LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jason Thompson was nominated anonymously.

Mr. Thompson has a proven ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of students. During his 20 years as an elementary and middle school counselor, he has served in urban, suburban, under-performing, and high-achieving school districts. He was able to form strong relationships with the students, families, and staff he serves. Mr. Thompson initiated various programs to assist students’ academic, social-emotional, and career development. He was instrumental in assisting students with feeling connected during the height of the pandemic.

"Mr. Thompson often has past students ask for him to be present at their activities and award ceremonies based on the connection they made with him when they were in middle school," said his nominator. "One of his most cherished honors was having two former elementary students as students in the school counseling graduate program where he taught. They mentioned that a reason why they wanted to become school counselors is because of his positive interactions with them and their peers when he was their school counselor!"

Mr. Thompson has the ability to create a positive school atmosphere. He serves on his school’s executive leadership team, where he assists with making decisions about the school’s overall climate and ways to improve morale, academics, behaviors, and attendance. While serving as a school counselor for several districts that had minimal resources, Mr. Thompson co-facilitated an “ABC Program." If students excelled in their attendance, behavior, and classes, they could participate in a five-day Disney educational trip at the end of the year. Mr. Thompson and his co-facilitators were able to raise enough money to take over 100 students to Disney two years in a row. The program assisted with improving the school’s attendance and discipline referrals, and the students who participated in the program experienced an increase in their overall grades.

Since many of Mr. Thompson's students could not afford to go on family field trips, he partnered with local community leaders to create a “Get on the Bus” program, where they chartered a bus and visited surrounding tourist locations once a month. He created a “Boys to Men” mentorship program where sixth grade boys would have books studies, listen to guest speakers, and conduct community services. He also created a “Let’s P.O.P” program that had a goal of having 100% attendance after the first day of school. The students were able to meet their goal once during the school year, and they had a massive popcorn party to celebrate.

Mr. Thompson co-led a carnival committee consisting of a group of teachers and parents that met throughout the year to facilitate fundraisers to have a carnival for the students at the end of the year. He also co-led a playground committee that partnered with parents, the community, and KABOOM! to build the school a new playground. Additionally, he co-facilitated a school store where students could purchase snacks and materials at reduced prices. Plus, he co-facilitated movie and game nights throughout the year in order to create more opportunities for families to connect with each other and the staff.

Mr. Thompson has also been a strong leader in his school and district. He serves as the school counseling coordinator for his district. He created an equity and diversity workshop (Our Stories: Courageous Conversations about Race, Equity, & Change) for the district, which has become a mandatory training for staff. Mr. Thompson co-led his school’s mentorship program, Where Everyone Belongs, which trains eighth grade students to mentor sixth grade students throughout the year. He co-leads his school’s sixth grade overnight camp every year, where he assists with planning the program and training the high school counselors and middle school counselors-in-training. He has also assisted with starting a restorative practices initiative and facilitated community circle trainings in the district.

Mr. Thompson sits on several school and district committees, including the diversity committee, coordinators committee, and counseling department committee. He has been a school counseling advisor and mentor for graduate-level and new school counselors for more than 15 years, and he served as a mentor for new teachers. He also serves as the district’s summer academy counselor for middle school and high school, and he has served as the facilitator of several after-school clubs. As an elementary school counselor, Mr. Thompson served as the building leader in the absence of his principals.

Mr. Thompson has a record of excellent performance at the state level, as well. He has participated in several initiatives for the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, including:

• Lead organizer and co-facilitator of the New School Counselor Summer Institute;
• Serving on the School Counseling Advisory Board for Missouri;
• Serving on the School Counseling Leadership Committee, which revised the state’s Comprehensive School Counseling Manual.

Mr. Thompson co-authored a comprehensive school counseling examination (Missouri School Counseling Performance Assessment) which replaced the Praxis for several years. He also served as the lead scorer and scoring mentor.

Mr. Thompson has received several state and national honors, including:

• 2021 - Admission into the University of Missouri St. Louis' Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. program;
• 2021 - National Board Certified Teacher and Counselor;
• 2018-19 - Adjunct Professor the Year for Lindenwood University;
• 2007 - Teacher of the Year for Riverview Gardens School District;
• 2006-2007 - SuccessLink Top Lesson Plan Award winner.

Mr. Thompson has presented at district, local, and state-wide conferences and workshops on topics including community circles, being trauma-informed, school counselor and principal relationships, equity and diversity, and parenting.

With his commitment to producing a nurturing atmosphere in schools, he co-facilitates parent book studies throughout the year in order to assist parents with their students’ social-emotional and academic development. When COVID-19 first forced schools to close, he started a virtual self-care check-in, where he led fun activities with students throughout the day and met with students one-on-one who needed more individualized support. He made himself available to connect with students and parents when the pandemic first caused schools to shut down.