Few Commencement moments move me more than watching the youngest children of longtime Menlo families cross the stage. This year, as I shook Zach Reynolds’s hand after his father (and former Menlo Board Chair) Jake handed him his diploma, it seemed like just yesterday that we were welcoming his sisters—both now college grads—as excited sixth graders.

As I caught up with Jake and his wife Robin after the ceremony, they remarked—as many families often do—on the distinct paths that each of their children had through the School. Where Zach excelled in football and baseball, Sophie ’20 played water polo, and Annie ’22 danced extensively on and off campus. Academically, Sophie gravitated toward STEM through robotics and the Whitaker Lab. Annie loved history and the humanities, completing an independent project (IP) on progressive social movements and spending a semester at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) in Washington, DC. And Zach dove into Menlo’s arts program, exploring electronic music, filmmaking, and animation alongside his interest in economics.

All three also found opportunities to dabble beyond their primary passions. Sophie found a second home in Latin, taking on leadership roles in the Junior Classical League (JCL) under legendary teacher Dobbie Vasquez. Annie pursued advanced French and mathematics. Zach discovered the art of challenging assumptions in philosophy with Jack Bowen.

Menlo, as Jake and Robin marveled, served their three very different children equally well. This is something I hear often—and something I am quite proud of. But it also raises an important question: What is it about this place and our programs that has allowed us to serve so many different types of learners so well over the years?

It starts, as is frequently the case, with our incredible teachers and coaches. Education is about people, and the mentors students find at Menlo are at the center of everything we do. Our teachers and coaches work hard to know each student as an individual and then use that understanding to support, challenge, and inspire them. The companion piece to being known is feeling safe. When students know they are seen, valued, and free to make mistakes, they are much more likely to take a risk: try a course they never considered before, stretch for an honors-level class, or lean into something unfamiliar. Were it not for the outstanding educators we work hard to attract and retain—and the foundation of trust they build—students would rarely venture beyond their comfort zones.

The second ingredient is the breadth of the program we offer. As I often tell prospective students and families, a school of our size has no business offering the broad slate of arts, athletics, and academics that we do. But it is an intentional choice on our part. We believe that students between the ages of 11 and 18 are still discovering who they are and what inspires them and that the best way to uncover those interests is through experimentation and trying things out. Upper School Director John Schafer often describes Menlo as a giant buffet, encouraging students to “pick up the fork.” Our students do exactly that, embarking on explorations that often shape the course of their lives.