Advisory Program

ESD Advisories: The Cornerstone of Middle and Upper School Life.

More than four decades ago, as Father Swann was formulating the kind of school ESD would become, he believed strongly that children feel assured that they would not be anonymous – that they would not “fall through the cracks.” He believed that within a larger community, there should be small, intimate groups where everyone felt accepted; where the power of cliques is minimized; where an adult could shepherd and guide. Thus, the ESD advisory system was born.

Through the years, the concept has evolved. Today, our advisory system is a cornerstone of the day-to-day life of the Middle and Upper School students at ESD. It is a continuation of the warmth and care found in homerooms at the Lower School. Every morning, each advisory, comprised of eight to ten same-grade students, attends Chapel together. During lunch, every day in the Middle School and twice a week in Upper School, the advisory sits together at the round tables in the Daryl Johnston Family Dining Commons. Advisory also includes community service projects, special programming, one-on-one meetings between the advisor and the advisee, and group activities at Wolf Run. These experiences allow the advisor to get to know these young people in a way that transcends academics.
 

About Advisories: From an Alum and Teacher Perspective

The advisory system plays a huge part in creating the unique and special community that ESD has. It gives each child a sense of security of knowing there is an adult at school they can rely on to help them organize, talk to teachers, and deal with social issues. It also provides the parents with one primary contact at the school who knows their child and will serve as a conduit for information between the parents and the students' teachers.