Monday was designed to accomplish many things. For all of the structure we created, business #1 was friend-making.
We got down to business with a relatively typical all-school assembly at which we were welcomed, met school leaders, considered the weight of transgressions such as harassment, sex and generation of fire, and enjoyed Bill Wightman's stream-of-consciousness recollections from Wilderness Orientation. This is Mike's introduction to the year:
Following assembly, boarders stayed for dorm meetings with housekeeping staff while day students met with Dean Of Students Anne Swayze in the Wise Center:
Now we get to the fun part. The latter part of the morning was dedicated to community service projects tackled by advisee groups.
This crowd is setting off to cut cordwood for our wood-burning dorms.
At Proctor, community service is an elevated practice, because--with the exception of today's introduction--it is truly voluntary service. Hundreds of students sacrifice free hours to guide visiting families on campus tours, and campus recycling efforts are equally extraordinary. These kids are moving old junk out of the Thoreau House barn.
The school is acquiring a wonderful, old structure on Lawrence Street that will serve as faculty housing. Five pines on the south side of "Blue Manor" came down this week, and clean-up was accomplished today.
This truck only carried this crowd a few feet.....
Proctor has a truly prodigious and productive organic vegetable garden, which enhances our salad bar and--with herbs and spices (coriander)--serves our food services throughout the year. We are weeding here.
After lunch, seniors meet with college counselors; returning underclasspersons gather again in the theater, and new students gather in groups to pick up laptop computers, and orient to other campus facilities.
Students commandeered my camera after lunch, and took some images that are truly irresponsible!
