Advising

A central adult for each student and family at Concord Academy is his or her advisor. New students arriving in the fall find themselves paired with a teacher, a house parent, or an administrator who will serve as a guide throughout the school year. Advisors meet frequently with each advisee at the beginning of the year to review the student’s course program and schedule changes and to offer counsel and support as the student adjusts to life at school. The advisor is also the person with whom teachers and parents are most likely to talk when they have questions or concerns. Parents are encouraged to consult with advisors on a regular basis. Returning students select an advisor who may be a beloved teacher from the previous year, someone whose class they plan to take, or a teacher, administrator, or coach whom they have come to know outside the classroom. Advisors continue to play an important role as students construct a suitable academic and extracurricular program as the student’s experience unfolds. They also often become mentors and important allies as a student develops a personal social philosophy, moral code, and aesthetic sense. Although the advising relationship is primarily an individual one, advisee groups, which are no larger than eight or nine and usually smaller, may develop an informal collective bond that offers a further sense of rootedness.