Selby Honored with “Please Pass the Love” Award

Kayla Selby is an 8th grade school counselor at Johnston Middle School.

Johnston Middle School counselor Kayla Selby was recently honored with the Please Pass the Love award at the Iowa School Mental Health Conference, Oct. 16, in Des Moines.

The conference brings together hundreds of teachers, administrators, support staff, counselors, psychologists, therapists, and parents from across the midwest for the only school mental health conference in Iowa. The day offers sessions relating to some of the most pertinent topics in school and student mental health and well-being.

Selby came to Johnston at the start of the 2018-19 school year and is the eighth grade school counselor. Previously, she worked for Earlham Community Schools as a grade 7-12 school counselor. In addition to her counseling position, Selby invested time and attention to building and district committees, such as those for school safety, student advisory planning, 504 & IEP teams, district leadership, and building assistance. She also spent time with students outside of the school day as the student council advisor and through various coaching positions.

Selby is seen as a role model for students, an advocate for student mental health and well-being, and providing all-around support services to students and staff. These attributes – and more – were among the qualities for which she was nominated.

Please Pass the Love is committed to increasing school-based mental health supports to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for children, families, and educators as well as offer culturally responsive comprehensive services and evidence-based supports to school systems. We strive to bridge positive relationships between the educational and mental health issues for our children and adolescents throughout the state of Iowa.

Congratulations to Ms. Selby for her outstanding support of student mental health in our community!