But in high school another wrinkle adds to the difficulty of arranging programs. High school students follow a widely divergent schedule throughout the day. So scheduling any kind of grade level program is logistically tough. That said, however, high schools do seek out a couple of kinds of programs in particular. Motivational assemblies and anti drug assemblies.
These programs are also used in schools with younger grade levels, but are particularly important at the high school range. Many schools seek out anti drug or anti substance abuse programs in particular because they are perfect for Red Ribbon week activities, and because they may often be paid for through Title One funds.
So, what are we talking about here?
What do we mean by “motivational” programs?
What qualifies as an “anti drug program”?
Well the answers to these questions are a little complicated, and can be extremely diverse.
Besides sport celebrities, there is also the possibility of using historical characters for motivation, leading by example. Characters such as Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, and Ben Franklin come to mind as good examples of shows for schools that not only provide indirect motivation but also teach and inspire.
Much of the same can be said for anti drug abuse programs. While speakers and athletes tend to be the most popular choices for older kids, there are many different programs available for elementary and middle schools, running the full gamut of entertainment options as vehicles to convey the message that drugs are bad. Everyone from ventriloquists to clowns to BMX bikers to magicians and jugglers will claim to have a program for you specifically designed to motivate kids and keep them off drugs. This area is particularly rife with that species referred to in earlier entries as “the magic show in drag”.
In essence, since the field is so amorphous and hard to quantify with fact, it is rife with charlatan entertainers providing very fun filled school shows that, none the less, provide very little actual useful content for opposing the spread of drugs. This is not to say that is always the case, or to say that such shows are bad. Sometimes a light piece of entertainment containing a few select key words thrown in from time to time may be exactly the right choice for capping a week where the teachers themselves have already done the hard work with getting the message across.
But for other schools, wanting a program of real substance, scheduling such a piece and then discovering it is nothing more than entertainment with a few coded words and phrases scattered about can
So when it comes to motivational school programs and anti drug shows, know what you are trying to accomplish, and then do your homework. Get referrals and references. You will reap the benefits of this work on the day of the show. Oh, and one last tip... if you are looking for something for Red Ribbon week (usually in October), look early. As with any specific date (Presidents Day, Earth Day, Martin Luther Kings birthday etc) the shows pertaining to this particular theme will boom up quickly.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.