For years, people have complained about the Veterans Day assembly being boring. So, ASB has decided to switch things up with a new format this year. Instead of the slideshow students were expecting, they were met with a group of four veterans on stage. After planning the assembly, Ms. Camp commented, “We’ve been using the same PowerPoint and format for ten years and decided it needed a change.” To her and ASB members, it was clear something needed adjustment.
In order to find the veterans, ASB leaders had to search for people who worked near the district, using student and teacher connections. They sent out an email so families could respond and volunteer in the assembly. The four who reached out were Mr. Thornton, Mr. Wojciechowski, Mr. Delgado, and Mr. Gonzalez. Preparation didn’t only consist of finding the veterans, but it also included coming up with ideas, making questions, and just figuring out how the assembly would work. “I was searching up Veterans Day classroom ideas and turned those ideas into an assembly,” Ms. Camp recalled. In all, the assembly took around two weeks to complete.
As well as being a breath of fresh air for the school, the new format has had a positive impact on the students. Michael Gasanov observed, “Compared to a slideshow, a group of veterans seemed to have people more interested in the assembly.” Out of 52 students, 43 of them said they enjoyed this year’s assembly more than last year’s. That is an 82% like-to-dislike ratio, showing the new format has received a more positive reception than last year’s. Out of those 43 people, 38 said they would like to see this format return for other assemblies this year. “I liked it more because they brought real veterans,” Anton Hamuha said, expressing his enjoyment of the assembly.
Considering the success of the assembly, Michael commented, “We’re thinking of making other assemblies more engaging compared to just a boring slideshow.” Student feedback has shown they’re more than pleased with how this year’s Veterans Day turned out, so it should be no surprise if other assemblies this year follow the trend of becoming more interactive. Michael shared, “If next year’s ASB takes after us, then yes,” predicting that future assemblies may follow this new approach.
