For Resident Assistants (RA's) : 3 Easy, Attention Grabbing Bulletin Boards

1.Fabulous Females: This bulletin board idea is great for the May (Mothers Day) or another other female-driven holiday. It was very popular in my hallway and I often caught people stationed in front of the board reading all the responses. It even prompted a few thank you notes from my wonderful hall-mates!

A. First, send an email to your residents asking them to submit a picture of their favorite females. They can be family members or celebrities or activists! Also ask them to include 1-2 sentences about why this women is fabulous.

*I've found that if a resident doesn't respond to group emails he or she will often respond to direct emails (1:1). If that doesn't work, try a post it note on their door offering a friendly reminder. Sometimes residents just don't want to participate. If that's the case, don't take it personally and know that you tried!

B. Once you've gathered all the responses it's time to put the board together. Use a simple background (all white is preferable) since all the pictures could make it look cluttered. You can spice up the board with a snazzy border, if you please!

C. I like to frame things, but you don't have to. If you choose to do so, opt for one color to keep your board clean-looking. Glue the printed pictures/sentences onto a piece of construction paper and cut around the border.

D. The Title: I like the title "Fabulous Females," but you can use anything you please. For example: Fierce Femme's, Wonder Women, etc. Make it eye-catching and short!

E. Put it all together on the board! Don't forget to send an email out to your residents to let them know the board is up!

2. Soarin' GPA's: This bulletin board is great for the beginning of the semester. It offers great advice for how to get a GPA as high as the sky!

A. First, find 3-6 different ways to get and maintain high grades. There are lots of online websites that offer great advice, so mix and match according to the personality of your hallway.

B. Flesh out the tips. For example, "Stay Healthy!" could be 1 way to keep good grades. Expand on that idea to help inspire your floor. For example, "Your mom always told you to eat breakfast and she was right! Also, make sure you always have fruit on hand and try to get at least 1 work out in a week. It's amazing how refreshed you feel after a healthy snack and a little cardio!"

C. Come up with a title. I used, "Soarin' GPA's" but you may think that's a little cheesy. You could try something more straightforward such as, "How to Raise your Grades."

D. Snazz up your board. I almost always use a cutesy picture to draw attention. After all, you want your residents to look at your board after you put all that hard work into it, eh? For this board I used a picture of an airplane to go with the "soaring" theme.

E. Put it all together! Once you've gathered everything you need, it's time to staple everything to your bulletin board. Don't forget to send an email out to your residents to let them know there is a new board up!

*Always remember to cite your sources!

3. Beeeee SMART! This bulletin board works for any month, really! It deals with environmentalism and being smart about conserving our planet!

A. First, find 3-6 different easy ways your residents can better the environment. There are lots of online websites that offer great advice, so mix and match according to the personality of your hallway.

B.Flesh out the tips. For example, "Use Re-usable dishes!" could be one possible tip. Expand on that idea to help inspire your floor. For example, "There's no sense in all those paper plates and plastic utensils! While it may seem easier to just throw them away instead of washing the dishes, think about how many trips you're saving to the garbage can!"

C. Come up with a title. I used, "Beeee Smart" but that could come off a little cheesy for some people. You could try something more straightforward such as, "How to Better the Environment."

D. Snazz up your board. I almost always use a cutesy picture to draw attention. After all, you want your residents to look at your board after you put all that hard work into it, eh? For this board I used a picture of a bee with a thought bubble that had a few environmental facts posted.

E. Put it all together! Once you've gathered everything you need, it's time to staple everything to your bulletin board. Don't forget to send an email out to your residents to let them know there is a new board up!