Cate School

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Cate School, established in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, is a four-year, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California, United States. In addition to an academic curriculum that features a combined thirty-eight Advanced Placement (AP) offerings and honors courses, all students participate in an extracurricular program that includes athletics, drama, music, dance, community service, and an extensive outdoor program. The class size averages between ten and twelve students. The student body of 265 students (83 percent are boarders) comes from twenty-three states and thirteen countries and is both academically talented and diverse.^[1]

Cate's distinctive campus sits on the top of a hill known as "the Mesa," overlooking the Pacific coast. A western school with strong links to the traditions of eastern boarding schools, Cate is an academically ambitious school. The College Board recognized Cate's Environmental Science program as the best in the nation, and equally successful departments include an English department dedicated to writing, and a highly regarded math department. Competition in the California Math league creates local math "celebrities," and an arcane pattern of applause rewards the accomplishment of the top scorers in each competition. In addition, the school is noted for an outstanding program in the arts, a balanced athletic program, and unusually healthy residential life. The Outdoor Program allows students to make use of the many resources in the region, taking students surfing, kayaking, rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, and rafting. The school year begins with an Outings Week, a backpacking trip into the High Sierras taken by each grade.

The school's motto is "Servons" (Let Us Serve), a directive that animates the school's extensive program in public service. More than 80% of students are actively involved in volunteer service off-campus in any year, the most sustained of which involves "Foster Homes," group homes for the disabled or homeless in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara.

One of the hallmarks of campus life at Cate is the number of extra-curricular activities. In addition to the usual clubs and activities (the newspaper, El Batidor, is a lively and original twenty-four page publication; an active drama society produces six or seven main stage productions each year; the literary magazine sponsors an annual writing contest; numerous musical groups perform in concert and in "coffee house" presentations), the Black Student Union (BSU) sponsors a number of cultural activities and the annual three-on-three basketball tournament; the International Club promotes awareness of international issues; and the Gay-Straight Alliance promotes tolerance through a variety of programs and activities. Other clubs include: Mock Trial, the Pirate Club (ARRR), the Fencing Club, "H" Unit (Promoting hair), the Martial Arts Club, and the 80's Film Society.

Cate enjoys a heated athletic rivalry with The Thacher School, and often considers a victory over Thacher (The "Toads") the most important goal in any sport. The rallying cry, "Squash 'Dem Toads!" is regularly heard before games with the rivals from Ojai. The Cate-Thacher lacrosse game is the oldest lacrosse rivalry in the west.

A not-for-profit organization, Cate School is directed by a board of twenty-eight trustees, including two faculty advisory trustees, four ex officio, thirteen alumni, and one Alumni Council President. Cate is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is affiliated with the National Association of Independent Schools, the California Association of Independent Schools, the Western Boarding Schools Association, the Cum Laude Society, the California Interscholastic Federation, A Better Chance, and the Secondary School Admission Test Board.

[edit] Famous alumni

Notable people who have attended Cate School include:

E. Thayer Bigelow, former President of Time Warner, former President of HBO
David Crosby, Musician (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young)
Sir John Bond Former Chairman and CEO of HSBC
Otis Chandler, Former Publisher of the Los Angeles Times
Conrad Hall, Cinematographer (American Beauty/Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
William New, Medical Engineer/entrepreneur (invented the pulse oximeter)
Larry Niven, Science Fiction Author (Ringworld)
Werner Klemperer, Actor/Musician, best known for his role as Colonel Klink in the 70's television show, Hogan's Heroes
Stephen Malkmus, Musician, formerly of the band Pavement
Ross Flournoy, Musician, lead singer of the band The Broken West