Our school mission states that The Heights assists parents in the intellectual, moral, physical and spiritual education of their sons.  So, one may ask, how do we carry out this challenging goal?  Aside from rigorous academic courses, competitive athletic teams, and multiple extracurricular activities, the School makes a point of fostering one-on-one teaching and mentoring opportunities between faculty members and students.  The school provides three specific ways for these conversations to take place:

First, the school’s faculty is always available for one-on-one academic help for students who need it.  Secondly, and at a more spiritual level, we have two full-time chaplains for any student interested in receiving guidance or counseling.  Finally, every student has a personal advisor. The role of the advisor is to individualize, to make personal, the mission of the School for each boy.

The purpose of the Advisory Program is, therefore, like the school’s mission, to assists parents in the intellectual, moral, physical and spiritual education of their sons, yet, at a truly personal level.

These four educational components—intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual—cover a number of more concrete areas for growth.  Here are a few examples:

Intellectual:       Academics
                            Intellectual Curiosity
                            Reading for Pleasure
                            Creativity and Imagination

Moral:                Gentlemanly Behavior
                            Life of Virtue
                            Family and Social Relationships

Physical:            Sports
                            Fitness
                            Recreation
                            Hobbies

Spiritual:            Life of Faith
                            Sacraments
                            Community Service




In a sense, the goal of Advisory is to help each student reach his potential both in his academics endeavors and in his personal formation as a man.

Yet, what does "advise" actually mean?  The Oxford English Dictionary offers a number of definitions and synonyms for this often over-used verb.  These definitions and synonyms may be considered as the multifaceted role each advisor plays at The Heights.

'To observe, to watch for':  Each advisor looks out for his advisees.  This is perhaps the most basic of all his duties: How is the student doing in class?  What do his teachers say about his development?  Is he interacting well with his peers?

'To think over':  The advisor thinks about each advisee.  What are his talents?  And weaknesses?  What could he do with the gifts he has been given?  What should be the next step in his academic development?  

'To bring a thing into view, to make one observe a thing':  A key role of the advisor is to help each advisee get to know himself.  After observing each advisee and thinking about him, the advisor can point things out that the advisee may not realize about himself.  An advisee may be reminded of the importance of using his time well on school nights—“It’s a fact: surfing the internet for hours doesn’t help.”  A second one may be told that it’s better to do certain subjects first while others may be taken care of later.  And yet, another could be told that he needs to get his binder in order.  The possibilities are endless.

'To consider together':  The advisor must work with the parents of each advisee.  Advisors strive to help parents in the upbringing of their son.  It is important therefore that advisors and parents talk to each other regularly.



 Advisors meet with their advisees at least once a month.  The regular contact allows for fruitful conversation and guidance.  It also fosters the setting of goals and accountability.  Finally, as a reinforcement to the advisors' work, each advisor meets with the Head of Advisory on a quarterly basis.  This meeting helps the advisors get new ideas on how to present the mission of the school and, more importantly, discuss each student individually so they may benefit from every opportunity the school offers.