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Main House Restoration |
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Over the Holiday Break, Main House received some much needed TLC. New floors were put in downstairs, new stairs were installed, the walls and front doors were painted, and we now have a wonderful new reception room to welcome families and friends. Be sure to take a look on your next visit to campus!
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Winter Banquet |
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Friday, December 16th marks Midland's Annual Winter Banquet. Preceded by a final work period after exams, the banquet is a time to celebrate, enjoy a delicious meal and when Secret Santas are revealed. Midland is on Holiday Break from December 17 - January 8. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
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| Luke directs the banquet set-up |
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Grahams Trip Back East |
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The Grahams traveled back East in early December to attend The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) annual conference in Boston where former Midland Head of School Dan Kunkle (1990-2000) was recognized for his 20 years of service as a Head of School. Dan and Kathy retire from Gould Academy this spring after a long career in independent schools. After attending workshops ranging from financial models for boarding schools to student leadership programs Will and Marguerite Graham traveled to Millbrook, NY, where Midland alumnus Oakleigh Thorne '49 and Ann Harding hosted a dinner to introduce the Grahams to other independent school educators from Hotchkiss, Millbrook, Dutchess and Indian Mountain schools as Mr. Graham announced Oakleigh's generous intention to provide a scholarship to Midland for a deserving student from the East coast. Midland families with East coast connections may refer prospective families to Amy Graham. Before returning to Midland, Hotchkiss Assistant Head of School, Director of Environmental Initiatives and member of Midland's Environmental Advisory Board Josh Hahn toured Mr. Graham and Oakleigh through the farm Hotchkiss recently purchased as the school works to include programs modeled after Ben Munger's '79 fine work in the Midland Farm and Garden. This February a Hotchkiss faculty member will spend a few weeks at Midland studying our Farm and Garden program.
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All Saints Day November 2011 |
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On Monday, November 28, Mr. Graham announced it was "All Saints Day" - so students and faculty took advantage of the gorgeous day and went off in every direction to explore Midland's property.
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| A picnic on Kimpton Field |
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Thanksgiving 2011 |
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Like every beautiful Thanksgiving Day at Midland, this year was no exception with perfect weather, a festive atmosphere, soccer games, entertainment and of course, an amazing feast. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help make it a memorable day. And a special thank you to Klara Turner, mother of Sterling Turner-Chu '07, who has been making her amazing stuffing every year since 2002.
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Midlanders Volunteer for Project Healthy Neighbors |
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For the third year in a row, Midland students and faculty members volunteered at Project Healthy Neighbors. Organized by Ken Williams, father of Shane Williams '12, the project provided hundreds of people outside the Casa Esperanza shelter in Santa Barbara with clothing, flu shots, tuberculosis screenings, drug and alcohol counseling and even dental care, and helped the homeless prepare for winter weather.
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Leather Belts |
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Celeste Carlisle, Gillian Kinnear '04 and Karen Readey along with freshmen Talei McCloud, Anthony Tamaribuchi, Emma Dreyfuss, Turner Schroth, Nayana Hummingbird, Jordan Swidenbank and Wallis Cooley went to saddle maker Juan Lara's shop in Santa Ynez and made leather belts with guidance from Juan and Alberto. A large sheet of leather was cut into strips, sponged with water and then buffed in preparation for working with it. The students then stamped designs onto their belts, oiled them, and polished them with a leather conditioner. It was a fun-filled afternoon that resulted in beautifully designed belts. Click here to see more photos.
A video:
A slideshow:
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| Juan cuts a strip of leather for a belt |
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Stock Portfolio Contest |
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Under the advisement of Don Redl and Larry Edwards of Montecito Bank & Trust, several Midland students are participating in the Solvang Rotary Club's Stock Portfolio Contest for SYV Schools. The Midland teams are Aku '15 and Ezi Nwakanma '15, Oliver Rothenberg '15 and Anthony Tamaribuchi '15, and Diego Marcogliese '13, Micah Kalem '13 and Miles Dakin '13. They meet each Thursday and compete with teams of all ages in the valley. The contest ends on December 23rd, and the team with the highest portfolio "market value" will be declared the winner and will receive a trophy.
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| Learning how to read the portfolio statement |
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Librarian of Congress Visits Midland |
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 Will Graham, Dr. James Billington, Jim Billington During Fall Break, Jim Billington, a friend and neighbor from the Santa Ynez Valley, brought his father, the US Librarian of Congress Dr. James Hadley Billington, to meet Head of School Will Graham and tour Midland School. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, Dr. Billington serves as the head of the world's largest library, however, his interest in Midland stretches beyond the confines of our fine collection. The Billington family are the founders of Hidden Wings, a non-profit organization dedicated to elevating the gifts of young adults with autism, so that they might lead full and productive lives in society. The Billingtons recognize Midland's best practices, leadership program, and boarding school model as one to emulate as they pursue their vision of creating a campus for Hidden Wings. Dr. Billington was in the valley for a speaking engagement for the Solvang Branch Library on Tuesday, November 25.
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NatureTrack's First Adventure at Midland |
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NatureTrack, a new local non-profit organization that " provides outdoor field trips for Central Coast school-aged children where curriculum is aligned with grade-appropriate state mandated standards", had its first field trip to Midland School on Thursday, November 3. Midland provides NatureTrack access to the property where younger students can learn, explore and enjoy the magnificent land that Midland students appreciate on a daily basis. Congratulations to Sue Eisaguirre and everyone at NatureTrack on a wonderful program!
Second graders at Los Olivos Elementary School arrived at Midland for their NatureTrack adventure.
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Halloween 2011 |
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Halloween was celebrated on Tuesday, November 1st this year at Midland.
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Midland Horses March Down Grand Avenue in Los Olivos |
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Mid-October means harvest festivals! In tiny Los Olivos, “A Day in the Country” celebrated fall, neighbors, farms, and people. Midland equestrians Sunny Pang '14, Alba De Carlo '12, Becca Rantanen '12 and Ben Munger '79 rode faithful horses (and mules) in the parade down Grand Avenue. Tango (our steadfast appaloosa mustang) wore red ribbons in her tail. Graceful Dessi arched her lovely, long neck and walked in fine style, as Arabian horses are apt to do. Elder statesman Pro, a quarter horse, showed off his fiery red coat and affable approach to life along the streets of Los Olivos. Timmy Mule, sweet-faced and as easy going as it gets, walked alongside his short-eared friends. Gillian Kinnear '04 and Jordan Swidenbank '15 led the herd and riders on foot, carrying the Midland banner. Photos by Jill Brady.
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Midland Admissions at Local School Fair |
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On Wednesday evening, October 19, Director of Admissions Amy Graham and Head of School Will Graham attended the Independent School Night held in Santa Barbara. They met and spoke with prospective families in the local area.
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Spanish 1 Game |
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In Jose Juan Ibarra's '87 Spanish 1 class in October, students were divided into 2 teams and competed in a Spanish vocabulary game. Jose Juan said a word or phrase aloud in English, and the first person to "swat" the correct answer in Spanish won that round. Wallis Cooley '15 made a video of the competition.
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Garden Exploration |
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During the week of September 26, 2011, Midland 102 students walked through Midland's 8-acre organic garden and were asked to observe and record sights, sounds and smells (and tastes!).
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Midland Fire Crew Volunteer Trip |
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The Midland Fire Crew volunteered to work on the Sierra National Forest clearing trails in the Ansel Adams Wilderness for three days. The crew, consisting of Omavi Quadir '14, David Salehpour '14, Miguel Provencio '13, Miles Dakin '13, and Juan Mesones '13, with faculty members Ben Munger '79 and Cory Cramer, backpacked in seven miles and set up a camp to work on the Timber Creek Trail. Trail clearing was done with cross-cut saws, axes, and in special cases, a come-along. The crew accomplished all of the work safely and had a very good time. John Glenn, who was awarded the volunteer of the year award for the entire National Forest System, was the job leader. In addition, the Public Affairs Officer from the Sierra National Forest accompanied the crew, and is writing a story about volunteerism in National Forests to be published in newspapers in the region.
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Cross Country Trip to the Sierra |
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In September, the top runners from Midland's cross-country team took a pre-season training trip to the Eastern Sierra. After a night spent at 6,000 feet outside of Lone Pine in the Owen's Valley, the group drove up to Horseshoe Meadow at 10,000 feet and hiked 5 miles into the Cottonwood Lakes Basin, where we set up a base camp. Derek Harwell '88 reports, "From camp we took a layover day and climbed 14,027 foot Mt. Langley which affords some excellent views of Mt. Whitney, which at 14,497 ft (the actual elevation varies between 14,496 - 14,505 depending upon the source) is the highest point in the contiguous United States. Even Don Redl would admit that the climb was a good physical challenge, which required both physical and mental stamina. On the last night, we rode out some lightning, thunder, and hail before rising to a beautiful blue sky day for the hike out."
The students who went were seniors Peter King, Marcus Schmidt, Luke Carpenter, Merlin Plumbley, Phoebe Stokes, Lily Brand and Selena Wrightson. Faculty members on the trip were Don and Jill Redl, Derek Harwell '88 and Johnny Ninos.
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