On February 15, proctors and varsity team captains attended the Learning Courage Student Leader Training in the Science Lecture Hall. The student leaders discussed healthy relationships among students, mental health issues, and moments of challenge when they had to intervene. Learning Courage is a non profit organization dedicated to helping students and faculty adopt  practices, tools and resources to reduce incidents of sexual assault and support survivor healing.

Last October, proctors participated in bystander intervention training with Learning Courage. They used role-play scenarios to explore how they would approach difficult situations, and followed it up with discussions regarding their choices. The recent training included more guidance from adults and used realistic situations, which gave the discussions a greater sense of structure.

Mrs. Christy Cooper, sexual misconduct prevention & response coordinator, emphasized that proctors need to be able to communicate struggles they faced with one another. She said “The purpose of the training was for student leaders to talk to each other. If we want our student leaders to be effective, they need to have the opportunity to think about the job they’re doing.”

The general response to the training was positive. Huck Whittemore ’22, captain of Boys Varsity Track, said, “A lot of people going into it were dreading it, and then came out of it saying that that was a really positive experience.”

Some of the student leaders felt they were already qualified enough as proctors and captains, and some left recognizing the training as a safe space for student leaders to be vulnerable and reflect on their responsibilities. Leopold Dorilas ’22, proctor in Redlich, said, “It clarifies a lot of the common concepts we are used to hearing, like being empathetic, active listening, or making sure your proctee feels safe, seen, and supported.”

The selection process for next year’s proctors has begun, and discussions around similar topics will occur in the spring.