The Coat of Arms Issue 44.6

The Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms

serving Menlo's upper school since 1975

Menlo encourages youth voting

by CAROLINE FRANTZ

Menlo organizes student voter registration and pre-registration during lunch and class meeting

Within the last month, Menlo Student Council and the administration have organized opportunities for students ages 16 and 17 to pre register to vote.

Some students felt inspired to pre register, because they want to have an impact on the U.S. elections, and care strongly about their outcome. “Teenagers don’t vote and aren’t represented [in U.S. elections], which would change the vote dramatically,” senior Parker Callender said. “In turn, I think students who are passionate about their beliefs don’t want to sit idly by and be another example of someone that has views but fails to be heard because they decided not to vote.”

Junior Beth Sanford gave a similar sentiment. “It’s important for teenagers to be in tune to politics because we are [the] future of the country,” Sanford said. “Teenagers should get involved, and make change early on.”

Students wanted to be prepared to

vote when they turn 18. “Because I preregistered, I’ll be ready to vote in the next November election even though my birthday is only right before it,” junior Conor McCusker said. “If I didn’t pre register I wouldn’t be able to vote in that election.”

Others feel that pre registering, and ultimately being registered, allows teenagers to better understand the voting system and its power. “It’s important for kids to pre-register because it makes them think about elections and better understand their government at a young age,” junior Miles Dorosin said.

In addition to setting up a pre-registering table in the student center during lunch, on Mar. 14 Senior Class Dean Cathy Chen asked all seniors to register to vote during their class meeting. Menlo wants to emphasize that students can and should vote to make a difference in U.S. politics.

What would we do if a shooter came to campus?

Following up on Menlo's procedure for an active shooter on campus

by CLARA GUTHRIE

Following the center spread in the March 15 issue of The Coat of Arms on gun control, Director of Security Tom Hitchcock answered lingering questions about Menlo’s process to stay safe in the case of a school shooter.

A major question surrounding the current lockdown procedure is what to do if the entire upper school, or simply the entire school, is in an assembly when the lockdown begins. In this scenario, students should file into the two downstairs upper school or middle school locker rooms, trying to fit as many people safely inside as possible.

“Assemblies are problematic. The locker rooms [can be locked with] Columbine keys, but confusion would reign as everyone tries to funnel into them,” Hitchcock said. People could also flee the gym in the opposite direction of the shooter, if the shooter’s path is known.

A similar issue arises when a lockdown occurs during a lunch period or break time, such as tutorial. The main problem here is that students do not have Columbine keys to lock any classroom when

the teacher is not present. “These times require improvisation,” Hitchcock said.

In a previous year, there was a situation like this when a lockdown drill occurred during lunch. Hitchcock noted the creativity and teamwork he witnessed among the student body during the drill. “Some [students] piled desks, chairs, etc. in front of doors. Boys in the restroom made a mass block with their bodies holding the door closed,” Hitchcock said.

If students are in the college counseling building during a lockdown, they should hide in any of the offices, avoiding the exposed glass front of the building, because all offices can be locked with a Columbine key. According to Hitchcock, the safest office to hide in is the one farthest from the front door of the building.

If an upper school student is caught on the middle school

campus during a lockdown or drill, or vice versa, Hitchcock said the procedure is consistent between the two campuses. The main difference is that there is more glass in the middle school, so the procedure involves closing the blinds, turning off the lights, and hiding.

One major change Hitchcock made to the lockdown procedure when he came to Menlo is that he added a layer of security film on all windows on campus so that no one can bust through a window. Without the film, someone could’ve shattered a window entirely with one hit. Now, if a bullet were to hit the window, it would only make one hole.

Most Menlo students feel reasonably safe with the current lockdown procedure; however, some students still feel hesitation. “The lockdowns when the teachers don’t know, I never feel safe during

those. I need to know [that] it’s a drill to feel safe,” junior Beth Sanford said.

Menlo’s lockdown procedure is continually examined and assessed for productivity and safety, with new improvements underway. “We are expanding the methods to activate the [lockdown] system,” Hitchcock said. As mentioned in the previous story on the lockdown procedure, Menlo is interested in a system called One Button Lockdown that could improve the way in which lockdowns are announced and implemented.

Most importantly, Hitchcock wanted students to know that he continually monitors school shootings and terrorist attacks to look for trends. By getting in front of the issue, he can be better prepared to keep Menlo safe.

AHEAD

April 28:

Prom

Put on your fanciest clothes and get ready for Prom! This year's prom will be held on a boat, and students must meet at Menlo for a 5:30 departure.

May 3:

Seniors' Last Day

Seniors will finish their last day of classes on May 3rd and begin working on their senior projects.

May 7 - 18

AP Tests

For these two consecutive weeks, AP exams will be held at Menlo. There will be morning exams and afternoon exams.

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What are private school students’ First Amendment rights?

In light of recent student activism, most notably at the National School Walkout on March 14, it is particularly important for students to be aware of their rights in free speech and press. There is additional benefit to knowing how student rights at Menlo compare to surrounding public schools.

The First Amendment guarantees the rights to freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and speech, freedom of religion and freedom to

protest. But many are unaware of how this amendment applies to students at Menlo.

In our state, there are legal protections for student expression. California Education Code Section 48907, passed in 1977, gives students in public schools First Amendment rights.

But that’s public schools. Fortunately, California Education Code Section 48950, known as the Leonard Law and passed in 1992, gave

The caterpillars crawl back on campus

by KATE JEFFRIES

As a member of the Menlo community, it is highly likely that you have had at least one encounter with the colorful, furry oak-tree caterpillars.

Stanford University Grounds Manager, Herb Fong, who has studied the caterpillars, described the insects. “[They are] fuzzy, inch-long caterpillars with black antennae and usually [have about] four cream or yellow dots on their backs,” Fong said. The technical name for the abundant critters are the Tussock Moth as the caterpillars eventually turn into moths. While there are two species of the Tussock Moth in Southern California, only one is present in Northern California and can be found on the Upper School quad during the month of April and into the first few weeks of May.

Coast Live Oak trees and Valley Oak trees are a native species in the greater Menlo Park and Atherton area, and are highly prone to pests and disease. The oak tree caterpillars are one of the many insects that feed on these oak trees, yet they also

dine on manzanita and other foliage. Although natural predators of the oak tree caterpillars mostly keep the population under control, the caterpillar population remains prominent and at times unavoidable to Menlo Upper School students due to the large oak trees in the quad space. However, some find the caterpillars to be more than just a slight inconvenience to their day. Certain students are more sensitive to the caterpillars than others and can get rashes from direct contact with them. The red and sometimes swollen, speckled rashes are a common reaction to the hairs on the oak tree caterpillars. However, this reaction is more often seen in younger children since the caterpillars frequently crawl on play structures at preschools and elementary schools in the Menlo Park area.

If you should come into contact with one of these caterpillars, first remove it from your body without using your hands because contaminating your hands could lead to the rashes spreading. To prevent a rash after direct contact with an oak tree caterpillar, it is helpful to put tape on the area and then quickly remove the tape. This process helps remove the hairs the caterpillar could have left on your skin. Since the hairs cause irritation to the skin, removing the hairs prevents the rash from increasing in severity and pain and might even prevent the rash completely.

California private school and university students the same rights as public school students. This means that private institutions can not infringe on a student’s First Amendment rights, and “protected speech” voiced by private school students cannot be a cause of punishment.

Protected speech includes anything except some rare categories like libel, slander, threats, obscenity, inciting violence or law breaking. The details of these laws are complex and important.

The legislative history of the law says: “It is the intent of the Legislature that a student shall have the same right to exercise his or her right to free speech on campus as he or she enjoys when off campus.”

So if an administration in California wishes to censor its student body, it must decide if the suppression is important enough to them to remain unaffected by legal action allowed under the Leonard Law.

In our state, the Leonard Law prohibits administrators for punishing expression that would be protected by the First Amendment outside of school.

The Leonard Law came about because of a Stanford University policy prohibiting what is known today as hate speech. While hate speech is

despicable to most Americans, it is protected by the First Amendment. This creates some very complicated challenges for any institution or publication: on the one hand, Menlo has clear values that promote ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion. But we also value diverse student voices. The big challenges come at the intersection of these values.

The school’s Student and Parent Handbook states, “Any behavior that denigrates or insults another student or detracts in any manner from others’ ability and opportunity to learn is not acceptable.” So some legally protected speech violates school policies and values. Most would agree that not everything that is legal is ethical or desirable.

In addition, public and political pressure can often lessen the administration’s desire to censor the student’s voice, especially if the censorship could cause bad publicity for the school, according to Student Press Law Center.

In a time of charged political turmoil and constant debate, students in California are lucky to have the ability to express themselves freely. Only one other state, Rhode Island, gives private school students the rights that we enjoy.

IP programs expand the humanities options

by ABBY WOLFENDEN

Recently, Menlo has developed an Interdisciplinary and Personalized Scholars (IP) Program for students to challenge themselves during their junior and senior years. The IP program offers students an alternative way to engage in rigorous courses at Menlo without taking an honors or AP class.

The program is individualized for each student, depending on the field of study they wish to pursue. There are a wide variety of courses within three areas of study, including Arts and Letters Scholars, Citizenship and Leadership Scholars and Global Scholars. Menlo hopes to offer more areas of study in the future, as the IP program is all about personal interest and finding coursework that is fine tuned to a student’s passions.

The Arts and Letters IP Scholar program is primarily focused on creativity and the arts through a historical lense, while simultaneously creating and producing original work. The Citizenship and Leadership Scholar program is more focused on modern issues and finding solutions to those issues. Lastly, the Global Scholar program, which already exists, is intended to help provide students with a better perspec-

tive of the world.

The IP program includes prerequisite coursework, school-related activities that enhance their study, a capstone class and a final project such as a research paper, presentation or film. For example, if a student was interested in the Citizenship and Leadership Scholars, they could take Philosophy and Critical Analysis while also participating in a major service project. For their final project, they could write a research paper. Experiencing a variety of classes within a field of study will help students to engage in interdisciplinary learning.

The IP program will help students with specific academic interests connect different classes and activities over the year. These connections will culminate in a final project that can take various forms, depending on a student’s classes and interests. This freedom allows students to be creative in how they approach a final project. All in all, the IP program at Menlo will help students become more well rounded seekers of knowledge, while simultaneously allowing them to pursue subjects they are interested in.

“The Neighborhood” houses Menlo’s math tribe

by EVA HERR

Burrowed in Mr. Thibodeaux room, one of the library’s second story classrooms, lives The Neighborhood. Comprised of science and math oriented students, this tribe meets up during most breaks in the day; some students even come in between classes. After 42 years of teaching at Menlo, Michael Thibodeaux has seen many generations of The Neighborhood and uses the word “nerds” proudly to describe his group.

The club started when students who all had a shared STEM interest began gathering in Thibodeaux’s room. “Initially, [The Neighborhood] was a place for kids who liked math, science and computers and there wasn’t another place on campus, so this became the place to be,” Thibodeaux said.

While there is no official Neighborhood meeting time, tens of students will congregate throughout the day in Thibodeaux’s room to chat and eat the chocolate he keeps stowed in the mini refrigerator. “A priority of ours is to spread the joy of learning everywhere so we talk about many things like politics, math, basically anything, including gossip sometimes, anything but sports,” junior Joseph Ma said.

There is an official math club that meets Fridays during lunch in Thibodeaux’s room in which many

of the same students attend. As Menlo’s only competitive math club, they participate in around 20 competitions throughout the year.

The name “The Neighborhood” was coined by Menlo alumni, John Earl, who is a Menlo graduate that now studies at Oxford. “It’s a mathematical pun; The Neighborhood is a math set. “It was named because of that classic nerd humor, ‘I get it but you don’t get it,’” Thibodeaux said.

Most students say they initially learned about The Neighborhood from a friend or because they were taking a class in Thibodeaux’s room, but for some, the tradition was passed down from family members.

“My brother used to come here and said, ‘The Neighborhood is really cool’” senior Hwai Liang Tung said.

The Neighborhood has not only passed through families, but it has also been around for over 20 years. “Over the years we have tried to be a place where people were proud to be smart or to have a passion about something,” Thibodeaux said. “It might be something weird like inventing your own language. We had a girl spend pretty much her entire four years in this room and all she cared about was inventing alternate languages.” While Thibodeaux describes the group as having science and math passions, he says that The Neighborhood welcomes all types

of students. “We have had artists, singers, dancers, writers and people who are not really interested in science but we try to be a welcoming place,” he said.

The Neighborhood is a group older than all students, and has a strong bond beyond Menlo. “[The students] very much keep in touch and we even had a Neighborhood reunion a couple years ago and 50 people came back, so we stay pretty close and it’s one of the pleasures of working here,” Thibodeaux said. “Every month there are always several [students] that come back; it’s been very wonderful to have everyone part of the greater Neighborhood. There is even one group based in Seattle that comes to visit me every year.”

Many students that are members of The Neighborhood also express their connection to their fellow peers. “This is where I spend all my time when I am not in class because it’s where my friends are and where the stuff I like to do happens. It’s the community I feel most attached to at Menlo,” senior Sebastien Abadi said.

To commemorate past Neighborhood members and keep the tradition going, Thibodeaux keeps photos up of students who won the “Nerd of the Month” award, many of the posters dating back to the early 2000s. “By putting up all of the Nerds of the Month, people come back to admire them. It gives them a kind of immortality that they live on in Menlo tradition,” Thibodeaux said.

New guide-dogs-in-training grace the Menlo campus

by SHELBY RENDE

Since their freshman year, sophomores Hailey Tsuda and Michelle Louie have been in the process of training service dogs on the Menlo campus. Although Louie works for Canine Companions for Independence and Tsuda for Guide Dogs for the Blind, they have a similar mission to socialize the dogs to the outside world. “Our biggest job is to shape their temperament so they can become service dogs who don’t

react to other dogs, weird noises and any other unusual thing that they may encounter while they are working,” Tsuda said.

Both Tsuda and Louie have been doing their programs for seven and four years, respectively. Louie got involved because of her mom, who raised a dog for Guide Dogs for the Blind when she was in high school. Similarly, Tsuda got involved because of her mom, but fell in love with the program after joining. “We got our first puppy Dara thinking we would raise one puppy and be done, but less then two weeks after we turned her in for recall we went and picked up another puppy to raise,” Tsuda said.

Both girls take the dogs to classes outside of school where they train and socialize with other people in the program. Along with these weekly classes, the dogs go through a testing process when the girls are finished training them to test if they are right to be a service dog. “If the dogs have a good temperament, the rest of the true training can be taught easily, some of the things we try to shape in our dogs are self control and confidence so they can work through anything that is thrown at them,” Tsuda said.

Louie and Tsuda have both gone through the entire process, from get-

ting the dog, to sending them away to be a service dog. Louie’s last dog, Dion, who she brought to school with her last year and the beginning of this year, passed the test and is in advanced training currently. Dion will likely get matched with someone who needs her in late April this year.

In order to take the dogs to school, Tsuda and Louie have to plan ahead to work around tests and labs. Louie has been taking her ten month old puppy, Nautica, to school with her recently. “So far I have just brought Nautica for half days at school (and had my mom pick her up [and] drop her off) since she’s still young,” Louie said. Louie also noted that her and Tsuda have access to dog crates in Head Librarian Cathy Rettberg ‘sand Associate Admissions Director Cindy Lapolla’s offices during the day if they can’t take the dogs to a class.

Louie and Tsuda are both constantly training the dogs all day at school. “I am [always] rewarding them for calm behavior and for just being a good pupper,” Tsuda said. During the day, Tsuda tries to use Student Life and lunch to play with her dog in order to make them tired for her next class. “During lunch we always take off their vests so they have a chance to be a normal dog

and so other people

Random Student Profile: Declan Stanton

CoA: If you didn’t have to sleep what would you do with the extra time?

DS: Um… I would probably watch car shows.

CoA: When was the last time you climbed a tree?

DS: When I was in sixth grade… wait no… seventh grade.

CoA: Do you remember what kind of tree it was?

DS: I climbed a pine tree and I just sat on the branch and threw pine cones at my dog.

CoA: If you had to be one age for the rest of your life what would you be?

DS: I would probably be 22 because that’s when you are treated like an adult and get to do all the adult things but you also have youth

CoA: How often do you people watch?

DS: Probably twice a week

CoA: What trend do you hope makes a comeback and why?

DS: I hope velcro makes a comeback. I think people can swag out with velcro.

CoA: What is your biggest fear?

DS: My biggest fear is sleep walking and getting really far away from my

house and not knowing where I am.

CoA: If you had a personal flag what would you put on it?

DS: My dog’s face on the front … oh wait I would have my dog riding a skateboard and then myself in the background wearing my white overalls and my red bucket hat doing a cool pose behind him.

CoA: Do you own white overalls and a red bucket hat?

DS: I do. I will wear them on Thursday.

CoA: Is water wet?

DS: See it depends on if the water is by itself or if it surrounded by other water molecules.

CoA: So a group of water molecules would be wet?

DS: Yes. However, the actual water molecule is not wet so I’m going to say water is not wet.

CoA: Is cereal a soup?

DS: Yes.

CoA: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

DS: Yes. No question a hot dog is a sandwich, it’s just called a hot dog.

CoA: If you had to pick a new first name what would it be?

DS: Ricardo since it sounds fast and I’m slow.

CoA: What is the meaning of life?

DS: I see it as survival. So I guess the meaning of life is experiencing everything to survive.

Walter Li: A painting prodigy

by BROOKE HODGE

Junior Walter Li is the male Artist of the Issue due to his incredible artistic talent and passion for art both in and outside of Menlo. Li tries many different styles of art and never limits himself to one specific approach. However, he tends to work best with black and white mediums, as well as using graphite and oil paints.

Li has an abundance of graphite drawings but has only recently explored various different kinds of artistic styles. “The ability to create something that wasn’t there before is the most exciting aspect about [art],” Li said. “I think it’s a very creative area and allows a lot of flexibility, [...] just creating something new is a really cool opportunity.”

Li’s interest in art began when he was in kindergarten, and his creative abilities now lead him to wanting to do something that allows him to be creative and continue design in the future. “I think the skills from art can transfer to a lot of different fields with the ability to be creative, the ability to think of something new,” Li said.

Though Li has had a great interest in art for a long time, he only got really serious with it during his sophomore year. The most exciting thing for him to draw or paint is humans, which he has done a lot of in his Menlo art classes. Outside of Menlo, he has been taking art lessons in Palo Alto since the age of 9.

“[My teacher] is very traditional so she’s taught me the fundamentals, but more creatively I’ve learned a lot from Nina here [at Menlo],” Li said. Additionally, Li participated in the RISD art program during this past summer, which showed him the various ways that art can be created, as well as providing an extremely creative environment with a diverse group of artists. “[One] example [was] in [my] drawing class [where] I was introduced to techniques I never knew were possible, like charcoal with water and ink washes, and it definitely expanded my horizons on different ways the approach art,” Li said.

Li’s artistic knowledge and skills have helped him learn a lot in the arts at Menlo as he continues to explore new techniques and artistic styles and further broaden his knowledge.

Ariana Carranza leads Knight Life

by VIONNA ESHGHI

Senior Ariana Carranza is the female Artist of the Issue due to her outstanding effort in the Menlo dance program the past four years. Ariana Carranza has been a member of Knight Life since freshman year and has been co-captain her junior and senior year. She has been dancing since she was little. “I grew up watching Britney Spears videos and concerts, learning all her dances and performing them in my room. For years I’ve learned how to dance through watching others,” Carranza said.

Carranza said that before high school she hadn’t met others who shared her passion for dance. “That’s why Knight Life means so much to me. It was the first time I had actual dance classes and was surrounded by such wonderful people who loved dancing just like I did,” Carranza said.

Carranza said that though her parents are her general inspirations, in dance, she is inspired by Bibi and Lolo who are her teachers and coaches in Knight Life. “They’ve helped me out so much and believed in me before I believed in myself and they mean a lot to me,” she said. Carranza says she is also inspired by Aliya Janell who is a dancer on Youtube.

Carranza says that her favorite performance she took part in at menlo was “Partition.” “I learned it my freshman year and not only is the choreography super fun, sexy and sassy, but I also really loved it because it taught me to get out of my comfort zone,” she said.

Carranza said that Lolo, her dance teacher, wanted someone to start the dance while everyone was off stage and “be the Beyonce.” Carranza said that everyone raised their hand for the part except for her. “However, [Lolo] asked me to do it and it was probably

one of the best experiences and it really boosted up my confidence,” said Carranza.

After four years, Carranza says that she has enjoyed every experience in Knight Life. But she says if she had to pick her favorite experience, it would be the performances at FBC which is a show she did her sophomore and junior year with Knight Life. “We were amongst such amazing and talented crews and people and it was truly memorable and and honor to have been in the same show as them. I was so nervous but we all had a lot of fun,” Carranza said.

Although Carranza doesn’t think she will seek a profession in dance, she will continue dancing in the future. “It is something that I will never forget about and something that I will always make time for. I hope to always take some classes here and there and to be involved in it somehow,” Carranza said.

On the Quad: Who was your first celebrity crush?

“Chase from Zoey 101.” -Taylor Gould

“Zendaya from her Shake It Up days.”

-Katie

“JB or Zac Efron. JB because of the hair flip and Zac Efron because of High School Musical”

‘21

-Tatum Constant

Gillian’s Cooking Column: Oreo Blondies

For my final cooking column, I thought I would share my most well-known and well-liked recipe, Oreo Blondies. I could think of no recipe that better celebrates my time in high school as I have made these for my friends before every dance and for my advocacy on countless occasions. To say that this recipe holds a lot of my best memories would be an understatement. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have and thanks for reading all of my cooking column. I have loved sharing my favorite thing to do with all of you.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

16 oreos (I use double stuff)

Prom Tips!

by ABBY WOLFENDEN

Prom is a very exciting time for upperclassmen-- from the Promposals, to the decorations, to the dance itself. However, Prom can also be expensive and stressful for some Menlo students. Here are some tips for easing the cost and stress associated with Prom.

If you want to wear a dress...

For some people, one of the most important aspects of Prom is the dress, but don’t feel pressured to wear something super expensive or elaborate. There are plenty of affordable places to purchase Prom dresses, including Lulu’s, Nordstrom Rack and even Amazon! As for shoes, don’t stress too much. Most Prom dresses are long, so you can’t even see your shoes. Some girls even opt to wear sneakers or slippers instead of uncomfortable heels.

If you want to wear a tuxedo...

Prom is a little different from semi, in that tuxedos are often worn instead of suits. These can be rented at Jos A. Bank or Men’s Wearhouse, among other places. If you plan on wearing a crazy tux, ask your date first. It’s probably not a good idea to

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and creamy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and continue mixing.

3. Add dry pudding mix and mix until light and fluffy.

4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until well combined (it should be thick like cookie dough).

5. Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and Oreo pieces. (If you’re using a stand mixer you can just put the cookies in whole and they will break up).

6. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and pour in batter.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes but DO NOT OVER BAKE the center should be set but still gooey.

surprise them with a polka suit the day of.

How to ask...

If you have a friend you want to go with, ask them! Sometimes Promposals can be intimidating, since people feel the need to be super elaborate. Don’t feel pressured to do something super fancy. Whoever you plan on asking will be happy you asked them no matter how you do it. And if someone does ask you, make sure you offer to pay for your pwn ticket, since they tend be expensive.

Before Prom...

It’s custom at Menlo to attend some kind of pre-party, where dates often exchange corsages and boutonnieres. Putting on a boutonniere is no easy feat, which is why magnetic boutonnieres are a great option. You can buy them at Blooming Vase and Michael’s. If cost is an issue, you can make your own boutonniere. Some seniors last year even decided to sell the boutonnieres they made for low prices. All you need is a flower, some tape or ribbon, scissors and a pin.

Final tips:

Don’t forget your corsage in the fridge! Also be sure to take motion sickness medicine prior to the boat ride so you don’t get seasick!

Whatever your Prom plans are… whether you have a date or are going with friends or are flying solo, whether you are wearing a dress or a tuxedo or anything in between, you are guaranteed to have a memorable night!

1. Watch NBA/NHL playoffs. 2. Bring spikeball back to the quad. 3. Tapé.

4. Support CCS teams. 5. BBQs. 6. Go to the beach. 7. Hike. 8. Take allergy medicine. 9. Lounge on the quad. 10. Go swimming.

Be a tourist in your own city

by ABBY WOLFENDEN

Menlo students and faculty members alike are very fortunate to live in the Bay Area. In fact, most of us live under an hour’s drive from San Francisco, one of the most visited cities in the United States. Despite our proximity to San Francisco, many of us don’t get the chance to act as tourists in our own city until adulthood. San Francisco is a beautiful city with many hidden gems. Menlo students can enjoy adventures in the city over the weekend, during breaks from school and over the summer. Here are some of the coolest sites to see in San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the pinnacles of San Francisco, and people from all over the world come to see this architectural masterpiece. One of the best ways to enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge is to bike over the bridge from the San Francisco side to the Marin side. Not only will you have amazing views of the bridge, city and the bay, but you’ll also get a nice workout in.

You can’t go to Pier 39 without getting

a trademark

is a super fun place to hang out with friends and eat great food. It is also known for its seals, and there is

a great viewing point where you can witness them in action. If you want to fill your day at Pier 39, the aquarium and the arcade are great places to go. Once you’re done with your activities, shopping or lunch is always a great option. You won’t want to miss out on Guardino’s lobster rolls. Lobster and crab are native to San Francisco, and they are often caught the same day you eat them!

Crissy Field and the Presidio

If you love picnicking and the beach, Crissy Field is the place to go. With a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field will not disappoint. Formerly a U.S. Army airfield, Crissy Field is also a part of the historic Presidio district. The Presidio offers a great space for outdoor recreation as well as amazing restaurants like the Presidio Social Club.

The Mission District

The Mission District is one of the most diverse districts in San Francisco, with tons of activities to try. Perhaps the most notable feature of the Mission District is the wide array of murals and artwork. The Mission offers tours of all the most famous murals including those on the Balmy and Clarion alleyways. These tours will provide the history of the Mission District, graffiti artwork, and the messages behind the murals, which were often created to express cultural heritage or political statements. Beyond the murals, the Mission District is also home to some of the best, most authentic taquerías in San Francisco.

Senioritis Promposals

May Term

If you want dessert after your Mexican food, Humphry Slocombe’s Secret Breakfast ice cream is some of the best ever.

Lombard Street

The most crooked street in the world is right here in San Francisco! Lombard Street is known for its eight sharp turns in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Each day, cars line up to go down the street, though you can also walk on the sidewalks. Lombard Street is also a minute’s drive to Filbert Street, the steepest street in San Francisco. Both have great views of the city and the bay.

Alcatraz Island

Many people know of Alcatraz Island, but few have actually been there. Alcatraz Island was once a daunting federal prison, known for housing infamous inmates such as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Now, it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are ferries that can take you to Alcatraz for a tour of the prison and the island. A day on Alcatraz Island is not only an interesting history lesson, but also a fun adventure.

Chinatown

Many big cities throughout the United States have Chinatowns, but San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest one in North America. If you’re a history buff, you’ll definitely want to check out the Chinese Historical Society. This museum details the history of Chinese Exclusion in San Francisco during the late 1800s to early 1900s. This was a major discriminatory issue that lasted for decades in San Francisco; Chinatown provided a safe haven for people of Chinese descent to live and work. Today’s Chinatown is an excellent place for shopping and browsing markets. It also has amazing Chinese street food, such as pork buns and deep-fried scallion pancakes. You won’t want to miss out on Chinatown’s vibrant culture!

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How to Stay Safe Against Hacking

by Clara Guthrie

During the controversial 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook allowed personal information from 50 million of its users to be accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm associated with the Trump Campaign. According to Vox, Cambridge Analytica built a Facebook quiz that took advantages of a loophole in the social media platform’s API (application programming interface) so that the quiz data was accessible to them. In the wake of such a scandal, leaving countless American Facebook users feeling unsafe, here is how to stay safe against hacking.

First of all, check your social media privacy settings, most likely under the security tab of your settings, and make

sure they are as secure as they can be. Technically, according to Vox, Cambridge Analytica did not hack Facebook; they merely realized that third-parties could access seemingly private user data. Hence, it is in everyone’s best interest to tighten up their social media settings for a safer online environment.

On a similar note, it is important for everyone to recognize and understand that it will never be truly safe to put personal information onto a social media website. That information may never actually be erased from the ever-growing internet.

Social media users should also monitor the third-party applications attached to any given platform. For example, according to Inquirer. net, Twitter was hacked

in 2017 through Twitter Counter, an additional application that tracked account statistics, which gave hackers an easy entry point to the entire social media platform.

Lastly, everyone can practice simple online safety techniques, such as using different passwords for different accounts or implementing a two-step authentication process to login.

In short, everyone should privatize their social media settings, be aware of third-party applications and generally practice healthy social media techniques. In today’s day and age, social media is almost irresistible, but it is imperative that everyone know the true cost of such platforms and how to keep themselves safe.

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Social Media in College Admissions

by Caroline Frantz

With the dramatic increase in social media use among teenagers and youth, the impact of social media profiles in the college admissions process has recently been called to attention.

Based on a survey cited by CNN and performed by Kaplan Test Prep, a test prep service company, 47 percent of college admissions officers who responded to the study said that social media had a positive impact on an acceptance decision, and 42 percent reported a negative impact on a students file. Mostly these profiles have a positive impact because it shows aspects of students that the admissions officers would not know otherwise.

In addition, CNN reported that admissions officers are more likely to look at an applicant’s so-

cial media account if they put it in their application. They tend not to seek their profiles out individually since it takes too much time. Matt Mettille, the Head of the College Counseling Department at Menlo, agrees that it is unlikely an admissions officer will look at each applicant’s social media. “Boston University for example, gets over 60,000 applicants, and their total undergrad enrollment is less than 20,000,” Mettille said. “There is no way their officers can check all those social media accounts.”

A recent, well known example of social media negatively impacting applicants occured last summer. In June of 2017, Harvard rescinded at least 10 acceptances as a result of inappropriate social media use in the

incoming freshman class Facebook group. Some of these inappropriate posts included memes about sexual assault and other very controversial topics. Even after a student is accepted into a university, that school still reserves the right to reject a student in the case of inappropriate behavior.

The Menlo College Counseling Department encourages Menlo students to behave well on social media, but also to be themselves and to use social media as a place to express themselves.

“Menlo students should keep things private, and only share posts that they would feel comfortable sharing with a teacher or a parent,” Mettille said.

“Students should show good judgement [on social media].”

From the editor in chief

by KAITLYN TOM

When I joined The Coat of Arms as a freshman, I had no idea that I would spend the next four years defending my stories when not just students, but teachers, found a fault in either what I had written or edited. I had no idea that my next four years would involve meetings with the administration and constantly reminding my peers that The Coat of Arms isn’t on anyone’s “side”; we’re not pawns of the administration.

This final letter from the editor is supposed to be a musing on my most important takeaway from working on this paper, and I have to be honest, it’s difficult to write something that doesn’t sound generic or repeat the same themes. During my time on this paper, I’ve learned to go out of my way to report on things I know nothing about. I’ve learned the importance of making friends with people I’d normally never talk to. I’ve also learned the reward that comes with commitment. But perhaps the biggest lesson that I’ve learned from being part of this publication is not to step outside of my comfort zone, make new friends or commit myself to an activity, but it’s that if I expect to be treated as an adult, I need to act like one.

When playing on a high school sports team or being in a high school production, no one expects you to perform at a professional level. If a soccer player misses the goal during a playoff game, they might get some flack from their teammates, but their coaches will tell them encouraging messages, urging them to keep on trying and not let this one small mistake prevent them from larger success. Being a student journalist though, we don’t get those kind of excuses. If we make a mistake, we can’t tell ourselves that it’s okay since we’re only student journalists without a degree in neither English nor Journalism; most of us barely have three years of meager journalism training. If we publish a wrong headline, we get nasty comments on our website and the occasional snide remarks on our social media pages. When we make a mistake, people notice and they point out that we’re wrong, rightfully so. We become blacklisted in their eyes, the hallmark of fake news, never to be trusted again.

For a long time, I thought that this was unfair. It was unfair to me that I had to be held to the standard of veteran journalists who majored in journalism at accredited universities. It was unfair to me that teachers made me upset not because of a bad grade, but because of their hurtful remarks on social media. It was unfair to me that I was just trying something out but being attacked for not being professional enough.

It wasn’t until this year that I realized how hypocritical my thoughts were. Since I’ve become a teenager, I’ve wanted to be treated like an adult. Now, I was being tested by trial by fire. I couldn’t complain because I was getting exactly what I had wanted. Not having any excuses to fall back on for not doing a good job used to be unfair to me, but now it pushes me to work harder.

Leaving The Coat of Arms, I’m glad that I’ve had to face the problems that have come my way. While these problems were monolithic at times, I see them as character-building tests where I was asked to step up and did just that. As a publication, we’ve made mistakes and as an individual, I’ve made the wrong call on some tough decisions. I regret those mistakes but I’m not upset that I made them — they taught me to be in charge of my own work and take pride in what I produce.

Social media’s harmful effects

Social media companies are profiting from exploiting vulnerabilities in human psychology. To get users to spend the maximum amount of time on their platforms, social media giants such as Facebook and Snapchat have designed features that cause users to temporarily feel good; and their techniques are incredibly effective. According to Sean Parker, former president of Facebook, receiving likes, messages and comments, and constantly being updated with new things to see, watch and view, all cause the brain to release dopamine, a chemical that triggers a feeling of reward, making the platforms that billions use daily addictive in varying degrees. As a result, the average internet user spends over two hours daily on social media.

It is clear that social media can be used in positive ways: staying in touch with friends and family who live far away, communicating with people around the world, spreading awareness about a cause, entertainment, and even meeting new people, to name a few. The problem is that major social media companies are extremely successful in their strategies to get users to spend time on their platforms, and it seems that much of the time spent on social media is at the very least a waste for the user, if not harmful to them.

by ELISABETH WESTERMANN

Facebook recently admitted that mindlessly spending time on their platforms, which include Instagram, can harm users’ mental health: “When people spend [...] time passively consuming information — reading but not interacting with people — they report feeling worse afterward [...] A study from UC San Diego and Yale found that people who clicked on about four times as many links as the average person, or who liked twice as many posts,

It is time for students to become more educated about the social media platforms we use daily.

reported worse mental health than average,” two Facebook research scientists wrote in a blog post on the Facebook newsroom website. Other studies have been linking social media to increasing rates in depression and anxiety among teens. Psychologists have also linked social media use to anxiety, insecurity, and poor self-esteem in

adolescents.

I am the first to recognize that I spend too much time on social media. I think it is safe to say that it’s a problem that many of us suffer from. Thanks to its accessibility and an endless stream of information tailored to our interests, social media is a reliable, convenient, and often times irresistible source of entertainment. It has become second nature for many of us to pick up our phones whenever we feel bored, want to procrastinate or have time to fill, but it’s a habit we should think twice about, given the harmful effects on our mental health and the time it takes away from more valuable activities.

It is time for students to become more educated about the social media platforms we use daily. In order to use social media in ways that are healthy and beneficial, it is critical to understand how platforms are designed, and the different ways in which using social media can be positive, and the ways in which it is undoubtedly harmful. It is also important to become conscious of the ways one uses social media and think about making changes if necessary. At the end of the day, social media will continue to play a major role in our lives, and it is up to each individual to ensure that it is helping, not hurting us.

Phone usage is a waste of time

According to a poll conducted by Common Sense Media in 2016, 78% of teenagers feel they need to check their phones hourly. Another 72% of teenagers feel the need to respond immediately to any notifications they receive on their phones. And 50% of teens say that they are genuinely addicted to their devices.

That scares me. Half of our entire generation is addicted to a small box of blue light that, although physically isolating them, makes them feel more connected to the world around them.

I’ll admit: I am very attached to my phone. I love to check Instagram and see the incredible lives it seems everyone else are living. I often find it difficult to let incoming texts pass me by without responding. And I almost always pull my phone out when I feel awkward or am alone in public. But recently, I have been trying to be more conscious about my phone usage and it’s become seemingly clear to me: the vast majority of time spent on your phone is time wasted.

The truth is, using your phone excessively can have detrimental effects on virtually every aspect of your life. According to Sleep. org, looking at your smartphone in the hours before you sleep suppresses melatonin, a hormone that should increase at night and help you sleep soundly. According to an interview with Jean Twenge, a psychology professor

by CLARA GUTHRIE

at San Diego State University, on NPR, this generation of teenagers is facing “the worst mental health crisis in decades” due to the patterns of loneliness caused by excessive phone usage. And according to a study done by

Half of our entire generation is addicted to a small box of blue light that, although physically isolating them, makes them feel more connected to the world around them.

Flurry, a digital analytics firm, smartphones are the biggest distraction and time-waster we have access to; the average American spends roughly 3 hours a day, amounting to almost one day per

week, on their phone. Statistics aside, I feel that it is apparent to almost anyone that phone usage has become overwhelming and is taking over society. How often do you walk down the street and see people walking while looking at their phones, oblivious to the world around them? How often do you sneak a peek at your phone during class or while driving because you just can’t wait? In fact, according to TeenSafe, 11 teens die every day due to texting while driving. How often do you pull out your phone at home or in public just because there seems to be nothing better to do?

The phone epidemic is undeniably real and we’re all victims of it, myself included. But, if we’re all more conscious of the time we spend looking at a small screen, I think we will see positive changes in our personal lives and in society as a whole. So look up, turn the phone off and do something productive with your day. You’ll thank yourself later.

The downsides of required community service

In the five years I have been at Menlo, I have been required to do some sort of community service ranging from one school day to 20 required hours. Recently, Menlo has also taken more initiatives to include community service into the curriculum, like replacing Knight School with May Term and making Senior Projects more community engagement based. In all of these changes, the one constant is the requirement to complete each of these projects for a certain amount of time in order to graduate.

At the top of the community and civic engagement page on the Menlo School website, it describes the purpose of community service as “[helping] students become ethical, responsible, and engaged members of ever-wider communities and [developing] a sense of commitment to purposes larger than themselves.” In an ideal world, students

by SHELBY RENDE

should learn these values and have a greater understanding of our community through the program, but since there are harsh requirements attached to the programs that are needed to graduate (20 hours or 10 credits), it takes away from the purpose of community service.

Volunteer work and community service should be voluntary, not required (like the word ‘volunteer’ suggests). When a requirement is made to graduate it becomes transactional and loses its value. The focus changes from helping the community to completing service hours in order to get an additional badge on your diploma or one more thing to include on college applications.

I, like many other students, am guilty of doing the minimum hours required just to satisfy a requirement. When I was actually doing the community service, I didn’t care much about what I was doing and I

The

just wanted to finish the project so I could get back to working on projects that interested me. I think admitting this can have the side effect of shame from friends and peers. I don’t want to shame the people that take advantage of the system because I don’t think the problem is the people, but the system itself. A community service program, like the one at Menlo, shouldn’t be required: when a task becomes required it is easy to lose sight of why the project started in the first place.

I think the best solution to the problem is to just not require outside-of-school community service as a part of the curriculum and hope that the Menlo community is responsible enough to go out and do community service voluntarily. Unfortunately, this most likely won’t work and students won’t do it. The best practical solution, in my opinion, is to have more personal-

Thought Bites:

subtle things that go through our minds

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You put things in a folder to keep them from getting folded

If I touch my phone in the right places a pizza will show up at my door

Assembly speakers need more variety

by CONNOR VAN LIGTEN

When conservative speaker Lanhee Chen came to our school, I was expecting to hate it. Given his political views, I thought I would disagree with most of his points. However, I was pleasantly surprised by his presentation. He eloquently answered many questions, providing a refreshing and interesting perspective on many political issues that I had not seen from previous Menlo speakers. From this, I believe that Menlo should make a

I would like to see more diverse speakers who talk about less common issues

bigger effort to draw from a bigger variety of viewpoints and speakers for assemblies.

A common complaint is that Menlo mostly invites liberal speakers to assemblies. Even though I am a liberal, I eventually grow tired of hearing similar viewpoints spouted at consecutive assemblies. I would honestly appreciate other perspectives on the subjects discussed be-

sides the generally liberal ones. For example, Lanhee Chen spoke on immigration in the sense that he wanted the U.S. to embrace immigration, but only legally. This was not a perspective I expected from a conservative speaker, but it helped to widen my view and check my own bias.

Beyond just political views, I think the topics discussed at assemblies are somewhat repetitive. I find that they are very often about: a) gender, b) immigration and refugees, or c) consent. I would like to see more diverse speakers who talk about less common issues that Menlo students may not generally be exposed to. It’s important to be exposed to stories of people who live radically different lives than us to help expand our understanding of society. Getting a larger view of the world could help to prevent Menlo Students from being stuck in only a bubble of their own experience.

Ultimately, I think Menlo should be more open when choosing assembly speakers. If we can get a larger variety of views, topics and backgrounds, it would make assemblies more engaging and informative and would help students and teachers gain a more nuanced impression of the world.

ized projects, more centered around what a student wants to work on. It could be similar to PACT but without all the requirements, and over all four years of high school instead of just senior year. If a student was working for a organization long term, students might be more inclined to continue working with the organization, even when they aren’t working with them for school.

Building relationships is one of the hardest parts of community service and with a four-year-long project it would give students the opportunity to create bonds and connections. If a new system was put in place that was more about a person’s interests and more in depth, I think students would get more out of the project and eventually end up being more “ethical, responsible and engaged members of ever-wider communities.”

Why do women’s pants have fake pockets but baby pants have real pockets?

“ ”

“ ”

Fried eggs and fried chicken are the same food just at different stages

Meaningful extracurriculars

by ELECTA NARASIN

We all know it is important to present your best self on a college application. As a senior who has just completed the process, I know this all too well. However, this does not mean that you should be participating in activities just so you can include them on the extracurricular section of the common application. Not only will you not enjoy the time you

Overall, extracurricular activities should only be participated in out of genuine interest and not solely to boost a resume.

spend doing these activities, but random acts of community service and shallow participation in sports will look disingenuous to many of the colleges you hope to be admitted to.

The primary motivation to participate in extracurricular activities should be to enjoy yourself or to better your community, not to better your chances at being accepted to a college or university. I am not saying that this cannot be a factor, because it of course can be, but it should not be the primary one.

Not only are you dulling your own application with a range of unconnected and sometimes false activities but you are affecting those who actually take part in those activities out of genuine interest. Not only are you clogging the programs and occasionally acting in a disrespectful way due to a lack of interest but you are making their real interest seem less important and meaningful.

This topic covers all extracurriculars but I think can be especially applied to community service. If you are only doing service to benefit your application you are not gaining anything from it and will not be able to fully help the cause you are intending to help.

Overall, extracurricular activities should only be participated in out of genuine interest and not solely to boost a resume.

Senseless Facts of the Issue

#1: The first oranges weren’t orange. They were green.

#2: Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

#3: Armadillo shells are bullet proof.

#4: The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.

#5: No number before 1,000 has the letter A in it.

#6: The # symbol was not originally known as hashtag or pound. It was called an octothorpe.

by KATE HAMMOND

Dancing competitively outside of school is as demanding and athletically challenging as a varsity level sport, yet it does not fulfill my physical education requirements to graduate. Menlo’s graduation requirement includes completing four semesters of physical education. Every freshman will receive one semester of PE credit from the Wellness component of the Freshmen Seminar rotation, and the other three credits must be fulfilled by Menlo sports, working out in the gym, doing a yoga class, taking a Menlo dance class (that is not counting towards an art credit), or trying to cre-

For the rest of us who do competitive sports outside of school or simply have other interests, this requirement is difficult to fulfill. I believe that the requirement for PE should be more accommodating towards these students.

ate a personalized program through the Director of Performance Training.

For many students, these requirements are completed by the end of freshman or sopho-

more year. For the rest of us who do competitive sports outside of school or simply have other interests, this requirement is difficult to fulfill. I believe that the requirement for PE should be more accommodating towards these students.

Students can only receive two PE credits by doing outside of school activities, and this only counts if the outside activity is a sport that is not offered at Menlo. The other credit must be completed on campus.

So what do you do with a student athlete who trains 25 hours a week outside of school, yet is still required to come in and work out during lunch? Is it fair to try to have year-long club soccer players or dancers come in during their free time to exercise? This creates a problem for the students who compete at a high level in a sport that is offered at Menlo.

I am in no way trying to criticize the athletic department, but rather ask questions. I respect the rule that everyone must complete physical education before they graduate and that participating in team sports is a fantastic way to make friends, try something new, or discover a new passion. Also, if the athletic department breaks the rules for one person, they will have to break them for all of the rest of the students in the same situation.

I have been struggling with trying to complete my credits; I dance 25 hours a week but am still required to come in and work out during lunch. I believe that the athletics department should be more accommodating towards athletes that train at a high caliber. Although everybody’s situation is different, a solution to this problem would be to allow students with demanding athletic commitments to complete all of their hours outside of school.

CORRECTION: On the March 15 issue of the Coat of Arms the inncorrect story was placed under the headline “P.E. credits should be more inclusive” on page 11. Above is the correct story. The Coat of Arms regrets this error.

College decisions: go where you’ll be the happiest

As we seniors are nearing the end of the college process and finalizing our decisions for the fall, many of us have yet to decide where we want to spend the next four years. Throughout my own college process, I have oftentimes felt a pressure to attend the most prestigious school, the school that will sound best on a résumé. As my college process came to a close, I found myself reminding myself to prioritize my own well-being and happiness, something not always on the forefront of our thinking in

the college process.

by GILLIAN BRESSIE

While it is certainly important to be at a school with the best academic opportunities for you, the program or major you are most interested in, the location and campus you prefer, it is also incredibly important that the atmosphere and environment are one in which you would thrive. If you get into Harvard but dream of going to a school with a big football program, don’t tell yourself you have to go to Harvard because it’s Harvard. No shade to Harvard’s football program.

While the college process is a discussion of numbers and beating the odds, we often place too much emphasis on the acceptance rates and rankings. The fact that a school is desirable by more people doesn’t mean that it should be more desirable for you. Likewise, the school’s acceptance rate and ranking don’t make it an inherently “better” school. A school is better when it’s a better fit for you; everything about your decision is inherently personal. Obviously when making decisions about your college we can feel

pressure including your own opinion, your family’s, and the general perception of the school. However, you are the one spending 4 years there and you owe it to yourself to prioritize an environment where you will thrive when making your decision.

Mission Statement

Editor-in-Chief....................................................................Kaitlyn Tom

Print Editor ......................................................................Gillian Bressie

Online Editor.......................................................................Baily Deeter

News Editor...............................................................................Eva Herr

Arts and Lifestyle Editor.............................................Abby Wolfenden

Spread Editor..............................................................Gracie Hammond

Assistant Spread Editor..................................................Caroline Frantz

Opinions Editor................................................................Electa Narasin

Sports Editor..................................................................Emilio Simbeck

Copy Editor..........................................................................Kate Jeffries

Video Editor.......................................................................Clara Guthrie

Marketing Director............................................................James Kinder

Social Media Director.............................................................Ty Corley

Staff Photographer.................................................................Bella Scola

Staff Reporters...........Addie Ahlstrom, Crystal Bai, Eric Chang, Sid Chari, Vionna Eshghi, Sam Fortenbaugh, Kate Hammond, Jacob Halabe, Brooke Hodge, Casey Kline, Peridot Park, Martina Punnonen, David Quezada, Bridget Quigley, Silas Stewart, Shelby Rende, Samantha Stevens, Connor Van Ligten, Elisabeth Westermann

The mission of The Coat of Arms is to deliver honest, comprehensive and accurate coverage to the Menlo School community. As a student publication we strive to present the diversity of voice, interest and activity within the school. We will remain relevant and accessible by using multiple forms of media, offering new angles on subjects significant to the community, and encouraging dialogue and feedback. The Coat of Arms

Faculty Advisor................................................................Tripp Robbins

kaitlyn.tom@menloschool.org

Visit us online at coa.menloschool.org or to

The Coat of Arms 50 Valparaiso Avenue Atherton, California 94027 (650) 330-2001

Tennis team wins National Invitational, stays undefeated

by CONNOR VAN LIGTEN

In one of the strongest seasons in program history, the Menlo boys varsity tennis team has dominated on their way to a 17-0 record and a 10-0 WBAL record. Most impressive of all, the team won the 19th annual National Invitational AllAmerican Tournament, a historical moment for the program.

The Knights opened the season by defeating five WBAL opponents in a row, shutting out three of them. Menlo proceeded to face off against tough non-league opponents in the National Invitational, some of whom were out of state. The team was up to the task, defeating Haverford (PA), Iolani, Peninsula and then Harvard Westlake (CA) to claim the title, their first since 2012. Seniors Siddharth Chari, Bo Leschly and junior Andrei Volgin were named to the alltournament team.

After winning the National Invitational, the Knights went back to business and continued their undefeated ways against league and nonleague opponents alike for an unbeaten April. Although the team has struggled with scheduling games due to weather, the conditions haven’t stopped them from dominant performances, such as when they swept Pinewood in a double-header match up. On a major senior day match up, the team defeated The King’s Academy effortlessly, 7-0. After sweeping Pinewood in another double-header, Menlo defeated Leland 6-1.

Next up for the tennis team is WBAL individuals. The team hopes to ride their momentum

during the regular season into a strong postseason in CCS and Norcals.

Excluding the National Invitational, the only other team that gave the Knights any real competition was Monta Vista (Cupertino). Unofficially ranked as one of the top teams in the country, it made for one of the most exciting home matches ever. The Knights prevailed, but will most likely end up seeing them in the CCS playoffs, making the playoff push ever more exciting.

The value of playing Menlo Football amidst the risk

by BAILY DEETER

Among the Menlo students and parents and among the United States as a whole, there’s a palpable fear about the safety of high school football. Menlo, a small school, has consistently fielded teams of less than 30 players. Last year, the varsity team was comprised of 17 seniors, 11 juniors and one sophomore. With only 12 returning varsity players, the Knights will be light on numbers once again.

Plenty of teams around the area are experiencing similar problems that were a complete afterthought in the past. For instance, Woodside High School, the alma mater of two-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman, had to forfeit its last game of the 2017 season because it didn’t have enough linemen (five are required at minimum). Playing Menlo football has been the most rewarding and enjoyable experience of my life, and it would be sad and extremely detrimental to the future of the program if Menlo suffered a similar fate.

Sure, there is a legitimate fear of

by DAVID QUEZADA

head trauma. However, at the varsity level, there have been only four sustained concussions in the last three years (spanning 37 games). The school has provided each player with the most high-tech helmets to mitigate the impact of a big hit, and, if a player happens to suffer a concussion, Menlo’s training staff is more than equipped to treat the injury effectively.

As someone who suffered a concussion and multiple other serious injuries, I would implore any student to play and any parent to allow their kid to play. Playing Menlo sports in general is great for students for many reasons; it allows them to manage their time effectively, exercise, and learn in an experiential manner that generally contrasts traditional classroom learning. However, from my personal experience, there are a litany of aspects that set football apart from other sports.

Maybe it’s the exhilarating feeling of a game, where you have to be completely zoned in to adjust to

Recent scores

Boys Tennis: Menlo 6, Leland 1

The knights capped off a perfect regular season (22-0) with a convincing victory on Thursday over Leland. They have now won over 280 straight games in league play and will move on to tougher competition in CCS.

Boys Baseball: Burlingame 9, Menlo 0

The Knights fell to the Panthers last week. The game was tight to start but after one big run by Burlingame during the middle innings, the Knights couldn’t catch up.

Boys Lacrosse: Menlo 19, Serra 1

The Knights blew out the Padres on Thursday by an 18 point margin. They went up 11-0 after the first quarter, and 11 different players made their way onto the score sheet. They are now sitting at 2nd place in the WCAL behind rival SHP.

Girls Lacrosse: Menlo 18, Castilleja 8

The Lady Knights pulled off a convincing victory against Castilleja. Junior Charlotte Swisher netted 4 goals on the way for the victory.

odd formations the opponent might present. Maybe it’s the weekly routine that is unique to football, one that consists of a week of specialized gameplanning for any nuances the next opponent might bring forth. Maybe it’s the traditions, such as each player reading individual goals in front of the team the

night before the game, the thrilling pregame cheer the moment before kickoff, and team breakfast the morning after a game.

As I reflect on my four years at Menlo, the bonds I’ve formed with players and coaches, the lessons I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve had playing football stand out more than anything. I’ve hosted radio shows with coach Todd Smith and played fantasy football with coach Dave Dove; the coaches truly are invested in the students. While Mark Newton won’t be coaching anymore, the 16 leadership principles he created and the fact that he required each player to memorize and embody them in order to gain eligibility to play demonstrates how valuable the sport is to growing adolescents. Through writing this piece, I hope to help preserve the wonderful program that’s given me so much and that has so much more to offer to the next generation of Menlo students.

Alumni corner

by EMILIO SIMBECK

Griff McGarry / University of Virginia, Baseball:

Freshman McGarry, who has started several games for the Cavaliers, is holding opponents to a .286 average. He was also drafted by the Texas Rangers before the season started.

Sophia Donovan / University of Southern California, Lacrosse :

Throughout her first 14 collegiate games, freshman Sophia Donovan has totaled 14 points (12g, 2a). She has taken 30 shots this year, and only two of them have missed the cage. She will play an even larger role as the season progresses.

Chandler Yu / University of Chicago, Baseball

Yu, playing in his fist season for the Maroon, has appeared in five games as a reliever. He has one win and no losses. He has pitched a total of 10 innings, and has only given up six total hits. Yu will start to see more extended time in the rotation as he gains more experience.

Josh Bowie takes on head football coach position

by SAM FORTENBAUGH

Menlo School has hired Josh Bowie as the new head football coach after the resignation of 14-yearcoach Mark Newton. Coach Bowie began his coaching career as a JV assistant coach at Capuchino High School in 1999. Since then, he has coached at Castro Valley High, Woodside High and Sacred Heart Prep. Bowie also taught at Crocker Middle School.

“His knowledge of the local landscape of schools in the area and his coaching connections will help our program,” Interim Athletic Director Joe McDonald said.

Bowie looks to use his prior coaching experience to lead the team. “I have coached a wide range of students from all walks of life and one constant exists: everyone wants to be successful. My job as a coach is to help them find the way,” Bowie said.

While contemplating his decision to transition from Woodside to Menlo, Bowie was enticed by what the program stands for. “Menlo is a program where each athlete is encouraged to constantly strive to be the best possible version of themselves. I believe that there is no other way of doing things,” Bowie said.

After seeing Bowie interact with the team, McDonald believed that Bowie was a good fit. “Coach Bowie provided a good balance of culture, knowledge of football and familiarity with our school and had local head coaching

experience,” McDonald said.

The team has strong goals for the next season after last year’s success. “I believe that next year we have a lot of opportunities to be successful, but we really can’t think about that. Success comes from the work that goes into being successful. My goal for next year is to develop a culture where doing the work necessary to be the best version of ourselves is embraced rather than feared. I also want our players to look at the challenges that are ahead with anticipation and excitement,” Bowie said.

Bowie is excited to strengthen the football program. “The goal for the Menlo Football program is to help our student athletes become adults of empathy, who will lead, be responsible and change the world for good while striving for excellence in all that they do. We do this through challenging our players with high standards and expectations while supporting them to reach those standards and expectations. I am excited to work with the junior varsity and varsity programs to make this a reality,” Bowie said.

Young baseball team trying to pull away from middle of pack

by CONNOR VAN LIGTEN

The Knight’s baseball team has faced tough competition on their way to a 6-7 start and a 2-2 league record. The team’s hitting has been strong, averaging 5.06 runs a game. The team has somewhat struggled with inconsistency during the season, but with the early exposure to

difficult competition along with new co-head coaches Tink Reynoso and Greg Hart, the future looks promising.

Recently, the team has been trending upwards. After a 3-7 start, in which three games were postponed indefinitely due to weather concerns, the team went 3-1 in its last four games.

One of the notable games in this stretch was a monster comeback against Sequoia. Down by six runs, the Knights ripped off a seven-run inning in the sixth for a huge victory. After splitting a series with MenloAtherton, the Knights were shut out by Burlingame 9-0.

The team’s success is due, in part, to the strong youth movement, especially among sophomores. Ian Collins, Sam Weseloh, and Kevin Alarcon, all in 10th grade, have been instrumental in many of the team’s victories so far.

The underclassmen on the team have been forced to step up this year, after graduating a star-studded group

two years in a row, both of which won CCS Championships (2016, 2017). Losing the ace pitching tandem of Griff McGarry and Chandler Yu, who had both been starting for several years and are now playing Division I and Division III baseball respectively, was tough for the

Knights. Fortunately, young slingers Justin Nam (junior) and Kevin Alarcon (sophomore) have grown significantly, and are both prepared to play very large roles this year and next.

The duo of Reynoso and Hart will have to figure out how to best utilize their young talent right now, while also developing them for the upcoming seasons.

Boys lacrosse team takes on SoCal competition over break

by TY CORLEY

This past spring break, the boys varsity lacrosse team headed down to Oceanside to play two games against Southern California opponents and to build team camaraderie. Spring break is often used by many spring sports teams to go on trips in order to to be exposed to new competition and also have fun.

The trip was a successful one for the Knights. While they only played two games, they defeated Carlsbad, 17-5, and Sante Fe Christian, 12-4. Sophomore attackman Ryan Young played great games, totalling five goals and three assists. Seniors David Schmaier and Brody Laporte contributed four and five goals respectively. Freshman goalie Theo Kim totaled six saves throughout the trip as well.

The boys didn’t just play games in Oceanside; they participated in several activities that promote team cohesion. These activities included a scavenger hunt, multiple dinners and team Fortnite sessions. “I think the trip was really important, not just from a lacrosse standpoint, but we were able to further foster the brotherhood that is our team,” LaPorte said.

The trip was definitely memorable for many members of the lacrosse program as there was representation from each grade in the Menlo Upper School. “It was the best trip we’ve had since I’ve been here. I think we really came together as a team and bonded more than we have in the past,” junior Conor McCusker said.

Last year’s trip was largely overshadowed by a grueling seven hour Navy Seal training session. According to several players, this year’s trip had more balance. “Our new coaches designed it so that we had a perfect mix of work and fun during the trip,” McCusker said.

For first year head coach Blake Kim, the trip was already scheduled and planned before he was hired.

However, that did not stop him from receiving a memorable impact from the trip. “I gained an even greater appreciation for the boys’ independence and the humor and levity that they bring to our group dynamic,” Kim said. Kim also saluted the boys’ focus and preparation when the time came for them to play their two games while on this trip. “[I appreciated] the collective ability of our team’s leadership to get everyone from ‘vacation mode’ to ‘game mode’ for our two games down in SoCal,” Kim said.

The success of the trip, not only in the winloss column, but also in the increased bonding of the team, has given Coach Kim lots of confidence heading into the latter part of their season. “We [coaches] have a very good feeling about the rest of our season. The team is competing at a very high level right now and we have five more games [including three home games] to prepare us for the rigors of the WCAL playoffs in early May,” Kim said.

Athletes of the Issue

Athletes of the Issue

Leschly sweeping the courts

by ELISABETH WESTERMANN

Senior Bo Leschly has grown up with the game of tennis, playing since he was four years old. He has been selected as the Male Athlete of the Issue because of his leadership as a team captain and undefeated record as both a singles and doubles player for the boys varsity tennis team. After his 13 years playing tennis, Leschly continues to love the game because of the challenge it presents. “Every day it’s going to be hard work, but it’s worth it. After you come off the court you feel satisfied,” Leschly said.

The Knights have had an exceptional season thus far. They are undefeated and have won the elite National Invitational All-American Tournament for the first time since 2012. Leschly describes winning the tournament as his favorite moment as a tennis player. “It’s indescribable how awesome it was,” Leschly said.

For Leschly, tennis is a family avo-

cation. Leschly’s greatest inspirations are his father, a former professional tennis player and Leschly’s coach, and his older brother, Leschly’s former doubles partner on the Menlo team and one of his coaches. “My dad has been such a huge role model since I was so young [...] and my brother [...] he tries to get me to bring intensity to every single practice and everything I do.”

Leschly describes tennis as having a major impact on his life. “It’s definitely shaped who I am in terms of how hard I work and how much effort I bring to everything I do. [...] It’s taught me how to stay mentally tough in all sorts of different situations,” Leschly said.

Leschly has thoroughly enjoyed playing on the Menlo team throughout his four years and highlights the camaraderie as his favorite aspect. “Tennis is a very individual sport, so when you get a chance to play with a team, [...] it’s a lot more fun. The atmosphere is just amazing.”

Leschly has also stepped up to the role of being a team captain this year. “His leadership has been his best trait off the court,” boys tennis coach Bill Shine said. Shine describes coaching Leschly as nothing but a pleasure. “He’s a team-first kind of guy and works extremely hard and holds his teammates accountable [...] He brings toughness but he also brings poise.”

Leschly has one main goal for the rest of the season. “[I want to] try and capture an undefeated season senior year,” Leschly said. Beyond high school, Leschly plans to walk on to the Harvard tennis team in the fall.

Priestley locking up competition

by ADDIE AHLSTROM

Senior Nicole Priestley, a defender for the varsity girls lacrosse team, has been chosen as the Female Athlete of the Issue due to her impressive performance on the field.

In her Menlo career, Priestley has started as a defender at the varsity level all four years. In that time, she’s tallied a total of 95 ground balls, 41 takeaways and 23 draw controls. Priestley was particularly dominant in a recent game against Castilleja, where she had ten ground balls and seven takeaways. In her junior year, she was named the varsity girls lacrosse most valuable player on defense.

In addition to her impressive playing on the field, Priestley has become a prominent leader of the team after

Committed Corner Committed Corner

Clark Safran, Carnegie Mellon Univrsity

by SAM FORTENBAUGH

Senior Clark Safran is this issue’s committed male athlete after committing to to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) this past fall. “I feel as though CMU’s academics line-up very well with my interests and the tennis program is excellent and are fourth in the nation right now for Division III,” Safran said. Safran is very excited to play tennis at the next level for the next four years.

Safran began playing tennis when he was five. “All my family members enjoyed playing tennis and I grew to like the sport because I was having fun and I wanted to keep on improving. When I was about eight, I started playing in tournaments and that’s when tennis became a much bigger part of my life,” Safran said. However, Safran prefers playing in school matches rather than in indi-

vidual tournaments. “School is much better than solo sports because instead of grinding by myself, I can practice and play with friends which in general makes matches more engaging. In addition, the team and coaches are phenomenal this year and I’ve had really great time playing for Menlo,” Safran said.

On Mar. 24, Menlo varsity boys’ tennis won the National Invitational in Newport Beach. “Winning nationals with Menlo is by far my greatest and most proud achievement so far. All throughout high school this is the one tournament that we all dreamed of winning and it became a reality for us during my last year here. I can’t really think of a better ending to my Menlo career and I’m just glad that all our hard work paid off,” Safran said.

Even though he is part of a team

when he plays for Menlo, tennis is still a very individual sport for Safran, as he plays singles. “Matches are oneon-one and this means wins have to be earned and there’s no one else to blame but yourself,” Safran said. “My current coaches Bill and Werm, along with all my past coaches, have been huge supporters of me throughout my life and are the reason to why I have the opportunity to continue playing at the next level. And I can’t leave out my parents who have been there from the start and continually motivate me.”

The boys tennis team has been incredibly successful this season. With Safran’s help they won their 22nd straight league title and are hoping to be crowned CCS champions, but will have to face some tough competition along the way.

Sianna Houghton, University of Washington

by SAMANTHA STEVENS

Houghton prepares for a dig in a match in a tournament early on last year. Photo courtesy of Sianna Houghton.

Junior Sianna Houghton, who has been a starter on the girls volleyball team since her freshman year, has committed to play for the University of Washington. Houghton made her decision last spring as a sophomore.

Houghton has been playing sports her entire life. Before getting hooked on volleyball, she played competitive club soccer. At age eleven, she started playing volleyball for Vision Volleyball Club, the team she still plays with. Houghton spent some time juggling the two sports concurrently, before making the full switch to volleyball. She often had four hours of consecutive practices for both soccer and volleyball before becoming a one-sport athlete.

Houghton followed in the steps of her older sister, Jessica, who played volleyball for Vision. Ironically, Houghton initially hated volleyball, but eventually ended up falling in love with the sport. “I really didn’t want to play. It was one of those things where [my

being named one of the captains for her senior season. “Being a captain is fun because you get to be in a leadership position where people look up to you,” Priestley said.

Priestley began playing lacrosse at the age of seven and competed at the club level up until her senior year. Her love of the game stems from her appreciation of the sport’s culture of teamwork and unity.“I love camaraderie… [I like] getting together and building relationships with underclassmen,” Priestley said.

Priestley’s Menlo lacrosse experience has been defined by changes in the program, “We’ve had different coaches every year [...] It’s definitely gotten more intense over the past four years,” Priestley said. Nevertheless, the team has been very successful during her time at Menlo, “We won the league championship both sophomore and junior year,” Priestley explained.

When reflecting on her four years of Menlo lacrosse, Priestley recalled a few lasting memories of her time on the team. “My sophomore year we went to Florida on a lacrosse trip [...] and that was super fun because we got the chance to play really good teams from across the country,” Priestley said. In addition, rivalry games against Sacred Heart stood out as especially memorable for Priestley. “We didn’t lose to them at all last year and that was fun. We played them three times, in season and in the championship.”

Looking ahead, Priestley hopes to continue lacrosse in college, most likely pursuing competition at the club level.

mom] dragged me out of the door, but then I ended up really liking it,” Houghton said.

Houghton’s position has varied, ranging from libero to defensive specialist to outside hitter, making her a versatile player for the Knights. Houghton has racked up 509 kills and 1023 digs while playing at Menlo high school, and still has her senior year to look forward to. To Houghton, playing in college was a no-brainer. “I’ve always looked up to people who played [volleyball] in college,” Houghton said.

Houghton’s recruitment process started relatively early due to her being apart of a club team above her grade level. She views this as a benefit for the recruitment process because when her older teammates were being scouted by coaches, those coaches were also able to watch her play. Because of this, Houghton’s recruitment process started during her freshman year, which to her teammates, was their sophomore year.

Houghton contacted coaches, and as more replies rolled in from various schools, Houghton was happy to realize that her dream to play in college was within reach.

Houghton cites her older sister to be her biggest inspiration, who is currently a freshman walk-on playing volleyball at the University of California, Berkeley. “We always used to practice together in our backyard [...], so she’s the one who I always looked up to, and I would always watch her games,” Houghton said. Alongside her sister and the rest of the girls’ volleyball team, Houghton made school history in 2016 when the team won their first state championship along with a sixth NorCal title. She views this as one of her most memorable moments in school volleyball so far, in part because she got to experience the special victory with her sister.