Dino Ambrosi, the founder and leader of Project Reboot, returned for the second year in a row this Tuesday, Oct. 21, where he gave a speech to the upper school Project Reboot assembly on how students can improve their relationships with technology.

During the assembly, Ambrosi announced that Menlo was chosen as one of 10-12 “beacon schools” and that the organization will be giving more access and attention. Menlo also has a student-led Project Reboot Club, with Ambrosi as their advisor and Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb as their on-campus advisor. 

This year’s assembly was a response to student feedback that Ambrosi had received from the more than 60 schools that he had visited. “It was targeted more about not only how you’re using your screentime, but what you should be doing instead of using your phones,” Eshu Vinnakota, head of engagement for Menlo’s Project Reboot Club, said. Vinnakota explains that they wanted to reinforce the three main elements of productive free-time: connection, reflection, and active leisure.

According to Gelb, one of the motivations of the second assembly was challenges around message retention and student engagement, especially in the face of growing social media addiction. “We owe it to our students to continue the conversation.”

With the shift in focus comes a shift in strategy for the Project Reboot Club at Menlo.“[We are] shifting our focus from being a place where people can get help, to where people can help others,” Vinnakota said. 

Gelb hopes the second Project Reboot assembly can spark a movement across Menlo’s upper school. “One of the main goals for this year is how do we keep the momentum now that Dino spoke; […] how is the club going to be more active to really shift the culture on campus?” Gelb said. 

At the Project Reboot meeting after the assembly, the club’s leaders organized student club members into two new divisions focused on their new plan: engagement and outreach. “We will be focusing more on [both] campus and off-campus activities and engagement,” Vinnakota said. “We really want to help people foster a better relationship with their screen.”