We departed for Barcelona on Saturday morning, unaware that the Catalan language of Catalonia would surround us. The train ride from Madrid to Barcelona went faster than I had anticipated, but that’s what happens when one’s eyes are constantly stimulated by the beautiful countryside that’s just a glance out the window. After peering out the window and mentally preparing for our Catalan adventure, we arrived at the train station in Barcelona. Luckily, the weather was amazing in Barcelona; it was sunny and warm, just what we needed for a quick 20 minute walk to our hotel.

The temperamental weather of this past week has called into question our expectations for seasonal predictability, and with Mother Nature's authority in mind, the snow, sleet, and rain held off for a few hours to allow us to make the most of Proctor's annual observance of Earth Day. Each year, students and faculty allocate a full academic day to exploring diverse and creative ways to interact with and greater appreciate the natural world around us.

Proctor Academy's European Art Classroom met up with Proctor en Segovia last week. Check out photos, video, and reflections from their visit to Seville as Sarah '18 shares a window into their journey. 

Proctor Academy's Mountain Classroom ventured north from the Grand Canyon to Moab, Utah where lessons in permaculture lay the foundation for the remainder of the term's exploration of food sources and agriculture. Read more from Sage '18 and Sophie '18! 

Teaching can be a seriously humbling life. I can’t speak for other teachers as to why they started teaching but I assume inspiring students fits somewhere on the list for many of us. I’d love to think of myself leading the charge for my students as they learn about the world and find a path that inspires them. Many schools espouse the idea that we need to be learning for the world beyond the classroom; that part isn’t something that is unique to Proctor. The difference for us is that we have built a school that doesn’t only talk about it but makes it happen and has made it the norm for our students.

Proctor Academy's Mountain Classroom program has been off the grid for the past two weeks hiking in the Grand Canyon. Check out Frances' reflections from the group's first week of backpacking in this week's blog and stay tuned for more updates from the group soon!

Our first day in Segovia was tumultuous. We landed early on Tuesday morning in Madrid excited to see Ryan and Mikaela. As most of us did not sleep on the red eye from Boston Logan, it was slightly difficult to be as enthusiastic as they were. To increase our fatigue we were thrown straight into a barrage of Spanish from our host families. Communicating in a mix of English and broken Spanish we tried to convey that we desperately needed a siesta (nap). After this, most of us only woke up for dinner and slept through the night to the following morning. Better rested, but still somewhat disoriented, we all converged at the aqueduct for our first full day in Segovia. Looking up at the ancient Roman water slide the group became excited for our time abroad.

Proctor Academy's Spring 2018 Mountain Classroom group convened in Las Vegas to kick off their term-long adventure across the United States. Understanding the intricacies of rock climbing is critical to the program's curriculum under the leadership of faculty members Kate Sabo and Alex Lyttle, so the group spent the first few days of the term in climbing camp at Red Rocks. Enjoy this abbreviated blog post from Katie '18 (the group went out of cell coverage and was only able to send a portion of photos and videos they took before their weeklong hiking adventure in the Grand Canyon over the next week).