As Menlo-Atherton High School freshman, five young musicians formed The Blues by Five jazz band. Now they’re seniors and entering what will be the final chapter as a group with performances over the next few months at Lutticken’s (3535 Alameda de las Pulgas).

Members (right to left) Chris Iyer (trumpet), Selim Karahan (sax), Callum Burgess (drum), Lance Onodera (bass), and Alex Oesterling (guitar) perform mostly classic jazz tunes along with some R&B.

All five musicians are part of the M-A jazz combo and Jazz Band 3; The Blues by Five is their private group, practicing in Chris’s garage every weekend. After summer, they will all be going in different directions.

The Blues By Five will be at Lutticken’s from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on February 9, March 24, and May 12. The group is also available for private parties; contact information is on their Facebook page.

Photo courtesy of The Blue By Five

Students from Menlo-Atherton High School joined forces this morning with a small contingent of students from Menlo School, Sacred Heart Prep, and Gunn High School on National School Walkout Day in a march from the M-A campus to El Camino Park in Palo Alto.

The event  was organized by five M-A students — (right to left, top photo) seniors Maria Ornes, Holly Newman, Katherine Steere and Kaile Prosser along with junior Isabella Montoya (third from right) — who have formed an organization called Silicon Valley March for Our Lives Student Coalition.

“At this time we are keeping our goals general, rather than advocating a specific policy or program,” said Holly in advance of today’s event. “We want to provide a platform to join the national narrative on school safety and gun reform.”

Added Bella: “We are passionate about feeling safe while in school. But it’s sometime hard given academic and other responsibilities to create a pipeline of information that flows to students, teachers, faculty, and parents as well as including members of the larger community.

“We don’t want it to take 17 bullets for us to do something to unite our community. We don’t want to be imposting or disrespectful. We just want to feel in in the place we are doing our learning.”

In the school’s weekly newsletter, M-A principal Simone Rick-Kennel wrote: “With the shooting on February 14th at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the tragedy and issues surrounding it hit close to home. Regardless of political affiliation, belief, or stance on issues, we all care about schools being safe places for students and staff.

Attendance of the joint walkout was estimated to be around 1,000. As was the practice at high schools throughout the country, the names of the 17 Parkland victims were read aloud at 10:00 am.

“I’m just incredibly proud of my community,” said Holly, following the event. “It was amazing to see how many people showed up to support and participate.”

Photos by Robb Most (c) 2018

Wesley Barker-Mouton burst onto the scene at Menlo-Atherton in a big way this year, playing football, being involved with the Environmental Club, and now starring in the spring musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat, opening on Friday, March 16, with performances this weekend and next.

It’s not surprising, given his leadership genes. The senior, who transfered from Eastside College Prep, is the grandson of Barbara Mouton, the first mayor of East Palo Alto and a community activist for 40 years. Like his grandmother, Wesley seems born to lead with activities ranging from conservation to choir, along with volunteering at a local senior center.

Wesley is thrilled with the opportunity to play Joseph; he says he’s been singing songs from the musical well before he was cast in the role. Asked to name a role model and then the role he’d most want to play, he replies: “I really look up to Leslie Odom, Jr. He’s an amazing actor that takes on a role with such passion.”

As for that dream role: “No question it would be Simba in the Lion King. If I could play him, my life would be complete!”

Wesley’s exemplary achievements have been noted. He has won the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Scholastic Achievements Award, and was a speaker at the 31st Scholastic Achievements Award ceremony. An avid outdoorsman, Wesley is a volunteer planter in the Student Conservation Association, a Student Advisor for Outward Bound, and a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Casper, Wyoming, where he became a certified Wilderness First Aid Responder.

He also directs the youth choir at Calvary Temple Church and volunteers at the Palo Alto Senior Citizens Center. Wesley loves to perform and sing, and is interested in a career in computer science and digital film and media.

He’s very glad to be at M-A for his senior year, which he says, gives him a “total high school experience.” But even with all his school and extra-curricular activities, his love for the outdoors is paramount. “It’s the one place we can truly be ourselves,” he says, “where we can learn how to live with less and are forces to see how simple life can be.”

The family-friendly Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat will be performed March 16-18 and March 23-25 at the Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm.   Based upon the story of Joseph, this Tony Award Best Musical nominee was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

In addition to M-A drama students, students from Encinal School are also in the production. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Photos courtesy of M-A Drama Boosters

Community members, along with M-A families, are invited to participate in the M-A Foundation for the Future’s online auction going on now. Proceeds from the auction will fund teacher salaries to enable smaller class sizes in core subjects, add electives and AP classes, and provide additional guidance counselors.

Some popular items up for bid include:

· Two tickets and trip to see a taping of The Voice in LA
· Rosewood Serenity Spa and overnight package for 2
· College prep package from AJ Tutoring
· Sharks and Giants games tickets
· Throw first pitch at an A’s game

You can browse all the items here.

You may also participate in the Foundation’s Fund a Need program, which is committed to raising $45,000 to purchase computers for the school’s Digital Media Arts lab.

The auction runs from through Sunday, March 25 at 9:00pm.

We at InMenlo are big fans of photography and blessed to have such a great crew of contributing photographers. We also try to support emerging photographers, in particular, those attending local high schools. In that spirit, we showcase some reflections on last week’s student walkout that raised awareness about gun violence on school campuses from Menlo-Atherton High School sophomore Lena Kalotihos, both in words and pictures.

While Lena has been making stop motion films since 5th grade, digital photography is new to her: “Honestly, serious digital photography was never really something that I was interested before Ms. Frivold’s class because I just didn’t know that much about it. Sure, I have an Instagram account with some mediocre iPhone photos, but I had never properly taken photos with a digital camera…I decided to take photography this year because I was interested in improving my photography skills for my stop motions and I wanted to see what the world of photography had to offer. I also thought that it might be something that would interest me because I like doing projects that inspire or move people in some kind of way.”

Photographing an event of this kind was a first for Lena: “I was determined to capture every angle of the march, even if this meant climbing things to get a better angle or running up El Camino to get ahead of the whole crowd. I wanted my photos to capture the spirit and dedication of the students, to encapsulate the power of this student generation, that we aren’t going to sit around and accept the current political climate, particularly on issues that directly affect us.

“Once we were at El Camino Park, I stood on benches and climbed on top of trash cans in order to get a more aerial view. But I wasn’t really satisfied with [the results] because they were all from the side of the crowd; I wanted to get in front of the crowd to better capture the facial expressions and signs. Thus, I made my way to the top of the bleachers with the 10 other people up there giving speeches. I’ve never been too keen about putting myself in front of a crowd, especially one of this size. So to stand up on the bleachers with the presenters while everyone was looking at me was kind of nerve racking!

“When I came back to M-A with the photos and sorted through all of them, Ms. Frivold asked me if I ever felt disconnected from the walkout while photographing it. I had not. Sure, I had a large camera in front of my face for the majority of the march, but I didn’t feel that impaired my experience. I just saw the march through a different angle than most other people did.

“If anything, it enhanced my experience because I paid attention to all of the little details of the march, trying to find different angles that I could capture. From on top of the bleachers and in front of the crowd, to crouching in the middle of the swarm of people, I was able to see many diverse perspectives during the walkout. It was an inspiring experience that I will never forget, and I definitely learned a lot from it.”

Lena concluded her thoughts about photographing the march with a shout out to Ms. Frivold, who she calls “an amazing teacher.”  “Not only has this class taught me a lot about photography, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself and my interests for the future, through opportunities like the march.”

Note: Two M-A students, Elise Kratzer and Holly Newman, are part of the organizing team of a March for Our Lives affiliated rally on March 24, 2018, at Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City, from 1:00 too 3:00 pm. There is also a march taking place in Menlo Park that day from noon to 1:00 pm; details here.

Photos by Lena Kalotihos (c) 2018

The Menlo-Atherton High School boys varsity volleyball team concluded their regular season with an unprecedented, undefeated record of 28-0.

The Bears will continue into post season play and have earned the #3 seed in the upcoming Division I Central Coast Section Quarterfinals. They will host #6 Salinas this Tuesday, May 8, at 7:00 pm at M-A’s Ayers Gym.

The success of the team is accentuated by the fact that this is only the program’s fourth year in existence, with most of the players having never played the sport before joining the M-A team. Senior co-captains Cortney Weintz and Schuyler Knapp “invite the whole community to come out Tuesday night and support the team” as the boys make their run for the CCS Championship.

Pictured from L-R: Collin Shen, Schuyler Knapp, Cortney Weintz, Jeff Keare, Troy Sweetnam, and Aaron Letvin.

Photo by Eric Weintz

Menlo-Atherton High School seniors Chris Iyer (pictured left) and Maanek Sehgal both received $2,500 National Merit scholarships. They were among 2,500 Merit Scholar designees nationwide chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Maanek plans on attending UCLA to study Computer Science and Engineering. Outside of the classroom, he is the captain of M-A’s debate team, the president of his high school’s Junior State of America chapter, and plays badminton for M-A.

He is also interested in epidemiology and health outcomes, and has done research on osteoporotic hip fracture hospitalization trends. He enjoys playing tennis and listening to NPR in his free time.

Chris will attend Stanford University in the fall. He is considering a major in neuroscience, after an engaging summer working at the Krubitzer Lab as part of the U.C. Davis Young Scholars Program.

He also has a passion for jazz trumpet, playing in M-A’s jazz band and combo, and also with a small combo of friends, called “The Blues by Five,” that practices in his garage and performs locally. [Note: InMenlo has covered “The Blues by Five previously; they’ll be playing their “final final” gig at Freewheel Brewery this Saturday.]

Chris plays varsity tennis for M-A, cheers wildly at M-A volleyball and soccer games, and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee on the side.

Ten  Menlo-Atherton High School seniors received scholarships at the Kiwanis Club’s annual scholarship luncheon, Tuesday, May 22, at the Allied Arts Guild.

For more than 40 years, the Menlo Park Kiwanis Club has provided college scholarships to Menlo-Atherton graduating seniors, based on academic performance. More than $1.1 million has been awarded to local students during the lifetime of the Club’s scholarship program. This year’s scholarship awards totaled $50,000.

The 10 scholarship winners for 2018 are:

• Lizbeth Betancourt plans to attend University of California-Merced to study Management and Busiess Economics.
• Lynn Butzlaff will be attending Kenyon College in Ohio to study English and Creative Writing.
• Stella Kailahi was the winner of the Anna May Duncan Memorial Scholarship. She will be attending San Diego State studying courses that will lead to a career in either Public Halth or Athletic Training.
• Schuyler Knapp received the Les Cutting Memorial Scholarship. He plans to study Chemical Engineering at Washington Univeristy in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Karl Liebner plans to study Environmental Science and Management at University of California-Davis.
• Leslie Ochoa will be attending Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles. She plans to study Psychology.
• Damara Ortega was awarded the William D. Martin Memorial Scholarship. She will attend the University of California-Merced studying Psychology and other classes that will lead her to a career in Physical Therapy.
• Anysleydi Sandoval will focus on Public Health studies when she attends University of California-Merced this fall.
• Isabelle Sapountzis received the Damon Wedding Memorial Scholarship. She will be in a Pre-Med program at Colgate University located in Central New York State.
• Yacaranday Saray Vazquez plans to attend San Jose State and will take courses in in Business, Accounting and Policing which she hopes will lead to a career in Probation work.

“We interview many students graduating from M-A to learn more about their academic achievements, commitments to service, and plans for college,” said John Martin, chair of the Kiwanis Club’s Scholarship Committee. “In addition to their academic honors, the 10 finalists have a broad range of interests, and each has expressed them through extensive school and community involvement. This year’s scholarship winners are exceptional and very motivated. They are tomorrow’s leaders, and we hope our Kiwanis scholarships help them achieve their dreams.”

In addition, earlier in 2018, the Menlo Park Kiwanis Club gave $5,000 to the M-A Football Association to fund a new program that helps players visit colleges and football camps in pursuit of scolarships. This effort has already resulted in five scholarship offers for M-A Bear football players, with more than 10 offers pending or expected.

Photo Caption: Front row: Lisbeth Betancourt, Leslie Ochoa, Yacaranday Saray Vazquez, Damara Ortega, Anysleydi Sandoval, Isabelle Sapountzis, Karl Liebner and John Martin, Chair of the Kiwanis Club’s Scholarship Committee. Back row: Stella Kailahi, Schuyler Knapp, Kiwanis Club President Brian Rigonan, and Lynn Butzlaff.

Menlo Atherton High School senior Kelly Warren is a finalist in the dance category for The Steve Silver Foundation and Beach Blanket Babylon “Scholarship for the Arts.”

Each of the nine finalists will perform live in front of family, friends and a panel of celebrity judges on Monday, June 4.

One winner in each category — singing, dancing, and acting — will be presented with a $15,000 check towards their college education.

According to an article by Emily Young in the M-A Chronicle last year, Kelly’s mother enrolled her in her first ballet classes when she was three or four years old because she believed dancing would be a fun activity for her daughter. As a young girl she continued to dance because I “wanted to be like my older sister,” who danced as well.

“As she got older her love for dancing grew and Kelly learned to appreciate dancing not because it was something her sister liked, but because she wanted to dance, ” Emily wrote. “Jokingly she added that she ‘wasn’t good at any sports,’ so she continued dancing because she had no other active outlet.”

Since then, Kelly has enjoyed being a part of the dance team at Bay Area Dance School where she feels the “team is always striving to improve” and that the girls genuinely care about each other.

As a high school junior, Kelly was unsure if you would continue dancing when she started college. “Since then, my passion for dance has only grown, and I will continue to dance when I attend Vanderbilt University in the fall as a Child Development major,” she emailed InMenlo. “My volunteer work at the Multicultural Institute helped me to realize that I would one day like to work in education.

“Still, I plan to continue dancing by taking dance classes both at Vanderbilt and at surrounding dance studios in Nashville in addition to being a member of the Vanderbilt Dance Team.

“This summer I will also be attending a summer intensive at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance for 4 weeks before heading off to college. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a Beach Blanket Babylon scholarship finalist and am excited to perform with a group of talented high school seniors in front of an amazing panel of judges.”

Photo by Rachel Neville

Menlo-Atherton High School ninth grader Audrey Ha describes herself as an “avid app developer, and dedicated advocate of human-to-human interaction.” 

“Because student interaction now occurs overwhelmingly through technology platforms, I am passionate about inspiring my generation to become more powerful public speakers and in-person communicators,” she said. 

That passion has led her to start a public speaking club at M-A, building on her experience from forming a similar club at Menlo School last year.

“For that, I reached out to Toastmasters International, a global communication and leadership organization, for help,” Audrey explained.  “A member of a local Toastmasters club, Mr. Phillip Cosby (pictured left), responded and agreed to collaborate with me to run the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program together. The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is Toastmasters’ public speaking workshop designed for teenagers.”

Students with various interests joined. The speeches allowed members to share hobbies, ideas, and their most concerning global issues. 

“Students presented their speeches in an encouraging environment where they could focus on refining communication and enjoying public speaking,” she said. “Listening to other students’ speeches, in turn, taught us about the concerns and interests of classmates and community members, exposing us to a variety of opinions which we might not have otherwise heard.”

The students received constructive feedback from a diverse range of students and Toastmasters. 

For the 2018-2019 school year at M-A, Audrey and Mr. Cosby and will co-run the Youth Leadership Program starting in early October with Carla Ferreira (pictured right) as the school advisor. 

“Students will learn skills such as preparing and presenting talks on diverse issues, impromptu speaking, organizing and presenting ideas, providing constructive feedback, and more,” Audrey said. “They’ll also have the opportunity to exercise important leadership roles within the club. 

“Effective communication and leadership are critical skills for our generation of thinkers, makers, and leaders. I’m hopeful that  Menlo-Atherton students will join us and benefit from the new public speaking club.”

Photo by Lena Kalotihos (c) 2018

The 2018 Menlo-Atherton Bears football team accomplished what no team had done since the school’s opening in 1951 when it defeated Lincoln (San Diego) 21-7 last night at Sequoia High School, winning the school’s first CIF Division 3-AA State Championship.

Bolstered by a stingy defense which limited Lincoln to just one touchdown, the offense was lead by Serra transfer Destine Hawkins (#4) who carried the ball 23 times for 139 years, including two touchdowns and a 50-yard scoring pass by wide receiver Troy Franklin (#11), who is ranked as the top sophomore recruit in California.

M-A fans stormed the field at the the game’s conclusion.

To get to the championship game, the Bears defeated the Eureka Loggers a week ago 27-20 in a game played in McKinleyville High School, 300 miles away.

“The City of Menlo Park couldn’t be prouder of our Menlo-Atherton Bears!” said Mayor Ray Mueller. “We are working on a plan right now with the high school to celebrate this State Championship. Details coming soon.”

Photos by David Hickey, via Menlo-Atherton Athletics

The 2018 CIF Division 3-AA State Champion Menlo-Atherton Bears football team will be honored with a parade and celebration on Saturday, January 12, 2019. The parade will tentatively start at 9:00 am.

“The City of Menlo Park couldn’t be more proud of our state champions, the Menlo-Atherton Bears!” said Mayor Ray Mueller. “In discussing it with the high school, we agreed what better way to celebrate the football team’s first ever state championship than with a parade. What an opportunity to come together, celebrate their achievement, build community and have good old-fashioned fun. We invite all Menlo Park residents to join us for the festivities.”

The championship capitulated the team from a number 11 position to number three in the San Francisco Chronicle top 25 high school football rankings.

M-A coach Adhir Ravipati told MaxPreps that the entire journey was a highlight for him. Speaking about the win, he said: “This senior group had been with me since they were freshman. On the field before the second half I just told them this is our last half together. Let’s leave no doubts. Let’s finish this thing together. And they did. They accomplished more than anyone thought possible on and off the field.”

Further details about the parade and celebration to follow will be announced in early January.

Photo by David Hickey via M-A Athletics

This past weekend, on February 15-16, the Menlo-Atherton High School Girls Wrestling team achieved a level of success that no other M-A sports team has reached in the last 25 years — a third consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship.

Sixty-one girls teams from high schools throughout the Central Coast competed at the CCS Girls Wrestling Tournament, a two-day, state-qualifying tournament held at Independence High School in San Jose. The M-A girls team finished with a solid 221.5 points, 51.5 points ahead of second place Half Moon Bay High School.

In addition, seven M-A girl wrestlers reached the finals at CCS, four winning first place and three taking home second place in their weight classes. All seven of these finalists are headed to the California State Girls Wrestling Championships this Thursday, February 21, through Saturday, February 23, in Bakersfield. First place CCS awards went to seniors Evelyn Calhoon, Lauren McDonnell, Abby Ericson, and Folashade Akinola.

This win was also Akinola’s fourth consecutive CCS Championship title, an accomplishment achieved only once before in the history of CCS girls wrestling. Second place honors went to seniors Paola Ramirez and Angie Bautista and junior Anna Smith. Also putting in commendable CCS performances for the Bears were senior Lauren Fuller, sophomore Hannah Hendrickson, and freshmen Beth Leon and Alex Lujan.

In addition, M-A Girls Wrestling Coach Phil Hoang (picture top photo, far right) won the “CCS Championship Coach Award” for the third year in a row, recognizing his superior achievements in leading the M-A Girls Wrestling Team from a sole girl wrestler four years ago to a championship team of 25 girls ranked in the top five teams in California.

“Four years ago Coach Hoang saw in us the potential to become a state-ranked team. We were inspired by his vision and encouraged by his positive leadership,” said team captain Lauren McDonnell. “As a result, he has built a team with an amazing culture, supportive friendships, and drive for excellence.”

At the State Championship Tournament this weekend, these M-A wrestlers intend to continue to take that positive, winning attitude to their final high school competition together as six of the seven state competitors are graduating seniors.

Pictured in the second photo are the seven wrestlers who will be competing at the state championship: back row – Abby Ericson, Angie Bautista, Anna Smith, Lauren McDonnell, Fola Akinola; front row – Paola Ramirez, Evelyn Calhoon

When Menlo-Atherton High School grad David Klein became M-A’s baseball coach three years ago, he was immediately struck with how many kids were so “quiet and stressed out.”

“They weren’t getting their driver’s licenses. There was this general blah feeling. I really didn’t understand it,” he recalled.

David, who is well known for leading the Menlo Legends baseball team and camp, sat down one-on- one with each player on the team to set time management and other goals. “I quickly realized that many of the kids were spending a whole lot of time on their phones,” he recalled, “leading to smart phone overuse.”

This was further confirmed when David attended some coaching conventions and heard other coaches talk about similar observations. He also found out that the mental health incident rate for the mid-Peninsula is five times that of the national average.

“As much as I love coaching the x’s and o’s, I realized I also need to help kids with their peace of mind by changing their technology use,” he said.

To that end, he’s started a new organization, America Offline and is undertaking two initial efforts.

The first was to take a dozen or so boys on an overnight. “Instead of restriction, we want to create behavior change,” he explained. “We want them to spend more time with people in the real world. We want then to utilize technology in a manner in which technology is not using them.”

The result was positive with better grades and better sleep patterns after the overnight.

The second step David is taking is working with a graduate student at Stanford to develop a smart phone application that “gamifies off line behavior.” “It will allow them to compete for more sleep, more hanging out with friend and family, less screen time,” he said. “The M-A varsity team is testing the new application, and early signs are positive.

“We’ll also continue to reach out to the broader community, engaging kids and their families directly.”

Photo by Lena Kalotihos (c) 2019

Menlo-Atherton High School senior Lauren McDonnell is the female recipient of the prestigious “2018-2019 Winter California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Spirit of Sport Award.”  The award, which recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated the 16 principles of “Pursuing Victory with Honor” and exemplary sportsmanship, school and community service, and leadership, comes with a $1,000 scholarship.

Lauren is the co-founder and three-year captain of Menlo-Atherton High School’s first girls wrestling team. The team, which has grown from one member four years ago to 25 girls this year, has won the Central Coast Section title for three straight years, a feat not achieved by any M-A sports team in the last 25 years, and recently placed second at the California State Wrestling Tournament. Individually, Lauren has placed 1st in the CCS twice, placed 5th in California in 2018, and is ranked 17th nationally. At the CCS tournament in 2018, she was recognized as the “Wrestler of the Meet” for great individual sportsmanship and ability.

In addition, Lauren has been involved in a variety of community services activities. She has led the M-A Chapter of buildOn, a global non-profit, as its President for the past two years. She and her buildOn team have raised over $100,000 to fund and build three schools over the last three years, and have traveled to Senegal and Haiti to work with the local communities to build the schools.

In 2016, Lauren co-founded a non-profit organization, the Menlo-Atherton Wrestling Education Corporation, to support local wrestling programs and education for high school and middle school students. To date, the non-profit has raised over $20,000 to support those programs.

As a member of M-A’s Debate Team, which is ranked 1st in the National Parliamentary Debate League, Lauren and her debate partner are ranked 33rd nationally.

She is also a National Merit Scholar Finalist and Menlo-Atherton High School’s recipient of the Williams College Book Award for intellectual leadership and making a significant contribution to the school’s extracurricular life.

During the summers, Lauren loves outdoor adventures and has gone on two Outward Bound trips backpacking through the Colorado Rockies and portaging canoes through the Maine Appalachian mountains.

In college, Lauren intends to study behavioral economics, econometrics, and philosophy. She thanks her coaches, especially Coach Phil Hoang, as well as her family, team, teachers, and the M-A Athletic Directors and Administration for all their support and dedication over the years.

Photos courtesy of McDonnell family

Presented by Menlo-Atherton High School Drama, the Broadway comedy, The Man Who Came to Dinner, will be performed on March 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24 — 7:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 pm on Sundays — at the Menlo Atherton Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available in advance online and at the door.

Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart for the Broadway stage and later made into a film, the show is a fast-paced comedy that illustrates the chaos that ensues when a celebrity’s power gets out of hand. The storyline follows famed radio host Sheridan Whiteside who overstays his welcome at a star-struck family’s home over the holidays. When his long-time assistant falls in love with a local newspaperman, Whiteside concocts a devious plan to keep the two lovebirds apart.

M-A junior Louie Leon, who has been acting since his Hillview Middle School days, (pictured in rehearsal) plays the celebrity radio host Sheridan Whiteside. It’s Louie’s fifth role at M-A, having acted in last year’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “I enjoyed working with the cast and crew of The Man Who Came to Dinner immensely. The wheelchair, fancy clothes, and my many one-liners are also quite nice,” he said.

The show’s director and M-A drama teacher Danette Bathauer selected The Man Who Came to Dinner in part because of the message it conveys about the power of celebrity. “From an artistic perspective, this show provides an interesting way to look at how people treat celebrities differently and the worship that occurs between everyday people and celebrities,” she said. “It even happens today.“

Leading lady sophomore Laura Fesas, who plays Whiteside’s assistant, Maggie Cutler, commented, “It’s a great cast. It’s a great show. The play is interesting to see what life was like in 1939. The way people talked and dressed was very different.”

Filled with laughs, intrigue, and romance, The Man Who Came to Dinner ran for two years on Broadway and has been revived many times as a play and movie starring a variety of actors including Nathan Lane, Orson Welles, and Bette Davis.

Photos by Lena Kalotihos (c) 2019: Louie Leon as Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came To Dinner; Katherine McDonnell and Peter Vitale as Miss Preen and Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner

What is a math teacher’s favorite number? For Gregg Whitnah, it very well may be 26.2, the number of miles in a marathon. Whitnah has been teaching math for 48 years, and has been a familiar face at Menlo-Atherton High School for 25. Outside of the classroom, Whitnah spends his time running countless marathons alongside his wife Margie. His passion for running extends into his wardrobe, as he is often seen sporting a wide selection of running shirts — memorabilia from the multitude of marathons under his belt.

Whitnah took to running late, but since turning 51, he has completed a remarkable 50 marathons as well as 11 ultra-marathons, varying in length from 50 km to 100 km. “When I was 51 years old, my wife ran the Big Sur marathon and I did the 21-mile power walk,” he said. “Power walking was no fun and I decided to become a marathon runner. I started running and a year later, my first official race was the Big Sur Marathon. Since then I have run the Big Sur Marathon 12 times and my wife, Margie, has run it 15 times.”

He and his wife train for marathons together, yet during the actual events, Whitnah’s faster pace means they “are never actually running together.” Margie Whitnah has an impressive resume of running as well, having completed 59 marathons.

When asked about his favorite marathon, Whitnah replied, “The Skyline-to-the-Sea is my favorite trail marathon [route map right]. It starts at Saratoga Gap, goes up wooded trails, then winds through Big Basin’s redwoods, by a waterfall, along creeks, ups and downs, finishing near Waddell Beach. Climbs a total 2,420-foot gain and descends 5000 feet. In essence, you run across the Santa Cruz Mountains.” Whitnah prefers trails over pavements, as they are “better for your knees, feet and back, and you won’t get hit by a car.”

He described the Jack and Jill marathon in Washington state as “especially unusual,” because the race began by “running through a pitch-black, 2-mile-long old railroad tunnel [the Snoqualmie tunnel].”

Through completing so many marathons, Whitnah has experienced some obstacles. “The biggest obstacle is heat,” he said. “Ideal marathon weather can be up to the mid-sixties. I have stupidly started races in the 80s and even once in the 90s. The heat eventually led to some DNF’s (Did Not Finish). The race I am actually proudest of was a DNF. I ran 41 miles of the American River 50 Mile when I was 64 years old.”

Whitnah’s passion for running has grown as he has gained more experience, and he has learned to love the sport in spite of the challenges it poses. “Being out in nature, running through forests is a wonderful feeling,” he said. “Running up hills is challenging and running down hills is exhilarating. I actually love every aspect of trail running. One of the best parts is the sense of timelessness when I am out on a trail. And, in actual races, I enjoy competing against myself and others as well.”

Whitnah and his wife continue to run together, but have decided to switch to half-marathons, which “make it possible to run faster” since they don’t have to save their energy like they do for the second thirteen miles of a marathon. In addition, he said, “some [of the half-marathons] are at locations that we have never run before.”

From the M-A Chronicle; used with permission. Mitra Pezeshki contributed to this article.

Menlo-Atherton High School student Audrey Ha capped off her Freshman year by taking first place in the California Science and Engineering Fair in the behavioral science category among a field of 800 middle and high school students. This followed wins at the county and regional level.

Audrey’s topic was titled “Fostering Racial Tolerance in High Schools: Researching Correlations between Tolerance, Activities, and Demographics.” You can view the abstract online.

“I consider myself a STEM person,” she commented. “I like having questions or puzzles. Math has one answer; English has many answers!”

Entering M-A last fall, Audrey immediately noticed how racially diverse the school is. “It opened my eyes to the need for more racial tolerance,” she said.

Among her conclusions: “The findings suggested modifications to interracial interaction, language programs, and social studies programs could lead to more student tolerance. The results suggested male students were more tolerant due to faculty focus on males and that older students took more initiative to engage with other races.

“Providing female, younger, and Asian/European-American high schoolers with opportunities for tolerance activities could be beneficial. The trends studied in this project, including successful racial tolerance activities and groups that benefit, may serve as a model for high schools to effectively foster tolerance and shape a more inclusive generation.”

This summer she’ll be taking her project on the road, attending the Genius Olympiad at the State University of New York’s Oswego campus.

In the future she hopes to build an app that will assist high school teachers in fostering more racial tolerance. As far as STEM in general, she wants to continue to build apps and products that people can use.

“I’m very interested in technology, education and community building,” she said in summation.

Photo courtesy Audrey Ha

Students were back on the Menlo Atherton High School campus yesterday for the start of the 2019-2020 school year. InMenlo contributing photographer – and M-A senior – Lena Kalotihos captured the enthusiasm of one identified goofy guy along with a quartet of gals: Kylie Wong left, Emily Zurcher on the bottom, Toni Shindler-Ruberg right, and Alise Johnson on top.

Principal Simone Rick-Kennel reports that enrollment is estimated to be just over 2,400 students.

Photos by Lena Kalotihos (c)2019

Emails Lesley Heller, wife of Kevin Heller, an M-A parent who was recently diagnosed with ALS:

“The Menlo [School] boys water polo team did the ALS ice bucket challenge on Saturday morning. It was a terrific event. Jack Bowen, the Menlo head coach, is a class act!

The M-A boys team came to support the Menlo boys. In fact, the Menlo boys let the M-A guys dump the buckets over their heads! It was a great community building event.”

A fun video of the event is available online.

Photos courtesy of Heller family: top show parents Kevin and Lesley with son, Michael, who plays water polo for M-A; photo at right is Menlo coach Jack Bowen.