Wednesday, November 27th, 2024

Event Participation: 

For this year’s Grade 9 Day, I was grateful to be one of the point people alongside Alexia. While initially feeling overwhelmed, I took the opportunity to step up and contribute to planning and executing this event. Alexia’s guidance was helpful, but I made sure to stay engaged in decision-making, share ideas, and take charge when necessary. 

We worked hard to create events that appealed to the Grade 9 demographic, focusing on fostering a sense of connection and fun. I helped oversee key activities such as: 

• A Pinetree Trivia Game held in the library during lunch. 
• A simultaneous Q&A panel next door, where students could ask questions and seek advice from senior students. 
• An after-school bonding event designed to encourage Grade 9 students to form new connections within their grade and enjoy a sweet treat. 

While this experience presented challenges, including adapting to unexpected changes, it helped me develop my organizational, planning, and communication skills. Overall, the event strengthened my understanding of Leadership as a course and of how teamwork can drive success. By staying organized, collaborating effectively, and communicating clearly, I contributed to a positive experience for the Grade 9 students and gained confidence in my ability to lead large-scale events.

Curricular Competency: 

For my November event, I focused on project planning, specifically identifying and developing goals and steps required to plan and guide a project. 

How it aligns with my course goals: 

This competency aligns strongly with my personal goals for Leadership, particularly: 

• Staying organized: 
  • I maintained a detailed timeline of tasks for Grade 9 Day, ensuring that every aspect of the event—such as finalizing trivia questions, guiding the marketing team, and contributing to the after-school activities—was completed on time. 
  • My attention to detail in logistics, such as confirming the availability of the library space and securing supplies for the after-school event, directly contributed to the success of the day. 
  • I attribute this success to Alexia as well, as she handled a lot of the communicative aspects such as reaching out to various teachers and inquiring the specific details about the ice cream bar. 

• Adapting different Leadership frameworks: 
  • I employed collaborative strategies with Alexia, such as dividing tasks based on our strengths, to efficiently tackle the demands of the event. 
  • This adaptability not only helped resolve issues quickly but also made the event feel seamless to participants. 

On Grade 9 Day 

I arrived early during my off block to prepare the library and classroom spaces: 

• Set up materials for the Pinetree Trivia Game and Q&A panel. 
• Took attendance of Leadership students and reiterated their roles to ensure everyone was clear on their responsibilities. 
• Supported event execution by fostering positive interactions with Grade 9 students: 
  • Oversaw the smooth operation of the Q&A panel and trivia game, ensuring all students involved were included and active. 
  • Was actively engaging and attempting to energize the group of Grade 9s.
  • Helped clean up the library and classroom spaces after lunch, restoring the areas to their original state before returning to class. 
• The outcome of the Q&A Panel:
  • On Grade 9 Day, Alexia and I set up A200 to be used for Q&A. However, for the entirety of lunch, no Grade 9s (or very little) seemed to show up or be interested.
  • I think this was due to a lack of proper promotion and direction. After inquiring with Grade 9s that I know, I got told that they didn’t know about the Q&A, or that they didn’t know what it was supposed to entail.
  • Looking back, I completely see where I could’ve improved the success of the Q&A panel and done more to promote it or make it more engaging/attracting.

After-School Event 

Arrived early to set up the library for the event: 

• Arranged the ice cream bar, games, and other activity stations to create a welcoming environment. 
• Prepared a desk at the Library entrance for ticket collection.
  • We did run into some trouble when confirming the IDs of the students, but we later scrapped that procedure completely, as it took too much time to check every ID and check off the name of the student.
• Oversaw final preparations and ensured all Leadership students had assigned roles.
  • After the school day was finished, Leadership students waited about 10-15 minutes for Ms. M to come to the library with the ice cream. However, we ran into some trouble when no one could contact or access Ms. M. This was especially concerning, as most of the Grade 9 students were already lined up outside the library and awaiting the ice cream that wasn’t there. I went down to the office to check with the people there if they had seen her or heard about ice cream in the library, and shortly Ms. M showed up.
• Monitored the event’s progress by checking in with both Leadership students and Grade 9 attendees: 
  • Made adjustments as needed to keep the event running smoothly. 
  • I was engaging with Grade 9s and making conversation to keep the environment lighthearted and joyful.
  • Stayed after the event to help clean up the library and organize materials for next time. 

Post-Event Feedback 

• Spoke with Grade 9 attendees to gather feedback about their experience: 
  • Asked about their favorite aspects of the event and what could be improved for next year. 
  • Used their input to reflect on how the event could be better tailored to the Grade 9 demographic in the future.

EVIDENCE: 

Here is a photo of the trivia event that took place during lunch. Here, I circled around different table groups and ensured the Grade 9s were having fun. Additionally, we had Pinetree water bottles to give out, so we collected IDs and gave them to eager Grade 9s. Here, I had planned how the groups would be arranged and gave directions to Leadership students to engage with the students and make them feel welcome. Although there were supposed to be two simultaneous events going on, I attempted to use my critical thinking/problem solving skills to focus my attention on the trivia game.

This is what the set up in front of the doors looked like. There were two people stationed, one responsible for collecting the ticket or ID from the student, and another responsible for checking off the student’s name. As previously mentioned, we later scrapped this procedure, as I didn’t feel it was necessary and it was frustrating for some Grade 9s as they had to wait.

The afterschool event ran very smoothly. All Grade 9s enjoyed themselves, and many were engaged in the mini-games as well. All Leadership students collaborated to set up and carry out the ice cream sundae bar. I attribute most of this success to the detailed planning and assignment of roles that took place beforehand.

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This event provided a valuable opportunity for me to apply and develop my project planning skills, particularly in identifying goals and steps needed to execute a successful project. By staying organized, collaborating with others, and adapting to unexpected challenges, I was able to contribute to the success of Grade 9 Day and gain valuable leadership experience.

Looking ahead, my goal is to focus on improving communication and promotion for future events. Specifically, I would work on increasing awareness and excitement among participants beforehand, ensuring that all students are informed and engaged. This will help enhance attendance and participation in events like the Q&A panel and contribute to an even more successful experience for all involved.