Big Game Week

Some of the greatest sources of school spirit are undoubtedly your sports teams. During each season (Fall, Winter, and Spring) find a week where every team has a game, preferably home. Plan this week as a Spirit Week to show your support of your athletes. Decorate their buses, the bleachers, and your hallways. Encourage council members to attend the games. Host a pep rally. Give athletes small good-luck gifts or letters during the week. Highlight seniors and captains. Find ways to celebrate these students and their hard work during the season.

Induction Ceremony

Much like an honor society induction, host your very own Student Council Induction Ceremony. Invite all members and their families. Welcome both new and returning members to this year’s council by having your Advisor, President, Alumni, or other Officers speak about the coming year. Give out pins, medals, or certificates to members and show a slideshow or video to let parents see what you do as a council. This event can be a great way to recognize Student Council Members and kick-off the school year.

Police and Fire Appreciation Day

In every community, Police and Fire Departments work to ensure the safety of citizens. Show your appreciation for what they do by holding a day to recognize them. Bake them cookies and desserts. Have your council write them letters. You may even be able to host a dinner or event for them in the community. This event is an excellent outreach project and can be very special, especially during the month of September.

Dress Up Dress Down Day Mix Up

Most schools have dress up dress down days throughout the year. They collect money for specific charities and organizations from students on a designated day. Usually students are supposed to dress up, while staff and faculty dress down. But, most students don’t end up participating and just donate spare change. Why not mix it up. Change the dress up dress down days to themed days, and anyone who had participated donates $1. Use themes such as tie dye day, 4th of July in January day, sports day, dress up like your favorite teacher day, ugly holiday sweater day, and so on.

Middie Mates

Every summer, a couple weeks before the school year begins, Dracut High School holds their annual freshman orientation. This optional program offers a unique experience for incoming freshmen. They enter the main lobby of the school unknowing of what to expect. Diverse members of the student council, whether seniors, juniors, or sophomores introduce themselves to the incoming students. The students are paired up with an older member of the student council. Entering into the auditorium, a question and answer session begins and tours are followed, games are played and pizza is served. Students are now more comfortable with their surroundings in the school and have upperclassmen in which they can count on throughout the school year. It is called “Middie Mates” for our mascot is the “Middie.” It is a program in which students remember throughout their high school years.

Halloween Food Drive

With the holiday season approaching soon after Halloween, many local and district food banks are struggling to keep up with the demand.  Especially in these hard economic times, it is difficult for individuals and families to afford food.  An easy and fun way to raise money or canned goods for your local food bank is to allow students to wear their appropriate Halloween costume to school.  In return, request that they bring in either $1 or a canned good.  The canned goods and money can both be donated to your local food bank.

Senior Citizen Dinner

Dracut Senior High School Student Council puts on an annual senior citizen dinner for the local senior citizens in the community. The student council sells the tickets to their own grandparents or at the senior citizen centers in town. The dinner is held in the Dracut High school cafeteria. Local stores and restaurants donate food and beverages to support us. Students on the council bring in desserts and appetizers to serve. Students seat and wait on the senior citizens. Every year, the dinner has a new theme. This year our theme was Las Vegas. The council set up the cafeteria like a casino. There were dice, cards, and poker chips everywhere. Also, Dracut High School’s show choir performed for the senior citizens along with an outstanding performance by a council member’s father. While the entertainment was taking place, the members would lighten the mood more by singing and dancing hoping to get the elders to boogie in their seats. Finally, the senior citizens would play what everyone knows is their favorite game, bingo! They would play for prizes sponsored by the Dracut High School student council. This is student council’s favorite event to host because it is so enjoyable. Good feedback often comes back to us.

Cafe Worker Appreciation Breakfast

No one really appreciates the lunch workers in the schools, but they do so much for every one.  Once a year our student council sets up a breakfast for them to come in and enjoy.  It’s a nice way to know that they are appreciated for everything they do because most of they time they are treated quite rudely from the students that they serve.  This is a nice and simple way to say “Thanks” to them, and they always love it.  Assign different people in your student council to bring in food/drinks, and often communtiy businesses donate items for this breakfast.  Just plan ahead and make sure you advertise it;  this is a good way to give back to the workers that often go un-noticed and unappreciated.

Teacher Appeciation

Teachers in every school do so much for their students and sometimes are not recognized for their hard work. Something your Student Council can put together is monthy gifts or treats. Once a month put together little bags with a piece of candy with a nice poem for example to give to all the teachers in your school. This little gift of appreciation will really go a long way and let your teachers know how much all students appreciate what they do. You could even organize a breakfast or brunch for your teachers on occasion!

One Thousand Paper Cranes

After having Rachel’s Challenge come to our school, my council and I were inspired to make one thousand paper cranes.  There is an old Chinese proverb that states if you make one thousand paper cranes and present them, who they are presented to will be granted luck, health, and well-being.  At our Fall WMASC Conference, Greenfield High School presented Shirner’s Hopsital with their own set of one thousand cranes to hang in their building to give their patients hope.  Thoughout the year we will be making cranes for local hospices, a girl in the school who has cancer, our local hospital, and families that are stuck with either illness or economic mishaps.