Order System
The Order System is a student-organizational structure designed to manage junior-high students to achieve specific academic and student-life objectives. The system supplants the traditional student council governing structure by creating smaller integrated communities of students (~30 students per Order, ~15 from each grade) within the school, thus providing a framework for student governance, allowing greater opportunity for the development of meaningful leadership. There are eight different Orders, named for places in classical literature.
Throughout the school year, Orders compete against each other for the coveted Purple Duck trophy. The competition motivates academic success, develops camaraderie, boosts confidence, and encourages students to learn from failure rather than fear it. CLICK HERE to see how points are earned in the Order System.
CLICK HERE to read more about the Order System
Purpose:
To increase institutional and peer-to-peer support for each student
To ensure individual care for each student by the order deans who will monitor and support the academic, social, moral, and behavioral growth
To multiply occasions to build strong, healthy student relationships
To develop leadership skills in every student
To enhance recruitment of new students
Unique Outcomes:
Enhanced school spirit
More robust opportunities for junior-high students to be trained as leaders through hands-on service
Stronger interpersonal relationship skills for each student
More focused support internalizing character development
Orders:
Named after fictional locations referred to in the Core Knowledge Literature Sequence, including a mascot that is associated with each location.
Order of Atlantis: Krakens
Order of Camelot: Knights and Ladies
Order of Delphi: Pythons
Order of Elysium: Warriors
Order of Erebor: Dragons
Order of Rivendell: Elves
Order of Sherwood: Archers
Order of Valhalla: Vikings
Definitions:
Order—A group of approximately 30 students in the 7th and 8th grade.
Order Leaders —Students in each Order chosen by their order mates to lead, to convene and to organize the Order representing it at all school-wide student-governance meetings.
Order Captain—8th-grade student
Serves as Primary leader
Completes Event Packets
Reports directly to Order Deans and Order Director
Attends weekly Order Leader meetings
Reports updates on upcoming events and feedback on completed events during Order meetings.
Delegates responsibilities for major and minor events to the Executive Officer
Collaborates with his or her Executive Officer to plan Order-time activities
Executive Officer—7th-grade student
Serves as secondary leader
Reports directly to Order Captains and Order Deans
Attends weekly Order Leader meetings
Executes directives for major and minor events as assigned by the Order Captains
Plans and organizes Order lunch-time and Order meeting-time activities
Represents his or her Order at the JH Lyceums
Order Dean—A faculty member chosen to oversee the effective development and management of an Order. Each Order has two Order Deans.
Order Director—The faculty member who directs the day-to-day operations of the Order System, including leading Lyceums, meeting regularly with Administration, managing the budget and accounting of the budget, training the student Order Leaders
Assistant Order Director—The faculty member who will keep track of Order points; plan, coordinate and lead Order Competitions; assist the Director as appropriate.