Columbia, SC
Richland County School District One
Yolanda Smith, Parent & Family Engagement Specialist
All Roads Lead Home
The Action Team for Partnerships (ATP), Parent and Family Engagement Specialist, and others at Columbia High School (CHS) saw the need to develop a strong and active Alumni Association to identify the value of the school’s history of graduates. They conducted All Road Lead Home to celebrate the past and support current and future students. The planning group communicated in many ways. Current students talked with their parents, family members, and neighbors who attended CHS. Teachers contacted alumni they kept in touch with and past faculty at CHS.
All Roads Lead Home included many activities. There was a display of past yearbooks, band uniforms, and other memorabilia for alums to reminisce; a photobooth to make new memories; and a One Team activity to retire the numbers on the jerseys of successful athletes on past CHS teams. The gathering included a basketball game to maximize school spirit. The kickoff also served as a fundraiser for the school with the sale of CHS items and souvenirs. A local business partner helped by giving the school discounts on the CHS items.
Alumni registered in advance to help planners prepare accurately for food and space requirements. Over 90 attended the kick off activity and in a short time there were over 1000 members of the CHS Alumni Association. Getting right to work, the group designed ways for alumni to serve as volunteers at the school; supported a scholarship fund for future graduates; identified mentors for students and networking activities for students and alums. The Association sponsors the CHS Honor Roll Ceremony and leads a Career Fair. Alumni also assist students with items to attend the senior prom (e.g., gowns, suits, shoes, and services), sponsor school beautification projects, and more. They expect these activities will help improve student attendance, achievement, graduation rate, college and career plans, and more.
The organization’s activities help strengthen the school climate—one of the goals in the CHS One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships. The ATP and school leaders are sure that an Alumni Association is an important—maybe imperative—part of any school’s program of school, family, and community partnerships.
Read more about All Roads Lead Home in Promising Partnership Practices 2023.
