Menlo students organize a walkout to encourage unity and peacefulness in light of the recent election. Junior Carolyn Rantz makes a poster advocating for less violence as part of a Diversity Club activity. Staff photo: Kaitlyn Tom.
By Kaitlyn Tom, Maude Frye and Zoey Lieberman
On Monday, Nov. 14, there was a student-led walkout where students left class 15 minutes early at 1:30 pm to meet together at the front of Stent hall. Students held signs, made speeches, and took a picture as an image of their solidarity. The walkout was organized and led by members of the Diversity Club.
The walkout was inspired by similar demonstrations by other schools in Silicon Valley. “I saw on social media that many schools were thinking of doing this walkout. […] This was a great opportunity to get people to come together to support one another no matter their differences,” junior Ariana Carranza, one of the students who organized the walkout, said.
The goal of the walkout was to come together as an empowering group of individuals as a means to embrace our community’s differences in light of the hostile rhetoric that has dominated the recent election. On the Menlo Student Body Facebook group, Carranza, along with juniors Julissa Torres and Jojo Bachechi-Clark, posted a message describing the goals of the walkout.
“In the wake of the election, and all of the hatred that is up in air, we want to make our voices heard. […] We hope this peaceful demonstration can represent the tight-knit community we want Menlo to be […] and provide an example of people […coming] together despite their different backgrounds. This isn’t about or against any candidate, it’s about us,” the post said.
The students who planned the walkout wanted to show that the Menlo community was an inclusive environment. “I wanted to do the walkout because I knew many people, including myself, who were scared for themselves, friends and family as a result of the election,” Torres, Diversity Club Co-President and one of the student organizers of the walkout, said. “I wanted to do something about this because I don’t think that anyone deserves to feel this way. I wanted to let others, especially minorities at Menlo, feel that Menlo could be a safe space.”
In addition to the walkout, club presidents were considering walking down Valparaiso Avenue to Sacred Heart Prep in order to convene with some of SHP’s students to strengthen the broader community. “The SHP walk wasn’t necessarily part of the original plan, but we did contact [the diversity leaders at SHP] early on and thought of heading over there. […] Yesterday we thought that a group of people who [wanted] to or [felt] comfortable skipping B block could walk to SHP and Mr. Schafer let us know that it [was] okay,” Carranza said.
However, following the attendance of the walkout, students were not able to go over to SHP. “The walkout on their campus was not sanctioned. Students who participated would be marked absent,” Dean of Students, Tony Lapolla, said.
Initially, the students who planned the walk out were concerned about the reception the walkout would receive from the community. “I heard some criticism during the time that I was helping plan the walkout and even on the day of. Sometimes I would second guess myself and ask if this was really worth doing,” Torres said.
Despite their initial hesitance, the students who planned the walkout ultimately overcame their reluctancy as a result of the support that they received. “Now [was] the time to do something for myself and for those that I really care about. What kept me going and what made me continue planning this movement was those that came up to me or messaged me and just said ‘thank you.’ They really encouraged me to keep believing in myself and in this movement,” Carranza said.
Most students applauded the walkout as a means of showing unity and support within the Menlo community. “I think the walkout had really good intentions, and I supported the idea of students standing in solidarity,” senior Jasmyn Alviter said. “I think it was a really good sign from Menlo that the administration supported it [the walkout], and that we were able to take part in it.”
Students who left A block early to participate in the walk out showed their support by gathering in front of Stent Hall. Staff photo: Zoey Lieberman.
In addition to receiving support from other students, the walkout was also supported by administration. “This is the first time we have seen this in a while and I think it’s good that the administration was so supportive of it,” Ferrell said. Many students were released early from class without hesitation from Menlo faculty.
Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Faculty advisor for the Diversity Club Angela Birts acknowledged the administration’s support of the walkout. “From an administrator’s perspective, the students are essentially leaving the classroom,” Birts said. “The students were clearly afforded the opportunity to express their voice.”
While some students felt empowered by the walkout, other students expressed their concerns and doubts of the walkout achieving its goals. “I think because our school is so small, it didn’t have as big of an impact as it could have,” Alviter said. “[Menlo Atherton was] walking down El Camino or Middlefield and they shut down the street. I think [walkouts are] probably more effective with bigger schools.”
Junior Bri Boyd agrees. “The movement we had today was basically standing in front of Stent, saying a few words, and taking pictures which I thought was great but not enough. The whole purpose of a movement is to not just stay in your community but involve the people around you, which we could’ve done more than what we did today,” Boyd said.
Other students expressed different concerns about the walkout. “The walkout clearly happened as a result of the election. People have told me it was about unity, but it was organized right after the election, during class time nonetheless,” an anonymous junior girl said. “It might not have been anti-Trump, but I find it hard to believe it would have occurred if Hillary had been elected.”
Some faculty expressed similar doubts regarding the motives behind the walkout. “It was very vague and wasn’t well publicized among the teachers,” French teacher, Corinne Chung, said. “I didn’t exactly know what the protest was about.”
Students that align with conservative views have felt marginalized at Menlo, and believe that the walkout and election have only magnified the polarization between the different parties at Menlo. “Conservative ideas at Menlo have been marginalized for the entire year, and this just adds another layer of animosity,” the anonymous junior girl said. “Many students feel that if they express their views in class, the teachers will become biased against them, and it will be reflected in their grades. […] Some […] students think this complaint to be ridiculous, saying that the teachers would never do such a thing, but it is completely true, especially considering the […] response of the teachers after the election [like] crying, […] voicing anti-Trump opinions in class, [and] citing the fact that Hillary won the popular vote.”
Senior Jun Ru Anderson holds up her own poster that she made during lunch. Photo: Zoey Lieberman.
While student and faculty opinions are somewhat polarized on the walkout, Head of School Than Healy, Director of Upper School John Schafer, Dean of Students Tony Lapolla, Director of Middle School La Vina Lowery, and Assistant Director of Middle School Mima Takemoto sent a joint email discussing the broader topic of the election to all Menlo parents and faculty members. “As always, we strive to create a safe environment for all members of our community and believe that this is a good time to remind ourselves of the values we uphold as a school,” the email said.
Menlo prides itself on being a safe environment for its students, and the Menlo community has not seen an event like this walkout in years past. However, the Menlo community is taking strides to come together and support one another during these pivotal times, no matter one’s race, gender, or political viewpoint.
