RELIEVING STRESS AND HAVING FUN

Share this article with a friend.

November 4, 2020

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Middle school advisory program aims to connect students with faculty and staff outside of a formal academic classroom to promote healthy relationships and wellness.

A couple of weeks ago, during a Wednesday Community Time period in Notre Dame Middle School, a spirited discussion was taking place in the room normally used by Notre Dame's Board of Trustees for meetings. 

Only in the case, it wasn't the trustees talking about school finances or plans for the future; it was Head of School Andy Guest leading a group of eighth-grade boys in a spirited discussion about some of the challenges they've been experiencing so far in this very different first semester.

The gathering was one of about 16 that are held every Wednesday as part of a program initiated last school year in the middle school that is focused totally on student wellness. Guest and other faculty and staff agreed to act as advisor/mentors to fully support students in the middle school academically, spiritually and socially.

"This is the most important part of our mission, bar none," said Kelly Patterson, vice principal of Notre Dame Middle School. "It's making lasting connections that really highlight our Marist and Catholic mission. We've added time for teachers, staff, and students to bond outside of academic time. Nothing is more important than this work. We are building relationships and we are showing interest in our students outside of the normal classroom setup. It's important work because we want to make sure that every student is known and appreciated."

The mission of the middle school's advisory program states that "Notre Dame fosters lasting relationships as a Marist community growing as Christians, citizens and scholars." In simpler terms, it's all about relationships in support of the school mission, which, according to Guest, is a two-way street.

"I have a great group of boys and I learn as much from them as they do from me," he said. "I try to be more of a participant than a quote-unquote leader among the kids, which lends itself to more open and productive discussions."

That's exactly what school administrators were looking for when they began the program at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Patterson said that in the advisory program of a truly student-centered school like Notre Dame, the adult plays a distinctive but supportive role in creating and contributing to truly positive relationships with students.

"I'm very pleased that we started an advisory program at Notre Dame," she added. "After attending an ISM (Independent School Management) seminar a couple of years ago on functional advisories focused on student wellness, I was sold. And I'm very happy that our school administration also was easily sold on the program." 

Patterson said that the main directives for advisors with their students are to:

• Establish a comfortable, safe setting
• Establish group identity and group norms
• Expect stages of group development, i.e., "forming, storming, norming and performing"
• Include playful moments
• Establish rituals and celebrations

Tangible manifestations of these directives have taken place within a number of activities, Patterson added, including brainstorming ways to relieve stress; conducting pre- and post-exam strategies; discussing music, i.e., favorite kinds of music; conducting a student sleep survey; and sharing something funny, be it a movie, a joke or video.

For Guest, he enjoys being with his group of eighth-grade boys because it gives him first-hand interaction with some of Notre Dame's middle-school students.

"Another reason I enjoy these advisory sessions is that since I normally I spend most of my time dealing with adults at the school," he said, "it's really fun to spend time with the students for a refreshing change.”

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.