The strength of Proctor’s holistic approach to student health and well-being has never been confined to a singular department or program. A defining characteristic of our relational model is the prevalence of informal dialogue among the adults in a student's life – the serendipitous conversations that occur over lunch in the Brown Dining Commons, on the sidelines of an athletic contest, or during a chance encounter on a campus path. Whether it is a Learning Skills Specialist conferring with an advisor or a coach checking in with a dorm parent, these moments allow us to synthesize our understanding of a student's Proctor experience – noting how they navigated a math test re-take or observing their energy levels during practice. While students might bristle at the notion of the adults in their lives "comparing notes," these interactions are indicative of just how seriously the adults in this community take the work of understanding what makes each student tick and how to support them while simultaneously pushing them to grow.
The new Health and Well-Being Center and associated programming is being built around that same idea: care works best when the adults supporting students work in close coordination with one another. Supported through the generosity of donors to the project endowment, the center will bring Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nancy Turkington, Director of Health Services Sue Norris, Proctor’s Health Center nursing team, Lead Mental Health Counselor Kara Hayes, and Mental Health Counselor Kyle Tremblay into one shared space. Head Athletic Trainer Kelly Griffin-Brown and Athletic Trainer Noah Smith will continue to work from the Athletic Training Room, but remain deeply connected to the daily work of the broader team.
A building alone does not change student care. What it can do is make collaboration easier and more consistent. Research on effective schools points to relational trust among adults as one of the strongest predictors of student outcomes. Studies of high-functioning teams show similar patterns – people do better work when information moves freely across roles and departments instead of staying siloed. In healthcare settings, even small acts of coordination between providers have been shown to improve patient follow-through and engagement. The architecture of the new center reflects what we already know to be true at Proctor – students are best supported when the adults around them are connected.
The Health and Well-Being Center gives physical shape to work that has long existed across Proctor’s classrooms, dorms, athletic fields, and off-campus programs – helping students understand themselves and how they learn to live healthy, connected, purposeful lives. In the Q&A that follows, members of our Health and Well-Being Team share what they are most excited about as the new center takes shape, and what they have learned about supporting adolescents over the course of their careers.
Once the new Health and Well-Being Center opens, what specific space or feature are you most excited to work in or have students use, and why?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "I am most excited about the Wellness Activity Room. With thoughtful and evidence-based programming, I am hoping it becomes an area where students can learn to join community, build coping skills, create friendships, and discuss difficult topics in a civil and safe manner."
Kara Hayes: "It is going to offer more coordinated and holistic care, with all of us working together so we can be more seamless. The presence of each other and proximity will help with communication. It will also promote the whole concept of health and wellness on campus and integrate it more, so we are not so isolated. My hope is that the space itself will be more welcoming for kids – that there will be a greater desire to be in there and engage in different kinds of programming. We worked hard on making that part of the vision."
Kelly Griffin-Brown: "I am looking forward to a student wellness hub where students get to feel supported, loved, and cared for."
The Health Center Nursing Team
Sue Norris (Director of Health Services) and the Health Center Nursing Team: Jessica Adams, Katrina Allison, Mindy Bicknell, Britney Provo, Michele Stetson, Abbey Theroux, Emily Wagaman, and Naomi Klepper
"Our hope is that the center will be a welcoming, homey space students will feel welcome to come to – not only when they need their meds or are feeling sick or overwhelmed, but also to grab a snack, take a moment in the sunny lobby, spend time with one of our dogs, or attend a wellness class."
Even before the physical doors open for the 2026-2027 school year, the team has been laying the groundwork for an integrated care model. What part of this work are you most proud of or excited about?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "I am most proud of the level of participation and support I have received from the various members of our community. Parents, students, alumni, administration, trustees, and members of the professional community have all been willing to meet with me, complete surveys, and join work groups to improve our students' well-being. The level of genuine concern and care in our extended Proctor collective is enormous. I am grateful for everyone's help."
Kara Hayes: “I am excited about offering more consistent programming. Things we have done in smaller ways before — yoga for teens, wellness groups, life-skills programming — we will now be able to offer regularly and build into something more intentional. We are also exploring student leadership opportunities in the space, including peer support and student-led groups. We have always had the energy and ideas. Now we will have the shared space to bring them together.”
The Health Center Nursing Team: "One of our goals in the Health Center has always been to help students take responsibility for their own health and well-being. This requires students to be in tune with what they need to do daily to function at their best. Maybe that means understanding that one needs more creative outlets or certain academic challenges. Maybe it means starting the day with meditation, a yoga class, or positive affirmations before class. Maybe it is realizing that taking your medications regularly truly helps, or understanding what your nutritional needs are during a demanding sports season.
“High school is an opportunity for tremendous growth, and helping students take responsibility for their own health through awareness of what they need to function at their best is an integral part of their education. The Health and Well-Being Center has served as a catalyst for the entire Proctor community to embrace this concept and engage in the work to make wellness a component of every aspect of life on campus. That is exciting."
What is your favorite part of your daily work on the Health and Well-Being Team?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "I have enjoyed working with the many professionals who are dedicated to helping adolescents flourish. It may sound corny, but in the 'real world,’ most adults are intimidated by teenagers and avoid them. To be surrounded by adults whose lives are devoted to understanding, caring for, and raising teens is inspiring."
Kara Hayes: “Yesterday, I met with a student who is transferring here, and those conversations are always a meaningful point of reflection — seeing the reassurance families feel when you talk about what is available and accessible here. For me, the most rewarding part is being involved holistically in students’ worlds. Knowing how they are doing across different areas of their lives and staying engaged in that process matters.
“Seeing students out on the field or on the stage is especially rewarding. The Visiting Artist Series concert last week was a great example — watching students I had worked with around performance anxiety step into that moment with confidence. Some of those relationships span four years. That is what makes this work special: supporting students within these four walls and then watching that growth carry into every other part of their lives.”
Kelly Griffin-Brown: "Working with our incredible students to help them reach their full potential."
The Health Center Nursing Team: "Being with students and being able to witness firsthand how much they grow throughout the year."
If you could participate in ONE Proctor program – Off-Campus Program, class, sport, or afternoon activity – what would it be?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "I would love to participate in Ocean Classroom. Having grown up in Woods Hole, I have spent a great deal of time on the ocean, but I have never been further out in the Atlantic than Nantucket Sound. I think the students who participate in Ocean Classroom are a brave lot. The open ocean is a scary place at times."
Kara Hayes: "Having just seen Gus in Segovia, his experience was incredible. I have done stuff like mountain climbing – I am not sure I am up for the physical challenge of Mountain Classroom. So I would say, Segovia!"
Kelly Griffin-Brown: "I would take any and all art classes – Global Art Classroom, definitely. And volleyball. So excited that we added it this year."
The Health Center Nursing Team:
"We are all in awe of the class and program opportunities Proctor students get to experience.
- Sue and Abbey want to study with Rosa and María José at Proctor en Segovia.
- Michele, Jess, and Emily see themselves sipping lattes and painting en plein air in Europe.
- Katrina and Emily want to be in boat building. And Katrina wants to kayak!
- Emily wants to be on the Mountain Biking team.
- Mindy desperately misses the soccer pitch.
What is one way the community can support your work on the Health and Well-Being Team?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "Keep sending me ideas."
Kara Hayes: "Supporting the upcoming efforts and initiatives – jumping in with enthusiasm to volunteer for some of these things. I think sometimes our faculty and staff diminish their own capacity to be engaged with students. So just getting engaged – whether it is a teacher, an off-campus program instructor, a coach – coming in to sit with a kid and play guitar, those kinds of things.
"For students, just being open-minded, trying to fit it into their schedules, and realizing its importance. We get, surprisingly, a lot of kids just hanging out in our current Counseling Department space. We hope our new space will be so appealing that students will come in naturally."
Kelly Griffin-Brown: "Keep the suggestions flowing. We love to know how we can best support students."
The Health Center Nursing Team: "Realize that everyone plays a role in helping students understand their wellness needs. The most powerful thing the community can do is first understand its own wellness needs, and then model that commitment for the students."
What is one fun fact or hidden talent you have?
Dr. Nancy Turkington: "I can shingle a house. It was a summertime activity on the Cape."
Kara Hayes & Kyle Tremblay: "Our hair-braiding skills come in handy. We want to start a group called Hair Therapy. Wednesdays before games, or on other game days. Tight braiding or ‘The D1 bun.’"
Kara Hayes (also): "The kids from Global Art Classroom took a picture of my hidden talent: yoga poses, including a headstand in the foothills overlooking Tucson.”
Kelly Griffin-Brown (by the numbers, from the Athletic Training Room): "We have over 4,000 sign-ins a year. We go through 500 rolls of coach's tape. We hand out around 1,500 ice bags."
The Health Center Nursing Team: "We feel that all of our life experiences had a profound effect on the people we have become, and eventually brought us to be the awesome nurses we are."
Each of the nurses below is represented by one of these little-known details. Can you match the detail to the nurse? (Add a comment below!)
- Won the second-grade Boscawen Elementary School jump rope contest?
- Fostered a pet monkey?
- Rode a hot air balloon over Mont Blanc in France?
- Was born at home in a cabin on Mt. Hood during a record-breaking snowstorm – the doctor who delivered her had to cross-country ski to the cabin?
- Had her own construction company refurbishing high-end wood floors?
- Considers herself the best toilet plunger in New Hampshire and Colorado, thanks to her past experience on Vail's "Bowl Patrol"?
- Is consistently able to solve all of our tech problems? She got a stuck Shift key working again just today.
Learn More about Our Health and Well-Being Center and Services
- Community and Relationships
- Faculty/Staff
- Health and Well-Being