Welcome, parents! And welcome, former Choate students!
Parents’ Weekend allows alumni parents to relive their Choate experiences. Many alumni parents (most of whom have already attended their 25th reunion) are awed by how much Choate has changed — for better and for worse — since their time here. The most noticeable transformation that parents consistently bring up is the iPad program and the overall technologically-advanced era we’ve entered. While Choate is adapting to changing times, especially with its more lenient dress-code and the construction of new buildings, several aspects remain the same: some faculty members, the academically rigorous curriculum, and the friendliness on campus, to name a few. To get a better sense of parent and student perceptions of Choate, I interviewed some current students and their alumni parents. Below are highlights from those interviews
Ms. Anna Jameson ’88 (Mother of Hunter Jameson ’19)
I graduated from Choate 30 years ago. All I can say is, wow! Choate is very different now. There have been major upgrades and improvements to various buildings around campus. These improvements are all great and necessary for living and classroom space, improving the beauty of campus and flow of student life.
I do enjoy coming back to campus for Hunter’s basketball games or his friends’ football games. It is a fun reminder of the days when I attended Choate. I even see a handful of teachers on campus that were teaching when I was there. And they still remember me from when I was there! Parents weekend is a great reminder of the academic advantages Choate has to offer. The campus is and always has been a beautiful place to be around.
Tigo Ponce de Leon ’22
I definitely felt more comfortable knowing that my mom had a wonderful experience here. It was reassuring knowing a little about Choate before arriving. Last summer, I would ask her about some of her ‘funniest memories’ or ‘most memorable teachers’ and her stories would always alleviate my anxiousness.
I wasn’t necessarily more inclined to go here because my mom went here. I solely chose Choate because I thought it would be the best fit for me.
A major difference between my mom’s experience and mine is how technology is incorporated into my daily life. As a Choate student now, you are constantly responding to emails, doing homework on iPads, and texting with friends. I can’t imagine transitioning here without having previous exposure to technology. It would be really hard! My mom’s experience was quite different from mine in that aspect. Her classes were way more ‘traditional’ than they are now.
My mom is happy that Choate is willing to change and adapt to society. She worries that I’m on a screen too much though.
Ms. Marti Johnson ’92 (mother of Tigo Ponce de Leon ’22)
It’s definitely a mental shift to be ‘the parent’ instead of the ‘the student’ or ‘the alumna celebrating reunion weekend.’ You look at the school through a different lens as a parent. I want Choate to be my son’s school now, even though I will always love the school and met my best friends in life there that I still speak to daily.
I often tell my son that the Choate community wants to see every student succeed and to seek out extra help if you are starting to feel overwhelmed. That advice will hold true indefinitely. I value my Choate experience over my university experience because Choate is where I learned to write, think critically, and manage my time with competing priorities. I do tell my son that friends are just as important as academics at Choate, and I was impressed by how friendly the kids seem to be to each other when I was on campus recently.
Ms. Cinda Wall ’81 (mother of Lily Ball ’20)
In 1979 when I came to Choate, it was only three years after the first co-ed graduating class. Most of the girls lived on the Rosemary Hall campus, or as we called it, ‘Up the Hill.’ Three times a week, there were girls’ morning meetings that were held in the Ruutz Rees Dining Room before the first class. Ending those gender-based morning meetings was a huge stride for all kinds of reasons!
It’s terrific to walk through Lily’s actual school day and meet the faculty members and see how they teach and get a sense for the other students and the class dynamics. It’s energizing, and I always leave full of respect for the faculty and the work and intellectual curiosity of the students. Choate has continued to re-engineer the class day and teaching methodologies based on new research in education, like having an all-school sleep-in and virtually no Saturday classes.It seems like overall, there is less faculty/student interaction outside of class. It’s part of what makes boarding school special, but I think that is a reflection of changes in societal norms.
We have both given Gold Key Tours! The News was a huge part of my life at Choate. Just for some perspective, we typed articles — yes, on an ‘electric typewriter’ and we sent it out to be typeset. We met for layout on Wednesday nights and used exacto knives to cut the headlines and columns of print and arrange them on the page. I hope you all still have a lampoon edition called ‘The Nooz.’
Jamie O’Donnell ’80 (father of Honor O’Donnell ’22)
You have to understand that I attended Choate a long, long time ago. It was in a galaxy far, far away from now. So there are indeed many differences and things which are no longer a part of Choate life today. For instance, even though class was maybe a five-minute walk from any dorm on campus, in the winter, the administration would make us walk five miles in the snow without shoes in order to get to class. This toughened us up for any occasion when you had to walk five miles in snow without shoes. So in most respects, Choaties today have it easier than we did. But actually, you do suffer one excruciating hardship which reflects a big difference between then and now. Back then, the Tuck Shop used to feature Dusty Millers. Even quite recently, when Honor’s brothers attended Choate (classes of ’16 and ’17), the Dusty Miller was still an important item featured on the Tuck Shop menu. But I noted with shock that Dusty Millers are no longer served at the Tuck Shop. This is a huge loss to the Choate community. Even if you have never tasted a Dusty Miller, write your Congressional representative and Dr. Curtis right now and demand that these be restored to the Tuck Shop menu ASAP.
Apart from not being able to get a Dusty Miller, [coming for Parents’ Weekend] is really great. I don’t have to prepare for class. And I get to see my daughter. What could be better?
Many Choate parents are also alumni: (from lef to right) The Keatings, the Sethbhakdis, and the Ponce de Leons.
