June 1, 2009

OutsideIn
by Heather Flewelling

“When the surface is all you see, it becomes all you know”

Sir Sidney Poitier shared that idea recently with a crowd of 3000 educators and students. He addressed a National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference. His vision of the world had expanded, he explained, through experiences, participation in various communities, and understanding the myriad roles he played over the years.  His challenge to us was to pursue exactly what Milton compels: to dig, question and ponder with a desire to understand; to connect with the world around us. Walk in the shoes of another to imagine a different birth and life; consider who we might have been. 
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Community Service Day: 837 Milton Students Learn While They Serve
by Jasmine Reid '09
On April 29, 2009, Milton’s biennial Community Service Day, a program started to help Milton students see the world beyond the “Milton bubble,” went off without a hitch. In lieu of classes, the entire school participated for about three hours in a variety of service-oriented activities. Projects ranged from putting on a field day for a Boston public school to doing maintenance work at Mujeres Unidas en Acción, an organization helping low-income Latina women with their educational needs. A total of forty-four sites benefited from the enthusiasm and selflessness that 837 Milton students and faculty brought to each location, and the people at the sites were not the only ones to benefit from Community Service Day: Milton students responded just as positively to serving as the sites did to being helped.
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Visiting at Prison; Talking with Inmates
by Lukas Gaffney '10
My Prison Experience Project (PEP) visit was one of the more influential events in my time at Milton. Not only did it serve as a warning, but it also inspired through the commitment of the inmates themselves. The trip successfully debunked of the media-driven stereotypes that many people have would expect to verify.

Prior to this experience, I had never had any interaction with people who were or had been incarcerated. Admittedly, my expectations were stereotypical—I expected the vast majority of inmates to be from inner city areas, for example. However the inmates with whom I spoke (who are not necessarily an accurate representation of overall inmate percentages) came from various backgrounds, including from backgrounds similar to my own. If the trip was judged solely on its ability to remove superstition and stereotypes, then it would be remarkably successful.
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Upcoming Events

• May 29 – Asian Society banquet
  
  
• June 1 – Jewish Student Union end-of-the year fest
  
  
• June 3 – Onyx senior recognition ceremony
  
  
• June 5 –  Graduation

CultureFest: A First Visit
by Sherrie Holder-Watts P’09

CultureFest is the biennial K-12 indoor cultural street fair celebrating the cultures of Milton Academy with food, dancing and performances.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the Milton Academy CultureFest this year.

Milton has a wonderfully diverse culture.  If you were ever in doubt, you had only to look around the room. It was a microcosm of our world.  Begin with the displays of foods that represent the various countries and cultures. The options for snacking were endless, items rom my Caribbean heritage to another personal favorite, Middle Eastern dishes, including stuffed grape leaves; to Latin and Southern style dishes; to  those French crepes that were so popula,.  As for the entertainment, that too was fun. You didn’t have to be Irish to tap your feet to the beat or to attempt a little Irish step dancing.

Students’ pride in their cultures was very evident at each booth. The creative booth banners were impressive as were the unique table displays. Students manned their stations, served foods, and educated all visitors about their cultures.  How very talented are the Milton Academy students.

This is my last year as a parent at Milton, as my daughter Loreen is graduating, and I am wondering how it could be that four years have flown by already.   I will miss being a Milton parent, but I have committed to donate Bajan fishcakes to the next CultureFest. See you there.  Smile.

My experience is that we cover an array of topics. We are not limited to talking about race issues in prep schools. Although race issues are usually at the core of our discussions, we actually focus on other news through out the world, such as politics, sports, and music. We can talk about anything that has captured our interest. This aspect is vital because no one wants discussion to be limited. Our freedom to talk about anything makes it clear that Brother Bonding is a tranquil and fun program. The atmosphere, for the most part, is open and light-hearted. No one is pressured to take a certain role; you can contribute to a discussion or just observe. On some occasions, I haven’t contributed much, but still enjoyed myself.  Ultimately, the opportunity to talk about almost anything, the tranquil and fun environment, and the food at our meetings makes Brother Bonding Milton Academy’s best programs for minority students.