By redefining academic rigor as the process through which students push themselves beyond their comfort zones, students and faculty learn just how important trust is to learning. Honors and advanced placement courses complement non-traditional classes and challenging off-campus programs, allowing students and teachers to form relationships around shared interests. Formal on-campus academic support takes place in Proctor’s Learning Skills program, but it is the informal support provided by teachers who offer extra help sessions at breakfast, in their dormitories or in their classrooms in the evening that further emphasizes self-advocacy skills, and encourages academic risk taking. Because we are challenging, we are also supportive.