SLV’s Kayla Raymond Named Santa Cruz County Counselor of the Year
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has named Kayla Raymond, a mental health specialist at San Lorenzo Valley Middle School in Felton, as one of its 2026 Counselor of the Year honorees. She was recognized alongside fellow honorees in teaching, counseling, and classified staff — including co-Counselor of the Year Cynthia Fernandez of Costanoa Career Prep High and Ark Independent Studies in Santa Cruz, Teacher of the Year Shireen Goudarzi of H. A. Hyde Elementary in Watsonville, and Classified Employee of the Year Emily Tatro of Linscott Charter in Watsonville.
“Congratulations to this incredible group of honorees, whose deep commitment to student success reflects the very best of public education,” said Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools.
Raymond, a licensed marriage and family therapist, has spent four years at SLV Middle School supporting students’ social and emotional development. Before joining the school, she built a broad foundation in youth advocacy — working with alternative education programs across the county.
Raymond sees her role as tending to the foundational well-being of young people, providing steady support that allows each student to grow at their own pace.
For Raymond, the honor carries a deeply personal dimension. She grew up in the San Lorenzo Valley, and now raises her own family there, making her work in the same district she once attended feel like a full-circle act of giving back.
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District
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