Founded in 2011, the HOUSE System has been a cornerstone in the Brownell Talbot High School experience. HOUSE is a time for students to calm their mind, receive guidance from a trusted teacher—their house dean—and most importantly, spend time and create relationships with students in other grades and divisions. Students engage in many activities through HOUSE, whether it be off-campus bonding experiences on the first day of school, volleyball games with other HOUSES, or food-filled celebrations on holidays. 

After hearing the voices of the BT student body, it is clear that HOUSE is a tradition that students would like to see live on for generations to come: “My favorite part of HOUSE is the people. I love spending time with them and I appreciate everything they bring to the table. Everyone brings great snacks and always has something fun to add to the conversation (A member of Ingalls HOUSE).” As mentioned, HOUSE is a time where students can talk with their peers and eat snacks that are brought by fellow HOUSE members. When students are not enjoying a treat or talking, students participate in activities during HOUSE time, whether it be sports, pictionary, or a game on kahoot. About every month, HOUSES have events with other HOUSES. Last semester, students took part in a volleyball tournament which allowed students to let their athletic and competitive edge out. Students such as Ian Jenkins, ‘22, love activities like these, as they give students an escape from the academic aspect of the school day: “I enjoyed house volleyball because it brought a sense of fun competition and it allowed all of us to get active and socialize between the houses.” Students hope to see volleyball competitions continued as a part of HOUSE time.

At the end of the school year, Upper School students become most excited about HOUSE time, as it is when HOUSE Olympics is. At the beginning of the day, students participate in a HOUSE lip sync competition with everyone in their color of HOUSE. After singing and dancing, students go to the gym where they participate in a variety of competitions. The competitions featured in HOUSE Olympics includes everything from a chicken toss to a scavenger hunt. Traditionally, prom is the evening of HOUSE Olympics, meaning the school day is only a half day. Students enjoy the half day feature of HOUSE Olympics, as it gives students time to eat something delicious for lunch, recoup from an active morning, and get ready to dance the night away in the evening: “I enjoy having a half day of school because it allows me to re-energize before one of my favorite nights of the year. (Hailey Chen ‘23).” With all of these events packed into one day, it is safe to say that the student body has an amazing day. 

While HOUSE has been known as an advisory system specific to the Upper School, HOUSES were recently introduced to the Middle School at BT. Instead of placing students in gender specific HOUSES, students in grades 5-8 have been placed in a colored HOUSE with roughly 21 of their peers. The Middle School HOUSES have no impact on the HOUSE the students will be placed in during their time as an Upper Schooler at BT. As stated by Mr. Harrell, Dean of Students for the 5th-9th grade student body, the intention behind bringing the HOUSE System to Middle School was to unify the Middle School and Upper School students: “The HOUSE buddies program has been successful, as it allows the Upper School students to be mentors to Lower School students.” Just as Mr. Harrell announced, the new HOUSE System is an extension of the Upper School House System, giving Middle and Upper School students a time to connect. On one land, some Upper School students believe the HOUSE experience should be special to the Upper School experience, even if Middle School HOUSES have different structures than Upper School HOUSES: “I believe the HOUSE System should be sacred to the BT High School experience. I always looked forward to it before High School, and I believe Middle Schoolers will not be as excited for HOUSE in High School since they are already living part of the experience (A member of Dake HOUSE).” On the other hand, some High Schoolers believe this is a good stepping stone for Middle School students, as it will prepare them for the excitement of HOUSE in the future: “I believe this cross divisional bonding is good for both the Middle School and Upper School divisions. Since the Middle School HOUSE System is different from the Upper School system in regards to gender separation, how often HOUSES meet, and the activities Middle School HOUSES participate in, Middle Schoolers still have a lot that will await them as they take on High School (A member of Saratoga HOUSE).” Since the BT student body is so close knit due to its small size, providing the different divisions with bonding time is possible. Members of the BT community can now see which HOUSES Middle Schoolers were placed in by looking at the colored magnets displayed on their lockers.  

While there are many positive attributes to the HOUSE System, there are also fallacies the BT community sees with the advisory system. Some of these dislikes include the separation of genders, the lack of activities, and the amount of time students spend with their HOUSES—whether that is too much or too little time. 

With small improvements, this advisory system would not only support students better, but provide students with an even greater outlet to escape the intense world of academics. Whether students are creating new or stronger relationships with other people in the BT community or provided more time for physical activity or relaxing, HOUSE will be a time every student will look forward to.