It was a beautiful Sunday morning here in Ventura County, and eight young Thacher students (Reade, Brooke, Nick, Hannah, Olivia, Maya, Andrew, and Sydney) joined Mrs. Schryver and me at Kiddie Beach in Ventura to help with the Ventura County Best Day Foundation’s Beach Day for special needs kids.  We packed into the Suburbans at around 8:00 and headed to the beach.  Once there, we were given jobs (some people were buddies — paired with a participant — while others assisted with the activities) and then the fun began.  Kids of all ages were outfitted with wetsuits and helmets and guided along as moved through their choice of water sports:  kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, body surfing, and outrigger canoeing.  Nick, Sydney, Andrew, and Maya helped with the boogie boarding — riding wave after wave on special double-wide boards.  Brooke and Reade tried their hands at outrigger canoeing, treating the kids to a ride to the break water and back in these ten person canoes.  Olivia and Hannah assisted with gear distribution and then were in charge of keeping the kayaking line moving, chatting with the participants as they waited their turns for a spin in the boats.  We finished up with a tasty burrito lunch on the beach and then headed back over the hill, the kids thoughts already turning to the work that awaited them as we loaded up the vans.  Over all it was a fantastic way to spend a morning.