EXPAND OUR REACH AND IMPACT
THE OPPORTUNITY:
The vision that we have for our academic program, our afternoon program, and our community and culture requires that we increase the scale of our operations. A careful expansion of our student population will enrich the experience of all students and enhance the sustainability of our program while preserving the benefits of our intimate, relationship-based community.
While the School’s most important work will always be in service to the students in our core program, we also have an opportunity to expand our reach and impact by reimagining how we use physical and human resources in the summer months. The summer months offer considerable untapped potential to advance the School’s mission, sustainability, and interests. Opening our gates more widely in these ways will allow us to expand on our greatest good, offering some of the signature, transformative aspects of a Thacher education to a larger group of students.
By capitalizing on the physical resources and infrastructure already in place, we can strategically grow the reach of our brand, expanding overall awareness in the marketplace and bolstering Thacher’s financial sustainability. Summer programming also affords us an opportunity to build and strengthen local partnerships to further the School’s historical role as a leader in our local community. Engaging more intentionally with neighbors and increasing our profile and impact in the Ojai Valley are crucial to confronting the local challenges we face, from schooling and housing to fire readiness and environmental sustainability.
THE CALL TO ACTION:
Strategically increasing our student population, developing mission-aligned summer programming, and strengthening connections with our Ojai neighbors will make the entire Thacher operation more sustainable and impactful. We can develop missionaligned programs that allow prospective families to experience Thacher in their students’ middle school years. We can use the summer as an innovation lab to nurture new courses, approaches, and programs. We can honor our history and expand our reach by becoming a more engaged participant in national conversations about teaching and learning by hosting summer professional development for educators.
The Path Ahead:
A. Expand the student population by 10-14 students per grade to allow for growth in curricular and co-curricular programming, while retaining a commitment to an intimate residential community and a focus on ninth grade as the primary entry point.
B. Create a robust and diverse slate of summer offerings, including:
1. Programming tailored to middle school students.
2. Programming that serves the local community.
3. Programming that capitalizes on horse, academic, athletic, and performing arts infrastructure.
4. Programming that affords current Thacher students opportunities to build and practice skills in leadership, civic engagement, and social entrepreneurship.
5. Programming that bolsters the School’s financial sustainability.
C. Integrate on-campus offerings with programming at Golden Trout Wilderness School, Patton’s Cabin, and the Turtle Conservancy.
D. Develop partnerships and relationships with neighbors in the Valley to collaborate on solving local problems, including environmental risks.
E. Use summer programming to meet pressing needs in our local communities and expand awareness of, esteem for, and interest in Thacher.
