Creative Ways to Help Our Schools

by Karen Norval

I have found the last five years to be filled with opportunity once I got out of the church (I mean in specific ministry, not the church itself...haha) and into the schools.

But I had to go well beyond the list of 30 things (previous post) to be accepted, respected, and utilized within the schools.  

Although most of these ideas took some major work and are fairly long-term, they, like any ministry, address specific needs of a population, which then allows relationships to build, conversations to take place and gets the job done. I have so much more, but here is a beginning to think about.  

  1. Create a landscape plan for an area of school students and parents drive by or hang in with frequency. Go to the school's principal, make sure it's all ok, then donate it, plant it, and let the perennials make the point.  
  2. Coach teams or run theatre programs for late elementary and middle school kids. You will then have great relationships with them and may have a better opportunity to coach them at some level in high school when they tell their coaches and administrators what they learned from you.  
  3. Put together a college/post high school planning team of parents, former students, professionals and business people,(don't leave out tech and career education) and coordinate with the overburdened school counselor to offer programs, parent Q&A sessions, and support for the ever-growing college and post high school process. Start at the freshman level.  
  4. If there is already a designated area, do a "home makeover" on the teacher's lounge. Paint, snacks and even some pillows go a long way. Ask for pictures of their families, then have a wall to get people asking who goes with each person.  
  5. Do giveaways at events. We did pretzels at wrestling, goldfish at swim meets, apples at a production of Snow White..get the picture?  
  6. Create a team from your group or church who are specific to each sport and then they regularly go to watch students play or perform. I have former students in their 40s who still talk about a guy who came to watch them play each week. He did nothing else in the ministry but that, but oh the impact.  
  7. Offer to clean up and organize theatre dressing rooms after a show, choir robe, band uniforms, etc.  
  8. Get to know some teachers well and put together a discussion about religion in politics, or religion in history. Curb your tongue and keep to the facts and kids will love the discussion in a class setting.  
  9. Take pictures at events and create scrapbooks or posters using computer things like piknic. Students always always always like to see pictures of themselves. Coaches like having the photos since they don't have time to take them.  
  10. Get a team together and clean up trash after games. For free. After a few times introduce yourself to the principal and tell him/her you'll do it for the rest of the year.  
  11. Offer to answer phones at the schools. Many places have teachers in there on breaks - tell the teacher they are free to enjoy a planning period.  
  12. Create a coat or clothes closet at the high school, let the school nurse, teachers and counselors know it is there, and provide clothing for kids in need. Staff the room. Keep it clean.  
  13. Babysit coaches’ kids during games or practice.  
  14. Do a coffee run on the first day of school and blanket the teachers, staff and administrators with a welcome back cup.

I could go on, but most of all I hope to emphasize our tremendous need to not only be a presence, but to be a worthy presence in our school districts. Our willingness to do hard work, to be friends with people, and to communicate well all of our intentions, will go very far in living out our faith.