2006-2007 NEHS Celebrations
Chapter Activity Ideas
 Open mic night at a local cafe for students to read their favorite
literature or piece of writing.
 Compile a “Book of Firsts” where students write about the first time
they experienced something and bind the finished product into a
book.
 Plan a trip to a local literary landmark (i.e. author birthplaces.)
 Hold a “Senior Celebration” to honor 2 or more years of
involvement.
 Break your chapter into “Activity Committees” (i.e. Ceremonies,
Tutoring, Literary Magazine, Book-of-the-Month, Community
Service, Public Relations) and have each member commit to
participation in one committee to be headed by an officer and a
faculty advisory member.
 Connect with and visit a nearby Sigma Tau Delta chapter at a
University. Perhaps their officers could take your officers on a tour
of their campus and share information with them about advance
English degrees and career opportunities.
 Host a poetry slam or spoken word event at school. Invite a wellknown poet and ask local radio shows to attend. Perhaps you can
perform on the radio, at local coffee-houses, in your school’s media
center or in collaboration with local poets. If you want, make it a
school-wide contest!
 Bring in local authors to speak during convocation.
 Organize writing workshops with local authors.
 Attend plays presented at the local community theatre.
 Plan a trip to a nearby city or university to see plays and/or
performances.
 Explore the area for a Renaissance Fair or Shakespeare Festival and
take a group of students.
 Sponsor a “Book at the Movies” night and show movies associated
with books. (i.e., Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre) You can’t charge
for seeing the movie, but you can sell refreshments for the event.
 Attend events at the local library.
 Host a “Literary Costume” social or a “Literature Through the Ages”
social. Make it a contest and invite the whole school.
 Poetry reading at a local park (with s’mores and hot cocoa.)
 Holiday story time.
 Book discussions on books of interest to a majority of the student
population.
 Participate in your school’s Homecoming parade.
 Hold a short story or poetry writing contest at your school or the
local middle school.
 Sponsor your school’s literary magazine or newspaper.
 Create a documentary about a local social issue and write letters to
the appropriate people in the attempt to affect social change.
Induction Ideas
 Hold an induction luncheon to increase visibility of the chapter at
school. (Dress it up and make it an event students want to attend.)
 Induct students at a school-wide assembly. They will feel the honor
of the event.
 Reserve the library or other large setting for a more formal induction
at night. Invite a local author or English professor to share with
students and parents. Send out formal invitations and print programs
for the event. Hold a reception afterwards to honor the inductees.
(Tablecloths and candlesticks can add a nice touch.)
Fundraising Ideas
 Have carwashes (consider the sponsor method so you can offer a
“free” carwash).
 Connect with local authors or publishers for a book sale.
 Compile a book (see “Book of Firsts” above) to sell.
 Host events in the local community and charge admission and/or sell
refreshments. (See “Spoken Word” and “Book at the Movies” events
above.)
 Produce poetry and spoken word albums to sell.
 Sell vegetarian snacks after school.
 Hold a gift-wrapping event before Christmas at a local bookstore.
 Design and sell T-shirts.
 Hold an auction to support a local cause or to buy books.
 Valentine sonnets and halloween “rap grams” message delivery.
Be sure to also check out: http://nehs.us/chapter_fundraising.shtml for more ideas!
Questions
Here are some questions posed by sponsors that you may have ideas to help solve.
Perhaps we can start a blog in the future to start a discussion on these types of issues.
 How can NEHS function to facilitate literacy goals within the school
and the community?
 Can anyone network chapters with publishers, producers or
performers to visit their schools?
Service Ideas
 Use some of the profits from fundraising to purchase the honor cords
for graduating seniors or pay the dues for students who may not have
the resources.
 Work with a local elementary school in Language Arts class. Read
with them, help them create poetry, write stories with them, etc.
 Go to a local nursing home or hospice center and volunteer to read to
the elderly. Let them choose the book!
 Have students sign up to tutor after school (SAT, ACT, state-tests),
perhaps even at local elementary or middle schools.
 Hold a literacy drive and use the funds to purchase books for
elementary or middle school students or to start a children’s library
at a local rescue mission.
 “Adopt” elementary school students at a local school and partner
NEHS members with younger students in on-going in literacy
activities.
 Connect with other organizations to support literacy initiatives in
your city or county.
 “Adopt” schools in South Africa and/or other African countries (see
your district supervisors to see if you have any pre-existing ties to
schools in other countries—you might be surprised). Send them
books, school supplies, and perhaps start a letter-writing campaign
with some of their students.
 Hold a “book drive” and restock the library at a local homeless
shelter or hospital.
 Conduct a “book exchange” between upper and underclassmen to
help underclassmen save money on their high school book
purchases.
 Help local libraries catalogue books.
 Teen parent reading project.
 Conduct after school workshops to assist students with research
papers.
 Volunteer at a local book fair or “Friends of the Library” sale.
Be sure to also check out: http://nehs.us/chapter_service.shtml for more ideas!