a d m is s io n c ata l o gu e 2010–2011
mi lt on aca d e m y
ad mi s s i o n cata l o g ue 2 0 11– 2 0 12
mess age f r o m t h e h e a d o f s c ho o l
You are thinking about your next school, and we are delighted to share Milton with you—through this book, and milton.edu. We hope that you will soon join us for a campus visit, as well. You’ll find that students at Milton are friendly, happy, and completely engaged with their work and their many activities. As one student told me when I was learning about Milton, “I love the balance of this place. Academic standards are very high and we work tremendously hard, but we definitely have fun and laugh along the way.” He is right. At Milton, you’ll find a powerful, challenging academic experience together with a warm, supportive environment. You’ll work in small classes, with skilled, caring faculty to develop your analytical skills, your perspectives, your creativity and your awareness. The power of the Milton experience grows out of remarkable relationships. Your teachers, coaches, house heads, advisors and friends will get to know you well. They will inspire you, involve you and help you find out who you really are. Milton students love how different we all are:
what our families and our backgrounds bring to the School community, and how the talents around us make our community so exciting. After immersing themselves in Milton’s opportunities, in and out of the classroom, Milton students graduate with the confidence in themselves and the competence to succeed at the most selective colleges and universities in the country. Beyond these further academic pursuits, “Dare to be true” is the idea Milton graduates never lose; they apply their spirit, skills and commitment to meaningful professions of all kinds. We hope to have the chance to meet you in person very soon. Come visit and learn first hand why students at Milton love their School, and feel the respect and support among students and faculty. We invite you to share Milton with us.
Todd B. Bland Head of School
co n t en t s f acts School Address: 170 Centre Street Milton, Massachusetts 02186 Admission Telephone Number: 617-898-2227 Fax Number: 617-898-1701 Web Site: www.milton.edu Email: admissions@milton.edu Head of School: Todd Bland Upper School Principal: David Ball Dean of Enrollment: Paul Rebuck Student Enrollment, Upper School (9–12): 675 Operating Budget (net), 2011–2012: $51 million Tuition: Boarding: $45,720 Day: $37,530 Financial Aid Budget: $7.9 million Editors: Cathleen Everett, Erin Hoodlet, Caitlin Cassis, Paul Rebuck, Meg Burke Design: Moore & Associates, Cambridge, MA
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Photographers: Doug Austin, Dan Callahan, Tracy Crews, Michael Dwyer, John Gillooly, Greg Hren, Michael Lutch, Chris Riley, Gregg Shupe, Martha Stewart, Nicki Pardo, Greg White
As an institution committed to diversity, Milton Academy welcomes the opportunity to admit academically qualified students of any gender, race, color, handicapped status, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally available to its students. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, handicapped status, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other school-administered activities.
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Our Mission Boston Makes a Difference What to Expect at Milton Students Faculty Academic Life English History and Social Sciences Science Mathematics and Computer Programming Modern and Classical Languages The Arts Off-Campus Programs College Counseling Residential Life: A Family at School Walking Through the Milton Day Weekends at Milton Spaces and Places Athletics Music and Performing Arts Community Service Clubs and Organizations Campus Resources and Campus Map Admission and Financial Aid History Board of Trustees Faculty Directions
our mission
Milton Academy cultivates in its students a passion for learning and a respect for others. Embracing diversity and the pursuit of excellence, we create a community in which individuals develop competence, confidence and character. Our active learning environment, in and out of the classroom, develops creative and critical thinkers, unafraid to express their ideas, prepared to seek meaningful lifetime success, and to live by our motto, “Dare to be true.�
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our m is s io n: a pass io n f or le a r n i n g Students and faculty at Milton openly enjoy ideas. We cherish curiosity and honor scholarship. Inspired by teachers and classmates, Milton students develop new areas of interest and maximize their strengths.
Something that’s unique about Milton are the GGE’s (graded group exercises) that we occasionally have in math, or in science class. Those exercises tell you a lot about the Milton classroom. They’re basically tests that you take with partners, which sounds weird, or kind of scary, but the concept works here. I don’t think it would work at other schools. You never have one person dominating the conversation. Everyone has different strengths here, and in a project like that, all of those strengths are important and come into play. People have so many different things to contribute, and that always makes the result of our work better.
At my old school you didn’t have to be attentive all the time, but here I know I have to be prepared because I’ll be “teaching” half of the class. Here you’re teaching your peers and learning from them at the same time—you’re all asking the questions and answering the questions. Everyone is sitting up straight, and you walk out of class saying to each other, “Wow! That was such a great Latin class!” —Hannah Smith, Millboro, Virginia Millet House, Class I
—Robert Bedetti, Beverly, Massachusetts Class I
fa ct s • Beyond core courses and electives, students can find faculty sponsors and design independent courses. • Yoshi Makishima, Class I, placed second honors at the 2011 Shakespeare Competition for High School Students. Twentyseven schools from around Massachusetts competed in the contest. Each student performed a monologue from one of Shakespeare’s plays and recited one of his sonnets. Finalists were required to perform a “cold reading” of a monologue selected by the judges. • Armide Storey ’09 developed her senior project around shadowing Dr. Adam Wolf berg ’88, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist at Tufts Medical Center. Armide read extensively to prepare for her project, and participated in clinical research with Dr. Wolf berg.
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our mis s io n : a res pe ct f o r o t h e r s Milton is a safe and generous place for young people to live and learn. The idea that each individual brings a unique and valuable dimension to our shared experience drives the relationships in our community. The students here are so unique. You get to know people from so many different places and everyone has something cool to offer. When you get to talking with other students who might be different from you, you dismiss any preconceived notions. At Milton you can embrace all your different aspects—you don’t get stuck in one niche. Milton is good at cultivating that. You can go different ways to do lots of things that you want. I love my science course, but I also write poetry and spend afternoons on the [athletic] fields.
I play on the varsity soccer team, and the girls on my team are incredible. Team dynamics come into play everywhere— we’re a team on and off the field, and not only in our season. We cheer each other up, support each other, and get to know each other so well that we’re like a big family. We try to make each other’s days better. We focus at practice, and we work hard for one another and for our coaches. We keep each other in line sometimes, too. When I lose focus in a game, or get distracted by a bad call, my captains and the other girls bring me back, and that makes all the difference. —Diana Perry, Bethesda, Maryland Millet House, Class I
— Chelsea Mehra, McLean, Virginia Hathaway House, Class I
fa cts • A committee of faculty and students met to determine guidelines for respectful and appropriate ways to debate online. Online conference charters reinforce that the forums for discussion are for members of the Milton community who want to voice their thoughts, beliefs and opinions while being open to—and respecting—those of others. • Students’ favorite weekend activities are watching each other in performance—athletics, drama, dance, poetryreading, and playing rock, jazz or classical music. • Disciplinary Committees, which assign accountability for students who have violated School rules, are composed of four students and four faculty members.
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our m is s io n: embr acing d i v e r si t y To us, growing and learning among individuals who share widely divergent life stories, and appreciating their respective cultures, is an invaluable aspect of a true education. The diversity at Milton is such a valuable part of this place. There are all different types of people, and I don’t just mean in terms of race or religion. People have different hobbies, different talents, they like different sports and are in different clubs. For instance, in morning assemblies, the student announcements could go on forever—“Try out for the lacrosse team! Come see the play! Write for the paper!” —Henry Russell, Norwell, Massachusetts Class I
In our modern language classes, students learn that language is not just some sort of code; it’s about living another culture, acceptance and tolerance. The beauty of learning a language is that once you start to open your mind to different ways of saying things, you open your mind to different ways of thinking about things. The ability to see things with different eyes, appreciate different cultures, be inspired by other ways of doing things, are attitudes the world needs. We send our students out into the world to share the reality that there’s more than one way to think about things. —Tracy Crews, Modern Language Department
fa ct s • New student orientation includes visits to Boston’s many ethnic neighborhoods to experience their histories, foods and cultures. • All students are welcome to join any of Milton’s 11 identity and culture clubs. • On campus recently, in discussion with students about race, identity and culture, were Ha Jin, awardwinning novelist; Jan Willis, Wesleyan University professor of Tibetan Buddhism; artist and activist Derrick Ashong; Fields Medal winner and Harvard Professor Shing-Tung Yau; and awardwinning artist and fi lmmaker Tze Chun ’98.
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o ur mi s s i o n : a n d t h e pur s ui t o f excellence facts • Charlotte Reed, Class I, earned first place in Princeton University’s 2010 Leonard Milberg ’53 Secondary School Poetry competition. Charlotte’s poem “Acupuncture” was chosen from among thousands of submissions from across the country. The contest was judged by members of Princeton’s creative writing faculty, which includes renowned authors Joyce Carol Oates, Jeffrey Eugenides, Tracy K. Smith and Colm Toibin. • Sydney Sykes, Class II, was chosen to be a youth forum member of the Twelfth World Conference of Historical Cities, representing Boston and the United States. The conference is organized by the League of Historical Cities, whose mission is to promote world peace through communication and cultural sharing. Boston is the only U.S. city of the 86 in the league, and Sydney was the sole youth representative from North America chosen to attend this year’s conference. • This winter, the boys’ varsity hockey team beat Kent School 2-1 to win the NEPSAC Boys’ Hockey Championship in Salem, New Hampshire. The team had an overall season record of 26-3-1. Among their accomplishments, the Mustangs beat Nobles four times during the year, finishing the season on a 15-0-1 run. The team also won the Tabor New Year’s Tournament for the third straight year and claimed the ISL Keller Division title.
Milton’s energy comes from striving to meet our own expectations. Seeking to meet the highest standards—in performance, athletic competition, artistic expression, leadership activity, intellectual exploration, and in understanding our world—is a cultural reality at Milton and a lifelong legacy for our students. I enjoyed my DYO [Do Your Own] project in Physics because my partner and I tested whether or not the Doppler effect is true, whether velocity does affect frequency of sound. Since I was nine years old I’ve had a passion for science. This project gave me a new perspective on how to work in the lab— the conduct, the research. We really had to create the process from the beginning—forming our hypothesis, working with control variables. I’m planning to work at NIH [National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland] in the lab this summer. — Chelsea Mehra, McLean, Virginia Hathaway House, Class I The essays that we write here are a lot more analytical than I was used to. I had to present a much stronger argument than I had at my old school. Figuring it out was trial and error: making adjustments, talking with the teacher, reviewing the essay again. It was helpful being able to go back to the teacher again and again. —Maggie Walsh, Milton, Massachusetts Class II I was surprised by how well I was able to adjust to the class size here. I came from a public school, where there would have been 2,400 students in high school with me, and now I am in a Chinese class with eight others. In my old classes you could hide in the back of a room of 35, but here we’re all sitting around the table, face-to-face. We have no choice but to say what we think, and to listen to what everyone else has to say. I never raised my hand in English class before I came here; I never thought my answers or ideas were sufficient. But the teachers here make it safe and comfortable for us to voice our thoughts. —Kiyon Hahm, Irvine, California Robbins House, Class II
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our m is s io n: a com m unity i n w h i c h i n di v i d ua l s dev el o p comp ete nce , c o n f i de n c e a n d c ha r a c t er Milton students participate in numerous experiences and relationships that ultimately affirm their aptitudes, values and abilities. Milton alumni put their well-developed skills to work in the most competitive colleges in the country and pursue the broadest possible array of advanced studies and professional careers. Dr. Eyster has cultivated in me a love for biology and the scientific process. She’s changed the way I think about academics and science, taught me how to ask hard questions, then work for answers. Through her class, and the encouragement I received, I’ve developed a deep passion for the study of science, and I’ve learned the skills I’ll need to apply that passion outside of Milton. —Isabelle Lelogeais, Cambridge, Massachusetts Class I
Giving my Class IV Talk was a defining moment for me. Coming to Milton from the other side of the world was hard, but when I stood up to deliver my speech to my class, the response from my classmates was overwhelming. People I hadn’t even met yet were congratulating me, asking me questions about some of the things I had said; my friends were giving me hugs telling me what a great job I had done. That experience was a huge confidence boost for me. It opened me up to trying new things, taking risks, putting myself out there. When I gave my speech for head monitor three years later—to almost ten times as many people—I felt so supported. I wasn’t nervous at all. —Assel Tuleubayeva, Almaty, Kazakhstan Robbins House, Class of 2010
fa ct s • One third of all Milton students are community service volunteers, working in 39 settings—in Boston, in Milton and on campus. • The Outdoor Program, first led by the legendary mountaineer H. Adams Carter ’32, boasts an indoor climbing wall. Outdoor gear includes a fleet of kayaks, mountaineering boots, rock-climbing shoes, tents, four-season sleeping bags and outdoor cooking equipment. The program teaches students how to hike, climb and kayak, stressing safety training and preparedness. • Milton students stage ten dramatic productions each year. Among recent plays were the musical Chicago, La Casa Nova, The Odyssey by Homer, and Doubt: A Parable.
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o u r m i ss i o n : a c t i v e l ea rn i n g en v i ro n men t, i n a n d o ut o f t h e c l a s s ro o m Acutely aware that every encounter affects a young person’s development, faculty consciously surround students with opportunities for intellectual and personal growth, not only during class and during their extensive extracurricular lives but also within their social lives. My extracurricular interests really changed when I came to Milton. I started working on The Milton Paper, and journalism was new to me. Now I’m the Arts & Entertainment editor for the paper. I’ve also indulged my art side—I used to be very into theater, but now I spend a lot of my time with the jazz ensembles. I’ve been more consistently inspired here than at any other school I’ve been to, and it’s not just me alone. Everyone here wants to be involved, and it feels good to be part of that. — Cydney Grannan, Newton, Massachusetts Class II At Milton, you feel excited to be engaged. You’re with students who are on the same level as you academically. You feel encouraged in your classes and you want to do the best for your teachers—they are here because they love to teach. They’re so accessible and they make it easy to meet with them outside of class. The energy here makes you want to be involved with all kinds of activities. I’m on the math team, the debate team, the tennis team, and I even tried out for squash, which I’d never played before. —Henry Arndt, Newport News, Virginia Goodwin House, Class II
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fa cts • From Boston, Cambridge, New York, Los Angeles and international locations, over 40 guest poets, writers, historians, researchers and performers visited with Milton students this year. • Twenty-five students participated in Milton’s recent community service trip to Belize, South America. Assisted by the nonprofit group Peacework, students refurbished the Saint Barnabus School, just outside of San Ignacio in the country’s mountainous interior. Working eight-hour days, they painted and tiled a classroom building and tutored elementary school students in language and mathematics. • Milton Academy’s Jazz Combos have performed on NPR’s nationally broadcast quiz show “Says You” and at the inaugural ball of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick ’74. The jazz combos’ accomplished players frequently take to the stage at the Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They have also toured South Africa and performed with T.S. Monk and for Jim Hall, Dave Holland, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Danny Glover.
our m is s io n: d eve l o ps cre at i v e a n d c r i t i c al t h i n ker s The mutual respect among faculty and students at Milton inspires—even demands—the free flow of ideas and analysis that both groups find intellectually stimulating. Identifying your own ideas, expressing them effectively, and learning how to disagree, are core skills shaped at Milton. Mr. Chung is the best English teacher I’ve ever had. His sense of humor crosses over to what high school students actually think is funny, and to sit around the Harkness table with him, it feels like we’re all peers. The conversation just flows—you don’t need to raise your hand, there are no side conversations going on. Mr. Chung knows practically every word in the English language, so we try to find big vocabulary words that he might not know. We try to come up with old English words that mean “rock” or “hill” but have no Latin root.
Coming from my previous school, the amount of hands-on learning in my first science class at Milton was shocking. I’ve become much more of a critical thinker here. We have to analyze, ask why, and ask how a thing works, as opposed to just memorize a set of generally accepted facts. I love Honors Bio with Mr. Edgar. The complexity and dynamics of the living world are really interesting. We see the forces that we learned about in physics, and then in chemistry, working together to give forth life. We started with ecology, then moved to cellular level mechanics, and next we’re studying DNA. —Nikhil Bhambi, Bakersfield, California Goodwin House, Class I
—Rachel Black, Needham, Massachusetts Class I
fa ct s • Milton Academy’s remotely operated underwater vehicle team (M.A.R.O.V.) earned third place in the fifth annual New England Regional R.O.V. Competition, facing high school teams from New York, New Jersey and around New England. • Reif Larsen ’98 returned to campus this spring as the 2011 graduation speaker. Reif’s first novel, The Selected Works Of T.S. Spivet, was a New York Times bestseller and is currently being published in twenty-nine countries. While studying at Brown, Reif spent a year teaching at Maru-a-Pula school in Gaborone, Botswana; he now serves on their American board of trustees. A filmmaker as well, Reif has shot a number of documentaries in the U.S., U.K., and Sub-Saharan Africa about inner-city students working in the arts.
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our mis s io n : pr ep ared t o li v e b y o u r m ott o , “da re t o be t rue.” Now in its third century, Milton has always developed strong, independent, confident thinkers. Students graduate with a clear sense of who they are, what their world is about and how to contribute. “Dare to be true” is not only a core value; it describes Milton culture, and the exhortation echoes in graduates’ lives forever. What I like best is the way Milton does things. It’s a trustbased environment. We have free periods and the idea is “we trust you to do your work.” That was a huge switch for me. Before, people expected us to do the worst we could do, so they made the policies and rules with that expectation. Here they expect the best person to come out, so it does.
I’ve changed a lot since coming to Milton—I’ve matured, I’m more independent, and I have learned how to get along with people very different from me. I’ve learned about new cultures, new music—I used to listen to a lot of hip hop and R&B back home, but now I listen to more classical music. You don’t always see yourself change, but you realize one day that you’re different, and here I’ve found that’s for the better. —Shan Lin, Bronx, New York Forbes House, Class I You’re comfortable being smart at Milton. At my old school, I was Hannah the smart girl. Now I’m just Hannah. At Milton you’re all on a level playing field. No one is set apart for being “outstanding” or “the smart kid.” We’re all the smart kid.
—Lina Neidhardt, Canton, Massachusetts Class II
—Hannah Smith, Millboro, Virginia Millet House, Class I
fac t s
fa cts • Students earning Bisbee Prizes this year for outstanding research in U.S. History asked questions about the role of Irish immigrants in the democratic party; the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on AfricanAmerican identity; Japanese internment practices during World War II; and the whaling industry in the United States. • One of 28 teenagers in Massachusetts, Grant Jones, Class of 2010, was chosen for Governor Deval Patrick’s Statewide Youth Council. The Youth Council was formed to give young people access to the governor and a significant voice in the decision-making process. Council members’ responsibilities motivate them to be involved in their communities and to participate in problem solving through leadership and planning roles.
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b os ton mak es a d iff eren c e
loc ation Just eight miles from campus, Boston’s resources profoundly affect how we at Milton can think about educating young people. The many options within minutes of our traditional, scenic campus mean that Boston’s educational and cultural assets have become part of the Milton experience. Not only do we connect with many universities and artistic institutions, but also with the writers, historians, scientists, artists and musicians who choose to live in this dynamic city. Our urban backyard also allows us to educate ourselves about political and social questions in realistic contexts. The Boston-Milton proximity enriches what we can offer students every day.
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u r b an-infu s ed acad emic s b o st o n to m i lto n Faculty at Milton link learning with the distinguished scholars, artists and professionals who live and work in Boston, Cambridge and beyond. Each year, about 40 distinguished guests come to campus. Their experience, accomplishments and willingness to engage with our students not only enliven the subject matter, but also elevate the importance of academic work, and model long-term commitment to excellence. A sampling of recent visitors to Milton: • Sir Derek Jacobi British actor • Paul Muldoon Pulitzer-Prize winning poet • Rubén Alvarez Latin percussionist and composer
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides—who penned the best selling novels Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides—was the spring 2009 Bingham Reader.
• Edwidge Danticat Award-winning short story author and novelist • Marie Wilson Founder and president of the White House Project
• Dr. James J. McCarthy Professor of biology and earth science at Harvard; former director of Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology • Stephen Neal Player for the New England Patriots • Ha Jin Award-winning novelist • Jan Willis Author and professor of Tibetan Buddhism at Wesleyan University • Bill Irwin Tony Award-winning actor, comedian and dancer • Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. African-American history scholar, author, and W.E.B. Dubois Professor at Harvard University • Lauren Greenfield Award-winning documentary photographer and photojournalist • Shing-Tung Yau Fields Medal winner and Harvard professor
milt o n to bo s to n Having access to Boston’s universities, institutions and other resources is a particular advantage to our students. For example, students in AP American & Comparative Government attend programs at Harvard’s Kennedy Institute on Politics, the Kennedy Library, and the Ford Hall Forum at Faneuil Hall. Delegations attend the Harvard Model Congress, the Harvard Model UN and a similar program at Tufts University. Calculus students visit M.I.T. laboratories, while Ancient Civilizations classes explore exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). The History of Art class also visits the MFA as well as Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Geology students extend their class work to
the Charles River and the Blue Hills Reservation. Members of the Astronomy class experience the planetarium at the Museum of Science. With Tufts, M.I.T., Harvard, Boston College, Northeastern, Wellesley and Boston University in Milton’s backyard, our students have many opportunities to participate in the academic and cultural environment of “America’s college town.”
mus i c Milton offers unparalleled opportunities for students who want to pursue music seriously as part of a broad high school education. Students take private lessons and participate in ensembles at the following renowned institutions:
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• The New England Conservatory of Music • Youth Symphony Orchestra, Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, Youth Chorale • Boston University • Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras • Longy Music School • Massachusetts Educators District and All-State Music Festivals Milton students participate in musical competitions sponsored by: • Boston Symphony Orchestra • Harvard Musical Association • Quincy Symphony Orchestra • Boston Pops Orchestra • Wellesley Symphony Orchestra • Brockton Symphony Orchestra
week end f un t e a c h i n g s t uden t s t o us e bo s t o n With Milton students, the Student Activities Office plans and supervises group fun in Boston, taking advantage of the range of activities the city provides: • The Lion King or Wicked at the Opera House • Nutcracker at the Wang Theater • Dinner at the Hard Rock Café • The Boat Dance on Boston Harbor Cruises • Boston Bowl and Good Times for arcade games and laser tag • Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins games • Movie buses to the Landmark Complex—surprise free movie passes • Vans to Copley Place and the South Shore Plaza for shopping
Milton Academy considers Boston to be a valuable resource. We understand the need to teach students about using the city and to provide a structure for oppor tunities that are both safe and age-appropriate. Milton plans faculty-supported activities that involve Boston, and encourages students to explore the city according to carefully reviewed plans and permissions granted by parents earlier in the year. When house parents consider requests for trips to Boston, they are careful to check for the number of students going together (two at a minimum; three or more when possible), and for the ages of the students in the group.
They review the students’ plans for safety before giving permission. On the weekends, Class IV (Grade 9) and Class III (Grade 10) students must return to campus by 7:30 p.m. Upperclassmen must return by check-in time. When a group with an appropriate ratio of older to younger students wants to attend a concert or go to dinner in Boston, the younger students may ask permission for a “late night” (11:00 p.m. on Friday or Saturday night). Permission is based on the dorm faculty’s perception that the plans are safe and well organized. “Late nights” are considered on a case-by-case basis— up to four times each year.
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The opportunities to use Boston are thoughtfully considered by the faculty; the rules are ageappropriate and change as a student moves through the School.
what t o exp ect at milt o n Being smart and interested is easy, fun and normal; everyone around you is motivated, too.
Your learning is more about process than outcomes, more about balance than stress. (For example, you’re only allowed a certain number of major assignments due each week.)
Learning is discussion-based, not lecture-based; intense conversation in the classroom makes the class exciting. You make connections and discoveries you never imagined.
You can be involved in a lot of different activities here. Many students try something new that they’ve never done before, and that’s encouraged. Or, you can take the thing you love to the max.
Your teachers look for analysis, critical thinking, expressing ideas; they help you achieve these skills. You’ll develop your own point of view, and you’ll learn to respect others’ differing points of view.
You’re given a lot of unstructured time (increasingly so, as you get older), but you also have a lot of support. Your friends, the upperclassmen in your dorm, your peers, and your teachers want to help you.
You have your own advisor. One advisor counsels you and a small group of other students throughout your Milton years; guides your course selection; keeps in touch with your academic and social progress; is your family’s liaison to the School; and acts as your resource and advocate.
We’re a big school, but with a small feel. Your classrooms have about 14 students in them. Everyone is part of the action. Options are plentiful, and choices are important. Students run their lives and their days according to what they like to do. You’ll go to class, but then you’ll choose your afternoon activities, and spend that time the way you want to.
You’ll be prepared to take AP tests, even if the course is not labeled AP. In fact, many upper level courses are more challenging and rewarding than AP curricula. Teachers are ready and willing to help you outside of class; students visit faculty in the dorms and call faculty at home for help. Faculty get to know you well—who you are and what you care about; you’ll want to meet their high expectations of you. Your courses are not limited to the texts; readings and discussions go beyond the textbooks, and teachers respond to what students are interested in. Your art teachers are artists, in and outside of school; your music teachers are musicians; your English teachers are writers; your drama teachers are performers, set designers, and directors, and so forth. All your teachers are scholars in their fields, and they love to teach. Everyone here works hard, but they have a lot of fun, too. Students will tell you that they and their friends are really happy, and that life here is collaborative, not competitive. Our proximity to Boston is a unique and important feature to our School. Only eight miles away, the city offers so many opportunities for fun and for learning. You won’t just become prepared for college—you’ll develop the skills that help you become prepared for life. 15
fa c t s Upper School students: 675, grades 9–12 Population of the town of Milton: 26,000 Foreign countries represented in the Upper School in 2011–2012: 21 Percent of students of color in 2011–2012: 40% Student gender ratio in 2011–2012: 50/50 Students who participated in exchange programs or programs abroad in 2010–2011, studying in countries such as Spain, France, Italy and China: 42
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st u dent s Are you curious? Do ideas matter to you? Do you like a challenge? Would you give yourself the chance to try something new? Would you like feeling really proud of your friends? Do you care deeply about some things? Do you like thinking about lots of things at once? Do you like to laugh? Can you laugh at yourself? Is your answer “yes”? Then Milton may be the school for you. In the years I have taught at Milton I have encountered some of the smartest and most motivated students I can ever hope to know. It’s intriguing for me to work with students this smart, this motivated. Add to that the fact that it’s part of Milton’s culture that these students are laid back about their success. It’s endearing to me that they work so hard, do so well, and yet are very kind to one another; they’re very supportive of each other. They are nice to teachers, and teachers are nice to them. Students here are kind, happy, vigorous, challenging, and humane—especially in the classroom.
Around the table in the classrooms, in laboratories, on fields, in studios, and in your dormitory, you’ll find your classmates caring, opinionated, funny and talented in many different ways. Faculty whose passion for their discipline feeds their love of teaching will draw you into the discussion with the 12 or so other students in your class. There are so many ways to get involved at Milton, and so many encouraging people, that you’ll find a niche just right for you—a place to develop new skills, take on leadership, make good friends, and have fun. Milton is such a collection of people. Everyone who comes here is smart and talented in a unique way. Most of the students have experienced the same thing I did—being one of the really smart kids at their old school—and then they come here and EVERYONE is smart. The people here are talented, funny, eager to learn, but also really eager to have fun. And these people are my friends now! —Brittany Lee, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Millet House, Class III The students at Milton are all very aware: aware of what they have to do, aware that they’re capable, aware of the world around them. Milton students seem to have a broader knowledge, in general, than most kids our age.
—Michael Lou, History Department
— Cydney Grannan, Newton, Massachusetts Class II
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f a c u lt y For years and years after high school, Milton students stay connected to faculty members who shifted the course of their lives—teachers who believed in them, supported them, developed their skills and fueled their growth. The deep commitment of a learned and experienced group of teachers is Milton’s great treasure, today and throughout Milton’s history. More than half the faculty have devoted over 10 years to Milton students, in classrooms, on playing fields and in dormitories. Scholars, writers, artists and researchers in their own right, these are skilled people who love teaching and the dynamics of learning. Faculty members at Milton are as diverse and individualistic as the students. They probe one another for new ideas. They value each other’s openness, responsiveness, energy and talent. They are passionate about their subject matter and communicate that passion to students. Together, they care for individual students. They give totally of themselves. My colleagues are incredibly passionate and well-read; they continue to expand their knowledge; they are never locked in old views. They like to think about things, to be open to new views. Even my older colleagues are surprisingly flexible. They have taken ownership of what they do: they can tell you exactly why they do what they do and never use the royal “we,” as in, “here’s the way ‘we’ do it.” They are open to new ideas, to each other, to new perspectives.
At Milton your teachers know you well, and they are willing to talk with you about anything—obviously your class work, but also your concert coming up, or your friends, your game against your rivals or your weekend plans. They make time for you, and they don’t spend class time lecturing at you. They’re friendly and accessible. They respect what we have to say in class. My advisor knows the Milton community so well and provides such amazing insight for me. He’s incredible—he’s been to all seven continents—and at another school I don’t know whether I’d have someone so interesting and intellectual caring so much and helping guide my high school experience. —Louis McWilliams, Milton, Massachusetts Class II Ms. Baker is my English teacher, and she has helped me improve my writing so much. I’m really proud of my work in her class, and it helps that she comments so thoroughly on everything I turn in. She’s so encouraging, saying “You’re doing great! This is an excellent paragraph—strong focus with solid, supportive details.” I edited my critical essay so many times because I wanted it to be perfect—for me and for her. She even makes grammar fun, even though there’s nothing fun about grammar. She’s so respectful of us, and so open. — Osaremen Okolo, Canton, Massachusetts Class III
You have this two-way flow of respect, which has an essential impact on the flow of ideas—they’re more fluid, more rich, more rapid, more dynamic. It’s the exchange of ideas that’s the premium, because for students to be able to truly understand concepts they need to speak about them. More sophisticated and varied interpretations of the ideas come out as the exchange goes on. We’re not in the business of giving out definitions. We’re here to help students develop interpretations—understandings—of ideas. —Michael Lou, History Department Faculty do everything possible to enable students to learn at their own pace, and we really do not measure students against each other. We know them well. We support them individually. We spend lots of one-on-one time with them. That said, this is a rigorous and demanding curriculum. Keeping it going, and paying close attention to each student, takes real energy. —Jim Connolly, English Department
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fa cts Number of Milton Academy faculty (1798): 2 Number of Milton Academy faculty (2011): 130 Percent of faculty with postgraduate degrees: 75% Percent of faculty with doctorates: 10% Ratio of students to faculty: 5:1
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At Milton, we encourage that paradoxically productive mix of independence and collaboration, humility and confidence, respect for the past and enthusiasm for the future. When we do so, we allow students to grow in enduring ways. Reflective and creative, they can approach new challenges with thoughtful determination, and because they learn to speak and listen with equal care, they develop the capacity to lead. Every day, in every moment, such growth takes place at Milton. To foster such learning, just to share in it, is a remarkable privilege. —David Ball, Upper School Principal and History Department Faculty
fa ct s Typical class size: 14 Typical number of courses taken per semester: 5 Number of history/social science electives: 22 Number of English electives: 20 Number of hardbound volumes in Cox Library: 46,000 Class IV: Grade 9 Class III: Grade 10 Class II: Grade 11 Class I: Grade 12
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acad emic life t h e li f e o f t he mi n d i s t he pul s e o f t h e school Milton’s environment is intellectually charged. Students and faculty are excited about learning. The wide world of academic opportunity at Milton engages students in a demanding program of the highest quality. Students develop competence in the core subjects and feed intellectual passion through electives and independent study courses.
Learning at Milton is interactive. Dialogue, inquiry and reflection among faculty and students trigger extraordinary intellectual growth. As students progress, they learn to express themselves in writing and speech. They develop analytical skills and the confidence to defend their opinions. They learn to be independent, to take initiative and to manage their own time. We expect students to direct their own schedules, participate in class, have work prepared, and balance their academic, extracurricular, and social commitments.
Boston is a resource. Because of our relationship with Boston and with major universities, discussions about international relations, historical perspectives, scientific research, fi lm, environmental challenges, and the world of writing enliven our classrooms. Visiting professors, writers, scientists, journalists, and artists are frequently part of campus life, not only for lectures, but also for forums and classroom workshops with students. With Boston as our resource and inspiration, cultural activities, political exploration, scientific ventures and arts initiatives thrive at Milton.
Thinking, imagining, growing Our teachers are skilled at their craft, and they are also serious scholars, artists and performers. They care deeply about each student’s progress and about the liveliness of our learning environment. Milton is an active and challenging academic community, where learners young and old think deeply, respectfully and imaginatively.
At Milton you actually have to think. In some other schools they tell you what to do and you just copy the steps. Here you have to think for yourself. My old school wasn’t about having an opinion and thinking deeply, it was more about facts and figures. Here you learn, think, analyze, take it in, mull it over, formulate your own opinion. — Corina Ramirez, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Hathaway House, Class of 2010 21
e ng lish English courses at Milton offer a continuous interplay between the traditional and the innovative, the ancient and the modern, the basic skills and the imaginative encounter. All courses stress the development of writing skills through a series of assignments that demand analysis and originality. Careful faculty advising helps students choose a course of study best suited to their abilities and interests. As students progress from Class IV to Class I, the elective choices increase. Milton Academy’s English program encourages spontaneity and creativity while emphasizing the rewards of discipline.
Before I came to Milton, I had heard of a lot of great writers who had graduated from here. Being here I have developed a passion for writing, and Milton has introduced me to so many different types of writing and reading. I’m especially drawn to pieces that deal with the human condition. I feel like I’ve learned to express myself—in writing and speaking—articulately and literarily.
Every day in my English classes, I have 12 to 15 teenagers around the Harkness table who have done the reading. They’re not trying to get away from challenge, and they are truly excited about our discussion. They ask great questions. They love language. At Milton you become a critical thinker. It’s always been that way, and that’s one of the things I loved as a student here. We have serious discussions about words, and how to use words powerfully. Every minute, every class period is packed.
—Shan Lin, Bronx, New York Forbes House, Class I
—Caroline Sabin ’86, English Department
a s a mpl i n g o f c o ur s es i nclud es Studies in English and American Literature (two-year course) Literature and the Human Condition American Literature Man and the Natural World Contemporary World Literature Shakespeare Modern Comparative Literature Three Writers in Depth
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Performing Literature Philosophy and Literature The Craft of Nonfiction Hamlet Creative Writing Advanced Creative Writing Woman, Man, and Their Fictions Literature and the Nature of Reality
fr o m th e m i lt o n c la s s r o om Modern Comparative Literature: Reading List John Charles Smith, English Department Summer reading Charles Dickens, Great Expectations Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment Contextual Readings Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Empire William Barrett, Irrational Man Joan Didion, The White Album Fiction Franz Kafka, The Complete Stories James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse Albert Camus, The Stranger Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude J.M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians Toni Morrison, Beloved Drama Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts August Strindberg, The Father Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard
Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of An Author Bertolt Brecht, Mother Courage and Her Children Samuel Beckett, Happy Days Harold Pinter, The Homecoming Edward Albee, The Zoo Story Sam Shepard, Buried Child David Mamet, American Buffalo David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross David Mamet, House of Games Anna Deveare Smith, Fires in the Mirror Tony Kushner, Angels in America: Part One: Millenium Approaches Suzan Lori Parks, The Red Letter Plays David Henry Hwang, Yellow Face Caryl Churchill, A Number Caryl Churchill, Far Away Martin McDonagh, The Pillowman Lynn Nottage, Ruined
Examples of Class IV Talks All Class IV students give a prepared speech to the entire class as part of the Class IV English course. Students choose their own topics. • The Complexities of Abortion • The Ethics and Realities of Animal Testing
• Spiritual Inspiration Found in Christian Summer Camp • Pros and Cons of Being Short • The Healing Power of Laughter • Reality TV: Its Hypnotic Power and Its Illusions • Disney Films and Their Racism
Award-Winning Writing Each year, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers recognizes a select group of high school students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their art. Award winners are selected by a panel of professional artists and are chosen from among thousands of submissions. This year, three Milton students earned recognition for their writing in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Sarah Costello (I) and Tina Cho (II) both earned Gold Medals, for their poetry and short story writing, respectively. Hannah Grace (II) won a Silver Medal for a collection of poems she submitted. In this competition—the country’s oldest awards program for creative teenagers—over 185,000 students submitted work for consideration. Only 2,700 were selected for medals.
Jim Connolly’s creative writing class, which helps students to shape their ideas, observations and memories into works of fiction and poetry, depends largely on students “work shopping” each others’ writing. Work shopping peers’ writing is the hallmark of creative writing at Milton; it helps students appreciate the genre and become better writers themselves. One student says, “We approach each others’ work as if it’s professional writing. Mr. Connolly is so encouraging—he tells us to be ambitious in our writing. He’s never condescending in his instruction; he never says to us, ‘Oh, just write about what you know.’ He pushes us to go outside of ourselves. “Regional and national [creative writing] awards that Milton students win are amazing because they let us know that we are not only strong writers amongst each other, but that we can compete with other students across the country. That definitely helps build confidence and strength in our work.”
s t uden t po et ry Surface Tension We lived on Point Dume that year, gulling the desert, you said. In the evenings along coastline, we pressed our hands into sand, waited for water to fi ll our holes again. Things forgotten now: the seconds before the wave breaks, the seconds after, the prodding of your bones through the silt, the phosphorescence of the Pacific in moonless night. I forget the tangle of Catalina kelp, the salt-foam and dampness, the weight of eroding minerals, a cradle of silica & quartz that contained us—it slips away. I cannot remember the feel of us, only the imprint we left in the sand. Charlotte Reed, Class I
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h is tor y and s o cial scien c e s In history and social science classes at Milton, students encounter, both in their readings and in class discussions, a variety of ideas and viewpoints. From textbooks and documents and their own research they gather evidence to help them assess the significance of intellectual movements, of social relationships and of political institutions. They look at particular cultures in depth and at the contacts among cultures over broad periods of time. They test their newly won insights in daily class work and in frequent writing assignments. They learn to question and to know that great questions have more than one answer.
from th e m ilt o n c la ss r o o m Ethan Wyatt Bisbee Prize for Outstanding Research in United States and Modern World History Courses (awarded annually to the best paper in each section): 2011 Winning Paper samples • A Conflict of Intellectual Consciousness: The Harlem Renaissance and Its Impact on the African American Identity • Above the Law: The Growth and Abuse of Executive Power • Not a Market Failure, but a Failure of America’s Founding: An Investigation of The Great Depression through the Governmental System that Caused It • The Whaling Industry in America: The Seeds of Industrialization • The Role of Irish Immigrants in the Democratic Party: From Transitioning into a New Society to Transforming Politics • The Negro Leagues: A Pivotal Black Institution • The Loss of “Practicable Harmony and Perfect Union”: The Demise of the Federalist Party • Have You No Strength, America? McCarthyism and a Malleable People • Lynching in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century South: The Convergence of Gender, Race Mythology, and Power
A Sampling of Modern World History, Class IV (Grade 9), Research Paper Topics • “Tulipomania” of 17th century Netherlands • White Rose Society: The Heart of Opposition against Hitler and the Third Reich • The Second Italian-Ethiopian War • Israel’s Response to the Munich Massacre • The “Comfort Women” and the Silence of 50 Years • Catherine The Great and the Myth of the “Enlightened Despot” • Kashmir Divided and Indo-Pakistani Relations • The Armenian Genocide: A Forgotten People’s Ordeal • The Road from the Slave Rebellion of 1791 to the Haitian Revolution • Constantinople: The Fall that Began the Rise • The Politics of the Church in the Spanish Civil War • The Sinking of the Lusitania: Conspiracy Theory • Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 • The Battle of Stalingrad • The Space Race
Course Reading, a sampling of primary source material United States in the Modern World I Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Turkish Letters Mi’kmaq elder, speech to French settlers Trial of Anne Hutchinson Peter the Great, “Decree on the Invitation of Foreigners” United States Constitution Simon Bolivar, “The Jamaica Letter” Taiping movement, “The Book of Heavenly Commandments” Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass United States in the Modern World II Plessy v. Ferguson John A. Hobson, Imperialism Sakuma Shozan, “Reflections on My Errors” Joseph Stalin, “The Results of the First Five-Year Plan” Mao Zedong, “On New Democracy” The Muslim Brotherhood, “Toward the Light” Richard M. Nixon, “Vietnamizing the War” Nelson Mandela, “The Rivonia Speech”
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Women and Gender in American History Benjamin Wadsworth, “A WellOrdered Family” (1712) Judith Sargeant Murray, “On the Equality of the Sexes” (1790) Thomas R. Drew, “Dissertation on the Characteristic Differences Between the Sexes” (1835) Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage, “Seneca Falls Declaration” (1848) John Stuart Mill, “The Subjection of Women” (1869) Henrik Ibsen, “A Doll’s House” (1879) Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1899) Thorstein Veblen, “The Theory of the Leisure Class” (excerpt) (1899) Woodrow Wilson’s speech before Congress in favor of woman’s suffrage (1918) Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (excerpts) (1963) NOW’s “Statement of Purpose” (1966) Phyllis Shlafly, “The Power of the Positive Woman” (1977) bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman [excerpts] (1982) Orin G. Hatch, “Roe v. Wade and Judicial Activism Run Amok” (1997) Nancy Levitt, “The Socio-Legal Construct of Masculinity” from The Gender Line: Men, Women and the Law (1998)
s tud y ing u .s . h i s t o r y i n d yn a mi c rel at i o n s hi p wi t h inter nati o n a l e v e n t s American history has traditionally been taught as a national narrative, as a history that was independent of global dynamics that fundamentally influenced and shaped its evolution. In response, Milton history teachers spent several summers developing a course that put the story of American history into the broader global context. Students who take the United States in the Modern World, a two-year course, look first at the powerful empires that succeeded the Pax Mongolica, at intellectual and
religious movements of early modern Europe, and then at the 18th-century political and economic revolutions and how they shook the world. In the second year students study events of the past 150 years and consider how a variety of peoples have defined nationhood during years of industrialization, imperialism, global war, decolonization, social movements and cold war. Since there is yet no textbook that teaches United States history in a global context, the history depart-
Over time students have started off with different assumptions of the world. When I was a student, for instance, my world was divided along communist and non-communist lines. What would have made sense then, as an organizing principle, does not resonate now. The challenge is to find the place where students are now. We have grounded the course, United States in the Modern World, in the major religions, cultures, political organizations, and their connections. We are trying to make choices—within so much material—that have intellectual integrity as well as an appealing resonance with students.
ment has created a syllabus that emphasizes historical documents with accompanying secondary source readings. One of the important tasks of the course is to help students learn to read primary documents closely and to understand them in their appropriate historical context. Using newly published research, we have recently expanded our unit on the Atlantic Revolutions of the early 19th century to give particular emphasis to Haiti and New Orleans. The case study we
use is the slave revolution in St. Domingue (present-day Haiti) and the impact of the revolution on the emerging sugar and slave economy of the southern United States. As they learn about the first black republic in the western hemisphere, students also explore the impact of Toussaint L’Ouverture’s successful revolution on the abolition movement in England, on the expansion of territory and slaveholding in the United States, and finally, on the end of the international slave trade.
All of us who teach at Milton are inspired daily by the curiosity, intelligence and zeal of our students. The teachers in social sciences are particularly aware of the extent to which our students are engaged in their own time. The students come to these courses in the numbers they do because they want to know how their world works. Many of them see themselves as the policymakers, social workers, entrepreneurs and social scientists of the future. We celebrate their enthusiasm and their scholarship as they prepare to take on this world of new and unpredictable challenges. —Carly Wade, History Department
—David Ball ’88, Upper School Principal and History Department faculty
a s amp ling o f cour ses i n clud es
I love the discussions we have around the table in my history class. Ms. Wade helps us put everything into a much broader context—to see how something affects the whole world. And we all have different perspectives that help us understand more. Someone says, “What about this?”—that makes you rethink things. There’s lots of reading and lots of analysis. Ms. Wade expects a lot, but she knows what we’re capable of. She always relates things to current events, too. Recently she brought in an article about the last surviving member of the Ottoman ruling class—he even had the same last name as the person we were studying.
African-American History History of Modern China History of Civil Rights The United States in the Modern World History of the Middle East American Government and Politics (AP) Global Economics History of Art (AP) Psychology (AP) Topics in Modern World History History in Action for a Sustainable Society Religions of Asia Globalization and Islam Microeconomics: The Power of Markets
— Carson Gaffney, Cayce, South Carolina Millet House, Class II
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s c i e n ce lea rn ing by do i n g By engaging students at all levels in doing science rather than just reading about it, Milton tries to build on the natural excitement of scientific exploration. We help students develop increasingly sophisticated skills in asking and answering scientific questions. Milton’s course sequence begins with physics, and moves to chemistry and then biology. The physics first curriculum relies on hierarchical learning and constructivism: that is, building students’ understanding of scientific principles from the ground level up. Experience with conceptual physics enhances learning in chemistry, which in turn informs and supports understanding molecular biology. For example, knowledge of the structure and reaction of the atom and an
understanding of covalent and ionic bonding is essential to learning about biological molecules like proteins and DNA. Without a grasp of the atom and bonding (from chemistry) learning about proteins becomes an exercise in memorization rather than in understanding. Milton offers honors and advanced level courses as well as deeply challenging electives. Milton Academy science is interactive and creative, reinforcing investigation, imagination and discovery.
squid s in s p a c e Walking into the Pritzker Science Center this spring, you would have seen that the first lab on your right featured a large, seemingly empty, water tank. But burrowed underneath the gravel were a dozen Hawaiian bobtail squid that came out at night to eat and mate. These squid served as important ground-based testing for an experiment that sent some of their fellow squid up into the cosmos on the space shuttle Endeavor in July. A group of Milton students worked hard with science faculty member Ned Bean, to maintain the exact living conditions these squid need to survive. The squid’s normal habitat is the shallow waters around the Hawaiian Islands. Every night, a student
or faculty member fed the twoinch long squid their diet of fresh common shore shrimp. The first big accomplishment occurred when the female squid laid eggs. Ned and the students conducted experiments using the second round of eggs. This unique opportunity for Milton students to work on a space shuttle experiment came about because of Ned’s friendship with the CEO of a commercial space company that specializes in placing experiments in space. Along with Ned, Milton students have worked two prior times on a space shuttle experiment. The first effort was a successful crystal growth experiment. The second experiment involved e-coli bacteria, but the results where lost when the space shuttle
Columbia exploded upon reentry in 2003. The squid experiment is the most interesting one, according to the students and Ned, but also the most difficult because of its complexity. What makes this squid unique is its light organ, which glows at night and hides its shadow from prey lurking underneath. The light is powered by a particular bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fishceri) that the squid draws in from the surrounding water. Every day it expels the old bacteria and takes in a new batch. Newly born squid can’t produce the light, but within several hours they become bioluminescent as they take in the bacteria. This development gives scientists a close look at morphogenesis, which is the biological process
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that causes an organism to develop its shape—one of the fundamentals of development biology. The squid experiment came about when Ned learned about the work of Dr. Jamie S. Foster at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Foster’s work is focused on what happens to this morphogenesis process under micro-gravity conditions. Her work could open up a new area of scientific discovery about how gravity affects animal and plant development. Over the March break, students traveled to Florida with Ned to visit Dr. Foster’s lab. The squid that blasted off into space came from her lab, but the scientific work at Milton was important to the success of this mission.
The new Science Center is a very academic environment with great energy. With all the classroom and lab space, the teachers can do demonstrations easily so we can see science in action rather than reading about it in a textbook and imagining it. We get to see electrostatics occurring, momentum occurring, the conversion of energy working perfectly. It really adds to your understanding of the material when you have your hands on it and can see everything that you’re learning about.
a s a mpl i n g o f c o ur s es includ es Science in the Modern Age Geology Human Anatomy and Physiology Marine Science Observational Astronomy Engineering the Future
Cosmology and Modern Physics Molecular Genetics Science Research Nuclear Physics Issues in Environmental Science
• Pick a variable to measure its effect on the development of sea urchin embryos using a dependent variable of your design. • Using gel electrophoresis and various restriction digestions of DNA put together a restriction map of an unknown DNA source. • Isolate and amplify mitochondrial DNA, using PCR, for sequencing. Compare your DNA to the DNA of other students, other ethnic groups, and other organisms. • Evaluate the percent of baking soda in an Alka-Seltzer tablet, using a method of the student’s design, to record carbon dioxide emissions.
• Design an experiment to test the effect of an independent variable of your choice on the period of an object in uniform circular motion. • Determine the relationship between the intensity of a light source and the distance the detector is from it.
—Nikhil Bhambi, Bakersfield, California Goodwin House, Class I
fr o m th e m i lt o n c la s s r o om Resources • Inquiry laboratories available to students during and after normal school hours for independent or long-term projects • Milton Academy’s Ayer Observatory, used by the Astronomy and Cosmology electives, the Astronomy Club and the community at large • Boston Museum of Science • New England Aquarium • Blue Hills Reservation, focal point of the Advanced Environmental Science elective • Harvard Museum of Natural History
• Neponset River and Atlantic coastline • Local university laboratories and science facilities • Northeastern University Marine Center, Nahant • Lake O’Hare and wetland, on campus
Lab Experiments, examples: • Design an experimental protocol to measure the rate of production of oxygen by the enzyme catalase measured in moles of oxygen per second using a Vernier pressure probe. • Using “micro-lakes” analyze the toxic effect of acid rain.
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Competitions and Projects • Physics Olympiad • University of New Hampshire Forest Watch • Marine Remotely Operated Vehicle (M.R.O.V.) • Team America Rocketry Challenge • Annual National Oceans Science Bowl (NOSB)
m athematic s an d c ompu t er pro g r ammin g The mathematics department works to deepen each student’s understanding of the skills, the concepts, and the habits of mind that are the keys to the mastery of mathematics. Through problem solving and investigation, students come to appreciate the beauty and power of pure and applied mathematics, and they more fully understand the connections between mathematics and other disciplines. The mathematics department provides interesting and appropriately challenging problems, so that all students may explore and analyze data and consider a variety of solutions to any one problem. Effective communication—both verbal and written— is central: Students learn to speak and write the language of mathematics in a student-centered environment where collaboration is both encouraged and expected. We make every effort to help
students feel confident in their ability to do mathematics, so when faced with a novel problem, students will attack it with skill, courage, interest, enthusiasm, and the belief that they have the intellectual and technological resources that will aid in the solution. Whenever possible, we encourage students to consider analytical, numerical, and graphical solutions to a problem, and the calculator and computer are
instrumental in the different analyses. We emphasize process, and students recognize that stating the final answer to a problem is never sufficient. Rather, a well organized, clearly articulated written or verbal explanation of that solution is important in helping the student effectively communicate the reasoning and the processes involved. The mathematics teachers at Milton Academy work collaboratively, and the materials we develop allow us to determine the nature and direction of course work. We think and talk about what we are teaching, so the curriculum is responsive, efficient, customized, and open-ended. Many of the problems we use are set in meaningful contexts, and we hope that students will realize the value and importance of mathematics in their lives.
fro m the milton c l a s s room Math Problems 1. Two people are shipwrecked on an island in the shape of an equilateral triangle. Sarah loves to surf, and is in no hurry to be rescued. She wants to build a hut in a location where the sum of the distances to the beaches is the least. Spencer, a more social creature, plans to spend his days looking for rescue ships from the corners of the island. He wants to build a hut where the sum of the distances to the corners of the island is the least. They don’t particularly want to live together, but they are not opposed to building one hut, if that is mutually beneficial. What should they do, build one hut or two? 2. Choose your home state, city, or country, and investigate the population over the past fifty years. In particular, find a mathematical relationship that models the population over that time period. Justify your choice of model. Does your model “fit” the population for the previous 100 years? Would you be confident using your model to predict the population 5 years into the future? Fifty years into the future? Why or why not? 3. The first two terms of the famous Fibonacci sequence are 1 and 1, and each term after the second is the sum of the previous two terms. Show that this sequence is neither arithmetic nor geometric. Then show that eventually, the sequence does begin to behave like a geometric sequence.
Final Projects for Advanced Placement Computer Science • Develop a side-scrolling video game. • Develop a double-buffered, polymorphic screen manager. • Create a networked version of Hearts. • Study artificial intelligence. • Develop steering behaviors for autonomous robots. • Create an arcade game.
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Math is my favorite subject, and I really like the approach here. Teachers introduce the concept and then students take the lead themselves in figuring out how it works. The teachers are always there to work with you, but you decide what you’re looking for and how to get there. It’s a great way to learn things well; you really understand something when you’re done. —Stefan Pouliot, Hong Kong, China Wolcott House, Class 0f 2010 The appropriate balance of pure math and its applications has been a subject of many animated and thoughtful discussions, and those discussions have also resulted in a much larger percentage of teacher-generated (as compared to text-linked) materials. Few of these conversations have really ended; they have overlapped and evolved, been revisited and revised. There is a central core and theme to all of them—the questions of what we should be teaching and how we should be teaching it—and how that relates to the even more important questions of what students should be learning and how that learning can be most effectively supported. What has made these conversations both difficult and energizing is that we have been trying to find optimum balances: balances between the pencil-and-paper skills of traditional mathematics and the effective use of technology; between the elegance and beauty of pure mathematics and the power of mathematical modeling to help understand and predict the behavior of the world around us. —John Banderob, Mathematics Department, writing in the parents’ newsletter
t h i n ki n g a n d ta l ki n g a bo ut wh at we a re t e aching, wh y we a re t ea c h i n g it “Working as a team, and using the materials that we in the faculty develop, we’re able to determine how we spend time in each course, and how we approach the material,” says Jackie Bonenfant, academic dean and a 30-year veteran faculty member in the math department. “We spend less time on the repetitive practice of skills, in the abstract, and more on presenting a stream of situations, asking students to determine what they need to know to solve the problem. We help them develop mathematical ideas and skills by working on them in a context—a more intriguing, less routine treatment of math for students.” Members of the department agree that this “discovery and extension” method of studying math is much closer to what mathematicians do in a research environment. Faculty ask students to understand a concept and then see where else it may apply. “In pre-calculus, for example, together we take a look at a special situation, establish a set of criteria, learn a lot, and then zoom out to test where else those criteria might apply,” says Keith Hilles-Pilant. “They might apply to circular motion, for instance, or a field of objects that work in a similar way.” “As a department, and as a group of individuals, we think and talk about what we are teaching, why we are teaching it, and how best to teach it; it’s an essential and ongoing conversation,” says Terri HerrNeckar. All those who
teach sections of a given course meet once each week; teachers of several courses have many meetings. They discuss how classes have gone and roadblocks that have appeared; they agree upon common homework assignments and who will write an upcoming quiz. The discussions include: “What way would you use to solve this problem?” or “I want to introduce this concept. Do you have an effective problem to do that?” The outcome of teacher collaboration and attention to the craft of teaching is a curriculum that is responsive, efficient, customized, open-ended. “I teach two classes that each have a single section of students,” Erica Banderob says. “I write something up after each class. It’s not the same as last year; it fits exactly. When I see a need, I respond with the right thing, tomorrow!” Rather than following the preordained sequence in a textbook, “having a data base of our own materials gives us the confidence to change the flow, based on the students,” Terri notes. Writing your own teaching materials takes time and work, and it fosters a collegial environment that members of the department who have come from other schools experience as rare and intellectually invigorating. “You understand,” says Jackie, “that to do the best work with students, you need to trust and depend upon your department colleagues.” Not surprisingly, students respond well to math that is designed just for them.
a s a mpl i n g o f c o ur s es includ es Math 4 Precalculus: Functions with Mathematical Modeling Math 5 Calculus Math 5s Statistics (AP) Math 5/6 BC Calculus (AP)
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Math 6 Further Topics in Calculus (AP) Math 7 Advanced Topics Computer Programming Advanced Computer Programming Programming Applications
m od e r n lan g u ag es Milton modern language students distinguish themselves as culturally aware, fluent speakers of the languages they have studied. Right away, students at the entry levels speak the target language rather than English with faculty, many of whom are native speakers. Literature, art, music, film, Internet-accessed news and cultural sites—even food—are bridges that immerse students in an exploration of language and culture. They advance, through fast-paced interactive teaching, using their new language as articulately as they would English: sharing reactions to serious literature, scanning the news and debating political events, discussing contemporary celebrations of art and music. Popular and valuable Milton programs in Spain, France, Canada (Quebec) and China, as well as School Year Abroad, allow an even fuller immersion into a language and a culture.
from th e m ilt o n c la ss r o o m Film List from Spanish Film and Social Change La lengua de las mariposas !Bienvenido Mr. Marshall! Viridiana El espíritu de la colmena Los Santos Inocentes Cría cuervos Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios Barrio Flores de otro mundo Solas Los lunes al sol Hable con ella
French Assignment Maintenant que le style de ce conte vous est connu, écrivez votre propre chapitre dans lequel vous imaginerez de nouvelles aventures pour Candide. Servez-vous des techniques de l’ironie que nous avons identifiées en lisant le conte pour donner un caractère “voltairien” à votre chapitre. (From French 4 AP) Translation: Now that you are familiar with the style of this philosophical tale, write your own chapter in which you imagine new adventures for Candide. Make use of the ironic devices which we identified while reading the work in order to give your chapter a “Voltairian” flair.
Chinese 1 Assignment: Describe a room using the vocabulary we have learned.
Translation: My dorm doesn’t have air conditioning. It has a washing machine. It’s a little crowded, but my room is very comfortable. I like my dorm a lot.
At my old school I was the only one in my grade who took French—it was basically a private class—and now I’m in class with 13 others who are so good at French, and we learn so much from each other. It’s good to have that challenge, to have people around you who push you a little. —Arty Berman, Riverside, Connecticut Forbes House, Class II
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clas sics l a vo z, the s p a n i s h n e w spa per, a milton st u de n t p u b li c at i o n for 25 year s La Voz is a student-run Spanish newspaper that includes news, opinion, regular departments and reviews. The genre alone makes La Voz rare among school publications across the country, as does its continuous publication (four to five times over each school year) since the first edition in 1986. “We adhere to strict journalistic standards,” says Ana Colbert, former faculty advisor to La Voz. “News stories, for instance, have to be researched and represent multiple points of view. If a student’s research has led him to some passionate conclusions, he can express them in the opinion columns, but not in the news reports.” The editors figure out the theme and then assign writing to eight to ten writers to cover news, features and departments. They may focus on active political, cultural or social events in Spain or Latin America, and then include a focus on relevant Milton campus life. Departments include op-ed opinion pieces, reviews of movies and restaurants, cartoons, and columns called “Gente” or “People,” and “Entrevistra” or “Interview.” One issue highlighted two plays of historical importance by Spanish authors that were
staged at Milton: The Sins of Sor Juana about Juana Ines de la Cruz, one of the great poets of the Spanish language; and the Class IV (Grade 9) play, Fuente Ovejuna, a drama of comedy, romance and familiar historical themes, written in 1613 by Lope de Vega, a Spanish contemporary of Shakespeare. Another issue staged a contest in writing in the style of Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda. La Voz’s editors deal with journalistic challenges that are unique to their genre. For instance, both the writers for La Voz and the readers have a range of ability; each issue involves at least three rounds of skilled editing. They have to teach their writing staff journalistic style— in Spanish. The editors must merge diverse articles, about the world and the Milton campus, into a coherent and attractive whole. The editors have said they enjoy the writing aspect of their jobs most—doing the research, moving to a framework of ideas, and then writing. Working on La Voz has helped their writing in English, they say: Finding the big ideas comes easier; good editing is worth the effort. The pleasure of a finished product, a permanent expression of the ideas and the hard work, pleases everyone.
The study of classical authors in the original language enables students to appreciate more fully the foundation and development of English and European literature. Because students develop the skills of close textual analysis by examining words that have been debated for centuries, they begin to understand both the scholarly value of their own interpretations and the degree to which the perspectives of different eras affect the way a work is viewed. Students who take Latin or Greek are expected to master the basic vocabulary, grammar and syntax of the languages well enough to translate and interpret some of the greatest authors of Western civilization.
a s a mpl i n g o f c o ur s es includ es Latin 4 Literature of the Golden Age Roman Elegy Roman History Philosophy of Lucretius
What I’ve learned about words, syntax, and grammar in my Ancient Greek class has spilled into every other discipline. My writing—analytical, creative and personal—has taken on a new shape; it’s infused with Ancient references. I’ve diagramed terms and deduced their meaning in biology and harkened back to Hellenic travelers in my history class. Classics at Milton has given me an unparalleled way to draw connections between what I’m studying and what the Ancients had written a millennia earlier. —Rebecca Deng, Corona, New York Millet House, Class I
a s am pl ing o f c o u r se s i n cl udes French through level 6 French 4 Language and Literature (AP) French 5 Francophone World French 5 Twentieth-Century France through Its Cinema Chinese through level 6 Spanish through level 5
Selected Readings Greek through level 3 Intensive Classical Greek and Latin
Spanish 4 Language and Literature (AP) Spanish 5 Literature and Culture (AP) Spanish 5 Inside Latin America Spanish 5 Discovering El Caribe Intensive French, Spanish and Chinese
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t he art s Our belief that all students can be artists is actually an idea about personal growth and process. Creative thinking, selfexpression, and encountering the challenges of an art form empower students to be creative and confident in all areas of life. In Milton’s arts program, students experience intense individual attention and coaching along with exhilarating team experiences. They spend hours with dedicated adults who use a wide range of teaching and directing skills, who bring to bear diverse and respected talents, who set the highest standards for students’ performance, and who honor each student’s contribution. All Milton students explore their talents and foster their creativity by taking at least one course in the performing arts, music, creative writing or visual arts. With varied and comprehensive courses in each discipline, students can develop their artistic interests both in and out of the classroom. Milton’s extensive academic program in the arts is matched by its many extracurricular opportunities; students perform and showcase their talents, formally and informally, throughout the year. Students also routinely take advantage of the museums, theaters, concert halls and other artistic venues in and around the city of Boston. The arts departments help many accomplished Milton students prepare college portfolios and performance tapes as part of their work in applying to highly selective colleges.
v i s ua l a rt s
mus i c
Milton challenges students to develop and to apply their skills at a high level in the many visual arts courses. We ask each student to “see more,” to think creatively, to apply energy to expressing ideas, to grow from criticism, and to expect that virtually every piece of work will be exhibited. No student can “speak” clearly or dramatically without learning visual language. At Milton, beauty and truth are not abstractions but rather the raw material for artistic expression—in the traditional forms of drawing, painting, or sculpture, or in the contemporary terms of digital photography or architectural design. Our students ask and answer important questions about themselves and their world, and art is the tool that they use.
Milton’s music program provides opportunities for both experienced and inexperienced students. The program offers choral, instrumental and jazz classes as well as courses in theory and history. Students may also take private lessons for credit from professional musicians in the greater Boston area or study at the New England Conservatory.
perfo rmi n g a rt s
The School’s tradition in choral music has strong historical roots. The Glee Club is the longestrunning activity at the Academy. The Chamber Singers group has won several gold medals from the American Choral Directors Association and has sung at the Association’s eastern convention. In recent years, this group has toured Romania, Kenya, England, Ireland and the northwestern United States. Miltones, Octet, Epic and Three For Each of Us are select groups of singers who perform contemporary a cappella music at assemblies and many other events throughout the school year.
Performing arts faculty at Milton help students tap into their own creativity and imagination. Courses in performance, theory, and design are much like laboratories where students can experiment, take risks, and explore their own abilities. Classes include students from all grades with varying degrees of experience. The hands-on, group-centered environment of the classroom prepares students for success in the varied extracurricular opportunities here. Four main stage productions, two dance concerts, and three studio plays give students an opportunity to hone their skills in performance, direction, choreography, design, and technical theatre in a dynamic production environment.
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Our classical and jazz instrumental groups are strong. The orchestras have toured the eastern United States and Canada. The Chamber Orchestra has performed in Prague, England, Ireland, Italy and China, and the Advanced Jazz Ensemble has performed in Florida, California and South Africa. Other ensembles include the Flute Choir and several jazz combos.
a sampling o f c o u r s es i n c lu de s Music Courses Orchestra/Ensembles/Chamber Orchestra Chamber Singers Jazz Improvisation Advanced Jazz Improvisation Music Theory History of Music Music Independent Study Performing Arts Courses Acting Styles Advanced Oral Interpretation Design for the Theatre Advanced Dance Choreography Film and Video Production Costume Design Visual Arts Courses Advanced Drawing Sculpture Ceramics Advanced Photography Architecture Painting Advanced Independent Art Installation Art
Violin is my main passion, but I’m taking drama next semester, and plan to take musical theatre when I’m a senior. At Milton, you can follow your passion. People are happy for what you do well and they don’t put you in a box, here. Opportunities that I never would have had at home surround me here: in the classroom, in dance, in orchestra. I’m so excited about going to Spain with the orchestra over spring break! Before I came here, I was completely focused on violin. I’m still passionate about my violin, but I’ve jumped into so many things. Now the challenge is to balance everything, but that’s an important lesson to learn. —Karen Li, Arlington, Texas Robbins House, Class II
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off-campus p ro g r ams The Mountain School of Milton Academy involves Class II students (juniors) in a fall or spring semester on a working 300-acre farm in Vershire, Vermont. Each semester, 45 students from more than 20 schools join a corps of faculty in a rigorous interdisciplinary program, which is centered around issues of community and the environment. Students work with faculty to help manage the farm, its gardens and animals, as well as its facilities. The semester is an ongoing exercise in individual responsibility and group cooperation. As many as nine students from Milton Academy are selected to attend The Mountain School each year.
The Maine Coast Semester is a challenging academic program for Class II students. It emphasizes the natural sciences, environmental issues and hands-on work. Community living, respect and responsibility are at the heart of this program, which is sponsored by the Chewonki Foundation. School Year Abroad provides opportunities for students in their Class II or Class I year to spend the school year studying in Spain, France, Italy or China. Cityterm at the Masters School in New York City is an experiencebased interdisciplinary study of the city for Class II students. Students live at the Masters
School and travel into New York City daily to study the tensions of public and private, commerce and culture inherent in urban life. The French Exchange is conducted with the Lycée Jean de La Fontaine in Paris. Approximately 20 students from Milton spend more than three weeks in Paris, attending the Lycée and living with a host family. The Spanish Exchange is a school-to-school student exchange run jointly by Milton Academy and Colegio Estudio, a private school located in the outskirts of Madrid. A group of 14 students and three faculty members leaves Milton for Madrid in late May. Each Milton student
is paired with a student from Estudio and lives with his 0r her counterpart’s family during the four-week experience, which includes cultural opportunities as well as classes. The Chinese Trip provides a five-week experience for eight to ten students during the summer at HeiLong Jiang University in Harbin, China for the study of Mandarin. Students spend a final week with a family at the Experimental Middle School in Beijing. The Westminster Exchange offers Milton students opportunities to study for several weeks in England.
All of my favorite memories from the Spanish Exchange trip have to do with eating. I loved sitting down every night to eat dinner with my Spanish family. Other parts of the trip—like visiting the beaches in southern Spain and going to a huge food expo in the Madrid sports stadium— were more unusual and exciting, but my favorite moments with my Spanish family all occurred around the dinner table. We ate dinner every night at around 9:30, and the meals lasted at least an hour. They were relaxed, and wandering, and everyone could talk about his or her day and tell jokes. One of my favorite moments of the trip was one night when I ended up at the table after dinner with my Spanish parents after all the kids had left to study, and we just stayed there talking, about President Obama, religious conflicts in Spain, India, the language barrier. Constantly speaking in Spanish was pretty tough, but one night I told a joke entirely in Spanish, and when everyone genuinely laughed, I was amazed. It was my moment of Spanish triumph. —Rachel Black, Needham, Massachusetts Class I
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top c ol l e ge matr icul atio n s (fou r o r mo r e ) , 2 00 9 – 2 01 1 Amherst College Babson College Bard College Barnard College Bates College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brown University Bucknell University Carnegie Mellon University University of Chicago Colby College Colgate University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Emory University Fairfield University George Washington University Georgetown University Harvard University Johns Hopkins University McGill University Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College New York University Northwestern University Oberlin College University of Pennsylvania Princeton University University of Southern California Stanford University Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University Union College Vanderbilt University Vassar College Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University
10 4 4 5 5 17 7 7 19 4 8 7 7 4 18 15 9 4 4
facts Students in the Class of 2011: 180 Average SAT scores: Critical Reading—673 Math—678 Writing—684
11 15 26 6 7 9 5 14 5 4 6 5 5 5 8 20 4 4 5 4 8 6 10 9 10
Accurate as of 6/20/11
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c ol lege co u n selin g The College Counseling Office has created a highly personal and effective approach toward the college admission process. Students are encouraged to direct their own search, in partnership with their parents and the College Office. The counselors view the college process as part of a student’s total Milton education, involving personal reflection, independent reasoning, and informed decision-making. Milton students over the years have earned the respect of college admission officers as a result of the quality of their academic preparation, their individuality, and their thoughtful, well-written applications.
I love reading Milton Academy folders because the students write so well.
c o l l eg e mat r i c ul at i o n— c l a s s o f 201 1 Amherst College Binghamton University Bard College Barnard College Bates College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brown University Brandeis University Bucknell University University of California, Davis Carnegie Mellon University University of Chicago Claremont McKenna College Clemson University Colby College Colgate University Columbia College Columbia University Connecticut College Cornell University Dartmouth College Dickinson College Earlham College University of Edinburgh Evergreen State College Emory University Fairfield University Fordham University Furman University George Washington University Georgetown University Guilford College Grinnell College Haverford College Harvard University Indiana University at Bloomington College of the Holy Cross Illinois Wesleyan University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ithaca College
5 1 1 1 1 6 2 4 3 1 1 1 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 5 1 7 3 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 6 5 1 1 1 13 1 1 1 1 1
Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College Lehigh University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Massachusetts – Amherst McGill University University of Miami University of Michigan Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College New York University Occidental College Oxford College of Emory University University of Pennsylvania Pomona College University of Puget Sound Rice University University of Richmond University of Rochester Saint Anselm’s College Salve Regina University Sarah Lawrence College Skidmore College Smith College University of South Carolina University of Southern California St. Andrews (Scotland) St. Lawrence University Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University U.S. Air Force Academy Vanderbilt University University of Vermont Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College Wesleyan University Wheaton College College of William and Mary Williams College College of Wooster Yale University
—Admission Officer, Brown University I like to save the Milton applications for last because the students are so interesting and they present themselves so well.
Accurate as of 6/20/11
—Admission Officer, University of Pennsylvania
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2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 3 6 2 1 1 2 5 3 5 1 1 3 1 3
r e si dential lif e a fa mil y at s c h o o l Milton is an academically rigorous school, and it is also a nurturing one. Students experience this important balance between the head and heart as members of Milton’s centuryold boarding program. A diverse group of 335 students from 27 states and 21 countries live in eight, single-sex residential “houses” that are family-style and intimate. Family style is best. • Milton houses include all four grades. • Students live in the same house for their entire time at Milton. • Living with older and younger “siblings” gives students role models, support, a sense of belonging and family, and plenty of affection. • Faculty families—complete with children and pets—are connected to every house. • Dedicated, experienced house faculty carefully “parent” their students.
House structure and rules support the developmental needs of teenagers. • House sizes: from 31 to 48 students • Rooming options: singles, doubles and triples • Family style dining with the faculty, three evenings a week • Proctored study halls each night • Study help and advice from faculty and older students • Ecumenical Chapel service each Sunday evening about ethical and spiritual concerns • Valuable communication between students and trusted adults about issues in young people’s lives • Best of all, students can stay connected to home, thanks to telephone and email access in every dormitory.
Ties with adults are strong and continuous. • Each house is small and intimate, with a faculty to student ratio of 1:4. • Students receive 24-hour-a-day guidance from adults they know from the classroom, arts and sports. • Each house faculty member serves as academic and personal advisor to six students in the house. • House heads provide leadership and a stable, nurturing tone and lay the groundwork for a closeknit community in the house. • Our fall orientation series helps students get to know each other and appreciate cultural differences. It also offers guidance on time management, technology and campus resources.
Coming to Milton was the scariest and best decision I ever made. Moving away from home, I was afraid I wouldn’t have any friends at the beginning, but that changed so quickly. Before we got here the upperclassmen in our dorms mailed us handwritten letters about what to expect, what to pack. I didn’t believe them when they said that a pair of sparkly spandex pants would come in handy, but it’s true— you do need them! —Molly Gilmore, Milford, Massachusetts Hathaway House, Class II
Our students answer: “What kind of students would be happy living at Milton?” • Open-minded • Curious • Willing to work hard • Tolerant • Ready to find out who you are • Willing to be true to themselves “What have you gained from living at Milton?” • New perspectives and ideas • Connections with adults I admire • Learning how to get along with others, and how to decide what’s important • Responsibility, independence and confidence • Best friendships in the world • Getting to know people with amazing talents • Chances to learn new skills, like acting or wrestling
Coming to campus, you obviously have to learn the basics— how to do laundry, how to make sure you’re eating right— but you mature in other ways. You learn to live with a roommate, and to cope with difficulties without your parents intervening for you. You have to be reflective and notice your weaknesses, and then try to improve upon them. The most rewarding experience for me at Milton has been giving back to the community and being a part of the bigger picture. That’s the most useful tool that Milton has given me. —Nikhil Bhambi, Bakersfield, California Goodwin House, Class I
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Milton was my favorite school when I was applying, because the other students were so friendly. My transition to boarding life was not difficult because the girls act more like your siblings than your friends. When they ask you something, they really want to know how you are and what you’re doing. My friends are amazing. We’re all culturally so different, and that makes things interesting. But we also have so much in common: music, sports, activities, clothes. We’ve grown very close. —Maddie Gallagher, Quebec, Canada Millet House, Class I
Milton is so close to Boston, and Boston is such a great city. My friends and I will go in there on the weekends sometimes—to see a movie, go to a concert, and we definitely get something to eat because the city has so many great restaurants. Sometimes a change of scenery relieves some of the pressures of schoolwork, and having Boston so close by is perfect. My friends at other boarding schools in more rural areas don’t like having nowhere to go to experience that change of pace. —Tetsu Higuchi, Tokyo, Japan Forbes House, Class II
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fa ct s
facts
Number of students living on campus: 335
Geographic Distribution of Milton Academy Students, 2011–2012:
Number of house faculty: 54
United States Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Idaho Illinois Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah
Smallest house: 31 students Largest house: 48 students Best long weekend activities: • Making eggrolls together • Movie marathons • Apple-picking • Make-your-own pizza parties Favorite house traditions: • Halloween pumpkin carving • Dorm bowling • “Wills” on graduation eve • Dorm softball in the spring • Caroling and decorating for the holidays • Freshly baked bread at Tuesday check-in • Dorm dodgeball in the ACC
Milton seemed a little homier or warmer than some places I visited. When the kids interacted they seemed laid back and really liked being here. I knew that the curriculum would be rigorous, so since I was going to school far from home, I thought it would be important to choose a place that felt like it would be comfortable for me. Milton is definitely that place.
Vermont Virginia Washington Countries Albania Bahamas Bermuda Canada China (P.R.C.) France Hong Kong Indonesia Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Korea Malaysia Philippines Poland St. Barts Saudi Arabia Scotland Singapore Switzerland Taiwan (R.O.C.)
—Doriane Ahia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Robbins House, Class I
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I live in Hathaway, and my dorm has become another home for me. The relationship we have with the faculty is more parent/child or friend/friend than teacher/student in the dorm. We have so many fun traditions and rituals. At sit-down [dinner] we always have someone start the meal with a poem, a song, a prayer, an opening thought for the evening. Before exams we have parties in the hallway; one girl will get a strobe light out of her room and we’ll all dance away our exam stress. We have pottery night, bowling night—recently we all dressed up to go bowling. Each group was assigned a musical, so we were dressed up as characters from Wizard of Oz, Cats, Grease. We’re the smallest dorm, but we make up for our size in spirit.
h o us es h av e b o st o n t r a d i t i o n s Right after freshmen settle in, Goodwin House seniors introduce their new “younger brothers” to Harvard Square by taking them there on the T (public transit) and for dinner at the Border Café. Similar traditions in other houses bring older students and new students together to learn about Boston and each other. Trips to Good Times for laser tag, to Boston
Bowl, or to favorite restaurants in Chinatown are cherished activities. Milton students love shopping, exploring museums, going to jazz concerts or sports contests. They learn about the city with the help of faculty advisors and older students. Their access to the city has been carefully considered by faculty, and rules in the student handbook guide their activity.
I love living in the dorm. There is great camaraderie among the 40 boys. I came to Milton as a Class III transfer, and I kind of kept to my room at the beginning. Now I only use my room to sleep. For fun we play a lot of X-Box, all kinds of Ping-Pong games, and hallway lacrosse. If you’re looking for something to do, there is always someone around to have fun with.
— Corina Ramirez, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Hathaway House, Class of 2010
—Teo Camadella, Ithaca, New York Forbes House, Class II
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wa lking t hro u g h the m ilto n d ay one m ilton day Assembly Period 1 Period 2 Recess Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 Period 6 Period 7 Period 8 Activities Sports, clubs, arts and performance activities Dinner Study Hall Check-in Lights out
8:00 a.m. 8:20 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:05 a.m. 11:55 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 1:20 p.m. 2:10 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:30–9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 11:00 p.m.
Days at Milton are full. Classes are exciting, and the discussion that starts around the Harkness table continues out of class. The occasional free period during the class day is a great time to talk with friends, get work done, grab a snack in the Schwarz Student Center or check on a project. After classes, the wide world of Milton’s activities and organizations opens up. Students may have an athletic practice every day until dinner, or they may get involved in theater tech or a publication or community service. Three times each week students have “sit-down”—short-hand for dinner with their housemates and house faculty. Day students come to dinner, too, when they’re staying on campus for activities. The fast-paced Milton day helps you learn to manage your time, follow through on responsibilities, get work done and have fun with friends. There are so many opportunities to get involved; you don’t want to miss out. The days are made up of many moments, and every student can point to a certain “moment” that captures the Milton experience. Here are some Milton moments as students describe them:
ni co l e r uf us Carrollton, Texas Robbins House, Class II I’m much more of a global citizen now than I was when I first came to Milton, especially living in the dorm. We have girls from all over the country and all over the world in Robbins House— from China, New Hampshire, California, Hong Kong, Texas, South Korea. One of the girls in our dorm is from India, and my sophomore year the bombing attacks occurred there. It was the first time I remember being emotionally affected by something that wasn’t happening inside the U.S. Seeing her being affected, and knowing that her family was
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there, made all of us feel affected, too. You become very close in the dorm—those relationships provide such a support system. As much as we all get along, the most valuable thing about Milton is that everyone here is their own person—quirky, funny, good at different things—and people think that’s cool. Preconceived notions fade away here. People really want to get to know you. They respect you and appreciate you for what you do, what you’re good at. You never feel like you have to be someone other than yourself.
co r i na r am i r e z Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Hathaway House, Class of 2010 My Studio Art class is a great place to relax and let go. I get to be creative and visual, and it’s a nice break from the academic day. In art class at my old school we were only taught how to paint specific lines and colors. In art class at Milton we’re given the tools and are then taught to just “paint.” We’re encouraged to express ourselves. We’re directed to just “work” and show what we’re feeling. I didn’t know I was a good artist until now.
left to see the massive crowd of Milton students and faculty cheering us on after the final whistle. That was such an awesome moment.
s am shleif e r Newton, Massachusetts Class I In my first Creative Writing class, Mr. Connolly told me to make ten copies of the poem I’d written. When I asked why, he told me I was being “workshopped after Jonah.” I had no idea what being “workshopped” even meant. My classmates were seniors. I was a sophomore. Read slowly, Jonah’s poem sounded like music. When he finished reading, the class took a minute to collect their thoughts, and then workshopped him, which just meant talking about his poem. The only rule of workshop is that the writer can’t speak once he reads his poem. I read mine—
I don’t know if I’ve gotten what I expected out of Milton. I think I’ve gotten something more, something better. I’m much more open now than when I came here. I’m aware of more things, different things, things I didn’t know anything about before. Milton has opened me up to so many new things.
which was a little rough around the edges—and my classmates told me it wasn’t done, but it was a good start. I should try to cut down on my modifiers, and not capitalize the first letter of every line. The class committed to the cause of improving my writing. Mr. Connolly wrote a paragraph that fi lled the blank space below my poem. His comment ended, “Looking forward to your next draft. Glad to have you on board.” I finally understood. If I committed, it would not only help me, but the class.
beverly leon Wrentham, Massachusetts Class of 2010 Two of my most memorable moments at Milton involve my roles as an athlete and a volunteer. As captain of the girls’ soccer team, I was so proud to lead my team to a 3–2 victory over our rival—a then undefeated Nobles team. We rallied to come back from a 2–0 deficit to win the game with just enough sunlight
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As a volunteer and member of the Community Service Board, I’ve been involved in a bunch of service opportunities, and the Special Olympics track and field event that Milton hosts every spring is my favorite. As a track runner and jumper myself, it was great to see hundreds of athletes on campus competing with such passion and excitement. The fact that Milton students volunteer every year—this year with the highest turnout ever—makes me even more proud of Milton, its athletic community, and the amazing people who make up this School.
s o e r ny c r u z Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts Class II Milton is so much more than I expected when I first came here. Obviously the academics and the opportunities are incredible, but things like Convocation, senior walk-in, Spirit Day—these are moments that put a smile on your face. You feel like you’re more than just at school.
m ike god win Westwood, Massachusetts Class I Leading up to hockey season in my Class II year, I had high expectations. In that year’s home opener against St. Sebastian’s, I sustained an injury that forced me to miss the remainder of the season. The news was devastating, but it was during that time that I realized what it meant to be part of a place like Milton. The support I received from friends,
teachers and coaches gave me the will to work hard to get back on the ice and on the athletic fields. I also learned to appreciate the game for what it is, rather than simply trying to be the best. With the help of many generous people, I was able to return that spring for baseball season. It was a great feeling to be part of a team again.
My senior year was the culmination of all the lessons I’ve learned during my time at Milton. I was unable to play football, because I needed more time for my back to heal. However, I was able to help out the coaches and still be a part of the team. I was on the sidelines for every game, and it was very rewarding to share what I’ve learned with the rising underclassmen.
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Everything here is fitting together in harmony for me—themes are connecting in English and history; we take our discussions from the Harkness table to the lunch table. I like being able to strike up intellectual conversations with my friends, because you know that everyone has something interesting and insightful to share. People here help you develop your own thoughts and ideas, as well. This is a place to say what you think. Milton is good at helping you find your voice, and providing you with plenty of food for thought.
h e nr y r us s e l l
joseph rey n o lds Brooklyn, New York Norris House, Class I I’ve seen myself grow a lot in leadership skills since I’ve been at Milton. I’m much better at listening now than I was before. There are so many people, opinions, personalities here that you really miss out if you don’t take advantage of that and listen to what people have to share. Over time I’ve picked up bits of advice and information, and I think that’s made me a better person and a better leader.
My junior year I was a new student advisor in the dorm—basically I was charged with looking out for five new Class IV students. It’s a really hard position, because you can’t help take care of someone else unless you’re taking care of yourself first. I had to balance authority with being a friend and a mentor, and that was a major challenge for me. It helped me to grow quite a bit, and it was one of my favorite experiences here so far.
m a r y lo p ez
Norwell, Massachusetts Class I
Severna Park, Maryland Robbins House, Class of 2010
I love running and being a part of the cross-country team. You think of running cross-country as an individual sport, but the team is so supportive. Cross-country is not really about talent—it’s about how hard you want to work. We have such great camaraderie and great success motivating each other as a team, and we always have fun. During one training run we had an old shopping cart and we pushed a boom box along in it as we ran. We were laughing and smiling the whole time, and everyone we passed smiled, too.
Coming in as a new student is scary. The first night we spent in the dorm though, the seniors came to our rooms and talked with us about life here and what it means to be in Robbins, so you’re scared but you’re also excited. I was the house monitor in Robbins, and we stress the idea of making the new students feel welcome; we assign big sisters, so every younger girl in the dorm has someone special to check in with and to ask questions of.
When I was a freshman, my captains for cross-country showed such great leadership, but they also gave me a chance to be a leader. Those guys had nicknames for everyone on the team, which helped to build our team spirit even more. And our captains had such dedication to the sport—they would never miss a day of training. There was mutual respect there. I obviously respected them, but they respected me, too. I felt like we were on equal terms; the big seniors made sure they were on the same level as us. My favorite spot on campus is definitely the track. I don’t know how many miles I’ve run around that track. And I have a sentimental attachment to it too, thinking of all the blood, sweat and tears that have been shed there.
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I joined the speech team because a senior in my dorm that I really admired was on it. She helped me with my Class IV Talk and was really encouraging, giving me pointers. I was the first person to give my Class IV Talk, on the first day. I talked about growing up on military bases because of my dad’s work. At one point I was the only person in my dorm on the speech team, and this year five other girls are on the team, so we all get up early on Saturday mornings to go to tournaments. I’m such a different person now than when I first started at Milton. Almost every aspect of me is different, in a good way. I’m more open, now—in the way I act, the way I talk to people, my learning style. I’ve learned a lot about myself and grown from life in the dorm and life at Milton in general.
we e kends Play, or watch and cheer at athletic contests; perform or watch your friends perform in King Theatre; read your poem at the Beatnik Café; work out at the fitness center; sit around talking in the Schwarz Student Center; hike, rock climb or kayak with the Outdoor Program; bake cookies or make soup and watch a movie with your housemates; play pick-up basketball or Frisbee; sleep in and then go to brunch; visit friends’ rooms and listen to music; meet your friends at a dance; catch a game in Boston; watch a college comedy improv group at a dorm open house; get to know someone you don’t know well yet; relax and laugh. Weekends here definitely stimulate the student body. The SAA [Student Activities Association] plans events that help you unwind and relax after a packed week. My favorite event this year was Oktoberfest. It’s held around Halloween and it has a small-town-fall-festival feel to it. There are mazes, popcorn, musicians, cotton candy. It was a big festival of fun that everyone came out for. — Chelsea Mehra, McLean, Virginia Hathaway House, Class I
fa ct s Miles from Milton to: Fenway Park 10 Museum of Fine Arts 10 Boston Symphony 10 Blue Hills Ski Area 4 Average number of studentsponsored social events per month: 20 Number of movies shown on campus, 2010–2011: 18 Number of dances on campus, 2010–2011: 7
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spaces and places
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One of my favorite spots at Milton is the Student Center. It’s in the middle of campus, and it’s kind of the hub of life during the school day. At recess it’s packed with all your friends, and on Friday everyone’s there getting a copy of the student newspaper. During your free periods it’s a good place to find a quiet spot to do homework, or to grab a snack once classes are out for the day. On a nice day everyone is outside there playing Frisbee or just soaking up the sun, and you can always hear people playing foosball yelling “Oh!” or “Nice shot!” —Joseph Reynolds, Brooklyn, New York Norris House, Class I
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at hlet ics
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Hockey at Milton has been very rewarding for me: showing up at the rink every day, working hard for a couple of hours, giving everything you have for your coach, your teammates, yourself. That’s especially true if you’re successful, but it’s not even about that. (Although coming from behind to beat Nobles on Milton-Nobles weekend was an experience I won’t forget.) At home, hockey was my dominant focus. At Milton, I’ve learned to integrate and balance athletics, academics and my social life, which is so important. — Chase Davis, Dallas, Texas Wolcott House, Class of 2010
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at hlet ics Coaches and teammates help Milton students learn the great lessons of athletics: the value of working hard, preparing well, taking risks, working collaboratively, and winning and losing with dignity. Through interscholastic and intramural sports, as well as physical education courses, all Milton students are involved in physically active and challenging pursuits that help form an exceptional educational experience. Athletic activity is certainly an expression of one form of intelligence, an intelligence that needs to be developed and nurtured, like any other. For the athlete interested in interscholastic play, Milton offers three levels of competition in several sports. At all levels, experienced coaches guide our athletes, often coming straight from the classroom to the field. We help individuals and teams improve, while also providing the framework for the personal growth that comes from competition and teamwork.
Milton competes in the Independent School League (ISL), which includes 16 independent schools and enjoys a long and powerful athletic tradition. Member schools are based in Greater Boston, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Games take place across all three seasons. The ISL is considered an elite league in many sports. It provides great competition in soccer, field hockey, football, squash, wrestling, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, track and several other sports. Milton offers interscholastic competition beyond the ISL as well, in sailing and swimming. Students can also learn skills in a variety of sports through our intramural program and physical education courses. Our emphasis is on physical activity and sportsmanship.
i n t er s c ho l a s t i c t ea ms Fall Girls Cross Country Field Hockey Soccer
Boys Cross Country Football Soccer
Winter
Spring
Alpine Skiing Basketball Ice Hockey Squash Swimming Volleyball
Golf Lacrosse Sailing Softball Tennis Track
Alpine Skiing Basketball Ice Hockey Squash Swimming Wrestling
Baseball Golf Lacrosse Sailing Tennis Track
i n t r a mur a l pro g r a m Fall Strength Training Outdoor Program Squash Tennis Soccer
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Winter Strength Training Outdoor Program Pilates
Spring Strength Training Outdoor Program Yoga Ultimate Frisbee
fa cts Number of interscholastic girls’ teams: 15 Number of interscholastic boys’ teams: 15 Number of intramural offerings: 8 Number of athletic buildings on campus: 4 Number of fields: 12 Number of tennis courts: 13 outdoor, 4 indoor Percent of students participating in intramural or interscholastic sports, or physical education classes: 100% Number of full-time athletic trainers: 3 Sampling of interscholastic competitors: Andover Exeter Groton Middlesex Noble & Greenough Roxbury Latin St. Mark’s St. Paul’s Recent New England championships: Boys’ Tennis, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Girls’ Tennis, 2005 Sailing, 2007 Football, 2008 Boys’ Hockey, 2011 Recent ISL championships: Girls’ Squash, 2009 Boys’ Tennis, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Girls’ Tennis, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Girls’ Skiing, 2010 Boys’ Hockey, 2011
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m usic and p erfo rmin g a r ts pe rf o rmin g o p p o r t u n i t i e s di s t i n g ui s h t h e mi lt o n pro g r a m Music and performance weave through Milton life, building on coursework available from the beginner through the advanced levels. The Jazz Combo may open Monday morning assembly, and speech team may follow with winning selections from their weekend tournament. You’ll meet the cast of a 1212 production distributing tickets at lunch for a performance that night. Students wildly applaud the highlight of each Friday’s assembly—a Miltones or Octet song—just before dancers give a preview of the weekend’s attractions in King Theatre. Whether you are a performer or a fan, you will enjoy the prominent role that music and performing arts play in school life at Milton.
c h or al m u s i c Over 200 students participate in one or more of six distinct choral ensembles. Founded in 1925, the Class IV Glee Club has over 50 members and performs a minimum of two major concerts each year. The award-winning Chamber Singers—a select chorus of 40—has toured Romania, Kenya, England, northwestern United States, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Hawaii and Italy. The Miltones and Octet are a cappella groups of eight male and eight female singers respectively, who perform at assemblies and many other events throughout the school year. Several studentdirected a cappella groups, such as Three For Each of Us and another female group, Epic, also perform often for the School community.
orchestr al m u si c Over 100 musicians play a string, woodwind, brass or percussion instrument for the Orchestral Music Program. Featuring many soloists, the orchestra performs two major concerts on campus each year. The orchestra is also well traveled, having toured the United States and Canada with performances in Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Montreal and Hawaii. The Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1993 to cater to the great number of talented orchestral musicians at the Academy and is open to students by audition only.
ja z z
t h eatre
Using what they learn about jazz improvisation in the classroom, Milton’s jazz combos, at four levels, perform both on and off campus throughout the year. The jazz combos and many of its members have won several combo and individual national and regional awards, and they have appeared at six International Association of Jazz Education conferences. The combos have opened for such artists as James Taylor (a Milton alumnus), Poncho Sanchez, Elvin Jones and Abdullah Ibrahim. The group has toured South Africa nine times playing for Reverend Desmond Tutu and actor Danny Glover, and has also toured Florida, Montreal, California and several European jazz festivals. They have also performed at the prestigious Regattabar, Cambridge’s famed Ryles Jazz Club, the Gardner Art Museum, and at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton. The Jazz Program also hosts many professional guest artists who perform and work with our jazz students. Milton offers all students the opportunity to learn about and perform jazz from an international perspective.
A play is always in production in Kellner Performing Arts Center.
I have been dancing since I was very young, so I knew I was going to dance here at Milton. But I also tried out for Speech Team even though I’d never done that before. Milton opened me up to the whole spectrum of performing arts. I tried out and performed in Pippin, the musical, and took a drama class. Even in dance, I had to move beyond my own tradition and work on advanced modern dance, which is more European-based movement. What’s most valuable about Milton are the opportunities you have—for courses and for extracurriculars. —Ashley Bair, Kingston, Jamaica Millet House, Class I 55
From Medea and Romeo and Juliet to Ibsen’s Enemy of the People, to modern works like Nuts and Holes and the Broadway musical A Chorus Line, Milton productions encompass a broad cross section of theatre, both classical and contemporary. Milton stages three plays and a dance concert each year in the Ruth King Theatre. In other campus performance spaces, the Class IV play, a spring dance concert, a popular series called the 1212 Studio Productions, and student directed one-acts make for rich and varied options at Milton. Each play or performance relies on highlyskilled, technical theatre students who build sets, design lighting, incorporate media and execute the productions. Additional performances have included foreign language plays, faculty plays, student-written and directed plays, and senior projects. The expertise of a full-time technical director helps sharpen the professionalism of each performance.
dance Each year, an ensemble of Milton students presents an evening of dance to a full house for three straight nights in the popular Winter Dance Concert. The production typically includes the work of more than 40 boys and girls from Class I through Class IV and is made up of dances choreographed by faculty, professional guest artists, and students under faculty supervision. Both dancers and choreographers participate in Milton’s musicals, produced jointly by the performing arts and music departments. An informal spring dance concert, an annual Arts Night, school assemblies, and various special event performances also provide many opportunities for dancers and choreographers to exhibit their work.
speech and d eb ate For many years, Milton students have taken advantage of an exciting opportunity that is legendary among Milton alumni—to learn the fundamentals of performance, literary interpretation, public address and debate as members of a supportive team. Team members perform in tournaments locally and around the country in several categories of events, including oral interpretation, limited preparation events, public address, and debate. They earn awards ranging from individual state and national championships to team honors. They can also be recognized by honorary academic degrees from the National Forensic League based on involvement throughout their competitive career.
Competitive Events “Interpretation” is the art of literary performance. Unlike drama, which recreates scenes by simulating the real and visual world through the use of props, furniture and a stage, interpretation requires the performer to take on the responsibility of directing, acting and recreating the scene without a formal theatre. Interpretation events include Prose, Poetry, Dramatic, Humorous, Children’s Literature, Duo Interpretation, and Play Reading.
“Limited Preparation Events” require students to prepare original speeches within a predetermined time limit. Events include Extemporaneous Speaking (current events), Impromptu Speaking (analysis of quotations), and Radio Broadcasting (news reporting). “Public Address” refers to memorized speeches delivered to an audience. Events in public address include Oratory (an original ten minute speech) and Declamation (a ten minute published speech written by someone other than the performer).
Tournament sites over the years have included national level tournaments at Yale University in Connecticut, St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania, George Mason University in Washington, D.C. and Harvard University in Massachusetts, as well as state level tournaments throughout Massachusetts.
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Debate at the state and national level includes Lincoln-Douglas Debate (one-on-one debates on propositions of value), Public Forum Debate (team debate on current events and popular issues), and Congressional Debate (full chamber simulations of Congress).
fa cts Number of students in orchestra: 104 Number of singing groups: 8 (Glee Club, Chamber Singers, Chapel Choir, Gospel Choir, Miltones, Octet, Epic, Three for Each of Us) Theatre productions, 2010–2011 Mainstage Productions: • The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt • Le Dindon by Georges Feydeau • Chicago by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse Class IV Play: • Just Another High School Play by Bryan Starchman 1212 Plays (Wigg Hall Productions): • Radio Free Emerson by Paul Grellong • Menaechmi by Plautus Student-Directed One-Act Plays: • Traces of Memory by Ann Wuehler • Check Please by Jonathan Rand • Tremulous by Le Wilhelm
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fa c t s A sampling of popular Community Service sites:
Throughout the year, students volunteer at the Greater Boston Food Bank—as a weekly commitment, on Saturdays with advisee groups, during Milton’s School-wide community service day—helping to separate, organize and pack food and groceries that help to feed more than 394,000 people annually in Massachusetts. Students also organize and staff food drives on campus during the holiday season to help feed local families in need.
Milton is connected with more than ten schools and educational organizations in and around Boston where our students read, tutor, play, provide homework help, and offer assistance to learners of all ages. One group of Milton students recognized the need for art education at a school whose program funding had been eliminated, so they spent time each week drawing, painting, sculpting and creating with the school’s first graders.
• Boston Partners (tutoring in Boston public elementary schools) • ESL tutoring for women at Mujeres Unidas • Massachusetts Hospital School (for mentally and physically disabled youth) • Milton Animal Shelter • Boston Home (residence for adults with multiple sclerosis) • Greater Boston Food Bank • Rosie’s Place (shelter for women and children) • Tutoring in Milton public schools • Mural painting with artist Sidewalk Sam for Boston beautification • Elder Services (students serve lunch to and socialize with the elderly) • 230 students volunteer weekly or monthly • 39 service sites in Greater Boston • 250 volunteers for one-time special events • 26 faculty, staff and parent volunteer drivers
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c omm u nity s ervice powerful learning The Community Service Board works with nearly 40 service sites in Greater Boston, in addition to projects on campus. The board also manages major events on campus, and maintains a bulletin board promoting its projects and the community service pages of the school Web site. Every other year the board plans and implements an all-School service day when all students and faculty participate in community service. Each grade has several representatives on the Community Service Board. The student board and faculty coordinators run the program. They manage relationships with agencies
where student volunteers commit to weekly service. They also organize events such as the Special Olympics, blood drives, Oxfam Hunger Banquet, a holiday party for children from a local shelter, or the Class III orientation, which is a community service day. Board members educate the community about service opportunities and have organized several interscholastic conferences. Although service is not a required activity, every year nearly 300 students participate in community service at Milton, either in weekly commitments or special projects.
One thing I really love doing here is community service. It’s not required, which makes it even more fun. The variety of community service opportunities is a whole other aspect of Milton that you couldn’t find at another school. Helping people makes me feel better. It helps to beat stereotypes, for you and for other people. I volunteered this year at the Special Olympics track meet, and it was a long day—we were there from 9 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock at night. But I loved working with the different people all day. The athletes really open your eyes, and you realize that there are so many disabilities, to varying degrees, that people overcome. I ran on the track with one athlete during his race, and I was there to help him along when he wanted to stop. It was a very cool moment to be a part of. —Joseph Reynolds, Brooklyn, New York Norris House, Class I
During a recent community service spring break trip, students lived and worked on a Navajo reservation in Arizona where they repaired, painted and cleaned homes, a playground and other community facilities. While visiting the reservation, students learned about Native-American culture, enjoyed Navajo cuisine, and traveled to the Grand Canyon. In past years, Milton’s community service groups have traveled to Belize and the Mississippi Gulfcoast.
Every spring, Milton’s campus hosts a Special Olympics event where nearly 400 athletes and over 100 Academy student volunteers participate. Throughout the school year, Milton students coach Special Olympians from the Boston area— ranging in age from 10 to 20 years—weekly in soccer, basketball or track and field.
In the spring, seniors launch the School-wide, biennial Community Service Day, instituted many years ago by the student Self-Governing Association. The day is a chance for both students and faculty to help out in our surrounding communities, and also to learn about related social, political and environmental issues. Service projects at numerous locations, off campus and on, offer myriad ways to help, from cleaning up town parks, to volunteering at the local animal shelter, to playing music for hospital patients. 59
c l u b s and o rg an izat io n s ma ke your ma r k at m i lt o n a c a demy Would you like to see your writing in print, organize support for an environmental idea, or run a mock election? Do you want to film a student production, compete with other high schools in math, or promote the visual arts all over campus? Whatever your inclination, whatever you’d like to try, Milton has opportunities for you. Milton’s wide range of clubs and activities profoundly affects students’ lives; students experience leadership, teamwork, performance and service.
st ud ents as leade r s Milton’s student leaders take their responsibilities seriously. From managing class assemblies, to organizing community service commitments, to implementing year-long projects, students learn to set expectations, motivate others and fulfi ll responsibilities. Weekend training retreats, working relationships with faculty advisors, and observing the legacies of prior leaders help train students for the roles they undertake. The voice of student leadership sets the tone for the ambitious, exciting Milton environment.
fa ct s Adjectives most frequently used by accepted students to describe Milton: academic, challenging, diverse, friendly Pool of students elected to serve on a Discipline Committee: 15 Number of student-run publications: 10 Frequency of The Milton Paper student newspaper production: Weekly Frequency of The Milton Measure student newspaper production: Biweekly
campus and community service Whether you’re giving a tour for the admission office, running an AIDS awareness assembly, or tutoring at the Mujeres Unidas women’s center in Boston, your Milton experience will be enriched by service opportunities both on and off campus. Programs begin right here at Milton, extend into the Greater Boston area, and even include Milton Academy chapters of national and global service organizations. • AIDS Board • Amnesty International • CARE (Campus Awareness for Recycling and the Environment) • Community Service Board • Habitat for Humanity • Individual Student Support (advanced peer counseling) • Lorax (environmental organization) • Orange and Blue Key tour guide program • Peer Counseling • Public Issues Board (current events educators and programmers) • Rangers (student technology assistants) • Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) • World Health Organization (WHO)
c ult ur a l g ro ups
s t udent publ i c ations
Share in the diversity at Milton by joining one of the active cultural groups on campus. Discuss issues of ethnic identity at a Common Ground meeting, learn how to make paella with the Spanish Club, or debate politics at a GASP! gathering. Each group warmly welcomes students of all backgrounds.
Poet, journalist, or critic, you can become a published writer at Milton. Put your French or Spanish skills to the test in one of our foreign-language publications, take on a controversial topic on the editorial page of The Milton Paper, or read your classmates’ poetry and short stories in the Magus-Mabus. No prior experience required!
• Asian Society • Christian Fellowship • French Club • GASP! (Gay and Straight People) • ONYX (African-American culture) • Common Ground • Jewish Student Union • Latino Society • Spanish Club • Gender Equity Club • Caribbean Club • SIMA (Students Interested in Middle Eastern Affairs)
s pec i a l i n t eres t c l ubs Interests at Milton extend beyond the classroom, fields or stage. Students share their passion for hip-hop music, yoga, knitting, fi lm, and political interests in the many, varied clubs on campus. Try your hand at improv comedy, step dancing or cooking. Anyone can join, and anyone can bring their own interests and hobbies to share with classmates, here. • Film Club • A/V (Audio/Visual) Club • Arts Board • Improv Club • Step Club • Hip-Hop Club • Speech and Debate Team • Model UN • Save Darfur • Rock n’ Roll Club • Meditation Club
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• The Milton Paper (weekly newspaper) • The Milton Measure (biweekly newspaper) • The Milton Academy Yearbook • Magus-Mabus (literary magazine) • Mille-Tonnes (French newspaper) • La Voz (Spanish newspaper) • The Asian (cultural periodical) • Helix (science magazine) • The Issue (current events online publication) • Aché (celebrating diverse cultures)
l ea der ship o ppo rtunities As a student-elected leader, your input can have a real impact on life at Milton. Strengthen your public-speaking skills, learn diplomacy and organization, get to know your school administrators and translate your ideas and your classmates’ ideas into action. • Self-Governing Association • Boarding Council • Day Council • Student Activities Association • Athletic Association
I’m a member of the Hip-Hop Board, and I’m also a board member of ONYX, which is the black cultural club on campus. I’m also on the literature staff of the Magus-Mabus [the student-run, student-written arts publication]. We had a meeting the other night, and it was so fun and interesting to read all of the poems and short stories that people submit. I’m also the secretary of the SGA [student Self-Governing Association] this year. It’s nice to be involved directly with SGA, but to have a position where I still have time to commit to all the other activities I love. —Nicole Rufus, Carrollton, Texas Robbins House, Class II
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c a m p us r eso u rces at hl e tic and con v o catio n cen te r The Athletic and Convocation Center honors Milton’s tradition of excellence in athletics and enhances opportunities for students to participate in a wide range of sports, at varying levels, on an interscholastic or intramural basis. The Fitzgibbons Convocation Center (south field house) includes three basketball courts, convocation capacity for the entire school, and an indoor track. The north field house provides a hockey rink, and alternatively three tennis courts once the ice is gone or an indoor practice area for field sports. The facility’s center section houses boys’ and girls’ home and visitors’ locker rooms. The second floor houses the Herbert G. ’24 and Esther B. Stokinger Fitness Center, coaches’ offices and training rooms.
kelln e r perfo rming arts center The performing arts department and music department thrive in the Kellner Performing Arts Center. Kellner includes a large dance studio; spacious class-
rooms for speech and debate training; classrooms and practice rooms for work in chorus, orchestra and jazz; a “black box” studio theater; fully-equipped scene construction and costume shops, and the Ruth King Theatre. A gift of novelist Stephen King in honor of his mother, the theater is one of its kind at the high school level in the United States. With an auditorium equipped with elevators and movable chairs, it is a twentieth-century adaptation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Its flexibility allows the department to present productions in creative configurations, and to change configurations to suit plays from various historical periods. Kellner is a busy center of life on campus, inside and outside the classroom.
n e st o g a ll ery Serving the Milton community since 1972, the Nesto Gallery brings in artists from the New England area who enrich and broaden the School’s collective perspective on art. There are eight exhibitions a year, two of which are student exhibitions. Each year one exhibition includes graduates, members of the Milton community or a local artist. An Artist’s Lecture Series works in conjunction with these
Herbert G. ’24 and Esther B. Stokinger Fitness Center
exhibitions so students meet and talk with the artists directly. The Nesto has garnered metropolitan press attention. The Boston Globe, the Globe’s Sunday South Shore Weekly and the South Shore papers highlight the gallery schedule and review the shows. The Nesto Gallery increases awareness and augments existing visual arts programs, as well as represents Milton Academy within the greater public arts arena in the Boston area.
a c a demi c s ki l l s c en t er The Academic Skills Center provides students with academic resources such as tutoring, help with organizational and time-management skills, and a comfortable site at the center of campus for studying or working with one of the faculty members who works with the director. Located in Cox Library, the Academic Skills Center is staffed throughout the academic day and has evening hours.
bo o ks t o re The Milton Academy Bookstore is located in the lower level of Warren Hall. As well as stockAthletic and Convocation Center 62
ing all books required for course study, the store handles a large variety of school supplies, toiletries, pleasure reading material, athletic clothing and gift items. Some of the items you’ll find include: • birthday and special occasion cards • class rings and graduation mementos • Milton t-shirts, sweatshirts and shorts • mugs, cups and keyrings • soda, snacks and toothbrushes
c o x l i b r ary Cox Library provides a comprehensive range of resources for students, faculty and staff. The collection includes approximately 46,000 volumes, classified using the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress subject headings, and is available in open stacks. An integrated library automation system provides access to the catalog via public access terminals on each floor within the building and access to the collection from outside the library via the Internet. The library subscribes to approximately 150 periodicals and newspapers, with back issues available in print and
William Coburn Cox ’24 Library
microfilm. Holdings include the complete run of the New York Times since 1851 on microfilm and a growing collection of online programs including Ethnic Newswatch, Info Trac, SIRS, UMI Proquest, and encyclopedias. In addition to offering a comfortable environment for study, research and recreational reading, the library has microform readers, reader/printers, computers and a copier for student use. The library is open to students and faculty weekdays, evenings and throughout the weekend.
Pritzker Science Center
h e a lt h a n d c o u n se li n g center The Health Center staff provides health care services 24 hours a day to Milton Academy students, while school is in session. The philosophy of the Health Center is that of preventative care. The staff works with a student’s primary care physician, supporting his or her role in the student’s health care. The Health Center staff will:
• provide overnight accommodations for students who require additional attention while not feeling well; • see that laboratory tests are performed or ordered as indicated; • administer allergy shots with an order from a physician; • arrange gynecological services and contraceptive counseling at a student’s request; • assist in arranging transportation to medical appointments arranged by the nurses. The School has easy access to the services of Milton Hospital and major Boston hospitals. In a medical emergency, a nurse will accompany the student to a medical facility or arrange ambulance transportation. Milton provides professional counselors to students who want help with personal problems or who are facing obstacles to personal and academic growth. Three full-time counseling professionals staff the center and others are available on a consulting basis. Personal counseling is offered to students on a confidential basis. Confidentiality is waived only when a counselor deems that the student’s health or safety is endangered.
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pr i tzker science c enter The Pritzker Science Center, which opened in September 2010, integrates classroom areas with laboratory tables and equipment, creating an environment that allows students to work collaboratively and move seamlessly between discussion and hands-on lab work. Faculty use advanced teaching methods in spaces designed for their specific disciplines, encouraging exploration, unique approaches, and the discovery of answers to probing scientific questions. Inquiry that is specialized, or independent, or that needs to continue for longer periods of time, takes place in four inquiry labs. Larger than the classroom labs, the inquiry labs are on the first floor, open and beckoning to all who pass. To provide ultimate flexibility and prepare for potential new teaching strategies, several of the inquiry labs and classrooms are separated from one another by “garage door” type partitions. Those laboratories can double in size, allowing for variable uses of space. The Pritzker Science Center was designed with sustainability in mind, to meet silver LEED
located in Ware Hall is fitted with the best headphones and the latest software enabling students to practice the spoken language outside of the classroom. Each dorm has a satellite computer center with three or four Dell PCs and a laser printer that is available around the clock and maintained and checked by a trained Technology Ranger.
Computer Centers
specifications. The building is constructed primarily from recycled, renewable and locally sourced materials, and the building’s hot water system runs mainly on solar energy. The building’s “dashboard” demonstrates energy use and savings in real time.
comp ute r cen te r s The Academic Computer Centers, located in the Schwarz Student Center, serve students with an up-to-date network of Macintosh
The Bookstore
and Pentium computers, laser printers and scanners. In addition, computers are available to students in the skills center and several department areas. The digital imaging lab is equipped with 16 computers, Adobe Photoshop®, scanners and a projector. The digital imaging lab supports and enhances the strengths of Milton’s traditional fine arts program which concentrates on teaching students visual literacy, creative thinking, self-expression and technical proficiency. The state-of-the-art language lab
All campus computers are connected by the campus data network, which is connected to the Internet. Academy Technology Services (ATS) arranges network connection of student-owned computers, provides virus-protection software at no cost, and performs repairs of computers and printers at reasonable cost.
s c hwa rz s t uden t c en t er The Schwarz Student Center is part of daily campus life for all students and adults at Milton. Its design enhances opportunities for building relationships, a hallmark of the Milton experience. The center includes: • out-of-class gathering places for students and adults; • offices for student activities;
Schwarz Student Center
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• computer kiosks to check email and browse the Internet; • spaces for faculty-student meetings; • a snackbar serving a variety of food at different times of the day including bagels, smoothies, pizza, fruit and popcorn; • foosball, television and ping-pong.
t h e rob ert m. ayer ’28 o bs ervatory In addition to providing telescopic views of the sky, the Ayer Obser vatory allows astronomy students to observe the celestial objects they are studying. Students also conduct individual projects there. Past senior projects have included astrophotography and variable star monitoring. The observatory has a 12-foot dome housing a 5-inch Clark refractor for general classroom use and another smaller dome housing a 9-inch Takahashi reflector. Eight piers just outside of the observatory provide smaller, portable telescopes for larger groups. The observatory is located at the far right of Nash Field overlooking the football field.
t he milt on acad emy cam pus
l ege nd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Straus Library Wigglesworth Hall Schwarz Student Center Warren Hall Upper School Admission Ware Hall Greenleaf Hall Caroline Saltonstall Building K–8 Admission Art and Media Center
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Cox Library Kellner Performing Arts Center Pritzker Science Center Junior Building Hallowell House Apthorp Chapel Williams Squash Courts Athletic and Convocation Center Ayer Observatory Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium Wolcott House
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
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Robbins House Forbes Dining Hall Forbes House Facilities Building Goodwin House Hathaway House Health and Counseling Center Academy Day Care Center Millet House Norris House
A B–O B J M O P Q
Outdoor Swimming Pool Playing Fields Faulkner Field Nash Field Stokinger Field Dennis Field Parking Interim Art Classrooms
admission and financial aid Milton Academy welcomes boarding applications for admission to Grades 9, 10 and 11. Students in the Greater Boston area may apply for admission as day students to Grades 9 and 10. In a typical year, Milton enrolls the following number of new students in each entry point: Boarding Day Grade 9 (Class IV): 55 45 Grade 10 (Class III): 35 5–8 Grade 11 (Class II): 15 0
getting s tart e d To begin your conversation with Milton Academy and add your name to our mailing list, complete and submit the Request Information form online at www.milton.edu or call the admission office at 617-898-2227. Admission packages are mailed weekly. Included in the package is the Preliminary Application which should be submitted prior to your personal interview, but no later than January 15, 2012.
ca mp us vis it A visit to Milton’s 125-acre campus in suburban Boston is an important part of the application process. The Office of Admission, located in Warren Hall, is open
adm is s io n fa ct s Number of completed applications in 2010: 1,030 Applicants accepted: 26% Students newly enrolled: 160 Median SSAT percentile for accepted students: 90th Median SSAT percentile for enrolled students: 90th Percent of newly enrolled students of color: 45% Percent of boarders from outside Massachusetts: 73%
year-round and welcomes visits from interested families from June through early January. During the fall semester, families may schedule visits on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 8:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m., and on Wednesdays at 8:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Please allow two hours for your tour and interview. The Office of Admission is closed Labor Day, Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, and between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. The campus visit includes: Personal Interview All candidates for admission and their parent(s) or guardian(s) participate in a two-part personal interview with a member of the Admission Committee. (See timeline, at right.) Both informative and evaluative, the interview is a lively, often relaxed conversation between visiting families and the admission officer who conducts the interview. Each student meets one-on-one with an interviewer prior to the parent discussion. The interview is an opportunity for each student and his or her parents to discuss special interests and accomplishments, and for an interviewer to determine whether Milton is a good match for the student. We evaluate students on their academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, maturity, personality, character, confidence, commitment to or leadership in extracurricular activities and citizenship. Interviewers also consider a student’s “fit” for the rigorous college preparatory program Milton offers and, for boarding students, its residential program. Campus Tour Each visit to Milton includes a personal, 45-minute campus tour with a student guide.
Special Interest During your time at Milton you might also take advantage of the chance to meet with a faculty member who directs a special program that interests you. Department chairs, coaches and program directors are available to meet with you during your visit. If you are interested in such a meeting, please inform the Office of Admission when you schedule your campus visit.
The application consists of the following elements:
s ta n da rdi z ed t es t i n g
To be completed by the principal, head of school or placement counselor: Part 5: School Transcript & Recommendation
Standardized testing is an important supporting element of a student’s academic record, and all candidates for admission are required to submit the results of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). Applicants should register for and take the SSAT by January 2012 and request that scores be sent to Milton Academy. The SSAT school code for Milton Academy is 5098. Applicants for Grade 11 may substitute the SSAT with either the PSAT or SAT-I Reasoning Test. For international applicants or students for whom English is not their first language, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is strongly recommended. The TOEFL school code for Milton Academy is 8125.
fi n a l a ppl i c at i o n Candidates for admission in September 2012 must fi le a final application on or before January 15, 2012. A late application may be considered as space allows, but we cannot guarantee a decision by March 10 on late applications. The application is available online at www.milton.edu/admissions/ online_application.cfm or in hard copy. The application fee is $50 for domestic applicants and $100 USD for applicants with an international mailing address.
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To be completed by the applicant: Part 1: Biographical Information Part 2: Extracurricular Interests & Short Answer Questions Part 3: Personal Essays/Student Questionnaire To be completed by the parents: Part 4: Parent Statement
To be completed by teachers: Part 6a: Recommendation from current English teacher Part 6b: Recommendation from current math teacher Part 6c: Recommendation from a teacher of your choice, mentor or other adult To be completed by a non-academic coach, mentor or teacher: Part 7a: Special Interest Recommendation—Arts Part 7b: Special Interest Recommendation— Athletics
fi n a n cial aid Milton Academy values diversity in all its forms and maintains a generous financial aid budget of $7.9 million in support of this goal. All aid is need-based, and Milton strives to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated need of each student offered admission to the Academy. Awards are made annually, and returning students must reapply for aid each year. Assuming financial circumstances do not change significantly, a family can expect a comparable amount of aid for the duration of their time at Milton.
fi nancial aid fa cts Financial aid budget, 2011–2012: $7.9 million Students on financial aid, Classes I–IV: 32%
To be eligible for financial assistance, parents must complete and submit the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) by January 15. The school code for Milton Academy is 5098. In addition, parents must submit a signed copy of their 2010 Federal Income Tax Return to the SSS by January 15 at: SSS by NAIS, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid Milton Academy 170 Centre Street Milton, MA 02186 Tel: 617-898-2233 Fax: 617-898-1701
For detailed information regarding the application procedures, criteria and assessment, please read the brochure “Financial Aid at Milton Academy.”
tim el ine Interviews • By January 15, 2012 to guarantee a March 10 decision Preliminary Application • ASAP, and before the interview Standardized Testing • Schedule and take before January 2012 Application Deadline • January 15, 2012 Financial Aid Deadline • January 15, 2012 Admission Decisions • March 10, 2012 Deposit Deadline • April 10, 2012
On April 7, 1905, the headmaster of Milton Academy, Mr. Richard Cobb, received the following letter from Mrs. Charlotte C. Eliot, of St. Louis, Missouri: My dear Mr. Cobb, I do not know whether in my last note I made it sufficiently explicit that if after reading my letter and looking over my son’s (Thomas Sterns Eliot) schedule, you approve of his entering Milton Academy, I desire to make formal application for his admission into the Upper School dormitory buildings. Yours very truly, Charlotte C. Eliot T.S. Eliot graduated from Milton Academy in 1906.
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h is tor y a tim el es s m i s s i o n , a t h i r d c en t ury On one hand, Milton is a visionary and bold school— “facing the street,” as Headmaster Field metaphorically described us in 1942. Yet our School is one whose oldest values are the most enduring. Generations of graduates speak about the School’s respect for the individual. They describe the ways faculty members supported young people striving to grow in both confidence and competence, to trust the validity of their ideas, to challenge themselves. They remember Milton as the place where they first learned to love ideas. Here they learned to set high expectations for themselves, to pursue their goals and to honor a responsibility to a broader community. The Academy’s charter, given in 1798 under the Massachusetts land-grant policy, bequeathed to the School a responsibility to “open the way for all the people to a higher order of education than the common schools can supply” (Richard Hale, Milton Academy, 1948). Milton was established as a coeducational day school, and preparation for college was the primary goal of the School’s program.
“ da re t o be t rue ” Adopted in 1898, Milton’s motto resounds in the minds and hearts of today’s students and graduates. Often cited by both faculty and students as the litmus test for word or action, “Dare to be true” not only states a core value, it describes Milton’s culture. Milton believes that a vital and effective community is built on individuals’ self-confidence and shared respect. We do our best to foster an atmosphere of intellectual freedom, and we encourage initiative and the open exchange of ideas. Doing so requires considerable energy. Teaching and learning at Milton Academy are active processes, supported by the recognition of the intelligence, talents and potential of each member of the School. Grounded in values, deeply respectful of diversity, and fully aware of the issues of their time, Milton students graduate fully prepared to continue working to meet their own high expectations in the many venues that follow.
Early in 1900, reacting to an increase in the interest in separate education for young women, the Academy divided into separate schools. For most of the next century, the Milton Academy Boys’ School and Girls’ School maintained separate faculties and facilities; today Milton has returned to its coeducational roots.
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boa rd o f t ru st e e s f acts
George Alex Cohasset, Massachusetts
The year Milton was chartered as a coeducational land-grant school: 1798
Robert Azeke ’87 New York, New York
The year Milton separated into a girls’ school and boys’ school: 1901
Julia W. Bennett ’79 Norwell, Massachusetts
The year coeducation returned to classes at Milton: 1970 Number of living Milton Academy alumni: 8,880 Market value of Milton’s endowment: $193 million (as of May, 2011) Annual fund gifts 2010–2011: over $3.7 million
Bradley Bloom President Wellesley, Massachusetts Bob Cunha ’83 Milton, Massachusetts Mark Denneen ’84 Boston, Massachusetts
Victoria Hall Graham ’81 Vice President New York, New York Margaret Jewett Greer ’47 Emerita Chevy Chase, Maryland Antonia Monroe Grumbach ’61 New York, New York Kerry Murphy Healey Beverly, Massachusetts Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65 Emeritus New York, New York
Elizabeth Donohue ’83 New York, New York
Ogden M. Hunnewell ’70 Vice President Brookline, Massachusetts
James M. Fitzgibbons ’52 Emeritus Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Caroline Hyman New York, New York
John B. Fitzgibbons ’87 Bronxville, New York
Harold W. Janeway ’54 Emeritus Webster, New Hampshire
Catherine Gordan New York, New York
Lisa A. Jones ’84 Newton, Massachusetts
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Stephen D. Lebovitz Weston, Massachusetts F. Warren McFarlan ’55 Vice President Belmont, Massachusetts Chris McKown Milton, Massachusetts Erika Mobley ’86 Brisbane, California John P. Reardon ’56 Cohasset, Massachusetts H. Marshall Schwarz ’54 Emeritus New York, New York Frederick G. Sykes ’65 Secretary Rye, New York V-Nee Yeh ’77 Hong Kong Jide J. Zeitlin ’81 Treasurer New York, New York
f a c u lt y Marijke D. Alsbach (1982) Physical Education and Athletics B.A., M.Ed., Boston University Darlene R. Anastas (1981) Performing Arts B.A., M.A., University of California Santa Barbara Elaine S. Apthorp ’75 (1999) English, History A.B., Williams College M.A., Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley Paul Archer (2007) Classics B.A., University of California at Berkeley M.A., University of Cambridge Corey Baker (2011) Cox Library B.A., Swarthmore College M.L.S., University of Denver Elisabeth Cory Baker (2001) English B.A., M.A., Middlebury College M.F.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst David B. Ball ’88 (1999) Upper School Principal A.B., Princeton University A.M., Duke University Erica C. Banderob (1978) Mathematics A.B., Oberlin College Ed.M, Harvard University John T. Banderob (1974) Mathematics B.S., Yale University John E. Bean (1993) Science B.A., Middlebury College M.A.L.S., Wesleyan University Matthew K. Bingham (1998) Science B.A., Middlebury College M.Ed., Boston College Todd Bland (2009) Head of School B.A., Bowdoin College Ed.M., Harvard University Jessica Bond (2002) English A.B., Harvard University M.A., Middlebury College Jaclyn M. Bonenfant (1981) Academic Dean B.S., University of New Hampshire M.M.E., Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Paul Cannata (2003) Physical Education and Athletics B.A., Hamilton College M.S., American International College Hugo A. Caraballo (2006) Modern Language B.A., Colby College Séverine Carpenter (2009) Modern Language Technicien Supérieur en Commerce International Britney Carr (2011) Assistant Athletic Director B.A., Bowdoin College Gordon D. Chase (1978) Visual Arts B.A., Yale University Bryan C. Cheney (1968) Visual Arts A.B., Harvard University Kendall Chun (2007) Outdoor Education B.S., University of Pennsylvania M.Ed., University of New Hampshire P. Tarim Chung (2001) English B.S., Cornell University M.A., Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College M.Litt., Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College Katie Collins (2010) Academic Skills Center B.A., University of Connecticut M.Ed., Simmons College Nicole Colson (2006) English B.A., Williams College Ed.M, Harvard University James F. Connolly (1983) English B.S., Northeastern University M.Ed., Bridgewater State Mark Connolly (2002) Modern Language B.A., College of The Holy Cross M.A., Boston College
Sarah W. Dey ’62 (1981) History B.A., Yale University M.Ed., Lesley College
Lawrence J. Fitzpatrick (1980) Athletics/Health Education B.S., M.Ed., Norwich University
Alan Gluck (2011) History B.A., Trinity College J.D., Washington University
Donald M. Dregalla (1981) Music B.M., M.M., New England Conservatory of Music Ph.D., Ohio State University
Heather Flewelling (2002) Director of Multiculturalism A.B., Harvard Radcliffe Colleges M.S.W., University of California at Berkeley
Charlene D. Grant (1979) Physical Education and Athletics B.S., Indiana University
Michael Duseau (2004) Science B.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst Michael H. Edgar (2000) Science B.S., Bates College Ed.M., Harvard University Kelli Edwards (2001) Performing Arts B.F.A., University of Missouri, Kansas City M.F.A., Smith College Joshua Emmott (2004) History B.A., Wesleyan University M.A., London University Linnea Engstrom (2009) Science B.S., Dickinson College Cathleen D. Everett (1990) Director of Communications B.A., College of New Rochelle M.S., Boston University
Steve Darling (2002) Athletics /Health Education B.S., Northeastern University
Linda S. Eyster (1990) Science B.S., University of Southwestern Louisiana M.S., University of South Carolina Ph.D., Northeastern University
Suzanne DeBuhr (2006) Spiritual Director B.A., Saint Olaf College M. Div., Harvard University
Lida Famili (1987) Science B.S., National University M.S., Tehran University
Tracy Crews (2005) Modern Language B.A., Eastern University M.A., Middlebury College
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Anne H. Foley (1987) Cox Library B.S., University of Southern Maine M.L.S., Simmons College Ann E. Foster (2003) History B.A., Hobart and William Smith Colleges, M.A., Loyola College Douglas C. Fricke (1987) English B.A., Colgate University Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Christopher Shane Fuller (2008) Performing Arts B.S., Oral Roberts University M.F.A., Regent University Thomas A. Gagnon (1992) Science B.S., Brown University Ed.M., Harvard University M.S., University of Massachusetts, Boston M.A.T., Bridgewater State College Maria Gerrity (1998) English A.B., Vassar College M.Ed., Lesley College Andrea Geyling (1992) Community Service, History B.A., Stanford University Ed.M., Harvard University
Mark GwinnLandry (2004) English B.A., Bates College M.A., University of New Hampshire Christopher A. Hales (1999) Mathematics B.A., Emory University William P. Hamel (2001) Modern Language B.A., SUNY Albany M.A., SUNY Albany Jennifer M. Hamilton (2010) Counseling Services B.A., M.A., Boston College M.A., Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Boston Phoebe Hamilton (2011) History B.A., University of Massachusetts, Boston Wells S. Hansen (1993) Classics A.B., Boston College André Heard ’93 (2000) Associate Dean of Students B.A., University of Virginia Teresa J. HerrNeckar (1996) Mathematics B.A., Alfred University M.A., Wesleyan University Elizabeth Hetzler (2008) Academic Skills Center A.B., Smith College Ed.M., Harvard University
Mark S. Hilgendorf (1982) History B.A., University of Wisconsin M.A.T., Northeastern University Ph.D., Duke University Keith Hilles-Pilant (1986) Mathematics A.B., Princeton University M.S., University of Illinois Laurence Huughe (2004) Modern Language B.A., M.A., University of Paris IV—Sorbonne Ph.D., Brown University Jeanne Smith Jacobs (1996) Mathematics A.B., Harvard University M.A.Ed., Washington University–St. Louis Ed.M., Harvard University Martha Hinds Jacobsen (1985) Mathematics B.A., Smith College M.A., New York University Patrice M. Jean-Baptiste ’88 (1999) Performing Arts B.A., Boston University M.A., Trinity Rep Conservatory/Rhode Island College Bridget Johnson (2007) Dean of Students B.S./B.A., Georgetown University Peter Kahn (2002) Mathematics B.S., Johns Hopkins Michael Kassatly (2006) Mathematics B.A., Cornell University M.S., University of New Hampshire M.A., University of California-Los Angeles Anne L. Kaufman ’79 (2002) Mathematics A.B., Smith College M.A., University of Montana Ph.D., University of Maryland James C. Kernohan (1988) Science B.S., Denison University Ed.M., Harvard University Rachel Klein-Ash (1996) College Counseling B.A., Colby College M.S.Ed., University of Pennsylvania Isabelle Lantieri (2001) Modern Language B.S., Université de Paris
James L. LaRochelle (1996) Science B.S., University of Maine Janet Levine (1986) English B.A., University of Witwatersrand B.A., University of South Africa Elizabeth Lillis (2006) Science B.S., Georgetown University M.Ed., University of Maryland-College Park Victor Llacuna (2003) Modern Language B.A., Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Michael S.L. Lou (1995) History B.A., Brown University M.A., Harvard University Kevin M. Macdonald (1996) Athletics B.A., College of the Holy Cross M.Ed., Cambridge College Edna L. Manzer (1998) Cox Library B.A., University of New Hampshire M.S., Drexel University Ph.D., Indiana University Susan Marianelli (2004) Performing Arts B.A., University of Evansville Pamela J. McArdle (1989) Performing Arts B.A., Boston University P.A., Emerson College M.A., Simmons College Walter S. McCloskey (1971) English A.B., Ph.D., Harvard University Rebecca McCormick (2010) Mathematics B.S., Lafayette College M.Ed., University of New Hampshire M.S., University of New Hampshire Robert McGuirk (2010) History B.S., Fitchburg State College Paul E. Menneg Jr. (1980) Visual Arts B.F.A., Ohio Wesleyan M.F.A., University of Kansas Francis D. Millet (1942) Admission/Classics A.B., Harvard University
James Mills (2003) History B.A., Hendrix College M. Phil., Jesus College, Cambridge University Ph.D., London School of Economics and Political Science Bradley Moriarty (2004) Science B.A., Georgetown University M.Ed., Boston University B.S., Northeastern University M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cedric Morlot (2010) Modern Language B.A., University of Nancy II, France Louise E. Mundinger (1986) Music B.M., Valparaiso M.M., New England Conservatory of Music Michael P. Murray (1986) Modern Language B.A., M.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst Anne Neely (1974) Visual Arts B.A., Old Dominion University Maria Noy (2010) Science B.S., University of California M.S., Institute of Chemical Technology M.S., Yale University Peter G. Parisi (1995) Performing Arts B.A., Bridgewater State College M.F.A., University of Texas Matthew Petherick (2011) Athletics B.A., Brandeis University Sarah Piebes (2010) Athletics/Health Education B.S., Ithaca College M.S., A.T. Still University Malinda Polk (2011) English B.A., Connecticut College M.A., University of Massachusetts, Boston M.F.A., University of Iowa Lawrence Pollans (1985) History/Visual Arts B.A., Franklin & Marshall College B.F.A., Boston University M.F.A., Tyler School of Art
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Harold I. Pratt Jr. (1990) Mathematics B.A., Connecticut College M.Ed., Lesley University
Kelly Reiser (2010) Director of Student Activities B.S., University of Connecticut
Juan R. Ramos (1998) Mathematics B.S.I.E., Universidad de Puerto Rico M.E., University of Florida
Caroline Sabin (2007) English A.B., Harvard University
Mary Jo Ramos (1998) Modern Language B.A., Universidad de Puerto Rico M.A., University of New Mexico Paul Rebuck (2004) Dean of Admission B.A., Amherst College M.S., University of Massachusetts Lamar Reddicks (2008) Director of Athletics B.S., Bentley College Gregg W. Reilly (2001) Mathematics B.S., University of Massachusetts M.S., University of New Hampshire
Thomas W. Sando (1988) Science B.S., Duke University M.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Rebecca Schorin (2002) English B.A., University of Pittsburgh M.S., Northwestern University Elihu Selter (2008) Counseling Services B.A., University of Rochester Ph.D., Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology Julie Seplaki (2011) Science B.S., Rutgers University M.P.H., University of California, Los Angeles
d irect io n s
Laurel Starks (1986) History B.A., Wellesley College M.A.T., Memphis State University Michaela H. Steimle (1982) English B.A., Emmanuel College Massachusetts General Hospital Language Clinic
By automobile from New York City via Providence: Take i-95 north to i-93 north towards Braintree (Route 128 south) to Exit 5B. Then follow directions on left. From Boston by public transportation: Take MBTA Red Line (HarvardAshmont) train southbound for Ashmont—not Quincy or Braintree. At Ashmont change for trolley marked Mattapan. Get off at stop marked Milton. Telephone for a taxi or walk one mile south on Randolph Avenue.
Vivian S. Wu Wong (1992) History B.A., Stanford University M.Ed., University of Massachusetts
From Boston and Points North
MBTA
Shimin Zhou (1998) Modern Language B.A., Beijing Normal University, China
Ad a
Carlotta D. Zilliax (1992) English B.S., Wheelock College M.A., Harvard University
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Margaret J. Stark (1986) Visual Arts A.B., Hamilton-Kirkland M.F.A., University of Kansas
Edward J. Whalen, Jr. (1995) Music B.M., University of Rhode Island M.M., New England Conservatory of Music
Brook
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Exit 10 Squantum Street Milton
Road t
Stree e Centr
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Randolph
Terri Solomon (2005) College Counseling B.A., Wellesley College M.S.Ed., University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Wehle (1977) Classics A.B., Radcliffe College Ed.M., Harvard University
ue
John Charles Smith (1974) English B.A., University of North Carolina M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
Sonia Pérez-Villanueva (2010) Modern Language B.A., M.A., University of the Basque Country Ph.D., University of Birmingham
By automobile from the Massachusetts Turnpike: Take i-95 south (Route 128 south). When i-95 veers off to Providence, stay on 128 south (i-93 north towards Braintree) to Exit 5B. Then follow directions on left.
By automobile from the South Shore: Follow Route 3 north to i-93 south (Route 128 north toward Route 95) to Exit 5B. Travel north on Randolph Avenue (Route 28 north) to the third traffic light. (Do not turn left at the second traffic light where Route 28 diverges). At the third traffic light, left again into limited parking for the Office of Admission. Follow campus signs to the Office of Admission.
Ave n
David M. Smith (1981) English A.B., Harvard University M.A., University of Wisconsin
Robert S. Tyler (1988) Science A.B., Harvard University M.S., Northeastern University
on
Sherrod E. Skinner ’72 (1999) Director of College Counseling A.B., Ed.M., Harvard University
Lydia Thorp (2010) Modern Language B.A., Skidmore College
Can t
Robert M. Sinicrope (1973) Music B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute M.Ed., Boston University
Tonysha Taylor (2007) Assistant Dean of Students B.A., Columbia University Ed.M., Harvard University
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Matthew Simonson (2010) Mathematics B.A., Williams College
Heather Sugrue (2001) Mathematics B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.Ed., Boston College
From Boston or Logan Airport: Take i-93 south (Fitzgerald “Southeast” Expressway) to Exit 10, Squantum Street, Milton. Turn right at yellow blinker. Go 2 ⁄10 mile to Y intersection, then bear left onto Centre Street (follow hospital sign). Milton academic buildings begin just after the second traffic light. Turn left into the parking for the Office of Admission. Follow campus signs to the Office of Admission.
al A venu
Deborah E. Simon (1980) Performing Arts B.A., M.A., University of the Pacific
Robert St. Laurence (2011) Performing Arts B.A., Brandeis University
Cen tr
Gordon W. Sewall (1996) Assistant Head, Alumni Relations and Development B.A., Bowdoin College Ed.M., Harvard University
milton academy Legend 1 2 3 4
Milton Campus Upper School Admission Office Town Hall Church Public Library
N Exit 5B From Mass Pike and 1-95
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From Quincy and Points South
m i lt o n a c a de m y 170 Centre Street Milton, Massachusetts 02186 Tel: 617-898-1798 Fax: 617-898-1701 Email: admissions@milton.edu