House System

The house system is a way of creating four smaller student-led communities within the larger Summit Academy community. The idea traces its lineage back to Great Britain in the days of dormitory “houses,” but it has been taken up and successfully implemented in many classical Christian schools as a means of enriching student life and strengthening the community. At the Summit, the house system was started in the 2022-2023 academic year, at the request of students and in conversation with the faculty, for the sake of maintaining and enhancing positive aspects of the culture of the school. 

In a nod to both the name of our school and our aspiration to seek the highest level in all we do, the four houses are named after four holy mountains from the Scriptures: 

• House Carmel

• House Sinai

• House Tabor 

• House Zion

Each house is led by selected upperclassmen and advised by a faculty member. Students are initiated into their house during the fall semester of their freshman year.

What is the purpose of the House System?
The goal of the house system is to assist the mission of The Summit Academy “to form students in Christian virtue” by supporting and encouraging friendship, leadership, and service.

Friendship: The house system exists to help build healthy friendships between students and to promote a school culture in which every student is included in and supported by the school community—in which students are encouraged to look out for and serve one another. The house system also provides a means of organizing fun competitions and activities that promote camaraderie and morale.

Leadership: The house system exists to help bridge the gap between upper and lower classmen and to facilitate healthy peer-to-peer mentorship. The house system also creates a setting that supports student initiatives, like feast-day celebrations, that enrich the life of the school. 

Service: The house system exists to encourage and support student service to the community as well as in the life of the school. School service days, in which students volunteer in the community, are often organized through the house system. Students also work together with members of their house to plan and help with school events, including feast day celebrations and on-campus Masses.