This year, school administration made changes to Advisory Week in an effort to make it a more informative and in-depth process for student course selection. We commend these changes as they will help students better understand the expectations of each class, and lead to fewer scheduling conflicts.

The changes were made in response to a recent increase in student requests for schedule changes after the course selection period had already closed, according to Assistant Principal Carmen Gomez.

The reforms included workshops, Q&As, and presentations given by teachers during tutorial period to interested students. Additionally, representatives from several different courses had booths in the gym to promote their classes during lunch on Jan. 23 and 24.

These modifications enabled students to have conversations with teachers and counselors in a timely manner. Doing so also helped students have more information on the workload of each class, allowing them to build a balanced schedule.  

In addition to the modifications made this year, we believe that future Advisory Week events would benefit from featuring more student voices in the informational sessions.

We suggest that more current students take an active role in Advisory Week through presentations, class visits, and student panels. Adding a student perspective would allow students to understand the time commitment and rigor of each class. Students might also feel more comfortable asking questions to their peers than to teachers.

The school first created Advisory week when the district passed its open enrollment policy for Advanced Placement and Honors classes. In the past, this day was comprised of a gradewide presentation of expected classes as well as two videos promoting electives and department presentations.

Fortunately, with new courses being offered every year, the Advisory Week process has become increasingly more extensive since its initiation. We hope that future Advisory Weeks will continue to include this year’s reforms, and add more student involvement.

Offering these opportunities for students to learn more about future classes is important for students and staff as it will ultimately help students make informed decisions that they will not regret.