Matching Spirit Wear That Makes Everyone Feel Like They Belong
Spirit wear that includes every student: welcome shirts for transfers, a spare-shirt closet, sizes from Youth XS to adult 2XL, and no minimum order.
There's a particular kind of confidence in walking into a pep rally wearing the same colors as everyone around you. You're not watching the crowd; you're part of it. Spirit wear does that for a school better than almost anything else, because it is the one uniform a kindergartner, a senior, a grandparent and the principal all wear. Part of Spirit Wear for Schools and Teams.
That is also why it can leave people out. A school that orders spirit shirts once, in September, has quietly decided that the students who arrive in October, the families who could not pay that week, and the kid whose size ran out are watching from the edge. This page is about closing those gaps. For the money side, the spirit wear fundraiser guide has the math and the order form; for every school apparel guide in one place, see the school spirit wear guide.
Who gets left out, and how a shirt helps
New students and mid-year transfers
A transfer student who arrives the week after spirit week has missed the order, the shirt and the photo. Handing them a shirt on their first day, in the school's colors, says they belong before they've spoken to anyone. It is a small gesture that does a lot of work for a kid sitting alone at lunch.
Younger siblings and the youngest grades
Siblings at games want to match the older kids in the stands. Youth sizes start at XS on the Youth Tee, so a preschool brother can wear the same design as a senior sister.
Families on tight budgets
A spirit day where every kid is expected to wear a shirt the family had to buy is a spirit day some kids dread. Two quiet fixes: a spare-shirt closet (below) and a rule that school colors always count, shirt or no shirt.
Students with different bodies and preferences
Some students won't wear a boxy tee; some want a hoodie every day of the year; some need a 2XL and don't want to ask. Offering the same design on several garments, at one price for every size, takes the awkwardness out.
Staff
Teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria staff and the front office are part of "us" too. When they match on game day, students notice. See teacher appreciation shirts for staff gifts.
Keep spirit wear available all year
Bulk vendors usually want two or three dozen pieces before they print, which is why most schools order once. Here there is no minimum, so the design you made in August can be reordered one shirt at a time in March.
- Save the design. Once it's made with Remi, ordering a single shirt for a new student takes a few minutes.
- Open a storefront. A free group storefront lists your designs at set prices, every family orders and pays for their own, shipped to their home, and the school group earns 10% of storefront sales. Families who join mid-year buy on their own schedule (school fundraiser shirts). Bulk prices do not apply to storefront orders.
- Keep a small stock. For the student who arrives on a Monday before a Friday pep rally, an order placed that day will not arrive in time. That is what the spare-shirt closet is for.
The spare-shirt closet
A box in the counseling office or the front office with spirit shirts in the common sizes, handed out quietly on color days and to new students, no questions asked. Many PTAs fund one as a standing line item.
A starting stock might be a dozen Adult Tees in S through XL and a dozen Youth Tees in Youth S through XL, restocked each semester. At 12 or more pieces the Adult Tee is $10.90 each; the Youth Tee drops to $14.91 at 24 or more. Choose a design without a year on it, so last semester's spares are still current.
Welcome kits for new students
A welcome kit turns the first day into an arrival. A common kit:
- a spirit tee in their size
- a canvas tote ($13.33) with the mascot, for carrying everything else in the kit
- a note from a student ambassador or the class officers
Hand it out at enrollment or in homeroom on day one. Ask the size on the enrollment form, or keep the closet stocked so the kit can be built the same day.
Pep rallies, game days and color days
- Grade colors. Give each grade its own shirt color with one shared design, so a pep rally sorts itself into sections. Choose from the Youth Tee colors for younger grades: Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green, Maroon, Purple and Kelly Green.
- Gold, orange or light blue school colors? The Youth Tee does not come in Gold, Orange or Carolina Blue. A gold-and-black school can put kids in Black with gold ink, and offer Gold shirts on the Adult Tee, hoodie and crewneck.
- A "whole school" shirt. One design for students, staff and families, worn on the same day once a month.
- Spirit week. Theme days and color-team planning are in spirit week shirts and spirit week theme ideas; homecoming week is in homecoming shirts.
Inclusive sizing and garment choices
Offer the same design on more than one garment, and let people choose the one they'll actually wear. Every size of a garment costs the same, so a 2XL is the same price as a small.
| Garment | One piece | Sizes | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Tee | $19.99 | Youth XS-XL | 24+ $14.91, 50+ $11.21 |
| Adult Tee | $14.38 | S-2XL | 12+ $10.90, 50+ $9.03 |
| Women's Tee | $19.99 | S-2XL | semi-fitted, cap sleeves |
| Youth Hoodie | $37.99 | Youth S-XL | 12+ $30.33 |
| Adult Hoodie | $37.99 | S-2XL | 12+ $25.64 |
| Adult Crewneck | $34.99 | S-2XL | 12+ $25.13 |
| Adult Polo | $25.63 | S-2XL | for staff and front office |
The range tops out at adult 2XL, so say so on the order form rather than letting a family discover it at checkout. Youth and adult sizes are not one continuous scale; a tall fifth grader may fit an Adult S better than a Youth XL (youth XL vs adult small). For a group order, a sizes link lets each family enter who the shirt is for and the size, up to 300 answers, with no account and nothing paid on the link (collect shirt sizes).
Design ideas that invite people in
The design decides whether a shirt feels like it belongs to everyone or to one team.
- Mascot and name. The plainest and the most worn: the mascot large, the school name in a strong arched line.
- A motto everyone can claim. "Every Wildcat Welcome." "One School, One Pack." "We Are Pine Ridge." Words about the school, not about winning.
- Founding year, not class year. "Pine Ridge Elementary, Est. 1962" works for every grade and every year, and keeps spare shirts current.
- The school year, for a keepsake. "2027-2028" on a sleeve makes it a year's memento without changing the main design. A sleeve is an extra printed surface.
- Welcome in the languages your families speak. "Welcome, Bienvenidos" under the mascot says something a mascot alone cannot.
- Student art. Run a design contest and upload the winning drawing; Remi can clean it up for print (artwork file prep).
Use an original mascot drawing, not a pro or college team's logo. Senior-specific slogans are in senior shirt ideas, and finished designs to start from are in school spirit wear ideas.
Every price includes one printed surface. A back or sleeve print adds $8.99 to $10.99 depending on the product.
Paying for it fairly
Three common approaches, often combined: the PTA or booster club buys shirts for every student once a year; families buy their own from a storefront; and the storefront's 10% share funds the spare-shirt closet. For which model leaves more money for the hours your volunteers have, read the spirit wear fundraiser guide rather than guessing. A school office can download a quote PDF from the cart, good for 30 days, pay by invoice with a PO, and send a tax-exempt certificate (quotes and purchase orders).
Timeline: count back from the pep rally
Printing takes up to 10 business days after checkout, then typically 4 to 8 business days in transit with free shipping, or 2 to 5 with faster shipping where checkout offers it. There is no rush printing; the cart shows expected arrival dates before you pay.
- Five weeks out or more: comfortable. Design, send the sizes link, check out.
- Four weeks out: fits on free shipping with little slack.
- Three weeks out: tight.
- Any week: a single shirt for a new student follows the same timing, which is why the closet matters.
See ordering deadlines and timing for more.
How to order with Remi
Open the designer and describe the shirt: "a friendly cartoon wildcat, 'Every Wildcat Welcome' above it, 'Pine Ridge Elementary, Est. 1962' below, white ink on a Royal tee." Or upload your school logo as a PNG or SVG. Refine it by chat, see it on the youth tee, the Women's Tee and the hoodie in your school colors, then pay at checkout. Designing is free and needs no card.
Questions about spirit wear and belonging
Can we order one shirt for a new student?
Yes. There is no minimum, and one shirt costs the single-piece price of that garment.
What if our school colors include gold or orange?
The Youth Tee does not come in Gold, Orange or Carolina Blue. Use gold or orange ink on a Black, Navy or White youth tee, and offer the colored shirt on adult garments.
Do larger sizes cost more?
No. Every size of a garment costs the same, from the smallest to 2XL.
How do we keep spirit wear on sale after the fall order?
Open a free storefront. Families buy whenever they join, each order ships to their home, and the group earns 10% of storefront sales.
Can staff wear a polo with the same design?
Yes. The Adult Polo prints the design on the left chest. Discount codes do not apply to polos.
What if a shirt arrives misprinted?
Send a photo within 30 days of delivery for a reprint or refund. A size ordered wrong is not returnable.
For more on how schools use this, see the schools page.