Story by Jennifer Harger, PCS Faculty

The Upper School students and faculty recently enjoyed a lovely retreat at Mo Ranch, outside of Kerrville on the Guadalupe River, where they engaged in milk-crate jousting, Simon Says, and a riverside game challenge—among other more “serious” pursuits—all designed to foster participation in our recently developed House System.

The Upper School is divided into four Houses—Dragon, Phoenix, Leviathan, and Gryphon—with each House headed by faculty House Masters and two senior House Captains.  House members work, serve, learn, and play together, encouraging and mentoring one another as needed.  Additionally, House members can earn (or cost!) points for their Houses through exemplary behaviors such as acts of service, academic challenge competitions, and House-wide refraining from disciplinary infractions and rule violations for an entire week.

The retreat at Mo Ranch helped students develop relationships with other students in their Houses, and to learn how to practically put the House system into effect.  Carpool rides and bunking arrangements were determined by House groupings. 

Games and spirited competition, including a basketball game and a “pick-up debate” with Annapolis Christian Academy (another classical school also on the retreat), offered many opportunities for students to cheer their Houses—and their school—to victory.

In addition to the physical games and sports challenges, students were given “House time” on the retreat to discuss the virtues and characteristics they desire their respective Houses to exemplify.  Students learned the spiritual significance of their House names and symbols, and were given the responsibility of determining mottoes, war cries and competition cheers, and a House crest which would help to illustrate, strengthen, and put into practice their House values and characteristics, on and off the field of competition.

Students also had opportunities to develop their hearts and minds through the words of several speakers.  They heard a teacher from Annapolis give a talk on “The Mind of Christ,” followed by Mr. Wathen’s remarks on the same topic, then broke into small groups with their House leaders to discuss practical applications of those talks in the life of our school.  Mr. Jon Weichbrodt, the PCS Board President, spoke about the importance of developing the wisdom of serpents and the gentleness of doves—and how that looks in our lives as students, in our environment at Providence.  His talk was illustrated with a competitive game of Simon Says, which presented a surprisingly difficult challenge for the students (and which humorously but relevantly demonstrated his main points).

The retreat ended with a “House Challenge” on the last afternoon, in which each House offered a challenge of physical competition to the other Houses.  The entire school participated in capture the flag, volleyball, and dodgeball, before heading back on the trek homeward.  The consensus was that the retreat center was lovely, the games enjoyable, the competition fierce but friendly, and the House Time valuable—and we hope to return for more of the same next year.

Final scores for each House at the end of the retreat were as follows:

Gryphon House, 150 points for victories in House Challenges, jousts, Simon Says, and representing our school in the debate with Annapolis;

Dragon House, 115 points for victories in House Challenges, jousts, Simon Says, and representing our school in the debate with Annapolis.

Phoenix House, 75 points for victories in House Challenges, jousts, Simon Says;

Leviathan House, 70 points for victories in House Challenges and jousts.