West Oak Middle School came out of the Pandemic focused on creating a climate and culture where every student and staff member feels valued and is challenged to be the best version of themselves. As a result, in 2022 West Oak Middle School earned one of the highest designations for a middle school, a Illinois Horizon and National Forum School To Watch. This session will focus on how the staff used the Schools To Watch rubric to take an honest assessment of themselves and set meaningful goals for the school. The speakers will present how West Oak became an exemplary middle school in the four pillars of being a School To Watch: Academic Excellence, Social Equity, Developmental Responsiveness, and Organizational Structures and Processes. Participants will learn tangible ways to create a strong culture and climate where students take ownership of their school and about structures and process that can help sustain that culture.