Much like the Harry Potter series when the sorting hat divides students into learning communities, 600 Hawthorn Academy students in South Jordan are being sorted into houses to help make friends and support one another.

“The main purpose for having houses is to get kids included with each other and to make sure they belong,” Floyd Stensrud said, Hawthorn Academy superintendent. “Having a house gives them something they can attach themselves to, a place where they belong, and it bonds them to each other.”

Within each house, students will have partners.

“We may have a sixth grader who will take on a kindergartner and mentor that student and be their buddy. If you’re in sixth grade, you may pair with a ninth-grade student. When older students mentor younger students, it eliminates that feeling of ‘I don’t belong anywhere’ because you’ve got that constant bond of friendship and support,” he said about the school’s new program.

At the beginning of this school year, students, faculty and staff were spinning the giant wheel to sort themselves into four houses: Altruismo (giver in Portuguese), Amistad (friendship in Spanish), Isibindi (courage in Zulu) and Reveur (dreamer in French). 

“It’s a celebration of our uniqueness, and of our unity. We all are different, yet we all belong,” Stensrud said.

As the students were getting their house T-shirts, third-grade teacher and house coordinator Autumn Brown sensed their excitement.

“I asked them, ‘what are you excited most about?’” she said. “They said they just wanted to be part of a house and it didn’t matter which one. They’re excited to meet everyone in their houses and to start new traditions.”

Some of those traditions may tie into their house names.

“We want to keep it with their domain. Isibindi is from Africa, Amistad is from Mexico, Altruismo is Brazil and Reveur is France, so we may want to implement activities from those countries, like dancing that would bring in those cultures and they can learn that as well,” Brown said.

During the sorting ceremony, students all cheered for one another, not just for those who were sorted into their house.

“Everybody cheers for each other no matter the house so if someone in a house wins points for helping another student out or doing something good for the community, they’re cheered. Maybe knowing a chemical combination in class that no one else knows, everybody is cheering on the brilliant answer that was shared so now everyone knows it. So, it’s kind of a celebration for any house; it’s always uplifting because we’re here to support each other,” Stensrud said.

The house system is part of the school’s positive behavioral interventions and support system which encourages students to follow school rules and behave appropriately. When they do, their house may be awarded points, Stensrud said. 

Citizenship and character traits also play in the system as do the “55 essentials.”

“Those are just the way that we should act as a person like taking turns speaking, sharing and just holding doors for others and having those positive interactions. It’s more life and social skills and manners, knowing how to interact with people, how to shake their hands and look them in the eye and address each other respectfully,” Brown said.

School counselor and house coordinator Shaunae Behunin said the plan is for the sorting spinner to double as a way to reward points. When a student spins the giant wheel as part of a reward, it could land on “get an extra house point” or “spin again for a chance to win additional points.”

“It’s going to be a fun and positive way for them to be rewarded,” she said. “The idea is to create a positive learning environment.”

Behunin said that the program is more than a take-off on Harry Potter.

“There’s been research that says the house system provides a sense of belonging and improves community. So those little kiddos who may be struggling to make friends will now have a house where they belong. On the house level, we’re going to work to use their talents. They may be shy, but maybe they’re good at drawing. When we need a poster drawn, we can ask that student and showcase their talents with it. It boosts their self-esteem through belonging to this community. Parents can get involved, come decked out in their kids’ house colors when there’s an activity, further building a sense of community. On Fridays, the students will get to wear their house shirts and eat lunch with their friends in their houses,” she said.

Each month there will be house activities, further engaging students and building community, Behunin said.

“When we have assemblies, each house will have a cheer, but we all will cheer for each other, too. We may have four houses, but we’re still one school,” she said. “I anticipate there are going to be some awesome connections and friendships and community coming together that we didn’t have in the way that we’re going to have now. We’ve always had a good school climate here, but now, we’re going to blow the roof off with it.”  λ