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As a boarding school, Proctor is responsible for the overall health and well-being of its 380 students and more than 150 employees. In order to ensure a healthy community, proactive focus on student health and wellness is central to our academic and residential life curriculum. Learn more about Proctor’s comprehensive approach to supporting the health and wellness of our students below. 

Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness Curriculum 

Proctor's student health and wellness curriculum is overseen by our Student Health and Wellness Coordinator and spans both academic and residential life curriculums. Much of our health and wellness curriculum is integrated into advisory and dorm conversations, as well as the Freshman Seminar course all incoming ninth graders complete during their first year. Tenth graders take part in a Sophomore Seminar discussing the challenges surrounding substance, sex, and decision-making in high school. Proctor also hosts a Wellness Speaker Series each year targeting specific topics most relevant to our student body; including conversations around substance, healthy relationships, equity and belonging, and personal wellness habits.

Areas of Focus

Health Center

Proctor’s Health Center is a five bed facility licensed by the State of New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services, staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a registered nurse. The Health Center is overseen by Dr. Sarah Lester, M.D our Medical Director. Her primary location is at New London Pediatric Care Center, 273 County Road, New London, New Hampshire 03257, and her office phone number is (603) 526-5363. Proctor's Health Center phone number is (603) 735-6737 and the fax number is (603) 735-6306. Sue Norris, R.N. is our Director of the Health Center.

Health Center Policies

Health and Wellness

Fueling the Adolescent Brain and Body

Proctor students are always on the go. Awake by 7:45 am and off to class at 8:15 am, they engage with teachers in academic courses until 3:15 pm. And then their days start to get busy; afternoon athletics and activities, followed by dinner and extra help sessions prior to study hall at 7:30 pm. Study hall ends at 9:30 pm, and then there’s dorm life, roommate negotiations, and writing that college essay due yesterday. This type of schedule requires students to fuel their body with a healthy dose of sleep each night, a well balanced diet, and regular exercise.

Food Options

The members of Proctor’s Dining Services Team are proud to provide extensive choices that exceed the expectations of all diners: students, faculty, staff and visitors. As an independent food service provider, Proctor's Dining Services team has the creativity to employ their culinary skills as they create food stations that allow diners the freedom to create customized meals that include vegetarian entrees and side dishes, as well as locally grown produce and meats as a staple to each meal prepared. The team recognizes the importance nutrition plays in students feeling strong, confidence, engaged, and ready to learn.

 

Exercise

Equally important to healthy eating habits for adolescents is regular exercise. Whether it is a walk around campus, a run on the rail trail, a mountain bike ride in the Proctor Woodlands, or playing on an athletics team, taking time to focus on regular exercise leads to increased brain activity, focus, and energy. Each day, students take part in afternoon programming that gets their bodies moving.  

learn morE!

Sleep

On average, adolescents operate on two hours less sleep than their bodies need. Despite a busy schedule at Proctor, we are committed to an 8:15 am start to the academic day and a 10:30 pm in room policy for all boarding students. We work to teach students the importance of sleep hygiene through Freshman and Sophomore Seminar classes and through intentional conversations in dormitories and with advisors. More resources on sleep hygiene and adolescents are available for students, parents, and faculty in their myProctor portal.

Mental Health and Counseling Services

A student's integrated support system at Proctor includes their advisor, Learning Specialist, dorm parent, coach, and teachers. This group of trusting adults surrounds each student with the adult relationships critical to navigating adolescents. As part of Proctor's Student Health and Wellness program we provide our student body with both 1:1 mental health counseling as well as provide access to support groups led by our mental health professionals working in conjunction with the school's Student Health and Wellness Coordinator and Health Center staff. 

Additional Resources

Health and Wellness

Proctor Academy's comprehensive student health and wellness program, encompassing curriculum, resources, mental health, exercise, sleep, and nutrition