The Persky Awards recognize the best work—in creative writing, journalism, art, photography and production—appearing in Milton Academy student publications. Award-winning student writers and artists celebrated with faculty and guests in Cox Library recently at the Laurence S. Persky Memorial Award ceremony. Jenny Desai ’87 was this year’s featured speaker. Jenny is director of the Calderwood Writing Initiative, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the teaching and practice of expository writing.
The Persky Awards honor the memory of a Milton student writer who passed away just prior to his Class I year, in 1978.
This School award is unique in that judges are professional writers and artists. This year’s judges were Bruce Mohl, editor of Commonwealth Magazine, poet Jesse Graves, visual arts department chair Ian Torney, and Gregory Mone, a novelist and science writer.
2014 Persky Award Winners
Creative Writing:
Best Poem: Victoria White for “Pastoral, 1940,” Magus Mabus, Winter, 2013
Best Fiction: Charlotte Goddu for “Savage Girl,” Magus Mabus, Winter, 2013
Journalism:
Best Editorial: Nate Bresnick, Charlotte Goddu, Daisy Walker and Margaret Miller-Bartley for “Conforming to the College Process,” The Milton Paper, May 24, 2013
Best Commentary: Sahana Rao-Chakravorti for “Think Before You Buy,” The Milton Paper, May 17, 2013
and Minh-Anh Day for “Sophomores: Why You need to apply to the Mountain School, The Milton Paper, February 7, 2014
Best News Story: Harry August and Alex Garnick for “Investigating Grade Inflation at Milton,” The Milton Paper, February 7, 2014
Best News Feature: Shirley Lu and Shanlyn Tse for “Time to Talk Sex,” The Milton Paper, February 14, 2014
Best Sports Story: Anthony Scurto for “The Celtics Should Lose, and Lose Now!” The Milton Measure, February 7, 2104
Best Arts Story: Emma Martin for “Senior Spotlight: Artist Kirby Feagan,” The Milton Measure, June 7, 2013
Best Science Essay: Jonathan Chan for “The Ephemeral Monster,” Helix, 2014.
Art:
Best Work of Art: Isabel Chun for “WW,” page 22, Magus Mabus, Spring, 2014
Best Work of Photography: Chloe Walker for “Skin and Bones,” page 57, Magus Mabus, Spring, 2014
YEARBOOK AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION: Tapley Eaton, Eleanor Minot, and Salima Sarsenova
