Fresh Ideas for Spirit Week Themes

Has Spirit Week at your school lost its … well, spirit? Need fresh ideas to liven it up this year? Our exciting spirit week themes are sure to hype up your school and bring new life to your Spirit Week.

• ‘Tis the Season
Why wait for holiday cheer? Host five days of holidays during your Spirit Week! New Year’s Eve, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and 4th of July are ideal day themes. Coordinate school decorations for each holiday and be sure the students dress in the festive colors!

• Access Hollywood
Bring a week of glamour and glitz to your school with a Hollywood theme. Categories could include movie stars, TV shows, music, and fashion. Dress up the school in black and gold, with a giant “Hollywood” sign in the main hallway or doorway. Consider posting movie posters and Hollywood street signs around the school as well.

• Reality TV
Turn your school into a hit reality show! Survivor, The Weakest Link, and Fear Factor themes are ideal day or week themes. Decoration ideas: Luau supplies for Survivor, a giant chain for The Weakest Link, and Halloween supplies for Fear Factor (check out our Halloween Dance Store). Center your mottos around your team “surviving,” the rival team as the “weakest link” and the rival team “fearing” your team!

• Home of the Brave
Honor America’s service men and women with a week dedicated to the armed forces. Focus on one division a day (Army, Navy, etc.) and decorate your school with armed forces colors (green/brown for Army, blue/white for Navy), official seals, American flags, and the name of the division you are honoring that day. Encourage the students to dress up in the appropriate colors and uniforms!

• Wild West
The West is back – at your school! Round up a week of cowboys, outlaws, pioneers, and Western movies for this spirit theme. Bales of hay (real or paper), wagon wheels, cowboy hats, Western movie posters, and outfitted students will quickly turn your school into the Wild West!

• Sports Center
Get ready for the big game with a week of sports! Focus on team sports such as football, basketball, hockey, and soccer, using specific ideas for each theme. For football, consider Monday Night Football, for basketball consider March Madness, etc. Center your decorations and outfits around the theme of the day.

• Stars and Stripes
An American theme is a great way to generate excitement during Spirit Week! Some day themes include red-white-blue day, states day, history day, and presidents’ day. Drape the school in red, white, and blue along with American flags, state names, and posters of presidents. Consider hanging the “Star-Spangled Banner” lyrics up as well!

• Blast from the Past
For this theme, revisit a different decade each day. Have students dress in clothes from that decade and hang decorations that exemplify the years you choose. Some ideas of fun decades to use? Try the 1920s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Consult your history teacher for decade details!

• Around the World
Get your school ready for a trip around the world – in five school days! Choose five different cities or countries to focus on. Ask students to don attire typical of each country and get ready for some international fun! We love the following foreign destinations for this theme – Paris, London, the Far East, Mexico and the Caribbean.

• Mythology
The ancient stories of Greece and Rome can come to life in your school hallways with a little research and a lot of fun! Consult mythology books and choose a different mythological tale for each day of your spirit week. We love the story of Jason and the Argonauts, the Trojan War, the Twelve Labors of Hercules, the underground world of Hades and the many stories of Zeus.

• Animal Kingdom
Bring the zoo to your school for a week! We don’t mean this literally of course, just figuratively. How? By choosing a different animal of species to focus on each day. Get students to coordinate their outfits with the animal of the day, and you’re ready for some animal-astic fun! Try cats, bears, birds, safari animals and domestic animals as your categories.

• Cartoons
You may not have watched Saturday Morning Cartoons since you were a kid, but it doesn’t mean you don’t still love the likes of Batman and Robin! Bring these old favorites back to life for five days during a cartoon theme spirit week. A few of our ideas? The Jetsons, Superman, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and Pokemon.

• Movies
Whether you choose old movies or current movies, a spirit week “at the movies” will be a certain success! Find old movie posters, stand-ups of stars or make collages from entertainment magazines to decorate your halls. Have students dress up like their favorite stars and serve popcorn and Junior Mints to raise school spirits and sugar levels!

• Under the Sea
An underwater theme for your spirit week will be a fun and festive way to spread some spirit! Cover walls with blue flat paper, set up a bubble machine to set the mood, and bring in fish, waves and sand for an authentic look. Choose a different body of ocean for each day, or select beach-inspired movies for a new spin.

• Transportation
Modes of transportation may not seem like the most exciting theme for your spirit week, but consider the fun you can have. Cars, trains, bicycles, planes, boats and more could all provide your décor and daily theme. For fun, ask students to take a different mode of transportation to school each day. Remember – feet count!

Tips for Making a Great Cheerleading Try-Out

Calling all cheerleaders: tryouts are almost here! It’s time to show your stuff. Don’t know where to start? Well, we’ve got some hints to help you prepare for the big day. Grab those poms and get ready to cheer!

Practice Your Moves
Now’s the time to perfect those tumbling passes, stunts and dance routines! If you are unsure about your gymnastic or dance abilities, take some lessons at the local YMCA. This will give you tons of confidence. You can also prepare to perform you stunts on tryout day by first marking them on the ground. (If you are a flyer, practice the stunts on a bench or chair.) Remember to focus on your timing, balance and tightness.

Shout it Out
Coaches need to hear your cheers! Work on controlling your volume and projection. Yell from your diaphragm, not your throat, to increase volume and learn to emphasize key words in each cheer to keep from becoming monotone. To help you, try using a metronome to help you practice rhythm. This clock-like ticking device has an adjustable beat. It will help you time your cheers and improve your voice projection so that you shout your words clearly and with power.

Be Prepared
Come to clinics with a notebook, pen and blank tape. Ask questions, take notes and record any music you’ll need for dance routines. This will put you ahead of the game. You’ll also want to get all the necessary consent forms filled out right away to show the coaches your responsibility.

Show Enthusiasm
Coaches and cheerleaders agree that it’s important to have a positive, enthusiastic outlook, especially on tryout day. If you aren’t energetic and excited about trying out, your body and your facial expressions will give you away. Be sure to put on a smile all week long before tryouts. Also be supportive and encouraging of others when they try out.

Look Your Best
On the big day, a minimal amount of makeup looks best. Use a light gloss or lip balm to keep your lips moist and bright. Keep blush, eyeliner and eye shadow subtle. You don’t want it running when you get sweaty. Make sure your nails are trimmed (long nails are a safety hazard) and check with the coached before you use polish since many don’t allow it. Remember to pull your hair back so that the coaches can see your smiling face! Also, lose the gum. It’s a no-go during practice and performance

Relax and Have Fun!
On tryout day, take a deep breath and have confidence in yourself! Remember to stretch well before you tryout – you don’t want a pulled muscle stopping you. If you make a mistake, keep going. The judges may not even notice! But most importantly, have fun out there and remember to smile!