Vol CXVIII Num. 6Friday, November 2nd, 2012

This Week’sMeasure

SPORTSNEWSSwap-It 2012, pg. 3

2012 Election Social Issues, pg. 4

OPINION A&EPresidential Debate, pg. 5

Politics Online, pg. 5Step Team, pg. 9SYA China, pg. 9

Boys’ Soccer, pg. 10New Red Sox Manager, pg. 11

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

Milton Opinions on Economics Issues in the 2012 Election

With the election days away, presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have proposed two different plans for the future of the United States economy. Each vision has its supporters among the Milton community.

If elected, Governor Rom-ney, the Republican nominee, intends to enact what he calls a five-point plan for stabiliz-ing the economy. His five points are North American en-ergy independence, increased trade with Latin America, work force retraining, re-straint of reckless spending, and aid to small businesses.

When asked about Rom-ney’s plan, a Class III girl said that “restraining reckless spending is a good idea be-cause we’ve thrown away too much money in the past four years that had no real benefit to the economy, such as wast-

ed stimulus packages given to companies which subsequent-ly went bankrupt,” a reference to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Act, commonly known as the stimulus and signed into law by President Obama in 2009, has been controversial since its inception. Republicans be-lieve that it has largely been a waste of money, citing its over $800 billion price tag. But Democrats say it righted the American economy at a cru-cial time, citing studies from organizations like the CBO that found that the stimulus created or saved about 1 mil-lion jobs. The Class III student also believes that “helping small businesses grow will be beneficial because they are the base of the economy and, if they thrive, then every-thing will be well off also.”

If reelected, President Obama plans to give tax cuts to the middle class and to make

healthcare more affordable. During his first term, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also com-monly known as health care reform or Obamacare. The goal of the Obamacare is to decrease the amount of unin-sured Americans by mandating insurance coverage, prohibit-ing providers from refusing those with pre-existing condi-tions, and beginning to reduce the overall costs of health care.

In response to health re-form, Hari Patel (III) said “the provisions within the Afford-able Care Act are very admi-rable. I definitely agree with the combo of the mandate and the pre-existing condi-tions coverage. It is not a full fix but begins to solve some of the health care problems facing Americans. Also, the growth in the cost of health care has slowed to its low-

By Sean Chanicka ‘15 News Writer

Grace Li/TMM

Mr. McGuirk’s microeconomics class discusses current issues.

In a few days time, the citizens of Massachusetts will have voted not only for Presi-dent, but also on three very important ballot questions. According to BallotPedia, this year, 39 states have a total of 188 questions on their ballots, most concerning issues like “taxes, administration of gov-ernment, bond issues, [the] ju-diciary and law enforcement.” Some states have already had early voting, but Massachu-setts will vote on its three bal-lot questions on November 6th. Ballot Question 1 deals with the availability of motor vehicle repair information. As detailed in the Massachusetts Information for Voters book-let that is mailed to all regis-tered voters, Question 1 would require car manufacturers to make available for fair pur-chase the repair information and tools for their cars to in-dependent repair facilities and vehicle owners; this law would not, however, force manu-facturers to release “trade se-crets.” Arthur Kinsman, of the

pro-Question 1 Massachusetts Right to Repair Committee, ar-gues that the measure “make[s] it more convenient and less ex-pensive for car owners to get car[s] repair[ed]… you should get it fixed where you want.” David Martin, a member of the Citizens Committee for Safe and Fair Repair, dis-agrees, saying that “a ‘no’ vote protects consumer safety and ensure[s] vehicle choice.” One Class II student was in fa-vor of Question 1, feeling that car dealerships should not mo-nopolize car repairs. Another Class II student was opposed because car dealerships are more specialized in the cars they sell, and thus have more knowledge about how to re-pair a specific type of car. Ballot Question 2 regards physician-assisted suicide. If passed, this law would allow physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs to adult patients who are “mentally capable of making and communicat-ing health care decisions,” “diagnosed…[with] an incur-able and irreversible disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, cause death within six months,” and who

have “voluntarily express[ed] a wish to die.” Washington and Oregon are the only states where phy-sician-assisted suicide is legal, while 34 states have explicitly outlawed the practice. Those in favor of the law refer to it as “Death with Dignity.” In the Massachusetts Information for

Voters packet, Heather Clish, who authored the booklet’s pro-Question 2 piece, argues for the legality of physician-assisted suicide due to her personal connection with its benefits. Her terminally ill fa-ther went to his home state of Oregon to die “in the comfort of his own home; competent

and aware instead of detached and sedated; on his own terms instead of those of a fatal dis-ease that had already taken too much.” According to a University of Massachusetts poll, vot-ers are 65% in favor of this

By Rachael Allen ‘14 News Writer

Massachusetts Citizens Set to Vote on Ballot Questions

http://gopcampaigner.com/

This year’s Massachusetts ballot will confront voters with questions about legalizing marijuana, assisted suicide, and the availability of motor vehicle repair information.

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 2 The Milton MeasureEditorial

Two weeks ago, in anticipation of the upcoming election, F.L.A.G. and Young Republicans hosted a debate between two alums: Sam Ratner, a former member of F.L.A.G., and Charlie Johnson, a previous head of Young Republicans. Many students noted that Charlie Johnson had also served as Editor-in-Chief of The Milton Measure. As Milton’s official school publication, The Measure has often been labeled the more “traditional” and less controversial of the two student-run newspapers, and there-fore the more conservative one. The Milton Paper, on the other hand, is commonly regarded as the more open -- and therefore more liberal -- publication by virtue of its relative independence. This perceived divide between the papers has persisted even as the demographics of the school have become increasingly liber-al. Indeed, since Johnson’s day, the student voices on The Mea-sure’s editorial staff have become more liberal as well; while that trend has not necessarily held year-to-year, the current Edi-torial Board is no exception to it. Though conservative students at Milton are well-represented among the writers of both papers, and can be outspoken when expressing their opinions, they are in the minority on the boards’ of both publications.

Casting aside our editors’ personal views, we would like to stress that, as a publication, we are politically neutral. We live in an era of increasingly polarized and hostile political parties. The spread of anonymous negative campaigning from indepen-dent “super PAC” groups thanks to the Citizens United decision has only escalated the antagonism between liberals and conser-vatives, much to the detriment of our political system. Many issues can quickly become emotionally charged. Under these circumstances, we feel that maintaining neutrality as a publica-tion is more crucial than ever. We represent a student body with diverse views, and by unanimously advocating for a fixed set of beliefs, we risk silencing the students that disagree with us. This election issue seeks to underscore the many political viewpoints in the Milton community. More regularly, the pages of the Mea-sure seek to provide fresh ideas about public policy, the role of government, and the place of public discourse in a democracy.

Milton has always strived to create a community in which every student feels comfortable voicing his or her opinion. The school’s motto, “Dare to be True,” is a testament to the centrality of that mission. In many ways, this appreciation for uniqueness is very much alive in the Milton community. We hope that stu-dents’ ability to embrace and celebrate differences, rather than condemn them, can extend to political disagreements as well. Only by opening our minds to the unfamiliar and uncomfortable will we learn.

As Milton’s official student publication, we wish to carry on this attitude to foster an open and inquisitive dynamic on cam-pus. Journalism, the “fourth estate,” can be an immensely pow-erful political force and should never fall prey to the perception of impropriety during contentious times. More relevant to our situation, student journalism should provide a platform on which students can express their unique views and educate the com-munity. We are a platform for Milton’s collection of individual voices, Democratic and Republican, American and international, liberal and conservative -- all of which have a say, and all of whom are valued.

Neutrality in a Polarized World

NewsGabriella Blake ‘14Rachael Allen ‘14

Rebecca Chernick ‘14Claire Russell ‘14Iladro Sauls ‘15

Hannah Hoffman ‘15Kate Higgins ‘15

Sean Chanicka ‘15Shira Golub ‘14Rajiv Ram ‘16

Sports

Joshua Pomper ‘13Haley Dougherty ‘14Abby Lebovitz ‘14

Sophia Tsanotelis ‘13Patryk Krzesaj ‘14

Nicholas DiGiovanni ‘15Luca Lorenzoni ‘14

Daniel Kim ‘13

Photography Alexander King ‘13

Salima Sarsenova ‘14Selina Cheah ‘14

Rex Li ‘14Varun Singh ‘14

Victoria Parker ‘14

A&E Alexander Lee ‘14

Ashley Koo ‘14Faith Pang ‘15Kat Fearey ‘14

Louisa Moore ‘14Nina Wadekar ‘13

Molly McCullen ‘15Ian Malone ‘14

OpinionDaphne Chow ‘14Ilve Bayturk ‘14Liam White ‘14 Mark Iraheta ‘15

Monique Williams ‘13Mykayla Sandler ‘14

Raj Davae ‘15Shannon Peters ‘13

Constantine Velmahos ‘15Eliza Scharfstein ‘16Aeshna Chandra ‘16Sophia Cloherty ‘16Madeline Barnes ‘16

Managing EditorTucker Hamlin ‘13

Layout EditorsLindsay Atkeson ‘13

Brian Cho ‘13

Senior EditorsKat Kulke ‘13Jon Esty ‘13

Charles Wang ‘13

Web EditorJeremy Mittleman ‘13

*

Olivia Atwood ‘13, A&E EditorGrace Li ‘13 and Jenna Lee ‘14, Photo Editors

Yvonne Fu ‘14 and Titania Nguyen ‘14, Opinion EditorsElana Golub ‘14 and Neil Chandra ‘14, News/Feature Editors

Charlie Blasberg ‘14 and Sam Barrett-Cotter ‘13, Sports EditorsMeneka Sachdev ‘13, Caleb Warren ‘13, and Delaney Flynn ‘13 Humor Writers

Siyu Lu ‘15, and Christopher McDonough ‘14 Associate Layout EditorsJonathan Chang ‘14 Associate Webmaster

*Larry Pollans, Faculty Advisor

The Mil ton M E A S U R Eest. 1894

Editors-in-ChiefNelson Barrette ‘13 & Amanda Beaudoin ‘13

Electronic Copies of The Milton Measure

If you would like to begin receiving copies of The Measure via email, please send your email adress to

Nelson Barrette or Amanda Beaudoin at:nelson_barrette13@milton.edu OR amanda_beaudoin13@milton.edu

Letters to the Editors

Please either email our editors or mail to:The Milton Measure

170 Centre StreetMilton, MA 02186

Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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To read us online, visit www.miltonmeasure.org

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 3The Milton Measure News

est rate in at least fifty years, so there is some merit to it.”

Andrea Geyling, a teacher in the history department, be-lieves that “addressing health-care is critical for the eco-nomic and social health of the United States.” She cited the example of General Motors, saying that “in 2007..., [GM] paid more in health care for its workers than for the cost of steel.” In other words, “about $1,525 of the cost of every vehicle pays for healthcare.”

Another issue for both candidates is the continuation of the Bush-era tax cuts. Orig-inally passed during the presi-dency of George W. Bush,

these cuts were later extended in 2010 by President Obama. The President wishes to con-tinue these tax cuts for middle class families, but eliminate them for high-income fami-lies. Governor Romney, on the contrary, wants to extend these tax cuts for all earners.

“The tax cuts should be extended because when peo-ple making money don’t have to give a large cut of it back to the government, they tend to spend it within our economy,” argued a Class III girl. “This act of putting money back into the system that supports our lifestyles boosts the currently weak economy and raises the standard of the country.”

Michael Lou of the his-tory department reasons that “the rich have lots of mon-ey…and giving them more money means more hidden away, and not necessarily more for further investment back into the economy. But when the middle class no lon-ger has the tax cuts, then it’s a real hit on their spending power for day to day living.”

Like the nation at-large, different people in the Milton community have contrasting views on the efficiency of each candidates economic plans.

Economic Issues in 2012Continued from page 1

law passing. But organiza-tions like the Roman Catholic Church, Massachusetts Medi-cal Society, and The Com-mittee Against Physician As-sisted Suicide, feel this law is not written suitably to include proper safeguards, nor does it acknowledge the fact the doc-tors, at times, are incorrect in their estimates of death. The Roman Catholic Church believes one cannot take another’s life under any circumstances, and this law would put a doctor in the posi-tion of choosing between life and death and going against the doctor’s oath to protect and work for the patients’ lives. Six Class II students ex-pressed support for this law, believing that people should be able to “die with dignity.” They felt that taking such a measure was difficult to relate

to personally, but all thought that if Question 2 ends peo-ples’ suffering, as does eutha-nasia for pets and do-not-re-suscitate orders, then it should be passed.

Ballot Question 3 per-tains to the medical use of marijuana. This law would legalize medical marijuana for patients “diagnosed with a debilitating medical con-dition.” Non-profit medical marijuana treatment centers would be allowed to “grow, process, and provide mari-juana to patients and their caregivers.” Those in favor believe this law could lessen the pain and suffering of many pa-tients with diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and glaucoma. Those against feel there are too many loopholes that allow

“virtually anyone [to] grow pot...[and] operate a pot shop in your neighborhood to sell marijuana for any ‘medical’ reason-not just for the seri-ously ill,” as opponent Dr. Jay Broadhurst argues. In addi-

tion, there is already a mari-juana pill, Marinol, available for prescription. Two Class II students said they support this law, citing the need to ease pa-tients pain. Other states are dealing with similarly controversial

questions. California has 11 ballot questions, including one which would end the death penalty, while Florida has 12 constitutional amendments on its ballot this year. Super PACs and campaigns have

spent millions of dollars fighting for people’s votes over issues “ranging from abortion-funding restrictions to big property-tax breaks and [the] repeal of language barring state money to reli-gious groups,” the Orlando Sentinel reports. In Maryland, where early voting went from Saturday October 27th to November

1st, voters will make decisions on ballot questions related to gambling, in-state tuition for illegal-immigrants, Mary-land’s congressional redistrict-ing map, and same-sex mar-riage. Illinois, Kansas, Ken-

tucky, Nevada, South Caro-lina, and West Virginia each have only one ballot question, dealing with pensions, taxa-tion of boats, hunting and fish-ing, holding special legislative sessions, choosing running mates for lieutenant gover-nor, and county sheriff’s term limits, respectively. North Carolina has no questions this November, but in May defined marriage as between a man and a woman. As November 6 approach-es, the results of many such ballot questions may drastical-ly affect many peoples’ lives across the country.

Massachusetts Ballot Questions

Swap-It 2012: a Bizarre Success

Last weekend, many shop-pers visited Milton Academy’s annual Swap-It tag sale run by Milton’s Lower School. The bargain items collected for this event were put on sale to the public October 26-27 in the hockey rink, all proceeds going to the Lower School.

Marshall Carter, Lower School Principal, explained how “Swap-It began as a Lower School tradition more than 60 years ago. Originally, families exchanged school uniforms and over time, other items. Eventually it became the big tag sale that it is today.”

Its current form includes an incredibly eclectic range of objects. All of these are

donated “mostly [by] Milton Academy families or former Milton families. Some com-munity members also donate,” remarked Mr. Carter. Morgan O’Connell (II) said, “we tend to start our ‘Swap-It pile’ only a couple weeks after Swap-It ends to prepare for the next year. [It] gives my family a great incentive to clean and organize our house.” Julia McKown (I) mentions that her family “always donates tons of stuff, so sometimes I see some of my old clothes there.”

Donations come from all different parts of the Milton Academy community and the town of Milton. The Lower School connects with many different groups to amass as many items as possible. Mr.

Carter said, “We advertise, put up signs, and also count on the sheer weight of years of tradition-- people just know it is coming!” Supported entirely by parents volun-teers, Swap-It brings together many families and students in this school-wide event.

In contrast to years past, this year’s Swap-It ended sooner than usual and did not conclude with the usual “get-rid-of-everything” prices on Sunday. Mr. Carter said that the Lower School “will be do-nating both high quality and bulk clothing to non-profits. The whole community ser-vice aspect of Swap-It has grown a lot in recent years.”

In addition to Lower School support, Swap-It

has garnered many fans in the Upper School. Nick Di-Giovanni (III) said, “It is a great time to get together as a community and share things with each other.” Morgan O’Connell agreed, exclaim-ing, “I live for the hunt!”

Nick went on to say, “there are good deals everywhere, and boarders can get things such as couches or chairs for very low prices. It’s fun to look for things with friends, too.”

In anticipation for the Upper-School Swap-It Dance that took place last Friday, stu-dents purchased many unique and bizarre outfits. Jack Karle (II) described how he “bought tight women’s spandex, a kid’s

medium Allen Iverson jer-sey, four multi-colored head-bands, and 2 H&M purple and white tank tops.” Simi-larly Josh Pomper (I) pur-chased “a T-shirt that was too small, a seven-year-old girl’s vest, and camo shorts.”

Mr. Carter expressed how grateful the Lower-School is for the proceeds of Swap-It. “All you have to do is walk around the K-8 campus to see the benefit of Swap-It—playground equipment, computers, smart boards, lockers, lounge furniture—all were paid for by Swap-It.”

By Shira Golub ‘14News Writer

Jenna Lee/TMM

Johanna Ebers (I) and Isabel Chun (II) shop at Swap-It

Continued from page 1

“As November 6 ap-proaches, the results of many such ballot ques-tions may drastically

affect many peoples’ lives across the country.”

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 4 The Milton MeasureNews

Alumni Concert Helps Raise Money for South Africa Jazz Trip

On Sunday, October 28, Milton Academy’s Jazz De-partment hosted a fundraising concert for its March 2013 South Africa tour. Four Mil-ton graduates, who all went to South Africa twice during their time at Milton, played along-side Bob Sinicrope, the head of Milton’s jazz department. Do-nations were optional; howev-er, many students, parents, and alumni felt compelled to help fund the transformative expe-rience that the biannual South Africa trip offers to students.

The alumni played an

incredible set, as they remi-nisced about their experi-ences in South Africa. The alumni included Samara Oster (’09), now a senior at Har-vard, who captivated the audi-ence with her incredible voice and breathtaking range. On the piano, Ben Stepner (’06) and Jason Yeager (’05), both graduates from the New Eng-land Conservatory of Music, revisited a lighthearted duet they first played at Milton, combining two Bobby Tim-mons tunes, “Dis Here” and “Dat Dere.” Kevin Moy (’05), now an intern in the Biology department, revealed his tal-

ent on the bass; He and Jason played a beautiful duet that they once enjoyed at Milton. Mr. Sinicrope also joined the alumni for a few songs. Happy to have his former stu-dents back on campus, Mr. Sinicrope exclaimed at the be-ginning of the concert, “This is like a family reunion!”

March will mark the jazz group’s ninth South Africa tour. Over sixteen days, the group plays about twelve con-certs in both formal and in-formal settings all around the country. Each year, the group visits many schools in town-ships where they play for and

with South African students, creating bonds with people from disparate backgrounds.

A particularly exciting per-formance venue is the V&A waterfront in Cape Town, which Mr. Sinicrope says is like playing outside at the Quincy market. Brian Cho (I), who went on the last South Af-rica tour, remembers the wa-terfront concert as one of the best of the tour. “The energy from both the audience and the musicians was tangible; we couldn’t help but emulate that excitement in our playing.”

The four-hour jazz festival held by the Amy Biehl Foun-dation is one of the most mov-ing performances of the tour. The Foundation is an organi-zation honoring an American anti-apartheid activist, Amy Biehl, who was killed fight-ing for social justice in South Africa. According to Mr. Sini-crope, “if we aren’t there, [the festival] doesn’t happen”-- an honor to say the least.

Not only does the jazz group share their music with South Africa, but they also bring instruments and other gifts to donate to each venue where they perform. Each student who attends the tour brings two suitcases, one packed with his or her own belongings, and another filled with a variety of items to do-

nate. The group has brought about $100,000 worth of do-nated material on its nine tours.

Mr. Sinicrope said the three objectives of the trip are to give the gift of music, to become culturally aware, and to have fun. Besides perform-ing, Menaka Sachdev (I) es-pecially enjoyed the bus rides as “great bonding time.” She remembers that on the 2011 trip, everyone would sing along to James McHugh (’12) and Nick Deveau (’12) jam-ming in the back of the bus.

With over twelve concerts, the tour also offers students an incredible opportunity to im-prove as musicians. As Mr. Sinicrope put it, jazz is “like a sport-- the best way for our students to grow is to play.”

Through home-stays and visits to such places as Sowe-to, Robben Island, a housing project, and the Apartheid Museum, the jazz students im-merse themselves in South Af-rican culture. At the concert on Sunday, Samara comment-ed on the powerful connec-tions formed in South Africa between two seemingly differ-ent cultures. The universal lan-guage of jazz connects the Mil-ton students to each other and to the South African people, creating a life changing experi-ence for everyone involved.

By Claire Russell ‘14 & Amanda Beaudoin ‘13

Courtesy of Francis Scanlon

Jason Yeager ‘05 and Kevin Moy ‘05 were among the four alumni to perform at last Sunday’s concert.

Over the course of this year’s presidential elec-tion, perennial social issues, such as abortion and mar-riage equality, have aris-en as controversial topics.

On abortion, President Obama has taken a pro-choice stance. According to his offi-cial website, “[He] believes a woman’s health care choices are personal decisions, best made with her doctor—without interference from politicians.”

On the other hand, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is pro-life. Accord-ing to his campaign website, “he believes that the right next step is for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

Chimene Cooper (I), who is unable to vote but consid-ers herself a Democrat, admits that she “does understand the pro-life argument for the most part, except in cases of rape and incest.” Republican Kath-erine Flaherty (III) believes that a child’s life begins at conception: “We do not have the right to make decisions for those who are not there to have a say. Our country has

finally ended...discrimination [on the basis] of color, religion and socio-economic class, and now we are discriminat-ing against age, location (in a womb), and lack of voice.”

Concerning marriage equality, President Obama’s stance is consistent with that of the Democratic Party, which supports gay marriage. In an interview with ABC news on May 9, 2012, Presient Obama clearly stated, “personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” Over the past four years, President Obama has worked with the LGBT community on initiatives like the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.

Governor Romney, on the other hand, believes that mar-riage should be between one man and one woman. Accord-ing to his campaign website, “as president, Mitt will not only appoint an Attorney General who will defend the Defense of Marriage Act – a bipartisan law passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton – but he will also champion a Federal Marriage Amend-

ment to the Constitution de-fining marriage as between one man and one woman.”

Hari Patel (III), whose beliefs are more aligned with those of the Democratic Party, thinks that “it is wrong to deny any humans civil rights...and I believe that the right to marry is a civil right. America on oc-casion lags behind the devel-oped world when it comes to acceptance, and this is defi-nitely one of those cases.”

Duncan Bowden (I), who considers himself a Repub-lican, believes that both gay marriage and abortion “should be fully legalized, allowing those who wish to take advan-tage of that legalization to do so.” Acknowledging that his opinion on these controversial matters is not consistent with the views of the Republican Party, he adds that he “can be-gin to understand why people oppose legalizing abortion and gay marriage on a reli-gious sense, and that is their decision to make, but I believe it should be legalized and those people should person-ally abstain from taking ad-vantage of that legalization.”

Republican Dar Anastas, a member of the performing arts department, also differs from many in the national GOP on key social issues. “Outside of protecting the weak and poor, social issues involving personal choice and religion have no business in politics,” she says. “Topics of abortion, marriage rights, and health

care are divisive and should be left to the individual to decide what is right for them-selves and their families.”

Clearly Milton Acad-emy’s conservatives and liberals can find common ground on social issues, even if the country as a whole re-mains largely divided.

By Kate Higgins ‘15 News Writer

Grace Li/TMM

Mr. Smith’s classroom: a forum for debate.

Milton Community Discusses Social Issues in the Election

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 5The Milton Measure Opinion

The third and final 2012 presidential debate, which took place on October 22, focused on foreign policy. President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney faced off in a two-hour, traditional-style debate. While Obama and Romney both detailed their foreign policy plans and included much talk about their domestic policy plans, the only questions that really matter ed were: who won the debate, and how did the debate change the outcome of the election? Ac-cording to polls, Obama won, but without much effect on the overall presidential race.

The debate included topics such as America’s fight against terrorism, Bashar al-Assad’s massacres in Syria, America’s role in the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, how the United States should view Israel as an ally, America’s relation-ship with China, and secu-rity threats to the nation. The candidates, however, tried to drive these discussions back to the economy at home and the state of the nation. While Obama also affirmed the im-portance of promoting efforts against terrorism, supporting Israel, helping minorities and women in developing nations, and improving the economies in the Middle East, he spe-cifically emphasized that the key to being successful inter-nationally is to improve the situation at home. He hopes to provide incentives for busi-nesses to bring jobs back to America. Governor Romney, while agreeing with much of the President’s foreign policy, highlighted the president’s silence after the Green Revo-lution in Iran in 2009, saying that America has “to stand for

our principles, stand for our al-lies, stand for a strong military and stand for a stronger econ-omy.” For Romney, a stronger military means increasing the Pentagon’s budget, a source of contention between the two candidates. In the midst of the foreign policy talk, Romney, like Obama, discussed domes-tic issues such as education and the economy; both men continued to criticize their op-ponent’s policies as well as promoting their own plans.

FiveThirtyEight, the New York Times-affiliated, highly acclaimed electoral statistics blog run by statistician Nate Silver, says that as of October 28th, the chance of an Obama victory is 74.6%, only 7% more than what the polls said on the day before the debate, October 21st. Although the fi-nal debate had a minor effect on the polls in Obama’s favor, there was no significant swing in either direction. This is in stark contrast to the effects of the first debate: the day before debating Romney in Denver, October 2nd, Obama had an 84.7% chance of winning, but nine days after the debate, that figure had plummeted to 61.1%. Clearly, the first de-bate had a greater effect on the polls. This lack of movement could be attributed to multiple reasons: the election is so near at hand that voters have most-ly made up their minds; swing voters may not have been able to pick a decisive winner; and neither Obama nor Romney provided any new or contro-versial statements. Whatever the reason for the debate’s small impact, with Novem-ber 6th only days away, both candidates find themselves in essentially the same place as on October 21st.

By Eliza Scharfstein ‘16 Opinion Writer

3rd Debate Leaves Door Open

To say these past four years have been crucial to our devel-opment as a nation would be a gross understatement. Clear-ly, President Obama’s poli-cies have affected the country greatly, for better or for worse. He was chosen as the Demo-crat nominee in 2008 over Hill-ary Clinton--but what if she had won the party’s nomina-tion instead? Would a Clinton victory have led to a radically different country in 2012?

As Clinton’s policy pro-posals in 2008 were similar to Obama’s, her actions regard-ing legislation would likely have been largely the same. However, Clinton is much more liberal than Obama. She favors minimizing govern-ment involvement in personal issues, but increasing it in economic issues. Obama, on the other hand, is closer to be-ing a “Blue Dog” progressive.

Obama’s centrist mindset and willingness to work across the aisle have been impor-tant these past few years, as

inter-party cooperation has be-come necessary in Congress’ current divided state. Clin-ton would likely have been less willing to work across the aisle than the incumbent. That stubbornness could have been a disaster when bi-partisanship was necessary.

Second, Clinton’s previ-ous status as one of the most influential lawyers in America could have led to a more ag-gressive defense of her ac-tions if elected. On the other hand, Obama has been criti-cized for not standing up for himself enough; for example, in the first presidential de-bate this year, he was called out for failing to mention his greatest achievements while president. Clinton’s more ag-gressive tendencies might have affected her relationship with Republicans and Inde-pendents when trying to get Democratic policies approved.

Third, a glaring difference in these two candidates is gen-der. While it may seem to be a non-issue for many, gender today still has a huge impact

on our country and world. Clinton would have brought more focus to women’s rights and issues in America, and could have given a more de-finitive stance to female voters across the country. Many of her personal political stances lean towards giving women more power, more choices, and more equality. So how would that have affected so-ciety from 2008 until today?

Clinton’s election in 2008 could have created a much more decisive, liberal-minded, equal America; however, her policies ran the risk of alienat-ing Republicans, a political rift which would have been disas-trous in today’s economic and political situation. Although she could have done wonders for the United States, inter-party cooperation is needed now more than ever, and she would not have brought that to the table. It was the right choice voting for Obama in 2008, but if Clinton decides to run in 2016, she would un-doubtedly bring great and nec-essary changes to America.

By Aeshna Chandra ‘16 Opinion Writer

What if Hillary Had Won?

Everyone in King Theater goes crazy when Nelson Bar-rette (I), taking center stage, lightens the mood of Friday morning assemblies with his F.L.A.G announcements. His politically relevant jokes are entertaining and clever, yet Nelson frequently references the lack of students that attend the F.L.A.G meetings each Friday afternoon. Despite his success in earning our atten-tion at 8 o’clock in morning, most students fail to show up to any political club meet-ings. Although Nelson’s an-nouncements are always met with great applause, Milton students appear to remain po-litically uninvolved. Maybe F.L.A.G meetings, or politics in general, are the last thing on students’ minds on a Fri-day afternoon, but this lack of participation seems to be more the result of students’ reluctance to share their po-litical views in public. Indeed, online, students do not shy from voicing their opinions on the upcoming election.

During the 2008 election, Barack Obama was a symbol of change and inspiration. The fact that Obama would poten-tially become the first black president of the United States presented American voters, both Democrats and Repub-licans, with hope and excite-ment. This national enthusiasm was infectious among young

people. According to msnbc.com, the spike in participation among young voters in 2008 may have led to Obama’s be-coming president: approxi-mately 22 to 24 million young people voted in the 2008 elec-tion, at least 2.2 million more youth than in 2004. In 2008, younger Americans seemed to unite behind Obama’s cam-paign; now that many Ameri-cans are displeased with Presi-dent Obama, however, the divisions between staunchly Democratic and Republican students have become more pronounced, and any of the unity from 2008 has largely dissipated. When Milton stu-dents log onto Facebook, they are likely to find various links and status updates favoring ei-ther Obama or Romney. Espe-cially during the presidential debates, Milton students are constantly posting their opin-ions about both candidates on Facebook and Twitter. Four years ago, one would rarely find a student liking John Mc-Cain’s Facebook page, since even many Republican stu-dents found themselves sup-porting Obama. But because the student population lacks the relative unity it possessed in 2008, students are express-ing more divergent political opinions on social networks.

Milton students definite-ly participate in politics; the majority of student expres-sion, however, remains online rather than face-to-face with

other students. Students are quick to aggressively post on Facebook, but when it comes to speaking out about one’s political views in public, they are significantly less passion-ate. This discrepancy be-tween different forms of stu-dent participation raises the question of what Milton can do to facilitate more political discussion at school. Several history classes have already required students to watch the presidential debates as homework assignments and to discuss the results of the de-bates in class. Perhaps Values and Senior Transition classes can incorporate the presiden-tial election into the curricu-lum. Or maybe F.L.A.G. and Young Republicans can host a Wednesday assembly dedi-cated to the election that all students, not just boarders, can attend. As of now, the major-ity of election-based conversa-tion exists in extra-curricular groups; because some Milton students are eligible to vote, Milton should focus on in-corporating the election into classes and assemblies as well. Student activism played a huge part in swinging the last election. Milton should make sure that students feel that their voices can be heard — and not just online.

By Shannon Peters ‘13Opinion Writer

Milton’s Political Opinions Stay Online

httpvoiceofniagara.files.wordpress.com201005hillary-clinton-again1.jpg/TMM

A Clinton presidencymight have made a very different America.

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 6 The Milton MeasureCenterfold

Freshman of the Week: Trevor AtkesonAge: 14Gender: MaleZodiac Sign: AriesHometown: Beijing, China

When and why did you decide to come to Milton?I decided to come to Milton at the end of 8th grade, and I came to Milton for an American high school experience and for my sis.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of school? Running with the XC team and hanging out with the Forbes guys.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time at Mil-ton? What are your goals for the next 4 years?I want to be a better person and to work hard.

If you could have one wish what would it be?A thousand more wishes.

Senior crush?Sam Clifford (I)

Courtesy of Brian Kim

@menakaiscool: Haven’t left the dorm in 40 hrs #hermit #sandy

@IkeNgwudo23 “Trees pro-duce oxygen right?”-- @air-max_94 #collegebound? @delaneyflynn: I dont know

what’s worse, the storm itself or the number of instagram pictures with hashtag “sandy” that are inevitably to come

Milton Measure retweetsTweet @MiltonMeasure to have your tweets published!

@allstar_award: Someone came into my house with thriller play-ing as part of their costume #GETOUT

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 7The Milton Measure Centerfold

Senior of the Week: Lindsay AtkesonAge: 17Gender: FemaleZodiac Sign: LeoHometown: Beijing, China

What is your best memory from your time at Milton?Seeing my brother make varsity cross country.

What’s your favorite way to spend a Saturday after-noon?I’m usually with my seXC girls at a meet.

Where can you usually be found on campus?In Robbins House with my Robbins ladies Angie Song (I), Sam Clifford (I), Nalani Daniels (I), Allie Cullen (I), Abbie Higgins (I), Monique Williams (I), Zoe Kurtz (I), and Chimene Cooper (I).

What’s your favorite movie?Fight Club

Underclassman crush?Mike Durkin (IV)

Facebook

66%

23%

3%8%

If you could vote, who would you support for the presidency?

Barack Obama

Mitt Romney

Gary Johnson

Jill Stein

75%

17%

3% 5%

Who do you think will win the Presidential Election?

Barack Obama

Mitt Romney

Gary Johnson

Jill Stein

45%

55%

If you could vote, who would you support for senate in

Massachusetts?

Scott Brown

Elizabeth Warren

37%

12%6%3%10%

9%

23%

What news source do you use the most?

CNN

NBC

CBS

ABC

FOX

MSNBC

Other

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 8 The Milton MeasureOpinion

Debate System FlawedObama and Romney are

both chasing the same prize: the presidency of the United States. In the past few weeks, both candidates have sparred with each other as mod-ern gladiators in arenas that held over 60 million view-ers: the presidential debates.

Debates allow the public to understand the positions and characteristics of each candidate. Listening to each candidate’s views helps vot-ers see how his policies would directly affect their everyday lives and thus allows for a more informed decision come Election Day. Furthermore, debates exemplify some of the candidates’ characteristics that would not come across through their political plat-forms. For example, in the vice presidential debate, Joe Biden affirmed his position as an experienced and powerful political figure. Paul Ryan, on the other hand, came across as a quieter candidate who does not have much experience on the political front. Ever since the age of televised debates began, political discourse has become more superficial in nature. The famously sig-nificant 1960 Nixon-Kennedy

debate was a moment of sea change: JFK surged in the polls after appearing youthful and energy-filled, in contrast to an old and jowly Nixon. This focus on appearance and style has led to an emphasis on body language and tone of voice over substance and fact. Obama’s flaccid perfor-mance in the first debate was as much caused by his color-less physical presence as his weak defense on the issues.

Debates are meant to help people decide who to vote for, not to confuse them. The beauty of a debate relies on the battle of ideas. It mat-ters very little for the coun-try whether Romney wanted to eliminate Big Bird or if Obama has not kept a close eye on his 401k. What voters really need is a rigorous con-test to decide whose economic plan will work better and who is more qualified to settle af-fairs in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, the media seems to play too large a role in dictating what viewers think of the debates. Within the first few seconds after a debate has finished, reporters of CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News be-gin drawing conclusions about who has won the debate before voters even have any time to di-

gest the ideas presented in the past 90 minutes. Even worse, some television channels had a line graph across the bottom of the screen which would go up or down as the candidates spoke as groups of “instant response” voters indicated their opinion. As millions of spectators flip the channel to watch the two candidates fight it out, no one seems to wonder where the real debates went. The debates today are merely spectacles. As the contests are now, viewers need to spend quite a bit of energy cutting through the posturing and uncovering the real issues.

The country deserves a more simplistic style of debat-ing, where one candidate pres-ents his opinion, and the other follows, with each concluding with a rebuttal about big ideas, not trivialities or the other candidate’s personal life. A stronger moderator who could encourage the candidates to re-spect each others’ time would also improve the process. Both President Obama and Gover-nor Romney have spent much of the campaign talking about change; they need to apply some of that energy to a key process of the election itself.

By Constantine Velmahos ‘15 Opinion Writer

Last summer, conservative political commentator Dinesh D’Souza released the political documentary 2016: Obama’s America, based on his 2010 book, The Roots of Obama’s Rage. Making over $33.45 million in domestic markets, the movie has become the second highest-grossing po-litical documentary of all time.

According to its official website, the goal of 2016 is to reveal the “real” Obama. Since the president hardly knew his biological father Barack Obama, Sr., D’Souza attempts to find out how the president’s knowledge of Barack Obama, Sr., along with president’s other father figures, like la-bor activist and poet Frank Marshall Davis and Reverend Jeremiah Wright, have al-tered his political philosophy.

2016 essentially argues that the President’s interest in his father’s personal history, particularly his father’s left-ist politics in mid-twentieth century Africa, has dictated the younger Obama’s politi-cal proclivities. The film con-cludes that President Obama -- in what D’Souza says is

an attempt to emulate Barack Obama, Sr.’s ideology -- strongly believes in “anti-colo-nialism,” and therefore wants to weaken America’s eco-nomic and military influence in the the world. According to D’Souza, President Obama ul-timately wants to use redistrib-utive economic policies to turn America into a socialist nation.

At first glance, it seems that 2016 aids Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney by portraying Obama as an unpatriotic communist. While the film may convince a few voters to disapprove of the president, its effect on the elec-tion will be marginal at best, since neither ideologues nor in-dependents will likely change their opinions of the president based on radical propaganda.

At this stage in the race, most voters have made up their minds about Obama. From a conservative perspec-tive, 2016 simply presents even more reasons not to support the president, while to liberals, the Obama por-trayed in 2016 is built on ab-surd theories rather than facts.

A more significant is-sue, however, is how this film will affect undecided voters. In this election, which nearly

all experts predict will be very close, key swing states will make all the difference. 2016 certainly had the poten-tial of playing into Governor Romney’s favor, but it failed to address the issues most important to swing voters.

Instead of criticizing Obama on his handling of the country’s rising debt or gas prices—around $3.80 per gallon in the Milton area—D’Souza tried to “prove” that the president is an anti-colonial socialist. By not explaining why four more years of Obama would be bad for the country, the film will probably fail to have any significant impact on the undecided voters when they go to the polls next week.

Barack Obama has broken many promises as president, but 2016 failed to underline any of those shortcomings. Instead, D’Souza presents a mildly entertaining, pointless case that does not live up to its title. 2016 had potential to exposed the weak spots of the president’s policy and to give swing voters a rea-son not to vote for Obama. But for better or for worse, 2016 will not change voters’ minds before Election Day.

By Raj Davae ‘15 Opinion Writer

2016 Misses the Mark

Romney Flip-Flops, Gains Steam

During presidential elec-tions, voters find themselves suddenly thrown into a hur-ricane of political criticism and scrutiny, mixed up in the clash between Demo-crats and Republicans, liber-als and conservatives. Many voters make a good-faith at-tempt to decide by educating themselves on the facts: what do the candidates believe? what policies would they en-act? When voters don’t fully know or understand a candi-date’s positions, their choice becomes murky and unclear.

This year, the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has been the most misleading. Time and time again, Romney has stated different opinions about similar topics: though he was pro-choice as gover-nor of Massachusetts, he is now pro-life; he rejected a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan, then supported the current 2014 deadline; he supported raising the mini-mum wage, then denounced it as ruining the economy. Romney’s flip-flopping makes voters lose trust in his convic-tion as a possible future presi-dent. They simply cannot be sure what Romney stands for.

This is not a new issue facing presidential candidates. John Kerry, in 2004, had many of the same problems with flip-flopping. Before running for president, Kerry claimed that the war in Iraq was the “right decision.” However, in January 2004, he labeled him-self as an anti-war candidate. He opposed the death penalty in any cases, including in ter-rorism, but later favored it. Kerry’s inability to maintain

a clear set of beliefs contrib-uted to his defeat to George W. Bush in November 2004.

Mitt Romney, however,will not meet the same fate. Dur-ing election months, critics scrutinize the candidates’ plat-forms, attempting to persuade the general public against a particular candidate. Despite the apparent plethora of ma-terial to criticize, Romney’s critics have been less suc-cessful in undermining him because of his flip-flopping, and he has kept the race close. Some recent polls have Rom-ney ahead, and most say that he and President Obama are statistically tied as far as the national popular vote.

Romney’s continued rel-evance may be due to human nature. Whether politically involved or not, citizens are more keen to listen to a con-fident leader. Compared to John Kerry and his unsure attitude, Romney currently comes across as someone who understands America’s issues and knows what he’s doing.

This confidence, however, could change in an instant, especially considering the volatile nature of this year’s election season. Whether one agrees or disagrees with a candidate’s views, people of-ten make judgments based on current events and the smallest of first and last impressions. Although voters may still be unsure about all of Romney’s ideas or specific personal characteristics, a majority may still carry him to the White House because of his confi-dent demeanor. For this rea-son, he is nowhere near out of the race, and is instead push-ing forward full-force. At this point, it’s anybody’s game.

By Sophie Cloherty ‘16 Opinion Writer

www.ebony.comnews-viewsunready-for-the-world-international-policy-is-foreign-to-mitt-romney

Mitt Romney talks policy.

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 9The Milton Measure Arts and Entertainment

Steppin’ It UpWe can all agree that Step

Team is a new force on cam-pus. Its members’ enthusiasm and love for rhythms and beats pulses through the Milton community. Those of us who went to the Step assembly, which attracted a good deal of the student body, can vouch for the team’s authenticity.

What everyone would like to know about, however, are the mechanics of Step team. What makes these steppers tick? Upon in terviewing Lisandra Lao (III), one of the co-captains along with Em-mie Atwood (II) and Liane Thornhill (I), I found that Step is really about unity: working together as a team as one unit instead of fo-cusing on the individual. Lao also said that the team had to “understand each other’s flaws and help one another fix those flaws.” Despite the serious-ness of their craft, however, creating friendships, having fun, and sharing a common interest are what really make Step Team such a presence and so entertaining to watch.

The group doesn’t develop its amazing combinations just through pure improvisation. First, the captains come up with a free hand beat, doing whatever they want rhythmi-cally until they find some-thing that they like. They try to make their beats different

from other steps so that they are more unique and engag-ing. “We work from there and practice the beat to make sure it’s consistent and sounds pleasing to the ear,” Lao says. As for teaching the moves to the entire group, the captains teach the members little by lit-tle until everyone has it down.

We all know how enthusi-astic everyone is about Step, so Lisandra provided a little advice for potential members:

“What the cap-tains really look for [in people trying out] is how much en-ergy they have and how much they want to do Step, not the experience they have. They also have to be

quick to pick new moves up.”In the future, we can defi-

nitely expect to see more of the Step Team. They will perform at their annual Step Show on April 13, alongside colleges, high schools, and churches, as well as at Pep Rallies, the Winter Dance Concert, and a few other events throughout the year. Come out to these occasions, support all your friends who are on the team, and maybe think about try-ing out for Step next year.

By Faith Pang ‘15A&E Writer

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: A Review

Instead of attending the “Swap It” dance, I spent last Friday evening at the movie theater watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The irony of this decision wasn’t what drew me to it. My cross-country coaches advised me to see a film, not because they loved Wallflower, but because they always say we need to rest the night before a race and are consequently not exactly huge fans of Friday night dances. Since they can-not prevent people from hav-ing fun altogether, they instead tell us to dance with frequent breaks. As an alternative, I thought sitting in a dark movie theater with my feet up would probably be fine. Even though I managed to arrive just as the commercials were ending and the movie was starting and got stuck with a seat in the second row, I was content.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which hit theaters about a month ago, is the sto-ry of Charlie, an introverted teen, who is just entering his freshman year of high school. Learning to survive school both socially and academi-cally, he has a difficult time without very many friends. Eventually, however, he is be-friended by Sam, played by Emma Watson, and Patrick

(Ezra Miller), step-siblings who are both seniors. Sam and Patrick introduce Charlie to a new world of friends and parties. Unfortunately, how-ever, Charlie cannot escape his rough childhood. After mourn-ing at age seven the death of his aunt Helen and coping at age fourteen with the suicide of a best friend, Charlie has been hospitalized twice for psy-chological treatment. When Sam, Patrick, and some other senior friends leave for col-lege, Charlie slips into relapse.

The cast features a handful of stars, most notably Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, who play the main characters Sam and Charlie, respectively. Watson, of course, is known mostly for her role as Herm-ione Granger in the Harry Pot-ter series. She has moved on from this defining role with her new pixie haircut, breaking away from that familiar shoul-der-length wavy hair. She also has a good “American” accent, though at times she did sound somewhat British. Logan Le-rman is probably most well known from the Percy Jackson series, based on the books of the same name. Other notable cast include Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries and Paul Rudd from I Love You, Man and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

As I snacked on my can-dy, I rode an emotional roller

coaster, close to tears one min-ute and smiling the next. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a movie for those who dislike this emotional up-and-down. Go see Pitch Per-fect or another more upbeat movie instead. Indeed, within the first ten minutes, Wall-flower took a depressing turn.

The movie is also some-what confusing for those who have not read the book. Both the book and the film, writ-ten and directed by Stephen Chbosky, feature a series of letters from Charlie to his best friend, who had commit-ted suicide the spring before. At points, Charlie transitions abruptly to such letters, in ways which are unclear to peo-ple unfamiliar with the novel. The movie also skimmed over some crucial background in Charlie’s life, including the death of his aunt Helen – an event that shapes the events of the narrative. Despite these minor problems, everyone I have talked to about The Perks of Being a Wallflower loved it. It was humorous, heartwarm-ing, intriguing, and often un-expected. The uplifting ending was perfect. This coming-of-age story was not so tragic that I was bawling, but sad enough that I had a few tears in my eyes. In short, I would go back and see it again.

By Louisa Moore ‘14 A&E Writer

A Snapshot of SYA ChinaFrom integrating into

my host family to spending a Saturday exploring the heart of Beijing, my experiences at SYA China this year have been truly memorable and life changing. I have been able to immerse myself in Chinese culture, and every day is a new learning expe-rience. Some days, I’ll visit a convenience store to buy a water and will end up hav-ing a conversation in Chinese with the workers. Other days, I’ll talk with Chinese students on the bus to Beijing Normal University High School #2.

Having studied only one year of Chinese at Milton, I was concerned that I would not have enough experience with the language and would have difficulty communicating. My host family, however, has been immensely supportive, and with their help, my ver-bal skills are steadily improv-ing. While studying Chinese at

Milton, I fell in love with both the language and the culture. Ms. Zhou, my Chinese teacher, always encouraged my inter-est in China. Studying abroad seemed like the perfect oppor-tunity to embrace my curiosity and learn about a culture other than my own. I am trying to take each and every opportuni-ty to communicate in Chinese, as I want to immerse myself in every aspect of life here.

As foreign students, we not only have the chance to study at a local Chinese high school in Beijing, but we have also been fortunate enough to take many trips around the area. In September, we visited the Great Wall and hiked for hours, enjoying the beautiful scenery and learning about the Wall’s history. Just a few weeks ago, we returned from a weeklong trip to Gansu, a province in central China. We took an 18 hour train ride to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu, where we visited the city and explored the night markets. In

Xiahe, also in Gansu, we vis-ited monasteries and learned about Tibetan Buddhism. It was breathtaking to experience first-hand what we were learn-ing about in the classroom.

I am not writing this article simply to express my personal feelings about my experiences here, but rather to encourage others to consider the SYA program. Do you want to step out of your comfort zone? Do you want to explore and learn about a different culture? These were some of the ques-tions I considered when apply-ing to the SYA program. I am so grateful for this program and all the other opportuni-ties that Milton has given me. I urge you to take every open opportunity, because you nev-er know where it may lead!

By Ashley Koo ‘15 A&E Writer

Katherine Ballinger/TMM

Emma Watson and Logan Lerman star in The Perks of Being A Wallflower

“Despite the seriousness of their craft, however, creating friendships, hav-ing fun, and sharing a common interest are what really make Step Team such a presence, and so entertaining to watch.”

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 10 The Milton MeasureSports

We’ll All Float on OK: a Milton Rowing Team?

Milton Academy prides itself on athletic achievement in a variety of sports. Prowess in squash, sailing, and ultimate Frisbee underscores Milton’s ability to succeed outside the athletic mainstream. Many students, however, feel that Milton should add another sport to that list: rowing.

Nine ISL schools, includ-ing Nobles, offer rowing, as does Milton High. Located just 15 minutes from the wa-ter, Milton is in a prime loca-tion to foster a competitive rowing team. Eli Broderick (II) says, “We have a very good sailing team; I don’t see

why we can’t take our success on the water one step further.”

Milton has no shortage of interested rowers. Haley Con-nor (II), Kendall Hall (II), and Sarah Muse (II) are among the many current students who have taken their rowing talents to different programs around Boston. Because Milton does not offer rowing, these stu-dents receive a sports credit for their participation. Haley said, “I don’t really mind that Milton doesn’t offer rowing. I get a sports credit, and I re-ally love the program that I do now.” Others can’t wait to see Milton implement a rowing team. Kendall said, “We real-ly need a rowing team. For the

amount of people that row and are interested, it is not right that Milton shouldn’t have a team.”

A rowing team would fos-ter community, leadership, and teamwork among the stu-dents interested. Though it is not the most inviting specta-tor sport, neither are sports like cross-country and sailing. Another team on campus will increase the school’s pride in its competitive athletics, give students another opportunity to excel in interscholastic competition, and allow the Milton community to appre-ciate the hard work and grit that goes into being a rower.

By Charlie Blasberg ‘14 Sports Editor

Football Hopes to Continue Winning Ways

Due to its electric start to the season, Milton Academy Foot-ball is much more popular this year compared to years past. Despite losses to St. Sebs and BB&N, these Mustangs have made a lot of noise this fall.

Captain, Linebacker, and Fullback John Oda-Gallagher (I) described Milton’s 38-15 win against Rivers as “a re-ally important game, because it ended a 2 game losing streak that was really pulling our team down. It was really good to play a team that we could physically dominate to get our spirits up since our next 3 games are against very skilled and strong teams and, of course, we have Nobles Day, which is always an excit-ing game. It was a really good start to the second half of the season. It was really good to shift to a positive direction.”

In regards to playing un-der the lights twice this sea-

son, Oda-Gallagher described the feeling as “a blessing. It is a really great feeling to step on a nice field under the lights, especially with a big crowd cheering you on. The feeling is exhilarating.”

Several players have stepped up for the team this year, including Nelson Thom-as (II) on defense. He makes key plays each game, most notably during the last play of the Lawrence game. “He really brings the pain on ev-ery hit,” Oda-Gallagher said, praising his fellow teammate.

Oda-Gallagher also sin-gled out another junior. “Peter Graves (II) has also been play-ing very well as a first-year Varsity player after coming off from a hip injury. I mean, he won the Axeman Award (given to the top defensive player in a game) for the Rivers Game.”

Unfortunately, senior James Oliver (I), a presence on and off the field, has been side-lined with a knee injury. Oli-

ver missed the entire football season last year with a similar injury, and has worked hard to recover from his injury and play this year. “Jolly has been playing really well for us this year, and it sucks to see him sustain an injury especially after missing the entire season last year,” said Oda-Gallagher.

On a positive note, Mil-ton was able to pull off a huge win against Belmont Hill this past weekend. The histori-cally physical Belmont Hill team seemed to get a taste of their own medicine, and the Mustangs added a resound-ing 40-10 win to their resur-gent season. Riding a hot streak, the squad’s next game, against a strong Governor’s team that has not been beaten for two seasons, is Friday at three o’clock. The players are counting on Milton’s fans to attend in large numbers.

By Patryck Krzesaj ‘14Sports Writer

Boys’ Soccer Looks Ahead to Nobles

Known for its grit and determination, Milton Acad-emy’s Boys’ Soccer is a team of coming attractions. Led by a core group of strong seniors, the Mustangs have shocked their opponents with their young talent and the promis-ing team they will put out next year. Senior veterans Michael Cooke, Chris Cahoon, and Dan Rubenstein have done an unbelievable job fostering community and camaraderie in a team of many new players, and they look forward to one last battle on the pitch against the infamous Nobles Bulldogs on Saturday, November 10th.

Even though the younger players have more Nobles Days to look forward to, you can expect to see each of

them playing their hearts out. Juniors Pat Sheehan, Liam White, and Drew Blake cre-ate a formidable front line, intimidating opponents with their automatic ability to fin-ish. Underclassmen Jesse Martinez (III), Shay Quintin (IV), and Gavin Baker-Greene (IV) have proven themselves tough competitors, ready and able to compete with the best in New England. This relatively young team has squeaked out hard-fought wins against powerhouses in BB&N and St. Paul’s.

Coach Chirs Kane takes pride in preparing his team bet-ter than any other team in the ISL, so you can look forward to seeing a strong, fit team play-ing mistake-free soccer against Nobles next Saturday.

By Luca Lorenzoni ‘14Sports Writer

Marina Hartnick/

A girls’ eight boat rows on the Charles at Community Rowing, Inc.

Facebook

Boys’ Varsity Soccer

Rex Li/TMM

The Milton Varsity football team faces off against Middlesex.

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 11The Milton Measure Sports/News

Farrell Key to Future Red Sox TurnaroundBobby Valentine was sup-

posed to be the answer, or at least that is what the Red Sox ownership thought. After Ter-ry Francona, the most popular Red Sox manager in recent his-tory, was run out of town at the end of the September collapse of 2011, the former Mets man-ager and ESPN analyst was set to take on the job. How-ever, after a 69-93 record this past season, the worst record for a Sox team since 1965, Bobby Valentine was quick to follow Terry out the door.

Valentine cannot shoulder all the blame for this horrible season. He lost his best hit-ter, David Ortiz, to injury half way through the season, while Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beck-ett, and Carl Crawford were traded to the LA Dodgers for prospects. Even still, this all came after the top three start-ing pitchers in the rotation, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Josh Beckett, had their worst seasons in Red Sox uniforms. The stars just did not align,

and from a fans point of view, you could tell the season was plagued from the beginning. In spring training, rumors spread of Bobby and shortstop Mike Aviles having rifts in the club-house. Valentine also ques-tioned the work ethic of one of the most popular players, third baseman Kevin Youki-lis. If Bobby Valentine’s goal was to have all the players turn on him by the all-star break, he did a pretty good job. So when two days after the sea-son ended Bobby was relieved of his managerial duties, it came as little surprise to many Red Sox fans and players.

Last year, when the Red Sox plunged into the hiring of a new manager, the media was kept highly informed and fol-lowed the Red Sox every step of the way as the team drew out the process for weeks. This year, however, the pro-cess lasted only two weeks and information about the candidates was less available. The one piece of information known by all was that the Red Sox had their sights set on the

Toronto Blue Jays manager, John Farrell. Farrell was a top candidate for the man-ager position last year, but he was under contract in Toronto and the Blue Jays did not al-low the Red Sox to talk with him. But with the Blue Jays enduring their second medio-cre season in a row under their highly prized manager, talks began between the two clubs, and they ultimately reached a decision to trade Farrell and relief pitcher David Carpen-ter to the Red Sox for util-ity shortstop Mike Aviles.

John Farrell is no stranger to Fenway Park. Before be-coming Toronto’s manager in 2010, he joined the Sox orga-nization after the 2006 season as its pitching coach. During his tenure, the Red Sox pitch-ing staff held the best ERA and strikeouts in the league. Addi-tionally, the Sox won a World Series Championship in 2007, with a team that was bolstered by the outstanding pitching of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.

Needless to say, Farrell is accustomed to the pressure and

the environment of the Red Sox team and organization, and called “the Red Sox man-agerial job [his] dream job.”

Although the current Red Sox team is dramatically dif-ferent from the one that will be on the field for the 2013 sea-son, the Sox have still bolted down a crucial piece in their ongoing rebuilding stage. Far-rell not only understands the culture of Red Sox Nation, but also is highly respected and trusted amongst the Red Sox players and ownership. The Red Sox have been out of control, and Farrell is a respected figure who has the ability to strongly influence the clubhouse while also im-proving Boston’s pitching, which has consistently been at the bottom of the league ever since Farrell’s departure as pitching coach. In short, Far-rell is certain to a key com-ponent of a resurgent BoSox.

Some, however, question whether the Sox jumped into selecting him too quickly. 15 additional candidates, includ-ing former Red Sox Bench

Coach DeMarlo Hale and former catcher Brad Ausmus, were sound alternatives. But from the minute the team shed itself of Bobby Valentine, the management had its mind set on Ferrell. Though Farrell has the power to fix the clubhouse attitude and many other parts of the team, he is only one part of the puzzle. Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has his work cut out filling spots in left field, right field, shortstop, first base, and, as always, on the mound. From this offsea-son into next season, the Red Sox will try to build a strong team for the future. While this rebuilding project will not hap-pen over night, the Red Sox do have a nice balance of veteran leaders like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, and young stars like Will Middlebrooks and Ryan Lavarnway. Adding manager John Farrell is a step in the right direction for a team that needs to forget the past two seasons and look to be a title contender once again.

By Tucker Hamlin ‘13 Managing Editor

Hurricane SandyAs our readers well know, Hurricane Sandy, a

category 1 storm, wreaked havoc across the east-ern seaboard of the United States earlier this week. From Virginia to Maine, Sandy caused flooding, wind damage, and power outages, disrupting the lives of millions of Americans. Over 8 million people remain without power, and face an esti-mated $20 billion worth of damages. On Monday, during the storm, Milton Academy briefly lost power, but backup generators quickly restored it. Boarders were ordered to stay in their dorms, but no major damage has been reported on cam-pus. The thoughts in the Miton community are with those who were affected by this disaster.

Teachers Attend Professional Day

On Monday, October 22, Milton Academy teach-ers gathered for the annual Professional Development Day to discuss new teach-ing techniques and to gain greater educational perspec-tive from Wellesley Col-lege Professor Tony Wagner.

A mystery to most stu-dents, Professional Develop-ment Day is an occasion for Milton’s faculty to reevaluate many of the techniques they use everyday in class. As tech-nology has become more in-tegrated into the educational experience, more efficient methods of teaching have de-veloped and many teachers are striving to incorporate those methods into their classroom.

Professor Wagner, a speaker and educator lauded for his advocacy of innovation within the classroom, was in-vited to address these desires for educational efficiency. Many faculty members read his book, Creating Innova-tors: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, this summer as an introduction to his ideas about modern-day schooling.

On Monday, Professor Wagner promoted and dis-cussed the idea of interdisci-plinary collaboration, a process

that helps students integrate their studies across a variety of subjects and analyze concepts from various perspectives. He highlighted the benefits of learning about a single topic and its implications from mul-tiple angles and in different, overlapping academic fields.

“One of the things that Milton as an institution is concentrating on is how we are preparing our students for the world that they are en-tering,” said Mr. Cheney of the Visual Arts Department. “Mr. Wagner emphasized that the world we are all mov-ing into is one that will re-quire more flexible thinking.”

Stimulating a process of brainstorming, Proffesor Wagner allowed the teach-ers to break off into groups, “ask[ing] us to think about what skills we are teaching at Milton Academy, kindergar-ten through twelfth grade,” said Middle School Principal Marshall Carter. “In all the sessions, faculty members were given the chance to have small group discussions as well as full-group dialogue.”

Mr. Cheney found the dis-cussion segment of the day to be particularly helpful. “One of the things that came out of my group was that, within any one class, we could take the students that have vari-ous strengths and differences

and do a project in which the students are allowed to share and explore their specific ar-eas of expertise,” he said. “This idea could assist us in creating a more interdisci-plinary educational system.”

This idea, along with others from Professional Day, has yet to fully materialize within Mil-ton classrooms. “I don’t think that students would necessar-ily see [immediate change]… but many teachers have a lot of ideas that are particularly exciting to them,” said Up-per School Principal Mr. Ball.

Mr. Ball stressed that the purpose of the day was to look at “what we want to achieve… and how we want to grow in terms of our skills as teach-ers and want to develop as a school in terms of curriculum.”

He went on to say that while students may not be greatly affected in the short term, “in the long term, one of the opportunities we had as a school is to think about what traditional strengths are and how we adapt those strengths to a world that has changed substantially.”

Despite the lack of imme-diate change, Mr. Carter stated that he ultimately found the day “absolutely necessary” for the Milton Academy faculty. “

By Neil Chandra ‘14 & Ela-na Golub ‘14News Editors

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-in-photos/100395/

Hurrican Sandy caused widespread flooding as it swept ashore.

November 2nd, 2012 | Page 12 The Milton MeasureHumor

Changes Coming to the Milton Community after Election Day

Obama Victory:1. Completely renovated and revamped health center. Student center

sold to pay medical bills.

2. Navy Seal Team 6 wins Gotcha for the next four years.

3. @stang_whisperer taken out in predator drone strike.

4. Administrators given permission to use enhanced interrogation techniques on students. “Failure to be straightforward in the DC pro-cess” drops sharply.

5. Nobles is five years closer to getting a nuclear weapon.

6. F.L.A.G. funded by Democratic National Committee, receives $10 million dollar annual budget.

7. Mysterious post-grad recruit “Barry O.” joins varsity basketball, wins championship.

Romney Victory:1. Health center demolished. Sick students told to “walk it off.”

2. Lorax/Sustainability Board disbanded.

3. Religion courses give science credits, Pritzker Science Center converted to church.

4. P90X instruction video chosen as summer movie. Paul Ryan takes over Darlings program.

5. Romney sues Facebook for copyright infringement, claims Zuck-erberg stole his idea for social media site BindersFullofWomen.

6. Administration purchases 2nd aircraft carrier.

7. Mr. Bland asked to prove his citizenship.