Island City Elementary Promoting Mentorship with “House System”
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, December 14th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ISLAND CITY – (Information from the La Grande School District) The La Grande School District recently announced a fun new project being developed at Island City Elementary, the House System. In the announcement, Principal Brett Smith explained that a series of “houses” will be created to encompass all students, teachers and staff. Each house will consist of 24 members and largely include students from different grade levels and classrooms. Students will also be matched with at least one teacher who is not their regular classroom teacher along with some other adults.
In the announcement, the district further clarified that the goal of the project is to include all persons involved in the school and foster connections between students and grade levels that may not normally interact. It is hoped that this may encourage older students to mentor their younger peers and pass on positive traits in addition to allowing students to connect with all adult staff members, not just their classroom teachers. The project was initially developed in early 2020 but was put on hold during COVID. The concept was introduced to the school in October, to great excitement among students and staff. Currently, the houses are deciding on designs, including names, colors and even a crest. Once established, the houses will meet twice a month.
