Mt. SAC Early College Academy (MECA) is facing backlash after the administration decided to reorganize house competition teams by grade level. A change many students say undermine the school’s sense of community.
Administration announced via email that the change is to create a stronger bond within each grade while allowing for a more organized number of students in each team. House Competitions was first introduced alongside the schools opening in 2018 and have been an enjoyed as a unique aspect of MECA students.
Originally, students were sorted into one of four teams otherwise known as “houses” named Sigma, Delta, Gamma and Alpha. They competed throughout the school year in a series of games which consisted of of dodgeball, bubble soccer, flag football and a few others. The goal was for the houses is to accumulate the most points from the games and at by end of the school year, a winning team is chosen. Its purpose was to increase school spirit and bring students together.
One thing that made these houses special was the consistency of members. Once they were selected at random for their house, they stayed in it all four years. This allowed students to make new friends and build connections with multiple people across the campus.
“I liked how we had to guess who was in each house, it was a good conversation starter, and a way to get to know people beyond our grade,” said Alicia Flores, a junior at MECA.
Students also find it unnecessary to only be in a team with their own grade. Some argue that they don’t feel as motivated to participate in the games because they are more comfortable with their team members. Participation is a key factor when it comes to celebrations since school spirit is important to an educational experience.
According to “The Power of Peers” from News in Health, researchers say that peer influence can help teens thrive if it gets them more involved with their community. This reflects the importance of teams, and the peers in them.
“The fact that I didn’t know anyone in my house last year motivated me to actually participate in the games, now since I know everybody I don’t feel the need to participate the way I did last year,” said Abriel Salon, a junior at MECA.
Although many students are not pleased with this new change there are some who view this as a positive. Trinidad Gonzalez, a freshman at MECA, believes that the administration is right in wanting to get rid of the houses as a way for grade levels to bond.
“It’s hard to be happy at events when you don’t know anyone there or you’re unfamiliar with the people,” Gonzalez said. “Being able to be with your own grade lets you be with your friends and makes you more comfortable at the house competition.”
The new change has sparked a range of reactions and each student is impacted by the house competitions in some way, showing how significant these events are to campus life.
