To have an effective First Priority club, a faculty sponsor is very important. He or she is a volunteer who supervises students to ensure they remain in line with the rules of the local district and state. The faculty sponsor becomes the main person or liaison for the students in the school to organize and charter the club. According to the Equal Access Act, the faculty sponsor’s role is to monitor the club. In order to receive the support of the school administration, it is of utmost importance that the faculty sponsor communicate the mission and the role of the club to the administration, developing a certain amount of trust between the two. In time, the appropriate leadership of a faculty sponsor and the enthusiasm by students, the First Priority club will positively impact the school, which will be both pleasing and beneficial to the administration.

 

But what do you do if your school’s First Priority club doesn’t have a faculty sponsor? “I wanted to be the teacher sponsor because I knew I would have the opportunity to be directly involved spiritually with the kids,” said Stephen Hickman, Minor High School First Priority Teacher Sponsor. After being interviewed by First Priority, Stephen offers the following suggestions to students, parents, business leaders and youth pastors who are seeking to find a faculty sponsor for their club:

• Pray that God will send a faculty sponsor
• Provide detailed information of responsibilities to teachers
• Provide teachers with information about the joy and opportunities that come with being the faculty sponsor
• Help teachers understand the positive influence they can make on students’ lives
• Ask students to provide a list of teachers they would recommend
• Ask the principal/school administration who they would recommend
• Work with local church pastors and youth pastors to see if there are teachers within their church who would be interested in sponsoring the club

 

Faculty sponsors are vital to the success of an effective club, and they truly can make a difference in the lives of students. As First Priority, we are here to serve you. If your First Priority club doesn’t currently have a faculty sponsor, please don’t hesitate to call us at 205.871.8886 or e-mail info@gofirstpriority.com. We will do whatever we can to help you find one.