School spirit can change the world, and I'm about to prove it to you. So sit down while I slice you up a BIG OL' PIECE of this SCHOOL SPIRIT PIE I made just for you, because you're in for a treat!
The results are in: Students who display school spirit perform better academically, are more socially and civically engaged in their communities, and are 90% happier across the board than students who do not display school spirit. Even better: every single person on earth can develop school spirit whether they are a student or not, and reap the benefits as they achieve higher successes, become more actively involved in their communities, and enjoy the natural happiness that comes from developing an "all for one" community mentality.
For students that are attending school, having school spirit creates eager learners that strive to be their best, both in the classroom and in the real world. School spirit impacts student behavior tremendously; if everyone at school is acting the same way, acting differently would be unnatural. School spirit is contagious. And from a healthy sense of school spirit comes the emergence of bright, strong, healthy leaders who place their community's wellbeing above all else.
So... let's get our school spirit on!
I want to start with our friends over at Varsity Brands who conducted a survey of 1,016 students and 150 high school principals to study the connection between student achievement, student engagement, and student confidence… and the results are seriously mind-blowing. Here are some highlights:
Students who demonstrate higher levels of school spirit are less likely than students who have low school spirit to have ditched/skipped school in the past year (7% vs. 26%).
Students with higher levels of school spirit are substantially more likely to say that they often felt happy during the past school year than those students with low school spirit (76% vs. 13%).
Students who have higher levels of school spirit are also more inclined to say that they often felt fulfilled during the past school year (44%) than students with low school spirit (5%).
Students with higher levels of school spirit are significantly more likely than students with low school spirit to get mostly As or mostly As and Bs in school (75% vs. 45%).
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of students with higher levels of school spirit like school a lot compared to only 7% of students with low school spirit.
Students with high levels of school spirit are more likely than their counterparts to say they put a great deal of effort into school (62% vs. 20% of students with low school spirit).
One of the best ways to improve your sense of school spirit is by physically expressing it on the clothes you wear. One student says school spirit means “wearing spirit wear to be juiced about our school. Brag about it. Defend its honor,” and another said that students should “be proud to represent our school; that we should not be afraid to stand out. We should radiate confidence to our communities.”
(by the way - don't these UoPeople Classic Tri-Blend Tees look so soft and cozy?)
It appears that students who are proud to be part of something will give more effort in all they do. In the words of one student, school spirit means “putting forth my best effort to show that I am giving everything that I have towards being a part of my school’s activities and studies.” In fact, students with a high level of school spirit are substantially more inclined than students with low levels of school spirit to like school (94% vs. 42%).
Moving on from the student surveys, high school principals had a lot to say about school pride and student achievement as well. 92% of high school principals believe that school spirit is directly related to student achievement. And their reasoning makes perfect sense; one principal stated: “Achievement allows you to celebrate; celebrations naturally increase school spirit.”
In fact, out of the 150 principals surveyed, the majority says that students with school spirit are:
More confident (91%)
More likely to be leaders (90%)
Happier (88%)
More active in their communities (87%)
More fulfilled (73%)
Another principal believes that school spirit “motivates students to achieve because there is a sense of ‘one for all.’ Generally, students strive to excel when there is a sense of unity.” Along those lines, a female freshman defined school spirit as “promoting unity with fellow students. School spirit means to support your school no matter what,” she continued. “And to take pride in your achievements knowing your school has helped you to reach your goals.”
What is it about school pride that makes it such a valuable commodity?
I can't speak for other countries, but much of our school pride in the US centers around the school's mascot, athletic teams, and tailgate parties. So how can you develop school spirit if you go to a school like University of the People with no mascot, athletic teams, or tailgate parties? You have to go beyond the football games and see school spirit for what it truly is: community.
Human beings are social animals, and we were never meant to exist alone. Forming communities is ingrained in our DNA, and by developing a collaborative identity, we expand the breadth of our own identities. Since COVID, much of the world has embraced remote working, and it's easier now than ever to detach from the communities we belong to. Because University of the People operates exclusively within a remote model of education, students who need more of a sense of community must put forth extra effort to forge connections with their professors and classmates beyond the discussion forums, and that isn't as easy as it seems.
I know from experience, and I've done something about it.
I built Scholarshop to nurture this critical sense of belonging that UoPeople students do not get to experience from personal interactions beyond the virtual classroom. Through Scholarshop, I hope to provide these seven attributes to fortify our community and empower us to change the world as a new generation of leaders:
Support and Safety - knowing we are supported by a global network of educated revolutionaries
Connection and Belonging - gaining wisdom from being a part of something bigger than ourselves
Influence - to emulate the leaders that came before us so others may follow our ways
Participation and Worth - sharing what is ours and realizing our strengths
Learning - learning to value others for their unique identities and strengths
Acceptance - growing together, understanding that acceptance is not the same as agreement
Power - the power to be the change you strive to create.
So what if we don't have a football team? Let's show the world our school spirit through the strength of our community.
More Soon,
Joseph
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