On Wednesday, September 5th, 259 new students arrived at Choate, ready to start the new school year and become part of the Choate community. Long before the students actually arrived on campus, however, an orientation program was being carefully planned to help them acclimatize to life at Choate.
According to several new students, the new student orientation activities were a substantial success in introducing new students to the Choate community. Brett Lewis ’09, a new junior from Massachusetts, explained: “I thought it would be tough being new, but the new-kid feeling left quickly. The activities helped break the ice, and gave me a chance to meet new students and returning students. Just from these two short days of orientation activities it’s clear that there’s a lot here and a very welcoming community.”
The orientation activities, which started with the new student registration and move-in on Wednesday and ended with Thursday night’s convocation, were designed by an orientation committee consisting of Jim Yanelli, head of student activities; Vicki LiPuma, assistant to Mr. Ford; and Mike Lavigne ’03, who joined the school in the summer for the sole purpose of preparing for the orientation day.
Planning the orientation was a complicated process involving many logistical considerations. The orientation team worked with the dining staff, facilities, ITS, the school bookstore, and the events’ coordinator to achieve a smooth two-day orientation.
“We had to think like new kids,” confessed Jim Yanelli. “Our goal was to make the information about the school easily accessible to them.”
The first item the students received upon registering was their personalized registration booklet with vital information such as e-mail address, password, and team color, among other things.
After the registration, the whirlwind of activities began with Mr. Shanahan’s welcome for students and parents in the afternoon. After the speech, a panel moderated by Mr. Ford and consisting of faculty members Ms. Salot, Mr. Easton, Dr. Gardner, Mr. Yanelli, and Mr. Cobb spoke about adjusting to life on campus.
Students then had a senior-led campus tour to familiarize them with the layout of the buildings. Boarding students had an extended excursion into Wallingford, while day students met with their advisers outside of the PMAC. Back at the dorm, boarders’ parents had the chance to meet the dorm prefects and house advisers, and finish the move-in.
A seated dinner for students, followed by Matriculation, were the last events of the day. At Matriculation in the chapel, the head of the alumni association Mr. Woody Laikind ‘53 welcomed the new students into the community, and urged the students to take advantage of the amazing opportunities the school had to offer. With the signing of the matriculation book, the newcomers finally became official Choate students, and were congratulated by a procession of faculty and seniors as they walked the long pathway from the Chapel to the dining hall, an unforgettable memory for most returning students.
“Wednesday is a long day for new students,” laughed Jim Yanelli.
Play Fair
Thursday began with Play Fair, a stress-free and fun way to get to know the new faces around campus. Newton Kaneshiro, who runs a buisness of running PlayFairs at different companies and schools across the country. The Peer Educators and Freshman Prefects were trained as facilitators. His underlying message: respect difference, and celebrate the diversity of this new community. In the afternoon, the new students rotated between four lectures to expose them to different aspects of the community. Mr. Ford and Kathleen Wallace spoke on academics, Ms. Pashley discussed community service, Mr. Speyer informed students about the use of internet, and Mr. Lord talked about sensitivity and tolerance.
The orientation activities came to a close with the Blue and Gold team picnics for all students and Convocation, at which faculty chairs were awarded and Mr. Shanahan gave his opening speech. After months of preparation, the long two days of orientation were over at last.
What struck the new students and faculty this year about orientation was how instrumental the seniors were in making the event a success.
Seniors
“The senior class sets the pace for the opening of school, and the class of ’08 did a terrific job this year,” said Yanelli. “They fulfilled their responsibilities with energy.”
Ray Diffley, the head of the Admissions Office, also commented on the impressive effort of this year’s seniors: “Everyone was blown away. The new students are always excited to get here, but at the same time not always ready to go, and their first impressions of the school are important. The seniors were resourceful, and helpful, and willing to get new students to that comfort point.”
It seemed the seniors enjoyed the process of orienting the new students this year.
“When I was a new student I met one of my best friends during my tour on registration day. It was fun to be touring new students on campus this year,” said Sarah Barnekow ’08. The verdict on orientation, according to Barnekow: “It is a great way to meet people on campus.”
