Story by Nikki Rajala
Eighth grader Brooke Kahlhamer grinned as she talked about belonging to the “House of Joy,” one of the eight houses that Cathedral Middle School in St. Cloud has organized.
I really like being in the House of Joy. People are kind to each other — we work really well together,” Kahlhamer said. “Our house is a good place to build up each other’s confidence.”
The house system, which helps students create close connections in a large school body, has been used in Europe for decades, well before it was featured in the Harry Potter series.
Erin Hatlestad, Cathedral Middle School principal, said, “I heard an amazing speaker, Brian Sinchak, at the Catholic School Center of Excellence conference in the fall of 2022. He implemented the house system with great success at his middle school in Cleveland, Ohio. I was so impressed that I suggested it to our staff and invited Brian to train our entire middle school faculty in June.”
Over the summer, the staff brainstormed qualities that made Cathedral Middle School unique, qualities to promote in their student body. They narrowed it to eight key principles, which became the names of their houses: Compassion, Creativity, Determination, Friendship, Gratitude, Harmony, Integrity and Joy.
They chose one patron saint to represent each house and considered the ideals of that saint. Then they selected a color and a mascot animal for the houses, deciding, for example, what color is most strongly connected to determination and which animal exemplifies compassion.
“We know relationships are the number one thing that impacts students’ behaviors and academic success. Building relationships with staff and students is what our house system is all about,” Hatlestad said.
Along with Hatlestad, Kris Maehren, who teaches English and culinary arts, and Becca Hartel, who teaches math, became behind-the-scenes overseers for all houses. Maehren and Hartel plan monthly convocations where all houses gather to celebrate and play team-building games, along with activities throughout the month.
To lead each house, faculty and staff members were named as guardians. These mentors will follow the students throughout their academic careers at Cathedral.
Maehren said, “In fact, everybody at Cathedral — even our high school teachers — is invited to pop in if they have an open period or at convocations. That way, students can receive the support of teachers outside of classroom.
“Each house has about 25 students, with a mix of sixth through eighth graders. They’ll stay in their house throughout middle school, giving them an opportunity to connect with others they might not otherwise know,” she said.
To introduce houses to students, each grade level met within the first two weeks of the school year to learn more. To find out which house they would join, students individually came to the front of the group, spun a “wheel of houses” and were welcomed into a house by guardians and fellow classmates.
Zac Schaefer, in seventh grade, appreciates being in the House of Friendship.
“I’ve made new friends,” he said. “It was a bit scary at first but a good opportunity to meet people. Last year when I was a new student, it was easy to stick to my friend group and not talk to others. Our house is a really friendly environment — everybody’s kind and our teachers are helpful.”
Maehren said, “We dedicate Thursday afternoons for house meetings, activities such as community building or participating in challenges amongst or between houses. Students might do service projects or plan a Mass.”
Once a month, all houses gather at a convocation in which students might compete as teams in athletics, academics or trivia. For Sock-tober, houses collected pairs of socks for a local charity and competed a sock toss. The winning house delivered more than a thousand pairs to Pathways for Youth in St. Cloud. The Sock-tober toss was Kahlhamer’s favorite activity.
In November, students used their house colors to decorate Christmas trees, which were on display in the windows above the middle school main entrance. Decorating them was a highlight for Schaefer.
At the “Rockin’ Around the Guardian” convocation, houses received boxes of similar items to decorate their house guardian during a relay race. Points were awarded to houses with the best teamwork, the best Christmas song and following the rules for the race.
Houses also earn points for wearing their house color and showing team spirit at the monthly gathering.
Maehren explained that students also earn points — Crusader Crypto — for their houses.
“Besides being fun, service-oriented and strong in academics, we want our houses to represent wholistic ideals, so we give points for little things that need attention. For example, a student who sees a stray lunch tray in the cafeteria might simply report it, but if they deal with it and someone mentions it to us, we’ll award Crusader Crypto for their thoughtfulness.”
At the end of the school year, a trophy cup will be given to the house with the most points.
Maehren said, “Our kids are excited about their houses. Next year, returning students can welcome newcomers. Those who go on to Cathedral High School can visit their houses and mentor younger students for years to come.”
The houses are already making a difference.
“In our first year, we are already seeing changes in our culture,” Hatlestad said. “Being able to focus on positive behaviors that embody our houses has helped to create a common language and a sense of belonging. It helps students to work with faculty and staff outside of the classroom in a fun and accepting environment.
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Photography by Dianne Towalski.