Come Dream With Me Prom
Student council members at Crescent High School in Iva, SC, teamed up with Family Connections of South Carolina to help host the “Come Dream With Me Prom,” an event designed to create a prom-like atmosphere that is suitable for anyone of any age with special needs. In addition to designing and making decorations for the prom, student council members also made a video to promote the event and held class competitions to raise money for Family Connections. The students of CHS raised more than $1,000 and the event was a roaring success.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: equity
Watch What You Post
The Ore City High School student council in Texas knows the importance of posting positively on social media. They decided to create a project to help remind students, faculty, and staff that there can be major repercussions for posting irresponsibly. Students created a logo that was put on small decals, which were passed out and encouraged to be put on phones and other social media devices. Council members also created a schoolwide presentation that told a story about a student who continued to post negatively and as a result, the student was not able to go to the college of her choice. The council raised the issue to district and state levels, and the presentation was viewed by several thousand students across Texas. The slogan “Watch What You Post” ended up being one of the most talked-about projects of the year on campus.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: awareness/perspectives
It All Adds Up
The student council at Collinsville High School in Illinois decided it was time to add some love into the equation. Students were asked at lunch to identify three people who “add value to their lives.” It could be a teacher, friend, classmate, parent, community leader, etc. Students then wrote the name of the person on a heart-shaped piece of paper and underneath the name wrote what they add to their life. These were then hung on the wall of the cafeteria. Folks were encouraged to look at the wall, find their name, and write a small message back to the person who wrote it. Students and teachers alike loved to find the hearts directed at them and spent time before and after school looking for them.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: positive social change
Share the Warmth
NHS members of the Covington Community High School in Indiana completed a service project where they provided 46 snowsuits, boots, hats, and gloves to district elementary students who were in need. Fundraising was chiefly done by holding a 50/50 drawing and selling tickets for the drawing for the last two home football games. Students raised more than $2,500 for this project and did the shopping for these items.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: empathetic actions and wellness
Ability Fair
The student council at Margaret Buerkle Middle School in St. Louis, MO, teamed up with the school’s character education group and hosted an ability fair to help students enhance awareness and understand themselves and others. The fair was a one-day event where staff members were assigned to groups of students who spent the day going to a variety of workshop-type classes taught by members of local organizations, such as Special Olympics, Paraquad, Safe Connections, and others. There were also three guest speakers who spoke about overcoming obstacles and being the best you can be. Throughout the day, students carried booklets that student council members created that had info about each of the speakers and offered space for students to take notes.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: equity or awareness/perspectives
Soft Touch
NJHS members at Troy Junior/Senior High School in Pennsylvania purchased and donated fabric to make pillowcases as a community service project. Members volunteered a total of approximately 12 after-school hours to measure, mark, cut, sew, and create 28 colorful, cheerful pillowcases for “Ryan’s Cases for Smiles,” a national organization that provides fun, cheerful, uplifting pillowcases to hospitalized children and teens.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: empathetic actions and wellness
Getting the Word Out
The National Honor Society chapter at Mt. Lebanon Senior High School in Pennsylvania collected 206 English and foreign-language dictionaries to donate to Pennsylvania inmates. NHS members reached out to fellow students and teachers, community members, and organizations for donations. Students hung posters, worked with the high school film department to create an ad, publicized through local media and newsletters, and reached out to other district librarians and teachers. All proceeds were donated to the Pittsburgh nonprofit Book ‘Em, which provides free educational and reading materials to prisoners in Pennsylvania.
Fulfills Global Citizenship Initiative strand: awareness/perspectives
Holiday Exchange
NHS members at Post Oak High School in Houston, TX, organized the school’s annual Holiday Exchange. Operating like a Secret Santa event, people exchanged gifts with a random person whose name they selected from a hat. One member took charge of the project and collected everyone’s names and suggestions as to what each person wanted. Depending on the size of your school, this can be quite the task! However, everyone had a wonderful time at the exchange; students and faculty could feel the holiday cheer as they exchanged gifts and shared the joy.