Building Community Through Competition: The "Game of Houses" at East Arbor

At East Arbor Charter Academy, building a sense of belonging is vital to building an engaging school community. To bridge the gap between classroom data and student engagement, Achievement and Behavior Support Specialist Ayize Henderson-Kelsaw and Fourth-grade Teacher Amanda Dignan launched an innovative initiative, The Game of Houses.

The initiative didn’t start as a game; it started as a strategic response to school data. The goal was twofold: increase teacher investment and improve student behavior.



"We were looking for higher investment from staff," Henderson-Kelsaw explained. "We looked at what building true community looks like and developed a house system that rewards more than just standard classroom performance."

To ensure the program's success, the team began with a soft rollout for teachers first. By securing staff buy-in early, the energy naturally trickled down to the students, creating a unified front before the first "house" was ever sorted.



To keep the competition fair and inclusive, East Arbor implemented a unique sorting system. Each scholar is placed in a house, with names like Thunderbird, Kraken, Pegasus, and Dragon. Each house is represented in every classroom across all grade levels. Once a student joins a house, they remain there until eighth-grade graduation, fostering a consistent sense of identity and mentorship.

One of the most successful aspects of the program is its focus on unique skill-based achievements rather than grades. By competing in physical tasks, obscure trivia, and art contests, students who struggle academically find new reasons to feel seen and excited about school.



The initiative became a live laboratory for the National Heritage Academies’^® (NHA) Moral Focus™ curriculum. February’s virtue is Courage and was a topic of conversation for each house. Whether it’s the courage to participate in a schoolwide assembly or the courage to root for their team in a room full of rivals, students are finding their voices.

This spirit of participation is most visible in the physical education department’s hybrid creation: East Arbor (EA) Ultimate Frisbee. A mix of Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Golf, this non-contact sport allows students to burn energy and earn house points, with plans to eventually expand these matches into community-wide parent events.



Despite the mid-winter grind, the results are clear. The initiative has successfully moved the needle on building a school culture that motivates students from within.

"The proof of concept is undeniable," said Henderson-Kelsaw. "The teachers are bought in, the students are engaged, and we’ve laid the foundation for a permanent tradition. It really builds an intrinsic culture."
About East Arbor Charter Academy
East Arbor Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Ypsilanti, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA^®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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