Hancock Place High School has a 100 percent graduation rate, and its guidance counselor, Cindy Mayer, played a big part in hitting that mark.
“My proudest achievement is watching these young men and ladies graduate,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a rocky road for them.”
Over 70 percent of the students in the Hancock Place School District, located in South St. Louis, qualify for free or reduced lunch.
“I believe everyone is able to go on beyond high school and do something that makes them feel fulfilled,” she said. “The most important thing is to enjoy what you do and feel what you do has a purpose.”
On September 12, Mayer will receive the 2014 SEMO Counselor of the Year award by the St. Louis American Foundation at its 27th annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, to be held at the America’s Center Ballroom. The gala will begin at 7 p.m., following a reception at 6 p.m.
Mayer started with the school district as a family consumer science teacher 16 years ago, but she soon decided she wanted to reach all the students. So, she went back to earn a master’s degree in counseling from Missouri Baptist University. Now serving 10 years as a guidance counselor, she said she loves being able to get to know all of the students before they graduate.
“Our families know that Cindy is available to help with all problems and challenges – from tears and breakups to college,” said Shelly Rost-Vogler, assistant principal at Hancock Place High School, 229 W. Ripa Ave. “She goes to great lengths to make sure that she knows all of our students, and they know that she truly cares for them.”
With the roll out of the state’s newest requirements, there has been a big push to make sure all students have a plan after high school, Mayer said.
“That is my biggest role – making sure they find the right thing for them,” Mayer said.
Mayer helped guide the school through a big turnover to align the district with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s MSIP4 requirements. She said she sees the value of DESE’s individual planning requirement. However, calculating academic achievement isn’t always so black and white.
“Sometimes the state’s requirements make it really hard because there are barriers in some people’s lives that make it difficult to achieve at the levels that the state wants them to achieve at,” she said. “I know everyone’s goal is 100 percent, but we are not there yet.”
Despite the challenges, Mayer has raised standardized test scores by digging through each student’s performance data and developing a plan of action for each student’s success, Rost-Vogler said. Mayer was instrumental in making the school a national testing site for ACT, and she works closely with parents and students to prepare them for ACT.
Mayer introduced the Key Club to the students, and it has turned into one of the most popular clubs on campus, Rost-Vogler said. She has run Hi-Step, an organization to help students make the right decision regarding drugs and alcohol, and Renaissance, an organization that recognizes student achievement and behavior. She consistently urges students to get involved in charitable organizations.
When Mayer speaks to her students about taking leaps and making changes in their lives, she speaks from experience. At 35, Mayer was running her mother’s salon and working as a cosmetologist when she decided she wasn’t completely fulfilled. She took a chance and enrolled in college for the first time to become a teacher.
She is also proud that all three of her daughters understand the importance of education and have earned their degrees. Mayer said she was “very spirited” in high school and has continued to be deeply passionate about education.
“I get very excited when we take college tours,” she said. “I wish I could go back to college over and over; it’s such an exciting time. My excitement in so many different ways is something that I’ve brought to Hancock – that, and the fact that every one of our students gets looked at. They just need guidance in knowing how to get there.”
The 2014 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, September 12 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.
Follow this reporter on Twitter at @rebeccarivas.