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The House System

The creation of smaller communities within the larger Mount Carmel Catholic College community allows each student to belong to something in which they can find meaning.

Houses can strengthen friendships and allow connections and faith to be developed further.

When students enter the College in Years 7 to 10 they are assigned to one of the four houses: AVILA, HOWARD, MACKILLOP or MURRAY.

Unless a sibling connection exists (where possible the College places siblings in the same House) students are assigned randomly to a House with which they will be connected for their time at Mount Carmel. This is also the case in the Senior Years, thus all students 7-12 have a House affiliation.

Within each Junior House each student is assigned to a Pastoral Class. Currently there are eight Pastoral Classes in each House. These Pastoral classes are vertical in nature and contain students from each of the Junior Year groups (i.e. Years 7, 8, 9 and 10). This system allows strong connections across the student body and can assist in peer support processes.

Each House has its own special meaning and connection with Mount Carmel Catholic College:

AVILA (yellow)

Saint Teresa of Avila (Spain) was born in 1515. Her feast day is October 15th. All her adult life was spent in a convent, where Teresa learned the value of prayer and perseverance. She wrote many books about prayer and was made a Doctor of the Church. She founded the religious order of Discalced Carmelites, the order of Brothers on whose land our College is built. This order is based on a simple life of prayer and service; the Avila House attempts to keep focused on these virtues.

HOWARD (blue)

Howard reflects the life of Brother Charles Howard, a dedicated Marist Brother, School Principal and Superior General of the Marist Brothers worldwide from 1985-1993. In 1997 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his tireless work in education, social justice and reform. He passed away in 2012 and is warmly remembered as a visionary and Catholic education trailblazer. Howard House strongly promotes the qualities of courage and passion in its students in honour of the legacy left by our patron.

MACKILLOP (green)

Our recently canonised first Saint of Australia, Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop is an inspiration to all Australians. She is acknowledged in all our prayers and the students are mindful of her famous motto: "Never see a need without doing something about it". MacKillop House acknowledges Mount Carmel's links to the Sisters of St Joseph with Sister Maria Casey RSJ being the School's first Assistant Principal. MacKillop House stands for compassion and persistence.

MURRAY (red)

Murrary is named after William Edward Murray (1920-2013) who was born in Leichhardt and was ordained as a priest on 21 July 1945 in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

He was Bishop of the Diocese of Wollongong between 1975 and 1996. Bishop Murray approved the development of Mount Carmel High School in 1983 and he remained a strong supporter of the School throughout its early development. Murray House stands for the qualities of diversity and opportunity.