Cate School - Review #16

Community is a key aspect of the Cate experience. Being a Cate student means living in a community of well-rounded people who are all striving to create an atmosphere that is conducive to the development of the self. The small size of the school prevents the high school phenomena of a few super stars while everyone is just another student from occurring. Each student eventually carves out a niche for him/herself in the community, and the faculty and peers do their best to help each student find his/her true passion.

Cate has really helped me develop as a person and I always find myself realizing that I am more confident in life because of Cate.

Take advantage of all that you can. Four years go by so quickly.

The warm, caring community.

Sunset Bench offers a stunning view of the Pacific ocean and Carpinteria. It will be amazing the first time you see it, but you will soon grow jaded and barely even notice it. Look at it one last time with tears in your eyes when you graduate, and you will understand.

If I were allowed to only praise one aspect of the Cate curriculum, I would undoubtedly choose the English program. Cate has an excellent English program that thrives on classroom discussion and strong writing skills. It was not uncommon to have English classes where the teacher would not talk at all because we were so engaged with the material. Truth be told, this collaborative style of learning is found in all subject areas, even in the Math classroom. I fondly remember my senior year AP Calculus class with Mr. Smith that would always involve some sort of movement and work with others in the class. I even remember moments when he would make someone in the class teach a concept, proof that the Cate curriculum really encourages collaboration over competition. The workload is definitely tough, and I have yet to encounter anything harder than Mrs. Powers' AP Biology class Junior Year. However, the teachers are always available for help, and will go above and beyond to help struggling students. I remember my freshman year when Mr. Bonning met with me for an hour a week to help me with Conceptual physics.

The Athletics Program at Cate allows students with no prior athletic background to join in team sports normally closed off at other schools. In fact, Freshman are downright required to participate in at least two seasons of team sports. Before Cate, I was proudly allergic to any sort of physical activity. By the end of my Cate Career, I was obsessed with running and was an active member of the Cross Country and Track teams.

Freshmen are required to take a foundation arts course which exposes them to Studio, Theatre, and Music. From there on out, students can choose a wide variety of art electives.

The best thing about extracurriculars at Cate is that students are encouraged to really take charge. It is not uncommon to see students forming new clubs or organizations for issues they are passionate about.

The dorms are well appointed. Most people have singles on campus, and almost every room has a balcony or patio. One quirk: none of the rooms have locks on them. This is to encourage community building and to prevent anyone from shutting themselves out from the community.

The dining program is well thought out. There is hot breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with vegetarian options at every meal. We have an extensive salad bar out during lunch and dinner, and a panini bar during lunch. There is formal dinner once a week on Thursday where seating is assigned. The head chef, Tim Fox, really cares about the food and works hard to get local, organic produce and meats for the kitchen.

The town of Carpinteria is a charming beach town with a two lane "downtown" that has little cafes and stores. The beach at Carpinteria is purportedly the "World's Safest Beach." A bus runs a regular shuttle schedule up and down from Carp (as it is called) on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Santa Barbara is about 15 minutes away and is a pretty sizable city with a shopping thoroughfare on State street. A bus drops students off on State Street every Sunday and on some Saturdays.

The Social Life at Cate is quite relaxed. You say hello to nearly everyone you pass by in the halls and you end up knowing everyone quite quickly.