MIDLAND MIRROR
ByAmelie‘27
LosOlivos,California
Land AllSchoolHardluck
TheTripShedwasemptiedofgroundtarpsand71students'mindswerefilledwithexcitementforanightspentontheproperty.Forthelast fewyears,MidlandershavespenttheirfirstFridaynightoftheschoolyearonaclassHardluck.LikeanyHardluck,theseovernightsleaveafter dinnerandreturnbeforebreakfast,meaningstudentscanenjoyanightonthepropertywithoutextensiveplanningorheavybackpacks.With thehelpofstudentleaders,thefacultyattempttofosteranenvironmentwherestudentscangettoknoweachotherandourcampusallat once.
Tess‘25hikingwithherdogLula
For the incoming 9th graders, this is the first night that the whole class spendstogether Lucas‘28mentionedthattheHardluck“madeeveryone closerandgaveusatimetohangoutasaclassoutsideoftheclassroom, which is not something that's often done” This year, the 9th graders headedtoPlatform21,thesophomorestrekkedtoGoldenHorseshoe,the juniors climbed to Bradley Mesa and the seniors camped at Tank Mesa Thesefourhighpointsofferedexcellentviewsofthestarsaswellassunrise andsunsetvistas TheMidlandStewards,bothaspiringandcurrent,gota chance to start the year leading their classes along trails, through gear checkoutsandtowardsarelaxing,yetallthewhileexhilaratingnight Tess ‘25,SeniorStewardandrockstaroutdoorleader,notedthatclassHardlucks putlessresponsibilityonthestewardstoallowthemtoenjoyanightwith theirclassmates,butstillofferachancetopracticeoutdoorleadershipskills
Thisbalancemeansthingsrunsmoothlyandhappily
BeginningtheyearwithclassHardlucksprovidesachancefor studentswhodon’toftenengagewiththeoutdoorprograma chancetoenjoythemselveswhileinnature.Thisexperiencecan oftenfosteraconnectiontoandexcitementfortheland,which in turn inspires these students to seek out future outdoor experiences.“Sincethebeginning,Hardluckshavebeenabout spending time with classmates on the property with minimal preparation,whicharethepartsIlovemost!”saidDan,Deanof ExperientialLearningandtheorganizerofthisHardluck.
As the sun set, laughter bubbled across Midland’s little valley fromalldirections,markingtheHardlucksasamassivesuccess IcebreakergamesandGloria’swarmcookiessentstudentsintoa sleepynight Thesunwokeusupearlierthanouralarmswould have, but something about the views from the hilltops kept thosesleepyteenagersinhighspirits Afteraquickhikebackto campus,thegradesmetonceagainatthetripshedtocleanand putawaytheirgear Warmbreakfastfilledhungrybelliesasthe storiesbegantospread Onceagain,theclassHardluckbrought joyandconnectiontothestudentsofMidland,abrilliantway tostarttheschoolyear
TheStateoftheRes:PreservationorRuin?
ByJay‘26
Foralongtime,theReswasoneofMidland’sdefiningfeatures It hasbeenaroundlongerthantheschoolitself Theveryfirstvolume oftheMidlandMirrorreferences“theschoolreservoir,”wherethe schoolhadpicnics LocatedjustamilefromMiddleYard,down theResRoad,theReshasarichandstoriedhistory Ithasneeded repairs many times, from just repairing the pipe or completely drainingittoclearoutthebottomofweedsandgunktoprepareit forswimming Dancesandclubshavebeenheldthere,likeJunior DanceWeekend,anditisagreatspotforroastingmarshmallows overthecampfireorhostingahardluck
TheReswasfilledwithwaterfromalongpipecomingfromthe Dam, which is situated about two and a half miles northeast of campus.TheDamwastwosolidconcretewalls,builtonasturdy foundationofhugeboulders.Betweenthewallswasasmallgap, abouttwofeetwide,thatletalittlewaterthrough.Foralmosta century,itstood,collectingwaterintoapoolthatwasbothgreat forswimmingandcriticaltothefillingoftheRes.Manystudents wentthereduringhalfholidays,swimming,relaxingontheshady hillabovethepool,orsittingontheDamitself
However, in early January of 2023, this all came crashing down with a torrential downpour that nearly destroyed parts of the school itself In numerous parts of California, flooding led to landslides and all sorts of problems Midland was not the exception ManyrememberhowLowerYardfloodedandneeded hordes of volunteers to dig trenches to divert the flow, or how EnglishFacultyJohnIsaacson’shousebrieflybecameanislandand was almost swept out to sea While the school waited out the storm, sheltered under red roofs in warm, stove-heated cabins, upstream great change was happening Throughout Birabent Canyon,rushingwaterssweptawaytheriverbanksanderodedthe riverbed down to bedrock in many places, uprooting trees and movingmassiveboulders
Now,comparingthesiteoftheDamtowhatitlookedlikebeforethe rainsisstartling:hugeswathsoflandhaveerodedaway,turningagentle hillsideintoacrumblingcliffheldtogetherbythestrengthofoaktree roots OneofthewallsoftheDamisstillrightwhereitusedtobe,but the other half is sunken into the ground and protruding at an angle, creatinganiceslopetositon Forayear,thismeantthatnowaterwas flowingthroughtheRespipetotheRes,anditdriedupintoasadhole fullofcrackeddirt,emptyexceptforafewfrogsclingingtolifeinthe dampearthbelowthesurface
InMarchof2024,anattemptbegantorepairtheRes.WhiletheDam wasnolongercontributinganything,theRespipewhichusedtocarry waterfromtheDamtotheReswasstillthere.CampuslumberjackSam Finklestein led efforts to add in a new length of plastic pipe, starting further upstream and diverting into the pipe. This functioned for a while,buttheResneverfilledmorethanafootorsodeepbecausethe pipecouldn’tcontainenoughflow.
Then, the Lake Fire happened Firefighters rushed to save the school campus,andthankfullysucceeded Intheprocessofdiggingfirebreaks, thebulldozeraccidentallyhittheburiedRespipeintwodifferentspots, crackingopentheconcretetube Thisisjustanotherbarrierintheway ofeffortstoresurrectourinvaluableswimminghole,anditremainsto beseenifMidlandwilleverhavesuchanicepoolagain
Kielson‘25&Guillermo‘26intheAlamoPintado
ExploringThroughTheEyesofEcology
ByAmelie‘27
The email from Hannah came on July 14th, ending an anxiousninedayevacuationwithalong-awaitedinviteback tocampus.WhenIsteppedthroughthedoorofmyslightly smokyroom,Ifeltimmenserelief,coupledwitharealization thatIhadn’ttrulyseentheeffectsofthefireyet.Thescene begantounfoldwhenIventuredouttheResRoadtowards the burn area the next afternoon. At the hairpin turn, I encountered a charcoal-covered and proud hotshot crew fromClovis,andafterafewminutesofconversation,they invitedmetoexploreintotheLakeFireBurnzone,which wasatthatpointstillanactive(andthereforerestricted)fire area. At first, the landscape took me by surprise, yielding what seemed like more damage from bulldozers than from fire.Butaswecontinuedtowardsthemountainsanddeeper into the fire lines, charcoal became more evident. Overwhelmed by the amount of loss, it took me a few minutestobeabletotrulyseewhatthelandhadpresented. Fromafar,itseemedlikeableaklandscape.However,whenI bentdown,askeletonofbunchgrasscrumbledatmytouch torevealaneedlesizedshootoffreshgreengrowth.
Beingabletoseehowmuchofwhatburnedwasstillalive took practice, but once I started, it was impossible not to find.Afterspendingjust30minutesinanareathatmymind hadcondemnedas‘dead’,Iwasshocked.TheBirabentCreek wasbarelytouchedbyflames.Deepgreenbay,mulefatand poisonoakshotuparoundmeasIsplashedthecoldwater ontomyface.Yetonly4to5feetaway,therockslaystained with soot and tiny leaves barely pushed through ash. My brainbegantohumwithcuriosity.
High intensity burns, like those that raged through parts of Midland’s property,altersoilchemistryandleachmoisturefromthetop2-4feetofthe earth Plantsloseanaverageof68%oftheirfoliagewhilemorethan84%of leaves lose high amounts of chlorophyll, making photosynthesis impossible Thehumus,knownasthetop-mostlayerofhealthysoil,loseshighpercentages ofmicrobialbiodiversity Inthesummermonths,springseedsoftenhavenot penetratedthegroundandaresusceptibletoburning Sowhydocharredblue oaks have bright green leaves? Why is the narrowleaf milkweed sending up shootsbytheminute?Whyareyuccasendingupsixfoottallfloweringstalks threemonthsaftertheirbloomingseason?Why,againstallodds,aretheplants that lost everything during the fire, creating so much new growth out of season?
As a passionate scientific thinker, I turned first to observation Over the remainingsixweeksofsummer,Iexploredpartsoftheburnzonealmostdaily to keep tabs on what, where, and how much different plant species were growing Withinwhatfelttomelikeabrieftimeline,theoriginalshootsIhad seendoubledandtripledinsize Theinchtallmilkweedstemsnowstandthree feettallandareadornedwithclumpsofpollinator-coveredflowers Oakstrees thatlosthighcanopypercentagestotopkillhavenotonlysurvived,theyhave beguntodroopundertheweightofthousandsofmaturingacorns Itseemsas thoughthistraumaticeventthatshouldhavecausedextremedeathhasinstead becomeacatalystfornewlife
AsatrueMidlander,thespeciesthatcaughtmyeyemostwerethemightyoaks, theQuercusgenus.CoastLiveOak,Quercusagrifolia,arearguablythemost fireresistantspeciesinourarea.Theirdense,moistbarkprotectstheirtrunk from flames. The Cambium of the tree, composed of the Xylem tissue that transports water from root to canopy and Phloem which transports photosynthetic sugars, resides directly under the bark. The Cambium is the mostalivepartofwhatweconsiderwood,yettheprotectionofQ.agrifolia barkmeansthatflamesrarelydirectlytouchthisvitallayer.Afterfireburns out,Q.agrifoliaaresomeofthemostabundantgrowers.Manytreesinour area are able to produce basal sprouts, a phenomenon where a tree can lose muchofitscanopyandsurvivebyrapidlysendingnewshootsoutofthebase of its trunk. Q. agrifolia will send up 4-6 feet of basal sprouts in just a few weeks, a remarkable growth rate. Additionally, many Quercus spp. have the abilitytorespondtotraumawithagrowthpatterncalledepicormicsprouting. Throughout a mature oak’s life, epicormic buds lay between the bark and Cambium layer. These epicormic buds remain dormant until the tree goes through a traumatic event that causes loss of leaf area or a sudden need for increasedphotosyntheticsurfacearea.Then,epicormicbudsareabletosend upshootsthatbehavesimilartobasalsproutsbutexistallthroughoutthetree’s trunks and canopies, not only at the base. Against all scientific odds, if you weretolookfromthebird'seyeview,theburnzonewouldbedottedwith vibrantgreenblueoaksandthedeeperred-greenliveoakcanopygrowth.
(CONTINUEDFROMPAGE3)Sowhy,despitecountlesslossesandnegativeeffects,hasthisfirestimulatedsomuchplantgrowth?Some sayit'sbecausethereislesscompetitionforlightandthereforeplantsarethrivingtogettheupperhand Othersclaimthatfireactsasan ecosystemresetthatallowsmorebalancednutrientlevelsandthereforemorefertilesoil Needlesstosay,thereisnooneexplanationandour currenthypothesesonlyencapsulateafractionofthetruthbehindthesemiraculousplants Generallyinscience,itisfrownedupontocall anything‘magic’,butbeingintheburnzoneandexperiencingthebeautywithinthecharcoalfillsmewithafeelingofjoythatcanonlybe describedasmagical
Sports
LowerYardVolleyball
ByJay‘26
EveryMonday,Wednesday,andFriday,thethreewallsofPoleBarn echowithhigh-pitchedsquealsandthebumpsofleatherballsonopen arms. That’s right, the majestic Midland Mighty Oaks Lower Yard volleyball team has sprung back into thunderous action! Led by seniorsBrodie,Cecile,andParker‘25,theteamhasavariedanddiverse makeup, with the varsity team and junior varsity team having nine playerseachforatotalofeighteenplayers(mostofLowerYard)anda spreadofplayersfromallfourclasses.Theteamiscoachedbythree facultywhohappentoalsobeMidlandalumni:TaleiCody‘15,Leah Kaplan‘13,andJohnIsaacson‘94.
Brodie,Cecile,andParkerweretheonlyseniorsontheteam,soLeah appointedthemteamcaptainsbydefault.Havingthreeautomatically appointedcaptainshasbeenanatypicalexperience–usuallytheteam votesonwhothecaptainswillbe.Butoverall,theteamcaptainshave enjoyedfallingintotheirrolesasseniorleadersandmentorsinsports. Brodiementionedthatit“hasbeenreallyfunandrewarding…Iguess Ijustlikebeingencouraging,Ilikehelpingpeople,andIthinkmeand Parkerworkreallywelltogether.”
Regarding the presence of freshmen and new sophomores on the varsityteam,Parkerstatedthatshe“loveshavingnewpeopleonthe teamandshowingthemtheMidlandvolleyballways,andthey’veall beenreallypositiveaboutit.”Brodiesaidshefelt“superlucky!Shout outtoallofthem!”
Intheend,theteamisjustgenerallyexcitedtoplayinthecoming weeks.Whenaskedaboutherhopesanddreamsfortheteamafter the first varsity game, Parker ‘25 commented that “ everyone was playingsowell,theenergywasverypositive,anditwasjustafun game. Everyone was having a good time, which I loved. And honestlythat’sallthatmatters.ButIwouldlovetowin.”
At first, things didn’t go too well: JV lost two games; one against Besant Hill, and one against Oak Grove. Varsity has lost against those schools and Providence. However, in the rematches against OakGrovebothvarsityandJVbroughtinwins–astheteamgrows stronger,perhapsthiswillturnintoalengthywinningstreak?
LowerYardVarsityVolleyballTeamvsBeasantHill
ByJulissa‘26
WelcomeBackNewFaculty! Community
Midlandisfondofnewstudentsandfaculty,readytoembrace themintoourcommunitywithopenarms,howeverthereis nothingbetterthanseeingfamiliarfacesonceagain.Thisyear, midlandwelcomedbacktwoformeralums,Leah‘13andTalei ‘15, embracing them as they work to contribute to the Midlandcommunityinanewway:Asfacultymembers.
Leahgraduatedintheclassof2013andhadtheroleofHead Prefect. In her graduation portrait, one point that stands out was her contagious laugh, which has not changed much and manyoncampuscanattesttothisbecauseyouwillalwaysfinda grouphavingagoodcacklewhenevertheyhaveaconversation with her. It has been a couple of years since she had been to Midland,andshediscusseshowshegotatasteofpublicschool teachingbeforesheappliedtoworkatMidland.Whileatpublic school,sheyearnedtohavethatconnectionwiththestudents andfaculty,somethingthatMidlandisknownfor,andapplied for the academic support position. Upon being accepted, she also took on the role of the Spanish 1 teacher. Midland has embracedmanychangessincehertimehereandsheisnolonger a student but instead a faculty member, which is a drastic change.Sheexplainshowshe’sgrownovertheyearssinceshe wasaMidlandstudent,andisnowtakingonalargerroleasa faculty member supporting students in their academic endeavors Asastudent,manyenjoyspendingqualitytimein theiryardswheretheycanconversewithfriendsandrelaxfrom therigorthatMidlandlivesupto Leahwasnodifferentwhen shewasastudentandfoundherselfinhercabinalotwithher classmates Now back at Midland, some similarities can be detected “Ilovehangingoutatmyhousebutit'snicewhenyou canfindyoursenseofhomeawayfromhomeanditissosimilar nowtohowitwaswhenIwasastudent”,shedescribes Leah also mentioned how coming back as a faculty member meant she would get the opportunity to work with her former teachers Shetellsme,“Oneofmyfavoritepartsofworkinghere now is that I get to work alongside my past teachers like Jose Juan ‘87 and Faith especially, I am very inspired by the work thattheydo” Leahenteredthisschoolyearwithanabundance ofenthusiasmandherenergyradiateswherevershewalks,and shehopestokeepitthatway Thisyear,shelooksforwardto reconnectingwiththelandandenjoyingthebeautifullandscape thatMidlandhastooffer
Talei, a ball of energy, which can be backed up with her graduation portrait,isknowntohavea“megaphonevoice”thatbringsallthehype backtoMidland Shegraduatedintheclassof2015andisbackbetter thanever Thoughsheneverknewjusthowshewouldbebroughtback toMidland,sheknewitwasinthecardsforher Theconnectionsthat she formed during her time here kept drawing her back, until she eventually took on the new position as farm assistant During farm sports,youcanfindherguidingmindfulnesswithstudents,andbringing her chill vibe to provide students with an enjoyable afternoon The transitionfromstudenttofacultywasdefinitelyanadjustment,buther timeasastudentheregaveherallthetoolssheneededtosucceed The greatthingaboutMidlandisthateveryonewillforeverbesupportiveof oneanother OnethingthatisfunandinterestingisthatLeahandTalei wereatMidlandatthesametime WhenTaleiwasafreshman,Leahwas ajunior!Howcoolisthat,backatMidlandworkingwithastudentyou oncelookeduptoasalowerclassmen Taleidescribesthat,“SomethingI found interesting is that the people I already looked to as mentors are continuing to be supportive as co-workers and I feel very grateful for themtostillbeherebecausetheycanhelpmewithadjustingtonotbeing a student anymore ” Everyone has their favorite spots to hang out on campus,andTaleifoundthathercabinwhenshewasastudentwasher safe place, as well as other peoples cabins A similarity can be seen, becausenowshehasalittletrailerwheretheParkshouseusedtobe,and findsittobehersafehaven Astheyearprogresses,Taleilooksforward to“supportingthestudentbodyinalloftheirmusicalendeavors”and hostingfunclubsforthoseoncampustoenjoy
Leah‘13
Talei‘15withherdogZiggy
HeatwaveEfforts&BeachDay AfterHours
ByEmma‘26
Thursday,September5,2024:Shortlyafterreturningtocampus forthecomingschoolyear,temperatureswererisingatMidland, quite literally There were recorded heats exceeding 100 degrees andanextremeheatadvisorywasissuedtotheentireSantaYnez Valley Betweenthestudentsdrowninginsweatandtheconcern ofthemoresensitiveonescatchingonfire,thefacultyknewthat somethingneededtobedone,lesttheyloseafewtospontaneous combustion So, during a Tuesday lunch assembly, the student bodywasinformedofacomingfiredrill
But we had seen this one before, fire drills were only used to announcecertaineventslikeGrassMountainorAllSaintsDay,so consideringitwasthefirstweekofclasses,weknewsomethingwas up Curious, the rumor mill started up and spread different theories,themostcommonwasthatthedrillwastoannouncea beachday Loandbehold,onWednesday,atexactly9pm,thefire bellstartedtoringlikeitwouldneverstopandthestudentsfiled intoStillman DanSusman,DeanofExperientialLearning,began his speech of historical fires in the area beginning somewhere in the1800s Thereturningstudentsgrinned,theyknewwhatthis meant, but the freshmen and new students looked around, confused Onceeveryonewasaccountedfor,Danstopped,looked around,anddidhistypicallittlesmile,theonethatsaid“youknow exactlywhatIamabouttosay”andthenproceededtoannounce beachday Overthedingofroaringapplauseandcheers,Danand Hannah Nelson, Head of School, explained the logistics for the nextmorning,ontopofbeachdayitwastobealatewakeup Call itamiracle,fate,orsomekindofgenerousspirit,butsomething waslookingoutforthestudentsofMidlandSchool
After morning assembly on Thursday, the students sprinted to the parkinglot,tryingtocramalloftheirfriendsintoavanforthedriveto Refugiobeach.Whatevertheunsuspectingbeachgoershadinmindfor theirrelaxingThursday,ithadnothingontheonslaughtof71teenagers whocamerunningatapproximately11amthatmorning.Whatensued was by far one of the best beach trips Midland took, mainly because everystudentunderstoodwhatwaitedforthembackatcampus:death byheatwave.Whilethemajorityswamandplayedinthewater,enjoying the cool, almost frigid, ocean, there were some who paddle boarded, surfed,walkedonthebeach,andhungoutwithfriends.Overall,itwas an excellent time on the coast, but what really stole the day were the incredibleburritoscreatedbythekitchen.Extensivepollingconducted bytheMirrorshowedagreatmajorityofthestudentbodywhoclaimed theburritoswerethebestpartofbeachday.
Goingtothebeachwasnotonlyawaytogetoutoftheheat,butaway for the students to bond with each other and become much closer Charlotte ‘28 said her favorite part of beach day was, “Being able to connectandmakefriendswithpeopleI'veneverevenspokentobefore” Another new student, Marcela ‘27, encapsulated the opinions of the studentsexactly,sayingitwas“agreatdaytoforgetaboutschoolforabit and enjoy the cool water and delicious burritos” We returned to campus, with dreams of surf, sand, and burritos, ready to face the remainderoftheheatwave
Levi‘27&Luca‘27boogieboardingtogether
Sam‘25&Ben‘27passingafootballonthebeach Pyp‘27withhissurfboard
HeadofSchoolNote
ThisAugust,facultyandstudentsreturnedtoaMidlandcampusthat,forthemostpart,wasuntouchedbytheLakeFirethat burnedover38,000acres Midland’slandNorthandEastofFigueroaMountainRoadburnedbutleftbehindpatchesofoaksand pinesthatwereuntouchedbytheflames Studentsandstaffhavebeentakingtripsoutintotheburnedarea,whetheronhalf holidayorwithMidland101andareseeingalotofgreengrowthquicklyreturningtothearea Thebeginningoftheyearissucha lovelytimetoseeeveryonemakingconnections,increasingtheirzonesofcomfort,andchallengingthemselvestotrynewthings Allstudentshavesettledintolifeinthecommunityandastheweatherslowlygetscooler IhopethattherecentOctoberbreak broughteveryoneasenseofrejuvenationandenergyaswesettleinforfallandwinter
TheMidlandMirrorTeam
