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I participated in my first See You at the Pole event when I was a high school senior in the mid-1990s. I don’t remember exactly what we prayed about that morning, but I do remember what it felt like to stand alongside friends and classmates and openly share something that was important to us.
Years later, when I became a public school teacher in Arkansas, I got to see See You at the Pole from a different perspective. Students and local churches worked together to make sure the morning happened, sometimes with a box of donuts or breakfast waiting for students who arrived early. As a teacher, I appreciated the opportunity to simply be there and show my support for students who believed in the power of prayer.
More than 30 years after I first participated, students are still gathering around flagpoles at schools across Arkansas and around the country. And if your school doesn’t already have a See You at the Pole event planned, you don’t necessarily have to wait for someone else to start one.
How See You at the Pole Began
See You at the Pole started with a small group of teenagers in Burleson, Texas, in 1990. During a weekend youth retreat, the students felt led to pray for their friends, schools and leaders. They drove to three schools and gathered around the flagpoles to pray.
Their idea spread, and later that year, students across Texas were challenged to meet at their own school flagpoles on the same morning. More than 45,000 students on 1,200 campuses in Texas and three other states were documented as participating in that first See You at the Pole event. By the following year, the movement had begun spreading across the country and eventually around the world.
Today, See You at the Pole remains a student-led movement. Students typically meet at their school’s flagpole before classes on the fourth Wednesday in September to pray for their friends, families, teachers, schools, communities and country.
In 2026, See You at the Pole will be held Wednesday, September 23. This year’s theme is “Come to Me,” based on Matthew 11:28.
See You at the Pole in Arkansas
One reason you may not hear much about See You at the Pole events until they happen is that there isn’t one large gathering in Arkansas. The heart of the movement has always been individual students gathering at their own schools.
That means an event in Searcy or Bald Knob may look completely different from one in Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock or a small rural Arkansas school. Some gatherings may have dozens or even hundreds of students. At another school, it might be a handful of friends standing together before the first bell.
Local churches and youth groups often get involved to help students prepare. A church might provide donuts or breakfast, help spread the word among its youth group or pray for the students who are participating. But the gathering at the school itself is intended to remain student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led.
Can Students Pray at a Public School?
Yes. Students have the right to voluntarily gather for prayer during non-instructional time, which is why See You at the Pole events are typically held before school. Teachers, administrators, parents and local churches can offer support, but the gathering itself should be student-initiated and student-led. That means you don’t need to wait for a teacher or youth pastor to plan something. If your school doesn’t have an event, you and a few friends can start one.
How to Start See You at the Pole at Your School
Start by finding out if something is already planned. Ask friends, check with your school’s Christian club or local youth pastor, and check with your school office. Because these gatherings are held at individual schools and campuses, they aren’t always widely advertised.
If nothing is planned, gather a few friends who want to help and let your school administration know what you’d like to do. Choose a meeting time and location, spread the word to other students and have a backup plan for bad weather. The official See You at the Pole website also has free graphics, flyers and planning resources you can use.
Local churches and youth groups can help spread the word, pray for the event or even provide something simple like donuts or breakfast. When it comes time to gather at the flagpole, though, students should take the lead.
It also helps to talk beforehand about how you’ll handle the prayer time. Several students can take turns praying for classmates, teachers and administrators, families, the community, the country and specific needs at your school. It doesn’t need to be a complicated program. The purpose is simply to gather and pray together.
What If Only a Few People Come?
Organizing something when you don’t know who will show up can feel a little intimidating, but See You at the Pole itself started with a small group of teenagers who wanted to pray for their friends and schools. Your gathering doesn’t have to be large to be meaningful.
What I remember most about participating as a student was the opportunity to stand with my friends and realize that our faith was something we had in common. It’s pretty amazing that thirty years later, students still meet around school flagpoles every September, including right here in Arkansas. Sometimes it simply takes one student willing to get things started and say, “I’ll see you at the pole.”
Photos courtesy of Brent Roberts, Bald Knob Public Schools.
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