Ideas from Newport Elementary Student Council

TAKS - Student Council sponsors an annual TAKS Pep Rally  which involves all students as well as several high school students.  We hold this in order to boost the self-esteem and spirits of our children just prior to testing.  Members decorate for the pep rally as well as dance and cheer during it.  They are the greeters who welcome all peers into the gym.  Our Student Council president gives a speech asking all students to do their best and gives tips as to how to be successful. Student Council members also decorate the halls with posters of encouragement on TAKS days.

Relay for Life - Our children help coordinate efforts to earn donations for the American Cancer Society.  They have earned money through snack sales, "Bunny Basket" donations in which Easter baskets are filled and the baskets given to the children whose names are drawn from the donation box, donation boxes that are placed in classrooms, and various other fundraisers.  Our Student Council officers and their family members collect donations on their own and walk during the actual Relay for Life as well as purchase luminaries in honor or memory of students, parents of students, or staff members who have had cancer.

Field Trip - Last year our members took a field trip through the tunnel system of Houston, learning the importance of our city and it's surroundings as well as its leaders.

Mock Elections - Our group holds these each November, setting up voting booths complete with patriotic decorations.  Students learn the importance of the right to vote as well as that of having secret ballots.  Our members dress in red, white, and blue and wear what they call their "American hats" as they run the booths and tally votes.

- We began our year by taking a group of our members to the workshop in Mont Belvieu.  They each came back full of ideas and extra excitement about being leaders.

Special Needs Relays - Our members met at the high school track last spring to greet runners and guests who came for this special event.  They also worked as encouragers during the races.

- Student Council members weeded then planted bulbs and flowers in the beds in front of our school.

Courtesy - The children send cards and/or flowers to students who are hospitalized and those children and staff members who lose loved ones.  Books have been purchased by Student Council and donated to our school library in memory of loved ones.

Programs - Student Council members act as greeters at school programs and often say the pledge or give the welcome at the beginnings of programs.

Veterans' Day - Members act as hosts and hostesses at the annual Veteran's Day reception and program.  They dress in their red, white, and blue vests and hats and welcome the veterans and their guests, usher them into the library for the reception where they serve refreshments, then lead them into the cafeteria for the program.

Scholarships - We are proud to say that we gave two $500 scholarships last spring to seniors graduating from Crosby High School.  Our children worked extra hard in earning the money for these through fundraisers such as our Valentine flower sales.  We have done this annually for the past 4 years.

Community Center - Members perform Christmas carols at the center's annual Christmas celebration as well as adopt a snowman.  Our snowman is always dressed in one of our Student Council t-shirts.

Mount Battenhouse - Our children visit this assisted living center each December where they sing Christmas carols to and with the residents and this past year even had several of them up dancing.  We ask that each member come away from the visit knowing something about how the residents celebrated their Christmases as children.

Tsunami Relief - Members collected coins in their homerooms that were sent to aid the victims of the Tsunami.

Food Drive - A food drive was conducted in November to provide Thanksgiving meals for families in our community.

Afghanistan - A "PEP" drive provided paper, erasers, and pencils for children in Afghanistan. We are currently anticipating this year's election and can't wait to get started.

EB Foundation Research Collection - We had a student on campus last year who has EB.  They worked through the DebRA foundation collecting coins for research. I included their web site - very interesting.  In fact, Weston represented his class as a member of Student Council - in fact he was one of the students we brought to the Leaders R Us workshop last year.
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/boywhoseskinfelloff/boywhoseskinfelloff.html

School Board Appreciation Night - Student Council members went to the Board Appreciation Night and presented gifts to individual board members. It was a great opportunity to teach our student council members about the duties and responsibilities of school board members. Thank you again for your interest in our students and for all you do for Student Council.

Sincerely,
Kim Houser