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Academics
School Counseling
School Counseling at Calvert Hall College
Recognizing that each student is unique, with differing physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics and needs, the School Counseling Office strives to create an environment of respect and motivation that will enable each young man to develop a positive self-image and to reach his goals.
For high school students, this can be a period of rapid personal change and development, often accompanied by stress and uncertainty. The Counseling Department is designed to help students successfully meet these challenges through personal, academic, and college counseling.
For high school students, this can be a period of rapid personal change and development, often accompanied by stress and uncertainty. The Counseling Department is designed to help students successfully meet these challenges through personal, academic, and college counseling.
Individual Counseling
Counselors meet with students individually to discuss academic progress, extracurricular activities, social interests, family life, and to provide ongoing support to students. They provide guidance on course selection, organization, time management skills, and goal setting. They also cover topics that include stress, anxiety, depression, and loss. Individual appointments can be scheduled by the student or counselor. Students are encouraged to meet with their counselor to discuss any concerns or questions they may have, and they are welcome to drop by “just to talk." Parents are also invited to contact their son’s counselor with any questions or concerns.
Personal and Social Development
Students are assigned to counselors by their last names, but they don’t need to wait for a scheduled appointment to meet with them. Our counselors are available to help them at any time, to discuss concerns and to help them develop positive attitude towards themselves, their families, and their communities.
Counselors can also assist with:
- Identifying strengths and developing skills where necessary
- Understanding and appreciating their unique qualities, to help them grow personally and socially
- Providing educational and support services to parents
- Providing consultation services to teachers
- Facilitating referrals to community support services when necessary
The Counseling Office also administers the school's standardized testing program including the PSAT, the PreACT, and AP exams.
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Peer Education at Calvert Hall
The Peer Education program is supported by a foundation created by Tom and Pam O’Neil, with the consultation of Dr. Charles Deutsch of the Harvard School of Public Health. The program was created in memory of their 17 year old son, Christopher, who was killed in 1992 in what is often described as a drunk driving “accident”. These “accidents” are preventable. The goal of Peer Education is to promote healthy decision making by addressing attitudes that often lead to unhealthy risks.
Here at Calvert Hall, Anne Hilgartner established the first class of Peer Educators in 1994. She shaped the program into one in which the students themselves foster a culture that reflects our school’s values. Since 2013, Joey Atas has been overseeing the program.
More than 20 years after its establishment, the program still strives to increase awareness about the positive or negative impact that a single decision can have on someone’s life. The intent is not to prescribe specific behaviors, but rather to encourage critical thinking and discussion among our students. This presence of peers as teachers provides a model of how to have constructive and thoughtful discussions on a variety of topics.
Here at Calvert Hall, Anne Hilgartner established the first class of Peer Educators in 1994. She shaped the program into one in which the students themselves foster a culture that reflects our school’s values. Since 2013, Joey Atas has been overseeing the program.
More than 20 years after its establishment, the program still strives to increase awareness about the positive or negative impact that a single decision can have on someone’s life. The intent is not to prescribe specific behaviors, but rather to encourage critical thinking and discussion among our students. This presence of peers as teachers provides a model of how to have constructive and thoughtful discussions on a variety of topics.
The Role of Peer Educators
The Peer Educators serve as strong role models to our freshmen class. These upper-class students are a diverse group of leaders who dedicate a significant amount of time to their younger peers. Training for the peer educators is an on-going process including an overnight retreat and weekly team meetings that begin in September and continue through March. Teams of three peer educators then meet regularly with the freshmen, discussing issues specific to the life of freshmen.The key factor in all Peer Education lessons is health and making healthy decisions. Topics included:
- effective decision making
- appropriate use of social media
- speaking up
- dealing with loss
- healthy relationships
- use of alcohol and other drugs
Special Learning Needs & Guidelines
The presence of an IEP, 504 Plan, or professional evaluation does not necessarily mean that a student is eligible for testing or other accommodations.
Documentation to support the need for requested accommodations must:- state the specific disability, as diagnosed, using a DSM IV classification;
- be current (in most cases, the evaluation should be no older than five years);
- provide complete educational, developmental, and relevant medical history;
- describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis (including evaluation date[s] and test results with subtest scores from measures of cognitive ability, current academic achievement, and information processing);
- describe the functional limitations supported by the test results; how these limitations affect learning and testing;
- describe the specific accommodations requested, including the amount of extended time required (i.e. 50%, 100%) and state why the disability qualifies the student for such accommodations; and
- establish the professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification and area of specialization.
