Success Story: System Change at Twin Valley Middle High School

Starling Collaborative had the privilege of working with Twin Valley Middle High School (TVMHS) last year. TVMHS is a small, rural school in Vermont, who wanted to build on the equity and anti-bullying work they started the prior year. They have been motivated to be the best school they can be and eager to partner with us effectively. They have also had some significant challenges in the past several years that have impacted staff and students. Because of these challenges, Camille and Lisa do not take the trust that our team and TVMHS educators have built with each other lightly. Due to this trust and valuable feedback that educators offered, we have been able to pivot and respond to what is emerging so that training and meetings go better. 

We are excited to work together again this year. TVMHS educators and educational leaders have approached our partnership with openness, transparency, and being real about capacity limitations, both personal and systemic. They welcomed us to their school and into the work with them.

Despite the capacity limitations, they accomplished an incredible amount as part of our partnership in just one year during the 2024-25 school year, including:

• Twice monthly meetings with the Principal and Assistant Principal (and sometimes with the District’s Curriculum Coordinator as well) to coordinate our work and to work on incidents of harm together as a way to learn about how to handle them more restoratively so they become opportunities for growth and learning.

• Completion of an Asset and Needs Assessment (ANA) to identify strengths to build on and opportunities for growth in our work together from which an implementation plan will be built this year.

• Four student workshops on “Belonging vs. Fitting In” as part of TVMHS’ Belonging Day.

• Three half-day trainings with the full staff throughout the year and an additional half-day training for the Communities of Practice facilitators.

• Seven staff-led Communities of Practice (CoPs) to reflect on the PD together, develop relationships with a small group of colleagues, and have real, needed conversations with each other. The eight staff who led these CoPs with their colleagues met with Lisa monthly to debrief the previous CoP and refine the agenda of the upcoming one.

Twin Valley educators and educational leaders are doing hard system change work in a thoughtful and intentional way to improve the climate and culture for everyone. Schools are rarely recognized or appreciated for this kind of transformational work. We are grateful to get to support and travel with them on this path.