Thacher’s 127th Commencement

In keeping with this mission, this year’s recipients have devoted countless hours to facilitate participation in authentic experiences that ground us in the valley we are so fortunate to call home. Their enthusiasm for the programs they champion is contagious, and the example they set motivates us all. We applaud these students for all they have done for our community and take this opportunity to thank them—for their leadership, their commitment, and their whole-hearted approach to the service of others. Their brand of best would have made Mr. Chase very proud.

While being an accomplished athlete is an integral part of earning this award, athleticism is, by no means, this honor's most important criterion. Commitment to excellence, teamwork, ability to elevate the play of others, and, above all, sportsmanship are the qualities for which this trophy is awarded.

 

This young woman embodies what it means to be a team player. She carries all the qualities of a great leader: passion, competitiveness, empathy, and the ability to rally her teammates to be their best. Her feistiness on the soccer pitch motivated her teammates and led them into the post-season with her stellar mid-field play. For her lacrosse team, her coach describes her as “unflinching, hard-nosed and artful,” all at the same time. However, her year started off with her guiding the girls' varsity tennis team to their history-making first CIF Championship. As captain and stalwart player on the #1 doubles team, she was instrumental in helping the team achieve a 22-1 record and finish #1 in the polls for Division V.

 

As with the previous honor, athleticism, commitment to excellence, teamwork, ability to elevate the play of others and, above all, sportsmanship are the qualities for which this trophy is awarded.

 

This year, the award goes to a young man who has given his all to Thacher. He has left an indelible mark on our track and field and cross-country programs. He finished 5th in the State Championships of Division V with the fastest 5K time history of the School, beating his brother’s record by 20 seconds. He is a gentle, quiet, leader-by-example who could be assertive, strong and supportive when needed. In track and field, he owns the School record for the 1600 and 3200 meter events. His coach notes, “He tackles every tough workout to the best of his ability and without a single complaint. His love of running and competition has served to motivate and encourage others.” In his final high school meet, he broke his own 1600 record and placed third in Division IV in all of Southern California. The School has never had a better example of what the Letterman Award stands for.

 

To know Elliot is to know an astute, caring, thoughtful, incisive young man. He brings integrity, kindness, thoughtfulness to every interchange and endeavor. As School Chair, he has supported and cared for other students, listened carefully to adults and teens, negotiated principled outcomes, served as a critical voice on the Judicial Council, and worked relentlessly to ensure that our students can find the support, counsel, and direction they need to navigate both the challenges of a rigorous academic environment and tempestuous seas of adolescence. Our School will be a stronger and more supportive one for students in need of counsel next fall because of Elliot’s unrelenting efforts.

This year’s Tutt Bowl winner earns our respect by helping each of us see how we might make the world a better place—for ourselves and our children; for the deprived and for the  privileged. She leads by example and by vision. She supports those in need; she makes things happen; she enlists others to support critical efforts. The big picture—the global concern—is not too large for her to contemplate, yet she relishes the hard work and the critical little details that drive day-to-day progress: nailing rafters on the new chicken coop, gluing plumbing for rain catchment at the barns, championing a letter-writing campaign, or hosting an environmental justice film in the Milligan Center. This is a young woman whose ebullient spirit bubbles over; who finds the best in others and in projects; who has the confidence of her own voice; who leads first and foremost by example; and who at the end of the day, finds her own happiness in serving others and making this world a happier, more considerate, more vibrant and verdant place.

 

While this is no more apparent than in the classroom, where no task is too small to be done well, it shines bright and clear in her other domains as well: in the gym, where teammates look to her to be a steady, uncomplaining force and a source of good humor in the toughest of times; in Ojai, where she consistently volunteers her time regardless of how busy she may be; and in all of the nooks and crannies of this community, in which she has become an inspiring leader for us all—especially this year, as she has quietly and persistently pushed us to become better: more inclusive, more thoughtful, more communicative with one another.