Award program was created in 2008 to recognize exceptional school counselors and their contributions to their students, their schools, and their communities. A South Carolina counselor at each level – elementary, middle, high – receives the award annually.
Nominated by the SDPC counselors, Kelly will be recognized during a banquet at the Columbia Museum of Art on May 17. She will receive a $1500 cash award and a $3500 incentive grant for use in Ambler’s counseling program.
Kelly will also be featured in a video promoting higher education awareness, readiness, and transition. A crew from the South Carolina Department of Education filmed the interview at Ambler on May 3.