The combination of mandatory and loved is rarely found on high school campuses, but advisory may be one of the few activities which embodies both.

Williston’s 68 advisories, made up, on average, of six advisees and one faculty advisor, meet once or twice a week. The advisory program, weekly and mandatory, have become a staple of campus life.

Freshman year, students are assigned to an advisory of all freshman. However, for sophomore, junior, and senior year, students request the advisory they would like to join, and are no longer divided by grade.

Maeve Reynolds, a freshman from Plymouth Mass., and member of Ms. Tancrell-Fontaine’s advisory, loves the chance to bond and laugh with her peers in the informal setting.

“I love being able to talk with people that I don’t have a lot of classes with,” Maeve explained. “It is really fun; we joke around a lot. It’s nice not to not have the pressure of school work [during advisory].”

Not only does Maeve enjoy her time with classmates in advisory, but she is also very grateful to have an attentive advisor and finds Ms. T-F’s presence very helpful.

“It’s good to have a teacher that I can go to and talk about stuff with if I’m feeling stressed about school work,” she said.

Ms. TF said with a smile that she, “loves being an advisor!” She continued, “It’s one of my favorite parts of my job. The thing I love the most about being a ninth-grade advisor is seeing how much they grow over the course of the year.”

Rachel Burke, a senior from Westfield, Mass, and member of Ms. Brousseau’s advisory, wishes advisory met more often.

“I always look forward to advisory,” Rachel told The Willistonian.

During meetings Rachel and her advisory typically, “catch up with each other, discuss opportunities on campus, try to help one another solve day-to-day problems, give advice, and laugh.” While she loves all of that, for Rachel the highlight of advisory is when they all, “come together to celebrate a birthday, filled with lots of ice cream sundaes and spending time together.”

Rachel descries the experience of having “small student-oriented discussions with a trusted faculty member, while being honest, and sharing ideas with one another,” as a very “positive and inclusive.”

Kat Livingston, a freshman from Westerly, Rhode Island, is in Mrs. Marsland’s advisory. Kat says she always looks forward to advisory. Her favorite part, she said, is “talking and playing games with people I doesn’t usually get to talk to,” and doing so in an environment where she can say what she wants and “I know I won’t be judged.”