Milton Academy

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Milton Academy

Established	1798
Type	private coeducational
Headmaster	Dr. Robin Robertson
Dean	Lucretia Wells
Students	680
Grades	K-12
Location	Milton, Massachusetts USA
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Blue and Orange
Mascot	Mustang
Website	[1]

Milton Academy is a private, preparatory, coeducational boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1798 and up until 1980, the school was split into boys and girls schools. Milton's athletic program competes in the Independent School League (ISL) with schools such as Milton's historic rival, Noble & Greenough School. Milton's $150 million endowment and 125-acre (0.5 km²) campus serve about 680 upper school students as well as smaller classes that span from kindergarten through 8th grade. Famous alumni of Milton include T. S. Eliot, James Taylor^[1], Deval Patrick, Buckminster Fuller,^[2], and Robert F. Kennedy.

1 Students and faculty
2 Clubs and organizations
3 Publications
4 Academic and Student Life Facilities
5 Residential Facilities
- 5.1 Boys
- 5.2 Girls
6 Notable alumni
7 Notes
8 External links

[edit] Students and faculty

There are 680 Upper School students at Milton, of whom 320 live on campus. There are 160 children in the Lower School, serving grades K-5. [2] The male-to-female ratio is 50-50. Milton has 128 faculty members, 84% of whom have postgraduate degrees, and 15% holding doctorates. The average class size is 11.[3]

Milton offers several off-campus programs. Many students take a school year abroad in France, Italy or China; others go on semester programs such as Chewonki Maine Coast Semester, The Mountain School, or CityTerm. For the last few weeks of school, seniors often do "Senior Projects" instead of taking classes. Past senior projects have included: recording an album, writing a play, making a guitar or a boat by hand, directing a film, intensively studying a culture/language, and performing a Shakespearean play.

[edit] Clubs and organizations

There are over 10 different publications on campus, from news to literary magazines. There are several music groups, including the Chamber Singers, Chamber Orchestra, and four a cappella groups, which have performed throughout the United States, as well as Europe, Asia and Africa.^{[citation needed]} Beatnik Café, an independently run exhibition of student performances (such as jazz, improv skits, poetry readings, and singing), occurs three times a year. About ten theatrical productions are put on each year. Smaller plays at the school are called "1212" plays, which are held in Wigg Hall. Also, a student choreographed Dance Concert is put up every March. There is also a campus radio station, WMAR, located in the basement of the Science Building. [4] Ethnic clubs at Milton include GASP (Gay And Straight People), Onyx (black student group), the Asian Society , MSA (Muslim Student Association), South Asian Society, Latin Association, JSU (Jewish-Student Union)and Caribbean Club. [5] Students at the academy can start their own clubs if they have a faculty sponsor. There are over 30 different clubs that meet after school from 3:00 to 3:30.

In addition, Milton Academy has a large and highly successful speech and debate team that competes in the Massachusetts Forensic League (MFL), National Catholic Forensic League (CFL or NCFL), and National Forensic League (NFL).

The school also has many political groups, including the Young Republicans and F.L.A.G. (Forward-looking Liberal Action Group).

Milton offers both 15 interscholastic sports for boys and girls each and nine intramural teams. Milton is a member of both the Independent School League and the New England Schools Sailing Association division of the Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association. Recently, the ultimate team was ranked seventh in the nation and the varsity football team "entered the 2005 season with the best ten year record of all ISL prep programs". In the past five years, Milton has won 17 ISL Championships and most recently the boys' tennis team won New England's. The boys' tennis team has won four New England titles in a row. [6]

[edit] Publications

Milton Academy maintains two publications. The Milton Measure, the oldest and official publication of the school, is entering its 113th year. The Milton Paper, the school's unofficial newspaper, operates on donations, but is still subject to school oversight. The Milton Paper has been operating for over twenty years.

Both newspapers use school facilities.

[edit] Academic and Student Life Facilities

Straus Library - In the 1950s, Straus was the Academy's main library. Today it serves as a familiar and beloved gathering space for formal and informal events. Straus is also home to Milton's college counseling office.

Apthorp Chapel - Constructed in 1921, Apthorp Chapel hosts the non-denominational chapel program for boarding students every Sunday evening during the school year. The program often includes guests, students and faculty reflecting on issues affecting the School community, the nation and the world.

Kellner Performing Arts Center - Opened in 1992, Kellner is a teaching center for the performing arts and music departments. It includes a large dance studio; classrooms for speech and debate training; classrooms and practice rooms for work in chorus, orchestra and jazz; a "black box" studio theater; fully equipped scene construction and costume shops; Pieh Commons, where student art work is often exhibited; and the Ruth King Theatre.

Ruth King Theatre - A gift of novelist Stephen King, in memory of his daughter, King Theatre is equipped with a stage adaptable to thrust or apron configurations and is a 20th century adaptation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

William Coburn Cox Library - Given by William Coburn Cox '24 and his wife, Jessie Bancroft Cox, the library's resources serve students, faculty and staff. Its collection includes 46,000 volumes. Library staff members help students learn research strategies, using the cataloguing system and online resources. In the basement of the library, Milton students are entitled to extra academic help in the Academic Skills Center.

Health and Counseling Center - Registered nurses, school physicians and counselors at the Health Center help students who need physical or emotional care. The Health Center also provides overnight accommodations for students requiring additional attention while not feeling well. The Health Center staff also manages programs that involve students in promoting healthy lifestyles and in responding to those with emotional or physical needs.

Ayer Observatory - Astronomy students use the Ayer Observatory to observe and study celestial objects. The observatory's 12-foot dome houses a five-inch Clark refractor for general classroom use; its smaller dome houses a nine-inch Takahashi reflector.

Schwarz Student Center - The Schwarz Student Center offers a single space that is part of daily campus life for all students and adults at Milton, enhancing opportunities to build relationships. The center includes a common area for students to gather outside of class; a snack bar and recreation area with ping-pong and foosball tables; a school bookstore with a wide array of necessities; student activities offices; a computer center; and spaces for faculty-student meetings.

Ware Hall - Originally built as the Girls' School schoolhouse, Ware Hall is now home to classical language, modern language and mathematics classrooms; a language laboratory; and Milton's Middle School offices and classrooms.

Warren Hall - Built in 1885 and renovated in 2002, Warren Hall includes the English department, deans' offices and the Office of Admission in a building sensitively restored to provide state-of-the-art teaching areas within an environment that honors its early role as "the old schoolhouse."

Wigglesworth Hall - Affectionately known as Wigg Hall, this building is home to the history department where students and faculty gather around oval Harkness tables that promote stimulating discussion in an environment where everyone — including the teacher — is an equal and important participant.

Athletic and Convocation Center - Opened in 1998, the "ACC" includes two field houses that provide opportunities for student athletes of different skill levels to participate in a wide range of sports. The south field house, also the Fitzgibbons Convocation Center (FCC), includes three basketball courts, convocation capacity for the School, and an indoor track. The north field house includes a hockey rink, which, when de-iced, becomes three tennis courts or space for indoor practice of field sports. The second floor of the ACC features the Esther and Herbert G. Stokinger '24 Fitness Center, coaches offices, and training rooms. Served also as the site for a massive sex scandal where a female student was accused of performing oral sex on a number of male students, in a row.

Caroline Saltonstall Building - The Caroline Saltonstall Building includes the business office, the alumni and development office and one gymnasium. The building stands on the original Milton Girls' School campus.

Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium - Once the major boys' gymnasium at Milton, the Robert Saltonstall Gym now houses the H. Adams Carter '32 Climbing Wall where students can learn to rock climb. Art students studying sculpture, ceramics and woodworking learn and practice here as well.

[edit] Residential Facilities

Approximately half of the Upper School student body consists of boarders. Each of Milton's eight, single-sex residential "houses" has unique traditions, such as holiday caroling, pumpkin carving, picnics, "pottery night" (mug painting for the dorm), Rain Soccer on East Campus before dinner on rainy days, barbecues, "flagpole runs," dodgeball, and dorm bowling to help foster friendship and support within the house. House sizes range from 31 to 48 students and students live in the same house for their entire time at Milton.

[edit] Boys

Wolcott is the largest boys' house on campus, housing up to 46 boys and 7 faculty members. Completed in 1900, it is named after Roger Wolcott, a former governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1896-1900). His portrait hangs in the Devens common room, one of two common rooms in the house. The Wolcott family has maintained a close tie to the house, presenting the incoming house heads with a family crest in 1984. Inscribed on this crest is the house motto: "nullius addictus iuare in verba magistri," a quote from Horace which translates to "called to swear upon the words of no teacher." James Taylor lived in Wolcott during his time at Milton.

Forbes is the second-largest house. It is named after Captain Robert Bennet Forbes, whose family crest appears on a flag outside the building. Forbes and Wolcott share a friendly, multidisciplinary dorm rivalry. The Forbes dorm flag is the center of some rivalry, and has changed hands between Forbes and Wolcott over the years.

Goodwin, previously a dorm for the girl's school, is one of the two houses on East Campus. The other East Campus house is Hathaway, which is Goodwin's sister house. The walls, which are still pink, reveal this fact.

Norris is the newest boys' house, which opened on West Campus in the 2004-2005 school year. The Norris Family Crest hangs from the front door awning. A highlight of the school year is when Mr. Coleman Norris (class of 49') returns to Milton to visit his dorm. Norris is the Brother dorm of Centre House. The house motto is "Probitas, Pietas, Fraternitas" ("Honesty, Respect, Brotherhood").

[edit] Girls

Hallowell, previously a boys' dorm, currently houses 40 girls and is the largest girls dorm on campus. During its time as a boys' dorm, Hallowell housed the current governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick.

Centre is the new girls' dorm, which opened in the 2004-05 school year and houses up to 40 girls. The upperclassmen in this new dorm have been working hard to establish the dorm on campus, and to create traditions for future generations of girls.

Robbins, previously a boys' dorm, is located in the center of campus and has been a part of campus for almost as long as the school has existed. The girls in this dorm are known for fundraising money for charity during the school year.

Hathaway is the eastmost dorm. It is the oldest girls' dorm on campus, constructed in the late 1800's.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notes

^ Taylor attended but dropped out midway through his junior year. Risberg, Joel. The James Taylor Encyclopedia, Lulu Press, 2005, p. 16.
^ Zung, Thomas T K (editor), Buckminster Fuller: Anthology for a New Millennium, St. Martin's Press, p. xix

Members of the Independent School League, New England

[edit] External links

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