The Indiana Department of Education has named Chesterton High School as one of the Indiana schools to receive the Indiana Gold Star School Counseling Award in 2010. Gold Star schools undergo a rigorous process to raise student achievement by creating local community advisory groups that review student data, set specific student goals and commit to maximizing the time and skills of the school counselor.

The official award presentation will be at the Indiana School Counselor Association (ISCA) fall conference in Indianapolis on Nov. 10.

"Indiana's Gold Star Schools collaborate with community partners to assist the school counselor(s) in making data-based decisions to ensure that all students are successful," said IDOE School Counselor Consultant Amanda Culhan. "We recognize Chesterton High School for understanding the tremendous impact that school counselors can have in helping students succeed in school and also to plan for postsecondary success."

Chesterton High School joins more than 143 Indiana elementary, middle and high schools that have received the Gold Star Award since its inception in 1997. Six years later, IDOE, in collaboration with the Indiana Student Achievement Institute, began offering professional development for schools interested in aligning their counseling program with the Gold Star model.

CHS received its first Gold Star award in 1995.

All Indiana Gold Star schools are eligible to receive the American School Counselor Association's Recognized ASCA Model Program or RAMP Award. The award demonstrates that a school is "committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program."

In July, 15 additional Indiana schools received the RAMP Award, making Indiana the state with the highest number of RAMP Award recipients (totaling 96) in the country. CHS received the RAMP Award in 1996.

Chesterton High School school counselors are Michele Dailey, Danielle Konopasek, Karen Moffett, Julie Roytan, Jennifer Thoms and Dianna Whitman.