This year, the seniors reached 95% participation in giving to the Annual Fund. Graphic by Chandler Littleford/ The Choate News
Any student who has walked through the senior section of the dining hall in the past week has probably seen the table of candy and gifts for those who have donated to the Annual Fund. Each year, Choate’s graduating class comes together to donate a senior class gift. Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, Ms. Sheldon Keegan, said, “Most independent schools and colleges that people go to do senior class gifts. It is this gesture as you take your first step into the alumni community to say, ‘I’m grateful for the time spent here, and I am ready to be a part of giving back, like so many classes before me have done.’”
The Annual Fund’s purpose is to supplement academic, athletic, and extracurricular costs of Choate. Ms. Keegan added, “A lot of people don’t know that tuition for a full-paying student or a scholarship student only covers 65% of the year. Around this time of year, tuition runs out and so alumni and parent gifts cover that other 35%. That is all alumni and parent giving. This entire school is founded on philanthropy and giving, which is pretty cool.” The Class of 2019’s gift will be allocated to the Students for Students fund, which is gifted to a group of rising seniors in the Class of 2020 to help them cover the cost of Choate activities during their senior year. The fund is gifted to the rising class on Prize Day. Ms. Keegan explained, “I’m not part of the committee to choose those prizes, but the administration comes together, identifies a few students, and then the money from that fund goes to them.” She continued, “This class is passing something down to the next class. And then the juniors will do the same for the sophomores, and so on.”
In recent years, the senior gift has shifted its focus. “The goal this year was not about money, just because at this point, money isn’t what’s important. It is about showing that you are buying into the experience, so we wanted everyone to participate,” explained Ms. Keegan. “We have students here that are all coming together; whether they are giving 50 cents or 50 dollars, everyone is showing that they support their fellow students and that it truly is a gift from the whole class. I work with young alumni that have graduated in the past twenty years, so I’ll be working with everyone’s classes when they graduate.”
The collective senior gift usually amounts to between $1500 and $2500. By the end of last week, $1438 was been raised for the fund, coming from 95% of the senior class. Ms. Keegan added, “The average gift has been $1 to $10, so no one is giving a ton of money. This isn’t about the amount.”
Students have expressed interest and concern regarding the final destination of their donations — after all, the senior gift is a financial legacy of the Class of 2019. According to Ms. Keegan, “I think that people are rightfully concerned about where the money is going,” Ms. Keegan said.
She added, “The idea of the giving to the School is hard for some of kids to think about. That’s why we are having kids give to kids because they know that their money is going to people that they know.”
