Photo Courtesy of Ross Mortensen
Whether you are a four-year senior or you have just completed your second full week of classes, the 112th masthead of The Choate News would like to welcome you to campus for the 2018-19 school year! In your hands is the first issue of the 112th volume of The Choate News, the school’s oldest student-run publication.
Extraordinary opportunities lie ahead of you. Now is the time to realize that you have the potential to make the most of the upcoming year. Perhaps you are already beginning to explore what the School has to offer. You have secured a spot on the JV soccer team. You auditioned for a-cappella this past weekend. You aced your first physics quiz.
Or maybe your Choate career is coming to a close, and you are beginning to make your final impact on the community. You completed a proposal for the Student Council. You are polishing your final SRP project. You gave your prefectee directions to the Lanphier Center.
We — a bunch of gung-ho kids who happen to be passionate about journalism — are Choate students in the same ways you are. We’ve have been through it all — you can trust our word that there is something special about this place.
Choate offers so much, including new signature programs for avid robotics and political science students, courses in six world languages with study abroad opportunities across the globe, and electives that cater to a range of niche interests; it would be an understatement to say that there is a lot to do here. We attend an institution committed to providing a dynamic learning experience aided by numerous opportunities. The many musical ensembles, publications, teams, and clubs alone demonstrate the ample opportunities to experiment, and, in doing so, expand one’s horizons.
But beyond the various educational merits of a prep-school education lies a much greater treasure: the people. Here, you’ll meet some of the most talented students on the planet. You may even come to call some of them lifelong friends.
So take advantage of all Choate has. Whether that means applying for a signature program, taking a class in a subject you have never studied, sitting at a different table during a meal, or even, perhaps, writing your first article for The Choate News — try something new this year. Make the experience worthwhile.
Your time here will not always be easy. Somewhere along the road, you could very well slip up on a test or fall out with someone you were once close to. These things happen. This is high school; embrace what happens as part of the journey. What is important is that when you walk across the graduation stage, you feel that your time at Choate has been well spent.
