NEW * High School Advisories *
03/24/2010
New High School advisories offer personalized educational experience
Exciting new programs are on the horizon for Quabbin’s high school students – programs that give them a voice in their high school experience, ways to become engaged and successful and a means to meet their classmates.
In April, all of Quabbin’s high school students will be introduced to Quabbin Advisories, a program designed just for students; a program that provides a personalized educational experience and empowers them to build a safe and respectful school community while enhancing the school culture.
Quabbin Advisories are small, heterogeneous groups of grade-level peers matched to a staff advisor. Once the advisory groups are established, the students will remain a member of their advisory throughout their high school experience, allowing them to create cohesive bonds with each other and their advisor. The advisors will become the students’ mentors and their ‘go-to’ faculty member where students can discuss issues and concerns, seek academic guidance, share ideas and make suggestions, giving them a voice in their high school experience. As a mentor, the advisor will guide the students through their high school journey and offer a sense of belonging. According to Lori Montiverdi, the Quabbin Advisories task force chair and high school Spanish teacher, ‘Advisory groups create a secure environment where students discover what they share in common with each other and their advisor while exploring and understanding different viewpoints within their group.’ As the advisories will meet frequently, the students will have the opportunity to discover each other’s interests, values, needs, and abilities while learning more about themselves, their role within the school and how they can impact their experience. The benefits: students will develop cooperative and collaborative skills, enhance their relationships with each other beyond their town, club or team, develop a more positive attitude toward the school, the faculty and their classmates and increase their involvement in the school community.
Quabbin is creating these groups to give its students a way for them to become integrally involved in their school, leading to a more congenial environment thus establishing a sense of belonging to their classmates and to Quabbin.
|
