Our Stories

In the past few years, MILTON has reached an exciting milestone: we now have current MILTON parents who were once MILTON students themselves.. Having a child at the school you attended, especially one that has grown so significantly over the years, can be a meaningful and reflective experience. To hear more about this unique vantage point, we asked Zoe Fox (‘01), whose son is currently in Grade 1, to share her perspective as both a parent and an alum:

Why did you choose to send your child to MILTON?

Our first two children were born in New York City, and I could not picture sending them to school anywhere other than JPDS [Jewish Primary Day School, the school’s name until 2017], which was one of the motivating factors in our family’s decision to relocate back to DC. For me, it was the perfect elementary school experience that balanced small, nurturing classrooms, an involved community of families, and immersive integration into Washington, DC through programming outside of the classroom. 

There are many ways MILTON/JPDS has changed since you attended. What are some ways it has stayed the same?

I can’t believe what classroom projects and curriculum have stuck around! I remember my third grade state project (Illinois!) and learning about life in Colonial America in fifth grade — though somehow my favorite sixth grade “For All Eternity” project, building our own Ancient Egyptian-inspired tombs, has not stood the test of time. 

How do you think your experience as a parent is different than it would be if your child did not go to the school you attended?

There are so many ways the school has grown since its early years in the 1990s (multiple campuses! school buses!) that it can feel more different from my own experience than similar. The biggest way it impacts my experience as a parent is my ongoing  expectation that my son will be in a pond where every kid gets to be a “big fish.” Despite the fact that just 20% of my household is currently enrolled at MILTON, I anticipated the school would play an outsized role in our lives, adults included.

Do your parents ever reflect on what it was like to be a parent and now a grandparent at MILTON/JPDS?

My father doesn’t miss an opportunity to come visit! He served as the treasurer of the board while my sister and I were at JPDS, and it seemed like as much a part of his life as it was ours. I remember him working his “second shift” late at night to fundraise for the school or scout potential campuses around the city when the school’s future very much seemed uncertain. He loves to come on Share the Nachas Day and claim his role as its founder in the 1990s.

What do you think your JPDS education instilled in you as a person?

Not to overstate it, but I really credit my JPDS education for instilling my sense of home, community, and Jewish identity. The school was smaller at the time, so it felt like we were part of a small dedicated pack fighting for The Little School That Could! I also believe the school set the bar for building a pluralistic Jewish community that exposed us to the incredible breadth of Jewish life and practice, in a way that was age appropriate, educational, and fun. 

What is a favorite memory from attending JPDS? What’s been a favorite moment as a MILTON parent?

There are so many favorite memories: monthly birthday hot lunches, performing the Magic Fish in first grade, the Chanukah and Veteran’s Day assemblies each year, our graduation trip to New York City, and frequent field trips including walking to the zoo and riding the metro as a class. It still makes me laugh to recall our two recess options while the school was at Adas: The Grassy Slope and The Cage.

We did not have Chagigat Halomdim when I was a student, and it is my absolute favorite part of the year. I really love seeing my son’s pride in sharing his world with us.

Zoe wears her JPDS shirt on her son’s first day of Kindergarten.