Build community with fun, active and positive interactions between high school leaders and elementary students at your school’s sporting events, complete with stations that let students “try out” the sport before the game.

School Type: High school

Activity Goal: Build relationships

Prep Time: 2 – 4 weeks

People Required: 10 – 12 Renaissance Leadership students, an adult to supervise, and extra high schoolers to cheer on the kids!

Timing: Home games

Materials: Cones, hula hoops, bean bags, football, stop watches, printed certificates to show completion of the student drills and bottled water

Cost: Under $20

Submitted by: Gloucester School School, Virginia

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Work with your Athletic Director to get any necessary school permissions.
   • BONUS: Make kids under 10 free to support more attendance.
2. Contact surrounding elementary schools to let them know about Youth Nights and what they will be like.
3. Set up Google Forms to have families sign up so you can identify and check students in when day arrives. The form can also allow you to see which schools you’re reaching more efficiently and which schools you need to reach out to more effectively.
4. Coordinate with your Health and PE department to borrow materials needed to run the event and reserve space near the football field as well.
5. Print participation certificates for students who come to the event and complete all the stations.
6. Two hours before the game, have your student leaders set up and test the stations. Here are some ideas for football games:
   • Shuttle running and catching: uses cones to weave through and a cone to mark the turnaround point 5 yards apart. Renaissance leader then throws a football to the elementary student on the return drive to catch.
   • 25 yd Dash: If track is unavailable, set 2 cones 25 yds apart
   • Figure 8 Drill: Set two hula hoops 6 ft apart. As you go around the hoops you pick up the bean bag inside the hula hoop
   • Footwork drills: Have kids jump from hoop to hoop
   • Relay Race: Have teams of 4 run the 25 yd dash as a team
7. Distribute bottled water to the students who completed the drills as well as the completion of drills certificate signed by the Athletic Director.
8. Keep building bonds between the elementary schoolers and the high school they are most likely to attend and graduate!

Example Poster

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