RESERVE – Shanda James, a school counselor at Fifth Ward Elementary, has earned national certification in her field, elevating her to an elite status of education professionals.

She attained the designations of National Certified Counselor and National Certified School Counselor certification specialty through the National Board for Certified Counselors Inc. This distinguished credential recognizes counselors who have met predetermined standards in their training, completed supervised post-master’s counseling experience and earned a passing score on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification, the most portable credentialing examination in counseling.  

“Mrs. James national certification is a demonstration of her ongoing commitment to high quality school counseling services through her continuing education and her strong commitment to the school counseling profession. We are grateful to have her in our district, working with the students at Fifth Ward Elementary every day,” Superintendent Courtney P. Millet said.

James holds a Masters +30 Degree in counselor education and is

certified as a school counselor for grades K-12. She works as a professional school counselor at Fifth Ward Elementary, where she provides support to individual stud-

ents in addition to working with entire classrooms to help today’s

students become tomorrow’s pro-ductive, contributing members of society.  

She also is actively involved in many school committees and currently serves as the school’s Administrative Team Member, Student of the Year Competition School Coordinator, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Liaison, Red Ribbon Week Coordinator, Assistant Testing Coordinator, School Building Level Committee Member, Positive Behavior and Support Team Member, Manners of the Heart Liaison and Rachel’s Challenge Leadership Team Member.  

“In addition to her leadership, advocacy and collaboration to bring systemic change, Shanda James is eagerly focused on the academic achievement, personal and social development and career planning needs of the students she serves,” said Fifth Ward Elementary Principal Kendria Spears. “We are excited about the work she is doing.”  

James is a member of the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Louisiana School Counselor Association. Some of her recognitions as a school counselor include nominations for the 2010 LSCA Elementary School Counselor of the Year and the 2009 Multi-Level School Counselor of the Year.  

As a national certificated school counselor, James is eligible to receive a district stipend of $5,000 per year.