A fall, a whoopie pie, and the art critic dog - lessons from a birthday.

I am used to birthdays announced in assemblies, used to shout outs in the dining commons, know that advisors often have a card or treat for students on the celebratory day. I love that about this school. I like seeing students swing through Maxwell Savage to pick up the cakes baked by the Andover Service Club. But what I am not used to is a couple of advisories cramming into my office to sing happy birthday to me. What I am not used to is Barb calling me down in the middle of lunch because Edna wants to say hello (which she did want to do), then rustling up more birthday song during the lunch rush. There’s an age, and let’s just say I have reached that age, when birthdays….well, you like to see them slide by without much fanfare. No notice is just fine. Really. Who needs reminding that the next decade has begun? Not me. 

The two most important days of the year are upon us: Admissions Revisit Days on Friday March 30 and Friday April 6. Over the course of these two Revisit Days, we will welcome more than 120 accepted students and their families to campus to attend classes, engage with coaches, teachers, dorm parents, and advisors, listen to student panels, and (hopefully) walk away with a deep appreciation for who Proctor is as a school.

Proctor Academy's Spring 2018 Mountain Classroom group convened in Las Vegas to kick off their term-long adventure across the United States. Understanding the intricacies of rock climbing is critical to the program's curriculum under the leadership of faculty members Kate Sabo and Alex Lyttle, so the group spent the first few days of the term in climbing camp at Red Rocks. Enjoy this abbreviated blog post from Katie '18 (the group went out of cell coverage and was only able to send a portion of photos and videos they took before their weeklong hiking adventure in the Grand Canyon over the next week). 

Today marks the first day of classes for the Spring Term. The sun is shining brightly, while the still-freezing temperatures remind us of winter's lingering grip on New Hampshire. As we move into this final stretch of the school year (graduation is just nine weeks away!), we look back at Project Period 2018 and remind ourselves why we commit four academic days to this endeavor each spring. 

In this time of everything-always-now, of streaming content and the new next, it can be remarkably centering to step into a sugar house in March where there is fire, sap, and patience - an antidote for the age of hurry. The sugar maples and the weather conspire to pick the timing of the season, and however much you want that first thimble of syrup to come out of the evaporator, there’s no hurrying the process. You are not in control. There’s no overnight shipping. No Prime. You move in the rhythm of the season or do without.

As Director of Enrollment Chris Bartlett stood in front of our start of Spring Term faculty meeting discussing the importance of upcoming Revisit Days, faculty nodded their heads at the need to showcase the best version of our authentic selves for visiting families on March 30 and April 6. As independent school educators, we know full well the balance every school seeks to manage during Revisit Days as our Admissions team works to enroll the most dynamic, fun, engaging, diverse student body for the 2018-2019 academic year, while not simply putting on an Admissions dog and pony show that fails to give prospective families a genuine window into our community.

All the non-weather related signs of spring are here. You can hear birds chirping above the soft dripping of sap into buckets hung on sugar maples around campus. Daylight has reclaimed the early evening hours it abandoned back in November. Spring athletic teams have dispersed around the country for spring training trips. Andover’s annual town meeting has come and gone with the usual small town issues that remind us of the importance of the greater community in which we live. It feels as though spring should be here, but Mother Nature has other plans this March, and, once again, a powerful lesson in patience is bestowed upon us as we hurry up and wait for spring to arrive.

The adventure began as the group embarked on the final excursion to Málaga. We all met up at Segovia’s bus station and from there we made our way to Madrid. When we arrived in Málaga we were greeted by the warm air and ocean breeze. The city was full of light as we were guided through the stone streets to our hotel. On one side there were hundreds of tall beige buildings filled with city life and on the other side was the crystal clear Mediterranean.

The long-awaited admissions decision date for the independent school world has arrived. Emails were sent to all 600+ applicants at 6:00 PM this evening notifying each prospective student of our Admissions Team’s decision. We are incredibly excited about the group of individuals we have chosen to make up the Proctor Community for the 2018-2019 school year!

Campus is quiet as an early March Nor’easter marches up the coast today (our skiers are excited for the anticipated snowfall of well over a foot forecasted in Andover). Spring sports begin in two weeks (with four spring teams traveling to warmer weather for spring training trips next week), but in the meantime, Proctor’s USSA/FIS ski program’s 40+ skiers are entering their busiest stretch of the season as March Championship Series are upon us. After a record-setting season, Proctor’s skiers look to continue their strong performance on the national stage over the coming weeks. Read more about Proctor’s USSA/FIS program and their results this winter below.

European Art Classroom or "Euro" is all about intensive study, intensive together-living  and complete immersion within the arts. The arts we see, the arts we make and the constant natural and human made beauty we simply discover daily by accident.  Just prior to flying to Prague, we visited St. Rémy in order to say good bye to Vincent van Gogh and the hallowed ground where he painted Starry Night among many other great paintings. Finally, our adventure to the Czeck Republic. Towards the blog's end there are final reflections from each of the artists. Enjoy.

Students depart for Spring Break today as we close out the Winter Term on campus. The past three months have seen remarkable work done in the classrooms, in art studios, on stage, in the dorms, and on the court/ice/hills by students and faculty. The winter has also been a time of transformation for the Farrell Field House as renovations continue within The Campaign for Proctor.

As most of our students depart for Spring Break, we look ahead to the month of March and the six spring break training trips taking place. Lacrosse, baseball, and softball teams head to warmer weather to get a jump start on the spring season, while USSA/FIS and Freeride skiers and snowboarders continue to train, ride, and race throughout the month. Check out a preview of each of the trips below to learn more about Proctor's preseason and post-season training opportunities for athletes.