The Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms
serving Menlo’s Upper School since 1973
Administration Seeks Balance, Equity With New AI Policy
by ASHER BECK
Artificial intelligence has officially joined the Menlo toolkit. In an assembly on Sept. 2, Upper School
Director John Schafer announced that students will now receive free access to premium versions of Google Gemini and Perplexity as part of the school’s push to responsibly and equitably integrate AI into academic life.
According to Schafer, Menlo
decided to give students access to these AI tools to give them equal access to valuable resources. “It’s sort of an equity position of how we guarantee [that] everyone has these tools, because last year, maybe some families had access [to them] and some families didn’t,” Schafer said.
Additionally, Schafer said that with the increasing prominence and utility of AI, Menlo needed to improve its integration of the technology into schoolwork. “[AI tools] are just there. They’re embedded in our school anyway,” he said.
Schafer said that security was a major factor that the school considered when choosing which platforms to partner with. He said Menlo settled on Google Gemini and Perplexity Pro because of their privacy policies and overall user protection.
Director of Technology Mike Kulbieda said that there
were other merits that drew Menlo to Gemini and Perplexity Pro over other AI tools. One such benefit was that
Perplexity and Gemini included other AI models, improving the versatility of each. ChatGPT and Claude were both built into Perplexity Pro, while Gemini came equipped with Google Workspace, a tool that Menlo had already implemented across campus. Another aspect Menlo had considered was the cost of each subscription. Using an existing Google Workspace agreement, Menlo has been able to promote Gemini subscriptions free of charge. Although the school didn’t have a prior agreement with Perplexity Pro, Kulbieda said that Menlo was able to organize a new pilot partnership with Perplexity, allowing the school to use the platform through August 2026 at no additional cost.
Although he agreed that AI platforms add value for students, senior Spersh Goyal also raised some skepticism about using Menlo’s subscriptions to Google Gemini and Perplexity Pro. “I
think people are a little concerned about using Menlo’s subscriptions,” Goyal said. Schafer shut down the idea that Menlo would use AI prompts to invade a student’s privacy. “For the record, it’s not possible for Menlo to track or see what prompts students are using with Perplexity Pro [or Google Gemini],” he said.
Although he conveyed a hesitancy to use school-issued subscriptions, Goyal expressed his overall approval of Menlo’s new policy on AI. “[Tools such as] Perplexity have always, in general, been something that I use, especially for finding sources for research papers,” Goyal said. He added that Menlo made it much easier for him to access AI tools. “I was considering getting Perplexity Pro anyway, so getting it for free was definitely convenient,” Goyal said.
At the assembly announcing the changes, Schafer cautioned students against overusing AI. Aside from the administrative action that could be taken if students violated Menlo’s honor code, Schafer noted that dependency on AI only serves to hurt students. “[Don’t] view learning as something to be short circuited or shortcutted,” Schafer said. “That’s a pretty self-destructive way of
by ANYA RAMANI
For senior Chase Edwards, walking into Capitol Hill this summer not only marked the culmination of living with type 1 diabetes for more than a decade, but also his fight for a cure.
Diagnosed at age five, Edwards has spent much of his life involved with the non-profit organization Breakthrough T1D, which aims to make type 1 diabetes a condition of the past. Edwards was among 170 youth delegates selected to speak to Congress about funding research for a cure this past July.
Edwards believes that the program holds value for youth with T1D, along with people outside of the
community. “It’s a great opportunity to make an impact on people with type 1 diabetes,” he said. “You get your story out there in front of the most important people who can make a difference.”
Though he applied to the program at 8-years-old and was not selected, he wasn’t deterred from voicing his insight on the issue. “This program really meant a lot to me. Of course, diabetes affects my life so much, [so] I felt really honored to [...] have my voice make a difference,” Edwards said.
Edwards, pg. 14
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
Senior Chase Edwards has been fighting to end Type 1 Diabetes since he was 5-years-old. Photo Courtesy of Sharyn Peavey.
Closer Conversations or Missing Perspectives: Students and Teachers Weigh In on Impact of Small Classes
by ELAINA HUANG
Elective enrollment rises and falls with each new semester, and some electives underway are offering students a smaller, close-knit classroom environment. Among them are Principles of Game Design and East Asian Pop Culture, both of which have fewer than six students.
Registrar Ava Petrash said that class sizes vary every year and depend on several factors: course interest, grade size and whether or not the course is new. According to Petrash, these classes reflect the variations in enrollment that comes with the wide variety of courses, both new and old, and special circumstances, such as the Catalyst program. She also noted that while the average grade size is 160 students for the freshmen and sophomore classes, the electives available only to juniors and seniors are relatively smaller due to the size of each grade being between 140 and 150 students.
I think the biggest benefit is definitely [that it] makes it way easier to reach out and ask for help.
Senior Zoe Zdrodowski
According to Petrash, Menlo’s upper school offers a vast selection of more than 60 electives, compared to some other similar schools which only have around half of that amount. As a result, unique electives often end up with smaller class sizes.
“I think it’s one of the strengths of the school. One of the reasons parents want to send their kids to Menlo is because of the
AI Policy
Continued from pg. 1
wide variety of course offerings,” Petrash said.
Petrash also attributed the few classes with smaller sizes to the Catalyst program. Catalyst is a semester-long environmental and project-based program which launched this year, which has resulted in removing 16 juniors from electives in each semester.
Principles of Game Design, a new course taught by Computer Science teacher Douglass Kiang, currently has three students enrolled. The course was only added to the schedule recently and announced in mid-August after previous scheduling changes.
Junior Jonah Block, a student in Game Design, enjoys the stronger student-teacher relationships that he can form due to the small class size. He also finds that there is less academic pressure compared to his larger classes. “It’s really nice getting to have a conversation with the teacher rather than having the teacher [lecture]. It feels more like a dialogue than a monologue," Block said.
While Kiang likes that he is able to give more attention to each individual student, he said that there are limitations in group activities during class. He had to change the curriculum, since the original plan was to compare strategies for one four player game session to another, something he isn’t able to do with fewer than eight students.
“Personally, my preference would be eight or 16 students. If we had 16 kids, you’d have four groups playing four player games. With some games [...] you can play with eight people and it’s awesome,” Kiang said.
East Asian Pop Culture, an English class taught by Oscar King IV, is another elective that has a handful of students this
thinking about it.”
year. Senior Zoe Zdrodowski is one of five students in the class and enjoys the smaller and more intimate environment. Zdrodowski said that she and her classmates sit in a circle and engage in close discussions every class which she believes strengthens her bonds with her peers, as well as with her teacher.
“I think the biggest benefit is definitely [that it] makes it way easier to reach out and ask for help,” Zdrodowski said.
On the other hand, Zdrodowski acknowledged that there is a lack of perspectives at times in their respective classes. “Sometimes it can feel, [...] especially if you have a different opinion or idea, a little scarier to voice it,” Zdrodowski said.
Block expressed similar views on the drawbacks of a smaller class. “We’d like to have someone who’s played other games, who could give us a different input. [...] We could probably have more constructive discussions in class,” he said.
King finds that all his students contribute a decent amount to class discussions. As a result, he believes the class’ smaller size isn’t restrictive. “The class is phenomenally dynamic and engag[ing] so far even with five students,” King said.
Upper School Director John Schafer said that while smaller class sizes can be a less efficient use of school resources, the administration still encourages the addition of new courses. Schafer acknowledged that electives will eventually be phased out if sign ups remain low for several years. “The first year usually doesn’t get that many sign ups, but we want to give it a chance, and it’ll grow,” Schafer said.
Attesting to Schafer’s standpoint on AI usage in school, Upper School Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis Bustamante encourages students
write. When you’re in college [...] people are going to care if you know how to write an essay,” Chen said.
Regardless of which AI platform Menlo students prefer, Menlo administrators echoed that they want students to be mindful of how their work is translated through AI. “If you write a sentence and Grammarly improves that sentence, is that your sentence or not your sentence? That’s something to think about [...] because you don’t want to pass along [work that is not yours],” Schafer said.
English Department Chair Rachel Blumenthal commented on how AI might impact the creative process in classrooms. “I do think for some students, that [path of discovery] would come from AI and it would look like ways of making art and ways of having ideas that I can’t quite imagine yet,” Blumenthal said.
Bustamante noted how Gemini and Perplexity can improve students’ revision process. “[AI] could be helpful with [...] generating ideas [or] getting feedback,” Bustamante said. In some ways, AI is another avenue for this feedback, not something that replaces it altogether.
As Menlo continues to familiarize its community with Gemini and
[Don’t] view learning as something to be short-circuited or shortcutted. [...] That’s a pretty self-destructive way of thinking about it.
Upper
School Director John Schafer
Perplexity Pro, Schafer wants students to improve their learning with Menlo’s AI subscriptions. “You’ve got some familiarity with these tools. They’re augmenting your thinking and sharpening your skills,” Schafer said. “[Learn to] use them in different ways, and figure out what works for you.”
Staff Illustration: Ella Skinner
Student Body Leaders Outline Goals for School Year
by WILLIAM GARDNER
Seniors and Student Body President and Vice President Tania Troper and Rajan Kaushek have two main goals for the 2025-2026 school year: school unity and greater transparency between the student council and student body.
In the past, school administrators and the student council have proposed different solutions for improving school unity. The house system, where students of all grades are sorted into four houses and compete in games, being the most prominent example. Troper and Kaushek began this year with a change they hope will help bring further unity to Menlo — a buddy system.
“One of our main goals is to really unite the whole school together, [and] one of the ways we’re doing that is by creating a buddy system between the freshman and the juniors and the sophomores and the seniors,” Troper said. According to Troper and Kaushek, the idea is that these buddy interactions will allow the upperclassmen
to better connect with the underclassmen, a divide they feel is often seen at Menlo. Troper and Kaushek also think that this buddy system will help alleviate academic stress, improving overall readiness.
“If you’re a sophomore, and this is the first year where you're having legitimate coursework, [...] you have a senior buddy who’s been through that, who can give you tips,” Kaushek said.
Troper and Kaushek also plan to improve transparency between the student council and the student body with a series of changes: new communication platforms within student council, regular email updates to students and streamlined documentation of meetings and decisions. Troper and Kaushek said that the student council wants to make sure the community knows exactly what changes they are making. “There’s this idea where it’s like, ‘hey, we’re student council, and we make decisions.’ But, what are those decisions?” Kaushek said.
Troper and Kaushek want to build on the idea of weekly emails to students. “The goal is to make it more personalized for the students,” Kaushek said. The regular emails are intended to lay out exactly what the student council is up to, including big plans, decisions and ideas plus proposals they are considering.
“A key thing that’s going to be included is a suggestion box. So this way, if you’re a student, let’s say you don’t like how something’s being run, but you have a really good idea for it, you can literally have a direct voice,” Kaushek said.
Troper and Kaushek are also working to improve communication within student council. They said a major component of that goal is implementing Slack, a messaging platform often used in the corporate world.
“I think Slack is such an important tool, [having] those communication devices where people can communicate directly,” Kaushek said.
“ “
One
of our main goals is to really unite the whole school
together, [and] one of the ways we’re doing that is by creating a buddy system.
Student Body President Tania Troper
In addition to improved communication, Troper and Kaushek have also streamlined the system for student council proposals. Junior Class Senator Eshu Vinnakota said this year’s student council has changed the way they make decisions internally. “[The forms give] opportunities for people to actually fill out a form and actually see the changes they want,” he said.
Vinnakota voiced his support for the changes that Troper and Kaushek have implemented. “I think we’re getting people more involved within the council. [...] It’s a step in the right direction,” Vinnakota said.
Ambassador Program Expands Support to Freshmen
by AARON WIDJAJA
Piloted last year to help welcome incoming ninth graders, Menlo’s Student Ambassador program now extends beyond freshman orientation. Ambassadors, made up of a select group of juniors and seniors are now assigned three freshmen to support and check in with throughout the school year.
“If ninth graders have any questions, they could reach out to the mentor for the year, which would help keep that year-long presence,” Upper School Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis Bustamante said.
If
ninth graders have any questions, they could reach out to the mentor for the year, which would help keep that year-long presence.
Dean of Student Life and Culture Alexis
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Last year, each ambassador led groups of 10 freshmen during orientation, which made it harder for students to connect, Bustamante said.
This year, during freshman orientation, Bustamante created the groups such that each had six students and an equal mix of male and female students. Each group included two ambassadors and therefore a 3:1 freshman-toambassador ratio.
Freshman Ethan Love appreciated the smaller, randomized groups during freshman orientation. “You’re able to meet a lot of different people, especially upperclassmen, as well as a lot of the new kids in a fun environment through the randomization,” Love said.
Senior Julia Axelrod, who is in her second year as a student ambassador, also likes the change. “I think it allows for the freshman to get really comfortable with us,” Axelrod said.
According to Axelrod, there had previously been groups of 10 or 12 students for every one ambassador, which made it difficult for the freshmen to adjust to the group. Axelrod said that these tighter-knit groups make students much more willing to reach out and talk, helping freshmen foster new relationships.
“We exchange numbers at the beginning and ask them about their first day. [...] And I’ve noticed it’s these small things that make the difference and allow them to feel comfortable around us,” Axelrod said.
“I think it allows for the freshman to get really comfortable with us
Senior Julia Axelrod
“Love said healso likes the 3:1 ratio of the ambassador program, citing how accessible the ambassadors are for the freshmen. “If other people have similar
questions to you, because we’re all on a group chat together, we can all see what the question is, and it can be answered as well,” Love said.
Although the program has received positive feedback among students and ambassadors alike, there are some things that they feel could be improved for the future. For Axelrod, one challenge is ensuring that the freshmen are acclimated to the high school experience. “It’s a whole new environment, and some people are really quiet and reserved, which makes it harder to connect with them,” she said.
Love believes that the program could be further improved by adding more opportunities to meet with the ambassador. “If you needed help urgently, you would ask your ambassador because I feel like checking in once every other week for 10-15 minutes would be good,” he said.
Bustamante
Staff illustration: William Gardner
Staff illustration: Ella Skinner
Operations Team Brings Upgrades to Classrooms
by LILA OZDEMIR
While students were on summer vacation, Menlo’s Operations team installed air conditioning in the CADC, new carpets in classrooms and made several other changes. The operations team also plans to install air conditioning in the A and B buildings next summer.
Amrit Chima, Menlo’s director of operations, said the changes to the carpets around campus were done to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
the operations team also repainted classrooms’ walls and redid the ceiling tiles in second-floor classrooms, simultaneously switching out fluorescent lights for LED bulbs that reduce the school’s energy consumption. “We also replaced the acoustic panels in the second-floor classrooms to create better sound absorption and also just to look aesthetically more pleasing,” Chima said.
Advisor Ryan Bowden, whose classroom is on the second floor of the CADC, was excited to have air conditioning.
Bowden said that, on occasion, his classroom would overheat prior to the AC installations. Bowden said the heat occasionally prevented him from comfortably teaching inside the CADC, to the point that he would move his class outside, an inconvenience to his students working on photo editing.
However, Bowden says the system has not been working properly, causing his classroom to overheat. Bowden said the operations team has brought in fans and even a swamp cooler, but he still feels disappointed that his students have to learn in the heat. “I think it’s important that the students, whether they're here in the creative arts building or they’re over in the upper school area [or] classroom area, that everyone can [...] learn in a comfortable environment,” Bowden said.
The CADC, built in 2012, was designed to be environmentally sustainable with its materials, design and airflow. In order to be certified by the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as eco-friendly, the building has to meet a set of standards.
I think it’s important that the students can learn in comfortable [places]. “ “
Photography Teacher Ryan Bowden
Due to the amount of energy required by the new AC, these standards are no longer attainable. “While [the CADC is] no longer technically LEED certified, it is still cooling in the most efficient way possible while providing [a] safer learning space for all of our students,” Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations Megan Leonard said.
Menlo Opens the Curtain for New Creative Arts Director
by LAUREN GIESSELMAN
In May, Menlo announced the hire of Katherine Palmer as the school’s new Creative Arts Director. Instrumental Music Teacher Leo Kitajima Geefay, who had served as the interim director for the 2024-25 school year, has handed the role to Palmer to lead the program forward.
Palmer previously served as Department Chair of Visual Arts at Francis Parker School in Chicago and held the same role at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. Most recently, she spent a sabbatical year in Japan, where she took language classes and drew creative inspiration from visiting shrines and temples.
My goal is to create more opportunities for lots of people to join in on the arts, even those who might not traditionally identify as artists.
Chamber Orchestra, Dance Foundations and Fundamentals of Photography, among others. Palmer believes this new requirement coincides perfectly with her mindset for the arts program.
Palmer plans to expand and strengthen the arts program across all grade levels at Menlo. “My goal is to create more opportunities for lots of people to join in on the arts, even those who might not traditionally identify as artists,” she said.
With such a wide range of artistic possibilities, Palmer says she’s excited to see all the unique ways students get involved with different branches of the arts on campus. “This is such an important time for people to engage in the arts. It creates such a varied experience in all of our lives, so different from what we normally do. In 2025, when we’re all strapped to computers and our experiences are so similar, the arts offer something different, an embodied practice that thrives with self-reflection and real time awareness and intuition,” Palmer said.
to all of the art branches. “They work with athletics, and they’re aligned sixth through 12th if you look at just general philosophy. They’re a really good example of how a program can grow and get people to buy into it," Palmer said. Palmer enters the program with optimism and an open mind. While she has clear goals, she said she wants to observe before making any major changes. “I don’t really want to pass judgment too soon, because it’s so early in the year. I’m excited to see how the fall rolls out, with productions, showcases and the big holiday assembly. I want to learn first, particularly from the student experience, before thinking about what needs to be cleaned up or fixed,” Palmer said.
Senior Diya Karthik, who helps with organizing and planning arts events,
as well as bringing in guest speakers that increase overall engagement in the arts, already feels that Palmer will bring excellent cohesion to the creative arts department. “She’s at this really good intersection of teaching and directing skills. She had been a teacher before, [and transitioning] into a directing role, she had innovative ideas about uplifting the student body as a whole — not just one discipline like fine arts or theater, but how to intersect all of them to make things more cohesive,” Karthik said.
While her job title suggests that she solely supports the creative arts program, Palmer has made it her personal mission to assist the entire community.
“I’m excited to be a part of offering that difference for so many reasons: mental health, growth, cultural agility and building community,” Palmer said.
With her educational and artistic background, Palmer is working in parallel with the new elective policies. Last year, Menlo implemented a new creative arts requirement where students in the classes of 2026, 2027 and 2028 must complete four semesters of creative arts electives throughout their time at Menlo. The Upper School Creative Arts Department has 35 art electives for students to choose from, including Art Foundations,
Palmer also aims to have the department staff play a vital role in the artistic recruitment on campus. “I want art educators to reach out into the rest of the community in innovative, organic ways. And I want students to see the natural connections that bridge the arts with the rest of the world,” Palmer said. The staff will also be playing a crucial role in her overarching goal for the year: creating more alignment in the sixth through 12th grade programs throughout the whole creative arts department.
Palmer noted the dance program’s commitment to this aspiration, with their major events throughout the year, like the dance concert, serving as a great representation of the publicity and engagement she hopes to bring
Palmer works at her desk in the CADC. Staff photo: Lauren Giesselman
Creative Arts Director
Katherine Palmer
For Friendship’s Sake, Bring Back Freshman Overnights
by ZOE HAYES
The first few weeks of high school feel a lot like a test you didn’t study for: new faces, new environments and an all-around awkward vibe. For Menlo students, the massive adjustment to high school used to come with a built-in answer key — the freshman overnight retreat. Take it from me, a student who lived through the boring daytime retreat my first year: we need the messy, meaningful magic of the overnight. It’s time to trade the pointless day activities for a sleepover.
is a unique opportunity for bonding and belonging. “ “
Staying
overnight
My graduating year, the class of 2028, didn’t have an overnight retreat our freshman year, and while the two days of activities helped us bond, it didn’t feel like quite enough. It felt like real connections didn’t form until a few weeks into the school year, which made for a rough start. I can tell you, with my experience this year, so much more bonding happens during an overnight retreat. We had a whole grade campfire, made s’mores and performed skits. After the campfire, our advocacy went back to the cabin, giving us more bonding time together.
This made the experience feel meaningful compared to freshman year, when the retreat felt pointless and awkward. We actually had the opportunity to connect outside of school, which created a different environment. It wasn’t just more fun — it was also a good gateway to discover new friends among old classmates.
Since 2024, Menlo has stopped holding overnight retreats for freshmen because of behavioral issues, focusing instead on two days of on-campus daytime bonding. In 2019, Menlo offered two overnight retreats for freshmen. The shift from two to zero is questionable, considering that even one trip would have helped class bonding.
“It felt like the team building was happening really well during the daytime, so it felt almost extra to also have the overnight component,” former Freshman Class Dean Sabahat Adil said.
However, Adil now thinks the students have changed and are ready to have the overnight brought back. “I think it gets students to know the school community in a different way,” Adil said. Unlike the structured icebreakers and forced fun of the daytime events, an overnight trip fosters connection by giving students the gift of unstructured time. Real bonding happens when students can choose their own conversations and activities, not when they are told what to do. By sharing new experiences outside of campus, the overnight provides unique opportunities to build stronger relationships that can’t be replicated by just eating lunch together.
Freshman Class Co-Dean Joseph
Rabison also saw the shift in the students’ bonding behavior during this year’s retreats. “While the current retreat model is good, staying overnight is a unique opportunity for bonding and belonging,” Rabison said. The overnight retreats don’t need to look the same as they did before, but the overnight component needs to return. The retreats could be an on-campus sleepover, an event at a campsite or even paired with an off-campus activity during the day. So for next year’s freshmen, let’s bring back the opportunity to bond faster, create more fun memories and enjoy their experience at Menlo from the very beginning.
Your Conversations With AI Are Killing the Environment
by AUTUMN CHAMBERS
Every day, 2.5 billion messages are sent to ChatGPT, consuming enough energy to power a
comes at a steep environmental cost in both energy and water consumption, which students must recognize to use AI responsibly.
Training large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Google Gemini requires a substantial amount of energy, even before they become available to the public. According to a study conducted by MIT reporters James O’Donnell and Casey Crownhart, it’s estimated that GPT-4 consumed 50 gigawatt-hours during its training, which is enough to power the entire city of San Francisco for three days.
Despite this, it’s the customers’ usage of these LLMs that makes up an estimated 80-90 percent of all AI energy consumption. The popularity of AI is currently outpacing the expansion of electricity grids and infrastructure. Over 70 percent of the electric grid is over 25 years old; the aging system can’t keep up with the demand for increased power required for AI. The grid, a network that moves electricity from power plants to people, wastes energy and increases Electricity isn’t the only thing AI consumes; it also uses a significant amount of water. Have you ever opened too many tabs on your computer? The fans will blast to stop it from overheating. Well, the same thing occurs with AI: the more questions it solves at once, the hotter the server becomes, so AI data centers must cool their servers to maintain
smooth operation.
These centers use millions of liters of water a day for server cooling. Big companies like Google and Meta used approximately 580 billion gallons of water to cool AI centers in 2022 alone. A solution for this would be to reuse the water; however, many data centers already do. Roughly 80 percent of the recycled water is lost in the process due to evaporation.
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Google and Meta used approximately 580 billion gallons of water to cool AI centers in 2022 alone.
This water doesn’t just appear out of nowhere; it’s sourced from people who need it to live. Two-thirds of new AI data centers are built in areas prone to drought. For example, in Arizona and Texas, data centers have diverted scarce water resources away from agricultural use. I don’t know about all of you, but personally, if I had to choose between asking AI a question and being able to have food, I’d prefer the food.
So, are we going to stop using AI completely and hold hands and sing Kumbaya? Of course not. But you must be aware of AI’s impact to interact with it only when needed. Here’s a simple tip that we, as Menlo students, can use to do our part. For easily researchable questions, just use Google. You do not need to use AI to answer simple questions; by using the internet, you can interact directly with sources and click on links rather than receiving paraphrased information. I better understand what I’m researching when I’m finding the information myself.
As we enter the age of AI and its use becomes more and more integrated into our daily lives, I encourage you to reflect: does the necessity of your AI search outweigh its extreme environmental cost? If your answer is no, then the solution is simple: you must be mindful of your AI usage.
Freshman Class Co-Dean Joseph Rabison
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
October 2, 2025
Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad Is In-Jeaniously Contentious
by CAROLINE CLACK
Did American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” advertising campaign make veiled comments about genetic superiority, or was it simply making a pun to emphasize her well-known beauty? Does it perpetuate the longstanding use of female sexuality to sell products? Was American Eagle’s intention to invoke themes of eugenics and white supremacy while bringing back advertising techniques designed for the male gaze? Honestly, I have absolutely no idea.
But what I do know is that for weeks, this advertising campaign dominated the minds of social media users, political leaders — including the president — and brands across the world, to the point that I’m sitting here writing an opinion piece on the controversy. Was that intentional? Absolutely. Did American Eagle know they would elicit this type of reaction? Absolutely.
Ahead of the campaign’s launch in July, American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers made this remark: “The campaign is definitely going to push buttons and have fun, and probably be a little more sensual than we’ve been in recent years.” American Eagle’s marketing team absolutely recognized and potentially orchestrated the double entendres laced throughout their campaign. They knew exactly what kind of attention they would get. It’s the kind of attention that raises stock prices. The kind of attention that sells the entire stock of a single clothing item in no time (the “Sydney Jean” sold out within 48 hours of the launch). The kind of attention that no matter what your stance is, you can’t help but talk about it.
This is outrage marketing. Crisis and Reputation Strategist Molly McPherson describes this technique as sparking debate, driving engagement and riding the attention wave. That’s exactly what American Eagle did. They intentionally provoked consumers
by creating advertisements that spark debates on real, impactful societal conversations like the legacy of eugenics, white supremacy, oversexualizing women and pretty privilege. And they took advantage of these emotional, meaningful topics to sell their back-to-school collection?
Outrage marketing works. We’ve seen
it time and time again. Take Brooke Shields’ 1980 jean advertisement for Calvin Klein, one that mirrors Sydney Sweeney’s almost exactly. Both advertisements used controversy and easily misconstrued wordplay to intentionally generate brand awareness. And they succeeded in generating a massive public reaction to the point that even our generation can debate whether or not she was too young or oversexualized. Not only did Calvin Klein’s sales increase post-release, but this controversial moment in advertising history propelled the brand, through interest and intrigue, as an iconic, major player in the fashion industry.
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
We let brands do this. How can they not when we buy into it so easily? We buy into it because our political climate has become so charged that blatant manipulation like this is not only accepted but encouraged. If you don’t agree with the contents or messages of an advertisement or marketing campaign, don’t engage with it. It’s that simple. No need to take to Twitter or Instagram or TikTok with your opinions; that’s exactly what the brands want. The buzz brings the bucks, and American Eagle wanted that reaction.
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[American Eagle] absolutely recognized and potentially orchestrated the double entendres laced throughout their campaign.
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If you don’t want to encourage politically-laced messages embedded in retail advertisements, then don’t feed into the cycle that allows marketing teams across the world to use consumers in manipulative ways.
Stop Locking NFL Fans Behind Exclusive Paywalls
by JAMES PARK
You finally arrive home after a long day at school. Your spirits couldn’t be lower after failing a math test, so you collapse onto the couch. Friday is just one day away, yet you feel so drained that it seems impossible to start your homework. Then, you remember football is on later tonight. With a sudden burst of energy, you push yourself to finish most of your homework before the game. With kickoff being moments away, you rush to turn on the TV only to discover the game is being broadcasted on Prime Video, an exclusive streaming service you don’t have. Frustrating moments like these highlight why the NFL’s use of streaming services creates unnecessary problems.
The NFL has demonstrated its greed through decisions that prioritize financial gain over the viewing experience.
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world,
the NFL has demonstrated its greed through decisions that prioritize financial gain over the viewing experience. While the NFL already has cable deals with networks like FOX, CBS and ESPN, it has begun to show games such as Thursday Night Football and playoff games on paid platforms like Prime Video and Peacock. This creates barriers for fans who had once enjoyed the games on cable TV channels with easy access and creates issues with the watching experience.
The transition from cable to streaming services reduces accessibility and simplicity, preventing fans from watching their favorite teams because of exclusive platform paywalls. When games are locked behind certain services, this excludes a large chunk of their audience, whether limited by cost, technology or geography. As someone who does not have Peacock, I have been prevented from watching a handful of games. The NFL thrives on community and tradition, and restricting access undermines that shared experience. Fans don’t deserve to have something they care about taken away, especially if they once had access to it.
Affordability is another key issue. With games being spread across different streaming services, fans are paying for multiple subscription services just to stay updated on their favorite teams. These services also come with a hefty price tag.
Prime Video subscription costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. A Peacock
Premium subscription costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. The steep pricing of these subscriptions — that can be difficult to afford — causes many fans to miss out on these games.
Despite these pitfalls, individual streaming services have the freedom to offer unique watching experiences. With Thursday Night Football, Prime Video uses artificial intelligence to provide viewers with advanced, real-time insights during the game. Features like defensive coverage recognition and “Prime Targets,” which identify key players, allow the audience to become engaged with the game. Streaming services have the freedom to implement features that can complement the watching experience, expanding the NFL’s reach without leaving longtime fans behind.
Ultimately, I believe the most effective way to fix this issue is to televise all games on cable. This eliminates the hassle of managing multiple streaming services, allowing fans access to any game they want to watch. Showing games on cable effectively makes matches more accessible and affordable,
ensuring that loyal fans will not miss the action. This approach will not only improve the viewing experience, but it will also make it so that any fan can enjoy the game.
As one of the most lucrative professional sports leagues in the
Staff illustration: Baelyn Batory
From the Editors: It Shouldn’t Take Four Years to Bond
As the campfire crackles and the sweet scent of roasting marshmallows fills the air, a cohort of smiley — and some teary-eyed — seniors mingle to the buzz of sentimental chatter and wholesome vibes.
Let’s zoom in: this was the class of 2026 after the senior web activity on their retreat in late August. Something in the air had seemingly shifted: shoutouts were being given out like free candy, broken friendships were mended without the awkwardness you’d expect and growing connections began to bud between people you never would’ve expected. That feeling of intra-grade unity between the class of 2026 had never felt so strong.
But why now? Why does every senior class get close just as they are about to depart from Menlo? There’s no straightforward answer.
can’t take anything for granted anymore and aren’t afraid of people judging us because very soon, we won’t see them every day.
It could also be that it takes time to get to know people, especially with an intense workload and limited “organized” bonding opportunities. It could also be tradition. But those are simply excuses. It’s a problem with our student culture.
We as a school throw around the word ‘cliquey’ a lot. We use it to rationalize our exclusive behavior. We use it to suggest that inherently, we aren’t meant to branch out beyond the confines of our familiar social circles. As humans, we seek familiarity. It’s comfortable and less scary, but excusing our exclusivity and closed-mindedness inhibits us from truly connecting with people in ways that better a class dynamic and the individuals involved.
schools in the area because of our small class sizes. With about 150 students in each grade, the expectation is that you’ll get to know everyone in the hallways without it feeling constraining or homogenous. But even as seniors, the admission of still not knowing a couple of your classmates’ names is evidence that our existing culture around socialization has limits in bonding us together.
What’s more is that half of the upper school comes from Menlo Middle School, arriving with established friendships which makes it difficult for new ninth graders to fully integrate. While Menlo provides bonding opportunities like freshman orientation and the retreat, these events only begin to bridge the gap. The divide gradually fades throughout the year as students begin to form new friendships, but it takes time.
The most logical explanation is that it’s a result of sentimentalism: by senior year, students realize that they’re basically out of time before the next chapter of their lives, so it’s natural to branch out. We
A comic series by guest illustrator Jonah Block
As freshmen, we craved a home base — a group to sit with at lunch and spend Friday nights with or at the very least complain about physics with. But whether we realize it or not, this need to find a friend group is often restrictive. It prevents people from keeping an open mind when it comes to making friends, and instead of naturally branching out to meet different people, it’s common to try to find just one group of people with whom you identify. Because students unconsciously restrict themselves to a limited social circle that feels comfortable and safe, they may not find any reason to cast a wider net.
Menlo differs from many high
Almost every year, the seniors look back on their time at Menlo with the same regret: wishing they had spent more time getting to know their classmates.
So here’s what we wish we had done sooner to become more bonded as a grade
earlier. Start freshman year by learning all of your classmates’ names — being able to name everyone in your class is one of the privileges of having a relatively small grade. Make it a point to talk to everyone you can and don’t be afraid to talk to new people, even if they aren’t in your close friend group. Step outside your comfort zone and start conversations with people you might not normally approach. Be curious and excited to learn about your classmates. Menlo students have so many diverse interests, lives and experiences — that’s what makes our community special. While close friend groups are natural and valuable, don’t let them become walls that prevent you from forming other meaningful relationships. To that end, be inclusive! Some of our most fun memories have been the campfire at senior retreat, Valpo Bowl, the semiformal dance and Homecoming, to name a few — all times when our entire grade has been together.
Don’t wait until senior year to realize what an incredible group of people you’ve been surrounded by all along.
Editor-in-Chief...................................................................Asher Darling
Print Editor.........................................................................Caroline Clack
Online Editor.......................................................................... Malia Chen
Opinions Editor......................................................................Sienna Lew
News Editor.........................................................................Elaina Huang
Arts & Lifestyle Editor....................................................Savannah Smith
Sports Editor...........................................................................Noah Levin
Spread Editor.......................................................................Anya Ramani
Creative Director..............................................................Claire Dickman
Director of Marketing & Community Engagement.............Bianca Putanec
Head Copy Editor..............................................................Aaron Widjaja
Video Editor....................................................................Julia Livingston
Photo Editor............................................................................Evan Grant
Copy Editor.............................................................................Asher Beck
Assistant Online Editor................................................Autumn Chambers
Assistant News Editors....................William Gardner, Lauren Giesselman
Assistant Opinions Editors..................................Lila Ozdemir, James Park
Assistant Arts & Lifestyle Editors.................Penny Diehl, Shaan Parikh
Assistant Sports Editors.........................Deven Dholakia, Spencer Toland
Assistant Spread Editor.......................................................Mandy Zhang
Assistant Social Media & Digital Directors..............Zoe Hayes, Lisa Huhs
Assistant Creative Directors............................Baelyn Batory, Ella Skinner
Assistant Video Editor...........................................................Tristan Chen
Staff Writers......................................................Sadie Evans, Payton Lee
Adviser......................................................................Miles Bennett-Smith
We appreciate hearing your opinions, whether it’s through guest writing, letters to the editor-in-chief or comments on our website and Instagram @menlocoa. Please reach out to the editor at asher.darling@menloschool.org or to
The Coat of Arms
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.
The class of 2026 smiles together on their senior retreat. Photo courtesy of Victoria Cruikshank
October 2, 2025
Sabrina Carpenter Glows in “Man’s Best Friend” Album
by SIENNA LEW
I, CoA’s listener-in-chief, am back with a review of Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh full-length album. Released on Aug. 29, it’s a cheeky, infectious diss to the myriad of frustrations associated with dating.
Manchild: Funky synths, sliding vocals and an addictively catchy “Manchiiiiiiiiild” — this song won’t escape your head. With an upbeat, simple and almost teasing vibe, Carpenter playfully and covertly insults men. Highlight: Her melodically spoken “stupid? or is it slow?” effectively breaks up the otherwise repetitive track. However, the song itself wasn’t anything unlike what I’d expect her to release: safe, bland and somewhat repetitive.
Tears: Sensual adlibs lead smoothly into a piano-drum melody. The intro crescendoes into a dramatic entrance as we’re hit by a seriously not-safe-forschool line. “Tears” is both raunchy and groovy. Overall, the beat is swingy and touched with bass, and the piano key changes from D minor to F dorian give the song an irresistible jazzy feel. Highlight: The penultimate chorus is spoken, almost whispered, upping the song’s tension and leaving listeners wanting more.
My Man on Willpower: This track better highlights Carpenter’s vocal range.
Contrast is used very well in this song — the verses are quiet and the chorus is full of heavy instrumentals, coupled with an F-major key that gives a bittersweet feeling to the song. Highlight: The last chorus’s hook at the end, “my man on his willpower is something I don’t understand,” is the moment where the instruments swell highest. The major key brightness contrasts with the lyric’s bite, making it really pop.
“ “
letting the vocals shine and allowing Carpenter’s voice to carry the fragility. It feels like a late-night yearning that’s a little weary, but swaying between comfort and collapse.
Nobody’s Son: Like a carousel, the chorus seems to spin round and round. It feels like a vicious cycle (evident through her “here we go again” lyric) of experiencing the letdown that comes with trusting lovers not to break your heart. Highlight: The amount of layers this peppy instrumental has — some sort of string instrument, synth pulses, drums and I swear I heard the trombone, too. With sugary sweet vocals and a happy instrumental, it probably sounds more like a euphoric love song than anything else.
Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry: Another ballad filled with major chords, this song feels warm and candle-lit. The light, sweet adlibs throughout give it a major late-night feel, accentuated by the acoustic guitar. The sound of the song contrasts the lyrics; they’re cutting, dominant and slightly cruel. Highlight: Her beautiful vocals. Her tone is so soft and pleasant on the ears. There’s a reason Sabrina is a singer and not, well, a carpenter.
Sugar Talking: Slower and swingier, this song makes you want to sway. Carpenter sings from a deeper register in an almost ballad-like way. This song blends pop and the warmth of R&B, making it feel vulnerable and sultry all at once. Highlight: The slow, deep bassline under the vocals adds so much dimension to the song, contributing to an overall dreamy feel. The almost autotuned adlibs are wistful and yearning. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
We Almost Broke Up : Sensitive, melodic and soft. This feels like an up-tempo ballad. The lyrics are especially relatable in this one: I’m sure a lot of people have dealt with the exhausting cycle of ending and re-entering a relationship, only to end it again. Highlight: The instrumental stays warm but understated throughout the whole track,
Never Getting Laid: Are we allowed to publish this title? Similar to “We Almost Broke Up Again,” it has a chill R&B groove. What’s different is that it oscillates between that feeling and a brighter, bouncier chorus. That contrast makes the song feel breezy and cheeky. Highlight: The crazy tonal shift at the end. I almost thought it was the start of the next song upon first listen. The soft, melancholic lyrics are drawn-out and effortlessly delivered.
When Did You Get Hot?: This is two minutes and 15 seconds of temptation and allure. It’s playful, yet elevated at the same time, accentuated by the witty lyrics and laid back percussion. Too bad this song isn’t longer! Highlight: The verses. The tone with which she delivers the lyrics is like a speaking and singing hybrid, like she’s teasing her song’s audience, drawing them in directly.
Go Go Juice: Campy and countrytinged, the choruses almost feel similar to Chappell Roan’s vibe. But the verses are distinctive — airy vocals with a minor chord progression that feels melancholy yet frisky. Highlight: The fiddle-filled instrumental break that fades into the slow, chanted “ba-da-das” and slurred lyrics in the bridge. Oops, it seems like she really did drink too much Go Go Juice… whatever that might mean.
House Tour: The retro vibes are strong with this one. Bubblegum pink and upbeat, it’s reminiscent of 80s music and songs like Madonna’s “Material Girl.” Carpenter’s lyrics are full of playful innuendoes. She promises “none of this is a metaphor,” but we can see right through. Highlight: The bridge, where Carpenter is borderline chanting, is fun to sing along to.
“
There’s a reason Sabrina is a singer and not, well, a carpenter.
“
Goodbye: Sonically, it feels like a more vibrant older sibling to “Slim Pickins” from Short n’ Sweet. The subject matter is obviously a breakup, but it’s not regretful or sad in the slightest. It’s as if she’s saying good riddance instead. Highlight: The farewells in different languages. From arrivederci to au revoir, those lyrics are a fun move that prevents the repetition of “goodbye” a million times.
Final thoughts: “Man’s Best Friend” is full of different energies, jumping from cheeky pop bops, to moody ballads to smooth R&B grooves. I can’t get enough. “Manchild” can take a step back, though.
Why Fresh Ideas Struggle to Survive in Hollywood
by JULIA LIVINGSTON
Hollywood loves familiarity. Count the times you’ve walked into a theater or scrolled through a streaming service and seen the same titles reimagined for the tenth time. Another sequel, another reboot, another spin-off. The thrill of finding something genuinely new feels harder to find every year. Why is that happening? How can we bring back and value originality like it deserves?
“
It’s a huge loss when unique ideas get pushed aside for what’s safe.
“ I can’t get enough.
Film studios lean on remakes and established franchises because they’re safe and profitable. Over the last few years, a huge percentage of box office hits were part of existing franchises or based on pre-existing material, like comic books, video games or novels. Meanwhile, only a handful of original films have cracked the top 50 in box office sales in recent years, like Pixar’s “Elemental” or Jordan Peele’s “Nope.”
It’s not just about the money, though. Audiences themselves are a part of the cycle. When people buy
tickets for familiar franchises but skip new independent films, Hollywood thinks: “the old ideas are what work, they’re the ones making us money.” That’s how the industry ends up like it’s feeling stuck in a loop. When viewers consistently opt to watch the same old stuff, studios are increasingly disincentivized from creating original content. It’s a cycle that feeds itself: studios are worried about taking risks, and viewers are told what to expect in films before the first scene even starts.
And yet, lots of film fans and creators crave originality. That firsttime feeling when you’re shocked, crying or laughing hits differently when you don’t know what’s coming. Even if they’re slightly updated or performances are strong, the story’s surprises and emotional beats don’t land the exact same way twice. It’s not lazy for filmmakers to want financial security, but it’s a huge loss when unique ideas get pushed aside for what’s safe. Indeed, there are studios willing to take those risks. The entertainment company A24 has become a favorite of mine because it keeps pushing
unusual, original scripts that major companies would probably pass up. Those films may not always top the box office, but they prove that there’s still an appetite for something different. According to IndieWire surveys, nine out of 10 moviegoers actually prefer seeing original films, and when an original story lands, it gets people talking like no remake ever could. A perfect example of this is “Sinners,” a film made by Ryan Coogler, which grossed over $366 million worldwide. If you want to break into screenwriting or directing, it can feel discouraging. Do you pitch bold, fresh ideas that may never get produced? Do you work within the franchise system and hope to sneak in your own creative twist? The truth is, originality usually comes with risk. Not every new story will find an audience. But the big hits of the future always start as original gambles, and sometimes even change the whole industry. As someone hoping to break into the industry someday, I hope to stay true to chasing those risky but original ideas. Movies should make us feel something unexpected, and that happens best with original storytelling.
Staff illustration: Diya Karthik
Staff illustration: Autumn Chambers
Spread
Therapy in Your Pocket or Data Stealing Technology?
by William Gardner
According to a National Institute of Health (NIH) report, 96 percent of counties have an unfulfilled need for a mental health prescriber. Struggles with access to proper mental health care have led many people to turn to mental health apps as an alternative. In 2020, the NIH reported that over 90,000 new mental health apps entered the marketplace, with many more being developed today. However, it remains to be seen whether many of these apps are effective and reliable.
Senior Claire Yao, who co-leads the Mental Health at Menlo club, thinks apps — like Clearspace and other mindfulness apps — might be one of many solutions to mental health issues. “I do think it’s a good idea to promote more of these apps because they are effective. And some people are actually more inclined to use these apps because [they are] anonymous [while using the app], so anybody that’s hesitant about speaking up can easily access support,” Yao said.
“I think screen time usage, specifically social media usage, is the biggest driver in poor mental health in our age group.”
Junior Sam Dickey
However, Yao also makes it clear that mental health apps do have limitations. “[Mental health apps] do make mental health support a lot more accessible, but I also don’t think that they replace in-person therapy. [...] I think the in-person connection cannot be replaced by technology,” she
said. Yao also has reservations about mental health apps being used for more serious treatments or conditions.
“[Mental health apps] do make mental health support a lot more accessible, but I also don’t think that they replace in-person therapy.”
Senior Claire Yao
Junior Sam Dickey is the social media manager for Menlo’s club chapter of the Project Reboot organization, which focuses on the relationship between tech habits and mental health. Dickey believes that social media is a major concern for the younger generation’s mental health. “I think screen time usage, specifically social media usage, is the biggest driver in poor mental health in our age group. Our generation has some of the highest rates of depression [and the] highest rates of mental health illnesses that we’ve seen in history,” Dickey said.
Dickey explains that screentime and mindfulness apps, like Clearspace, can help create healthier relationships with devices. “[Clearspace] helps you use your phone with intentionality, it helps you use your devices in a way that is productive and is not detrimental to your work,” Dickey said.
Concerns about company behaviour around mental health apps also remain a point of concern for users. “I think there are privacy and data security concerns,” Yao said, referring to data privacy in terms of how people use the internet,
and what companies get to keep and sell.
The Coat of Arms reviewed the privacy policies of some of the most popular mental health apps and found some ways that mental health apps may be collecting unwanted data. Apps like HeadSpace, a mental wellness and therapy app, often collect HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protected information about users, which they cannot share. That said, these platforms can sell the data that tracks the interests or buying tendencies of users to advertisers or business partners. The privacy policies of HeadSpace and BetterHelp, mental health and therapy apps, state that they have the ability to collect data about messages sent between therapists and patients, as well as usage of the app, though they often stipulate that the content of these messages is not collected. It should be noted that privacy policies vary between apps.
Yao thinks that, despite some issues, mental health apps can provide an opportunity to widen access to resources for lots of people. “I think it’s very easy to get into [mental health apps]. [...] I mean there are so many ways to approach mental health apps,” Yao said.
Menlo Seniors Balance Downtime and Deadlines
by Autumn Chambers and Mandy Zhang
After surviving their first three years of high school, the class of 2026 faces a new challenge: balancing the difficulty of Menlo’s academic rigor with college applications, and trying to make the most out of their last year of high school.
With so much on their plates, it’s common for seniors to feel overwhelmed. Many seniors experience senioritis in their second semester, a form of burnout notorious for killing off a student’s motivation to work and attend class. But the first semester is really where seniors’ mental health is put to the test. With so much going on, the class of 2026 has found various ways to manage their stress to be better able to enjoy their last year at Menlo.
Senior Brendan Wong finds time management crucial to balance homework and extracurriculars, a skill that’s put to the test in a senior’s final first semester of senior year. Despite his water polo practices, which typically last around three hours, Wong still makes time for homework, downtime and even loved ones. “I always eat dinner with my family, no matter what,”
he said. However, he also notes that his family no longer spends as much time together as they used to due to conflicting busy schedules. “College is pretty much all that is on my mind at the moment, especially because of how prevalent it is,” Wong said. “But one of my top priorities is staying in touch with the people close to me, like hanging out with friends [and family].”
School days paired with many demanding activities increase the chance of mental fatigue, especially with the added stress of college applications. For senior Ananya Goel, who pushed herself past her breaking point during sophomore and junior year, burnout is an all-too-familiar feeling. “It felt like I was just tired, and I just had no motivation to do any
work. I ended up falling behind in a lot of classes. And [honestly], I never caught up,” she said. To those who have been lucky enough to avoid burnout thus far, Goel stresses the importance of choosing a manageable course load. “Try not to stretch yourself out too far; know that you have limits [and] not all of the time in the world.”
After three years at Menlo, senior Claire Yao has developed a system for scheduling her time more effectively. “I look weeks ahead to see what’s going on [in my classes], so I can also plan and balance out going to workout or hang[ing] out with friends.” She emphasizes the need for time management and advises future
Menlo seniors make progress on college applications during the summer to avoid adding on an additional workload during the busy school year. Yao explains that college applications can sometimes be the star player in senior burnout. They are one of the many things students worry about during the year. “You’re trying to juggle so many things while also trying to get rest and be healthy, and that gets pretty overwhelming.” To avoid feeling overwhelmed, she selected yearlong courses that she enjoys. “Just find subjects that you’re really interested in, and I think you’ll be more motivated to do the work,” Yao said.
In between deadlines and applications, senior year is also a student’s final hurrah before embarking on a new chapter of their lives. By prioritizing family, recognizing their limits and developing strong time management skills, students can create a balance between their schoolwork and activities, ultimately achieving a feeling of fulfillment as they walk across the graduation stage in caps and gowns.
Staff illustration: Mandy Zhang
Staff illustration: Autumn Chambers
An In-Depth Look Community’s
Sounding Human, Lacking Judgment: The Hidden Danger of Using Chatbots for Therapy
by Anya Ramani
When 16-year-old Adam Raine of Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. logged into Chat GPT in November 2024, he wasn’t just looking for help with math; he was searching for comfort. When he told ChatGPT that he felt emotionally numb and saw no meaning in life, the chatbot responded with support. However, when he later asked ChatGPT about specific suicide methods as his depression grew more severe, the chatbot responded with step-by-step instructions.
In April 2025, Raine’s mother discovered his body in his bedroom closet without a note or explanation. Following Raine’s death, his parents filed a lawsuit against OpenAI — the artificial intelligence company that created ChatGPT — alleging that the chatbot
had helped him plan his death. Their lawsuit has sparked a wide-ranging debate on the use of large language models (LLMs) as therapists.
Upper School Wellness Counselor Jake Fauver harbors concerns regarding the use of AI for therapy. “I think initially, LLMs do a really good job at listening, giving some affirmation and maybe using some skills that AI can generate via its language model that a therapist would deliver,” Fauver said. “But I’m nervous about it because it [...] is an easy default for teens who [are trying] to avoid awkwardness — knowing that a computer is anonymous
“Contrary to their name, [LLMs are] not really intelligent.”
Computer Science Teacher Douglas Kiang
and doesn’t judge you.”
Computer science teacher Douglas Kiang believes that artificial intelligence is nothing more than a large language model, and certainly not a therapist. “Contrary to their name, [LLMs are] not really intelligent. [...] They mirror back what we want to hear, and they try to agree with whatever you say. They’re not really intelligent enough to understand the content of what you’re saying,” Kiang said.
However, Fauver said that AI can serve as a first step in helping students articulate feelings. “For the casual [person saying] ‘I’m struggling with this, or can you give me some ideas?’ I’m okay with technology serving as a first filter so somebody feels heard, [...] but that [AI] tool needs to be smart enough to know when to stop, and refer a person [to an expert],” Fauver said.
If a user does express thoughts of self-harm, LLMs are theoretically programmed with guardrails that advise seeking outside help. “Somebody [has] to think ahead and program [guardrails] in, and it’s impossible to predict everything that someone might potentially say that could be
harmful,” Kiang said.
Senior Ariya Kaushek, who co-leads the Mental Health at Menlo club, echoed Fauver’s sentiment about being cautious of AI usage for emotional support. “I was very upset about this because I think that [there are] just certain things that cannot be replaced in our society by machine learning,” Kaushek said. However, she does see AI’s value as a supplemental tool used in conjunction with human interaction. “I think AI’s best use is to answer brief questions, get quick tips or even be used for ranting because some people prefer typing over journaling. But I think AI use starts to become unhealthy when we become dependent on it,” Kaushek said.
Upper School Director John Schafer views the issue more broadly: students must learn to use AI responsibly, including for emotional guidance. “The question is not ‘do we allow [students] access or not allow them access [to AI tools]?’ It’s ‘do we help them understand how to use them responsibly and ethically?’ Mental health is just one fold of all the possible uses and misuses of these tools,”
“My dream is to have education around a utopian view that these AI tools will make the world better.”
Schafer said.
Schafer believes that school serves a core purpose in teaching students how to seek and form human connections. He sees a future where AI works in tandem with in-person education, although with limits. “My dream is to have education around a utopian view that these AI tools will make the world better. Maybe that’s all true, [but] there’s a dystopian view [saying] that’s not going to happen at all, and bad actors are going to figure out bad ways to use
Upper School Director John Schafer
Look Into the Menlo Mental Health
by Anonymous
Anonymous Guest Writer: My Experience Dealing With Depression
It was another evening in eighth grade, sitting at the kitchen table with my report card unfolded on the table between us. Despite my efforts, despite staying up late studying and asking teachers for extra help, my parents’ faces showed no pride. When I finally found the courage to tell them how much their approval meant to me, how I’d spent years waiting for praise that never came, their response was swift and final.
“There’s nothing to be proud of.” The words hung in the air with finality — a lasting verdict. I had asked for something so simple, yet so precious to me. Just some recognition that I mattered. But their matter-of-fact response cut deeper than any direct criticism ever could.
This conversation marked the lowest chapter of my adolescence, though my relationship with depression began much earlier.
Before COVID-19 hit, I hugged my friends often. We sat in circles at lunch together, connected not only through our friendship but by physical closeness. I didn’t realize how much I would miss the feeling of having actual people around me and how much I would crave it when it was stripped from me.
March 2020 found me confined between the four walls of my bedroom, with only stuffed animals for company. I was so desperate for human connections that I’d spend hours on my computer, searching for random people online in threads and video games who would listen or respond to me.
My parents didn’t understand my misery. They saw my need for digital connection as reckless, irresponsible and dangerous. When they caught me talking to people online, they scolded me. Though their admonition came out of love and concern for my safety, their words hit me hard. I had sought their approval my whole life — disappointing them felt like losing a part of myself.
I grew up in a household where achievement — whether academic or athletic — was everything; emotions and mental health were something meant
to be kept to yourself. When I struggled, I felt like I was sinking into the depths of an ocean, with no hand to pull me out. I’d wonder if this was what the rest of my life would feel like. But my older sister became the person that lifted me out. While my parents dismissed my struggles, she was the one person who truly listened. She never tried to fix me or offer empty reassurances. Instead, she simply sat there. “You’re not being dramatic,” she’d tell me when I doubted myself. “What you’re feeling is real.”
“I
had sought their approval my whole life — disappointing them felt like losing a part of myself.”
Anonymous
It took months of endless reassurances before my sister decided to act on my behalf. She approached our parents not once, but several times. Despite their initial reluctance, her advocacy encouraged them to invest in therapy.
Having my therapist changed my life. It’s not easy to find a therapist who fits your needs, but my second one did just that for me. For the first time, I had someone who listened without judgment, an authority figure who really helped me understand that everything I felt was valid. But the real breakthrough was when my therapist asked to speak with my parents. My therapist had explained to them what I had been going through, helped them understand that the isolation and depression weren’t flaws or signs of being a bad daughter. More importantly, my therapist helped them see that what I needed wasn’t criticism — it was encouragement and support. Slowly but steadily, the harsh words stopped, and
wellness check-ins became part of our daily routine. This time, I could tell that their support was out of love, not obligation. But the most impactful change came in their words: “I am proud of you,” my mother said to me one afternoon. These simple words hit me like a wave; they echoed within me, and I felt years of tightly held breath finally release.
The act of being heard truly began my healing process. Looking back, I wish I had understood earlier how much simply talking to other people could help. So don’t let fear hold you back, even if the world around you says you should be afraid. The courage to seek support might feel impossible, but it’s often the first step toward a completely different life.
Students and Staff Evaluate the Value of Personal Days
by Mandy Zhang
As Menlo students pack their schedules with difficult classes and stretch their nights thin with long hours of extracurriculars, the heavy workload can take a toll on both mental and physical health. While some students benefit from attending school consistently, others take personal days off for the sake of their well-being: waking up late, eating breakfast in bed, watching a favorite show. However, is postponing an entire day’s worth of classes and time to meet with teachers worth the temporary relief, or does the looming guilt of new assignments swallow students whole either way?
“Teachers are very understanding when you [communicate] your feelings.”
Mathematics Department Chair
Danielle Jensen
For Upper School Wellness Counselor Stefie Dominguez, the answer to whether personal days are acceptable or not isn’t straightforward. “Menlo is a very high-achieving school. A student who takes a day off for something other than physical sickness might fear that they may be perceived as weak,” she said.
“I feel that if I skip a day, then I’m going to fall behind. By then, what’s the point?”
Sophomore Katelynne Kwok
As one of the three counselors at Menlo, Dominguez believes that the school offers a sufficient amount of support, from the STEM Lab to the Learning Center to the weekly tutorials, though students may not always be inclined to utilize that support. “There’s still a stigma and this attitude of bearing through [mental exhaustion]. I think that there are
times where things are hard and you should push yourself, but then there are also days that you should know, ‘hey, I need a day off,’” Dominguez said.
Yet, beyond social stigma and peer pressure, sophomore Mason Campion thinks personal days replace crucial time at school: making up for a missed day is not only inconvenient but also stressful. “The time that I lose by taking a day off doesn’t pay off. The rest that I get does not account for the extra work that I will have when I’m done,” he said.
“Do I think stress is negative? I don’t. As with anything, it’s a part of life.”
Mathematics Department Chair
school is very humane in terms of the days we have off. […] Teachers are very understanding when you [communicate] your feelings,” she said.
However, instead of taking a personal day to sleep, Jensen suggests preventing work from piling up by finding the root of the stress. She believes that overanalyzing mental health only exacerbates the problem and encourages students to take advantage of the learning opportunities rather than hide from the obstacles. “Is it mental health, or is it just life? As a teacher and a parent, one of my jobs is not to eliminate stress but teach you how to manage it. There are stressors in everyday life,” she said.
Danielle Jensen “The time that I lose by taking a day off doesn’t pay off.”
Sophomore Katelynne Kwok agrees with Campion and emphasized the importance of attending class every day. “I feel that if I skip a day, then I’m going to fall behind. By then, what’s the point?” she said. Rather than providing a fresh start to a tiring semester, personal days limit the already minimal time that Kwok has before deadlines.
The idea of a day solely dedicated to mental health raises another question: how will teachers and parents react? While some parents still strictly stick to their ideals of not missing any school, others are more open to allowing their kids days off. Mathematics Department Chair Danielle Jensen personally encourages students to advocate for their own well-being. “This
Sophomore Mason Campion
Jensen thinks Menlo provides an ample amount of support for those who need it and even for those who simply want to pause and reflect. “Do I think stress is negative? I don’t. As with anything, it’s a part of life. The more we focus on the negative side, the more it becomes a negative thing,” she said. “[Students] feel like they are living in the most stressful time ever, and I don’t agree with that. However, I do think teenagers right now put unhealthy expectations on themselves. As I tell my own children, I believe individuals can do anything and everything, but not all at once.”
The Sandman Skips Menlo: How Academic Demands and Extracurriculars Steal Students’ Rest Time
by Asher Beck
Between academic disappointments, athletic upsets, high expectations and testy relationships, a Menlo student’s mental health can be impacted by a variety of factors on a daily basis. One of those can be sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises teenagers to sleep at least eight hours a night, but 2021 data from the agency shows that 77 percent of high school students don’t meet that mark.
Psychology teacher Dylan Cummins knows how detrimental a lack of sleep can be. “Sleep is correlated [...] to anxiety. [It’s correlated] with overall life contentment. It’s connected with the capacity to learn. It’s connected with the capacity to perform academically and athletically,” Cummins said.
Cummins said getting a few hours of sleep can be viewed in a positive light by Menlo students.
“Sometimes, [little sleep] is increasingly seen as a kind of a badge of honor. ‘Oh, I only slept four hours last night,’ like it’s a good thing,” Cummins said.
Upper School Wellness Counselor Jake Fauver agrees that students can find pride in operating efficiently on very little sleep. That said, in spite of what some students might believe, the costs of sleeping less than eight hours per night can lead to more than just tiredness. “If you pull an all-nighter, [...] [you have] the same reaction time and creativity as somebody who’s legally drunk, [having had two or three drinks within an hour],” he said.
“Your memory retention [in class] is lower. Your reactivity is lower. You’re overall more irritable.”
Upper School Wellness Counselor Jessica Azer
Fauver said it’s Menlo’s academic rigor, students’ busy after school schedules and their desire to have downtime that can cut into sleep. “Downtime expands to [...] often sacrificing sleep to catch up with friends, text, be online or watch videos after they’ve already put in a full day [of work],” Fauver said.
Assistant Athletic Trainer Stephanie Green said that when athletes don’t get enough sleep there are major effects on their performance. “We see [...] a direct correlation between how many hours [of sleep] someone [gets] versus their performance and reaction time,” Green said. If an athlete’s reaction time is lowered, they can leave themselves prone to avoidable injuries. “You have to have good reaction time. [...] Lacking peak performance [caused
by low sleep] definitely could lead to injury,” Green said. The academic implications of substandard sleep can be similarly derailing, according to Upper School Wellness Counselor Jessica Azer. “Your memory retention [in class] is lower. Your reactivity is lower. You’re overall more irritable,” she said.
“Downtime expands to [...] often sacrificing sleep to catch up with friends, text, be online or watch videos after they’ve already put in a full day [of work].”
Upper School Wellness Counselor Jake Fauver
Although students might feel inclined to stay up late to finish work, it’s crucial to find a stopping point to preserve your own well-being for the following day. “[Students] really are doing themselves a huge disservice [...] by sacrificing their sleep. By just giving themselves more sleep, they’ll be able to work way more effectively the next day and even catch up on whatever they were trying to finish the night before,” Azer said.
Scan to access a Coat of Arms video featuring Upper School Wellness Counselors Jessica Azer and Jake Favuer, who share their personal stories and mental health tips and tricks.
Staff illustration: Ella Skinner
Alum Tyler Mitic Sails Into Social Media Stardom
by SAVANNAH SMITH
Around eight years ago, Menlo alum Tyler Mitic ’24 asked his dad for a camera tripod. His dad promised the tripod on one condition: he had to film the family weekend trip. “Since then, I’ve totally been obsessed with filming,” Mitic said.
Mitic spent the past summer traveling with his girlfriend through Europe and California, ending the twomonth-long trip with six terabytes of footage, equal to around 1,000 hours of high definition (HD) video. “At 70 years old, I can go back and look through all that. That’s so magical to me, I can see what we were saying in that hour-long recording of us sitting in the tent.”
For the past two years, Mitic has posted consistently on his Instagram, YouTube and TikTok social media channels, capturing the excitement of his travels.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Why not everywhere?”
These two opening lines lead into a 23-second montage of Mitic’s adventures. This video garnered more than seven million likes on Instagram, flashing through his travels from the California coast to the Dolomites in Italy to the Swiss Alps.
“There’s a school Tyler. There’s the adventure Tyler,
and there’s also the business and the entrepreneurial Tyler,” Mitic said.
His Instagram account, filled with professionally filmed and edited videos, has 49.5 thousand followers and is stamped with a verification mark. Yet, as Mitic explains, he is a traveler, content producer and student at Claremont McKenna College. “I get to embrace two completely different worlds in my life,” Mitic said. “I have friends at college that are more on the academic side and challenge me intellectually [...] and then I have a friend group of travelers and social media nomads with a great background in nature.”
Mitic’s attributes his success on social media to his spontaneity. “My best travel buddy’s name is Charlie. I met him two years ago in a Santa Barbara parking lot,” Mitic said. Mitic and Charlie Kernkamp bought a sailboat off of Facebook Marketplace with zero sailing knowledge. They not only successfully repaired the boat and engine, but also successfully sailed it through the Catalina Islands and up to Santa Barbara. “I got a little bit of [a] following from that. Then it kind of started to snowball,” Mitic said.
Mitic uses social media as a creative outlet. “By
creating videos online of beautiful places, it encourages me to go to more beautiful places.” Yet capturing these places and moments can be complex. “The reality is, yes, so much of this is quote unquote ‘staged,’” Mitic said. “It’s a wide range of what’s actually happening behind the scenes. But there’s always authentic joy. There’s always authentic happiness. There’s also limited space on the SD cards.”
There’s a school Tyler. There’s the adventure Tyler, and there’s also the business and the entrepreneurial Tyler. “
While Mitic partly credits his adventurous and entrepreneurial skills to Menlo, he pushed himself in other areas throughout high school. “I was there during the day, and then I was kind of non-existent. I didn’t really like any parties. After school or on the weekends I was out adventuring, and many times filming it,” Mitic said.
He struggled with dyslexia throughout his time at Menlo, and as a result, always forged his own path. “I think there’s a lot of value in not always going on the route that’s been charted out,” Mitic said. He acknowledges how difficult that can be at Menlo, but he encourages students to put the pressure to conform aside and do what they love. “The cliché answer is the blanket answer: follow your passions.”
Mitic’s favorite adventure spot near Menlo is the stretch of Route One north of Santa Cruz and south of Half Moon Bay. “That is an incredibly undiscovered and beautiful area that is shockingly close to Menlo,” Mitic said. If you are able, Mitic recommends driving this specific stretch of highway — finding a spot to camp for the night, but with no need for a strict plan.“There’s so much fear that comes from the unknown [...] and social media especially overemphasizes the ‘oh my God, I have to see this, I have to have all these things planned, but in reality it’s the people you go with,” he said.
Beyond the Roll: A Dive Into Local Sushi Spots
by SHAAN PARIKH
The Bay Area offers some surprisingly good sushi spots within reach of our campus. From quick grab-and-go trays to sit-down rolls worth every penny, there’s a range of options depending on how much time (and cash) you’ve got. Lucky for you, I’ve taste-tested a couple of local spots, so you’ll know exactly where to go the next time a sushi craving hits.
Draeger’s
When you only have 40 minutes of lunchtime to spare, Draeger’s makes sushi surprisingly convenient with its grab-and-go Premium Chef Sampler for $17. The salmon nigiri was easily the superior option in the sampler. The fish tasted fresh, and the rice had just the right tang from rice vinegar, elevating it to restaurant-quality level despite being from a grocery store. The tuna nigiri, however, didn’t quite hold up, lacking the freshness of the salmon. The California rolls were what you’d expect. Nothing mind-blowing, but a reliable option with
a good mix of flavors (best with soy sauce). Convenience is Draeger’s biggest win here: it’s easy to get, decently priced, walking distance from school and perfect if you want great sushi without the drag of a sit-down restaurant.
Score: 8/10
Kiss had yellowfin tuna, avocado spread and a whole lot of other ingredients. The avocado and tuna paired nicely, but yet again, the chips and sweet peppers added an odd flavor that threw off the balance. Overall, Sushirrito felt unique and worth the experience, but not something I’d recommend going to repeatedly.
Score: 5/10
Sushirrito
Sushirrito in downtown Palo Alto is a fun concept: sushi, in burrito form, hence the name. It’s a bit farther from school, but the livelier setting of downtown Palo Alto — rated the #1 downtown by The Coat of Arms last year — makes it feel more like a destination. I tried two rolls: the Latin Ninja and Geisha’s Kiss burritos. The main ingredients of the Latin Ninja ($17) was big enough to fill me up: fresh salmon wrapped in rice and seaweed. The crunch from the house-made chips was satisfying, but they had an out of place sweetness that didn’t blend well with the rest of the roll. Still, service was quick as my order came out in about two minutes. The Geisha’s
Kyosho
Kyosho, in downtown Menlo Park, feels like stepping into a cozy sushi hideout. It’s a sit down restaurant, but the service is fast and the staff is kind, so it doesn’t feel congested. I went for two different sushi rolls: the bomb and the sunshine roll, both at $18. Honestly, it
was money well spent. The Bomb easily lived up to its name as the crunch of fried seaweed plus a kick from the spicy sauces created an explosion of flavor that made it the best roll I had in this review. It perfected the balance of traditional sushi with a creativity to make it exciting. The Sunshine Roll, with its breadcrumb sprinkles and shrimp tempura, was tasty and had a nice crunch, though it wasn’t as impressive as The Bomb. Overall, Kyosho is comfortably quaint, flavorful and quality (without too hefty of a price).
Score: 9/10
Tyler Mitic holds the tiller of his sail boat nearby the North End of Catalina Island. Photo courtesy of Mitic
Staff illustration: Autumn Chambers
Arts & Lifestyle
Menlo Internships Make Summer a Season of Experience
by AARON WIDJAJA
On a sunny June morning, while many of his classmates were sleeping in or heading to sports practice, senior Spersh Goyal was navigating the offices of a Bay Area biotech firm. His summer was filled with meetings, research and strategy conversations with executives who challenged him to think like a professional. “Things only started clicking during the fifth or sixth week,” Goyal said. “It was definitely a steep learning curve, but that’s what made it so valuable.”
Stories like Goyal’s are expected to become more common as Menlo’s internship program for juniors expands. Originally considered to be an M-Term option for juniors, the program now requires participants to attend biweekly workshops throughout the spring,
apply for internship positions and spend time in work environments over the summer.
Last February, juniors within the program tweaked resumes, drafted cover letters and prepared for interviews with potential employers. The workshop series guides them through this application process, helping them develop both the confidence and the professional tools needed to try applying for an internship, and ultimately, to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience. Powered by partnerships with Menlo parents and partner organizations, the Menlo internship program provides students with the opportunity to polish their professional voice.
Menlo history teacher and Community Engagement Coordinator Dylan Cummins spearheaded the internship program. Cummins said the program began when a few Menlo parents took the initiative to create it, wanting students to gain more professional experience before graduation.
ClaireStaffillustration: Dickman
Edwards
Continued from pg. 1
Edwards’ efforts to gain funding for a type 1 diabetes cure don’t only pertain to him; his father, too, has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years. “It’s not just me, but my whole family has really been affected by this [condition] which makes it mean so much to me,” Edwards said.
Since type 1 diabetes has been a part of Edwards’ family for so long, he doesn’t really know a life outside of it. “But that’s not the case for millions of Americans. A lot of them are scared. They don’t know what to do or what resources are out there. [...] Having support out there is the most important thing,” Edwards said.
Despite Edwards’ efforts to live a “normal” everyday life, managing type 1 diabetes remains a 24/7 responsibility. He checks his blood sugar every morning, administers insulin with meals and sometimes must sit out of activities when his blood sugar is too low. “There’s a lot of stuff that I can't do that a normal kid would be able to do. [...] But, I think it's more of the fact that [type 1 diabetes] has so much control over [...] my life,”
Cummins strongly believes the skills students learn through the internships are constructive for their futures. “It builds character by learning what relational skills create strong connections at work [and] what approaches don’t work,” he said. The internships also allow students to open up new networks with adults.
Senior Carissa Satuito was interested in partaking in the program because of the vast range of opportunities. Satuito interned at L&P Aesthetics in Palo Alto. “The program gave so many cool and unique opportunities that Dylan had from just reaching out to the Menlo community that maybe I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if I just coldcalled by myself,” Satuito said. Internship options range from opportunities in STEM, business, marketing, finance and more — whichever opportunities Menlo community members can offer or find.
Satuito encourages everyone to give the program a try in the future. “I think the internship program provides unique experiences that you just can’t replicate through any other program,” she said.
During the program, working times ranged. “Some students started work at 8:30 a.m. the first Monday of summer and stopped the last Friday of summer, [...] while some did three to four days a week for a couple of week periods,” Cummins said.
Cummins believes that the most valuable part of the program for students is tackling the real-world challenges they go through as part of their internships.
“Really, the main challenge is taking the time to practice and develop the skills, which includes writing a resume and practicing for interviews,” he said.
Edwards said.
However, life with type 1 diabetes isn’t all bad, and it’s given Edwards opportunities to meet people — like Senator Susan Collins — who are the driving force behind the search for a cure. “Being able to go meet these people, especially someone like Susan Collins is like ‘wow, this is actually important.’ It was surreal,” he said.
Edwards’ advice to other young people living with chronic conditions is simple: speak up and know that you’re not alone. “There are so many communities for people who have chronic diseases,” he said.
“I definitely felt [alone] when I was a young kid, and just having that support out there
According to Cummins, his biggest challenge was finding hosts willing to provide high schoolers with internship opportunities.
To minimize this obstacle, Dylan encouraged students in the program to reach out to their parents in hopes that they could host an intern. “Once they do accept, the hosts come back with so many positive reviews, but the main thing is getting them to trust the process,” Cummins said.
“
It
was definitely a steep learning curve, but that’s what made it so valuable
Senior Spersh Goyal
“
To improve the program, Cummins hopes to expand the number of opportunities offered to students so that program participants can find internships that better suit their interests. “I need more help opening up these doors, and once the doors are open, I can get the kids ready to step through them and be successful,” Cummins said. “I think that experiential learning is the future of education, and this can be a program that really puts our money where our mouth is.”
is the most important thing for anyone with diabetes,” Edwards said. For those not living with type 1 diabetes, advocacy comes from being informed and reaching out in the little ways that make an impact.
Being able to go meet these people, especially someone like Susan Collins is like ‘wow, this is actually important.’
It was surreal.
“I really love it when someone comes up to me and says, ‘Oh hey you have diabetes, I just want to let you know that I'm here for you.’ I guarantee that so many people would just love that expression [of solidarity] coming from a classmate,” Edwards said.
Staff illustration: Ella Skinner, Claire Dickman
Senior Chase Edwards
Arts & Lifestyle 15
October 2, 2025
Falling for Starbucks? CoA Takes on the New Fall Menu
by LISA HUHS AND PENNY DIEHL
Made with real pumpkin, espresso, steamed milk, fall spices and topped with whipped cream, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte perfectly embodies the fall mood. Whether you’re on the way to school, work or need a midday pick-meup, this drink is a great choice. Although good on its own, I thought that compared to the other fall drinks, it didn’t stand out. We thoroughly enjoyed this drink on a cold morning, but the latte can also be customized to fit your preferences: iced or blended into a classic Starbucks Frappuccino. Overall, I think that this was a little too sweet for my tastes, but I would buy it again if the occasion called
On a cloudy fall day, a Starbucks mood with its autumn flavors of nutmeg, cloves, but also gives a muchneeded energy
Pumpkin Cream limited edition flavor
pumpkin, aids to the drink's creaminess
flavor. I thoroughly
drink. It is a beverage that I have and will continue to purchase again — and since I’m not a coffee fan (hence why Lisa tried most of the other drinks), this drink was perfect for my more tea-preferring taste buds.
The variety of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is the actual embodiment of fall. The mix of Starbucks Cold Brew, vanilla syrup, pumpkin cream cold foam and pumpkin spice creates a stark contrast, yet the flavors blend seamlessly. The pumpkin cold foam remained a distinct note above the cold brew’s strong flavor. Although this drink was good, there are plenty of other fall drinks that I would choose over this.
For someone who never gravitates toward coffee, even I (Penny) felt that the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte demonstrated a near-perfect mix of sweetness, creaminess and a satisfying crunch from the candied pecan chunks sprinkled on top. Including blonde espresso, oatmilk, pecan and fall spices, the coffee was extremely smooth and easy to sip. Especially paired with the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, the flavoring created an impeccable balance. We both thoroughly enjoyed this drink, finishing the tester-size Starbucks surprisingly gave us for free. We do wish it were a bit more pecan-flavored, though. However, for the price of $6.25 for 12 oz., we think that drink is both worth the price and can be enjoyed any time of day. The Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, which can be ordered hot or iced, will definitely become a regular purchase.
three shots of blonde espresso with flavors of pecan, fall baking spices and steamed oatmilk — topped with pecan crunch. Especially for any under-theweather students, this warm drink is exactly what will cure you. I did note that instead of tasting pecan, I tasted pumpkin, which I still surprisingly enjoyed the unexpected twist. Starbucks balanced the flavors very well, making this drink sweet but not overwhelmingly so. I’m going to be honest. I’m not sure what a cortado is, but I appreciated the foamy top and milky base along with the sweet pecan topping. Given that, I do wish it were a bit larger for the price. $5.25 for an eight oz. cup.
The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin, a bakery item originally introduced in the fall of 2024, returned this season. Although this sweet treat was a nice mid day snack, I felt as if something was missing. The cream cheese core — rather, meant to be core — turned into simply a topping. The little amount of cream cheese was surrounded by a full muffin of flavorful pumpkin cake. Safe to say, the savorysweet balance only lasted for a few bites. For its size and the price of $3.95, I thought the muffin was a good deal, but not good enough to add to my regular Starbucks order.
Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, only available hot, combines
Every season, Starbucks rolls out different flavored, colored and themed cake pops. This fall was no different. The Raccoon Cake Pop, a vanilla-flavored cake-pop dipped in chocolate icing, returns once again after its debut in 2024. I was already a fan of Starbucks cakepops prior to trying the Raccoon variant, and this one is no exception. The texture was satisfying, the crunch from the outer icing contrasting with the soft cake filling. My only issue with this cute critter-
Selected Student Profile: Connor Yonkers
by SADIE EVANS
The following has been pared and edited for clarity.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time? Meditate.
Q: What do most people not know about you?
I constantly worry if I am processing my emotions and thoughts in the correct way. I worry if I’m being accepting and appreciative and acknowledging of my internal working so I can act as my best self in the physical world.
Q: What’s the best part about high school so far?
I would say it is the people. It’s cool to see and connect with a bunch of new kids.
Q: What’s your favorite Menlo lunch?
Breakfast for lunch! It’s on rare occasions but when it happens, it’s beautiful.
Q: Describe yourself in three words. Energetic, sensitive and curious.
Q: Where do you hope to be in 15 years?
I hope to have writing as a hobby. I hope to be able to have performing as a side job, and I want to be a teacher that involves something in mental health.
Q: What are some items on your bucket list?
My main goal in high school is to get up in front of the school and sing Motown and have back up dancers. I guess I also want to learn how to do an aerial.
Q: What would be your life’s theme song? "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins.
Q: What’s your secret talent?
I’m pretty darn good at moving like the Avatar and the Last Airbender characters.
themed menu item is the price, $3.95 for a small cakepop. For the same price as the Pumpkin Muffin, I would get something more filling.
When the new Starbucks egg bite flavor was released for fall, featuring Italian sausage, tomato pesto, basil and Monterey jack cheese mixed into cagefree eggs, it caught our interest. We are fans of all these ingredients separately; however, when we tried them, we were immediately put off by the pink nature of the allegedly cooked Italian sausage and the texture, which was comparable to curdled milk. I (Penny) am an avid egg-bite enjoyer — and usually have the potato egg bites with every order — but something was terribly wrong with this new variation. The Italian sausage made the egg bites taste strangely like fennel, something that was not enjoyable, and there were black dots scattered across the chunky egg (definitely not pepper), but definitely unidentifiable. We would not recommend spending $5.45 on this subpar, fake-egg-tasting Starbucks menu item, which most definitely was not fall-themed.
Q: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Empathy.
Q: What is something in your life that you are looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to doing a play at Menlo. I miss plays.
Q: If you were principal for a day, what would you do?
A week of school field days. I’d have a boom box for each activity and everything.
Q: Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?
No, I would trust the zombie and then the zombie would eat me.
Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
I probably would buy a lot of books because books are really expensive these days, like $50 is crazy.
Q: Where is your happy place?
I would say it’s in Tahoe. It’s a bluebird day, and I’m by the lake. I have a book that I’ve been meaning to get to and I have jazz music in the background.
Connor Yonkers medidates on asphalt. Photo courtesy of Yonkers
Staff Illustrations: Claire Dickman, Baelyn Batory
Arts & Lifestyle
New Director Mark Schneider Shakes Up Drama Season
by SADIE EVANS
This year Mark Schneider entered his role as Menlo’s new drama director and teacher with years of professional theater experience and a fresh perspective for the program. Stephen Minning, Menlo’s previous drama director, stepped aside this past June after working with the school for 12 years.
Schneider was already familiar with Menlo because of his longtime friendship with Minning. Over the years that Minning worked at Menlo, Schneider would facilitate workshops with students, even bringing some of those students to New York for classes. “I knew [Menlo] was an amazing place because Steven Minning was here,” Schneider said.
In previous years, the Menlo drama season consisted of a fall musical, winter play and a spring musical. This year, however, the lineup is going to look different with a play substituting the traditional fall musical. “I think this season’s gonna be a total adventure,” Schneider said. “I love a new beginning, so the fact that I’m starting out here kicking off these projects with everybody is thrilling.”
The first production of this school year will be an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” With the help of cast members, Schneider will rewrite the script with the working title “Humbug: A Menlo Carol.” “My wish for any company I work with is that they feel a genuine connection with one another and take true ownership of the material,” Schneider said.
This adaptation caters to the individual talents of each cast member. Schneider emphasized the value of collaboration and creativity, noting that the first show is about working together to create something from scratch. “It’s the most risky proposition, but it’s also the most satisfying,” Schneider said.
The second show of the year will be “The Trials,” a dystopian play in which a group of teenagers serves as a jury deciding the fate of adults charged with causing climate change. Schneider explained that this choice was inspired by the Menlo Catalyst Program, which highlights environmental issues as a part of its curriculum.
Schneider will be taking another turn that Menlo has never seen before: inviting adult actors from the Menlo community — faculty, staff, parents and alumni — to join the cast of the second show. “I want this space to feel like there are no borders and boundaries,” he said. “If there’s an opportunity for others, beyond the students, to be part of a production, we should do that.”
The final show of the year is yet to be decided, but will be a musical. While the plays highlight different kinds of storytelling and performance, the spring musical is planned as a larger-scale production to bring in a lot of people interested in doing the show. With the production still up in the air, students have the chance to express what they would want to see on stage this spring. “I’m leaving it up to the folks to come and talk to me about what they think matters,” Schneider said.
Many students that are involved in Menlo drama are excited to have Schneider guiding the program, and to see where it is going. Senior Emma Kacher, the president of the drama club and the assistant director for “Humbug:
A Menlo Carol,” is looking forward to working with Schneider and being a part of bringing his production to life. “It’s going to be a very creative process that will be different from the traditional directing route, and I’m excited to learn along [Schneider’s] side because he’s super supportive of me in this,” she said.
I want this space to feel like there are no borders and boundaries. “
Drama Director Mark Schneider
“
Junior Jacob Wang, who has been involved in many Menlo productions throughout his time in high school, is also excited for this drama season and said it feels different from past years. “[The shows are] innovative. They’re different, and they’re going to give people a new flavor,” he said.
In the future, Schneider sees the drama program expanding its scope to give students more creative ownership. He envisions opportunities for students to direct or write their own shows, adding original work to the seasons in upcoming years. “I see the program expanding into new work, developing original material and reimagining well-known stories,” he said. “This is some of the most exciting work happening in theater today, and bringing it to Menlo gives students a taste of working at a higher level, in a realm they would surely find again should they journey further down this path.”
Junior Takes Unorthodox Path to Professional Acting Role
by BIANCA PUTANEC
A chance interaction with a casting director at his middle school in Mexico City led junior transfer student Alberto Perez-Jacome to his first professional role as Wagner in Netflix’s 2023 magical realism show, “The Chosen One.”
“It was a super rare chance,” PerezJacome said. “This woman comes up to me at school, points to me and asks if I would like to audition for the show.”
Perez-Jacome had always wanted to audition for a movie. “[My mom] usually responded that it’s a hard life for a child actor,” Perez-Jacome said. He didn’t take the typical route of getting a manager to find roles. Getting randomly selected by a casting director while living in Mexico was unorthodox in every sense of the industry.
The next steps were quick and strewn together haphazardly. Because Perez-Jacome had to run to class, he couldn’t wait for the film crew to set up and the official audition. “We went to the school theater, and she just filmed on her phone, asked me some questions, and had me do some improv,” Perez-Jacome said. The brief 15 minutes he spent with the director led to a callback within a few weeks.
After the four rounds of callbacks, Perez-Jacome was invited to a monthlong Netflix acting workshop with two Brazilian professionals, along with other actors from across Mexico. One of the coaches, Fatima Toledo, has 30 years of experience in the industry. Her casts have garnered 511 awards and 348 nominations around the world’s film critic associations, including two Golden Globe nominations and six Oscar nominations. During this
month, fewer and fewer people were given callbacks as production whittled down to the final actors through constant auditions. “It was super intense exercises for about 10 hours a day,” Perez-Jacome said. “It felt surreal.”
It was a super rare chance. “
Junior Alberto Perez-Jacome Kenna “
Perez-Jacome was still at the workshop when he was told he was going to be given one of the main roles. “We were being filmed constantly, all day, even while eating lunch and playing soccer on breaks. The director came in and was watching us the whole day. It was nerve-racking,” Perez-Jacome said. After announcing the roles, he was introduced to the senior actors on the project, including Carlos Bardem, who was a 2024 nominee for Best Actor in an International Production by the Spanish Actors Union. Then, a week later, he was on the plane to the desert to start filming, not even being given the script.
Perez-Jacome's schedule was fluid depending on different shoot days: times fluctuated between eight-hour shoot days or scenes that would span the whole night
–- from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. However, a few things became routine. “I would wake up, always at different crazy early hours [and] walk over to the main studio, the green room, where I prepared my lines, hair and costumes for the scenes that day. [...] I learned it was important to arrive on time, even just one minute late and they wouldn’t pay you,” Perez-Jacome said. Then, the set would start with makeup for an hour and rehearsing lines before the actual shoot.
For Perez-Jacome, learning the ins and outs of making a TV series was especially interesting. “It’s hard to understand how much people are [working] behind the scenes. There is a person for everything, so it’s always an
insanely big production,” Perez-Jacome said.
Perez-Jacome plans to stay in the filmmaking industry through directing or acting. He has taken three moviemaking classes so far in high school and is expanding his perspective on production’s intricacies. “The storytelling of how to make a good narrative while shooting [a scene] isn’t something you entirely see [while acting]. When an actor shows up on set, all of that work is already done.”
He hopes to continue this passion in the future in whatever ways he can. For right now, however, he wouldn’t want to put academics on hold. “It’s a hard schedule, and [...] I guess I just wanted to enjoy being a kid for right now,” he said.
Junior Alberto Perez-Jacome Kenna takes a photo on the set of "The Chosen One. Photo courtesy of Perez-Jacome.
New drama director Mark Schneider works with students in Spieker Center. Staff photo: Asher Darling
Fall Sports Kick Off the New Year
by NOAH LEVIN
Football (5-0)
Menlo’s varsity football team went undefeated in non-league play. Senior quarterback Jack Freehill leads the team with 23 total touchdowns.
Girls Tennis (12-2)
After losses to two of California’s best to start the year, the Knights became the first NorCal team to win the Point Loma Tournament in San Diego.
Girls Golf (1-7 )
The varsity girls golf team posted a season-low 240 strokes in their win against Castilleja and has four matches before the WBAL Championship.
Volleyball (4-12)
Boys Water Polo (8-1)
Girls Water Polo (5-6)
The varsity
won five of their last six games and finished third place in the Amanda McDonald Tournament at
Boys Cross-Country
Girls Cross-Country
Flag Football (8-0)
Junior quarterback Ava Allen has led the Knights to a perfect 8-0 start, as they aim to expand their undefeated streak to three straight years.
girls team has
Menlo.
Junior Henry Hauser was the top finisher at the Woodbrige Classic in Irvine, as the varsity boys cross-country team looks to defend their state title.
The varsity girls cross-country team placed 14th at the Woodbridge Classic and will prepare for the Clovis Invitational
Staff illustration: Claire Dickman
The varsity boys water polo team sits in second place of the WCAL and finished third in the Scott Roche Tournament at Menlo.
New Mexico Football Team Visits Menlo to Open Season
by ASHER DARLING
When Menlo opened its football season against a team from western New Mexico, located just outside of a Navajo reservation, the Knights won decisively. But for both teams, the weekend was about more than competition, it was about connection.
The opponent, Hózhó Academy of Gallup, N.M., made the long trip by bus, stopping overnight in Bakersfield, Calif. The team arrived in Atherton on Friday, Aug. 29, to meet the Menlo team on Cartan Field ahead of Saturday’s game.
That evening, Menlo hosted a dinner to bring the teams together. Menlo Athletic Director Earl Koberlien attended the dinner and said it was a great idea. “That dinner was a great way to mix and get to know them and have them get to know us,” he said. “[It was] a life lesson and learning opportunity because they’re pretty different from a lot of our kids.”
Hózhó head coach Cyle Balok said there was a great atmosphere between the teams at the dinner. “There was just good conversation, kids laughing, kids realizing that
things may be different, but everyone is sharing the same experience and striving for the same thing,” Balok said.
According to Koberlein, Menlo was struggling to find an opponent to fill a gap on the team’s schedule until Hózhó reached out about playing. “First, it was great to get an opponent, but it was really cool to have an opponent from New Mexico on a reservation,” he said.
Hózhó Academy is a tuition-free charter school that opened in 2018 and has over 700 students spanning across grades K-12. The school has had a varsity football program for four years. “Our first season, we started with freshmen and eighth graders, so this is the first season with seniors,” Balok said.
One of Balok’s goals was to get the seniors on his team out of the state for a game. “Our upperclassmen had to take a leap of faith to get this program started,” he said. “We finished our last game of the first season with 11 kids on the team.” According to Balok, the majority of players on the Hózhó team had never left their local
area before.
“That’s another thing that kind of pushed me to be really hospitable, because [for] the first time leaving their state, I just wanted to make sure that they had a good experience in California,” senior defensive end Cole McKenney said.
I hope [our guys] see a bunch of humble kids [...] and don’t take the things that are great in their lives for granted. “ “
On Saturday afternoon, the teams took the field. Menlo won 60-0, but head coach Todd Smith said that the game wasn’t about the result. “I’m glad the scoreboard is off, because this game is not a reflection of any score,” Smith told both teams after the game. “What I think we experienced last night — that’s what I want both these teams to take with them.”
Hózhó senior Cross Malcom said that coming to play at Menlo was an eye-opening experience. “It was very different from what we’re used to. We don’t have a field yet, so it was nice to come and be welcomed. [...] It was more hospitable than where we are from,” he said.
Smith said he hopes the game and time spent with the Hózhó team leaves a lasting impression on his players. “I hope [they] see a bunch of humble kids that come from a different socioeconomic background that don’t have some of the privileges that we have,” he said. “I hope that [our guys] get infused with that and don’t take the things that are great in their lives for granted. That happens a lot here. [...] It has everything to do with being a person as opposed to being a football player.”
Staff Changes Bring Fresh Leadership to Menlo Athletics
by NOAH LEVIN
Menlo announced a series of coaching and athletic staffing changes this fall, bringing new leadership to several teams and reshaping the athletic department’s direction.
Buffie Ward
At the start of the year, Assistant Athletics Director and Menlo alum ‘89 Buffie Ward stepped down from her role after 28 years for personal reasons. “She embodies what we stand for. She strives for great sportsmanship, behavior and culture,” Athletic Director Earl Koberlein said. “She was also a great extension of me when I couldn’t be at games, practices or talking with coaches.”
Janelle Allen
Janelle Allen was named Menlo’s new Assistant Athletics Director. Allen most recently served as Stanford University's beach volleyball director of operations last year. Before that, she attended Eastern Washington University, where she played both volleyball and basketball. During her time at Eastern Washington, Allen was a three-time AllBig Sky honoree in basketball. During her collegiate volleyball career, she set the school record in kills,Allen then
played professional beach volleyball for 10 years before deciding to start coaching and eventually take on an administrative role.
Lauren Fendrick
Menlo also hired Lauren Fendrick, who will serve as the new middle school athletics director. As a former Olympian and professional beach volleyball player, Fendrick hopes to bring a new perspective to the middle school athletics program. “I am thrilled to lead this middle school athletics program and develop character through sport,” Fendrick said.
Fendrick’s volleyball career began at UCLA, where she played indoor volleyball and softball. While attending law school, Fendrick’s professional beach volleyball career really took off — she was invited to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and won a silver medal at the world championships.
Fendrick is eager to immerse herself in the Menlo community and attend different sporting events. “I’m really excited to get to know the students better. It’s such a great student body; they’re so energetic, curious and engaged,” Fendrick said. “It’s really an incredible group that’s been brought together here.” Menlo also announced that longtime middle school athletics coach King Christian left the
school for personal reasons.
John Dagata
Over the summer, John Dagata, a seasoned collegiate track and field coach, was hired to take over as the Program Director for Menlo cross-country and track & field teams. Dagata has coached at multiple Division I schools, including UC Berkeley, Iowa State University, UC Santa Barbara and the University of Oklahoma. Dagata has also coached internationally, helping the United Kingdom team at the 2012 Olympics in London. He also worked with China as head coach for discus and shot put and spent seven years at the USA Track & Field Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista as resident coach for field events and director of operations.
He decided to transition from the collegiate level to coach at the high school level this year. “I think that at the college or pro level, there’s a lot of logistics and things that get in your way of coaching,” Dagata said. “So I was in the area and I saw this opportunity and reached out [...] and so far it’s been exactly what I wanted it to be,” he said.
Dagata has experience working in every track and field event across his career, but also loves cross-country. “Cross-country is actually a secret joy for
me,” he said. “When I was coaching at universities, I would often hang out with the distance kids and be amazed at their competitions.”
Dagata is optimistic about the direction of the program after Menlo’s incredibly successful season last year, where the varsity boys cross-country team won the state championship and finished 15th in the country at Nike Cross Nationals.
“We’ve got some real momentum from last year, and it’s a real challenge to develop more momentum instead of going backwards, so there’s some key decisions moving forward,” Dagata said.
Menlo football head coach Todd Smith
The Menlo and Hózhó football teams line up together after the game to take a photo. Staff photo: Evan Grant
Former Assistant Athletics Director Buffie Ward speaks at an athletics event in 2014.
Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov
COMMITTED CORNER COMMITTED CORNER
Palmer Riley, Princeton University
by SHAAN PARIKH
From picking up a flag football belt as a toddler to strapping on a set of pads in freshman year, football has been a key part of senior Palmer Riley’s childhood. His journey now leads him to Princeton University, where athletics and academics intersect.
Choosing to play Division III football at Princeton was more than a decision based on football. The defensive end knew he wanted a place that would
challenge him on the field and in the classroom, while also preparing him for the real world. Princton’s offer appealed to Riley, in that it provided both.
“[Princeton] has a really good reputation, and it’s obviously a very good academic school,” Riley said. “I think mainly for me, they have a summer internship program where you’re able to connect with alumni who’ve played football. […] It sets you up extremely well in the future because they help you build your resume, and that really sold it for me.”
The coaching staff also left a strong impression on Riley, who first visited the campus the summer before his junior year. “The coaches were so great. They spent around two hours with me, just walking around in the burning hot sun. I mean, [the head coach] is always texting me. He stays in touch with me.” Riley said. Over this past spring, Riley was able to bond with many of his soon-tobe teammates. Those early connections helped him feel welcomed and supported from the moment he arrived at Princeton. “It felt like I was already there,” he said.
Senior Trevor Van Der Pyl is excited for Riley to get the opportunity to further his football career at Princeton. “I’m really proud of him. He put in a lot of work for it and I’m glad it’s all paid off," Van Der Pyl said.
Riley already has goals for his first year at Princeton. On the football field, Riley wants to gain experience playing at the collegiate level. Off the field, Riley hopes to keep his grades up to par at Princeton. “I’m really excited about Princeton and I’m excited that I’m not done with football, and I can’t wait for the next four [years],” Riley said.
Richa Patnam, Georgetown University
by NOAH LEVIN
Senior Richa Patnam will continue her family’s squash legacy next year, competing at Georgetown University as a Division I athlete, following in her father’s footsteps.
Although Patnam played squash throughout her childhood, it was just one of many sports that she played yearround. It wasn’t until around eighth grade that Patnam decided to pursue squash at the collegiate level. “I think I first knew in eighth grade that I wanted to go down the recruiting path,” Patnam said. “Around then is also when I quit all my other sports and really focused on squash.”
From a young age, Patnam competed in competitive squash tournaments, which are divided into four categories: bronze, silver, gold and junior championships. Patnam primarily played in the junior championship competitions, involving the top 32 players in the country.
One challenge Patnam faced was that most tournaments were located on the East Coast, which required a lot of traveling. “I think it’s very different getting recruited from the West Coast because it’s a lot harder for us to go to tournaments,” Patnam said. “However, in my recruiting class, there were around five of us from the Bay Area, so we formed a community together.”
When it became time for Patnam to narrow down schools, she was drawn to Georgetown due to its high academic rigor and location. “I really liked that [Georgetown] was in a city. They also have a good squash program and one of the best undergraduate pre-law programs in the country,” she said.
Patnam said she was especially appreciative of her coaches, who helped direct her through the recruiting process
and reached out to different schools on her behalf. “I have two coaches, and they have both helped me through everything. They were the ones communicating with college coaches before they could officially reach out, so [my coaches] had a large impact on my recruiting process,” Patnam said.
Yuanye Ma, Washington University in St. Louis
by MALIA CHEN
Senior Yuanye Ma, inspired by the way his dad played tennis in college, has taken the sport to new heights by committing to play Division III tennis at Washington University in St. Louis.
Ma picked up a racket for the first time at age seven. However, growing up, tennis wasn’t Ma’s only sport. He also played soccer, swam and dedicated time to baseball before deciding to focus solely on tennis in middle school, realizing he wouldn’t have enough time to balance academics with multiple sports. “For me, I think tennis was just the most fun,” Ma said.
The sport quickly took up the majority of his time, and Ma started the recruitment process around his junior year, looking into several DIII schools. For Ma and his family, academics were always a priority when choosing a school.
“That’s why DIII made sense,” he said. “Some DI programs practice five hours a day, and that was just way too much for me.”
He explored several other schools, including Tufts and Swarthmore, but WashU quickly emerged as his top choice after visiting during spring break. “On the visit, I got to meet the team, and I just really liked the environment there,” Ma said.
For Ma, playing on the Menlo tennis team each season is the highlight of his year. One teammate who made a significant impact on him was Cooper Han ‘25, who graduated last year and is now playing tennis at Northwestern University.
After playing together on the boys varsity tennis
team for three years, they built a close bond with each other. “He really pushed me to be better every day,” Ma said.
He also credits Menlo’s tennis coach, Francis Sargeant, who joined the program last year. “He’s taught us a lot of really important lessons about tennis and even beyond tennis,” Ma said.
This season, Ma will be stepping into a leadership role as a team captain. “I’m really excited to be a leader and hopefully get the team pretty far this year,” he said.
Ma has long been a stable force on the team according to his teamates. “Yuanye Ma is the type of player that holds a team together; not by being the loudest, or the most intimidating but by quietly setting an example and the standard that we look up to. His consistency makes everyone around him better,” senior tennis player Arki Temsamani said.
“I'm super happy for Yuanye because I know how hard he worked to get to such a great school and tennis program,” fellow teamate junior Surya DeDatta said.
Looking ahead to his time at WashU, Ma is eager to replicate the camaraderie that has meant so much to him at Menlo. “I’m most excited about the team culture,” he said. “Being able to hang out with the guys, compete together and hopefully win a national title.”
Through it all, Ma’s family — especially his mom — have been his biggest supporters. “[My mom] takes me to every tournament, especially during the summer,” he said. “We travel a lot, and it definitely gets tough, but she’s always been there.”
Senior Yuanye Ma stands ready to receive a serve at a USTA national tournament. Photo courtesy of Ma
Senior Palmer Riley walk to the sideline during a timeout in a game against San Mateo High School. Photo courtesy of Blake Putanec
Senior Richa Patnam poses with a Georgetown banner. Photo courtesy of Patnam
October 2, 2025
Rise of Bay Area Professional Women’ s
Sports Inspires Menlo Athletes
by BIANCA PUTANEC
The Bay Area is rewriting the playbook for women’s sports. This summer alone, the Golden State Valkyries became the first WNBA franchise to make the playoffs in its inaugural season and sold out all 23 of their home games at Chase Center. The National Women’s Soccer League's (NWSL) Bay FC set the single highestattended event in U.S. women’s professional sports history. And Stanford’s softball team hosted a game in Stanford football stadium and broke the NCAA’s single-game attendance record. Together, these milestones are energizing a whole generation of fans and fueling the aspirations of Menlo’s athletes.
Sophomore girls basketball player Elise Darling has been to three Valkyries games and follows the team’s social media pages. “It’s really cool just to see women’s sports at a higher level in the Bay,” Darling said. “Their success opens up new routes for girls like me who are playing and thinking about the future. When the fans come out to watch, they’re seeing themselves in these teams, and I think that young athletes love to see themselves in the players.”
Junior girls basketball player Sophia Longinidis owns season tickets to the Valkyries and has attended five games this season. “I’m supporting women’s sports a lot more because there wasn’t a pro women’s team in the Bay Area. So now that there is one, I can actually go out and support,” she said.
Longinidis has been struck by the support fans have shown the Valkyries. “I feel more connected because I am a female basketball player, but you also just see a lot of energy from everyone at the games,” Longinidis said. “Everyone’s there, not only to watch the sport, but to support the women who have worked so hard to have a filled gym.”
Bay FC goalkeeper Emmie Allen and midfielder Jamie
Sheperd have noticed the increasing energy around women’s sports. Oracle Park, usually home to the San Francisco Giants, hosted over 40,000 fans on Aug. 23, for Bay FC’s record-breaking NWSL matchup against the Washington Spirit.
“Just to know that people are willing
Sheperd, who grew up in Utah when there wasn’t a major presence of women’s sports, appreciates her direct role in the recent growth. “To be here for Bay FC’s first year in the Bay Area and just, like, to see all the fans and the support for these amazing, strong
me that I could do that as well, and that’s what I try to do with my platform.”
Kassie Gray founded Bay Area nonprofit Female Footballers, which strives to educate and empower female athletes through mental performance skills, mentorship and leadership development. “When I was a kid, there were no women’s teams to watch, and no female coaches,” Gray said. “Right now, women’s sports are in a movement, not just a moment. We are growing the media and publicity side that has been lacking for a long time.”
Gray hopes her mentorship program that connects professional women soccer players with current young players will help develop leadership and mental skills to support players. “For female players, it is important to have role models because when athletes can see it, they believe they can be it,” Gray said. Sophomore girls soccer players Everleigh Porter and McKinley Harding are a part of the Female Footballers and said the program has helped their development.
Allen believes women athletes deserve the same pay and lifestyle as their male counterparts. “At the end of the day, we’re putting in the same amount of work and the same amount of hours,” she said. “I hope that where we can go as female athletes is just being able to live the same lifestyle as a male athlete.”
Staffillustration: Claire Dickman