At McAnnulty, teachers and students are grouped in a “house system.” By being part of a house, students can build a positive sense of community and belonging. The Toy Story House at McAnnulty includes Ms. Thorhauer, Mrs. Graff, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. McCool, and Mrs. Senge’s classrooms. As students come together and collaborate through team-building activities like House Handshakes and greetings, they create bonds that extend beyond the classroom. These experiences make daily interactions more exciting and help to build a supportive community where everyone feels valued and included. Just like in Toy Story: you’ve got a friend in me. These connections remind us that teamwork and friendship are the keys to achieving success together.

Recently, McAnnulty held a school-wide House Party Day and the Toy Story House collaborated to make friends and memories. As a fun surprise to students, each classroom watched Toy Story 4! Then, after discussing the traits of two of our favorite characters, Buzz and Woody, we voted on who we thought would be the best house leader. This contextualized the presidential election for students. Students learned about the election process and voted at the official polling station. After the votes were tallied, Woody narrowly won the vote over Buzz!