Logan Voss
When it’s time to plan and execute school events, there are several things worth considering. Regardless of the event type, it’s essential to focus on the guests, the overall atmosphere, and how receptive the students are. Any school function has the power to boost morale and bring the community together; let’s take a closer look at some key considerations to help you get started.
Guest Accommodations
Depending on the size and nature of the school-hosted event, you need to consider overall guest accommodations. Consider whether having guests use your interior facilities is an option or if you should invest in additional outside units. It’s usually best to consider renting portable restrooms to reduce foot traffic in the school after-hours and promote overall safety on campus.
Security Measures
Another facet of exterior accommodations is enhanced security measures. Given this is a school event, you can expect any number of students to be in attendance.
It’s vital to protect them, their families, and the campus grounds. The lockers contain each student’s personal, valuable belongings, so protecting these items is a priority.
Contingency Plans
Creating a contingency plan is the best way to ensure immediate responsiveness should something change on the day of the event. For example, if the event is at the football stadium and it rains at the last minute, you’ll need to quickly decide whether your event will work in the auxiliary gym. This is something to consider depending on the event type and spatial demands.
Who Will Work the Event?
You must equip your event with the appropriate number of staff. You may only be able to make your best guess at overall attendance, but if you can equip your event in a similar manner to how you staff the school during a typical day, you can help bring balance and ensure appropriate staffing. For an estimated 20–25 guests, consider having 1–2 workers.
Additionally, suppose you create an in-school event committee. In that case, you can lean on this designated and trusted group of people when you need to help pull the event together, work on the details, and gain student awareness and involvement.
Student Involvement
Lastly, student involvement is a top consideration for school-hosted events. Not only do these events serve as a way to increase a student’s desire to attend school, but many college admissions boards enjoy seeing students participate in extracurricular committees and programs. Leverage your in-school event committee and pull on your student council to participate in and assist with the event.
There are many things to consider in regard to any type of school-hosted function. When these events are successful, the benefits of these situations can trickle into the local community and boost overall school morale.
