The moment that inspires: Patriots, Rangers, or a JV Girls’ Hockey Team?

The New England Patriots and their defeat of the Ravens was a contest described by Bill Pennington of the NYT as, “…a malevolent affair that seems to put both teams in a foul mood.” Still, the Patriots thrilled their fans with yet another Brady engineered comeback last Saturday with trick plays and tricky line-ups. A berth in the A.F.C. Championship game was secured just about the same time Proctor’s JV Girls’ game was winding down at Proctor.

On Sunday January 18, the Proctor Ski Area will host 19 nations and over 15 colleges in addition to some of the best ski academies, prep schools and ski clubs. The FIS race will be an internationally scored race featuring some of the finest talent in the east. In the first of two make-up races from the regularly scheduled New Year’s Eve FIS Festival at Proctor, well over 400 racers have submitted entries to the race, making it one of the biggest races Proctor will host all year. 

Tonight's blog post talks about 'firsts'. Not only did today mark the first Saturday back from winter break, but Proctor thrives on exposing students to new learning experiences that trigger future passions.

Girls' basketball coach Liz McNamara's family dairy farm, McNamara Dairy, helped organize a fundraising event to benefit The Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction. The girls' basketball team jumped right in to help out, making a world of difference in hundreds of families' lives this holiday season.

Our days as educators at Proctor are varied. We start in the classroom, move seamlessly to advisory period or assembly, and have the opportunity for informal conversations related to our work and our lives with students and colleagues during lunch. Following afternoon class, we head to the athletic fields and afternoon programs. Our time there is different than that which we spend in the classroom; our focus more immediate on the next game, performance, or contest. But should it be?

Recently, a New Yorker article caught my eye.  “Better All the Time” by James Surowiecki  (November 10^th) is about the relentless investment in athletic performance that has brought staggering evolution to all games and changed the threshold of what we thought as possible. Nutrition, training regimens, equipment, money, and coaching acumen - everything has changed in sports. Surowiecki then progresses to parse how education has or hasn’t followed the performance track, looking at countries that have and have not progressed.

Thursday evening, teams met one final time for the Fall Athletic season to recognize individual players with end of season awards. Over the past ten weeks, all of Proctor’s student-athletes and coaches have dedicated tremendous time and energy into creating a valuable shared experience within each team. While every athlete has improved over the course of the season, team awards recognize those individuals whose outstanding contributions through leadership, sportsmanship, or ability made a significant impact on the team’s success this fall.

Adolescents are always on the go. Just read this post from earlier in the week to be reminded of that!