Counselors of the Year Recognized
Photo: From left to right, Douglas Rivera, Lindzy Davis and Fara Dillon.
Three staff members have been honored with 2024–2025 Counselor of the Year awards. The trio—one each at the elementary, middle and high school levels—were recognized at the June 10 Board of Education business meeting.
The 2024–2025 Counselors of the Year are: Lindzy Davis, Flower Hill Elementary School; Fara Dillon, Robert Frost Middle School; and Douglas Rivera, Wheaton High School. Read more about them:
Lindzy Davis
Lindzy Davis’ career started in Baltimore City, where she found a passion for building relationships with students and eliminating barriers that hinder their success. She began working for MCPS in 2018 at Earle B. Wood Middle School as a long-term substitute. She soon got a permanent position at Georgian Forest Elementary School, and landed at Flower Hill in 2022.
There, she leads the Student Well-Being Team, facilitates Educational Management Team meetings, serves as the 504 coordinator, coaches Girls on the Run and co-facilitates the Rainbow Club.
Most importantly, she is a champion for families.
She has been instrumental in addressing chronic absenteeism, working to identify barriers to attendance and supporting families in overcoming challenges. Due to her efforts, 81 percent of Flower Hill students are now not chronically absent, a significant increase from 65.6 percent in 2023, a gain of more than 15 percent. This improvement is reflected in Maryland Report Card data, which contributed to Flower Hill becoming one of only three Title I schools in MCPS to achieve a four-star rating.
Davis also leads the school’s social-emotional programming. She created a Google Classroom for teachers, providing resources and lessons on emotional regulation, ensuring students have the strategies needed to respond appropriately to their emotions. These initiatives have contributed to the school’s suspension rate dropping 50 percent compared to the previous year. She also created Flower Hill’s Career Day, which brings in more than 24 parents and community members to discuss their college and career experiences.
She initiated a partnership with Thrive Behavioral Health to offer on-site therapy for students; the school now has four therapists, including one who is Spanish-speaking, providing services to a total of 36 students. Through her advocacy, Capital Area Food Bank has established a monthly Family Food Market at Flower Hill, providing groceries to about 140 families. She collaborates with Manna Foods on a grocery gift card program to better meet families’ needs and cultural food diversity within the community, benefitting about 130 families a month.
Fara Dillon
Fara Dillon started her career with MCPS in the summer of 2020, during the COVID pandemic. She has worked at Gaithersburg Middle School and is now at Robert Frost Middle School, where she mentors students through the LIFTER (Leadership Influence for Transformative Enduring Results) program, sponsors the Weightlifting Club, is a member on the On-Site Emergency and Crisis teams and serves on grade-level leadership teams. She helps to equip and empower middle schoolers with the tools to build the life they want. She makes a personal commitment to make sure they all have a trusted adult in the building.
She works to support students holistically—from their social and emotional well-being to academic achievement, and college and career readiness. She is approachable and available, and is proud that more than 300 students listed her as their trusted adult this year.
She has a gift for connecting with students and understanding their individual needs. She brings integrity, passion and a relentless focus on student growth and well-being. As wellness coordinator, she has led a number of initiatives that encouraged physical and emotional well-being. The Clothing Closet provides students in need with clothing. Focused Summer Family Orientations ease the transition to middle school, alleviating parent and student anxiety. She works with families of Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs) to determine their preferred method of communication and building trust.
She is highly appreciated for her warmth, understanding and kindness. Her responsiveness to students is second to none. Her solutions are thoughtful, student-centered and driven by equity.
This year, inspired by the school’s mentoring program, Dillon spearheaded “Everyone Is Working on Something,” an empathy program that teaches students to understand and support each other, creating a more positive and inclusive environment. She also launched an after-school executive functioning group that supports students struggling with organization, time management and study skills. The group meets weekly and blends learning, movement and fun—helping students strengthen essential life skills while building confidence and community.
Douglas Rivera
Douglas Rivera is in his 10th year as a school counselor in MCPS.
Before joining Wheaton, Rivera served as a resource counselor, restorative justice coordinator, and an active member of the Instructional Leadership Team and Equal Opportunity Schools. At Wheaton, he sponsors the Minority Scholars Program and is a key member of the master scheduling team. He also supervised a counseling intern this past year, showcasing his commitment to professional growth and mentorship. At the county level, he is active in BOND (Building Our Network of Diversity), which provides professional development to recruit, retain and empower mail educators of color, and a member of PODER Educators, which recruits and supports Latino educators.
Rivera is a relentless advocate for students, ensuring their academic, emotional and social needs are met. One of the qualities that sets him apart is his ability to connect with families, ensuring they have access to the resources necessary for success.
When students tell Rivera they have difficulty staying in school or going to class, he uses student-centered interventions to embrace the challenges to return to school and attend class more regularly. His office serves as a space where teachers can bring students to participate in restorative circles to repair relationships in their classrooms. Students feel comfortable sharing their struggles with him and he works to connect them with valuable resources, in class and outside of school. This has helped to create a supportive school culture where students feel heard, safe and empowered to effectively navigate challenges.
He also helps students prepare for their futures after graduation by attending multiple college fairs and tours. He has mentored students through the college application process, and has provided guidance on essay writing, resume building and preparing for interviews.