Perhaps the most powerful aspect of working at a boarding school are those moments throughout the course of the year when you are able to experience tangible moments of transformation. Spring Family Weekend is one of those moments (as are Fall Family Weekend, Commencement, and Reunion Weekend). Our family comes together and we are reminded of the hard, very real, work we all are doing alongside our families to help our students navigate adolecence. 

As any boarding school student, teacher, or parent knows, life operates at a breakneck pace during the academic year. Classes flow seamlessly into assemblies, afternoon activities and athletics, study halls, and dorm meetings. Weekends allow for a brief change of pace with weekend activities sandwiched by Saturday classes/games and Sunday night study hall. Often, we find ourselves deeply immersed in the 'moment', whatever that moment may be. This is is what makes boarding school such a powerful learning environment; both faculty and staff are deeply invested in shared experiences and the learning that accompanies those experiences. 

It is this pace that makes moments like Spring Family Weekend so important for our community. We elevate out of our day-to-day routine, press pause, and gain valuable perspective on the work we are doing alongside our students. When families arrive on campus, the contagious energy of living and working in the Proctor community kicks up a notch. Parents attend classes and transition into a packed Wilkins Meeting House for assembly. Families get to experience first hand a day in life of their son or daughter at Proctor - including a valient effort by some parents in a game of musical chairs in assembly! 

However, parent/teacher conferences might be the most powerful piece of the weekend. It is during these conversations that honest conversations strengthen the relationships between families and Proctor. Helping teenagers navigate adolescence, learning, and the challenges that accompany both isn't always easy. But when teachers, students, and parents regularly join together to discuss shared goals and growth toward those goals, trust emerges and bonds are strengthened within our Proctor family. 

During Spring Family Weekend we are reminded we are all in this together: students, faculty, staff, parents, siblings. We are thankful to all of our families for joining us in this imperfect journey through life. We couldn't do our job of educating your children without your teamwork!