During a recent school meeting, psychologist and motivational speaker Dr. Matt Bellace addressed our community, encouraging students to find “natural highs” that take the edge off of life in a healthier and more sustainable way than drugs ever could. He relayed his personal history, including a poignant account of hisRead More

Immediately following Choate’s early 1980s cocaine scandal, the school’s drug-abuse policy changed sharply. Suddenly, any student who possessed any kind and any amount of illicit drug would be quickly and decisively expelled. As the student handbook puts it, “Rules regarding purchase, possession, distribution, or use of these substances are essentialRead More

Choate’s introduction of a new schedule this year has shaken up the routines of everyone on campus. Seventy-minute blocks, earlier conference periods, weekly [always been weekly school meetings] form meetings, and staggered lunch blocks have required students and faculty alike to adjust their work, free time, and sleep schedules. WhileRead More

We recognize several problems with the Choate visitation policy. The first is its heteronormative nature. Last year, Choate renamed its “co-ed” policy “visitation.” The new wording, on page 33 of the Student Handbook, reads, “Visitation rules apply equally to heterosexual students and to those who identify as gay, lesbian orRead More

In its Statement of Expectations, Choate demands that the members of its community “cultivate compassion and seek to serve others, both within and beyond Choate.” Unfortunately, Choate’s policy on drug abuse, which decrees that the “purchase, manufacture, possession, distribution, or use of  illegal drugs (such as marijuana, cocaine, and steroids)Read More