The Buzz

I have always been a believer in what our school does. Ever since I first heard the name and jumped onto Proctor’s website, I found myself in love with Proctor’s version of  experiential learning -- living with host families in Spain or Costa Rica, speaking Spanish, exploring deep cultural history and literature, living in an artist-colony in France and learning and exploring alongside Proctor legends Jen and Dave Fleming. Or maybe the open sea is more your speed and you can work on a tall ship sailing down the eastern seaboard all the while studying literature, the ocean that you call home, and keeping watch while you navigate the high seas. But for those of you who prefer to stay on land, you can hop in a minibus with ten of your peers and a couple instructors just crazy enough to help you navigate the American southwest, learning about indigenous cultures or geology while you hike the lands you discuss and climb the rock formations you’ve studied. These programs are proximate learning at its finest, and the only thing wrong with them is that you have to be a student to quench this wanderlust! 

Our first few hours in Costa Rica were a bonding experience to say the least. After landing in San Jose, we met Kathia and drove up the mountain to our new homes and lives. The views from the van window were unforgettable. Greenness abounds everywhere around us and there’s often a light wind fluttering around, or soft mist falling for short periods of time. We landed in paradise and have loved our experiences so far. 

Traditional New England, all-boys boarding schools throughout the 1950s and 1960s (like Proctor during that era) were male dominated institutions: in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, and in the leadership of the school. A glance at Proctor’s yearbooks from these decades scream order, discipline, and structure. And yet upon closer examination, the Proctor community and experience of the students themselves relied as much on the impact of strong, confident, capable women to lead the school from the inside. Nancy Wright was one of these women during her 20 years of service to Proctor. Today, we share her passing at the age of 94. 

Growing up in rural New Hampshire, with occasional trips to Boston being my only true city experience, I was certainly not the most equipped of our group to take on Paris. 

Proctor's winter Ocean Classroom program in collaboration with the MET School of Providence, RI and Sailing Ships Maine has been sidelined in Brunswick, Georgia for a week as the crew has dealt with managing COVID-19 cases on board the ship. While the turn of events over the past weeks has been challenging, and disappointing, the resiliency and positive attitude of the students on board, the tireless hard work by the Captain and crew, and the support of parents have been inspiring. With open seas in sight, Calvin '22 reflects on the past week aboard (and alongside) Harvey Gamage. 

After a week and a half of host family life, classes, afternoon programming, and local excursions, Proctor en Segovia winter 2022 students ventured north on their first overnight excursion of the term. Enjoy this window into life on the road in a cultural and linguistic immersion off-campus program.

In the last two years, our country and our culture has been put to the test. Pushed to our limits, at least for some of us, it sometimes feels like “the center cannot hold.” Working with and holding hope for adults and teenagers through one of the rockiest periods in recent memory definitely has had its challenges. Even the most stalwart of folks strain to stay healthy while empathy, patience, and the ability to self-regulate too often feel in short supply.

Proctor Academy's Mountain Classroom program continues their immersion learning experience this winter. After a climbing excursion in Hueco Tanks State Park, the group prepares for Adjunct Weekend and visiting faculty Patty Pond and Kyle Connolly. Read reflections from the past week by Grace '23 and Ani '23 below!