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M A Y 2015
Greetings from Midland!

 

The month of April brought wonderful energy and appreciation for Midland as hundreds gathered during Alumni/ae, Parents and Friends Weekend.  A highlight was the ceremony and presentation of the John Dreyfuss '52 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award honoring Ben Munger '79 for his service to Midland and our greater community. At the same time, Ben was also awarded a Midland Medal.  For those who were unable to join us in person, you may view Ben's speech here. 

 

During the weekend, a 1970's "mega-reunion" brought an unprecedented number of alumni/ae from that decade back to Midland.  We are grateful to James Fahey '75, Dick Stubbs '75, John Stiff '75, and John Hintzen '75 who all worked hard over many months to rally the enthusiasm and generate the interest for the reunion.  The positive energy for the weekend was felt at a variety of events, including an off-campus cookout, a round table discussion in the Hay Barn, a slide show in the library, and a reception in the Frye Family Farm building. 

 

Faculty offered a number of afternoon activities to all of our guests, and the fantastic student art exhibit drew attention throughout the weekend.  The rain on Saturday was welcome, and it did not dampen a rousing Saturday night student performance of The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet in the amphitheatre.

 

This month, the inaugural seasons of Boys Volleyball and Girls Softball are coming to successful endings.  The ninth grade boys spent Saturday night on a "hard luck" camping trip while the entire sophomore class camped at the beach. The seniors are completing their senior theses, and each will soon present their work on Senior Symposium Day.  The junior class participated in a day-long Leadership Retreat in order to begin the transition to senior year.  They are also in the process of organizing the May 15-16th Junior Dance Weekend. 

 

As we head towards graduation, our days are busy, our pace is steady, and our lives are full.

 

Sincerely,

 Will Graham signature

Will Graham 
Head of School  
Junior Retreat prepares students for Leadership

Will Graham and Derek Harwell '88 led the Junior Leadership Retreat on May 4th. The class is considering the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead next year as Midland's senior leaders.The juniors are also making the transition to senior year by planning for junior dance weekend and preparing to lead the jobs program when the seniors head out on their annual camping trip.

1970's Mega Alumni/ae Reunion was Unprecedented!

Midlanders from the classes of 1970-1979 gathered at Nojoqui Falls on Friday of Midland's Alumni/ae, Parents, and Friends weekend. With more than 150 in attendance, memories of Midland were abundant.

Enormous thanks go to James Fahey '75, Dick Stubbs '75, John Stiff '75, and John Hintzen '75 who worked many months to make the amazing and reunion possible.  To begin your own class reunion or decade reunion planning, please email Midland for help and to hear the lessons learned and  suggestions from the 1970's reunion organizers. 

Kris Whitten '66 is already at work gathering his class for their 50 year reunion in 2016. For more information please email Kris. 

"The values of learning the difference between one's wants and needs, the self-sufficiency we learned and practiced while we were at Midland, has infused itself into my own sense of well-being and happiness every day.  If someone had told me the importance of Midland in this way when I was a student there, I don't know that I would have understood or believed it. 
So, to you Midland students reading this, the message from this Midland Alum is to appreciate where you are here and now, as it is a very special place, and it will provide a foundation for a happy life ahead -- no matter what you do." - David Starkman '68
Calling all Parents of Juniors!

Your students have signed up for the SAT/ACT and are looking forward to being seniors next year. Please remember to log in to Naviance to stay up to date with college information and visit as many colleges and universities as you can this summer. 

Helpful Websites:

Featured Alumnus
Ryan Hofman '01
After graduating from Midland in 2001, Ryan received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. 

Today, he is the Director of Facilities and Construction for the Hofman Hospitality Group based in Southern California.  In addition he is Vice President of Stone Cold Solutions, a commercial equipment manufacturing company, which he co-founded in 2012.  He has several patents pending in refrigeration and water saving technologies.  

Ryan returned to campus during Alumni/ae weekend and observed Metals teacher Johnny Ninos working with parents and alumni/ae making silver castings in cuttle fish skeletons. 

In Midland's Metals courses students are introduced to the fabrication and casting of jewelry and sculpture and to the process of welding. Steel, silver, bronze, nickel, and copper are utilized. In addition to principles of 3D design such as form and volume, safety issues and technical expertise are stressed. Studio work is supplemented with images from other artists, the history of metal work, and visits to local galleries and museums. 

In appreciation for his time at Midland, Ryan recently made a gift to support the Midland Metals program, because, in his words, "Metal work would have been something I would have liked to do when I was at Midland."
Click here to read 
Will Graham's retirement announcement from the Board of Trustees

Please check back as the Midland website will be updated periodically throughout the Head Search process. We invite participation from students, alumni/ae, parents, faculty, and staff.

If you have any questions about the search process. please contact the Search Committee here. 
MIDLAND STUDENTS 
NEED YOU

Rise to the Challenge! 
Donate Now green
If you haven't already, please make a gift today to help Midland reach our Annual Scholarship Fund goal by June 1. 
We have reached 87% of our $450,000 goal and we need everyone to participate! Your gift, in any amount, combined with the support of other grateful parents and alumni/ae provides much needed financial aid to our students through Midland's Scholarship Fund!


p h o t o   g a l l e r i e s 

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IN MEMORIAM

Brooks Hoar '40

Call for Class Notes and Address Updates
Please send us your Class Notes for the Summer Midland Mirror by May 29.

Have you recently moved or changed your phone number or e-mail address? Help us keep our Database up to date by 
Forget to purchase Midland gear during Alumni/ae weekend? 

Click here to view our online store and see the most current Midland merchandise. For more information or questions regarding merchandise, please contact Cierra.
Outdoor Leadership (OL) recently completed their second trip of the spring.

Their first trip was to Joshua Tree National Park where they camped, explored, hiked, scrambled on rocks, and worked with the trail crew.  The work site was a few miles out and a thousand foot climb from the Black Rock Campground.  They rolled boulders into place as abutments and collected cobble-sized rocks to pound into "crush" for proper drainage.  The Trail crew told us that the work Midlanders did in one day would save them a week or more of work on the trail.

The second trip was a backpack up the Manzana, a Midland School classic.  Students took the lead in planning the menu, pulling/checking gear, and making decisions in the field.  They camped at a little known site called Mushroom Camp, which unlike many of the established sites, is set back from the trail.  



This Spring's Outdoor Leadership group really blossomed over the course of the two trips. They worked well together, honed their camping skills, and generally gained confidence as trip leaders. The hope for all the students in OL is that they develop the skill set and confidence to successfully dream up, plan, and implement their own outdoor adventures; for themselves, their friends, and families. By next Fall, a number of the students will be ready to go through the training to lead other students on "hard luck" trips on the property.

To see more pictures from their trips, click here.
 Midland School provides a unique college preparatory boarding school experience to a diverse student body. 
Through study and work it teaches the value of a lifetime of learning, self-reliance, simplicity, responsibility to community and the environment, and love for the outdoors.