Advisory was reintroduced at the start of the 2025-2026 school year, and it is clear that it has received mixed reviews among students. In the fall, many students were frustrated by how advisory disrupted lunch and affected the overall schedule. However, through efforts made by the administration, those scheduling issues have largely been resolved. Even with these adjustments, however, advisory remains a topic that continues to divide student opinion.
At its core, advisory is a well-intentioned initiative. It is meant to provide students with time to build relationships with peers and staff, take a break from academic pressure, and strengthen the school community. However, because it is still relatively new, it has not yet had enough time to fully develop into a consistent and structured experience across all advisories, which has resulted in a range of student reactions.
From my experience, the idea of advisory is well-meaning, but it still has room to grow. In my advisory, it is a fun and relaxed environment where students often play games andtake a 20-25 minute break from academics. For some students, it has become a genuinely positive part of the day. Sophomore Ava Popielarz shares this perspective, while also recognizing its need for improvement: "I appreciate the idea of it, and I think that everyone is trying really hard, but it needs to be developed more."
Other students also view advisory as a valuable pause in the school day. One freshman explained, "Advisory is a great addition to the BHS schedule. It is a time during the day to pause and take a moment to do whatever you need to do. I find advisory to be a nice break in between classes." However, experiences with advisory are not consistent. Many students note that the quality of the period often depends heavily on the advisor, leading to significant differences from one group to another. In some cases, students feel the time is unstructured or not used effectively. Senior Victoria Thissell described her experience: “I genuinely don't have an issue with it. I have a lot of friends in my advisory, and I really like my advisors. We mostly just playgames and talk, so it's a nice break in between classes. The one issue that I've heard from people is that some advisors don't do much, but also don't let them do homework so they are just sitting there with nothing to do. I am also a little biased because I do like most of the people in my advisory, so I see why people that don't have friends in theirs would not like it as much."
From my perspective, advisory does help create connections between students. However, there is still clear room for improvement. The activities within advisory could be more structured and intentional to ensure that all students benefit equally from the time. At the same time, it is important to recognize that advisory is still in its early stages of development. Statements like "advisory is stupid" limits the joy that could come from someone's time in advisory, and ignores the fact that it is constantly growing and developing. Instead, continued feedback and patience may help it become a more meaningful part of the school day.
Ultimately, advisory at Bow High School is neither a complete success nor a failure—it is a program still in progress. With time and refinement, it has the potential to become a more consistent and valuable experience for all students.