Advisory is something Triton has had for years, the basis behind it is almost a sub-in for a more current ‘homeroom’. The students at Triton High know all about this advisory period because it has been done in the school for years now.

How do other schools do advisory? Do they have it at all? What is the difference between advisory and guidance? The Triton Voice team set out to interview students and teachers about this advisory period and also students from other schools to see how their advisory differs.

Stacey Beaulieu, a part of the guidance staff for Triton, gave some information about how advisory first came along. “Ms. Dawe and Ms. Christian are the ones who really started it here and I came along after, joining into the advisory period,” said Beaulieu. “Lots of schools change to this from homeroom.” Triton Middle School has a homeroom period where the students meet everyday at the bell, this changes into advisory when you become a high-schooler at Triton.

Beaulieu also helps with the guidance classes which sometimes hold the same information, “Guidance and advisory probably overlap, but it’s more about what grade level and helps a lot with college,” said Beaulieu. “I definitely can see where it would overlap for the two in ‘goal setting’.”

Along with Beaulieu, Karen Christian, guidance counselor, had things to say about advisory. “Back when she worked here, Dr. Lazzaro was the real force behind starting advisory,” Christian said. “It’s under the same basis as homeroom, but students have an opportunity to meet with a teacher, or advisor, who may not be a usual person they would see, like a classroom teacher,” explained Christian.

Christian is aware that some students are not to fond of having these advisory or guidance periods but, “I wish it would be more appreciated, I believe it’s important to growing older and moving into adulthood,” said Christian.

Felix Luebken, a senior at St. John’s preparatory school, explained that there is no advisory period at his school. “At the prep we have no homerooms or advisories. It doesn’t seem necessary with such a large amount of students,” said Luebken. The prep is a larger school but decides to not partake in providing students with a homeroom or advisory period.

When the students from Triton were asked how they felt about the advisories many felt as if they were a waste of time. “I feel advisory is pointless. We just get in there and do nothing then leave, it doesn’t seem like it has a reason,”  said Henrik Ernst, Senior at Triton. Some students feel this way about this period and consider it to be meaningless.