In a cruel trick of nature, maples experiencing stress start changing color a month early--at a time when teachers and students are counting down the final days of summer vacation. Other signs of the new school year are apparent. Orientation routes are mapped in the faculty room, the Faculty Handbook is out, and there's activity in front of Maxwell Savage.
Next week's faculty meetings are planned in detail. Steve's busy.
A Head of School's dream is to have a school with a reputation that serves to attract just the right teachers. I count 21 teachers at Proctor who came here from other independent schools. Lee Carvalho (who previously taught at the Baldwin School and Windsor) heads up New Faculty Orientation, guiding three newcomers through campus resources, departments and policies.
Athletic Director Kathy Noble comes to us with a law degree over the mantle and 25 years of experience at New England prep schools: The Rivers School (MA), Loomis Chaffee (CT) and Miss Porter's School (CT). Kathy was attracted to Proctor because of the school's reputation for student-centered education. "Athletics," she declares, "is all about providing positive experiences." Below, librarians introduce the group to the on-line catalog.
With his undergraduate degree in music from Oberlin, and Masters in Choral Conducting from U. of Illinois, Kris Johnson comes to Proctor with teaching experience at Vanderbilt University and Canterbury School (CT). Kris has strong interests in highly diverse musical genres, and predicts that Proctor Chorus will be tackling Latin, World, Native American, jazz and everything in between. Selecting music for an upcoming performance demands "...the same care that an English teacher brings to choosing literature for a course."
Alan McIntyre is no stranger. Husband of science department veteran Sarah Rowe McIntyre '90, he's been living on campus since 2000, commuting to his teaching position as Program Director at New Hampshire Audubon. Alan's a natural for Proctor: "I like seeing kids learning out of their seats. I'm psyched to be a part of this community." The pace of life at Proctor? "It's going to be like running a marathon!"
