A typical Thacher student’s spring break is composed of sleep, catching up with old friends and missing Thacher.  This break, I found that in completing step 2 (meeting with old friends), I was constantly asked the following:  “How is Thacher different from other high schools? What is Thacher about? Are you still happy with your decision?”

Thacher is different, from day schools and even other boarding schools in a multitude of ways.  The community here is one of complete acceptance and support.  One would be hard pressed to find a place where failure is such a sacred part of everyday life.  We are taught that failure is not as important as our reaction to it.  The community is rich.  The teachers are passionate and eager to teach, but perhaps more importantly, they are eager to learn.  Life at Thacher is humbling.  The horse and camping programs remind us that we are all just one part of something larger than all of us.  We know that there is something to be learned from the nuzzle of a horse or the scent of the first orange blossoms.  It shows us that there is more than can ever be taught or learned, but there is no harm in trying.  Thacher teaches us to find what is important to us, and pursue it with conviction.  We are taught that standing out is not a bad thing, but instead something that we should be proud of.  Thacher is about putting your best effort into everything in life, no matter how menial it may seem.  It is about the connections that you can form with individuals who seem different than you, and to listen to their ideas; they might just blow you away.

Everyday, I know someone will make me laugh, that I will be enlightened and that I will be happy.  It is all this that reminds me that I made the right decision.