Julie Cooper, lead counselor at Prosper High School, may not meet every student face to face, but her influence can be seen in every corner of the school.
“I help with our new counselors, well, all of our counselors,” Cooper said. “I help plan and guide our whole counseling program.”
Head football Coach Tyler Moore nominated Cooper for the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Community Leader Award for all she does throughout the school. Currently, at PHS, there are over six counselors. Mrs. Cooper is involved with not only training new counselors every year, but also overall facilitating the entire department and its functions for students.
Whitney Killingsworth, an assistant principal and counselor secretary, worked with Cooper for almost four years.
“She always takes the time to lend an ear to kids,” Killingsworth said. “Just giving your time to sit down and take a minute with kids in need, can mean a lot in a kid’s life.”
However, with every job comes responsibilities. For Cooper, it was giving up something that mattered to her.
“I think one of the hardest things this year is that I don’t work directly with students like I used to,” Cooper said. “It makes me really happy to get to work with kids and help them work on planning for their future.”
Even though her job doesn’t require her to meet with students on a daily basis, her door is open to each and all.
“I want our kids to know that our first priority are our students,” Cooper said. “My philosophy was always to treat my students that I worked with like I would want my own kids treated.”
All her sacrifices and commitments haven’t gone unnoticed. Yet, the Dave Campbell nomination came without her expecting it.
“It was a surprise, and then excitement,” Cooper said. “My husband was a football coach for 27 years and so, the Dave Campbell’s was a huge thing for our family. It was really just (an) honor that somebody thought enough of me, as a person and a counselor.”
The winner will be spotlighted during the 2025 Texas high school football season and receive a $2,500 donation for their school.
“She is one of the most friendly people at Prosper High School,” audio video production teacher Michael Logan said. “She consistently goes above and beyond to support our students and teachers. I’ve known her for 11 years. She is always helpful and kind, no matter what issues are brought to her.”
This article was edited by Kate Duncan, Elise Leavitt and Victoria Byers.
