Oklahoma teacher hosts annual awards ceremony to celebrate students

Melody Munch, a former second-grade teacher in Oklahoma, hosted an annual awards ceremony to recognize her students on the final day of school.

Munch created a theatrical experience for her pupils by installing a red carpet made of butcher paper, disco lights, music, and a projector screen. She invited students to vote for their classmates in various categories while she also selected some winners.

After a student received a printed certificate, they walked across the red carpet while their name appeared on the screen. The teacher offered over 60 different categories for the awards, including titles such as Animal Lover, Best Dressed, and Problem Solver. In addition to the certificates, Munch provided each child with a gift bag containing treats, a pair of sunglasses, a custom bookmark, and a personalized farewell letter.

The bags also included a photo of the student with Munch and a postcard for them to mail during the summer. Munch started this tradition in 2015 to ensure every child felt seen and loved before moving on to the next grade. Since leaving the classroom in 2023 to create teaching resources full time, she now shares these materials to help other teachers recreate the ceremony.

She noted that while the ceremony usually happens on the last day of school, she occasionally moved it to the second to last day to accommodate students on vacation.