Senior Projects

Every year I watched as the senior class prepared to go on senior projects, a Milton tradition that allows seniors to take six weeks and pursue whatever project interests them. This year, I finally get the opportunity to take time off from my normal classes and spend time learning something new. When I started brainstorming ideas for my senior project, I came up with so many possibilities; however, I decided that I wanted my project to be both fun and meaningful for me. For the last few weeks of my senior year, I am going to learn how to sew from my grandmother, who is a...

Weekend Activities

“Boom!! Gospel EXPLOSION starts now!” This message is a recent example of the texts students receive on Friday or Saturday night alerting students of the school-sanctioned activities. The Student Activities Association (SAA) holds multiple events for both boarders and day students during the weekend. Some of the most popular ones include: a hypnotist, Beatnik (a student talent show), dances, massage night, and van runs to ice cream and the movies. Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the activities offer a great forum for social interaction in a central...

Senior Showcase

Every year, the seniors rally together to sell raffle tickets in an effort to lower the cost of the prom. After all the tickets are sold, the senior class organizes a performance night called Senior Showcase, where seniors perform various talents.  This year, seniors performed magic, sang and dance. One of the songs performed at Senior Showcase was “So Sick” by Neyo. The seniors in the jazz ensemble came together to perform as well. Some of the raffle prizes included tickets to Bruins games, Chipotle gift cards and lunch with Mr. Bland. Senior showcase provides one of...

Exam Week

Every January, Milton students have exams in January, unlike many other schools that have them in December or June. Although exams can be stressful, Milton does a great job of easing us into an almost relaxing exam week. The week before exams, each class reviews material from the year allowing students to ask questions and work with classmates. The Student Activities Association (SAA) plans fun events the weekend preceding exam week to give students study breaks. On Friday night, we have Improv Night. My friends and I arrived at King Theater at 7:30 for an 8:00 show to...

Dorm Caroling

Before winter break, the Boarder Dinner is definitely one of the best events of the year for the boarding community.  However, the real fun begins after we finish our food and head back to our dorms for Dorm Caroling.  Boys’ dorms practice months in advance for their caroling performances, picking out five songs to sing, some even with instrumental parts.  Some dorms have classic songs that they bring back every year, such as the Wolcott boys who sing their own rendition of “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” and Norris boys who change some of the words to “Carol...

Boarder Dinner

The night before boarding students disperse all over the country and world to spend the holidays with their families at home, they gather with dorm faculty and their families to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season and the end of the calendar year at school.  The event marks one of the rare the times of year that most boarding students actually look forward to dressing up nice because of the myriad of photo opportunities throughout the night.  Some, like admissions officer Mr. Natale (pictured with me above) simply can’t contain their holiday spirit and sport...

Spotlight on Neuroscience

At the end of last year, teachers and administrators came together in collaboration with the new Dean of Teaching and Learning, Mrs. Singh, to reinvigorate the curriculum for the 2014-2015 school year.  The result? Eight brand new interdisciplinary courses, usually team-taught by two faculty members of different departments.  This year I am enrolled in one of the new courses, Neuropsychology: Influences of the Brain on Behavior. It’s been one of the most interesting courses I’ve taken during my 13 years at Milton.  (I’m a “lifer,” and have been at Milton since...

The benefits of small classes

Before I started my Spanish 5 class this year, my thoughts regarding small class size were fairly limited. I assumed that small classes simply promoted discussion and individual attention, not much else. Last Monday night, as I sat with my five other classmates on the floor of our Spanish classroom, talking, joking, eating pizza, I reflected on the true impact of a small class. Because my classmates and I are all good friends, it was easy for our teacher to arrange a movie/work night for all of us. We decided to watch a movie about political unrest in El Salvador during...

Mud Week: A chance to decompress

Balancing a top-notch academic program along with extra-curricular activities can take up a lot of your free time. However, Milton Academy has three “mud weeks,” which are breaks from extra-curricular activities. Essentially, this is an opportunity for Milton students to take a step back from our busy schedules and catch-up with friends or homework that we may have neglected. Each mud week happens after a sports season. Right now we are in the fall mud week, which marks the end of the fall season and beginning of the winter season. Milton also offers a game of Gotcha,...

Milton Academy Dorm Life

As a boarder, there are some things about home life that you no longer experience on a daily basis. For example, my family loves to watch football together every time the New England Patriots play. When I came to Milton, I was worried about how I would keep myself up to date on quarterback Tom Brady’s latest accomplishments. Luckily, my dorm Hallowell House was full of football fans just like me. My dorm parents are always willing to invite me over to watch a football or hockey game and my dorm sisters are always eager to learn more about the sports I am so passionate...

Parent’s Weekend

Parent’s Day is one of the most cherished days of the Milton school year. This Friday, parents will join their kids in classes throughout the day, and attend musical performances and sports events all weekend. Whether families are traveling five minutes or halfway around the world, the ability to peek into their child’s day-to-day life is priceless. As I know from personal experience, many parents enjoy taking part in class discussion or working on a project or lab and reminiscing on their high school days. My sophomore year, which was my first year at Milton, my...

Cheering on our friends and peers is a f...

Cheering on our friends and peers at sporting events is a favorite activity at Milton. Last weekend, fans traveled to Lawrence Academy to watch the Milton football team play.  The crowd cheered emphatically as Milton junior, Domenic Cozier, bolted down the sidelines into the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown run, his 3rd touchdown of the game. To many Lawrence Academy fans the sight was astounding; however, to Dom’s teammates his feats are normal. Captain Jeff Brown (I) said, “He’s the fastest kid in recent school history and it shows on the field. All it takes...