Greensburg Salem 6th graders foster collaboration, school spirit under new 'house' system

A group of 13 Greensburg Salem sixth grade students stood at the front of a middle school classroom this week, waiting for the district’s school board members — seated in wooden chairs — to blindly select a set of colored beads from a box.

The color of the beads corresponded to one of four sixth grade class houses — black for Altruismo, red for Amistad, green for Isibindi, and blue for Reveur.

Dressed in clothes matching the color of the house they were sorted into on sixth grade orientation day, the students demonstrated their house cheers and hand symbols for the school board.

Greensburg Salem adopted its house system from the Ron Clark Academy, a private, nonprofit middle school in southeast Atlanta. Each house rallies around a central trait — giving for Altruismo, friendship for Amistad, courage for Isibindi and dreaming for Reveur.

Teachers launched the house system, similar to that seen in the “Harry Potter” films, in the fall — awarding students points for participating in school spirit days, doing well on assignments and showing respect to classmates.

Bimonthly challenges — such as Minute to Win It games and The Price is Right — throw another layer of competition into the mix.

The house with the most points by the end of the academic year will be rewarded, but students are recognized monthly for attendance, GPA and good deeds.

“Once we got sorted into our houses,” one student told the school board, “we made new friends that we didn’t know coming into the new year.”

Middle school Principal David Redinger has also noticed an impact.

“The expectations are extremely high and, as a result, we have seen a drastic improvement in our sixth grade students’ culture,” Redinger said. “And I hope it transfers into test scores and everything else, but it’s been really, really remarkable.”

A parent commented she has seen her child develop a greater sense of urgency to complete her academic responsibilities.

“Do you feel if you don’t do it, you’re letting your teammates down?” asked Superintendent Ken Bissell.

The students replied in a chorus of ‘yes’es.

Middle school teachers Lisa Mankins and Hannah Mihalko visited the Ron Clark Academy in July to learn the ropes, Bissell said.

“Your leadership to make the changes and just the entire sixth grade team and what you are all doing, working together on that, it’s just phenomenal,” Bissell told the teachers Wednesday night.

Two more teachers visited the academy in January. The district hopes to continue the house system as the sixth grade class advances into seventh and eighth grades, Bissell said.