Kids need three things: to be known, to be loved, and to be held to a high standard. This is the message Mr. Mulligan often shares with families visiting Thacher for the first (or second, or third) time. His wisdom is offered as an example of how our school understands teenagers and what they need better than any other place in the world. For months now I’ve nodded along, agreeing in my gut that this was right, but not truly internalizing the idea — too busy focusing instead on the faces in the room, who gets it, who still needs a chair, who’s lost somewhere on campus. But as my own freshman year at Thacher comes to a close I seem to be having an “ah ha” moment as guru Oprah would say — one that crystalized for me somewhere around eight thousand feet in Sequoia National Park, huddled around a campfire in the middle of a snowstorm with eleven students and two amazingly wonderful fellow trip leaders. It’s not just kids who need those three things. It’s everyone. It’s me.

When I first visited Thacher for my own interview last spring, a feeling I couldn’t name took hold inside of me. A little voice said “yes, this is the place” — which seemed totally right and completely insane at the same time. I imagine it’s how so many of our prospective students feel when they listen to my colleagues and I describe the school, or walk around this magnificent campus. There is something special happening here – in the hills, in the endless blue sky, in the faces of the students and faculty who will take you in, no questions asked. The ones who know you, love you, and hold you to a high standard. I came here not even knowing that’s what I needed, and I’ve found it in abundance.