#ShowUpAmherst

Show Up Amherst Logo

#ShowUpAmherst is an initiative in partnership with Amherst County Public Schools, Amherst County Public Schools Education Foundation, and IRON Lives to promote positive character for students, families, and the greater community.

We all need to #ShowUp to support our schools, community, and each other.

Amherst County Public Schools has partnered with the Amherst Education Foundation and IRON Lives to engage in a community-building initiative called #ShowUpAmherst. #ShowUpAmherst is funded by a generous grant donated by Glad. The purpose of this initiative is to engage the entire Amherst community in supporting the character development of our children. #ShowUpAmherst is a response to the impact the pandemic has had on our schools and the relationship between the schools and community. Schools serve as the cornerstone of a community, so ACPS wants to lead our students, staff, and families in recovering what was lost during the pandemic. Through positive messaging that encourages mutual support of all stakeholders, we hope to model positive character traits for our students, such as civic engagement, communication skills, and collaboration.

#ShowUpAmherst kicked off at the start of the school year through social media. During September, we are highlighting students and staff who #ShowUp in a variety of ways, such as being engaged in learning, having good attendance, and making positive contributions to our school community. On September 30th, we will have Show Up Day in all of our schools. Each school is planning fun activities for students, but those activities are being kept secret. Students will have to Show Up to find out what is happening.

In the coming months, many activities are planned so that our students can witness real-life examples of the character traits needed to be contributing members of a community. Our social media accounts will show off all of the great things happening in our schools while connecting those activities to important character traits. Each month will have a theme, such as encouraging students to be kind, thankful, or healthy. We will be placing signs along car riders lines at schools. These signs are designed to get families talking while they are waiting to drop off their students. Additional messaging materials will be strategically placed around the community with the goal of bringing people together and starting a positive conversation.

We hope that by involving the community in the #ShowUpAmherst initiative, families and community members will come to our schools to support our students in a variety of ways. Volunteers are always welcomed, but cheering on students at sporting events, science fairs, and fine art showcases are also great ways to #ShowUp and get involved. In return, Amherst County Public Schools hopes to #ShowUp for the community through volunteering, community service, and supporting our business and nonprofit partners. Let’s all show up to support our schools, community, and each other!

Please join us in posting positive activities and events around Amherst using our hashtag, #ShowUpAmherst.

This partnership is made possible by a generous grant from GLAD Manufacturing/Clorox.

Glad Logo