Whitby School’s Secondary School Counseling Program Helps Students Find the Best Fit

Whitby School’s Nursery through Grade 8 model lays the foundation for students to become organized, articulate and confident — skills that are key for high school, college, and beyond.

With the assistance of Whitby’s Secondary School Counseling Program, 21 eighth graders will graduate from Whitby this June and will move on to attend the following Secondary Schools for the 2018-19 school year including Blair Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, Greenwich High School, International School of Curitiba, and Columbus Academy.

The goal of Whitby’s Secondary School Counseling Program is to help each individual student find the “best fit” in his or her next academic environment. Director of Secondary School Counseling Jacquie Quigley says it’s important to allow each student to express themselves and speak up during the process.

“The students know themselves better than anyone, and they want to be at a place where they feel happiest,” said Quigley. “Focusing on academics is first and foremost, but families shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of the school’s culture, extracurricular programs and how the student fits in.”

Consistent with the overall approach to education at Whitby, Secondary School Counseling is highly individualized. The school works in close partnership with students and their parents to explore each student’s academic and extracurricular interests and optimal school community, size, and location.

Students are advised at each step of the process, such as writing essays, preparing for interviews, and completing applications. The low student-teacher ratio at Whitby means the teachers are able to write very personal and knowledgeable letters of recommendation, which are an invaluable component of a student’s application packet. Whitby also prepares its students for the admissions process through practice interviews and preparation courses for standardized admissions tests.

Image: Back row from left – Matthew Hake, Simon Hermann, Jason Gonzalez, Quinn Resnick, Doris Alvarez, Griffin Penna, Julien Chaussé, Sam Junkermann, Jack Norris, Abel Zurita. Front row from left – Rohan Suryawanshi, Alex Resnick, Carolina Ferrer, Taylor Bryan, Victoria Rivera, Seneca Schmitz, Carolina Rivera, Quinn Hulme, Isabelle Behring, Hope Luangisa, Catelyn Peters

Whitby School
969 Lake Avenue
203-302-3918
whitbyschool.org