District pilots K—2 'house' program across schools; principals report early engagement gains

District administrators and building principals gave the board a districtwide update on Feb. 24 about a newly introduced K—2 "house" system intended to build smaller communities inside larger school buildings and create leadership and service opportunities.

The house program is being rolled out as a pilot this school year, with implementation tailored by building. Gloria Loch, the district's superintendent for teaching and learning, said the system is designed to improve student belonging and staff collaboration and that principals have been running house selection events and short house meetings since December.

Why it matters: District leaders described the program as a culture-building effort that will change noninstructional patterns (spirit days, house meetings, service projects) but will not reduce classroom instruction time.

What principals reported

- Early Learning Center (ELC): an ELC team is operating as "Team Eagle," wearing house shirts and conducting house-driven activities and a food drive; ELC leaders said they limited the scope to a single house this year to match developmental readiness.

- Primary school: house sorting was done by grade; staff and students have worked on crests, a food pantry service project and monthly house activities designed to teach giving and belonging.

- Intermediate school: students were sorted with a physical wheel; the PTO funded shirts and a scoreboard/leaderboard display; the building reports a running leaderboard and small house squads of ~12 students for regular meetings.

- Middle school: the middle school launched eight houses (Aspen, Mulberry, Poplar, Willow, Tupelo, Spruce, Cypress and Cedar). The presenters said there are about 90 students per house, 6'9 adult staff members per house, and a points system that has recorded more than 19,100 points districtwide to date. Service projects include a cereal drive (1,116 boxes collected) and a school-wide book drive.

- High school: the student-led high school rollout emphasized attendance and grade improvements as ways to earn house points, and administrators said the program aims to reduce chronic absenteeism by giving students a campus-level affiliation as soon as they step onto campus.

Districtwide structure and oversight

Loch said the pilot year allows each building to adopt the house concept at its own pace and design; the district plans cross-building coordination, monthly principals' meetings on house implementation and a set of shared goals (belonging, student leadership, community service).

Direct quotes

"Our statement of purpose is to create a culture of accountability that achieves the best academic and developmental outcomes for each student and that aligns perfectly with House," Gloria Loch said.

"We had our first spirit day where kids are wearing their colors of their houses. In the hallways, kids are giving each other fist bumps talking about the house that they're in," Loch added when asked about early morale changes.

Program limits and next steps

District leaders said the pilot year will not remove classroom instructional time; houses will meet during designated noninstructional periods or via an adjusted daily schedule when a house meeting occurs. The district also plans further design charrettes and collaboration with Huntington Bank and the Ron Clark Academy for program ideas and training resources.

Ending

Administrators told the board they expect full K—2 implementation by fall, with ongoing adjustments based on building-level evaluations, teacher input and student feedback.