Bridge Builders are upperclassmen who are assigned to a sophomore advisery during the first quarter to help ease their transition to the Winnetka Campus. Bridge Builders spend every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in their sophomore advisery room running activities, talking with students, and helping to support the adviser. Students must apply for the Bridge Builder position and information and applications come out in the spring of each school year.

One of the most important parts of New Trier’s adviser system is the strong connection between the adviser and family. The Sophomore Family Meeting is an opportunity for advisers to meet the family and establish themselves as a liaison between the home and the school. Sophomore family meetings generally run 20-30 minutes in length and can start taking place during the summer between freshman and sophomore year. Advisers and families are encouraged to complete them by the beginning of December. Each adviser schedules the meetings at times that work with their personal schedule and are NOT required to start them over the summer.

Founded in 1958, by New Trier Graduate Hugh O'Brian, HOBY's mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation. HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving local and international high school students. HOBY programs provide students selected by their schools to participate in unique leadership training, service-learning and motivation-building experiences - See more at: http://hoby.org/ . Sophomore students may apply for a position each fall and the school will select two representatives and a number of alternates to attend the seminar in the summer.

Each sophomore advisery is assigned to a post high school counselor in January. This counselor will work on a large group and individual basis with each student within that advisery to help prepare students for post high school outcomes. While most of the work for students in this area happens during the junior and senior years, the post high school counselor can be a good resource for students who have questions about academic schedules and course selection. Parents will be invited to a Post High School Counseling information night which generally takes place in January.

In the fall, sophomore adviseries will choose to do a service learning trip or the Sophomore Power Program. When a group chooses the Power Program they will be excused from classes on that day in order to travel to Highland Park's Heller Nature Center and complete a team course. Students will be tasked with different missions and have to work together as a group to accomplish each mission. The activity is facilitated by professionals at the Heller Nature Center and is intended to help the group form a stronger bond.