Today is the second and final of this year's Revisit Days, as we host about sixty prospective students and their families. The weather is not cooperating, but this is known as "mud season" for a reason.
During the first two academic blocks, classes absorb these student visitors while prospective parents connect with administration, then teachers and current parents. These guys are hamming it up for my camera....
One parent--scribbling notes in a booklet--mentioned the need for more information to make a decision whether or not to choose Proctor. This comment made me stop and consider the importance of
information in decision-making versus
emotion. Certainly, when students and teachers convey information about the school, they do so with great emotion!
You can be sure that administrators at many schools would cringe at the thought of a shoeless student addressing the community on a revisit day, advocating support of Toms
One Day Without Shoes movement, but Ben's announcement, supported by a
moving video, earned thunderous applause, and communicated as much about this community as any fact sheet. The morning assembly also featured an Otis Redding tune by Chris, backed up by Bill and Harry.
This is this morning's student panel:
So, the day imparts both information and human emotion, and we can only guess which drives the choices people make. Either way, we know from past experience that the great majority of those who revisit Proctor will choose to attend.
Mike Henriques connects with a visiting family at the activity fair:
It is a time of transition. When maple buds begin to swell, the quality of sap deteriorates. We are gathering the last of a prodigious run.
The final boil of the season signals the start of two weeks of cleaning, sterilizing and packing of gear and equipment. That's what Woods Team is all about, tackling chores!
Does it get any better than this?
Perhaps it does.... At Joshua Tree, California senior John Howard receives good news while on Mountain Classroom: he's a National Merit Scholar!
