It is the end of the evening and a record crowd at the football game heads toward the parking lot. The game was competitive, and everyone is re-living the great memories and discussing how much fun it was to attend.

Among the people in the crowd are alumni who have longsince graduated from high school but have tremendous school pride and still attend games. This group of community members may only seem like attendees, but they have the potential to help students navigate toward a successful future.

Every school has the potential to create and maintain an alumni association, and school leaders may have an opportunity during select events to strengthen alumni relationships and benefit their student bodies by making meaningful connections. When leaders connect students to alumni to share their stories, understand the school’s legacy, and create fun events that allow alumni to share memories and tradition, current students can reflect with purpose and have a deepened appreciation of their alma mater.

Alumni Nights
Initial steps to start alumni connection don’t have to be overly complicated. One way to bring alumni back to campus is to specifically market games or events for them. When schools identify a contest or activity as an alumni event and publicize it to the community, they are more likely to increase alumni attendance.

Furthermore, schools can incentivize attendance in additional ways including discounted game entry, specific alumni sections of seating, or even an early pre-event meet-and-greet that allows alumni to gather and reconnect with old friends and colleagues. If the school already has an organized group, schools may even choose to designate such events as a kickoff to high school reunions.

In planning alumni nights, it is important to gather updated contact information from alumni. For example, if the school distributes a flyer regarding the night, it may also want to include a QR Code or a number to call so that alumni can not only respond regarding attendance, but may be able to share their current employment, address and general questions about what type of events they find are most exciting to attend.

Once school leaders have this information, they can reach out with additional information about having successful alums speak to students as a keynote or part of a panel. Celebratory events allow alumni to share testimonials of their high school experience, how they got their current position, and what students should know as they move toward graduation and careers.

Alumni Games
Alumni who are well-established in their careers may not be interested in participating in an actual athletic contest against high school students, but some schools, depending on state, region or district, may have alumni who want to participate in an alumni game and share athletic techniques with current students. Schools that host alumni games allow alums to share their successes, techniques and school spirit through participation, and these individuals can create cross-generational friendships and mentorship opportunities.

With alumni games, school leaders need to clarify purpose and emphasize safety for all participants. High school students need to be reminded that although the game may be competitive, it is primarily to create positive relationships with alumni and strengthening good athletic practices.

On the other hand, alumni need to be reminded that they are playing with high school students who are not fully developed – both physically and intellectually – and take appropriate steps to make sure they understand their roles as mentors rather than competitors. When school leaders focus all participants on having fun and creating relationships, the games can be exciting and meaningful and even spectators have an enjoyable experience.

After the games, time should be given for students and alumni to interact and share their memorable moments. Students can share about their teams, activities, classes and even what they would like to do after high school, while alumni can share about the importance of making the most of opportunities and how to navigate post-high school life. These eyewitness accounts can be valuable to students as they begin to plan their paths to success.

Graduates of Distinction and Hall of Fame
For more formal ways to connect alumni to students, schools can create Graduates of Distinction or Hall of Fame programs. These types of events do take considerable planning as care must be devoted to the creation of nomination forms, criteria for selection and noteworthy accomplishments of honorees – not to mention the actual selection of a date and time for such a prestigious event.

There are a variety of ways to host such events, but nearly all of them involve having the honored guests speak to an audience about their time at the high school, what they learned, and how they found and achieved success along their given path. These types of events can be impactful for students if they are invited or are able to attend, so particular attention should be given to devoting time and space so students can be a part of such as an assembly.

Final Thoughts
Regardless of the event that school leaders choose to engage alumni, feedback should be gathered from both alumni and current students. Alumni may be sent a survey to complete after the event to reflect on their experiences, share what they felt was positive, the challenges they faced, and even share suggestions on how to make the event better.

Current students may also need time to debrief with their teachers, coaches and advisers to discuss what was learned, share their challenges and even better understand their role in the history of any given program or school.

Not all schools will have every resource to create the perfect alumni event for each student, but with a little planning, new traditions that incorporate alumni can grow and become mutually beneficial for students and alums. Whether leaders create an alumni night, game or a more formalized Graduates of Distinction, when students are able to learn from others about how to find success, they are more likely to make choices that can positively impact their future.