When in Doubt, Choose Kids
When in Doubt, Choose Kids If you ever walk the hallways of Lombard Middle School in December, you might stumble upon a scene that makes you pause. A crowded hallway. Students laughing, pointing, gathering in a circle. And right in the middle— Zelphyr the Elf , sitting cross-legged on the floor holding UNO cards while a fifth grader giggles beside the elf. Middle schoolers live in a strange, beautiful in-between. They’re too old to walk in a single-file line… yet still young enough to light up when their principal shows up dressed as an elf. We ask them to grow up fast: manage big emotions, juggle academics, navigate friendships, handle technology, and meet expectations that even adults struggle with. So when Zelphyr the Elf pops up sitting in a hallway with UNO cards, it sends a quiet but powerful message: Joy is allowed here. Laughter is safe here. You can still be a kid here. And while a few adults call it “chaos,” this kind of chaos is intentional. When students are smiling an...