For the past 76 years, Andover has served as a gathering place for residents from the surrounding region as the town green in front of the Stone Chapel, Fowler House, and Gannett House are flooded with flea-market booths, games, and food vendors before the action halts for a community parade down North Street and Main Street. Roughly 10,000 visitors line the streets as we celebrate America’s independence and remind ourselves of the freedoms promised to all citizens in the U.S. Constitution.
During the school year, Proctor’s campus is a hub of activity: class schedules, athletics, off-campus trips, afternoon programs, and dorm life keep our community in perpetual motion. One may expect the summer months provide an opportunity to slow down, take a breath, and wait for life to pick up again in the fall. There is certainly a smaller population on campus and less visible action with students’ absence, but below the surface, Proctor’s campus continues to be a thriving destination for learning all summer long.
A little over a week ago, a group of seven Proctor students and three faculty departed for Proctor's annual summer service trip to Guatemala. Despite a significant earthquake and volcanic eruption that occurred just hours before their departure, all travel and activity plans have remained intact and on schedule. For the sixth straight year, the group completed the first service portion of their trip spending two days at a primary school in San Martin, a town to the west of Guatemala City. Read about their experiences and reflections below.
Proctor's ever-changing physical plant necessitates yearly updates to our campus map, and last Friday's sunshine afforded the perfect opportunity to zip around campus and grab updated photos of all 45 buildings and 21 dormitories for the website. With ten major facility upgrades over the past decade (Recording Studio, Peabody Dorm, Teddy Maloney '88 Rink updates, Farrell Field Turf Complex, Sally B Dormitory, West End Dorm, Cortland House, Brown Dining Commons, Proctor Ski Area upgrades, and Farrell Field House renovation), we thought a quick visual tour of campus on a blue bird, early June day was in store.
Proctor is fortunate to have incredibly low faculty turnover each year, but with bittersweet retirements (we will miss you Brenda, Laurie, Phil, and Susan!) and shifting roles within the school, we are excited to welcome nine new faculty to the community for the 2017-2018 school year. Over the past few days, this group of dynamic, energized educators has enjoyed (we think!) a thorough orientation to all aspects of life at Proctor. With students arriving in just over a week, we asked each of our new faculty to share a few fun facts about themselves. Enjoy!
Even though students and faculty are away during the summer months, Proctor's campus is far from quiet! In addition to Proctor's Dining Services team and Housekeeping team hosting Gordon Research Conferences all summer, and the Development and Communications teams, Business Office, Technology and Support Staff working hard all summer, Proctor's Maintenance Team jumps into action with campus improvement projects. When combined with significant renovations to the Farrell Field House, the list of summer projects is truly impressive, ranging from major paving projects to significant technology upgrades to irrigation work to refurbishing dormitories and office spaces around campus. Below are just a few of the highlights from the projects on campus!
When I told friends my plans to spend four weeks in South Dakota this summer, I had more than a few people tell me I was crazy, but it was an amazing month thanks to the fantastic group of eleven students who ventured alongside Tim Miner P'10 and me to spend ten days living and working at the Rosebud Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. With daily temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, this group cheerfully responded to constant reminders about sunscreen and hydration while working incredibly hard in the heat, sun and wind without a single complaint. They pushed themselves and were proud of the work they accomplished at the Sinte Gleska Ranch for Tiwahe Glu Kini Pi Program, Tree of Life Organization and at Marlies White Hat's house. This group acted like a sponge, soaking up all that they could during their visit; meeting new people and exploring the Lakota culture with an open mind and a positive attitude. I was proud to be part of their group. The student reflections below provide a window into their varied experiences as a part of Proctor's Summer Service Trip to South Dakota, but I encourage you to seek these students out in person to see first hand the transformation that has taken place. You won't be disappointed.
Our group of twelve rising sophomores and three faculty members just returned from Proctor’s two-week summer service trip to Guatemala. It was amazing to watch this wily, rambunctious group of 9th graders make the transition to more mature, worldly, and poised 10th graders over the past two weeks. We are excited to see these students bring their expanded worldviews and new perspectives to campus in the fall. As they share their experiences with other student groups and dive deeper into their time at Proctor, we know this trip to Guatemala will serve as an invaluable foundation as they embark on Proctor's term-long off-campus programs in the future!
