AMLE 2025 offered plenty of ideas for supporting middle school students, but one session stood out: “Exploring the Heart of Middle School through Belonging and Community” from Hudson Middle School in Ohio. The session highlighted practical ways to foster connection, engagement, and purpose in classrooms. Hudson’s BELONG framework: Build, Engage, Learn, Outreach, Network, and Grow, demonstrates how a school can create meaningful opportunities for students through civic engagement, peer mentorship, student leadership, and other schoolwide initiatives.

A standout example is One Book, One Day, which brings the entire school community together around a shared text. Students take part in cross-curricular projects, and even the cafeteria joins in with themed meals inspired by the book. The program is joyful, connected, and deeply student-centered.

This is where it clicked: BELONG isn’t just a framework. It’s a feeling. And that is the same feeling STARI cultivates through literacy.

Belonging Through Story in STARI Classrooms

In STARI classrooms, students read complex, thought-provoking texts that spark discussion and reflection. They explore identity, conflict, empathy, and perspective, all while strengthening their reading skills.

This isn’t just literacy, it’s connection through story. When students read about characters navigating real-life challenges, they see themselves and others in new ways. They share ideas, listen, and build community. Sound familiar? It’s the same heartbeat that runs through Hudson’s BELONG initiative.

Both STARI and BELONG remind us that students thrive when learning feels human.

Why Belonging Matters in Middle School

Middle school is a pivotal time. Students are figuring out who they are, how they fit, and what they care about. Whether through a service project or a shared novel, giving them space to belong, and making sure their voices are heard, transforms learning from an obligation into an invitation.

At SERP, research and evidence-based design are central to STARI. What stood out in Hudson’s approach is what makes that research come alive: a culture that values students’ experiences as much as their test scores.

The AMLE session highlighted that middle school is more than a stage of growth. It is a unique opportunity to build connection and community. Hudson’s BELONG framework and STARI both show how powerful learning can be when relationships and relevance are at the center of instruction. When students see themselves reflected in the texts they read and the projects they create, learning becomes meaningful, personal, and lasting.

Leaving AMLE Inspired

As the session concluded, it was clear that if every middle school made belonging part of the curriculum, and every literacy classroom made connection part of the goal, school would feel very different. At STARI, we help make that vision real, one classroom at a time.