Houses
There are six school houses and colours associated with each — Byron (red), Cassidy (yellow), Fitzgerald (blue), Hildegard (black/white for 6th form), Somerville (light blue) and Tomlinson (green). They are named after famous females who have achieved great things in music, mathematics, sports and literature. Each pupil wears a house badge with the colours of their house below the school badge on their blazer, showing which house they belong to. Sixth form have pin badges with their house colors. Each form consists of a wide variety of different year 7-11 pupils that each belong to the same house, known as vertical tutor groups. This plan was put in place in September 2007. This system is soon to be overhauled in September 2010, with vertical tutor groups including all year groups (i.e. years 7-13). The houses compete against each other in events throughout the year, including inter-house year tournaments such as netball, dodgeball, benchball, dance and football. The current winners of sports day are Byron. There are also many other events, such as charity money raisers and arts day where a variety of performances ranging from solo singing to creating art in a certain time.
Originally, there were only four houses: Andrew (purple), David (yellow), George (red) and Patrick (green), the colours being taken from the flower emblems thistle, daffodil, rose and shamrock.
Read more about this topic: Rochester Grammar School
Famous quotes containing the word houses:
“Let those talk of poverty and hard times who will in the towns and cities; cannot the emigrant who can pay his fare to New York or Boston pay five dollars more to get here ... and be as rich as he pleases, where land virtually costs nothing, and houses only the labor of building, and he may begin life as Adam did? If he will still remember the distinction of poor and rich, let him bespeak him a narrower house forthwith.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The light by which we see in this world comes out from the soul of the observer. Wherever any noble sentiment dwelt, it made the faces and houses around to shine. Nay, the powers of this busy brain are miraculous and illimitable.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Pray be always in motion. Early in the morning go and see things; and the rest of the day go and see people. If you stay but a week at a place, and that an insignificant one, see, however, all that is to be seen there; know as many people, and get into as many houses as ever you can.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)