|
Dear Prospective Family,
As much as we love talking about Midland, we know that when it comes to free time, no one can tell it better than our students. In this week's newsletter, we are pleased to bring you some snippets of Midland free time, past and present, including a recording from this week's delightful webinar with a group of current students. If you weren't able to make it, we highly recommend giving it a watch!
With the application deadline drawing nearer (February 15th will be here sooner than you think!), we're here to help you keep track of all the materials! Starting next week, we'll be sending out weekly application materials reminders that let you know if you have any missing materials in your application file. If you have any questions about your application or the application process, don't hesitate to reach out! We're here to help — simply reply to this email or give us a call at 805.688.5114 to get in touch.
Warmly,
Cierra & Lydia
Midland's Admissions Team
SCHEDULE YOUR CAMPUS TOUR
START YOUR APPLICATION HERE
Half Holidays & Club Nights
HALF HOLIDAYS
Midland is not all about work and study; we schedule lots of time for relaxation and fun throughout the week, too. Currently, our weekly schedule blocks out four afternoons and two evenings during the week in which students are free from academic, civic, or athletic obligations, called, which we call "Half Holidays". These Half Holidays form an important element of our school life and philosophy; by punctuating a challenging weekly schedule with these intentional breaks, we create time for mindful reflection, active relaxation, and engagement with our natural surroundings.
Frequently students spend their Half Holidays out on our 2,860-acre ranch walking, running, biking, and horseback riding, exploring, crafting, or just simply hanging out in a hammock chatting with friends or reading a book.
CLUB NIGHTS
On Club Nights, faculty and students may offer clubs, i.e. fun activities. Popular clubs include table games, movies, coffee-house, night hikes, Aroma Cafe (Tea), going to town for ice cream or dinner, hiking the property, or playing pick-up athletic games on the field or court. During club nights, faculty open their homes to the students for baking, knitting, conversation, reading, or simply lounging in a cozy home environment. Clubs are planned on a weekly basis, during the Thursday faculty meeting, so that students can see the clubs that faculty will sponsor for the upcoming week.
Even as we navigate the pandemic, clubs are a huge highlight of the week. Just a few days ago our "Succulent" club divided time between the woodshop and outdoors to propagate plants and build new boxes upon which to hang their succulent cuttings.
Free time at Midland Through the Ages
A collection of stories from from Midland's old newspaper, the Midland Mirror, about things our students and alumni "got up to" back in their days on campus.
October 1934
Although a few boys have suffered minor mishaps, the hill slide. engineered by William Andrus, has proved a source of great amusement. It consists of a two-hundred-foot wooden track laid on the steep hill near the feed barn. down which boys sl'de on specially constructed sleds. lt is a fine su'r sti'ute for winter sledding, and can be used all year around. It has been financed by small contributions from the boys who use it.
June 1995
Twenty years from now, when I’m sorting through my mail and run into a copy of the new Midland Mirror, it will remind me of Louis. But it won’t be because he was my roommate for two years in a row. And it won’t be because he was freshmen prefect with me; nor will it be because of his boundless knowledge of bicycles, bodyboarding, and basketball. I’ll remember Louis because of the time our sophomore class went camping at John Cody’s»h0use. Louis, Nathan Simandle, and I decided to raft down the Manzana creek. We used one of Cody’s inatable ras. Aer hiking about a mile upstream from Cody's house, we crammed the three of us into the raft, which was built for about one and a half. We oated down the creek, tearing through rapids, maneuvering past big boulders, and slamming into submerged rocks. The ra sprang about ve airleaks and we had to stop every ten yards or so to reinate it. We couldn’t stop laughing. It was the greatest twenty minutes of my life. - Jesse '95
Photo of a game called "Hill Rush" played at Midland in the 1970s
June 1960
A rubber Army raft has become a target for those who jump off the rope, and the new craze for bicycles combines with one steep side of the res’ to provide quite a spectacular sport-—riding off the bank into the water. Those who haven’t the strength to go to the res’ often manage to get as wet in water fights, which have had to be curtailed frequently for fear of exhausting the school’s water supply or starting a plague.
June 2001
We had a sanctuary in our room. It was a retreat of pillows and cushions under our desk. It was enclosed, comforting, secret, and quiet. We would hide out in there, make believe, and talk about crazy ideas that we knew we would never actually follow through with. We also had an obsession with laundry. We had a huge bucket of detergent which we used to wash everything, even if it wasn’t dirty. We liked junk too. One time we went to Trash Canyon where we found some refrigerator doors which Anja set up in our room covered with letter magnet messages. - Annie '01
How our current students enjoy their free time
"I love messing around in the pole barn, exploring the property, and sitting in the sun with friends." -Porter '21
"I spend a lot of my time in the studio, sunbathing, training for sports, and with friends." -Elizabeth '20
"In my spare time I am sometimes in my cabin, sometimes out in the woods, but in both cases I am doing equally enriching things. In my cozy room I read, listen to music, and converse with friends, usually a combination of the three. In the woods we wrestle, hike, and play hiding games by the creek." -Anna '21
"I like to sometimes take care of horses during half holiday, reading, hanging out with friends or just sitting outside and eating snacks." -Zoe '23
"I love blasting music in the art room and working on a project. I love laying in the grass with my friends on a sunny, warm day and sunbathe and talk. I love taking my dog on a hike and struggle up a steep hill together, then drinking water together at the top." -Maisy '20
"When I have free time at Midland, I usually work on art, spend time laying in the sun (on the field or up in the hills), go to town, or work on other personal projects. But no matter what I'm doing, I can always count on friends, food, and good times!" -Raymond '21
"There are so many things to do at Midland! During half-holidays I can spend the whole afternoon outside. Sometimes my friends and I bike or walk out to the Rez or hang out on the field. I never worry about being bored here!" -Emma '23
If you haven't yet joined us for a virtual Open House to hear what makes Midland a truly exceptional place to live your education, we hope you'll RSVP to one of our upcoming sessions! Please note that we'll pause our Open Houses for a Holiday Break after December 14.
RSVP TO A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Mondays at 4:30 p.m. | RSVP here
Fridays at 12:15 p.m. | RSVP here
If you enjoy our Open House and want to learn more, be sure to sign up for our deeper-dive conversations, listed below!
 Join us the Wednesday after Thanksgiving for a conversation with Midland's Head of School and our student Head Prefects! RSVP here.
Upcoming Events & Helpful Reminders
|
