How to Host a School Assembly? (7 Steps)

How to Host a School Assembly? (7 Steps)

School assemblies are a great way to unify the school. Although you don’t have to host a school assembly, there are many benefits from having one. The student’s day-to-day can get repetitive, and school assemblies are a great way to break that. School assemblies can create school spirit, teach values, build new interests, and inspire.

From speaking at several school assemblies and talking to many staff members who are in charge of these assemblies, I have come up with seven steps on how you can successfully host a school assembly (virtually or in-person):

1. Pick an assembly theme.

What is the purpose of the school assembly you are hosting?

Some common themes are:

• bullying prevention
• mental health awareness
• your school themes
• beginning of the school year motivation
• closing out the school year
• standardized testing motivation
• promoting kindness
• awareness for some great cause

Those are just some of the many themes that you can choose for your school assembly. Once you select a theme for your school assembly, all your planning will revolve around this theme.

2. Set budget for assembly.

Money can be tight for your school, especially during this pandemic. Some schools apply for grant money or have money provided by the district for school activities, while other schools have no budget. First, see how much money you would need to fund the assemblies. You may want to include guest speakers, extra security, photographers/videographers, and booking a venue (if not at your school) in your budget.

Suppose your school does not have a budget and you still want to provide your students with the best experience possible. In that case, some schools may raise money through parents, teachers, local businesses, big businesses or create a crowdfunding website.

3. Pick a date and time which works for everyone and plan accordingly.

Check the calendar when you pick a date and time. Make sure it doesn’t fall in any religious holiday or during some standardized tests. Choose 2 – 3 dates and times. Then send a survey out to the teachers and staff to see which one would be the best.

Make sure it doesn’t interfere with lunch. You don’t want students to be annoyed for having a shortened lunch. It won’t be fair for any presenters or performers to have annoyed students who had to cut their lunchtime in half.

4. Choose the appropriate speaker or performer.

Based on your school theme and your budget, choose an appropriate speaker or performer. Here are some traits you should be looking for when selecting the right person. They don’t have to have all these traits, but having some of these will make sure you get your money’s worth and be more impactful.

• entertaining
• funny
• inspirational
• relatable
• educational
• passionate
• confident
• authentic

Remember this when you book a speaker or performer. More expensive does not mean better. Many upcoming people are trying to get their name out there who are just as good. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to spend more on someone you like. Many who have a high price, charge that much for a reason. They were able to create a demand for their services. Keep both options in mind when choosing a speaker. If you don’t have a high performer or speaker budget and want to book someone with a higher price, you can always go the fundraising route.

You can find these speakers through referrals, google, social media, past performers/speakers.

If you are looking for a resiliency, anti-bullying, and inspirational speaker, then click here.

5. Find a way to make the school assembly fun and interactive.

You are going to have different student reactions to assemblies. You are going to have students who don’t care. Then you will have students who only want to go to assemblies because they are missing class. Finally, you are going to have the students who love school assemblies. Please find a way to make it interesting for all three groups.

As a school administrator or someone in charge of assemblies, you should always survey your students. See what students are interested in and what challenges they are facing. Just because a school assembly was a success in one school or a success seven years ago doesn’t mean it will be interesting at your school in the present time.

Always be accessing your audience. Find a theme that is appropriate to what students are facing now and find a speaker that can make it interesting for the audience.

Schedule events during the assemblies where you get audience participation.

6. Advertise your assembly

Let your school, community, and parents know what you are planning. Create flyers and email them to teachers/parents well in advance. Post-event flyers on your social media accounts to let your community know.

Parents will see you are actively engaging with their children. It lets the community know that you are a fun school. Parents will feel incentivized in the future to enroll their children at your school. It is a free advertisement.

7. Make sure all the logistics are taken care of.

The day of the assembly can be stressful if you are the assembly planner. You want everything to go smoothly. Here is a checklist to make sure you have all the logistics taken care of:

• Teachers and parents are informed well in advance

• Speakers or performers are booked. Make sure you have a written agreement between participating parties, submit a down payment in advance, collect their W9, get the introduction for them, and see what type of equipment they may need.

• Appropriately set up audio and visual equipment.

• Send a media release form to parents if you are planning to take pictures and videos during the assemblies

• Have an assembly schedule and printed out a program to provide to the students

• If virtual, make sure to create a zoom event and send a calendar invite.

• Make sure everyone who is participating has clear and written expectations.

• Have good speeches prepared and make sure anyone participating has their part ready.

• Have a feedback form ready to hand to staff and students in the end, to make the assembly ready.

Conclusion

I hope you found this article helpful on how to host a school assembly.

It may seem like a lot of work to have a school assembly, but don’t underestimate its benefits. It’s better to over-prepare than to feel underprepared. Students can leave feeling inspired and feel they are part of a community. Don’t try to do it all alone, even though it may be your job. Ask for help and delegate. Best of luck!