School spirit

In United States education, school spirit refers to a collective identity between the members of an educational institution. School administrators may wish to foster school spirit with the goal of creating a sense of community within the student population, mitigating feelings of student detachment and anonymity or as a form of informal social control.

Around the turn of the 20th century educators like John Dewey and other Progressive educators began to encourage administrators and educators to attempt to inspire a sense of esprit de corps amongst their student body. By 1916 the term "school spirit" had become casually associated with this general concept.

School spirit was captured and critiqued in US pop culture through songs such as the Beach Boys' "Be True to Your School" and films with a coming of age story such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High. School spirit could also have the added advantage of lowering bullying rates by harboring a school climate of connectedness and belonging that lowers the rate of cyber-bullying.