It was the middle of First Quarter in BHA when the Head Of School Dr. Leila and Director of Tarbiyah Br. Muneeb, went class to class to announce a wonderful surprise. After a long time, Brighter Horizons Academy (BHA) brought back a new and improved house system named after the companions of Prophet Muhammad and their traits, each with their own unique color. The names for the houses are Abu Bakr: House of Loyalty with the color purple, ‘Aisha: House of Creativity with the color red, ‘Omar: House of Moral Courage with the color blue, and Khadija: House of Wisdom with the color green.
For 6th grade to 12th grade students, Dr. Leila and Br. Muneeb went class to class giving out special envelopes. Inside these envelopes was a letter informing the student what house they belonged to and a colored bracelet corresponding to their house. The house assignments were completely random, meaning no teacher or student knew what house they were in before receiving the envelope. Teachers were also sorted into houses at a later time. The goal of the house system is to encourage ethical behavior among students by awarding points for every good act.
Students who perform acts like rolling up carpets after salah, wearing the uniform properly, etc. can receive points varying from 5, 10, 50, or 100 based on the task done. Teachers can also earn points by doing similar tasks. Another way students and teachers can earn points is through competitions like the House Ceremony. In these competitions, students and teachers can earn over 100 points for their house, making it fun and competitive. Additionally, the students were assigned a certain “House” to which will be their permanent house until they graduate, promoting pride in one’s house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will receive the house cup and earn a special reward.
One may wonder at times, “which house is in the lead?” At the front desk, students and teachers can see how many points their house has, as well as what place their house is in. The best part is that it gets updated immediately, so the positions can change at any moment!
Students have accepted the new system with different opinions. Zunairah Naseem, a freshman, said, “I really like how fun this new system is but I do dislike the fact that we are stuck in the same house till graduation, I wish each year we would be assigned different houses.” Sophomore Saffiyah Khalid agreed, saying, “While the new system is exciting, it’s tough when you’re not in the same house as anyone you know.” This is to be expected as all students were placed randomly, but having students and teachers change houses every year is an interesting concept. Another sophomore, Nur Elnour, commented: “I really like this system! It makes me feel competitive and patriotic to my house!” Lastly, Freshman Manaal Abid added on to Nur’s statement, saying: “I agree, but I feel that they should also remove points for bad behavior to encourage more good!” Overall, some students want improvements but it seems the house system has been fondly accepted by the majority.
May the best house win!
