For the fourth straight year, an Alachua County Public Schools educator has been named one of the top school counselors in the state of Florida.

Buchholz High School guidance counselor Monica Bayer was selected as the High School Counselor of the Year by the Florida Association of School Counselors. She will be recognized at the organization’s annual meeting on November 29.

“I was shocked when I heard,” said Bayer. “I never expected it. I always feel like I should be doing more.”

Bayer is already doing plenty. Besides her other guidance tasks, she is the Advanced Placement (AP) coordinator at Buchholz, a role that entails coordinating and overseeing all the AP classes and testing. This year the school’s guidance department has placed a special emphasis on encouraging more minority students to take the challenging AP courses.

“Just taking AP courses increase the students’ ability to succeed in college exponentially,” said Bayer. “It’s important for them to get that exposure to college level classes.”

Bayer also works hard to help students and their parents successfully make the leap from middle school to high school through intensive orientation programs.

“Students need to hit the ground running because it’s too easy to get behind,” said Bayer. “I believe that if students have a goal, they don’t wander as much getting there.”

Helping students set goals is a high priority for Bayer, but Bayer says she has other key functions as a high school guidance counselor.

“I do want students to set academic goals and have a focus for their lives after high school,” she said. “But I also want them to feel that there is someone here who is listening to them.”

“She’s easy to talk to and she’s always there for you,” said senior Jameil McLeod. “She’s helped me set short term and long term goals, and she checks up on me and helps me if I’m having trouble in a class.”

Bayer has been an educator for 34 years, 23 of them with Alachua County Public Schools. Before going to work at Buchholz in 1982, she also worked as a counselor at both Eastside High School and JJ Finley Elementary School. And although she is a veteran educator, she continues to work at boosting her skills and helping other educators boost theirs. She was the first counselor in the district to earn national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which is considered the gold standard for the teaching profession. She has since helped other candidates earn their certification, and has supervised college students and interns who are interested in becoming counselors. She’s a member of the Alachua County Counseling Association, is a member of the steering committee for the Model School Initiative, and even finds the time to be an active volunteer with her church.

Students who’ve worked with Bayer say they’re not surprised that she’s been recognized for her efforts. Seniors Nao Satoh and Patrick McConn are both going through the stressful process of applying for college. Bayer is helping smooth the way for them, which includes writing recommendation letters that will boost their chances for acceptance into their colleges of choice.

“She goes far above and beyond the call of duty,” said Satoh. “She really gets to know her students so that she can represent them as best she can.”

“She’s the type of person who does more than expected,” said McConn. “She’s always made an effort to get to know me and what’s important to me.”

“She is truly a very giving person and an exemplary counselor,” said Buchholz colleague Mary Welch, who nominated Bayer for the award. “Monica Bayer represents the best of Alachua County Public Schools.”