proctor pulse - sprg #3

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PROCTOR PULSE May 2013 Journalism

MOTHER’S DAY : MAY 12, 2013

Mother’s day: a time to

celebrate and honor your

mother. Mother’s day was an

American invention. It is not

directly descended from the

many celebrations of mothers

and motherhood that have

occurred throughout the world

over thousands of years, such

as the Greek cult to Cybele,

the Roman festival of Hilaria,

or the Christian Mothering

Sunday celebration. Despite

this, in some countries

Mother's Day has become

synonymous with these older

traditions. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Mother's_Day)

Countdown To Graduation!!

19:22:19:34Days.Hours.Minutes.Seconds

(as of Sunday May 12th)

Edited by: Michelle Holmes & Kayla Harris

Top ten Mother’s day gifts:

10. Gardening tools9. Technology (Apple products: laptop, iphone)8. Cooking supplies7. Traveling stuff (Camera)6. Work supplies (iPad, watch)5. Clothes4. Tea Maker, Blu-ray, jewelry3. Fitness stuff (Lululemon, Nike Fuel Band)2. Eco friendly stuff1. J. Crew, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein (‘trendsetter’ clothing)

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After four four long years, the time to graduate is finally

here.

The journey through Proctor has been extraordinary for

many of us. I can’t thank Proctor enough for everything it

has had to offer, especially because many

students have succeeded with the

challenges they faced. These experiences

have changed us for the better.

I interviewed a couple students who

have taken advantage of so much that

Proctor has to offer. Moriah Keat, a four

year senior, looked back at her freshman

year in comparison to her current senior self. “As

a freshman, I was a crazy ball of energy,” Moriah noted.

“After the first year, I had already calmed down and grown

up a bit.” As a good friend of hers, I also remember those

crazy times. During freshman year, it seems like there is

nothing to lose, and all you can think about is fun. Looking

back, the work at Proctor seemed difficult, especially after

completing middle school. In comparison to today,

however, it couldn’t be easier than 9th grade.

While talking with Moriah, I realized that I

felt absolutely sure about where I would

go in life at that time. However, as you

journey through high school, often times

the path that you see is far from what you

actually have a passion for. I asked Moriah

about how her path had changed throughout

Proctor. “I've developed passions I never dreamed I'd have,

like ski patrolling,”

GOODBYE, PROCTORWritten by Emmy Snyder

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“As a freshman, I wanted to

spend most of my time in the theater.

Now I'm a member of the National Ski

Patrol who works at two mountains.”

Moriah had never thought of doing ski

patrol until she tried it during her

freshman year. She grew a great

passion for it. This year, she has been

recognized for her excellence in Ski

Patrolling by earning The New

Hampshire NSP Outstanding Young

Adult Patroller Award. Congratulations!

Proctor has also given students the

opportunities to connect with the

community. One of my close friends,

Jake Dombroski, has also taken

advantage of many opportunites that

Proctor offers. I remember how Jake

came to Proctor as an intelligent, shy,

quiet freshman, most

remembered as the kid who ran to

every class. Now, thanks to the help of

a welcoming and accepting community,

Jake has been able to open up even

more and has become a well known

gentleman across campus.

Jake noted, “Differences are

embraced here, and that fact alone

has given me the ability to develop

myself in a wide variety of ways.” Jake

has spent his time at Proctor meeting

and making close friends as well as

getting himself involved in the theatre.

Throughout his four years at Proctor,

Jake has become known for his many

voices and comedic performances in

Proctor’s plays. “The highlight of these

was definitely The Foreigner,

(February, 2011), mostly

Jake as he stars in The Foreigner

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because of the feeling of community it

provides during the rehearsal process,”

Jake told me. “Theater seems to have

a way of bringing people together as

little else can, and I've valued

that quality of the

program throughout my

time here.” This

spring, Jake (not

typically part of

musicals) will be

performing as the

Scarecrow in Proctor’s

production of The Wizard of Oz. Look

for him this May in the Spring Musical!

I want to take a moment to thank the

community and faculty for everything

they offered me at Proctor. Those

notable adults and teachers who have

helped students throughout the years

will also remain in our memories. Both

Jake and Moriah are in agreement that

we will miss them as we move on in

life. “Proctor's crown jewel is its

welcome into a family of sorts, one that

I doubt I will ever forget.” Jake

observed.

Jake describes the faculty perfectly.

Many Proctor students do not only see

them as teachers, but as friends and

their second family, too. Moriah says

that she would also describe her

Proctor Ski Patrol group like a family.

Moriah laughed about the closeness of

her ski patrol team: “One time, I was

walking back to campus from the

Blackwater while talking to my dad on

the phone when all of the sudden, the

Ski Patrol van pulls up behinds

me, throws open the door,

and a voice yells "Get in

the van!" I just remember

saying to my dad, "I'll

talk to you later, I'm

getting picked up by

a white van. Bye!"

I chuckled when I heard this.

Yet, as hilarious and sketchy as it

sounds, Moriah’s story reveals her

passion for patrolling. At the same

time, it reveals her relationship with

everyone in ski patrol.

I know that I will remember my

Proctor experiences.

Whether it was

traveling on my own

to Costa Rica for

the Study Abroad

Program or

performing with the

Jazz Ensemble for the

first time, they have all

affected me. As my classmates end at

Proctor nears, our memories will be the

ones to keep for the rest of our lives.

Of course, while achieving our goals at

Proctor, there will be several regrets

that we will have about leaving Proctor.

When I asked Jake about his regrets at

Proctor, he paused for a second. Then

he said to me, “I wish I had come to

breakfast more and taken advantage

of the invaluable opportunity to eat

Edna's waffles!”

As for Moriah, who went on Ocean

Classroom in 2011, she told me, “My

biggest regret is not eating a fish's

beating heart on Ocean Classroom..”

Wow, incredible! I can’t believe she

even had an opportunity to do that. I

probably would not even think about

trying that.

I think my biggest regret for my four

years at Proctor was not being

able to stay on campus

longer. As a day student, I

often had fixed departure

times from campus, so I

would not be able to stay

on campus as long as I

would truly want to.

Moriah in Ski Patrol

Edna making Waffles

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Looking back at what has been achieved

over the course of four years, The number

of experiences and memories are

countless. What we, as students, have

been offered are experiences and

memories that may not be offered

anywhere else, even in college. As I walk

down the graduation aisle later this month,

I hope to keep my memories of Proctor with

me for the rest of my life.

I personally want to thank all of the

teachers that I have had in the past four

years of my life at Proctor. Every one of

you has affected my life significantly,

whether it was because I was challenged to

work harder or because I became inspired

and motivated. Your encouragement and

positive attitudes have

pushed me to try my best and get all my

work done.

I also want to thank any other individuals,

friends, family, acquaintances who I have

met throughout the last four years. You’ve

made me laugh until I fell to the ground,

you made me cry until there were no more

tears left, and you’ve made me smile until

my cheeks ached. Each one of you has

helped me become a stronger,

independent, and optimistic person. I would

love to keep in contact with teachers,

friends, and Proctor students as I move on

to the next chapter of my life.

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The Fowler Triple by Mickey Sweeney

Three senior ladies, Nicole Adee, Devon Webster, and Kiki Torpey have been by each other’s side since the beginning. Their last term together, fresh off of Mountain Classroom, has put them in a different place in terms of their relationships with one another. Devon Webster and Nicole Adee’s friendship sparked their freshman year and they realized how much they enjoyed each others company. That spring they chose each other as roommates. They went through a lot of trouble (that should go unsaid) to live in Gulick. However, after all of this trouble, they ended up hating each other! “We were too close as friends,” they agreed. Rooming together their final term on campus this year was a thought that never crossed their minds back then... So here we are, our last spring term at Mother Proctor, graduating in a matter of weeks. This senior year has been a big year for these three girls (including me). All of us loved our Mountain Classroom experience. The whole winter term the three were side by side, traveling the country in a Proctor mini bus with ten students and two instructors, studying the country and land, the stars, and the wilderness of America. They carry with them some of the Mountain Classroom mindset and traditions. “We have modified a version of an evening meeting every night. Living in such a drama free environment on Mountain made it easy to come back to a room where we knew how to handle ourselves. We knew to bring the right amount of stuff to make it work,” explains

Devon. “Living together all term brought us closer,[made us] more compatible, and [we] understand each others needs.” The three girls shared and experienced so much together: traveling across our great nation, adventuring down the Rio Grande, exploring the Mission Creek Preserve, and leaving their mark in the Southwest has bonded them in a special way. I asked the girls about the room. The room in Fowler is supposed to be a double, but the girls transformed it into a triple. How has it worked? It is a tight squeeze! Kiki has given up having her own desk to make more room for everyone else (an unselfish quality most likely learned on the road). Also, Justin Pasculano graciously reupholstered a futon during Project Period and offered it to the triple. “The futon is a lifesaver,“ says Nicole, “it’s where people can come in and sit down which helps keep them off our beds and actually keeps our room neater and more organized.” The girls also noted that if the room becomes too messy on a specific persons side, they confront the person and get the problem solved. “A trait we developed on Mountain.” observes Kiki. Overall, these three senior girls have matured together and understand each other on another level. Devon, Nicole, and Kiki are enjoying their last few weeks on campus together. Soon they will be getting their diplomas and moving on out into the world. If you see one of these girls around campus, stop and look them deep into the eyes and say hello. They will appreciate it!

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Ross Young: Man of Mystery By Odaine Franlyn

You have heard all about Ross Young and the rumors going around about him. It’s incredible what you will hear about this man. A navy seal and being a part of the seal team six, having multiple black belts, serving in the army and also chasing down and catching three kids he caught smoking in the woods. Realistically, it could all be true.

Ross was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and was raised in Ipswich. Ross studied a lot of karate. He explained, “I never really got into any other sports because I was always at the dojo [karate gym], most days I would go right there after school. I think I started when I was eleven or twelve years old.” Ross did karate and he also participated in cross country running. I workout and train with Ross now and if there is one thing I can say about him, it is that he can get after it with any workout: the man is a walking machine.

After years of doing karate, Ross had achieved his goals of becoming a black belt, but not just one - Ross had earned multiple black belts when he was in his twenties. After college, Ross’ first job was a substitute Spanish teacher. He got the job from a lady who had heard him speak fluently. The lady asked if he wanted a job and Ross said “Of course” and took the offer in a heartbeat.

Ross is now here at Proctor Academy and seems to be happy about it. Ross mentioned that “I teach Spanish and am the Department Head of the World Language Department. I am the Cross Country Coach and I teach/coach the Self-Defense activity in the winter. Like most folks here, I'm an advisor and while I used to live in a dorm, I'm still a surrogate dorm parent.”

Now if you have been going here for some time now I am sure that you have heard numerous rumors about Ross Young. There were rumors such as him serving in the military, being on the special tactics force, even some Navy seal team six rumors and even some CIA rumors. I asked Ross myself about this and he said none of those rumors were true, but what is true is that Ross is familiar with that type of lifestyle. He said this with a smirk on his face and now it is hard to believe whether it’s true or not. Ross did tell me a story of catching kids smoking cigarettes in the woods.

While running, he found three teens smoking and told them not to move and they all made a run for it. Ross quietly recounted, “They all scattered in three different directions, but ... I was up for the chase.” He said he caught the first one which was real easy because the kid lost his flip flops and was going nowhere after that. He said the second kid was far but eventually he caught up to him too. The last kid Ross mentioned was hauling across a field for dear life, but by the time he reached the hill to go up to the dorm which is now Peabody, he was all

out of air and couldn’t make it to the top.Ross said, “I guess his lungs gave up on him.” I started laughing and so did he. I guess there are some

things most people won’t ever know about Ross Young, but he is a great guy, hard working, and full of mystery. I salute this man.

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SENIORITIS by Nicole Adee

A Sunday night at Proctor. The clock reads 7:39 PM. I push the small piles of clothes to the side of my couch and sit down. I sit back on my couch and plop my feet up on the small coffee table resting in the middle of my room. Laundry, shoes and miscellaneous objects are scattered around my room. The trash needs to be taken out. I can’t remember the last time I vacuumed. ! I open the macbook I’ve had since freshman year and look at my podium for the third time today, secretly wishing that all my assignments would just disappear. My podium tells me that I have homework for journalism, modern foreign policy, AP lit and APES. I reread each assignment several times, then I sit and stare at my computer screen for about four minutes. ! I occasionally check my facebook newsfeed. I open my email and see that I have 189 unread emails, many of them resulting from my time away during winter Mountain Classroom. I scroll to see if anything important jumps out at me, and then I leave the page. When I check again in five minutes, I have 190 emails.

I still don’t open one. I manage to find every distraction possible.! Each day seems to drag on. I sit in class and it feels as though the clock on the wall doesn’t change. By the time the day is done, it is all a blur. The days are long and everything seems to blend together. I fall into the same daily pattern. The morning comes. I wake up, usually later rather than earlier. I haven’t been to breakfast in ages. I lack the motivation to get up early. My alarm rings at 7 am, and I snooze it until 7:45.! The past few weeks have been extremely difficult. Senior spring has been getting the best and worst of me. I’ve always heard of senioritis and knew that kids always complained of it, but I don’t think anyone can fully understand what it is until their senior year rolls around. ! I was lucky enough to end my college process really early. I applied early decision and found out where I was going by the end of November. After that, I went off campus on Mountain Classroom. When I returned in the spring, I was shocked at how little motivation I had to do school work. I currently have about a month left of high school, but I’m finding it extremely hard to get through the days. ! The hardest part of the term, for me, would be my class schedule. Unlike some of my peers, I maintained a rigorous schedule including two AP classes and several other major courses. These classes require a lot of time and effort which I have been lacking for a while. !

! My senior spring has brought along a whole new set of challenges. At the end of the day the only real motivation I have comes from my mom and college next year. I hear the voice inside my head motivating me to finish strong. At the same time, I am mentally checked out, ready to graduate and move on.! So what can heal this epidemic of senioritis? I believe that we do need to learn to deal with the many challenges thrown at us when we aren’t ready for them, but when an issue like this is affecting so many people, we need action. How can we motivate seniors more in their final few weeks of high school? Is the answer a longer senior project? Is it offering more easy electives just for seniors? This epidemic is affecting seniors everywhere..if only I had the motivation to address the situation.

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This is a common scenario at at any patrol, but Proctor is different. Most of these patrollers are high school students.

One of five patrols in the New Hampshire region to offer a young adult patrol program, Proctor Ski Area offers a great environment for students to learn the basics of patrolling. Since its founding, Proctor Academy Ski Patrol has taught many students first aid, toboggan, and ski skills. Many returned year after year, others did one year and decided it wasn’t for them. Nearly everyone took away some important life lessons.

George Emeny remembers the Proctor Ski Patrol’s program when he came to Andover around 1955. “They just sort of skied,” he said, adding that they didn’t even have a toboggan. That all changed when George began working with the program. He had patrolled through college and was already a member of the National Ski Patrol. George remembers working with the students on medical skills through the Red Cross’s Advanced First Aid, and later the early Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program. Training, he recalled, was “very thorough and fun.” The first sleds the patrol purchased were just regular toboggans, but over the years, the sleds were upgraded until they finally had “good regular patrol sleds.” In these days, sprained ankles and knees were most common. Injured skiers were evacuated from the hill, then transported to the Health Center, and ultimately the hospital if needed. Times have certainly changed, but some similarities remain.

Larry Ballin has been the Patrol Director for Proctor’S Ski Patrol since 2001, and a member of the National Ski Patrol since 1988. In twelve years, he has seen many changes, both in the patrol and in students. Ballin recalls, “Ski patrollers were used for everything from loading lifts to

running the snack bar to doing all kinds of labor activities that benefited the ski area...There was a dedicated group of

patrollers, but it was really more of a work group than a patrol group.” The program has changed a lot for the

better according to Ballin. “I think we act more as a professional ski patrol as opposed to a community service.” Ski patrol has many benefits, both to the ski

area and the individual patroller. “Its always fun to take a patroller...and either get them through the OEC

(Outdoor Emergency Care) program or even just get them an introduction to ski patrolling that will lead them to doing it in

a different time frame.” Continued Ballin, “Its a real unique program. There are hardly any others like it in the country, so it’s great marketing for the school, especially when we have a successful patroller or two. It kind of fits with the motto of Proctor we’ve all grown up with, Live to Learn, Learn to Live. It’s great experiential learning. It’s very unique.”

LESSONS AND MEMORIES FROM 400 FEET

The top shack at the summit of Proctor Ski Area is packed. Suddenly, the radio’s distinct crackle interrupts the light atmosphere, sending a hush over the room. Moments after, the light banter has been replaced by the sound of ski boots tramping across the floor. Captains communicate their plans while someone pulls a toboggan out. Within minutes, the top shack is nearly empty and the only sounds are the stereo and the radio voices giving details of the accident.

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Larry understands that for some students, ski patrol isn’t just fun and games. Patrolling presents many challenges. The biggest? “Managing time, and getting respect from other students...and also giving them [patrolers] the confidence to go ahead and use the skills they have.” If there is anything that hasn’t changed about Proctor Academy Ski Area, it is building confidence by patrolling.

Even though Proctor is almost constantly changing, some things at the Proctor Ski Area haven’t. There are still three trails, although Race (Burden) Trail and Middle (Blackwater) Trail have had some modifications. Says Heide Johnson, former patrol director, “The middle trail was the most fun when it had enough snow; the top was too narrow and often didn't hold snow well, but past that, there was an island of trees in the middle with a little cliff jump.  Lots of fun, but only with lots of natural snow!” Snowmaking was added to Middle Trail in the summer of 1996, and the cliff was blasted out in in the summer of 2010 so the trail could be homogolyzed by FIS (International Ski Federation). Doc’s Run, however, remains unchanged. “Doc's trail was schizophrenic - flat, then steep, then flat, then steep, then flat,”

remembers Johnson. “This trail was not open very often due to no snowmaking and terrain issues (it desperately needs to meet dynamite),” Patroler Chris Sanborn ‘97 recalls, “[It was a fun slow winding trail when it was open.  This is where we usually would ski the ‘New England Powder’ for one day till Gary packed it down and groomed it to make the snow last longer.” Other students recall creating their own glades and trails through the woods between trails. In addition to changes to the trails themselves, there has been a huge change in the amount of people using them. According to Larry Ballin, “Our number of days on the hill has doubled. The amount of...outside business we do at the ski area has probably grown tenfold.” In addition, in the last decade, a handle tow was added on the last slope on Race Trail, just below Coach’s Knoll. Prior to that, skiers had to skate over the nordic trails to the T-Bar. Although the trails and lifts have changed, their spirit remains unchanged.

Much of the patrol equipment hasn’t changed either. Quick splints, cravats, and SAM splints remain integral to patrol skills. “I remember my favorite splint that we used was a quick splint. It was two pieces of plywood,

Outdoor Emergency Care Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) is the first aid course offered by the National Ski Patrol. The course is about 80-100 hours, and nearly equivalent to and EMT-Basic course. OEC requires one refresher a year. In addition, the New Hampshire region offers training days for young adult patrollers at ski areas around the state.

FIRST AID

Proctor Ski Patrollers

practice toboggan handling at a

region training day

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that had soft foam on the inside and two straps that held the halves together like a sandwich. You would just put the splint on and cinch down the straps and it was good to go,” says Scott Kidder ‘00. He adds that, “...we got the vacuum splints which worked well inside, but if they were cold, they were so stiff that you couldn't make them form around anything.” Many patrollers deviated from the standard list of supplies in their aid belt. Some were simple such as, “A pen,” recalls Sam Brown ’10, “I did a lot of paperwork,” or Ben Chaffee’s “Duct tape...you can do anything with duct tape and a little ingenuity.” Others kept more unique things. Scott Kidder ‘00 remembers, “...a trick that my Mom taught me from when she used to patrol at Ragged Mountain was to have a baby diaper with you because they made good absorbent dressings and you also had a plastic barrier if you didn't have time to get your gloves on yet,” He adds, “because we worked at night, [I carried] a flare just in case the power ever went out.” Most students recall having all the equipment necessary to take care of any possible injury, or at least to improvise a splint.

Ultimately, the importance of Proctor Academy Ski Patrol isn’t necessarily the patrolling experience, some say it is the lessons they took away. Larry Ballin believes, “It gives them an opportunity to have a skill set under their belt when they leave Proctor that they can immediately turn into a marketable commodity.” Says Myles Cheston ‘12, “Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) is a useful skill to have out in the world. I can act as a first responder at accidents off the mountain and deal with injuries in my workplace.” “I learned a LOT about improv bandages and just making it work even if you don't have the right tools,” reflects Kidder. “I currently work as an Athletic Trainer and when people see me backboard someone, you can tell I used to do it on mountains.” Sam Brown ‘10 made a list of lessons he learned. “[G]ood communication skills with patients, how to operate under stress, exceeding expectations, working in a timely manner, [and] putting out a good image.” Most patrollers would agree that the lessons they learned are extremely pertinent in the working world.

S & T

Ski and Toboggan Ski and toboggan are two integral skills in ski patrolling. Proctor Academy Ski Patrol uses the basic Cascade Toboggan model. This features a fiberglass sled with two metal handles at the front, and long metal skegs on the bottom. A chain under the sled functions as a brake, though another patroller can stabilize the sled with a tail rope as needed

Ski Patrol 2009-2010

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Proctor Academy Ski Patrol has been around for over sixty years, and it doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. In fact, in the past five years, four students have completed the Outdoor Emergency Care course to become members of the National Ski Patrol. After spending so much time at Proctor Ski Area, they are not walking away empty handed. These students will be well equipped to handle whatever life throws at them. The skills and memories these students gain will last longer than their patrolling days.

“It’s a lifelong skill.” claims Larry Ballin. As long as Proctor hits the slopes of Proctor Ski Area, Proctor Academy Ski

Patrol will be in business changing the live of every one of their members.

ResponsibilityLeft: Proctor Academy Ski Patrollers are in charge of the handle tow operation. Below: Ali Mitchell ’10 receives her Outdoor Emergency Care certification (with a big smile!)

BY THE NUMBERS OEC TOBOGGANS AGE

Number of OEC Technicians in the past 5 years

5

Number of toboggans in use

5

Age of the average member

of NSP

50

Age of the average PASP patroller

16

“It’s a lifelong skill.” ~Larry Ballin

By Moriah Keat

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