The Milton Paper MARCH 2nd, 2018
MILTON’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
News Leonard McReynolds ’19 on Race on SYA By NATASHA ROY '19 Leonard McReynolds ’19 has been in Zaragoza, Spain since Fall 2017, partaking in the School Year Abroad program (SYA). Heavily involved with the sit-ins last spring, he left the country and the school at a time fraught with tensions surrounding multiculturalism. In this interview, he shares his experience as a black Milton student studying abroad in his new, vastly different European environment. Can you describe your experience with race in Spain? I guess you have to first consider that obviously the history has faded. Spain, like the US, did endorse slavery; we have to understand that. And we have to understand the very primitive views that actually started here, in Europe. You talk about the transatlantic slave trade and colonization and that was the whole deal—it all started here. If you ask anybody who speaks Spanish they’ll tell you that people who speak Spanish sometimes lack political correctness in a way. At Milton we have different names and terminology, especially with recognizing pronouns outside the gender binary. They don’t have that here. Spanish people have no problem saying ‘retarded.’ They actually call my host grandmother ‘la Gorda,’ which means, ‘the fatty.’ My experience with race has been very unique because not only do I have to deal with foreign views on race but I also have to deal with racism within SYA. We have to keep in mind the SYA students are a diverse group; they come from all across the US. One of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking that I would come here and things would be different from Milton. After everything that happened at Milton last year I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to get away from all of that.’ But racism is a symptom of the whole world—not just the U.S., not just Milton. A trend that I've noticed about my class in particular is they’re very standoffish, very fake. A lot of them haven't been around black people before. I’m one of two black men in the whole institution, and one of them is pretty well-to-do, pretty affluent.
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VOL. 35 NO. 13
Columns Politics Are People: A Conversation With Dar Anastas
"It is horrendous what took place there. I’m very sad. It hasn’t changed my opinion on gun control and the NRA, but it has made me rethink security and different ways of doing things." By MALIA CHUNG '20 Eleven days ago, when I heard that seventeen people had been shot dead in Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I was angry. I sat on my couch several days later watching coverage of the CNN Parkland Town Hall discussion, witnessing survivors and family members of the victims weep as they asked politicians, law enforcement, and an NRA representative to justify the wide availability of semi-automatic weapons. Why, so many asked, do we live in a country where an eighteen year old can purchase an assault rifle? Why are there 89 guns for every 100 people in this country? I simply cannot wrap my mind around why anyone, in the aftermath of so many mass shootings— Sandy Hook, Columbine, Vegas, the Orlando Pulse Nightclub—would continue to support the Second Amendment. But for this column, I promised myself, a member of both a liberal family and a majority-liberal school, to use others’ stories as a way broaden my own thinking in a world where we rarely stray outside our bubble of understanding. So I emailed Dar Anastas, the Varsity Technical Director of Milton’s theatre productions and the faculty sponsor of Milton’s Conservative Club. If you don’t already know Dar Anastas (called “Dar”) for her fantastic set-design and play direction, you might have seen her conservative
bumper stickers on the back of her parked truck. I met with Dar after class ended on Tuesday in the lobby of King, where she led me to the Performing Arts faculty room, furnished with overstuffed with large brown leather couches. We made small talk about the weather—grey and rainy— before I began recording. Our conversation quickly turned to the Parkland Shooting and the public’s response to it. Now, as I replay our conversation, I listen to the sound of my placing the phone on the table between us before Dar’s voice cuts above the background static. Dar believes strongly in upholding the Second Amendment: “I think that there should be no laws that are passed,” she says, “that infringe on the rights of the citizenry to own firearms.” She grew up around guns. Her father served in both WWII and the Korean War. “We were a military family. [Guns] were in my highschool. Kids would go hunting before school or after school, so their guns were in their trucks. But no one would have thought to go bring one onto campus. Times have changed. It is a very different society than it was 50 years ago. What’s changed? Kids haven’t changed. I think we’ve become too isolated.” Dar knows intimately the pain of school shootings from her niece and nephew who were at Virginia Polytechnic Institute on April 16, 2007, when 32 people where shot and killed
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Inside This Issue Milton Introduces New Courses pg. 3|| March Break pg. 5|| Let's Level The Playing Field pg. 8
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The Milton Paper The 35th Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor at Large Opinion Manager News Managers Senior Editors Website Editor Layout Editor
Navpreet Sekhon and Rachel Handler Nihal Raman Jonah Garnick Aditya Gandhi James DeLano and Emma James Edward Moreta and Alex Millard Coalter Palmer Zoë Camaya & Victoire Legrand
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Opinion Editor Molly Wilson
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Humor Editor Jake Griffin
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News
Opinion
Abby Walker Evita Thadhani Lyndsey Mugford Sarah Alkhafaji Brendan Hegarty Susan Urstadt Hana Widerman Nathan Smith Sarah Palmer Max Litvak Cece Zinny Charlotte Kane Eliza Dunn Louise Goldenberg Oscar Burnes Jennifer Chen
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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.
Editorial
Success Versus SelfWorth: The College Dilemma
Milton students often tie self-worth to success, whether in the classroom, on the field, or onstage. And, while this pattern itself is not bad, it becomes problematic when students have a narrow definition of success. Many of us correlate good grades with success, and thus with self-worth. What is less emphasized is finding happiness, forming long-lasting relationships, or trying new things. As a result, a failure in those endeavors which we tend to emphasize the most—from a test to a sports game—can diminish our self-worth much more than it actually should. For seniors, Milton fosters an environment that correlates success to college admissions. We seniors are told throughout our final year at Milton that we need to realize that where we go for college will not indicate absolute failure or success in our lives. These words carry an important truth in them. Nonetheless, however, many seniors at Milton view an acceptance into their dream school as a trial on which the rest of their lives hinge. In addition, other students and parents often view where you go to college as an indication of your self-worth, your intelligence, and how hard you worked at Milton. But that judgement, which flows throughout Milton, is entirely unfounded. College admissions are more random than students assume; plenty of smart, hardworking students don’t get into hyper-elite universities. Distance travelled, legacy, demographics, and the subjective opinions of admissions officers all factor into college decisions, transforming the college process from a competition of good grades and extracurriculars into an unpredictable game. Even further, tying college admissions to intelligence narrows how we define intelligence. Our definition of intelligence must extend further than SAT scores, grades. Intelligence also lies in musical proficiency, dramatic chops, and artistic expertise. But the myth also exists that where you goes to college somehow looms over your future success, or lack thereof. Frank Bruni, the regular Times’ columnist, notes in his book Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be that choosing to attend a state school over a hyper-elite university does not at all jeopardize one’s future. Many sound reasons may influence someone to choose the state school, and choosing the state school is not as tremendous a loss of opportunity as we exaggerate it to be. If anything, that choice can often make more financial sense to decline an elite university’s acceptance. Your future success is determined by how hard you work in college. Seniors, we should all have ambitious goals, but a failure to get into your dream school should not make you feel worthless. It should not negate all of your accomplishments at Milton. Even if acceptances don’t “go your way,” you should not feel that all the incredible growth and learning that you’ve completed here was worthless. Rather, we can all make use of our Milton experience and use it to help us succeed no matter where we go. •
News
Piece of Mind: Opening Dialogue on Taboo Topic By BRENDAN HEGARTY '20
Zac Mustin ’18 and Lauren Wei ’19 visited assemblies across campus advertising their new publication Piece of Mind about a month ago, explaining their plan for a new publication on campus centering around topics of mental health. The group plans to publish a magazine featuring submissions of all kinds, ranging from artwork to photos to written works, all involving issues and stigmas regarding mental health. The deadline for board applications came soon after this announcement, and the selection process for the board is currently underway. Co-founder Mustin came up with the idea for the publication after Talbot speaker Hakeem Rahim spoke about his own experiences with bipolar disorder. Mr. Rahim explained the importance of destigmatizing mental illness and supporting those in need, as well as the importance of reaching out as someone struggling. Mr. Rahim’s speech got Mustin thinking about mental health on campus. He realized that “there is a lot of interest and lots of publications, but a publication with direct dedication to the topic would be beneficial to all sorts of different people to share.” The Piece of Mind mission statement explains that “within the broad topic of mental health, there exist countless different perspectives as a result of varying backgrounds and identities.” Because of the many subtopics under the general theme of mental health, Mustin says the short term goals of Piece of Mind are “working on making a board, and talking as a group” about future issues, Mustin went on to describe future plans, explaining that “we plan on publishing once this spring, and probably two times a year in the future.” Mustin stated the “primary goals are helping to destigmatize mental health issues on campus, and since there are lots of experiences with it, the publication will really help get those stories out.” He believes the publication will give everyone a chance “to learn about these experiences and gain a better understanding,” and Mustin thinks “through things like writing or art, sharing a piece of you can be beneficial.” Garvin McLaughlin ’21 said he thinks that “the Milton community is definitely able to talk about mental health,” and he acknowledges that “it is really an issue around the world.” McLaughlin believes that Piece of Mind could impact the community beneficially, because “it is important for people to feel like their voice is heard.” Evita Thadani ’20 said she wants Milton to “talk about mental health, no matter whether the Milton community feels ready to or not,” because she thinks currently that,“the community is definitely ready to talk about stress and school pressure, but [she’s] not sure we are ready to talk about mental disorders.” Thadani believes in the potential of Piece of Mind, but notes that “in order for this publication to be effective, the editors will need to work hard to make sure people actually read it,” possibly by “[sharing] with the community at assembly in order to spread awareness and motivate people to read it.” As far as a possible impact, Thadani thinks that “it could also provide a place for students with opposing viewpoints to have respectful discussion,” and hopes that “the publication will urge the administration to have more health days and bring more speakers to talk about mental health.” Milton is home to a number of student-led publications, each encapsulating a range of topics across academia and social issues. Piece of Mind looks to continue this tradition, filling a void of knowledge on mental health by giving a voice to all that want to reach out to their peers. •
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Milton Introduces a Variety of New Courses for 2018-19 Year By ADIZA ALASA '19
For the 2018-2019 school year Milton will be offering a variety of new courses including: MUSIC Global Music History (half course) Fundamentals of Guitar (Class IV only) PERFORMING ARTS Advanced Drama: The Female Role in Theatre (Half course) VISUAL ARTS Advanced Portfolio: Technology|Media (Semester 1) CLASSICS Latin 3 Honors ENGLISH Contemporary Literature in Context (Class II) We are What We Read (Class I) HISTORY Aztec to High-Tech: A History of Latin America & Caribbean in the World (Semester 2) MATH Advanced Statistical Methods (Honors) COMPUTER PROGRAMMING Applied Engineering & Design (Half course) SCIENCE Innovation, Technology and our Future World (Semester 2) Global music history will be taught by Louise Mundinger. The half course will be for students in Classes I, II, and III and will combine the study of music with an emphasis on developing listening skills of music from across eras and countries. Ms. Mundinger, who currently teaches Music History, is looking forward to transitioning into examining music from Europe,
Western Africa, Northern India, Bali and China. Entering the new course with few concerns, Ms. Mundinger is excited to share her knowledge with students. “Music is central to many cultures and says a lot about the people who make the music. This course will give students the tools to listen to music that is new to them and hear it with what musicians call ‘big ears,’” Ms. Mundinger said. Manciana Cardichon ’19 is planning to take Applied Engineering & Design next year. Another half course, this project-based class will focus on the investigation of how everyday toys and machines work, introducing students to basic engineering concepts. Chardichon is currently registered to take Computer Programming 2/3 and says Applied Engineering & Design will be a suitable next step. She is interested in the course because it provides an opportunity to to find real solutions to real world problems. Chardichon is looking forward to the new concepts she will learn in the class. “I haven’t worked with circuit boards or anything like that but I’m excited to learn it,” Chardichon said. With a prospect of pursuing a field in STEM in the future, Applied Engineering & Design will allow her to explore engineering to determine if she would enjoy a career in that field. As per usual, many Milton Students are wrestling with the decision on what English course to take next year. For Class II students, Contemporary Literature in Context will take an analytical approach to examining works of literature. The class will focus on studying the class closely while considering the time period in which it was written and the events of the author’s life. Next year’s Class I students can take We Are What We Read, which will consist of the composition of several personal, creative, and analytical essays. Ms. Sabin, an English teacher, warns that it is not a class for students who do not like to write. The class will also incorporate the readings from essayists. •
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News SYA
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There are a lot of people who don’t [mess] with me—it's a similar paradigm to when I first arrived at Milton and I tried to become friends with a lot of the white kids there. They saw me as the token black kid from the hood and they were like, ‘Wow, awesome.’ When they realized that I came here on a mission, not here to [mess] around, they marginalized me. Are these experiences more rare or prominent? The vast majority of SYA students give me an uneasy vibe. There are many SYA students who are outspoken Trump supporters—I don’t really think I have to give you context as to why that can cause some trouble. One of the Trump supporters identifies as alt-white, and said to me, ‘I think my people should be able to say the n-word.’ One individual called a black girl the n-word, but it's never happened to me. I don’t know what it is exactly, but most of the racist incidents that happen are directed at women of color, not really at the men. Maybe I give a different image because of my personality, and so they don’t feel comfortable expressing their racist views to me. You have to also consider the foundation of the SYA program. The original program name—this was in the 1960’s—was Schoolboys Abroad, and these were white males. Theodore could go, but Tyrone? Nah, he wasn’t allowed to go. People of color first became involved in the program for the sake of tokenism; so that SYA could show off its diversity numbers. It took the director of SYA Spain so much longer than it needed to to respond to the situation with the black girl, the n-word and all the emotional responses. When they first addressed it they were very vague. Originally, to address racism they played a video of the 2008 Olympics and said, ‘When these men drum, they seem like one person and come together even though they're different, and that's why we should come together as a community.’ Have you experienced racism in Spain? Yes I have. Like I mentioned before, the Spanish people are not very politically correct. So I don’t know if it's just their culture or differences in languages etc. People will say, ‘Donde es ta negrito?’ which means, ‘Where is your blacky?’ And sometimes that can be a term of endearment. It’s the little things, you know? One of my host family’s little cousins actually cries when I enter the room. I have big hair and dark skin, and I guess he just isn’t used to it. I think that a when a lot of black people come, they feel like they have to alter
themselves to fit in. There is racism in Spain, but it occurs to a different demographic. I don’t know why—I don’t know the historical context—but they’re really racist to Asian people. North Africans, epsecially Morrocans, are treated kind of like Mexicans are treated in the US. There’s a lot of immigration; the tips of the two countries are very close–from the Spanish shore, you can actually see the Moroccan landscape. Does racism impact your perception of Spain? I think that what happened last year, with the racial climate we were in, was hard and was very emotionally draining. It’s really difficult to every day just be constantly reminded of your race. It was a very bad experience and I wanted to escape that. But I will say that not everything that’s bad to you is bad for you. That experience toughened my skin a little bit. Now when people come to me with ignorance, I don’t dignify it at all. If you’re confused, yeah I’ll educate you, but I’m not going to let you get to me. When he called my friend the n-word I, of course, educated him, but I was like, “[Is] this is the best you got? This is baby food.” After last year, I’m usually pretty unfazed. Everybody wants to be a n***** but no one wants to be a n*****. SYA brings individuals from across the US coming from across the country to grow and learn and be exposed to new things they've never had the opportunity to be exposed to before. You wanna come and you wanna spread hatred when we should be coming together during this incredible opportunity? Do you even belong in this amazing environment when all you wanna do is spread hate? Now, after last year, that’s my reaction.
" You wanna come,
and you wanna spread hatred when we should be coming together during this incredible opportunity?" Does racism impact your ability to enjoy this experience? It could, but after last year I toughened up so it doesn’t impact me anymore. I think some students of color are like, ‘S***, man, what did I sign up for?’ A lot of them come from public schools, some from private day schools, that all avoid these issues.
They—like I did—came not expecting to experience any of this. To be honest, I could give racism the power to affect me in this environment, but at the end of the day people aren’t gonna like you and it can be for many reasons— your race, etc. I can't please everyone. You don’t have to like me, but you have to respect me. And, honestly, I'm too busy. They're piling on the work and that's draining enough. I ain't got time to deal with the racism. How does it feel to be a person of
" So a bunch of
times my host family has been like, ‘Oh, we understand America— we've seen all the movies.’ And I'm like, ‘No, that’s not my America.’ I tell them all the time, ‘I’m not the same as your other host kids. My race makes things totally different.’" color thrust into the position of representing America for such a study abroad program? The thing about the ‘American experience’ is that there is no American experience. There are so many American experiences that you couldn’t possibly put them together and reference them as one. So a bunch of times my host family has been like, ‘Oh, we understand America—we've seen all the movies.’ And I'm like, ‘No, that’s not my America.’ I tell them all the time, ‘I’m not the same as your other host kids. My race makes things totally different.’ It can be a good thing or a bad thing, and I let them know that you can't put people into boxes because it's more comfortable for you. They ask me certain things, and I kinda tell them the rules are different for me. I have to be very attentive and pay attention to my actions and what I do. America is so relevant dude. Like in South Africa the kids were telling me things about the U.S. government that I didn't even know about. Tonight I got back after working out and there were some trick-or-treaters. Kids here adopt American culture. •
News Find Your Voice: The Time to Speak out is Now By MAX LITVAK '20 As Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said last year, our generation must speak up against injustice because we are the future of our country. He explained that our voices are our most powerful tool to support change; when students band together and speak out, they can conquer almost any obstacle. As reported by the New York Times, since the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, there has been an estimated 239 school shootings, harming an astounding 438 people. On February 14, the number of school shootings rose to 240 when a shooter killed seventeen students and wounded many more at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Shootings continue to happen and nothing is done about them. The government gives their “hopes and prayers,” we lower the flag, but the next day, nothing changes. In the aftermath of the shooting, students from Florida and from other parts of the country mobilized and protested our gun control laws. Shortly after the shooting, Stoneman Douglas students drove to Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, in order to demand stronger gun control reforms from state lawmakers. Unfortunately, lawmakers in Tallahassee rejected the students’ effort to debate an assault weapons ban, the New York Times reported on February 20. In addition, students from multiple schools in Florida and around the country have protested gun control laws by organizing national walk-out events for fellow students. On March 24, students nationwide will protest in Washington at an event organized by March for Our Lives, the group formed by Parkland survivors. Students also plan to hold another mass walkout on April 20, commemorating the 18th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, according to the Times. Although certain authorities have taken action to speak out against the lack of gun control laws, the real power resides in our generation: the students. For example, over a hundred school principals in New York wrote an ad in the Times that urged president Trump “to do everything necessary to stem this tide of senseless gun violence.” The heads of schools were
inspired by “the Parkland survivors and their efforts to effect change.” Those students demanded change, and just like during the Milton walkout last spring, authorities responded. We as students have more power than we often realize. Right now, we have the ability to change laws on gun control; we will be voting in the next election; we will decide the country’s future. Summing it up, one of the student protesters in Parkland told the Times that the adults who “have the responsibility to take care of these things” have failed. “It’s our generation’s responsibility.” Laura Tierney from the Social Institute came in to talk about social media, attempting to convey a message that directly relates to the Stoneman Douglas school shooting: She talked about how social media can be used to start social activism, speak out against injustice, and support those who are in pain. During the protests in Parkland, the Times relayed on February 20, “Facebook and Twitter have amplified attendance; Snapchat and Instagram have documented the marches, signs, and chants.” We saw the power of a walk-out last year when students at Milton protested the administration's lack of punishment for racist behavior: the school condoned students not going to classes for almost a whole week, brought in speakers to address the issue of racism, and tried to address their own lack of action. Although Milton has not had an official walk-out or a protest in response to the Parkland shooting, some students and faculty members have made an effort to support those directly affected by the shooting. The librarians organized posters for students to write notes to Stoneman Douglas students. In addition, Head Monitor Kailee Silver ’18 and JC Jarbi ’20 urged students to wear orange and black, the colors coordinated in a national protest, last Wednesday to show our support. We as young people at Milton are learning that it's our job to use our voices and speak out against injustices, whether through a protest or a social media post. In these disturbing and difficult times, we as the next generation must adopt the responsibility to decide what we want our future America to look like. •
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Milton’s March Break is a Gift to Some, a Hassle to Others By SARAH ALKHAFAJI '20 Most public schools in the Boston area, as well as many places of work, enjoyed a week of vacation during the week of February 19. Submerged in the tasks of U.S. History research papers, critical essays, and other pre-spring break major assessments, members of the Milton community forged on towards a long-awaited March break. Public schools in the Boston area have a one week long vacation both in February and in April. Milton’s spring break is a 19-day long vacation in March, with a built-in travel day for boarders. Most private schools in the country, as well as the majority of colleges, share a spring break that aligns with our own. “My brother is in college,” one student shared, “so our spring and summer breaks match, making it so we can spend more time with each other.” Issues arise, however, when we take into account the members of our community who have friends or family members with separate vacation times. “My mom’s work break doesn’t align with our spring break,” explained Kendelle Grubbs ’20. “The different schedules make it difficult to find things to do because she has to take time out of her schedule so that we can spend time together. We have to schedule most of our activities over the weekend.” Faculty kids who don’t attend Milton’s middle or lower schools often witness such irregularities in schedules when their vacation takes place during such a stressful time during the year for Milton students. Mayali Geyling ’20 shared that, when she was younger and lived as a “faculty kid” in a dorm on campus—before she attended Milton—she enjoyed having separate breaks because she could come home and spend time with some of the older kids in the dorm. The only plausible solution offered up was to change our breaks to align with everyone else, but therein lies another question: Would students prefer shorter, scattered breaks, or longer blocks of vacation time? In a brief poll of students in the Student Center, about 85% said that they would prefer Milton’s current situation: having fewer, but much longer, breaks than our public school counterparts. The lineup creates a much easier situation for boarders, who make up half of our community, especially those who need to travel internationally. “At the very least,” one day student shared, “my commute is much less of a hassle during that week because there is so much less traffic.” •
They're back. Again.
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A Conversation With Dar Anastas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
by a school shooter. “My niece lost her dorm RA because she was one of the first people shot at Virginia Tech,” Dar describes. “My nephew was in the attached building right next to where the shooter chained all the doors to lock the hallways down to kill people. But my nephew took ROTC and knew it was gun shots and got people out of the building. That training is so important. They were thankful for the training they had with firearms.” Dar believes that training is critical to preventing future gun-related violence, specifically at schools. “I would love to know that we have the ability to shoot back—training is key,” she argues. “The NRA gets maligned, but they have really good training courses, active shooter training courses that many teachers would benefit from taking.” She believes that the three teachers who died in Parkland would most likely be alive today if they had been armed. “I had a problem with the people at the rally outside the Tallahassee statehouse who blamed Republicans, blamed Trump supporters, blamed gun owners. I know that was the passion of the moment, but as a person who is all of those, it scared me in the sense that there was no conversation. I am not to blame for what happened in Parkland. Am I moved by the shooting? Absolutely. It is horrendous what took place there. I’m very sad. It hasn’t changed my opinion on gun control and the NRA, but it has made me rethink security and different ways of doing things.” “A first step,” she believes, “would be to arm certain individuals and have them properly trained, if you want to have a first responder on site. Milton Academy is huge. I’m not gonna be so naive to think [a shooting] can’t happen here. Arm a teacher. Arm a staff person. Have people trained. You just have to become more aware.” She does believe that there are steps to take to ensure more safety around gun ownership. “If we ask individuals to join the military and fight for our country at 18, they should be able to own a firearm, so the age? I’m not necessarily thinking that’s
Opinion the real issue. I just want to make sure that if we are going to make changes, that they actually address the problem. In the end, I don’t think guns are the problem. I think there are solutions: background checks, mental health,” she mentions, though she notes that privacy issues will factor in how we legally address the issue of mental illness. “I think being defensive is better.” “One of the biggest issues we have in gun control [work],” she believes, “is a lack of specific terminology. One group will say that a semi-automatic is an assault rifle, but an AR-15 has a pistol grip, and that aesthetic is defining it as a rifle, but the mechanism functions the same way as many other firearms. So we really run into a lack of knowledge on the legislators’ part.” Dar worries that broadly worded legislation regarding gun control could violate her rights as a U.S. citizen. “If it is guns now, who can say what is next? Because it’s the lawful gun owner who is being [penalized], not the criminal, not the crazy person shooting up whatever.” She notes that California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a gun control activist, admits that gun control laws wouldn’t have stopped Vegas. “The only thing that stops someone who is crazy with a gun,” Dar argues, “is someone else with a gun. [Someone who wants to find a gun] will find a way. Gun control isn’t gonna take the illegal guns off the market.” At the end of the day, though, Dar will “defend the constitution more than guns. That is actually more important to me,” she says. Despite the fact that my views still don’t align with hers, I left the conversation with Dar feeling grateful for the time and education she gave me, introducing me to ideas that we listen to frequently in the news with no ability to connect to real people. I’m moved by Dar’s courage to voice her opinions in this majority liberal school environment and her willingness to trust me to relay her beliefs so publicly. Maybe I’m naive, but when two people can sit in a room and acknowledge their different beliefs, I can’t help but feel that we are making progress. Finally, Dar told me: “I’ve had it said to my face: ‘You’re the cause.’ That’s scary. I’ve had people tell me that I don’t care. I care beyond belief.” •
The Importance of Taking Classes in All Subjects By ADI GANDHI '18 As freshmen, sophomores, and juniors select their courses for Milton next year, and as seniors begin to think about what they might study at college, many of us will think primarily of our passion and latch onto it. The stereotype goes that art students tend to overload on arts courses and understock on STEM courses, and vice versa for STEM students. But maybe we should try to ditch this way of thinking that can lead us to see others as one-dimensional beings. In other words, we should consider devoting some of the choice we have in course selections to taking classes in as many subjects as possible at Milton. This is not to say that students should not be aware of their primary passions. Rather, students should always be aware of their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and dislikes. A problem arises, however, when students define themselves in the most limited of terms, such as through a single academic subject or a single sport. All of us students contribute to this problem. We look at individuals and see one person primarily as a baseball recruit, another as an SJW, or a third as a future politician. If we hear of a college acceptance or even wonder about why a particular student was accepted into Milton, we can be quick to think that it was only one trait—and it is usually a talent—that merited that student’s acceptance. Such a manner of thinking leads us to view ourselves in this way, too. At times, we might view ourselves only as our most prominent talent. The desire to stand out at Milton further emphasizes for many students that they must find a primary passion and never let go of it in order to truly thrive in the swimming pool of talent that is Milton. In the end, a student’s passion may appear as the only way to display talent and not be ordinary. Many students, then, head into course selection thinking that they must capitalize upon their talents. It is when one starts thinking about courses in this way—in terms of “playing to strengths”—that one feeds into that way of
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Lunch dates with Mr. Bland >>>
Opinion
This is How Democracies Die
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Taking All Subjects CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Image courtesy of Ideas
By JONAH GARNICK '18 Arguably, the biggest tragedy of western democracy in the past decade has been the voter suppression of black Americans. Take North Carolina’s laws, for instance. The state passed some of the harshest voter ID laws in the country. It was struck down by a federal appeals court, with the judge saying the laws “target African-Americans with almost surgical precision.” There is no doubt as to the motivations behind these laws: Republican lawmakers see black Americans as a democratic voting bloc, and they know they can win more elections by just cheating (voter suppression is also tied into Republican use of gerrymandering). By spreading the utter myth—it is not supported by any research at all—Republicans have convinced Republicans, and even some Democrats, that these laws are necessary, when they aren't. Every study ever conducted on the subject has concluded that voter fraud is incredibly rare. The everyday Republican voters’ justification for these kinds of laws is simple: is it so tough to just bring an ID to vote? You need an ID to drive a car, so why not to vote? And I think it is this exact “logic” that reveals a significant misunderstanding that all Americans have about the nature of rights. Specifically, I think Americans must learn the difference between Formal and Effective rights. *** Formal rights are rights that will exist formally—formal rights are rights if they exist in laws. This way of looking at right disregards whether or not the rights are exercised or easily exercisable. All that matters is their existence. Effective rights means rights that are easily exercised or exercisable. Just because the right exists in law is beside the
point. The right must be able to be used, or else, what's the point of having the right in the first place? And nowhere else is this difference better exemplified than in looking at abortion laws across the nation. Republicans in Republican strongholds like Mississippi and the Dakotas have, for years, been passing laws that greatly restrict the number of abortion clinics in their respective states. They have closed clinics over regulations like one requiring that clinics have the same health standards as a hospital, which is deceptive and wholly unnecessary. They regularly point out that they have not taken away the right for women to get abortions in those states. They are just “passing regulations” which they think are “important.” And yes, formally, they have not revoked anyone’s right to get an abortion. But, effectively, they have. For low-income women, driving hundreds of miles for the procedure is difficult, or, in many cases, impossible. Republicans’ saying they have not revoked women’s right to an abortion is misleading. They technically haven't, but effectively have. And the same goes with voting rights. Republicans haven't technically revoked black Americans’ right to vote, but they effectively have. Requiring that certain Americans spend money to buy an ID to vote is just another poll tax. It turns what should be a fundamental right, an effective right, into a formal right, which is just another name for a privilege. I mean, who cares that you have a right if you can't exercise it. Well, presumably many Republicans do, since all they seem to care about is winning elections. Abortion rights and voting rights are just two more instances of Republicans’ deceiving Americans for their own electoral gain, just two more indications of the Republican party’s quickening moral decay. •
looking at students that equates us to a succinct bullet-point list of talents. This way of seeing can carry over into many of our decisions at Milton, from choosing extracurricular activities to selecting courses. And just as we lean into our strengths, we shy away from our weaknesses. Yet we benefit from taking classes in all subjects, perhaps especially those subjects which horrify us. After all, a student cannot discover a new interest if she is too busy filling her schedule with courses that cater to that student’s primary passion and, thus, strengths. In addition to the potential discovery of excitement for a new area of learning, a broader course selection can simply help a student look around them through new lenses. An English lover taking an advanced mathematics course benefits from a development in logical thinking, just as an aspiring bio-chem major can better express his or her thoughts by learning about creative writing. Students can thus grow as both people and learners by expanding their course selection beyond those classes which, at first glance, most benefit them as students. The importance of taking classes in all subjects also pertains to those seniors who will head off to college next year. As we, eventually, begin to choose majors (and maybe minors), we may feel as if we can finally stop focusing on all those other academics subjects; however, even then, we should still always consider the more liberal-arts route, a route which allows us to break free of restraints and stereotypes. In essence, the importance of taking classes in all academic disciplines stems from a need for us to grow by taking a few more of those classes which scare us, as well as a few less of those classes which we already know we love. These decisions go beyond course planning; for example, one can choose to go to a new, different club meeting each week or to perform at the next Beatnik. When we repeatedly make such choices to challenge ourselves, we can avoid forcing ourselves into a pigeon-hole. •
Seniors, don't forget to guess where the senior "trip" is!
Opinion
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Let’s Level the Playing Field
Primary Source for Course Planning By MAYA BOKHARI '20
Image courtesy of @ma_athletics
By KAT STEPHAN '19 On Tuesday afternoon of February 14, 2018, sixteen members of the Milton Academy ski team piled into two vans and began our drive to Gunstock, New Hampshire. The air was filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. We were embarking on our journey to the biggest race of our season: NEPSACs. Although there were some seating issues in the beginning of our trip, we were off to a great start. People played music, ate food—all of the usual team bonding activities one might hope for. However, as we got further along our journey, we all became more and more lethargic. One can only deal with sitting in a cramped, poorly ventilated van with a bunch of overworked teenagers for so long. We finally arrived at our long-awaited destination: the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Laconia Gilford. We tumbled out of the vans, schlepping our gear behind us in a dazed state. We welcomed nothing more than the thought of reaching our rooms and collapsing on our beds. However, when our coaches handed us the keys to our rooms, we were confused. We saw only two keys—one for the boys and one for the girls. We thought our coaches must be mistaken, so a few of us went up to them and pointed out that some of us still didn’t have room keys yet. To our exhausted ears, our coaches explained that no, they had made no mistake; two keys were all we needed because eight people were sleeping in each room. Despite this news, we headed up to our two rooms with the hopes that they were extra large rooms, housing, at the very least, two queen beds. We swiped the key, opened the door, and gazed upon the glory of… two twin beds and a (very tiny) pull out couch. That night, there were three people
in each bed, two people on the pull out, and one on the floor. And this was the night before the biggest race of our season. This living situation, compounded with the fact that the the ski team doesn’t even have a locker room (we have a shed, which is located in the basement of an on-campus house that we share with the sailing team), has aggravated me to a point where I can no longer keep quiet. After complaining about our trip to a few classmates, I was informed that when the boys’ varsity basketball team went to New York for a tournament, they stayed in a nice hotel with two people in each room, renting a total of around nine rooms for the eighteen students. Again, we had sixteen students in two rooms. This tale of preferential treatment extends to pretty much all boys’ teams at Milton. Funding and recruitment is focused on boys’ athletics (i.e. hockey, football, soccer). I understand that sports bring in donations from alumni; however, at a certain point, all teams need to be treated with the same level of respect. Rather than showing favoritism to a few teams, it would make more sense for both the morale and the results of the teams if everyone is treated the same. If all teams are given an equal amount of support, teams will have a better chance of doing well, leading to more awards and thus, more prestige. Overall, the pros of equal treatment, as usual, outweigh the cons. I ask the Milton Athletic Department to carefully think about the favoritism expressed, no matter how subtly, to certain teams, as it causes unnecessary animosity between students. Instead, treat each team equally; that way, we can all come together, united proudly under our colors of blue and orange. •
As we begin the second semester of the 2017-2018 school year, course registration requires us to look ahead to next year. Unfortunately, the input we receive from faculty members such as teachers, advisors, and deans often causes us to overlook the value of our peers’ opinions; so, take the time to ask an upperclassman or a classmate about their past and current classes before making your final course selections. Faculty members have countless opportunities to advocate for their courses and the courses they believe you would enjoy taking, but how accurate can their assessments be? To many adults in our community, the word “student” carries many definitions. The relationship that a student has with his advisor may be completely different from his relationship with any one of his teachers. The challenge faculty members face when offering advice to students comes with the individuality of each student and the code switching that occurs in different settings. In fact, advisors might have the greatest challenge when offering advice because they do not usually see their advisees in the classroom setting. So much of the Milton experience relies on how one’s learning style compares to a teacher’s teaching style, and these personality traits are difficult to identify outside of the classroom. No one, no matter the circumstances, can predict your response to any given teacher or course. Anyone offering guidance through this process will draw on rumors and experiences, but to make your own decision, you must determine which information holds the greatest value. In a note to Milton students in the front of the Course Catalogue, Academic Dean Ms. Bonenfant shared “a few strategies that may guide [us] as [we] make [our] choices.” First, she encouraged students to look at course planning with a wider lens and focus on the courses we hope to take throughout our entire Milton careers. While graduation requirements provide a framework for a course load, prerequisites and differing timelines may alter your original plans. Second, you must have a back up plan in place. If a course you find intriguing is either very popular or not very popular, you may have to default to your back up plan. Finally, Ms. Bonenfant encouraged us to ask questions of not only advisors, teachers, and the registrar, but also students as well. Students offer a unique perspective that no adult in the community can. With each change to course options and requirements, updated knowledge from recent students carries more weight than ever. Particularly, this spring marks the end of the first year of Class III U.S. History. For current Class IV students, siblings or friends even a mere two years older have not had the firsthand experience to offer factual insight. The ever-changing Milton community continues to value tradition, but to keep moving forward, students need newer challenges instead of older wisdom. Although faculty members can draw on many years of students’ experiences, only students can relate their firsthand experiences with a Milton course. If we consider primary sources to have a greater value than secondary sources, we should listen first to student perspectives and then to faculty perspectives where course planning is concerned. •
Opinion
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Presidential Portraits
Image courtesy of Vox
By HANNAH HACHAMOVITCH '18 The official portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled Monday, February 12th at The National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., drawing national attention, praise, critique, and visitors. Artist Kehinde Wiley, known for his large, hyper-realistic portraits that place black men—and sometimes women—into traditionally European settings and positions, painted Mr. Obama’s portrait. Artist Amy Sherald, known for her treatment of color
and exploration of race in America, painted Mrs. Obama’s portrait. Similar to Mr. Obama’s scandalous tan suit in 2014, these paintings provoked many responses due to their non-traditional, non-European style of portraiture that has filled the majority of The National Portrait Gallery in the past. Both painters and paintings are incredibly powerful, colorful, and symbolic; paired with the first black president and first lady, these pieces angered many. Wiley and Sherald shine a completely new light on the Obamas, especially in comparison to how the Obamas have been portrayed by the media. Sherald’s dress is
Student-Directed One-Acts: Both Topical and Entertaining By CALVIN CHEONG '20 Though we often avoid openly discussing taboo topics, last weekend’s Student-Directed One-Act plays, presented by the Performing Arts Department, dealt with such topics, including sexual assault and mental illness. The three 20-minute plays were selected, directed, and performed by Milton students: the two dramas, A Payment Unkind and The Trip, spoke about grim topics, but Driver’s Test, a comedy, separated them with a more humorous and lighthearted tone. All three were immersive and startlingly genuine: a great feat considering the sparseness of props. A Payment Unkind started off the OneActs fast and strong, realistically portraying the horrors not only of sexual assault but also of the shaming that results from it. The heartfelt and raw nature of the dialogue exposed the audience to the severity of the topic, even to the point of discomfort. Each of the characters contains flaws that relate to their different personalities, and they mingle with each other through interactions that are often toxic and, at times, even violent. This short play fit an entire twisted aspect of reality into twenty touching and
illuminating minutes. After the seriousness of the first play, the second, Driver’s Test, provided a well-needed lightheartedness that refreshed the audience, alleviating the stress induced by both the first play and the hardships of the second semester. In particular, the few, well-chosen props of this play contributed to the overall humor of the situation. In this laugh-filled story, a nervous young woman taking her driver’s test meets her strange instructor. The absurdity of the situation that ends in a heartwarming friendship prepared the audience for the final play. The third and final play, The Trip, once again strayed into the sombre, depicting a troubled family ailed by parents who have passed away and a mentally ill sister. While some characters seem to interact with the ideas reluctantly, others embrace then, displaying love and affection that transcend social norms. Ultimately, the family is divided under the strain, simulating the very real effects that not mental illness itself but the surrounding stigma can have on people. This play pulls on the audience’s emotions, inducing anger, sadness, and, most importantly, empathy for the characters of the play. •
said to reference Mondrian, a quilt-making tactic used by black women. She plays with color in a powerful and interesting, particularly Mrs. Obama’s skin, painted in grayscale. Sherald literally removes color from the conversation of race. Is her treatment of color appropriate, color-blind, powerful, or other? Or is Wiley’s saturated and realistic portrait of Mr. Obama preferable? Regardless of personal interpretations, these portraits will surely make you stop when you look at a gallery of presidential portraits, exactly as they should. •
Flu SZN By LIZ FOSTER '18 ric flair drip is just like the nicest song I hydroplaned to Offset’s lyrics “slidin on the water like a jetski.” and I really felt close to Jesus: Offset. I also like almost died but that’s fine :p Maybe Quavo is the Father, Off Set is the Son, and Takeoff the Holy Spirit. I think that with some searching, we could easily find links between religious figures and the three kings of hip hop. I just realized this isn’t even a MIgos song, it’ s Offset and MetroBoomin. I think I would recognize MetroBoomin’s beats before the sound of my own name. That bpm reflects my heart beat, u feel? I think i have the flu and i cant rrite anymore i am sorry.•
Vote Adi and Liz for Best Couple <3
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Hack Soccer is Back By TOMMY ELLIOTT '18 This past Wednesday, the greatest show to ever take the quad returned for the spring. Thanks to the unusually warm weather, the brave men brought out the nets to have a good old fashioned reunion game. Star striker Nihal “the will breaker” Raman ’18 has been pushing his body to the limit all winter with an intense full body workout with professional boxer Conor McGregor. Jonah Garnick ’18 said “Daddy’s gonna get his juice” when he heard the game was going to happen. The matchup promises to be the ultimate grudge match as the teams finished the season tied at forty wins and forty losses each. The match was arranged Tuesday afternoon with an email to the group describing the weather conditions for the coming day and a quote by Scott Crawshaw ’18 saying “Anyone down for some hack at 1:30?” The suggestion was met with thunderous praise with players such as Ben Stewart ’18, Jaime Moore-Carrillo ’18, and Charlie “SYG” Pyle ’18. While the quad may still be soaked with snow, winter hack soccer will not have to wait until the fall. When the time finally came, captains Raman and Crawshaw carefully selected their teams for the fated matchup. The game was long and hard fought with neither side scoring for over an hour. This was thanks in large part to Pyle’s defensive skills. As the game went on there were many close calls with shots coming from both sides. In the end though the game ended with a goal to the top left corner from Jack Pacheco ’18. The game was exactly what it was slated to be, the sports extravaganza of the decade. In a week filled with the Olympics, NBA All-Star game, the beginning of the MLB training camp, and the everyday fun of the NHL, no one on Sunday would have thought Hack Soccer could have overshadowed all this. The ratings for the game were through the roof and any future rematches promise to take the top spot from the Super Bowl. •
Congratulations
to
Boys’ Varsity Hockey for becoming ISL champions and qualifying for the New England Tournament. Boys’ Varsity Basketball for qualifying for the New England Tournament. Caroline Spahr ’19 of Girls’ Varsity Squash for winning the Demer Holleran Award and winning first place in New England. Girls’ Varsity Ski Team for winning the New England Tournament Boys’ Varsity Ski Team for winning the New England Tournament.
Performing Arts’ Place in the Olympic Games
Image courtesy of Southern Wisconsin Figure Skating Club
By GRACE VAINISI '19 With the arrival of the Winter Olympics, we often find ourselves watching a great deal of TV coverage of sports we haven’t cared about or even heard about before. As we wonder how someone winds up on the path to becoming an Olympic curler and we cover our eyes the entire time someone is hurtling down a glorified ice tunnel on a fragile-looking sled, our hearts melt at the grace and poise of the figure skaters’ turns and jump. While still causing nail-biting, the skaters slow our heart rates slightly and appeal to our more creative identities. The beauty and performance of figure skating opens a window into a bigger question: what role do or should the arts play in the Olympics? While figure-skating—comprised of the events men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pairs, team, and ice dancing—is the only category in the winter Olympic Games that has an element of performance and artistry beyond technique, the topic of whether or not other forms of athletic arts, like dance, should be included in the Olympics has been widely debated for a long time. On Debate.org, 91% of respondents to the question of whether or not dance should be an Olympic event answered “yes.” One commenter notes that the way that dance has an expressive and artistic side doesn’t make it any less of a sport: dance still requires significant stamina, training, and skill, and dancers compete for roles just as skiers compete to be the fastest. Furthermore, there are internationally accepted techniques and guidelines to competition, so dance would be
able to be judged just as concretely as gymnastics or figure skating are. On the other hand, Margot Bancroft ’19 poised the argument that while dance is as physical exhausting as most other sports, turning dance into a competition removes its soul and strays away from dance’s intended emotional message: something that shouldn’t be evaluated on a point scale. Thus, while some argue that dance meets all the requirements to be an Olympic sport, others believe that holding dance to this competitive standpoint takes the point out of dance. Including dance in the Olympics may give the world of dance the attention and respect necessary to increase its funding. This increased financial support can benefit children and communities greatly, as dance has proven to have positive effects on development, learning, and creativity. However, turning dance into something to be judged on a scale takes away the abstract quality and emotional significance that makes dance special. Furthermore, there are so many different types of dance that deciding which styles to include would be a whole new argument. While no decisions have been made yet—nor does it look they will be made soon—it’s interesting to consider what dance would look like alongside curling or ski jumping. Maybe, just a few years from now, we will all gather around the TV to watch classical ballet variations, but it’s more probable that we’ll still stick to what we know as we wonder how on earth it’s possible for speed skaters to seem like they’re whipping around the rink faster than the speed of light. •
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Sports Women's Skiing
MA Lax Eats Box Competition
By LUKE MONNICH '21 Both Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn have finished an incredible year of ski racing, culminating in the Olympics. Both women have shown what they can do on and off of the ski course. For instance, Lindsey Vonn, an extremely decorated American skier, just added a second Olympic medal to her collection. On February 20th, Vonn skied in the downhill discipline race at the Pyeongchang Olympics and very happily won the bronze medal. As said before, this will most likely be the last downhill race for her, so this medal meant a lot. Vonn, having won a total of 81 career races, has experienced this before. But, after the race, she broke down upon being interviewed. Her grandfather, a monumental figure in her life, was what gave her the hope and desire to win this race. Vonn also states being “really happy and proud to have been competing with [her teammates] and have their support,” who are obviously essential parts of her training and winning. But, what really stands out about Lindsey Vonn is her political standing. Vonn has been publicly against Trump for a very long time and this boldness ostracizes her. While some fans may be cheering her on for what she is doing, others may be mad and disgusted. Many Trump supporters have gathered on Twitter to go against her political beliefs. Vonn has also been tormented on Twitter for another action: pulling herself out of the team skiing event. This was not done due to injury or inability, but because Vonn did not believe that the team could have medaled. Such an action is clearly not the right thing to do. Giving up for that reason displayed a very bad message to many children who are following Vonn and the Olympics. Thousands of Twitter members have berated Vonn for this action, and for the unacceptable results it may have presented. Shiffrin has also finished a very eventful Olympics this past month. She has won a gold medal in the giant slalom discipline of ski racing, but did not even place in her incredibly favored event, the slalom. This was a surprise due to how Shiffrin has won multiple World Cups Championships in slalom and had an especially strong year leading up to the Olympics. Shiffrin has been on fire, and had regularly beat all of her slalom competitors, but unfortunately, Frida Hansdotter, Wendy Holdener, and Katharina Gallhuber took gold, silver, and bronze respectively. Then, on February 21, Shiffrin raced in the alpine combined skiing, alongside Lindsey Vonn, to come out in second place. This race went quite well for Shiffrin, who did beat her longtime teammate, Vonn. Shiffrin also took home her second medal of the Olympics, which is a very impressive feat. Because this race happened when it did, due to weather, Shiffrin was forced to drop out of the women’s super-g in order to focus on the combined. Both of these women have finished an incredible Olympics, and have attracted many viewers from all over the nation. •
Image courtesy of the boyz
By LIAM KENNEDY '18 This past Sunday, Milton Boys’ Box Lacrosse traveled to Taunton to take on Catholic Memorial and Braintree in the semifinals and finals of, respectively. The box team suffered a huge loss this week as their goalie, Owen Ryan ‘19, is in a boot. Nonetheless, they found what appeared to be a 35-year-old father to play goalie for them. In the first game, Milton came out hot and scored four unanswered goals against the CM goalie. CM put up a small comeback, bringing themselves back within one; however, Milton kept the ball rolling as Jack Pacheco ’18 scored many times, as did Andrew Feary ’19 and Cam King ’20. CM heated up as the game went on, but they never got hot enough to stop Milton. The final score was a dominant 9-6 and the ‘Stangs moved on to the finals. The tone of this game was set from the beginning as Spencer Graham ’18 smoked the Braintree fogo (face off and get off) guy and sent him crying home to his mother. From there on out the ‘Stangs rolled. Pacheco scored three goals in the first half and threw an opponent’s stick across the field because “[the Braintree player] was cross checking [Pacheco] after [he] scored.” King hit someone so hard it looked like he threw an impulse grenade at the feet of the attackman. Graham opened and closed the first half as he scored a last second goal and hurled his body into the boards in a successful attempt to celebrate his geno. And yes. All of this action took place in the first twenty minutes. The second half began and Milton player Robert Westwater ’19 was on the attack. He was getting slashed and checked as he tried to carry the ball up the field; however, the good sport that Westwater, is he just laughed and continued on his way burying a shot in the top right corner. Pacheco continued his domination of the Braintree squad as he put another three goals in before the game was over. Chuck Leonetti ’19 was dominant against the boards and won every battle in the corners, coming away with the ball at all costs. Eventually, he got so tired from playing so hard that the ref suggested that he sit the rest of the game out. From start to finish Milton dominated Braintree in all aspects of the game winning once again by a score of 9-4. This is Milton’s second year winning the 3D Winter Box Lacrosse League and hopefully they can keep this energy and team chem rolling as they continue into their spring season, which is right around the corner. They have a strong senior class filled with leaders and grinders, an experienced junior class, a rowdy sophomore class, and a talented freshman class. Only time will tell how the MA lacrosse season goes. •
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R.I.P. Jonah Garnick and Jake "John Armstrong" Griffin They died as gracefully as they lived.
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