MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Attending school daily helps students score big. This message is at the core of a new partnership and campaign aimed at increasing awareness for the importance of daily student attendance in Shelby County.
“Represent Everyday” is a community-wide effort designed to improve student achievement by emphasizing the need for students to be in class every day. By leveraging community partners and incentives to motivate students and inform the community at-large, this campaign will help promote daily attendance as a game-changer for student success.
Superintendent Dorsey E. Hopspon II has proclaimed September as Attendance Awareness Month in Shelby County. This coincides with national Attendance Awareness Month, which is also in September.
“We know that if a child misses more than a few days in a school year, it could be very difficult to get back on track,” Hopson stated. “… This is a campaign that can have a profound impact in Shelby County.”
Grizzlies star Tony Allen has volunteered to be the official face and voice of this community-wide campaign.
This month, students will be getting a personal wake-up call from Tony, telling them to get up, get to school and “grit and grind,” Terrell said.
The Grizzlies have rewards for students, such as ticket drawings for students with 95 percent attendance or better every nine weeks, opportunities for students with perfect attendance every nine weeks to be the Grizzlies’ “Official Ball Kid” at an upcoming home game, school drawings for dinner and a game packages and a chance for students with perfect attendance all year to play a game with their friends on the Grizzlies practice court at FedExForum.
Sponsors sought
In addition to the incentives offered by the Grizzlies, there will be a major fundraising effort to help provide resources to every school for their own rewards and activities that encourage students to be present every day throughout the year.
Any company, organization or individual can become an active supporter, donor and/or participant in the “Represent Everyday” campaign just by signing up at www.representeveryday.org.
Plus, Seeding Success developed a “Represent Everyday” toolkit with key messages and talking points, pre-scripted social media posts and announcements that can be used in company or church newsletters.
