Proctor Academy - Review #1

Proctor was a small school, about 350(400?) Kids, one thing that attracted me to the proctor in particular was the ski hill blackwater located on campus as I love skiing. Also, the size of the school and campus layout/location were very appealing as I enjoy a right knit community and wanted to experience a more natural environment than I had in New York.

I remember the teams I was on very fondly; I played baseball and basketball in middle school, but never felt the kind of comradery and support there that I did at proctor. The mix of supervision and independence also helped me prepare for life in college and beyond, giving me a better sense of accountability. Most of all, I value the friendships I had during this time in my life, whether those friendships have sustained or not, I will always remember the people at proctor.

There were definitely times when I felt attacked by certain staff at the school, stemming from incidents that had occurred either on my own or with other students, and those feelings stayed with me for a while when I was there. I regret not being able to let go of those feelings as I feel I didn't get as involved as I could have/as open about how I felt in general. I know this is probably common in highschool age kids, but I do wish I could have seen these things a little different then.

The people, by far. The environment, sports programs, and events were all a lot of fun, but by far the people I met/made friends with are some of my best memories.

Go say hey to Ed at the wise snack bar, go hike up past the tennis courts up to mega.. (hopefully the teepee is still there?), and make sure to get to know your dorm mates! You'll make some seriously good friends and have a Lotta fun.

The small class size was a major advantage for proctor, compared to some other schools. Also, the layout of class scheduling allowed for a time to focus on work while also maintaining a social life. The diversity of the staff was somewhat minimal, although the teachers I had were all extremely invested in their teaching and students, (more so than some of my college professors at my first college...). There were also a range of classes ranging from a more technical stuff to more experiential hands on stuff. This is definitely something I'd emphasize to prospective students.

The athletics program was great, proctor being perfect for me as I was much more into sports like skiing/mountain biking. I had never mountain biker before proctor, and although many say it is more of an individual activity, I felt a strong companionship with my teammates and coaches who pushed me to improve while making sure to have a good time. Looking back on my school experience as a whole, the proctor athletics program is something I remember very fondly. There were also a wide range of team sports and other activities, football, doccor, etc, as well as things like theater production and music/sound production. Participation was mandatory, but I feel this was very beneficial to me and there were a wide range of options to choose from.

I was not very involved in the theater/music/arts programs, which were offered largely through after-school activities (as alternatives to sports programs), although if remember correctly also as classes. I took a few art courses, pottery being one, and metal and wood shop respectively as others. The facilities were very well equipped, and the teachers were highly passionate and involved in my and the other student's work. Wood shop was my favorite, with Greg Allen. I would have never thought I could have made anything of value going into the class but ended up loving it and making several projects which I still have today. The teachers in the arts were undoubtedly just as involved and passionate about their work and their students work as the academic teachers at proctor. I also attended several plays/talent shows which I enjoyed.

There were a good deal of clubs and activities at proctor organized by teachers/students alike, some less formal than others. A group of friends and I organized an early morning roller blading Meetup, which we did for a few months my sophomore year which was a lot of fun. Another was polar swim, which I regret not doing all the time I was there, (I only started doing polar swim junior year), where we went to the frozen over a pond at 5am and jumped through a hole in the ice and sat in the sauna afterwards until we left for classes. The size of the community made it easy to hear about opportunities like these and I never had any feelings of exclusivity from any club/organized events.

Dorm life at proctor was a little weird to adjust tonat first, but very quickly I became close with many of my dorm mates and still have friends today, 6 years later, that I made my first day at proctor. Again, the size of the school made it easy to get to know almost everybody, and overall I felt pretty comfortable and "at home" with my dorm mates and dorm parents. After the first year, you had some jurisdiction over what dorm you could end up in and who to room with, which would increase as you moved up towards senior year.

There was access to local places, like Pizza hut, and Jake's mart, along with kitchens in each dorm and a great dining hall. Between the dining hall, walking distance from all dorms, local good spots, and periodic trips out to malls, we had a good mix of school cafeteria food and our own cooked food.

The town, Andover, was very small, we would see locals at the skatepark and passing through campus sometimes but I can't say I got to know any of them significantly. The area was heavily wooded with mountains all around, extremely beautiful and a great place to get out and play.

Again, the size of the school really made it seem like a tight-knit community. While I did have my own smaller group of regular friends, I found myself making some more friends as I stated longer, either from incoming classes or grades above me. Everyone was recognizable and for the most part friendly and welcoming (despite some typical highschool issues/drama which you will find anywhere as everyone is growing and learning about life).