The house system is an essential part of the British schools worldwide. At BSS Plovdiv we now have 3 houses and you may have already learned about House Vikings and House Romans. The third and the last of the houses bears the name of the mystical people, inhabiting parts of the Balkan peninsula long ago: the Thracians. Lady of the House Thracians is Miss Zhasmina Ivanova and their emblem is the lyre of Orpheus.

Orpheus was not only a musician but a famous chieftain of a tribe in his own right. Therefore his lyre is the emblem of House Thracians. In many ancient texts the Thracians are depicted as skilled in the art of warfare, but also as mystical and magical people, whose sun worshiping temples stand until today. Apart from that, they loved the good life: fine food and drinks were always part of their pastime. The lyre of Orpheus itself can be incorporated in many activities. For example:

• Music and arts. We can hardly think of a better subject where to incorporate a lyre. In these types of lessons the pupils can learn what that instrument is, how it is played and what its history is.
• School trips. These are part of the curriculum at the British School of Sofia and are usually with a learning purpose. And the most exciting thing is that within less than an hour from Plovdiv there are a couple of ancient Thracian temples. There the students can feel the mysticism and the energy of the place, and understand for themselves the way the Thracians worshipped their gods.
• Concept based learning. At BSS we use the concept based learning (CBL) practices, devised by Lynn Erickson. For example, information about the Thracians is locked in time and space, and cannot be used in real life. Through CBL the students reach a higher order thinking, debating about nations, history, conflict, and culture. Understanding the relationship between these concepts creates a template which our students can mentally use for recognising, decoding and judging a situation in the future.

Apart from the ways that the emblem can be incorporated in the lessons, it can also be easily depicted. All you need to draw is a semi-circle with a couple of vertical lines inside of it. The color of the House Thracians is purple, since it represents magic, mystery and the unknown: most of which parts of the ancient Thracian culture.