Healthy Living
To prepare our students to meet the demands and challenges they’ll face inside the classroom and out, we help them live healthfully, seek balance, and tap into the support networks and resources available to them.
The process of nurturing balance and promoting a happy, healthy community of students and educators is ever evolving. The leadership of the School, the faculty members, and the students continuously engage in conversations about the many ways we can support one another and help students successfully and skillfully navigate any mental, physical, emotional, or academic hurdles in front of them.
Activities That Promote Well-Being
Many of the initiatives and programs that promote healthy living at Thacher have long been integral elements of our community. Week-long backcountry camping trips in both the fall and spring offer the chance to completely unplug from technology and other daily stressors, learn skills that build confidence, strengthen relationships, and practice mindfulness during long days on the trail or lying under the stars at night. Arts and athletics activities—both required as part of a Thacher education—offer important outlets for busy minds and can promote mental and physical well-being. And our advising and prefect programs create a strong community of support around each and every student.
Resources When and Where They Are Needed
In addition to a fully staffed health center that is available 24/7, students have access to a range of wellness resources, including professional counselors who provide confidential services for students, and weekly yoga and meditation sessions that are available to everyone in the community. Freshmen put away their cell phones throughout study hall in the evenings and can also request a free analog alarm clock if they want to try turning off their phone for the duration of the night. And each term, a “no homework” weekend is marked in the official schedule to allow for a time to truly rest, recharge, and reconnect during the busy school year.
Fresh, Healthful, Delicious Fuel for School
To complement these efforts, a wide variety of healthy, delicious food is served in our dining hall every day, including a substantial amount of local, organic produce sourced from farms in the Ojai Valley, organic milk and chicken, sustainably sourced seafood, and more. Offerings are designed to promote healthy eating patterns via a nutritionally balanced and ever-changing menu that includes options for every palate and appetite.Outside Experts
Lastly, we continue to consult with and bring experts to campus to work with students and host conversations on topics such as managing and engaging with stress in a healthy, productive way; sexuality, consent, and healthy relationships; substance abuse; and other topics related to living a healthy and balanced life.
-Ursula
"Through meditation, I have worked to cultivate mindfulness, awareness, and unconditional friendliness towards myself and others. This, in turn, has helped to prepare me to tackle each obstacle that comes my way with grit and balance."
Paradise Valley, Arizona
A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.