Milken Mini Stories: Parkland Students Visit, Dance Team Victories, Faculty Member Presents, and Upper School Unplugs
Parkland Students Visit Campus
Two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—the site of the deadly February 14 shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people— visited the Upper School campus on Friday, March 23. Speaking to eleventh graders, faculty, and staff, Haley Licata and Mia Freeman recounted the tragic day. it started out as a normal day, until the fire alarm went off, which Freeman thought strange since there had been a fire drill earlier that day. She realized something was wrong.
Licata, who was dressed in a sweatshirt that read “Douglas Strong,” shared how she had stopped looking at her phone after the shooting because it was all over social media and received a text that one of her friends had died. They shared how things had changed at their school, with the media swarming their campus and bombarding them with requests for their stories. Answering questions from students and faculty, they addressed whether they thought faculty should be armed, which they did not. Both students agreed that following the incident they both cherished their families and friends even more.
Students and faculty rose to give them a standing ovation when they concluded their talk. The students were in town for the downtown Los Angeles national March for Our Lives rally against gun violence, which was spearheaded by Parkland students. Their visit was arranged by Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Rabbi Melissa Zalkin Stollman, director of lifelong learning at Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland, Florida.
Dance Teams Scores Multiple Victories
The Milken Dance Team turned in winning performances at the recent Sharp International State Championship Competition held at Knotts Berry Farm March 10-11. The Large Group Contemporary and Small Group Contemporary teams nabbed first place trophies, and the Large Group Hip Hop Team placed fourth. They competed against 15 other schools. Coach Andrew Rincon expressed how pleased he was with the team’s showing. “Going to competition is always one of the most exciting events for our team, and this year was no exception,” he said. “Each of our teams was incredible, and I could not be more proud of their passionate and electrifying performances. So many beautiful memories were made, and it is a weekend I know that we will never forget!”
Faculty Member Presents at Conference
Social Science Teacher Jim Lichti recently presented at a paper at the conference “Mennonites and the Holocaust” at Bethel College in North Newton Kansas. His paper “An Illusion of Freedom: Denominationalism, German Mennonites, and Nazi Germany,” was well received by the over 200 attendees.
The conference focused on the response of Mennonites to the Holocaust in
Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Russia. Lichti’s paper was based on his UCLA dissertation which was published as a book called “Houses on the Sand? Pacifists Denominations in Nazi Germany.” Saul Friedlander, a well-known Holocaust historian, was his dissertation advisor.
Upper School Unplugs from Technology
Students, faculty, and staff at the Upper School had the chance to unplug, recharge, and renew while participating in a week-long unplugging challenge culminating with The National Day of Unplugging on March 9-10 — an annual 24-hour digital detox from technology. Grades competed against each other, stashing their phones in small sleeping pouches. Participants used an app called lilspace, created by Milken parent Kim Cavallo, to record their time away from their devices. Grace Levine ’18 unplugged for the longest, logging 34 hours and led the seniors to a victory. Levine said that during the time she was unplugged, she was able to focus on her family and be more present. “I like unplugging a lot because it gives me time to reflect and separate myself from social media and the distraction of the internet,” she explained. As a reward for their win, the seniors were treated to a delicious celebratory breakfast by Cavallo.
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