Homecoming Service Projects

Capitalize on the energy generated during spirit week by putting it to good use in a service project, either as a class competition, an all-school event, or a challenge to your rival school.

Class service projects. At Crofton HS in Nebraska, changes in football scheduling in 2010 had shifted the homecoming parade to Friday, which meant fewer people were available to view it. The school decided to replace the parade with community service projects. Instead of working on parade floats, students and staff members worked on a variety of service projects in the local community. Seventh grade students cleaned up a creek, eighth graders baked cookies and delivered them to a local senior housing facility. Freshmen clean up local parks and conducted a canned food drive while sophomores removed debris around the school’s softball and football fields and cleaned the interiors of student transportation vehicles. Juniors helped cook meals and provided music and games at the senior housing facility. Seniors painted city fire hydrants and provided games, entertainment, and manicures to patients in a local nursing facility.
Blanket Challenge. Challenge your Homecoming rival to see which school can bring the most blankets to the game. Set up collection boxes marked with each team’s name outside the gate and have people put their donations in the box corresponding to their school. During the first half of the game have students from both schools count the blankets and announce a winner during the second half of the game. Donate the blankets to a local homeless shelter.
Floats made of food. At Port Huron HS in Michigan, homecoming organizers added a service twist to their requirements for homecoming floats: the floats had to be made mostly of canned food and other nonperishable food items. Members of each class had to first conduct a canned food drive to collect construction materials. Construction presented an extra challenge because students couldn’t do anything that would damage the food labels. After the parade, the food was donated to different agencies in the community.
Floating food drive. Another idea involving canned food is to have an empty pickup truck or flatbed trailer as one of the entries in the Homecoming parade and ask spectators to bring canned goods and nonperishable food items to donate as the “float” goes by. Volunteers would walk alongside to collect the donations.
Food scavenger hunt. Still another food-related idea is to create a food collection scavenger hunt as part of the class competition. At a designated time after school one day, provide class officers from each class with a list of food items and quantities. They are responsible for organizing class members to disperse and find as many of the items as possible in the time allowed. Award spirit points to the first, second, and third place classes.
CANapalooza. On a designated day, have each class create a sculpture made of food cans that displays an artistic design relating to your Homecoming theme. Have a team of judges rate the creations and award points in the spirit week competition.