Shippensburg elementary principals describe new six-house system to boost student connection and PBIS goals

Nicole Avery, elementary principal, and Andrea Piles, elementary principal, told the Shippensburg Area School District Committee of the Whole on the evening of the committee meeting that both James Byrd and Nancy Grayson elementary schools have launched a six-house system to increase student belonging and cross-grade mentoring.

The principals said the house system assigns every student and staff member to one of six houses — Integrity (black and purple), Positivity (yellow), Compassion (red), Accountability (orange), Gratitude (blue) and Perseverance (green) — and that houses include students across grade levels so younger pupils connect with older peers. The system is tied to the district’s PBIS framework: students earning positive behavior marks attend VIP lunches and house days, and older students serve as buddies and in student leadership roles.

District leaders framed the change as a response to youth-survey data about student connectedness. “We wanted common house colors. We wanted common house names,” Avery said, describing summer planning meetings with staff. Piles described monthly buddy activities pairing kindergarten with second grade and first with third grade, and said a special-education teacher helped design more inclusive celebrations this year.

Teachers at both schools described concrete practices. At James Byrd, VIP lunches feature themed tables and guests such as the high school band; selected students receive VIP cards and certificates. Buddy classrooms meet for celebration days and informal check-ins in hallways. At Nancy Grayson, staff described regular PBIS-linked monthly activities, a student leadership team largely composed of third graders who help plan events and present awards, and house lunches and recess on house days.

Staff said the house assignments rotate by classroom from year to year so students experience multiple houses as they advance, though district staff discussed exploring a model where students could remain in a single house for several years. Administrators credited collaboration across the two buildings and visits to neighboring districts for shaping the program.

Discussion on the committee record framed the house system as aligned with district goals to support student well-being and engagement. Board members praised the relationship-building and said the program restored opportunities for cross-grade interaction that had been limited in recent years.

The presentation was informational; no formal board vote or action on the house system was recorded at the committee meeting.