As the temperatures continue to increase and the remnants of snow on campus and at the Proctor Ski Area slowly melt away, we reflect on the most unique winter athletic season we have experienced. With athletes donning masks to compete safely, and with the help of coaches, athletic trainers, athletic staff, ski area crew, and peer schools, the winter athletic season was nothing short of a success. Thank you to everyone that made the winter season happen, and to the staff at the Proctor Broadcasting Network for working tirelessly to provide livestreams of all home athletic contests! 

What began as a summer professional development trip by late faculty member George Emeny to learn about Native cultures has evolved into a forty year relationship with the Lakota Sioux. For eight summers, George learned alongside Lakota professor Albert White Hat at Sinte Gleska University in Mission, South Dakota before their friendship brought Albert and his family to Andover, New Hampshire in the Spring of 1985. For one of Albert’s children, Emily '94, receiving the news of moving to New Hampshire was hard to hear. "I remember exactly where I was when my father told me we were moving to New Hampshire. I was in third-grade, and I thought my world was ending. But, when it was time for us to leave and return to South Dakota, I knew Proctor was a place to which I might return."

At the core of Proctor is human connection, a group of talented educators ready and willing to help adolescents through their high school years. Each Proctor journey includes its own challenges, and it is the navigation of these moments of difficulty alongside caring faculty that most powerfully shapes the student experience. For Justin Donaldson ‘01, the intersection of human connection and supportive adults during his time of crisis not only defined his time at Proctor, but laid the foundation for his work supporting others today.  

When John O’Connor ‘79 arrived in rural Andover, New Hampshire from Houston, Texas as a Proctor ninth grader, he was greeted by a vastly different campus than students enjoy today. Proctor’s current Admissions Office was a local watering hole, Rocky’s Roost, serving 18-year old Proctor students, the west end of campus was wholly undeveloped aside from the Farrell Field House, and the student body was composed of more than 80% boys. But it was never Proctor’s physical plant or enrollment statistics that allowed John to flourish. Instead, it was the relationships formed with teachers and classmates and fundamentally life-changing experiences that laid a foundation for his on-going engagement with Proctor over the past forty years. 

The social unrest of the late 1960s and early 1970s America rivals that of today as assassinations of civil rights leaders and politicians, controversial involvement in the Vietnam War, and rise of counterculture movements challenged traditional, all-boys boarding schools like Proctor Academy. For Hank Marks '71, the relative stability found at Proctor during this harrowing time laid a foundation for a lifelong journey of learning, caring for others, and chasing his passion. 

Proctor seeks to graduate students who understand the values of honesty, compassion, respect, and responsibility, and are equipped to proceed with confidence and strategies to become lifelong learners who positively contribute to their communities. Similarly, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, Massachusetts prides itself on working with young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.

For more than 70 years, Proctor has served as a leader in brain-based approach to teaching diverse learning styles. During an era when most schools uniformly categorized a student with a learning difference as “unable” to achieve the same as a traditional learner, Proctor chose to take a different approach. Faculty worked to understand how students learn and developed an educational model that celebrated and supported a truly diverse set of learners through an integrated Learning Skills program. For Pam Stewart-Martinez '87, the lessons of support and community learned during her time at Proctor ignited a passion for committing to a life of service to others. 

The Alliance for the Visual Art is entering its 13th year celebrating young artists. The 2021 AVA Gallery High School Virtual Exhibition features ten Proctor students and works from eleven participating high schools in the local region. To be included in the exhibition, all students must be nominated by their art teacher. Six categories are judged: Drawing, 2D Mixed Media, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, and Wearable Art. This year’s exhibition will allow a public vote for their favorites. You can participate in the voting process and view the incredible work from Proctor artists by visiting HERE.