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Culminating Experiences and End of Year Reflections

Scott Allenby

This final week of the school year often feels like it is simultaneously in fast forward and slow motion. The last classes, last assemblies, yearbook dedication, dorm cleanup, Innovation Night, 9th Grade Gallery Walk, and Senior Project Exhibits have us intently focused on that which is right before us, even though the vastness of summer awaits is at our fingertips. 

Proctor Academy Innovation Night

Over the past decade, Proctor has made a conscious effort to shift end of year assessments to more public displays of student work through Innovation Night, open presentations in classes, and other exhibits. This approach to culminating assessments allows students to have a larger audience to showcase their thinking, creativity, and growth over the course of the year. 

Proctor Academy Innovation Night

Innovation Night and the 9th Grade Gallery Walk serve as a capstone event in which underclass students from Economics, Engineering and Ski Making, AP Environmental Science, and English classes invite the whole community to engage with their final projects. On Tuesday evening, students shared their work in the tent outside the Brown Dining Commons and in the Lovejoy Library. Some projects were more advanced than others, and some practically adoptable by the school (go check out AP Environmental Science’s new birding trail!), but for our younger students, the value of this event lies in the process of preparing and then executing their projects. Being on display in front of the whole community and observing the in-depth projects of some older students further builds a culture of innovation and creative thinking on campus. 

Proctor Academy Innovation Night
Proctor Academy Innovation Night

On Wednesday, the culminating events continued with AP Language classes hosted a Moth Story event in the Lovejoy Library in which students shared personal stories that evoked laughter, tears, and an appreciation for the complex personal journey every adolescent must navigate. 

Proctor Academy Innovation Night

Following the Moth Stories, students, faculty, and parents filtered into the Farrell Field House for our annual Senior Project Exhibition. With more than 100 seniors taking part in Senior Project this year, the variety of projects and enthusiasm of our graduating seniors was stunning. Ranging from taking flight lessons to cooking explorations to making skis and boats, to personal fitness journeys, and backpacking adventures, the vast majority of our seniors took full advantage of this final opportunity to engage in a personal pursuit as part of their Proctor experience. 

Proctor Academy Innovation Night

As underclass students complete their final classes and pack up their rooms for summer, we congratulate all of our students on finishing the academic year. So much learning - both in the classroom and about life - has happened over the past nine months. Thank you to everyone - faculty, staff, students, parents and families - who have helped make this year so powerful. 

Proctor Academy
  • Academics
  • Experiential Learning