The Calvin House System
What is the House System?
The House System is designed to organize and enrich student life while allowing older students to assume leadership amongst their peers. Though traditionally a feature of British boarding schools, where a student’s “house” was also his dormitory, House Systems are gaining increased attention among universities and public and private schools as a way to broadly indicate a basic grouping of pupils.
At Calvin Christian, Houses are led by House Leaders, appointed on the basis of their character and leadership. Houses are also supervised by House Advisors selected from the Calvin faculty. Over the course of the year, all students in the House will formally and informally contribute to their House’s flourishing and success. In addition to their place within the cultural life of the school where they provide occasion for mentoring and encouragement, Houses also compete throughout the year in a variety of activities reflecting the holistic life of the school. Houses will engage in contests centered on school spirit, academics, sports, and more. Points for their conduct and successes will be awarded throughout the year, with the highest achieving House ultimately winning the annual House Cup.
What is the purpose of a House System?
The House System at Calvin is designed to help build smaller communities within the larger school community, provide a meaningful place for each student where they may grow in faith, friendship, and charity, and to help the student body thrive as they strive to live life to the fullest, now and in years to come. Through the Houses, friendships are strengthened, faith is lived, and school is more fun!
At Calvin, education works to invest in its students a culture of virtue, wisdom, purpose, and courage.
All parts of our institution bear a responsibility to advance the culture, disciplining students in their mind, spirit, and body to excellence for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. The chemistry class, the basketball team, the Faith Expression singing group, and the Speech and Debate club all exist because they can uniquely offer students valuable opportunities, growing into more virtuous, wise, purposeful, and courageous individuals – a means of more wholly becoming true and faithful disciples.
The House System follows in the same vein. The community and relationships of Calvin have long been a hallmark of the institution. As Calvin grows, the community that lives out this culture grows larger. While that growth brings great encouragement and opportunity, it also presents unique challenges. We never want students to feel anonymous, be unaccountable, or remain unchallenged by their peers. The House System’s primary goal is to preserve and enrich a community with students reaching across the divide of grades, classes, and interests in order to establish meaningful relationships that manifest encouragement, accountability, leadership, challenge, and joy. By organizing Calvin Christian High School into Houses, a way is made for the students themselves to take ownership of and leadership in pursuing these aims.
The House System is not intended to instigate division or strife within Calvin. Rather, Houses seek to counteract natural divisions by making a place for all students, regardless of their grade, interests, inclination, or circle of friends, to know and edify one another. Instead of dividing the school by age or class, the House System provides a more integrated structure for inclusivity. All of this is to help the Calvin students to live in accordance with Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus
