Senior Recognition Night Coordinator

Senior Recognition Night is a special time to recognize those wonderful seniors in marching band. During half-time, students and escorts are called by name and walk on to the football field to be recognized. After the football game there is a reception with cake and refreshments for students, escorts, and band directors.
This is how we did it last year and in years past. To help you plan this years event.

One month before event…

Permission for half-time recognition needs to be received from Athletic Board. Make sure either you or Band directors have done this (this should not be your responsibility, but it is nice to make sure it is done).
Obtain a list of Seniors, with phone numbers from band directors.
Find out how much money you are able to spend for the event so you can budget yourself.
Ask Mr. Cockrell the choral director if he would be the announcer during recognition. Also
ask him if we could use his choral room to have the reception in. Last year (2001)
we had the reception directly after half-time and held it outside because half of the seniors were retaking their SAT’s the next day and needed to get home early. Other years we have had the reception following the game in the choral room.
Compose a handout/invitation explaining the event. (Examples of past hand outs are
attached.) It should include the following…
· Addressed to parents and students.
· Date of event/at which football game.
· Explain a little about how it is done.
· Casual dress (this is not on past letters, but needs to be)
· Invitation to a reception following the event and where/when it will be held.
· A phone number/e-mail address where you can be reached for questions.
· Ask for one or two parents, siblings, relatives, friends who will be escorting them.
· Ask how many years in marching band or color guard.
· Ask them to place it in the “brown box” by a certain return date.
Start planning for event- make a check list of things needed.
· Are we doing corsages/boutonnieres this year? In the past we have ordered boutonnieres from Giant in Greenbriar for $2.99 each. White carnations w/babies breath and put our own ribbon on it to dress it up.
· Check the supply room in the back of the band room for paper goods, soda, chips, plasticware, etc. See if any of the supplies can be used for the reception. This will keep down the cost and save your budgeted money for other things.
· Are we going to give out coupons for concession stand to the students as a gift? This was done in 2001 for the first time. Special permission is needed to do this. An example of a coupon is attached.

1-3 weeks before event.

Get the handout/invitation out to the seniors making sure each one receives a copy.
If you haven’t ordered the boutonnieres you should order them.
Order a cake or if Martha Stewart type gather ingredients to make one. LOL!
Purchase items for reception not in supply room. (see list of items needed attached)
Gather RSVP’s from brown box and start a list of students and escorts.
Recruit 2-3 helpers to take photos of students with escorts and buy film.
This has been done in many different ways in the past. It has worked best to take the photos during the 2nd quarter, pulling down the students a few at a time from the stands and taking a photo of them with escorts with the field as a back round. (Near the end of the 2nd quarter, this also helped stage the seniors and parents before going out onto the track.) Ginny Katona did an excellent job in 2001. The photos are developed and given to students at Marching band banquet.
Recruit some help with reception if you think you will need it. To help set up, serve and
clean up afterwards.

A few days before event…

Anyone who did not RSVP will have to be called. Some students do not wish to be
recognized, but we should make sure that they did not forget.
Set up a time to talk with the band director about logistics of how to hold ceremony.
Find out how to pronounce difficult names for Mr. Cockrell.
Make a script for Mr. Cockrell to read and get it to him a day or two before the event.
The color guard seniors are usually listed first in alphabetical order. Then the
marching band seniors in alphabetical order. I make several copies of this script.
One for Mr. Cockrell, Mr. Taylor, the photographers, and of course yourself.

The day of event…

Pick up boutonnieres very early and put bows on them.
Pick up cake ???
Set up for reception whenever you think is best.
Make signs to reserve 3-4 bleachers on band parents side of stadium for escorts. Tape
to bleachers.
Bring boutonnieres to band room and pin on students once they are in uniform.
Welcome escorts and seat them.
Help photographers do their job. Check off a list to make sure you got a photo of each student.
Line up parents/escorts with their students in order on script. Have one escort hold
students hat at their side. Proceed with ceremony as planned.
After ceremony, students take their place on field for the show and parents return their seats.
Reception following game.
Hand out coupons if you are doing them this year.
After Event… develop pictures and hand them out at marching band banquet.
List of Items Needed for Reception

I’ve racked my brains- why should you?!
These are just suggestions… you do it the way you like!

Tablecloths
tables, chairs
decorations (streamers, balloons)
Cake
Chips
Peanut and Plain M&Ms
Baskets for chips
Cake server and knife
bowls for M&Ms
plates
forks
cups for soda and coffee
soda in cans or less expensive 2 liter bottles
ice
ice bucket
prongs for ice bucket
coffee urn
coffee
sugar
cream
stirrers or spoons for coffee
napkins