March 2023
Students Recognized for Excellence in Writing and Visual Art
Milton students wowed judges from the Massachusetts Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, receiving honors for visual arts, poetry, critical and personal essays, journalism, and fiction.
Students who received Gold Key awards are entered into the national Scholastic competition. In addition, Gold Key-winning artists have the opportunity to exhibit their work at Tufts University’s Breed Hall. The exhibit opens to the public on March 18 and runs through March 26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Designing Fun in the Milton Academy Architecture Club
The study of architecture incorporates learning from so many fields—engineering, design, art, technology, business, math, and science—that there’s something in it for everyone, the students of Milton’s Architecture Club have found.
“We try to give members an architectural experience that may build into the Architecture half course, which has doubled in size compared to last year,” said club co-head Sam Stayn ’24, referring to a popular Visual Arts elective. “I think the part of architecture that people find most attractive is blending all of the multidisciplinary aspects into design.”
The club, which also publishes The Arch—a publication about architecture news—meets regularly to participate in design challenges, talk about trends in the industry, and build models. They also collaborate with other clubs on fun activities, like a spaghetti building competition against the members of the Helix science club, Stayn said.
Lending a Helping Hand in Puerto Rico
A spring break service trip to Puerto Rico anchors a busy second semester for Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships (CEPP).
Twelve students and two chaperones will travel to the island the first week of spring break, where they will perform a number of service projects, said CEPP Director Andrea Geyling-Moore.
“They’ll be doing a variety of things from agricultural work to hurricane relief to kids’ activities and environmental sustainability work as well,” she said.
Work is still ongoing to help Puerto Ricans recover from a series of devastating storms in 2017, including Hurricane Maria, which is one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the island. Milton students traveled there last summer through CEPP, the first service trip for the program since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awareness is Key to Racial Literacy, Says Dr. Howard Stevenson
“Racial stress is observable and resolvable because we can see it,” Dr. Howard Stevenson told Milton students recently. “And if we can see it, we can do something about it, but only if we face it in our own racial stories. Courage is in how much we ask about what we don’t know.”
Stevenson, the first of Milton’s 2023 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) speakers, gave Upper and Middle School students racial literacy strategies to handle the inevitable discomfort of situations involving racial stress and threat present in our everyday lives. When people are prepared with tools—including reading and recasting scenarios, locating where stress manifests in our bodies, communicating with ourselves and others, and deploying calming breathing techniques—they are better prepared to make just decisions.
When people encounter conflicts related to race, they’re not just facing the facts of the moment: They’re bringing in a lifetime of internal and external factors that may influence their reactions, so awareness is necessary for a good resolution, Stevenson said.
Milton Students Travel for Music, Service and Cultural Exploration Over Spring Break
The Milton Academy Jazz Combo will make its 13th tour of South Africa this spring break, continuing a Milton tradition that began in 1992. Led by music faculty member, Bob Sinicrope, the tour is meant to be an opportunity for Milton’s students to play music at several venues and provide a cultural and social-awareness experience for the students. Another mission of the trip is to donate musical instruments to South African schools. Over the years, Milton Academy Jazz has donated more than $230,000 in instruments to South African musicians.
Parents’ Association News and Notes
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event – April 20
In April, we are so excited to host our annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event. This is one of our signature USPA events of the year! It will be held on Thursday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are interested in helping out in any way, please contact Teena Kamal at teena.kamal@gmail.com.
USPA Board, 2022–2023 and beyond
Please note we are still in search of parents to volunteer for the Upper School Parents Association (USPA). Please contact Teena Kamal at teena.kamal@gmail.com to help or learn more. We cordially invite you to become involved, whether you live nearby or on another continent. We welcome you to engage with us via Facebook.
Upcoming USPA meetings – not to be missed
Tuesday, March 7
Introducing the new Head of School, Alixe Callen. Other Speakers: Current Head of School Todd Bland, and Upper School Principal Dr. Monica Benton Palmer, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
USPA Board Meeting, 8–8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 11
Speaker, Dean of College Counseling Rod Skinner, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
USPA Board Meeting 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Please note that all meetings will be recorded and emailed to parents after the meeting for those who are unable to attend. We respectfully request you not to share the recordings beyond the Milton Academy parent community.
The faculty, parent, and student events sponsored by the USPA are made possible by your generous contributions of time, funding, and gifts, as we are a self-sustaining organization led by volunteer parents and supported primarily by parent dues and donations. Thank you!
Giving Day is March 9
Save the date for Giving Day on March 9, 2023.
With your gift, you can help unlock the $100K Giving Day Challenge for the Milton Fund. And, when 200 parents give this Giving Day, the Milton Fund can earn an additional $50K through the Parents Challenge.
Looking for ways to get involved on campus and connect with other Milton parents? Reach out to Alana McGrath at alana_mcgrath@milton.edu or 617-898-2267 to learn about opportunities to volunteer for the Milton Fund and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
Volunteer and Engage with Adult Affinity Spaces
Milton Academy offers a host of adult affinity spaces and cultural groups across a wide range of identities, including gender, ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and race. If you are interested in joining facilitated affinity space, please complete this form.
Join Us at the Opening Reception of THE BIG SHOW!
Winter Dance Concert is This Weekend in King Theatre
Student choreographers and dancers have been hard at work finessing their performances for Winter Dance Concert, one of the most popular performance events of the year. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Reserve your free tickets online here.
Just for Fun
Studio Cookup
Watch this short film, Studio Cookup, created by Guthrie Meyer ’25 in Shane Fuller’s filmmaking class. View more samples of student filmmaking projects on Vimeo.
Featured Photos
One-Act Plays
This past weekend, Milton’s performing arts students presented this year’s one-act plays in Kellner’s Studio Theatre The student-directed one-act plays are a campus tradition that challenge drama students to follow a production from licensing to casting to performance.
View more photos of the one-act plays.
Gospel Explosion
Straus Library was filled with song on February 17 as the annual Gospel Explosion unfolded with performances and praise. Gospel Explosion started in 2009 when Lami Olatunji ’10 approached Gospel Choir Director Lori Dow with the idea of celebrating gospel music in coordination with Black History Month. Over the years, the program has evolved, with some events featuring performances by outside groups, and others featuring combinations of Milton’s musical ensembles.
View more photos of the event.
Improv Night
The “hot spot” on campus this winter has been the Kellner Performing Arts Center as Milton hosted a wide range of fun events in this venue over the weekends. One Friday evening, the school hosted Improv Night, featuring the talents of students from Milton’s Improvisation class.
View more photos of the show.
Beatnik Café
Widely attended by students and fondly remembered by young grads, Beatnik Café has been growing in scope and popularity ever since alumnus Colin Cheney ’96 brought it to life. Three or four times a year, students pack Straus Library for a show of their classmates’ artistic talents. Music of all kinds—classic guitar, rap, rock, hip hop, acoustic—along with original poetry readings round out the night’s performances.
View more photos from Beatnik.
The 39 Steps
Actors took to the stage in King Theatre for this year’s winter play, The 39 Steps.
View more photos of the performance.
Read Helix, Milton’s Student Science Publication
Helix is Milton Academy’s one and only scientific journal, written by and for Milton students on a range of STEM topics. The publication strives to help students better share their passion for and knowledge of the sciences with the entire Milton community. Download this latest edition of Helix.
Milton’s ski team competed in the New Englands on February 15. Use these links to view photos of our skiers racing down the slopes.
Girls’ Slalom
Boys’ Slalom
Girls’ Giant Slalom
Boys’ Giant Slalom
