Junior year has been a blur so far. With the big increase in both work and independence, my days have been longer and more meaningful than ever before. And while the days have been long, the weeks seem to fly by! I can’t believe I have been in classes for a whole month. So far, my days here at Thacher have been filled with amazing classes such as AP Environmental Science and Honors U.S. History, tennis matches (varsity is undefeated in league thus far!) and fun times with friends in the library during Study Hall. The nightlife during the week has been characterized by tons of munchouts with my amazing prefects, hanging out with my grade on the pergola, and enjoying the study hall snack bar on Tuesday nights in the commons. The weekends represent a time to sleep in, go on runs on Thacher’s stellar trails, get extra work done and head into town for some shopping and lunch. All of these components have truly added up to a swell first month here on campus! There has been one event in particular that really illustrates the “amazingness” of my junior year so far. This past Tuesday night, my entire grade headed down to the pool after check-in and had a huge pool party. We blasted some tunes, witnessed some crazy dives and got to hang out with all of our classmates. The pool party was a blast and it really signifies the increase in independence we receive as upperclassmen. In essence, Junior year represents both a deep challenge and a joy.