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January 8, 2020
Head of School’s Notebook — Peace
On Wednesday morning, just prior to the opening of classes after the holiday break, the community gathered in Hitchcock Theater. It is the place we go, it seems, when there is something that deserves our collective attention. Sometimes it’s a concert or a speech or even periodically a hypnotist or the famed regurgitator. We …
December 3, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — My Father’s Porch
On the porch off the kitchen at my father’s home in Connecticut is a series of birdfeeders. To sit in that kitchen on a winter morning is to be witness to a never-ending series of comings and goings. So ravenous is the local avian population that my father refills the quite substantial feeders each …
November 19, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Thanksgiving
Around the time that this Notebook entry is published, we’ll all be sitting quietly in the Katharine Thayer Cate Memorial Chapel. Since faculty member Peter Arango began the tradition over a decade ago, we honor Thanksgiving with a Quaker meeting. 297 students and nearly 80 faculty join in complete silence until someone is compelled …
October 30, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — What is an education worth?
During a recent visit to Beijing, several of our families took us to the campus of Imperial College, a 700-year-old school that until the early 20th century was the defining educational institution in China. Formed at least in part to further the wisdom of Confucius, Imperial College was testament to the value of education in …
October 25, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — May My Ashes …
“May my ashes, when you have them, friend, and give them to the ocean leap in the froth of the waves, still loving the moment,” These are lines from Mary Oliver’s Prayer that a Cate senior read this week in the chapel, to preface a talk she gave on the journey that took her to …
October 11, 2019
The Week in Sports
As the calendar turns to October, Cate athletes continue to perform with excellence on the fields, courts, and in the pool. Some teams are beginning to look toward a deep CIF playoff run, while others still have work to do in their regular season schedule. One team with only two matches left before taking their …
October 11, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Perspective
I love Westerns. I always have. Lonesome Dove totally captivated me when I read it as a teenager. It was the only book—besides Where the Red Fern Grows—that had me in tears by the end. Something about the relationship between Gus and Woodrow struck a chord with me. So when Jay Dorion gave me a …
September 27, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Voice
I visited a senior English class recently, where the students were gathering feedback on personal essays by reading them aloud. Their teacher had given them a host of potential prompts the day before, all of which had been gathered from various college applications. One student wrote about the game of soccer, and its impact on …
September 27, 2019
The Week in Sports
A warm and sunny mid-September greeted our athletes upon their return from Outings Week; however, that has not stopped our teams from getting off to hot starts. Cate teams have combined for an 18-10 start to the season, highlighted by the girls cross country team taking home the win at the Brentwood Invitational this past …
September 17, 2019
Gaviota: The End of Southern California
The Cate community went on a field trip during Monday’s convocation. Filmmakers Shaw Leonard and Tamlorn Chase screened their documentary “Gaviota: The End of Southern California” to a rapt audience. A six-year labor of love, the film covers all of the habitats on the Gaviota Coast, a 76-mile stretch of largely undeveloped wilderness in Santa …
September 13, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Cold, Wet, and Content
Around 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, I was beginning with my pod of about 14 juniors to prepare a massive pot of chili for the entire junior class and 15 or so faculty who were just completing the 20+ mile trek into the Kern River Valley. The day had begun with rain and the …
August 30, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Where to from here?
I read a Frank Bruni editorial in the New York Times recently entitled, “The Surprising Path that Some Kids take to the Ivy League.” It isn’t about money or privilege or scandal. It’s just about remarkable kids and the life journey that somehow lands them in a well-known college. It’s pretty inspiring, as great human …
May 20, 2019
Introducing the Student Body President-elect
Congratulations to Cate’s Student Body President-elect Avery Ransom ’20, pictured, and Vice President-elect Natasha Weiss ’20. Current President, Maddie Denis ’19 discussed the campaign and the future with Avery. Listen to the Podcast
May 20, 2019
The Cate Library Recommends: Parent Summer Reads
Did you know that research shows that reading for pleasure makes you smarter, kinder, happier … and that it even helps you sleep better if you read a book before going to bed? Did you also know that one of the best ways to encourage your children to read is to model it yourself? Unfortunately, …
May 17, 2019
Girls LAX Division II Champions!
The girls varsity lacrosse team made history this season, bringing home the CIF Los Angeles Division 2 championship after knocking off #2 seed Dos Pueblos at San Marcos by a 6-3 score. The Rams started their playoff run with an impressive 15-11 win over Birmingham Community High School and followed up with a 15-13 thriller …
May 17, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — Inquiry Question
We held our annual Inquiry Day last Monday, during which fifteen seniors presented anywhere from a trimester to a year’s worth of work on projects of their own design. Their guiding questions tell us a good deal about the scale of their ambition: What is race? Can we stop aging? Who lives outside of nation …
May 7, 2019
Cate Midfielder Named All American
On Tuesday, May 7, Cate junior Buba Fofanah ’20 was named to the 2019 Allstate All-America Soccer team. According to a release provided by the Allstate Cup, Buba was chosen in collaboration with Allstate and MaxPreps to an elite group of soccer players who have demonstrated great play on the pitch. Buba was one of …
April 18, 2019
Construction Update: Booth Commons
Work continues vigorously on Booth Commons, Cate’s new dining commons and student center. Gensler, our architects, and Hartigan Foley, our contractors, are working towards a late winter 2020 opening date. Some of the major work completed is below ground and thus out of sight. One of the most innovative features of the new facility will …
April 18, 2019
Kate Parker ‘85 honored with the 2019 Hope Award
Every year, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation honors individuals and organizations that make great strides for literacy. This year, Cate alumna and McBean Library Director, Kate Parker ’85, will be celebrated at the 2019 Hope Awards for her years of service on the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board and her advocacy work on the …
April 16, 2019
Head of School’s Notebook — No Problem
We held our second set of community conversations this week. In lieu of convocation we met in groups of eight to share a meal and a story (no more than three minutes long) that guides us in our lives. There were several compelling ones in my group: stories about life without the internet (it is …