There is a sort of difficulty that accompanies any planning of the future.  As second visits start, is easy to remember this time last year when I helped my younger brother choose a high school.  It had been a personal dream of mine to spend my last year at Thacher with him, but that was a decision that was not up to me alone. High school is made up of the most essential years of one’s transition into adulthood, and the right experience can mold lifetimes.   My brother was so nervous about making the right decision as I had been when I made my own choice to come to Thacher.  I could not make the decision for him, so instead I offered him this advice:

1) When you walked (or walk if you attend second visits) around the campus, make sure the students are smiling.  Look into the classrooms, check to see if the students are engaged.  Take note of the interactions between students and teachers.  These candid observations are the very ones you will be living if you choose to attend that school, you want even the small moments to be positive and genuine.

2) Realize that no high school experience will be perfect.  Instead of looking for an ideal school, look for a place where you can envision yourself celebrating your most incredible victories as well as enduring hard times with peers and faculty that will support you.

3) Strip away the pressures and opinions of others that may be influencing you.  Trust that your decision will be the right one.

My brother and I are having a great year, and it has been incredibly special to see him every day.

I made the right decision in coming to Thacher, and as I leave this place I know the community will welcome an incredible class of new toads.