When students come to Hayes, they are very quickly familiarized with what happens in the last 30 minutes of the day. The House program is a way to improve students’ sense of community rather than just making school a place of learning.
One of the ways that many Houses work to improve connection and community is through student and teacher-run house Instagram and social media pages. Through these various and different accounts, houses have seen more participation and spirit in their events and activities.
House social media accounts can be teacher-run, like the Houk House account run by Houk Dean Kathy Kraus, or student-run, like the Lockport House account, which is co-run by myself and junior Carter Grogan.
Social media has recently caught the attention of several Houk members.
“[The accounts do] not necessarily help with participation, but I do think that it increases house spirit,” Kraus said.
When students have lots of spirit for their house, they’ll want them to succeed. In order for houses to succeed they need lots of participation, so the more spirit they have, the more participation they receive.
Kraus has made a lot of memories through house and said she couldn’t choose a favorite one. She said she does, however, have a favorite social media post. It is of graduate Scott Blair lying under a table during the 2024 house games while Mr. White stood by him. It shows the connection that house brings between students and teachers.
Kraus said she has no plans of turning over Instagram accounts to Houk members and will continue to maintain the presence of the house on social media.
Overall, teacher accounts do an all around job of showcasing student participation and spirit. They are also extremely supportive of everyone and a morale booster for students.
An alternative to a teacher-run house account would be Lockport’s current account, created this school year, which combines serious posts about House events with more comical posts that poke fun at other houses.
This account was also the first to start the mini-mic series, which was later adopted by lots of other houses. The mini-mic series incorporates student and teacher interviews or challenges during their daily house advisory. The house’s creative series have been proven successful, as Lockport surpassed its previous account in followers.
“[Passing the previous Instagram account] helped display and prove the work that Maddox and I have put in,” Grogan said.
As of May 5, 2026, the Lockport account currently sits at 179 followers. Grogan strongly believes their efforts have boosted Lockport participation and other houses as well.
“Throughout all 8 houses, [social media has] increased participation,” Grogan said. “It showcases how houses can be fun and what events might appeal to different students.”
On top of official accounts, some Houses also have Barstool accounts, like Prospect Hill. A barstool-type account is typically an Instagram account that focuses on memes and funny posts, rather than showcasing house events. Barstool accounts can also be known to “throw shade” at other organizations or, in this case, other houses.
The Prospect Hill Barstool, run by senior Evan Shadley, is an example of a student-led house Instagram account. Shadley operates the account under a barstool media style.
“When people see others get posted on the barstool, it could make them realize how fun house is and that they should participate,” Shadley said.
Shadley enjoys his time running the barstool, emphasizing that some of his favorite memories come from creating powderpuff posts.
Because social media is so widely used by students, having social media accounts for the Houses has benefited the House program as a whole. Students can see for themselves how much fun House is, improving the overall quality of the last 30 minutes of students’ school day.
Interested in connecting with official House accounts? Check them out here:
Liam Waselko • May 12, 2026 at 11:48 am
I used to run a Barstool Fulton Creek account back in the day. Great times.