The Student News Site of Menlo School

The Coat of Arms
The Student News Site of Menlo School

The Coat of Arms
The Student News Site of Menlo School

The Coat of Arms
Geoffrey Franc

Geoffrey Franc, Co-Editor-in-Chief

 

Number of years in The Coat of Arms: 4

Favorite aspect of journalism: Telling people’s stories and learning about the world through them.

Interests outside of school: Mock Trial, traveling, and being outdoors.

Class of 2025

All content by Geoffrey Franc
‘Enviably Strong’: Board Chair and Head of School Give Report in Annual State of the School Speech

‘Enviably Strong’: Board Chair and Head of School Give Report in Annual State of the School Speech

Geoffrey Franc, Staff Writer
May 12, 2025

Speaking to an audience of dozens of parents and faculty in Spieker Center on Thursday night, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Sameer Dholakia summed...

51.5_ Sports_ Boys Golf Update (Geoffrey Franc)

[Photo] From 51.5 Print: Spring Sports Updates

Devon Schaefer, Aaron Widjaja, Payton Lee, Asher Darling, Caroline Clack, and Spencer Toland
May 13, 2025

Video: Eaters In Chief Review Raising Canes

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
April 28, 2025

That’s a Wrap: Eaters-In-Chief Go Burrito Hunting for Their Final Food Review

That’s a Wrap: Eaters-In-Chief Go Burrito Hunting for Their Final Food Review

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
April 21, 2025

TLDR For our last edition as CoA editors-in-chief, we (Sonia and Geoffrey) made the very tasty (but gastrointestinally devastating) decision to find...

Courtesy of Miriam Magaña

Family Support Expands Accommodation of Multilingual Parents

Geoffrey Franc, Co-Editor in Chief
March 23, 2025

Now it’s almost routine: whenever senior administrators send an email to the school community to mark a milestone or comment on recent events, the text...

Whitaker Isn’t Cheap, but Cost-Consciousness Keeps Expenses in Check

Whitaker Isn’t Cheap, but Cost-Consciousness Keeps Expenses in Check

Geoffrey Franc, Co-Editor in Chief
February 1, 2025

One of Whitaker’s most prominently displayed student projects is the monowheel under the wall of freshman seminar projects, a motorized vehicle where...

Menlo math teacher Reeve Garrett speaks in support of the proposed housing.

Hundreds Attend City Council Meeting on Housing in Downtown Menlo Park Parking Lots

Geoffrey Franc, Co-Editor in Chief
January 17, 2025

When the Menlo Park City Council invited public comment Tuesday on a proposal for developing parking lots in downtown, its chambers were packed. Hundreds...

A car is parked in the student lot after getting rammed into hours earlier on Dec. 5.

Crashes in Student Parking Lot Raise Safety Concerns

Geoffrey Franc and Jacob Reich
December 9, 2024

Two separate car accidents occurred in the student parking lot on Dec. 5. The larger of the two involved multiple cars and occurred just before school...

Sonia's creamy, filling (maybe too filling) fettuccine.

Roma Review: Just Another Upscale Italian Restaurant?

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
November 18, 2024

TLDR: 30/40 The review below is short because there’s really not much to say about Roma. It serves tasty Italian food with slightly higher prices...

U.S. Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA) speaks at the Turn Up and Turn Out fair on Sept. 21.

[Photo] Turn Up and Turn Out: Menlo Hosts Civic Engagement Fair

Savannah Smith, Assistant A&L Editor
October 10, 2024

U.S. Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA) speaks at the Turn Up and Turn Out fair on Sept. 21.

Marco Menéndez, Menlo's new EDIB director, shows off his FC Barcelona paraphernalia, including branded cuff links.

New EDIB Director Brings Global Perspective to Menlo

Geoffrey Franc, Co-Editor in Chief
October 12, 2024

It’s impossible to miss. The coffee thermos, the cuff links, the shrine in the corner of his office: Marco Menéndez is wild about FC Barcelona. What...

Left Bank's Cheese Fondue served with bread.

Left Bank Review: Brasserie Is Très Chic but Expensive

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
September 27, 2024

TLDR: 33/40 The food is tasty, yes, but the chic atmosphere is where Left Bank really shines. The service is also first-rate and the prices reflect that...

Sonia and Geoffrey's Burmese-style birria tacos, topped with scallions and served with lime and sauce.

Burma Love Review: No Love Lost for New Southeast Asian Restaurant

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
September 2, 2024

TLDR: 17/40 We would only describe two out of six of our dishes as “tasty.” The atmosphere is nothing special, the service is slow, and whoever sets...

Senior Salma Siddiqui goes in search of food samples at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Photo courtesy of Siddiqui

Selected Student Profile: Salma Siddiqui

Amber More and Geoffrey Franc
May 12, 2024

Q: What languages can you speak? I’m fluent in English, conversational in Mandarin (from immersion preschool and high school) and Hebrew (from elementary...

Eaters-in-Chief Sonia and Geoffrey Taste the World at Menlo's Global Expo

Eaters-in-Chief Sonia and Geoffrey Taste the World at Menlo’s Global Expo

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
May 2, 2024

Admin Reports Uptick in Bigoted Language

Admin Reports Uptick in Bigoted Language

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
May 1, 2024

After multiple students were expelled for racist language and conduct in early March, Menlo administrators called attention to bigoted behavior. “What...

Eaters-in-Chief Get the Scoop on Local Ice Cream Spots

Eaters-in-Chief Get the Scoop on Local Ice Cream Spots

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
April 26, 2024

As summer fast approaches, debates rage in the halls of Menlo and across the town about the best ice cream in Menlo Park and Palo Alto. We’ve attempted...

History teacher Katina Ballantyne helps a student during tutorial.

[Photo] 2024 Edition: Departing Menlo Faculty Members

Malia Chen, Miki Kimura, Jacob Reich, Tatum Herrin, Riko Karachiwala, and Sienna Lew
April 26, 2024

History teacher Katina Ballantyne helps a student during tutorial.

Geoffrey's Butter Chicken with a side of Garlic Naan. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

Tilak Review: Cozy Indian Restaurant with Takeout Vibes

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
April 17, 2024

Right in Menlo’s backyard, next to the Starbucks crowded with middle schoolers each afternoon, sits Tilak, the closest spot to get your Indian food fix....

Bodie Callaghan in the cockpit of his plane. Photo courtesy of Callaghan.

The Sky’s the Limit: Two Sophomores Take Flight

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
April 10, 2024

At 16 years of age, many sophomores work toward and obtain their driver’s license. However, sophomores Bodie Callaghan and Sachin Sandhu have higher...

Jane Goodall answers one of the student-submitted questions. “What do I miss about nature? Everything.”

[Photo] Jane Goodall Speaks to Menlo Community

Alyssa McAdams, Opinions Editor
April 2, 2024

Goodall waves as the audience sings “Happy Birthday” to her at the end of the assembly. She turns 90 on April 3, 2024.

‘I’m Ashamed To Be a Leader at This School Right Now’: Administrators Call for End to Bigotry Amid Expulsions

‘I’m Ashamed To Be a Leader at This School Right Now’: Administrators Call for End to Bigotry Amid Expulsions

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
March 31, 2024

Senior administrators announced a crackdown on “unacceptable language” in class meetings on Friday, March 15 following the expulsions of two freshmen...

Mexico Spring Break Makes Strides Toward Inclusivity

Mexico Spring Break Makes Strides Toward Inclusivity

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
March 27, 2024

When senior Katie King was brainstorming a conclusion for her “Great Gatsby” essay about wealth bubbles back in 10th grade, her brother suggested writing...

Menlo Community Reacts to Israel-Hamas War

Menlo Community Reacts to Israel-Hamas War

Geoffrey Franc and Jacob Reich
March 16, 2024

“I wanna go.” Junior Ari Kaufman heard her older brother’s words through the phone on her drive home and was confused. She pulled over and turned...

Staff illustration: Andrea Li and Tatum Herrin

The Great Pizza Debate: Menlo Park’s Best (And Worst) Takeout Pizzas

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
March 5, 2024

We had one afternoon and one mission… find the best takeout pizza in Menlo Park. Our pizzas were evaluated on the following criteria: cheese, cheese-to-sauce...

As a foreign correspondent, Nicholas Casey (right) travels around the world, including to Bolivia in 2016, as shown above, and Gaza in 2014. Photo courtesy of Meridith Kohut/The New York Times.

Alum, Foreign Correspondent Recalls Time in Gaza

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
February 12, 2024

What Nicholas Casey (‘01) vividly remembers about his time in Gaza was the “extreme human suffering.” As a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street...

The best focaccia of Geoffrey’s life. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

Che Fico Review: Upscale Italian Worth the Sticker Shock?

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
January 30, 2024

Che Fico, meaning “That’s so cool” in Italian slang, is an acclaimed Italian restaurant from San Francisco that recently opened a location in Menlo...

Crossword Solutions (pg. 5 Print 50.3)

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
January 29, 2024

Then-sophomore Sienna Swanson gets a COVID-19 vaccine during Menlo's vaccine clinic in the Spieker Center on Nov. 11, 2022.

Admin Drops COVID Vaccine Mandate, Mask Use Declines

Geoffrey Franc and Alyssa McAdams
January 15, 2024

Menlo students and faculty are no longer required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as of the beginning of this school year, removing a mandate that had been...

Staff photo: Amber More

Son & Garden Review: ‘Taste the Aesthetic’ at This Local Brunch Spot

Geoffrey Franc and Sonia Dholakia
December 13, 2023

Son & Garden is located in downtown Menlo Park, around a 5-minute drive from Menlo, and primarily serves brunch. On the lookout for a great Sunday...

Klugman returns a ball during her match at CCS Finals at The Bay Club in Los Gatos. Photo courtesy of Pam McKenney.

Girls Varsity Tennis Clinches CCS Title in Shine’s Last Year

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
December 7, 2023

Junior Izzy Klugman will never forget scoring that final point. The final point that won Klugman her match and crowned Menlo’s varsity girls tennis team...

50.2Crossword

From 50.2: CoA Mini Crossword

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
December 3, 2023

Students play in the first Menlo-hosted, interscholastic chess tournament on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

[Photo] Chess Club To Host Second Menlo Tournament

Amelie Giomi, Spread Editor
December 3, 2023

Students play in the first Menlo-hosted, interscholastic chess tournament on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

Guapas Review: A Bite Into Menlo Park’s Newest Taqueria

Sonia Dholakia and Geoffrey Franc
November 14, 2023

All we had was a location and a description of an upscale Chipotle. Upon turning into the Menlo Park strip mall on Middle and El Camino, we looked to the...

Photo courtesy of Ochoa

MTerm Group Unearths Large Bones During Pacifica Trip

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
October 13, 2023

Finding bones on a school trip may seem exciting, spooky, or even humerus to some, but junior Noelle Lenden said her MTerm group’s discovery of large...

Menlo accountant Esther Cheung and lead parent volunteer Jason Moceri stand in front of the newly-stocked kiosk. Photo courtesy of Linda Bertetta

Campus Store Evolves With New Kiosk, Volunteer Staff

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
October 12, 2023

The Menlo Campus Store entered a new era over the summer as it moved its location from next to the tech office to a kiosk in the gym lobby after the retirement...

A branch of First Republic Bank sits on the corner of Oak Grove Ave. and El Camino Real in Menlo Park. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc

First Republic, Menlo’s Primary Bank, Collapses

Geoffrey Franc, News Editor
May 26, 2023

First Republic Bank, Menlo’s primary financial services provider for decades, was acquired by banking giant JP Morgan Chase in a deal that was announced...

In the latest edition of this series, Patti Frias tells The Coat of Arms about her horses and dogs. Staff Illustration: Sutton Inouye

Teacher’s Pet: Patti Frias (S2 E2)

Geoffrey Franc, Assistant News Editor
October 21, 2022



A child blows a shofar—a hollow ram’s horn—to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Creative Commons Photo: Len Radin on Flickr

Menlo and JFaMs Navigate the High Holy Days

Geoffrey Franc, Assistant News Editor
October 7, 2022

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, sophomore Ari Kaufman wasn’t at school. It was Yom Kippur–the Jewish day of atonement—and Kaufman was with her family...

In the latest edition of this series, Jamie Formato tells The Coat of Arms about his cats, Starbuck and Tony, and his dog, Wally. Staff Illustration: Sutton Inouye

Teacher’s Pet: Jamie Formato (S2 E1)

Geoffrey Franc, Assistant News Editor
September 26, 2022



Menlo Upper School students celebrate the first day of school with spirit activities and new classes. Photo Courtesy of Kevin Chan.

Video: Menlo Celebrates the First Day of School

Jacob Reich, Sonia Dholakia, and Geoffrey Franc
August 28, 2022



In a new series, teachers at Menlo tell The Coat of Arms about their pet(s). In this episode, French teacher Corinne Chung talks about her dogs, Dagobert and Gustave, and her cat, Lili. Staff illustration: Sutton Inouye

Teacher’s Pet: Corinne Chung (S1 E2)

Geoffrey Franc, Assistant News Editor
May 20, 2022

 

In a new series, teachers at Menlo tell the Coat of Arms about their pets. In this episode, math teacher Christine Walters talks about her dog, Ariana and her cat, Rosie. Photos courtesy of Christine Walters

Teacher’s Pet: Christine Walters (S1 E1)

Geoffrey Franc, Assistant News Editor
May 6, 2022

 

Beginning Monday, Mar. 14, masks became optional for students in California schools, including Menlo. Staff illustration: Geoffrey Franc.

How many Masks Came off?

Geoffrey Franc, Staff Writer
March 15, 2022

Mask; No Mask? Infographic by Menlo CoA

Screenshot courtesy of We Draw the Lines, the official state redistricting commission.

California Finalizes New Congressional Maps

Geoffrey Franc, Staff Writer
March 14, 2022

Redistricting Infographic by Menlo CoA

Gobbler’s Knob near the town of Punxsutawney, Pa. is the focus of TV cameras and thousands of live viewers on Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction about the length of the remaining winter. The visitors on Groundhog Day and throughout the year are a significant part of the local economy, according to visitpa.com. “While Groundhog Day is certainly a fun event for visitors, the economic impact from Pennsylvania’s most unique holiday has on the town of Punxsutawney and surrounding communities is astounding.” Creative Commons photo: Jon Dawson on Flickr.

Does Groundhog Day Matter?

Geoffrey Franc, Staff Writer
February 2, 2022

Legend has it that when a groundhog comes out of hibernation on Feb. 2 and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter, and if not, an early...

Head coach Ross Ireland gives the Menlo varsity girls soccer team a halftime pep talk at a home match against Sacred Heart at Wunderlich Field on Thursday, Jan 13, 2022. The Knights scored an early goal in the first half, but their hopes for a win against the rival Gators was thwarted by a good second half for the Gators, which saw them win 2-1 against Menlo. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc.

Menlo Varsity Girls Soccer Loses to Gators Despite Early Goal

Geoffrey Franc, Staff Writer
January 15, 2022

On Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, the Menlo varsity girls soccer team played their Sacred Heart rivals in a late afternoon match that ended with a Gator victory...

A line of cars waits at the intersection of University Ave. and Valparaiso Ave. at 8:14 a.m. on Thursday, September 30, 2021. Staff photo: Geoffrey Franc.

Healy Pleads With Community as Menlo Faces Potential Enrollment Reduction

Geoffrey Franc
October 19, 2021

In his latest plea to reduce the number of cars coming to campus during peak hours, Head of School Than Healy reiterated incentives for meeting traffic...

Load More Stories