As the days get longer and warmer, every student starts counting down the days until summer vacation. The final few weeks of the school year can drag on as you desperately try to cling to your waning motivation to power through those last few assignments, labs, and finals. When you finally make it to the end, it calls for a massive celebration to mark putting another academic year in the books! Here are 9 of the best ways to celebrate the last days of school:
1. Have an Epic Field Day
Is there anything more symbolic of the transition from the rigid structure of the school year into the carefree days of summer than field day? Organize a huge outdoor event filled with classic field day events like tug-of-war, relay races, water balloon tosses, and of course the iconic sack race. You can have students broken up into random teams or let friend groups team up. Keep score and give out superlative awards like "Most Enthusiastic" or "Best Sportsmanship." You can even get fun prizes like gift cards or movie passes for the winning team. And of course, no field day is complete without a bountiful supply of popsicles to keep everyone cool!
2. Throw a Giant School-Wide Party
Go all out and rent out a venue for a huge school-wide party. You could make it a dance, a game night with video games/board games/casinos, or just a big bash with music, food trucks, yard games like cornhole or KanJam, and plenty of fun freebies like temporary tattoos or school swag. Whatever its theme, make sure there's plenty for everyone to do and eat! Decorations are a must too – think balloons, streamers, confetti, the whole nine yards. Not only will the students have a blast, but the teachers and staff deserve to let loose and celebrate as well for all their hard work too!
3. Arrange a Fancy Semi-Formal Event
Why not take it up a notch and host a fancier semi-formal dance or banquet? You could hold it in a hotel ballroom, banquet hall, or other special venue. Encourage students to go all out dressing up in suits, tuxes, formal dresses, etc. Hire a DJ or live band, set up atmospheric uplighting and decorations, and arrange for an upscale catered dinner if your budget allows. Take tons of glamorous photos to commemorate the occasion! Not only is it a super fun way to mark the end of the year, but it also gives students a taste of formal events to help prepare them for future proms or galas.
4. Go On an Epic Class Trip
It's a classic end-of-year tradition – let loose and celebrate by going on one final class trip! Popular destinations include amusement parks, waterparks, baseball games, plays/concerts, or museums depending on your group's interests. Getting out of the school for a fun day of bonding, excitement, and making memories is the perfect culmination to the year. Just be sure to get permission slips, arrange transportation, etc. And if your class budget is tight, consider lower-cost options like a hike, beach trip, picnic in the park, etc.
5. Host a School Talent Show
Capitalize on all your students' various skills and creativity by putting on a huge talent show at the end of the year. Let students audition and then put on a big performance in the auditorium, gym, theater – wherever you can accommodate lots of people and set up a real stage with sound/lighting. You could even sell tickets and concessions to raise money for charity or a special gift for the school. Line up some fun prizes like trophies, ribbons, or small gifts for the winners of different categories like dancing, comedy, juggling, instrumental music, theater performance, and more. It's a great way to showcase all the amazing talents your students have!
6. Do a Fun School "Color Run"
If your school needs an outdoor event, why not host your own zany "color run" with colored powder dyes? You can designate a course that winds through the school campus, neighborhood streets, or at a local park. Have different color stations set up along the way where volunteers throw colored powder at participants as they run/walk by. By the end, everyone looks like they got hit by a rainbow! It's super fun and energetic. Just be sure to remind participants to wear clothes they don't mind getting stained or even provide affordable white t-shirts for people to purchase and decorate. Charge a small entry fee and give out fun medals or prizes to the top finishers in different age groups.
7. Organize Class Yearbook Signing Parties
Make sure you have plenty of time for everyone to go around and get their yearbooks signed by all their friends, teachers, and classmates at the end of the year. You can set up class yearbook signing parties with fun snacks, music, yearbook decorating supplies like stickers, and more to make them extra festive. In addition to signing each other's yearbooks, people can take fun group photos, read the hilarious senior quotes or superlatives, and take a walk down memory lane looking through all the photos and remembering the good times from that school year.
8. Have a Huge School Field Day & Picnic
Combine an awesome field day with a festive picnic for one epic end-of-year celebration! In the morning or afternoon, get students divided into teams and competing in classic field day games out on the athletic fields or green spaces around campus. Then in the evening, transition that energy into a fun picnic complete with food trucks or grilling out, music, yard games like cornhole or KanJam, face painting for the kids, raffle/prize giveaways, and anything else to keep the good times going! It's a chance to get outside, have a blast with friends, and make memories. Pro tip: Set up a fun photo booth area with props and backgrounds!
9. Host an Awards Ceremony
Why not combine the pride of an awards ceremony honoring each class's top academic and citizenship performers with the entertainment of a talent showcase? You can present departmental awards for each subject, recognition for most improved students, citizenship awards, attendance awards, and other honorsas voted on by the teachers and staff. Then once the ceremony portion concludes, transition into showcasing the various talents and performances from your students – everything from musical acts, comedy sketches, dances, magic shows, and more! It's a great way to simultaneously celebrate hard work while also enjoying the spirit of creative expression.
No matter how you choose to celebrate those fleeting last days of the school year, the most important thing is to make it as memorable and fun-filled as possible. These are times the students (and teachers!) will look back so fondly on, so go big! Those all-night cram sessions and caffeine-fueled breakdowns will quickly fade once the festivities kick off marking the freedom of summer. So go out with a bang and give this school year an awesome send-off it deserves.
Looking for some summer plans? Envision by WorldStrides has you covered.
Our Admissions Team is ready to help you in your journey of career exploration.
Enroll today via email at admissions@envisionexperience.com or over the phone by calling (866) 858-5323.
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it