Creative Arts week featured both conventional performances and events new to Menlo. Photo by Pete Zivkov.

Zoey Lieberman | A&L Editor

Creative Arts Week, a week celebrating a variety of arts that Menlo has to offer, continued to raise positive awareness regarding the arts at Menlo. Filled with a diverse range of presentations including poetry slams, dance, and choral performances, students have generally been pleased by the week’s positive energy. “This year, I was kind of skeptical about how fun and entertaining Creative Arts Week would be,” junior Lindsay Miller said. “But, I have loved all of the performances and I think it really showcases all of Menlo’s talent.” Sophomore Pragya Anur echoed that sentiment, saying that she has loved seeing the pride the artists have for their work and accomplishments come through in their performances.

Although the week was full of the more conventional arts presentations, a conscious effort was made by Arts Coordinator Jessie Guthrie and Spirit Coordinator Maya Donato to diversify the arts presented throughout the week. “We wanted to make sure that all of the activities were fun and exciting so students got a taste for everything,” Donato said.

One of the more ‘out of the box’ creative arts performed during the week was a cappella, which was a style of art that was brought back following Yale’s acappella group’s (the “Whiffenpoofs”) performance last fall. Both Menlo’s new student-run acapella group the “Menlodies”, and USC’s acapella group the “Troytones” performed. The former, led by senior Lucas Loaiza, and the latter, featuring Menlo alum Andrew Sanford,’12, kept the audience engaged with a wide variety of arrangements and songs. “We wanted to get things that people may not see all of the time on campus,” Donato said.

Within the context of Menlo’s academic environment, the arts department that is often overlooked and undervalued compared to other subjects, particularly STEM. “Creative Arts Week is important to make sure that the arts are not getting forgotten,” Donato said. Junior Katie Stonesifer agreed, stating that the week is a great opportunity to shift Menlo’s focus to artists rather than other subjects.

Achieving a balanced academic atmosphere is far from easy, but this week will hopefully steer Menlo in the right direction. “The arts allow students to take risks, get in touch with the world in cool ways, and most importantly, get in touch with themselves,” Donato said. “They are equally, if not more important than STEM classes.”