Ten Houses, One Brotherhood

Every good school looks to improve, so last March, Peter Buttarazzi ‘24 and Charlie Smith ‘24 began a conversation about ways to further foster Brotherhood, questioning if our community is as strong as it was Pre-Covid, or even 20 years, 30 years, or 50 years ago?  

We know that we embrace tradition in each grade and there seems to be good "class" bonding (horizontal), but there is space to grow in building connections and Brotherhood between grade levels (vertical). Out of that conversation emerged the idea to organize a House System at Calvert Hall.  With Peter as the newly elected Student Body President, he and Charlie pitched a House System to the school leadership team.  

By: Marc Parisi & Charles Motsay ’76

What is the house system?

It’s a way to connect students with one another while promoting unity, mentoring and increased spirit throughout the year by awarding points for fun competitions, support of activities, and high academic achievement.

With approval from the administration, Peter and Charlie recruited Luke Doetschman ’24 and Mr. Motsay ’76 to serve as student and faculty “Heads of Houses.” Administrators attended a national conference over the summer to learn about other House Systems and their “best practices.” We researched our school history to identify ten notable, now deceased, teachers and Brothers/Religious for whom the Houses are named. Unique banners and shields were designed for each House as a symbol of the life of each named person and their loving and memorable contribution to the school. Two faculty members were then asked to serve as House Directors assisted by twenty seniors and ten juniors to act as Student House Leaders.

The House System has breathed new life into Calvert Hall during the first semester. There is excitement in nearly everything we do as the House System unfolds and grows. It has given us a chance to rethink how and why we do almost everything when it comes to school life and culture. We are seeing different connections being built between older and younger students, between staff members and faculty, and between some students that would have otherwise never really crossed paths.

The second semester promises to be equally exciting. We will build up to a survivor-style, school-wide competition in May where Houses will try to convince everyone else that they built the strongest Brotherhood and that they should be awarded the House Cup.

Plans are already being made to expand the House System in the years ahead. Who knows where it will go or how it will evolve, but led by 10 dynamic figures from our past, and over 50 current leaders, we are embracing our traditions, building stronger relationships in the present, and creating a school community that is Ten Houses, One Brotherhood!