CRESTLINE — A positive message was emphasized throughout the Crestline Board of Education meeting Monday night as parents packed the school library.
The most positive message came from Pam Armstrong, who spoke to the board about her desire to bring spirit back to the school.

“It seems as though there is no excitement in the school at all,” Armstrong said. “It started with a few conversations and now we have 14 to 16 parents who are involved and they are trying to help the kids be enthusiastic about their school again.”

In the past, students wore the school colors (blue and white) on various game days, but it seems that tradition has been lost.

“On Senior Night and homecoming it seemed as though not much was acknowledged,” Armstrong said.

Board of Education member Barb Poole, who substitute teaches at the school, said she noticed the lack of excitement, too.

“When my kids were in school I was very active. The parents can be the key to changing this,” Poole said. “Going into that new school, we’d like to rebuild what we used to have here.”

There was more to the article, but this excerpt paints a pretty good picture of what’s been going on there.

They don’t mention fundraising in the article, but it’s pretty easy to guess what’s been happening on that front.

My belief is that if your school doesn’t have an enthusiastic spirit and energy about it, your fundraising is going to flounder.

So, what are some things your school could do to jump start it’s collective spirit?

• How about a good and thorough cleaning? Some schools just look cluttered and trashy when you enter. That’s never a good sign. If you want to be proud of your school, make it shine!

• Candid photos of your students doing fun things that are posted all around the school is another great way to get kids excited about their school and their place in it.

• Spirit weeks with fun themes for each day are also great spirit builders.

• A mascot and a brand new logo can also help students identify with their school.

• Most of all, the principal and the teachers have to buy into the notion that their school is awesome. Because if the leaders of the school believe it, then the students will believe it too. And we all know that it’s the students that drive their parents.

So, take a long, hard, and honest look at how passionately the students, teachers, principal, and parents feel about your school. If the spirit is lacking in anyway, make a strong effort to pump it back up.

A fired up school is a school that can raise the money it needs!

Photo by: LadyDragonflyCC -Amazing October Colors!

I’ve read about things like shaving the principal’s head and making the principal sit on the roof of the school in a lawn chair for the entire school day. These things sounded fun and unique, and I really didn’t see the harm.

But, now I’m wondering about that. In recent weeks, I’ve come across a handful of news articles that are reporting incidents of principal fundraising torture that perhaps go a bit too far. But, then again, maybe I’m way off-base here, and you might not agree. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Here are four separate cases:

An elementary school in Alabama recently held a fundraiser for the Red Cross Heroes Campaign. Students were told that if they met their goal, they would have a chance to duct tape their principal to a wall in the school gym.

Well, the students held up their end of the bargain. So shortly after the end of the fundraiser, the student body gathered in their gymnasium. The principal stepped up onto a bucket, which was placed next to a wall. Then each student was handed a two foot long strip of duct tape. They formed a giant single file line, and one by one, each student placed his or her tape over the principal’s body.

When every student had accomplished this task, a couple of teachers removed the bucket, upon which the principal had been standing. Because he was secured so firmly against the wall, he did not fall, when the bucket was removed. The reporting website said that the kids howled with delight (at their little display of sadism). Hmmm.

(Take a minute to watch the video of this event, embedded below. I, myself, felt a little differently about this after having watched the video.)

The second event took place in my old hometown, Saline, Michigan. Here, the elementary school students were participating in an American Heart Society fundraiser. Their reward for meeting their goal was the opportunity to pour green slime over the heads of their principal and a few of the teaching staff. Of course, the students met the goal, and the sliming was on.

According to the newspaper report, over 700 students got to take a turn at teacher target practice. The American Heart Society said that their program “Hoops for Heart” promotes the value of healthy habits and empowers students to contribute to their community’s welfare”.  Really?  By shooting hoops and then pouring slime on the heads of people they are supposed to respect?  Hmmm.

A third case of principal torture (or denigration) happened at an Oregon elementary school. Here, the students raised over $3,000 for their school’s PTA in a jog-a-thon. Because this amount surpassed the stated fundraising goal, the principal agreed to be hit in the face by three cream pies and then be washed down by a fire hose.

In the newspaper report, while the principal was being hit in the face with the pies, the students began chanting, “Pie in the face! Pie in the face!”

Once he was being hit with the water cannon, the students changed their cheer to: “Hose him down! Hose him down!”

The principal was a good sport about this and was quoted as saying, “They earned it, all $3,000 worth.” Hmmm.

The last incident I read about maybe isn’t so bad, but I still wonder about the implications of it going forward. At a middle school in Pennsylvania, the students were challenged to raise money to help out a number of disadvantaged families in their community. Well, as you can imagine, the students met their goal and as a reward, they were treated to a Sumo wrestling match between their school principal and vice-principal. Each man agreed to dress up in those inflatable sumo suits.

The principal won two out of three matches and was declared the champion. Students were said to have been screaming, yelling, and stomping during the bout. The newspaper reported the student body was “ablaze with excitement”. Hmmm.

Conclusion

Well, I hate to come off sounding like a party pooper. I really do like to have fun myself. In fact, once, when I was a school principal, I held a pizza and ice cream party for the students, and I created a new sandwich idea. I plopped a scoop of vanilla right between two slices of pepperoni pie. I ate it and encouraged everybody else to try it too, so I guess I can be accused of promoting gluttony.

However, is being duct taped to a wall by students, being hit in the face by pie and then hosed down like an animal, having green slime poured over your head by 700 kids, or participating in a sumo wrestling match the best ways to earn the respect of the students? Are these individual cases going too far?

Does a principal have a harder time disciplining students, when the students have seen him pinned down in a fat suit? Or hosed down in the parking lot?

I, myself, am struggling with these questions. What do you think? Please let us know in the comment section!

P.S.  Dedicated readers of this blog might have noticed that three of the four cases I cited in this post were school fundraisers for outside groups, not for the school itself, a practice that I’m not very fond of.

The tools I was interested most in weren’t hammers and screwdrivers and wrenches, but rather donors, volunteers, and school spirit. All of the tools I was interested in would help shape our effort to provide the necessary funds to keep the school operational and thriving.

Unfortunately, the situation I walked into had a pretty empty toolbox, so one of my first tasks was to stock it with as many useful items as I could.

Today, I want to write about the tool of school spirit, and how it relates to fundraising success.

If you find yourself at a school that is struggling to raise money, whether it be in a small fundraiser like a cookie dough sale or a large event like an auction, one of the fundamental reasons for your lack of success may be a lack of school spirit.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself or others close to you to determine if your students, their parents, the teachers, key donors, and anyone else involved at your school has enough spirit to motivate them to work for your school’s financial success.

• Is there a cohesive message from the leadership of the school to its broad audience? (Things like school-wide newsletter, email blasts, and a regularly updated website)
• Has an effort been made to beautify the school- both interiorly and exteriorly? (Who can feel good about a run-down environment?)
• Are there pictures of students and examples of their artwork or other creations visible in the hallways? (Breeds a sense of ownership and belonging)
• Does your school have an exciting nickname and logo that you use on everything from folders to sweatshirts?
• Are there any traditions that are specific to certain grades that younger students really look forward to each year?
• Do you see school items around town, like bumper stickers, caps, or t-shirts?
• Does the local paper cover your school events so the entire area can be proud of the school’s accomplishments?
• Is there any kind of school-specific award for service to the school?
• Do teachers communicate a message about being proud of the school to their students?

It doesn’t matter if your school is public or private, an elementary, middle or high school. School spirit can be contagious at any age, in any circumstance.

I firmly believe that if students and their parents have pride in their school, they will feel more motivated to raise money for it. This includes an increased willingness to approach friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members to buy fundraising products and even tickets to golf outings, auctions, or raffles.

Look at it from the opposite end- if a student has no real feeling of loyalty or pride in their education institution, how likely is it his or her family will prioritize your fundraiser over all the other commitments in their life? I would argue that it is not very likely.

If you are a school principal or a volunteer in the Parent-Teacher group, you can have a direct impact on the level of school spirit. If you are doing it in the right way, with the right intentions, people will be supportive of anything that instills pride and increases a positive spirit. In the long run, you will be building a much more reliable fundraising tool and you’ll start to fill out that all-important toolbox.

(Image courtesy of StumpSpirit.com)

I would also guess that you have a pretty good relationship with your child’s teacher. After all, the teacher sees your child for six or seven hours a day for 180 days per year. That’s a lot of influence he or she can have on your offspring. Of course, it’s a good idea to know who that person is.

As a former elementary school principal, I witnessed the spectrum of relationships that parents have with teachers, and I’ve heard the “secret” teacher lounge chatter about those relationships. Therefore, I think I can offer a few suggestions on ways for parents to say thank you that will be truly meaningful to and appreciated by your child’s teacher.

1. Volunteer in the Classroom
Most classrooms are overcrowded. That is to say that the ratio of teachers and aides to students is higher than anyone would want. This isn’t only distressing to the parents, but it is also a source of great concern for the teachers. By and large, teachers really do desire excellence, but many times, the numbers make that an elusive goal.

Therefore, I would find a way to volunteer your time as a part-time classroom aid. I’ve seen a mom volunteer one hour per week to listen to students read. The teacher really appreciated that, because the kids got more individualized instruction.

Maybe it’s something you can only do once per month. However, if you pool your time with three other parents, that’s a once-per-week help the teacher is getting, and that’s significant.

2. Volunteer to Sub
This idea may work more easily in a smaller private school. At the school I worked in, we could only offer our teachers a handful of paid days-off per year. It wasn’t fair, but we didn’t have the budget to pay the teacher and a sub for the same time.

Therefore, on a few occasions, we had parents volunteer to sub for the teacher with no pay. Of course, the parents had to meet our guidelines for substitute teachers, but we didn’t have to take a hit in our budget. The teachers felt like they were playing hooky. It was great for morale. This was easily one of the most popular gifts any teacher received all year.

In a public school setting, I’m not sure if this would work, given teacher union issues or concerns by state regulations. If this interests you however, discuss it with the principal of your child’s school to see if it’s feasible.

3. Volunteer to Grade Papers, Prepare Craft Projects, Etc.
One of the biggest drags on a teacher is the whole paper grading thing. I was always seeing teachers lug around big stacks of papers they had to grade. They graded during staff meetings, they graded during lunch, they graded during dental appointments. (Just kidding.)

I also noticed that for teachers of younger students, craft projects usurped a lot of their time. They always seemed to be cutting out odd shapes from colored construction paper. Some people carry a cell phone on their belt. Kindergarten teachers carry a scissors holster.

Therefore, I would propose that a great way to express your thanks to your child’s teacher would be to volunteer to take some of this burden away from them. Offer to grade a stack of papers or to prepare two dozen art projects. This will be a huge time-saver and will allow the teacher to focus more on teaching and less on the busy work.

4. Gift Card to Wal-Mart
Ok, I know this will sound a little bit cheesy, but I’ve seen a lot of gifts given to teachers and while I don’t want to be a spokesman for Wal-Mart, I would have to say that the most popular token of appreciation given to a teacher was a simple gift card to Wal-Mart.

I think it’s ok to forego the need to get a personalized gift somehow. Teachers have enough mugs. They have enough paperweights. They have their own schedule books. Trust me. A $25 gift card to Wal-Mart is very much appreciated. It’s practical, useful, and flexible. You don’t have to worry about getting the wrong size or wondering if someone else already gave them one of “those”.

5. Make Sure To Send in Snacks
Before I had kids, I read all the parenting books. I was a lit major in college, so I love to read, and I thought I would learn everything I would ever need to know though these guides.

However in all the books I read, there was one item that was consistently omitted, forgotten about, and dismissed. And, here I’m going to give it to you free: The Snack. The second your child becomes part of a group activity involving other children, “The Snack” becomes the central focus of all attention. When my son joined soccer, he was first handed the snack schedule and then the game schedule. I’m not kidding.

Anyway, many teachers ask that parents take turns sending in a healthy snack for the entire class. A lot of parents blow this off and the cupboard is often bare. This puts the teacher in a tough spot of either not giving the kids a snack or else she has to spring for it herself.

So, if you can remember to send in a box of Goldfish crackers once a month or so, you’ll be doing the teacher a great favor she will really appreciate it.

6. Volunteer to Be a Chaperon/Driver for Field Trips
Because so many parents have to work, this is a much harder role to fill. However, classrooms do need volunteers to chaperon field trips or in some cases act as drivers for these outings. Teachers are often put in the tough position to have to find these people. Trust me; this is a thankless job, and not one the teachers were dreaming about when they first decided to enter the teaching profession.

If you are able to be a reliable chaperone/driver, you will make a friend for life in the teacher!

7. Stay in Touch, Be Involved
This may seem like a cop-out when it comes to an expression of thanks, but in all actuality, this one’s very important to teachers. Being a teacher is more than just a job. It’s a calling. Therefore, teachers really pour their hearts and souls into what they do. But, this isn’t a one-way street. If they send home a newsletter, read it. If they ask you to sign a report card, sign it and send it back the next day. So many times, even at a private school, I’d hear the teachers talking about parents who never sent stuff back. Or about those who had no clue what was going on. It really depressed them.

The thing is, I knew these “deadbeat” parents, and they weren’t bad people. Most were just busy. If this description applies to you, please find a way to carve out a few minutes each day to go though your child’s backpack. Most nights, there won’t be anything to worry about. But on those occasions when the teacher does send something home, you’ll be on top of it, and that will be a huge gift to your child’s teacher.

8. Take Lots of Photos
If you are a parent who is able to spend some regular time in the classroom or on field trips, I would suggest that you bring along a digital camera. Take lots of photos of all the kids in the class. Get lots of close-ups and action shots. Make sure you don’t miss anybody.

At the end of the year, organize the best of the pictures and organize them onto a CD or even a scrapbook that you will give to the teacher. This kind of a virtual scrapbook is a wonderful keepsake.

9. A Cuppa Joe
Here’s one that’s pure pleasure. Find out what kind of morning drink your child’s teacher likes and make a point to pick one up for her on occasion. A specialty coffee or tea is really a nice way to let the teachers know how much you appreciate them on a daily basis.

10. Introduce Her to Top School Fundraisers
Finally, if you really love not only your child’s teacher, but all of the teachers and administrators at the school, I would whole-heartedly recommend turning them on to TopSchoolFundriasers.com. You already know what a great resource this is. Plese share the love with anyone who would benefit from our unique brand of educational wit and wisdom!

Conclusion
Even though there is a whole week devoted to Teacher Appreciation, I would suggest that you engage in this practice during the entire school year. Think about all the times your own kids have caused you some stress. Now imagine 25 of them all day long! Have a heart! Love your kids’ teachers!

Imagine: football players scooping ice cream, cheerleaders doing face painting, basketball players running a free throw competition. Of course, all the players should be dressed in their team’s uniform.

It is amazing how much elementary or middle school kids look up to high-schoolers. And, if the high-schooler is the starting quarterback, captain of the cheer squad, or point guard for the hoops team, you’ve got a bona-fide celebrity on your hands.

You can include this celebrity attendance/participation in all of your marketing materials. It’s sure to draw a crowd.

I would also add that there is an additional revenue opportunity with the athletes there, as well. As long as it is very clear that the revenue generated goes to the school, think about charging for photographs or autographs from the players. This can be done in good fun and as long as the high-schoolers don’t get an inflated ego because of it, I know they’ll have a good time.

Maybe it’s the upcoming presidential election. I, like so many others, have been absolutely fascinated by this political season. In my case, that’s not too much of a stretch, as I have always been a political junkie. But, these past few weeks have especially seemed to permeate a majority of my thoughts.

So, I’ll therefore blame this latest installment of “Jump Start Your School Spirit” on my obsession with all things politics.

One of the basic plays straight out of Campaigning 101 is to develop what’s called “a Message Calendar”. The leaders of a campaign will seek to match the daily, weekly, and monthly calendar with specifically timed messages on policy, philosophy, or even attacks against an opponent. A candidate will do everything in his or her power to stick to this well-thought out strategy, even though reporters and the opponent will try to take him or her off message.

The rationale behind instituting an official message calendar is that the candidate will be able to convey important information to the voters at times the campaign staff feels is most beneficial. The ultimate hope is that this regulated string of information will lead the voter to the inevitable conclusion that their candidate is best suited for whatever office is sought.

Ok, but what does this have to do with boosting your school spirit?

Well, I contend that an individual school can adopt this political strategy and institute a message calendar of its own. By thinking this schedule through very carefully, the school will be able to move its parents, teachers, and students, as well as people out in the community, toward a greater love, passion, and dedication to the school. This increased “spirit” will eventually lead to greater fundraising results, as well.

How to Create a Functioning School Message Calendar

Step 1. General Brainstorming.
The school leadership, which should also include the fundraising team, should plan a meeting during the summer for the upcoming school year. At this meeting, the group should brainstorm all of the important messages that need to be conveyed to families, staff, and the community. These broad themes may include various field trips, building maintenance issues, text book supply problems, school-wide events, new staff hires, new policy initiatives, student safety issues, transportation concerns, fundraising activities, proposed curriculum ideas, etc.

Step 2. Study The School Year Calendar.
The group should also look at the yearly calendar and plot that out, as well. When do vacations fall, when are traditional events held, when does school let out in the spring- questions like these. The entire group should have a very solid understanding of the yearly calendar at this point.

Step 3. Prioritize the Issues/Messages.
Then, I would recommend the group go back to the brainstormed list of broad themes. What are the most pressing concerns? What are more minor points? Are there certain issues that must come out at a certain time or in a certain sequence? Really start to get a grasp on the nature or the “personality” of this list.

Step 4. Start Populating the Calendar with the Issues/Messages.
At this point, the group should start placing the obvious issues at certain places on the calendar. If the school always has a spring auction, you’ll probably want to get your message out starting sometime after kids come back from Christmas vacation. If there is a tradition of a fall harvest festival, those reminders should start going home right at the beginning of the school year. These are the easy ones to place.

Step 5. The Hard Part.
At this point, the group should be left with a handful of important issues that aren’t necessarily tied to a specific date. Think about these remaining topics.

• Is there a logical order to them?
• Do any of them inter-relate?
• Would it be wise to introduce one first, then follow it up with a somewhat related topic?
• Do people need to understand one issue, before another one makes sense?
• Is there a time of year that’s busier than others, so it would be wise to avoid introducing a complicated issue?
• How much time (how many days/weeks) is needed to properly introduce and act upon each message?

The group should really tear all of this apart and look at it from every angle. This process is perhaps the most important part of setting your annual message calendar. If you misplace or mis-align your messages, you could be losing the opportunity to really lead your people where you want them to go.

Once this debate is complete and agreed upon, the group can start to place these issues to certain dates on the calendar.

Step 6. Breaking the Broad Themes Down.
You’ll remember that so far, we’ve only been dealing with the main issues. This was to get us in the ballpark, so to speak. From here, the group will need to get specific. Each broad theme may have many parts, each needed a separate moment of attention.

If you are dealing with a brand new fundraising activity for instance, you may want to prepare your families with an introductory letter, talking about a specific funding need at the school and the importance of meeting this need. A follow-up message may give the details of the event. It is not always wise to hit everybody with the whole thing at one time.

Do your best to break each broad theme down, exactly like this and put the individual action steps to a specific date.

Step 7. Deciding Upon the Means of Communication.
At last you have a finished calendar with every important issue and message that needs to get out into the community- broken down to the final details. Now, all that’s left in the planning process is how to deliver each individual message.

Fortunately, there are many available means of communication these days. Just a few suggestions are:

• Sending fliers or newsletters home in kids’ backpacks
• Parent mandated meetings
• Mass emails (Constant Contact style)
• Letters mailed to each home
• Press releases
• Automated phone tree messages
• Electronic billboards around your town
• Church bulletins
• Radio and television interviews
• Cell phone text messages
• Website opinion polls
• Regularly updated school blogs complete with video messages from the principal

It is clear, that there is no lack of creativity when it comes to communicating with your audience these days.

However, certain messages may be more formal and require a formal announcement. Other messages may deserve a lighter approach. Many of the topics may necessitate more than one method.

The group needs to figure out how all of this will play out in real life and assign the final product to the calendar. Once this is done, look the entire calendar over to ensure there is balance, if needed. If you are always sending home fliers, for instance, I would suggest mixing it up a bit.

Step 8. Who Gets to Talk?
The group should feel great. This is a big and involved task. Once the message and the delivery methods are set, the only thing that remains is to assign a spokesmen or spokes-team to each message. Just like with the means of communication, the messenger should also be rotated with regularity. Fundraising events can be handled by the PTO or PTA, for instance. The principal should inform parents about a new safety procedure. And so on. Look for the most logical person to introduce the appropriate topic.

Step 9. The Last Part. Does It All Make Sense?

At this point, the entire plan needs a thorough mental run-though. Each person in the group should get a copy of the overall message calendar and take some time to review it. Go home and sleep on it. Look at it with fresh eyes.

Does it make sense? Is it balanced? Does it flow from issue to issue? Are there any clunkers in there? Did the group forget anything?

If problems are spotted, solve them. If everything looks great, the entire groups can commit to the calendar and start to live by it. There should be regular meetings throughout the year to make sure everyone is still on board with the plan and to make any changes based on the dynamics of the year. Of course, things may happen that necessitate a change in the calendar, which is fine- as long as the group agrees to re-adjust and re-set, so they don’t get to far off-message.

The Results

I believe that if a school is able to craft and adhere to a message calendar, the entire community will ultimately care much more about it. The more that people get involved, the more school spirit will increase. The more school spirit increases, the greater the likelihood that financial contributions will increase, as well.

Our official school nickname was the Houghton Hawks. Jensen was The Jets. Nice alliteration, I know.

However, being kids, it didn’t take long for us to use alliteration in a more pejorative fashion. On our playground, the Jensen Jets quickly became referred to as Jensen Junkyard. Likewise, the fine students on the other side of town quickly responded by tagging us as the Houghton Hogs. And thus, a rivalry for the ages was born.

At first blush, this kind of name calling and institutional animosity would seem like a bad thing. After all, it takes a village… why can’t we all just get along… Give peace a chance… I want to buy the world a Coke… Pick your platitude.

But I’m here to offer a potentially controversial opinion. Maybe to increase your school spirit, a rivalry isn’t such a bad thing. I’m not talking about acts of vandalism or even mischievous pranks. Rather, I’m talking about a planned, organized, and healthy form of competition between two or more schools within the same geographical area.

I also would confine my recommendation to elementary, intermediate, and middle schools. High schools already have built-in forms of competition through varsity athletics that achieve many of the same goals I’m writing about in this article.

So, that said, ask yourself- does your school have a cross-town rival? Is there a Jensen Junkyard to your Houghton Hogs?

If the answer is no, is it because you live in such a small rural area, there is only one school per age level? Or is it just because nobody has thought to stoke the fires of competition?

If you truly do live in a rural area, such a relationship could easily be struck up with the nearest school from another town and be just as effective. If it’s simply the case that nobody has ever thrown down the gauntlet to another school, I’d suggest you give some serious thought to doing so. If you “kind of” have a rivalry going, but it’s not very passionate, I would also recommend turning up the heat a few degrees.

First, let me explain what a rivalry is not: It is not, as I mentioned, an excuse to hurt people or property. It is not an opportunity to make oneself feel better at the loss or suffering of another. And it is certainly not an official stamp of who’s better at any particular endeavor.

Rather, a healthy rivalry is made up of a mutual agreement to push each other toward excellence, to instill a strong sense of institutional pride, and to be a catalyst for great accomplishment. Along the way, t-shirts can be worn, bumper stickers can be affixed, songs and cheers can be sung, and yes, even the occasional zinger can be thrown, all in the name of good fun.

So what are the kinds of activities that characterize a healthy rivalry? How about a competitive fundraising event like a “serve-a-thon”? Each school would be competing to see which one could do the most good for the community. Or, what about holding a book reading contest to find out which school has the most readers? There could even be a competition to see which school recycles the most. At the elementary or middle school level, this kind of stuff can be a big deal.

Teachers, school administrators, and parents could all encourage this kind of fevered competition. By hanging up posters, displaying school colors, and singing the school fight song- all these things help to build a very productive and beneficial sense of school spirit in your community. If adults plan, shape, and direct the expression of this rivalry, the likelihood of it devolving into vandalism and mischief become much less likely.

Sure, there may be a bit of the “Hogs” and the “Junkyard” bandied about, but that’s all part of the fun. After all, I was in elementary school over thirty years ago, and I still want to beat those guys at something!

I am going to start a series of blog posts on how to increase school spirit in some potentially radical ways. When I say “radical” I certainly don’t mean anything illegal. Rather, I’m referring to a method that will challenge the status quo within your school. These suggestions may not be for everyone, but I’m fairly certain that each one of the upcoming topics will get folks talking. It will be up to you to decide if they will be talking in a favorable manner or not.

What’s Your Logo?
Today I want to talk about your school’s mascot and logo. Already, I can hear people screaming in protest. I, myself, attended Eastern Michigan University when we changed our school teams’ name from “The Hurons” to “The Eagles”. The school administration claimed our nickname was insensitive to Native Americans. I’m not about to wade into that argument, but I did witness first hand how polarizing such a move can be. In fact, I think you can still buy bootleg Hurons t-shirts, just off campus. So, I can definitely understand how this might be a “taboo” subject for some.

However, there are many schools in America that have been sitting on the same old mascot and logo for decades. While some may be honoring a proud tradition of excellence, others might just not be thinking about it at all. If your school is in the latter situation, I would suggest that you begin a process of talking to people about making a significant change.

There have been amazing leaps in graphic design in the past few years, and with programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and advanced hardware like laser printers, it is possible to create some very appealing, exciting, and original concepts.

I would also suggest that there has been a creative explosion of (non-offensive) team names in recent years. Right in my own back yard, I have “The Fighting Ferrets” of North Central Michigan College. Not too far away are the Lansing “Lug Nuts” (minor league baseball). There is a minor league basketball team in Fort Wayne, Indiana, called “The Mad Antz”. The nickname of The University of California at Santa Cruz is “The Banana Slugs”, and I once lived in Bar Harbor, Maine, home of the College of the Atlantic “Black Flies”. Honest. These names kind of make “The Eagles” or “The Jets” or “The Tigers” seem a little out-dated.

For some preliminary ideas on what the latest trends in logos are, I would urge you to do a Google search for “Logo Trends 2008”. This will yield a number of sites with examples of what’s hot in the design world.

So, how could a new nickname and logo impact your school spirit? Well, first of all, you could hold a contest opening up the naming process to suggestions from the school body or even the entire community at large. This could be for both the name and the logo. Such a contest would generate much local attention and really get the people at your school excited for something new.

Once you have settled on a new nickname and logo, you can launch an entire line of school merchandise. From clothing and caps to items like school folders, pencils, water bottles, and backpacks, you can slap that new look on everything. You could even develop a whole new look for your school’s website.

It is hard to disagree that America has become a very market-savvy society. We love our favorite brands, and we spend lots of money to identify ourselves with these brands. Schools are no different. I believe that a hot new logo, nickname, and school color scheme will result in a student body that is more engaged and excited about its overall identity. Once you have everyone revved up like this, your job of fundraising could be a lot easier.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone through a school nickname change. Please share your thoughts and insights into this controversial topic.

I will continue this series “Jump Start Your School Spirit” later this week.