Issuu

Menlo School, Atherton, California

Volume 52 Number 3

February 6, 2026

serving Menlo’s Upper School since 1973

Influenza Outbreak Sweeps Across Upper School Campus by ARAHA MODI AND MANDY ZHANG

Influenza A, an unprecedented mutant of the seasonal flu, swept into crowded classrooms when students returned from holiday break. More students and staff are calling in sick, while others push themselves to show up with aching throats, runny noses and fevers. The Menlo Health Office reported 65 cases and counting of Influenza A by Feb. 2, urging the community to maintain proper hygiene as numbers continue to rise nationwide. Although the current flu shot or vaccine reduces the probability of serious hospitalization, it only offers minimal protection against this mutation on

a day-to-day basis. Every February, the World Health Organization predicts possible flu variants in the Northern Hemisphere and creates vaccines based on their research. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year’s vaccines targeted three prominent virus strains: two Influenza A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and one Influenza B strain (B/ Victoria Lineage). However, Subclade K, a previously dormant mutant of Influenza A H3N2, has resurfaced and is not adequately protected against. Sophomore Caitlin Wong received a flu shot in late September but caught Influenza A as soon as she came back from winter break. “I felt like death,” she said. “It sucks because it’s hard to fully rest when you know how much work is waiting for you.” Despite her sore throat and lingering cough, Wong stayed in school to avoid falling behind, noting that missing even one day of class could lead to multiple nights worth of catching up. “[Staying in school while sick] is definitely a universal problem,” she said. “People are worried whenever someone next to them coughs or sneezes.” Upper School Administrative Assistant Jocelyn Rodriguez believes that students should find a healthy balance between motivation and rest. “If you don’t take the day off, you only prolong the sickness

and risk spreading it to others who are perfectly fine,” she said. Rodriguez has also observed an increase in students only attending school for half of a day, a pattern she hopes they will reconsider. On the other hand, English teacher Jay Bush argues that missing class only adds pressure to his already tight schedule. “The worst part about getting sick as a teacher is that you feel a strong responsibility for your students,” he said. “And if you’re not there, then one of your colleagues, all of whom are completely booked and exhausted and working as hard as they possibly can, is going to have to cover for you.” Bush caught the flu three separate times between November and January, missing two school days in a row for the first time since he joined Menlo in 2019. As a result, he had to grade over 100 written assignments — around 40 hours of work — for his sophomore and senior classes in just a few days. For teams that rely entirely on participation, lastminute fevers and chills can undermine months of preparation. Mock trial faculty advisor Joseph Mitchell says

Influenza, pg. 2

Staff illustration: Claire Dickman

Students Turn Curiosity Into Capital Through Investing by ASHER DARLING

At 2 a.m., while likely all of his classmates were fast asleep, junior Solomon Mungai stared at his computer screen, watching as cryptocurrency prices rose and fell in real time. Since the crypto market never closes and often peaks while Americans are asleep, Mungai stays up late trading most nights. “During my early time with crypto, [...] I’d probably be spending two and a half to three hours [trading] every night,” he said. Mungai was introduced to crypto investing by his cousin in 2022. But

What’s Inside?

before putting his savings on the line, he practiced on a risk-free platform called TradingView Papertrading, where he learned to read market patterns and trends. “I learned how to trade with fake money,” he said. Mungai said investing has helped him learn patience and discipline. “[The transition to real trading] was scary,” Mungai said. “I could take big losses with the fake money and just make it back by spending some more, but once I started trading real money, it really hit me that like ‘wow I could lose all my money right

now.’ [...] It forced me to be strategic and to not trade more than I could afford to lose.” Until this past summer, Mungai day traded crypto on the Solana blockchain platform. Since then, he’s shifted his focus to longer-term investments, specifically in biotech stocks and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). “I just thought that [day-trading crypto] was too risky,” he said. “I’ve taken a lot of wins and a lot of losses.”

Investing, pg. 14

Senior Raj Kaushek teaches a group of students during a OneUp Summer Camp session. Photo courtesy of Kaushek

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