Happy Earth Day! Today is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. 

• Santa Barbara Earth Day: Midland had a booth at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival Saturday and Sunday. Click here to view photos of the booth.   
             
• A Working Model: Midland School has been installing PV arrays with our 10th graders every year since 2003-04. This Earth Day, we hope you are captivated by the can-do spirit from Midland, a solar success story that can serve as an inspiration and model to others.            
   
• Senior Thesis Symposium 2011: This week was senior symposium when seniors share their research with the entire school in a formal presentation. On Wednesday every senior who chose to write a research paper presented their work.   On Thursday evening, the three students who completed year-long projects, all in the area of creative writing, presented their work in longer sessions during evening Status. All seniors impressed audience members, and should be proud of their accomplishments!    
• Midland Students in Arts Outreach Show: Mara Gabriel '11, Irvin Alvarez '12, Phoebe Stokes '12, and Miguel Provencio '13 each entered artwork in the Arts Outreach annual juried high school art show. They were all chosen as finalists, and Mara took 3rd in show for her entry, which was a stoneware teapot.        
   
• Junior Statesmen of America (JSA): Faculty member Cory Cramer took students Eliad Becker '11, Kendall Cook '13, Erin Williams-Tyler '12, Chelsea Young '13, Pebbles Gonzalez '13, Aidan McMurry '12, Shayla Gordon '12 and Weiler Shafer '13 to JSA's Spring State Convention in Los Angeles this past weekend.         
   
• Parent Input Needed: We would like to learn about Experiential Week from parents' perspectives. Thank you to those who have already responded. If you haven't, please take a moment to reply to this email or email Karen Readey directly. We'd like to know if your son/daughter spoke to you about Experiential Week, whether you felt you received adequate information about the week and to hear your overall impression of Experiential Week; if you feel there's value in it.  Thank you for your feedback!                
• Owl Watch - The family of Great Horned Owls that hatched about 10 days ago have been making progress. The chicks' plumage is becoming striped.               
       
• Horses Update: Students are well into learning the trot now!  As they progress into learning how to post, they also eagerly await Alumni/ae, Parents and Friends Weekend when they have a scheduled performance in the arena.  They invite you to come see them and their horses maneuver through sets of obstacles set up in the arena.  The riders have begun acclimating their horses to things such as barrels, gates, poles, and even a bridge!               
   
• Alumni/ae, Parents and Friends Weekend: Midland's annual celebration with alums, parents and friends is April 30 - May 1. We hope to see you!                                          
• Gathering for Parents: Parents are invited to a gathering at the McMurry home on Friday evening, April 29, before the Alumni/ae, Parents and Friends Weekend.  View the invitation.                  
   
• Athletics:
  Lacrosse - The Boys lost to Laguna Blanca, 8-7, and to Cate, 10-5. Record is 3-2. They play Viewpoint at home tomorrow. Girls play at Cate today at 4 PM, and Thacher's JV team tomorrow at Thacher.
  
  See Midland's sports section online for the Lacrosse schedules and updated photographs.   
                                                              
• Helpful Contact Information:
  Upper Yard: 805-688-6075 (Boys)
  Lower Yard: 805-686-1847 and 805-688-7435 (Girls)
  Lapmaster Phone: 805-284-8089
  All faculty email addresses are:first initial of first name followed by last name @midland-school.org
  Example: wlong@midland-school.org                                                                           
• TO REQUEST A PHOTO: If you would like the original digital file of any photo, please email Karen Readey.