We live in a day and age where irony is king and genuine displays of emotion and affection for institutions with which we’re involved are often frowned upon or mocked. School spirit, whether it’s for one’s high school or college, is one of the things that suffers as a result of this cultural shift. 

People often take a cynical look towards their days in school, and they can pass that view on to their children, creating a kind of systematic shunning of the days when kids were proud of the school that they attended.

School spirit should not be an anachronism meant to fall by the wayside of progress. The large majority of educational institutions are staffed by hard-working administrators and educators doing their best to prepare the younger generation for the world ahead. They also make an effort to foster a sense of community among them and the towns and cities where they are located, bringing people together in a positive endeavor. These are all noble ideas and shouldn’t be consigned to the past.

If you work for a school and are trying to foster a sense of school spirit via the use of assemblies, pep rallies and the like, you should make sure your institution has one of the best school AV systems around for that purpose. Here are some of the reasons why school spirit needs to be engendered, not shunned.

Many high schools feature students who all come from the same town. The residents of that town should be made to feel proud of the accomplishments of those students, many of whom are friends or family members. Whether the students distinguish themselves on the athletic fields, the classroom, or other extracurricular activities like the arts, the town often takes a sense of identity and pride from those accomplishments. For that reason, students should be encouraged to engage with the community as much as possible to really strengthen the connection between town and school.

One of the common complaints from parents and educators alike is how kids often want to retreat within themselves when left on their own, whether that means getting caught up with electronic devices or spending all their time on social media. But those schools who have established a strong sense of school spirit among their students and faculties are often rewarded with kids who are much more willing to interact and participate. 

You don’t have to glance too far into the daily newspaper to know that we live in times where people choose sides and have a hard time finding common ground. Building school spirit is a good way to get kids out of the habit at a young age. Their desire to come together in the service and the support of their academic institution is likely to instill in them a sense of community that will serve them well in the wider world.

School spirit can still be found among those institutions that make the effort to strengthen it. It’s a worthwhile cause for kids, parents, faculty and all those who will surely benefit from it.