After More Than a Year Away, EDTs Return
Excited to get Thacher students back out on EDTs, our trips were quickly improvised as plans were halted by fires, droughts, and closures of parks and forests. Our class trips expanded across Catalina Island, the Channel Islands, Morro Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Leo Carrillo, Big Sur, and El Capitan.
While our Backcountry Program was significantly impacted by covid last year, we were excited to get our community back to these amazing trips. Due to fires, droughts, and closures of parks and forests, we had to improvise. Our 9th graders, along with a group of 18 faculty chaperones, were sent to the beautiful Catalina Island. Other class trips expanded across the Channel Islands, Morro Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Leo Carrillo, Big Sur, and El Capitan.
Senior Cyrus L. shared his kayaking trip with Mr. McMahon and Mr. Poulsen at Catalina Island, “We played football on our kayaks with the other kayaking trip group when we bumped into each other midway through our journey down the coast of Catalina, [and] we had incredible bonding moments when we would just lie in our sleeping bags, staring at the starry night sky next to one another, and share thoughts and stories about our family, our feelings, and our aspirations.”
Another group that went to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park with Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Conway had the luxury of homemade pizza in a portable pizza oven! They also had the pleasure of running into Carol McConnell CdeP 1981 and her husband under a 1000+ year old redwood tree while on a hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains Redwood State Park!
Alumni and Development Office staff member Ms. Gomez had her first experience chaperoning juniors and seniors on Santa Cruz Island with faculty member Dr. Swift. She shared how impressed she was with students' courage and Dr. Swift’s ability to engage with them in learning experiences at every corner. Doc led the students on kayaks through Santa Cruz caves and gave them the confidence to trust the water currents and know their strength to safely enter the jagged cave openings.
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A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.