Shannon Gronau from the Milford School District is this year’s Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year. (Photo courtesy of Milford School District)
A school counselor at Mispillion Elementary School in Milford was named the 2024 Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year Monday night.
Shannon Gronau was chosen as the best in the state for her services in improving student mental health. an element of student success that has received a lot of attention since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Students thrive when they believe in their unique abilities and are given the opportunity to be a role model for younger students,” she said at Monday’s ceremony.
The award honors outstanding service by school employees who are health care practitioners or human service providers who offer services for the purpose of improving an individual’s mental health.
Eligible employees school social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses or licensed clinical social workers.
The award is only in its third year, and two of the three winners have now been from Milford School District.
Rosa DiPiazza from the district won the inaugural award in 2022 and Dana Carey from the Lake Forest School District won last year.
Gronau is in her third year at Milford and has been a school counselor for 12 years.
“Walking the halls, you can see the hugs and waves she receives,” said Ashley Ganley, Gronau’s assistant principal Monday. “The students trust her and confide in her.
Gronau’s students learn valuable self-regulation skills in small groups or whole classes, Ganley said, which is needed in today’s classroom and society.
Gronau’s title comes with $10,000, $5,000 to be used for the educational benefit of her students and $5,000 for personal use.
The 19 other finalists – 18 from the other districts and one from the Delaware Charter Schools Network – get a $2,000 personal reward:
Appoquinimink School District
Laura Davis: school nurse at Cantwell’s Bridge Middle School
Brandywine School District
Tania Milionis: school counselor at Talley Middle School
Caesar Rodney School District
Charles Brooks Jr.: mental health counselor at Caesar Rodney High School
Cape Henlopen School District
Sean Laube: school psychologist at Love Creek Elementary School
Capital School District
Jackie Collins: school counselor at Hartly Elementary School
Christina School District
Amy Lowe: school psychologist at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School
Colonial School District
Kahlil Fitzpatrick: school counselor at McCullough Middle School
Delaware Charter School Network
Lori Jones: family crisis therapist at Odyssey Charter School
Delmar School District
Kelly Phillips: school counselor at Delmar Middle School
Indian River School District
Britney Lloyd: school nurse at North Georgetown Elementary School
Lake Forest School District
Karla M. Jester: family interventionist at Lake Forest Central Elementary School
New Castle County Vo-Tech School District
Shannan Beck: school counselor at Delcastle Technical High School
Polytech School District
Stacy Greenly: school counselor at POLYTECH High School
Red Clay Consolidated School District
Jessica Kradjel: school psychologist at McKean High School
Seaford School District
Victoria Pierson: school counselor at Frederick Douglass Elementary School
Smyrna School District
Tiffany Duke: school counselor at Smyrna High School
Sussex County Vocational Technical School District
Lisa Fitler: school nurse at Sussex Technical High School
Woodbridge School District
Katie Sears: school counselor at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School
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Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at jarek@delawarelive.com or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.
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