PTO Today

Okay my fellow PTO'ers, I need your creative ideas! We are a 5th & 6th grade school with 1,200 students. We are holding our 1st annual faculty/student basketball game & spaghetti dinner, along with a silent auction, all of the profits from this event will be used to purchase new science lab equipment. We really do not have alot of participation at any of our events and really want to "talk up" this event. A local restaurant has given us a great deal on the dinner ($4.00 per person) several of our classes are creating baskets for our auction and we have our staff & students lined up for the basketball game. What fun and exciting things can we do to promote this event to the kids? How can we get a freindly "rivalry" going between the facult players and the student players? I really want to get them "charged" up ! IDEAS PLEASE!!!!

WOW! You've really got everything lined up. We've done similar events and have made things a little more interesting by have the losing team serve lunch to the winners. Both the kids and teachers really enjoyed it and, technically, there were no "winners" or "losers."

I love the lunch idea! I ran it by the teacher that is coodnating the basketball game and he thought it was a great idea too! I think we will do it! I hope the kids win! how fun would it be to have your teacher wait on you?! Any ideas on how we can advertise for this event? we need as much publicty as possible! I know I can count on all of you for ideas!

Got bad news last night, The principal said no to the lunch idea, she said everyone that is playing in the game are all at so many different places at lunch time that it is just not possible. Any other ideas on what we could do for our players? We are going to decorate the staff players classroom doors and the student players lockers. Thanks for your help!

How about stirring up the rivalry by letting the students decorate the staff doors and the staff decorate the student lockers?! That could be fun!

As for promoting your event to the rest of your school families: Push the idea of them not having to cook dinner($4 per person is a great price!), of the chance to win great prizes, and having a night away from the TV and video games and seeing an event the whole family can enjoy.

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You could also get the students fired up by having a poster contest. Students create a poster (tell them what size paper or provide it for them) promoting the event and then pick 1 winner from both grades with 6-8 honerable mentions. Display all winners and honerable mentions in a prominent location of the school (front lobby?) and make copies of the 2 winning designs to post at various locations in your community. (Grocery stores, laundromats, etc.) You could also use the winners in an email or flyer sent to all student families a week before the event.

Another idea is to hand out numbered tickets at the dinner, buy 3 dinners get 3 tickets, and then have a drawing after the game is over for a prize. (Gift Certificate for 4 to the restaraunt providing the dinner, a bike, a digital camera, or tickets to a pro sporting event) That will help keep people there for the game if you say they must be present to win.

Good luck with your fundraiser!!

make sure the game / rivalry is played up in the morning announcements. Come out and cheer on your champs.........who will win ?the the students with their youth and enerygy.....or the staff ...with skill and and experience/ stategy.....
maybe have the losing team wear t-shirts ....proclaiming the winners ROCK....
just a few ideas.

Are there any teachers that would agree to be cheerleaders? Especially the male ones!

Ask one of your village officials to announce the players. The mayor, village president, etc., participating might peak the interest of local papers. Make sure you send info on the game to your community papers and community cable channel. If you're part of a homeowners association or you have community newsletters, send them info to. Find a way to get a sports writer involved. Do you have your game refs in place? Maybe they could be popular players from the local college team. Create a poster and ask the restaurant supplying the dinners if they'll post it the week before the game. Send the info to TV and radio stations that have community calendars (do they still do this? Now that I'm suggesting it, I haven't seen/heard these type of announcements in quite a while. I guess I'm showing my age, LOL).

Last week we had our first every faculty vs. 5th graders volleyball game. All the kids in grades K-3 we asked to make signs that they could hold up and wave at the game. They could choose if they wanted to root for their teacher or the 5th graders. Too cute! Kind of goes along with Kriswm's poster contest idea. I also like the idea of one or two big prizes to be raffled off at the end of the game.

Work on getting someone considered a celebrity in your area to be the auctioneer. Is there a really funny, popular, etc., anchor or reporter on your local newscasts? Many times they'll announce their involvement on air before the event, and bring a cameraman with them at the event.