CCSD announces first annual School Counselor of the Year

Tori Hopkins, school counselor at C.E. Williams (CEW) Middle School – North Campus, has been named the first-ever recipient of the Charleston County School District’s School Counselor of the Year Award, recognizing excellence in school counseling practice and the implementation of a comprehensive program that positively impacts student success. Selected through a competitive nomination and review process involving school leaders, counseling professionals, and higher education representatives, Hopkins was surprised with the honor by district officials on Monday, May 2, 2026.

The CCSD School Counselor of the Year award was created to honor a school counselor who demonstrates exceptional leadership, advocacy, innovation, and measurable impact across the three domains of school counseling: academic achievement, college and career readiness, and personal/social development.

Hopkins’ school counseling philosophy is grounded in the belief that every student deserves to feel seen, supported, and capable of success. Over the past three years, she has built and sustained a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program centered on collaboration, leadership, equity, and student advocacy.

“Ms. Hopkins exemplifies the very best of school counseling through her data-driven, student-centered approach and unwavering commitment to advocacy, relationships, and systems that ensure every student is supported and successful,” said CEW North Principal Maite Porter.

As a leader within her school, Ms. Hopkins serves on the Student Support Team, Attendance Team, and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Team, where she collaborates with staff to identify student needs, implement interventions, and monitor progress using multiple data sources, including attendance, behavior, and student support data. She also led professional learning for faculty and staff on utilizing Panorama Student Success data to strengthen schoolwide decision-making and intervention planning.

Her nomination highlighted several impactful initiatives, including:

• Implementation of the SLIME (Setting Attendance Goals, Being Late, Being Involved, Money & Work Connections, and Education Impact ) attendance intervention group, a structured six-week program addressing chronic absenteeism through attendance goal setting, time management, school connectedness, and future planning;
• Facilitation of small groups focused on social skills, friendship building, and impulse control to provide Tier 2 ( targeted interventions and supports) student supports;
• Delivery of classroom counseling lessons on respect, bullying prevention, and college and career readiness**, including schoolwide use of Xello (College & Career Readiness platform) to ensure all students have access to career exploration and future planning resources;
• Use of restorative practices and restorative circles to strengthen student accountability, empathy, and relationship repair.