The Class of 2025 held a spontaneous uprising in front of Acting Head of School Kathy Layendecker, Head of Upper School Anne Rubin and an apprehensive Eve Kulbieda at class meeting Thursday.

Stella Tenta ‘25 and Diya Verma ‘25 led this community building protest for “necessary” change during a time of great uncertainty, tension, and change at Castilleja. The outcome of the Class of 2025’s stand? Pasta bar the following day with the whole ten yards: alfredo, pesto and marinara sauces, and the surprise return of the beloved s’mores bars.

To get more perspective on the rationale behind this demonstration, Tenta offered insights explaining what went down and why this event was integral to the student’s morale.

“Yesterday, the Class of 2025 gathered for a class meeting in the Black Box theater,” Tenta recounted. “I arrived early, speech folded up in my vest pocket, whispering with my classmates about the momentous event that was about to take place.”

Unbeknownst to Kulbieda, the Class of 2025 had taken culture building into their own hands. Tenta stood up and delivered a speech concerning the very foundation of our “true Castilleja.” This foundation, the Class of 2025 argued, is Pasta Bar, which Tenta said “was crucial in preserving the spirit of students.”

Tenta knew how to rile a crowd, and students cheered and yelled through the entire speech. Every few seconds the room would erupt in laughter. The silliness was a true sign of the solidarity between students who were fully aware of the school leadership presence.

The junior’s protests didn’t stop at pasta, as Verma proceeded to share the need for s’mores bars in her courageous and humorous speech featuring satirical jokes on the administration and the feelings wheel. It was a masterpiece. Verma referenced the change in schedule by stating, “The gooey marshmallows held together by chocolate [are] much like our planners currently held together by white out and sharpie.”

To close off the Junior class meeting, all students participated in a ‘We Want Pasta’ chant to the beat of ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen.” Students sung in community and at a volume none would forget.

When asked if the message of the cheering and protesting was for the administration (who were present) or to boost morale in our class, Tenta said, “My pasta speech was intended to raise the spirits of our class in face of these unprecedented times at Castilleja.”

The original purpose of the class meeting was to unpack after the Sixth “C” blog post published the day before.

“I wanted to see our class get pumped over something that isn’t at the forefront of our leadership’s concerns – something silly that we could get hyped for,” Tenta said.

Tenta’s effort was a resounding success. The positive energy that pulsed through the room provided a refreshing change from the previous anxiety concerning Castilleja and the administration.

Considering Layendecker’s presence, Tenta reflected, “For me, this demonstration served as a message to the administration that our class has endless drive and creativity. It also served as a friendly reminder that with the current number of issues in our school community, we as students rely on a nice plate of carbs.”

When pasta bar appeared on the lunch menu the following day, the Class of 2025 was ecstatic. Layendecker confirmed with Counterpoint that she spoke with the Food Services team right after she left the 11th grade meeting to pivot the lunch menu for the next day. “It was the highlight of my day,” Layendecker said smiling.

With School Leadership in the corner of her eye, Kulbieda prefaced Tenta’s speech asking, “this does not have cursing in it, right?”, and appeared relieved when the whole class shouted, “No!” Despite her initial uneasy reaction to our outburst, Kulbieda later agreed that it made her day to see the strength of the Junior class culture, even if it revolved around Verma tearing up the feelings wheel.

To quote Tenta’s riveting speech, Castilleja isn’t a complete “truther.” And with the instability and unsettling changes students have endured since the start of the school year, Pasta Bar for the entire school successfully gave students a silly yet effective reason to find joy again.

Tenta leaves the Castilleja Students with this message: “We have a voice, and we can use it in endless ways. Calls for change don’t always have to be slow and overly thoughtful. Sometimes they need to be unexpected (and just a little bit comedic). Whether it is in the metal trays that we get food from, or in the structure of our school, change is worth fighting for.”