With the House Sorting Assembly coming up, freshmen must ready themselves to join the ranks of Lakeside’s four houses: Trudgian, Auslander, Holcenberg, and Nordhoff. Each year brings a chance to re-ignite old rivalries, forge new connections, and most of all, win the coveted House Cup. 

Earlier, Lakesiders responded to the Tatler poll with their own stereotypes, labels, and perhaps misconceptions about each house. The verdict of the Lakeside student body is clear: each House carries a certain atmosphere to it.

Trudgian is loud, confident, and unafraid to be described as “chalant.” In the poll, other houses may have referred to them as “obnoxious” or “cocky” for their infamous “We’re Better” slogan, but Trudgians themselves consider the house to be unapologetically bold in pursuit of victory. Their “emo” edge only serves to sharpen their mysterious presence. 

Nordhoff embodies the ocean in so many ways. Lakesiders overwhelmingly described them as chill, nonchalant, and calm, riding the waves of success and challenges as a unified tide. Unfortunately, while Nordhoff starts the yearly House Assemblies “locked in,” they often end up barely edged out by another house. They are described as a “niche” House, and are frequently underestimated. 

Then there’s Holcenberg: the house that everyone seems to think is the “next Slytherin.” While they do not embody any of Slytherin’s malevolent qualities, they are certainly a large and passionate presence, characterized as “hype” and “energetic.” Not only that, they have an expressive side to them, having been labeled as “talented” and “artsy.” 

Finally, there’s Auslander. Many Lakesiders submitted the word “blood” for Auslander, with an unsure meaning—are they out for blood? Are they making blood sacrifices to ensure constant victory? Is winning just in their blood? Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right. Competitive, raucous, and reigning House champions, Auslanders never forget to support the teammates that carried them to victory with their explosive cheers and spirited presence.

These stereotypes, like most stereotypes, shouldn’t be taken very seriously. They are amusing and intriguing, and at the same time, don’t tell the whole story. But the House leaders can.

Are Trudgians really that mysterious? Is Holcenberg really “Lakeside’s Slytherin?” Do Auslander’s red House colors give them an advantage? What is Nordhoff’s “parabola performance”? And are all of the houses scared of Auslander? All of these questions and more will be answered in an exclusive interview with this year’s senior House leaders, Cate L. ’26 (Nordhoff), Matt K. ’26 (Trudgian), Marco G. ’26 (Auslander), and Isabel W. ’26 (General, purple). While Lili B. ’26 (Holcenberg) could not make the interview, Tatler has included her separate responses below.

First, what stereotypes, attributes, or assumptions have you heard or experienced in relation to your house?

Matt K. ’26 (MK): So, Trudgian is a fierce house. We’re intimidating — from our costumes to our stellar performances. But at the same time, we’re a close-knit family. We pick up our teammates if they mess up. And that’s what Trudgian’s all about.

Cate L. ’26 (CL): I think Nordhoff is known for doing really well at the first assembly and kind of tanking, per se, at the second assembly. We like to call that a parabola performance. I think we’re also known for being very spirited and willing to try new stuff. You can say we’re drowning [in] a community, right? I’d also like to say that we’re bubbly because we’re like the sea.

Marco G. ’26 (MG): Auslander. We’re definitely a loud house. We carry a ton of energy, and we are definitely very competitive in our games and on the sidelines, as well as with our huge crowd. You could say that we play with our hearts. 

Lili B. ’26 (LB): We are humble underdogs and have great sportsmanship!

Which house do you think is your biggest rival during House assemblies, and why?

MK: I fear that there’s only one real rivalry, and that’s it. Trudgian and Auslander have historically had a rivalry, but I would say this only applies within the hour-long house assemblies. As soon as the games are over, it’s all hugs and handshakes. 

CL: I think Auslander is kind of a force to be reckoned with, and I think we’re all kind of scared of Auslander, because they have such a good track record. Auslander sometimes takes the edge at the end of the last House Assembly, but it’s really about the journey, not the destination.

MK: For the record, Trudgian is not scared of Auslander. 

What are some misunderstandings and misconceptions about your house?

CL: I think people believe we are not competitive. And I think they’re judging that based on who gets the House Cup. People really need to take in the whole picture of what Nordhoff is to really appreciate us as a house, because we historically, as I’ve said earlier, do really well at the first assembly, and I wish that was appreciated more.

MG: For Auslander, there have been a lot of claims and misconceptions that we are a house that cheats. And I’m here to make this clear: we do not cheat. We have a lot of smart and passionate players, but no, that is purely just our players; we do not cheat, we do not. There are no confirmations or anything like that. It’s never happened.

MK: I would say the biggest misconception about Trudgian is that we’re elusive. Actually, we’re here to chat. I feel like Trudgian has a hard exterior, but is actually a very close house.

CL: Exactly. All the members, you know, they look hard outside. But really, they’re not. It’s a privilege to sit on the same side of the auditorium. You just feel a fierce, bonded family energy. No one’s really aligned, but I think there’s good energy from the south side of the auditorium. 

Isabel W. ’26 (IW): I agree with that for sure. I think if any two houses are the most bonded, it’s probably Trudgian and Nordhoff. 

LB: A misunderstanding is that we don’t get first in the games.

Auslander has been described as Gryffindor and Holcenberg as Slytherin. If you had to choose one Harry Potter house to describe your house, what would it be? 

CL: I’m gonna do a hybrid house. I feel like we have the pride and the ambition of a Gryffindor, but we are also a very logical house, like Ravenclaw. The stereotype of Gryffindor is that they’re the best; the winners. I’d like to take it down to the basis of the definition — that Gryffindor is a house about being confident and proud of who you are. And I think that’s something we have in Nordhoff. 

IW: I’d say that Auslander right now is kind of like… Slytherin with a little bit of Gryffindor. And then I think that Trudgian is like, very, very Gryffindor. If anything, if you were going four for four, I’d say Nordhoff is Ravenclaw. I’d say that Trudgian’s Gryffindor. I would say Auslander is Slytherin, and Holcenberg is Hufflepuff.

MG: I agree. To build off that claim for Auslander, we have had accusations of dirty play. So I feel like that is parallel with [Slytherin]. 

IW: And you guys are ambitious.

CL: I also feel like they’re resourceful. I think they’re very strategic, and I think being a Slytherin, you have to be strategic. 

Finally, is there any advice you would like to give the freshmen joining the ranks of your house?

LB: We would tell the freshmen to show up and show out for Holcenberg!

CL: I can say, don’t be afraid to sign up for challenges. I think in recent years there’s been a trend where not many people sign up on the form, and then us leaders have to go out and collect people, but we’d really love to see more representation of all grades. It’s pretty low-pressure. No one really cares about the result. It’s just fun to go out there and play with the team.

IW: People are going to cheer for you regardless. Whether they’re in your house, if you’re winning or losing, they’re going to be cheering for you. If you get drafted into a house, and you’re not winning the House Cup, you still can enjoy it. It’ll be a good time regardless.