Bard Spring 2016

Dear Menlo...

The Bard

Editors in Chief: Riya Mirchandaney and Maya Varma Blog and Publicity Editor: Scott Stevens Content Manager: Katherine Lazar Writing Editor: Samantha Frenkel-Popell Layout Consultant: Lauren Jacques Photography Editor: Avalon Edwards Staff Writers: Anna Boonyanit, Natalie Jarret, Nina Chandra, Connor Van Ligten, Samantha Castaneda, Sara Varadharajulu, Vida Saffari, Kelly Buck, and Sylvia Chen Advisor: Tripp Robbins

Contents

Letter From the Editors

How to Survive at The Menlo Gym

Mental Illness Followup Julissa’s Letter

Deadpool Review Maya’s Letter Kindred at Menlo Cafeteria Interview Davis’ Letter

Christina’s Letter The Extra Time Conundrum

Letter From The Editors Dear Readers, The Bard was originally created to give a voice to the Menlo students we tend to overlook amongst the sports games and AP exams—the singers, songwriters, painters, nail artists, cartoonists, fashion designers, poets, dancers, and all the creative minds inbetween. With the same desire to showcase the underrepresented and overlooked, the Bard later grew to cover social issues; we’ve talked about race, gender, sex, sexual abuse, and mental illness, all within the context of our school. As graduating seniors, we wondered how to capstone our fleeting time with the Bard. What do we have left to say?

The Bard has allowed us to connect with our community in more depth than we have ever imagined, and we’re grateful that Menlo has given us a platform to write, report, photograph, and design—all to convey ideas we care about. We’ve worked tirelessly to produce works that portray Menlo students and experiences in honest and artistic ways. For our final issue, we decided to let our readers do the talking. In addition to our usual content, we asked students to write candid letters about any of the lessons they’ve learned, experiences they’ve had, or challenges they’ve undergone at the place so many of us call home. We hope this can not only bring to light some of the problems that exist at Menlo, but also create an issue that encapsulates the community we’ve grown up with for the past four years.

The Bard has been a truly special publication to be a part of.

Thank you to Tripp, our advisor, and to our entire team of editors and reporters for working countless hours to create a publication we’re proud of.

Good night and Good luck, Maya and Riya

From Sugarcoating To Constructive Discussion

By Emily Finke

Last spring, The Bard published an issue titled “Stop Sugarcoating Mental Illness”. Since publishing, the topic of mental illness has not gotten any easier to talk about. But we were able to spark conversation about this underlying issue that very few people were addressing publicly. Following the meeting, an announcement was made at an assembly about the issue, and a studentteacher forum (before there was community circle) took place about the topic of mental illness at Menlo. The feedback we got for this issue was very positive, and we were able to get Menlo as an institution to take a huge step forward in the topic of mental illness. “Throughout the year, I have been immensely proud of various ways the students have shared their voices surrounding mental health issues,” states Ms. Bianchi, Upper School Counselor. “I feel that the community as a whole has definitely made strong positive advancements in the area of mental health and open acceptance of one another on the campus this year.”

High school is a difficult place for everybody, from the large heaps of work and difficult classes, to the ridiculous stress of the college application process. An alarmingly large number of teenagers suffer from depression, various anxiety disorders, and other mental illnesses. “I would not be satisfied if the advances in this area remained what they are today. I will continue to commit myself and our counseling resources to improve the way society often views challenges that can be experienced surrounding mental health,” Bianchi points out. As high school students, it is often hard to practice the very basic forms of self-care. Ideally we would be sleeping at least nine hours a night and eating at least three healthy, full meals a day. Yet because of all of the schoolwork, sports, theatre, dance, and the million other activities people do, it is practically impossible to exercise these forms of self-care. However, Ms. Bianchi recognizes the efforts the community has made to make mental illness less taboo. “Applause to our successes remain, but a desire for even more understanding, acceptance and embracing all that many endure on this campus will only bring even more comfort and care into our community.”

The new schedule has been a huge topic of conversation this year both among students and between teachers and students. Ideally, with the morning tutorials and increased amount of tutorial time during the day, students will have less work to do at home and more time for sleeping. Bianchi says, “There was such patience, in-depth research and communal vision that brought this final schedule into play. In my eyes, this is a true community effort on several levels and I am looking forward to supporting the piloting of the schedule in the spring and official launching in August.”

It is easy to point out the things that Menlo and other schools are doing wrong when dealing with mental illness but changing these things is much more difficult than it seems. For example, one idea that has been suggested is to limit the number of AP and honors classes students can take in a year. In the abstract, this seems like a good idea because of the reduced workload and a less-stressful schedule for students. However, many students feel that this is an unnecessary measure. “It is the student’s choice to take the AP course or not because they are paying to go to the school and limiting them on that opportunity would be unfair.” answers sophomore, Jojo Bachechi-Clark. Menlo is a very good school with a rather hefty tuition, but in return students are able to receive a fantastic education.

“The hardest part of discussing mental illness and its role in school is trying to find a way to help the students and reduce stress while not denying them of valuable, educational opportunities.”

Senior, Nika Kunwar says, “I know that as a high school student, it’s hard to know your limits when it comes to work, but I also think it is important for the school to give kids the opportunity to take the classes they want, at the level that they want.” Both Bachechi-Clark and Kunwar mention the fact that taking an AP or honors level course is ultimately the student’s decision. It is up to them to figure out what they are capable of handling, and they should be willing to be flexible, but blocking them from these opportunities could be detrimental to their educational career. Sophomore, Julia Fry argues, “it also restricts their choices and potentially could force them to choose a certain ‘specialty’ subject when they could excel in multiple…[students] should be able to take another higher level course without rules being in place discouraging them from challenging themselves in an array of different subjects.”

This raises a question about whether it ultimately should be the school’s responsibility to place restrictions on students’ course loads, or the student’s’ responsibility to exercise judgment about how much they realistically can handle.

Since the Bard issue last spring, the increased discussion of mental illness within the Menlo community has been an amazing thing to watch and be part of. The hardest part of discussing mental illness and its role in school is trying to find a way to help the students and reduce stress while not denying them of valuable, educational opportunities.

While a solid, fool-proof solution will most likely never be found, it is important to keep the discussion going so we can make more progress in preserving the mental health of students.

How to Fit in at the Gym

The gym can be a scary place, especially for newcomers.

Luckily for you, I have taken the time to compile a simple list of rules that will ensure even the most unathletic fit in at the gym.

If you follow all these tips, I guarantee no one will ever know how lost and confused you pretend not to be.

By Sara Varadharajulu

1) Insert Yourself into the Pro-Lifters Area: There are two sections

of every gym: the place where hardcore fitness maniacs pump iron and compare their muscles, and a place where the misfits (like me) “run” on treadmills and shuffle their feet on the bike every now and then. Don’t hang on to your self esteem. Enter the the pro zone and watch your confidence get slammed to the ground like a medicine ball. Watch SuperMuscles bench his body weight and Jillian Michaels’s twin do pull-ups with weights while you and your little ten-pound buddy squat together.

Challenge yourself, and don’t be afraid to let a few toes get crushed by your dumbbell.

2) Be Mindful of Your Stretching: If you really want to fit in with

the pros, you have to master their warm-up. Start off the routine by gazing at yourself in the mirror and flexing your muscles -- this will signal to everyone that YOU are about to stretch. Then proceed to the middle of the workout area. Position yourself at the center of the crowd right in front of the machines so you can prevent the person working out on the machine from being able to extend their legs fully. Flex your muscles again, so people who missed it the first time can get a good look. Then stretch. Make sure you are careful to stick your butt right in front of the machine so the person on it can get a good look at your toned physique.

3) Always Grunt: To make people think you are a pro, you

have to act like one. Be sure to always imitate the weird noises of the pros next to you and don’t be afraid to add your own twist! At every occasion, regardless of the weight number or how fast you are running, add in a little grunt every now and then. You can even breathe really loudly. If you would like, mix in a little “hi-yah!” to spice things up. This will make sure that everyone knows how hard you are working and how difficult your workout is. If that’s not clear enough, wipe your forehead with a towel every few seconds and drink water really loudly. People around you will be very impressed.

4) Join a Zumba Class: Want to stick out like a broken

thumb in a hand of not-broken thumbs? Want to feel incredibly uncomfortable? Join a Zumba class at your gym! Prepare to be surround by fifty year olds bogeying to Shakira as you stand awkwardly in the corner moving your arms up and down. Watch as the grandma beside you salsas as you collapse on the floor, unable to breathe. Look forward to standing at the front of the class, tripping over your own feet, when you partner with the instructor because you have no friends. It’s an experience like no other, ladies and gentlemen, one you will never forget.

5) Outwork the Person Next To You: You never know who

could approach you at the gym--could be a celebrity, your crush, a random hot person, a judgy trainer. Regardless, make sure you are always prepared for someone important to come strolling past. Position yourself either next to a person who is either 1) An elder 2) A child or 3) Someone even lazier than you. That way your 12-minute mile will shine like a star compared to their casual walk! If you are on a machine, make sure to keep a dumbbell of significant weight beside you as you call your best friend on the phone. Make sure to put the phone on speaker for the entire gym to hear, then sit with your phone in your right hand and the weight placed by your right side. This allows for an easy transition from the phone to the weight.

6) Always Stare At People: Ever

feel bored at the gym? Don’t feel like working out? There’s a solution: stare at other people while they are doing their workout. They always appreciate it.

7) Don’t Forget those Nike Elites: To fit in, you have to look

like a pro. Thankfully, it’s very simple. Pay no attention to the appearance of your shoes, your shirt, or your shorts; don’t even bother doing your hair. What really matters is those Nike Elite socks! Those pros might only have a few pairs of shorts, but you can bet that they will have at least two weeks worth of socks. Make sure you purchase at least one pair in every color so you can show how cool you are every time you hit the gym.

Trust me, they are a good investment.

Dear Menlo...

Imagine watching your parents not only having to pick up after you, but also after every

Menlo student. José has been cleaning up after Menlo students for the past 26 years, working from seven in the morning until half past three in the afternoon everyday. Seeing as he is one of the many crucial members within the Menlo community, sophomore Ariana Carranza and I decided to interview him. We tried to ask questions pertaining to his experiences at Menlo, but were unable to get information he felt comfortable with sharing, besides what his job entails—keeping the school clean. Due to José’s professional position at Menlo, he wasn’t able to say anything relating to his job and what we as students can do to help. He stated, “no puedo decir que me pueden ayudar porque depende de mi supervisor y no puedo decir nada sobre los estudiantes [por] mi trabajo”. (This translates to: “I can’t say that they can help me because it depends on my supervisor and I can’t say anything about the students because of my job.”)

Even if José can’t say anything towards the Menlo students, it’s clear to any bypasser in the quad after lunch or after school that there is a problem with the way we treat our campus: “I see a lot of people leaving their trash and stuff around after school or in the cafeteria because they just assume facilities will just come and clean it up, and that honestly makes me really furious. Like, I always try to clean up after myself around campus, but even like once or twice I’ve caught myself in the mindset of leaving a napkin or something on on the table, thinking ‘oh facilities will just clean it up: it’s their job,’ before catching myself and realizing how wrong that is. I think we’re super lucky to have a facilities team that does so much work cleaning up campus every morning so we can come to school and enjoy it, but we can’t take them for granted.”

- Kelly Campa (‘18) “Honestly I don’t really think it’s okay when people leave their trash around. They made the mess and they should clean it up. I understand that people are used to other people cleaning up after them, but I just think that it’s irresponsible. By doing that, we are making the lives of many people a lot more difficult. I don’t know, I just think that rather than increasing the amount of of work the facilities people have to do, we should lessen it and appreciate that they are there. By not cleaning after ourselves we are being irresponsible and unappreciative of people.”

- Shreya Agrawal (‘18) “Coming from a public school where nobody would leave trash anywhere, even in the cafeteria, it’s actually quite surprising how most private school kids leave their trash where they were, when there are bins pretty much all around the entire school. I dunno, Menlo’s always talking about making changes for the outside to see, and I’m surprised this even has to be a change that needs to be made. It’s common sense, honestly” - Ernesto Carbajal (‘18)

“I think it’s unhealthy the way that students at Menlo leave the campus. A lot of Menlo families (though I acknowledge this is not everyone, and Menlo students come from a lot of different backgrounds) are on the wealthier side, and a lot of kids are used to having someone clean up for them. And while it’s each family’s decision whether or not they want that at home, it is their job to teach their kids to respect their environment. We are part of a community, and we all have to care about how we leave it. I remember spending a whole afternoon after school picking up trash on the quad… it’s just not what Menlo values.”

- Sarah Dubbs (‘18)

There seems to be unanimous consensus from these students that it is unfair to the facilities crew that Menlo students leave their garbage around the school. Facilities crew like José still find themselves having to clean up after the hundreds of kids at Menlo. However, he holds good relationships with a lot of the students and staff. When we asked about his relationship with students he said that he has many friends and that he holds great appreciation for them.

It shouldn’t solely be the responsibility of José and other facilities crew to ensure that the school is clean. We need to think about how our actions affect others too. It is obvious that cleaning up after 795 students at Menlo is a large task, but imagine having to clean up after 795 students who don’t realize the impact of their disregard for the cleanliness of the campus. We, as students, must put in the effort to keep our school presentable. Menlo is an institution which claims to be passionate about encouraging students to “demonstrate courage, integrity and a commitment to ethical behavior.” In leaving the mess on the quad or cafeteria that so many of us do, we are not abiding to these values or carrying out the promise we made to Menlo when we enrolled of becoming responsible citizens. Acts as simple as throwing away our pizza boxes or walking a few steps to place our dirty dishes where they belong are not hard. If we do our part, we will be saving people time and energy which would have otherwise been wasted on doing these chores for us.

Some will argue that it is in our nature as teenagers to be messy, that because we are young, our actions are somehow excusable. Many at Menlo come from affluent backgrounds with housekeepers or nannies. Because we are used to having someone pick up after us, we have been raised with a privileged mindset. Having this mindset entails an expectation of others cleaning up after us. With this being a reality for many of us, the argument that our disorganization is due to our youth can no longer be valid. This way of thinking allows us to develop the habit of leaving our messes behind. The notion that others will and should clean up after us is harmful because we are unconsciously stepping on the backs of others to keep the comfort that we have at home. If we become too comfortable with what it feels like to have someone take care of us at home, this attitude will inevitably be carried out into our everyday life on campus. Don’t let this privileged mentality be a reality for yourself. I challenge you to break free of this way of thinking. Challenge your privilege by making an effort to step out of your comfort zone and contribute to the cleanliness of the campus to help our facilities crew. Imagine that they are your parents; try to make their lives easier by cleaning up after yourselves and taking into consideration all the work that they do for us and the school.

Sincerely, Julissa Torres

A Different Kind of Superhero Movie

By Connor Van Ligten

I’ll say this right now: Deadpool is a completely raunchy, irreverent, violent, and gratuitous film, and for all of those reasons, I love it. By finally giving into the fan’s wishes, Fox delivered the Deadpool movie we all deserved. Thanks to Ryan Reynolds’ excellent embodiment of the character, the stellar and hilarious writing, and the R rating, Deadpool accurately portrays the character in his best form, creating a superhero movie that not everyone can enjoy, but those who aren’t easily offended will surely love.

Deadpool, based on the much-beloved Marvel Comics character of the same name, follows Wade Wilson (played by Ryan Reynolds), a former special forces operative turned mercenary who falls in love, has lots of sex, gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, enters a program that tortures him, gains the power of near-invincibility, and then goes on a bloody rampage.

You know, your average superhero movie stuff. What’s interesting about this film is how it is aware it’s a superhero origin story, yet it seems to defy convention many times. For one, it balances the R rated action and jokes with nonlinear storytelling, preventing the audience from getting bored.

The romance between Wilson and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) contains legitimate chemistry, both emotionally and sexually (this is an R rated movie, after all), and as a result, is fairly believable. Unfortunately, the two villains are serviceable, but rather dull, and find themselves the butt of many of Reynold’s humorous quips.

The supporting cast also includes T.J. Miller of Silicon Valley fame playing the awkward Weasel, a character fans of the comics will recognize, who adds his own wealth of jokes to the fray.

Deadpool is a movie that benefits greatly from its leading man and R rating. Reynolds is perfect as Deadpool, portraying the badassery and silliness the character is known for to great success. Everything unique about the character, from his indestructible nature, to his loose, silly body language, to the numerous ways he takes out his enemies, is shown in full force here. The R rating is a key element to the movie’s great success, giving the writing team enough freedom to capture the character’s random, psychopathic, and humorous nature. The action is brutal and unkempt while also shot in a way that is enjoyable to watch.

“...it is aware it’s a superhero origin story, yet it seems to defy convention many times.”

Due to a low budget, the movie’s scale is somewhat small but still contains creative and brutal action. The movie draws from many eras in its humor, appealing to audiences young and old.Ryan Reynolds often breaks the 4th wall, so there is a lot of self referential meta humor, as the film constantly pokes fun at Fox, previous X-Men Films, and Hugh Jackman. While not everyone will understand these references, it only makes the film better for those who do, and the film is still loaded with enough jokes for those who don’t.

Ultimately, Deadpool is a great superhero film. In a world loaded to the brim with comic book movies, origin stories, and tame PG-13 action, it’s refreshing to see this movie bring the source material to life accurately instead of trying to appeal to a wider audience. Thanks to the badass action, hilarious comedy, and Ryan Reynold’s portrayal of the character, Deadpool is a successful film that stands out from the superhero genre in the best way possible.

Dear Menlo,

I went to Nueva Middle School. While there are many misconceptions about Nueva, one thing is true: we were very sheltered. Our minds were distracted with hand-made forts and chicken coops, and little emphasis was placed on deadlines and assessments. Grades simply didn’t matter. I didn’t learn that failing to memorize the exact date that some tariff was passed would affect whether or not I would get into college.

What I did learn was that class became more interesting if I participated, so I started to do that a lot. By forming my own opinions, I got to argue with people and most of the time, my opinion changed, which was awesome. If something in particular caught my attention, I dug deeper and found out more about it solely because it was interesting. There didn’t seem to be any limitations on what I could or could not achieve. In 8th grade, I found my passion for acting. I was fascinated with the idea of taking someone I had never met or someone that didn’t exist, bringing them to life, and translating their thoughts and emotions onto a screen where people could watch me and be moved to tears. So I acted upon my passion and booked a movie. A woman I had met twice became my mother and died in front of my eyes.

Then, she got up and did it again, over and over until we had captured the perfect scene.

After returning from this otherworldly experience of filming a movie, I decided I wanted a high school with a lot of spirit. I wanted to be lost in a crowd of cheering people and feel flushed with school pride. I wanted a school with teachers that let me speak and took my opinions and elevated them to higher levels of thought. However, most importantly, I wanted a school that would foster my creativity and never teach me that nothing was impossible.

I have to say, Menlo, that you have done a pretty good job of meeting my expectations, but you’ve also surprised me. You’ve reminded me countless times to not stress about my grades, but to keep them in mind, which I deeply appreciate. You told me that I probably wouldn’t get into certain colleges, but never told me I couldn’t. You let me plan bubble soccer in the middle of the day, and allowed me to transform into a deaf and blind American hero.

But Menlo, you also made me feel like I was stupid at times. At times, you made me feel isolated and you fostered an environment in which certain groups were above others. I am constantly in an environment where people aren’t accepting each other. A lot of the people I meet don’t realize that there are billions of different backgrounds, life paths, and careers.

I knew someone that was severely depressed and they hated the fact that they had to work hard in subjects they didn’t like, to go to a college that probably wouldn’t be too respected, and then fail because they wouldn’t

get a very good job.

When I told them that they could take a gap year, they seemed shocked.

“What is that again?” I explained and told them that they could do projects for a year helping people or go backpacking through a desert or even get a job and just work in the real world for a while. To them, this sounded insane and unrealistic.

So, Menlo, I wish that you could open people up. I think you need to show them that the world is SO big. Don’t show them this by bringing a few people in with different stories- promote more cool programs.

Tell us, teachers, how you got to where you are now. Start spreading stories of people who started with so much and ended up with so little, and vice versa. Show me and everyone else that you don’t have to be rich or have good grades or work in finance and tech to do big things. I believe we will all be fine if we work hard, listen, and do things we like to do. Actions speak louder than words, Menlo, and if you truly agree with me, show me.

Sincerely, Maya

Menlo on:

Kindred Octavia Butler

Written by Natalie Jarrett

last summer or the summer before last, incoming Menlo freshmen were transported back to

1970s America, then to 1815 America all in the span of one summer reading, Kindred. The novels title refers to the family ties the main character, Dana, was forced to go back in time to preserve.

Unfortunately for her, she probably couldn’t have travelled to a worse time in American history being the black woman she was. Nonetheless, fate or some magical anomaly had forced her into the early 1800 to save her clumsy, white ancestor, Rufus, multiple times. Time is it’s own entity in the novel, as readers are set on several different timelines throughout the story. The preface began where the novel ended, with Dana grappling with the loss of her arm. It then moved to Dana’s 26 birthday during which she moves in with her husband Kevin, but which was interrupted be her first transportation to Rufus’ time.

The course of the story was predominated by Dana’s experience in the Antebellum south where she returned to several times during Rufus’ lifetime. The experience was of course harrowing as Dana had to disguise herself as Kevin’s slave while there. Living in the south under the looming threat of assault, rape, whipping, deportation, and even murder, Dana learned to live according to the rigid norms. Her journey gave her a new appreciation her black ancestors and for the more prosperous and liberated society she was able to actually live in. Though 1976 was not perfect and Dana was able to see parallels between her time and 1815 in how they dealt with issues concerning race and gender.She referenced major events such as the South African apartheid, but even parallels in her own life which spanned from her struggle of being a single working woman to like her family’s unwillingness to accept her white husband.

New Menlo students may have also drawn similar comparisons in their own surrounding worlds.

In class, freshmen discussed how Kindred gave them a glimpse into past American societies and allowed reflection on their own.

This whole concept was summed up by allows students to “discuss the ongoing fight windows and mirrors, Freshman English teacher against discrimination for not only the races but Margaret Ramsey explains, “that literature can be also genders.” Though she doesn’t necessarily a window: it allows us to see through it into the believe these forms of discrimination are “strong lives, minds, and experiences of people other than within Menlo.” ourselves. But literature can also be a mirror: it Even outside the english classrooms these can cause us to re-see our own lives in a new light. issues are brought to the forefront of discussion.

Kindred functions as both in ways that we find Besides numerous all school assemblies, Menlo to be accessible and also important. We think has hosted lunchtime community circles in which freshmen are able to enjoy reading it because staff and students are invited to speak on various the plot is unusual in the way Butler collapses subjects; most recently there was one on Gender time and has her protagonist, Dana, confront norms at Menlo school and how to address them. the antebellum south as a modern female. We Perhaps the choice of Kindred was a good suspect that students’ general familiarity with idea to assign as summer reading. Most freshmen dystopian fiction and fantasy allows them to and sophomores I spoke to agreed that it raised feel comfortable and excited by the plot line, critical discussions within the classroom. Though while confronting “we ask our students to consider how many simply didn’t like the challenging conceits they are a product of their contexts and book itself. Generally those about our country’s disliked it disliked to begin to engage in the exploration of who past and its current the Butlers style of writing legacy about race, who they want to be because of (or per- and how she conducted wealth, and gender. haps in spite of) their contexts.” the story. Freshman Ben Yet, the book is really Lasky described the book special because it denies readers the somewhat as “boring” but that Butler had “good intentions” familiar cop out of talking about, for instance, by placing attention on the struggles of slaves and race, racism, and racists in hyper-generalizations, “current political issues.” are divorced from individual realities. Rather, we besides clear political issues, another major get to see Rufus grow from a child to, ultimately, theme in Kindred was the role ones environment a monstrous man. The challenge is that the plays in shaping who they become. Dana was a young Rufus is open, curious, willing to learn proud black woman in the 70s, a good time for and respects Dana fully. Yet, the social pressures both black power and feminist movements. Had and reality of his time and place ultimately cause she lived in the Antebellum her pride might have him to behave in ways, as an adult, that are been replaced with forced obedience. She might reprehensible. This is the mirror section – we ask have been like her doppleganger and ancestor, our students to consider how they are a product Alice. of their contexts and to begin to engage in the Menlo students are largely very affluent exploration of who they want to be because of (or and fairly sheltered as well, though I don’t believe perhaps in spite of) their contexts.” they are as ignorant as they are commonly We apply the same frame of mind to the news dismissed as. They are incredibly knowledgeable, of the day, or our community at Menlo. We love though there is a difference between mastering the conversations about how the novel helps the content of a textbook, and experiencing the students see their world and reconsider stories and issue firsthand. Obviously no simulator exist to trajectories.” transport students into Kindred like situations, Many Menlo students agree, freshmen class but novels of the sort can at least try. president, Marianne Siulangapo believes Kindred

Dear Menlo, Dear Menlo,

Fom the first day I stepped on your campus in ninth grade, I was welcomed into a community of bright, passionate, and driven individuals. I felt at home in a place I thought would help me become a better version of myself.

Throughout my freshman year, I fell in love with what you gave me. I loved that you allowed me to pick up lacrosse even though I had never played before.

I loved that I could contribute to our 400-page yearbook, and have photo credits for the pictures I took. I loved that other freshman were eager to get to know me for who I was - flaws, quirks, and all - a concept I never encountered at my middle school. I was happy. I was healthy. I was ready, and more than excited, for three more years with you.

When I was greeted by sophomore year, I realized your constructive and positive environment I had thrived in was replaced by one that cultivated the phenomenon of stress. I was appalled. When I asked upperclassmen about it, they told me it was normal. They said the “honeymoon” phase of freshman year was over, and it was time to start the work grind. Conversations centered around last night’s episode of the Bachelor or the details of the soccer game against Sacred Heart evolved to discussions of academic perfection. Perfection was one of the desires we had in common with each other.

For the first month, I struggled with your new environment that I faced every day. I felt like a lesser person being around peers who obsessed over grades and thought only of numbers. I became stressed that I was only taking one honors class, even though I did well in it and it was in a subject that I loved. I felt judged that I was consistently excited to go to chemistry class when everyone else dreaded it and confusedly asked me why I actually enjoyed going to class and learning. As much as I hated the idea of becoming a grade-obsessed person, I succumbed to your unintentional pressure and tried out the “hard-core” academic lifestyle. Why? Because I felt excluded for not already living and breathing it.

My lunches were spent in the library, my weekends consisted of my desk and a stack of assignments, and my daily routine became a monotonous schoolhome-homework-sleep-school -home-homework-sleep. I told myself it was normal. I would joke “pain is temporary, GPA is forever” whenever I lost motivation.

All that work naturally resulted in an upward academic trajectory. My parents were proud and happily shipped off my report card to family members across the country where they exclaimed how Menlo was doing a great job making sure I was succeeding. I didn’t want to upset them by taking my foot off the gas pedal to focus on my mental health.

There were days I stayed home from school because I was could barely comprehend the idea of making it through another day. I knew I had to change something. I couldn’t recognize myself; I couldn’t recognize who I was; I couldn’t recognize who I wanted to be.

I decided I would make it different. By throwing out my unhealthy mindsets and leaning on my friends and teachers for help and support, I was able to take care of myself regardless of what academic curveballs were thrown my way. My niche in yearbook, student council, and the world of clubs gave me a life outside of academics, and without those activities you have provided me with, as well as your incredible faculty and administration, I cannot envision being able to turn around from such an unstable and uncertain time in my life. Thank you for that, and all the amazing things that reminded me why I chose to come here.

You have changed, Menlo. I do not enjoy seeing my peers prioritize grades over learning, grades over health, and grades over a real life as a teenager. It takes away from the true meaning of school and blinds us from seeing how lucky we are to receive such a remarkable education. I am not convinced this is normal. A school with such incredible sports, arts, student life, facilities, and spirit shouldn’t have academic pressure be the decisive factor in a well-rounded education. I love you too much to see your students continue this way. I hope you can reinvigorate them to prioritize who they are and what they love over a series of letters and numbers. While you may not have always been great for me, I could not imagine my life without you.

Love, Christina Ekstrand

Who Makes Your Food?

A Conversation with the Chefs

By Katherine Lazar

Silverio and Angel are cooks in

Menlo School’s cafeteria, and work each day to prepare food for 870 middle schoolers, high schoolers, and faculty. Silverio has another job on top of this, working for a catering company on weekends and prepping, which means assisting chefs by measuring, washing, and keeping an inventory of ingredients, for weddings and parties on some weekdays. Silverio has been working at Menlo for twelve years.

I first sat down with Silverio, but was soon joined Angel. I took the chance to ask them about their roles, backgrounds, and what goes on behind the scenes in the kitchen. Silverio occasionally struggled to find the correct words in English, and was given help from Angel.

I first asked the two men about how they had gained experience in cooking.

Angel responded by telling me that most of his experience came from cooking at home.

“I had to cook because I had to feed my family. My mom, she was working, so I had to cook for the other little kids. And when you come into this country, you know how to cook, so you go and apply to restaurants and that’s how you get experience. It’s little by little, and you have to like what you do to be successful.”

Neither of the two went to culinary school. For Silverio, “it’s not possible, because it’s too expensive and we don’t have the chance to stop working because of our family responsibilities. So sometimes we have two jobs to survive, but we have experience.”

Angel added, “we see people from culinary school come to work next to us, and you can tell, I mean, they’re just wasting their money. You can see they don’t know how to cook.”

When Silverio first started working in a restaurant, he prepped salads. His first boss was from Guatemala, and he helped him until “I had to cook because I had to feed my family. My mom, she was he got enough experience to start working at the grill, and at the restaurant’s main working, so I had to cook for the entrance. Silverio moved through such ranks other little kids. And when you of restaurant positions “little by little, step come into this country, you know by step,” he said. Now Silverio wants to stay Menlo, “for how many years more, I don’t how to cook, so you go and apply to at know,” he added. “I stay here because I like it. restaurants and that’s how you get I like the people, everyone is nice.”

I asked Angel and Silverio what they experience. It’s little by little, and you have to like what you do to be thought of Menlo students. Angel replied, “If they enjoy our food, we say, ‘oh man, we were successful.” successful today.’” Silverio added, “When the children come to you and say, ‘thank you,’ we feel good, because we know they appreciate you.”

Silverio and Angel told me some stuff that I wasn’t fully cognizant of before. For example, did you know that Menlo uses a monthly rotating schedule for their lunch menus?

Silverio and Angel can change the menu if they want—they just have to go to the office to get an item approved. Also, did you know that the Menlo cafeteria started donating leftover food to charity through a church organization several months ago? I like to think how much food that must save each week.

Angel and Silverio get to Menlo by quarter to six in the morning. “We are four guys,” said Angel, “and we immediately start working to get stuff ready. We’re pushing, pushing, pushing. Then we get out at two thirty.”

“We have to clean our line,” Angel said, “and sometimes we have a lot of leftovers on the plates. Like today. [The cafeteria managers] are talking to us about making less, but we can’t do that. The students think it’s easy to throw a lot of their food away, but we don’t think that’s right, because I see a lot of people who don’t have enough food.”

Sometimes there are days when an item is a bust, and nobody eats it. The item that gets skipped often is the fish tacos. “This is the one we always have to put in the garbage. [The cafeteria managers] donate food to the church, but some kinds of food we aren’t permitted to save, like rice and meat because we’ll get sued if someone gets sick.”

I wanted to know whether Silverio and Angel like what they do. Angel remarked, “Yeah. In my house, I cook, and my wife wants to cook but I’m the one who handles the kitchen.”

I had a blast interviewing Angel and Silverio. I never gave much thought into who has been preparing my food for nearly four years. The next time you Silverio or Angel in the cafeteria, consider taking a moment to thank them for their work, or give a quick hello.

T he Extra T ime Conundrum

By Anna Boonyanit

A

t some elite high schools, up to 46% of students receive extra time. Only about 2% of students receive extra time on the SAT and 4% on the ACT. At most public schools, getting extra time is much harder because they base accommodations solely off of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At private schools, like Menlo, students can get extra time in ways unwarranted by the ADA, leading to higher percentages. “In public schools, students need to be getting a C and below in order to warrant if a student needs accommodation. We don’t ask that here. Kids can feel stressed and get grades that are B’s or even B pluses, and if they feel that it’s really stressful and anxiety-inducing, we’ll still consider whether or not they’ll benefit from accommodations.”

Some illnesses that warrant extra time include diabetes, which impacts focus and fluency, and seizures, which often involves medications that slow down processing speed. Most conditions that warrant extra time somehow impedes processing information or conveying ideas. One common one is included anxiety, which must be life-impacting and documented for a long time and present in settings beyond academics.

In order to get diagnosed for a learning disability, you must have a sufficient discrepancy with your IQ and your achievement-based testing.

Amrita Misha, a student with extra time explains, “In order to get tested to see if I had ADD, I had to get tested for my IQ and a bunch of other brain functioning tests. My IQ is in the 99.somethingth percentile overall, but in memory, I’m in the third percentile. Third (which is very common for people with ADD)! But that becomes a real issue on tests and such, as you can imagine, because I have to compensate for my memory issues in other ways. But if I took a test, I may score in the 80th percentile because I have to compensate for my learning issues. That’s not where I should be scoring, based on my abilities. So extra time helps me compensate for my issues.”

Sometimes, students will come to Academic Support Coordinator Kathryn Gray and explain that they had these accommodations in place when they were younger and haven’t needed it so much in middle school, but now realize that time is a challenge. She will meet with parents and students before seeing if extra time will benefit them and then have them do “very expensive and extensive series of testing.”

While Menlo’s efforts to accommodate students with learning disabilities are both admirable and necessary, I along with many of my peers I have spoken to, still feel as though there are some undeserving students who simply get tested to use the extra time to their advantage. “ ‘I’m sure some kids find a way A Menlo student with extra time, who asked around the system, which is to remain anonymous, unfair to the kids that need it and commented, “I’m sure some the kids who do not’ ” kids find a way around the system, which is unfair to the kids that need it and the kids who do not.” A guidance counselor at an elite school, Norma Greenberg, said, “It’s not that difficult for wealthy, well-connected students to get the diagnoses they want. There are a lot of hired guns out there, there are a lot of psychologists who you can pay a lot of money to and get a murky diagnosis of subtle learning issues.”

And neither is it necessarily hard to fake a diagnosis. In a study by Professor David Berry of the University of Kentucky, a group of people volunteered to spend five minutes on Google, learning how fake an ADHD diagnosis. This group of fakers were assessed on the ADHA Rating Scale and on the Conners Adult ADHD Rating scale. The assessors were not able to distinguish between the fake and the real ADHD group.

Of course, no one can say for sure whether these fake diagnoses happen in wealthier schools. Maybe the increased pressures of living up to the high academic and extracurricular expectations of their parents that wealthier students face leads to this higher proportion of mental illnesses. In fact, a study showed that children from households with an annual income greater than $140,000 suffered from anxiety and depression more than twice as frequently as those less affluent.

Nevertheless, I would be skeptical of anyone who argues that one hundred percent of students receiving extra time have a legitimate reason. College admissions is becoming readily competitive today, and, understandably, many students are willing to do whatever it takes to gain the best chance of an acceptance to a top school. And receiving extra time on an exam can make a noticeable difference. Education lawyer Miriam Freedman commented, “Accommodations are supposed to level the playing field. They are not supposed to change the game. This one changes the game at the high range.”

When asked if students sometimes just get tested without really needing extra time, Ms. Gray said, “I’m sure that happens somewhere, but research [especially in the last five to ten years] has shown pretty universally that those students who may pursue those options ... aren’t able to utilize the extra time in the same way that a student who has a real diagnosis would.”

While I agree that extra time may not always be beneficial, there are certain classes, such as AP US History or AP English where extra time would be helpful.

“ ‘Accommodations are supposed to level the playing field. They are not supposed to change the game.’ ”

Junior Cameron Kay commented, “I think it’s a no-brainer that I’d do better with extra time. If I had time to agonize over each answer on an assessment, of course I’d get more right... This year in APUSH, I find that the hardest part of that class is the time crunch during assessments. So yes, of course I would benefit from extra time -- who wouldn’t?”

During the AP English Language final, all four blocks of the class took the exam in Martin Family Hall. Those with extra time sat in the right side of the room, and it seemed as if at least a quarter of the students had extra time. Writing AP English Language in-class essays in the allotted forty minutes is a significant challenge for many students.

An additional ten or fifteen minutes would make the biggest difference in the world. Many students are always writing until the very last second.

Extra time would allow us more time to plan out our essays before we begin writing them, leading to stronger and more complex ideas. The additional time we would gain to proofread our essays would help us eliminate spelling and grammatical errors and refine our diction. If our essays were stronger, our grades would go up. And consequently our GPAs and AP scores would potentially increase. And with that, our chances of admissions to an elite university, this golden goal for most, would increase.

Perhaps there is a more fundamental problem with the idea of time limits. One of my teachers last year, Peter Brodie, offered unlimited time and all of his exams. He explains, “The basic question to be begged is: What does time have to do with writing? Like baseball, good writing is timeless. Yet we persist in one-size-fits-all for exams—we tell kids to ‘Stop Writing, Time’s Up.’ We even tell them to waste time: they can’t leave if they finish early... Insisting on a time limit is like that other folly: assigning papers by length.” While it would be great to have unlimited time on all essays, we can’t change the time requirements in college exams, so unlimited timing would leave us all unprepared.

In the end, I’m not really sure if there is an effective remedy to fake (or barely warranted) diagnoses for extra time exists. In a perfect world, only those who truly need extra time would receive it. Junior Savion Sample remarked, “For cases in which students don’t actually need it, I think that it’s foolish to get into the habit of expecting extra time on assignments whenever you feel like it, when in the real world deadlines are deadlines. You can’t just ask your boss for extensions on every single project that you’re unable to complete on time just because you brought in some note from your doctor. So, why lower the expectation bar by giving people time and a half on assignments instead of actually preparing us on what we should expect in the world outside of Menlo?”

Looking forward, Menlo could possibly implement stricter guidelines for extra time or at least increase transparency about it, as it’s such a prevalent part of Menlo yet its many aspects are ambiguous to those without extra time.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a couple of opportunities to reflect on my four years here. It’s a tough job. Processing four years that felt both long and short and recounting experiences you want to remember and those you want to forget is a tall task.

Recently, we had our final seniorfreshman joint advocacy meeting and the seniors were asked to bring a piece of advice. This request was especially hard because it required us seniors to do two things most very rarely do 1) read Ms. Chen’s emails and 2) actually do an assignment before the deadline. As ten freshman glanced around the room, waiting for someone to speak, I mulled over on my four years at Menlo.

What I ended up telling the freshmen was that Menlo is an exceptional place with exceptional opportunities for growth. I told them to challenge themselves and to not shy away from opportunities. I figure most of that sounded fairly shallow and cliched when I said it, considering I formulated it in my head about three seconds before it came out of my mouth. But as I thought about it more, I realize those somewhat empty words actually represented my experience here pretty well and are words I hope students here understand and take to heart.

As I entered high school, my only true passion was sports. When I idealized my high school career, I imagined running out on the basketball court with my teammates or pitching in baseball games. The last place I thought I would have found myself would be on stage at the dance concert “dancing” to Bruno Mars in my boxers. I never thought I would have the courage to sing in the chorus or make an announcement at assembly. My freshman self would have doubted my ability to write a research paper that was coherent in any sense of the word or find the volume of a random shape rotated in space or analyze and write about a document I had never seen before in less than 45 minutes.

Dear Menlo...

All the things I just mentioned represent opportunities you (the students) have the ability to take advantage of at Menlo. And along every step of the way, there are mentors who are more than willing to help you. I’m incredibly grateful for the way Ms. Sincoff made our English class ask questions about documents to understand them and the patience Jan had while she watched me flub another dance move, my feet and arms flying about incongruously like a six-year-old trying to swim for the first time. Obviously, there is going to be adversity along the way, but with the strong support system we have here, there will come a time where you’ll be doing something you previously thought was impossible, and you won’t even be thinking about it.

Additionally (and not even tangentially-- this is something I just wanted to mention in this piece regardless of what else is in it) I’m very proud of the direction Menlo is going in. I think we’re having more mature conversations as a school, from Community Circle to advocacy. The school is becoming a more welcoming place for students of all different backgrounds, identities, and realities. And maybe it’s because of the maturing process, but I think the way my classmates interact with each other and talk about each other is more inclusive and friendly, which is due in part to the important macrodiscussions we have been having over the past year or so. My hope is that Menlo and its students continue to be more kind, more inclusive, and more welcoming as time progresses. This school belongs to each and everyone of us and no one should be meant to feel like they are just passing through.

Menlo is an exceptional place to engage, to learn, and to grow and everyone here has the agency to do so. Don’t just go through the motions. Find your passions and stretch yourself, and you will be rewarded.

– Davis Rich