June (2014)
May (2014)
April (2014)
March (2014)
January (2014)
1/10/2014
Candid Cam
December (2013)
12/18/2013
Holiday Vibes
12/8/2013
Open House
October (2013)
10/11/2013
Hornet Games
September (2013)
9/24/2013
Today's Rant
August (2013)
8/22/2013
Mindsets
July (2013)
7/5/2013
Andover Day
May (2013)
5/6/2013
Formalities
April (2013)
4/11/2013
Mascot Mania
Today's Rant
9/24/2013
Here's what I think. To be remarkable within the independent school market, a school needs to do lots of things very well. This enables a diverse population of constituents (students and their families) to sense an entire culture of success. 

DSCN7871

DSCN7885

DSCN7879

T
his is different from having one or two "flagship" programs....usually athletic programs that draw talented kids from all around the world to get major press and prestige college placements. That model strikes me as one dimensional. Proctor's history is unique because we had a flagship program sixty years ago--Learning Skills--that became organic to the community, and transcended "program" to color everything that we do. We support people. Today, it's that simple. 

DSCN7828

So, for example, it comes as no surprise that we have students offering "Math First Aid" (peer tutorial support) three nights a week. That's just part of the culture.

DSCN7791

S
o if you consider another distinguishing quality, such as "experiential education," that's just one more arena in which Proctor is remarkable. Not the only one. Just one more.

DSCN8027

A
nd the most remarkable experiential programs, like Ocean Classroom, Mountain Classroom, Proctor in Spain, European Art Classroom, and Costa Rica become mere extensions of a cultural predisposition here in Andover, New Hampshire. 

DSCN8003

A
nd somthing like the arts--and all of the non-academic electives that could be catagorized as the arts--are just part of the culture. 

DSCN7953

DSCN7950

DSCN9905

DSCN9928
DSCN7830
Support is not a program at Proctor; it's what we do.
DSCN7915
I've heard people at other schools suggest that being supportive runs counter to being academically challenging. But we know the opposite to be true, because support enables us to anticipate success, which is the fuel to motivation.
DSCN7970
.
DSCN7924
.
DSCN7935
In engineering, Zach and Guillem design bridge models with stick pasta, glue, and mathematics.
DSCN7960
Perhaps this is our flagship program.
DSCN7900
What's so funny?
DSCN7729
Angie liberates a window of its screen....