The Buzz

The cast and crew of the winter drama program have been working hard each afternoon and evening to prepare for this winter’s play on February 23 and 24: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The show, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, is from the perspective of an autistic young man, Christopher, as he investigates a neighborhood mystery and a series of clues with deep familial implications. Throughout the winter term, the actors and technical crew have been experimenting with the portrayal of Christopher’s internal commentary and his relationships, providing a brief window into another world.

Proctor's five term-long off-campus programs provide unparalleled experiential learning opportunities as students travel the globe, immerse themselves in different cultures, and learn more about themselves than they ever thought they would. For five of our sophomores, the decision to study abroad at the Cloud Forest School in Monteverde, Costa Rica has transformed their high school experience. Read mid-term updates from the Cloud Forest and try not to be jealous of their experience! 

After a week in Paris, Proctor's European Art Classroom Winter 2018 group returned to the familiar streets of Aix-en-Provence  and welcomed visiting parents (and aunts and uncles) to their home in the south of France. As the group shared their life on Euro filled with painting, exploring, and sucking the marrow out of the experiences laid before them, Grace '18 reflects below on the past week studying abroad. 

In mid-October (oh to feel that autumn sunshine and crisp breeze right now!), I shared thoughts on the annual ninth grade hike to the Proctor Cabin in a blog titled, Shaping and Sustaining Culture (read it here if you’re so inclined), in which I reflected on the intentionality required of crafting the culture of a school like Proctor. Specifically, the blog explored the challenge facing our first year students: “Do I passively embrace the culture that exists here at Proctor or am I willing to actively shape it?”

As someone who is relatively - maybe completely - incapable of carrying a tune (I’ve been told I couldn’t carry one in a bucket), who dodged requisite instrument lessons as a youth with artfulness and guile, and who only much later (this year) started tinkering with chords on a piano, you’d think appreciation for the individual and collaborative journey of musicians might have eluded me. Not so much. It’s more a sense that I didn’t carry that “gift”, that innate wizardry the musical seem to possess enabling them to hear and see the intricacies of beats and rhythms and to speak in that language, but that doesn’t translate into a lack of appreciation.

In a recent conversation with Ethney McMahon P'16, '20, our videographer, she mentioned the following that struck me. "I am lucky enough to have a job that allows me to float into classrooms and onto athletic fields at any time. It’s a free pass to observe this community, up close, in its continual making. I see teachers and students in their element as much as I see them out of their element."

It’s amazing how much your surroundings can change in just a three hour train ride. Travelling from our small town of Aix-en-Provence to the bustling city of Paris was a drastic change of scenery.

We entered the stadium, more than eager to finally lay eyes on the incredible, god-like athletes that we have been looking up to since we were young kids. We walked up a long flight of stairs and entered a long hallway full of entrances to the large, beautiful soccer pitch home to Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. We were all in shock; it was beautifully kept and just an all around majestic looking place. Although we were not yet at our seats, our eyes were locked on the view of the field. The first thing we all quickly pointed out was the large poof of hair jogging in the distance, and, although it was hard to see from where we were standing, we all knew without a doubt that we were looking at none other than Real Madrid’s Marcelo.