Mobile Triggers

Middle School Unveils House System

Rudy Brandl

The focus of the 2022-2023 school year in the Middle School is Joy, Connection and Community. To support that goal, the Middle School launched a House System with the motto: "Three Houses, One Family.” The new House System was introduced on September 9, the second day of school, with a big reveal of the houses in the Berry Performing Arts Center.

Ms. Jennifer Rose, Middle School Head, began with a brief introduction of the new initiative and then announced the names of all students in grades 6-8 with the House to which they are assigned. There are three Middle School houses, each comprised of students in all three grades. Houses are balanced with a similar number of students from each grade level and similar number of boys and girls. During the year, points will be awarded to individual members and an entire house, depending on the activity.  

The W+H Houses are named in honor of our founding roots of The Wardlaw+Hartridge School: In the early 1880’s, Miss Julia Scribner was asked by her neighbors to teach their child.  Soon other families asked Miss Scribner to teach their daughters, and Miss Scribner joined with Miss Adeline Newton to start the Misses Scribner and Newton’s School for Young Ladies. In 1903, after several additional heads of school and names, it became The Hartridge School. The Hartridge School was one of the first secondary schools in the US to recognize music and art as credits toward graduating students.

Before there was Wardlaw, there was Mr. Leal’s School, founded in 1882. Students studied geography and history, English, mathematics, Latin, Greek, modern languages, science and “special studies” such as bookkeeping and civil government. In 1911, Mr. Charles Wardlaw joined the school and subsequently purchased the interest in the school, renaming it Wardlaw Country Day School.

Finally, the third founding root of the W+H tree is the Misses Hayward’s English and French School, founded in 1869, which became The Vail-Deane School in 1886.  

In 1976, The Hartridge School and Wardlaw Country Day School merged and in 1991, Vail-Deane School became part of Wardlaw-Hartridge. Taking the history of our wonderful school community, the Houses are named Scribner, Leal and Hayward.

After students were sorted into their Houses, each House spent the day getting to know each other, choosing House Captains and Co-Captains, working on House Characteristics, a House Motto, a House Cheer/Chant, and a House Crest. Students creatively collaborated all day and shared their House Characteristics and a House Cheer at the end of the day.

Below are the House leaders:

Scribner: Coco Lee ’27 (Captain), Diya Kothari ’28 (Co-Captain)

Leal: Alyssa Ji ’27 (Captain), Angel Lu ’28 (Co-Captain)

Hayward: Enzo Virto ’27 (Captain), Shiloh Sharma ’28 (Co-Captain)

MS HOUSE PHOTO GALLERY