BEYOND the BOOKS
The Merits of Ayn Rand, Game of Thrones: Just Another Day in Advisory By Yousef Hindy ’15
A
FTER I grab a quick breakfast from
my fellow advisees once said, so
the dining hall, I begin the short
anyone is welcome to pop in and join
walk to Mr. Beattie’s office and
a conversation. Several “unofficial
contemplate what the topic of conversation
members,” in fact, make frequent
will be in advisory that day.
stops when they have a minute — or
While it can often be difficult for teenagers
an entire block — to spare.
to be motivated for anything — let alone
Passing through the cafeteria each
school — early in the morning, I can tell you
morning, though, I realize that the
that my fellow advisees and I genuinely look
Beattie advisory experience is not
forward to homeroom.
an anomaly at ’Wick. I catch sight of
As I take my seat, I am surrounded by
Hindy ’15 will attend Stanford University this fall.
some of the most distinguished members of my class: Varsity captains and athletes, the school president, exceptional actors, peer
spirited conversations, all populated with diversely passionate and talented students who love to share their enthu-
leaders, and an EMT, to name a few. There exists such a mutual respect among
other advisories, all in the midst of
siasm for their interests. drop by on my way to class — just to take a
If you ask any boy in the senior class
the eight of us — and Mr. Beattie himself
break from the day or chat with whoever is
which advisory is the best, he will surely say
— that we become engaged in all sorts of
lounging around.
that it’s his own.
discussions. For example, on one occasion
“All roads lead to Beattie,” as one of
He’s probably right.
we debated the merits of Ayn Rand and Immanuel Kant; and on another day, we ogled over the previous night’s Game of Thrones episode. In a sense, advisory is akin to a breakfast table at which I can learn something new and interesting every single day. The conversations are not always intellectual — to the delight of all — yet they are unfailingly engaging. Sometimes, I will even find myself rushing to first period because I’m so caught up in the discourse that I almost forget to go to class. Not only do I take advantage of my advisory in the structured homeroom and “flex” times, but I also
52 | TIMES
Assistant Headmaster for Academics Rick Beattie ’80 is surrounded by his vaunted senior advisory group (left to right): Yousef Hindy, Tucker Brown, Alex Prout, James Granruth, Grant Pierce, Matt Marvin, Clay Berger, and Grant MacFaddin.
OF BRUNSWICK • WINTER 2015
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