Head Monitors Detail Their Visions for the Year
By Madeleine Wu ’28
The following is a transcript of a 15-minute conversation with Head Monitors Phoebe Quinn ’27 and Jon Cerullo ’27, edited for concision and clarity. How has the year been so far for both of you?
Jon: The first three weeks have been extremely exhausting. We both had to be here for Transitions and NSO, and I’d definitely say I’m feeling burnt out. By the end of this week, on Friday, I was falling asleep all day! Outside of that, it’s been going great.
Phoebe: To be honest, it’s been pretty rough. I live pretty far, and we’ve just had so many meetings. And on top of everything else we’re doing, we still have college applications. But I enjoy being busy, so I’m managing. And I think this first week has just hit John and me like a bus, so we’re definitely ready for it to be more normal than last week.
What have the first few SGA meetings been like, and how are you feeling about the group?
Phoebe: Well, we’ve only had two. The first one was essentially a check-in with everybody to see what their plans were for the first week and month. Oh my goodness—and Reach!
Jon: Yes, we talked a lot about Reach. Everyone had a lot of opinions. We were not very pleased getting kept in the dark about Reach because, as you can assume, most people come to us when something new happens. So everyone’s coming to us during the NSO and transitions programming, and we have absolutely no clue what’s happening.
What are some of your favorite aspects of Milton culture?
Jon: My favorite aspect is undoubtedly being a boarder and the brotherhood that you get to experience in the dorm. It’s something so special that so many people don’t get to experience.
Phoebe: I’m extremely grateful for all the perspectives I get to hear. Just within my classes, I have people from everywhere, and it’s so nice and refreshing to hear so many different perspectives from within my own school.
What about Milton culture do you hope to shift?
Phoebe: I really want to bond boarder and day communities and also have people expand outside of their regular social circle. There are so many cool people at Milton, and it’s a disservice to yourself to not expand the group of people you engage with. So I want to encourage people to say hi and start conversations with all people.
Jon: One thing that I’ve noticed in my time at Milton is that a lot of recruited athletes that come here end up just doing that sport. Stepping outside of this was a big motivator for me to run for head monitor. I wanted the younger kids to see that they’re more than just their sport and that they can do all kinds of things.
Should Milton students expect to see a continuation of Stables?
Phoebe: We decided not to continue Stables. We’re going to continue Monday meetings, and we’re hoping to implement student performances and more engaging activities. We want more people engaging because our whole school’s there. Why not do something where everybody’s involved?
Jon: I feel like we got a lot more negatives than positives from Stables. Last spring, Phoebe and I had many conversations with faculty and teachers. One that I remember was with Dr. Gokce, where she explained that from a teacher’s perspective, it was really hard. It was a group that wasn’t used to each other, and we didn’t meet that frequently, so you couldn’t form deeper connections.
What are some of your planned initiatives for this year?
Phoebe: We’ve had a lot on our plate this past week, so we haven’t sat down and thought about what we want this year to be for us and for everyone else. But we’ve talked about possibly having a winter pep rally in addition to the fall one, and including the entire Milton community as well. I also think it’s really important to get people to show up. We’re really good at showing up for things like Winter Dance Concert or under-the-lights games, but we need to expand beyond just those two things. I want everyone going to all the SAA events, and I want day students to come back to campus. Everything’s just better when everyone’s there.
Jon: To back up what Phoebe said, it starts with us. If people see us and the seniors attend events, everyone else will follow. It’s kind of like a chain reaction. So I think Phoebe and I feel a huge responsibility to set a good example. From there, hopefully our grade will follow, and the younger kids will opt into it as well.