House Pride

22 September 2011Jonathan B E

For thousands of years, civilizations and tribes have performed rituals before going into battle. They would look to oracles, paint their faces, and dress in elaborate costumes. National pride would be put on display. Chanting voices and the thunder of drums would herald the coming storm.

Again this year, the houses of Brentwood College School continue that tradition. This being my fourth and final year at Brentwood, I have had the opportunity to see this incredible house pride continue year after year. The faces might change, the cheers might evolve, but the spirit always remains the same.

It is the most incredible thing, watching the rapid growth from a collection of new students arriving at what, for most of them, must be an incredibly intimidating place. But they all adapt so quickly into their new houses, and soon they are full of pride for their new home away from home. Imagine being dropped off in a new house, having to live with fifty other people and knowing absolutely no one.

You move in, and for a short while your parents are by your side. But then your parents leave, and you have no idea what to expect. However, before the fear begins to set in, and before you can even comprehend it, you are swept up in the infectious belief that your house is the BEST HOUSE. You walk into your dorm, and you inhale the spirit of the house. The traditions and desire to win the Inter-house Cup, or fundraise the most for charity (and the love for the house) are passed down from old students to new.

House colours become a new way of shopping. Trips to local thrift stores to find the most ridiculous Whittall red, or snatch up an elusive Privett blue overcoat, are organized. When events come around, everyone has their own ritual. Each house has their own essence, and the differences of the houses come together in Interhouse Competition. A multi-coloured sea of green, orange, blue and red surges across the fields or into the stands. A chorus of shouts and cheers and catcalls shudders through the air, as sweet as a symphony, to the house that can vocalize the loudest. Waving flags flash against the sky like the plumage of birds.

So far this fall, the houses have seen two challenges: Fun and Games Night and the Eco Challenge. All the houses put forth their representatives, and they all performed with love and pride for their house, a love and pride that will continue throughout the year, and over a lifetime.

The knowledge that the family ties that students make in their houses will last forever is one of the most positive aspects of Brentwood. Students live together, learn together, and compete together. By the end, these houses have been a victorious tribe, a mighty force, and a close family. There is no end. The pride students feel for their house will last as long as their memories.

Where Students Choose To Be