Lessons in Personal Courage from Lieutenant Ben Pariser ’06
Nearly 10 years after graduation, Lieutenant Ben Pariser returned to Milton as an officer in the United States Army and this year’s Veterans’ Day Speaker. “The key traits and characteristics of service members are instilled in you at Milton,” Ben told students. “Those are adaptability, leadership and the ability to ‘dare to be true.’”
Ben recounted his land navigation training at officer candidate school, which took him through dark, swampy, dense terrain in high heat and humidity. He recalls wasting nearly an hour of limited time searching for the first target before realizing that moving on was a better strategy. He compared this to working on his first Ancient Civilization research paper at Milton, when he wasted weeks adamantly researching a dead-end topic, until he finally listened to history teacher Sally Dey’s advice that he needed another plan.
“At Milton, you learn to adapt without losing site of the ultimate goal,” Ben said. “Each of you adapt to new teachers, classes and situations. The challenge is to adapt to an unknown obstacle. Don’t be afraid to pull out your map and reroute your entire life.”
Milton Students App, Care of Milton’s Student Programmers
In one place, students can learn what’s for lunch and dinner, plan their weekend fun, and securely access their mailbox combinations, all from a smartphone. The Milton Students app—available for free download on both the Android and iOS platforms—is the brainchild of Ravi Rahman (I), Justin Schwaitzberg (I), Harry Kwon ’15 and Neekon Vafa ’15. The boys developed the concept and got to work in last year’s Programming Applications course, taught by Chris Hales. This fall, Jacob Aronoff (I) helped rewrite some of the code, refining the program before the group submitted the app to Google and Apple for approval.
Ravi says the group began their work by learning coding skills from various video tutorials; Android apps are written using Java, and iOS apps are written with Apple’s new programming language called Swift.
“The beginning was the hardest, when you are following tutorials and not quite understanding why you do things a certain way,” says Ravi. “Then you have the ‘Aha!’ moment when it all makes sense. For me, Android Java was easier to learn than iOS Swift.”
An auspicious launch for Dare: The Campaign for Milton
Dare: The Campaign for Milton is about Milton’s people—our students, our faculty, and the power of their experiences together. This campaign—the most ambitious fundraising effort in Milton’s history—will raise $175 million to ensure that Milton Academy is a national leader in teaching and learning: connecting the most talented, motivated students in the world with the most innovative and dedicated faculty. At the public launch of Dare, the School is already 48 percent of the way toward that goal.
On October 24, more than 500 alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff celebrated the campaign launch on campus—under a tent on the quad, hearing personal stories about the life-changing effect of a Milton education. Lisa Baker of the English department—parent to three students in Milton’s Middle and Lower Schools—shared the story of Helson Taveras ’14 (now a sophomore at Columbia University) and Israel Moorer ’16, who connected to launch an app allowing Columbia students to donate extra meals from their weekly meal plan to students who cannot afford to eat. “Israel and Helson’s story is inspirational, not in small part because it exposes the truth that these two students would never have met had they not received financial aid to attend Milton,” said Lisa. “But it inspires, too, because it illustrates the profound connection between storytelling and change.”
Student-to-Student: Speech Team Coaching is a Two-Way Street
Speech at Milton is popular—60 Middle School students and 51 Upper School students compete on two distinct teams. Many of these “speechies” achieve great success at both the regional and national level. Middle School speech team coach Debbie Simon says a key to this success is the coaching program, in which 42 Upper School students—current and former team members—pair up with Middle School students weekly as mentors. Middle School faculty members, parents, and Upper School speech team faculty also play important roles as Middle School speech coaches.
“Coaching a speech team takes more than a village,” says Ms. Simon. “We are a collaborative group who work together to cultivate a team of young people passionate about speech. Our coaches inspire the young speakers and help them learn to stand up in front of an audience and find their voice.”
Earlier this month, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) asked Ms. Simon if she—with students and coaches—would participate in a webinar, sharing with other NSDA members around the country the success of this unique coaching program. Ms. Simon gathered the group, and they filmed the webinar from her English classroom in Ware Hall.
Photojournalist Lynsey Addario in Milton’s Nesto Gallery
The work of world-renowned war photographer and author, Lynsey Addario, will be on display starting this Wednesday, October 28, in the Nesto Gallery. Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist based in London, who photographs for the New York Times, National Geographic and Time magazine.
In the year 2000, Ms. Addario traveled to Afghanistan to document life and oppression under the Taliban. She has since covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, Congo and Libya.
She has received numerous awards, including the MacArthur Genius Grant Fellowship. In 2009 she was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for the photographs of Talibanistan. She won the Overseas Press Club’s Award for Veiled Rebellion, documenting the plight of women in Afghanistan. In 2011 and 2012, she was named by Newsweek magazine as one of “150 Fearless Women.” In 2015, American Photo Magazine named her as one of five most influential photographers of the past 25 years, saying she changed the way we saw the world’s conflicts.
Bearing Witness: Photojournalist Lynsey Addario’s Life and Work
Award-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario shared with students the challenges and rewards of her work covering conflicts and human rights issues, and the power of images in reporting. In 2000, Ms. Addario traveled to Afghanistan to document life and oppression under the Taliban. “I believe people have to see the ways in which other people live,” says Ms. Addario. “We come from a place of great privilege, but most people in the world don’t have anything. They have to fight for peace, for rights, for food.”
Ms. Addario makes photographs for the New York Times, National Geographic and Time magazine. She spoke about being raised in a supportive and “unconventional household” in which her parents encouraged her to pursue whatever made her happy. They instilled in her the optimism that she carries today, despite the hardship and atrocity she has witnessed.
“This work gives me incredible perspective,” says Ms. Addario. “Most of the women I photograph aren’t allowed to work, to speak their minds, or to choose whom to love. I know how lucky I am in my life, and that helps me stay positive.”
Fall Theatre Season Kicks Off with Hairspray
This fall’s performing arts line-up offers everything from a sophisticated four-actor ensemble to a play-within-a-play to a rollicking, fun musical. First up on the calendar is Hairspray, an American musical set in 1962 Baltimore. Performing arts faculty Kelli Edwards will direct the cast of over 40 students and 10 crew members. Music faculty member Ted Whalen is the music director. A live band will be on the stage during the entire performance.
Wheelwright’s Nesto Exhibit Ends This Friday
This is the last week. Joseph Wheelwright’s sculptures of stones, trees, bones and other natural materials will only be on display in Milton’s Nesto Gallery through Friday, October 23. If you have not been able to visit the Gallery, take a moment to view these photos from the show. If you are in the area, don’t miss the real thing. Admission is free. The exhibit is open to everyone from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Jazz: Real Time, Real People
Milton students are busy. Tests, papers, plays, sports and activities all compete for the finite time allotted in a Milton day. So, when students answer the call to volunteer their time and talents, it’s a big deal. This month, in particular, Milton Academy jazz students have been answering that call time and again.
On Sunday, October 4, ten students volunteered to perform a spirited set of South African tunes in front of hundreds in attendance at “Celebrate Milton,” an event hosted by the town of Milton and supported by Milton’s community service program. Class IV jazz students will offer their first performance of the year during Parents’ Weekend this Saturday, October 17. On Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m., Milton Academy’s three advanced jazz groups take the stage in King Theatre for the 25th Annual Fall Jazz Concert. This year’s performance will be a tribute to the music of Thelonious Monk.
Ellie Lachenauer (II) Connects and Empowers Budding Businesswomen
In less than a year, Ellie Lachenauer’s (II) passion for business and women’s rights led her from a day visit to the Fidelity Investments offices to launching her own initiative—G2-LEAD (Girls To Learn, Experience and Discover). In June 2016, Ellie will host a conference connecting 20 local, female high school students with women business leaders for mentorship opportunities.
“I went to Fidelity last January with Milton’s Invest in Girls student club,” says Ellie. “I met with several female employees and toured the facilities. This trip was eye opening for me; seeing the inside of a finance company helped me envision myself pursuing a career in business. However I noticed that, while there were female employees, most of the upper-level portfolio managers were male. As a girl hoping to go into business, this discouraged me.”
