Building belonging at Fairview Elementary in Buncombe County

“You Belong Here” hangs on a board inside of Katie McCracken’s classroom. 

The letters are meticulously placed, except for the “G,” which sits at an angle with a scribbled note that says, “Even if you are like this unique G.” 

McCracken is one of two counselors at Fairview Elementary School in Buncombe County. In addition to her counseling duties, McCracken teaches a “Friends and Feelings” class to various age groups, embedding curriculum and practices that help students develop critical social and emotional skills.

“One of the healthiest things about any of our lives is that we have relationships — and knowing what it feels like to have relationships and belong,” McCracken said. 

McCracken’s number one focus this year is belonging, and she’s starting the school year with lessons on belonging for her third, fourth, and fifth grade students.

The ‘Friends and Feelings’ class

“What does it mean to belong?” 

It’s one of the first questions McCracken asked her group of fifth graders. 

After 30 seconds of think time and quiet chatter with a partner, hands slowly began to raise.

“To be included,” one student said.  

“To be cared about and to care about others,” another added. 

McCracken typed the statements onto the screen, and a student later read them aloud. 

“Now, I want you to think about a specific time when you felt like you most belonged,” McCracken said. “Think about when it was, where you were, and who you were with.”

Students shared times of attending a party with their best friend, being in nature with family, a family trip to Disney World, and sitting in the same room with their siblings while they independently worked on different projects.

One student said it was the feeling of being yourself around a friend, and no matter what, they liked you anyway. 

McCracken then asked students to sit and think quietly about a time when they felt like they didn’t belong. Before talking with their partners, she reminded students that they could share if they felt comfortable doing so. 

To break the ice, McCracken talked about her own experience of feeling like she didn’t belong. 

And then hands began to raise. In quiet voices, students described their experiences of being left out of play groups, lied to, and made fun of.

At one point, McCracken paused to address the experiences students were describing, helping them name some of the feelings that may have surfaced as a result. 

“I can feel how that feels, even though that’s never exactly happened to me,” McCracken said. “I can have empathy for that.” 

McCracken went on to talk about empathy and then discussed rejection, helping students understand what may happen inside their brains and bodies when they feel rejected.  

She then redirected students to think about belonging in the context of their school and asked how each of them could make sure that every student at Fairview knows they belong. McCracken wanted the students to verbally express specific and tangible ways they could include others at the school. 

“If you see somebody at recess that doesn’t have any friends, you can go ask if they want to join you,” one student said. 

Another student added that if you see someone being made fun of, you can stand up for them. 

McCracken then walked students through what those scenarios might look like and asked how they could implement tactics if faced with a similar situation. 

By the end of class, students were discussing ways to problem solve if they faced their own sense of not belonging or saw others being excluded at school.

Collective belonging

Every student at Fairview Elementary is in a “Friends and Feelings” class, with materials and lessons adapted to fit the needs of the age group. The class can also address real situations occurring in classrooms. 

McCracken has been teaching the class for 18 years, helping kids understand what it means to be empathetic, how to understand and express their emotions, and what it means to create a sense of belonging both at school and beyond. 

But she isn’t the only one encouraging social and emotional learning. 

The entire school, including the district, is implementing lessons and strategies that actively encourage students to “connect in authentic ways” and “apply their learnings to real-world challenges.” 

Buncombe County Schools’ new strategic plan specifically addresses establishing a culture that is welcoming, responsive, and safe for all students, staff, and families. 

Fairview Elementary Principal Dr. Bonnie Bolado said that some of the top job skills of 2025 include analytical thinking, having empathy, and being able to think critically and creatively. 

As for creating a sense of belonging in a school, it has to be collective, Bolado said. 

“We all have the same vision for what that looks like and articulate that regularly to our staff,” Bolado said.

Bolado went on to say that one way they encourage collective belonging is by speaking to it when they see it happening, among students and staff.

There are also morning meetings. Every class from kindergarten through fifth grade participates in a morning meeting. During meetings, students recite the school pledge, which explicitly talks about respect, integrity, self-control, and effort (RISE behavior matrix). 

Everyone is referred to as a cardinal — the school’s mascot — to help foster a sense of belonging and community. And the school has an official song that’s sung at every assembly and celebration throughout the year.

Belonging and community during crisis 

On Sept. 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene ripped through parts of western North Carolina, leaving in its wake widespread damage, loss, and trauma. 

Though Fairview Elementary did not sustain much damage, the Fairview community was hit particularly hard. 

Craigtown, a small family community on the outskirts of Fairview, experienced devastating loss when 11 of the 75 or so family members who resided there died during Helene. 

In the early days after the storm, Fairview Elementary was used as a landing space for military helicopters delivering water. 

As the weeks passed, the school began to resume some of its normal functions. And after a month of being closed, the Fairview Cardinals returned to campus. 

They understood how important community and belonging would be for their students and staff following Helene, Bolado and McCracken both said. 

Their first priority was making sure everyone felt safe. 

Morning meetings became much longer as educators navigated students’ feelings and their need to feel safe. Bolado and others also realized that for many cardinals, there was a strong urgency to regain some sense of normalcy. 

Many students and staff at Fairview, and across the district, needed additional support for their mental health and well-being.

Despite Buncombe County Schools having a crisis response plan that has been continually updated over the years, Helene presented a different type of crisis. 

Superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson said in a perspective for EdNC that all 45 schools were significantly impacted and there wouldn’t be enough school counselors and social workers in the district to support everyone during their first few days back last fall.

In preparing for the return to school, Jackson reached out to the other 114 school districts across the state to ask if any school counselors or social workers would volunteer to travel to Asheville and help as students and staff returned.

According to Jackson, 53 school districts participated and sent 263 school counselors and social workers. 

“These incredible educators made a profound difference,” Jackson wrote.

The district saw a lot of resilience and strength in the community following Helene, McCracken said, from adults all the way to down to our youngest students. 

As for what lies ahead for Fairview Elementary, relationships and intentionality remain a constant.

“We’re all here together,” McCracken said.

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