Marking September 11, 2001

Challenged to acknowledge and remember a profoundly life-altering day, Milton will turn to the elements of shared thought, ritual, silence, reflection and music. On September 11, during the normal second period assembly, students and faculty will gather in the Fitzgibbons Convocation Center. Together we will reflect upon a reading chosen for its focus on some universal truths: the shared nature of loss, the need for hope, the importance of knowledge and understanding. As a School community (grades 7–12) we will walk silently to the two London plane trees planted last fall by students in remembrance of those who died on September 11. There, we will listen to a musical selection sung by a member of the school community. While discussions will certainly go on in classrooms and in advisor groups throughout the School that day, Milton’s formal response will be to honor the day with the power of reflection and shared silence.

Acknowledging the juggling act:
orientation helps teens succeed

Milton faculty – specialists in helping adolescents – know well the challenges students face at a new place and at this new time in their lives. For some time, faculty at Milton have predicted that new students would really benefit from a special program that anticipated the issues students deal with, and helped them respond in healthy, productive ways. At the same time they have wished that students had more time devoted to getting to know one another in a relaxed, fun setting. [Full Story]

Orientation continues through the fall
This year new student orientation (Classes III-IV) will include a required four day weekend—either Saturday or Sunday—on each of the following four weekends. Please mark your family calendars:
September 14–15
September 28–29
October 26–27
November 10–11

Revisiting the message for parents, summer 2002

Parents are connected
Five time in the year ahead, we will send you an email that will connect you to a new parents' electronic newsletter. Through this newsletter, we will be able to give you updates on what is happening with the architectural projects and on developments in student life, teaching, and curriculum. Please let me know if there is anything you would particularly like to hear about in the newsletter. We will also use e-mail sparingly to communicate with you about important issues that are time-sensitive; please let us know if you change your email address during the year.

New faculty join us
Several new faculty members will join us in September. Read their profiles to learn about them and their experience.

Calendar sets out the year
Find the 2002-2003 Upper School calendar here, and check the online calendar frequently for day to day events.

[Full Story]

New to a student advising system?
Here's what you can expect
What is an advisor?
An advisor is a faculty member who helps oversee and guide your child's overall experience at Milton, and serves as the main communication link between you and the School, on matters that relate to your child. Each faculty member typically advises six to eight students. Boarding students' advisors usually live in, or are closely associated with a student's house. Students in Classes IV - I often have the same advisor for all their Milton years. Middle school students have one advisor in Classes VI and V, and a different advisor for Classes IV - I. [Full Story]

Upper School administrators: a primer
names, positions and descriptions
Milton Academy's administrative structure serves a K–12, coeducational boarding and day school. Two administrative groups work together on planning, policy and resource management – one on matters that affect the whole institution (the Ad Council) and the other on matters that affect the Upper School (Ad Team).The group that works directly with the academic and extracurricular life of Upper School students, the Ad Team, meets weekly, to make progress on long term goals and to react to emerging issues. Dr. Robertson attends Ad Team meetings when appropriate, based on a given agenda. Lenna Dower, Associate Dean for Classes V and VI advises the Ad Team with regard to middle school issues. An associate dean, two assistant deans and the director of student activities work with the Ad Team to enrich aspects of Milton community life. They are: the associate dean (Louise Gilpin), assistant dean for community relations (Joyce Atkins), assistant dean for residential life (Bryce Jones) and director of student activities (Hope McAndrew).

The Ad Team includes the following people. Click on each person's name for a summary of his or her role at Milton.

Hugh Silbaugh, Principal
Geoff Theobald, Academic Dean
Lukie Wells, Dean of Students
John Warren, Special Assistant to the Head of School

Find email addresses for each of these administrators in the Faculty/Staff Directory.

New morning drop-off routes
Construction that will soon yield us a new student-faculty center and a renovated Warren Hall has changed the face of campus this summer. In fact, we have, of necessity, developed new plans for morning student drop-off aimed at safety for students and avoiding a Centre Street bottleneck, a situation very familiar to veteran parents.

The drop-off area in front of Warren Hall is now gone. The traffic plans we outline below provide five dispersed drop-off locations that are both safe for students and more efficient for drivers. Please study the options, and the accompanying map, and choose the route that is most convenient for you.

We ask your help and cooperation with these important changes as we all look forward to the new facilities Milton students and parents will soon enjoy. Signage on campus will help you locate your chosen route, as will Milton Academy safety personnel, during the 7:30 to 8:15 rush period. [Full Story] [Morning drop-off map(PDF)]

Milton's architectural project

Visit the architectural site for project information, renderings, updates, and construction photos.

The Parents Association - new ways to be part of Milton this year. Come join us!

The Milton Parent Association extends its warmest welcome to new and returning parents and students. The co-presidents (Gail von Metzsch, boarding and Pamela Thorpe, day) and the co-vice presidents (Rosemary Doorly, boarding and Judy Tucker, day) have been working together this summer to develop the program for 2002-03. [Full Story]

Parents' Association Calendar 2002-2003

Milton welcomes Lucretia Wells, dean of students

Lucretia (Lukie) Wells arrived at Milton this July, enthusiastic about plunging into the life, times and people of Milton Academy. Lukie came to Milton from the Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York where she had been the dean of students since 1999. At Darrow, Lukie managed the residential life and discipline programs, health services, advisor program and guidance committee.
[Full Story]

Tryouts: getting involved this semester—what, when and where

Athletics, drama, speech team and music [Full Story]

Community Service: volunteer, share, grow

Milton is a very busy place, with a competitive academic program and a number of extracurricular activities. Something is always going on; however, more than 150 students voluntarily make time in their busy schedules to participate in community service. [Full Story]

Who’s homesick?
Advice from the dean of students, Lucretia Wells
"An ounce of prevention" may not stave off what seems inevitable, but it may help. A conversation with your child before arriving at Milton could provide a healthy context for the many feelings related to all the new elements of life away from home. Many parents have found it helpful to ask their children: "What are the two things you’re most excited about, or looking forward to, and what are the two things you’re most concerned about?"
This is a value-added question: it lets you know what your child anticipates happily; it acknowledges and allows him or her the anxiety which is normal; and it gives you the chance to respond in the most helpful way to the worries or concerns. [Full Story]

Hot off the presses – Annual Fund numbers
The numbers are in, and the Annual Fund experienced another year of strong support from the Milton community. In a year marked with a number of uncertainties, parent giving reached new heights. Sixty-six percent of all current parents made a gift to the Annual Fund, raising a grand total of $665,000, up eight percent over 2000-2001.

A silent benefactor of a Milton education, the Annual Fund steadily provides 7 percent of the School’s operating budget. The Fund makes possible competitive faculty salaries, scholarship support, extensive extracurricular activities, and so much more.

We are extremely grateful for the tireless dedication of over 40 parent volunteers whose efforts helped to make this year’s Annual Fund a success. Special appreciation is extended to the Parents’ Fund Chairs, Roxanna and Jeff Hurst ’74 and Lower School Chair Ned Pride ’76, for guiding this year’s efforts. Thank you!

Interested in joining the effort?
The upcoming school year is a great time to get involved as a parent fund raising volunteer! As a class representative, you can make connections with 10-15 families from home via phone or email, or at a Milton phonathon in the spring or fall. The time commitment is flexible. If you would like to get involved with parent fundraising for Milton Academy, please contact Gina D’Allesantro in the Development Office at (617) 898-2378 or email to gina_dallesantro@milton.edu.

The Class I 2002 gift – a Milton tradition continues
For the past 18 years, Class I parents have collectively given a special "thank you" gift to the school as an expression of appreciation for their children’s experience. Class I ’02 joined this philanthropic legacy with their gift of $503,727 from 84 percent of the class!

The Class of 2002’s Class I Gift provided seed money for the multi-functional student/faculty center currently under construction, a key element of the Upper School Core Facilities Plan. The facility, which will provide a single space that will be part of every member of the community’s day-to-day life on campus, will dramatically enhance living, learning and growing at Milton. Over 20 Class I parents volunteered their time as members of the Class I ’02 Gift Committee, under the leadership of Co-Chairs, Rick & Carol Bendetson and Murray & Judy Danforth. Their phone calls, letters and personal touch made this campaign a success. Thank you!

2003 is right around the corner!
If you are the parent of a student in the Class of 2003 and are interested in joining the Class I ’03 Gift Committee, an informational meeting will take place on Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Development Office Conference Room located on the second floor of the Caroline Saltonstall Building. If you are a parent of a boarding student and/or live a distance from campus, please keep in mind that attendance at this gathering is not necessary to be a volunteer. In fact, so much of the work is done via phone and email, you can be a volunteer from anywhere across the globe! If you plan to attend the meeting or if you are unable to attend and would like to learn more about being a Class I volunteer, please contact Gina D’Allesantro at (617) 898-2378 or gina_dallesantro@milton.edu.