Milton Mentors Embolden Girls Who Code At HUBweek Hackathon
“The change in stereotypes about computer programming and coding is heartening,” says Jessica Wang (II). Last month, 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 female participation in computer programming.
Comedy and Classic Characters Shine in Milton’s 2016 Theatre Season
Milton’s fall performing arts schedule features a scandalous trickster, the origin story for a beloved character, and a family comedy that mines the depths of dissatisfaction. First on the schedule is Molière’s Tartuffe, a 17th-century comedy about a charlatan who fools gullible members of a family into trusting him with charm and false claims of piety. Director and performing arts department chair Peter Parisi chose an English translation that matches the original French play’s rhyming-couplet structure.
“We’ve been doing musicals for the last several years, so we’re mixing it up,” says Peter, who notes that even those who are unfamiliar with Tartuffe will recognize and understand some familiar themes. “There are a lot of elements that make this a very timely choice.” Most of the 16 students involved in the production, who will work in period dress on a period set, have performed before, either at Milton or elsewhere.
Poet Terrance Hayes Is This Fall’s Bingham Visiting Writer
Weaving imagination with life experience, poet Terrance Hayes shared his work with Class I and II students as this fall’s Bingham Visiting Writer. His expressive—sometimes playful, sometimes raw—poems broached love, family, race, relationships, masculinity and music. English faculty member Lisa Baker introduced Mr. Hayes as an “influential poet on the current literary scene” whose “poems are music.”
Mr. Hayes began with several poems from Lighthead, for which he won a National Book Award in 2010. His poems traverse a range of styles, from narrative verse to ars poetica lyric form, to experimental poems such as writing in the form of a mathematical puzzle.
Letitia Chan Wins International Poetry Award
Letitia Chan (I) 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.
Letitia learned about the competition from her mentor at Adroit Journal’s summer online program, which pairs experienced writers with students. The Foyle Award competition is hosted by The Poetry Society of London. “Making Glutinous Dumplings with My Mother” is a piece Letitia developed in last spring’s Advanced Creative Writing class with Ms. Lisa Baker.
“The poem started with an image of making dumplings with my mother, and I connected that with the dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship, particularly when you return home after living away at school,” says Letitia, who is a boarding student from Hong Kong.
Milton Student-Athletes on Soccer’s World Stage
Two members of Milton’s boys’ varsity soccer team represented their respective home countries in the Caribbean Finals of the CONCACAF U17 World Cup Qualifying held in September in Trinidad. Brandon Jones ’18 played center back on the U17 Bermuda national team, and Jeremy Verley ’19 played midfield for the U17 Jamaica national team. Coincidentally, the two teams faced off in the first round of the tournament and Jamaica won the game.
“The tournament was the closest I’ve felt to playing on a professional soccer team,” says Brandon. “The whole process of training and playing games in front of a huge crowd was really exhilarating.”
Jeremy’s team, which he captained, made it to the semifinals after a draw with Haiti and a win against Trinidad. They lost to Cuba in the semifinals, but they beat Curaçao in the third place game, earning them a spot in the final rounds next spring.
Forget ‘Normal’: Talbot Speaker Urges Milton Students to Celebrate Uniqueness
We should challenge the concept of “normal” and instead embrace the things that make us different, this year’s Talbot Speaker, Jonathan Mooney, told Milton students Wednesday morning. Mr. Mooney, an author and lecturer who advocates for people with learning disabilities and attentional disorders, urged students to draw upon their unique skills and personalities to make their mark in the world.
“We have this idea that the ‘good kid’ is the compliant kid; the ‘good kid’ is the kid who sits still and learns quietly,” Mr. Mooney said. “But that’s a narrow definition of what constitutes intelligence, and it leaves a lot of people out. The best innovators and creators are not compliant people. They’re questioners. They challenge what is considered normal.”
Representative Keiko Orrall Encourages a Return to Civil Discourse
Recognizing and respecting one another’s differences—rather than using them as ammunition in debate—is the key to civil discourse, Massachusetts State Representative Keiko Orrall told students on Wednesday. Rep. Orrall spoke at the invitation of Milton’s Conservative Club, and she acknowledged that the tact she describes is notably absent from national politics today.
Life Do Grow: Launching Milton’s Dream Series
“The most effective way to do good work is when the work you’re doing speaks to the things you love,” Jeannine Kayembe told students on Thursday. Artist and executive director of Philadelphia Urban Creators, Ms. Kayembe was the first speaker in this year’s new Dream Series—a set of community conversations, hosted by the Office of Multiculturalism and Community Development. She encouraged young people to follow their own passions—as she did—to create important social change, and leave a lasting mark.
Milton Kicks Off the Year with a Request: Listen
Listening well and embracing our differences are important tasks in the life of a School as diverse as Milton, Head of School Todd Bland told students and faculty at Convocation. At a time when national politics are particularly divisive, Mr. Bland urged all to “represent the very best ideals of civility in discourse,” explaining: “Demonstrating tremendous and committed respect to those whose truths are different than yours is critical work.”
Convocation marks the official start of the academic year, with a formal, traditional ceremony in which Mr. Bland, Upper School Principal David Ball and Milton’s co-head monitors, Semi Oloko (I) and Tyler Piazza (I) set the tone for the year ahead. Saying “everyone has their ‘thing,’” Tyler urged his peers to recognize that everyone has a goal or dream they’re pursuing, which is a perfect place to start a conversation. “It’s a lot easier to connect with someone when you realize that everyone is passionate about something.”
Restoration Begins at the Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium
Workers made a special delivery to the Milton campus, as the restoration of the four white, wooden columns in front of the Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium (RSG) began on Wednesday. The crews will carefully remove the building’s historic columns this week and replace them with replica structures that hold true to the building’s century-old design.
The existing columns were original to the RSG, which was built in 1921. After 95 years of lending support to the building’s entrance and portico, they were in need of replacement, says Jim Selman, Milton’s associate director of construction and standards. The column to the far right had been previously repaired as it began to fail, but now no longer matches the other originals.
