Chesterton Academy celebrates “Sorting Ceremony” for students

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- KTVZ attended a sorting ceremony at the Chesterton Academy of Mater Dei as the Bend school celebrated its first day. The students of Bend's first Catholic high school were each assigned to one of 4 houses, and yes, we know it sounds like something straight out of Harry Potter, but it's not. Traditional English and religious schools have divided students into houses long before there was a Gryffindor or Slytherin. In this case, the four houses are named after 4 Catholic saints representing 4 pillars and the east and west branches of the church.

John Cardwell, headmaster of Chesterton Academy of Mater Dei told KTVZ News "We're embracing classical Christian education. Um, we're also embracing the last tools of learning. It's a tradition that's been around for over 1000 years, and we're here to embrace that tradition."

After they were sorted into their houses, students got new matching uniforms with quotes from their house saints on them. The rest of the day they held competitions to win points for their houses. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the coveted White Horse Cup. Chesterton Academy of Mater Dei is starting small, but enrollment is still open. It welcomes anyone interested to transfer in mid-year.