When I was appointed Director of Admission in the spring of 1983, the office secretary--a woman named Rose Chapman--decided it was time to quit and move to Florida. I immediately began interviewing candidates for a position that demanded an extraordinary set of diverse skills. Charlie Durell did more than fill that position; she reinvented it to exceed all expectations.
Proctor's 2,500 acres wood lot is perhaps our greatest physical asset. It provides a sense of place valued by faculty, staff, students, and especially our canine friends! Each of us appreciates this land differently. Some of us work in it while others harvest it. Some hike it, others run it. Our children explore it. Frances O'Gorman chose to journal about it.
At this year's graduation, guest speaker Luke Wood shared his thoughts on lessons he's learned over the course of his successful music career. His first point was that magic exists; there are moments when creative genius is unlocked and the result is nothing short of pure magic. These moments exist in the studio, on the athletic field, in the classroom, or simply in conversation.
We have long known there is something called "Proctor magic". We can't define it. We can't even really describe it. But if you've spent considerable time on Proctor's campus, you know it well. There is something about this school that unlocks the best in students in a way no other place seems to be able to do. More accurately, though, the magic doesn't lie within this place, but within the people who make up this community. One of the most 'magical' members of this community is Patrice Martin.
And just like that graduation is over. Summer is near. Faculty are conducting end of year meetings. Advisors are mailing letters to students recapping the academic year and reviewing grades and teacher comments. Reunion weekend is a few days away - a time for faculty to reconnect with past students and rekindle the relationships that defined those students high school years. This time of year reminds us why we work in education, and specifically, why we have chosen to work at Proctor.
Over the past three days we have celebrated the Class of 2015! Seniors cruised Lake Winnipesaukee Thursday evening before families gathered with the Proctor community for Senior Dinner Friday evening. Saturday morning the festivities continued as sunny skies and temperatures in the high 80s greeted the masses for Proctor's 167th Graduation!
Over the past ten weeks, Mikaylee '17, Sadie '17, Drew '17, and Hannah '17 have lived and learned in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica at The Cloud Forest School. They share reflections on their term off-campus and the relationships made with their host families.
As of noon today, only the Class of 2015 remains on campus. It seems like yesterday we gathered for new student registration and headed into the woods for Wilderness Orientation.
Over the past three weeks, more than seventy members of the Class of 2015 took part in Proctor’s Senior Project program. Begun over 25 years ago, this program affords graduating seniors the opportunity to explore an area of passion, vocation, or expertise. Students work very closely with both an on-campus sponsor (usually a faculty/staff member) as well as an off-campus mentor who has significant experience in the chosen field of study.
