AHS Advisement Program
B.) We spend the month of January preparing each advisee for the Student-Parent-Advisor (S.P.A.) Conference which is held at the end of the month. This is a student-led conference focusing upon a four-year secondary curriculum plan, post-secondary options, and career goals. Items also discussed include grades from first semester and the courses requested for next year. Seniors do not participate in this activity.
C.) Voluntary prep sessions are held for the advisors each Thursday prior to a Tuesday advisement meeting. These take place both before and after school to give a quick overview of the activity planned.
D.) Curriculum used for sessions is written and planned by staff. This has been done during the summer with final touches being applied a couple of weeks before being utilized.
E.) A steering committee of volunteers meets periodically, offering guidance for the advisement program. This group finalizes curriculum for the year, provides insight and suggestions for activities planned.
F.) Thirty-minute individual sessions between advisor and advisee have been instituted for an opportunity of getting to know each other. Both parties determine the time. These sessions take place once each semester.
G.) There is a ninth grade transitional orientation program, which has been established for incoming sophomores to become better informed of life at Ankeny High School. Volunteers from various advisement groups facilitate the program.
H.) The advisement program has evolved into a focus of being more service-oriented. Different groups sponsor special events to assist causes of interest to them. Examples include collecting "Stocking stuffers" during December holiday time, carving Halloween pumpkins for a viewing parade, promoting "Walk for the Cure" in the fall to assist the Cancer Society, and the "Cystic Fibrosis Walk" in the spring to secure funds for research.
I.) A spring school-wide barbecue is carried out to celebrate the culmination of the many activities done throughout the school year. The student body eats a lunch outside and an Earth Day activity is planned as a service project.
Purpose
The Advisement Program connects students, parents, educators, and community members while providing a door to life after high school, a window for understanding others in the school and community, and a road to ensure security and well-being. Since its inception in 1997, the goal of Advisement has been to provide every student with an adult advocate who will help him or her personalize the educational experience at AHS.
Mission Statement
The mission of the AHS Advisement Program is to provide every student an adult advocate to help him or her personalize the total educational experience. Each advisor will have in-depth knowledge of each advisee.
Three objectives frame the Advisement Program, focusing on improving the student's educational experience:
- All staff members will demonstrate a personal concern for students as individuals. Every staff member in the building has been randomly assigned to advise a varied group of 15-18 students. Advisors strive to provide students with an opportunity to develop stronger relationships with peers and school personnel.
- Promote parental involvement in the student's education assessment and decision-making process. To accomplish this, the Student-Parent-Advisor Conference was developed. This student-led conference focuses upon the four-year plan, post-secondary options, and career goals.
- Assisting students with school and career planning. In advising the group, staff members increase their own understanding of the areas including curriculum offerings, graduation requirements, and school policies.
In addition to he mission statement, several key Program Goals have driven the Advisement curriculum:
- Demonstrate to students that the school has a personal concern for them as individuals.
- Create a "sense of family" or "belonging."
- Produce self-sufficient, responsible learners.
- Create a format to facilitate and encourage regular and positive parent involvement in the student's educational assessment and decision-making process.
- Create an environment where relationships within the school focus on cooperation rather than on position and authority.
- Expand staff members' understanding of the total school educational program in areas including curriculum, requirements, and policies.
- Give students an opportunity to discuss issues of importance to them with peers and adults in the school environment.
- Provide students with a greater opportunity to develop more and closer relationships with peers and staff members.
- Provide opportunity for staff members to get to know students they may not normally have in class and to become familiar with a larger portion of the student body.
- Provide a means for students to frequently assess themselves.
- Provide an opportunity where both advisors and advisees can sit, talk, relax, and not feel pressured.
- Give students a positive channel to express concerns about the school.
- Allow for the creation and implementation of a formal curriculum to address "Essential Learnings" outside the established disciplines.
Advisement Activities
A.) Periodically we have Student Issue Days. The agenda is determined with the student advisement representatives selected by each of the 75-advisement groups. This body brings issues of concern from each group. Dr. Ratigan meets along with us for a twenty-minute session listening and clarifying topics discussed. We meet in three blocks so each voice may be heard. After these meetings, a list of issues is compiled for the advisement groups to rank as most important. The top nine issues are then given to the administration for their inspection. Another meeting takes place with the representatives a week later to explain action taken on the topics of most concern or why no action will be taken at this time.
B.) We spend the month of January preparing each advisee for the Student-Parent-Advisor (S.P.A.) Conference which is held at the end of the month. This is a student-led conference focusing upon a four-year secondary curriculum plan, post-secondary options, and career goals. Items also discussed include grades from first semester and the courses requested for next year. Seniors do not participate in this activity.
C.) Voluntary prep sessions are held for the advisors each Thursday prior to a Tuesday advisement meeting. These take place both before and after school to give a quick overview of the activity planned.
D.) Curriculum used for sessions is written and planned by staff. This has been done during the summer with final touches being applied a couple of weeks before being utilized.
E.) A steering committee of volunteers meets periodically, offering guidance for the advisement program. This group finalizes curriculum for the year, provides insight and suggestions for activities planned.
F.) Thirty-minute individual sessions between advisor and advisee have been instituted for an opportunity of getting to know each other. Both parties determine the time. These sessions take place once each semester.
G.) There is a ninth grade transitional orientation program, which has been established for incoming sophomores to become better informed of life at Ankeny High School. Volunteers from various advisement groups facilitate the program.
H.) The advisement program has evolved into a focus of being more service-oriented. Different groups sponsor special events to assist causes of interest to them. Examples include collecting "Stocking stuffers" during December holiday time, carving Halloween pumpkins for a viewing parade, promoting "Walk for the Cure" in the fall to assist the Cancer Society, and the "Cystic Fibrosis Walk" in the spring to secure funds for research.
I.) A spring school-wide barbecue is carried out to celebrate the culmination of the many activities done throughout the school year. The student body eats a lunch outside and an Earth Day activity is planned as a service project.
Due to the improvement of school culture, tardy rates have fallen, incidents of school violence are down, and students are more connected with the learning environment. Results from a survey given in 1998 and again from 2000 to 2003, show considerable growth. A majority of students felt that the school showed personal concern for them as individuals. They also felt as if the school provided a forum that enabled the discussion of important issues, thus giving them a voice in school policy. Finally, a majority of student said that they felt a sense of family or belonging at school.
