A few years ago, my students and I added a new twist to this weekly feature when I selected Gracie’s name from the cup. I can get a bit silly before recess, and I joked that as a tribute to our new Student Leader, everybody needed to show up on Monday wearing a flower in their hair as Gracie often did. I completely forget about my little joke and was shocked when many kids showed up on Monday with flowers in their hair. Gracie was absolutely beaming when she saw this, and a new tradition was born. 

The following week, a boy named Tanyon became Student Leader. Because he didn’t routinely wear a flower in his hair as Gracie did, we needed a different way to honor him during his special week. He said that he liked wearing blue shirts to school, so the following week, many kids wore blue shirts to school. These tributes, which began as a throw-away joke before recess, have become a quick, simple, and powerful way to give kids their moment in the sun and make them feel like an important part of the team. The tributes don't have to focus exclusively on what students wear. Recently, one girl invited classmates to join her at the monkey bars during recess for a special workout.

Once I select the Student Leader and determine how that child would like to be honored, I send a brief email to all the parents so they can remind their kids about this on Monday morning.