Academies have changed the way we see advisory, and it’s for the better.
Advisory was always classified as the most pointless class in my eyes. It was a pass/fail class whose grading system was based on attendance. Advisory consisted of surveys, notifications, and study time. But this year, Advisory has evolved into something different: Academies.
There are four academies here at Grand Junction High School, Arts and Humanities, Business, Communications and Entrepreneurship, Environmental Science, Technology and Engineering, and Health Services and Human Resources. The goal of the Academy model is to connect students with the same interests and help prepare them for after-high school life.
“Students will get to hang out with and meet students that have the same interests as them,” said GJHS vice principal Jared Burek, also a member of the Academy team.
As a senior, especially at first, I found the new academy model to be annoying. For most of us, we may not be able to get an endorsement at graduation. An endorsement means you completed a pathway and know more than a typical student about a certain subject, and unfortunately for seniors, it is likely too late to get an endorsement.
“We’re kinda focused right now on ninth and eleventh graders,” said Burek.
But, seniors have a unique opportunity to mentor underclassmen in the new 9th/11th and 10th/12th combined academies. This is something that seniors didn’t have within advisory before. Academy time also brings structure that Advisory was sorely lacking. Structure that might make studying and college readiness easier. The Academies will help students create resumes, apply for internships related to their interests, and help students’ interests grow.
Of course, I’ll miss the way Advisory was. It was easy and it was the one class I didn’t have to worry about, but it didn’t prepare us for a future outside of high school.
