Eli Berk '26

Farewell, Mr. Whalen!

“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.”

Farewell, Ms. Skikas

Today is Aramark General Manager Jen Skikas’s last day at Milton. If you see her in Forbes, make sure to say thank you! The Measure did a Q&A with her to reflect on her time at Milton.

“A” Should Not Stand for Average

At Milton, “A is for average” is more than just a joke. In the 2022-23 School Profile (an academic overview sent to colleges which used to include junior students’ grade distribution in each course), 133 students in a class of 196 received a grade in the A-range for Junior English. For those enrolled in courses such as Cal Stats (Advanced Calculus & Mathematical Statistics), Spanish 5 (Honors), Multivariable Calculus, and Advanced Latin, no one received a grade below an A-range. Perhaps only the Science Department showed slightly more distribution, spanning from A+ to C. Nonetheless, even a B+, now considered “proficient,” was a rarity in this group of juniors.

Virgin Review

When I first listened to Lorde’s new album this summer, I wasn’t awfully fond of it. Breathy vocals floated over what felt like inadequate instrumentals. The emotion of the album felt lost on me, and I couldn’t really imagine when I would listen to it. “This is good,” I thought, “but it’s not for me.”

Meet Louis Cornet

This column aims to spotlight those who make Milton run. Each issue, we’ll interview a different Milton community member to get to know them and to share stories and advice.