Vol. CXXXII · October 10, 2026
Though only a month ago we entered the Stu healthy, tanned, and rested, a cacophony of coughs now rings through hallways. We, the Senior Editorial Board, have endured both strep and an array of colds. Each year, particularly within the close quarters of dorms, back-to-school season seems to be a bundle deal with cold, flu, and COVID-19 season.
This spring, Facilities Services began a construction project, expected to end this November, to replace three failing roofs across the Student Center (Stu). The construction has disturbed some community members, despite efforts to minimize disruptive construction during the school day.
On Friday, September 25, three student groups held the K-12 Mid-Autumn Festival in the FMC: Hallyu, the Korean culture club; Tang, the Chinese culture club; and Asian Society, the Pan-Asian culture club. Celebrated by many East Asian countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival honors traditional harvest and family reunion under the full moon, and falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. “One of our goals was to make the event something the broader Milton community could experience,” Asian Society Co-head Leo Xie ’27 said.
On Tuesday, September 29, Upper School students gathered in the ACC, Goodwin Room, the RSG, and the FMC for a new Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month event. In a departure from past formats, students pre-selected their preferred assembly from multiple options: a speech and reading by the poet Amy Alvarez; a Masacote Dance workshop; a presentation from English teacher and Latinx Association faculty sponsor Melissa Figueroa; and a panel presentation from the Latinx co-heads Raphael Rufino ’27, Kamila Ruiz ’27, and Victoria Rivera ’27.
Head of School Alixe Callen ’88 indefinitely suspended the Japan Exchange Trip, effective this school year. The decision to end the roughly 35-person trip, the centerpiece of a partnership-based exchange between Milton and two Japanese schools, stemmed from Callen’s concerns about the trip’s lack of relevance to Milton's curriculum and its financial and personnel costs. “I never want to take away something that students love… [but] I feel like part of what I’m hired to do is to make tough decisions,” said Callen.
I still recall the first time I came across a sorority TikTok dance video in August a few years back. Dozens of girls were dressed up to match the “puppy eyes” theme, dancing to "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani in front of an exquisitely decorated house. Everybody wore a radiant smile as all the girls cheered each other on. At that moment, I was drawn to the sense of belonging they seemed to share, and I thought, I wanna be a part of whatever that is.
At 8:05 a.m., you burst into your classroom, ready to start your in-class essay. Opening DigiExam, you enter a code as long as your phone number and brace yourself for the prompt. A clock counts down in the corner and reminds you that you do not have infinite time to experiment or think through your argument.
American high-speed rail (HSR) has been notoriously expensive and slow to develop. Compared with its European counterparts, America ranked as the sixth most expensive country to build HSR. Currently, only a handful of HSRs operate in the U.S., with the most famous being Amtrak’s Acela corridor connecting Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., and Brightline’s regional network connecting Miami to Orlando, Florida.
For millions of Americans, everyday manual labor is not a “retreat” from daily life. Rather, such labor is a fact of daily life itself, and a way to provide for themselves. But at places like the Mountain School, students pay $40,000 in tuition to perform the kind of physical work that many families hope education will allow their children to avoid. In the early hours of the morning, they will feed animals, clean stalls, and complete chores. A few hours later, those same students attend classes and prepare for some of the most selective colleges in the country.
44%. That is the portion of Milton’s fall semester that will use the new four-day schedule. Prepare yourself for seven four-day weeks this semester, compared to just five Blue and four Orange Weeks. Since this schedule seems here to stay, we should work on improving it.
American rapper Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, was removed from the remainder of English artist Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour on September 14, 2026, after saying “Free Palestine” onstage and performing the protest song “Hind’s Hall” at both of Sheeran’s New Jersey shows. The decision to remove Macklemore as Sheeran's opener sparked backlash and ongoing drama. In the first few days after Macklemore’s removal, it was unclear who made the decision, confusion that sparked even more public discussion.
Curtis Sullivan ’28, a junior from Boston, is also known as the rapper Mo Knowledge. Many may know his music from performances here at Milton, including this year’s Transitions Beatnik and his Martin Luther King Day performance last year. Sullivan has integrated his art and sound into the Milton community, and recently released three singles on Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok.
Miley Cyrus, an American artist known for her pop, rock, country pop, and hip hop songs, released her latest album, Bass Persuades, on September 18, 2026. Since her debut in 2007, she has brought many influential and memorable pieces of music to her listeners. From “Party in the U.S.A.” to “Wrecking Ball,” Miley Cyrus’s songs hold influence around the world. Her new album has become a No. 1 album once again, a feat which she hasn’t been able to accomplish since 2013. However, along with releasing the new album, she also made an interesting decision that caused some discussion on the internet. Miley Cyrus is now professionally going by “Miley,” a decision which sparked discussions about identity and family, especially concerning her relationship with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Beabadoobee, a Filipino-British singer known for hit songs “the way things go,” “Real Man,” and “Beaches,” among others, released her fourth album, Pylon, on September 18, 2026.
On September 27, 2026, Music Television (MTV) held its 43rd annual Video Music Awards in the Peacock Theater in LA, hosted by Snoop Dogg and attended by hundreds of artists and celebrities. The Video Music Awards (VMAs) are an event hosted by the MTV channel that aims to celebrate the accomplishments of musical artists over the past year, similar to the Grammys.
Hi everyone! Welcome to this week's edition of Rowan’s Report.
Hi everyone! Welcome back to Rowan’s Report. I’m Rowan, your SGA Chief of Staff. Each issue, I’ll fill you all, the student body, in on the happenings in the SGA. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can always catch me, Rowan, in the halls, or any other member of the SGA: Phoebe and Jon, Head Monitors, Dilan and Dylan, Day Monitors, Shira and Jace, Boarding Monitors, Remy and Edward, Class I Representatives, Laura, Class II Representative, and Isabella and Ali, Class III Representatives. You can also always send us a message or DM with questions—we are your student government, and this is your column! Here, we’ll share important updates, SGA meeting notes, and the perspective of various SGA members.
“To quote Jerry Garcia, ’what a long, strange trip it’s been.’” Music Teacher Ted Whalen didn’t expect to spend 31 years teaching here. He thought he’d be here for just a few months: he interviewed for what was originally a sabbatical replacement. But, “by the time they got to the final interviews, it had changed… to a full-time position,” he stated. Though he had previously taught some private music lessons, Mr. Whalen discovered his passion, not just for teaching, but for Milton as a whole. “I had two young children who had been born in ’91 and ’94… Once they started school, I certainly didn’t want to leave… When I was growing up, I barely knew places like this existed. I grew up in a town that, at that point in time, had very few people who had even been to college… For my children to have had the chance to do this was really wonderful for me.”
Intellect. Humor. Care. Called the “most important teacher I’ve ever had,” Eve Goldenberg, known to students as Ms. Goldenberg, has been a powerful member of the English department for the past decade, permanently altering the way her students and colleagues think and learn. This June, the Milton community wishes her well as she moves to Washington, D.C.
Anne Kaufman ’79—to students, Dr. Kaufman—returned to Milton Academy in 2002 and has since influenced all facets of the community. In over two decades, she has been a math teacher, a dorm parent, a house head, and above all, one of the kindest members of this community.