This story is part of our ongoing coverage about House.  For more stories about the House system, click here.

Students at Hayes have differing opinions on different aspects of House. There are different opportunities each student can partake in during the 25-minute class period, including different competitions throughout the year and leadership programs.
House is a class that students go to at the end of the school day. Hayes has 8 Houses; each student is assigned to a House when they enter Hayes as a freshman, and they remain in that House throughout their high school career.
Something offered during many of the Houses is Flex, where students can choose to go into different rooms with different themes.
“We go into different rooms and meet new people and some people stay in the silent rooms and some people go into the movie rooms,” senior Mackenzie Carter said.
There are also mentor and leadership positions that upperclassmen can be a part of to lead the underclassman and include students.
“The house mentors and the leadership groups really bring everyone together this year,” Carter said.
Throughout the year there are also competitions between Houses. Two examples are Powder Puff at the beginning of the school year, and House Games at the end of the school year. House Games is a day with approximately 30 different events that each House competes in to win points to contribute to winning a trophy called the House Cup for the year.
Many students enjoy the competitions throughout the year.
“House Games are super fun and I want to experience that again,” Carter said.
However, there are also some who don’t enjoy it as much.

“[I like to see] friends that I don’t get to see throughout the day,” Vilchinsky said.

“Some people can be really aggressive about it, which I don’t think is necessary,” said junior Emily Vilchinsky, who is in Fairview.
Beyond the competition, another aspecting of being in House is forming friendships.
“[I like to see] friends that I don’t get to see throughout the day,” Vilchinsky said.
Seeing friends during House can be a big thing for students.
“I think just having everyone together helps build relationships, not only with peers but with teachers,” Carter said. “A lot of teachers that are in house that are willing to help with school, math or whatever subject you need so I think that’s great.”
However, some students are placed in a house room without friends or familiar faces, which can be a negative, especially if they don’t find friends.
“If you don’t get along with a lot of people in House or if you haven’t met the right friend group yet, being a freshman can definitely be hard,” Carter said.
Another thing that students are struggling with this year is the fact that juniors and seniors could opt out of House, but doing so meant they couldn’t participate in House Games.
“I would opt out if I could still do House Games,” junior Calvin Riggs said.
Fulton Creek dean David White said that beyond the competitions, the purpose of House is simple: connection. “More than anything, we want House to be a place where students can enjoy going,” White said.