Over the past 15 years, thousands of Choate students have walked through the Carl C. Icahn Center for Science. Little did they know that Max, the School’s pet snake, was watching from his home in the second-floor display. After living a long, fulfilling life, during which he made it into the hearts of many members of the Choate community, Max passed away this summer.
Max was a corn snake that belonged to the grandson of former English teacher, Mr. Connie Mathews. The Science department agreed to take Max in when his previous caretaker could no longer look after him. When Max arrived at the Science Center, Science Teacher Mr. Ben Small took on the responsibility of taking care of the Science Department’s new member. “Max came to us as a young snake, a little over a year old and about one foot long. When he was full grown he was over four feet long,” said Mr. Small.
Many community members formed a bond with Max. “I visited Max every time I had Chemistry, and he was always there as a little snake friend to me,” described Cathy Liu ’24. Dr. Selena Gell recalled her own experiences with the pet snake as well as her son’s. She shared how she would bring her four-year-old son, Jacob, to come visit Max every now and then and that he was very sad to hear of his death over the summer. “Max had many fans,” agreed Mr. John Ford.
Max’s presence in the Science Center also served as an educational opportunity for students. “I want to have interesting objects and displays in the science center that spark student curiosity and can be used as teaching tools — Max was both of these,” stated Mr. Small. Many biology teachers would bring Max into class so that students could feed and hold him.
Every few weeks, Max would tuck into a plate of mice, a sight many students were fascinated by. Because the rodents were bigger than his head, Max had to unhinge his lower jaw to swallow his food. Before learning about Max during her first year at Choate, Dr. Gell was quite surprised when she once opened the anatomy classroom freezer to a pile of frozen mice, which she later learned was Max’s food.
Among the many memories of Max, students and faculty may recall when Max took it upon himself to go on two self-guided excursions. He first embarked on a two-day long trip when his cage was being cleaned. Later, he left for two months by taking advantage of his caretaker’s forgetfulness, slithering out of the unlocked cage door. “Corn snakes are known for being escape artists,” explained Mr. Small. Although many thought Max wouldn’t return from his second escape, he was found “curled up on an office desk near his cage.” A few months after his return, an electrician found snakeskin above the building’s ceiling tiles while working, revealing the location of Max’s vacation home.
Though some students were intimidated by Max, many students developed a liking towards Max due to his mild demeanor. “It feels different without him,” shared Liu. For students and faculty alike, the science building does feel a little emptier without him. “I really enjoyed seeing students interact with Max,” said Mr. Small. He is considering getting another pet from a shelter for the department in the future; however, for now, Max’s home remains a vacant space.
