DSI House System
The House System is designed to embody the values and ethos of DSI by providing every student the opportunity and platform to develop social, intellectual, physical and practical skills through House activities. The Inter-House Shield of Honour Championship also instils a sense of achievement, loyalty, pride and belonging in our students not only to the House they belong to but with the awareness of individual and collective responsibility they are able to bring forth to the School and Community.
House Organization:
Pupils are assigned to one of the four Houses on entrance to the school where they remain until they leave the School. Each member of staff (except for Principals, Assistant Principals and House System Committee) is also attached to a House.
Each House has elected House Captains and assistants who will act as representatives for all the students in their House throughout the year by: helping to co-ordinate House teams; organize activities and events, and represent their House at relevant meetings.
Symbolic Houses:
The four Houses are named after Chinese heroes and heroines with their attached symbolic values aligned with DSI School Values and House Colours:
i. Hua Mulan (Respect and Filial Piety, Yellow):
Hua Mulan is the heroine of a popular Chinese legend in which a woman disguises herself as a man and goes to war in place of her elderly father. Back then, outlying tribes invaded China’s central plains and the imperial government decreed that every household must send a man to the frontline. Mulan’s brother was too young and so her ailing elderly father had to go. Concerned for his health, Mulan disguised herself as a man and took her father’s place in the war. She fought adeptly for 12 years, contributing to numerous victories. After the war ended, the emperor bestowed honors on her and wished to make Mulan a high-ranking official. Mulan declined, preferring to return home to care for her aging parents.
ii. Yue Fei (Integrity and Loyalty, Blue):
The Great General Yue Fei (1103–1142AD) is one of China’s most celebrated generals, known not only for his military successes, but also for his high ethical standards. Through ancient biographies telling his story and a temple dedicated to his memory, Yue Fei is an enduring symbol of loyalty. When China was invaded from the north by the Jurchens, and the imperial court was in desperate need of capable warriors, Yue Fei defended his country with the blessings of his elderly mother who tattooed for Chinese characters on his back: Jing Zhong Bao Guo – “Serve the Country loyally”.
iii. Han Xin (Self-Disciplined and Tolerance, Green):
The Great General Han Xin (approximately 231–196 B.C.) was one of Chinese history’s most outstanding military strategists. And yet, it is a story from Han Xin’s youth that is most often recounted as a lesson in tolerance. One day, as he was walking down the street, Han Xin encountered another young man outside a local butcher shop who challenged him to a duel or to crawl between his legs as an ultimate humiliation.
Han Xin understood that to accept the challenge he would have to kill the young man. He then slowly knelt down and began to crawl between the man’s legs because he knew this was just a small sacrifice on his road to greatness.
iv. Mu Guiying (Excellence and Courage, Red):
Lady Mu Guiying came from a real historical family that is forever enshrined as a symbol of courage. Over a thousand years ago, the Yang family was known for its military skill and fearlessness on the battlefield but with the dynasty teetering on the edge of destruction, the last of the family’s men was killed in battle. Lady Mu Guiying, along with her faithful maid and all the Yang widows, took charge of the emperor’s military and saved the dynasty. They have been celebrated ever since as symbols of courage and strength in trying times.
DSI Inter-House Shield of Honour:
Each House is in competition with each other to achieve the highest number of house points at the end of each term and most importantly by the end of the year when the DSI Shield of Honour will be presented to the Champion House:
2015-16 Champion House: House of Hanxin
2016-17 Champion House: House of Mulan
2017-18 Champion House: House of Mu Guiying