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
Jacob Reich

Jacob Reich, Online Editor

 

Number of years in The Coat of Arms: 4

Favorite aspect of journalism: My favorite aspect of being on the Coat of Arms staff is the opportunity to conduct interviews where I get to meet and learn about new people.

Interests outside of school: I enjoy sports, games (board & video), and politics.

Class of 2025

All content by Jacob Reich
Spanish teacher Justin Carunchia smiles in his office.

2025 Edition: Departing Menlo Faculty Members

Mandy Zhang, Sienna Lew, Jacob Reich, Zoe Hayes, Lila Ozdemir, and Elaina Huang
May 13, 2025

This collection of stories is an online extension and reproduction of the Coat of Arms 51.5 print edition. This package includes the original articles...

The Staff Member You Didn’t Know Was a Pop Star

The Staff Member You Didn’t Know Was a Pop Star

Jacob Reich, Staff Writer
May 12, 2025

The most famous Menlo staff member was not well-known among students. JT Toscano, who left the school in April, worked at Menlo for 20 years in the operations...

The Biggest Cases So Far This Supreme Court Term

The Biggest Cases So Far This Supreme Court Term

Jacob Reich, Staff Writer
April 30, 2025

This is the second article in a series of stories about the Supreme Court that will cover the influential cases from its previous term, the ongoing 2024...

Junior Jackson Flanagan delivers a pitch during a dominant performance on the mound.

Baseball Crushes El Camino 14-2 To Secure Sweep

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
April 11, 2025

Menlo’s varsity baseball team soundly defeated El Camino 14-2 on Thursday afternoon, bringing their league record to 3-1. Junior starting pitcher Jackson...

Students Give Mixed Reactions to Trump 2.0

Students Give Mixed Reactions to Trump 2.0

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
April 9, 2025

Despite taking office just over two months ago, President Donald Trump has instituted drastic policy changes. While bringing back many initiatives from...

Recapping Consequential Cases From the Last Supreme Court Term

Recapping Consequential Cases From the Last Supreme Court Term

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
March 27, 2025

This is the first article in a series of stories about the Supreme Court that will cover the influential cases from its previous term, the ongoing 2024...

Junior Reid McLaughlin sits with seniors Audrey Hochstetler, Adi Garg and Ben Levin during Investigations, a mixed-grade English elective.

Mixed Junior-Senior English Electives Need To Go

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
March 16, 2025

Junior Reid McLaughlin sits with seniors Audrey Hochstetler, Adi Garg and Ben Levin during Investigations, a mixed-grade English elective.

This map, included in Atherton’s housing element, shows the city’s planned housing units and proposed zoning changes. Image courtesy of the Town of Atherton

Atherton Proposes High-Rise Housing on Menlo Parking Lots

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
January 10, 2025

Atherton city leaders, desperate to meet state housing mandates, voted in October to rezone Menlo School’s two primary parking lots — along with multiple...

Shock, Fear, Joy: Knights React To Trump Victory

Shock, Fear, Joy: Knights React To Trump Victory

Jacob Reich and Asher Darling
January 9, 2025

On election night, freshman Harper Marek expected to stay up late to watch a tight battle for the presidency, but watching President-elect Donald Trump...

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...

Menlo Hosts Israel–Palestine Discussion With Ghaith al-Omari and Dennis Ross

Menlo Hosts Israel–Palestine Discussion With Ghaith al-Omari and Dennis Ross

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
November 22, 2024

Ghaith al-Omari and Dennis Ross, former peace negotiators in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, spoke to the Menlo Upper School in an assembly on Tuesday.   Ross...

Logos Courtesy of Amber More

StuCo Takes Page From Hogwarts With Introduction Of New House System

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
October 16, 2024

A few weeks after then-juniors Cody Kletter and Melanie Goldberg were elected Menlo’s 2024-25 student body president and vice president in April, Head...

Video: NosTerra Ventures Hosts Civic Education Fair at Menlo

Video: NosTerra Ventures Hosts Civic Education Fair at Menlo

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
September 26, 2024

Click here to watch vertically if you are using a phone.

Sophomore advocacies participate in an Amazing Race-esque trivia and photo competition. “Even though we didn't win, participating as a group and being forced to pull ourselves together for those moments made me realize how aligned most of us are in terms of energy,” sophomore advocate Franco Cruz-Ochoa said. Photo courtesy of Jilynnette Centeno-Millán.

Students Kick Off School Year with Grade-Wide Retreats

Jacob Reich and Alyssa McAdams
September 4, 2024

To start the 2024-2025 school year, Menlo’s 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders embarked on retreats between Monday, Aug. 26, and Tuesday, Aug. 27.  Ninth...

Coat of Arms File Photo

Marco Menéndez Named New Director of EDIB

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
August 23, 2024

Exactly 17 months after Head of School Than Healy announced the departure of former Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Keith B. Wheeler,...

Junior Ben Salama pitches on Tuesday, May 28, against Redding.

Menlo Baseball Wins First Two NorCal Games Against Redding and Oakland Tech

Caroline Clack and Jacob Reich
May 31, 2024

Menlo’s varsity baseball team will advance to the third round of the Division V NorCal Championship after an 8-0 shutout over the Redding Christian School...

Universities Failed Peaceful Pro-Palestine Protesters

Universities Failed Peaceful Pro-Palestine Protesters

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
May 15, 2024

  I am not here to say whether student protesters protesting the Israel-Hamas war are right or wrong, nor am I writing this to make a statement...

From top left, counterclockwise: Theo Sanders, Adam Whistler, Katina Ballantyne, Rachel Blumenthal and Paige Miller. Photos courtesy of Menlo School

Final Assembly of the Year Honors Distinguished Faculty and Seniors

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
May 11, 2024

In the last Upper School assembly of the year, the Class of 2024 honored students and teachers who stood out in the community. History teacher Katina...

Students React To Potential TikTok Ban

Students React To Potential TikTok Ban

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
April 29, 2024

Alum Dylan Gold (‘23) posts just about every day to his TikTok, where he has garnered over 133,000 followers. Fitness posts constitute a majority of...

History teacher Katina Ballantyne helps a student during tutorial.

2024 Edition: Departing Menlo Faculty Members

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

This collection of stories is an online extension and reproduction of the Coat of Arms 50.5 print edition. This package includes the original articles...

Students Discuss Affirmative Action and Legacy Admissions

Students Discuss Affirmative Action and Legacy Admissions

Jacob Reich, Online Editor
April 19, 2024

In June of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of its most anticipated rulings of the year — it banned colleges from considering the race of an applicant. 17...

Senior Garrett Tran jogs off the field in a game against Mills in March.

Baseball Falls to Woodside Despite Grand Slam

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
March 26, 2024

Menlo’s varsity baseball team lost 9-8 against the Woodside Wildcats on Tuesday, March 26. A grand slam by senior Garrett Tran and a sacrifice fly...

Junior Ella Litsur meets with AP English Language substitute Dana Perkins.

Long-Term Substitute Teachers Reflect on Experiences

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
March 21, 2024

Dana Perkins started teaching AP English Language at Menlo in January as a leave replacement teacher for Oscar King IV. Perkins described the challenges...

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...

Baseball Beats Saratoga 7-6 in Nail-Biting Extra-Inning Win

Baseball Beats Saratoga 7-6 in Nail-Biting Extra-Inning Win

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
March 14, 2024

Menlo’s varsity baseball team beat the Saratoga Falcons 7-6 at home on Thursday in a nail-biting walk-off win.  Senior Ryan Schnell started on the...

Dixon cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of his campaign headquarters in Palo Alto.

Alum Runs for Local Congressional Seat

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
March 4, 2024

From serving in Afghanistan and Iraq as an intelligence and infantry officer in the Marines to working in the State Department battling cartel and gender-based...

Staff illustration: Amber More

A Guide to the Crowded California Senate and Local House Primaries

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
February 6, 2024

Since 1992, two names have consistently appeared on Bay Area ballots — Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Neither is running in...

Juniors React to the Digital Transformation of the SAT

Juniors React to the Digital Transformation of the SAT

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
January 23, 2024

Deciding between the SAT and ACT is a pivotal choice many high school juniors make. The introduction of the new digital SAT marks a departure from...

Staff illustration: Amber More

Copy, paste, Caught: Cheating Persists at Menlo

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
January 21, 2024

It was the day before a math test. Math teacher Chrissie Walters printed out the answer key, tucked it in a folder in her desk and went to grab lunch....

Staff illustration: Amber More

Political Polarization Threatens Democracy

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
December 27, 2023

Not so long ago, Americans got their news huddled around the TV, watching nightly broadcasts. Hosts like Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw...

Carmen Borbón helps a student with their work. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov on Menlo Flickr

Menlo Expands EDIB Department with New Position

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
October 13, 2023

Carmen Borbón, who spent eight years in the History department at Menlo, including four years as department chair, has stepped into a new role this fall...

Video: Meet the New Menlo Faculty Members

Video: Meet the New Menlo Faculty Members

Jacob Reich, Social Media Director
September 15, 2023

Click the image above to view the video by Social Media Director Jacob Reich.

“It was decided that, right now, [vending machines are] not something we actually need,” Upper School Assistant Director Adam Gelb said. Staff illustration: Maya Stone

Student Council Vending Machine Proposal Falls Short

Jacob Reich, Video Editor
January 18, 2023

Despite Sophomore Class President Cody Kletter’s ambition to bring more food options to campus, the Senior Administration Team, consisting of 15 senior...

New Menlo faculty introduce themselves and answer questions. Staff Photo by Jacob Reich

Video: Meeting the New Faculty at Menlo (Part 2)

Andrea Li and Jacob Reich
September 19, 2022



New Menlo teachers introduce themselves and answer questions. Staff Photo by Jacob Reich

Video: Meeting the New Faculty at Menlo (Part 1)

Andrea Li and Jacob Reich
September 8, 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



Menlo Students Share Favorite Downtown Stores

Menlo Students Share Favorite Downtown Stores

Jacob Reich, Staff Writer
March 27, 2022

Favorite Downtown Shops by Menlo CoA

During the summer of 2019, students had the opportunity to live, work and go to school in Tanzania through the Menlo Abroad program. Photo courtesy of Pete Zivkov.

Borderlands Trips Will Allow Menlo Students To Learn Outside of the Classroom

Jacob Reich, Staff Writer
February 28, 2022

In place of the Menlo Abroad program, which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Menlo created a new program that will be occurring during M-term this...

Following winter break, Menlo operated completely online for the first school week of 2022. Students share opinions on their experience and compare it to in-person learning. Staff photo: Jacob Reich.

Video: Students Describe First All School Online Learning Experience in 2022

Jacob Reich, Staff Writer
February 22, 2022



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