Midland Mirror May 2024

MIDLAND MIRROR

LosOlivos,California

TeaTime

100Miles,9Students,6Days:TheThacherHikeMidterm

ByJay‘26&Lyssa‘26

Saturday,February10,2024.Agroupofninestudents,plus facultyDanSusmanandJohnBabbott,awokeataroundfive inthemorning.Wetrudgedthroughthecoldandsilentnight toStillman,hadaquickmeal,andreceivedaninspiringspeech fromourHeadofSchool,ChristopherBarnes.Wewereabout toembarkonajourneynotundertakenbyanyoneinalmost twentyyears:TheThacherHike.

For decades, since the first Thacher Hike in 1978, Midland students have, for some reason, undertaken the ridiculously longtrektoTheThacherSchoolinOjai.Midlandhascloseties withThachersinceourfounding,andthisexcursionisaprime example.It’saroundeightyorsomilesofwalkingoverabouta week,usuallyundertakeninFebruaryorApril,whereagroup ofMidlandershikeouttoThacher.OneMidlandalum,Adam Xu‘05,whowasonthemostrecentThacherHikein2005, recalls the time when they got hopelessly lost in the snow duringasnowstormandweretooscaredtolightafirebecause of all the bear markings in their campsite. They all survived, anddidn’tevenneedanairlift,althoughthereweretimeswhen theythoughttheywould.Thedisastrous2005hikeledtothe schoolendingthetradition,presumablyforsafetyreasons.

But in 2023, after Dean of Experiential Learning Dan Susman’s sixth year,hebegantocookupaplan.Uponinterview,Danmentionedhis thinkingthat“thishikeisacoolMidlandtradition,I’dheardaboutitfor years from other Midlanders, and I thought we had a good group of studentswhowouldmaybebeexcitedaboutit.”Whenhebroachedthe ideatothefaculty,lookingforavolunteertohelphimleadthetrip,John Babbott expressed immediate interest. A Thacher School alum, he lookedforwardtotheideaofbeingabletogo“fullcircle”andtrekfrom hiscurrentworkplacebacktowherehewenttohighschool.Whenthe twofacultybroughtuptheideatothestudentbody,theyweresurprised tofindthattherewerealotofinterestedstudents almosttwentykids who wanted to go trekking a ridiculously long way to another boardingschool.“[It]seemedlikeagrandadventurethatmaybewasn’t possible–seemedlikeaprettygoodgoal,”Danrecalled,explainingthat beforethetrip,heestimatedourchancesofsuccesstobeabout10-20%.

AlthoughrecordsoftheThacherHikeanditscompletionarespotty,the password-protected highly secure, nearly unassailable Midland Mirror archives show that this trip has been attempted at least eight times before, with varying levels of success. Over the years, there have been manydifferentroutes.Someofthesewereinterspersedwithcarridesin themiddle,andothersfollowedmoredirectroutes.Theroutetakenthis yearcoveredabout100milesoversixdaysandfivenightsandtookus through snow, across rivers, and over multitudinous monumental mountains.(Continuedonpage2)

Aquila‘25afterbuildingasnowmanonthetrail

“TheThacherHikeMIDTerm”continuedfrompage1

Thetripbeganwithhighhopes:wegotoutontothetrail earlyondayone,walkingonalovely,flatfireroadthatwas damagedbylastyear'sflooding Bytheendoftheday,we werecompletelylostinthedarkandtheknee-deepsnow, trudging through an evil-looking forest that seemed hellbentondestroyingusandconsumingourfrozencorpses Luckily,Danwastheretoassistusonceitbecameclearwe had wandered too far off trail and gave us the gift of a Caltopomap Eachmorning,weawokelongbeforesunrise to pack up camp beneath the stars, sometimes as early as 3:45am,andleftaroundfirstlight Daytwowasanother horrificdaythatdiditsbesttobeatusdownandshatterour wills Byoneo’clockondaytwo,afterlessthanfivemilesof travel–plus a small navigational error that added another mileorsoontoourendeavor–allhopeseemedlost Nearly thewholegroupwasreadytoforgetthegoalofThacher

Therewasalotofmileageleftafterthat,intheafternoon and well into the evening The day ended poorly: in the dark, freezing cold, setting up tents on bare snow in the middle of a fire road, seven miles from the planned campsite The next day didn’t go well either: another ten milesofsnowandmanymoremilesofsteeptrailsandmud Wefinishedthethirddayeightmilesbehindschedule,but attheveryleast,weweren’tsleepingonsnowandwehada fireforthefirsttimetokeepwarm

Thegrouphadonesavinggrace:therewasn’treallyanotherchoice The onlywaytogethomewastokeepwalking–therewereplaceswecouldget pickedup,butDantoldusthatwewouldonlytaketheeasierwayoutif someone got injured So we continued And after an impressive twenty mileinonedaypush,reachingThacherseemedlikeanachievablegoal

Ofcourse,lifewasn’tgoingtoletusoffthateasily Onthefifthnight,we didn’tgettocampuntiltwohourspastsunset,afteranothersixteen-mile day that took us over a snowy mountain range, with over 5000 feet of straight up-and-down elevation change But again, once you ’ ve hit rock bottom,theonlywaytogoisup Onthefinaldayofoursojourn,weslept inuntilfiveinthemorningandpackedupcampinaslightdrizzle To completethelastfifteenmilesofourviolentlyvexatiousvagabondageby noon, we set out elatedly, with our packs just a little lighter from the complete lack of food supplies Of course, the final day wasn’t easy Someonemanagedtofallintotheveryfirstcreekcrossinglessthan200 feetfromcamp Welaterhadtocrosstherushing,raging,waist-deepSespe creek,climbanother5000feetofelevation,andfightthroughasudden savagesnowballshootoutatoptheTopaTopaMountains Fromtherewe couldseetheOjaiValleyandourgoalwasfinallywithinreach Theonly task left was to go down a steep, steep, soul-crushing straight downhill drop,whichchewedusupandspatusoutatThacherSchoolinOjai,right atsunset

Wearejusthumblewriters,andwemightlackthetalenttoputtowords the emotions of the group upon arriving But for something you have thoughtaboutformonths,waiteduponforweeks,andsufferedforalong the course of six miserable days, arriving is pretty cool For the whole week,wehadponderedaboutwhatThacherwaslike:rumorscirculated around the group, the mystery of another school only adding to our excitementoverthegoal Icecream,chocolatemilk,actualroofs,allthat waswaitinginthepromisedlandwhenweescapedthebackcountry And getting there? It was everything we dreamed of and more Thacher welcomeduswithastandingovationandtreatedustoanamazingdinner withtacos,avarietyofjuices,asoftservemachine,andachocolatemilk dispenser.Victorytasteddelicious.

Midland’shikinggrouponthetrail

JuniorDanceWeekend

Graduationisuponus,andtheJuniorclassispreparingtostepinto our new roles as senior leaders for the 2024-2025 school year After numerousclassperiodsofJuniorLeadership,collegecounselinganda well-deservedmentalhealthfirstaidcertification,wewerereadytake take on our first mission as a class: Junior Dance Weekend During ExperientialWeek,afteralongdayofbuildinghomesintheCentral Valley,wesataroundthefirespitballingideasleftandright Within minutes we had divided ourselves into groups that would be responsible for planning specific aspects of the weekend: a dance committee,afoodcommittee,andofcourse,theactivitiescommittee

Each year, the junior class picks a surprise theme for the weekend. ThroughoutouryearsinMidland,wehavewitnessedthemesranging fromSurvivortodisco,andwewereabouttoorganizeourveryown, carnivalthemedweekend Theplanwasalllaidout,butsomethingwas missing, we needed a decoy, something to divert the student body's attentionawayfromourtopsecrettheme Sonaturally,wewentoutof ourway,spreadingfalserumorsandputtinguppostersofTaylorSwift aroundcampus,claimingthatthethemewas“ErasTour”Wethought we had really sold it as Simon 25’ got up on Stillman porch during assembly to announce our fake theme, accompanied by music and putting on what seemed to be a well-prepared show as a group of Lower Yard juniors passed out printed tickets to the rest of the community

Littledidtheyknow,thatwithin24hours,theywouldwitnessan announcementthatwouldkickoffthecarnivalthemedweekend, followed by a streamline of events and activities including the infamouscruisinggamesonFridaynightandafunfielddayfullof waterballoonfights,facepainting,cornhole,funnelcake,anda special appearance from our very own class clown, George ‘25 ThedaywouldsoonbecompletewithanexcitingCincoDeMayo danceheldinLonghouse Kitchenstaff,GloriaandJoséhelpedthe juniors prepare some delicious dishes for the rest of the school, including French toast, street tacos, kebabs and falafel, and smoothies that the students enjoyed after a long work period Junior Dance Weekend was an excellent display of our roles as leaders in the community and though the grueling college application process awaits us, we look forward to fully stepping intosenioryearuponourreturntocampusinthefall

LowerYardseniorsenjoyingthecarnival

Land

TheWholeSchoolTrek:GrassMountainDay2024

ByJay‘26

It was a lovely Monday night status, the second week of the last term Weallknewwhatwascoming Theweatherwasnice,andthe nextdaywasTuesday:recentGrassMountainDayshavebeenon Tuesdays We had chatted about it all night (while diligently workingonourhomework,ofcourse)andasthebellstartedtoring at8:50PM,knowingsmilesformedoneveryone’sfaces

WeallrushedtoStillmanasDanSusman,theDeanofExperiential Learning (and the person in charge of every big Midland hike), pretended for almost three minutes that it was just a fire drill, buying himself time until the last stragglers arrived from Upper Yard Whenhefinallyannouncedthelong-awaitedhikingholiday, cheersechoedthroughoutthedininghall Fordecades,Midlanders have taken a day off school every year to climb the iconic Grass Mountain, and for millennia it was held sacred to the Native American Chumash peoples of the area, who named it Owotoponus:AdornedwithFeathers.

Thenextday,whilethemajorityofthestudentbodylaysleeping, restingupforthelongdayahead,agroupofstudents,eagertocatch thesunrise,awokeextraearlyat5:30amandleftby6:00aminorder tomakeittothesummitontime.LedbyNhiNguyen,everybody’s favoriteAlgebrateacher,theyallleft“positive,motivated,andvery dedicated,”accordingtoHayden‘26.Aboutanhourandahalfinto thehike,executivedecisionsfromthefacultyleaderledtoawrong turn resulting in an extra three miles of steep hiking for those unfortunate,dependentloyalistsouls.Whilethosefolksblundered their way back to the trail, the rest of the school met up for an assembly and left after 8:30 am. The seniors left shortly before assemblyandsetupstationsalongthefourmiletrailuptoGrass Mountain. Some snacks waiting for tired hikers along the way included fruit gummies, chocolate, and helpful perhaps even aggressive reminderstohydratefromtheclassof‘24.

Atthetop,wehadourannualsummitassemblyandtooktheclassic all-school picture, and after a little bit of celebrating and announcements, the crowd on top of the mountain evaporated, everybody started trickling back down the trail to school A few groupsofstudentsoptedtoextendtheirhikesandvisitotherplaces beforereturningtoschool whichDeanofExperientialLearning DanSusmansaidhewasveryproudof andotherpeakslikeZaca andMountGealwereontheexpeditionaryplansforMidland’smost adventurous

All in all, Grass Mountain Day was reasonably forgiving this year Studentsawoketoanicefogoutsideblanketingcampus,andthere wascloudcoverprotectingusfromthehatefulraysofburningsun untilwellpastnoon Althoughmanystudentsblamedthelowered visibilityforcertainnavigationalerrorstaken Ironically,thestudent body had generally prepared for a blisteringly hot Grass Mountain Daylikelastyear:atthepeak,therewasicecreampreparedbythe seniors and an umbrella someone had carried, both of which were nicetohavebutnotaslife-savingastheywouldhavebeeninninetydegreeweather Butnobodygotsunburns,heatstroke,ordehydrated intoaraisinthisyear,whichwasprettynice Maddie‘24,abeloved senior leader, agreed during an interview that “the weather was on ourside”

Overall, Grass Mountain Day this year was very pleasant and calm withlovelyweather,lovelyicecream,andlovelysupportfromour seniorclass

FacultyDanSusman,Weston‘24,Tess‘25,Ayanna‘24,andParker‘25atthesummit

MIDtermsRevUpAgain

ByAmelie‘27

Icouldpracticallyfeelthestaticelectricityofexcitementasthe announcement hit the assembly circle MIDterms were fast approaching and the offerings were being revealed After our groupswereannouncedandpreparationbegan,theexcitement became immeasurable Soon, we were driving, walking and swimmingintoadventure

FoodseemedtobethemainfocusofNhi,ourAlgebrateacher, while she planned her trip She and Steven, one of the history teachers, accompanied students south of LA to examine the culturalfoodwaysinAsianreligions ThisMIDtermbenefitted fromthecombinationofNhi’sfoodexpertiseandthereligious knowledgeofSteven,whoholdsaPhDinthelattersubject Not onlywasthisMIDtermculturallyinformative,italsocamewith tasty treats along the way Drawing the bridge between food, culture and religion, this group made people's minds and stomachs more aware of the history of Asian American communitieslivingintheLosAngelesarea

Two groups found ways to capture the beautiful property we live on through art: The Backcountry Watercolor Retreat MIDterm spent the week painting the hillsides, while Pinhole Photography created their own cameras to capture the area on film InspirationfortheThacherHikeMIDtermandtheLower Yard Showerfire Construction MIDterm both came from Midland’shistory Theseverydifferentexperiencesbothrevived traditionsofourbelovedschool,whetherthatmeanthiking100 miles or re-igniting the shower fire While some students honoredMidland’shistory,anotherfocusedonanimalsthrough ArabianHorseBreeding ThefinalMIDterm,whichIwaspart of,decidedtoengagewiththehillsides,spendingourtimeday hikingonFigueroaMountain

Despite seeing Figueroa Mountain every time we look northeast, I wasshockedtolearnthatmanystudentshaveneverevensetfooton it Tall,steepandfarfromcampus,evenMidlands'mostambitious hikersstruggletogetfarupthemountainduetotimeconstraintson weekend half holidays History and Spanish Faculty Geneiveve ‘97 workedwithherhusbandJacobtodesignfourdaysofexploration, sharingwhattheyhadlearnedgrowingupinthearea Theyplanned it so that we could stumble upon treasures, yet they stepped back enoughtoallowustounearththemforourselves Inbetweenfinding sparkling crystal fields and cascading waterfalls, we lounged under toweringpinesandcanopiedoakswhileeatingscrumptioussnacks A week spent wandering left participants peacefully pondering the beautyofthegreatoutdoors

ParticipantsinBackcountryWatercolorRetreatalsofeltthissenseof appreciation;howevertheycapturedtheirfantasyinpaint Settingup a yurt near Senior Cabin, this group set out on short day hikes in search of a new landscape to be their muse Maddie ‘24, a senior leaderandincredibleartist,notedthatshe,“reallygottoimproveand adddetailtomyartinanewmedia,andontopofthatIlearnedalot aboutmyselfwhilereflectingintheprettyplace”Whentheywere notpainting,facultyAuriEastandAndrewGardinersharedgames andtrickstokeepeveryonebusy,laughterbubblingoverthehorizon, almostreachingbacktocampus (Continuedonpage5)

Robin‘24withherfishprint

“MIDTermsRevUp Again”continuedfrompage5

While we explored the mountains, The Future Of Sustainable Seafood,or‘TheMermaids’astheycalledthemselves,splashedalong theshoreandexaminedthecomplexconnectionssurroundingfishing and marine extinction Interviews with local fishermen and a day learning about marine conservation at UCSB provided them with two opposing views regarding the future of seafood: the side of speciesconservationaswellastheeconomicandculinarystandpoint “Wegottheperspectiveofabunchofdifferentpeople:fishermen, boatcleaners,conservationistsandharborworkers,”saidRobin‘24 “Itwasreallyeyeopeningtogetallthedifferentviewsandthenmake ourownopinionsaboutthefutureofseafood”

Somehow, the faculty found a way to, yet again, create a listing of MIDterms that made everyone happy The thrum of initial excitementonannouncementdayonlygrewlarger,andbydinnerat theendofthefinalday,Ibetthejubilantenergywasenoughfora fireworkshow Allwecoulddowhenwesatdowntoeatwasletthe storiesexplode

TheFreshmenHitTheHills

ByAmelie‘27

They say April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring flooded creeks After the first few weeks of a stunning Midland spring,students splitupbyclasstoenjoyExperientialWeek,aweek setasideattheendofterm4foreachgradetodoasetprojectortrip together TheseniorssetofftoTankMesa,wheretheybasecamped whiledoingworkonandaroundSeniorCabin Theparcheddesertof theCentralValleybecamehometothejuniorswhiletheybuiltlowincomehousing ConstructionofRoute‘26,thebiketrailinTrash Canyon, provided work for the sophomores while they stayed by themselvesoncampus Meanwhile,thefreshmenheadedintotheLos PadresNationalForestontheannual9thgradebackpackingtrip

Theclasswassplitintwo,halfstartedatMidland,hikingupandover Grass mountain and through the poison oak thicket, eventually reachingNiraoverthecourseofafewdays,whiletheothergroupdid theoppositeroute:packedintovans,startedatNiraandhikedalong thefloodedcreektoreturntocampus Onourfirstday,wewalked for about an hour before the thunderheads rolled in as we reached ourfirstcreekcrossing Havingrainedtheweekbefore,theManzana Creekwaskneetowaisthigh,darkbrownandgushing Slowly,we snakedourwayacross,learningthetechniqueaswegotourclothes andfeetverywet Thedaycontinuedastheskygotdarkerandwe seemedtocomeacrossmoreandmorecreekcrossings

Soon,watersurroundedusonallsides:fallingfromtheskyasrain andhail,inourclothesfromthemanycrossings,andweighingus down as our packs retained more and more moisture. daylight begantoslipawayandyet,thecampforourfirstnightremained seeminglyfar,butourspiritsstayedskyhigh.Despitethegroup's impeccablemorale,wedecidedtocallitearly,settlingtospendour firstnightatColdwatercamp.Astheraincametoaslowstop,we startedcooking.Igotasmallfiregoingwithasmuchdrymaterialas Icouldfind.CampedunderthecanopyofaMightyOak,wesettled into the night, enjoying warm food, warm fire and warm smiles. Dawn hit with a layer of fog, leaving us to pack up camp while dampfrommorningdew.Wehitthetrailsinourstill-wetgear,the fog burned off and our energy rose along with the temperatures. Soon, creek crossing became a part of our rhythm and we had regained the mileage we lost. At our lunch break, a joke about makingbetsaboutrivercrossingsarose,andwealljumpedonthe idea.Withthehelpofalittleharmlessgamble,rivercrossingsturned from a harrowing push through cold water to an enthralling competition of chance. When the trail finally curved into the MidlandInholding,ourcampsitefornighttwo,wehadcrossedthe Manzana33timestotal.Matti‘27wonthebetwithherguessof24.

(Continuedonpage7)

StudentssettinguptheyurtwithfacultyAndrewGardiner

DanSusmanwiththeClassof2027atarivercrossing

Thefollowingmorning,mygroupdecideditwasourmissiontoraisetheir spirits Afteraleisurelywakeupandsomedeliciousbackcountrypancakes, theclassof2027setofftotheManzanaSchoolhouseonadayhike Aftera brief history lesson and a quick building exploration, we headed to the Sisquoc river to swim By the end of the day, the collective grade all felt better,endingwithour15hoursolos

“TheFreshmenHittheHills”continuedfrompage6 As the sun fell below the epic horizon, we swam in the Manzana,setupsolotarps,andbegancookingdinner Wewere expectingtoseeourforgottenclassmatesthatnigh theplan was to both camp at the inholding, however, as the light continuedtofade,wewonderedwheretheycouldbe Finally, after the last scraps of mac-n-cheese had been devoured, we

Onourpenultimateday,wehikedupandoverthebackoftheSanRafael RangetocampnearZacaPeak Alongdayofhot,sunny,uphillleftthe group in a sweaty mix of fatigue and slight insanity However, when we arrivedatcamp,anidyllicsunsetturnedthediscomfortintogratitudeThe firsttearsofthetripfellthatnight,butluckilytheyweretearsofhappiness Weawokeinaverydensecloud,makingourhomestretchasoggy,barely visibletrek AtthetopofGrassMountain,ithailedonusonceagain,but we continued to march, unfazed by the weather, arriving at Midland around3:15pm

The Class of 2027 went through a lot over the course of the week We returned to campus gushing with stories of the 50 creek crossings (we counted),talesofthearduousuphills,anecdotesofourtimeonsolo,and,

ThisSpring,AndrewandBellaventuredtoSisquocFallswithOL,justone weekbeforeDeadWeek ThestudyweekbeforefinalsisknownasDead Weekbecausenonewmaterialislearnedandeveryoneiscrammingandina stateofacademicstupor (Continuedonpage8)

“OL&FRSH”continuedfrompage7

AnOLtripisachallengingwaytocloseoutaschoolyear,butthestudents haveacceptedthisandnowmustgrindinadvancetomakeupforaweeklost tothewoods Theoutdoorscanbeincrediblyhealingforstudents,asBella explains,“Ithinksometimesstudentsdon'twanttostarthikingafteradayof classesbutonceweareoutthere,itseemslikeeveryoneisenjoyingbeingon thetrailandleavingschoolandotherworriesbehind”Pushingstudentsintoa spaceofsimpleclarityduringoneofthemoststressfultimesintheschoolyear ishelpfulformentalhealthandmore

AlongwithOL,Fitness-Running-Surfing-Hiking(FRSH)hasbeenexploring the Midland property, surfing on Wednesdays, and running when the sun transformsGrassMountainintoaflamingmonumentofMidlandhistory As well,FRSHispushingstudentstoengagetheoutdoorsandleadhikestheyare interested in OL and FRSH help inspire an interest in exploration at Midland,aswellasintroduceustonewthings Robin‘24saidthathikingon the property “developed my interest in foraging mushrooms and natural salads,identifyingbirdsandwildflowers,andobservingthedifferentminerals, faults,andwider-scalegeologyofthisbeautifulenvironment!”

ByJulissa‘26

Volleyball

Aaaaceee!Thisyear'svolleyballseasonstartedoffalittlebitrough,with a “win-lossratioof2:4”butaftermanygamesthathavepassed,team captainAvis‘25commentsonhow“theteamhasimprovedalotsince wefirststartedinFebruary.”Theplayerscometotheirpracticesevery sportsperiodtoimprovetheirperformanceonthecourt,whereboth teamcaptainsAvisandSimon‘25leadthepracticesalongwithEnglish faculty John Isaccson ‘94. Being a team captain comes with many challenges,makingitespeciallydifficultwhenaddedwiththerigorous juniorworkload.AccordingtoAvis,“Formethemostdifficultpartof being a captain is just trying to manage the team's morale and focus whilealsotryingtoplaymyself.Itrytocomeupwithdrillsandthings thatwecandoduringpracticetomakeitfunandhelpfulbutit'spretty difficult to manage that while I'm trying to also focus on my own playing”. The team appreciates Avis’s dedication to the team and it truly shows how much he cares about each player while caring for himself.Itcouldbehardforonetounderstandtheamountofpatience tohelpmanageateamuntiltheyactuallystepintoacaptain'sshoes.

I ask Skyler ‘24, one of the seniors on the team, his favorite funny moment.Hesays,“Ourlastgamewewon2setsandwewereonour waytowinningthe3rdsetandafewplayersstartedgettingwildand werejusthittingtheballwaytoohard Itmadetheballgotoofar We werejustfallingbehindandJohnIpulledthemoutofthegamebecause theyweregettingtoohyped,buttheycontinuedtosnicker”I’msure theteamwasn’tveryappreciativeoflosingpointsatthetime,butwhen lookingback,itbringsasmiletotheirface

Parker‘25&Brodie‘25atRefugioBeachwithFRSH Every Midland student has a different relationship with thenaturalworldthatmanifestsinavarietyofways,but sportsareoftenagoodfirststepingettingtoknowthe lifethatMidlandsitson

Despitetheamountofwinsandlosses,manystudentsandfaculty stillcameandcheeredontheteamwhentherewasahomegame, chantingM-I-D,M-I-D,M-I-D-L-A-N-D,GOMIDLAND!The teamspiritflowsthroughtheairinPoleBarn,encouragingthe mightyelevenplayerstotrytheirhardesttogainpoints.Withthe chairsontheoutsideofPoleBarnandthecomfyclimbingwall mats,itheldaperfectspotforfriendsandfacultytocomebyand enjoythegame.

Tofinishoffthisseasononagoodnote,Avistellsme,“Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out Most of our team is underclassmenandweonlyhavetwoseniorswhoaregoingtobe graduatingthisyear,soourteamnextyearisgoingtohavealotof thesamefacesandacouplefreshonesandIthinkwe'regoingto kill it” The school has confidence with next year ' s volleyball season,andareexcitedtoseehowtheyperformonthecourt!

UpperYardVolleyballTeam

Community

LunarNewYear

ByJulissa‘26

Our Asian ethnicity Group here at Midland, the Asian AmericanAlliance(AAA)heldtheLunarNewYeardinner,a newtraditionthatbeganinthe2022-2023year Thefeastfor thecommunitytoenjoywasscheduledforSaturday,February 10that5pm LeaderofAAA,Cathy‘24,saystheyfirstbegan toreadythefoodbyhostingExperientialSaturdays,wherethey “first prepared the things that could be frozen, such as the dumplingsandeggrolls Manystudentswereabletosignupand assist in making these delicious foods and learn about their history CathyrecallsallofAAAunitingatnoonthedayofthe dinnertoorganizegroupsofdifferentmembersdoingvarious taskstogetreadyforanamazingfeast Onegroupwouldhelp out in the kitchen to help make the dishes that needed to be made freshly and another would help decorate Stillman Beautifulredandgoldlanternsandbannersthatweremadein thepastweekswerestrungup,addingabeautifulcolorcontrast toourdininghall Cathysharedaboutherfavoritemomentof makingfood,“WhenmeandKathy‘26weremakingthesauce forthechickenwings,wethoughtitwasgoingtobeterrible Butaftersneakilyeatingone,werealizeditwasreallytasty!”

Time flew and final preparations were being made when the waitersbegantoshowuptosetuptheirtables.Thewaitershad to wait in line after assembly to fill their trays not once, not twicebutthreetimes!That’salotoffoodthatAAAprepared, andtherewasevenenoughfordishestoberefilled.Eachdish hadameaning,suchas:dumplings,whichbringprosperityto thenewyearandnoodles,symbolizingalonglife,thereforethey mustn’tbecut.

NewHeadofSchool

ByLyssa‘26

Attheendoflastschoolyear,theMidlandCommunityreceived some heartbreaking news Christopher Barnes, the Head of School for the past eight years, who led us through COVID, abolished the Rank System, reduced Coffee Tree Meetings to three times per week, and many other notable achievements, announced that he would be departing at the end of the next schoolyear. Acommittee,hesaid,wouldbeformedtohelpus findournextHeadofSchool,aprocesstheywouldbeginover thesummerandfinishduringthe2023-2024schoolyear.

This entire dinner was able to unite and bring everyone together to celebrate this important day! Midland vegetarians also had various optionstochoosefrom,anadditiontothisyear’smenu

Asthedinnerbegantocometoanend,towardthebackofStillman,a treewasputupwithenvelopesencasing$1,oneforeachstudentafterthe dinner Receivingmoneysymbolizeswealthtocomeinthenewyear At the end of the dinner, students rushed to receive an envelope and take thembacktotheircabinstorememberthisdeliciousdinner Manymay nothavenoticed,butalotoftimeandeffortwasputintothisdinner behind the scenes, where Ben ‘25 spent a lot of time organizing this special event Returning from our break in January, Ben jumped right backinforthepreparations,alongwithAAA Sadly,Benwasnotableto enjoythedinner,sincehewaswalking100milestoThacher,buthewants thecommunitytoknow“Iwasreallyhappythatwewereabletodothis andsharemyidentitywithotherAsianstudents Itwasveryimportant for us to share and heartwarming to inform the community who were veryappreciative”

Gavin‘25enjoyingthemeal FacultyNhiNguyen&StevenHucooking

Although the number of applicants is unknown, Midland ultimately ended up bringing four candidates to come and shadow classes, meet students and faculty, as well as speak with the hiring committee in person. Eventually, the announcement was made that Hannah Nelson wouldbecometheninthMidlandHeadofSchool.Sincethen,shehas visited Midland several times in order to prepare to take over for Christopher,includingduringRevisitDayforadmittedstudents,where shemetfellowprospectivemembersoftheMidlandCommunity.

Continuedonpage10

“NewHeadofSchool”continued

Hannah first developed a passion for education in high school, when she worked as a camp counselor During her college applicationprocess,shefelttornbetweenmajoringinmedicineor education,twoofherpassions Eventuallysherealizedshecould splitthedifferenceandmajorinScienceEducation Sincethen,she has worked at numerous different schools in varying capacities Hermostrecentposition,however,hasbeentheAssistantHeadof SchoolatTheWatershedSchoolinBoulder,Colorado

WhenHannahwasapproachedaboutherinterestinapplyingfor HeadofSchoolatMidland,shesaysthepositionwasimmediately intriguing During her initial visit, her interest was only piqued further,asshesaysshefellinlovewithMidland’sproximitytothe outdoorsandthenumerouswaysinwhichweregularlyconnectto nature Duringsomeofherlatervisits,shejoinedafarminternship class for a period of tree pruning, and then ventured over to woodworking, where she helped make brooms She also helped ChristopherBarnesasFaculty-On-Duty(FOD)onaparticularly stressful night when all the students were running around like maniacs

MarchMadness

ByJulissa‘26&Lyssa‘26

A long held school tradition, March Madness is a week wherewedressupinfuncostumes,eatdonutsforbreakfast, andgettowatchthefacultywaiter Afunwaytodisruptthe monotony of school that mid-March can become, classes compete against each other to see if they can have the highest percentage of class participation throughout the week The more participation a class has, the more points theyreceive Eachdayhasadifferenttheme,rangingfrom “Dresslikeafacultyday”to“Glitterday”Thesethemesare decidedonbySocialCommitteeandthenpostedonflyers aroundcampus Afavoriteeventofmany,includingheadof SocialCommitteeAlison‘24ispajamaday,whenstudents can head up to breakfast in pajamas without fear of receiving laps This year it was even more special because Lucy,abelovedmemberoftheKitchenCrewatMidland, made us doughnuts, which were delicious The NinthGradersendedupwinningandarenowowedabeachday bythesocialcommittee Overall,everyonewasquitepleased with how the week went and can’t wait to see what the socialcommitteewillplannextyear

maniacs attempting to win a scavenger hunt and its enticing reward of a beach day The reward had been offered by social committee in an inter-class competition to complete the most dares,whichrangedfromtakingaphotooffivepeopleonStillman porch in formal-wear with sunglasses with a Midland faculty member, to shaving someone ' s head Unfortunately, when the 10thgradeclassaskedherifshewouldbewillingtoletthemshave herhead,sherejectedtheinvitation Mostofthestudentssaidno, as well, so her reluctance was understood She took the night in good humor, and seemed to even enjoy its hectic nature She certainlyhasmanymorenightslikethattolookforwardtowhen shemovesintoIrelandHousenextyearwithherhusband,Marty, her three-year-old son, William, and their three dogs We are all distraught to see Christopher Barnes go, we will certainly never forgethistimelesswisdomto“havefun,butnottoomuchfun” Still,weanxiouslyawaittoseewhatHannahNelsonhastooffer andwecannotwaittoseeherembracethisnewposition

ShowerFire

ByEmma‘26

Afteralongdayofclasses,sports,mathtests,andphysicalchores, nothingisbetterthananopenairshowersmellinglikeacampfire with truly impressive water pressure The shower fires were removedfromthebathroomsin2022,whenthebuildingsneeded tobereplaced,duetothebuildingcode Thiswasasorelossfor Midland,asitisamassivepartoftheMidlandculturetolaborover aroaringfirefrom12:00pmto5:00pmsoyourquad-matescan enjoywarmshowersfor10minutes

Fortunately,notlongafterashowerfire-sizedholewasrippedfrom theheartofMidland,theClassof‘25(withtheguidanceofSam Finklestein and Michael Sibalski) began a project to rebuild a modernreplicainLowerYard Thisshowerfirestructurehadtobe separatefromthebathroomandideallynotsettheschoolonfire,so the solution we came to was that it would be outdoors with the tankofwateronaconcreteslabconnectedbycopperpipestothe actualshowerbuilding SotheworkbeganinExperientialWeekof 2023; to dig a massive hole, fill it with rocks, and border it with woodenpanelstocreateanaturallydrainingshowerfloor,aswellas pourtheslabofconcretethatwouldholdthewatertank

Thisprojectwasnotcompleteduetothelackofplumbing,walls, or anything to prevent boiling hot water from raining down on passersby This meant that more labor was required to bring this together Thanks to the teaching and hard work of campus woodsplitterandexperientialstaffSamFinkelstein,studentswere abletobuildallthewallsofthestructure

Studentshadaresponsibilitytotheircommunitybecauseifitwas theirdaytobuildashowerfire,nooneelsewasgoingtodoit,soif theywantedawarmshowertheyhadtobuilditthemselvesorface public shaming from their quad There was a trust of student responsibilitywhenthefacultyandadministrationdidnotinterfere with shower fires and the responsibilities it entailed, leaving the studentstoorganizeitthemselves Ofcourse,thisisnotallentirely true, as now times have changed and Midland evolved without showerfiressinceFall2022,butthebuildingblocksarestillthere ShowerfiresrepresentthecoreMidlandtruthsandrebuildingthe shower fires showed that even though Midland exists nearly 100 yearsafteritsfounding,itstillgoesbacktoitsrootsinself-reliance LongtimeMidlandstudent,faculty,andparent,GenevieveHerrick ‘97says,“TherehavebeenmanynewerasatMidland Theculture ofself-relianceandstudentresponsibilityisworthkeepingaround Let'skeepitalive!”

ThedynamicduoofSamFinkelsteinandFarmManager&Educator MichaelSibalskireunitedtoleadtheefforttofinishtheshowerfire structureandplumbing Thisweekofhardworktookplaceduring MIDterms, when a group of dedicated students bolted together all thewalls,andlaiddownPVCpipeforfunctioningplumbing The product this crew had to show by the end of the week was a fully functionaloutdoorshower Thelossofshowerfiresinthebathrooms meantlesslaborforthestudents,sowhywoulditmeanenoughto the Midland community to influence them into building an entire shower that allegedly skirted the building code when they had the mostvaluablecommodityknowntoMidlanders,hotwater,ontap?

Well, shower fires are an integral part of our community and accordingtoHumanities&SpanishFacultyGenevieveHerrick‘97, theyrepresent“theoldMidlandphilosophythatIgrewupwithand knew as a student here in three main ways: 1 self-reliance, 2 responsibility to community, 3 institutional trust of students' responsibility”Thesethreephilosophiesarethebuildingblocksof Midland School, and shower fires represent all of them Students wereself-reliantinthattheywouldn’taskforoutsidehelp–noone herewould,sotheywouldchopupfallenoaklimbsandfeedthem toafiretoboiltheirwaterforahotshower

MountGeal

ByRuby‘25

At7:15ammyalarmwentoff,andbeforeIopenedmyeyes,I hadagoodfeelingIcouldn’tquiteplace AsIreachedoverand turned off the alarm, it hit me: it was Grass Mountain Day! EversinceAllSaints’Daylastsemester,myfriends&Ihadbeen (im)patientlywaitingforournextopportunitytoattemptthe elusivesummit:Mt.Geal.

Robin‘24,Ruby‘25,Jay‘26,Lyssa‘26,andAmelie‘27atthesummit

NamedafterGaelDelgado‘23(whoneverreallymadeittothe top),theformidablepeakstandsbelowZacaRidgetotheright of Zaca Mountain, connected to it by another steeply sloped ridge before dropping straight down into Birabent Creek. As regularMidlandMirrorreadersmightremember,Jay‘26wrote an article in December’s issue about our previous attempt to summit Geal on All Saint’s Day an attempt which ended with us turning around near its base. Because no Midland student(inanyone’smemory)hasevermadeitallthewayto Geal’speak,weweredeterminedtoachievethissummit.

After our all-school assembly on the top of Grass Mountain, Amelie‘27,Lyssa‘26,Jay‘26,Robin‘24,&Ibeganourjourney acrossZacaRidge.WepassedZacaMountain&continuedon theCatwaybeforebeginningdownthesecondridgetoGeal. Althoughwewere(mostly)emotionally&physicallyprepared for intense bushwacking, we hadn’t anticipated the 12 foot highchaparral&extremelysteepelevationgradientswewould face on that ridge: the single most difficult bushwacking I’ve ever done. As we neared a welcome patch of waist-high manzanita, we looked to the sky and (lo and behold) a California Condor soared directly above us!! For those who mightnotunderstandhowintenselythismomentshockedus all,thesegiantbirdsaresocriticallyendangeredthattheyhave rarelybeenobservedoutsideofthedeepbackcountrysincethe 1930’s.

Re-energized, we continued our battle through the dense thicket of brushallthewaytothepeakofMt Geal!Whileweweresohappyto havecompletedourgoal,wewerestillmilesawayfromcampusanddeep inthatthickchaparral.Atthispoint,ourwatchesread3:45pm&itwas clearthatwewouldnotbeontimeforthe6:00pmdinnerassembly. Dean Dan Susman’s warning to us before we left, “I just really don’t wantyouguysgettingbackat8:00pm,”replayedinourmindsaswe snappedsomepictures,leftaregisteratthepeak(gosignit!!)&started backonourway.

WefinallydroppeddownintotheheadwatersofBirabentCreekat5:45 pm, having completed what CalTopo called 2 miles (it was definitely more…)ofbushwhackingover4intensehours.Aswewalkedthrough theshiningwater,wewerewalledinbyredrockbanksonwhichstood brightbuddingoak,maple,&aldertrees.Aswewalked,Isaid,“theonly thing that could make this day better would be finding chanterelles,” andasifmywordscastaspell,thebiggestchanterellemushroomsI’ve everseenappearedintheoakleavestomyleft!Onourway,westumbled upona6-footwaterfall&jumpedinthecoolrushingwater,ifonlyfora minuteortwo.Bruised,soakingwet,&smilingwide,wearrivedatthe Hairpin Turn trailhead at 7:42 pm where Genevieve Herrick ‘97, Spanish&HistoryFaculty,pickedusup.

Even though we did end up getting back at 8:00 pm, our careful communication & risk management made it so that we only earned a fewlaps.Tofinishtheday,wefinishedwhatwasleftofstatus,stretched out, & cooked a chanterelle at Anderson House with Genevieve. CalTopotellsusthatwehikedatotalof12miles,up3700&down3600 feet that day. Although our route took longer than expected, I’m so gratefulthatthefiveofushadtheopportunitytoexplore&discover new places. I know each of us will remember that day as one of our favoritesoutontheMidlandproperty.

Farewells

Upon returning to campus this fall for our junior year, we worked tirelessly with faculty support and our small group of writers to successfully bring back the once notorious Midland Mirror for our community From weekly lunch meetings, strict deadlines, and a dauntingdraftingandrevisingprocess,theMidlandMirrorCrewputsendlessamountsofeffort,thought,andtimeintoprovidingyouwith eachissue Thisyearwaspivotalforourstudent-ledpublication,andwearesoproudofthecomebackthattheMidlandMirrorhasmade As theschoolyearcomestoaclosewewanttothankourfaculty,writers,andreaderswhohavemadeallthisareality Thoughwehavemade significantstridesthisyear,ourworkisnotdone,sobeonthelookoutforournextissue:Fall2024

Lyssa26’isabelovedmemberoftheMidlandcommunity Youcanfindheroutexploringthepropertywithfriendsorflippingthrough dustyphotoalbumsandrecordsinthearchiveroomonhalfholidays Duringhertwoyearshere,shehasshowcasedherloveforMidland throughhercontributionstotheoutdoorprogramandourveryownMidlandMirrorasawriterforourcommunitycolumn Shehasplayed acrucialroleintherevitalizationofournewandimprovedstudent-ledpublication,andisevendubbedourunofficialhistorianwithher extensiveknowledgeofMidland’spast,sparkedbyhercuriosityandloveforthisplace Thisfall,Lyssawillbetransferringtoanewschoolto continueherhighschooleducation OnbehalfoftheMidlandMirrorcrew,wethankherforallherhardworkoneachandeveryissue Thoughwearesadtoseehergo,wewishhernothingbutthebestassheembarksonthisnewjourneyofherlife Lyssa’scontributionstothe communitywillnotbeforgottenandwehopeshecarriesalittlepartofMidlandwithherwherevershemaygo OnceaMidlander,alwaysa Midlander

HeadofSchoolNote

Theendoftheschoolyearisrapidlyapproaching,andsoismytenureasHeadofSchool.Thelastfouryearsforourseniors andthelasteightyearsformehavebeenfilledwithgrittychallenges,glorioussuccesses,anddeeplymeaningfulconnectionsto thepeopleandplacehereatMidland Afewrainyyearshavethecampusandranchlushwithmoistureandtallgrass-allthe moresoimmediatelyaboveMiddleYardastheareasburnedinthefallexplodewithnewlife Similarly,Ianticipatewatching ourseniorsastheyexplodewithnewvitalityonwardandoutwardfromMidlandandintotheworld.Nowmorethanever,the worldneedsMidlanderstofindandleadtheway.Midlandersknowhowpowerfullivingandworking“incommunity”can be;wealsoallknowhowdifficultitistosustain.Ithasbeenagifttohavetheopportunitytoleavethisplacejustabitbetter thanwhenIcametoit.Now,IamexcitedtoseewhatMidland’sfutureholds,andIamconfidentthattheschoolcontinues onthepathofalwaysstrivingforexcellence.Thankyoutooneandall. Cheers,

TheMidlandMirrorTeam