View source for Proctor Academy

{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox school
 | name                    = Proctor Academy
 | image                   = MaxwellSavageHallPA.jpg
 | imagesize               = 250px
 | logo                    = ProctorLogo2.jpg
 | logo_size               = 250px
 | caption                 = Maxwell Savage Hall
 | streetaddress           = 204 Main Street
 | city                    = [[Andover, New Hampshire|Andover]]
 | state                   = [[New Hampshire]]
 | zipcode                 = 03216
 | country                 = USA
 | coordinates             = {{coord|43.4372976|-71.8239693|display=inline}}<ref>[https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1917266 Geographic Names Information System: "Proctor Academy"]</ref>
 | founder                 = 
 | head of school          = Amy Bonnefond Smucker
 | faculty                 = 85<ref name="petersons">{{cite web |title=Proctor Academy - School Overview |url=http://www.petersons.com/pschools/code/instvcprint.asp?inunid=1828&sponsor=1 |publisher=Peterson's |date=2007-09-12 }}</ref>
 | ceeb                    = 300015
 | avg_class_size          = 12<ref name="petersons"/>
 | ratio                   = 5:1
 | type                    = [[Private school|Private]], [[school|Boarding]]
 | tuition                 = $67,200 boarding / $39,100 day
 | endowment               = $38 million<ref>{{cite web | title=Proctor Academy, Full Filing - Nonprofit Explorer | date=May 9, 2013 | url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/20222179/202501359349304635/full }}</ref>
 | enrollment              = 360 total<br />285 boarding<br />75 day
 | grades                  = 9-12
 | campus                  = Small town
 | campus size             = 2,500 acres (12 km²)
 | athletics               = 
 | conference              = Lakes Region
 | slogan                  = 
 | song                    = 
 | fightsong               = 
 | motto                   = Live to Learn, Learn to Live
 | accreditation           = [[New England Association of Schools and Colleges]]
 | mascot                  = Hornet
 | rival                   = [[Holderness School]]
 | sports                  = 
 | school_colors           = Green and White
 | yearbook                = 
 | publication             = 
 | newspaper               = 
 | established             = {{start date and age|1848}}
 | footnotes               = 
 | picture                 = 
 | homepage                = {{URL|www.proctoracademy.org}}
}}

'''Proctor Academy''' is a [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]], independent [[University-preparatory school|preparatory]] [[boarding school]] for grades 9–12 located on {{convert|2500|acre|km2}} in [[Andover, New Hampshire]]. The school was established in 1848 by the town of Andover, with [[Dyer H. Sanborn]] as the principal. There are about 370 students.

==History==

===Origin===
Proctor Academy first began as Andover Academy, established in 1848 by the town of Andover. The idea of the school spawned from a sewing group conversation between the wives of the area's prominent families, in the living room of attorney [[Samuel Butterfield]]. The women shared a strong conviction that their town needed a school for its expanding population.<ref name="proctoracademy.org">{{cite web| url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=282524&L1=&L2= |title=History of Proctor: Origins |publisher=Proctor Academy |date=2006-06-22 }}</ref> On June 23, 1848, the incorporation of the academy was approved, with Samuel Butterfield as president, Walcott Hamlin as secretary, and True Brown and John Fellows as executive committee members.

The academy opened its doors in August 1848, on the second floor of the church on Main Street,<ref name="ReferenceA">"History of the town of Andover New Hampshire, 1751-1906"</ref> with many of the desks, chairs and chalkboards donated by the Butterfields.<ref name="proctoracademy.org"/> Mrs. Eliza Butterfield set up the [[curriculum]] with [[Dyer H. Sanborn]] as the principal and Miss Eliza Wingate as "preceptress". The first term had 43 girls and 65 boys enrolled, but within four years the school had grown to just over 250 students.

===1850–1900===
Principal Sanborn (1850–1851) was very popular with the students, and the school thrived through its first couple of years with funding from generous patrons. After two years, Sanborn stepped down, and Moses Leland Morse of [[Bowdoin College]] took over for the next two years as principal. Under Morse, the student body more than doubled, as [[chemistry]] was added to the curriculum and the guaranty fund reached $3,000. Woodbury Langdon, Luther Puffer (law student), and John Simonds were some of the first graduates to go on to [[college]]. After Principal Morse stepped down, Thaddeus W. Bruce (1852–1853) of [[Dartmouth College]] took the helm with Miss Marcia Foster as assistant (who later married).<ref>{{cite web| url=https://archive.org/stream/thetfordacademyt00thet/thetfordacademyt00thet_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Thetford academy, Thetford, Vermont. Seventy-fifth anniversary and reunion. Thursday, June 28, 1894" |year=1895 }}</ref> Around this time future world-renowned artist [[David Dalhoff Neal]] also attended classes. George Dustan took over as principal in 1854 when the school fell victim to a [[smallpox]] outbreak, in which one of the teachers and a former student died.

The smallpox epidemic in 1854-1855 forced the school to close, and for the next three decades the school struggled with its identity and funding. In 1857, the school reopened its doors as the New England Christian Literary and Biblical Institute, then again in 1860 as the Andover Christian Institute. In 1865, the school was closed and reopened in [[Wolfeboro, New Hampshire]], as the Wolfeboro Christian Institute.

As the school struggled, former Andover resident [[John Proctor (inventor)|John Proctor]], the inventor of the threaded wood screw, returned, in 1857, to build up the town. By the 1870s Proctor helped to return the school to Andover, debt-free, as well as build a new [[dormitory]] on the site of modern-day Gannett House. In 1879, the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian Church]] sought to purchase the Andover school in order to create a school "free from...theological dogmatizing and unnatural religious methods." Andover was a hotbed of Unitarian thought, which helped to facilitate the sale of the school. In 1881, the school was opened as Proctor Academy in honor of John Proctor's contributions to the school.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=282524&L1=&L2=| title=History of Proctor: Origins| last=Will| first=Chuck| access-date=2008-10-29}}</ref>

===The 1930s and 1940s===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:MaxwellSavage.jpg|thumb|Maxwell Savage Hall]]  -->
Not realizing the severity of the economic downturn, in 1932 the trustees of the school invested $45,000 to build Maxwell Savage Hall. At the first assembly of the 1935 school year, Headmaster Carl Wetherell announced that he was quitting due to the poor outlook for the school. A search for a replacement was hurriedly started. John Halsey Gulick took the job, and immediately instituted sweeping reforms of the school, creating mechanical arts programs such as [[boat building]], [[Vocational education|wood shop]], and [[Machining|machine shop]]. Students were involved in the upkeep and improvement of the school, clearing the land for the school's first [[Ski resort|ski area]], Slalom Hill, as well as a [[Victory garden|farm]] which was used to feed the community.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=288961&L1=&L2=| title=History of Proctor: Formative Years| last=Will| first=Chuck| access-date=2008-10-29}}</ref>

===The 1950s and 1960s===
Lyle Farrell—a 1929 graduate of the [[University of New Hampshire]] and captain of the [[1928 New Hampshire Wildcats football team|1928 Wildcats football team]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.library.unh.edu/find/digital/object/yearbook:1930 |title=The Granite |publisher=[[University of New Hampshire]] |location=[[Durham, New Hampshire]] |date=1930 |page=42 |access-date=February 1, 2020 |via=library.unh.edu}}</ref>—who started teaching at Proctor in the 1930s, took over as Headmaster of the school in 1952. During his time as Headmaster, he pushed for the expansion of the school, leading to the construction of Holland Auditorium, Shirley Hall, Farrell Field House, Leonard Field, Farrell Field and the Blackwater Ski Area. Farrell also established the learning skills programs for college-bound students with dyslexia.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=289399&L1=&L2=| title=History of Proctor: Stability and Growth| last=Will| first=Chuck| date=July 12, 2006| access-date=October 29, 2008}}</ref>

===The 1970s to 1980s===
In 1971, David Fowler succeeded Lyle Farrell as Headmaster. He instituted a democratic [[Students' union|student government]], rather than a seniority system. Realizing the unique location and programs that Proctor offered, they created a wilderness orientation program for new students, which still exists today. In 1974, the mountain classroom program was created, combining an [[Outward Bound]] type of small group outdoor experience with specialized academic sessions. By 1975, Proctor had faculty and facilities in [[Madrid]], Spain, and [[Clermont-Ferrand]], France, which led to later experiential education programs in [[Segovia]], Spain, and [[Pont-l'Abbé]], France.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=290028&L1=&L2=| title= History of Proctor: Revolutionary Change| last=Will| first=Chuck| date=2006-07-24| access-date=2008-10-29}}</ref> European Classroom, an art and [[French language]] program, was created in 2011, replacing the France program.

==Campus==
<!-- Describe the overall shape and size of the school site/campus. Mention any famous buildings or stadia and their architects. A separate section on architecture is sometimes appropriate. -->

Proctor Academy is located on {{convert|2,500|acre|km2}} in the town of [[Andover, New Hampshire]]. The property is a state-certified [[tree farm]].

One of the newest additions to the campus, Peabody House, was completed in 2008<ref>{{cite web| title=Peabody House Dedication| url=http://proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=2&newsid=448819&L1=2&L2=&newsgroupid=2836}}</ref> on the former site of Morton House, which was torn down in August 2007.

===Dorms===
Proctor Academy has 19 [[dormitories]] that are either in use or are no longer in use:<ref name="Campus Map">{{cite web|title=Campus Map |url=http://proctoracademy.org/campus_map/Default.asp?bhcp=1|access-date=2008-10-18}}</ref>
*Burbank East and West
*Carr House (built 1870)
*Carriage House/ Eco Dorm (built 1998)
*Davis House (built 1978)
*Elbow Pond Dorm
*Gannett House
*Gulick House
*Ives House
*Johnson House (built 1978)
*King House
*Mackenzie House
*Mary Lowell Stone House "MLS" (built 1870)
*Peabody House (built 2008)
*Rulon-Miller House
*Sally B (built 2013)
*Summerfield House (built 1978)
*Thoreau House (burned in June 2016)
*West End Dormitory

===Notable buildings===
* Proctor's net-zero ready Brown Dining Commons (built in 2016), the 'greenest' dining facility built at an independent school in New England, features 40 geothermal wells, rain gardens to collect run-off, solar panels, and high efficiency construction materials. 
*Recording Studio (built 2006), state-of-the-art building-within-a-building designed to isolate the studio from any outside noise<ref>{{cite web|url=http://proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/default.asp?L4=4&newsid=266547|title=Dedication|last=Will|first=Chuck|date=2006-04-29|publisher=Proctor Academy|access-date=2008-10-18}}</ref>
*Steve and Sarah Wilkins Meetinghouse (built 2001), theater and meetinghouse for all-school assemblies, also contains the dance studio, dressing rooms, black box, scene shop, and green room.<ref name="Campus Map"/>
*The Cabin (built 1991), cabin located on the top of the hill behind Proctor's dorms, where students are allowed to stay for the night on the weekend<ref name="Campus Map"/>
*Yarrow's Lodge, ski lodge at the Blackwater Ski Area, base for the student ski patrol and the storage location for the school's [[snowcat]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.proctoracademy.org/common/news_detail.asp?newsid=416251&L1=4&L2=12|title=Blackwater Ski Area|access-date=2008-10-18}}</ref>

==Notable alumni==
[[File:Matt Nathanson.jpg|thumb|125px|Matt Nathanson]]
Notable people who have attended the school include:<ref name="BSR">{{cite web|url=http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/listing-alumni.php|title=Famous Boarding School Alumni|year=2009|publisher= Boarding School Review|pages=Proctor Academy|access-date=2009-02-28}}</ref><!-- Provide a bulleted list of notable alumni with a short description to explain why they are famous. Alumni without their own Wiki articles should always have third-party references. -->

* [[Bob Beattie (skiing)|Bob Beattie]], '51 - former US Alpine Ski Team Head Coach and ABC television commentator
* [[Jerome Dyson]], '06 - basketball player for [[Hapoel Jerusalem B.C.|Hapoel Jerusalem]] of the [[Israeli Basketball Premier League|Israeli Premier League]], 2012-13 [[Israeli Basketball Premier League Statistical Leaders|top scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League]]
* [[Peter Elbow]] - English professor, author of ''Writing without Teachers''
* [[Nicholas Fairall]], '07 - US Olympian 2014 Winter Games, US Ski Team, ski jumper
* [[John McVey]] -  singer/songwriter
* [[Matt Nathanson]], '91 - singer/songwriter
* [[David Dalhoff Neal]] - artist, one of the first students in the early 1850s
* [[Robert Richardson (cinematographer)|Robert Richardson]], '73 - [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-winning cinematographer (''[[Platoon (film)|Platoon]]'', ''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]'', ''[[The Aviator (2004 film)|The Aviator]]'', ''[[Kill Bill]]'')
* [[United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics#Nordic combined|Carl Van Loan]], '98 - US Olympian, US Ski Team Nordic Combined, Large Hill team
* [[Cole Williams]], '99 - television actor (''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'', ''[[8 Simple Rules]]'')

==References==

{{portal|New Hampshire}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.proctoracademy.org}}

{{Lakes Region League}}
{{New England Preparatory School Athletic Council}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1848]]
[[Category:Preparatory schools in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Private high schools in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Schools in Merrimack County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Boarding schools in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Andover, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:1848 establishments in the United States]]