CAMPAIGN NEWS

A Mustang Homecoming: 10 Alumni Currently Coaching for Milton Athletics
Ten Milton alums are back on campus, this time as coaches, sharing their love for sports with the next generation. With a deep connection to Milton and plenty of experience on and off the field, they’re here to inspire, motivate, and pass on the traditions they once lived as students. It’s a homecoming that celebrates teamwork, mentorship, and the unbreakable bond of being part of the Milton community. Read more.

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. Read more.

From Milton Magazine: “Building Connections”
Check out our Q&A with new Upper School Principal Rachel Stone! She recently sat down with Milton Magazine to talk about her career in independent boarding schools and the issues facing students today. Read more.

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. To learn more about the Nesto Gallery and to see a full schedule of upcoming events, visit the gallery’s website.

Update your Contact Information 💻
Stay in the loop with all things Milton! To ensure you’re always in the know about campus news and invites to events, make sure your contact information is up to date. Update it today at www.milton.edu/update and never miss out on what’s happening.

Remember to Invest in Milton This December
Your gift to the Milton Fund, our school’s unrestricted current-use fund, by December 31 is the BEST way to support the many people, programs, and communities that cultivate the competence and character in today’s Milton students. Please do your part to support our Milton community during this season of giving, and make your Milton Fund gift today at www.milton.edu/donate.

Bonita Billingsley Harris ’82 honored for Community Service
Bonita Billingsley Harris ’82 was honored for her community service efforts at the 7th Annual Black Tie Scholarship Gala sponsored by The New Chesapeake Men for Progress Education Foundation, Inc. (NCMPEF) in Virginia last month. Harris is currently the director of media relations at Dominion Energy. She has also been a board member for several non-profits including Chesapeake Public Schools. Read more.

Dover Quartet comes to Milton for the Ninety-Fourth Gratwick Concert
On Thursday, November 14, Milton community members packed Straus Library for the annual Gratwick Concert featuring the GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet. The Gratwick Concert Fund was established by Dr. Mitchell Gratwick in memory of his wife, Katharine Perkins Gratwick, Class of 1924. Through Dr. Gratwick’s generosity, and the lasting generosity of his family, thousands of Milton students have experienced world-class musical performances right on campus. This year, we were thrilled to welcome the internationally renowned Dover Quartet. Their performance was one of the best attended, both in person and online, in recent history. To the delight of our students, the quartet attended the reception after the concert, and held an inspiring masterclass the following morning. Please click here to watch the recording of the concert.

Pulitzer Finalist Dorianne Laux Visits as Bingham Writer
Milton welcomed poet, educator, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dorianne Laux to campus this month as one of this year’s Bingham Visiting Writers. Laux read from her latest collection, Life on Earth, and spoke with students about her inspiration and writing process. Laux received the Paterson Prize for her collection The Book of Men, the Oregon Book Award for Facts About the Moon, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She was named a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for her book Only as the Day is Long: New and Selected Poems. Click here to learn more.

Spring with Milton 🌼
Get ready for an exciting spring filled with incredible milestones and unforgettable journeys! This season, Milton is traveling far and wide with trips planned to Florida, California, and Asia. Milton will also be celebrating milestone anniversaries of our Squash and Basketball programs. And of course, we will then kick off the summer with Reunion, a perfect opportunity to reflect on shared memories and make new ones. Stay tuned for event details and mark your calendars for a spring to remember!

What Philanthropy Means to Trustee Osaremen Okolo ’13
On November 5, Trustee Osaremen Okolo ’13 spoke to Upper School students about philanthropy as part of Mustangs Care Month. Her consistent engagement and involvement with Milton eventually led to her becoming the youngest member of Milton Academy’s Board of Trustees in 2022. Okolo shared with students that she defines philanthropy in three equal categories: time, experience/expertise, and money. “What I’ve been lucky to learn since I last sat here in 2013, is that you can’t have a philanthropic mission if you don’t have the people who are volunteering, engaging, and stewarding.” Read More.

Army Veteran Daniel Kim ’09 Shares His Story of Service
We were honored to welcome Daniel Kim ’09 back to campus as Milton’s 2024 Veteran’s Day speaker. Kim spoke with students in Class I-IV. “First, I’m going to share three lessons that I learned from my time in service in the hopes that you gain some knowledge without having to go through the pain of some of the experiences that I had. And also I want to share how I view Veteran’s Day as a veteran in hopes that it enriches your perspectives too,” said Kim. Read more.

Reflection Garden on Campus
For the past several years, Milton 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. As part of the plan, Milton has commissioned sculptor Andreas von Huene to create a permanent fixture that will honor the survivors of past sexual misconduct at the school. Survivor Jamie Forbes ’85 has been involved in planning the garden since the beginning and now the school has reached a point where it would like to invite other alumni survivors to contribute their voices to the project. Click here to learn more about the garden.

Jonathan Schroeder ’99 returns to Milton as Heyburn Speaker
We welcomed Jonathan Schroeder ’99 back to campus as a Henry R. Heyburn ’39 Lecture in History Fund speaker earlier this month. Jonathan shared the powerful story of discovery behind The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots, a book he edited and published this year. The book features a first-person liberation narrative written by John Swanson Jacobs—a Black man who escaped slavery in America—that had run in an Australian newspaper in 1855 but had never been published in the United States. Read more about Jonathan’s visit.

Dan Suter ’20 Collects Two Centennial Conference (CC) Golfer of the Week Awards
Milton Golf grad Dan Suter ’20, a senior on the Gettysburg men’s golf team, was named Centennial Conference (CC) Golfer of the Week for the week of October 15-21. This was the second this season and the fourth time in his college career that he has claimed the weekly honor. In his freshman year at Gettysburg, he was named the Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year. During his time at Milton, he was a four-year varsity athlete in golf and was elected golf team captain and team MVP. You can read more about Dan’s impressive stats here.

Mustangs Care Month
In the spirit of giving back, the Development Ambassadors and annual giving staff worked together to plan a series of philanthropy education events for Upper School Students. In the third consecutive year of Mustangs Care Month, students wrote thank you cards to Milton donors, tested their philanthropy knowledge with a live trivia game in the “Stu” (Schwarz Student Center), and heard from Trustee Osaremen Okolo ’13 about why she gives back during an assembly. The month of education will conclude with a mini philanthropy fair on Giving Tuesday in collaboration with Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships (CEPP) to support their holiday food drive.

Dedicating the Farokhzad Mathematics Center
The Farokhzad Mathematics Center breathes new life into how math is delivered and experienced at Milton, both in and out of the classroom. As the new anchor of Milton Academy’s south quad, the location positions math among the school’s spaces dedicated to arts, technology, and science, emphasizing the power of interdisciplinary learning. On Thursday, October 24, Milton Academy hosted a dedication event to celebrate the opening of the Farokhzad Mathematics Center. Click here to view photos from the event and to learn more about the FMC.

“Building For Tomorrow”: Milton Magazine’s Fall/Winter 2024
📭 Check your mailbox: The new Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Milton Magazine is on its way! The new “Building For Tomorrow” issue features perspectives from Anne Torney ’83 and Allan Jean-Baptiste ’08. In addition, you can read all about the new Farokhzad Mathematics Center. And of course, there’s a robust collection of news from your classmates in the Class Notes section. Speaking of Class Notes, we are now accepting submissions for the Spring/Summer 2025 issue, so share your news using this submission form.

Reunion Gift Fall Challenge
The 5th through 50th reunion classes have until their Giving Tuesday deadline (12/3) to unite and earn Dottie Altman Weber’s ’60 $50,000 challenge for the Milton Fund, and so far, it’s looking good! The classes are halfway through the challenge, and the Classes of 1975 and 2010 are leading the way with impressive results to date. Just 100 donors, or 10 donors per class, will earn Dottie’s challenge in support of Milton’s inspiring students.
If you are a reunion alum and have not made your gift, you still have time! Check out the campaign progress and make your reunion gift today!

Matt Childs ’24 Earns Back-to-Back Ivy League Rookie of the Week Honors
Recent Milton graduate Matt Childs ’24 is having an electric first season on the Brown football team, capturing Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors two weeks in a row. As a freshman running back for the Bears, he has already made a great impact to start his college career. Matt joins former Mustang and quarterback Jake Willcox ’20 at Brown. Read more about Matt here.

Christina Minnis ’83 named one of American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance for 2024
Christina Minnis ’83, Head of Global Credit Finance and Head of Global Acquisition Finance at Goldman Sachs, has been named on American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance 2024 list. According to American Banker, “Christina Minnis needed a village to rise to the rank of head of global credit finance and head of global acquisition finance at Goldman Sachs.” Read about how Minnis managed a high-level career in finance while raising three children here. She and other honorees will be recognized at The Most Powerful Women In Banking Gala on October 24 in New York City.

Opening the Farokhzad Mathematics Center (FMC)
At the beginning of this school year, the Milton community opened the doors to the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Farokhzad Mathematics Center. This new addition to campus was made possible through a generous gift from Milton parents Shadi and Omid Farokhzad P’23 ’25. Students, faculty, and staff have immediately grown fond of the FMC. We invite alumni, parents, and friends to see this beautiful new space on October 24 at the Annual Boston Area Reception. Click here to register or learn more.

Calling all Milton Business Owners
Back by popular demand! Once again, Milton will be creating its Milton Academy Community Gift Guide. Featuring alumni, faculty and staff owned businesses, the Guide will appear in next month’s alumni newsletter just in time for holiday shopping. Want your business to be featured? Please fill out this form. We can’t wait to highlight the amazing work of our Milton community! The deadline for submissions is Thursday, November 14. Contact alumni@milton.edu with any questions.

Joe Hill ’90’s newest short story named one of Amazon’s October first reads
Congratulations to Joe Hill ’90! His new short story was Amazon’s editors’ pick for the Horror genre on their first reads list this month. Amazon describes the short story as “spine-tingling.” It is available just after Halloween on November 1. Stay tuned for more alumni-authored works in the Fall 2024 edition of Milton Magazine dropping soon.

Hugo Eechaute ’24 named one of BostInno’s 25 under 25 for 2024
Hugo Eechaute ’24 was the youngest person named on BostInno’s 25 under 25 for 2024 list. Hugo has always desired to contribute to society and effect positive change. During his time at Milton, Hugo and some classmates developed StockSense, an app designed to empower students with essential financial skills to make financial literacy a fundamental right and not a privilege. You can read more about Hugo and StockSense here.

73 Questions with Alixe Callen ’88
Head of School Alixe Callen ’88 welcomed student editors of The Milton Paper into her home on campus for a single-shot 73-question interview. Dr. Callen answered questions about her journey as a Milton student, through higher education, and her career in education and as a head of school. She shares her love for reading, glass babies, and a treasured necklace. Click here to watch the full interview.

Nick DiGiovanni ’15 Collabs With Dunkin’ To Launch Four New Iced Coffee Flavors
Milton Academy grad and celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni ’15 had a busy summer working as a “Dunkin’Tern” to launch “The Chef Nick Menu.” This new menu features four specialty iced coffee creations available nationwide exclusively through the Dunkin’ App for a limited time. Click here to learn more about this flavorful collaboration!

Introducing the new Milton Fund Chair, Jeff Marr ’04
We are thrilled to begin a new school year with a new Milton Fund Chair, Jeff Marr ’04, who brings a wealth of volunteer experience and a deep commitment to the role! With the ongoing support of our community, the Milton Fund will continue to help Milton fulfill its mission and ensure all of its students can “Dare to be true.” Click here to view a message from Jeff to kick off the new year!

Share Your Advice With Students
They’re back! As a seasoned alum, what words of wisdom, tips, tricks, or advice do you have for students as they kick-off their ’24-’25 Milton journey? Click here to share your unique advice with the Miltonians of today.

Thank you for supporting Milton Academy
Last year, you endorsed Milton’s leadership and priorities, ensuring Milton remains a thriving, innovative center of teaching and learning. Thank you for providing the resources needed to prepare our students to question, create, lead, solve problems, and “Dare to be true.” We are excited to share some of the many stories that illustrate the tangible difference you made in the 2023–2024 fiscal year. Please visit www.milton.edu/impact to learn more.

Save the date for Reunion 2025
Calling all class years ending in 0 and 5! Mark your calendar. Connect with friends. Make your next Milton memory by joining us Friday, June 13–Saturday, June 14! Details and registration information to follow.

A New Hub for Planned Giving
Check out our newly designed, easy-to-navigate planned giving website! The new site is a one-stop shop for donors seeking to create a lasting legacy at Milton. Learn about how planned giving makes an incredible impact in the lives of Milton students and teachers, explore the benefits of including a future gift in your financial plans, and download free and helpful resources to get started.

Volunteer to lead a Milton Affinity Space
Step forward and lead with us! Milton Academy alumni affinity spaces represent a mosaic of identities, and we’re seeking alumni volunteers to serve as co-facilitators to guide their work and conversations. As a co-facilitator, you will serve as the liaison between Milton Academy and space participants. Milton provides co-facilitators with training and support, as well as administrative assistance. For more information or to express interest, please complete this form.

Encourage others to Dare to be Milton
We are gearing up to build Milton Academy’s next generation! Our 2025–26 admission cycle for Upper, Middle, and Lower School students launches this month. Newly enrolled students will share the same incredible classroom experience and vibrant community you had here. Do you know a prospective student who would make a great Mustang? Encourage them to visit milton.edu/admission to learn more or begin their journey with Milton.

Fall with Milton🍂
While summer is not quite over yet, we are looking forward to a fall season full of Milton events! This fall will feature several virtual and in-person events, including Milton-Nobles Day at Nobles; receptions in New York, Washington D.C., and Boston; college dinners in Washington D.C., Boston, and Providence; Milton Night Out: Boston Bowl; a live stream of the 94th Gratwick Concert; and much more. Stay tuned and visit our Upcoming Events calendar for details and information.

Update Your Contact Information
The best way to stay connected to Milton and be sure you receive news and invitations to our featured events is to keep your contact information current. Update your contact information today at www.milton.edu/update.

From Milton Magazine: “The Best of Buddies”
On a warm, sunny fall day, fifth-graders Sophie Kalin and Emily Munko are eager to explain what makes Milton’s buddy program so special. For Sophie, “It brings back memories of when I was in kindergarten,” and for Emily, “I just love hanging out with the young kids.” Today, they watch as their kindergarten buddy Malachi Campbell scoops up wood chips off the ground, carefully arranging them around the legs of one of the playground’s benches. He wants to make sure, he explains, that the bench doesn’t wobble when someone sits down. Read more.

Milton at the Farnsworth Art Museum
Earlier this summer, we were pleased to host former faculty members, alumni, and guests at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, to celebrate the works of alumna Emilie Stark-Menneg ’02. Guests immersed themselves in her “Thread of Her Scent” exhibition. Emilie shared that “this whole project feels inseparable from my experience at Milton and later teaching at Milton.” To view photos of the event and exhibition, visit www.milton.edu/graduates/events/event-photos.

Current Event Statements
After much thought and deliberation, Milton’s Board of Trustees, in partnership with the school’s Leadership Team, has decided not to issue institutional responses to external events in the future. Rather than communicating messages about institutional stances or values, our energy will be fully dedicated to Milton’s primary purpose: education, support, and care for students—as it always is. When troubling external events do occur, the school will always act quickly to support its community by providing a variety of resources, educational programming, and other community-based support. Read More.

Advancement Year in Review
2023–2024 was another great year for Milton. The incredible generosity of 3,041 alumni, parents, students, and friends provided more than $11.4 million in support for Milton Academy. Together, our community contributed an incredible $5.7 million to the Milton Fund to meet the school’s most pressing needs, strengthened Milton’s endowment, and ensured the future of Milton through planned gifts. Milton also hosted over 100 events, with gatherings on campus, across the country, and across Asia, which were attended by approximately 2,400 alumni, parents, and friends. On campus, we were proud to host the opening of the new and improved Cox Library and to have Milton-Nobles Day on our turf. We celebrated milestone anniversaries of the Jazz and Girls’ Ice Hockey programs. We look forward to another exciting year ahead!

Reunion: Highlights From 2024 and Save the Date for 2025
In June, 643 graduates and guests joined us for an unforgettable weekend celebrating classes ending in 4 and 9. Please enjoy a curated album of photographs and relive some of the most memorable moments from the weekend in our highlights video at www.milton.edu/reunion. To see a list of community members whose lives were celebrated during this year’s Memorial Service, visit www.milton.edu/in-memoriam. Classes ending in 0s and 5s, mark your calendars for Reunion 2025: Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, 2025!

Dive Into a Summer of Alumni-Authored Books
As the sun shines brightly and temperatures rise on Centre Street, we’re excited to bring you another sizzling summer reading list containing recommendations straight from our talented Milton community. These alumni-authored books are perfect companions for your summer adventures. We hope you enjoy the insightful and captivating nature of these works. Click here to read the list.

From Milton Magazine: “A Digital Opportunity for a Timeless Concept”
Ben Rhodes-Kropf ’24 has a message from his father. In order to receive it, he’ll have to travel to Spain. That’s because his dad left the message through Trace, an app Rhodes-Kropf and classmate Benjamin Siegel ’24 developed throughout their junior and senior years at Milton. The location-based service combines the functions of a messaging app with the thrill of an in-person treasure hunt, allowing users to “leave a Trace” wherever they are in the world. Messages for other Trace users (or their future selves) are delivered only when the recipient is physically close to the location where the message—in video form—was recorded. Read more.

Jason Bowen ’00 Delivers 2024 Commencement Address
On June 7, 187 seniors received their diplomas and joined the Milton Academy alumni community. Graduation at Milton is a ceremony that carries years of tradition, including students electing their student speakers and the alum to deliver the commencement address. The Class of 2024 elected Lily Park and Bryan Sukidi as their student representatives, and the commencement address given by Jason Bowen ’00 (pictured). Jason is an actor and educator who has performed on Broadway, television, and film, and he reminded the class that they are ready for anything. He shared, “I can tell you from firsthand experience that receiving a diploma from this school means you’re absolutely ready to go in whatever direction you choose. I promise you, whatever you see for yourself, you have been given the tools to go and pursue it. It’s now on you to go and make your place in this world.” Click here to read their speeches, watch the ceremony in its entirety, and flip through photos from the day.

Chief Advancement Officer Update From Head of School Alixe Callen ’88
Lisa Winick has made a decision to step away from her role as Chief Advancement Officer now that Milton’s Dare capital campaign and our master plan construction efforts are concluded. Soon, we will begin working on our next strategic plan and the launch of a new capital campaign. Lisa feels the moment is right for her to consider her next professional opportunity. She will remain in her role through the end of June, leading the successful completion of the Milton Fund’s 2023–24 fundraising and overseeing Reunion weekend. We will move quickly to launch a national search for Lisa’s successor. Carol Giusti-Cahalane, director of development, will lead the department in the interim. Read more.

Counting on YOU this June
While the academic year has just ended for Milton’s students and faculty, the Milton Fund still has big, bold goals to achieve for Milton Academy before our fiscal year ends on June 30—and we’re counting on YOU to help us meet them! Your Milton Fund gift will support the many essential people, programs, and spaces that Milton students count on each day, making a Milton education second to none! Please make your Milton Fund gift by June 30 to make your gift count.

From Milton Magazine: “Coming of Age in a Digital World”
At Northeastern University, Alexandra Rodman ’06 directs a research laboratory that uses social experiences—from experimental tasks to phone usage—as a lens to better understand what makes adolescents unique and why they are at heightened risk for mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety. Greater insight into the neurobiological, psychological, and emotional factors that govern the adolescent social brain, Rodman says, has the potential to inform more-effective interventions for preventing and treating mental health disorders. Read more.

Share Your News With Classmates
We are now accepting Class Notes for the fall 2024 issue of Milton Magazine! Share your accomplishments and life updates with Milton and your classmates by completing this form. Submissions may be edited for brevity and may also be shared on social media, in an email to alumni, and/or on Milton’s website. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 12.
Pictured: Christopher “Chris” West ’77 shared that he and some 1977 classmates gathered on a trip on the Alaska Waterway in May–June of 2023. LtR: Christopher “Chris” West, Peter Gregory, Susan “Sue” (Twitchell) Engelmann, Michael “Mike” Ryan, and David Giandomenico

Join the Milton Community on LinkedIn
Looking to connect with fellow alumni? Have an exciting professional development to share? Join our Milton Academy Alumni group on LinkedIn to connect with classmates and grow your professional network. We also encourage you to proudly showcase your affiliation with Milton Academy by adding the school to your LinkedIn profile under the “Education” section. It’s the best way to highlight your alma mater and stay connected with fellow members of the Milton community.

Celebrate Milton’s Retiring Faculty
Four Milton faculty members—Bob Sinicrope, Rod Skinner ’72, Sarah Storer Goodwin Teaching Chair Sarah Wehle, and Laurence M. Lombard 1913 Teaching Chair Vivian WuWong—retired at the end of this school year. We invite you to join us in celebrating their incredible impact on our community through dedicated virtual memory boards. You can share memories, messages of appreciation, photos, and videos that reflect the joy, learning, and camaraderie they brought to Milton. Please visit www.milton.edu/retirees to post your well wishes!