Two short months from today, more than 100 new students will be hiking in small groups in the White Mountains, on a trek that is a true metaphor for the Proctor experience they are initiating. It will start with anxious boys and girls registering, meeting roommates, and finding faculty advisors. After a picnic-style lunch, they will gather outdoors for welcoming remarks, and the introduction of Orientation groups.
Orientation groups (they hike together for the next five days,) exemplify the straightforward, human relationships that define this community. Parents join the groups' first meetings.
Metaphors are everywhere: parents are involved; we all want student success; we can't control challenges, but we can control how we respond to challenges. Humor and fun are critical! We'll make a circle; a whole new community comes together.
The moment comes when kids say goodbyes to parents, and head back to dorms with friends met only moments ago. Those of us who have watched this process over decades know that some of these friendships will last forever.
At the same time, athletic camps begin. The days fly by, and suddenly, we're down to the business of the school year.
The new incarnation of Proctor will be 354 students, 254 boarding and 90 day students. This features the largest 9th grade in known history: 67. The Admission Office (also known as the enrollment management team,) has crafted a community of 90 tenth graders, 90 eleventh graders and only 97 seniors. This is brilliant, because of the large base of under-classpersons, resulting in a smallish graduating class, so the admission office has a manageable task for next year.
Considering the school's enrollment well-being, Chris Bartlett references the extraordinarily low attrition (dismissals and withdrawals) experienced this past year, as well as the transparent appeal of the typical campus tour. "People come back from a tour saying, 'The kids like it here.'"
Another factor--known nowadays as "brand loyalty" in the industry--is the number of students who are the sibling, son, daughter, nephew, niece or grandchild of an alumnus/ae. While that data has yet to be computed for the upcoming school year, we know that it's testimony to Proctor's appeal to those who know us best.
I will be on vacation until July 19, and will post the next Chuck's Corner on Wednesday, the 22nd. Until then, check out some archived pages!
