Advisory: The unknown traditions

Whiteboard+is+filled+with+doodles+and+words+in+different+languages.

Photo by By Nghi Doan

Whiteboard is filled with doodles and words in different languages.

By Nghi Doan, Managing Editor of News

A distinctive part of the LFA experience is belonging to an advisory, with each student and faculty member being assigned to one. A standard practice for all advisories are going over announcements and sitting at morning meetings together, but some actually have their own differences and special traditions. While new traditions are formed every year, some traditions have lasted many years, becoming an irreplaceable part of many advisories.

   The most common shared advisory tradition is the annual trip to a restaurant funded by LFA, but some advisors have different ways of celebrating this event. Some advisory groups have dinner at a chosen restaurant, while others have breakfast on campus by delivery. Other advisors use the money to supply food for their advisees during the morning advisory block throughout the school year or bring a multitude of snacks. Even though a food outing is an event that almost every advisory does, it’s still an important tradition for each group. 

   Besides the annual ‘eat-out,’ many advisors have their own special traditions. These are unique to each advisory: for some it could be food, for others it could be a game or competition. When asked, “What special traditions does your advisory have?” Some LFA students shared their stories on this topic. Emma Ye 23’ shared, “In Mr. Shaughnessey’s advisory, we celebrate culture in which our global and local students write words in their languages on the whiteboard every year. It becomes an impressive wall in the physics classroom.” Traditions can take place in many forms; in this case, Ye’s advisory continues theirs, making it into something unique to their advisory and showcasing it in their room. 

   Another kind of tradition seen in different advisories is the competitions that they hold. As a school, every advisor is enrolled in the all-school “rock, paper, scissors’’ competitions, but some advisors have their own different competitions. “We have a peeps taste test competition every year in the Madeley-Tennyson Advisory,” Daniya Nussipbek 24’ shared. Competitions are another form of tradition and celebration in advisories; these traditions don’t have to be an all-school event, in fact, having it exclusive to one’s own advisory may make it more special and memorable.