Let’s Bridge K-12 Gaps
On Monday, October 19, Head of School Dr. Alixe Callen ’88 unveiled the first glimpses of Milton’s forthcoming strategic plan, entitled “Still Daring.” The plan aims, among other pursuits, to expand Milton’s reach, much as our peer schools have in the past; as The Milton Measure reminded us just two weeks ago, we face a significant discrepancy in endowment in comparison with schools such as Phillips Academy Andover. We applaud these efforts, but we worry that by attempting to mirror our peers, we may forget what sets us apart. Namely, Milton is unique in that it is a boarding school with an elementary and middle school. However, outside of the occasional K-12 assemblies, Upper School students may otherwise rarely interact with the Lower and Middle Schools. We believe it should be one of this school’s top priorities—even above the other objectives Dr. Callen outlined on Monday—to encourage more contact between older and younger students. In order to best capitalize on its resources, Milton must make the choice to better integrate its K-12 community.
Whether or not we’ve spent our entire lives at Milton, most of us can likely remember an early interaction with a so-called “big kid.” Learning from our role models is a deeply formative experience. Young children derive valuable knowledge from interacting with older peers; reciprocally, we can all benefit from spending more time around the youngest and most imaginative societal members. Milton places an emphasis on “community” within the Upper School; yet, a massive divide extends between the Upper School and the students in Ware and Greenleaf. As the rare combination of elementary and middle school with a boarding high school, Milton can provide incredible opportunities that are far less likely to be available to children elsewhere. Our diverse international boarding community allows for cross-cultural connection at a stunningly early age, while the well-resourced campus of our Upper School allows the use of facilities that would otherwise be unavailable. These resources, which the Upper School takes for granted, however, must actually be used in connection with all of Milton.
Various parts of the school community have already incorporated K-12 engagement; now, the priority should be ensuring that all students are in some way involved. In the past, Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships (CEPP) has collaborated with the Lower School Civic Ambassadors on phone usage, and the program continues to run various partner sites in the Lower School. For the Students magazine pairs high school students with middle schoolers to write current events articles, while BOLD runs mentorship programs with female-identifying students in the Middle School. We recognize that TMP does not number among the Upper School clubs that have most substantively engaged with the full K-12 community, and although the nature of our publication often hinders these efforts, we hope to do more in the future to expand our coverage beyond the Upper School and invite more voices to the TMP conversation. This work, though, cannot end with clubs. Whether through the creation of a buddy program between Lower, Middle, and Upper School students (much like the Stables of last year) or the addition of a requirement for engagement with the rest of Milton as part of coursework for more classes, Milton should take action to integrate the school across the board, rather than through opt-in extracurriculars.
“Still Daring,” of which we heartily approve, does provide for the expansion of Milton’s K-12 programming, and we appreciate this renewed administrative focus. We, however, would like to encourage our readers to shift their perspectives as well. Regardless of what changes our administration may make and when, take the opportunity to get to know your younger peers, whether by joining clubs, participating in community engagement, or finding other ways to connect, even if it’s just a wave while walking across campus. This school has so much to offer, but we must first remember that Milton means more than just us.
