News Associate Editor
On Monday night Lauren Citrome ‘06 left Edsall House eager to escape the monotonous routine of senior year. Like her classmates, Citrome has labored hard this winter term taking tests and completing projects. She is tired, overworked, and utterly stressed about the looming prospect of college decisions. She is the portrait of almost every Choate senior.Sporting a North Face fleece and a borrowed pair of oversized snow pants, Citrome waddled over to the athletic field. There, she encountered classmates who were already taking advantage of the snow-covered hill and the abundance of sleds provided by the SAC. “Tonight, it’s senior sledding!” wrote fellow senior Becky Leven in an online blog entry that day. “One of the best things about being a senior is senior privilege. Tonight ...we get together for hot chocolate and sledding. I suppose there are some tradeoffs for the hardships of senior year!”Due to the recent flood of sixth form activities this term, many seniors seem to display Leven’s upbeat sentiment. Since returning from December break, the senior class has participated in two exclusive dances (in celebration of Presidents Day and Valentines Day) as well as the annual Senior Sledding event. According to Nichols prefect Sara Shapiro, “Senior year is our last chance to be together before we all spread throughout the world, and start forming our futures. That’s why I think these winter activities are so crucial – they enable the senior class to experience each other for what may be the last time.”On January 23rd, the Choate community was surprised (well, somewhat surprised) with Headmaster Shanahan’s celebrated email proclaiming the following school day as Presidents Day. In addition, the Bungalow girls dorm, with help from the senior deans, organized a sixth form dance that night. According to most attendees, the dance was an extraordinary success. “The Presidents Day surprise was my favorite activity this year,” insists one male senior who praises the Bungalow girls for their ‘ingenious’ idea. “It was such a blast – and the surprise factor was just icing on the cake.”About a month later, the class of 2006 took part in ‘Senior Sledding,’ an annual sixth form tradition that usually occurs after the first major snowstorm. Despite recent surgery, senior Margaux Harold was able to overcome the pain of her injury and participate in the anticipated downhill race between Homestead and Bungalow ladies. “I was so bummed when I find out that senior sledding was so soon because I didn’t think I could sled,” recounts Harrold. “But when I got there I just couldn’t resist. Everyone was having so much fun!”The next evening, the seniors got to partake in another night of “fun.” On Valentine’s Day, Alumni Relations threw an extravagant dance for the sixth form, which included karaoke sessions as well as a DJ. This event was part of recent efforts to establish more memorable traditions for the sixth form. Only a few months ago, the sixth form deans selected a little over 15 current seniors to meet with Dan Courcey, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, and discuss problems concerning alumni participation for Choate post-graduates. According to Kari Cholnoky, a member of this task force, “most recent graduating classes (within the last ten years or so) have had single digit participation numbers. That means less than ten percent of each of those grades have given back to the school.” After pinpointing “lack of tradition” as the main issue at hand, the group then set forth to amend this significant problem. As a group, they have created The Class of 2006 Boar Pride Fund, which will fund all new traditions and events created by the young alumni group, and will continue to fund Choate activities long after their own graduation. Besides the Valentines Day Dance, the group hopes establish other traditions such a spring banquet and a pre –graduation day bonfire. “Our biggest as a group fear is that when we leave, the pride that us seniors have displayed will fade into nothing,” Cholnoky explains. “In addition, we fear that Choate, as a community, will lose itself.” Through senior traditions, such as the Valentines Day Dance and Senior Sledding , many hope that school spirit will continue to stay . According to Sixth Form President Max Urquhart, these events add to the magnitude of senior year. “I think the thing that separates our class from a lot of other senior classes is that we do not want to leave. Though kids are looking forward to graduation, they are not looking forward to leaving Choate.”
