From Custodian Appreciation Day to Inflatable Costume Races, These Were the Top Moments from 2024

PTO and PTA volunteers continue to find fresh new ways to engage and support their school communities. We look back at some of the standout moments and trends we saw play out in schools across the country, from unique school fundraisers to creative teacher appreciation ideas. 

Teacher appreciation ideas

💡Psst: Find even more teacher appreciation ideas and templates on our Teacher Appreciation Ideas page!

Hydration Station

We round up everything you'll need to set up a hydration station (also referred to as #WaterTok) in the teachers' lounge: a shopping list of supplies and FREE hydration station printable bundle featuring teacher themed recipes and signage. (For the holiday seaosn, try our holiday hydration station recipes!)

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Treats

Everything old is new again (*see 90s themed teacher appreciation post below*)—and we're here for it. This sweet throwback treat exploded on our socials in December, with PTOs everywhere gifting nostalgic Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes to teachers, staff, and students before winter break. Get even more holiday teacher appreciation ideas ☃️

Taylor Swift Themed Teacher Appreciation Festivities

2024 will always be remembered as the year we were collectively "in our teacher appreciation era", thanks to Taylor Swift. The good news is, Taylor Swift is STILL awesome, perhaps even more awesome than she was last year—and still a great choice for a fun Teacher Appreciation Week theme! Get ideas and printables for a Taylor Swift Teacher Appreciation Week.

Underground Spirit Week for School Staff

Underground Spirit Week is the school spirit week you never knew you needed...until now! Underground Spirit Week is not only a great way to boost staff morale, it's also a blast for students, too! We round up the very best themes for Underground Spirit Week, from "Dress Like a Student Day" to "Anything But a Cup Day", along with an Underground Spirit Week Canva template to get the word out to teachers. Just remember not to tell the students...you want to keep them guessing all week long!

Custodian Appreciation Day Gift Idea

Drum roll, please...this creative Custodian Appreciation Day gift idea from Marshall Elementary PTO in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, nearly broke the Internet when we shared it! The PTO gifted their school custodians Dunkin gift cards and snacks packaged up in mini recycling bin containers.   

Woot Woot Wagons (and the Infamous "Pooped" Teacher Treat Trolley)

Teacher treat trolleys, also affectionately called "woot woot wagons" in the PTO community, are essentially carts that get wheeled down the hallway to surprise unsuspecting teachers with fun treats and beverages. Brookwood Elementary PTO in Alabama does a themed treat trolley each month. And, because there's no tired like teacher tired...it's no wonder their year-end "pooped" treat trolley went viral!

@ptotoday Teacher Trolley Goals 👏 📸 Brookwood Elementary PTO in Enterprise, Alabama #teacherappreciation #ptomomsoftiktok #ptopresident #PTOlife #treattrolley ♬ Good Morning Sunshine - Adam Stern

Rainbow Snack Spread for Teachers

This colorful display of snacks and drinks arranged in the formation of a rainbow in the teachers' lounge is a fun teacher appreciation idea for March. Check out all the special days to celebrate at school in March.

Photo credit: Marshall Elementary PTO in Fort Campbell, KY

School Supply Charcuterie for Teachers

Charcuterie continues to have its moment, and we're just loving how the charcuterie trend has made its way into teachers' lounges with a school supply theme! Artfully arrange school supplies as you would a charcuterie board and invite teachers and staff to take what they need to restock their classroom. (You can also do a school supply bar using the school supply pun signs in our free appreciation mega bundle.)

@mamamcgoon This staff appreciation week our PTA hosted a School Supply Charcuterie. We included a shopping list of items they were to collect as well as the quantity of each. They had a blast and it was gorgeous! #PTAideas #PTA #schoolsupplies #schoolsupplyshopping #teacherapprecationweek #teacherappreciation #teachers #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #elementaryschool #charcuterieboard #charcuterie ♬ Creative - Smile

90s Themed Teacher Appreciation Events

Hold the (giant cell) phone, because the 90s called to let us know it's baaaaack (and it's not going, like, anywhere, at least anytime soon). From Clueless to Vanilla Ice, touches of the 90s were spotted in teachers' lounges across the country as PTOs leaned into the 90s as their Teacher Appreciation Week theme.

Mini Pies

If you're on the PTO, chances are you're familiar with some (if not all) of the food themed holidays throughout the school year. When November rolls around, mini pies will be your hospitality coordinator's best friend. Set a reminder in your phone (seriously, you'll thank us later 😅) to head over to Walmart to snag a cartful of mini pies before they're out of stock. Treat teachers to a mini pie bar before Thanksgiving break, on National Pie Day (January 23), or Pi Day (March 14). Just add a fork, some ribbon, and a pie teacher appreciation gift tag (available in our FREE school appreciation mega bundle).

Candy Apple Bars

Candy apple bars continue to be a popular teacher appreciation event for PTOs to host in the fall, and for good reason. This fun midday snack break allows teachers to pair something healthy with something sweet. Set out apples for teachers and staff to slice, along with toppings, like mini M&Ms, graham crackers, chocolate chips, brown sugar, mini marshmallows, and chocolate and caramel sauce, and invite teachers to make their own candy apples or "apple nachos".

Moon Pies for a Full Moon

Let teachers know you're thinking of them the day of a full moon with a fun moon pie treat! (2025 full moons fall on January 13, February 12, March 14, April 12, May 12, June 11, July 10, August 9, September 7, October 6, November 5, and December 4.)

School fundraiser ideas

💡Psst: Find even more awesome school fundraising ideas and templates on our School Fundraiser Ideas page!

Human Fruit Slot Machine

Coal Valley PTA in Coal Valley, IL got creative with the human fruit slot machine they made for their PTO event. This unique idea definitely drew lots of mixed reactions over on TikTok - check it out below and chime in with your .02 in the comments! 

@ptotoday This #humanfruitmachine will be everyone’s fave stop at your school’s Fall festival! More unique school fundraiser ideas at PTOtoday.com/trending 📸 Coal Valley PTA in Coal Valley, IL #fyp #ptolife #ptopresident #ptapresident #fallfestival #schoolfundraiser #fundraising #games #schoolvolunteer #humanslotmachine ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

Haunted School Bus PTO Fundraiser

The PTO at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School in Ridgeway, PA set up a haunted school bus to help raise funds for the school’s Scare Away Cancer Carnival fundraiser. What an amazing way to support such an important cause! 

@ptotoday Shout out to the PTO at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School who set up a haunted school bus to help raise funds for their school’s “Scare Away Cancer Carnival” fundraiser 🚌 👻 📷 Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School PTO in Ridgway, Pennsylvania #ptopresident #ptapresident #ptolife #schoolvolunteer #hauntedhouse #hauntedschoolbus #fyp #fundraiser #schoolfundraiser ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

Pi Day Fundraiser

A fun school fundraiser to do on National Pie Day (January 23) or Pi Day (March 14), students pay 50 cents per ticket for a chance to pie a (willing) teacher in the face.

Stuffie Sleepover

Yep, this one's exactly what it sounds like: a fundraiser that allows students to give their stuffed animals the chance to have a sleepover at the school with other stuffed animals. Adamsville Primary School in Bridgewater, NJ, had their first ever stuffie sleepover and realized a 95% profit. They charged $10 per stuffed animal, with their only expense being the photos they shared with families after the event. Read more about stuffie sleepovers in 15+ Unique Fundraisers for Schools.

Photo credit: Bernie Andersen, Adamsville Primary School PTO, Bridgewater, New Jersey

School Glow Events: Glow Dances, Glow Runs, and Glow Parties

Want to give your tradition school events a glow up? Just add black lights (and glow sticks)! PTO and PTA groups embraced the glow trend with indoor glow dances, glow runs, and glow parties as an incentive for meeting school fundraising goals. Here's how to organize a glow event at school - plus glow in the dark decor, glow in the dark activities (like Tic Tac Glow), school glow event Canva templates, and more.

Penny Wars 

Coin wars (also called penny wars) are a great fundraiser because your PTO can earn quick cash for your school. We outline steps for your PTO to plan and organize a coin wars fundraiser.

@ptotoday This popular #schoolfundraiser is easy to organize and can raise a LOT of money quickly! Learn how to organize one at www.ptotoday.com/penny #pennywars #ptopresident #ptapresident #fundraiserideas #ptolife ♬ SHIMMY SONGTRADR 30 HIT WONDER - Artist manager manager

Bubble Runs

Bubble runs are a fun spin on a traditional fun run. Pleasant Valley PTA raised $18,400 during their school's bubble run, with more than 340 students, family members and friends running the track. Consider purchasing a bubble machine that your group can use for bubble runs, field day, and foam parties (a popular school fundraising incentive!).

@ptotoday Bubble run - such a fun spin on a school fun run! #schoolfundraiser #funrun #ptolife #ptopresident #schoolvolunteerlife ♬ Chichiquetere - HCTM

 

Other ideas that trended this year

Candy Monsters for Trunk or Treat

When your school needs a massive amount of candy for Trunk or Treat, leave it to the creative PTO to make a candy monster! PTO volunteers took their candy monsters to a whole new level this year. We look at how to create a candy monster for Trunk or Treat - plus highlight some of the most creative candy monster ideas out there. Our favorite from 2024, if we absolutely had to choose? The Beetlejuice candy monster from Roger Gehring PTA in Las Vegas, Nevada!

School Principals Doing Amazing Things

Is it just us, or are school principals getting even more fun? From dressing as an elf (and hiding throughout the school) to taking their office mobile, principals have stepped up their game to boost morale for staff and students, making school a fun, positive place to be. In honor of National Principal Month, we highlight some of the most memorable moments from principals across the country.

@ptotoday These school principals are changing their school communities for the better: PTOtoday.com/trending @Nicholas Holtvluwer @Nicki Slaugh @Laurie Christenberry Harless @Kelly @🄿🅁🄸🄽🄲🄸🄿🄰🄻 🄼🄾’ @Mr.Lamb @Heather Sosnovsky #NationalPrincipalsMonth #principalsoftiktok #schoolprincipal #ptolife #fyp #ptopresident #ptapresident ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

ASPCA Commercial for School Lost and Found

One thing we all learned this year? ChatGPT can do some pretty amazing things, such as, "write a script for the school's lost and found in the same style as an ASPCA commercial" (cue Sarah McLachlan).

@ptotoday PTO to ChatGPT: Make us a script for our school’s lost and found, similar to an #armsofanangel #ASPCAcommercial ChatGPT: DONE 💥 PTO: 🤯 📸 Heather Carey from Jack N. Darby PTO in Sasebo, Nagasaki, #Japan #ptomomsoftiktok #ptomom #ptamoms #ptoideas #lostandfound #ptopresident #ptapresident ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

Inflatable Costume Races  

If there's anything kids would pay to see, it's a gaggle of teachers running through the school in ridiculous inflatable costumes! Check out what Falcon Pass Elementary PTA in Houston did to bring this fun idea to life at their school.

@ptotoday We’re loving this fun run incentive idea featuring a meet and greet with some special guests (aka parent volunteers wearing inflatables 😂) Falcon Pass Elementary PTA in Houston, TX #funrun #funrunideas #ptolife #ptopresident t #ptapresident #schoolfundraisingideas ♬ LOOK AT ME - sanika • skywvker

 

😮 Pssst: Is your school parent group insured? Now is the time to check (don't assume you're covered by your school's policy - most parent groups aren't). The PTO Today team can help you determine the right insurance coverage for your PTO, PTA, or booster club. Reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or learn more at PTOtoday.com/insurance.

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