1. Oregon Middle School

2. 81 adults work here.

4. We may not look like you… We may not sound like you… We may not live in the same neighborhood…

5. But we were all teenagers once. And, we may have had experiences similar to yours.

6. The following statements were submitted by your teachers and staff. They are all true.

7. I cried myself to sleep for all of 7 th grade, knowing I would be made fun of the next day.

8. 7 th grade was the hardest year of school for me. I felt all alone.

9. I had glasses, a bad perm, braces and didn’t dress well. I definitely was NOT in the in-crowd

10. My family had no extra money and I was never able to buy clothes like my friends had. I realized there were worse things to have to worry about.

11. All I wanted to do in Middle School was fit in and have friends. I was never really myself until college.

12. A lot of teachers compared me to my older brother who was artistic, quiet and brilliant. It made me feel like I was a disappointment.

13. I have scoliosis and had to wear a large back brace in 8 th grade. It looked scary and nobody wanted to sit by me at lunch.

14. In 7 th grade my only friend spent an hour helping me to pull gum that a bully had stuck in my hair

15. I had something written about me- including my name- on the bathroom wall.

16. It was tough to have my Mom as my 8 th grade English teacher- we got through it and I still love to read and write.

17. I was worried people would find out what was really going on at home so I tried to be invisible.

18. I was kicked out of 7 th grade for behavior and had to go to school at the public library for 3 months. No friends, no gym class.

19. I was scared to death that a teacher was going to call on me- it effected my learning.

20. A “friend” told a group of boys that I was extremely ticklish and they proceeded to tickle me at lunch until I peed my pants

21. I could never keep track of which friend was mad at which friend. It changed daily.

22. My Dad drank a lot and my Mom and Dad were always fighting.

23. In 7 th grade, I felt ugly, awkward and invisible. It was difficult to make new friends.

24. We had a lot of drama between friends. Girls were always gossiping and backstabbing each other.

25. My parents skipped my school activities to drink.

26. I was diagnosed with depression

27. I had 28 detentions in 7 th grade but my parents only knew about 1 of them

28. I was pretty invisible until a boy asked me out. Everyone was talking about it the next day and it was embarrassing.

29. I experienced more stress and anxiety during my 8 th grade year than any other time in my life. I felt utterly alone, with no voice

30. Everyone knew me by my voice

31. My parents were going through a divorce when I was in 8 th grade.

32. Middle school seemed like a blur to me, as I look back on it. Avoid adding unnecessary stress to it!

33. I never fit into my middle school because it was really small and I wasn’t born in the town.

34. The best teachers I’ve had were middle school teachers. I’m glad my parents always expected me to do my best work.

35. I was teased a lot for looking different than the other kids.

36. We had very little money for heat in the winter or for food on the table. For Christmas we'd get socks that didn't have holes and a box of cereal.

37. I was considered popular in Middle School but nobody invited me to do anything with them.

38. I was teased about my hair.

39. I found success in my exploratory classes, and it made school fun!

40. Even though I was considered "cool" in school, I still struggled with my self-esteem.

41. My locker was always messy

42. In middle school, we had a guest speaker who asked who the most famous black baseball player was, I raised my hand, and volunteered Joe Namath... and everyone in the room laughed at me and I wanted to cry.

43. I remember when I got a computer tech kit for Christmas. I brought it to school to show my math teacher. He asked to share it with the other hours. He dropped it on the floor, and laughed about it. He never said he was sorry.

44. A group of girls hated me in 7 th grade. One day they followed me around the playground and called me names. One girl spit in my hair. I hated going to school.

45. So, even if you feel like you are alone and no one understands...

46. … someone probably does. 81 adults Seek us out. Here to help. Here to listen.