This is the sixth article in an 9-part series with tips on planning, producing, and paying for your school assembly program. The complete School Assembly Handbook will be available online at my website for educational school assemblies.
Introduce your presenter. Pros normally either have an introduction for you or the principal to read or introduce themselves. Ask them in advance so there’s no surprise at the last moment. (This may be the role of your principal or a teacher who runs assemblies.)
Discipline problems. Even if you’re not a teacher or school staff, sometimes the job of discipline falls into your lap. The most common problems are evening programs that you’re running without assistance from school teachers or staff. Kids are sitting with their friends rather than with their class. Parents are typically seated in chairs towards the back of the room and aren’t always right there to keep an eye on their child. (Sometime they aren’t even there. Or, they are, and simply don’t do anything about atrocious behavior.)
Good presenters know how to take control of an audience and keep them focused. At the same time, there are times when action needs to be taken. If a student is causing problems that prevent others around them from being able to enjoy the program, don’t hesitate to step in and move the student to a different location or ask them to sit with their parent or guardian.
Enjoy the show. A plus of being the assembly coordinator is that you can encourage the school to book assemblies that you want to see! Yep, when you’ve done your homework you should be able to sit back and enjoy the program yourself.