Hi! My name is Katherine and I’m a Senior at Thacher. I arrived at Thacher as a freshman from Lake Forest, Illinois, which is about 30 miles north of Chicago. I found out about Thacher from my two older brothers, both of whom are recent Thacher grads.
What I like best about living/studying at Thacher: I love the role that teachers play at Thacher. I think that one of the things that sets Thacher apart is that each teacher is not simply a teacher. Instead, they become your coaches, your advisors, your dorm parents and your friends. This totally changes the relationship between students and faculty that I felt was lacking at other schools.
My favorite class at the moment is English because Mr, Perry, my teacher, has the ability to make even the dullest texts fascinating and relevant to all of us. It’s very rare that a class last period on a Friday will cause me to be excited that I don’t have a free period. English, however, makes me do just that.
People at Thacher who have influence me positively and how: I would have to say that everyone at Thacher has influenced me, as cheesy as it sounds. From Saturday nights Open House at the Mullys’ to Assemblies to sports to classes, I get to interact with everyone on campus, and it seems as if everyone is always looking out for you. If you have a lot of homework or just lost your soccer game, there is always someone on campus with a hug and a sympathetic ear. Also, the reverse is always nice: to be someone’s personal cheerleader when they are having a bad day, from my roommate to the new freshman girl on the tennis team.
Advice for someone thinking about going away to school or specifically coming to Thacher: You will be scared, but go for it anyway. Right after I sent in my form saying that I was going to be a freshman, I panicked and thought that I’d made the wrong decision. I continued to think that for the entire summer, until I got here. You come to realize that Thacher is the best decision you could possibly make.
Blog Posts by Katherine ’12:
Just a few days ago, the year’s greatest holiday came and went – April Fools Day. Throughout my time at Thacher, I’d never really understood why people liked April Fools so much. Yes, the pranks were clever, but I never quite got the hype. This year, I finally came to understand. Directly after check-in, the seniors took over campus for the 2.5 hours between underclassmen check-in and wandering check-in. We covered the pergola in chalk, we ran string through hallways, we decorated classrooms and we transformed the dining hall into a senior hang out pad. More than anything, however, that night was simply a chance for the senior class to reconnect. With only a few months until graduation, our class is taking advantage of every moment we have left together, and that night was the perfect way to kick off our last term together.
Just four days ago, the cast and crew took our bows for the final show of “Curtains,” our winter musical. It is hard to believe that, after all that hard work over two months, it ended in just three nights of shows. But what months those two were! Although exhausting at times, it was such a fulfilling show to pull together. Because Thacher students work on theater projects on top of our extra-curriculars and academics rather than in place of them, us performers and techies can feel a bit overwhelmed at times. But it was an incredible feeling to take those closing night bows, no matter how tired I was. Now, as I sit in the library during study hall, unsure what to do with all of my free time, I reminisce on the show a bit more. To sum it all up, there was no better way to have spent the winter trimester of my senior year!
As a born and raised midwesterner, I’ve always had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit at Thacher. After all, with no snow and limited (truly) cold weather in general, there is very little at Thacher in December that reminds me of the holidays. Last night, however, that feeling was changed. It all happened at open house at the Mullys’, where I made Christmas cookies, watched Elf and danced to Christmas music for a solid three hours. Even Santa (one of the college counseling faculty) made a brief appearance! In general, it really got me into the holiday spirit; seeing all of my friends in their tackiest Christmas sweaters and santa hats finally made Southern California feel like it was Christmastime.
Nothing is better than a good holiday, even one you see coming. Although I may have ignored the piles of homework waiting on my desk, this holiday was one of the best I’ve spent. A great dance and some midnight guacamole followed by waffles and bacon in town and a trip to the pool all adds up to a great way to waste some free time. Unfortunately, turning back to the books was not exactly what I wanted to do when 7:30 rolled around that evening, but the Watergate Scandal and implicit differentiation simply couldn’t wait. Although, it is always nice to know that come tomorrow, I’ll be off in the woods for a week free of rhetorical devices, positive feedback loops and el imperfecto. What a relief.
