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Dear Prospective Family,
There aren’t very many things that can convince a high school student to get out of bed at 6:45 am — for me there were only three. First: long runs out on Midland’s singletrack with good friends and red sunrises, dodging foxtails and gopher holes overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley. Second comes Gloria’s famous, legendary, incredible, perfect breakfast burritos (they’re to die for). The third, most potent early morning wakeup for teenage me? The big brown eyes of a nine-year-old chocolate lab, Indiana Jones (Indy), staring at me with that loving look that immediately precedes a sloppy, wet tongue right across my face.
Midland is a fabulous place to be a student, but it’s an even better place to be a dog. The two of us spent hours on the field, kicking around beat up soccer balls, playing tag with other students and dogs, and looking in awe at the bizarre, exceptionally large, exceptionally tall dogs (horses) in the pasture next door. In the spring, we learned that the mile long bike ride out to the Reservoir always ended in swimming, so he’d sprint as fast as he could the moment I put on my bathing suit. And it only took Indy 5 minutes on campus to realize that if he slept underneath the right table in the library, he could maximize the amount of petting he got during study time.
Having a dog join you for your boarding school experience is utterly “Midland” — as a now-senior at Williams college, I’ve met my fair share of boarding school graduates, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who got to bring their dog (or cat, or iguana... you get the picture) to school with them. And, while I’ve met my share of incredible friends and peers at Williams and in the summers in between semesters, I’ve yet to find a community quite as spectacular as the one I found at Midland.
Perhaps it’s the specialness of having dogs (yours, or a friend’s or teacher’s) sitting beneath tables in the Library, or the access to 35 miles of hiking, running, biking and horseback riding trails, or the passionate, live-in faculty and delightful breakfast burritos — whatever it is that makes Midland special, I’m forever grateful for it. And I know Indy is, too. Watching that now twelve-year-old lab’s tail wag as we return for Thanksgiving on campus each year is one of the greatest joys for my whole family.
For Indy and me, Midland was home. I hope you’ll consider whether it might be yours, too.
Cheers,
Duncan McCarthy '17
Astrophysics Major & Outing Club President at Williams College
Duncan and Indy sitting on their Upper Yard Cabin porch in Spring of 2017, Duncan's last year at Midland. He and Indy have returned many times since, and Indy still loves nothing more than a swim in the Reservoir!
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Meet the many creatures that call this place home!
We regularly hear from students that befriending every animal on campus — from pet dogs to the farm chickens to the Midland horse herd — is one of their favorite parts of Midland. As you walk around campus, you'll notice the continued love that Midland animals receive and how our residents' and visitors' faces light up as they lean down to pet a dog, which makes sense as studies suggest that pets increase our physical and emotional wellbeing. Truly, Midland animals are a huge part of the community, as you heard from Duncan and Indy and as you'll see below.
In fact, Midland was voted as the "best place to work" by Bark Magazine in 2013 for our incredibly-dog friendly work (and study) environment! Want to learn more about the role our animals and pets play into the student life experience at Midland? Watch this video!
MEET REN
Hi, I'm Ren! I spent a bit of my young life in the care of a local non-profit pittie sanctuary and halfway house called Shadow's Fund. I beamed Phil (Midland's Tech & Facilities Manager) through the interwebs with my ridiculously soulful eyes and he came and picked me up. I have been living and working at Midland alongside this rather delightfully odd human since 2017. Nowadays I ask that Phil drive me around in the cart so that I can visit my favorite Midland Humans: Yessy, Gloria, and Cierra.
In the evenings I like to read philosophy books while Phil works on the computer. I allow him to do this only after he has prepared my dinner with local, organic flora and fauna. He works for me, but he is also my best friend.
MEET CHARLIE BROWN
Howdy, I'm Charlie! I'm a a 21-year-old paint horse and my favorite activities are trail rides along Midland's campus (we have some great ones right down the road from the pasture where I live!). I love best to lope down to hairpin turn and play in the Alamo Pintado when it is flowing.
My best friends are the girls in my herd -- Gidget, Autumn, and Neeka -- who I spend most days hanging out in the shade of Oak Trees with.
I'm a junior at Midland this year, and love spending time with all of our students. Maddy -- my owner -- is for sure one of my favorites! I'm super proud of her because this year she's the Head of Horses, which means I get to see her even more during the day while she takes care of me and my friends and our new barn. You should come check it out sometime soon if you can!
Midland's Very Own Dinosaur Population
... okay, okay, our very own "Chicken" population
Here at Midland we have around 50 (and counting) chickens who provide our community with fresh eggs. Our recently constructed chicken palace is located within the Midland Farm and Garden area. The chickens have a large yard with plenty of shade from surrounding trees, and get daily snacks of fresh organic produce that’s just not quite pretty enough to go to our kitchen. During the academic year, student have the opportunity to take charge of caring for the chickens and collecting eggs. Want to know more about our chickens and Midland's Farm & Garden program? Click here to watch our recent farm video!
Horses, Horses, Horses | Discovering Natural Horsemanship at Midland
Financial Aid Webinar for Families
For families interested in applying for financial aid for the 2021-22 academic year, School and Student Services (SSS) is hosting an informational webinar that takes a deeper dive into the financial aid application. These webinars have been found very helpful to our families. Details as follows.
Counting the Costs: An introduction to private & independent school financial aid for families
October 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM PDT
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8258669740736293644
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