How to Improve School Culture

By Jeremiah Davis, Paraprofessional, Rocketship Dream Community Prep

A positive school culture is essential for fostering a sense of belonging and helping young students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. For all students, creating a culture that is fun and nurturing can make a huge difference in their daily experience. By integrating celebrations, recognitions, and interactive activities, you can foster a school environment where school staff and students feel valued and excited to learn. If you’re a school leader, ready to level up your school climate, then this is for you!

Here are 9 fun ways to improve and cultivate a positive school culture that celebrates achievements, encourages creativity, and fosters a sense of community for the entire school.

1. Celebrate Gratitude Week

Gratitude Week is a wonderful way to share the importance of kindness and appreciation. Practicing gratitude creates a positive, uplifting atmosphere where teachers can feel seen and valued by the people around them. Dedicate this celebration specifically for school staff.

Daily Gratitude Activities: Each day should be filled with many things that show your staff they are appreciated. These things can range from breakfast and lunch being provided on days, a snack wagon, or even some new school swag!

Gratitude Grams: Teachers can make thank you cards for their fellow staff members, expressing appreciation for specific acts of kindness.

Gratitude Week helps students build positive habits, learn the value of kindness, and strengthens relationships within the school community. Initiatives like these will boost the morale of your staff and cultivate positive relationships within a school.

2. Host a Monthly Student and Teacher Achievement Celebration

Recognizing achievements—big or small—is key to fostering a sense of accomplishment, pride and positive reinforcement for everyone at your school.

“Landing” is a fun and meaningful way Rocketship celebrates both student and teacher achievements each month. This monthly celebration also allows students and teachers to feel valued and motivates them to continue striving for excellence. With Class Dojo, these things are easy to keep track of because there is a point system. For example, whichever teacher has the most points with perfect attendance could have a perfect attendance party.

Student and Teacher of the Month: Each month, grade levels can nominate a student who played a positive, vital role in the classroom. Staff will nominate teacher along with a support staff who have demonstrated exceptional effort, kindness, or leadership. Recognize their achievements with a special certificate or “Landing Award.”

Celebration Ceremonies: Have a brief, fun celebration at a school assembly to recognize the honorees. This could be held in your gym or on a large open space within your school. Be sure to invite parents to these ceremonies, so students who are celebrated for positive behavior can feel seen and appreciated from many key adults in their life.

3. Host Spirit Week

Spirit Week is an exciting way to build school pride and encourage students to get involved. It’s an opportunity for everyone to dress up, show school spirit, and have fun. The way that the learning environment shifts during a spirit week will have the positive culture thriving.

Theme Days: Plan different theme days throughout the week, such as “Pajama Day,” “Crazy Hair Day,” “Superhero Day,” or “Favorite Character Day.”

School Parade: End Spirit Week with a school-wide parade where students can march around showing off their outfits and celebrating school pride. This can
Spirit Week promotes unity, encourages creativity, and creates a fun atmosphere where everyone feels connected.

4. Celebrate 50th and 100th Days of School

The 50th and 100th days of school are milestones that deserve celebration! These days give students a chance to reflect on what they’ve learned and look forward to the rest of the year.
50th Day of School: Dress up in 1950s-inspired clothes—think poodle skirts, leather jackets, and slicked-back hair! Students can also participate in 50-themed activities like counting to 50 or drawing 50 things that make them happy.

100th Day of School: For the 100th day, students can engage in fun activities like counting to 100, creating collections of 100 objects, or dressing up as 100-year-olds with gray hair, glasses, and walking canes.

Celebrating the 50th and 100th days of school makes students feel a sense of accomplishment and reinforces the idea that every day of learning in school is important.

5. Talent Showcase

A Talent Showcase is a great way for students to build confidence and show off their unique skills. It’s also an opportunity for teachers, staff, and parents to celebrate the talents of their students.

Talent Show: Host a talent show where students can perform a variety of acts like singing, dancing, magic tricks, or playing an instrument. Keep it light-hearted and fun, with a focus on supporting each other.

Teacher Participation: Teachers or school leaders can participate by showcasing their own talents, whether it’s reading a funny story, performing a magic trick, or singing a song. This helps students see their teachers as approachable and multi-talented.

The Talent Showcase encourages creativity, boosts self-esteem, and fosters a sense of community by celebrating everyone’s unique abilities.

RDCP campaign photoshoot

6. Multicultural Events

Multicultural events are a wonderful way to create a culture of belonging within the school community and teach students about different cultures and traditions. There are times where different communities want to feel represented. Give an opportunity for people to be learners of different backgrounds.

International Day: Students can dress up in traditional clothing from their culture or a culture they are learning about. They can also bring in a dish from home to share with the class or present information about their heritage.

Cultural Performances: Invite students and staff to perform songs, dances, or stories from various cultures. This could include drumming, dancing, or sharing folk tales from different countries.

Crafts and Activities: Have students participate in crafts or art projects inspired by different cultures. For example, they can make Chinese lanterns, Mexican piñatas, or African masks.

Multicultural events create an inclusive atmosphere, where students learn to appreciate differences and develop a broader understanding of the world. These school activities in particular grows student engagement and emphasizes the sense of community.

7. Themed Dances

Themed dances are a fun and energetic way to build school spirit and provide a social event for students to look forward to being at. These dances also offer a chance for students to express themselves creatively through costumes and music.

Seasonal Dances: Host dances for different seasons, like a “Spring Fling,” “Fall Harvest Dance,” or “Winter Wonderland Dance.” Each dance can feature decorations and music to match the season.

Costume Themes: Consider organizing a costume dance where students can come dressed as their favorite characters, animals, or in creative costumes they design themselves.

Dance Games: Include games like the “Freeze Dance” or dance-offs, where students can compete in a fun and friendly way.

Themed dances provide an exciting opportunity for students to socialize, express their creativity, and feel connected to the school community.

8. Sports Days

Sports Days are a great way to get students active, promote teamwork, and encourage friendly competition. These events can be fun for everyone, regardless of their athletic ability. Having community members be part of the refereeing can be a fun way to engage in partnership.

Field Day Activities: Organize fun outdoor activities like relay races, obstacle courses, sack races, and tug-of-war. Mix up teams with students from different grades to promote collaboration and build friendships.

Athletic Sports: Having different sports in your school such as cheer, basketball and soccer is a great for creating a positive school culture. This one really gets a lot of community engagement! Who wouldn’t want to see elementary kids having fun on the court or the field? It’s such a good time and when the kids win the season, it’s a beautiful picture of student achievement.

9. Field Trips

Field trips provide hands-on learning experiences and offer students the chance to explore new environments. These trips also break up the routine and make learning exciting.

Educational Trips: Plan trips to museums, farms, or science centers where students can learn about history, nature, or animals. For example, a trip to a local zoo or botanical garden can enhance science lessons.

Community Visits: Take students on field trips to places like libraries, fire stations, or local businesses to learn about their community and how it functions.

Nature Explorations: Organize nature walks, visits to parks, or nature centers where students can learn about the environment and observe wildlife up close.

Field trips help students connect with the real world, expand their knowledge, and create lasting memories that enhance their education.

By incorporating these nine fun and interactive activities into your school year, you can create an environment where students feel excited to come to school every day. Whether it’s celebrating academic achievements or student achievements through “Landing,” engaging in cultural events, or hosting themed dances, each activity strengthens the sense of community and helps build a school culture where every student feels valued and included.

With these activities, students will not only grow academically but will also develop social and emotional skills and strong relationships that will serve them well throughout their lives. In the end, a positive school culture fosters an environment where students can learn, grow, and thrive together contributing to the student success.

Published on March 3, 2025