Fall 2002

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School. Thacher, like allschools, is the uniquecombination of the indi-viduals who occupy it inany given moment intime.… One year is theactual life span of eachschool we create, em-brace, celebrate, andthen vacate in this an-nual cycle.” So here weare, at the beginningonce again, with our eyes

still on the creation component, eager to see just whatsort of Thacher we’ll fashion and form this year. We ex-pect, given what we’ve seen so far of the new kids andadults on the block, and the positive spirit with which theseasoned ones have returned, it’ll be, as we intone everyfall, “the best year yet.”————1smut: 9th grader, freshman; the term derives from the fact thatLower Schoolers were typically the pot cleaners on camping tripsand often got campfire soot on their faces.2TOADtalk: the Monday morning Assembly offering of the Teacheron Active Duty; a poem, a reflection, a song, an exhortation, a per-sonal story—it can take whatever form the teacher wishes.

Parents’ PostGETTING HERE/BEING HERETheir paths to our gate areas different as our localMcNell Road, shaded byarching olive tree branches,is from the several-laned I-405: one read aboutThacher in U.S. News andWorld Report and pursuedan application, dragginghis initially bemused thenequally convinced parentsbehind him; another’suncle is a faculty memberhere; another was attend-ing a program in Mainewith which Thacher is af-filiated and heard whisperings of “thisschool in California”; someone else wastouring another school and heard aboutus, came for a visit out of curiosity, and fellin love with the place and the people. Manyfollowed paths well worn by relativeswho’ve attended or presently attend—abrother or sister, uncle, aunt, father, grand-father, great-grandfather or second cousin-once removed. Some have traveled thou-sands of miles to be here (from theMidwest or the East Coast, from China,Japan, Kenya, Korea, New Zealand, SaudiArabia); others had to walk out the gate to walk in thegate on Opening Day. But whatever direct or circuitousroute they took, however short or long, these new stu-dents and faculty are already family, already valued forthe perspectives and opinions and worldviews and talentsthey bring to this community. Fifty-one freshpeople (or,in the jargon, smuts1), a dozen new sophomores, andtwo new juniors, as well as a handful of new teachers,have joined the rest of us returning folk to help make anew Thacher. I’m reminded of a TOADtalk2 Englishteacher Bo Manson gave two years ago at the end of thatacademic year. He said, “In fact, there is no one Thacher

A Newsletter for Parents and Friends of The Thacher School Fall 2002

My parents encouraged me to make decisions

myself—to talk to teachers and to my

advisor. That’s been one of the wonderful

surprises about this place—that this is my

journey (as my mother likes to say). And that

it’s actually welcomed and expected at

Thacher for students to participate in solving

problems they encounter. Its about learning

how capable we are ourselves.

—Charlie Munzig, School Chair, in hiswelcome address to new families on Opening Day

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joined the Development Team as a Cam-paign Gifts Officer, a job to which he bringswide work experience: he was a consultantin the area of geology and in all aspects ofmanagement for ExecuTrain Corporation,the world’s largest computer training com-pany. Scott also brings with him to workeach day his son, Richard, who’s joined thesophomore class.

LECTURES&CONCERTSBased on just these early weeks’ events, it’sclear that this year’s Lectures & Concerts se-ries, under the guidance of Elizabeth Bow-man, will again be provocative, enlightening,entertaining—and always engaging.Folksy/bluesy singer-songwriter Leah Siegel

kicked off this year’s program with a Friday evening under-the-stars performance in the Cen-tennial Amphitheatre. Next, foran after-formal-dinner lectureand discussion came Dr.Ruqayya Khan, UCSB’s Centerfor Middle Eastern Studies Vis-iting Scholar in ComparativeLiterature and Religious Stud-ies. Dr. Khan spoke about thedistinctions between and over-laps in the Arab and Islamicworlds. Other recent eveningsincluded cowboy musicianDavid Stamey and a screening of Mighty Times: The Legacy of RosaParks—a documentary directed and produced by local artisans

Bobby Houston and Rob Hud-son—and one on which our ownTyler Manson CdeP 2000 worked,as well. Many other artists, as wellas lecturers of all kinds, will maketheir way to Thacher throughoutthe year. Be sure to check in onthe School’s web site for upcom-ing events (www.thacher.org). In-

cidentally, several students are serving as helpers to Elizabeth, greet-ing and hosting guests, as well as previewing upcoming events atAssembly. They are Rebeccah Gore-Judd, Jenna Reasor, StephenRooke, Matt O’Meara, Sarah Jackler, Mike Quintana, Julia Erdman,Sarah Shaikh, and Lucy Hodgman.

SR EXIn submitting their detailed Senior Exhibition proposals, 12thgraders have now taken their first official step in that now decade-oldprogram. Over the next several months, they’ll research, refine, insome cases change their focus, dive deep, and discover much—andby the third weekend in April, we’ll witness, as we do every year, their

INFUSIONSerendipity, lucky stars in alignment, part of the Master Plan—whatever the case, we’re over-the-top happy to have these newfaculty members in our midst: Kara and Jeff Hooper are most re-cently from Texas Military Institute, where they taught English anda combination of History and Spanish, respectively. In addition toteaching those courses here, Jeff coaches football; Kara works withEnglish 1 and English 3 students and will coach the Varsity Girls’Soccer and JV Girls’ Lacrosse Teams, come winter and spring. Jeffholds a BA from Trinity University (TX) and an MA from the Uni-versity of Texas at Austin in Latin American Studies. Kara, who wasa “fac brat” at and is a graduate of Hotchkiss School (CT), earned herBA at Colby College (ME), and will soon complete her MA at Mid-dlebury College (VT). Bill Rexford, most recently Dean of Studentsat Rye Country Day in Westchester County, NY, teaches history andcoaches football; during the spring season, he’ll be tending to theBoys’ Varsity Lacrosse team as their head coach. Bill earned his BAfrom Dartmouth (NH) and a Masters degree from Lewis and ClarkCollege (OR). Sondy, Bill’s wife, has left her career in interior design(she majored in this area at Oregon State University) in order tolaunch her own line of stationery. Spencer Stevens, our new AP Bi-ology and chemistry teacher, taught most recently at Brimmer andMay in Cambridge, MA; Spencer fills his fall afternoons with theOutdoor Program, and in the spring, he will coach JV Boys’ Lacrosse.Spencer, whose undergraduate degree bears the Dartmouth seal,comes to Thacher with invaluable lab experience as a researcher inthe bio-tech field. New to the Horse Program faculty are Interns CamSpaulding CdeP 1992 and Erin Anderson. After graduating fromLewis and Clark (OR), Cam, putting many skills learned and pas-sions discovered at Thacher, worked for several years on ranches inMontana and Hawaii, then in southern Idaho as field instructor foran experiential education program for at-risk youth. With a diplomain Equine Business Management, Erin has several years of workingwith horses and in the riding world under her belt; her expertise in-cludes eventing (she was a member of the Australian EventingSquad), polocrosse and polo, English dressage, as well as western rid-ing; she also has completed the Certificate 3 level in veterinary stud-ies in her native Australia. Scott Smith (BA, Duke University) has

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who did double shifts: first at a UCSB-owned nature preserve, wherehe collected and catalogued native plants, installed irrigation sys-tems, and restored a large eroded hillside, and with People HelpingPeople, a group that focuses on building maintenance, yark work,and the sorting and organizing of non-perishable items for distri-bution to those in need. Arielle Flam (back from her School YearAbroad in Spain) rolled up her white coatsleeves at an immunologylab at UCLA, where she shadowed some of the scientists there whowere working on a therapeutic vaccine for melanoma. Tucking intothe Teton County (WY) Library’s nooks and crannies was LindsayHunt, who helped with various projects and read to children. De-lighting youngsters was also Emily Love-Platt’s bailiwick, as a vol-unteer at the San Diego Natural History Museum, where she servedas an exhibit interpreter for a prehistoric crocodile exhibit. Transla-tion: Emily got to handle king snakes and bearded dragons. Equallyhands-on, Alex Huth gave his time and talents to the US GeologicalSurvey in Tucson, AZ, where he built computers and wrote pro-gramming. Taking service even farther afield were Peter Oberndorf

transformation from students to teachers. Among the several dozentantalizing topics flying around: Myths and Dragons in Literature:The Cultural Origins; Language Acquisition in Children; HistoricalPortrayals and Perceptions of Virginity in Art, Religion, and Literature;Marriage Rituals: A Multicultural Comparison; High-speed Photog-raphy; Homelessness in an Affluent Society; Artificial Intelligence;Marilyn Monroe and Katherine Hepburn: Icons in a pre-feminist So-ciety; Relativity; Horse Whisperers. Can’t wait.

POINT/COUNTERPOINTThe Sir Winston Churchill Debating Society opened its year weigh-ing a resolution that “the United States should take military actionagainst Iraq forthwith.”Arguing the affirmative were Calvin Kim andKatie Kuhl; the negative, Troy Pollet and David Moore. PresidentMartin Sawyer gave the negative rebuttal, and Stephen Rooke theaffirmative. The audience voted with their feet, leaving Room 14 byone door or the other to express which team provided the argumentwith greater merit; among our students, the negative over-whelmingly secured the majority vote. [Of course, this writerhas no idea how that will read in two weeks’ time (with thisPost going to press just after President Bush made his speechto Congress on this critical issue).] Students from Cate Schoolhave been invited to come to our campus to engage in thesame debate—an eerily historic repetition, SWCDS advisorMarvin Shagam recalled, in that in 1991, Thacher debaters,taking the less popular side in deference to their guests fromthe Mesa, advocated the use of force in compelling SaddamHussein to withdraw from Kuwait. At that time, the Thacheraudience voted against Thacher in favor of the position heldby Cate’s debaters.

THE SPIRIT OF PITCHING INMany Thacher students lent a hand this summer in volunteeractivities, some in their own backyards and others far fromhome. A sampling: Maddie Ignon worked with her mother atthe West Hollywood Food Coalition, cooking and serving the home-less of that neighborhood. In a similar effort, Laurel Back—alongwith her mom and sister—ran a two-week camp for the childrenwho frequent the Project Understanding homeless shelter in Ven-tura. In Marin County, Katie Telischak volunteered at a one-week artscamp for disadvantaged kids, working with artists in teaching dance,drawing, puppetry, and painting to children ages 4 to 12. Through-out the summer, Katie also tutored one-on-one in math, reading,and writing in a program that aims to catch junior high schoolersabout to fall through the academic cracks. Right next door, RebeccaMayne worked for Meals Of Marin, making food for AIDS victims:MOM is part of the Marin AIDS Project, an organization withwhich Rebecca was involved last school year. John Babbott workedas a researcher for Direct Relief International, a nonprofit medicalsupplies distributor based in Santa Barbara. Close by, Zak Kitnickably served the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, a non-profit organization and gallery launched several years ago by artistsfor artists; although Zak’s official job involved returning information(including slides) to artists who’d submitted their work for review,Zak, as a bonus, got a gander at some great, new artwork along theway. Also volunteering in the Santa Barbara area was Barrett Brown,

Observing and living in a community so

impoverished yet so rich in culture had an

enormous impact on the way I returned to

see my own country.—Peter Oberndorf

and Clare Holstein. After intensive training in language, communi-cation, building, and maintenance, Peter spent seven weeks in Valle,Honduras, with Amigos De Las Americas (and in collaboration withSave the Children), ahome-stay program inwhich Peter and his twopartners were responsiblefor completing a localhealth education project.So enthused was he by theexperience, Peter’s beenasked to be a statesidespokesperson for the pro-gram. Clare (pictured herewith two of the campers inher care) joined a dozenother Californians who, after painstakingly raising funds dollar bydollar, traveled to the Vladimir region of Russia, where they organ-ized and ran a two-week summer sports camp for kids from 10 dif-ferent orphanages in the region—a total of over 100 children. Clare’sspecialty was music and drama.

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Charlie Munzig, Class of 2003

In a recent editorial, news analyst DanielSchorr reflected on how American’s liveshave changed since September 11:

“I do not see the transformation of Amer-ica in the past year that many talk about.The year since 9/11 has left us with littlemore than a profusion of flags, a height-ened sense of respect for uniformedpublic servants, and an uneasy sense ofvulnerability. The U.S.A. Freedom Corpsthat President Bush called for has nottaken off. The State of the Union sum-mons to a new culture of responsibility,to replace the culture of selfishness, be-came almost a mockery when the seriesof financial scandals starting with Enronbroke. The Wall Street Journal records that by 38 to 30% the econ-omy outranks terrorism as a priority for Americans. The WashingtonPost records that positive attitudes towards government, which soaredafter 9/11, have largely changed back.

One hears much about a greater sense of solidarity, of public spirit-edness and religious tolerance since 9/11, and more civility. And onemight add, increased apprehension and increased bridling at incon-venience. In the end, I suspect we will end up being much the waywe were.”

I hope Daniel Schorr is wrong. We will always remember where wewere on September 11, 2001. As a generation, we will be marked bythe events of that day. I hope we will demonstrate a new commit-ment to public service. I hope that as we reach our eighteenth birth-days and become citizens with full voting rights, we will exercisethose rights conscientiously. I hope we will have the courage tostand up for what we believe is true and right about our nation andbrave enough to speak out when we believe it is misguided. I hope

we will be a generation to lead our nation to help others in a newspirit of compassion, generosity, and tolerance. I hope we will becomecitizens not just of the United States, but of the world.

Sarah Shaikh, Class of 2003

The day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin De-lano Roosevelt said in an address to Congress “ We look forward to aworld founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is free-dom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world. The secondis freedom of every person to worship god in his own way—every-where in the world. The third is freedom from want, which, translatedinto world terms, means economic understandings which will secureto every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—every-where in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translatedinto world terms means a world-wide reduction of armaments to sucha point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a po-sition to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world. That is no vision of a distant millennium; it isa definite basis for a world attainable in our own time and generation.Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere.”

So, my fellow students, I encourage you to emulate these four essen-tial freedoms. We are the next generation of leaders and it is our dutyto lead the creation of a free world to all. We must create a worldwhere hate and war are not prevalent but instead where freedom

stands tall. My challenge to you is take on this task, and implementthese freedoms to make them the pillars of the world.

Ian Whittinghill, Class of 2003

I am an American. I have lived a blessed American life. I havethe freedom to dream, to build, and to explore. You and I live

the life the founders imagined for us. We are the proof that their sac-rifices were not in vain. They had security and love, but they valuedliberty more. The signers of the Declaration of Independence weresigning their own death warrants. They put a price on their heads forour sake and, thereby, set an American tradition of self-sacrifice.

Why would they do such a thing? They lived privileged lives. Theywere men of means, education, and prestige. They were able to cre-ate wonderful lives for their children and had property and businessesto hand down to them. Why risk it all? Hadn’t they attained “theAmerican Dream?”

This summer I learned that one of the signers was my great-great,great-great, great grandfather, Carter Braxton. He saw his fleet ofmerchant ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He eventu-ally had to sell his home and property to pay his debts. Five signerswere captured by the British as traitors and tortured before theydied. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost sonsserving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

LLike countless other communities across the country and manyparts of the world, Thacher spent a part of September 11 in reflec-tion and remembrance. At the Outdoor Chapel, the School gatheredfor a service that included our entering the amphitheater to theLacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem, then listening to readings bySchool Chair Charlie Munzig and his classmates Sarah Shaikh andIan Whittinghill, as well as by Julia Robinson and Max Anderson; arendition of William Byrd’s Non Nobis Domine by The ChamberSingers and a few of faculty; and a closing hymn, America, the Beau-tiful—affirmation of what the late conductor and composer LeonardBernstein once said, “This will be our reply to violence: to makemusic more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly thanever before.”

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Nine of the 56 signers fought and died from wounds or hardships ofthe war. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she wasdying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmillwere laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves,returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A fewweeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

They were…who America became. A people of great vision. Peoplecommitted to truth and human rights. A people willing to standagainst tyranny.

Twenty-five thousand people escaped the towers on September 11.As they were running down the stairwells, we have all heard their sto-ries about looking into the faces of the rescuers who were runninginto the building. Afterwards, firemen from all over the country lefttheir families to climb onto the uncertainty of the five-story pile ofrubble to look for survivors.

These brave men tie us to our past. The all-American cause of freedomand self-sacrifice runs deep within us. Americans are stirred to valorwhen liberty is hanging in the balance. There is not enough darkness inthe world to put out the light of freedom. This is the real AmericanDream. And you don’t need a Costco card, J.Crew catalog, or a stock-broker to get it. America dreams a dream of freedom for the world.

Are we naive? Perhaps. Is our view of right and wrong too simple?Maybe.

But still, we cherish the lives of patriots who run into the face oftyranny. Agonizing loss is redeemed through their self-sacrifice asthey pass the mantle to us. They make us grateful. They make usproud. They [help] us remember how fragile goodness and kindnessand justice are in this flawed and foolish world.

And so it goes. God has shed His grace on America. I have been thelucky son who lived the American life of which my father and my great-great-great-great, great-grandfather, Carter Braxton, dreamed.

Max Anderson Class of 2005

About a week after September 11, I received this story in an e-mailfrom a friend:

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how hefelt about a recent tragedy. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fight-ing in my heart. One is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other is theloving, compassionate one.” The grandson asked him, which one will winthe fight in your heart?” The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”

When I think back a year to the tragic events of September 11, someof the most chilling accounts for me were of telephone calls madeand email or phone messages left by those trapped in the World TradeCenter Towers who knew or suspected that the end of their lives wasclose at hand. It is telling, I think, and it leaves a lesson to be learned,that every message left was to express love. Every caller, facing his orher own death, wished only to connect one last time with loved ones,to offer and to receive one last assurance of love. Can we not learnfrom these sad stories that, in the end, what is ultimately mostimportant is our connection to others, the love and compassion weoffer and receive—not anger or violence? And can we not learn tonur ture and “feed” in our hear ts what is most impor tantafter all?

Julia Robinson, Class of 2004

The former poet laureate Billy Collins recently wrote: “Pick a poem,any poem, from an anthology, and you will see that it is speaking forlife and therefore against the taking of it. A poem about mushroomsor about a walk with the dog is a more eloquent response to Sept. 11than a poem that announces that wholesale murder is a bad thing.”

I would now like to read a piece by Mary Oliver. It was not writtenin response to September 11, but I feel that it does pertain to it.

Poppies

The poppies send up theirorange flares; swaying in the wind, their congregationsare a levitation

of bright dust, of thinand lacy leaves.There isn’t a place in this world that doesn’t

sooner or later drownin the indigos of darkness,but now, for a while,the roughage

shines like a miracleas it floats above everythingwith its yellow hair.Of course nothing stops the cold,

black, curved blade from hooking forward—of course loss is the great lesson.

But also I say this: that lightis an invitation to happiness,and that happiness,

when it’s done right,is a kind of holiness,palpable and redemptive.Inside the bright fields,

touched by their rough and spongy gold,I am washed and washedin the river of earthly delight—

and what are you going to do—what can you doabout it—deep, blue night?

With just a few weeks of working with their horses and their facultyleaders under their belts, the School’s new riders are looking moreand more like the pros they’ll be by Big Gymkhana time. In the get-

ting-ready portion ofthe Horse Program,“What goes where?”is a question put torest shortly after“You want me to dowhat to his foot…Imean, hoof?!?”—andit’s not long beforethe proportion ofpreparation-to-ridingtime tips towards theon-board experience.The recent FamilyWeekend provided,as it does year afteryear, proof positivethat the outside of ahorse is very goodfor the inside of aboy or girl.

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Two-for-the-price-of-one:Rebekkah McFarland ridesLax and leads Ty.

Coulter Woolf and hisinstructor Cam Spauldingshare a chuckle.

Trotting

Dallas Swift picks Dave’shoof clean before saddling.

out of their

ComfoZ

Feedlot loosethe care of R

Rlidm

Elise Post leaves noleather unchecked asshe preps her horse,Salazar, for theirafternoon ride.

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ortZones

ens up underRyan Smith.

All smiles,Lauren Chasemakes Bert heel.

Josephine Chow usesa light touch to steerTrigger out of thebarn area.

Martha Gregory moves Dandyin a ground work circle.

Leaving nothing to Chance (herhorse), Catherine Robinson makessure her latigo and cinch don’t pinch.

Flag-flapping doesn’tseem to bother WillyWilder’s steed, Soap.

Ruth Sawyerleads the will-ing Frecklesdown to themounting area.

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ALL POINTS OFTHE COMPASSFall camping trips took studentsand faculty all over the state andeven off-shore in early September,and by all variety of means, thanksto various individuals’ creative plan-ning, combined with the experi-enced oversight of Brian Pidduck,Director of the Outdoor Program.Treks—none under cloudless blueskies and some even in snow!—inthe High Sierra (and the Low) andthe Hidden Coast of Northern Cal-ifornia, to the windswept SantaCruz Island, to the Los Padres back

country. Unusualadventures this fallincluded the Boys’Cross CountryTeam’s training ontrails in theGolden Trout (Mt. Langley/Mt. Whitney) area as a team of peerhorse packers kept them supplied; the Girls’ Cross Country team’s

training on Hawaiian shoresunder the guidance of x-ccoach (and Big Island na-tive) Theana Hancock; andthree dozen Thacher kidsand teachers learning theropes (known, they’ll tellyou now, as lines), as well asmarine navigation, celestial

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star plotting, and seashanty singing on the SSVTole Mour, a three-mast,square-sail schoonerowned by Thacher alumLarry Janss CdeP 1968. Al-though it’s hard to arguefor what lasts longest in

terms of what students learn on these trips, weknow that it’s in giving that the greatest isgained: in redistributing the pack of a floun-

dering fellowhiker, in givingthe last of yourgorp to some-one who lookslike she coulduse it, in sing-ing a cheeringsong on the trail when you’d honestlyrather moan and groan. And then

there’s the visible that endures and actually grows: the work done byThacher campers on campsite and trail maintenance on Santa Cruzis right up there for positiveimpact. The efforts Thacher

students and faculty (Steve Carter andLi Li leading the charge) have investedin working with the National ParkService to restore the fragile ecosys-tem of that island are long-reachingand visible in the form of abundantnew plant species and the retreat ofinvasive weeds such as thistle, mus-tard, and fennel.

ESTEEMED NOT MERELY BY USHonored at this fall’s annual meeting of the Secondary School Ad-mission Test Board was our own Monique DeVane, Assistant Headfor External Affairs, who won the Everett Gourley Award, “estab-lished to recognize an individual whose interest in students andconcern for colleagues is an inspiration to those who serve in ad-mission.” Active far beyond Thacher in regional and organizations

such as the SSATB, the Western Boarding SchoolsAssociation, and The Association of BoardingSchools,“Monique, while not a classroom teacher,is teaching all of the time,” according to the awardpresenter,“and she exhibits the finest qualities of agreat instructor: she’s an expert in her field, shehas an uncanny ability to explain things, she con-nects in a meaningful ways with students, and shemakes us all want to be our best.”We couldn’t agreemore.

SUMMER SCHOOLAs part of the faculty’s on-going professional development, Dr.Michael Grinder, National Director of Neural-Linguistic Program-

ming in Education, spent a half-day with us before the open-ing of school in a workshop designed to increase effectivenessin teaching. Both theoretical and practical in his approach,Dr. Grinder walked us through various teaching-and-learn-ing scenarios involving the three primary modalities of per-ception (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) and the variousinput, storage, and retrieval styles. For both experiencedteachers and newer ones, it was a productive, helpful, entirelytopical morning well-spent. Faculty and staff also refreshedtheir CPR and Wilderness First Aid skills during the week

preceding school’s opening in late August. On their individual pathsto greater knowledge were many faculty this summer and early fall:taking Advanced Placement teaching seminars in their subjects wereFred Coleman andTheana Hancock (bothin Calculus), PierreYoo (Chemistry), Eliz-abeth Mahoney (Stu-dio Art), Brian Pid-duck (EnvironmentalScience), SpencerStevens (Biology), andKurt Supplee (Statis-tics). Kurt also headednorth to Ontariowhere he attended akayaking seminarsponsored by the Na-tional Outdoor Lead-ership School. Directorof College CounselingMaria Morales-Kent and Alice Meyer (AP Psychology—and newly anassistant to Maria) attended a UC Conference at UCSB where thefocus was the state system’s new comprehensive approach to collegeadmissions; also on the docket were plans for revising their per-

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forming/visualarts require-ments andtheir use of theSAT in admis-sion decisions.Several facultymembers con-tinued coursework towardsmasters orPhD degrees:Li Li in Chi-nese (shepassed her oraldefense of her

dissertation), Emily Etchells in Spanish (at St. Louis University’sMadrid campus), Kara Hooper in English (at Middlebury College’sSanta Fe locale); Buck Wales (Mathematics) returned to Santa Fe foranother set of Summer Seminars at St. John’s in Philosophy; hestudied Wittgenstein and Plato, and ventured into Woolf (Virginia,that is) territory. Katherine Halsey (French) returned to the PirelliHorse Clinic in Colorado to advance yet another level in that pro-gram. Watch out for flying lassos, too: Katherine also attended theWoodard Team Roping Clinic. After spending a week as a music the-ory consultant to the Advanced Placement testing program, GregHaggard took off for Minneapolis, where he attended the Interna-tional Choral Symposium. Meanwhile, Gallia Vickery (Mathematics,Dance) took in Summerdance workshops in Santa Barbara, whereshe focused on postmodernism, and ballet and jazz for moderndancers (with the directors of the Hubbard Street Dancers Chicago).Chuck Warren headed to Virginia and then to Portugal as he un-dertook clinics in classical and Spanish School riding. Holly Mitchem(Art History), in order to research an article for a journal that focuseson the Arts and Crafts Movement in design, sojourned to the islandof Iona (one of the Hebrides off the eastern coast of Scotland)where she learned more about Alexander Ritchie, a Scottish Arts andCrafts designer. Also going abroad was Austin Curwen, who traveledto South Africa with the National Association of IndependentSchools’ Delegation for Diversity, an offshoot of NAIS’s Equity andJustice branch. The purpose of the trip was to exchange informationabout attempts here in the States and in South Africa to create moreinclusive schools. The delegates visited school, met with the Chair ofthe Portfolio Committee on Education at the South African Parlia-ment, and met with various grassroots economic initiative groups.“It was a truly transformational trip,” reported Austin upon his re-turn.

P. P. S. TO 01-02These bits of news broke too late to make it into the final issue of lastyear, but they’re worthy of inclusion now: Last spring, ElizabethCraver was appointed as a Congressional Page, one of only 72 youngmen and women nation-wide appointed by the Speaker of the

House. Apparently, when Congressman Gallegly called to congrat-ulate Elizabeth, he underscored the importance that her attendingThacher had in the selection process, noting that another Toad—Robert Grether CdeP 1999—had demonstrated an unusually highcaliber of preparation when he served as an intern to Gallegly. Theproof ’s clearly in the pudding, as Elizabeth has been asked back, thistime as an intern. Also newsworthy: Thacher’s Athletic DirectorRich Mazzola was named California Scholastic Federation’s BaseballCoach of the Year for 2002. This came as little surprise to those of usadmirers who watched him coach—so ably, so thoughtfully, so intune with the qualities of the finest sportsmanship—last spring.

THREE’S A CHARM…morphs to “Three are charming!” when you consider the latest ad-ditions to the Thacher fac-brat army: born May 25 to the Larsons(Phoebe, Marc, and big bro Gordon) was Audrey Sherwood (7 lbs.,14 oz.). More recently, making her entrance on September 24 wasRiley Benson Carney (at 10 lbs., 11 oz., she was “already being fittedfor football pads,” according to her parents, Jason and Megan). Fol-lowing a few days later on September 28, Stapley Edwards took herrightful place in the Curwen clan (Alison, Austin, Darcy, and Tag),weighing in at 8 lbs., 6 oz. At this writing, all three babies are learn-ing how to sit tight as students spin them on the dining hall tables’lazy susans. Wheeee!

Photograph by Chris Eaton ’04

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Fall 2002

Dear Parents:

Greetings from your Parents’Association! We hope the year has gotten off to a great start for

all of you and your children. We also hope that you enjoyed the opportunities available dur-

ing the recent and glorious Family Weekend, to visit classes, to meet teachers, advisors, and

friends of your children, as well as other families, to witness Thacher Toads as athletes and

growing equestrians. There’s no wonder it’s a weekend we all love so much!

Although we are already in the thick of the new term’s work as presidents of the Parents

Association, we’d like to take this chance to glance backward for a moment, to thank all of

you who volunteered so generously last year to the very great benefit of the School and its

students. In particular, we wish to thank Marilyn Wallace (Elizabeth CdeP 1996, Benjamin

CdeP 1999, Nathan CdeP 2002, Alissa ’04) for serving as last year’s Parents’Association

President with such grace, skill, and unfailing devotion. As many of you already know,

Marilyn’s husband Bruce died in an accident earlier this fall. A brilliant scientist, devoted

husband and father, he was also a wonderful friend to Thacher, serving as a consultant on

many projects and about to start his term as a Trustee. We know we speak for all when we

extend our deepest sympathies to the Wallace family.

We are pleased to announce and thank the following individuals who have volunteered their

time this year to act as chairs of he various Parents’Association committees: Helen Keane

and Jill Kitnick, Grad Night; Elizabeth White, Library Services; Barb and Steve Medina

and Dennis Mitchem, Family Weekend BBQ; Sandy O’Meara, Debbie Tennant, Barb

Medina, and Terrie Torres, Thacher Gear Sales; Elaine Elliott, Grandparents’Day; Betsy

Smith, Faculty and Staff Appreciation; Nina Toumanoff, Exam Proctors; and Susie Bechtel,

Gymkhana Weekend Auction.

Thanks to all of you who responded to the volunteer letter sent out

in September via email or regular mail. We have received an enthu-

siastic response but there are still opportunities available if anyone

else wants to get involved. Remember, participation in Parents’As-

sociation activities is a wonderful way to become acquainted with

other parents while supporting your child and the School in a vari-

ety of ways. If you have any questions about how you might partic-

ipate or about upcoming school events, we can be reached at home

at (805) 484-9743 or by email at [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming school events and

games this late fall and winter.

With warm regards,

Kathy and Brian Back

THE THACHER SCHOOL

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

5025 THACHER ROAD • OJAI, CALIFORNIA 93023-9001 • (805) 646-4377 • FAX (805) 640-1033

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Production Credits

As I close this Post, I’m look-ing out the north window ofthe Head’s Home, the bam-boo there, not a little drought-dry, turning even more goldenin the glow of near-sunsetrays. The same sun catches thebacks of students headingdorm-ward (which alwaysmeans uphill) after sportspractice: they jostle and good-naturedly try to trip each other; onewalks with her own racket slung over one shoulder, her friend’sover the other; another, long-strided and slow, wipes sweat off hisforehead with his arm. I know that, while I can’t actually see themfrom here, on the other side of campus, 9th grade girls and boys areambling towards Lower School and Casa, dusty and sweaty, too.Soon, they remember that they’ve got to get to formal—whichmeans dinner—and they quicken their steps. I’m reminded thatthese transitional moments are as much a part of each day as the big-ger events they sew together, and that from this to that is the stuff ofour lives, too.

It was wonderful to see so many of you on Family Weekend. Untilnext time, all good cheer from Thacher!

EditorJoy Sawyer-Mulligan

Design and ProductionTim Ditch

PhotographyAlex Herr ’06, Theana Hancock, Katherine Halsey, MeganCarney, Kurt Supplee, Fred Coleman, Joy Sawyer-Mulligan