Students Prepare for Prize Day, Commencement Ceremonies
By Elliot August ‘08
News Reporter
Following Choate tradition, the 2005-2006 school year will be topped off by the annual Prize Day, June 2nd, and Commencement, June 4th, ceremonies. Prize Day, which was held by both Rosemary Hall and the Choate school prior to their merger, recognizes excellence and commitment to both academics and athletics. Commencement, Choate Rosemary Hall’s 116th dating back to the first years of Rosemary Hall, marks the culmination The Sixth Form’s time at Choate. The seniors will be presented with their high school diplomas and offered parting words.
Prize Day will be held on Friday, June 2nd in the Athletic Center. More than seventy-five different awards will be given Choate Rosemary Hall students during the event. Each academic department, along with the Choate Athletics Department, presents students with various awards recognizing achievement in specific fields.
In addition, four distinct prizes are given to students of each form. The prizes are awarded to two boys and two girls each. One of the prizes recognizes enthusiasm and application to one’s studies and extracurricular interests, while the other rewards general excellence in aspects such as character, scholarship, influence, and honorable conduct.
Finally, each year, four seniors are presented with Hart Citations. The Sally Green Hart and Larry A. Hart Citations, established in 1991, are awarded to students “who have given the school a special flavor, performed unique services, and who have won the affection and respect of their peers,” according to Mrs. Lorraine Connelly of the Communications Department.
The Prize Day ceremonies will be opened by Choate Rosemary Hall Headmaster Mr. Edward J. Shanahan, who will then introduce Dean of Academic Affairs Mrs. Kathleen Lyons Wallace. Mrs. Wallace will continue to explain the Prize Day procedure and will be followed by the awarding of Academic Prizes by the department heads. The Capstone Presentation by Mrs. Wallace will follow, as well as the presentation of the athletic awards by Mr. Ned Gallagher, Mr. Gary Dormandy, and Mrs. Anne Armour.
Following the awarding of the Academic Prizes and the Faculty Award, 6th Form Class President Max Urquhart ’06 will announce the Student Council Scholarships. After the form deans have presented the Form Prizes, Mr. Shanahan will end the ceremony by presenting the Hart Citations and providing his closing remarks.
Choate Rosemary Hall’s 116th Commencement ceremony will occur on Sunday, June 4th on the Archbold Lawn. The Commencement ceremony, and is effectively the Choate graduation proceedings, celebrates the Choate 6th form, and includes the awarding of diplomas to graduating seniors. The Choate Rosemary Hall graduating class of 2006 consists of two-hundred and fifty nine students.
The Commencement ceremonies will begin with a welcome from Faculty Marshal Mr. Thomas A. Yankus ’52. Reverend Marc J. Trister, Director of Campus Ministry will then perform the Invocation. Following Reverend Trister, Sixth Form President Max Urquhart and Student Council President Jeff Berry will address their fellow classmates.
After the student speeches, Connecticut Senator Mr. Christopher Dodd will speak to the departing class as this year’s Commencement Speaker. This will be Mr. Dodd’s second speech at Choate, for he served as the Adlai Stevenson Fellow in 1998. Mr. Dodd had been asked to be Commencement Speaker in 2003, but he had been preparing to make a run at the 2004 presidential elections and was unable to do so. The general outline of Mr. Dodd’s address is still unknown.
The awarding of the 6th form prizes will follow Senator Dodd’s address, and afterwards the 6th Formers will be presented with their diplomas.
Headmaster Shanahan will give the Valedictory to the Class of 2006, followed by the Closing Remarks by Mr. Yankus.
