Students coming to Proctor enter a community that aspires, like all great schools, to the finest values. The way schools differentiate themselves is how they act on those values. Take, for example, the reference--in the school's Mission Statement--to "...Proctor's longstanding commitment to environmental concerns...." These students (photographed in September) stand outside Eco-dorm, a residence built to exacting green standards that houses kids who want to "walk the talk."

They cook some meals together. They clean up their space without the assistance of Housekeeping. They find more than a little inspiriation from dorm parent Nelson Lebo, who leads by example. Nelson has been known to visit his parents in Northfield, Massachusetts by riding his bicycle there and back. Here, he's teaching by The Pond last week.

Nelson's commitment to environmental responsibility has inspired the Kitchen and Maintenance departments to orchestrate a composting system that recycles food waste--in substantial quantities--that provides high quality mulch to campus shrubs, fruit trees, and and a prolific organic vegetable garden. Below, we're back at the pond:

Last week, Nelson Lebo was named New Hampshire Environmental Educator of the Year by the state's branch of the New England Environmental Educators' Association. It's hard to imagine a more qualified recipient of this honor, because Nelson walks the talk. Every Friday morning at breakfast--after Polar Swim--he leads Proctor Environmental Action as they plan the week's activities, assembly announcements and skits, and recycling efforts.

Here, Nelson teaches Environmental Science in a building--Eco-dorm--that exists, in large part, because of his passion:

This is not to suggest that we're perfect. To the contrary, the more the value of environmental responsibility is elevated, the greater the challenge is revealed. Better that, though, than the alternatives.

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