Last year, Animation as well as Design and Architecture joined a growing group of classes no longer offered at Menlo because their teacher left.

Animation was initially introduced when Amanda Kyed, who had experience in both photography and animation, was hired to replace former photography teacher Pete Zivkov. To utilize Kyed’s skillset, the school added an animation class. However, when Kyed left the school last year, the animation class was discontinued.

Similarly, Marc Allard, who also left the school last year taught Mechanical and Electrical Engineering as well as Design and Architecture, but the latter is no longer offered.

According to Upper School Director John Schafer, core curriculum classes will always be offered, with teachers hired to fill those positions first. Elective classes, however, are often dependent on the teacher’s expertise and may be discontinued when they leave. This makes the elective program dynamic. 

“In the elective program, we definitely play to teachers’ strengths and interests,” Schafer said. For instance, Menlo offers a philosophy class primarily because Aquatics Director and history teacher Jack Bowen has a background in teaching philosophy and wanted to teach the class. If he were to leave the school, Philosophy might be dropped in favor of a new elective tailored to the interests of a new teacher.

The school hires interesting and nuanced faculty who often go on to create elective classes that they are passionate about. However, newly hired teachers typically start by teaching core curriculum courses before taking on electives. “Students are often reluctant to take an elective class offered by a new teacher, opting instead for electives taught by a teacher that they are already familiar with,” Schafer said.