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Journalism - Fall 2012 Proctor's fall Journalism class brings you a collection of our writing. This site is our publication, a "working newsroom" where the writing is shared, shaped, and edited - an ongoing process where some articles continue to evolve. We strive for authentic stories that explore Proctor and our world. Scroll down to a story and enjoy.
Table of Contents Author
Title
Page
Jackson Buscher -
When is Enough too Much? Homework at Proctor
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Jack MacClarence
Proctor Mountain Biking
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Kyle Corda
Trust, One Students Perspective
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Brian Higgins
New Kid
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Kanika Miller
Proctor Spirit
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Zack Kessler
When Will Proctor Determine the New Mascot?
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Emmy Snyder
iPads Come to Proctor
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Joanne -
Asian Students at Proctor
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Will Rouse
Saturday Class
15
Cheka Ventura
PA Dress Code
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Odaine -
Proctor Football
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Jackson Buscher
When is Enough too Much? -Homework at ProctorTwo hours? Three hours? Four hours? What is the appropriate amount of time that students need to spend on their school work, without being discouraged and feeling overwhelmed? Opinions vary on this topic, and much research tries to answer this question of how much homework is appropriate. Students are obviously opposed to homework and teachers are uncertain of school without it. Proctor needs to find the middle ground for work done after the school day is over. Most schools continue to use a common education practice known as homework, gaining anything from, has grabbed the attention of many professionals. As former high school teacher and author, Alfie Kohn notes in his article Is Homework Necessary, “Even if you don't care about kids' happiness, the fact is that they're unlikely to learn effectively when they're doing something that they regard as anxiety-provoking or at least a waste of time.�(School Library Journal, 12/06/2006) In a recent survey, I polled one hundred Proctor students on how long they spend doing homework each night. Seventy percent of the one hundred students polled reported spending three or more hours on homework each night. We can safely assume that the majority of students would be happy to see the amount of their homework decrease to give them more time to explore their interests and passions, and take time to relax, rest their brain, and reflect. Here at Proctor we are required to participate in many daily activities, from classes to sports, allowing for a little bit of social time. Speaking from experience, I can attest to how tight and fast the schedule can be on campus. A full five class school day followed by sports/activities ,only allows for a small window of social time before its back to work on the nightly homework assignments. I have found that a good nights sleep is necessary for a successful day, every day. This is not always easy to accomplish because of trying to keep up with the demanding work as well as some personal time. Vuk Baletic, a two year senior, agrees that it is not always easy to get the recommended nine or more hours of sleep per night for a high school student. He also points out that staying up late finishing work one night affects him the entire next day. Common
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side effects of sleep deprivation are feeling tired and unfocused. which lessens a students ability to absorb the information in classes. I’ve found that lack of sleep is prevalent amongst many of my classmates. This can lead to other unhealthy habits for students, such as trying to gain some sleep in the morning by skipping breakfast, (which is the most important meal of the day) as well as an over consumption of highly caffeinated drinks. Suzanne Rasweiler (Raz), one of Proctors specialist pointed out that “Proctor is a college preparatory school that has a responsibility to it's students and their families to provide a rigorous curriculum.” This is very true, but doesn't mean that “rigor” could not be accomplished by a slight reduction of nightly assignments. Alfie Kohn points out that “No research has ever demonstrated any academic benefit to making kids do homework before they're in high school. Even in high school, there is only a weak correlation between standard measures of achievement and doing homework.” ( "Is Homework Necessary? SLJ Talks to Alfie Kohn.” 24 Sept. 2012.) In my interview with Raz she said “In my "perfect world" homework would be individualized to each students needs and abilities.” As a student at Proctor, I find the workload to be very reasonable and appropriate most of the time. However, on occasion, the majority of the learning comes from the textbook and students are assigned a significant amount of reading each night. I believe this rushes the class through the material giving it the feel of busy work with no depth to help hold students interest and attention. Respecting that this has been my own personal experience, I acknowledge that every student learns differently. Research is validating the notion that educators need to reevaluate their philosophy on extending the school day into the night. The controversy over homework and its value in education has been debated for many decades and likely will continue to be a topic of discussion in the field of education into the future at schools across the world as well as Proctor. Proctor hopefully will keep their eyes open to the idea of possibly reevaluating their homework philosophies. -Jackson Buscher is a 2 year senior who enjoys making snow angels and keeping it real.
Proctor Mountain Biking by Jack MacClarence Proctor mountain biking has become a power house in just three short years. The team size has been growing and kids have been stepping up and seriously investing in the sport. As a rider it is clear to me that the talent pool has significantly grown. The team used to have just two riders good enough for the A category racing and now if you see an A category start you will see that proctor is over half the field. The big question is what is driving this change? What is attracting student to join the team? I can’t help but feel bad for the kids playing field sports everyday as I ride by the fields on my way out to the twenty seven hundred acre forest. As I head to flowing trails built by generations of past mountain bikers I think of the field sports and all the players stuck within the
5 lines running drills and chasing balls. Although no one can deny the excitement of a good soccer game flying through the trees ripping berms and dropping drops is excitement that not many people get to experience. Everyday just pushing the boundaries of your bike and trying to ride something new that you couldn’t before. The mountain bike team is something very unique and something you can’t find at just any school. The Proctor Mountain bike team has grown significantly over the past years. In 2004 the mountain bike team only had two lonely riders and this year the team has twenty-eight riders. The team size has increased dramatically over the past nine years. I After talking to a couple kids about why they joined the team it became clear to me that it is because the team is so unique. Mountain biking is attracting kids who are eager to step out of the box. Sam Shannon a rider who has become a competitive A rider in just one year said to me when I asked him what made you decide to join the mountain bike team? “I wanted to try something new I loved motocross, so I was kind of close to that.” Sam told me that he didn’t really have a fall sport before joining the team he would just train for hockey. I asked if Mountain biking is helpful preparation for his hockey season and he said, “Yes! It helps me a lot to get ready for the hockey season.” Not only does it get him prepared for the season but it a something that is fun. Jimmy Connacher said to me “I feel that my main sport has progressed from lacrosse last year (although I sucked) to mountain biking this year.” I asked him if he planned to ride after leaving Proctor and he replied “Yeah for sure, Mountain biking has become one of my favorite things to do... ever.” Jimmy then added “I also just love the energy the team has. No school cheers louder at races and no team is as supportive. Mountain biking pushes you but your all in it together and the challenge is so rewarding.” The Trail building is another unique thing that mountain biking does. Every thursday the team divides into groups and works on maintaining trails or adding new trails to Proctors already vast trail net work. When I asked Speight Drummond about trail building he remarked, “Trail building is sweet. It is so rewarding to ride something that you envisioned and built your self. It also gives you an appreciation for great trails I now realize how much work building a trail is. Trail building is also something that helps bring the team together trail building requires team work and it is a good time to get to know the riders on the team and how they think about lines.” Trail work is very unique to Proctor and is a great skill to have if you are mountain bike fanatic. The head of engineering at RPI in Troy NY has been building trails from his house in the state forest and when I told him about the trail building we do at Proctor he immediately said to me “Man I wish I learned to build trail when I was a kid.” Proctor kids are really lucky that they get the opportunity to learn to be great riders but also to help grow and give back to the sport. Proctor mountain biking shows no signs of slowing down. The team still expands their network and new kids still are expressing their interest in the team. Intrigued by the sport that proctor offers. Students are eager to step out of the box and enter the woods with a team really to try their best and support everyone around them. Jack MacClarence is a three year senior at Proctor Academy. He is a cycling enthusiast who enjoys a good ride with interesting people.
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Trust, One Students Perspective By Kyle Corda For most of my Proctor career I was allowed to do many things - but now I can’t. Between the helmet rule, the pump track strictness and the loss of the junkyard, many students are distraught about Proctors rules. It is just as easy to crack your skull falling down the stone steps of Shirley Hall as it is riding a bike. The great joy of riding a bike freely has been lost due to liabilities. There are many ways to blow off steam after a long day at school. Biking, skateboarding, the freedom to ride whenever and wherever we want has been put on a choke leash. It is enjoyable to ride bikes on jumps, rollers, berms and drops. Due to the risk of lawsuit, Proctor and many other schools are trying to protect the students and the school. To elaborate, the power tower was the mothership to all of the jumps at the junkyard. It was the first section created by students and the first section destroyed by Proctor. The day we decided to build in the junkyard we cleaned all of the loose dirt and weeds off of it and started to build. It was more than a pile of scrap metal and mounds of dirt to several of students and the kids of Andover. Everyone who went to the junkyard enjoyed their time there. If someone didn’t go to jump, they went to watch the bikers who were. Proctor has many high risk sports. Such as eastern skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and many more. There are so many dangerous activities and we can’t even be trusted enough to go to a pump track one hundred yards from the school trainers. Helmets are always being worn during these dangerous situations. Going to class and from class on wheeled vehicles should not require a helmet. This all ties back to falling down the stairs or slipping on ice in the winter, should we always have a helmet to make us seem safer? Should a teacher be glued to our back to make sure we don't get hurt? As it is a big risk to Proctors financial stability, is it truly necessary to be so harsh on the students who just want to find an escape from school and get their minds off of academics? The biking Proctor students do is a healthy outlet from school. The world isn’t a fair place as many kids have been told by their parents. That shouldn’t mean that the student body doesn’t get a say in what is happening in their own school. A handful of students with myself included. spent hundreds of hours in our free time building at the junkyard. For the most part it was kept clean and maintained by the students of Proctor that were dedicated to the junkyard. Months of work was gone in days without our say in it. We didn’t miss class, study hall or school work. If anything we felt better about school and the pressure that comes with it. Liabilities are always a lingering issue. Students can still get hurt with a teacher watching them. A teacher cant catch a student before they crash on a bike, or fall on a longboard. Either way a student can always get hurt doing anything, whether it is at the pump track, junkyard or walking on campus. Do you really think all of these intense rules are necessary? I for one don’t. Kyle Corda is a three year senior. He loves racing mountain bikes and creating metal sculptures.
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New Kid by Brian Higgins The first day of school is always a fun and exciting experience, but being a new student at a new school adds different dimension. Coming to Proctor Academy and being an upper class man brings pressure. Mike Damien, Ben Mello, Gunnar Solberg and myself are all hockey players living in Rulon-Miller. We would take the first steps of becoming a new student together. Proctor Academy makes all their new students go on an Orientation that most schools wouldn’t even think of. We, the “new kids” would spend our first Proctor experience in the middle of the woods. We were all dreading this 4 night, 5 day camping trip, but in the end we appreciated it. Gunnar “[had] fun, it was an experience you wouldn’t get anywhere else”, the Orientation camping trip “Was a great bonding experience to get to know people” Ben also added, “What we all thought would be a miserable experience was actually a memorable one.” When we got back we had a day to ourselves and then school would start. We would hangout in the Wise Center, “[The Wise] is for socializing and meeting new people”, Ben enjoys the Wise, he says “it is a great way to relax before study hall”. At first the Wise scene was a little awkward, none of us really new anybody and being introduced to thirty people in one night is overwhelming. Just like home for all us, hockey players would become our good friends and having friends that can fill you on everything makes the first few days much easier. We would all find our rhythms and life at Proctor would soon become routinely. Classes would start the next day, Gunnar has found his classes to be “intriguing and fun”. With smaller class sizes, we all have agreed that you receive more attention than public school, where we have all came from. Ben noticed his classes “have a lot of energy and a lot of focus”, he has found his classes here much more relaxing then his public school classes, at Proctor it is much harder to hide and avoid discussion, everyone is always engaged. Mike finds his classes to be “demanding and there is always homework”, every night there is something to do, unlike public school, we are always working. Proctor has been slowly easing us into their demands, we all expected a challenge but we are all responding differently. Now that the ice is down and we can skate on Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday we all seem to be getting even more comfortable. Boarding school is different for all us, Mike believes in such a short time he can already say he has become “an independent person.” Besides faculty and student support you are on your own. We do not have our parents to tell us what is wrong and wright, here we have to make smart decisions, manage our time and get stuff done on our own. To Mike “the transition has been easy on me”, we love it here so far, I mean the dining hall
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could be a little better but you do not always get what you wish for. Hockey was the main reason we all decided to come to Proctor, it is something we all have in common. In our free time we have been working out, skating, and hanging at the Wise Center together. Everyone from the team has been very supportive, not just for hockey but every activity, the atmosphere is always energetic, students and faculty have a lot of pride for their school and us new students have had no problem contributing. Ben, Mike, Gunnar, and myself are all new students but it barely feels like it. Proctor has been super welcoming, everyone is nice and campus is a fun place to be. In our dorm, RulonMiller we have had no problems getting along, Garrett Finn, joking around, thinks “[We] are a family” because we all joke and have fun together. Satchel Adelman believes “we have the chillest dorm on campus.” Being new has been an experience but Rulon-Miller and Proctor have been great so far and we are all excited to keep going. Brian Higgins is a fifth year senior chasing a dream.
Proctor Spirit Kanika Miller
“The belief in giving energy and celebrating your school. Supporting the successes of your school and its members.” This is the definition of school spirit from a faculty member of Proctor Academy. What is Proctor Spirit? It’s - the tone of the community that drew you to come to Proctor or the “middle of nowhere” when applying to high schools. It’s not all about sports, though sports play a key role in school spirit, it's about supporting the community. Proctor has witnessed strong school spirit better than this year. School spirit can be found in all the nooks and crannies of our campus, the core of our spirit is the compassion to support and help others. Helping faculty babysit their children, peer to peer tutoring, community service, campus tours, school dances, encouraging others to try something new, while showing them that making mistakes are ok, are good examples of school spirit on Proctor Academy’s campus. School spirit is just as important as academics, sports, and college acceptance. There is school spirit here on campus, despite it being the beginning of year, but it is definitely not near its maximum level. Our school spirit is just sleeping. Who will fully wake up our spirit? Is it up to the upperclassmen to set an example for the new kids, should faculty take charge, or the whole school to rouse our school spirit? Dean of Faculty Drew Donaldson observed, “Teacher’s can help nudge the students in the right way, but we can’t interfere too
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much.” He continued, “Its up to the returning students to set an example for the new students.” To improve school spirit we need to revive spirit week! Proctor needs it every term. Pitting each class and faculty against each other would help build school spirit. To entice people to participate in spirit week, student leadership should send out a survey on what the student body wants to do for spirit week and the ideal prize for the winning team that is within reason. Also to amplify fall term we can do more weekend activities, like apple bobbing, eating doughnuts off a string with just your mouth and having a lot of pumpkin and apple treats. Another thing to revive is winter carnival. We could have pond broom ice hockey, a massive snowball fight on Carr field with a bonfire and hot chocolate near Carr field. Also have a snowman contest if there is enough snow on a Saturday night in winter term. In a recent survey, the younger students claim they haven't felt school spirit since the beginning of school, but the teachers claim school spirit is still here on campus. Calling all seniors, and juniors to step and “amp up” the school spirit, because we can’t leave it up to new incoming students just getting used to Proctor to set the tone. Some examples of school spirit from the survey were, “Positive attitude toward all that the school offers,” and “Care for community - celebrating achievements of all...expressing honor to be part of this community.” and my personal favorite “Not caring about screaming ‘Go P’ in public!” There are 63 similar responses like these, this shows that people do care, which I got a majority of “yes” to caring about school spirit.In response to the question, “Do you think Proctor Academy has school spirit?” 88% believed school spirit is “high or medium.” Since not many people thought that our community had a lot of input on “If you could create an event to promote school spirit, what would it be?” Some said “Community based events… in order to highlight the diverse talents…”or a “Pep rally at assembly!” Another question asked in the survey was “Do sports create enough school spirit?” 51.7% said “yes” and 48.3% “no”.-period inside quotation A lot of the suggestions to improve school spirit were related to sports, like “more night games or pep rallies” or “A day for every sport Proctor has” and “One of our better teams [playing] in a really well organized setting something that is really competitive. Before it was girls’ soccer under lights, which just wasn’t that great because it wasn’t super competitive. If one our better teams ‘maybe hockey’ where to be given the same time type of treatment it may work better to rally spirit around that.” School spirit is important to any community because it creates a bond and -makes the community more friendly and the days pass by quicker. Proctor cares about school spirit and creates opportunities to create school spirit through sports, academics, and the performing arts. Proctor Academy's school spirit has just begun, and I can’t wait to look back at the end of the year and see how it has grown and changed throughout the year. Kanika Miller is a four year senior who loves to read fictional books and play field hockey.
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When Will Proctor Determine the New Mascot? By: Zack Kessler Now that the Hornet has been officially retired as Proctor Academy’s mascot, what will become the new face of Proctor? As a board member of the Proctor Mascot Committee I have revealing inside information on how and when the new mascot will be determined. There is a long a grueling process that the committee has to go through. If the time and effort is lacking Proctor may remain the “P’s” for a while. The process to determine the new mascot is one that is very time consuming, needs to be done thoroughly and carefully as the committee holds Proctor’s future in our hands. The process to determine the new mascot consists of introducing the initiative to Proctor’s constituencies, from there the committee must compile a list of suggestions submitted by the constituencies. Then list will be narrowed down to six and then two. The top two choices will then be submitted to a professional designer to finalize the design for the choices. Then there will be one final vote and at the end of this year the new mascot will be revealed to the Proctor community. Finally, it will be incorporated into the athletic branding and merchandise. I was able to speak to Proctor’s Athletic Director Gregor Makechnie about the process. He stated, ”Broad appeal is the biggest factor to determining the new mascot. We want it to be embraced by as broad an audience as possible. This was the problem with the Hornet, the last one was too masculine.” Gregor has been very thorough in his role and will not take the easy way out. He wants to make sure each and every constituency within Proctor’s community is satisfied with the inevitable new mascot. I then asked him how long the process would take, he stated,”The mascot will be unveiled at the end of the school year in May, it could be done sooner but we want to include some fun and anticipation; it will be done carefully.” Gregor continued,”If there is enough support for the Hornet it could absolutely be revived as Proctor’s mascot. If it was a Hornet it would be a new version.” I asked Gregor if he could choose a mascot what would be his choice, his response: “Given my position I do not believe I can give my opinion. Given the situation, it should be a mascot chosen collectively and not influenced by me.” I spoke to Chuck WIll of Proctor’s communications department who gave me a few words on how his department is going to be involved in determining the new mascot. “First of all prep schools did not have mascots until 1968-70, Proctors director of athletics decided to make the hornet in ‘71, which is when leagues coming into existence.” Chuck’s insight to the history of the mascot allows us to take a step back and look at how alumni would react to a change in mascot. Chuck stated, “Alumni run the whole spectrum now, it will mean a lot to
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alumni depending upon the current students. I don’t think that alumni from the 70’s and 80’s are passionate about the Hornets. We tried very hard to make the Hornet work, it was never easy to make work and the more people understand that the easier it will be to make a change.” With inside information about the mascot, the information I am about to unveil has not been seen by anyone other than Gregor and myself. Here are some of the possible choices that have been submitted by the constituencies: The Honey Badger, The Goshawk, The Bruins, The Pine Trees, and The Pillas. There have been over one-hundred and eighty submissions so this is just a fraction of the possibilities. Although this will take a while I will keep you updated on every step the committee takes so stay tuned there is more news to come.
“Take a look around the Proctor community. It seems to be a typical college-prep campus, but take another look: some of them are carrying around iPads, not computers....”
iPads Come to Proctor Written by Emmy Snyder Take a look around the Proctor community. It seems to be a typical college-prep campus, but take another look: some of them are carrying around iPads, not computers. This year, students had the choice to use an iPad instead of a computer. Also, in the coming years, it will be the primary use of technology on the Proctor campus. This recent decision has made students and teachers both excited but concerned as well. Will this hype for the iPads be beneficial for Proctor? One of the reasons that the iPad has been introduced to Proctor is for textbooks and the technical advantages from the tablet. Over the summer, Jim Cox, the Head of the Technology Department, decided that iPads would be a great addition to the Proctor experience. According to Cox, there will be more access to knowledge on the iPad as well as a way to make the quality of learning even better than ever. “You don’t have to carry a ton of heavy textbooks to class every day. Instead, it’s all on your iPad with easy access,” said Cox, “Along with that, there are so many features that come with the iPad that will make learning a great experience.” All Proctor students will be required to purchase their own iPad for the 2013-2014 year, but already, many new students have been leaving their computers at home and bringing their iPads to class. “I don’t think computers will ever completely disappear from Proctor,” continued Cox. “There are definitely some things that computers are better for, like writing papers.” For most students, he believes, it would be better to bring both a computer and an iPad. Although it will be more expensive, both iPads and computers have their own advantages over the other.
12 However, since the technology department will not be distributing computers or iPads to the students, there has been concern for admitted students who are unable to afford to buy an iPad, but have a computer. Doug Houston, Dean of Academics responded to this conflict. “We’ve been going back and forth on how to make that happen, and one of the thoughts was for the school to actually provide an iPad for every student. Since this year, books were part of tuition, this is possible. Since students used to buy all of their textbooks individually, it cost way more. If the school is funding books, buying and providing iPads for the students would be cheaper in the long run.” Dougo has also stated that having textbooks on the iPad will give the student a new learning experience. The iPad will give the student more opportunities to learn visually rather than listening to a standard lecture. What’s available in these digital textbooks include embedded pictures, 3D videos, and even talk links to vocabulary words, which would also provide a variety of examples and help for the student. However, what’s in it for the students? According to a recent survey, students have given a mixed opinion of bringing in the iPad to school. Many students who liked the iPad have praised its mobility and ability to hold books. One student also liked how it has, “lots of educational apps and costs less than a laptop.” Meanwhile, students who did not like the iPad have complained that it is very limited when connecting to different websites or programs and also that the iPad is much more delicate than a computer. For school work, one “would rather have books on paper and type on a full size keyboard. [He’d also] rather use a computer for reports and presentations.” Others have agreed that its compact characteristic is not idealistic. Teachers are both excited and frustrated with the iPad. They are excited because it is a new piece of technology to explore and experience, but it is also frustrating because there are several technological problems that the iPad is unable to handle. It also lacks the memory within the system that a computer has. Along with that, some do not like the way that the iPad types, since the keyboard is much smaller than a computer’s keyboard. Despite these flaws, the iPad should be a good addition to Proctor. One anonymous English teacher told Dougo that they thought “their students read 20% better than they did before just because it was on the iPad.” Dougo has also mentioned that he believes that kids read and are more interested when something is typed. “Seeing is learning,”he expressed with enthusiasm. In the long run, iPads should be more beneficial in the Proctor community than they are thought to be today. If the change is already approaching, then it should not be a problem for students to accept the iPad in the near future As a student who owns an iPad, it’s surely great for textbooks, but I think students will debate on whether the iPad is good for Proctor or not.For sure, the iPad lacks flash and compatibility, but perhaps having a lighter load in the bag would be a good start to the iPad’s future at Proctor.
13 Emmy Snyder is a four year senior at Proctor Academy. Her favorite things to do in her spare time are playing the piano and taking photos.
Asian Students at Proctor By Joanne Louie Are Asians smart? How do Asians get such high test scores? What is it that makes us so clever? We Asians aren’t more clever or gifted than non-Asian students, it’s just that we were raised to give up part of our free time during school for additional time in our rooms or in the library studying. Our social life may not be as exciting or as tangled as others are at Proctor, but we’ve been brainwashed to aim for an ivy league college. Asian students come to Proctor with high academic expectations and Proctor holds great appeal to Asian students. Nearly all Asian students at Proctor see their parents as very conscious of their grades at school. One first year Chinese student observed, “But they just want me to live well and try my best. But I give high expectation to myself since I want to go to a great university”; this student is an example of having high college goals. Another example of a studious Asian student whose parents expect high grades replied, “If I have like ....85% of [on] some things ..... they will definitely ask why!? I don't care but my parents are watching me so .... yep I have to study.” Another difference that Asian students encounters here but not at schools at home, noted by Marti Adams, International Student Coordinator, “Students in Asian schools aren’t encouraged to voice their own opinion. What teachers say is like God’s honest truth.” At Proctor, Duong Nguyen, a two year junior from Vietnam notes, “the most important thing is .... we learn how to apply knowledge to real life.” Similarly, Nick Zhou, a Chinese freshman observed, “Proctor put[s] more attention on students self learning. Though learning from nature [might take a] longer time to study, it impresses [me]. And information is remembered compared to hurr[ied] learning in China.” Both students’ appreciation of Proctor’s education was also mentioned by Chris Bartlett, the Director of Admission, who noted, “Proctor... encourages student-teacher interaction and promotes critical thinking skills over rote memorization.” Adding to that, one of the reasons Chris thinks students from Asia come to America is because, “They want to gain some balance in their lives. The academic system in Asia is all about test results, competition and rankings which require students to give up extracurricular pursuits while the American system is more about the entire experience of academics, arts, athletics and community.” I believe this is indeed true, the American system tends to create a well rounded school life for students versus the Asian schools system of only aiming for academics. Furthermore, in most public schools in Asia, class sizes may exceed fifty to sixty students. The fact that Proctor has a maximum of fifteen students per class gives every student a chance to voice their opinion. Even if students do not answer questions, most teachers can call on students to make them
14 think critically. Teachers at Proctor care how well students achieve. Proctor encourages independent thinking more than schools in Asian countries. A new Chinese freshman commented, “I like to be free. I can decide what I will try.” The environment of Proctor also plays a role in some Asian student’s interest in Proctor, for instance Duong said, “Proctor has a lots of trees, therefore I choose Proctor right away.” Compared to Duong, some Asian students like me don’t enjoy the woods as much. According to Marti, some students from Asia have asked her where the night clubs were and Marti replied there weren’t any and for a while, the students believed Marti was hiding it from them. Moreover, some students struggled to survive the freezing winters such as Yun Kim from South Korea who graduated as a 4-year senior last year. He never adapted to the tough weather and went to Virginia for college. Whether from harsh weather conditions to studying in the library, I believe most students from Asia end up with a better experience compared to their former school. Also pointed out by Chris, Asian students at Proctor tend to have more respect for teachers, allowing the faculty to be very welcoming to Asian students in their classes. My two years at Proctor has given me broader choices and more freedom that prepares me for what I enjoy and will decide to pursue in life. Joanne Louie is a two-year senior from Hong Kong and notes herself as a Hong Kong-nese.
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Saturday Class By Will Rouse Recently students have been affected in small, but significant ways at a rural boarding school in Andover, New Hampshire. Many trivial rules are changing students’ lives in little ways - nonetheless many students disagree with these rules, and they threaten to affect the general mood of the community. One of the few changes at Proctor is the addition of a second Saturday class. While many of the faculty have said that they feel positively about this change in the schedule, as with any issue, there are always alternative ways to look at things. In a recent survey conducted, more than seventy percent of the student population has said that they feel negatively about the addition of a second class. While I wasn’t surprised by this percentage, I was surprised at the number of Faculty that also felt unhappy with this change. The discussion had started last spring, and while the faculty were somewhat involved, one Administrator was quoted as saying: “We talked about it in faculty meeting a couple of times, but the Administration made the decision this summer. There are definitely some people that feel on both sides of the issue.” Most of the Faculty have felt very positively about this change. Comments have ranged from “Allows to get more curriculum to get spread over a little more class time,” to, “Some of my classes already have two blocks, while others have one. Whatever is best for the school as a whole.” The faculty are not alone in feeling positive about this issue, In the same survey conducted, seventeen of the one hundred students who completed the survey, said that they liked the change. Many occupants of the Proctor campus feel that having Saturday classes in the first place is unnecessary and poses more stress on students. Having three half days a week in the Winter throws off the schedule, and taking that into consideration, the Administration decided to have two classes on Saturday in the Winter. While there is definitely a need to satisfy a certain amount of school days per year, and given that we already have the winter schedule set up to satisfy our academic needs, the addition of a second Saturday class for the other two terms seems to be completely unnecessary. When asked why the decision was made to implement this change, an Administrator said: “A lot of it goes back historically, we used to have three saturday classes starting at 730, and going until 315 in the afternoon. We used to have a lot more academic time, and we took a lot of that away. We wanted to get back some lost academic time. So many students had a learning skills block or study block didn’t have too much to do, so if saturday had a little bit more time spent in class, it would feel like a real class day, and that Saturday classes would feel more important.”
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I personally feel that we as students deserve and need the time to recuperate on weekends. We run ourselves ragged when we get caught up in the routine of everyday school, and we really do not have that much down time. We run on a very tight schedule, going right from a 5 day class day, straight into sports where many of us are expected to maintain the highest performance throughout the year. While we do get a half day on Wednesday, many of us have games and competitions during our potential downtime. The majority of high school students nationwide enjoy time off on the weekends to hang out with their friends, and relax. While this is not the only issue people are unhappy with, it is a pressing issue that affects our lives here at Proctor Academy. It seems the issue of academic classes on Saturdays has been a subject of controversy for many, many years between students and faculty, and will continue to change periodically. Will Rouse
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Cheka
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Francheska Ventura (a.k.a "Cheka"), is a four year senior who enjoys playing sports.
Proctor Football Odaine FranklynIt’s tough, it’s rough, it’s gritty and violent. Most people say football is a man’s sport, America’s greatest game. You have millions if not billions around the world that enjoy watching the game of football; but there is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing like proctoP ortball, a I am currently now at Proctor Academy doing a Post-Graduate year building my grades even more and excelling in football for more and better scholarship offers. About eighty percent of the game is mental, and the other twenty percent is just physical, sounds easy but it really isn’t, You have to remember your assignments and responsibilities on defense, and offense you just have to remember your plays. Proctor Football, a whole new environment, a whole new scene, a whole new look and a different jersey. I was hyped and anxious all summer to just put on a jersey, the way I missed football was unbelievable. Though the first day of sports camp was not so fun because of all the running we did, it was a test to see who came into camp in shape or out of shape. The season was underway and got to know all the coaches plus the players, everyone is cool and friendly. We are now 2-0 on the season, beating Kents Hill 36-0 and then rolling over one of the top
20 teams in the league which was Pingree 44-12. I feel very confident that we as a team can go all the way this year and be champions. Ben Rulli, our head football coach, what his goals were for the season and for the players on the team, he said “We want to instill character, integrity, and leadership. We hope that this can be molded through teamwork, the platoon system, and discipline. Another goal that we always have as a coaching staff, is to get better at the Junior Varsity level. The Junior Varsity is bloodline of the football program and they are the future of the team.” Ben is a good coach and definitely knows football, he gets fired up like we do the day before games, its awesome. I asked Ben what was more important to him other than winning, he responded “Winning is not our number one goal. In fact, if you read our Football Program Manual it barely cracks the top five in goals of the whole program. Instead, it is more important for the coaching staff to push the team mentally, physically, and emotionally. This will only translate to character building that is a life-long trait. We want members of the Proctor Football Program to graduate as outstanding men and who will only continue to impact our society in a positive way.” Ben mentioned that Proctor academy was one of the top prep schools programs in New England, but I was told by my old guidance counselor that I will be going to this school to change that and to get a real good education. So far the team has fair chemistry, you have your chirping here and there when some kids would get kind of upset one of them is having a great practice than the other, then we would start really going at it just to make each other better. When it all comes down to it we are all one team and thats the only thing that matters, it’s us against them in the long run. Blake Joppy, our senior captain and running back/saftey has been a four year starter hear at Proctor Academy. He said “I feel like it has been a long time playing for proctor being a four year starter every year i encourage myself to make improvements statistically for the team and physically to perform better, This is my third year being a captain and I feel great it is definitely a role i enjoy on the team because i'm very passionate about the sport and its a great way for me to connect with the team.” I asked blake all about last years team, I met some of the guys that went on to play college football on my visit here at Proctor, my visit here at proctor was enjoyable and I had a good time. Blake mentioned, “ Last years team knew how good we were but we never fully perfected or believed in how good we were and this year i feel like the guys are starting to realize we can go all the way as long as we stay healthy and focused the is no other team that can beat us but ourselves.” I agreed with blake on that one, if we truly work hard and put the effort and time in that we need to in practice I believe that this team can be unstoppable, but we can only beat ourselves if we do not work hard.