Unique 50th birthday gift idea

School openings and anniversaries are a good opportunity

to involve the community in a celebration of your school's

history and achievements.

Recently, I received a letter from my father-in-law, mailed in an envelope from the business he owns. Alongside the return address, a sticker on the envelope proudly declared, "Celebrating our 15th year in business." Thinking I had seen this somewhere before, I asked him, "Haven't you used those stickers for about the past three years?" "Sure," he replied. "But people love a celebration." He's absolutely right. People do love celebrations of all kinds. Anniversaries, reunions, commemorations, groundbreaking ceremonies, dedications, and even rededications are popular civic and community events across the country and schools are no exception.

Across the United States, high schools have planned some incredible openings and anniversary celebrations. In the 21st century, schools have started to develop more into local community centers as the concept of what it means to be a school that has changed. Student activity groups should relish the opportunity to celebrate significant milestones with the entire community. Significant anniversary celebrations can trigger all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings ranging from hope and anticipation to nostalgia and inspiration in a wide range of people. Schools should learn to take full advantage of these tremendous opportunities for good public relations.

Now Beginnings

The opening of a new school presents a perfect opportunity for a celebration. The festivities usually start long before the first bulldozer appears on the construction site. Many districts plan a groundbreaking ceremony before construction begins. School district officials and local dignitaries band together with golden shovels and hard hats to lift out a few scoops of dirt. Once the construction is actually finished, the students can be involved on all sorts of different levels. Harry Bull is the associate principal of Grandview HS outside of Denver, Colo., which opened several years ago. According to Bull, the staff at Grandview tried to keep in mind that during an opening, "Everything is a first. Everything is substantial." With this theme in the forefront of their minds, the planning team undertook several interesting events. On opening day, administrators took panoramic photographs of the inaugural classes as well as the inaugural staff and placed them on permanent display in the school. The team also decided to honor different groups of students from day one. As a kick-off for the whole school, they held an assembly where different performance groups such as the poms and choir made their world debuts.

The administrators took advantage of this opportunity as a way to "set a cultural tone for the school." They spoke to student leaders and established appropriate behavioral norms that would hold for future public events. Bull and the staff members at Grandview took the view that the opening actually would last for more than one year. They planned to commemorate many different firsts for many different groups of kids. For example, the administrators held a pizza party for the drama department when the stage crew tore down a set for the first time. As Bull put it, "We wanted to say 'thanks' for putting Grandview on the map."

When Highland HS in Gilbert, Ariz., opened in the fall of 1993 without a senior class, it had no established traditions, only limitless possibilities. The student council set out to establish some unique activities. They began by organizing the first school assembly to welcome the freshmen. "Previously, incoming freshmen were greeted with boos and hisses," said student council adviser David Ashley. "Highland wanted its newest members to feel special and welcome." All freshmen were sent to a separate building prior to the assembly. Only the faculty members knew the freshmen were being honored. Teachers chaperoned the group until a signal let them enter the gym. The gymnasium was decorated with positive posters welcoming them, each freshman was handed a crown (donated by Burger King), and the center section was reserved for them. The freshmen were greeted with a standing ovation and wild applause. "At first, they suspected hazing or harassment was taking place," said Ashley. "They quickly realized the welcome was genuine and sincere."

Later that fall when the student council began planning the traditional Homecoming, they realized that with no returning alumni, there could be no "homecoming." They changed the name to "Forthcoming" and planned a variety of events around that theme.

Anniversary Celebrations

Some school districts find themselves in a tremendous growth pattern, opening several new high schools, while others have been stable for years. If your school is older, consider holding an anniversary party. Any significant number will do. Some schools have held 10th anniversary parties while others wait until the 50th or 100th anniversary of the school. Building a new addition or renovating the library? Don't let these occasions slip by without a recognition ceremony. Any important event can be worth celebrating. With some careful advance planning and lots of publicity, you can pull off a memorable event full of fun and panache.

Kathy Craghead is the public information coordinator for the Mexico (Mo.) School District where she also teaches journalism at Mexico Senior HS. Several years ago she discovered Mexico's 50th anniversary had slipped by unnoticed. The staff and students decided it's never too late for a party and celebrated the school's 60th anniversary. They found an old program detailing events held on the day the school opened and decided to duplicate the ceremony as closely as possible, right down to an impressive speech rendered by the president of the Board of Education.

The festivities lasted for several days and included many fun events. The school held an open house for the entire town. Since Mexico HS is the only high school in the town, many former patrons returned, even those whose children had long since graduated. Student journalists were able to interview a few graduates from the inaugural class and capture their memories for posterity. Craghead says the students found themselves, "absolutely fascinated by the details of history" that these graduates provided.

On the Friday of the anniversary week, the student council served birthday cake to the entire student body free of charge. Football fans at that Friday's game received more cake and any graduate was recognized with a red lapel ribbon. In an attempt to make the anniversary commemoration more permanent, the council created a permanent display from the early days of the school. Among other items, they included a photograph of the first graduating class, old play programs, trophies, and textbooks. Current students use the archive when conducting historical research on the town or school. "It's very important to record your history," Craghead advises.

Another example of putting historical information to good use comes from Western HS in Las Vegas, Nev. Following a traditional ceremony set 40 years ago when the school first opened, Western held a rededication ceremony in September 2000. The Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Nevada officiated at the ceremony as they did in 1960. Using the tools of the square, plumb, and level, the Masons symbolically checked the building, assuring that it all was in order. Corn, wine, and oil were used to symbolize plenty, gladness, and peace and joy, respectively. Western was then blessed for prosperity. Special guest Leroy Spotted-Eagle of the native Southern Paiute Nation performed a traditional blessing of the proceedings. In addition to the rededication ceremony held on Saturday, 200 alumni gathered for a tailgate party prior to the varsity football game Friday night. The Alumni Association hosted a dinner dance on Saturday evening.