HORNET’S NEST Proctor Academy | October 2018| Vol. 4 | Issue 1
New Faces, New Roles at Proctor A Warm Welcome Back
Starr Fair: A New Face on Campus
Kristen Nesbitt, who is currently the assistant librarian, has recently returned to Proctor, after working at a University two hours west of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. About two years prior, Kristen describes that she felt a calling to enter the Peace Corps and was sent to Ukraine. After working as a Learning Skills specialist for twenty years, she has returned to work as the assistant librarian and to launch a writing workshop program.
Starr Fair is a new math teacher this year.
By Ellie Richardson
Why did you decide that this year was the right school year to return to Proctor? Kristen takes a deep breath, and her eyes water just the slightest. She then says with a clear tone, “The reason why I came back was really, number one because of David Pilla. I guess I can just explain that he was a very dear friend of mine, and that loss brought up the community and my feeling of wanting to be with the community and share.” Kristen was not actively pursuing a job at Proctor, but she wanted to give back to the community and share wellness and healing to all of the members affected by the tragic loss. Kristen is a yoga teacher and avid leader for health and wellness practices. What does your day to day look like? While Head Librarian Heidi’s assistant, one of Kristen’s other roles this year is launching the writing lab. She is enthusiastic about working with students in 30-minute time slots and she will be working with students to develop a Peer Tutoring program as part of the Writing Lab in the coming months. Kristen shares that, “One thing that I really love about Proctor is that everyone is so supportive and really invested in students, and I wanted to be a part of that mission again.” What’s your favorite part about Proctor or just the community in general? “I think my favorite part about Proctor is the soul of Proctor which is really the essence of the place. It’s not really something that you can put into words; it’s more like a feeling.” So I know that this is where I belong, and that I’m supposed to be here working with these people, and in this community.”
Kristen Nesbitt
What are some of your hobbies? Kristen is a yoga instructor and enjoys practicing meditation. In fact, Kristen even trained people in Ukraine in the practice of meditation; she went back in 2015 and implemented a project called “Breathing for Peace” where she trained people in different cities in Ukraine to practice meditation. She also enjoys the outdoors and swimming with her dog and husband. Kristen also enjoys camping in her VW Westfalia pop top camper. She notes “we really enjoy the simplicity of traveling in that thing. We’ve had it for over 25 years now.”
By Sam Parkman
How did you find Proctor? “My daughter Margaret is a senior here. She transferred in last year and we live right down the road in Boscawen.” Soon after her daughter had attended, Starr got to see how happy she was here and what a caring environment it was. “I was inspired as a teacher to come join this community because it’s so student focused and built on relationships.” What is it like being a parent of a Proctor student? “It’s okay. She’s always been a student in schools with me really for most of her life. We have developed a really good relationship,” She doesn’t see her daughter all the time, but loves when she gets to see her throughout the school day and say hi. Starr adds, “It’s a nice chance to connect when there is a minute during the day.” Giving her daughter some space at school or when she’s with her friends is important, but she still gets excited when she has a minute to chat with her.
Starr Fair
What kinds of activities do you enjoy outside of work? “I love to spend time outside!” She loves hiking, gardening, four wheeling, and bird watching. “Hanging out with the family around the fire is always a good time.” What are you most excited for this year? “I’m most excited for the challenge of everything. Switching it up and coming to high school and teaching at a different level is nice,” Starr is really excited to grow in her teaching and expand her learning environment. “Being able to stretch my wings and getting the kids to stretch their wings will be exciting.” What do you think the most rewarding part of your job is? Starr smiles, “This is going to sound totally cliche, but it really is the ‘ah ha’ moment. When you have a student, no matter if they struggled for three weeks or a couple seconds with a concept, really the most rewarding part is when something clicks for them.”