As Dean of Admission I am delighted to welcome you to Milton Academy. Your journey through the admission process is behind you, and I am eager to introduce you to your new teachers and classmates. Nearly 1,000 boys and girls began the admission process at Milton last year, and members of the Admission Committee (many of whom are standing in the back) read each of those folders three or four times as we selected this class of 153 new students, which includes 70 boys and 83 girls. Your academic credentials were consistently outstanding, with most of you earning straight-A records, and your median SSAT score was in the 88th percentile. Your teachers used phrases like “She is a fascinating student to teach,” “the single most exciting student at our school", “a genuine superstar”, “a stellar scholar, gifted musician and truly compassionate school citizen”, and simply “Wow” to describe you. (How could we not accept applicants like that?!)

You are 153 distinct, interesting and opinionated individuals. Remember that. Celebrate your diversity of thought, creed, ethnicity and style as you get to know one another. Your backgrounds and interests are rich, varied and intriguing, and that’s one of the defining qualities of this wonderful school.

Find the siblings who were home schooled in a tree house in the rain forests of Costa Rica. Talk to the student who has lived in Zurich, Jakarta, Manila, and now calls New York home. They sound like they have interesting stories to tell.

At the start of Milton’s 207th academic year, you come together today from 22 states, and 9 countries, places as geographically and culturally diverse as New England and the Pacific Northwest, Italy, Jamaica, and Thailand. 44 percent of you are students of color, and at least 16 languages are spoken in your homes, so don’t be surprised if you hear Portuguese or Greek, Russian, Italian or Chinese as your new friends call home. Your families span the rainbow of modern life, with traditional Mom and Dad pairings, joint custody arrangements, blended families, adopted families, single Moms, and single Dads. Forty percent come to Milton from public schools, and 28 are related to a Milton graduate or have a Milton sibling.

You come to Milton from large cities like Chicago, Beijing and Milan as well as small places like Genesee, Idaho; Ware Massachusetts; and Wells, Vermont. You were raised on a dairy farm, a lama farm and an oyster farm. You come from Downeast Maine and the Upper East Side of Manhattan, among the high-rises of Hong Kong and the beaches of Montego Bay. Your hometowns stretch around the globe from Brookline, Massachusetts to New Orleans, Louisiana to Vancouver British Columbia to Bangkok, Thailand. You hail from Rochester, New York and Albany, California; from New Canaan, Connecticut and Fairfield, Vermont; from Atlanta, Miami and Denver; Terre Haute, Indiana and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; from Kingston, Jamaica and Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.You are the children of an equally diverse group of parents. A fireman, a nurse, an elementary school teacher, a translator for the UN, and a professional athlete all have children in this class. So does a dentist, a chef, a judge, a diplomat and a professional musician.
In addition to the usual assortment of violinists and cellists, the class includes hard-to-find talents in trombone, trumpet, mandolin and accordion. Your peers include a specialist in Oriental painting, a kick boxer, a published poet, and a hockey player who loves to surf. As you know, Milton’s mission “celebrates diversity in all its forms,” and this diversity is especially evident in your love of music. You listen to hip-hop, R&B, Spanish rock, Brazilian Funk, reggae, Japanese pop and opera.

You are Jewish and Christian, Catholic and Hindu, Buddhist, Greek Orthodox and Muslim. You are athletes who paint, painters who love math, and mathematicians who dance. Seek out these points of distinction. These are the qualities that make Milton “Milton.” Probe them around the Harkness Table, over lunch in Forbes Dining Room, or while you eat late-night pizza in Norris House. Share. Argue. Listen. Laugh.

This group includes 12 students who served as president of their class or Student Council, 15 captains of at least one team and six who were ranked #1 in their class last year. Stay active. Impress your teachers with provocative, but respectful, dissent. I read all your applications so I know you have opinions. Don’t be shy.

You arrive here today as an impressive dynamic group of individuals. Take advantage of all that this vibrant engaging school has to offer. Embrace what it means to be an active contributing member of this community. I look forward to following your progress over the next few years as you pursue your passions and explore new opportunities. We are extremely excited to have you join us here at Milton Academy.

Welcome to campus!

Paul Rebuck
Dean of Admission
8 September 2004