Thursday,November24,2023,Midlandwelcomednearly500 people - students, alums, family and friends - on campus to celebrate Thanksgiving. This took place after three days of preparationincludingfinalprojects,tests,quizzes,andtwowork periods. Midland’s annual Thanksgiving celebration is a longstandingtraditiondatingbackto1932.“It'ssomethingwelook forwardtoeveryyear,”saysParker‘25.Guestsweregreetedby Main House Staff, and the day began with Midland’s third annualTurkeyTrottokickoffastreamofevents!Mateo‘26, Rabbit ‘22, Erik (parent of Annika ‘24), and English Faculty John Babbott were quick to the finish line and later were presentedmedalsbyHeadofSchoolChristopherBarnesatthe WelcomeAssemblyandAwardsCeremonyonKimptonField.
AssemblyendedwithaThanksgivinggracebyChristopher,and soon Stillman doors burst open as guests poured in from the field There they waited patiently in line with their plates and utensils,eagertogetatasteoftheextensivebuffetpreparedby theKitchenStaff:Gloria,Lupita,Lucy,andJosé,withthehelp offaculty,staff,andothergraciousvolunteers Mostpeoplein the Midland community can agree that perhaps the best part aboutMidlandThanksgivingisinfact,thefood.Itisnosurprise consideringtheamountofeffortandtimethekitchenputsinto preparing such an array of delicious foods: turkey, butternut squash, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, bread rolls, and gravy
Withcontentstomachs,theMidlandcommunitygathered aroundStillmanporchtowatchmusicalperformancesby Kevin ‘26, Sarah ‘26, and Simon ‘25, followed by heartwarming chapels given by Amelie ‘27 and Head Prefects, Ayanna and David ‘24. The events carried on throughouttheweekend Fridayconsistedof‘MiniClasses’ where families get to experience students’ day-to-day academicschedulesthroughshort,15minuteclassperiods OnSaturdaymorning,familiesparticipatedinExperiential Saturday, a weekly activity for Midlanders. There were a varietyofofferings,includingthetraditionalJapaneseArt of fish printing, a discussion with Chumash Tribal members,severalhikesontheMidlandProperty,achance tohangoutwiththeMidlandherd,andtheopportunityto take John Isaacson ‘94’s signature screen printing workshop Laterintheafternoon,studentsweredismissed andgrantedpermissiontospendthenightoffcampus
Afterawonderfulfewdaysspentwithlovedones,students returnedtocampusonSundaymorningforworkperiod, ready to refresh and reset for the remaining weeks of the term.Midlandersarebacktoworkinghardasthesemester comes to a close and are feeling extra grateful for our community, friends, family, (and gravy!) this holiday season!
Thanksgiving buffet in Stillman dining hall
Chris, John Babbott, & Rabbit ‘22 at the finish line
MIDLAND MIRROR
Community
ALookintotheLivesof9thGradersatMidland
ByLyssa‘26
Weallrememberwhatit’sliketobea9thgraderatMidland,from ourfirsttriumphanthikeupGrassMountaintothedeliciousroot beer floats afterward Or our first class hardluck, barely a week intotheschoolyear,wherewesleptunderthestarsalongsidenew andunfamiliarfaces–mostofwhichwouldsoonbecomesomeof ourclosestfriends.Werememberthejoywefeltduringthefirst rainfall,Midland101hikes,andourfirsttasteofstrawberriesand pineapple guava from the farm. Our first year at Midland is of course, just like any other year; imperfect, there are numerous mistakesmadeandlessonslearned.Some9thgradersstillforgetto bringcoathangersfortheirclosets,ordon’tquiterealizejusthow manysnackstheywillneed Consideringitsuniqueenvironment, itisnosecretthatcomingtoMidlandasanewstudentrequiresan adjustment period When asked what the most challenging part aboutMidlandwas,Levi‘27saiditwasthehomeworkload.His roommate, Michael ‘27, on the other hand, finds waking up at 7:30a.m.moredifficult.
However,alongwiththesechallenges,9thgradersfindjoy intheirfreetimetoexploretheMidlandpropertyandplay cards with their friends in the library. No doubt the meaning of being a 9th grader at Midland has changed muchovertheyears AsMidland’sphysicalinfrastructureis changing through new faculty housing, bathrooms, and cabins, the culture of Midland is evolving as well. The studentbodyhasmovedawayfromtheoldranksystems. Midlandusedtobeaplacewhere“lowerclassmenandnew students experienced frequent instances of hazing,” accordingtoananonymoussource.However,Midlandhas made great strides to shift this narrative since the school's conception in 1932 Now the 9th graders are able to experience Midland without the rank system, living in harmonywithupperandlowerclassmenalike Thisyear's 9thgradeclasshasbeenespeciallyfortunate,enjoyingnot just the new Upper Yard cabins, but also new porches in lower yard. This small class of just 14 people, 7 upper yarders and 7 lower yarders, have become well integrated into the Midland community. Although people in other gradesarepronetosayingtheyaregladtonotbe9thgraders anymore,thewonderofthosefirstmonthsatMidlandare nottobescoffedat,and shouldbetreasuredforever
Pyp & TD ’27 playing bingo with Weston & David ’24
Orin ’24 teaching Ryan ‘27 to clean Glasshouse
MIDLAN R
DiadelosMuertos
ByJulissa‘26
DiadelosMuertosisawidelycelebratedMexicanholidaywhere families gather to celebrate the lives of their past loved ones. HereatMidland,itisatraditionfortheLatinXaffinitygroup to construct and decorate an alluring ofrenda or altar where students can place pictures or objects to commemorate their lovedones Thisyear,ontheeveofDiadelosMuertos,LatinX membersgaveachapelsharingalittlebitabouttheoriginsof theholidayandwhatitmeanstothem
We had a wide range of students from different classes working together: Ameyalli and Amelie ‘27, Guillermo, Melanie, and me ‘26, and Darien, David, and Maddie ‘24. Ameyalli,MelanieandAmeliewentouttothefarmtopick the most lush and vibrant marigolds for the altar. Darien, David and Guillermo helped put together the assortment of papelpicado IworkedwithGenevieve‘97andJoséJuan‘87to construct the altar. After some intricate decorating, the job wasdone!SenorHuesos(theskeletoninJaneway)alsohada specialplaceonthealtar!Weallworkedtogethertocolorthe altarwithbrightorangeandyellowflowers Melanie‘26recalls herfavoritepartoftheprocessbeinghowfragrantthechapel hadbecomefromthemarigolds.
Everyonesteppedbacktoviewthestunningaltarwehadall spentourhalfholidayworkingon.Itlookedveryorange,to say the least. I was so content being able to have worked withLatinXtocreatethisbeautifulaltar!Onthenightof ourchapel,wesprinkledmarigoldsonthegroundleading uptothealtar,addingtothefallambiance Asthesunwas setting behind the big oak tree, we walked up to the podium where the speakers talked about the traditions of DiadelosMuertos.Itfeltsosurrealtobeabletospeaktoa largeaudienceaboutmyculture.IaskedMelaniehowshe felt being able to be a part of this celebration and she answered,“Ifeltveryproudtosharemyculturewithmy classmates and the community. It felt like I was closer to homeandabletocelebratemoreofmycultureatschool.”
Dia de los Muertos Chapel
The ofrenda set up by students
David ‘24 & Darien ’24 setting up chapel | Image by Genevieve Herrick ‘97
MIDLAND MIRROR
Sports&Activities
OutdoorLeadership:StudentstakeonSespeHotSprings!
ByEmma‘26
OL,orOutdoorLeadership,isauniquesportthatMidland offers, teaching students how to be stewards of the land, hike,andsurviveintheoutdoors OLisofferedintheFall andSpringsportsseasonsduringwhichtherearetwo4-5day backpackingtripswherestudentsareabletotestthoseskills andareknowntoleadtofriendships,jokes,and delirium. Needlesstosay,theexcitementaroundthemisimmense.
InhisfirstseasonofOL,River‘26recallshismostrecenttrip toSespeHotSpringsintheLosPadresNationalForest,“It wasprettyrough-butI'mverygladIwent”Whenasked aboutsomeofhisstrongestmemorieshesaid,“SomethingI rememberverywellwaswhenastudentgothurtjustbefore abigclimb-andagroupstayedbehindandanotherwent ahead. I was a part of the group that went ahead. We accomplished the climb in about 3 hours, which was difficult. The other group was about an hour and a half behind us. Yet, when we reached a breaking point and stopped to snack, the injured student and Dan came hobblingaroundthebendofthehill ”
Thankfully, everyone made it to the vans that would drive thembacktoschoolaroundthesametime.Whilestudentsdo not often get injured on these trips, it can still happen and whenitdoes,thatstudentendsupperseveringtofinishwith therestoftheircrew-safelyofcourse
Riverreflected,“IfeltIhadgottentoknowpeopleIwouldn't havetalkedtootherwise.Iwishtheseasonwasabitlonger,but forafirstOLseasonIwouldsaythatitwasprettyrad!”These tripsalwaysmanagetoputourlivesintoperspective.Youmay work furiously on submitting your latest History or English paper,orevenhikeGrassMountaineverySaturdaywithyour friends, but have you ever gotten up at 3:00 am to hike strenuouslyfor10hoursthendrivebacktoschoolonlytoget u 700 h i d l ?
David ‘24 above the Sespe River | Image by Dan Susman
Weston ‘24 leading OL across the Sespe River | Image by Dan Susman Weston ‘24 & Bryce ’24
teaching OL a lesson | Image by Dan Susman
MIDLAND MIRROR
HalfHolidayJamSeshesTaketotheStage!
ByEmma‘26
This year, Midland students prepared for Thanksgiving weekendintheirownways.Somecleaned,re-cleaned,andrere-cleanedtheirroomsinanticipationoftheirparentswalking through the doors of their cabin. Others wrote chapels, rehashingdetailsoftheirMidlandadventures.
But Sarah ‘26, Kevin ‘26, and Simon ‘25 prepared three separate songs to perform for Midland families and friends, withthehelpofHeadPrefect,David‘24,andHeatherCarreiro (AssociateDirectorofMarketing&Communications),among others. For weeks these three dedicated their half holiday afternoonsatHeather’shousecrankingoutdifferentmelodies, choruses,andsimplyjustjamming.AsSimonsays,“Weeach practicedourownsongswhiletheothersdrumalong.”Forthe pastseveralyears,theschoolband:Coventry,hasperformeda fewsongsusuallyinthegenreofU2andother80’sclassics,but withsomeofitsmembersgraduated,Coventrywasnotactive
So this year, the musical performances have been even more opentostudents.AccordingtoSimon,“Performingmusicina smallergroupisalotmorefun,butitalsocarriesalotmore pressure Everyonewillnoticeifyoumessup”Theyspentso muchtimepracticingthatnomistakesweremade,andtheyall received unanimous applause After many invitations to join thiscrewofperformersintheirmusic,muchoftheMidland studentbodywasreadywithanticipationforthisspectacle,and theperformancesdefinitelydelivered.
Kevin ‘26 encouraging the audience to sing | Image by Lorraine Shipman
Simon ‘25 learning how to use the sound board | Image by Charlotte Greenblatt
The musicians practicing outside Stillman | Image by Charlotte Greenblatt
MIDLAND MIRROR
AllSaints’Day!
ByJay‘26
Land
On Monday evening November 6th, Dan Susman, Dean of Experiential Learning, announced that the next day was All Saints’Day.Duringstatus,onlyacoupleminutesearlier,José Juan Ibarra ‘87 rang the bell to signal a fire drill, and the studentbodyallquicklygatheredintoStillman Aftertenlong minutes,thestudentsquieteddownandDantoldeveryoneto findaSteward-Midland’smostexperiencedexplorers-and formagrouptoexplorethepropertythenextday.
Thenextmorning,afteranassemblythemorningafterwards, everyone set out on their various excursions Avid avian aficionado Avis ‘25 led a hike around the Bowl trail to birdwatch, Steward Teryn ‘24 took a group of students to Maple Camp, English teacher, John Issacson ‘94, undertook the steep and difficult hike to the peak of Grass Mountain. BiologyandSpanishteacher,AlinaAcosta,tookasmallgroup tothemuddypitwheretheRezoncewas.Artfaculty,Faith Nygren, and a few senior Lower Yard residents, along with faithfulMidlanddog,Cookie,tookalengthytrekaroundthe Lover’s Loop trail Caleb ‘25 set off to Platform 21 with a groupofjuniors Ellie,DeanofAcademics,alongwithBella, thenewChemistryteacher,tookagroupofsophomoresup Birabent Creek, exploring where the trails no longer reach. However, last winter’s heavy rains and flooding severely eroded the creek, giving Midlanders a whole new area to explore,fullofsmallpools,beautifulfallenmapleleaves,and lotsofexcitingwildlife.
Thelongesthikethisyear,leavingataround9:00a.m.andnot returning until well after 5:00 p.m., was the Mount Geal expeditionledbytheintrepidwayfarersBryce‘24andRuby ‘25 Theytookadiversegroupofsevenvaliantventurers,with representativesfrombothYardsandallgrades,onawilddive into the wilderness that took the explorers on a twelve mile hike,gainingover3,000feetofelevation.Theobjectiveofthe expeditionwastoreachMountGeal,adistantandbeautiful but steeply sloped peak visible from some parts of campus. NamedafternotoriousalumGael‘23,it’slocatedonlyabout one and a half miles east of Grass Mountain, but is mostly inaccessiblebecausenotrailsgonearit Thisdidn’tstopBryce frommakingGealhistarget Thestewardsplottedaroutethat wouldtakethemthroughtheBirabentCanyon,thesamearea Bella’s group explored, only pressing on further, going another mile up the creek bed past Midland School’s boundary,intoourneighbor;theLosPadresNationalForest.
They want me to paint, but I’m tired. What once was the element of my joy has become the element of my demise
I’m tired
I try but nothing comes, how can I paint a vision of beauty and love when my heart feels so glum?
My canvas is blank, regardless if I have the paints Limbs stolen from me, falling down a hole of endless misery I sink to the bottom of the sea
If I fake what will I gain?
A lie of a reputation, believed to be one of joy when really surrounded by an endless void.
How can one bring others peace, when they themselves are missing something?
I’m just tired
But why shouldn’t I just paint the truth? It may be brutal but what else is there for me to do?
They expect me to paint. But my palate has only shades of blue
No shades of yellow to warm or lighten my mood
Nothing to help soothe People don’t want blue
They want yellow. They want a piece from a man whose canvas is vivid, not one from a man whose livid
Blue like the ocean swallowing me whole, pulling me down, down where nobody knows, pinned down by strong stones
I swipe my brush, but nothing comes I brush and brush until I’m numb The canvas splits apart, similar to that of my heart
I’m falling through the cracks, unable to find my way back But I can’t do that right now It’s time for me to paint
I’m so tired
After all this time, I finally know what to make; the truth.
My shades of blue will be put to use, layered on my canvas painting the truth
I’m a broken skeletal man with a guitar in my hand
They want me to paint Make me hold up my painting for the all to see Meanwhile I’m sinking down to the bottom of the sea.
They need my painting today, unaware they’re taking my last breath away
You only see my golden guitar, masking the crippling man from afar Even as I’m trying to breathe, I have to paint for others to believe.
The guitar is my art I bring it to you That’s the last thing I’ll ever do
I’ve succumbed to the blue I’m going to sleep now.
MIDLAND MIRROR
Fall Metals & Design Classes
ByCaleb‘25
Joe Castle, Santa Ynez sculptor, has brought two elective classes to Midland this fall; Metals and Design. Joe is a longtime friend of Midland School and has led Maintenance Sport along with Art Faculty, Faith Nygren, for several years. Throughout the many Maintenance seasons, Joe has found his way through the Haybarn as well as the rest of the school, applying himself to Midland’s motto of ‘Needs not Wants ’ Joe has helped Midland in more ways than we can count; from fixing broken doorhandles to readying the old Upper Yard cabins to be demolished last spring Now, Joe has taken on the role of teaching inside and outside the classroom. In his Design as well as Metals Classes, everyone loves Joe. He has worked with Design students to create ideas for the Midland campus renewal. In Metals, Joe taught nine Midlanders the art of welding and metalwork as he does in his studio in the Santa Ynez Valley. Students began the semester by creating deconstructed tables, chairs and other types of furniture with popsicle sticks From there, they learned to build those designs that could be used in their cabins out of metal Metalwork has become a new activity for students during half holiday as the woodshop & metal shop are full of students diligently working on their projects.
