School spirit

For the 1985 comedy film, see School Spirit. For the Into the Dark episode, see School Spirit (Into the Dark).

School spirit is the sense of identity and community shared by members of an educational institution.^[1] Members of a school can manifest school spirit by wearing school colors, attending athletic events, or verbally in the form of chants or songs.

Cheerleaders are often part of the expression of school spirit in the United States.

Spirit rally at the Harker School in San Jose, California

In the United States, some schools attempt to generate school identity by holding pep rallies, sometimes in connection with school sports events, or via JROTC, cheerleaders and marching bands/pep bands. Some schools may also hold "spirit weeks", in which students are encouraged to dress to match a certain theme to show school unity and spirit. In high schools, spirit weeks typically occur the week of homecoming, and typically end with a pep rally for the school.^[2]

See also

• Cheerleader
• Pep squad