It’s been a long week at school, one of those tough weeks that tests the mettle of individuals and community. It’s been a week of introspection and community reflection, and at the end of it I found myself in the office Thursday night looking at a collection of writings, old favorites by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in a book called Airman’s Odyssey. I was thinking about mountaineering and rock climbing and those experiences of impasse when you find a way forward. Tempering moments.

Each of the blogs we post to The Buzz attempts to capture the power of a Proctor education through written words and powerful images. We know these blogs help current  families stay in touch with life at Proctor, and from time to time, parents spot their son or daughter in one of the images used in a blog post. We also know prospective families need to get to know us as a community, and our blogs are an important part of that process. 

It arrives in the fall, like a chill wind driving down from the north. It arrives in assembly with announcements from Mike and Michele, whips through on the ACT and SAT test days. It arrives with representatives from different colleges walking across campus: Dickinson, Warren Wilson, Colby, Gettysburg, Hampshire, Elon, a steady weekly presence of visitors on the campus. It rustles through the library, through the dorms, through advisory, through phone calls home. For many seniors it can feel like a tightening vice of isobars, for many parents it the same. Nothing, seemingly, offers protection.

Earlier this fall, we posted THIS BLOG on the Proctor Sister’s Program aimed at building relationships among our female students. We know that for all of our students continuous education, accountability, and tough, honest conversations with ourselves are central to the intentional cultivation of school culture. Friday night provided a tremendous opportunity to further cultivate Proctor’s culture as we welcomed renowned sociologist and gender equality expert, Dr. Michael Kimmel, to campus.

Each year certain weekends on the calendar jump out. We look forward to them with anticipation. This weekend is one of them. Starting Thursday afternoon with Ocean Classroom’s departure, the Proctor community will embark on a 48 hour celebration of all that makes Proctor such a special community.

Life for teenagers can be complicated, scary, and filled with questions. Events in the news over the summer brought to light just how complicated residential life can be at a boarding school. We recognize this. We also recognize sexual and domestic assault and dating violence is not just a ‘boy’ issue. Nor is not just a ‘girl’ issue or a faculty/staff issue. It is an ‘us’ issue. If we do not actively work to shape  school culture, it will shape us.

While new students trek through the White Mountains on Wilderness Orientation, 130 student athletes take part in Proctor's annual pre-season sports camp. Five days of double or triple sessions provide a tremendous opportunity to develop skills, work on tactics, and improve fitness before official tryouts begin next week. 

The start to the school year at Proctor builds slowly for weeks. Faculty trickle back to campus during the early weeks of August as syllabi are prepared, advisor letters are written, and dorms are prepared for students. Meetings happen, registration day schedules are finalized, WOFR training happens, and then BOOM, students arrive and we are off and running!