February is a big month at school. It signals the start of the second semester and the start of what we expect will be a lively conversation about how we address and embrace differences at Milton Academy. I hope you will be able join us next Tuesday night at the Fitzgibbons Convocation Center for a symposium of scholars from M.I.T., who will discuss race from their academic perspectives (history, anthropology, biology, political science, urban studies and planning). The event is required for Upper School students and faculty, and you are welcome and encouraged to join us. [Read More]

Course Selection and Planning
Imagine creating an academic schedule based on the preferences and needs of 700 students. To many it seems impossible. However at Milton Academy it is par for the course. At Milton students don’t choose courses based on a prescribed schedule of dates and times, instead they choose courses based on need and preference and the School creates its course schedule around student choices. “We pride ourselves on giving most students their first choices,” explains registrar Pam Rodman. [Read More]

College Counseling Class II Kick-off
The College Counseling Office will host its traditional college counseling kick-off event for Class II parents and students on February 7. The program signals the beginning of the college process for our Class II students.

The February 7 program which will begin with coffee starting at 8:30 a.m. will include three sessions: an explanation of Milton’s college process by one of the counselors, an “insider’s” perspective on admissions by a college admissions officer, and a panel of current seniors who will share their experiences. In past years parents and students have found the three sessions very informative and helpful in getting started on this important journey. The program will conclude at 12:30 p.m.

Questions about this program should be directed to the College Counseling Office, 617-898-2310.

From the Middle School Principal, Mark Stanek
By the time you read this, Middle School students will have completed an intense week of preparation for taking semester exams, as well as the exams themselves. You might want to take a few moments to ask your son or daughter how they felt about their reviewing for these exams. Did they use their time well? What would they do differently next time? It is also important to reflect on how much learning has occurred inside and outside of the classroom, and to commend your son or daughter. Teachers have cultivated close relationships with your children to ensure they feel connected to others within the community while advisors have communicated with you to provide additional support where needed. [Read More]

Milton Launches Middle School Outdoor Program
"I had never really thought of myself as an outdoor kind of guy, or ever thought that I would go rock climbing every week," reflects Tyler Hayes, an eighth grade participant in the new Middle School Outdoor Club. Tyler and 10 other Middle School students were the first group to join this new activity. "Whether we went rock climbing in the gym or hiking in the Blue Hills, I enjoyed every minute." [Read More]

Q. What is the Junior Operator Law in Massachusetts and what do I need to know about my student driving or driving with friends?

A. Graduated Licensing is Aimed at Keeping New Drivers Safe
Students dream of the day they’ll get their licenses — there they are in a shiny car, the window rolled down and, as they drive down the street to pick up friends, the radio blares with “their” music. Their parents however have very different dreams. Will they yield at the intersection? Will they know how to handle the car in snow? Will they pay attention to the road?
In 1998 the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles enacted the Junior Operator License Law (JOL), legal restrictions similar to those in 46 other states, which may dash some students’ dreams and help parents sleep a little easier.

Enacted to provide adolescents with a “supervised opportunity to develop good driving skills, while being free of possible distractions caused by having friends present while they are behind the wheel.," the JOL provides for restrictions for a period of time after the junior operator license is obtained. The law restricts a junior operator (ages 16 1/2 – 18) from operating a motor vehicle, within the first six months after receiving a "Junior Operator's License" while any passenger under the age of 18 is in the vehicle (other an immediate family member), unless accompanied by a person who is at least 21 years old, has at least one year of driving experience, and holds a valid driver's license. In addition, teens under 18 cannot drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless the driver is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

According to National Transportation and Safety Board statistics, 46 states have varying graduated licensing programs, 25 of which have a passenger restriction for the first six months of a license, and 36 restrict night-time driving during the first six months of a license.

According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Junior Operators License has had a positive impact on young drivers by limiting distractions created by driving with friends in the car.Since the enactment of Massachusetts’ Junior Operator Law in 1998, the registry of motor vehicles statistics have shown a reduction in the number of accidents for young drivers in Massachusetts. Between 1997 and 2001 the percentage of the total number of 16-year-old licensed drivers involved in crashes in Massachusetts decreased from 47 percent to 40 percent and for 17 year olds, from 24 percent to 22 percent.

The Milton Academy Parents' Association
Kick Off to College Weekend Dinner & Presentation

Friday, February 6, Straus Library
6:30 Reception
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Guest Speaker, Bill Mayher "Taking Back Control of College Admissions"
RSVP, by February 1, to Dawn Sibor 781-740-1053 or dsibor@comcast.net
 
Bill Mayher is the author the The College Admissions Mystique. He has over thirty years experience as a former history teacher, coach and director of college counseling at Hackley School in Tarrytown, NY and Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. He has been a panelist at the College Board & National Association of College Admissions Counselor meetings.

Educating about difference: day-to-day at Milton
How does “embracing diversity,” translate to day-to-day experience at Milton? At least three individuals focus their professional lives and talents on cultivating a rich and rewarding multicultural campus environment. Classrooms are one powerful venue, and the extracurricular and residential life of the School also provides key opportunities for learning that matters to young people.

Joyce Atkins
Assistant Dean for Community Relations
Joyce Atkins is Milton’s assistant dean for community relations. Hers is a broad portfolio that includes helping to recruit diverse classes, supporting students of color once they are here, and promoting the flow of cultural awareness and celebration among all students, throughout the School. [Read More]

Christine Savini
Director of Diversity Planning
As director of diversity planning, Christine’s work supports the adult community, and complements Joyce’s focus on students. Her position reflects the strong feeling of Milton’s former headmaster Jerry Pieh (1973–1999) that an institution seeking to be a vibrant multicultural community needed to rely on strategic help with hiring, resource development and ongoing training. [Read More]

Ed Snow
Interfaith Chaplain
Ed Snow is Milton’s interfaith chaplain, having arrived last summer from the Baylor School in Tennessee, where he had developed a strong and successful program. Ed interacts with students constantly: all day, one-on-one and in various groupings, and at night in Hallowell, where he and his wife Kathy are dorm parents. The faculty-student group that recruited Ed last year set the bar high for Ed’s role at Milton: among other challenges, the interfaith chaplain, “with good humor and sensitivity, the chaplain will provide leadership in promoting reflection among Milton students and faculty about questions of faith and doubt, belief and non-belief, character and service to others.” So reads the position description. [Read More]

Ed Snow, Milton Academy's chaplain, will be the featured speaker at the Parents' Association's March 4 meeting. Click here for more information.

The Milton Dictionary
Ever feel like your child is speaking a foreign language when they refer to things and places at school. This Milton Academy dictionary may help explain some of those strange terms. It is adapted from a senior project completed by a Milton student in 2000.

The Cage (kaj) n.
A room in the bottom of the Robert Saltonstall Gym where athletes get equipment and jerseys. Go down the stairs, take a left and go down the hallway. The Cage is on the left-hand side. [Read More]

Skinny Envelope Club

For the fifth consecutive year, many seniors are posting their college deferral letters and rejection letters by the student mailboxes on what is known as The Skinny Envelope Wall. Rejections are posted upside down, deferrals are posted sideways.
The wall, established by the Class of 2000 is a way for students to avoid the awkward situation of having to ask a friend for the sensitive news about his or her luck with a “dream” school. The wall also serves recipients of a skinny letter; they don’t have to tell friends repeatedly the less-than-best news.

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The Parents’ Fund is on its way to 77%
The 2003-2004 Parents’ Fund (Parent Giving to the Annual Fund) is off to a strong start, thanks to the help of our volunteers, donors and the success of two fall phonathons. The Annual Fund passed its mid-year point, and tallied all of the gifts received through December 31, 2003—to date we have raised $333,913 in gifts, with 37 percent participation from the parent community.

Thank you to those who attended the December 9 phonathon; we raised $4,910 from 32 parents.

Betsy Cohen P’10 ’07
Jeff and Cecilia Garrity P’05
Maria Martinez P’15 ’06
Ned Pride P’08 ’13
Jim Rabb P’06
Maria Sebastian P’06
George Warner and Lisa Cunningham P’05 ’06

Class Statistics – as of 12/31/03

Class	Cash	Pledges	Donors	Particip.
2005	$49,727	$3,863	50	30%
2006	$65,356	$13,162	63	43%
2007	$66,817	$2,163	36	31%
2008	$30,121	$19,612	17	40%
2009	$21,150	$4,850	12	28%
2010	$27,892	$1,275	9	38%
2011	$4,983	$35	9	36%
2012	$7,628	$1,350	14	61%
2013	$7,888	$2,500	15	56%
2014	$3,258	$250	8	38%
2015	$4,153	$0	11	52%
2016	$4,146	$1,250	10	53%

If you have not made a gift and would like to do so, you can contact Hilary Smyth, assistant director of annual giving at (617) 898-2386 or hilary_smyth@milton.edu. Gifts to the 2003-2004 Parents’ Fund must be received by May 31, 2004.

Join us at the a Spring Phonathon!
The spring phonathons will be held on March 3 and May 3 at Milton in the Development Office (2nd floor of the Caroline Saltonstall Building). Calling begins at 7:00 p.m. A light dinner will be provided at 6:30 p.m. There are plenty of calls to be made and families to contact to reach our goals of $700,000 and 77 percent parent participation.

If you plan to attend, please contact Hilary Smyth, assistant director of annual giving at (617) 898-2386 or hilary_smyth@milton.edu.

Meet the 2003-2004 Parents’ Fund Chairs!

Jeff ’70 and Cecilia Garrity, parents of Jon ’05.

Class I 2004 Parent Gift
The Class I 2004 Parent Gift is well on its way to reaching its ambitious goal of $2 million. To date, 27 percent of Class I families have made a gift. Committee members will be working to reach each family who has yet to contribute by the end of February. Our goal is 100 percent participation, so please consider making your gift today. Please contact Perry Buroker, director of annual giving, at (617) 898-2375 or perry_buroker@milton.edu.

Class I gifts and pledges must be received by June 30, 2004.

Meet the Class I 2004 Parent Gift Chairs!

Tom and Judy Bullitt, parents of Ben ’04.