Advisory Program Overview

The responsibilities of the advisor cover a wide range of activities. Advisors create a rapport of trust with and develop a relationship with each advisee, leading and teaching their respective advisory groups, maintaining an open line of communication between EHS and families, supervising activities related to students’ four-year graduation plans and semester schedules, and assisting in the supervision of a class during chapel. Advisors, with Grade Level Deans and College Counseling, track students’ progress and coordinate a four-year plan that ensures a successful student experience. 

Incoming freshmen are placed with a Freshman Advisor. Transferring sophomore, junior, and senior students who have newly arrived at EHS are placed into appropriate grade-level advisory groups. Each student’s interests, activities, prior connections, and individual needs are considered in the placement process to create strong bonds between advisor and advisee. 

Direct communication between the parent and teacher can often clarify a situation and resolve conflicts within a specific class, but if parents have concerns that persist beyond this initial contact, the next step should be to contact the appropriate Grade Level Dean. Advisors should be included in these communications so that they are kept apprised of situations and are able to participate in creating strategies to resolve them. We encourage parents to attend Back to School Knight as a first touch-point each academic year.

At regular intervals, students will meet individually with the advisor to discuss each advisee’s academic, behavioral, and social concerns and successes, as well as those coming from teachers, parents, and administrators. As advocates and sources of support for their advisees, advisors are expected to address behavioral matters, helping their advisees to adjust and learn from inappropriate behaviors and expressing support and encouragement for positive, appropriate behaviors. 

In rare cases as a student matures, interests may shift and relationships with the advisor or with other advisees may change. In light of this, any student may request a change of advisory at any time, although such changes cause the least disruption and awkwardness when made at the end of the academic year. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are formally notified about the opportunity to change advisors each spring. 

Some reasons for changing advisory groups are insufficient: students may not switch advisory groups to be with their friends or to select a favorite teacher to be their advisor. If the reasons for making a change are deemed appropriate, the Grade Level Dean will offer options for new advisory groups to which the student might move and will inform the student and parents of the details and timing for the change.