MIDLAND Vol. XCV
Midland School
MIRROR
Los Olivos, California
April 2026
No. 3
Tea Time Ap Building
MIDterms
By Emma ‘26 While many Midland students were getting off campus and exploring new places, the Ap MIDterm was exploring the land we live on and the traditional building practices of the Chumash, on whose ancestral land Midland is built. Jacob Grant, spouse of Genevieve Herrick ‘97, Spanish and Humanities faculty, is a local farmer who has dedicated his life to building a relationship with the land we live on and the Chumash people. In early winter, Jacob had the idea to host a MIDterm for students to learn how to build an ap, a traditional Chumah house, and began harvesting tule, a reed that grows locally and has been used for hundreds of years as a building material. He also gathered willow from the Midland property and debarked it to prepare it for building with during the week of MIDterm. The seven students who spent the week building with Jacob learned everything from how to harvest willow respectfully to how to lash together willow poles and what it means to use every part of a material. We also learned how to deal with failure. The first day, we put the poles in the ground and began to bend them, but the first one broke. We had to readjust and make a new plan. We soaked the poles in the creek and realized that no matter what else we accomplished that week, we had to remain mindful of our materials and move slowly, not rushing to get things done sooner. Though all of us were excited to build the ap and have it be a usable structure, we all worked to slow down and truly appreciate the experience while we were in it.
We successfully built the structure of parallel arches with lateral rings running up the outside and began to focus on the thatching about two thirds of the way through the week. We used every bundle of tule gathered by Jacob and his friends but did not have enough to finish during that week. That was okay because it meant we would slow down further and have more time to appreciate the work that had gone into making what was now a standing structure with a reasonable amount of insulation from the reeds. By the end of the week, the seven of us learned far more than anyone thought we would. We learned how to build, yes, but we also learned what it means to be present and move slowly and appreciate the work we were doing. We worked with Jacob, Genevieve, and Julia, Spanish faculty, as well as a few of Jacob’s friends who came to visit us during the building process, and we learned from all of them. What seemed like it would be a simple building project for a week turned out to be something incredibly unique for all those who chose to be part of it.
Counterculture MIDterm students pose outside the anarchist bookstore
By Luca ‘27
Students add tule to the Chumash Ap replica
Exploring San Francisco
For our MIDterm, we went to San Francisco and learned about counterculture. Spending 3 days in San Francisco, we split into two groups; one group of seniors went to Taylor ‘27’s house, and a group of non-seniors stayed at Faith’s brother’s house. We spent three days there sketching in journals, taking pictures, and visiting museums, with the intention of understanding the many cultures that make San Francisco so diverse. We explored many cultures and many locations in the city, including Chinatown and Haight-Ashbury. 1 (Continues on Page 2)