By Mary Ann Zyglocke

Milby alongside other new Collegiate faculty members. Photo credit: Collegiate School.

This fall, the Collegiate Upper School welcomed new English teacher Richard Milby. This year, Milby is teaching three sections of English 10 and one section of Modern World Literature for Juniors and Seniors. In addition to teaching English, Milby is a freshman co-advisor with Sandra Marr, and he is an assistant varsity cross country coach. 

Milby grew up just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended The Children’s School from pre-K to 6th grade, and The Galloway School from 7th to 12th grade. After high school, Milby attended Sewanee: The University of the South. He then worked freelance for a newspaper in Atlanta before returning to Sewanee to work for three years in their admissions department. Milby then attended the University of Virginia for graduate school, where he earned a Master’s in English Literature with a concentration in teaching English and writing. Before coming to Collegiate, Milby worked at Dexter Southfield, an independent day school in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Milby hiking in the Grand Tetons in 2020. Photo courtesy of Richard Milby.

Milby learned about Collegiate during his time working in admissions at Sewanee. He remembers visiting Collegiate and talking to students. He said, “I was struck by the thoughtful conversations I had with students here. They seemed really interesting and self-possessed, and mature.” After working in Boston, Milby wanted to move back to the South and live in Virginia. When he was looking for new positions, he remembered the previous interactions he had had with Collegiate students. Milby remarked, “Collegiate was one of the names I really remembered fondly.”

When asked about his favorite thing about Collegiate, Milby said, “It’s hard to pick just one thing,” but the supportive and friendly environment at Collegiate is what has stood out to him the most so far. He mentioned that everyone—students, teachers, and staff—has been so friendly, and “everyone seems just happy to be here, and that’s amazing.”

When asked why he became a teacher, Milby said, “I just fell in love with being at school.” He loved being in the classroom so much that he never wanted to leave. He also said he wanted to “be in a community of people who are all learning.” Milby remembers being in the classroom with teachers and professors where the students would be led to an “aha moment,” and “the puzzle would be solved in front of everyone.” After experiencing these moments as a student, Milby wanted to become the one who helped the students put these pieces together and reach these moments. 

Milby with the boys cross country Seniors. Photo credit: Copeland Thornton.

Milby used to play soccer growing up, and he enjoyed the running aspect of the sport. He was eventually convinced by a friend to join the cross country team, and he continued to run recreationally throughout college. Milby enjoys being out on the cross country course with the team because it allows him to stay active. The main reason, however, is because it is “one of the most friendly sports around.” He likes the social aspect of the sport, as well as the fact that “it is both an individual and a team sport.” He said that the collaborative and challenging nature of the sport is what makes it special. He is now working with Middle School climbers through Outdoor Collegiate during the winter sports season. 

Over the summer, Milby spent time in Europe taking classes at the Oxford University. He is taking part in a graduate program run through Middlebury College called Bread Loaf, where participants take summer classes for five consecutive summers. This summer, Milby took a theater class in London, which included seeing plays in London twice a week. Milby also got to live at Oxford’s Lincoln College. His time in the UK also gave Milby the opportunity to visit other European cities, such as Copenhagen, Denmark.

So far this year, Milby has already made an impact on the Collegiate community, and the Collegiate community has also made an impact and impression on him.