Brian Adams
Position: Sixth and Seventh Grade Academic CounselorSchool: McMath Middle SchoolSchool District: Denton Independent School DistrictCity, State: Denton, TexasAbout the Nominee: Brian Adams was nominated by his principal, Debra Nobles.https://youtu.be/SoTZOoMn3oQBrian Adams is the perfect middle school counselor! Students enter middle school feeling excited, fearful, optimistic, silly, challenged, and other emotions on the spectrum of early adolescence. Mr. Adams accepts them wherever they are on that spectrum and guides them over the next three years with love, patience, humor, boundless energy and competence. He builds a community of trust within McMath Middle School and makes the transitional middle school years so much better for the students (and staff and parents, by extension)! At a time when it's easy for students to make life-altering bad decisions, Mr. Adams knows when to step in and "kick butt" or sit down and listen. He knows what is needed because he knows his students. And they know him. And they trust him.They trust Mr. Adams because he is not afraid to be authentic. He is the school DJ and knows how to make a dance fun; he knows all the words to every song ever sung! He knows the students by name and gives them silly nicknames that they love. He is famous for funny sayings which the kids appreciate, too. Mr. Adams is the first person students meet when he visits them in fifth grade (he calms the parents even more than he calms the students). He is the person who students have told their darkest secrets to, and he has stayed with them through challenging situations such as court and home turmoil. Essentially, he is the heart of the MMS community.Mr. Adams also participates in the district's GOAL (Guys Operating as Leaders) group that focuses on getting at-risk Hispanic male students to complete high school and become leaders at school and in the community. The first group graduated last year, and the students have stayed in contact with Mr. Adams. He continues to be a LifeChanger, not just for his GOAL group, but for the hundreds of students he has impacted in the MMS community.[nominee_videos nominee_email="badams@dentonisd.org"]