Liam Kerr may only be in seventh grade, but there's something unmistakably mature about the way he speaks. He introduces himself carefully, explaining the pronunciation: "Kerr." Then adds, "They were in like some off-branch heritage. There was like a fight for money, and there were two different ways to pronounce it. We split off in pronunciation. We used to pronounce it 'care.'"

Across the table sits Alyssa Schloss, who teaches high school social studies at Joppa-Maple Grove. "I teach the gamut of things," she says. "World history, American history, government, psychology, and a dual credit education class."

Their conversation turns to something new at the school—the house system, inspired by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. Principal Stephanie Wood visited the academy and brought the idea back to Joppa. "This is the first year we've done the system," Alyssa explains. Students are divided into three houses—the Eagles, the Lions, and the Whales. "It's kind of like the land, air, and sea sort of situation," she says. "The Eagles are green, the Lions are yellow, and the Whales are gray." The whale, modeled after the orca, gets its gray color from being "the middle ground" between the orca's black and white.

Liam, a proud Eagle, grins when talking about the competition. "My friend is constantly bragging about how the Lions are gonna win, and I always correct her by saying the Lions are always too prideful."

The houses compete in games held in the gym—musical chairs, where you grab a ball, red light/green light. Liam laughs, remembering one game: "The guy went, 'Green, red, green, red, green, red, green.' I just decided, okay, I'm not going to move this entire time."

But the system is about much more than games. "It's about making community even smaller," Alyssa explains. "You put those people in a group together. It's random, but it's about making community within community so you have people to go to."

Liam nods thoughtfully. "When it's smaller, you know people better. When it's bigger, you don't know all of the people, and then you feel like you're not connected with anyone."

Alyssa beams. "You just explained why this works better than I could."

The house system also levels the playing field. "Typically, we have class wars, and it's freshmen versus seniors," Alyssa says. "By having houses, we're combining kids from the top to the bottom together, regardless of athletic ability, mental ability, whatever the case may be."

"And it also levels the playing ground," Liam adds.

Alyssa came from Murray State University, where they had academic colleges based on dorms. "It stems from Harvard and Yale," she says. "They do the academic colleges. It's about making community within community, making those closer relations because networking is how the world works."

Next year, the system will expand. "We can have a big sorting ceremony and welcome those kindergartners in," Alyssa says.

Teachers award house points when students show what the district calls "grit, growth, and grace." When asked what those words mean, Liam doesn't hesitate. "The grit is just being determined and making sure you are staying on the path that you want to be on. The growth is making sure that you are still advancing your learning capabilities and your knowledge, and your prowess." He pauses. "And then the grace is making sure that you do not think you are better than everyone. You may be better than some, but you are not better than everyone in your field."

"Bonus points for vocabulary," Alyssa laughs, impressed by "prowess."

The pair's rapport feels natural. Liam admits he learns math quickly—"on the second day"—but understands not everyone does. "It is required for some other students who do not have as good a memory," he says. "Not everybody learns the way that you do."

Outside of school, Liam's world is equal parts science and fantasy. He keeps geckos and snakes at home—what he calls "danger noodles." He reads fantasy novels because "I can't see a dragon with my own eyes." And he imagines himself doing medical research someday. "Like, I could find a better cure for diabetes," he says, his tone shifting from playful to serious.

When the conversation turns to college, Liam mentions concerns about cost. "I come from a poor family," he says. But Alyssa reminds him that it opens doors. "There are a lot of programs out there for people who have lower income," she says. She mentions a former student from West Frankfort who got a perfect ACT score and went to Harvard. "She came from an unfortunate situation and rose above it using that grit."

For now, Liam is figuring out his path. "I could not deal with kids," he says about teaching. "I cannot." But that self-awareness is part of what makes him remarkable.

"Every person wants to belong," Alyssa says. "The house system gives our kids that chance."

And for one thoughtful seventh grader named Liam Kerr, that might be the most important lesson of all.