I've worked to improve our presence with the middle schools that feed into my school. I send down enough papers for the 8th graders each time we publish, send kids down to mentor younger kids, and recruit through the 8th grade language arts and gifted education teachers. All of that means nothing if I don't put on a good show at our 8th Grade Information Night. What an event!
Our 8th Grade night is SHOW TIME! I wear my nicest suit (and heels...ouch), get a diverse group of my kids to "clean up real good," create professional brochures and hang my Quill and Scroll banner. The rub is that every other elective program is there "to win" as well. One thing that I've got that they don't is Quill and Scroll. The fact that Quill and Scroll is an internationally recognized honor society plays really well with the incoming freshman.
Finally, it means something to my kids as well. Quill and Scroll requires students work on a publication and also rank in the upper 1/3 of their class to be eligible. They feel it is a real honor and it comes with one extra perk...honor cords. Our seniors may only decorate their graduation robes with honor cords from nationally recognized honors organizations. Quill and Scroll sells their lovely blue and gold cords with or without a pendant. Even my kids who forget every permission form and have to be tracked down for shirt or snack money ALWAYS bring the fee for Quill and Scroll (only $13). I pay for the cords out of my budget ($6 or $9 with the pendant). Quill and Scroll is run out of the University of Iowa. Here's the link to their website.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~quill-sc/membership/schoolcharter.html
They're easy to work with and ship quickly. Have fun building your brand.
Debbie Glenn
Blue Valley West High School
Overland Park, KS
What a really good idea, Debbie. Our kids are looking for ways to get honors, and I never thought of the Quill and Scroll. Thanks
ReplyDelete-- Steve Caswell
Thanks for the "news you can use," Debbie.
ReplyDeleteYour tips about getting newspapers into the hands of middle school kids helped out this classmate who hasn't yet had to deal with these issues (since my school has yet to open). Thanks, Debbie. I feel empowered.
ReplyDeleteRhonda Dickens
Chisholm Trail High School
Fort Worth, Texas
This helps a lot. I am thinking of combining this with subscription sales. Right now, we do not sell subscriptions, and after what I learned yesterday, I see this as having potential to bring in the funds. Alan's building your brand idea really got me thinking,and I look forward to hearing from the rest of us about recruiting students.
ReplyDeleteJackie Ludka
Pleasant Valley H.S
Brodheadsville, Pa
My students love the fact that there's an honor's club. You can buy honor cords for your seniors, and they love wearing them during graduation. My students are very competitive. (The last two years our Valedictorians have had perfect SAT scores.) The students look for anything to boost their college resumes and make them stand out a little.
ReplyDeleteI've also entered the Quill and Scroll newspaper contests both years. One of my writers won an award for a story he wrote, and by doing so, he was eligible to apply for a scholarship.
Donna Owen