The Kiwanis Club honored Carol Windley, guidance counselor for Chocowinity Primary School, for being one terrific sponsor of the club’s Terrific Kids program.

For eight years, Windley has worked with the school’s teachers to entwine the Beaufort County Schools’ monthly character trait — recognition for which goes to students who work to exhibit the designated quality — with guidance lessons for pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Along those same lines, teachers at Chocowinity have chosen a student every two weeks, one who exemplifies progress, whether it’s through that month’s character trait, academic work, achieving a behavior goal or simply by showing themselves to be a better friend.

“We choose terrific kids who’ve made progress in some way,” said Alicia Vosburgh, principal of Chocowinity Primary School. “It’s another way we can recognize them.”

Recognition comes in the form of the Terrific Kids roll call of names during morning announcements at the school and a trip to Windley’s office to receive a treat box with a pencil, candy, a Terrific Kids bumper sticker and a certificate for the program.

“Parents like it. They like to throw that bumper sticker on the car,” laughed Vosburgh.

The bumper stickers and certificates for the program come courtesy of Gil Davis, who runs the Kiwanis program. The new pencil and candy were Windley’s added touch, according to Vosburgh, and one of the reasons why Windley was awarded the Kiwanis Club plaque — eight years of service, and 18 years of service as the school’s guidance counselor.

Windley’s first official day of retirement is tomorrow. Her last day at Chocowinity Primary is today. She said there will be plenty to miss about being the school’s guidance counselor.

“I’ll miss seeing the students every day,” said Windley. “Since the school’s pre-k through fourth, I will miss seeing them enter into pre-k and grow up. It’s always so fun to see them grow and develop. And I’ll miss my coworkers — they are so much more than coworkers after 18 years.”

Windley was employed in social work for 12 years before receiving her Masters in Education and making the career switch. Retirement may be in her very near future, but she has no set plans for life after Chocowinity Primary School: “I really haven’t decided what to do…we’re going to take time to travel and relax a little bit.”

Sounds like a “terrific” idea.