Milton Academy - Yearbook (Milton, MA)

Page 30 text:

stereotypes. That the good little girl and the bad little girl are the same little girl is a paradox that accurately de- scribes Milton's impact on its minority students. Many have had very positive experiences 5 they felt both respected and appreciated for what they believe and who they are. Yet what we heard at the Mar- tin Luther King assembly of inci- dents of prejudice is appalling. I never thought that intolerance and prejudice would be happening at this school, said Christian Stein. Lisa Friedman added, These inci- dents are shocking, especially in a Well-educated community like Milton Academy. On the whole, the Milton Academy Community is becoming more aware of its asset, cultural A Spectrum of Views 28 diversity, and consequently more conscious of its problems and more eager to improve the situa- tion. With the combined efforts of the administration, the faculty and the students, Milton may become a better place for both people of dif- ferent backgrounds and people whose culture is of the main- stream.

Page 29 text:

things that I mention when I'm giv- ing a tour of Milton, said an Orange Key member. As a matter of fact, both the faculty and the stu- dents agree that cultural diversity is one of the most attractive points of Milton as a school. Milton has more cultural diversity than a lot of schools, stated Mr. Tom Cleve- land, maybe with the exceptions of Andover, Exeter, and Northfield Mount Hermon. But then they are much bigger schools. According to Mr. Michael Theobald, Milton is still in the pro- cess of diversifying itself. We have a healthy percentage of for- eign-born and minority students. It is a top priority right now to hire more faculty with a different grow- ing up, but there is very little turn- over each year. One of the reasons for the establishment of the Intern Program is to diversify the facul- ty. Ellen Argyros, an intern in the English department, commented, We have a different perspective than most of the faculty, probably because we are younger, and, up until last year, we were in the stu- dents' position ourselves. Another group which has noticed as a problem the lack of minority faculty is the Cultural Di- versity Committee, a self-formed group of faculty members. Its objectives are to examine the prob- lems that minority or foreign-born students face, and to make Milton a more comfortable place for them. The attrition rate for black and Hispanic students is very high right now, says Mrs. Iane Har- man. Besides lowering that rate, we hope to be able to offer those who stay a good three or four years at Milton, not merely a survival ex- periencef' Last September, there was an all-day faculty meeting addressing the issue of that espe- cial attrition rate, and possible solutions to better the situation. One of the suggestions the CDC proposed was an Orientation Pro- gram offered to the new minority and foreign students two weeks be- fore the school year opens. The CDC also sees the need to make more support available to minority students and even some curricu- lum changes. Mrs. Harman hopes that the faculty's good intentions will become actual action. I'd like to see the school confront some issues like racism, oppressed peo- ples, stereotyping, some real social issues. Students themselves promote cultural diversity. Members of Le Club, Spanish Club, and AIMS are actively exploring foreign cul- tures. These organizations also share what they have learned with the general student body: Le Club and the Spanish Club sang carols at the Christmas assembly, AIMS sponsored a performance com- memorating Martin Luther King on the anniversary of his birth. Presi- dent of AIMS, Lisa Iones, com- mented, I am glad AIMS has the opportunity to help open people's eyes to the importance of Martin Luther King, and to some aspects of the Afro-American culture. As a school, Milton offers many programs to further cultural di- versity. This yearis AFS students are Christian Stein and Eka Fensch from Germany and Lisbet Oester- gaard of Denmark. The Korean War Memorial Scholar is Hong Duong. The School Year Abroad program, according to Becky Holcombe, who was in Spain last year, is fan- tasticf' She also remarked that it is sad that people don't appreciate it: last year only Gordon Burns and I were in Spain, and Maria Fleming was the only one in France. The six-week French and Spanish ex- changes are more popular. There are other exchanges to Westmins- ter in England and Lakeside in Washington state. Andreas Evri- viades has been taking students to Greece and Cyprus over Spring vacations. There are seniors who go abroad on their senior projects. However, although the many op- tions for exploring foreign cultures offered at Milton are recognized, the prevailing student opinion is that too few people really take advantage of them. Patricia Yur- chak commented, They are there, but you don't notice them unless you are very interested. Never- theless, those who participate in any of these programs never fail to learn from whatever culture they see. I came back and now I can see Milton and my life here with a dif- ferent perspectivef' said Hol- combe. Many students are taking advan- tage of the academic courses which explore cultural diversity. The language requirement of com- pleting level 3 does not seem to be a hassle to a lot of studentsg indeed, many go on to take level 4 and 5. In addition to French, Spanish, and Latin, German and Italian are offered if there is enough enroll- ment, and there has been a propos- al to add Chinese to the curricu- lum. There are Milton teachers qualified to teach minority litera- ture, Asian history, Afro- American history, and Latin American history, and these courses are again open if there is enough enrollment. The school makes a conscious effort to pro- mote the students' openness towards the diversity of cultures. Most students agree that Milton is very diverse already although diversity is something there is nev- er enough of. However, there obviously are problems to be solved and attitudes changed be- fore this community can become Utopia. Although there are few in- cidents of blatant racism, chance remarks, or uses of stereotypes can madden, if not hurt, a minority stu- dent. That all blacks are athletic, that all Orientals are good at math and science, that all Iews are materialistic: these generaliza- tions are obviously untrue, but it is surprising how our attitudes are governed by these basic Z7

Page 31 text:

anclich 4' v ajlhwm Q 'W VV,VV 4,1 W 52:21, f' .. 'ni ,M u ,gg--Rffvf' . 4 -f--' . ni: ,.,-:Sf g 4. 'lr Christ, I'm preppy! The sound is good but it's a bit cumbersome No kissy pooh?