As house competitions start to gear up for the year, it’s finally time for our new Heads of House to step into their roles. They have already been working hard to lead their houses, and find new ways to improve the system. 

First up, House Caritas welcomes Elise Kehoe and Hudson Riebow, as their new HOHs. While Elise and Hudson are both new to House Caritas, they’ve jumped into planning head-first and are eager to lead House Caritas to its third win. 

“My favorite part of being an HOH is getting the chance to work with Hudson Riebow to make our house the best it has ever been. With our teamwork and communication we have big plans for House Caritas,” Kehoe said. 

Next in line, House Virtus welcomes Landon Miller and Mattie Tritz as Heads of House this year. Mattie and Landon are long-time members of House Virtus and are thrilled to have the opportunity to help showcase their beloved House. 

“One way that I prepared for this year was me and my partner Mattie communicated well, and planned out what we wanted to include in assemblies, and in our house in general. My advice to future HOHs is to just go all in and not let up. Make the experience what you want it to be,” said Miller. 

House Gratia is represented by Sam Koenig and Addie Henke. Members of House Gratia since their freshman year, Sam and Addie have chosen to use their positions in the House system to make St. Dominic a more welcoming place. 

“I chose to become an HOH because I have a deep love for St. Dominic, and wanted to lead the underclassmen to have a good high school experience like I did. You may find yourself making new friends and sharing new memories with someone you otherwise would not have,” Koenig said. 

As Heads of House for House Gaudium, Alyssa Baird and Noah Schuessler have led House Gaudium into a strong start this year. While Noah is new to House Gaudium, he’s thrown himself into the mix and has fully committed to bringing glory to his new home. 

“Even though I thought that Gratia would be the place where I’d stay, I’m still thrilled that I get to have this job for Gaudium and I can’t wait to see what we achieve this year,” Schuessler said. 

House Temperantia is promoting these seasoned Temp members, Alex Troesser and Caitlyn Kennedy. Both are ready to hit the ground running and get involved as much as possible with their fellow house members. They plan to use their boosted confidence, gained from earning the title of HOH to support those in their house, and to lead Temp to another House Cup win.

“I want to be able to get everyone involved. During pep rallies it is easy for students to move to the back of the bleachers and not participate, or support House spirit at all. I want to get everyone involved so that they can discover how much fun it is to participate in the house system,” Troesser said.

Last but not least, House Dignitas salutes David Moore and Ava Biermann for taking on the role as the new Heads of House. Moore and Biermann plan on bringing Dig to their first House Cup championship by not letting any task be taken on by just one person. They plan on using teamwork as the best strategy to accomplish the big goals they have for Dignitas as a whole.

“I have always been a good leader, but this role showed me that I don’t have to do it alone. Being a leader does not mean to lead everyone by yourself, but sometimes we all need help. I have loved getting to know the other HOH’s and the other leaders of the house system and it has shown me that being a leader means so much more,” Biermann said.

While the House system breeds competition, it also creates an intense sense of family and community here at St. Dominic. This year’s Heads of House will surely be incredible leaders and role models for the family we’ve created here.