It is a given that middle school students need to be successful academically, but St. Michael teachers also recognize that this age group needs to be socially engaged and individually affirmed for their strengths and talents.
Our Saints Houses respond to that need. We have seven Saints’ Houses; they are multi-grade and centered around the virtues represented by a particular Catholic saint. The houses meet weekly, and serve as a consistent, cohesive program that creates a greater sense of belonging. These smaller communities have teacher advisors, who guide rather than direct. Students bring forth projects and issues of interest to them; teachers facilitate action.
The goals of Saints’ Houses are to develop wise life choice skills in kids, provide an outlet for social justice projects, meet the individual needs of emerging leaders, allow each student to have a place where they are known and valued, and have fun accomplishing it all!
The goals of are Saints Houses are to:
- Guarantee that every student is part of a peer group
- Ensure that each student in the school is well known by at least one adult who is that student’s advisor
- Help every student find ways of being successful academically and socially
- Promote communication and coordination between peer group and teachers
- Develop skills to help make wise life choices
- Foster unity, community, and pastoral relationships among students and faculty
- Further the mission of the school by providing greater pastoral care to all
