The report from last year’s accreditation review by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) highlighted core truths that we know about Milton. The report acknowledges:

• The common refrain heard from the faculty that “these are great students” is indeed true. Milton Academy students are a thoroughly impressive group of warm, open, and talented young men and women.
• The perception among students that the faculty truly cares about them—that teachers have their best interests at heart—is true.
• The classroom is the center of school life: the quality of teaching is apparent, and there is a high level of stimulating give-and-take between teacher and student (And among the students themselves), further evidence of the deep-rootedness of mutual respect.

Our next focus, which we named in our self-study preparing for the accreditation, and which the Visiting Committee affirmed, is to discuss systematically and carefully, among faculty, how we develop the “whole student” at Milton. Toward that end, we have embarked on a series of four professional days—the first was November 7—during which a quarter of the faculty at a time engage in discussion about students’ emotional, psychological, and developmental growth, and our response to their needs. The first discussion was a lively and invigorating exchange, and the series over this year promises to be valuable. More

Rehearsals set the stage for annual winter concerts
The first of two music department concerts will open on Friday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruth King Theatre with sounds of the Chamber Singers, under the direction of Ted Whalen. The Chamber Singers, Milton’s select choir, will perform nine pieces including William Byrd’s "Haec Dies" and Rachmaninoff’s "Bogoro ditse Devo" from Vespers. More

Class III parents, mark your calendars:
Information sessions for off-campus programs
The Class II year offers students opportunities to participate in one of several off-campus programs: The Mountain School Program of Milton Academy, CityTerm at the Masters School, and The Maine Coast Semester of the Chewonki Foundation.

Milton will host information sessions in January for Class III students and parents about these semester-long programs. Each session will take place in Greeley Auditorium, (lower-level of the Science Building) and will include a slide show and question and answer period. Brochures and material will be available at each session, or at any time, from John Warren, special assistant to the head of school. More


Student-faculty center takes shape
Having managed some patience while the footings were being set, students and faculty are now enjoying peering at the student-faculty center, amazed to see the steel structure rise and set the dimensions of a long-imagined
building. The notion of a “beacon” building, often mentioned by the architects and the steering committee, takes on a reality now as we see from front to back through what will be a glass structure enclosing this steel framework. The “topping” of the building will take place next week,
and students will sign the final beam that will be raised into place. Take a look at the scene we see each day.

Middle School News

My Teacher Has It in For Me
Lenna Dower, Associate Dean For Classes V & VI

When my daughter was in kindergarten, the teachers laughingly told the parents that if they promised to believe only half of what the children told them about happenings at school, the teachers, in return, would promise to believe only half of what the children told them about happenings at home. It was a covenant that worked pretty well, back at a time when teachers and parents saw each other on a regular basis, and children were eager to tell tales. We could sort through miscues, misperceptions, or simple mistakes and stay on task. More

Middle School—social success launches the year
On September 27 while their children danced under the neon lights at Pieh Commons middle school parents gathered in Straus Library for conversation and dinner. Straus Library, festively adorned in fall themes, exuded warmth and good cheer. " It's wonderful to have an opportunity to meet new acquaintances and to catch up with old friends after the summer holidays." said Kathy Corbin, a Class V parent.

Although dinner was scrumptious, the good company and concert by the Miltones stole the limelight. Led to the balcony by Ted Whalen, of the music department,
the talented boys' a capella serenaded with two of their favorite pieces,"In the Still of the Night" and "Steal My Kisses." New parents were welcome and “old” parents were happy returning to this wonderful, familiar school. " Talking with fellow parents and faculty early in the school year is comforting when your child starts at a new school. Already I feel connected and part of the Milton Academy community," commented Karen Brace, a new Class VI parent. The children may have danced under the lights but the parents went home beaming.

Dear Parents
The Milton Parents’ Association (PA) continues its’ mission to enhance school spirit and foster communication. Parents’ Weekend was a grand success. The PA hosted class dinners in Fitzgibbons Convocation Center followed by speaker Loretta LaRoche, who, as promised, helped us to ease the tensions of the day. Thanks to all the parent reps from Classes I-IV (especially Pam Frechette) who with their thoughtful planning and follow through made the evening a huge success. Special thanks also to facilities, campus safety and ARA dining services. A mega thanks to Jennifer Green from ARA for all the setting up, breaking down and generally keeping on top of the logistics for these events. Your support made a great evening happen. More

Thank You
Dear Members of the Parents Association,
On behalf of the faculty and students at Milton Academy, I want to thank you for your generous donation of $500 that was given to the Dean's Discretionary Fund in honor of David Torcoletti, the former Dean of Students’. We appreciate your thoughtful gift and all that you do to keep parents involved and informed about our school.
Sincerely,
Gordon Sewall
Assistant Head of School
for Development & Alumni Relations

Summer Opportunities Fair: Mark your calendars —January 12, 2003
Looking for new experiences during the summer? Learn new skills! Meet new friends! Contribute to the community! Explore summertime options for Milton students and others at the 11th Annual Summer Opportunities Fair. FREE and open to the public, the fair will be held on the Milton campus in the Robert salons Gymnasium from 1:00 – 4:00pm on Sunday, January 12. Sponsored by Milton Academy Parents’ Association and Student Camp and Trip Advisors, Inc., the Fair will host directors from more than 80 overnight camps, trips and programs – oriented for students between the ages of 8 and 18. While you’re there, stop by the bake table where all sales benefit the Milton Food Pantry. Plan the adventure of a lifetime.

Help the Milton community learn from your experiences with summer camps and programs through this short survey.

Parents Association and alumni relations tea(m) up for Milton-Nobles Weekend
Leslie Will ’74, P’03, ’05


The final fall games against an old foe often bring parents from great distances to campus. Milton-Nobles rivalry is a tradition more than 100 years old, and the tradition of athletic teas, for Milton athletes, opponents and fans, may have even earlier roots. Faculty wives used to serve tea and cookies to athletes – the defeated and the victorious. While the white gloves and even the tea is gone, the hospitality remains. A joint effort by the alumni office and the Parents Association, the fall athletic tea on the afternoon of November 9. Friends, family, alumni and athletes were treated to drinks, cookies and sandwiches. Earlier in the day, a welcoming tent provided hot soups and Milton memorabilia offered for by the alumni office and Parents’ Association.

Many thanks to athletes’ parents who provided food, and to John Henderson and Kathy Linehan, parents of Zach (’03) and Keller (’10), assisted by Roxanna Hurst, Brian McCafferty, Judy Riley and Mary Keady. Late winter games will feature another athletic tea; plan a trip to Milton for games and fun whether your child is playing that day or not.

Heather Sugrue
Susan Scardella P’03

Although Heather Sugrue is only in her second year of teaching at Milton, her level of involvement in the Milton community makes her easily mistakable for an old timer. In addition to her teaching responsibilities in the math department, Heather lives in Hallowell House, has coached girl’s basketball and is currently running the active community service program at Milton. More

Milton students will build robot to repeat 2001 National Championship
Milton Academy has launched its fourth year with the NU-TRONS F.I.R.S.T. Robotics team (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The NU-TRONS, a tight-knit group of Northeastern University undergraduate and graduate students, and high school students from Milton Academy, Boston Latin School and Brookline High School, are sponsored by the School of Engineering at Northeastern University and Textron Systems. More

Need sleep? A Milton Academy sleep phenomenon explored
Taylor Jacobson, Class I
Reprinted from the Milton Measure

Over the years many writers have tried to describe and analyze the sleep deprivation problem at Milton Academy. But description and analysis is not what we need: We already know that we’re exhausted when we wake up and when we go to bed, and that we often fall asleep in class, and that eight hours of sleep are recommended. At these points we often laugh, almost as a matter of pride, that we the students (and faculty) of Milton Academy are hard working and over-committed and yet we get it all done. We scoff at eight hours of sleep and enjoy being able to pity ourselves and commiserate with each other when we stay up until 3 am studying for a test, writing a paper, or writing grades and comments, as many teachers and students did last week. What we don’t realize is that the sleep deprivation is hurting us more than we give it credit for. More

The Parents’ Fund is off to a great start
An overwhelming number of parents attended the first parents’ phonathon on November 4. The Parents’ Fund has already raised more than $37,000 in pledges and $31,000 in gifts. This success is a direct result of the enthusiasm and dedication of parent volunteers Roxanna Hurst, Ned Pride, Peter Gregory, Jackie Bechek, Maria Martinez, Bea Sanders, Dottie Weber, Cecilia Garrity, Mark Kaplan, Bob Stock, Constance McCashin, Long Nguyen, Betsy Cohen, Maureen McGee, Laura Jeppesen, Kate Rodda, Kirk Sykes, Dan Wasserman, Jim Sullivan, Edward Baker-Greene and Meaghan Barrett; this group of parent callers achieved an unprecedented 137 pledges in less than two hours.

Would you like to become a Parents’ Fund representative? Come join the fun
Parents’ Fund Representatives help the Milton Academy Annual Fund by participating in phonathons and contacting fellow parents throughout the year. The Annual Fund is a large part of the strength and success of Milton Academy. As the cornerstone for the School’s fund-raising activities, the Annual Fund provides seven percent of the school’s operating budget. Tuition does not cover the full cost of a Milton education, and the Annual Fund therefore provides a hidden scholarship to each and every student. The Fund supports competitive faculty salaries, extracurricular activities, financial aid and much more.
Last year, 66 percent of all current parents made a gift to the Annual Fund, reaching a grand total of over $665,000, up eight percent from 2000-2001. We hope to build on this success by raising $700,000 from parents this year.
If you would like to become a Parents’ Fund volunteer for the Annual Fund, please contact Kate Edwards, assistant director of parent giving, (617) 898-2386. The next parent phonathon will be held on April 9, 2003.

The Class I ’03 Project is going strong
One important tradition in the Milton Academy community is the Class I ’03 gift. Over the past 18 years, Class I parents have made a special “thank you” gift to Milton to express their appreciation of their children’s experience at the School. The focus of the Class I ’03 Gift is the new Class I Commons in the Crossroads building— the capstone room that will soon overlook the quad atop the student-faculty center, scheduled for completion in May 2003. As the new building receives its finishing touches, the Class I ’03 Gift drive will come to a close as well. All Class I ’03 gifts and pledges must be received by June 30, 2003.

Co-chairs Carol and Jeff Miller and Joan Mullen, along with committee members Jay Emmons, Susan Fink, Tamara Kirdar, Christy Millet, Paul Nylen and Larry Post, kicked off the Class I Gift calling effort on Monday, November 11 and made contact with 30 percent of the class. Thanks to everyone who has already pledged to the Class I gift! The committee hopes to involve every Class I family in celebrating the Class I experience by reaching 100 percent participation. If you have questions or would like to make your family’s contribution to the Class I ’03 Gift, please contact Gina D’Allesantro, associate director of parent giving, at (617) 898-2378.

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