<p>For all that's written extoling the virtues of Exeter and Andover, I have to tell you if you are interested in Environmental Science, go check out Choate. This weekend I had a chance to tour the Kohler Environmental Center. It is a campus about a mile up the road from the main campus that houses students in the fifth and sixth forms for a year. My daughter had a friend who is borrowing a desk hutch and we went up to deliver it. What a gorgeous setting, a cross betweenThoreau's Walden Pond and Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. The setting is gorgeous, but the facilities are State of the Art. The main building has a large fireplace, lodge like feel, with an open kitchen, and the rooms are mostly single....huge and brand new. If you want to study Environmental Science, Choate is for you.</p>
<p>Likewise, Choate's new Math, Computer Science and Robotics building is on track to open in Spring 2015. Again, it is state of the art. If I had a child interested in either of these two subjects, I'd be heading to Wallingford right now. It doesn't get any better than this. Timing is everything, and right now in these 2 areas of Science and Math, Choate has the cutting edge.</p>
<p>They also have a new dining vendor...heard it was the same as Deerfield. The crab and shrimp salad was to die for. All in all, it made up for the four story climb up library to move in our fifth former. I can also be a critic of Choate, but in these areas, I tip my hat...Headmaster, you're doing something right.</p>
<p>I second all that RBGG described above and would also like to add that Choate will be breaking ground on the new St. John Hall/Lamphere Center next year that will add a gorgeous student center and theater that will be capable of holding the entire school. The current St. John Hall will be torn down and the new complex will extend into the space behind and connecting to the left side of Hill House, rounding out Hill House circle with all buildings presenting a uniform red-brick, Georgian, white-columned facade. The preliminary architect’s sketches are breathtaking. This already stunning campus is moving to unbelievable, but Dr. Curtis was quick to point out that Choate is not about buildings; it’s about faculty, students, and a world class education. All of these facility improvements are meant to meaningfully support student life and the educational process. Dr. Curtis also described the significant ongoing investment in faculty as new buildings are meaningless if they aren’t filled with top-notch teachers and students pursuing the life of the mind.</p>
<p>Our current seniors will be able to take classes in the new iD Center RBGG described above when it opens for spring term, but the new student center/theater complex will take 18 months to two years to complete.</p>
<p>Choate seems like a great fit for my son. Are they OK with having him be less well rounded than others. He really enjoys/excels in Math and Science but is weaker and less interested in humanties/languages. I get the impression that this will really hurt his chances at many boarding schools. Can he appeal to Choate’s specialization in Sciences/Robotics. It greatly interests him.</p>
<p>My thinking on this is to find ways before the app to enhance or shore up weaknesses. I think all BSs want students who excel in particular areas and who will make use of those corresponding resources, but in the end, they also want well rounded students.</p>