Photo courtesy of Trinity College Athletics
Every year, we welcome new students and faculty to Choate with open arms. Among these new additions is Ms. Jenn Pelletier. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Ms. Pelletier is the newest member of the HPRSS department and the new coach of the Girls’ Varsity Squash team.
Ms. Pelletier grew up in Canada and received her education through the public school system. At the age of 17, she came down to New England to play for Trinity College. For most of her childhood, she did not know what a boarding school really was, much less that she was going to end up working at one. “Boarding schools are so fascinating to me because I went to a poorly-funded public school back in Canada. The idea of a really nice high school with sports and clubs was not really something I was exposed to. But when I went to Trinity, I was exposed to it a little bit since a lot of my friends had gone to boarding schools.”
Ms. Pelletier grew up doing an extracurricular that she excelled in: squash. Not only did she play in college and win Nationals, Ms. Pelletier was also on the Canadian National Team for squash. She played in two Pan-American games in Peru and El Salvador, where her team placed second at both. Individually, she snagged the gold in El Salvador. She also represented her country in the 2009 World Championships in India, where her team won fifth place. Ms. Pelletier takes pride in her time as a professional athlete and representing her country through her craft: “It’s a really cool experience because you are playing for more than just you, even though it is an individual sport. It’s a team mentality, and then its even bigger when you’re representing your country.”
Ms. Pelletier has been teaching history for about two years now and has been coaching squash professionally for seven years. When she came to the U.S. for college, she entertained the thought of being a professional squash player for some time, but ultimately chose teaching. After her time at Trinity, Ms. Pelletier taught at Westover, an all-girls school in Connecticut. Later on, she was informed that Choate was in need of a new squash coach, and in the spirit of wanting a new, fresh challenge, she applied and accepted the job. Now, she teaches United States History and coaches Girls’ Varsity Squash.
Though she has only been here for half of a year, Ms. Pelletier has connected with all of her students and athletes in unique ways. She noted, “I want them to know that I genuinely care about them.” She continued, explaining those aspects that she most likes about now working at a boarding school, like addressing the specific needs of each student.
Girls’ Squash has had a promising start to their season, with six wins and only two losses. Be sure to go out and support them on February 1 at 3:00 p.m. against Westover.
