It is not rare to see spunky freshmen Katherine D. and Via K. stealthily running around campus with a blue-grey pouch and the occasional steaming teapot. I would often wonder what the pair was up to, but as we sat down for our interview and Katherine set down a sticker that read “The Mystertea Monopoly” (designed by Via, a member of the Spyglass Design Team), a small cup, and a teapot filled with my favorite, chamomile tea, it all became clear.

In their spare time, Via and Katherine deliver various teas to Westridge teachers (or “tea-chers”). They have put a countless amount of effort into collecting the favorite teas of over 100 adults around campus. They keep these names and tea flavors on an organized Google spreadsheet. I stared in awe as Via scrolls through what appears to be an endlessly long list. 

Via and Katherine affectionately title this operation “The “Mystertea Monopoly.” Via said, “Even though it’s not a monopoly.” Katherine chimed in, “And it’s not a mystery at this point, but it works.”

Over the summer, Via and Katherine got the idea of “The Mystertea Monopoly” over their joint love of tea and the paranormal horror podcast, “Magnus Archives,” which focuses on people’s interactions with their fears. “There’s this one character named Martin Blackwood, and he’s giving everyone tea,” Via said. Katherine added, “I want to be the Martin Blackwood of our grade!” 

When the school year started, Katherine and Via had two teacups that they would take to their classes and offer to their classmates. One of their friends and classmates, Micki M. ’28, received tea from the two towards the start of the year and has helped with some of their deliveries. “At the beginning, I sort of became a part of their bringing tea to people and I still do that sometimes,” Micki said. She continued, “It’s very fun…It warms my heart.”

Eventually, the two got a full teapot and decided to shift their operation to predominantly teacher deliveries. “At first we wanted to give tea to people who were having a bad day, but it turns out that a lot more people like tea than we thought. So then we were like, we should start delivering tea,” Katherine said.

To make a delivery, the two brew a certain teacher’s favorite tea and take it to their office where they leave the tea on the teacher’s desk. Middle School English Teacher Ms. Kara Ramirez was especially touched by her experience being “tea-ed” by Via and Katherine.

“On a particularly emotional day for me, as I’m still in the aftermath of losing my husband, the girls had delivered tea to my desk with a lovely little note and beautifully packaged tea pot and some snacks, and it just was an absolute joy to receive that,” she said.

Mrs. Ramirez has affectionately called their act of kindness a ‘hug in a mug.’ “It felt like it was giving me that show of support and comfort that a hug might, and they’re doing this with the purpose of just bringing delight to the community.”