HORNET’S NEST Proctor Academy | May 21, 2019| Vol. 4 | Issue 9 Safety Cameras at Proctor
James told us of many boarding schools using security cameras. “In talking with other schools we are behind the times. Most schools have had cameras installed for a number of years.”
Have you seen the stickers or noticed the high tech ‘eyes’ sprouting above you? With new cameras appearing on campus, students are wondering why they’re up and how many more we’ll see.
Cameras are going to start appearing more throughout our campus. Gregor gave us some insight into where and why new cameras will be used. “[Proctor] will soon install cameras in hallways that lead to locker rooms in the Fieldhouse and hockey rink due to a recent rash of theft from locker rooms. This [decision] is precipitated by a changing dynamic in the community. If we can resolve or prevent theft by installing cameras, it seems the right thing to do. We are also considering a camera in the Maxwell Savage Rotunda.”
By Samantha Parkman and Logan Dunne
Most are in the newly renovated Fieldhouse, so we contacted Gregor Makechnie, the Director of Athletics, for information. “The first cameras installed in the Fieldhouse were placed in the gym and fitness room. The fitness room cameras were not to address a changing dynamic in the community, but rather to allow our athletic trainers to better supervise activity.” James Cox, Proctor’s Director of Technology, was tasked with installing these new cameras. He explained that one of the reasons for adding cameras was theft. James cited student “security and liability.” With lots of students going in and out of the athletic center and the training room, it makes sense to have cameras ensure the safety of all of our athletes. Many members of the student body, however, seem to disagree with these new cameras. One of the biggest complaints noted in a recent survey we sent to Proctor students was that the faculty did not update the community. James observed, “I have had little to no reaction from faculty and currently, there is not a plan to address the student body.” Our survey’s second question asked, “Should the administration have talked to us about the new cameras?” Eighty-six percent of the student body wished that the administration had informed students about the new cameras. We received 73 responses to our survey and also asked, “Are you in favor of the new security cameras?” Sixty-six percent of the responses were not. We included a comment section that allowed students to share any thoughts about the cameras. One of the comments (anonymous) clarified, “I am concerned that Proctor will become like an overbearing parent and not allow students to make and learn from their mistakes. Instead [they are] always monitor[ing] the students because there is a lack of trust.”
Gregor added, “We would all like to live in a world, in a community, where theft does not happen; where school shootings do not occur; where people do not get hurt when engaged in physical activity. At present, however, our wishes do not match our reality. So, we do what we can to create the safest community possible.” While we acknowledge changing times, Proctor students remain concerned. We hope to hear more about the new cameras soon.
No Big Brother, Just an Eye on Your Stuff By Hitch Graham
Can security cameras combat theft in the Proctor community? Cameras have been placed on campus in response to safety concerns and theft in the athletic facilities. I spoke with Gregor Makechnie, the Athletic Director, who explained the cameras have been placed in theft “hot zones.” I asked him about placement. “We have had a couple of episodes in the hockey locker rooms this year. Where someone has gone in during a practice or game and stolen cash. When we have cameras installed in that hallway we will at least be able to follow up. We will have a sense of who is in and out of the locker room and go to those people and have a conversation. Does that solve a theft maybe, does it potentially prevent theft in the future - potentially.” Gregor clarified further that cameras are not being placed all around campus and nobody monitors the cameras. A recent theft took place in the boys lacrosse locker room. The boys on the team
were upset, and cameras were installed in the nearby hallway and lobby. Hunter Cleary, a member of the team, expressed what I think is public opinion. “Yes I do think it [a security camera] would prevent it [theft]. If you are not doing anything wrong it [a camera] should not bother you.” The boys baseball team was also hit by theft this spring. Myles Powers, a member of the team, commented, “I think cameras intimidate people who want to steal things because someone will be watching them.” In a world where we are being tracked constantly, the school installing cameras to prevent theft might help. I live in New York City and I see cameras on every street corner. We all frequent stores and public places with cameras and people watching us. We all give up information about ourselves via our phones and computers every day. Proctor watching? Not so bad.
Spotlight: Gaby Zimbron By Julia Royal
I recently talked with Gaby and asked what gives her joy. “The first thing that comes to mind, when it comes to my job, is the day to day relationships and banter that goes on in training room.” Gaby is in her first year at Proctor and is working alongside Kelly and Chris in the athletic training room. “I love getting to know everyone who comes in and, you know, having fun.” The same goes for injured athletes. Senior and three-sport athlete Mikala Eacrett observed, “She is one of the best trainers ever, I have made the best connections with her and she supported me through the past three seasons. I’m glad to hear she will be coming back next year, even though I won’t be here.”
Gaby, who was originally on a one-year internship will keep her talents at Proctor for at least one more year. This is good news for the Girls Varsity Basketball Team, who enjoyed having Gaby by their side this past season. “While there are no actual trainer to sport assignments, I felt ownership and it felt good to know them well and really feel like I was helping them day after day,” Gaby noted. That is one of the main reasons Zimbron decided to go into athletic training as a profession in the first place. Along with her duties as an Athletic Trainer, Gaby teaches a Spanish 1 class. She notes being an AT is much like a teacher, “You get to be with your patients, day in and out, and you get to know people on a deeper level and help them go through the good and the bad.” It is not all rainbows and butterflies, however. “I love this community, I like being outside, but it’s hard being a young person in Andover. I miss home [Burlington, VT].” She also has been able to find some other activities like starting the faculty sports league and cycling. Gaby is no amateur when it comes to cycling. “[Biking} also gives me a lot of joy. It gives me places to go, good exercise, and opportunities,” she remarked. Opportunities like the Bike and Build program she shared with the community in assembly about her cross country bike trip to benefit affordable housing. When you find the time (don’t get injured), get to know Gaby!
A New Chapter in Proctor’s Outdoor Athletics By Rob Gillis
for cycling and mountain biking, and a state of the art ski tuning facility for the USSA/FIS team, athletes and coaches will love this upgrade from the old fire shed. With the demolition complete, the PA Outdoor Center is expected to be complete by February of 2020. “We are extremely excited to make yet another addition to our athletics department and revitalize our outdoor activities,” states John Ferris, CFO at Proctor. The design of the building has been reworked multiple times to ensure it encompasses the needs of all teams and activities it will support. Mountain biking, cycling, kayaking, rockclimbing, varsity ski racing, and the Eastern ski team will now have a place to store and prepare gear, even during their respective off-seasons.
With the anonymous donors setting the revised completion date as February 2020, John and his team have worked tirelessly to expedite a quick building schedule. They have faced many challenges with the design but in particular, their biggest challenge so far has been ensuring the building falls within the criteria of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This requires the PAOC to have a quarter-million dollar elevator if the second floor is over 3000 square feet. Additional funding has been raised in order to insure the second floor is accessible and the build will not go over budget. Gregor Makechnie, Proctor’s Athletic Director, reports, “It is a facility that will help attract high level athletes which, in the long run, will improve our teams’ performances.”
A recent three million-dollar anonymous grant has sparked the creation of a new outdoor center to celebrate the outdoor lifestyle that’s part of Proctor’s rich history. Featuring a rock climbing wall, a room
While we’ve been ‘inconvenienced’ by lots of construction on campus lately, this state of the art facility will enhance the Proctor community for years to come.
Kyle Connolly & Girls Varsity Soccer By Kaley Farmer
What makes up a great all-female team? According to new varsity girls soccer coach, Kyle Connolly, “I want to make sure that the athletes know the coaching staff is out there to do what’s best for them in every aspect; athletically, socially, psychologically, and mentally.” With over 20 girls on the team, Kyle has a lot on his plate. Kyle is pumped for this coming season and we are excited to see what he can bring to the team. As a player, Kyle spent his first two seasons at York College as a goalkeeper and the last two seasons at Nazareth College. He has enjoyed coaching the Proctor boys varsity team and worked with a few of the girl’s goalkeepers in recent years. A key element to a successful team is bonding together. I asked Kyle what more we could do as a team. “We are lucky at Proctor because we can access different things like Elbow Pond, have team dinners, go to watch a college level game or hike in the woods.”
when women are starting to feel more empowered than ever. Abby Wambach, a former player on the U.S. national soccer team has written a new book called, Wolfpack. The book is about empowering women. “If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be this… You were never Little Red Riding Hood, you were always the wolf.” Her message to all women is, “if we keep playing by the Old Rules, we will never change the game. Welcome to the New Rules. Welcome to the Wolfpack.” She shares four points that I hope we can use this coming season; 1. Make failure your fuel: Transform failure to wisdom and power. 2. Lead from the bench: Lead from wherever you are. 3. Champion each other: Claim each woman’s victory as your own. 4. Demand the effing ball: Don’t ask permission: take what you’ve earned. I asked Kyle about his goals for the season. “Since it is my first season with the team, I will try to cultivate a really positive and good team atmosphere and environment. The goal is always to make sure that there are life lessons that people can take away from and use in and outside of the sport.” The team is excited to welcome Kyle and start a new year off with a sport they all share a great passion for. Katie Sullivan ‘20 observed, “The boys from varsity soccer respect Kyle on a whole new level. I know he did a great job with them over the years and I’m excited to see where he takes the girl’s varsity team this fall.” As a team, we are all ready to see where Kyle can take us next fall.
The Metal Shop By Scotty Lively
We hope our team will be tight. According to Brian Scudamore at Forbes, “Team building is the best investment you can make. It builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration. It can also be adventurous and enjoyable if you do it with a little pizzazz.”* Kyle switched to girls soccer at a time
Where is your happy place? We all do things that we enjoy; that is just the nature of life. For me my happy place isn’t just restricted to one area, it is an activity. But if I were asked what my favorite place on campus is, I wouldn’t even have to think about it. Hands down without a doubt, it is the metal shop. I love to create things, small or big, simple or complex. The satisfactory feeling after turning something that was just junk metal into something new. Another big reason I like the metal shop is Gordon Bassett. He is an incredible teacher and mentor. Gordon, a Proctor alum who graduated in 1996, is an incredible teacher who loves what he does and the knowledge he shares gives me some of the most important skills in this new electronic world. Every day we are losing the kinds of people who know how to do mechanical work, and Gordon is one of few who still teach critical thinking skills and how to work with your hands. Gordon reflected on his path to teaching this class. “As a learning skills kid there was always another class I had to take, but with previous things I’ve done in life I had experience with machine tools in a more practical way, so when I was offered the job it seemed like a good fit. Also adding kayaking into the mix when coming back to Proctor really seemed like the right move.” I asked Gordon what he loves about teaching. “The students, as an educator it is so much fun seeing the ideas the students come up with and some of the ideas they find to work around problems. The cre-
ativity and way students can think outside the box is unbelievable.” I have always enjoyed working with my hands, to create, tinker, or fix things. I’d rather get tools for Christmas than all A’s on my report card. So, doing mechanical work is my happy place. I give all the thanks in the world to Gordon for carrying on this age old Proctor class, and for teaching me not only how to build and create but for teaching me the skills to work through a problem, diagnosing the bumps in the road. Gordon’s given me life long skills that I will use for as long as I can.
noted, “Sometimes teachers even mix me up with all my siblings, but I don’t correct them. Lindsay Brown and Ian Hamlet and new teachers ask if I am Tahg. My least favorite part is when someone asks me if I am Tahg’s brother. He is my younger brother, and I have been at Proctor longer.”
is the first persson I go to. She is one of the most trustworthy people I know.” Her favorite part about having a sibling on campus? “On Sundays we always hang out because we are so similar to each other, we both need a break from everything.” Sibling summary: 1.) Siblings grow closer on our campus. 2.) Siblings get in each others business. 3.) Siblings are your daily #1’s, they are forever.
Faculty Goodbyes By Ben Daniels
Five valued members of Proctor’s community are leaving us this year. We are thankful for all that Ilyena Kozain, Sue Rochon, Nina Kozain, Fiona Mills, and Lisa Scarry have done for the Proctor community. You’ll be missed!
More students should take advantage of this class and if you’re nervous, Gordon will be right alongside you helping and sharing his knowledge.
Siblings of Proctor By: Lulu Larkin
Proctor, as we all know, has a long legacy of attracting families. We have 25 current legacy and 105 students with siblings at Proctor (or have siblings who are alums). Proctor is a campus full of families within the students and faculty that can bring siblings closer than ever.
The Healeys, AKA the Von Trapp family of Proctor, has sent four of their five kids to Proctor, and their youngest will be starting her freshman year here this coming fall. Declan, the middle child of clan Healey, explained that he is a lot closer with his siblings as they now share similar friends, and they look after each other. “When I came in as a freshman it was much easier to go to the Wise or go to all school social events knowing my two older siblings would be there. If I didn’t have anyone else, I could talk to them and their friends.” However, it is not all rainbows and butterflies for Declan. He
The Joslin family has four kids that have all attended Proctor within the last four years. Cole Joslin graduated last year, Connor will graduate this year, Cam is a junior, and Cassidy is a freshman. Cam observed, “My least favorite part of going to boarding school with my siblings is how they get in all my gossip and they just chirp me.” But there are benefits: “I didn’t expect for me to have similar best friends as my siblings. Connor and I have the same best friends. At [my home town], it wasn’t like that, and I like how it is now.” Cam shared some advice for future Proctor siblings: “Always have each other’s back. Always stay close and make the most of it, because sooner or later you all will go to different colleges!” Chloe and Lexi Knowles are sisters from Wenham, MA. Chloe will be graduating this year and explained how she will miss Lexi next year, even though she is going off to SLU with her older sister Ali.” Chloe explained, “We tell each other everything and she
Sue Rochon Math teacher & Dept Head, JV girls soccer coach, JV girls basketball coach, parent of two Proctor alums. Future Plans: I don’t really have any plans [Sue is retiring], it’ll be next fall when I’ll start to think more about it. Spending time with family, that’s a biggie, and just puttering around doing things I haven’t had time to do when I’m working. Looking Back: I think what I’ve enjoyed most about Proctor is getting to know my students. I could really connect with them, and help them learn math better. Also [I enjoyed] getting to know kids outside of the classroom, not all schools offer that opportunity, things like earth day, project period, advising, and coaching. You get to see them as a whole person not just as a math student.
Advice: My wish is that Proctor keeps doing what makes it Proctor and not feel compelled to go through changes to try to be like other schools. Nina Kozain Learning skills specialist, member of faculty Rosebud trip, colead Guatemala service trip, parent of three Proctor alums. Future Plans: It’s really because of family that I am leaving at this point. I’m probably going to be working part time at something, maybe I’ll go back to interpreting. I’ll also be traveling and maybe writing. Looking Back: Oh, there are so many things I love about Proctor. I never expected to be here ... eleven years. I really like to see how kids come along from when they’re freshmen until they’re seniors, and how they really blossom and transform. What I like most about Proctor is the experiential aspect. Advice: I think so many of the things that Proctor emphasizes about taking a chance, and stepping out of your comfort zone are really important things because that’s how you get to know who you are and what you really can be. Do whatever you can and get out of your little rut because this is the time to really experience it, and this is such a warm and welcoming environment, it’s the perfect place to do it.
Fiona Mills Taught English and Social Science, leader in the Multicultural Office
Future Plans: My family, my mom, my sister, and her family all live in southern Connecticut. My daughter got accepted at Loomis Chaffee and I got a job there as well, so we’re moving to Connecticut and I’ll be in their English department. It’s bittersweet, really sad to leave my students and colleagues and the Proctor community, but we’re really excited. Looking Back: I’ve been really fortunate at Proctor to teach a lot of different classes in a lot of different disciplines that I didn’t have the experience in before. I’ve taught a lot more social science classes and the work I’ve been able to do around diversity and inclusion has been huge for me, that’s one of the bigger highlights. But I’d say the biggest highlight for me was in 2016 I was able to go to attend President Obama’s last state of the union speech in Washington D.C. [Organized by a Proctor board member] It was unbelievable, incredible, and not only a highlight of my time at Proctor, but of my life as well. Advice: I often say to my students, lean into discomfort, because those are moments of great growth, and so I always try to encourage my students to think about that. Whether it’s something in the classroom, something intellectual that’s challenging them, on the sports field, in the community, don’t shy away from that discomfort because that’s where you’re gonna get the most growth if you lean into it rather than turning away. Ilyena Kozain Director of Financial Aid, Assistant Director of Admissions, Crew team coach, lead trips to China and Guatemala Future Plans: I was lucky enough to be selected as a Global Health Corps (GHC) fellow. GHC is a U.S. non-profit organization that places selected fellows with partnered organizations (in East Africa, South Africa, and the US) that promote global health and health equity. Next year I will be working as the New Business Development and Partnership Officer within the Uganda headquarters at the organization,
Jhpiego. I will be promoting Jhpiego’s mission - to prevent needless deaths of women during childbirth by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, and evidence-based solutions in partnership with John Hopkins University. The Global Health Corps (GHC) fellowship encompasses all of the things that stir my soul: health equity, access to education, and addressing gender inequality. Global health excites me because of the multi-faceted interplay of culture, politics, and medicine, and the profound wide-spread effect that it can have on people’s lives and how it can positively impact the health and progress for an entire community and country. Looking Back: I truly value the opportunities I have been given to travel to Rosebud, and to Guatemala and China with students. However, what I value most are the relationships I’ve made with the amazing people at Proctor, both adults and students. It affirms what I already knew about finding happiness in my life - it’s all about the people you surround yourself with. Final Thoughts: I feel so grateful for the past four years I’ve spent at Proctor. Proctor is such a special place and it doesn’t have to stay in your past as ‘the place you went to high school.’ It’s a powerful and highly connected network that can wind its way into your life in so many ways. The experiences I had on Mountain Classroom and the relationships I formed at Proctor as a high schooler profoundly affected my pathway into adulthood and I am sure Proctor will continue to play a significant role in my future in some facet.
Lisa Scarry International Student Coordinator, worked in the Health Center for 22 years, dorm parent, travel coordinator, student life coordinator
Future Plans: I’m going home to be with family, my father, my children, and my brothers and my sisters. Looking Back: I have thirty years worth of amazing highlights. Some of my favorites are my children Gabriel and Gregory graduating, being in the dorms, just being with all the kids, that’s my favorite. Advice: Take care of one another. Work hard, be kind. Be together. Stay a family. It’s all about the love.