This Spring’s Plague

By Griffin Stewart

2020 was one of the most challenging events our community survived. Three years after the Covid pandemic, we wonder if we can handle the current invasion: Senioritis.

For everyone living under a rock, Senioritis, as Wikipedia defines, “...is the colloquial name for the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college, and graduate school careers, or the end of the school year.” However, it’s more than just feeling lazy, it is an illness ravaging students on this campus.

In a recent survey to the Proctor community, 88% of 69 students reported suffering from this illness. Reports are of rampant daydreaming, missing or late homework, excessive Jake’s runs, and even falling asleep on the turf. These symptoms can be devastating to a student’s life. Senior Eliza Lewis explains, “It has made me thoroughly dread going to school and absolutely annihilated every ounce of academic motivation I possess.”

It’s vital to understand how this spreads among students. I asked some seniors how they contracted the illness, and the findings were shocking. Grace Shad reports, “I contracted the disease in the winter of my junior year … I went on Mountain and became friends with many more seniors. Because of this, their contagious senioritis spread to me … By spring term, the disease had completely overtaken my body.”

Many students also agree that seniors are the main source of campus infection. Still, there are other ways to contract the illness, like the inevitable start of summer and dwindling class sizes.

Many seniors claim that senioritis infects them in junior year, so I asked juniors Jackson Etheridge and Willem Hurd as well as sophomore Chris Chol about this.

Have you contracted senioritis?

Jackson: “Yes... I’m in a class with a lot of seniors, and seeing them leave knowing they all have senioritis, especially, you know, the ones who are on campus… Um, you know,… I think I’ve been clocked out since the seniors left. Still getting that work in, but you know, little by little, we’ll get there.”

How has it affected you?

Chris C: “‘So, yeah, I just completely stopped caring, ... I just show up for the food, get some dinner, go back home. See, that’s my life.’”

Do you ever hope to get rid of senioritis?

Willem H: “I absolutely hope to get rid of senioritis. I contracted it from all my senior friends, … and I’m afraid that if I don’t get rid of it, it’s gonna carry on into my actual senior year. And I can’t get bad grades. I gotta respect the grind. I hope they find some medicine that helps cure us.”

One proposal is to treat senioritis like the last pandemic by masking up and implementing a vaccine for all students. Yet studies show that this may not be effective in stopping the spread. The final way scientists and professionals say to manage senioritis? Just embrace it.

Eaarth Day, Should it Continue?

By Charlie Krayer

Eaarth day is a longstanding tradition at Proctor, with an annual celebration and day off from school in order to appreciate our planet. Every year the question is asked, is Earth Day at Proctor Academy worth the trouble? Do people enjoy it, do they care about it, does it even make a difference?

I surveyed the students of Proctor on their thoughts on the day. Out of the forty-five students who responded, less than half said that they enjoyed Earth Day, and 43% of them said that it’s simply better than having class. 11% of students said they flat out don’t enjoy it. When I asked how Earth Day could be improved, some of the most frequent suggestions were having it the day be - fore black fly season (agreed), having more hikes and excursion activities, and changing the way we present the movies. I’d like to thank everyone for their responses.

The movie, it seems, is the Proctor student’s main issue with Earth Day this year. 45% of the students I surveyed said that the movie “wasn’t worth it.” For a different perspective on this topic, I asked the current president and CEO of PEA (Proctor Environmental Action), Rose Werner, her thoughts on Earth Day. “I personally hope that next year we can work on doing more activities that give back to the Earth and community. For example, having more outdoor work and maybe helping out at a [food] pantry. I also would like to see more [student] input on movies and maybe instead of doing a movie do something hands-on and learn about the wildlife around Proctor.”

Personally, I couldn’t agree more. My activity this year was a hike to the bulkhead, and while I had fun, it did have me wondering if it was actually making any kind of a difference other than a distraction from school. And while I do really enjoy Earth Day, I think it could easily be improved with a couple of changes. By shedding some light on student perception of Earth Day, I hope we can make it as fun as possible because Earth Day is an awesome tradition at Proctor.

The Rise of ChatGPT: Exploring the Future of AI at Proctor

By Yamni White Hat

ChatGPT is a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence developed by OpenAI. It can engage in conversations with humans in a remarkably human-like manner. What will Proctor teachers do now that this technology is on our computers?

Derek Nussbaum Wagler, the Academic

Dean at Proctor Academy, discusses the future of this technology in Proctor classes. “I think we are going to have to look at how we can integrate/use this AI into our curriculum. The technology is only going to get more broadly accessible. Our primary mission is to help students prepare for their (our) future. AI and ChatGPT are going to be a part of that future so we all are going to need to educate ourselves to know what is “real” and what is AI-generated.”

Should Proctor ban AI altogether? Derek continued, “If our goals are to help students become thoughtful, independent thinkers ready to take on the world they will inherit, then we must be sure that students are able to digest complex information and generate their own independent ideas. If we rely too heavily on AI, we are underdeveloping our brains and outsourcing one of the key elements that have made humanity so successful - our creativity.” Proctor needs to learn when and where to use AI.

Derek cautions that AI is not always correct and reliable. “Some of what we need to do as educators is to help students to understand this...AI is not perfect. It doesn’t “know” everything and at least for now, it is not particularly good at being creative or original.”

Seth Currier works in the Proctor tech department and greets AI with open arms. “I, for one, support the efforts to talk about the implications of AI in schools and the broader world. AI will only become more a part of our daily lives and humans must understand the impact that AI will have on us all.” Proctor students in all classes including AP language, Integrated Math, and Spanish classes will have to decide how to use this tool that has the power to augment human capabilities, opening up faster learning, discovery, and collaboration.

The use of this technology is inevitable, will Proctor fight it or embrace it?

Who knows, maybe ChatGPT wrote this too.

The Youngs Leave For Spain

By Alex Bishop

Ale and Ross Young are leaving Proctor next year to direct the off-campus program Proctor in Segovia and start a new chapter of their lives.

Ale has worked at Proctor for twenty years. She reflected on her time spent here while looking forward to continuing her Proctor career as Co-Director with Ross.

What has your role been?

“Spanish teacher, advisor, xc assistant coach, dorm parent, orientation leader.”

What will you miss from being at Proctor the most?

“Many things: [the] sense of community, my students and classes, the woods, the dining hall, my awesome colleagues.”

What is the most exciting part about leaving to become a director of an off-campus program?

“To share a common experience/adventure with students; getting to know them better”

What made you decide to leave campus?

“The idea of change and adventure”

Do you have a favorite memory from your time working here?

“Many. Orientation: being stranded by flooded rivers and bushwacking to get to where we started; project period: being chased by crazy big turkeys; In class: cooking with students and one of them put a whole potato on a frying pan. When I asked him [why], he said the recipe said to ‘put the potato on the pan’; Mothers Day Floods: solidarity with the Proctor community and Town of Andover- lots of sandbagging; XC seasons: running with the team in the woods and playing sardines or doing hills!; another project period: hiking in North Carolina and seeing students create their own hammocks; in the dorm: the kid who wanted to dry his snowboard boots, so he put one of them in the microwave and caused the fire alarm to go off....as a result, we had a really bad smell for many days after.”

A final farewell to tell the community? “This is not a good-bye but a see you soon! Take good care of each other and cherish this place!”

Super G(abrielle) A Final Farewell

It’s her license plate and her nickname on the ski hill; Super G. Gabrielle Stone has been working at Proctor for four years; this year is her last.

All year, she’s planned student activities. In the winter, she also coached alpine skiing, and in the spring, she gave all the students a fun night at Ragged Mountain for the Spring Formal.

During this past alpine season, I got the news that Gabrielle would not be returning this upcoming school year. This was my first actual experience hanging out with her, and it is one that I will greatly miss next year.

What has your role been? Your favorite out of them?

I have loved every minute of getting to know this school, students and staff. The experience closest to my heart has been coaching. Witnessing student athletes in a space where they are doing something they love, while getting away from the everyday stress of high school has truly been amazing. This is especially unique in skiing, a sport that can be extremely competitive and overwhelming, which often leads to athlete burnout. Being witness to students discovering and even rediscovering their love for skiing has easily been the highlight of my journey here at Proctor, not to mention doing this alongside some fantastic coaches.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time working here?

It’s difficult to pinpoint just one favorite memory, but if I had to pick I’m sure it would be one from these past four years on the ski hill. This alpine season was especially rewarding to be a part of as I got to witness a full four years of growth with some of these students. This year I will get to watch those giggly little girls, and those apprehensive guys I met as freshmen walk across that stage and confidently take their first steps toward lives after Proctor.

What is one thing that you are going to miss at Proctor?

Aside from my favorite team on campus, The Proctor community has welcomed me and provided constant encouragement throughout the past four years. What has been most comforting is the support that I continue to receive as I take these steps into this next chapter of my life. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the Proctor family. I owe more thanks than I could possibly write….

What are you going to be doing next year?

I have plans to head to Spain in the fall to teach English for the school year. I will be sure to make a stop in the Spain Classroom to visit Proctor en Segovia. Until then I’ll be headed back home to the seacoast of NH for the summer.

A final farewell statement to the community?

Before I say goodbye, thank you to everyone here at Proctor who has made my time so memorable. Never did I expect to land here, but I am incredibly grateful I did. In four short years, this community became a home to me. The people I have met here have helped shape me into who I am today and I have made connections that will stay with me forever. Thank you & see you later!

Thank you Gabrielle for everything you have done, and we wish you good luck on your journey that lies ahead. We’ll catch you later, hopefully on a ski slope!

Bon Voyage & See You on the High Seas: Brooks Bicknell Changes his Proctor Roles

By Rose Werner

Brooks Bicknell has been a teacher at Proctor Academy for thirty-four years. He also was a student at Proctor in 1975. During his time at Proctor, he has filled many different positions, from the Director of Ocean Classroom to teaching woodworking. While not teaching classes next fall, he will still be the Director of Ocean Classroom. In talking with Brooks, he expressed his love for the Proctor community and how it was such a positive environment to raise his children here.

What roles have you filled at Proctor?

“Well, I went to Proctor. I just came here in 1975 for a year and a half, but it was a really impactful time for me. And it was personified by people who cared about me and provided me with incredible opportunities. My wife Mindy and I ran the Spain program for three years in Segovia. When we came back, I took over running the Morocco program and then the France program, and then I directed the Spain program and Costa Rica.”

Do you have plans for after Proctor?

“Oh, yeah, totally. I got lots of stuff going on. I like to build and so I have a little carpentry business. I’m also a licensed real estate agent. So I’m not retiring. I’m 64. I want to have more free time. So when it snows, I’m hitting the slopes.”

What are your reflections about the off-campus programs?

“I think what I love about the off-campus programs is it’s a huge salad bar where you can pick who you are as a student. If you’re passionate about art, you can go to France and eat great food with Dave and Jen and make amazing art. So that’s really cool. Mountain Classroom. I went on Mountain Classroom when I was 17. We didn’t have Ocean Classroom, but I definitely would have gone on Ocean Classroom… because I love to sail. Being on a boat, you’re just like, you’re in it. Mindy and I ran [the Spain program] for three years. The cultural piece, the language, the Spaniards are wonderful.

Brooks’ Final advice:

“I hope Proctor can continue to dare to be different, be concise in delivering its mission, and resist the temptation to grow … One of my favorite quotes from David Fowler, who transformed Proctor in the early 70s and hired Mindy and me, was that he wanted every faculty member to feel like they had their hands on the wheel of driving the school. That’s the essence of this place!”

Proctor has shaped Brooks’s life with adventure and opportunities and where people care about each and where every one of us has a voice. Brooks will be missed next year.