A la Harry Potter, Upper Township Middle School divides to help students connect
PETERSBURG — President Abraham Lincoln famously said in his Gettysburg Address, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” referring to the dispute over slavery in the mid-1800s, when it was permitted by some states but prohibited by others.
At Upper Township Middle School, the administration believes a house divided makes each leg stronger and able to better support the whole.
That’s why they instituted the new House Program in January in which the students and staff at the school for sixth- to eighth-graders were divided into seven groups similar to at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling.
According to Principal Jeff Leek, who presented the program to the Upper Township Board of Education on Feb. 27, the House Program is an idea adopted from Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta to give students the opportunity to connect across classes and grades.
“This helps students gain more friendships and create a family-like culture at our school,” Leek said.
The house system also creates unity, a change in culture, a feeling of the school being smaller and more personal, a sense of pride, leadership opportunities, a reduction in discipline issues and an increase in positive behaviors, he said.
Reached after the meeting, Leek said staff members began working on the program right before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 but had to put it off until restrictions were lifted.
“With our kids, they were all in isolation and we needed something to bring the kids together and form connections,” Leek said, noting the program is perhaps more important now than before the health crisis.
He said the program fosters teamwork, boosts collaboration and creates a sense of school spirit, but noted it is a competition.
“Seven houses, one family. The stronger the houses, the stronger the community at UTMS as one family,” Leek said. “But at the end of the day, they are working as individual houses to earn points based on positive behavior.”
Seven houses,
one big family
Both the staff and the students got in on the fun.
Leek said when staff members arrived for their in-service day in September, they gathered in the gym to watch a video on the program and each was given a cup with white powder and a can of 7-Up. After a countdown, they all combined the two and the resulting color corresponded to the house they would oversee.
He said it is not just teachers but administrators, secretaries and other support personnel are all able to award points to their own house or others. He said there are seven to 10 staff members in each house.
The staff created seven different houses, each with a unique name, history and character traits based on the Seven Natural Wonders of the World — Kyaptsi, Taumakadar, Yakasimba, Antsermu, Vitalismo, Seigur and Tenaz.
Leek said each name connects in some way to the geographic region where the natural wonder is located using the local language.
“We picked various traits we would like to see kids portray in school,” Leek said. “Each encapsulates different characteristics.”
For instance, Tenaz is known as the House of Tenacity. Its core character traits are tenacious, protective, responsible, sincere and persistent.
Members trace their roots to the city of Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil. Rio borders the dark blue waters of the Harbor de Rio de Janeiro, which is the largest bay in the world. Members of the house are noted for their ability to say the course of action and determination to accomplish their goals.
Tenaz means tenacious in Portuguese.
The staff introduced students to the program during an assembly in December and then held a live sorting ceremony in January.
The students all gathered in the gym where there was music and lights flashing in the seven house colors as well as the school color green.
Each student received an LED bracelet that flashed all of the colors in sequence and after a countdown, they turned solid to reveal the house in which they were placed.
“It was a huge effort and we had a nice team of teachers, guidance counselors, secretaries all doing the work together,” Leek said. “We integrated these histories with traits we want to see students reflect in the school.”
The school’s motto is SOAR — Safety, On task, Attitude and Respect.
The staff created a behavior matrix and will award “Focus” coins when they witness students modeling good behavior on the bus, in the cafeteria, hallways, homeroom, restroom and schoolwide.
The coins will be collected by each house and be used for awarding a monthly house reward. Students will be able to select prizes from the reward store based on their individual coin totals. There also will be House Challenges during which larger numbers of coins can be collected.
The school is maintaining a running leaderboard and the top-ranked house at the end of the year wins a trip to Morey’s Piers in Wildwood.
Leek said the reward store would include such things as being able to chew gum, skip a quiz or homework, sit in a special spot, etc.
“We are really trying to come up with privilege-type rewards rather than tangible things,” Leek said.
He said monthly competitions would include things such as field day, the color run and various events held throughout the year.
“The students are definitely on board,” Leek said, noting he sees them checking on coin totals. “It’s proving to be a great motivator and we have already seen an increase in behavior we want to see and a decrease in behavior we were seeing.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff