Top Ten Ways to Grow School Spirit from Afar

When my children’s school closed in March, the Parent Volunteer Association (PVA) leaders were determined to maintain a sense of community among students and families while social distancing. They organized a virtual Spirit Week on the PVA Facebook page, encouraging families to post pictures of their children participating in various activities. This inspired me to think of other ways to boost school spirit virtually.

Here are ten ideas to consider for your school:

1. Participate in the Boost Educators Challenge

Encourage each student’s family to challenge other school families to give their teacher(s) a shout-out or thank you over the school’s social channels. This challenge was started at Booster. More details can be found at BoostEducatorsChallenge.com.

2. School Spirit Week on Facebook and Instagram

Host a daily fun activity for students or families to do from home and post their work on the school’s Facebook or Instagram page. To incentivize participation, select one participant at random to receive a special prize.

3. “Five Days of Gratitude” Project

Launch a card or letter writing project where students write letters or make cards to send to frontline and essential workers like doctors and nurses. Select a group that has contributed significantly to your community during the pandemic. This boosts school spirit and gives back to the community.

4. Commemorative Online Pop-up Shop

Consider an online pop-up shop for Kindergarten or 5th graders to purchase items to remember this milestone year. If you want to make it a fundraiser, use the funds for school needs like e-learning initiatives, food for students in need, or a local charity. Booster Spirit Wear offers ideas for milestone celebrations and boosting school spirit.

5. Host a Virtual Graduation Ceremony

Host an invitation-only event on Zoom or another platform so school families can watch graduation live. You might also consider creating yard signs for newly-graduated students if it fits your school community.

6. Teacher & Student Talent Showcase

Host a talent show night using Zoom or another provider that allows many people to watch and cheer participants on. To make it more engaging, allow audience members to vote for their favorite acts.

7. “Art Smiles” Project

Organize a school-wide art project, assigning each class a special theme to celebrate in art. Consider donating the student artwork to a local nursing home or senior living facility. This will delight the residents and give students a chance to have their artwork on display.

8. A Give Back Spirit Event

Join together on an initiative that boosts school spirit and raises funds for essential school community needs (such as Chromebooks, internet access, food for families, e-learning platforms) or a local charity. The fully virtual Boosterthon At Home program is one option.

9. Virtual Career Day

Organize a virtual career day by class or for the whole school. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about different job functions and to showcase parents or community members who are making a difference.

10. Virtual Family Trivia Competition

Host an online trivia competition between grade-level families or have teachers compete against students. There are many services available to help customize the questions and manage the event.

Any member of a school community can help boost school spirit and keep school culture thriving. PTA/PTO leaders can implement one or two of these ideas to end the school year on a high note. Parents can share these ideas with school administrators or PTA/PTO leaders to encourage spirit activities.

The social component of school is harder to achieve remotely, but it is just as important and memorable to students as distance learning. Rallying school communities around uplifting and fun activities can help end the year positively.