News Staff Reporter
A random free day has been an old tradition, stretching back to the days of George St. John, first headmaster of Choate. Originally known as Mountain Day, the “free-day” concept was an opportunity for students to get outside, and go to the St. Andrew’s Camp, an outdoor resort. Students were then able to take a break, and relax in the nice weather.
Continuing with the tradition, Mountain Day was renamed the Tom Curtin Day to honor Thomas F. Curtin Junior ’33. A talented senior football player, he contracted leukemia and soon succumbed to the disease. A classmate of Thomas once said, “Tom would have liked [the free day], without any classes or obligations, named in his honor.” Since then, the headmaster would choose, at random, a day off. At breakfast, he would make his decision known school-wide, by standing up and reciting these lines. “I lift up mine eyes to the hills – Wherefrom will cometh my help?” The students would recognize the signal, and explode into cheers.
When Christopher Hutchins ’56 donated a substantial amount to Choate in 2000-2001, he was invited to speak as a guest. When he reflected on his own days at Choate, he remembered his school-life as being very difficult and demanding. Abruptly, he proposed that the following day was to be a free day, as he believed that for such a large sum, he had the right to call off school for a day. In the following years, the free day was either a random Wednesday or Saturday, thus introducing Hutchins’ Day.
Only most recently, under the direction of Edward Shanahan as headmaster, has the free day become known as President’s Day.
The tradition of President’s Day usually has the surprise day off as a Tuesday or a Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are not good candidates, due to the fact that boarding students would complain about the inconvenience of missing an extra day at home, with their families. Wednesdays and Saturdays are usually rejected as well, since sports matches most often occur on these days. Besides, students also complain that if the free day were a Wednesday or Saturday, they would only be skipping a half-day of school.
In previous years, Headmaster Shanahan has regularly chosen either a Tuesday or a Thursday. Last year, the surprise was somewhat ruined, when the new Communications Director spread the news of President’s Day. Perhaps not aware of the free day tradition, she informed others of the headmaster’s decision.
This year, much of the suspicion was that President’s Day would be Tuesday, January 23. When Presidents Day did not arrive, Director of the John Joseph Activities Center James Yanelli hinted during Community Lunch that President’s Day would occur after Long Weekend. Contrary to this, President’s Day occurred the following Thursday.
At 9:04 PM on Wednesday, January 24, 2007, Headmaster Shanahan sent out a school-wide email, announcing Presidents Day. In large-font, red capital letters, the email read: HAPPY PRESIDENT’S DAY! ENJOY THE DAY: SLEEP, PLAY, RELAX!!!!! YOU DESERVE TO!
“Break was pretty much a mob scene,” said 6th former Brian Bottini who considers himself an expert on President’s Day. “Last year my dorm and I started calling President’s Day “opposite day” because everything is so different; but break was so crazy this absolutely surpassed anything I had ever seen.” He added, “It reached its apex when kids ran down to Shanahan’s house in their boxers.”
Most students appear to appreciate the headmaster’s choice. Jeff Rosen ’07 says, “It was a excellent choice…I had many assignments…it was just a great choice.” Some were not quite as pleased, of course, since they had a rather light homework load that night. However, the consensus of the school is that President’s Day was a much-needed holiday. Erica Lin ’10 noted, “I slept in, and had a relaxing [Thursday] morning.”
