How to Incorporate School Spirit in Your Classroom
School spirit can bring students of all ages together and create a strong community throughout your school. There are plenty of fun ways to boost school spirit and get your students excited about upcoming events. We have a few effective strategies that will improve school spirit year-round and create a better educational experience for your students.
How to Build School Spirit in 12 Fun Ways
If you want to get your students excited about the year ahead, try one of these school spirit ideas:
1. Incorporate School Colors in Your Classroom
There are limitless possibilities for showing school pride in your classroom. You can add subtle touches like sticky notes and binders showcasing your colors or hang signs on your classroom door and walls. In addition to making your classroom more colorful and exciting, it will also remind your students they’re all connected through the school.
To keep your classroom updated, you can continuously switch out your signs and decorations so your students will always notice your school spirit.
2. Organize Themed Spirit Weeks
Spirit weeks are a great way to rally the entire student body together. They’ll encourage students to participate and make the school feel like a complete community. You can even have students vote on the school wide activities they want to incorporate into their student spirit week. Some possibilities are:
- Pajama day.
- Tie-dye day.
- Twin day.
- Throwback day.
These week-long celebrations are also great for the end of the semester or before a long break, so your students will be excited to return.
3. Create School-Wide Contests
In addition to spirit weeks, organizing small contests throughout the year can build school spirit. Even minor events can keep your students engaged and excited to be part of the educational community. Plan door decorating contests throughout the year or use upcoming holidays as inspiration for other activities. For example, students can compete for the best Halloween costume in October or the ugliest holiday sweater in December.
These contests will give your students something to look forward to and bring more enthusiasm to the whole school.
4. Plan Shows and Performances
Organizing shows and performances are a great way to bring students together. At talent shows, outgoing students can show off their hidden skills, and everyone else can observe from the audience and support their friends. You can also encourage your students to perform a school song for an extra sense of school spirit.
To create one-of-a-kind events, involve your students in the planning process by collaborating with different student organizations and clubs. If your school has a chorus or band, organize shows during the school day and tell your students to wear their school colors in the audience.
5. Launch Spirit Fridays
Spirit Fridays are one of the best ways to show school spirit. Have students and staff sport their school merchandise, colors or attire to reflect the school’s themes. For instance, students might wear leopard print for a leopard mascot or black and white for pandas.
Address students by the school’s mascot name and encourage them to show their school pride at upcoming school sporting events and pep rallies.
6. Celebrate School History
Teaching students about the rich history of your school is an educational spirit-building activity. Celebrate history with weekly historical facts in the school announcements, newspaper or on hallway bulletin boards. Featuring influential teachers, founders and outstanding alums can help engage students’ interest and pride in their school.
7. Hold a Community Day
Combine school spirit with community service by giving back to the community on a specific day each year. Gather students, teachers, parents, staff and alums together to clean up sidewalks and roads, visit seniors, plant trees or serve at food banks.
You might also host fundraisers or donation drives to increase school spirit and create a sense of community. For example, you can encourage students to gather donations for food pantries or community shelters. In exchange for these donations, families can receive ribbons in their school’s colors to decorate wreaths or trees in the community.
8. Send Staff Thank-You Letters
If you’re looking for a memorable spirit-building activity, consider personalized letters to thank the staff for being an integral part of the community. Students can share these meaningful gestures during Teacher Appreciation Week or as a back-to-school or end-of-year activity. Students will be excited to create something special, and staff members are sure to appreciate these thoughtful gifts.
9. Play a Student vs. Faculty Competition
Organize a game where students compete against faculty for a fun and engaging spirit-building activity. Basketball, kickball and even musical chairs will invite laughter and bring the school closer together.
10. Showcase Student Art in a Virtual Gallery
Use Google Slides or another display program to create a virtual gallery for students to put their artwork on display. You can even host a virtual opening reception to promote their art on your school’s social channels.
11. Create a Stress Painting
State testing, midterms and final week can be an overwhelming time for students. Combat that stress with art! Set up a large blank canvas in a common outdoor area alongside paints in your school colors. Invite students to “throw” or splash paints over the canvas using sponges and brushes. The activity provides a healthy and creative outlet for students to come together and let off some steam.
When the canvas is completely covered, you’ll have a fantastic work of art to display!
12. Integrate Our School Spirit Series in Your School
Add another clever suggestion to your list by considering PowerGistics technology options. We’ve specially designed a series of user-friendly charging stations ideal for educational applications. With our extra customization options, you can even add your school colors to the cart for an eye-catching and bold exterior design.
PowerGistics education products can benefit your school by:
- Saving money: The cord management system within each of our charging stations means fewer damaged cords, and our horizontal shelving ensures each device stays in place. You’ll save money by ensuring your devices are secure and your students can easily access them without accidents.
- Saving space: You can vertically mount our charging and storage units on a wall to help you save space in the classroom. You’ll reduce tripping hazards from wires and have more free classroom space.
- Encouraging student collaboration: Keep your students engaged by allowing them to interact with your classroom technology. They’ll look forward to using their tablets, laptops and handheld devices daily. Students can place their devices within their individual slots to ensure they’re powered up and ready to go for the next day.
- Maximizing instructional time: Technology like tablets and laptops puts your students in charge of their learning experience. Keep your operations efficient to maximize your instructional time. PowerGistics provides solutions that allow you to charge, protect and move educational technology quickly and easily.
Browse Our School Spirit Series
Boosting school spirit means a happier, more collaborative learning environment for students. Since technology has changed how we learn, keeping your devices accessible ensures your students stay excited and engaged.
PowerGistics provides versatile, multifunctional technology products that can be stationary, wall-mounted or mobile. Because of their streamlined vertical designs, our Towers can easily fit in any classroom space without getting in the way.
To incorporate our School Spirit Series into your school, get a quote today or request a demo.
Further Reading
A Guide to Classroom Design: Maximize Space and Limit Traffic
15 School Renovation and Construction Tips
A Guide to Transitioning Your School to 1:1
How to Create a Highly Effective Learning Environment
33 Best Teacher Quotes of All-Time