subject: Lanyards Can Promote School Security and School Spirit [print this page] Lanyards Can Promote School Security and School Spirit
Lanyards are an excellent method to promote school spirit at all levels, from elementary through high school. With increasing concern about school security, many schools already require staff, faculty and sometimes even students to wear lanyards and I.D. badges at all times. If they're properly designed, the basic lanyard can easily be customized to become something students are happy to wear to demonstrate their pride in their schools.
School mascots are a great place to start. Have them printed on school lanyards as a way to encourage students to wear them. There's a wide choice and range of materials available, so it's a breeze to properly print just about any school mascot or logo in the school colors right on the lanyards.
Compared to other forms of I.D. holders, lanyards reduce the risk of students losing their I.D. badges. It's easy to tell at a glance whether someone belongs in the school because the lanyards hold the badges at an easily visible level. And the uniformity they offer help promote unity and school spirit among students, faculty and staff.
While it's certainly good to promote school spirit, lanyards serve a much more important purpose by making it much harder for a would-be intruder to impersonate a school student, employee or visitor. The lanyards can be customized to be school-specific. That allows administrators and security personnel to quickly tell if someone is wearing a different style of lanyard and trying to blend in.
Different school groups can even have their own customized lanyards to represent their organizations. Bands, cheerleaders, glee clubs, sports teams or other organizations can customize their lanyards with their own logos or messages. The lanyards can play a positive role in increasing group cohesion and camaraderie.
Some students don't like lanyards, and some resistance is inevitable. For one thing, it's a natural focus for adolescent rebellion. But with the right design imprinted, most students are willing to be true to their school, as the Beach Boys would say, and be willing to wear their lanyards.
Admittedly, some students just won't ever like lanyards. High school students in particular, as noted by Facebook groups and other web sites, show a level of distaste for wearing lanyards. Some are apathetic, while others are more vocal in their opposition. But with proper attention to the design perhaps by involving students in the design it's possible to reduce the opposition to lanyards.
One way of increasing the acceptance of lanyards is through the use of bright colors. Lanyards can always be produced in school colors, but many other bright, vibrant colors also are possible. A bright custom lanyard color with bold lettering will stand out and make a fashion statement that might please those who wouldn't care for a standard school colors style.
Even if a small minority of students never like lanyards, the issue must be secondary to school safety. Lanyards alone can never be the sole solution to school safety, but they can make a positive contribution. That's the bottom line.
