A Hanover County Public Schools principal has been recognized for supporting school counselors.
Dr. Quentin Ballard, the principal at Bell Creek Middle School, recently received the Leadership Award from the Virginia School Counselor Association, an annual award given to someone who supervises, supports, and/or educates current or future school counselors by their leadership and advocacy for the field of counseling.
“Words like unprecedented, non-traditional, unique, flexibility, change, etc. can all be used to describe peaks and valleys throughout this school year. One could probably use similar terms to describe life in general,” Ballard said. “However, this year, has been a very special year. I've had the privilege and honor of seeing the power of resiliency, grit, determination, and all that can be accomplished when you work individually and collectively together to meet student needs.”
He added: “We're not perfect, no one is, but every day since the start of the school year, we've walked in the school building and strived to be at least 1 percent better today than we were the day before for our students, staff, and community. I share this recognition with our students, staff, and community as I believe it is symbolic of our collective efforts.”
Ballard is in his fifth year as a principal in Hanover County and 15th year in education. The Morris College, Virginia State University, and Virginia Tech alumnus said the counseling department at BCMS is passionate and does whatever is needed to support the school’s students, staff, parents, and broader community.
“They have been extremely responsive to their needs throughout this entire school year,” Ballard said, adding that he’s grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them. “At BCMS, we subscribe to the idea that it takes a village to educate students and I'm delighted to do my part.”
This is the second straight year that a Hanover County educator has received the VSCA’s Leadership Award. Karla Allen, Coordinator of Counseling Services, was recognized in 2020.
Additionally, HCPS educators received two of the VSCA’s three awards this year with Josh Hurley, the school counseling director at Patrick Henry High School,
being named this year’s Secondary School Counselor of the Year.