The Thacher School
Encyclopedia
The Thacher School is a co-educational independent boarding school
located on 425 acre
s (1.5 km²) of hillside overlooking the Ojai Valley
in Ojai, California
, United States
. Founded in 1889 as a boys' school, it is now the oldest co-ed boarding school in California. Girls were first admitted in 1977. The first co-ed graduating class was the class of 1978. The student body numbers 235.
and outdoor programs that set Thacher apart from other boarding schools. All students are required to ride and care for a horse
during their first year. An annual gymkhana
event gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their horsemanship in competition with each other. Throughout the year, students are encouraged to take weekend camping trips into the local mountains. And each fall and spring the whole school breaks into small groups for week-long trips that may include backpacking, rock climbing, cycling, sailing, horse camping, canyoneering, and kayaking.
On November 8, 2004, the San Jose Mercury News
reported that the school received its largest alumni donation ever from Owen Jameson. The $10 million gift was part of the $82 million Campaign For Thacher, concluded in 2007, that sought to improve Thacher's financial aid program, facilities, and raise faculty salaries and endowment. Jameson's donation was specifically directed towards expanding Thacher's scholarship
opportunities for youths from minority or low-income families.
did not arrive on the Casa de Piedra ranch with the intent of creating a school. Rather, he was the son of Yale
professor Thomas Anthony Thacher
and Elizabeth Baldwin Sherman, who chose to move out to California and care for his brother who needed the "fresh air" cure for his tuberculosis
. While spending time on the ranch, Thacher was contacted by an old Yale colleague who had a son that desperately wanted to go to Yale but needed tutoring before he would be prepared to attend. Thacher accepted the offer and tutored his colleague's son in both academics and maturity with his unique method of blending studies with outdoor living and horsemanship. Soon other friends were sending their sons out to California to receive Thacher's instruction and a school was born. Though it began as a feeder school to Yale, students were also attracted by the "emphasis on the lessons of the outdoors, hiking and rafting and riding on horseback."
True to its heritage, the school still describes its mission as one where the "challenges of academics are combined with those of mountains and horses."
In addition to its unique history and equestrian program, the Thacher School has a strong, yet simple, honor code: "Honor, Fairness, Kindness and Truth." During their time at Thacher, the students adhere to this code of personal conduct with regard to all aspects of their lives.
Casa de Piedra is the name of one of the dormitories, and an affectionate name for the school itself (much as "Old Nassau" is for Princeton University
). Thacher alumni use the abbreviation CdeP to refer to the school, as in "John Smith, CdeP 1980" rather than "John Smith, Thacher class of 1980."
Despite the recent campus developments, Thacher still retains its casual ranch appearance with its unassuming style of architecture, choosing to defer to the Ojai Valley's natural beauty.
The school also maintains base camps in the Sespe Wilderness and the Eastern Sierra's Golden Trout Wilderness, which it uses for back country trips, educational programs, and alumni retreats
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
located on 425 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (1.5 km²) of hillside overlooking the Ojai Valley
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
in Ojai, California
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1889 as a boys' school, it is now the oldest co-ed boarding school in California. Girls were first admitted in 1977. The first co-ed graduating class was the class of 1978. The student body numbers 235.
Notable programs
At the heart of Thacher’s founding philosophy is a belief that students benefit from taking on real responsibility and positive risks. This philosophy is evident in equestrianEquestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and outdoor programs that set Thacher apart from other boarding schools. All students are required to ride and care for a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
during their first year. An annual gymkhana
Gymkhana (equestrian)
Gymkhana is a term used in the United Kingdom, east coast of the United States, and other English-speaking nations to describe an equestrian event consisting of speed pattern racing and timed games for riders on horses...
event gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their horsemanship in competition with each other. Throughout the year, students are encouraged to take weekend camping trips into the local mountains. And each fall and spring the whole school breaks into small groups for week-long trips that may include backpacking, rock climbing, cycling, sailing, horse camping, canyoneering, and kayaking.
On November 8, 2004, the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
reported that the school received its largest alumni donation ever from Owen Jameson. The $10 million gift was part of the $82 million Campaign For Thacher, concluded in 2007, that sought to improve Thacher's financial aid program, facilities, and raise faculty salaries and endowment. Jameson's donation was specifically directed towards expanding Thacher's scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
opportunities for youths from minority or low-income families.
History and culture
Sherman Day ThacherSherman Day Thacher
Sherman Day Thacher, , was the founder and headmaster of the Thacher School at Ojai, California. A graduate of Hopkins Grammar School, he attended Yale University and won second prize in English composition his Sophomore year; oration appointment Junior year; dissertation appointment Senior year;...
did not arrive on the Casa de Piedra ranch with the intent of creating a school. Rather, he was the son of Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
professor Thomas Anthony Thacher
Thomas Anthony Thacher
Thomas Anthony Thacher, , classicist and college administrator.-Early life:Thomas A. Thacher was born in Hartford, Conn., the son of Peter and Anne Thacher...
and Elizabeth Baldwin Sherman, who chose to move out to California and care for his brother who needed the "fresh air" cure for his tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. While spending time on the ranch, Thacher was contacted by an old Yale colleague who had a son that desperately wanted to go to Yale but needed tutoring before he would be prepared to attend. Thacher accepted the offer and tutored his colleague's son in both academics and maturity with his unique method of blending studies with outdoor living and horsemanship. Soon other friends were sending their sons out to California to receive Thacher's instruction and a school was born. Though it began as a feeder school to Yale, students were also attracted by the "emphasis on the lessons of the outdoors, hiking and rafting and riding on horseback."
True to its heritage, the school still describes its mission as one where the "challenges of academics are combined with those of mountains and horses."
In addition to its unique history and equestrian program, the Thacher School has a strong, yet simple, honor code: "Honor, Fairness, Kindness and Truth." During their time at Thacher, the students adhere to this code of personal conduct with regard to all aspects of their lives.
Casa de Piedra is the name of one of the dormitories, and an affectionate name for the school itself (much as "Old Nassau" is for Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). Thacher alumni use the abbreviation CdeP to refer to the school, as in "John Smith, CdeP 1980" rather than "John Smith, Thacher class of 1980."
Campus and facilities
The campus, nestled in the foothills in the northeast corner of the Ojai Valley, was originally the Casa de Piedra ranch. Buildings reflect a variety of architectural styles, including California Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival. An $82-million capital campaign that concluded in 2007 was responsible for adding a new performing arts center, a student commons, two new dormitories, faculty housing, and numerous other improvements. Residential areas are organized to support a tight-knit campus community where faculty members and their families live and work in close proximity to students. In addition to the normal boarding school mix of athletic facilities (gymnasium, tennis courts, track, 3 fields, fitness center, and pool, although the pool is not used for athletic events), the campus has extensive barns, pastures, arenas, and fields for equestrian use, including a network of trails that links campus to the adjacent Los Padres National Forest.Despite the recent campus developments, Thacher still retains its casual ranch appearance with its unassuming style of architecture, choosing to defer to the Ojai Valley's natural beauty.
The school also maintains base camps in the Sespe Wilderness and the Eastern Sierra's Golden Trout Wilderness, which it uses for back country trips, educational programs, and alumni retreats
Mascot and traditions
While The Thacher School's symbol has always been that of the Pegasus, its mascot is the toad. In 1962 Nick Thacher, CdeP 1963, and grandson of Sherman Day Thacher, spearheaded the movement to name the school's athletic teams the Toads. He said that "unlike the insecure schools whose machismo necessitates their adopting hopelessly arrogant nomenclature such as 'Tigers' and 'Lions' and 'Spartans,' [we] felt no necessity to advertise arrogance or virility. Instead 'Toads' seemed appropriate because the nature of such beasts is one of humility and quiet persistence." In an older admissions video, a Thacher student was quoted as saying, "They may be toads, but they play like princes," in reference to the boys basketball team. The "Teacher on Active Duty"--whose job it is to stay on top of things each day—is also conveniently known as the "TOAD."Notable alumni
- Phil AngelidesPhil AngelidesPhilip Nicholas "Phil" Angelides is an American politician who was California State Treasurer and the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of California in the 2006 elections...
31st California State Treasurer - Riley P. BechtelRiley P. BechtelRiley P. Bechtel is the chairman and CEO of the Bechtel Corporation. He is the great-grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, the founder of the company. His parents are Elizabeth Hogan and Stephen Bechtel, Jr., the former chairman and CEO of the company.-Biography:He received a bachelor's degree in...
, BechtelBechtelBechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
CEO - Brian T. BennettBrian T. BennettBrian Timothy Bennett is a Time Magazine correspondent based in Washington D.C.; he covers national security issues.Bennett is a native of Riverside, California; he attended The Thacher School in Ojai, California...
, journalist - Jennifer Crittenden, television writer (Simpsons, Everybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
) - Paul B. Fay, Jr., businessman and adviser to President John F. Kennedy
- James Newton HowardJames Newton HowardJames Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
, composer - Howard HughesHoward HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
, aviator and industrialist. Thacher was the second prep school that he attended. He enrolled when he and his parents moved to California, and he was still at Thacher when his mother died. - Sherman KentSherman KentSherman Kent, , was a Yale University history professor who, during World War II and through 17 years of Cold War-era service in the Central Intelligence Agency, pioneered many of the methods of intelligence analysis...
, intelligence analyst - Michael E. KnightMichael E. Knight- Biography :Knight is best known for playing Tad Martin on the soap opera All My Children. His first stint on the show ran from 1982–1986. He returned from 1988–1990, and again from 1992 until the series finale in 2011...
, actor (All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
) - Sara Konrad, Olympian: the first American woman to compete in two different disciplines at the same Winter Olympics (United States at the 2006 Winter OlympicsUnited States at the 2006 Winter OlympicsThe United States Olympic Committee sent 211 athletes to the 2006 Winter Olympics. Chris Witty, a four-time Olympian, who competed in both Summer and Winter games, and won a gold medal in speed skating at the 2002 Games, served as the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies...
). - Norman LivermoreNorman LivermoreNorman Banks "Ike" Livermore, Jr. was a California environmentalist, lumber industry executive and state official. He was the only member of California governor Ronald Reagan's cabinet to serve during the full eight years of his administration...
, environmentalist, lumberman and official serving under Governor Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. - J.P. ManouxJ.P. ManouxJean-Paul Christophe Manoux is an American actor.-Life and career:Manoux is the oldest of seven and a native of Fresno, California. He is perhaps best known for his work in multiple Disney series: as S.T.A.N...
, actor - John Wescott Myers, World War II test pilot
- Wheeler J. NorthWheeler J. NorthWheeler J. North , born in San Francisco, California, was a marine biologist and environmental scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the California Institute of Technology...
. marine biologist - Leland OrserLeland OrserLeland Jones Orser is an American film and television actor. Orser is a character actor, whose career has included playing a number of deranged, psychotic, and degenerate characters. Orser has appeared in small roles in a wide variety of films and television shows, including Chief of Surgery Dr...
, actor - Raul Pacheco, musician (guitarist, lead vocalist for OzomatliOzomatliOzomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
) - Joely RichardsonJoely RichardsonJoely Kim Richardson is an English actress, most known recently for her role as Queen Catherine Parr in the Showtime television show The Tudors and Julia McNamara in the television drama Nip/Tuck...
, actress (Nip Tuck) - Jonathan TuckerJonathan TuckerJonathan Moss Tucker is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in the movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, In the Valley of Elah and The Ruins, and The Black Donnellys on television....
, actor - Terdema UsseryTerdema UsseryTerdema L. Ussery II is president and CEO of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.Ussery is in his eighth year as president and CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. He serves as an alternate governor for the Mavericks on the NBA Board of Governors and is a member of the WNBA board of...
, Dallas Mavericks president and CEO - Thornton WilderThornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
One of Thacher's most notable alumniAlumnusAn alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
, playwrightPlaywrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and author. He began writing playsPlay (theatre)A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
while at Thacher. Wilder later went on to write the classic American play, Our TownOur TownOur Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
. - Noah WyleNoah WyleNoah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
, television actor (ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
)