Bold Plan Sets a Vision for the Next Decade
Meeting in late January, Milton’s board of trustees enthusiastically endorsed Milton’s Strategic Plan. Based on more than a year’s worth of intense thinking and discussion involving all of Milton’s constituencies—faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni—the plan outlines clear, bold priorities, as well as implementation steps. Head of School Todd Bland, announcing the board’s vote to faculty, noted a key consistency: the priorities that emerged from the broad-based planning process align with his own vision. “We’ll build...
read moreLisa Winick, Milton’s Chief Advancement Officer
Milton welcomes Lisa Winick as chief advancement officer. Lisa moves to campus and officially begins her new role on July 1. “Lisa’s demonstrated success, her diverse skills, and her long-standing commitment to the mission of education makes her the perfect team member at Milton today, as we begin implementing a groundbreaking strategic planning process, mobilize to deepen the strong support for our School, and develop new resources,” Todd Bland says. “We’re delighted to welcome Lisa to Milton.” For the past nine years, Lisa has...
read moreJoining the Board of Trustees
Peter Kagan ’86 Peter Kagan ’86 is the managing director for energy at Warburg Pincus, LLC. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, he was with Salomon Brothers in New York and Hong Kong. Peter is a member of the visiting committee of the University of Chicago Law School and a member of the board of directors of Resources for the Future. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Harvard University and received his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. In his years at Milton, Peter lived in Wolcott House. As an alumnus, he has been involved...
read moreSeven Appointed to Prestigious Faculty Chairs
Following the board of trustees’ vote to adopt Milton’s Strategic Plan, Head of School Todd Bland announced news of seven faculty members who will hold endowed teaching chairs. Timing of the news was particularly relevant, since the Strategic Plan prioritizes bold new commitments in faculty support and professional development during the coming decade. With their gifts to the School, donors interested in sustaining the excellence of teaching at Milton established endowed chairs. A chair is an esteemed appointment that includes permanent,...
read moreIan Torney ’82, Painter, Poses Problems
Ian Torney, Class of 1982—accomplished oil painter and arts educator—has returned to Milton’s art classrooms. Next year he will lead the visual arts department as its chair. The department’s approach to working with students has not changed since his time as a student, and Ian quickly names this underlying asset: “I am inheriting a department with a clear point of view,” he says. “Gordon Chase, Bryan Cheney, Anne Neely, Paul Menneg and Maggie Stark, my former teachers, deserve credit for establishing a contemporary way of...
read moreRocket Writes a Story, by Tad Hills ’81
Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills ’81 Schwartz & Wade Books, July 2012 A New York Times bestseller, Rocket Writes a Story is the irresistible sequel to the New York Times best-selling How Rocket Learned to Read. A starred review from Kirkus calls it “a perfect choice to inspire new readers and writers.” Tad Hills’s lovable character Rocket loves books and wants to make his own, but he can’t think of a story. Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a...
read moreTeam Captains: What’s in their playbook?
In the pool, around the track, across the courts, and on slopes and fields, student athletes strive to perform at their best. While their coaches constantly guide and teach, team captains significantly affect the experiences in an athlete’s season. Elected by peers to lead, team captains are typically seniors who bring their experience from previous seasons. Most teams have two or three captains, and occasionally a well-respected player from Class II or III gets the nod of teammates. Each team has unique needs, but the roles that team...
read more“What do you mean, ‘curriculum renewal’?”
Heather Sugrue, math department chair, along with the faculty in her department, have undertaken a comprehensive review of math at Milton. Math is taking the lead in a renewal process that every department at Milton will conduct, in sequence and at regular intervals. “Ongoing, rigorous, curriculum renewal” is a key tenet of the Strategic Plan adopted by the trustees in January 2013. One of the central architects on the Strategic Planning team, Heather co-chaired its Student Life Task Force. Heather is pioneering the first major example of...
read moreOn Purposeful Percolating
An article by Carolyn Johnson in the Boston Globe titled “The Joy of Boredom” made its way to my file because of how it highlighted two insightful thinkers. Richard Ralley and Ned Hallowell have written extensively about the danger of modern society’s fear of boredom. They argue that our desire to be stimulated, constantly, threatens our potential for creativity. Mr. Ralley, a lecturer at Edge Hill University in England, notes that, “The most creative people are known to have the greatest toleration for long periods of uncertainty and...
read moreOne Little Glitch
By Luke White ’99 My mother, Pam White, retired from Milton in 2002. As a Health Center counselor, head of the peer-counseling program, and longtime leader of Octet, Pam used her vibrant spirit and warmth to touch many at Milton. Since that time, Pam enjoyed starting a small private practice as a clinical social worker, playing tennis, and becoming a grandmother three times over. As she would put it, “there’s just one little glitch”: in 2009, shortly after her 61st birthday, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone...
read moreLida Famili, Member of the faculty 1987-2012
For 25 years at Milton, Lida Famili has embodied John Dewey’s idea: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Lida views her role primarily as helping students develop into young adults, and teaching chemistry only secondarily. Lida deeply respects and cares for students; her focus, in combination with her excellent background in chemistry, has made Lida the heart and soul of the science department. As one Class II student said, “Ms. Famili brightened my day every time I saw her. I will miss her daily hugs....
read morePam McArdle, Member of the faculty, 1989–2012
“Everything has its season. Everything has its time. Show me a reason and I’ll show you a rhyme.” For many a season, Pam McArdle, versatile performer that she is, found the reason and rhyme to play countless roles in various venues such as admission, the Upper School principal’s office, the studio theater, Thacher, and, most recently, the costume shop. Pam and I shared a summer up in the dusty southeast corner of Kellner, cleaning— folding yard after yard of wool; playing animal detectives trying to identify bedraggled fur pieces;...
read moreAnne Neely, Member of faculty, 1974-2012
Anne Neely has given 38 years to persuading her Milton Academy students that beauty and truth, as embodied in artistic expression, is a powerful way to fi nd and to declare oneself. As she has grown—as a teacher, artist, mother, colleague and free spirit—so have her students. The evidence is the extraordinary work of her students. This includes the many Class IV students who never suspected they would fall in love with art until they did their first interpretive self-portrait with Ms. Neely; the Studio Art students who were proud to see...
read moreJohn Charles Smith, Member of faculty, 1974-2012
When John Charles and I arrived at Milton in September 1974, Richard Nixon was president, and Jerry Pieh was headmaster, his office in the basement of Straus. Deval Patrick had just graduated; Elaine Apthorp was a senior; and Andre Heard wouldn’t be born until the following summer. There were about 175 boy boarding students and 60+ girl boarding students. Milton was three largely separate schools, each with different histories, standards and practices. John Charles has been an important part of several of the changes that have made us the...
read moreJosé Ruiz Is Milton’s New Dean of Students
This year, Milton welcomes José Luis Ruiz as our new dean of students. José was most recently the associate dean of students and director of residential life at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He has been active in independent school life for many years in numerous, valuable roles. He graduated from the Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, and has worked in independent schools for 13 years. He is looking forward to learning Milton’s culture, and to getting to know the students—in the Student Center at recess,...
read moreMerilin Castillo ’12 Earns the 2012 Princeton Prize in Race Relations
After each day of classes at Milton, Merilin Castillo ’12 would travel to the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center in Boston, where she worked until 7 p.m. on the Racial Healing and Reconciliation (R&R) project. Merilin is a founding member of the project, and her work earned her the 2012 Princeton Prize in Race Relations from Boston. The R&R project offers to youth groups and community leaders training and workshops on racism awareness and the effects of racism on health. In recognition of her hard work and dedication, she received...
read moreMessages: Li-Young Lee
Li-Young Lee is the author of four critically acclaimed books of poetry, his most recent being Behind My Eyes (2008). His earlier collections include Book of My Nights (2001), which won the 2002 William Carlos Williams Award; The City in Which I Love You (1991), which was the 1990 Lamont Poetry Selection; and Rose (1986), which won the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Poetry Award. Mr. Lee’s honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lannan Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Mr. Lee was this...
read moreMessages: Dr. Sylvia Earle
World-renowned marine biologist and ocean explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle shared her passion and wonder of discovery with students this spring. An advocate for the research and protection of the ocean, Dr. Earle is co-founder and director of Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc. Formerly chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, she is an explorer-in-residence at National Geographic. Recognized by the Library of Congress as a “Living Legend” and inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, she is the author of more...
read moreMessages: Razia Jan
Founder of the Zabuli Education Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Razia Jan spoke to students about her improbable achievement: under difficult political, economic and cultural conditions, opening a school for young girls. Mrs. Jan was this spring’s Margaret A. Johnson Speaker, a series that brings noted female leaders to campus each year. Mrs. Jan is a member of the Interfaith Council and No Place for Hate, as well as a member of the board of directors at Jordan Hospital. She has received awards for her humanitarian work, including the 2007...
read moreMarshall Schwarz ’54 and Fritz Hobbs ’65 Receive the Milton Medal
Trustees do not confer awards, typically, at Milton. The Milton Medal is the exception. Established by the board in December 1982, the medal considers candidates from the ranks of trustees, faculty and administration, alumni and parents. On Reunion Weekend in June, trustees made this prestigious award to H. Marshall Schwarz ’54 and Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65. Both men hold trustee emeritus positions today. Marshall Schwarz began his tenure as a trustee in 1985, and he led the board as president from 1997 through 2002. Fritz Hobbs was elected...
read moreUPenn and Milton Join in Developing New Faculty
Milton is collaborating with the University of Pennsylvania and a consortium of six other leading boarding schools to implement a new program that brings to Milton young scholars interested in teaching careers. Set on “preparing the next generation of outstanding teachers,” the Penn Residency Master’s in Teaching program involves prospective teachers in an innovative and comprehensive curriculum designed explicitly for boarding schools’ particular environment. This school year, Milton is hosting two Penn program participants: Matthew...
read moreSeminar Day Connects Students with Joining the Board of Trustees Experts and Activists
Sparking new ideas and lively conversation, 25 experts and activists on a wide range of publicly debated United States and international issues visited campus on May 2 for the student-organized Seminar Day. Many Milton Academy graduates were among the guest speakers, stimulating great questions and discussions. Called the Keyes Seminar Day, this lively event has been one of Milton’s most important traditions since 1977. It is named in honor of its founder, former faculty member Peter Keyes, a legendary promoter of student interest in the...
read moreTina Cho ’12 Is among the Country’s Elite Young Writers
In the tradition of T.S. Eliot, Class of 1906, and scores of Milton graduates since, Milton students show special promise as writers of creative fiction and creators of inspired visual art. This spring, 10 students earned recognition for their work in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the nation’s largest, longest-running, and most prestigious visual and literary arts program identifying the creative accomplishments of high school students. This year Tina Cho ’12 was one of just 15 high-school students in the country to earn a Gold...
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