This was our first time traveling and leaving our little Aix bubble and the daily routine we follow each day. We were taking a break from “hanging around” and going on a “Grand Tour” of France’s capital, Paris. It seems that in Paris, everything happens due to it’s artists and historically showing it all off at the great Expos of the past.
Proctor's Mountain Classroom community transitioned to a hunter/gatherer mindset as we drove away from California. On our way to Boulder, UT we paddled through the Black Canyon seeking out hot springs around every corner. Once in Boulder we began fasting in preparation for learning how to butcher a sheep under the direction of Laurel Holding and Carrie Ryan. Both have acquired their skills over many years as instructors for various organizations, including the Boulder Outdoor Survival School.
The Cloud Forest School in the Monteverde Region of Costa Rica once again welcomed four Proctor Academy sophomores to their spectacular rain forests and generous host family homes for the Spring Term. This unique off-campus program allows a select group of tenth graders to study abroad while continuing their core sophomore classes at the Cloud Forest School. After four weeks of living, learning, and exploring Costa Rica, Auggie '19, Ellie '19, Will '19, and Asher '19 share photos and reflections on their term abroad to date!
Waking up on a sunny Monday morning in Segovia, we met together as a group in front of the bus station, and set out for the trip to Andalucia. First taking the high-speed train to Madrid, then Antequera and finally a coach bus to the city of Granada, we have experienced the conspicuous convenience of the ground transportation in Spain. Granada is located in the very south part of Spain, close to the coastline of Mar de Alboran (the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea).
Living in Aix-en Provence for the past three weeks has felt so surreal to me. It’s as though I need to keep pinching myself so I know that I am not dreaming.
Imagine, you get dropped off in a foreign place with no idea what's happening because you just got off a six hour plane ride with no sleep and a stranger is trying to talk to you in another language.
As a lifetime resident of our little town of Andover, but still a traveler of the country and the world, I had been looking forward to every aspect of European Art Classroom since I first heard about it as a prospective Proctor student - which, as a ‘faculty brat’, has really been since I was born.
Mountain Classroom is spending our spring studying food. We started the term by getting our hands dirty on the Midland School’s farm in Los Olivos, CA. Ranch Manager, Nick Tranmer, was our gracious host, as we camped out in a beautiful field nearby campus, before heading into the San Rafael Wilderness for a first aid themed backpacking trip. After backpacking we returned our thoughts to food systems by visiting Duncan Family Farms, a large-scale organic farm growing salad greens in New Cuyama. Now we are en route to the Colorado River for a canoeing trip in the Black Canyon below the Hoover Dam.
