One of the main differences between High School and Elementary and Middle School is that the students are on the cusp of adulthood and the same events and programs that appealed to them when they were younger just don’t work at this later age stage.
But this doesn’t mean that your High School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) can’t plan and organize some fabulous events that will engage the school community.
These six events will not only give them something to do (and stay out of trouble) but give the students the chance to come together with their friends and form memories.
In this post, we’ll explore 6 ideas for events that your PTO can pull off for your high school!
Dance
School dances are a classic high school event.
Your school probably already organizing Homecoming in the Fall and Prom in the Spring, but there’s still an opportunity for your PTO to plan another dance.
The early Winter months of January and February are a perfect time to host a PTO sponsored school dance and give the kids a chance to dress up (or not!) and come together to enjoy an evening together.
Host a casual Sneaker Ball, where the kids come dressed as they are or a formal winter White Out where all white is the dress code.
February is a great month for a Sweetheart Ball or Glow Dance and you can even plan a Spring Fling in March.
Talent Show
A school talent show is a crown pleaser that’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
Students (and staff!) have so many hidden talents that they might not normally get to display, so why not give them the spotlight on the auditorium stage for a bit?
Invite all to participate and prepare to be wowed by the rich talents of students and staff.
This post has a detailed explanation of everything involved in planning and organizing a school talent show, so be sure to check it out!
Speakers
Bringing in educational speakers on topics relevant to High Schoolers is a meaningful event your PTO can plan.
The speakers can be focused on information, tools and resources for parents to use with their kids or more closely tailored for a student audience.
It’ll really just depend on the topic, so use your best judgement and definitely consult your school’s Principal and administrative team.
There are a ton of different speakers you can bring in that will be of interest to the high school community, and you can really tailor your event to the current needs of your student population.
Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Recognizing anxiety and skills for coping
- Heading off the weaponization of cell phone weaponization and sextortion
- FAFSA hints and tricks
- College Preparedness
- Adulting 101- Equip them with life skills they don’t already acquire in the classroom.
- Study Skills
- Handling Stress
- Nutrition for Teens
Keep in mind that you’ll need to come up with an enticing title for the talks.
Something that will grab attention and communicate why the teens or parents should come.
Otherwise, you’ll end up fewer than ideal attendees and not as many people will benefit from your efforts.
Where to find speakers?
Consult your school’s team of social workers and counselors for recommendations and referrals to outside resources.
Be sure to contact your local law enforcement, Sheriff and prosecutor’s officers to see if they offer a speakers.
Area colleges, universities, and hospitals in your area probably have available speakers on topics of interest to high school students and their parents.
Another fantastic resource is and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Additionally, if at all possible, arrange for the speaker’s presentation to be recorded so that those not able to attend in person can watch at their convenience.
You may find that some of the more sensitive topics (think: sextortion) may be a topic people feel more comfortable learning about in a private setting rather than in the meeting room.
Awards
Start an award to honor students and plan an award ceremony.
My PTO recognizes a select number of Juniors to be recognized for their non-academic achievements. Nominations come from parents, teachers and staff, as well as PTO and community members.
The award serves to shine the spotlight on deserving students and give underclassmen role models to look up to.
Partner with School
There’s absolutely no rule that says you have to work in a PTO bubble segregated from the rest of the high school world as far as events.
In fact, the entire school community would benefit from you working in partnership with the school.
Aim to collaborate with the school to expand upon what’s already being planned by the school.
For example, a PTO hosted After Prom is a nice extension of the Senior Prom.
A pre-Homecoming game tailgate is another event example that is an extension of the Homecoming extravaganza.
Meeting with the Principal and look at the school calendar to look for opportunities that’ll work for your school and PTO.
You can also ask the school if there’s an event or program on their wishlist that they just need funding for.
There’s also nothing in the rulebook to say that your PTO can’t be the financial baker of the event and the school provide the volunteer power to make the vent happen.
Your PTO get the satisfaction of knowing you’re contributing to the school community and the school gets to do another event without dipping into their already thinly stretched budget.
That’s a win-win, right?
Ask the Students
The very last idea for a high school appropriate PTO sponsored event is to poll the students themselves and ask what they’d like to do.
They have great ideas that can easily be worked into future plans, but you just have to know about them in time to make them happen
And they’ll probably not just offer up this information on their own, so you’ll definitely have to ask
You can ask your own child and their friends, Student Council leaders, members of the National Honor Society or Key Club.
Really any group of kids is bound to have fabulous ideas that you probably never would’ve thought they’d be interested in.
So go ahead and include the students as part of your event brainstorming process.
The other side benefit to asking the students is that you’ll know right away if an event idea is not going to work!
They’ll surely tell you that information as well.
Watch this!
Over to you!
Planning events for your High School PTO doesn’t have to be complicated with you take one of these six fabulous ideas and run with it.
Hope this post has given you motivation to get planning and the confidence to organize a fabulous event to benefit your high school community!
