Have a picture taken of all of the children and staff in some area of the school that was a priority to the teacher that is leaving.
How about trying to get something within the school named in theor honor. For example, our Principal retired last year and we got permission to have the Library, which was a focus of hers, named in her honor. Even got in the town's books so it is official.
Whn my son was in a catholic school we had a gym teacher who was the jack of all trades. She was the gym instructor ran the lunch program and varies events held at the school. We had a SURPRISE Queen for the day for her. It started out by a parent who owned a limo company picking her up for school. The children were all waiting outside the school with a letter place card " we will all miss you" It continued on throughout the day with each class doing something every hour. She had lunch served to her in the childrens lunch room complete with white table cloth flowers and her favorite lunch served by white gloved students!! We went to a local artist who did produce songs and had her own special song written for her from what we told him about her (this did not cost a lot of money even though is sounds like it did) perhaps you could have your music class and teacher arrange something like this. Every hour something special happened and we ended with a huge basket of goodies that we bought from monies collected from people who wanted to donate at an assembly we held at the end of the day. There was not a dry eye in the house!!!! Perhaps you could have a KING FOR THE DAY???? Good Luck- (My son is now in his first year of college yet every year at Christmas time I still receive a card from his old gym teacher it makes a lasting impression and a wonderful memory for that special person. GOOD LUCK!!!
The idea of the original sketching of the school and planting a tree are great ideas and I would have said the same thing. Those are gifts that you can send home with him.
However, there is something you can create that will keep his "spirit" in the school. Think about what he brought most to the school. If he was big on literature, or making others feel welcome & good about themselves, create an award in his name to be given to one girl and one boy each year. It could be the "Tom Smith Literacy Award" for the students that always displayed a love for reading. He will then be remembered year after year.
A slide show (if possible) of pictures from him over the years is great. Also, you can create a book from the student body. Every student takes one 8x11 piece of paper and traces their hand. Then they are to write on the hand what they love most or remember best of him, it can be bound in a nice book that he can read over the summer before starting the new school year. We did this for a teacher that had 30+ years in the school & she loved it since it was from the kids and from the heart.
Put selected page copies around the room for all to see or have one or two representatives from each table stand and read a page from the book and then present him with the full book at his dinner. You won't have a dry eye in the place!
Find out his interests, hobbies. We had a superintendent retire last year who is hugely into the outdoors and has a Harley. We got a custom basket made up for him with odds and ends, gift certificates, etc. around those themes.
You could also plant a tree in his honor...you may be leaving our school but you've helped us firmly plant our roots and we will continue to grow...
Surprise party? What's his personality? A principal (when I was in high school) was leaving and there was a ceremony for him. Each one of us seniors went up to him, shook his hand and put a smiley face sticker on his blazer! He loved it. Even kids that spent a lot of time in his office couldn't help but laugh too.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - Ferris Bueller
I am not sure where to put this
but a long time teacher is leaving the school for a principal job elsewhere,
He was the principal of the school where i am at now, and woked in the school for over 25 years
so i was asked to plan a going away party
Any ideas for ideas, favors, etc , etc
would be helpful
thank you soo much
sandi
