The Coat of Arms Issue 48.5

The Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms

serving Menlo's upper school since 1973

Taking the Road Less Traveled: Seniors Explore Unconventional Post-Graduation Paths

by ERICA FENYO

College sweatshirts abound and students rush to update their Instagram bios as seniors receive their acceptances and decide which university to attend next year. However, not all Menlo students choose the “standard” path following attending a high school: gap years, overseas universities, boarding schools, military academies and community colleges also entice some Menlo students.

Aside from the usual enrollment in four-year universities, gap years represent Menlo students’ second most prominent choice. Some register for programs while others design their own path.

Senior Meera Rajagopal plans to participate in a semester-long program in Europe at the start of her gap year and end with a road trip encompassing California’s national parks.

“I’m doing a program called ‘Art History Abroad,’ so you go to six European countries with like 18 kids, and you spend the morning going to certain art installations and museums and learning their history. Then you spend the second half of the day doing art,” Rajagopal said. “In the first semester, I’ll have a program with kids my age, but the second semester will be more like me learning how to be with myself, so I’m nervous for that. […] I’ve set goals for the gap year, and that’s a goal that I have: to be more comfortable by myself.”

Senior Tessa Frantz also chose a gap year to have time away from school and learn

more about herself. “I don’t have [my gap year] very structured, which I think is good for me, but I definitely want to backpack and travel,” she said.

“The main reason why I want to take a gap year is that I just want to travel on my own and see parts of the world that I haven’t seen before and also just kind of get away from the normal viewpoints and conversations that I’m always having in this area,” Frantz said.

Alumna Elisabeth Westermann, ‘21, deferred her admission from Stanford University to attend St. Clare’s International College in Oxford for a year. “I wanted to do something productive that would allow me to live in a new place. One goal for my gap year was to have a stronger humanities background before college,” she said.

“Through my classes, I have been able to explore topics like Victorian literature and the Enlightenment in a lot of depth, and that learning experience has been fascinating and transformative,” Westermann said in an email to The Coat of Arms.

Even though she feels homesick at times, Westermann believes her year at Oxford will give her a better sense of direction when she starts as a freshman at Stanford.

Although less common, some Menlo students also enroll at foreign colleges. This fall, senior Samantha Floyd will attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

“I’ve always wanted to go to school abroad […], experience a lot of cultures and just get out of the bubble,” Floyd said. “I think a big thing that pushed me to think about going abroad was kind of the whole political

College Paths, pg. 5

Menlo Community Shares Culture and Traditions at the Global Expo

by ABIGAIL BECKER

Community members, Menlo students and families gathered to celebrate culture and traditions during the 2022 Menlo Global Expo on Sunday, April 24. Menlo usually hosts the Global Expo every two years, but this is the first time the event has occurred since 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, over 50 countries across five continents were represented. According to Global Expo co-organizer Usha Nesamoney, the goal of the

showcase was inclusivity by representing Menlo’s diverse community and giving people an opportunity to share meaningful traditions.

At the event on the Loop, booths displayed colorful art, aromatic food and posters adorned with the rich history of the respective countries. Menlo students and parents ran the booths, talking with event-goers interested in learning more about the country. Menlo student attendees each received a Global Expo “passport” where they could answer

questions from each booth to earn Community Engagement credits.

Over 15 student groups showcased their talents on the main stage. A few students, for example, performed a lion dance with drums. There was also a Bollywood dance, a classic ballet folklorico, performances by the Upper and Middle School choruses and a fashion showcase of Tongan attire designed by junior William Mahe. “Since [the Global Expo] is about celebrating and displaying different cultures, I got permission to

display my [designs] there,” Mahe said. At the Norway booth, junior Katrina Golob presented a variety of traditional foods, including Norwegian waffles with strawberry jam and meatballs with lingonberry jam. According to Golob, much of Norwegian culture revolves around its cold climate: heavy food and heavy clothing.

Global Expo, pg. 4

MTERM Returns with Freshman and Sophomore Focuses, Junior Projects

Freshmen to study the environment, sophomores to focus on social issues in the community

by JAKE LIEBERMAN

MTERM occurs in late May and early June for the Menlo Upper School, offering students an opportunity to “engage in immersive mini courses designed to get them learning out in our local and global communities,” according to Menlo’s website. MTERM lets students in each grade learn about and engage with a passion. According to Ava Petrash, the Director of Community and Civic Engagement, MTERM’s goal is for students to pick an issue they are passionate about and continue to learn and expand on that issue in the following years. “MTERM is supposed to be an experiential program. It allows students to dive into issues in their communities,” Petrash said.

“MTERM is supposed to be an experiential program. It allows students to dive into issues

in their communities."

“Freshmen are going to be learning about the physical environments and

human communities of the region,” Petrash said. “In particular, they are learning about water, fire and earth.”

As for sophomores, they are focused on social issues. “They are learning about access to housing, food, homelessness and mass incarceration,” Petrash said.

“The structure is pretty similar for ninth and tenth graders,” Petrash said. The two grades will split their time on and off campus.

Juniors have more flexibility for their project. They get to pick an issue related to the Menlo community that interests

them; the service project does not have to be under a specific topic.

Junior Ross Muchnick is excited for the unique opportunities MTERM presents. “I feel that it’s going to be an awesome way to be involved in our community. We get to fully immerse ourselves, and learn which is going to teach us a lot,” Muchnick said.

Menlo students have not been able to experience MTERM since before the pandemic. “We wanted to make sure MTERM was engaging for students,” Petrash said.

For this year’s MTERM, Petrash incorporated new ideas and successful strategies from past renditions. In the past, seniors participated in a senior project. This year, however, juniors are doing a project on a topic of their choosing. According to Petrash, the goal of MTERM is for students to pick an issue they are passionate about and continue to learn and expand on that issue for the following years.

Average California Gas Price Rises from $3.94 to $5.79, Partially Due to Ukranian Crisis

by RHEA NANDAL

The average gas price for a gallon of gas in California is currently $5.79. This is a $1.85 increase from the average price of gas at the same time last year, according to the American Automobile Association. The sudden increase in cost is largely due to the United States’ economic sanctions against Russia, according to the New York Times.

Several world leaders have punished Russia for its February invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions. According to a White House briefing, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and over 30 countries have sanctioned Russian energy, financial and economic industries.

The largest U.S. sanction was placed on the Russian crude oil sector. Russia

is one of the three top oil producers in the world, providing roughly 10% of the global oil supply. World Bank figures show that crude oil exports make up over 23% of Russia’s gross domestic product, which is a measure of the monetary value of final goods and services produced in a country.

Although the U.S. completely suspended oil trade with Russia, the direct impacts on Russia’s economy were relatively minor. “The big picture is that it’s just not affecting the United States very much because we don't buy a lot of Russian oil,” history teacher Charles Hanson said.

According to the American Fuel and Petrochemicals Manufacturers trade association, only 3% of U.S. crude

imports came from Russia in 2021, largely because the U.S. produces the

According to a White House briefing, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and over 30 countries have sanctioned Russian energy, financial and economic industries.

majority of its oil supply. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 65% of U.S. oil is produced domestically.

Since the U.S. is the number one oil producer in the world, Hanson believes that the sanctions conversely help the U.S. economy. Hanson believes that without Russian oil, there will be a higher global oil demand, and prices will increase. Because Russian oil is no longer available to the U.S., the price has increased.

Other countries moved in coordination with the U.S. and suspended oil trade with Russia, despite being far more reliant than the U.S. on their oil and gas sector. Russia supplied 34% of Germany’s crude oil reserve. As a result, the sanctions had large-scale impacts on Germany, driving up the monthly energy prices by 62%.

On March 12, the EU banned Russia from the global messaging system for financial transactions known as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. The system works as a secure email system for financial transactions.

“Many people, including me, thought that [banning Russia from SWIFT] was practically nuclear. That’s a huge blow to the Russian economy,” Hanson said. Professor of economics at Loughborough University in Britain Alistair Milne said that because there are alternatives to SWIFT, the sanctions will not have visible results, even if the alternatives are slower and costlier.

The effects of all of the sanctions on Russia are mixed. On one hand, the Institute for International Finance estimated that Russian gross domestic product could drop by 15% in 2022 and 3% in 2023 as a result of the sanctions. On the other hand, according to Columbia University economist Adam Tooze, the Russian budget had been engineered prior to the invasion to balance out if the price of oil fell by 50%. This means that Russia has had time to prepare funds to make up for any international losses that may occur.

Additionally, while many countries are supporting Ukraine, some of the world’s largest economies such as China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have continued to trade with Russia or refused to sanction them. This may lessen the intended impact of the sanctions on Russia’s economy.

Onward and Upward: Departing Teachers Share Favorite Memories

by ANDREA LI, ARI KRANE & ALEX LEVITT

With the spotlight at the end of the school year being on graduating seniors, faculty and staff departures can get overshadowed by the graduation festivities. Some of this year’s departing faculty are pillars at Menlo, having worked at the school for decades. Many are now opening the next chapter of their life in retirement, while some are looking forward to new job opportunities. This series highlights some of the departing teachers’ accomplishments and best memories during their times at Menlo. You can read more departing teachers’ stories at menlocoa.org.

Rachel Chou

Upper School mathematics Teacher Rachel Chou has been teaching math at Menlo since the fall of 2002. After over 19 years of teaching, Chou plans on leaving Menlo at the end of the 20212022 school year.

Chou has enjoyed much of her career at Menlo, but has especially appreciated the experience of teaching teenagers. “It’s like I’ve had the perfect job all of these years. I get to hang out with interesting teenagers all day and do math. What could be better?” Chou said.

Chou also believes that her time spent teaching at Menlo has helped her grow as a person. “When I first got to Menlo, I don’t think I was that engaged of a learner. I loved math, and I loved teaching, but I didn’t love to read and learn new things, but at Menlo [...] I feel like I’ve learned a lot,” Chou said.

Menlo has also made Chou a better learner. “When I set out to be a teacher 25 years ago, I didn’t really appreciate how much being around other educators and [...] adolescents would really make me a more curious human being,” Chou said.

Chou recalls a memorable experience when her students all stood on their desks and celebrated upon learning the answer to a complex math equation. She also looks back fondly on the experience of seeing students learn things they believed they would never understand.

Chou’s experiences with other faculty at Menlo have made her feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Menlo community. She believes that the colleagues and students that surround her have enriched her experiences at Menlo. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside so many gifted educators and with so many amazingly dedicated, hard-working, thoughtful, goofy and fun students,” Chou said. “I will truly miss the school.”

Beth Bishop

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Beth Bishop is leaving Menlo after eight years at the school to return to Northampton, Mass.

Before she came to Menlo, Bishop worked at Deerfield Academy for 17 years. There, Bishop served as the Dean of Admissions as well as a college

counselor. Bishop spent 34 years in Massachusetts where she raised her two sons and worked at her alma mater, Phillips Academy Andover, along with Deerfield Academy. After her time on the East Coast, Bishop moved across the country and began her current role as Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Menlo.

Bishop always looked for students with high character as part of her job in admissions. “I’ve looked for kids who are kind and inclusive,” Bishop said. “I hope that Menlo is always a place for smart, motivated and kind students.”

"I hope that Menlo is always a place for smart, motivated and kind students."

Bishop also hopes to leave a lasting legacy on the diversity in the Menlo community. “I have worked hard to enroll students from up and down the Peninsula and from a wide range of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” Bishop said.

While Bishop has only been able to admit a small percent of applicants each year via Menlo’s low acceptance rate, she hopes that Menlo can extend its resources beyond the small percentage of admitted students. “Whether it’s through summer opportunities for kids or a program [that

gives] access to what’s here, I hope [Menlo] continues working on serving more [students],” Bishop said.

Back in Northampton, Bishop plans to continue her career working for an education non-profit. “I hope to [do] something with low income kids and helping [first generation] kids with their college applications to help fill the education gap,” Bishop said.

Rebecca Mouser

Spanish teacher and former Foreign Language Department Chair Rebecca Mouser is retiring after 18 years at Menlo and 34 years teaching Spanish, where she has had the opportunity to share her love of Spanish with younger generations.

Prior to her time at Menlo, Mouser taught Spanish at La Jolla Country Day School, an independent school in San Diego, Calif. However, living near San Francisco had always been on her bucket list, so she started looking for Bay Area jobs. “I had just started looking for a job and a colleague in San Diego had worked here at Menlo,” Mouser said. “So that’s how the connection happened.”

After five years as a Menlo Spanish teacher, Mouser was named Foreign Language Department Chair, a position she held for nine years. According to Mouser, the role was limited prior to Head of School Than Healy’s arrival

in 2013, when the job expanded to curriculum development. “That was the biggest change and what I liked best about that role. It was challenging and satisfying to look at the whole program, nine through 12, in all languages and work on integrating the methodology as a group instead of looking at individual classes,” Mouser said.

Mouser is most proud of the changes made to the Spanish curriculum after the Foreign Language Department’s program review in 2017, where she consulted outside observers to suggest improvements to the curriculum. As a result, instead of planning courses based on specific skills that must be learned, they’re now designed to fulfill “what a student should be able to do after each level of the language.”

Four years ago, Mouser decided to leave the position of Department Chair in order to spend more time with students. “I liked the curriculum part of [the role], but I like being in a classroom more than anything else,” Mouser said. “My high point as a teacher is making continued relationships with students.”

Mouser said that her decision to retire has nothing to do with Menlo, but rather to provide her with ample time to travel. “I want to retire while I’m still young enough and healthy enough to be able to travel,” Mouser said. "I lived in Spain for six years, so I’d like to go back and spend more than a month there and not be limited to [the summer].”

Global Expo, cont.

“Norwegians are really proud of their heritage; they hold onto it closely,” Inger Dewey Golob, Katrina’s mother, said.

Upper School history teacher Saletha Okunnuga co-hosted the Nigeria booth with Kimberly Bomar, senior Iyanu Olukotun’s mother. At her booth, Okunnuga showcased a book on the Yoruba people as well as a posterboard detailing pop culture, history and fun facts about Nigeria. She emphasized the vast variety of Nigerian food, and how Nigerian culture has impacted American culture. “We thought about things that people also see in other parts of the world, and fused that together,” Okunnuga said.

Nazgol Hajebi, senior Teeron Hajebi’s mother, presented Iran through a variety of handicrafts, artwork and food like the seasonal sour plum at the Iran/Turkey booth along with Nazhin Zarghamee and Shazy Zarghamee, mothers of freshmen Arya Gharachorloo and Roya Rezaee. Situated next to the Iran/Turkey table at the booth was a calligraphy table, where event-goers could learn original Persian calligraphy styles with a quill and ink.

At the booth for the Philippines, junior Hannah Satuito emphasized the importance of food in Filipino culture. According to Satuito, Filipino food has been influenced by countries that colonized the Philippines. For example, Filipino empanadas are similar to Spanish empanadas as a result of Spain’s colonization of the Philippines through the late 19th century. “For Filipino culture, it’s about sharing food, and that’s

how we bridge cultures,” Satuito said.

Similarly, Baylon Kautai, senior Lulu and freshman Liliana Kautai’s father, displayed food such as roast pig and the tropical drink ‘otai at the Polynesia booth. According to Kautai, sharing meals is a way to create a sense of community and family. “Food, and specifically sharing food, is a sign of love, gratitude and respect,” Kautai said.

There was also a booth for the United States, which hosted a 1987 Weekender

"Food, and specifically sharing food, is a sign of love, gratitude and respect [in Polynesian culture]."

Westfalia van that contained sleeping arrangements for four people and a builtin tent. The U.S. booth centered around the idea of national parks. “[The van] just had a lot of soul, and we thought it represented our theme of national parks well. It certainly has been through a lot of [national parks],” Middle School teacher Frankie Machado said.

The Global Expo was well-received by community members and Menlo students alike. “As someone who has lived overseas for pretty much all of my life, it’s nice to have an expo like this,” sophomore Zachary Ruwitch said. “I didn’t really realize Menlo was such a diverse place.”

College Counselors Explain Trends in College Admission Rates

by SOPHIE STONE

As seniors are receiving their college acceptance letters, trends in matriculation have begun to emerge. According to Associate Director of College Counseling Natalie Ford, the most common colleges the class of 2022 applied to were the University of California schools, the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California. This data is in alignment with the past four Menlo graduating classes in which 35 students went to a UC, 11 students went to the University of Michigan and eight students went to USC.

“They’re all really fantastic universities [...] I do think that there’s a cycle of repetition where students continue to apply to schools that they know and, growing up in California, we all know the UCs and USC, so I think that has a lot to do with it,” Ford said. However, contrary to popular belief, this clustering in applications hasn’t been

hurting Menlo students’ acceptance rates to those schools. Menlo students still maintain higher-than-average acceptance rates at some of the most applied-to colleges.

Sports commits are not exempt from the clustering trend. Like many committed athletes, senior Hanna Hoffman wanted to attend a school that offered excellent academics in addition to their volleyball program. “I was always focused on high academic schools wherever I played. Coming from a highly academic high school, my parents really wanted me to go to a highly academic college,” Hoffman said. Hoffman is committed to play Division I volleyball for Boston College, a school that receives quite a few Menlo applications each year.

“I wanted to play volleyball, but I’m glad I’m going to a good school as well,” Hoffman said.

There are also seniors attending a

variety of colleges that Menlo students haven’t commonly attended in the last three to four years. The class of 2022 will be attending at least 10 colleges that have seen little to no matriculation from Menlo students in the past. Specifics will be revealed at the Trends and Takeaways seminar on May 18. “We really emphasize branching out, [and] there are amazing professors and faculty and research everywhere,” Ford said. “We’re always excited about seeing new colleges on seniors’ lists.”

Senior Laynie Sheehan, who will be attending Wake Forest University in the fall, views it as less of a need to branch out and more of a need to better understand the quality of a school over the popularity of a school. “In reality, I probably would have been unhappy [at some of the colleges I applied to] just because of how academically intense they were. I chose Wake Forest as my [second early decision pick] because it checked off all my boxes. [...] I visited it three times and every time I felt safe and comfortable on campus, which is a really important feeling,” Sheehan said.

Similar to the 2021 admissions cycle, most colleges were test optional for applying seniors. However, Ford does not believe that this has influenced where Menlo students have applied. “I don’t think all of a sudden, we’ve seen this huge surge in Ivies and highly selective schools [...] I think that [nationally] test optional has served populations who don't have the counseling, the test prep or a lot of the opportunities to do really well on a one-day test,” Ford said.

Test optional applications have created new challenges for Menlo students. Since application numbers have gone up everywhere, acceptance rates have also fallen dramatically. At colleges

such as Northeastern and Michigan, acceptance rates have dropped by over 10% since 2019. Cornell and Emory also have acceptance rates under 10%, surprisingly low when compared to past years. “The highly selective [colleges] will always be highly selective, and will arguably get more and more selective as application numbers go up [...] but selectivity does not equal quality, selectivity equals popularity contest,” Ford said.

The test-optional policy has its benefits; it made Hoffman’s application process less time-consuming and stressful. “I committed during my junior year so I knew where I was going for a while. I asked [my coach]: ‘Do I have to take the ACT for NCAA eligibility?’ [and] he said no, so that was super easy,” Hoffman said.

Another trend has been the rise in popularity of early decision applications. For some colleges such as Duke and the UCs, early applications make up around 40% of their freshman class, and can increase chances of acceptance by 5%. “I chose to apply to early decision rounds one and two because I knew it would increase my chances of getting in, and because I genuinely loved both colleges. It is highly recommended to apply early and many seniors start the application process knowing where they want to go,” Sheehan said.

Ultimately, acceptance rates for Menlo students have not changed much compared to past years, despite increased admissions and test-optional policies. “In my time here at Menlo, every year it does feel harder and harder [for students to be accepted], but then when we pull back and do the final data pool and trends and takeaways [...] we are not worse for wear,” Ford said.

Arts & Lifestyle

Unconventional College Paths, cont.

When Floyd initially started exploring international universities, she focused on Oxford and Cambridge because they were the most well-known. “Then, I found St. Andrews […] and it just had everything that I wanted: majors, the type of school environment and in terms of student happiness,” Floyd said. “I visited [St. Andrews] and I just fell in love.”

Floyd’s mother lived in Europe for 15 years, and her whole family moved to Germany, so her mother and aunts always push her to see what exists outside the United States. “I also have a few friends from when I went to middle school at Castilleja who went to St. Andrews, who I went and visited when I was there,” Floyd said. “But it was really more so my mom’s experience living abroad that pushed me to go there.”

"I think the Army just calls to me because […] you’re really on the ground fighting the war."

Floyd looks forward to traveling and exploring, but she is also anxious to be so far from home. “The time difference is seven or eight hours, so I’m a little nervous to be so far away from my parents, at least in the beginning,” she said. “But I mean, I did want to experience the world, and I’m sure it’ll make me become very independent very fast.”

Recent alumna Alix Borton, ‘21, is a freshman at the University of British Columbia. As a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Borton always regarded Canadian universities

as a viable option. “After I toured a few schools in Canada, I decided I wanted to apply,” she said. “This was around the time of the [2020] presidential election, so at that point, if someone was reelected, I would definitely be going to school internationally.”

Borton found the Canadian application process to be very straightforward. “For a lot of Canadian schools, although not for UBC, you just submit your transcript, which makes it really easy to apply,” she said. “Also, as a citizen, [Canadian schools] were way, way cheaper.”

Although Canadian and American schools follow a relatively similar path, the main difference Borton found was the party culture. “The drinking and substance age is 19 [in Canada], and I feel like everyone is more settled back,” she said. “There’s less of a binge drinking and party culture here because [alcohol] is so accessible, so I guess people don’t feel like they need to compensate for anything or catch up.”

A select few graduates apply to other high schools — typically boarding schools — as “super seniors” to boost their athletic or academic skills before attending college.

Alumnus Josh Poulos, ‘20, deferred from New York University to attend Phillips Exeter Academy for a year. “I played water polo pretty competitively throughout high school, and I just got to the point where after ten years of grinding, I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to play in college anymore,” Poulos said. “So, I heard about an opportunity to go to Exeter for a year and just take some time to think about [college] and take a little break.”

Poulos believes that the fifth year of high school helped him adjust once

he started at NYU, and he decided not to pursue collegiate water polo. “It was another year to grow up; I think just with one more year of anything, you grow as a person and learn more about yourself, especially with the boarding school experience,” he said. “Academically, Exeter is also just a great school with a great support system, and I was able to take a lot of classes that got me ahead in college.”

"You have people who are coming from all different ages, all different walks of life."

Similarly, alumnus Brady Kline, ‘21, went the fifth-year-senior route and currently attends Lawrenceville School. “I just felt like attending Lawrenceville was the right thing to do to ensure I’d get one more full season of football, and as I had started to hear back from some colleges, I wasn’t super happy about the decisions and wanted to reapply,” Kline said in email to The Coat of Arms.

For many, military academies represent a stark contrast to the laidback Menlo atmosphere. Not many Menlo students envision themselves in the service, but a few start the path to a military career each year.

On average, one Menlo senior enrolls in a military academy each year. This year, senior Andrew Yagen accepted an offer from the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point. Yagen will join three other Menlo graduates currently attending military academies: Emilio Simbeck, ‘19, at the United States Naval Academy, Avery Patel, ‘20, also at West Point and Christopher d’Alencon, ‘21, at the United States Air Force Academy.

Yagen first thought about joining the U.S. Army through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) about a decade ago, which prepares college students for life as Army officers, but he got serious about joining the military at the start of the pandemic.

“I think the Army just calls to me because […] you’re really on the ground fighting the war,” Yagen said. “I’m most excited for the Army [combatting] that you do: the infantry stuff, the competitions, to practice all of the skills

May 12, 2022

that will give me a head start in the military.”

Yagen turned to Menlo’s football team to prepare him for military life. “The [football team’s] culture seems pretty similar to that of the Army,” he said. “I talked to a division commander who has a kid on the junior varsity team, and he attested to the fact that the brotherhood is really the same between the Army and football.”

West Point graduates must complete at least five years of active duty service and three years in the reserves. Yagen plans to serve eight to ten years in the Army before continuing up the military ladder or pursuing a law degree.

Community colleges also attract students with the opportunity to take classes locally at a vastly lower price than state schools or private institutions. Graduate Marianne Siulangapo, ‘19, studies at Foothill College full time and takes a course at the College of San Mateo, but she did not always plan on attending a community college.

“I was looking at all of my financial aid packages, and all [colleges] had the same price; it didn’t really matter where I went to school because everything still had the same price tag,” Siulangapo said. “I actually had never considered

"I remember the first class I was taking at the College of San Mateo, I [was in a class with] someone that already had their Ph.D."

community college before then.”

Siulangapo loves community college for three main reasons. “Number one, I would say for financial means; I actually pay for my community college classes myself. […] Number two, I would say the curriculum,” she said.

“The third aspect that I really like is that you have people who are coming from all different ages, all different walks of life. […] I remember the first class I was taking at the College of San Mateo, I [was in a class with] someone that already had their Ph.D., but for the sake of an enjoyment of learning, they wanted to take a class that they had never learned about before,” she said.

For Siulangapo, choosing a community college over a four-year program sparked some judgment from the Menlo community. “There were a few positive reactions that were happy for me,” she said. “Then there were others, like Menlo parents and other students, who would say, ‘Where are you going to college?’ Then, [I] would tell them the community college name, and they would be like, ‘Oh.’”

Siulangapo believes community college was the right choice for her and her finances, but deciding to attend was not easy. “It can be a very guilty choice, like, ‘Oh, I went to Menlo, but I’m just ending up at a community college anyway. […] There is almost guilt to teachers, too, where it’s like, you put so much work into me, and it’s almost like it’s amounting to nothing,” she said. “In reality, [...] there are professors who are at your four-year schools that are teaching the same exact courses at community

May 12, 2022

Arts & Lifestyle

Menlo Junior Classical League Club Receives $100,000 Donation

by GEOFFREY FRANC

In 1997, Brandon Farwell, ‘04, started sixth grade at Menlo and signed up to take Spanish, but he quickly switched to Latin. “This was day two or three, and I thought, ‘let’s try something new’. I’d always really been interested in […] language and humanities and linguistics and whatnot,” Farwell said.

Farwell later joined Menlo’s chapter of the Junior Classical League, which promotes the study of ancient Greek and Roman language and culture. He quickly fell in love with JCL and his Latin class. “I would always look forward to Latin class more than [...] any other class,” Farwell said.

In the first semester of the 2021-22 school year, more than two decades after joining the world of classical studies, Farwell donated $100,000 to Menlo’s JCL chapter. “[The donation is] just a small token of appreciation,” he said.

Farwell credited his Menlo Latin teachers and JCL advisers at the time, Dobbie Vasquez and Peter Brody, who also ran JCL, for helping him grow during his time at JCL. Vasquez in particular suggested the idea of JCL student leadership roles to Farwell. “Vasquez encouraged me to [...] get involved more in the organization and perhaps, you know, take on more of an organizational/ leadership role early on,” Farwell said. “It was sort of my initial foray into management and leadership at the age of 15.”

Farwell attributed his success in business school and later as a venture capitalist to his early introduction to

teambuilding and leadership at JCL. “As I reflect now on having, you know, been in the real world now for almost 20 years post-high school, [working with others] is what life’s all about,” he said. “That early introduction via JCL has been super informative and helpful to my career.”

According to Farwell, JCL also stands out because of the sense of belonging that it brought him during his time at Menlo. “[JCL] just did

"All JCL chapters across the country have some sort of allegiance with a service organization."

an incredible job creating a sense of community and harnessing that community to go do a handful of honestly really fun activities, post school, from banquets to the localized JCL conference that we actually hosted at Menlo one year,” he said. “Anytime we would have an event, we would almost get 100 percent participation because people loved these events.”

According to Farwell, some of the friendships he made in JCL have lasted through college and beyond. “Even some of my really close friends now were members of my JCL leadership committee and were in my class,” he said.

“We are very, very, very, very thankful for the donation,” senior and

co-leader of Menlo’s JCL chapter Kayla Davis said. “It’s going to help us reach a lot of people, publicize JCL and make a fantastic impact.”

According to Claire Lenden, JCL’s other co-leader, the club doesn’t have complete control over the money yet. “We’re only able to use a specific percentage of said fund a year, that way it can accumulate interest in a bank account,” Lenden said.

While some of the money will be used to pay the $5 National JCL membership fee for all students, it will also be put towards their charity partnership. “A lot of the money is going to go to the Redwood Family House and the events we do with them,” Lenden said.

Selected Student Profile: Nic Garcia

by ANNIE STENT

Q: Describe yourself in three words. Beautiful, historically significant, unpredictable.

Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

I don’t [mess] with ice cream. I worked in an ice cream shop for like half a year. So now when I look [at] and taste ice cream, it just reminds me of [bad] coworkers.

Q: What is your favorite animal?

I like frogs because they’re colorful, and they just chill on leaves. I think it speaks a lot to their personality.

Q: What is your favorite color?

Green because frogs are green.

Q: Do you have any pets?

I have a dog named Alfie. I beef with Alfie because my parents didn’t tell me they were going to buy him. They just brought him home one day. So I guess I’m jealous. We bark at each other.

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an actor. I was a child actor. I was actually in a bunch of movies, like this one Mormon film. I don’t remember the name.

Q: How old were you when you started acting?

I was in elementary school. I was in my school’s show, “Seussical the Musical.” I played [The] Cat in the Hat, and it was the first time I ever tried singing and dancing. It was so fun, and I really killed it. Everyone loved me, like my teachers were in love. They fell in love with me in that moment. And so I was like, this is fun. So my dad was like, ‘Oh, he finally has something that he’s interested in,’ and he like, went at it. You know? And, like, started signing me up for [stuff]. I did a bunch of shows. He was like, I’m your manager.

The Redwood Family House is a shelter operated by LifeMoves in Redwood City, which Menlo JCL has been working with for years.

According to Davis, charity and service is a core part of the JCL experience. “Generally, all JCL chapters across the country have some sort of allegiance with a service organization,” Davis said. The club focuses its efforts on putting on holiday celebrations for families at the shelter. “There are a lot of families who live at these homes, a lot of them with young children to children that are honestly our age, so we try and host a Halloween party, a Christmas party [and] then something in the spring,” Lenden said.

Q: How did you pursue it?

We drove up to San Francisco all the time and did auditions. I did some advertisements. [...] I did some voice acting for PG&E. I just sang a little song.

Q: What do you want to be now?

I want to be a computer scientist, like [virtual reality] games.

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Japan, so I can go to the Studio Ghibli amusement park and see Totoro in real life.

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

“Breaking Bad,” because the character development is really interesting.

Q: What TV show or movie character do you relate to the most?

Kermit the Frog. I like his vibe.

Q: Do you have a hot take of the day?

“Donda” is one of the bottom three Kanye albums.

Q: Do you have any fun collections?

I have a puppet collection from when I was younger in my closet. One [puppet] is named Drippy.

Arts & Lifestyle

Menlo Mental Health Support Increasingly Attracts Students

by AGNES SHAO

According to Menlo counselors, mental health problems have increased substantially during and after the pandemic. A UCLA study done in 2021 evaluates this trend in California. 45% of California youth between ages 12 and 17 have struggled with mental health problems, with nearly a third of them experiencing psychological distress that can interfere with academic and social functioning. Since this trend is present at Menlo, the mental health counseling department offers various resources to support the student population throughout each school year.

Upper School counselors Tracy Bianchi, Jake Fauver and Angie Mohr are available to students who wish to discuss personal issues in a relaxed, confidential atmosphere. “As a result of the pandemic, we increased our staffing in the counseling department, and we will remain with three counselors next year as well. The board of trustees and administration supported the additional support services, knowing how widely mental health would be an issue for our teens and families during the pandemic,” Bianchi said.

According to Bianchi, Menlo offers one-on-one counseling support as well as different gatherings and clubs, such as Menlo parent groups and Menlo Cares, which supports families suffering from illnesses or losses. Menlo also provides

clubs like Mental Health at Menlo, Mental Body Positivity Alliance and Athletic Empowerment.

There are multiple ways for students to access counselors and therapy. Students often come in on their own, noticing that they are feeling low or unwell. In that case, they can just walk up to the counseling office or send a counselor an email to schedule a session. “Sometimes students come with friends: A friend might say, ‘I know the counselor’ or ‘Why don’t we go together to go talk?’” Fauver said.

In some cases, teachers will notice patterns in the students behavior and recommend them to check in with a counselor, Fauver explained. Otherwise, a teacher might also reach out to the counselors and ask them to talk to the

"We try to have [counseling] be really open-ended, [so] that students feel like they can have some choice in it."

students. “Then sometimes as parents, they will reach out, noticing their child’s really low and looking for a way to

connect with the counselors,” Fauver said.

“Students have the ability to choose from the three counselors, rather than having an assigned counselor,” Bianchi said.

Fauver explained that the Menlo counseling department aims to be as easily accessible as possible, in hopes that students feel free to make their own decisions, rather than pressured to speak to an adult. “We try to have [counseling] be really open-ended, [so] that students feel like they can have some choice in it,” Fauver said. “We're not a school that forces students to begin counseling.”

All three counselors strive to build trusting relationships with students and help them through tough times. “During sessions, we start with where the student is at and work to improve levels of stress, sadness, anxiety [and] worry,” Bianchi said. We also address coping skills, steps to help move positively forward, where to look at ownership or habits that can be preventing improvement and more.”

Fauver explained that the reasons students choose to schedule counseling sessions vary. “A lot of [student problems] still stem from anxiety, but it manifests in several different ways,” Fauver said. “I think there’s academic anxiety because the pace of school is still an adjustment, and, [students are] having to prepare for tests and quizzes that are more regular now than they were during the last two

years. I think there’s also a social anxiety of what it means to fit in socially in a class, to adjust to having new classmates, to forming and reforming friend groups.”

According to Fauver, the number of students that go to counseling each week varies. “We see a lot of students, more than people expect,” Fauver said. “At any given moment, maybe 10 to 15 students are actively meeting with [each of] us. That's 45 students right there between three counselors. Then, there [are also] lots of drop-ins that come for one-time sessions.”

Menlo Holds First Grade-Wide Retreats Since Start of Pandemic

by SONIA DHOLAKIA

Menlo had grade-wide retreats funded by the school for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020 this year. In the past, grade retreats were only held for the freshman and senior classes, and the retreats were independently financed by the families of attending students. The retreats were added for sophomores and juniors to encourage bonding among all grades at Menlo, not just freshmen and seniors.

The retreats consisted of organized activities such as zip lining, basketball and a scavenger hunt. In these activities,

students were randomly separated into groups to promote interaction outside of students’ usual friend groups. “It was really nice to get a chance to talk to others,” sophomore Arthi Abhyanker said.

At the freshman retreat, students went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. “I had a great time going on all the rides,” freshman Kirin Debnath said.

Junior Helen Barkley attended her grade’s retreat, which was an opportunity she did not have in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I got to talk to people in my cabin who I don’t talk

to as much, and they also had a bunch of fun bonding games with people I hadn’t talked to in years,” Barkley said.

Dean of Student Life Programs Eve Kulbieda believes that attending the retreat is important because it allows students to make connections with people they might not normally interact with.

“You should always have those closest bonds, but you also need second degree bonds and third degree bonds,” Kulbieda said.

Not all students attended the retreats.

According to Barkley, some juniors didn’t

attend because they preferred to spend that time with their friends at home over participating in school activities. Others were unable to attend due to athletic and academic conflicts. Junior Class Dean Ava Petrash cited some families’ COVID-19 concerns as a deterrent from all students attending the retreat.

According to Kulbieda, all grades’ retreats would ideally take place during the school week, making it more possible for all students to attend. Barkley echoed the same sentiment. “I almost wish they would have made [the schedule that we were] going to the retreat instead of going to school, that way it was mandatory. I feel like that would have been a better experience, [having everyone there],” Barkley said.

Petrash acknowledged that it may cause stress among students and teachers if they need to miss valuable class time,

"I almost wish they would have made [the schedule] going to the retreat instead of going to school."

but she still hopes that the positive experiences of those who attended the retreat this year will increase participation for future years.

“The connections that you build when you’re off-campus doing activities that feel very different from the school day or the school year really go a long way to build community,” Petrash said. “It’s hard to replicate that in on-campus experiences.”

May 12, 2022

Arts & Lifestyle

Menlo IP Seminar Projects Teach Students to Tackle Problems with a Global Mindset

by KAYLIE WU

The Menlo Interdisciplinary and Personalized Capstone Seminar is a semester-long course with honors credit that allows students to design and carry out their own passion project. The program is divided into four fields of study for students to choose from: Arts & Letters, Civic Leadership, Community Engagement and Global Scholars. Students can choose various mediums for their projects, including research papers and art exhibitions, and are expected to present their completed work by the end of the semester. In the second semester of the 2021-22 school year, the IP program consists of nine Menlo students, all of whom are pursuing a variety of topics.

Sophomore Hunter Ryerson is the first underclassman to have an IP project at Menlo. The IP Capstone Seminar is typically only available to juniors and seniors, but towards the end of first semester, Ryerson met with Global Programs Director and history teacher Peter Brown to pitch his project idea. According to Ryerson, it wasn’t difficult to enroll in the course.

“My IP project is a research paper that examines parallels in history between the Roman Republic and modern day America,” Ryerson said. “It’s looking at familiar declines, social trends and reactions of the common people and how that can tell us the future of our nation.”

Junior Mitali Srinath also met with Brown throughout her IP enrollment process. Srinath’s IP project discusses the transition of immigration policies between the Trump and Biden campaigns; however, before the 2021-22 school year, Srinath was not sure how she could study immigration, so she asked Brown for advice. “I told [Brown] last year I felt

"You control how much work you're going to do."

passionate about researching immigration, and he really thought I should make it an IP project, since no one else had done that topic,” Srinath said.

After signing up for the IP Capstone Seminar, Srinath had to create a proposal and present it at one-on-one meetings with both Brown and history teacher Katharine Hanson. According to Srinath, all IP students must get their project proposals approved by these two teachers.

Similar to Srinath, junior Ellie Hardegree’s IP project is a policy suggestion research paper. Hardegree’s paper focuses on how literacy rates can be improved in Rwanda, especially for youth in primary grades. Hardegree feels that the program has allowed her to pursue her passion outside of normal Menlo classes; in fact, Hardegree’s paper combines more than one of her interests. “I’m really passionate about international affairs, so that led me to look globally in terms of the Global Scholars track that I’m following for the IP,” Hardegree said. “And then I’m also really passionate about education, which led me to look into literacy.”

Hardegree has hoped to work on an IP project ever since she learned that the program existed. “When I realized that [the IP program] was an opportunity that Menlo offered, I knew I wanted to take

advantage of it,” Hardegree said.

Senior Emory Tudor enjoys the IP program because it has allowed them to study their passion for botany, which no other Menlo course offers. Tudor is creating a website with information on native plants, using photos they have taken throughout high school. Tudor has been passionate about plants for many years but hasn’t had the opportunity to explore the subject at school. “There’s obviously not a class on native plants, and it’s not a relevant topic for most of my courses,” Tudor said.

Tudor’s website, once completed, will include about 100 different plants. Since Tudor has been taking plant photos for years, their IP project feels like a continuation of past work, rather than something started from scratch. “I’ve been working on stuff like this for a couple years. I spent a lot of my summer like almost every day going out and taking photos of plants, and hiking around since freshman year, so this was a culmination of research I’ve already done,” Tudor said.

Junior Reese Weiden enrolled in the IP program in the first semester of the 2021-22 school year to pursue her

"The deadlines are more like broad parameters."

filmmaking passion. Weiden has been a student in the IP program for two semesters, rather than one. She originally planned to produce her own movie and premier it in Martin Hall or Spieker Center, but several obstacles appeared along the way with casting. “[My IP project] is an exploration into the gray area between right and wrong,” Weiden said. “I was going to communicate this through a short film, which has been

transformed into a paper and an annotated version of my thirty-page script due to a lack of actors.” Weiden’s paper compares three different films. “I’m looking at how

"[My IP project] is an exploration into the gray area between right and wrong."

philosophical ideas, especially moral ambiguity, are communicated through the imaging and cinematography choices,” Weiden said.

Despite this change of plans, Weiden plans to still finish her film either in the summer or fall, once she has time to develop her full script and receive professional feedback. According to Srinath, most students in her class ultimately ended up writing research papers for their IP, similar to herself and Weiden.

Although IP projects are based on individual students’ interests, Srinath believes the course is quite difficult. “Going into the class, you’re not told how much [work] you’re putting in,” Srinath said. Since the entire semester is dedicated to one big project, Srinath has felt like there is lots of work to be done.

Tudor emphasized that the IP program is very self-paced, so the class workload varies for every participant. “There’s weeks where I don’t do anything, and then there’s weeks where I’m working for an hour every night,” Tudor said.

However, Ryerson pointed out that the independence in the class can also be a disadvantage, since students don’t have anyone to ensure they’re not procrastinating and keeping up with the workload. “You control how much work you’re going to do, and that might make

it more difficult than another course,” Ryerson said. “The deadlines are more like broad parameters.” Still, Ryerson enjoys the level of freedom he has with his IP, and believes that students are motivated to stay on task because they’re working on topics they’re interested in. At the end of the semester, IP students present their final projects. Classmates, administrators and families are invited to attend. According to Srinath, preparing for the presentation will be stressful, especially since everyone is expected to speak for up to thirty minutes about their work, but she’s still excited to listen to everyone’s presentations. “I think [IPs] take a lot of consistency and independent work, but it’s rewarding,” Hardegree said.

Teachers Find Phones

Disruptive in the Classroom

by JACOB REICH

“Almost constantly” is how 45% of teens responded to how much they use their phone, according to a Pew Research survey. Smartphones can be a significant distraction in class as teens have grown accustomed to checking their phones every few minutes.

Upper School studio art teacher Nina Ollikainen believes phone usage is a problem at Menlo, but it varies based on the class. “I think it depends on the class, but I think the answer is absolutely yes, [it is a problem], because even if teachers say they are strict, students will use their phones behind their desks,” Ollikainen said. Freshman Sophie Lenart feels that those using phones in class only hurt their own learning. “[For] people who do use their phone, it’s disrupting them, not the class, so it doesn’t matter,” Lenart said.

Upper School Spanish teacher Justin Carunchia, who has a stricter stance on phones, mainly observes the use of the social media platform Snapchat in class. “There is always one student who tries to use [their phone], but it is never the same student repeatedly doing it,” Carunchia said. Ollikainen, on the other hand, sees a specific few kids repeatedly using their phones while most are not. “I have seen students using phones to watch their teams’ games as well as texting their parents, among other things. It’s been especially difficult to keep students focused on art and away from their phones during March Madness,” Ollikainen said.

In Carunchia’s classroom, phones are not permitted. “My phone policy is: if I see [your phone], you lose participation points in my class. I highly encourage it to be in your backpack and not on your desk because, when it vibrates, students want to check it,” Carunchia said.

Contrarily, Ollikainen allows students to use phones for classwork. “My current phone policy is that we use phones in the art room to research images and artists, but it is not approved that they use it for gaming or texting friends or getting totally distracted,” Ollikainen said.

their backpacks during class.” Despite her plan to change her policy, Ollikainen still wants students to be able to learn how to control impulsive phone use instead of having to take away their phones. “I am not an enforcer, but I am an encourager. I want the students to be responsible for themselves,”

Social Media Algorithms Pose Dangers to Users

by ANDREA LI

The impact of social media algorithms on everyday lives is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially with 33% of teenagers spending between four to eight hours a day on social media, according to Common Sense Media. Massive platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have

Despite her rules, students have repeatedly used their phones without permission in Ollikainen’s class, prompting her to consider using a basket to collect phones. “I plan to have students use laptops and desktop computers for research of images next year instead of cell phones,” Ollikainen said. “It will be up to the student to keep their phones in

Ollikainen said.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, teachers can legally temporarily confiscate students’ phones in California, though most teachers choose not to. Carunchia disagrees with teachers' confiscation of students’ phones. “Teachers should not be allowed to confiscate phones. I personally do not believe that my job is to police students. However, if their actions distract or hurt their performance in my classroom, then I try to correct that behavior to help them be successful in my class. I would never physically confiscate a phone from a student,” Carunchia said.

until it dominates a user’s feed. For instance, according to the Wall Street Journal, TikTok’s algorithm allows users, specifically young teenagers, to fall down rabbit holes of pro-eating disorder communities. These communities include content centered around promoting eating disorders that encourage users to eat less than 300 calories a day, with TikTok’s algorithm enabling this content to reach more and more impressionable teenagers. Interacting with even one video will trigger the app to present similar videos, creating a sort of pipeline to sink deeper into pro-eating disorder content, even unintentionally. Even Instagram admits to the harms of its algorithm. In a 2020 presentation by The Wall Street Journal, internal researchers within Instagram stated that Instagram makes “body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.” In the same presentation, they also mentioned how Instagram’s Explore page often can send users spiraling further into harmful content.

Junior Sydney Fish feels that social media is designed to be addictive.

amassed billions of users, according to Statista.com, and each of these platforms use algorithms to keep users engaged with tailored content. To put it simply, algorithms collect data about user activity and utilize machine learning to sort through content, with the final user-specific content being shown on pages like TikTok’s For You Page or Instagram’s Explore page.

While surfing through personally curated content on social media certainly can be enjoyable, it poses a risk to mental health. Through continued interaction with harmful content, social media often amplifies this harmful content

“The way everything is so intentional and manipulative [with the] never-ending scroll, targeted content [and] notifications to create addicts makes me really upset. I have deleted TikTok for this reason, but it was really hard to take that step,” Fish said. “The more I research and understand [...] the more I feel like my sense of free will and freedom of choice are being unconsciously controlled.” The damage of social media algorithms, however, is not limited to teenagers, as revealed during the 2020 election. During the election, Facebook’s algorithms unintentionally promoted pages that spread misinformation surrounding the election because of continued user interaction with the posts. These pages, known as “troll farms,” managed to reach over 140 million users before Facebook took action, according to a report by The Technology Review.

This disaster launched a lawsuit on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Facebook quickly made efforts to implement solutions to the fake news that plagued the platform. According to Facebook’s website, they are “[applying] machine learning to assist [their] response teams in detecting fraud,” as well as cracking down on accounts that spread fake news.

Together Yet Apart: Relationships Reach New Lengths in the Digital Age

by RILEY HUDDLESTON

Whether friendly or romantic, serious or light, relationships are the way we connect with those around us. In the digital age, relationship dynamics are adapting and some connections are both maintained online from a distance, or even formed entirely virtually.

According to an article in The New York Times, it can be difficult to predict how two people will interact face to face as opposed to through disembodied emails or chats. While it may feel like sparks are flying while talking over the phone, they may quickly fizzle out when lacking virtual aid.

However, she valued the escape her long-distance relationship could be, since the people in her day-to-day life were not as involved. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming [when] everyone around you kind of knows all your business in regards to the relationship. It felt

California Davis. Gold sees a potential con with forming a serious relationship online: not fully knowing who you’re talking to. “I had even thought about that before,” Gold said. “[Was there a] slim chance I was going to be murdered when we met up?” Gold feels

2019 to spring 2020. While she was away, the pandemic caused her and other students not to visit their parents for five months. As a result, Labatt’s relationships with people at home became largely based on communicating digitally. This allowed her the opportunity to further bond with her peers in Spain. “We ended up becoming each other’s family,” Labatt

much more personal,” Kaufman said.

Freshman Ari Kaufman maintained a long distance romantic relationship with a boy she met at summer camp on the East Coast. They were able to stay in touch through FaceTime and text for a month before they decided starting high school in a long-distance relationship would be too difficult.

Kaufman saw advantages and disadvantages to an online relationship, both stemming from the difference in intimacy. “When you’re in-person, you have the whole physical aspect of a relationship, and dating is a lot easier,” Kaufman said.

Senior

Tucker Gold has been with his girlfriend for just over a year. However, Gold and his girlfriend aren’t the typical high school couple who met at school or through mutual friends; they met through the video game Minecraft and continued to talk on Discord, an instant messaging program. Gold was designing a server on Minecraft that she was a part of, which helped them become online friends. Gold and his girlfriend continued to talk through Zoom and FaceTime and continued to grow closer. “Then one night I just decided I would rather tell her how I feel [than not],” Gold said. The two met in person and decided to officially start dating, and have continued to do so as his girlfriend attends the University of

Environment for Comparison: Social Media Shapes Self-Worth

by TESSA FRANTZ

With the Digital Revolution came a plethora of ways to interact virtually. While social media has bolstered communication and expanded personal lives into the virtual plane, it has also created a breeding ground for competition and body image issues. Platforms like Instagram aid the next generation in crafting their virtual lives and online personas. With that, certain standards of beauty, behavior and identity have surfaced.

Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, social media has become a popular tool for socializing over a distance and keeping in touch with friends. Teenagers’ social lives have become reliant on certain apps. According to Pew Research Center, 94% of teens report going online daily, with 24% claiming they’re online “almost constantly.”

Upper School Counselor Tracy Bianchi contends that social media has created an environment that breeds body image issues, especially in teens. Specifically, she believes that the curated nature of social media can prompt teens to have trouble accepting themselves. “If you’re not putting out a true representation of who you are, it leaves a door open for emotional instability,” she said.

Social media can also prompt younger audiences to compare themselves to the people they see online. The National Eating Disorders Association states, “Constantly scrolling through ‘perfect’ photos from friends, celebrities and models can leave you feeling very negatively about yourself. It’s human nature to compare yourself to others, and to feel envious or jealous of what someone else has.” Because social

media is such an easy environment to show curated photos or videos, users may find themselves feeling inferior to others they see online.

Junior Sydney Fish believes that social media is indeed an environment of comparison. “I feel like [social media] just makes it so much easier to compare yourself to unrealistic images,” she said.

Senior Hallie MacDonald asserts that when she was younger, social media was harmful to her. “I feel like over time I’ve realized how fake and inauthentic social media is so I’ve allowed it to make less of an impact on me. But as a young teen, I definitely would routinely compare myself to celebrities and sometimes my peers,” she said.

Fish believes that because of the comparative environment of social media, younger generations are becoming more and more used to having to live up to high beauty standards. “I see younger girls that are so much more attuned to social media and trends and I can tell that they spend a lot more time thinking about it than I did at their age,” she said. “I know people a few years above me would say the same about my age group, but I do think it's getting worse and worse with each generation.”

TikTok, the seventh most downloaded app worldwide, has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years since its release in 2016. Internet celebrities born from TikTok are distinct in that many of them have gained popularity from physical appearance and appearance alone, though the app is praised for being casual. According to an article by the Guardian, the app is differentiated

he already had a personal connection prior to dating, however, and everything they said about themselves lined up.

Although connecting in real life with people may seem easier for some, Gold actually found forming a relationship online was easier for him. While some may put up a persona online, he felt he was able to be himself without external pressures such as social life or school. However, Gold doesn’t recommend looking for relationships online, as he certainly wasn’t. “I just happened to get really lucky and find someone who was really great for me,” Gold said.

Junior Sofia Labatt studied abroad in Mallorca, Spain from fall

by its authenticity. “On Instagram, we are primped and preening, on Twitter, loudmouthed and strident, but on TikTok, we can just be weird.”

However, influencers on TikTok and certain trends can contribute to a curated environment, much like Instagram and other platforms. According to freshman Vivian Golub, TikTok can still very much have an effect on body image because of a high standard to look good on screen. “You feel like you should look similar to people online. [...] In particular, Instagram and TikTok because people can more selectively choose what they want to post and how they look. Especially with things like fitness trends, [the content] makes you wonder why you’re not doing it,” she said.

In recent years, body positivity movements have become more prominent, but the body image problem is still prevalent. Fish mentioned that while constructive changes are being made over social media, there is still a long way to go. “There are positive messages being spread but there wouldn’t be so much need for body positivity if social media wasn’t a thing,” Fish said.

said. Labatt feels her online relationships both with people in the Bay Area and in Spain, are actually stronger than before they were ever online because she depends on keeping them constant, while far away, to make up for a lack of in-person interaction.

“Two of the biggest pros for me [are] that I get to hear about life back [in Spain] even though I’m not there anymore, and I get to travel the world with the relationships that I've kept the strongest,” Labatt said. “I was able to visit Italy, where the best friend I made there is from and I had never been to Italy before so it was an incredible experience.”

Labatt thinks the only con to digital relationships is that they can be more difficult to maintain because of the distance. “But even thinking about these cons, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world,” Labatt said.

MacDonald contends that, by acknowledging the issue, positive change is underway. “It would be refreshing if social media was more raw and authentic, but ultimately, it isn’t. However, I do think we are stepping in a good direction by being more upfront about the unrealistic nature of social media, so users and teenagers aren’t fooled by thinking everything is real and natural,” she said.

For senior Griffin Perks, social media has been a positive source of motivation when it comes to confidence and body image. Using social media, Perks explains that he’s been able to share his goals in the gym with his peers over platforms like Snapchat. “When you see the progress your friends have made through photos, it makes you want to see that progress in yourself,” he said. “Everyone has different goals when it comes to their bodies, so it's not about comparison or jealousy. It’s more of a positive thing.”

College Touring Holds a Different Sentiment for Athletes

by LEXI FRIESEL

Touring schools is part of the college application process for nearly all Menlo juniors, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions have lessened. However, visiting colleges both virtually and in person looks different for athletes trying to be recruited.

According to Director of College Counseling Mark Moody, it is more common for Menlo students to tour Division III colleges. “If you’re a Division III candidate, you can visit schools and talk to coaches with less restrictions.”

Division I schools have more

restrictions on communication between athletes and coaches. Athletes can reach out to coaches as at any time, however, at the Division 1 level, until the specified date for their sport, coaches cannot to certain extents depending on the sport.

In terms of touring, Moody recommends that students utilize their college counselor and coaches as resources. “I would also definitely recommend that athletes keep where they are visiting under wraps and keep the process of recruitment to themselves and their advisors,” Moody said. “Resist the temptation to share these developments

on social media until you have an admission offer or have signed a Division I Letter of Intent."

Junior Nyla Sharma plays goalie on the Menlo water polo team. “I quickly realized that I wanted to continue playing the sport in college so I started the recruiting process,” Sharma said. “I’ve recently begun emailing coaches introducing myself, my position and sending them highlight reels.”

After emailing one East Coast coach, Sharma had the opportunity to unofficially visit, meaning that the visit was not paid for by the school, an official visit is triggered by the school paying for any aspect of the visit. “On my visit I was able to meet with the head coach, see the athletic facilities and ask questions,” she said.

Junior Aidan Skinner has also been going through the recruitment and touring process as a soccer player. “The first step in my process was finding [...] schools that would be an academic fit for me,” Skinner said. “I went on their websites and found the emails of coaches and started emailing back and forth with them. Eventually I was able to schedule unofficial visits after my college tours.”

As part of his process, Skinner has also attended identification camps, which are recruitment events at college facilities where players from around the country who are interested in playing in college participate in full field scrimmages in front of coaches.

Like Skinner, junior Ross Muchnick

also has unofficially met with five different Division I and Division III football teams. “I used Twitter to get in contact with coaches,” Muchnick said, “Then I started going to their camps and events in order to build a connection […] with them.”

Muchnick noted that the most memorable aspect of his unofficial visits with colleges was getting to know some of the players and coaches on the team. “I was able to get a feel for what life is like as a college athlete and what my life would be like if I were to end up going to that particular school.”

Sophomore Adam Karr is Karr-ving the Way for Boys Volleyball at Menlo

by CLAUDE KINGSLEY-WILLIAM

Despite Menlo not having a boys volleyball team, sophomore Adam Karr has a passion for the sport that has led him to playing for an extracurricular volleyball club.

Karr plays for Mountain View Volleyball Club and participates in club volleyball tournaments all over the country. At 6-foot-4-inches, Karr has the option of playing a number of positions. He currently plays as a middle blocker and outside hitter, requiring him to make plays all over the court. “I serve, receive, hit, play defense and block. Playing middle blocker and outside, I get a lot of responsibility, but it makes the game really fun since I get a lot of touches,” Karr said.

Although Menlo does not have a boys volleyball team, that hasn’t stopped Karr from getting involved in Menlo

"I really enjoy playing, but it can be tough having to drive and travel frequently to play in tournaments and sometimes miss practices or games."

athletics. At Menlo, Karr plays a number of different sports including football in the fall and basketball in the winter. Karr played for the Menlo JV football and basketball teams, while also playing club volleyball.

Playing multiple sports during the span of one season can make it difficult

for Karr to balance his time. “I really enjoy playing, but it can be tough having to drive and travel frequently to play in tournaments and sometimes miss practices or even games. It also involves sacrifice, as some days I have two practices just 30 minutes apart, or a practice right before a game,” Karr said.

On top of the difficulties of balancing multiple sports, Karr also has to balance his academic life. “It definitely can be difficult to balance sports and academics, especially when trying to find time to study and do homework as well as perform as best I can, but I think that it’s all about carving out the time to finish everything and to not procrastinate,” Karr said.

The one season Karr finds himself not playing a Menlo sport is during the spring. Thankfully enough, spring is the season when California schools participate in boys volleyball. While it’s not currently offered, Karr believes that a Menlo boys’ volleyball team would be an excellent opportunity for him and his fellow student-athletes. “I would definitely play volleyball for Menlo, especially because my club team takes the spring season off so the other kids on my team can play for their school,” Karr said.

Moreover, Karr believes that there has been enough interest in making a boys volleyball team, it’s just about taking the next step, and organizing it to start a team. “I haven’t really done much to help make a boys volleyball team, but I have been asking around to gauge how much interest people might have in making a team. And from what I have seen, I do think that there are definitely people who

would play if the opportunity came up,” Karr said.

Although Karr currently doesn’t have a plan to pursue volleyball after high school, he would definitely be interested

in continuing the sport. “Volleyball’s just a really fun sport to play, so if the opportunity came up, I would 100 percent choose to play,” Karr said.

Three Years into his Career, Ralston Raphael is an Award Winning Football Player

by AVERY ROMAIN

All-State First Team, Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Lineman of the year and All-League First team are just some of the awards that junior Ralston Raphael has won in his first three years of playing football. Raphael’s football journey began as a freshman, playing his first-ever year of football on Menlo’s JV team.

The decision to play football was a big one for Raphael who had no previous experience with the sport. He had never had much interest in football, but members of the coaching staff and members of the team encouraged Raphael to commit to playing. “It was during the summer and I didn’t know many people from Menlo. Out of the blue people started asking me to play; it was very random,” Raphael said.

Eventually, he decided to join the team to make more friends at his new

school. What was previously a reluctant choice to join the team quickly became a great decision. Soon after starting football, Raphael saw success on the field and fell in love with the sport. As one of the few freshmen starters on the team, he contributed to the team’s undefeated run.

After a season of big hits and impressive plays, Raphael was selected to join the varsity team as a sophomore. “It was really important to me because it showed that my hard work had paid off and I was excited,” Raphael said.

His excitement was cut short when the country shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As months in quarantine passed, the football season got closer, but it became clear that having a season was very unlikely.

The first breakthrough came in early January of 2021 when the team was finally allowed to practice in person. “It was a big relief, I was working out during

(Left) Ralston Raphael and junior Cort Halsey await coaching instructions.

(Below) Raphael lines up in the 2021 Valpo Bowl game against Sacred Heart.

(Far below) Raphael looks to make a key block for quarterback senior Sergio Beltran. Staff photos: Lexi Friesel

quarantine for football season and I was really happy that I could show the results of my work,” Raphael said.

Adjusting to varsity wasn’t easy for Raphael. During those first few weeks when the practices seemed to get harder and the season was still in doubt, he considered quitting, but he knew if he did he would probably regret it.

Throughout the long off-season, Raphael was able to prove himself and was inserted into the starting lineup. During his sophomore year, Raphael shocked everybody by compiling four sacks and 16 solo tackles in the short five game season. Raphael’s style of play made him the cornerstone of Menlo’s defense during the team’s league-winning season and was one of the main reasons the team was able to hold their league opponents to under two touchdowns a game.

With an undefeated record, the Knights looked to carry their momentum into the last game of the season against Sacred Heart. Going into it, Raphael was very confident about the team’s chances. “I thought that we were a better team and [had] a good chance to beat them if we were able to do what we have done all season,” Raphael said.

However, the game didn’t go as Raphael and the rest of the Knights were expecting. After a first half that was filled with detrimental injuries and key players going down, the score was tied seven to seven. The second half didn’t go as well as the first for Menlo, following an early score by Sacred Heart and an interception the next possession, Sacred Heart began to pull ahead. The game ended as a 28-7 loss for the Knights and was a disappointing end to an otherwise great season. “After the game, I cried with all of the seniors because it was their last game and I had gotten very close to them

since the start of the season,” Raphael said. This moment stuck with Raphael and pushed him to improve and be better for the next year.

By the start of his junior season, Raphael had fully emerged as a force on defense and was identified by Prep RedZone Sports California as an underrated college prospect. This was the first official recognition that Raphael had gotten from his work on the football field. Raphael picked up where he left off in the last season with three impressive performances in the first four games of the season.

Just like last season, the Knights ran into Sacred Heart in the last game of the season. Menlo was undefeated and looking to prove that they compete with their cross-town rivals. No one else was hungrier than Raphael, who had been holding onto the memory of losing to Sacred Heart in last year’s season. After the loss the prior year Menlo was able to beat Sacred Heart in a game that went down to the wire. Raphael finished the game with two sacks and a few more tackles to go along with it. This was a big win for not only Raphael but the whole football program who had not beaten Sacred Heart since 2016. “It felt great to be a part of something special and finally accomplish something we have been working towards since last season,” Raphael said.

Raphael was awarded First Team AllState honors, was placed on the Ocean League First team, won defensive lineman of the year for the Ocean League and was Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the Knights. With such a successful season, Raphael remains humble and shies away from showing off or bragging about any of his accomplishments. He is already looking forward to his senior season and his future playing football in college.

Looking Inside the Menlo Admissions Process for Athletes

by IZZY KLUGMAN

Every year, a new group of students applies to Menlo’s Upper School. Acceptance into the school is notoriously difficult, with this year’s being 23%, and the admissions department is always looking for something that sets an applicant apart from the rest. Sports can be one of those things, and rumors have been circulating about recruitment for sports altering the standard admissions process.

However, according to Menlo Athletics Director Earl Koberlein, recruitment isn’t allowed. “There are [Central Coast Section] rules that prohibit recruiting. It’s challenging to know who’s a good tennis player or soccer player, because we’re not allowed to recruit. The coach can’t go and talk to you,” Koberlein said.

While recruiting is prohibited, coaches at Menlo can still do certain things in accordance with Central Coast Section and California Interscholastic Federation rules which can give talented athletes an edge in the application process.

Before any of these actions can occur however, the student must reach out to the coach. “Once the kid contacts the coach, the coach can respond,” Director of Admissions Beth Bishop said. According to Bishop, coaches can give the admissions department the name of an applicant so the applicant is on their radar. “The coaches might let us know if they, [for example] are a volleyball coach at Menlo, and also coach a club team, and one of their club players is applying and they know she’s really good. Then that coach can give me that student’s name. We’ll be paying attention to that. Nothing is a sure thing because, of course, the coach doesn’t know about an athlete’s academic profile. But it would help that student because the coach is vouching for her,” Bishop said.

Varsity Girls Volleyball Head Coach Tony Holland described what he does in similar situations. “We generally are asked for feedback in terms of [athletes] who are applying, and we give that feedback to admissions about why that family might be a good fit for the school and obviously the program as well,” Holland said.

This process is similar when it comes to applicants of other sports. Varsity Boys and Girls Tennis Head Coach Bill Shine and Varsity Boys Water Polo Head Coach Jack Bowen both do similar things with prospective athlete applicants. “The athletic department wants us to let them know, like, ‘Hey, this kid could help the program.’ So the coaches let the athletic directors know,” Shine said.

Holland explained that another thing coaches do during the application process is meet with students one-on-one when they come onto campus for preview days, the student’s campus visits, testing days or if they set up another time to meet one-on-one on campus. “I have met with students when they’ve been on their [campus visits]. So if they’re on a [campus visit], I’ll try to be on campus to at least meet with them for lunch and just talk with them and walk through the program, to answer any questions they have because, per CCS and CIF rules, we can’t talk to kids or families unless they’re on campus,” Holland said.

Bowen interacts with his potential players at Menlo-sanctioned welcome events and on-campus tours. “I have a chance to let them know what Menlo School is like [and] what our program is like. And in a sense, having been the head coach of the program for 23 years, there’s a pretty good amount of data to sort of say, ‘This is exactly what this program is.’ We want kids making an informed decision, and with the open houses, and the visits, I have a chance to do that,”

Bowen said.

One downside to the lack of recruitment is that coaches cannot keep a student from looking at and pursuing other more competitive schools who have better winning records. Shine said he also welcomes kids to look at other schools. “I encourage them to go find out about other schools because when they do that, they realize how good it is here. I encourage that. We [have] got some incredible coaches here and the administration does such a good job working with the athletic

department about getting the right kid that fits. The school sells itself, pretty much,” Shine said.

The bottom line is, compared to the collegiate level, coaches cannot guarantee a spot for a student, either on their roster or in the school itself. “We don’t [scout] kids at practices or do any of those things like you might find at the collegiate level. And really, that would be a little bit too much for a 14 or 15-year-old kid,” Holland said.

Students Pursue Sports Business to Stay Involved in Athletics

by AVERY ROMAIN & CLAUDE KINGSLEY-WILLIAM

Sports culture revolves around watching athletes accomplish feats that the general public could only dream of doing themselves. The public sits back and marvels at athlete's skills and admire their dedication. The public sometimes fails to recognize the people that allow these competitors to flourish under the bright lights: the general managers, owners, agents and sports business professionals that some Menlo students aspire to be.

Sports business is a great path for savvy athletes who will not have the opportunity to play sports at the highest levels. While professional or even college sports are an unlikely option for most people, sports business is a more realistic field of work. “[In sports business], I [will be] able to [...] make good money in the field I am most interested in,” junior Charlie King said. King currently plays varsity football at Menlo, and he would love to work as a talent scout or general manager in the future.

Junior Ross Muchnick also hopes to pursue a sports business career. As a member of the varsity football team, Muchnick has a passion for athletics and would like to channel that interest into his career path. “I’m interested in sports business because I have always been interested in sports. I love playing sports, watching sports and talking about sports,” Muchnick said.

Muchnick has begun considering which undergraduate study paths could set him up for success in sports management, and he has decided that business interests him most. “Combining my love of sports and my interest in business would be a dream come true and something that I would truly enjoy learning about and

doing,” Muchnick said.

The world of sports business consists of a variety of different paths, such as

“Combining my love of sports and my interest in business would be a dream come true and something that I would truly enjoy learning about and doing.”

advertising different sports brands and players, working with money and player salaries and interacting with star athletes. Muchnick emphasized how sports business teaches a variety of skills such as creativity and marketing. “It’s not just about money and short term gain, it’s about branding, longevity and connecting with your customer for the long run,” Muchnick said.

For high school students interested in a sports business career, there are a plethora of opportunities for them, even before college. Muchnick and King will both be attending the Wharton Sports Business Academy at the University of

Pennsylvania this summer.

However, there are several different ways to get into sports business other than going to summer programs. Menlo sophomore Paige Miller participated in the National Student Leadership Conference in 2021. “It was a program in New York, where they would put us in real world simulations as agents where you, as the agent, would have to figure out how to deal with numerous different situations you might face,” Miller said.

According to Miller, the students would be given an imaginary client, hold a press conference and solve different problems directed at the client.

“It was honestly one of the best weeks of my life,” Miller said. “[It] kind of further sparked [my] interest into sports business.”

Menlo sophomore Ben Kossow believes that a good way to get involved with sports business as a high school student is to start a sports-focused club.

“In the fall, I’m going to create a fantasy sports club, which involves more of the statistics side of sports. In general, I think running a club about sports is a great way to learn some of the foundational skills that you might need in sports business,” Kossow said.

COMMITTED CORNER COMMITTED CORNER

Francesca Prescott, Soccer

by CHARLOTTE PALMER

This past December, senior Francesca Prescott verbally committed to play Division III women’s soccer at Washington University in St. Louis.

Prescott started playing soccer when she was four but first joined a club team in fourth grade. “The reason that I actually got into it is because of the movie ‘Kicking and Screaming,’” Prescott said. “I wanted to learn how to do the move that he does at the end.” The “move” is a dribbling skill called a Maradona in which a player spins in a circle to shield the ball from the defender using their body. Prescott has now successfully learned how to do the move.

Prescott decided to begin the commitment process after she joined a new club team in June 2020. “[Joining the team] made me realize that I wanted to play at a higher level,” Prescott said. “The coaches from the new team were much more supportive with the college recruitment process, and gave me the confidence that I might be able to commit somewhere.” A college recruiting coordinator from her club team helped Prescott organize her emails and contacts.

Prescott ultimately decided on WashU due to its student culture. “I

was talking to Gabby Kogler, '21, and a few people on the team, and I could just tell that the environment was great,” Prescott said. “All the people that I’ve met at WashU love it and are so nice and friendly.” She was also drawn to the school due to its strength in her area of academic interest. “WashU is obviously a great school, especially for STEM, so it was the perfect overlap of athletics and academics,” Prescott said.

At WashU, Prescott is most excited to travel with the team. “I think it’s cool that you get to go across the country for games,” she said. Prescott’s favorite aspect of soccer is having her team there to constantly support her. “You have a built-in group of friends,” Prescott said. “It’s taught me to be a team player and to be able to compromise and work together with people who might have different playing styles or different ideas than me.”

Prescott is co-captain of Menlo’s girls varsity soccer team, and is considered a strong leader by her teammates. “Franny always brought the energy for every game and worked well with all the other seniors and was a great role model for me throughout the years,” junior teammate Sam Sellers said.

Sharon Nejad, Basketball

by MADISON LIU

Last October, senior Sharon Nejad committed to play Division III basketball at Pomona College.

As a kid, Nejad enjoyed participating in many sports: basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, flag football, wrestling and even karate. As long as there was a team aspect, Nejad was interested. “My mom signed me up for everything and I liked everything. I didn’t really care. Teams are my thing,” Nejad said.

Nejad began playing club basketball in fifth grade when an opposing team’s coach saw her playing and asked her to join his team. Throughout her club basketball career, Nejad played for several teams, the first one being West Coast Xtreme and the last Jason Kidd Select. Nejad then joined her middle school’s basketball team for the social aspect.

“[My mom] wanted me to make the [basketball] team when I was in middle school. It was just like a way to make friends,” Nejad said. “She never thought we would get this far.”

Eventually, Nejad narrowed down

Alli McKenney, Volleyball

by ANNIE STENT

At the end of October, senior Alli McKenney committed to play Division III women’s volleyball at Colby College.

McKenney has been playing volleyball since she was 12 years old and decided she wanted to play collegiately when she was a sophomore. “I just wanted to try to continue playing as long as I could,” she said.

Over the course of her volleyball career, McKenney has grown close with many of her teammates, some of them becoming her closest friends. “It’s always fun to have the chance to bring our friendship on the court and onto teams,” senior volleyball teammate Zoe Gregory said.

McKenney is a libero, which is a defensive position in volleyball, meaning that she covers the court behind her front row players and is the primary athlete tasked with keeping the ball off of the ground.

McKenney’s teammates are able to rely on her on the court as a source

her main sports to just basketball and volleyball. “I chose basketball because I was getting better at it, and then volleyball was always with me,” Nejad said.

During the college commitment process, Nejad’s priority was to keep her options open. She had three choices: commit for basketball, commit for volleyball or just apply based on academics. “As I went through my recruiting process, I said that I was only going to a school to play basketball if I couldn’t get in on grades alone,” Nejad said. “I committed to Pomona because it’s a super academically rigorous school and I need that little edge to put me ahead.”

Although Nejad has accomplished much throughout her basketball career, including a Division II state championship with Menlo girls basketball in 2019, her favorite memory is from the middle school league championship. “I was in sixth grade and [our team] wasn’t good, but we actually went all the way to the league finals. No one expected that

of comfort and positive energy. Senior Jazlin Chen has played club volleyball with McKenney since their sophomore year and school volleyball for the entirety of high school. Chen appreciates McKenney’s consistency and her leadership on defense. “She can always tell me where to be and finds me spots and never gets upset with any of [our teammates] if she has to cover more court for us,” Chen said.

“I can always count on Alli to lift my spirits and be there for me whenever I need her.”

As a teammate, McKenney goes beyond just her skill on the court. “I am definitely going to miss the joy she brings,” Chen said. Gregory has also enjoyed McKenney’s energy on and off the court. “I can always count on Alli to lift my spirits and be there for me whenever I need her,” Gregory said. Colby competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), as does Tufts University which is where Gregory will be playing collegiate volleyball. The two will not be on a team together, but will have the chance to compete against each other in conference play. “I think it will be fun to still see each other on the court in the future, even on opposite sides,” Gregory said. “I am really looking forward to playing against Zoe. It is really nice to know that I will still get to see her pretty often,” McKenney said.

McKenney is a multi-sport athlete. In addition to volleyball, she throws discus and shot put in track and field. She is also committed to throw discus and shot put at Colby along with playing volleyball. “I really like that at the Division III level, I can do so many different things, including both of my sports.”

and it was nice being able to represent our school,” Nejad said.

Nejad appreciated being on the underrated team. “It always feels better to be the underdog. During the state championship with Menlo, we were on top the whole time, but it's fun being the underdog.”

Not only is Nejad a talented player, but she is also a supportive teammate.

“Sharon is one of the best teammates I’ve had. She doesn’t stop at trying to be your team friend but she goes the extra mile to cultivate a real friendship,” senior Jazlin Chen said. Chen played both basketball and volleyball with Nejad at Menlo.

Free Periods, Free Students: Dismantling the Stigma Around Free Periods

by ANNIE STENT

Menlo’s curriculum is challenging: classes are difficult and workloads are almost always heavy. Many students also do extracurricular activities on top of their schoolwork or have familial obligations. The Menlo student body is involved in all sorts of athletics, arts, volunteer opportunities, leadership positions on campus and more, so balancing their interests with their academic work is vital to success.

Students have a lot of choice in their course load, especially as they move forward in their high school careers. Taking a free period is one of those options. A free period is an unscheduled block that students can use as a study hall, for meetings, or to relax. It can add a much needed balance to their rigorous schedules, but in a competitive school environment like Menlo, taking a free period can also be stigmatized.

Often, Menlo can feel like a competition between who has the most difficult schedule or who has more activities to juggle. The nature of success in Silicon Valley and the ever-competitive college admissions process are partially to blame, but students participate in it as well. I remember feeling a weird sense of pride in not taking one this year. I thought: “look at me, my schedule is hard and I’m not doing anything to lessen that load for myself.” I took one as a sophomore and it often felt like I had to justify taking it, both to myself and other students. I always felt the need to provide a laundry list of reasons why I absolutely needed to take it and often felt guilty for doing so. At the end of my sophomore year, I felt like it had been a waste of time, a space that I should have

filled with an easy class to boost my GPA.

In reality, I used my free period. It was an extra hour to catch up or get ahead on work and it significantly lowered my stress. And when I just needed a break, my free period served as that as well.

My sophomore year free period was not a waste of my time or a faulty strategic move; rather, it was an important piece that I needed for my well-being. I enjoy

positive choice, a choice that can lower stress levels and benefit a student’s academic achievement. Students should take them because they want to, and the stigma around them needs to end. The Menlo community needs to recognize that a free period does not indicate a lazy or weak student, it indicates a student who is empowered in what they want and need from their academic career.

Will Smith Slapped Comedy Into a New, Precarious Era

by NOAH KORNFELD

Since the Oscars on Mar. 27, the phrase “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth” has spread across the world. These words followed a vicious slap delivered by Will Smith onto of the 2022 award show made fun of member, or case, Jada Pinkett Smith. This particular joke poked fun at Jada Smith’s shaved head, com paring her to G.I. Jane, a character from a 1997 war drama film “G.I. Jane” fea turing a military woman with a shaved head.

Jada Smith suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune system disease that causes hair loss, and she shaved her head in July of 2021 after three years of hair loss struggle, accord ing to US Magazine. While Rock’s joke may have teetered the line of acceptable hu mor and possibly even crossed it, Will Smith had no right to physically assault him.

Chris Rock is a comedian. He mocks indi viduals, groups of people and ways of life to find the light in everyday, mundane activities. In the pursuit of good, comedic material, comedians of ten take leaps and risk offending their audience. Rock has now hosted the Oscars three times and made numerous jokes at the expense of audience members. In 2016, he denoted the Oscars as the “white people’s choice awards” and instead of leaving with a black eye, Rock was actually invited back to host the award show again in 2022. In 2005, Rock poked fun at Jude Law and Tobey Maguire for not being real stars. But neither target showed any more contempt than an angry glare.

Smith was completely out of line in his assault on Rock because a comedian deserves a level of safety when performing. People attend comedy shows, award shows and comedic per

formances with the understanding and the expectation for edgy, sarcastic humor, sometimes at the expense of audience members. Regardless of how any audience member feels about certain jokes, they have no right to attack the comedian. People do not attend a concert and then get upset or attack the performer when it gets too loud. Smith's actions also created a new precedent that anyone can confront a comedian if the comedian's actions offend them. This is a dangerous precedent, one that might endanger locally and nationally famous comedians during their sets. Additionally, Smith’s actions oppose the fight for women’s equality. Smith pushed the notion that women still need their husbands to protect them in a physical manner. Instead of handling himself in a progressive, acceptable manner, Smith resorted to outdated, offensive tactics.

Smith most likely had good intentions. He heard Rock offend the woman he loves and he wanted to confront him about it. Where he went wrong was the timing and manner in which he acted. He set a precedent for attacking comedians when they offend an audience member and assumed the outdated role of a bruteful man defending the name of his woman. As far as we have progressed as a society in terms of gender equality, it is upsetting to see this occur.

The Graduation Requirements Should Shift to Craft Well-Rounded Students

by ANNIE STENT

On Thursday, June 9, Menlo’s Class of 2022 will officially graduate high school. At this point, in order to graduate, seniors will have filled Menlo’s graduation requirements and be allowed to continue into the rest of their academic lives.

Menlo’s graduation requirements include four years of English, three years of math, history and science, two years or the third level of a world language, four semesters of athletics, three semesters of creative arts, 10 community engagement credits per year and Freshman Rotation (which covers one semester of arts and one semester of athletics). Of course, students can take beyond the requirements and most do, depending on their interests and goals.

Having requirements in multiple subjects and categories encourages students to be well-rounded and sets them up for success in college. However, while some of these credits seem fitting and appropriate for creating a versatile student, others are flawed.

For example, English classes provide writing skills that are very important for success in the real world according to the University of Arizona Global Campus, so the four year emphasis makes sense in ensuring students’ success post-high school.

The core subjects––math, science, English, and history––should have about the same requirement level as each other in order to maintain well-rounded students and to best prepare them for college. Often students feel pressure, either from their parents or peers or academic counselors, to narrow down their profession of interest

very early on, requiring all four years will counteract that.

Four year core requirements could still leave an element of choice for students. Providing multiple electives, as Menlo already does, but requiring that at least one in each subject was taken would allow students to continue exploring their interests while still maintaining balance.

Athletic and artistic requirements feel a bit forced. Currently, the arts requirement is three semesters and athletics is four, but for the Class of 2025 and on, four semesters (which essentially equates to two years) of arts will be required.

To start, as both arts and athletics are enrichment opportunities, their requirements should be equal, so the change for incoming students is positive on that front. However, four semesters for each seems excessive.

Not all students have a chosen sport or sports that they are passionate about and some have a sport that is not offered. Those students have to jump through additional hoops to receive credit for their sport or are forced to participate in one that they are uninterested in simply to fill the requirement.

Similarly, not all have a chosen art or arts. Two years for each category forces students into participating in activities they are not passionate about. Balance is important, and Menlo’s emphasis on that is wonderful, however a forced balance is not a healthy balance.

Instead, one complete year of arts and one complete

Racing to Save the World: Formula 1 Needs to

by PENELOPE STINSON

When it comes to sports, Americans like to watch their own leagues. Our favorite athletic pastime is football, played almost nowhere else in the world, yet the international soccer culture that prevails in Europe and Central and South America is practically nowhere to be found in the United States. Although we root for our Olympic teams, we’ll flip through basketball or baseball when it’s over, watching only our domestic leagues, the

season of athletics (neither of which would be at all fulfilled by Freshman Rotation) would be the most effective way to balance a student's interest. If they chose to continue with either, it will be because they enjoy it, not because they were told that they had to. This way, the balance will be true and thus more effective in increasing student’s horizons.

Slight changes to core requirements, arts, and athletic requirements will help Menlo to continue pushing students to be well-rounded and to experience new interests while still allowing them to pursue what they are most passionate about.

Be More Environmentally Friendly

vehicles to match the CO2 emissions created by Formula 1 in a year.

Granted, almost half of these emissions come from the actual transport and logistics of moving all the cars, personnel and equipment from race to race, as opposed to the cars themselves, but that’s no excuse. Formula 1 is an international sport, fans from all different countries watch it religiously, and it has the power to set the worldwide standard for environmentally friendly athletics. While Formula 1 aims to create more sustainable fuels and engines, it’s still a drop in the bucket. These changes are slow and not enough; Formula 1 needs to address the actual production of its races, not just the cars themselves. The way their current racing schedule is set up, Formula 1 moves from country to country, then back again months later. There is little interest in consolidating the schedule for continents or countries with multiple races, but rather an interest in creating the most publicity and glamour possible.

Formula 1, already nicknamed the “Billionaire Boys Club” by a few of its drivers, is dominated by money. At least ten billionaires with a combined net worth of 146 billion dollars have a stake in the sport. They fund the design and engineering of the racecar, the drivers and personnel,

and every other thing it takes to run a Formula 1 team. These billionaires play a significant role in determining how Formula 1 functions; they fund the teams and therefore get the final say in many team decisions. The uber-rich treat Formula 1 as their playground, a space for them to throw money at cars, hoping they have the fastest one. These billionaires, corporations, and teams need to step up and ensure that their favorite pastime doesn’t become a driver of climate change. Right now, the priority of every Formula 1 team is speed; they want to have the fastest car, the fastest engine and the fastest driver. But speed won’t matter if we don’t race to save the Earth.

Opinions

by SOPHIE STONE

With admission rates to most prestigious colleges dropping each year, high school students feel the pressure to fill their college applications with various summer internships, jobs and college-sponsored summer programs. Some students, wanting to be productive with their time but still enjoy themselves, select only a few summer activities that are targeted towards their interests. However, others choose to take on as many activities as they can to fill their time and impress colleges. As summer jobs and college programs take up more and more of high school students' time, they become less beneficial and more likely to cause burnout for high school students during a time meant for relaxing.

College summer programs, offered by colleges around the country, are merely an extension of school into the summer. Some of the most competitive and popular ones, held at colleges like Harvard, UCLA and Tufts, involve a lengthy application process that requires teacher recommendations and transcripts. All of this is done so that students can spend two weeks sitting at a desk and listening to lectures while completing homework and discussion boards throughout. While they give students a sneak peek into college life, they’re also a replica of high school, making the idea of a summer break pointless. These programs are also ridiculously expensive, with some being priced as high as 10,000 dollars for tuition, housing and meals, and with the average falling around 5,000 dollars.

College summer programs aren’t as beneficial as many think, with admissions officers from universities like Harvard and Brown saying that their summer programs rarely give students a leg up when it comes to college admissions. There’s no point in sitting through college programs during summer break if the motivation for doing it is misguided in the first place. Students need to think about what they are actually passionate about and then work on a related project instead of paying thousands of dollars to attend a college summer program that won't benefit them in the long run.

For many ambitious students, after those two weeks of a college summer program are over, their summer job begins. There are a wide range of summer jobs and internships

available for students, many of which will give teenagers valuable working experience. California does have child labor laws in place that prevent high schoolers from working over eight hours a day during the summer. However, this means that jobs can still ask students to work up to 48 hours a week for almost the entire summer, taking away from time usually spent relaxing with friends. On top of this, many students also play on a club sports team, are prepping for the ACT or SAT and are completing any summer work assigned by their high school. This leaves students with a schedule as packed as if it was a school week.

Granted, not all high school students apply for jobs with the motivation of bolstering their college applications. Some students get jobs because their financial situation requires it, or just because they would enjoy the extra spending money. If the incentive for working during the summer is not to cram as much as

May 12, 2022

It’s impractical for students to fill up their college applications with summer activities if they aren’t able to explain why they did them and what they got out of it. According to admissions officers from Harvard and Brown, colleges don’t want to see students commit to as many summer activities as they can, they would rather see students do things that fulfill their interests.

The school year is already fast-paced and busy for high school students, and overcommitting to summer jobs and college programs for the sake of college applications takes away from a much-needed summer vacation. Those 2 ½ months of break are imperative for students to relax and recharge before another school year ahead. If students instead fill their time with college programs and summer jobs that they might not even enjoy, it will leave them feeling tired and burnt out by the time the next school year starts.

Head Copy Editor.....................................................Erica Fenyo

Copy Editors.................... Annie Stent, Lizzie Freehill, Andrea Li

Social Media Director...............................................Sophie Stone

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

Community Relations Director..................................Alea Marks

Marketing Director.................................................Dorinda Xiao

Video Editor...............................................................Jacob Reich

Assistant Sports Editor.........................Claude Kingsley-William

Assistant News Editor...........................................Geoffrey Franc

Assistant Spread Editor................................................Zoe Adler

Assistant Arts & Lifestyle Editor............................Sonia Dholakia

Assistant Social Media Director................................Cleo Hardin

Staff Writers............................Sutton Inouye, Kylie Jones, Sophia Hinshaw, Noah Kornfeld, Izzy Klugman, Chase Hurwitz, Tessa Frantz, Sophia Artandi, Jake Lieberman, Octave Moha, Rhea Nandal, Ty Richardson, Avery Romain, Agnes Shao, Karen Xin, Madison Liu, Charlotte Palmer

Staff Illustrator......................................................Michele Hratko

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.

by ALEA MARKS

"Turning Red" is a 2022 animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It tells the story of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl who is navigating the turbulence of adolescence. She struggles to balance her mother’s approval with her newfound interest in boys and hanging out with her friends. The catch is that when her emotions get out of hand, she turns into a big red panda.

The movie sends a message about the challenges of puberty and familial conflict, and it brings to light the burden that second-generation immigrant children face with their families. There is often an expectation to succeed for these kids because their parents fought and worked for better opportunities.

Mei Lee’s friends encourage her to defy her mother’s unrealistic expectations of perfection and stay true to her identity.

The film has received a lot of criticism, according to Vox, as parents are dismayed by the mention of periods and puberty and the obsession with boys, which they deem unfit for younger audiences.

Vox cites numerous parental reactions to the movie, most of which warn that the film is inappropriate for children.

One mother tweeted, “Just a heads up to all the parents out there… The Disney movie ‘Turning Red’ is NOT for kids… at all.” But it is these parents that are perpetrating stigmas of the female body by shunning talk of normal phases of puberty, like menstruation. "Turning Red" is an ideal way to normalize the conversation about puberty, as it is accessible

and limits awkwardness by introducing mature topics in a digestible way.

Parents also have qualms about the movie encouraging children to disobey their parents in order to express their identity and desires as a teenager. Vox quotes one critic who wrote, “It feels like the film champions kids being rude to their parents and other authority figures.”

But the promotion of disobedience is tied to Mei Lee having control over her own body and life, which is something to be encouraged. Children’s opinions and wants should not be silenced, but rather listened to and compromised upon.

A 13-year-old might not have the maturity to make all major decisions, but it is worth having a conversation between children and parents to ensure that all parties are respected and heard.

"Turning Red" explores larger cultural differences regarding parenting techniques and children’s right to defining their own identities. It is a progressive movie that brings to light important topics such as self-expression and unrealistic parental expectations that must be addressed in our society. The metaphors presented in the movie do not just apply to teenage girls, they are relevant to larger audiences as the movie discusses the suppression of untraditional parts of one’s identity.

As Mei Lei says, “We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away, and a lot of us never let it out.” The conflict she faces is a story familiar to a wider audience, so more people should keep their mind open before criticizing the film.