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N O V E M B E R  2013  
Greetings from Midland!  I'm often asked about our alumni and alumnae and their transition into college and life after Midland. We recently received a letter from Diego, a graduate of Midland's Class of 2013. He writes: 
 
Dear Midland Faculty:
Leah and Diego
I hope you are all doing great! I've been here at Bates for a little over a month. I've had such a smooth transition-an effortless one. The academics are challenging, but nevertheless very interesting and fun. I want to thank you all for the hard work you do and for your continuous commitment to education. I want to assure you that the experience I had at Midland, which you all made possible and contributed to in one way or another, was priceless...and I'm sure I' m not alone. Despite the fact that I'm only a freshman, I can already notice that  responsibility, integrity, and awareness are all aspects a few of my classmates could work on, that Midland started working into me  my freshman year. Of course they simply weren't lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend Midland, so I can't judge. I can manifest how all of you do make lifetime differences in students though. 4 years in a wood cabin, 3 years in the jobs program, 2 years under Laurie's advisement, and 1 year as Head Prefect has me as comfortable and prepared to tackle almost any academic, social, or emotional issue that may arise now that I'm here at Bates. I hope you have a wonderful academic year!
Diego -  Class of '13
 
Diego reminds us that Midland's teachings are valuable and unique, and serve its graduates in college and in life. Please send us a letter, or come visit us on campus and let us know what Midland means to you. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Will Graham
Head of School  
wgraham@midland-school.org
 
Midland Faculty in Motion: 
Paul Gelles
Paul Gelles presented a paper at the 28th Annual California Indian Conference and Gathering at CSU Sacramento.  His paper, which discussed the significance of the tribe's recent achievements in education and revitalizing culture against a historical backdrop of colonization and marginalization, is based on his recently-published book,  Chumash Renaissance: Indian Casinos, Education, and Cultural Politics in Rural California, which Kirkus Reviews calls "A rich, informative text highlighting Chumash ingenuity in rebuilding a long-oppressed culture."
Paul has taught at Midland since 2005 and holds his B.A. from Humboldt State University, his M.A. from Pontifica Universidad, Lima, Peru and his Ph.D. Harvard University. 
We are pleased to announce the publication of our new viewbookdesigned to provide prospective students and families a window into life at Midland. 
Contact Amy Graham, Director of Admissions, for more information or email 
admissions@midland-school.org to request a copy.

 

Midland welcomes Rebecca Anderson as Director of Advancement
 
Rebecca is responsible for alumni and alumnae relations and fundraising to serve Midland's strategic priorities. She can be reached at 805-688-5114.
 

The Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals will honor Rebecca as Professional Fundraiser of the Year at their annual awards luncheon, National Philanthropy Day, on 
November 14. 
Midland Photo Galleries  
 
Click on links below to view photos of:
  

  

Halloween at Midland

  
Midland Alumnus: 
Joe Hargrave '91
 
Joe Hargrave '91, owner of Tacolicious
 
Joe recently made a generous gift to Midland through his Tacolicious School Project.
 
"As a dad and a restaurant owner it's my job to feed people good, natural and thoughtful food.  I can't tell you the amount of pride I had while standing in the middle of that previously threadbare track that's been made into something so meaningful and relevant as the Midland organic farm. Hats off to the Midland faculty for making the effort to to teach their students such a basic yet important principle as sustainable agriculture."
 
 

Tacolicious school project
Thank you, Tacolicious!

  Painting by Emma Munger '08 

Under the Oak 

 Reflections on Daily Life at Midland

by LisGoddard

Director of Environmental Programs  

 

Athletics | Curriculum

Community | Residential Life  

click here to read

Midland participates in The Big Read!
The Big Read is a nation-wide program which encourages people to explore an influential piece of literature at the community level. This year Santa Barbara has chosen
The Big ReadThe Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 
as our community read. The Santa Barbara Public Library has generously donated a free copy to all interested Midland participants. Over 30 students and faculty have received copies, along with a reader's guide full of background information and discussion ideas. 
 
To find out more about local Big Read events, including the author's visit to Santa Barbara on October 23, please visit the  Santa Barbara Public Library.
 Attention Gary Lewis '45 fans: 
Laurie Lewis' exceptional memoir about her life with Gary Lewis has been published - 

 

Love, & All That Jazz, a Memoir by Laurie Lewis, 2013

Review by Lise Goddard

Available on Amazon 

 

To a Midland audience, this book could be sold in one sentence:  "Laurie Lewis writes as well as Gary Lewis '45."  That would be enough to get a whole tribe turning pages with intrigue.  But to describe the essence of Laurie's book, we need some adjectives - gripping, poignant, excruciatingly honest, heart-inspiring, heart-breaking, and courageous come to mind.  We'd need to honor the colors and the moods of an era captured with Laurie's brush strokes that, while more succinct than Gary's (and without as many footnotes) are every bit as effective. In fact, her brushstrokes are breathtaking.  Laurie Lewis carries the reader, as though on tangible breezes blowing into New York City apartments through small windows 60 years ago, into the heart of an era on the brink of something big - the compliance of the 1950s inundated by cultural groundswells and eddies of hipness and coolness.  Oh, how she describes the anguish and drug culture for many of New York City's Jazz musicians, of which Gary Lewis was one.

 

At the heart of this culture is a family - a real family of exceptional powers of observation, introspection, and endurance - that rides the currents to the other side, landing in Canada and relative safety.  And at the heart of this family is the inexorable strength of women who survive, nurture, and forgive. 

 

This is the OTHER part of Gary Lewis's life, not yet the loyal and exhaustively thorough Paul Squibb scholar we know, but the troubled man for whom it was an accumulation of small miracles that he survived long enough to actually write Dominion Over Palm and Pine.  Without directly saying it, Laurie shows us how improbable and fragile some of life's strands really are, yet, conversely how strong and resilient are the ones we actually need to pull on to help us through the eye of the needle and into the light.  For Gary Lewis these strands have names, and they are Laurie and Amanda.

 

Even without knowing the Lewis family, the book would have pulled me in.  It is fantastic.  My connection to them makes the story more delicious, if not wrenching.  Love, & All That Jazz is an exceptional ride and a compelling memoir.  It will fascinate and resonate with a Midland audience on many levels.

IN MEMORIAM
 
Jean Nelson Brown 
1931 - 2013

mother of Joe Brown '74 

  

Peggy Rantanen  

1950 - 2013

mother of Becca Rantanen '12
 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.

www.midland-school.org
 805.688.5114
 

5100 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441