This week’s block schedules will be different from usual to accommodate a guest speaker’s appearance at Paly to inform juniors about the college application process.

Wednesday will be a non-block day and Friday will have Wednesday’s block schedule, with periods one, three, five and seven, and advisory at 9:50 a.m. for freshmen and sophomores. Juniors have advisory in the Haymarket Theater to listen to guest speaker Lloyd Thacker, according to Ann Deggelman, the Paly teacher adviser coordinator. Attendance is mandatory, Deggelman said.

Thacker is the director of Education Conservancy, a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore., that helps students in the college application process, according to the Education Conservancy’s Web site. Previously, Thacker was a high school college counselor.

The Paly Parent Teacher Student Association invited Thacker to speak to the parent community on Thursday night. Not only did he accept the invitation, but he also offered to speak to the Paly students, Deggelman said.

“This is too good of an opportunity to pass by,” Deggelman said. “We’re offering him to the juniors who are hitting the college application season.”

Deggelman hopes that juniors will find Thacker’s presentation to be helpful.

“He [Thacker] is trying to take the frenzy out of the college application process,” Deggelman said. “College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.”

Before Thacker’s presentation, Paly college adviser Sandra Cernobori, would like the junior and senior students to take a question survey on their impressions and concerns related to college applications, to help Thacker further prepare for his presentation. This survey can be found on the Naviance Web site.

“We just feel that his message is so important,” Deggelman said.