Photo courtesy of Choate Flickr
Choate student hosts walk to class with revisiting students.
By Ethan Zhang ’26
With the arrival of spring, Choate welcomed the families of over 200 accepted students for Revisit Days on April 2, 4, and 5. As a way for prospective families to familiarize themselves with the Choate community, Revisit Days showcased culture through an opening speech by Chief Enrollment Manager Mr. Jeff Beaton, an expansive Community Fair, and, for prospective students, the opportunity to shadow a Choate student.
As the prospective families arrived at Choate, they were greeted by Boar Pen and a group of Gold Key students congratulating and directing them to Colony Hall. After registering and entering the main stage, Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis and Mr. Beaton gave their opening remarks. Afterwards, families gathered in the lobby, where they socialized, took pictures with Choate’s wild boar mascot, and listened to live music from the Jazz Combo student group.
After the opening assembly, visiting students met and paired up with their designated student host while their families attended several Q&A-style panels. Hosted by various Choate faculty, parents and caregivers of newly admitted students got to ask questions about Signature Programs, counseling, and opportunities to study abroad.
Prospective students then joined their student host throughout the day, where they had the opportunity to contribute to classroom discussions, enjoy a meal in the dining hall, and experience Choate through the student lens.
As a host, representing student life accurately at Choate was crucial. “We tell families and students that we want them to be themselves when they come to campus for Revisit Day, so they have that feeling on campus of ‘this is the place for me,’” Associate Director of Admission Ms. Cynthia Stahura said. Emerson Nappi ’27 hosted Taeyoung Kim, a swimmer and violinist from South Korea. “I gave him a genuine experience. I didn’t fake anything,” Nappi said. “I was able to show him [that] you could have a good time in class while still learning.”
Student hosts also used their free blocks to show prospective students around other facilities, which helped their hostees get a better feel for the campus. Madeline Baldwin ’27 toured Claire Driver, a cross country athlete from New Haven who was interested in drama and humanities. “I took her to the [Paul Mellon Arts Center] theater where she might be performing plays in the fall,” Baldwin said.
Many teachers felt that setting realistic work expectations and classroom norms was necessary for prospective students to understand academic life at Choate. “I want to show them that [Choate] students are comfortable engaging in conversation and capable of critical thinking and potentially disagreeing,” Humanities teacher Mr. James Stanley said. “This is a place where we take academics seriously. Students are well-prepared and ready to engage.” Chemistry teacher Mr. Will Morris added, “While we work hard, I hope students see that our classrooms are not overly cutthroat or particularly high-stress and that it is a supportive learning environment.”
At the end of the academic day, prospective students parted ways with their host and headed to the Community Fair with their families. There, they learned about clubs and student organizations, met coaches and captains, and familiarized themselves with Signature Programs at Choate. “It’s festive,” Ms. Stahura said. “We want to make the end of the day as casual as possible, so [prospective students] can see who they need to talk to and get those final questions answered.” As the Girls’ Varsity Hockey Assistant Coach, Mr. Stanley said, “[At Community Fair], you get to meet players and parents you might be coaching and establish those relationships early on.”
Ultimately, Revisit Days aimed to give prospective students and families a sense of what life is like at Choate. “We want them to see Choate for what we are, as a community … They may be looking into some peer schools, so we want to help them see if Choate’s a great fit for them,” Ms. Stahura said.
