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May Project Ideas
Project Ideas for the Month of... May
Teacher Appreciation Week is a perfect time to recognize the men and women "who touch the future." Here are some projects to serve others by recognizing our teachers.
1. Proclaim Teacher Appreciation Week with letters to the Mayor, the School Board, and elected leaders asking them to issue a proclamation honoring local teachers.
2. Publicize the value of teachers with banners, public service announcements, and editorials.
3. Present certificates and tokens of appreciation to faculty.
4. Paint the Teachers' Room. Use profits from school fundraiser to donate a microwave, plants, or a comfortable chair for free period enjoyment.
5. Plant a tree in honor of the school faculty. Hold a schoolyard dedication.
6. Plan and serve a faculty breakfast or lunch. Enlist parents and administrators to help.
7. Perform student written skits about great educators (ex. Mary McLeod Bethune, Annie Sullivan, Christa McAuliffe, Booker T. Washington) for the entire community.
8. Praise teachers with a student organized Poetry Reading.
More Teacher Appreciation Week Web Sites
Since 1985, Americans have set aside the first Monday through Sunday in May to publicly acknowledge the enormous range of government services and to thank the millions of federal, state, county and local employees who contribute to the quality of our lives. Here are some ways for young people to reflect on civic responsibilities, consider public service careers, and pay tribute to our nation's unsung heroes.
1. Notable Quotes Feature the words of famous figures on posters that pay tribute to government service. Display posters in schools, community centers, and public buildings.
2. Public Service Fair Hold a Service Learning Fair in the school library. Include career information on folks responsible for safe and healthy communities.
3. Tour de Force Contact Town or City Hall officials for a student visit. Study backgrounds and functions of each department pre-tour. Be prepared to ask informed questions during tour. Send Thank You notes post-tour.
4. Wall of Public Service Mount butcher paper on an interior wall near school office. Provide markers and invite school staff, students, and parents to name or illustrate key Public Servants in their lives.
5. Story Time Arrange to talk and read about Community Helpers with youngsters at a local library or childcare center. Distribute student made bookmarks celebrating Public Servants and their roles.
6. Service on Stage View or read about real life problems and how Public Service helps solve them. Dramatize and present skits to invited classes.
7. Fundraiser Organize a School Bake Sale or Car Wash saluting past and present Armed Forces Members. Donate proceeds to the USO, the Red Cross, or a local homeless Veterans Center.
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, means more than summer's first long weekend. Rooted in our nation's history, it signals us to honor Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice. Students who reflect and act on the true meaning of this day will ensure that its sacred traditions will be forever observed:
1. Research Memorial Day History. Share it with younger children.
2. Take a virtual tour of Washington D.C.'s War Memorials. Post student reflections on the Remembrances and Condolences page of the PBS National Memorial Day Concert.
3. Read about Women in the Military Service for America Memorial. Contact local veterans organizations to identify former service women who would agree to Oral History Interviews. Publish interviews in school or local newspapers.
4. Collaborate with veterans on How to Observe Memorial Day. Form teams to help with the decoration of veterans' graves and local monuments.
5. Keep veterans' memories green by planting trees in tribute to their service.
6. Collect toiletries and other personal essentials. Donate them to a local veterans homeless shelter.
7. Support our troops by sending monthly letters to service men and women through Operation Enduring Response.
8. Create and bring holiday cards to hospitalized veterans at local Veterans Health Administration Facilities.
9. Organize a schoolwide Memorial Day assembly. Invite a veteran as keynote speaker.
10. Adopt a local cemetery. Photograph and inventory veterans' graves. Present results to municipality and veterans' organizations.