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Menlo School, Atherton, California

Volume 52 Number 4

March 19, 2026

serving Menlo’s Upper School since 1973

Senior Trip Moved From Mexico to Palm Springs After Cartel Violence by ASHER DARLING AND SAVANNAH SMITH

Since 2019, Menlo senior classes have celebrated spring break together in Punta Mita, Mexico. But after cartel violence erupted in nearby Puerto Vallarta in late February, families began pulling out of this year’s trip and scrambling to reorganize grade-wide plans in Palm Springs, Calif. Historically, the senior spring break trip had been broken into two parts. The week was planned to start with more than 90 members of the class, along with some of their families, staying in large, villa-style housing within the Punta Mita resort. Even more families and students were expected to attend the second half of the week, held at Iberostar, an all-inclusive resort that packages accommodation, meals and drinks into one fixed price. On Feb. 22, however, those plans were thrown into question when a Mexican military operation in the state of Jalisco killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, the leader of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel. In the days following El Mencho’s death, cartel violence spread across the country, with gunfights, roadblocks and fires reported in several areas, including the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta.

Heidi Abrams and Karein Freehill, senior parent organizers of the all-inclusive portion of the trip, were quick to react, sending an email to parents the next day on Feb. 23. “The best guidance we can offer at this moment is that each family should make the decision that feels right and comfortable for them,” they wrote. “We are all navigating this information in real time, and everyone’s circumstances and comfort levels may be different.” Jessica Axelrod, mother of senior Julia Axelrod and sophomore Noah Axelrod, had helped arrange for her daughter to stay in a house with eight friends for the first part of the trip and attend the all-inclusive portion as well. When she heard the news of the violence, Axelrod's first instinct was to assess the situation for safety concerns. “No matter how much effort, time or financial resources are spent, I think the safety of all you kids was top of mind for everybody,” she said. Senior Aakarsh Mohan said his parents were also concerned. “I remember first hearing about the cartel violence and my dad, especially, was super against me going no matter what, even if the group was gonna go altogether,” Mohan said. Christyan Contreras, the real estate broker for several of the villas, reached out to offer guidance to families during the uncertainty. “Puerto Vallarta and the entire bay, including Punta Mita, have been known for many years as a peaceful area that’s very focused on tourism,” Contreras wrote in an email to The Coat of Arms. “What happened on Feb. 22 was very unusual. After that, things have returned to normal in a relatively short time, and there have been no official reports of civilians being injured during

that incident.” But the headlines were difficult for many families to ignore, even those familiar with the area. Senior Elsa Sonsini has taken many trips to Punta Mita, including one for her brother Jake Sonsini’s (‘24) senior trip. She said the drive from the Puerto Vallarta airport to Punta Mita has always been a safety concern. “People [this year] were like, ‘once we get to the houses, we’re not worried,’” Sonsini said. “It’s more about getting there and going through the areas which are most dangerous.” Over the course of the next two weeks, all Menlo families pulled out of the original Mexico plans. “No parent wanted to be the bad guy,” Axelrod said. “A lot of parents were feeling very similarly concerned. There were some parents who were maybe more in the wait-and-see category, and others who pulled their kid immediately. […] There was also a lot of

Mexico, pg. 3

Staff illustration: Claire Dickman

Catalyst’s Maren Wolf Selected as Assistant Head of School by ANYA RAMANI

After several years of discussion, Menlo School has created a new assistant head of school position — with head of school Than Healy announcing that Director of Academic Innovation and Catalyst Semester Teacher Maren Wolf will assume the role in July. Wolf has been a faculty member since 2015 and has served in positions including English department chair and interim upper school director over the years. More recently, Wolf helped launch Catalyst, Menlo’s experiential learning semester. In her new position, she will oversee a wide variety of the school’s work, from the school’s newly revamped Strategic Plans (Athletics, Wellness, Belonging,

What’s Inside?

Relevant Education and Broader Impact) to the Upper School’s Menlo Abroad programming. According to Healy, the new Assistant Head of School position was necessary to handle the school’s increasingly complex projects and to provide him with additional bandwidth. “I was feeling stretched more and more to try to do a good job on all of [our plans],” Healy said. “It’s actually a position that I served in [at] my last school, so I saw sort of how [it] could be helpful.” With Wolf assisting Healy on a day-to-day basis, Healy said he will be able to pursue future in-depth

Wolf, pg. 2

Director of Academic Innovation and Catalyst Semester teacher Maren Wolf teaches students in a Catalyst class. Photo courtesy of Wolf

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