Capital Campaign to Come To Choate; Will Be “Biggest Deerfield Day Ever”
By Gilbert Tetteh ‘08
News Reporter
This year, Choate’s annual Deerfield Day will be accompanied by a celebration of the school’s new capital campaign.
A series of special gatherings and outreach events are planned for the weekend, starting with a celebratory dinner for all 6th form students and all Choate faculty on Thursday, November 9th.
A campaign-related video focusing on the Choate experience as told through the eyes of its faculty and students will be aired for the first time on campus that night.
After the video screening, Headmaster Edward Shanahan will offer some remarks on the importance of this capital campaign to the school community. He will highlight the importance of the next five years of intensive fundraising in revamping the school – from the construction of two new dormitories, to increased financial aid, and significant campus improvements such as the new track and hockey rink addition.
Members of the Class of 2006, along with select teachers and advisers, will be invited to take part in a special social hour in Hill House from five to six in the evening. At the same time, the rest of the faculty will be attending a reception in the Andrew Mellon Reading Room in the Library.
From six to ten o’clock, students and faculty will join together for a buffet dinner and dancing. Special remarks and a campaign overview are also planned for the evening.
The traditional Deerfield Day pep rally is planned for Friday night to excite the students for the oncoming clash with their rival school. According to Daniel Courcey, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, “This will be the biggest Deerfield Day ever”.
On Saturday, November 11, after the athletic competitions are finished, a Black- tie reception will be hosted at the Mellon Reading Room, followed by a seated meal in Hill House Dining Hall to mark the local kickoff of the capital campaign. The invited guests will view the same video shown to the 6th form and faculty.
An eighteen-piece swing band will entertain the estimated 150 to 200 people in attendance that evening, many of whom will be key Choate contributors and volunteers, prospective campaign donors and other Connecticut-based friends of the school. ESPN personality and former Choate parent Chris Berman will be the keynote speaker for the night.
