- Students Assist Locals With Tax Prep: This year, and under the advisement of Don Redl, four students, Miles Dakin '13, Charlie Lehman '13, Diego Marcogliese '13 and Micah Kalem '13 completed their re-certification through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to prepare taxes for low-income families in the Santa Ynez Valley. For four Sundays, the students volunteered their time to help local families receive refunds totaling over $30,000 by taking advantage of the Earned Income, Dependent Care and Child tax credits. In addition, four other students, Omavi Quadir '14, Talei McCloud '15, Anthony Tamaribuchi '15 and Oliver Rothenberg '15, have been working on their certification in order to participate next year.
- Geology Camping Trip: Laurie Munger's geology class: Irvin Alvarez '12, Merlin Plumbley '12, Kendrick Holmes '12, Dan Brownstein '13, Savannah Bryant '12, Lily Brand '12, and Kendall Cook '13, plus Anna Paris-Behr '12 from last year's class, hiked down the Manzana Creek to Midland's 10 acres in the Los Padres National Forest. Laurie shares, "We went to observe, and map, the confluence of the Manzana Creek with the Sisquoc River. We also looked at a recent alluvial fan deposited at the base of the stream draining Wheat Peak - a steep mountain above the confluence of the two streams. The highlight of the trip was hearing a mountain lion cry very nearby just as we were heading to bed our second night out. We all felt better knowing that Merlin moved his sleeping bag from across the creek to join the rest of the class after the lion made its presence known."
- Historical Figures Make Appearance in American Studies: On Thursday, Ian Cummings' American History class held its annual conference on the American Dream. Students attend class as historical figures from the period 1865-1920; each offers a speech on the legitimacy of the American Dream and government's appropriate role in ensuring its availability. In their characters, they also engage in discussion with other speakers and follow up with a letter responding to the words of one of their fellow speakers.
- Photographs To Capture Midland's Spirit: Professional photographer John Lichtwardt (parent of Emma '13) spent a few days photographing the Midland faculty and students so that we'll have a gallery of wonderful photos for our website. John shares, "As a result, I got to enjoy a small taste of Midland life. Before I began the project, I knew I wanted to make pictures that captured the spirit and personality of the people and the place, no small task... One thing that really impressed me was the meaningful conversation, covering a wide range of topics, I had with faculty and students alike. There was never a lack of genuine connection. I came away feeling confirmed.. not that I needed it...just that my instincts and intuitions about the place were validated. There is something very special here."
- Lessons with Six Feet - Rider/Horse Pairings on the Ground: The riding class spent time this week working "on the ground" with the horses. We used our lead ropes to gently tap the horses along their necks, sides, legs, and hooves and to do so in a manner which did not cause alarm, but which solidified a steady, trusting relationship between the students and the their horses. We also worked on a quiet way of asking our horses to move in a specific direction - perhaps to step backwards, or to move their back feet sideways but to keep their front feet still.
- Girl Scout Cookie Casino: As a way to enjoy the multitude of Girl Scout cookies that were purchased from Emma Dreyfuss '15, Don Redl offered a Girl Scout Cookie Casino Club Thursday afternoon. Students convened to make GS cookie shakes, GS cookie stuffed chocolate chip cookies, and parlayed some of their GS cookies to participate in a round of Texas Hold 'Em. Perhaps as a follow up, Don will offer a running club to burn off all the calories...
- Global Warming: Thinking it Through: On Sunday, April 15, 2012, Midland will host the Twelfth Annual Mason Willrich '50 Lecture on Global Environmental Issues. The speaker will be Dr. James L. Powell, who will give a lecture titled, "Global Warming: Thinking it Through." Click here to view Midland's list of guest speakers for the year.
- Earth Day: Midland will once again have a booth at The Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival on April 21 and 22. Several Midland students and faculty members will be at the booth to talk about Midland as well as energy and our solar installations. Midland's booth will be in the Campus Point section, booth #205, on the corner of Sola and Anacapa Streets. Come by and say hello if you plan on attending the festival.
- Experiential Week: This year, Experiential Week is March 31 - April 6, the week prior to Spring Break.
- Athletics: See Midland's sports section online for a full schedule and updated photographs.
Lacrosse: Boys - Trailing by two goals after the first period, the Oaks recovered and went on to beat York in the season opener, 7-5 last Friday. Tevita Mafi '12 started his first game in goal to record the win. Luke Carpenter '12 notched three goals, Charlie Lehman '13, Captain Peter King '12, Emmet Yeazell '13 and Marcus Schmidt '12 all tallied one goal each for Midland.
Weather permitting, both the Boys' and Girls' teams travel to OVS tomorrow for 2:00 PM games.
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