Campus & Community

Choate cultivates a vibrant community of principled individuals from diverse backgrounds and unites them through common purpose, active engagement, and mutual respect.

We value shared experiences and traditions that shape character, build cohesion, generate school spirit, and foster lifelong connections.

Characteristics central to the character of the Choate community are integrity, respect, and compassion.

Integrity

Integrity means, at root, to be whole. We must each work toward self-knowledge, self-awareness; the beliefs and values that spring from this should be reflected in our behavior. Integrity requires honesty in our academic work and our personal lives; such honesty is crucial for nurturing individual relationships and a community of trust. As we build integrity, we must develop the ability to stand up for what is right.

Respect

Respect involves treating oneself and others with dignity. This includes the acceptance, perhaps even the celebration, of our differences. Respect also includes taking responsibility for our commitments to ourselves and to others, as well as treating all people in a fair, nonprejudicial manner. Respect should extend beyond the Choate community and characterize our interactions with all individuals.

Compassion

Compassion means having a true understanding of, and sympathy for, the condition and needs of others. This requires developing an awareness of what is happening in the lives of other people. Such awareness forms the foundation for, and encouragement of, acts of generosity and support for those in need.

Students, faculty, staff, and families live by the Choate Rosemary Hall Statement of Expectations.

Equity and Inclusion

Choate’s Office of Equity and Inclusion continues to build upon the impressive groundwork of Driving Equity at Choate and the Choate Diversity Student Association, to develop a school-wide approach to diversity, inclusion, and multicultural competence. Since 1989, when the first Office of Multicultural Affairs was created, our commitment to diversity remains a core value of the School. Through day-to-day activities, curriculum, and school-wide celebrations, we seek to raise awareness and encourage understanding of differences of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, geographical origin, and sexual orientation.

Spiritual Life

Choate recognizes, supports, and affirms the multi-faith nature of society, the student body, and the school community. Spiritual Life programming seeks to encourage ethical practice and moral development, to support students from diverse religious and spiritual traditions, to guide students in their spiritual formation and search for meaning and to foster multi-faith dialogue. The Director of Spiritual Life, visiting chaplains, and faculty advisers in Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, and Roman Catholic traditions guide students in a variety of religious expressions.

Spiritual LifeDirectory

Community Service

Service-learning opportunities seek to link Choate students with the community of Wallingford and the surrounding towns by blending education and compassion with civic responsibility and citizenship. Through experiential learning and reflection, the Community Service program helps individuals at our school build character, develop moral foundations, and nurture a lifelong commitment to service. As an able community, we strive to acknowledge and implement our global responsibilities towards understanding and helping others.

Each year, 865 Choate students fulfill a community service requirement by participating in special events and projects with the following local organizations:

American Heart Association
American Red Cross
Connecticut Autism Spectrum Resource Center
Connecticut Food Bank
High Roads Academy
HUBCAP Wallingford
International Red Cross
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Masonic Home and Hospital, Gaylord & Ashlar Village Rehabilitation Center, Regency House Convalescent Center and MidState Medical Center
Master’s Manna
Meriden Humane Society
New Haven Reads
Rotary Club of Wallingford
Smilow Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital
Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW)
United Way of Wallingford
Wallingford Boy Scouts
Wallingford Center Inc.
Wallingford Center YMCA
Wallingford Chamber of Commerce
Wallingford Department of Parks and Recreation
Wallingford Emergency Shelter
Wallingford Hawks Youth Hockey Association
Wallingford Girl Scouts
Wallingford Learning Community and Wallingford Community Day Care Center
Wallingford Public Library
Wallingford Public Schools
Wallingford Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Association
Wallingford Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign
Wallingford Senior Center
Wallingford Symphony Orchestra
Wallingford Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club

Community Safety

The safety and care of the Choate community is a top priority. Choate Community Safety officers monitor the campus 24 hours a day on foot, by car, and by bike. Access to academic buildings and residential houses is limited by key card access to students and residents. Safety call buttons (“blue lights”) are installed at various intervals around campus. Regular safety drills prepare students, faculty, and staff for potential crisis scenarios.

“We Gather Together”

Nearly every week throughout the year, Choate students, faculty, and staff come together for School Meeting. It is a time for us celebrate, reflect, and share the accomplishments, hardships, and efforts of our community members and as a whole. A highlight for many are our Choate Talks – personal reflections shared with the community.

Speakers Programs

Choate has a number of Speakers Programs that bring renowned thought leaders to campus to energize, educate, and expand student and faculty perspectives and to broaden conversations about important topics in the world and within our community.

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