Whether an elected student council in high school or a teacher-nominated student council in elementary school, student council members are the ambassadors of school spirit. School spirit is comprised of all the events that make everyone feel they are part of something greater than themselves. Your student council is the perfect group to take school spirit to the next level.
Use these fun ideas to foster school spirit to inspire your student council. There are options for community service, school-wide initiatives, and plain old fun.
1. Dress Like a Teacher Day
Kids love to imitate their favorite teachers, so what better way than to host a Dress Like a Teacher Day? Students dress as their most influential teachers for the day. Expand the idea to include famous teachers (Janine from Abbott Elementary anyone?).
Learn more: Which Abbott Elementary Teacher Are You?
2. Plant a school garden
Recruit green-minded students and start a garden club with a focus on sustainability and community involvement. In spring, you can harvest early vegetables and pass out samples (a la Costco) in the lunchroom.
Learn more: Bring School Gardening Into the Classroom
3. Engage in service learning
Inspire a sense of school spirit and generosity by bringing students together to do good work in your community.
Learn more: Meaningful Service Learning Projects for Kids and Teens
4. Make team-themed spirit cowbells
Every school sports event needs a good cowbell! Use craft paint and ribbons in your school’s colors to create custom cowbells for pep rallies and sporting events.
5. Hold a lip-synch battle
It’s karaoke night but with school spirit. Students sign up to lip-synch their favorite songs. End the battle with the school song.
6. Put on a talent show
You have many students with talents that aren’t showcased every day. Put on a talent show to let those talents—e.g., dance, singing, drums—shine.
Learn more: Unique Talent Show Ideas
7. Have a “Top Chef” competition
Try a mini version of Top Chef by hosting a pie-baking or cookie-making contest. Recruit the home ec teacher to coordinate and choose judges. Film the competition, then stream it for students in homeroom.
8. Host a book donation project
Not everyone has access to Wi-Fi or e-books, and getting to the library can be challenging. Create a drop box at your school where classmates can donate books. Then, using a survey tool like Survey Monkey or Google Forms, reach out to families to find out who wants books and where to deliver them. Work with your advisor to create a plan for delivery.
9. Plan a design-a-mask challenge
One of our favorite student council ideas is a little outside the box. Challenge classmates to come up with a design for a mask that celebrates school spirit. Then, pick your three favorites. Create a video where you interview each classmate and ask them about their design and how it represents your school. If you have the funds, work with a local print shop to get the masks made, and sell them to raise money for your school.
10. Hold a trivia contest
Nothing brings people together like trivia! A trivia contest is a fun homeroom idea. Or you can hold it in the lunchroom to include a mix of people.
11. Put together a Senior Spotlight
Celebrate your seniors by broadcasting highlights of their greatest accomplishments on social media. Create a standard page and adjust it for each senior.
This makes a great annual tradition that builds school pride and stronger neighborhood-school ties. Students, teachers, staff, parents, and alumni get together to participate in a day of service in the community, whether by cleaning up sidewalks, planting trees, visiting seniors, or serving at food banks.
13. Create a school cheer
Simple or complicated? It’s up to your school! Make your school cheer catchy so that years from now, it will still pop into alums’ heads and remind them of the good times they had at your school. This activity is a good opportunity to collaborate with your school’s cheer squad.
14. Send teachers thank-you notes
Draft personalized letters to teachers and school staff to thank them for being a part of your school community. Consider sharing this meaningful gesture as an activity for back to school, end of year, Teacher Appreciation Week, or Activity Advisor Appreciation Day.
15. Highlight your school’s diversity with holiday hallway decorations
Welcome classmates back from winter or spring break with holiday hallways. Decorate school hallways for different cultural traditions to educate students about different holidays around the world.
16. Host a Color Run
A Color Run is a healthy and fun way to show your school spirit. Students wear a shirt they don’t mind getting dirty and run around a track while teachers throw colored chalk on them. Take lots of photos—you’ll want this one in the yearbook.
17. Make spirit shakers
Another super-fun activity from our favorite student council ideas. Use liter soda bottles and pony beads in your school colors. Add curling ribbons to the lid and ribbons around the middle of the bottle. Then use them at school pep rallies and sporting events.
18. Set up a virtual calming room
School can get stressful, especially during exams or big projects. Link guided meditations, online puzzles and games, yoga videos, and other fun ways to take a break to your school’s website.
Learn more: Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas
19. Create a mantra that shows your school pride
Examples: We are Eagles. We are considerate. We are responsible. Engage with your school principal to craft a mantra that reflects your unique school culture. You could even have specific mottoes for each grade.
20. Surprise your rival school with positivity
Spread kindness and positivity to your rival school! Surprise them by decorating their sidewalks or hanging posters with positive messages during the evening or over a weekend.
21. Use a spirit can
Jointly sponsor a spirit can in partnership with the cheer team. During school events and game time-outs, student council members or cheerleaders lift the lid on the spirit can, signaling for the crowd to cheer. The higher the lid is lifted, the louder the crowd cheers. As the lid is lowered to the can, the crowd becomes softer. The spirit can holds T-shirts and candy, which can be thrown out to the loudest fans.
22. Design a school spirit stick
Use your creativity to make a spirit stick with your school colors. Use an empty gallon water bottle, a broomstick, beads, and ribbon. Award the stick on a revolving basis to the grade or class that shows the most school spirit throughout the year.
23. Create decade-themed spirit boards
Brighten up your school’s hallways with decades of color! Assign an era to each grade level. For instance, the 1950s for 9th graders, the 1960s for 10th graders, etc.
24. Host a photo booth
Design your own “frame” with your school mascot or colors and let students line up for photos. Post them on your school’s website (with permission, of course).
25. Celebrate your school’s unsung heroes
Plan a day to honor the support staff in your school. In addition to teachers, give a special shout-out to the special-education aides, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other generous souls who help in so many ways.
26. Host a school-wide Amazing Race
Looking for memorable student council ideas? Check this one out. It’s got lots of potential for getting lots of students involved. Students go on a scavenger hunt around the school, completing certain tasks. The last team to make it to each checkpoint is out.
27. Let seniors personalize their parking spots
Seniors finally get to park in the front row! Advocate for seniors to get designated prime parking spots and work with your school administration to allow custom decoration. Then, invite seniors to show their pride with a little personalization.
28. Have a students vs. faculty competition
Organize a game where students compete against faculty. It could be a basketball or kickball game—or even musical chairs. Hilarity is guaranteed!
29. Hold a T-shirt-decorating contest
Challenge students to design a spirit shirt for your school. Feature all entries on a bulletin board in a common area or web page so that everyone can view the entries. Determine the winner by popular vote or via a committee vote.
30. Adopt a sister school
Find a school in another state, or even overseas, and collectively write letters to that school. Send your news and school highlights. Post replies where everyone can read them.
31. Share positive messages with a Kindness Rocks Project
Inspire positivity and kindness around your school community with a Kindness Rocks Project. Paint rocks with an encouraging word or message and scatter them throughout your school and community.
32. Put together a gratitude chain
Give each student an opportunity to write something they’re thankful for on a strip of paper, then link the strips together to form a gratitude chain to decorate the hallways of your school.
During a stressful time for students like state testing or finals week, set up a large blank canvas in the common area along with paints in your school colors. Encourage students to “throw” paint against the canvas using paintbrushes and sponges. When the activity is over, you’ll have an amazing painting to display!
34. Celebrate your school’s history
Educate new students and introduce incoming students to the rich history of the school. Make weekly history announcements, include a history column in the school paper, or post a history board in the halls to feature influential teachers, founders, the school’s namesake, and outstanding alumni.
35. Hold an old-fashioned field day
Support your school’s field day activities by organizing and running different events and competitions. You can host a field day at the end of the year or any time of year you need a good way to get students engaged in friendly competition.
Learn more: Best Field Day Games and Activities for All Ages and Abilities
36. Brighten up someone’s landscape
Find out who in your community needs help with their yard work, and plan a day where students can sign up to rake lawns and bag the leaves. Your students may find that doing common yard work is a fun way to get everyone out of the house, spend time together, and help out your community.
37. Open a school spirit and supply store
Sell spirit wear so everyone can get decked out in your school colors. You could even create an online pop-up shop that makes it easy for families to buy school spirit wear from home. Use the proceeds to raise funds for your school or a charitable cause.
Learn more: Best Places To Buy School Spirit Shirts (Plus 17 of Our Favorite Designs)
38. Showcase student art in a gallery
Use Google Slides or another display program to create a gallery where classmates can put their artwork on display. You can even add background music and host an opening reception event that you promote on your school’s social channels.
39. Paint a unity wall
Make all students feel welcome in your school with a unity wall that highlights what makes them unique and the characteristics they share. To create a unity wall, invite individuals to contribute personalized pieces, such as drawings, photos, or written reflections, that showcase their unique traits and shared values. Then, display them together in a prominent, collaborative space at school.
40. Hold a multicultural night
Celebrate the diversity in your school with a multicultural night. Students can plan and organize booths for parents and teachers who want to share their culture with the school community.
41. Compose a school song
A school song is a tradition that will create lasting memories for generations. If you have a talented student or teacher musician, you could even compose an original song. Already have one? Host a contest to update and refresh it. Then teach it to the student body and use it for morning arrival and events.
42. Designate special dress-up days
One of those classic student council ideas but with a modern twist. Dress-up days, such as tie-dye day, beach day, jersey day, and favorite book character day, can be a great way for students to get creative and have fun. To increase participation and promote inclusion, be sure to incorporate ideas that are easy to do, such as favorite outfit day or school colors day.
Learn more: Theme Days Schools Should Avoid (and What To Do Instead)
43. Face-paint with your school colors
Recruit art students to showcase their talents by painting their peers’ faces with school colors. Schedule it on a pep assembly day to give students the opportunity to amp up their school spirit.
44. Hold a poster contest
Have different homerooms, school clubs, or teams make their best spirit posters to display in the halls. Present the winning one at a pep rally and reward the artists with small gifts like school key chains or rally towels.
45. Get “fired up” at a back-to-school cookout
Get the whole school community together to get “fired up” for the school year. Having time to casually socialize with teachers and staff helps ease the back-to-school transition for students and families.
46. Host a game tournament
Engage students and foster a positive school climate by hosting a tournament or game night. Student council members can be the moderators or game hosts.
47. Decorate with chalk
Turn your sidewalk into a celebration of school spirit by having student council members decorate it with sidewalk chalk. A great way to welcome the year or send students home on the last day of school.
48. Come up with a yearlong theme
Collaborate with your principal to create a motivational school theme for the year, like “teamwork” or “respect.” Integrate the theme into as many aspects of your school as possible throughout the year. For example, introduce the theme at your back-to-school night and incorporate it into your school newsletters throughout the year.
49. Make DIY pom-poms
This is one of many fun moneymaking student council ideas. Make and sell paper pom-poms before your student athletic events to fill your gym with school spirit. Keep the cost low—25 cents or so—to make them accessible to everyone.
Learn more: DIY Pom-Poms (YouTube)
50. Start a mentoring program
Pair older students with younger students for the duration of the year. “Buddies” can invite each other to lunch (on specially designated days), write notes (monitored), and team up on field day competitions. Near-peer mentoring, with students just a grade or two apart, can be a big benefit for both students.
51. Host a school movie night
Spread a king-size sheet or painter’s tarp on the side of the school to project a movie, and invite students and their families to bring lawn chairs or blankets. If the weather’s cold or rainy, turn your school gym into a movie theater and spread out the gymnastics mats for seating.
52. Spread compassion in the cafeteria
Write kind notes to your cafeteria staff and give them to students who are standing in line for lunch, along with directions to pass the note to a cafeteria staff member. With minimal effort, your whole student body can overwhelm your cafeteria staff with compassion and gratitude!
53. Host a senior breakfast
In the last week of school, host a senior breakfast to celebrate students’ graduation and give them a positive send-off. Be sure to offer decaf coffee—they’re already stoked enough!
54. Organize a tutoring program
Recruit classmates who are willing to tutor other students. Create a schedule and share it with families and students, so they can drop in and get help on a variety of subjects.
55. Make spirit bracelets
Another fun DIY project! This tutorial will teach students how to make simple braided paper bracelets using school-colored paper. Tackle making them as a class project, or encourage a school club to make them as a fundraiser.
Learn more: DIY Spirit Bracelets (YouTube)
56. Give out honorary school diplomas
Advocate to begin an honorary school diploma program, recognizing people in the community—living or historical—who have made outstanding contributions to the school or have noteworthy achievements that align with your school values. A student council can help to organize the program with support from administration and serve on the selection committee, nominating awardees and writing the citations.
57. Do an end-of-year graduation walk
Graduating high school seniors walk the halls in their caps and gowns to inspire younger students to go the distance. If you have older students or a K-8 or K-12 school, have the older graduates walk the kindergarten grads through the school.
58. Hold a board game costume day
Challenge your student body to show up with this fun idea. Invite students to dress as their favorite board game or card game character (e.g., an Old Maid, the Queen of Hearts, a Twister board).
59. Set up a flash mob
Flash mobs are a great way to bring students together. With just a few guided practices, they can be part of a fun and special event. All you need is a music system and a few students who are on the dance team and can get a team ready with choreography.
60. Show pride in your school’s appearance
Organize a school cleanup day. Have kids collect trash and recyclables, weed the gardens, and clean off sidewalks and garden areas. Not only will this event help spruce up the place, it can teach students the value of gratitude and stewardship.
61. Get eco-friendly
Launch eco-friendly initiatives like a recycling drive or a campaign to reduce plastic use. Encourage environmental responsibility within the school community by putting students in charge.
62. Set up photo ops
Let students ham it up in front of an inspiring wall like a wall of hearts, butterfly wings, or being the I in Kindness. You’ll get adorable photos and can sell them to parents for a fundraiser.
63. Celebrate your school’s history
Start up a school history project to build school pride. Have students research and present the history of their school and local community, possibly in collaboration with other member schools. Set up history displays throughout the halls to remind students they are part of something bigger.
64. Hold a door-decorating contest
Looking for student council contest ideas? Host door-decorating contests with themes such as holidays, homecoming, spirit days, or making the world a better place. Reveal the winning classroom over morning announcements and award the winners with prizes like pizza or an ice cream party.
Learn more: Awesome Classroom Door Ideas
As part of spirit week, have a Wacky Sock Day! Encourage students to get creative and wear the craziest combination of socks to school that day.
66. Set up testing week support stations
This is one of those student council ideas that can really have a positive impact on the student body. During testing weeks, set up snack and drink stations with donated items. Paint and display encouraging posters around the halls. Organize fun activities and games during lunch and recess (for younger kids).
67. Host cafeteria karaoke
A positive school environment celebrates everyone’s talents. Give your students the opportunity to bust out a tune at lunchtime by setting up a karaoke slideshow.
If you’re looking for student council fundraising ideas, try a fun run that combines fitness and school spirit. Student council members can get the word out on social media and with posters and flyers. Encourage students to participate individually or as part of a team. Hold a fun run T-shirt design contest and let students create their own shirts from the winning design.
69. Do birthday shout-outs
During morning announcements, have a member of student council wish a happy birthday to students born on that day. Be sure to include students whose birthdays fell on the weekend during Monday’s morning announcement.
70. Have some fun with icebreakers
Students are more invested in their school community when they have a genuine connection with other students. Encourage students to broaden their social circles with icebreakers. Whether you use them in homeroom, in the cafeteria, or at after-school events, the more you build connections, the stronger your student body will be.
71. Build a wall of kind words
Combine kind words with fundraising in this fun activity. At lunch and during passing periods, have student council members set up stations to sell paper “bricks” for $1. On their bricks, students can write a compliment or a shout-out for another student. Display the bricks in the cafeteria or hallway, and watch the brick wall grow throughout the week. The student council can use the funds to donate to a cause, put on an event, or buy supplies for future activities.
Learn more: 100 Kindness Quotes for Kids
72. Create a sensory room
This is a great idea for elementary school student councils. Research the features of a sensory room, plan a room for your school, and fundraise for the materials. Then, host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for your new sensory room.
Learn more: Must-Try Sensory Room Ideas for Schools
73. Do a postcard project
Postcard exchanges are a fun way for students to improve writing skills and develop knowledge about other parts of the world. They’re also a challenge to set up. A motivated student council can reach out and connect classrooms with postcard buddies, and create displays to showcase the postcards students receive.
Learn more: How To Start a Classroom Postcard Exchange
Be sure to follow your school’s social media policy for this one. Student council can identify an event or aspect of your school to showcase on social media. Take photos, plan the language, and post the event. Make sure the post shares that it comes from the student council.
The same idea as sharing successes on social media, student council can write a press release and email it to local media. Local news outlets are always looking for great human interest stories, and your school could be featured.
76. Create a reading buddies program
Reading buddies are a great way to connect classes across grade levels and build older students’ fluency. Put student council in charge of matching classrooms and informing teachers of the schedule and rules.
77. Plan and paint a mural
Another school beautification idea is a mural. Student council can generate ideas, take a vote on the idea the student body likes the best, and paint the mural. It’s also a great way for one school year’s student council to leave their mark.
78. Advocate for school improvement
Inspire future community organizers with a school improvement campaign to make your school even better. Students identify a problem, like the quality of school lunches or aging playground equipment. Then, they create a plan to address the problem and see it through.
79. Share with the school board
Build students’ public speaking skills by preparing a presentation to the school board. Students can create the slides, rehearse, and then attend the board meeting.
80. Put students in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week
Put students in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week. They can plan each day, send home notes to parents, and take over some teacher responsibilities
81. Invite a guest speaker
Give students a time slot for an assembly, and invite a local expert in to talk about a topic that’s relevant for your students. It could be a local author, the fire department, or a motivational speaker. Even better, this activity requires students to manage a budget and make decisions about which topics are most important for their peers.
82. Create a new-student welcome packet
Challenge the student council to create a welcome packet that can be given to new students and families. This encourages students to think about what makes their school awesome and what they can do to make newcomers feel welcome.
83. Host a car wash
A car wash is a classic way for students to work together and raise money. Students apply organization skills to set up the car wash and can choose how to donate proceeds to improve the school.
84. Have an open-mic night
This activity is great for middle and high schoolers. Turn the theater or cafeteria into a cafe or other space for an open-mic night. Kids can express themselves through song, poetry, comedy, or other performances.
85. Host a family engagement night
Students are bound to have ideas about which events they want to attend. Let student council create the event they most want to see, then help them bring it to life.
86. Host a lost-and-found fashion show
Challenge students to turn lost and found items into a school-spirited outfit. Create a runway in the theater, cafeteria, or outside for students to show off their fashions.
87. Join the 30 Days of Service Challenge
What better way to build school spirit than by doing good works together? Download our free 30 Days of Service Challenge checklist and challenge kids to complete tasks such as “Check in with an elderly relative” or Collect gently used books to give to the library.” To up the ante a bit, make it a competition between homerooms.
88. Appoint a Student of the Week
Put student council in charge of Star Student or Student of the Week. They can collect nominations each week, take photos, and decorate the bulletin board to highlight your amazing students.
89. Collect donations for a cause
Another way for student council to do good for the community around your school is by conducting a clothing or school supply drive. Partner with a local organization to collect clothes (prom dresses, baby clothes, coats, etc.) or school supplies. Student council can create the advertising, spread the word, and deliver the donations.
90. Build care packages
Another way to give back to the community is by creating care packages. Herobox is one organization that engages volunteers in creating care packages for soldiers.
91. Run morning announcements
Student council can plan and provide the morning announcements for the school. Let them get creative with how they present everything from the school lunch menu to upcoming dates and a morning message.
92. Post affirmations
Build school spirit with school-related affirmations. Brainstorm a list of positive statements about the students in your school (for example, “You are a leader! You are a lion!”) Then, put these statements around the school on table tents in the cafeteria or on posters in the restrooms and hallways.
93. Host an awards ceremony
Send students into summer with an end-of-year awards ceremony. Student council members can plan the awards, from deciding on the categories to collecting nominations and writing speeches.
94. Run a Never Been Absent campaign
Student council is all about school spirit, but they can also focus on important things like attendance. Have student council create a Never Been Absent campaign. What would motivate students to attend your school specifically? How can student council spread the message that it’s important to be in school?
95. Create a Random Acts of Kindness bulletin board
Student council members are at the right place to catch their peers doing good, so put them in charge of a Random Acts of Kindness bulletin board.
96. Unplug for a cause
Whether or not cell phones are a problem in your building, going screen-free for a day is never a bad thing. Student council can run a school-wide day to unplug with screen-free activities for students and awareness posters about how screens impact our lives. Send the student council around to take photos of all the things that kids are doing when they’re not on screens.
97. Host an art fundraiser
Plan an art gallery that doubles as a fundraiser. The student council collects the art, making sure there is art from every grade level. Then, they set up a gallery. They can also provide ways for parents to purchase art, through a silent auction or another opportunity to purchase art.
98. Share compliment cards
Challenge your student leaders to pass out compliment cards with notes such as “You have great style,” “I love your smile,” and “You’re a great friend!” Include instructions on each card that direct the recipient to pay the compliment forward to someone else—creating a butterfly effect of kindness across your school!
99. Make up a school holiday
Student council can create a holiday just for your school (Spartans Sports Day, for example). Yes, you’ll have school that day, but you can make it feel like a holiday just for your campus.
100. Form a new-student welcome committee
Start each student’s experience with school spirit. Have the student council create a procedure for welcoming new students. This could involve a buddy to walk them through their schedule, a lunch friend, or a welcome basket with some school swag.
101. Arrange a field trip
Invite students to plan a field trip, during or after school hours, that students can attend. Ask them to wear their spirit wear and represent your school at a theater or sporting event.
What student council ideas do you have for building school spirit? Come and share your ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Plus, check out these theme day ideas to steer clear of and some recommended alternatives!
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