As hundreds of concerned parents file into Jesuit, several brave counselors have the arduous task of calming the parents and answering their questions about the new school year. Every Fall, Jesuit hosts a parent meeting for each class at Jesuit, inviting all parents to listen to their sons’ counselors talk about what’s in store for the upcoming year. However, the purpose of each parent meeting differs between classes.
For freshmen, the parent class meeting is unlike any other. At the beginning of the night, each parent receives a copy of their son’s schedule and runs through a simulated school day, going to their son’s classes and meeting his teachers. During their son’s study hall period, the parents listen to the counselors talk about some of the obstacles they are going to face as parents of high schoolers, specifically the task of letting go. Mr. Host, one of the freshmen counselors, stressed that “[the freshmen] are not middle school kids anymore and that high school is when parents need to start letting their kids advocate for themselves. [The freshman counselors] try to give them advice on how to parent to a high school kid.”
Differing from the freshmen, sophomore parent night seeks to not only inform the parents about Wednesday guidance meetings but also to show them the typical sophomore experience for a student at Jesuit. The parents receive information about how they can be involved in their son’s sophomore year through prayer groups, parents auxiliary groups, and Mentor Moms.
Mr. Ornelas, a sophomore counselor, also conveys to the parents “what Mr. Williams and [he] are noticing with the boys each year: some of the issues that may come up and then how to deal with communicating about those issues.” Unlike the previous sophomore parent night, this year, the counselors want to look more specifically at the schedule of a sophomore, explaining a walk-through of a sophomore throughout the day. In order to do this, the counselors have been following sophomores as they go about their day and receiving feedback from them, feedback they will present to the parents.
For juniors, parent night mainly focuses on junior academics and the college process. Regarding their son’s school work, the counselors emphasize the difference between junior classes and the classes their sons have already taken at Jesuit.
During the meeting, the counselors also introduce families to college night and how it can help their sons find a school they are interested in. A big issue the Junior counselors had to address this year was the new SAT and PSAT. Mr. Lingel, one of the Junior counselors, commented, “The new SAT and PSAT have people nervous. Luckily our school teaches well to the new changes and it’s gonna help our guys.” Apart from the college process and academics, Mr. Lingel likes to talk about “the cool things of junior year: the cross mass, the junior convocation, class rings, and picking senior classes.” Unique to the junior parent class meeting, the counselors also put together a profile of the class and share it with the parents.
Finally, the senior parent meeting has 3 distinct focuses: to introduce parents to the opportunities they have to volunteer at Jesuit, to discuss their son’s spiritual life and the opportunities their son has both to go on retreats and to serve the community during their Wednesday service, and to discuss the academics of senior year.
One of the senior counselors, Mr. Hanley also emphasized how the counselors use the parent night as a way to discuss “the beginning navigation through the college process as well as a way to help parents and sons open the communication between them.” His first parent night as a senior counselor, Mr. Hanley had only previously attended the freshman parent night where the parents walk through their sons’ schedules.
Reflecting on the night, Mr. Hanley shared, “This was an interesting difference, that instead me making academic presentations, it was more of a counseling presentation. I’m sure the experiences and stories I brought were different than the ones the previous counselor, Mr. Oglesby, was able to bring. But I think that while the speakers may be different, the message is still the same – Jesuit the school, Jesuit the counselors, and Jesuit the parents, all want what is best for the senior class and to help them get through this year.”
