*A version of this letter was sent to current parents, students, employees, alumni, parents of alumni on April 6. Our hope is this information updates the greater Andover community on Proctor’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. We know the absence of Proctor students on campus this spring and the future void left by Gordon Research Conferences this summer has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on local businesses. Our sincere hope is come September, Proctor’s campus will once again be alive.

Dear Proctor Community,

All of us have experienced unprecedented disruption in our lives, all of us are struggling to come to terms with this new rhythm of learning, work, family, and community. It presents challenges, and while we have worked to adapt it has been difficult to find comfort in any of this. The one silver lining seen are the small acts that make the fabric of a community whole, moments of kindness and appreciation, seem to be cropping up all over the place. We wish someone were keeping statistics, because those acts might show an exponential growth that perhaps would ease the dislocation and worry of the pandemic state. It is through this lens of hope that we share the following updates.

Remote Learning will continue for the remainder of the Spring Term:
Proctor students and faculty are now more than a month into our remote learning model this spring. The feedback from parents, students, and faculty has been overwhelmingly positive. Yes, there have been challenges, but the resiliency of this community has never been more apparent than it is right now. With the predictions we are seeing, the rise of COVID-19 in this country, and the almost unanimous recommendations across states that residents stay home, with the closing of schools and universities that at one point looked temporary and now seem permanent through the end of this academic school year, Proctor has made the decision to not bring students back to campus this academic year. It is not the decision we want to make, but it is the decision we must make for the well being of this community and the communities around us.

Commencement for the Class of 2020 is postponed:
This is the biggest disappointment of the term for our seniors, but under no scenario that we could imagine would gathering in such large numbers be sensible, feasible, wise, or potentially even legal. But, we will celebrate the Class of 2020 with a virtual graduation ceremony on May 30. The school is also exploring options for a potential late-summer gathering should it be responsible to do so. We are not wholly sure what that celebration might look like, but we will be exploring all options. While alternatives may not have the same feel as walking across the stage in late May, when we are able to celebrate the Class of 2020, the emotions will be the same: the hugs, the handshakes, the music, the sense of pride our faculty and staff have in the growth of our students will be more intense than ever.

Reunion 2020 is postponed until June 2021:
In line with our decision to postpone graduation, we have also made the difficult decision to postpone Alumni Reunion 2020. We will be communicating directly with alumni already registered to return to campus in June, as well as to those in the classes ending in 0’s and 5’s.

Alumni Engagement Opportunities Abound:
While we had to cancel a number of in-person alumni events around the country this March, the engagement of our alumni community has never been stronger as we have launched the Together Series of online gatherings and networking events. These fun, affinity-specific gatherings via Zoom have proven a powerful way to connect with others in the alumni network and with our current and former faculty.

Room/Board Refund for Boarding Families:
Proctor notified current boarding families they would receive a refund/credit of 80% of room and board costs for the Spring Term ($6,700 per student, totaling well over $1,500,000). Serving as a leader in the independent boarding school world at this time, Proctor’s Administration and Board of Trustees stepped boldly into this decision, believing now is the time to take care of our families – both personally and collectively – and to share the financial burden we are all facing. The decision is made in the face of financial pressures on the school as the vast majority of operating expenses are fixed regardless of whether or not students are on campus.

Families Returning to Campus to Pick Up Belongings:
Dean of Residential Life Kyle Tremblay is working with boarding students and their families to coordinate the pickup/shipping of their belongings home after the school has more information on when campus will be able to open to visitors. Campus is closed to all students and visitors until at least after May 4 when Governor Sununu will hopefully clarify next steps for the state’s Stay at Home Order.

As we work to keep Proctor’s educational mission and our relationship with students at the forefront of what we do, our partnership with each of our families is critical. This is not the first time Proctor has faced a challenge of this magnitude in its history. The Great Depression saw the ingenuity and commitment of its faculty, staff, and students evolve Proctor’s educational model. The social and economic unrest of the late 1960s and early 1970s again saw the school shift, radically changing the school culture into that which sits at our core today. A little over a decade ago, we navigated the economic downturn of 2008-2009 by becoming as lean as possible and demonstrating to our students and families that we would deliver on our mission. Each time we face challenges, we demonstrate our community’s resilience. Our world needs Proctor’s educational model and the community it creates among our families now more than ever. Collectively, as parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and students, we will find a way through the challenges we face during this chapter of Proctor’s history. We will come through this together, and will emerge as a stronger school than ever before. Thank you for being a part of the Proctor family during this time.