Comprehending the complexity of the role the advisor plays within Proctor’s educational model can only be fully understood once a family has experienced the relationship first hand. We fully recognize this is not the cliche` pitch of "You have to see it to believe it!" prospective families want to hear, but we feel strongly the only way to fully appreciate the role of the Proctor advisor in your life is to live it yourself. In the meantime, here is an open letter to incoming families from a Proctor advisor. 

Earlier this week, we published the 2017-2018 Greenbook (Proctor’s Student Handbook) and sent a series of permission forms to parents to complete in advance of the upcoming school year. This process takes place each summer, both for returning and new families, and serves as an important acknowledgement of the rules, expectations, and boundaries essential to sustaining the Proctor community. The temptation for some might be to glance over the forms, identify where to sign or initial, and click submit. To check the box and move on with summer plans. Our hope is this process is a bit more intentional because we recognize joining a community, especially a community like Proctor, is not something you should take lightly.

The tiny, quaint town of Andover grows by more than five times its normal population of 2,200 people during its annual 4th of July celebration. For the past 75 years, Andover has served as a gathering place for residents of the entire region as the town green and Proctor’s campus are flooded with flea-market booths, games, food vendors, a parade, and fireworks. It is small town Americana at its finest as we celebrate America’s independence and our individual freedoms granted in the U.S. Constitution.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Proctor Academy relies on the support of generous donors each year in order to offer the breadth of programs that distinguish Proctor as a leader in experiential learning, integrated academic support, and transformative off-campus programs. Underlying each of these programmatic differentiators is a community of faculty and staff dedicated to the individual growth of each of Proctor's 370 students. We believe our educational model is the best there is, but it requires on-going support of generous donors. 

Each year, the Proctor community bids farewell to retiring faculty and staff. On June 30, Susan Currier will answer her final phone calls and emails from those of us needing technology or database assistance, while Brenda Godwin, Laurie Zimmerman, and Phil Goodnow each taught their final classes, coached their final games, and said a final goodbye to their advisees in May. Combined, these four individuals have given Proctor 112 years of service to Proctor’s students. While the 2017 edition of the Proctor Magazine (published in September) will have a full feature highlighting the impact of Susan, Brenda, Laurie, and Phil’s time at Proctor, here are few highlights from their respective careers. 

Prospective students and their families may be asking themselves why, after 45 years, does Proctor still conduct a Wilderness Orientation for every incoming student. The complexities of the operation are significant, as are the human and physical resources necessary to bring roughly 120 students and 35-40 faculty members into the White Mountains for five days and nights of hiking, backpacking, and camping. There must be a safer, easier, less stressful way to introduce students to a new school community, right?

A group of twelve Proctor students and three faculty members are entering their second week in Guatemala on one of Proctor’s Summer Service trips having spent the past seven days working alongside staff of Lemonade International. This trip marks the fifth year Proctor students have traveled to La Limonada, one of the poorest slums in Central America, to serve alongside some of the most gracious, joyful individuals on the planet. Faculty leaders Chris Bartlett ‘86 and Kayla Wagner have shared reflections from the first week on THIS blog, and we encourage you to check them out.

We are heartbroken to share that long-time faculty member Patrice Martin passed away peacefully Tuesday evening after a long battle with cancer at the age of 65.