In April 2022, the 2025 class was told that some of the advisory groups were going to be split from their advisors and moved to other advisors. A known favorite throughout the ninth grade, Colin Douglas, US history, would no longer be with his 9th-grade advisory group. Rather, he would be with the new upcoming groups of freshmen. Mixed emotions stirred around the commos as students expressed their bittersweet feelings about this change.

“It is in an effort to give a smooth transition to all ninth graders that join the Upper School a transitional support for them,” US Division Head Peggy Wakeland said, “whether they’re coming from our middle school or whether they’re coming from other schools around the city or the country even, to give a consistent support program for them.” 

However, many of the advisees who were switched from their advisors feel differently. Ashley Ortega ‘25 is an ex-advisee of Douglas and expressed her initial feelings about the sudden shift between advisors. 

“I feel like there’s like no point in having a one-year advisor because an advisor is supposed to be somebody who you have for four years or for the rest of your high school,” Ortega said, “so there’s no point for students to get really close to this one advisory or for a teacher to develop this special bond with one class and then lose it for another one, so it’s heartbreaking.”

Ortega was somewhat disappointed along with many students. After all, they were promised a 4-year advisory rather than a 1-year and 3-year. However, she did agree it was better for both sophomores and freshmen to get an advisor like Douglas.

“And so it was kind of a fun feeling this year, of letting my advisors go but getting to see them again, and that it’s fun that we have this special bond that they don’t get to have with a lot of other people,” Douglas said. 

He agrees that it’s better for the sophomores to move on and find a new advisor who knows their unique characteristics and will have the supplements to meet them.

“Saying goodbye is always hard and right but as I told my advisors last year, sometimes the hard thing is the right thing,” Douglas said.