What middle schoolers need: Respect,accountability,and grace

Abstract

The 2022 National School Counselor of the Year Alma Lopez talks about how her students at California’s Livingston Middle School were impacted by the pandemic. Livingston Middle School is a Title 1 school in California’s Central Valley, with 850 students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Most families in this rural community are farm laborers or food production workers. Livingston Union School District serves about 2,500 students, 80 percent of whom are Latinx. Students and their families suffered losses during the pandemic, and middle schoolers missed out on key opportunities for connection and belonging.