MLK Speaker Lamont Gordon ’87 Encourages Students to Make the World a Better Place
Full Circle Moment: In 1986—the year the United States first observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, Lamont Gordon ’87 was a student listening to Milton’s first-ever MLK speaker. On Tuesday, Gordon returned to campus as Milton’s 2025 MLK speaker.
That 1986 assembly left quite an impression on Gordon. The speaker that year was Reverend Charles R. Stith. According to Gordon, “Over the last 30 years or so, Stith has been a pretty major figure in promoting economic and political development in Africa, both as an investor and as U. S. ambassador to Tanzania in the late 1990s. In 1986, when Stith was invited to speak at Milton, he was a minister and community leader in Boston who had recently founded a nonprofit organization called ONE, Organization for a New Equality.”
Gordon was so moved and inspired by this assembly that later that year, he and a classmate reached out to Reverend Stith to ask if they could do their senior project at ONE. Reverend Stith accepted their proposal. For their senior project, they conducted research, analyzed data, participated in focus groups, and contributed to the organization’s work in tangible ways. “It was one of the best experiences that I had at Milton. As I reflect back on that time, I’m reminded of the pivotal role that Milton played in my personal and intellectual development. It was a time when I was beginning to figure out who I was, my place in the world, my values, and what was important to me,” he said.
Nesto Gallery Turns 50
Our community celebrates a half century of fine art on the Milton Academy campus with the 50th anniversary of the Nesto Gallery!
The Nesto opened on January 10, 1975, and has since brought scores of professional artists from New England and beyond to the gallery, offering the community access to accomplished works of painting, photography, sculpture, and much more. The gallery’s presence on campus also enriches Milton’s visual arts program, giving students opportunities to meet and learn from a diverse range of talented creators.
This year’s gallery schedule culminates in a special event involving all of the gallery directors and chairs since Nesto opened. Past directors will curate an exhibition, which opens with a reception on April 24 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The 50 Years of the Nesto Gallery exhibition will remain open until Reunion weekend and close with a reception on June 14 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Milton Senior Elected Boys Nation Senator
An experience testifying before lawmakers on Boston’s Beacon Hill sparked an interest in the political process for Simon Farruqui ’25, pushing him toward a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for peer leadership.
Simon joined recent graduate Hugo Eechaute ’24 at the Massachusetts State House in the spring to advocate for financial literacy education for children in schools across the state. While looking for summer activities this year, he learned about the highly selective Boys State and Boys Nation, youth leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by the American Legion.
“I was looking at summer programs that were in the realm of political science or law,” he said. “Before that, I was heavily involved in economics, but after the hearing at the State House, I realized that there are a lot of opportunities to work in the public policy side of things, so I wanted to get involved.”
Reflection Garden on Campus
For the past several years, Milton Academy has been working on creating a Reflection Garden to honor and show respect for students and community members, both present and past, who have experienced challenges during their time at Milton. The garden is a joint project...
Remembering Legendary Saturday Course Educator Susan Barclay
The Milton Academy community is mourning the loss of Susan Barclay, a life-changing educator who devoted 47 years to teaching in Milton’s Saturday Course. Susan passed away last month at the age of 66.
Susan was one of the first faculty members of the program, which invites area public-school students to Milton for exciting enrichment classes. Her inspiring “Blood and Guts” anatomy and physiology class was famous among Saturday Course attendees, many of whom went on to pursue the sciences in higher education and careers in medicine. Her colleagues, friends, and students remember Susan for her quick wit and dedication to teaching—she made sure that her signature class would continue after she left the program, training colleagues to teach it.
Saturday Course Director Kristan Burke recalls Susan’s warm friendship and care for her students. “She loved teaching—she adored the Saturday Course as much as we adored her,” Kristan says. “She was witty and exuberant about life—so much fun to be with. She will be forever embedded in the roots of the program.”
Convocation Ushers in New School Year
Every new school year at Milton Academy is filled with promise and opportunities for growth.
Speakers at this year’s Convocation—the Upper School’s official kick-off to the academic year—encouraged students to take chances, support one another, and explore the unknown. Co-head monitors JP Giglio ’25 and Ariam Gebresilassie ’25 talked about their journeys from their first days at Milton to the start of their senior year. Both said they grew in their confidence and sense of belonging because they felt embraced by the Milton community.
Summer 2024 Campus Facilities Improvements
This summer, Milton made a number of important physical improvements to the campus’ buildings and grounds aiming to provide new and updated learning spaces, revitalize student houses and academic buildings, and enhance pedestrian safety. These projects include: New...
Opportunities This Fall in Performing Arts
Class IV Follies: Dreaming Wide Awake
Milton Academy Performing Arts invites actors, singers, musicians, dancers and those interested in tech theatre from Class IV to join the Class IV Follies. The Follies is an annual tradition where Class IV performers and crew come together to create a unique showcase of their talents for the entire Milton community. No experience is necessary and all interested students will be featured. This year’s Follies, Dreaming Wide Awake, will incorporate dream-themed scenes and songs handpicked for each performer. Behind the scenes, tech crew members will be designing, building, and painting the sets and props to create an equally fantastical world.
Spanish Games, Powered by AI
¡Cuidado, NYT Games app! There’s some friendly competition coming from Milton.
Harnessing emerging artificial intelligence tools and his self-taught coding skills, Milton Academy faculty member Mark Connolly has developed a suite of games to help students sharpen their language learning and have fun.
Mark, who teaches Spanish in the Modern Languages Department, created several word games inspired by the New York Times’ popular Spelling Bee game. “La abeja astuta” challenges users to assemble Spanish vocabulary words from seven available letters, while “Conexiones” offers a jumble of words that connect to one another in groups of four. These games, along with others Mark created, are available on Milton’s Spanish-language site, La Voz.
Milton Magazine Wins Gold
For the third year in a row, Milton Magazine received Gold in the Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for the Advancement of Schools and Education (CASE). The award, in the independent/international school alumni magazine category, recognizes the magazine’s 2023 issues, which covered a year of leadership transition at Milton.
“This is a first-rate magazine that stands above other entries for the quality of its design, use of art and illustration, smart organization, and professional writing,” the judges remarked.
The spring and fall 2023 issues featured outgoing school leader Todd Bland and new Head of School Alixe Callen ’88, respectively. The issues were built around the themes of legacy and innovation and highlighted not just the achievements of these two respected administrators but stories about Milton people across generations and disciplines.
