6 High school open house ideas

In this guide

• School showcase
• Interactive museum
• Market day
• Workshops
• Art exhibit
• Wax museum

In 2016, my school district screened the documentary Most Likely to Succeed in our auditorium for educators, students, parents and community members. Within weeks, I was down in San Diego, CA visiting the school at the center of the film, High Tech High. I was able to speak with teachers, students, and administrators about how they were reimagining learning.

One of the biggest takeaways from both the documentary and my visit was how connected student projects were to the larger community. Assignments were not just turned in for a grade. Students performed and presented projects for authentic audiences as a core part of their learning process. 

This emphasis on active learning was designed to create more meaning for the learners by providing a concrete application of the skills and content being developed through the curriculum. It was really exciting to see how engaged students were in subjects like math and history, which can turn a lot of kids off.

I was recently at a family gathering and one of my relatives was discussing how he nearly dropped out of high school because he was struggling in math so much. Today, he is a welder for the oil industry and he told me how often he finds himself correcting the calculations of the designers and engineers while on the job.

His least favorite subject in school has become one of the ways he stands out in his profession. Connecting the subject to a personal interest along with the need to effectively use it in a high stakes setting allows him to take vague concepts and develop concrete understandings.

Students involved in sports or the performing arts regularly experience participating in real settings with real audiences. But what about students that are not involved in these types of programs? How can we create similar learning experiences for them to make the process more meaningful?

The following open house ideas are a great way to connect students with authentic audiences and build skills that develop a greater sense of confidence.

1) School showcase

Most schools do not do a great job of advertising the amazing work that they do on a daily basis. As a result, many of the news stories about education or schools tend to be negative in nature. A whole school showcase is a great opportunity to start telling your story and connect to the people that matter the most – your community.

One of the best uses for a school showcase is for new or prospective students. As a high school, invite 8th graders and their parents to check out what being a student at your school is all about. Let guests tour your facilities in action and highlight the superpowers of your school.

Using a catapult in an AP physics classroom, listening to a mock debate in social studies, getting a headshot taken in the photography studio, tasting fresh baked cookies in a culinary class, or picking fresh vegetables from the sustainable garden.

These experiences will not only get families excited to attend your school, it will also get them talking to other members of the community about all of the amazing things happening there.

The best school showcases will include current students demonstrating what the classes or programs are all about and are available to answer any questions. It is one thing to hear from the people that work at a school but the message becomes even more powerful when it is coming directly from learners with first hand experience.

This idea sure beats an assistant principal talking through a 43 slide PowerPoint presentation in the auditorium, right?

2) Interactive museum

During a family road trip a few summers ago, we stopped at the Manzanar Historic Park Site to help our kids understand Japanese internment during WWII. As we approached the site, I began to feel a bit of guilt because I remembered how much I hated visiting museums as a kid.

This experience was very different from the museums of my childhood though and each of us found ourselves incredibly immersed in the information and exhibits. The kids were able to touch things and explore personal narratives of individuals who lived in that camp. As we drove away, the questions and conversation about that dark period in American history continued.

Before we even got home, I knew I had to try and replicate some of the elements found at Manzanar in an upcoming student project. Last year, our U.S. History and Design students launched our first interactive museum.

Each group was responsible for building a hands-on display to teach visitors about an important aspect of American history. We invited other classes, administrators, and parents to attend. Not only did this event help demonstrate how our class differed from traditional history classes, students were able to get powerful feedback on their work by seeing people directly engage with their projects.

This is also a great way to involve students in the marketing and publicity of an event. I had teams of students create a variety of advertisements from printed wall banners to short promotional videos to email messages. It was so successful that I think a lot of students forgot that they were getting a grade for their final project during the process.

3) Market day

So I have to admit that I have a personal advantage when it comes to this concept because I teach an Entrepreneurship class and all of my students are required to start a business. We hold an Entrepreneurship Fair at the end of the year for students and the community to attend. 

What we have discovered though, is that this idea works for a variety of students and programs on our campus. Ultimately, it is a great way to show off anyone who is creating and building things. Plus, expanding the scope makes the event larger and more engaging for visitors.

We have artists selling paintings and jewelry, photographers marketing their services, cooks sharing samples of their delicacies, and engineers showing off their solar powered vehicles.

Each student or business is provided a table and they decide on the best setup to attract attention and connect with potential customers. This event helps students build important communication skills and get more comfortable with selling their work, ideas, and talents. 

4) Workshops

Students get so accustomed to their role as a learner in school that it can create a relatively passive mindset when it comes to how they approach their education. This idea is meant to flip the script and turn the learners into teachers. 

If you want to master something, teach it.

Richard Feynman

I first started using this idea as a way to help students get more comfortable talking with each other in class. I let them choose any topic they were interested in and then create a 10 minute “lesson” to teach a small group of their peers about it. We’ve had presentations about how to putt a golf ball, make matcha, and knit a scarf.

Workshops are a great opportunity for older students to teach newer students organizational or academic information critical to success in high school. The beauty of this setup is that both the teachers (upperclassmen and women) and learners experience important benefits. 

For me, I still love giving students the option to choose whatever topic they want for a workshop. Not only do I get to learn new and sometimes random things, it is a powerful way to communicate to students that we value their interests since most of the time in school they are focusing on topics other people decided for them.

If you are able to open up your workshops to parents and community members, be ready for a transformative experience. Observing adults learn from passionate, young individuals is amazing evidence for how your school is helping create the future leaders of society.

5) Art exhibit

This idea is an easy one if you teach an art class but even if you do not, this one can still work because art and design can be included in any content area. Turn whatever space you have available into an art gallery and have students display their work.

The exhibits can be open at lunch for other students and staff members if there are major time constraints or you can hold it after school so parents can attend as well. Either way, make sure each student has a name card and artist’s statement next to their work for viewers to see.

A fun addition I like to do is give each visitor 5 circle stickers or tickets to vote on their favorite work. The stickers can be placed right next to the work as a quick and visible way to see which pieces are connecting with viewers the most. If you prefer more anonymity, have visitors write the name of their favorite artist on the back of a ticket and place it in a box near the exit. 

I have found this idea works much better when you work with other teachers so that the exhibit has more participants. Even if the subject matter or theme is different, collaborating will make it easier to organize and market the event.

6) Wax museum

I stole this idea from my own kids’ 4th grade teacher. After seeing both of my children participate in their historical wax museum, I decided to give it a try at the high school level.

Each student is assigned or selects a person or character to research. Then, they create a 60-90 second speech from the perspective of that individual. During the open house, guests walk up and “press the button” on each wax figure to make them start speaking.

Because this activity can get loud, I highly recommend choosing a large space or somewhere outdoors, if possible so it is easy to hear each presenter.

This idea can be used in a variety of subjects. In my history classes, I allow students to select a lesser known figure from the past who they feel derives more recognition for their contributions to society. I have also seen English Language Arts teachers use a wax museum to explore characters from a book they are reading in class.

Something to remember when it comes to designing an open house for a real audience is to recognize that it is not simply an opportunity to ‘showcase’ learning. Instead, it needs to be designed as part of the actual learning process. The presentation and interactions with viewers are part of the skills being developed.

As Dr. Caitlin Tucker discusses in her article, What is problematic about teachers being the only audience for student work?, connecting students with authentic audiences increases motivation and engagement, cultivates real-world skills, and provides authentic feedback.

Whether it is a sales pitch to a potential customer, demonstrating your value during a job interview, or explaining a diagnosis to a concerned patient, students need opportunities to practice communicating complex ideas in a confident manner.

Open houses are a great way for students to develop competencies that transcend typical curriculum goals while also advertising the amazing work that your school is doing. It really is a win-win situation.

References

1. Reuell, P. (2019, September 4). Study shows that students learn more when taking part in classrooms that employ active-learning strategies. Harvard Gazette. Retrieved June 21, 2024, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/
2. Tucker, C. (2023, March 8). Shifting From an Audience of One to an Authentic Audience – Dr. Catlin Tucker. Retrieved June 19, 2024, from https://catlintucker.com/2023/03/shifting-to-an-authentic-audience/