At its core, Proctor's community is shaped by people who believe that education can change the trajectory of a young person's life – and who have seen it happen, in their own families and in their own stories. This year, our 1848 Giving Challenge invited our community to pause and reflect on their personal "Proctor Why" – the reason this place holds a special place in their heart – to share that story with others, and, for many, to make a gift in honor of what this community makes possible.
This year, for the ninth consecutive year, our community answered, and the depth of that response – 1,292 supporters, $597,730 raised, 52 alumni first-time gifts – tells a story beyond the numbers. People connected to Proctor, across generations and geographies, came together around a shared conviction that the work happening at Proctor matters, and that it matters now more than ever.
In the dozens of messages supporters shared alongside their gifts, one overarching theme emerged. People didn't describe giving to an institution. They described giving back to a community that changed who they are – and “giving forward” so that someone else might experience the same.
Watch Amy Smucker's Thank You Message to Our Community
"I chose to donate to Proctor because it was more than just a school to me; it was home. As a student, Proctor shaped who I am through the relationships, support, and sense of belonging I found there. Even years later, that feeling hasn't gone away. Proctor continues to feel like my home, and giving back is a way to honor what it gave me and help ensure future students experience that same community."
~ Alicia Barry '15
That word, home, came up again and again, not simply as nostalgia for a different time and place, but as something more powerful: the feeling of being deeply known.
The world our students are entering grows more complex each year, and the challenges they will face demand more than traditional academic outcomes. Navigating that complexity will ask something deeper of them: an understanding of how they learn, how they respond to challenge, and how to care for their own well-being as they move on to live lives of purpose. Through deep relationships and meaningful experience, Proctor builds the self-awareness, reflection, resilience, and agency that prepare students not just for college, but for the full arc of a life.
This understanding of education is what every gift to the Proctor Fund sustains. As is the case with most tuition-driven independent schools like Proctor, tuition covers only a portion of the actual cost of delivering this education. The collective support of our extended community makes the rest possible – scholarships and financial aid for nearly half of our students, professional development for our professional community, the experiential programs that define our model, and the integrated academic support that allows more than a third of our students to develop the skills and habits they need to become lifelong learners.
Proctor’s financial model is complex and requires an annual operating budget of nearly $28,000,000. With an unrestricted annual giving goal of $1,900,000 for 2025-2026, the Proctor Fund represents roughly 7% of the school’s overall operating budget.
Each act of generosity reinforces a culture where people show up for one another, and each one creates momentum, inviting someone else to show up, too. Students see alumni giving back and understand that the Proctor experience extends far beyond graduation. Alumni see students participating and are reminded of the community they once called home. Parents see faculty and staff giving alongside them and recognize that this is a place where the adults are invested, not just professionally, but personally.
This year's 1,292 supporters included:
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587 alumni, 268 students, 235 current parents, 131 faculty and staff, and 39 current and past trustees.
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24 advisory groups achieved 100% participation.
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52 alumni made their first-ever gift to Proctor during the 1848 Challenge.
Read “Why Giving to Proctor Matters”
The Stories Behind the Numbers
In our supporter comments, the themes that emerged mirror what sits at the heart of a Proctor education: relationships, experiential learning, and the deep work of understanding oneself.
Relationships
"Proctor connected me (and now my kids) to the idea that we are each capable, valuable and brilliant… and then provided opportunities to experience and internalize that for myself."
~ Wendy and Jackson Price '89, P'27, '29
"Building up our son's confidence and capacity for self advocacy, whether it is through supportive teachers who still maintain their strict standards or athletic programs that allow him to discover his potential."
~ Annie Fung P'28
"Proctor allowed me — a kid who had switched schools every year throughout my life — to finally feel I belonged to a community of great kids and caring adults."
~ Deb Kirchwey '81
Experiential Learning
"I think about my Mountain Classroom experience on a weekly basis. To say my Proctor experience was formative is an understatement."
~ Kiersten Wulff '08
"Proctor is the school that gave me the first spark of feeling toward a second language, one which would inform and guide me in the second half of my life."
~ Knox Turner '67
"The incredible Proctor community has met our children where they are, every day — by nurturing their curiosity, teaching them responsibility, resilience and independence through a balance of rigorous academics, experiential learning and strong relationships."
~ Bridget Dickson P'24, '25, '29
Growth and Self-Discovery
"Proctor gave a sense of belonging and togetherness that was so empowering. It transformed who I was."
~ Cat Krupka '19
"My time there helped me discover myself and build confidence that I carried on into my adult life."
~ Alexander Corbit '95
"For smoothing the edges of a wildly independent large family of children and diligently delivering guard rails and a passion to participate in life."
~ Polly Reynolds P’21, ’24, ’28
"I don't know if I would be able to handle life's challenges the way that I've been able to if it weren't for my time at Proctor. That school, that experience, that exposure to the real world pre and post college is not only a life saver, but it's also a jump start for your life."
~ Joe Fitzpatrick '07
Many gifts were made in honor of beloved mentors from our professional community. These tributes remind us that the Proctor Fund doesn't just sustain programs and places. It sustains the people at the center of every student's experience.
Jane Hale P'25 and Proctor Trustee captured this spirit: "Proctor's a place where you find your people, and discover they're cheering you on, they're encouraging you to go farther, and they've truly got your back through it all. We're eternally grateful for that."
To every one of our supporters – alumni who carried Proctor with them into the world, parents who entrusted us with their children, students who chose to invest in their own community, our professional community who give of themselves every day, and friends who believe in this work – thank you!
No single gift sustains what Proctor offers, but 1,292 gifts, joined together, sustain everything that makes Proctor, Proctor.
Read More Proctor "Whys" Here
- Alumni
- Giving