GHS NEws

Gloucester High School Implements New Advisory Block

Editor Kyle Husky

For the 2019-20 school year, Gloucester High School is introducing a bi-weekly advisory block in hopes of giving students an outlet to discuss goals, struggles, and opinions surrounding both their academic and personal lives. The first of these short periods was held on Wednesday, September 11.

An advisory block is a guidance strategy that incorporates regular meetings between an adviser and a small group of students. This concept was pioneered for GHS last year by the late Adam Neely. He described it as an “exciting opportunity for staff members to work closely with a small group of students as they learn and grow.”

Although he is not here to help execute these advisory blocks, GHS Principal Craig Reed has said that he is following through with it, along with Neely’s many other ideas.

According to Tom Vander Ark, CEO and partner of learning design firm, Getting Smart, the best student guidance systems are blended, distributed, and scheduled. Advisory is a period that incorporates all of these aspects in order to best navigate students through high school.

The goal of advisory periods is to create a positive school atmosphere. Mr. Reed said that these periods help “support students outside of academics,” and give them a “contact person.” They are ultimately building small communities within a large one.

This concept has been in the works since last school year

These meetings typically have a clear focus that students and advisers participate in. Government teacher Dave Mathews said that lessons are usually written “towards that grade level”. Mathews continued, “If you're a senior, your next lesson may be about voting, how to register, etc.” Other topics that will be discussed include goal development and making friends.

The advisers will also provide common disciplinary expectations to help their students better understand the duke way, which is made up of three components: be respectful, engaged, and responsible.

Mathews noted that a “team of five [teachers] each made two, [while] eight more lessons are already set.” A committee of teachers met in several afternoons last year to write these additional lessons.

It was also decided last year which advisory students will go to. Physics teacher Jacqui Riva said teachers were asked “if they had a preference for what grade level students they wanted to have in their advisory.” They were then assigned alphabetical, by grade.

Each adviser was given about 14-15 students, and will continue to mentor these students until their graduation. After an adviser's group graduates, they will get a new group of ninth grade students.

There has also been confusion surrounding advisory blocks, and many students are unaware of their purpose.

A junior said that she felt we “haven’t been told much about it.” She said that she was “told we were doing them the day before and [she] had no clue of them prior to that.”

A senior said that they do not understand them because she has “already gone four years without them” and she's “done just fine.”

Some students were also unsure which advisory teacher they reported to, especially students that go to Governor's school or New Horizons in the mornings. These students do not arrive at the high school until 3rd period, making them miss their advisory block altogether.

Although these students were originally going to have their advisory period during last block but, according to junior New Horizon student Leighann Harper, they now won't have them at all.

Some students have expressed outright dissent towards the advisory blocks. One sophomore described them as “boring and useless.” Another student said that they are a “waste of 30 minutes to teach us topics we already know.”

Others have supported advisory blocks and their purpose. A sophomore said that they like them because they’re a “nice break between the day.” She said that she liked her teacher, and that she “would come to [her] teacher if [she] had problems.”

English teacher Angie Head likes the implementing of advisory blocks. She said that she hopes “students and teachers will settle into it and realize that it could have some value.”

The objective of advisory blocks can make them beneficial for students and teachers alike.