Henrico Schools’ Back-to-School kickoff attracts more than 3,500 attendees

Henrico’s annual back-to-school event pulled its largest crowd to date last Friday at the Henrico Sports and Events Center, hosting more than 3,500 students and families during the course of the day.

This year was the first Henrico Schools hosted the event indoors and the second year it brought back the Hoop It Up basketball competition, a three-on-three basketball tournament that many Henrico parents remember from their school days.

HCPS has seen steady growth in the number of attendees each year, HCPS Chief of Family and Community Engagement Adrienne Cole Johnson said. Having the event at the new sports center and providing more streamlined bus transportation likely boosted the crowds, she said, but a big factor in pulling more students, especially older students, was the Hoop It Up competition.

“With that, we’ve seen so many more students who are participating, and its students throughout the county,” Johnson said. “I think in years past, you may see a predominance of our elementary or younger students, but now you see elementary, middle, and high school students that are coming out and really staying for a while during the event.”

The basketball tournament, which ran all day Friday, attracted 85 different three-on-three teams of all ages from across the county. That helped with HCPS’ goal of not just getting people to come by but to actually stay and spend time at the event interacting and connecting with the community, Johnson said.

“I would say part of our engagement strategy is that we want people to stay a while,” she said. “Versus just coming in and just getting some essentials like school supplies and book bags, we really want you to stop and talk to others, whether they’re in your school community or not.”

As always, HCPS brought out a DJ with lively music to create a fun atmosphere, but new this year was a dance showcase that saw a range of diverse dance teams, from Irish dancers to cheerleaders, and a live singing showcase for students. The event also had a designated “Kid Zone” with activities like laser tag and face painting.

“The space was filled from the beginning to the end of the evening,” Johnson said. “I think we really just spoke to all of our audiences and stakeholders that came out, including our students. Some parents said, ‘My child doesn’t want to leave!’”

But the event also offered families some essentials for the start of the school year with a resource fair where parents could sign up for HCPS’ communication app ParentSquare, schedule immunizations for students, and even get records like birth certificates. About 75 to 100 different school representatives and community organizations tabled at the event, including Henrico Police, Henrico Area Mental Health, and the Henrico NAACP.

“We always try to make sure the event is informative and fun, having that balance,” Johnson said. “Some things that we added is, what are some essentials that are important for parents and families to have? How can we bring some of those opportunities to the community at the event? We even had a barber on site giving free haircuts, so it felt like a gathering where there was really something for everyone.”

Johnson said the event has seen increasing success since she joined the team in 2019, right before COVID-19 hit and forced schools to shut down and community events to be put on hold. In the midst of the pandemic, families were more hesitant to participate in big gatherings and were more focused on other immediate needs. But in the past few years, engagement has been gradually rising as families finally feel more comfortable attending community events again.

“During COVID, there were definitely different comfort levels, and there’s so many other concerns and worries and things parents have to think about,” Johnson said. “And now, as we are a little bit further along post-pandemic, I think parents just have more mental room to kind of think about, ‘Okay, school is in a week or two, what classes do I need? How do I engage?’”

HCPS also saw almost every school community represented at the event, which Johnson believes are the “lifelines” to reaching different students and families. With big, division-wide gatherings, the goal is to attract different communities from across all schools, she said, making sure everyone can “find themself” in some aspect of the event.

“We want parents, community members, students to come and to gain something that’s going to help them feel better connected with Henrico County as a school system,” she said. “But also something that’s fun and engaging. School is a place where you enjoy seeing your classmates, where you have long-lasting memories, so we want our events to do the same.”

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.