Home is Where the House Is!

St. Michael students were divided into “Houses” on Wednesday, named after the early bishops of the Archdiocese of Mobile. The four Houses at St. Michael are Portier (the blue house), Quinlan (white house), O’Sullivan (green house) and Allen (gold house). Within one day, students and faculty from each house were developing their own cheers and planning customs that will distinguish their house from the others: 



"The House idea started at British prep schools," explains Faustin Weber, principal of St. Michael. "I had the opportunity to visit St. Edmund’s in England four years ago, a school which had divided into Houses for well over a century. I was impressed with the camaraderie they created across grade levels, the extra layer of pastoral care they afforded the students, the increased chance for leadership they provided, and the good fun that came from them. I talked with our sophomores this summer about starting them here and they liked the idea—partly because it was so different.” 

Each House will elect its own leaders, including a president, vice-president, secretary/treasurer and sacristan. Those sixteen students will then combine with Graham Canton, student body president, and Virginia Pryor, vice-president, to form the “Student Council,” which is the student government for the school. The Houses will compete against each other throughout the year in  variety of competitions, develop their own customs and traditions, and induct new students for future years. At the end of the year, the principal will award the Annual “House Cup” for the House which earns the most points in contests. 

All teachers and staff are also assigned to a House. “Part of the fun of it from the students viewpoint is seeing how competitive their teachers become,” Weber says, smiling. “They’re all about their House winning.” 

The Director of Houses for 2016-2017 is Mrs. Elizabeth Loegler. House elections will occur in the next week.