TH 15 IS IT
“
“ ere are so many sounds I still want to make, so many things I haven’t yet done.
- B.B. King 1925-2015 “
Photography Colin Hug
outgoing editors
sara solomon
Katie Webb
Francesca Gilles
Gabe Cohen
sami andrew nina fox
ian robinson-lambert sabina vitale incoming editors
Caraline albro
sofia bergmann
kate flanagan
molly kearnan
katie moffitt
joanna vollratH
staff
ryan cole
kristin cwirla
sarah dairiki
tara fahimi
eliza fitz
theresa siri
Katrina Wijaya
adviser: Betsy Snow
letter from the editors
Dear Readers,
We’re excited. Psyched. Pumped. This is the sixth and final issue of Volume V of The Mark. Give yourselves a round of applause and a pat on the back for putting up with us through two additional issues, plus a special one honoring Stedman Graham. The senior editors certainly are. Beyond the milestone of having survived adapting to a completely new format, we’re proud to introduce a completely new editorial staff, which has taken the reins for this issue and all subsequent issues for Volume VI. It’s a great team, and we’re so excited to showcase their readiness for their new roles.
It’s a bittersweet moment for the graduating seniors. Over the past three years for some of us, we have poured ourselves wholly into this publication, and now must abruptly pull back and ready ourselves for a new chapter. This feeling is not unique to the seniors of The Mark staff; every graduating senior on some level hopefully feels this way, which is why a section of this magazine is dedicated to the Class of 2015, the Class of No Drama (as Ms. Duran so aptly put it at the senior meeting). There, you’ll find a heartfelt letter from each of the graduating editors-in-chief, senior baby pictures, and Mark superlatives. This issue is an ode to the changes that will soon come to M-A, from the demolition of the G-Wing to the administrative turnover, and especially the rise of a new senior class.
A final word: without you, the M-A student body, The Mark could not exist. Your submissions, letters, comments, and participation are what have helped to make The Mark so great. We have tried to showcase your voices, and we hope that we have succeeded. Thank you for your readership. Now, turn the page, and continue to make your mark.
Enjoy!
Sara, Katie, Francesca, and Gabe
about the cover
This self-portrait is by Eloise Carter Walne, who celebrates completing her junior year as she reflects on what it will mean to be a senior. She explains, “how the feelings of discomfort or lack of consistency in your life often end up allowing you to grow and flourish the most.”
LETTER TO THE EDITORS
Dear Editors,
Sfrom Molly Kearnan, incoming editor-in-chief
o here we are. The end of the year, or, dare I say it, an era. The year The MArk changed to The Mark, the year of the features issue, the year of the photo issue, the year of the coveted glossy pages. This year you led the way as The Mark set a precedent of six issues instead of four, you led the way as The Mark proudly strayed from the beaten path and explored new territory, transforming
itself into something not yet seen here on the M-A campus. Guided by four masters of their field, The Mark strived to meet its full potential and, I think even critics would agree, succeeded in that endeavor. With so many accomplishments this year, I will admit that this so-called ‘passing of the baton’ is slightly intimidating. Will we, the 2015-16 staff, find it within ourselves to
live up to all that was achieved this year, to even develop our product further? I suppose only time will tell.
What I do know, however, is that you have lit the way for us in the year to come, and now it’s our turn to take on the good name of The Mark and do it justice, to the best of our ability.
Thank you for everything, Molly
high mark//low mark
From low to high (L-R), The Mark staff ranks recent events.
Pivotal teachers leaving M-A
AP testing
Live Streams of M-A events
G{oodbye}-Wing
Almost everyone who attends Menlo-Atherton makes their way to the G-Wing for one of their freshman classes. Most seniors began their high school journey in the G-Wing with Geometry and World Studies.
Ms. Breen, who has taught in the G-Wing for the full eight years of her career at M-A, elaborates on her attachment, sharing, “When I first taught in the G-Wing, none of the others teachers wanted to be here and now it’s a hot commodity!”
The G-Wing was fairly unpopular due to its distance from the teacher
lounge until teachers discovered that it had air-conditioning, unlike the main campus wings. After being asked of how she feels about the G-Wing being torn down and rebuilt, Ms. Breen demonstrates how “exciting it is because it’s a great example of the school growing and changing with the new facilities and classrooms that can be used for lots of different purposes along with new food services and covered areas for students to eat lunch.”
Although the enhanced two-story G-Wing entices the teachers with its airy classrooms, new teacher lounge,
by Theresa Siri
and seating for students during lunch, seniors like Ellie Purpura reminisce about their time spent in the G-Wing as freshmen.
“I had Life Skills and World Studies with Mr. Cotter along with AS English I with Ms. Hauskens in the G-Wing and I miss all the great times I had with my peers during those classes every once in awhile, so it’s a little sad that the G-Wing is leaving M-A this summer along with our grade.”
The rebuilding of the G-Wing is bittersweet that can only benefit the population at M-A.
What’s your favorite memory of the G-Wing?
The G-wing is full of awkward memories; I’m not sure I have a favorite.
SUSIE CHOE
Everyday when I get to come to creative writing in G-3 with Ms. Ventura, I smile because she’s great.
My favorite memory was hanging out with my friends.
Photography Eli Goodman
KENNEDY OJEDA
...Walking through the G-wing after track practice or cross-country and seeing the light streaming through the trees.
Zoe Hafter-Manza SALLY STEVENS
...Playing a flapper in a video I made for a U.S. History class.
My memory of the G-wing was that I saw a sleeping squirrel on the big tree, and it was so cute.
What Would
Laura Do?
by Francesca Gilles
Guidance counselor Laura Duran on travel, teaching, and touching lives
Nobody sits in Laura Duran’s office and feels unwelcome. Seriously, I dare you not to like her. So how did M-A get so lucky to have her and what would she say to everyone?
“I grew up in Fremont, California, and I went to Mission San Jose High School. So yeah, I’m from here!” As an adolescent in “the 5-1-0,” Duran competed on the varsity swim and water polo teams and was actively involved in student government. “I was a big leadership and student government nerd,” Duran remarks. “I ran for class officer, but I was mostly just a student rep, and my junior year I ran for events coordinator.” In this role, Duran scheduled events such as speaker series, lunchtime music, and staff versus student competitions. Menlo-Atherton leadership could learn a few tricks from her. “I would say that I was an academic minority in the school. There were a lot of really intense academic people, and as an outgoing, social athlete, I felt like people thought I would be an unreliable group member,” Duran laughs at the memory of her high school self. “But I also made a really core group of friends with people from high school, and that is something that is kind of unique.”
“Save your duckets, kids, go go travel!
”
ie, a scarf, a cute hat, maybe some fun boots, I’ll be fine!’ The first time I looked at weather.com when I was [in Boston], I realized that there was the outside temperature, and then the outside temperature with wind chill, and it would be like, negative 15 with wind chill. And I’m like ‘I’m not in Antarctica!’ So I think that my freshman year in Boston was not only highly entertaining for me, [but also for my classmates], because being from California was such a novelty.” Despite the chill, Duran looks back at her college experience fondly, and has a lot of great things to say about Bostonians. “People from Boston aren’t as outgoing-excited as [Californians] are, but two or three steps into the friendship, they are the most warm, welcoming, inviting, solid, reliable people. I’ve been lucky to pick up great people throughout my life, and just keep them in my pocket.”
After high school, Duran traveled 3000 miles to Northeastern University in Boston, the first of many long-distance endeavours. “[My friends and I] all kind of went in different directions, and a lot of us ended up back [in the Bay Area],” she remarks. “Before I left [for college], I remember my attitude being ‘I want to go far away for college.’ But I also just wanted to go and try something different, recognizing that I could come back, and I was fortunate enough to have the support of my family...” Like many others, Duran prepared for Northeastern winter as any respectable Northern Californian would. “I thought ‘Oh, a hood-
After graduating from Northeastern with a degree in political science, a minor in psychology, and fresh from an experience in the co-op program (a wheel of six-month internships all around the country), Duran returned to the Bay Area with wanderlust. “I came back [from college] and started saving money, because some friends and I were planning this around-the-world trip,” she remarks. “Each of us listed the top three countries that we absolutely wanted to see, and [the travel agent] planned an itinerary that worked for us.” Over the course of three and a half months, Duran and two friends meandered around the world, visiting such countries as New Zealand, Bali, and the Czech Republic. “We got our flights in and out of countries, but the rest we just planned as we went along.” The trip was flexible; the three college friends planned for one, perhaps two nights in a place, and for the
rest of the time was dedicated to adventurous uncertainty. “[In New Zealand], we rented this camper van and drove from the North Island to the South, and we would stop off for hikes on the side of the road. New Zealand is amazing. Everyone should go there,” Duran advises. “If I could communicate one greater message to a wide audience, I would definitely say that traveling is the best investment that I can imagine having made [...] When you travel by yourself the first couple of times, it’s intimidating, but you figure out that you can do it, you can manage! You can meet challenges as they arise, figure them out, and then overcome them.” She adds with a laugh, “Save your duckets, kids, go go travel!” Duran subscribes to the idea that experience is the best teacher; an old adage, perhaps, but rooted in truth. “[When you travel], you’re figuring out where you’re getting your next meal, you’re using maps and local transportation, you’re trying to find what you’re interested in and going to seek that out, you’re meeting other travelers and meeting local people, and I think that you not only get that sense of empowerment that comes from independence, but you also realize just how different people around the world live and exist. It gives invaluable perspective.” Duran believes that travel provides a view into a world where a dead phone battery or a failed exam is completely meaningless; in most areas of the world, people care about things that are completely different than what suburban Americans care about. “Somebody in a rural village in Thailand, in this most beautiful, amazing place, who is just farming and existing and is just happy to be living, does not care where you got your undergrad degree. They’re just trying to assess whether or not you’re a nice person to be around.” Duran determined much of her philosophy concerning her position at M-A through her travel experiences. “I think that by getting out and traveling I learned more about myself, more about what I care about, and
gained so much more perspective than I would have had otherwise,” she remarks.
“People just share. That’s another thing about traveling, no one really cares what you do. It’s about who you are as a person and what you’re interested in doing, in the moment.”
As a guidance counselor at M-A, Duran is not only a member of an ever-changing environment, but also a teacher in her own respect. She guides students through the ups and downs of high school, seizing every opportunity to lighten the load. She encourages students to find what they are passionate about, and to find a niche in the workplace where they feel accepted and interested. “It’s depressing, being an adult and talking to people who don’t like their
jobs,” she says. “I love working with high schoolers, and families, and teachers. No day is the same as the last. Not once have I been bored.” Before coming to M-A, Duran worked in what she describes as “outside sales.” Despite the perhaps lucrative position, she sought more from employment and interviewed at M-A.
“In my interview [at M-A], they asked ‘How is your sales experience relevant to working at a high school?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I sold floor mats and bath hygiene products that you can buy at Costco. So if I had the chance, I’d rather sell people on graduating from high school and pursuing their best lives.’” Over several years as a beloved guidance counselor and water polo coach, Duran has, in turn, developed a high opinion of the
M-A community. “M-A is great because you have a community that wants to do more,” she remarks, partially because of the location in the heart of Silicon Valley, but also because of its diversity and mentality. Additionally, she believes that high school is hard enough without administrative roadblocks; much of her job is dedicated to making life easier for students. “I feel a lot of empathy for a lot of situations that [students] go through. I remember encountering two types of people in high school: people who made life harder and people who made life easier. And I remember interacting with the people who made life harder and thinking ‘when I am in a position of power, I am going to actively try to make people’s lives easier.’”
What’s your ranking?
by Sofia Bergmann
In the midst of all the stress, sleepless nights, and tedious standardized tests that encompass the life of a junior, the hard-working upperclassmen still try to squeeze in college visits. As a junior, you are eager to find out where all your hard work could possibly end up. You do your research and try to find what you’re looking for: how highly ranked the schools are, and how good they look on paper. Pictures of beautiful buildings, pristine locations, and unique curricula are all depicted on the brochures, websites, and blogs and are all highly advertised by the various prestigious colleges. Nonetheless, many students under such high pressure neglect to consider how their personality would fit in these highly acclaimed schools.
It is easy to get caught up in the high rankings that schools nationwide compete for. As I went to visit colleges this past spring break, I was thrilled to explore a campus I had been so eagerly reading about. The thinking-outsidethe-box atmosphere, the artsy east coast feel, and its prestigious name, convinced me that this could be the perfect place. As I walked onto the campus, I was extremely disappointed by the location, infrastructure, lack of student interaction, and, of course, the poor food.
I took this disappointment as a blessing because it had now been made even more apparent to me what I was not looking for, an essential component that all students should keep in mind. While it is hard to know exactly what one wants in a school, the first step is to know what one doesn’t want. More importantly, one should not base the college list solely on ranking.
Although the school I had been so disillusioned by was highly reputable, it was the last place I could have seen myself living for four years, and I certainly knew I would never be able to thrive in such an environment. After speaking with many seniors conflicted
between colleges, I noticed that many, for example, would rather be at an Ivy in the middle of nowhere, than a UC at their dream location, just because of the esteemed title. This is very unfortunate, and questionably a result of the high pressure circulating this area. This high pressure in turn, consumes students and their college decision making, causing them to entirely disregard their personal needs.
After attending New York Times writer Frank Bruni’s talk at Menlo-Atherton about college decision making, it was made even more clear to me that in order to achieve true success in college, one must be able to distinguish which school will provide the best preparation for the outside world, not the fancy degree. One must be “comfortable with being uncomfortable,” says Bruni, meaning that in order to branch out and produce the best possible college experience, it is important to be comfortable enough to look outside of the box. Without this comfort, the college experience is essentially minimized. This, Bruni says, is easily avoided by disregarding the school’s ranking and understanding the extent to which you can see yourself excelling.
What Bruni calls “the college admissions mania” inherently reflects the majority of students who have grown up with the high pressure of Silicon Valley. This “mania” has reached extreme levels, as seen with the tragic local suicides among high school students, and of course the overall sense of disappointment when college letters come back. As a junior, it is easy to convince myself that all the hard work deserves to be put in the best possible college I could get into. However, it is important for all M-A students to keep in mind Bruni’s point that “the exhilaration of winning the prize is often a prelude to exhaustion, and that on every elite college campus, the mental-health services are
overstretched.” But, most importantly, he reminds us that “many supposedly second-tier colleges are filled with gifted and fervent teachers and with talented students with a zeal for learning.” As the year comes to a close, it is critical to set societal pressures and rankings aside, and focus on personal expectations as a priority when searching for a school.
In a survey taken of 350 students, 241 said they would go to a school based on its ranking, and 109 would go based on the personal t.
32% 68%
Solution to Stress?
by Tara Fahimi
If someone asked me to describe my junior year of high school in one word, I would choose the word exhausted. I choose this word because I believe it encompasses how a majority of high school students in not just the Bay Area, but also nationwide feel. Not just tired, but physically, mentally, and emotionally burnt out. I would like to clarify that I say “a majority,” because I know not all students feel this way.
We have all had those experiences that make us feel less worthy than our peers. For example, hearing your friend brag about his recent SAT score, which you so desperately want, but can never seem to reach. Or hearing about the senior who has straight A’s, plays three varsity sports, and volunteers in her free time, yet did not get into any of her dream schools. Obviously, there is no way to prevent hearing about others’ successes, but hearing about it 24/7 gets a little bit tiring. This is where the cycle starts. Where
we try to be better than or even just equal to our peers, not realizing the toll it takes on us. Why can’t we just accept that we try our best within our own boundaries? Why can’t we try and support each other instead of trying to compete? I think it is because competing is all we are used to. We have grown up with labels on our middle school classes, such as honors or regular math (with regular math bearing a negative connotation). We have grown up being pushed by our community to exceed in every aspect of life.
Now, who is to blame for this? Is it the administration and teachers of schools, the parents that push their kids past their limits, or students themselves that have made it the ‘norm’ to be stressed to an unhealthy level? I believe that the first step in reducing the stigma of not being the exemplary, well-rounded student, is to absolve any of the above groups of blame. There is no quick-fix to lowering the expectations of our society. It must be
a communal effort; school administrators, parents, and most importantly students themselves. I must admit M-A’s administration has taken measures to ease our load, such as starting school at a later time. Our late days are a blessing that we should appreciate.
Another step in the right direction is our community finally seeing the toll stress is taking on students. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation pediatrics department recently drafted a letter expressing their concerns. The letter was submitted to the Palo Alto Weekly with its intention being to ask the question: What can be done differently to address teens’ mental health and well-being? The letter comes up with several different solutions, which I can summarize with this: our society needs to change its direction to a more positive one, focused more on values that will serve us students well in the future, instead of focusing solely on high academic achievement.
ALL -access success:
Upperclassmen reflect on alternate paths of reaching the finish line
by Caraline Albro and Katie Moffitt
Every student has a different path to get to the finish line. Recently, more and more people are loading their schedules with APs, extracurriculars, jobs, sports, and more, leaving little time to enjoy the community of our high school. The realization that there are alternate ways to get to graduation, college, and beyond without maxing out on stress is not a common one. It may come as a surprise but it is possible to be healthy and happy in high school while doing well and achieving success. Your life beyond high school is more than the APs you take, the grades you get, your SAT score, or your GPA. Your high school experience should be more than discussions about college at lunch or consecutive late nights with your books. Your best friend shouldn’t be your tutor. Many of our seniors graduating in just a few weeks have taken alternate routes that have brought them to this moment of pride and accomplishment without losing themselves in the process and forgetting the reason they did all of this in the first place.
Lesly Gopar made friends through experiences in the Computer Academy that mean more than a simple “hello” once in awhile or a wave in the halls. Such strong relationships resulting from three years with the same classmates are unbreakable and proved to add a communal element to school.
As Eric Nolasco demonstrated, there are countless mentors and valuable relationships bound to be made within the Menlo-Atherton community of students and faculty. He attests that the bonds you form in these years that will be remembered much longer than your GPA. At your high school reunions, will you lament SAT scores, essay grades, and college applications or reminisce about the bonds you formed and the family you made?
For Laura Fovinci, a person who wouldn’t identify herself as “social”, the Computer Academy allowed her to open up to fellow students and teachers. Her writing improved, and she learned about computers and technology, subjects that will definitely benefit her future.
At the end of all of this, it doesn’t matter how you get there but rather, the way you spent the past four years of your life. At graduation, how are you going to look at this world? With the eyes of a sleep-deprived, unshowered, barely-functioning teenager or with a bright-eyed, open-minded perspective toward what’s to come? It’s only what you make it.
Upon meeting this Computer Academy junior, you would think she was at least in college. Her experiences in the Academy are just shy of romantic, as she refers to the program with tales of life changes, canoeing, and immediate friendships.
The promise of field trips to Microsoft and EA initially attracted Lesly Gopar to the Academy. The catch is, she is not particularly in love with computer science or math. And the beauty of the Academy is that an interest in technology is not a requirement nor the norm. It’s a common misconception that the Academy is only for students with math and science interests, when in truth, anyone who wants a closer community of teachers and students is a good fit for the Academy. Gopar notes, “I fe[lt] like I was so distant from my teachers freshman year and I was kind of lost. And then sophomore and junior year [in the Computer Academy] I feel like I’ve known my teachers a lot better and I’m just a lot closer to the people in my classes.”
When Gopar speaks about the Computer Academy, one would assume that she is referring to a youth group or circle of friends rather than a school organization. The allure of a friendlier, tighter environment attracts most students feeling overwhelmed in the typical M-A community, which can be a buzz of fast paced activity with a student population of about 2,100 and class sizes of up to forty students. Gopar experienced the signature community of the Academy as students approached her and immediately offered to be friends, despite the typical social block present when it comes to meeting new people. The teachers have continuously guided her high school and college process by supporting her future endeavours, whatever she may choose to pursue. “Before this program, I wasn’t interested in computers at all. I’ve learned a lot and I do think that when I go to college I’ll definitely take up a class in that”, Gopar remarked on her changing attitude towards computer science.
Any words of wisdom for prospective Academy students? “It’s one of the best choices that I’ve made. [You] should definitely consider it because it will change you.”
Lesly Gopar- Computer Academy
Eric Nolasco walks into the interview wearing a Nativity Tree Lot t-shirt. Half-way into our conversation, he points out that the shirt is from his AVID “mom’s” daughter’s school. A far-strung relationship, right? For the AVID community, it’s not at all unusual to be familiar with your teacher’s entire family, dogs, cats, and birds included.
Nolasco has found a home away from home in the AVID community. He refers to his AVID advisor as “mom” and his fellow AVID classmates as “family”. The bonds made in the three years that Nolasco has been in AVID are unbreakably strong, life-changing relationships with people who have provided relentless support. Transitioning from the awkward days of freshman year to the long-awaited last days of senior year, Nolasco has credited all of his success to those who have stood by his side, his AVID family and friends.
“I’d really never would have thought I would have had this relationship with a teacher this close if it hadn’t been an AVID teacher. I feel like with most teachers you just are there with them for a year, you get to know them, and then you leave. But, our AVID teacher has been with us for our whole high school life”, Nolasco comments. Having the same teacher for three or four years might sound awfully dull to some, depending on the teacher, but Nolasco has formed supportive, healthy relationships that are sure to last into his college years and beyond. From spending Saturday nights grabbing dinner at their homes or stopping by for last-minute advice on Monday morning, AVID teachers are there for their students and what comes out of their relationships is something incredible. For those considering joining AVID, Nolasco says, “If you really like having that support at school and if you are just into meeting new people, I think I’d say join it for whatever, join it, try it out, if you don’t like it, you can leave but honestly it’s probably going to be the best class you have during your 4 years here.”
Laura Fovinci didn’t join the Computer Academy for the field trips or an easy way out of rigorous classes, which, according to Fovinici, is sometimes the case. She was in it for the community, for the relationships, for the family bonds that emerge from classes of just a few students. Laura craved a closeknit group of friends to spend her next three years of high school with, people she could talk endlessly with about anything and everything. And that’s exactly what emerged from her past two years spent with the Academy, years she looks back on with fond memories.
“Every semester, if you get above a 3.0, you can go on these incentive field trips which can really vary. The first one was the Monterey Bay Aquarium […]. And one time we went bowling. I liked that because all that stress from school is gone and I got to hang out with the juniors from last year”, Laura recalls. Her experiences in the Academy have gone from exploring Monterey to mastering PhotoShop. All the while, she’s acquiring lifelong skills such as making friends, learning about technology, and gaining valuable mentors for her coming years.
Despite Fovinci’s lack of social inclination, the Academy helped her open up to the welcoming community of the Academy. Through the support the Academy offers, Laura was not only able to form new and lasting friendships, but she was given the opportunity to explore various interests, passions, and fields, an aspect of the Academy which she credits her “honed” skills to.
Although the environment she has portrayed may seem relaxed and carefree, Fovinci warns not to join the Computer Academy without “think[ing] about what your goals are and if you think this could really help you.” As an environment designed to help students follow their passions and interests, all the while with “an extra layer that [she] feel[s] like some students need,” the Computer Academy has guided Fovinci and her classmates to experiences not typically available to high school students and to develop upon what fuels their inner passion.
Laura Fovinci- Computer Academy
Eric Nolasco- AVID
SENIOR SURvEY!
The Mark asks the real questions
Directions: Read the questions and select the answer that you support best. For multiple choice answers, surround your answer with a clear CIRCLE. Squares, triangles, or icosagons will not be accepted. For 1-10 answers, write the number CLEARLY and VISIBLY. Write your answers with a No. 2 pencil ONLY! No. 3 pencils, pens, or glitter ink will not be accepted.
How stressful was the college application process for you? (select only one)
A. Pssh, what is stress?
B. Not bad
C. Could have been better
D. Still recovering
E. (crazy laugh)
F. DON’T SAY THE C-WORD!
What did you enjoy most while at M-A?
A. P.E.
B. Evacuation drills
C. Finals week
D. Zero period
E. All of the above (obviously)
What has been your favorite quote over the past four years?
“Please disregard the fire alarm.”
“This is a hall sweep. Students have five minutes to get to class.”
“Hellooooo M-A. Please tune into M-A Today.”
“This WILL be on the final.”
All of the above
by Ian Robinson-Lambert
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much will you miss the following when you leave M-A?
The bathrooms
The fire alarms
The dress code
Standardized tests (in general)
Hall sweeps The Mark (Go ahead. Don’t put a 10. See what happens.)
What advice would you give incoming seniors?
Take nothing but AP classes. Who needs a social life?
Definitely wait until the last minute to start the Government paper. Wait until the deadline to turn in rec packets (counselors LOVE that).
When in doubt, stop working and bingewatch Netflix.
Essay Question: What would you improve about M-A and why? (Pro tip: write about the bathrooms. The administration always loves hearing more about that.)
Thank you for your input! Have a great summer!
5th: Insidious 3 comes out
6th: BFD at Shoreline Ampitheater
6th: Women’s World Cup begins
9th: Neon Trees and Alex Winston at Fillmore Auditorium
July June August SummerEvents
12th: Jurassic World comes out
13th: Lil Wayne performs at Oracle Arena
24th: Nickleback performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre
26th: Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, and Sam Hunt perform at Shoreline Amphitheatre
26th: Ed Sheeran performs at Greek Theater in Berkeley
26th: Paper Towns comes out
4th: Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration in San Francisco
byKateFlanaganandJoannaVollrath
4th: Foster City Fourth of July Festival
18th: Kevin Hart performs at Oracle Arena
19th: AIDS walk
21th: Meghan Trainor performs at Nob Hill Masonic Center
22nd: 5 Seconds of Summer performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre
22nd: Barenaked Ladies perform at Mountain Winery
7th: Fantastic Four comes out
7th-9th: Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in Golden Gate Park
9th: Fifth Harmony performs at San Jose State University Event Center
The senior edition
Self-Portrait
Sally Stevens
from M-A’s class How to survive high tips from M-A’s class How to survive
tips
1
Take advantage of all resources offered to you (guidance counselors, teachers, career center advisor, etc).
Enjoy every minute, even when it feels like torture.
2
GO M-A! Get pumped at rallies... and don’t be afraid to be the one person who goes all out on a spirit day.
3
Play a sport or join a club! It’s a whole new community and a great way to make new friends.
4
Don’t get senioritis too early - SENIORITIS WILL TAUNT YOU!
5
Read The Mark!
6
Actually study. Studies show it results in higher grades.
Don’t be afraid to talk about issues with teachers.
high school
high school
class of 2015
class of 2015
Balance your schedule. Challenge yourself, but know yourself well enough to not take on too much.
7
Plan out when you go to the bathroom so you don’t have to wait in the incredibly long lines OR just completely avoid the bathrooms like the plague. They probably have the plague.
8
Participate in a fun but COMPLETELY HARMLESS senior prank. NO HARM. NO DAMAGE. NO STUPIDITY.
by Sarah Dairiki, Katie Webb, and Katrina Wijaya
9
Form study groups for classes/finals/APs/tests.
Dress to impress [...but don’t break dress code].
10
Always keep an open mind, whether for academics, extracurriculurs, or social life.
Illustrations Alan Martinez
Beloved math teacher Jeremiah Brodkey, set to graduate with the Class of 2015 as he embarks on a gap year of his own kind.
It turns out that gap years are not just for students. Long-time math teacher, Jeremiah “Jerry” Brodkey, will be graduating with the Class of 2015 as he takes a pause in his career.
Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, Brodkey graduated from Rice University with a degree in psychology. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to become a psychologist or something else, so I decided to come out to Stanford’s Teacher Education Program,” Brodkey remarks. “I decided to give teaching a try, and 40 years later, it all worked out well.”
Shortly after completion of his Stanford Graduate Program, Brodkey taught at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, California for five years before deciding to return to Stanford for more graduate work. In this position, he observed beginner teachers, one of whom taught at Woodside High School. There, he worked closely with administrator Joyce Rosenstiel, who shortly thereafter became the principal at Menlo-Atherton High School. “I asked Joyce if she could use me as a teacher and that I could teach social studies or math. She responded, ‘If you want to teach social studies we won’t hire you. If you want to teach math, we’ll hire you.’” And the rest is history; in 1983, Brodkey assumed the position of math teacher at M-A.
It is important to understand that Brodkey is not necessarily retiring, but rather is planning what his next step
is in life. “I am not really using the word ‘retirement’ as much as a ‘pause’ because I want to figure out what I want to do next.”
As of now, Brodkey is looking forward to spending more time with his family. “My wife has about three months worth of projects to do around the house, so I’ll do that for a little bit and then I’ll take a year to decide what I want to do next.” While his plans are not crystal clear, Brodkey is thinking about going into university teaching or even more high school teaching.
Reflecting back on the last 32 years at M-A, Brodkey has a hard time determining his favorite memories. “Working with the students is an unbelievable experience,” he shares, “And sometimes it goes better than others, but it’s always been a place where I can learn and do my very best.”
Along with the close ties he has made with his students, he gains the same satisfaction through the friendships he has created with his colleagues. “I’ve completely enjoyed working with the staff and my colleagues. The little things like coming in to talk with Mrs. Bryan [formerly known as Ms. Trent] about what is wrong with the Warriors and the 49ers is fun everyday.” For Brodkey, working with children and being a part of the Menlo-Atherton community has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, for him and for those in his path.
“ “ I am not really using the word ‘retirement’ as much as a ‘pause’...
College Alternatives
by Eliza Fitz
Julia Brandman
Julia knew she wanted to take time before college to find what she wanted to pursue (“How can you know what you want to do before you do it?” she said). Apart from this, her goal for her gap year is to learn to live independently. “I will eventually transition from a regular, minimum wage job to interning at a law firm, to backpacking around Europe,” says Brandman. She believes interning will allow her a level of certainty in finding what she wants to pursue that going straight to college wouldn’t have. “Where I am in my life now gives me more freedom than I will later, so I want to take advantage of it.” She didn’t face judgment in her decision to delay college, which she believes is because people are becoming more accepting of college alternatives.
MiMi Eshleman
Mimi Eshleman calls her decision to take a gap year less of a choice and more of a necessity. “I have 13 years of traditional schooling under my belt,” says Eshleman, from which she lacked hands-on experiences. Next year, she will be traveling to Prune, India where she will volunteer for Teach For India and teach English to middle school and high school students. “I realized many issues stem from over-population […] so promoting education at the root of many issues facing out world today is bound to make a true difference.” Aside from a passion for changing the world, she believes an active and uniquely rigorous experience will help her enter college “confident, driven, and worldly.”
Sarah Goodman
It takes courage to put your health first in an environment that can inadvertently push school before all, and Sarah Goodman is an example of this. She is undergoing a serious surgical operation with an eight-month recovery time, which spurred her decision to take a gap year. “I have been having these surgeries throughout my life,” says Goodman, “and it’s nearly impossible to have one of these procedures while in high school or college.” Despite this, she hopes to take classes at Foothill during her recovery time, and do a Spanish immersion program when she recovers.
of Columns... cover
Well, that went quickly. I remember like it was just yesterday, watching my brother graduate and leave for college, subsequently leaving young, handsome, incoming junior me with much more singularly focused parents. With only one teenage boy’s shenanigans to monitor, my parents became extremely good at keeping a close eye on my social life, reaching expert level status at differentiating between 11:30 and 11:35 p.m. However, without even realizing it, this close eye has slowly zoomed out to the very distant, nearly unrecognizable focus of second semester senior year. Looking back, I have trouble attempting to pinpoint any exact time when my parents relaxed their tight grasp of newly-minted only child parenting. While pondering this idea, the only real conclusion that I could come to is that I sort of just took control. I don’t mean this in the way that I am one of those self-righ-
teous, spoiled kids who intimidated their parents into minding their own business, but more so that as I got older, I began to become much more responsible. While with this age comes what many consider inherent irresponsibility in many social situations, I found a balance between my increasingly difficult course load and my increasingly vibrant social life. Essentially, while I was convinced pestering my mom for a later curfew would be my best tactic, I established a level of trust with my parents without even realizing it. When my brother was leaving for college, I really had no evidence to show my parents to support that they should relax and let me do my own thing. Sure, I always did well in school and had a social life, but now with everyone driving and more readily succumbing to the luring vices of upperclassmenship, in the eyes of a parent, I totally wouldn’t trust my kid completely going into this
...and convictions
Senior Week is celebrated each year as a time for the graduating class to come together and bond one last time. And there’s no denying that this concept is, in theory, a great one. But here’s the question, or should I say questions: is this a useless, last-ditch effort? Is it even possible to bring together a grade comprised of hundreds of incredibly diverse students, students who may not even be aware of each other’s existence until their names are called at graduation? All those years ago when the Class of 2015 was first brought together by the bonding tradition of freshman year, Challenge Day, they were bestowed the promise that they would carry these new, emotionally-founded relationships throughout the rest of their high school careers. But I think I’m justified in asserting that those who were brought to-
gether were quickly and efficiently distanced by disparate classes and, most directly, by the void of additional bonding activities in the years that followed. And that’s really the core of the issue, isn’t it? There are three significant bonding activities throughout the standard M-A experience: Challenge Day, the fashion show, and Senior Week. The first of which is limited to freshmen, the latter two reserved for seniors. School danceshomecoming, formal, prom, and the like - are arguably frequent, accessible forms of bonding. But in these situations, more often than not, we are just perpetuating our pre-established social patterns. In all honesty, a cramped room of overwhelmingly loud music and gyrating teenagers is not exactly everyone’s ideal environment for blossoming new friendships. Even within this miniscule list, the fash-
new chapter. Slowly, I just began to take complete responsibility over my schoolwork and social life, landing here. This leads us to my current position, which in my eyes, completely lives up to the hype. All set to go to college in the fall, honestly, I have no important school-related work to do. Luckily, my parents have come to a similar realization, completely pulling back and just letting me do my own thing. For Christ’s sake, they are home as infrequently as me, taking Napa excursions or trips to the city every weekend. In essence, this is the natural progression of events, and it is a beautiful thing. Such mutual independence is not indicative of lack of care or love, but rather a stepping stone in the process of moving forward. My only word of advice to any younger students is to get your stuff together, and everything will fall into place.
by Gabe Cohen
ion show and dances do not reach all extremes of the school population. And so, during the extended limbo period between these activities, students push their way through their academics and extracurriculars, bonding only with those whom they share classes, sports, or clubs with. Although it’s true that, in my own experience, I have met and befriended new people each year, in reality, I am just further exploring this microcosm that I found myself inhabiting a mere few weeks into my freshman year and have not trespassed since. Of course, I, and my peers are at least partially responsible for these limits and boundaries but surely they would be easier to transcend were we presented with additional bonding opportunities, not just the couple serving as the bookends of our high school experience.
by Molly Kearnan
e seniors on e Mark Staff reflect back to their childhoods...
Senior
Baby Photos
Sara Solomon Francesca Gilles
Gabe Cohen Katie Webb
Sami Andrew Ryan Cole
Kristin Cwirla
Sarah Dairiki
El a Nina F
Ian Robinson-Lambert
Katrina Wijaya
Sabina Vitale
by Sara Solomon
by Rebecca Schena
reflections from a departing senior
by Kristin Cwirla
Ah high school, the wonderful time of teenage hormones, overwhelming workloads, almost zero options regarding classes, and overwhelming school spirit. To say that I am excited to leave is definitely an understatement. The past four years have been full of ups and downs, both major and minor.
The bathrooms are perhaps what I have been most excited to see the end of since the first day of freshman year. From mysterious closures to bloody footprints on the E-Wing girls bathroom floor (to this day I am incredibly alarmed about this one), the bathrooms are a hideous blight on the otherwise quite visually pleasing campus. Furthermore, the sad shortage of bathrooms is one I will not miss. Ah the joys of spending the entirety of brunch in line… Not.
Teenagers are not the kindest nor the most patient individuals, a simple fact that leads me to feel serious empathy for the Menlo-Atherton teachers and staff who have to spend far longer than four years amongst the angst. I am excited to be amongst far more level-headed individuals (hopefully!), who have grown out of the dramatic angst that plagues teenagers worldwide. My ears are already thankful to be leaving behind the shrieking and whistling that reverberates around Pride Hall.
On the topic of noise level, I can barely imagine a life in which fire alarms should actually cause alarm. I must admit a degree of concern for my
future self-- what will happen in case of an actual emergency? My emergency training at M-A consisted of eye rolling and leaning further back in my seat, or in cases of actual alarm, covering my ears. It will be a true challenge to actually react and save myself from burning alive, rather than submit to pure apathy.
On a more serious note, people here often choose classes for the sole purpose of looking good on an application, despite the potential detriment to their mental health and potential lack of interest in the subject. Sleep deprivation, crying fits, and poor hygiene are so common throughout the ranks at M-A, it is no wonder that second semester seniors shut down so quickly. The obsession with the “best colleges” and therefore the stress placed on students due to this obsession is destructive in all senses of the word. Reflecting on my high school career, I definitely wish that I would have been able to to make more choices regarding my schedule, instead of only focusing on what I “should” do. To next year’s seniors, a word of advice: if you choose classes you truly enjoy, senioritis will not be as much of an issue. It is much easier to do work you like then work you are not interested in. Bathrooms and poor health aside, I will miss M-A. I will miss friends I have made here, as well as the general familiarity that I now have with this place. I will miss the shady trees and the suspiciously green lawns that
somehow exist despite the drought, as well as the ability to sit outside and eat lunch throughout the year. I will also miss the general camaraderie amongst students as we all attempt to navigate the craziest four years of our lives thus far. Despite varying backgrounds and diverse opinions, I feel as though M-A students have the unique gift of being able to communicate with one another, something that is not necessarily found on other campuses.
At M-A, I have had the pleasure of having some truly excellent teachers, some of whom have changed my life for the better. I have had teachers here that have made me love or at least tolerate subjects that I never would have thought I might enjoy. With these teachers I have had the pleasure of taking classes that brought me to both art museums and indoor skydiving locations, both of which I would not have been able to do somewhere else. M-A teachers legitimately care for their students, and constantly have their doors open. They have been everything from mentors to friends, and I am thankful for having them in my life.
I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet incredible teachers and people here at M-A. While I am undoubtedly excited to leave and explore the wider world beyond this campus, I will miss the school and the friends I have made here. Best of luck to all of you returning to M-A next year. Here’s to you.
nal Words...
The graduating editors-in-chief share their parting thoughts
Coming into the class as an eager sophomore, I really had no idea what to expect. All that I knew is that I liked to write, and that The Mark would provide me a more creative space to learn and grow as a writer. Little did I know that together, the three staffs that I have had the pleasure of working with over my years at The Mark, would work
to elevate the publication to an entirely new level. On track to win awards and reach the very peak of high school journalism, The Mark is undoubtedly on an unstoppable upward trajectory, and I am very proud to say that I have been a part of that. The long, frustrating nights spent working tirelessly in the I-Wing the day before an issue culminate into
It sounds cliche, but I never thought that when I was a naive, sophomoric 15 year old (they call them sophomores for a reason. Sorry, guys) that I would be here, two weeks from graduation, ruminating over my time at M-A and as first a reporter, then an editor-in-chief of The Mark. Honestly, I have never learned so much about myself, or cared about something so much, as I did when working on this magazine over the past three years. I’ve had the unique opportunity to watch this magazine grow from an almost brand new literary arts magazine to the beautiful (thanks, Sara) entity it is today. The hours spent reading, writing, editing, and re-editing; adding Oxford commas
and bylines where they were forgotten; and the euphoria of (finally) sending the final file to the printer; these are the moments that made me a different person. Trying to lead a group of teenagers through the publication process of a magazine has been a totally unique experience and has forced me to mature much more quickly than I was prepared for. The little milestones, victories, and defeats (hopefully we’ll still have funding next year) have a special place in my memory. I-2, where I spent possibly more cumulative hours than any other room on campus, has become something like a home. I never thought that I would get in so many shouting matches with a teacher (or my classmates) at 10
Oh, how have the last three years just flown by. I joined The Mark my sophomore year as just a baby, and here I am, three years later, ready to conquer the world. Working on The Mark has truly been an incredible experience. I have been able to hone my writing and design skills while simultaneously learning how to work on a team.
To the staff and Ms. Snow: I ap-
preciate your bearing with me on those long nights here at M-A as we frantically put together a cohesive and remarkable magazine. The Mark could not exist without each and every staff member, who so diligently put in hours of hard work to make the magazine come to life.
To the readers: I will forever cherish distribution day and having you, the readers, trying to carefully word
a true appreciation of the talents of the editors and staffs over the years, all under the guidance and leadership of Ms. Snow. I am honored to have had the chance to work with such an amazing group of people, and can only foresee the absolute best for the publication and all those involved in the future.
S’later, Gabe Cohen
o’clock at night, or have the opportunity to fly 3000 miles to Columbia University to learn about the craft. This class has opened my mind so much to what life could be like. It is not my intent to be didactic, but I have to get this point across: don’t waste your time in high school, M-A. Get involved. Seriously. You’ll thank yourself if you do and regret it if you don’t.
Thanks, Ms. Snow, Sara, and Gabe, for putting up with my bs for three years. And thank you readers, for making this experience possible. Without you, this magazine would be no more than unread ramblings.
Much love, Francesca Gilles
that you already have a copy in order to spare my feelings. The Mark would not be anything without its readership, so here’s to you my lovely readers, I will miss you all dearly, but with time, The Mark can only improve.
Cheers to our three unbelievable years of The Mark and more to come.
x o, Sara Solomon
M-A’s Class of 2015 ncaa
Harvard university
pomona college
Seniors
Seniors
Recruited Athletes
Recruited Athletes
vanderbilt
utah state university
harvey mudd college
by Sami Andrew
New Kid on the Block
From Samoa to the US, Edward Falefa finds comfort in volleyball
by Ryan Cole
Anyone who came to a MenloAtherton boys volleyball game in the team’s first season this year doubtlessly noticed the power and athleticism of junior outside hitter Edward Falefa as he pounded kill after kill over the net for the Bears. While everyone has a story of how they arrived at their current stage of life, Falefa’s story, and the story of his volleyball prowess, began in the small island country of Samoa.
“I was born in Samoa, and I grew up in Samoa for my whole life,” says Falefa. “I started school over there when I was four years old, so I went to elementary, middle, and high school.”
He grew up around the sport of volleyball, a common pastime in his village. Initially he mainly watched others play but, as he got older, he learned to play himself.
“When I was in middle school I started playing with my siblings,” Falefa recalls. “We’d use these long sticks to hold up a net, and would play over it, so it was just kinda playing and messing around like that.”
In addition to playing rugby for his village, Falefa began to play volleyball more competitively in his freshman year of high school, learning the basics from friends, relatives, and careful observation.
“Mostly all I do is just like looking at people when they play and then I start learning from them. When I play I try to do what they were doing.”
But during the time he was learning to play volleyball, he also was working on coming to America. It took two years of paperwork and applications, but Falefa and his family finally made the trip -- nearly 5000 miles -- from Samoa to America.
“We just really wanted to make it happen so I could come here for a better education, a better life, and a better future,” says Falefa.
With this focus on education in mind, he arrived in the Bay Area at the beginning of the 2013 school year, and looked around the area for schools for a few weeks before settling on M-A. The transition was not easy for Falefa at first, but he learned to make the most of it and
try to talk to new people.
“When I was first here, I didn’t really know people and I’m kind of a shy person,” remembers Falefa. “But just talking to other people makes you feel like you’re not an outsider.”
As a way of meeting people in America, he began going to local volleyball courts and open gyms with his dad, attracting attention with his impressive skills for someone so young.
But while he turned to the sport to help him feel at home in a new country, he still hadn’t developed much of a passion for it.
“I wasn’t even really interested in playing volleyball then; I was still more interested in rugby,” he says.
But he kept going along with his dad to play, and, when he heard that M-A was forming a boys volleyball team, he went to the preseason open gyms, meeting some of his future teammates.
“Then one day I was just sitting there thinking about it because there were a lot of people telling me how good I was, so I decided to try it,” says Falefa. “Now, after joining the team at M-A, volleyball feels like a really big thing in my life right now.”
One of only two players on the team who had played before, the other being freshman setter Schuyler Knapp, Falefa led the team in kills in every single game this season. Under the guidance of coach Justine Record, Falefa and the Bears closed the season with seven consecutive victories to finish with a record of 12-7. Despite the success and vast improvement of the team over the course of the season, they were not eligible for CCS playoffs because, as a brand new team, they were not part of a league. With plans to form a league in the coming months, however, this should not be a problem come next year.
“I’m hoping I can really bring this team up even higher next year. If we’re going to go to CCS, I’m just going to put all my passion into it, and play with pride. I just really want to get in first place, that’s all I’m going to think about,” comments Falefa. “I’m hoping I might be able to play volleyball in college. Right now, volleyball means everything to me.”
Photography Lewie Knapp
The Mark, a feature magazine published by the students in MenloAtherton High School’s Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Mark is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy, and obscenity. Submissions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of all M-A students or the staff of The Mark. Send all submissions to submittothemark@gmail.com.
Photography Allan Beilin
