Students departed on Winter Break late Thursday morning. There has been a nice, positive vibe on campus in recent days. Winter weather is upon us with plenty of snow and cold temps, so skiing and snowboarding conditions are excellent. 



Assemblies included several distinctly positive moments.



A series of bake sales to benefit the local food pantry raised more money than expected, and included some large, anonymous gifts. A Nordic ski coach noted that footprints approaching a freshly-groomed ski track diverted--to parallel the track--a thoughtful, anonymous act. A student read an powerful essay in which he reflected on his mother's battle with cancer, and the impact of that battle on his life and perspective. The faculty and staff joined forces to act out The Twelve Days of Christmas, a whacky, silly, unrehearsed performance that demonstrated that we don't take ourselves too seriously!





For three days, faculty and staff found a table in the Faculty Room laden with cookies, chocolates, peanut brittle, fruit, custom-made Proctor T-shirts and other treats--the product of a parent volunteer initiative called "Faculty/Staff Appreciation Days."



The kitchen served up a sumptuous holiday dinner (for which students dress up,) in a dining room transformed by holiday decorations thanks to the work of Student Activities and faculty/student volunteers. In the library, a small tree is decorated with notes written by students completing the sentence "Life is good because....". All in anticipation of a much-deserved vacation!









Do people think I ask for this gesture?