The Coat of Arms Issue 48.3

by ABIGAIL BECKER

February 17, 2022

California, Menlo COVID-19 Protocols Evolve as Case Rates Change

by GEOFFREY FRANC

Healy, Jinnett, Barada explain why restrictions tightened in January, then loosened again

Beginning Feb. 16, 2022, vaccinated people in San Mateo County, as well as most Bay Area counties, will not be required to wear a mask indoors, according to a joint press release by 11 Bay Area Health

immediately apply to schools, as the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) still requires universal masking in classrooms, but the CDPH announced that the state is working with educators to update their mask policy. “We are in the process of transforming our public education system and moving out of this pandemic mindset, and that includes the masks, and that will happen, the question is when,” Governor Gavin Newson told NBC Bay Area on Friday, Feb. 11.

This outlook comes just over a month after Menlo enacted its own stricter policies in response to the surge of the omicron variant. On Jan. 1, 2022, members of the Menlo community received news via email of a delay to on-campus learning for at least a week. Among the reasons cited was an increase in COVID-19 positivity rates and the rise of the omicron variant of the SARSCoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

case rates in the Menlo community hovered around 3% to 4%, according to Head of School Than Healy. On Jan. 25, Healy updated the community about positivity rates via email. “Our positivity rate has dropped by about a third over the course of the month so far, and we hope this trend will continue,” Healy said.

As of the week of Jan. 31, that number was just below 1%. This is near where it Healy. “[0.75%] is a typical week for us,” he said.

School Nurse and Health Services Coordinator Joan Barada pointed out that because anyone who tests positive isn’t supposed to test again for 90 days, all the positive tests from a given day are new cases.

According to Barada, most positive cases have been easily traceable. “I hear a lot of ‘I was with my best friend who turned out to be positive, or my dad had it, or I saw my aunt and she had it, or I was at a

big party,’” Barada said. “Currently, we are not seeing many people who can say, ‘I’ve no idea where I got COVID.’”

According to Upper School Assistant Director Maren Jinnett, Menlo’s medical advisory board, a group of researchers, doctors and virologists consulted by the school, also weighed in on the decision to go remote. “They strongly recommended that we consider holding classes remotely after the holiday break,” Jinnett said. “Opening with distance learning for the week after a holiday break has actually always been part of our layered safety approach, and, with omicron data as concerning as it was, it felt appropriate to be cautious in the period directly after New Year’s gatherings and last-minute travel.”

"We are in the process of transforming our public education system and moving out of this pandemic mindset." - Gov. Gavin Newsom

Further contributing to the decision was the weather forecast for the week of Jan. 3 conflicting with the need to stay outdoors during lunch to slow the spread of COVID-19. “We knew that rain was forecast for that week and [...] our maintenance team needed time to be able to get [the tents] up,” Healy said.

Jinnett stressed that the tradeoffs that came with remote learning were not taken lightly by the school administration. “We’re always weighing pros and cons to everything we do and we don't take lightly a week without students on campus and inperson in their classes,” Jinnett said.

On Jan. 31, Healy announced the lifting of omicron-era restrictions via email, including the outdoor masking mandate and the sporting events spectator ban. However, students will still be required to test twice weekly likely until after the mid-winter break.

Healy also touched on why Menlo’s COVID-19 testing data isn’t shared in emails to the community. “I made the decision that I wanted to keep people informed, but I didn't want to have it always in your face, where you’re just constantly being reminded because I think the other thing that we’re trying to balance here besides safety on campus is really mental health,” Healy said.

Students, Sta Re ect on Testing Positive as Isolation Guidelines Adapt

by AGNES SHAO

After the arrival of omicron, a highly contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2, the disease that causes COVID-19, Menlo students and teachers were forced to adapt to the increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases on campus. According to Head of School Than Healy, in the fall and through the holidays Menlo’s positivity rate was approximately 0.75%. When omicron hit, those rates rose to above 4% and in the third week back from online school, they dropped back below 2%. Case rates dropped below 1% the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 4, Healy said in an email to the Coat of Arms.

In response to changing county guidelines (going from a 10-day quarantine to a five-day quarantine), Menlo also changed its protocol for COVID-19 cases. “If the person who has just tested positive is on campus, we bring them here to the

to do,” School Nurse and Health Services Coordinator Joan Barada explained. “We are required to ask them who they have been hanging out with the most, and we also need to contact their parents to inform them if they don’t already know.”

The new change in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation means that the day a student tests positive or begins having symptoms is considered day zero. Then on the morning of day six, if they are asymptomatic (i.e., no fever for 24 hours and not on medication), students can take a rapid antigen test on campus through Inspire Diagnostics.

What Michael Enright

Meant to Me: Menlo Community Members Re ect One Year After Enright's Passing

Students continue to honor Enright, a beloved student, athlete and friend, through community events and thoughtful re ection

by ARI KRANE

On Jan. 18, students and faculty honored the one-year anniversary of Michael Enright’s passing. To those who didn’t have the pleasure of meeting authentic and kindhearted member of the class of 2023. He notably competed for the 2019 undefeated JV football team. Michael passed away in a car accident on Jan. 18, 2021.

The Menlo community participated in a dedication of the tree near the Student Center in Michael’s honor. Students hung photos and shared letters as Michael’s favorite music played on the quad.

Although the tree had always stood in this location, it was redecorated with photos and a plaque commemorating Michael.

Later, students could burn their

Ari Krane

Michael’s creativity and comedic prowess were always evident, but not many people know about his perseverance. When we all started playing football, Mike evolved from a make friends to a highly respected teammate and example of courage and perseverance. Mike showed an incredibly hard-working mentality that he balanced with unmatched humor.

I can’t name many times I’ve laughed harder than in our freshman year Spanish 2 class when Michael even got Sr. Victoria cracking up. Eventually, Sr. Victoria would say, “Myychall” in a long exaggerated way that put a pause on the class’ howling laughter.

Lastly, I was fortunate to have been awarded the Michael Enright Courage and Perseverance award last year on JV football. Every game another team captain or I had the privilege of carrying Mike’s jersey to the center of game the past two seasons, the team kneeled around the special yellowpainted 15 yard line. Having these memories of Mike made me a better leader. People should aspire to exhibit Michael’s perseverance and strength.

Ty Richardson

Every time I was around Michael — whether it was physics class or on saying something funny or brightening up the mood. One memory I will never forget about Michael was our freshman year football game against Sequoia High School when Mike made three and was as humble as I’d seen anyone be after a string of great plays like that. That’s something I will forever admire about Michael: he always took advantage of every opportunity he got up every time we talked. Never did he waste a second trying to be someone who he wasn’t.

in the Redwood Grove and had access to

The week prior on Jan. 14, an advocacy period was loosely allocated Michael personally, in groups or with the counseling team.

Now, a few weeks removed from the one-year anniversary of Michael share memories of our beloved friend, classmate and teammate.

There are many people and stories

on Michael’s loss. Michael’s impact stretched greatly at Menlo and beyond, and cannot be quantified in a single a glimpse at the impact Michael had on our community.

Reese Weiden

Yes, Michael was that lively, funny football player, but that’s not how I remember him. I remember him as kind. Michael would go out of his way to support his friends and make everyone feel truly valued. I remember him as authentic. Michael was always genuine, unafraid to offer opinions, often unfiltered and unyielding in his character. I remember him as intelligent. He knew that being true to oneself and nourishing friendships are the best methods of living life. Michael was a light in my life and so many others. We all owe it to Michael to carry forward his kindness, authenticity and intelligence.

Sophia Crouse

Michael was a loving, loyal and kindhearted friend. He nudged me out of my comfort zone, inspired me to be spontaneous and taught me to stop caring about things that don’t really matter. We came to each other with most things: problems, exciting news or just to talk. He was beautifully honest and had a unique perspective on life. Michael could always brighten my day and bring joy to everyday things. In the seven years I knew him, I can assure you there was never a dull moment with Michael. His ways of showing affection were sometimes questionable, like a gentle slap in the face or spitting in my hair, but now I look back on them and see that they were just his way of expressing love. People like Mikey are rare to come by. He didn’t care about what other people thought, always went out of his way to make people feel loved and valued and was a profoundly loyal and thoughtful friend. I’ll forever be grateful for the time we spent together. I know that each and every one of us who has been lucky enough to have shared a laugh, a smile or even just been in the same room as Michael will cherish his unique perspective and positive energy and remember him as the beautiful person he was.

February 17, 2022

College Rejection Letters Taken Down From Wall of Shame

by NOAH KORNFELD

Balancing a rigorous schedule while submitting last-second college applications is a constant theme throughout seniors’ fall semester. Then, the spring semester is of college acceptance and rejection letters. One way that seniors have chosen to cope with rejection as a community is through the Wall of Shame.

The Wall of Shame is a tradition where seniors post their rejection letters, with any identifying information blacked out, on the glass wall of the Upper School Student Center entrance. The idea is that in a time when many students feel the immense pressure of rejection and failing expectations, the senior class comes together to share that feeling of

Positive Tests, cont.

According to Barada, Menlo also needs to adapt to omicron-induced changes in county regulations regarding close contacts. Close contacts are anyone who was less than six feet away from an infected person for a total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period. “Before [omicron], anybody you’d been because of omicron’s transmissibility and the fact that Menlo’s classes have a constant rotation, over time, the whole grade would [have previously been considered] a close contact,” Barada said. “Now, we just ask the student who is positive who they [have been] closest to.”

While there are many positive cases, blame others for contracting the virus. “It’s no one’s fault. When someone tests positive, it’s the biggest time you should be supporting them because they feel bad. At the same time, people will get worried when they hear their friend has it, so it’s a perfectly normal reaction to get nervous,” Barada said.

Sophomore Desiree Ramon-Aquino, who tested positive for COVID-19 during winter break, was asymptomatic. “The one thing that worried me the most when I told people that I had COVID-19 was the judgment. Some people got very scared and didn’t want me to go back to school,” Ramon-Aquino said. “At the same time, my close friends were very supportive and sent me sweet messages telling me to get better.”

Barada insisted that there is still an obligation to alert close contacts of a positive test. “Morally and ethically, if

disappointment, according to multiple seniors.

Soon after students began posting their letters this fall, they were removed from the to post a rejection letter: his letter was from Middlebury College. “I knew it was a tradition to put the rejection letters up on the wall, and I wasn’t really embarrassed about

"I think it’s a healthy coping mechanism, and it feels good to see others rejected with you."

doing it, so I decided to start the fun. I think it’s a healthy coping mechanism, and it feels good to see others rejected with you,” Scola said. However, the next day at school, Scola noticed that his letter had been taken down.

Another senior, who disclosed his experience to The Coat of Arms on the condition of anonymity, has had his letter taken down multiple times. “I just blacked out my name. [...] I didn’t say anything slanderous or anything — it was just the letter,” the senior said. “Although when they took it down, I eventually added a little piece of paper at the bottom that says in all caps, ‘Menlo, please stop taking my letter down.’”

Despite not knowing who was taking the letters down or why, the senior was adamant about keeping his letter up and encouraged other students to do the same. “It's the right thing to do. I think it helps other people cope with their own rejections,” the senior said. The anonymous senior also asserted that he will continue to repost his letter unless a viable reason to stop surfaces, and he does not regret putting it up.

Senior class coordinator Ryan Dean

said he did not know who was taking the letters down and that it was not the administration’s doing. He did provide insight into why somebody may be taking down the letters: “Some people just don’t like the reference to a Wall of Shame. They think that it’s at odds with the idea that you go to a good school which is a good

up the possible repercussions for the underclassmen: “Freshmen or sophomores could read that and become very nervous or discouraged. [...] I could predict that certain freshmen would walk by and say, ‘Oh, that’s a lot, from a lot of good schools. Is that my future?’” Dean said.

Upper School Assistant Director Maren Jinnett is also unsure why the letters are being taken down, however, she believes that the letter removals have nothing to do with underclassmens’ perception of the tradition. In an email, Jinnett wrote that it was possible that the facilities team had

"Freshmen or sophomores could read that and become very nervous or discouraged."

been taking down the letters because of the use of scotch tape. She said that when

remove, so the facilities team may have taken down the letters as a preventative measure. She suggested that if seniors want their letters to stay up, they should use blue painter’s tape instead. Still, Jinnett

email that no staff member has ever been directed by the administration to remove letters.

EDIB Plans, cont.

someone has been, for example, in the car for a prolonged time with a person who tested positive, we would have to call and tell them that they were named as a close contact,” Barada said.

Still, students and staff who have tested

“You need to tell people if they are a close contact because you don’t want them to expose their family to that risk, but it’s always hard to be the bearer of bad news,”

had COVID-19, said.

Because of the prevalence of the omicron variant, some people believe the used to be a stigma around testing positive for COVID-19, but now, since a lot of people are getting omicron, people have

fault. I don’t think anyone would actually judge me that much,” sophomore Stella Buch said.

For most classes at Menlo, there is an online option for students who need or want to stay home. For some students, being

their computers and the teachers are focused on the in-person students.

“It was 100% harder for me to be online. I would sometimes be the only person not in-person and the teacher wouldn’t really pay attention to me,” junior Finley Riley said. “We were also not allowed to take tests me once I got back in person as I had a lot of things to do.”

An example of a recent EDIB cultural strategy was the advocacy discussion on Jan. 21 about belonging, where students were asked to share what it meant to “belong” in a community. “This is an opportunity where, during the day, all of our community can actually get involved in this conversation about what it means

"This is an opportunity where, during the day, all of our community can actually get involved in this conversation about what it means to belong."

to belong,” Wheeler said. This is a contrast plan, where conversation about belonging and campus culture was limited to isolated, voluntary groups on campus centered around promoting institutional change. The plan has seven priority areas

targeted at achieving cultural change: United Campus Culture and Inclusive Leadership Development; Faculty of Color Recruitment and Retention; EDIB Professional Development; Academic Support and Social-Emotional Learning; School-wide Family Support Services; Board of Trustees EDIB Professional Development and Affinity Group and Community Outreach and Leadership. Throughout the year, the EDIB Committee and Leadership Team meet to discuss the goals and formulate specific actions to achieve them. “Our community is literally paired with us in the work,” Wheeler said.

An important part of the student

Student Council Committee, which is led by senior Sammie Floyd. According to Floyd, the committee informs the rest of the student council about EDIB Student Life plans and helps Wheeler advertise speakers and workshops.

In addition to helping Wheeler

Council Committee focuses on generating recognition for holidays and making sure that student council decisions don’t unfairly impact any students. For example, for the recent Semi-Formal Dance date change, the committee informed the student council of

“We’re trying to make sure that no decision that is made on student council hinders any student for any reason, and we’re trying to bring more recognition to all students,” Floyd said.

Do You Even Lift, Bro?

We Are All Just Here To Work Hard: Working Against Gender Gaps in Weightlifting

by ANNIE STENT

by LEXI FRIESEL

Performance and Wellness Jesse Lindenstein Shares his Started in the Weightroom

Social Media + COVID-19 = Lifting: Weightlifting Culture at Menlo

by CHASE HURWITZ

Dylan Mitic Returns from Gap Year Spent Mountain Biking in Oregon

by CHARLOTTE PALMER

Junior Dylan Mitic, formerly a member of the class of 2022, returned to Menlo this year as a member of the class of 2023 after a gap year spent mountain bike racing.

Mitic began considering a gap year during remote learning due to the pandemic. “Online school wasn’t easy, and my parents were pretty strict about [COVID-19], so I didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities at home to go riding or train or race,” Mitic said. While talking on the phone with a friend he met riding in Whistler, Canada, in 2018, the friend mentioned that he was attending Wy’East Mountain Academy, an action sports school in Oregon, where he was able to train full time. “The next week or so, I was on the phone out,” Mitic said. He was originally considering transferring there for the rest of high school but decided to return to Menlo for his junior year. “The academics weren’t all that good, so I decided to take a gap year and hope things [were] a bit better when I [came] back,” Mitic said.

He spent most of his year away training. “I'd be on a bike every day [and] in a weight room training basically all day long,” Mitic said. He traveled to races across the country with the school. “Wecuit in Tennessee, which was quite fun,” Mitic said. However, he had a bad crash in Tennessee, spraining his wrist and fracturing a few bones in his hand. “That doesn’t seem like a big issue, but when you’re holding onto a bike that’s going down through rocks, anything in your hand that’s hurting is terrible,” Mitic said. “You can’t hold onto the handlebars, and if you can’t

hold onto the handlebars, you can’t race or train.” He was forced to take four weeks off of riding. “It wasn’t a great way to start the season, considering I wasn’t even in the season yet, and I was already breaking myself apart,” Mitic said.

Another time, a crash took him out for a month. “I missed the corner and there was a tree right behind the corner and I slid on my thigh and it smacked on the side of the tree,” Mitic said. “I had this gigantic bruise, and I couldn’t walk for two weeks.”

However, despite the risks of the sport, Mitic’s parents are supportive of his racing. “I enjoy doing it, so they don’t see why I wouldn’t,” Mitic said. “I mean, maybe they’d rather I play golf or something, but they love watching me, and it brings me a lot of joy.”

Mitic originally became interested in mountain biking in middle school when he was around 13. “I was on YouTube one day and watched some videos of a guy going downhill, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s real neat,’” Mitic said. However, after trying it out with his dad, he realized it was more work pedaling up hills than the videos had made it seem, so he didn’t pursue mountain biking seriously. “It was just something I did when I had some free time,” Mitic said. “It was just me and my friends messing around and stacking up piles of dirt and jumping off them.” Then, a year and a half ago, he became more ambitious. “The last two years have been completely different with riding every day. [It’s] way more intense, which is sweet,” Mitic said.ing down a hill really fast,” Mitic said. fast enough to win, but not fast enough to

e Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

by ALEA MARKS

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opened on Feb. 4 and will end on Feb. 20. Athletes from around the world will gather in Beijing to show off their skills in a variety of sports, the most popular being skiing, bobsledding, curling, skating, ice hockey and snowboarding. Beijing is the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, and the 2022 Olympics are the second games to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 1.2 million cubic tons of artificial snow have been made for the Beijing Olympics, with virtually no snowfall recorded in the city this winter, according to Sports Illustrated. Even with temperatures regularly below freezing, the snowfall is best measured in centimeters. None of the snow in the games this year will be natural.

This year, there are 109 events spanning 15 disciplines in seven sports. Team USA will bring back all nine of its gold medalists from the 2018 Winter Olympics, including Shaun White in snowboarding and Mikaela Shiffrin in alpine skiing. White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, will become the oldest U.S. halfpipe rider in Winter Games history at age 35. The 2022 Games will be

Senior Max Saito has been an avid skier since he was three years old. He now is a part of the Palisades Tahoe Big Mountain Competition Team in Tahoe. Saito is sponsored by Olympic Bootworks, a company that makes boots for skiers and snowboarders. He follows freestyle skier

crash and break your whole body.” He enjoys the adrenaline of racing and the payoff when he reaches the bottom. “By the time we get around to race day, you feel like you’ve run a marathon and like you’ve been hit by a truck at the same time,” Mitic said.

The level of riding Mitic is currently at is intimidating to him. “There [are] kids my age [who] are in my category that are beating pros who have multimillion dollar contracts [and have] been doing this their entire life,” Mitic said. At races, he watches his competitors in awe. “[Seeing] some kid doing some crazy jump and realizing that you have to do that to win and then doing it is scary,” Mitic said. Accord-

hardest thing is crashing, but even harder is picking yourself back up,” Mitic said. “So many times I’ve crashed really hard and then gone right back on the shuttle to go do another lap.”

Mitic has had a smooth transition back to Menlo. “I think that you’d be surprised how much you remember,” Mitic back and meeting new people. It’s not hard but not easy.” He currently still rides on the weekend, and in a few weeks, he will begin training again to go back and race in Tennessee in March.

2022 Promises Exciting New Sports Videogames, TV Shows and Movies

Nick Goepper in the Olympics. Goepper won silver in the 2018 Winter Olympics and was nominated for 2022 U.S. Olympic Freeski Slopestyle/Big Air Team.

Senior Ella Hartmanis used to do competitive alpine ski racing in Tahoe. She even considered attending a boarding school in Tahoe so she could continue with the ski team. “I could never get tired of it. It feels so freeing just being in complete control on the mountain,” Hartmanis said. She follows Shiffrin in the Olympics and looks up to her alpine skiing abilities.

by MADISON LIU

2022 promises no shortage of content for sports fans. Several sports documentaries, TV shows and video games are set to release in the coming year.

The Perfect Chaos,” a three-part biological documentary following the controversial career of Brazilian soccer player Neymar da

Chaos” features interviews with other soccer stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and David Beckham.

A second soccer-related release is EA Sports’s 2023 soccer video game. EA Sports’s contract with FIFA, the international governing body of professional soccer, will expire this year, and the organizations have yet to negotiate a new contract. Since 1993, EA’s soccer games have been named after FIFA, but according to EA Sports Executive Vice President and Group GM Cam Weber, EA Sports is planning on renaming the franchise. Although previous years of FIFA games have received mixed reviews, the FIFA franchise accounts for over a quarter of EA Sports’s revenue, according to SEC in September.

The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” will be available on HBO. The sports drama TV series will depict the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team during the championships across nine seasons with

basketball legends such as Magic Johnson and Kareen Abdul-Jabbar.

With new installments released annually, the NBA 2K series is the world’s most popular basketball-simulation video game, with an estimated 1.6 million players per day, according to the NBA. “NBA 2K23” is expected to drop in early September, and fans on Reddit and various gaming websites are currently speculating on the featured cover athlete, changes to the popular MyTEAM mode and more.

In baseball news, ESPN will soon release “The Captain,” a multi-part documentary series on Hall of Famer and retired New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. During his 20-year career, Jeter won

Awards. According to ESPN, the series will “tell a larger cultural story that explores race, family, community, rivalries and more.”

popular documentary series “Formula fourth season in March. Accredited for greatly increasing American interest in Formula One, “Drive to Survive” gives fans a deeper look into the sport and its competitors. Season 4 will cover the 2021 World Championship, during which Max Verstappen defeated 7-time world champion since 1974.

Center Spread

To Our Readers,

This Center Spread includes discussion of drug use and its risks that may be sensitive to some readers. The stories use personal accounts and opinions of Menlo students, interviews with counselor Jake Fauver and statistics from multiple recognized drug use studies and organizations. The stories in this Spread focus mainly on drug use and do not cover Menlo students’ alcohol use. The Coat of Arms aims to communicate the perspectives and experiences of the student body and also recognizes that the viewpoints discussed in the stories do not represent the entire community.

February 17, 2022

A Look at the National Statistics

The data displayed below are statistics compiled from various studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data was collected from surveys conducted in 2020.

2/3 of students have tried alcohol by 12th grade about 1/2 of 9th through 12th grade students reported ever having used marijuana

about

about 15% of high school students reported having ever used select illicit or injection drugs (i.e. cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, hallucinogens or molly)

about

1 in 5 high school students in 2020 reported that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days

Students and Teachers Explain Current Menlo Drug Ed.

by ABIGAIL BECKER

Menlo’s drug education program is intended to help students make healthy drug- and-alcohol-related decisions. e team of teachers and administrators who put the program together aims to provide age-appropriate information at each grade level, along with a re-emphasis on lessons that have been taught in the past. “We revisit [content] every year knowing that students develop and change over the course of high school,” Fauver said. Upper School Counselor Tracy Bianchi teaches freshmen students about safe drug decision-making in her Human Behavior class, which is included in Freshman Seminar.

Drug education in sophomore year focuses more on real-life scenarios. Fauver gives a lecture to the sophomore class on the e ect drugs have on the body, safe experimentation and acting safely under the in uence.

As juniors, students participate in a workshop taught by Rhana Hashemi. Hashemi is a graduate student at Stanford University in the Community Health and Prevention Research program. In her lectures, she uses her personal experiences with drugs to build an interactive lesson based on the Drug, Set and Setting Model of Addiction: the importance of evaluating how the drug, the mind, the body and

with drugs. She also discusses the prevalence and dangers of fentanyl, a highly lethal opiod that has contaminated the United States drug supply.

“Drugs are powerful substances that can be put to good or bad uses. I am concerned with the relationships people form with drugs.” Hashemi said. “So, my work is to present neutral information about substances [...] and help students live in a world where drugs exist and [don’t] hurt them.”

During senior year, safe drug usage is discussed during the Life A er Menlo portion of M-term, when students are taught post-high school life skills. Students mainly learn about drugs they may encounter in college. ere are also some all-school assemblies related to drug usage, such as the distracted driving assembly, which touches on drinking and driving. e sexual health education programming discusses drugs as they relate to sexual health. “It’s di cult not to talk about sexual experiences and substance use, so [drugs] are a conversational thread,” Fauver said.

According to Fauver, the goal of the program is to give students information so they can make healthy drug-related decisions. While the program does lean towards being anti-drug, due to data that delayed usage can best prevent

formation for healthy decision-making than risk naivety in dangerous circumstances. “It’s really trying to strike that balance of ‘it’s a better idea not to, but if you are, here’s how to do it safely and how to look out for yourself and others,’” Fauver said.

While Fauver said he has received generally positive feedback from the student council, he also noted that many students want to engage in more conversations about drug-related decision making. “We’ve persisted in trying, but we acknowledge maybe it doesn’t feel consistent,” Fauver said.

A similar sentiment is re ected in the student body: many students desired to have more drug education or didn’t even know what the program was. “We have a drug education program?” junior Ralston Rapahel asked.

Sophomore Danae Yotopoulus doesn’t remember encountering much drug education in her rst year-and-a-half at Menlo. “I haven’t heard much about alcohol or drugs in general,” Yotopoulus said.

Senior Alina Hernandez appreciates the program’s e orts, but she also recognizes its ine ectiveness. “ e purpose of the drug education is a good thought, but I feel like they keep teaching it to us over and over again, so it gets pointless [...] because people stop listening,” Hernandez said.

Yotopoulos and junior Reese Weiden agreed that the drug education program should be more expansive. “I think there needs to be more education on the long term e ects because people don’t really consider that,” Weiden said.

Junior Class President Jack Goler advocated for less redundant and more concise sessions in order to ful ll his campaign promise of limiting class meetings to the highest-impact content that applies to the vast majority of the class. “I’ve advocated for mak-

ing drug [education] sessions optional and sending materials home to parents so that they can engage their children in whatever conversations they think are best suited for their circumstances,” Goler said. “Some studies suggest that drug education is more e ective when delivered to a child by a parent.”

A er school was moved online in 2020, students felt they weren’t able to learn as much through their computer screens, a reason why students may be feeling disconnected. “I think it needs to be much more interactive. If it’s just on Zoom like that, people aren’t going to pay attention,” Weiden said.

Being an educator on Zoom was also di cult for Hashemi. “It’s hard to build trust over Zoom, and trust is really important for this conversation because the kids who really need information about how to be intelligent about drugs are the most likely to shut out,” Hashemi said.

According to Dean of Student Life Programs Eve Kulbieda, another reason why students feel they haven’t experienced much drug education is because it competes with other Student Life activities. Clubs like Climate Coalition, Knight Vision and Mental Health at Menlo all vie for time to share information and assist students during the Student Life time block. is year, Kulbieda and Fauver allot more Student Life time for sexual health education than for drug education. “We’re really prioritizing our sexual health education program due to the Menlo #MeToo [Instagram account], and just because we feel like it’s a really important topic as well,” Kulbieda said. Kulbieda and Fauver agreed that more drug education would be ideal, especially when it comes to student-driven conversations about substance use at parties and how to help friends. “Menlo’s system is by no means perfect, and we’re really working to expand it,” Fauver said.

Students Weigh Pros and Cons of Drug Use

by RILEY HUDDLESTON

Editor’s Note: In researching this story, e Coat of Arms soughtoutstudentsofallgradestobetterunderstandthemotivations students may have behind both using drugs and abstaining from them. e perspectives communicated in this story do not represent the entire student body, as only a few students were interviewed. Rather, this article aims to focus on the “why” behind students’ relationships with drugs, speci callymarijuana,MDMA,psilocybinandLSD.

Although the physical and mental issues that accompany drug use are o en communicated by parents, schools and the media, some teenagers still see bene ts to drugs that outweigh the risks. “I get really bored, and [drugs] make life more ey help me] see [life] from a new perspective,” an anonymous sophomore boy said.

As for harder drugs like MDMA, LSD and magic mushrooms, both the sophomore and senior boys heard about them from peers.

“[My brother and friends’ brothers] intro duced me to the idea that they weren’t as bad as schools and parents make them seem. [...] I that it becomes normalized with age,” the sophomore boy said.

An anonymous senior boy mostly uses en weekly, and he has tried the drugs psilocybin and MDMA — colloquially referred to as magic mushrooms and molly, respectively — once each. “I use [weed] when I’m with friends, but I also like using it alone,” he said. “I chose it just because it is a very relaxing drug. For me, weed ect like some people think.”

Similar to the senior boy, an anonymous junior girl uses weed at least once a week. “I feel like [it] has calming mental e ects. I have a lot of anxiety, [which] sometimes doing weed really helps with,” she said. is girl also feels that weed can be a good social tool. She said she understands the potential health e ects, but she isn’t very worried. “I don’t do it frequently enough that I feel like it would really a ect me,” she said. ese three students all feel that marijuana could be used to relax or t in during social interactions. “How o en I use it depends on how o en I’m going out with friends, or if I’m having a particularly stressful week,” the junior girl said. A common reason for marijuana use, including its medical purpose, is to relieve stress. A 2017 University of Washington study found that marijuana use, in low doses, decreased anxiety, while higher doses increased anxiety. However, studies have shown that users can develop a dependence on it over time.

According to the Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention, three in 10 people who have tried marijuana develop Marijuana Use Disorder, which includes failing to quit usage and choosing marijuana use over important activities.

“[Drugs put you] in a very vulner able [state]. I don’t like it. I’d rather trash my body with candy,” senior Sharon Nejad said. Freshman Benjamin Park shared a simi lar sentiment. “I don’t want to get ad dicted to anything. [Not using drugs is] just a healthy practice,” he said.

In addition, the CDC said that regular or heavy use of marijuana beginning in adolescence can have permanent e ects on the developing brain.

illustrations: Tatum Herrin and Sophie Fang

In contradiction to some other students’ sen timents about using drugs to have more successful social encounters, junior Charlie King said they aren’t necessary. “I can get enough happiness living my own life, being with my friends,” he said.

Of the three underclassmen interviewed who forego drugs, all said they had not yet been in situations where they could have used drugs. “ e opportunity [has] never come up, and I don’t seek out [the opportunities to do drugs]. I consider myself risk averse,” an anonymous sophomore girl said.

Drugs in Modern Media: Glamorous or Educational?

by TESSA FRANTZ

Movies and TV shows can provide an escape from the world we live in, a vessel for outlandish fantasies and stories that live only in our imaginations. But they can also provide insight into the world we live in, reflecting real lifestyles and perspectives across cultures. So, when substances are shown in movies and TV shows, certain portrayals can be misleading to young audiences. Proper representation of the risks of using substances at a young

stances portrayed in a positive way still influences how they view drugs and alcohol. “[Seeing drugs on screen] definitely influences people our age. You can say you won’t do [drugs] a lot in the future, but it still looks like a good time when you’re young,” senior Saaz Ahuja said. Specifically, Ahuja believes that shows and movies make substances seem like a “fun” addition to social activities. “I remember when I was younger, I’d watch ‘That 70’s Show’ and see the characters smoking together and having a blast,” Ahuja said.

Similarly, sophomore Theo Sanders considers the shows he watches and criticizes the portrayal of alcohol usage. “One of my favorite animated shows is the Simpsons, and the main charac ter, Homer, often goes to the bar to drown his sorrows and family issues in alcohol with his friends from work. This view seems very un realistic because the problems Homer faces before his drinking seem to disappear from the plot line after he comes back from the bar,” he said. Sanders also believes that the alcohol portrayal in “The Simpsons” can be misleading for the target audience. “This is a kids/teens show, and the child viewers can draw conclusions, even though the drinking habits of the characters are unhealthy and unrealistic,” he said.

than a quarter of drinking scenes show any negative con sequences. The narrative around drugs and alcohol in the media is shown to be more positive than negative, which gives teenagers a one-sided view of substance use. Addition ally, on-screen portrayals of substances can make them seem more common than they are in reality. Junior Sophia Crouse said that the substance use portrayed in movies and shows is unre alistic overall. “Most movies or shows that reference partying seem to blow the substance use out of proportion,” Crouse said.

At Menlo, counselor Jake Fauver believes that drug edu cation must come from other sources to balance out the positive depictions of substances on screen. “We take a tack at Menlo, which is harm reduction or prevention. [...] There’s not a lot of education on how you help somebody or how you know how much is your limit. That’s where we try to plug in a bit more,” Fauver said.

Senior Uma Misha remembers seeing substances in a misleading light on screen, which enticed her as a kid. She also said that the risks of substance use were missing from the representation she viewed when she was younger, which she believes poses a threat to teenagers today. “I remember always seeing drinking in movies and thinking that it looked so fun, but they never really showed the full picture. I think there [are] a lot of people who go into an experience with drugs and alcohol and they can be really misinformed, which can be really dangerous,” Misha said. Misha and Sanders’s points about the dangers of drug portrayals in media are supported by a 2016 study from the Society for the Study of Addiction, which found exposed to positive media portrayals of drinking promotes youth drinking, and being exposed to e-cigarettes in media is associated with increased dose-dependent usage of e-cigarettes in middle and high school

Movies and TV shows are

For students, growing up watching sub-

can take us out of reality, and show us different perspec tives from our own. But when intense topics like substanc use are shown to a young au dience, the line between fanta sy and reality can become blurred.

Psychedelics Evolve, Perception Changes, Students Describe "Trips"

by PENELOPE STINSON

“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by the Beatles. “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. “Interstellar Overdrive” by Pink Floyd. The music of the late 1960s and early 1970s was full of references to psychedelic drugs, whether directly or indirectly. Musicians serenaded listeners with vivid pictures of colorful and confusing imagery and recounted their “blissed out” and “trippy” experiences through song. In the 1960s, psychedelics were illegal, but they were ingrained in pop culture. For the past 50 years, that perception of psychedelics continued, according to Rolling Stone. They were regarded with the freedom of the “Summer of Love” and the haze and violence that surrounded the Vietnam protests. After all, psychedelics were sung about by the musical greats of the 60’s and 70’s.

However, new research about the mediconversations about their use as not just a party drug but a therapeutic one as well. Evidence that psychedelic drugs operate differently in the brain than addictive drugs has been causing some advocates to call for their legalization, according to The New York Times. Those appeals might be working. In 2020, Oregon passed a measure that legalized psilocybin use in therapy, according to The Oregonian. In Silicon Valley, the trend of “microdosing” or taking psychedelics such as LSD or mushrooms in tiny doses has become popular during the pandemic to improve mental health and increase creativity in the workplace, according to Harvard University’s Science in the News. Psychedelics are slowly drifting away from their days

of being associated with “peace and love” and perhaps towards a new era of medical treatment. Still, the research is limited and

One of the most unpredictable parts of psychedelic drugs is the “trip.” An altered sense of reality and consciousness, a psychedelic trip can be liberating or downright terrifying. For two of the four main kinds of psychedelics, ketamine and psilocybin (a main ingredient in magic mushrooms), the risks include panic and anxiety. For the other two prominent kinds of psychedelics, LSD and MDMA, better known as acid and molly respectively, the risks are more physical, such as heart strain and lasting kidney and organ damage, according to The New York Times.

For one Menlo senior, her experience trying mushrooms was positive overall. She wanted to try out psychedelics before small group of friends to do it with. They designated a “sitter,” or someone who stayed sober to watch the others, which she felt made her more comfortable throughout of feeling the effects of the drugs she described as enjoyable, noting that the mushshrooms mainly changed her vision. “Things just looked a little weird,” she said. “People’s faces vibrated or looked off, but it was kind of just small things.”

But she described the last hour, before the effects mostly wore off, as being stressful. “[The effects] had just been going on for so long, and my mindset at that point was ‘I just want to feel normal again.’”

A Menlo junior also tried psychedel-

and I remember my body feeling really tingly,” she said. But she noted that she wasn’t doing anything particularly overstimulating while taking ecstasy and thus was able to maintain a steady state.

A different Menlo junior recounted some of her experiences with psychedelics. She personally has never taken any form of psychedelics, but she has been a “sitter” for many of her friends while they are on them. She described some of the more negative experiences one of her friends, a non-Menlo student, had with taking acid. “When he was a child, he had some recurring dreams of a monster killing him, and those dreams came back when he was on acid. And for months after that, he continued to have those monsters in his dreams,” she described.

Upper School counselor and drug education teacher Jake Fauver described one of his biggest concerns for students who experiment with psychedelics is the possibility of a “bad trip,” or an extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous high. “I worry about people using any sort of substance, but particularly psychedelics as an escape from the reality they’re in,” he said. “If they’re not in a good mental space, the chance that it’s a bad trip or it actually leads to more paranoia is an increased possibility. You have to be able to weigh out risk and reward, and I think that pertains to substances too,” Fauver said.

Fauver also outlined the drug education curriculum for Menlo students, noting that 12th grade is when he tends to have conversations with students about

How Does Drug Addiction Affect the Teenage Brain?

Long-term Consequences

Long-term substance abuse can result in: memory loss, shortened attention span, poor coordination, lowered IQ levels, poor mental health, exhibiting dangerous behavior, growth stunts, substance dependency.

Increased Vulnerability

Using drugs impacts the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which helps the brain think, solve problems, and make decisions. e prefrontal cortex is especially vulnerable to damage in teenagers who abuse substances, as it is the nal part of the brain to mature.

Substance Use Disorders

Teenagers that start experimenting with drugs before the age of 18 are 6.5 times more likely to develop substance use disorders. People who drink before the age of 20 are four times more likely to become addicted to alcohol.

Reward Systems

All drugs increase the amount of rewardrelated neurotransmitters being released in the brain, such as dopamine, which cause feelings of euphoria. Unnatural levels of dopamine from drugs override healthy messages, and convince the brain that other sources of dopamine, like friends and food, are less valuable. is harms the brain's reward circuits and creates a dependence on drugs.

Where Else is Impacted?

Drugs also harm two other main parts of the brain: the basal ganglia and the extended amygdala. e basal ganglia helps create positive forwms of motivation, and the amygdala is responsible for generating stress.

Higher Intensity in Teens

Adolescent brains aren’t as well layered as adult brains, so brain cells rely on sending “louder messages” to one another. Consequently the effects of drugs are also received with more magnitude, causing adolescent brains to experience a higher intensity of drugs.

2021 Movies in Review: The Hits of the Year

by RILEY HUDDLESTON

Summer of Soul

of footage dug up from the 1969 Harlem Music Festival to paint a picture of the impact the festival had in a time rich with advancements in culture. While the historical framework alone shines, the integration of music, narration and camerawork brings the already-engaging musical to life. With shots that switch according to the tempo of the music and narration that enhances the footage rather than overshadowing it, “Summer of Soul” combines all the best parts of documentary and story.

nearly-three-hour runtime, received universal acclaim due to its engrossing and dramatic story. I was particularly taken by the empathy I felt for every character, fostered by

long shots breaking the fourth wall, emotional dialogue or the tragic losses in the characters’ backstories, the art of the movie is in both the character-to-character and viewerto-character connections. “Drive My Car” also weaves in eloquent symbolism with the importance of routine and the iconic red car, to name a few. As with other movies, I sometimes felt that “Drive My Car” was slow and dialogue-heavy, but I’ve never watched a slow movie that still weaved in enough emotion to engage me the entire time.

The newest villain backstory movie gave us answers to how Cruella de Vil of 101 Dalmatians came to be, though I’m not sure who was actually wondering about that. Nonetheless, director Craig Gillespie’s “Cruella” combines a fun soundtrack, stellar acting and dazzling costumes to paint a clear picture of Cruella’s past. While the plot points of her mother dying and her being an ingenious fashion designer were creative and fresh, overall the movie seemed to have a lot going on. There were many action or “heist” scenes and at least three different plot twists. Some of the pieces came together nicely — such as why she’s evil — some did not: the last name de Vil came because she liked the name of a car model? While a good watch, the main issue I had was that the storyline kept randomly and somewhat confusingly looping in the ele-

adaptation of the beloved “Dune” book series by Frank Herbert, and

Overall, “Cruella” fails to follow through on its own premise of describing Cruella’s origin but performs really well doing it.

to have been successful, according to WIRED magazine. While I did feel it was a bit slow and slightly confusing, it’s likely that reading the book beforehand, which I had not done, would have made things clearer. The intense music and stunning landscapes advance the narrative, and the right balance of meaningful world-creating dialogue and intense acfocused literature adaptations. With the pseudo-religious “Bene Gesserit” group who genetically experiment, the mistreatment of the Fremen people native to the Arrakis planet and the competition for the magical spice that drives the powerful groups of the universe, social themes from our world are expertly weaved into the narrative of “Dune.” I admired that these themes were not lost in the adaptation and agree with critics that it's these social themes of religion, treatment of indigenous groups and resource exploitation that make the movie so impactful.

Dune

Although I con - sider myself a Marvel fanatic, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” combined classic super hero elements with past Spider-Man characters to create -

Spider-Mans, along with their accompanying villains, created a fun storyline. As someone who has seen all easier to understand, but altogether I felt that the storyline could have been better developed. For example, it was hard to get behind the idea that the plot seemingly revolves around a mistake Peter made after realizing he and his friends couldn’t get into college. However, I did appreciate that the other characters weren’t brought back just for the sake of it; they were incorporated into the movie seamlessly and for a reason. The ending of the movies, and all around the newest addition to the Peter Parker Spider-Man was, in my opinion, the best so far.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” shines with its star-studded cast and creative satire. Widely regarded as a commentary on capitalism and politicians and the media’s ignorance towards cli-

was both engaging and alluring, complete with quick cuts and footage of animals and landscapes that engrossed me throughout. Due to its controversial messages, the movie brought in mixed reviews on whether it was comedic or not. In my opinion, the phenomenon the movie is trying to satirize has reached a level of self parody in the real world be absurd, “Don’t Look Up” loses some of its shock factor due to how real the politicians-ignoring-global-warming trope is, which results in laughing while also gritting your teeth. Overall, “Don’t Look Up” is well-made with fun characters and a famous cast, but is hard to watch for anyone fed up with the world’s approach to the climate crisis.

Don't Look Up

February 17, 2022

Menlo Students Debate the Pros and Cons of AP Classes

AGAINST APs

by RHEA NANDAL

this year, I had never really put much

but more rigorous classes such as Advanced Placement seemed too far away to worry about. However, when my freshman history teacher recently told our class about the opI found myself stressing out about getting into the class before even considering if I

smarter. Students who are busy with extra-

doing so, they can put unnecessary stress on themselves.

they aren’t interested in solely for the AP credit. When students fill their course schedule with classes they don’t enjoy, high school, a place where students are meant to explore their interests, loses its purpose.

place to grow and more of a numbers game to maximize college credits.

effort and even money. According to the

inequity of AP classes. By recognizing our can set a precedent for other schools and According to Admissions and Financial

to the percentage of aid that families receive of the tuition only pay 50% of the exam fee.

with predominantly students from lowincome families are unable

Some people may argue that AP classes give students a better education, but in reality, the entire class is centered around a test, students are unable to explore in-depth topics that interest them and are taught to memorize instead. High school is a time in they enjoy, but they will never be able to do that in an AP class without deviating from the material on the exam.

classes by replacing them with classes that still challenge students but also allow them to discover their passions and interests.

FOR APs

by SOPHIE STONE

Advanced Placement courses, which are collegiate-level classes, are designed to challenge students and better prepare them for college. However, students and administrators have always disagreed on their effectiveness in a high school setting. can put unnecessary amounts of stress on students. For others, doing well on the AP exam and getting good grades in that class worth it.

Since AP classes are meant to have the

way to help prepare high school students for college. The fast-paced and rigorous setting of AP classes is similar to what students will encounter in college, according to or two AP classes in high school pushes students ahead of their peers when they

move on to higher levels of education.

introductory classes. Passing the AP test

those introductory courses and gain credit towards graduating college. If enough AP

would need to be paid. Compared to the thousands of dollars spent on a semester’s an AP exam is nothing.

Although the difficulty of the AP classes causes stress for students, the exams do not lower a student’s chances of getting into the colleges they want. One of the biggest worries for students when

the results of the AP exam do not average into the overall grade in that class and therefore cannot impact students’ grade point average.

As reported on the College Board website, AP exam scores are self-reported, so colleges will not see the score unless students want them to. Test scores are weighted as about 15% of a student’s total application, according to CollegeVine, a website dedicated to providing accurate information about the college application process. Compared to a student’s extracurricular profile (weighing in at

Despite the test scores being

course options available to them. Because

classes tend to stand out, according to Today by NBC. There are 38 different AP courses offered by the College Board, and

that students select can give colleges insight

of the class, most colleges and high schools give extra weight to grades made in AP AP classes are given a 0.5 boost, bumping up the student’s average.

According to teachers familiar with offers are already heavily based on AP does not offer all of the AP classes. If that are at a semi-collegiate level, there is no reason that they shouldn’t be given the for college. At the end of the day, AP classes are completely optional. If a student feels that AP classes are too stressful for them, eliminating AP classes robs other students of the chance to challenge themselves, expand their learning and earn college credit while doing it.

Opinions

TikTok Families: Parents Are Stealing eir Children's Privacy

by PENELOPE STINSON

In 2011, when I was about six years old, the most advanced technology my parents had was probably a secondgeneration Blackberry phone, which they exclusively used to type, send and read emails. My parents didn’t post pictures of six-year-old me on social media, because, at the time, neither of them were hip enough to understand Facebook, and, as a teenager, I know for a fact we’ve never made a “vlog” together. However, with cellphone technology and social media apps getting increasingly more advanced and parents realizing the money-making possibilities of content creation, my socialmedia-free childhood is no longer ordinary. From toddlers to tweens, today’s parents are posting their kids everywhere doing everything, and it’s more harmful than they realize.

The internet loves content of cute little kids doing funny little things. A baby making snow angels in an oversized snowsuit. A five-year-old face-planting after tripping on his toy. Toddler twins conspiring to push their cribs together in the middle of the night. We practically inhale viral videos of kids. But the parents who post their kids on social media once in a blue moon and accidentally get millions of views are not the problem; the parents social media are.

Before TikTok existed, parents created family channels on YouTube. Most of the families with YouTube channels had kids younger than ten with parents younger than 35. Families like “The Ace Family” or “The LaBrants” or “Daily Bumps” posted vlog after vlog of their “perfect” family life. In these vlogs, viewers saw kids learn or hit a home run in their baseball game. These successful family vlogs collectively brought in half a billion views per week, according to the New York Magazine. But as TikTok rose in popularity, those same “family vloggers” found a new platform to make content on. Shorter videos meant more views, and more views meant more money. And while YouTube videos provide

a 10-15 minute glimpse into a family’s life, TikTok keeps viewers updated on their every move.

TikTok keeps veiwers updated on the family's every move.

These perfectly manicured family vlogs are also a breeding ground for abuse and neglect. One of the ACE Family’s most popular YouTube videos is one in which they convince their children a home robbery is occurring, which is problematic for their mental health. Not only are there issues with the parents who produce this “family-friendly” content, but there are also issues with the people who watch it. Both TikTok and YouTube have had prominent issues with pedophilia and child predators on their sites. While the pedophiles need to be shut down by the respective sites, the parents who post their kids need to be responsive to that risk.

The myriad problems with parents posting and profiting off of their kids doesn’t simply start and stop with abuse and pedophilia. Instead, it boils down to one simple issue: the kids cannot consent do you explain the concept of millions of followers and subscribers to a kid who is just learning to count to ten? Many of the children of these prominent “family vloggers” have yet to hit their teens, but when they mature and gain awareness of what it means to have millions of people watching their every move, they’ll realize that their entire childhood is online, and accessible to anyone. In essence, while the viewers of these kids saw them grow up, the kids didn’t even know their followers existed. Once they do grow up and start to understand their following, they won’t have any concept of privacy or the ability to create their own identity on the internet because their parents took that away from them.

The Coat of Arms

Krane

Social Media Director...........................................Lexi Friesel

Creative Director..................................................Sophie Fang

Head Copy Editor.................................................Parina Patel

Copy Editor...................................................Charlotte Palmer

Marketing Director..............................................Madison Liu

Staff Writers............................Zoe Adler, Sonia Dholakia, Geoffrey Franc, Lizzie Freehill, Cleo Hardin, Sophia Hinshaw, Sutton Inouye, Kylie Jones, Claude KingsleyWilliam, Noah Kornfeld, Izzy Klugman, Andrea Li, Jake Lieberman, Alea Marks, Octave Moha, Rhea Nandal, Jacob Reich, Ty Richardson, Avery Romain, Agnes Shao, Sophie Stone, Karen Xin

Staff Illustrators...............................................Michele Hratko, Dorinda Xiao, Grace Tang

Adviser.................................................................Tripp Robbins

Mission Statement

The Coat of Arms is an independent, student-led open forum for student expression. All decisions relating to the management and content of The Coat of Arms are fundamentally the responsibility of students. Coat of Arms reporters strive to acknowledge their internal biases and tell meaningful stories with empathy, fairness and journalistic integrity. The Coat of Arms staff is committed to building on the legacy of past staffs while setting the foundation for future members.

February 17, 2022

Elizabeth Holmes Shouldn't Be Idolized for Fraud, Yet She Is

by PARINA PATEL

Girlboss (noun):

Someone with badass energy all around. Doesn’t care what anyone says. Someone who is strong and confident. Someone who everyone looks up to (Urban Dictionary).

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is not a girlboss. While she may have demonstrated some of the above qualities, Holmes does not deserve the title that many fan pages are using to idolize her.

On Jan. 3, Holmes was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud investors, as well as three counts of wire to CNN.

Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup”

Holmes as a hungry young woman who dropped out of Stanford University at 19 in hopes to change the healthcare industry. She raised $945 million from high-

former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, billionaire Rupert Murdoch and the Walton family of Walmart fame, according to CNBC, putting Theranos’s worth at $9 billion at its peak. Theranos promised its clients a blood test that relied on a drop of blood and could deliver hundreds of medical results.

However, she was never going to succeed. Stanford medical professor Phyllis

history of terrorizing former employees by sending lawyers like David Boies to scare them,” Deeter said in an interview with The

getting people to talk — which involved a lot of phone calls and emails and LinkedIn outreach — and well over half the people I spoke with were too scared to ever go on camera for us. I didn’t blame them. I was very impressed and grateful to everyone

But this fear went so far as to where former Theranos employee Ian Gibbons died by suicide in 2013, according to

that her husband had killed himself

because he was being asked by Theranos

story because he could not,” Deeter said.

and coffees for her to feel comfortable talking to me and a lot of trust for her to agree to go on camera for us. During this process she came out of her shell in a really process had been cathartic for her.”

While Holmes’s faults are undeniable, her treatment, both from the media and from the law, might be biased in part because of her gender. Orator Scott Galloway tweeted her investors less than a billion dollars, didn’t make any real money herself & is going to prison. Adam Neumann cost his investors $11 billion, received a 10% commission on those losses & is going to Coachella. #nomercynomalice.”

Regardless, Holmes is guilty, and her female identity comes in the future. Female entrepreneurs have never had it easy in a business world

female entrepreneurs have even been compared to Holmes when they haven’t been the ones accused of criminal fraud, according to The New York Times. Holmes herself didn’t cause this, but she is responsible for adverse effects especially in the female

Holmes back when it really looked like she was changing the world. But if you lie and cheat and terrorize the loyal, hard-working people who are tasked with helping you make that happen, girl’ about this girl,” Deeter said.

e College Culture of Silicon Valley Has Dominated My Life; It Needs to Stop

by ANDREA LI

My experience with college started when I was 11. At that point, college had already become a casual topic for friends to discuss over lunch — whether it be which college we wanted to go to or what high school GPA we would need to get into college. No matter how hard teachers tried to get us to focus more on personal strengths rather than comparing ourselves to others, the hypercompetitive nature of my middle school always managed to steer the topic of conversation back to grades. We would college, even though we secretly believed we would perish if we didn’t get into an Ivy League school.

This competitive atmosphere is not unique to my middle school. Rather, it is simply a byproduct of the unrelenting focus on college admissions in Silicon Valley. There’s no denying that getting into college is an important and worthy goal to strive for, but the extent to which the culture of Silicon Valley allows this competition to fester is

pressure as one of the reasons for teenagers’ stress in Silicon Valley, and a Stanford Daily article linked academic stress to one of the

Especially, because I come from an immigrant family where college is heavily emphasized as a way to repay my parents’

mindset of college being the one and only end goal of my life. This mindset around college is not unique to my family. According to a paper written by Donna Poon, a senior staff writer for the Applied Psychology Program at NYU, many aspirations onto their children in order to ensure their academic success.

in some East Asian American families like mine, where Confucian ideals emphasize the importance of filial piety. In these families, the pressure of attending top tier schools for your parents rather than for

experience, it can lead to developing an unhealthy mindset surrounding college.

minority” myth suggest that all Asians must be smart and hardworking, thus creating the unhealthy notion that the only way to academically and get into top colleges. Students like me tend to develop the mindset that much of what you do in high school is working towards college admissions, and living in Silicon Valley only makes students more aware of this fact. Despite this, the blame can’t simply be placed on Silicon Valley. Although external pressures certainly do worsen my unhealthy mindset regarding college, I’ve realized that the only way I can change my mindset is by making personal strides to focus less on college in my school life. Rather

than taking classes simply because they would appeal to a college admissions and me alone, while reminding myself that I am still a high school sophomore.

Permanent Ink: Students Open Up About eir Tattoos

by ERICA FENYO

According to California Penal Code 653 PC, it is illegal to tattoo anyone under the age of 18, but that hasn’t stopped all Menlo students from receiving tattoos.

Tattoos are a way to memorialize friends and family or display a favorite quote or word or even just a spontaneous decision. According to a 2019 study by Ipsos, 30% of all Americans, regardless of age, have a tattoo.

Senior Carolina Espinosa got a tattoo on her ribcage over the summer to commemorate her father who passed away in 2020.

The tattoo on Espinosa’s ribs reads “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away” from the U2 song “Beautiful Day.” The Roman numerals for April 8, 2020 lie underneath the lyrics to mark the date of her father’s passing. “Since I was little, my family used to road trip everywhere, and we always [used to] roll down the windows and all sing this song together at the top of our lungs,” Espinosa said. “I associate this song with my dad and our family trips. Plus, [I think] this line itself is a good thing to live by.”

When Espinosa explained the idea to her mother, she was supportive. However, because you cannot sweat for two weeks after getting a tattoo, she needed to get

it a few weeks before her 18th birthday, commitments. Espinosa traveled with her mother to Reno, Nev. to get the tattoo, where it is legal for a minor to get a tattoo with a parent’s consent.

Espinosa is open to getting more tattoos in the future but does not want too many. “In order for me to get a tattoo, it has to be pretty meaningful,” Espinosa said. “If [the tattoo] is remotely big, I’m not going to do something just for the sake of doing it, so once I feel like there’s a reason to get [another] tattoo then I’ll get it.”

Junior Montse Contreras has four tattoos: a mushroom she calls “shroomgini,” a rabbit, a sun and a frog that she is still in each time, three times with the “Stick-andPoke” method where you apply the tattoo by hand with a needle dipped in ink and once with a tattoo gun she purchased off Amazon.

“I feel like, for me, Stick-and-Poke [tattoos] are easier because it’s more precise, and I feel like my lines are a lot better compared to the [tattoo] gun,” Contreras said.

Initially, her parents were upset with her decision to self-administer tattoos. However, they eventually accepted her decision. “I think I’m pretty stubborn,” she said. “When I want to do something, I’m going to do it.”

But Contreras does not encourage other people to self-administer tattoos. “I don’t recommend [self-administering tattoos] infections, and you have to make sure everything around you is sanitized and you

have gloves,” Contreras said. “I’m lucky that I haven’t gotten an infection yet.”

A senior girl asked to remain anonymous to protect her identity from family members, so she will be referred to as Hazel Smith. Smith got Stick-and-Poke tattoos with her friends a few months ago. “My friends and I were always talking about doing something fun, something kind of spur of the moment,” Smith said. “My best friend and I would always write ‘XO’ and draw hearts in cards and letters, so she did a heart and I did an ‘XO,’ and we have it on the same place on our bodies.”

Smith’s friend performed the tattoos in her living room when her parents were not home. “My parents don’t know [about the tattoo], and they probably wouldn’t approve,” she said.

An anonymous senior boy, who will be referred to as Ezra Price, got a Stick-andPoke tattoo at the same time as some of his friends. “[My tattoo] is a lightning bolt, and I was inspired by my baby cousin whose favorite superhero is the Flash,” Price said. “It’s very small [because] none of us really wanted them to be shown and just thought it might be a fun thing to do.”

One of Price’s friends performed the tattoo and the group made sure the process was hygienic to reduce the risk of infection. “We were wearing gloves the whole time, and […] it was mostly just one person doing [the tattoos],” Price said. “There was a new needle for every person, and we shaved the area before, and put alcohol on it and made it super sanitary.”

A junior girl asked to remain anonymous to protect her identity from her family, so she will be referred to as Delilah Hayes. Hayes has two Stick-and-Poke tattoos, one that she did herself and one that a friend did for her. “[I got the] one that my friend did because [a lot of my friends] were doing them,” Hayes said. “We were near a Hobby Lobby, and we got ink, so might as well.”

Hayes turned to the internet for tattoo inspiration. “I looked up a Pinterest board for tattoos and picked the two that I really

liked,” Hayes said. “I want to get a couple of professional [tattoos] done, and then I also want to do some more Stick-and-Pokes, probably on my ankle or something,” she said.

“My parents don’t know [about the tattoo], and they probably wouldn’t approve."

Another professionally-done tattoo belongs to senior Ella Hartmanis. She got a small tattoo of mountains on her rib cage. “I’ve grown up skiing and spent a lot of time in the mountains. It sounds cheesy, but I love being outdoors,” Hartmanis said. “I knew I wanted to get something meaningful to me that I wouldn’t regret later, so that’s why I chose [a mountain].”

but then over time, partially because I was so sure of it, they were more on board for it,” Hartmanis said.

Once her parents agreed, Hartmanis and her mom traveled to Reno, Nev. to get the tattoo since she is still a minor. “My mom took me and she had to give consent. We actually both ended up getting tattoos at the same time there,” Hartmanis said. “[Getting tattoos] was more of a family thing as well. We have different tattoos, but it’s the same concept.”

Hartmanis also wants to get more tattoos in the future, but she is waiting for meaningful inspiration. “I think I really need to wait for a while because there’s nothing right now that I really want or that’s meaningful to me,” Hartmanis said. “I don’t want to put [a tattoo] on my body if it doesn’t have a long-term impact on my life.”

February 17, 2022

Selected Student Pro le: Montse Contreras

by KAYLIE WU

Q: What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?

I went to Half Moon Bay the night before school started. I could not focus; it was awful. But it was amazing, such a beautiful night.

Q: What was the last thing you bought?

I like going to vintage markets. I bought a it’s really beautiful.

Q: What’s something you say a lot?

Q: What was the last song you listened to?

It was probably something a little emo. Oh, I was listening to “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” by Sufjan Stevens. John’s a murder clown. It’s spooky vibes. little emo?

I would say I’m a very emotional person, [but my music taste is] not necessarily sad music. I’m really into anything. If I’m not into something, it’s because I haven’t given it a good try.

Q: What’s your most irrational fear?

I watch a lot of horror videos on YouTube. It’s called analog horror, which is basically people who make their own mini series of really scary videos. Recently, [I watched] one about an evil demon that steals babies through televisions. So I get really paranoid [because] I think that someone’s going to crawl out of my phone and kill me.

Q: What’s your go-to for breakfast?

If I have time, I treat myself and make overnight oats before I go to bed.

Q: Is In-N-Out worth the hype?

It is worth the hype. It’s a staple for the working class. And I think if you’re someone that’s ride or die for Shake Shack, then I can’t with you. We can’t be friends.

Q: What’s your coffee order?

I like to get a Cafe Miel from Saint Frank Coffee. It’s like a honey and cinnamon syrup [drink].

Q: What’s something you think is overpriced?

am I right?

Q: Are you a night owl or early bird?

super scared of the dark.

Q: So is it hard to wake up in the morning?

Arts & Lifestyle

It is really hard to wake up in the morning. Waking up [as myself] is too much… it’s too much, what do people call it? Too much responsibility.

wake up?

I go back to sleep.

Q: Did you watch “Euphoria?” I did.

Q: Who’s your favorite character?

I love Jules, because I’m a ride or die fan [of] Hunter Schafer.

Q: What’s your favorite show?

I kind of want to lose my memory because I want to see “Breaking Bad” [for

Q: If you could be in a show, what would it be? “Breaking Bad?”

No, oh my god, I can’t. I don’t even know

how I’d get entangled in the meth ring. I could totally see myself being a side character on “Euphoria,” but someone who’s very boring. Honestly, I think I have enough emotional trauma to have a solid episode on the show.

Q: If you could create a new class at Menlo, what would it be?

Honestly, I was really thinking about this. The effects of drugs or a dive into psychedelics.

Q: What has been the highlight of your week?

My cat has gained a friend. There’s a new cat in the neighborhood that looks exactly like my cat Mambo. Both my parents have mistaken it for my cat, but I love just watching them hang and chill out.

Q: Who’s your favorite Kardashian?

e Menlo Community Addresses the Stigma Around Testing Positive for COVID-19

by CLEO HARDIN

With more students contracting COVID-19, the stigma around testing positive seems to be decreasing throughout the staff and student body. The surge of the omicron variant has led to the biggest spike in cases since the beginning of the

pandemic. However, despite the abundance of cases, the lethality and effects of the disease have significantly decreased. This has led to many students quickly recovering after contracting COVID-19 and returning to school after

learning, the nursing staff has implemented a system to notify close contacts of someone who tested positive. “We never mention any names whatsoever, so if somebody is considered a close contact, we’ll never divulge who they were a close contact [of],” Assistant School Nurse Laurel Marks said.

and privacy of those who tested positive, while trying to keep everyone safe, is of

"No one's looked at me differently because I had COVID-19."

utmost importance to the staff. “There’s also less stigma about it, [...] and now I feel like the attitude is more like, ‘well everybody has COVID, and it’s not so much [a question of] if I get COVID but when I get COVID,’” Marks said. The increase in cases also decreased conversation about who has COVID-19, according to Marks. Freshman Lily Kautai tested positive for COVID-19 and had to quarantine the school-regulated 10 days before returning to campus. “I feel like since I came back, so far no one’s looked

None of them. I think they’re all evil, and they’re all cogs of the capitalist machine that are destroying the young women of America. Honestly, I don’t like any of them. at me differently because I had COVID, and I think that because it’s really big right now and there’s a lot of people getting it, it’s sort of been normalized,” Kautai said. The decrease in stigma around a positive COVID-19 test is largely attributed to the number of people who are testing positive and how quickly they are able to get back in the classroom.

Although many people on campus feel like the stigma around testing positive for COVID-19 is decreasing, senior Maya Julian-Kwong had a different experience, as she was part of the early onset of COVID-19 cases at Menlo when she got the Delta variant in September of 2021. JulianKwong tested positive on the Tuesday after the senior retreat on Monday and said that it made for an awkward environment around classmates who she had exposed over the weekend. “Now if someone tests positive in our grade, people talk about it for a little bit and it goes away within 20 minutes, but when I tested positive, at least from what I hear from my friends, it was the talk in my entire grade for a day or two,” Julian-Kwong said. The stigma around testing positive has decreased within the past months, according to Julian-Kwong, as the availability of rapid COVID-19 tests has increased, which has provided more security to classmates when a previously COVID-19 positive student returns to the classroom.

Students Share eir Opinions on the Semi-Formal Dance

by LAURA ARTANDI

Menlo’s annual Semi-Formal Dance brings up mixed feelings for students. Some believe it’s a great tradition, while others think it can create unnecessary social stress and pressure.

Senior Michaela Chou doesn’t take issue with the majority of the traditions surrounding Semi. “I think school dances are such an integral part of high school. [...] I do think Semi is a nice way to bring everyone together. I like how everyone is included,” Chou said. However, her main issue is the pressure around attending the dance with a date. “I don’t understand why it’s such a necessity and why people feel like they’ll be social pariahs if they don’t have [a date].”

Menlo for all freshmen and sophomores due to COVID-19, and many are looking forward to it. “I’m just excited to have a sort of normal dance, and I’m kind of worried that we’re not going to have it. I just hope

that it’s kind of normal,” sophomore Lucia Aguilar said. “I think we’re going to be really excited for it, kind of like how the freshmen are really excited for it.” Although sophomore Evan Burnett hasn’t experienced a Semi dance yet, he believes that so far, the dance hasn’t caused him too much stress. “I think it’s just supposed to be sort of a fun thing. It hasn’t been too stressful for me, but some of the logistics can get a little tough,” Burnett said.

Junior Brooke Dombkowski believes that there can be anxiety leading up to the dance. “The pressure around it is a little overwhelming. I remember freshman year there was so much stress. It built up for months,” Dombkowski said.

Similarly to Chou, Dombkowski believes that there can be pressure to attend the dance with a date. “I felt pressured freshman year to go with someone, but you really don’t have to go with someone to have a good time,” Dombkowski

Junior Sudar Kartheepan agreed that less emphasis should be put on attending the dance with a date. “I think the aspect of having a date puts pressure on some people, but I feel like it’s important to realize that you don’t actually have to go [with] someone,” he said.

Sophomore Rayan Rahim believes that there is a stigma surrounding attending Semi alone. “Personally, I don’t think it really matters,” Rahim said. His goal for the dance is to go and spend time with his friends. “I feel like there shouldn’t be [stigma] if there is,” he said.

Traditionally, class uses Semi as an opportunity to have a Sadie Hawkins dance, in which girls do the asking. Junior Evelyn Zhou is in favor of this tradition. “I like how it’s not biased towards gender,” Zhou said. Burnett agrees that this is positive and

"I think school dances are such an integral part of high school. [...] I do think Semi is a nice way to bring everyone together."

believes that it allows for an opportunity to switch up the dynamic.

Senior Meera Rajagopal believes that

really like the Sadie Hawkins junior year tradition.” She believes that it shouldn’t be up to one gender to ask people to the dance. Kartheepan also isn’t in favor of the

Sadie Hawkins tradition. “Whoever wants to ask should ask. There shouldn’t be any pressure for a certain gender to ask,” he said.

"Whoever

wants to ask should ask. There shouldn't be any pressure for a certain gender to ask."

Freshman Ari Kaufman believes that the tradition isn’t necessary either. “I don’t think it needs to be a Sadie Hawkins for girls to be the ones asking out,” she said.

According to Rajagopal, this year the seniors are planning not to designate one asks. She believes that any gender should ask whoever they want. “I think it’s better that way,” Rajagopal said.

In previous years, people have held gatherings right before the dance known as “pre-parties.” “I feel like preparties are really cliquey,” Zhou said. “I hope this year we can just have one pre-party for the whole grade because it would be a lot more inclusive.”

Chou expressed a similar idea. “When the grade isn’t close, I think pre-parties are very divided. [...] As the grade gets closer, it becomes more inclusive,” she said. Chou believes that the senior class has grown a lot closer since their last Semi-Formal in early 2020 and hopes that they have one pre-party with the whole grade. “I think it [would bring] class unity, and it [would] make no one feel left out.”

Dombkowski believes that pre-parties aren’t necessarily exclusive. “I wouldn’t say [pre-parties] are cliquey just because by now people have settled into their groups,” she said. “I think it’s just like hanging out with your friends. It’s not about what party you go to or anything like that.”

In an attempt to combat the exclusivity of pre-parties, the administration previously has planned a gathering for freshmen before the dance where the whole grade gathers to take pictures together. “Even if you didn’t go to a pre-party, you got to take pictures with people and hang out. I thought that was very inclusive,” Rajagopal said.

Another aspect of Semi that some students take issue with is the public proposals people make. Rajagopal doesn’t dislike public asks, but believes that it shouldn’t be something that everyone in the school should have to participate in. “It creates a weird culture

around not getting asked.” Rajagopal said. However, Kartheepan believes that there are most of the time [public asks] are a funny, cool way [...] to get involved in the whole thing,” he said.

Chou believes in the importance of pre-asking before publicly asking someone to go with them. “If there isn’t a pre-ask, I don’t want anyone in the situation where they feel like they have to say yes to someone,” she said. Kaufman agrees and highlighted the importance of respecting people’s boundaries. “If you’re not sure if they’ll like it, and they might be more of a private person, it’s kind of important to respect their boundaries. Some people don’t like being the center of attention,” Kaufman said.

Dombkowski has mixed feelings about public Semi asks. She believes that it can come with stress and pressure. “I think

Dombkowski said. But, she also believes that the asks can be fun. “Making the posters is fun, and having someone that you want to ask is fun,” she said.

February 17, 2022

Looking Ahead: Fashion Trend and Style Predictions for 2022

by PENELOPE STINSON & TATUM HERRIN

In 2021, everyday fashion began for most as a waistup endeavor, limited by the small frame of our laptop cameras. But that didn’t stop us from hopping on every trend the last year had to offer, which we eventually had the chance to sport on campus. Much like 2020, TikTok heavily dictated styles of 2021. We saw the ‘Bella Swan’ look take over, inspired by the “Twilight” protagonist, featuring a muted color palette, lowrise bottoms, high-top converse and Henley tops. As we move into 2022, new trends emerge. While thrifting and second-hand shopping have seen their rise, according to NPR, fast fashion continues to dominate. Brands such as Zara, H&M and -

TikTok and other social media apps are still calling the “hauls” to new shopping features on Instagram, clothing is more accessible than ever.

The 70’s:

The 1970s are making their comeback. And no, not sparkly polyester disco dresses and gogo boots. We the decade has more to offer. Vogue predicts the vintage in Gen-Z style. Expect to see more layered turtlenecks, corduroy everything, as well as iconic ‘70s hairstyles popular in 2021 to persist into 2022. Think curtain bangs,

voluminous high ponytails and hair accessories like headscarves and headbands.

Statement Accessories:

If there was ever a time to accessorize, it’s now. From opera to mesh to leather, gloves are all over the Spring end at the runways: Lady Gaga wore multiple pairs in her 2021 movie, “House of Gucci.” In other accessorizing news, according to Vogue, the balaclava is their prediction for number one 2022 knitwear trend, and patterned and graphic tights were one of the top styles on the Copenhagen runways for 2022.

Denim Jumpsuits:

Catsuits, a skin-tight,

2022, according to Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Style Caster. But instead of catsuits, we predict denim will be making an impact continue the 1970’s denim trends that took over 2021,dered, and patchwork denim, while also incorporating a new edgy aspect as seen in the catsuit trend. According to fashion site WhoWhatWear, head-totoe denim is in, and there’s no easier way to style it

Bling Bling:

Embellishments are in for 2022. From thick and belts to pearl-adorned sweaters, designers are letting their clothes shine in 2022. According to the Hollywood Reporter and Harper’s Bazaar, Valentino and Hermés displayed their oversized gold chain necklaces this season on the runway whereas Acne Studios showed off grungy chainbelts on theirs. But mainly pearls, will be adorned and embellished on sweaters and coats alike, according to USAToday, The Today Show

Skirt

Suits:

No matter the season,

way onto the runway. In 2021, the dressed-down blazer made its way into everyday wear. In 2022, we’re going to see the dressed-down blazer look kicked up a notch, with suits composed of colorful matching blazers and skirts. In Chanel’s 2021 Spring runway show, designers made homages to the iconic 90’s Chanel blazer-skirt combo. Vogue predicts 2022, the “power suit” will take on a whole different meaning in fashion.

Statement Shoes:

It’s also time to ditch the sneakers. Clunky statemently) are going to be all the rage this year. Harper’s Bazaar expects “work shoes” to become a closet staple in 2021. Platform loafers and Mary Janes have frequented the runways in 2021, providing a touch of classic sophistication to playful, everyday looks. Who What Wear anticipates platform mid-calf and knee high boots to dethrone the ever controversial ankle boots, as the two statement shoe styles have already begun to make a name for themselves in street fashion.