<p>Rock climbing at Thacher is almost a daily life. Interested students practice and enjoy it all the times. Mountainhiker has a son who is a sophomore there and is an outstanding rock climber. It also is one of few boarding schools with very well known robotics team. (I think he also belongs to the robotics team ^^) So, I think it is a very good fit for your daughter. It has the largest endowment/student among the West coast boarding schools. Along with Cate, Thacher emphasizes character very much. Any questions, PM me. </p>
<p>To add on your comment of low rules…</p>
<p>Thacher is a very friendly and a close-knit community. They encourage students to take a positive risk of trying new things. They let students take a risk, do something and get them to learn from both success and failure. In that sense, they are flexible and promote out-of-box thinking. However, they are very strict about honor code. They have zero tolerance for things like drug and alcohol. The school spent little time on preaching about rules which are a natural part of students’ day to day life. If someone dropped his wallet in front of cafeteria, it would remain there forever untouched. </p>
<p>One current senior was taking an unproctored exam. After he completed it, he found the answer sheet was mistakenly attached at the back of the exam. He went right to the teacher and asked for a different testing. </p>
<p>I am sure other schools do the same. But after only spending 6 months as a Thacher parent, I feel it obvious that Thacher kids learn its honor code by heart.</p>