Menlo School
Encyclopedia
Menlo School, also referred to simply as Menlo, is an independent college preparatory school in Atherton
, California
, near the heart of Silicon Valley
. Menlo comprises a middle school that includes grades 6–8 and a high school that includes grades 9–12. Both the middle school and high schools are located in close physical proximity, but they operate as semi-autonomous units with select overlapping administration.
Menlo was established in 1915 and is located at 50 Valparaiso Avenue, just across the street from Menlo Park
. During its early years, the school included a junior college that became a college bearing the name Menlo College
. In 1994, Menlo School and the College formally separated, but they continue to share their dining hall. Menlo School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools. The middle school consists of approximately 220 students; the high school is significantly larger, educating roughly 530 students.
Three years later, in 1927, Menlo became a non-profit governed by a newly created board of trustees. Moreover, the original two-year junior college, Menlo College
, was fashioned in that year as an intended expansion of the Menlo School for Boys. During its early decades, this expansion hybridized a prep school
with a junior college
. Students would attend Menlo for the latter two years of high school and then enroll for two years at the college; after graduating, students would transfer directly into four-year universities as upper-division students.
Since the late 1970s, Menlo has undergone a radical transformation. In the fall of 1979, Menlo School began its transition from an exclusively male institution with a small boarding program to a coeducational day school. In the 1993–1994 academic year, Menlo again took steps to ensure its future, dramatically increasing the Upper School’s enrollment, adding grade 6 to the Middle School, and further expanding its female enrollment.
The College and School formally split on June 30, 1994. Menlo School and Menlo College now are wholly independent entities, complete with their own boards, administrations and faculty. Although the School and College neighbor one another on the same 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) campus, the Menlo Upper School and Menlo Middle School are now highly segregated from their college counterpart. In 2008, the School and College entered into another separation agreement to further finalize their split, which included the formal legal subdivision of their single parcel of land into two separate parcels. The only portion of the campus that will continue to be jointly owned and managed is the Menlo Athletic Quad, consisting of the athletic fields and track.
Following an energetic fundraising effort beginning in the late 1990s, both the middle and upper school campuses have been completely rebuilt. These projects were completed in 1999 and 2004, respectively. The campus includes state-of-the art science laboratories, a dedicated college counseling facility, office suites for faculty, a large lecture hall, library, student café, Smart Boards and Astroturf, among many other features. A new Athletic Center and gymnasium is completed as of August 2010. A new Creative Arts Center is also in final fundraising, with a projected completion date in the summer of 2012. Upon completing the new Athletic Center and a planned Performing Arts Center, the School will cease using the College's gym and performing arts facility under the separation agreement.
Menlo School’s small class sizes allow intimate interaction with the faculty, the supermajority of whom hold advanced degrees. The Menlo School full-time faculty includes more than 60 master’s and 10 Ph.D's as well as two J.D.’s.
s in the upper school and 25 in the middle school. These clubs are wide in breadth, including a knitting club, classics, Model United Nations organization, and a Mock Trial team. Menlo Middle School and Menlo Upper School both maintain active student councils.
The Upper School's student-run newspaper, The Coat of Arms, has won numerous awards, including Top Honors – First Place with Special Merit from American Scholastic Press Association. The Coat of Arms releases eight issues in a year.
Additionally, Menlo has a budding artistic scene. Menlo School artistic groups include a chamber orchestra, the Knight Dancers, and three different choruses, among many others. Menlo athletes have done extremely well. Menlo has particularly excelled in boys' football, basketball, baseball, boys and girls tennis, and water polo. Every varsity athletic team in the fall of 2009 won its respective league championship, and the varsity football team was not only a CCS Championship runner up, but earned the CCS Scholastic Team Championship for the highest GPA among all competing teams. During the 2009-2010 school year, every varsity team participated in post-season competition, and some went on to state competitions. The boys' tennis team claimed the national tennis title at the National High School All-American Foundation in the spring of 2010. Menlo student-athletes are recruited each year, and have gone on to compete at both NCAA and professional levels.
, upper school students are required to complete 80 hours of community service
in order to graduate. Peer leadership and advocacy
programs give freshmen
the opportunity to make connections with upperclassmen and faculty members as they begin their time at the school.
Menlo has implemented a myriad of programs designed to encourage lifelong learning. Menlo hosts a special academic week known “Knight School” once a year where students substitute traditional classes for alternative intellectual explorations. Past “Knight School” activities have spanned from volunteer trips to New Orleans to cooking classes and video game design seminars. In addition, seniors complete a “Senior Project” where they explore an academic focus of their own choosing during their final weeks of school and culminate their project with a public presentation of their findings.
Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,914 at the 2010 census. In September 2010, Forbes magazine placed Atherton's zip code of 94027 at #2 on its annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, with a median home price of $4,010,200...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, near the heart of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Menlo comprises a middle school that includes grades 6–8 and a high school that includes grades 9–12. Both the middle school and high schools are located in close physical proximity, but they operate as semi-autonomous units with select overlapping administration.
Menlo was established in 1915 and is located at 50 Valparaiso Avenue, just across the street from Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
. During its early years, the school included a junior college that became a college bearing the name Menlo College
Menlo College
Menlo College, often referred to as Menlo, is a private, four-year baccalaureate college specializing in business located in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, California.-Campus:...
. In 1994, Menlo School and the College formally separated, but they continue to share their dining hall. Menlo School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools. The middle school consists of approximately 220 students; the high school is significantly larger, educating roughly 530 students.
History
Founded in 1915, Menlo School originated as the William Warren School, an all-male military school with an inaugural enrollment of just 13 boys. In 1924, Mr. Warren, headmaster and founder, sold the school to a group of interested parents. The parents dropped the military focus and formed a new corporation, and hence the Menlo School for Boys was born.Three years later, in 1927, Menlo became a non-profit governed by a newly created board of trustees. Moreover, the original two-year junior college, Menlo College
Menlo College
Menlo College, often referred to as Menlo, is a private, four-year baccalaureate college specializing in business located in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, California.-Campus:...
, was fashioned in that year as an intended expansion of the Menlo School for Boys. During its early decades, this expansion hybridized a prep school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
with a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
. Students would attend Menlo for the latter two years of high school and then enroll for two years at the college; after graduating, students would transfer directly into four-year universities as upper-division students.
Since the late 1970s, Menlo has undergone a radical transformation. In the fall of 1979, Menlo School began its transition from an exclusively male institution with a small boarding program to a coeducational day school. In the 1993–1994 academic year, Menlo again took steps to ensure its future, dramatically increasing the Upper School’s enrollment, adding grade 6 to the Middle School, and further expanding its female enrollment.
The College and School formally split on June 30, 1994. Menlo School and Menlo College now are wholly independent entities, complete with their own boards, administrations and faculty. Although the School and College neighbor one another on the same 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) campus, the Menlo Upper School and Menlo Middle School are now highly segregated from their college counterpart. In 2008, the School and College entered into another separation agreement to further finalize their split, which included the formal legal subdivision of their single parcel of land into two separate parcels. The only portion of the campus that will continue to be jointly owned and managed is the Menlo Athletic Quad, consisting of the athletic fields and track.
Following an energetic fundraising effort beginning in the late 1990s, both the middle and upper school campuses have been completely rebuilt. These projects were completed in 1999 and 2004, respectively. The campus includes state-of-the art science laboratories, a dedicated college counseling facility, office suites for faculty, a large lecture hall, library, student café, Smart Boards and Astroturf, among many other features. A new Athletic Center and gymnasium is completed as of August 2010. A new Creative Arts Center is also in final fundraising, with a projected completion date in the summer of 2012. Upon completing the new Athletic Center and a planned Performing Arts Center, the School will cease using the College's gym and performing arts facility under the separation agreement.
Reputation
Menlo School holds a reputation for excellent academics, athletics, and arts. Approximately 99% of students attend college after graduation. In the past several years, Menlo has increased its national reach, and many graduates now go on to attend top universities.Menlo School’s small class sizes allow intimate interaction with the faculty, the supermajority of whom hold advanced degrees. The Menlo School full-time faculty includes more than 60 master’s and 10 Ph.D's as well as two J.D.’s.
Student life
Menlo offers over 50 student clubClub
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
s in the upper school and 25 in the middle school. These clubs are wide in breadth, including a knitting club, classics, Model United Nations organization, and a Mock Trial team. Menlo Middle School and Menlo Upper School both maintain active student councils.
The Upper School's student-run newspaper, The Coat of Arms, has won numerous awards, including Top Honors – First Place with Special Merit from American Scholastic Press Association. The Coat of Arms releases eight issues in a year.
Additionally, Menlo has a budding artistic scene. Menlo School artistic groups include a chamber orchestra, the Knight Dancers, and three different choruses, among many others. Menlo athletes have done extremely well. Menlo has particularly excelled in boys' football, basketball, baseball, boys and girls tennis, and water polo. Every varsity athletic team in the fall of 2009 won its respective league championship, and the varsity football team was not only a CCS Championship runner up, but earned the CCS Scholastic Team Championship for the highest GPA among all competing teams. During the 2009-2010 school year, every varsity team participated in post-season competition, and some went on to state competitions. The boys' tennis team claimed the national tennis title at the National High School All-American Foundation in the spring of 2010. Menlo student-athletes are recruited each year, and have gone on to compete at both NCAA and professional levels.
Academic programs
Stressing the importance of a commitment to the broader communityCommunity
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
, upper school students are required to complete 80 hours of community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
in order to graduate. Peer leadership and advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
programs give freshmen
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
the opportunity to make connections with upperclassmen and faculty members as they begin their time at the school.
Menlo has implemented a myriad of programs designed to encourage lifelong learning. Menlo hosts a special academic week known “Knight School” once a year where students substitute traditional classes for alternative intellectual explorations. Past “Knight School” activities have spanned from volunteer trips to New Orleans to cooking classes and video game design seminars. In addition, seniors complete a “Senior Project” where they explore an academic focus of their own choosing during their final weeks of school and culminate their project with a public presentation of their findings.
Notable alumni
- Jon BeekhuisJon BeekhuisJon Beekhuis is a former race car driver from Zurich, Switzerland. The 1988 Indy Lights champion, he drove in 9 CART races in 1990 and a handful more in 1989, 1991, and 1992. His best finish was an 8th at Michigan International Speedway...
is a former racecar driver and current television commentator. - Mike BordinMike BordinMike Bordin is the co-founder and drummer of rock band Faith No More. He is also known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. As a left-handed drummer, he notably plays with a right-handed kit with his ride cymbal on the left...
is a professional drummer for Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
and co-founder of Faith No MoreFaith No MoreFaith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
. - Maria FadimanMaria FadimanMaria Grace Fadiman is an ethnobotanist and professor of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University.-Biography:Fadiman was raised in Palo Alto by documentary filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman, and psychologist and published author, James Fadiman. She received her BA from Vassar College, her MA from...
is an ethnobotanist and named a 2006 National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic SocietyThe National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
Emerging Explorer. - Jon FogartyJon FogartyJon Fogarty is an American professional auto racing driver . Fogarty currently drives the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Daytona Prototype for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. He won his first Grand-Am race, the 2007 Mexico City 400k, in March 2007...
is a professional racecar driver. - Brad GreenspanBrad GreenspanBrad Greenspan is an internet entrepreneur who has been involved in the founding and proliferation of web properties including MySpace. Greenspan founded eUniverse Inc. in 1998, which went public in 1999. The company survived the .com-bust of 2001 and was the incubator that launched MySpace.com in...
is an internet entrepreneur and co-founder of MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. - Gary Johnson (baseball)Gary Johnson (baseball)Gerald Clyde "Gary" Johnson is a former professional baseball player who played one season for the Anaheim Angels of Major League Baseball.-References:...
is a veteran of the Anaheim Angels. - Robbie Krieger was a guitarist for The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
and songwriter. - John MattesonJohn MattesonJohn Matteson is a full professor of English and legal writing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for his first book, Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father.Matteson is the son of Thomas D...
is a 2008 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner for the biography Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her FatherEden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her FatherEden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father is a 2007 biography by John Matteson of Louisa May Alcott, best known as the author of Little Women, and her father, Bronson Alcott, an American Transcendentalist philosopher and the founder of the Fruitlands utopian community...
. - Chris PaineChris PaineChris Paine is an American filmmaker. His most notable works to date as director are the documentaries Who Killed the Electric Car? and Revenge of the Electric Car.-Career:...
is a filmmaker and the writer and director of Who Killed the Electric Car?Who Killed the Electric Car?Who Killed the Electric Car? is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the mid 1990s...
. - John PayeJohn PayeJohn Paye is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and a high school basketball coach.-Early life:...
is a former Stanford starting quarterback and basketball point guard who was later drafted by the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. - Eric RevenoEric RevenoEric Reveno is an American college basketball coach and the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. He was named the West Coast Conference coach of the year for the 2008–09 season after a third place finish in conference....
is s former Stanford basketball player and current Head Basketball Coach of the University of PortlandUniversity of PortlandThe University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
. - Matt Calvi was the 2007 Dancing with the Stars runner-up.
See also
- San Mateo County high schools
- National Association of Independent SchoolsNational Association of Independent SchoolsThe National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...