January is Alabama's 33rd Annual School Board Member Recognition Month. Schools, employers, community leaders and education supporters across Alabama will salute the state's more than 800 school board members. Share your messages on social media using hashtags #SchoolBoardMVPs #ThanksALBOE #SchoolBoardMonth and tag us so we can see!

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SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RECOGNITION MONTH

The Alabama Association of School Boards is asking you to help us celebrate school board members' service. January is Alabama's 33rd Annual School BoardMember Recognition Month. 

Throughout the month, schools, employers, community leaders and education supporters across the state will salute more than 800 local school board members.AASB is providing a convenient toolkit for any education supporter to use as a guide to honor the dedicated men and women who serve on Alabama's school boards. 

AASB’s School Board Member Recognition Month Kit includes an array of materials to help you honor school board members for their commitment to the children of your community.

This toolkit includes:

• Transparent background logos: color badge logo, white badge logo | color ribbon logo, white ribbon logo
• A template for customizable certificates for city & county school boards (in Microsoft Word and as a pdf) 
• A template for customizable certificates for special school boards (in Microsoft Word and as a pdf)

Social Media

• Graphics: Download Graphics
• Customize MVP cards for your board using this template: Download Template
• Sample Social Media Posts

Additional Assets

• A sample editorial to mail to local newspapers 
• A sample “Thank You” letter to send to board members’ employers 
• A sample resolution for use by local organizations and governing bodies 
• A customizable press release announcing Board Member Recognition Month that could also be used in newsletters and newspapers 

Ways to Celebrate: 

• Feature board members for “MVP Highlights” on social media or the district website
• Collect handwritten notes or artwork from students and present them at a board meeting or compile into a booklet.
• Schools share short recognition messages during morning announcements throughout January.
• Add “School Board Members: The Real MVPs” to school marquees, homepage banners, or email signatures.
• Begin a January board meeting with a brief recognition, certificate presentation, or applause.
• Create simple “MVP cards” for each board member featuring their role, years of service, and a fun stat (e.g., “Meetings Attended”). (Download a pre-made template: here)
• Encourage students and staff to wear school or district “team colors” in honor of board members.
• Set up a Hall of Fame bulletin board or digital slideshow highlighting board members as “All-Star Leaders.”
• Ask principals and teachers to submit one sentence on how board leadership supports their work.
• Provide small snacks or “game day” treats at meetings with tags like “Thanks for Being Our MVP!”
• Share a fun graphic showing “wins” such as graduation rates, new programs, or facility improvements.
• Have student-athletes or coaches record thank-you messages using sports-themed language.
  

Superintendents are asked to personalize and print certificates for each school board member and give them to the board president for distribution at the January board meeting.

AASB encourages medium-to-large school systems to consider coordinating events among the school so that neither the schools nor the board members are overwhelmed with activities during the month.