DISTRICT 5890 EAFK AWARD ASSEMBLY CONTENT
1. One student from each classroom will be honored at the Knighting Ceremony.
2. A few days before the ceremony, each classroom teacher will privately notify the parents and give
them clear instructions that this is a surprise, and not to tell their child about the award.
3. If teachers email the parents, the teachers should ask the parents to confirm receipt of the
email. If they don't receive a confirmation email back, then the teachers should call the parents.
4. If the parents can't attend, let them know that a friend or relative can substitute for them.
Each student should have someone to join them on stage, even it means the principal, counselor,
nurse or PE teacher steps in for them. Knowing if a parent can or can't attend is important.
5. The teachers should instruct the parents to arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony starts, and that
they are NOT to go to the cafeteria, or the classroom. The element of surprise is important, and
the first time the student sees them should be when the student is on stage, and the parents step
from behind the curtains.
6. All teachers should notify the front office of the student they've selected from their room.
The front office should keep a list by grade level. The complete list should be sent to the Rotary
club contact at least 2 days prior to the Knighting Ceremony so they can print the EAFK Award
Certificate that will be awarded at the Knighting Ceremony, and the award brochure for parents.
7. The list per grade level should include the teacher's name, and the student from their classroom.
This list will be used to line up the parents before the ceremony, and the order that the parents will
be behind the stage. Parents need to stay in the same order as the list, and the teachers need to
go to the microphone in that same order.
8. Before walking the parents behind the stage, the Rotarian will greet the parents, give a brief
explanation about EAFK, and their Rotary club. A staff member should also be there in case a
translator is needed.
9. Since it usually is a Rotarian that will get the parents in line and stand with them behind the stage.
If a translator is needed, they should also stay with the Rotarian since the Rotarian won't know the
teacher or the parents. The staff member can confirm which teacher is at the microphone so the
Rotarian
Ceremony Order: Keep the parents in a room where the students cannot see them. Have a list of the student's names being honored, and a Rotarian will need to line the parents up in the same order. This also helps determine if each student has a parent there, and if they don't, a staff member will need to make a quick phone call to the parents to see if parents are on their way. If they aren't, make a notation that when the student's name is called, a staff member will need to take the parent's place. Once the students are in the cafeteria, walk the parents down to enter the back of the stage. The teachers will read wonderful things about each student, so consider having a speaker from the sound system behind the stage so the parents can hear their child's accolade.
Start prelude music (10 minutes prior). Schools can use this music or use their own. Movies
like “Gladiator” and “First Knight” have soundtracks that work well.
Assembly begins:
1. Introduction of the assembly by principal (2 minutes). Music playing, then principal quiets the students, calls the assembly to order, makes opening remarks and introduces a Rotarian from the sponsoring Rotary Club.
2. Rotary Welcome (1 minute). The attending Rotarian will then take the microphone and, in their own words, welcome the audience, give a brief summary of Rotary, and say a words about EAFK.
3. EAFK Knight (5 minutes). The EAFK knight will explain the value of the award medallions and sequence of events for the assembly. He will tell a story which incorporates this month's virtue.
4. The EAFK Knight will ask the teachers, by grade level, to come sit on the stage if room allows, or they can stand on the stage near the microphone. All the K teachers come up first, while the other teachers stay with their students. As soon as the K students receive their medals, the teachers can return to sit with their students in the cafeteria, and we'll ask the 1st grade teachers to come to the stage, etc.
5. Calling of the awardees (about 25 minutes).
A. One by one, the teachers will go to the microphone, read the accolade, and announce the name of the student they've selected. (Waiting until the end of the accolade to announce the name allows everyone to listen carefully to hear the reasons why the student was selected. If they read the name first, the applauding, etc. drowns out the reading of the accolade.)
B. The child will come up on stage to receive their medal from the EAFK knight and Rotarians, and their parents will join them on stage.
C. After the teacher reads the accolade, they will hand the accolade to the parents. The teacher can either return to sit with their other students in the cafeteria or wait until all of their other grade level teachers have read their accolades and then return to sit with their other students.
D. The student will sit in the Gallery of Champions chairs on stage, and the parents will sit in the chairs that are also on the stage. Instead of having seating for the parents on the stage due to space, you could have their chairs in front of the stage.
E. Once the ceremony has ended, the classrooms can be dismissed while the students that received EAFK medals take individual photos with the knight, and also a photo with their parents and the knight.
If the student selected doesn't have a family member at the ceremony, we'll need one or more of the staff to come stand with the student as their photos are taken.
4. Closing the assembly by principal (1 minute). After the last child has been awarded, the EAFK knight will lead them in reciting the Four-Way Test which gives parents an opportunity to hear it recited. The principal will make closing remarks, close the ceremony and invite parents forward for photographs. The teachers can take the other students back to the classroom. Put on recorded music again and play until the auditorium clears. The school photographer will take a group picture first, then each student alone with the knight, then a photo with the parents, student and knight.