Walker Bell Challenge 2023

The annual Walker Bell Challenge is happening now!

The “walker” bell has called the Thacher community together for dinner for generations. We look forward to once again bringing the Thacher community together for a week of engagement and giving.

Your support makes all the difference.

Your gifts to the Walker Bell Challenge are more important than ever, as we take what we’ve learned over the last few years to look ahead and strengthen the School’s future. You may support any area of the Thacher experience with your gift, and all gifts regardless of size will help unlock important funding for our financial aid program, so we may continue to increase access to a Thacher education. For the last three years, Thacher has awarded $5 million in financial aid for students. This year, 31 percent of students receive financial aid, and those with the highest demonstrated need receive supplemental aid to cover books, riding and camping equipment, travel stipends for school breaks and family weekends, and town run allowances, so they may enjoy the full Thacher experience. Your support over the last few years and during the Walker Bell Challenge has made this growth in the program possible—thank you!

Experience some highlights of the year with live streamed events and a video library of other events and campus happenings.

Assembly (LIVE): Students, faculty, and staff gather every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 a.m. PT for games, shout-outs, and school-wide announcements. On Monday, May 8, the TOAD (Teacher On Active Duty) will share their TOAD Talk (click here for transcripts of prior TOAD Talks). School Chair, Ajani ‘23, will lead Assembly on Wednesday, May 10. Assembly on Friday, May 12 features historic readings and remarks by Interim Head of School Jeff Hooper. Live stream links are available by clicking on the day.

Senior Exhibitions: Every senior gives a 30-minute presentation on a topic of their choice in this culminating academic event of the year. Click here to view the library of topics and recordings of their presentations.

Other fun happenings and videos from the 2022-2023 school year:

• Big Gymkhana was soggy, but riders made the most of it! Check out the @ThacherCdeP instagram stories for highlights.
• Skate Park Engineering, one of this year’s xBlock classes, highlights interdisciplinary studies and GATES in a post-AP world.
• The Jazz and Strings Concert, Holiday Dance Concert, and Holiday Jazz Concert showcase our student musicians and performers.
• Dr. Barry Sharpless, two-time Nobel laureate in chemistry, visited campus for one of the year’s Heads Invites.
• Californio-style vaquero Pete Taylor and polo star Dale Johnson joined student riders and provided a Heads Invite lecture in a Celebration of the Black Cowboy in the West.
• Mamma Mia! wowed audiences with lively song and dance in this year’s musical.
• Start Your Thacher Adventure features four Thacher students sharing their reflections on the horse program, camping, STEM, academics, climbing, and more.
• Schoolhouse Snapshots with Interim Head of School Jeff Hooper, Director of Studies Dr. Tracy Miller, Director of the Horse Program Trinity Seely CdeP 1999, and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sepideah Mohsenian-Rahman provides an overall state of the School and information about Thacher’s academic programs, the horse department, and community and belonging.

Find even more content on social media.

Follow the official Thacher social media channels for videos, photos, and invitations for further engagement. Find us on Instagram at @TheThacherSchool or @ThacherCdeP, or on Facebook @ThacherSchool.