Senior Banquet Outreach
The Objective - To give high school seniors an opportunity to hear the Gospel and make a decision to trust Christ before graduation. Also, to have a blast recognizing some little-known or embarrassing accomplishments of particular seniors.
The Idea - There are lots of year-end activities for seniors in the months leading up to graduation. This idea is sort of an alternative to the more formal activities. The idea is for the junior class (or maybe Christian Club, if it is well known), to host a breakfast or dinner to honor member s of the senior class. The awards given at the event will be different from those at most others. These will honor seniors for things like; most embarrassing moments, best kiss, worst hair day, longest dating couple, shortest dating couple, smelliest locker, worst athletic day, funniest boy and girl, and anything else of particular interest to your school. You will also want to award important stuff like best male and female role models and persons who best lived out their faith. Awards can be actual trophies or plaques or papers.
The Needs
- Location - preferably a nice room on campus or special room in a banquet hall or restaurant. You could even do it in someone's home or yard if it is big enough. Try to get the room donated.
- Set-up crew - this group will transform the room into an appropriate place for a high school awards show
- Food donated or prepared. Ask around for a parent's committee to prepare all the food for the event. Make it nice.
- Awards thought up and obtained
- Junior class MC
- Junior class or Christian Club servers for the tables
- Speaker - well known local Christian adult or student from campus
- Testimony - senior student who can share how his or her faith helped them through school and will do so in the future
- Sound system - big enough to be heard well and supply good sound
- Music - background music is a must. Plus you may want to consider a special senior talent to perform a special piece.
- Video - a really great part of the event would be a video showing important parts of the senior year. Try to get some seniors to give sound bites of what was special about the year and the class. If video is used, a projector will be needed.
- Comment cards and pencils
The Program
Students walk into a room set up with memories of their high school and senior year. Music
is playing in the background and guests can nibble on some appetizers. The MC welcomes
everyone to "The most important awards presentation of the year." The Student
body president or appropriate member of student government should make a few brief
comments about the class and year - keep the comments light or humorous if possible. Show
the video at this point if you have one. Introduce person to pray for meal and eat.
After eating, invite a popular senior to give out the special awards. Give time for the recipients to make any comments that they would like. Finish the awards with the ones given for most inspirational. Have this person share a testimony of faith in Christ, and what difference their faith made in their life on and off campus. Follow this up with the speaker who will make more comments about the senior class and make the gospel presentation. Comment cards are either already on the tables or can be passed out at this point for students to give their responses. Offer a door prize to encourage comment card turn-ins. Special music and a prayer would be a good way to close the program.