Proctor's employees number approximately 80 faculty and 80 staff. That's a large population for a school for 355 students. The past two days have been dedicated to both faculty meetings and full faculty and staff meetings. We start--all together--in the Norris Theater, honoring those whose tenure has reached five, ten, fifteen, twenty (and more) years. It's an opportunity for managers to express pride in team members. Below, Food Service Director Art Makechnie offers emotional words for Elfriede Rayno, a tireless member of Proctor's much-loved kitchen crew for twenty years:
 
The faculty-only meetings convene in the stone chapel. It's warm and sunny outside, but chilly inside!




It's time to start!!
 
We take time to brainstorm techniques to improve what we do best: teaching, coaching, advising.
 
For the handful of new teachers, these meetings are an introduction to the relatively democratic, open and egalitarian style that has distinguished this faculty since 1971.
 
Teachers are invited to speak from individual experience. Brenda Godwin offers a stirring testimonial to the challenges and rewards of the advisor-advisee relationship.
 
Back in the Norris Theater, the entire adult population listens to an informative presentation by representatives of Harvard Pilgrim--the new health care provider for the northern New England independent school consortium. After the presentation, we are invited down on stage to follow up with individual questions.
 
If we are to ask students to serve the community--and we do--we need to practice service ourselves. Following faculty meetings, we break into small groups to pick up trash along Main Street, clean the kayak storage locker, clear ski trails, split firewood, paint here and there, clean used laptops for resale and reuse...
 
...and weed the brick walkways in front of Maxwell Savage Hall.
 
Students arrive soon. We're ready!