Milton Magazine - Milton Academy

“I was impressed when I came that atMilton, everybody was special,” Elainesays. “And we still have so many wonderfullyquirky students who aren’t ostracizedfor being unique but celebrated for whatthey contribute to the mix. There are artistsand jocks and techno geeks and Speechies,and they blend. In my dorm [Goodwin] acouple years back, it was the football playerwho led the cheer to congratulate the chessplayer’s big win. Any musician is instantlyaccorded a certain respect. Coolness atMilton can be acquired in lots of ways.”Caroline feels that people who are verbal,as in “not afraid of healthy debate” and“comfortable with expressing themselves,”thrive at Milton. “We seem to breedsocial activists,” says Suzie Greenup ’75,“students who question everything.” Allagree that a sense of humor persists here:Miltonians are serious students who don’ttake themselves overly seriously.The mix of boarding, day and Boston isstill, also, the recipe for a unique Schoolculture. Milton is urban, and studentsunfailingly mention Boston’s proximityas a plus. Day families still embrace theirchildren’s boarding friends. Perhaps morethan ever, day parents bring their diverseprofessions in metro Boston to campus,guaranteeing Milton’s connection withthe world. On the other hand, with avigorous dorm culture, students from allover the world, and a very active campus,Milton is the place where you meet incrediblefriends, and you can count on beingwith them, having fun, after class and onweekends.Students “Dare to be true.”“Sometimes we think that ‘Dare to be true’means be true to yourself and who you are,do what feels good to you and resist anythingthat challenges you to do things differently,”Elaine says, “but to me, it meansto live with integrity: dare not only to speakthe truth, but to reflect on and accept theconsequences of your beliefs and youractions.”What’s different?“When I came for my interview to work atMilton, I was struck by a tall, black malewalking confidently and easily across thequad, hanging out with three or four studentsof different ethnicities,” says Patrice.“Students of color today feel free to bewho they are, and we found it hard to dothe same in the ’80s.” Not only are “thedemographics different,” as Elaine says,but Milton is truly involved on all issues ofdifferences among people.“I think the mix at Milton today is terrific,”says Brad. “We weren’t the diverseschool—we weren’t the national school—that we are today. We weren’t differentracially, or in terms of religion, or socioeconomically.I think of it as something Ireally missed out on.”“For me to come back, the demographicshad to be different,” says Rod. “Before, notmany students even had experience livingoutside of New England. Students todayhave a much broader awareness of and tolerancefor difference.” Milton tries hard toask the questions, explore the values, andhold the discussions that will prepare studentswell for their world. “Milton makesyou feel uncomfortable in a good way,”says Jane Brewer ’62. “That is, you cannever be complacent.”Milton Magazine 15