Advisory is a class that takes place between second and third block that is meant to help and advise students in academic and social situations. Students are put into classrooms with other members of their grade where their teacher will go through with the lesson plan for the day.

“We think that there are a lot of valuable things taught in advisory,” Mrs. Ayers said. Currently, advisory is focusing on preparation for college, dealing with social issues, and bringing students together.

Although this class is a required part of every student’s schedule, some students choose not to attend and, in some cases, leave campus.

Mrs. Ayers remarked that “It causes a serious liability for us [when students leave]. If they’re in a crash and we don’t know they left we can be held accountable.”

These students who choose to leave do not participate in the day’s lesson.

“We don’t think that students realize that there’s a lot of preparation that goes into advisory. There’s a lot of work and time that goes into the lesson plans,” said Mrs. Ayers.

She acknowledged that “not every [class] is perfect in the first few years,” and stated that the staff is trying to make advisory “better and more efficient” for the coming year.

“We’re really in the planning stage right now, and there are a lot of ideas on the table, but nothing has been adopted yet,” Mrs. Ayers said.

Such ideas include making advisory more predictable by having consistent themes per week of the month, making advisory shorter and more concise with more intent, and potentially setting up a “club day” in advisory where clubs can gather and students can get involved in club activities and in the school.

“We want kids to find advisory meaningful,” Mrs. Ayers stressed.

But what is “meaningful?”

“Meaningful” means different things to different students. For some, what is meaningful is raising awareness to bullying, depression, anxiety, and other social issues, while for others, what is meaningful is college preparation, career planning, and other academic helpers.

Mrs. Ayers wanted to encourage students to speak up and give feedback about advisory other than “it sucks” and instead answer questions such as “Why does it suck? What do you think they could do to make it not suck? What do you want?”

“We really want to hear and make heard students’ voices,” Mrs. Ayers said.

Email administration and give your feedback. If you’re having trouble coming up with suggestions, here are some questions to help.

What is it you would change in advisory?

Why would you change this?

What do you need from advisory?

What do you want advisory to cover? Social issues? Academic issues?

How would you go about making advisory more engaging?

Mrs. Ayers has said that the basics for next year’s advisory will be known before the end of this school year.