Course planning is an essential part of a student’s four-year progression through the high school. Starting in the ninth and tenth grades, students consider and plan for their courses, in consultation with their advisor, grade deans, the head of the high school, the director of college counseling, and their parents. As they move into the eleventh and twelfth grades, students actively work with the director of college counseling and their grade deans to plan their sequence of courses, as their course choices depend on the way a student wishes to individually shape his or her academic plan. In this process, parents also may seek the advice of the college counselor, as their child selects courses and plans ahead.