High School is not an institution solely restricted to grades
9-12, it’s an environment dedicated to granting its students with
the knowledge and confidence necessary to pursue their ambitions.
These years mark the monumental stage when a student takes their
first step toward making one’s joy a way of life.
This is the purpose behind “Advisory” at Woodland Park High
School. Advisory is a 33-minute class that takes place from 9:22 to
9:55 a.m. every Wednesday. During the class, teachers provide
students with the means to achieve their post-secondary goals
whether they are college-bound or hope to pursue an interest
outside of college.
These students complete daily in-class assignments ranging from
aptitude tests, goal assessments, and personality tests which help
to support growth in both maturity and personal awareness. The goal
of advisory according to WPHS principal Del Garrick, is to “Not
make everybody college-bound but to make everybody college and
career ready.”
Advisory, though it was originally the school’s incentive, is
mandated through a piece of Colorado State Legislation known as
Individualized Career and Academic Pathways. ICAP’s mission is
ultimately to decrease dropout rates by tracing a student’s
evolving ambitions from freshman year to graduation day. Each year
the student’s ambitions are closely evaluated and acknowledged; any
changes in goals are noted and considered as the year’s
progress.
Advisory was first instituted during the 2010-2011 school year,
a year before ICAP went effective on Sept. 30, 2011. Originally,
when advisory was first applied, its influence was limited to a
30-minute period every Monday. However, after a second evaluation
of Advisory’s impact, a committee of WPHS staff realized that even
after implementing Advisory, some ICAP objectives were not yet
reached.
As a result, the schedule of the 2011-2012 school year was
modified in such a way that it increased student involvement and
academic success. The committee, which met in April 2011, is
responsible for this year’s current schedule which includes the
Academic Blocks on Tuesdays and Thursday, the Advisory Block on
Wednesdays, and Clubs and activities block on Friday. Though
Advisory is seeing its second year at Woodland Park High, the
Academic and Activities blocks are a new addition this year.
Academic and Activities blocks are both during school hours
which avoid the complication of transportation for students after
school who live beyond the city limits. By incorporating these
blocks into the school day students can become more connected and
productive throughout their student career. “If we can make
students aware of their strengths and talents, we can teach them to
tap into that and become more successful,” said Ashley Lawson,
International Resource Teacher at the high school.
In years to come, there will always be room for improvement
concerning the madder of student success. Although, it is essential
that parents, as much as students, concern themselves with the
future of each and every Woodland Park student. Student success is
not the act of one but an act of many.