I Don’t Have School Spirit
School spirit is an identifying characteristic that helps students feel at home in their social environment at school. Studies have demonstrated that those demonstrating high levels of school spirit tend to perform better academically and become more involved with social activities at school.
Not everyone finds it necessary to incorporate their college colors into their wardrobes and memorize chants in order to show their school spirit. Here are some reasons why you may not exhibit school spirit:
- You don’t care
Students who lack school spirit may appear disengaged with their school and community. This disconnection or indifference could stem from feeling disconnected with education and opportunities provided by university, potentially leading to lower GPAs and feelings of insecurity.
School spirit refers to an emotional attachment or sense of pride felt toward an institution, school, or mascot that manifests as pride in them and can be expressed through various methods such as wearing school colors or attending athletic events and cheering for teams with cheers or support for cheerleading squads. According to research compiled by Varsity Brands, those with strong school spirit tend to outperform those without it in academic performance, civic involvement, and overall happiness levels, according to studies.
All students may not have the means to participate in school spirit activities; some students are limited by finances, not enjoying certain sports, etc. In such instances, it is crucial that upperclassmen show them why it is essential to be part of the school community and set an example by leading by example and showing what can be gained by being an integral member.
School spirit provides many students with a sense of community; however, not everyone who could benefit from its benefits receives that feeling due to a university that does not feature an acclaimed athletic program, like Harvard does. Although schools should strive to have such programs available to their students, they should also evaluate if external factors like elite status or lack of interest hinder participation in school spirit activities.
- You’re not a fan
As students show their school spirit, they express excitement about everything special about it; such as their uniform, sports teams, school colors and school colors. Supporting these things involves attending games, pep rallies and cheering events to show your support of them and encourage everyone in attendance to show some spirit! Everyone can show school spirit by wearing colors when allowed and participating in cheering events as well as making team-themed crafts to show support for their school community.
School leaders need to know what their students are feeling so that they can plan activities that make them feel supported and connected. Some schools even have “student councils”, made up of student body representatives that work with school administration on projects to build school spirit and morale.
School spirit can sometimes be diminished by certain actions taken by students; for instance, their obsession with certain sports teams or repeating offensive and hateful chants at sporting events. Students should remember that this behavior doesn’t reflect well on the school they attend and may discourage other people from showing school spirit themselves.
Additionally, some students simply do not like being part of an “spirit” culture – this doesn’t preclude them from choosing their school based on other considerations such as cost, location or majors offered.
- You don’t get involved
Engaging in school spirit is one of the best ways to show pride for your school. A recent Harris Poll found that students who exhibited higher levels of school spirit reported more positive feelings about their schools, were more likely to take part in social and civic activities, and performed better academically than their counterparts with less school spirit.
Many students opt out of school spirit-related activities; sophomore Blake Masters thinks participating in such events is a waste of his time, not seeing any direct correlation between attendance at Carlmont events and academic achievement.
Some students don’t take part in school spirit activities due to an overall disinterest. According to Grace Cooper, student council president, one major difficulty when planning these events is that staff don’t always understand what students want.
As evidence of their lack of unification as a class or school, when the junior class had the option to perform powder puff at this year’s football game only part of the bleachers were filled; an indication that juniors did not feel the need to attend this event and make an effort.
- You don’t care about your school
School spirit refers to a sense of identity and community among members of an educational institution. It can manifest in different ways, including wearing school colors, attending athletic events, and verbally by way of chants or songs. Students with higher school spirit levels tend to participate more in extracurricular activities and achieve better grades than their counterparts who lack it.
School pride and a vibrant school spirit are integral components of creating an enjoyable campus culture, but when morale or reputation are damaged through deviant practices or scandalous events, students can feel alienated from their school. One such instance was Penn State University’s JoePa scandal in 2011, though there have been other similar occurrences as well.
Though being disenthused about your school may not be ideal, it’s important to remember that choosing a college should be an individual decision based on multiple considerations. Not everyone’s blood runs with the colors of their respective institution – that’s okay! Just because someone doesn’t feel at home at their chosen college doesn’t mean it isn’t the right fit for them and social media feeds may feature lots of posts extolling its virtues as proof of “school spirit”! Recognize and respect these differences when faced with images depicting such displays of “school spirit”.