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BREAKING: Senior Ditch Day Cancelled (In progress)

BREAKING: Senior Ditch Day Cancelled (In progress)

On Wed., May 5th, the Menlo senior class was planning to have a “ditch day,” where seniors do not come to classes. However, after the threat of a mandatory ten-day quarantine for all who skip school by the administration, the seniors decided to cancel their plans. According to members of the Class of 2021 who planned the event, having a senior ditch day has been a longtime senior tradition. The grade’s spirit team helped design a fun day at Poplar Beach for the class and contacted the administration to let them know their plans. Despite the first few emails that the spirit team received from administrators sounding similar to the ones sent to the classes of 2018 and 2019 who had had “successful” skip days, a final email led to the cancellation of the plans. According to the seniors, the email threatened any seniors attending class virtually or skipping entirely with a quarantine from school and athletics, stating that the day at the beach would potentially increase the community’s risk of COVID-19. The spirit team then decided to cancel the day. On Wednesday, some senior teachers decided to cancel their classes in support of the seniors and several students did not show up to campus for their first period class. To make up for the cancellation, the administration provided Chipotle at lunch for the senior class.

Story by Social Media Director Lexi Friesel and Assistant News Editor Alex Levitt

Staff photo: Seniors attend class on Wednesday May 4th

Students Reflect on How the Pandemic Changed Their

Students Reflect on How the Pandemic Changed Their Lives

In March 2020 when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States, Menlo was one of the first schools in the nation to shut down. Many students were relieved and excited to have a spontaneous break from the stress of the second semester. Little did they know that it would be more than a year before students would all return to campus.

Read the full story by Staff Writer Alea Marks at wwww.menlocoa.org

Staff illustration by Sophie Fang

Delay in Access Point Installations Caused Connect

Delay in Access Point Installations Caused Connection Issues During First Week Back

During the first week that 100% of students were able to return to campus, Menlo internet connection caused difficulties. Because of social distancing guidelines that limited the number of students allowed inside classrooms, outdoor learning spaces were designated for the overflow from larger classes. Students were expected to use Zoom and Canvas to keep up with class from these outdoor spaces; however, network issues during the first few days of quad learning prevented some students from connecting with the rest of their class inside.
According to Director of Technology Gabe Schwarzer, the original issue with the network was due to a lack of wireless access points, or APs, on the quads. Because more students than usual were connecting to the existing APs on the quad attempting to run Zoom meetings, which require an increased bandwidth, more APs needed to be installed.

Read the full story by assistant Spread Editor Riley Huddleston at www.menlocoa.org

Staff photo of outdoor learning spaces by Tessa Frantz

On Wed., April 28, students participated in Color

On Wed., April 28, students participated in Color Pride Day, a spirit day where students dressed up in their grade’s colors to represent their grade pride. Freshman wore white, sophomores wore blue, juniors wore silver and seniors wore gold. During lunch, students gathered on Wunderlich Field to watch a game of Spikeball, where two people from each grade battled against one another to prevent the ball from hitting the ground. Inevitably, the seniors won. “It felt great to represent the senior class in some of our last couple weeks on campus,” one of the Spikeball players from the senior class Tor Micaelin said. Staff photo: Abby Becker.

Instagram post 17925995131540904

Instagram post 17925995131540904

An Inside Look at Menlo’s Campus Security Clad

An Inside Look at Menlo’s Campus Security

Clad in black and yellow, the Menlo School security team ensures that all students, faculty and staff members are safe during their time on campus. While they work on Menlo’s campus, all security guards — with the exception of Director of Security Mustapha Moutri — are hired through Command Security Services.
There are three shifts with security on campus, which is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week: the daytime shift from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the middle shift from 4 p.m. to midnight and the graveyard shift from midnight to 8 a.m. During their shifts, the security guards deal with various issues that may arise on school grounds, from lost phones to imminent threats, with two guards on campus at all times during the day.

Read the full story by Staff Writer Erica Fenyo on the Coat of Arms website www.menlocoa.org

Staff photo of the guards by Sadie Stinson

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The Student News Site of Menlo School

The Student News Site of Menlo School