The Coat of Arms
Volume 46, Number 5
Menlo School, Atherton, California
Thursday, March 12, 2020
serving Menlo's Upper School since 1973
Fruit Peels, Plastic, and Plates, Oh My! by RILEY HUDDLESTON
Lapolla, Flik and Facilities Express Opinions on Trash at Menlo
Menlo has a trash problem. “It’s something I watch every day […] it happens too many times,” Dean of Students Tony Lapolla said. Sophomore Kami Israelski recalls seeing trash on the quad. “I often see banana peels, orange peels, half-eaten things,” Israelski said. Operations Service Coordinator Jeff Healey, who has worked at Menlo for 15 years, believes there has been progress on the students’ part. “Over recent years, I believe
there has been great improvement in students’ attitude toward trash,” Healey said. “ I walked the campus this morning, and I am pleased to see how little trash was laying around.” However, Healey does notice more of a problem with students’ property being left out. “A couple of issues I do see as challenging are the amounts of clothing, pens [and] pencils,” Healey said. Flik Executive Chef Shawn Hunt notices messes on a bigger scale in the cafeteria. “We experience dishes and trash left behind every day,” Hunt said in an email to The Coat of Arms. “We see plates, bowls, silverware, cups, napkins, general trash [and] condiments smeared on tables, [as well as] salt and pepper shakers misused on purpose.” Student Council also
implemented advocacy cleanup, where every advocacy is assigned two or three days of the year to clean up the cafeteria after lunch. Not only was it intended to take the responsibility of cleaning up off of the Flik cafeteria staff, but also to help students experience the problem firsthand. “The point would hopefully be to have [students] say, [...] ‘Let me be the upstander, we don’t do that, pick up,’” Lapolla said. Hunt acknowledges that advocacy cleanup groups are helpful to the Flik staff, but he knows the messes still affect Flik staff. “Overall, it does cause more work for the food service staff, more time lost and excessive waste,” Hunt said. “I wish students and staff would be more considerate, aware and mature in this matter.”
Lapolla thinks the issue reflects badly on the Menlo community. “It speaks to, ‘I don’t care,’ or that ‘Someone else will do it,’” Lapolla said. After observing students leaving out dishes or trash for years, Lapolla and Student
Trash, page 2
An Introduction to Some of the Flik Staff Although we see them every day, how many of us really know the people behind the counter? Here is a quick introduction to some members of the Flik cafeteria staff. Shawn Hunt, from Norwalk, Conn., serves as the executive chef at Menlo’s cafeteria. His position
entails being in charge of the full production, planning and execution of meals. He also plans and executes catering for any special events or holiday activities. Hunt is in charge of managing the entire
Expelled, page 2 Executive Chef Shawn Hunt is a big hockey fan. Staff photo by Sadie Stinson.
Taco Truck Breaks Atherton Municipal Code by Serving Menlo Students Over the past school year, Menlo students have started to eat lunch at the taco truck, called Mendoza Catering, located at the construction site of the new theater. But recently, Menlo security has begun to deter students from eating there because the taco truck is not complying with Atherton Municipal Code. Rafael Mendoza has been serving 10-20 Menlo students per day from his taco truck since August 2019. However, according to Mendoza, in the last three to four weeks, the number of students at the truck has decreased. Security Supervisor Mustapha Moutri explained that the taco truck has been unknowingly breaking an Atherton Municipal Code by selling food to students. The legislation in question is Atherton Municipal Code 12.18.050, which prohibits food trucks and other similar vendors from selling food on school property to students without the school’s permission.
A sophomore boy was expelled from Menlo following incidents in which the student used racial slurs and offensive gestures towards an African American student. The decision was made Sunday, March 1 and was effective immediately. On Monday, March 2, the sophomore class attended an emergency class meeting where Dean of Students Tony Lapolla explained the situation. Lapolla described the student’s actions as a violation of Menlo’s values. “He used the N-word, he used gestures that indicated that the student was a monkey and sounds coordinating with that,” Lapolla said in the meeting. Chief of Institutional Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Keith Wheeler also spoke to the sophomore class. “None of us should be under the pressure or under the expectation to come to school where you’re supposed to be able to lean in intellectually and be emotion-
ally and physically safe but have to worry about someone who’s going to signal or make sounds as if you’re a primate,” he said. According to Lapolla, the student went through Menlo’s
Flik, page 3
by SAMMIE DOSTART-MEERS
by CARLY McADAM
The student used a racial slur and offensive gestures towards an African-American student.
Illustration by Malilka Tatavarti
by TESSA FRANTZ
Sophomore Boy Expelled Over Racist Behavior
Because of this code, Moutri has stationed a security guard in the area of the truck from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to deter students from buying food. “It’s a 100% safety issue. Food safety is important, and we have to be careful because we haven’t seen [the truck’s] health permit,” Moutri said. Dean of Students Tony Lapolla highlights that by allowing the taco truck to serve students on the Menlo campus, Menlo is indirectly providing students with that food. “If we allow you to go there, we can’t always be assured of what you’re getting,” Lapolla said. According to Lapolla, although the taco truck formerly served students, it has now stopped and is cooperating with Menlo. However, on Tuesday, March 3, members of The Coat of Arms staff saw students coming out of the CADC with food from the taco truck. According to Lapolla, deterring students from buying food from the taco truck is similar to Menlo’s policy with food delivery
services like DoorDash. “By allowing the taco truck, we create different environments with some people who can afford it and some people that can’t,” Lapolla said. “I think if we allow it, we’re saying that that’s something we believe in, and we don’t want that.” The location of the taco truck inside the construction zone of the Spieker Center for Performing Arts also raises some concerns
about student safety and insurance liability. According to Lapolla, students being within the construction zone could cause either the construction company, DevCon, or Menlo to be liable. “There is a gate and a sign that says this is a construction zone and that you must wear a hardhat and safety goggles to get in,” Moutri said. “So that’s a safety issue."
Mendoza stands in front of his catering truck. Staff photo by Sammie Dostart-Meers.