During your time at Choate, you’ve probably become used to the various acronyms students use to communicate both for convenience and easier understanding. Here is a condensed list of some of the acronyms that Choate students frequently use:
The SAC: The Student Activities Center / St. John Hall
St. John Hall, or the Student Activities Center, is often referred to as “the SAC”. St. John Hall is the newest building on campus, and opened April. It is an educational and social hub for the Choate community that includes the Choate Store, the Tuck Shop Café, and Dean’s and Student Activities Offices. This is also a place where students come to enjoy SAC dances and numerous weekend recreations. Eliza Marovitz ’21 said, “I personally think it is easier calling St. John Hall ‘the SAC’ because it is shorter and catchy.”
PMAC: Paul Mellon Arts Center
The Paul Mellon Arts Center is the arts building on campus. It is locally known as the “PMAC”. The building is divided into two major parts: the Theater Wing, which constitutes a 760-seat, two level proscenium theater and a black-box theater; and the Triangle Wing, which has five levels of art studios, practice rooms, classrooms, offices, and recording studios.
The X: The Worthington Johnson Athletics Center
“The X” is the name that students frequently refer to as the Athletics Center. Although the majority of the student body refers it as “the X”, “the WJAC” is an equivalent. The Worthington Johnson Athletics Center includes two basketball courts, international squash courts, three courts that can be used for volleyball and tennis, a dance studio, a wrestling room, an ergometric room for crew, and a fitness center. Directly adjacent to the athletics center lies the recently renamed Class of ’76 Field, a multi-field that can accommodate lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, and football.
Lanphy: The Lanphier Center
“Lanphy” is the abbreviated name used to refer to the Cameron and Edward Lanphier Center, otherwise known as the building for mathematics and computer science. The Lanphier Center is also a home for Choate’s first iD lab, which stimulates students to take an interdisciplinary approach to the STEM subjects with the incorporation of art and design. The building is also known for its cafe; it serves coffee, tea, and a number of to-go food options.
DH: Dining Hall
The Dining Hall, located in Hill House, is usually used as an abbreviation in the written form. Operated by SAGE, weekday breakfast hours are from 7:15 am to 8:30 am, and continental breakfast hours are from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. Lunch starts from 10:45 am to 1:30 pm, and dinner from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
Noho and Soho: Tenney and Bernard
“Noho” and “Soho,” much to the chagrin of its donors, are names that replace Tenney and Bernhard respectively, due to their length. They are the newest dorms on campus; the building opened in 2008 directly across from the Worthington Johnson Athletics Center. The acronyms help describe their location, Tenney being Noho, since it is the north house and Bernard being Soho, the south house.
The KEC: The Kohler Environmental Center
The Kohler Environmental Center, located on the far east of the main campus, is Choate’s environmental and research education center. Students who are admitted to the Signature Environmental Immersion Program reside and take the majority of their classes at “the KEC”.
These are only a handful of Choate’s acronyms —there are many more obscure ones you may pick up throughout your time here. Looking ahead, Colony Hall, a complement to the PMAC, is planned to open by the start of the next academic year. Anyone who is interested in creating an acronym for Colony Hall should start thinking now!
