At this year's graduation, guest speaker Luke Wood shared his thoughts on lessons he's learned over the course of his successful music career. His first point was that magic exists; there are moments when creative genius is unlocked and the result is nothing short of pure magic. These moments exist in the studio, on the athletic field, in the classroom, or simply in conversation. 

We have long known there is something called "Proctor magic". We can't define it. We can't even really describe it. But if you've spent considerable time on Proctor's campus, you know it well. There is something about this school that unlocks the best in students in a way no other place seems to be able to do. More accurately, though, the magic doesn't lie within this place, but within the people who make up this community. One of the most 'magical' members of this community is Patrice Martin. 

Over the past three days we have celebrated the Class of 2015! Seniors cruised Lake Winnipesaukee Thursday evening before families gathered with the Proctor community for Senior Dinner Friday evening. Saturday morning the festivities continued as sunny skies and temperatures in the high 80s greeted the masses for Proctor's 167th Graduation! 

My 106 classmates and I have just a few days remaining in our Proctor experience. Collectively, our families will have paid almost $20 million in tuition to Proctor over the past four years. Staggering, I know. Before beginning my communications internship with Scott Allemby I had little exposure to the financial model of independent schools like Proctor Academy. I thought our school must have money to burn and I know my classmates share that assumption. 

In the eight short weeks of the Spring Term, Proctor’s drama department holds auditions, learns hundreds of lines, builds an intricate set, organizes dozens of costumes, and performs a full-length musical. It’s a miracle, really.

Almost exactly two years ago Jacob Dombrowski ‘13 (Middlebury College) gave a senior speech in assembly.  During his eloquent delivery, he shared, “If there is one bit of advice I can offer you all before I end my time here it is this: Do not be afraid of who you are. You’ll never make a difference in the world until you find out what truly sets you apart.”

We get used to so much, adapting to subtle shifts in our environment without even knowing it. A week ago, spring slipped into summer-like heat and humidity, and the community shifted into rhythms we could not have imagined in February. Students drifted down to the Blackwater to swim, windows were thrown open in dorms, and flip-flop days returned. We adjust, we acclimatize.

Proctor’s commitment to environmental stewardship runs far deeper than our Environmental Mission Statement and annual celebrations of Earth Day. Our commitment is institutional and drives our forward progress as we seek carbon neutrality as a school.

Where do the dark ribbons of genius originate? Waking up in the morning, snippets of dreams tease us back into sleep’s adventures. How did they get there? Where do they originate? We traverse lands we have never been to, encounter friends and strangers, and navigate architectural structures of M.C. Escher complexity. We see what we never thought was possible, experience wholesale changes in the laws of physics. What wellspring of the mind creates such playgrounds? And how do we value it in our everyday life?