Among College Students and Professionals, Milton Seniors Win First Prize at MIT’s Hackathon
Neekon Vafa ’15 and Harry Kwon ’15 took their computer program-ming skills to a whole new level when they participated in — and placed first at — MIT’s Internet of Things Hackathon in October. A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and software developers collaborate intensively on software projects. “The spirit of a hackathon isn’t competitive,” says Harry. “Everyone goes there to learn, even the most experienced programmers.” Most of the attendees are working professionals; Neekon and Harry were the only high school students participating. Last...
Read MoreVolleyball Earns ISL Title in Record Season
With chanting fans packing the ACC, the atmosphere was electric as the girls’ volleyball team faced off against Nobles and Greenough in the final game of their regular season. The Mustangs blocked and spiked their way to a thrilling 3–0 victory. With only two losses to ISL teams this season, this win clinched the league championship title and earned the team a spot in the New England playoffs. “For that hour and a half, the girls were rock stars out there,” says Derek Palmore, varsity coach and Middle School faculty member. Last year the team finished strong, but this season surpassed...
Read MoreDr. Eyster Fuses Biology and Art as She “Looks Closely”
Linde Eyster enjoys looking closely at things — as a scientist, as a teacher, and as a photographer. For the past few years, she focused on the natural environment in her backyard garden, photographing a range of organisms with a macro lens. The result was a stunning, colorful collection that was on exhibition in Pieh Commons in October. “I wanted the photos to tell biological stories,” says Linde, who has taught a variety of life science courses at Milton since 1990. “So, you’re not just looking at a photo of two ants. You are looking at a biological process. The ants are on a...
Read MoreA Tricycle Rides Back to Milton
A new art installation hanging from the rafters in the Art and Media Center completes a circle that began with two inquisitive students in the late 1970s. David Rabkin ’79 and Justin Aborn ’79 were in their junior year when they built a large, recumbent tricycle called the “A-Rab.” “Both of us were fiddlers,” says David, who is now the Farinon Director for Current Science and Technology at the Museum of Science in Boston. “We liked building, and we were always taking stuff apart and putting it back together again. The idea of the trike came about because we really wanted to...
Read MoreMaysoon Zayid
Maysoon Zayid — comedian, actress and activist — was the 2015 Margaret A. Johnson Speaker. Born with cerebral palsy, Ms. Zayid is a powerful advocate for the disabled. She told stories about growing up in New Jersey, where she was accepted for who she was. But as a theater major in college and a struggling actress pursuing a career, Ms. Zayid realized that disabled people were almost nonexistent in the entertainment industry. She has appeared on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” Comedy Central, PBS, CNN, HBO, MTV, ABC and Huffington Post Live. She is a recurring columnist at...
Read MoreMichael A. McKenna
Mike McKenna, network manager of Milton’s Academy Technology Services department, delivered this year’s Veterans Day assembly speech to students as a proud and accomplished veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Growing up in Manville, Rhode Island — home to the country’s first World War I monument — he knew and admired many American veterans. Enlisting at age 19, Mr. McKenna spent ten years as a U.S. Marine. “The military can provide you with invaluable experiences: an education, leadership opportunities, problem-solving and planning skills, just to name a few. In the...
Read MoreJunot Díaz
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Junot Díaz spoke with students not only as a creative writer, but also as a Dominican American immigrant and an activist. Hosted by Milton’s student Latino Association, Mr. Díaz answered questions from a packed room of students, on topics ranging from the writing process to the response to Ferguson, from gender equity to immigration. Mr. Díaz is the author of several books, including The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, for which he earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008. He is a creative writing professor at MIT and the fiction editor of Boston...
Read MoreBlake Gilpin
This year’s Henry R. Heyburn ’39 Speaker in History, Professor Blake Gilpin, used his expertise on the 1850s abolitionist John Brown to illustrate how the narratives of history are created: by combining fact, perspective, and sometimes imagination. Dr. Gilpin, a professor of history at Tulane University, has spent a decade studying John Brown and the cultural phenomena surrounding the man and his legend. His book John Brown Still Lives!: America’s Long Reckoning with Violence, Equality, and Change was a finalist for Gilder Lehrman Center’s Frederick Douglass Book Prize. Dr. Gilpin...
Read MoreAnand Giridharadas
Journalist Anand Giridharadas had an “almost American life” growing up. Born in Ohio, the son of Indian immigrants, he shared with students the story of what led him to live in India for six years. A New York Times columnist and the author of India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking, Mr. Giridharadas was this year’s Hong Kong Distinguished Lecturer. “The country I grew up with in my mind was giving way to a different India. It was a revolution from within . . . The changes had to do with people revolting against parents who told them they would be a doctor or a...
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