May 12, 2008
May 12, 2008
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 Participation & Leadership
Thacher Traditions
What will it mean to be a part of Thacher tradition? From the moment Sherman Day Thacher opened the school in 1889, his students began to create traditions—all sorts of meaningful or fun customs that became part of School life—and to pass them on to succeeding generations. We can only guess who started some traditions, because they seem to have always been there. And new traditions are constantly added, as incoming students and new faculty re-create the School. In fact, this may be Thacher’s best tradition of all—that of bringing like-minded people together in one extraordinary place.
Assembly Assembly—held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:45 a.m. for a half hour—brings students, faculty, and staff together to celebrate and strengthen the communal bonds of the school. The gathering might hear a brief talk by a faculty member, a tune performed by one of Thacher’s vocal groups, or a senior’s “thought of the day” to ponder. A string of announcements keeps things running smoothly in our busy community. Assembly is where everyone hears essential news—of changes in the athletic schedule, of a guest lecturer, of the outcome of a student leadership election. Assembly also serves as a place to share emerging strengths and talents: An a capella group will try out a new song, an acting class will perform a short piece, or a dorm group will deliver a humorous skit to announce their Friday open house. Assembly helps remind everyone of the hard but constructive work that goes into every aspect of Thacher life. Formal Dinner Four nights a week we sit down for family-style dinners. Boys wear coats and ties, and girls also wear formal attire—a dress, a skirt, or a nice pair of slacks fits the bill. Each table includes students from every grade, plus a faculty member or two, often with his or her family. Students and faculty take turns serving and clearing. Table assignments are shuffled every few weeks, so that by the end of the year, students have mixed with lots of kids from all the different classes. At the end of a full day, Formal Dinner allows us to come together as a community to share the news, triumphs, and trials of the day. Big Gymkhana On a weekend in early May, riders in the Horse Program—all the freshmen and many upperclassmen—compete on teams in all sorts of horse races: barrels and poles, the hurry-scurry, the rescue race, even the Silver Dollar pick-up. This day is the culmination of all the hard work the riders have put in throughout the year, but especially during the spring season. Big Gymkhana Weekend draws hundreds of current Thacher families, alumni, and visitors to the School. Holidays The campus echoes with wild cheering when the Head of School, Mr. Mulligan, calls a holiday. Snow is one reason for a day off. Wait—snow in Ojai? Well, it doesn’t happen very often, but if a student is able to make a snowball on The Pergola, everyone is granted a day off from classes. Faculty babies are born more often than snow falls, and the happy event is also cause for a holiday. Occasionally, there’s a day off “just because.” Holiday Caroling After first-semester exams, and just before everyone leaves for December break, anyone who’d like to (the ninth graders trained and guided by the seasoned veterans) makes the rounds of the campus, stopping at each dorm to serenade their peers with Christmas carols. Somewhere around midnight, the carolers wind down to the Head of School's home for cookies, World’s Best Brownies, and hot chocolate or cider. The Silver Dollar Club The great athletic challenge of a Thacher student’s first year comes at Big Gymkhana—the chance to become a member of the exclusive Silver Dollar Club. To join, a rider must manage to scoop up a silver dollar from the dusty ground while leaning wa-a-ay out of the saddle on a cantering horse. The Thacher Toad “Did you say … Thacher Toads?” Yes, the Toad is our School mascot. Nick Thacher, a grandson of founder Sherman Thacher and a 1963 graduate, explains why: “I spearheaded the movement to name Thacher’s teams the Toads. Unlike insecure schools whose machismo necessitates their adopting hopelessly arrogant nomenclature such as ‘Tigers’ and ‘Lions’ and ‘Spartans,’ we felt no necessity to advertise arrogance or virility. Instead, ‘Toads’ seemed appropriate because the nature of such beasts is one of humility and quiet persistence.” The Reading of “The Chambered Nautilus” Let each new temple, nobler than the last, So concludes Oliver Wendell Holmes’s poem, "The Chambered Nautilus," and so begins every school year at Thacher. Our founder believed that the sea creature called the chambered nautilus, with its pearly spiral shell, symbolizes each student’s mission to grow intellectually and personally each year. At the year’s first Assembly, the Head of School reads the poem to the gathered community. Grahamies & Milk After Assembly, students and faculty can grab a handful of graham crackers and a carton of milk from big bowls near the Pergola—a great way to tide yourself over till lunchtime, and a longstanding tradition. Added since Mr. Thacher’s time: organic apples, locally grown. Munch-Outs At check-in, senior prefects occasionally host “munch-outs,” times to sit around, talk—and, well, eat. Munch-outs can be salty or sweet, hearty or light—but no matter the fare, everyone loves them. Honey Butter Any veteran Thacher Toad can explain how to mix the perfect ratio of “honeybear” honey to butter to create this classic dinner favorite, meant to spread on fresh homemade bread from Robin the Baker. Domine & The Banquet Song At major banquets the School Community opens the meal by singing a Latin grace—Domine—and closes with The Banquet Song. Written by Sherman Day Thacher, the latter captures the spirit of Thacher. Gather a few alums anywhere in the world, and they'll sing it for you: May old Casa Piedra not fade from our hearts, Freshmen and The Boar’s Head Song In early December, ninth graders learn an old carol called “The Boar’s Head.” At the start of the Holiday Banquet, the class president and another student carry a huge tray with a “boar’s head” on it (generally an extravagant mock-up made of fruits and vegetables, or cheese) as the rest of the class winds behind, singing the tune. Seating Arrangements For Assembly students arrange themselves on The Pergola by class. Ninth graders sit on the “Freshman Wall” at the bottom of the terrace, sophomores on the lawn above, juniors on the next wall up, and seniors on both a lawn and a wall. (Rank hath its privileges.) In a springtime twist, on the day when the last twelfth grader gets into college, the seniors and freshmen switch places. Open House Each Saturday night of the school year, the Mullys (a.k.a. the Mulligans—Mr. & Mrs. Head of School) open their home for two or three hours so students can drop in to play Ping-Pong or foosball or pool, bake cookies (or just nibble the dough), play games, watch a movie, dance, do some sort of seasonal craft (Valentines for parents, Christmas ornaments, jack-o’-lanterns), or just hang out where it’s warm and lively. Camping Traditions Riding over The Ridge, eating lunch at Utensil Point, hiking to Windy Gap to see the whole Owens Valley spread out at your feet, swimming your horse in the Sespe River between Hartman and Cotrell camps, soaking your aching limbs in the hot springs, spending a night at Patton’s Cabin and working on maintenance projects when you wake up—these are only a few among dozens of time-honored Thacher traditions. And they are not reserved for some elite few; everyone camps twice a year, so every student will likely participate in more than one of these traditions by the time graduation comes. Finals Treats Each night during final exams in fall and spring, students close their books at 9:30 and dash to the dining room or The Commons for a study break, featuring treats that range from specialty waffles, donuts, and cereal to quesadillas and ice cream bars. UnProm Forget limos, expensive dresses, and tuxedo rentals! At Thacher, in alternate years the faculty puts on a dance for the students called the UnProm, an all-out event that may be quirky (thrift-store or trash-bin clothing only, assigned dates for the first dance, a goofy theme) but that bears enough resemblance to a typical high school prom to be loads of fun. “Best Year Yet” At the beginning of every year, you’ll hear a few School leaders (both adults and students) say, “May this be the best year yet!” It’s a wish, a hope, an expression of optimism that, together, all of us in the Thacher Community can recreate our school and home to reflect the highest ideals. Morning Jobs At Thacher in the morning, everyone pitches in to keep the place presentable. If you’re not a freshman cleaning the barns, you’re a sophomore or junior maintaining a classroom or lab, or a senior sweeping a dorm. TOAD Talks On Monday mornings, the Teacher On Active Duty (yes, the TOAD) gives a short talk on a topic that intrigues him or her, reads a poem, sings a song, or in some other expressive way shares something of personal, collective, or even universal importance and application. This is another way we all gain insight into each other’s perspectives on the world. Head of School Burrito Bet “If I don’t know your name by the end of this week,” Mr. Mulligan tells students at the first Assembly of the year, “I’ll buy you a burrito.”This is our Head of School’s way of backing up his belief that in a small community like ours, everyone should know everyone else’s name early in the year. (Amazingly, he has had to pay up only four or five times in nearly two decades.) Color Guard At the opening of every gymkhana and some athletic events, horses, riders and flags come together in a dazzling display of speed and color. Three horsemen or horsewomen gallop around the field, flying the flags of the United States, California, and the Thacher Gymkhana. Even people who have witnessed this event year after year are amazed and moved. In fact, we’d say it’s an “only at Thacher” moment. Riding to Pasture Just before each vacation, students in the Riding Program saddle up their steeds for the six-mile trek to pasture. Through orchards and fields and across a stream or two, small groups of riders walk, trot, and lope, winding their way to the wide open spaces where their horses will run and play during their break. When students return, they are bused back down to pasture, where they catch their horses, saddle up, and—now reacquainted with their equine friends—ride back to campus. |
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Participation & LeadershipThe Thacher School  5025 Thacher Road Ojai, California 93023 Telephone (805) 646-4377 Facsimile (805) 646-9490
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