Embedded. In the Lives and deepest hopes of the Arab Spring protesters, Robert Worth’s stories illuminate an inaccessible world, Robert Worth ’83
Looking professorial in a soft blue shirt and unstructured corduroy sport jacket, Robert Worth speaks quietly and intensely. Robert’s book, A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to Isis, was published in April 2016 to significant acclaim. He is both erudite and unpretentious, answering questions with patience. Imagining Robert perched in the back of a pickup truck among exuberant Libyans who are shooting into the air and hurtling at top speed across a “debris-strewn” desert is a stretch. Likewise, you must work...
read moreLove Plying the Sky. Already a pilot in Class I, Nancy Harkness Love founded the World War II Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, Nancy Harkness Love ’31
by Mary McCutcheon ’65 Imagine enjoying a beautiful autumn afternoon on the Quad. Suddenly your tranquility is shattered by an airplane descending perilously low over the chapel and rattling off the top of one of the crenellations. This happened one Sunday in the fall of 1930. The usual suspects were the daredevil Fuller brothers, both of whom had pilot’s licenses. But, to the astonishment of the administration, the culprit proved to be a girl! It was the demure and pretty senior, Nancy Harkness. I remember my Class I year at Milton. It...
read moreIs He Othello Today, or Romeo, or Joseph Asagai? Jason Bowen ’00
“The key is understanding my character’s humanity—his relationships, faults, feelings, choices,” Jason Bowen starts. A stage actor, Jason depends on his ability to engage hundreds of people, radiate energy, and elicit buy-in from the start. “I need to recognize my character and also understand what other characters think of him, are saying about him—how he affects what’s unfolding, even when he’s not onstage. Attaching real emotions to the words—that’s how you make a character come alive.” Acting ability might have been...
read moreElbow to Elbow with Urban Neighbors: Making cities that work, John Marshall ’86
An assistant professor of law and an urban development lawyer, John Marshall “never ever” wanted to be a lawyer. Helping revitalize a city devastated by one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history was equally outside what John might have predicted for his future. But every story has roots, and John traces his to the family’s Oldsmobile station wagon. On excursions to visit friends and family in cities up and down the East Coast, John’s architect father and educator mother infused their children with stories about the past and...
read moreOn A Frontier, at 18 Years Old
What happens when you take your energy and your passion as far as you can? Many teenagers are driven by a talent or a recently discovered fascination, to pursue new exposure, and follow any lead that opens up. Gabrielle Fernandopulle, Alex Iansiti, and Elina Thadhani, all Class I, are three such adventurers. Rooted in Milton life, they have at the same time sought and seized every opportunity to expand and test the intrigue they feel for math, programming and science. Their personal passions emerged when they were very young, and each has been...
read moreGrowing on Garden Hill
Working in teams, Milton’s fourth graders were assigned a straightforward task: Using toothpicks and mini-marshmallows, develop and execute a plan to build the tallest possible structure in less than five minutes. It sounded easy enough. But halfway through the process, Robert Lightbody, director of multiculturalism and community development in Milton’s Lower and Middle schools, began shaking things up. He reassigned students, which forced the groups to bring their new teammates up to speed and consider novel approaches. The exercise came...
read moreMilton Mentors Lead Girls Who Code Teams at HUBweek Hackathon
“The change in stereotypes about computer programming and coding is heartening,” says Jessica Wang ’18. In the fall, Jessica—along with several female classmates and friends—mentored fellow coding enthusiasts during HUBweek’s Girl Hackathon in Boston. The program, which provides middle- and elementary-school girls an introduction to coding, is a signal of forward momentum that Milton faculty member Chris Hales hopes will increase girls’ participation in computer programming. The Milton students were team leaders to the younger...
read moreLetitia Chan Wins International Poetry Award
Letitia Chan ’17 is one of 15 student writers to win top honors in the 2016 Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award for her poem “Making Glutinous Dumplings with My Mother.” Letitia’s poem was selected from among 10,000 entries submitted by 6,000 students from around the world. “Making Glutinous Dumplings with My Mother” is a piece Letitia developed in last spring’s Advanced Creative Writing class with Lisa Baker. She learned about the Foyle Award competition, which is hosted by The Poetry Society of London, from her mentor at Adroit...
read moreSurgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy Delivers 49th Alumni War Memorial Lecture
On November 29, the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, spoke with students, faculty, parents and grads as Milton’s 49th Alumni War Memorial Lecturer. Both in Straus Library, and later in the Fitzgibbons Convocation Center, Vice Admiral Murthy answered students’ questions about his role and about some of the most pressing public health issues facing America. “I came here today because I believe you, young people, are the best shot we have in this country of overcoming the challenges that we face,” said Dr. Murthy....
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