New Math Center Draws Both Praise and Criticism

By Elizabeth Sim ‘27

The beginning of the 2024-2025 school year saw a significant addition to Milton’s campus: the Farokhzad Math Center (FMC). Originally occupied by Cox Library (now located in Wigglesworth Hall), the building is the result of a renovation funded by trustees and Milton parents Shadi and Omid Farokhzad.

Prior to the opening of the FMC, students attended math lessons either in the attic of Ware Hall or the classrooms of the RSG. For the first time in four years, all math teachers can hold their lessons in one building, and the addition of new spaces in the FMC has almost doubled the number of math classrooms on campus. But a sense of unity is hardly the only advantage that the FMC brings. Larger classrooms, breakout spaces, and an assembly space with a 200-person capacity all help illuminate the brand-new center. 

Although having opened its double doors only this September, the rookie building has already welcomed a number of positive reviews from Milton’s students and faculty. “The whole vibe around the building is hopeful and optimistic,” said math teacher Philip Robson, reflecting on his adjustment to the FMC. He expressed that he “[loved his] classroom,” and that he found it “really special” that he now had a room he could call his own. “While we need to be careful not to let [our rooms] isolate us, the amount of space, light, and possibilities is wonderful.” Echoing Robson’s appreciation of the increase in classroom number, Safina Abramova ‘25 said that as “teachers have their own classrooms now, they feel more organized, and that organization shows in their teaching.” She also felt that she herself had become “a lot more organized” since first spending time in the FMC, attributing this improvement to the amount of whiteboard space offered by the building. On another positive note, Adair Johnson ‘27 described the classroom setups as “awesome for math discussions and teaching.”

However, following their positive feedback, Abramova and Johnson voiced their criticism of certain aspects of the building. Abramova disapproved of the first-floor student commons, where students regularly gather for class meetings. She pointed out the disadvantages of sitting at the back of the student commons, explaining that “it [is] hard to see what [is] happening at the front.” Bringing up not a general inconvenience but a personal one, Johnson said that she was “not a fan at all” of the building’s modern and minimalist style. “The beauty and uniqueness of the building are lost with such rigid lines … I understand the goal of hard-lined efficacy, but the design is so utilitarian that it creates a kind of saddening atmosphere.” She thought that such an ambiance “really [misrepresented] math.”

When asked whether learning in the FMC would correlate with a student’s productivity and academic performance, Robson replied, “Walls don’t teach math.” Although the building was “an amazing new start,” he believed that the students matter most. “If students feel more positive, more at home, more comfortable, and more supported in the FMC, that’s all that matters to me.” Abramova certainly felt this way, saying that the new building contributed to the betterment of her math performance. “Having a sense of ‘newness’ always makes me more productive,” she said. Johnson, however, once again mentioned her dislike toward the building’s style, expressing that “the style [did not] correlate with [her] ideal math learning space.”

Following the renovations in key student hubs such as Cox Library, Forbes Dining Hall, and Schwarz Student Center, the FMC is another step forward in Milton’s perpetual improvement and innovation.