School assemblies are more than just a change from the school day routine. Assemblies serve a number of purposes, whether they are entertaining, educational or inspirational. Teachers and school administrators should plan assemblies that capture students’ attention and send them home with an important message or a new desire to learn.
School assemblies (usually a gathering of all students and faculty in the school auditorium or gymnasium) add value to a school’s curriculum and provide an emotional outlet for students, according to “The Role of the School Assembly” by Neil Hawkes of Living Values Education.
Assemblies can address what regular classes cannot, such as character education and bullying. They can also compliment classroom instruction in the areas of science and mathematics. A school assembly brings all members of a school together, creating a sense of community. Students and adults focus on one topic that is expressed through the assembly presentation, such as citizenship or environmental science.
Even for kindergarten and pre-K students, assemblies are a great learning experience. Younger students like these need to be part of groups with older students. They need to learn audience skills and the content of a well crafted school show will teach and entertain them also.
Faculty, staff and administrators should participate the assembly. Students enjoy their involvement and will later discuss the assemblies with adults. Assemblies also require adult supervision to maintain the positive environment.
Students continue to discuss school assemblies for months, using the insightful information they learned from expert guest speakers. Professional asembly presenters, like Dennis Regling of Dennis Regling Wonder Shows, will leave materials and worksheets that allow teachers to follow up on the assembly and keep the learning going after the show. Dennis Regling also provides hands on workshops for students that build and reinforce concepts presented in the assembly.
School assemblies are a great way to get students excited about the science fair or other school programs. A school show can also make a great reward for student achievement. But even a rewards program should be educational as well as fun.
Bringing students from different grade levels and their teachers into a fun learning asssembly is also a great way to build community. Students are with thier class and grade level so much of the time, it is needful and beneficial to bring the students and faculty together to remove feelings of isolation.
Whether a school hires a full time professional educator like Dr. Regling or brings in the local fire chief for a safety lesson, school assemblies are an important part of the learning and social environment of any school.