High School Programs Overview
Our High School Summer Programs are for students who will have completed grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 by summer 2008. We offer both day and boarding programs.
COMPASS
Just as a compass helps sailors to navigate the seas, the COMPASS program at Choate Rosemary Hall equips students with the tools and skills needed to navigate the world around them. COMPASS courses provide motivated and capable students the opportunity to explore, broaden and deepen their understanding of many academic fields. The verb compass means to attain, accomplish, fulfill, perform and realize—all goals for the students enrolled in the COMPASS program. COMPASS courses are designed to encourage, support and challenge students to use their time here to the best of their ability. In the process of working closely with peers and teachers, students will leave Choate with a deeper appreciation for how rewarding the learning process can be and a better understanding of their direction in the world.
Math Workshops/Science Workshops
The Math Workshops and Science Workshops are intensive two-week programs that aim to give students a “leg up” (aside from the Algebra I Review) on the material in these courses. Students will be exposed to various topics in a small class setting—five to eight students per class. All courses are scheduled in each session. Therefore, a student can take Concepts in Algebra II in Session I and Concepts in Chemistry in Session II, vice versa, or any combination of classes with the four weeks*. Students may enroll in only one of these courses per session.
* One Math Workshop or one Science Workshop may also be combined with the two-week Writing Project to create a customized four-week program.
These classes are not intended to give students “credit” but rather to provide enrichment and a stronger understanding of the subject prior to taking the full course during the next school year. For all math workshops, a graphing calculator is required (TI 83 plus or TI 84 recommended).
John F. Kennedy Institute in Government
Politics in action. The Kennedy Institute combines the underlying themes and structure of the American political system with current topics—national elections, the economy, domestic and foreign policy debates—to expose students to the exciting world of political studies. The Kennedy Institute was establish in 1985 to honor the memory of President Kennedy – a member of Choate’s Class of 1935—by stimulating in young people a curiosity about public policy and a desire to serve the public interest.
The Kennedy Institute students take three courses (two majors, one minor) that focus on the formation of political ideas, the foundation and workings of the American economic system, and specific current domestic and foreign issues. The fourth week is spent in Washington, D.C. visiting government officials, interest groups, and organizations that work on the domestic and foreign issues already studied on campus. Kennedy Institute students are fully integrated into all athletic, extracurricular and social activities of the summer session.
English Language Institute (ELI)
The philosophy of the English Language Institute (ELI) is best seen through the learning outcomes that are expected of our students. While the pedagogical approaches utilized to achieve these outcomes are as varied and as diverse as the people teaching ELI classes, these learning outcomes for reading and writing have been culled from the professional and instructional organizations that guide the practice and teaching of English as a second and/or foreign language.
ELI helps students improve their English in a supportive yet rigorous academic environment. Students develop their ability in language skills, including writing, speaking, listening and reading. Classes are small (10-12 students) and highly interactive. Students are encouraged to bring computers for their classes. Enrollment is limited to ensure close attention to the individual needs of each student.
Sports, meals, weekend dances and various social activities give students ample opportunities to interact and enhance their language skills with American students. Integral components of the program are off-campus day trips to nearby cities (New York, Boston, and New Haven), museums, cultural events and a required weekend trip to New York City and Philadelphia.
Immersion Courses are available both to Choate Rosemary Hall students and non-Choate Rosemary Hall students. During the five-week Summer Programs, students may enroll in only one of these courses.
We recognize the need to offer our own students the opportunity to complete in the summer those courses whose sequence they are unable to complete during a particular academic year (e.g. because of their enrollment in a term abroad program) as well as the opportunity for any talented and motivated students to accelerate their academic programs in specific areas.
Meal times, break times, sports and study hours will be the same as those of COMPASS.
Writing Project
The Writing Project faculty believes students write only as well as they read; therefore, each assignment is paired with comparable reading assignments, drawn from a wide range of historical and cultural perspectives. One evening’s homework might contain an essay by Alice Walker, a story by Barbara Kingsolver, and an excerpt from a novel by James Joyce. This diversity of voices enables students to acquire an ear for literature, and as a result, students are better able to hear their own voices.
The Writing Project is committed to allowing student writers to develop their skills as narrative writers, personal essayists, critical writers and poets. Through frequent opportunities to write, quick feedback, active peer review and positive encouragement, the writers learn to take chances as writers and to become more skilled and competent.
This intensive writing course is designed for students who are interested in exploring, improving and gaining confidence in their writing skills. The two methods of instruction— critical and creative—allows students to approach literature in dramatically different ways. Creativity becomes integral to approaching the critical essay.