Thacher's Special Send-Off: Senior Tributes 2005

Welcome from the Head

Good morning!

To quote someone near and dear to our hearts, let’s start with some lines from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown:

Some days I wake up early to watch the sunrise, and I think howbeautiful it is, and how my life lies before me, and I get a verypositive feeling about things. Like this morning for instance: the skyis so clear and the sun’s so bright. How can anything go wrong on a daylike this?

We expect that nothing will go wrong—and we hope that part of this morning’s rightness will be in our sharing with you seniors and parents, family and friends in the audience, a little slice of what the faculty and staff have seen and appreciated in the young women and men who comprise the Class of 2005. On this day, we take the time to honor each of you for a few moments, knowing that no single paragraph is up to the task of capturing a whole human being, but not wishing the occasion to go by in the blink of a mere handshake.

What you will hear this morning  are shortened versions of the complete Senior Tributes that will be published later this summer. What we hope you take away is the pleasure your gifts have given and the gratitude we feel for what you have brought to our communal table.

In long-standing Thacher tradition, the diplomas will be awarded in random fashion.

Let the words start flowing!

Michael K. Mulligan
Head of School

The Senior Tributes

Ellen Susan Adams
Commanding center stage with just her voice and her guitar, hiking a trail cheerfully singing “The Prune Song,” powering through a 40-minute lecture on the interplay of identity and art in Kahlo’s paintings, or diving enthusiastically into the deep waters of calculus, physics or French literature or Spanish idioms, Ellen both delights and enlightens.  The courageous, the curious, the endlessly creative Ellen illuminates dark and distant corners, pointing out the hidden, the unusual as beautiful and worthy. In this as in all, “Ellen does not hold back,” a classmate wrote.  Said another, “Ellen is grounded and thoughtful, genuine and real.” Although she is independent and self-directed, she is also relentlessly dedicated to what she calls “making friends” with as much of the wide world as possible, from rockclimbing to ocean kayaking, from Special Olympians and older folks at Acacias to younger students on The Hill to a staff child she tutors in English.  Ellen decisively crosses (sometimes hurdles over) boundaries that others see as impenetrable into experiences that broaden and deepen her already exceptional humanity. Her eyes-wide-open/arms-flung-wide attitude and her intellectual and spiritual vibrancy and generosity come around a whole lot less often than a blue moon.  And that’s one special kind of light.

Maxwell Stewart Anderson
“Whenever he meets someone new or senses that someone feels out of place,” wrote one senior, “Max finds a way to find common ground.”  Another added, “No one I know can get himself or others so excited about the littlest situations.” Compassionate, caring, generous, ceaselessly energetic, Max actually wants an answer when he asks how you are.  He’s eager to take the time to sit down and talk: whether you’re a peer or underclassman, a faculty member, a pre-schooler or a stranger lost on campus, Max makes time for you as kin. You become an integral part of his day, packed tight with the toughest classes, with the often complex machinations of running the Community Service Program, with advanced photography and with keeping up on who’s the American Idol front runner. Faculty members will gladly duke it out for Max’s services as a babysitter; children in his entourage have been known to cry when someone else snags him first. As for his demanding academic life, Max veritably barges through classroom and darkroom doors, straight through the day, armed with an incisive and hungry intelligence, a fiercely independent imagination, and a relentless drive to improve, to find the face hidden in the oblique reflection. His is a hearty but focused ambition:  Max wants to learn as much as possible, to get his finger into every pie on the table.  Then he’ll graciously offer you some -- heck, even bake the next batch. With Max, the gift is in the giving.

Peter Anthony Arnold
From the start, Peter made his journey from a very different schooling situation in New Zealand to Thacher look comfortable. It was the next logical step both forward into his own growth and, in a way, backward as a connection to relatives who were part of the rich history of CdeP.  Peter’s qualities of perseverance, personal courage and steadiness served him well, and it wasn’t long before he had invested totally in this adventure and had begun to make it uniquely his own through the perspective of his multi-nationality and the quality of his own gifts.  In three short years, Peter has hit his stride as a personal writer, a photographer, a conscientious student of mathematics, an earnest investigator of topics such as sustainable development or literary adaptation to film. Genuine and sincere, honest as an Auckland summer day is long, Peter also packs optimism, follow-through and determination in his rucksack.  Said one peer, emphatically, “When he has his mind set on something, he makes sure it gets done.”  True regardless of the task: tackling the opposition on the football field or fiercely defending his soccer goal-turf, coping bravely with the buggy heat of the Sespe on an advanced horsecamping trip or with a tumble in the Hurry Scurry, helping Lower Schoolers to appreciate a clean sink, or finding a ring-spearing partner in Tiger. The silver dollars Peter has picked up, both real and metaphoric, are his because he has practiced long hours, has engaged all his faculties– and because he has dared to reach.

Benjamin French Babbott
If “ubiquitous” were Ben’s middle name, it would be not only musically pleasing (like Ben himself), but also 100% accurate. In a do-or-die match for the volleyball playoffs, Ben’s there in the bleachers, gorilla-suited,  primal-screaming, dancing with the opposing team’s mascot, promoting laughter, cheering and goodsportsmanship.  On his own football, soccer or lacrosse field, Ben’s there like a flash, sweaty and revved up, playing his heart out (and his soles off), setting a standard of skill and sportsmanship for others to aspire to: he’s the kind of guy who won’t give up easily, who’s ready to secure the clinching goal, ramming it home with the might of competitive zeal. On a trail, he’s there and ready to shoulder not just his own pack but that of an ill fellow camper. In a classroom or laboratory, he’s there, taking his natural smarts to the next level by applying equal doses of commitment and diligence and by tending to every tiny detail. In community life on the Judicial Council or as an SLC member or in the dormitory, he’s there: thoughtful, persuasive, honorable, kind, empathetic. On stage, under the spotlight or generously sharing it, Ben’s there, breathing and singing life into his characters, the brazen Harold Hill or the sighing Charlie Brown. Will and skill, brains and brawn, pluck and a little luck, Ben’s being there - being here - has made all our days better. No waiting for tomorrow.

Lauren Mary Elizabeth Bangasser
Lauren’s hallmarks are, in the words of one of her admirers, “her complete dedication to fine details, her desire to push herself further, and her dedication to changing the world, even just a littlebit.”  All true, and all expressed in a variety of venues in which Lauren has exerted her influence. Arriving with a full kit of outdoor skills, a powerful ambidexterity in soccer (even when her left foot’s fractured) and a natural talent for language and science, Lauren has honed those and other proclivities to an enviable sharpness, becoming  a Wilderness First Responder, a dancer, a kayaker, a ceramicist, a potent offensive soccer team player, a persuasive and authoritative personal writer – and an ardent voice for the environment and all its inhabitants, particularly the voiceless, to whose defense Lauren courageously, continually rises. Teachers and coaches delight to see Lauren’s name on their rosters, because they know they can depend on her to ask the most of herself - and to answer with Herculean effort. Diligent, methodical, highly attentive, determined to expand her knowledge and clever in applying what she’s learned, Lauren is, as one teacher wrote, “unusually discerning: she sees connections and implications.”  That ability to connect the seemingly random dots - even (or especially) when the end picture charges us to alter our behavior - is one we treasure in Lauren and will miss in our midst.

Zachary Sackner Behar
No wonder audiences go wild when the lights come up at the end of one of Zach’s films. Partly, it’s because of Zach’s exceptionally devoted fan base, comprised of rambunctious family and friends; but more, it’s because certain elements in Zach’s art serve as links we don’t know we have until we see his movies: his sometimes off-beat world view, his creativity, his unique and routinely side-splitting humor run through each frame like blood through veins, pumping life as a celebration from Zach to his viewers. It’s a celebration that combines irreverence with real seriousness, bravura with self-consciousness, shoot-from-the-hipstraight-talk with measured sarcasm - a  blend that can keep us on the edge of our chairs in gleeful anticipation or tumbling off them in laughter.  He runs us over as much with wit as with that now infamous scooter. When not behind the camera or at the editing desk, Zach has engaged  here at Thacher in other ways:  as a thought-provoking studio artist mastering oil and acrylics and creating de Kooningesque pieces, as a loyal friend, as a political philosopher of sensitivity and increasing understanding of how the globe spins. A little like his modern literary hero, novelist Charles Bukowski, Zach is consistently “full of humor, laughter/ and gamble.”  As for us, we’ll confidently wager on Zach’s future success as a filmmaker. See you at Sundance, front row, center.

Charles Laurin Bennett
With his ready smile, his abiding sense of humor, and his easy-going style, the affable Charlie meets everyone in his world openly, leaving each feeling gently uplifted.  Charlie’s understated charm is in its effortlessness; whether you’re part of the lacrosse team he’s leading or to his left at formal dinner or in his care as a member of Los Padres, you feel the naturalness of his leadership, the thoughtfulness and compassion inherent in his guidance, the integrity of his person. Charlie is steely-eyed serious about his academics, meeting his course commitments with perseverance and discovering the rewards of it: personal growth and increased scope of knowledge. One teacher praised his “considerable ability as a persistent problem-solver,” a quality that promises and characteristicallydelivers long-term benefits both to Charlie and to those in his classroom company - or, say, to those who heard him tackle the complexities of Game Theory in his Senior Exhibition.  Charlie isu pbeat and positive whether the course is hilly and steep or the assignment seems just shy of impossible. Too, he is so giving of his time and of himself as to create genuinely fraternal bonds, with kids just younger or the knee-highs at Monica Ros School. Charlie provides the best sort of honest and kind role model, educating others in the good by his daily word and gesture. Spend any time in his benevolent presence - just tap his tiki doll - and tap into the wide river of goodness that carries Charlie along.

Thomas James Bermant
He just can’t help it: T.J. makes music, in his head or aloud, humming or singing, wherever and whenever he goes.  Crosby, Stills and Nash to Cole Porter, throw in a little Strauss or a spiritual – T.J.has more tunes at his disposal than an Ipod, and equalfidelity.   Few would guess that T.J. was a novice to musical ensemble work before arriving at Thacher, given the complete ease with which he took to the risers as a Chorus and Chamber Singers member, or to the stage in Oklahoma! as the memorable and snake-oily Ali Hakim.  His tenor, pure and true, lifts to the rafters of any performance space, raising our appreciation of such a gift with it. The same is true of T.J.’s personal and creative writing, in which he can catch a gesture with such precision and elegance as to transport his reader to the exact moment he intends.  Knowledge and critical insight inform T.J.’s passion for politics, current events, history and government. Unafraid of the complexities of such issues, he relishes discussion and debate and takes the lectern with confidence and self-assurance that comes only from an intimate scouring of the issues.  Serious or comedic, singing or speaking, T.J. is unfailingly humble and kind, amicable and open - no need to knock, just go on in.  The song in his capacious heart is one we are grateful to have swayed to these four years.

Mary Olivia Bloom
No bloom off this rose!  Rather, the combination of rational symmetry and elegance in any such blossom is only growing more pronounced as Mary consciously creates the life she wants.  As one faculty member wrote, “Mary is blessed with a strong intellect, high standards and the energy to move towards them.”  We have witnessed this movement literally on the cross-country course and track, as she kicks into gear her efficient competitiveness - and moremetaphorically, in her classes, to which she brings a meticulous work ethic, alert engagement, and brimming insight. Another teacher described her essays as “little masterpieces” - a pointed and grateful nod to the talent, creativity and skill with which Mary crafts her work.  Outside of the classroom, Mary paints by her actions a picture of consistent generosity: as a tutor both at Thacher and at home in Chicago and as a dormitory leader, Mary infuses genuine caring with reason and practicality. A dear friend extolled Mary’s ability “to look at any situation from all standpoints, and only after thorough consideration, make a decision or judgment.”  In this, Mary proves a mature mentor and thoughtful community stalwart, one who values honor and integrity by the very model she provides. She may love the blues, and sing ‘em for fun, but she’s left us with nothing but sun.

Megan Ann Boswell
Megan’s ambition - to be a doctor in some program that spans international boundaries - reflects her many strengths: a willingness to dream big and boldly, a clarity of vision, an unusually mature understanding that personal growth is bound up in giving, a roll-up-the-sleeves approach to hard work, and an open, powerfully beating heart.  All these qualities and more have come to bear on Megan’s many and multifarious accomplishments both here and away last year at School Year Abroad in France. An excellent student, Megan piles high her plate, hungry for the challenge inherent in mastering French, in analyzing Joyce, Wright, or Cezanne, inconvincingly rendering a hospital waiting room scene or a tender moment between mother and child. Her hands, holding paint brushes or a dissecting knife, are capable, boundlessly creative and increasingly skilled.  And with her towering spirit of collaboration, Megan contributes hugely to her classes, her volleyball team, her dormitory.“She’s the kind of friend you always see smiling and having a goodl augh,” attests a classmate. “She can easily divert your mind from any problems, joking you into forgetting what was troubling you in the first place.” Consistently positive, hard working, rightfully convinced she has a part to play, Megan’s just what the world needs.  Call us believers.

Kathryn Hastings Bradford
Ask Kay’s classmates about this runner-skier-horsebackrider-trap-shooter-rock-climber-scholar-camper-skiier-snowboarder-leader-friend, and phrases just tumble out: lively, fun-loving, outgoing, contagiously enthusiastic, warm, curious, smiling.  “She radiates positive energy that soaks you like sunshine,” wrote one buddy. Ask her teachers, and the response is of equal and hearty appreciation: ebullient, intent, thorough, creative, thoughtful, skilled, focused, energizing, empathic, courageous.  What delight the omnivorous Kay finds in all she does! Even when the activity is weighty with meaning or import or difficulty, Kay discovers and shares the joy: “Wow! This is so cool!” In the Los Padres or the Sierra, in California or Nevada, Maine or Chile, Kay sets a blazing pace that leaves many breathless and begging for mercy - which she’s happy to grant, since while you’re resting, she’ll catch a trout and cook it up for everyone’s tasty treat. Along the way, she grabs at any and every opportunity to learn something new: ride a unicycle, shatter clay pigeons, tie a diamond hitch, master a language, connect with a literary or historical character, untangle a complex social issue, tutor a youngster, teach a class. “She reminds me of life’s true purpose,” wrote a friend. “To live every moment to the fullest.” Kay treasures and honors the gift of each new day by meeting it head-on with readiness and limitless optimism.

William Barrett Brown
Barrett is the quintessential teammate.  We speak not merely of his critical contributions to the baseball team, or in helping to establish a football program marked by a perfect blend of competition and supportiveness - but, as well, of how Barrett plays on other“squads”: as a seminar participant, a lab partner, a class member, a camping cohort, a dormitory leader. In these venues, Barrett is purposeful, altruistic, ever mindful of others and unerringly aware of his own potential for quiet, positive influence. Barrett’s commitment to excellence is thorough and sustained, and the qualities his classroom teachers commend - his fortitude, his organizational prowess, his eye for detail and his positive attitude, his strong work ethic and incisiveness - apply equally to other areas where Barrett worksand plays. As one of his classmates wrote, “a guy with a lot of guts.”  And everywhere, Barrett is a teacher, by direct explanation when that’s called for and, more subtly but as mightily by the example he sets with the dependability of true North. Recalled one of Barrett’s gridiron compadres, “Sometimes when I was running with the ball, all I could hear was Barrett’s voice” - not the sound of a clanging cymbal, but the burnished, well-practiced voice of encouragement, of bolstering, of belief in both the power of one and the exponentially greater power of many when that one beckons others to follow.

Edward Andrew Cahill
Do what’s right. Own up to your mistakes. Lead by example.  These are part of the credo that Ed has actively followed during his four years with us. Oh, and one more: Play like there’s no tomorrow. On soccer pitch or football field, a lacrosse stick in his gloves or a pigskin tucked under his arm, Ed is kinesthetically smart-smart-smart and uncommonly speedy, understanding intuitively the exigencies of both defense and offense and winning approbation well beyond Thacher for these qualities. But the heart of Mighty Mouse beats fast, too, for science and math, where, according to his teachers, he’s remarkably able to integrate concepts, whether in physics or chemistry or calculus, where his mind is a sand trap for details. Ed jumps into the humanities nimbly, too, moving with an ease of recall, a penchant for specifics, and enviable intellectual maturity.  Put him on a hiking trail and he marches effortlessly uphill and down, uncomplaining through lousy weather, biting blisters or reluctant campfires. He ably shoulders a pack loaded with twice his share of community gear and always seeks ways to be helpful, with or without license.  Ed works to balance following rules with having as much fun as possible, leaving us with a happy example that will hold in our memories until the next generation of Cahills comes along, perhaps walking, more likely running.  We hope that tomorrow arrives in daylight.

Brian Jennings Carter
Brian’s kindheartedness is well admired by his friends, classmates and teachers.  Valued, too, are his level-headed calm and ability to remain unfazed even amid the most antic or chaotic circumstances. This quality may emanate from the exigencies of the farm life in which Brian was raised; out of that experience, he learned adaptability and balance, both of which he brought with him to Thacher and has used ever since. Brian also has a knack for problem-solving, engineering solutions with a keen eye for resources and their application, especially in the sciences, where he quietly absorbs and takes a scientist’s pleasure in the connectedness of certain principles. As a writer, he can create clear and often poetic imagery, in great part because of the clarity and focus with which he sees a world he appreciates.  Those who coach Brian - in soccer or cross-country, lacrosse or Chorus - applaud his easy and consistently cooperative nature.  And anyone in his company on a trail can count on his understated but steadfast humor. “The guy is just hysterically funny,” said one faculty member who camped with Brian recently. Brian wears well in great part because he takes the simple pleasures of this world - a song lyrically sung, a clean run down the field with a ballperfectly cradled, the company of a good friend, a satisfying meal cooked over a fire he’s built (watch out!) – and recognizes them for the blessings they are.

Montana Frances Caset
Montanarama – the name of the first Thacher radio show hosted by this tri-lingual world citizen - says much about the big, bold, spirited embrace that this young woman gives her life. One person stacked high this list of descriptors: “kind, generous, radiantly optimistic, vivacious, exuberant,” then took a breath and added “a receptive learner always on a quest for the profound.”  That receptivity engaged so successfully with Chinese that the highly independent and self-motivated Montana was eager to take herself to Beijing last year with School Year Abroad. She returned with even greater vibrancy, to leave her mark in classes where her teachers and peers could once again benefit from her insightfulness, her probing curiosity, her astonishing recall. Montana is often the powerful centrifugal force that helps both to center the class and to force out its boundaries in the best sort of way. Polo ponies and gymkhana horses, Dance Ensemble partners, staff and readers of The Thacher Notes, members of United Cultures of Thacher, KROQ listeners, friends of all ages - there’s hardly a soul on campus who has not, at one point or another, felt or benefited from Montana’s special blend of humor, patience, warmth and spark. By her example, she urges all of us to adopt her m.o., answering the symbolic question, “Ni chi bao le ma?”(Have you had your fill?) with an emphatic “Hao!” – OK, more!

Ben Daniel Castanon
From “Mecca” - Ben’s nook in the Library - to the Electronic Music Room topractice rooms, from classrooms and labs, from dining hall to dorm, Ben moves on Thacher’s paths and in its buildings with the kind of affable ease, even grace, that comes from knowing you are in the right place at the right time. It’s a sense that comes not because you’re unusually lucky, but because you’ve worked calmly, judiciously and with remarkable awareness to maneuver yourself among the most propitious planets.  So with Ben.  Clear-sighted determination, relentless drive and burning intelligence inform his significant academic achievement.  Choosing courses, he remains true to his own desires, concerned solely with finding those with gold-mining potential.  His teachers call him “a gifted mathematician” and “an ideal seminar student, consummately engaged”. Across the academic spectrum, they laud his mastery of detail, his thorough preparation and perceptiveness, his creativity - and more than one has remarked on how much they always learn from him. To the basketball or tennis court, a climbing boulder or cross-country course, a computer with ProTool srevved up, the radio station’s broadcast deck, or a precipitous Sierra pass, Ben brings a rare combination of seriousness and fun, thoughtful observation and action.  “Independent yet collaborative, flexible to others’ opinions yet adamant about bedrock principles,” wrote afaculty advisor, “Ben knows where he’s going.”  

Sarah Irene Chamberlain
Ears and eyes attuned at a higher frequency than most, Sarah teaches all of us how to take in and then respond to the world with purpose andpassion, no holds barred.  Said one classmate, “She sees poetry in everything and never takes anything for granted.” She’ll wrestle complex information, sensory or otherwise, right to the mat, then back off to examine it, and, in a gesture of good sportsmanship, give it ahand back to its feet. No matter the subject area - science or math, literature or history, Spanish or English - Sarah is wholehearted in her commitment and generous in sharing the force of her innate intellect. Endlessly adventuresome, she practically beams herself into fictional worlds, historical moments, and other cultures to locate meaning, to see things from a new vantage point.  And she doesn’t go alone; she shouts, Whitman-like, “You come, too!” – simply irresistible. When she’s back on this terra firma, Sarah’s slam-busykeeping us galvanized, organized and on task: in Literary Society, the College Counseling office, the Athletic Program office, Sarah’s all go get ‘em and go to - dependable, precise, creative.  That same creativity, organic and endlessly fertile, makes the jewel in Sarah’scrown, her festival award-winning poetry, simply dazzle. When she commands us to “push into light . . . don’t stop now, breathe and love, bask in the embrace of the sun,” we cannot help but awake, rise, and follow.

Josephine Erica Chow
Multifarious in her talents and eager for any opportunity to travel further, Jojo has packed much into her three years here, weighing thevalue each item will bring not just to her life, but to the Thacher community’s or worlds beyond. Shepherding El Archivero from inception to completion with fastidiousness and exactitude, creating a peer tutor program, inventing a one-woman card-selling project to buy new trikes and other toys for two Headstart venues, Jojo proves constantly that there ain’t no mountain high enough - then she’ll dance to the music.  All this, and Jojo sets the highest academic standard.  Who’d ever know that English is her second language, witnessing the grace and élan with which she commands it? Intently focused and exceptionally organized, Jojo ingests material, from literature to history to art, using it as hors d’oeuvres for the entrée of her own inspired responses. Her writing persuades because it’s detail-rich, compellingly structured, nuanced and original. She draws her characters - an exotic step-grandmother, boisterous sisters, herself - with a combination of affectionate care and the ruthlessness of a New Yorker editor. We are equally awed by Jojo’s courage and resilience in taking on what were to her the truly foreign parts of Thacher - horses and camping - where she applied her trademark calm, strength and willingness to learn. Inner and outer, built of enduring materials tested by high winds, Jojo stands firmly on her own two feet as the architect of her own character.

Ryan Thomas Church
Jaw-droppingly articulate, Ryan could topple you backwards with his use of the English language - or by his razor-sharp recall, or his analytical prowess, or his precise command of any text he’s gobbled up. (Or, for that matter, he could program his robot to.) But by somemagic, Ryan keeps you upright and receptive, drawn into his magnetic field of authenticity.  Classmate or teacher, you’re certainly on your toes in Ryan’s presence – but Ryan would have it that way so thatyou could dance, as he does, with ideas and concepts, the sub-atomic to the gargantuan.  Ryan is genuinely curious about the world and its workings, eager to break its mysteries and codes wide open. But as one of his closest friends wrote, “Ryan is more than just a brilliant mind. He has been an amazingly generous friend over the years.”  The palgoes on to marvel, as we all do, at how Ryan uses his magnificent mind“in moral and social situations to the best effect for everyone.” Cases in point: applying his technological wizardry beyond Thacher to serve local elementary schools or to connect results from the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament with competitors’ hometown newspapers. Or putting the model of his integrity and care of others to use as a leader in Los Padres. Or adding his musicality to Chorus and The Chamber Singers.  A big ol’ brain can be daunting to others, but Ryan demonstrates that when you combine it with a big ol’ heart, you’ve got much to offer the big ol’ world - or littler ones like ours.

James David Connick
With Davie, what you initially see, or hear, isn’t necessarily what you get. You get more, the better you know this bona fide student-athlete.  Naturally retiring and sincere, Davie often yields the limelight to his classmates or teammates, but underneath the composure, the calm, the careful paying out of words, lies a thoroughly active mind, a real sensitivity to the perception of others, a full engagement. A friend noted, “Davie always has the best plan. And he works really hard.”  Davie is renowned, too, for this work ethic and stamina on mountain trails and athletic fields.  In both, he’s all about team, even when he’s crouched and ready but ultimately alone in that huge soccer goal. Davie presents coaches with that delicious conundrum: Let him run on the field or keep him in goal? Davie’s valuable, versatile, and constitutionally deft: completely sanguine about playing wherever he’s needed, fast and fierce in competition, as thrilled in victory as he is composed in defeat.  Davie applies these qualities in his academic pursuits, too, heading undaunted into rocky or steep terrain, hiking those hills with diligence, efficiency and earned confidence. Mountain Man has given much to this community, in visible ways and, more quietly, behind the scenes. Concluded onepeer, “Davie’s warm smiles and waves as we pass on our way around campus have meant more to me than many of the more extensive conversations I’ve had in my years here.”   Say no more.

Sanford Ewing Duncan
Watching Sander rock-climb is to witness the full expression of many of his most compelling and memorable qualities: his understanding of strategy, his sense of appropriate control balanced with necessary release, his at-heart comprehension that moving across the rock or upit is a matter of thoughtful choice-making.  Except that the climbing is very real, an integral part of him, it would serve as apt metaphor for the rest of Sander’s life at Thacher. Agile in mind and body, Sander is strong and skilled, whether what’s in front of him is a Spanish conjugation or the complexities of embryonic genetic manipulation.  Faculty members have called Sander “mature ininsight, sophisticated in style,” “original,” “diligent and disciplined.”  Sander knows about late hours in the Library anda bout the rewards of reaching high, or hiking the extra mile towards sunset, about the demands of true scholarship and the benefits that accrue from being sufficiently expert to stand behind the podium. But for every ambitious climb that Sander takes, on rock or in his coursework, he cheerfully belays someone else, offering his own strength and wisdom to those still making their way up. Further, he takes responsibility for his choices, ensuring that the character he sees in the mirror each day is of his own creation.  Resilience and good humor are like good chalk in the bag at his waist; even accidents in the woods don’t daunt Sander’s spirit or diminish his smile.  Truth is, he can’t climb high enough for us not to catch its flashing brilliance.

Sarah Elizabeth Eckhardt
We’d be forced to the record books to believe that Sarah joined ourcommunity only last year, so thoroughly has she integrated herself into the melange. Then we’d sigh, wishing we’d found each other sooner.  Bright and bright-eyed, energetic and thoroughly herself, Sarah sashayed into Thacher full of rightful confidence, taking the most advanced French courses concurrently with Spanish II, setting the pace in math and science, ingesting English as if it were her favorite snack of carrots and hummus. “She’s wonderful to teach,” declared one teacher. “Outspoken, diligent, utterly enthusiastic, she’s driven by a true love of learning.” Sarah’s also motivated by a true love of being:  driving down the basketball court, up the lacrosse field, or to the net in tennis, busting moves for Indoor Committee skits at Assembly or working to make events run, tutoring Head Start kids or chatting with the elderly, and advising and caring for Middle Schoolmates.  In all of it, Sarah expresses a modus vivendi that one friend bears witness to here: “Sarah is rare. She’s seen a lot of the world, but through it all has upheld  her morals and values and unvarying approach: understand the situation, determine  a way to master it or to solve the problem, and execute. Each time, she succeeds.”  Many Eckhardt fans feel the same admiration. Slow may be the way of the buffalo, but this ride’s been too fast. Way too fast.

Samuel Logan Felton
Arriving at Thacher ready to make good memories, Sam immediately poured himself into every nook his talents could point him.  Sam’s a natural on stage, whether he’s playing a D.A. in a serious drama or a Beethoven devotee in lighter musical fare, or debating a point on ac urrent national or local issue, or crooning into a mike about having plenty of friends in low places.  That ease and cool in the spotlight translates to fluid athleticism and competitive passion on the football field, where Sam is always in just the right spot toc ontrol the offense, and on the baseball diamond where he wreaks havoc on the basepaths. Yet despite his obvious athletic talents, Sam worksas hard as the next guy, valuing camaraderie and sportsmanship over personal glory.  Sharp as a Teton ridgeline, Sam commands the attention and respect of his classmates when he offers insight into a mathematical principal or interprets a pivotal moment in history. His writings, especially his personal pieces, reflect an uncanny understanding of how gesture, word and meaning coalesce – and of howhumor, sensitively handled, can be gainfully employed for laugh-out-loud effect.  A classmate wrote, “Sam possesses a resolute loyalty to his friends. And if you ask him for the truth, he will give you that exactly.”  A straight-shooter with great aim is a valuable asset in a community such as ours. Take this for our humble dedication as we stand up and say, “Hooray, Sam Felton, hooray!”  

Dana Brookes Gal
Dana seems to keep as her guiding life motto, “Never bite off less than you can chew.” It is a point of personal honor for Dana to use her many gifts as fully as each day will allow, to engage in her learning by plunging into it with verve and dedication. To the seminar table, Dana hauls a backpack full of natural talent, a big work ethic and ideas both original and derived from a wide variety of authors she’s actively studied. As her history teacher penned, “Dana knows her Braudel, her Beard, her Bancroft, Bailyn and Blum, not to mention her Schlesinger and her Zinn, and she makes very effective use of their theories to inform her own analyses.” Seeing oneself as a collaborator with the great minds – that’s the mark of a true scholar.  Trading backpack for her athletic gear bag, Dana’s packing a different kind of heat - the sort that burns inside a true competitor. Trust her to rush the net in tennis or to anchor Thacher’s defense on the lacrosse field, where even whacks to the head in championship games hardly slow her down for long.  (Nor, we might add, do massive distances on trans-Sierra hikes.)  Dana demonstrates nothing less than unflinching fortitude in situations such as these. And in her human interactions, as a leader or as a peer, Dana’s all about discovering the specific way by which she can support someone else.  In this, she celebrates and makes manifest her own fine humanity.

Zack Bernard Grossman
“Just as jade becomes an ornament only when it is carved and polished,”goes a Chinese proverb, “so must man be educated before he can achievegreat things.” Zack has led his Thacher life with this compunction moving him forward. Harnessing his bright mind and engaging his characteristic curiosity, he has moved purposefully in classrooms and laboratories, crossing their thresholds with the confidence and power that springs from painstaking preparation and attention to detail. It’s all part of a consistent, holistic approach that honors the discipline and balance of Zack’s long-time devotion to Shin bu shikan. Drawn to this martial art’s particular demands of rigorous athleticism and emotional centeredness, Zack has not only earned his black belt, but has also integrated it with a thoroughgoing  zealfor East Asian studies.  “He is a great student of Chinese language and history,” writes his teacher, “because his interest and understanding always extend beyond the textbooks.”  Zack’sinfluence has included founding the Martial Arts Club and ensuring its vibrancy, bringing his instructor to campus regularly, even trekking through several of China’s provinces during a summer sojourn.   More occidental and closer to home, our romance ninja finds equal adventure as a leader in the halls of Lower School,where carving and polishing takes on a whole new meaning. Because he has discovered true poise, Zack is ready for the next move in his journey toward worthy jade. Qian Cheng Wan Li: May your future go onfor thousands of miles.

Alexander Moffitt Herr
Alex has long understood the meaning and import of the principle of efficiency, as those who have kept an admiring eye on him know. Well-tuned in every possible way, Alex somehow pushes forward in all he does without wasting energy; he doesn’t give off heat as much as he pulls others to his easy warmth. There’s much to appreciate here: Alexis eternally optimistic and genuinely open-minded, and when these qualities combine with a quick and agile mind, they make him welcome in any classroom.  As one teacher reported,  “He’s comprehending and perceptive, funny, fun and totally affable.”  Yet while Alexis like straight-up calcium in keeping our funny bones strong, he’s all business when it comes to horses and camping. A top-ranking horse campe rand backcountry aficionado, Alex has the sort of fine-gauge judgmentand practiced, mature skill that allows him success with both greenhorses and whitewater – and the sort of dash and derring-do to launch himself, at the end of the day, off cliffs into pools deep enough forth at vitality to really move. It does so, too, on the soccer andlacrosse fields, where Alex’s natural athleticism is enhanced by whathis coaches call “great savvy and composure” – traits that come in ashandy as a lariat when wrangling a messy Upper School hallway or coping with mechanical snafus just before your Senior Exhibition.  One friend adds this: “Alex sometimes comes off as a wild card, but he hasone of the best moral compasses I know of. I depend on him to do the right thing in any situation.” Grateful - that’s what we are to have had Alex vibrantly alive in our midst these four fast years.

Rebecca Blaire Horton
Becky redefines the word “dynamo,” spinning it faster and with more intensity, taking its root – “to be able” – and driving it far into a multiplicity of corners.  Aptitude’s just one letter off from attitude, and Becky has both - the positive kind that guides her to successes she sees as steps to an even more fulfilled self. Becky’s uber-alert, energetic, egoless engagement has been welcomed in every classroom since her arrival, when she hit Thacher ground flying.Words such as diligent, inquisitive, exuberant, sharp, scholarly are repeated, mantra-like, in her instructors’ reports. One teacher called her “my ringer” – praise for how Becky questions and answers and then questions some more, simultaneously pushing herself and enjoining others to a higher plane of inquiry and scholarship. This is equally true - or more so - on any basketball or volleyball court or lacrosse field Becky graces. There, this charismatic and enormously skilled athlete exerts unfailing salutary influence and expertly balanced leadership:she knows when to be stern and when to be playful; when to push hard and when to slow down; when to exult and when to play it cool.  In her leadership roles, Becky models moral integrity, sound judgment, and an unembarrassed belief in the values of this community. As a friend wrote, “She has a profound caring and willingess to listen.” Sounds so serious – but over all of this Becky routinely ladles the warmth of her broad and genuine smile, triggered easily and often by all the people, big and little, of a community that says “Thank you.”

Lindsay Maitland Hunt
Her dear Cheese Club may be a little quirky, but there’s nothing off-beat in how Lindsay has approached her time at Thacher: for her, it has been all about sharpening her ear, her eye, her hand, her mind - all as part of a deliberate and thoughtful means of investing in her own learning.  Every book she reads - Faulkner, Woolf, Bronte or Camus – every historical event she studies, every knotty statistics problem she solves contributes to her growing account, which she manages with both seriousness and delight - the latter a word that pops up in many of her teachers’ remarks through the years.  Analysis and synthesis yield to her astute and persistent mind; her writing is insightful and imaginative. Lindsay’s prize-winning photographic talent is matched by the perceptiveness she brings to the wide world outside of classrooms here and in Rennes, France, in whose culture she immersed herself  last year. With energy, sensitivity and a highly perceptive eye, she delves into the beauty and complexity of all her subjects. Lindsay happily turns from arts to athletics when soccer or lacrosse season comes around, contributing positively to the esprit de corps of those squads. Independent and self-sufficient, Lindsay is also bonded faithfully to many of her classmates. One wrote, “Lindsay understands that being honest above all else is the true judge of personal integrity and of a friendship’s worth.” That quality, what Herman Hesse called “the promptings of the true self,” we salute in Lindsay as we say au revoir.

Madeleine Eve Ignon
The sway that Maddie holds in this school is not just something in the way she moves.  Blessed with many talents, Maddie puts them all to highly expressive use, strengthening and expanding not just herself but also those classrooms, studios, galleries and performance spaces she frequents.  Coupling perseverance with aptitude in her academic work, Maddie brings her total self to every class, paper, discussion or project.  Whether she is working solo or collaboratively, she aims to the heart of the matter and hits, using the arrows of keen intuition and perceptiveness, steady focus and active resourcefulness.  The gifts Maddie bestows more publicly on the larger community meet with even broader acclaim: her drawings and paintings arrest any viewer, provoke a suspension of breath: How did she translate that gesture so exactly? In her poetry, we hear rather than see that profoundly sensitive attunement to both the machinations and the lyricism of Maddie’s world.  And in her dance, we apprehend the truth of dancer-choreographer Martha Graham’s contention that “the body says what words cannot.”  Creative versatility is the marrow in Maddie’s bones. And finally, this, from a classmate: “She is the steadiest, sturdiest, most generous friend anyone could ask for.” That generosity has propelled Maddie beyond Thacher, into the lives oft he elderly, the abused, the abandoned.  Here’s the magic: Maddie makes all of it look as easy as breathing.

Arthur Kazuhei Kaneko
Arthur’s style - mature, classy, understated - has been as much apart of his personage here as his virtuosity as a student. When he strides into a class, his teachers and classmates can count absolutely on his meticulous preparation, his flexible mind, his rich vocabulary, and his ability to clarify and focus ideas for the benefit of the group.  Historical and current events, especially those involving politics, get Arthur to pull up a chair at any round-table, where he contributes a thoughtful reflectivity and the valuable perspective of a cosmopolitan world traveler.  He relishes lively exchange and debate, especially when he can find in them the connective tissue between past and present. What one teacher called “unusual linguistic intuition” translates logically to his success as a thespian, where, even as the cold-hearted Shah of Sasan, he could move his audience to wonder, legitimately, whose head would be the next to roll. Leaving Shah-tactics aside, Arthur has served the Thacher community positively on the baseball team and the Judicial Council, in the Admission Office and as a dormitory leader. Organized, responsible, intent andcompletely common-sensical, Arthur urges in others the kind of growth he’s worked hard for in himself.  The fanfare of trumpets, though, Arthur consigns to the stage; he may sit in that last Musical Chair, but, with characteristic graciousness, he’ll always turn over the prize to the one he sees as most deserving. In our book of records, that’s what earns copy.  

Rena Therese Karefa-Johnson
How does a heart hold all that Rena’s does?  By the expansive properties of love, it seems, for everything and every single one of us compelled by her magnetism.  “She can make the most uncomfortablep erson feel at home,” wrote a classmate. “Being under her arm is the instant cure to all your problems.” This young woman is good medicine, pure and true - but not just in the dorm or on the Pergola, in the dining room or on a sun-drenched lawn.  Rena exudes positive energy in every classroom she enters, lifting dinghies and cruise ships by the force of her rising tide. What’s more, she wouldn’t think of opening a classroom door without being thoroughly prepped for the discussion or academic task.  Smart and scholarly in her approach, she keeps a breathless pace, a speed ratcheted up by what one teacher called her “insatiable intellectual curiosity.”   Rena channels this formidable vigor into other pursuits, too: as a starting goalie on the lacrosse team, as a center and forward on the basketball team, as a Middle School leader, as a nearly full-time volunteer at several local schools.  There, as here on campus, her most miniature fans don’t merely flock to her; instead, they fling themselves at her, to which Rena graciously, laughingly plays the role of Velcro.  Rena is a paradox vivified:  even as she is one of the most selfless people we know, by her actions she gives greater definition to the self she was meant to be - and the person who, more than simply “kindling a light in the darkness of mere being” (as Carl Jung suggested), rather sets a torch a blaze.

Brendan Timothy Keane
Brendan is an emissary from the Land of Cool.  In the face of calamity, threatened or actual, he craftily rearranges those first four letters (creative rearrangement being one of his many charms) into the word calm; he’s precisely the guy you want in the clutch, on a shale trail, when the kiln doesn’t fire properly, when your best packhorse goes lame mid-trip or when your woofer wonks out or your tweeter self-destructs. Smart and insightful, Brendan has the scientific knowledge necessary to make the responsible, mature choices critical to the kinds of endeavors and exploits that Brendan loves and is so accomplished in – horse training, camping, and sailing, in particular. Brendan’s aesthetic sense is well-developed, too, enlivening his Rakuand other pottery, his descriptive capacity in his creative writing, and his long-standing work and play in technical theater.  Even amid snarly situations and contentious spaces, Brendan perpetually roots out solutions in practical ways, climbing ladders, hauling and hanging electrical cords, moving speakers or engineering them: other than when he’s schooling Hall in the finer points of being a horse, the only time Brendan sits still is when he’s at the control board, fine-tuning the sound so that what we hear is what he wants us to hear. His humor is pitch-perfect, too: wrote a classmate, “Brendan is one of the funniest guys in our class. Witty and light-hearted, he can always make people around him smile.”  And that’s a fine Irish blessing.

Calvin Hyun-Tae Kim
When you first meet Calvin in conversation, it’s double-take time in the verbal dexterity department:  Does any 18-year-old really know those words - and actually use them well? This one does. And he doesn’t merely talk with you; he engages you in conversation on topics ranging from the latest national or international news to the economic implications of the Internet in China to connections between Hamlet and Galileo to . . . You get the picture. It’s an 8 X 10 glossy that captures a smiling Calvin, either mid-sentence or head cocked listening carefully to what you have to say.  It’s a picture that proves a bona fide interest in the world swirling around him and brands him as an active learner whom classroom walls have no hope of containing.  Calvin’s intensity crackles (watch him on a cross-countryc ourse or track), but like a well-fed fire, gives off warmth that beckons others closer. Calvin’s got a steel-trap mind for factual detail, as being with him in a seminar class or at a formal dinner dessert trivia game demonstrates unequivocally. Calvin has a highmusical IQ, as well, a blessing that has made him a treasured tenor inthe Chamber Singers. When Calvin walks on stage, to sing or to act, his crowd of fans cheers him before he even opens his mouth. “Droll wit and deadpan delivery,” in the words of his drama director, “mix with earnestness to make for complete engagement with his audience.  Hea lways leaves us wanting more.”  For now, we guess we’ll have to settle for a rain check on that “more” – or, as Calvin might say, a precipitation receipt.  Charming.

Marguerite Blair Kissel
“It’s the unexpected in Marg – like her passion for insects - that makes you love her for every part of who she is.” We agree with this peer assessment of Marguerite, adding that there are lots of parts to love. Her ability to focus on the minute (a moment in history, a gesture in a novel, the spindly leg of a praying mantis, the eye of a child she’sdrawing) before stepping back to absorb the whole.  Her unadulterated thrill at a discovery she or a classmate has made. Her eagerness to explore through a microscope or in a wide ranging discussion, in a laboratory or in the field, catching tadpoles with a pasta strainer or catching meaning in a line of text. Her uncompromising personal standards hold her to impressive preparation, to thoughtful participation, to asking astute questions that move both herself and those around her to the deeper strata of interpretation or comprehension.  Marguerite uses her sharp eyes both to see clearly and to let in the world’s wonder. And she plays well with others. At the net, in the key, or on the track, Marguerite competes with intensity and concentration, compelled by an admixture of skill, energy and enthusiasm. Like any good cook, she tends carefully to the chemistry of her teams, ensuring that laughter and jollity are a part of the dish she’s helping to create. In fact, “She’ll drop anything to have fun,” commented another friend, “dancing to some sweet tune, jumping spontaneously into the pool, even brawling.”  All these elements, wedded to integrity and kindness, make Marguerite wholly herself.

Ned Jordan Fosse Lederer
During a short scene in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the narrator is watching a dog “sniffing around digger squirrel holes,not with a notion to go digging after one but just to get an idea what they were up to at this hour.” Like that happily galloping canine, Ned is restless, fathomlessly curious, in the words of one faculty member,“an ambitious thinker, difficult to satisfy, always looking for answers.” Possessed of a dazzling mind that can wrap itself around every academic subject and ideas beyond, Ned can make connections and locate patterns in lightning time, creating space for more Q & A, both internal and parried with faculty and peers.  In this, Ned is open, generous and kind.  By nature and by nurture - the world travels that have exposed him to a variety of cultures and people and have made him a veritable road scholar - Ned’s aura is inclusive and empathetic, his charisma the kind that urges others to follow in his principled steps, that results in his wearing the mantle of leadership often and comfortably.  Ned’s steady, easy self-confidence blends with skill, vigor, and follow-through on lacrosse field or theatrical stage – or when he stands up to tell us just why we laugh – and, as usual, to help us rouse those endorphins . As for that Kesey character, he rolls around on his back for a bit, then gets to his four feet and shakes, “a spray [coming] off him in the moon like silver scales” – not unlike the flashes of brilliance that Ned leaves with us as he trots away, already on the trail of something else alluring and wonderful.

Belsasar Echauri Lepe
The respect with which classmates and peers speak of Bel might logically be hushed, reverential, so deep does it run. But ask anyone about Bel and, in fact, you get nothing but silence: it takes a while to locate the most fitting words to describe accurately and thoroughly the model Bel holds up.  First and foremost, he is a scholar, acute and astute, analytically masterful, ac ome-very-early-stay-till-long-after-dark student. Bel speaks and writes with clarity, precision and the conviction that comes from having actively scrutinized  his own ideas as part of his preparation so that by the time he gets to class, he’s already several steps ahead. But rather than coasting, he uses that time to listen to others, weigh their views, adjust his own. Creative yet practical, Bel sees far below any surface, piercing layers in physics or history, literature or language, robotic engineering or the science of running. There, Bel marries scholarship to experience, the head’s knowledge with the heart’s desire. When he seeks to parse “the perfect race,” we’ve no doubt he’ll locate its essential structure.  Bel considers running his life-guide, keeping him attuned to principles of discipline, goal-setting, focus and fun. Witnessing him on the track or on his way down McAndrew Road, we know that man was meant to fly. That Bel has used Thacher as a runway for these brief three years is all to the benefit of those who have been enriched by the pleasure of his uncommonly bright company in every venue. Even as it saddens us, wec heer his final take-off.

Parker Talbot Lohman
“You only live once” - it’s a sentiment that got Parker to us in the first place and that has quietly informed many of his actions during his time as a Toad.  Venturing into foreign territory - the Horse Program, backpacking, new academic lands - Parker has used his tenacity and commitment to soldier through, keeping his eye on future achievement even when the moment itself seems unpromising.  His personal growth has been steady, as he has tapped into the well-springs of persistence and optimism that had remained subterranean until they were needed. “He has begun to locate his own voice,” wrote one of his teachers. “Sensitively cognizant of what’s around him, Parker can translate that awareness into moments of beautiful, brilliant observation.” Round and about campus, Parker is an exemplary citizen, a thoughtful, humble, kind and temperate friend. On the tennis court, he’s a strong contributor to the squad; on 3rd Team soccer and cross-country, he both nurtures and values the camaraderie of team. And he is funny. Said one who’s been amply entertained over the years (no doubt having shared a steak smoothie or two), “Parker can amuse a person 24/7. He’s got incredible facial expressions and a really bendable body, which makes him always successful in providing lighthearted, occasionally self-deprecating humor. He can make your fears and concerns cringe in the face of the happiness he delivers.”  It is a special delivery that the amiable Parker makes more often than Dominoes -- and far more freely.

Emily Love-Platt
When sparked by a passion, Emily dives full force into the chilliest ocean water, her dauntless, yearning spirit unfulfilled by reluctance or caution. No dilly-dallying  at the surf’s edge; Emily will have nothing less than a yeehaw plunge – which compels others to jump in and share the ecstatic moment .  True, too, when Emily’s been lead singer – for a synthetic or live band; others take the mic because she’s set the example. Independent, wisely skeptical, talented in a raft of ways, Emily has wowed her teachers with her insight since the start of her freshman year. “Emily is sensitive to nuanced description, to the details and the subtleties,” wrote one teacher.  Just assome can tell a truffle from a portabello with eyes closed, Emily can sniff out the delicacies of a literary character by noting each word and phrase, then by turning it over with an enviably attuned touch to discern its shape and import. This rare sentience, fused with a fertile imagination, informs Emily’s artwork, too, where she manages both bold dynamism and subtlety with growing skill.  More than merely inquisitive, Emily looks deeply into politics, current events, self and others, seeking and cultivating the connections that ultimately make life meaningful. She’s simultaneously compassionate and clear-eyed. Emily has hit us with some of her best shots, and we’ve surely enjoyed watching her fire away.

Jaime Gutierrez Luna
“The real difference between men,” declared 17th century historian and clergyman  Thomas Fuller, “is energy.”  Jaime’s particular kind, while ample, is controlled and strategic, aimed to light up and warm the various worlds to which Jaime is so dedicated.  It quietly electrifies many activities and projects: a thank-you barbecue lunch for the maintenance staff, weekly fund-raising snack bars at the SUB, championship soccer and lacrosse teams, a roster of more challenging classes each year, Student Leadership Council and Judicial Council meetings – and every Wednesday Assembly that starts with Jaime’s calm but impassioned voice intoning a quotation that, like Jaime himself, inspires those listening. By sterling example and morally directed exhortation, Jaime encourages us all to do the right thing, even when it may not be the easy thing.  Jaime stands resolute and unafraid when principles are at stake; he invests long hours to ensure that this community runs smoothly – and that everyone in it has a voice. “Well prepared and actively engaged” describes his approach to his schoolwork, but as well, it pinpoints the attitude that energizes the other parts of Jaime’s life, both within Thacher’s gates and outside of them. Fuller went on to say, “A strong will, a settled purpose, and an invincible determination can accomplish almost anything.”  Translated into the words of Cesar Chavez, “Si se puede!”  To this, we add only Yes, Jaime, you did.

Juliana Vivian Ma
Juliana’s parents must have had an inside line when they blessed her with a middle name that translates to full of life.  Vibrant,front-and-center in classes and extracurricular pursuits, Juliana has joyously explored nearly every program on the Thacher smorgasbord, her hunger for more keeping her always on the lookout for something else to add to her plate (and her palette).  A “B” Horsecamper rating? She’ll take summer courses to cover the first aid requirements. Understand biology from the inside out? She’ll dissect that cow’s knee joint till it revivifies to cry for mercy.  Find a new way to convey a biographical event or analytical observation? She’ll play with this phrasing or that until the better clicks into its rightful spot. Translate life to canvas truthfully? She’ll apply exacting meticulousness in tightly rendered  marks, or she’ll use quick, loose strokes to capture gesture. In all of it, Juliana looks challenge in the eye and whispers authoritatively, “You’re mine.” And what are we left with? A multifaceted example of city girl/country girl, artist/scientist. Thriving Chinese and Spanish Clubs and Indoor Committee.  Beautifully rendered memoirs and an cutting-edge  yearbook.  The image of a dusty, scraped up girl in scuffed boots and chaps who could save you in a wilderness emergency. Nationally award-winning canvasses that take ourbreath away then invite us to enter a new universe. Lucky are you if she calls you friend, for Juliana is loving, generous and true, and in the words of one faculty fan who has seen many a Toad come and go, “a beautiful soul.”

Kirsty Blair Mark
Paint-spackled, dashing from finishing the Charlie Brown blocks to checking on props or stage curtains, Kirsty remembers she’s got a portfolio piece waiting for her attention; so off she sprints to the studio, where, composed and purposeful, she resolves yesterday’s artistic problem.  Zest and energy mingle with imagination and flair which merge with organizational acumen and an eye to both detail and big picture, which combine with personal warmth and care for others, which blends with . . . Bottom line: the brew that Kirsty cooks up - no toil, no trouble -- is puissant and rich, doubly effective for her studies and for her fun. In the former, Kirsty’s choice ingredients are industriousness and insightfulness, math to French, English to chemistry. On any stage she’s managing or off it, “can do” aren’t words but actions, as Kirsty commits herself to papers, oral presentations, projects, problems of all kinds, demonstrating repeatedly that she’s utterly equal to the task. One friend wondered, “How did the School function before she came?” - and faculty have called her “a special favorite” to have on a camping trip, because she is accomplished and cooperative, thoughtful and strong. Perhaps Kirsty’s cheerful resilience, independence,  and maturity arise from having adapted to so many parts of the world - but whatever the source, we feel fortunate that she landed here for three years, alighting beautifully on so many parts of the community. Kirsty recognizes every one of what Horace Mann called “diamond minutes” for its pricelessness; she leaves us with a lasting impression of time spent very, very well.

Rebekah Anne McFarland
Just mention Bekah’s name and watch blood pressure drop, pulses slow, calm descend.  Add her corporal presence, and you feel an actual atmospheric shift. This is genuine magic, though, because, as one of her friends reminds us, Bekah may have a placid exterior, but “don’t let it fool you into thinking she’s not passionate. It’s just that her approach to life directs emotions and volatility into something higher, something above and beyond the havoc that they can otherwise wreak on our lives.”  True, Bekah calibrates input and output in a way that yields predictably positive results for both her own evolution and for the community weal. Circles of beneficence move outward from where she stands, whether it’s in the middle of trash she’s picking up on the beach or of the corral she’s mucking or the dorm room in which she’s holding court. Unusually self-aware and a “warm and understanding listener” (in a friend’s words), Bekah is also a seeker: she has developed as a student, as a poet and as a horsewoman because she has been, as one of her admiring teachers put it, “like a cat stalking her prey.” If there’s something out there to learn, Bekah goes after it: hitting a polo ball dead on, mastering an era in U.S. history, developing an authoritative voice in her writing, looking gift horses and others squarely in the mouth, Bekah is all focus and resolve. Noone-chukker wonder, she’s in it for the whole game. And here’s the best part, from a friend: “When I was about to crack, Bekah led me back from anger and cynicism.”   Influential in all the best possible ways, Bekah is the center that does hold.

Cindy Elizabeth Mendoza
“She knows what she wants,” declared one friend about Cindy - and we would add, “and how to get it.” Yet Cindy is both a dreamer and a doer, someone who understands intuitively that each can beneficially promote the other in a perpetually upward rising spiral of accomplishment.  It is Cindy’s surety of vision, her undying optimism, and her willingness to keep her shoulder to the wheel that fuel its turning. Drawn especially to the sciences (though a talented memoir writer, as well), Cindy methodically constructs the edifice of her learning, which has grown sturdier and more beautiful with each passing year. Cindy cannot be bound by four walls, though; she loves the wide spaces that open to her when she’s on a horsepacking trip or traipsing down the alluring streets of Sanlucar, Spain. In the former, she’s knowledgeable and skilled, trusty and responsible, the kind of advanced camper who checks her gear as carefully and as happily as she counts the stars in the inky night sky. And she is the finest company, on a trail or back on campus. As one appreciative peer said, “Cindy always makes me laugh and smile. She is amazingly patient and understanding, a willing listener.”   Soccer teammates, Spanish Club members, and younger students Cindy has tutored would concur: while Cindy can certainly turn on the competitive jets, she is also gentle in bringing others along to their own better selves. Cindy has, throughout her time at Thacher, proven the truth of Cervantes assertion:  “La diligencia es madre de la buena ventura”– Diligence is the mother of good fortune.

Tobias Alexander Nathan
As a bit of a wisecracker himself - and unfailingly generous - Toby will, we hope, allow us to start with what will sound like a relative who hasn’t seen him in awhile: “Sakes alive! How much you’ve grown, Tobias!” Yet in this towering young man, we still see the boy, if now writ large: his precocious erudition and intellectual depth, his wit and illimitable good nature, his wide and encompassing appreciation for other cultures and his interest in global affairs, his unblemished delight at being the hub in the middle of any hubbub. From that entry point nearly four years past to this moment, Toby has maintained remarkable and consistent balance, keeping good humor as a constant, holding his many friends lovingly close, and, by the sheer good vibrations that resonate within him, influencing this village of ours always, always for the better.  “Toby is the kind of student any teacher wants in the classroom,” affirms one faculty member, “because he illuminates our discussions with sparks of brilliance.” Truth is, you want that same luminescence  on your camping trip or tennis team or basketball squad, too.  Plucky and determined, Toby bucks everyone up - “We can do this!” – and applies comic relief as needed.  Toby seeks the challenge, then looks for and routinely finds the fun in it. And while the fun may also contain some irony - which  he totally gets - in that he locates some of life’s bigger truths and gleefully lets the rest of us in on the secret.

Justin Derek Ouyang
Quantum: a word that describes both the kinds of computers Justin veritably crawls into to apprehend their complexities and, when used to modify “leaps,” the sorts of growth he has experienced, both academically and personally, during his four years at C de P. Little did he know how meaningful that “P” – piedra – would be as he chose where he would find his most meaningful lessons. It has been in meeting the sandstone of Thacher’s boulders, the quartz monzonite of Joshua Tree and the granite giants of Yosemite that Justin has taken to heart (through carefully placed hands and feet) the values of scrutiny, patience, and never-say-die determination . His focus is not necessarily on getting to the top, but, he says, “on making the climb a dance.”  Genuinely committed to climbing more expertly in his classes, Justin brings to them a deft touch and a powerful intelligence, one that burns most brightly and efficiently in math and science. Once he masters one area, he’s scanning for the next handhold - one that will move him around that outcropping to some breathtaking new idea or principle. Pervading all of Justin’s exploration is a guiding self-awareness and a gentle humor that appreciates the absurdand catches the ironies often inherent in community life. “Justin,”wrote one friend, “has a light-heartedness about him.  He keeps on laughing, no matter what” -  apparently even when the “what” involves poles and duct-tape. In this, as on any towering rock, Justin keeps his balance splendidly. The Latin root of the word we led with means “how great” - and we’ll use it one final way:  “How great it’s been to have this mountaineer and mathematician, this good friend, taking the lead, showing us the best route.  

Will Winter Oxley
We might expect that the historic confluence of two Thacher graduates -- one with CdeP in his blood, the other one of our first womengraduates -- would likely yield a memorable character.  But if Will’s shadow is long, it’s because of how he has both honored his extensive legacy and molded his own talents and proclivities to it. Pragmatic, responsible, highly skilled with anything four-hooved, reverential of the natural world and appreciative of it, Will has been a respected leader in the Horse and Outdoor Programs. There, both students and faculty look to him for quick resolve and sure aid when a lead rope gets clamped under a green packhorse’s tail, or the fire will only smolder, or a horse loses a shoe on a steep shale trail. Will not only knows what to do in the clutch, but how to maintain the focus necessary to fix the mess, put the wreck to right. Riding around the gymkhana field at dead-out gallop with the American flag flapping at his side - for Will, it’s a cinch. He loves work that warms you from the inside out, work that has intrinsic and lasting value; he gets a bang out of nailing 24 clay pigeons out of 25, or from finding the critical connections between human and equine biology; he can turn a phrase to mark a moment precisely and invite you through the door of his experience; he takes rightful pride in finding viable ways to corral Lower Schoolers  into right action. Like boots miraculously worn-in from the minute you spied them on the rack and pulled them on, Will and Thacher were a match made . . . well, right here.

Chandler Grace Pease
If you know Chandler, try this experiment: Close your eyes.  Think of her in any setting - at desk or lab table, on the lacrosse field, in the dining room, on a Pergola wall, in the WLT living room, or the Casa common room.  Wherever she is in your mind’s eye, we’ll bet she’s grinning. Chandler meets every part of each overflowing day with abroad smile, encompassing and real, the sort that makes you want to snuggle in her warmth and kindness. Chandler’s composure emanates from her confidence, and her confidence originates in the fortunate marriage of IQ and EQ - the latter being the emotional intelligence that allows Chandler to put her awe-inspiring brains to best and fullest use. Add to it a work ethic that never sleeps, and for Chandler, it’s all one, and every group she is part of feels the uplifting energy of the combination.  A kinetic curiosity motivates Chandler’s intellectual perambulations; she treats each academic discipline as a room with the door already flung open, then enters with creative and generative insight, sophisticated and mature both in the background she brings and in her scholarly persistence. Erudite and verbal, Chandler could intimidate - but never does. Rather, she poses questions and offers opinions that sincerely invite the discourse in which she revels. The mind that reaches has in Chandler its counterpart in arms that welcome: selfless and compassionate whether she’s tutoring in physics or Latin or cradling a friend or younger student, Chandler knows intuitively how to dispel fear or sadness, how to make it all okay, how to get over to the sunny side of the street - and stay there.

Austin Samuel Pollet
Austin embodies what Sherman Day Thacher meant when he wrote about the importance of cultivating “daily habits of thought and study” as part of the development of good character. Day in and day out, Austin earns our esteem by the uncompromising commitment with which he greets his learning, his growing, his education in the fullest meaning of the word.  Whether he’s polishing notes for a history debate, painstakingly revising an English essay or short story, or prepping homework in [math], Austin is first in the door and last gone. “Upbeat doesn’t really do justice to Austin’s manner,” wrote one teacher struggling for the right words to convey his approach. In fact, Austin’s geniality competes with his independent thinking and high energy for our esteem, and all of them affect the quality of time in his good company. On the tennis court or soccer field, Austin adds speed, skill, dynamism, and passion; and even when he’s sidelined, he inspires others to become their better selves, faithfully providing his unselfish support and encouragement. A devoted friend, a wonderful big or little brother, Austin knows what to hang onto and what to let go of.  If it is true that adversity introduces us to our trueselves, then who Austin greets in the mirror is perfectly consistent with what we have seen in increasingly fuller expression every year he has been in our midst:  a young man of great decency and of impeccable integrity, broad-shouldered and strong.

Justine Margaret Robinett
Justine has something of the gamine in her, a combination of the giggly, the slyly witty, the downright silly.  From frommage to karaoke, radio shows to thank-you cookies, Justine creates a positive path on which to stroll, winning hearts and minds along the way. “Her constant smiles brighten any room she walks into,” attests one of her classmates. Yet while this is indisputable, don’t let the lightheartedness fool you for a second, for in this irrepressibly buoyant human being lives also an impressive and broadly-ranging intelligence, an incisive ability to focus, an awesome power to organize.  As fully facultied in the humanities as in the sciences, Justine packs discipline, eloquence, and a formidable memory into her over-sized, predictably haute couture bag. It’s all part of her ensemble, like the determination and resilience she brings to the yearbook room, tennis court or discus circle. And when Justine stands behind the podium, whether she’s explicating the cinematography of BazLuhrmann or the intricacies of art forgery, she is illuminating and engaging.  Justine is bold and curious, too, eager to cross oceans for new experiences, sufficiently independent not only to manage a cultural immersion, but to blossom in it. Goethe’s advice - “Keep notstanding fixed and rooted. Briskly venture, briskly roam” - brought Justine to us initially. Now, off she goes again, moving with grace and her very own je ne sais quoi - but whatever that quoi is, we’ve loved it.

Hazel Ruiz
You have to be the best kind of nervy to do the sorts of things Hazel does: to travel 2000 miles to boarding school; to deal effectively witha many-pound animal and its trappings when, at least initially, latigo and leadrope were equally mysterious, possibly even synonymous terms; to look straight into a durn! - that’s - ugly gash on a horse’s leg, then glance up to break the quiet by inquiring, “So what’s going to happen if the infection gets worse?” Hazel’s gaze is intrepid and unflinching because she wants so to know, to understand at the molecular level, whether she’s investigating a literary character or staring down the Washington Poles course, strategizing for the race and setting a first-rate, gritty example for her Blue Team (and anyone else who’s watching). She is thoroughly accountable to her many responsibilities, the leader you’d trust to tend well a string of packhorses or poloponies – or a gaggle of freshman girls. Hazel is perfectly confident(and she should be) about the place she has carved in this little pieceof creation, using humble but efficacious tools of willfulness, honesty and directness. But all serious, she is not: in fact, Hazel laughs loud and long when something tickles her fancy, rendering her all the more companionable on a long, dusty trail or in a seminar circle or snuggled into a common room couch.  In Hazel we behold living proof that character and conduct do indeed shape each other, in this case, into something worthy, beautiful and lasting.

Erika Kay Satterwhite
A new junior is a rare bird at Thacher - but this one had all the maturity, self-confidence, savvy and smarts to fly effortlessly into this nest and make it her home. “Selfless, caring, supportive, and passionate,” as described by someone who calls herself a “lucky friend,” Erika brought with her a double rainbow array of aptitudes and skills, and sooner than you could say Nancy Lee Faulkner, she was center stage as an accomplished thespian, behind the scenes laboring tirelessly for the Indoor Committee, propped at her easel doing advanced studio artwork, and no less than front and center as a top-track student. Her teachers’ unanimous praise, whatever the subject, acclaims Erika’s scholarly manner, her nuanced perceptiveness and fecund imagination, her eagerness for intellectual engagement. Erika is no less sophisticated in the realm of greasepaint and props. There, she strides purposefully through even the most grueling rehearsal schedule, whether she’s the diamond in the follow-spot or the quick-as-a-cat stagehand. Our applause is for how thoroughly she helps us suspend our disbelief, whatever her role. We clap, too, for the example of sheer, brave boundary-busting that Erika sets when she paddles a kayak into pounding ocean surf, catching waves and executing combat rolls, broken foot notwithstanding. It is this vitality that brought Erika to Thacher’s shore. We now fondly watch her bound back into the sea out there, far too soon.

Conner Craig Schryver
Ask anyone on this campus, young or old, about Conner, and ten times out of ten, you hear the word “nice” or a variation on that theme. “He’s the nicest, most amiable person I can think of,” said one classmate without a second’s delay.  “Nice” is not mere frosting on the cake, though, for Conner operates naturally by hard-wired principles of goodness and equality, treating others with unstinting kindness and unwavering compassion, regardless of age, gender, rank or any other potential divider. Modest and self-effacing, Conner could crow (but never would) about his multiple talents: his sharp observational powers as a student of biology and psychology, his potent athleticism, his natural, virtually ipso facto leadership, his highly effective versatility in offense or defense,  a switchback way high up or a river crossing below, songs in French, Italian, or Samoan, on-stage debtors, dads or bailiffs. To each, Conner applies consistent commitment.  His word - or even a nod of agreement -- is his bond. Even when the intensity is dialed up, Conner stands tall, morally grounded, and deeply planted as the unflappable calm center, someone who, wrote a classmate, “effortlessly makes anyone laugh with a single, well-placed word.” The right word, the right time, the right guy, Conner  lives under stars auspiciously aligned - but does not leave his life up to them, rather doing -always and reliably - the best work in the world that he can. We know it’s not done yet.  

Cindy Muir Sorrick
In Cindy lives a yeo-woman spirit, a belief firmly held that a day well lived must contain worthy action that sustains or improves. If it takes sorting through garbage or pulling on muckers or getting up before dawn, so be it: Cindy’s first in line, not just to lend a hand, but to investigate the problem carefully and sensitively, to determine logically how many hands are required, and then gently, but persuasively, to line out the project and ensure its completion. Attuned to people and situations, to flora and fauna, Cindy pays close enough attention to catch a phosphorescent glimmer in the alluring murkof a coastal bog in Maine or to observe a minor gesture or word by aliterary character – and to locate the critical significance ineach.  She absorbs material like a natural sponge and is skillfulat both analysis and synthesis, vigilant and eager for anything that will expand her knowledge and understanding.  Cindy explores, as well, through charcoal and paint, each piece she renders touched by a clarity of vision and a personal élan suggestive of expressive necessity and ease. Soccer field, cross country course, and backcountry trails bring out the team player in Cindy – and reveal her trademarkpertinacity. In all of this, like the man who shares her middle name, Cindy wanders purposefully and wonders energetically, and, in Muir’s words, is happily “dissolved and absorbed and sent pulsing onward” from her each day’s work and play. What a radiant example she leaves us!

Annie Louise Strachan
Yankee and Aussie, Downeaster and Californian - Annie has gamboled on many shores and in many climes, and in every single one, has welded to her own heart those of all who come to know her.  Annie has an easy affability that reassures and calms, that keeps the doors and windows wide open, making her space inclusively yours . She knows intuitively (and by devouring books like a kid in a wild blueberry patch) the potency of the right word and has a mature understanding of how ebb and flow operate in human relations. Transposed to her academic and field work, this perceptiveness enables Annie to see in a tide pool environmental implications perhaps years away or in a pile ofice-embedded wood chunks, a fire soon to warm her chilled hands. It also means that virtually every author (in English or Spanish) is welcome at her crowded table - as are classmates, to whose ideas Annieattends with courtesy and affirming respectfulness. Observationalintelligence converges with cornucopial imagination when Annie standsat an easel or behind a camera.  There, she shares a vision of the world as multifarious, limitlessly intriguing, suffused with the light of knowledge, even when shadowed by life’s rougher realities - the dirt that inevitably comes along with the scooped up silver dollar. But on that coin, as on the bedrock values of this School, Annie’s got a firmgrip - their intrinsic value compounded by the courage it takes to go for it in the first place.  

Eleni Mary Carroll Towns
Eleni is like the willow tree, what poet Robert Herrick called “the only true plant”:  elegant, graceful, stately, she is at once lithe and strong, her dancing achingly beautiful as she uses her several intelligences to star-quality effect. Yet her roots are driven forcefully down into the earth, keeping her connected to what nourishesher most: the people she consciously shelters and shades.  Guided by a long-held belief that personal fulfillment is ultimately possible only through service to others, Eleni sees in local homelessness or tsunami devastation half a world away a chance - with her name on it - to be part of the solution.  She’s the energetic organizational whiz who enlightens and instructs, pulling you along in the tide of her clear, compassionate intention. Too many to count wind up in a better, healthier, happier space because of her intervention and care. This is true, too, in her coursework, where personal magnetism moves others to join her on this or that river of ideas. Eleni’s intelligence and verbal acuity make the passage both purposeful and exciting; her curiosity sends her boldly up any tributary that looks as though it might offer some fresh insight.  Traveling by mind or body,raising awareness or funds, tutoring little ones, anonymously leaving snacks for hungry friends, “Eleni does things because she believes in them,” as one admirer put it. She is, thereby, among the visionary doers who change the parts of the world they can, whom poet Nikki Giovanni calls “those who ride the night winds.” We can add only“Ride on!”

Keely Lynn Walsh
On blue-black winter mornings or long after the last lavender of sunset is gone, Keely is among her equine friends, tending lovingly to their needs.  For their sakes, she’s schlepped buckets of cubes adinfinitum, has worn out her arms with currying, has lost sleep worrying over signs of colic. She is, in short, a worthy and caring partner, holding up her end of the bargain so that the ride is more than earned. Keely is equally loyal to her friends, “someone [wrote a classmate] you can count on to be there when you need her most.” Eminently reliable, as well, at beach clean-ups or in quilt-making, in the lab or the seminar circle, Keely adds much to the stew, contributing elbow grease, insight and style and offering provocative commentary on virtuallyeverything she reads. (And does she read!) Whether she’s in the middleof a discussion on character development in a short story, on a musical device in a poem, or on the merits of a certain horse up for purchase, Keely is fire-bolt fast at putting new material into working knowledge. Her voice rings with emotional clarity, compassion, originality and theauthority that emanates from knowing your stuff. Others prick theirears to listen – and to heed her leadership on camping trips, in the Literary Society or on the yearbook, in polo matches, or even in the national show ring, where she demonstrates how practice can, in somemagical moments, make perfect. When Keely sets her eyes on the prize, stand clear. Anne Sexton, in one of her poems, characterized her daughter’s horse as a “four-footed/wing.” Patient, accepting, kind, devoted to all that she cares about and for, Keely has ridden such awing to magnificent, ethereal heights.

Julia Kaitlin Walter
If we were to wish upon a star, Kaitlin is what we’d wish for: a fun-loving and very funny, “infectiously energetic” friend (as a classmate said), a brainy and provocative seminar circle comrade, a dedicated and rousing team player (“Whoo hoo!”), a startlingly original artist and a singing none such, a highly comedic  actress with timing more accurate than Timex.  Kaitlin gives herself - mind,body and soul - to whatever she’s decided to put into her mental planner, from Special Olympics to student government to SeniorExhibition to St. Joe’s. Goofily dancing in a skit or putting on thethrift-Ritz, Kaitlin gives us all permission to let down our hair, orat least try a new do. All that she does is laced with this double sense of experimentation and delight, what the poet Jack Gilbert called “the stubbornness to accept our gladness in/ the ruthless/ furnace of this world.” Kaitlin wisely acknowledges the heat, but faithfully staysin the kitchen, knowing that something simply wonderful can come fromeclectic ingredients and a hot oven. As for the hard work of academics, Kaitlin makes it look like shooting fish in a barrel: nailing literary analysis or creating a credible voice in her own writing, arguing apoint in history or translating a complex passage in a French novel, finding a solution to a new collage conundrum - her mental dexterity and promethean imagination combine to stunning effect.  And she is generous, through and through: while we’d be smart to accept any psychiatric help she might offer, we know she’d never charge us a nickel.  We do owe her, though, for these four not poor, not fair,not good but excellent years.

Emma Rosso Werlin
A whirlwind of colorful intentionality, a “rocket on the soccer field” and other athletic venues, a get-it-right-or-don’t-bother sort of kid, Emma banishes the bad times, guarantees the good times and never, ever messes with Mr. In-Between. She is endlessly inventive as she looks for ways to make life more rich, more fun, more meaningful for everyone in the path of her positive tornado. She keeps herself and everyone else organized and on task, applying her fine and facile mind and her prodigious work ethic to accomplish twice the amount in half the time. Dissatisfied with anything less than her best effort, Emma is, once inside the classroom or lab or onto the lacrosse or soccer field or volleyball court, the last to leave - except when something or someone else needs tending to in her busy life. Mere understanding is insufficient; Emma chases and often collars mastery itself, Spanish verb forms to literary analysis to the perfect serve or midfield transition. Teammates and classmates see this fortitude and strive to emulate it; Emma thus becomes an active, if entirely unassuming, agent for communal success, a most inspirational player not just on the playing field; heart and soul, she is the rightful keeper of the toadcharm.   Boisterous cheerleader or serious peer counselor,long-time friend or latest acquaintance at the homeless shelter, Emmagives every role and relationship a sparkling three-dimensionality.  It is her special genius.

William Fessenden Wilder
If two roads diverged in a wood Willy Wilder were wandering, he’d pick the one that promised more adventure. He’d stop at the fork and check out the scene with an analytical eagle eye and the good judgment that comes from experience. No doubt Willy would be astride Knut, leading pack animals, and behind him would probably be some other A Horsecampers he’d talked into coming along for the fun. (“There’s no way not to like him,” wrote one friend.) What would happen down the road is anyone’s guess - but it would surely be the result of Willy’s special, robust blend of curiosity and ambition, common sense and ingenuity, skill and resourcefulness.  Willy is an ace problem-solver: in the rugged Sespe or in calculus class, in a sudden ocean squall or at a woodshop bench, in the concrete hallways of the actual Lower School or the still virtual one, he is quick to see the options, eager to grapple with the complexities, and amply gifted to arrive ultimately at a sensible, concise, yet inherently elegant answer to the question or problem. Loping Poco towards a shiny dollar in the dirt, Willy is intent and successful. Turned loose on a soccer or lacrosse field, Willy is equally so, and - miraculously - both calm and energized, completely suited to the task of doing his part, say, to secure a fifth consecutive Condor League Championship title. We crane to watch the last horse in that packstring disappear, trusting completely in Willy’s capacity to handle whatever’s around the bend and hopeful that he’ll send some news from down the trail.

Gabriel Alexander Yette
Read about Gabe in the paper, check out his teachers’ reports, interview people on the streets of Thacher, and you’ll hear one word reverentially repeated: strong. Many note Gabe’s physical strength: rock-solid, at times downright amazing, allowing him to sprint up or down Sierra switchbacks with equal ease, or to sweep the defensive end of the soccer field of pesky opponents, to churn up huge swaths as a running back or to eat dirt in stealing a base - all of it for the good of the team. Other admirers comment on Gabe’s mental strength: his stoic ability to filter out distractions and zero in on what needs to be done: dig into the details for an Envi-Sci or biology lab report, get the guy out at first, set up or take down the Indoor event, separate rumor from fact in order to help resolve a disagreement. Emotional strength is also in Gabe’s possession; compounded by moralclarity and a walk-the-walk independence, it makes for reliable potencyand confirms what the great 17th century mathematician, Blaise Pascal,held as true: “Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true” (even when it’s a line drive to your coach’s ribcage). Gabe is slow to judge others but “willing to call anyone on hurtful orplain wrong behavior,” said one friend. “He can go from goofy toserious when called to settle differences or right wrongs.” Recalledanother, “He often puts others before himself.”  Like one of his sports heroes, Bo Jackson, Gabe sets his goals high and doesn’t stop ‘til he gets there. He is thereby inspirational at the root meaning ofthe word - we all breathe more fully by the strength of Gabe’s example.

Michael Jee Woo Yun
Following the advice of the philosopher-kid with the blanket, Michael has “directed the forces of his life” with clarity and purpose, affecting the quality of his own days and ours, fulfilling what Thoreau called “the highest of arts.”  Michael moves with genteel well-temperedness, enjoying the company of others and accepting them as they are - because he’s so well-attuned to who he is. “What he shows usall,” wrote one friend, “is that being in touch with your core is anoble thing.”  At that center live kindness and sensitivity, true - but useful pragmatism, imaginativeness and analytical agility reside there, as well. Indefatigable in his pursuit of knowledge or mastery, Michael does not falter when faced with challenge; rather, he hums apleasant tune (perhaps an aria new to his repertoire), puts hisshoulder to the wheel and perseveres valiantly, asking questions,seeking direction, judiciously utilizing all his energy to ensure a positive outcome. Michael is the consummate collaborator, nurturing others’ ideas and strengths while honoring his own. No wonder he is so cherished as a cast member of the musical, as a Chamber Singer, a Ridgeman or gutsy soloist: he understands at the most subtle level that his voice, joined with others or by his own piano, can serve as a force that both connects us to our humanity and sends us towards heaven. Linus actually didn’t get it quite right: The happiness that Michael has brought us is no fleeting thing at all.