Spirit week is here, yay! Spirit week is probably one of the most fun times at Thacher, because while on the one hand we are in the midst of one of the longest stretches at Thacher, due to being between spring break and summer vacation, it’s also jam-packed with fun events and amazing activities. Among them, is spirit week, a week in which every day is dedicated to some form of appreciation of either the school, you’re class, or even the atmosphere and friends of Thacher. This week, started out with class color day, in which each class was given a color and encouraged to wear it to show off that classes dedication to itself. Tuesday was pajama day, where it was possible to see a sea of footy pajamas on 17-year-old students, truly an interesting experience, then Thursday was one of my personal favorites, Western day. We spend so much time riding and taking care of horses, to have an entire day dedicated to being a cowboy just felt right. Then, to top it all off, we had orange day, where every member of the school wore as much orange as possible to cheer on the multiple games going on Friday and over the weekend. Overall, a very successful spirit week, helping us all remember how amazing our school is.

Dearest reader, to fully understand what a Thacher student feels like going into the last trimester of his junior year, one must undoubtedly have either a great understanding of the Europe song, “The Final Countdown,” or must have it playing on speakers near you (don’t worry, I’ve supplied the link at the bottom). Which is in fact what I’m doing as I write this. For Thacher students in the last trimester, all of a sudden everything gets that epic 80′s hair band feel to it. Looking back at the past two trimesters I’m ready for the finals countdown. All other tests pale in comparison to the might of the FINAL final test. And while I’d love to pretend that it’s only epic because of school, it’s also kind of epic because of the epic friends you’ve made (saw that coming?). It’s only been three years of living with each other that’s bound you in blood sweat and horses), and while you might look at summer as a horrifying time in which you won’t see you’re best friends for three months…no, there’s really no bright side to any departure from Thacher, this place is awesome, and summer always leaves you with “The Final Countdown” going through your head as you say goodbye to friends for way too long. But With every “Final” there will undoubtedly be a “First.” And I personally can’t wait for the first trimester of senior year. But hey, Final one of Junior year first eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw
And yes, I know, it’s extremely 80′s.

For Thacher students, the time between winter and spring break can seem to go on forever, while some view this as a horrible affair, the majority of the school views this as the perfect opportunity to enjoy the time we have at Thacher. However, the lull can become a heavy burden for any student to bear, and thus, when a holiday is announced by a faculty member or guest, it is a momentous occasion, celebrated by all, and enjoyed most by the nefarious Indoor committee, who quickly put together a dance in the commons. When it comes to a middle of the week dance, no one can top a Thacher holiday dance party. All the pressures of the lull and it’s eight weeks of straight school melt away as we prepare to exhaust ourselves so we can better be ready for the sleeping in we will “have” to do the following day. In fact it’s not uncommon to not see anyone as late as 1pm, simply due to the fact that everyone is sleeping in. A holiday is one of Thacher’s most magical moments, because, while you are happy that you have school off for a day, the community as a whole is much more happy to be able to come together and relax some.

By far one of my favorite things about Thacher would have to be the weekends, and while on the weekend schedule it might at first glance seem dull, a skilled Thacher student never has a dull weekend. Starting with things like sports games to work out sessions in the morning and early afternoon, followed by the ever fun town runs with friends, there’s your plan for the morning right there. However, once it gets dark, that’s when the real fun begins, as you can get caught in a game of stacks tag in the library (unless of course our studying in the there), or dodgeball in the gym, there’s usually some unstrutured fun activity to be had, and of course after hours within the dorm, guitar jam sessions to video game marathons are not hard to find. So you say boring weekend? I say, too full of a weekend!