In an effort to better connect with students, Graham House met with all incoming Juniors during orientation this year. Counselors introduced themselves and talked about transitioning smoothly to Andover. Max Alovisetti, director of the Graham House Counseling Center said, “We want kids to feel comfortable reaching out for help when they need it.” “We want students to have support and help before problems become overwhelming,” he continued. Graham House counselors began meeting with the incoming ninth grade boarders two years ago as a direct result of the Strategic Plan. Alovisetti said, “We feel that whenever we can have students interact with us, whether in our role as teachers, academic advisors, chaperones, dorm visits, or athletics, it makes students feel more comfortable.” “We’re continuing to evaluate how best to provide services at PA and to help students feel comfortable coming to Graham House,” said Alovisetti. Advising System Phillips Academy revised the advising program to better meet the strategic goal of effectively supporting students. “John Rogers, Dean of Studies, and I worked with Danny Silk, last year’s school president, to establish the Academic Advisory Committee,” said Korn. “Currently, I am working with Teddy Collins, this year’s school president, to get the committee up and running again this year.” Korn meets with this student committee frequently to ensure that there is a healthy relationship between faculty and students concerning academic affairs. In addition, students can voice questions, comments and concerns through their student representative. There are also two faculty committees, the Committee on Academic Support and the Advising Council, that deal with the topic of advising and have two distinct focuses. The Committee on Academic Support deals with students’ academic preparation, working with students who may benefit from specific academic support and their families. The committee recommends specific steps that can be taken during the year to ensure that the student receives the academic support necessary, as well as in the summer The Advising Council, headed by Korn, primarily oversees the advising program. “This year, we are assessing the current program, with an eye to making recommendations for improvement.” Korn said. Feedback on the advising system is collected annually from a portion of the student body and used to focus the Advising Council’s work. Though it is too early in the year to determine specific focuses of the council, Korn said that the council is committed to the change of computerizing the program planning process and will also examine advisor training. Korn said, “We’re also interested in what you might call student and parent/guardian training— that is, how to provide useful information to students and their families so that all parties— advisors, students and parents/guardians — can work as a team on program planning.” Academic Support The preparation gap between students from different academic backgrounds is addressed in the Strategic Plan. The Academic Support Center (ACS), which helps students achieve academic goals, has expanded as a result of the Strategic Plan. “I would say that we are continuing to evaluate the most appropriate level of academic support to offer students at Phillips Academy,” wrote Pat Davison, Director of Academic Support, in an e-mail. The Committee on Academic Support was started by Jane Fried as Acting Associate Head of School during the 2005-2006 school year as a direct response to the Strategic Plan. Dean of Faculty Temba Maqubela hired the first ACS teaching fellow, Margaret “Cammie” Phelps, this year. Elizabeth Joseph also began working in the ACS for the equivalent of one class section. Dean of Studies John Rogers created the Committee on Ninth Grade to investigate ways to incorporate academic support into the Junior curriculum. The Committee includes three 100-level course heads and various other faculty members, including Davison. This past summer, 21 rising Lowers participated in the first Accelerate, Challenge, Enhance (ACE) Scholars program in Colorado. This five-week program acted as a supplement to school-year academic preparation, especially in the mathematics area. Phillips Academy Summer Session and Math and Science for Minority Students (MS)2 are other academic offerings that students take advantage of.
