By: Emmalee Wyatt
From Meat to Honeybees, Green House to Brilliant Phenomenal Baddies, houses are each a unique community at Missouri Scholars Academy. Your housemates become your first friends at the academy. The strong bonds formed within scholars’ houses transform into close friendships during the three weeks at the academy. How do houses impact the lives of scholars?
Houses are made up of scholars’ hallway and include an RA. Scholars are encouraged to spend time with their houses. When first arriving to the academy, scholars were introduced to their RA. Later, houses introduced themselves through ice breakers and other fun activities. This started the process of forming bonds inside each house.
Every night, houses meet and discuss their days, go through tomorrow’s plans, and spend time having fun through games. These house meetings include sharing snacks, talking about deep topics, and lots of laughter. A member of the Honeybees describes her house as a fun community where scholars can safely express themselves. Each house crafts a unique name with ridiculous back story. They make up hand signs and chants. Some houses can be loosely compared to cults with their dedication to their RA and house cheer.
Housemates usually become close friends quickly. Scholars from both the Honeybees and the Green House describe their house as tightnit. Memories are formed, such as the Honeybees obsession with the lawnmower dance, or the Green House’s members making references to flowers and weeds throughout their house meetings. Meat never has had a dull moment, but one of their favorite memories was embarrassing Maggie, their RA, by chanting meat at big group.
Houses can be described with words like amazing, weird, and cult-like, but in the end, your house becomes your family for the three weeks of MSA. While the time we spend at the academy is brief, the friends that feel like family made in houses will extend into the rest of our lives. Many friends plan to meet up after the academy but those living further apart hope to see each other at alumni events in the future.
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