Our final week in Arizona was spent in Tucson and then traveling to the border to hike and learn with Tohono O'odham tribal members. Classes focused on the history of immigration policy in the US, soil health in the desert, and the tribe's ongoing relationship with the political boundary between the US and Mexico. Enjoy this window into Mountain Classroom!
Ten Proctor students will have their artwork on display at the AVA Gallery’s 9th Annual Best of the Upper Valley High School Exhibition from February 17 - March 10. For the third consecutive year, Proctor's art students submitted a wide array of pieces, from all visual and industrial arts disciplines, to the exhibit. An opening reception and awards ceremony will be held on Friday, February 17 for all exhibiting artists from the 18 high schools represented. We encourage anyone in the area to attend this opening reception as well. To learn more about the exhibit, visit the AVA Gallery site.
When asked to write a piece on how Proctor prepared me for college, I couldn’t help but chuckle because I couldn’t think of just one way Proctor helped me. I look back at my three years at Proctor and realize that everything I experienced made me grow into a person who would be successful at a university. It might sound corny, but being a day student actually prepared me to live far away from home in college. I was able to see my boarding student friends live alone, some of them for the first time. Because I watched them grow as people through dorm life, I wanted to engage myself in residence life in college. I saw Proctor dorm parents building a community within the dorms and creating a family where people felt safe to speak their minds. Seeing that made me realize that I wanted something similar out of my college experience. Of course, there are no dorm parents in college, but being an RA is pretty close!
The athletic schedule for Proctor Academy during the winter gets very hectic with all the winter sports happening. One place that gets especially busy is the Proctor Ski Area. With ski practices and races happening several times a week, the Ski Patrol team carries a large amount of responsibility to care for the ski hill and teams. As Proctor’s USSA/FIS, Nordic, alpine, and freeride teamsrace, compete, and practice, often capturing most of the athletics headlines during the winter months, a dedicated group of ski patrollers are quietly supporting Proctor’s 200 on-snow athletes and their endeavors at the Proctor Ski Area.
Four Proctor Academy sophomores are enjoying a term abroad at the Cloud Forest School in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. Last weekend, program director Brooks Bicknell traveled to meet up with students and hear about their adventure off-campus thus far. Check out a video update from the Cloud Forest School, student writing, and images below!
The Mountain Classroom group spent last week alone in the hills nearby Cascabel, AZ. It was a unique opportunity to be on solo for four nights on a beautiful stretch of desert preserved by the Cascabel Conservation Association. We prepared for our introspection by studying neurons and the quantifiable benefits of mindfulness, reading Herman Hesse's Siddhartha set 2500 years ago, and discussing traditional Lakota ceremonies as written about by Albert White Hat in Zuya.
Proctor’s girls varsity basketball team boasts a 10-3 record as they surpass the midpoint in their season and look ahead to defending their NESPAC Class C championship from last year. While the core of the team remains from last year’s championship run, roles have evolved and new additions to the squad have brought key new pieces to the puzzle. With a jam-packed February ahead of them, the team and its veteran leadership looks to continue its development under first year-head coach Junior De La Hoz.
