At HD Schools, we not only focus on continuous academic development but also on creating personal character in our students. Each school is made up of four Houses who compete in sporting, social and extra curricular activities. The Houses are made up of students of all ages, similar to the college systems, common in UK and American schools.
The house system was first set up by the University of Paris. It has formed a unique academy educational model in both Cambridge, and Oxford in the UK. It builds communities in the longitude direction, and advocates teamwork and friendly competition between different grades. This allows every student to exhibit their own personalities through the colorful activities of the school.
HD schools break free from the age related traditional layered teaching management mode, so that the children can learn to engage with children from different age groups, as they will do in their adult lives. This will elevate their self-awareness, whilst strengthening their sense of belonging in a group. It will cultivate their teamwork abilities and leadership skills whilst upholding an active and positive atmosphere for the school.
It is worth mentioning that the symbols of the four houses of HD were designed by the students of HD independently. The Dragon and Phoenix representing the East, and the Gryphon and Centaur representing the West are adopted as the symbols of the houses. The symbols of the four houses are beautiful in image and rich in significance. They represent the unique house spirit and are admired by the students of HD schools.
Gryphon
In Greek mythology the Gryphon is a beast that has the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, and possesses the qualities of both. As lions and eagles command the land and the sky respectively, the symbolic setting of the house is the image of high mountains and plains. This represents the courage and boldness of the griffin that dominates the world.
Dragon
The Dragon is a creature of ancient legends, and the symbol of the Chinese nation. It appears in various literary and art works. It climbs up to the sky in the Spring Equinox, and dives into the steep cliffs in the Autumnal Equinox, also making rain fall from the clouds. The setting of the house is the sea, with roaring waves, and rain clouds. This exhibits the giant dragon’s abilities to summon wind and call for rain, together with its spirit to forge ahead.
Phoenix
According to legend, the Phoenix is the king of the birds: it has gorgeous feathers, and twitters pleasingly. The symbolic setting of the house originates from the idiom “the hair of a phoenix and the horns of a giraffe” which expresses the hopes of our schools to cultivate beautiful and outstanding talents.
Centaur
Centaur is the totem of the nomadic ethnic groups of the West. The centaur is full of wisdom and loves freedom. The house, which contains a sea of books, is set amidst a vast expanse of grassland. The image of a fine horse stepping on books is used to express the longing for wisdom and the spirit of consistent self-renewal and love of freedom.
We encourage students to earn ‘house credits’ during house activities and normal school life, which contribute to the house rankings. When students help others, demonstrate good behavior or team skills, they receive house credits. Weekly assemblies provide an opportunity for teachers to announce the accumulative results, much to the delight of our students.
House Nights
House Nights for secondary school boarding students are one of many exciting campus activities. Dressed in the different school colors, the students experience various challenges involving, brain power, physical strength and teamwork
