How to Improve School Spirit

Last Updated: February 19, 2023 References

Every school has sports teams, pep rallies, fundraisers, or other events and traditions that can benefit from a great show of school spirit. If people don’t have enough school spirit, start encouraging them! Set a good example by showing spirit yourself and getting involved. Encourage everyone to participate and show pride in your school!

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Showing Spirit

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Wear colors.^{[1]
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Research source} The easiest way to show that you have school spirit is to wear your school’s colors. If you have a uniform, jersey, letter jacket, etc. that shows your school’s colors, you can wear that, but any clothing of the right color will show your spirit. You can wear the colors any day that you are permitted to, but it shows extra spirit to wear them on game days and at other special times.
- Encourage your friends to wear school colors with you. The more people that participate, the more spirit you’ll show!
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Make fun things that show your spirit. There are lots of ways to show your spirit with fun items. For instance:
- If you have artistic skill, make posters that show your school mascot, motto, etc. You can use these to show spirit on game days, for instance, with fun slogans about your team and/or the opposing team, like “Go Tigers! Soufflé those Cheesy Badgers!”
- Make shakers out of plastic bottles filled with beans, beads, coins, or other small items, and decorate them with paint, ribbons, stickers, etc. in your school’s colors. Bring them to events and pep rallies to make noise and show your spirit.
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Be your school’s mascot.^{[2]
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Research source} Every school can use a mascot, whether for games, pep rallies, parades, or any other special event. Many schools designate someone to serve as the mascot (or a group of people to take turns doing it). Don the costume, show your spirit, and get everyone excited!
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Sing your school’s alma mater or fight song. ^{[3]
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Research source} Music is an easy way to get people excited. Special songs about your school are even better!
- Many schools have a special alma mater, or associated song. Learn the words and melody to yours!
- Some schools also have a special fight song that is sung at sporting events and pep rallies to show spirit for your school and encourage friendly competition.
- If your school doesn’t have an alma mater or fight song, draw on your creative skills and write one, or compose one together with your friends.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Getting Involved

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Attend games and other events. Showing up for school events is key when you want to improve spirit. If you want to encourage others to have school spirit, set a good example and show up for events yourself. The more people show up, the more it will inspire others to come too. Good events to show up for include:
- Games
- Pep rallies
- Homecoming celebrations
- Competitions (debate, math team, quiz bowl, etc.)
- Performances (drama, music, etc.)
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Get involved in extracurriculars. Showing school spirit also means participating as much as you can outside of the classroom. Many students find a way to get involved in some kind of extracurricular activity or another. Doing so shows that you care about contributing to part of what makes your school special. Examples include:
- Sports
- Band^{[5]
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- Cheerleading^{[6]
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- Dance team^{[7]
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- School newspaper
- Alumni ambassadors
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Join or start a club.School-sponsored clubs and organizations are special kinds of extracurricular activities. They offer ways for students to get together and share their enthusiasm for an interest. For instance, knitting club could knit scarves to give away in the name of your school to those in need in your community. If you are interested in something and your school doesn’t have a club for it, get together with your friends and a sponsor and start one! Common clubs include:^{[8]
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- Art Club
- Diversity Club (sponsors heritage months, supports inclusive environments, etc.)
- Chorus
- Drama Club
- Technology Club
- Science Olympiad
- Foreign language clubs (French, Spanish, German, Japanese, etc.)
- Chess Club
- Photography Club
- Math Team
- Crotchet Club
- Knitting Club
- Leadership organizations
- Debate Team
- Literary journal/magazine
- Green Club (interests in recycling, sustainability, conservation, etc.)
- Pep squad

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Increasing Activity

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Get people to participate. Every chance you have, tell people about your pride in your school, encourage them to come to events, and help them find a way to get involved. Keep in mind that not everyone has to participate in the same way.
- For instance, if someone doesn’t like coming to games, he or she might be a great participant in a school club. Those who like going to games can also show up for their classmates in drama performances, academic competitions, or other events.
- Everyone working together to show spirit will make your school great!
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Try fundraising. Raising money on behalf of your school is a great way to show school spirit. If your school has a project, club, event, or something else that needs funding, get together with your friends and take action! For instance, French Club could hold a bake sale selling croissants and éclairs to raise money for your school. Or, if you want to raise money or items for your community, you can do so in the name of your school as a way of showing spirit. Some good ideas include:
- Bake sales
- Candy sales
- Art auction
- Book drive
- Dance marathons
- 5k runs
- Car wash
- Carnival
- Game night
- Ask local stores, restaurants, etc. to donate gift certificates or merchandise. You can then sell raffle tickets to win these prizes.
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Encourage traditions. There are lots of fun traditions people can participate in to show school spirit. Ask your school officials or a teacher to approve one or more of these traditions during homecoming or other special times:^{[11]
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- Tacky day (for fun, everyone wears clothes that are intentionally silly, mismatched, etc.)
- Wear pajamas to school day
- Dress up day (everyone wears formal clothing for the day--suits, nice dresses, etc.)
- Twin day (friends dress exactly like each other)
- Wacky Wednesday (wear costumes—the more outlandish, the better)
- School color day
- Super hero vs. villain day (some people dress as super heroes, some as villains)
- Ninja vs. Pirate day (some people dress as ninjas, others as pirates)

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Hosting a Pep Rally

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Make sure that there are lots of energizing activities planned. It might seem obvious, but a good pep rally should be filled with ways to get people excited. Plan routines that will encourage school spirit.
- Have upbeat music playing as people enter the pep rally, as well as during it.
- Invite the marching band to perform.
- Have cheerleaders perform some routines, and also work the crowd to participate in cheers.
- Invite a dance group to perform while wearing school colors.
- Have everyone sing your school’s alma mater or fight song.
- Get everyone moving! Try the “wave” and other hand motions.
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Have door prizes. One way you can encourage people to come and participate in a pep rally is to offer door prizes. These can be simple things like candy, pom-poms, a jersey, etc.—anything fun. You can also ask area businesses to donate merchandise or gift certificates to give away as pep rally door prizes.
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Give away random seat prizes. Before the pep rally starts, tape treats or prizes (such as candy, balloons, pom-poms, t-shirts, etc.) underneath some of the seats. Then, during the pep rally, take a moment to have everyone look under their seat to see if they have a prize. All the winners can then join in a cheer.
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Start a Rowdy Rooters group. Have a group of students sign up to be the “Rowdy Rooters.” These students can sit in a special section during the pep rally, hold signs and noisemakers, and be especially enthusiastic during cheers and songs. You can also have students sign up or enter a drawing for a turn at joining the Rowdy Rooters.
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Have a Master of Ceremonies (MC). An MC can lead the pep rally, by telling people about the different events and performances that are part of it, and by generally being enthusiastic. You can ask a popular teacher or an especially excited student to serve as the pep rally MC.
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Get faculty to be cheerleaders. Everyone enjoys seeing their teachers have fun and show school spirit. You can ask enthusiastic faculty members to get together and perform their own cheers and get the crowd to participate.
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Get the school mascot to participate. Having your mascot there to represent your school at a pep rally is a fun way to encourage school spirit. There are lots of ways to get the mascot involved:
- Players can carry the mascot into the pep rally on a chair. The mascot can serve as the “king” of the pep rally if it wears a crown and the chair is decorated like a throne.
- Ask the mascot to take part in a cheer or dance.
- Have the mascot play a game against someone dressed as the opposing team’s mascot (and win, of course).
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Consider throwing a pep rally with a theme. Any pep rally can improve school spirit. However, it can be fun and encourage people to participate if you vary things sometimes and have a pep rally with a particular theme. For instance:
- Hold a “Downtown” pep rally where everyone dresses up in formal wear. Cheerleaders, for instance, can wear top hats and tails.
- Have a “blackout” pep rally where the lights are turned out, and cheerleaders, band, etc. use glow-in-the-dark clothing or items. Glow sticks can be distributed to students so that they can participate.
- Try a “Blast from the Past.” Decorate the pep rally according to a certain decade (the 60s, the 80s, etc.) or time period (Roman, prehistoric, etc.). Choose appropriate music, and ask participants to wear clothes that fit the theme.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Getting Officials Involved

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Ask school officials to help.^{[12]
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Research source} If you go to your school officials and ask them to help you improve school spirit, they will be thrilled. Talk to them about any ideas you have, and ask them to participate as well. For instance:
- School officials could wear school colors or jerseys on game days.
- You could ask your school officials for permission to occasionally use part of school time for a pep rally. Tell them that holding a pep rally during school hours will ensure that people come and improve their school spirit.
- Ask your principal or headmaster to share a special cheer, song, or encouraging thought with the school at the start or end of each day.
- Talk to your school officials about starting a school Hall of Fame. This could include pictures, plaques, awards, and other information about students and athletes from your school that have made notable accomplishments.
- Ask your principal to agree to do a stunt, wear a ridiculous hat, or something else fun if students accomplish a goal like raising a certain amount of money for the community.
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Talk to your teachers about ways to work school spirit into lesson plans. ^{[13]
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Research source} Teachers might agree to let you use class time for an activity that will raise school spirit if you can show that it will also be productive. For instance:
- Students in a history, writing, or journalism class can work together to write a history of your school. Topics could include things like the founding of the school, notable alumni, academic and athletic accomplishments, and key dates in the history of the school.
- Students in art class could work on painting signs and posters for pep rallies and other events while practicing their drawing and other artistic skills at the same time.
- Students in a drama or creative writing class could develop fun and educational skits to share at pep rallies or other events. For instance, students could write a skit about what life was like at your school 25 years ago.
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Ask parents and the community to help encourage school spirit. ^{[14]
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Research source} There are lots of ways for parents, local businesses and organizations, and community members to get involved in your school. Some possibilities include
- Ask a teacher, parent, or other adult about starting a Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), also known as a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) if your school doesn’t already have one.
- Ask the PTO to take charge of some activities, such as planting a school community garden.
- Ask local businesses or organizations about becoming a community service partner (CSP) with your school. A CSP can help raise funds for various causes. For instance, a CSP can help bring in donations for school groups that want to send care packages to soldiers abroad, or to students in developing nations.
- Ask parents and community members to help you get in touch with school alumni. These former students can raise school spirit; for instance, you could invite accomplished alumni to come and speak at an event or pep rally to encourage students to succeed.
- Make sure to ask parents and community members to come to games, performances, competitions, and other events. Seeing everyone there will encourage both school and community pride!