State counselor of the year is from the metro-east

Collinsville Unit 10 School District is home to the Illinois High School Counselor of the Year.

The Illinois School Counselor Association selected Carla Elliff, the co-chair of the counseling department at Collinsville High School. Elliff works with high school students, but she’s also implemented college and career education at all levels in Unit 10, according to a news release.

Some of her accomplishments in the district include starting a grief group for students dealing with death, a stress management group and an after-school tutoring program.

Elliff has organized field trips to visit local universities, vocational colleges and college fairs for students whose primary language isn’t English. She also worked with the Hispanic Arts Council of St. Louis to bring its Universidad Ya! education initiative to Collinsville High. It encourages Latino students to pursue higher education.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 12:21 PM with the headline "State counselor of the year is from the metro-east."