With 90 sophomores and 107 juniors taking PSATs every mid-October, we had 55% of the student population occupied Wednesday morning. If all sophomores took the same classes, and all juniors took the same classes, freshmen and seniors could proceed with freshman and senior classes. But there is no one, set curriculum for Proctor students by class, so classes would be impossible during PSATs. Seniors met with college counselors, and ninth graders were introduced to Proctor woodlands with a hike to The Cabin. It's a bit of a history lesson: the original Cabin was built by a student club in the early 1930s.



But our theme today is the nature of ninth graders.....boys and girls most of whom were born in 1999.





Ninth graders are a special breed. One teacher of ninth grade social science (World History) describes them as "jovial, generous, willing, kind, curious, light hearted...." Below, they listen as Swayz (far right) organizes the hike to The Cabin. In the background, a tent is being assembled for Fall Family Weekend.



The 35 minute hike to The Cabin commences.



Teachers who teach ninth graders tend to have a special affection for this population. Their impishness might drive some to distraction, but Terry Stoecker--who works with half of the entire class in Freshmen Seminar classes, uses the following descriptors: "Sweet, funny, hungry, curious, driven, generous, savvy, hungry, tired, sassy, kind, compassionate, aware, intelligent, young, did I say hungry?, creative, changing before my eyes, helpful, open, closed, sometimes all about them, sometimes not so much, willing, loveable, dramatic, and the best part of my day!"

By 9:15, we've made it to The Cabin.





At The Cabin, a few faculty have built a campfire and delivered cocoa and cookies. After all, it has been an hour and ten minutes since custom-made omelettes were served at breakfast!







Swayz encourages freshmen to take full advantage of Proctor's extraordinary natural resource, a nearly 3,000-acre woodlot networked by miles of hiking trails and dotted with idyllic campsites.





Ninth graders may be mercurial, but of this we can be certain. Soon enough, they will have transformed into seniors!