O Captains! Our Captains!

1 November 2020Jack NG, Ellis ‘21; Photo by John Pettit

While the rest of us have been settling into the year, doing our homework, going to class, sport and arts, and hanging out with our friends, the eight most responsible students on campus have been tirelessly working to make life easier for all of us.

On average, each boarding house has roughly 60 students – day and boarding. This means that rather than having only themselves to worry about, House Captains have the lives of 59 other teenagers that they take responsibility for. Imagine yourself in the shoes of Tareq A, Whittall ‘21. Not only will he maintain one of the highest academic averages in the graduating class, along with arguably the largest set of trapezius on campus, but he will also have to keep five Grade 8s in order – a task nearly impossible for any regular human, regardless of their trap size.

Daily meetings with houseparents, weekly meetings with the SEC, and appearing in front of the school at assembly every Thursday are all things that require more energy than most would expect. Having all these things to do might make some wonder why anyone would ever want to put themselves in such a demanding position.

“I applied because I wanted to play a part in keeping the most important parts of the house alive,” explained Nicole L, Hope ‘21. “I think the acceptance and family feeling are what Hope does best.” Santino G, Rogers ‘21 added: “I applied because I wanted to maintain a supportive and friendly environment, while creating a tight bond among the boys in the house.”

When asked what part of the House Captain role was their favourite, everyone responded with in-depth and thoughtful answers. “I like to act as a buffer between my boys and the houseparents. I want everyone to feel as though they are encouraged and welcome to come to me with their problems, and we can work together to find a solution” Ben Z, Privett ‘21 reflected. Alice H, Allard ‘21 elaborated on Ben’s point by highlighting that “Making myself available for younger students to come to me with their problems helps me in developing strong connections with all of my girls. I also love representing Allard House on the SEC and in front of the rest of the school.”

Brentwood College is a high school after all, and what would a high school be without the constant opportunity to learn? I asked a few of the ‘House Caps what they had learned from this new viewpoint. “This role requires a lot of self assurance and confidence” Tareq articulated. “This means that it is necessary to be a good communicator, and an outgoing leader to get to know the people around you.”

The theme of communication, and familiarizing yourself with your housemates was reinforced when Sydney H, Mackenzie ‘21 shared: “Being well connected with the girls in Mack helps me listen to and understand both sides of a situation, and ultimately helps prevent any conflict.” Erik L, Ellis ‘21, and Alice S, Alex ‘21 had similar responses, stressing the importance of role modeling and time management. Alice opened up about her learning experience thus far: “I want to maintain positivity in the house at all times. For me the easiest way to do this is to act as an example for the girls.” Erik followed by explaining that “[He has] learned how crucial it is to manage time well, and use that as the basis for role modelling in the house, and obviously making more time to be available to the boys.”

In a year like this one, when COVID mitigation impacts almost everything, the House Captains are especially important to our school. Brentwood is like an elegant, white swan swimming in the beautiful waters of Mill Bay. The House Captains are the feet of that swan, constantly, and energetically, working away, unnoticed, beneath the surface, to propel us all forward.

I can assure you that each one of them is there because they love the school, and especially the students in their houses. Whenever you get the opportunity, be sure to let your House Captain know how much they are appreciated.

Jack NG, Ellis ‘21