At Covenant, everyone belongs to someone. Our four houses organize our school community around the ideals that define our school: wisdom and virtue. House systems are a by-product of traditional British boarding schools, where students of varying ages lived together in a physical house, overseen by invested faculty members who would actively disciple and lead their students in school-wide activities and competitions.
British houses were named after the faculty member but ours are named after American founding fathers, Patriots deemed worthy of imitation. In keeping with the customs of classical education, and with the purpose of maintaining a rich culture of community, all students and faculty are placed into one of four houses: Washington, Madison, Hamilton, and Henry.
These houses (or teams) provide students with abundant leadership options and encourage excellence through friendly competition. Each of our houses has chosen a virtue and a motto that they will actively seek to define them. These virtues, wisdom, courage, perseverance, and love are worthy pursuits for all as we seek to be lifelong learners in community with one another.
“Four houses united to love, learn, and serve Him.”
Our houses also provide mentorship opportunities and infrastructure across grade levels. Students actively work together in maintaining the house gardens in our courtyard, a reminder that we are cultivators of truth, goodness, and beauty.
The Houses and Our School Culture
New families are sorted by an anonymous committee and inducted into their houses the first week of school. Parents and siblings alike feel welcome during school-wide events by being part of a larger group. They get to know people outside their grade level and are able to build strong relationships over time since families remain in the same house during their tenure at Covenant.
Each day one house of upper school students serves for 10 minutes during Grammar School lunch. This opportunity to serve younger students and connect with them builds confidence in both upper and lower school students that will last a lifetime. This strengthens relationships across grade levels building an inter-generational school culture; a school that feels like a family.
Students participate in healthy competitions (athletics, fundraising, service to the community, and games). Our annual Patriot Day is a school-wide celebration of House Spirit that provides an opportunity for students of all grades to fellowship together and forge strong relationships. In May, we celebrate our house accomplishments with a House Spirit Day when the House Cup is passed off to the house with the most points for the school year.
Student leadership is cultivated through daily service and mentoring but is most evident in our weekly school-wide chapel. Announcements, awards and discussions take place in House Huddles so that younger students are given an opportunity to learn from older students. This fosters an expectation that older students will be role models for younger students as they teach them to apply what they are learning in their everyday life. House Huddles provide a new relational dimension in student-teacher relationships as adults “lead from behind” giving older students the opportunity to take on more and more responsibility.
Our House Song
(to the tune of Let All Things Now Living)
May we grow to love You with all of our being,
With each breath we draw our praises we bring.
May we grow to love one another completely.
May we love as You love, Oh Lord fearlessly.
To love what You love, Lord,
Hold every thought captive,
Our lives the reflection of Your Holy Word.
Four houses united to learn, love and serve Him.
One school following after our Master and King.
Washington House
Motto:
"Perstate in veritate"
(We stand in truth)
Color: Maroon
Animal: Owl
Virtue: Wisdom
Madison House
Motto:
"Nihil sine Deo"
(Nothing without God)
Color: Teal
Animal: Bear
Virtue: Perseverance
