House System
To train our students in self-government and civic virtue, and to encourage them to strive for excellence in all areas of life - academic, athletic, and social - Founders Classical Academy - Tyler instituted a house system.
All students were sorted into one of four different houses, led by one or two teachers who serve as the Head of House. The original house systems of elite British schools were named after the residence halls in which the students lived. These halls were themselves usually named after prominent alumni whose memory endured. Here at FCA Tyler, we have chosen to name our houses after animals from medieval bestiaries (encyclopedic-like works which would catalogue and describe animals both real and mythic). The beasts described in the works were often ascribed significant symbolic qualities which were meant to tie what was perceived as physical reality with a spiritual and moral reality.
Each house has developed its own personality over and above its titular animal representative, however, and these personalities are to be celebrated and encouraged. Here follows a summary of the unique attributes of each house:
Alerion
Colors: Vermillion and Gold
Paragons: Hannibal, Heracles, Francis Bacon
Motto: Aut viam inveniam aut faciam (“Either I will find a way or I will make one”)
Relic: Alerion Banner
Gryphon
Colors: Blue and Silver
Paragons: William Shakespeare, Fred Rogers, Socrates, Maya Angelou
Motto: Si pro nihil stas, pro quo cades? (“If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for?”)
Relic: TBD
Hercinia
Colors: Green and White
Paragons: Moses, Jean Valjean, Isaac Newton
Motto: Fiat Lux (“Let there be light”)
Relic: Shield
Vulpis
Colors: Garnet and Black
Paragons: Leonardo da Vinci, Amadeus Mozart, Mercury
Motto: Hic abundant vulpes ("Here foxes abound")
Relic: Wooden board