The culmination of the Fall Term provides rapid fire opportunity to see Proctor’s on-campus educational model in action. We regularly highlight the remarkable experience taking place on Ocean Classroom, Proctor en Segovia, European Art Classroom, Mountain Classroom, and Proctor en Monteverde through our off-campus programs, however, there is powerful experiential learning taking place daily on campus as well. The following events this week spotlighted just a portion of this work. 

Proctor’s fall varsity athletic teams combined for a 32-16-5 record, with both varsity girls soccer and varsity field hockey earning berths in the NEPSAC Class C Tournament. Varsity football and varsity boys soccer both narrowly missed bids to the tournament, as well, marking the first time in recent history that all four teams were in playoff contention in the same year. Read below for a preview of first round NEPSAC tournament matchups. 

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, filled with final exam preparations, we reflect on the past two days and all that transpired within our remarkable little community. Starting on Friday morning with the arrival of our Board of Trustees on campus for the first time in two years, we enjoyed a 48 hour sprint that included our final Fall Term classes, a Holderness Day pep rally in assembly, Fall Term Art Show, Dance and Jazz/Rock Ensemble performances, and a full day of competitions for Holderness Day 2021. 

We all remember where we were on the morning of September 11, 2001. Andrew Sandoe ‘94 had recently moved to Washington, DC from New York where he had completed his training with Morgan Stanley on the 63rd floor of 2 World Trade. He recalls, “The director of security at Morgan Stanley had been in the British military and was vigilant about accountability and drills. It drove all of us nuts, but when the first plane crashed (into One World Trade), he overrode the Port Authority police and evacuated the entire Morgan Stanley staff. Then he physically cleared every floor. Morgan Stanley lost 13 employees (out of 3,500), or 0.37%, while Cantor Fitzgerald lost 70% of their team. That day changed the trajectory of my life.” 

After graduating a talented group of seniors last season, Head Coach Ian Hamlet and Assistant Coach Peter Southworth had a number of holes in their lineup heading into the 2021-2022 season. After a stellar start to the season that saw the team jump out to a 5-2-2 record midway through October, the injury bug hit the Hornets hard. The last third of the season has been a challenge, but the silver lining of injuries and shuffled lineups is the opportunity to develop young players and provide chances for others to step in and make a difference. 

When William Negley ‘02 sat in the Proctor Admissions office for his interview more than 20 years ago, he asked Director of Enrollment Chris Bartlett, “Can I really do all the stuff in these brochures?” Chris responded, as he has to thousands of prospective families during his 25 years at Proctor, that each student has the opportunity to find their own path through Proctor. For William, a teenager hungry for experiences, these words laid a foundation of exploration within a world of opportunities at Proctor. 

When our students step into the studio, the wood shop, the forge, or on the stage, they shed the invisible weight of the world around them and immerse themselves in the identity-forming process of creating art.