In the days and weeks after his passing, one particular photo of Mark Aquino circulated around the Menlo community: Aquino, donning a bright neon ensemble complete with roller blades, dressed as “Ken” for a “Barbie” themed spirit day. Aquino was a cherished history teacher, known for his ever-popular Ethnic Studies elective. But even those who never sat in Aquino’s classroom had an appreciation for who he was as a person. That was because Aquino, on spirit days and every day, fully immersed himself in Menlo culture.
Upper School Director John Schafer described Aquino as “high profile.” That profile was a result of Aquino’s enthusiasm for Menlo and his embrace of the school. In the year and a half he was at Menlo, he was the faculty advisor to the fishing club and Asian Affinity Alliance, as well as being a friendly face on campus.
On the evening of Dec. 7, 2024, Aquino tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack in his own home. Head of School Than Healy communicated the news to the broader community in an email on Dec. 8. Junior Josie Lee, one of the student leaders of the AAA group Aquino mentored, recalls calling a fellow AAA leader immediately after hearing the news. “We just started crying together,” Lee said. “We were just really in disbelief and angry that it happened, because it’s just not fair.”
According to Lee, Aquino was eager to support AAA and its members in every possible way. “Mr. Aquino shared that passion for building a community,” she said. “Every student has that one teacher that feels more like a friend than a teacher, and like someone you can trust in. For me, that was Mr. Aquino.”
Aquino was also a passionate fisherman and outdoorsman, known for his YouTube channel, “Outdoor School of Thought.” As the Fishing Club’s faculty advisor, he shared his expertise with Menlo students. “In early November, we went to a pier in Half Moon Bay to do something called poke poling, and he instructed us and showed us how to do it,” junior Asher Lev, a co-leader of Fishing Club, said. “He basically showed me and six other people how to do it the whole afternoon.”
History teacher Sabahat Adil worked with Aquino on the Modern World History team and also shared a classroom with him. Although she knew him for only a year and a half, Adil feels she formed an incredibly strong connection with Aquino. “He showed me that you can not spend as much time with someone, but they can make a really deep impact in your life,” she said.
History department chair Katharine Hanson commended how Aquino prided himself on influencing the community outside of the classroom. “We don’t often see somebody just that instantly carving out a space for himself in the community in that way, beyond his classes and formal role at the school,” Hanson said.
While he was certainly a beloved figure outside the classroom, Aquino was known for his popular history elective, Ethnic Studies. “He taught an elective, so you never know how many [students] may sign up. Well, three sections of students signed up for it,” Schafer said. “It’s amazing his impact in just a short period of time. I think to me, that’s an indication of his connection with students. I think they found him to be not just a good teacher, but fair, accessible, kind, on their side. He got to know students well. […] He was a really gifted educator.”
Senior Brady Kagan, one of Aquino’s students, echoed Schafer’s sentiment. “He was a big advocate for students,” Kagan said.
When reflecting on Aquino’s class, Kagan remembers one specific unit regarding whether or not Ethnic Studies should even be taught. “It was kind of like looking at how selfless he was. That was his whole life’s work […] basically studying Ethnic Studies, teaching it at multiple different schools and then sort of letting us come to our own conclusions about it,” he said.
When discussing Aquino’s legacy, Schafer spoke on the importance of continuing the Ethnic Studies program at Menlo. “Ethnic Studies is an interesting course in that [Aquino] developed the curriculum that became the curriculum for the whole Unified School District in San Francisco. He’s very proud of that. And at the same time, Ethnic Studies is, you know, criticized in other quarters. […] He was very aware of the politics around Ethnic Studies,” Schafer said.
“So one piece of legacy I hope we continue is that we run a robust Ethnic Studies class that students want to take and work and learn a great deal. And he was clearly going to do that.”
One of the things Adil admired most about Aquino was his ability to be his true self in a classroom setting. “He modeled for me that you can be human. You can be like a person with your students too and not just have it be about, like, the subject that you’re teaching,” he said.
Hanson remembers seeing the same authenticity when Aquino first visited Menlo’s campus to demo a class. “He was so nice, warm and sweet, and seemed so delighted by the energetic students and the intellectual dynamism at the school,” she said.
Hanson described Aquino as “someone with a big agenda, but an even bigger heart.” “I just feel so lucky that I had him as a colleague,” she added.
After hearing of Aquino’s passing, Kagan was in shock. Still, he wanted to find a way to bring Aquino’s students together. “I felt like it was important to not just let his news sort of just hit us, but remember how great of a person he was,” he said.
Kagan organized a memorial service for Aquino the Monday students returned to school after the news. Students left flowers, lit candles and wrote notes to commemorate their teacher. They also participated in the “Isang Bagsak” unity clap, a Tagalog chant from the United Farm Workers of America meaning “one down,” or that “when one person in our community falls, we all fall.” Aquino ended each of his classes with “Isang Bagsak.”
Schafer was pleased with how the community — students in particular — came together to honor Aquino. “The students responded with remarkable appreciation and gratitude,” he said.
Now, over two months after his passing, Aquino’s presence is still missed on campus. “Not a day goes by where I don’t think about him,” Kagan said.“He was so involved in the community here, I couldn’t fathom at the time how many things he was involved with and how many people would be affected by his death,” Lev said.
While the community is still reeling from the loss, Lee also spoke of her gratitude for the time she shared with Aquino. “I can be less angry [now] and so grateful and reflect on the memories,” Lee said.
