High School Spirit Week Ideas

Coming up with new high school spirit week ideas year after year can be a real challenge. While you want to retain some of the old favorites like opposite dress day or the powder puff game, you also want to introduce some new traditions and fun ideas to spice things up a little.

Not all high school spirit week ideas are created equal. It's important not just to focus on things that are inherently funny, but rather to focus on things that will bolster the school community at large and promote school spirit.

A Mr. School Spirit Pageant can give rise to numerous humorous photos as well as do something for the common good. Generally, young men enter the Mr. School Spirit Pageant and compete in categories such as talent, tuxedo and/or interviews. Often times, the goal is to raise money for a charity so either spectators will be charged a nominal fee to see the entertainment, or there would be a raffle. Money raised goes to the charity of the winner's choice.

Encourage staff and faculty to submit baby pictures, and then have the student body guess who is who. Prizes can include a ticket to dunk a favorite teacher in a dunk tank, a pizza party or something else that students deem fun and exciting.

A typical powder puff game has cheerleaders donning football uniforms and football players wearing cheer uniforms. However, you can do several variations on the same theme:

• Freshman vs. Seniors
• Field Hockey Players vs. Soccer Players
• Elementary students playing a game on the "big field"

It is a rare spirit week that doesn't include the decorating of some type of float, room or something! Consider these variations if you don't have room or money to do real "floats".

• Decorate a hallway.
• Decorate the homeroom.
• Decorate a wagon float to parade around at a pep rally.
• Decorate a wall of the gymnasium.

Another fun activity is to host a variety talent show. This helps involve all types of students in Spirit week instead of just a few athletes and cheerleaders. Many schools choose to use this event to raise money towards a school project such as a senior class gift to the school or something similar.

A great way to involve the community, alumni and a variety of students in the spirit of things is to challenge each class to raise money for the charity of their choice. The class that donates the most money gets to take a field trip to somewhere special like an amusement park.

Another way to promote school spirit through encouragement is to encourage students to "send hugs and kisses". Participating students pay $1.00 and get to write a message and send it along with a small bag of Hershey's hugs or kisses. Money is typically used for an after-dance party or donated to a pet charity of the organizing class.

Have each class challenge another class to some type of competition. While seniors might want to challenge freshmen to something like football, the freshmen could challenge the juniors to something like a limbo contest where a smaller size would be advantageous. Points are awarded throughout the week and the "most spirited" class can earn free concessions at "the big game".

The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity during spirit week. Remember that the goals are always to involve as many students as possible, and to promote school spirit and morale. Here are a few other tried and true tips for running a smooth spirit week:

• Don't reinvent the wheel. - Keep a record of school spirit week ideas from year to year and see what was done before you. While you don't want to repeat what was done last year, maybe the cheerleaders a decade ago had a great idea you could repeat. No one would be the wiser.
• Work with faculty. - Everything you plan should be with the input of your advisor, and then you or your advisor need to obtain permission from the principal. Having trouble winning over the principal? Be as specific as possible to how things will run, and make an attempt to make minimal interruptions to the school day.
• Make friends with the booster club. - Booster club parents love to help. Ask them for their assistance, and you will find you don't have to do it all alone.
• Start planning early. - Plan spirit week at least six months in advance. This leaves time to get any necessary permission.

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