38 Students Wrote "Nobody." This is What We Did Next.

Earlier in my career, I was the principal of a 6th Grade School. This is one of the memories that has always stuck with me.

One cold morning, a simple challenge on social media stopped me in my tracks.
A principal in Missouri had posed a question that hit me harder than I expected:

“Does every student in your school have an adult they trust?”

I couldn't shake it.
If the answer wasn’t yes… shouldn’t we find out?

I’ve learned that when you come across a powerful idea, you don’t sit on it. You act.

So later that morning—right after announcements—I asked every student to take out a sheet of paper.

“Write down the name of one adult in this building you trust… someone you could talk to if you ever needed to. If you can’t think of anyone, just write ‘nobody.’”

We collected the papers and began loading the responses into a spreadsheet.

Some names were exactly what I expected. School leaders usually know which adults are relationship-builders, the ones kids naturally flock to.

But other names surprised me—in the best possible way. It reminded me that every adult in a school has impact, often in ways we don’t see.

And yet…
Some students still slipped through the cracks.

Out of roughly 500 students, 38 wrote “nobody.”

Thirty-eight children walking our halls without a trusted adult.
Thirty-eight too many.

I knew this information mattered, but I wasn’t sure what to do next. After talking with our AP and counselor, we decided on a simple but powerful step.

I created a slideshow of the faces of those 38 students—no names, no commentary.

At our next faculty meeting, we watched it in complete silence.

I will never forget that moment.
A room full of compassionate, dedicated educators… quietly absorbing the reality that 38 sixth graders did not feel connected to a single adult in our building.

When the slideshow ended, I simply said:

“My hope is that when we do this activity again in a few months, not one student will write ‘nobody.’”

But hope alone isn’t a strategy.

So we took action.
Our counselor kept the list, and I emailed our staff asking them to reach out to her to “adopt” a student—not in a formal way, and not in a way students would notice, but intentionally. Quietly. Consistently.

A commitment to connection.

Because no child should feel alone at school.
Not one. And I was proud of the way our staff stepped up.

Creating a culture where every student feels seen, valued, and supported isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Every kid matters. Every kid deserves an advocate.
And they need to feel it.

Keep making a difference.
You matter more than you know.

Danny

P.S. My new book Launches on Tuesday!