The Navigator 2023-2324
Community, Dormitory, and Academic Regulations; Student Health Policies, Procedures, and Practices
The Navigator is a fitting title for the document that shares the values, expectations, and agreements by which we live here, and it provides guiding information about our community’s rules, policies, practices, and resources.
While at Stevenson, our students—supported by a constellation of caring advisors—learn how to make their own way in the world by acquiring the skills, experience, and confidence to serve them as their journeys continue. Understanding how to live within a group while aligning with the values upheld by the School is a crucial aspect of this process. In providing students with the information they need to thrive, The Navigator invites students to join faculty, staff, parents, guardians, alumni, and trustees as torchbearers for our enduring mission.
Questions regarding academic and faculty matters should be directed to Aimee Bates, head of the upper division. Questions regarding student life, including student health and residential life, should be directed to Phillip Koshi, dean of students. If in doubt about the office to which your question should be directed, please contact Phillip Koshi.
Key Contacts
If you have questions about School policies and procedures in this handbook and are unsure whom to contact, please call the main School number and the receptionist will direct your call.
| Title | Name | Phone/Email |
|---|---|---|
| President | Dr. Dan Griffiths | (831) 625-8313 ext. 1313 |
| Head of the Upper Division | Aimée Bates | (831) 625-8317 ext.1317 |
| Dean of Academic Life | J.D. Gladden | (831) 625-8372 ext.1372 |
| Dean of Students | Phillip Koshi | (831) 625-8314 ext.1314 |
| Director of Advancement | Amy Elmore | (831) 625-8354 ext.1354 |
| Director of Alumni Relations | Mia Peterson ’89 | (831) 625-8332 ext.1332 |
| Director of Parent Programs | Corine Mink ’87 | (831) 625-8269 ext. 1269 |
| Director of Athletics | Justin Clymo ’93 | (831) 920-7484 (cell) |
| Director of College Counseling | Martha Allen/Jon Burke | (831) 625-8328 ext.1328 |
| Co-Director of Equity and Inclusion | Isa Aguirre | (831) 625-8390 ext.1390 |
| Co-Director of Equity and Inclusion | Dr. Jacob Rivers | (831) 625-8390 ext.1390 |
| Director of Residential Life | Lucy Stockdale | (831) 625-8214 ext. 1214 |
| Health Center | healthc@stevensonschool.org | (831) 625-8326 ext. 1326 |
| Parent Portal Login | techsupport@stevensonschool.org | (831) 625-8397 ext. 1397 |
| Director of Counseling | Deirdre Newell | (831) 625-8369 ext. 1369 |
| Student Billing | Liz Creecy | (831) 625-8209 ext. 1209 |
| Summer Programs | Kyle Cassamas | (831) 625-8249 ext. 1249 |
| Director of Enrollment Management | Amy Graham | (831) 625-8304 ext. 1304 |
| Director of Financial Aid | Matt Sclafani | (831) 625-8381 ext. 1381 |
| Supervisor of Safety and Security | Allen Wang ’96 | (831) 625-8202 ext. 1202 |
| Class | Name | Phone/Email |
|---|---|---|
| Class of 2024 | Andrew Czerny | (831) 625-8340 ext. 8340 |
| Class of 2025 | Sarah Koshi | (831) 625-8342 ext. 8342 |
| Class of 2026 | Becky O’Neil | (831) 625-8286 ext. 8286 |
| Class of 2027 | Whitney Aguiniga | (831) 625-8355 ext. 1355 |
Our Honor Code, Core Values, Motto, and School Prayer
At the beginning of each year, advisory groups discuss the School’s honor code, core values, motto, and School prayer, as well as the standards of conduct described in this handbook. Students ask questions and reflect on how the School’s values and practices align with their own. After doing so, each student is expected to affirm that they have read and understood the School’s expectations of their behavior. Our community takes time to reflect on the implications of these principles throughout the year through assembly announcements, Community Forum, advisory, and other social programming.
We assert a personal code of honor that compels honesty with ourselves and in our dealings with others, the courage to accept responsibility for our decisions and actions, and a commitment to seeking fulfillment in our best work.
The School’s Latin motto, Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, resolute in deed) emphasizes humility and perseverance.
The School prayer, adapted from the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson, embodies our ideals:
O Lord, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come,
That we may be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath,
And in all changes of fortune and down to the gates of death,
Loyal and loving to one another. Amen.
A Constellation of Advisors
The advisors in each student’s experience form a constellation, working together to assist in each student’s learning and growth, and helping each student find a balance between healthy self-sufficiency and living up to standards vital to their success.
The integrity of the relationship among faculty advisors, students, and parents/guardians is essential to Stevenson’s close-knit community. Every new student is assigned a faculty advisor who is responsible for attending to that student’s academic and personal progress. The faculty advisor is often the primary link between the School and the advisee’s parents/guardians and generally serves as a first point of contact for advisee communication. Parents/guardians with concerns and questions about their child should generally first call the faculty advisor.
Faculty advisors meet regularly with advisees individually and in a group, and follow a common calendar designed to address their needs in a timely manner.
At the end of each academic year, returning students can list faculty advisors they would like to be assigned to for the following year. It is generally best for students to remain with their advisor to create consistency and continuity in their experience. Advisee groups are also limited in size in order to assure equitable distribution of each faculty advisor’s attention. However, the School makes every effort to assign students seeking a change to one of their preferred choices. Students should rest assured that no faculty advisor begrudges a student for seeking a change. Any questions or concerns regarding an advisor assignment should be directed to the dean of students.
Head of the Upper Division (Mrs. Aimée Bates) The head of the upper division, reporting directly to the President, supervises the work of the teaching faculty, and oversees—in close concert with the department heads—the quality and integrity of the program of study.
Dean of Students (Mr. Phillip Koshi) The dean of students, reporting directly to the head of the upper division, oversees the School’s day-to-day operations related to non-academic student life. The dean oversees the work of the faculty advisors, Community Forum, the Health Center, and all aspects of residential life, student activities, outdoor education, and student leadership.
Dean of Academic Life (J.D. Gladden) The dean of academic life reports to the head of the upper division and works in close collaboration with the head of the upper division and the dean of students.
Director of Residential Life (Lucy Stockdale) The director of residential life reports directly to the dean of academic life. The director oversees all aspects of supervision of residential life, and leads the dormitory heads team.
Our dormitories are places of shelter, safety, rest, study, spontaneous fun, and leisure. They are where students mature intellectually, emotionally, and physically, and learn to live well with others in preparation for the greater liberties of college and adult life. Our dorm teams tend this aspect of the School’s mission with integrity, enthusiasm, wisdom, and dedication. Each team of dormitory faculty is supervised by a dormitory head; daily and weekly dorm duty assignments rotate among dorm team members.
Prefects are Grade 11 and 12 students who are carefully selected for their generosity of spirit and exemplary approach to the academic and social demands of School life. They live among their peers, are alert to their needs, and help care for their well-being. Working under duty schedules and in close concert with dorm faculty, they help guide community life and health in the dormitory.
Senior Forum enlists Grade 12 students (selected and trained by the dean of students) to help our Grade 9 students with a healthy transition to high school. The program begins with the Wendy Ann Hayward ’86 New Student Orientation, which includes an off-site retreat and ongoing peer-to-peer discussions throughout the year.
In addition to teaching a particular sport, athletics coaches (supervised by Justin Clymo ’93, director of athletics) cultivate students’ appreciation of values-driven participation, helping students master skills required to thrive both on a team and on the field. In this sense, athletics here is not just a game but an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than oneself. The bonds that players make with players and coaches as a result of this team experience are often long-lasting and transformative.
Teachers assume many roles here: faculty advisors, athletics coaches, and dormitory faculty. However, they are singularly focused on classroom work, where they counsel and train students in critical academic, intellectual, social, and emotional learning. They model, and help students develop honor and integrity, collaborate productively and peacefully, and nurture student ambition in the healthy pursuit of excellence. The upper division head is the primary supervisor of upper division faculty, working in concert with the dean of academic life, academic department heads, the director of athletics, and the dean of students.
As a licensed mental health professional in good standing with the state of California, the Director of Counseling works with students individually and in group settings on issues relating to mental health. The Director of Counseling works with advisors and faculty to track student wellness; they also develop and implement educational and experiential student interventions. The Director of Counseling collaborates with families and the Health Center for all outside mental health referrals. The Director of Counseling works closely with the dean of students, head of the upper division, dean of academic life, the Health Center, Learning Center, and reports to the dean of students.
The Learning Center provides services to students who might need additional learning support outside the classroom. Students are full partners in developing plans to:
- Implement organization strategies
- Manage time effectively
- Learn to use assistive technologies
- Communicate with faculty
- Thrive using sustainable techniques
Students interested in academic support may meet with an appropriate team member by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Additionally, the Learning Center offers:
- Individual and group sessions
- A distraction-reduced study space
- Classes in learning skills and strategies
- Referrals to qualified tutors in specific subjects
- Assistance in applying for accommodations on standardized tests
- Implementation of classroom accommodations based on documented needs
- Opportunities to enhance boarding students’ study hall experience
Guided by Purpose
Because we believe that education is the means by which we both discover our world and contribute to its transformation, Stevenson School has long committed to a mission described by three central aims:
To prepare students for success in school and their lives beyond school;
To foster their passion for learning and achievement;
To help them shape a joyful life.
In keeping with this mission, Stevenson seeks to:
Train students in critical academic, intellectual, social, and emotional skills;
Help students develop honor and integrity;
Teach students to engage productively and peacefully with others;
Nurture student ambition and the healthy pursuit of excellence;
Balance convention and innovation so we remain true to the enduring values of the School while relevant to emerging student needs.
We therefore expect all members of our community to be:
Devoted to our tenets of scholarship and citizenship;
Honest, honorable, and empathetic;
Able to examine and be responsible for their beliefs and behavior, and respectful of the consequences that may attend both;
Willing to risk failure in the pursuit of wisdom;
Committed to embodying and sustaining our core values of safety, trust, respect, belonging, and inclusion.
