Week 0 Challenge
Title: Blast From the Past
Description: Contact recognizable alumni from your school to craft short "good luck" messages to your students for the new school year!
Process:
**I will leave this here for all of you. I will leave it up to you to follow through with this, or perhaps not...what type of leader do you want to be? ~Morty
Description: Contact recognizable alumni from your school to craft short "good luck" messages to your students for the new school year!
Process:
- Create a short list of alumni to contact early in the week. These alumni can include:
- Recognizable students from last school year
- Teachers who have recently retired
- Notable alumni from years past
- Ask your alumni to film short cell phone videos wishing your students good luck for the new year. The more creative the videos, the better!
- Finally, post videos as you receive them throughout the week. Be sure to comment and show appreciation for the engagement!
**I will leave this here for all of you. I will leave it up to you to follow through with this, or perhaps not...what type of leader do you want to be? ~Morty
Week 1 Challenge
Title: Your Leadership Liaison!
Description: Work with your campus administration to personally connect with new transfer students on campus.
Process:
Description: Work with your campus administration to personally connect with new transfer students on campus.
Process:
- Collaborate with your advisor and staff digitally to create an email list of new transfer students.
- Split up the list amongst various student leaders. The goal of this activity is for all of your leaders to connect with new students!
- Send a message to each transfer welcoming them to your school. This email can include (but is not limited to):
- Helpful information about your school culture
- Highlights from last school year
- Amazing club opportunities to explore
- Tips for having an incredible school year
- Fun facts about various staff members
- NOTE: Please be sure to CC your advisor on this email!
- Finally, let your transfers know that you would love to highlight them on social media! After you collect a list of interested students, post on your school Instagram and flood the comments with positivity!
Week 2 Challenge
Title: Secret Spotlight!
Description: Create an ongoing chain of positivity and student-driven shoutouts on your social media page!
Process:
Description: Create an ongoing chain of positivity and student-driven shoutouts on your social media page!
Process:
- Begin by selecting 5 of your school's Instagram followers to shout out in the form of "Secret Spotlights".
- Early in the week, create posts highlighting each student for their positive impact on your campus. The post should include a picture of the student along with a few positive comments showcasing their contributions to your school.
- Immediately after posting each "Secret Spotlight", personally message all 5 students and ask for them to secretly nominate a new student to highlight. They will be responsible for sharing their name, grade, and a few positive facts about them.
- Next, create a post showcasing your new "Secret Spotlight"! Repeat the trend as many times as possible to maintain positive momentum.
- The key to this activity is noting that each spotlight is coming from the student body, not merely leadership.
Week 3 Challenge
This week is all about small and consistent giving. Let's get to work!
Title: Digital Designs!
Description: Create school spirit themed backgrounds for students to use for distance learning and/or their phone's home screen.
Process:
Title: Digital Designs!
Description: Create school spirit themed backgrounds for students to use for distance learning and/or their phone's home screen.
Process:
- Meet digitally with your fellow leaders to brainstorm various school-themed backgrounds.
- Depending on your school's current situation, you can focus on Zoom backgrounds, iPhone wallpaper, or even Chromebook desktop images. The more you decide to create, the better!
- Using the program of your choice, create various backgrounds that students can utilize to show their school spirit. Need help creating something? Not to worry! We've included links below to help!
- Finally, distribute your various backgrounds on your social media profile throughout the week! This is a simple way to create future spirit days that aren't dependent on dressing up or feeling uncomfortable.
Week 4 Challenge - DONE!
Title: I'm Most Proud Of...
Description: Collaborate with your school's staff to collect and distribute uplifting posts on social media.
Process:
Description: Collaborate with your school's staff to collect and distribute uplifting posts on social media.
Process:
- With the help of your fellow student leaders, generate a list of staff members to contact for this week's activity.
- In your email, ask staff members to create a short video for your Instagram page.
- This video should follow the following format: "I'm proud of my students for...
- Finally, post these videos throughout the week!
Week 5 - Challenge
Title: Fall Vibes
Description: Create music playlists and movie watchlists for students to get into the holiday spirit and practice self-care.
Process:
Description: Create music playlists and movie watchlists for students to get into the holiday spirit and practice self-care.
Process:
- With the help of your fellow student leaders, create lists of fall-themed songs and movies for students to watch during their free time.
- Using an easy generator like Canva (which you used a couple of weeks ago), develop branded titles and avatars for your lists.
- Finally, use social media to distribute your lists throughout the week!
- While we can certainly ask students to contribute to our lists, the key is to give first and emphasize self-care.
Week 6 - Challenge
Title: When I Was Young
Description: Contact notable elementary school teachers and staff to create short "Keep Your Head Up" messages for your students.
Process:
Description: Contact notable elementary school teachers and staff to create short "Keep Your Head Up" messages for your students.
Process:
- With the help of your fellow student leaders, create lists of notable elementary staff members.
- Staff members can include teachers, non-teaching faculty, and anyone else who made your childhood experiences memorable.
- Using your school's district website, look-up email addresses for each staff member.
- Email each staff member asking them to create a short video for your school's social media account. The goal of each video is to encourage students to be positive and keep their heads held high.
- Finally, post the videos on your program's social media for all to see
Week 7 - Challenge
Title: Pumpkin Carve-Off!
Description: Challenge the various clubs and organizations at your school to compete in a pumpkin carving competition!
Process:
Description: Challenge the various clubs and organizations at your school to compete in a pumpkin carving competition!
Process:
- With the help of your fellow student leaders, create a series of clubs and organizations on campus. Try to include as many organizations as possible!
- IMPORTANT: Rather than posting on Instagram asking for clubs to participate in your event, privately message each of your organizations to invite them to participate. This simple change will be essential to a successful competition.
- Clubs will have 1 week to design, create, and submit a picture of their pumpkin carving. The more creative, the better!
- Finally, post each finished carving on your account for students to see and vote on! The goal here is to create as much positive engagement as possible!
Week 8 - Challenge
Title: Spooky Stories LIVE!
Description: Use your campus Instagram account to go LIVE with spooky stories, s'mores creations, and/or any other festive events!
Process:
Description: Use your campus Instagram account to go LIVE with spooky stories, s'mores creations, and/or any other festive events!
Process:
- Brainstorm various LIVE events with your fellow student leaders.
- These events can include (but are not limited to):
- Spooky stories
- S'mores recipes
- Halloween themed baking competitions
- Netflix watch parties of popular movies
- Halloween-themed live trivia
- After each event has concluded, be sure to use your social media accounts to spotlight any/all students who participated
Week 9 - Challenge
Title: Self-Care 2020!
Description: Utilizing your program's social media account, give daily self-care challenges with an election-themed png.
Process:
Description: Utilizing your program's social media account, give daily self-care challenges with an election-themed png.
Process:
- To begin, create an election-themed .png file in Canva with the slogan "Self-Care 2020!".
- Next, work with your fellow leaders to create a series of self-care challenges for students to complete this week. Challenges can include (but are not limited to):
- Take a Walk
- Go to Bed Early
- Make Some Relaxing Tea
- Play with Your Pet
- Take a Screen Break
- If possible, emphasize the use of pictures over text in these posts.
- Finally, post each themed challenge on your social media platform!
Week 10 Challenge
Title: What Makes Our Community Special
Description: Working with your fellow leaders, challenge students to share what makes your campus community unique.
Process:
Description: Working with your fellow leaders, challenge students to share what makes your campus community unique.
Process:
- Begin by creating a short series of social media posts highlighting what makes your school special.
- After posting a few to your program's account, privately message students asking for them to share their own highlights.
- As the week progresses, post students' highlights while also giving them recognition for sharing.
- Like last week, emphasize the use of pictures over text in these posts.
Week 11 Challenge
Title: Giving Thanks
Description: Challenge students to create short videos of gratitude for teachers and faculty.
Process:
Description: Challenge students to create short videos of gratitude for teachers and faculty.
Process:
- As leaders, begin the week by creating short videos of gratitude to various staff members.
- After posting a number of these to your program's Instagram account early in the week, privately message some of your followers asking for them to do the same.
- Throughout the week, continue to post videos as they are submitted to you.
- Finally, be sure to get creative! Feel free to challenge past alumni, transfer students, or even campus administrators.
