In February, I got a call from one of our counselors asking me to meet a new student to Lewisville High School – Killough Campus. I walked in to her office and met a shy student named Flor, a sophomore, who had just moved to Lewisville from Austin.
Flor moved here to live with her older sister (who is now her legal guardian) and help her take care of her four young children. I showed Flor around the school, helped her with her administrative paperwork and school supplies, and showed her to her first class. Our school has an hour long block lunch period where students are free to go to various classrooms and organizations instead of sitting in the lunch room. This hour of free time can be very overwhelming for new students, so I told Flor that she could come to my office to eat lunch if she needed a place to go.
The second the lunch bell rang, I saw Flor at my door. She sat down quietly and pulled out her phone. A few minutes later, my animated bunch of case managed sophomore girls who eat lunch in my office regularly came in and I introduced them to Flor. I have been working with these girls on their social skills and leadership skills, and I was excited because this seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to exercise those skills.
Flor was still shy after meeting the girls, so she sat at the table quietly by herself why the girls talked. One of my students, Jessica, looked at me and motioned “Should I talk to her?” I nodded yes, and Jessica proceeded to eat lunch with Flor and ask her about her move and life back in Austin.
This group of girls has now taken Flor under their wing, and they include her in their lunch activities every day and hang out with her after school. At the beginning of the school year, these girls were not concerned with making new friends or helping other students because they felt it wasn’t necessary because they already had friends. I am proud of them for exercising their interpersonal skills and picturing what it would be like to be a new student halfway through the year.
Flor is flourishing at LHS Killough, and it is great to see my case-managed students taking care of each other. This girls have started working on their life skills and career goals by using their individual strengths to teach and encourage each other. Flor used to be a cashier, so she has been helping one of my students Carina practice counting change quickly during lunch so that Carina can improve her skills at her new job.
The girls regularly talk about their college and career goals and are encouraging each other to take advantage of the Career Center opportunities the Lewisville Independent School District offers. I am proud of all of these girls for continuing to grow and challenging each other to improve in school and in life.
