The Administration has announced its plan to initiate the application process for the new Student Advisory Council this fall. The council’s primary mission is to facilitate better communication between the administration and students and foster a more student-centered advisory experience.
Director of Student Life Royce Wallace, who is the faculty sponsor of the council, said their founding principle is to enhance the benefits of advisory by incorporating student perspective into faculty discussions.
“Student voice would be critical in our advisory programming,” Wallace said. “Some students really like advisory but some students may not like it as much, and that’s understandable.”
Caimi Young (’25) said while he enjoys advisory, he is upset that it replaces Conference Time B on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“I really enjoy using my Conference Time B to meet with teachers,” Young said. “Not everyone can come in at eight o’clock for Conference Time A, so I hope students can help the faculty understand that.”
Moreover, Wallace said he views the creation of the council as a means through which students can voice their needs to the administration.
“We want to make sure that student voice is at the table so that the students who were indifferent about advisory or didn’t like advisory will know, ‘I had someone representing me,’” Wallace said.
Advisory is about wellbeing, it’s about academic development, and it’s about social development so it really encompasses everything that adolescents go through.
— Director of Student Life Royce Wallace
Khady Sao (’27) said being new to the advisory program as a Grade 9 student inspired her to apply to the council, given she will participate in the advisory program throughout high school.
“I realized I was going to be in this advisory for the next four years and wanted to make a change,” Sao said. “It’s a bit daunting to think that you’re going to be with these people for the next four years, so you want to make it nice.”
Wallace said the key purpose of advisory is to foster a close-knit welcoming community, which alumni have often looked back at fondly.
“One of the things I’ve heard is that when [graduated] students return, their advisory is the one thing they do remember,” Wallace said. “Advisory is about wellbeing, it’s about academic development, and it’s about social development so it really encompasses everything that adolescents go through.”
Wallace said an ideal member of the Student Advisory Council simply needs to be interested in promoting a range of viewpoints within the community.
“It’s important to just have different voices at the table and different minds,” Wallace said. “As we create lessons from Grade 9 to 12, we really have that variety of perspectives along with teachers.”
Sao said one of the changes she hopes to make if she becomes a member of the council would be to incorporate more collaboration with other advisories. Additionally, she said she appreciates the grade-level crossover aspect of advisory, where senior peer leaders act as mentors to each freshman advisory.
“It’s cool to get to know a group of people as well as some seniors because they have more perspective on the High School and what it’s going to be like,” Sao said.
Similarly, Young said he thinks having multi-grade advisories would “be a good way to socialize” considering students often make friends within their grade level.
Young said he has previously had suggestions to enhance the advisory program and is enthusiastic about the potential for student representatives to implement them.
“The changes I’d like to see in advisory are getting to choose our advisories and fewer advisory meetings,” Young said. “I think having student representatives could really improve some of those areas.”
