Helping Others to Increase School Pride If only we were all in High School Musical and we were naturally inclined to break out into song about our school and mascot, the Wildcats. For those of us that aren’t on the football team, it can be a little bit more difficult to get into the school spirit. Here are a few tips to help you “getcha head in the game.”
Join a Team As mentioned previously, it is easy to feel more pride for your school when you are on a team with other classmates. This doesn’t necessarily have to be football, though. There are many extra-curricular activities schools offer such as soccer, baseball, softball, or even marching band. Each have their own intramurals, matches, tournaments, or competitions that allow you to bring out your competitive nature in support of your school.
Join a Club If you are not so physically gifted to join a sports team, try out for a club. You can write for the school newspaper, take pictures for the yearbook, or join the chess club. If you have special interests but there is no club for it yet, talk to someone at your school to find out how to start your very own club. Even Harry Potter Clubs can help you have more school spirit.
Go to Games If you are not on the team, learn how to support it. You may not be an actual cheerleader, but the team still needs an audience to cheer them on. Games are more fun when you go with friends and get into it. Wear your school colors and you can even try painting them on your face or nails if you’re not risky enough.
Attend Pep Rallies Before a big game, there is typically a pep rally to prepare and get yourself pumped up for it. Every week there is a different theme, such as Hawaiian, superhero, or nerd. Dress up appropriately for the pep rally and you will feel yourself becoming more and more school spirited.
School Apparel If your school colors are rare, like burnt orange, there’s a chance that you won’t be able to find a regular cardigan in that color off of campus. Thankfully there's apparel for University of Miami, Florida State, Texas Tech, and Arizona State that you can buy in order to match the exact same colors as everyone else at your school games, or to wear as a proud alumni.
If you or someone you know is struggling with generating more school spirit, you do not realize the fun that you are missing out on. It does not mean being super competitive and bringing down or bullying opposite teams. You should always be friendly to opposing teams with just a little healthy rivalry. That i s safest and most fun for all teams involved. High school and college can become a long four to eight years if you do not allow yourself to become involved or invested in your school’s spirit.
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