Incoming Upper Schoolers complete a collaborative activity during the college counseling session of their ninth-grade orientation

Ninth grade. Upper School. The beginning of a new chapter.

Nervous. Anxious. Excited. Maybe a little bit of all three.

At Hampton Roads Academy, the day before school starts, our freshmen come together for an orientation designed especially for them. Throughout the morning, they rotate through sessions on student life, the Honor Code, technology, and college counseling.

During this year’s college counseling session, we stressed a core belief that guides our team’s work: college counseling at HRA is for every student. We want our office to be a place where students can come to talk, ask questions, share something exciting, work through something difficult, or even just grab a cup of hot chocolate.

We also talked about how to start Upper School well. We use the acronym CATS: Curriculum, Activities, Testing, and Socialization.

Curriculum: Focus on learning, and the grades and increased rigor will follow. Work hard. Ask for help. Use the resources around you, including our Student Support Center. Be curious. Give yourself permission to learn from the things that don’t come easily.

Activities: Find things that excite you. Explore your interests. Try something new. You don’t need to join every club or play every sport. Find the activities that make you want to show up and be part of something. Volunteer and give back in ways that connect to the causes you care about.

Testing: Don’t let standardized testing become the focus of your Upper School experience. Learn good habits, understand the purpose of the tests, and know we have laid out plenty of time for you to practice and make thoughtful decisions about testing.

Socialization: Build community. Get to know people who aren’t exactly like you. Talk to adults. Read for fun, not just because it is assigned. Put down the phone and pick up a book or a magazine. Pay attention to the world around you. Put yourself in situations where you can learn from people with different experiences and perspectives.

Grow. Learn. Ask questions. Take chances. Seek out opportunities.

And perhaps most importantly, don’t rush through Upper School trying to become a college applicant.

Our job as a college-preparatory school is not simply to help students build a college application. It is to help them become the person behind that application.

We want to think beyond what a student will look like as a senior submitting applications. What will this student look like at 21? At 25? At 30?

Will they be curious? Will they know how to learn? Will they know how to build relationships and contribute to a community? Will they have the confidence to ask for help, the courage to try something new, and the desire to keep growing?

That is the bigger picture.

So, to our newest Upper Schoolers, we say welcome. You don’t need to have it all figured out. We are here to help.

This summer, as we observe the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans remember with pride the immortal words of that historic document. Addressing “a candid world” in July 1776, Thomas Jefferson, then a delegate to the Continental Congress, boldly proclaimed that “all men are created equal,” endowed with “certain unalienable Rights,” foremost among them being “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We may feel that we intuitively understand this passage. But that final phrase, “the pursuit of Happiness,” remains something of a puzzle for those of us seeking to connect to the founding era across a vast chasm of time. What exactly did Jefferson mean by happiness?

Historians will remind us that the future third president of the United States drew inspiration from the English philosopher John Locke, who wrote in his Second Treatise of Government (1689) of human beings’ natural right to “Life, Liberty and Estate”—that is, property or wealth. So is the “pursuit of Happiness” simply the quest to acquire wealth? Is this the right for which the Founders fought, for which they “mutually pledge[d] to each other [their] Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor”?

Four years later, in 1780, John Adams, who would go on to be elected the nation’s second president, reflected on what independence would enable Americans to “pursue.” While stationed in Paris as part of the United States’ fledgling diplomatic corps, Adams wrote to his wife Abigail of the splendid artwork he had observed at Versailles, which the pressures of the Revolution left him little time to appreciate. “I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy,” he explained. “My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy … in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.”

When President George Washington delivered his first annual address to Congress in 1790, he expressed his hope to make good on the vision Adams, his vice president, had outlined a decade earlier. Capping off a list of priorities he suggested to the Senate and House of Representatives, the commander in chief stressed the importance of investing in education—not merely in “Politicks and War,” but in “science and literature.”

“Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness,” Washington told his fellow elected officials, noting that education was especially vital in a country where the people are empowered to select their own representatives.

For the Founders, then, the meaning of happiness was twofold. On the one hand, it referred to a condition of society resulting from every individual’s ability to fulfill the duties of citizenship. On the other, it described the freedom to choose one’s own path, to dedicate oneself to the endeavors that imbue a life with purpose.

A bald eagle perched above the course at James River Country Club during the 2025 HRA Golf Classic

At Hampton Roads Academy, we consider it a privilege to welcome students into a learning community that advances both of these ideals.

The core of the Navigator experience is a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Our rigorous curriculum, spanning history, language arts, STEM fields, and more, not only equips students with a broad base of knowledge, but also challenges them to cultivate the critical thinking skills required to evaluate information, make civically responsible decisions, and distinguish themselves as ethical citizens and leaders.

Along the way, we offer students a wealth of opportunities, matched with personalized guidance, to help them discover their passions and achieve excellence in the pursuits that resonate with them, both as students at HRA and throughout their lives.

This process of exploration begins in the classroom but extends far beyond. It unfolds on the athletic field, where every Navigator has the chance to play an active role, collaborate with a team, and build the resilience to overcome any obstacle. It unfolds in the studio and on stage, where our creative students hone their artistic talents and share them with wider audiences both on and off campus. It unfolds in our state-of-the-art hydroponics laboratory, where students of all ages learn about a range of topics through the lens of agriculture while cultivating fresh produce for our dining hall and for families in our community. It unfolds through independent research projects that inspire our students to seek out partnerships with mentors in college and allow them to make meaningful contributions to a field even before they graduate. And it unfolds during internships, shadowing experiences, and other pre-professional opportunities offered through our REACH Initiative, allowing Navigators to apply their knowledge, explore their interests hands-on, and begin charting their career paths.

In short, we proudly unlock opportunities for students to pursue happiness—for themselves and for their communities. In this way, each and every day, we live the legacy of the Founders. As we mark our nation’s 250th birthday and HRA’s 67th, we believe that is worth celebrating.

The college-bound seniors of the Class of 2026 share their words of wisdom for younger students

Before Senior Release, Chris Hailey, Associate Director of College Counseling, and I met individually with each member of the senior class. We wanted to hear their reflections on their experience with college counseling and talk through each student’s application process. We asked about their excitement and nervousness surrounding graduation and college. We walked through their decision-making process, asked for feedback on our office, and reminded them that we will always be part of their support system.

As I reviewed my notes from those meetings, two questions stood out: “Is there anything you wish you had known earlier in the process?” and “What advice would you give younger students?”

While every student’s experience was different, several themes came up again and again.

The most common advice? Start earlier and don’t procrastinate. Multiple students emphasized this point:

• “Do things earlier.”
• “Don’t procrastinate!”
• “Don’t wait until the last minute.”
• “Work on it over the summer.”
• “It feels good not to leave everything until the last minute.”

Students also talked about staying engaged and organized throughout the process:

• “Do it when you get the email.”
• “Read the emails.”
• “Take it seriously. It sneaks up on you.”

Another major theme was managing stress and perspective:

• “Chill out.”
• “Don’t stress. It can feel overwhelming. Focus on the positives.”
• “The task seems harder than it actually is.”

And perhaps most importantly, seniors encouraged younger students to focus less on prestige and more on fit:

• “Prestige is relative. Choose what’s best for you.”
• “Pick the place where YOU are going to be successful.”
• “Be open to suggestions.”

I think anyone can read this list and find something that resonates. But as I think about our juniors, our soon-to-be seniors, I hope they, and their families, read it even more closely.

And then remember that the College Counseling Office is here to help.

We expect every rising senior to meet with us at least twice over the summer to continue the momentum we built during the school year. We do not want students to procrastinate. We want them to work steadily over the summer so they can begin senior year feeling confident, prepared, and ahead of the process.

And we will meet students where they are, whether at HRA, in a coffee shop, or on Zoom. We will partner with them throughout the summer as they complete essays, finalize activities lists, and refine college lists.

It is an exciting season! Our goal is not simply to help students get into college, but to help them find the place where they will thrive.

HRA’s school counselors are ready for summer—but they have one last assignment for students and their families as they prepare for their break

Is it summer yet? How many days until summer vacation? I can’t wait for summer!

These exclamations begin May 1 in the halls of HRA. Looking ahead to summer vacation and all of the possibilities that only summer vacation can bring are often the tonic that gets students (and faculty) through the last month of school.

While it is tempting to look forward, it is also important to pause, breathe, and reflect. Reflection is a powerful exercise in self-growth. Socrates’ famous assertion that the unexamined life is not worth living still holds today. Increasing self awareness, learning from mistakes, and honing belief systems are important aspects of development.

Encourage your child to spend some time reflecting on the past school year. What words would they use to describe themself on the first day of school? On the last day of school? What challenges did they overcome during the school year? What goals were met or modified? What have they learned about themselves over the course of this school year?

Summer offers the perfect time for this important reflection and growth to take place. Engaging in self-reflection allows for recognition of patterns of success or challenge, increases emotional well-being, and builds resilience. Reflection is a time for slowing down and recharging after a long school year, allowing students to return in August ready to learn.

So, while you and your family enjoy all that the months ahead will bring, make this summer assignment a priority. Your child’s future self will thank you.

Director of College Counseling Elizabeth Cavallari with her cohort for the Maryland Crab Crawl Counselor Tour

A month ago, I took an early morning train to Baltimore and boarded a bus that would become both my classroom and my community for the next four days. Alongside 30 other high school and college counselors from across the country, I visited nine private colleges and universities in Maryland.

It was exhausting—full days, constant movement, and more information than I could possibly process in the moment. But it was also informative and fun.

Of course, stepping onto nine distinct campuses was a highlight. But one of the most meaningful parts of the experience didn’t happen on a campus at all.

It happened on the bus.

Ten hours on a bus might not sound like a highlight, but it absolutely was. Those hours became a space for honest, thoughtful conversation. We talked about the state of admissions, the challenges we’re seeing in our schools, and the solutions we’re trying to build. We shared insights and traded perspectives.

It was professional development in its most organic and impactful form.

And then there were the people we met on campus.

Cavallari meets the Green Terror at McDaniel College

Over the course of four days, I connected with college and university presidents, vice presidents for enrollment management, deans of admission and other admissions staff, leaders from across their campus including athletics and student life, and, of course, current students.

Sharing meals and asking questions, I built relationships with the very people who shape the student experience on their campuses. Our group even (unintentionally) crashed a reception for the opening of a new performing arts facility. And unexpected moments like these become great memories, especially when the university’s president made sure we didn’t leave.

What I gained from these conversations goes far beyond brochures or websites. I got the inside scoop on the culture and vibe of each place. I left many of these campuses clearly picturing individual students there. 

We often talk to students about the importance of visiting campuses. What we don’t often say is that those visits matter just as much for college counselors.

As a college counselor, I am also constantly learning. Constantly updating my understanding. Constantly working to ensure that the guidance I provide is rooted in real, current, lived experience.

So no, the travel isn’t glamorous. It’s early mornings, long days, and a lot of time on a bus.

But it’s also one of the most meaningful ways to grow in this work: by seeing new places, meeting new people, and forging relationships grounded in shared purpose and community.

Students lean into good habits this spring to finish the year strong

Spring has sprung! This time of year always brings fresh energy and excitement and is a time for renewal and awakening after the long, cold winter. Springtime not only means nicer weather, but also that our school year is rapidly approaching the finish line. Expectations for students rise, just as motivation seems to dip. So how can students renew their motivation from the start of the year and finish strong? We recommend that they make healthy habits a priority and resume the routines that may have fallen off during the winter. 

Where to start:

1. Be deliberate about sleep hygiene:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ages 6-12 get between 9 and 12 hours of sleep and children ages 13-18 get between 8 and 10 hours each night. This is often harder for older teens because of their brain activity, but ideally, they will begin their sleep routine by 11:00 PM.
• Plug in any and all devices outside of the bedroom to charge overnight and put them on the charger an hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted from the screens disrupts sleep.

2. Monitor social media use:

• Set limits for screen use and stick to them! 
• Pay attention to why you are scrolling. Is there something you should be doing instead, like homework, studying, or getting organized for the next school day? Parents can set limits on access to social media. 
• Reflect on how you feel after doom scrolling. Odds are you’ve drained your energy rather than increased it, and you have lost time that you cannot get back.

3. Move your body:

• Exercise for 30 minutes each day. It could be a simple walk or participating in a sport, but studies show regular movement benefits both your body and your brain. 

4. Make a schedule … and stick to it:

• The end of the school year means projects and deadlines and testing … oh my! Create a study schedule and follow it.
• When it’s time to get work done, “lock in” for 20 minutes and then take a five-minute stretch break. Set timers for both to keep you accountable. No phones either! Rinse and repeat and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your to-do list gets done!

Students and parents get a window into the College Counseling Office’s close partnership with admissions officers during the Junior College Program

As a parent, I know my children don’t always see me as the expert (even when I clearly am). But the moment another adult says the exact same thing? Suddenly, they’re believers.

The same dynamic plays out in the College Counseling Office.

This month, we’ve completed meetings with every junior family and are in the midst of meeting with our sophomore families. In meeting after meeting, I’ll share a point and watch a parent break into a knowing smile. Then I turn to the student and ask them to confirm it: “Go ahead! Tell your parent they were right.” It happens again and again.

And because we spend so much time with HRA students, through individual meetings, group sessions, and Homeroom programming, our voices can start to sound a bit like the Charlie Brown teacher: wah-wah, wah-wah.

So what do we do?

We bring in reinforcements.

We invite trusted colleagues and friends from the other side of the desk: undergraduate admissions officers. These are the professionals who read applications, sit in committee, and help make final decisions. They are often the very people advocating for our students in the admissions process.

On Sunday, March 22, we were thrilled to welcome two of these partners to our Junior College Program. Yes, our College Counseling team covered key topics: how we guide families through the process (and paperwork), the role of AI in the college search, and financing higher education. But we also made space for new voices to speak about crafting a memorable essay and building a thoughtful, balanced college list.

And they were fantastic.

They didn’t necessarily say anything radically new, but that’s exactly the point. Their perspectives reinforced the work, messaging, and programming our College Counseling team provides every day while offering a fresh voice and lens.

That reinforcement matters. It builds confidence in the process, strengthens trust, and helps our students and families feel supported from every angle.

We are proud of our partnerships with admissions officers who are willing to make the trip, not only because of our relationship, but also because these professionals are invaluable resources for the exceptional students at Hampton Roads Academy.

Juniors complete a survey to help HRA’s college counseling team better understand the roles, identities, and values that define them

The college search and application process can be anxiety- and stress-inducing, but there are lots of ways that your college counseling team is here to help. We do our best to answer your questions, help you make good decisions, and be guides to lean on when the road seems rough. But even the professionals can use a little help in getting you where you want to be. That’s why we ask both parents and students to meet with us, answer lots of survey questions, and provide us with the tools we need to help you.

Elizabeth Cavallari, Director of College Counseling, and I will write counselor recommendation letters on behalf of the school for each student. Students will also ask two teachers to write letters to support their applications. My students know how much I love a Google Form, so when we ask them to take the time to fill them out, it is for a good cause. The same goes for parents when they respond to the Parent Reflection Form.

What we are looking for are insights into who you are, what you value, and what makes you tick. With that kind of information, we can provide colleges with a picture of you as a student, but most importantly as a person. We want colleges to know the whole you and not just the grades on your transcript.

What teachers should a student ask to write letters of recommendation? The best letters sometimes come from teachers whose classes were a struggle, not necessarily those with the highest grades, because those teachers know how a student deals with adversity. If there is a teacher who also knows the student from other activities (sports, clubs, the arts, Model UN), they often have a more nuanced understanding of a student’s character, resilience, leadership, and ability to work with others. The Roles and Identities form that students fill out helps them reflect on their values through anecdotes that provide teachers with deeper insight into the student.

No one should have to go it alone on their journey from HRA to a college campus. That includes the adults who are there to take the journey with them. So help us help you.

Does this sound familiar?

Parent: How was your day?

Child: Fine.

Parent: What did you do at school today?

Child: Nothing.

As parents, we want to connect with our children and hear about their lives. We have precious little time with them each day, and darn it, we want to make it count! Unfortunately, we often leave moments like the one referenced above feeling less than satisfied. Less than connected …

This got us thinking about Cupid—it is February after all! Cupid didn’t ask his victims, Do you love him? Or, Is she your true love? He struck his victims with an arrow—POW!—and they fell madly in love. Maybe as parents, we aren’t using the right arrow when we are asking our children about their lives. We know that the answer to a yes/no question is typically yes or no, so why are we still pulling the same arrow out of our quivers?  

Believe it or not, our children want us to be interested in their lives. They want to know that what they do matters to us. They want to know that they are a priority. If we shoot with the same arrow every day when they jump in the car after school or roll in after sports practices or play rehearsals, they will respond with the same yes, no, nothing responses.  

Let’s shake things up a bit: What if you asked your child to tell you the best thing about their day? The worst thing about their day? 

Some refer to this as Roses and Thorns. How powerful it would be for your child to share a thorn with you, so that you can follow-up with Well, how did you handle it? What did you do to make yourself feel better, calmer, more in control? These questions make our children think, give us an opportunity to celebrate the roses, and build our children’s resiliency when they share the thorns. Or you can ask questions like What would you have students read if you had control of your English class? What made you laugh today? What challenged you today? What would your perfect day look like?

Cupid may have had it right all along. Go for the POW! when it comes to asking your child questions about their life. Your connection with your child will deepen. Plus, it’s fun to keep our little darlings on their toes!