What happened here over the past 24 hours is a significant rite of passage for 122 families. That's how many new students registered Tuesday. Parents--having committed to sacrifice so that their children can have the Proctor experience--drive them here, go through a registration process, move stuff into dorm rooms, temporarily join an orientation group, say good-bye and leave. And most of these kids are 14 or 15 years old.... Here are orientation groups--with parents included--discussing the upcoming camping trip:

Consider the amount of trust involved for a parent to leave a young teenager at a rural boarding school. It is the kind of faith that can only come through impassioned, word-of-mouth endorsement (or direct experience). Here we circle for the traditional lap-sit:

It is a time of great emotion: anxiety...excitement...fear...sadness. It's a good time to laugh.

The symbolism of a wilderness camping trip is not lost on anyone. A group of strangers will share hardship and discomfort...mountain summits and vistas...cheese, peanut butter and pepperoni...and will bond. They will go down paths never seen before and take risks together. Kind of like leaving home to attend a boarding school in central New Hampshire.

For a historical perspective on Proctor's Orientation, click David's Dream. Another reflection--from last fall--is entitled Orienting Self.