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"We
do shower fires, jobs, and sit-down meals. These are things that make
us different, and better, than other boarding schools." ~William
J.-C., Class of 2010
An integral part of Midland's philosophy
is self-reliance, which means that we count on our students and faculty
to perform much of the work that goes into maintaining the school. Rather
than simply performing "chores," our students, through the
maintenance and upkeep of their campus, learn and practice responsibility
and cooperation. There's something meaningful and enriching, we believe,
in service to the community.
Daily
Jobs
Students have daily jobs that contribute
not only to the operations of the school, but also to a student's sense
of belonging to, and ownership of, the school. Jobs range from cleaning
classrooms and bathroom facilities, to working in the kitchen or being
a waiter. Most jobs take 10 to 45 minutes, and there is time set aside
in our daily schedule for the completion of the jobs. Several jobs require
cooperation and are definitely made easier if everyone else is doing
their part. Students change jobs at the semester break.
Weekly
Work Period
Every Sunday morning
at 9:00 (after a world-class breakfast of eggs and pancakes), faculty
and students gather for an assembly where the weekly jobs are called
out by seniors. Unlike the daily jobs, which are more about general
upkeep, this work period is designed to give the campus a thorough cleaning.
Students break into groups of four to five, and, led by a senior crew
head, spend up to two hours rejuvenating Stillman (where we eat) and
the yards (where we live and study). Students also go with a faculty
member into the hills to gather wood for the week's shower fires, gather
vegetables in the garden, brush down the horses or muck the corral.
There's no such thing as finishing early; students that get done before
the end of work period move to other crews.
Specialized
Student Jobs
Some students hold jobs
that fall outside the regular roles. These include running the student
bank, juniors running the snack bar, and mail posting/flag maintenance.
As with the other jobs, these jobs are essential, and the fact that
Midland puts the responsibility of such things in the hands of students
says something about the trust we have in our student body. We also
have campus "heroes," students trained to be the fix-it folks
that we turn to when we have specialized needs, such as window replacement,
plumbing, and the like.
Fire
Crew
Midland has a crew of trained students who can respond
to any fire emergency that might occur. We have a pump and a water system
in place to extinguish small fires, and, in the event of larger blazes,
our students can prepare the area for professional response teams. |
