Every school is different, and so is every opportunity. That said, while there is no one singular solution we do find that there are similarities from one school to the next. The following examples are from successes we’ve had with other institutions. Maybe you see something here that could work for your school, or maybe you see something here that triggers an idea of your own.
After attending a Legacy Leadership Summit, students from Goose Creek Memorial High School decided to host a cultural festival. They teamed up with the Association of Hispanics and Latinos, who happened to be planning their own community event, to make it happen. Students used “passports” to collect stamps at various stations to earn a prize wheel spin. With around 300 attendees, the school celebrated the success of its first-ever cultural festival.
Spirit Week is a simple, but effective idea, that any school could use to raise school spirit and increase inclusion through a week of student-lead activities. Each class competes as a group to out-do the other three. You can have dedicated areas of campus to decorate, games, fundraising events, and then have each class produce a skit to perform at an all-school assembly. Committees for each class can decide on their own theme for the week (based on a pre-determined overall theme). For each day of the week there were activities for the classes to compete in during lunch and after school. Click below for a more complete planning guide.
Owen County High School in Kentucky created their Rebels Outreach program. It’s a student-led community service program engaging student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. Over the past 11 years, it has mobilized 1,000 volunteers to complete 230+ projects all over the community, including yard work for seniors, mulching, painting curbs, county beautification projects and supporting local initiatives. The program emphasizes servant leadership and is the largest outreach effort in the county.
The only thing we love more than great ideas is sharing them with others. If you have a great idea that has worked in your school and would like to share it with us, please do. Simply fill out this form.