The evolution of a community from the first weekend of the year to the end of the Fall Term is pretty remarkable. Yes, art performances and athletics were at the center of this weekend’s Holderness Day festivities, but in reality, it was Proctor’s culture that was on display. It is always hard to capture the essence of a school through the written word, but hopefully this post and the associated photos and videos allow an important window into who we are and what we value as a school community.
Our students' willingness to support each other, regardless of age, friend group, or the usual social barriers that come with teenage cliques, is just not normal for high schools. Over the past ten weeks, this group of students, led by a pretty remarkable Class of 2025, has witnessed the hard work their peers have put into their passions regardless of what those passions are. They are not a group of 390 best friends, but they understand that thriving communities show up for each other.
Proctor's culture is one that acknowledges each individual’s contribution to the community. It is a culture that brings adults and students together on a ride that only a school like Proctor can provide. We share the joys of victory, the heartbreak of defeat, and the pride of seeing each other simply step onto the stage in the first place. It is a culture that celebrates our imperfections within the journey of becoming something more. Our students’ ability to put themselves out there and be unconditionally supported by everyone else stands out. Whether it was in the music and dance performances Friday evening, during our pep rally in Friday’s assembly, or on the fields on Saturday afternoon, there is this indescribable sense that our kids are increasingly willing to take risks as they come to understand how deeply this community simply wants them to try their best.
Each time I read Teddy Roosevelt’s famous speech (below) lauding the bravery and vulnerability of the man [person] in the arena, I think of our students during these final weeks of the trimester. “It is not the critic who counts; not the [person] who points out how the strong [person] stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the [person] who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends [themselves] in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if [they] fail, at least fails while daring greatly, so that [their] place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
On Saturday, each of our athletic teams stepped onto the fields for Holderness Day. All teams except varsity football (who won 42-7 in their season finale at Austin Prep) and varsity cross country (whose season ended at last week’s Lakes Region Championship) hosted the Bulls in a day of competitions. Our students stepped boldly into the arena of competition in front of the entire school bodies of both schools. Not an easy task, but so much fun.
Entering the day, Proctor was in a two point hole (Holderness’ Cross Country Team finished higher in the Lakes Region standings that ours), but Boys JV1 Soccer got Proctor on the board with a convincing 4-0 win, followed by Varsity Field Hockey (1-0) and Boys JV2 soccer (2-1) winning, as well as Girls JV1 Soccer tying 1-1. Boys Varsity Soccer also tied 1-1, followed by a tough 0-2 loss for JV Field hockey, before both boys and girls Mountain Biking swept to secure the Proctor win heading into the final game of the day - Girls Varsity Soccer. In a battle that ended with a 1-1 tie, our fans and players stood out in their support of each other.
This is what end of term art performances and Holderness Day are all about: boldly offering our hearts with the world, having those offerings received with open arms, and being affirmed in the process. In life, it is easy to stay on the sidelines, to avoid risking the emotional vulnerability that lives hand in hand with performing, but this is not where we grow. We grow when we step into life’s arena, when we spend ourselves in worthy causes, when we feel all the emotions we are capable of feeling, and inspire those same emotions in those watching us put ourselves out there. Thank you to all of our students for showing us how to show up for each other.
Click Here to View More Photos from Holderness Weekend 2024
- Arts
- Athletics
- Community and Relationships