Jessyca Upton is a school counselor at Turtle Bay School and she is our first Elementary School Counselor of the Year.  Turtle Bay Principal, AJ Anderson described Jessyca as one of the smartest and most gifted educators he has had the privilege of working with. He added that every educational decision she makes is to improve the lives of the students she serves.  Jessyca is a valued member of the Turtle Bay Leadership Team as well as the School Site Council and she uses her position to advocate for ALL students and families.  Jessyca is respected and appreciated by her staff for her student advocacy and her attention to data.  Speaking of data, Jessyca was one of the first school counselors in Shasta County to prepare a school counseling program “one pager” depicting data identifying her work in Tier 1 (Classroom Lessons), Tier 2 (Small Group), and Tier 3 (Crisis Counseling) services to her students. Her “one pager” was highlighted in the Shasta County School Counselor Collaborative during the Pandemic as a “model practice” to highlight  the above and beyond efforts school counselors were exhibiting during the school closures.  

During the Pandemic, Jessyca was a leader amongst elementary school counselors by recording lessons, scheduling virtual meetings, and offering a virtual Lunch Bunch activity as well.