Keepers of the Screech

May 24, 2024

Barnstormers,

Today, we closed Thaden’s seventh year just as we opened it: with a rousing barn owl screech! Since we adopted this crepuscular creature as our mascot in 2018, the releasing of the screech at the dawn and dusk of the academic year has become a Thaden tradition that unites our students in a moment of collective exhilaration. The unfettered screech – as it proclaims “we are all in” – also reverberates with our origins as eclipse chasers who settle for nothing less than totality. 

To ensure that this tradition continues to thrive at Thaden, two members of the rising senior class – Cesar Alvarez ‘25 and Brett Milligan ‘25 – will serve as our inaugural Keepers of the Screech, an exalted office conferred upon them after extensive interviews, auditions, and lunar incantations. For the coming year, Cesar and Brett will lead the school, including our youngest ‘Stormers, in the embellishment and perfection of this Thaden rite. I have just one caveat: no mice get hurt!    

The screech, of course, is only one of many traditions, large and small, that bring us together as a school community – from the giving of props at school assemblies to the ceremonial signing of props (literally) at commencement (our first four now hang in Coleman); from the Civil Rights pilgrimage in Grade 8 to the college trips in Grade 11; from our monthly coffees on the porch to the annual Harvest Festival. The making of Thaden traditions creates a sense of continuity and connection across generations. Perhaps a school song is next. That is for you, the future of Thaden, to decide. 

Together, we ignite and pass the torch! 

Clayton K. Marsh

Founding Head of School