Albuquerque Public Schools
Helping Students Shine
North Star Elementary Counselor Shawna Freeman brings clinical experience, compassion and new energy to the school community.
When Shawna Freeman arrived at North Star Elementary this winter, she stepped into a role the school community had been missing for months. The position had been vacant since the start of the school year, and staff and students were eager to welcome a counselor back to campus.
Principal Benjamin Barlow said Freeman quickly made an impact.
"Counselor Freeman has been a breath of fresh air to our campus in so many ways," Barlow said. "We cannot wait to see what next year brings with Counselor Freeman."
Freeman brings more than a decade of experience in family counseling in Albuquerque. Before joining Albuquerque Public Schools, she spent 13 years at a local agency working with children, families and couples. Over time she helped develop and lead a specialized infant and early childhood mental health program focused on supporting children from birth to age five.
While she enjoyed supervising therapists and coordinating programs, Freeman realized she missed direct work with children and families.
"I had grown as much as I was going to at the agency," she said. "I loved it, but I wanted something new and to use my skill sets in a way that fills my bucket and helps the community."
Her connection to North Star made the opportunity even more meaningful. Freeman is also a North Star parent and has a first grader at the school.
"I remember enrolling my daughter and realizing the school didn’t have a counselor," she said. "I remember thinking, 'That’s a bummer.' That's when I started considering applying."
Freeman's first week on campus came with an unexpected challenge. The school community was grieving the loss of a faculty member, and she immediately stepped in to support students and staff alongside the district's counseling response team.
Drawing on her clinical background and years volunteering with a grief center, Freeman provided individual counseling, small groups and even full-class grief processing sessions to help the school community navigate a difficult moment together.
"This is a family," she said. "Even younger students hear about things like that through siblings and conversations at home. It was important to create space for students and staff to process."
Since then, Freeman has been working to build a strong counseling program at North Star. She has made it a priority to visit every classroom to deliver counseling lessons and has started several small groups for students who need additional support.
She is also implementing the Character Strong curriculum, which focuses on positive traits such as cooperation, kindness, honesty and respect. Each month, students explore a new theme through lessons and activities.
"In just a few short months, Mrs. Shawna Freeman has transformed our classroom community," North Star K/1 combo teacher Jennifer Jaramillo said. "Where once we felt the absence of a school counselor, we now see students building trust, expressing their thoughts and emotions, and receiving the positive support they need to grow both academically and socially."
Freeman also teaches important safety lessons through the district's Child Protection Unit, including the "8 Never Nevers," and works with fifth graders on skills that will help them transition to middle school.
Throughout the school, displays featuring student work highlight the values the school community hopes to foster.
"We've been celebrating traits like resilience and cooperation," Barlow said. "It's wonderful to see those messages and student voices around the building."
For Freeman, the most rewarding part of the job so far has been the sense of connection and appreciation she feels from the school community.
"I feel so supported and valued," she said. "The students, staff, administrators and families are just happy that the school has a counselor again."
And she feels equally grateful to work with North Star students every day.
"The kids are amazing," she added. "They are so cute."
With big plans for expanding the counseling program in the future, Freeman is excited about what lies ahead for the North Star family.