A few weeks ago, I attended one of our school’s quarterly House Games. I watched as students from our 7th through 12th grade upper school competed on teams against one another in a series of contests from flag football to nerf wars. Everywhere I looked, I saw students laughing, huddled in groups strategizing, and generally having a wonderful time with each other. I have witnessed dozens of these events throughout my years teaching at my school. Yet, this time, I found myself considering the deeper goal our school had in creating our House System and what sort of mentorship I was witnessing beyond just students having fun with each other.
The House System at our school is modeled after a typical British school experience, particularly for older boarding schools, where students are grouped together into a “House.” At my school, these houses are comprised of a mix of students from each grade in our upper school, meaning that 7th graders just beginning their time in our upper school are joined with juniors and seniors who have come near the end of their time amongst our student body. Throughout the year, each House competes in various competitions to earn points, and at the end of the year the winning House is given the coveted House Cup. This set-up provides students with many fun games and events throughout the year which they all enjoy. Yet, there is a much more valuable mentorship embedded in this structure.
I believe the key to the value in our House System lies in the structure of pairing various aged students together. One immediate positive that is perhaps the most easily observed is that the newer members to our upper school have some easily accessible older students to turn to with basic questions and concerns. Yet, I find that the greatest benefits are much deeper than getting some questions answered or even the fun that the students can all have together playing games. Middle school is a very challenging time for most students since they are working through the tough transition of child to adult. It is often very hard for students in 7th and 8th grade to navigate this time. They need someone to look to as their model for who they want to become. Due to our House System, our middle schoolers are able to form close bonds with the students who have come out on the other side and can use them as their models. It is true that parents and teachers can also serve as these models, yet there is something special about a 7th grader being able to talk to a junior about the troubles they are going through because the junior has gone through those experiences much more recently.
Many of our upperclassmen take their mentorship responsibilities very seriously and often expand beyond the formal events the school puts in place to help bolster their relationships with younger classmen even more. Just one example is that before our school dances, several upper school girls have set up a “get ready” party for the 7th and 8th graders in one of the classrooms. They help them put a special touch on their hair and makeup while providing the all important guidance on how to navigate the social environment of a dance. I served as a faculty supervisor of this pre-party once, and reflecting back now, I see that this event was not just a great relief on the anxieties of the girls attending their first day. I imagine that many of the upper school girls were drawn to reflect on their own, recent memories of their first dance and were able to see how much they had grown and matured. Thus it is not just the younger students who benefit from this mentorship. The older students can see their own path and even perhaps see ways that they have not come as far as they might wish.
As I stood watching another round of capture the flag and smelled the aroma of hot dogs roasting on the grill that day, I was caught up in the joyful energy of the students. I know that the students will fondly remember the fun of these days. Yet, I believe that the laughter will be far from the best part of these memories for them.
The Classical Classroom 