Journalism teacher, Ms. Trish McHale, and chemistry teacher, Ms. Katie Pointer, joined forces to coordinate the advisory and assembly program this year.
The advisory program’s purpose is to advocate, advise, and assimilate students, creating a stronger teacher-student bond inside the school community.
Every advisory group, which consists of a teacher and eight to twelve students, meets once a week to discuss different topics.
Most advisories are comprised of mixed grade levels, but ninth  grade students are placed with other ninth graders in order to create a stable foundation during their first year of high school.
Ms. McHale and Ms. Pointer introduced advisory competitions throughout the year to encourage community building.  Most of these competitions are athletic or service oriented.
Advisories have been divided into four teams, which will compete with each other.
Ms. McHale and Ms. Pointer created an assembly schedule that includes guest speakers, student and staff-lead assemblies, and time to catch-up on class work.
To further connect the advisory program to school life, they’ve related advisory topics to the weekly assemblies when appropriate.
Assembly time will also be set aside on occasion for competitions and lunches with advisors.
“The revamped advisory and assembly programs support students’ growth in a supportive environment,” said Ms. Pointer.