2010 Catholic Schools Week Supplement

A house united: New approach to student leadership creates deeper faith, tighter bonds

Catherine Aubrey, left, and Hadley Anderson, juniors at Our Lady of Providence Jr./Sr. High School in Clarksville, carry boxes of toys on Dec. 11, 2009, that were donated to the Marine Foundation Toys for Tots to the school’s lobby. The toy drive at Providence was organized by the school’s House of Justice and House of Faith. Students from all four grade levels in the senior high school are arranged in eight houses in a new student leadership model launched last fall at Providence. (Submitted photo)

By Sean Gallagher

CLARKSVILLE—A main goal of any high school is to prepare its students to become mature, well-rounded adults who can be strong leaders in their communities.

Catholic high schools also seek to form their students to be faith-filled leaders.

At the start of this academic year, Our Lady of Providence Jr./Sr. High School in Clarksville launched a major overhaul of its student leadership structure to better achieve that goal.

Instead of having a student council and class officers like most high schools do, Providence now has what is called the “house system.” There are eight houses that include groups from all four of its classes in the senior high school.

The junior high school at Providence has one house.

Each house is named for one of the values that are hallmarks of Providence. They also have a color and a patron saint.

There are 10 elected leaders in each house and 80 in the senior high school as a whole, which contrasts with 20 under the previous model.

This large group of leaders has been charged, with the rest of the members of their house, to organize at least four school-wide activities each year.

“[The house system] is developing our students into stronger and better leaders,” said Providence senior Matt Duncan. “I have a feeling that it’s going, in the long run, to develop our leadership skills and really help us one day, when we’re out in the workforce, to be able to take charge and to make decisions.”

Matt is a member of the House of Integrity, whose color is metallic silver and has St. Jerome as its patron saint.

The house system also creates a stronger bond among students. Upper class students interact more with freshmen and sophomores and so become real role models for them.

“It’s really been nice,” said Providence senior Travis Cunningham. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of underclassmen that I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise. I’m finding a new way to bond with people.”

Travis is a member of the House of Truth, whose color is green and has St. Gertrude for its patron saint.

The house system’s requirement of having each class organize a spiritual activity also reinforces Providence’s Catholic identity, according to Providence senior Kameron Johnson.

“Even at a Catholic school, it’s not really cool to show your faith a lot of times,” said Kameron. “And I think just seeing upperclassmen being very genuine with their faith in an environment could really affect freshmen or sophomores. It might make them more willing to keep the cycle going when they’re upperclassmen and show their faith to people.”

Kameron is a member of the House of Faith, which has teal for its color and St. Gregory the Great as its patron saint.

The house system also presents new ways for students and teachers to get to know each other.

Each teacher at Providence is assigned to a house. One serves as the house director, although the students in the house still end up making house decisions.

“At least in my house, the teachers are on subcommittees, but aren’t leading [them],” said Providence senior Jacob Kraft. “They’re in there throwing out ideas and giving us their knowledge of what Providence may have used to be like. They’ve been able to interact with us on our own level, I guess, instead of just as a teacher.”

Jacob is a member of the House of Justice, whose color is red and whose patron saint is St. Ambrose.

A main reason for implementing the house system was to renew the spirit that filled Providence in previous years, according to Leslie Mills, the director of leadership and service at Providence.

Many of Providence’s teachers and administrators are graduates of the New Albany Deanery school. Mills is a member of the Class of 1993.

“Something had been lost since I had left,” Mills said. “I think things got stale. I think that we had the same student leaders every year. It was such a small crop to pick from because a lot of people didn’t feel like they could jump into those leadership positions.”

Mills now sees a renewed spirit in the school because of the house system.

“I feel a lot of energy in the building right now,” she said.

Providence senior Lauren Jerdonek agreed.

“Although we’re all great friends and everyone in the classes is unified, we lacked something as classes and in the school itself,” Lauren said. “Now we’re making changes to kind of bring the school together.”

Lauren is a member of the House of Spirit, whose color is blue and whose patron saint is St. Theodora Guérin.

Providence principal Mindy Ernstberger, a member of the school’s Class of 1974, agreed that the school atmosphere had changed in recent years, and that the house system has started to bring new life to the school.

“New faculty and staff leadership is emerging,” Ernstberger said. “It has

re-energized some faculty and staff, but has also been a calling for others to become a more vital part of the school community. Relationships with students are strengthening, and a new sense of commitment to and ownership of Christian leadership is being felt by [the] faculty and staff, too.”

The house system even includes Providence graduates. Each graduating class, dating back to 1955, has been assigned to one of the eight houses in the school. Providence president Joan Hurley believes the house system will foster strong, ongoing relationships with graduates.

“Our hope is that these alumni will catch up with the students now in the houses, perhaps attend one or two of their meetings and support the projects each house conducts,” Hurley said. “I believe that by tying the alumni to our existing student body, and allowing interaction through our Web site and other means, the house system grows and brings alumni closer to the school and its present student body.”

Even after just a few months, senior Jacob Kraft can see how the house system is making a difference to the school.

“I think the house system can catapult Providence to be so much better,” Jacob said. “It’s already good. But I think the house system has so much to offer. It will create a bigger sense of community.”

(To learn more about the house system at Our Lady of Providence Jr./Sr. High School in Clarksville, log on to www.providencehigh.net/node/506.) †