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The Milton Paper DECEMBER 9, 2016

VOL. 34, NO. 010

MILTON’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Instructional Rounds

Surgeon General Inspires

By EMMA JAMES On November 15, the Upper School received an email about “instructional rounds” from what seemed to be a random group of faculty. Students were informed that our classrooms would be observed by teachers “to look closely at teaching and learning at Milton and, ultimately, best meet the needs of all our students,” an endeavor which the community, in general, has assumed was always in place. The email, sent by Indu Singh, dean of Teaching and Learning, specified that “no student or teacher names will be recorded,” without specifically elaborating as to what the observations, or instructional rounds, would accomplish.

Mrs. Singh leads the Teaching and Learning Team, a group of seven teachers from a variety of departments that was formed three years ago which is behind the instructional rounds. Elizabeth Lillis, member of the science faculty and of the Team, describes the group as a way “for Milton to have a common professional experience, a way to grow and think about teaching and learning, that every teacher will participate in ultimately.” As a result of Mrs. Singh’s maternity leave this fall, Ms. Lillis and Ms. Jacobsen have assumed a leading role in conducting the first cycle of Instructional rounds.

Ms. Lillis identifies “professional development”, training designed to help improve educators effectiveness, as a key term in the conception of the rounds.

As of right now, teachers “can go to a conference and [they] might tell [their] department about it, or [they] might not,” resulting in a disconnect and stunt in potential development opportunism.

The hope is to create a more unified and targeted platform to improve teaching in multiple departments. So, instructional rounds are implemented as the method of observation to focus on a specific “problem of practice” in the Milton community. As the “no names” policy in Mrs. Singh’s email described, rounds are “not about evaluating instruction or evaluating kids, but more about looking at patterns,” says Ms. Lillis. By giving teachers an opportunity to reflect on their own teaching by visiting other classes, instructional rounds seek to

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COURTESY OF VIVEK MURTHY

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy at Strauss Library, Milton Academy

By ELINA THADHANI AND MARSHALL SLOANE The Milton community gathered on November 29th to hear Dr. Vivek Murthy speak about his life experience and role as the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General heads the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps during his four year term. The office also has a symbolic role, for the Surgeon General is expected to serve as “America’s Doctor” and inform the nation about key public health issues. Dr. Murthy was invited as part of the 49th Alumni War Memorial speaker series, an event established in 1922 to honor Milton Academy students that lost

their lives in World War I. Dr. Murthy was contacted by Ms. Indu Singh, our Dean of Teaching and Learning and his long time friend. Dr. Murthy and Ms. Singh met while completing their undergraduate study, their interests overlapping in nonprofit work in South Asia: while Dr. Murthy was working on an HIV, AIDS awareness project, Ms. Singh was heavily involved in the region’s Habitat for Humanity projects and substandard housing issues.

As such a high profile speaker, “he models that notion of being true to your passion, and defining success on your terms,” said

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Milton's Asian-American Voice

By JESSICA WANG After the election a few weeks ago, faced with the prospect of four years with the president elect, members in our community were left feeling afraid and alone. Monday morning’s assembly comforted many by reminding us we aren’t alone in our pain. It reminded us that regardless of our political affiliation, sexuality, religion, race, gender, and identities, we are still a community whose first and foremost priority is to love and care for one another. That being said, as an Asian American, I must express that the lack of an Asian American representative on a panel that was meant to represent the various voices and perspectives in our community made me feel neglected, forgotten, and brushed aside.

I want to stress that I, in no way, want to criticize the assembly. I believe strongly that all of the students and faculty who spoke so eloquently shared a valuable perspective that needed to be heard. I was moved by everyone’s testimonies, and I completely stand behind and support everyone who spoke.

Part of the reason why the assembly was

so powerful was that it was relatable to many people on campus. With every representative who spoke, there was a larger group of students in the audience who could point to the speaker and think, “That’s me.

That’s my story.” Hearing a fellow student or faculty member sharing a story that you can relate to on a personal level is incredibly powerful and makes people feel less alone in their struggles. However, every group of students needed to have a representative, and I was disappointed to see that there was no Asian American student or faculty member chosen to represent 10% of our community.

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Inside This Issue MILTON'S SILENCE

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GUN CULTURE

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COLLEGE CULTURE

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HOOLIGANS

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The Milton Paper

Editorial

The 34th Editorial Board

Reform The Schedule

Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor at Large Opinion Manager News Managers Senior Editors A&E Editor Rachel Handler Opinion Editor Gabrielle Fernandopulle

Malcolm McCann and Eli Burnes Letitia Chan Cheyenne Porcher Mateen Tabatabaei Marshall Sloane and Henry Westerman

Chloe Kim and Henry Burnes Sports Editor Peter Digiovanni

Layout Editor Jack Daley Photo Editor Caroline Massey

Faculty Sponsor Lisa Baker

Cartoonist Lilly Le

Associate Editors Navpreet Sekhon Jonah Garnick Nihal Raman Website Manager Alex Iansiti

News

Opinion

Abby Walker Alexandra Millard Allison Reed Elina Thadhani Ellie Lachenauer Evita Thadhani Lyndsey Mugford Jack Sloane Juliana Viola Sarah Alkhafaji Will Torous Jimmy Delano

Barbara McDuffee Celena Eccleston Elaine Wu Jerome Vainisi Molly Wilson Natasha Roy Noah Cheng Rachel Ding Serena Fernandopulle Vivian Soong Willa DuBois William Kim Jack Weiler Pierce Wilson Jessica Wang Pierce Wilson Jessica Kim Edward Moreta

A&E Aditya Gandhi Emma Comrie Emma James Liz Foster Zoe Camaya Olivia Zhong Pierce Wilson Madison Lynch Hannah Hachamovitch Columnists Michelle Erdenesanaa Tyler Piazza Semi Oloko Coalter Palmer Thea McRae Hana Tatsutani Clare Lonergan

Sports Chris Mathews Liam Kennedy Sarah Willwerth Sophia Li Theo Miailhe Humor Sophia Wilson-Pelton Lydia Hill Zack Herman Nick Govindan

Milton’s Independent Weekly Student Newspaper “A Forum for Discussion and Thought” Founded 1979 • Publishing Weekly Since 1983 Founders David Roth • Mark Denneen The Milton Paper is an independent, student-produced publication. It does not necessarily represent the views of the students, faculty, administration, or Milton Academy itself. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.

Letters Policy: The Milton Paper gladly accepts letters from anyone who sends them. We do not promise to publish any or all letters, and we retain the rights to edit letters for content, length, and clarity. We will not publish anonymous letters. If inclined, please take the opportunity to write to us. Send letters by mail (Letters to the Editor, The Milton Paper, Milton Academy, 170 Centre Street, Milton, MA 02186), by email (TheMiltonPaper34@gmail.com), or by personal delivery to our office Warren 304.

Everyday, we show up to school at eight o’clock and attend a 15 minute assembly. Next, we attend classes in eight, rigidly defined, 45 minute periods. Each student is required to arrive on campus at 8am, regardless of whether she has free periods at the beginning of the day. Simply put, our schedule is outdated and inflexible, and could easily be modified to increase sleep and improve learning by delaying the start time and experimenting with different types of schedules.

Lack of sleep is perhaps the most pressing health concern at Milton academy. Insufficient sleep has been shown to reduce empathy, humor, and memory consolidation, while increasing levels of grouchiness and impulsiveness. The recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is 9 to 9.5 hours, yet teenagers get on average only 7 hours. At Milton, this number is likely lower.

Furthermore, teenagers’ sleep-cycles are more delayed than adults’. We go to sleep later and wake up later: our sleep cycles are delayed by approximately two hours from the sleep cycle of an average 50 year old. Since elementary school, our sleep cycles have shifted two hours forward, but we are still waking up at the same time. It is often difficult for teenagers to fall asleep before 10:30, and because school starts at 8am, it is practically impossible for students to get sufficient sleep that aligns with our circadian rhythm. Given the severe health effects of lack of sleep, and the fact that most students need more sleep, it is critical that we delay school start time.

Scientist have advocated starting school as late as 10am for mental health benefits to students. Studies have shown that early school schedules directly lead to sleep deprivation, and simply delaying school schedules to around 8:30 or 9 can increase alertness, improve academic performance and reduce depression. We believe that a start time of 8:30–recommended by the CDC–could improve student wellbeing without posing too many obstacles. This change could be made by simply shifting the schedule forward, or getting rid of assemblies on certain days. We could reduce the number of periods in a day to accommodate sports practice, or simply shift the practices later. The health benefits should vastly outweigh any logistical concerns.

In addition to delaying start times, Milton should also experiment with different types of class schedules. The current 45-minute system often doesn’t allow for deep exploration of a given topic or use of multiple learning styles and activities within a certain class. Long projects or trips to Boston are nearly impossible with the 45-minute schedule. By switching to a block schedule, with longer class times but possibly fewer class meetings per week or courses per semester, we could increase the instructional time and focus students’ efforts on fewer courses per day. The block schedule could reduce wasted transition periods between classes and get us ready for classes in college. Furthermore, several studies suggest that block schedules can improve test scores.

The one schedule change in the last four years–the shifting of advisory to after Wednesday assemblies–was initially a trial run, so after widespread student disapproval, the Wednesday schedule was fixed. With future schedule changes and experiments, student feedback should be gathered and implemented.

Regardless of the merits of these specific changes, the school should alter or experiment with the schedule. We have had the same schedule for multiple decades, despite numerous other possible options and a vastly increased body of knowledge about school schedules. There is clearly a better option, both to improve learning and increase sleep, and Milton should be open to embracing it: our learning and mental health is at stake. •

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Letters

Ms. Grant This article is about peeing. Yes, peeing. This fall I helped out with the kayak program. I sat on the bench in the lobby of the RSG opposite the girls’ bathroom waiting for the kayakers to arrive. Usually, I am on the fields coaching at 3:30 p.m., so I never really observed the goings on. At precisely 3:35 p.m. the kayakers arrived, along with the female climbers, the yogis and the Cannata girls. And, everyone needed to pee!

Not only did they need to pee, but most of them needed to change !

Oy….

A steady stream of boys headed downstairs where a multitude of toilets and urinals awaited them. But back to the girls… Into the lone bathroom strided the first girl to arrive feeling like a champion who had just won first prize- a chance to pee and change without having to wait in line! The “losers” began arriving, politely knocking on the door asking if she was almost done. Occasionally, a couple of good friends arrived together, willing to share the spaceone to pee, one to change, agreeing not to peek. This continued throughout the season, coaches frustrated and wondering why the girls were always late.

Over 30 years have passed since girls joined the boys in the RSG for coed physical education classes. It’s been 44 years since the passage of Title IX, and girls are still jockeying for the lone stall in the RSG! Having renovated a bathroom, I understand the expense. Fortunately, I have a cost free solution. What if every

other year we do a swap? Next year the girls use the downstairs locker room and toilets, and the boys get the pleasure of lining up in the lobby of the RSG waiting to use the single stall? Yes, it might be awkward at first trying to don those football pads in such a small space, but the boys will adjust. Coach Mac, being an understanding guy will certainly forgive his players’ tardiness, knowing that next year things will be different….

While I’m at it, there is another matter of hygiene that I would like to discuss. Showering! Where are the girls’ showers? This could be a terrific trivia question or a Where’s Waldo hunt. In general, we know that most girls would rather shower in their dorm or at home. Tonight, however, is the Glow Dance. You are a day student and do not have time to go home. You finished a grueling practice and long for a shower. You jog over to the CSG only to find out that the shower room was demolished when the Business Office was built. No problem. You sprint over to the Squash Courts. Having had Ms.Grant for PE, you know that there are two very nice showers there. Oh, you need a fob to open the door. No problem. Finally, you dart over to the ACC and fumble with the keypad on the varsity locker room only to be reminded that you did not make varsity, therefore, no access!

Feeling defeated, you remember what your great grandmother used to say: “ girls don’t sweat, they glow”.

You feel better….

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News

Heyburn Speaker XXXX

By LETITIA CHAN This year’s Heyburn speaker was Sarah Colt (’88), an independent documentary filmmaker who spoke about her film “Geronimo” during last Wednesday’s assembly in King Theater.

“Geronimo” is part four of the PBS special series on native history, We Shall Remain, and aired in 2009. As a storyteller, Ms. Colt sees making historical films as “putting together a puzzle that has a lot of different outcomes and reiterations.” In the assembly, she spoke about working on the documentary, on which she collaborated with Native American filmmaker Dustinn Craig. The difficulty the film entailed was apparent from the start, when she first described the project to her mentor, a renowned award-winning filmmaker, who said he “wouldn’t touch the project with a ten foot pole” because “native history [was] too hard, too complicated.” She also shed light on the discrepancy between the depiction of historical figures and their realistic character, since many apache do not see Geronimo as heroic, but “blame him for the multi-generational incarceration of natives by the U.S. government.” Her extensive research process before the filmmaking begins with reading everything she can, watching documentaries, and understanding the subject. To Ms. Colt, the biggest challenge in the making of that film was to “make a historically accurate, fair and balanced film about a person whose life and legacy remains contentious.”

Milton’s Development Office first identified Ms. Colt as a potential speaker, as they were familiar with her work since she is a Milton graduate. Once Ms. WuWong, chair of our History and Social Sciences Department, found out that Ms. Colt had produced a documentary film about Geronimo, she contacted her to see if she would like to speak to Milton students. “I had to make sure that the speaker could talk about a topic that corresponded to what our U.S. history classes were covering at this time,” Ms. WuWong explained. “We have never had a Heyburn speaker speak about Native American history, so I thought that might be a good topic for this year’s speaker.”

Students expressed mixed opinions in response to the assembly. Being a filmmaker, Ms. Colt is more focused on the filmmaking aspect of historical documentaries and consults historians for information in each of her projects. Some hoped her speech could have delved further into Native American history, since the Heyburn speaker series is a lecture in history. Malcolm McCann (I) said, “I wish a history scholar came to talk to us, though it was interesting to hear from a documentary filmmaker. It seems strange how she only talked about Geronimo, but she did that ten years ago. [In that sense] she might not have been a good fit for a history speaker.” Keisha Baffour-Addo (I) said, “As someone who

COURTESY OF MILTON ACADEMY

works with topics as sensitive about Native American history, it’s important to stay up to date with what’s going on. You can’t leave the project after your project was done, like their lives was a one time project.”

Some students wonder if the presentation would have been more intriguing if she had spoken more about her area of expertise, filmmaking, instead of history. Agnieszka Krotzer (I) said, “It would have been nice if she presented a more current project, or if she talked about projects she was more excited about.”

Eli Burnes (I) disagreed, saying, “I thought her presentation was brilliant. It provided good insight into seeing history through film.”

In the U.S. history classes that she visited on Thursday following the assembly, Ms. Colt explained her process of putting the movie together, from finding, scheduling, and conducting interviews with Apache people, to the animations which bring the scenes to life. She also described the difficulty of rendering multiple perspectives and deciding which sources of information to incorporate into her film.

She found oral history enjoyable, she said, because she felt that it was a perspective that wasn’t commonly told.

Haley Hunt (I), a student in one of the classes, thought “it was interesting how she balanced the two perspectives in her film, and tried to tell both sides of a story even if it meant getting backlash.” Mateen Tabatabaei (I) said he “appreciated when she spoke about how history was about distinguishing between sources and striking a balance.” Ms. Colt gave valuable perspective on the complex process of historical filmmaking that we may not have previously considered. “Geronimo” exemplifies the risk-taking of making controversial films and parsing contradicting sources of information to create an authentic representation of history. Although the assembly may not have been as informative on Native American history as expected, it certainly gave insight into the art of documentary filmmaking, on which she is an expert. •

Surgeon General CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ms. Singh, “he has his way of making everyone feel seen and heard and like their lives matter”.

Upon arriving to campus, Dr. Murthy met with approximately thirty students and faculty in Strauss for a small reception. Students and faculty had the opportunity to introduce themselves and converse. The group discussed problems associated with the Affordable Care Act, ways to be involved with government, and a hodgepodge of other issues.

“When I attended the event, I loved the opportunity to have a personal discussion with the surgeon general. It was great to hear his opinion on bipartisanship in health care reform. He spoke about the American electorate, and how it currently doesn’t really value candidates who support bipartasinship,” said Henry Burnes (I).

Dr. Murthy then proceeded to address all Upper school students and faculty in the FCC. Parents were welcome to attend, or watch via a live streaming option. His general talk was composed of three components: a monologue on his journey, a moderated interview and finally an open question and answer session.

Dr. Murthy began with an opening statement where he related his childhood experiences with medicine, and his unexpected journey to surgeon general. “I did ultimately pursue the path of government since I realized that there was an opportunity to help serve the health of our nation and contribute to public health at a time where the need is really great,” said Dr. Murthy.

“Serving in this position has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.” Dr. Murthy also provided life lessons. For instance he cautioned that “life is too short for us to keep delaying fulfillment.”

When approached by Ms. Singh for this opportunity to speak with the surgeon general on behalf of the student community, we decided to focus our discussion with him on public health issues all Milton students could relate to or deem important. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to ask all of our ideal questions, yet we believe that the discussion still featured an effective mix of personal anecdotes and policy recommendations. The varying topics addressed within this short speech should have allowed the assembly to appeal to all audience members. •

News Preparing for Winter

By EVITA THADHANI Whether you like it or not, winter is here. Several sources, including weather. com, predict that the winter temperatures will be colder than average in New England this year, which could ultimately cause more snowstorms. Milton Academy has dealt with winter before, but how will they do it this year?

Milton’s facilities team has already taken measures to ensure a smooth, safe winter for students and faculty. In addition to feeding the grass special fertilizer to preserve it through the winter, they have already drained all the pipes under the quad to prevent them from freezing. Facilities calls this process “winterization.” Facilities is responsible for the entire 150 acre campus, and there are many different buildings and areas that need to be prepared for winter. They need to close the pool, make the ice rink, and get the boilers ready to heat all the buildings. The facilities department consists of about twenty people, and right now they are all busy working everyday on completing these various tasks, each of which takes weeks.

Still, they have even more work ahead in the near future- especially as the snow falls. Steve Zannino, the Associate Director for Grounds, Events and Fleet Management explained, “Getting ready for the snow is a long process for us.”

As it turns out, facilities doesn’t have a winter break. Instead, they have to take care of the campus to ensure that the roads are shoveled, the pavement isn’t icy and the campus is safe to navigate.

Several nights a year, facility workers stay overnight for absurd hours trying to remove the snow in order for students to go to school. “We don’t leave until the job gets done,” Mr. Zannino added.

Their hours vary everyday, depending on the type of storm.

A lot of us look forward to the snow for many different reasons. Some students have never seen snow in their entire lives. But one common source of excitement generated by the prospect of snow is snow days. On the night before

COURTESY OF JACK DALEY

a predicted storm, students are generally checking snow day calculator (www. snowdaycalculator.com), betting on the chances, and awaiting a call announcing the snow day. Meanwhile, the facilities department is monitoring the weather broadcasts, preparing their bobcats and snow plows, and talking to Mr. Bland about the possibility for school the next day. The department holds great authority in a snow day decision; every day after a major storm, they confer with Mr. Bland at 4:00 AM about the weather conditions.

The shift from summer to winter is a long, hard task for the facilities department, but their work helps keep the campus safe and accessible. They work day and night for us, so next time you see facilities workers plowing the snow or tending to the grass, thank them. On top of all the shoveling they have to do at home, facilities workers make our campus usable. Mr. Zannino summarized, “What a lot of people don’t understand is when these guys leave here after working all day long and shoveling and plowing, they have to go do their own homes.” •

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Instructional Rounds CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 improve teaching internally. The Teaching and Learning Team hopes that by the end of next year, all Milton faculty will have participated in the rounds.

Math Department Chair Heather Sugrue participated in the first day of instructional rounds on November 18 as an observer. She emphasizes the importance of writing factual rather than assumed observations, “not saying something like, ‘I think this student was bored,’ but saying something like ‘one student was staring out the window.’” After visiting three different classes, her group of English teacher Hannah Pulit and Coach Ryan Stone came together to discuss their findings, search for categories and similarities, then combined with another group for a second, broader discussion. “As soon as you get to that point,” Ms. Sugrue shares, “the particular class doesn’t matter that much…you’re coming because you’re looking for what aspects of the problem of practice can be addressed based on the observations...” About moving from the micro to the macro, she concludes that “it wasn’t hard to collect information, but it was harder to connect it to the problem of practice than I thought it would be.”

According to Ms. Lillis, Harvard conducted a seminar last year for schools around the world to collect data from Milton classrooms. Last summer, she and a fellow member of the Teaching and Learning Team, Ms. Jacobsen, met with the woman who runs the program at Harvard to learn how to facilitate instructional rounds at Milton. Ms. Lillis claims that “some other prep schools do it but it’s not all that common yet.”

Some students believe that the rounds won’t achieve much, if anything, and that they benefit solely by gaining the extra free period. This belief is incorrect, but is understandable. Students will certainly benefit from having teachers who improve immediately after seeing how another teacher runs their own class, and, in the long term, by having a faculty that targets a very real, schoolwide flaw. Instructional rounds work best when the classes run naturally, so for now, students can not know the “problem of practice” that these rounds specifically target. •

If you find Peter Digiovanni, please return him to Monday TMP meetings.

Opinion

PAGE 6

The Silence Continues

The Breakdown of the Breaks

By VIVIAN SOONG

By EDWARD MORETA The first day after the election brought many different feelings and happenings: the shocked students crying in the middle of the Student Center, the confused teachers not knowing what to do for class, and the omnipresent discussion students of all walks of life could not avoid. The amount of extreme emotion, on both sides of the election, cannot be denied. Milton fell into an offbeat rhythm for the rest of the week.

Signs began to flood the walls with messages of courage and hope and signs for students to write their true hopes and fears.

After one or two days of classes, some of the campus seemed to be overwhelmed by all of the informal talk from this election, and others could not wait to get away from this topic, whether they cared or did not.

Students went to the Milton pep rally, and the next day the Veterans’ day flag ceremony occurred.

And the weekend rolled around. Sports teams played at Nobles, and as Milton students, we all had work that needed to be done and turned in, assignments that needed to be completed from the extremely emotional and stressful week we all had.

Monday brought a longer Monday morning assembly with speakers from many different types of backgrounds and identities, and in the afternoon forums were created for students and teachers to say their opinions about the environment of Milton as a whole, and what we can do to create change on the Milton Campus.

After almost a month post-election, from the emotional extreme that Milton endured and lived through, there has been a complete shift from the election and politics as a whole. Given that there was only one whole-school assembly and forum since the election, the campus as a whole has seemed to let the aftermath of the election fly completely over our heads.

From the Ku-Klux-Klan victory rally, to

the Hamilton play statement to Vice President-Elect Mike Pence, and the many cabinet appointments in the last month, politics has taken a backseat to many. The voices and cries that we heard about protests and injustices have slowly quieted down, not because they have lost value or belief, but because Milton’s climate is like this: the next test gets handed out, the next try-outs occur, the next break happens. And everything is supposed to fix itself on its own, with no conversation or understanding.

The backseat has happened because of two major things, being the lack of conversation and the Milton culture that surrounds these hard conversations to have.

In the first days post-election, Milton Administration stated they would have more times for conversation on a forum level like the ones in the afternoon more than once. Still, we have yet to see when the next one will actually occur, and the fact we have not had one recently has to do with the dying down of all of the emotions and opinions. Students and teachers need help to lead the conversation because most of the time, it is the same students who attend these meetings, and these groups tend to be the same on a year round basis. Without administration leading the charge and making these conversations a priority, the students will not have guidance on how to lead the change on a grander scheme. And it is not the fact that we need guidance or help, it is the fact that people get tired of saying the same thing, to the same groups, and they want to break the barriers of just those people; they want to make these things known and clear to others so that we can all gain from them and further the Milton community.

To add, the Milton community is unable to respond quickly to current events, if at all. In terms of the election, the community did not talk about the current election

A little over a week ago, our Thanksgiving break ended, and now we are mindlessly counting down the days until winter break (4 more days!). We haven’t even been back in school for that long, and our next break is already around the corner. Although the time between Thanksgiving break and winter break is a mere two and a half weeks, it is one of the most stressful times of the year because teachers try to cram entire units into this short time period. As a way to mentally prepare for the intense weeks to follow, I think Milton should start the Thanksgiving break on the Friday before Thanksgiving, rather than the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.

I’m sure that most people, myself included, question why we have those two extra days of school before break. According to Mr. Ball “[The administration examines] this issue periodically, including whether we should continue to have the Monday after Thanksgiving off.”

Mr. Ball mentioned that when designing the school calendar, “[they] consider the experience of day students in the lower school, middle school, and upper school and the experience of boarding students in the upper school.” Making decisions about breaks is difficult because they must take into account the interests and needs of all types of students, not just one group. For example, the timing of winter break is designed to benefit not only the boarders but also the entire school. As Mr. Ball said, “if we were to get out a week later, we would have people traveling at a very intense travel period in some years, and if we came back a week later, we would either have only two weeks left in the semester, or have unbalanced semesters, or have to extend the year to ensure balanced semesters.”

Thanksgiving break was our first long break since the beginning of the year, but when you think about it, we don’t even get a full week off from school.

Many other private schools get out on the Friday before Thanksgiving and, therefore, are able to get a full week off from school. The brevity of our break often makes travel plans difficult for students who live far away, especially international students. When asked for her opinions on Thanksgiving break, Hannah Neri (II) said, “I wish Thanksgiving break was longer so that I could

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Opinion Milton's Asian-American Voice CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 I do want to acknowledge that one Asian student sat on the panel, and everything she said was invaluable and cannot be forgotten. However, the experience of one Asian international student experience cannot be all encompassing and cannot accurately represent the nuanced and unique experiences that Asians with different backgrounds have. The Asian American experience is vastly different from the Asian international student experience and needed to be represented as a separate entity in the assembly.

Perhaps what pains me the most is that the Friday prior to the Monday assembly, a group of Asian and Asian American students sent a letter to the administration asking for a clearer response from the school about the election. Though our email didn’t ask specifically for Asian American representation, these students, myself included, asked for a reaffirmation of what Milton stood for. After reading Mr. Ball’s reply as well as the school’s email about Monday’s assembly, I had high hopes for Monday morning. However, the lack of an Asian American representative on the panel felt like overlooking a group of students who had already expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of response from the school.

To be honest, I struggled to decide whether or not I should even write this article. I didn’t want to undermine all of the positives of the assembly. The school spent a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure we could even have that assembly. We are all incredibly privileged for attending a school that gives us a platform for allowing so many people to share their perspectives when the school could have easily chosen to overlook the matter. I genuinely believe all of the good that came out of the assembly outweighs this one negative aspect, and my overall impression of the assembly is still overwhelmingly positive.

But, for Asian Americans, our stories and perspectives are frequently forgotten. Our history in America, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, is rarely taught in history classes in America. Our portrayal in the media is often a one-dimensional stereotype with an over exaggerated accent meant for comedic relief. Nuanced Asian American roles are frequently portrayed by white actors rather than by Asian American actors who have actually lived through and can understand the mindset and experiences of Asian characters. Only two Asian American men have won an Academy Award for acting (1982, 1984), and only one Asian American woman has

won (1957). Our opinions about race are often overlooked because racism is so frequently boiled down to an issue between only those who are white or black.

Donald Trump has used mocking accents in speeches about foreign relations with China and has threatened to cut off immigration from the Philippines. He, at the very least, doesn’t understand the serious negative effects of Asian stereotypes, which only feeds into the model minority myth that perpetuates only one type of Asian experience, fitting the rest of us in a neat box where we do not belong.

Because Asian Americans all across the country are frequently ignored and overshadowed for a variety of reasons, I felt that just this one time, I needed to bring light to an issue that would have otherwise gone unnoticed and forgotten by many members in our community. Just this one time, I needed to point out an instance when my story as an Asian American was again forgotten. Asian Americans need to start taking ownership of our stories. We hold the responsibility of fighting to tell our stories and perspectives because no one else is going to fight for us.

I do not want to suggest that the school should in any way have prevented another student or faculty member from speaking in order to make room for an Asian American representative. I do, however, wish the school had simply added an additional student to represent a group of people who are already so often abandoned in political discussions.

I wanted to hear my story being spoken.

I wanted to have a moment where I could look at a peer on the panel and think, “Finally. Finally someone has voiced what I have been thinking for so long.” I resonated with many of the stories that were said, but none of those stories were my story.

I expect this feeling of being overlooked when I travel into a small, predominantly-white town in the outskirts of Wisconsin or when I turn on the TV and see only actors who look nothing like myself. However, I did not expect this feeling walking into a morning assembly that was meant to “[share] a range of heartfelt experiences.”

I don’t believe the administration meant to intentionally leave out the voices of Asian Americans, but they did leave us out. Asian Americans make up 10% of this school. We are valuable members of this community, and our experiences deserve to be valued as well. “A range of heartfelt experiences” needs to include Asian Americans, and our stories should not and cannot be forgotten again. •

PAGE 7

Silence Continues CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 until very late, and most teachers liked to put it off until they actually felt was necessary; this is very common in the Milton community as a whole. For example, a black man needs to be killed in our country to talk about police injustices and racism that happen on a day-to-day level. Even though things like prejudice and racism and injustice occur on a daily basis to all people, something catastrophic must happen so that we can speak and have opinions.

The election was just another example of our silence, and if we do not correct this, our community will always be at fault. We will never be able to be prepared and as awake as we should be because we never want to have hard conversations.

The people that are prepared for these conversations are hushed or pushed into the background; and, of course, with the next assignment comes a whole new set of opportunities and priorities that we all have. Still though, the Milton community should be forced to talk about these hard issues and take stances on events happening in the world and our country today.

Without acknowledging current issues, we will never recognize them in our own community, and never be able to speak on them without having one-sided debates and arguments that get us nowhere. Try to talk with friends and teachers about present conflicts, try to urge people to voice their opinions, because we should not take the long route to get to where we want to be. By trying to talk and get through these conversations, we get the caring place of inclusivity and diversity that we want and need. •

Breakdown of Breaks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 go home easily.” Hannah lives in Shanghai, China, and every year she faces the difficult decision of whether or not to go home for Thanksgiving break. Hannah added, “it is so hard to go home during Thanksgiving break because my travel time is over 25 hours, so I am only home for 3 to 4 days, and considering how expensive tickets are, it’s not worth it.”

Taking into account that the international students are a significant part of the student body, I think that the administration should extend the Thanksgiving break so that all students have the opportunities to see their families. In addition, I believe that the extra few days of rest will allow for the students to prepare for the stressful weeks following Thanksgiving break. •

PAGE 8

Lead Poisoning in Boston Neighborhoods

By NATASHA ROY Infants and young children born into low-income communities are more likely to be subjected to toxic drinking water. In our first world country, the very sources of sustenance some rely on is their greatest hazard. Nearly 1,400 water systems serving 3.6 million Americans have exceeded the federal lead standard at least once between 2013 and 2015, according to an Associated Press analysis.

278 of these systems are owned and operated by schools and daycare centers spanning 41 states. While lead contaminated water is dangerous to everyone, unborn babies and young children are especially at risk due to their developing bodies which makes them more susceptible to absorbing and retaining lead. Exposure has been linked to IQ deficits, shortened attention spans, behavioral problems, hearing damage, and stunted growth.

Low-income communities, ones that are statistically likely to contain increased percentages of people of color, are at the greatest risk. These past few months have been dominated by outrage and protests against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which was deemed too unsafe for the white community through which it was originally meant to run, and thus moved to a Native American community. For our government, it’s completely acceptable to subject individuals to environmentally unsafe conditions, just as long as they’re not rich and white. We’re all thus at least familiar with the notion that race and neglect from the government very often go hand in hand.

In fact, in Massachusetts over 264,000 residents rely on water systems that have exceeded the federal lead standard at least once over the past three years. It may come as no surprise that many of these neighborhoods, including Dorchester and Malden, make up Massachusetts’ lower income population and contain high populations of people of color.

When faced with these outrageous statistics, however, the state’s response has been ineffective at best. The district expects to spend $415,000 this school year to provide bottled water in two-thirds of schools citywide in a bid to provide children with safe water. However, elevated lead levels were found in 154 of the 639 samples taken at schools using bottled water since 2013. Clearly, then, bottled water cannot be a conducive solution. Another so-called “solution” came in the form of school officials recently launching a $300,000 project

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Opinion

Conservative Corner

Gun Culture

By JEROME VAINISI American gun culture has drawn global interest for many years, targeted as the catalyst for mass shootings yet hailed as integral for a government-independent mentality. For even longer, American politicians have gone to war over the legality of “assault weapons,” and the resulting uproar in communities across the country made one thing clear to everyone: Americans, especially rural Americans, love their guns. And with the new far-right president elect, gun control is undoubtedly a long, long way out. Data taken from firearms manufacturers suggests a frighteningly high and ever growing number: as of 2014, Americans legally owned roughly 371 million guns with a population of 319 million people. The National Rifle Association now has a news channel and several political commentators. Why is gun culture such a powerful part of American life, and can it shoulder the blame for the exponentially larger shooting epidemic of recent years?

“Politicians pass laws for Gun-Free School Zones,” Wayne Lapierre commented shortly after the 2014 Sandy Hook shootings. “They issue press releases bragging about them. They post signs advertising them. And in so doing, they tell every insane killer in America that schools are their safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk.” This statement, propagated largely by critics of gun control, is indicative of the American attitude towards gun ownership: they seem to believe that legal gun ownership is somehow correlated with responsibility. While any educated dissenter could point to countless instances of irresponsible gun usage leading to death, there is some substance to the idea that higher rates of gun ownership can lead to safer cities. According to data.worldbank. org, 1995 saw roughly 8 intentional homicides per 100,000 people, whereas 2013 saw only 4. Gun homicides are down 49% since 1993, whereas gun ownership increased and continues to increase linearly.

Referencing only that data, one can conclude decisively that there’s a clear trend: more guns in the general populace means less gun violence. Chicago, a city in which handguns were banned for nearly 30 years, has some of the highest rates of gun violence in America, whereas West Texas, an area with very large clusters of concentrated gun ownership, has significantly lower rates of violence. The answer to this issue, however, is not that simple. Factors like Chicago’s gang element and poverty do

away with what the NRA considers “gun culture” because much of the gun violence in major cities and low income areas stems from systemic racism and the presence of guns only as agents of persuasion, not self defense or sport. Legal gun owners have reportedly stopped several major shootings in gun-dense states like South Carolina and Mississippi, but across the board, accidents in public are far more likely. The point of these anecdotes is that gun culture as it is called out by the left-wing, anti-gun politicians is not the source of the violence plaguing inner cities: years of systemic racism and institutional failures gave birth to a violent gang culture full of illegal guns and illegal drugs. What these politicians fail to recognize is that the American inability to deconstruct these gangs is the real source of exponential gun violence.

The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, according to the Second Amendment. The Scots-Irish of rural Appalachia and the Deep South are characterized by their distrust of government, tracing all the way back to their brutally oppressed ancestors in Scotland and Ireland. While the living descendants of the settlers have not endured such oppression, the tenements live on: give government an inch, and it’ll take a mile. Their way of forcing the government to check itself is owning enough guns that theoretically, they could wage a theoretical war against the government. While this seems irrational, the sentiment is strong across the board. 46% of American guns are owned purely for self defense -- not hunting, not target shooting. 46% of American gun owners, millions of people, own guns to defend themselves and their property.

While rural gun culture doesn’t produce the same levels of violence as inner city gun culture, the premise remains troubling until we consider civilian uprisings in Syria and Egypt -- while neither side can be declared “good” and these conflicts have cost many lives, the civilians without a voice forced a brutal dictatorship to listen to them. And they didn’t do it by calling their representatives.

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun,” Vice President Wayne Lapierre said shortly after the 2014 preschool shootings in Connecticut. The NRA demanded a federal law installing armed policeman in schools as

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t w e t s c i d h s s i n s

i o m b t a t t t M s s s

w n A a s s b o e i u t h a

t 2 fi m f c a d l

Opinion Unstandardized Testing

By NOAH CHENG As many students know, standardized testing is designed to create a platform where everyone can be compared. For example, high school seniors applying to a certain college come from different schools, which use different grading and class rank systems, so colleges understandingly need to find a way to compare students across different high schools. While I highly dislike the notion of comparing two students, in reality, I know colleges select students based on comparison. However, in the scheme of our society’s socioeconomics, standardized testing is far from standardized.

Certain policies around this type of testing allow for unfair advantages based on one’s financial status. Not everyone has the money to pay for a tutor, to buy a review book, and to buy a TI-Nspire calculator– tools that increase performance. With these advantages, people who can afford all of these resources are more likely to do well than their equally smart and qualified counterparts who can not afford the extras. As Mr. Skinner told the Class I students, test scores are most highly-correlated to the student’s parents’ education and financial situation.

However, I do not believe that students with the money to get extra help should not take advantage of those opportunities.

A student who gets a tutor, a review book, and such strive to excel on the test, so he or she should be at liberty to do so. That being said, I believe that those test scores have to be looked at “holistically” (a favorite word of Class I students). While colleges, for example, are able to see a student's’ family income in his or her application, I am unsure how much they compare that with the student’s SAT or ACT scores. I would hope that the admissions representatives are able to understand a low test score if

the student’s family income is low and to, accordingly, lower the scores’ weight in the admissions process.

Many colleges are going test optional, which I believe is a beneficial process. Nonetheless, I still believe that when there is an “optional” task, determined students want to complete the “optional.”

Yet, these optional materials must truly be optional, so that students who may not do well on the test because they did not get any outside assistance do not have to send in test scores that may hurt their application.

The socioeconomic aspect behind standardized testing further highlights how the classes in our society remain as they are. Hypothetically speaking, a qualified student from the lower class who gets a poor test score may be rejected from good colleges, which provide him or her numerous opportunities. While that student may pursue higher education, he or she will most likely remain in the lower classes of society. On the other hand, an upper class student can afford accessories that help him or her do exceedingly well on a standardized test, sending the student to a prestigious university. Standardized testing is just one example of many phenomena in our society that perpetuates the sharp divide between socioeconomic class.

The only solution I see to making standardized tests standardized is to eliminate them completely, but, then, colleges have no tool to compare students. In theory, a society where all students could get a tutor, review book, and calculator standardized testing would be highly beneficial, because all students would be provided with equal opportunities to succeed. Unfortunately, our society is not that way and it will never be like that. Therefore, for colleges at least, I think the best plan of action is to make testing optional and, then, to closely look at family income to find a reason why testing was or was not included. •

Dangers of the Internet

By NIHAL RAMAN The internet stands as the greatest technological advancement of the past 20 years, revolutionizing countless fields, from television to commerce to medicine. The internet acts as a platform for learning, as anyone with access has a vast reservoir of information at his or her fingertips. However, when digging through a source of almost unlimited information, it is inevitable to

run across erroneous information, and this is where the web falters.

Social media forces users to look at only the opinions that they subscribe to, thereby making it nearly impossible for them to see different perspectives. A 2016 Pew Research Center study found that 62% of American adults use social media for news, with the top 3 sites being Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter.

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PAGE 9

Lead Poisoning CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 to repair and upgrade plumbing so fountain water could be restored in six buildings. Yet these fountains could never be used because they still contain high amounts of lead.

So what, then, is to be done? Can we really just sit back and accept that a child born with a certain skin color or into a low-income neighborhood will be subject to toxic drinking water and health hazards? We as a society, and certainly as a community of students, simply cannot go another day accepting these injustices. Just last week, we all gathered in the FCC to hear the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, speak to us about his job and position in health policy. Remember Murthy’s closing statement: “I believe that you are our greatest chance of overcoming the big challenges that we have. And though you may not believe that right now… our country cannot afford to wait. You have more power than you realize.” If a spokesperson of the federal government believes that we can affect change, then let’s take a stand, today, against the racial bias in our own Boston area.

Let’s decide that it isn’t okay for your safety, and lack there of, to be decided by your race and the mean income of your neighborhood.

Let’s decide that injustice cannot be tolerated, and let’s decide that it ends with us. •

Gun Culture CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 a solution to violence there. President Obama, flanked by crying mothers, demanded common sense gun laws, a plea that certainly doesn’t seem unreasonable. American gun culture is to blame for these tragedies, but there are too many other factors to condemn it entirely. Adam Lanza, Dylan Rooff, and many other shooters all took prescribed medicines for sometimes violent psychological conditions, yet no study has been done describing the side effects of these medicines. We cannot blame the guns without looking into the shooter’s life, considering the factors that might have induced this violence.

Whether it’s racism or mental health issues or any of the countless reasons, we need to explore other options to reduce gun violence before removing guns from law-abiding people. Before we take the same guns that someday, in the future, we’ll wish we still had. •

Winter Article Count: 34

Opinion

PAGE 10

You is Smart. You is Kind. You is Important.

By CELENA ECCLESTON Self-love, the regard for one’s own well-being and happiness, is a foreign term to many students. Despite the importance of self-love, it seems as if many of us are incapable of actually listing our defining personality traits. Personally, I’ve been struggling with this concept for quite some time, and some of my closest friends have been as well. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that there are quite a few culprits for the decline I have had in loving myself. My grades aren’t quite where I want them to be; my relationships aren’t quite where I want them to be. A multitude of other personal reasons influence my current situation.

Satisfaction is sometimes illusive.

Through realizing that I’ve been facing all these problems, I have also realized that perhaps I wasn’t loving myself the way that I should have. Simple concepts, like eating right and balancing my sleep, soon became ideals that I needed to constantly remind myself to pursue. I was so caught up in my problems that I realized that I was lacking in the selflove department. I decided I immediately needed to take some action. After some research, I finally came up with eight important ways to redirect myself on the path to better self-love: I practiced positive self-talk. All of my negative thoughts had to be countered with positive ones about myself.

Although I may not have necessarily believed what I told myself initially, my constant positive affirmations made me start to believe them.

I stopped comparing myself to others. “S/he is so smart, s/he is so great is sports, I can never be as great as him/her

at [insert subject]”. It can be extremely easy to compare my worth to other people. But I now realize that each person has their own niche. Everyone is great at something; what are my strengths?

I stopped striving for perfection. Of course I wanted the best things to happen to me, but I realized that maybe not everything I want is meant to be. I’m only human, therefore I can’t do everything a hundred percent perfectly. I learned to embrace all of my imperfections.

I stopped beating myself up for making mistakes. It’s just part of being human to make mistakes. It will happen no matter how hard I try to prevent it.

I focused on the things that I am capable for changing. I can change how I approach things, I can change my outlook; there’s no use of stressing over what I can’t control, so I’ll stress over what I do have power over.

I need to take time to do things that I enjoy. Doing so always reduces my stress levels a great deal, so why not give it a shot?

I celebrated the small stuff. If I did something as small as planning to manage my time, I could celebrate it. At least I had a plan in motion. The small stuff leads to the big stuff, after all.

I kept my supportive friends close by. Keeping a great support system is always a great way to stay positive and friends always manage to remind you how to valuable you are to the people around you.

So, my hope and advice for everyone is to not only try to love yourself some more, but slso to realize how important you are, not only to other people, but to yourself. •

Dangers of the Internet CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 All social media sites have one thing in common: users primarily see only what they want to see. For example, for a news story to pop up on someone’s Facebook news feed, that person would need to have “liked” the news source itself or have a friend who shared the article. These two restrictions are anything but general; both make sure that users don’t get many differing opinions to their own. So, for example, a liberal who liked The Huffington Post on Facebook will see a very different perspective than a conservative who liked Breitbart.

The World Wide Web provides an environment conducive to thoughts and ideas that are harmful to our society.

For instance, the first result that comes up after searching the phrase “vaccines cause autism” is entitled “Vaccines DO Cause Autism—Undeniable Scientific Proof,” although it’s been proven that this is not true. The fact that such a falsehood is so easily validated on the internet proves to be quite troubling.

The fact that the internet helps legitimize inaccurate ideas shows that the internet—while an excellent tool—hinders sensibility.

Then what’s the solution? First, people should utilize multiple established news sources. By aggregating perspectives on a topic, people can better understand a topic and form thoughtful, sensible views on it. Second, people should use common sense when looking at news online. The internet proves harmful when people absorb irrational information and opinions. By using common sense, internet users should avoid irrational parts of the internet and think sensibly about topics. The internet is a powerful, useful tool, but it only helps society when used correctly. •

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Arts & Enterainment Moana Review

PAGE 11

Is Kanye Over?

By MADISON LYNCH In Moana, the newest Disney production, the daughter of a Polynesian chief goes on a voyage to save her island from destruction by voyaging across the sea. Moana may be of high status on her island and be accompanied by an animal sidekick, but she keenly denies being called a ‘princess.’ Although Moana upholds the Disney princess brand, Ron Clements and John Musker, the film’s directors, had a vision beyond that of ultimate matrimony for Moana, stating that they “saw this as a hero’s journey, a coming-of-age story, in a different tradition than the princess stories.”

As Disney broadens its cultural scope and delves deeper into the role of the princess than simply romanticizing her, Moana nevertheless retains the same classic charm Disney films have always had.

Aside from lacking a love interest, Moana looks significantly different from other Disney princesses. She’s built much more solidly, with a body that director Musker thinks would help her “to hold her own in the demands of this physical environment.”

Accordingly, in the studio, animators continuously tested whether her body would actually survive the disasters Moana faces at sea. Moana is not your average tall, skinny, blonde princess, but offers a face and body that more girls could actually see themselves in.

Moana speaks to more than young girls: it is a story of self-discovery that audiences of any age can identify with. Early in the film, Moana has to choose between her father’s demands that she stay close to home and accept her role as the island’s chief, and her desire to explore beyond her island. When she asks, “What’s wrong with me?” it’s hard to envision anyone who hasn’t asked the same question.

As far as audience reception, Moana has succeeded in every regard. “I loved the movie,” commented Henry Westerman (I). “I’ve already seen it twice. I loved all the songs; Lin Manuel Miranda did an awesome job and made them all super catchy. Also, the story was so touching, I felt like it was much more real than a typical Disney movie, but also maintained that level of fantasy that everyone loves. The island is deeply engrained in my mind.” Other viewers have been similarly positive about the movie, which received a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Moana is an inspiring heroine, intelligent and courageous, whose individual aspirations aid her in helping the greater good. For those looking for a fun movie experience, along with a step away from the traditional Disney princess stereotypes, Moana is the movie for you. •

COURTESY OF ABC7 NEWS

West at his San Jose conert where he spoke about his political beliefs.

By ADITYA GHANDI A short while after the results of the 2016 Presidential election were unveiled, another curtain was drawn; the grand reveal that Kanye West is a Trump supporter. Many fans were subsequently angered, and #KanyeIsOverParty began to trend on Twitter. #KanyeIsOverParty is indicative of some of Kanye’s fans being so furious at his open support of Trump that they want Kanye’s career to end.

Under normal circumstances, it would be outrageous that Kanye could experience such backlash for expressing his political views. The 2016 Presidential election, however, presents Americans with a unique political situation. Yes, the nation has previously seen its people polarized as they are now, and a candidate has before lost the election even after winning the popular vote. This election’s singularity stems from what Trump-antagonists allege to be the circulation of hate, i.e. racism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, etc.

Throughout the election, Americans have developed a habit of judging fellow citizens, from family members to strangers, based on the candidate whom they support. These political goggles are exemplary of how emotionally charged the 2016 election has been. Moreover, debates about the election have added fuel to certain generalizations, e.g. that liberals suppress Trump supporters, or that Trump supporters are all bigots, and these generalizations hinder people expressing their opinions. Such accusations have echoed most resoundingly in the crevices of areas such as New England and Milton Academy, where the mass of Hillary supporters considerably outweighs that of Trump supporters.

Although arguments concerning the election typically occur among friends or family members, the political tension that accompanies the 2016 Presidential election has the capability to affect any relationship—even one between the lionized Kanye West and his fans.

Thus, while some may argue against the idea, the election seems to signify more than a battle of politics; the value of certain individuals’ humanity is said to be at stake with Trump in the Oval Office. Since emotions have been so intense due to the nature of the election, the reactions of certain Kanye fans are understandable, though not necessarily agreeable. Some argue that there should be somewhat of a distinction—for Kanye as well as other important figures—between a celebrity’s career, e.g. music, and his or her political opinions, even in the case of Trump’s election.

The line dividing one’s work from his or her political opinions should be viewed at as similar to the line that separates church from state. Not all citizens of a state share one religion, so legislators do not pass laws that are influenced by religious doctrine. A citizen should not criticize a law based on whether it abides by his or her religion’s decree.

In a religiously tolerant state, i.e. not a theocracy, laws are unaffected by religion, since religion is meant to be private and individual (or at least familial or communal). Likewise, Kanye’s fans do not all fall on the same spot on the political spectrum. Kanye’s music, while most definitely not meant to be taken as law, is made for his fans, the metaphorical citizens of a state in which Kanye is the sole legislator. Neither the political opinions of Kanye nor his fans should be of importance when considering Kanye’s music; fans can support Kanye’s music at the same time as harboring political views different than his. When fans goes to a Kanye concert, they are there to enjoy the music, not to discuss politics.

Of course, Kanye’s announcement that he is a Trump supporter is about as unique as the election. Kanye made his announcement at a concert, which, in a way, violated the idea that fans’ support for Kanye has little to do with politics, as they were forced to listen

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Arts & Enterainment

PAGE 12

A Galaxy Not So Far Far Away: Star Wars Rogue One Preview

Gambino Review

COURTESY OF THE RICHEST

Ben Mendelsohn in Star Wars Rogue One Trailer

By STAR WARS CLUB As December break looms enticingly on the horizon, many in the Milton community prepare for one of the most pivotal events of the year: the release of the new Star Wars film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first in a series of stand-alone Star Wars films.

Since Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, the Star Wars universe has been undergoing a transformation to meet the new vision set out by Disney’s leadership.

Following a ten year hiatus after Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith in 2005, fans once again flocked to theaters last December to see The Force Awakens, a continuation of the beloved Star Wars saga and the first installment of the new, Disney produced, Star Wars trilogy. The Force Awakens was a fantastic success, in all senses of the word, receiving an average 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossing an incredible $2 billion worldwide, shattering previous box office records set by Avatar. Fans anticipate a similarly thrilling adventure from 2017’s Episode VIII, thus far unnamed, but in the meantime have Rogue One to whet their appetites.

Disney hopes to follow up The Force Awakens’ success with a new kind of Star Wars film, taking things in an entirely different direction with Rogue One. The movie takes place 34 years before Episode 7, showing viewers the lead up to the original Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope, and is directed by Gareth Edwards, known for 2014’s Godzilla reboot. The stars are an entirely new batch of heroes, populating a rogue band of Rebel soldiers led by Jyn Erso (played by Felicity

Jones) tasked with stealing the plans of the first Death Star in order to set A New Hope’s events into motion. Other heroes include blind Force-monk Chirrut Îmwe (played by Donnie Yen), machine gun toting mercenary Baze Malbus (played

by Jiang Wen), the renegade captain of the crew Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna), and his security-droid sidekick K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk). Though fans know the inevitable outcome of the plot going in, the details of the story are unknown.

Looking further into the future, Star Wars fans are in even better luck. According to Disney’s new plan, following Episode VIII in 2017 will be another Star Wars Story spin off in 2018, following the adventures of a young Han Solo (played by Alden Ehrenreich) and Lando Calrissian (played by Donald Glover), to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who previously teamed up on The LEGO Movie). Announcements for the new film are already generating a significant level of hype, even two years in advance. And, after Episode IX’s release in 2019, the future of the Star Wars universe is uncertain, but full of possibilities.

The Milton Community is already abuzz with Rogue One hype, a week out from the premiere. “I’m super excited for Rogue One! I’m going to see the movie on opening night with a couple of my friends, and I think it’ll be an awesome time” commented JJ Batt (I), cohead of Star Wars club. “I really enjoyed TFA, so I hope Disney will be able to follow up with something new and different this time around.” •

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

By LIZ FOSTER Awaken, My Love! is not your typical Childish Gambino album. For fans looking toward another Camp or Because the Internet, you're not going to find it here.

Awaken, My Love! lacks the typical clever word play and hip hop beats, but it is still defiantly, unapologetically Gambino. Awaken feels like it has come from a place of compassion, an album written and produced from the heart. It fuses soul and funk, creating a psychedelic vibe throughout the record. Donald Glover returns to the music scene by writing each song, as well as bringing back Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson to produce the entire album. While tracks like “Me and Your Mama” are full of quiet strength and elicit feelings of calm bliss, others like “Boogieman” and “Riot” are explosive, pulling out a full force of instruments to create a cinematic sound. Where the album lacks in funny one liners, it makes up for with message carrying lyrics such as “Redbone's” “Stay woke/ Now don’t close your eyes” and “But they don't pay for no privilege/ Now she broke in Korea Town” on “California.”

Following the success of his hit show Atlanta, his past albums and mixtapes, and countless credits for the writing of some of the best comedies on TV in the past decade, Donald Glover did not need to make an album to please fans. Speaking in an interview to Billboard about

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Featured Opinion Is Kanye Over?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 to his political views instead of his music. Moreover, as previously mentioned, Trump’s election is a bitter topic for many. Many fans feel as if his support of Trump is not a political opinion, but a reflection of hateful principles. Some people may have gone to the concert just to find out that a musician whom they admire does not, in their view, support their human rights. They are in a situation similar to one where a state legislator believes in a religion that undermines the worth of many of the citizens as humans, which justifies their anger. Some fans would have too much trouble accepting Kanye being a Trump supporter to listen to his music.

Still, it is just as valid for those who feel threatened by Trump and protest Kanye’s support of the President-elect to continue to listen to Kanye’s music. Certain fans could, with reason, have the opinion that Kanye supporting Trump does not have any impact upon the quality of his music and that listening to Kanye’s music will not change their own opinions on the election. In other words, both Kanye and his fans can retain their political opinions while maintaining a relationship that was formed by music, despite the popular opinion that “Kanye is over.” •

Gambino CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 the album, Glover made it clear that Awaken, My Love! was more than just an album, asking “How do you start a global revolution, really? Is that possible with the systems we’ve set up? There’s something about that ’70s black music that felt like they were trying to start a revolution.”

Glover’s attempt at change was creating an album that did not just emulate iconic black groups from the past, such as Funkadelic, but also one that is unapologetically black. Awaken, My Love! may very well be a revolution in itself.

For those without the time to indulge in the full eleven track LP, I’d recommend “Me and Your Mama,” “Baby Boy,” and “Riot” to get a bitesized taste of the album. •

PAGE 13

Screw this Toxic College Culture

By MATEEN TABATABAEI In the coming weeks, approximately 90% of the senior class will be hearing back from colleges for the early round of admissions.

Leading up to the release of decisions, class deans and college counselors have addressed each class individually in preparation for a wave of college news and emotional seniors.

Emphasizing to underclassmen the importance of avoiding the topic of college with their senior friends, given the massive stress and anxiety the topic generates, is a prudent first step. This approach, however, represents a “bandaid” solution which does nothing to alter the underlying problem of an extremely flawed and toxic culture surrounding college admission.

Too often, students regard college as a definitive evaluation of their worth rather than a means to an end. We obsess over prestige, rank, and The Ivy League when in reality, these things have little bearing on how effective the next leg of our education is. By and large, we take college much too seriously—to the point of prompting appalling competitiveness (even if it may be hidden) and jealousy rather than pride for one another’s successes.

This view towards college also compromises our ability to rebound from the news of a rejection or waitlist, so much so that students in some dorms have even been warned to “not use the word ‘college’ in the next few weeks.”

That these measures must be taken to protect students’ emotions underscores a grossly excessive sensitivity and obsession about college among students.

Swept up by the lure of “brand names,” we forget that what matters more than the school you attend is what you make out of the experience. If you’ve spent these years at Milton enjoying the privilege to attend one of the best high schools in the world, exploring various interests and building different skills, forging lasting friendships, and developing a healthy work ethic and commitment to learning, then you have all the experience, skills, and support network to thrive at any college you’ll end up at.

Unlike with regard to many issues The Paper addresses, Milton Academy as an institution is not at fault here. To the contrary, the College Office does a great job of managing people’s expectations and ensuring their strategy for applying to schools is logical, not emotional, and teachers are understanding about college-induced stress. No, we students have ourselves to blame.

Needless to say, it’s impossible to be unaffected, at least to some extent, by bad news.

To be unable to bear to hear the word “college” or see peers wearing gear from a college one doesn’t get into, however, takes natural disappointment to an unhealthy level. The emotional whiplash some Milton students

have historically experienced due to college decisions is befitting of much graver news.

Students’ aversion to the successes of their peers further exemplifies the toxicity of Milton’s college culture. We regard wearing the gear of the college you’re admitted to, or posting an affirmative college decision on Facebook, as selfish and callous acts, whereas such understandable expressions of pride constitute the norm at most other schools. And rightly so, for the success of one person should not spark jealousy and dejection in another. Besides, it’s just a matter of time before where one matriculates becomes public knowledge, thus further defeating the purpose of secrecy.

Unfortunately, Milton’s current mindset makes the concept of sharing college decisions on social media outlandish and unfeasible.

In part, this is because the college process is unequivocally unfair. This reality is made particularly obvious by Milton’s composition of talented, smart people, of which the majority would likely thrive in the most rigorous undergraduate programs in the country. And yet, the most coveted schools have historically filled no more than 10 or 15 admissions spots with students from Milton. As a result, the x-factors which constitute admissions decisions can often appear unfair, particularly given Milton’s affinity for parents that are connected alums of the most selective colleges.

There is, fortunately, a more realistic and potentially paradigm-shifting act students can partake in than posting affirmative decisions on Facebook: sharing negative decisions instead. Newton South, one of the best public high schools in the state, harbors a “Wall of Shame”: a bulletin board wholly committed to college rejection letters. Whether or not students leave their names on their rejection letters or cut them out is inconsequential; the act of sharing one’s supposed failures with the rest of the school community can very well prove to be a therapeutic exercise which promotes humility. Laughing at bad news, particularly along with friends and peers, might just be the way to distance ourselves from the currently held false sense of incredible significance we attribute with college decisions. For all our pride in attending an Elite Private Secondary School, we would be good to emulate Newton South’s Wall of Shame.

Seniors, let’s feel glad about our own success and the successes of our friends and choose indifference over ill will if we’re forced to pick one. Let’s hear any news regarding college with an understanding and acceptance of the freak factors and underlying unfairness at play. Let’s maintain the humility to laugh off undesired news. And most importantly, let’s remember to keep things in perspective, and perhaps, we can make this the year Milton’s college-obsessed atmosphere sees a change for the better. •

Sports

PAGE 14

Wicked Weather

Winter Sports Preview

By SARAH WILLWERTH

COURTESY OF THE RICHEST

By SERENA FERNANDOPULLE Skiing is the only outdoor sport Milton offers during the winter, and thus is the only one that deals with New England’s harsh and unpredictable weather. Unfortunately, the weather often imposes issues for the Ski Team. Looking forward toward this year, many skiers and forecasts predict it to be better than last year, but still not ideal.

According to the Weather Channel, this winter will be similar to the winter two years ago due to El Niño. The temperature will be an average winter temperature for New England, but precipitation may be a problem for skiing because the precipitation for this year looks to be a bit shy of average. Snow is made when there is precipitation below freezing temperature.

Thus, there may be cold enough temperatures to make sure the snow does not melt, but there will be less of it for skiers. Also, the extreme temperatures during the winter due to climate change could result in more ice rather than snow on the slopes.

If there is one warm day, the snow could melt and then freeze the next day when the temperature goes down. There would be ice where there would usually be snow because of the changing temperatures.

Also, due to global warming, it looks like the changing temperatures are not going away this year. Ski team must be prepared for some rocky practices in the ice.

Last year, the weather conditions created many issues that skiers hope will not happen this year. Ben Pratt (III), a member of the ski team, said that it did not “snow as much as usual” and that “the season started late and ended early, and sometimes it was too warm to even make manmade snow.” Blue Hills, where the ski team practices, also has limited trails when there is not enough snow. Additionally, Rebecca Karlson (II) said that “it’s a lot different to ski on real snow than man made snow or icy or slush conditions.”

Not having real snow or good trails could hurt the ski team’s performance. Rebecca also said that their “season doesn’t really start until after winter break” because of the lack of snow. She elaborated, saying the weather “makes the actual skiing part of the season kinda short.” Last year, the team was damned with the weather, regardless of temperature, because they would end up “skiing on mostly ice if it was cold or slush if it was warm.” Ski team is hoping for some better weather this season. •

With the first snowfall of the season thinly covering the quad on Monday morning comes the excitement of the winter sports season. The 2016 - 2017 winter season is looking bright for many of our Varsity and Junior varsity teams. There are a few teams specifically that you should be on the lookout for this winter.

MA Fly girls excitedly started off the season with their first win against North Hampton on Saturday, December 3rd. The team is young this year, consisting of five freshmen and only four (very important) team veterans. These veterans include Captain Ellie Lachenauer (I) who has been a member of the team since her freshman year. Regarding her hopes for the upcoming season, Ellie explained: “I’m most excited about the new coach that we have.

It's the fourth year I've had a new coach, but this coach is awesome—she's really brought the team together and introduced a bunch of new plays.” Give this team a few more weeks to gel and learn how to play together, and I believe they have great potential for a successful upcoming season.

In addition to Fly Girls, the boys hockey team has a hopeful outlook for the upcoming season. Although they lost a nail-biter to St. Sebs last Friday, they scored three goals and had strong first and second periods that should set the tone for the rest of the year. Hopefully varsity’s success on offense bodes well for the JV puck squad as they continue their search for the back of the net.

The boys varsity basketball team has yet to come away with a win so far this year, though they fought hard for a few close games against Governor’s and St. Andrew’s. A younger team with passion and fire for a win at their core, the future's looking bright for them as well.

Even though most of the winter teams play out their showdowns in the ACC, be sure to also find your way to the squash courts this winter. The girls varsity squash team is due for an ISL title after coming in second behind Nobles for the past four years in a row. The grit and spirit that the girls on all positions of the ladder posses will undoubtedly lead to success this season, so do not miss it.

Finally, the real team to look out for this winter is the MA Hooligans, the collective group of Milton supporters. Catch them on the sidelines of the basketball court, the rink, and the squash courts. •

Hooligans Ce nt re

St .

PAGE 15

Ho

oli

COURTESY OF CHARLIE MATHEWS

ga

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The Hooligans at a Boys Varsity Hockey Game

By HENRY BURNES In the current Milton sports scene, no rising-star stands out more than the new fan group the “Centre St. Hooligans.” The group of around 35-50, started by seniors Charlie Mathews, Jay Sidhu, Isaac Fossas, and Jack O’Brien, attends two Milton sports games a week. The Hooligan’s core squad of dedicated members are mandated to attend each of the two games, yet the group ultimately draws more to its fan section each game. The Hooligans have revitalized Milton Academy school spirit, bringing energy, wild-costumes and sportsmanship to the often thin Milton fan section.

Mathews, Sidhu and Fossas attended Milton soccer games in the Fall, and wanted to carry their spirit into the Winter season.

The enterprising four-some felt that Milton students didn’t show up to support their classmates at games enough, and decided to take action through founding the fan group. According to captain Charlie Mathews (I), the group has an “intense focus on sportsmanship and respect” that it brings to all of its games. At the beginning of the Winter season, the group met with Mr. Ruiz and Mr. Reddicks to discuss proper fan conduct, and its devotion to sportsmanship has ensured productive cheering at all of its games. For each game, the group picks a costume theme for the members to follow - recent themes have been prepsters and byo halloween costume.

Since its inception during mud-week between the Fall and Winter sports seasons, the group has attended 5 sports games, starting with the boys basketball game and girls and boys hockey scrimmages last Wednesday. Last Friday, in a rowdy showing with halloween costumes and confetti guns, the group made its mark at the boys hockey game. The group’s confetti guns

ultimately fired a bit too far, causing a delay of game. Charlie Mathews (I) recognizes that the accidental confetti-gunning onto the ice may have been a bit much, but also understands that “there is no greater honor than stopping a game for having such amazing enthusiasm and sportsmanship.” The hooligans attempted to clean up most of their mess, taking up a “clean up” chant during the process. After the hockey game shenanigans, the group packed into the squash building to cheer on the girls squash team this past Wednesday. Despite the Hooligans’ best efforts, the squash team unfortunately lost 6-1 to Deerfield.

To get involved with the hooligans, students can follow their instagram @macentrest.hooligans or attend the games that the squad attends each week. As of writing, the instagram account had over 200 followers, signalling the group’s quick rise to prominence. Each week, the hooligans’ instagram designates a hooligan of the week, a member of the squad who brought the best energy, sportsmanship and class to each game.

Though the group represents a critical reawakening of Milton spirit, and has been lauded by many in the community, its actions have not been without controversy. Some feel that the group’s rowdy behavior reflects poorly on Milton as a school or that its selection of games has been disproportionately skewed towards the male teams. Milton students too often focus on supporting one or two of the main sports teams and ignore the rest. The hooligans provide a great platform for increasing fan presence at all games, and solving this problem. The Centre St. Hooligans have returned school spirit to its place as a critical aspect of the Milton experience and pushed supporting classmates to the forefront of Milton culture. If the group sticks to its core-values of sportsmanship, energy and increasing fan support at all games, it will undoubtedly achieve immense success. •

Follow @macentrest.hooligans

on Instagram

PAGE 16

Ad Nauseam

Incidents that Created New Gotcha Rules: • Hardo on hardo acid attack in the chem lab • Drive-by taggings • Several incidents of stalking • Faculty child snitched • Freshman’s Mr. Beauchemin disguise very convincing, forced to assume role since 2007 • Malcolm McCann (I) hacks gotcha, gets 420 tags • Alex Iansiti (I) uses contraband printer, now forced to pay his dues • Faculty child snatched • Frightened underclassmen burrowed beneath then-open library quad, inadvertently creating the tunnel system • Freshman bribes target $100, still gets tagged at Workshop

Further Rule Suggestions: • Funny runners exposed on Student Center TV • Hacking temporarily permitted • Last place gets a shirt too: “Milton Academy Boys Varsity Lacrosse” • Bomb shelter in basement of AMC only real safe space • Dar’s dogs permanently stationed on library quad • Hazing temporarily permitted • Cheese traps set for dorm rats • Good rule of thumb: If you looked stupid while tagging your target, you’re the one who took the L. Printed on 50% post-consumer waste. Please recycle this paper. www . themiltonpaper . org