True WesT My favorite Thacher tradition is Big Gymkhana because it is a day where you really get the true feeling of the Wild West. —Lilly Haggard ’12 headinG for The hiLLs It’s that time again, the lists are made, the plans set, the cars fueled That time again, the first steps slow, the solid weight on body, the sensation of feats not yet accomplished Time again, the mountains call, the rogue clouds threaten thunder, the green spires rise from earth and rock Again, the goal realized, the bar raised. —Alex Duncan ’13 invoCaveriMus Number one! Domine. I know it may sound corny but that song really makes me feel like I am at home when I sing it, wherever I am. And, I even saw Noah Wyle CdeP 1989 sing it in one of his acting works. It’s a song that we have sung for ages and it connects us all. It’s sort of like a secret password between all Toads.
I also really like The Banquet Song. The one that starts “May old Casa Piedra not fade from our hearts til our hearts cease their restless tattooooooo.” I seriously love that song as well. The lyrics really speak to the spirit that Thacher represents. I think I focus on the school songs because of my love of music and my belief that music is one universal language. I still remember these songs like the back of my hand, and the traditions of singing them at banquets, at memorial services, and the like really speak to my heart and remind me of the unity and peace that can actually exist in the world. I came from Watts and the inner city of Los Angeles to Thacher and I seriously thought I had literally died and gone to heaven. These songs remind me that heaven can be a place on Earth. —Mel Larkins CdeP 1999 PaTTon’s CaBin One Thacher tradition I’ve always been fond of is the freshman winter horse camping trip to Patton’s Cabin. It’s prime real estate that we take the horses to, the famous cabin and grazing pasture settled just a little way from the Sespe Creek. We can relish the feeling of letting the horses run free, free to eat and play while we enjoy what is available to us. The first time, and now on every visit, I was entranced by the view. Looking from the front door out toward the ridge, past the horses, one sees a shady, lush background of green that magnificently complements the dirty and sunny air of the foreground. Past the supply shed
to the right is where the sun sets; my memory has it as a brilliant orb of mellow whiteness between two peaks. Even at the outhouse up on the hill behind, removed from it all, is a scene of serene calmness. It is the calmness that endears me most to this place, the tranquility of being separate from the hustle of the rest of Thacher life and being with those—human and equine—that one shares it with. And now I find myself wondering when I’ll be there again. —Paul Cresanta ’13 fondness for forMaL Formal Dinner is most definitely my favorite Thacher tradition. Although I used to dread it, I have learned to love those 40 minutes, connecting to my peers, helping others serve, and the general camaraderie that comes with it. Formal Dinner memories, good and bad, will always be near to my heart. —Hailey Everett ’12 ridinG TradiTions I think that one of the most important traditions is the freshman riding. I also think that Formal Dinner is really important because it enables those who would otherwise not interact with people outside their friend groups to get to know people in other grades. The Silver Dollar Club is also important because it’s something that you have to work toward, and is one way to be remembered through Thacher history. —Cayce Cover ’12
The Thacher School 21