ADVISORY PROGRAM
Our Middle School and Upper School Advisory Program provides all students in Grades 7 through 12 with academic, social, and emotional guidance that is in service of our mission to nurture and support the development of the whole child.
Our advisors meet with advisees regularly to provide consistent academic advisement and coaching. They also help their advisees develop social-emotional intelligence, foster a sense of community within the advisory and in the school community as a whole, and serve as their advisees’ principal advocates. Advisors nurture each student’s ability to self-advocate and ensure that all advisees are known and feel known consistently as learners and as human beings.
Park’s advisory program aims to meet our students’ full range of emotional, social, and academic needs and proactively provides the individual support they require to be successful here and far beyond.
Co-Curricular and club programs
While we offer a plethora of all-school and cross-school department level opportunities, we also provide an extensive amount of co-curricular and club options for students at all age levels within their specific schools to enhance community, communication, and building of important social and life skills within their specific age ranges. Please select one of our divisons below to learn more.
immersion program
for grades 7-12
Immersion is a biannual, co-curricular Park academic class that engages students in a year-long study centered on a particular topic or geographical area of interest to them. It culminates in a week long experience at the end of the school year and provides students opportunities to further learn and explore through firsthand experience what they have spent a year researching and studying. Offerings provide students with the chance to expand their knowledge in a particular discipline and may be large or small in scale ranging from on-campus experiences and local day trips to stateside and international excursions.
middle school: grades 7-8
Offerings begin in Grade 7, and include a local and domestic travel option. In 2025, students enjoyed one of two following experiences:
FLORIDA EVERGLADES
The ecosystem of the Florida Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Snorkeling, kayaking through the mangroves, exploring the natural beauty and wildlife of the area and observing endangered species provided the students opportunities to ground what they learned in class within the context of the actual Everglades environment.
BUFFALO MARITIME CULTURE
Maritime culture, hand tools, and craftsmanship for building and shaping their own wooden canoe paddle, which would later become a free pass to wooden boat rentals at Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park in Buffalo. Learning outcomes for this Immersion experience included an increased proficiency in STEM principles, an increased sense of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, as well as an increased proficiency in craftsmanship and the responsible use of hand and power tools.
UPPER school: grades 9-12
In the Upper School, a variety of academic Immersion programs are offered. In 2025, students enjoyed one of the following experiences:
COSTA RICA
A rich focus on learning about Costa Rica's most spectacular and bio-diverse areas, this immersion class was filled to the brim with adventurous activitites and exploring various areas in the country. Spanish students were able to practice their conversational skills as they went white water rafting, volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary, toured a local organic farm, learned various Latin dances, and much more! ¡Pura Vida!
Yellowstone National Park
From Cooke City at the Montana-Wyoming border to Old Faithful, the students had the opportunity to explore, hear, see and photograph over 80 different animals across the valleys, basins, and beautiful Teton mountain range. The historical landscape of Yellowstone is unmatched, with petrified trees approximately 50 million years old due to the ever changing 150 million years of volcanic activity causing calderas, mud pots, geysers, hot springs, and so much more! Along with the wildly changing landscape came snow in some areas, allowing our students to understand how a varying climate affects Yellowstone in spring.
denmark
The Denmark immersion focused on the theme of “Art, Culture and Environment” and students experienced this by visiting several museums and important locations in and around Copenhagen. Some of the highlights include tours of various history, art, and architecture museums to better understand the Danish culture and the evolution of the city of Copenhagen; taking canal tours of the city to see how intentional the Danish are about reusing buildings and incorporating green elements into them; visiting Danish castles and other architectural wonders; hiking through old growth forests and finding Thomas Dambo troll sculptures that are built with recycled materials; and experiencing Tivoli Gardens, a popular cultural hub combining old world architectural elements, gardens, amusement park rides and worldly dining options.
NEW YORK CITY
The group saw the performances of Wicked and Hell’s Kitchen (a new musical by Alicia Keys), toured NBC Studios, and went to a Broadway workshop and met Thayne Jasperson, an original cast member of Hamilton who had performed at the Tony Awards the night prior! Students also toured many famous and historical locations of NYC including Grand Central Station, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Broadway.
dominican republic
A comprehensive preparation phase for service and culture learning in the Dominican Republic. This eight-day international practicum involved repairing a home for a family, guided group reflections, and building relationships with the host community. The Dominican Republic Immersion provided a challenging but significantly rewarding experience of personal growth for those involved.
