First of all, congratulations!
DS is a sophomore at Thacher. Thacher has a wonderful M&S program. There’s an article on one of the science teachers with Ph.D on its website:
http://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=133949&nid=960394&bl=/default.aspx
It has a nationally well-known robotics program. You may want to PM @mountainhiker whose son is in the robotics team (junior). I haven’t seen her here for a while but you can get very good information from her.
Perhaps what makes Thacher special is its horse and outdoor program. The freshman kids learn horseback riding in their freshman year. (Western Style) Kids learn how to cope with fear of riding horses, handle them with care and love, and ultimately take a risk. They also have to muck horses everyday in their first year. They wouldn’t have done this elsewhere and would naturally gain respect for others (as well as animals). While competing in team, they would also learn the teamwork.
Its outdoor program includes several week-long backpack (& horse) trips to places like Death Valley and Sierra Nevada. They learn how to help others and appreciate the value of nature. No wonder Thacher has several student activities on environmental protection.
http://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=133949&nid=966996&bl=/default.aspx
http://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=130177
If you have further questions, feel free to PM me.
Also make sure you make a hotel reservation in advance if you are to revisit the school. They have a unique two-day revisit in which an accepted student sleep with the current freshman. Ojai is a small town and the hotel rooms will be sold out quickly.