We've got spirit, yes we do! We've got spirit, how 'bout you?
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Allison resides in Miami, Florida. She taught at the middle school and high school levels for seven years. As the Social Media and Activities Director, she works with students to create events that motivate them in the school setting.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
So you’ve picked your house names, placed your students, and decided when houses will meet. Now how do you keep the momentum going for the rest of the school year? Here's a guide on building spirit through house pride, camaraderie, motivation, and culture.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
So you’ve picked your house names, placed your students, and decided when houses will meet. Now how do you keep the momentum going for the rest of the school year? Here's a guide on building spirit through house pride, camaraderie, motivation, and culture.
Take a moment to think of your favorite sports team. Does their mascot pop into your head? How about the team's colors or the chants that you hear throughout the game? When you wear those colors and you cheer those chants, you feel pride and belonging to a community. You can instill the same pride in your students for their houses.
In the beginning stages of creating the houses, come up with the basics for the house like the name, character traits, and maybe the colors. With staff guidance, students in the houses can then create house crests, mascots, signs/symbols, and chants together. Having students create these aspects of the houses can give them a sense of ownership and make them a part of the house’s history.
Another way to build house pride is with house “swag”. Having shirts, sweaters, accessories, etc. for students and staff to show off their pride is a sure way to bring out the spirit. These items can change over the years and even be designed by students. One option is to use this as a fundraising opportunity for the houses. Raising money can help the houses sponsor future events and fun outings.
Having House systems in place can give students a sense of community. Social Emotional Learning has become an integral part of educational development, and houses can assist in this area by helping students build relationships. At one of the first meetings with the new students, staff can pair up new students who are in the same grade level as study buddies. Having a study buddy is not only great for studying and homework help, it is also a golden opportunity to provide the student with an instant connection to someone else in the house.
For those familiar with Greek Life, “Big & Little” is another concept that can be used within Houses that are sorted across grade-levels. New students (littles) can get partnered up with older students (bigs), and the big is seen as a mentor to the little. Bigs can help their littles get familiar with the school, encourage them to participate in events and get good grades, be a supportive friend, and teach them the house traditions. Like a study buddy, Big and Little is another instant connection within the house to make new students feel included and encourage them to behave positively.
Staff members can be a cheat code for fueling the fire of spirit for students, so try to assign them to houses as well. You can have the administration divide the staff fairly to balance personalities and enthusiasm in all houses. P.S. There can even be some house competitions for them too. ;)
What better way to boost spirit than to reap the fruit of your labor? Celebrating the students' hard work and good behavior motivates them. Houses can plan monthly or quarterly outings such as family nights at a restaurant, a movie day on the lawn, or a field trip to Top Golf. If you’re looking for reward ideas for your Houses, check out our Rewards that Rock database and filter it by group size!
You can choose to have all the students in the winning house be part of the reward or just the students who earn a certain amount of points for their house. As they reminisce on past events, it would encourage them to keep up their grades and behave appropriately.
As educators, we have seen first-hand how social media is the end all be all for our students. Houses can create TikTok or Instagram accounts to post fun, educational, or even helpful content for their students. One way a house can utilize its accounts to build motivation is by posting a “House Student of the Week”. This could highlight a student that was noticed doing a good deed on campus or accomplishing something they have been working hard on. And we know how much they love to be on the feed!
Ultimately the purpose of having houses within your school is to build the school’s culture.
The houses should
There are numerous more ways that you can build spirit. However you choose to do it at your school, be sure to share it with us and tag us on Social Media for a chance to be featured on our LiveSchool account! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and if your just getting started and need some more inspiration you should check out out database of House Name Ideas.
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
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