North East ISD middle schoolers have GRIT – Gratitude, Resiliency, Inclusion and Teamwork. This was the theme of the 2022 Middle School Unity Conference. Students from nearly every middle school campus in the District spent the day together learning how to embrace their classmates, community and each other.
“I think it’s really good for them to meet kids from the other campuses,” said Ed Lucio, STAN Counselor. “Someone with a different upbringing or background than you may see things in a different way. This is such a big district, so I think it’s helpful for them to talk to and open up about some of the challenges they all face in today’s world.”
Each STAN Counselor sponsors the Unity Club on campus. This club is open to everyone and nurtures the culture and relationships across the entire study body. STAN stands for Student Teacher Assistance Network. Counselors like Lucio are specifically trained to help students and staff through the challenges they face at school, at home and in their community.
Lucio provides a safe space to his students at Jackson and Eisenhower middle schools to discuss and navigate their personal, academic and social challenges in a safe, healthy way. The pandemic created new challenges for all of us. The Unity Conference was an opportunity for students to develop resolutions and ideas to bring back to campus and share with their peers. That includes the benefits of Gratitude, Resiliency, Inclusion and Teamwork, or GRIT.
Seeing students from across the District find common ground and forge new friendships with each other makes it all worth it for Lucio.
“Spreading this message to a large group of kids like this is going to make the biggest impact possible,” said Lucio. “I love my job and I’ve always been a counselor at heart, even when I was teaching. Our kids are so great and that’s what keeps me coming back every year.”
Click here to learn more about the role STAN counselors play at NEISD.
