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The House system is a meaningful link to STS history and a vibrant part of daily school life, fostering connection, leadership and belonging.
From their first day, every student is welcomed into one of four Houses: Buchan, Burns, Dover or Howard; building relationships across grade levels, strengthening school spirit and creating opportunities to lead, contribute, celebrate together and sometimes enjoy a little friendly competition.
Each House crest reflects distinctive wildlife, geography and natural elements of the region where students learn, explore and grow.
Buchan House is named after John Buchan, a Scottish novelist, historian, and politician who became Governor General of Canada in 1935 and was ennobled as the first Baron Tweedsmuir. His title was inspired by the hamlet near Broughton where his grandfather had lived, and it later influenced the naming of one of our founding schools, Tweedsmuir: An Academic School for Girls.
A prolific writer with over 100 books to his name, Lord Tweedsmuir established the Governor General’s Literary Awards in 1936. That legacy continues today as the country’s premier literary honour.
Burns House is named after Patrick Burns, a Calgary pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded P. Burns and Co. and built it into one of the world’s largest integrated meat packing empires. Known as the “Cattle King,” Burns owned ranches covering 700,000 acres of Southern Alberta, so vast he could travel from Cochrane to the U.S. border without leaving his own land. One of the Big Four cattlemen who backed the first Calgary Stampede in 1912, Burns was equally known for his generosity.
On his 75th birthday during the Depression, he gave a five-pound roast to every unemployed family in Calgary and a restaurant meal ticket to every unemployed person, feeding 6,000 Calgarians in a single day. He served as a senator from 1931 to 1936, and his descendants remain proud graduates of STS and our founding schools.
Dover House is named after Mary Dover, born on July 1, 1905, the very day Alberta joined Confederation. The daughter of A.E. Cross, one of the Big Four who founded the Calgary Stampede, and granddaughter of Lt.-Col. James Macleod, who helped establish Fort Calgary, Mary came from a family woven into Alberta’s history. During World War II she rose to Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, becoming one of Canada’s first female military officers and the second-highest ranking woman in the Canadian Army.
Awarded the Order of the British Empire for her wartime service, she later served two terms as a Calgary city councillor and was a founding trustee of Tweedsmuir: An Academic School for Girls and a past parent at Strathcona School for Boys.
Howard House is named after Alfred M. Howard, who served as Head of School at Strathcona School for Boys from 1940 to 1967, guiding the institution through 27 transformative years that included World War II, post-war expansion, and Calgary’s oil boom.
A natural educator who believed deeply in the development of character, Mr. Howard built a strong sense of family within the school and made celebratory traditions and public speaking hallmarks of the boys’ education. Under his leadership, enrolment grew from 40 to 60 students while maintaining the intimate, family atmosphere for which Strathcona was known. His philosophy of nurturing integrity and potential in every child shaped generations of young men and continues to anchor the values of STS today.
At STS, House life is a defining part of the student experience. Through events, service, and friendly competition, students build pride in their House and form connections that last well beyond the classroom. Each student contributes to a shared legacy, strengthening the traditions and sense of belonging that make our Houses so meaningful.
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