Collingwood School’s House system has evolved over the years, but since 2013, the six Houses of the Senior School have been a cornerstone of student life. Named after founding families and our first Headmaster, who played key roles in creating our School, the Houses share a common mission: to foster community, support, and school spirit among our 600 students.

Each House is led by an experienced educator and trained counsellor, known as the Head of House, who supports students in navigating challenges and developing important life skills and coping strategies. Heads of House also create leadership opportunities—most notably through the role of House Captains, who are responsible for building House spirit and organizing events that bring our community together.

Throughout the year, Houses earn points by participating in a variety of competitions. The grand finale is the highly anticipated House Olympics, a campus-wide showdown of wit, athleticism, teamwork, and smarts. At year’s end, all points are tallied, and the House with the highest total claims the coveted Wright Cup—a fun and fierce tradition that fills students with pride.

The Senior School isn’t the only campus with a House system. The Junior School also features four Houses—Seymour, Grouse, Hollyburn, and Cypress—named after local mountains. Just like at Morven, Wentworth’s Houses compete in spirited challenges throughout the year, culminating in the annual Sports Day. By the intermediate grades, students can take on leadership roles as House Captains. One of the most anticipated events of the final term is the Grade 7 sorting ceremony, when students are welcomed into their Senior School Houses during a spirited assembly at Morven.

To learn a little bit about each of the six Senior School Houses, and the families they’re named after, read below.

Byrd House

Byrd House is named after founding parents Liz and Ed Byrd, who both sat on the Board of Governors during Collingwood’s early days. Liz was also the founding chair of Parents’ Council, spearheading many fundraising efforts. The Byrd family is still a proud Collingwood family, with Liz and Ed’s granddaughter Pippa joining Byrd House next year when she enters Morven. Ms. Alexa Grivakes has been Byrd’s Head of House since day one and tells us their motto is “Above and Beyond.” Byrd House’s colour is red and their mascot is a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Groos House

Laura Groos is Collingwood’s first founder and was the driving force behind the opening of the school. Not only did she recruit David Mackenzie to be Collingwood’s first Head, but she also came up with the School’s name, in honour of the H.M.C.S Collingwood, a Navy ship commanded for a period of time by her father. Groos House won the very first Wright Cup in 2013 and won again in 2021 and 2022. Groos’ colour is a bright blue and their mascot is a bulldog.

Houssian House

Houssian House is named after Joe and Joanne Houssian, Collingwood’s ‘First Couple’ and founding parents. Joe served on the founding Board of Governors for three terms and led Collingwood through several difficult years fraught with rezoning and rebuilding red-tape. Joanne served on the first Parents’ Council and later the Board of Governors and the Foundation. Together, they tirelessly worked on fundraising, both as volunteers and major donors. Houssian House won the Wright Cup in 2017 under their motto ‘Go for Gold!’. Their colour is yellow and their mascot is a cheetah and/or a lightning bolt.

Geer House

Geer House is named after founding parent, Nick Geer, who was the first president of Collingwood’s Board of Governors. According to the book ‘Collingwood School: The First Ten Years’, Nick was “a trailblazer for the School; a desperately-needed leader… who battled bureaucrats and critics.” Following his time on the Board, Nick then joined the Collingwood School Foundation Board – and then returned back to the Board of Governors until 2011. His wife, Penny Geer, was also instrumental during our early days, serving on the Parents’ Council and as a volunteer. Geer House won the Wright Cup back in 2016 and has come in 2nd many times. Mr. Dave Pool has been the Head of House since today’s House system launched in 2013. He says, “We’re about more than just the Wright Cup! We bleed green!” As such, Geer House’s colour is forest green and their mascot is a grizzly bear.

Senft House

The Senft Family has been tied to Collingwood since almost the very beginning. Jeannie and Rod Senft were both members of the Board of Governors for many years, and Jeannie was the driving force behind the creation of the Collingwood School Foundation – and was its first Chair. The second generation of Senft children at Collingwood are now students at Wentworth! Senft House has won the Wright Cup three times, in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2020. Their colour is orange and their mascot is a tiger.

Mackenzie House

David Mackenzie was the first Head of Collingwood, and the namesake for Mackenzie House. David worked closely with Laura Groos to start the School back in 1983 and ‘84, after retiring as the Brentwood College head in 1976. A Scotsman, Mackenzie is also represented in the School Crest as the stag, a symbol of Clan Mackenzie. While Mackenzie left Collingwood in 1987, his name would live on as a House – whose mascot is, of course, a stag. Mackenzie House won the Wright Cup in 2023 and 2024. Their colour is a cheerful purple.