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MIDLAND MIRROR

ByAmelie‘27

LosOlivos,California February2026

TeaTime

SeniorProjectHighlights

Following Midland’s shift from traditional to experiential learning, thisyear’sseniorsareeachcompletingaprojectratherthanathesisas theirculminatingMidlandexperience Eachofthetwenty-oneseniors spent the first semester brainstorming and researching in order to begin creating this spring The Midland Mirror hopes to document theseprojectsgiventhattheycannotsimplybeprintedanddisplayed in the library like past theses have We will highlight a third of the seniorseachissuesothosewhomisstheSymposiumpresentationsthis Mayareawareofthecreativeapproachtheclassof2026istakingin theirfinalsemester

Inspiredbyherloveofmedicineandoutdoorrecreation,Mia‘26is researching and compiling a pseudo-book about search and rescue practicesinourneighboringLosPadresNationalForest Asacertified WildernessFirstResponder,avolunteerwithlocalemergencyresponse organizations,andaMidlandSteward,Miahopestohelpeducatethe Midland community to better prepare them for their outdoor ventures

Alsointheoutdoortheme,Julissa‘26isutilizingherloveofscience to compile a journal of Midland community members' top eight favorite creatures and critters Using polls of Midlanders’ favorite animals,Julissaiscreatingasynthesizedresearchguidetoinformthe Midlandcommunityonthelifethatsurroundsuseveryday

Maude ‘26 also plans to enrich Midlanders' enjoyment and observationoftheworldaroundusthroughhermuralseriesinMiddle Yard Painting a wall in Stillman and on the farm, Maude hopes to bringpublicartcenteredaroundMidland’sdiverseecosystemcloserto ourcommunityheart

Thethreadofengagementwiththenaturalworldcontinuesinthe project of Jay ‘26, who is 3D-printing topographic map models of Midland and adjacent properties From Midland 101 to Outdoor Leadership, students are using USGS topo maps, and Jay’s model elevatestheseprojectionsofourproperty Whetherusedasateaching toolorsimplyapieceofart,thismodelprovidesatangiblewaytosee (andfeel)theaspectoflandwesetfooton

MuchofMidland’seasternneighborsarevineyards,andMingda‘26 isconductingafieldresearchprojectanalyzingthebalanceoffinancial andsustainabilitygoalsofsmallwineriesinLosOlivos Mingda,whois alsoStudentCounciltreasurer,isputtinghisfinancialanalysisskillsto usetoassessthemostprevalentindustryinourvalley

IdeaSketchforMaude‘26’sTreeRingMural

Z‘26,whoheadsupMidland’smusicclub,isalsoputtingpassion and skill together to create a synthesizer for the Midland music department Hoping to major in electrical engineering, this is a chanceforZtojuxtaposehisloveofmusicontohisloveofcircuits HehopesthathisprojectbothinspiresMidlanderstocreatemusic andtoupgradetheirfacilitiesthemselves–atrueMidlanderknows thatifyouwantsomethingonourcampus,thefastestwaytogetitis tomakeityourself

Emma‘26alsohopestobettersuitMidlandersfortheirfutures; herseniorprojectiscreatingaself-defensecurriculumtobetaughtin ourgrade-levelseminarclasses Althoughthisisn’taprobleminour little bubble, Emma is hoping to equip students with preventative and assertive self-defense skills that will help protect them in the greaterworld Althoughshehopestheseskillsneverneedtobeused inpractice,educatingindividualsonthisiscritical

The final project highlight is a little harder to detail: Alice ‘26 is performing a social experiment, and therefore the details of who, when,where,andwhatherprojectentailsmustremainconfidential to preserve the validity of the data Alice is pursuing this project becauseofherinterestinpsychologyandhumanbehavior,andshe hopestobeabletoanalyzeherresultstoofferadeeperwindowinto thecommunity

WinterBanquet

ByEvie‘29

Ourschoolhascelebratedtheshorterdaysandcolderweatherwitha beautifulmealsince1932 Thistraditionisonelasthurrahbefore eachstudentgoestheirseparatewayforholidaybreak Theeventis preceded by Lessons and Carols, a candlelit musical showcase featuring winter songs from many cultures, and poetry about the comingofYule

Thisyear,WinterBanquetandLessonsandCarolsstruckwhen holidayspiritwasalreadyatanall-timehigh Christmasmusichad been blasting in Pole Barn and Status locations alike, especially during tea time volleyball games The sights of a Midland winter beganpoppinguparoundcampus:indoordinnerassemblies,firesin everystove,stringlightsilluminatingmiddleyardandcabinsalike, and Gloria’s famous hot chocolate as a special surprise at some breakfasts

CharlotteledpracticesforLessonsandCarols,playingholiday songsontheLongHousepianofromherbook,“PianoChristmas Carols for Dummies.” The music filled the campus for nearly a month,withsomeexcitedstudentsbeginningfestivitiesthedayafter Thanksgiving. Bella led a nightly Holiday Gift Exchange, where a fewluckystudents’nameswouldbeselectedoutofabowltowin prizes from the community. Gifts ranged from a salt lamp to a toothbrushtoaPowerpuffGirlsdoll,andmuchmoreinbetween.

EnergywashighonthedayoftheWinterBanquet,whenthemeal wouldfollowaworkperiod,Stillmandecoratingspree,andcabin cleaningforall.AsthesunsetcastgoldenlightonGrassMountain, studentsdonnedholiday-themedformalwearandtrudgedthrough therain-soakedyardstotheassemblycircle.Performerssetuptheir instruments on Stillman porch, and as the last inkling of sunlight went over the hills, candles and programs were passed out from baskets. One candle was lit, and slowly but surely, the flame was passeddownthelinetotherightuntilthecirclewasonceagainfilled withgoldenlight.

Music filled the foggy air. The united voices of the greater MidlandcommunitysangamixofclassicChristmassongs,carols, and traditional tunes from multiple religions. These songs were accompaniedbyseveralMidlandmusicians:AlexTate,Directorof Finance,ontheguitar,Freya‘35onthepiano,andTaylorReplane, DeanofResidentialLife, onthewashboard.

TheWinterBanquetwasnothingshortofwonderful.Gloriaandher kitchen team outdid themselves, providing each Midlander with a warmandcomfortingmealtofinishoutthefirstsemester.Tamales, hot apple cider, and sweet empanadas. The Stillman tables were arrangedinacircle reminiscentoftheHogwartsholidayfeast and decoratedwithcandles,juniper,holly,andtoyonberries,allcollected fromMiddleYard.Therafterswereadornedwithpine,andAmelie ‘27hadtiedmistletoeaboveeachdoorway.

Students and faculty alike conversed over the candlelit feast, simultaneouslygrievingtheendofthesemesterandexcitedlysharing theirplansforholidaybreak.ThedecadentscentofGloria’stamales had filled campus with a magical spirit, and the music we’d shared togetherleftawarmthinourheartsthatwasmadetolast.Itlookslike ephemeralcelebrationsofthecomingofYulewillalwaysbeaMidland specialty,andnextyear’sfestivitiesarejustaroundthecorner.

CandlelitLessonsandCarols

Land MungerGames

ByLayla‘29

TheMungerGamestakeplaceattheendoffirstsemester,andall the freshmen have to go around campus taking a test based on everything we had learned in the year. When Dan first told our Midland101classaboutit,Ithoughthewasjoking.Therewasno way that was something that my class was going to have to do. Right?

Wrong!Ourclassstartedstudyingafewweeksinadvance.The nightbefore,Brianna‘29,Bri‘29,andIhadgatheredinmyroom and were doing head-to-head testing of knowledge of place for candy.

“What are the three types of oaks that are native to Midland campus?”

“BlueOak,ValleyOak,and–”

“COASTLIVEOAK!!!”

The next morning, I woke up before my alarm and started packingmydaypackwiththedayhikeessentialsandheadedupto Stillmanforbreakfast.Thepitinmystomachmadeitdifficultto eat,butIchokeddownmyplate.IwasnervousthatIhadn’tstudied enough, even though I had reviewed every night for the past two weeks.Iwentdowntomyroomtograbmydaypackandtrudged overtoLumberyardasIcheckedmywatch.8:29.Onlyonemore minuteuntilIfoundoutwhoIwouldhavetospendthenextthree hoursworkingtogetherwith.DanwalkedintoLumberyardwiththe testandpasseditout.Hesetacoupleofrulesandputtheteamson theboard.

“Ready,set,GO!!!”

Thefirstcouplestationswereabreeze.Wewenttothefarmfor botany,thebouncybridgefortraditionalecologicalknowledge,and wewereonthewaytoTrashCanyonforcompassuse.Whenwegot there,Bellawassittinginacampchairwithabookandhandedusa map.Isettoworkorientingmymapandmakingthemeasurements. Wequicklyfoundthefirstsign.Theotherthreewerejustassimple, butaswesearchedforthelastsign,wecouldn’tfindit.Anywhere.I wassofrustrated.Whatifwecouldn’tfindit,andwedidn’tfinish? Tearsstartedformingbehindmyeyes,butIblinkedthemback.I turnedaroundandstartedtotellmypartnertocheckagainwhenI sawsomethinggreenoutofthecornerofmyeye.Thatwasit!Itwas hidden between two trees. I was so relieved, but at the same time annoyedthatDanhadhiddenit.Wefinishedthestationandwent over to the War Memorial to complete the final station before headingovertoHill37.

WewereoutsideDan’shouse,tryingtofindthepaththatledto Hill37.Mypartner,Elton,saidheknewwhereitwas,soIdecidedto trust him. He led us to a giant hill and said, “This is it!” I was skeptical,butIstartedtrekkingup.IturnedaroundandsawElton wasn’tcoming.HesaidIshouldgoupandseeifthereisanyoneup there,andhewouldstaybelow.Okay.Iwasoutofbreathafterthe climbinthehotsun,andwenttoreachformywater,whenIrealized thatIhadleftmydaypackatthememorial.Shoot.Andontopof that,whenIreachedthetop,noonewasthere.Ilookeddownand sawEltonwasgonetoo.

Isatdownandputmyheadinmyhands HowcouldIhavemessed upsobad?ButthenIheardsomething IlookedupandsawHannah onthenexthillover IrandownasfastasIcouldandstartedupHill 37 WhenIfinallygottothetop,Eltonwastheretoo Iglaredathim and sat down to finish my test When I finally gave my test to Hannah,Iwasreadytocollapse

DuringtheMungergames,Ididn’treallyhavefun Iwasstressed about the test and making sure I got all the answers right But afterward, I realized that it was supposed to be low stress and somethingtoenjoy Anadventuretotestyourskillswithasprinkleof friendlycompetition

Avery‘29examininghismapataMungerGamesstation

AllSaints’Day

ByJulissa‘26

Thefirebellringsexactlyat8:50PM,eachringechoingthroughout MiddleYardintothedenseMidlandbackcountry.Studentsrushand laughcollectively,eventhoughtheyaretoldbyfacultytoremainquiet and find their advisors inside Stillman. Mixed vibes radiate throughoutStillman;newstudentslookaround,confusedastowhy there was a fire bell. On the other hand, returning students were alreadymumblingaboutwheretheirnextadventurewouldleadthem. TheywereallwaitingforDantoquitramblingaboutfiresafetyand announcewhateveryonehadbeenwaitingfor.AllSaints’Day!Allthe students burst into cheers, and Stillman shakes from the stomping. Aftertheassembly,groupscongregatethroughoutthetables.Various hikeswereoffered,suchasagroupgoingaroundtheBowl(theeasy hike),RedRockSprings(themediumhike),andthegreatadventure one,wherewhoeverdaredwouldbedroppedoffatNiraandwould hikeallthewaybacktoMidland’scampus Sighsofreliefcouldbe heardthroughouttheyardsfromstudentswhohopeditwouldbeAll Saints’Daysotheycouldprocrastinatetheirhomeworkalittlelonger

The next day, after our dismissal from the 8:30 AM assembly, everyone was buzzing with excitement, groups already heading off withmusictowherevertheysodesiredtoexplore

Upatthehorsebarn,advancedhorsestudentssaddledtheirhorses toembarkonatrailridearoundGreenGateLooptotheconnector trail, then back to the hairpin, and rode back down to Midland through Res Road Hayden ‘26 recalls after dismounting her horse and“bushwhackingthroughthesagetogettoBradleyMesa,”where theyoverlookedMidland’scampusand“hadGrassMountainrightin frontofus”Ridingthroughtheoakwoodlandsallowedherandthose onthetrailrideto“embracethebeautyof[Midland’s]trails”

Throughthisexperience,somelessonsweresurelylearned.While onthetrail,Quinby‘27rodebeneathanoaktree,andinsteadof slidingunderit,itcaughtheranddismountedherfromherhorse, causinghimtobuckheroff.Andthenthelogfellontopofher. Hayden’sadvicetofutureridersistonotridebeneathanoaktree topreventanotherpossiblyverydangerousyetveryfunnyaccident fromhappeningagain.

AwayfromtheGreenGateLoop,agroupofstudentsforged their own adventure from Red Rock Springs to the Whale Tree anduparoundLoversLoop.Stella‘26,accountsthatmilesgoby fasterthanyou’dthink,andsomestopsalongthetrailwouldresult in countless conversations and time to admire Midland’s scenic views.

20milesawayfromMidland’smaincampus,abravegroupof eight students hiked from Nira back to Middle Yard, essentially redoing the class of 2026’s freshman experiential week (that was remade due to intense flooding) but in one day. As the group traversed down the face of Grass Mountain, Marcela ‘27 remembershavingconversedwithMidlandersshedidn’tnormally interact with on a day-to-day basis, which was nice to reinforce some relationships in the community. Though, one setback was thewatersituation.12milesintothehike,shebegantorealizethat she should never underestimate the amount of water she would takeonlongerhikesandhadtohikebacktoBirabenttorefilland iodinewaterfromthecreek.Intheend,thecrewmadeitbackin timefordinnerassembly,readytorecounttheirexpedition.

FreshmanUpperYardersontheirhike

Community AFarm-to-TableInvestigation

ByEmma‘26

Haveyoueverwonderedwhatexactlyhappenstoallthefoodwe grow on our 10-acre organic farm? I have, and I wanted to know howmuchofthecropsMidlandstudentsandfacultygrowonthe farmareactuallyusedinthekitchenorbypeopleatMidland.AsI researched, farm-to-table turned into a deep dive on the nutrition thatsustainsouractivelivesasMidlandstudents

SoIstartedmylittleinvestigativejournalism.Whathappenstothe cropswegrowonthefarm?Well,asweknow,FarmCrewgoesout toharvestwhattheKitchenwillneedforthedayinthemorning,but thatdoesn’tquiteaccountforeverything.Iknowforafactthereare cropsthatwedon’tuseinthekitchen,sowhathappenstothem? The answer is that the food doesn’t just go to one place; it gets brokenupdependingonwhatitis.

ThefirstplaceitgoestoisVeggieRescue,anonprofitorganization that battles food insecurity and food waste by taking surplus vegetablesfromlocalSantaBarbaraCountyfarms,farmersmarkets, andbusinessestoredistributethroughoutthearea.Studentsharvest whatwewon’tuse,cleanandpackageit,andthenitgetspickedup byVeggieRescuetobeusedelsewhere.

The second place the food goes is to the faculty. Many of the Midlandfacultyliveoncampusandreceivetheirsustenancefrom bothStillmanandthefarm,usingthecropsthatfarmcrewdoesnot harvest for their meals. Recently, farm crew, made up of seniors Maude‘26,River‘26,andHayden‘26,sentanemailouttoallthe facultyandstaff,askingiftheywouldlikeaspeciallycraftedfarm boxforthemandtheirfamily.Manyenthusiasticallyrespondedyes, sotheseseniorsspenttheirSundayworkperiodharvesting,cleaning, and putting together boxes of our seasonally grown produce for facultytouseathome.Thoughtheywentaboveandbeyond,farm crew was doing for the staffulty what many of them do for themselvesduringtheirsparetime

Okay, so clearly the food is being used, but how does this fit togetherwithnutritionatMidland,andistheresomethingthefood systemsatMidlandarelacking?Drivenbysimilarquestions,lastyear Maude ‘26 began to look into our food systems and how to encourageMidlandstudentstogetinvolvedwiththeKitchenand advocateforspecificmealsorfoodstheywantedtoseemoreof The most notable changes that came out of her involvement were displaysofwhatcropsfromthefarmwereusedineachmealandthe number of students staying for meals Maude brought a lot of attentiontowhatgoesintoourfood,buildingaconnectionbetween students,thefarm,andthekitchenstaff.

Thatconnectionbetweenfarm,students,kitchen,andtableiswhat makestheMidlandfoodsystemunique WhatIhavelearnedfrom myminiexplorationintowhathappenshereatMidlandwithfoodis thatwearegrowingcropsforourselves,eachother,andourSanta BarbaraCountycommunity

Mingda‘26withafarmchicken

MaudeandEmma‘26harvestingcarrotsonthefarm

Sports

Basketball

ByMiriam‘28

You know the basketball season is approaching when the giant volleyballnetistakendownandmusicisblastinginPoleBarnduring HalfHolidays.PerhapsMidland’sbusiestbasketballseasonhasrolled uponus.Accompanyingtheunfoldingofthebasketballseasonare severaldistinctchanges:coaches,values,andlearning.

Tostartwiththevariations,thisyear,wehaveanewcoach,Reggie, who is a new faculty at Midland and has many years of coaching experience worldwide in Europe and Asia. He coaches the team alongside Talei ‘15, who has been training the basketball teams at Midlandsince2024.

With Reggie’s new arrival comes his pioneering approach and teaching philosophy of basketball Every time practice starts, he wouldshouthismotivatingslogans:“hardworkanddedication”as wellas“byfailingtoprepare,oneispreparingtofail”Heclarifies withdetailinaMirrorinterviewthatthepurposeofthesemottosare to“motivatestudents,letthemunderstandandimprovetheirskills, do more than what they think is possible, and get out of their comfort zones ” Additionally, Reggie has scheduled an increased amount of games for the teams, including ones against schools outsideourlocalCondorLeague,inordertochallengeplayersaswell ashelpthemgainexperienceandskillsquickerviaactualplaysrather thandrills

Winterbasketballisamixed-gendersport,sothereisanUpperYard teamandaLowerYardteam.TheUpperYardteam,thoughlosing someofitscrucialplayersfromlastyear,isdividedintoJunior VarsityandVarsityduetoitsabundanceofplayers,withMingda‘26 ascaptain.TheLowerYardteam,ontheotherhand,followingits trendofthepastfewyears,hasonlyeightplayers!Smallbutmighty, theteamisledbyHonor‘27.Overthecourseoftheseason,both teamshavegonethroughatrajectoryofgrowth.Thoughlosingmost oftheout-of-leaguegames,wehavescoredchampionswithinour league,withtheBesantHillwinforLowerYardandtheOakGrove winforUpperYard.

Alongwithnewchangescomesnewlearnings.Themostnoticeable isthecultivationofsupport.Wheninterviewed,coachTalei mentionedthatshehaslearnedtobearolemodelforthestudents andto“showupforstudentsinahealthy,supportiveandmotivating way.”Throughouttheseason,theteamshavelearnedtohavea supportivemindsetwhetherplayingornot.Duringgames,players callfortheballwhentheyareopen,whileotherplayersonthebench cheeroutloudforthem It’snotjustsupportwithinteams,butalso supportwithintheMidlandcommunity Everyhomegamewehave, students,facultyandfacultyfamiliescomeouttoPoleBarnand watchthegame Once,theUpperYardgamelastedtilldinner,so manyMidlanderstooktheirplatesouttosupporttheplayerstillthe end Supporthasbeenseeneverywherethroughouttheseason,andit iswhatleadstotheteams’growthandsuccess

UpperyardBasketballintheirfinalgame

AsCharlottelikestoremindusatassembly,thedaysarestretchingthemselvesout growinglonger,anddoingsoataneverfasterpace,asifwe’reslidingupthegracefulcurveofasinusoid Withthelighthascomewarmth,andwiththewarmth, wildflowers anearlyhintthatthismaybeabannerbloomyear.Lastweekendbroughtitsownunexpecteddelightsinthe formofinflatablebouncyhousessproutingacrossthesoccerfield(arguablytherarestspeciesoncampus),whileGloriaandher team grilled a delicious steak feast, adding just the right amount of sizzle to the day’s festivities. Now we turn toward MIDterms,whenstudentswillchasewaterfallsthroughtheLosPadres,bikethecentralcoast,contemplatevisibilityand belonginginandaroundtheSantaYnezValley,andwanderthroughthecounterculturalcurrentsofSanFrancisco(and more!) Meanwhile,theAlamoPintadostillruns,itswatersnowclear,revealingthecolorfulstonesthatinspireditsname, thoughthecreek,liketherestofus,quietlyhopesforrain.Withjusttwotermsleft,it’stimetosavorourdays,gatherour intentions,andconsiderallwehopetodoandbecomebeforewearereleasedoncemoreintothewildsofsummer.

Midland Mirror - February 2026