trevordayschool

student perspective Nicholas A. MS Teacher perspective Brian Sullivan 2 0 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 N icholas A. (Nick) has been a Trevor student since he was in nursery school. When it came time to move from the Lower School to the Middle School, his 6th-grade advisor, Mr. Chang, was an indispensable part of making the transition a smooth one. Nick explains, "Mr. Chang was my teacher, and he always wanted to have a conversation with me, and I loved the feeling of being valued." Now an 8th grader, Nick has similar things to say about his current advisor, Mr. Sullivan: "Mr. Sullivan always has a smile on his face, even when I make a mistake. I'm never scared to go talk to him. It's not about what I did wrong, but what I could have done and what I will do, going forward. I could come into school tired and in a horrible mood, and my advisor knows how to put a smile on my face." Not every part of the advisor- advisee relationship is serious, however. As Nick says, "Sometimes, you just want to sit down and talk about football." eir relationship started during Nick's 7th-grade year, when Mr. Sullivan was his history teacher and grade-level dean. Once, Nick met with Mr. Sullivan and started a conversation with, "Mr. Sullivan, I gotta be honest..." For the next half hour, they discussed a variety of topics that were on Nick's mind about everything from how grade-level meetings were going, to his personal concerns at school. By the end of the half hour, Mr. Sullivan and Nick were discussing Nick's opportunities to take on a leadership role within the grade and different ways that Mr. Sullivan and the rest of the faculty could interact with their students in meetings and in classes. When it came time to assign students to advisory groups for this school year, this was a natural match. "We trust one another and truly enjoy each other's company," Mr. Sullivan says. is trust is the foundation for a successful relationship between an advisor and an advisee, and the launching point for each student's success during the school year and beyond. q B rian Sullivan is in his fourth year of being a Middle School teacher and advisor at Trevor. He teaches 7th- grade history, and is also the 7th-grade dean. Mr. Sullivan coaches several Trevor athletic teams each year as well. Mr. Sullivan describes the advisory program this way: "School gives kids the opportunity to figure out what kind of adults they want to be. e advisory program matches them with a mentor who provides a model of maturity and who helps guide the students as they practice the skills they will need in adulthood." is year, one of Mr. Sullivan's advisees is Nicholas A. (who is the featured Student Perspective in this article). "Nick knows that he can ask me anything, and I will answer honestly. If he has a disagreement with a peer or doesn't understand why someone else can't see his point of view, he comes to me for perspective and guidance," Mr. Sullivan says. Page 18: Rebecca Damas in her office; Page 19: Students in the Upper School's Science Center.

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