Dear New Cushing Families,

At the heart of Cushing’s mission is the personal and academic growth of
each student. Teachers and advisors work closely with the Academic Office to make sure that students are fully engaged in their academic experience. From the first bell at 8:30 am to “lights out” each evening, we support, encourage, and look for opportunities to foster curiosity and to deepen learning.

Building Your Academic Schedule

One of the goals of the Academic Office in the summer is to craft individualized schedules for incoming students that allow for a smooth and successful transition to Cushing, underscored by the belief that early academic confidence is key. 

As a starting point for building your schedule, we ask you and your child to review the 2024-25 Course Catalog to identify courses that may be of interest, now or in the future. In the last week of May, enrollment forms will become available in MyCushing, including a Course Selection Form, where we will ask you to share your initial choices for classes. You will also have the opportunity to schedule a meeting individually to solicit further guidance. 

Please do not worry about picking the perfect schedule on your Course Selection Form; your selections are intended to provide a starting point that will guide conversations with a member of the Academic Office. In your initial June meeting, we will discuss your choices, assess proper class placement, and consult on building the best possible schedule for your child.

Schedule an Appointment With the Academic Office

Please use the links below to schedule a meeting with the appropriate member of our Academic Office in June. 

When making an appointment, please note that Jen Willis, Director of Teaching and Learning, works with all 9th graders and new Academic Support students; David Stone, Associate Director of Academic Affairs, works with all 10th and 11th graders; and I (Raja, Director of Academic Affairs) work with seniors and post graduates.

Jen Willis, Ph.D.

Director of Teaching and Learning 

jewillis@cushing.org

9th Grade + Academic Support Advising

David Stone

Associate Director of Academic Affairs,

Dean of Faculty

dstone@cushing.org

10th + 11th Grade Advising

Raja Bala 

Director of Academic Affairs

rbala@cushing.org

12th Grade + Post Graduate Advising

If you have difficulty scheduling a meeting for any reason, please feel free to reach out to any of us directly to find a time will work for you. The Academic Office is open throughout the summer, and we are available to answer any questions at academicoffice@cushing.org or (978) 827-7011. We look forward to continued conversations in the coming weeks!

Sincerely,

Raja Bala

Director of Academic Affairs