The Past, Present, and Future with Mr. Ball
By ALISON BLAKE ‘22
We all know Mr. Ball from afar, whether it be from his assembly speeches or his cheerful presence on campus. But how many know more about our Upper School principal than that? To get to know Mr. Ball and to better understand his role as principal, I set out to interview him, and we covered everything from his favorite memories as a former Milton student to his New Year’s resolutions for 2019.
As a current Milton student, I was especially interested in Mr. Ball’s time as an Upper School student. Mr. Ball spent much of his free time as a Milton student on the Speech and Debate team and writing for The Milton Paper. While the challenges of these activities might daunt others, Mr. Ball was (and still is) inspired by these challenges; he tells me that the things he loved most about each activity were the ups and downs.
An extemporaneous speaker on the speech team, Mr. Ball was given limited time to prepare and deliver randomly selected current-event themed speeches. He was forced to adapt to the successes and failures of each speech, and he developed skills that now serve him well as a principal. Curious as to whether his famous assembly speeches are delivered on the spot, I asked Mr. Ball how his public speaking experience has impacted the way he communicates to the student body. While noting that he practices a little the night before, Mr. Ball said that he doesn’t write out his speeches and mostly thinks in the moment. While participating in Lincoln Douglas Debate, Mr. Ball learned to express his perspective through arguing for both sides of an argument and to “listen for and identify crucial points, strengths, and weaknesses of an argument.”
As an editor for the Milton Paper (he was sure to mention his support for The Measure as well), Mr. Ball “realized his passion for fully engaging in a school community.” His favorite memory as a Milton student also came from his time at the Paper; during his senior year, while the school was in the midst of hiring a new Dean of Students, the editors of the Paper decided to write two issues - one for each candidate - so that the paper could ‘predict’ the new dean on the day of the announcement. When the dean was announced, they handed out the issue with the correct candidate, shocking the student body and administration.
Transitioning to the present, I asked Mr. Ball for any favorite Milton traditions that existed when he was a student and still exist now. After reflecting for a moment, he gave two: the Veteran’s Day Flagpole Ceremony and Graduation. He appreciates the Flagpole Ceremony’s “simplicity and clarity” in engaging the entire school community in a moment of reflection and recognition, and he says that Graduation gives him the opportunity to share in each individual’s Milton experience.
Mr. Ball noted that one of his most valued roles as principal is having the ability to shape the school experiences of students and faculty members alike; he takes responsibility and pride in making steps to improve the lives of everyone at Milton. He sees school as an opportunity, and he“love[s] seeing that opportunity realized by such a remarkable collection of people”.
Shifting his focus to the new year, Mr. Ball offered two resolutions: to get to class on time every day (he’s already given up) and to catch up on sleep. While he wanted to keep future developments coming to Milton in 2019 under wraps, he did mention his excitement for civil rights activist Bob Moses to speak at this year’s MLK assembly.
To end our interview, Mr. Ball reflected on his 2018. Reiterating his passion for his job and Milton community, he exclaimed that “getting to know more and more students” and “watching students and faculty emerge and come into their own” are among some of his favorite memories from the past year. Mr. Ball is an individual who has dedicated his life to giving back to his community. He cares not only about the state of the school, but also about each and every individual within the student body—after all, he’s been in our shoes.
Image Courtesy of milton.edu