EL PASO - On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. CST, in the Senate Chamber in Austin, Texas, Senator Eliot Shapleigh will honor El Pasoan Tammi Mackeben, winner of the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) 2008 School Counselor of the Year award, with a resolution from the Texas Senate.

Mackeben is a counselor at Ernesto Serna School, a K-8 school in El Paso. She was selected because of a variety of initiatives and programs she created to promote a college-going culture at Ernesto Silva, where most of the school's children come from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.

The School Counselor of the Year contest was open to all 100,000 members of the school counseling profession.

Senator Shapleigh said "Tammi won over 100,000 other counselors in the U.S., making her the best advocate for school children in America!"

At Ernest Serna School, Mackeben worked to make practice college entrance exams available to all students who wished to participate and created college tours, career months, mother/daughter programs, and GEAR UP, a program where students receive postsecondary education information and financial aid assistance. Her direction helped Ernest Serna School receive the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation from the American School Counselor Association.

In February 2008, Mackeben was honored with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Mackeben had previously been selected as a top 10 finalist for the award in 2007. Mackeben is also a recipient of the Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students (CREST) award in Texas.

Senator Shapleigh will present Mackeben with a resolution from the State of Texas on Tuesday on the Senate Chamber.

What: Senator Eliot Shapleigh to present Tammi Mackeben with resolution from the State of Texas

When: Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. CST

Where: Texas Senate Chamber - Capitol Building, Austin, Texas