The Voice of Proctor

Have you ever used the Proctor Academy website? What about the numerous Proctor Academy social media accounts? Have you ever wondered who makes it all happen and keeps everything running? The man in charge happens to be my advisor and coach.

Scott Allenby lives in Andover with his wife and three kids. Because Scott wears so many hats at Proctor,  I was interested to see what he'd say when I asked him what he does. “I have a number of roles at Proctor. I am the Director of Communications and Marketing, but I am also an advisor, the boys’ varsity basketball assistant coach, and I teach a finance class in the spring.” Scott has also coached boys’ varsity soccer, been a dorm parent, and taught economics classes.

Scott continued, “Our role as a communications team is to help parents feel as though they are a part of their son or daughter's daily life... in a way that allows them to witness the growth their children are undergoing on a daily basis. Livestreaming games/performances, blog posts, Flickr albums, social media posts, assembly podcasts all help to bridge this gap and reinforce why trusting their child at Proctor was a good decision.”

Most of the blogs for the Proctor website and the Parent Page are written by Scott, and he and his team also manage the Proctor Academy social media accounts. Given how much of Scott’s professional life is based on the digital world, his thoughts around it are particularly interesting. “I think despite all of the technology available to us, the most effective communication is still face to face. We often lose that skill or lose attention to that in such a digital world.”

However, the blogs, and especially the parent page are excellent ways for the entire Proctor community to get in on the buzz. Bebe Casey, P’18, said, “As a parent of a day student who spends most of her time on campus, I rely on the parent page to get a peek at what she is doing and what is going on in the community.”  Students also rely on Scott’s communication.  Senior Griffin Delprete says, “I love following the social media accounts, especially the Instagram page, and reading the blogs every week. I like how Scott incorporates student’s work into his blogs and social media posts.”

Each week, Scott writes numerous pieces for the school, but his favorite topic to write about is, “Proctor's educational model and how it fits within the larger educational landscape. I enjoy identifying and articulating Proctor's unique strategic fit within a complex market place, and relating that fit directly back to student and faculty stories in action.”

He goes on to say, “I think our website has made significant steps forward over the past three years, especially in the integration of video throughout. As we continue to evolve our site, I want to keep bolstering the student voices throughout each program page. Students have the most powerful testimony of the impact of Proctor's educational model...” Senior Eamonn Healey says, “I really look forward to reading the blogs and the Parent Page every week to see if I, or any of my friends, made it into any of the writing or pictures. Scott keeps us all connected...”

As my advisor and coach, Scott has taught me a lot of valuable lessons about life. Part of that has included countless reminders about why it is so important to be smart about how we use our technology. He has taught me that while technology is a very powerful tool that can and should be used to enhance my life, the more important skills for me to have a handle on are the human to human connections. Through his very strong and present voice at Proctor, Scott sets an impressive example for young people.