KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� March 12, 2026 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 alumna Melissa Lipa of Mount Pleasant High School in Providence was named Rhode Island鈥檚 2026 School Counselor of the Year in celebration of National School Counseling Week held from February 2-6.
Sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, the week highlights the impact school counselors have in helping students succeed academically and plan for the future. Nominees for the award were selected by their peers.
The two-time 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate, with a bachelor’s degree in education with a specialty in chemistry and master鈥檚 degree in school administration, recalled her educational experience and how it contributed to her receiving the recognition. While balancing her major required courses as an undergraduate, Lipa says she branched out of her comfort zone to become a certified scuba diver and also take Sailing 101.
鈥淪omething that 溏心vlog免费B站 instilled in me as a student is to try something you have never done before,鈥� said Lipa. 鈥淚 instill this in my students; I want them to see there is a whole world beyond the classroom.鈥�
Lipa began teaching in the Providence Public School District following her graduation from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1991. Over the years she taught various science courses and was named the American Chemical Society鈥檚 Rhode Island Chemistry Teacher of the Year in 1999. Lipa added track coach to her repertoire while pursuing her master鈥檚 degree in school counseling at Rhode Island College. She began counseling at Mt. Pleasant in 2022.
She credits her students with helping her to stay motivated in her career. Her high school counselor, Ms. McGeggor at Coventry High School, also had a big impact on her development and helped ensure she was headed in the right direction.
鈥淎s a school counselor, I wanted to be that person to put in systems to help motivate all students to make better decisions for their future as well as to remove some of the systemic barriers that can hinder student success,鈥� said Lipa.
Lipa knew she had received two nominations for school counselor of the year, as she had received an email, requesting recommendations and asking questions about her work as a counselor. She had only completed the request two weeks prior and didn鈥檛 expect such a quick turnaround.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think anything of it,鈥� said Lipa. 鈥淚 honestly forgot all about it.鈥�
She was in the middle of mid-year reports for her seniors, helping out on scholarship and FAFSA applications for her students, as well as working on high school success plans, when she was called down to the college room. Since this happens regularly, she assumed it was a normal part of her day. She was surprised to walk in and see a decorated room filled with her family, current students and colleagues, and later received messages from past students covering her 30-plus years in education once the award was announced through social media.
鈥淣ot everyone gets the chance to read messages from students from all those years ago, I felt so lucky,鈥� said Lipa. 鈥淲ith our amazing students and faculty here at Mt. Pleasant 鈥� we鈥檙e all a family.鈥�
This story was written by Kiera Wrage, a senior majoring in public relations at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Kiera is interning in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Department of Communications and Marketing.