Starting in early September, students began making their way back to campus to prepare for the new year — prefects began their Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) and athletes began preseason training. To begin the transition to the new year, the School resumed opening day events, which had been canceled last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, allowing the community to gather once again to celebrate the commencement of the new academic year.
On Thursday, September 9, opening day traditions kicked off with the annual Senior Class Dinner with faculty. However, unlike previous years, the dinner took place outdoors rather than in the Hill House dining hall. “I met a lot of new faculty members that I didn’t know before, and it was very nice to see everyone back on campus again and in one place,” said Maddie Dubrinsky ’22.
On Friday, September 10, Pathways, a program that creates a welcoming environment for new students of color, began its in-person programming. International Student Mentors were also able to connect with their mentees on campus to help them adjust to boarding and life at Choate. They also engaged in activities such as a scavenger hunt and ice cream social, rather than attend the Zoom meetings that had taken place last September. “I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt,” said Chloe Chan ’23. “I chatted with my mentee and learned a lot about her on the way to finding my next clue.”
Later that day, new students gathered with their prefects on the lawn next to Sally Hart Lodge for the New Student Dinner and Matriculation. Usually, the dinner is held inside the dining hall, followed by Matriculation in the St. John Chapel. This year, students were assigned to tables with their dormmates or with other day students and were called up to sign the matriculation books for the archives. “I found that it was a lot more efficient than my freshman year, since we didn’t have to wait in such a long line,” added Dubrinsky, who is a prefect at Archbold.
The next day, new students attended Choate’s annual social orientation, Playfair, on the Great Lawn. Although many pandemic restrictions have loosened up, Playfair still had to change some of its traditions, such as holding hands with other students. However, the goal of Playfair remained the same. New students were tasked with finding connections with each other, and prefects were there to help facilitate the event. Although many people were able to form friendships during Playfair, others did not find it useful. “I don’t remember anyone from Playfair. Everything felt too organized. I thought the form event was a lot better, as we just hung out, so we could actually go and talk to new people,” said new student Junho Lee ’24.
The opening day traditions concluded with Convocation on Friday, September 17, when the entire school community gathered in Colony Hall. Unlike in years past, Convocation was held during the school week rather than before the start of classes. During Convocation, students and faculty listened to an invocation by Director of Spiritual Life Reverend Aaron Rathbun, as well as remarks from Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis, Interim Head of Student and Academic Life Ms. Katie Levesque, and Student Council President Abby Lu ’22. Convocation concluded with a closing speech from HPRSS teacher and Faculty Marshal Mr. Jim Davidson. “I was hesitant in how Convocation would fit in[to the day], but it didn’t last too long,” recalled Mr. Davidson. “I like that we’re no longer a school that advocates [for] being spoken at.”
New science teacher Ms. Mallika Beach-Mehrotra agreed, “Convocation was the first time where everyone was together, and it really made me feel like, ‘Oh, I’m finally part of this community now, and I’m part of this entire group working together.’”
