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Counseling Life

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Motivated by the ideal of Cura Personalis, Fairfield Prep takes a holistic approach to counseling, guidance and mentoring of all of its students.

From the moment a boy begins his freshman year at Prep, he is guided by a team of adult mentors whose goals are to ensure that he is cared for and that he is afforded a healthy, fulfilling experience academically, mentally, spiritually and socially. We recognize that our boys' self-image is important, and that it directly affects and is affected by their performance in the classroom. 

Assistant Dean of Students

The Assistant Dean of Students is the first individual in this team of mentors for our students.

Prep has four Assistant Deans of Students, and one is assigned to each class and will remain as the dean of that class for the duration of its time at Prep.  

The Dean of Students acts as an overall support and mentor for the class, guiding students toward making positive choices while also serving in a disciplinary capacity.

Meet the Assistant Deans: Assistant Deans Elijah Langston, Somadina Iworsha, Nick DeBarbrie & Jessica Lombardi.

 

School Counselor

The second adult mentor is the School Counselor, who is an advocate for the student and his parents in dealing with school and personal issues. 

Counselors actively encourage and foster spiritual, emotional, physical, and social growth in students. They recognize that the overall well-being of students must go beyond academics, and their goal is to assist them in maintaining a healthy life balance as they manage personal and school challenges. 

The strategies in which the School Counselors achieve this goal is this through a specific guidance program for each class year. Counselors hold regular group seminars and individual meetings, allowing for opportunities for deeper discussion and reflection.

Meet the Team: School Counselors Amy Stern, Laura Silence, Lynne Chesbro & Dean Davis.

The program is designed to meet the needs of students in each particular stage of development at Prep. The guidance seminars are set up by classification and topics for discussion, targeting those issues which affect students at each academic level and level of personal development.

The frequency of the guidance seminars vary by grade. Freshman and sophomore seminars meet once each cycle for the academic year, while junior and senior guidance seminars are less frequent but leave more room for individual planning with guidance counselors. 

Counselor assignments are arranged by alphabet and by class.

A Glance at the Guidance Program

College Counselor

Finally, there is the College Counselor. Our team works closely with the boys as they navigate the college application process.

It begins with a conversation sophomore year, through the junior year search in earnest and, finally, the application process senior year. 

In addition to the student, we also work with parents who are also navigating the application process.

Meet the Team: College Counselors Rick Hutchinson, Laura Silence, Peter Ffrancini & John Hanrahan.