“It’s house competition day, are you all ready?” says Dr. Leila, the high school principal. The crowd erupted into cheers. Over the past few weeks, the four houses, Abu Bakr, Khadijah, Aisha, and Umar, have been competing for points by doing credible acts, such as cleaning the tables after lunch and rolling the carpets. Then, on 10/31/25, the school held its first House Ceremony of the year, with Dr. Leila emphasizing, “Remember that today is not for winning, it’s for cheering on your team.”
The rally started with a Quran recitation by Ali Abou Sharr, and a translation by Urooj Ashraf. Then the house members were introduced to their mentors. Abu Bakr was led by Br. Zacharia and Br. Fauzan, while Umar was led by Ms. Hanan and Ms. Joanna. Khadija was led by Ms. Michelle and Ms. Shamsa, and Aisha was led by Ms. Nora and Ms. Rima.
The first competition was the Sahabi trivia. The house captains called middle schoolers & high schoolers to test their knowledge about the Sahaba. Eventually, the final question came down to a tie between House of Umar & Aisha. After a long fight, House of Aisha pulled through and emerged as the winner of the first competition.
The second competition was Tug of War. The first round of tug of war was between boys. Khadijah and Abu Bakr faced off, and in the end, Khadijah emerged as the winning team amongst the two. Aisha and Umar faced off, and in the end, Aisha emerged victorious. Then, Khadijah and Aisha battled. All in all, Aisha won this competition as well. The second round of tug-of-war was between the girls. Aisha and Umar faced off, and Umar emerged as the winning team. Then Abu Bakr and Khadijah faced off, and Abu Bakr won. Afterwards, Umar and Abu Bakr competed against each other. The winner came out to be the House of Abu Bakr.
Then, just for fun, the teachers decided to compete against each other too. The representatives of Abu Bakr, along with Dr. Leila, competed with the House of Aisha. Abu Bakr emerged victorious along with Dr. Leila. Then, the male teachers decided they wanted to give it a try too. The first team was Mr. Abraham, Br. Hamza, Br. Moneeb, Coach Denman, And Br. Yama. The second team was Br. Farzan, Br. Zacharia, Coach Arbad, Br. Sami and Dr. Syed. In the end, the first team with Mr. Abraham, Br. Hamza, Br. Moneeb, Coach Denman, and Br. Yama emerged as the champion.
The 3rd and final competition was a basketball shoot-off. This competition was by far the most challenging one as Houses kept on tying with each other over and over again. First, the girls competed. The House of Umar made two points, while Khadijah sadly made zero points. The House of Aisha also made zero points. Ultimately, the House of Abu Bakr won the first round with three points. Then, the boys had a competition. The House of Umar made two points, the House of Khadijah made one point, the House of Aisha made 3 points, and the House of Abu Bakr made one point. The final tiebreaker was held between the House of Abu Bakr and the House of Umar. The boys from the House of Abu Bakr got one point, while the girls from the House of Abu Bakr got zero points. With the House of Umar, the boys got 0 points, and the girls got one point.
Afterwards, since the total score was still tied, the House captains decided to give it a try too. The House of Abu Bakr made zero points, and the House of Umar also made zero points. The mentors decided to break the tie once and for all. From the House of Abu Bakr, Br. Fauzan made zero points. From the House of Umar, Miss Hanan made zero points. Coach Denman from House of Umar also made zero points. Finally, Br. Zacharia from the House of Abu Bakr made one point, making the House of Abu Bakr the champion of the basketball shootout.
After the House Ceremony, people were still buzzing with conversation, adrenaline, & excitement. The House of Aisha was declared the overall champion, winning 300 house points. Boshra Ellythy, a ninth grader in the house of Umar and a new student, commented, “Honestly, I was so shocked. It was so cool and amazing. Right as I walked into the gym, I saw everything, and I was like Oh my goodness, this is so awesome.”
Br. Zacharia, the mentor for the House of Abu Bakr, says, “It was great
to see all the middle and high schoolers. Altogether, we had three main categories today. For activities, we had the trivia bowl, tug of war, and free-throw shooting. It was really nice to end with the will and grace of Allah was able to make the last shot for the House of Abu Bakr. Nonetheless, the house of Aisha took the big W, and I’m looking forward to the next one inshallah.” Ms. Shamsa, the mentor for the House of Khadijah, said, “The House Ceremony was amazing. So well planned out. The kids had so much fun, and I loved being the Co-mentor. The school spirit was just great.”
Dr. Leila quotes, “It has taken some time for me to get to know you, but I know that you shine. Stars alone can’t shine that bright, but together we can light up the world.”
