Edward Neill All-Star Day celebrations give every student an opportunity to shine brightly 

Designed to highlight every child’s unique identity and talents, All-Star Day celebrations at Edward Neill Elementary School have become much more than just a monthly school assembly. The celebrations — rooted in the idea of creating a supportive school culture through school-wide engagement — not only build community at the school but also foster a sense of belonging in each student. 

Each month, and throughout the year, students participate in a variety of projects and activities that reflect who they are, where they come from and what makes them unique. A grade level is chosen to lead the month’s activities, but every student at the school is included in the celebration in some way. Whether it’s engaging in a service project or creating a presentation or welcoming family members to the school on an All-Star Day or simply setting up the gym for the celebration, all students are given the opportunity to be seen and heard. 

Building community takes community effort

All-Star Day celebrations, which were first implemented in the 2023-24 school year, are really in their infancy stage, but staff continuously look for ways to build upon and improve these celebrations.

Principal Lyle Bomsta and the school’s dedicated staff, including social worker Sarah Parker and the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team, believe that All-Star Days are the foundation to building school culture. They have continuously worked to make Neill an inclusive space where every child shines.   

 Ryan Moran, a multilingual teacher, thinks that even though it seems like the school’s doing really simple things, those simple things are having a significant impact on students. 

“Aside from the regular kind of shift in a normal school day and schedule, which always brings some anticipation and excitement, I think, definitely with the service projects, there’s a sense of pride and ownership that the kids feel,” said Moran. “One example that I’m thinking about is with our second graders, who reorganized our lost and found area, and put up coat hooks, nailing and attaching the screws and everything. That's a real, tangible thing that they’ve done to improve our school climate.”

He added, “It’s been cool seeing that when they walk by the hooks, the kids will now say, ‘hey, we did that, that was us.’” 

Fourth-grade teacher Jim Condon, whose class engaged in a playground beautification project last year, believes the celebrations are creating a much greater sense of involvement and belonging. 

“It’s all about building a new culture here at Neill,” said Condon. “I appreciate that, but I think I see kids starting to actually feel it. They recognize the difference and see that this is supposed to be created by them, not for them. So, they are growing in a sense of, ‘Yep, this is our ship. We’ve got to help steer it.’”  

“I appreciate the way we’re doing [these celebrations] now, where everyone is spotlighted. Why do I get highlighted? Because you are here, you matter, that’s it,” said Condon. “It doesn’t really matter right now what you’ve accomplished. It matters that you are here, that you’re a part of this group, this community. This is a family, of sorts, for nine months of the year. And, that’s how we get better as a community.” 

All-Star Day identity projects help students embrace who they are

Social worker Sarah Parker is a big advocate of the All-Star Days. She leads the “identity projects” for the celebrations. The projects, which look a little different at each grade level, are designed to get students thinking about who they are, what they like, what they are proud of and much more. 

“When it comes to culture, religion and ethnicity, all of that is wrapped up into these projects,” said Parker. “It shows that everyone has something really cool and unique about themselves. Everyone has talents. Everyone has a story.”

She added, “I know that sounds so cliché and you might think that it’s really not that deep. But it is, and it’s empowering students.”       

Second-grade teacher Tiffany Lenton, who helps facilitate activities on All-Star Days, agrees that any time students are a part of something bigger or see themselves as an important piece of the system, it’s a positive thing. 

“Students all wearing the same shirt on the same day, seeing their projects displayed in the hallways or seeing their service project being used – all those things create unity and help everyone be seen,” said Lenton.  

Parker believes the positive impact of the celebrations is evident. Students are taking pride in their projects, attendance is improving, especially on All-Star Days, and staff engagement is building. 

While the school continues to refine and expand the All-Star Day initiative, Parker thinks the school is delivering on its mission of making every student feel like they truly belong at Neill. 

“When you step into the building, you can feel it,” said Parker. “There’s so many great things happening here and it’s a beautiful thing.”