Does your school stage an end of the year culminating activity for students?

End of year activities help celebrate student successes and mark the end of one year and the beginning of the next. For students who have reached the end of their time at a particular school, such as those moving from elementary to secondary school, it is particularly nice to spend a little time creating memories that will last a lifetime.

The majority of teachers report that their school does stage an end of year culminating activity for students, although the result certainly wasn't overwhelming. At first glance this result is surprising because it seems like such a simple thing to do. In elementary schools something as easy as a year-end assembly where students watch the school band perform songs they have practiced all year, the choir gets to sing, and teachers who are leaving can be recognized is very easy to put together. In fact, most elementary schools probably do something similar already.

Those students leaving elementary school or those graduating from secondary school often receive a bigger send off. Prom and graduation are huge celebrations which take months to plan. However, often times these bigger events are planned by parent volunteers, not the school itself.

The reason that many teachers report that their school has no end of year activity could be due in part to whether they work in an elementary or secondary school. Elementary schools have students all completing classes on the same day so most students are in attendance. At secondary level schools once classes end, final exams begin, meaning that students finish at different times on different days. Some activity could be planned for the last day of classes but with exams still looming over their heads, many students are unreceptive. Also a simple year-end assembly is logistically more complicated in a larger school where students have free periods and are able to leave the school grounds.

The results of this poll show that activities are being planned for the majority of schools. Perhaps that means that where possible, and for younger students who look forward to such celebrations, teachers and school administrators are making sure to provide that last opportunity for memory making.