Here at Trinity, the role of house director is one that requires leadership, persistence, hard work, and much more. Out of the ten houses at Trinity High School, three have particularly stood out this year for their recent achievements and success. These include Mr. Docter of Aquinas house (Q3 winner), Ms. Moses of Dante house (Q2 winner), and Mr. Dotsey of Patrick house (Q1 winner).

Why has your House been so successful this year?

• Docter: Aquinas house, the back-to-back champions, has had a fantastic year so far, once again. Mr. Docter acknowledged that “it is expected of us to do well, and there’s a lot of peer pressure to continue that and keep the streak alive.” He recognizes that tradition of excellence that comes with Aquinas as a big reason for this. “Guys just want to try to get that 3-peat and keep it going.”
• Moses: Dante house has also had a very solid year so far this year. Ms. Moses attributes their recent success to missing out on the house cup last year and that motivating them to make it this year. She says, “I know that that really motivated guys to want to turn that back around.” Specifically for this year’s group, she is proud that, “they did come out very strongly in the second quarter in particular to make sure that they secured a spot for the house cup tournament.” She is excited to see where it goes from there and is hoping to make a deep run in the tournament.
• Dotsey: Patrick house came out of the gate hungry for success this year due to the heartbreaking loss to Aquinas at the end of last school year. Mr. Dotsey noted, “We’ve had some really good senior leadership. The seniors have really taken the freshmen under their wing…and with that awesome leadership, it’s trickling downwards.” He also gives a lot of credit to the freshman who stepped up and gave enthusiasm which inspired the whole house. “People are encouraging each other to participate. It’s been a great environment.” The support and brotherhood have definitely contributed to their success.

What do you love about the house system at Trinity?

• Docter: In Mr. Docter’s eyes, the house system it very special. “It’s great to get people involved, but it’s also a huge variety of opportunities.” He also commented that, “Everybody has an opportunity to get involved no matter what your skill set it.”
• Moses: For Ms. Moses, the house system really helps people to find their place, especially freshmen. “Even if they don’t make their best friend in their advising group, they at least know they can turn to somebody that they see every day to help with things.” Along with this, she also loves the competitive aspect of the house. She noted that students love competition and “who doesn’t want to compete?” But, she acknowledged that “if you are not so competitive…you have a place where you can fit in too.”
• Dotsey: Mr. Dotsey is a big believer in the house system as a whole. He mentioned that “it gives a new way for students to engage with the school.” He also loves the fact that everyone can participate in a fun way. His overall message was that “it’s necessary, it’s something different, and it helps us stand out and also hopefully build some brotherhood along the way.”

Why did you become the House Director and what was that journey?

• Docter: Docter, who arrived here last year, became co-house director when they asked for a volunteer. “I thought it would be kind of cool. I love being organized, I am very competitive, I like that aspect of it.” He also noted that “This year I’m co-director with Dr. Striegel and…he was asking last year for someone to step up and lead.” He stepped up and has had great success so far.
• Moses: Moses is going on to her 7^th year as Dante House Director. She acknowledged that she was excited to get involved with it after her first year here. She said, “At the time, my oldest son was here and so I watched him in his house…who was having a good time being involved in his own way too.” With being a house director, she noted that, “I love working with my other advisors. They’re really great colleagues and they rotate a lot too.”
• Dotsey: Dotsey became Patrick house director after an opportunity at the end of his first year. He said, “There was an opportunity at the end of the year to be house director, which I thought would be interesting…But granted, I took it. I jumped ship to Patrick.” He acknowledged that it has been a great experience for him, but it requires a lot of hard work and effort as well.

With one quarter remaining, there’s only two spots left in the House Cup playoffs (the quarter 4 winner and the wild card selection). Who will make it to the end and be crowned the new House Cup Champions?