Teachers and faculty have their own responsibilities and lives apart from teaching, grading, and helping students cope with the hustle and bustle of Choate life. Many are raising their own kids who may grow up to be future Choaties! In the past couple of years, multiple faculty babies have become a part of the Choate community. Here are a couple of profiles on some of the little Choaties you may have seen on campus!
Profile One: Caden Di Tieri
Caden Di Tieri, son of mathematics and computer science teacher Mr. Kyle Di Tieri, is a six-week-old addition to the Choate community. Caden loves playing with his stuffed animal dragon, going for strolls in the warm weather, and hanging out with Ms. Mb Duckett-Ireland’s new daughter, Livvy. When in distress, Caden is comforted by any sort of motion; he loves being front backpacked or bounced up and down. Caden likes when his parents sing to him. One of Caden’s favorites is the Tiger Song. To make it personalized, Mr. Di Tieri replaces “tiger” with “Caden” when he’s singing it. Caden dislikes anything cold, from weather to wet wipes, so he’s very excited for the upcoming summer months. His favorite Choate adult, after his parents, is Ms. Laura Lynn van Mierlo. In fact, Ms. van Mierlo refers to Caden as her own kid sometimes.
Profile Two: Brendan and Bridget Rose-Noonan
Ms. Kathryn Rose-Noonan, a French teacher at Choate, is the mother of a dynamic duo: one-year-old Brendan and three-year-old Bridget. Bridget loves to draw people and playgrounds, mixing and matching colors and adding new details as she goes. The siblings both love reading, and the Rose-Noonans all read together as a family over dinner. Bridget’s favorite types of books to read are collections or series because she enjoys getting to know the characters. Brendan loves to sing, dance, and climb onto things; he is practically destined to be on stage. Some of his favorite songs to sing at the moment include “Old MacDonald” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Whenever Brendan forgets a word mid-conversation or the lyrics to a song, he’ll say, “Sup, Sup.” He loves making people laugh. Ms. Rose-Noonan describes the siblings as having a great relationship: “They’re buddies.”
Profile Three: Lake and Fenn Howland
Four-year-old Lake and two-year-old Fenn are brothers, play buddies, and best friends. Their mother, Ms. Amy Howland, is a history teacher. Lake loves digging in the sand, and Fenn will do anything his brother is doing. The two are compassionate and loving towards one another, something that Ms. Howland hopes to reinforce throughout the years. For example, Lake, living up to his role as the older sibling, picked out an owl figurine at a craft store for his brother who loves owls. As described by Ms. Howland, “Everyday since Lake gave him the owl, Fenn, at random times, will say ‘Big brother got it for me.’” Interestingly, both kids go by their middle names, which are nature-related in some way. Their first names are based off of literary references; for instance, Lake’s first name is “Atticus,” inspired by a character in To Kill A Mockingbird. When choosing Fenn’s first name, Ms. Howland and her husband went on a date to a massive bookstore in Harvard Square. They combed through every book in the fiction section, searching for a name that had some meaning to them. The two eventually agreed on “Oliver” from Oliver Twist because they liked the character’s innocence and optimistic outlook.
Profile Four: Cody and Luke Chin
Ms. Kristen Chin, a teacher in the Math Department, is the mother of three-year-old Cody and eleven-month-old Luke. Cody loves to color, build Legos, do puzzles, and play sports. Cody can be seen running around with a baseball and playing volleyball with a balloon. Luke loves observing his older brother when he’s not busy learning how to walk. To practice, Luke is always crawling around. Cody is curious and loving: he is Choate’s ray of sunshine. Similar to his brother, Luke is incredibly happy and loves being around Cody. Both boys adore the Choate campus; they enjoy going to the dining hall and attending sports games. Cody can also be found scampering around the dorm (the Chins currently live in Bernhard) where he puts up his artwork on the girls’ doors, hoping to bring a smile to their faces.
