And We’re Off

Once again the beginning of the school year was filled with activity. Returning athletes from several sports and students involved in the Astronomy Program arrived first. Then our new leaders, the senior class, gathered on campus to meet with faculty members and prepare for their new roles. Sunday saw the most activity with the arrival, first, of returning sophomores and juniors. Then, a warm welcome for freshman families marked the beginning of the Thacher adventure for the class of 2023. 

Thacher athletes from the football, girls’ tennis, volleyball, and cross country teams, along with the lead student riders showed up for pre-season training and practice. Students also took the opportunity to bond with teammates and share some relaxing time on campus, watching films, hiking, and just hanging out before everyone else arrived. 

The senior class made a concerted effort to make arrival on campus and the farewell to families as stress-free as possible. After all, they remembered that day, three years ago, when they were in the same position. Before parents said good-bye to their kids, though, they met advisors and visited the barns, where new riders gathered their riding gear. After families departed, the games began—the All-School Games. What better way to get to know your new community!

Next up on the beginning of school schedule was EDTs. All freshmen, accompanied by faculty and senior prefects, headed to Golden Trout Camp for their first Thacher camping experiences. The rest of the community spread out across the state: Giant Sequoia National Monument for bikepacking, kayaking at Catalina Island, horse camping in the Sespe, and backpacking at Mammoth Lakes were just a few of the destinations and trips. New associate director of admission, Grace Lowe CdeP 2011, said that the camping trips are one of her favorite job perks.

Under the Pergola, the whole School gathered for the first formal community meal—New Year’s Banquet. It was an opportunity for Head of School Blossom Beatty Pidduck CdeP 1992 to remind everyone of the value of being all-in: 

“This is a collective endeavor. We are living and working and learning in connection and commitment to one another and the world around us.

There are no passengers at The Thacher School. We’re all on the crew—all responsible for this journey.

And the collective nature of the journey, our responsibility for one another, brings with it the opportunity to make connections unlike those you will make in any other community. Don’t pass that by. Don’t let your assumptions or your judgements or your fears get in the way of knowing one another, of seeing one another, of taking care of one another. ... 

Allow for the possibility of something or someone unexpected. It’s all here waiting for you; all you have to do is welcome it.”

In Thacher tradition, the next morning, prior to the beginning of classes, Ms. Pidduck read the Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Then, students and teachers met in classrooms to begin a year of inquiry.