You saw the T-shirts. You heard the cheers at the Kent football game. Where do I go to school? “Choate…of course!” The catchphrase of Mr. Shanahan’s convocation speech is all over campus. After a serious oration about foreign policy in the Middle East at convocation 2006, our headmaster decided to lighten his tone as he welcomed in ’07-’08 with some well-earned bragging about our school upon the hillside.
Yes, I agree that last year’s speech on Iraq was a bit heavy, but this year I felt like I was sitting courtside at halftime during a college basketball game. Talking about Choate’s accomplishments is a good premise for a convocation speech: it creates school spirit and community at the start of the year. The cheesy slogan? The T-shirts? Well…Let’s just say I felt a little embarrassed as I sat in the balcony watching my peers in special dress tackling each other as they tried to catch a shirt.
The “Choate…of course!” slogan was an attempt by Mr. Shanahan to create an inside joke with the students. Did it work? After talking with kids outside the PMAC after the program, I heard the word “lame” numerous times in conversation, although maybe they were talking about the Aramark cookies. . . . But seriously, I do think that even though the idea of school spirit has merit, Choate students could have handled something a little more grown-up. We are, after all “young adults.”
I will admit, however, that even though I’m critical of the slogan, I think it actually worked. What do I mean? Well, take for example, the boar pen at the football game last Saturday. They actually started a cheer in which they would yell “Choate” and the fans (surprisingly) yelled back “of course!” Or, look around you when you’re walking down to the X for sports, and you’ll probably see someone wearing the T-shirt. (They were, after all, available for free in your deans’ office.) Even though we may look upon the “Choate…of course!” slogan with typical teenage disdain, it is something we all know, all agree is lame, and can all laugh about. In essence it has become a school-wide inside joke. What school? Choate…of course!
