The Power of a Posse: Lamont Gordon ’87
Growing up in Washington, D.C., son of a single father, Lamont Gordon ’87 attended seven different schools through eighth grade. Most of his family didn’t graduate from high school; no one had gone to college. When he discovered Milton through a summer enrichment program, boarding school was an unknown concept. Buoyed by an admission brochure and encouragement from his father, Lamont applied and earned a full scholarship. Move-in day was the first time he set foot on Milton’s campus. “Milton was a great opportunity for me, but it was also my only opportunity,” he says. “I had no...
Read MoreMentors: Honest Talk About Teaching
You won’t catch Lydia Thorp walking. If she runs she can get where she needs to be on campus, just barely. Lydia has taught Spanish at Milton since 2010, and she lives in Millet House. Twice each week she also attends classes taught by new Milton faculty members. She sits alongside students taking Spanish III with José Benítez-Meléndez; and she leans on the art tables with students in the Drawing course that Jenny Hughes teaches. Each week Lydia also meets with José and with Jenny separately, so they can talk about what she observed. Chiseled out of schedules that are famously tight, a...
Read MoreEngineering Solutions for a Species in Peril
“Engineering is the future, and young people are primed to learn about it,” says Phoebe Ryles, Milton’s Lower School woodworking teacher. “To design and construct, children have to think through steps and decide what should come next. You just need the right project to launch 8-year-olds into this work.” Inspired by a program on cutting-edge engineering curriculum developed by the Museum of Science, Phoebe leveraged the Grade 3 Monarch butterfly unit. Phoebe charged her students with researching, designing, building and installing a 4×8 foot raised planting bed — a butterfly...
Read MoreFaculty Facts: The Lives They Lead
Teacher: a person or thing that teaches something; especially: a person whose job is to teach students about certain subjects (Merriam-Webster) Does that include being house heads, class deans, coaches, advisors, coordinators and sponsors? Does it include weekend dorm duty, driving students to the airport or community service, directing plays, choreographing dance concerts, running music rehearsals, leading hikes, or chaperoning dances? College “Recs” Faculty each write, on average, six to twelve college recommendations per year. Department heads and faculty who teach mostly juniors and...
Read MoreHall of Famer Coach Mac Reaches 200 Career Wins
by Liz Matson A perfect day for football. Cool and breezy with peeks of sun. The last game of the season against rival Nobles and Greenough. As always, Coach Kevin MacDonald, or“Coach Mac,” is the first to arrive at the Robert Saltonstall Gym — getting organized and filling water jugs. A man of habits and rituals, he calls himself “obsessive compulsive.” “I always sleep the night before, but before games, I’m very nervous,” says Coach Mac, who was inducted into the Massachusetts Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame last spring. “The kids will tell you that I pace....
Read MoreJustin Yoon ’15, a National Top Ranked Kicker
When Justin Yoon ’15 first arrived at Milton in Class IV, his athletic focus was hockey. This spring, he graduates as one of the top-ranked high school football kickers in the country and will bring his talent to Notre Dame. He will be the starting kicker for the Fighting Irish and a student in the Mendoza College of Business. From Nashville, Tennessee, Justin started playing football in eighth grade, after a middle school coach took notice of his soccer kicking skills. He pursued this kicking talent at summer football camps. His spot-on, long-range kicks added a new dimension to Milton...
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