Bishop Lynch High School

To further Bishop Lynch High Schoolʼs mission to promote the development of the total person, Bishop Lynch debuted the house system in the 2019-20 school year.

The BL House System provides a new paradigm for student alignment – PROVIDING INCREASED MENTORSHIP, PASTORAL CARE AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR HOUSES

House System FAQ

List of 13 frequently asked questions.

What is a house system?

A house system is a way to make a large high school feel smaller and increase the level of mentoring and pastoral care provided to students while increasing the number of student leadership opportunities.
What will the house system look like?

The BL House System will be comprised of eight houses. Each house will have a dean, multiple mentors made up of BL staffulty, numerous student leaders, and a cross section of our student body. Each house will have around 125-150 students. Then the ratio of mentor to students in each mentor group will be approximately 1:25.
When will the new house system go into effect?

Bishop Lynch’s new house system will be in place for the 2019-20 school year. However, some initial implementation (like electing house student leaders) will take place this spring semester. The entire BL House System rollout will be phased in over the next few years.
What is the benefit of a house system?

The BL House System will allow for more personal connections between students of all grade levels and dedicated mentors. With this alternative alignment for student engagement, there will be increased peer-to-peer mentoring and leadership development opportunities. The house system approach also allows house deans and staffulty mentors to guide a student through the full four years of high school – providing continuity, resources and appropriate accompaniment through the student’s BL journey of education and faith. Bishop Lynch is much more than just a high school. BL’s mission is in part to promote the development of the total person and the house system structure will help accomplish this.
Is BL the first school to do this?

Bishop Lynch High School will be one of the first schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to debut a house system. In order to further our school’s mission of the development of the whole person, BL leaders visited house systems at private schools in various cities and have studied their models for best practices. However, the Bishop Lynch House System will be unique to BL in order to meet our particular student needs.
How often will the houses meet?

The mentor groups in each of the BL Houses will meet several times each week. Meetings will vary in length from short informational meet ups to longer service-oriented gatherings. House meetings will occur regularly, but not as frequently as the mentor groups. Our current advisory period will be transformed into mentor group meetings allowing for more connectedness among students and mentors. Classroom time will be minimally impacted by the house system.
Who are the house deans?
Great question! The two house dean leaders and the eight house deans are BL staffulty across educational disciplines. These campus leaders were chosen for their commitment to student development, leadership experience and enthusiasm. Besides the 10 members of the BL House Council, a team of dedicated staffulty mentors will lead mentor groups.
- Lima House Dean Katie Dorsey
- Aquinas House Dean Joe Inman
- Siena House Dean Kate See
- Frassati House Dean Lauren Wallace
- De Porres House Dean Olivia Orrantia
- Montfort House Dean Cyndi Dumas
- Ricci House Dean Kit Sawyer
- Angelico House Dean Matthew Duncan
Read more about our House Deans below.
Can I pick my house?

Houses will be randomly assigned to students. Each house will have a mix of students from each gender, grade level, ethnicity, and extracurricular interest. Siblings will be assigned the same house for family continuity.
What are the house names?

The houses are named after Dominican saints in honor of Bishop Lynch’s Dominican heritage. House colors, symbols, mottos, etc. will be determined with house member input. Many of these exciting details will be unveiled after the start of the 2019-20 school year!

House names:
Angelico
Aquinas
De Porres
Frassati
Lima
Montfort
Ricci
Siena
Will I still cheer for the Bishop Lynch Friars or for XYZ House?

Bishop Lynch will always be a “Friars First” home. We’ll always cheer for the BL Friar family first, then house affiliation second. As the BL House System develops, some friendly competitions will start to be held between houses versus only grade levels.
Will there be opportunities for student leadership?

One of the great advantages of a Bishop Lynch High School education is the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience while on campus. With the BL House System, even more leadership opportunities will be available to our Friars! Each house will have its own student-led “government” and there will be ample time for peer-to-peer mentoring as well.
What’s the correlation between the house system and academic performance?

Studies show that academic performance is positively impacted when there’s an atmosphere of care and connection. With the BL House System, student care and connectedness will be amplified like never before! The house system model will address a student’s social and emotional learning, which is a vital educational component. Those so-called “soft skills” like cooperation and communication are imperative for college and career success, but their development is often lacking in our tech-focused world. The house system model is designed to fill this void.
Will we still have a class (freshman, sophomore, etc.) identity with the house system?

Yes! Class-level camaraderie is an important part of high school. Students will still identify with their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classmates. The BL House System just provides additional opportunities to get to know and learn from students in other grades. Placement in a house isn’t a replacement for one’s grade level – it’s a bonus! Within the house structure, students will be able to interact with a diverse cross section of the student body.

Glossary of Terms

List of 5 frequently asked questions.

House

A collection of 125-150 diverse students across all grade levels. Led by a dean and student leaders, this group will collaborate on service learning projects, friendly competitions, and more. There will be eight houses in the BL House System.
House System Director

A faculty leader of the entire house system.
House Dean

Faculty/staff leader of a house.
Mentor Group

A small group of approximately 25 students led by a faculty/staff mentor leader and student leaders. There will be six mentor groups per house. Mentor groups will meet several times each week and will benefit from peer-to-peer interaction.
Mentor

A faculty/staff leader of a mentor group. This mentor leader role is designed to accompany a student throughout his/her four years at Bishop Lynch providing a continuity of pastoral care and mentoring.

HOUSE NEWS

List of 1 news stories.

House System Spring Round-up
4/8/2021

Student Leadership Elections
The Bishop Lynch High School House System continues to build momentum in the final quarter of the year. The election process for house system student leaders is nearing its pinnacle with voting for house system school-wide positions next week. Congratulations to all the students who have already been elected as leaders for their respective houses.

Frassati House Spirit Day
There was a lot of orange on campus today as the Frassati House celebrated their spirit day with a pep rally in the Competition Gym. Today’s celebration was timed to coincide with the birthday of the Frassati House namesake Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Verso l’alto!

Freshman Rally
BL’s Class of 2021 will be on campus Sunday, April 18 for Freshman Rally. The House System is leading the way for the annual freshman event with house leadership on hand to welcome the incoming freshman and acquaint them with the school. The incoming Friars will be emailed their house placement next week. We can’t wait to welcome the newest house members to their BL home!