Congratulations to Sugeily Santos, the MASCA 2025 School Counselor of the Year

Sugeily Santos, a 7th & 8th grade School Counselor at Curley K-8 School in Jamaica Plain, was honored as the 2025 School Counselor of the Year (SCOY) by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) at a surprise school assembly on Thursday, January 30, 2025. 

Santos was chosen from twenty nominations MASCA received from across the state. Besides a nomination from her principal, her application packet also included testimony from a colleague and a student.  “Ms. Santos has helped me and treated me with love and respect. She is always loving with us, treats us well and is always in a good mood. When I had problems with my dad because we were not getting along very well due to my behavior, she encouraged me to change. Thank you for recognizing Ms. Santos' work and knowing that she is one of the best counselors in Massachusetts,” said Hector Villar Perez, an eighth grade student at Curley, who completed his letter of support in Spanish, his native language.

Dr. Katie Grassa, Principal of Curley K-8 had this to say about Sugeily in her nomination. “Sugeily is a middle school counselor whom I hired and have watched develop into a strong educator and leader of her peers. Sugeily brings her passion for young adults, strong student connections and a willingness to always further her own learning at work each day. In my career I have hired hundreds of educators and Sugeily Santos is one of the best educators I have hired to date. Her passion, work ethic and connections she makes with both adults and students is exceptional.”

The MASCA School Counselor of the Year is sponsored by Wellpoint, a health benefits company based in Woburn. Wellpoint is donating $5,000 to Santos and her school to support programming, equipment, or supplies.   “Wellpoint is honored to recognize the dedicated school counselors and educators in Massachusetts who encourage and inspire our next generation of leaders,” said David Morales, general manager of Wellpoint. “As a health benefits company, Wellpoint is committed to supporting educators’ whole health, and we celebrate the school counselors who work tirelessly to support students’ mental, emotional, and social well-being in and out of the classroom. Congratulations to Ms. Santos and the Curley K-8 School!”

“Sugeily’s altruistic, inventive, inclusive, and industrious influence is felt throughout every corner of our school, most notably in her leadership of the MyCAP program (a college and academic planning initiative designed to help students envision and prepare for their futures, both in school and beyond), which she has successfully spearheaded and piloted for our middle school students. Sugeily coached a group of four educators at each grade level, guiding them to design and implement engaging, inclusive lessons on goal-setting, understanding values and personality traits, and college and career readiness. She organized productive meetings, advocated for professional development opportunities related to MyCAP, and made herself available for regular check-ins where ideas were shared, questions addressed, and student-centered outcomes discussed,” said colleague Giovanna DeBarros, a grade 8 ELA teacher at Curley.

“The recognition of Sugeily Santos as the MASCA 2025 School Counselor of the Year is a testament to her exemplary counseling skills, resources and professionalism, earning her admiration from students, parents, faculty, colleagues, and the Curley K-8 School community,” says MASCA Executive Director Robert Bardwell.  The naming of Santos as the 2025 SCOY means that Boston Public Schools have had three of the last five SCOYs, including Jessica Descartes (TechBoston Academy) in 2021 and Andrea Encarnacao Martin (Boston Latin School) in 2023. “BPS should be proud of the work that their school counselors are doing,” said Bardwell.

“We are incredibly proud of Ms. Santos and this honor for the Curley School community and our district,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “School counselors are such a vital part of our students' educational journey as they grow into adults and Santos represents the very best of what BPS offers. We are grateful for her dedication, expertise, passion, and caring approach to her work.”

 “On behalf of the School Committee, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the Curley School community and the district-at-large on this notable achievement,” said School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. “We are very proud of Ms. Santos and are deeply appreciative of her commitment to our students. She is a testament to the incredible value of our school counselors who support our students in achieving their highest potential.”

Santos is an inspirational leader and role model whose compassionate and unwavering commitment to students rightfully earned her the title of MASCA 2025 School Counselor of the Year. Sugeily not only meets criteria for this award, but sets a new standard of excellence in the school counseling field.  She will represent Massachusetts as she competes with other state winners from around the country for the 2026 American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) School Counselor of the Year award.