As well as striving for success in the classroom, many Choate students pursue extracurricular endeavors in other fields of their own choosing. Of these, many achieved national recognition and had numerous opportunities beyond Choate this past spring and summer.

One place in which Choate students excelled was the in the field of mathematics. Several Choate mathematicians succeeded at the district level. In the series of contests culminating with the New England Math Championship, students from Choate earned the New England Math Championship after rounds of team and individual competition. Six Choate students, including Jeffrey S. Rosen ’07 and Stephanie Choi ’09, rose to the top, becoming the math champions of both private and public schools of Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Choate students also excelled at the 2007 Connecticut Economic Challenge. Both of the two teams that made the final round were from Choate. The final champion was the team comprising Omid Nasser Bigdeli ’08, Steven Chen ’08, Amy Xie ’08 and Daniel Hartsoe ’09. This was Choate’s sixth championship in seven years.

Several students were awarded scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Benjamin J. Gettinger ‘07 and Jeff Rosen earned National Merit Scholarships, and Channing H. Tookes ’07 and Synne D. Chapman ’07 earned National Achievement Scholarships for their academic performances. Other students were awarded National Merit Scholarships from Tufts University, Oberlin College, and Northwestern University. Eleven Choate students were named finalists in the 2007 competition for National Merit Scholarships.

The United States Presidential Scholars Program, recognizing some of our nations’ most talented graduating high school seniors, named Rosen a Presidential Scholar. Rosen was presented his award in a meeting with the President at the White House.

Ben Firke ’08, participated in the 15th Annual Nationwide Bank Theater Company Young Playwrights Festival, in which his work was accepted and performed. Titled “Mark David Chapman: Live in Concert,” the play was performed on stage in Los Angeles.

Also, fifteen students achieved medals at the COLT Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Contest. First place winners at Level 3 and beyond included Supat Songmetta ’09, Andrea Mui ’08, and Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff ’08.

Choate’s Fed Challenge Team traveled to the New England District Championship, held at the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. This contest is a 25-minute, performance-based assessment, designed encourage students to study economics and to learn about how the Federal Reserve System makes monetary policy. The Choate team won the championship, their ninth in ten years.

Last but not least, ten Choate students were chosen for a three-week, all-inclusive trip to China, called the PennGSE China Program. Sponsored by the Office of International Programs of the UPenn Graduate School of Education, these students’ scholarships covered airfare, program tuition, and their living expenses during their time in China. The students were given amazing opportunities to study the relationship between China and the U.S., meeting senior officials of the Chinese central government, national scholars, and many entrepreneurs in the world of U.S.-China business,.

Without a doubt, Choate has a diverse and talented student body. This year’s new students, from 42 states and 25 countries, were welcomed enthusiastically into a school full of passion and skill.