WASHZ | Boarding House, an Extension and Enhancement to the Family

Boarding and the role of the Boarding House is a feature of the best schools in Britain, and British author J.K. Rowling must have drawn a lot of inspiration from her own experiences to depict the boarding life in the magical world so vividly.

Not long ago, Catherine Hoyle, the housemistress at Wycombe Abbey, introduced the WASHZ's boarding from the perspective of balancing study and life. Among other things, she mentioned the 'house' system and referred to it as the pupils' second home.

Although there are no magical staircases and portraits that can talk, the house system inherited from Wycombe Abbey still forms the core of WASHZ's boarding with care and professionalism.

WASHZ has 8 boarding houses, divided between the lower and upper schools. The lower school houses are named after traditional Chinese mythical creatures: Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger; while the upper school houses are named after historical figures Cavell, Elgar, Hawking, and Dove.

Particularly, Dove House pays tribute to Dame Frances Dove, the founder of Wycombe Abbey and a 19th-century education pioneer in the UK. She firmly believed in academic excellence, developing individual talents in creative, and physical and social skills.

Catherine also honors her by saying:「Her founding principles are embedde within the core principles of WASHZ in the twenty-first century.」 

An Extension of the Family

The eight boarding houses carry the core values of holistic education. They not only extend the care of the family but also take on some of the responsibilities of family education.

The housemasters and housemistresses live with the students in the house, playing the role of parents who provide 24-7 care for pupils' daily life. At the same time, they maintain close communication with pupils' parents to create a family-like atmosphere, allowing students who have finished their busy day of study to be fully recharged again.

House parents also constantly pay attention to pupils' physical and mental wellbeing,  and helping students achieve academic excellence is also an important responsibility of the house parents.

So, boarding houses can help pupils cultivate the ability to love others, while also ensuring that they grow up in an environment that is full of love.

An Enhancement to the Family

In traditional families, students always play the role of "children"; in boarding schools like WASHZ, however, they will have multiple roles.

The opportunity to play different roles is not common in traditional education, but it can equip students with a key skill to adapt and prepare them for the future.

Firstly, the mixed-age boarding system will allow students to experience the transition from being juniors to seniors. When pupils of different grades interact, younger ones will naturally look up to seniors as role models, and this invisible responsibility can urge the senior pupils to better discpline themselves.

Secondly, pupils are rarely the decision-makers in their family, but the boarding house is a place to cultivate leadership. Each house will elect a Head Boy or Head Girl, who will assist boarding staff in maintaining a healthy environment in the boarding houses.

In addition, students can participate in various activities both inside and outside the house, where they continuously improve their teamwork and leadership skills through the process of organizing, coordinating, and preparing events. The creation of the house badges is a great example as they were designed by the pupils themselves. This pride will surely continue to be passed down through the platform of the boarding houses.

The friendships formed in youth are pure and unadulterated, and the emotional bonds established through daily interaction are also more robust. 

Like what Catherine mentioned, the core values of trust, enrougement and mutual respect will put our students in a strong position to excel professionally.

[Article Review]

The First Review

Cassia Zhang

The Second Review  

Monica Meng, Jenny Zhou

Final  Review

Tig Mooney, Phoebe Wang