By Benjamin LaBadie, Head of Upper School
Thomas MacLaren, our school’s namesake, hailed from Scotland. In honor of his heritage, we named our school houses “clans.” In Scotland, clans are tightly-knit kinship groups of people with a shared heritage. Here at MacLaren, all students are sorted into clans starting in sixth grade, and they remain in the same clan until graduation.
Community
Because clans are composed of students from every different grade, they provide a way to build community across the school. Sixth graders through seniors come together in their clans to play in Field Day competitions, attend school events (basketball games, drama performances), and do activities together such as movie nights or service projects.
Leadership and Mentorship
The juniors and seniors are the leaders of the clans, and they help prepare their group for Field Days and gather input for clan activities. This kind of leadership allows upperclassmen to invest more deeply in our broader community and to take on more responsibility for the culture of the school. The impact of having caring, kind, and welcoming student leaders was summarized well by a senior who recalled what it was like being a new sixth grader being welcomed into his clan: “When I was a sixth grader, it felt like I was getting mentored by older people here, and it was nice just to be able to make friends outside of my grade.”
Competition and Teamwork
Clans are named after cultural hallmarks of our curriculum. You’ll find Vandals (studied in seventh grade Medieval History), Raskols (named after Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment), Myrmidons (Achilles’ feared band of soldiers), Philosophers, and Minutemen, just to name a few. They all compete for the Philosophers’ Cup, which is awarded to the top clan each year. Clans can earn points by their performance at Field Day games, which are held in the fall, winter, and spring. During Field Days, students compete in games but also do clan bonding activities to earn points such as completing a challenge packet or making entries in their Clan book, a tome full of contributions from clan members over the years. Clans can also earn points by cheering on their classmates at school events such as sporting events and drama performances. And clans can earn points when members contribute to the common good of the school: for example, by stacking chairs after assembly, being a student ambassador at an Information Night, or helping clean the building.
Clans are an essential way we foster our culture at MacLaren. We say in our Parent-Student Handbook that MacLaren is characterized by “kindness, friendliness, and peace.” Clans allow us to nurture that culture by having older students support and encourage younger students and by having students feel a bond with others across the school, not just in their own grade.