School Spirit

York House School was founded in 1932. In 1936, with a student population of 69, the school decided that every student in grades five through twelve should belong to a House to encourage a friendly spirit of competition, cooperation and responsibility through academics, sportsmanship, discipline, and social service.

Today, York House students and staff participate in a House system and events that encourage school spirit, relationship-building, and camaraderie across grade levels. Every student from grade three to grade twelve, staff, and alumni is a member of one of the four houses: Arbutus (Blue), Cypress (Yellow), Maple (Red), and Pine (Green).

These Houses, named after the trees that are found in the neighbourhood and the streets that connect our two campuses, provide rich learning opportunities for our students. They open discussion about the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations who have lived here since time immemorial, long before these streets were named, before these trees were planted, and before York House was founded. As students journey from the Little School to the Junior and Senior Schools, these streets provide a beautiful tree canopy overhead to guide their paths.