We may be preparing for another 2-4 inches of snow today, giving us well over two feet of the white stuff since last Tuesday, but let us briefly allow our minds to wander to warmer thoughts. Thoughts that involve summer vacation and Proctor’s Summer Service Trips!
As a school, it is our hope every alum leaves Proctor with a passion, pursues that passion with unbridled ambition, and then eventually shares that passion with others. Nick Fairall ‘07 left Proctor with a passion for ski jumping. He pursued this avocation until it became his vocation at the international level. After making a name for himself on the international jumping circuit, he won the US qualifier and made the US Ski Jumping team for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
On Monday evening, blizzard warnings were issued for much of New Hampshire and we had our own Winter Storm Warning in Andover. Heavy snow and high winds were expected as we prepared for a crippling snow storm named Juno to slam the Northeast. Day students were informed travel to campus would be nearly impossible Tuesday and boarding students were already dreading their trudge through snow and wind to classes. And then it happened...
I had the privilege of sitting in on Lynne Kenney’s Leadership and Ethics class yesterday. Over the past few classes, retired Learning Specialist, Ellen Yenawine, has worked with students to identify their Myers & Briggs type using the MBTI. For more than two decades, Ellen utilized the insights gained through the MBTI to help her Learning Skills students better understand themselves as learners.
As Geometry students will tell you, the midpoint formula will give you the midpoint of a line segment. For us, that means finding the midpoint of the academic year: January 21. Midterm grades have been shared with students for the Winter Trimester. Classes are in full swing. Some students are thriving, while others are working through various challenges. Learning Skills tutorials, extra help sessions, and Math First Aid are being utilized.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is a national holiday that celebrates the work of Dr. King during his lifetime, and recognizes the legacy he left behind. It is a day when communities have the opportunity to gather and dialogue about how we have grown and how we must continue to grow. It is a day when we decided to press the pause button on our classes and instead dive head first into conversations about race, equality, and justice at Proctor, and in the world at large.
On Sunday January 18, the Proctor Ski Area will host 19 nations and over 15 colleges in addition to some of the best ski academies, prep schools and ski clubs. The FIS race will be an internationally scored race featuring some of the finest talent in the east. In the first of two make-up races from the regularly scheduled New Year’s Eve FIS Festival at Proctor, well over 400 racers have submitted entries to the race, making it one of the biggest races Proctor will host all year.
Tonight's blog post talks about 'firsts'. Not only did today mark the first Saturday back from winter break, but Proctor thrives on exposing students to new learning experiences that trigger future passions.
