At certain points in the year, I find myself living in multiple time frames. February demands that of students and teachers. Comments compel us to review and try to learn from the victories and disappointments of the first semester. A fresh start in the second semester invites us to focus hard on the present: the new work of literature, the next unit in science, or even a whole new course. No less important is the call of the future. Class I students are thinking about the end of their Milton careers as they formulate and construct spring projects, while Class II students (and their parents), who have just been introduced formally to “the college process,” now begin to think about the demands of the year to come. They are the emerging leaders of the school and are already thinking about how they can best contribute to the community even as they are involved in the very immediate demands of the history term paper.
[Read More]

Grades and Comments Posted on myMilton
Exam grades, first semester grades and first semester comments were posted online on Monday, February 11.  You may gain access to your child’s grades and comments by logging in to Milton’s online secure portal, myMilton. Access to the myMilton login page is always available in the “Parents” section of Milton’s Web site.

Click here to review instructions for using myMilton. If you have questions about these instructions, please contact us at Registrars_Office@milton.edu or call the Deans’ Office at (617) 898-2143.

New Courses:
Globalization and Islam Draws a Crowd
If your child is more knowledgeable about the relationship of Islam and globalization than you are, he or she may have been among the enthusiastic readers and thinkers in Joshua Emmott’s new course. A semester elective in the History Department, Globalization and Islam focuses on 20th century dynamics. It considers the way the Arab world and the non-Arab Islamic world have been “shaped by the economic, political and social realities created by globalization,” to cite the course catalogue. Thanks to Joshua’s curriculum design, throughout the course students come to grips with active economic trends, contemporary interpretations of the core Islamic text of the 7th Century, and diverse political analyses. Readings Joshua assigns and discussions he launches around the Harkness table “never give [students] the opportunity to arrive at a single answer,” he says. They cannot leave the course without a sense of the complexity and interrelatedness of the economic and political events we are witnessing.
[Read More]

What Milton Students Have Said About Themselves and Their School
Dr. Cheryl Jenkins and Dr. Jeff Jenkins have collected and analyzed survey responses from roughly 3,000 students (freshmen and seniors) in independent schools across the United States and in Canada for 10 years. Cheryl Jenkins is the principal investigator of The Gender Project, which aims to address equity issues for men and women, boys and girls, in independent schools. Milton students were interested to learn what they and their peers had said over the last decade, when the doctors Jenkins presented the Samuel S. Talbot lecture on February 13, 2008.

Long Weekend; Lots of Time
The warmth and hospitality of local families have always made life at Milton so different from life at other boarding schools, and this is a weekend to make things happen. House heads and the deans' office would love boarding students to have opportunities for home-cooked meals, or shopping trips, or a movie viewed from the family couch. If your family can make that possible, students would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Frustration Added to Danger
If you drive students to school, please do not yield to the temptation to drop your passengers off by "pulling over" on Centre Street or Randolph Avenue in the middle of the morning traffic rush. Parents behind you, who are also in a hurry, find that discourteous and frustrating. Students in the street grabbing equipment and backpacks are in danger, as well. Empathizing with the urge is easy, but please continue until you reach a less disruptive area for unloading.

Web site de Milton de la visión en una diversa lengua
Translation: View Milton's Web site in a different language. If you haven't done so already, go to Milton's homepage at www.milton.edu and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the flag of your choice to view Miton's Web site in any of the ten different languages.

Parents of Milton Graduate Exhibit Work in Nesto Gallery
An exhibit featuring a full range of printmaking from contemporary artists and former Milton parents, Peik and Judith Larsen, opened in Milton’s Nesto Gallery on Tuesday, February 12. Through the work of these two artists, the show addresses the confluences of etching and digital imagery, demonstrating the range and interrelationship of both processes. An opening reception was held last Tuesday in the Nesto Gallery to kick off the month-long exhibit.
[Read More]

Where were you during the Blizzard of '78?
 
Wednesday of last week marked the 30th anniversary of the storm that paralyzed New England.

Click here to download a video (40 MB) of Milton alumni from the Class of 1978 reminiscing about the storm.

Click here to view photos of Milton's campus in the aftermath.

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Brunch
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Brunch was hosted by the Parents’ Association 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 this year’s theme as a romantic Italian restaurant.  "That’s Amore!" Under the direction of master chef, Tracy Blake, many parents cooked a wide variety of Italian dishes that were fantastic. Thank you 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 pink and red linens looked just fabulous due to the hard work of our decorations coordinators, Sherrie Holder-Watts, Bernadette Santangelo and Sue Termyn. Thanks also to committee members Jackie Bechek, Monica Caine, Rickie Harvey and Andrea Peabody. We would also like to offer a special thanks to those parents who donated to the purchase of the plants and to those who generously donated the fabulous raffle prizes that included a spa package; Red Sox and Patriots tickets; Bruins tickets with dinner at Legends Club; Boston Ballet tickets with dinner at Legal Seafood; a FireFly’s BBQ dinner and a movie; and some beautiful boutique items handmade by Milton parents.

The day was just delightful and we’d like to thank Cat Malone for chairing this awesome happening.

Click here to enjoy a gallery of photos from the brunch.

Exam Treats
The Parents’ Association once again sponsored exam treats 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, M&Ms and much more to keep our students energized. A special thanks goes out to Carol Flynn-Rice and Peter Rice who made the purchases, delivered car loads of treats, and then joined the team of parent volunteers at the Student Center over a long weekend to fill the exam treat bags and stuff the student mail boxes so that the kids would find a pleasant surprise waiting for them the next morning. We hope that exams went well for all.

Milton Mix-Ups
The annual parent gatherings known as the Milton Mix-Ups were held on Saturday, February 2. The committee assigns guests to attend a dinner in a parents’ home, mixing people up for a lively evening of great food, interesting conversation, many smiles and lots of laughter. Thank you from the Parents’ Association to all the hosts of these wonderful parties and to the Mix-Up Committee chaired by Jackie Bechek, and including Betsy Cohen, Mindy D’Arbeloff and Monica Caine.

Senior Showcase
The Senior Showcase is an annual tradition in which seniors showcase their talents to raise funds to lower the costs of the Senior Prom tickets. The event was quite a success. Thank you to the parents who cooked and provided delicious desserts and other refreshments, and to those who purchased raffle tickets and donated exciting raffle items. A special thanks to Claudie Jean-Baptiste, Class I parent representative, who helped make this a success. In addition, the Parents’ Association also makes a donation towards the Senior Prom to further help with the costs of this landmark occasion in our teens’ senior year!

Class II College Weekend
Class II parents gathered on campus to attend a constructive weekend of discussions and meetings about the college process. As part of College Weekend, the Parents’ Association hosted the Class II Dinner on Friday night which featured an interesting speaker, Mr. Lee Coffin, director of admissions at Tufts University (formerly admissions director at Milton). The dialogue was quite beneficial and the evening also provided a social opportunity for parents to chat among themselves about the upcoming college application process. This well-attended dinner was informative and enjoyable. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Marianne McNamara who chaired this event.

Dues Reminder
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, Mark Kaplan, at 38 Winthrop Street, Milton, Massachusetts 02186.

What Is Going On?
If you’re interested in learning more about what’s going on at the Academy, you can now take advantage of The Milton Paper’s half-year subscriptions at a discounted rate. You will receive The Milton Paper, including the Graduation and Parody issues, every full school week until June. Just mail your requested subscription type (email, print, or print and email), name, street address and email addresses (up to 3), and a check with your amount to The Milton Paper, 170 Centre Street, Milton, Massachusetts 02186. The online edition is only $27, the print edition is only $45, and the print and email edition is $57. The Milton Paper is funded only by subscriptions and donations. If you have any questions, please contact the Editors-in-Chief.

Elizabeth Stark at
elizabeth_stark@milton.edu
or Spencer Gaffney at
spencer_gaffney@milton.edu

Meet Ned Bean

Ned Bean has been teaching science for nearly thirty years, 15 of those at Milton. “The beauty of being at Milton is that the students are so diverse—what they enjoy, what they’re good at. No two people have the same background, the same skill set, or the same strengths and weaknesses.”

The Winter Dance Concert: A Dancers’ Perspective 
 
It’s nearly time again for Milton’s widely anticipated Winter Dance Concert, which is annually one of the hottest tickets around. Choreographers and performers are working hard right now to perfect their pieces; two of these performers—new to the Concert this year—are Class II students Breanna Dance and Melissa Mittelman. Both Breanna and Melissa are students in Kelli Edwards’ Advanced Dance class, although their dance performance backgrounds differ greatly.
[Read More]

Milton’s First Melodrama in Over 27 Years
Performing arts faculty member Darlene Anastas has been teaching at Milton since 1981. This year’s production of No Mother to Guide Her by Anthony Forsyth will be the first production of its genre to be staged at Milton in her 27 years. No Mother to Guide Her is old-fashioned melodrama, rife with ladies feigning “Help! Help!” and villains twirling their handlebar mustaches. Melodramatic acting is new to Milton students.
[Read More]

Future Looks Bright for Girls’ Basketball Squad 
 
The girls' varsity basketball team, led by head coach Peter Kahn, has had the most successful season in years and shows no signs of slowing down.  After a disappointing 4-8 record in the ISL each of the past two seasons, this year’s team raced out to an 8-1 mark in league play with an overall record of 11-3 thus far this season. The girls’ success started early—before winter break—as they defeated Exeter in their season opener and took home the title at the Rivers' Holiday Tournament with wins over Middlesex and Rivers.  Katie Murray (Class III) was named tournament MVP for her 35 points in the two games of tournament play. Since then, the team has tacked on eight more victories with an undefeated record on the road.

“This team is on a roll with a perfect 7-0 record on the road this season,” said Coach Kahn.  “With three games remaining, the team hopes to keep our league title alive as we position ourselves for a Class A New England Tournament invitation.”

Shavonne Hart (Class I) and Allanah Wynn (Class II) captain a young team that is made up of one senior, five juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. It would be safe to say that the next few years look very promising for this talented group.

A Stroll Through Pieh Commons Could Last for Hours
 
Sit in life-sized cardboard chairs; puzzle over faces real and imagined; contemplate the rhythm of the natural world in digital images; walk with the anthropomorphic stick figures; and decipher the fantasy scenes that depict the paranormal, supernatural and purely terrestrial.

During the month of February, Milton’s art students display their best work in Pieh Commons of the Kellner Performing Arts Center at the Annual Mid-Year Student Art Show.

“As always, Milton's displays of art highlight the individual more than the purely formal,” says art faculty member Gordon Chase about this year’s show. “Milton holds fast to the essential arts program idea that each of us, that each of our students can express herself or himself in a compelling artistic fashion. The truth will come out if given tangible form and space and color. We want our students to literally exercise in their use of imagination, to test their ideas on each other, and to celebrate the kind of creative thinking and imagining that shows us something that we have never seen before.”

Click here to view samples of students' work on display.

Parents' Fund
It is now February of 2008 and the Parents’ Fund is well on its way to achieving its goal of $1 million. As of January 31, 2008, the Parents’ Fund has raised gifts totaling almost $620,000 with 32 percent participation from Milton Academy parents. Thank you to all of the Milton parents who have already made a gift to the Milton Academy Parents’ Annual Fund this year.

If you have not yet done so, please consider making your gift to the Parents’ Annual Fund. You can make a gift online at Milton’s Web site at:

https://secure.milton.edu/gift.asp

You can also make your gift in honor of your child, or a Milton teacher or coach. The individual will be notified that a gift was made in their honor and the gift will be listed in Milton Academy’s 2007–2008 Annual Report next fall.

We would also like to thank the following Parents’ Fund volunteers, who have played an integral role in the Parents’ Fund success.

Jackie Bechek – P ’06 ’07 ’10,
  Parents’ Fund Co-Chair
Marty Cavanaugh - P’18 ’20,
  Parents’ Fund Co-Chair
Ed Vilandrie – P’18 ’20,
  Parents’ Fund Co-Chair
Mary Burke – P ’12 ’13
Janet Cahill – P’12 ’14
Betsy Cohen – P ’07 ’10
Michael Connolly – P ’20
Bob Cunha – P’15 ’19
Jodi Feeney –P’17
Heidi Gilmore – P ’14
Nancy Harris – P’09 ’10 ’15
Mark Kaplan – P’10
Stephen Lebovitz – P’10
Todd Peters – P’13 ’16 ’20
Catherine Spahr – P’15’19

If you would like to become more involved with Milton Academy, please consider becoming a Parents’ Fund volunteer.  This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow Milton parents, while encouraging contributions to Milton Academy’s Annual Fund. 

We have one more Parent Giving Phonathon scheduled for 2008; please mark your calendars for:

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
at 6:30 p.m.

Parent Giving Phonathons take place in Milton Academy’s Development Office, which is located in the Caroline Saltonstall Building. 

Class I 2008 Parent Gift
The Class I 2008 Parent Gift will establish the Class I Endowed Fund for Faculty Support, which will help the Academy recruit, retain and recognize the expert faculty who teach at Milton.  Currently, 50 percent of Class I parents have donated almost $700,000 to the Class I Parent Gift.  Please consider making your gift or pledge to the Class I 2008 Parent Gift.

The Class I 2008 Parent Gift Committee has been reaching out to Class I parents who have not yet made a gift as we strive to reach our goal of 100 percent participation and $1 million. 

We would like to thank the following Class I 2008 Parent Gift Committee members for their continued efforts:

Gail & Don McGovern, Class I 2008
  Parent Gift Committee Co-Chairs
Charlie & Steve Wagner, Class I 2008
  Parent Gift Committee Co-Chairs
Amy & David Abrams
Candace & Virgil Aiello
Mimi & George Bennett
McKey & James Berkman
Gayle & Stephen Bernstein
Ruth Birnberg & Thomas Shapiro
Deedie & Michael Bouscaren
Diane & Pericles Caminis
Peggy & Albert Chao
Sara Read - Englis
Anne & Alain Goldrach
Ilene Greenberg & Michael Maynard
Anne Harris
Cela & Matthew Hobbs ’72
Patricia Hopkins & Peter Friedensohn
Lucinda & Richard Larson
Frances & Clint McSherry
Karen & Gary Miller
Anne & Ned Pride ’76
Carol Flynn-Rice & Peter Rice
Dorothy Sanders & Charles Walker
Nidia & Jorge Schuhmacher
Pamela & George Thorpe
Barbara & James Waterhouse
Nancy Watters & Stephen Sayre
Sandra & Chester Williams
Anne-Marie & Thomas Woodhouse

Please contact Shannon Ollerhead at
shannon_ollerhead@milton.edu
or 617-898-2374 with any questions regarding the Class I 2008 Parent Gift.  Gifts must be received by June 30, 2008.