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Wouldn't Be a Home Without My House (System)

Eleven years ago, a group of high-schoolers brought Hawken’s now celebrated House system before the Student Senate with the goal of making student life more fun. The House system that was founded in 2008, however, looks very different from the one residing at Hawken right now. The system coordinator, Ms. Becker, explained that there was once a time when it “was a struggle to get [house] leaders, and events were disorganized…” According to Mr. Newman, “when the House System was first created, it was all encompassing. [It was about both] fun and service.” Mr. Newman explained that community service was a major part of the houses’ roles until “a task force review[ed] the House System… and decided to pull service out [of the mission].” This lifted a burden off of the House System because its mission became more about advancing Hawken’s school-orchestrated social scene rather than service. Mr. Newman added that “[the detraction of the] heavy burden on the house system to do service was positive.” With the House System more focused on fun and spirit, Hawken’s service program was free to develop independence. The narrow but important goal of the system is now much more sustainable.

Ms. Becker elaborated that the key to maintaining a House System is hosting activities such as “Fun Fridays, [which] help keep the House System at the forefront, because they happen more regularly, and those reach our widest audience because we can do a variety of different activities.” Because the administration knew that activities like Fun Fridays with effective outreach were the ultimate goal, they formed a mission statement for the House System. The mission statement reads, “To organize the student body into four multi-grade-level groups that promote school spirit, build community through engagement, and develop student leadership opportunities.”

For students, one of the most exciting elements the House System emphasizes is school spirit. School spirit is present during activities such as the Giant Relay, Hawken Hoopla, the kickball tournament, and the freshman retreat boat races. These events promote school spirit by creating healthy competition. Students wear house gear and join fellow house members in fun, competitive events with the unified goal of winning points for their house. Ms. Becker noted that one of the reasons students become so enthused about the events is because “the house leaders spread enthusiasm… to the student body.” She went on to describe the tremendous increase in school spirit that the House System incited since its founding. Today, the House system is well liked for its fun-spirited, lighthearted energy that can momentarily detract from the stress of school work. Chester house leader, Amrita Mukunda ’20, said that from a student’s perspective, the school spirit that comes with the House System “[brings] some fun to school.”

At the freshman retreat—taking place before the school year officially even kicks off—students are sorted into their houses Harry-Potter-style, giving them a feeling of purpose and, in Amrita’s words, “automatic community.” At Hawken, students feel a special connection with their House members. The freshman retreat sorting in particular is often new students’ first opportunity to meet their future classmates, so the House community is an important part of ensuring they feel comfortable transitioning to Hawken as a high school student. Throughout the entire school year, in fact, students recognize houses as an opportunity to experience a special kind of community. Amrita noted, “when people come to high school, a lot of these kids have to try out to be on a certain team… so by creating a group where everybody is automatically put in means they have the opportunity to engage with people they might not outside of the House system..” Amrita recalled her own freshman retreat experience, describing the comfort the House System provided for her: “Once I was put in a house… or every time another advisory was put in [my] house, I felt attached to them already. Then, we sat in our Houses for the first time… and throughout the year I made friends with a lot of [my fellow House members].”

Overall, the House System has become a central part of Hawken’s identity as a school. According to Ms. Becker, Houses are “uniquely Hawken” and can function as the glue that keeps the community so tight-knit, and spirit-oriented. When asked why the House system is so fun for students, Amrita elaborated by stating, “The Hawken community and spirit [in the House System] has been one of my favorite reasons for going to Hawken, and the community is pretty great.” Clearly, the House System holds a special place in Hawken students’ hearts. From the freshman retreat, to Hoopla, to Fun Fridays, or even to the spirit, and community, it provides, it is evident that, as Ms. Becker stated, “if the House system did not exist, students would feel it missing.”

Looking back, the House System has truly grown immensely over time, and its focus allows it to be a cherished part of the Hawken community.

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