School Spirit

I am sure you have heard this line before at different athletic events, "We have spirit, yes we do.  We have spirit, how about you!?!"  The crowd is then encouraged to respond, "We have spirit, yes we do.  We have spirti, how about you."  One of the more engaging sideline chants and one that I would propose needs some consideration.

What comes to mind if you were asked this very question beyond the field of play?  Does it invoke a response of care, compassion, stewardship and accountability to "your" school?  Does it prompt prayer, support and involvement?  Can the question move us to positively participate in all that we can at school?

Or is the idea of school spirit really just cliche, too much work or simply dead?

Philippians 2:2 tells us, "then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."  The Lord's joy is made complete through working harmoniously together; having the same love is loving God and others; and being one in spirit and purpose is growing the body of Christ through the community of believers and the efforts of drawing in others to join this community.  Really sounds like the blue print for school spirit...

As we look toward the 2011-12 school year, let's look into our hearts to see if we truly have school spirit.  May we as administrators, faculty and staff build the enthusiasum of school spirit while helping students, parents and friends catch it in a big way.