Paul Harris award Recipients are Anacortes high School Counselors from Left to right:
Maggie Lahey, Jean Lungren and Marci Fankhauser.
Three AHS Counselors Honored by Anacortes Rotary
Anacortes Rotary recognized three Anacortes High School (AHS) counselors for their efforts to help students develop personal, career and college goals. In early June, Jean Lundgren, Marci Fankhaueser and Maggie Lahey were named Rotary Paul Harris Fellows by the local club.
To honor the counselors’ commitment to academic and career programs, Anacortes Rotary members designated $1000 in contributions in each counselor’s name to Rotary International for the Paul Harris fellowship program. Part of Rotary International’s focus is to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
AHS counselors provide a comprehensive and engaging school counseling curriculum that encourages active participation in social-emotional, academic, and career development. Through participation in the AHS counseling program, students learn skills to pursue and develop personal, career and college goals.
Rotarian Jack Darnton announced the three awards, saying: “On any given day, the counselors help students navigate events both good and bad. They help students select courses, balance academics and outside activities. They help them find ways to manage stress and anxiety and build better relationships with family and friends. They help them return to school after extended absences and help them apply for college and vocational scholarships.”
“They instill hope - and help students find the courage to persevere in the face of new challenges and learning opportunities — always with a smile, and warmth and empathy,” said Darnton.
Lungren, Fankhaueser and Lahey have been key to the success of a reinvigorated Anacortes Rotary Student of the Month awards program.
“The club better recognizes the diversity of the student body and the progress and accomplishments of all sorts of kids — giving them a public boost and a chance to tell us their stories,” said Darnton,
“We’ve charged the counselors with bringing us student of the month nominees with stories we would likely never hear, making us so much more aware of the current high school experience and the accomplishments of kids realizing their potential in inspiring ways.
The Rotary fellowships are named for Paul Harris, a Chicago attorney who formed Rotary in 1905 as a means to develop strong civic commitment and camaraderie among other business professionals. Today, Rotary organizes its service efforts in five areas: community, international, vocational, youth and club service. The organization counts more than 1.2 million members worldwide.
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