Crests symbolize uniqueness of each house

Julien Untalan '24, Staff Reporter

Riordan’s new house crests, unveiled during the student orientations of this year, have been in the works since the summer of 2019. 

The entire House Leadership Team designed these crests, with Bolts Provincial Leo Magnaye ’05 leading the charge with his graphic designer skills. The crests were created to help tell the story of their houses while also establishing a clear sense of identity and tradition. 

Another reason for the crests’ creation is because in all of the house systems they observed before the creation of Riordan’s own house system, they all had crests. 

All house provincials were asked to create a draft of their house’s crest, incorporating house colors, symbols of their patron saint, and symbols of their house’s story. 

Provincial Christopher Fern took inspiration for the Cana design from Joan of Arc’s own crest, stating, “I loved her crest’s design. I thought it fit really well and used that as a starting point for designing the Cana house crest.” 

Magnaye and former Pilar Provincial Stephanie Lundin created a mockup of the house crests in the spring of 2020, with the crests now needing only minor adjustments. The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on the design of the house crests, hitting Riordan in the spring of 2020. 

However, production continued under the leadership of  House Directors Benny Willers ’08 and Jené Morris in the fall of 2020. Communications Director Vicki Terheyden, with the help of a graphic designer, finalized the designs. 

Bolts House Captain, Edward Macdonald ’23 said, “The new crests bring a new sense of pride to the house system. Their design brings new flair to the shirts and makes them more interesting along with their own uniqueness.”