May in middle school feels like sprinting a marathon — uphill, in a windstorm. There’s testing on one end, transitions on the other, and everything in between: retirements, celebrations, staffing, scheduling, and maybe a countdown or two. Everyone’s exhausted, including the students. Time is short, tensions are high and the to-do list keeps growing. In all the noise and urgency, it’s easy to just keep pushing forward. But if we don’t pause to ask, “What actually went well this year?” — we risk missing the moments that mattered most.
If we don’t stop to notice the small wins, we risk forgetting the big impact they made.
At Royal Oak Middle School, we’ve learned that even when we can’t gather everyone together, we can still celebrate. We must celebrate. Especially now — when people are tired, when student behavior flares, and when it feels like we’re limping across the finish line. That’s exactly when recognition matters most.
Celebration Doesn’t Require a Staff Meeting
We started by shifting our mindset: celebration doesn’t have to mean a slideshow or a catered lunch. (Though we love both!) Sometimes it’s about collecting and sharing the moments that mattered:
- The 6th grade math teacher who started an after-school Pickleball Club for teachers.
- The first year teacher who traveled the state with her new Forensic Speech and Debate team.
- The paraeducators who finished in the Grow-Your-Own program and graduated with a Master’s Degree while still building deep connections with her students.
- The Social Studies teacher in her final year before retirement starting a Religious Diversity Journey’s Club AND Teen Court in the same year.
Clearly, I could go on and on.
These are stories worth telling — and they don’t need a mic to be heard. We share them in weekly emails, “Staff Shout-Out” boards in the lounge and on Padlet, sticky notes on doors, and simple thank-you text messages. They take minutes to give, but they stay with people. The genuine moments of gratitude are the ones that mean the most. We also have created a way for parents/guardians to “Shout Out” staff all year long. The link is always live and in every communication I send!
Parent/Guardian’s Staff Shout Outs:
Invite Reflection, Not Just Recognition
Our ROMS administrative team all ask the same reflective questions at our year-end evaluation meetings:
- What’s one thing you’re proud of this year?
- What’s something a colleague did that inspired you?
- What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
We will share the responses anonymously in a “year-end gratitude gallery.” We are hoping for results that are honest, uplifting and sometimes emotional. We feel this will help staff feel seen and give leadership practical ideas for growth and change.
We also do a “Mid-Year Check In” for staff. The year can get overwhelming and you may not know exactly who to go to … or they may not have the time! Sending a midyear check in can help re-center our staff around our goals and values right when the work starts to feel like a grind. It can also be a great way to take the pulse of your staff and help to validate their hard work.
Capture the Culture While It’s Fresh
Even when we can’t sit together, we can still document what worked. We kept a running “Culture and Climate Highlights” slide deck all year — snippets of CharacterStrong lessons, photos of advisory activities, student quotes and notes from families. At year’s end, we’ll drop it in everyone’s inbox with a simple message: Look at what you built.
The truth is, middle school magic often happens in small moments. A quiet conference with a student. A joke shared in the lunch line. A creative twist on a tired lesson. These moments don’t always get applause — but they matter.
So here’s my challenge: Before the year ends, send three messages — one to a staff member, one to a student and one to yourself. Celebrate something small. Because small moments, when noticed and named, leave a big impact.