Carrington Middle School: Cougar Houses
The Core Manifesto: > "In the wild, cougars are solitary animals, but at Carrington, we work together intentionally to transform the world."
| House & Theme | Cultural Roots & Philosophy | Crest Imagery | Core Pitch & Attributes |
|---|
🔴 House Vanguardia
(The Frontline) | Blends Vanguardia (Spanish for the frontline of cultural and social change) with Kujichagulia (Swahili for self-determination).
It honors trailblazers who define their own futures. | A forward-facing cougar stepping out from a shield patterned with geometric Afrocentric and Aztec motifs. | Leadership & Voice
Empowers students to take the first step, speak up for equity, guide their peers, and act with integrity. |
🔵 House Tallawah
(The Mighty) | Blends Tallawah (Jamaican Patois for fearless, strong, and mighty despite size/limitations) with Resiliencia (Spanish for resilience).
Honors the Caribbean diaspora and unbreakable community endurance. | A majestic cougar silhouette standing firm atop a jagged mountain peak, framed by traditional West Indian wave patterns. | Perseverance & Grit
Reminds middle schoolers that though they may feel "small" or overlooked, their inner strength and culture make them an unstoppable force. |
🟢 House Harambee
(The Collective) | Blends Harambee (Swahili for "Let us pull together") with Fuerza (Spanish for strength).
It honors historic labor and civil rights movements (e.g., Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta). | A powerful cougar paw mid-strike, wrapped in patterns inspired by West African Kente cloth and traditional Mexican serapes. | Energy & Unified Effort
Focuses on the power of collective labor, school spirit, and putting sweat equity back into the Durham community. |
🟡 House Sankofa
(The Legacy) | Features Sankofa (Ghanaian Akan concept of looking to the past to build the future) and Esperanza (Spanish for hope).
It honors ancestral heritage as a roadmap for future success. | A sleek golden cougar looking back over its shoulder toward a rising sun (reflecting the traditional Sankofa posture). | Vision & Heritage Pride
Teaches students that knowing their roots gives them the wisdom, pride, and hope necessary to change their environment. |
Removing Apex entirely from the execution phase changes the game in a massive way. Logistically, Carrington's PTA and staff will now own the daily and event production. Financially, however, this is a home run: by cutting out the corporate vendor and running everything in-house through Givebacks, the school will retain roughly 97% of every dollar raised (minus standard credit card processing fees).
Here is the updated, 100% school-run ordered list of tasks and timeline locations to launch the Cougar House System.
Phase 1: Infrastructure & Supply Sourcing
Rough Timeline: Summer (July – August) / 8–10 Weeks Before Campaign Launch
- Build the Givebacks Digital Framework
- Description: Create the four master landing pages on Givebacks for House Vanguardia, House Tallawah, House Harambee, and House Sankofa. Configure the platform for peer-to-peer tracking so families can easily select their student's House.
- Potential Owner: PTA / Fundraising Committee
- Secure "Adopt-a-House" Corporate Underwriters
- Description: Pitch local Durham businesses to sponsor a House for a flat fee (e.g., $1,000 to $1,500). This cash is deposited directly into the PTA account to purchase things like house t-shirts upfront.
- Potential Owner: PTA / Fundraising Committee
- Purchase Bulk Event Supplies Independently
- Description: Bypass vendor markups. Order items in bulk.
- Potential Owner: PTA / Fundraising Committee
- Produce the Bilingual Communication Kit
- Description: Draft and translate all marketing materials into English and Spanish. Build the templates around the Cougar Manifesto ("Carrington Cougars work together intentionally to transform the world!").
- Potential Owner: PTA / Fundraising Committee
Phase 2: Staffing & Internal Alignment
Rough Timeline: Early September / 4–6 Weeks Before Campaign Launch
- Appoint Staff House Sponsors
- Description: Assign elective teachers, coaches, and grade-level leads to anchor the four Houses as adult figureheads. Because there are no "Apex Athletes" on campus, these staff members will be the primary adult cheerleaders for their color.
- Potential Owner: School Administration (Principal / APs)
- Create the "Carrington DIY House Playbook"
- Description: Document the entire setup in a master Google Drive folder—including course layouts, music playlists, and morning announcement scripts—so the event can easily be repeated next year regardless of volunteer turnover.
- Potential Owner: PTA & Faculty Committee
Phase 3: Student Induction & Hype Build
Rough Timeline: Mid-to-Late September / 2–3 Weeks Before Campaign Launch
- Execute the 6th-Grade Sorting Ceremony
- Description: Host a high-energy gym assembly to sort incoming 6th graders into their permanent Houses. 7th and 8th graders automatically return to their existing multi-year House identities.
- Potential Owner: School Administration & Staff House Sponsors
- Select 8th-Grade House Captains
- Description: Interview and appoint student leaders for each House. Since there is no outside staff, these students will be the primary emcees responsible for driving daily campus energy.
- Potential Owner: Staff House Sponsors
Phase 4: The 2-Week Live Campaign
Rough Timeline: October (Fundraiser Live Window)
- Launch Givebacks & Student-Led Morning Announcements
- Description: Turn on the Givebacks donation links. Every morning, the 8th-grade House Captains take over the school PA system or video broadcast to read the current leaderboards and stir up friendly competition.
- Potential Owner: Student Leaders & PTA
- Execute School-Led Daily Spirit Challenges
- Description: Instead of a vendor's curriculum, run daily theme days (e.g., House Shirt Day, High-Five Friday) where students earn "Action Points" for their House simply by participating.
- Potential Owner: Staff House Sponsors & Student Leaders
- Log Non-Financial Action Points
- Description: Manually tally and upload points earned from free actions (attendance, spirit days, link shares) into Givebacks to ensure students facing financial barriers are fully contributing to their team's score.
- Potential Owner: Staff House Sponsors & PTA
Phase 5: Event Day & Premium Rewards
Rough Timeline: End of the 2-Week Window
- Freeze the Leaderboard & Allocate Rewards
- Description: Freeze Givebacks point tracking 48 hours before the main event. Identify the single highest-scoring House. Prepare the "Premium Reward Packets" exclusively for that winning House's roster.
- Potential Owner: PTA
- Execute the Carrington Cougar House Games
- Description: Map out the obstacle course on the school fields. Staff sponsors and parent volunteers run the stations and play music. All students participate in the outdoor field day activities, but the grand finale features the winning House using their premium color packets for the ultimate Color Blast celebration.
- Potential Owner: School Administration, Staff, and PTA Volunteers
Phase 6: Wrap-Up & Continuity
Rough Timeline: 1–2 Weeks Post-Event
- Bilingual Financial Transparency Reporting
- Description: Send out a community-wide announcement in English and Spanish celebrating the final total and highlighting the massive amount of capital retained by the school due to the DIY Givebacks model.
- Potential Owner: PTA / Fundraising Committee
- The Next-Gen Leadership Handoff
- Description: Have the outgoing 8th-grade House Captains run a brief orientation session with rising 7th graders, passing down the House flags and preparing them to take the reins next autumn.
- Potential Owner: Student Leaders