The Thacher Notes - January 2013

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The Thacher Notes

Vol. LXXXII

No. 3

January 2013

Thacher pauses for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Left: Keynote speaker Lanny Kaufer performs “Blowin’ in the Wind”, originally written by Bob Dylan, during his multimedia presentation and brings back the spirit of the 60’s to the Milligan Center for the Performing Arts. Above: (from left to right) Alessandro Lorenzoni ‘16, Alex Purcell ‘14, Lili Boyle ‘14, Mackenzie Boyden ‘15, and Ciara Byrne ‘14 enjoy a seated lunch to discuss what they learned from the workshops.

O

n the Wednesday following Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Thacher’s faculty and students engaged in a series of presentations, discussions, and workshops to celebrate the day that commemorates one of the greatest leaders of the American Civil Right Movement. The observance of the national holiday started on Tuesday night following formal dinner when the school gathered to watch Dr. King’s legendary “I Have A Dream” speech in the Milligan Center. The following morning, students and faculty assembled to listen to Civil Rights Movement Veteran,

Lanny Kaufer perform a multimedia presentation titled “MLK and the Spirit of the 60’s.” Mr. Kaufer, an Ojai native, explained the history of the Civil Rights Movement through personal stories, raw video footage, and music from the 1960’s. Following Mr. Kaufer’s speech, all of the students and teachers took part in workshops on different themes including microaggression, diversity at boarding school, gender equity, Hurricane Katrina’s legacy, 20th Century African American Art, among many other topics. “[The case study] gave me a new perspective on my life at Thacher. I did not realize that some of these situations that we discussed about inequality occur on our campus. Participating in this activity was my

favorite part of the day,” shared Willy Newirth ‘14, who took part in a case studies and role-play workshop led by Mr. Carney. Students who were more

holiday ended with a seated lunch where the school gathered to discuss the different activities and share their perspectives. “Lunch was my favorite

“Honor, fairness, kindness, and truth... He stood for all these values” Emma Whitley ‘13 inclined to celebrate Martin Luther King Day through non-verbal forms had the opportunity to participate in Chalk for Peace, a worldwide campaign to promote peace through chalk drawings. This movement was started by Thacher graduate John Aaron CdeP 1972, who also joined in on the celebration and helped students channel their artistic talents. Sophomore Ann Han enjoyed this activity as she “enjoys drawing more than talking.” “Sienna [Currie ‘15] and I drew a picture of Martin Luther King and wrote some of his inspirational quotes,” added Ann. Her illustrations along with other drawings of trees, hearts, peace signs, and messages of love, covered the entire library courtyard. The observance of the

part of the day because it was interesting to hear about other peoples’ workshops. After everyone shared their experience, it became a lot bigger than the small part that you took in,” Brisha Howe ‘13 said. Thacher’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day

was a touching way to remember the legacy of Dr. King and his peaceful approach to fighting injustice. Lucy Meyers ‘13 explained that she thinks these types of workshops “should be done more than once a year,” and that “we should not have to wait for MLK Day to think about these things.” Classmate Emma Whitley thought this day of observance was thoughtprovoking and fitting for Thacher. “A school like ours that values honor, fairness, kindness, and truth should celebrate MLK because he stood for all of these values.”

By Ana Urgiles ‘13

Joining John Aaron CdeP 1972, Suzie Nixon, and other students, Annie LeFevre ‘14 writes “freedom” on the library ampitheatre as part of the Chalk for Peace campaign.


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