’08 Senior Patio Soon to Be Built School Plans to Open Facilty on Deerfield Day
By Rebecca Han ’10
News Staff Reporter
“This monument represents the continuum that is Choate… all the kids who’ve been, all who’ll come… in a way, it’s hallowed ground,” says Director of Student Activities Mr. James Yanelli, referring to the Class of 2008 class gift. The Class of 2008 may have departed from Choate Rosemary Hall, but the former seniors have left their impact on the campus, namely between the Student Activity Center (SAC) and the new dormitories. The Senior Spot, as the strip of ground that will become a patio has been named, is indeed, as Mr. Yanelli says, a monument in more ways than one.
“It started last spring in the basement of the library,” says Lauren Provini ’08. Provini was part of the “Spot Team,” along with former seniors Alex Hillbrand ’08, Ben Pascale ’08, Max Mullen ’08, Chris Krokus ’08, Grace Peard ’08 and Christian Duffy ’08. The Spot Team helped to brainstorm and refine ideas for a senior gift, as well as to oversee the design.
Eventually, the team settled on the current design, which cost a total of $150,000, from the materials to the actual construction. The Spot Team worked closely with the Development Office and alumni and project architects Anil Khachane ’96 and Mai Wu ’87 of Studio ABK.
Studio ABK brought sample models to the groundbreaking ceremony. Running through the middle of the patio space will be a ribbon bench, made of Corian with a lumistone coat. The glow-in-the-dark effects of the lumistone will constantly commemorate all donors, whose names were inscribed into the bench. A state-of-the-art sound system will provide entertainment for a site of relaxation, and the planned patches of softscape greenery will further provide “a green look and feel,” says Mr. William Knapp, Director of Development Operations.
With 90.3% of the senior class donating money to the project, the former seniors set a school record for gifts from a graduating class. The “Dogs of Choate” calendar, a project by Nick DeChello ’08, Alex Cohen ’08, Fred Masotta ’08, and Omid Nasser Bigdeli ’08, was one of many fundraising activities. The Galuzzo family also sponsored a school-wide “Boar Roast” picnic.
The total revenue exceeded the original goal of $150,000; the seniors raised $152,000 in cash.
“On behalf of the trustees, we express gratitude to everyone who participated,” says Mr. Edward Shanahan, the Headmaster. “The Senior Spot will memorialize the Class of 2008 forever.”
The intention is to have the Senior Spot become an outdoors extension of the SAC, a popular student area that all forms, day and boarding students will frequent. “We’re finally giving purpose to the centerpiece of [the SAC],” says Yanelli.
“That’s one heck of a memorial,” says Mr. Shanahan. For the most part, the student body seems to agree. “It’s quite rewarding to see this [become] real,” says Provini. Not only is it an appealing campus attraction, it is also a fund-raising milestone. “Some said it couldn’t be done, but they persevered,” says Mr. William Berghoff, former Boys’ Dean of the Class of ’08. “It’s a great accomplishment, and they deserve the payout.”
As usual, there are dissenting opinions; all the students, however, are united in their compliments for the amount of money raised. As for the use of the money, former senior Helen Yuen says, “I feel like the money was not well-spent; we could have done so much more with it… like a scholarship, maybe.” Some were taken aback by the price tag. Katie Kilkenny ’10 asks, “We’re spending 150K on a bench?”
The Senior Spot is more than a bench, however. “It’s for all the kids who’ve walked day in, day out on their way to sports—all these kids, all with something to contribute,” says Yanelli. The significance reaches beyond its perimeters and spreads through the community.
Deerfield Day, November 8th of this year, is the scheduled day of completion for the project. An official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place, and the Class of 2008 will be invited back to celebrate. “It completes the circle,” says Provini.
