This article was written by Jessica Maharaj, an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Office of Family and Community Engagement. Jessica is from outside of Savannah, Georgia and graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2017. In the following article, Jessica shares her thoughts and impressions of the time-honored Philadelphia tradition of “Back to School Night.”

James J. Sullivan Elementary School is located in Northeast Philadelphia and serves students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. I had the opportunity to attend Sullivan’s Back to School Night, which I’d already heard great things about from my colleagues before even stepping into the school. Earlier that same day, I sat in on Sullivan’s SAC meeting. The school’s SAC is up and coming—it was just formed last school year—but has accomplished a lot in the past year, including holding PSSA information sessions, having bilingual parent meetings, establishing extracurricular clubs based on student interests, starting a
school beautification project, and establishing a Saturday school that offers tutoring in subjects students need the most help with.

While observing Sullivan’s SAC meeting, I noticed that Victoria Trower, a parent at Sullivan who played a monumental role in establishing and expanding Sullivan’s SAC the previous year, had her audience of families, school staff, the principal, the vice principal, and community members absolutely captivated as she listed Sullivan’s many accomplishments and touched on the school’s goals for the upcoming year. I could tell that Sullivan has a dedicated group of families and community members who were going to work hard to make this school year at Sullivan a memorable one.

I returned to James J. Sullivan Elementary School that same evening to attend the school’s Back to School Night. I grew up in a modest city in coastal Georgia in a rather small school district that was not nearly as diverse as the School District of Philadelphia. We had Open House nights where we’d meet our teachers for the year. That’s all. No activities, no showcase of the school’s accomplishments, nothing of the sort.

When I entered Sullivan, I was taken aback by the wild frenzy of parents and young students who were eager to explore the school. I stood off to the side observing everything and everyone around me before approaching the table that was set up at the very front to guide everyone through the maze-like setup that Sullivan decided to use for its Back to School Night to further engage parents and students. The enthusiasm in the air was almost palpable. I finally approached the front table, where I saw Victoria again. She was encouraging people to stop by every station that was set up for the Back to School Night as she advised parents to stop by the main office and fill out the parent survey. It seemed like she knew every parent who walked through the door.

I greeted Victoria and she explained how Sullivan’s Back to School Night worked. Students and families were supposed to go around the entire school and visit every room listed on a red slip in order to be entered to win a prize. This was surprising to me. In my experience, parents would just go around and meet our teachers. This kind of setup had families and students visiting the school counselor, the library, and even the gym teacher. It was a great way to make sure that families got to know every single person who impact their children’s school life, not just their teachers. I accepted my red slip with a smile, even though I wasn’t exactly sure where any of these locations were, and went on my way.

I stopped at the Home and School Association (HSA) fundraiser that was happening right next to the sign-in table. Members of the HSA were selling hotdogs, chips, cookies, and other snacks in an effort to raise funds for Sullivan’s next school beautification project, a school mural. Afterwards, I passed a table where people were explaining different programs that were being offered to parents in grades K-2. I passed by the counselor’s office. There was a long line of parents waiting for a chance to speak with the counselor. Younger children were eager to have their families meet their teachers in the many classrooms further down the hall.

I thought it was unusual that many schools in Philadelphia host their Back to School Nights after the school year has already started. Growing up, my school Open Houses were hosted a few days before the first day of school. It was literally a chance for everyone to meet the teachers for the very first time. In retrospect, I prefer Philadelphia’s method. At Sullivan, it seemed like a lot of students had formed a good rapport with their teachers in the first few weeks of school, which is why they were bursting with excitement to have their families meet their teachers.

I climbed up the stairs to find a station showcasing what the School Based Teacher Leader (SBTL) planned for the year as well as resources for English Language Learners (ELL). A few students were right behind me with their families in tow. Their eyes lit up once one of the teachers told them to choose a book from the adjacent table, while she explained some of the programs to the families.
I could tell that literacy was an important initiative at Sullivan after attending the SAC meeting earlier that day, so I made my way downstairs to the library to see what was happening there. When I arrived at the library, I was greeted by a woman standing at the desk at the front of the library, who explained the event occurring in the library. Sullivan was hosting a book sale in order to raise money for new books. She told me that the majority of the books that they currently have are from the year 2000, and students did not have access to the latest publications. Prices were from free up to $3 per book, but she encouraged everyone to give whatever they could instead of focusing on the prices. There were students everywhere. It was refreshing to see young people so enthusiastic about books and reading and just their school in general.

James J. Sullivan’s Back to School Night shows us that a Back to School Night can be an excellent outlet to showcase the progress a school has made and what the school plans to achieve in the future. There are also many ways to get students excited about showing off their school and their teachers to their parents. Sullivan hosted a praiseworthy Back to School Night that ended up being a lot more than a typical kickoff to the school year; it was an event that brought teachers, school staff, families, and students together and involved the entire school, reminding us all that it takes an entire community, not just the efforts of teachers, to educate our children.