Class IV Talk Season

Image courtesy of Milton Vimeo

By COBY MULLIKEN ‘23

As winter weather arrives to the Milton campus, so do the perennial grumblings of freshmen preparing to give their Class IV talks. In spite of these musings, students and faculty have revealed their support for the tradition.

Caroline Sabin ‘86, Chair of the English Department and former English Workshop instructor, stated that few people can remember exactly how the talks began, but that the tradition dates back to a little more than a hundred years ago. Beginning as a Chapel Talk for students at the boy’s school, the practice has grown in recent decades to English Departmental supervision, a role not established out of relevance to the curriculum, but merely “by necessity,” Sabin said. 

A number of students have already given their talks. Opinions range from appreciation and satisfaction to frustration and annoyance. Nika Farokhzad ‘23 felt it was a great opportunity to speak about an issue very important to her -- removing the stigma around alone-time -- and giving that talk was very beneficial. Jay Sanchez ‘23, on the other hand, said that he was glad to have the experience under his belt, although speech execution dipped when he was forced to present it in front of such a large audience.

Even Jack Burton ‘22, whose talk on the value of storytelling was selected as part of the “Best Of Class IV Talks” series, said that writing and preparing a speech over Thanksgiving break was stressful. However, he added that the existence of the Class IV talk is important to him and is powerful for many who don’t get the opportunity to speak in a public setting. His view is shared by Tomas Unger ‘08, a Class IV English teacher who gave his own talk about being agnostic. He said, “in the moment of giving the talk, it was a nerve wracking experience, but I was very grateful to have had to do it.” 

Among Milton students who have already given or have yet to give their Class IV talks, stress or worry are the most common emotions. That said, perhaps the next most prevalent feeling towards the program, especially among faculty, is gratitude and dedication, and for good reason. For Unger, it’s helped him lead class discussions and speak in front of others, skills he feels many of his own students will benefit from, both at Milton and beyond. As for Sabin, Class IV talks are emblematic of Milton’s very own motto, and they give students the opportunity to put themselves out there.