Custom Spirit Wear
“Forgot Password”. “Answer Security Question”. “What Was Your High School Mascot”. School spirit often follows us through the entirety of our lives. It impacts the relations we have throughout our academic careers and the involvement in our education. It is an important piece of a student’s school experience from the beginning. My most memorable event in high school was the first day of freshman year. My peers and I were all terrified for a new beginning, however, the moment we walked through the door I was handed a T-shirt that I still have to this day. The upperclassmen were handing out spirit wear, encouraging us to be excited for our new journey. As a freshman, seeing the upperclassmen and staff pride themselves on being a spartan, made me proud to be a spartan. I can honestly say this experience prepared me for the next four years and made me eager to be involved in my education. As a new member of this environment, I became more comfortable with the upperclassmen and staff for the rest of my time in high school.
What is School Spirit?
School Spirit is a great way to unify the student body. It gives the students something to have in common, turning the school into an environment that students are comfortable in. It excites them to participate in their education at any age. Spirit can start at elementary school up until senior graduation. While the journey usually is initiated with pep assemblies and spirit weeks, students find their own way to participate through student council, athletics, and other extracurricular activities. It is something that unifies the student body, staff, and academic curricular.
Why is it so Important?
School spirit can boost the overall learning environment at any age. In my own experiences, something as simple as a T-shirt ultimately made school a fun and comfortable place for me. I went on to join student council myself so I could help other students feel the way I did. Studies have shown that students who participate in extracurriculars have both heightened focus and success in the classroom. Even for those who don’t get involved with extracurricular activities, school spirit can initiate academic and social success. Along with better test scores across the board, school spirit encourages the students to become more comfortable with their peers and staff. For many, school is an escape for a rough home life. Children having a relationship with an adult they feel comfortable with can help prevent mental health issues they may adopt from a damaged parental relationship. When students are proud to be a part of a community, overall success is promoted in multiple aspects of adolescence.
So Many Ways to Promote Spirit!
School spirit can be shown through many devices; whether it be pep rallies, spirit weeks, school dances, sports games, parades, etc. In each of these situations, physical merchandise can increase student interaction. During high school pep rallies, it felt as if the students were “too cool” to participate unless they were competing for a prize. Students on the honor roll or those with high attendance were often rewarded with a bag or a hoodie from the school. This was always a great way to encourage the students to engage. While these are all traditional examples of school spirit, most student’s favorite activity is going to sports games. Elementary through high school students can participate in these as a community, uniting together to support their school. The students often come together as one student body to rival against the other team. Nearly every person in the stands is repping school merch. This is the reason having a school store can be so important; students, staff, and community members love the opportunity to unite through hats, t-shirts, and hoodies. Spirit stores can also be a great way to fundraise to give back to the quality of education the students receive. These stores are a great resource to promote a turnout during specific sports seasons.
School spirit is the best way to get your students involved in their education and social lives throughout their time in school. Custom school merchandise is the best way to promote spirit! At SKAZMA we produce every type of spirit wear for multiple districts. We love to work with school staff to create both products and school stores to sell those products. As a company that is so involved in the community, we see firsthand the big impact school spirit has on local students.