European Art Classroom, Proctor's term-long art immersion program based in Aix-en-Provence, France enters their second week of living and creating abroad. Read Nikki's realistic mini-story and enjoy the photos taken by European Art Classroom co-director , Dave Fleming, and Kaley "Gwyneth - Lady Guinevere" '20.
There’s no real easy way to do this, to make this announcement. I have wrestled it, spent time journaling, talked with a few folks in a very tight circle, but it simply comes down to this: the 2020-21 school year will be my last as Head of School at Proctor Academy. It is a decision that I have come to in consultation with the Board of Trustees, and it is a decision that I have moved towards over the last six months. It is not an easy decision, but I have made it with a full measure of pride in the accomplishments of this community and complete confidence that the school has the leadership and the wisdom to continue on with its current success.
Proctor's Mountain Classroom has reunited following winter break and has begun their westward adventure after reconvening in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the group heads out on their next adventure, we journey with Sophie '21 and the group back to the Okefenokee Swamp during their mid-December camping trip. Enjoy and check back soon for another update from Mountain Classroom Winter 2020!
The Proctor Nordic team has a long and storied history. This year’s squad led by veteran head coach Buz Morison looks to capitalize on early season snow and a recent training trip to Quebec to become a contender for the Lakes Region Championship. The team recently returned from five days in Mont Ste. Anne, the premier Cross Country ski site in all of Canada, where they enjoyed training each day, a night ski and a predawn ski before heading back to Proctor. During their trip, the team also visited the Old City of Quebec for sightseeing, ice slide, and dessert crepes, as well as a visit to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.
We enter a new year (and decade) with resolutions to be better. More exercise, less sugar. More time with family, less on technology. I have mixed feelings about the concept of New Year’s resolutions. While I appreciate the opportunity for reflection and the notion of self-improvement, I also recognize real self-improvement happens incrementally and is a far more complex process than a simple declaration as the calendar flips to a new year.
During the busyness of the academic year, we crave the pause offered during Winter Break where campus is quiet and we can refocus on the 30,000 foot perspective of why we exist as a school. We know our daily work is valuable, we see incremental progress toward our goals, and we see tangible student growth, but without moments of reflection, the context and "why" of this work can too easily be lost.
The nature of the academic year sometimes causes us to forget all that has happened in the last calendar year. A look back chronologically at the past calendar year through highlighted blog posts from each month allows us to relive some of the best moments from the second half of the 2018-2019 school year and the most memorable events of the 2019-2020 academic year to date. Sit down and scroll through the images, click on the links, and read the stories below to remind yourself of all the good you have been part of as a member of the Proctor family during 2019. Here's to an equally powerful 2020!
Our family’s favorite holiday movie is the 2018 version of Dr. Suess’ The Grinch. This animated film, more than any other we have watched, speaks to reason we celebrate this season. Unlike other versions of the story, the writers offer a more complex look at the trials of Donna Who as a struggling single mom raising three young children, the loneliness of the Grinch rooted in his complicated past, the persistent optimism of Mr. Bicklebaum, the selfless love and mischievous grit of Cindy-Lou. It reminds us that while we are each imperfect and our existence messy, we can make a difference in the lives of those around us. We are more capable than we believe.
