A week from today is July 1, an uneventful turn of the calendar that marks the true start of summer for many. For all of us at Proctor, it is the start of a new fiscal year. Proctor's June 30 fiscal year end marks the end of the 2021-2022 annual giving cycle. We don't talk often about school finances, but as a 501(c)3 non-profit, Proctor relies on tax-deductible donations to meet its operating budget, a budget that unlocks a world of opportunities for our students.
Since 1848, Proctor has transformed the lives of generations of young people. Whether it was through an off-campus program like Mountain Classroom, on a playing field, or a casual conversation with a trusted advisor on the way to a meal, the educational experience Proctor offers lasts a lifetime. Today, we embark on the 1848 Giving Challenge: 18 hours and 48 minutes dedicated to supporting a school that has and will continue to transform lives.
During the busyness of the academic year, we crave the pause afforded by Winter Break. Campus is quiet and we can refocus on the 30,000 foot perspective of why we exist as a school. We know our daily work is valuable, we see incremental progress in our students, our teaching, and our physical plant, but without moments of reflection, the "why" of this work can too easily be lost.
A seemingly uneventful turn of the calendar to July next week is actually quite significant for those of us who work on the “business” side of Proctor’s operations. Like many academic institutions, Proctor's June 30 fiscal year end marks the end of the 2020-2021 annual giving cycle. We do not talk often about school finances, but as a 501(c)3 non-profit, Proctor relies on tax-deductible donations to meet its operating budget, a budget that unlocks a world of opportunities for our students.
During the busyness of the academic year, we crave the pause offered during Winter Break where campus is quiet and we can refocus on the 30,000 foot perspective of why we exist as a school. We know our daily work is valuable, we see incremental progress toward our goals, and we see tangible student growth, but without moments of reflection, the context and "why" of this work can too easily be lost.
Early snowfall in central New Hampshire and cold November nights has allowed Garry George '78 and his crew at the Proctor Ski Area to create amazing early season conditions on alpine and Nordic trails. A favorite run of mine, even in the winter months, reaches the halfway point after climbing the 600 vertical feet up the backside of the Proctor Ski Area. As you emerge from the double track access road to the top of Proctor’s little big mountain, heart racing from the climb, your eyes peer out over Proctor’s campus and the village of Andover. For so many of us in the Proctor community, this view never gets old. Nor does the feeling of a change in perspective it provides.
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.
For stretches, long stretches at times, travel for the school takes me out of New Hampshire and across the country: last week, DC; this week, NYC. I meet alumni from different moments in Proctor’s history like the graduate from the late 80’s who worked for Newsweek and now is a chef; the entrepreneur who graduated in the 90’s and works out of a Manhattan shared space office; the parent who is watching their child slowly build executive functions.
