Menlo School
January 2026
Care Begets Care
Living our values, one moment at a time
In this KnightLine, Head of School Than Healy offers reflections and stories highlighting the many ways Menlo’s values are coming to life on campus, one year after we revisited and updated them.
THAN HEALY
Head of School
I see the kindness and respect shared between students and the sense of belonging that creates, and I believe that it is central to the real joy we’ve felt here this school year.
Happy New Year, Menlo!
Although I’ve never been one to welcome the New Year with resolutions, I often mark the milestone with reflection—taking time to notice what’s working, recalibrate where needed, and reconnect with the “why” behind everything we do. Just before the holiday break, as I was looking at my annual goals and where we are as a school, two things stood out to me: one, we’ve had an incredible first semester, and two, it was almost exactly one year ago today that I shared our refreshed values with the community.
I can’t help but think there is some correlation. While I wasn’t sure how these values would land or whether they’d be widely embraced, I’ve been delighted and inspired by how deeply they’ve resonated and the many ways they’ve shown up across our community.
I see the kindness and respect shared between students and the sense of belonging that creates, and to the extent that we’ve felt real joy here this school year—and I believe we have—it’s because of the way we’ve been treating each other. This kind of care and connection isn’t happening everywhere, which makes it all the more meaningful to see our daily choices—to extend grace, to be kind, to consider others’ needs alongside (and sometimes even above) our own, and to be thoughtful in our words and actions.
Each year, our seventh graders take the VIA Character Strengths survey in their Human Skills course, and while their top strengths vary widely (as you’d expect from such a wonderfully diverse group), one is consistently among the most common: love. Asked why that might be true here at Menlo, one student shared, “I think it’s because students feel cared for here. And if they feel cared for, then they’re more willing to give that care back to other people.”
I think this student is on to something.
If care begets care, as I believe to be centrally true, then this cycle of reciprocity is also likely true for every value we hold dear—joy begets joy, kindness begets kindness, ethical behavior begets ethical behavior…
In that spirit, I’ve made it a personal goal to uplift stories that reflect how our community is living these values across our campus and, I hope, inspiring even more of this kind of behavior here as well as in the wider world.
Here is just a sampling of moments happening across our campus:
A seventh grader was unfortunately too sick to attend the outdoor ed trip at the start of the year. Wanting him to feel included, his advocacy group printed a poster-sized photo of him, carried it along on the trip, posed for pictures with it throughout the retreat, and then sent the photos back to him so he could still feel part of the experience from home.
One of our seniors is known for the fun, wiggly creature pens she uses, often much to the delight of her classmates. In November, she surprised all members of her English elective with pens of their own, and they spent the entire block happily flapping their monster pens while discussing big philosophical questions, such as how failures inform how we think about our personal relationships.
In mid-December, every Upper School advocacy group purchased, collected, wrapped, and organized nearly 400 gifts for children in the community, many of whom are facing significant challenges. When it came time for the Taft community holiday party, 96 Menlo students volunteered—far more than the 15 needed—to wake up early on a busy pre-finals weekend to help decorate cookies, make ornaments, write letters to Santa, and more.
In a pivotal stretch of the CCS Girls’ Flag Football Championship, two twelfth graders saw their sophomore teammate—who had been giving everything all game—showing signs of fatigue. After a big play, they rallied around her, securing her flag, straightening her uniform, and steadying her for the next snap.
At the end of the Homecoming Dance, as the faculty chaperones were tidying up after most students had headed home, a small group of students—entirely unprompted—stayed behind to help the adults with cleanup.
This fall, recognizing that some families in our community may be experiencing ongoing economic uncertainty and challenges accessing support programs such as SNAP benefits, a parent (totally unsolicited) approached our family services team with a generous donation to help extend support to impacted Menlo families.
Our Upper School house system has sparked meaningful connections across grades, like when a burly senior hoisted a tenth grader onto his shoulders to wave the house flag as a spirited roll call spontaneously swelled into a wave that rippled around the gym no fewer than four times.
At a recent faculty and staff event, a dedicated parent volunteer arrived ready to help—despite recovering from an ankle injury and using a wheelchair. Two of Menlo’s athletic trainers noticed, checked in about her rehabilitation, went back to their office to find crutches, made sure they fit properly, and showed her how to move around safely.
During finals week, a group of nine ninth graders gathered in a circle on the Quad for a short teacher-initiated “brain break,” choosing to spend the time meditating together. When their teacher checked in, the students immediately invited her to join. What a healthy, balanced way to spend a break during a hectic, high-stress time.
During the eighth-grade trip to Washington, DC, one student found himself struggling to keep his trousers in place without a belt. Another student noticed and said, “I think my pants will be fine without a belt,” and then immediately offered his own so his classmate could be more comfortable and more fully enjoy the experience.
One of our senior football linemen recently surprised his world language teacher with a heartfelt note of gratitude. In it, he included a short poem—written entirely in the language he’s studying—expressing his appreciation for all she does for her students. The poem closed with this touching sentiment, which roughly translates to: “Every day we want to go to her class, and when we have to leave, we are sad.”
The 17 IP presentations our Upper School students completed and shared in December brought our academic values to life—showcasing an engaging, challenging learning environment and a commitment to greater purposes. Topics ranged from Sensory Toys and Autistic Children, Family Engagement in Under-Resourced Schools, and Microfinance in Panama to Multi-Racial Identity and Struggles, Maximizing the Use of Public Transit, Correcting Bias in Genomics, and AI in Education.
After school on Mondays, the Middle School debate club gathers in a world language classroom, thanks to a teacher who graciously opened her space to the team. This year, rather than bringing in an outside coach, Upper School students stepped up to mentor the younger debaters, a role the teacher observes they have embraced with kindness, patience, professionalism, and encouragement.
Our Catalyst students have had opportunities to meet with an impressive lineup of leaders in business, technology, and government, but what’s been most inspiring is how our students have engaged them with challenging, thoughtful questions, like: How do you make tough decisions when safety data, public perception, and business goals don’t perfectly align?
During a Middle School tennis match, a bonus match was played that had no bearing on the final team score. Nevertheless, all of the other players stayed to cheer and encourage their teammate until the end. A parent later shared how much it meant to their child to feel that kind of support from his teammates.
Four Upper School girls were playing chess in the library during their free block when two sixth-grade boys wandered by during their lunch and expressed interest. The older girls quickly realized the middle schoolers were more advanced players and began turning to them as consultants in a collaborative group game, learning from each other as they went.
At our Posada event, a prospective family sat with two current Menlo students who immediately made them feel welcome by engaging them in conversation and inviting them to join in the activities and games.
Although it isn’t their formal extracurricular commitment, one ninth-grade teacher regularly comes to the Learning Center to help students with their essays—not because they are required to, but because they care deeply about supporting young writers.
In sixth-grade Design Engineering and Computer Science, students have been building LED circuits with tape, wires, and tiny components—creative, hands-on work that can be delightfully messy. Without prompting, students regularly help one another by gathering stray pieces and tidying the room for the next class.
Our Upper School TAs, who are largely juniors and seniors, earned multiple shout-outs for their support of our younger students. One is so beloved that a ninth-grader recently dropped everything mid-conversation with a teacher and darted out of tutorial when they saw them across the Quad to ask about a tricky writing challenge—a perfect snapshot of the cross-grade relationships that take root when students turn to older peers for help.
In the last race of their JV season, four ninth-grade members of the Boys’ Cross Country team ran a notoriously challenging course together, encouraging one another every step of the way. In the final stretch, they reached for each other’s hands and crossed the finish line as one—showing their commitment to each other and their team—even though doing so risked disqualification.
In their reflections on the ninth-grade seminar on identity, students often share how the course helped them become more open-minded and accepting of others. Many note a greater awareness of stereotypes and appearance-based assumptions, along with a desire to challenge them and take proactive steps that will help build belonging, like inviting others to join them for lunch, being more welcoming in social spaces, and showing kindness to those who may feel left out.
Our Random Acts of Fun, graciously organized by our parent teams, are all wonderful examples of how we live our values around joy and community. Our sixth-grade parent team went above and beyond in coordinating December’s activity. Not only did one parent bring joy in the form of over 300 homemade cookies and frosting for the students to decorate with, but the team also fostered connection by bringing supplies for students to write notes for the Love for our Elders program.
When a Middle School student realized a classmate on crutches had left their backpack behind, they immediately offered to help. The student ran across campus in the rain to the library to collect it, ensuring their classmate didn’t have to face an additional challenge that day.
One of our seniors was in their college counselor’s office getting ready to press submit on an early college application. After doing so, the student walked into the counseling lobby, where they were met with enthusiastic cheers and heartfelt applause from a supportive group of classmates.
Another one of our seniors didn’t get the news they were hoping for in the early decision round. Later that day, one by one, at least five friends stopped by their home to offer support and bring cupcakes and other comforts to cheer up their friend.
At the recent grandparents’ Wisdom Sharing tea, hosted on campus in December as part of our “On Being” senior English elective, students spent time in conversation with older generations, listening closely to and learning from lives well-lived. Hearing these insightful dialogues unfold, three key takeaways emerged: the power of long-lasting friendship, establishing community wherever you go, and how faith in your values guides you through life’s challenges.
Many moments on this campus inspire me each day, but the most heartening are those—like the examples above—that offer a glimpse into how our values are shaping who our students are becoming. These seemingly small acts—across classrooms, stages, rehearsals, fields, and everyday interactions—offer lessons our children will carry with them for a lifetime. Each act represents one of thousands of deliberate choices we make every day. And if they are rooted in relationships, community, and values—as our grandparents so wisely advised—we are not only building a school culture we can be proud of but empowering our children to grow into the kind of contributors our world needs.
Thank you to my colleagues for sharing these (and many more) stories with me, and to our entire community for embodying everything we strive to be. Seeing this list is truly inspiring, especially knowing it represents just a fraction of what’s happening across campus all year. This is what Knights do!
As we launch into 2026, even amid all that is swirling in the world around us, Menlo is in a good place—largely, I believe, because of the care and effort we have put into partnering in this work. As we continue to carry this endeavor forward together, I hope you’ll take time to revisit our values—talk about them as a family, notice where they show up in your own lives, and discuss where there may be room for growth. And, as I asked last year at this time, please join me in renewing our shared commitment to them as a community.
Best wishes in the year ahead,
Than Healy Head of School
Many moments on this campus inspire me each day, but the most heartening are those...that offer a glimpse into how our values are shaping who our students are becoming.
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