Why school spirit does not feel the same
I never really saw what high school was like before the pandemic. Older students talk about how it used to feel different, louder, closer, and more connected. They described packed stands, big homecoming rallies, and school colors spotted in every direction. I don’t really see that now. What I see feels quiet. School spirit still exists, but it’s so much smaller than it was before the pandemic.
Even if you didn’t live through pre-pandemic school life, you can feel the difference. Students talk about how much energy is used to fill the halls. Now it feels like people just show up to get through the day. The pandemic left something missing in schools, something that hasn’t come back.
When schools shut down, everything that built school spirit stopped. Clubs, sports, and in-person events vanished. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a U.S.-based private philanthropy focused on improving the well-being of children, families, and communities, remote learning and canceled activities cut off ways students connect and feel pride in their school. You can’t build school pride through screens.
Even teachers noticed the change. A 2021 EdWeek Research Center report found that 88 percent of teachers said students are less motivated now than before the pandemic. When motivation drops, participation in school events does too. That means smaller crowds, fewer people dressing up for Spirit Week, and less excitement at sports games.
My old teammates who have graduated said spirit events used to be a big deal. They’d plan for weeks, come early, stay late, and make memories. Now Spirit Week feels like just another week.
The Harvard Political Review wrote that real school spirit depends on belonging and connection. If students don’t feel that connection, it makes sense that school spirit feels weaker.
A story from the Ludlow Club, a phrase about what that event is, described the same issue, saying low turnout has become common, and students seem less interested in showing school pride. It’s not just one school either; it’s happening everywhere.
It’s easy to blame phones or social media, but the truth is that the pandemic changed how people relate to school. Students learned how to work on their own. Being online taught independence but also isolation. When schools reopened, that feeling didn’t disappear. Students came back, but not with the same energy.
If schools want to bring spirit back, they have to rebuild community first. The Varsity Brands study showed that students with strong school spirit feel more satisfied and confident about their futures.
Right now, it feels like everyone’s still adjusting. Maybe school spirit can return, but it won’t look exactly like before. For those of us who never saw the “old” spirit, maybe the goal isn’t to go back; it’s to create something new that still makes you proud to belong.
Eagle Era 
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