June (2014)
6/29/2014
All Good Things
6/23/2014
Penultimate Post
6/15/2014
Envisioning Greatness
6/2/2014
The Proctor Difference
May (2014)
5/1/2014
Ties That Bind
April (2014)
4/11/2014
Cary House Remembered
March (2014)
3/25/2014
George's Gift
3/14/2014
Pick Yourself
February (2014)
2/23/2014
Letter from Mike: On Being Remarkable
2/9/2014
Trustees and Volunteers
December (2013)
12/27/2013
Holiday Card
12/4/2013
Good Causes
12/2/2013
Frozen Assets
November (2013)
11/16/2013
Sally B.
11/10/2013
End Game
11/6/2013
Have Fun, Learn, and Work Hard
11/2/2013
Seasons of Change
October (2013)
10/29/2013
Process of Affirmation
10/6/2013
The Notion of Stewardship
September (2013)
9/21/2013
Self Study
Radical Simplicity
8/30/2005

When school is in session, (starting next week,) this webpage changes three times per week. The next post will appear Wednesday evening, September 7. Until then, enjoy Labor Day Weekend!

Mike Henriques and Betsy Paine didn't have a chance to say a word before they were treated to a rousing ovation from faculty at Monday's opening meetings. When the welcoming applause subsided, each spoke of their excitement as new leaders at Proctor. Mike asked us to consider how--treasuring the community as we do--we can evolve together into something even greater. After a summer of "mapping" the school by visiting every conceivable corner of the campus, Mike has dedicated the start of this year to our place...our environment, and its sustainability. To get us warmed up, choral director Kristofer Johnson led us all in a group song--a round, in fact, written specifically for this occasion.

This was followed by a slideshow/talk on the history of environmentalism at Proctor. We learned that the hardship of The Depression necessitated work programs that maintained the school and its facilities. Below, students and teachers till the soil for a victory garden in May, 1943:

Environmental education director Alan McIntyre (Nelson Lebo is on leave this year) introduced principles from Jim Merkel's challenging book, Radical Simplicity, which enables each of us to chart the size of the "footprint" we leave on this finite planet through our lifestyles, practices and habits. Andrew Donaldson, Ted Mastin and Josh Norris work through the math:

The afternoon was dedicated to groups visiting campus sites of interest, including the new biodiesel processor, the forestry department, Proctor's noted organic farm,

and the prolific composting operation.

Using horse manure from nearby Seery Hill stables, we are composting all organic kitchen wastes for the vegetable garden and landscaping mulch. Little things make a difference, or, as Alan says, "Small steps move the world." Example? Bring your own mugs and nalgene containers to faculty meeting....no disposables!

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Betsy Paine and Mike Henriques wait out the applause before their first words to faculty.
Faculty rehearse the words to a musical round written by Kristofer Johnson just for the occasion.
Teachers calculate their environmental footprints.
Nelson may be on leave from the classroom this year, but he's still a presence. Can this organic cherry tomato change the world?
Everett Jones inspects the biodiesel processor that converts the kitchen's cooking oil into fuel for campus vehicles.
A spotted salamander made an appearance at the forestry shed.
A new solar kiln dries newly milled lumber outside the forestry shed.
Jim Merkel's Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints for a Finite World.