The Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms
serving Menlo’s upper school since 1973
New Phone Policy Follows CA Movement But Stops Short of Full Ban
by ASHER DARLING
Five years ago, Adam Gelb, who was serving as assistant principal at San Mateo High School, helped ignite a monumental movement for high schools across the nation — the prohibition of cell phones. There, he implemented a cell phone policy prohibiting students from accessing their phones for the entire school day, a decision that earned national media coverage. “We became the biggest public school in the country to go cell phone free bell to bell,” Gelb said. Gelb is now in his third year as Menlo’s assistant upper school director. During an assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 3, he announced that Menlo will be adopting a new cell phone usage policy for the Upper School. Students are now required to place their phones in a designated cubby area when they walk in the door for class or advocacy. “I think you come to school to learn and you do that in the classroom and advocacy, so let’s make those cell phone free spaces,” Gelb said.
On Monday, Sept. 23, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation giving public schools in the state two years to begin restricting cell phone usage during school hours. Gelb doesn’t think placing restrictions on phones in this fashion would be the best for the Menlo community at the moment. “I didn’t feel like that much of an aggressive approach was needed,” he said. “I’d say a good amount — like 80 to 85 percent — of our students are not on their phones during lunch. That’s different from what I’ve seen on other campuses.”
“When [the phone] is in your pocket and you get a notification, it is certainly distracting and can take your mind off the work that you’re doing,” he said.
Senior and Student Body Vice President Melanie Goldberg agrees that students’ use of phones can disrupt academic time. “I do think kids pick up their phones, myself included, when they’re going to the bathroom,” she said. “That’s a bad issue we have.”
Computer science teacher Douglas Kiang, who came to Menlo five years ago, has maintained his own phone protocol in his classroom for the past few years. “We’ve had a policy that students drop their phones at the front of the room,” he said. “I haven’t heard any complaints.”
Kiang added that he’s seen the biggest impact in his advocacy, where he’s also had students put their phones away. “I feel like it has caused [the students in my advocacy] to interact with each other more,” he said.
Sophomore Matthew Majalya thinks that the new phone cubbies in classrooms have been a good addition.
“I would not want our phones to be taken away [all day] — I would be strongly opposed to that,” Goldberg added. “But I think during classes it makes sense.”
Club Hub Rollout To
Resume After Privacy, Login Concerns Resolved
by MALIA CHEN
Two weeks after the Menlo administration introduced a new platform called Club Hub, the rollout of the program was halted after senior Alexandre Haddad-Delaveau discovered a serious privacy issue within the Club Hub website programming.
Club Hub, founded by University of Chicago student Ilan Puterman in 2022, is an online platform designed to simplify the process of joining and managing school clubs. Students can sign up for clubs using Club Hub QR codes,
What’s
the program’s website or the program’s app. The platform aims to streamline club activities for both members and leaders. Additionally, Club Hub offers administrative tools that track club membership, attendance and event history while providing a centralized communication method for students.
In May, Club Hub was first introduced to Assistant Upper School Director Adam Gelb and former Student Activities Coordinator Frances Ferrell through a Menlo alum and other students who were using it at different high schools. In early August,
DJ Jauxon Takes the Stage at BTS Dance
Phones, pg. 2
the administration officially decided to implement Club Hub to help students get connected to opportunities on campus. Gelb hopes that the platform will provide a place for students looking for a community on campus to not only connect but also find information all on one platform. “The idea was that it would make it easier for students and get them interested in maybe joining in something they wouldn’t otherwise join,” Gelb said.
At the beginning of the school year, Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis Bustamante informed all club leaders that the school planned to adopt Club Hub.
AmberStaffillustration: More
Phones
Continued from pg. 1
Although Kiang and a handful of other teachers had already been enforcing their own phone policies, Gelb thinks that the new school-wide policy creates a uniform feeling around phones across the campus. “Your classroom experience is going to be the same in all your classes now,” he said.
Upper School wellness counselor, Jake Fauver, has had conversations with several students about the new policy in classrooms. “I think more kids are like ‘Yeah this serves me, even though it’s annoying or frustrating,”’ Fauver said.
Starting this school year, several other Bay Area private schools — including Crystal Springs Uplands School, Woodside Priory High School and rival Sacred Heart School — began enforcing their own phone policy rules outside the classroom.
Fauver has noticed the magnetic draw of phones when students have a down moment. Nevertheless, he thinks that if Menlo were to enforce a phone policy outside of the classroom, it could exacerbate excessive screen time after
school. “I’m a fan of taking a gradual approach and I’m a fan of starting with academics,” Fauver said. “It is nice that as an independent school, we can kind of figure out what the sweet spot is.”
When [the phone] is in your pocket and you get a notification, it is certainly distracting and can take your mind off the work that you’re doing. “
Sophomore Matthew Majalya
“
According to Gelb, parents too have shown general support for the new phone policy. Annamarie Louie, the mother of current sophomore, Marissa Louie, and two other Upper School alums, commends administrators for taking on the issue. However, Louie was surprised that the school hadn't started with lunch
time to emphasize student connection. “It’s heartbreaking to me when I see students sitting together and not talking to one another because they are all on their phones,” Louie said. “That’s the part that concerns me most as a parent.”
Part of Menlo’s programming to help students improve their relationship with technology involved bringing in Project Reboot founder, Dino Ambrosi, to address the upper school at an assembly on Sept. 17. Project Reboot is a researchbacked program that helps students build an informed and intentional use of technology. Ambrosi spoke about how students turn to their phone as a distraction when they feel stress, anxiety or boredom and offered a variety of tools to help combat this issue.
“I definitely agree with phones in the cubbies in classrooms,” Ambrosi said in an interview with The Coat of Arms. “It’s a no brainer; like, you are literally measurably smarter [without the phone].” Ambrosi, too, questions the value of an all-day ban on phones. To him, students must develop their own habits around their devices because technology regulations won't be in place after they graduate, but the technology will. “I think it is a bit belittling and condescending to be like, ‘You are not capable of living
with this thing in your pocket,’” Ambrosi said.
Kiang agrees with Ambrosi’s point that students should have access to their phones when it does not interfere with instructional time. “I think students need to develop the ability to choose when to be on the phone and when not to,” he said.
I think students need to develop the ability to choose when to be on the phone and when not to. “ “
Computer
science teacher
Douglas Kiang
Gelb plans to continue discussions around phone usage with parents, teachers, administration and especially students. “I think students realize that it’s probably a good thing if they could be on their screens less, or on a certain app less,” he said. “I just don’t think they want to do it alone.”
Class Sizes To Continue Increasing by 10 Through 2027
by AARON WIDJAJA
After many years of maintaining a consistent class size of around 150 students, Menlo has decided to increase future Upper School class sizes by 10 students each. The class of 2028 is the first class in which this change has been implemented.
There have been times in the past where admission has surpassed 150 students per class. Specifically, after the pandemic, Menlo over-accepted incoming students. Consequently, more students were accepted into the class of 2025 than there was space for. “We had to go to the town [of Atherton] and let them know that we were over-enrolled, because we have a cap on the number of students that we’re allowed to have,” Head of School Than Healy said.
This enrollment cap is due to the traffic concerns around campus, a fact that the town of Atherton reiterated to Healy. To accommodate the additional students for that year, Menlo created incentives for students to carpool or take the bus to school, and traffic numbers remained stable.
[We] proposed that we increase the school’s enrollment by 5 percent over four years.
Head of School Than Healy
For the following classes of 2026 and 2027, the student population returned below 150. However, after seeing that Menlo had the ability to accommodate more students on campus without impacting traffic, Healy said he felt that each grade would benefit from having more students. According to him, the opportunities Menlo offers are so expansive and some classes varied with the student numbers, so space could be made for more students. Additionally, he felt that serving more students more fully meets Menlo’s mission as a school of educating students. Having more space factored into their consideration in executing this change. Consequently, Healy began talking with Upper School Director John Schafer and other school leaders about expanding enrollment. Schafer’s support prompted Healy to go to the city of Atherton to inquire about the matter. “[We] proposed that we increase the school’s enrollment by 5
percent over four years.” Healy said. That meant that 10 students would be added to each incoming grade.
Healy believes that the impacts of this increase will be profound for the kids whom the school otherwise would not have space for. However, in terms of the programmatic impact of this increase, he said he doesn’t see this as extremely impactful to Menlo’s educational system or social environment — but he does believe that it will help regulate classroom numbers. “I do think it might fill in some of the classes that were a little light,” Healy said.
Specifically, Healy said that Menlo’s bigger problem is needing more students to make a club, sport or class come to life. Another positive side effect for this decision was that it would help fill our classes that were underenrolled, especially elective ones. “[Students have] probably been in classes that have been smaller than 16,
maybe much, much smaller than 16, and so we’ve got empty seats [to fill],” Healy said. Thus, by increasing future class sizes, there is a greater possibility for a more “robust enrollment” in areas the school needs.
In an email to the Coat of Arms, Chief Financial Officer Shelly Gutpa explained that the increase in enrollment will generate added money for Menlo, though minimal. Gupta said that the school will respend the added money into fortifying “high-quality educational programs,” as well as managing facilities in order to enhance the learning experience of all students. Because a larger student body means more teachers will need to be hired and paid, “the modest increase in enrollment will generate similarly modest additional operating income for Menlo School,” Gupta wrote.
Menlo's Administration has decided to implement a new class cap by an
Staff illustration: Amber More
New EDIB Director Brings Global Perspective to Menlo
by GEOFFREY FRANC
It’s impossible to miss. The coffee thermos, the cuff links, the shrine in the corner of his office: Marco Menéndez is wild about FC Barcelona.
What immediately stands out about Menlo’s new Director of Institutional Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging is his above-and-beyond devotion to what he cares about. His love of the Spanish soccer team is perhaps the best example of that — he has not missed a game since the early 2000s, even when living in China, where games often broadcast at 3 a.m. Yet it’s what drove Menéndez to the FC Barcelona fan domain back in the 1980s that speaks volumes about his values.
He said it was the fact that the team is owned by fans rather than wealthy investors that hooked him. Menéndez added that the way FC Barcelona played soccer was and is unlike any other team.
“They had a philosophy and a way of looking at a sport that had to do with humility and teamwork, more than a superstar trying to outshine everyone,” he said.
Back when dictator Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975, his regime persecuted Barcelona’s regional language and identity, so FC Barcelona became a symbol of resistance against fascist oppression. The team was also one of the last to not have a corporate shirt sponsor. When they finally did, Barcelona’s players were advertising UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, on the front of their jerseys. Menéndez saw in this history his own values of social justice, and he has never turned back.
These values also steered him to apply for the open EDIB director position at Menlo, which he stepped into in August. He said Menlo’s emphasis on
Club Hub
Continued from pg. 1
Many members of the community reported being excited about the possible benefits of the new app. “It [seemed] like a super convenient and straightforward way to manage all of the different clubs,” co-leader of Fashion Club Amanda Wu said.
One of the students who signed up for the platform was Haddad-Delaveau, the student who discovered the issue. Haddad-Delaveau, who has an interest in coding and software development, quickly noticed that the app’s website wasn’t super polished. After looking through the website’s code, he discovered privacy vulnerabilities. “I pretty quickly found out there was just a complete disregard for the user’s information, the user’s privacy or security when it was built,” Haddad-Delaveau said.
As soon as Haddad-Delaveau discovered the issue, he reached out to Puterman through customer service on Club Hub. Initially, he said, Puterman dismissed the concern — suggesting that the access to user information was not a bug, but a feature. Eventually, however, he acknowledged the issue and reassured Haddad-Delaveau that he would work on fixing it. Haddad-Delaveau also informed Menlo’s administration, who paused the rollout and contacted the tech department. Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis Bustamante then sent an email to Menlo club leaders pausing the rollout of Club Hub.
“We always want to make sure that we are honoring student voices and making sure that when a student brings up something that is of concern, that we do our due diligence to validate those concerns and ensure that we’re taking some sort of action,” Director of Technology Mike Kulbieda said.
The tech department immediately investigated the issue and reached out to Puterman about the concern
that last letter of the EDIB acronym is what really excited him about the job. “I like to consider belonging as the goal for all of the work,” Menéndez said. “I use equity as a lens for the work, and really, inclusion and diversity are the strategies that we put into play for the work. But it’s all about belonging.”
Menéndez said his first priority in any new job is connection: this means building relationships with community members and poring over the school’s EDIB documents to learn more about the history of Menlo. Then, he said, comes the action.
Menéndez is acutely aware of the reported uptick in bigoted incidents last year and the resulting expulsions, and he said part of the reason he was hired was because of his experience in healing a school community after similar events.
When Menéndez was just days into the job, the third annual Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly, usually held in the fall, was canceled. Menéndez said he felt for affinity groups that can’t be fit into the assembly calendar, but he added that he will work with the groups to celebrate their cultures in other ways. “[Assemblies are] not really giving your affinity the real importance that it should have, and I think that importance really revolves around bigger picture items like curriculum, like decision making, like student voice and things like that,” he said.
Though Menéndez doesn’t currently teach a class, he expects and welcomes teaching becoming a part of his duties. In addition to being a dean at Laney College in Oakland, Menéndez has taught history and social sciences at international schools in Guatemala and in China, where his wife is from.
In fact, Menéndez only moved back to the U.S. from Hong Kong this summer so that his eldest son could start high school stateside. Menéndez and his wife
as well. Kulbeida said they investigated the inability to sign in through the mobile app and the fact that data — specifically students’ first names, last names and email addresses — were easily accessible. “When our team looked into it, we actually didn’t find any data leaks. [...] [Puterman] must have made some changes based on Alexandre reaching out to him in proactive actions,” said Kulbieda. “We did recognize, however, the app’s design and the platform’s design didn’t look like it was as professional as others we’ve seen.”
The real hero in this story is Alexandre. “ “
Director of Technology Mike Kulbieda
Additionally, in follow-up conversations with Puterman, the tech department found out that Club Hub is using a third-party app development platform called Bubble.io to outsource all of the development website and app, which could explain these issues. The tech department is currently continuing to communicate with Puterman to address further issues with the app’s development. “We’re constantly in a process of evaluation whether or not, you know, there are other options out there for us for a long-term partnership,” Kulbieda said.
Ultimately, club fair week, which was the week of Sept. 9, passed without the use of Club Hub. However, now that the security issue has been resolved, the Menlo administration and student council plan to continue using Club Hub for the Menlo club system in the future.
decided to split their kids’ education between China and America. Their kids completed early childhood education in Guangzhou, elementary school in the Bay Area and middle school in Hong Kong.
Menéndez, who grew up between Middletown, Conn. and Albuquerque, N.M., also studied abroad in Italy in college. There, he learned Italian, before picking up Spanish in Guatemala and Mandarin in China. “I love learning languages,” he said, adding that he aims for perfect pronunciation.
It’s all about belonging. “ “
Director of EDIB Marco Menéndez
An avid chef, Menéndez’s internationalism is also reflected in his cooking. He often cooks Italian, Mexican and Chinese dishes (even if they don’t conform to his pescatarian diet). His favorite preparation, though, exhibits his Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage: arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). “That was the first dish I learned, and I feel like I’ve spent a lifetime trying to perfect it,” Menéndez said. “It’s never quite as good as my abuelita, my grandmother, but I always get lots of compliments on it.”
Along with his heritage, another huge part of Menéndez’s identity, he said, is being an amateur astronomer. “My telescope is my baby,” he said.
Menéndez said that, aside from the sublime beauty of the planets and stars, the history of different cultures’ relationships with astronomy attracted his forever-love of learning. Always going the extra mile for his passions, Menéndez even named his son Galileo.
“We’re going to keep pushing [Club Hub] to get people to sign up and register for their clubs,” Student Body Vice President Melanie Goldberg said.
Bustamante and Goldberg both acknowledge that the pause of Club Hub has slowed the platform’s momentum. However, they hope that the plans to use Club Hub for the house system will help improve student participation.
Student Council Clubs Coordinator Lauren Rukavina also expressed her excitement about the potential of the platform. “We really want this to be a helpful tool for leaders and students alike,” she said.
Despite the temporary pause, Haddad-Delaveau’s actions ensured that the platform could be used safely moving forward. Administrators lauded HaddadDelaveau for his upstanding conduct that benefitted the whole community. “The real hero in this story is Alexandre,” Kulbieda said.
Marco Menéndez, Menlo's new EDIB director, shows off his FC Barcelona paraphernalia, including branded cuff links. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
Following the 2024 Election: Caroline Gives Her Tips for Staying in the Know as November 5 Approaches
by CAROLINE CLACK
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face off in an unprecedentedly fluid presidential election. Unless you are the rare political enthusiast who has a deep understanding of domestic affairs, chances are this election process has been difficult to follow.
Personally, I’ve never been that involved in politics — not because of a lack of interest but purely out of laziness. Having enough opinions, context and knowledge to engage in political discussions takes motivation I didn’t believe I had — until this election.
There’s so much fake news, exaggeration and media bias out there that forming my own, unprejudiced political opinions, which has always been a goal of mine, didn’t seem feasible. But with so much media attention this political season, I decided to make this goal a reality. All I wanted was to be in the know.
So I started by attending Upper School Director John Schafer’s lunchtime session on Tuesday, Sept. 10, which was on “How to Follow the Election.” From there I learned two things.
The first is that I have to be conscious of the biases that come from the area we live in, since it’s primarily left-leaning and that no source is going to give completely neutral information. To be aware of this means to seek out generally
unbiased sources, but also to be conscious that all stories will have some sort of preexisting partiality.
My second lesson that day was simple: it’s easy to find election information if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to listen to others who are more politically informed than you — while keeping in mind their political biases, of course.
research. I couldn’t just go anywhere, though, and I couldn’t just collect my information from a single source. I decided my best bet was to sign up for the news sources that Menlo provides, The New York Times, The
sources had certain types of bias, I could find truth in the facts that aligned in all sources.
However, I barely have time to complete the tasks that are necessary for me to accomplish, so finding time to research political events and characters purely for my own enjoyment and selfeducation was not always feasible. This meant that I needed to find information through more digestible, yet still reliable, outlets.
Take the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, which took place on Tuesday, Sept. 10. I could either watch the debate in its entirety and give up 90 minutes of precious time on a weeknight or spend that 90 minutes on homework or sleep. Long story short, I chose sleep.
But that decision didn’t mean I had lost my chance to engage in this historic event. Following along after the fact is as simple as searching up the highlights on a reliable news platform.
by SADIE EVANS
For the first time ever, Menlo’s drama department will team up with the Black Student Union. The two groups will come together to produce “The Wiz,” a retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of contemporary African-American culture. In past years, Menlo produced two musicals in the fall and spring as well as a winter play. This year, there will still be a winter production, but the musical “The Wiz” will be replacing Menlo drama’s traditional play.
The production team has decided to produce a concert-staging of the musical. Instead of a full production with acting scenes and large dance numbers, the show will just feature the modern and vibrant soundtrack of The Wiz through Menlo’s singers.
This musical is an early example of the Broadway industry accepting works with an all-Black cast. The performances will take place in the month of February, which is also Black History Month. Steven Minning, the head of the drama department at Menlo who will be directing “The Wiz,” explained that the production was intentionally scheduled for February. “When I watched the Black
The next stop on my path to being able to consider myself “politically informed” was to conduct some basic
Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times (go to the “Databases” page on the library website for access information).
I realized that a technique I could use when researching was to read the same coverage of a single event on multiple platforms. This way, even if some of the
As we near election day and political tension builds up, it seems that my workload does as well. But I decided it was worth it to put time into forming my own opinions — not my parents’, not my friends’, not my teachers’ and not the media’s. If I accomplish this, I’d consider myself successful. Next time someone asks what I think is going to happen on Nov. 5 or what I hope will happen, I’ll have something moderately intelligible to say.
Drama Dept. to Partner with BSU for Winter Musical
History Month assembly last year, I was inspired by the energy and the pride,” Minning said. “I thought, ‘Let’s take that energy and continue the celebration of Black History Month with a winter show.’”
Minning has high hopes for this winter musical and for the students who will participate. “Hopefully the students doing the show will find something new within themselves or maybe awaken something that they didn’t know they had, which is a great experience unto itself,” Minning said.
John Norris, the advisor of the BSU, is very passionate about producing “The Wiz” at Menlo. “This is an opportunity to expose the larger Menlo campus to “The Wiz,” which is an important part of Black culture,” Norris said. “It’s important that there’s some respect being given here to something that is so influential in the Black community.”
The production team — composed of both the drama department and the BSU — has hired an outside-of-school music director for this production named Ken Little. Little has been playing music in the Bay Area for over 40 years, and he now teaches a piano course at the Community
Music Center in San Francisco. “I was looking for a music director that could relate to and understand the music and share the music with joy to the cast, ” Minning said.
Little will be at the rehearsals for “The Wiz” to guide the students on their vocals. His role is extremely important because the main focus of the production is the soundtrack. “Most of the students in BSU don’t have a ton of experience in theater, but this is a musical, so we need vocal coaches, someone with experience,” Norris explained.
Sophomore Sage Brandon, a member of the BSU, has been a part of eight total Menlo productions throughout his four years at Menlo. “I love the [drama] program because it has a really good community,” Brandon said.
Brandon said that he is very optimistic and excited to start the production process for “The Wiz.” “The show will be in Black History Month, so I think it’s very important for us to, as a group, show off our culture and what we can do at Menlo,” Brandon said.
The production of “The Wiz” at Menlo will open performances on Feb. 6, 2025, and finish performances on Feb.
8, 2025, during the first week of Black History Month. The community here at Menlo can look forward to this staged concert to support their fellow peers, and
It’s important that there’s some respect being given here to something that is so influential in the Black community. “ “
Black Student Union advisor John Norris
learn more about the impactful show, a landmark musical in African-American theater. “I hope this [production] goes well and more Black students in particular want to be more involved in drama,” Norris said. “I hope there are more opportunities for collaboration in the future.”
From a Club and School Athlete, Don’t Diminish School Sport Commitments
by BIANCA PUTANEC
Two bags with two uniforms, a nearempty water bottle waiting to be filled and a run to the car. These things make up my daily transition to get to soccer practice — my second training of each day — as a club and school athlete. I chose to put this routine on my calendar; flag football and soccer will take up three months of the fall sports season. That might seem scary, until you add school and extracurriculars — then it becomes outright terrifying. It might not seem like a strong pitch, but after my second year following this schedule, I wouldn’t want to change a thing.
Admittedly, playing two sports at once is a big time commitment, especially when both demand a lot from you as an athlete. Practice and game times overlap constantly. I have to plan my schedule for the week beforehand so I can maximize my time at each sport. Not to mention that club coaches, especially as athletes get older, aren’t always happy when athletes miss their commitments leading up
to tournaments or games. It can sometimes be hard for club and school coaches to understand an athlete’s hectic schedule juggling two sports. Difficulty persists even if you manage to avoid sacrificing time playing one sport for the other.
To lower the Menlo sports commitment level is to take away something [athletes] enjoy. “ “
Due to the issues athletes face while playing two sports at once, I’ve often heard other student athletes announce that the commitment of school sports should be lowered. While I could certainly see that chance decreasing stress and making athletes’ lives easier, we should take the rest of the team into account. Great school teams still require a
certain amount of commitment, and we shouldn’t be giving that up. It could potentially reduce the overall quality of the sport: imagine less time learning the sport, less team bonding and fewer games. All the events and strategies that make Menlo sports great would be lost if we lowered the commitment.
I love playing Menlo sports because of our high-quality programs. I learn new techniques for running, connect with new people and get to be a part of something important to the school. Athletes choose to take on a hard schedule, because they love the sport and the community that comes with it. To lower the Menlo sports commitment level is to take away something they enjoy. So no, we shouldn’t lower our sports commitments for club athletes because instead of helping them, it would hurt what they love about their sports.
So, let’s not change a whole team’s commitment to accommodate student athletes. Instead, athletes should practice self advocacy: reaching out to teachers for help and extensions when needed or planning when to take a day off for their mental or physical health. It’s an individual dilemma, not the responsibility of the entire team.
The Best Downtowns of the Bay, Comprehensively Ranked
by ELAINA HUANG
Inspired by my strolls through local downtowns over the years, I set out on a mission to discover which Bay Area downtown truly offers the best vibes, shopping and eating experiences. After plenty of exploration (and too many boba stops), here’s my definitive ranking!
#1: Palo Alto
Palo Alto’s downtown is the best in the Bay Area, no question about it. It attracts a diverse community of people, including students from Stanford University and Palo Alto High School, local families and other communities alike. There’s always people walking their dogs, pushing strollers or just hanging out. The recent addition of clothing store Brandy Melville has definitely increased the popularity of the alreadycrowded area; now, you will often find teenage girls (myself included) meandering down the sidewalks toting Brandy’s signature navy paper shopping bags. Not only does the area fit in a movie theater, but there’s also a never ending selection of highly rated restaurants and food spots. Some of my personal favorites include Mr. Sun Tea, Tong Sui, Somi Somi, Verve Coffee Roasters and Nola, a Cajun restaurant. And of course, I can never pass up a brunch at Sweet Maple — their matcha mochi waffles are to die for. University Avenue, the downtown’s main street, has an unmatched ambience and sets a high bar for all the Bay Area’s other downtowns.
#4: Los Altos
#2: Burlingame
The Palo Alto of the north, Burlingame’s downtown is my favorite as you travel farther north up the Peninsula. The wide variety of big chain stores, ranging from Lululemon to Vineyard Vines, is a shopaholic’s heaven. Many Menlo students live near Burlingame, and their overall opinions are very positive; Sephora and Starbucks are fan favorites, and students adore the wide variety of shops and restaurants. Burlingame downtown is also the perfect size, not tiring but also not boring to stroll around. A few boba places such as TPumps also add some bonus points for me. In the few times that I’ve visited, the downtown’s atmosphere can feel a bit cold and lacking in ambience, but overall the restaurant and shopping scene is on point.
Charming and residential are the first two words that come to mind when I think of Los Altos’ downtown. The quiet streets and small businesses that are sprinkled along Main Street create a peaceful and sleepy atmosphere — unlike with nearby downtowns, I get the sense that the only other people wandering around are natives of Los Altos, creating a residential town vibe. But don’t underestimate the muted atmosphere, especially when referring to the food scene: Los Altos’ downtown is home to Satura Cakes, my all-time favorite bakery in the Bay Area. Their freshly made matcha cream puff and red velvet cake are truly to die for. Manresa Bread is a close second, and their signature monkey bread gives Satura a run for its money. Dinner and lunch spots of every cuisine, too, are everywhere. The downtown also is home to a variety of adorable home decor and trinket stores, and overall is a good option to visit for a relaxing Sunday morning. Just keep in mind that if you’re looking to go on an outing later than 8:30 p.m., this downtown is not for you.
#3: Mountain View
I have fond memories of Mountain View’s downtown from when I was younger, and they often involve the variety of restaurants I dined in. Although Mountain View’s downtown might not be the place for you if you’re looking to go clothing shopping, the different cuisines from all around the world make up for it. Asian restaurants line the bustling Castro Street, from Udon Mugizo to Little Lamb Hot Pot to YiFang Taiwanese Fruit Tea. Well-known chain bakeries such as Paris Baguette and Alexander’s Patisserie can also be found, offering an early morning pastry and coffee. Nearly every restaurant you’ll find is filled to the brim with ambience and chatter. Whether you’re a large family with young children or a couple looking for a sophisticated date night, you are sure to find a place to grab a bite that is to your satisfaction. Even better, every food spot is open until at least 9:30 p.m., later than most other downtowns. You can never go wrong with a good Friday night meal in Mountain View.
#5: Menlo Park
This might spark outrage in a few of my fellow students, but to me, downtown Menlo Park just does not meet the same standards of quality as the rest of the areas in this list. When I joined Menlo in ninth grade, I was very excited about the campus’ proximity to downtown; I thought I would be going downtown every day, getting a refreshing boba from Mr. Green Bubble or a cute drink from Starbucks. I was wrong. Menlo Park’s downtown isn’t all bad. There are a few furniture or home decor shops, and the French patisserie Mademoiselle Colette is definitely a highlight. However, that’s about where the variety of food option ends — you can only go to Mr. Green Bubble or Starbucks so many times. Add that on top of the frequent construction that makes the sidewalks not walkable, and weird stench in every alley, and you have a downtown that is simply not all that desirable.
Illustrations courtesy of Diya Karthik
Boba shop Mr. Sun in downtown Palo Alto. Staff photo: Elaina Huang
Ode to Lip Gloss: Reviewing the Best and Worst Products
by AMBER MORE
amber's kisses and misses!
A
I’m a lip gloss aficionado. I have lip gloss on me at all times — one in my hand, two in my backpack (one in each pocket for easy access), three on my person and probably hundreds more scattered across my home and in the most convenient of places. However, don’t take my lip gloss obsession as a goal — no person needs that many. You just need the very best ones, and there is no one more equipped to help you navigate the sticky world of lip gloss than myself! I’m here to help you find the perfect sparkle to add to your lips. And for
those of you who aren’t crazy about makeup, keep reading! I’ve got some killer chapstick recommendations too.
If shopping on a budget: you can always bet on the NYX Butter Gloss. At a reasonable $6, this little lady keeps your lips hydrated and soft and does not skimp on pigment. Its familiar smell comforts to no end. For a more traditional lip gloss, you can also opt for the $10.99 Maybelline Lifter Gloss, which boasts shades similar to lip industry tycoons’ products, such as Too Faced’s Lip Injection Plumpers or Fenty’s Gloss Bombs
Looking for something a little more trendy? Check out the MAC Squirt Plumping Gloss Stick. It went viral last year for its wild shade range, but I can attest that it was not a microtrend as I’m still repurchasing. This lip gloss is fun and fresh; it’s a tad gimmicky with its neon and unconventional colorways, but has the perfect melty formula to back up the hype. MAC has a stellar lip product reputation for a reason.
As for the day-to-day self-care: reach for any of the Malin+Goetz lip lineup — the Lip Moisturizer, SPF 30 Lip Balm or Mojito Lip Balm. With cruelty-free, healthy ingredients, these $16 chapsticks pack a punch, leaving your lips protected and nourished. At your local drugstore, grab a classic Aquaphor Lip Repair or Vaseline
to stock up for winter for the war against chapped lips!
To treat your lips: splurge on the Dior Addict Lip Volumizer or the Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Lip Balm. You may have heard of the Dior Lip Glow Oil that was flying off the shelves a few years ago, but that was child’s play compared to the volumizer. With over double the shades, a weightless feel and a precise applicator, it knocks the glow oil out of the game. Now, on the other hand, Westman Atelier offers an experience: luxurious, quality packaging and contents to match. Swiping on the Squeaky Clean Lip Balm feels silky and sheer, purely enhancing your natural features.
Avoid at all costs: the Summer Fridays Lip Oil. In fact, if you even catch a glimpse of it in Sephora, please turn around and walk out the door. Now, I’m speaking from personal experience, because I did give this product a chance — three, to be exact. I mistakenly chalked up my dissatisfaction to the wrong shade; I was seduced by its marketing and desperate to like it. But upon trying all its unflattering shades, I’m resolved to admit that this $26 lip gloss is simply horrible: the packaging is unnecessarily huge despite offering only a mere 0.15 ounces of product. The applicator is also comically large and impractical, and finally, the excruciatingly ordinary formula hinges on sticky. Save your money and leave this one behind.
New Era of English Electives Breaks Up Hierarchies and Promotes Collaboration
by ALYSSA McADAMS
For years, Menlo seniors have had the luxury of choosing from an array of special topics English electives for each semester of their final year. Conversely, juniors have faced a much narrower choice between three English classes: AP English Language, AP English Literature and English 3: Rebels. However, as Menlo has shifted away from AP classes, the junior English curriculum has undergone much more significant revamping than the rest of the ex-AP courses. And as a senior, I have to say: it’s about time these changes were made.
Secondly, when I was a junior and could only choose between the three full-year courses, it felt like the class I chose fit into a sort of hierarchy.
Rather than enrolling in one of the three year-round classes, juniors now spend their first semester in either Rhetoric Honors, Literature Honors or Literature. “Each of those [classes] will certainly have overtones and flavors and memories of what used to be AP Lang [and] what used to be AP Lit, [and the] third non-honors route happens to be in the flavor of literature,”
English Department Chair Rachel Blumenthal said.
For their second semester, however, juniors have the opportunity to join seniors in their electives. In these classes, upperclassmen study topics ranging from medicine in literature to Shakespeare to Paris in the 1920s. By offering a semester-long deep dive into a specific subject, students get a taste of academic independence without the intensity of a year-long AP course.
Admittedly, I have heard fellow seniors comment on the peculiarity of having mixed-grade English classes for the first time in our Menlo careers and at first found myself agreeing with them. However, there are various reasons why I am now in full support of this change — and you should be too!
Firstly, let’s face it. The second semester of junior year is notoriously rough. Juniors grapple with standardized test prep, college visits, extra emphasis on good grades and the general stress of an impending senior year. Previously, juniors might have chosen a class that didn’t excite them just to tick off another AP box, thus spending the whole year stressed out. Now, they have the opportunity to explore literary ideas that matter to them, making that tough semester a bit more manageable.
Secondly, when I was a junior and could only choose between the three fullyear courses, it felt like the class I chose fit into a sort of hierarchy. It certainly seemed like the English class I chose said something about my academic ability, and that certain classes were universally considered more difficult than others.
That’s where the real value of Menlo’s
new English system for juniors comes in. It’s not about being the smartest or most accomplished. The new system focuses on what school should be about: learning for the sake of curiosity.
Think about the first semester as a bridge year between the foundations of ninth and 10th grade and the advanced English seminars of 11th and 12th grade.
You may be wondering why, if this were the case, it would be beneficial for juniors to still take English classes that echo their AP Lang, AP Lit and English 3 predecessors in the first semester. Blumenthal said it best: “Think about the first semester as a bridge year between the foundations of ninth and 10th grade and the advanced English seminars of 11th and 12th grade.” The English department’s hope, Blumenthal explained, is that the first semester will bridge the transition from the introductory literary studies of English 1 and 2 to more independentlydriven specialty classes.
Finally, us seniors get something out of the new system as well. We’ve all heard the term “inter-grade bonding” being thrown around recently, especially with the introduction of the student council’s new house system. But the term is more than just a buzzword. We seniors can take classes with juniors we wouldn’t have been able to interact with otherwise. Even better, these juniors who are in the class for the same reason as us: to engage in an English topic we care about. There’s something pretty special about a last-chance opportunity to connect with younger students and share a meaningful experience with them before we graduate. In the end, Menlo’s new English system is a win for everyone. By breaking down grade-level barriers and offering more choice on what students study, these curriculum changes will enable Menlo to foster a more collaborative, curiositydriven learning environment. And in a time where high school too often feels like a race to the top, that kind of freedom is something we can all appreciate.
English Department Chair Rachel Blumenthal
Illustration courtesy of Diya Karthik
Opinions
Taste Summer Sweetness With Top Trending Baking Flavors
by AMELIE GIOMI
This summer, many students and faculty took the opportunity to adventure to different places around the globe. I, however, went on a bit of a baking adventure. From experimenting with plantain bread to making my first cheesecake, I repeatedly encountered five distinct, trending flavors. Below, I share the summer flavors my taste buds could not get enough of, as well as recommend delicious baked goods to try under each category!
Citrus
When I think of the perfect summer dessert, I crave a refreshing dish that is light and sweet. I also love when a dessert has a subtle tangy and acidic aftertaste; it adds a touch of brightness to its flavor profile. Citrus flavors are synonymous with summer and have been recently trending beyond the familiar lemon, lime and orange staples. Ingredient-wise, pink and white grapefruit, passionfruit, yuzu and meyer lemon have found their way into our summer staples. Oh — and don’t forget the copious orange variations, such as blood oranges, mandarins, tangerines and clementines. They’re best enjoyed as citrus curds in cake fillings, grapefruit sorbet, blood orange panna cotta or yuzu ice cream. Citrus is so versatile, offering bold flavors and a hint of tartness to our favorite summer desserts.
Floral
Coffee & Tea
Coffee and tea are no longer confined to just cups. From chai-spiced cookies to espresso brownies, these flavors add a sophisticated touch that have made its way into upscale bakeries. Coffee adds boldness and richness to chocolate desserts; mocha is an unstoppable flavor for a reason. Dark chocolate chip cappuccino cookies and mocha cheesecakes with cacao nibs are only a few examples of this iconic duo. Earl Grey, matcha and chai are also finding their way into cakes, scones, muffins and cookies. Earl Grey, specifically, has a citrusy and zingy flavor palate that adds an elevated touch to basic baked goods. In contrast, matcha’s earthy flavor and bright green color give sweets vibrant complexity, while chai’s warmth adds a soothing coziness to any desserts.
When it comes to getting our fix of delicate, aromatic floral notes, we’re no longer confined to our Starbucks Honey Lavender Espresso Shakers or Iced Lavender Cream Matchas. Not only is lavender on the rise, but rose, elderflower, chamomile, chrysanthemum and hibiscus flavors have also gained popularity. Consumers are drawn to floral notes in food and beverages because botanical ingredients are often associated with health and sustainability and flowers offer subtle flavors that elevate any dish with an element of sophistication. On your next trip to the bakery, treat yourself with a lavender-infused macaron or a roseflavored panna cotta.
Global
Tropical
It isn’t surprising that tropical fruits are on the rise. Tropical flavors are sweet, tangy and refreshing; they’re reminiscent of sandy beach trips and long, sunny days. Among the list of tropical flavors, two combinations have trended in the dessert world. Tangy and sweet passionfruit complements the mild and aromatic guava to create a refreshing combination. Coconut offers creamy and nutty notes that pair well with the tartness and vibrant sweetness of the pineapple. Tropical-flavored baked goods are often topped with white chocolate. The chocolate’s buttery and rich flavor combines well with the tangy notes of tropical fruits to create a perfectly balanced dessert.
From Caribbean rum cupcakes to Italian ricotta rolls, international recipes add an exciting sweet twist to everyday life. Globally inspired desserts are on the rise because they offer unique flavor combinations. Many baked goods seen at the bakery Paris Baguette blend Asian and French influences. Ever-evolving Korean bakery concepts also exemplify global trends. In particular fusion between sweet and spicy notes, aptly called “swicy,” is gaining popularity in pastries and chocolate. Examples of these “swicy” fusions are mango with chili, orange with ginger and strawberry with pepper. A mango chili macaron’s sweet, refreshing elements complement the warm, spicy chili notes to create the perfect summer dessert.
Co-Editors-in-Chief..........Sonia Dholakia, Geoffrey Franc
Creative
Head
Assistant
Huang
Assistant Arts & Lifestyle Editor................Savannah Smith
Assistant Sports Editors..........Noah Levin, Bianca Putanec Adviser...............................................Miles Bennett-Smith
Staff Writers...............................Sadie Evans, Rafe Weiden
We appreciate hearing your opinions, whether it's through guest writing, letters to the editors-inchief or comments on our website and Instagram @menlocoa. Please reach out to the editors at sonia.dholakia@menloschool.org and geoffrey.franc@menloschool.org
Mission Statement
The Coat of Arms is an independent, student-led open forum for student expression. All decisions relating to the management and content of The Coat of Arms are fundamentally the responsibility of students. Coat of Arms reporters strive to acknowledge their internal biases and tell meaningful stories with empathy, fairness and journalistic integrity. The Coat of Arms staff is committed to building on the legacy of past staffs while setting the foundation for future members.
A comic series by guest illustrator Jonah Block
Staff illustrations: Amber More
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” Hits The Right Notes
by SIENNA LEW
Sabrina Carpenter embodies a quintessential pop star. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous and eternally smiley, she’s also masterful at releasing hit after hit. What more could you ask for? On August 23, the 5’0” singer dropped a full-length album appropriately titled “Short n’ Sweet.” I can sum up the album’s overall vibe in three words: sultry, sunkissed and dreamy. This is undoubtedly Carpenter’s signature sound: flirtatious lyrics and catchy melodies. Each song feels like a distinct moment in time over the course of a summer night — from the first hint of sunset to the break of dawn. So let’s unpack what was extra “sweet” and what went a little bit “sour” in every track.
My Top Pick: Juno
2:00
a.m. vibes
Sweet: Picture a dark blue, constellation-laden sky on a warm night. Juno — named after the Roman goddess of heaven — has flirtatious lyrics masked by a gorgeous instrumental. What I can best define as a guitar synth strumming in the intro gives it an element of dreaminess, like twinkling stars. The instrumental break between the bridge and last chorus is led by an electric guitar, giving it extra depth and warmth. The song feels like a hug in song form and is scarily representative of Carpenter’s sentimental and heartfelt emotions she conveys through her elevated yet catchy beats. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this song makes me swoon like a lovesick puppy.
Sour: The lyrics are clearly very explicit, which is great for some but not so great if you have sensitive ears like I do.
Please Please Please (7:00 p.m. vibes)
Sweet: Her light and airy vocal tone, with its sultry undertones, pairs so well with the retro grooviness of the song; “Please Please Please” feels quite minimalist and clean to me while still retaining a ton of classic Sabrina elements.
Sour: It’s pop, and though pop by nature is repetitive, she says the word “please” 31 times in a 3 minute song (yes, I counted.) That’s a “please” every six or so seconds. Make of that what you will.
Good Graces (10:00 p.m. vibes)
Sweet: The beat is super catchy. The synthy pulses in the background are wonderful and her deeper vocal pitch is also a blessing to the ears. Her “I won’t give a f*** about you” lines may seem redundant to some, but not me — they wonderfully break up the flow of her usually incisive lyrics.
Sour: The opening beats and high note ad-libs of the song honestly sound straight from an Ariana Grande track. I can see Ariana singing this in another universe, and for that reason I feel like the melody is not quite so authentic to Sabrina’s sound.
Sharpest
Tool (1:30 a.m. vibes)
Sour: Sharpest Tool starts harmoniously, and there’s a contrast between the way she stretches the lyrics slowly and the fast 3-beat of guitar chords getting plucked. Overall, it’s very pleasant on the ears. During the bridge, the volume of her voice fades in and out, like you’re fading in and out of dreams.
Sharpest Tool (continued)
2nd Place: Taste
11:00 p.m. vibes
Sweet: Its 4/4 time signature, involving a simple 1-2-3-4 beat, is easy to count, follow and dance to; this song is perfect for a wide range of dance moves. This specific time signature is common in pop songs, and in Taste especially, the song’s rhythmic pulses feel slow and seductive yet still upbeat. The sway in her voice, accentuated by the song, is groovy. All of the instrumental elements are grounded by a strong drum beat that begins in the chorus and are elevated by the bass line’s variations of the chord progression. It tinges ever-so-slightly into the waters of pop rock, a genre I’m addicted to, and her witty lyricism is the icing on the cake.
Sour: The only thing I dislike is how soon this song ends. Two minutes and 37 seconds isn’t enough!
Sour: I’m grasping for straws when looking for something to criticize. All I can pick at is the title: the phrase “Sharpest Tool” only appears once in the lyrics and could be more aptly named, in my opinion.
Coincidence (9:00 p.m. vibes)
Sweet: Never thought I’d see the day when Sabrina dipped her toes into country-pop, but it’s soulful and representative of nights around the campfire. Coincidence is easy on the ears and the acoustic guitar is lovely.
Sour: “Coincidence” doesn’t seem to fit super cohesively with the rest of the album. It carries a very different sound from most other songs.
Bed Chem (3:00 a.m. vibes)
Sweet: How can a song feel both warm and hazy and cool and refreshing at the same time? This song really shows off her upper vocal register and the lightness of her voice is sweet. I love how this song is so sophisticated yet simplistic.
Sour: Again, explicit lyrics. People might view them as crass and I find them just a tad distracting from the overall cleverness and nuance that characterize the album’s other songs.
Espresso (12:00 a.m. vibes)
Sweet: “I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer.” What more needs to be said? This song is more addictive than real espresso and her clout skyrocketed with this one for good reason.
Sour: The ad-libs, especially in the last chorus, seem a bit extra to me. Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but the simplicity of the rest of the song doesn’t require those impressive harmonies for it to still shine.
Dumb and Poetic (4:30 a.m. vibes)
Sweet: It’s not easy to make such melancholy lyrics both blunt and easy to understand yet still refreshing and original. Also, the sorrowful lilt of her voice in this track hits you right where it hurts.
Sour: I can’t find anything wrong with the song itself but rather its chronological placement. Its position right after the up-tempo “Espresso” makes its arrival a bit jarring; the tonal mood suddenly shifts for the rest of the album.
Slim Pickins (5:00 a.m. vibes)
Sweet: If “Coincidence” was country-adjacent, this fully embodies country. It reflects all of those early morning reflective thoughts. Her Pennsylvania drawl comes out for this one and it’s beautiful.
Sour: Though I like her very light vocal tone to this song, I think it could honestly benefit from a bit more brightness and depth.
Lie To Girls (9:00 p.m. vibes)
Sweet: It’s straight from the heart and hits straight in the heart. To me, it feels like the beginning of the twilight hours when the sun has set and quiet moments are spent by the fireplace. It is a ballad done well — slow, sweet and soft.
Sour: The only unfortunate thing about this song is the fact that it was placed in “Short n’ Sweet.” Though it is by no means a bad song, it is outshone by the other more upbeat and memorable songs of this album.
Don’t Smile (12:00 a.m. vibes)
Sweet: This song, compared to Espresso, is a different kind of midnight. It’s quiet nights reading in bed with a warm light illuminating the room. It’s suave and silkysounding, and her soft voice is like honey.
Sour: Again, this song tends to be repetitive, but it does feel like a calming lullaby in that sense. So I’m a bit torn.
Final words
Is this peak Sabrina? Yes. There’s not a single song I dislike in this album and I’m amazed by how sonically different each track is. This album is enchanting in all aspects.
Carpenter is seen performing on the Jumbotron at music festival Outside Lands. Staff photo: Amber More
Carpenter advertises “Short n’ Sweet” at Outside Lands Staff photo: Amber More
Senior Traditions foster camaraderie among students
by Savannah Smith, Malia Chen & Caroline Clack
Step onto the quad during the early hours of the first day of school, and senior traditions are in full swing. Alongside the seniors decked out in outlandish costumes and the freshmen in their tacky T-shirts, the senior quad is equally transformed to fit the theme. Poms-poms flying and whistles blaring, the entirety of Menlo is face to face with one of the most ancient senior traditions: the first day of school festivities. Yet, for much of the student body, senior traditions throughout the rest of the year can be less noticeable. The difficulty behind planning these grade-bonding activities can melt into the background.
These traditions are not just events, but opportunities for the seniors to make the most of their final year at Menlo. From the senior theme on the first day of school to the senior prank at the end of the year, these activities allow students to get involved in school festivity, especially if they haven’t in previous years. “I think everyone wants to maximize our senior year, so they are really taking risks in terms of participating in the traditions,” senior senator Avani Ganesan said.
“Everyone wants to maximize our senior year”
Senior Avani Ganesan
Student body vice president and senior Melanie Goldberg agrees with Ganesan, noting the camaraderie these traditions have fostered among the seniors. “We’ve grown as a senior class this year, especially just in terms of everybody getting involved,” said Goldberg. “It was really nice to see our whole grade cheering and spirited together.”
The seniors have already become closer through the traditions they’ve participated in — specifically, the Senior Web tradition during the class retreat. The entire class sat in a circle and passed a bundle of string to a classmate they weren't as close with, eventually creating a “web.”
Seniors shouted out, complimented or apologized to the classmate they passed the yarn to. Student life coordinator senior Ellie Knoll said the senior web was one of her favorite memories from the retreat. “I think our grade did a good job of just reaching out to new groups of people,” Knoll said.
Senior Lauren Dempsey also believes the activity brought the class closer together. Despite initially being nervous, Dempsey found that all of her classmates were kind and made the experience positive. “There was a lot of love going around,” Dempsey said.
“We’ve grown as a senior class this year”
Senior Melanie Goldberg
While senior class president Ryan Jabal acknowledges the possibility of controversial moments throughout Senior Web, he ultimately loved the experience. “The web was a special bonding moment to kick off our senior year that we’ll never forget,” he said.
The year is filled with similar traditions — Senior Assassin, Senior Ditch Day, Senior Prank — all of which take a great amount of effort and cooperation between the students, the student council and senior class dean Justin Carunchia. “I take it very seriously because I know that it creates memories that last so far beyond Menlo,” Carunchia said.
The importance of these traditions stems beyond just the senior class. “It’s really important that the seniors set the tone for the freshmen in terms of, ‘Is our school spirited? Do we actually have pride in our school?’” Student body president Cody Kletter said. Kletter noted the importance, albeit difficulty, of seniors staying spirited even with schoolwork and college applications.
Goldberg and Kletter encourage the senior class to make a lasting impression on future senior classes at Menlo. “Go full [out], this is your last year to do that,” Kletter said. “It’s kind of your legacy at the school.”
One way student council hopes this senior class will leave a legacy is through the recently introduced House System. While some seniors are worried the house system might interfere with upcoming senior traditions, such as the holiday assembly or homecoming float, Goldberg said that is not the intention. “[The houses are] not replacing, like, senior grade competitions and grade activities, but rather it’s in addition [to those things],” Goldberg said.
JerseyGiving sparks controversy
by Caroline Clack
As with the case of many schools, Menlo is rich in traditions. But not all of these traditions are universally liked and some spark debates about their impact; one being the jersey-giving within Menlo athletic teams.
Jersey-giving varies depending on the team’s captains and rituals. Specific members of teams generally must give out their alternate jersey on the day of a game to a person either of their choosing or of the team’s choosing.
Freshman McKinley Harding, a member of the varsity flag football team, has mixed feelings about the tradition. For her, though it’s fun to see people attend games in the jerseys of players, giving out jerseys during lunch is usually awkward. “It can be a little embarrassing when you have to take photos [...] and everyone watches,” Harding said.
Harding would prefer the option to give her jersey to a friend rather than being assigned a person who is, in most cases, a senior. According to Harding, this way she is already at least familiar with the person wearing her jersey to her game.
Senior Audrey Hochstetler, who plays on the varsity soccer team, understands the awkwardness but also finds the tradition to be engaging and increase attendance at a soccer game. Because the soccer team assigns underclassmen a senior to wear their jersey instead of letting them choose, Hotchstetler feels the experience is more comfortable for players who otherwise wouldn’t know who to give their jersey to.
Senior Ryan Jabal, who plays football and runs track at Menlo, views jersey-giving as a way to increase attendance at Menlo sports games, especially considering the recipients often encourage their friends to attend too.
Jabal understands the controversy of jerseygiving but ultimately agrees that the tradition increases crowd spirit and should be continued. “As long as no student is being pressured or forced into giving their jersey away, it should remain a fun and light-hearted tradition that builds spirit at Menlo,” Jabal said.
While senior Lauren Mrva agrees that the tradition of jersey-giving incentivizes students to attend Menlo sports games, she ultimately believes that teams requiring players to give out their jerseys creates unnecessary stress for those students. Mrva feels that there is an unspoken rule that students have to give their jerseys to members of the opposite sex that they are romantically interested in.
Mrva, who plays on the varsity volleyball team, believes that the stigma surrounding players giving their jerseys to friends instead should be dismantled.
Seniors welcome students onto campus during the first day of school. Photo courtesy of Tom Chen on Menlo Flickr
Staff illustration: Amber More
StuCo Takes Page From Hogwarts With Introduction Of New House System Center
By Jacob Reich
Staffillustrations:AmberMore
A few weeks after then-juniors
Cody Kletter and Melanie Goldberg were elected Menlo’s 2024-25 student body president and vice president in April, Head of School Than Healy approached them with an idea to help boost school spirit. He proposed creating an inter-grade house system where students would be divided between four houses, similar to the one implemented during his tenure at Lakeside School in Seattle.
Thus, with the help of classmates Ellie Knoll, the student life coordinator, and Kyle Mahaffey and Scarlett Bundy, the spirit ambassadors, Kletter and Goldberg got to work creating the new system. They began by naming the houses after important figures in Menlo’s history and assigning them colors, logos and character traits.
“I’ve heard that students love [the Houses]”
Senior Melanie Goldberg
Although they originally planned to name a house after Healy, he requested they choose someone else. They eventually landed on Warren, Douglas, Halverson and Lapolla.
The Warren house is named after William Warren, the founder and first headmaster of the William Warren School, the all-boys school that became Menlo.
Leon Forrest Douglass, the Douglass house namesake, was a successful inventor who bought what is now known as Stent Hall in 1921; Menlo bought the mansion in 1945, and it was known as Douglass Hall until it was named after Menlo’s first board chair, Peter Stent.
Fred Halverson was a longtime dean and assistant headmaster at Menlo who passed away in 2003 and worked at Menlo for 49 years.
The Lapolla house is the only house not named posthumously — it is named after Cindy and Tony Lapolla, a couple who retired from Menlo in 2021. Cindy Lapolla was an associate admissions director, while her husband Tony Lapolla served as dean of students.
The student council team worked with Assistant Upper School Director Adam Gelb, former Student Activities Coordinator Francis Ferrell and Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis Bustamante to find times for house meetings and assemblies. They now have about seven student life blocks set aside for house events this year. They also worked with members of the Student Council Arts Committee to design logos and create posters.
Although most of what Kletter, Goldberg and the student council team imagined came to fruition, the administration rejected the pro -
“[the houses] connect all the grade levels”
Sophomore Caleb Cohen
posal of arranging the houses individually. “For concerns of safety and [for] other logistical reasons, they decided that they wouldn’t go through with [the plan], at least for this year, if it wasn’t organized by advocacy,” Kletter said. Throughout the seven or so more student life blocks reserved for house activities this year, houses will be judged in competitions on their level of spirit and the results of each competition will be recorded in a point system. “We want the point system to be displayed throughout the year, so that people are still engaged in a month where there aren’t a lot of house competitions,” Goldberg said. At the end of the year, the plan is for the winning house to get a trophy, similar to the House Cup from Harry Potter.
The four houses participated in the first-ever competition during an Upper School assembly on Sept. 6. “There were a few goals we had with the house system: [...] promoting inter grade bonding [and] boosting school spirit on campus,” Kletter said.
Goldberg believes the first assembly was a success and effectively moved them closer to achieving those goals. “I’ve heard that students love it. I think at least five people have come up to me and told me it was the best spirit day of their entire high school or middle school career,” Goldberg said.
Sophomore and Halverson member Caleb Cohen said he enjoyed the Sept. 6 assembly. “I like [the new system]; it connects all the grade levels,” Cohen said.
Senior and fellow Halverson member Angelica Chou agreed. “I actually really like the concept, and I think it definitely has the potential to bring the grades together and create more spirit,” Chou said.
In June, many Menlo students received a follow request from @menlooceanofblue on Instagram. Most had never heard of Ocean of Blue, but were intrigued by the idea of a new school spirit group.
In the fall of 2019, a group of senior boys started OOB to bring more spirit to Menlo. One of those seniors was Henry Wernikoff (‘20), older brother to senior James Wernikoff.
According to James Wernikoff, Menlo’s beloved Sea of Gold wasn’t as big a presence then, so SOG and OOB coexisted.
However, OOB faded out once the founding class graduated. While some students tried to revive the group, their efforts were fruitless since the OOB Instagram login was lost.
As a student passionate about school spirit but not chosen to be a SOG captain, Wernikoff had the idea to bring back OOB. Wernikoff took it upon himself to create a new Instagram account. He then recruited seniors David Mhatre, Jack Enright, Tyler Fernandez and Benjamin Salama to help him run the group. Similar to Wernikoff, Mhatre was happy to help out since his older brother Brian Mhatre (‘19) was also a part of OOB.
According to Wernikoff, the goal of OOB is to increase spirit and attendance at sporting events. “We can create friendly competition between Ocean of Blue and Sea of Gold,” he said. One idea of his is that students choose to wear blue or gold at certain sporting events depending on what spirit group they align with. Because Menlo students will still be cheering for the same team, Wernikoff believes friendly competition would bring more students and spirit to games.
Tidal Tensions: SOG and OOB Compete for Menlo Spirit Supremacy
by devon schaefer
However, since OOB doesn’t have school recognition or funding like SOG, it has struggled to make a name for itself. Wernikoff is worried people who are unfamiliar with the group won’t take OOB
seriously. “It’s a real thing, it’s not just a made-up fan group,” Wernikoff said.
On the other hand, since SOG is a school organization, the administration can limit its content. “Ocean of Blue being not affiliated [with Menlo], we can kind of go to more lengths and post funny things on our Instagram,” Mhatre said. Mhatre believes this funny content can bring more people out to games.
“[Ocean of Blue] is a real thing, it’s not just a made-up fan group”
Senior James Wernikoff
Wernikoff has been disappointed by the turnout at games this fall. He took photos of the lackluster attendance at two football games and posted them on the OOB Instagram to encourage more students to attend sporting events.
There are mixed feelings about OOB amongst the SOG captains. Senior and SOG captain Tate Cohen believes OOB could increase spirit at Menlo. However, he believes SOG has been doing a good job of getting students to attend sporting events. “It’s still early in the year and I think we’re doing a great job so far, especially bringing attention to all the sports,” Cohen said. “We’ve been working really hard.”
Fellow senior and SOG captain Scarlett Bundy doesn’t think OOB has had a significant impact on spirit at Menlo. “They haven’t been active at all,” Bundy said. “They don’t do much.” Bundy also believes SOG has fulfilled its role in increasing spirit by spotlighting all the sports, creating new cheers and updating its Instagram. “We’re just looking forward to being the best and loudest SOG this year,” Bundy said.
Wernikoff also wants to make this year his most spirited yet. “I really enjoy seeing a spirited school that values their sports teams, and I think the progression hasn’t been amazing,” he said.
Mhatre believes that OOB will allow every student to feel connected to a spirit group since anyone can join. “People don’t feel connected to Sea of Gold,” he said. “People could feel more connected to Ocean of Blue by being able to express themselves and being closer to the student body.”
From freshman hazing to on-campus pets: Menlo’s discontinued traditions
by Eleanor Kinder
Founded in 1915, Menlo has accumulated a century’s worth of rich traditions, some newly introduced and some traced back to the school’s early beginnings.
Although many traditions still stand, such as the homecoming parade and spirit competitions, the administration has discontinued some of the older traditions for various reasons.
“Everybody took everything more lightly [...] than people do nowadays”
Riley Holland (‘19)
Even starting from the first day of school, all freshmen would wear shirts designed by the seniors, often so large they reached down to some students’ ankles, and freshmen weren’t allowed to change them. Throughout the day, nearly every senior would stop the freshmen to ask them how their day was going. “I feel like a lot of people didn’t see it as hazing,” Alum Riley Holland (‘19) said.
Holland remembers that the student body enjoyed carrying out these traditions and no one complained about them; instead, students
were just excited they got to take part in Menlo traditions. “I think everybody took everything more lightly and lighthearted and less targeted than people do nowadays, so that was what made it so the traditions were more fun and enjoyable,” Holland said.
However, not everybody was unbothered by the traditions, with some students viewing them as too intense. According to Global Programs Director Peter Brown, the freshman hazing didn’t bring out the kinder side of the seniors and did not properly reflect their caring character. Brown is glad that students don’t haze as much anymore and that traditions surrounding hazing have been discontinued.
When Holland was a freshman at Menlo, the returning water polo players picked a song and choreographed a dance for the new players on the team to dance to in front of the student center during lunch. There was just one catch — they had to wear their speedos during the dance. The water polo team discontinued the tradition because the new players felt uncomfortable having to dance in their speedos in front of the student body. “Everyone looked forward to it, even the water polo guys,” Holland said.
Other lost traditions have been revived from time to time. The class of 2024 decided to bring
pets to campus day as part of their senior prank, but it actually used to be a yearly tradition. Every year, there was a day when students were allowed to bring a pet to school with them. “One year someone brought their pet horse,” Brown said. Although Brown thinks it was a very fun and upbeat tradition, teachers found that it disrupted the teaching environment in class, so it was discontinued.
It makes Holland a bit sad when she visits Menlo and does not see the same traditions that defined her high school experience, although she understands why some have been stopped. “I would have loved to have come back and seen this generation doing them,” she said.
Administration forges new traditions
by Miki Kimura
When a student enters the dining hall commons, they might notice a blue and gold shield with the Menlo emblem and two swords in the center encased in glass and hanging on the student center wall. The plaque underneath reads, “only those who demonstrate the ideas of integrity, belonging, creativity and joy will wield the shield.”
Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb introduced the Spirit Shield during Spirit Week of the 2023-24 school year. According to Gelb, while he came up with the idea, the Spirit Shield was designed by members of the communications department, including photographer and digital content specialist Kevin Chan. It
was then made by Whitaker Lab supervisor Brian Ward. “Then […] the student life team and some of the student leaders from last year really fleshed out the ideas of how we could best introduce it, utilize it and really promote school spirit,” Gelb said
The Spirit Shield was created to tie Spirit Week together to a central theme. “Yes, dress-up days, homecoming days and assemblies are cool,” Gelb said. “But the shield embodies, like all things, competing with your classmates against other classes but also upholding the values of the school and [...] cheering on other students that you see lifting up the spirit of fellow classmates.”
While students were able to win their grades points by winning spirit activities last school year, Gelb emphasized the value of sportsmanship above all. “You can earn points for winning spirit activities, but also, more importantly, double the amount of points for things that are tied to things like kindness, civility, respect, good sportsmanship — some things we’re trying to promote,” Gelb said.
Random Acts of Fun
Ranging from boba tea on the quad to giant inflatable bouncy houses, Menlo’s biannual Random Acts of Fun consist of unstructured time and light-hearted social activities for each grade during a student life block. According to Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb, the Random Acts of Fun started after the COVID-19 pandemic to promote class bonding. “Coming out of COVID, I think the parent community wanted to partner with the adults on campus to provide events that the students didn’t know about that would be fun,” Gelb said.
The Menlo School Parent Association is responsible for organizing these events for each grade. In previous years, Random
Acts of Fun have occurred twice per year, typically once per semester. The class dean partners with the grade-level parent teams to plan the events out.
“[Random Acts of Fun] were started as a surprise event to make students feel loved and happy.” the MSPA’s VP of Parent Resources Julie Herlihy wrote in an email. “The goal is to relieve stress and promote fun. They are usually a combination of fun games/activities along with food/treats and are meant to be simple and inclusive.”
Junior Claire Yao feels that Random Acts of Fun are good class-bonding activities. “I think they’re really fun and they’re a great de-stressor for everyone who is constantly studying,” Yao said.
Spirit Shield
Then-junior Ari Kaufman pets a companion dog during a Random Act of Fun on Dec. 1, 2023.
Photo courtesy of Pam McKenney on Menlo Flickr
The class of 2019 wear oversized shirts designed by the seniors for the first day of classes. Photo courtesy of Janice Dong on Menlo Flickr
October 3, 2024
Girls Water Polo Strives to End Season Strong
by BIANCA PUTANEC
Though their season got off to a rough start, the girls water polo team strives to turn things around and finish off the season exhibiting their growth during this year’s league play. Their record currently stands at 7-6.
The team had to undergo a revamp this summer after seven former seniors left and four freshmen joined the team. Head coach Laura Reynolds sees the tumult of change that the team had to adjust to in the beginning part of the season. “The beginning of the year was a little rough trying to get everyone on the same page [...] but we have gotten it together,” Reynolds said. The team took a step in the right direction when they reached the finals at the Amanda MacDonald Tournament on Sept. 21.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Maldonado agrees that the season has had its ups and downs but points out the enormous amount of improvement the team has seen. “Everyone has had so much growth as individuals,” Maldonado said. She attributes the team’s development to building a collective positive and motivational attitude, stating that their practices have been geared towards building a strong team environment.
With just three games left, the Knights have a small amount of time to prove their development, but they are ready to bring it all. “I hope we can continue the momentum from the Amanda MacDonald Tournament,” Maldonado said.
Boys Water Polo Beats Top Teams, Ranks First in CCS
by AMELIE GIOMI
With two close wins over top teams in the Central Coast Section and Sac-Joaquin Section as well as high placements in multiple tournaments, the boys water polo team has had an impressive season so far. The team is ranked first in CCS and 26th nationally.
To cement their 11-4 record, the team beat one of the top teams in the area, Los Gatos High School, thus advancing to the championship game of the Scott Roche Invitational on Sept. 7. The team fell to Redwood High School, the top team in the North Coast Section, in a tight 12-11 game to place second in the invitational.
“We are 10 and four, which is a great record against a lot of the teams. We’ve won a couple of really tight one or twogoal games,” head coach Jack Bowen
Football Begins Season Undefeated at 5-0
by NOAH LEVIN
Menlo’s football team continues their success from previous seasons starting the 2024 season with an undefeated 5-0 record. Last year, the Knights finished with a 10-2 record before losing in the Central Coast Section semifinals and the year prior they won the CCS Division III title. Junior quarterback Jack Freehill has commanded the offense nicely in his first year as the starter with 12 touchdowns and 600 yards through four games. The Knights have also dominated the run with junior Chuck Wynn leading the way with 420 yards accompanied by five touchdowns.
The Knights recently captured a 3828 win over Capuchino High School on Friday, Sept. 19. “It was great to see how we can handle adversity in close games as well,” Freehill said. “I think that I would attribute that to our team chemistry.”
Chemistry is always a cornerstone of the Menlo football program. “It’s the same thing that’s brought all of our
Flag
Football
by DEVON SCHAEFER
seasons together, which is that we have a very good chemistry throughout the team,” head coach Todd Smith said. “The guys play selfless football and they play for something that’s bigger than themselves.”
The Knights will look to stay motivated and focused after this great start to the season. “After we win, we’re always thinking ahead to next week, so records don’t matter right now; we’re just focused on one game at a time,” Freehill said.
Smith echoed the importance of staying focused to maintain their success, especially because Menlo’s football program is relatively small compared to other schools. “It’s going to be tough and we need to be very smart,” he said. “We need to be intentional in maximizing every minute.”
The Knights look to continue their success against Wilcox at Cartan on Saturday, Oct. 12.
said. “The win against Los Gatos was great because we came back and tied it, [then] won it overtime.”
The team also placed third in the Coronado Tournament on Sept. 21 with a win over Rio Americano High School, the number one team from the SJS.
According to Bowen, no one player is responsible for the team’s success. The team is statistically well-balanced, with multiple players contributing in various ways. “We have five players with 10 or more goals and then a bunch of players with a lot of assists,” Bowen said. “It’s not like there are one or two players leading all the stats categories, it’s very balanced.” The team also has two goalies, senior Hunter Guyer and junior Connor Burks, who each play half of the game.
The team culture is as strong as their statistics. “The team dynamic is really, really good. It’s really well-knit,” senior Lucas Capasso said. “[The team is] probably one of the main groups of guys in this entire school for me.”
Instead of participating in another tournament, the team will play four one-off non-league home games an hour before Menlo’s football games, to increase attendance and avoid exhaustion.
Above all, Bowen hopes the team can put in its best effort to represent Menlo well. “Are the guys trying, are they being their best?” Bowen said. “The answer is yes.”
Starts Off 9-0 in Its Second Season
While the days of news trucks and cameras swarming Menlo girls flag football games are over, the team has once again proved themselves worthy of national media coverage. The girls did not settle after finishing 15-1 in the first season of high school flag football in California last year. This season, the Knights are 9-0, outscoring their opponents 324-97. Since much of the hype their inaugural season had generated is gone, junior captain Sophie Housser reflects that the team has been working on bringing their own energy to their games.
Head coach Noah Lubarsky, who is in his first season coaching the team after coaching tackle football at Menlo since 2012, believes the team’s offense has been their biggest strength. “We’re playing really good offensive football,” Lubarsky said. “We have some great athletes who are playing fast. We’ve had really good quarterback play.”
The Knights have been working on improving their defense as well, especially in terms of flag-pulling, and Lubarsky thinks their defense really shined in their game against Saint Ignatius
College Preparatory on Sept. 25. Similarly, Housser believes that the team’s offense has been dominant but they could improve on their defensive positioning.
Housser praises Lubarsky’s coaching style. “He plays football in a very smart way, everything is calculated,” Housser said. “All the plays he calls, it’s clear that we’re at a coaching advantage. Not just [Lubarsky], like all of our coaches, [David Trujillo], [Buffie Ward], [Sharon Purcell], [Ryan Cooper], [Deric Thompson].”
Freshman Hunter Coleman passes the ball to his teammate at Roche Invitational on Sept. 6. Staff photo: Asher Darling
Junior goalkeeper Lilla Halasz blocks a shot at the Amanda MacDonald Tournament on Sept. 20. Staff photo: Devon Schaefer
Junior quarterback Jack Freehill runs with the ball in the Knights’ game against Capuchino High School on Sept. 21. Staff photo: Devon Schaefer
Sophomore quarterback Ava Allen runs with the ball in the Knights’ game against St. Ignatius on Sept. 25. Staff photo: Noah Levin
Cross Country Places High at Invitationals
by BIANCA PUTANEC
Menlo’s cross country team has had a running start to their season with the boys sweeping competition at the Woodbridge Classic and the girls having a top-tier performance at the Lowell Invitational.
The girls placed second overall at Lowell. In the De La Salle Nike Invitational, they placed sixth among 28 teams. The roster has an addition of three new girls, bolstering an already strong community and collection of mile times.
In girls head coach Sally Hauser’s opinion, the core group competing this year connects just as well inside and outside of practice and their recent success can be attributed to these relationships. A key component of this community are the captains of the team, junior Ariya Kaushek and senior Veronica Taira. The girls team introduced captains this season and, according to Hauser, they have helped the younger teammates with their mentalities and enthusiasm.
“While both [Kaushek and Taira] are the one and two runners while racing, their biggest role is leading,” Hauser said. “The assistant coach, Marissa, and I communicated early in July with the girls about their role, and they have really
committed to it.” The team is ready to dedicate these next weeks to preparing for the league finals in November. “The ultimate goal is to go to states and place in that top ten,” Hauser said.
As for the boys side, the Knights had
an impressive performance at Woodbridge Classic even though they were placed in Division IV since Woodbridge was their first race of the season. On Friday, in the three mile race, senior Landon Pretre ran 14:16, winning the DIV race, to set the bar for his four teammates’ top 13 performances.
The day after, when Division I and II competed, Menlo found out their time contested higher divisions’ competition, making them the ninth fastest team in the whole event and the fastest of all California teams. “We were not expecting [being the fastest California team]. We were trying to go for being in the top five California teams,” Pretre said. They also beat any previous DIV teams in the meet’s history.
Even though California is the deepest state of cross country talent, Pretre has big hopes for the team this year including reaching Nike Cross Nationals (NXN). “We should dominate the state meet with all of us healthy. We have gone in these past three years just a little bit short,” Pretre said. “With the potential of how good our [runners] can be, making NXN would be super big.”
Girls Tennis Thrives With New Coach
by NOAH LEVIN
The girls tennis team has continued their impressive performance from previous years in the 2024 season. With long-time head coach Bill Shine retiring last spring, the decorated role of the head coach fell upon Francis Sargeant. Sergeant was a former Stanford and UC Berkeley assistant coach, as well as an NCAA Division I collegiate player at Brigham Young University. He has done an excellent job stepping in with the Knights, capturing a Challenge Cup victory against Monte Vista High School in a rematch of last year’s CCS and NorCal finals. The Knights also got sixth place out of 32 teams in the Golden Gate Classic, which took place Sept. 8-9. Their record stands at 8-5 after facing strong southern California teams at the Point Loma Classic in San Diego Sept. 27-28.
Despite their five losses thus far, the team remains confident. “[The team] hasn’t gotten off to the best start that we could’ve hoped for, but last season we had a similar situation and we finished with the NorCal title,” sophomore Allison Zhou said.
Sargeant believes a strength of the team is their camaraderie and spirit. “I’ve
noticed it at some of our away matches,” Sargeant said. “Our girls are way louder, they’re cheering more than the other teams.”
Looking ahead, the girls will need to compete fiercely to defend their NorCal title. “Every year is different and you have to treat every year in a
different way — but it’s a strong group of girls,” Sargeant said. “Will we have opportunities to win? Absolutely, so it’s whether we take them or not.”
The Knights look to succeed in the West Bay Athletic League with a match against rival Sacred Heart Preparatory at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Girls Golf Improves Scores
by ASHER DARLING
Menlo’s girls golf team began their season with a collective score of 265 strokes in their first match on Sept. 3 at Baylands Golf Links. The team has steadily improved, most recently recording a 241 at The Golf Club at Moffett Field on Sept. 24.
“With everyone on the team putting in their best effort and showing up, we’ve been improving a lot throughout the season,” senior captain Sabrina Vohra said. “I think we’re just going to continue to improve.”
Sophomore Annabel Zhao leads the team with a scoring average of 48. In the Knights’ match at Moffett Field, she recorded the team’s best score of the year with 45 strokes over the nine-hole round.
Head coach Mark Madayag is proud of the improvements that the girls have made so far this season. In particular, Madayag has seen the biggest change in the girls’ long games. “Our main focus in the next month is chipping and putting,” he said. “We’ve got to eliminate all these three-putts.”
Emphasizing team bonding has been one of the captains’ biggest goals according to Vohra. This includes going to team dinners after matches. “We’ve been trying to do a lot of team activities and bonding to make sure that everyone on the team is getting to know each other,” Vohra said.
The team has two more matches on its schedule, both at its home course, Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto. The first will be played on Oct. 10 against Mercy High School and Notre Dame High School, San Jose, and the second on Oct. 17 against Notre Dame High School, Belmont and The King’s Academy.
Volleyball Fights on in Spite of Player Absences
by DEVON SCHAEFER
With three sprained ankles, a shoulder injury, players taking sick leaves and sophomore Jamie Johnson not allowed to play for the first half of the season due to CIF transfer rules, the volleyball team has had its fair share of setbacks. Sitting at a 6-9 record, the team won five out of their seven first games but faced tougher opponents including Menlo-Atherton High School and Valley Christian High School in the second half of their preseason.
The Knights expect to get most of their roster back, including starters junior Lily Hinshaw and freshman Alex Fair, both of whom were injured soon. “It’s
going to be really neat when all the pieces fall into place and we expect that’s going to happen really soon,” head coach Tony Holland said.
Hinshaw applauds her teammates for stepping into bigger roles this season, whether that be to fill the spots of the five class of 2024 players who graduated or the four injured players. “We’ve had a girl come up from JV and we’ve also had people switch around in positions,” Hinshaw said.
A few players have continued their success from previous seasons. Senior Lily Kautai leads the team with 25 aces and 14 blocks, senior Bryn Dombkowski
with 96 kills and junior Ava Wang with 187 digs. Looking ahead, both Hinshaw and Holland iterate the importance of improving their consistency, whether that be with serving, passing or getting a kill and winning the point.
Even though the Knights have only won one set total in all their losses, Holland believes the team fought hard against those tougher opponents. “I like the way we’ve competed against them,” Holland said. “Obviously the scoreboard hasn’t gone in our favor but the way we compete is good, so that’s gonna help us as we move into the regular season and playoffs.”
Freshman Elise Darling tees off at the Knights’ seasoner opener on Sept. 3. Photo courtesy of Pam McKenney
Senior Lauren Mrva tips the ball over University High School’s blockers in a game on Sept. 4. Staff photo: Devon Schaefer
Senior Landon Pretre races at Woodbridge Classic on Sept. 21. Photo courtesy of Steve Pretre
Senior Sofia Faris poaches in a doubles match at the Golden State Classic on Sept. 7.
Photo courtesy of Karim Faris
Three-Sport Athletes Balance a Year Full of Commitments
by BIANCA PUTANEC
Having no time for homework from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. the whole school year might sound daunting for some, but for Menlo’s three-sport athletes, it’s a reality.
For senior Tyler Fernandez, who plays football, basketball and lacrosse, his Menlo sports year starts in June with football summer training. “I only have two weeks before football starts up again [after the lacrosse season],” Fernandez said.
For sophomore Ava Allen, who plays flag football, basketball and baseball, her summer begins with club softball and ends with a pre-season camp in August for flag football.
Senior Ellie Knoll’s calendar begins similarly, with club lacrosse in the summer, flag football in the fall, Menlo soccer in the winter and Menlo lacrosse in the spring.
A challenge for these athletes is the overlap of seasons between the three sports. Knoll said she had trouble when she missed the first two weeks of lacrosse her freshman year to finish her JV soccer season. “I didn’t know how to communicate [to my coach] that I wanted to try out for varsity, but I was also playing soccer,” Knoll said. Similarly, Fernandez, coming in late from football, has to miss a few preseason basketball games every year.
These three-sport athletes have said that it’s hard to find time to keep their skills strong for their other sports when they’re not in season. Allen’s club sport, softball, takes up a majority of her schedule. However, Allen tries to fit in training sessions for her other sports wherever she can. “I try to practice [every sport] at least once a week even if it’s after another [sports practice],” Allen said.
Fernandez uses any free time to practice his other sport, often combining practices with social time. “I’ll go out on weekends and play with my friends,” Fernandez said. “A lot of the time, we play pickup basketball during football or lacrosse [season].”
Even though overlapping seasons can make the transition between sports a bit difficult, Knoll said she does not have trouble with the shift necessary skills. “The sport I play during [each season] keeps my
stamina up and other athletic capabilities [...] so it’s easy when I shift sports,” Knoll said.
From playing on three different Menlo sports teams, Allen has found that each sport offers something different. “Flag football has so many different girls, basketball is a really close group, and baseball is such a different community, but I have fun at all of them,” Allen said.
Fernandez also appreciates how he has been able to meet so many different people playing three sports, especially upperclassmen who he wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise. “As an underclassman, you get to meet so many people,” Fernandez said. “I’m really lucky to have met a lot of people who have now graduated.”
To Knoll, the team is what makes her sports enticing. “I love every team I am on.,” she said. “The people make it so fun.”
Students Capture Sports Games Through Photography
by NOAH LEVIN
While most Menlo students watch the games from the stands, senior Audrey Tsao and freshman Evan Grant are patrolling the sidelines, cameras in hand, capturing the thrill of Menlo sports through their lenses. Both blend their love for sports and photography creating stunning visuals that bring the excitement of each Menlo game to life. Their interest in photography goes beyond just snapping the shutter; they use their skills to support and highlight Menlo athletes.
Tsao has been keen on photography. “I’ve always been [the] friend who has her phone out and I’m the one taking
photos — I really enjoy capturing the moment,” Tsao said. “So I like saving memories even if it’s just with my phone. On family trips, my dad brings out his old camera and I always enjoy using it.”
Last school year, during photography class, Tsao realized that she wanted to take photos of subjects that were of higher interest to her. The obvious answer was sports. “I really like sports, so I thought that [to] complete my assignments and create my portfolio, I could go watch games and shoot. It’s two things that I like together,” Tsao said. “I started with school cameras and then brought my own [and]
learn[ed] my preferred settings.”
Tsao decided she wanted to share her work, and her first step was to create an Instagram account for photography. There, she found a community of fellow photographers who were open to questions and offering advice. “I got invited into an Instagram group chat with a whole bunch of photographers from all over the world. And that was where I started asking questions and learning,” Tsao said. She began to draw inspiration from other photographers’ color schemes, editing styles, and signature shots to begin to develop her own style as a photographer.
For Grant, his love for photography was passed on by his brother, Connor Grant (‘24). Connor Grant would bring his camera on family day trips and vacations and inspired the younger Grant to start using one as well. It wasn’t until he was in the eighth grade that Grant began to take photography more seriously.
“During the [Menlo] Middle School basketball season, I broke my foot on the first day of tryouts but I had to stay for practices,” he said. “So I went to Mr. Hyland [Menlo Middle School Creative & Visual Arts Teacher], and I asked if I could borrow some of the cameras from his classroom. I would just photograph basketball practices and learn how to use the camera.” After purchasing a new camera and using his brother’s lenses, Grant began taking shots of Menlo sporting events more regularly.
Like Tsao, Grant has also used social media to enhance his brand. “It’s just a good place to showcase photos and it’s almost your portfolio in a way,” Grant said. Grant also finds opportunities to take
more photos through his social media accounts. “I have had a couple of people ask me to go out to games on Instagram and that’s how I get in contact with players,” he said.
The players also appreciate the photos as well. “Evan sent the whole [football team] the photos after the game and we all really appreciate it because everyone gets their own high-quality photos for free,” sophomore Nathan Banatao said.
Looking forward to college, Tsao explained that she would love to keep photography in her life, though less as an area of study and more as a hobby. “I hope to continue sports photography on the side in college. It’s definitely something I’m interested in,” Tsao said. “At the moment, I don’t want to major or minor in photography.” Tsao has also been offered an internship to take photos of athletics by AJ Tinio the Director for Creative Media at the University of San Francisco, who was intrigued by her portfolio.
Similarly, Grant intends to continue fostering his passion for sports photography in the future. “I would love to shoot college sports or professional sports, whether that’s soon — while I’m still in high school — or when I’m a college student with an internship,” Grant said.
Grant and Tsao are excited to continue their sports photography careers and will be capturing Menlo sporting events throughout the remainder of their high school years. Regardless of the professions they eventually choose, they both are confident that photography will remain a significant part of their lives.
Staff illustration: Amber More
Staff photos: Asher Darling, Devon Schaefer, Noah Levin and Alyssa McAdams
Additional photos courtesy of Peter Tran and Pam McKenney
Staff illustration: Amber More
Athletics Staff Step Up to the Plate as Advocates
by RAFE WEIDEN
Coaches are no longer limited to just the courts and fields. This year, three athletics staff members are stepping into the classroom as advocates.
This change was inspired by the success of athletic trainers Aubrey Fennell and Stephanie Green as co-advocates of a class of 2024 advocacy. While the new role called for a heavier workload and
often coming into work a couple of hours earlier, the duo had nothing but positive things to say about the experience. “It was worth it. The connections I made and the amount that I felt engaged in the community were really rewarding,” Green said.
The two became advocates in 2021 after taking over a sophomore advocacy of a teacher who left Menlo. “[The new
role] came with a bit of a learning curve at first because we didn’t necessarily have classroom experience, but it also was nice to get to know students who we didn’t see on the field,” Fennell said.
Getting to know students wasn’t the only rewarding aspect of the job. “I feel like I’m better ingrained in the Menlo community now since I got to know a lot of teachers,” Green said. This blending of athletics staff into academics has only continued this year with the addition of Athletics Administrative Assistant Quinn Holland, Girls Lacrosse Program Director Parnika Patel and Director of Athletics Earl Koberlein to the advocacy team.
This year, each of the three new athletics advocates have been paired with a teacher, a slightly different approach from Fennell and Green’s role as advocates. “As much as I loved being [an advocate] with Aubrey, we had the same schedule which led to some conflicts, but the change this year makes the schedule more flexible,” Green said.
Holland, who coaches girls volleyball in the fall, rarely gets home before nine in the evening and with her added role as a co-advocate this year, she often arrives at campus around ten in the morn-
COMMITTED CORNER COMMITTED CORNER
Cooper Han, Northwestern University
by SONIA DHOLAKIA
Senior Cooper Han first picked up a tennis racket when he was just three years old. In November 2023, he committed to play Division I tennis at Northwestern University. “Tennis has been a part of my life for my whole life,” Han said.
Han’s childhood was defined by athletics. His father was a collegiate tennis player at the University of Chicago, and Han grew up playing a plethora of sports. “I think at one point I was playing five or six sports at the same time,” Han
said. “But as I got older, tennis was the one sport that I was best at [and] most serious about, so I continued to pursue that.”
When he was around 10 years old, Han began playing in individual tournaments. For most high-level tennis players, Han explained, individual competition is all that matters. According to him, most top youth tennis players don’t even compete on their high school teams. Han believes for that reason, his commitment to playing on the Menlo tennis team made him stand out.
“[College] coaches do actually like the fact that I know how to play for a team,” he said.
Not only did Han’s time on the Menlo team help him in the recruitment process, he also deeply values his connections with his teammates. “The Menlo tennis team is kind of like a second family to me, especially the [other] seniors,” he said.
“Cooper has been one of the best teammates I could ask for,” junior Yuanye Ma, one of Han’s Menlo teammates, said. “He’s great at tennis and does a great job supporting all of us on and off the court.”
As it came time for Han to continue his tennis career in college, he was confident about his chances. “I would say I was a pretty high recruit, most coaches were interested in me,” Han said.
He visited Brown University, the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University before committing to Northwestern. Han was drawn to Northwestern’s tennis program, campus and academics. “That was really big for me, I was definitely looking for a top academic school,” Han said. “A lot of kids go for just tennis; I don’t want to be one of those kids.”
ing for student life. “It has stretched out my schedule especially because volleyball is in season right now [...] but it’s worth it in the end,” Holland said.
Holland has treasured the opportunity to get to know students and teachers that she hadn’t met through athletics. “Part of the reason for me getting into advocacy was because I wanted to get to know everybody outside of the athletics half of the world of Menlo,” she said. “To be able to interact with the track runners and tennis players for example that I have in my advocacy, which I normally don’t have the opportunity to do because I’m in season during their sport, is super exciting.”
So, when Patel and Holland saw Menlo administration’s request for athletic staff advocates, the two were quick to meet with Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb to express their interest and ultimately join Koberlein’s coach advocates for the 2024-25 school year.
While Green is no longer an advocate, she is excited for the new athletics staff members who have become advocates this school year. “I really love the direction the school is taking here,” she said.
Angelica Chou, University of Washington
by ALYSSA McADAMS
As senior Angelica Chou limped off the soccer field, her right knee screaming in pain, the reality of a torn ACL began to set in. Panic swept through her. One year later, however, Chou committed to play Division I soccer at the University of Washington.
Chou committed to UW at the end of April this year, but she was just five years old when she first donned her soccer cleats. At age seven, she made the leap to playing club soccer competitively.
Chou additionally played club basketball starting in fourth grade and opted to play varsity basketball instead of varsity soccer as a freshman. “Everybody goes through their ups and downs in sports, especially if [...] you’ve had pressure to perform well most of your life; my ‘soccer down’ was freshman year,” Chou said. By 10th grade, however, she decided it was soccer she wanted to play at collegiately.
Just as she was gearing up for the intense college recruiting process, disaster struck. A torn ACL during her club spring season took her off the field for a year, dealing a heavy blow to her recruiting prospects. “It’s probably every athlete’s worst nightmare,” Chou said. “I went from playing two sports to one to zero in a matter of months.”
Despite the physical pain, it was the mental aspect of recovery that proved
most challenging for Chou. Yet, this low point also became a turning point. “I was always motivated, but the injury gave me a new kind of drive,” Chou said.
Chou felt the need to re-prove her worth as a collegiate level athlete, ultimately making her a stronger player. “It’s impressive how she’s persevered even after having an injury that sets people back a lot,” junior Julia Axelrod, her Menlo teammate, said.
While many colleges hesitate to reach out to players after large injuries, UW showed faith in Chou early on. To Chou, this was one of the first aspects that set UW apart from other schools. “They believed in my ability to come back fully,” Chou said.
Her official visit to UW in January 2024 decided her commitment. “Talking to the players, seeing the facilities, stepping onto campus — it all felt right,” she said. “I could see myself being happy there.”
Girls soccer head coach Ross Ireland said he is excited about Chou’s opportunity to play NCAA soccer at a prominent school. “To be to be pursued and selected by a school soccer program like this, it really is a feather in her cap,” Ireland said. “I have zero doubt that she will make an impact.”
As Chou prepares for her transition to DI soccer, she’s also keeping her academic goals in focus. “I could see myself pursuing playing at the professional level, but obviously UW has great academic programs, so I’m open to both paths.”
One thing is certain: soccer will be something she carries with her. “Regardless of what my future is, soccer will always be a part of my life,” Chou said.
File photo: CoA staff
Photo courtesy of Cooper Han
Staff illustration: Amber More
Arts & Lifestyle
October 3, 2024
DJ Jauxon Takes the Stage at Menlo Back-to-School Dance
by ALYSSA McADAMS
Senior Jackson Coleman frantically rushed through the Harry Reid International Airport on Saturday, Sept. 14, hoping to make his flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Coleman, who had just finished taking the September ACT, had a very important mission to attend to: DJing Menlo’s Back-to-School Dance under the stage name DJ Jauxon that night.
Seniors Miraal Zaki and Tyler Fernandez initially had the idea for Coleman to step in as a student DJ for Menlo dances while campaigning for Student Body President and Vice President, respectively, last spring. “We thought it would be a way to really increase spirit during the school dance and make people more excited to come since there would be one of us [students] performing,” Zaki said.
“ “
[Coleman] is just such an amazing, fun guy; he’s really good at DJing and always livens the crowd.
Senior Cody Kletter
When current Student Body President Cody Kletter won the election instead, he decided to adopt the pair’s idea and make it a reality. Kletter, too, hoped that having a student DJ would break the trend of low attendance at the Back-to-School
his hope that the music could serve as something that bonded his class. “I hoped DJing could kind of bring more friends together within [our class] that would not normally hang out together,” Coleman said. It wasn’t long before he became the go-to source of music for class of 2025 bonding activities.
There was definitely more senior participation at the dance this year [...] it was a lot more fun now that there was a student DJ. “ “
Senior Kieran Pichai
Throughout the summer, Coleman met with Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb to discuss the logistics of him performing at the dance. “I had to play clean songs and get them reviewed, but overall [Gelb was] pretty flexible and excited about it,” Coleman said. Coleman, too, was looking forward to the opportunity to DJ for multiple grades rather than only his own.
By stepping in as a volunteer student DJ, Coleman allowed Menlo to circumvent the usual cost of about $3000 for a hired DJ. “We definitely had more of a budget [for the dance], and I had
the idea for semi [formal] or prom [...] because I’m hoping to DJ again for those.”
Many students attribute their presence at and enjoyment of the Backto-School Dance to Coleman’s DJing. “I thought DJ Jauxon was phenomenal, [...] and I recommend him for the next dance,” sophomore Merrick Ward said. “I was way more hyped for [the Back-toSchool Dance] this year than [I was as] a freshman.”
Furthermore, the Back-to-School Dance has traditionally been marketed as a social event for freshmen to bond, with upperclassman attendance being lackluster at best. This year, however, this was not the case. “I went to the dance last year and there were maybe 40 people there, and I thought it was pretty sad,” senior Kieran Pichai said. “There was definitely more senior participation at the dance this year [...] it was a lot more fun now that there was a student DJ.”
Coleman is unsure how far he’ll go with this hobby, but said he definitely
will continue it through college as a way to bring his friends together. However, he said that if he lived in a perfect world where income didn’t hold any importance,
“ “
I
was way more hyped for [the Back-to-School Dance] this year than I was as a freshman.
Senior Cody Kletter
he would continue DJing all the way up until the professional level. “If I’m looking at who lives the best life on the planet, I don’t think there’s many better occupations than a professional DJ,” he said.
Arts & Lifestyle
Students Share Their High School Transfer Experiences
by ELEANOR KINDER
The high school years are truly transformative ones, and it’s important to find a school that’s the right fit for you — whether in terms of academics, culture, athletics, arts or more. For most students, this means remaining at the same high school for all four years. For some, however, it’s simply not that easy. In the search for their school of best fit, several students transfer to Menlo’s sophomore, junior, and even senior classes each year.
“ “
Everyone is really welcoming and nice.
Sophomore Jamie Johnson
Junior Maverick Desuasido has transferred not once, but twice throughout his high school career. He spent his freshman year at Marin Academy High School in San Rafael, a school he enjoyed because of its academic rigor and welcoming community. “Marin Academy kind of gave everything to me,” Desuasido said.
However, after his family moved to Hillsborough before his sophomore year, Desuasido transferred to Junipero Serra High School. Desuasido, a competitive basketball player, was drawn to Serra’s athletics programs. However, he felt that his studies were not as academically rigorous as he would want. “I’d be passing all my classes, but it was like I wasn’t trying at all,” Desuasido said. Desuasido still values his time spent in the lively environment of Marin Academy and the focused culture of Serra, but he was looking for a school
with a stronger sense of community than the latter. It was for this reason that he decided to apply to Menlo in his sophomore year.
Although Desuasido believes Menlo is more academically rigorous than his last year of school, he’s found the transition relatively seamless and appreciates how much Menlo values a good education.
The transition was made easier by the fact that Desuasido already had friends at Menlo, but he said that other members of the Menlo community, such as his teachers, have made the social aspect of Menlo enjoyable for him.
“Menlo is a very open and welcoming community [...] It’s crazy how much I can see Menlo relating to my freshman year of high school [at Marin Academy],” Desuasido said.
Sophomore Jamie Johnson, too, transferred to Menlo this school year from a single-gender school. Johnson, who attended Castilleja School previously, made the decision to apply to Menlo midway through her freshman year.
She said that she enjoyed her time at Castilleja, but felt that Menlo would be a better fit for her in terms of balancing strong athletics and academics. “I left [Castilleja] because it didn’t really have everything I was looking for,” Johnson said.
Johnson agrees with Desuasido that the academic rigor of Menlo has been a step up but believes it is “in a good way.” She feels that her transition has been a positive one both academically and socially. “Everyone is really welcoming and nice,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s current favorite aspect of Menlo has been the athletics program, seeing as she plays for the girl’s varsity volleyball team. Being a part of the team has been another way for her to make new connections in a fun environment.
“I think [sports are] a great way to tie different grade levels together,” Johnson said. Overall, Johnson is enjoying her experience so far at Menlo and is looking forward to the rest of the year.
Junior Sulia Gayle transferred to Menlo for the 2023-2024 school year
Selected Student Profile: Adrian Collantes
by AARON WIDJAJA
The following has been pared and lightly edited for clarity.
What are your hobbies?
I like to go biking and I like hanging out with friends. I’m also involved in Boy Scouts right now, so I really like camping and hiking.
How often do you go backpacking?
Around every two or three weeks I try to plan a camping trip or a backpacking trip.
What did you do over the summer?
I did a lot over the summer, I guess I’ll start with Florida. So we’ve been planning this for two years, but our Boy Scout team went to Sea Base. We saw tiger sharks, stingrays and also coral reefs. It was a great experience.
Then I went to Lima, Peru by myself. I’ve been there maybe four or five times because all of my family lives there. I stayed with my cousin’s family, and it was just really nice, you know, just to hang out. It’s a completely different lifestyle.
How has your experience been with the student council and what made you want to join?
I think it was my sophomore retreat when we were talking about goals for the year, and I said, “No regrets.” And that’s something that has kind of been my motto. And so it was around the time of election period, and I wasn’t too conflicted with my classes, so I said I’d just try it out. So I tried memorizing my speech, and then went for senator, and I got it.
What is a class that everyone at Menlo should take?
I say CS1 because I think computer science is just a great skill to learn, and you also learn a lot in such a short amount of time. And also, especially because we’re in Silicon Valley right now, it can help a lot to learn a computer language.
What is a food you couldn’t live without?
Pizza. It’s just classic, and it’s just there. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, you can get it anywhere, even when hanging out with friends.
after spending her freshman year at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, a boarding school in the south of France. Gayle originally applied and was accepted to Menlo for her freshman year but was encouraged to attend the French boarding school by her tennis coaches. She and her family decided to defer her admission to Menlo for a year. She was always going to come to Menlo for sophomore year. That said, she didn’t like her time at the boarding school, so that reaffirmed her desire to transfer.
“ “
Menlo is a very open and welcoming community [...] It’s crazy how much I can see Menlo relating to my freshman year of high school [at Marin Academy].
Junior Maverick Desuasido
Now that she is starting her second year at Menlo, Gayle is finding the school more and more enjoyable to be a part of. She also understands that being at a school like Menlo is academically challenging and has found it difficult getting used to the rigor. “[Menlo] obviously has its ups and downs,” Gayle said.
Gayle finds her Menlo classes to be interesting and she enjoys the content that she’s learning in them.
What is a fun fact about you?
I love playing Game Pigeon.
What is your favorite current TV show or movie?
The Deadpool and Wolverine movie. I watched that with some of my friends, and it was nice too, because we ate downtown, went to the movie and hung out some more.
What did you enjoy doing during freshman year?
I really enjoyed freshman seminar because it was a great way to talk and create new connections. But Borderlands for me was the next step as I was able to make connections with students from different grades.
Why should people participate in Menlo Borderlands?
I think especially for younger grades, it’s just easier to bond with friends. Typically in school, you’re only connected with your small circles and people from your grade, but when you go to Borderlands you’re able to talk to
different people — and you actually learn a lot. I think Borderlands was my favorite Menlo memory.
Would you take another Menlo Borderlands trip?
100 percent. Yeah. I applied again last year, but I didn’t get it this time. But I’ll keep applying.
Junior Adrian Collantes posing in front of the Teton mountain range in Wyoming. Photo courtesy of Collantes
Arts & Lifestyle
Students Join the Workforce Through Unique Jobs
by ANYA RAMANI
Menlo gives students the opportunity to keep themselves busy with a wide variety of academic, athletic and artistic opportunities. Some students, however, decide to add a little more to their plates by taking on an out-of-classroom pursuit where they can share their passion and skills with others — in other words, a job. From lifeguarding to teaching robotics, Menlo students engage in a diverse variety of trades.
Since October 2023, Junior Sofia Aguilar has splashed through her weekends working as a lifeguard at the Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club. Though she enjoys lifeguarding, her initial interest in the job was due more to its accessibility. “I was 15, so there were not a lot of options for a job,” Aguilar said. She was able to become CPRcertified fairly easily, which made her a
qualified candidate for any lifeguarding job.
Aguilar believes that her job has offered her a chance to develop valuable life skills while simultaneously doing something she loves. “[Lifeguarding requires taking on] a leadership role,” Aguilar said. “As a child, I would look up to lifeguards protecting the pool and I wanted to be a role model for other kids and keep them safe,” she said.
Like Aguilar, senior Marina Xanthopoulos also spends her free time helping out kids — this time in the form of teaching robotics to elementary school students. Xanthopoulos’ interest in robotics first sparked her freshman year, when she joined the Menlo Robotics Club and took a variety of Whitaker classes. “I’ve always loved [the] sciency aspects of [creating things],” Xanthopoulos said.
Xanthopoulos originally taught coding at elementary schools through the company Kodely, but decided to change course to start her own program, Robotix, at the Carey School. “Over the summer, I put together a bunch of lesson plans and I pitched it to my former elementary school and they loved it,” she said. Her hope is that her after-school lessons expose students to a high school robotics experience and get them excited for what they can do with robotics in the future. Her students are able to explore robots ranging from self-driving ones to robotic arms, and they also have the opportunity
to create their own projects and compete against one another.
Xanthopoulos hopes to expand her program to middle schools and coach competitive teams at schools with less access to STEM classes to expose more kids to robotics. Currently however, she wants to focus on giving kids the best experience and having fun.“I’ve always loved working with kids,” she said. “I have three younger brothers, so I’m used to teaching kids how to do things.”
“ “
Over the summer, I put together a bunch of lesson plans and [the kids] loved it.
Senior Marina Xanthopoulos
Amina Briones, who works at the San Jose amusement park Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, shares a love for being in an energetic environment with Xanthopoulos. Briones specifically works in the dining section, known as the “Picnic Basket.” She worked for two to three days per week in the summer, but has since transitioned to once a week for the school year. Initially, she applied to work there because she wanted an entry
level position that could teach her skills for future job opportunities. “[I learned] all of these things I can use for other jobs like cashiering, storage, [...] managing and other things for fast food jobs or jobs in general,” Briones said. Her other day-to-day responsibilities also include restocking food and keeping the Picnic Basket clean. Briones hopes that her job at Happy Hollow will be a good stepping stone for her future work life after she graduates from Menlo.
Working in a dynamic environment like the kitchen of fast food chain In-NOut, senior Arianne Avila never has a dull moment. Avila was 15 when she applied for the job and started working soon after. “They offered me the job on the spot, and I really liked the people there, so that’s why I stayed,” Avila, now 17, said.
In the summer, she works for eight hours a day, five days a week, but she takes on fewer hours during the school year. In-N-Out employees are placed in a ranking system that goes up to rank eight, with each rank involving different responsibilities. Avila is currently at a level four, which puts her in charge of fries and produce as well as taking orders both inside and out front. She shared that she is excited to move up the ranks to learn new responsibilities. “Next, I’m probably going to learn how to ‘board,’ which is dressing the burgers,” Avila said. “After that is ‘grill,’ which is cooking burgers and prepping buns.”
Press Play: Students Release Their Own Original Music
by AMELIE GIOMI
The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t exactly a favorable time for most students, but at least one positive thing can be said: the many hours spent at home allowed for self-reflection and creativity. In fact, a select few Menlo students took major advantage of this surplus of time. Not only did seniors Ari Kaufman and Lily Nye and sophomore Eshu Vinnakota spend countless hours writing, recording and producing original songs, but they also released them on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. Lily Nye
Nye has been encouraged to sing since preschool, mostly because her father, who was in a high school and college band where he played guitar and sang, fosters a love for music. It wasn’t until COVID-19, though, that Nye started meeting with a music teacher who encouraged her to produce the songs she had written herself. “We started off just recording cover songs,” she said. “And he was like, ‘You know what? Why don’t you try and write your own?’”
Nye has since written 40 songs, eight of which she released in an album called “heartbeat” on Spotify and Apple Music in August of this year. At first, Nye was hesitant to share her songs with the public. “I was embarrassed of [the album] for a while because it just felt really personal to me, and so I didn’t want to share it with people because I was scared of judgment,” Nye said. “But then I realized it doesn’t matter.”
Because producing songs is a multistep process that took her nearly two years, Nye didn’t want all of her hard work writing, recording and editing her songs to sit in her Google Drive. Nye kept her songs and album largely private;
many of her peers did not discover her album until after she released it. “I never had a goal to release an album,” Nye said. “It was just kind of like, ‘Oh, I have all these songs that we worked on, and they’re pretty cool in my opinion, and I guess we will just release them.’”
Eshu Vinnakota
When Vinnakota’s sixth grade music teacher introduced him to GarageBand, he became fascinated with the app. “[After I] saw the ins and outs of GarageBand, I started producing my own tracks, and then I put them out on my YouTube channel,” he said.
Vinnakota began posting songs to YouTube in the middle of seventh grade and eventually he put his first song on Spotify at the beginning of this school year. “Most of the songs are kind of made up stories,” he said. “But I like to put out music, just because it’s a way to express my own emotions and what I feel.”
Vinnakota has produced 65 original songs and two remixes with just a laptop, a pair of wired headphones and a microphone, all of which are on YouTube. He describes his music as an intersection between pop and rap, referring to it as “melodic song.” His song-making process typically starts with a hum or lyric that he then transfers to GarageBand to create a track for the melody. While he used to take one to two hours to produce a song, he now spends more time experimenting with the technology to total about six to eight hours per song.
Vinnakota hopes to reach a larger audience with the release of another album. “I have family across the world, in India, in Australia, obviously in the Bay Area [and] even in the East Coast,” he said. “So just sharing my music on
YouTube, Spotify, etc., helps me reach those audiences, and it’s a way to connect with other people.”
Ari Kaufman
Kaufman, a self-taught guitarist, strummed the same chord for six hours every day when lockdown started to learn how to play, and, two months into lockdown, she started writing songs as well. “During COVID, I feel like it was really isolating for a lot of people, and I wasn’t great at verbalizing my emotions to anyone,” she said. “I didn’t have an outlet, so [songwriting] just became something that was mine and no one else really had control over.”
Before Kaufman decided to release her music on YouTube and Instagram, she performed for live audiences. When her friends from summer camp urged her to participate in a talent show,
Kaufman realized she enjoyed performing live and that others wanted to hear her. “I just felt so happy because I was doing something that meant a lot to me, but other people were getting joy from it,” Kaufman said.
Of the 70 songs Kaufman has written, she only feels comfortable sharing 12 of them. “At some point, I’d love to put out more, but there’s still fear there,” she said. Kaufman writes her songs in a journal her brother gifted her for her 14th birthday and the pages are now filled to the brim with lyrics and chords.
The songwriting process is not linear, and the time it takes can range from mere minutes to years. “You write 90 lines and you get one good lyric,” Kaufman said. “I [can’t] ever sit down and be like, I want to write a song now, because that’s not how creativity works for me.”
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
Senior Lily Nye plays a new song in her teacher’s studio. Photo courtesy of Nye
Arts & Lifestyle
by JULIA LIVINGSTON
What’s your name?
Aleigha Alcantar
How did you become a security guard at Menlo?
This is my first security job, actually. I just had to get a new job, and they put me here, and I ended up liking it. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I ended up liking it.
How long have you been working here?
About eight to nine months.
What is your favorite part about working here?
My favorite part about working here would be getting to see the community vibe, and [that] everybody is so nice. Oh, [and] the sports teams. It’s really good to see all of you guys in action. Here and there, I get to watch.
Which teams have you watched?
Menlo College softball girls. They get down. And then the [high school] basketball girls. I like them too. I like the girls. I used to play sports myself. Softball and volleyball.
What is your least favorite part about working here? Maybe when it rains and it’s wet out here. That’s about it.
What’s the funniest interaction you’ve had while working here?
I would say when, last year, it was around prom time, some kid — [Willis Johnson (23’)] — was waiting to get his pizza, [which he decorated to use for a promposal], and lunch was about to end. He had two minutes. And the delivery guy was late, and he finally got it and ran all the way to his prom date. It was so fun to just watch, like, just all the effort.
the games that they play [in “The Circle”], like you could be anybody you want, and how they get to trick people.
Favorite food?
I’ll have to say Italian for sure.
Favorite movie?
Right now, I’ll always put on “Apocalypto.”
If you weren’t a security guard, what would you want to be?
I would probably be a business owner. Like a successful business owner. Maybe in the beauty industry somewhere.
What product would you make?
I would say for sure lip product, I’m not too sure what. Or even eyelashes. From my own brand, that’d be cool.
Is that a goal?
Where do you get your nails and lashes done?
I get my nails done at Eastridge Mall in San Jose. And my lashes — I put them on myself, but I get them at the mall.
How do you choose which nails to get? This one set in particular, I just wanted gems, and the nail technician pulled out this whole case. I couldn’t choose, so I was just like “do all of them.”
How much do you pay for them?
I never go above $200. That’s my budget.
How long does it take to do your makeup every day? 40 minutes, and I’m ready to go.
What’s a typical Friday night for you?
I go home and I put on my shows. On Fridays I can finally stay up and watch them. Or I’ll go to my family’s house. Hopefully it’s someone’s birthday. And then I get to go out for a little bit.
What shows do you watch?
I watch “Baddies” on Zeus Network. And then I watch “You.” “You” is good.
Which version of “Baddies” do you watch?
I’ve watched all of them.
What other reality TV shows have you watched?
I’ve been trying to get into “Love Island.” I started it from the first season, and then I couldn’t get into it so I skipped all the way to the current ones. And I’m watching the reunion right now.
So I do watch “Love Island,” I watched “The Circle.” I like
Um, yeah no, not a goal. My goal… I’m going to school right now to be a computer scientist.
What school do you go to?
Evergreen Valley College.
What got you interested in computer science?
I’ve seen online careers that make a lot and that are in demand right now. And that was one of them.
Do you like it?
I started to like it. At first I was just doing it just to do it, but now I’m starting to like it.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I make treats. I’m a treat maker. So I make, like, cake pops and stuff. Yeah, so it’s like a little side business. And I also make cosmetics, like soap, lip gloss and face masks.
Where can we find your brand?
I’m rebranding right now, so I’m going to have to get back to you on that. I want to cater it more towards everybody. I think I made it too girly before, so I want to make it for everybody.
What was the name before? It was called Brat Boutique.
Are you adding anything to the new brand?
I wanted to make a self-defense line for girls. It’s like a keychain for everything you need. Like a window breaker, a whistle, a laser, I think it’s a flashlight or, like, an alarm thing. I feel like girls should just have a little something.
Where do you get your style from?
I would say maybe my older sisters — we all kinda all dress the same. And also [in] the city that I’m from, [San Jose], I feel like all the girls kind of dress the same.
What’s your favorite social media platform?
TikTok for sure. I like to watch @dylan.mcarthur, or “Dylan Eats.” He always gets me.
Rate Menlo parking out of 10?
I would give it an eight.
What’s your zodiac sign?
I’m a Leo.
Do you like astrology?
Yes, it’s in my bio on my Instagram.
Which sign best matches yours?
I would say I get along well with Libras. But what I read is that Sagittariuses match me. But in my experience, I get along well with Libras.
What’s your philosophy on self-care?
I feel like it’s more of a mental thing — how you feel. You'll feel better on self-care day if you just take time for yourself. So whatever makes you happy, whether that’s makeup or even just hanging out and just relaxing.
Staff photo and illustration: Julia Livingston and Amber More