LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Geianne Choate was nominated by her superintendent, Dena Allred.

"Our counselor came to our district at a time when the climate and culture of our district was not healthy. She has been a positive force in helping to change the district's culture. Geianne has consistently demonstrated how she loves and encompasses this community, district, and students," said Allred.

"The following are the many hats she wears with fidelity:

• She is our K-12 counselor, and many students trust her completely. She has helped them through many of their struggles and accomplishments. Additionally, our students' parents are in touch with her numerous times, asking for direction and help for their child(ren).
• At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Choate plans class retreats for seniors to bring the class closer together and challenge them to be the leaders and role models of the school. They set goals, make plans, and discuss what legacy they want to leave as they graduate. They discuss school issues, and Mrs. Choate challenges them to be solution-focused. They write letters to their younger self and future self who is a graduate. At the freshman retreat, which follows the senior retreat, the students write letters to their future selves, and she shares those letters with them at their senior breakfast during graduation week. The retreat is also to make them feel safe in the high school and know they can look up to the seniors but also learn a little more about themselves and find out what supports are at the school for them. 
• Throughout the year, she targets different student groups in the elementary to provide character education that includes mindfulness and breathing into the lessons, as well as skills needed for their own emotional regulation.
• Mrs. Choate applied for and received a two-year grant of $150,000 for a mental health provider. The goal for this counselor is to focus on the younger grades with preventative mental health care before they move on to middle and high school. This counselor now provides character education in the elementary school and counseling sessions with students.
• For the past two years, Mrs. Choate has taken high school students to the Magic Valley Construction Expo so they can learn and have hands-on experience in the construction trade through education and building a storage shed. Students learn about pouring concrete, framing, drywall, wiring, roofing, etc. There's also a scholarship opportunity for students, and we have had students earn scholarships.
• She has been instrumental in having our students participate in Girls and Boys State, which had not happened for many years before she came. Girls and Boys State is an excellent character-building and leadership program for participating students.
• She organizes and administers all college planning tests (PSAT, SAT, and ACT) and works with local military recruiters for the ASVAB test. She also has the students explore interest surveys for college and career opportunities.
• She is our college and career counselor and has opened up a new world of opportunities for our students. I just had one student, a freshman at college, tell me that if it hadn't been for Mrs. Choate, he wouldn't even be in college because he didn't realize there was available access to college funding. He said he is very thankful for Mrs. Choate. As the college and career counselor, she spends numerous hours with seniors and their families to ensure they have all their paperwork in for scholarships and college admissions. During October, which is college application month, she makes sure that each senior applies to at least two Idaho colleges and that they create the appropriate accounts to apply for the State of Idaho scholarships, including the new Launch program for $8,000, which we now have 100% of our students who have completed the four components. The statewide average at the time of writing is 43%, and the goal of the state department of education is 80% completion. Last year's graduating class of 20 students earned $1,250,689 in scholarships, all of which Geianne had a hand in. She also holds a FAFSA night for parents to attend to help them with this application. She has four- and five-year plans towards graduation for every student in grades 8-12. She plans and takes students on college visits, the Higher Education Day at a local high school that hosts a technical career fair, and the Hispanic Youth Summit, a leadership summit.
• Mrs. Choate is the GEAR Up coordinator, beginning with junior high cohort classes and continuing throughout high school. Activities for which this grant funds must meet one of the ten college and career readiness standards. When students graduate in this two-year cohort, go to an Idaho college or university, and meet the standards of the scholarship, they have ongoing GEAR Up scholarship money for the next four years.
• She began the You Lead Idaho teams in our district. You Lead Idaho takes place in conjunction with a yearlong class in which students create a business and product to pitch to judges. The students create a business plan, build their product, and present it to judges, and the class is for dual credit. We are in year five of this program, and our students have won scholarships for their education because of their business plans and products.
• Mrs. Choate is our McKinney Vento liaison. Before she came, we had zero students identified; now, we have 23 students, and we've had as many as 34 students. The State Department of Education contacted us, commending us for identifying these critical students so they may have access to necessary resources. She works with local providers to provide resources to these families. She also applied for and received an American Rescue Plan Grant to help our McKinney Vento students and families.
• Geianne has partnered with our high school English teachers and authors of books to read a book during class and then have an assembly with the author. Last year, the students read I'll Push You, and this year, they are reading Leadership is a Verb. Parents are part of the assembly, and it is one way to bring the community and students together to impact everyone positively with the author.
• This year, she provided family conversation cards in English and Spanish for every secondary family. The game focuses on the dinner table or car conversations to help foster family communication.
• She is the National Honor Society's advisor. They have served the community well by helping to sort and pack Christmas food boxes for families in need, coordinating the annual Easter egg hunt, bagging beans for the local food pantry, and helping with the district Winter Wishes at Christmas, which teaches our students how to give as well as receive. They sponsored having the school's front decorated with Christmas lights this year. They also work with the local parks and recreation department to keep a park free from graffiti.
• Mrs. Choate is the Advanced Opportunity, Idaho Digital Learning Academy, Workforce Training, and Uplink coordinator. We have students attending welding programs at the local college and getting their CNA credentials by the time they graduate. The Idaho Digital Learning Academy is a way to expand our course and dual credit opportunities. We currently have 64 students (out of 90) enrolled in at least one course with IDLA, and in total, our students are enrolled in 72 IDLA classes."

"Through all of these opportunities and support that Mrs. Choate provides, she is truly a Life Changer, and it is evident when students come back to visit after graduation and want to see Mrs. Choate first. Many students have stated they wouldn't be where they are today if Mrs. Choate hadn't been in their lives, providing them with information, pushing them to look broader, and showing them and having confidence in themselves. Because of this, she is our district and community LifeChanger, and I fully believe she deserves this," said Allred.