One concept of "school" has individual youngsters enter an institution at which they experience similar programs, and come out the other end with lots of common experiences, and--therefore--lots of commonalities. One of the reasons that Proctor is such a healthy school, is that we have stuck to a mission that defies commonalities, promoting individuals. The current example, (and there are many) is Project Period. A mural project in the science department utilizes a projection:
Students had the opportunity to choose between thirty-one projects, each one an entry into a teacher's area of expertise and passion. Individuals emerging.... These boys are orienting compasses for an on-campus vision quest/treasure hunt that involves campus history.
Over the next few days, I will be posting images coming in from many off-campus projects. Here is an example of today's Jiu Jitsue instruction of simple hand defenses. Motions are minimal and effective.
You are seeing images from just a few projects. The point, of course, is that every student chose preferences for their project. Every student advanced the design of his/her Proctor experience. In martial arts, you use very simple movement and leverage to render an aggressor subject.
The variety of choices for Project Period is a demonstration of Proctor's mission, because--more than any school of which I know--Proctor cultivates the individual. Here--this week--in Project Period, we're doing it. Trenny puts the hurt on Will.
Meanwhile, fortunate others are immersed in the music and culture of the mid-60s, through the Beatles. If I were a Proctor student today, I would be here...or sugaring...or quilting...or skiing back country. Whatever choice made, I would be becoming myself.
The gold standard for projects is maple sugaring, because it is everything for which the school stands: experiential education, sustainability (syrup sells!) and great photo ops!
This afternoon, temperatures climbed into the 40s, and we pumped 130 gallons of sap from 320 taps on the Blackwater sugarbush. That's a good, but slow, day. With temps reaching 50, Wednesday may be one of the great runs of the year. Here, we see Drew manning the pump from the gravity tank at the bottom of the tap network.
Back at the sugar house, the new sap pours in from an external tank, and Elliot feeds the evaporator with more split rock maple.
Through sweet steam, Ben skims boiling sap.
