Head O’ Meadow Elementary School counselor Lisa Kilcourse has been nominated for the LifeChanger of the Year award. If she earns the award, Kilcourse could receive money to share with Head O’ Meadow.

According to an announcement for the award, it is sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation. The award recognizes and rewards “the best [kindergarten to twelfth grade] educators and school district employees across the United States who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence, and leadership.”

On top of her job at Head O’ Meadow, Kilcourse volunteers on the Connecticut School Counselor Association, serving on its Board of Directors as the public relations chair and as a member of its conference committee.

A fellow member of the Connecticut School Counselor Association, Virginia DeLong, nominated her for the award.

“I am just always impressed by her dedication to her students and to her staff,” DeLong said in a recent phone interview.

As part of the award process, the LifeChanger of the Year award website collects online comments about the nominees. To see Kilcourse’s page and leave a comment go to, app.lifechangeroftheyear.com/nomination_detail.cfm?NominationID=7841&NominationYear=2021&SchoolState=CT.

Head O’ Meadow Principal Tim Napolitano announced the news to school community members in recent e-mails.

“We’re so appreciative of all the work she does for our school, our families, and our staff as well. She’s there for everybody and we want to be there for her too,” said Napolitano in a recent phone interview.

“Kilcourse truly is an amazing, dedicated educator who is an enormous asset to the profession. I’m sure you could ask anyone she’s worked with, including her students, and they’d tell you the same. She’s a LifeChanger in my book,” said DeLong in an announcement about the nomination.

Following the announcement, Kilcourse said she started tearing up when she first read the nomination letter DeLong submitted for the award.

“The difference we can make ... and you don’t even know it,” Kilcourse observed.

The last couple years have been difficult with the pandemic, and Kilcourse and others said counselors have been working hard. Kilcourse said there was a mental health crisis prior to the pandemic and it highlighted the crisis and “broke the stigma.”

“We’re just really supporting our climate, and I think this award has highlighted what we are doing,” said Kilcourse. “Also there is so much more we can do.”

According to an announcement for the LifeChanger of the Year award nomination, there are 18 prizes. Winners are chosen by a selection committee and will be announced “early in 2022.” The grand prize winner earns $10,000 to be shared with their school or school district.

To be eligible for the award, according to the announcement, a nominee must make a positive impact in the lives of students; enhance their school or district’s atmosphere, culture, and pride; demonstrate exemplary leadership at the school and/or district level; possess a proven record of professional excellence; show commitment to building a nurturing environment that supports learning; and adhere to the highest moral and ethical standards.

If she wins money to help support Head O’ Meadow, Kilcourse said there are books and material that could be purchased to support students.

“Social emotional learning is always on our minds, and I think bringing in new things for the kids would be nice,” said Kilcourse.

Having counselors in schools, Kilcourse observed, is important for students.

Some upcoming events at Head O’ Meadow include recognizing National School Counseling Week, February 7 to 11.

And Head O’ Meadow’s spirit week is slated for February 14 to 18.

“We have Valentine’s Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, and HOM school spirit all in one! I go into classrooms and do read alouds that focus on these topics as well as class discussions about ways to be kind in our community, our school, and to ourselves,” Kilcourse explained in an e-mail. “Each day is a fun dress-up day to build community.”

The entire spirit week has a #HOMValenKind theme.

Past school programs included collaborating with the school’s library media center to order diverse books for classroom libraries.

“The library media specialist and I vetted books for diverse authors and/or diverse protagonists as well as positive messages and images,” Kilcourse said, highlighting that diverse book collections allow students the opportunity to learn about others and recognize and value other identities and read books with characters who look like them so they know they matter.

Another recent project at Head O’ Meadow, completed this school year, was the One School One Read effort to have the entire school community read Wishtree, Katherine Applegate’s 2017 novel for children.

Kilcourse said Wishtree is “a powerful story about acceptance and tolerance. It was an opportunity to build a positive, inclusive, and safe school climate and a great way to kick off the start of the school year. The entire school read this book, kindergarten to fourth grade. Each morning we heard discussion questions on the morning announcements and our media specialist arranged a special virtual author visit for the school.”

Newtown’s School Counseling Office Director Brett Nichols said he was happy Kilcourse is being recognized with the nomination for the award.

“I think she is well deserved,” Nichols said. “I think all of our counselors in the district work really hard, and I think it is wonderful when one of our counselors is recognized.”

Kilcourse is creating a great program at Head O’ Meadow, Nichols said; she helps support consistency across the district’s counseling programs.

“I’m so proud of her in so many ways,” said Nichols, who also said Kilcourse is committed to her work and respected in the Head O’ Meadow community.

To view Lisa Kilcourse’s LifeChanger of the Year nominee profile visit LifeChangeroftheYear.com.

Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.