Back-to-school night for Blue Valley West

By Chris Anderson – Blue Valley West Leadership Team Member/DAD

Back-to-school night for Blue Valley West was held August 25th, but for the BVW Father’s Club, it began over a month earlier.

BVW Father’s Club met with school administrators and the PTO President to review the entire 2025-2026 school calendar a couple weeks before school began. We discussed the events Father’s Club would be a part of and other ways our chapter could be involved in the school. The following week the leadership team had a meeting where we caravanned out to Kauffman for a Royals game tailgate (and a Flo Rida concert). Over cool drinks and hot dogs, we began to map out the year’s events and assign team leads accordingly.

Planning ahead allowed dads to map out in advance what they knew they would need to prepare for the events, and provide time in case conflicts arose with any unexpected personal or professional obligations. The tailgate allowed for the committee to ask questions, strategize, and build momentum for the upcoming school year.

Once we had the calendar finalized (although always fluid), we began to push out to social media about joining Father’s Club and sharing the upcoming schedule, including links to sign up via Signup Genius for the early fall events. We also communicated internally with the existing fathers on our GroupMe chat to build enthusiasm and participation for the school year.

August started with a bang

The month of August started with a bang for activities, with the goal to provide dads plenty of opportunities to get their feet wet and get back in the flow of the school year.

We kicked things off on August 6th with the BVW staff on their first day reporting to the building, welcoming them back with coffee, donuts and thank yous for all they do.

On August 15th, dads were present at the first Senior Sunrise, a BVW tradition for seniors to greet the morning early while we provide the food.

The following Monday was our first all-school event with Fist Bumps for Food, made even more notable with over 40 dads – a record for our FBFF – showing up to man the doors, pass out donuts, share fist-bumps/high-fives and get pictures with their kids. It was an incredible time, and a real sense of excitement was felt.

August 22nd introduced our first Jag Grill of the year, where dads grilled hot dogs and burgers (all food supplied by the lunch staff), and we served the students over their lunch period.

August activities closed out with Back-to-School Night, where dads hosted a table for sign-ups as parents navigated through their children’s classes.

September

The month of September started off on the 3rd, as we hosted the official Father’s Club Kickoff, a chance to share with new dads what Father’s Club is and how they can be involved, stressing the importance of “just showing up” for the students however we can and offering participation in a low-pressure, fun environment.

All of these early year-activities lead to Friday, September 5th with our first home football game. Home games are significant as Father’s Club runs the home concessions throughout the season (and if we’re lucky, a few playoff games). Concessions are our most important event for our club for a variety of reasons: dads are able to sign up for one or more shifts through the evening and have a chance to get to know other dads; interact with students, parents and staff as they serve food and drinks, and take part in raising money for the students. All profit from the night goes 100% back to the students/staff through events like Fist Bumps for Food and the Father’s Club Scholarships we give out to seniors at the end of the year.

Additionally, any tips collected from the concessions goes into the club for our social events, providing a chance for dads to spend time getting to know each other while providing a casual environment to bring new dads into the group.

Social events matter

These social events may be as simple as a couple of hours at a local establishment with food and drink provided, to playing cards at a neighborhood clubhouse. These evenings are invaluable for building relationships among the dads, welcoming new members, and building conversations outside of club activities themselves.

We are excited for the upcoming year, and if the first few weeks are any indication, it will be our best one yet!

Next Steps

• To get involved with a Father’s Club chapter at your school, visit the Chapters page on our website.
• If there isn’t a chapter currently at your school and you would like to know more about starting a Father’s Club chapter, visit the Contact page and fill out the form with your details and we will be in touch!