Secondary: Current Assemblies
A New Start
By
Stuart Kerner
 Suitable for
Key Stage Three
Aim
To think about the start of a new school year, and the possibilities that
lie ahead.
Preparation and materials
A calculator would be very useful for the opening stunt.
Assembly
- Begin the assembly by welcoming the students back after the holiday and
tell them you spent your vacation learning how to read minds, which you will
now prove.
- Select a volunteer, and ask them to stand at the front. Give them a
calculator and run through the following stages, during which you should
pretend to be mystically reading their mind.
- Ask your volunteer to pick a number from 1 to 10.
Subtract 5.
Multiply by 3.
Square it/multiply it by itself.
Add the digits of the resulting number until you get a single digit (for
example 169=1+6+9 = 16 = 1+6 = 7).
Now, if the number is greater than 5 subtract 4, otherwise add 5.
Multiply by 2.
Subtract 6.
If you got number 1 pick A, if 2 pick B, if 3 pick C, and so on.
-
Now give them a piece of paper and ask them to write down a country that
starts with the letter they picked.
- Now write down the name of a mammal that starts with the second letter
from the name of the country you picked.
-
Write down the colour of that mammal.
- Tell your hapless victim, ‘You have a grey elephant from Denmark', and ask
them to show the audience. Thank them, and send them back to the audience
with a suitable round of applause.
- Now tell your audience that, although that was an amazing feat, your
powers are limited. You can't, for instance, see into the future. Each of
us creates our own future, based on the hard work and commitment we put into
things. Consequently you don't know what will happen during this school
year.
- A new school year brings with it new opportunities and new challenges. Perhaps we did not do as well as we had hoped last year and can now put our
disappointing performance behind us. Maybe there are things we want to try
to do differently.
- We may make new friends, and possibly grow apart from old ones. We will
study new subjects, have new teachers and the amount of homework we are
expected to do will almost certainly increase!
- In among all of these new experiences which seem just to come upon us,
it is important to remember that we decide how well or how badly we will do
in life. Success is not something that just happens, we must work at it. Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher and statesman said: A wise man will
make more opportunities than he finds.
- You have to make up your mind as this year begins whether or not you are
going to be a success. You have also to decide how you are going to do it.
Some people don't try very hard because they are afraid of failure, but we
should remember the fact that failure is success if we learn from it.
- Finish by asking the students to consider what they would want to hear
about their lives in a year's time if you could tell them the future. Remind them that they have the power to make it come true.
Bible reading
The parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14–29)
Time
for reflection
Close your eyes.
In your mind's eye form a picture of yourself in a year's time. Make the
picture big, bold and bright.
Do you look happy or sad?
Do you look successful or downhearted?
Have you achieved all you hoped for?
Now consider how you're going to make this image a reality.
Think about what this new year might be like for you.
Are you looking forward to it?
Are there things you're nervous about?
Are there things you'd like to do better than last year?
What new chance would you like this year?
How would you like to be different?
Say to yourself, 'Only I can make this happen.'
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
thank you for the chance to begin again.
Help us to take fully the new opportunities that present themselves.
May we concentrate on achieving our best,
and give us the will to aim for higher standards in all we do.
Amen.
Music
‘Things can only get better' by D:Ream
Hymn
Lord of all hopefulness
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