Christine Savini Milton Academy Administration, 1980–2007 In 1992, while teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, I presented a workshop about Asian American immigration history at an independent school teachers’ conference. Sitting in the audience, unknown to me, was Christine Savini, Director of Diversity Planning at Milton Academy. After my talk, Christine complimented my presentation and asked if I would be interested in applying for a teaching position at Milton Academy. Even though I was flattered by her suggestion, I was quite happy with my current life and did not take it seriously. But those who know Christine know that she is persistent, and a few days later, she invited me to visit Milton. Two weeks later, I became the first Asian American teacher at Milton Academy. Over the years, Christine has brought many faculty of color to Milton, some who have completed long tenures at the school, some who are still with us, and some who joined us this fall. Christine came to Milton in 1980 with an M.A. in American Racial and Ethnic Studies from Boston College to serve as associate director of Publications and Public Relations for five years. When she became the director of this office, Christine edited the Milton Magazine and other publications, and began to make sure that those materials featured the people of color in the Milton community. While she worked on publications, Christine also coordinated student publications and served as faculty advisor to the Milton Measure, during which time it was awarded the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown Award. She also taught photography electives to Middle and Lower School students.
For the past 17 years, Christine has been our director of diversity planning and this is when her heart really soared, for in this position she could make the most of her graduate training and demonstrated passion for diversity. When Christine first arrived at Milton, the attrition rate for students of color was quite high, and at the behest of admissions officer Neville Lake, she helped to form and chaired our first Cultural Diversity Committee. It was this group and its subsequent incarnations that developed the Host Family Program, Transition Program, a multicultural Assembly Program, Culturefest, the inclusion of Jewish holidays in the school calendar, and the photo exhibit in Ware Hall that honors Milton’s Girls’ School. Christine also chaired the SelfAssessment Committee for our participation in the NAIS Multicultural Assessment Plan, and secured a groundbreaking DeWitt Wallace Grant of $400,000 for Milton’s diversity initiatives in the 1990s. The grant established a five-year program for teaching interns of color, an expanded orientation program for all new students, a five-year diversity training program for the faculty, and
Connie Dodes Milton Academy Faculty, 1981– 2007 provided four students of color full scholarships to the Upper School. In addition, Christine spearheaded the establishment of Common Ground and the Leo Maza Award. She incorporated a diversity track into Seminar Day and led the effort to name the day in honor of Peter Keyes. She secured a long roster of celebrated diversity speakers at Milton from the fields of education, politics and the arts. Most recently, Christine chaired the Focus on Diversity Committee, which over the past year wrote a Definition of Diversity for Milton Academy, a Strategic Plan for the Recruitment and Retention of Faculty of Color, and a proposal for a new Bias Awareness and Diversity Training Program. What I think must be Christine’s crowning achievement is her creation and leadership of the Cultural Diversity Institute for the past 12 years, in which she brought over 600 independent school professionals from over 30 states to realize their commitment to cultural diversity. Christine instills courage and confidence, inspires and guides, while providing participants with practical skills for institutional change. Christine has indeed established Milton’s national reputation in diversity. Thank you, Christine, for dedicating the past 27 years of your life to Milton, for asking the tough questions, for helping us to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and student body, for helping us to institutionalize what we mean by diversity. You have given your heart and soul to this community and we appreciate all that you have done for us. Vivian WuWong History Department Chair
Connie has been helping students find their voices for over 25 years. She has influenced Lower School students graduating from 1990 to 2014, whether in writing or in conflict resolution. An accomplished writer herself, Connie says that writing helps her make sense of her world and sort out her thinking. She strives to enable her students to use writing the same way. Connie arrived in the Lower School in 1981 as a fourth-grade teacher, fresh from The Saturday Course, and quickly discovered her passion for helping young people become accomplished writers. She attended workshops, read books, and immersed herself in the craft of teaching writing. She became the “go to” person for new teachers, helping those with less experience further their teaching craft. Her gift is her ability to help students (and colleagues) leave an accurate accounting of their thoughts and feelings. In 1997, Connie furthered her interest in language arts as the language arts teacher for the entire sixth, and now fifth, grade. In her writing classroom, a hush of intentionality surrounds students as they focus on their pieces. In her literature class, students discuss the finer points of character development and plot, and then apply those ideas to their own literary gems. One student captures what lifelong changes Connie has wrought in the course of a year: “I notice things in books. I used to read books and not think about them after I had finished them, but now there is so much more to books than there ever was. Also, now I can connect reading and writing and see what authors do to make books so great.”
Christine Savini Milton Magazine
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