The headlines this weekend have preempted all other thoughts. A child from a school less than an hour away, similar to Milton in rigor and composition, died by drowning after taking a walk in the early morning from an all-night party. All of us, as teachers and parents, feel the grief of the girl’s family and friends as well as the sorrow that extends from within that school community. We ask the question “How can we make sure that more than mere luck keeps us from suffering such a loss?”
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Re-enrollment is Now Online
Due Date is March 1, 2009
This year, Milton's process for re-enrolling students will occur online. On Wednesday, February 18, we sent an email to parents explaining how to access the re-enrollment system through the myMilton online account. The deadline for re-enrolling your children is March 1, 2009. Please log in to your myMilton account and click on “Reenrollment” to find detailed instructions that will help you complete the online information forms, access informational brochures, and print the documents that require your signature. The signed enrollment contract, enrollment deposit (if required), medical permissions form, and associated documents must be mailed to Milton’s business office by March 1. Once inside the re-enrollment system, you will also find the names and phone numbers of people available to help you with any problems or questions you may have.
Click here for instructions on how to access myMilton.
Early Aspects of a Summer Transition:
Mr. Bland at Milton
Todd Bland, our newly appointed head of school, visited the Upper School and K–8 last week, and will visit once more this semester; he’ll also attend the board meeting in late April, and alumni weekend in June, prior to his family’s move onto campus and full immersion into Milton life.
The first of Todd’s visits occurred Thursday and Friday, February 12 and 13. During both this visit and another in early April, Todd takes advantage of the routine events or gatherings that are already on the calendar on those days to talk informally with students and faculty, both at the Upper School and K–8. Last week he had lunch with the Upper School co-head monitors, visited Grade 5’s robotics “convention” in Greenleaf, and watched Grade 2’s Dragon Dance in the Junior Building. He met with several Ad Council members, who briefed him on the deliberations at the board’s January meeting, and with faculty at open gatherings for each division. Principals Sarah Wehle and Marshall Carter invited faculty to those gatherings. Finally, he wrapped up his visit at a reception for local trustees on campus Friday evening.
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Spring Break is No Time to Relax
Jazz Students Tour in Africa
Forty-nine Milton Academy jazz students and parents will journey to South Africa and Botswana over the March break for the jazz program’s seventh overseas musical tour. Following a quick visit to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, students kick off the tour at the Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana. Other stops on the trip include Port Elizabeth for a shared concert with Pearson High School; Plettenberg Bay for a hike on Robberg Peninisula; and Cape Town for a performance at Westerford High School, a tour of Robben Island, and two performances at the Green Dolphin Restaurant and Jazz Club.
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Volunteers Work on Arizona Reservation
A goal of the community service program at Milton is to give students an opportunity to learn about and serve communities different from our own. One way to accomplish this goal is the annual spring break service trip.
The first two service trips helped with rebuilding efforts on the Mississippi Gulf coast following Hurricane Katrina. Last year, the Community Service Board wanted the group to travel overseas, and found a great opportunity to work at a school in Belize—repairing the building and participating in activities with the children. This year—because of Milton’s partnership with Peacework—the Board was able to find a domestic project on a Native-American reservation in Arizona—communities that are not typically open to outsiders. The group of 19 volunteers will paint and tile floors of a mission school and church on a Navajo reservation, repair a playground, and construct a shelter to be used for Native ceremonies.
The group also looks forward to learning about Native-American culture, interacting with the local community on the reservation, and ending the trip with a visit to the Grand Canyon.
Where Were You on January 20?
Millions of people from all corners of the country—and from nations across the globe—will never forget where they watched when the United States’ first African American president was sworn into office. The day’s events appeared on screens across Milton’s campus—including a large projection in Ruth King Theatre. An energetic buzz lead up to the event, then around noon the rapt quiet gave way to cheers and applause when President Obama was officially sworn in and gave his inaugural address.
Despite exam week and sub-freezing temperatures, several Milton students traveled to Washington, D.C. to join the celebration and witness the events first-hand.
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In Case You Missed It
From the archives: Below are featured news articles posted on www.milton.edu over the past two months, to view the full stories, click here. If you have an idea for a news story, please use our online News Submission form.
- Seniors Honored as NFAA Award Recipients
- Community Service is Strong at Milton
- Alumnus Completes Sail Around World
- Trustees Offer Tribute to Franklin Hobbs
- Bradley Bloom Named President of Board
- Creating Obama’s Iconic Imagery
- Austan Goolsbee ’87 is Chief Economist on Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board
- Alumna Published in Prestigious Collection
- Marc Lamont Hill is MLK Speaker
- Alum's Film Accepted to Sundance Festival
- Deutsch Lifts Milton to Tournament Title
- Recycling the Old as We Make Way for the New
- Dr. Bruce Walker Visits Milton
- Milton Presents Annual Winter Concerts
- Ruby Bridges Visits Milton
Name that Newspaper?
Below is a photo taken in 1897 of the staff that worked on Milton's student newspaper. What was the name of the School's newspaper in 1897?
Speaker Event
Save the Date for an enriching and exciting speaker, Madeline Levine. Ms. Levine is author of the book, Price of Privilege. She is scheduled to speak on April 23 in the evening. Further details will follow. The event sounds exciting as it will be open to K–12 parents as well as all faculty.
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day 2009
The Parents’ Association hosted the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Brunch on Wednesday February 11. So many parents love to help with this event in order to show our deep gratitude for all that the faculty and staff do for our students. The faculty and staff were welcomed into Straus Library, which was decorated in a beautiful Tuscan theme. Under the direction of chef, M.E. Malone, many parents cooked a wide variety of delicious Tuscan entrees. Thank you, M.E. and all the cooks for all your hard work. There was also the annual tradition of providing beautiful house plants for our guests to take home as our gift to them. The plants accompanying all the mustard yellow and deep burgundy linens looked just fabulous Thank you for the decorations coordinators, Sherrie Holder-Watts and Sue Termyn. Thanks also to all committee members: Meg Walsh, Andrea Peabody, Wendy Ballinger, Bernadette Santangelo, Regina Kaplan and Rita Rooney.
We would also like to offer a special thanks to those parents who generously donated to the purchase of the plants and to those who donated the fabulous raffle prizes that included free roundtrip airfare, a Boston getaway at the Radisson, a wonderful spa package, Red Sox tickets, a Valentine’s basket that included dinner at Legal Seafood; and some beautiful boutique items handmade by Milton parents. The day was just delightful and we’d like to thank Cat Malone for chairing it once again this year.
To the wonderful faculty and staff, thank you once again for all that you do for our students.
Brunch Recipes
Click here to download recipes for the dishes served at the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Brunch on February 11. Enjoy!
Class II College Weekend
Class II parents gathered on campus with their Class II students last weekend to begin a constructive two-day period of discussions and meetings about the college process. The Parents’ Association sponsored the Class II Dinner on Friday night that was attended by over 170 parents. The event featured an interesting speaker, Ms. Doris Davis, associate provost for admissions and enrollment at Cornell University. An open dialogue was quite beneficial as many parents had questions. The evening also provided a social opportunity for parents to chat among themselves about the upcoming college application process. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Helene Haddad for chairing this event.
On Saturday, the College Office presented three sessions for parents and Class II students. An excellent student panel provided insights and humor in discussing their experiences throughout the college process. The students’ comments were very helpful, especially to the Class II students. Thank you to the students who served on this panel. Additionally an excellent speaker, Thyra Briggs, vice president for admission and financial aid from Harvey Mudd, outlined many practical suggestions and do’s and don’t’s regarding the application process. Finally, Rod Skinner presented a timeline for students for the application process that begins with a meeting with the College Office staff.
On behalf of all the parents, we would like to thank the College Office for this informative weekend.
Exam Treats
The Parents’ Association once again sponsored an exam treat goodie bag for each student to provide support and encouragement for the long hours of studying during exam week. Thanks to your dues, we were able to supply 680 bags with Rice Krispy treats, Swedish fish, Gummi bears, candy bars, granola bars and much more to keep our students energized. A special thanks goes out to the team of volunteers who made the purchases, delivered car loads of treats, filled the exam treat bags and stuffed the student mail boxes! This tradition always seems to be a pleasant surprise for the students in the mailboxes on the first day of exams. We hope that exams went well for all.
The Milton Paper
If you’re interested in learning more about what’s going on at the Academy, you can subscribe to the student written Milton Paper. Take advantage of half year prices of $25 for online, $45 for print, and $60 for print and online. Those who are interested should email amara@milton.edu and eliza_dryer@milton.edu (or they can write a letter to The Milton Paper, 170 Centre Street, Milton MA 02186). Donations are accepted as well!
Senior Showcase
The Senior Showcase was a great event that featured senior performances that were enjoyed by the student from the other classes. A raffle was also held to raise funds for the prom. Thank you to those many parents who donated cash and raffle prizes such as Bruins tickets, Nutcracker tickets, jewelry, gift certificates and many more items. Thanks also to those who purchased raffle tickets.
Reminder about Off Campus Parties and Outings
The Dean of Students office would like us to remind parents of the requirements for parents hosting large gatherings. As noted in the Upper School Student Handbook, parents planning a party that involves ten or more students, boarding or day, must communicate with the Dean’s office well in advance, providing a guest list, plans for transportation and plans for adult supervision. Please refer to the Student Handbook for further details. Boarding students must receive permission from the House Head and the Dean’s office to attend such events.
In Control Driving Clinic
Campus Security recommends that new drivers attend the In Control Drivers Training Clinic. This provides hands on Crash Prevention Training and helps increase students’ driving skills, particularly their ability to avoid accidents and to deal with hazardous conditions. Please contact Campus Safety if you are interested in this opportunity.
Dues Reminder
Thank you to those many, many families who have already paid their dues. Your support is critical to the success of our events. As per the recent email reminder, you can now conveniently ask to be billed for your dues—instead of needing to write a separate check. Please take advantage of this feature. If you still prefer the original way, please send a check for $60 ($100 if more than one child) to our treasurer, Andrea Peabody, at 23 Canton Avenue, Milton, Massachusetts 02186.
You’ll likely see a new, friendly face in the ACC these days. Lamar Reddicks, assistant athletic director and head of the boys’ basketball program, may be new to Milton Academy, but he has years of experience as a coach and athletic leader, as well as a lifetime familiarity with basketball.
Last week, artist Lorna Williams visited campus for the opening of her new exhibit, Redefining Womb Space, showcasing in Milton’s Nesto Gallery. Before the opening reception on Tuesday, February 10, the New Orleans-native met with students to talk about her life and her work.
