School spirit is the sense of identity and community shared by members of an
educational institution. This can apply to any type of school, from
elementary schools to
universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
. Members of a school can manifest spirit in the exhibition of
school colors
School colors (also known as university colors or college colors) are the colors chosen by a school as part of its brand identity, used on building signage, web pages, branded apparel, and the uniforms of sports teams. They can promote connectio ...
in dress and decoration, in attendance at athletic events, or verbally in the form of chants, cheers, or songs.
Educators in primary and secondary education often associate proper behavior with school spirit, especially in the context of situations when students are outside the school itself. Because student behavior reflects on the school, representing it well shows a degree of student investment in their institution's good name. This definition of school spirit is closely associated with good
sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport, or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. This is with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" refers to o ...
among students and their families at sporting events and is loosely based upon encouraging it
.
School pep rallies
In the United States, an event closely associated with school spirit called a
pep rally is held during or after school hours. Seasonal sports teams are usually recognized. These are held generally before a varsity-level sports game. Other participants are
JROTC
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...
,
Cheerleaders
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
and
marching band
A marching band is a group of musical instrument, instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass instrument, brass, woodwind instrument, woodwind, and percus ...
or
pep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at events, usually athletic, with the purpose of entertaining and creating enthusiasm in a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marchi ...
. Many Schools in the United States do not actually have pep rallies. Instead, they have assemblies or gatherings that introduce and talk about sports, but no other events or extracurricular activities within the school.
Spirit week
Some schools engage in school spirit weeks in which each day the students are encouraged to dress to match a certain theme to show school unity and spirit. A typical example of this is "pajama day" where students and staff come to school in sleepwear. Another example is wearing the school's colors. In high schools, spirit weeks typically occur the week of
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
. These are typically ended with a pep rally for the school.
[ ]
See also
*
Cheerleader
*
Pep squad
Pep is energy or high spirits; it may refer to:
* Pep band, an ensemble of instrumentalists
* Pep, the dog in ''Putt-Putt'' (series)
* Neilson Dairy confectionery brand
* Pep, New Mexico
* Pep, Texas
* Pep Cereal, by Kellogg
* Pep Comics, by MLJ ...
References
External links
Article from About.com
Education in the United States
Spirit, school
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