The Thacher School - Review #25

One of the most unique aspects of Thacher is the atmosphere. Now that I have left the school, I can really understand what an amazing place Thacher really is. There is something special about a place where everybody knows everybody and they are all there for the same reasons--to learn, grow, and be the best they can be. As soon as I visited the campus back when I was in 8th grade, I felt at home. That is the most unique part of Thacher. From now on, it will be one of my homes. The people I came to know while at Thacher are the most amazing people I know. I was close with many of my teachers and coaches. The friends I made there will be my friends for the rest of my life. I have heard of few other places where you form such close friendships.

I think that Thacher has really shown me a lot about who I am and what kind of person I want to be when I grow up. Being there helped me understand how I can help the rest of society, and that is just by being myself and living by the morals and principals I lived by at Thacher, a few of which happen to be honor, fairness, kindness, and truth. The best thing that happened to me at boarding school was boarding school. The whole experience was the greatest thing I have done and I would not change a thing about it.

Just take advantage of every opportunity. Soak it all in and enjoy every minute.

Read all the parts listed above.

Of all the things I said above, I forgot one main aspect of Thacher's program--the Horse Department. If you are not into the whole horse thing, don't be worried. Very few people actually spend all four years riding horses. But don't be close-minded about it either. Taking care of and riding a horse was an amazing experience. I have wonderful memories of galloping through the hills or riding along some scary, steep trail overlooking a huge valley (it was all very safe though). It is a good experience if you accept it and enjoy it.

I loved the fact that the atmosphere at Thacher was, indeed, very academic, but not overwhelmingly so. Everybody wanted to learn and was excited to learn. Just as important, the teachers were excited to teach and I could tell that they were loving the experience just as much as the students. The work was never overwhelming if you stayed on top of it all. For me, organization and efficiency were probably the most crucial factors in keeping my grades up. If you are worried about the academic competition, don't be. I never felt pressured by other kids in my class or by my teachers to do better than everybody else. We were not graded against each other and that helped to keep grade competition pretty low.

I loved the sports program. The most important thing I learned about athletics while I was at Thacher was that playing with heart and intelligence can go a long way. These two things combined with skill can go much further than just skill alone. I think the reason Thacher teams play with such heart is because the team dynamics are so great. All of the guys on the teams I played on were playing for each other rather than themselves. We were all giving each other the best we could give; none of us wanted to let the team down. I also loved the competition between schools, especially Cate. Also, the athletic "world" at Thacher did not dominate the school. The athletes were not the kings of the school by any means because everybody at Thacher had something valuable to offer, not just athletes.

I did not have much experience with this program. I did take a year of ceramics though and that was a lot of fun. It was very, sort of, medicinal and relaxing. Something about working with clay on the wheel is very calming and centering.

One activity I participated in was the yearly musical. Although my time on the stage was limited, I enjoyed every second of it. I was a part of a performance filled with amazing talent. So many of the kids I was performing with had such amazing talent. Whether it was their voice or their ability to dance, or direct, or draw, everybody was great. Working with such talented people was a wonderful experience.

The dorm life was such a memorable experience. From hour-long sauna sessions in the third floor bathroom of Upper School to hallway arm-chair races in Lower School to late night bowls of cereal in the dorm head's house, the whole experience was a positive one. There was a good balance between work and play in the dorms. We learned when to sit down and study and when to go play. One of the things I liked most about the dorm life was having prefects around. The prefects were seniors at the school who lived in our dorm and were pretty much like older brothers. I still talk to many of my prefects from when I was there, and, fortunately, I was given the opportunity to be a prefect for sophomore boys. My group of senior prefects and I had a wonderful time and I think all of our senior year's were enhanced because of our time in the sophomore dorm.

The food was remarkably good...i'm not kidding, actually. There was always a good variety of food. My favorite thing was the weekend brunch. I would spend about two hours on Sunday mornings eating steak and eggs, waffles, omelets, smoothies, and pastries. Those were good times.

Downtown Ojai will always have a place in my heart. It is a quiet town with two kinds of people--old people or skateboarding teens. I'm just kidding, but that is a big part of the town. Ojai was a nice place for doing all the things that needed to be done. It was good for getting a haircut, a bunch of snacks at the grocery store, some ice cream, and a really good burrito. There is some good bookstores too and a lot of really neat shops and restaurants. Overall, it is a really cool place.

The social life provides an intimate atmosphere and one that allows you to get to know your fellow classmates as well as your teachers.