Concerned about the number of ninth graders failing classes at Milwaukee’s South Division High School last fall — 118 out of 247 freshmen — bilingual school counselor Ana Báez decided to study the issue more closely.
She recruited staff from every corner of the building to try different strategies to help students improve their grades, from after-school tutoring to home visits. She set up a spreadsheet to track individual students, the strategies that were used to help them, and the outcomes.
“I like data,” Báez explained. “I never thought I’d say that in my lifetime, but I guess I like data. I like knowing what’s happening and how I can be of better use.” By the end of the fall semester last year, the number of ninth graders failing classes was down to 81.
Her work was recognized Oct. 21 in a surprise ceremony in the school auditorium, where Báez learned she had been named the 2026 Wisconsin School Counselor of the Year, a recognition by the Wisconsin School Counselor Association.
Báez, who in 2024 was named as one of five Wisconsin Teachers of the Year in another surprise ceremony, said her school successfully fooled her a second time as she thought she was attending a meeting for high school seniors. She began to suspect something else was happening when she saw her boss.
“Today we’re here about someone who makes sure that students are seen, heard and supported,” said Ophelia King, school counseling manager for Milwaukee Public Schools. “Today, we celebrate a school counselor who doesn’t just do the work, but they change systems.”
When Báez’s award was revealed, she bowed her head with a smile as students and staff broke into applause.
“I’m really at a loss for words,” Báez said as she stepped on stage. “I do my job every day because I love my students. I love this community. This is my 13th year at South, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Báez was primarily recognized for her work with ninth graders, an age when MPS students tend to struggle the most with class participation as they’re often adjusting to new schools. The average MPS ninth grader missed about 28% of school days in the 2023-24 school year, according to the most recent state data. MPS ninth graders also had the highest rates of suspensions and expulsions.
“She implemented targeted interventions to address the failure rate of our ninth-grade students, often a really difficult year for students coming into high school, particularly if they’re coming in from a K-8 school,” MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said, referring to the common practice at MPS to have students in kindergarten through eighth grade sharing a campus.
As MPS crafts a long-term plan for its school buildings, Cassellius has said she’s interested in moving seventh and eighth graders to high school campuses, where they can access different resources, start exploring career paths and ease the transition to high school.
Báez, herself a graduate of MPS, was also recognized for creating a scholarship fund for South Division graduates pursuing higher education. Last year, two students were awarded $500 scholarships. She said she’s secured funding for another 20 years of scholarships.
Community members can support the fund by buying popcorn this November; the sale will be posted on the school’s social media pages.
Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @RoryLinnane.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: South Division’s Ana Báez named Wisconsin School Counselor of the Year
