House System

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The Covenant House System

House Coat of Arms

MISSION

Covenant created the house system to provide a structure that fosters a distinct school culture by establishing student accountability, ownership, and leadership opportunities in a way that is intentional and personal. Covenant’s House system creates smaller communities within our larger student body so that students can experience a greater sense of belonging and community. Within each House, older students are also matched with younger “buddies” who then mentor them and model Christian character, responsibility, service, and leadership.

Every student and staff member at Covenant is placed into one of six houses: Elliot, Henry, Lewis, Schaeffer, Taylor and Tolkien. The Houses are named after faithful Christian men from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries who lived lives of commitment to Christ, leaving legacies which we should remember and seek to emulate. Each house bears its own color and a slogan. Houses are shaped by the personalities of its members and led by the Seniors in their houses.

Throughout the year, students in the Covenant Houses become a close-knit community by attending house social events, competing against other houses, and earning points in various areas. Points can be earned in various areas, such as academics, services, and activities. The range in these areas reflect the diversity of our students as uniquely created by God in His image. Our students have different skills and talents which they use to glorify Him in a variety of ways.

House points are tallied at the end of each academic year and the house with the most points will be named champion. The winning house will be celebrated with various rewards.

House History

Schaeffer House

Namesake: Francis August Schaeffer
Color: Heather Blue/Gray
Motto: We Are Not Adrift

Born in 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Francis August Schaeffer is known as one of the most prolific American-born philosophers and theologians of the twentieth century. Following graduation from college in 1935, Schaeffer married Edith Seville, the daughter of two missionaries and enrolled in seminary. Following seminary, in 1948, the Schaeffer’s moved to Switzerland, establishing a community known as L’Abri, aimed at engaging young people t through thoughtful dialogue regarding the gospel of Christ. Through Schaeffer’s L’Abri ministry, many budding intellectuals would come to saving faith in Christ. Schaeffer remains widely respected for his writings regarding the state of Western culture and its drift away from Christianity into postmodern thought.

Taylor House

Namesake: James Hudson Taylor
Color: Orange
Motto: Fearless and Faithful

James Hudson Taylor, born in 1832 in Yorkshire, England, was unquestionably one of the greatest missionaries of the gospel to live in the last five hundred years. Born to Christian parents, he initially rejected their faith throughout his childhood years; however, at the age of seventeen, professed his faith in Christ after reading a gospel tract entitled “Poor Richard.” Shortly thereafter, he committed himself to missionary work and joined the Chinese Evangelization Society as their first missionary in 1852. During his time in China, Taylor traveled on eighteen preaching tours and adopted two Chinese children. He eventually founded the China Inland Mission, journeying on eleven mission trips to the Asian nation, and spending collectively more than fifty years in China. His lasting legacy includes the establishment of over 125 schools, the commissioning of over 800 missionaries, and the conversion of nearly 18,000 followers of Jesus Christ.

Elliot House

Namesake: Phillip James “Jim” Elliot
Color: Maroon
Motto: Surrender and Sacrifice

Phillip James “Jim” Elliot, born in 1927, is recognized as one of the great Christian martyrs of the past century. Elliot attended Wheaton College where he became interest in foreign missions. Elliot also became interested in his roommate’s sister, Elisabeth Howard. Following graduation, Jim and Elisabeth went to Ecuador. Hearing of the savage “Auca” tribe, Elliot and four other missionaries, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Nate Saint, decided to make contact. Shortly after their initial encounter, the men were attached and killed in the jungle in January 1956. Despite her loss, Elisabeth Elliot decided to remain in Ecuador to evangelize the Aucas. Many came to faith in Christ, including “George”, a man who participated in the attack. Jim Elliot had written in one of his journals, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”.

Tolkien House

Namesake: J. R.R. Tolkien
Color: Brown
Motto: Deep Roots, Strong Wings

Born in 1892, British author and poet John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien, is known as one of the greatest writers of fantasy in the twentieth century. Following his schooling as a child, Tolkien would enroll at Oxford, studying linguistics. He would later become a professor at the University and join a group of young scholar-authors in a writing club, known as The Inklings. In 1937, Tolkien published one of his most popular works of fantasy, known as The Hobbit. Over the course of the next nearly two decades, Tolkien would write what would later be published as a series of three works, collectively known as The Lord of the Rings. The trilogy would be released over the course of two years, from 1954-1955. The series would sell millions of copies and is known as one of the most popular books of fiction ever published. Many of the themes and lessons of Tolkien’s works are rooted in biblical symbolism. Tolkien even played a pivotal role in leading one of his fellow members to faith in Christ – Clive Staples (C.S. Lewis).

Lewis House

Namesake: C. S. Lewis
Color: Green
Motto: For King and Kingdom

Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis was born in Ireland in 1898. Throughout his early years, Lewis rejected the Christian faith of his family and sought a career in academia, eventually as a professor of Medieval Literature at Oxford University. Lewis would eventually join the writers club known as The Inklings and would be led to faith in Christ by his friend and fellow member, J.R.R. Tolkien. With his newfound faith in Christ and his love for fantasy literature, Lewis penned his most famous works, collectively known as The Chronicles of Narnia series. Christian symbols and themes are evident throughout the Narnia series, especially as it relates to the defeat of the White Witch and the redemption of the Kingdom of Narnia through the work of the great lion Aslan (a beautiful picture of Christ). Man of Lewis’ other works, such as The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letter, are intended for older readers and address profound issues of apologetics, the reliability of the Christian faith, and the temptation of the Christian by the Devil into sin.

Henry House

Namesake: Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry
Color: Dark Blue
Motto: Courage to Stand

Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry was born to German immigrants on Long Island, New York, on January 22, 1913. Although Henry was not completely ignorant of Christianity, it was not until after he graduated from high school he was formally introduced to faith in Christ. AT the time, he was working as a journalist at a weekly newspaper. Shortly after his conversion, he enrolled at Wheaton College where he was influenced by the Christian philosopher Gordon Clark. Following graduation from Wheaton, Henry earned two masters degrees, as well as his doctorate in theology and a PhD. In 1942, Henry helped launch the National Association of Evangelicals, and in 1956, at the urging of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, he began publishing Christianity Today magazine. Few men or women in the twentieth century left a stronger legacy of a commitment to the truth of God’s Word and confidence in the Bible’s inerrancy than Carl F. Henry.