STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Ella Fitzgerald Middle School 6th grader Isabella Norman
Fosters a positive school climate for others
Posted: March 6, 2025
Numerous positive interactions with others throughout the day come together to formulate the school experience Isabella Norman wants for herself and other students.
Norman, a 6th grader at Ella Fitzgerald Middle School, appreciates the benefits of a peaceful and productive learning environment. She sees the example she sets as one integral piece in making it so.
"My goals for the school year are to have a peaceful learning experience and to give back to the school community by helping others solve problems," Norman said. "I want to help others better their grades and improve in class. I also would like to be a good friend to others who need a helping hand or shoulder when they are down."
She acclimated quickly after transitioning to middle school by thinking of the bright side and introducing herself to people, she said.
"I just started giving my number to people and they gave me their number," Norman said. "And then thinking more positively, it always has a positive outcome unlike thinking negative thoughts."
That experience led her to realize how many students either new to the school or new to 6th grade could use some guidance, so she became a student ambassador at Ella Fitzgerald. She doesn't want anybody to feel left out and feels very badly, for example, if a student is sitting alone at lunch.
"I feel like helping them, to make them more confident around school instead of just looking down at the ground," Norman said. "I feel it's really important, especially when that could also affect their grades possibly. It could have so many negative effects."
Norman's schedule is filled with opportunities to influence students and staff at school and in the local community.
She serves as Student Council Association secretary at Fitzgerald and as treasurer of World Changers-Newport News, a youth civic engagement program that is part of Alternatives, Inc. Norman is very involved in numerous sports both in and outside of school.
Her middle school experience has been great so far partly because the staff at Ella Fitzgerald have been so friendly and helpful, she said. Quiet classrooms, orderly hallways and a few new rules to enhance that atmosphere each get a thumbs up from her.
"I know the staff really well and they're all so nice," Norman said.
She would like to find ways to mediate or educate fellow students to help reduce conflicts and divisions among classmates. Her confidence and assertiveness are qualities that will be useful there.
"I'm not afraid to speak up for myself and others," Norman said. "I always try to keep myself composed and to stay neutral in most situations."
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