Author: Milton Academy

For Milton’s boarding students, residential life faculty create a strong sense of community.

Ben Rhodes-Kropf ’24 has a message from his father. In order to receive it, he’ll have to travel to Spain.

That’s because his dad left the message through Trace, an app Rhodes-Kropf and classmate Benjamin Siegel ‘24 developed throughout their junior and senior years at Milton. The location-based service combines the functions of a messaging app with the thrill of an in-person treasure hunt, allowing users to “leave a Trace” wherever they are in the world. Messages for other Trace users (or their future selves) are delivered only when the recipient is physically close to the location where the message—in video form—was recorded.

On a warm, sunny fall day, fifth- graders Sophie Kalin and Emily Munko are eager to explain what makes Milton’s buddy program so special.

For Sophie, “It brings back memories of when I was in kindergarten,” and for Emily, “I just love hanging out with the young kids.” Today, they watch as their kindergarten buddy Malachi Camp- bell scoops up wood chips off the ground, carefully arranging them around the legs of one of the playground’s benches. He wants to make sure, he explains, that the bench doesn’t wobble when someone sits down.

The undefeated boys’ soccer team finished its season winning the NEPSAC Class-A finals in a 2–0 victory over Taft. The team, under the leadership of head coach Chris Kane, won the Independent School League (ISL) championship as well.

Also taking home ISL championships in the fall were the volleyball and girls’ cross-country teams.

Milton’s robotics team held its top rankings through the beginning of the 2023–2024 season. One of the team’s robots—operated by a small group of students—held first place in southern New England and moved up the ranks globally, while other Milton robots consistently ranked at the top of regional tournaments.

Working year-round in their expanded lab on the ground floor of the Art and Media Center, the robotics team is a dedicated, inclusive, and highly skilled group of students who have impressed their coaches and competitors with their incredible abilities and their positive attitudes. Upper School robotics students have mentored Middle School competitors, securing a successful future for the program.