House System Unveiled
At the start of the school year, an all-school email revealed Shore's new "house" system, which brings together students of all ages, faculty members, staff, and families in a program similar to those other top schools around the world are using to build community, increase loyalty and trust among students, and encourage friendships.
In the email, Assistant Head of School and Head of the Upper School Ben Kennedy and Head of the Lower School Sara Knox wrote:
Of the months of work that led to the creation of the house system, history teacher Noah Clarke said,
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In the email, Assistant Head of School and Head of the Upper School Ben Kennedy and Head of the Lower School Sara Knox wrote:
"After more than a year of thoughtful discussions and visitations to schools across North America, we have created a House System that will transform the way that students, faculty, and staff connect across campus. In addition to having an identity as a member of a particular grade or as a member of the Lower or Upper Schools, students will now have an identity as a member of a "house." Houses, then, become a primary vehicle for connections between students across all grade levels at Shore. The House System will also offer students important leadership opportunities as they progress through the grades in their house."
Of the months of work that led to the creation of the house system, history teacher Noah Clarke said,
"In the spring of 2014, a committee of four faculty members, two from both the Upper and Lower Schools, formed to research ways to bring the school together as one.
"The committee defined three goals for a new program. First, it needed to create the time and place for young students to interact with older students. A number of recent studies describe the benefits of such mentoring moments. The younger students feel connected to the wider school community and feel more competent in their work. The older students are forced to step outside themselves and demonstrate a greater ability to empathize and resolve conflicts. Furthering the aim of a single school, the committee wanted the program to allow Lower School faculty to work with Upper School faculty. Second, the committee wanted any program to be student led. Providing students with autonomy to direct the program seemed to fit with the way Shore instructs its students in class. Finally, any new program needed to emphasize the importance of service to the community, whether on Shore’s campus or in the greater North Shore area.
"As for naming the houses, two eighth grade history classes and one ninth grade class were charged with doing some serious primary source research for two days in February 2015. Spread throughout the halls and steps of the Winslow Building, students pored over the documents from the school archives searching for names connected to Shore’s rise as an institution dedicated to the growth, goodness, and knowledge of young people."
"As for naming the houses, two eighth grade history classes and one ninth grade class were charged with doing some serious primary source research for two days in February 2015. Spread throughout the halls and steps of the Winslow Building, students pored over the documents from the school archives searching for names connected to Shore’s rise as an institution dedicated to the growth, goodness, and knowledge of young people."
In their email, Kennedy and Knox revealed the thinking behind the names that were finally chosen for the six houses.
"Capitalizing on both our school's name and geographic location, each house is named for physical features associated with the shore. The house names include Shoal House, Dune House, Harbor House, Cove House, Marsh House, and Jetty House. Each house is represented by a color, and each student will receive a house t-shirt in the appropriate color to wear for house events throughout the year."
Kennedy and Knox described the ways that house system events will work: "In addition to building community across the various segments of the school, the House System also connects us as one school through weekly Friday morning meetings at 8:10. Students, faculty, and staff will sit together in their Houses. The agenda for this meeting will change each week, although the goal will remain the same – to provide a forum for community-building and collaboration."
History's Clarke hinted at ideas and events that may shape the house system in the future:
"Perhaps the most exciting part is that nobody is exactly sure where it will go or what it will look like in ten years. There are all sorts of possibilities. Students might want to write a house hotto or poem, establish house traditions (maybe an end-of-term scream to let off steam and see which house is the loudest), or design a house flag to hang in the Kiva and carry forth for field day competitions. Who knows? Part of the open-ended, student driven approach of the house system means it will certainly go places no one has imagined yet."
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Every Shore student belongs to a house.
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Teachers direct traffic during inaugural house meetings.
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Upper School history classes delved into Shore's archives for naming ideas.
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Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
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