Ms. Ann Marie Nolan works her magic in the Copy Center.
Located in the basement of Steele Hall, the Print and Document Services Center (or the Copy Center) is the hub of all types of print materials on campus. Students and faculty alike frequent the Copy Center to produce handbooks, tests, and campus publications. The supervisor who runs it all is Ms. Ann Marie Nolan.
Ms. Nolan works to print the majority of paper materials put up around campus. As a part of the Communications Office, she also helps with the graphic design for the Bulletin, the official publication of the School. Her recent work includes designing the “Hungry for Justice” posters and stickers for Community Service Day.
Ms. Nolan started her tenure at Choate 10 years ago after working jobs at a few print shops in Connecticut. At the time, the Copy Center had two employees, and with the amount of printing needed, teachers had to wait in line to make their own copies for tests. Since then, the School has acquired new machines, and Ms. Nolan has taken over the task of completing print jobs based on requests.
“The Copy Center has been an amazing resource for me as a club leader, prefect, and literary magazine editor,” Cassatt Boatwright ’24 said. “I am super grateful to Ms. Nolan for materials such as textured and multi-sized paper, as well as the quick turnaround time.”
Ms. Nolan loves interacting with the students and seeing her work all around campus. “I probably get at least five compliments a day and people telling me ‘thank you so much for all your help,’” Ms. Nolan said. “It makes you feel real good.”
Working with printing has always been a part of Ms. Nolan’s life. Growing up, her family owned a printing company, which fostered her love for art and design. She started learning graphic design on one of the first Apple Macintosh computers, which came out in the 1980s.
“I had a mentor that helped me and taught me how to use the programs, and I loved it so much that I was able to grasp it quickly,” Ms. Nolan said. Since then, she has continued to foster her interest and develop her skills in this area.
Outside of printing and graphic design, Ms. Nolan likes to bake and create soaps. She explained that making soap is actually quite similar to baking. “You know, you mix the mixture up and then you pour it in a mold,” she said. “It’s like molding a cake.”
Ms. Nolan described her proudest soap artworks in detail, including a pumpkin pie soap that smells like the desert itself, a cow soap with black and white spots, and a cotton candy soap with blue and pink colors and sparkles. “I like being artsy,” she said.
“I enjoy the people. I love this job … You know, the thrill that I get when a student writes me a little message of ‘thank you,’” Ms. Nolan said. “Just a quick two sentences or one sentence makes my day. I love it.”
