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Academic recognition and the usefulness of student awards are hotly debated topics. Some contend that it hurts those who aren't given awards. However, rewarding students can pique their interests, encourage excellent study habits, provide a supportive learning environment, and boost motivation.
Most organizations frequently give academic honors solely to the few pupils who excel in various disciplines. Even though this is significant, ensure your organization acknowledges learners for other attributes, such as effort, progress, and collaboration. It may boost self-esteem, provide a feeling of achievement, and foster respect among peers. Follow this guide for Student of the Month award ideas and how to create a program that will benefit and inspire a diverse student group.
Setting the Stage
Student of the Month programs honor and highlight outstanding student performance in academics, sports, character development, and other areas. Unfortunately, not every student can excel in these more conventional lanes. Not only that, but highlighting students exclusively in traditional categories can strain connections among peers, unbalance the school community, and even incite student hostility.
However, a congratulation for achievements also satisfies a fundamental human need to feel valued. Out of 11,664 appreciative answers, the analysis revealed that 15.6% of students about to drop out of school chose to stay on and were more driven after obtaining the excellence award.
Establishing Criteria
When selecting the Student of the Month, considering a student's character, leadership, citizenship, and academic standing is good. Check if the nominees are conscientious learners who master the subjects and complete homework on time. Likewise, make sure they act appropriately both within and outside the classroom, show good manners, and respect for instructors and their classmates. They should exhibit exemplary citizenship by being willing to lend a hand to their fellow students and show honesty in their leadership. Finally, the Student of the Month exemplifies outstanding character by fostering a healthy school climate with compassion, honesty, reliability, responsibility, optimism, and loyalty. It also encourages pessimistic students to do better and excel in the various disciplines so that they, too, can gain recognition from the institution.
You can use non-traditional criteria where you can have awards such as:
- The most improved
- Most enthusiastic
- Most committed
- Best new skill
- Best assistant
- Most curious
- Most disciplined
- Most intriguing hobby
- Most courteous.
You may also vary your student achievement by expanding the categories for which you award. For instance, you may recognize the students based on their academic subject.
Informing About Conditions
If you want a successful Student of the Month award, don't restrict yourself to only a few categories. You can use social media networks such as your school’s Facebook page or have the students send their applications via email.
Tools for Transparency
Once your broad and diverse Student of the Month criteria are in place, communicate these attributes to your student population so they know the standards by which you will evaluate them. Here are some tools for transparency:
Leveraging Digital Signage
The creative use of digital signage is one way to highlight students' achievements while remaining as transparent as possible. For instance, you can display Student of the Month, recognizing the most hardworking student. It provides a dynamic and aesthetically pleasing platform for showcasing student accomplishments and inspiring and uplifting the school community.
Visuals receive 94% more views than words. You can edit digital signage templates to show different achievements within the school. Ensure that your digital signage is prominently within a high-traffic area so that your students view it frequently.
Informing About Conditions
When awarding the Student of the Month, ensure you inform everyone about the conditions that come into play in each category. Inform the students what they need to be the best in different areas and how to achieve it. You can have various displays within the school showcasing the criteria for all your awards.
Candidate Spotlight
While recognizing scholars is lovely, how about organizing a celebration night for the entire class? Plan a "Student Spotlight" event where students get a chance to present an accomplishment of theirs.
Showcasing Nominees
Asking your students to write down their response to the question, "I am proud of _______" can encourage them to discuss their interests with you. During your Student Spotlight event, you may honor your Student of the Month and give all of your students a chance to discuss anything, no matter how small, that is important to them. Showcase all the nominees for various awards and give them a moment to savor.
Utilizing Digital Signage Updates
Even though it might not seem like much, having a scholar see their name and face on the digital signs at your school can be pretty fulfilling and affirming! You can add your message to the Student of the Month award template recognizing any student who excels in a particular category. Look DS provides dozens of free templates, so you choose your best fit and edit it to suit the message you want it to display. You can customize it to get the appearance you are after. With Look DS, you can change whatever shows on all your educational digital signage displays in seconds.
The Countdown
Once you've put the students in the spotlight, you can start the countdown to when the ceremony will begin. You can use the countdown timer from Look DS, where you will start by adding a title and, if necessary, an event description, then specify the exact date and time. Use the screen time zone where applicable and select the language for time values. After selecting the Completed content, it will play instead of the application at the given time and date. Additionally, you may change the background color, pick a theme for the text boxes and timer, and add an image or video for the countdown timer.
Real-Time Ceremony Announcements
Real-time ceremony announcements help foster a positive and motivating atmosphere. Immediate recognition enhances the significance of the achievement, boosting the recipient's confidence and encouraging peers.
You will also promote community and school spirit by running real-time ceremony announcements. You create a dynamic and engaging environment, making the ceremony a memorable experience for the honored student and the entire school community.
Awarding Excellence
Awards are an investment in the welfare and future of the students. They motivate young students to excel in both their academic and extracurricular endeavors. Students who receive awards feel proud of themselves, encouraging them to reach and surpass their goals. They also assist scholars in setting goals and instilling in them a feeling of responsibility to put in more effort and accomplish more.
In a poll, 79% of workers claimed that receiving acknowledgment made them work harder, while 78% claimed that rewards increased their productivity. The same applies to students. By awarding them, they work harder and ultimately increase their productivity at school.
Planning the Ceremony
Your school's award ceremony ought to be an elegant yet enjoyable event that honors your pupils' accomplishments in front of their classmates. When planning the ceremony, invite the students' relatives.
Likewise, consider requesting brief talks from administrators or educators. Post images and videos on social media or digital displays to motivate other kids. You can display social media walls using Look DS and Facebook or Instagram feed applications.
Using Look Digital Signage for Event Coordination
Awarding excellence is a fundamental part of the success of any institution. However, hosting the event can be the most daunting task after you have everything in place. With guests and students anxiously awaiting the ceremony, coordination is a key focus. Thankfully, with Look Digital Signage, everything becomes a breeze.
Look DS will allow you to improve wayfinding by directing the guests to where the ceremony is. Likewise, it will enable you to manage the displays and showcase the students nominated for various awards. You can also effect real-time updates to make necessary communications during the event. This solution allows you to coordinate the event smoothly, ensuring vital information is readily available.
In addition, if you have a stable internet connection, you can stream the ceremony live on your TV screens. Here's how:
- Use YouTube to live stream your ceremony to your displays.
- To obtain your live feed from YouTube and transmit it directly to your displays using the Look DS app, kindly copy the link and put it into the relevant box of the app settings.
- Then, add it to your playlist and change the time.
Use the Student of the Month award to recognize accomplishments
Every educational institution has its character and ambiance. Customizing a student award program allows you to create a structure that incentivizes the attitudes and behaviors you want to see promoted in the classroom. Acknowledging positive attitudes, sincere work ethics, tenacity, helpfulness, and an enjoyment of learning contributes to developing a feeling of community and a learning atmosphere. Use Look DS to create and manage the content for your Student of the Month award ceremony and live-stream the event. Try a 14-day free trial now!
