Inside: What is Spirit Week? Everything you need to know about the week and fun times ahead!

Spirit week is coming up, and I, for one, could not be more excited for all of the students in my area. Spirit week was something that I looked forward to all year long, and I’m just so happy that this tradition is still alive and well today.

If you are new to spirit week, you may be a little confused. That is okay! Today I am going to go over the important stuff so you can prepare yourself properly for the fun that is to come. I answer the question: What is spirit week?

Along with a discussion of its benefits, and to top it all off, I even have some ideas and inspiration that students can look through.

What is Spirit Week Benefits Ideas

So let’s jump into this. There is so much for you to learn and look through, and I could not be more excited to walk you through everything. Who would have thought that Spirit week could be so much fun?

Here are the best spirit week ideas:

What Is Spirit Week Exactly?

Okay, so I thought this would be the best place to start, considering you may not even know what Spirit Week is. What is spirit week? Spirit week is a themed week that happens throughout the school year that consists of 5 different themed days that students get to participate in. These days are supposed to help boost morale and school spirit during the year.

Typically, there are five different themed days that the students get to participate in by dressing up in whatever the theme is. For example, for Decades day, all the students come dressed like they are from different decades.

Spirit week is something that elementary, middle, and high schools participate in. There are many different themed days that are a part of these weeks, and they can differ depending on which ones your school decides to go with.

When Was Spirit Week Created?

Though spirit week is a highly enjoyed tradition all over the U.S; many people still don’t know where it was created or why. According to an article written about the origin and evolution of spirit week: 

“In 1952, Palo Alto, CA, the first model of Spirit Week was known as “Friendship Week” at Palo Alto High School. It was intended to welcome back students. However, this progressed into a half-week celebration, and in the 1960s, Friendship Week was renamed Spirit Week”

Interesting, right? I love to learn how the traditions we have now were created because it makes you feel a little more connected to history.

Now that we have covered the what and the why of spirit week let’s touch upon the different themes and days, along with some cute ideas that you can look through for inspiration.

Spirit week ideas

Spirit Week Themes & Ideas

This is the fun part: Spirit Week Themes! Now, every school is different, so your school might choose themed days that aren’t on this list, or they might mix and match. Before the big week is here, your school should let you know what days they have chosen, so you have time to prepare. But for now, let’s get into the more popular ones!

Decades Day – Decades day is a day when students are challenged to come to school wearing something from another decade. The goal here is that they should look like they are straight out of that time era. If you want some fun ideas on how to achieve this look, check out this article where I go in-depth about decades day and give you inspiration.

Twins Day – Twins day is extra fun because you get to dress up with a friend. For twins day, you and your friend of choice(or your twin if you actually have one) will come to school dressed in matching clothes. You can either be identical or your can dress in something that goes together. Take a look at the link for ideas.

Pajama Day – Pajama day is a student favortie, but that’s mainly because they get to roll out of bed and just head to school. For this day, all students must show up to school in their PJs!

School Spirit Day – Of course, there had to be a day about school spirit since it’s sort of the theme of the week. For this day you simply come to school dressed in as many school colors as you can. Many teens and kids go extra crazy with this and will spray dye their hair, wear themed clothes, and even put on face paint.

Crazy Hair Day – Crazy hair day is a very creative day. For this, students who want to participate have to show up to school with the craziest hairdo that they could think of. There are so many good ideas out there these days.

Halloween Day – For Halloween day, students need to come to school wearing their Halloween costumes because who said one Halloween was enough? Not me!

90s Day – For 90s day, students need to come to school dressed like they are from the 90s. I am talking hair, makeup, the whole shebang. So if you need some 90s inspiration, check out the link. I will go over some very cute ideas that your classmates will love!

Character Day – For Character day, each student has to dress up as their favorite fictional character. I think you are going to love the ideas that I gathered on this list!

Adam Sandler Day – Yep, this is a day. I will admit that it’s rather new, but it is hilarious. Adam Sandler is known for his unique street style, so for this High School Spirit Day, students have to do their best to recreate his looks.

Benefits Of Hosting One At Your School

You might be skeptical that having a week that takes the focus away from studies would be beneficial for the kids…but it really is. The school year can become very monotonous, and having this week thrown into the mix helps to shake things up and give students something to look forward to.

According to an article about the benefits of school spirit week: School spirit is beneficial to students in many ways. A survey conducted by Harris Poll found that students with school spirit perform academically better than other students who have less school spirit.”

So there you have it, throwing a school spirit week really does have a huge impact on the students. That makes having fun even more important!

What is spirit week?

So, now you know the answer to what is school spirit week, are you excited? There are so many fun days for you or your kids(depending on who’s reading this article) to look forward to. I hope you loved the ideas that I had and that you enjoyed learning about school spirit week.

There are so many more school experiences for you to look forward to, especially once you get into High School. If you are interested in learning more about the high school experience, check this out.

I think that taking a break from work can be very beneficial, and the studies are there to back me up on this. So enjoy your break from the hustle and bustle that is school life, you have earned it!

I am Natalie, the eldest sister of two teens. I hope to bring not only a fresh outer perspective but an internal one as well when writing here.