BOUNDLESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

Kyle Kahuda, Head of Upper School

Talk with a current Upper School Trojan, a recent alum, or a graduate from decades past, and the claimed hallmark of that person’s experience at Trinity Valley School will very likely be the quality and variety of relationships from which they benefited. Whether it be a lifetime friendship with a peer first met at TVS; a longstanding mentorship with a trusted faculty member; or a more fleeting relationship with a teammate, classmate, or teacher, people at TVS rightly understand that relationships are the stuff that matters.

Far more than the specific details of any class taken, grade earned, game won, hardship endured, or achievement met, it is the human connections behind each that are memorable and ultimately cherished. Even the experience of working through a more challenging personal dynamic can be important in helping to hone one’s self-advocacy, resilience, and understanding of personal accountability. In short, much of the boundless possibility that exists for students at TVS lies wrapped up in the quality and variety of formative relationships to which they are exposed along the way.

In the Upper School at Trinity Valley School, we recognize the vital role that strong relationships play in our students' academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional success. Research shows that students are more likely to thrive when they have meaningful connections with adults in their school community. However, high school often presents challenges in providing the time and space needed for these important relationships to flourish (Cooke-Deegan, 2017).

For several years now, we have leaned into building in Upper Schoolers the characteristics and traits that are vital in forming and maintaining strong bonds with others. The faculty’s collective experience both here and elsewhere is that advisory programs can play a central role in nurturing strong campus relationships. For that reason, we have taken very intentional steps to make our Upper School advisory program even more robust as a mechanism for optimizing relationships.

Picking Up the “Slac(k)”

Through introduction of Student Life and Advisory Coordinators (SLACs) at each Upper School grade level, we have created an additional structural level within the Upper School to enhance support for students facing academic, behavioral, and social challenges. The addition of the SLAC position is designed to benefit the potential of our advisories in many ways, including:

• Leveraging Advisor capacity: By better utilizing the expertise of our Advisors, we can more effectively manage and address common concerns among students. This will empower Advisors to provide tailored support that meets individual needs.

• Streamlining student tasks to provide additional opportunities for relationship building: The organizational and leadership impacts of the coordinators will streamline certain tasks for students, allowing more Advisory time to be dedicated to building meaningful relationships. We are empowering Advisors to do what they do best!

• Enabling reallocation of administrative energy: SLAC-enabled training and development of Advisors will ultimately free administrative time to concentrate on essential areas such as teacher support and development, program initiation and evaluation, and long-term strategic planning.

Planting Seeds for Continued Growth

Trinity Valley School has a strong tradition of hiring talented educators who are committed to mentoring students. To ensure that every teacher can thrive in this role, we have implemented several supportive measures:

• Grade-level sharing and development: Monthly meetings allow Coordinators and Advisors at each grade level to collaborate on advisory activities, share strategies for supporting student challenges, and aid colleagues who may need additional support.

• Increasing Advisory meeting frequency: We have integrated more frequent Advisory meetings into our class schedule. This dedicated time will help students see their advisors as advocates and mentors who both advise them through their Upper School years and foster deeper interpersonal connections.

• Increasing the length of the Advisory partnership: We have moved from the expectation of two-year Advisory groupings to arrangements intended to last four years. This expansion will contribute to stronger relationships between student and teacher, among students, and to a great sense of a “home base” within the Advisory during a student’s time in the Upper School.

Through these initiatives and others, we are fostering stronger relationships, enhancing student well-being, and promoting success in academics and beyond. Our commitment to nurturing these interpersonal connections is essential to improving the overall Upper School experience for all. By enhancing our Advisory program, we aim to ensure that every student can build meaningful connections with adults at the School, contributing to the student's academic and personal growth. It is our goal that these efforts will not only improve student engagement but also lead to a more supportive and collaborative Upper School and Trinity Valley School culture.

Resources: Cooke-Deegan, P. (April 6, 2017) Five tips for teaching advisory classes at your school.(2017). Greater Good.