Whether it’s hiking and backcountry skiing in the White Mountains, walking the streets of downtown Boston or downtown Franklin, New Hampshire, the power of Project Period, Proctor’s five day, immersive small group program that kicks off the Spring Term each year, remains the same.
A staple of Project Period's past, Laura Ostrowsky, Chris Jones, and Jim Cox led this year's Maple Sugaring project. The sap was flowing and evaporator boiling all week!
While we pride ourselves on an educational model that features academic courses rooted in experiential learning, Project Period provides an opportunity for students and faculty to join together to explore their passions outside of the classroom. This year, faculty offerings spanned an astounding 36 different projects.
The forge was burning hot with Corby Leith and his blacksmithing project.
Who wouldn't want to spend Project Period with Terry Stoecker, Anna Hanlon, and horses?
Students went dog sledding in northern Maine, explored finance and fitness principles, learned to make a quilt, fabricated metal in the forge, earned Lifesaving and CPR certification, Hunter and Bow Safety Certification, learned about music recording, drone building and flying, and mountain biked in Virginia. The list is as diverse as our faculty's interests, and that is what makes the week so special. Project Period is all about relationships; relationships with each other and relationships with what we are learning.
Drew Donaldson and Ian Hamlet continued their Maine dog sledding adventure this year - an annual favorite.
Four different projects took to the backcountry this week skinning, skiing, hiking, and making the most of Vermont and New Hampshire's mountains.
Lynne Bartlett and Rosanna Eubank tackle Tuckermann's Ravine with their backcountry ski group.
While the individual goals of projects vary, each seeks to expose students to at least one of four main themes: community service, wilderness exploration, cultural immersion, or a new skill, Proctor’s commitment to open the Spring Term with this immersion learning opportunity dates back decades. If you ask any Proctor alumni about their most memorable experiences, Project Period is almost always at the top of the list. Why is that?
Personal Fitness and Finance with Ross Young and Scott Allenby visited Dartmouth College's Peak Performance center to learn about Dartmouth's approach to strength and conditioning with Division 1 student-athletes.
The Downeast Maine Adventure with Patty Pond, Kristen Nesbitt, and Lindsay O'Brien explored, baked, and enjoyed all that downeast Maine has to offer.
Forensics with Megan Hardie and Sarah McIntyre set their group lose solving campus mysteries!
Mountain Biking Virginia made the trek to Stokesville, VA for some southern trails, good food, and great company with Derek Nussbaum Wagler and Chris Grotnes.
Sewin' It Up learns all sorts of sewing techniques with Joan Saunders and Alejandra Young.
The History of Rock has students taking apart and reassemble amplifiers while learning about the art of rock and roll with Geoff Sahs.
At the foundation of learning is trust in those around you, a trust that allows vulnerability, risk-taking, and exploration of life beyond your comfort zone. Without the trusting relationships between students and faculty, deep learning, life-changing learning, simply is not going to happen.
Greenhouses for Good partners with Two Mountain Farm in East Andover, NH to prepare this spring's seedlings and learn about farm maintenance.
The Amazing Race: Proctor Edition races through Provincetown and Cape Cod.
Annie Mackenzie and Shauna Turnbull stayed at Annie's former Mountain Classroom student Garran Peterson's '00 house while exploring Cape Cod.
Many thanks to Starr Fair for organizing this year's Project Period and for all the faculty and staff members whose creativity and commitment to Proctor's educational model of hands-on, experiential learning in small group settings made this past week as powerful as it always is. Check out hundreds of photos shared by faculty and students at the link below!
