Should Milton Mirror the Intensity Around Us?
In theory, learning is fun. Plenty of learning, though, comes as a result of struggle and frustration. Every spring, our seniors remind us about the effect of fun on their motivation, commitment and achievement. Their senior projects show us, in living color, the power of self-designed learning, as they develop and carry out projects to culminate their Milton experiences. Senior projects span a range of efforts, from making movies to researching in science, from interning in medical institutions to writing poetry, from creating code to caring...
read moreToday’s Trainers Support the “New” Student-Athlete
On an unusually hot and humid spring afternoon, assistant athletic trainer Nicole Hall stands on the sidelines and keeps a close eye on the girls’ varsity lacrosse game. She already introduced herself to the opposing team coach, set down water and a cooler of iced towels. Now she is laser-focused on the athletes, from both teams, watching out for collisions or hard hits, or if any player is limping or showing signs of struggle. Nicole notices one student wheezing when she runs off the field and goes to check on her. Fortunately, that’s the...
read moreHey faculty, what space made your day?
“I learned how to read in a set of two faded, outdated, and deliciously comfortable floral armchairs that were the foci of the living room in my childhood home. My parents generously let me take these beloved chairs to college, where they served as my daily workspace. Unfortunately, I had to abandon these chairs during final move-out; I will forever hope they found a good home.” Olivia Robbins (English) “Withington Room, on campus. Not only do I enjoy solitary working lunches, but I also overhear passionate and thoughtful conversations...
read moreBook: The Boys of Dunbar: A Story of Love, Hope, and Basketball, By Alejandro Danois ’88
The Boys of Dunbar: A Story of Love, Hope, and Basketball By Alejandro Danois ’88 The Boys of Dunbar is the true story of a high school basketball team that, during the drug and crime epidemic in 1980s Baltimore, brought forth four NBA players and gave hope to a city. Dunbar High School’s basketball program was one of the most successful in the country, and the early 1980s Dunbar Poets were arguably the best high school team of all time. Four starting players—Muggsy Bogues, Reggie Williams, David Wingate, and Reggie Lewis—would...
read moreMusic: Sélébéyone, By Steve Lehman ’96
Sélébéyone By Steve Lehman ’96 Steve Lehman’s album Sélébéyone was selected as a Top 10 CD of 2016 by NPR, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times Popcast. The ensemble Sélébéyone—“intersection” in Senegal’s Wolof language—includes two emcees from different continents, two composer-saxophonists, and three supporting players with strong jazz pedigrees in a jazz-rap collaboration. As a Pitchfork review describes, “What they come up with feels both legitimately new and surprisingly approachable.” Described as “a...
read moreMusic: The Chief, By Jidenna Mobbison ’03
The Chief Jidenna Mobbison ’03 After his 2015 hit single “Classic Man,” Jidenna follows up the Grammy Award-nominated track with a debut album titled The Chief. Unleashing powerful lyrics and visuals with tracks “Long Live the Chief” and “Chief Don’t Run,” Jidenna says the debut album is a nod to his roots. “This story is from the point of view of a first-generation Nigerian-American in different cities, places and communities, that has ever been told in this way,” he has said. The album blends a unique and enticing...
read moreBook: About the House, By Jenny Slate ’00
About the House By Jenny Slate ’00 Jenny Slate, acclaimed comedienne and actress, joined her writer-poet father Ron Slate to create About the House—a collection of essays revolving around their family home in the Town of Milton. The rooms and corners of a rambling Colonial built in 1898, and purchased by the Slates in 1980, set the stage for Ron and Jenny, in alternating chapters, to share memories attached to the spaces, weaving an intimate and compelling family memoir. Jenny and Ron chose Concord Free Press as their publisher, an...
read moreArt: Timekeeper, by Sarah Sze ’87
Timekeeper Sarah Sze ’87 Sarah Sze’s latest work, Timekeeper, is an experiential piece whose projections chase one another around the walls of the Foster Gallery at Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum. Video footage that includes digital clocks, running cheetahs, splashing liquids, and buildings being demolished is projected from dozens of whirring devices situated on a structure created from an unexpected and inspired collection of objects and elements. Timekeeper addresses how we measure time, countering actual clocks with more...
read moreFilm: 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story? By Raafi Rivero ’95
72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story? Raafi Rivero ’95 Based on a short film by Bilal Ndongo, Raafi Rivero’s 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story? follows 18-year-old Caesar Winslow, a restless, ambitious and charismatic Brooklynite facing the decision to leave his neighborhood for a full scholarship at a prestigious university. Told over the three days before he’s scheduled to leave, the film chronicles events and choices that unravel his confidence and force him to question everything: His girlfriend breaks up with him and the “woman of his...
read moreBook: The Crisis of Classical Music in America, by Robert Freeman ’53
The Crisis of Classical Music in America: Lessons from a Life in the Education of Musicians Robert Freeman ’53 The Crisis of Classical Music in America discusses solutions for the many American classically trained musicians who face diminishing opportunities for full-time employment. An experienced observer, Robert Freeman asserts that schools training future instrumentalists, composers, conductors, and singers need to equip students with the communication and analytical skills to succeed in the rapidly changing music scene. His book offers...
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