By Synne Chapman '07
News Staff Reporter
With Passover and Easter within the past few weeks
but no reprieve from work, many Choate students wonder
why classes are not cancelled for religious holidays.
To Mr. Ford, the answer is simple: “We don’t give days
off for national holidays, either. We don’t give days off,
period, becuase we’re a boarding school, and when we’re
in session, we want our students to be going to school.
The concept is that, as a boarding school, we remain in
session unless we’re on a school holiday.”
Students who request an excused absence from
school because of religious faith are granted that, of
course. Rev. Trister, Head of Campus Ministry, also emphasized
the impracticality inherent in giving days off for
religious holidays. “Some people say, well, it’s Passover,
why don’t we shut down? But then we’d be showing
preferential treatment, and we would have to shut down
for all relgious holidays. If we did that, we’d be here all
year,” Trister said.
Despite the school’s unwillingness to give the entire
community a day off to observe a religious holiday,
students of all religious practices are encouraged to take
days off for religious purposes if necessary. Rev. Trister
reiterated that while the school does not feel the need to
give everyone a day off for a specific religious holiday, the
school accommodates students’ needs as long as they are
able to make up missed assignments.
Support on Campus
For those who would rather go to class, many options
exist on campus to participate in religious activities. The
campus ministry makes a concerted effort to support the
religious needs of students to the best of its ability. “We
want to make it possible for those students who can’t go
home for, be it for a seder or for Easter services, to still be
able to observe religious holidays. We wanted to support
them by having services on campus. We do things very
quietly, but we’re here. There are a lot of us doing a lot of
different things,” Mr. Trister commented.
Aramark also contributes to the effort of honoring
various religious practices. For example, the dining hall
devoted a table during Passover to food acceptable for
consumption under the holiday’s standards. Lily Cohen
’07 described the table, saying, “I thought the food was
no better or worse than the normal dining hall food. It’s
nice to know that the school respects people’s different
religious needs.” Even some non-Jewish students ate
from the Passover table, selecting matzo and diced cheese
instead of regular sit-down lunch fare.
Unique Approach to Religion at Choate
Many religious groups on campus also meet weekly,
providing students with additional outlets for expression.
These groups included such as Hillel, Christian Fellowship,
and an alternative spiritualities group that recognizes
several outlying religions. In addition, Buddhist
meditation meets weekly on Wednesdays in the chapel.
Choate’s policy of not giving days off for religious
holidays fits the norm among non-denominational boarding
schools. Choate differs from many others, though, in
its commitment to supporting the religious needs of its
students. “I think we do a great job, and I would like to
think that our peer schools do the same, but something
tells me that they don’t. I don’t know exactly how we
compare, but what pleases me is that we try really hard,
and we’re concerned about providing as much support
as we can,” says Rev. Trister. “I think it’s a symbol of our
dedication that the administration wants to make sure
that there is always a minister, priest, and rabbi on hand,
as well as other faculty members who are here to work
with the different religious groups on campus. I think
it’s important to the life of the school.” According to Rev.
Trister, some of the other boarding schools do not have
a priest, rabbi, and minister, and most do not offer the
religious groups and events that Choate does.
Open to New Practices
Trister summed up the school’s eagerness to provide
assistance with religious groups in saying that, “If a group
of Hindi students came forward and asked me, as Head
of Campus Ministry, to do something for them, you bet I
would. We would be happy to do that.” Despite Choate’s
reluctance to give students a break from trekking down
to the science center, the school is more than willing to
accommodate any and all religious needs.
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Members of Choate's Hillel Club gather to celebrate with music and other festivities in the Spears Common Room PHOTO/Contributed Photo
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