Midland Mirror - October 2023 Edition

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

TEA TIME

MIRROR

A SMOKEY SITUATION

By Ava ‘25

Not long after the seniors' joyful return to campus, on the night of August 28, 2023, at around 9:10 pm, Regina Butala (Director of Horse Programs & Director of Rangeland Management & Conservation) noticed something rather peculiar in the distance on her nightly walk to check the Midland chicken coop. Across Kimpton Field, she saw what appeared to be “a perfect column of smoke coming from what looked like Dan's backyard.” Considering that, “the glow from the flames lit up the oak trees in a perfect circle.” She called faculty member Dan Susman to verify whether or not it was some sort of bonfire. Around 9:40 pm, awaiting Dan’s call, she watched the smoke plume and flames grow, and immediately called 911 and notified Head of School Christopher Barnes.

Within a few short moments, Midland’s fire protocol was initiated. Contrary to what external news sources claimed, the Midland community was not evacuated, but rather instructed to shelter in place. Students, faculty, children, and pets assembled in Stillman, and were all accounted for. Christopher remained in direct contact with the Chief of the Fire Department throughout the night. Midland transit vans were ready in case of an essential evacuation, and local alums and neighbors prepared standby trailers for the Midland herd. The fire department arrived 20 minutes on scene after the phone call was made, and they quickly got to work maintaining and minimizing the fire. After the fire was under control, students and faculty were allowed to return to their cabins and homes around midnight.

Flames at night | Image by Regina Butala

The fire mainly affected the hillside behind Dan's house, a formerly lush hill overlooking Kimpton field, the Midland community is extremely lucky that it did not spread any further. Regina reported that, “The fire looked so big at night and then in the morning it looked like such a small area had actually burned.” The Midland community did a phenomenal job remaining calm and sticking together in the face of adversity. We are extremely grateful for the fire department for keeping us safe, as well as our neighbors who helped out! Midland plans to conduct a prescribed burn this October, which will reduce vegetation that has grown since our last controlled burn over 20 years ago. This will keep our campus safe by reducing the fuel load and therefore protect our campus by mitigating wildfire risks.

Aerial view including the burn scar | Image by Cavan Hadley ‘90

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

MIRROR

COMMUNITY

MEET THE HEAD PREFECTS

By Lyssa ‘26

The start of the year was a new and exciting time, in the sense that for the Class of 2026, it was the first time in a having not one, but two head prefects!

Most people seem quite content with how things are going so far, as no doubt David ‘24 and Ayanna ‘24 are representing the students well during Coffee Tree, even as they adjust to the new expectations.

Image provided by Ayanna

David during an OL hike | Image by Dan Susman

When not exploring the property on both foot and horseback, Midland’s Lower Yard Head Prefect, Ayanna ‘24 can often be seen around campus alongside her loyal pup, Lula. Prior to coming to Midland, Ayanna grew up in Los Angeles, California. She does it all, tackling the roles of Head Prefect, Steward, and Co-Head of Horses along with Alison 24’. She was described by a member of Horse Crew as “open to conversation, kind, hardworking, dedicated, and overall pretty great.” At the start of her Junior year, Ayanna attended semester school at High Mountain Institute (HMI), a school founded by Molly and Christopher Barnes. At HMI, Ayanna spent a lot of time on backpacking trips and says that although there were highs and lows, the overall experience was good. Now back at Midland, Ayanna hopes to “change the narrative surrounding the Head Prefects as figures of discipline for the student body, and start bridging the gap between students and faculty.”

In the late half-holiday afternoon, hooked up to an amp in Hay Barn, playing guitar to be heard throughout Middle Yard, is Midland’s Upper Yard Head Prefect, David ‘24, from Santa Ana, California. Along with being Head Prefect, David is also Captain of Midland's Soccer team, and Co-Head of Latinx, along with Darien ‘24. Community members describe him as a “strong leader who acts with intention.” Perhaps the most memorable story people will tell you about David is most definitely the time he was left on a mountain during his Junior year. FRESH Sport had taken a car up to see a rare event: snow in Santa Barbara County. Excited to see snow for the first time, David ventured off, only to come back and discover that the car had left. Luckily, He made it back to campus safely. This year, as Head Prefect, David hopes to give the student body a positive and memorable Midland experience.

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

MIRROR

SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

ALL AROUND ALL-STARS: VOLLEYBALL & CROSS COUNTRY

By Emma ‘26 After years of radio silence, it seems the Midland sports and activities are due for a little update. The fall sports season consists of competitive sports, Cross Country, and Lower Yard Volleyball. As for activities, Midland offers Outdoor Leadership (OL), Farm, Maintenance, and Horse Sport. OL ventured on a five-day trip to the Sierras. Maintenance is full of handy folks who like to help out around campus. Farm is the ultimate athletic accomplishment: breaking down beans with Brooklyn native Aidan King and his fierce new puppy Jett. Horse sport is learning how to be competent on the ranch by first establishing how to keep your horse. All the Midland sports have seen changes not only in their structure but also in the dynamics of their teams, such as in the current competitive sports with Volleyball and Cross Country.

According to Cecile ‘25, a new addition to the Junior class and Captain of the Varsity Volleyball team along with Mattox ‘24, “The Midland Volleyball team prioritizes players as people not just as athletes.” Robin ‘24 and Cathy ‘24 are captains of the Junior Varsity (JV) Volleyball team. You can always find them curating a positive environment as they blast music during practice on Kimpton Field.

This year, the Volleyball teams have played several games already and JV is crushing it. Varsity has had many close games and is starting to get into the full swing of the season, ready to compete with whichever school comes next. Midland sports, over the years, have kept the same enthusiastic and positive energy that helps motivate our athletes throughout sports seasons.

This energy is also most definitely perpetuated by our Cross Country team, which is made up of the people who want to run in oppressive heat, full sun, feeling the moisture being sucked from their skin. They are banded together in that interest. Last year, as Stella ‘26 worked to finish a hard race, every team member who had already crossed the line ran with her, some on the sides of the track and some right next to her. They cheered her on until they were sore in the throat. Only later did the Midland team realize this was actually not allowed in races.

Varsity at an away game | Image by John Isaacson ‘94

Cross Country in action | Image by Genevieve Herrick ’97

As Teryn ‘24, Captain of the Lower Yard Cross Country team, stated, “The mentality of the team this year, as well as last, have been very positive and fun, building the energy of all the runners.” In the first race of the season, Midland placed 7 people, Lower Yard and Upper Yard combined, who finished in the top five of their race. We look forward to bringing as many runners as we can to the next upcoming race.

The Midland sports season has just started and everyone, ultimate farm athlete or not, can expect another fun term to be as chaotic as possible.

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

MIRROR LAND NEW CHANGES IN UPPER YARD

By Jay ‘26

Midland is a school rooted in tradition, but that does not mean that there is not room for change. In the past several months, a plethora of people have been working on renovations around campus–the removal and subsequent complete reconstruction of Upper Yard near the field, new pergolas in the Lower Yard freshmen quad, small updates on buildings in Middle Yard, and a duplex for faculty residence.

New cabin interior | Image by Cavan Hadley ‘90 Some parts of Midland have been here for decades, which comes with a few drawbacks. To be compliant with new building codes, The new cabins in Upper Yard are required to have heating. The Chapel and Munger Commons needed new metal roof replacements to be up to fire code, and every building in the school has a shiny new number plate so firefighters can find their way around easily.

New cabin exterior | Image by Cavan Hadley ‘90 Most exciting, of course, are the twelve new cabins in Upper Yard. They thematically match the new bathroom we got last year, and the new faculty duplex (which looks like a carbon copy of the one outside Lower Yard.)

The new cabins are much more spacious, with around 300 square feet of space, while the old cabins had less than 200. This is a pretty big space, with lots of room for storage of all sorts of goodies. Pyp ‘27 commented on how the space allows for “each person to personalize it, with a lot of personality.”

Cabins being placed with a crane | Image by Heather Carreiro

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

MIRROR

Student Voices

Raku Revival Artwork By Ruby ‘25 Over the course of last year, I worked with Art Faculty Faith Nygren to revive raku firings at Midland. Raku is a centuries-old Japanese ceramic firing technique where the pieces are taken while still red-hot out of the kiln and placed into a reduction chamber (buckets filled with Spanish moss, dry grass, newspaper and other found materials).

The chamber's contents are lit on fire, leaving unique finishes on the raku ware. Pictured here are some raku tea cups that I made and fired with Faith at the end of last year. I’ve loved experimenting with new glazes, techniques, and organic materials throughout this process, and I can’t wait to involve more of the community in the coming years!

The Weight on my Wings A poem by Anonymous i want to be a bird flying into oblivion restless thoughts floating on my wings fluttering through my dreams swimming through the fog of my mind

Spaghetti A poem by Sarah ‘26 Raw noodles are brittle They snap like my bones They snap like me under pressure and alone Watching the boiling water I start to draw parallels To my anger which bubbles And pops and swells I check if the noodles are cooked By throwing them against the wall Like I do to my head when my dopamine stalls As the noodles are eaten My thoughts consume me My doubts flood my brain But all I can do is listen idly I can’t vocalize my pains So I push them back down Down my throat And to the bottom of my stomach to drown Each bite gets harder to swallow And though I eat more I get thinner Yet despite this, every night I have spaghetti for dinner

Raku ware | Images by Ruby ‘25

VOLUME 1

FALL 2023

MIDLAND

MIRROR

Head of School Note The beginning of term was brightly lit by the glow of a late evening 3-5 acre wildland fire in Sahm Canyon - a terrifying few minutes followed by a lot of waiting as the Santa Barbara Fire Department rapidly got the blaze under control. The gift was a few hours for all the seniors and faculty milling around Stillman, waiting together and bonding over the year to come - a rather atypical but highly effective onboarding exercise. Soon enough, the daily rhythm of life at Midland prevailed, and we settled into the 202324 school year. We welcomed new students into the folds of the community and the terrain of the property. Shared experiences in classes, the jobs program, and in our activities and athletics are the foundation we build upon each year. Upper Yard is renewed and transformed, and a wonderful addition to the campus… and the Head of School is herein starting an insurgency campaign to start a new tradition of alternating the living yards each year, so everyone gets time with a wood stove! Another highlight of the term has been hosting four fantastic candidates for the Head search process. Of course we have all been working hard, and we were looking forward to the October break.

Midland Mirror Team | Image by Heather Carreiro

The Midland Mirror Team Editors

Writers

Faculty Support

Ava ‘25 Caleb ‘25

Jay ‘26 Lyssa ‘26 Emma ‘26

Heather Carreiro John Isaacson ‘94