Milton Magazine, Spring 2008

Milton Magazine

Spring 2008

A Decade Project Looking forward, looking back, choosing pathways

Contents

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Features: A Decade Project Front Cover: Illustration by Greg White Back Cover: Photograph by Miranda Wheeler ’08

3 Tod Hynes ’98 Tod directs business initiatives in alternative energy at the Citizens Energy Corporation. Wind energy in particular and alternative energy in general are Tod’s focus.

Cathleen Everett

4 Sarah McGinty ’98 Describing Sarah as a utility infielder for Project HEALTH isn’t far from the truth. A young organization that addresses systemic needs, Project HEALTH has seen rapid growth; wearing more than one hat is normal for staffers.

Cathleen Everett

6 Alex Reiser ’99 For Alex, opportunity came in the form of nine musically gifted West African refugees visiting the United States.

Erin Hoodlet

7 Elizabeth Forwand ’98 Liz is deep in the Indonesian forests.

She is one of 15 Luce Scholars living and working in Asia this year.

Cathleen Everett

9 Cyrus Dugger ’98 Cyrus’s passion for civil rights is long held, but certain experiences have particularly fueled his drive.

Cathleen Everett

10 Caroline Aiello ’98 While she hasn’t always known where things were leading, Caroline never shied away from the next adventure.

“You need to keep learning,” she said to herself, while figuring out each next step.

Cathleen Everett

12 Ian Cheney ’98 Ian the activist learned about the changes a consumer can make to his dietary habits, and wanted to keep informing others. Ian the artist was looking for an outlet.

Erin Hoodlet

13 Tze Chun ’98 Tze’s taste for filmmaking began in his Class III year at Milton. Building off this Milton foundation and his studies at Columbia, he developed a plan for success in a highly competitive field.

Erin Hoodlet

15 Torrey Androski ’98 In a layer beneath the harangue and hyperbole of elected officials debating in the media limelight, Torrey works with public service professionals applying brain power, goodwill and hard work to the crucial activities of government.

Cathleen Everett

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Departments 16 Lydon Friedrich Vonnegut ’98 Lydon teaches English to sixth- and seventh-grade boys at the Collegiate School on the Upper West Side of New York City.

Cathleen Everett

18 Michael Lanzano ’98 Facile with math and computers, Michael gravitated toward economics in college. Now his business role helps him pursue the artistic.

Erin Hoodlet

20 Neo Tapela ’98 Neo knew as a young teenager that she wanted to be a physician; a measure of serendipity, however, intervened in her disciplined career preparation and markedly affected her future.

Cathleen Everett

22 The Big Take-Aways Graduates respond to the questions: What life lessons have you learned so far? Are you optimistic?

26 Upperclass Students at Milton: Looking Out at the Decade Ahead Current students describe what they’ve come to understand about themselves and what they hope to accomplish in the “next phase.”

34 Classroom Educating for Decision-Making: Developing Confidence and Character Cathleen Everett Erin Hoodlet

37 Post Script I Want a Colorful Glimpse of Who You Are: Advice from a Village Elder Cassie Robbins ’87

38 Faculty Perspective Their Thoughts on the Craft of Teaching: Celebrating Four Milton Academy Faculty Chairs

42 In•Sight 44 On Centre News and notes from the campus and beyond

51 Sports Leading the Charge: Milton’s Female Coaches Greg White

54 Class Notes

Editor Cathleen Everett Associate Editor Erin Hoodlet Photography Sam Cullman, Michael Dwyer, Erin Hoodlet, Nicki Pardo, Dan Rosen, Martha Stewart, Greg White Design Moore & Associates Milton Magazine is published twice a year

by Milton Academy. Editorial and business offices are located at Milton Academy where change-of-address notifications should be sent.

As an institution committed to diversity, Milton Academy welcomes the oppor­tunity to admit academically qualified students of any gender, race, color, handicapped status, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally available to its students. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, handicapped status, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other schooladministered activities.

Printed on Recycled Paper

Ten Years Out A Decade Project Graduates review the ten years after Milton; Upperclassmen preview the ten years ahead.

What are the parallel views?

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oung graduates a decade out of Milton are crafting their separate lives, responding to the particularities of our age. They are connecting self-awareness, direction and perspective to make choices—etching personal pathways that try to reconcile those three.

We asked them to talk about where they are now—whether they had started businesses, or returned to graduate school, or reached a point in a career trajectory—to focus how they arrived there, and what might affect where they were headed.

Upperclassmen at Milton are poised at the start of this journey. Necessarily reflective as they navigate the choices before them, they can also describe what they’ve

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come to understand about themselves and what they hope to accomplish in the “next phase.”

We asked both groups a set of similar questions, geared toward whether they were looking back or looking forward.

Their answers are interesting both as singular responses and as elements in recurrent themes. Both explicitly and implicitly they define a Milton experience that graduates will recognize, regardless of class year.

Questions for graduates: • What are you doing right now? What is important about what you do? What does it have to do with what you want to do, ultimately?

• What major life lessons have you learned during this post-Milton time?

• Are you generally optimistic about the future?

Questions for students: • What do you know about yourself that helps you decide what will be important in your work life: What energizes you; what gets you excited; what is gratifying?

• Ten years from now, as you look back on your life, what will you want to be able to say?

• What are the most important life lessons you’ve learned at Milton?

• Are you generally optimistic about the future?

Cathleen Everett

“ I decided that whatever I did in business, I wanted to focus on and become expert in a specific discipline.”

Tod Hynes Director of Alternative Energy Citizens Energy Corporation, Boston, MA

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ind energy in particular and alternative energy in general became Tod’s focus.

Technical, scientific knowledge is crucial, but not sufficient, to what he does. He needs skills in analysis, relationship building and negotiation, along with flexibility, creativity, and—he will tell you—strong, clear communication.

“I’ve always worked, and I’ve always been entrepreneurial,” Tod admits. During the summer after his first year in high school, he earned his diving certification and started a business cleaning boats and diving for moorings. “I started working at a marina when I was 12, and then also at a restaurant when I was 14,” he says.

Tod directs business initiatives in alternative energy at the Citizens Energy Corporation. Citizens Energy (founded by Milton alumnus Joseph Kennedy ’71 in 1979) uses market opportunities to help the poor and needy acquire life’s basic necessities, such as heat and medicine.

Citizens uses revenue from innovative commercial enterprises to finance millions of dollars into Citizens’ charitable programs in the United States and abroad.

Tod has always loved science. “I took every science course I possibly could at Milton—marine biology, astronomy, you name it,” he said. “Six of us from my class even started the Physics II course my senior year.”

Playing football was something he loved, too. He was named All-Independent School League in both his junior and

senior seasons and All-New England as a senior. The opportunity to play football— and as it turned out, hockey, as well—was a factor in his college decision. At MIT, he reasoned, he would get a great and challenging preparation for a career, and also play interscholastic sports for four more years. (While at MIT, he was captain and MVP of the football team and named a District Academic All American.)

Concentrating in business at MIT’s Sloan School while also acquiring a strong science background, Tod dove into a series of jobs and ventures. One by one, these business experiences refined his sense of what he liked, what he did well, and what concerned him. His focus on site research, during an internship for a Canadian com-

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mercial real-estate company, taught him that he liked the development process; he liked creating something new and tangible. Start-up ventures were ubiquitous at MIT during his years. “At least half the people in my fraternity worked for a Web site design firm,” he said, “which lasted until it yielded to the growth of outsourcing. I joined an earlier stage, MIT-grad founded company with a plan to apply the direct sales model to Web sites.” Even though this business failed, Tod learned some hard facts about the direct sales world. He also learned that he enjoyed working on an idea: the focus groups, the teamwork, the business and strategy development. He learned the basics about start-ups: the financing, building the staff, burn rates, early stage, and then growth experiences. “You can really start whatever you want,” he found out.

“All the while,” he says, “I was involved in an active process of reading, thinking and writing about what I’d like to do over the long term. I kept coming back to the idea that environmental issues, global warming, had to be one of the biggest issues in my lifetime. Why weren’t more people and companies focused on this at the time?

Here’s why: Oil was twenty dollars a barrel.

“Energy was at the root of almost every climate issue, so I concentrated my courses to learn everything I could about how different energy sources and markets work. I ultimately saw wind energy as a desirable option and opportunity.” Tod started an alternative energy company during his senior year—“a consulting and engineering company for distributed power generation.” Then came the lessons in the effects of public policy: Changes in state policy offered organizations the same services that his company had been providing, only free of charge.

That led him to shift toward wind-farm consulting (developing large wind farms), and to some initial connections with Citizens Energy. Ultimately, he joined the staff at Citizens to help launch and develop their wind energy development business.

His first responsibility was moving forward an early-stage wind project in upstate New York. Land rights and wind data were

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set, but Tod took the 4,000-acre project through permitting, final site layout, more detailed wind assessments, environmental studies and reviews, and public meetings in four towns (two counties). Now, with Citizens, he expands the organization’s ventures to new and much larger opportunities, in the U.S., in Canada and in South America. Citizens partners with Native American tribes in the U.S. and First Nations in Canada. For example, the Cree Nation of Mistissini is a partner in one of Tod’s projects, to be located over 40,000 acres in northern Quebec. Traversing the site by snowmobile and snowshoes, Tod meets with the local communities, hires local workers, establishes meteorological towers, and assesses the existing infrastructure to support the project as it moves along. Tod’s company has made a bid to Hydro-Quebec for a 500 MW (~$1 billion) wind project, and once Hydro-Quebec contracts to buy that power, Citizens can execute the final stages of development.

For Citizens, Tod is also looking at other alternative energy opportunities: biofuels, solar energy, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, and general energy efficiency, among others. He’s been active, since college, in the Boston Climate Action Network, and he co-chaired the energy committee for the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (cerc04.org), which helped “green” the Democratic and Republican conventions in 2004.

“It’s a very active process,” Tod says, “to think about the lessons gained from experience and apply those lessons going forward. I’m always learning. But this work creates a fulfilling job, one that—right now—allows me to balance a career, and making a living, with other things that are important to me.”

Cathleen Everett

Sarah McGinty Director of Special Projects Project HEALTH

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escribing Sarah as a utility infielder for Project HEALTH isn’t far from the truth. A young organization that addresses systemic needs, Project HEALTH has seen rapid growth; wearing more than one hat is normal for staffers.

Project HEALTH uses the doctor’s office as a point of intervention to connect urban families with critical resources, such as food, housing and childcare. It taps and mobilizes college students to help families who face “double jeopardy.” “Double jeopardy is the dynamic combination of poverty and poor health. Poor children face two sets of obstacles: First, they are more frequently exposed to risks such as medical illness, family stress, insufficient social support, poor housing conditions and parental depression; and second, when these risks are realized, these children face more serious consequences to their health than counterparts of higher socioeconomic status.”1 Prior to Project HEALTH, Sarah says, there were few models for comprehensive intervention in families’ total health picture. “Medical residents seeing new patients should be asking about the psychosocial issues that could affect the patients’ acute symptoms, like the status of their housing, whether they have enough food, whether there is a family support network. Many doctors were just not asking those questions, because they could do so little to change the non-medical conditions that affect peoples’ health.” Project HEALTH partners with urban hospitals and universities to run practical programs geared toward changing this negative dynamic. To do that, they mobilize college undergraduates to make connections

“ We just finished a retreat to define our metrics for next year. This is an organization that was started by students in 1996 and now operates in five cities, has a national office and a national board.” between families and the community and government resources that families need to be healthy.

The idea began in 1996 as a pilot project that involved 10 Harvard students led by Rebecca Onie, then a sophomore, and Dr. Barry Zuckerman, professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University School of Medicine and chief of pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. Project HEALTH now has offices in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Providence and Washington, D.C. Today, it is a national network of thousands of volunteers, physicians and families.

Sarah joined the organization last summer, and her responsibilities begin on the financial side of the house: philanthropic development, business planning (including implementing new financial systems), helping support the board’s activities, and some operations work (making sure things happen as they should).

Success brings growth and growth pushes all kinds of strategic questions onto the table. This is especially true when armies of college students are busy thinking about how to do more, and better. It’s also true when cities, like Boston, want to capitalize on the model and spread it out into neighborhood clinics. For Sarah, the strategic questions bring intellectual excitement.

What could be better than working with leaders to figure out which organizational moves or shifts in program are going to strengthen the mission? How does the ability to attract financing affect the direction you take? What kind of fundraising enterprise makes sense? How should we evaluate new ideas that volunteers suggest? What targets, numerical and otherwise, should Project HEALTH set?

Sarah is in her element, but getting here was not a straight shot. After interviewing intensely as a college senior with New York and Boston investment houses, she turned down the offers. Looking for the opportunity for “creativity” in her career, she sought a role in film production management.

During her one year working endless hours with the talent agency Creative Artists Agency, she was creative only in learning “how to get absolutely anything done,” she says. For the next year, she was on the staff of Kathleen Kennedy’s production company, the Kennedy/Marshall Company (producers of E.T. and The Bourne Identity).

That experience demonstrated decisively that “working in the entertainment world isn’t work as we know it,” according to Sarah. “It’s a battle of attrition rather than a meritocracy. I thought I could probably hang in long enough to succeed, but I didn’t want to.”

From Los Angeles she came back to Cambridge to work on fundraising strategy at Harvard. “The power of philanthropy,

for me,” Sarah says, “is bringing together people with resources and people with great ideas to drive progress.” Viewing the machinations of nonprofits, like a university, from the inside was a terrific learning opportunity. It opened up her interest in the organizational issues that nonprofits must consider if they expect to be as effective and accountable as successful businesses.

In that context, the chance to get on-theground experience helping direct a thriving nonprofit focused on a crucial mission was a thrill. Now that she’s found the right direction, the next step seems clear to Sarah. She wants business school training; she’s looking particularly for a strong foundation in the rigorous analytics that she believes will be invaluable in running a nonprofit.

Now involved in yet another interview circuit, she commented on her interview at the University of Chicago Business School: “It was the first conversation at a business school that reminded me of Milton. They want you to challenge the school, to ask questions, to seek out what you want to learn and to know. The teachers at Milton ask the same of you; they push you to think in new ways, to ask questions, to self-reflect, to develop friendships with people who are diverse, talented, and offer so many different perspectives. In many ways, Milton gave me all the tools I need to be successful.”

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Web site www.projecthealth.org was a source for some information in this profile.

Sarah McGinty ’98 Milton Magazine

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Alex Reiser Production Manager Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars

“ You have to be willing to grab hold of opportunities as they come. You can’t prejudge; when you dismiss your preconceived notions and are willing to take risks, positive possibilities are born from that.”

Members of the Refugee All Stars and their production manager, Alex Reiser ’99

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or Alex Reiser, Class of 1999, opportunity came in the form of nine musically gifted West African refugees visiting the United States. Alex’s friend Banker White had recently completed a documentary film about Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, a group of musicians forced from their homes during a brutal civil war. Alex was both familiar with and interested in the plight of African refugees; his mother works with Friends of the Sudanese, an organization that assists Sudanese refugees with housing and education, helping them navigate their new lives in the United States. These young, male refugees, known as the Lost Boys, were the focus of a short documentary that Alex had just completed. The filming took place in the refugees’ home village in Sudan, which many of them were returning to for the first time in 20 years.

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In 2006, Alex traveled to New York City for a screening of Banker’s documentary and a concert by the All Stars. “The band’s production manager had just left the group,” Alex explains, “and Banker asked whether I knew anyone willing to fill the spot. I thought, why not me?” Officially, as the All Stars’ production manager, Alex deals with all their instrument and equipment needs, contacting and negotiating with representatives of venues and recording studios. Unofficially, he has become the Africans’ liaison to this country. “In some ways, I act as a cultural interpreter for them. When they first came here, they were amazed by everything they saw. They had no idea how to get around, how to get food—I had to help them navigate all of that.”

Coming into the position, Alex had some earlier experience with music production, although primarily as a musician.

Milton’s jazz program was a large part of Alex’s high school experience; in college he played the bass in a bluegrass band, traveling with a circus in Vermont where he learned about touring and production logistics.

Since the premiere of the documentary film about them, the All Stars have toured five continents. They have played or recorded alongside musical giants like Aerosmith, R.E.M., U2 and Green Day. They have been guests on Oprah Winfrey, CBS’s Sunday Morning, CNN, and NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and their music was featured in the 2006 blockbuster film Blood Diamond.

Beyond the high-profile collaborations and connections with organizations like Amnesty International, Alex points to some less obvious rewards of his work: “Seeing the United States through [the

Elizabeth Forwand Luce Scholar, 2007–2008 Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry Duke University, May 2007

band members’] eyes is a truly awesome experience. When they first came here, everything was brand new to them: things I take for granted—skyscrapers, for instance. They put all of that in a very cool perspective for me, and that has been a wonderful, eye-opening experience.

“The thing that makes working with them so appealing is their ability to give a voice to people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to get their story out there.

These people have been through awful, unspeakable situations, but they still have a positive outlook that they communicate through their music. That really resonates with me. Being involved in the filmmaking, the music and the message has been a powerful experience. Their music is about feeling, giving hope, finding human connection, despite all of the hardship. That’s inspiring.”

In addition to his production work with the All Stars, Alex is collaborating with Banker on developing a network that will teach media production to African refugees, and a Web site that will provide them with a forum to share their stories with one another and with the world. “Being part of a creative process is essential for keeping me involved and interested in something,” Alex says. “Making connections with others through the creative process—whether it’s in collaborating or sharing the final product—is important to me. In my ideal situation, I am actively engaged in something I really care about and I’m creatively involved in how all of it happens.”

Erin Hoodlet

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iz Forwand is deep in the Indonesian forests. She is one of 15 Luce Scholars living and working in Asia this year. The Henry Luce Foundation of New York City established the program in 1974 to increase awareness of Asia among future leaders in American society.

“There will always be a demand for exotic wood products, and with that demand goes the destruction of tropical forest,” Liz points out. “The trick is to figure out an incentive for conservation that works within that market, so that demand can actually preserve forest, rather than only destroy it. That is what forest certification is all about.” Liz is working with the Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute (LEI),

an Indonesian nonprofit that creates sustainable forest management standards for forest certification. Forest certification is a market-based tool to promote forest conservation: Independent organizations develop standards for sustainable forestry while independent auditors assess forestry operations and issue certifications verifying that those standards have been met.

“Certification is about giving consumers a choice,” Liz says. “The certification label on a wood product, like a chair or a table coming out of Indonesia, lets consumers know that the forest the wood came from is well managed, according to ecological, economic and social standards. In this way you can use your buying power to promote sustainable forestry.”

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“ This work is not just about technical, traditional forestry. Rather, it’s about introducing sustainable forestry practices to change the way we harvest, trade and sell our wood. We have to convince people that these forests are worth it, and train them in new management. It’s environmental management through people management.”

Sustainable forestry isn’t possible without good governance, Liz points out. Most wood coming out of Indonesia is illegally logged. Therefore, the work at hand is to combine government advocacy with sustainability practices. It involves people in management, science, forestry and government sectors, working with community leaders, workers, private companies and activists.

“What I like about this work is that it is community-based,” Liz says. “It has community development elements and business elements and a strong base in forestry planning. It gets at the heart of what success in conservation is about: equal parts human management and scientific management. The system has to be dynamic; it changes as the community does, as the market does, to fit different needs—but still sustaining the forest resource.”

Liz left Milton for Stanford, heading for a concentration in studio art. “When I look back, though, I realize that growing up I spent all the time I could outside, playing in the woods in Vermont,” she says. She took a freshman course in human biology and then applied to work with a professor studying high-altitude butterfly populations in Colorado. “It was pretty mindblowing for a 19-year-old,” she says. “That area (near Crested Butte) was experiencing big development; we were doing biological science, but we were witnessing how development was affecting local ranches.

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It was my first taste of the connection between biology and livelihood.” Liz’s focus on that combination came with her Stanford thesis, which looked at the relationship of environmental management, rural development, and ranching economies in Montana.

She moved to Montana after graduation and worked for the Nature Conservancy, which was involved in the struggle between rural development and invasive species. Her next job was in San Francisco, in the communications department of Earthjustice, the legal arm of the Sierra Club. It was a “fabulous job,” she says.

“I felt very motivated by the excellent goals and work. But it wasn’t the right fit. ‘You don’t want to be in the back of the house,’ one of my supervisors said. ‘You want to be on the program side.’” The next job was more hands-on: working as an eco tour guide, giving lectures on a boat in Hawaii.

“It’s easy to become unmotivated, though, when you’re not helping anyone, when you’re not part of the solution.” Bored, she began to think about graduate school, despite the astonishment of her friends that she might trade Maui for North Carolina.

From a graduate program she wanted what she calls a professional, or “terminal” degree—a degree that prepares you for a specific field. She found that in the masters of environmental management program at Duke, but a year into the program found it insufficient, and added a mas-

ter’s in forestry to her program. “I never thought that forestry would be a focus, but it was the best thing I did. It included that core combination of sustainability practices and concern for livelihoods.

“I didn’t have a specific job idea in mind.

The more I learned about this field, the more I saw that there were a ton of things that would make me happy.” Liz has taken risks in the worlds of academia and work. She’s ready for more risk taking.

“But sometimes, it’s not fun,” she says.

“Sometimes it can be lonely. What’s challenging about Indonesia is full immersion into a new culture. Everything takes so much effort because you have to navigate every situation; I’m culturally exhausted by the end of the day. I love the challenge of learning the language, though. At least language skills are concrete.”

This work will never be finished; it’s always evolving, Liz points out. “There are a thousand Haitis out there, about to happen,” she says. “In the energy conservation world, science and technology can take us as far as we can go. Although technology can change forestry too, there’s really only one way to cut down a tree, and people think they can cut them down forever.

Conservation forestry is about convincing people that ‘this is a better way to do the same old thing,’ but the real thing is not to be doing it at all. You’re cutting down a natural system, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

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Cyrus Dugger Law Clerk to the Honorable Victoria A. Roberts, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan

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ast August I started clerking for Judge Roberts, a federal judge presiding in Detroit,” says Cyrus. “A clerkship lasts a single year, and during that time, along with a couple of other people, we act as the judge’s right hand, helping think through the issues. So many cases come before her court; no judge could get through them all alone. Depending on the week, I may write a draft opinion, or research a specific legal issue for the judge. What I do affects a decision, whether it’s a monetary award for damages, a disposition in a civil rights case, or a criminal sentence. That decision has implications for the future. We are leaving a trail, or a map, that other judges may approach or consider. I can say about my job that I did ‘this’ and it matters in this way—it’s concrete.”

The federal district court deals with all kinds of cases; every week brings a new, challenging situation, whether it’s two corporations angry about who owes a debt, a person claiming workplace discrimination, a rezoning dispute, or a matter of religious freedom. It’s engaging and demanding.

Cyrus has tremendous respect for his judge, “an amazing African-American woman who believes in the letter of the law but who is also concerned about a just result,” he says. For Cyrus, however, the big question is what comes next. He is not interested in a position in a corporate law firm. “I am focused on impact litigation in the public interest,” he says, “in civil rights, in human rights.”

“ I love my job. What I’m doing matters.

It’s about meting out justice, every day.”

Cyrus’s passion for civil rights is long held, but certain experiences have particularly fueled his drive. Following his participation in the Spanish exchange at Milton, Cyrus heard about other Milton students involved in Amigos de las Américas.

Working in Latin American communities, high school and college-aged students experience “transformational community service work” through Amigos, in health, education and environmental projects.

Amigos volunteers typically raise the funds that support their expenses working in remote areas. Participants who stay

with the program for a few years often become Amigos summer staff members and receive a small stipend. “I fully experience a different culture, do something that (hopefully) has a positive impact, and don’t have to pay for the privilege,” Cyrus says. “What’s better than that?” He worked for five summers, first in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic as a volunteer, then in Mexico as a project supervisor, Honduras as an assistant project director, and finally returned to Bolivia as a project director.

“This kind of work really changes your life,” Cyrus says, “especially if you are interested in social change. You work with people and groups who are often marginalized and ignored. Their situation is often impoverished in a material sense, compared to the lives of most Americans, let alone most Milton students. The comparative standard of living is so low that once you’ve experienced it, it becomes a reality check and reference point you can never let go. The other side is that the people you meet are often so happy, wonderful and amazing, the cultural experience so enriching, and the lessons learned so many, that it mentally brands you with the uplifting truth that happiness and ‘the good life’ is rarely based on material possessions.

Seeing another group’s cultural realities— whether they see things in a more simple way, a more festive way, or have completely different priorities—you are broadened, philosophically, and you come away having enlarged your worldview, not to mention your circle of friends.”

Cyrus Dugger ’98 Milton Magazine

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Cyrus didn’t come to the idea of law school until his junior year at Brown when he took a course on the radical movements of the 1960s. The course brought to light how much government conduct, based in the use of law, broke up groups that were trying to affect change. The different groups, whether African-American or other activist groups, defined various “best ways” to achieve change differently (in voting rights, for instance), but what was consistent was the action of the government officials to infiltrate, incriminate or disrupt the effectiveness of these groups and their leaders. Law, Cyrus came to understand in a fuller sense than before, is related to racial justice. “It has been used and is still used to keep people of color from becoming unconditional citizens with the same effective rights as the white majority, and it’s important, as a person of color, to know that law, and more importantly, work to confront and change it.”

Cyrus’s résumé at NYU Law School demonstrates focus and an effort to seize every opportunity to learn and lead. He interned at Make the Road by Walking; the Socio-Economic Rights Project of the Community Law Centre in Capetown; the NYU Center for Human Rights and Global Justice; the Center for Constitutional Rights; the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; the New York State Defenders Association’s Immigrant Defense Project; and the American Civil Liberties Union’s Human Rights Program.

Having chosen law, will that career serve his interests? “Law is important, and empowering, but not enough to get things done,” Cyrus says. “Law has serious limitations, if you’re interested in social change.

Ultimately, whatever you raise within the confines of the law is decided by the Supreme Court. That takes time, and you are constrained in the sense that if you are bringing a case, you can’t always say exactly what you want to say, like you could teaching political science with a Ph.D., for instance. But getting a Ph.D. has its own problems: more time, more loans, subordination to unknown advisors, possibly living where you don’t want to be for years after graduation as you begin to teach.

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“You have to weigh the importance of different things on an imperfect scale, make choices, find a balance. Nothing is perfect, and you need to have your eyes open. There are few (paid) slots for public interest law (and fewer still well paid), and people who have these positions usually stay where they are. Plenty of nonprofits may want you, and you may want them, but they often don’t have the funding to pay a new salary, so you’re a volunteer or you have to wait until someone leaves. I love my job now, but it’s over in August.

Then I have to make my next set of choices. Anybody need a young impact litigation lawyer with a travel bug?”

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During law school, Cyrus co-chaired the NYU Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and was education chair of NYU’s Law Students for Human Rights. In his last year at NYU, he co-chaired the university’s Public Interest Law Foundation, was an articles selection editor for the NYU Review of Law and Social Change, and was selected as the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program Roger Baldwin Fellow in Civil Rights and Human Rights. After graduation, Cyrus served a fellowship in civil justice at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy.

Caroline Aiello Law Student University of Michigan School of Law

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hile she hasn’t always known where things were leading, Caroline never shied away from the next adventure. “You need to keep learning,” she said to herself, while figuring out each next step. Learning and working were often combined, whether in the Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, Thailand, Laos or in Russia, Georgia and Armenia.

Several themes converged during Caroline’s journey from Milton and college back to law school: the drawing power of international diplomacy; the need for critical self-reflection that comes from immersion in the world’s cultures; and the discovery of unforeseen roles to play, particularly ways to be a resource for others. “I left Milton knowing only that whatever I did would need to be something that would help people,” she says.

“Milton breeds that.”

Carly Wade’s course in Russian history was a trigger for Caroline. An aficionado of history, she loved Carly’s course. While she would ultimately study Russian during summers at Middlebury, as well as work in Moscow, she began with a year in the Czech Republic before college. With the International Partnership for Service Learning, she worked in two state-run homes for mentally and physically disabled children and adults, and also took classes at Charles University. “I was impressed by meeting people close to my age who had fought for freedom,” she says. “It had been 10 years since the revolution, but the society was still opening up.”

New Mexico who was fired in the 2007 sweep of U. S. Attorneys, was one of the team leaders. In another example, Nepalese officials wanted a program for trafficking victims, which Caroline’s team designed.

At Penn, majoring in diplomatic history (“I wanted a solid history background before getting into international relations.”), she studied and worked in Poland.

With other students, she helped small and medium-sized companies develop products that would be successful in the European market.

In her second year, the theatre of operations switched to Russia, Georgia and Armenia. In Russia, possessing child pornography is not illegal and Russia is one of the biggest international suppliers; one project was helping develop a crackdown on child pornography.

After college, no clearer about “the right thing” for her, Caroline “kept on learning and working” in Japan. She taught English to women and to preschoolers on the relatively industrial island of Shikoku, and then, in towns on the island’s north coast, taught men at ship-building plants who were interested in the English that could facilitate business dealings with their engineering colleagues in Malaysia.

“That [experience] showed me what life was like, for the housewife, for children, for the older and somewhat tired businessmen who worked far away from their families. I had to think hard about the United States—the way we perceive ourselves and the relationship of that perception to the reality on the ground. This introspective exercise became both ironic and relevant to my being in law school right now.”

After five months of “temping” in New York, testing ideas about publishing in the history world, a job came up with the New York Olympic Bid Committee. Caroline was an intern for international marketing, helping produce materials, but also preparing targeted marketing approaches to International Olympic Committee members. With failure of the bid also came closure about marketing as a profession: “It wasn’t right for me.”

Caroline says the key breakthrough came when she applied for a job posted in her college career newsletter. “[The position] was with the criminal division of the Department of Justice OPDAT—one of

Caroline Aiello ’98

those acronyms that is chosen first and then backs into a title (Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training).”

“This is the office that channels Justice Department resources and personnel to help countries build their criminal justice systems. They help train judges and prosecutors; they provide technical help in response to requests for programs about witness protection, or management of prosecutorial offices, or money laundering or international terrorism. The ultimate goal is to develop relations that will help counteract international crimes, but essentially it helps build the legal systems.”

Her first year, Caroline worked in Thailand and Laos. She and her supervisor would build the teams that would present seminars targeted at an issue. Laotian officials, for instance, were interested in help setting up prosecutorial offices—comparable to the U.S. Attorney’s offices. Ironically, David Iglesias, the U.S. Attorney from

“I was one of the program analysts, and this job included everything I wanted. It involved travel and had an international focus. We worked in concert with the State Department; I became familiar with embassies and the various State Department desks. I worked with smart, friendly, supportive people—many my age—providing resources and assistance to people on things that mattered, locally and on a larger scale.

“This combination of elements refocused me on the idea of law school. With this degree, I see a career where I can use a skill set and apply resources to help people who are unrepresented, or have needs that stronger legal structures will help.

“Of course when you’re abroad and you talk about corruption they say, ‘Tell us about Gonzales.’ Just as I have had to scrutinize and question our social system and acknowledge realities, I have to acknowledge the same about our judicial system.

It does break down. It isn’t perfect. Do we follow an imperfect system or reject it? Is it possible to create a legal system that is perfect? These are questions that stay with me, but I believe that strengthening the rule of law benefits countries.”

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“ I am in my first year of law school—we older students definitely put a lot of pressure on each other. My experience before law school leads me to want to get experience as a prosecutor, and then use that experience either to work in tandem with, or serve as advisor to, people in countries that are trying to build strong legal systems.”

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Ian Cheney Documentary Filmmaker and Activist Recent film: King Corn New project: The Greening of Southie

“ A surprising number of people in my generation are yearning for a connection to something that we feel we’re missing. For some it’s a return to the land. Some people came to college as English majors but wanted to be farmers.”

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s an undergraduate, Ian Cheney was of two minds when he walked into Yale’s dining hall: grateful to be able to choose anything he wanted to eat, and encumbered by lack of awareness about how that food arrived at his fingertips. This tension came to preoccupy Ian throughout his college years. “In the context of global warming and the footprint we’re leaving on the planet,” Ian says, “I realized that my daily decisions are affecting the world, but I had no understanding of how. Food is perhaps the most direct way that we have an everyday effect on the planet. For me, finding out where my food came from was the first step to becoming a more responsible consumer and a more tuned-in citizen.”

Sam Cullman

Ian the activist learned about the changes a consumer can make to his or her dietary habits, and wanted to keep informing others. Ian the artist was looking for an outlet. Without a ready-made job to meet both needs, Ian created his own. In the highly acclaimed documentary film King Corn, co-producers Ian and Yale friend Curt Ellis move to Iowa, grow one acre of corn, and then follow their harvest through America’s food system.

King Corn co-producers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis perform a taste test in their acre of corn in Greene, Iowa.

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Tze Chun Filmmaker; wrote and directed Sundance-nominated film, Windowbreaker

“Filmmaking combines my interests in a way that I never thought possible,” Ian says. “To immerse yourself in a project that is simultaneously artistic, political and entertaining is a wonderful opportunity.

This question about whether to be an artist or an activist was burning—whether it’s possible to combine them, or whether you end up diluting each and doing half as much good. Making King Corn is my response to that. The pretty pictures make the message possible, and the message makes sense of the pretty pictures. King Corn explores how we, as a nation, have created the system that overproduces corn and essentially subsidizes the production of fast food, to the detriment of our health.”

Much of Ian and Curt’s year in Iowa was devoted to understanding why and how their farming great-grandfathers made their decisions, and how they might have looked at the world. “While we’re living through the great obesity epidemic, they lived through the Great Depression,” Ian explains. “I think it’s immature to say, ‘Why would we ever have created pesticides? How could we be so stupid?’ when there’s so much to be gained by assuming a different perspective. Trying to understand the other point of view helps me stay optimistic about problems that otherwise seem insurmountable.”

In graduate school, where Ian earned his master’s in forestry and environmental studies, he and his classmates discussed how to maintain their optimism, their energy and their drive to promote change.

“I was desperate to hold on to that positivity,” Ian says. “College is a sanctuary where you’re encouraged to think independently and follow your instincts, come up with

wacky ideas and dream big thoughts.

Those are good instincts, instincts I trust, because they were created in a pure space.

Out there in the hustle and bustle of things, it’s harder to dream big things.

“Deciding to have a job without a steady paycheck was not necessarily a conscious decision. I wasn’t so much deciding against having a paycheck as I was deciding for working with my best friend, making a film I believe in, and being my own boss. It just so happens that also means being broke. Which means I still have my doubts. I spend half my time battling back doubts. But, it’s work worth doing. Even spending eight hours editing a scene that’s completely useless is such an important thing to do, because you don’t know it’s useless until you do it.”

In spending five minutes with Ian—or five minutes watching King Corn—you see another force that vitalizes him. “Humor is the lubricant for all the work that I do and want to do, not only in the final product, but also in the making of the product.

The value of humor sort of speaks for itself. Why wouldn’t you want to laugh every day?”

Ian is now working on a full-length documen­tary film titled The Greening of Southie, which chronicles construction of an environmentally conscious residential complex, a project of South Boston developer Tim Pappas ’92.

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S

tudying film history at Columbia, Tze Chun went from being “one person at Milton who was really into film, to New York City, where thousands of people are— or want to be—filmmakers.” Always a serious visual artist, Tze spent his first year after graduating from college painting portraits. Represented by a gallery in the city, he found that was a fine way to earn a living. “However,” Tze admits, “eventually I had to choose between film and painting. I realized that if I wasn’t willing to follow the career path I was on for the next ten years, I might be wasting my time and energy. I knew that working in film would allow me more mental space.”

Tze’s taste for filmmaking began in his Class III year at Milton. Enrolled in an independent study of film and video production with faculty member Peter Moll, Tze first learned how to make and edit films. Building off this foundation and his studies at Columbia, he developed a plan for success in this highly competitive field.

“I found that I needed to be creating and producing work, lots of work,” Tze says. “I was proud of everything I created, but not all of it had to be ‘the best thing I’d ever done.’ I turned out lots of shorts [short films], figuring the more work I produced, the better the odds were in my favor. It was about getting myself out there, learning what worked and what didn’t.” Creating shorts allowed him to produce more work more quickly, with lower costs and less narrative to create. Tze explains that short films are often the best, if not only, way to be noticed by a producer, since most won’t watch or read a feature-length film submitted by an unknown artist.

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“ In a profession where there is no clear career path, you have to gauge for yourself whether you’re making the right decisions— whether or not the path you’re on is leading anywhere.”

Tze’s professional affirmation came in January 2007 when his film Window­ breaker was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the premier showcase of the independent film industry. Windowbreaker is a semi-autobiographical film based in the mixed-race neighborhood of a Boston suburb, where paranoia and stereotypedriven suspicions arise around a series of break-ins. The short was filmed in Tze’s childhood home with his mother playing the mother in the film.

most recent screenplay and directorial project is based on his mother’s story of growing up in Singapore under harsh conditions. He explains, “It’s an immigrant story that takes place during a time when countries in Asia were quickly rising from developing nations to serious global players.” Tze is in negotiations with a Hong Kong–based production company that would allow shooting of the film to begin in March of this year.

“I’ve always created films that were very character-based and character-driven,” Tze says. “I like doing personal stories that take place in a significant political or social climate, and exploring how the implications of what’s going on in that time affect the decisions these people make.” His

In addition to this project, Tze is shooting a feature-length version of Windowbreaker and—although caught up in the Writers Guild strike at the time of print—plans to commence work on the new Darren Star show, Cashmere Mafia, for ABC. “This work always feels fresh for me,” Tze says. “Whether it’s technique or my subject matter, I’m energized as long as I’m learning something. Both in painting and in making movies, what has always been most energizing to me is jumping into an art form with hundreds of years of history, knowing nothing, and learning all about it—how it started, how to create it. As long as that learning is happening, I’m excited and energized by the process.”

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Tze was recently named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine.

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Milton Magazine

Torrey Androski Research Associate The National Academy of Public Administration, Washington, D.C.

T

orrey has an insider’s vantage point in Washington: In a layer beneath the harangue and hyperbole of elected officials debating in the media limelight, she works with public service professionals applying brain power, goodwill and hard work to the crucial activities of government. They are dealing with myriad issues, from water quality, fish stocks and transportation safety to the off-shoring of service jobs, or cleanup from weapons production. Torrey is a research associate at The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Established in 1967 and chartered

by Congress, the Academy is trusted government-wide to be objective and to find practical, innovative solutions by bringing the best thinking and experience to bear on governmental problems. It is a coalition of highly respected top policy makers and management leaders who tackle the most critical, timely and challenging problems facing the government.

The Academy staff works with a network of 600 fellows to respond to requests for help from federal agencies, Congress, state and local governments, academia and foundations. The fellows are current and former Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, diplomats, business execu-

“ We’re trying to get government leaders more savvy about Web 2 technologies. The next generation of citizens is ready for this; we need to use the latest techniques and modes of communication. We’re trying to set up a new paradigm to get things done.”

tives, local public managers, foundation executives and scholars. They assemble as project panels to bring the right expertise to challenges various groups have raised.

For instance, the Academy was asked to improve the collaboration of stakeholders searching for water-quality improvements in the Chesapeake Bay. State and local officials, the Environmental Protection Agency, fishermen, agricultural specialists, scientists—all stakeholders—needed help in working together. “It’s hard, getting a large and disparate group like this to agree on policy,” says Torrey. “People’s livelihoods are at risk, as are the destiny of businesses, as is the environment, given the long-term impact of certain chemicals. The fellows sit down with them, and with their expertise they help them make progress.

“When I was at Milton, I heard Cornell West [then a professor at Harvard, now a professor of religion at Princeton] speak,” says Torrey, “and realized that it was on us to be leaders and problem solvers. It struck me that I have opportunities, and I have to take them.” With a law degree in her mind’s eye at that time, she majored in sociology at Kenyon with a concentration in law and society. “I took courses in college that I never would have taken without the preparation I had at Milton.”

Torrey Androski ’98

A semester in Washington “turned me on to what was happening in government,” she recalls. She worked for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which establishes sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums for courts. Her task was “to evaluate the efficiency of sentencing disparities related to crack cocaine and powder cocaine.” The project combined her statistical background with interests in social justice issues and the law. “We developed real data that had real impact. Admittedly, it took until November 2007, but it worked.”

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This interdisciplinary effort is typical of the National Academy’s work and part of what makes working there so great. “It’s exactly what Milton faculty did—bring things together, help you make the connections, expect you to think critically.”

Her experience led her back to graduate school where she earned a master’s in public administration from American University. “What I do at the Academy is public-sector management consulting,” she says.

Torrey’s main project now involves convincing typically non-techie government leaders to embrace today’s collaborative technologies as part of project processes. Because today’s generation, and those to follow, use these techniques and modes of communication to get work done (and because they expect to be part of any dialogue on public issues), shifting the paradigm to include collaborative technologies—like wikis—has already shown results. Getting the fellows all “in the room”—that is, online working together—improves the speed, efficiency and quality of the work. As Jennifer Dorn, Academy president and CEO has written, “we…are convinced that collaborative technology has the potential to transform government in America, to tap into the expertise of people outside the hierarchy of any single agency or department, to make government more transparent, and to open the door to a broader array of experts focused on solving a particular problem or to citizens who want to contribute to making government work better.”

“When you read about what a project like this entails,” Torrey says, “you think it’s impossible; but it really does happen. When you think about the work that USAID does, for instance, the collaborative technology piece could really help, because of the potential of getting people together (who are not physically proximate) to help raise money and to make the money raised work to achieve the goals.

“I love working on projects like this,” Torrey says, “where you can see the transformation and the impact.”

CDE The Web site of The National Academy of Public Administration, www.napawash.org, was a source for some information in this profile.

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Milton Magazine

Lydon Friedrich Vonnegut Middle School English Teacher Collegiate School, New York City

L

ydon Friedrich Vonnegut teaches English to sixth- and seventh-grade boys at the Collegiate School on the Upper West Side of New York City. When she told Milton classmate Lindsay Haynes she had clinched this job, Lindsay said: “That’s great! And it’s exactly what you said you wanted to do senior year at Milton—teach middle-school English.”

Lydon was surprised. She didn’t remember her career ambitions being so explicit or clear in high school. “I was an English and political science major in college and got into stage management,” she says. “I spent lots of time dealing with people and solving problems as a stage manager, and I enjoyed it. I was good at organizing things to run smoothly.” Focused on finding a job after graduation that would involve dealing with people to solve problems, she thought to try her hand at management consulting or public relations.

She gave her best effort to a job at KeySpan, the energy delivery company in Boston, as an administrative assistant in the PR department. “I was half secretary and half low man on the corporate affairs totem pole,” Lydon says. “It was miserable.

I was a particularly terrible secretary.

“At KeySpan, I kept exploring job opportunities in the nonprofit sector,” she says.

“There are so many things to do; I knew that something was out there that would

suit me, but I had no idea how to find it.

I felt like I had no idea what people actually did or how they figured out that they wanted to do it.”

Scanning the nonprofit options, she came back again and again to educational opportunities. She remembered that she had loved teaching during her high school summers at the Kilburn Park School in London, a school for refugee children and children with special needs.

Then, the day after applications to master’s programs in education were due, she made the decision to switch to teaching.

Her then fiancé’s impending job in New York threw Lydon into a job search. That August, a second-grade teaching assistant position opened at the Trevor Day School, and it gave Lydon the opportunity and the mentor that would open the door for her to a career in education.

Plans to attend graduate school at Teachers College, Columbia University, the following year switched to the University of Michigan when Lydon’s husband started law school at the same institution.

“ELMAC (the Elementary Master’s of Arts with Certification) was geared toward people who were returning from the Peace Corps, and so was a 12-month intensive master’s program. My experience was, I think, much like that of most people in teacher education programs. It was a mix of courses full of interesting and practical information and classes that were disasters, but I had some amazing professors in literacy and social studies.

“[My husband and I] loved Ann Arbor. It was such an easy place to live. The community was involved and interesting, and there were most of the arts and culture opportunities of a large city with a smallercity feel. I really think that leaving New York is an important thing to do; it helps you gain perspective in so many ways.

While you’re living there, New York has a way of becoming the center of your universe, and that’s limiting.”

Returning to New York after grad school began an all-out job search in the independent schools for Lydon: “Job searches are always nasty. You spend so many hours, writing, thinking, and fine-tuning your résumé and cover letters. It’s an all-consuming and necessarily anxiety-producing process.” Lydon was focused on a Grade 3 position and was traveling to New York for an interview when Bill Hill, the English department chair at Collegiate “because of a friend, unearthed [her] résumé from the bottom of a pile and said, ‘We can’t offer you a job because of your lack of experience, but I think we should talk.’”

a reflection on identity, so it seemed a perfect fit for seventh graders, and the boys really responded. I’ve come to realize and appreciate the fact that, at Collegiate, the boys feel very little stigma for being original, for being honest—saying what they think and feel. We had a really good time.”

She earned the appointment at Collegiate and has just finished the first semester of her second year. “I have had amazing mentors in Bill Hill and Pascale Giroux, the people with whom I teach sixth and seventh grade, respectively. They are both gifted teachers and have been immensely supportive and generous with their experience and knowledge. I know that I have been far from perfect, but I’ve been learning, and I love what I do.

“When you say, at the end of a year, that you actually love your students, it may seem strange to some people, but you have a fierce feeling of protectiveness about them. They have all learned so much, and grown so much, and worked so hard. It’s wonderful when parents thank you, but it is really their boys who did the work. I

Talk they did, and the meeting moved from discussion to interview. Lydon was invited to give a sample lesson to seventh graders the next day.

“I was so excited and completely terrified,” Lydon says. Armed with a Norton’s Anthology, she chose Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B,” and went to work planning her sample class. The next day, behind the seventh-grade boys in the classroom were three Collegiate teachers, the head of the middle school, and the English department chair. “It was a situation that makes you want to throw up on your shoes,” Lydon says. “But it turned out to be a lot of fun. “Theme for English B” is

have frequent and open dialogues with parents, and the boys know that. They know I will call their parents at the drop of a hat, and as a result, they know that they have a team in their corner, supporting them, listening to them, and reminding them of the boundaries that are so important for this age group.

“I’m very aware of what a privileged community Collegiate is. The things we can do as teachers always amaze me. We’re both lucky and spoiled. I do try to impress on the boys the idea that they are fortunate.

Even though it’s difficult for young people to appreciate experiences outside their own, I frequently talk with them about how lucky they are, and about the responsibility that comes along with being given an education of this quality. I expect each boy to think carefully about how to make a positive impact on our local and global communities.

“So much of my teaching is based on my Milton experience. When I went into this job, I was terrified of being a teacher who just took up time in students’ lives. I remember talking with friends and saying, ‘If I can’t be the kind of English teacher John Zilliax and Dale DeLetis have been, then I just don’t want to do it.’ My teaching is based on the strengths of those teachers.

The number of things that I’m teaching directly from John Zilliax’s tenth grade English class is amazing.

“I love being in the classroom. Since the boys change every year, my job isn’t ever the same two years in a row. Also, teaching itself isn’t something I think you ever completely master. I’m always re-thinking and refining.”

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Lydon Friedrich Vonnegut ’98

“ When you don’t work with children every day, it’s tough to remember that they are fully formed people with feelings, opinions, observations and reactions—they’re just smaller. They are always changing and constantly fascinating, and I’m learning from them all the time.”

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M

ichael Lanzano hasn’t always labeled himself an “artist.” Facile with math and computers, he gravitated toward economics in college. Shortly after graduating, Michael was hired by an investment bank, where he develops the company’s trading software and automated reporting systems. “I actually spent most of my time at Yale in the metal shop,” he admits.

“I always wanted to do something more physically creative.”

Michael Lanzano Photographer and Software Programmer New York City

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Milton Magazine

In order to pursue the artistic, Michael maintains flexible hours that allow him to schedule photo shoots. These days, that means two days a week spent “at the desk” maintaining the trading software. “The programs have a high degree of connectivity,” he explains, “so we’re always having to adapt to new protocols set by data vendors and trading partners. It’s important [ for the company] to have someone on staff who is familiar with the systems so we can respond quickly… Sometimes my job requires me to redesign an entire system; often it’s a matter of putting a comma somewhere. My working part time gives the bank a great value and it gives me the hours I need. It’s very win-win.”

Michael saw the potential of his being a photographer while spending a semester of his junior year in Paris. There he began his formal training in photography and found the anonymity necessary to delve into this passion. “I think I’ve always had the personality of a photographer: somewhat social, a bit provocative, but in the end detached—an observer,” Michael says.

“Growing up, I [considered] a profession in photography… too risky, a recipe for bohemian striving. Paris changed this.

When you’re thousands of miles from home, drunk on unpasteurized cheese, it’s

“ What I like about photography isn’t the beauty, it’s the irrefutability of evidence—the ability to reveal details about a person or place, sometimes even about everyone. I enjoy being able to bring back artifacts from worlds we wouldn’t necessarily visit, to shine light in dark places.”

a perfect time to step outside yourself and question whether the person you’ve been cast as is who you really are, and who you want to be.”

After graduating from Yale, Michael found artistic inspiration in a friend and fashion photographer whose studio he joined.

While he enjoyed collaborating on editorial and advertising jobs, Michael found himself drawn to travel photography; he has photographed the lives and landscapes of distant locations such as Armenia, Cambodia and Vietnam. “There’s an interesting contradiction between the surface of and the substance inside a photograph,” Michael explains. “A picture has to have certain formal elements for people to acknowledge it, but your subject has to feel comfortable with you before he will let you capture him on many levels. The most important job is to establish trust, but you also need to focus the camera.

Working in Armenia was difficult: I didn’t speak the language, and I somehow had to assure the subjects that their hair was fine and that the decaying industrial site in the background was beautiful, all while setting up my tripod. Because there was no [shared] language, I just had to smile a lot and move slowly.”

Michael’s most recent travel project only required his crossing the East River, but the same principle of gaining trust applies. Driving through Brooklyn one day, Michael noticed a plethora of storefront churches along Fulton Street, as many as five in a row on one block; he was fascinated and intrigued by these clusters.

He returned the following Sunday with another photographer, not to take a lot of pictures, he explains, but to make a connection with the community on which to build a project.

“We brought a big camera with us, so that no one suspected any sleight of hand,” Michael says. “We shot Polaroids and gave the photos away so people would know exactly what we were doing. The churchgoers invited us in, and though I wasn’t there to find emotion, it was an overwhelming experience. I’m not saying I cried, but I’m not saying I didn’t. The pilgrimage is an extremely important aspect of taking photos for me. No matter how close to or far from home, my work always requires that I… put myself where the subject is.

Otherwise I’m an outsider.

“The night before a trip I’m always nervous. Did I remember to pack the lens cleaner? Will I be killed? And while I do usually forget some items from my kit, I am still alive and have been fed, offered drink (all kinds), sung to, hugged and helped by a lot of people. The only explanation is that individuals are basically kind. Even more amazing is that often the people most different from you can be the most accepting of you, and people who have the least can be the most generous.

Next to this, the images are almost, almost secondary. The connection is what keeps me traveling.”

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Photograph taken in Cambodia by Michael Lanzano.

View more of Michael’s photography at www.lanzano.com.

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Neo Tapela Howard Hiatt Residency in Global Health Equity and Internal Medicine Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA

N

eo Tapela knew as a young teenager that she wanted to be a physician; a measure of serendipity, however, intervened in her disciplined career preparation and markedly affected her future. Now, when she returns to Botswana, she will have worked on developing, concurrently, skills for clinical practice, health care policy development, advocacy, and leadership in resource-limited settings.

A scholarship student at a private secondary school in her native Botswana, she was given the chance to come to Milton through Milton’s Korean War Memorial Scholarship, and she took the opportunity.

“I had no idea where, or to what kind of a school I was going,” Neo says, “but not knowing anything was actually kind of comforting; I had to be open to whatever I found. All I knew was I was going to America, with the chance to train as a doctor there.”

A multidisciplinary approach and indepth exposure to the humanities at Milton, it turned out, was what amplified and enriched Neo’s perception of the sciences she had studied, and of herself.

“We studied literature of the human condition, contemporary writers and issues, in small, very interactive groups. It was my first encounter with Toni Morrison, for example. Discussion in class was thoughtprovoking, the analysis creative. Fresh, meaningful topics were explored and critiqued in class; that was a very different intellectual experience for me, and you end up taking away your own thoughts (a far cry from the near memorization of the Victorian classics that bore little relevance to my life today and were taught without much opportunity for intellectual critique). That exposure drove me to major in Africana studies, in addition to biological sciences, when I got to Wellesley.

“I was so far from home, boarding for the first time, with new faces and a completely different school environment. I found that I had so much support and mentorship: The faculty were actively interested in helping me become who I was and aspired to be. That kind of support helps one crystallize one’s own vision.”

Neo credits former Milton college counselor Susan Case with advocating Wellesley College as a great match, and that it was.

She found excellent mentors and solid preparation in the sciences, with the same academic approach as Milton—small groups, problem-based, very interactive— as well as terrific, funded opportunities on and off campus. Wellesley also charged up a different set of capabilities. “Wellesley provided a politically active environment that was almost infectious, and being politically active develops a skill set that helps

“ Ten years later, I still hold dear this commitment to serving my home community; however, my vision has been immeasurably enriched by experiences here, and it has evolved to embrace a global and human rights–conscious approach to medicine, and a realization that my contributions can and should go beyond the borders of Botswana.”

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Neo Tapela ’98

you introspect, sharpen your convictions and passions, and then put them to work effectively. That experience was crucial, as well.”

Overall, the small-group interaction at Milton and Wellesley, Neo feels, helps build a critical combination of assertiveness, confidence and optimism along with a clarity of purpose (or if not yet identified, a yearning to figure out what that purpose is). It leads you to believe that “this is a cause I should pursue; I will find people to help; I will find resources I need to realize it.” Summers served as particular building blocks in Neo’s ever-expanding effort to understand the ethical, political and socioeconomic factors that affect medicine.

During one college summer, Neo explored traditional Chinese medicine practice in Beijing, China (and worked on learning the language as well). That experience helped her realize that, while she appreciated the wisdom of age-honored practices, traditional Chinese medicine was not readily applicable to some other parts of the world. Western medicine would be the most effective way to serve her home community.

During the summer of 2001, while a sophomore at Wellesley College, Neo worked as a lab assistant at the Botswana-Harvard HIV Reference Lab. This internship was a pivotal one; it affirmed her desire to work in HIV in southern Africa. It gave her grounding in reality—the power of this virus and its effect on the population.

“I came back haunted by the realization

that over 50 percent of the mothers tested were HIV positive, and I felt compelled to involve myself more actively in HIV work in Botswana. I returned to Botswana in the summer of 2003 to conduct research assessing the impact of the National Antiretroviral Drug Program. This time I was reassured by treatment adherence rates that exceeded 90 percent. The study also helped define obstacles to care, such as lack of transportation cited by 25 percent of patients as the reason for missed appointments, and offered patient-generated recommendations for improvement of the program, such as hospital-based HIV support groups desired by 90 percent of patients.”

At Harvard Medical School, Neo took social medicine classes and did her primary care clerkship at a clinic with a large HIV immigrant patient population.

She also held leadership positions with Physicians for Human Rights, HMS AIDS Action Initiative, and Harvard Africa Health Forum.

The end of medical school and beginning of her residency was another watershed moment for Neo. She missed home, missed her connections and roots there, and was eager to involve herself more actively in work at home as soon as possible. She wondered whether she should return before starting the next phase of her training. “I was getting superb medical training,” she said, “but it was hard because my heart was yearning to be working somewhere else. It’s difficult to maintain the right balance.” She decided,

though, that if she left, it would be a disservice to the opportunities provided her for training, and ultimately to her patients at home, to return without being a fully trained doctor.

Neo was selected for the Global Health Equity Residency at the Brigham; she seems to fit the goals of the program perfectly, and this residency is appropriate preparation for her commitments. In each of her residency years, Neo spends increasing amounts of time in international clinics established by Partners in Health (Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho); in addition, she earns a master’s degree in public health or policy. The Brigham/Harvard faculty are preceptors at the Partners’ sites, and they serve as mentors, as interested in Neo’s development as a person and a professional as her earlier mentors at Milton and Wellesley. “My mentors have invested time in me and my needs again and again,” Neo says, “helping me crystallize the issues, and gain insight into the developing challenges in health care in the developing world currently, and how I may play a role in addressing them.

“I hope to draw upon my experience to bring dedicated, inspired clinical work, teaching, research and advocacy for health and human rights in Botswana and beyond; that would be driven by personal relevance, as well as the intellectual and humanitarian influences of my education.”

CDE

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The Big Take-Aways: What life lessons have you learned so far?

Torrey

Cyrus

Liz

Flexibility of mind and thought are extremely important.

Working abroad in the developing world is really important. From that I always get new ideas, new ways of looking at things.

It’s a reality check for me; it always helps with perspective.

There’s a certain randomness that enters into the way things work out: Call it what you want to—luck, serendipity. Sometimes everything comes down to timing and the relationships you’ve built as you’ve gone along.

Collaboration with a very diverse group of stakeholders can be as hard as it is important. My skill set with that situation came from my days in Hathaway House. To make progress, you have to question how you’ve acted before, and how you will act in the future.

The other thing is not taking yourself too seriously. You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

From Milton, many things have stayed with me—a sense of the importance of social justice, my interest in things that are complex and interdisciplinary, the need to challenge myself and commit to a high standard of work.

“Dare to be true” especially stays with me—that simple idea that, day after day, means so much. It’s helped me to grow so much over the years.

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Sarah Preventative care is cost effective. Dollars spent on environmental, legal or public health issues that help people avoid or deal with chronic illness improve quality of life, and they save many multiples of those dollars that would be spent on acute care and further disruption of a family’s ability to survive.

Community involvement is pivotal for me; it’s what brings it all home. I get real motivation from working at the relationshipbuilding level. Am I an extrovert? When I have to be, I am.

I think we tend to idealize situations: the personal goals that will be met, etc. “That sounds great,” we think. “I want to do ‘x.’”

And we have already idealized what “x” is. No matter what you think something’s going to be like, it’s going to be different.

And that’s okay.

Even when you achieve some personal goals, it’s still hard, it’s still not finished, there’s no end point, and it’s always evolving. There’s no “I’m finally here.” The fact that things keep changing makes you aware of why you saw what you saw, and did what you did, and what is ahead.

One thing I got from Milton doesn’t translate directly to any single outcome. I learned how to read, properly and well, for pleasure and enjoyment, and for learning.

It was an excellent gift. It was a key part of any career success I’ve had. To get and do what you want, you have to have solid communication skills. That has taken me so much further than knowledge of forestry.

That’s the great failing of science, isn’t it?

Communication?

As long as your idea is synergistic, as long as you’re creating value for the world, you can do whatever you want. Milton is great at nurturing the individual and celebrating the unconventional. I’m thankful that I have this foundation, because the belief that we are free to be ourselves is so empowering.

Caroline The people you work with are critically important; they can make a work experience, regardless of whether you are at a nonprofit or a huge firm, either positive or negative.

Tod Ian People coming of age now are accustomed to getting a lot of information quickly. I’m curious to see how that might spread to other aspects of work—will younger generations be less inclined to attack something that seems like it’s going to take a long time? I’ve noticed that working with people who are even 10 or 15 years older than me, they’re much more patient with projects. They take much more time dissecting something. Even with that small generation gap, I’m much more accustomed to instant gratification and constantly moving on to the next thing. I’ve learned, especially from [working on The Greening of Southie], that in order to do my best work, I have to take the time and be more patient.

Neo You need to think out of the box in medicine. You need to believe that anything is possible, that your ideas can be put into action, that “this” is a cause you should pursue. That point of view is fundamental to who I am right now. Milton really fosters that, because it wants you to be who you are. It fosters introspection; it provokes you to ask questions about who you are and then answer your own questions.

Michael Lydon Sitting down in class for an intense 50 minutes, to focus on a text together, and on the intellectual puzzles it represents, is such great preparation. I remember many special discussions, and at our school, like at Milton, teachers will sit down with students and apply the same intellectual processes to things happening in the community as they happen.

Reason can scare your dreams away. The more passion you put into your dream— the more you nurture it and fill it full of juice—the more others will believe in it too. I can say, “I want to open a scuba shop in St. Barths,” and the guy next to me might say, “Sure, me too.” But then I tell him I want to create a hot-air balloon, made entirely of recycled materials, gassed on biofuels, and fly that balloon to Brazil to tutor AIDS orphans. Now I have the guy’s attention, and he may just want to participate.

At Milton, the thing I liked least was having to learn how to write. It turns out that knowing how to write well—and to read— is one of the most valuable capabilities I could have. I have to read and then write technical memos that make some very complex technologies accessible to the layperson. The ability to read and write well is even more important now that there’s so much focus on climate change. I have to sift through the science and the politics and pull together my own point of view, and then communicate it.

It’s amazing how complex the energy world is. My friends ask me what they should read to get up to speed. I tell them, “I can give you 20 books to read, not two.”

Alex Having an open mind and being willing to give something a shot is so important.

Going outside of your comfort zone, I’ve found, always pays off in a big way. It certainly has for me. I’ve embraced that— taking a risk, doing something I’m not completely comfortable with—and it has brought me to where I am now, and I’m so grateful for that.

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Are you optimistic?

Torrey

Cyrus

Liz

I am. People are angry about the top level of leadership in this country, and I’m uneasy with the point of view that a change in administration will save the world, because there are entrenched bureaucracies that remain. (I’d rather vote for a cabinet than a candidate.) But I see many—many smart, talented people—who are determined to help government move forward, who are committed to making things better.

I think solutions are frustratingly and maddeningly within our reach. Just look at the cost of this war. Check out costofwar.com, a page on the National Priorities Project Web site. It breaks down the cost of the Iraq war by state, county, city and shows the tradeoffs in dollars needed for elementary-school teachers, port-container inspectors, affordable housing units, health care for children—you name it. We couldn’t have a less intelligent foreign policy. Solutions are near at hand, but the broken nature of democracy prevents our getting to them. We should get rid of all special interests; get rid of any political funding from individuals, groups or corporations. Get rid of the political and ideological hang-ups that stand in the way of solutions. We’ve had access to a great education; solutions are not inaccessible. We just don’t have the will; it’s not a priority.

I have moments of hopelessness. I can be pessimistic. The problem is enormous, and I don’t think we’re at the shift, the turning point. Rather, we’re in the slow grind period. There was a sense in the ’70s of being at the beginning of an environmental movement, getting some momentum. I don’t think we’re experiencing that right now. Technologically we’re at a peak in terms of what we know, but we’re not using it.

Tod Researching climate change, and looking at current policies and programs, it’s hard to be optimistic. But seeing the amazing technologies that are nearly ready, so much interest and investment in them, and the room to make improvements, I think we will be surprised at how fast things become mobilized. The political will isn’t there yet, but the political will is nearly there. And in the meantime, we’re seeing that all the predictions about climate change are being exceeded: The North Polar ice cap was first predicted to be ice free in 2050, then in 2030, and now in 2013. Scientists were conservative.

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Sarah Philanthropy, the public’s desire to fix things, is growing; there’s a new level of social consciousness, and the nonprofit sector is a hot sector now. In that sense, Bush might have been the best thing that happened to health care and the environment. People now see these things as make-or-break issues.

Neo I’m very optimistic, and increasingly so.

Even in 2001 I was optimistic because I had been to the lab and knew what was in the offing vis-à-vis science and HIV. But now I’ve seen so much change: good science, more government commitment, more resources in general, and a significant shift in public mentality.

Ian

Lydon

Alex

I am decidedly optimistic when I think about my generation. I’m deeply inspired by my friends and the work that they’re doing, and that gives me great hope for the type of world we’re working to create.

It does take work to stay optimistic—there are plenty of things out there to get upset about when you open the newspaper. I don’t think the answer is to not open the newspaper; I think it’s to seek a greater understanding of why things have ended up the way they have.

As a teacher, I do worry about the Internet, iPods, cell phones and text messaging: the notion of instant gratification, the sense that I want it, need it, right now. Life sped up that much is untenable. I worry about pressures on children, too. There’s kind of a private-schools arms race around homework. That seems more driven by the need to have academic “street cred” than by the right principles. Students are supposed to be learning critical thinking skills, not triage. We give them reason to learn not to sleep, to depend on caffeine and sugar.

I have to be optimistic for our generation; I have to think positively. Just looking at my group of friends from Milton, I have an overwhelming sense that everyone is doing something they really love, something they have a talent and a passion for. They’re focused on issues or pursuits that have meaning for them, and the astounding thing is the wide range of pursuits. When I see where people my age are focusing their energy, I can’t help but be optimistic.

Tze On a personal level I’m optimistic, but I prepare for the worst. On a larger level, I sometimes think we’re at a breaking point for our world and for our country, but then I compare where we are now to what the world was like in the 1960s. There have been breaking points in the past—turmoil, angst, conflict—and we’ve survived it, so I think as long as we keep our heads on our shoulders, we’ll be fine.

Michael Am I optimistic about the world’s future?

That’s really a scientific question. How much pollution can our planet absorb?

How resilient is it? How clever are humans going to be in dealing with an increasingly toxic environment? Is a terrorist going to drive a boat into New York harbor and blow up the city? I hope not.

When I start to think that the world can’t possibly survive another day, I look back.

In the ’50s, America was terrified that the Russians were going to drop bombs on us, and I can’t even imagine the mindset of the people who lived through World Wars I and II. But we’re still here, and sometimes the biggest problems have led to positive change.

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Upperclass Students at Milton: Looking Out at the Decade Ahead What do you know about yourself that helps you decide what will be important in your work life: What energizes you; what gets you excited; what’s gratifying?

8

Christine Sanchez Whatever I do will have to be people-oriented: something people are interested in and care about, something where people are part of the process, or part of the outcome.

I’ll need something that isn’t too narrow, or limited—something that’s open to interpretation, that might change over time, that might be flexible and responsive.

Zachary Moore My work will need to involve things I’ve never tried. That’s what a lot of theatre and the entertainment world is about in a raw sense. It’s always evolving, there’s always new technology. I need to be able to play with these “new toys.”

I like building up a sense of what’s next, what’s the next big thing. I’m always on the lookout for what I can do that’s tackling a big problem. What stimulates me is challenge: when you’re not sure you’re going to come out on top of the problem and you have to overcome that barrier.

Lizzie Bernstein Travel will need to be part of my work life—the opportunity to be in different places and have the time there to get to know different people. I can’t imagine myself behind a desk.

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I have worked with my parents’ business (they move subway cars from where they’re made to where they’re used) and I enjoyed it. My parents are leaving lots of plans to expand the business to my sister and me, and the business ideas are attractive.

Massimo Soriano I’d like to have opportunities to do lots of out-of-the-box things, opportunities to branch out in case things get too repetitive.

It’s hard to figure out what I’m good at, as opposed to what I’m interested in.

Emily Rider-Longmaid Languages are my thing; the learning process involved works well with my brain.

Speaking a different language, being in a different country and culture, is so worthwhile and is a great way to learn how to communicate outside of your comfort zone.

I’m on the Community Service Board, and the idea of making connections and helping others motivates me. I’m so aware of our resources here, and want to give back— emotionally, physically and with my time.

Jasmine Reid Mastery of work: I get so excited when everything clicks, when it makes sense and I know it so well that I can teach it to someone else.

What do you know about yourself that helps you decide what will be important in your work life: What energizes you; what gets you excited; what’s gratifying?

Making connections: I’m more into longterm learning. Those connections are my study guide.

I don’t want people to confine their sense of me to a single strength; I would rather they see that I’m multifaceted.

I’m also eager to understand other people’s motivations. People fascinate me, how they think and process. I may study psychology.

Abby Bok I’m interested in the outside world, now as it is realized and expressed through current events and politics. The focus may change, but looking outward is important to me.

I get satisfaction from the variety in my life—from Honors Bio to club meetings— and from the opportunity to do very different things, but at the same high level.

Maintaining that takes lots of energy, though.

HoChan Lee My first childhood dream was to be an archeologist and study anthropology.

Studying history, you find all these patterns. It’s interesting how history repeats itself, despite the places, despite the time.

Knowing yourself energizes you. Learning something about yourself that you didn’t know before: why I do what I do, how I got there. The result is important, but that’s only part of it. I find a lot of enjoyment in the process. The process is what makes you feel more joyful, or more serious, about what you’re doing.

Tori Aiello I’m very interested in languages. My whole family is: My sister [Caroline] speaks French; my mom speaks French, German and Italian. I’ve taken four years of Latin and I’m in Spanish 3 now. It’s not necessarily that languages come easy to me, but

In terms of places, I love Boston and Milton now, but being in new places and communities—urban or rural—will give me different things that I need, and hopefully I’ll be able to give something back as well.

in this day and age it’s important to be able to communicate with all kinds of people, and knowing their language is the most basic way of doing that.

Sotonye Bobojama I’ve always been into math and science, especially chemistry, which I plan to major in at college. I like classes that challenge me more than those that come easily. I feel like I’m getting more out of them. I plan to become a pediatric surgeon, since it combines my love of science with my desire to help people, especially sick children.

Allan Jean-Baptiste Playing music is gratifying for me, and it will definitely continue to be part of my life. It’s a very distinctive feeling to become engrossed in an entire orchestra, playing at the same time that you’re listening to the other musicians, being absorbed in all the sound around you. It’s not a sensation you can find anywhere else.

I don’t think I’ll be a scientist, but I take Honors Bio because I don’t know what I’ll need to know, and science is central to current events. I want to experience the value in it, now.

Spencer Gaffney I know what I don’t do well: I don’t do the blood thing well. In spite of the fact that every Jewish mother wants her son to be a doctor, that’s not what I will be doing.

I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into something that someone else would do far better. I want to find the thing I would do best.

What excites me right now is reading “the real thing,” the primary sources, the works behind the theories and the references to ideas, reading the actual “originals.”

Grappling with real work is exciting and energizing.

Allan Jean-Baptiste ’08 (Milton, Massachusetts) has played the viola for many years, as a member of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and in Milton’s Chamber Orchestra, the latter since the eighth grade; he was the viola solo in the 2007 Winter Concert. Allan is also the student director of Milton’s Host Family Program, a Speech Team member, and the founder/director of the Taylor Elementary School Art Program, connecting Milton student volunteers with first graders in need of art education.

Christine Sanchez ’08 (Newark, New Jersey) is the dorm monitor of Hathaway House. She is head of the Latino Association, is involved in the Spanish Club and the Dance Club, takes voice lessons, and sings in Milton’s gospel choir.

Christine is also part of the Multicultural Association, which she describes as people from all the culture clubs on campus working to create meaningful connections.

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Ten years from now, as you look back on your life, what will you want to be able to say about how you spent your time?

Christine Sanchez —that I’ve tried everything I possibly could that I found interesting —that I was able to take risks. This is really important; you learn so much about different things and about yourself.

I hope I still have Milton friends that I’m seeing and sharing memories with. I want to be happy with the people I’ve surrounded myself with.

Zachary Moore —that I’ve kept working. In my field (theatre design), you’re hired for a single project, a month or two long, generally.

You have to do well enough to keep get-

Elizabeth Bernstein ’08 (New York, New York) is the dorm monitor in Hathaway House. She is active on the board of Model UN, writes for the Spanish newspaper, La Voz, and is secretary of the History Club. Lizzie claims to be better at math and science than her other subjects. She is excited about the new science elective she is taking, Issues in Environmental Science: Climate Change.

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ting hired. You have to stay on the ball. To be working for a number of years means you’re competing and keeping up.

Lizzie Bernstein

Emily Rider-Longmaid —that I’ve tried different things, put my best foot forward, and made a difference. I want to have done more than find a career.

I’ll be happy if I’ve reached a sense of what I really want to do. If a journey is involved in figuring that out, whatever it is, that means I’m still evolving.

Jasmine Reid

Massimo Soriano

—that I was true to my friendships. I’ve learned so much about myself through my connections with others.

Junior spring and senior fall have been the hardest semesters so far. My question, looking back, will be whether everything is always this intense. What’s so much fun now is that it’s intense in literally every direction.

Massimo Soriano ’08 (New York, New York) is the dorm monitor in Norris House, a member of the varsity soccer team, captain of the sailing team, and at this writing is trying to decide between skiing and trying out for a play. He is a peer group leader and a SECS (Students Educating the Community about Sexuality) trained teaching assistant. Massimo drew plenty of applause during the final exam of his Improvisation for the Theatre course, a live performance for a student-faculty crowd in King Theatre.

—that I was true to my faith, in sadness or in joy

Abby Bok —that I had done something to an extreme, and not chosen the middle course—that I had been passionate and had put all my energy into something.

Emily Rider-Longmaid ’08 (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) has taken a broad approach to the many opportunities at Milton. One of her most fulfilling commitments, she’ll tell you, is as co-head of the Community Service Board, where she finds the necessary opportunity to “give back.” A lover of languages, Emily writes for the Spanish newspaper, La Voz, and is a member of the French Club. She plays on the intramural soccer team, danced in the Winter Dance Concert, tutors math students and plays the organ. Emily is also a member of FLAG, the Democratic political group on campus.

Jasmine Reid ’09 (Stoughton, Massachusetts) is intent on being all that she can be, and does that in class and out, splitting her time between varsity volleyball, track, her a cappella group Three for Each of Us, and the gospel choir. Jasmine serves on the board of both Community Service and Christian Fellowship, and she is an active member of her family’s church in Jamaica Plain.

Abby Bok ’09 (Boston, Massachusetts), committed to keeping up with both global and national current events, is co-head of FLAG, which describes itself as the politically progressive student group on campus, and co-head of the Public Issues Board. In 2006, Abby was active in campaigning for now-Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick ’74. She also writes for the opinion section of The Milton Paper and performed in the winter play, No Mother to Guide Her.

Spencer Gaffney ’08 (West Newton, Massachusetts), big on team collaboration, spends his fall afternoons on the football field and his spring on the baseball field as a member of both varsity teams. He plays bass in the jazz combo, and is the editorin-chief of The Milton Paper, which he finds alternately “draining and energizing, but always satisfying.”

Ten years from now, as you look back on your life, what will you want to be able to say about how you spent your time?

—that I had done more than make money; that I had had a positive impact on someone other than me

Spencer Gaffney —that I knew myself better; not only what makes me happy, but why —that I have a better idea of how the world works; that I’ve studied things like economics, political science, philosophy and physics, to help me with that. If I can figure out more about the world, maybe I can figure out my role in it.

HoChan Lee I’m planning on majoring in engineering, so I know that will play a big part for me in the future. Building the technology to go places that humans can’t go themselves, because it’s too dangerous, is important to me. I want to create or research something that no one has ever done before; I want to make something innovative, structurally, that combines the aesthetic and functionality in a way that hasn’t been done.

Tori Aiello I like interacting with people. I couldn’t be involved in something solitary, or that’s completely cut off from people.

Corps, but doing the small, kind things that motivate others to want to give, to help—that’s important.

Cynthia Situ I hope to make my parents proud. I’m the first American-born person in my family, the first to graduate from high school, and the first to go to college. That’s an accomplishment right there, and I know my parents are proud of me, but I hope to be a good example to my little sister and brother. I want to continue to work hard and not take things for granted.

I don’t think you have to “save the world” to be able to contribute. You don’t have to donate a million dollars, or join the Peace

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Cynthia Situ ’08 (Long Island City, New York) is one of Milton’s Teak Fellows; the Teak Fellowship program “helps talented New York City students from low-income families…succeed at top high schools and colleges.” Cynthia is on the Dorm Council representing Centre House. She is also an SECS leader, a board member of the Asian Society, and on the business staff of The Asian publication. During her time at Milton, she has played volleyball, ice hockey, and has been a Ranger, one of the students who helps others with technology and computer problems.

Tori Aiello ’08 (Milton, Massachusetts), a committed athlete, incorporates sports into several of her extracurricular activities. Tori has been a captain of the tennis team for two years and played varsity field hockey in her Class III and II years; as part of her community service work, she volunteers for Milton-hosted Special Olympics tournaments; and she is a sports editor for The Milton Paper. Tori is also a member of Orange and Blue Key, giving campus tours to prospective students and their families.

Zachary Moore’s (’08) (Newton, Massachusetts) unique contribution to the Milton community has been professionallevel theatre design from the moment he started in Class IV. Zach began to specialize in lighting and theatre design in elementary school, when a mentor taught him the basics of light and design for four years. When he reached the middle school grades, he was a solo consultant for his school and for other groups near his Newton home. Outside of Milton, Zach is the associate producer for a quiz show on National Public Radio called “Says You!”

Ten years from now, as you look back on your life, what will you want to be able to say about how you spent your time?

Olivia Woollam

Sotonye Bobojama

Allan Jean-Baptiste

I want to work for an intelligence agency that will help respond to global situations in a culturally sensitive way. I think a lack of sensitivity in dealing with things like the Iraq war has exacerbated the problem.

This comes from my interest in the idea that history repeats itself. Globalization in Islam is an incredible course that has changed the way I think about things. For instance, the C.I.A.’s historical analysis department sent the first anthropologist to Iraq only a month ago. I feel that disconnect in communication has added to the problems.

Pursuing a medical career, schooling will definitely be a part of my next ten years.

I also know that I will continue to be very active in my church, and I hope to continue dancing. Both my church and dancing are big stress relievers for me. They help me take care of myself, and that’s important.

I hope to combine my interest in the arts with community service. I’m doing that this year at Taylor Elementary, where I’ve developed an arts program for 100 first graders, since the school couldn’t afford full-time art education. Milton students volunteer their time once a week to do visual arts projects with the children.

At that age, you need an artistic outlet.

Growing up without that exposure is unacceptable. In the next ten years, I hope to do something along those lines, but bigger—raising more funds, affecting more children.

I want to have alleviated some suffering, present or future.

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What are the most important life lessons you’ve learned?

Christine Sanchez

Massimo Soriano

Milton taught me to be open and to interact with people. It’s worth it to make the effort to get to know people, to talk with everyone. I’m more independent, more confident.

—that I know a lot about how I learn: I know exactly what it will entail for me to get different projects done, and I’ve developed a work style that is based on different phases that I fit in between my activities.

—that my opinions are relevant. Here, it’s important to know that your opinion is important and recognized.

—that I can run on very little sleep

—that I like a mix of challenge and control over what I’m doing. I want both.

Zachary Moore —that I learn a lot by doing. “Okay,” I say to myself. “This is the problem; I’m going to try this solution.”

—that you shouldn’t be afraid of taking on something. Chances are you will be able to do it. What’s key is knowing what you have done, and building on that. And you have to trust yourself to handle what’s coming at you.

—that you need to know who you’re working with, that part of leadership is knowing your people and asking them to give what they’re capable of giving.

—that you have to keep your sense of humor

Lizzie Bernstein —that it’s nice, if you’ve been all over the place, to come back to a stable base, to a place where you know the terrain and where you have roots and you have a role

—that few decisions are easy. There’s a wide range between what’s correct and what’s wrong. It’s not black and white.

—that there are so many players in any decision; that is, a decision has an effect on many people. Listening to others when you’re trying to make a decision is important, but almost everyone has an agenda behind what they’re saying.

—how to see “difference,” not as an intellectual concept, but day to day, living with you, in action. How to accept difference, rather than just live with it, or be stressed by it.

—learning how to find out something possibly astounding about your classmate and still be able to value them; this applies to politics today, where false delineations are drawn along party lines. People and issues are more complex than that.

—that being a generalist is important. I don’t know what will ultimately be necessary, and I will probably need to use many skills and attributes.

Emily Rider-Longmaid —that extracurriculars at Milton allow you to expand your perspective on life; they keep you from a narrow viewpoint

Jasmine Reid —that you must be true to yourself —that you need to set aside time to think and to care about things important to you.

That introspection leads to action.

—that I have many personal connections, with a diversity of characters, and diversity is important. It helps you realize that not everyone is all good, and not everyone is all bad.

Abby Bok

—that I didn’t realize how much my leadership role would entail; I’ve learned how much I can handle and when to go to faculty for help; I’m learning how to delegate; and I’m learning how to support students in fairly complex ways. In the past, I’ve always had support making decisions, but now I have to make decisions based on what I think is right.

—how to write

—that seeing the correlations between Modern Comparative Literature and U.S. and the Modern World is great. I like thinking about the ways writers think about the world. They use art to portray a view of the world at a point in time.

I learned a lot about the community of human beings throughout history, about life and the struggles of humanity.

—that people are very complex. You can easily see what people say or do, but occasionally you’ll get glimpses of what they’re feeling, and it may surprise you. That doesn’t change your own perspective on a person or idea, necessarily, but it informs that. You begin to see people as multidimensional.

—how to be wrong, and not have that derail you; you’re challenged here, and there’s a certain amount of failure involved in that. From being wrong, you learn how to be resilient and how to change.

—the inherent value of and need for hard work: Hard work is not a bad thing.

HoChan Lee ’08 (Seoul, South Korea) expresses his literary side as yearbook editor-in-chief. He has achieved his fame, however, on the science side of the house.

He was a member of the Milton team that placed third in the 2007 Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) competition, a national tournament of over 1,200 high schools competing to solve real-world engineering problems. His other team is Milton’s remotely operated underwater vehicle team (M.A.R.O.V.); the team members and the vehicles they designed have achieved impressive records in regional and national competitions in recent years.

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What are the most important life lessons you’ve learned?

Spencer Gaffney —how to write —a bit about how the world works: My six Milton years have been very turbulent, inside and outside of school (2001–2008).

I’ve been a witness to controversy, and have had to listen to others with very strong opinions, and I’ve had to sort out my own feelings.

—that being part of the editorial board of The Milton Paper, part of the team that puts this paper out every week, is energizing, draining, and the source of the fiercest pride of ownership of anything I have ever turned in. The expectation, each week, that I can contribute—something funny, something opinionated, something

researched—is fantastic. It’s taught me about meeting a challenge within a tight timeline with a team. It’s taught me to respect and trust the work of others. It’s taught me that it’s unrealistic to micromanage everything, to be the last person to check everything each week.

—that stopping the station-to-station operation of life, to focus on where you are and what you’re doing in that moment, has value. I learned about focus from football; on the field you have no choice but to stay in the moment or else you end up flat on your back.

I learned about the team thing from football as well. Football provides a most tangible measure of personal success: It’s measured instantly by the people behind you. I’m not necessarily the strongest individual athlete, but I’m part of a great offensive unit.

In football, 27 things all have to go well to succeed. Therefore, sometimes just being average, or worrying about not making a mistake, is okay on a play. But the minute you stop thinking about just avoiding mistakes, you can go to the next level of ability, and that’s when it really starts to be fun.

HoChan Lee I’ve learned that as soon as I sense I’m about to get stressed, I stop right there. I take a break—I rest, I play, I watch TV for half an hour, because I know I won’t be productive going forward if I’m stressed.

Tori Aiello Olivia Woollam ’08 (New Orleans, Louisiana) is the co-head of both Common Ground and Amnesty International, and she runs the costume loft in the theatre department. She likes that her involvement in these activities helps in different ways to “enhance the experience of individuals in the community.” Olivia also occasionally writes op-ed pieces for The Milton Paper and for The Issue, which is the online publication of the Public Issues Board.

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I’ve learned how to work with people who are and aren’t my best friends—both can be equally difficult, in different ways. I’ve learned how to concede to someone else’s point without compromising my own—to see their point of view as valid, but to successfully express my own views as well.

Developing those skills—listening rather than just hearing—makes for a much better dialogue and much more effective way of solving problems.

Cynthia Situ At Milton I’ve learned how to connect with adults. The relationships I have built with adults at this school would never have been possible at my public school, where there were 30 students in a class. My teachers have gotten to know me as a person, and that makes it easier to go to them, knowing that they care about me and my life beyond the classroom.

Olivia Woollam I’m a perfectionist, and I have a hard time not doing things to the highest, most complete level. Something I’ve learned is that I have to figure out for myself what’s truly important, what discussions are worth putting off schoolwork. If you want to do everything, you have to sacrifice something. You can’t spread yourself too thin, because you’ll end up doing nothing to your best potential.

Sotonye Bobojama —that I can’t always expect people to be informed. It’s been hard for me as an African American to deal with and discuss a lot of racial issues. It’s hard for me to see how people can misconstrue things. I’m realizing that I can’t expect people to come to the same conclusions as me, but I need to be patient and help them understand rather than get angry or belligerent.

Allan Jean-Baptiste Milton is extremely detail-oriented, which is a good thing, but it can also make you infatuated with every minute detail.

Things that are stressful and seem huge might carry a lot less weight in the overall scheme of things. I’m realizing that I have to keep the bigger picture in mind. Having that perspective keeps things in check for me and helps me sort out what is really important.

I’ve also learned how to support my opinion. People at Milton have very strong opinions, and defending that position, while being open to others’, is something you learn—no, are forced!—to do here.

Are you generally optimistic about the future?

Christine Sanchez Milton made me optimistic. I became a special person here. The experience I’ve had here I couldn’t have had anywhere else. I see my future in terms of what I know about myself now, and it’s different than it might have been. I can really see myself advancing, becoming successful.

About the country? I’m optimistic.

America is such a young country. It’s kind of like a Milton kid. We’ll discover what we need and learn from our mistakes and overcome what we’ve done. It’s important for everyone to be optimistic, because that’s crucial to our ability to overcome our challenges.

Zachary Moore I always try to stay optimistic. I have to be optimistic, not only for myself but for everyone else, because it’s no fun working with whining, unhappy people.

Let’s face it. Our generation is at a particular point, which is a predicament. It’s hard to say what will happen. We’re going to have to make something happen.

Lizzie Bernstein With the great education and privilege that we’ve had, it’s hard not to be optimistic.

There are so many different challenges, though. Which battle are you going to pick? Which is most important—AIDS, or climate change, or the need for water, or another issue? That can make you pessimistic.

Massimo Soriano I’m generally optimistic; I agree with Lizzie that with an educational experience like this and a privileged upbringing, it’s hard not to be optimistic about carving out your own path. What’s hard is figuring out which challenge you should contribute to.

Emily Rider-Longmaid I’m optimistic about my own future. I’d love to be optimistic about our nation and our generation’s future, but that’s unrealistic. I hope that people in my generation can fix some of what’s broken: wars; the world’s perspective on America; health

care; attention to the homeless and the poor; the idea of the United States being the world police; keeping Roe v. Wade.

Jasmine Reid People around my Thanksgiving table were talking about how passion is missing from my generation; that people don’t know who they are and what is important to them anymore, that we’ve lost our way.

I hope leaders from my generation can rise up and make sense, get people charged up and moving. It’s important to generate optimism, because pessimism will kill opportunity.

Abby Bok I’m generally optimistic, but there are many things to worry about: the environment; the United States’ position in the world—how we interact and how we view ourselves; the predictions about the economy; the speed of change.

Olivia Woollam Sometimes I see the world as going down the inevitable path to World War III. But then I see the people around me as willing and supportive and ready to take action.

That gives me hope.

Allan Jean-Baptiste While there are major problems in the world, a lot stemming from globalization and the interconnectedness of countries, every generation has problems to overcome. Having problems isn’t unique; working through problems is the nature of society, and it’s the only path to solutions.

My generation didn’t necessarily cause the problems we’re facing now, but we are becoming well equipped to solve them.

HoChan Lee When people get into a group they have a tendency to see things in black and white, which almost always exacerbates the situation. Often there’s an “if you’re not one of us, you’re one of them” mentality.

Thinking that way prevents all other possibilities from emerging. I worry about that.

Tori Aiello Sadly, I’m increasingly less optimistic about the larger world. Things like the decline of the natural world; regression from religion, so that people don’t have anything to turn toward; AIDS/HIV; global warming; the threat of nuclear war—these things are terrifying. But older generations tend to deny that all of this is going on. That’s scary as well. My generation is good in that it doesn’t deny that these situations exist, and that’s a step in the right direction.

Cynthia Situ All of my friends are very passionate about the things they care about; they’re all determined and focused on what they want to do. Not only that, but they’re resourceful in finding things out and getting the tools they need. I think our generation is going to be making some big changes.

Sotonye Bobojama ’08 (Randolph, Massachusetts), one of this year’s senior class councilors, is a member of the varsity field hockey team and—having taken dance lessons from a young age—has performed in the Winter Dance Concert since her Class IV year. Committed to health education and informing her peers about health-related issues, Sotonye is also an SECS senior, leading an Advanced Human Sexuality and Relationships class this winter. She is an active member of Onyx, Christian Fellowship, and is a photographer for The Milton Measure.

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Classroom Educating for Decision-Making Developing confidence and character

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uring high school, young people reach for both independence and definition; they test, probe and try. During this critical time they fire up the habits of mind that will guide their choices throughout life. They need an environment that communicates, directly and indirectly, the importance of values and the impact of priorities and actions.

What equation, what dynamic combination of elements, helps them come to a strong sense of self? What do they need to gain the insight and the confidence to direct their lives now, and when they leave Milton? Milton’s character education is based in a powerful mix of curriculum, culture and conversation; it is a continuum that begins on the first day.

What are the elements of Milton’s vital equation?

• A timeless ethos shaped by our watchword, “Dare to be true” • Explicit teaching about values, the impact of choices, the importance of being true to your best self • Safety and structure: building responsibility through trust and accountability • A strong sense of community with clear community standards • Wise, supportive adult mentors, experts in the pathways of adolescence • Advisors, counselors and a chaplain who connect with students’ thought processes • Friends who are thoughtful and enjoy sharing the quest for identity and relationship connection All Milton students participate in a required, integrated, four-year curriculum that combines ideals and practicality. This affective education curriculum helps Milton promulgate a clear values statement, navigate popular culture, and implement a coherent set of behavioral expectations.

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The curriculum adds new courses and also builds upon Milton courses that have been in place for decades, such as Health, Ethics, Human Sexuality and Relationships. The curriculum’s framework is developmentally appropriate; it begins with concrete information within the context of the Health course for Class IV. Class III moves to a more abstract level, using moral dilemmas and stories to address seven core values: courage, compassion, fairness, responsibility, honesty, resilience and respect. The Class II course, Social Awareness, considers how an individual fits within a larger system like the family or the School community—how an individual transforms belief in the core values into action. Finally, Class I students look at the nature of leadership and the transition from Milton to the world at large, considering how to reconcile the Milton experience with what choices are imminent beyond Milton.

The program relies on weekly meetings, with the same faculty member, in small, safe groups, to stimulate students to talk openly about what matters to them and the choices they confront. This weekly schedule also allows the flexibility to put on the table any event or issue that surfaces in the community and talk about it.

Rod Skinner ’72, Director of College Counseling

To provide a slice of the program at a point in time, we offer the following live moments in three classes:

Senior Transitions In December 2007, Class I students in the Senior Transitions classes watched a video that chronicled the Stanford Prison Experiment, a well-known psychology experiment led by Stanford professor Philip G. Zimbardo. The experiment put undergraduate volunteers in the roles of prisoners and guards, using a mock prison in the Stanford psychology building.

Professor Zimbardo gave minimal training to those who had volunteered as guards; they were told that they had wide latitude for action, and were prohibited only from using physical violence. Their task was to run the prison; their operative understanding was that all power rested in them, and the prisoners held no power. Volunteer prisoners were not briefed or trained; they were “arrested” by Stanford campus police, booked, fingerprinted, photographed and read their Miranda rights before being incarcerated.

Dr. Zimbardo had to disband the experiment prior to its planned end because “in only a few days, [the volunteer] guards became sadistic and [the volunteer] prisoners became depressed and showed signs of extreme stress.”

Faculty teaching the Senior Transitions courses hoped that seeing the film would stimulate conversations among students as they tried to apply the film’s metaphors to the lives of young people. Rod Skinner ’72, director of college counseling, is one of the Senior Transitions teachers. “How do you imagine yourself reacting to a similar situation, and why?” he asked. “Do the power

dynamics in situations cause you to act differently than you would normally? Is conformity a response to demonstrations of power—how about in team rituals, dorm rituals, behavior at parties? What happens when you believe that there are no consequences to your actions?”

Students talked about how power is vested and demonstrated in their lives: in roles, symbols, personalities, rules. They asserted that the prison experiment stimulated extreme actions because the powerful believed themselves morally superior to the powerless. They explored why the prisoners—volunteers, after all—acquiesced to increasingly hostile and oppressive treatment, rather than resisting or ending their participation. They discussed what the impact of any internal stereotypes would be in similar situations. They concluded, that situational clues have a tremendous amount to do with how we act.

Values Suzanne DeBuhr, interfaith chaplain, teaches numerous sections of the Values course to Class III. On this day, she launched class with Aretha Franklin’s classic rendition of the song “Respect.”

“What do you think of when you hear that word?” she asked. “Seniority, parents, ourselves, friends, authority figures, faculty, discipline,” came the answers, person by person around the table.

“Where do you see some examples of respect around campus and in the dorms?

Where do you see disrespect?”

“I don’t like the way some of my friends talk to their parents,” said one girl. “They belittle them, like they’re stupid.” “I’ve seen sports teams be disrespectful to their captains,” said another student. “I see people being disrespectful toward the environment.”

“What do you do when someone is talking disrespectfully, speaking in ways with which you disagree,” Suzanne asked. “You have to be tolerant,” one student said, “you can’t shut them down.” “You have to acknowledge someone else’s points but disagree with the way they’re stating them,” said another.

“How is respect among friends different from respect between students and faculty members?” Suzanne keeps posing questions for discussion around the table.

“Respect should be earned,” someone ventured, “not given.” “Is there anyone who does not deserve respect?” Suzanne countered. “Someone who doesn’t respect others,” one answered. “Someone who understands that what he does upsets others, but he doesn’t change.” “Someone who goes out of his way to put me down.”

“Someone who uses negative stereotypes.”

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The issue is complex, apparently. “Are respect and trust linked?” Suzanne asks.

“Are respect and honesty linked?”

The discussion never flags, but answers to this final question continue until the end of class. Suzanne’s intent, it seems, is to help the students define respect for themselves, in terms they understand, as it applies to the world they see—and to probe the challenging issues that arise as they do so. Aretha’s song led class today, but Suzanne has used old Disciplinary Statements, articles written by students and adults, and op-ed opinion statements, among other tools, to encourage productive discussion among 15- and 16-year-olds about values that are central to humanity and community.

Social Awareness In Heather Flewelling’s Social Awareness class, issues such as race, gender, class, socioeconomic status, religion and sexual orientation are at the forefront of the curriculum. In their discussions, students flesh out identities and stereotypes, often shaped by family and heritage, society and experience.

In one January class, students addressed the complexities of racial prejudice. As a means of provoking thought and conversation, students began with a Web-based tool offered by Harvard (www.implicit. harvard.edu). The site offers a “test” that,

Suzanne DeBuhr, Interfaith Chaplain

in a sense, measures race-based bias by having students categorize photographs and words as either “African American” or “European American” and “good” or “bad” as quickly as they can, using two keys on their keyboard. The test then produces results based on how quickly a student responds to the questions: “Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between European American and African American,” or, “Your data suggest slight automatic preference to European American over African American.”

The first student reacted to his results saying, “But this isn’t how I live, basing my life on quick reaction time. I think about what I do.” A classmate responded, “Yes, but maybe [the test] gives you some insight into what your initial, gut reaction would be.”

As critically thinking beings, students begin to question the validity of statistics and start analyzing the tool: “I’m a lefty, so that makes for a different result than a righty would have.” “Statistics aren’t hard and fast—there’s a lot of nuance.”

Eventually Heather steers the conversation back toward analyzing the results.

One student claims, “Preference is different than racist. Isn’t it normal to, on an instinctive level, prefer someone who looks like

Heather Flewelling, Director of Multicultural Programming

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you?” Heather responds, “That’s a good point, but that would suggest that African Americans have a stronger preference for African Americans, which statistically doesn’t carry over.

“We want the students to understand that their opinions and beliefs are not formed in a vacuum; they’re formed within a social construct,” Heather explains. As a group, the class leaders grapple with how to draw all these threads together—how to find the commonality that makes each of these issues equally relevant to students, despite ethnicity, religion or home zip code. They decide to do this by using the framework of what constitutes a good citizen. How do we perceive ourselves as citizens, and how do others perceive us?

“We want the students to reflect on how their journey through Milton will prepare them for what happens in the world outside,” Heather says. “We want them to keep asking the questions, but we hope that this curriculum—these discussions—will help them shape an informed opinion.”

CDE EEH

Post Script Post Script is a department that opens windows into the lives and experiences of your fellow Milton alumni. Graduates may author the pieces, or they may react to our interview questions.

Opinions, memories, explorations, reactions to political or educational issues are all fair game.

We believe you will find your Milton peers informative, provocative and entertaining. Please email us with your reactions and your ideas at cathy_everett@milton.edu.

I Want a Colorful Glimpse of Who You Are Advice from a Village Elder

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i, (bright-eyed college applicant’s name here). Welcome! Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? Water? Soda?

Please make yourself comfortable.

What’s this? Oh, your résumé. Thank you.

Wow. The parchment-colored curriculum vitae screams dots and letters, bolded sections, dates and titles. This young person must be 30 years old, I think to myself as I peer over the top of the busy sheet to properly reassess him or her. I didn’t have one of these until after college, though back then it was different.

School trained us in subjects. Our parents coached us for interviews with counsel like, “dress smart,” “firm handshake and look them in the eye,” “be yourself,” or among the less cushioned approaches, “don’t blow it.”

This time I politely decline the résumé. You see, I’m not versed in the language of bullet points, and I’m sorry that said tongue has become so useful to your generation.

Practically speaking, it’s less applicable to getting through an average adult day than Latin, which is supposedly dead but remains a remarkably handy tool. For the next half hour here’s what I want from you: a colorful glimpse of who you are, what you want and why. Which of life’s mind-bending questions keep you up at night? Of the many subjects you have yet to explore, which do you wonder about most, and why? When you confront an obstacle, how do you plumb for direction?

No need to tell me what you want to be when you grow up, or what you will choose as your major, because you don’t know either of those things today, and if you do you’re a fabulous freak of nature, a liar with the best of intentions, or a victim of a farkakt* college-preparation system that was misguidedly laid before you at the age of five, probably the latter two.

Cassie Robbins ’87

(No offense. Fabulous freaks of nature are just that. Plus, more often than not they later succumb to spectacular midlife crises sprinkled with affairs and chemical dependencies. Trust me; embrace your uncertainty. It can serve you well.)

Your résumé tells me that you’re smart, accomplished, selfless, responsible, disciplined, motivated and, well, perfect.

The problem is that every résumé I see nowadays is perfect and it’s perfectly awful because none of them tell me ANYTHING important about the people whom they claim to represent. Which is the mightier fright, that “the system” has created a bull market for pretty bullet points, or that young people themselves appear to be evolving into bullet points, which are, let me remind you, small, opaque, inanimate, edgeless and easily replicated little shapes?

You see, what you know is achingly less important than appreciating the terror and beauty of all you don’t know. The point of education is indeed to teach you (through challenges, failures and successes) how to process, analyze, synthesize, solve, organize, manage, respect, enjoy and endure what you don’t know, and to create original thoughts. How to think and how to be, (versus what to think and what to be), is crucial purely and simply because life’s recipe contains more uncertainty than

*farkakt: adj., messed up (Yiddish) Milton Magazine

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certainty and you’ll need effective tools to address the unexpected dilemmas when they arrive, and arrive they will.

Don’t panic. For the most part, your future will hold all the things you believe it will as you sit here nervously on my couch. You will get into a college. You will major in something. You will experience independence and all the fun that comes with it.

You will graduate, land a job, and celebrate your first paycheck. You may travel, find true love, and buy a home someday. Yes, there’s a good chance that all that may happen and more. And more—that’s the rub.

While it is possible that joy and success will arrive at your doorstep, it probably won’t all happen exactly the way you think it will, and plenty of nasty potholes will adorn your path along the way.

You and I must look at your black dots today and imagine how they will someday help you compose a financial pie chart at the bank, plot out a marketing campaign for your firm, organize a series of lectures for the class you teach, invent a cure for a distressing disease, or research the background of the artist about whom you’re writing a book. And we must also envision how they will guide you through loss and loneliness, rejection, financial uncertainty, marital strife, professional crisis, tragedy and more. Some combination of all of that will be a part of your future, too, and since you don’t know what combination, your bullet point equation must add up to a capable, unique, thinking human being.

So, please, tell me about yourself.

Cassie Robbins ’87

Cassie is a former cable television executive; she is a high school athletic coach and an alumni interviewer of nearly two decades for Middlebury College.

First published in The Journal News, Westchester, New York. December 2, 2007.

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Faculty Perspective Their thoughts on the craft of teaching Celebrating four Milton Academy faculty chairs

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aculty chairs are formal honors that affirm how important extraordinary teaching has always been and will always be at Milton. Last fall, the board named three new chairholders. In a gala dinner party for all the faculty, the board celebrated those individuals as well as the holder of the Elizabeth Greenleaf Buck Chair in Elementary Education, who has held the chair for two years. Responses from Ana Colbert, Linde Eyster, Jane McGuiness and Nancy Fenstemacher to their appointments help explain the esteem in which they are held.

The Jesse Bancroft Cox Chair Ana Colbert, Foreign Languages Department Joined the faculty in 1984 My remarks are guided by one of my father’s favorite sayings, “Lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno.” A good talk, if brief, is doubly good.

My father learned that lesson before a discerning crowd of pupils and educators.

He was a public school principal and my mother was a teacher. Both studied at a time of great educational reforms and conserved an unfailing faith and enthusiasm in education. Our dinner conversations were school and classroom tales, and so when asked as a teenager what I was going to be, I invariably answered, “Anything but a teacher.” I was a college student in the ’60s, and by virtue of history—Franco was already an old man—we young people knew we would bring great changes to our society and country. We were rebellious and a bit arrogant, ready to fashion a new Spain. Projects and plans filled our days, but when the moment arrived to decide

on my future, I had to face myself and recognize that what I really wanted to do was to teach. Indeed, my father had the right approach: Revolution is achieved by changing one person at a time. And my mother had the wisest insight: Teaching is the path to continuous learning.

I became a teacher and never looked back.

I have been happily at it for well over 30 years, imposing on my children, together with my husband who is also a teacher, reruns of the conversations I heard as a child. I teach 12 or so students in each class instead of the 40-plus my parents had in class, but I can only hope I make on them the lasting impression my mother and father did.

I have shifted from my parents’ beloved public education to a private school, but I know that they would have loved Milton had they known it. My father, a man of integrity, would have appreciated Milton’s motto and the independence and freedom we teachers enjoy. My mother, who always believed that the most important lessons we impart are unrelated to our particular subject, is my inspiration for my daily objectives: to help students think for themselves, take pleasure in a verse, appreciate a world beyond their own, experience the satisfaction of a job well done, or have the courage to take a risk. My parents taught their students to find truth in beauty and to believe in the beauty of truth. The subjunctive, the preterit versus the imperfect are, …well, mostly the pretext for the real thing.

Two of my children are now teachers. They apparently have seen the light as well.

There are others in the family, however, who don’t completely trust that my goals

And my Aunt Olive, who was an aunt by close friendship with my parents, was a teacher. She treated us like nieces and nephews. She was calm, gentle and caring. (And those of you who know my son Oliver now know his namesake.) Despite her temperate behavior, Aunt Olive apparently did something shocking in her college classes. Fifty years ago, when students were to be seated by gender with a row between males and females, she sat her students alphabetically, without regard to gender, and the department chair was so distressed he apparently did not speak to her for weeks. She was ahead of her time.

Ana Colbert, Modern Languages Department, holder of the Jesse Bancroft Cox Chair

are so lofty: They say that I love to talk, and have secured a captive audience; that I love the stage, and have found a way to put on four shows a day. These are certainly some of the perks of the best profession in the world.

The Ellen H. Pratt Teaching Chair in Science Linde Eyster, Science Department Joined the faculty in 1990 I would like to tell you why I became a teacher, but I don’t really know why.

I think I have identified some key factors that influenced me, and I would like to share a few stories with you.

I come from a family that values learning and also values teachers, and those two “valuings” are not always held simultaneously.

My father was a teacher. He was a professor at our local university, which had an education department, which had an on-campus training building called a Laboratory School, in which I was provided an unusual elementary education. Each classroom was headed by a veteran teacher who also taught college students how to be good teachers. I have memories of a parade of student teachers practicing on us. I think I learned at a very young age that just because an adult stands in front of students and talks does not mean that the students are learning.

In my laboratory school there was an old woman (well, she was probably about as old as I am now). Behind her back, students who did not have her for class called her the Battle-Axe. Her real name was Miss Watkins, and she was one of the most amazing teachers I ever had. She was indeed demanding, but gave clear and firm guidelines; she believed in her students, and she was always ready to help her students achieve their best.

My mother was a teacher despite the message she received in the 1940s that she, as a married woman, should not be a teacher.

She should stay home and take care of the house.

One of my grandmothers was not a teacher, but my other grandmother was.

She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Ohio. She worked hard to get the coal stove going so that students could dry their wet mittens and warm themselves as they learned to read, write, do arithmetic and develop a deep love of natural history at her side. I wish I could go back in time (as me now), and talk to my grandmother Viola about what it was like to be the sole teacher in a K–12, one-room school.

For my eighth-grade careers unit, we had to think about what we wanted to be when we grew up, find out what type of education was required, how much we might earn, and the parts of the country where we might live. I said “park ranger,” which

My Aunt Marcia was a teacher. She taught French, Spanish, German and Latin. She was so talented in a variety of languages that during World War II she participated in high-level secret translation meetings.

My Aunt Carolyn completed high school in three years, at the age of 16, and college in three years, at the age of 19. She could have become a doctor, but instead she dedicated her life to helping other people become doctors. When she died my parents saved a few mementos for me: a marble egg, a brass bell and a plaque that reads: 1972, The Chicago Medical School Elsie O. and Philip D. Sang Award for Excellence in Teaching, awarded to Dr. Carolyn Eyster Thomas.

Linde Eyster, Science Department, holder of the Ellen H. Pratt Teaching Chair Milton Magazine

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to our commitment to learning that keeps at its center our combined talents and interests and our hunger for knowledge.

As members of a larger school, we have the opportunity to work together in a setting that encompasses uncommon expertise. The Lower School offers a diverse combination of students and teachers that regularly come together to present projects. We enjoy and anticipate the excitement and exhilaration that comes naturally when we are fully immersed in the learning process. Through sharing knowledge, we build the solid foundation of understanding. We know this sharing as a necessary component of what we value in our School.

As the Betty Buck chairholder for the past two years, my responsibility has been arranging partnerships: teachers in Middle and Upper School with Lower School teachers and students. Imagine the third graders as they discussed John James Audubon’s contributions with the Upper School students who take the Man in the Natural World literature and philosophy class.

Picture fourth graders as they listen to an Upper School faculty member, Lida Famili from Iran, who shared her experiences in American society, as these students learn about the history, geography and contemporary life of the Middle East.

Jane McGuinness, Grade 3, holder of the Elizabeth Greenleaf Buck Chair

in a sense is an adult who gets to wander around outside while teaching. My teacher said “You can’t be that; THAT job is only for boys.”

In my family I had great role models, people who dedicated their lives to seeking knowledge and then passing it on to others. I suspect that they influenced my career choice, and to them I say “Thank you,” and to my fellow teachers at Milton Academy, I say “Thank you.”

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Milton Magazine

Elizabeth Greenleaf Buck Chair in Elementary Education Jane McGuinness, Grade 3 Joined the faculty in 1989 Milton Academy has a wealth of opportunities: acres of centrally located property, historic and contemporary buildings, lush fields and grounds, and most important of all, a community of engaged students and teachers. As a member of the Lower School, I am part of a small percentage of the population that has much to share, due

Second graders work alongside Middle Schoolers as they observe, draw and study a map of China. An mbira player and storyteller from Africa delights a crowd of eight- and nine-year-olds along with a class of 13- and 14-year-olds as they listen with rapt attention to the tales of a young man growing up and going to school barefoot in Zimbabwe. The haunting tones of his simple instrument soothe us and place us all in a different part of the world.

The Upper School Oral Interpretation class visits and animatedly tells stories to first graders. Tutors abound and reinforce what they’ve learned as they work with our youngest writers or as book group leaders.

A boarding student from Kenya describes her homeland as a class learns about the country’s flora and fauna through a favorite book.

The possibilities for additional interdisciplinary opportunities continue to develop and connect us in impressive ways, and capitalizing on them makes sense. I have enjoyed getting to know many members of the K–12 community through this work, and I am always thrilled when I receive a call or email with another new idea. As we continue our work to create a K–8 division, many teachers have come forward with inspiring plans to fulfill the mission of Mrs. Buck.

Through the funds provided by the chair, we are able to seek innovative ways to build a stronger, more vibrant community of learners of all ages through interactive experiences among different groups.

The bridges linking our efforts have come about thanks to many thoughtful individuals.

Our collaborative spirit and awareness of the larger community has grown with each event. Holding the Betty Buck Chair has been a pleasure.

The Hong Kong Chair Nancy Fenstemacher, Grade 2 Joined the faculty in 1984 Brought up amidst the civility and wholesomeness of the Midwest in the 1950s and schooled, first, in the era of Dewey progressivism in an independent school, and, later, educated in the liberal arts at Oberlin College, I have valued learning as an active and lifelong endeavor. Coming to the Lower School at Milton Academy, in midcareer 24 years ago, I found a setting that has both embraced my values and challenged me to live them.

Robert G. Peters, head of Hanahauoli School in Honolulu, writing in the journal Independent School a few years ago stated, “If one accepts John Dewey’s premise that education is a process of living, then the classroom experiences should be related to the real world…. (That premise) also implies a particular approach to learning, …one in which children actively participate in constructing knowledge.”

With this philosophy as the basis for my teaching, along with a series of colleagues over the years, I took a fledgling China unit and developed it into an integrated, semester-long curriculum for second-grade students. The children develop their basic skills in reading, writing and mathemat-

Nancy Fenstemacher, Grade 2, holder of the Hong Kong Chair

ics and expand their sensitivity to another culture. Seven- and eight-year-olds make meaning as they compare their own lives to those of Chinese boys and girls. This curriculum includes reading and writing creation myths, using an abacus to support place value in mathematics, and using map study to convey the impact of geography on the way people live. By the time they create passports and pack bags for a simulated trip to China, the children’s curiosity is piqued and their worldview expanded to the point of anticipating stepping off the “airplane” onto Chinese soil.

The richness of this China thematic unit could not have been realized without the support of many of my colleagues in the Middle and Upper Schools. With seventhgrade World Cultures students, second grade boys and girls have created big maps of China and shared calligraphy lessons.

We have celebrated Chinese New Year with Asian Society and Chinese-language students. Teachers of Chinese have served as customs officials, greeting our Chinabound second graders and have given them Chinese names during their “stay” in China. Supported technically by the Upper School Performing Arts Department, the second grade annually performs traditional, but unique, lifesize shadow plays in the darkened King Theatre. The latter, a monthlong project, integrates music, art, creative movement, literature and science under the leadership of numerous Lower

School faculty members. Many former second graders, remembering their own shadow play, are in the audience.

With Asian families, the second grade has participated in Culture Fest and cooked delectable Chinese meals. For several years, with Milton Academy funding, we have carried on a pen-pal relationship between our second-grade students and a comparable class of Chinese, Englishlanguage learners at the Boston public Harvard-Kent School. Again with Academy support, during my sabbatical year in the mid-1990s, I became an exchange teacher at the Beijing Jingshan School, partly to expand my knowledge of China and partly to verify my teaching of this ancient culture. I have a Chinese host family in Beijing who mean a lot to me.

I am thrilled to be the new recipient of the Hong Kong Chair in Asian Studies. I know the impact that learning about China has had on my students and me. Many Lower School students continue their study of Chinese in the Middle and Upper Schools.

Several return years later to tell me of their “subsequent” trips to China. One Upper School student said in a schoolwide assembly, “My second-grade teachers made those little chairs fly!” What better topic for our students than understanding the dynamics of China?

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In•Sight Dr. Don Dregalla as Santa

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OnCentre Campus Speakers Shiping Zheng Dr. Shiping Zheng, associate professor of political science and chair of the International Studies Department at Bentley College, visited campus on October 17 as this year’s Hong Kong Distinguished Speaker.

He began his presentation to students with a quotation from Chinese philosopher Confucius: “May you live in interesting times.” Dr. Zheng pointed out how we are doing just that.

“Globalization is accelerating, and China has been on the forefront. Within the last 25 years, China has become the fourth largest economy in the world, now generating $72.4 billion a year. Theories of international relations tell us that with the rise of one power, problems develop with the others. The 1990s were filled with confusion and predic-

tions about U.S.–China relations; these countries are each other’s largest trading partners and cannot afford to be at war with one another. The textilemanufacturing jobs that the U.S. lost to Mexico years ago, Mexico then lost to China. The U.S. is not going to gain back these jobs. To maintain its position in this globalized world, this country will need to continue to innovate.”

Dr. Zheng’s research interests include theories of international relations, East Asian political economy, Chinese elite politics, and U.S.–China relations.

He has published a book with Cambridge University Press on Chinese politics and authored many journal articles. Dr. Zheng earned his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, and prior to that taught in the Department of International Politics at Fudan University in Shanghai. He has been a professor at the University of Vermont and a visiting scholar at Harvard University, McGill University in Canada, and the National University of Singapore.

Liz Walker Award-winning journalist Liz Walker visited Milton on December 12 as this year’s Margo Johnson Speaker. Liz is host and executive producer of Sunday With Liz Walker, a halfhour news magazine on WBZ Television. She joined WBZ in April 1980 and anchored the station’s evening newscasts for almost 20 years. She is the recipient of numerous regional awards, including two Emmys and the Edward R. Murrow Award.

Ms. Walker also co-founded My Sister’s Keeper, a humanitarian group building a girls’ school in the village of Akon, South Sudan. She produced a documentary about the organization’s work called A Glory from the God. In her presentation at Milton, she described her visits to Sudan

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and the atrocities in this part of the world. She implored students to be aware of and learn from these issues: “We will deal with this world. We will deal with it now in peace, or we will deal with it in the future, in confrontation. We are all connected.

There are Sudanese people who have walked thousands of miles to escape the regime of genocide, and they are living among us.

Remember that there is a joy in trying to respond to the world’s needs.”

An advocate of women’s issues, Ms. Walker co-founded the Jane Doe Safety Fund, a statewide service group for victims of domestic violence. She sits on numerous community boards and is a spokesperson for people living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer survivors and at-risk youth.

Germany. On November 7, Ned came to speak about his experiences during this year’s Veterans’ Day Assembly.

is the act that comes after the processing. Do you accept those judgments as they are, or do you try to find out for yourself?”

Another student asked Claire about her lengthy and shelved sentence structure; her sentences can be 12 lines long. She answered, “I like to include lots of detail in my writing, real specifics. Specifics involve digression, and thought processes are digressive by nature. Words are linear, but experience is not; the challenge is to have the first harness the second, and to enact the struggle.”

Ned was introduced to the Milton student body by Class I member Zach Pierce, who interviewed Ned last year as part of his Advanced Oral Interpretation course project entitled Milton Generations: World War II. During his Veterans’ Day presentation, Ned read an excerpt from his book, which describes in detail how he and his fellow soldiers successfully dug the secret, and now infamous, tunnel under the corner of their barracks, which helped hide and save the lives of those four fugitives.

In honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Mr. Bilal said, “There’s a continuity to the idea of people working for civil rights. The legacy of those who have fought this fight— Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X—continues today.

Their lives and struggles did not occur in a vacuum. I think it’s our responsibility to realize how deeply their work affects each of us in our daily lives.”

Ned Handy ’40

Mohammed Bilal

During World War II, Ned Handy, Class of 1940, was captured by Germans in April 1944, after his B-24 was shot down.

Sent to Stalag 17, the infamous Nazi prison camp, Ned soon led an escape team determined to tunnel to freedom. Along with the unforgettable comrades he vividly describes, he worked relentlessly for months on a tunnel that was to prove instrumental in saving the lives of four fugitives sought by the Gestapo.

One of those fugitives would become the only American ever to escape permanently from Stalag 17. In 2004, Ned coauthored The Flame Keepers, a poignant firsthand account of an American soldier’s experience as a prisoner of war in Nazi

Mohammed Bilal, of MTV’s The Real World fame, spoke with students on January 16 as part of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. program. Mr. Bilal travels the country speaking with students about the issues of diversity in today’s world. At Milton, he shared his “12 steps” to expanding, and eradicating, our own cultural boundaries. Among those 12 steps he implores others to travel, read, learn another language, expand their circle of friends, and have a “culturally different day” once each month.

Mr. Bilal explains, “It’s one thing to have a judgment in your head.

A lot of that is biological since much of the brain is devoted to visual processing. What matters

responded, “Because I’m them.

They’re me. They’re all of us, really. They are, in some capacity, victims of our culture and of our world. They can be petty and small, but they’re also endearing and striving.”

Claire Messud ’83 Award-winning author and alumna Claire Messud ’83 came to campus on November 14 as part of Milton’s Bingham Visiting Writers Series. Claire’s first novel, When the World Was Steady, and her book of novellas, The Hunters, were finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; her second novel, The Last Life, was a Publishers Weekly “Best Book of the Year” and an “Editor’s Choice” at The Village Voice. All three books were New York Times “Notable Books of the Year.” Her most recent book, The Emperor’s Children, has earned wide acclaim; the New York Times Book Review named Messud an author of “unnerving talent.”

During her visit, Claire read an excerpt from The Emperor’s Children, which follows the lives and decisions of three 30-year-old friends from Brown University living in New York City in the year leading up to September 11. “The Emperor’s Children is, on its surface, a stingingly observant novel about the facades of the chattering class—with its loves, ambitions and petty betrayals,” Meghan O’Rourke writes in the New York Times Book Review—“but it is also, more profoundly, about a wholesale collision of values.”

One Milton student, describing Claire’s characters as superficial and vapid, asked how she could have sympathy for them. She

In addition to educating about contemporary racial issues, Mr. Bilal is a musician, poet, writer and lecturer, and often includes his own model of “poetic, hiphop storytelling” in his presentations. He is an international recording artist and a member of the urban contemporary band Midnight Voices, which is committed to providing a positive role model for teenagers.

Bill Irwin Bill Irwin, a Tony Award– winning actor, comedian, dancer, mime and clown, was on campus December 4 and 5 as this year’s Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist. Mr. Irwin’s talents are diverse: in addition to performing, his career has involved producing, directing, writing and choreographing. His Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor was given for his

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Campus Speakers, continued

In one presentation, Mr. Irwin demonstrated for students how to develop different characters by using costumes and postures; clothes that are much too small, or much too big, he said, “create a shape that’s just sillier.”

He also explained that there are certain elements a clown uses, and often depends upon, to get a laugh. One of these tools is doing something unexpected in what otherwise seems a predictable pattern. He likened physical comedy to a limerick poem: It sets up a predictable pattern (of tempo, or movement) and the punch line is the unexpected interruption of that pattern.

Much of Mr. Irwin’s work is also talking with and presenting to groups of people—children and adults—about his art. He says, “The best part about working with children is the sense of hope that they have. They’re neither hardened nor cut off with toughness—their spirits are open and ready for anything.

These students are often poised toward what’s next, and I hope to give them the principles of readiness, or even a catch phrase that will stay with them, that will help them in whatever they go on to do.”

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Milton Magazine

Dan Rosen

role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee. He has also been noted for his popular Great Performances special on PBS and for his role as “Mr. Noodle” on Sesame Street. During his two-day visit to Milton, he taught several workshops and talked with students and faculty about these various art forms.

Sam Kauffmann

Nir Rosen

Dr. Jonathan Gates ’75

Filmmaker Sam Kauffmann, associate professor of film at Boston University, presented his award-winning film, Living with Slim, to students on December 5; his visit was co-sponsored by the AIDS Board and the visual arts department. In Living with Slim, seven African children, ranging in age from six to 17 years old, talk about what it’s like to be HIV positive. The children discuss how they felt when they first learned they were infected; the way they are treated at home and at school; and how the illness affects their daily lives.

Living with Slim garnered many awards, including the Special Achievement Award from the Boston Society of Film Critics; Best Documentary Short at the Woods Hole Film Festival and the New England Film & Video Festival; and the Jury Award, Best Documentary, at the Crested Butte Reel Fest.

Journalist Nir Rosen visited Milton on October 10 as this year’s Henry Heyburn Speaker to talk with students about his experiences. Mr. Rosen writes on current and international affairs and is most noted for his writings on the recent situation in Iraq. This topic is the basis for his book In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq. Mr. Rosen “has been hailed by The New York Review of Books as the reporter who managed to get inside Fallujah ‘at a time when it was a death trap for Western reporters,’ and as one of the few Western reporters able to report the truth from Iraq.” According to a Publishers Weekly review, In the Belly of the Green Bird “minutely charts the course of Iraq’s rapidly metastasizing sectarian conflict, which [Rosen] observed up close from the immediate aftermath of Baghdad’s fall in 2003 to the elections of January 2005. A fluent speaker of Iraqi Arabic…

Rosen gained an impressive measure of access to both the Sunni and Shia resistance, dissidents and ordinary Iraqis, attending sermons at mosques and visiting tribal meeting halls across Iraq—from Baghdad to Tikrit, Najaf and Falluja to Kirkuk.”

Dr. Jonathan Gates ’75 is the director of trauma surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. On January 9, he came to Milton as a guest of the science department to speak with students about his work.

Dr. Gates talked about the history of surgery and its evolution over time, beginning in the years B.C. He explained and showed images of specific surgeries that he has performed, describing today’s less-invasive technology and arthroscopic surgery.

Dr. Gates discussed the great advances he anticipates in the world of surgery as methods become even less invasive.

At Boston University, Mr. Kauffmann teaches film and video production and digital editing classes. He recently returned from Rwanda, where he was a Senior Fulbright Specialist, teaching video production at the National University of Rwanda.

Author of the popular editing guidebook, Avid Editing: A Guide for Beginning and Intermediate Users, he has directed scores of films and television commercials. Mr. Kauffmann’s work has been screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and aired on network television, PBS, and local stations throughout America.

Mr. Rosen regularly contributes to publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post and The New York Times Magazine. He is also a fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit public policy institute and think tank located in Washington, D.C.

A member of Brigham and Women’s Division of Trauma, Burns and Critical Care, Dr. Gates maintains special interest in vascular injury and surgery. He has had residencies and fellowships in hospitals from Australia to Boston and has been honored among the Top Surgeons in America, Best Doctors in America, and Best Doctors in Boston. He is a writer and editor for various medical journals, and in 2004 he founded the Boston Trauma Awareness Program for innercity high school students. Dr. Gates also has extensive teaching experience in his day-to-day work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, at countless hospitals and organizations around New England and at Harvard Medical School.

Fifth Graders Tackle Real-World Issues in the Classroom “Students leaving Milton will go on to be leaders; they’ll become the individuals who are making decisions on a very large scale—in politics, the economy, the environment.

At this level we are not only trying to prepare students for the Middle and Upper Schools, we’re trying to give them an idea of what issues we are facing in the larger world.”

— Lower School faculty member Scott Ford, Grade 5

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limate change, globalization, systemic discrimination, animal species in peril, economic recession. These issues leap out in headlines, worldwide.

They are the problems that national and world leaders are grappling with right now. Scaled down to be approachable by tenyear-olds, these problems are some that Milton’s fifth graders take on in their English, science, social studies and math classes.

For Social Justice In January, fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Katsoulis charged her students with a writing project based upon the classes’ study of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In accordance with the ideals of fair treatment and civil rights, students explore the issues of teasing, bullying, exclusion and discrimination: where they come from, how they manifest, and how to deal with them. “It takes courage to deal with these issues,” says Jenn.

“In class we ask—and try to answer—the questions, Why is it so hard to stick up for someone?

How do you find the courage to make a difference?” After reading and discussing excerpts from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, students create essays entitled “The Courage to Be an Ally,” which chronicle personal experiences or relevant observations of people facing challenging situations. Jenn explains, “It’s easy for the students to identify with teas-

ing or bullying; the same dynamics apply on a larger level with racial discrimination. In their essays, students draw the parallel conclusions.”

Animals on the Brink In a life science unit on endangered species, students not only learn about the habitats, behaviors and biology of animals on the brink of extinction, they also discover the reasons that these animals are suffering. Students choose a favorite species on which to focus their research. Many gravitate toward the giant panda, polar bear, black rhinoceros or mountain gorilla.

Through library and Internet research, students delve into the lives of these creatures and categorize what they’ve learned about the animals’ diets, life cycles and natural habitats. Jenn explains, “Habitat destruction is the biggest cause of endangerment, whether the animals’ habitats are encroached upon by man or global warming. We don’t start off by explicitly teaching this, however. All of this information comes from the students’ research. They’re finding out about changing landscapes and shrinking habitats in what they’re reading, and they’re sharing it with one another.” Scott

Ford adds, “Although the bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list, students still research the bird so they’re able to see the possibility of turning things around, of a success story.”

Globetrotting In an increasingly connected world, where no nation thrives independently, students learn that their own country’s economics and politics are affected by the other nations represented on the world map. Studying global geography, fifth graders learn about the locations, cultures and economic industries of other countries. “We focus on how things are interconnected,” Scott says, “beginning with an initial exploration of world geography, and going into detail with individual states in our own country.” Early in the unit, the students draw a version of the world map by memory, based on what they know. As Scott says, often these maps consist of blobs of land representing continents.

Once the students have studied latitude and longitude, and have become familiar with different nations, the maps take on a much more decipherable shape.

In the Time for Kids magazine, students revisit the monthly arti-

cle called “Going Places,” which illustrates a typical day in the life of a similarly aged student in a foreign country, such as China or Costa Rica, so that Milton students can identify the similarities and differences across cultures.

Scott says, “The exposure—to these other cultures, foods, locations, ways of life—is what stays with the children.”

Investment Savvy Employing estimation and calculation, students, in groups of four, are allotted “$100,000” to invest in actual stocks. Paying close attention to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and investigating various companies, students often invest in products that they use, following their investments through the rise and fall of the market. Scott says, “The students are aware of the success of a company like Apple, with the iPod; many of them invest their money in companies they believe in. In class we talk about the cause and effects of the market; for instance, around the holidays, toy companies typically do well. However, the toy recalls coming out of China earlier this year resonated with the children, and though the timing of stock market fluctuations doesn’t necessarily coincide, the children felt that their money might not be best invested there.” The teams take into account brokers’ fees for every transaction, and they learn how to collaborate and build a portfolio as a group, investing in companies like Apple, Boeing and Exxon Mobil. “Right now, with our nation on the brink of a recession, the students are learning at a time when these issues are very important,” Jenn says.

“They’re excited when their stock prices go up, and they’re disappointed when they fall. In 30 years, looking back on this point in history, they are likely not to forget what was happening with our economy.”

EEH

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Milton Dancer, Dylan Tedaldi ’09, Wins International Competition: The Prix de Lausanne his potential to “succeed within a dancing career.” The competition, which ran from January 29 through February 2, 2008, had both classical (ballet) and contemporary elements; students learned dances choreographed by some of the world’s most talented dancers and choreographers.

Dylan’s classical performance

Throughout the competition, students spent their days in lessons and workshops, meeting with members of the jury, working with renowned dance professionals, and sharing their experiences with competitors from all over the world. “It was incredible to be learning and

dancing with people who study in such different places and do things in such different ways,” Dylan says. “It was difficult to gauge where you stood among them, because you couldn’t compare your techniques with theirs.

The language barrier was a little difficult—there were translators everywhere—and the award ceremony was in French, so when they announced my name, I didn’t realize what I’d won. I just smiled and bowed.”

The top prizewinners are granted scholarships to attend a Prix-partnered dance school or professional dance company of

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hen Dylan Tedaldi ’09 left for Switzerland in January, he had no idea what to expect.

When he returned to Milton one week later, he was considered to be one of the top three young dancers in the world.

Outside of Milton, Dylan has been a student of the Boston Ballet since he was nine years old and has spent every summer since then practicing and refining his skills at either the School of American Ballet; the San Francisco Ballet; or Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts camp in upstate New York. Some of his professional performances have included the role of Fritz in Boston Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker and a dancing role in the film The Game Plan.

The Prix’s artistic committee chose the 71 dancers out of a pool of applicants from as many as 22 nations. According to the Prix de Lausanne’s Web site, Dylan was not only chosen to participate due to his achievements to date, but for his “advanced technical skills” and

EEH Photos courtesy of the Prix de Lausanne.

Dylan’s entry in the contemporary division of the competition: “The most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he says.

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Though trained primarily in classical dance, Dylan admits to preferring the contemporary aspect of the competition: “Contemporary is fun because it’s newer to me. I also found it to be easier, because I really had to put my emotions into it. I was performing a particularly angry piece. That dance was probably the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life.

I can’t begin to describe how exhausted I was when I was finished, but it was a good kind of exhausted—draining and exhilarating at the same time.”

Dylan’s Milton dance career began in the seventh grade when he first choreographed for and performed in the Winter Dance Concert; he has created and performed dance numbers in the Concert ever since. Last year Dylan played the role of Mike—a dancer trying to make it big—in Milton’s production of the Broadway musical A Chorus Line.

Last fall, Dylan was chosen among just 71 dancers—only 20 of them boys—to participate in the 36th Annual Prix de Lausanne competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition reserved for young student dancers aiming to pursue a professional career in dancing. Performing Arts faculty member Kelli Edwards remarks, “Of all the international ballet competitions, this prize is probably the most coveted. Just to be selected to compete is an honor.”

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their choice for one year. Dylan is considering both the San Francisco Ballet and the Royal Ballet of London.

Alumni Authors Recently Published Works A City’s Life and Times: Cambridge in the Twentieth Century Daphne Abeel ’55, Editor To celebrate its centennial (1905–2005), the Cambridge Historical Society solicited a collection of essays documenting the many aspects of the city’s unique social and cultural history over the century past.

Edited by Daphne Abeel ’55, A City’s Life and Times: Cambridge in the Twentieth Century brings together 18 contributors, primarily Cantabrigians, writing about aspects of local life with which they are intimately acquainted.

Whether describing the city’s politics, distinctive institutions, immigrant community, churches, architecture, famous universities, cultural life or neighborhoods, these lively and informed accounts highlight Cambridge’s diversity and peculiarity.

Readers will learn how Cambridge came to espouse its form of government; how politicians such as House Speaker Tip O’Neill, Congressman Joseph Kennedy and Mayor Al Vellucci played their parts in influencing civic life. They will discover that actress Faye Dunaway hobnobbed with Harvard professors and that a number of the houses on Coolidge Hill were actually moved there from other locations. They will learn about the city’s Jewish synagogues and be reminded of how major architects changed the city’s appearance. They’ll discover the contributions Cambridge women made to the city and hark back to the sweeping folk-music revival of the 1960s, which brought performers such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan to local coffeehouses.

The book also discusses how, in the twentieth century, Cambridge has been home to some of the country’s best known literary lights—such as poets Robert Lowell, Robert Frost, e.e. cummings and Seamus Heaney; novelist Anne Bernays; and biographer Justin Kaplan. The collec-

tion includes two very different personal accounts of growing up in Cambridge: one from an African-American woman raised on Worcester Street and another from a woman growing up near the hallowed halls of Harvard, where her father was a professor.

Completing this anthology are essays on the Cambridge Plant and Garden Club, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s newspaper, and the history of the Cambridge Historical Society itself.

Together these pieces paint a full and vibrant picture of Cambridge from the point of view of those who know it well and have called it home.

Adapted from Cambridge Historical Society release; October 2007.

Joining the Board of Trustees George Alex P’17 George Alex was elected to the Board of Trustees in September 2007. George, his wife Marlena, and their two daughters, Virginia ’17 and Isabel, live in Cohasset, Massachusetts.

George is executive vice president and chief financial officer of NextWave Wireless LLC, which he joined in 2001 as the senior vice president of finance.

NextWave builds and operates next-generation wireless networks designed to provide a broad spectrum of wireless broadband services.

After attending Rivers School, George earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and received his M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. George is an active member of the Milton Academy parent community and worked with the parent committee that secured pledges to sustain the K–12 school structure in May 2007.

David Abrams P’08, ’10 David Abrams was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees in January 2008. David and his wife Amy have two children at Milton—Daniel ’08 and Michael ’10—and they live in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

David is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and is managing partner of Abrams Capital, a privately held investment partnership he founded in 1999. David is a trustee of the Berklee School of Music and has served at Shady Hill School (Board of Overseers, Investment Committee), and on the University of Pennsylvania Fund Executive Board.

David and Amy are active members of the Head of School’s Council and are providing leadership service and support as volunteers to the Parents’ Annual Fund, Class I 2008 Gift, and to the capital initiatives of the School. Of his appointment to the Board, David says, “Milton is providing my children with an unbelievable education, and I view serving on the Board as a way to give back to the community.”

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“This I Believe” What Matters to Eighth Graders

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he theme of the eighthgrade year at Milton is the journey. Kim Walker’s approach to this theme includes exploring “the transformation of two protagonists’ belief systems”— Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey, and Taylor Greer in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees. “Many of our discussions and writing assignments focus on what these characters believe and how their beliefs evolve with experience, hardship and others’ perspectives,” Kim says. With these books and discussions as a foundation, Kim asks her students, “So, what do you believe?”

at my kindergarten doorstep, I plunged right in. Unfortunately, I was not as successful as I could’ve hoped. I would look at the words, determined to make them out as whole forms, not itty-bitty parts like the teacher said they were. But try as hard as I might, I simply could not unscramble those complex codes of symbols by themselves. They baffled me. I had skipped to the top of the stairs, and now fell while my classmates were climbing. I had to start all over again at the beginning, sounding out those syllables, waiting a little while and then moving forward.

Taking a cue from the This I Believe project—based on the 1950s radio series hosted

by Edward R. Murrow—Kim charges students with creating essays based on their own beliefs and experiences. She urges each student to name his or her belief, make it personal, and tell a story.

Included here are the stories two of our eighth graders had to tell.

Eventually, I unscrambled the puzzle, and viola!, those little letter clusters began to make words. I had tried to skip ahead, but it turned out that the only way I was going to learn was to take it slowly, one step at a time.

And as frustrating as that still seems, I have found that this policy applies to every endeavor.

Slowly Up the Steps

By Isobel Green ’12 In this world we are often encouraged to race through life, chasing promotions, more prestigious positions, a better quality of living. We find ourselves stumbling ahead of our own feet, dragging them endlessly down a path of “new opportunities!” and “chances of a lifetime!” I believe that to trip through life is not truly living. I believe that it’s better to wait two steps on a staircase than to run up too fast and fall down them all.

When I was younger, I would always try to speed through things as fast as I could. Eating, listening, napping, schooling— anything that didn’t involve playing with my Barbies was the faster, the better. So, when the challenge of reading arrived

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The pressure that our generation is under is overwhelming.

The expectation to succeed, and to overachieve, hangs over our heads. Many people in the world are so determined to get themselves on the fast track,

they don’t do it right and have to compensate for it later. Whether it is a little girl learning to read or a whole government planning to expand its economy, slow and steady will always win the race.

The Price of Happiness

By Seth August ’12 I have many beliefs, though what they are I cannot say because my beliefs are constantly changing.

As I learn, which I do everyday, I change. I am always gaining knowledge that changes my thoughts and, then, my beliefs.

In the saying, “Ignorance is bliss,” it is true that before I knew of hatred and war, I was happy. All the while, though, I wanted to know more. While ignorant to the world around me, I could not be happy, since I always wanted to know more.

But once I knew more and more, I realized that, even now, I’m not happy. There is so much more to know, and the knowledge that I have acquired scares me more than satisfies. The price of bliss was ignorance, which seemed like a cost too high.

As a young boy, I believed in the tooth fairy. I did not understand the whole tale behind it, but I did

know that someone would give me money. This was before I lost a tooth. When I finally did and found no money, I knew something was amiss. It did not take long to find out it was my parents, and when I did, my beliefs changed. This did not mean I was any less happy, except for the loss of the money, since this was a less pressing matter than world peace or poverty.

There are more pressing values at hand, though. Before I can formulate a belief, I must see both sides, then choose one. In today’s United States, one of the most controversial matters is the Iraq war. My parents, both Democrats, were against it. From them and the news, I heard about the death toll for soldiers going up and up, and wondered why there was nothing about Iraqi deaths. I wondered why we had taken over the country in the first place. That is one side of the argument, but what would have happened if we never invaded Iraq? Would bombs shower down on us? Would there be an oil crisis? I, or anyone else, will never know the answers to these questions. These are the times when I want to know more, so I can say what I think is right, instead of just believing what the news or the president says.

The only belief I am sure of now is that knowledge is worth more than blissful ignorance. As the days go by, I change my beliefs and wonder whether I have still made the right choice. All it takes to calm those fears is to know that with this knowledge I can change the world. I can be someone who does not turn a blind eye, but stands up for what he or she believes. With knowledge, I can be happy because I am doing the right thing.

Sports Leading the Charge: Milton’s Female Coaches

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recent article in TIME Magazine entitled “Where Are the Women Coaches?” reports that only 42 percent of women’s college teams are led by a female head coach, down from more than 90 percent in 1972.

Whether at the collegiate or high school level, one could argue that a female coach is a vital component of a girl’s development as an athlete. “Female coaches are the ideal role models for girls in sports,” writes Christine Brennan of USA Today. “There are more women playing and learning about sports now in America than at any time in our history. How is it possible that they are not becoming coaches in record numbers?”

Fortunately, at Milton a number of talented female coaches are “ideal role models” and provide a positive experience for Milton girls. Several new coaches, with strong undergraduate interscholastic experiences themselves, have made the athletic environment especially exciting:

Bronwen Evans A native of Toronto, Ontario, Bronwen Evans seemed destined to play hockey. She spent her childhood at the local rink watching her brothers on the ice, or at her sister’s field hockey games, watching from the sidelines.

In high school, Bronwen was on the school’s field hockey, ice hockey, soccer and swim teams.

She earned a scholarship to play field hockey at Boston College.

During her four years on the B.C. field hockey squad, she also found time to play ice hockey for a season.

During her senior year at B.C., Bronwen connected with a coach, Ainslee Lamb, who inspired Bronwen to coach herself. “She taught me about passion,” recalls Bronwen. “She loved playing and loved coming to practice. Her passion resonated with me and it’s something I hope I bring to practice as a coach.”

Bronwen started her coaching career at Milton in 2006 as the head coach of the girls’ varsity field hockey team. Her talents were apparent and, in 2007, Bronwen became the assistant athletic director in Milton’s athletics and physical education department.

The Player Bronwen believes that attitude is the number-one attribute that makes a player valuable. “A great player is someone who is willing to do anything it takes for the people around her,” states Bronwen. “And if you have the attitude that you’re willing to learn, then there is a place for you on my team.”

Coaching “My coach at B.C. gave me a joy for the ‘thinking’ part of the game. If I can get players to think about why they are doing something, playing the game becomes a more collaborative experience.”

Motivation “We do have little traditions before a game to get motivated,” admits Bronwen. “Most importantly, I try to make my pregame talk goal-oriented. If I can get the girls to believe in each other and believe in themselves as a team, they rise to the occasion.”

Most Memorable Milton Moment

Bronwen Evans with the varsity field hockey team

“The Nobles game this fall,” was most memorable, Bronwen recalls excitedly. “We came so far in terms of accountability and supporting each other. The players took themselves forward and were getting the systems we had been working on all season.

It ended with Nobles winning in overtime, and there were tears, but that showed [the girls’] passion.”

C.J. Navins C.J. Navins has been playing sports for as long as she can remember. Raised in Wayland, Massachusetts, C.J. spent much of her childhood on the fields, courts and ice rink of The Governor’s Academy, where her grandfather worked and lived for 41 years. “He used to let us into the gym to shoot basketballs, or the ice rink to skate around when no one else was on campus,” recalls C.J. “I idolized both my grandfathers, who were AllAmerican collegiate athletes— one in baseball at Williams College and one in lacrosse at Princeton University.”

C.J. was a three-season athlete throughout high school, playing on the soccer, lacrosse and alpine and Nordic skiing teams.

Although she had the most success at alpine skiing in high school, she chose to play soccer and lacrosse for Williams College.

“I’ve drawn experiences from each of my coaches throughout the years,” says C.J., “but two coaches really inspired me. Chris Mason and Alix Rorke were my lacrosse coaches at Williams.

Their commitment and dedication to the team was amazing, but what was more important to me as an 18- to 21-year-old, was their care and consideration for me as a whole person, not just as a lacrosse player. They knew what was going on in my life off the field.”

After a few years in the admission office at Deerfield Academy, living in a dorm and coaching, C.J. switched her commitments to Milton, where she is an admission officer, lives on campus and coaches lacrosse, soccer and squash.

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“From high school on I played hockey. I still play hockey (in a men’s league) whenever I can— I have always been happier on the ice than anywhere else.”

if I made sure the girls knew I believed in them and I was committed to them, they’d believe in themselves and be committed to the program.”

Darcy teaches chemistry at Milton and is head coach of the girls’ varsity hockey team and girls’ junior varsity field hockey squad.

Motivation

The Player

C.J. Navins

The Player Among qualities that separate great athletes from the pack, C.J. names work ethic, determination, hustle and selflessness as the most important. C.J. looks for players that not only have speed and overall athleticism, but also the right attitude— coachability, enthusiasm, commitment to the sport and love of the game.

Coaching “I always think of each player as an individual,” states C.J. “Everything that goes on in a player’s world affects who she is and what she can accomplish each day, each practice and each game. I try to keep up with everything that is going on in each player’s world—academically and socially—and try to know the whole person, not just the athlete.”

Motivation “I always remind the girls to have fun before they take the field,” says C.J. “If they are having fun, they are successful.”

Most Memorable Moment at Milton “While coaching at Milton, I have certainly been part of some exciting moments,” says C.J., “but what I value most are the relationships I have with my players and the traditions that take place on the field everyday.

For example, I love that the girls on the soccer team refer to themselves as the Wolfpack in

reference to the Rudyard Kipling poem that ends, ‘For the strength of the pack is the wolf, And the strength of the wolf is the pack.’

To me these traditions are the essence of Milton athletics.”

Darcy Corson Darcy Corson has played competitive sports since the day she learned how to walk. By age four, Darcy was on the local swim, soccer and T-ball teams, took gymnastics classes, and skated several times a week.

“My earliest memory of being on the ice must be from a skating clinic when I was three,” recalls Darcy. “I remember suddenly understanding what I needed to do in order to move myself across the ice and yelling, ‘I get the hang of it!’

“If students aren’t on a competitive athletic team, they often don’t have the chance to learn that a group working together can be more successful that individuals doing their own thing,” states Darcy. “We talk about that idea on my team all of the time. If there is one thing that my players understand, it is that playing as a group of individuals is not effective. I teach them to trust each other to do their jobs on the ice. If a player isn’t in the right place because she is doing someone else’s job, she won’t have time to recover and do her own job.”

Coaching “I’ve learned that players take so many cues from their coaches,” says Darcy. “During a game in December, I told a player that she’d score that game (she hadn’t ever scored a goal before). She scored on her second shift. She skated back to the bench and asked, ‘How did you know?’

That’s when I figured out that

“I also remember one of my first skating coaches telling me that I was ‘fearless’ and (being little) I believed her. Whenever I was afraid to do something athletically, I would remind myself that I was ‘fearless’ and my apprehension would go away.”

By the time she reached the second grade, Darcy was entering national competitions in figure skating. While intensely training as a figure skater, Darcy also played hockey on a boys’ team.

In high school, her love for hockey took over all other athletic endeavors.

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“I don’t know if you can motivate players on game day unless you motivate them every day,” says Darcy. “In order for athletes to play well, they have to want to play for you. You can’t really get them to want to play for you with a locker-room talk before a game.

That comes from establishing connections with them on the ice, in the dorm and in the classroom.”

Most Memorable Moment at Milton “After a tough loss in January, the team met in the locker room to talk about what went wrong.

A few older girls who had been down about the program at the beginning of the season spoke up about the importance of every player on the team needing to feel proud to play for Milton and proud to wear the “M” on their jersey—win or lose. Until then, I had worried that the players weren’t getting enough from their hockey experience this year.

At that moment I knew the girls were learning something more important than how to win hockey games—they’d started to learn what it meant to be on a team.”

Greg White

Leave a legacy to guarantee excellence over time.

These brothers did.

Stephen (left) and Waldo (right) Forbes, Class of 1930

In 1955 and 2003, respectively, Waldo and Stephen Forbes, following a long family tradition, each established an endowed fund with a bequest. The Waldo Emerson Forbes Fund enables the purchase of books with no restrictions. The Stephen Hathaway Forbes Endowment Fund provides unrestricted support for the endowment.

The Academy’s endowment policy allows spending five percent of the income earned by endowment funds each year to fund the donors’ wishes. Income earned above this level is reinvested to ensure growth in perpetuity.

To learn more about leaving your own legacy, please contact Suzie Hurd Greenup ’75 at 617-898-2376.

“Philanthropy is the duty of those with resources.”

—Stephen Hathaway Forbes

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Class Notes

1940 Fritz Kempner reports, “I recently published Looking Back, a memoir, in which I recall my times as a Milton student (1939–40) and Milton teacher (1946–53). I’d be delighted to send a free copy to anyone requesting one, as long as the supply lasts.”

tree canopy rope bridges in the Kakum Rainforest. The highlight of the trip was the experience at the slave castles; our guide took us into one of the ladies’ dungeons and shut out the lights to let us imagine the experience for ourselves.”

1941 Benjamin Burr writes in, “God bless those of us already in paradise, and bless us who are still on our way.”

1944 Hart and Rachel Achenbach write, “In September 2007, we left our big house after 35 years and are now coping with the inevitable disorder in our new but much smaller cottage. We are both well (although when one reaches the 80s all is relative) and our six children are not too far away. They and theirs provide wonderful memories. We feel very lucky.”

1954 Sally Sprout Lovett recently visited Ghana, West Africa. She reports, “Last year I took a seminar on West Africa at Primary Source—a teacher resource in Watertown specializing in global education—and traveled with a group of 21 teachers to Ghana in July. We spent a week in the capital, Accra, and toured the southern part of the country for a second week. We visited six schools and connected with many students and faculty. We also went to the slave castles on the coast and walked along

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Mike Chace ’59, Sidney Graves ’54 and Ephron Catlin ’57 joined for dinner at Sidney’s home in Northeast Harbor, Maine, in January 2008. The photograph was taken by Sidney’s wife, Robin Reath.

1958 Congratulations to Neilson Abeel; his daughter Maud Abeel and Stuart Knoop welcomed their first child, Otis Gustavus Abeel Knoop, on August 13, 2007.

1960 Elise Forbes Tripp recently wrote Surviving Iraq: Soldiers’ Stories (Interlink Books, $18), which puts 30 veterans of the Iraq war, including Nick Morton ’02, center stage to tell their stories.

This oral history captures the veterans’ views on the war and what has happened to them since. Ken Burns called the collection a “shocking, moving and utterly heroic portrait of young men and women in impossible situations.”

1964 Eleanor Schofield reports, “For the last six years, Walter and I have been living in the South Pacific, in a little house by the beach in Samoa, with our three cats. What a wonderful, peaceful life! I’m singing with the brand-new National Orchestra and Choir of Samoa and I serve as music librarian for the group.

We memorize most of our music, and more than half of it is in Samoan, which is hard on an aging brain. I can always be contacted at my e-mail address: samoalib@yahoo.com.”

devoted to pollution cleanup. I’m still bike racing, mostly on the velodrome, and I’m president of the Marymoor Velodrome Association for which I’ve organized two successful fundraising auctions. I saw Rachel Hong come in for a top-ten finish in her first bike race this summer, which was very cool. Hope everybody is doing well!”

1990

Laurie Kohn and her husband, Chris Murphy, welcomed Caleb Kohn Murphy into the world on February 10, 2007.

Unfortunately, Laurie, sister Wendy Kohn ’82, and their mother, Sue, lost their father and husband, Harry Kohn, Jr., on February 18, just days after Caleb was born. Harry served as a Milton trustee from 1983 to 1989. Laurie writes, “We miss Harry terribly, but we see his spirit in Caleb.”

From Molly Batchelder: “Many strong and lasting friendships have been made at Milton Academy and I’d like to recount one lovely story of such a friendship. Five young women came from all around the country to be with their friend in a time of sadness. From California, Washington, D.C., and New York City, Sarah Bynum, Emma Jacobson-Sive ’92, Lily Batchelder, Roxana Alger Geffen and Meika Neblett arrived to be with Dierdra Reber for the memorial service for her mother, Peggy, in Farmington, Maine, on December 2, 2007. These bonds, forged at Milton during their high school years remain firmly in place 17 years later.”

1989

1991

Hyun Lee reports from the Seattle metropolitan area: “I was married on June 26, 2004, to Krista Stromberg, one of the few people living here who is actually from here. Kevin Henderson and his wife were at the wedding. On October 8, 2007, we had our first child, a little boy named Logan Jae Lee. Having a child of my own is the most awesome, most life changing experience. I’m an attorney for a nonprofit environmental group

Adriana McGrath married Michael Clancy on September 29, 2007, in Boston. Milton alums celebrating with them included Denielle BertarelliWebb, Tammy (Caruso) Brown, John Corey, Liz Kettyle, Hannah Miller-Lerman and Erin (Sullivan) Sheepo. Adriana and her husband live in Paris, where Adriana does European hedge fund research and enjoys the nearby travel opportunities.

1986

Congratulations to Adriana McGrath ’91 and Michael Clancy, who were married on September 29, 2007, in Boston. In attendance, pictured from left to right, were Class of 1991 members Erin (Sullivan) Sheepo, Hannah Miller-Lerman, Tammy (Caruso) Brown, Michael Clancy, Adriana McGrath, Liz Kettyle, Denielle Bertarelli-Webb and John Corey.

Members of the Class of ’97 gathered on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2007 with an “antique” Milton alumna. Pictured from left: Jonas Akins ’97, Bonnie Akins ’59, Jill Brewer ’97 and Drew Hendrickson ’97.

1992

Claire Boisfeuillet Collins was born on October 11, 2007. She is the daughter of Laura and John R. Collins ’94.

Peter Scoblic’s book, U.S. Versus Them, will be published in April

by Viking Press. It’s an intellectual history that explains the Bush administration’s foreign policy—particularly its nuclear policy—as the culmination of 50 years of conservative thought.

U.S. Versus Them is available for pre-order from several online booksellers.

1994 John Collins shares, “My wife Laura H. Collins and I welcomed Claire Boisfeuillet Collins on October 11, 2007. I am an attorney at Paul Hastings in Atlanta practicing corporate and securities law, and Laura is looking forward to being a full-time mother.”

Parker Everett ’97 and Nancy Godinho were married on August 11, 2007, in the Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago. Celebrating the day were (left to right): Jim and Cathy Everett; Parker and Nancy; Brendan Everett ’91, his wife, Anna Rutherford, and their daughter, Amelia; and Charlie Everett ’94 with his wife, Caty James Everett.

1995 Congratulations to Alexandra Pogorelec ’95 and her husband, Jason, who welcomed their second child, Thomas John, on September 26, 2007.

Alexandra Pogorelec and her husband, Jason, welcomed a baby boy, Thomas John, on September 26, 2007. Ali writes, “He joins big sister Suzanne, and we are now a happy family of four!”

Milton alumni Sarah Shea ’02, Jane Innis ’00, Mark Angeloni ’00 and Caroline Curtis ’02 met up at the Harvard-Yale football game in November 2007.

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2000

2002

After working for three years at a contemporary art gallery in New York and enjoying a fun summer of travel, Molly Epstein has recently relocated to London to pursue a master’s degree in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Meredith Bates is living and working in Uganda as the corporate responsibility manager for the New Forests Company, a sustainable commercial forestry company planting forests in eastern and southern Africa.

She is working on a conservation strategy for the company, as well as partnering with the rural communities around the plantations on development projects like boreholes, classroom blocks, teaching and learning tools, and income-generating projects. If you’re interested in partnering with these initiatives, please contact Meredith at meredith.bates@ newforestscompany.com.

Deaths 1926 1927 1931

1934

1935 1937

1938

1939 1941 1942

1943

1944

1946

1947 1952

1953 1963 1968 1983

Anne Bigelow Thompson John E. Lawrence Frederic Webster Lucy Stone Keyes Donald Blun Straus Oglesby Paul Edward P. Roberts Constance Foss Anthony Ann Brown MacLure Henry Baldwin Stone John Stokes Michael Zara Oliver Ames Theodore L. Clark Deborah Reynolds Harrington William R. W. Fitz Ann Rice Elfers Frederick W. Pillsbury Harry Cloutier Constance Withington Keane Frances Blair Hawkins Theodore Rust Clark, M.D. David Bird John Trumbull Anne Weber Thomas E. Sedgwick John M. Feeley Jr. Charlotte Boyer Parkinson Robert Vincent Jr. Lawrence Rawles Anne Robertson McLean

Erratum In the Class of ’57 photo from the fall issue, we incorrectly identified Robert G. Shaw as Kenneth Gregg.

Milton Academy Board of Trustees, 2008 David Abrams Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts George Alex Cohasset, Massachusetts Julia W. Bennett ’79 Norwell, Massachusetts Bradley Bloom Wellesley, Massachusetts James M. Fitzgibbons ’52 Emeritus Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts John B. Fitzgibbons ’87 Bronxville, New York Austan D. Goolsbee ’87 Chicago, Illinois Catherine Gordan New York, New York Victoria Hall Graham ’81 New York, New York Margaret Jewett Greer ’47 Emerita Chevy Chase, Maryland Antonia Monroe Grumbach ’61 New York, New York Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65 President New York, New York Ogden M. Hunnewell ’70 Vice President Brookline, Massachusetts

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Harold W. Janeway ’54 Emeritus Webster, New Hampshire Lisa A. Jones ’84 Newton, Massachusetts George A. Kellner Vice President New York, New York F. Warren McFarlan ’55 Belmont, Massachusetts Carol Smith Miller Boston, Massachusetts Tracy Pun Palandjian ’89 Belmont, Massachusetts Richard C. Perry ’73 New York, New York John P. Reardon ’56 Vice President Cohasset, Massachusetts Kevin Reilly, Jr. ’73 Baton Rouge, Louisiana H. Marshall Schwarz ’54 Emeritus New York, New York Karan Sheldon ’74 Milton, Massachusetts Frederick G. Sykes ’65 Secretary Rye, New York Jide J. Zeitlin ’81 Treasurer New York, New York

Join us for

Graduates’ Weekend 2008 Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14

This summer, what better way to spend a weekend than laughing with old classmates, sharing with former teachers, and indulging in good food and drink, all while learning about and enjoying the Milton of today?

• Honor graduates at the Memorial Chapel Service.

• Gather with your class for cocktails and conversation as we celebrate reunions for alumni with class years ending in three or eight.

Friday

Saturday

• Engage your mind in classes taught by Milton faculty members.

• Indulge your artistic side with jazz, dance and theatrical performances by Milton students.

• Relive your high school days by staying overnight in the Milton houses.

• Revisit favorite spots on campus and experience new ones on a student-led tour, or via trolley with guide and faculty member Bryan Cheney.

• Get up to bat or cheer on your side at the alumni baseball game.

• Discuss Milton’s present and future during the “State of the School” address with the Head of School.

• Play in the sunshine and enjoy a barbecue lunch on the Quad at the familyfriendly outdoor festival.

• Harmonize along with old favorites at the Alumni Glee Club Sing led by Jean McCawley.

• Connect with old and new Milton friends and faculty over dinner, drinks and live music at the all-class party.

For the latest reunion information or to register, visit the “Alumni” pages at www.milton.edu, or call Katy Bell in the alumni relations office at 617-898-2438.

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