10. The Ojai Sunsets-majestic and beautiful, they’re like none other in the world

9. Munch-outs- Nothing beats ending a day eating ice-cream, cookies, and other snacks while hanging with your prefect group.

8. Open House- I still remember my disbelief at the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Mulligan have the whole school over every Saturday night, but now it’s one of my favorite parts of Thacher, whether eating cereal, playing monopoly, or watching a movie.

7. Formal dinner- While I spend probably more time complaining about formal than actually attending formal, I found I missed it over the summer. It’s a great way to get to know teachers, interact with upper classmen, and have a relaxing moment in your busy day.

6. The dorm- With only one older brother who was gone for most of the summer, I missed having 25 girls right outside my door. It’s so much fun and everyone gets along which makes living together easy.

5. Advisee dinners- What’s more fun than spending the night eating pizza and playing Wii, with not only four other girls from your class but with your advisors’ kids to?

4. Post check-in movies- A great way to wind up a busy Saturday is to watch a movie in the common room, with popcorn and a group of friends.

3. Towns runs- over the summer I missed my weekly Ruben’s fix, eating burritos in the park or getting ice creams on a hot day.

2. Class bonding experiences- whether root beer floats after check-in or S’more’s by the boys’ fire pit, it’s bound to be fun, usually with guitars and lots of laughing; its one of my favorite parts of Thacher.

1. As cheesy as this is going to sound, the thing I missed the most about Thacher, was Thacher. 2-10 are numbers, things that add up to make the Thacher experience, what it is and there are so many more, but really you can’t explain or say in any amount of words, how special and amazing the result is when you add all these things up and that’s what I missed the most; the moments that add up to equal Thacher.

While sleeping in and lazy summer days were great, I couldn’t wait for September to come, because it meant I got to come back to the magical cocoon that is Thacher.