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Rallies > How Other Schools Succeeded
S.O.A.R.Senioritis kicks is, Renaissance is no longer an incentive — ah yes third quarter has just begun. Our Finish Strong program, which takes Renaissance all the way to the end of senior year, decided that our seniors needed a kick in the pants to get them fired up for the last part of their senior year so we created SOAR — Seniors Only Academic Rally. In a rally exclusively for seniors we celebrated achievement, improvement and inspiration. The rally was a surprise. We called the senior class into our cafeteria, they entered to the celebratory sounds of We are The Champions. We handed out Finish Strong bracelets to replace those that had been lost. The rally started with a short video of Nick Vujicic expressing the finish strong message. We then honored about 30 students who were picked by their teachers as most achieved, most inspirational and most improved. Our principal announced the Valedictorian and Salutatorian so that they could be recognized by their peers. And for the big finish, each student received a cup of apple cider and we toasted to Finish Strong — our pledge is this: "Regardless of what came before or of what has yet to come, what matters most right now is how I choose to respond to the challenge before me. The choice is mine and I choose to FINISH STRONG". We opened the floor and allowed the class to toast each other — the students loved this. After the rally we held a reception for all the award winners in a classroom with treats donated by the parents. Our seniors are fired up, feel exceptional and are ready to kick some second semester you know what! For more information about S.O.A.R. please contact Melanie.Lindsey@ventura.usd.org Star Wars at Gladden Middle School
Part One It was a dark day for young princess Leia. You see, it was the day she would receive her report card. As her star cruiser prepared to dock at the Gladden Intergalactic School of Knowledge and Learning, Leia felt a sick feeling rise up in her stomach. For you see, Leia had not been the most exemplary youngling at school during the last term. First, her school attendance had stunk worse than a wet wookie. Second, when she did attend school, she paid attention in class like she was in hypersleep. Third, instead of completing her homework and class assignments, she spent all of her time riding her hoverboard, playing Jedi Force 3000 on her Playstation 3000AZ Century 3 game pod, and watching re-runs of Star Wars Episodes 10,000 – 11,000 on her personal plasma transponder. Last, she had become as disrespectful to her teachers as a stormtrooper to Master Yoda himself. “Master Yoda, that’s it!” she thought to herself. He was the only one who could help her now. He would know what to do. If he couldn’t help, then she would surely face her Final Jump when her parents saw her report card. When Master Yoda arrived, for he sensed Leia needed his help, he was very disappointed. “Been a bad student you have youngling.” Yoda stated. Leia could not deny it. “Make a way to fix this problem, I will” said Yoda. “Go back in time, you will, to last term.” Then, in the blink of an eye, Leia found herself 3 months in the past, at the beginning of her last term at school. She was so excited to be given another chance to make things right. She knew what she had to do ... Introduction of Connections and Bronze Award Winners
Part Two Princess Leia was so excited to have a second chance to do better this term. She had decided that she would attend school every day, even if she didn’t feel like it. So she set out to school the first day. She had all her materials, including her books, writing mechanisms, and student agenda. She had planned on paying attention, participating in class, obeying her teachers, and even finishing her homework. Little did she know what obstacles she would face ... (Darth Vader enters from the back of the gym as Imperial March plays) Leia was in shock at the sight of her arch enemy, Darth Vader. What was he doing here? Just as she started to enter the school, he stepped in her way. “Why, Princess Leia, what ever do you think you’re doing? You must have forgotten about the all day Jedi Force Marathon today on the plasma transponder. You surely don’t want to miss that, do you?” She had forgotten to set her transponder to record the marathon. If she skipped school and went home, she wouldn’t have to miss it. But she couldn’t. She had to do better this time and attending school was at the top of her list. So she turned back and went inside the school to her first class. Much to her dismay, Vader followed her. During class, he hovered over her, trying to distract her. No one else could see him for he wore an invisibility cloak to hide himself from the other younglings. All day, he tried to keep her from doing her best in school. He hid her materials from her, he tripped her as she was going forward to work a problem on the board, he threw something at the learning master so she got in trouble. Leia didn’t know what to do. If she stayed out the next day, surely Vader would leave her alone. But, if she didn’t do well this term, she would get a bad report card, face certain death at home, and disappoint Master Yoda. She had to try ... Part Three Princess Leia arrived at school early the next day to try and reason with Vader. Without Leia’s knowledge, Master Yoda followed her to school that day, too. When Vader tried to stop Leia from entering school, Yoda fought him off. When Vader tried to distract Leia in class or get her into trouble, Yoda was there protecting her. You see, Yoda was her teacher, too, and wanted to see her succeed. All day long, he stood up for Leia and fought off the Dark Lord. However, Yoda knew that he could not be there every day. He knew Leia had to face Vader and defeat him once and for all. After school that day, Yoda confronted Leia with the news that she would face Vader alone and that the Force would guide her. She was afraid, but she knew that if she wanted to succeed in school, then she had to defeat all the obstacles that Vader threw her way. She had to attend school. She had to pay attention in class. She had to do her assignments and finish her homework. She had to respect her teachers. All of this would land her a great report card. Princess Leia was determined to win. She had to ... Part Four (Leia and Vader fight with lightsabers) (Leia wins and Vader lies defeated on the stage) She did it! Princess Leia had defeated the Dark Lord once and for all! All of her hard work had paid off. Suddenly, she found herself flashing forward to the last day of the term, the day she would receive her report card. This time, however, Leia couldn’t wait to see her grades. She knew she had done her best, tried her hardest, and no one, not even the Dark Lord himself, could deny that. No matter what the report card said, Leia was a winner. For more information, contact Shalina Jackson at shalina.jackson@murray.k12.ga.us
Bebright: Open Book + Open Mind = Endless Possibilities Sierra Vista Jr. High School 2009 Spring Pep Rally
North Hall High Renaissance Rally and Meet the Trojans Night
Peace, Love and Renaissance filled the Trojan Brickyard at the latest Renaissance and Meet the Trojans Night. Seven-hundred and eighty-one students were honored for achieving academic excellence in the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Perfect Attendance. The Academic Award Winners from all levels ran through a huge banner made by the football cheerleaders that read Peace, Love and Renaissance. While still on the field all the students performed the "Trojan Shuffle" for the audience! Parents, community members and the rest of the student body were treated to a humorous skit depicting "That 70's Show". Staff members: Candi Clark (Jackie), Cynthia Greer (Donna), Harold Daniels (Kelso), Jonathan Lillie (Eric), Kenny Childs (Fez) and Coach David Hartis (Hyde) acted out a scene where the group was involved in a discussion about levels of Renaissance and at the same time recognized all those in the rally who had earned each level of the cards. Bronze cards were awarded to 306 students. Two-hundred and ninety-five students received Silver. Gold cards were received by ninety-six students and Platinum had fifty-eight students who qualified. Twenty-six students had perfect attendance. The skit was introduced by Frema Awuku and Lauren Krebbs. During the skit four games were played by grade level in order to "crown" a winner for the rally at the end of Dress a Hippie, Disco Spoons, Pop a Balloon, and the Scavenger Hunt. At the end of the rally, the Senior Class had accrued the most points and every Senior present won a I Love North Hall t-shirt! Taylor Bishop and Megan Cox along with the Ms. Buffington's Office Interns and Candi Clark's Peer Leadership Class were recognized for their hard work in organizing the rally. The performance by the theatre students was Don't You Want Somebody to Love and the Competition Cheerleaders presented one of their competition routines for the event. Senior, Cody Savage and The Backwoods Band played two songs that were enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Mr. Gheesling introduced his staff of North Hall High School. Special guest were new staff members: Ruth Hall, Holly Redeker, Robert Kellogg and Melanie Doster. Special recognition went to our new Teacher of the Year, Marjorie Hinkley. Mrs. Hinkley was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a door plaque for her classroom. Ms. Buffington then presented to coveted "I Inspire" Awards to those staffulty who earned the most votes by students who earned Renaissance Cards. Those receiving trophies were: Coach Brian Smith for “I Inspire Bronze”; Brenda Barger, four time winner of the "I Inspire Silver"; Brenda Barger also took home the trophy for "I Inspire Gold"; and Jeff Chandler won the "I Inspire Platinum" for the second rally in a row! The staffulty who earned the Hero Award for unsung hero of our school as voted on by the entire student body wasn't one person at all; it was a group, our Lunchroom Ladies! All winners of the trophy also got a fifty dollar gift card from Renaissance. Cross Country, Varsity Competition Cheerleaders, Volleyball and the Softball Team were all introduced by former student, Courtney Allen. Alan Kirkland, Band Director for North Hall presented his 2009 Marching Trojans and unveiled the World Famous Trojan T for the first time on our field! As the T was coming toward the field house it emerged as a tunnel for our 2009 Trojan Football Team to enter and come onto the field. The Trojans threw the I Love NTH t-shirts into the crowd and everyone loved it! A North Hall Rally would not be complete with out a Spirit Stick Contest! Teacher, Kerry Whitlock and worthy assistants along with their hand decibel meter encouraged each grade level to sing the Trojan Fight Song as loud as they could. After four boisterous renditions the Senior Class came out with the largest decibel reading! The spirit stick was awarded to the Seniors until the next rally! In closing Ms. Buffington quoted James Michener about mastering the art of living and the distinction between work and play. If done correctly she reminded us, it is hard to tell the difference! Mr. Gheesling thanked everyone for a great evening and ended the night with his traditional … Go Trojans!!! 2008 Jostens Renaissance Spring Rally Renaissance Academic Pep Fest
 Two weeks prior to Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) tests, Northdale Middle School (NMS) hosted an academic pep fest. Our theme was Reaching for AYP (academic yearly progress) Stars - since the better students do on the tests, the more stars we receive on our MN annual school report card. We stressed the importance for students to "Show What You Know." We highlighted the many strategies that had prepared students for the standardized tests (e.g., weekly reading and math strategies in homeroom, curriculum embedded within their classes, writing process prompts, constructed response techniques, testing verbs, test anxiety sessions, etc.). We decided to coordinate our theme by working with our 2 feeder high schools. We asked some talented groups from Blaine High School (BHS) and Coon Rapids High School to come and perform to our students; their performances were illustrations of how dedication, concentration and hard work pays off. Our district possesses a transition program for our students. The high school LinK Crew students talked briefly to our middle schoolers about the importance of doing well on the tests. Other activities incorporated within the pep fest included: break dance & hip hop dance performers, a rousing performance by the BHS drum line, a local American Legion Color Guard flag presentation, a BHS student who sang Aretha Franklin songs, our very own NMS Jazz Band, a skit performed by our Renaissance Action Team (i.e., we incorporated the "YMCA" song and had adults dressed as Math Woman, Mad Scientist, Dr. Seuss and Globe Lady). We culminated the event with the Renaissance Starfish DVD that was shown @ the Orlando National Conference. A popular piece of our rally was to add a cheer challenge. We had prepped students in all 3 grades of their cheer verses. Each grade competed against each other for prizes. Local merchants donated prize giveaways. For example, 2 bikes were given to students who had demonstrated character development or academic achievement. The students enrolled in our Renaissance course elective (Leadership, Service & Recognition) were very active in planning and presenting the event. The event proved to be a huge success. It offered a reward celebration for students working hard prior to 4 days of stat e tests; and the timing allowed for a more serious approach to the tests immediately prior to testing. For more information, contact Laurie Jacklitch at Laurie.Jacklitch@anoka.k12.mn.us
2008 Jostens Renaissance Spring Rally 
 Click an image above to see a slide show of the 2008 Rally. Renaissance Idea (ROCK STAR!) Renaissance... It's about recognizing children for the good things that they do. Renaissance... It's about thanking our staffulty who dedicate their lives to children. What about the parents? The people who are the first teachers of our children? The people who support our schools? The people who support Renaissance and its purpose? That's the reason for the Parent Rally. Renaissance... It's about honoring parents, too. The Hartford School Staffulty held a parent rally to thank parents for their efforts with their children, for supporting our school and staffulty, and to introduce them to the Renaissance program. The rally included recognition of parents who model the importance of reading by doing so themselves or reading with their children on a daily basis. Parents who volunteer in the schools were thanked for their donation of time. Parents of card holders were recognized for the hard work they do with their children day in and day out. On this fun-filled and informative evening, parents participated in relay races and trivia games. There was dancing and singing. Prizes donated by local businesses were given away. The meaning of Renaissance was communicated to all through videos and presentations by the principal, Steven Bollar. The bleachers were lined with students, parents, and staffulty who continually cheered on those who participated in the games. Following the rally, parents and students were invited into the cafeteria for refreshments and other Renaissance related activities. Information on school programs was available for families to take home. There were opportunities to purchase Renaissance items and participate in fund-raising games. Staffulty volunteers were available to speak to parents and students and assist with the activities. 
Burlington High School Grade Assembly We have an annual assembly that lasts approximately two hours long that we fill with fun games and performing groups with prizes for those that receive above a 3.0 GPA. Each year, we have shirts made that represent 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 and give them out accordingly for achievement. Sporadically throughout the assembly, prizes are drawn randomly using a randomizing program that is projected onto the wall. (Prizes range from ipods to gift certificates all the way to a sucker). The prizes are hidden in cases and the student gets to come pick their prize, but it is a way to keep interest throughout the assembly and create a suspense for those that do well. For perfect attendance, all student that had perfect attendance are brought to the front and enter their names for a $500 scholarship. For those that don't reach the 3.0 GPA category, they have an opportunity to compete in the competitions but they are not eligible to receive the prizes for outstanding behavior. All the mean while, hysterical little events take place during the assembly. For instance, two persistent male students compete (wearing dresses) to be one of the "Deal of No Deal" girls. Little comical video clips are played and a DJ is hired to play music during the transition of events. When we have enough funding, we try to hire a motivational speaker that will talk about why academics are so important. Overall, the students leave the assembly with something to talk about for the rest of the day and the assembly is overall just a fun experience for all while encouraging those of low GPA's to raise their grades so maybe next year they might be eligible for those incentives. For this event, you can chose what theme you would like than get your cheerleaders, drum line, color guard, and dance teams involved. For more information, contact Jared Hanel at BHSpeaches64@aol.com Fall 2007 Renaissance Rally Script 
 Kiss the Pig Contest 
This year our academic pep rally was a country western them: Academic Round Up! In order to generate excitement and make money, we held a Kiss the Pig contest. The staff member who won the contest had to kiss a pig during the academic pep rally (picture attached). Our Renaissance coordinator took pictures of staff members kissing a stuffed pig and the pictures were part of the morning video announcements during the week leading up to the rally. The pictures were also made into posters that were displayed during the lunch periods. Students voted during the week for the staff member they wanted to see kiss the pig by putting money into the staff member's container. The staff really enjoyed "campaigning" for students to vote for other staff members, and the students enjoyed voting for their "favorite" teachers. This fund raiser was very sucessful. We had 63 staff members participate and collected $250. For more information, contact Kate Colonel at Katie.colonel@foresthills.edu North Crowley Renaissance Celebrations North Crowley Ninth Grade honors students each six weeks for A and A/B honor roll, E Citizenship, Perfect Attendance, Reading Achievement, Character Connections (a district wide commitment to integrate character education into the culture of the school), and Prestigious Panthers (a program which recognizes students for improvement of academics and social behaviors). We proudly named these recognitions our Renaissance Celebrations. North Crowley Ninth Grade has an approximate student population of six hundred and twenty students. We kicked off the year by introducing Renaissance, our Renaissance I Celebration. Four hundred and fourteen students were recognized for their achievements. Parents and community members were invited to share in the honors of the students and the staff. Renaissance II Celebration, a party hosted in the North Crowley Ninth Grade gym, honored three hundred and forty three students with food, games, fun and personal recognition, as well as honoring the staff and parents for all of their hard work. Renaissance III Celebration was a trip to Ci-Ci's Pizza with three hundred and seventy eight students being recognized. What a great opportunity to enjoy time away from school to truly celebrate the students' efforts. Renaissance IV Celebration spotlighted our largest number of students, four hundred and fifty eight, with an exhilarating trip to Arlington Skatium. Currently, plans are being finalized for two final Renaissance Celebrations: a Renaissance People's Choice Awards and our 1 st Annual Operation Commitment to Graduation. Renaissance has forever changed our school culture. Thank you Jostens, for having the vision to create an innovative and inspiring friend called Renaissance. 2007 Jostens Renaissance National Conference Rally 
 Click an image above to see a slide show of the 2007 Rally. Academic Excellence - A Celebration of Stars Dancing with the Super Stars Student Recognition Picnic We held the picnic in late October, each student received a person invite, received a picnic lunch and were congratulated by parents and administration. The picnic was held on the football field (it's enclosed) with games and music. I had parents, teachers, and administration volunteer to cut sandwiches and serve lunch to the deserving students. It was a huge success and over 500 students showed up for the recognition lunch. Renaissance Hollywood Style Fall 2006 Renaissance Rally Script Superhero Rally They had no idea what it was until the big event. The week leading up to the pep rally we had variuos spirit days including Super 70's Day and Wacky Tacky Day to get the kids pumped for the pep rally. On pep rally day students and teachers dressed as their favorite superhero. The pep rally was a big success. One of the teachers volunteered to ride his motorcycle into the gym dressed as Batman. Another teacher, the MC for the big event, rode in with him dressed as Cat Woman. The teachers performed several skits to show the students what Renaissance was all about. There were prizes given away. There was also a "torment the teacher" contest where students had given money to see their favorite teacher tormented. They were duct taped to the wall, sprayed with silly string, and pied in the face. We recognized our sports teams for the fall as well as our teacher of the year. We also recognized students who had won top prizes in a recent school fundraiser. At the end of the pep rally our counselor sung "Hero" by Mariah Carey, and Batman and Cat Woman rode off into the sunset. For more information, contact Kristal Mounds at kmonds@catoosa.k12.ga.us Minnesota - Land of 10,000 Renaissance Ideas Class Competition The Renaissance team holds two rallies every year; one in the fall and one in the spring. During each rally students with the top five averages in each grade are recognized as well as students with outstanding attitudes. In addition to giving out awards, there are class competitions, live entertainment, and tons of prizes. The winner of the class competition wins a movie day for their entire class that will be shown at a later date. The rallies bring the students at Lexington High together while promoting academic excellence. It encourages the students to strive for success at school and in life. Unwinding after the Rally planning grind After all the work and congratulations on a job well done for our Academic Pep Assembly, we realize that we all need to plan something FUN! We've worked hard all year and finals are looming closer and closer. So we plan a FUN NIGHT for Renaissance members and advisors. What do we do? We play kickball! Yes, kickball! Everyone knows how to play and almost no one is injured because it's all for fun. We get silly (and sweaty), laugh a LOT, and eat pizza afterward. Sometimes we have free throw contests too. We reserve our Multipurpose Room in case it rains. Otherwise, we play outdoors and then come in for pizza and refreshments. It gives everyone a chance to relax and forget about all the hard work it takes to have a successful Renaissance program. The bonus is that we're all so relaxed that we often come up with our best ideas for the next year without really trying. |
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