The Coat of Arms
Volume 45, Issue 7
Menlo School, Atherton, California
Thursday, May 16, 2019
serving Menlo's Upper School since 1973
Dress Code Discussions Resurface as Weather Gets Warmer by CARLY MCADAM
As the weather gets warmer and people begin to wear less clothing, discussions about Menlo’s dress code are beginning to take place. Some adults have recently approached the administration with concerns about students wearing clothing that is overly revealing, including shorts that are too short or tops that are too low-cut. Currently, the Menlo Upper School does not restrict the type of clothing that students can wear, nor do they regulate how much clothing students must wear; however, Menlo does have guidelines for what graphics are allowed on clothing. According to the 2018-2019 Student and Parent Handbook, the Menlo dress code is as follows: “Students should be clean, neat and dressed appropriately for school. Student dress may not depict the following: the use of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes or similar devices, the use of alcohol, the use of illegal or mind-altering substances, drug paraphernalia,
an act of violence, any other illegal act, profanity, explicit sexual material, nudity, and explicit sexual acts.” Even though the Menlo dress code does not place many restrictions on what students can wear, some people, especially adults, in the Menlo community feel that students sometimes dress inappropriately at school. According to Dean of Student Life Programs and
Senior Class Dean Cathy Chen, “Adults in the community want to have conversations about it.” Chen feels like students may not be thinking about the clothes that they choose to wear to school. “I’m not sure that students are aware of the fact that the way they dress is a cause of conversation,” Chen said. Although the Menlo community wants to have a conversation about the dress code,
Illustration by Sulwen Ma
NEWS
Students Pursue Unique Interests Through IP Program and Projects wonder why that was,” Mendoza said. After learning more about the issue, he created a documentary by interviewing local school principals, students affected by the problem and leaders of nonprofits such as Peninsula Bridge, whose work tries to address this inequality. Juniors Bella Guel and Sonya Lebedeva and senior Natasha Walia decided to take on Arts and Letters projects. For their projects, Guel and Lebedeva both
by ELISABETH WESTERMANN
One of Lebedeva’s paintings. done with glowing bacteria. Photo courtesy of Sonya Lebedeva.
As the year draws to a close, students enrolled in the Menlo Interdisciplinary and Personalized Scholars Program (IP) are wrapping up their work by presenting their final projects. Menlo IP is a new program introduced this school year that gives students the opportunity to pursue in-depth independent projects. Juniors and seniors designed and worked on projects ranging from creating documentaries about inequality in education to painting with glowing bacteria. Students who decide to take on an IP project pursue studies in one of four areas: Civic Leadership, Community Engagement and Impact, Arts and Letters or Global Scholars. By the end of their projects, students in the IP program must present a major piece of original work, which includes both academic research
and writing as well as other options, such as creating a documentary film or starting a nonprofit. For the duration of their project, which can either be one or two semesters long, students are enrolled in an IP course as a part of their schedule. The course generally acts as a free period for students to work on their projects and requires a significant time commitment. For his IP project, senior Santy Mendoza decided to focus on Community Engagement and investigate a problem that he has experienced firsthand: the inequality in public education. “When I went to [middle] school, I didn’t have any music classes or art classes or anything like that. Coming to Menlo and seeing how different my public middle school experience was compared to other students’ [made me]
“It’s the best project I’ve ever done at Menlo. It gives you so much freedom to learn what you care about.”
combined their passions for art and science. Guel created an herbarium, which is a collection of dried plants, and a website with information about California’s native plants that will be used in the Menlo biology curriculum next year. In order to simplify learning for the students who will use her work, she spent time on the aesthetic design of her website and took artistic photographs of the plants she used. Lebedeva decided to look into the ways that biological concepts can be conveyed more simply through art. “Most people find papers pretty annoying, [...] so my aim is to simplify [the concept by] representing [it] in a visual form so more people talk about it and engage with it,” Lebedeva said. Walia took a different path, writing a research paper analyz-
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Chen doesn’t think that the administration wants to implement a stricter dress code. “I don’t think anybody at Menlo [is] interested in policing clothes. It’s a huge waste of time.” Even though the dress code conversations were proposed by adults on campus, Chen thinks that students are open to talking about the dress code as well. “Once I bring it up, students are interested in the conversation,” Chen said. One of the groups that is interested in discussing the dress code is Student Council. Student Council held an open discussion about the dress code on Wednesday, May 8. Dean of Students Tony Lapolla made it clear from the beginning of the meeting that having the discussion does not necessarily mean that the administration is going to change the dress code. “I want to first and foremost say the discussion does not mean we’re changing policy,” Lapolla said. “It does not mean that
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Following the college admissions scandal, The Coat of Arms compares Menlo’s Middle and Upper School admissions process to that of USC.
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Senior Bella Scola presents her final Arts and Letters IP project. Scola capitalized on the flexible nature of the project to pursue her love of photography. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.
News: 1-2 Arts & Lifestyle: 3, 6 Spread: 4-5 Opinions: 7 Sports: 8
2 May 16, 2019 Teachers Leave Menlo For New Opportunities by PARINA PATEL
Menlo will be losing many teachers and faculty members this coming academic year due to various reasons, from pursuing personal passions to seeking a lower cost of living. For the second semester of next school year, Upper School Director John Schafer will be taking an unpaid leave from Menlo in order to provide his family with an international living experience. “I get the power of different experiences: interacting with different people in different parts of the world [and] speaking different languages,” Schafer said. He will return to Menlo in Aug. 2020 to resume his role as Upper School Director. Schafer has only recently expressed this desire, and there is much that he has not planned out yet. “I have not picked a city to live in. I have not found a school for my kids. I don’t have a Visa. I have not figured out where my dog is going to live while I’m gone. There are 100 things that I have not done,” he said. Despite having loose ends to tie up, Schafer is excited for the year ahead. Taking Schafer’s place, English Department Chair Maren Adler will come in as early as this June to begin training for Schafer’s position. In the fall, Adler will be going to as many meetings as possible with Schafer so that she can get a sense of what his day-to-day job is like, although she will still be teaching all of her classes in the fall semester. When spring semester arrives, Adler will only teach her senior elective, Adolescence (Re)imagined.
“I want to stay in the classroom even a little bit because I think to go cold turkey from being with students [to not] would make me really sad,” she said. College Counselor Natalie Ford will be going on maternity leave in August, so she will remain on campus until the 2018-2019 school year ends. Director of Sports Medicine Jon Cohen has left Menlo to seek
Cohen provides aid during a football game. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Yock.
a lower cost of living and to live a less hectic life. He hopes to continue working in athletics, as he started his career at Menlo in 2002 as a basketball coach; then in 2007, he became the Head Athletic Trainer, where he eventually grew to be the Director of Sports Medicine. English teacher Matt Granoff will be leaving but declined an interview. Computer science and math teacher Richard Steinberg is leaving after teaching at Menlo School for the last 15 years and previously at Menlo College for 16 years. “There are a lot of things I look forward to doing; some of them are just things that I’ve been putting off for years because I didn’t have the time,” Steinberg said. Those “things” include playing the clarinet more
often, hiking, cooking, watching movies, traveling and doing more volunteer work. While Steinberg will greatly miss working with his students and his colleagues, he will not miss grading papers, writing exams and attending meetings. Steinberg chose to retire this year particularly because he noticed that it is time for Menlo to implement changes in the way that classes are structured. “This school is changing in ways that are important to change,” Steinberg said. “But I’ve been at this for a long time, and I don’t think there’s a lot of change left in me.” Dean of Student Life Programs Cathy Chen will be leaving Menlo to start her own business called Village Holistic Teen Coaches. “What we’ll be doing is teen coaching: life coaching, academic coaching and some college advising,” Chen said. “Our mission is to help teens live their best life.” After being at Menlo for over 10 years, Chen has found a second family here and is apprehensive about leaving that support network. “Also, I get to see kids every day of my life, and I don’t know what it’s going to feel like not to do that,” she said. English teacher Jane Ridgeway will be leaving to move to the East Bay with her partner, where it’s more affordable to live. “It’s a little hard to build a life here, unfortunately, in our particular region, and there are a lot of pressures,” Ridgeway said. She has found a writing job in the East Bay that happens to be the perfect fit for her. Starting in the later summer, Ridgeway will
IP Program Projects, cont.
-ing the work of three queer musicians and the theory of how music can build community. She used her research to inspire her own original music and is now working on creating her own mini album. She said that she chose to do an IP project because of
“Coming to Menlo and seeing how different my public middle school experience was compared to other students’ [made me] wonder why that was.” the freedom it provided her to learn about what she was interested in. “I wanted to have freedom in the second semester as a senior, and [...] I didn’t find another history
Junior Nico Monsalve used computer science to create an Amazon Alexa app for the classroom. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.
class that I wanted to take, so I thought I would design my own. I’ve learned a lot about the queer community in music, and I’ve always been interested in that,” Walia said. Students appreciate that the IP program gives them the ability to pursue areas of interest not covered by Menlo classes and still get academic credit for that work, but students did note that it is important for those considering taking an IP to choose projects that excite them. “If you don’t have an idea that motivates you, don’t do it. Otherwise, it’s really fun,” Lebedeva said. So far, graduates of the IP program consider it a positive experience. “It’s the best project I’ve ever done at Menlo,” Walia said. “It gives you so much freedom to learn what you care about.”
Walia’s IP focused on identity and music. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.
News
be working at a creative agency that does copywriting, branding and ghostwriting. “[I’ll] be putting what I teach here more into practice and writing more fulltime,” she said. History Department Chair Ryan Dean will be staying in the Bay Area but is leaving Menlo to try something different. Having been at Menlo for eight years, Dean feels like it is time for him to give someone else the chance to run the History Department. “Sometimes one person can be so connected to an image of a department or an image of what’s happening that it stalls the rest of the department from being themselves and trying their own things,” he said. “I see my future continuing to serve what I believe is the greater good in whatever form that it is,” Dean said. This could involve any number of work environ-
Steinberg plays the clarinet during a Menlo chorus performance. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.
ments, including a position that serves an educational nonprofit or philanthropy and providing a better learning experience for many Americans as opposed to those just here at Menlo, Dean said. English teacher Nick Romeo will be leaving Menlo to teach a
course at Stanford and to teach at the Prison University Project, which provides a high quality liberal arts education to prisoners at San Quentin Prison. He will also be returning to journalism because he was a full-time journalist earlier in his career. “I’ll be writing for a bunch of news-
Romeo speaks about his experience as a journalist during the 2019 Writers Week. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.
papers and magazines just as a freelancer,” Romeo said. English teacher Wilson Taylor and his wife made a tough decision to leave the Bay Area next year and move to Providence, Rhode Island with their 5-monthold daughter. Taylor decided to make the move to Rhode Island because of the family he has in New England. “It’s really like a home base for me, and [...] now that we have [our daughter], we really want to be closer to family,” Taylor said. In Providence, Taylor will be teaching 10th and 11th grade English at a K-12 school, similar to what he does at Menlo. “We’re really sad to leave Menlo. I love it here. I love my students. I love my colleagues. It’s a really great school. It’s not a decision we made lightly,” Taylor said.
Dress Code Conversation, cont. we’re going to have a new dress code.” One of the main concerns about the dress code among students is that it can be sexist, since it’s often targeted toward girls. “[The dress code is] usually, unfortunately, about girls,” Chen said. Leader of the Gender Equality Matters Club (GEM), freshman Riley Huddleston, feels that dress codes can often perpetuate the over-sexualization of young girls. “A lot of dress codes are justified by saying that [girls’ clothing] can be distracting for guys, which can over-sexualize girls,” Huddleston said. “Guys shouldn’t get distracted by someone wearing a tank top.” Junior Emma McGaraghan voiced a similar opinion at the Student Council meeting. “A dress code is inherently sexist,” she said. “It teaches people that it’s okay to sexualize women and that it’s okay to be distracted by women’s bodies.” Chen agreed with this view and wants to be sure that if any changes are made to the dress code, they will not be sexist. However, she feels that some students wear clothing that is simply not appropriate for school because it is too revealing. “I totally hear you,” she said in response to McGaraghan. “But if [someone’s] buttcheeks are hanging out of [their] shorts, maybe they’re just too short for school [...] because [we] are in a school setting.” Assistant to the Upper School Director and Coordinator of Student Activities Frances Ferrell explained at the meeting why some adults on campus feel uncomfortable with students wearing clothing that is too
revealing. “I think it comes from different times and generations,” Ferrell said. “A lot of the adults here had a dress code. [...] We grew up in a very different time where if you wore something [revealing], people would say if it was inappropriate.” Rather than changing the dress code, however, some adults want to make it easier to talk about dress code at Menlo because it is difficult for them to approach students about their clothing when they feel as though it is not appropriate for school. “I just want to create a better way to have conversations between students and adults,” Ferrell said. Chen agreed that everyone at Menlo should feel comfortable talking about the dress code. “We should be a community where we can talk to each other,” she said. “That’s the ideal.” At this moment, the administration is not planning on changing the dress code as a result of these discussions; however, students and teachers alike want to make sure that the dress code is a topic that everyone in the Menlo community feels comfortable talking about, especially between students and teachers. “I think it’s important for students and teachers to have that conversation,” senior Mia Rosenblatt said. “Why we’re [at Menlo] is to be prepared for college and the real world, and part of that is how you dress. Being able to have these conversations between students and teachers will prepare us for college, internships and jobs.”
Arts & Lifestyle
May 16, 2019
3
Kennedy Cleage: A Dancing Prodigy by SARAH NORUM
Junior Kennedy Cleage has been selected to be the female Artist of the Issue due to the phenomenal dance talent that she has brought to the Menlo community for the past six years. Not only is Cleage on Menlo’s varsity dance team, but she is also a teacher’s assistant for Upper School dance teacher Jan Chandler’s Jazz Dance elective. Cleage’s love of dance was sparked when she began dancing at the age of three. “My mom enrolled me in a combination ballet and tap class, and I did that once a week for a couple of years,” Cleage said. “I watched as my friends started quitting as they thought it was boring, but I was really the only one who enjoyed it and decided to keep with it ever since.”
by ELLA HARTMANIS
“I watched as my friends started quitting as they thought it was boring, but I was really the only one who enjoyed it and decided to keep with it ever since.” Cleage has brought her passion for dance to Menlo since the day she arrived in sixth grade. “I took [Middle School dance teacher] Courtney [Chandler’s] dance classes and was part of the dance concert every single year,” Cleage said. “In high school, I was first on [Menlo’s junior varsity dance team] Midknights as a freshman and have
Cleage dances with the varsity Knight Dancers in the 2019 Menlo Dance concert. Photo courtesy of Kennedy Cleage.
been on the [varsity] Knights team for the last two years.” With some changes to her dance schedule outside of school, Cleage has had the new opportunity to enjoy various styles of dance in recent years. “Until last year, I had never done anything outside of ballet and contemporary, as I had gone to a studio in San Jose where we just did classical ballet training with curriculum from New York,” Cleage said. “Last year, I decided to move
Photo courtesy of Kennedy Cleage.
studios, begin doing competition and trying other styles like lyrical, contemporary, tap and acro.” Cleage enjoys numerous aspects of dancing at Menlo, especially performing in the annual Dance Concert and being able to take on leadership roles. “I think [the Dance Concert] is everyone’s favorite part [of dance] because it is really exciting to perform in front of all of our peers and teachers,” Cleage said. “When I was a middle schooler, we would always look up to the Knight Dancers, and even if we were just in one dance, we would all be backstage trying to watch them. As a Knight Dancer now, I remember that and just appreciate how cool it is to be in any part of the Dance Concert.” Cleage intends to pursue dance in college and possibly beyond. “I do not necessarily want to be a dance major, but I definitely want to keep it in my life and am considering double majoring or minoring [in dance] depending on where I go [to college],” Cleage said. “At a minimum, I want to keep dancing at a club level because it is something that is really important to me.”
The Modern Renaissance Man: Rapper and Artist Birdo Gonzalez-Zaragoza by SAMANTHA STEVENS
When he is not skateboarding around campus, you can find junior Birdo Gonzalez-Zaragoza in the art studio creating visual art and lyrical rap. He considers his artistic interests a “solid mix” of both drawing and rap. In particular, Gonzalez-Zaragoza’s favorite style of visual art is one-line drawing, which is when the artist does not take their pen off of the paper while making a drawing. Gonzalez-Zaragoza has always been interested in art; he has been drawing for fun ever since he was young. Once he entered high school, Gonzalez-Zaragoza started to take an interest in both the visual arts and music. He took Menlo’s visual art class last year and is currently enrolled in AP Studio Art. Rapping is a more recent endeavor for Gonzalez-Zaragoza—he has been rapping for about two years and just recently started publishing his tracks on the music sharing platform SoundCloud. He currently has
One of Gonzalez-Zaragoza’s one-line drawings titled “Vané.” Image courtesy of Birdo Gonzalez-Zaragoza.
one song, titled “the gutter,” published on his personal SoundCloud account (@bzrdo). He is featured in two songs by fellow junior Miles Hester, who also publishes rap
songs via SoundCloud. Gonzalez-Zaragoza plans on releasing another song on the weekend of May 17. Gonzalez-Zaragoza started making his own beats a few months ago. Previously, his brother’s friend provided him with trap beats, which Gonzalez-Zaragoza would slow down to match the beat of his own lyrics. If Gonzalez-Zaragoza had to choose one medium of art over the other, he says he would choose making music over drawing because, to him, it requires more attention to detail. “I guess both [visual art and music] are trial and error,” Gonzalez-Zaragoza said. “But the thing I like more about music is that you tend not to waver too much because then it’s too much of a hassle to restart. So you just keep going. And you could split off and make two tracks from the same track, but then they’re completely different.” In both of his artistic interests, Gonzalez-Zaragoza often finds a way to incorporate another passion of his: skateboarding.
“Last year, I used to draw a lot of pieces that revolve[d] around skateboarding, but then I got sick of those. And then this year, I started putting a lot of skateboarding references in my rap just because I think it’s, you know, true to me.”
Another one of Gonzalez-Zaragoza’s one-line drawings titled “Mafi.” Image courtesy of Birdo Gonzalez-Zaragoza.
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Arts & Lifestyle
May 16, 2019
Menlo’s Got Ink: Which of Our Student and Faculty Members Have Tattoos? by VIONNA ESHGHI
Several students and faculty members on the Menlo campus have tattoos with various meanings. From significant moments in life to ideas that came from meditation, these tattoos are representative of each student or teacher. Upper School science teacher Todd Hardie got his first tattoo at the age of 22. “I wanted it small and hidden. I got a yin yang symbol, about the size of a quarter, on my ankle,” Hardie said. “It marked the moment I came out as being a gay man.” Most of Hardie’s tattoos represent a significant moment in his life or a person who has had a huge impact on him, like a best friend, significant other or pet’s name, according to Hardie. “[My tattoos] tend to have some connection to the four elements of nature: fire, earth, water and air and often include a saying that inspires me,” Hardie said. A few of the quotes Hardie has tattooed include ‘All great changes are preceded by chaos,’ by Deepak Chopra, ‘Practice gratitude’ and ‘To err is human, to forgive divine,’ by Alexander Pope. According to Hardie, it is hard to say how many tattoos he has. “They all tend to blend together. Let’s just say I have been to the tattoo parlor many, many times,” he said. Hardie is unsure whether or not he will ever get more tattoos. “I just have to wait and see if something significant happens in the future,” he said. Senior Natasha Walia has wanted to get a tattoo her whole life, but was always unsure as to what design she wanted. “My sister got four tattoos a few months before mine, and it made me really jealous
because in our family, if anyone, I would be the one to get a tattoo first,” Walia said. “I was kind of forced into getting my first tattoo because my sister sent me a picture of her ‘NN’ tattoo on her wrist, and it was supposed to represent both of our first names that start with the letter N.” Walia found this to be the perfect opportunity to get a tattoo before turning 18. “I asked my parents, and they were fine with it, [so I ended up getting] mine in New York when
Walia’s crying face tattoo. Photo courtesy of Natasha Walia.
I was visiting my sister.” In addition to the ‘NN’ tattoo, Walia also has a tattoo of a crying face. “This is a tattoo I saw on Instagram, and then I got it modified by a graphic designer to have a little more detail and be more along the lines of an ignorant style tattoo,” Walia said. Although it does not mean anything personal to her, Walia sees her crying face tattoo as a piece of artwork. “I got a lot of hate from my friends about this tattoo be-
cause I decided to get something that had no specific meaning,” Walia said. “People questioned why I would ever want something crying on my body and why I wanted to remind myself of sadness. I don’t really see my tattoo like that; I see it as a piece of art that doesn’t need to have some explanation.” Walia is definitely planning to get more tattoos in the future. “I’m actually getting one in a few weeks. I don’t think I want to end up having a sleeve or anything, but I will for sure be getting more. I already have some ideas in mind,” Walia said. A student who wishes to be anonymous, and will be referred to as Sandy, has always wanted tattoos, but more specifically has planned on getting a tattoo with her three sisters. “Since [there are] four of us, we have the four suits in a deck of cards. My two older sisters have their tattoos already, and [it has always] been the plan that when I turn 18, I’ll get the same tattoo as them,” she said. However, Sandy currently has a lip tattoo that reads ‘dude.’ “I had been thinking about it for a year, and it kind of started as a joke at first, but then after talking about it with some of my friends, I realized that I actually wanted it and so I decided, ‘Why not,’” Sandy said. She decided get the word ‘dude’ tattooed on her lip because it represents her favorite word that she uses in virtually “every sentence.” “When I was thinking about what I wanted to have on my lip, I wanted it to be something [that is] me, [because] let’s be honest, [it is] a lip tattoo,” Sandy said. “If I’m [going to] get a lip tattoo, [it is going to] be something stupid. I’m not [going to] get [something] really important [and]
meaningful if no [one will] see it.” Sandy got her tattoo for her own happiness and enjoyment and ultimately was very pleased with her final choice of “dude,” though she had other options in mind. “I definitely [will be getting more tattoos in the future]. I have a couple ideas, a lot of them are for family members like my mom and dad and [of course] the one that I [mentioned] with my sisters,” Sandy said. “[I think it is] just a matter of actually thinking about [the tattoos] because my next tattoos are [going to] be visible on my body, so it’s [just] making sure I’m happy with them, making sure that they’re something that I actually care about and want to have for the rest of my life.” Upper School computer science and mathematics teacher William Cesarotti got his first tattoo in 2005. “It is of two wolves wearing masks facing a torch crossed with a key meeting at a yin yang symbol,” Cesarotti said. “I had been interested in getting a tattoo for many years at that point.” Cesarotti also has one other tattoo, which is a yew tree and a wheel inscribed with symbols spinning around the trunk. These symbols include a sun, crown, moon, throne and in addition, there is lightning and a squirrel in the branches, a cave in the roots and a serpent wrapped around the roots. “The ideas first came to me during meditation, and then I sketched many variations until I came up with something I liked,” Cesarotti said. According to Cesarotti, his tattoos have meaning, such as the tree and wheel tattoo, which maps his spiritual path. Cesarotti plans on getting more tattoos in the future. “Getting inked is addictive [and] I definitely want more.”
Junior Year: Is It As Hard As Anticipated? Seniors Reflect on Their Experiences at Menlo by SOPHIA ARTANDI
Junior year is notorious for being the most difficult year of high school, as it is primarily spent looking at colleges and taking the SAT and ACT, as well as continuing with extracurriculars. Despite these preconceptions, many students from Menlo’s Class of 2020 found that the workload was
A junior prepares for standardized tests. Staff photo by Crystal Bai.
relatively manageable. People hear about the challenges of junior year from older siblings and friends, but it is also a common opinion. Junior Mara Lebovitz has two older siblings who told her about how important junior year is. “I was expecting [to be] really busy and overwhelmed, and I knew that [this] was the year where I had to focus on grades the most,” Lebovitz said. An especially challenging trademark of junior year is the standardized testing. In addition to taking AP tests and assessments for classes, students are also preparing for and taking the SAT and ACT, as well as SAT Subject Tests. In addition, some juniors have research papers to complete for advanced humanities classes, which have to be 10 to 12 pages long for honors-level classes. Most students at Menlo are also involved in extracurriculars, whether it is a sport, art or another activity. This year’s juniors expressed that their extracurriculars got more
intense, or they moved up in the leadership of their activities. “I had some different responsibilities this year. I was the [junior class president] and played a larger role on the mock trial team as well,” junior Ethan Yan said. Other juniors became presidents of their clubs, such as Spectrum Club, GLI (Girls Learn International) and Knight Vision. “I went from a member to a leader in [Knight Vision], but I’ve been a leader of [GLI] since freshman year,” junior Brooke Hodge said. Juniors also tend to have more homework than they did in previous years. Hodge said that she has around three-anda-half to four hours of homework each night. “It [is] more [homework], but I think that it [has] been growing at a gradual rate; it is not as much of a steep jump,” Hodge said. Lebovitz agrees that she has more homework now than in other years, saying that she has around two-and-a-half hours a night.
“I knew that [this] was the year where I had to focus on grades the most” However, the juniors interviewed have different opinions about whether or not junior year was as difficult as they thought it would be. Yan believes that though junior year was challenging at times, he is glad that he took the courses he did because he wanted to take advantage of the opportunities at Menlo. “It was [not] a walk in the park, [but] it was worth it to spend the time,” Yan said. On the other hand, Lebovitz said that the workload was easier in the first semester, but she has been feeling overwhelmed as the fourth quarter is drawing to a close. “I feel like I’ve never been as busy [as I am now] in my entire life,” she said.
by SHEFALI SAHAI
Though Menlo’s seniors rarely come to school anymore, they have some last words to share with the community before they graduate. The official last day for seniors was Friday, April 26, but some have continued to come to school for portions of the day to attend their AP classes. However, in a few more weeks, the seniors will truly be done with high school, and most will be moving on to the next phase of their lives: college. “I feel like it has not fully hit me that my high school days are numbered,” senior Walter Li said. Looking back on high school, seniors reflect on their experiences and everything that Menlo has taught them. “In terms of academics, Menlo taught me how to manage my time well and how to be a good student. In other words, I learned how to learn,” senior Nina Chandra said. Menlo is known for being extremely rigorous in academics and for develop-
Chandra planning her last few days at Menlo. Staff photo by Shefali Sahai.
ing high-achieving students who are well prepared for college. But many agree that this strong education comes at a cost. Senior Ashli Jain describes high school as a “whirlwind,” and Li says that it was a “challenge.”
“In terms of academics, Menlo taught me how to manage my time well and how to be a good student. In other words, I learned how to learn.” Although Menlo has this reputation, many seniors now describe their experience as rewarding because Menlo taught them lessons that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. “In terms of overall life experience, I learned how important it is to advocate for yourself,” Chandra said. Li said that he learned “how to speak up when [he] [does not] feel like something is right,” which can be helpful in everyday life, from conversations with friends to professional negotiations to making change in the world. Chandra also stressed “the value of maintaining relationships.” This can be hard in high school when there is constantly work to do, but Jain emphasized that life is full of various obstacles, and it is important to learn how to make room for the people who really matter. “Remember that high school is not all about school and tests and grades. Your long-lasting high school memories are truly going to come from time spent with family and friends,” Jain said.
Opinions
May 16, 2019
7
Trump is a Disaster for America; Don’t Impeach Him by ADLEY VOGEL
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) so eloquently captured the collective emotion of millions of Americans as he uttered these words to the Senate Judiciary Committee: “Trump is a f***ing idiot.” Now, these weren’t Graham’s own words; he was quoting former FBI Counterintelligence Chief Peter Strzok, but the sentiment conveyed still stands. Trump is the least qualified president in American history, lacking virtue, ethic and the most basic human decency. With the exception of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which slashed corporate tax rates, Trump—a Republican—has repeatedly acted in the least conservative way possible: restricting free trade with tariffs, inhibiting the spread of democracy by getting friendly with dictators such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte and shunning fiscal responsibility for ballooning debt and deficits. And yet, even with the opportunities afforded to Congress by the recently published Mueller report, we should not impeach Donald Trump. Trump is doing more damage to himself than an impeachment proceeding could ever do. And by leaving Trump in office, then kicking him out in 2020 without the press or the crescendo of an impeachment hearing, America sets itself up for what former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart calls “the most significant fundamental realignment of American politics in more than a generation.” Like it or not, the Republican Party
has become the party of Trump, and any Republican politician that doesn’t submit to him is made a pariah. Don’t believe me? Ask “Lyin’ Ted” or “Low Energy Jeb” or military veteran John “I like people who weren’t captured” McCain. The only GOP politicians who can survive coming into contact with Trump are those who share his same perverse values, transforming Republicanism into a nationalistic, xenophobic Trumpism that targets immigrants and journalists and appeals to literal Nazis. Congressional Republicans have, by and large, been entirely content to allow their party to be hijacked in this way. They sing their praises towards Trump until they sing a wrong note and get thrown under the bus, like former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. There really isn’t a significant Republican opposition to Trump, and over the course of the Trump presidency, it has become abundantly clear that Congressional Republicans value party above country. The fiery, disturbing rhetoric of the Trump administration is the rhetoric of the Republican party, and this rhetoric seems to be pushing everybody else further and further to the left, transforming the GOP nearly beyond recognition. And this gets us to why impeachment might be not be the correct political move, at least not right now. Despite controlling the House, Senate and presidency for two years, many key Republican promises remain unfulfilled: the Affordable Care Act stands, the Muslim ban has been overturned, the wall still has not been built. Trump’s cabinet has been a revolving door
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
since the second he took office, and amidst nearly constant investigation and controversy, Republicans need something powerful to unite under. Impeachment proceedings could give them the Alamo they need to rally behind, and as the Republican Party becomes more and more divisive, keeping Republicans on their heels might be more important than landing the massive hit that Democrats have been dreaming of. It’s a purely political move, and not a glamorous one, but now is not the time for dramatic retaliation against two-and-a-half years of incompetent leadership. There are too many unknown outcomes that an impeachment proceeding could bring about, all of which could swing pub-
lic political opinion to the right and give Trump steam for 2020. But if Democrats just sit tight and continue to deny the GOP any victories, Trump can complete his destruction of the Republican party, no impeachment needed. The stakes are currently too high to be messing around with something as potentially disastrous as impeachment. Come 2020, if Democrats rally and take back control of the executive office, Trump can be held accountable for his actions. But until then, as painful as it is, the best way to prevent against another Trump presidency will be to not take the bait, to not give the Republicans a victory and to not waste energy impeaching Donald Trump.
Summer is Overrated; We Should Set More Realistic Expections
by ASHLEY GRADY
Summer isn’t really that great. No, I’m not a summer hater or a fan of tests and projects or a lover of running on five hours of sleep during the school year. I simply find that summer never lives up to its hype and nearly always ends up disappointing me. Every year, in the months leading up to summer break, I always hear, and frank-
ly, always say to myself, “This summer is going to be my summer.” But honestly, it never is. I feel like everyone has an idyllic picture of summer in their heads—beach days, amusement parks and bonfires. But when school finally lets out and break comes around, none of those fantasies become a reality. Maybe it’s Hollywood that conjures up this unrealistic image of what vacation is, or maybe it’s social media that warps our sense of what is possible, but the bottom line is that summer isn’t the perfect escape from the real world we often think it is. First, summer isn’t free from all work and expectations. Instead, summer is tainted by required reading and school assignments. The many books to read and annotate, worksheets to complete and papers to write are an ever-looming responsibility, usually put off until the last weeks of summer, when students scramble to complete the tasks with the bare minimum of effort. Not only do they strip some of the fun and freedom out of summer, but these assignments don’t even fulfill their purpose of stopping summer learning loss. In fact, nine in 10 teachers spend at least three
The Coat of Arms Editor-in-Chief.............................................Samantha Stevens Print Editor..............................................................Crystal Bai Online Editor....................................................Kate Hammond News Editor...........................................................Adley Vogel Arts & Lifestyle Editor......................................Sarah Norum Opinions Editor......................................Elisabeth Westermann Sports Editor....................................................Page Wolfenden Spread Editor.......................................................Kyra Geschke Copy Editor.......................................................Carly McAdam Social Media Director........................................Vionna Eshghi Staff Photographer...............................................Sadie Stinson Staff Writers......................................................Sophia Artandi, Claire Ehrig, Stella El-Fishawy, Tessa Frantz, Ashley Grady, Emily Han, Ella Hartmanis, Chase Hurwitz, Parina Patel, Shefali Sahai, Sylvie Venuto, Alexandra Viret, Ryan Young Staff Illustrator.........................................................Nic Garcia Adviser................................................................Tripp Robbins
weeks re-teaching lessons at the beginning of the school year, according to the National Summer Learning Association. There is also the pressure to have a productive summer. With the ever-growing and increasingly competitive college pool, students now rush to pack their resumes with great summer experiences. Additionally, unpaid summer internships or academic camps aren’t an option for students that need to work to support their families and fund their educations, which is unfair and adds stress to low-income families. For some kids, summer can actually get boring. For those who—against all odds— spend their summers free of plans or commitments, life quickly gets dull. I love laying in bed all day and watching Netflix as much as anyone, but three months without structure or purpose is too much, even for me. After all, there are only so many entertaining TV shows or Youtube videos to watch. Being a couch potato for too long can be entirely unfulfilling. Finally, there is the issue with friends. School provides a natural opportunity to connect and spend time with peers. It can be hard to navigate busy summer sched-
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ules and find the time to make plans to see friends. A study by the National Citizen Service shows that although a vast majority of teenagers communicate with friends every day on social media, only 14% will see them face-to-face. Dr. Aaron Balick, psychotherapist and author, construes that spending time with peers in person stimulates social, psychological and emotional processes in the brain, while a lack of personal connection can lead to poor mental health and feelings of isolation and loneliness. Summers don’t live up to their reputations most of the time, but I still think vacation beats the stress of dealing with teachers and tests. I love summer and am beyond excited to be out of school in three weeks. I just think that everyone would enjoy their vacation a little bit more if they put things into perspective. Summer isn’t some utopian parallel universe; life isn’t going to be ideal just because it is warm and sunny and kids don’t have to go to school. Summer would be a lot more enjoyable if there weren’t so many unrealistic expectations.
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The mission of The Coat of Arms is to report accurately and thoroughly on news that is significant to the greater Menlo School community. We will chronicle in context the different events and perspectives within the school, while ensuring unbiased coverage. We welcome feedback and aspire to create an open dialogue with our audience by being accessible on multiple platforms and by striving to remain neutral in all circumstances.
8 May 16, 2019 Tomkinson holds current 800 meter state record
by RYAN YOUNG
Junior Charlotte Tomkinson has been running for the Menlo track and cross country teams since sixth grade. She always knew that running was something she wanted to pursue, but never anticipated her incredible success in high school track and cross country. Tomkinson started running at a young age after being introduced to it by her parents, who were both triathletes. Even before attending Menlo Middle School, she was competing in triathlons and other types of races. As she entered sixth grade, Tomkinson met Head Track and Cross Country Coach Jorge Chen, who inspired her to follow her passion for running even further. “I started running seriously after my freshman year when I quit swimming and triathlons to focus on track and cross country,” Tomkinson said. Chen has been a big inspiration for Tomkinson and has coached her through her entire career. “Coach Jorge believes in me when I don’t believe in myself,” Tomkinson said. Tomkinson specializes in the 400-meter and 800-meter races in track and competes in the mile and the 4 by 400-meter relay as well. She appreciates the camaraderie with her 4 by 400-meter relay team members juniors Michelle Louie and Kyra Pretre and senior Lauren Hamilton. “We’ve improved a lot together this year, and I think the rest of our season is looking really good. [...] I practice with [Pretre] pretty much every day, and we always push each other to be better, so I’m grateful for her support too,” Tomkinson said. This season, Tomkinson broke the girls 800-meter school record and is currently ranked number one in California for the fastest 800-meter time: 2:10.61.
Sports
Tomkinson is excited to compete in the state finals on May 24 and 25 against the best high school runners in California. She has aspirations of running track in college and wants to extend her career in the sport for as long as she can. Tomkinson acknowledges the mental aspect of track and how she relies on her teammates for motivation in challenging races. “For the longer races in cross country, you’re alone for 20 minutes, so you really have to rely on your training to stay focused. [...] In the shorter races, like the 800-meter, everyone is around the track cheering you on, so concentrating for that two minute period isn’t as hard,” Tomkinson said. “I just remind myself that I’m running for the team, especially in the 4 by 400-meter relay, because everybody’s time matters, and that’s how I find the motivation to push myself as hard as I can.” One of Tomkinson’s favorite memories was going to the state finals with her relay team during her first year running track because the relay was comprised of mostly freshmen, and she got very close with her teammates early on in her high school career. She credits her success to her parents, Chen and her teammates, who all push her towards her goals. “I’m so lucky to have such a great support system. [. ..] I’m excited to keep running and push[ing] myself to [be] faster,” Tomkinson said.
Tomkinson competes in the 400 meter at the Stanford Invitational. Photo courtesy of Duncan Lord.
Spring sports wrap up seasons, compete in playoffs by PAGE WOLFENDEN
Baseball: Varsity baseball ended their season with a 9-5 record in the Peninsula Athletic League and stands 16-9 overall. The Knights defeated Burlingame at home on senior day, Wednesday, May 8, in a tight, 14-inning game. Senior Charlie Giesler had a walkoff base hit, scoring junior Ian Collins for the win. The Knights faced Burlingame again on Friday, May 10, falling short one run, and finishing second in league. The team will start CCS playoffs on Saturday, May 18 against Thomas More.
Boys Lacrosse: The varsity boys lacrosse team concluded their season 4-3 in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), standing 10-7 overall. Heading into the first round of WCAL playoffs, the Knights faced St. Francis on Monday, May 6 and prevailed with a score of 15-2, sending them to the semifinals against St. Ignatius on Wednesday, May 8. The Knights fell to SI with a score of 12-7, ending their season.
Junior Cole Kastner carries the ball down the field in a game against Marin Academy. Photo courtesy of Doug Peck.
Junior Max Chou swings through the ball against Gunn. Photo courtesy of Duncan Lord.
Boys Golf: Varsity boys golf finished their season 7-1 in league and took the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) tournament title on Wednesday, May 1, winning by 19 strokes. Junior Kripa Dharan recorded a 73, and senior Charlie Hsieh and sophomore Jeremy Yun both shot 75s. Hsieh and Yun continued to compete in the CCS finals on Tuesday, May 14. Hsieh shot an 81, and Yun shot a 74, ranking 17 out of 66 competitors.
Track and Field: The varsity track and field runners had successful seasons. The girls team won the WBAL finals on Friday, May 3 for the seventh time in the past eight years, and the boys team placed in fifth. Many runners had personal and season-best times at the tournament, including sophomore Kamran Murray, who won the boys’ 3,200m with a personal record of 9:55.93, and senior Lauren Hamilton, who won the girls’ 100m with a personal record of 12.54. The Knights will compete in the CCS finals on Friday, May 17.
Swimming: The varsity girls and boys swim teams both finished third at the WBAL championships at Sacred Heart Prep on Saturday, April 27. The Knights competed in the CCS trials on Friday, May 3 and the Finals on Saturday, May 4, improving their times and swimming personal bests. The girls’ 200 meter medley relay, including freshman Emory Tudor, sophomore Ashley Scafetta, sophomore Carly McAdam and junior Sophie Golub, swam a new personal record, improving their previous season best time by two seconds. Tudor also swam the 200 meter freestyle and will continue to compete at states.
Boys Tennis: The varsity boys tennis team won their 23rd consecutive WBAL title, standing 12-0 in league and 21-2 overall. Additionally, seniors Andrei Volgin and Kevin Kafayi won the WBAL doubles championship, and freshman Soren Sutaria was a singles finalist. The team headed into CCS with a bye in the first round and defeated Harker in the second round at home on Friday, May 3. They proceeded to prevail over Gunn in the quarter-finals at home on Monday, May 6, and SI on Wednesday, May 8, sending them to the CCS finals on Saturday, May 11, to play Bellarmine. The Knights fell 4-3, however will still go on to NorCals.
Golub competes in the 100 meter backstroke on senior day. Photo courtesy of Greg Lim.
Girls Lacrosse: Varsity girls lacrosse finished 9-3 in the WBAL, 12-6 overall, entering playoffs as the number two seed, thus securing a bye in the first round. The Knights defeated Menlo-Atherton in the league semi finals at home on Thursday, May 9, giving them a chance to defend the league title in the finals at Sequoia High School on Saturday, May 11. The team faced SHP in a rematch from the previous year, prevailing with a score of 13-11.
Freshmen Rohan Shah (left) and Sutaria (right) compete in doubles in the Bay Area Tennis Classic. Photo Courtesy of Cyrus Lowe.