The Buzz

Comprehending the complexity of the role the advisor plays within Proctor’s educational model can only be fully understood once a family has experienced the relationship first hand. We fully recognize this is not the cliche` pitch of "You have to see it to believe it!" prospective families want to hear, but we feel strongly the only way to fully appreciate the role of the Proctor advisor in your life is to live it yourself. In the meantime, here is an open letter to incoming families from a Proctor advisor. 

Earlier this week, we published the 2017-2018 Greenbook (Proctor’s Student Handbook) and sent a series of permission forms to parents to complete in advance of the upcoming school year. This process takes place each summer, both for returning and new families, and serves as an important acknowledgement of the rules, expectations, and boundaries essential to sustaining the Proctor community. The temptation for some might be to glance over the forms, identify where to sign or initial, and click submit. To check the box and move on with summer plans. Our hope is this process is a bit more intentional because we recognize joining a community, especially a community like Proctor, is not something you should take lightly.

Each July, Blackbaud K-12 hosts a user conference in Boston that draws educators from around the country together to discuss technology, learning, and the tools we use to help our students unlock their worlds around them. Last year’s keynote speaker, Julie Lythcott-Hames, inspired THIS BLOG POST on how we need to help our parents raise adults, rather than children. Today’s keynote by Dr. Natalie Nixon of Figure 8 Design Thinking sparked an inspired conversation on the future of learning in our society.

The tiny, quaint town of Andover grows by more than five times its normal population of 2,200 people during its annual 4th of July celebration. For the past 75 years, Andover has served as a gathering place for residents of the entire region as the town green and Proctor’s campus are flooded with flea-market booths, games, food vendors, a parade, and fireworks. It is small town Americana at its finest as we celebrate America’s independence and our individual freedoms granted in the U.S. Constitution.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Proctor Academy relies on the support of generous donors each year in order to offer the breadth of programs that distinguish Proctor as a leader in experiential learning, integrated academic support, and transformative off-campus programs. Underlying each of these programmatic differentiators is a community of faculty and staff dedicated to the individual growth of each of Proctor's 370 students. We believe our educational model is the best there is, but it requires on-going support of generous donors. 

Proctor Academy's Reilly Walsh '17 (Andover, NH) was drafted Saturday by the New Jersey Devils with the 81st pick in the 3rd round of the 2017 NHL Draft. Walsh will attend Harvard University in the fall, and played for the Chicago Steel (USHL) this past fall and spring book ending a tremendous season for the Hornets in which he became the first defensemen in more than 30 years to lead all of prep hockey in scoring with 69 points (30 goals). 

Our group of twelve rising sophomores and three faculty members just returned from Proctor’s two-week summer service trip to Guatemala. It was amazing to watch this wily, rambunctious group of 9th graders make the transition to more mature, worldly, and poised 10th graders over the past two weeks. We are excited to see these students bring their expanded worldviews and new perspectives to campus in the fall. As they share their experiences with other student groups and dive deeper into their time at Proctor, we know this trip to Guatemala will serve as an invaluable foundation as they embark on Proctor's term-long off-campus programs in the future!

Each year, the Proctor community bids farewell to retiring faculty and staff. On June 30, Susan Currier will answer her final phone calls and emails from those of us needing technology or database assistance, while Brenda Godwin, Laurie Zimmerman, and Phil Goodnow each taught their final classes, coached their final games, and said a final goodbye to their advisees in May. Combined, these four individuals have given Proctor 112 years of service to Proctor’s students. While the 2017 edition of the Proctor Magazine (published in September) will have a full feature highlighting the impact of Susan, Brenda, Laurie, and Phil’s time at Proctor, here are few highlights from their respective careers.