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Houses

I field a lot of questions on this topic, and most of them include the words "Harry Potter" in some regard. Those lovely books were in fact part of the inspiration for our House system. A group of students requested to implement a similar program here at STEM, based on Myers Briggs, which all of our students take upon entering in 9th grade. (You can take a quick version of that assessment here).

We use that tool to help the students with the transition from their previous schools to an entirely new peer group in the hopes that it will show students their similarities, and give a new frame of reference for their differences. We refer back to this in our development of PBL groups, in conflict resolution, in teaching the STEM tenets (Critical Thinking, Innovation, Collaboration) and frequently in the day to day. In terms of Houses, we refer to the 4 Myers Briggs temperaments for "sorting" students into 4 Houses, each of which are named after individuals in STEM fields who have contributed in unique ways to their respective fields.

Guardians are in House Staupers, named for Mabel Keaton Staupers, an R.N. who was instrumental successfully lobbying for African American nurses to be fully included in the US Army's ranks during WWII. Guardians are valued for their traits of dependability, respectability, and for being rule followers.

Rationalists are in House Tesla, named for Nikolas Tesla, a Serbian-American immigrant who discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, developed the three phase system of electric power transmission, and invented the Tesla coil, widely used in radio technology. Rationalists are valued for their traits of logic, strategy, and outside the box innovation.

Idealists are in House Einstein, named for Albert Einstein, a widely known German born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity. Idealists are valued for their traits of empathy, diplomacy, and sensitivity.

Artisans are in House Mirzakhani, named for Maryam Mirzakhani, who was the first woman and the first Iranian to win the Fields Medal, considered the Nobel Prize for Mathematics. Artisans are known for their traits of playfulness, optimism, and adaptability.

Once students have been placed in a House, we celebrate both the similarities and differences by creating mixed groups for PBL's, keeping student advisory times in grade level Houses, and having school-wide competitions that include a mix of athletic and physical events, puzzles and logic skill challenges, and creative competitions. During the competitions we see all of the traits emerge when the students are grouped together, even if students don't initially feel like they relate to the traits of their House. Staupers tend to take extra time making sure they know the rules and that everyone understands them. Teslas tend to operate in an orderly fashion, barking orders and moving methodically. Einsteins are often found encouraging one another and checking in with/cheering each other on. Mirzakhanis aren't always on task, but they are always being creative, having fun, and enjoying themselves.

We have discovered that all of these aspects of Houses have increased student and staff bonding, camaraderie, and enhanced relational skill building. They learn to interact with teachers and with each other around temperament traits. You will hear them say things like "we need an extrovert on our team to help with presenting" or "we have too many P's, we need a J" (J's typically have more organizational skills than P's). Regardless how the Houses are assigned, it can even be at random, they have been a powerful unifying force. I have also heard of similar circumstances occurring at other schools who have implemented House systems at all grade levels and with different sorting mechanisms. For us, using a personality trait assessment tool helps students learn their strengths and challenges, and creates common bonds while simultaneously celebrating differences.

We also have a House Committee comprised of a Head Boy and a Head Girl from each House, and a staff member from each House. The student leaders act in a similar fashion to class presidents. They organize competitions, team building events, and support underclassmen. They designed House crests (after voting on colors and design elements) and created shirts with crests on them for School Spirit wear. As a member of that committee I have seen these students gain valuable leadership skills, and more importantly, experience in leading others and collaborating as a leadership team.

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