14
May 2019
by Ellen Frantz ’19 (De La Salle House)
To be honest, I was annoyed to hear that everything I knew about the school I’ve attended for three years was going to change just in time for my senior year. Having only heard rumors with little information from other students about the House System, I did not have the full story and was not happy with what I was hearing. But, being a lifelong Harry Potter fan, if this was the closest I was going to ever get to being in the Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts, I thought I’d take it.
Once the initial assembly announcing the various leadership opportunities for students ended, I knew I had to get involved. I applied for house captain and house activity coordinator. I’ll admit, it was very hard not seeing my name go up on the lists of those getting interviewed for those main positions, but when Mr. Boia stopped me in the hallway to hand me a letter inviting me to be a mentor leader for De La Salle house, I was thrilled.
We were told that we were the most important position in the entire system because we were the ones who worked closest with the student body. That made me feel honored. We went through hours of training at the end of last year, over the summer, and even into this year until we were finally ready to take on our first task: freshmen day.
Freshmen day, for me, was easy because I only had a handful of kids to work with who were excited to come to high school and did not know anything else besides the House System. It was not until later when the upperclassmen, who had already been accustomed to Trinity life, arrived that it was hard being a mentor leader. But I kept my spirits up and tried my best to encourage them that this system is great and that they should participate in the house activities.
Over the course of the year, the school was brought together by various competitions between Houses. There were Minute-To-Win-It competitions and Shark Tank product pitches. My favorite competition was the annual field day event. This year each mentor group was a team. It was the first time I felt like my mentor group was bonding and wanting to work together.
Looking back on my first and last year being involved in the House System, I can see where a lot of things need to be worked on. But what else can you expect from a system that has only been in place for less than 365 days? I believe that over the years the House System will only run smoother and smoother as all the kinks get worked out.
My message to all upcoming students and underclassmen is to stay positive and get involved. If you’re unhappy about something, apply to be one of the people who changes it. I have seen so many kids become great leaders through this system, some of them being people you would never expect. I do believe that the main goal of bringing Trinity closer together has been achieved and that bond can only get stronger from here.