Our Mission:
The Richland House System is one which promotes a culture of love, kindness, a commitment to the environment, the championing of important causes and supporting others, in keeping with the namesakes of our houses. Each of Richland’s students and faculty belong to one of 3 houses, voted on by the student body. They are:
- Suzuki House: Green Fox House: Purple Keilburger House: Orange
Points
While there will be some competitive events, the focus is on creating a culture of habitual kindness. There is substantial research around the benefits of teaching kindness. Patty O’Grady, PhD, an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. She reports:
Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.
As part of our holistic approach to teaching and learning, it is fundamental that we continue to instill in our students, the importance of thoughtful and meaningful citizenship. The competitive aspects of our house system must serve to bolster the benefits and rewards of kindness, as an important element of success.
Points are tallied at the end of the year, and the house with the most points will be awarded The Oliveira Cup, engraved with their house name and year! We are proud of our enduring program, one built on creating a culture of kindness and respect for all people.
Richland students are encouraged to care for their community, and for others. Regular charitable and public service events and environmental initiatives are an integral part of school life. These activities help students learn to give back to their local and global communities.
For a small school, we have a big heart! We are very proud to be the only school in Ontario to be recognized as a Rights Respecting School in association with UNICEF Canada. Drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this initiative uses an engaging and hands-on program to enrich school culture as a place that is inclusive, participatory and respectful for children and adults.
For more examples of Richland’s amazing community spirit in action, visit our Inquiring Minds blog and click on “Community of Care” in the Categories list on that page.