Without doubt, the highlight of the year in the Senior School is House Arts in Term 4. It also highlights the benefits of our House System as it brings together a year’s worth of preparation for our Year 11 leaders, and a week of rehearsals for each member of the House, in readiness for a performance evening in the last week of School. To date, we have enjoyed 17 House Arts events.

Despite the excitement, thrill and sheer joy of House Arts, one of my favourite House events is the House Cross Country competition.

Students from both Barbreck and the Senior School enjoyed House Cross Country Competitions this week, and despite the warm weather, the sea of House colours with clearly visible comradery stemming from the House Captains, Year 12 and Year 6 cohorts, spoke to the rich history and culture of the Houses at School.

When you mention ‘Houses’ in the context of a school, it is hard not to be instantly transported to Hogwarts and all the connotations of the hat sorting with Harry Potter being assigned to Gryffindor. Originating from English boarding school, where students lived in a ‘house’, the inclusion of a House System is also popular among many Australian schools, and, thanks to J.K Rowling and those four most famous of Houses, there is more awareness than ever of the advantages a House System brings.

Whilst we do not quite partake in a ‘hat sorting’ event at St Catherine’s, we do entertain a ceremonial handing over of a range of House-related clothing at our Captains’ Assembly each year. This ceremony is not dissimilar to an older sister sharing a much-loved item of clothing with her younger sibling. Various assortments of tutus, capes and hats are passed down year to year, often scripted inside with a motivational message for the incoming Captains. Having watched this ceremony at Assembly since Year 7, donning the hat, cape or tutu for the first time, is often a pivotal moment in time for the Captains in their leadership journeys.

The role of House Captain provides a fabulous opportunity for leadership, requiring a need to motivate peers to participate in competitions, to influence with passion and enthusiasm, and provide opportunities to celebrate students’ talents and successes in various pursuits.

One of the main strengths of the House System is providing students of all ages the opportunity to work together, creating a truly cohesive environment and ensuring that age is not a barrier to friendship and collaboration. By dividing the School into four smaller groups (Davis, Holmes-Kilbride, Langley-Templeton and Beaulieu-Blair) we allow students to develop their sense of belonging quickly, and help to remove the fear of ‘small fish big pond’ that can often follow, particularly if a girl has joined from a smaller primary school environment.

Watching the Year 7 to Year 12 students plan, rehearse and perform House Arts is one of the highlights of the year, and given the lateness in the year, this event often misses our acknowledgement through more formal channels such as the Blue Ribbon. The dedication shown by all involved and the support given by fellow House members at each performance is wonderful; this was visible again with Inter-House Cross Country in both Barbreck and the Senior School.

Of course, it is not only students who are allocated a House, staff are also involved. The sense of community that pervades throughout the School would, arguably, be incomplete if students were not given the opportunity to interact with teachers beyond those they see in the classroom, thereby encouraging ‘stronger relationships between adults and students’. Everyone knows Mr Brown, Ms Andrews and Ms Okumura have blue blood from years in Holmes-Kilbride House, and the same for Mrs Weereratne, who has a wardrobe of red skirts, shirts and scarfs after years supporting Davis!

This week was a reminder of the importance of celebrating these relationships formed in School. Where better than to see this culture than through our Houses at such events like Cross Country, House Arts and House Aerobics in Barbreck; small communities within the larger whole, formed on shared interests and challenges. The program also takes steps to emphasise the “friendly” part of “friendly competition,” because students need to be taught “how to compete successfully but exhibit sport(wo)man-like behaviour.”