February 2011

Marine expert

the lost season

Alex Jaffe ’11 authored a research article on turtle ecology.

Danilo Dragovic ’11 has been ineligible for the entire basketball season, but that hasn’t prevented him from contributing to the team.

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the

hronicle C feb. 16, 2011

Harvard-Westlake School Los Angeles, CA Volume XX Issue VI chronicle.hw.com

Larger pool to be ready for 2012-13

By Alice Phillips

photos by chloe lister

Commedia: Dani Weider ’12 watches Megan Ward ’13 spar with Ben Platt ’11, top. Weider stands in front of the recycled main set piece in last weekend’s production of “The Servant of Two Masters,” left. Wyatt Kroopf ’12 and Conor Eliot ’11 discuss their predicament: they play the same role in the play within the play. see B11-B12 for further coverage

School punishes for misconduct after semiformal

By Jordan Freisleben Consequences have been levied against the students whom the administration considers responsible for misconduct after the semiformal dance on Jan. 29 at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said.

The punishments did not go through the Honor Board, Salamandra said.

All future semiformals have been cancelled indefinitely as a result of the binge drinking, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts announced at an all-school assembly on Wednesday Feb. 2.

“Semiformal as we know it is history,” Huybrechts said.

Salamandra said he could not disclose the individual punishments or how many students were punished.

“We tried hard to be as fair as we were in previous situations and as consistent as see semiformal, A8

WASC to present findings today

By Daniel Rothberg

A committee of eight California educators will present commendations and recommendations for the school at a faculty and staff meeting in Saperstein Theater this afternoon.

The presentation will mark the culmination of the committee’s four-day visit to observe different aspects of the school for accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges/California Association for Independent Schools.

Middle school students will be dismissed early to accommodate the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. “[The meeting] is for the visiting committee to verbally let faculty and

staff know what they found and what they recommend after studying the self-study and doing a physical evaluation,” Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said.

The committee will base most of its recommendations on goals in the school’s action plan, middle school history teacher and accreditation leader John Corsello said.

The action plan is the final chapter of a nearly 250-page self-study that was submitted for the accreditation process at the end of last year. The action plan outlines several goals, ranging from exploring new teaching techniques to growing the endowment.

By the end of their stay, the visiting committee will have prepared an accreditation report that will include

INSIDE the walls have eyes:

A9

Security cameras upgraded to provide live feed and recordings for surveillance of the campus at night.

in the line of fire: New security team member Tracey Angeles was a first responder at the 1997 North Hollywood Bank of America shootout.

B4

a response to each of the 12 chapters in the self-study as well as individual commendations and recommendations for departments, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. Using nathanson ’s/chronicle information in the John Corsello self-study, the visiting committee began writing its report prior to its visit, Huybrechts said.

“They’ve written some of the report already because so much of what we want to say about our school is see wasc, A10 C4 Sp

orts

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top dogs: Boys’ basketball, girls’ water polo and girls’ basketball are ranked first in CIF.

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Construction of a new upper school pool is expected to begin in a matter of months, J.D. De Matté, Director of Campus Operations and Construction, said. The new pool will be 25 meters wide by 51.9 meters long, leaving room for a moveable bulkhead so that the pool can either function as one 50-meter pool or two 25-meter pools.

The project, slated for completion by the 2012-2013 school year, will take approximately one year to complete once the City of Los Angeles grants the requisite permits and construction can begin at the Zanuck Swim Stadium site, De Matté said. Roughly two-thirds of the necessary funding has been secured, President Thomas C. Hudnut said.

The length of the new pool will be parallel to Coldwater Canyon, extending further south toward the main driveway and further north toward the track than the current pool does. The southernmost end of the pool will abut a new retaining wall just north of the right-hand-turn lane of the driveway, which will eliminate several Taper parking places.

Despite the site’s proximity to the Upper School’s main entrance and exit, De Matté said that traffic flow will be minimally affected because most construction vehicles will access the site from the track via the North Gate rather than from the South Gate.

The swimming and water polo teams will practice at Los Angeles Valley College’s facilities during construction.

“We have a good relationship with Valley College,” De Matte said. “They used our pool when they were building their pool, they used our track when they were building their track.”

A2preview

The Chronicle Wednesday, Feb. 16 2011 Volume XX Issue VI

photo printed with permission of JD DeMATTE

Tennis, Anyone?: Students began using the tennis courts at Valley College after more than a year of undergoing construction. Under a contract, the eight lighted

news A4

Students wore controversial T-shirts to the basketball game against Loyola.

A6

Bookstore associate Allie Costa appears on CW Network’s show “90210.”

courts will be for the exclusive use of Harvard-Westlake’s tennis teams in the afternoons and evenings and for physical education by Valley College during the daytime.

new

beginnings lara sokoloff/chronicle

A9

Three Holocaust survivors will speak tonight at the “Remember Us” seminar.

features+a&e B3

Students study abroad but Harvard-Westlake hosts no formal foreign exchange program.

B8

Nick Lieberman ’11 and Jacqueline Sir ’11 direct this year’s H-W Film Festival.

B11

Jacob Swanson ’11 keeps busy as chief tech assistant for all school productions.

justine goode/chronicle

sports C3

The defending CIF champion girls’ soccer team is undefeated four games into the season.

C7

Three students watched the Packers defeat the Steelers at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Senior wrestlers Jake Sonnenberg ’11, Jordan Bryan ’11, and Ben Kogan ’11 discuss the upcoming CIF playoffs.

Upper school jazz teacher Shawn Costantino and middle school dance teacher Carrie Green ’99 exchanged vows Dec. 19 in Santa Barbara’s Bacara Resort & Spa. “It was very fast, not like the weddings you see in movies,” Costantino said. “It took like 15 minutes.” with Costantino and Green met at a Harvard- Reprinted permission of carrie Westlake end-of-the-year dinner in 2007, green Costantino’s first year as a Harvard-Westlake teacher.

The wedding was attended by 35 guests, including several Harvard-Westlake faculty and alumni. Green’s bridesmaids included three faculty members.

Costantino and Green stayed in Santa Barbara for a few days after their wedding, spending time with friends and family that had made the trip to California for their wedding. They called their stay a “mini-moon” and plan to take a honeymoon during the summer.

— Catherine Wang

Schuhl and León For Assistant Director of Admission Melanie León and Science Teacher Dietrich Schuhl, Mammoth Mountain was the perfect location for a wedding proposal.

Schuhl and León met at an Upper School Family Visiting Day two years ago. While León said that the two first met on a Surf Club trip to San Onofre the year before, with permisSchuhl is convinced their first encounter was Reprinted sion of Melanie Leon at the admissions event.

Though it was a somewhat collaborative effort, she did most of the work planning the small family ceremony which took place on Dec. 22 in Durango, Colorado. Twenty-three guests attended.

— Nika Madyoon

Head of Student Affairs Jordan Church and wife Carly welcomed daugher Elsie Kay Church (8 lbs. and 21 in. long) Dec. 29. daniel kim/chronicle

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Green and Costantino

Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts welcomed granddaughter Vivian Rose Burton Dec. 24.

News A3

Chronicle

The

Feb. 16, 2011

CNN reporter to speak about women’s history

Love Songs

By Chloe Lister

CNN National political correspondent and Westlake alumna Jessica Yellin ’89 will speak March 7 at the Women’s History Month Assembly.

English and Gender Studies teacher Martha Wheelock, who organizes the assembly every year as part of her Gender Studies class, said that she looks for “women who have made history” when choosing a speaker, which was what drew her to Yellin.

Wheelock said that the fact that Yellin is young, “walking her talk” and had a —Martha Wheelock feminist educaEnglish teacher tion at Westlake was important in her choice.

“She came to the Women’s History Month assemblies here herself,” Wheelock said.

Wheelock thought that Yellin would be able to stress that even today, women still need to stand up for their rights.

“There’s still work we women need to do,” Wheelock said. “It ain’t all peaches and cream yet.”

Yellin graduated from Harvard University and began her career in broadcasting in Florida.

In 2000, Yellin covered the presidential election recount for WTVT-TV in Tampa. Yellin became a White House correspondent for ABC News and, in 2007, a Capitol Hill correspondent for CNN. Yellin has interviewed Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and has reported from several countries, including China, Mongolia and Russia. At ABC she reported on programs such as World News, Good Morning America and Nightline. She contributes to The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and John King, USA. Additionally, Yellin has been published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment and Details Weekly.

After Yellin left Westlake, her parents set up the Yellin Award for Women’s Studies, awarded annually to one of Wheelock’s Gender Studies students.

Wheelock said that she has invited all of the past winners of the award to the assembly and is hoping to get as many of them on stage with Yellin as possible.

Wheelock said that she has always known about Yellin despite having begun her teaching career at Harvard-Westlake after she had graduated.

“Sometimes the best person is right under our nose and we forget about it,” Wheelock said.

“

sometimes the best person is right under our nose and we forget about it.”

graydon feinstein/vox

VALENTINE’S DAY SERENADE: Sami Grosslight ’12 sings at Monday’s coffee house. Prefect Council planned the event, where students sang, danced, played musical instruments and performed improv comedy.

FAC dismisses Prefect Council’s request to lift ban on water bottles in cafeteria

By Daniel Rothberg The Faculty Academic Committee rejected the Prefect Council’s proposal to lift the ban on selling plastic water bottles in the cafeteria.

“I know that some good arguments have been made in favor of that proposal, but I don’t think we’ve tried hard enough to make an alternate idea work,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said after the January FAC meeting.

Plastic water bottles were removed from the cafeteria at the start of the 2009-2010 school year in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic consumed on campus.

After banning the sale of water in plastic bottles, the school installed filtered water machines in the cafeteria and spigots around campus.

Huybrechts said that the current setup is especially difficult for students who forget their reusable water bottle at home. To provide a remedy for this problem, the cafeteria will begin selling reusable bottles.

“A bottle of water used to cost $1.35 and [reusable bottles] will cost $4,” Huybrechts said. “If you do the math, that’s equivalent to three [plastic water] bottles. You could buy one of those every fourth day and still save money.”

In addition, Huybrechts said that the school plans to provide students with more information about plastic water bottles.

“Someone is going to facilitate some further education on this whole subject,” Huybrechts said.

“Why should we care about the water bottle problem? I don’t think that has been communicated very well to the students.”

Despite the lack of support from FAC, the Prefect Council hopes to continue pushing its proposal in the nathanson ’s/chronicle future.

Jeanne “I think this is obviously a pretty Huybrechts significant setback,” Head Prefect Chris Holthouse ’11 said. “We are not in a position now to just put the pedal to the metal and really fight through this because there obviously was some pretty significant dissent … from FAC. But we are certainly not calling it a day.”

Huybrechts said that if the ban proves ineffective in the future, the administration would be open to nathanson ’s/chronicle overturning the current policy.

Chris “If this isn’t working, then it is Holthouse ’11 pointless for us to try and fool ourselves,” Huybrechts said. “We don’t absolutely have to do this. But I think we need to try a little harder to make it work.”

Trustees raise 2011-2012 tuition to over $30,000

By Rebecca Nussbaum

consistent five percent per year.

The Board of Trustees Hazy’s letter was posted raised tuition for the 2011on the online registration 2012 school year to $30,350, a page, which Computer Ser3.9 percent increase from this vices and the Business Office year’s tuition, Chief Financial created to increase efficiency Officer Rob Levin said. and reduce the school’s reliChairman of the Board of ance on paper, Levin said.

Trustees Christine Hazy (SteKey changes in enrollment nathanson ’s/chronicle ven ’00, Karissa ’03, Trenton give parents more control Rob Levin ’05, Courtney ’11) told parents Chief Financial over their expenses. In the of the tuition number in a letpast, the school automatiOfficer ter on Feb. 4 that opened regcally billed parents $60 for istration and outlined the reasons for membership in the Parents’ Associathe tuition increase. tion and signed up all parents who af“The Board’s first duty is to main- filiated themselves with a certain ethtain the excellence of the Harvard- nicity for ethnic parent organizations, Westlake student experience,” Hazy whose membership dues range from said. “Attracting and retaining excel- $60 to $325. Students also purchased lent faculty is at the core of the school’s a yearbook for $90 to $100 without pamission, and we must achieve this rental consent, Levin said. through competitive salary and benefit The new “opt in” system, aiming to packages.” be more business-like and treat familShe explained that over the past de- lies with respect, asks parents which cades tuition growth has consistently expenses they want to pay and which surpassed inflation. However, since organizations they want to participate 2003 the Business Office has made sig- in. nificant progress by reducing the inThe website details the purpose of crease from nearly 10 percent to a now each parent club and where the mem-

bership money is going, Levin said.

“When people pay dues, they are understanding that it’s helping to fund hospitality at performing arts events and faculty lunches and things like that,” he said. “In most cases people will feel good and think, ‘Gee, that’s where my money is going.’”

Also, each family will be given one complimentary Red Book. Extra ones may be purchased for $10 each at online registration, at Book Blitz, Backto-School Day and in the bookstores.

In the past only two percent of parents chose to be excluded from the Parents’ Association, Levin estimated, and he hopes that having parents opt in will not discourage them from participating.

“We hope to have the same level of enthusiasm and enrollment,” he said.

“This is more about how people feel treated.”

The school decided to switch to the “opt in” enrollment in early October when The Chronicle told Levin that students were being charged $26 for their yearbook photos without their knowledge. The school decided to take more efforts to be courteous to stu-

“

The Board’s first duty is to maintain the excellence of the ... school experience.”

—Christine Hazy Chairman of the Board

dents and parents.

Initially the Parents’ Association and the multicultural parent clubs were hesitant to stop signing up parents automatically and thought that they might see a drop in participation, but Levin said they all eventually got on board.

Online registration is part of the school’s greater plan to decrease reliance on paper and better utilize technology, Levin said. In this spirit, Computer Services is working on making the Red Book available online in a safe, password protected way. Levin estaimes that the digital Red Book will be completed by the 2012-2013 school year.

A4 News

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

Senior to sing in finals for Spotlight Awards

Learning from an expert

By Megan Ward Max Sheldon ’11 is one of two finalists in the non-classical voice category of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards.

He will perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on April 30.

Sheldon sang “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles and “Monticello” nathanson ’s/chronicle from the musical Edges in the Max competition.

Sheldon ’11 The Spotlight Awards comprises students from all over Southern California competing in categories in the visual and performing arts.

The winner in each division receives a $5,000 scholarship toward his college education.

This is the third year Sheldon has participated in the Awards and the second year in a row that he has advanced to the top 15.

Sheldon heard about Spotlight at his dance studio from dancers in upper levels dance participants.

“In 10th grade I actually auditioned for dance with a hip-hop solo,” Sheldon said. “At my dance audition, Jeri Gaile, the head of the Spotlight Awards, noticed that I said I do musical theater and sing. She told me that I had to audition for non-classical voice.”

This year, the non-classical voice competition had over 450 applicants.

Competitors must sing two contrasting songs in the pop, jazz, country, gospel, musical theater or foreign language style.

The field then narrowed down after the preliminary audition to 60 competitors. Further auditions narrow the field to 15 performers.

“My second audition felt amazing to me,” Sheldon said. “I felt like I really got into my two characters, really applied the notes and got to actually enjoy the audition.”

For Sheldon, performing has been a part of his life since the age of five. At the age of 11, Sheldon started formal training with a voice teacher and began classical voice training at the age of 15.

“After you perform a lot you get used to how trying to perform and trying to sing well feels,” Sheldon said, “but when all that goes out the window and you just open your mouth and let the character and the music flow out of you it is one of the most insanely incredible feelings on earth, but also one of the scariest.”

After high school, Sheldon wants to continue to study music in college and pursue music as a career.

“I want to start with musical theatre and simultaneously work on my recording career,” Sheldon said. “I’d also love to do film. To be honest, I want to do it all.”

Saj Sri-Kumar/chronicle

Perfect pitch: After the school-wide assembly, musician and music historian Michael Feinstein played for Chamber Singers on Feb. 7. He later spoke with the Performing Arts and History departments.

Security increases surveillance of student cars parked on Halkirk

By Ingrid Chang

Due to complaints from neighbors, the security staff has started to more strictly monitor illegal student parking on Halkirk and place warning stickers on cars that are blocking driveways.

Students are given warnings, and if it becomes a frequent problem their cars may be towed.

However, Head of Security Jim Crawford said they have not had a problem reach that level yet.

The security staff has also increased their monitoring on Halkirk because of a rise in crime in the area, and are planning to install cameras overlooking the street.

Residents on Halkirk report to the school if students’ cars are blocking their driveways.

“Technically we can have somebody tow the car, especially if it’s blocking someone’s driveway or blocking the street where people can’t turn,” Crawford said. “But if it’s parked legally, we can’t do anything about it.”

“Potentially we could, if it becomes a habit, we could take away privileges of driving to school or we could talk to the parents but we’ve never gone down that road at all; most of the students comply,” he said.

Security staff monitors the street four to five times a day. According to weekly reports on crime activity near the school, there have been a lot of thefts and robberies lately, Crawford said.

Their concern is that students’ cars might be broken into, Crawford said.

“We have patrols out there to see what activity is going on, and we’re also going to be installing cameras high on top of poles so we can see onto Halkirk and Coldwater Canyon.”

With the installation of the new cameras, security will be able to more closely monitor the streets where students park.

Plans for installation are still in the works, Crawford said.

Some will be placed on top of trees alongside the fenceline of Ted Slavin Field.

Students wear controversial ‘Boyola’ T-shirts to basketball game against rival

By Jordan Freisleben Several students wore T-shirts that depicted the silhouette of two boys holding hands and bore writing saying “Beat Boyola” to a boys’ basketball game at Loyola on Friday Feb. 4, Head Fanatic Ethan Neale ’11, said.

Neither the administration nor the athletic department said they had any knowledge of the shirts’ existence.

However, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra and several deans were present at the game, Neale said.

“I’m disappointed that somebody would take the time, energy and money to do something like that,” Salamandra said. “I wish we weren’t having this conversation. That’s very unfortunate.”

Huybrechts sent an e-mail to all parents on Jan. 26 applauding students’ behavior saying they “embraced this year’s school motto, ‘Act Like Champions’” at the first Loyola game in Taper gym.

“Early this school year, students, teachers and school staff collectively committed to improving fan behavior at Harvard-Westlake competitions,” Huybrechts said in the e-mail. “Our Harvard Westlake students were

wonderfully self-disciplined, monitoring and checking their own behavior.

They were passionate and creative in the ways they framed their animated support for the team — but at no time were they anything but respectful.”

Neale had heard a rumor days before the game from a student that the shirts existed and that students were planning to wear them to the Loyola game.

“This is definitely not a Fanatic thing and we don’t approve of it at all,” Neale said. “We can’t do everything to stop what people do, but we’d definitely like them to be inside our bounds.”

While the new fan behavior rules have banned all previous Fanatic cheers with homophobic undertones, they are still allowed to chant “Boyola.”

“We, the five head Fanatics, had discussed with the administration that it’s not homophobic, but it’s more of an immaturity thing — that they’re boys, not men,” Neale said.

“My hope is that it was an isolated, albeit ignorant, cowardly and inappropriate incident and that a batch of these was not produced,” Fan Behavior committee member and English teacher Adam Howard ’93 said.

“It only takes one person to taint or

“

I’m disappointed that someone would take the time, energy, and money to do something like that. ”

—Harry Salamandra Head of Upper School

negatively affect a big group of people,” Salamandra said. “I’m just disappointed.

I don’t know how many of these shirts are out there, but if there’s one, that’s one too many.”

A junior that requested to remain anonymous said that he did not think wearing the shirt violated any fan behavior rules.

“We do the ‘Beat Boyola’ chant at the game,” he said. “I think the shirt just shows Harvard-Westlake pride.”

He said he acknowledged how the shirt could be seen as offensive or homophobic.

“I think the picture on it is definitely

Lara Sokoloff/chronicle

racy rivals: The T-shirts worn at the Loyola away game depicted the image of two boys holding hands, above. a stretch, but I think it’s inside the boundaries,” he said.

The student said he ran into Salamandra at the game at Loyola but didn’t think he noticed the T-shirt.

“If a teacher or someone came up to me and told me it was inappropriate, I’d take it off, no problem,” he said.

“Unless anyone approached me, I’d be comfortable wearing it in the future.

It shows school spirit,” he said.

Feb. 16, 2011

News A5

The

Chronicle

Holocaust survivors to share stories

By Alex Gura

printed with permission of Alex jaffe

laboratory time: UCLA professor Michael Alfaro and Alexander Jaffe ’11 co-authored a paper on the effects of evolution of the body size of turtles. It will be published in the science journal “Biology Letters.”

Senior’s paper on sea turtles published in biology journal

By David Lim

and

Catherine Wang

Alexander Jaffe ’11 led a study that was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal “Biology Letters” Jan. 26. The paper reports the first quantitative evidence that supports an evolutionary correlation of habitat and body size in turtles and tortoises, a theory long assumed by evolutionary biologists but never statistically proven.

“Biology Letters” is published bimonthly by the United Kingdom’s The Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy and ranked as the 14th most important biology journal in terms of its scientific impact.

The study demonstrated through statistical analysis that different ecological environments have different optimal body sizes for turtles and tortoises inhabiting those areas. The results showed that marine turtles have the largest optimal shell length, followed by island tortoises, while freshwater and mainland turtles are several times smaller. The results also showed a surprisingly strong correlation between habitat change and significant adjustments in body size.

“I’ve always had a passion for science, especially biology and marine biology,” Jaffe said. “It’s something I’ve focused on a lot extracurricularly over the last few years and I was intrigued by evolutionary and ecological biology because it was something I had less experience with at the time and wanted to learn more about.”

Jaffe conducted the research in Dr. Michael Alfaro’s evolutionary biology lab where he had worked for past the two summers. Alfaro, an assistant professor at UCLA, co-authored the study along with another post-doc student.

He spent almost 30 hours a week in the lab during summer after sophomore year helping undergraduates with their own research projects.

In Alfaro’s lab, he was trained by other researchers in lab techniques such as DNA processing and

the statistical analysis that would be central to his data-based study. Prior to his internship, Jaffe had not been exposed to the programming skills necessary to analyze the large amounts of data needed to process.

Jaffe enjoyed his encounter with college-level academic research and returned the next year to the lab.

“I already worked there one summer and [Alfaro] said ‘You’re ready for your own project,’” Jaffe said.

Jaffe said he eventually decided to focus his research efforts on turtles, which he describes as a “relatively small group with an interesting evolutionary history” and a topic he could work on during his summer internship.

His research, which was federally funded by the National Science Foundation, involved collecting genetic data and fossil records from previously published scientific literature and analyzing this information in order to create statistical computer models.

After two months, Jaffe had analyzed enough data for his study to start writing his conclusions in his paper.

“I was the lead author on the paper but by no means did I do all the work,” Jaffe said. “It’s a really cooperative process, working with a post-doc and university professor.”

After weeks of collaboration with his fellow authors, who Jaffe said were definitely more experienced with the “vocabulary and style and writing,” the paper was formally submitted to the journal “Biology Letters” in November and underwent a rigorous review by other experts in evolutionary biology before it was accepted in January.

Jaffe hopes to study biological sciences and pursue further research in college, he said.

“I was able to pursue my passion for science with the experienced staff and incredible resources of UCLA, something I’m really grateful for,” he said.

The study is currently available in Biology Letters’ online journal and will appear in a print edition later this year.

Three students are competing in a New Zealand debate tournament this month, while one student has recently returned from a debate tournament held in Turkey.

Ben Sprung-Keyser ’11, Miranda Van Iderstine ’13 and Elle Wilson ’13 are currently debating in a tournament in New Zealand until Feb. 20.

Luke Holthouse ’13 competed in an international debate tournament held in Istanbul, Turkey in January. Fifty teams, representing more than 20 different countries, competed in the Eurasian Schools Debate Championship. The World Schools Debating Council orga-

nized the competition.

On Jan. 25, a day before second semester began, Holthouse left for Istanbul. Holthouse, along with five other debaters, represented the United States. The students were split into two teams of three.

“I had always wanted to visit Istanbul, so when our coach offered me a spot on one of the two teams going to the ESDC, I was very excited,” Holthouse said.

At ESDC, one round dealt with single sex education or coeducation. Holthouse’s team, which argued for coeducation, lost to Romania’s team.

Holthouse’s team won four rounds and lost four rounds. The

Thieves break into cars on upper school campus

By Cami

4 debaters compete with national team in Turkey, New Zealand

By Wendy Chen

Three Holocaust survivors will share their stories with students and parents tonight in the I Will Remember: The Righteous Conversations Project seminar in Chalmers at 7 p.m. Students will have a chance to ask survivors about their experiences in a question and answer forum, where noted holocaust expert Michael Barenbaum will join the discussion.

The forum will be an opportunity for students and parents to speak face to face with survivors of the Holocaust, committee member Helen Lepor (Marissa ’12) said.

Holocaust survivors are aging, and the seminar was planned as a way to let students build a personal connection with the stories that the survivors share.

One of the speakers at the seminar is Helen Freeman, grandmother of Jackie ’10, Jamie ’12, and Jake Feiler ’13.

“It’s really necessary to have a conversation with a survivor,” Lepor said. “Their stories inspired me to stand up for others, to not be a victim, and have helped me lead my life.”

The four heads of the project, Samara Hutman (Rebecca ’12), Sheryl Sokoloff (Zach ’07, Emma ’09, Lara ’12, Teddy ’15), Cece Feiler, (Jackie ’10, Jamie ’12, Jake ’13), and Lepor, plan to group attendees with survivors so they can continue to investigate and discover their past experiences in future workshops.

Lepor hopes that students will work on projects such as a documentary about the survivors’ experiences or an art project at later dates.

While kids now are worrying about SAT grades and getting into college, Lepor says, these survivors as kids had to worry about whether or not they would survive concentration camps.

“We don’t want the Holocuast to be a footnote in kids’ minds. We want it to have an impact,” Lepor said. “We want to tell these survivors that we won’t forget them.”

The seminar was created as an offshoot of the “Remember Us” project, a much larger scale endevour, of which Hutman is president, that seeks to help commemorate the 1.5 million children that were killed in the Holocaust.

“These stories could save lives,” Lepor said.

“There’s so much despair in teens right now … but if a kid knows that he met someone who got through [the Holocaust], he’ll be able to get through anything.”

Lepor also aims to demonstrate to students that they should stand up for others and “be a hero.”

Drawing a parallel to those who let others “cyberbully” teenagers into suicide, Lepor hopes the seminar will address the issue of confronting injustice.

“What makes some people sacrifice their lives, their family, for others?” Lepor asked. “We want kids to be the voices of the victim, not the silent witness, and understand that they can save lives.”

Lepor hopes that teens will have a wide variety of questions that go beyond the survivor’s direct experiences for tonight’s forum.

printed with permission of luke holthouse

hand gestures: Luke Holthouse ’13 debates the use of religious symbols in schools against a team from Hungary. team didn’t advance to the elimination rounds, but the second team representing the United States did. Both placed in the top 20.

de

Ry

Two cars were broken into on campus on Feb. 1.

Windows were smashed on cars belonging to Athletic Director and swimming coach Darlene Bible and a parent.

Their purses were snatched from the passenger seat during the girls’ water polo game against Marymount and girls’ basketball game against Chaminade. This was the first on-campus problem security has had with burglary.

The cars were parked in the two closest spots to the street before the spike strips. The area had an opening covered with brush from the street side, which made an easy pathway for burglars to run out of their car and quickly grab the bags, Head of Security Jim Crawford said.

“We thought only students and faculty knew about the opening,” Crawford said.

Security immediately boarded up the opening. A permanent fence will be installed this week. Cameras around the Harvard-Westlake entrance driveway are also being installed, he said.

The North Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department has reported an increase in the number of burglaries in the area.

Crawford said that less than 15 minutes after the break-ins, Bible’s credit card was used.

A6 News

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

inbrief

Costa appears in ‘90210’

Rugby Tower closes after sustaining plaster damage Rugby Tower has been closed for three weeks after heavy rains damaged the interior over winter break.

It was first closed off immediately after break. The tower was open for a few days in January but then subsequently closed off again because it was still not dry enough to work on, Plant Manager Felipe Anguiano said.

Anguiano said he predicts that the tower will be closed for another week as repairs are being finished.

Anguiano said that the damage due to rain only involved the plaster lining the building and that there was no structural damage.

—Jordan Freisleben

School controller resigns post after 14-year tenure School controller Vanessa Rhodes resigned as of Jan. 1 after holding her position for 14 years.

“You get a sense when someone’s ready for the next step in their life, and she was,” Chief Executive Officer Rob Levin said.

Rhodes oversaw the school’s accounting system and governmental filings in addition to supporting account supervisors, Parent Association groups, and serving as a banker for the Black and Red Club, Levin said.

—Rebecca Nussbaum

Middle School hosts PATH charity exchange In honor of Valentine’s Day, students were able to exchange Valentine’s cards and lollipops for toiletries and other goods to be donated to People Assisting the Homeless.

For every toiletry donated, students received one Valentine to give to anyone of their choice. The first drive on Feb. 10, 11 and 14 was such a success that a second drive is already being planned.

—Caitie Benell

Club sponsors clothing drive to benefit veterans The Middle Eastern Cultural Club sponsored a clothing drive from Jan. 10 to Jan. 14 for United States veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The club specifically asked for clothing suitable for veterans seeking jobs and attending job interviews.

Blake Nosratian ’13, President of the Middle Eastern Cultural Club conceived the idea to collect clothing for veterans after volunteering at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The clothing will be donated to the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

—Catherine Wang

Students to attend MUN conference in D.C. Ten students will attend the North American Invitational Model UN conference in Washington, D.C., chaperoned by Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church.

The conference, hosted by Georgetown University, starts tomorrow.

In the past, over 3,000 students have participated, according to the NAIMUN website, and a similar number of students is expected this year.

—Keane Muraoka-Robertson

By Maddy Baxter

Lara Sokoloff/chronicle

Game, Set, Match: Freshman boys play on the newly opened tennis courts at tryouts on Monday. The courts opened this week after government restrictions delayed the project.

New tennis facility opens after year-long postponement

By Lara Sokoloff

and

Cherish Molezion

Built over an eight month period, the Los Angeles Valley Tennis courts opened Monday, Head of Campus Operations J.D. DeMatte said.

The new facilities include eight courts and a viewing court. Lights were also added to allow competitions to continue despite the nighttime darkness.

For many years, the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams played at Studio City Golf and Tennis near the Upper School. However, Harvard-Westlake only rented these courts on a month to month basis, DeMatte said.

Recently, the school has been losing its rented courts at Studio City Golf and Tennis, and thus felt it was necessary to construct their own.

The school went into a joint venture with Valley College, DeMatte said.

Valley College will use them for P.E. classes during the day, and Harvard-Westlake will use them for boys’ and girls’ tennis teams in the afternoon and in the evening.

The space was formerly used for parking at

Valley College.

The venture was supposed to cost around $1 million, DeMatte said in 2009. The funding came from Advancement Office’s reserve funding, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Christine Hazy said.

Varsity tennis athlete Jamie West ’12 is looking forward to having the school’s own facilities to use.

“The other facilities were fine, but it was a public place and there were always other people playing,” he said. “Here there will be more space for the fans to watch, and maybe we’ll get more of a fan turnout.”

However, the courts were supposed to be completed in time for last year’s boys’ season, West said. Due to restrictions from the Division of the State Architect, the construction was delayed a year, DeMatte said.

For such a competitive and successful program, it was time that the team had a top notch facility, Head Coach Chris Simpson said.

On Monday, boys’ tennis tryouts began, DeMatte said.

Bookstore associate Allie Costa appeared on the Feb. 7 episode of CW Network’s television show ‘90210’. “‘90210’ is not the biggest role that I have had but it is definitely the most accessible,” Costa said.

She has played a variety of roles and has appeared in films, television and theater. Currently, Costa is trying to break into the commercial business.

On the Feb. 7 episode, Costa plays a high school student who responds, “I think so” when asked if Naomi Clark, the most popular girl in school, just said hi to her and a fellow student.

Costa typically plays young teenagers and recently landed a role as a middle school student, she said.

Costa attended her audition for “90210” on a Monday.

On the following Wednesday, her agent received a call that they were interested in Costa for the part and to ensure that she would remain available for the next two weeks.

On Thursday, Costa was officially offered the role and the next day, she was filming on the “90210” set.

“It was a really fun day,” Costa said.

She was given her own trailer and went through wardrobe fitting and hair and makeup.

Costa was asked to bring some of her own clothes to set and wore her own blue bracelet during filming.

As a result of her role on “90210”, Costa was able to get her American Federation of Television and Radio Artists card. This now allows her to act in parts that are either Screen Actors Guild or AFTRA, she said.

“Acting is what I was born to do and I love the challenge,” Costa said. “I came out of the womb talking; it just wasn’t coherent.”

Deans go to Sacramento to lobby for student aid

By Emily Khaykin Upper School Deans Vanna Cairns and Rose-Ellen Racanelli lobbied to protect California student aid programs such as Cal Grants at the 2011 Western Association for College Admission Counseling conference on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 in Sacramento.

“These conferences are a chance for college counselors and admissions directors to meet with state legislators and lobby for educational initiatives that are important to them,” Racanelli said.

The past few years, conferences have increasingly been focusing on education costs in light of the recent economic downturn, Racanelli said.

WACAC “advocates for student rights in the college-selection process” and “encourages participation of traditionally underrepresented, underserved populations in post secondary education and our profession,” according to WACAC’s mission statement.

All of the upper school deans are members of the WACAC. Racanelli is also a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the national organization to which WACAC is a regional division.

This year’s conference focused on protecting student aid programs for students in need, stabilizing student fee increases, and protecting courses and services for California Community College Students.

In 2010, the California Community Colleges increased their student fees by five percent while the California State University System and the University of California system will implement eight percent and 10 percent student fee increases, respectively, for the 2011-12 school year.

These student fee increases, in addition to Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed General Fund cuts of $500 million to both the California State University system and the University of California system, underscore the importance of maintaining the availability of Cal grants for students, Racanelli said.

The money taken from funding Cal Grants will instead be transferred over to pay for the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

“To raise money for each school the UCs are more likely to accept more outof-state students because of the higher tuition they would receive,” Racanelli said.

The 2010-2011 California state budget was released late last year. Before then, UCs, Cal State schools, and California Community Colleges were forced to distribute some money in advance for students to use for tuition and other fees.

But because the state budget had not been finalized, the state could not distribute the Cal Grants.

“Cal Grants are like financial aid from the government,” she said. “We basically asked these legislators, do you

nathanson ’s/chronicle

nathanson ’s/chronicle

Vanna Cairns

Rose-Ellen Racanelli

know how important for students these Cal grants are in getting an education?”

“Cal Grants are very important, and we tried to make these government representatives and legislature realize that they shouldn’t cut funds here,” Racanelli said.

The conference also discussed the matter of the state cutting back on the number of courses within the California Community College system.

Because a student might not be able to fulfill his or her major’s requirements at one school, he or she would have to attend several different colleges to pick up necessary courses, Racanelli said.

This will cause more students to have to attend school longer to fulfill those requirements. Students will then be forced to pay more for each extra year of their education, Racanelli said.

“We made an effort,” Racanelli said.

“Now we’ll just have to wait and see if it had an effect.”

Feb. 16, 2011

News A7

The

Chronicle

inbrief

LA Times writer discusses career with Chronicle staff Los Angeles Times reporter Martha Groves spoke Jan. 7 to the sixth period Intermediate Journalism class, presenting her experiences in the world of journalism.

She described the negative effect of the recent economic downfall on the newspaper industry, as well as the effect of the technological era on journalism.

“It is a challenging, nerve-wracking, exhausting job, but it is very interesting. I could never imagine doing anything else,” Groves said.

—Michael Sugerman

Computer services extends WiFi network connection printed with permission of Julie barzilay

Going green: Jessica Barzilay ’12, right, teaches Demren Sinik ’13, center, and Kevin Adler ’13, left, how to read electrical meters in order to calculate the reduction in the school’s use of energy. Members of Environmental club check the monitors weekly.

Green Cup Challenge helps to cut campus-wide energy consumption

By Lara Sokoloff After reducing Harvard-Westlake’s energy usage by 13 percent during last year’s Green Cup Challenge, the school will enter the competition once again in hopes of reducing the amount of energy consumed on campus, President of the Environmental Club Jessica Barzilay ’12 said.

The contest challenges each member of the Green Schools’ Alliance to reduce seven percent of each school’s energy consumption throughout the month of February.

Last year, Harvard-Westlake placed fifth in California through the implementation of “Lights Out HW,” Barzilay said.

The campaign consisted of two main components: turning off lights in rooms that get enough natural light and manually shutting down computers as opposed to relying on the automatic shut-off time.

This year, the Environmental Club has also entered a video into the Green Cup Challenge as a new component of the “Lights Out HW” campaign.

The video was filmed by club member Kevin Adler ’13 as a part of his Video Art I class and is competing in a contest with other student films across the nation.

All videos are posted on YouTube, and students are now able to vote for their favorite video through Feb. 20.

In order to calculate our percent energy usage reduction, Environmental Club supervisor Martha Wheelock, Adler, Barzilay and club member Demren Sinik ’13 read the electrical meters every Friday and compute our weekly electrical use.

This number is then compared to a baseline average based on the last three years, which Barzilay calculated by using the school’s utility bills, she said.

“

Every school wins financially since reducing energy use lowers utility costs, saving hundreds of dollars.”

—Jessica Barzilay

There is no true prize or winner of the competition, Barzilay said. Schools are instead ranked within regions based on percent of energy usage reduction. There are, however, underlying financial benefits to participating in the competition, Barzilay said.

“Every school wins financially since reducing energy use lowers utility costs, saving hundreds of dollars,” she said.

Participating schools also receive an Arbor Day Foundation Plaque to honor their contribution to carbon dioxide reduction.

The club hosted an environmental project to inform students of the climate crisis and distribute glow in the dark stickers on Jan. 31 during break to launch the Green Cup Challenge, Barzilay said.

The support from students and teachers for the Green Cup Challenge has increased immensely over the past year, providing feedback and new ideas to the club, Barzilay said.

“It’s been really encouraging to hear suggestions and enthusiasm from the community,” Barzilay said.

The school reduced its energy usage by 14 percent during the first week of the competition, and by 12.8 percent the second week.

Students look for gap year options at fair

School donates textbooks to charter school program One hundred and eighty-five textbooks were donated to the charter school program Bright Star last week from a textbook drive held last spring.

Senior Prefect Austin Lewis ’11 headed a textbook drive during finals that collected more than 300 books. Twenty books went to the library to be used as student reference books.

“It was a great feeling to be helping not only the Harvard-Westlake community, but also the larger community around us,” Lewis said.

—Evan Brown

Bake sale profits to fund world health organization The Community Council bake sale on Jan. 14, 18 and 20 raised approximately $400 for Partners in Health, an organization focused on research, advocacy and publication related to health worldwide.

“The bake sale was successful because we ended up raising tons of money for an almost forgotten, but still very serious, cause,” Gaby Cohen ’11 said.

The bake sale was established last year to raise money for victims pf the Haiti earthquake.

“We figured to have our second bake sale on the one year anniversary of the earthquake,” Cohen said.

—Sanjana Kucheria

Students raise money, ask for donations from alums

By Catherine Wang The Los Angeles Gap Year Fair held Feb. 8 in Chalmers Student Lounge featured over 30 different Gap Year programs.

Students from the Los Angeles area and their families came to the fair to learn about programs ranging from Dynamy Internship Year, a program that pairs students with a yearlong internship, to VisitOz, a program that takes students to work on farms in Australia.

“I was not aware that there were so many companies that organize gap year programs,” Lizzy Pratt ’11 said. “There are so many opportunities.”

Center of Interim Programs representative Jason Sarouhan and author Carol Christen gave a presentation explaining a gap year’s purpose and offering advice to students and parents.

The Harvard-Westlake wireless network has been extended to cover the entire upper school campus. The change was implemented Feb. 7.

To access the WiFi network on a personal computer, one selects the Harvard-Westlake network and opens the internet browser. A network login will be displayed, and one inputs his or her username and password.

—Arielle Maxner

Catherine wang/chronicle

exploring options: Students and parents talk to the representatives of gap year programs for graduating seniors. Many organizations offered students the opportunity to choose where they wanted to study from a list of several different locations.

Sarouhan, who took a gap year before attending college, said that he “discovered himself ” during his gap year and that it was a welcome break before college.

Christen, a former middle school teacher, emphasized that students will be able to take fuller advantage of their college experiences after having taken

a gap year.

Both Sarouhan and Christen reiterated that a gap year need not be a financial burden for students’ families.

“I really liked the program Where There Be Dragons,” Raphael Osorio ’11 said. “I think she appealed to me because she told me a lot about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities.”

The Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association ran a “phonathon” last night to call alumni to thank them for their past donations and ask for new donations this year.

The event ran from 5-7 p.m. in Chalmers and was organized by HWSAA heads Tess Hatch ’11, Raphael Osorio ’11 and Emily Wallach ’11.

“The purpose of our calls is to thank alumni for donations in the past and ask them if they would like to donate more,” Osorio said. “However, they often transform into light-hearted conversations about what kids are up to nowadays at Harvard-Westlake.”

—David Lim

A8 News

Feb. 16, 2011

Chronicle

The

at

soundbytes “I think that by ending it, they’re ending a tradition, and I think that kids are looking for an outlet to be together in a different light, instead of being in an educational environment all the time.”

Allison Hamburger/chronicle

—Susie Goren (Zach ’03, Sheera ’05, Jake ’08, Nikki ’12)

Mary Rose fissinger/chronicle

Mary Rose fissinger/chronicle

The Last Dance: Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts announces the cancellation of future semiformals to the student body, top left. A crowd waits to enter semiformal, bottom left. Lily Einstein ’11 poses next to a wax figure of Julia Roberts at semiformal, right.

Administration cancels future semiformals from

SEMIFORMAL, A1

we could possibly be,” he said.

Salamandra said that the responsible students were candid with their involvement in the situation.

Ambulances called to the site of the “afterparty” at Jane’s House on Hollywood Blvd. transported six intoxicated students, mostly sophomores and juniors, to the hospital, Salnathanson ’s/chronicle amandra said.

Jeanne The party at Jane’s House, a private party Huybrechts not sanctioned by the school, was shut down at 12:15 a.m., approximately one hour after it started. The party was organized by a group of seniors that refer to themselves as “Sick Pawdays.” About 400 students were at the afterparty, Salamandra said.

Club management called Guardian Angels, a public safety organization, to report a person overdosing, Public Relations Manager for the Los Angeles chapter Jeremy Meyer said.

The Guardian Angels decided to call the nathanson ’s/chronicle paramedics after finding three people who Harry had overdosed “with their eyes rolled back Salamandra into their head,” Meyer said. Police arrived with the paramedics, declared an unlawful assembly and subsequently evacuated the club. Huybrechts said that while alcohol abuse has been an issue at previous semiformal after-parties, this year was perhaps the worst case.

“Every year we warn about this and we tell you to be careful, we caution parents, we go on and on and on, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears,” Huybrechts said. “Our school cannot continue to support an event that seems to serve as the platform for a night of binge drinking or bad behavior associated with intoxication.”

A videographer outside of the club on Saturday night filmed the series of events at Jane’s House and released the video to local news source KNBC, Salamandra said. The video appeared on the 8 a.m. news on Sunday morning.

“We have to be concerned about our reputation,” Huybrechts said. “You want to be able to graduate from Harvard-Westlake School and be proud of that.”

School Chaplain Father J. Young said that the school was trying to act in the best interests of students.

“We care about you as if you were our children,” Young said.

“Because we care about you, we want you to do a better job with this. We want you to come together and make this thing better, and you can do that, but it’s going to take everyone to do that, and we implore you to make that happen.”

Salamandra said that it wasn’t the number of students taken

to the hospital that concerned the administration.

“Again, 900 people were at the semiformal and we’re talking about six students – it’s a small percentage,” he said. “But even if it’s one student, we’re concerned. We don’t want one student to be injured in any way. We feel that it’s important that we have a message that’s loud and clear that we’ve tried hard to work with students and the individuals who were planning the parties. Even if one student ended up going to the hospital, as far as I’m concerned, it’s too much.”

Salamandra said that ambulances that took students to area hospitals arrived at around the same time the party was shut down.

“From what I understand is that it was some of the other students at the party who were calling the ambulances, it was students who were worried about their friends,” he said. “That’s what I’ve always been so impressed with the young adults that are in this community is that you are always so good at watching out for each other, and this is a case of that,’” Salamandra said.

“What did concern me is that the community didn’t help their friends understand that binge drinking, quick consumption of alcohol, is a problem. It concerns me that alcohol is one of those things that people are not willing to take a stand on.”

KNBC also reported that intoxication at the event included the abuse of gamma-hydroxybutric acid, a central nervous system depressant. Neither the school nor KNBC could confirm the use of GHB. “GHB is a nasty drug,” Salamandra said. It’s a nervous system depressant — for someone to be taking that especially mixed with alcohol, can literally shut down the lungs from operating.

If one person even combines a drink and GHB and they stop breathing, that’s a very serious situation.

Huybrechts said no decision had been made about whether to cancel Senior Prom.

“Some kids behaved in such a way at [last year’s] prom that the hotel that had the prom won’t have us back,” she said.

Huybrechts said that prom will only be held if it can be a “safe and sane prom.”

The Head and Senior Prefects held a meeting during senior class meeting on Monday in Chalmers where all seniors were invited to “begin to draft a better and safer prom,” they said in an e-mail to the senior class.

The Head and Senior Prefects held a meeting during senior class meeting on Monday in Chalmers where all seniors were invited to “begin to draft a better and safer prom,” they said in an e-mail to the senior class.

“As we learned in the all-school assembly last week, the Senior Prom will only happen if substantial changes take place,” the e-mail said.

Head Prefect Chris Holthouse said that there was no framework for what needs to be changed for prom. He said the meeting in Chalmers was an opportunity to voice ideas.

Who are the Guardian Angels?

By Saj Sri-Kumar The Guardian Angels is a non-profit public safety organization whose mission is to reduce crime.

The organization responded to the afterparty, where they called paramedics and detained one person who was vandalizing a car.

Founded in 1979 by Curtis Silwa, it was designed to make the streets and the subway platforms of New York City safer. Two years later, the organization

opened a chapter in Los Angeles. The organization operates in 100 cities in 13 countries.

The Los Angeles chapter patrols five areas in the greater Los Angeles area: Venice, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Hollywood and Highland Park.

The Los Angeles chapter’s public relations manager, Jeremy Meyer, said that the organization works alongside law enforcement to improve public safety.

In Hollywood, he said that the organization works with a range of problems.

“If it’s drunk people [or] if it’s people fighting, it doesn’t really matter. Our goal is to make sure that people have a good night in Hollywood,” Meyer said.

Nationally, the organization has suffered some setbacks over their three decades in existence.

Some mayors in cities that have a chapter have publicly opposed the group. In 1992, Silwa admitted that the organization faked several rescues on subway platforms in New York City for publicity.

“we’ve never tried to hide the facts.

We are always very clear with families about what potentially could happen, what has happened in the past, what we’re worried about.”

—Jeanne Huybrechts Head of School

“It is unfair to the eighth graders who didn’t do anything.

Only the people who violated the rules should be punished.”

—Johnathan Felker ’14

“I’ve run the gamut of emotions on this. because I felt so good after the event ... I felt so angry, I felt foolish [after hearing about the afterparty].”

—Jon Wimbish Upper School Dean

“I totally agree that they should have cancelled it. This way students can go to parties without the school being held responsible.”

—Conor Eliot ’11

[The Administration was] pushed into a corner. There weren’t many choices for them.”

—Eden Weizman ’13

I think it’s a bit of an overreaction.

[They’re] not Giving the Eighth graders and the future students a chance.”

—Dara Moghavem ’13

“I was surprised at the extent of what happened. I think [the school was] left with no choice.

I don’t think many people were surprised by their decision.”

—Jeremy Michaelson English Teacher (Aidan ’14)

“I think that its unnecessary to have something that is so formal and so blown out of proportion.”

—Helen Jacobs-Lepor (Marissa ’12)

Feb. 16, 2011

News A9

The

Chronicle

Juniors to compete in international debate tournament

View from Above

By Eli Haims

Eli Haims/chronicle

googling earth: Geology teacher Wendy Van Norden demonstrates new uses of Google Earth after school in Munger 201 to display the program’s efficiency in mathamatics, sciences and humanities. The program allows one to view satellite images of maps at a desired location.

Security upgrades cameras around upper school campus

By Daniel Kim The security cameras in the quad were upgraded to newer and more sensitive cameras during winter break and over the last couple of weeks.

“These upgraded cameras are a little more sensitive and detailed at night,” Head of Security Jim Crawford said. “They give bigger pictures, clearer pictures. They’re mainly for nights to make sure that we can keep intruders off our campus at night.”

Approximately 30 upgraded cameras are placed all around campus, Crawford said. The upgrade was part of an ongoing process to improve the security of the school, especially at night.

“If you walk around the quad and look up on the sides of the buildings, you’ll see these big, canisterstyled lights,” Crawford said. “They look like lights but they have a ring of LED lights around the out-

side and there’s a camera in the middle of them.

You can’t miss them.”

Some of the cameras can be found on the walls of Chalmers and Munger. The cameras on Chalmers look down on the quad and provide a thorough coverage of it.

The cameras provide a live feed as well as recordings which help the security guards maintain surveillance of the entire campus.

“We’re adding cameras basically so that we can keep track of things at night because we only have one to two people at night and it is a lot of area to cover,” Crawford said. “When there is motion in the area, the camera goes on. The security guard just needs to see what the motion was that caused the camera to go off.”

Crawford wants to set up cameras in places outside school to watch over parked cars around campus.

Wheelock to discuss feminist movement

By Megan Kawasaki

English, Ethics, and Gender Studies teacher and Upper School Humanities Department Head Martha Wheelock will lecture on the feminist movement and its social, intellectual and political influence on women and men at the Beverly Hills Library tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Wheelock will discuss presentday views of feminism, its role as a positive moral force, how it has transformed society throughout the 20th century and the steps women took to achieve the right to vote in California.

This speech is a part of an ongoing lectures series promoted by the Women’s Empowerment Foundation, whose mission is to create a supportive community for women that allows them to connect with one another and gain a sense of personal liberty and happiness.

The Women’s Empowerment Foundation was co-founded by Il-

lana Shoshan (Michael Diamant ’09, Ellie Diamant ’11) and Yael Swerdlow.

“There were some issues that we wanted to bring to the consciousness of people in this country and from other places, but also to examine what our role is in the way we can empower women,” Wheelock said.

Wheelock is a longtime feminist who has given lectures on women’s rights, created films on the achievements of women in history and has attended numerous rallies for the equal treatment of women.

“I am interested in redefining, re-examining the concept of feminism and its validity and why we can’t forget about it,” Wheelock said.

She is currently making a film celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in California, which was achieved in Oct. 1911 by a margin of 3,000 votes.

The film will be screened in the Autry National Center in

“

I am interested in redefining, re-examining the concept of feminisim and it’s validity and why we can’t forget about it.”

—Martha Wheelock Gender Studies Teacher

September and will be screened with other similar exhibits at the Sacramento State Capitol Building.

The movie is scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer.

Wheelock said she is hoping that students will be a part of the film’s cast.

Jack Petok ’11 and Kelsey Woo ’11 already have confirmed roles.

Petok will play the role of a mayor of a city in California, and Woo will portray a women for the first time.

Three juniors will travel to New York on April 19 to compete in the International Public Policy Forum, an international debate contest. Aneri Amin ’12, Justin Ho ’12 and Julius Pak ’12 defeated a team from Lithuania 3-0 to advance to the “Elite 8.”

This year’s topic is Resolved: NATO Military Operations in Afghanistan nathanson ’s/chronicle Are Not Justified. The final three Aneri Amin ’12 rounds will take place in New York.

While the competition up to this point has been entirely written, the debates in New York will be oral. In the semifinal round, the team will be arguing the affirmative side. Yesterday the team members submitted their first paper for this round and will submit another in two weeks, which will be sent to the opposition.

They will have a chance to read the opposition’s case in preparation for nathanson ’s/chronicle the oral debate.

Justin Ho ’12 “Finals Weekend provides the students with the opportunity to participate in an oral debate competition before a panel of some of the world’s foremost experts in debate, business, law and politics,” the website of the Bickel & Brewer Foundation, which sponsors the tournament, said. Previous judges have included retired Army General Wesley Clark and President of New York University John Sexton. nathanson ’s/chronicle On Feb. 8, the team received the Julius Pak ’12 judges’ decisions that they won the round of 16.

“This particular debate was a pretty clear decision for me,” J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Forensic League and a judge, wrote in his decision. “I felt that the Negative team established a strongly definitional framework for the concept of justice that they then used to an incredible advantage in the debate.”

Pak says that the team’s main argument for the affirmative side deals with saying specific conditions must be met for a war to be justified and these conditions have not been met.

The opposition side, which he says is a very standard argument, argues that the war is one of self defense.

In addition to the contest being a written debate for the first two rounds, there is a lot more focus on persuading the judges than the more technical aspects of the Lincoln-Douglas style.

“It’s not the same at all,” Ho said, “One is like a public policy debate and the other is more intense. This is less technical and more policy based.”

The competition began with over 300 teams submitting essays on the topic.

The top 32 teams, which included schools from nine countries and almost 20 states, were invited to take part in the competition.

If the team wins the competition, it will receive a $5,000 prize and will be awarded the “Bickel and Brewer Cup.” An additional $5,000 will be awarded to the school.

Alumna to sponsor Earthwatch expedition

By Carrie Davidson One teacher will be picked to participate in an all expenses paid Earthwatch expedition this summer, through an alumna gift.

Blake Schlei Lindsley, ’92 will fund the expedition with Earthwatch, a non-profit organization which offers the chance for volunteers to join field research teams around the globe. Lindsley contacted Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts in December and presented her idea in late January.

“My husband and I hope it will be such a success that some Harvard-Westlake parents will be inspired to make this fellowship a reality every year, to the benefit of both the teachers and the students,” Lindsley said.

“Earthwatch Institute is a respected leader in the field of environmental education. Our participating teacher fellow will contribute as a research volunteer, collecting and analyzing data to support our understanding of (and, possibly find solutions for) environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem health and sustainability,” Huybrechts said.

Applications are due Feb. 28. The application process will be handled by Earthwatch.

A10 News

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

Party book events contribute funds to financial aid

Helping Hands

By Rachel Schwartz

Parents can donate to financial aid by attending a book club led by President Thomas C. Hudnut, cooking with Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts or Head of Midle School Ronnie Cazeau or taking a variety of classes taught by faculty and staff.

Events offered in the Harvard-Westlake Parents’ Association Party Book range from screenings of new films like “Pirates of the Carribean 4” in IMAX to cooking seminars that promise a recipe for perfect matzo ball soup.

Sign-ups started on Jan. 31 and events vary in price, starting at $20 and reaching as high as $150 per person.

The Party Book was launched last year and raised $100,000 with relatively few participants. Chairs Cynthia Hirschhorn (Jason ’09, Nicole ’12) and Beth Kleid said they hope for more involvement this year that will raise more money for financial aid.

The website for sign-ups allows parents and alumni to see upcoming events with descriptions, photos, guest lists, hosts and locations. The site can be organized by date, category or price.

Many of the events are hosted by members of the administration. Advancement Officer Ed Hu is teaching a Chinese cooking class, school psychologist Sheila Siegel is teaching a class in glass art and Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra will be providing homemade bread for a screening of “The Last Picture Show.”

Head of Upper School Planning and Physics teacher John Feulner is giving a lecture on space, while middle school science teacher Elliott Parivar will lead a gardening party at the UCLA Botanical Garden. Middle school psychologist Susan Ko is going to lead a discussion about teen issues while baking éclairs. Head of Security Jim Crawford will hold an emergency preparedness workshop at the Middle School.

Some events are held in homes and others more closely resemble field trips, where participants meet at diverse venues such as the Getty Museum or Marina Del Rey Harbor.

Printed with permission of matthew Wolfen

Giving back: Ryan Vandershans ’12 hands out bagged lunches to the homeless at the Ocean Park Community Center on Sunday. The volunteers prepared the lunches prior to distributing them. Community Council hosted another event, Reading Wheels, on Saturday.

WASC to release report from WASC, A1

Printed with permission by Molly cinnamon

Director’s Discussion: Molly Cinnamon ’13 is interviewed at the screening on Saturday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Festival features 6 student films

By Allana Rivera The Los Angeles Student Media Festival selected six student films this year from Harvard-Westlake, twice as many as from any other school in the festival.

The films were screened Saturday night at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ranging in genre from drama to animation, the films were mostly produced during past Harvard-Westlake summer film camps and then sent out to film festivals across the country by Visual Arts teacher Cheri Gaulke.

“Without Ms. Gaulke, none of the films produced in the camp would get nearly as much exposure as they do,” Molly Cinnamon ’13, who took part in directing and writing two of the films in the festival, said.

The films, some of which have already been in a few festivals, deliver a variety of messages.

From a girl’s strained relationship

with her father to the journey of a family of chewing gum, the wide-ranging story lines showcased many of the different aspects of student filmmaking.

The process of making these films can take as long as a week. “See,” an environmental public service announcement written by Cinnamon, was filmed in five days and edited in one.

“It was very intensive, but that’s what made it so great,” Cinnamon said.

Jack Goldfisher ’14 who took part in the creation of “A Gum’s Life” said that the film festivals can have a mix of nerve-wracking and gratifying moments.

“At the Los Angeles Film Festival they had all of the student filmmakers in the front of the theater, and the audience asked them questions, and that was pretty intimidating, but also an interesting experience,” said Goldfisher ’14.

already contained in the self-study,” Huybrechts said. “In a big, complicated school like this, even with eight members of a team, it would be very difficult for them to learn everything about the school in just a four-day period.”

The remainder of the visiting committee’s report was written during their visit.

The committee will read their preliminary report to the administration at 10 a.m. today, before reading selections from the report at the faculty and staff meeting in the afternoon.

During their visit, the committee toured both the upper and middle school campuses. They attended a middle school assembly and met with administrators, department heads, trustees and students.

“They’re here to review what we are doing, how we are doing it and come up with recommendations at the end of their stay here,” Salamandra said.

The committee members include Christopher Blair, upper school head at Castilleja School in Palo Alto; Ed-

ward Chen, technology director at The Nueva School in Hillsborough; Vicki K. Dickenson, a former counselor, San Diego, representing WASC; Cynthia Ellis, Middle School Division Head at The Harker School in San Jose; Susie Maga, athletic director at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano; Susan Munn, director of finance and operations at The Urban School of San Francisco in San Francisco; Tigress Osborn, diversity director at The College Preparatory School in Oakland; and Benjamin Williams IV, headmaster of Cate School in Carpinteria.

“What’s really nice is that they come from other good schools and they will almost surely introduce us to ideas or programs that we have never been introduced to before,” Huybrechts said.

There are several types of accreditation that the school could receive. Salamandra believes the school has always received a six-year accreditation in the past 30 years.

The school will be notified about the terms of their CAIS/WASC accreditation later this year, Corsello said.

News A11

Chronicle

The

Feb. 16, 2011

Senior wins 1st place in speech competition

By Abbie Neufeld

Kelsey Woo ’11 took first place in California at the annual Voices of Democracy Competition on Jan. 21 in Sacramento. The annual competition is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

This year’s competition topic was “Does my generation have a nathanson ’s/chronicle role in America’s future?” Along Kelsey Woo ’11 with the top prize, Woo received $3,000 in scholarship money.

Woo learned of the competition in 2006 when a friend won nationals. Though Woo has participated in other writing competitions, this is the first competition where she has been required to deliver a speech. Woo has also won first place in California in the Letters about Literature competition.

“I agreed to try this competition solely because I love to write,” Woo said. I had no knowledge of the amazing and strong community of United States Veterans and other unforgettable individuals that I would eventually have the great privilege of connecting with.”

Woo will go on to compete in the national competition in March in Washington, D.C., where the winner receives a $30,000 scholarship.

“All I can do is hope for the best and have a great time in D.C. with all of the state winners,” Woo said.

Woo has been asked to speak at the Purple Heart Military Ball, where soldiers who have been wounded in action receive their Purple Heart medals. The ball takes place on Feb. 19 in Bakersfield, Calif.

School hosts 3 receptions for alums

By Allison Hamburger

Three alumni receptions were held across the country by the Advancement Office in January and February and one more will take place in San Diego tomorrow.

One of the events was in Chicago, another was in New York and the annual senior and young alumni reception was held on campus.

President Thomas C. Hudnut, Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu and various other administrators attended the out-of-state receptions for alumni in those areas.

The Feb. 10 New York event hosted the most people, with approximately 140 attendees. About 50 people are expected to attend the upcoming San Diego reception.

Alumni were notified of the events by invitation and in the online newsletter. Alumni receptions in general are organized so that alumni can reconnect with each other and gain a better sense of what is occurring at the school, Director for Alumni Relations Susan Beeson ’96 said.

The Jan. 5 reception for seniors and college-aged alumni has been held for many years, she said, but this year the event was expanded to include alumni from the past 10 years. About 200 people attended in total, including faculty, current seniors and and at least 90 alumni.

“We always want people to come back to campus, so it was a successful event,” Beeson said.

The gathering included a reception in FeldmanHorn and preceded the varsity boys’ basketball game against St. Francis.

A new addition to this event was an on-campus In-N-Out truck. The guests were encouraged to attend the basketball game as well, compared to convening in Feldman-Horn for an afternoon reception, as has been done in previous years.

Beeson said that the Advancement Office often tries to include the seniors in alumni events so that they can become “used to the idea that HarvardWestlake doesn’t end after you graduate.”

photos printed with permission of Josephine Wibawa

Happy new year: Members of the Lion Dance troupe pose after their performace at the annual New Year luncheon hosted by the Chinese Cultural Club. The dance was accompanied by student musicians.

Chinese Cultural Club hosts annual New Year’s luncheon

By Susan Wang

Chinese-American students and families celebrated the Year of the Rabbit at the annual Chinese New Year luncheon hosted the Harvard-Westlake Chinese Cultural Club at the Olympic Collection Banquet and Conference Center Jan. 30.

Events included a reading of a cultural story about a jade rabbit and many Chinese festivities, such as dragon dancing and singing in Chinese. Guests were provided a buffet lunch with many traditional New Year’s dishes and given good luck charms to attract prosperity and good health in the new year.

The Harvard-Westlake Lion Dance troupe consisting of ninth and 10th grade students donned red t-shirts and gold-sequined pants to act as the head, body, and legs of two lions. The students performed various tricks in costume, such as jumping and tailwagging. Other students in the troupe provided mu-

sical accompaniment.

Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts fed red pockets, envelopes containing money traditionally given to children by their parents and adults on Chinese New Year, to the lions. The lions performed a different trick each time they were given a red pocket.

Students of the Chinese I, II and III classes also sang and performed skits. A mixture of contemporary and folk songs expressed traditional Chinese themes, such as respect for parents, love for friends and hope for the future. Chinese III students performed a humorous skit about Chinese riddles regarding rabbits.

Over 300 faculty, parents and students attended the event, Caroline Wang (Joshua Rubin ’15), an organizer of the luncheon, said.

“I really liked this year’s event,” Tiffany Liao ’12 said. “It was really entertaining and the food was yummy.”

3 students, teacher suffer winter sport injuries over semester break, MLK weekend

By Susan Wang Three students and one teacher were injured this year during the ski trips over semester break and Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

Ashley Sacks ’14 broke her arm, shoulder and foot and Ben Weissenbach ’13 sprained his knee on the annual school Mammoth trip. Michael Rothberg ’13 injured his leg in Big Bear over semester break. Upper school Spanish teacher Roser Gelida also fractured her tibia during a ski trip over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

Weissenbach was skiing with Aaron Drooks ’13 in one of the terrain parks when he was injured, he said. Aaron Drooks immediately called ski patrol, who towed Weissenbach down the mountain.

“I took off on a jump on the ter-

rain park, landed it, and realized that I couldn’t apply any pressure on my right knee and that I had tweaked it,” Weissenbach said.

Rothberg also injured his left leg after falling on a ski jump at Big Bear. “[It] happened on the third run of the first day, so I couldn’t ski after [my injury]. I got crutches and hobbled around for a while, and when I got home, I got a proper brace on it,” Rothberg said.

Gelida said that her injury was the result of a bad landing.

“The skis didn’t come off, as they should have, and I put too much pressure on that part of the knee to stop,” she said.

Gelida has to wear a cast for another week.

Most years there are a few injuries, co-organizer of the school Mammoth trip Hannah Kofman ’14 said.

Rothberg has had to stop going to track and field, practices although he still exercises on the bicycle and elliptical machines.

While Gelinathanson ’s/chronicle da was not afRoser Gelida fected by her injury in her work, she does still have trouble getting around the campus.

“At school I’ve been confined to my classroom or office in Seaver,” she said. “The [upper school] campus [is] not designed for wheelchair use, and being in one has certainly changed my daily routine. Everyone […] has gone out off their way to drive me to school, open doors, fetch me lunch, push me to the Tech Center.”

Human Anatomy students test texting reaction time

By Hank Gerba Students in Human Anatomy and Physiology conducted an experiment on Feb. 10 to determine the effects of texting and talking on cellphones while driving, science teacher Walt Werner said.

To perform the lab, one student pushed a trigger, which turned on a light and started a time, while the second student reacted to the light and squeezed a pressure

switch. This was repeated while students were talking on their cell phones and in a third test while they were texting.

The data showed that reaction times were much slower while either speaking or texting on their phone and that the delay could be dangerous when driving a car.

“I expected my concentration would be bad, but after doing the lab, I realized how deadly it could be,” Joel Spielberger ’12, who participated in the lab, said.

hank gerba/chronicle

Quick reflexes: Colburn Pittman ’12, right, and Mark Seuthe ’12 record each other’s reaction times in an anatomy lab.

the

Chronicle

3700 Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles, CA 91604

Editors-in-Chief: Alice Phillips, Daniel Rothberg Managing Editors: Austin Block, Jordan Freisleben Executive Editor: Catherine Wang

opinion Harvard-Westlake School Volume XX Issue VI Feb. 16, 2011

Presentations Editors: Ingrid Chang, Mary Rose Fissinger Executive Sports Editor: Alex Leichenger Business and Ads Manager: David Burton Copy Editors: Jordan McSpadden, Susan Wang News Managing Editors: Matthew Lee, Emily Khaykin Section Heads: Rebecca Nussbaum, Lara Sokoloff, Sajjan Sri-Kumar Infographics: Maddy Baxter, Eli Haims Assistants: Wendy Chen, Carrie Davidson, David Lim, Keane Muraoka-Robertson, Ana Scuric, Camille Shooshani, Megan Ward Opinion Managing Editors: Noelle Lyons, Jean Park Section Heads: Chanah Haddad, Molly Harrower, Anabel Pasarow, Shana Saleh Assistants: Rachel Schwartz, Michael Sugerman Features Managing Editors: Joyce Kim, Olivia Kwitny, Sade Tavangarian Features Section Heads: Allison Hamburger, Chloe Lister Infographics: Megan Kawasaki Features Assistants: Caitie Benell, Mariel Brunman, Jamie Chang, Leslie Dinkin, Gabrielle Franchina, Michael Rothberg, Elana Zeltser Science & Health Editors: Claire Hong, Nika Madyoon Centerspread Editors: Camille de Ry, Arielle Maxner Arts & Entertainment Editors Jessica Barzilay, Justine Goode Arts & Entertainment Assistants: Maggie Bunzel, Bo Lee, Aaron Lyons Photography Assistant: Cherish Molezion Sports Managing Editors: Alec Caso, Kelly Ohriner Section Heads: David Kolin, Austin Lee, Julius Pak, Chelsey Taylor-Vaughn Assistants: Michael Aronson, Charlton Azuoma, Nicole Gould, Luke Holthouse, Daniel Kim, Robbie Loeb, Shawn Ma, Allana Rivera, Micah Sperling, Ally White Chronicle Online Managing Editor: Vivien Mao News Update Editors: Evan Brown, Hank Gerba, Sanjana Kucheria Opinion Update Editor: Victor Yoon Feature Update Editors: Julius Pak A&E Update Editors: Tiffany Liao, Meagan Wang Sports Update Editors: David Gobel, Judd Liebman Multimedia Editors: Ashley Khakshouri, Chelsea Khakshouri Blogs Editor: Abbie Neufeld Adviser: Kathleen Neumeyer The Chronicle is the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School. It is published nine times per year. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@ hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon, North Hollywood, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Business Manager David Burton at (626) 319-0575. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

by Chanah Haddad

And now we have to clean up the mess at Jane’s House...

It’s history and it should be

S

emiformal as we know it is history,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said — and history it should be. After the alcohol and drug-related hospitalizations of students who attended the afterparty, the administration made the logical decision to cancel semiformal.

Though the actual semiformal dance was not the problem, its existence in its current form has in the past, and as recently as two and a half weeks ago, led to a night of unsafe drinking and drug use for many students.

The custom has been for a small group of seniors to plan an afterparty for the event, open to all 10th-12th graders and usually held in a club or some other rented space. There is security at the door to take tickets, keep the party under maximum capacity and ensure that no alcohol is brought into the event. The starting time is usually a half hour or so after the semiformal lockdown ends.

The problems that arise from this setup are numerous and potentially life threatening. Some students drink a lot of alcohol quickly, in the short period of time between leaving semiformal and arriving at the afterparty. Frequently, this drinking occurs in limos where the students are all sitting down. Both of these factors make it difficult for those consuming to determine how impaired they are becoming. In addition, many girls eat little to no food on the day of semiformal.

This too contributes to students getting drunker than they mean to, and possibly sick.

The administration and students should come up with a way to have a semiformal-like event that doesn’t prompt the orchestration of a schoolwide afterparty.

For example, if the school were to split semiformal into two dances (one for freshmen and sophomores and one for juniors and seniors), afterparties, if held at all, would more likely be smaller gatherings held at homes where behavior could be regulated more easily.

Also, a separation such as this could remove pressure potentially placed on younger students to drink in order to “keep up” with older students.

bynumbers Possible Punishments

The athletic department was justified in punishing athletes that went overboard at the afterparty. When joining a team, an athlete is making a commitment to the sport, promising to always perform to their greatest ability. While coaches may not say it explicitly, there is an expectation that athletes will take care of their bodies. By drinking or using drugs, an athlete is disrespecting his or her teammates and coaches by knowingly jeopardizing their athletic performance and therefore the success of the team.

In response to the problems posed by semiformal as it is (or was), the school has not only cancelled semiformal but also levied undisclosed punishments against those students whom they felt “were responsible.”

However, many students made irresponsible decisions that night and did not hold themselves to the good behavior the administration has made clear it expects of us at all times, be it on campus, at a sporting event or anywhere else.

The school should disclose the punishment given to these students as a way of keeping open the communication between themselves and the student body. Keeping the punishment secret serves no purpose but to perpetuate rumors and further aggravate those who feel the administration is acting unfairly by punishing these individuals.

Above all, though, students should learn from the events of semiformal night. We should try to conduct ourselves with good judgment and the utmost concern for our classmates’ safety. And while we applaud those with the good sense and presence of mind to call ambulances for students in danger, we also look to the creation of a school event that does not lead to situations in which such actions are necessary.

The Chronicle received 405 responses to an online poll asking all upper school students their opinions about semiformal. For more results, see A15.

Do you think it is the school’s place to punish students for actions that take place neither on campus nor at school-sanctioned events?

185

46

160

It depends on the severity of the infraction.

Yes No

One respondent skipped this question

Do you think it is the athletic department’s place to punish athletes who consumed alcohol at the semiformal afterparty?

153 234

Yes No

Five respondents skipped this question

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

A13 Opinion

Vegans need more options Chanah Haddad

D

I’m vegan for many reasons.

I have never liked the taste or smell or even the idea of meat.

eciding what to eat for lunch shouldn’t be a process of elimination, where every day of the week there are only two or three suitable choices for a vegan. Foods consisting of dairy, eggs, honey and meat are all out. This essentially leaves me with fruit, bread, the salad bar, or a bag of “cafeteria-healthy” chips.

I’m not complaining. It is ultimately my choice to be a selective eater. But this doesn’t change the fact that it’s difficult for vegans to stay satisfied throughout the school day. I think my fellow veggie-enthusiasts will agree: unless we bring food from home, we’re basically screwed at lunchtime.

The second meal of the day is not made more pleasant when people comment on my admittedly unconventional choices. “But, why?” is the most immediate reaction. Then, there usually comes some distortion of the phrases, “Don’t you know that humans are meant to eat animals?” Or “Is that even healthy?” Or “How can you possibly stay full?”

As for the first two questions, I’m vegan for many reasons. I’ve never liked the taste or smell or even the idea of meat. And no, I am actually not oblivious to the fact that we are born with canines meant for ripping apart animal flesh. But for me, the concept of consuming the product of another animal’s existence actually seems, converse to the beliefs of my omnivorous friend, inhumane.

As for health, it is true that if you do not properly compensate for the lack of protein, calcium and other key nutrients; veganism is not healthy. However, it has also been proven that vegans have less of a chance of developing, among other things, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, kidney failure, osteoporosis and cancer.

Finally, I don’t stay full. But when I have more control over my meals, it’s really not very difficult. The cafeteria should work harder to supply delicious and animal-friendly options. With appropriate substitutions and adjustments, almost every dish can be distorted to fit a vegan. For instance, when we have tostadas, we could use shells that don’t contain eggs. Also, it would make it easier if the menus said which pastas contain eggs and/or dairy and which breads are Omega-3 enriched (which can contain fish oil). When the vegetarian option is pasta with cream or cheese sauce, the cafeteria should keep the sauce on the side and have a marinara option as well. I’m not trying to convert anyone to veganism, but it would be nice to have more options and less opposition around lunchtime.

GRAPHIC BY JEAN PARK

What happened to semi?

W

hat was “semiformal?” Semiformal was intended to be an opportunity for members of the Harvard-Westlake community to come together and enjoy themselves for a night in January. However, over the years, semiformal has morphed into something completely different.

Due to the drama and the dangers that preceded and followed the school function, it was imperative that the school cancel the event and work to create a wholly new and novel one.

From scavenger hunts to bouquets to embellished desserts, students’ originality reached new heights during the month of January, and it was not dedicated to studying for their midterms. However, elements of this undermined girls’ and boys’ self-confidence. Throughout the month of January, some girls reached new levels of desperation as they waited for boys to ask them. Boys, on the other hand, although not nearly as pressured, faced stresses of their own. Asking the girls, and the possibility of rejection, likewise led to insecurity and discomfort with the entire process. Coupled with the stresses of midterms, semiformal added an unrestrained amount of drama to an already stressful time. However, none of this drama was intended to accompany semiformal.

Semiformal has also become a money pit. Boys who take dates feel obligated to pay for the girls’ tickets and limo, doubling

Lara Sokoloff

what they have to pay. Many girls feel the need to buy new dresses and get their hair, makeup and nails done, a likewise expensive process.

Lastly, semiformal has become far more about the afterparty than the actual semiformal. Students saw semiformal as an opportunity to “let loose,” not thinking about the consequences of their decisions.

The whole schedule of the night was flawed and destined to fail. Although the administration might want to deny it, it can almost be guaranteed that some part of the student body would consume alcohol on the evening of semiformal. However, most students don’t eat before they drink and drink large amounts of alcohol too quickly, which exacerbates the situation. When semiformal was originally planned, it was clearly not foreseen that students would indulge to such an extent and in such an irresponsible manner.

The true purpose of semiformal has been lost over the years. It is no longer about coming together as a community but about elaborate, ostentatious ways to ask your date, unnecessary and excessive spending and students ignoring the consequences of their actions. Thus, it was not only logical, but entirely necessary that the school cancel semiformal and replace it with an entirely new event. It is time that the community look at the true purpose of semiformal and design an event where the innate qualities are preserved.

Tiger cub applauds tiger mom Vivien Mao

M

onster mom is just one of the many names given to Amy Chua, Yale professor, who recently wrote a controversial book called “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” excerpted in an article for the Wall Street Journal called “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior.”

She addresses the Asian and specifically Chinese style of parenting.

Chua claims that statistically, Asians are more likely to succeed and that she knows why. The controversy was a response to Chua’s description of how she raised her daughters.

Never letting her children play an instrument other than piano, forcing them to practice music for two hours a day, and never accepting any grade lower than an A are a few of her parenting rules.

When I first read this article, I laughed at it. It reminded me of my own childhood. Of course, I always felt pressure from my parents to get good grades and win awards, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. I play the piano and have had pretty high standards for my grades. But looking back, I wouldn’t have wanted to be raised any other way.

Consequently, it was extremely surprising to hear that many people were outraged by what they read from Chua.

“Her daughters are basically being abused,” one student I spoke with said.

Funnily enough, not a single Asian parent or student I have talked with felt this way. For the most part, they had similar experiences, and none of them felt they had fewer opportunities or choices in their childhoods.

One of the biggest points of debate was a threat Chua made to her daughter when she refused to practice the piano. Chua vowed to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals. At this, could not stop laughing. It was so similar to what my parents would say half-jokingly to me.

My mom once took all of my sister’s clothes and threw them into the courtyard because she wouldn’t clean up her room. Looking back, that was hilarious. They wouldn’t really, despite their threats, flush my DS down the toilet. The idea that the general populace believes Asian mothers would really do that is almost offensive.

When I am a mother, will I be subject to the title of monster mom if I raise my children the way I was raised?

Chua is simply revealing the Chi-

nese method for raising children, and her method should be respected as much as another. It’s unfair to condemn Chua for publishing a story that a parent from any culture could write.

In reality it’s not much different from any other parenting book; it just has different values.

There is one place where I felt Chua went wrong: the title: “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,” only propels the racism and helped to spark the controversy.

Try to look past the initial moral outrage which may be caused by the extreme difference in the way you have been brought up, and maybe you will see that many of the things she says are not oppressive and controlling. After all, she cares about her children just as much as all mothers do.

A14 Opinion

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

Points of honor

The Honor Board sent out a short recommendation before winter break: “On Wednesday Dec. 8, the Honor Board convened to hear a case involving a 12th grade student and her teacher but was unable to reach a conclusion due to a lack of substantial evidence. The Honor Board recommended that the teacher in question assess consequences at her own discretion.”

Below, two columnists debate the merits of an Honor Board that allows for consequences without evidence and discuss whether the Honor Board system should be more like the United States’ justice system.

Graphic by Rachel schwartz and Noelle Lyons

Honor Board, not a court

Guilty until proved innocent?

Alex Gura

Saj Sri-Kumar

F

or those of us who don’t cheat on tests or regularly skip school, the Honor Board doesn’t play a big part in our lives. True, it is an important part of Harvard-Westlake, but things like the Honor Code and Honor Board don’t come into the minds of people who follow the rules and do their own work. This was the situation for me until the recommendation above popped into my email.

The situation described seemed completely unfair to me. There was no evidence against the kid, and yet he still got punished?

In the United States, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, assuming that if there’s not enough evidence to prove that someone committed a crime, he probably didn’t do it. It seemed completely illogical for a school that prides itself on building independence in teens not to get them adjusted to this principle.

I decided to go talk to the Honor Board advisers and clarify the situation. As it turns out, this case was one that would normally not even go to the Honor Board. There are cases that are sent to the Honor Board, such as ones where a teacher suspects a kid has done something but has no way to confirm the hunch, that are thrown out from the start and instead sent to the administration.

But in a case that is thrown out, a kid is denied even a chance to defend him or herself and is sent straight to the gauntlet of discipline. As I also learned, even with the kid completely cleared, the teacher may still maintain “academic integrity” and decide any grade he or she wants for a student. Isn’t that just nasty?

But it isn’t. The comparisons I made, which at first seemed completely parallel, are actually completely skewed. The Harvard-Westlake honor process is nothing like the legal system of the United States and shouldn’t be. This is due to the one integral word in almost all of Harvard-Westlake life: honor.

This is the vital difference between the legal system and ours.

The Harvard-Westlake system’s first priority isn’t to deal with infractions, but to instill a sense of honor into all

“

students. One doesn’t elect to follow United States law; one is compelled to. But for Harvard Westlake, however symbolic it may be, all students signed the Honor Code, deciding for themselves that they would abide by it.

In national law, there is always a prosecutor and defendant, and to apply that standard here would pit teachers versus the students in a fight for punishment versus survival. But the Honor Board is about teachers working with students to understand what they did and why they shouldn’t do it again.

The thing that made me completely turn around my view was something school chaplain Father J. Young told me when I asked him about the case. I came in thinking about the injustice of the system.

“The teacher knew that the case could end up like it did, but he nonetheless wanted to go forth with it for the student,” Young said.

The Honor Board and Honor Code are ultimately for us, not for the teachers, and not for punishment.

They are about building responsibility for one’s actions and creating a bond of trust between the teacher and student. If a bond of trust is broken between a teacher and student, steps should be taken to fix it.

The trust that is inherent in this relationship is why the teacher can have control over a student’s grades without question, because ultimately this ensures that the teacher can make a student understand what he has done or rectify a personal issue.

It’s not simply about the action that a student takes, but about how the student handles him or herself, the ultimate goal of the Honor Code.

Ultimately, we could create a system for Harvard-Westlake like that of the United States. But this would demolish the bond as a whole between students and the Harvard-Westlake community.

The fact that students participate in the Honor Board would be completely hypocritical in a system where the students owe nothing to the school and the school owes nothing to them. We’ll have enough time as adults to deal with situations like that.

But the honor board is about teachers working with students to understand what they did and why they shouldn’t do it again.”

T

he American criminal justice system is based on the principle that it is more important to protect the innocent than to punish the guilty.

To that end, we are guaranteed many rights when accused of a crime, which help the innocent escape punishment but also have the potential to prevent the punishment of a guilty man.

However, at Harvard-Westlake, that same principle does not apply.

We have a system, the Honor Board, which is supposed to make the process fairer by having fellow students recommend punishments based on the facts. In some ways, it functions similarly to a court — the student and the accusing teacher are both allowed to share their side of the story, and the impartial panel issues a recommendation.

But the similarities end there. In a court case, the facts are used to prove an accusation, and if the defendant can suggest even a reasonable doubt that he or she did not commit the crime, then the court must set him or her free. In other words, there is a presumption of innocence going into the trial — until guilt is proven, no punishment can be levied.

In an Honor Board case, however, no such presumption of innocence exists. If a teacher accuses a student of wrongdoing and the Honor Board is “unable to reach a conclusion due to a lack of substantial evidence,” the Honor Board’s own description of a case heard in December, the Honor Board does not dismiss the case or even recommend that no punishment be taken.

Instead, the members of the panel simply wash their hands of the case and let the teacher decide the appropriate punishment. This is equivalent to having a court dismiss a case for lack of evidence but then allowing the policeman who made the arrest to punish the defendant anyway. Sure, it’s possible that the teacher may not punish the student at all.

However, if a teacher has gone through the effort of bringing the case to the Honor Board in the first place, he or she probably believes

“

that the student deserves some sort of punishment. Thus, it is possible that a student who has done nothing wrong could receive a zero on a test that he/she is only suspected of cheating on. Any student brought before the Honor Board, therefore, is faced with two unpleasant outcomes: either the Honor Board recommends a punishment or the teacher punishes the student. There is virtually no way for a student, however innocent, to emerge unpunished.

While students are likely guilty the vast majority of the time when a teacher accuses them of an academic transgression, there is still the possibility that they could be innocent.

Consider the fact that even in the criminal justice system — which has an even stricter burden of proof — there are cases that are in the news every few months where we hear of people that have been exonerated years after their conviction when new evidence comes to light.

What the Honor Board should do instead of simply sending the case to the teacher for appropriate punishment is make a strong recommendation to the administration and to the teacher that no punishment be administered.

This would not violate the Honor Board’s position as a body that makes non-binding recommendations on punishment.

However, it would do much more to ensure that no innocent student is punished than simply recommending “that the teacher in question assess consequences at her own discretion,” which functions as a tacit approval of any punishment the teacher may choose for the student.

In no way, however, do I advocate simply letting students who cheat get away with it. In fact, I believe that the punishments should be stricter than the simple loss of senior privileges and an in-house detention.

But to get there, we must make sure that we are not punishing anyone who isn’t guilty of the allegation. We already have an impartial body that can fairly judge students’ transgressions. We should take advantage of it.

While students are likely guilty the vast majority of the time when a teacher accuses them of transgression, there is still the possibility that they could be innocent.”

quadtalk

Opinion A15

Chronicle

The

Feb. 16, 2011

What do you think about the ban on water bottles in the cafeteria?

“I’m thirsty and i can’t put water cups in my backpack. The Plastic bottles are more convenient and i’m so dehydrated all day with the water cups.”

—Adrianna Crovo ’11

“I think it’s a great idea. there is far too much waste from plastic. People can buy and carry their own water bottles.”

—Mark Hilt, Performing arts teacher

“At first, I thought it was a good idea beacuse it would save plastic, but now, not so much. water bottles were more helpful.”

—Lucas Giolito ’12

O

Letter to the Editor

ver the last few weeks, the Prefect Council and Middle School Student Council have been collaborating on a proposal to bring back plastic water bottles in both campuses’ cafeterias.

The proposal outlined the downsides and hypocrisies of the status quo: that fewer water bottles has led to the increased use of other plastic bottled drinks, many of which contain three to four times the amount of plastic and are a much less healthy alternative to water; that many people have simply begun to use paper and plastic cups to get water, often throwing the cups away after the first use; that due to the school’s fast-pace, students have frequently forgone standing in line to refill a reusable water bottle, choosing instead the quicker option, a sugary drink.

Also in the proposal was a new “green” plan for both campuses.

In tandem with the Upper School Environmental club, we suggested a refocused push for reusable water bottles, the implementation of biodegradable plates and utensils in our cafeterias and a recycling program for paper.

These initiatives would be put in place to symbolize a firm commitment to making Harvard-Westlake a

greener place and to serve as a reminder that the re-installment of water bottles would not be a ticket to be wasteful.

Our first meetings with Dr. Jeanne Huybrechts, Head of School, left us with an optimistic outlook. Recently, though, we learned that a meeting of the Faculty Academic Committee, which comprises department heads and other school administrators, decided not to accept our proposal.

This is a significant setback, but we want you to know that we do not consider this the end of the road.

We know that this is something that the student body genuinely cares about, and we are convinced that our fight is both justified and logical.

Because a concrete refutation was not articulated to us, we will continue to engage the administration on this topic, and we hope to report good news later this year. As always, we are open to your suggestions and appreciate your support.

—Prefect Council related coverage

For information regarding the water bottle ban see the news article that addresses the same issue.

A3

bynumbers

The Chronicle received 405 reponses to an online poll asking all upper school students their opinions about semiformal.

Semiformal afterparty Do you think that the school should punish those who planned the Jane’s House afterparty?

117

Yes

274

No

One respondent skipped this question

“i don’t really drink water anymore because of the plastic cups. now i just end up drinking juice and gatorade.”

If you answered yes to the previous question: How do you think the party planners ought to be punished?

—Taylor Cooper ’13

77 63 47

Community Service Detention

50

Suspension

21

Expulsion

43

9

All photos by Jean park

Revocation of senior privileges

In-house suspension Other

Two respondents skipped this question

makinggrades

A-

Despite an excellent production, “The Servant of Two Masters” was not sold out.

The Chronicle evaluates recent campus developments.

B+ CPinkberry was available for students in celebration of Valentine’s Day, but it did not all arrive on time.

F

Problems at semiformal and last year’s prom threaten the 2011 prom, leading senior prefects to hold a gradewide meeting.

FAC ignores student pleas and upholds the ban on the sale of water in plastic bottles.

exposure

Feb. 16, 2011

1.

A16

Shadows on the wall Photography students create silhouettes from the realistic to the fantastical to cover the walls of Feldman-Horn Gallery.

By Chloe Lister Upon walking into the Feldman-Horn gallery, one is assaulted with a barrage of color and images. This is “Silhouette,” an art show put on by students in Kevin O’Malley’s Photography III classes.

Giant black construction paper silhouettes that give the show its name adorn the gallery walls, transposed on top of chains of brightly colored rhombuses.

O’Malley assigned the project as a way for his students to better understand photography’s beginnings, when “the silhouette came about as an economical alternative to having one’s portrait painted,” O’Malley said.

Jasmine McAllister ’11 created a silhouette of a family of three holding hands, a candid photo she had already taken.

“There’s something about the simplicity of that gesture and the simplicity of a silhouette that I thought was a nice parallel,” McAllister said.

The rhombuses were created and designed

by Ingrid Chang ’11, Hannah Rosenberg ’11, and Julia Wald ’11, all of whom were O’Malley’s former Drawing and Painting II students.

“I told the Drawing and Painting students to come up with a design that would cover all the wall space in the gallery and then the Photo students would add images of their own over it,” O’Malley said.

“Years ago we did a show called “Sunny and 360 Degrees” and we almost covered all the walls. This time we did. I am now a happy man.”

“It’s a little bit of a sensory overload, but that’s good. Certainly a refreshing break from our usual picture, picture, picture in a line type show,” O’Malley said.

2.

6.

3.

4.

5.

Flights of fancy: Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra, photography teacher Allan Sasaki, and Jasmine McAllister ’11 view the “Silhouette” exhibit in Feldman-Horn Gallery (1), silhoutte of a fairy by Lael Pollack ’11 (2), cityscape by Patricia Caprial ’11 (3), Jared Green ’11 with his bicycle silhouette (4), Riley Pietsch ’11 with his fan silhouette (5), photography teacher Kevin O’Malley views his students’ work with video art teacher Cheri Gaulke and studio art teacher Mariane Hall (6).

Photos by Allison Hamburger

Eatures F the

Chronicle Volume XX Issue IV Nov. 10, 2010

witnessing

history

The whole world watched last week as an uprising toppled the government in Egypt, 40 years ago when Mao Zedong instituted the Chinese Cultural Revolution and nearly 7 decades ago when the Nazis attempted to exterminate European Jews. But some of our teachers, our grandparents and our friends were there when it happened and have first-hand accounts. B6-B7

graphic by mary rose fissinger and ingrid chang

Feb. 16, 2011

Chronicle

The

B2 Features

one

way

ticket

Gra

phi

c by Ari el

le M a

Harvard-Westlake no longer hosts foreign exchange students. The school sends students to study abroad but lacks a formal foreign exchange program.

By Vivien Mao

some of our families wanted them to experience that. Or, some other Harvard-Westlake families or families in Los Angeles pending a junior year abroad in Spain or China, or soak- would want to take them out for weekend outings or something ing in the language and culture in a two or three-week like that. You just need an infrastructure of family support for a immersion trip to Argentina, Mexico or France is an ex- program like that.” perience many students have taken advantage of, but not Lehmuskallio, who came from her native Finland to enroll as a since Chiara Valdesolo of Italy graduated in 1997 and Meri-Tuuli senior in 1993 to 1994, lived with the Huybrechts family and took Mertsu Lehmuskallio of Finland graduated in 1994, has Harvard- part in gymnastics, dancing, singing, acting and much more.

Westlake formally hosted a foreign exchange student.

“I got to take more free classes than other students as I didn`t When the school offered Russian as a foreign language, many get any credit for my studies back home,” Lehmuskallio said. students took part in an exchange program with a school in St. “I did have ‘normal’ classes too; I had algebra and AP English.

Petersburg. Students from the school in St. Petersberg spent Most interesting was Spanish in English. We had a small happy several weeks on the Coldwater Canyon campus, and Harvard- group and as we studied, we learned a lot, which was enjoyable.

Westlake students spent several weeks there. School counselor I got nice class mates in every class I took. Especially from those Luba Bek first came to Harvard-Westlake as one of the teachers classes where we were able to talk more freely, like dance and at the St. Petersburg school, accompanying students. acting.”

And for many years, there was a reciprocal exchange with She said she has remained close with the Huybrechts family.

Tamagawa-Gakuen, a K-12 school in a Tokyo suburb. Harvard“I feel I still know them well. My host parents have visited me Westlake students spent two weeks in the summer staying with two times, once with my host sister Cassie. I have visited them host families and attending classes at the Japanese school. once after my exchange year,” she said. “We write e-mails once in In the spring, the teenager in whose home the Harvard-West- a while. They always remember my birthdays and my daughter’s lake student had stayed, came to Los Angeles and stayed for two and son’s birthdays with a card, which I think is wonderful. I weeks, the guest becoming the host. feel very warmly about them. We have an open invitation to visit Both the Russian and the Japanese exthem any time. My host parents Jeanne and change programs ended when the school Dirk are special grandparents to my chilstopped offering those languages. dren, and we all hope to see them soon.”

Harvard-Westlake is a member of sevLehmuskallio said that during her year eral educational groups including the G20 at Harvard-Westlake, “My family always schools and Institutes of Maximum Capaciwelcomed me and my friends to their home ty, which connect Harvard-Westlake to secand made me feel as a part of their famondary schools all around the world. Some ily even with all the relatives. I still feel so. of those schools exchange students with They could show me normal American life, each other, but apparently no students have which is more than one can learn from any wanted to spend a year at Harvard-Weststudies. They are just wonderful people.” lake. Lawrenceville School in New Jersey Harvard-Westlake is part of the School —Jeanne Huybrechts and Robertson College in Turkey, both G20 Year Abroad program, with students goHead of School schools, trade four or five foreign exchange ing to SYA campuses in China, France and students each year.

Spain, and living with host families, but stuHarvard-Westlake used to be a part of an exchange program dents from those schools have not come here. through American Field Studies (AFS), but stopped partici“We primarily just work with the SYA organization because pating in AFS because of a declining willingness of families to they do get an intensive experience in language acquisition. And host the foreign students for a whole school year, Head of School that’s why it’s so appealing to our students,” Huybrechts said.

Jeanne Huybrechts said.

The foreign language department has sponsored immersion “The last time we had a program like that was through Amer- trips during summer and winter breaks. Ranging from Cuernaican Field Study, which is a worldwide organization with chap- vaca to Argentina, students have stayed with host families for ters in many different countries,” Huybrechts said. “I would bet a couple of weeks. Spanish teacher Javier Zaragoza has been in that there are some teachers here who were once AFS students. charge of this program for around 20 years.

At any rate, we had AFS students here up until the late ’90s.

“Zaragoza now has connections in these cities. I don’t know But they need a home to live in for the full year, and that was exactly how he advertises for them but a lot of it is word-ofsometimes a problem. Finding a host family, because keeping a mouth saying that it’s a great program. He is able to find a lot of teenager for a year is a huge commitment.” host families. Now, I think the reason he is more successful than “My husband and I have hosted two full year exchange stu- AFS is because it’s only a two-week commitment,” Huybrechts dents: one who went to University High School and one who went said. to our school. We’ve actually hosted several students for anyHuybrechts said that in order for a formal foreign exchange where from one week to six weeks in our house, and I will tell you program to be reinstated they would need to feel there were famthat in the city of Los Angeles, it’s just hard to find host families, ilies who wanted to host a student for a year. There are many period. It’s not just Harvard-Westlake,” Huybrechts said. possible complications in the process of “adopting” a child for a “I’m sure that there is still an AFS chapter in Los Angeles, year. but it was becoming a little weak around the year 2000 primar“I would need someone else to get excited about it and come ily because it’s just hard to find families anywhere in Southern here and bring it to me as a proposal and to know that there was California,” she said. some support for it outside this office because it’s a wonderful “When our students stayed with us, they sometimes went to experience, but it is a lot of work for host families and for even dinner at other Harvard-Westlake families’ houses,” Huybrechts some of the peripheral families that get involved,” Huybrechts said. “They would go to Shabbat because we’re not Jewish and said.

S

“

It’s just hard to find host families, period. It’s not just HarvardWestlake.”

xne

r

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

home away from home

Features B3

Despite the lack of a formal foreign exchange program, two students left their families behind in Serbia and Thailand to study here.

Transitioning to a different world

By David Burton

and

Shawn Ma

When Danilo Dragovic ’11 moved to the United States two years ago from Belgrade, Serbia, he faced a lot of obstacles. But halfway through his senior year he has made a smooth transition into the American lifestyle.

Not a part of a formal foreign exchange program, he moved to California where his older brother already lived and spent last year at San Marcos High School before enrolling at Harvard-Westlake last summer.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to come to this school, and although it is hard at times, it’s a blessing that I want to make the best of,” Dragovic said.

One of the difficulties that presented itself America was the language barrier. Learning classes in a different language proved tough for Dragovic, but he has made the adjustment and is becoming more familiar with the American style of learning. Dragovic is currently enrolled in AP English Language and Composition taught by Arianna Kelly.

“Ms. Kelly has been immensely influential in my development of the English language, but it definitely still is a challenge,” Dragovic said.

Daily interactions with his friends, teachers, and family have helped him hone his English, he said.

Dragovic said that the standard for learning in Serbia is very similar to that of Harvard-Westlake. Both are demanding and strenuous, but also prepare a student for any future endeavors they might pursue.

The primary difference is the cultural exposure.

The transition to American culture has been a daily learning experience for Dragovic. He has noticed a more diverse culture religiously, ethnically and socially since moving to America. He is a member of the Serbian Orthodox Christian church and in his home country, most of the people he knows are of the same denomination, whereas in America he has met Muslims and Jews, he said.

“There’s greater opportunity to meet all different types of people from different backgrounds with different interests,” Dragovic said.

“It’s really broadened my horizons because in Serbia, everyone is Serbian.”

With a chance to experience new things in a new country Dragovic has taken advantage of the opportunity to immerse himself in the American culture. At first, he would eat only Italian and French food because it was most similar to Serbian food, but now after being exposed to new music and foods unavailable in Serbia, he has taken a particular liking to sushi and Lil’ Wayne, he said.

David Burton/chronicle

lunch period: Danilo Dragovic ’11 eats lunch in the quad. Dragovic moved to the United States from Serbia two years ago.

“At first I was reluctant to try new things but my new friends entcouraged me to,” Dragovic said. “Now, I have the best of both worlds.”

When he feels homesick, he maintains his strong connection to his homeland by calling his sister in Serbia and blasting Serbian music.

Although at times he misses his family, making friends has not been a problem. As an avid basketball player, he has brought his talents to the varsity basketball team; but due to recent CIF rulings, has been deemed ineligible to play. Despite his inability to play in games, Dragovic still practices with the team as well as spends time with them. He has also made friends outside of basketball.

Dragovic resides with a host family whom he knows very well through a strong connection with his own family. They have helped bridge the gap between the Serbian and American lifestyle and have supported him in juggling all of his extracurricular activities. He spends time on the weekends with his host family watching movies or eating out at restaurants. Throughout the week, he spends time with his host sister who is also in high school.

“At first it was kind of awkward living with a new family, but now I consider them to be an extension of my own family,” Dragovic said.

“They are very friendly and down to earth.”

Although his family lives in Serbia, Dragovic hopes to continue his education in America and one day see his younger sister move to America to study alongside him.

“I will always have strong ties to Serbia and I will always have family out there,” Dragovic said, “But now I have the chance to explore a whole different world and I am really excited.”

More kids and more rules, but two loving families in two countries

By Keane Muraoka-Robertson

reprinted with permission of bronty o’leary

Family portrait: Bronty O’Leary ’13 (top, second from right) poses with her parents and siblings.

Imagine leaving home at the age of 12. Imagine sitting on a plane and flying to another continent all by yourself. Imagine not seeing your family for the next four months. This is what Bronty O’Leary ’13 did.

The summer before seventh grade, O’Leary flew to Los Angeles to attend Harvard-Westlake, leaving her biological family behind back in Thailand, visiting only during winter, spring, and summer break. Since then, she has continued to do so every school year.

“When people ask me where I’m from, I don’t usually know how to answer,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary, who is an Australian citizen, was born and raised in Phuket, Thailand.

“My parents moved to Thailand because my dad started his business there, and my mom started working as a hotel manager,” O’Leary said. “They both fell in love with Thailand and decided to live there. I was

raised there with my two sisters and one brother. We all attended a British school and when it was time to make decisions for high school, the Pritzkers offered to let me live with them and be their host daughter so I could go to Harvard-Westlake.”

The Pritzkers were already close family friends when they offered to be her host family.

It was Aug. 16, 2007 when O’Leary left home for the first time.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I am leaving home, this is insane.

I love the Pritzkers and I love my family, but I don’t know if I’m capable for Harvard-Westlake,” O’Leary said, recalling how she felt that day.

“At first it was a little hard getting used to the different rules,” O’Leary said. “There were more kids and more rules, and a whole new family dynamic. Changing was hard, one [family] was in busy Los Angeles, and the other in chill Thailand.”

“It was tough not to see my

sisters — not really my brother because he’s older ­— and not see them grow up,” O’Leary said. “I left when Meg was 8-years-old and she turned 12 in January. I feel like I missed out on watching her grow up, but I know that it’s for the best.”

“It’s good that I can go to Harvard-Westlake and participate in all these sports and academics and have the chance for a better future than I would have had in Thailand,” O’Leary said. “The opportunities that Harvard-Westlake has given me are priceless and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. The only con is that I miss my family a lot and get homesick sometimes” Because of her situation, the Pritzkers are her legal dual guardians along with her biological parents back in Thailand. Usually O’Leary gets to talk to her family once a day via Skype.

“The best part of this is having two loving families who are fully supportive of my decisions,” O’Leary said.

Chronicle

The

B4 Features

Feb. 16, 2011

reprinted with permission of los angeles daily news

in action: LAPD officers stand by during the Bank of America shootout in North Hollywood on Feb. 28, 1997,

to

reprinted with permission of los angeles daily news

reprinted with permission of axel kloester

top. Tanks were called onto the scene of the shootout, one of the longest incidents in law enforcement history,

bottom left. Detective Tracey Angeles (at bottom right) is now part of the security team at Harvard-Westlake.

protect and serve

By Catherine Wang

The radio call came in at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 28, 1997. Two heavily armed men, dressed like commandos, had robbed the North Hollywood Bank of America branch on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Fleeing, the suspects were confronted

by Los Angeles Police Department officers. This marked the beginning of the North Hollywood shootout — one of the longest law enforcement confrontations to date.

Detective Tracey Angeles and her partner were two blocks away on a routine call when they heard the “officer needs help” radio call and drove to the Bank of America.

Though shots had reportedly been fired, neither Angeles nor her partner heard any. They drove into a parking lot across the street from the bank looking for a getaway car.

“Oftentimes in robberies, especially of that magnitude, there is a layoff person watching for law enforcement,” Angeles said. “We were looking for something out of the ordinary — maybe a person in a car with the engine on.”

Perceiving no getaway car, Angeles and her partner got out of their car.

“We were trained,” she said. “Being in the car with automatic fire around is like being in a coffin.”

She and her partner waited behind their car.

“When the robbers came out of the bank, we engaged them and they engaged us,” she said.

Angeles and her partner used their city issued firearms — nine millimeter handguns.

The shootout lasted 44 minutes, engaging over 300 law enforcement officers.

By the time shooting had ceased, the robbers, Larry Eugene Phillips and Emil Matasareanu, had fired about 1,300 rounds and law enforcement officers had fired about 650 rounds.

Angeles credits her training for helping her think and react to the situation with a levelheaded mind, she said.

“Training encompasses so many things — we practice shooting, study tactics to deal with violent suspects, and so much more,” Angeles said.

The North Hollywood Shootout stands out as a monumental day not only for her career, but for law enforcement as a whole.

The event was “one-of-a-kind” at that that

LAPD Detective Tracey Angeles, the newest addition to campus security, was wounded in a 1997 shootout at a North Hollywood branch of Bank of America.

time and changed law enforcement for good, she said.

“The department recognized that we better be able to carry superior firepower because bad guys always have better firepower that us,” she said.

“Any incident can turn into a North Hollywood shootout.”

The shootout killed both suspects and wounded 19 others, including Angeles and her partner.

While Phillips and Matasareanu wore military grade body armor impenetrable by the weapons issued to law enforcement officers, Angeles and her partner wore business attire.

Angeles was shot in the left hip and buttocks area, but she was able to continue shooting. Her partner took a direct hit to his femur and then to his forearm. The bullet penetrated through the flesh of his arm and missed his bone, but his femur was shattered, Angeles said.

She placed a tourniquet on his wound and remained by her partner’s side until a patrol car came to rescue them.

“Fear and anger were the two biggest emotions I felt,” Angeles said.

The LAPD awarded Angeles the Medal of Valor, the highest honor given to law enforcement officers. She was honored in a Washington D.C. ceremony and met then First Lady Hillary Clinton.

“The experience was powerful,” Angeles said.

“I got to meet some very interesting people and hear their stories.”

The North Hollywood shootout received widespread media attention. A film was made about the shootout, and numerous televisions shows featured it.

Angeles gave the interviews that the LAPD asked of her, but she denied all other interviews and did not become involved in any film or television productions.

“I don’t like being in the spotlight,” she said. “I like to do my job and go home quietly — blend in, if you will.”

Angeles focuses on violent crime.

“I’ve worked with homicide, robbery and undercover gangs,” she said. “Right now I work with property crime, so I deal with burglarized homes.”

Angeles graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School’s program in Homeland Defense and

Security in 2009.

“I saw an ad for the program on various law enforcement websites,” she said. “They bring together first responders in various disciplines — law enforcement, fire and military — to collaborate.”

Angeles was not initially among the 30 accepted to the program and instead enrolled in Boston University’s program in criminal justice.

“I was almost done with the program when the [Naval Postgraduate School] contacted me and asked me to update my application,” she said. “I sent them a paper I wrote at Boston University and they liked it and called me to offer me a spot.”

Angeles was the first Los Angeles police officer to be admitted to the program, which lasts 18 months and has no breaks.

“I was up on the base for two weeks, and for 10 weeks [I was] at home doing classes online,” she said. “There are virtual cities with terrorists — very intense and interesting.”

She was hired by Head of Security Jim Crawford to join his security staff two months ago. Angeles knew of Crawford through a friend, since he used to work for the LAPD. Part of her work includes making security assessments of the campus.

“I’ve been asked to find where the weak and vulnerable spots are in case there is an active shooter or natural disaster. I look over the security plans to see if there is anything missing or that can be solidified in an effort to make the campus safe,” she said.

Angeles believes the school needs to provide more disaster preparedness training for students, parents and faculty.

“If you train and prepare for disasters and confrontations, you can rely on yourself as you await help,” Angeles said, adding that law enforcement officers normally arrive at crime scenes when it is too late. “Giving students a basic foundation regarding what to do will save more lives and prevent more injuries.”

Angeles cites her North Hollywood shootout experience as evidence that training pays off.

“Could I predict every little thing that went on?

No. Each violent confrontation is unique and is subject to outside influences that you can’t predict,” she said. “But was I trained? Yes.”

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Chapter 6: Some seniors already know their future college while some others wait for their regular application decisions. unchanged, he said.

C S “I’ve been slacking since after first quarter,” he said. Aiden admits that his “great first quarter grades” have slipped, but Mnot to a point that he is worried.

“They aren’t as flashy as before”, he said, “but I want to just keep them where they are now.”

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Madison the Performer: Madison* was accepted to Wesleyan University through its Early Decision II application round. She was deferred to Wesleyan’s Early Decision II application round after applying Early Decision.

She checked her admissions decision Monday in her dean’s office.

“It was just me and her between fifth and sixth,” Madison said. “It was amazing. I’m really, really excited.”

Madison was also accepted to Emerson College through its Early Action program in December.

“It was a safety school,” she said.

“But it felt good to get in.”

She did not feel that writing applications was stressful, she said.

“Obviously it’s a lot of work,” she said, “But it’s better than homework.”

Madison described her second semester as “really fun” so far.

“The workload hasn’t changed,” she said, “But you don’t feel stressed, so it’s more enjoyable.”

Aiden the All-Around: Aiden,* who did not apply to any school through an early application program, ended up applying to 15 schools regular decision.

“Other than the four University of California campuses I applied to and the Universdity of Southern California, they are mostly in the Midwest and East Coast,” he said.

“I have trouble remembering all of them.”

Of those schools, none stand out as front-runners, he said. He was accepted to the University of California in Riverside two weeks ago. He learned of his acceptance through email and then received a package in the mail.

“It took me a while to realize what was going on,” he said, “It’s slowly sinking into my mind like ‘woah, I got into college’.”

Aiden dedicated the majority of his winter break to writing college applications, admitting that he is a “last-minute kind of kid.”

“I found it really hard to focus on writing an application and I felt a lot more motivated at the last minute to get it done,” he said. “It worked out – I don’t think I blew it on any application.”

The application he had the most trouble with was for the University of Michigan. He submitted the application two days before the school’s Feb. 1 application deadline.

Now that Aiden has finished his applications, his work habits remain

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Zoe the Artist: Zoe* was accepted to New York University and Emerson College through the schools’ early application programs and will be attending NYU. She left her phone in the car the day both schools’ admissions decisions were released so that she would not be tempted to check her e-mail.

“That didn’t really help, since I couldn’t concentrate the entire day,” she said. “I was looking at the clock the entire day.”

Immediately after the school day ended, she went to her car to check her e-mail on her phone.

“I saw the NYU one and I skipped over it because I was so nervous,” she said, “I finally clicked on it and all I saw was ‘honor,’ ‘privilege’ and ‘congratulations.’”

Zoe said she “freaked out” and forgot about checking her Emerson admissions decision. She checked several hours later, and was happy to find out that she was accepted.

Zoe’s acceptances to NYU and Emerson did not affect her winter break, since she submitted the regular decision applications to University of Southern California, Chapman University and Wesleyan University before the early admissions decisions were released.

She withdrew those applications after being accepted to NYU and Emerson.

Zoe admits that she is more relaxed with her schoolwork now that second semester has begun.

“I’m not as anxious about my grades,” she said, “Now I know where I’m going. If I get a C, it won’t be like I won’t get into college.”

Alexis the Athlete: Alexis* was accepted to St. Mary’s College through its Early Decision program. She received her admissions decision through a letter sent

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illustration by Melissa Gertler

from the school during winter break.

“It was a big envelope,” she said, “and I knew the big envelope was a good thing.”

Her acceptance package reminded her of the one she received from Harvard-Westlake four years ago.

“It’s really exciting to find out you get accepted,” she said. “You feel like you accomplished something big.”

She visited the school several weeks ago and met with the coach that recruited her as a walk-on athlete.

She likes that walk-on athletes at St. Mary’s are treated the same as scholarship athletes are.

“Everyone has the same opportunity to become a starter. It depends on how you train and compete,” she said, “At bigger schools, it’s not like that.”

Alexis plans on going to St. Mary’s unless it is “completely not affordable,” she said.

She is now waiting for financial aid decisions, which should be released in March.

She applied for financial aid from St. Mary’s as well as other scholarships. She applied for a scholarship sponsored by her mother’s work and a scholarship particular to her nationality and anticipated major, as well as for a Cal Grant.

She applied to several California State Universities, and she will try to get recruited by other schools during the club season should she be unsatisfied by the financial aid package St. Mary’s offers.

Carter the Brain: Carter* was accepted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology

through its Early Action program.

He received his decision notification by logging onto a page on the school’s website.

“I was refreshing the page over and over again,” he said “At first, I didn’t believe it.”

Carter only applied to Harvard University regular decision.

He initially planned to apply to Princeton University as well, but decided against doing so at the last minute.

“The realistic question was whether or not I would choose any other school over MIT,” he said, “Regarding Harvard and MIT, I’m still not sure which one I would choose.”

Carter is attracted to the freedom Harvard students are given to choose classes.

“You can skip a few math classes to go to a harder one,” he said.

He is particularly interested in Math 55, a rigorous freshman math class.

Carter considers the fact that Harvard and MIT are both in Boston a coincidence.

“I’m not a fan of the cold weather,” he said, “but location, geography and climate didn’t play a big part in my college search.”

Carter said he is “trying hard” to bring up his grades while also dedicating himself to several extra-curricular activities.

“I doubt I’ll be a second semester senior,” he said. There is a lot of stress I no longer have, but no stress doesn’t mean not working hard.” * names have been changed

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Chronic

At first, Auschwitz looked beautiful to camp survivor

By Lara Sokoloff

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azi persecutors stripped Helen Freeman of everything. Her family, friends, every belonging, and even her identity were taken by the Nazi regime, reducing her to only a number: A24490.

In 1939, the Nazi Germans occupied Freeman’s hometown of Radom, Poland. She was 18. The earliest steps of the Nazi’s systemized extermination of an innocent people began with taking the men, Freeman, grandmother of Jackie Feiler ’10, Jamie Feiler ’12 and Jake Feiler ’13, said. Eventually the Germans moved the Jews into a contained ghetto, closing them off from the outside world. Forced to identify themselves as Jews, they were required to wear arm bands with Jewish stars on them. They were given minimal nutrition and forced to work, but the Nazis generally left them alone, Freeman said. Freeman’s mother often warned her to not walk far from their room, for it was known that the Nazis would abduct unsuspecting Jews.

“One day I went a little too far, and they grabbed me,” she said. “It was a truck, it had a curtain on the back, and it was dark.”

Freeman was sent to a camp where

an epidemic of typhoid fever broke out.

“They used to come in everyday to see if someone was sick, and if you were, they took you and killed you,” she said.

“My fever got high, and I thought they were going to kill me.

At night I didn’t sleep, and I was thinking about my family, not knowing where they were, or if they were alive.”

In desperation, Freeman gave a letter she had written to her family to one of the Jewish guards who traveled in between camps, and the guard delivered the note to her brother. Her brother, desperate to save Helen, bribed the guards to rescue his sister.

“He came out with a truck to my camp,” she said. “And while the guards were changing, I could get out and he could grab me.”

Upon their arrival in her brother’s ghetto, they were immediately arrested. Freeman and her brother were sure they would be killed immediately, she said. However, by some miracle, they were spared. Freeman spent the next few months recovering.

“They put me in a hospital with a bed and white sheets, which I hadn’t seen for years,” she said. “But no doctors, no medicine. I was laying there, and I guess I was strong enough to get over it.”

Eventually they liquidated her ghetto, sending the Jews on a death march. They then boarded the trains to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.

“When we arrived, I thought it was beautiful,” she said. “It looked like paradise.”

Upon their arrival, the German guards explained to the Jews that they understood they had been traveling and they must be exhausted,

eyewitn to his

Graphic by Victor Yoon

1945

Despite his mistakes, Mao deserves respect, teacher says

1976

Monumental events tha the pages of the history grandparents and friend

By Austin Block

W

hen Chinese teacher Dr. Qinrou Zhou was in music school in Beijing in 1964, there wasn’t enough to eat. Famines and disasters plagued China. To avoid excess physical exertion, which could only make them hungrier, Zhou and his classmates would go straight from class back to the dorm. There, they would lie on their backs and tape their homework to the top of the bunks above them so they could conserve energy while studying.

Two years later, on May 16, 1966, Chairman Mao Zedong set the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in motion. Zhou’s school was closed and over the summer, students were told to travel the country to experience the revolution and promote its ideals.

In August, chaos ensued in Beijing. Farmers, workers and other professionals were given the chance to leave. However, if they were revealed to be landowners, wealthy people or capitalists, they were beaten with belts. Many families lost fathers.

“These several days really harmed the Chinese people’s heart because many families lost their seniors, their father,” Zhou said. “Usually it was the older people that were beaten.”

Soon, however, the situation calmed down in Beijing, though violence also occurred in other cities. Zhou and his family were safe because they were not anti-revolutionaries. Zhou’s father was a surgeon and his mother was an accountant. In the fall, Zhou and some friends formed a group and journeyed around the country. Train rides were free for students, and the cabins were stuffed to the brim. Some people even traveled in the luggage shelves above the seats. After returning from his trip, which he said was a good experience, Zhou continued his studies on his own. The schools were still closed.

After graduating, Zhou and young people were distributed around the country to work for different organizations. Zhou, a conductor and composer, was assigned to the Beijing Opera, where he worked for nine years. In 1975, he conducted about 3000 singers and a double orchestra in the

and thus they would take a shower and then relax, F said. So they asked the women to proceed to the and the men stayed behind.

“The men were just waving the finger, to the rig the left,” she said. “No choice … you go to this side side.”

At the showers, they were stripped of whatever belongings they still had and given the uniform dre were then assigned to their barracks, where they w tooed. A24490.

“They put a number,” she said. “We had no na more. We had a number.”

In the mornings, they were given dark coffee an slice of bread and a small cup of soup at night, and all.

“It was horrible, it was horrible,” she said. I kne couldn’t get out, and I was weak. The only thing t me going was faith in God. Nothing else, just that I strong enough, and that maybe, I could survive.”

Freeman and her roommate were chosen to a German factory in Czechoslovakia. In the fact worked with the machines making parts for the army. Freeman would intentionally make the parts rately, she said.

“I knew I risked my life,” she said. “But I didn felt dead.”

On May 8, 1945, they were liberated by the Rus American armies. She returned home, filled with a tion at seeing her family. However, she found no on some time, she found her brothers and her boyfri were reunited, she said. She and her boyfriend ma November 1945, and later had two children.

Freeman and her husband, Joseph, were forced to years to emigrate to the United States. In 1951, they in Pasadena. They started a business, learned Eng expanded their family. They had four children, and n eight grandchildren.

However, Freeman didn’t always speak about her experiences.

“I wanted to raise my kids normally, and I knew t I went through wasn’t normal,” she said. “So I put

‘Anyone could Graphic by Victor Yoon

National Day Concert, which was broadcast to the entire nation. After finishing his college education and teaching as an assistant professor for three years, Zhou came to the United States in 1986 to see the Western world with his own eyes. He has lived in the United States since. Zhou objects to the outright condemnation of Chairman Mao. He feels the issue is more complex. Although he acknowledges that Mao made many mistakes, he believes that the communist ruler was not a “monster” but rather a good but flawed leader. Though he said Mao, as the leader, should be responsible for the actions of the government, he thinks many of the atrocities that occurred during the revolution were instigated by local leaders who, in such a large country, were outside of his control.

“We still pay respect to him because he led us to independence … but after this he did make a lot of mistakes,” Zhou said.

Zhou refuses to judge the Cultural Revolution era because he believes that a nation’s history must be analyzed and evaluated as a whole. He said that isolating and attacking one phase of Chinese or American history is invalid without considering the events that preceded and followed the period.

The granddaughter of a witness to the Chinese Cultural Revolution share her grandmother’s story and how it affects on her family today.

By Wendy Chen

E

arly in the morning, masses are lined up in front of a department store, waiting for the doors to open. Finally, workers tumble out of the store. The people outside come to strict attention, and the workers lead them in a dance. Rows after rows of bodies move in sync, trying to copy the movements of the other. They must perform a ceremonial, almost rituallike dance before they can enter the store.

People file into the store, having completed a show of loyalty, a salutation to the new regime and its head, Mao Zedong.

Ge Yuanwen was 24 when she picked up the newspaper and learned that Mao was launching a new period of China’s history.

The year was 1966; the Cultural Revolution, which was to last 10 years, had begun.

Mao launched the revolution because he feared that the nation was losing sight of his ideals, Wen tells me. Some people were becoming too prosperous, posing too great

of a threat to the Comm wanted to retain his p and also return China sioned it as: a classless sire to reshape China, M upon his people, Wen sa does not quite mask he Before the Cultura and her family were we tively good life. Wen ha ated from university as a chemist at China’ ence. When the revol broke down. Schools sto groups of the Red Gua down the enemies of M enemies were capitalists was one of them.

“My father had loved recalls.

“He did any asked him to. But when gan, every day, my fath and apology letters need The Red Guard came tory and questioned him to the country and accu making money from th ployed.

Wen’s father treated He denied the allegatio wise, and he denied that

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hen relax, Freeman ed to the showers,

Egyptian revolts cause teacher’s family to flee

, to the right or to o this side, or this

By Jean Park

W

whatever minimal niform dress. They ere they were tat-

had no name any-

k coffee and a thin night, and that was

said. I knew that I nly thing that kept just that I could be urvive.” hosen to work in n the factory, she s for the German e the parts inaccu-

But I didn’t care. I

by the Russian and lled with anticipaound no one. After her boyfriend, and yfriend married in en. e forced to wait six n 1951, they arrived arned English, and dren, and now have

k about her horrific

d I knew that what “So I put away ev-

Allison Hamburger/chronicle

the next generation: Jamie Feiler ’12 with her grandmother, Helen Freemen, a Holocaust survivor. erything, like in a Pandora box.”

She never spoke until her son attended a Holocaust lecture at Northwestern University by a professor who had written a book, “Denying the Holocaust.” Her son called home and spoke to his father, asking who was lying.

“So my husband said, Helen, you better go to the telephone,” she said. “And I started crying. I said, ‘I’m a traitor.’

I didn’t talk, I couldn’t, it was hurting too much. But I told him he should go tell his professor he’s a liar, he’s a liar.”

From then on, Freeman openly spoke about her experiences. She implores the young people to stand up, to speak up, she said.

“I hope that you kids never, never experience what I experienced. You young people are going to carry the torch, to make it that something like that never happens again.”

“The German people, they started to do something, but too late, and Hitler was too powerful. If they had stood up earlier, Hitler couldn’t have succeeded,” she said.

Freeman will speak at 7 p.m. tonight at Remember Us: The Righteous Conversations Project in Chalmers. See Page A5.

itnesses history

hile others were concerned about the political implications of the recent Egyptian revolt, English teacher Jocelyn Madawar was assisting her mother, uncle and sister-in-law escape the riotous country. Medawar’s mother was born in Alexandria and her late father in Cairo, and her family members were in Egypt during the turmoil. They were visiting relatives near Tahrir Square and had also planned a trip to Alexandria and a cruise along the Nile River, but they were met by “something unprecedented,” Medawar said.

“At first, they were expecting a couple of days of protests and traffic, and then they could continue with their plans.

Over time … it [became] impossible to leave the apartment since they were so close to the big square,” Medawar said.

Her family members agreed to stay at a hotel near an airport. The cab ride to the hotel “was rather nerve-wracking, according to my mother,” Medawar said.

With the internet blocked by the government, it was hard for many travelers to communicate and book flights to any other country. Some airlines suspended flights due to the unrest and civil violence in the country. Medawar and her family members, however, were able to communicate through her uncle’s cell phone and a relative in San Francisco

was able to book them an early flight to Milan.

“But those few days were extremely hectic with people crowding both the hotel and the airport. My mother said that just a little more pressure, just a few more people, a little more shouting, and one felt that total chaos could ensue. But that never happened, and they made it to Milan. What concerns us more is that my cousin and aunt had to leave their apartment and get out to a suburb because of gunfire, tear gas, etc. A Molotov cocktail was thrown into the building across the street from theirs,” Medawar said.

Medawar said that her mother, safely back in California, was “thrilled” about the overturning of the Egyptian goverment.

“The protestors are from all segments of the population. They want a life without rigged elections, corruption, 40 percent of a population of 83 million people who live in poverty...many of them uneducated and without the hope of jobs,” Medawar said.

Graphic by Victor Yoon

2011

ts that have changed the world jump off story books when the stories are told by riends who saw them first-hand.

uld accuse anyone’

o the Communist Party. Mao etain his power in the party urn China to how he envia classless society. In his depe China, Mao brought chaos ple, Wen says. Her light voice te mask her bitterness. e Cultural Revolution, Wen y were well-off, living a relafe. Wen had recently graduniversity and was working at China’s Academy of Scithe revolution started, life Schools stopped teaching, and e Red Guard began to hunt emies of Mao. Among Mao’s capitalists, and Wen’s father em. had loved his country,” Wen did anything his country But when the revolution bey, my father was questioned etters needed to be written.” uard came to his textile facstioned him about his loyalty y and accused him of unfairly ey from the workers he em-

er treated his workers fairly. e allegations that said otherdenied that he was disloyal to

the country. Still, the Red Guard came to question him on a weekly basis. They even interrogated his workers, some of whom eventually made false accusations about how he treated them. Wen said that during those times, anyone could accuse anyone else of anything without any evidence.

Her father, being accused, had to write confessions and apology letters, which were posted by the Red Guards on public walls to humiliate him.

Wen’s father, like many others, was seen as an enemy of the state. As a result, the Red Guard broke into their home.

“I never blamed the Red Guard. They were young; they didn’t know what they were doing. Young people can be manipulated.”

Wen was forced to quit her job and work in the factories. When she was not working, she was participating in the spread of propaganda.

Wen remembers how the government pried into the lives of the people and obliged each person to fully learn the government’s ideas. Everyone received a red book, filled with Maoisms, or the words that Mao spoke.

“They say that every one sentence of Mao is worth 10,000 words,” Wen recalls.

“They treated Mao like a god.”

Wen knows that her family Printed with permission of Wendy Chen was better off Her Heritage: Wendy Chen’s ’13 grandmother, Ge Yuanwen, was living in than some.

China during the time of Mao Zedong’s Chinese Cultural Revolution.

“Many people just committed Last year, I visited China, the country suicide,” Wen says.

For her personally she said, “It was a my family had come from. Walking through waste of my life. Ten golden years all wast- the busy streets of Shanghai, cars honking and people crowding the sidewalks, I can ed.”

The Cultural Revolution ended with hardly tell it apart from any other big city.

Mao’s death. Change in China didn’t be- It’s a lively place. There’s always the smell gin until the late 1970s however. And Wen, of cigarette smoke in the air when I take fearing another time of craziness, left for a walk outside along colorfully tiled lanes.

America. By the time Wen was planning to People are everywhere, street vendors, leave China, she was already married and workers or normal people like me, trying had a family. Her husband had a working to do the impossible: catch a taxi. When visa in the United States, and had come I’m in China, I cannot tell that it hadn’t back to China to get the rest of the fam- always been this way.

To me, the traces of the Cultural Revoily. In January 1986, Wen, her husband and lution have been wiped from the surface, two children boarded an airplane that took pushed under and buried with passing off from Shanghai.

Landing in New York, the bright city time, yet still alive in the memories of its lights overpowered Wen’s eyes. She had survivors.

Ge Yuanwen’s tale of her family’s life never seen so much light at once. A million during the Cultural Revolution is only one dots of light was an awesome sight.

It has been 25 years since Wen came to story of many more.

Her story is one that will be passed this country. Life in China has improved down and has been passed down. From her drastically. She wonders at how a counto me.

From grandmother to granddaughtry can change so much in the span of 50 ter. years.

movie

Feb. 16, 2011

Chronicle

The

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Two student filmmakers are co-directing the upcoming Harvard-Westlake Film Festival in Hollywood, hosted by Academy Award nominee Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu.

Director’s love of film starts at early age

By Daniel Rothberg It started with a move. When Nick Lieberman ’11 was nearly 12 years old, his father moved into a new home, and Lieberman was tasked with the responsibility of organizing his father’s extensive collection of DVDs. At the same time, Lieberman received a copy of Steven Jay Schneider’s “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.” With a newfound interest in the silver screen, inspired by the book and DVDs, Lieberman began watching his father’s films in alphabetical order.

“I started with ‘A’ and I didn’t get very far with that method.” Lieberman said. “I just started … to watch as much as I possibly could and asked [my father] for a list of recommendations.”

“When I watched the film ‘Days of Heaven’ by Terrence Malick, I realized that this is something that I absolutely wanted to do.”

Since then, Lieberman has become highly involved in filmmaking and is currently serving as the co-director of the Harvard-Westlake Film Festival. With Jacqueline Sir ’11, the other director of the festival, Lieberman hopes to expand the festival this year.

Lieberman said that they are planning to add an Chloe Lister/Chronicle event for filmmakers, which will include speakers, Director’s chair: Nick Lieberman’s ’11 workshops and a luncheon, the Saturday after the interest in film led him to direct his own movies. festival. Additionally, they are increasing the size of

the committee that screens the submissions.

Lieberman is also working on a video for the Prefect Council, after being asked by the Council to produce a short film about the Honor Board and the Honor Code.

Although Lieberman developed an appreciation for film at a young age, he said that he first discovered his passion for filmmaking at about the time that he came to Harvard-Westlake as a sophomore. Lieberman quickly immersed himself in the school’s film program, studying Video Art, attending Harvard-Westlake Film Festival meetings, and working on additional videos, including one promoting “Fashion for Action.”

While Lieberman said he has learned much about filmmaking through his Video Art and Cinema Studies classes, he believes that Introduction to Calculus Honors and his Harvard-Westlake English classes were instrumental in his growth as a filmmaker.

“The most important classes for me, in terms of filmmaking, have been English,” Lieberman said. “I really found a way to hone the skill of reading a book as a director and thinking thematically and then how to translate that structurally to a film.” Lieberman has also found his math classes helpful.

“Intro to Calculus Honors with Mr. Weis completely opened my eyes to the joys of solving problems and logic,” Lieberman said. “The essence of the things I’ve learned in that class, in terms of workflow of thought, is something I will use more than anything specific that I’ve learned.”

Festival director explores filmmaking

By Chloe Lister “We’re talking about hipsters,” exclaimed one of countless interviewees in the first line of aspiring filmmaker Jacqueline Sir’s ’11 documentary.

Apparently Sir isn’t the only one interested in this topic, seeing as her seven and a half minute documentary, was posted on the website Hipster Runoff, a popular blog that describes itself as “culturally relevant.” Through this, Sir’s film has garnered over 8,500 views.

“I never thought my hipster documentary would go viral, I just thought that I would put it up for the people who were in it and for my friends and family,” Sir said.

Her documentary was viewed so many times that it was named the most “popular/controversial” post for the week it was put up, ranking it ahead of an entry about a man who tried to commit suicide at a Phish concert and a photo of a man who broke his leg trying to jump a fence to

gRAYDON fEINSTEIN/Vox

the shoot: Jacqueline Sir ’11 films a short, which she describes as an “emotional narrative.”

get into a music festival, among others.

“I think what got people talking the most was the subject matter and what I was talking about through the film got more attention than the film itself,” Sir said. “Yeah, a couple people said the structure was horrible or that it was a horrible video, but people are entitled to their own opinions. I’ve gotten so much great feedback as well though, so I just take it all in.”

“I’ve always wanted to make a documentary, but I never knew how to go about it,” Sir said. Sir wanted her documentary to explore the concept of who people consider to be “hipsters,” and ultimately define what a hipster is. Sir made her documentary while attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Summer Film Workshop, which is where she will be attending in the fall.

Sir has known that she wanted to be a filmmaker since a very young age, but she’s still figuring out what exactly drew her to the craft.

“I guess it was just the whole idea of creating a story: manipulating reality into something I’m able to create something else out of,” she said.

“Taking something that’s real and making art out of it.”

Although her interest stretches far back towards the beginning of her life, Sir formally began her foray into the art of filmmaking little over a year ago during a summer program at the University of Southern California. There she created four short films. Then last year Sir made her foray into the Harvard-Westlake film department by taking the Video Art I course.

“I made an experimental art piece where I just played around with visuals, editing, sound – it was really interesting, I explored the visual aspect of filmmaking rather than the narrative aspect,” she said. At the end of last year, Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke selected Sir to direct the 2011 Harvard-Westlake Film Festival with Nick Lieberman ’11.

Sir also worked on an additional short film independently this summer.

“Basically [my film is] about a boy who gets a message that his father’s dead and then it sort of takes him along this journey of flashbacks where he recalls all the abusive things his father had done to him, and that’s where we really got to play with the experimental aspects because I didn’t want it just to be about a dad who abuses his son… it’s more of an emotional narrative than just ‘girl does this, girl has conflict, conflict gets resolved. It’s more about what the character is going through,” Sir said.

Throughout her career thus far as a filmmaker, Sir names the documentary she made over the summer as her proudest achievement.

“I just had an amazing time making it, amazing experiences meeting new people, and the outcome was 100 times better than I ever expected,” Sir said.

printed with Permission of cheri gaulke

coming soon

to a theater near you When: March 18 Where: Arclight Cinerama Dome

Directed by:

Nick Lieberman ’11 and

Jacqueline Sir ’11 Hosted by: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu

by the numbers

150 18 2

submissions original student films in festival Harvard-Westlake films

“Suffocation”

by Nick Lieberman ’11, Gabe Benjamin ’11, Jacqueline Sir ’11

“See”

by Molly Cinnamon ’14 and Miranda Kasher

Sources: Nick Lieberman, Jacqueline Sir, Hw.com Graphic by Allison Hamburger

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

Living to Dance

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Jill Wilson ’12 and dance parter Jacob Jonas made it to the semifinals of the new dance show “Live to Dance.”

By Nika Madyoon She gasped for air, a nervous smile making its way across her face. She waited for what seemed a lifetime to see what the controllers of her fate would decide. To Jill Wilson ’12, this was, at first, just another competition. But 10.2 million viewers and singer Paula Abdul made it more than just that.

The three gold stars appeared at once; euphoria replaced anxiety as Wilson and her dance partner, 18-year-old Jacob Jonas, who graduated last year from Beverly Hills High School, saw their dream become a reality.

“To know that they appreciated our story and that they appreciated my style blending with his style was a really big moment,” Wilson said.

Wilson and Jonas were one of 18 acts that advanced to the semifinals of “Live to Dance,” a new reality show and dance competition that first aired Jan. 4.

Six of 18 semifinalists danced each episode and two of those six advanced. Each episode, judges Paula Abdul, former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt and Travis Payne — renowned choreographer to the late Michael Jackson — chose an act to move on to the next round. The next week, America’s vote was announced and the next set of acts performed. After three weeks, six finalists remained.

Wilson has trained at MNR Dance Factory since the age of 2. At 7 years old, she joined COMPETITION: the competing team. Last Jill Wilson ’12 and her year was her last competidancing partner Jacob tive season. Wilson said Jonas dance together that growing up, she tried on the show “Live to a variety of sports at The Dance.”

John Thomas Dye School, but dance stuck with her through it all.

“It’s my passion and Printed with permission of jill wilson my everything. I don’t do other sports—I just dance and I love it,” she said.

Wilson has danced in many competitions and has been awarded prizes for being first overall and fourth for “Top Solo,” among others. She first started working with partner Jonas, however, about one year ago.

Jonas first attended MNR two years ago as a junior on a scholarship, and initially planned to do a duet with another female dancer. Her absence during a competition and Wilson’s agreement to take her place catalyzed their partnership. Fifteen at the time, Wilson was unaccustomed to working with male dancers, but over the next year Wilson and Jonas won several cash prizes, trophies and medals as a duet.

Jonas submitted samples of his dancing to “Live to Dance,” and was told to return with a female partner and a more contemporary style.

Another dancer did not want to enter with Jonas, so he invited Wilson to compete with him.

Wilson was at first undecided. Having dreamed of participating in “So You Think You Can Dance,” which has a minimum age limit of 18 years, she was unsure of how her performance on this show might affect her chances.

“I decided to just try it and that it would be a good experience,” she said.

Wilson and Jonas went through two rounds of auditions to make it

to the televised audition, where they made it to the semi finals. Starting in September, the pair spent two months choreographing their piece at MNR. “Dancing on television is a different world than dancing live because people love props and lights and music and drama, whereas for a live performance, usually the simplest pieces are the ones that are most meaningful and the ones that resonate a message,” she said.

After learning that their music was “cleared” for use on national television, Wilson and Jonas only had just over one week to prepare for the live semi finals which aired Jan. 26.

Wilson and Jonas worked directly with Abdul, who spent time with each act before the semifinal performances. Working with Abdul was helpful when trying to locate little problems, though Wilson and Jonas were reluctant to change their original choreography, as they wished to keep the dance true to their intentions.

“It was funny because Jacob and I are so different in our own styles, let alone from Paula’s style,” Wilson said. “She has a really good eye for things. Her eye to say, ‘This doesn’t look right,’ or ‘It needs to be more at this angle,’ things like that are what she’s really good at.”

After working with Abdul and giving what they thought was a technically flawless performance, Wilson and Jonas were surprised at the judges’ disappointment. They wanted to exhibit versatility for the judges, and show that they could do something different by avoiding repeating the love-story, contemporary feel of their first piece. They made sure the dance had hip hop elements and showcased Jonas’ style.

“Performance-wise, Jacob choreographed [the dance] to be a very intricate, deep, meaningful story. That’s what we do — we tell stories through our dances. We don’t just do trick after trick, we really try to send a message,” she said.

This piece concerned the idea of leaving one’s comfort zone. Wilson began at a school desk, trapped “in this environment where people are forcing me to do stuff and not appreciating what I’m doing.” Wilson then is drawn into a separate world with Jonas, where she shows her “true art and passion.” Wilson said the dance was representative of the relationship she has with Jonas.

The two were eliminated after failing to win America’s votes in the semi finals. They received red stars from Payne and Hyatt, and one gold star from Abdul. The duo believes the judges focused too much on comparing the “story” of this piece with that of the last.

“We nailed every single lift,” she said. “We wish the judges talked about the strength, but they focused on the story.”

Though they did not win the competition, Wilson and Jonas are satisfied with their achievement. She explained the importance of exposure for dancers, and is glad to have been “put in a positive light” by the show.

Wilson missed three weeks of school, including all of her midterms, except for English. She said her teachers were “as understanding as they could be.” Wilson was expected to make up her exams upon her return to school.

“A lot of the teachers were really supportive auditions: and knew that it was a big adventure,” she said.

Jacob Jonas lifts Jill “But as teachers, they have jobs too.”

Wilson during their Wilson, who signed with an agency just auditions, where before the show premiered, plans to take they advanced to the open dance classes at studios such as semifinals.

The Edge, Millennium Dance Complex and Debbie Reynolds Studio. She sees professional dance as part of her future.

Throughout her tenure on Live To Dance, Wilson was cheered on by members of the school community. Friends made posters as they watched from a live audience, while others dedicated Facebook statuses to urge others to watch her perform. Many created fan pages to support Wilson in her endeavors. She also frequently gets e-mails and friend requests on Facebook from her fans.

Advanced Dance designs March show

By Arielle Maxner The dancers of Advanced Dance II will perform their annual concert on March 4, 5 and 6 in Rugby Theater.

“The show this year is really focusing on bringing our community together,” said Cyndy Winter, teacher of Advanced Dance II. “It’s exciting because I’ve never been in a company that works like this before; it’s pushing me into uncharted and sometimes uncomfortable territory that is essential for a young dancer,” Asha Jordan ’12, a dancer in the show, said.

The theme of the show remains a

mystery, but Jordan said that this show is so unlike anything that has been done before.

“In my opinion, everyone in the audience can relate to this show. It’ll take everyone back to their childhood,” she said.

“It’s really all types of choreography: ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop. It’s everything.”

Winter has also had Matthew Krumpe ’08, an intern from UCLA, to help her organize the show this year. Krumpe mainly takes care of producing duties, helping with posters, programs and props.

“There will be many surprise performances,” Winter said.

Choreography: Catherine Haber ’12 and Max Sheldon ‘11 practice their dance moves for the upcoming March performance.

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Feb. 16, 2011

Combos to perform for two nights

By Jessica Barzilay

Photo illustration by Jessica barzilay Photo by Michael Rothberg

Photo Album: Jazz teacher Shawn Costantino experimented with several different chords and instru-

ments on his debut album “A Waltz for Anne.” He is shown with the album’s cover art in the background.

going on record

Drawing on childhood memories and utilizing the school’s tech center, Jazz teacher Shawn Costantino produced and released his debut album.

By David Burton Jazz teacher and longtime musician Shawn Costantino has produced his own jazz record entitled “A Waltz for Anne.”

From listening to his father, a former professional guitarist, to weekly piano and saxophone lessons as a kid, to graduating from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in music, music has been an integral part of Costantino’s life. Although surrounded by various melodic tones every day of his life, Constantino’s inspiration to pursue his passion for music came from his mother, Anne Costantino.

“She would drive me to and from lessons, be at every piano recital and encouraged me to practice when I refused to,” said Costantino. “My mother is the reason that I have stuck with music, hence the reason why I named the album after her.”

Born and raised in Blackwell, Massachusetts, Costantino learned how to play both the piano and saxophone in elementary school and on the weekends would play jazz with his father, a professional guitarist.

“After I got past the initial dreariness of practicing, I found out that I loved playing the saxophone and began to try combining different chords to create different sounds,” Costantino said.

In college, Costantino continued to explore and compose music with hopes of one day creating his own jazz album.

Pursuing his graduate degree at DePaul University, Costantino became a member of the internationally recognized DePaul Jazz Ensemble and played alongside renowned jazz musicians such as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist David “Fat Head” Newman.

Now head of the upper school jazz program, Costantino has found the opportunity to pursue a style of music he describes as aggressive jazz fusion for adventurous artists not afraid to take chances.

“

Last fall, the upper school received a donation of electronic music and studio equipment. Costantino was asked by the administration to set up this equipment, learn how to use it and teach it to students interested in producing their own music.

“I had no idea how to use the equipment once we got it. It took many hours, days, weekends and people to make all this come together,” Costantino said.

Using a school grant, Costantino hired a sound engineer to teach him how to use the equipment and started producing music at a studio in Sherman Oaks.

Costantino personally wired some of the music rooms in the lower Chalmers building so that artists can record in one room and all recordings are funneled to an electronic music hub in a central room, where they are put together by music software. With the Chalmers building set up as a professional music studio, Costan—Shawn Costantino, tino tested the new sysDirector of Jazz Studies tem out by recording an album.

“My jazz CD was a guinea pig in a sense,” Costantino said. “You can’t learn how to produce music if you have nothing to produce.”

On weekends throughout the fall, Costantino and fellow musicians could be found spending long hours recording their songs in the lower Chalmers music rooms. The album took approximately six months to complete.

With knowledge about music production under his belt, Costantino has opened up the new system to students looking to step out of the curriculum and record their own musical compositions.

“The equipment is very intricate and complex, but allows a student to pursue their own style of music in depth and explore different sounds,” Costantino said.

Costantino is working on his second album, and although it is still a work in progress, he is looking to stay true to his adventurous jazz style. His music is currently for sale on iTunes.

My jazz cd was a guinea pig in a sense. You can’t learn how to produce music if you have nothing to produce.”

Upper school combos will perform a mixture of improvised and rehearsed jazz arrangements tomorrow and Friday in Rugby Theater at the last concert of the year.

The students wield the majority of control in creative directions and decision-making in the combos, upper school performing arts teacher Shawn Costantino said.

Costantino encourages students to take off creatively in the combos, improvising individually and going beyond the notes and sheet music in front of them, he said. He describes his role as “hands off,” letting the students pick their own music and set up their own performance.

Independence is a big part of the program, he said.

“The students pick all of the music and my role is more as an adviser,” Constantino said.

“I help them make sure they have learned the song correctly, I help them work on soloing and developing a creative concept and arrangement of what are usually some very complicated pieces.”

Ten combos at all levels will be performing, from the seniors in Jazz Explorers to sophomores, amounting to a total of nearly 60 students over the course of the two days. Each group has prepared a unique set, representing artists from Cee-Lo Green to Rush to the Beatles to John Coltrane.

“We’re playing a similar set to ones we have played out of school, with more progressive jazz instead of just standard jazz,” Jordan Bryan ’11, a Jazz Explorers drummer, said.

In preparation for the concert, which will be the last combo performance of the year, Costantino has been bringing in specialists both to hone the students’ skills and to expand their horizons.

“I try to kick the intensity level up a gear by bringing in the coaches,” Costantino said. “We have some amazing combo coaches who come in and work with the groups on their group sound, chemistry and ‘vibe.’”

Bryan said the program has deepened his appreciation of music, and has “allowed me to grow in a lot of ways.”

Martin Riu ’13 agreed that the upper school jazz program challenges the student musicians to reach a higher level of musicianship.

“From my experiences even before I was in jazz band, the concerts have always been amazing,” Riu said. “It’s basically professional.”

Musicians free style at year’s last Vibrato show

By Kelly Ohriner Four jazz combos including the Advanced Jazz Combo and the Jazz Explorers performed at Vibrato, an Italian restaurant in Bel Air, on Jan. 30.

The show lasted three hours with each combo playing around three to five songs for between 30 and 45 minutes.

“It was really crowded. It was nice to see a lot of people come out to support us,” Jazz Explorers guitarist Maguire Parsons ’11 said.

The combos played a variety of songsincluding tunes written by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The audience consisted of mostly parents and teachers, as well as other diners and a few students.

“My favorite part of the night was Bella Hicks’ performance on our rendition of Sinatra’s ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.’ She brought down the house,” Advanced Combo guitarist Ben Krause ’11 said.

This is the second time the jazz combos have performed at Vibrato this year. The jazz combos also have an upcoming concert Thursday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. in Rugby Auditorium.

“Having the opportunity to play at these clubs and in these concerts has been instrumental in my development as a drummer and as a musician. I can’t thank Mr. Costantino enough,” Jordan Bryan ’11, a drummer in Jazz Explorers said.

Feb. 16, 2011

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now ?

Justine Goode/chronicle

SOUND STORYTELLING: Jacob Swanson ’11 had to overcome the challenges of a play presented in the round while designing and engineering the sound for “The

Servant of Two Masters.” The sound had to be audible not only those sitting in the main auditorium area but also those sitting onstage surrounding the actors.

can you hear me

As a chief tech assistant for upper school productions, Jacob Swanson ’11 is responsible for the “when” and “where” of a performance’s sounds.

By Jessica Barzilay During the Playwrights Festival in 2009, Performing Arts Department Head Rees Pugh spied one of his chief student tech assistants Jacob Swanson ’11 sprawled on the floor of Rugby’s lobby, deconstructing a computer in order to install a new video card.

As Pugh describes it, this would not have seemed at all out of the ordinary, had Swanson not been reprogramming the computer in the tiny window of time between the matinee and evening performances.

“Unbeknownst to me, until this point, he had been using his own computer to run the show and now needed it to do his homework,” Pugh said.

Whether singlehandedly rebuilding a show’s effects between performances or crafting and executing its sound design, Swanson has played a vital role in school productions over the past three years without ever setting foot on stage.

Currently enrolled in Technical Theater I/II, Swanson has worked on nearly every Rugby show during his time at the Upper School. He typically handles the sound in a show, acting as sound designer and sound engineer for this fall’s “Pippin” and last weekend’s “The Servant of Two Masters.”

“It’s the sound designer’s job to understand what a performance should sound like, and then figure out how to make it sound that way,” he said. “While I’m learning the ‘why’ part from experience, the ‘how’ part I have learned from great mentors and a huge interest in electronics.”

A sound engineer is also responsible for determining the “when” and “where” aspects of sound.

“Figuring out these two parts is what makes live theater so great. Just like an actor up on stage reciting lines, as a sound engineer I have to make decisions on a live basis,” Swanson said.

The “Servant” presented its own unique set of challenges, since the play was done in the round, with audience members both on the stage and around a thrust in the center of the house. According to Swanson, this arrangement provokes several technical obstacles “that must be overcome using non-traditional methods and equipment.”

Proficient in many different computer programs, Swanson makes use of the same editing software for a show as he would for a movie.

Although he originally began working backstage as a way of fulfilling his performing arts requirement without having to go on stage himself, the combination of his love for electronics and his experiences behind the scenes led him to continue beyond all requirements.

“Tech theater is a really cool opportunity to help tell a story through the sights and sounds of a performance,” Swanson said.

Pugh has watched Swanson mature through the years from an eager sophomore to a wonderful mentor for underclassmen, he said.

“Beyond the technical know-how, it has been my greatest pleasure to watch him grow as an artist.

By that I mean the way he has developed a ‘feel’ for

Recycling in Rugby “The Servant of Two Masters” utilizes set pieces from past Harvard-Westlake productions.

“City of Angels” (2009) 2. Flag “Pippin” (2010) “Romeo and Juliet” (2009) 4. Dartboard “You Can’t Take It With You”

(2009)

5. Wheels “Into the Woods” (2008) 6. Dressing room door

3

2

1. Iron lung

3. Piece of fountain

serving not just the needs of the sound department, but the show in its entirety,” Pugh said.

Additional tech for “Servant” included Ben Vigman ’13, as light operator, Griffy Simon ’11 as lighting designer, Theo Davis ’13 as stage manager and Grace Chang ’13 and Kenneth Kim ’13 as sound assistants.

“With around a hundred sound effect cues, body mics for every actor and a two person orchestra, this is the most advanced spring play sound-wise that I can think of,” Swanson said.

Designers are involved two to three months in advance of the production, but the majority of the system work, like running cables and hanging speakers, takes place about three weeks before opening.

Swanson understands that a show is never truly finished until the audience is seated. He brings dedication and high standards to the team, Pugh said.

“He works very hard to serve the show. From my perspective this is the most valuable trait in the theater,” he said.

Despite his self-characterized stage fright, Swanson has become a fixture in the performing arts department. He wishes to continue working in tech and backstage this summer and throughout college.

“The Performing Arts Department at HarvardWestlake is really second to none,” Swanson said.

“It gives so many people so many opportunities to be involved and be part of this incredible story telling experience.”

1

6 4

5

7

“City of Angels” (2009) 7. Column “Metamorphoses” (2006) Various other set pieces were reused from middle and upper school shows such as “Guys and Dolls” (2008), “Les Miserables” (2007), “The Fantasticks” and “Gypsy” (2002).

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JUSTINE GOODE

B12 Features

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Feb. 16, 2011

Double servings The cast of “The Servant of Two Masters” brought humor to the stage with audience involvement and witty improvisation.

By Claire Hong The lights flickered. Suddenly the lights shut off, and the room went completely black. The audience sat in darkness, wondering what had happened, while actors continued performing onstage, where their recycled props rested in the background.

The backdrop for this year’s play, “Servant of Two Masters,” was a recession that the actors were living through. Their supposed budget cut explained the periodic “blackouts” that occurred throughout the play, as the lights were purposefully turned off.

The set was also created from the sets of previous plays, such as “Pippin” and “Our Town,” and along with the recycled props, the majority of their costumes came from plays from the past couple years. Actors explained that due to budget cuts, they were unable to buy new props or costumes.

“In the play, they, like us, are in a great recession, and there isn’t enough money for props or costumes, so to capture that, we reused materials from other shows,” stage manager Theodora Davis ’13 said.

Performances for the play began Friday, Feb. 11 in Rugby Theatre and continued through the weekend.

The play was originally written in 1743 and is a comedy focusing on the servant Truffal-

dino, played by Nick Lieberman ’11, and his two masters Beatrice and Florindo who happen to be in love. Beatrice is played by Megan Ward ’13 and Florindo by Nick Healy ’13.

Natalie Epstein ’12 plays Clarice, who is betrothed to Beatrice’s dead brother and also engaged to Silvio, performed by Ben Platt ’11.

“The play is just a crazy adventure of a lot of misunderstanding,” Epstein said.

Although the play is scripted, members of the cast have opportunities for improvisation and also interact with the audience at various points throughout the play. Audience members were asked questions and sometimes even brought onto stage.

Its genre is commedia dell’arte, or comedy of art, which utilizes improvisation based only on a general outline of the scenario and the setting around the actors. The play took on a modern approach of commedia dell’arte, including current events relevant to the audience.

“We really didn’t know what the play was until we had an audience, which is what makes the play really unique because of the interaction we have with them,” Epstein said.

Jake Chapman ’12 and Gil Young ’13 provided ac-

companying music for the play.

Chapman was on the piano while Young played the drums. The two also had several lines during the play.

“It was a great experience to be out of the acting, and kind of complementing it instead, because I’ve never done that before,” Chapman said. “It was like I was part of the audience, but also part of the play.”

Several seats in the middle section of the theatre were also removed in order to extend the stage forward into the audience.

Those seats were moved on to the stage to add to the setting, and were filled up with audience members that were incorporated into scenes.

Auditions for the play were held early November while rehearsals began the week after.

photos by chloe lister/chronicle

Improvising: Florindo, played by Nick Healy ’13, admires himself in a mirror, top left. Truffaldino, played by Nick Lieberman ’11 pleads out of hunger, top right. Hank Doughan ’12 and Natalie Epstein ’12 humor the crowd with improvisation, middle. Healy and Megan Ward ’13, forbidden lovers Florindo and Beatrice, embrace when they are finally together, above. Doughan, Noah Ross ’12, and Dani Weider ’12 collaborate on stage, bottom.

ports S

Yes, they Cain Alex Leichenger ’11 argues that the boys’ basketball team should utilize the skills of Damiene Cain ’11 more often.

The Chronicle Volume XX Issue VI Feb. 16, 2011

C2

PLAYOFFPREVIEW

Photos by Daniel Kim

Top of the class: Skylar Tsutsui ’11, left, Morgan Hallock ’13, middle, and Zena Edosomwan ’12,

right are key players for their teams entering CIF playoffs. Girls’ and boys’ basketball and girls’ water polo

are all ranked first in their Southern Section divisions. see pages C4-5 for further playoff coverage .

Bible steps down as swim coach

By Anabel Pasarow

Swim coach Darlene Bible announced in a team meeting Monday that assistant swimming coach Cheyne Bloch will assume her position as head coach.

“Bloch is responsible for day-to-day coaching of the swimmers, and Bible is the chief administrator in charge of swimming for the school,” Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas said.

“I’m really sad that Coach Bible won’t be head coach anymore,” four-year varsity swimmer Catherine Wang ’11 said. “She’s been my coach for the past two years,

but I am excited to be on Coach Bloch’s team.”

Bible said that over time it had become increasingly hard for her to give all of her time and effort to coaching.

She serves as one of nathanson ’s/chronicle three school Athletic Darlene Bible Directors, overseeing transportation, uniforms, facilities, contracts for athletic department’s employees and the

department’s financial budget.

“It’s become more and more difficult to give the time I need for full team coaching,” Bible said.

In her long career as a swim coach at Westlake and Harvard-Westlake, Bible coached Dara Torres ’85, who went on to compete in five Olympic games.

“She always gave 100 percent of herself to her swimmers and felt that with the school’s needs it was time for her to hand off her day-to-day swim coach duties to someone else,” Barzdukas said.

The swimming team begins its season March 3.

Watching from the sidelines Serbian transfer Danilo Dragovic ’11 has been ineligble for two basketball seasons in America.

By Alex Leichenger

Daniel kim/Chronicle

court of appeals: Danilo Dragovic ’11 challenged the CIF at multiple levels.

Hip-hop music blares from the public address system as the varsity boys’ basketball team charges out of the doors to a chorus of cheers from the fans and a procession of highfives from JV players. It’s game-time in Taper Gym. As the varsity players burst quickly into their layup lines, a lanky senior in a T-shirt and warmups trots behind them onto the court.

After being greeted by

the customary smattering of “Free Drago” chants, he briefly acknowledges his fans before heading to midcourt.

He folds his arms and stares solemnly as his teammates get loose.

For the second year in a row, Danilo Dragovic ’11, a long and athletic, sweetshooting swingman, will not be able to play varsity basketball in the United States after leaving his parents in Serbia for his final two years of high school.

On Jan. 18, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones declined to overturn a CIF ruling from October making Dragovic ineligible.

A CIF appeals panel had previously upheld the ruling before Dragovic appealed.

At the trial, oral pleas by

attorney Keith Gregory and “declaration” documents written by Dragovic, Gregory, Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas, Dragovic’s host families from the past two years and the Head of Athletics at San Marcos High School failed to sway the judge.

Gregory argued that the CIF was making an “arbitrary” ruling by denying Dragovic in basketball but allowing him to run varsity track in the spring (Dragovic said he competes in the 400 meter, 800 meter and 400 meter relay events).

The CIF determined that Dragovic’s transfer to Harvard-Westlake was athletically motivated by see DRAGOVIC, C7

The Scoop News snippets from the Wolverine sports world.

The University of Michigan and University of Oregon lacrosse teams will play against each other at the upper school campus’ Ted Slavin Field Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.

>>

Representatives from Lakeside High School, a Seattle prep school, visited HarvardWestlake to learn from the athletics program’s vertical integration model on Feb 2.

Lakeside’s athletic director and assistant head met with coaches and athletic directors.

>>

Former Wolverine basketball star Renaldo “Swiperboy” Woolridge ’08 produced a song dedicated to the varsity boys basketball team, called “The Wolverines,” after a special request from team captain Damiene Cain ’11. Woolridge mentions every player on the team in his song, which can be found on YouTube.

>>

C2 Sports

The

Facts

Cain is able

& Figures

3 4 18 196 1,445 The number of games the boys’ soccer team won in 12 league games while still managing to qualify for playoffs.

The number of times Ben Kogan ’11 has won the wrestling league title in his weight class.

Length of the boys’ basketball team’s winning streak in Taper Gymnasium, before it was snapped in an 82-75 loss to Alemany Feb. 9.

The goal differential the varsity girls’ water polo team amassed in 10 league games this season.

The maximum number of people allowed in Taper Gym, which was exceeded when boys’ basketball went up against Loyola Feb. 2.

Hundreds of fans were turned down at the door.

This Month

Feb.16, 2011

Chronicle

in

Wolverine History

Alex Leichenger

D

owntrodden after both a shocking home loss to Alemany and a onesided defeat at the hands of Loyola, the boys’ basketball team enters the postseason with expectations much more reserved than they were two and a half weeks ago.

The team has been thrown off-kilter ever since opponents figured out that they can hound Damiene Cain ’11 and Zena Edosomwan ’12 down low and dare the Wolverines to hoist perimeter shots. Loyola executed the strategy masterfully in a 71-51 rout Feb. 4, holding Cain and Edosomwan to 20 points combined, while the Wolverines shot a porous 34 percent from the field and hit only three of 14 attempts from beyond the arc.

Three days later, Crespi had the same gameplan working through three quarters before the referees started whistling defenders trying to front Cain in the post.

Against Alemany, the Wolverines’ downfall was an unsightly third quarter plagued by illadvised passes, several from trying to fit the ball into tight spots down low.

Nicky Firestone ’11 could be the antidote to the Wolverines’ perimeter shooting problem (see page C5) but the team’s most important player heading into playoffs is undoubtedly Cain.

In games when Cain is the best player on the floor, the Wolverines are also at their best.

Likewise, they are not the same when the 6’7” forward struggles. Among the Wolverines’ three leading scorers, Cain is the only one who exhibited significant statistical differences between wins and losses in Mission League play.

Edosomwan averaged 17 points per game in 10 league wins and 17.5 in two losses. Josh Hearlihy ’12 scored 15.5 in wins and 15 in losses.

The chasm in production was far more drastic with Cain, who averaged 16 points per game in wins but a mere nine in the two losses.

Cain has a sound arsenal in the post and can hit jumpers all the way out to the three-point line. When he is actively involved, his diversified offensive skill set aids the flow of the Wolverine offense.

With Cain and adept dribble penetrators like Butler and Michael Sheng ’14, the team should be running far more high pick-androlls. The pick-and-roll would prevent opposing teams from clogging the paint on Cain and Edosomwan and reduce turnovers caused by the Wolverines forcing the ball into heavy interior traffic.

The Wolverines need to look for Cain early and often, but Cain must also make more of an effort to assert himself. A remarkably unselfish player, Cain is the rare big man who looks to set up his teammates as much or more than he looks to set up himself.

When the Wolverines do feed him the ball in the post, Cain’s first instinct is often to

daniel kim/chronicle

too selfless: Damiene Cain ’11 is a solid team player, but he needs to be more agressive. wait and draw a double team before finding the open man for a shot. But since perimeter shooting is not a strength of this team, Cain should buckle down and seek the hoop. Almost every time Cain has had the ball in pressure situations this year, he has delivered with a soft jump hook, a deft spin move or a baseline jumper that got nothing but net.

Up until now, Cain has probably been the best glue guy in Mission League history. But the Wolverines are going to need more than that if they have a state title on their minds.

I

n another observation of mine from the stands, this fan behavior ordeal is getting slightly ridiculous. The Fanatics have disagreed with the Fan Behavior and Sportsmanship Review Committee’s proposals from the get-go, but despite their misgivings, they have reformed the atmosphere at games a significant extent.

Yet the rampant finger-wagging of some faculty at Fanatics persists through simple noisemaking during opponents’ free throws or borderline chants such as “nuts and bolts, we got screwed.”

The Fan Behavior Committee has an admirable mission to bring our school above the fray of personal attacks that has come to dominate modern-day fandom. But the faculty undermine their objective when they shake their heads in dismay at every single cheer that is not within their autocratic standard for political correctness.

It deflates the fans who are merely trying to enjoy themselves and not chanting anything remotely beyond clever and acceptable sports banter. If the Committee wants the Fanatics to take its proposals seriously, then it needs to start taking the Fanatics seriously. As long as the Fanatics keep the truly offensive chants out-of-bounds, then they deserve to be able to cheer without having to spend more time looking over their shoulders than watching the games in front of them, and God forbid, having a little fun on school nights.

College Bound Alec Zwaneveld ’12 Water Polo

Amanda Hall ’11 Volleyball

Will Oliver ’11 Football

Vox ’95

ON a Roll: Coach Greg Hilliard readies his team before the tip-off. The team held a 40 game home winning streak.

February 1998

By Micah Sperling The boys’ basketball team’s 40-game home winning streak ended with a 63-60 loss to visiting Loyola. The Wolverines hadn’t lost a game in Taper in five seasons. With twins Jason and Jarron Collins ’97 at the helm, the basketball team had been unstoppable at home, but after the Collins twins went to Stanford, the Wolverines had some big holes to fill.

The team still managed to keep its streak alive until its second-to-last home game of the season before the loss to Loyola. Russell Lakey ’00 led the team for the entire season following the loss of senior Victor Muñoz ’98 to injury. The Wolverines lost 88-79 to Cabrillo in the first round of the 1998 CIF playoffs.

Nathanson ’s

Alec Zwaneveld ’12, starting center for the varsity water polo team, committed to UCLA, the fourth-ranked team in the nation.

Zwaneveld went on an official visit to UCLA division winter break. Both of his parents attended UCLA and his older brother Brendan ’10 is a current member of the squad.

“I’m a triple legacy there,” Zwaneveld said. “It would feel weird to go anywhere else.”

—Luke Holthouse

Nathanson ’s

Girls’ volleyball middle hitter Amanda Hall ’11 committed to Bucknell University.

Hall had mainly been considering Tulane University, Howard University and Bucknell University for their Division I volleyball programs, but decided on Bucknell for its academics.

“I had always dreamed of playing at a Division I university since I first started volleyball,” Hall said.

—Austin Lee

Nathanson ’s

Football kicker Will Oliver ’11 committed to play for the University of Colorado at Boulder after entertaining scholarship offers from Colorado, the University of Maryland, Fresno State and a walk-on offer from UC Berkeley.

He said he chose Colorado because it has a “good business school” and because he will play football in the Pac-12 Conference.

—Austin Block

Feb. 16, 2011

Sports C3

The

Chronicle

Girls’ soccer shuts out 3 of last 4 league opponents

By Charlton Azuoma

Daniel Kim/chronicle

Shielding: Mckynzie Dickman ’14 dribbles past a Chaminade defender. The girls ended up winning the league game 3-0.

The girls’ soccer team heads into CIF Division I playoffs with an overall record of 13-24 and a Mission League record of 6-2-1. The team finished second in the Mission League behind Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.

Early in the season, the Wolverines went on an 11 game undefeated streak with eight wins and three ties. After that streak, they suffered a couple of disappointing losses at the hands of Chaminade and Notre Dame.

Even while having to deal with major setbacks such as injuries to forward Katie Spiedel ’11 and Katie Golden ’12, the team still managed to outscore its opponents 13-1 in its last four games.

Head Coach Richard Simms said that their presence on the field was missed.

“They are both leaders and having Katie Speidel’s goal scoring ability will be huge,” he said.

Forward Danielle Duhl ’12 has been a key player this year, scoring big goals to help close out tight games.

“Having a player that wants to win as badly as she does is infectious and she’s a huge key to any success we might have this season, particularly come playoff time,” Simms said.

“I think our number one focus heading into playoffs is to play as a unit,” Duhl said. “When we play together and every girl

wants it for themselves and for the team, we’re hard to beat.”

In order to deepen their roster for the playoffs, the team has called up JV players Lucy Putnam ’14, Mackenzie Howe ’14, Tess Winebaum ’12 and Jackie Ridgely ’14.

“It’s an opportunity for them to gain experience as a couple of them have a chance to be starters on varsity next year,” Simms said.

The team will also need the seniors on the team to continue leading the squad if they are to make a deep run in the playoffs.

“Going into playoffs is definitely a different mentality than league, which can definitely make us nervous, but the positive energy from the seniors will definitely help us channel nerves towards hard work and giving everything on the field,” Duhl said.

The team’s first playoff game will be against Hart, who placed second in the Foothill League and has a record of 9-8-5.

Keys to CIF success

>> Playing stronger on the road >> Playing lockdown defense >> Working as a team

Boys’ soccer snags playoff spot with 1st home win of season

By David Gobel Although the boys’ soccer team had a rough end to the regular season, losing some critical games and also losing players due to injury, the Wolverines were able to clinch a playoff berth with an overall record of 8-11-5.

“We realized that it was going to be a tough year, as we were losing great players and teams like Loyola and St. Francis were in our league,” Head Coach Freddy Arroyo said. “By league play we were mainly focused on just making CIF playoffs.”

During the season, numerous players were afflicted by nagging injuries, including forward Alex Hong ’11 and midfielder Alex Goodwin ’12.

Key games the Wolverines played included a 3-0 victory against Alemany and a 1-1 tie against Loyola. In this game, midfielder Andrew Hotchkiss ’11 injured his foot and had to be taken to the hospital for x-rays.

However, the two most crucial games of the Wolverines’ season came at the end, because without a win in at least one of those games the Wolverines would not have made CIF playoffs. First, boys’ soccer played at Crespi. The game was dead even until the the middle of the second half, but in the last 15 minutes Crespi managed to score two goals. Goalie Wade Clem-

ent ’12, filled in for an injured Wiley Webb ’12, made spectacular saves to keep the Wolverines in the game, but his effort was not enough.

In their final game, the Wolverines played Alemany on Senior Day. If they wanted to advance to playoffs, they would need to win. The Wolverines got some good chances in the first 20 minutes, but were unable to convert. However, opportunity came in the final minutes of the game when Hong was fouled in the penalty box to give Will Oliver ’11 a penalty kick, which he scored to give the Wolverines a 1-0 win.

The Wovlerines will play Simi Valley today at 3 p.m. If the Wolverines win, they will play Edison, the number one team in CIF. “We’re going to see who we’re playing in the wild-card, and just take it one game at a time,” Arroyo said.

Keys to CIF success >> >>

Improving teamwork

>>

Playing consistent defense

Finishing on scoring chances Daniel Kim/chronicle

In control: Alex Hong ’11 attacks the Alemany defense before drawing the foul that would set up the winning penalty kick.

C4 Sports

The

Chron

Three winter varsity teams head into CIF playoffs as the top seeds in their Southern Section brackets. But boys’ basketball, girls’ water polo and girls’ basketball must win multiple games to claim CIF crowns.

Preview:

CIF Playoffs

high power offense: Starting point guard Michael Sheng ’14 (above) drives to the basket looking for a teammate. He and forward Josh Hearlihy ’12 (right) are key in the Wolverines’ offense going into CIF playoffs.

Boys’ basketball loses last two of three, shares league title

By Judd Liebman After starting league play with nine straight wins, the boys’ basketball team dropped two out of its last three games. After a big loss to Loyola on Feb. 14, the team also fell to Alemany on Feb. 9, dropping its overall record to 22-4 and its league record to 10-2. With his team going into CIF playoffs with little momentum, Greg Hilliard knows his team needs to regain the sense of urgency it once had to do better.

After watching film of past games, the Wolverines know what they need to do in order to be successful in playoffs. Hilliard’s strategy this year was to utilize his big men down low. Most of the offense revolves around center Zena Edosomwan ’12, who averages 17.5 points per game, and forwards

Josh Hearlihy ’12 and Damiene Cain ’11, averaging 15.2 points and 13.6 points, respectively. Size has been an advantage for the Wolverines, but of late, teams have been clogging the paint defensively.

Guard Jordan Butler ’11, averaging 10.0 points per game, has had to step up recently with defenses’ focus shifting toward the big men. After laying in the game winning basket against Crespi on Feb. 7, Butler has increased his offensive presence, putting up 17 points in the Wolverines’ loss to Alemany.

“It’s up to the guards to stretch out the defenses and to knock down outside shots to reestablish the big men,” he said.

Butler thinks much of the team’s slump can be attributed to lackadaisical play in addition to some nagging injuries. Hearlihy, who

the road to CIF Boys’ Basketball

was shooting 54 percent through the team’s first 21 games, only hit 38 percent of his shots in the last five games due to a thumb injury.

Cain also has been struggling with a hamstring injury. Butler injured his finger in the Wolverines’ slim victory against Crespi.

“At this time of year, the heart might be willing when the body is not,” Hilliard said. “Some players have played a lot of minutes. Rest will be a key component to our preparation.”

Ranked number one in the CIF Division 3A, the team will play Beckman today at 7 p.m. in Taper Gym. “We cannot reinvent the wheel,” Hilliard said. “We will just work hard on what we do and pull ourselves out of this slump that all teams go through during a long season.”

finals

Girls’ Basketball

PHOTOS BY Daniel kim

Keys to CIF success Playing all four quarters

>> with passion and intensity >> Establishing an inside presence >> Defending the three-point shot

Xfactor Guard Nick Firestone ’11 Firestone is an offensive spark plug off the bench, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates. He also puts pressure on opposing guards. He provides the much needed three point threat.

Five winter varsity teams will compete in CIF playoffs. Below are partial schedules, omitting some games between the 2nd round and CIF Finals.

Girls’ Water Polo

Girls’ Soccer

Boys’ Soccer Wild-Card Game

First Round

First Round

First Round

First Round

vs.

vs.

vs.

vs.

Today

Beckman

Feb. 17

Moorpark

Feb. 17 Sonora

Taper Gymnasium

Location: Taper Gymnasium

Location: Zanuck Swim Stadium

second Round*

second Round*

second Round *

vs.

vs.

St Mary’s Academy/Dos Pueblos

vs.

Trabuco Hills/ Santa Ynez

Location: TBD

Location: TBD

cif Finals*

cif Finals *

Feb. 18

San Jacinto/Brea Olinda Location: TBD

cif Finals*

March 2-5 vs.

Opponent: TBD Anaheim Arena

Feb. 19

March 2-5 vs.

Opponent: TBD Anaheim Arena

Feb. 19

Feb. 26 vs.

Opponent: TBD

Location: William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center

Feb. 17 Hart

Location: Ted Slavin Field

second Round *

Feb. 22

vs.

Margarita /

Santa Woodbridge Location: TBD

cif Finals *

Today vs.

Simi Valley Location: Simi Valley

First Round*

Feb. 18 vs.

Edison

Location: Edison

cif Finals*

March 4-5

March 4-5

Opponent: TBD

Opponent: TBD

vs.

Location: TBD

vs.

Location: TBD

Graphic by Judd Liebman * if applicable

Sports C5

nicle

Daniel kim/chronicle

rising Above: Kassie Shannon ’13 rips a shot against Marymount on Feb. 1.

The team won the game decisively with a score of 22-1 to continue its undefeated league

run. The team finished the season winning league and only conceding 12 goals. They will face Sonora in the first round of CIF playoffs at Zanuck Swim Stadium on Feb. 17.

Girls’ water polo heads into CIF playoffs with only 2 losses

By David Kolin With two losses this season, the girls’ water polo team will play Sonora on Thursday in the first round of CIF. The team currently holds an overall record of 23-2 and a 10-0 league record.

Of its league games, the girls’ water polo team gave up the most goals in the first game against Marymount. However, the team ended up defeating its opponent 22-3.

The team’s two losses this season were 12-8 to Vista and 10-8 to Agoura in the Irvine Tournament.

The girls’ team has a strong offense with Camille Hooks ’11 and Ashley Grossman ’11. With 429 goals over the course of the season, the team averages 17.2 points per game.

Goalie Kristen Lee ’12 attributes her team’s success to its experience and its work ethic. The team has morning swim practices Mondays and Fridays for an hour. They also lift weights on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, the team practices every day of the week except for Sunday.

“When we get into our harder games and our playoff games, I think we just need to keep our composure and keep playing the game we know how

to play,” Lee said. “I think the only thing that can hurt us at this point is that we don’t have a very big team, so we need to keep down the fouls and ejections and play to our strengths.”

This lack of depth had quite a devastating effect in the game against Vista. In the game, Hooks was kicked out after getting three ejections, and her team could not recover. Although the teams were tied going into the fourth quarter, they could not hold up much longer, and ended up losing by four.

Los Osos was the toughest team that the girls’ water polo team faced in their own division.

However, the Wolverines won 9-2, Lee said.

“Our team was able to control the game, but they knew what they were doing and were a physical team,” Lee said. “It was a high intensity game, so we’re guessing it will be like that again if we see them [again in CIF].”

Last season, the girls’ water polo team lost to St. Lucy’s, 11-9, in the second round of CIF. “Last year we fell short of our objectives,” Head Coach Robert Lynn said. “We missed [winning CIF], and we don’t want to miss it again this year. They have a good chance of being successful. They just have to work hard for it.”

Keys to CIF success >> Passing the ball to set at the right time time

Transitioning to defense

>> quickly

>> Limiting ejections >> Capitalizing on 6-on-5 opportunnities

X factor

Driver Bella Gonzalez ’12 When other players are heavily gaurded, Gonzalez is left open and can take advantage of opportunities in front of the net. As an aggressive player, Gonzalez makes steals in key moments in the game.

Girls’ basketball seeks to reclaim CIF championship Keys to CIF success >> Playing with confidence

>> Rebounding the ball >> Boxing out >> Communicating

X factor

Guard Brooke Levin ’12 Levin is one of the most feisty and aggressive players on the team. Coming off the bench, she always willing and ready to get in the paint and make an impact both on offense and defense.

By Chelsey Taylor-Vaughn The girls’ basketball team wasn’t expected to be league champions for a second year in a row, but after last week’s 63-47 win over Alemany, the Wolverines claimed the Mission League title, finishing a 9-1 record.

“People doubting us just made us stronger and made us push a little bit more than everybody else in league,” Hilary King ’11 said.

Heading into CIF, the team is ranked number one in Division II, and in their first match-up, they go head-to-head with the Moorpark Musketeers. Both the coaches and players are very confident going into CIF especially with a defense that is “smothering” and “better than our defense from last year,” Head Coach Mellissa Hearlihy said.

Entering season, the team had high hopes, but its top priority was beating the Chaminade Eagles. In their first match-up, the Eagles pulled out a 51-46 victory over the Wolverines.

“We started out playing our game, but then in the second half, [we played] their game, and we couldn’t defend that,” Hearlihy said.

Eventually the team got their revenge when they faced the Eagles at home, winning 57-41, even though, as King said, many people thought that they had “no chance.” Executing full court press made all the difference in games because this

defense restricted the Eagles’ guards from passing the ball inside to the “big kids,” Hearlihy said.

Senior Night against Flintridge Sacred Heart was emotional this year because the senior players realized that they would no longer be competing as Wolverines. Hearlihy has known King since she was six, and has been active in King’s basketball career, that will soon be coming to an end this season. King does not plan on playing college basketball but instead pursuing track.

“Playing basketball has brought me some of the happiest moments of my life,” King said.

Through all the emotions, the girls defeated their challenger by 33 points, with a score of 71-38.

This year the team had to morph into different basketball players to fit the needs of the team, Hearlihy said, specifically Skylar Tsutsui ’11 and King. Last year King’s main job was defense. She would go into the game and guard the other team’s best player and have “zero responsibility to score,” Hearlihy said. But now she is making an offensive impact as the leading scorer with 17 points in the match up against Chaminade.

Just like King, Tsutsui has changed into a “versatility type player” instead of just a three-point shooter, Hearlihy said.

They have grown confident in

daniel kim/chronicle

Pushing the Pace: Guard Natalie Florescu ’13 carries the ball against the Chaminade Eagles on Feb. 1. themselves as players, and as a team going into CIF, they are focusing on boxing out and rebounding. she said.

The team doesn’t have a specific tough competitor going into playoffs, but they are expecting a challenge from each team they play, Natalie Florescu ’13 said.

In CIF “we are going to force people to beat us, not beat ourselves,” Hearlihy said.

C6 Sports

The

11 wrestlers advance to CIF championships

By Julius Pak With a league record of 2-2, the wrestling team qualified 11 varsity wrestlers to the CIF Championships at Oak Hills High School this Friday and Saturday.

The 11 wrestlers qualified for CIF by placing in the top three positions in 11 different weight classes at the Mission League Finals on Feb. 5 at Chaminade High School.

The two first place titles were taken by two of the three team captains: Ben Kogan ’11 and Jake Sonnenberg ’11.

Kogan captured his fourth league title in the 119-lb. class, finishing his high school wrestling career having won the league title for his weight class every year. Sonnenberg, after two previous finals appearances, won his first league title in the 135-lb. class.

Also a captain, Jordan Bryan ’11, placed second in the 130-lb. class. Elliot Storey ’12 took the other second place title for the Wolverines in the 160-lb. category.

Brandon Chen ’12 and Russell Wolfe ’12 finished third in the 140-lb and 145 lb. classes, respectively James Wauer ’13 and Henry Schlossberg ’13 placed third in the 152-lb. and 215-lb. classes.

Jake Bracken ’14, Patrick Halkett ’14 and Mane Williams ’14 took third place in their respective classes. Bracken placed in the 125-lb. weight class, Halkett in the 103-lb. weight class, and Williams in the 171-lb. weight class.

Despite almost all of the team qualifying for CIF, the wrestling team placed fourth out of the five teams that competed at the league finals.

Feb. 16, 2011

Chronicle

“

JVRoundup

We have high hopes. A lot of the freshmen who qualified we want to do well, and we hope they pull through.”

—Jake Sonnenberg ’11 wrestling captain

“In CIF, I think we’ll have a couple placers and a couple people going to Masters,” Kogan said. “I’m hoping to do really well and to place high, but we’ve never been a tournament-winning team because we are a much smaller team. I think people have been wrestling really well recently so I think a couple people will wrestle at the top of their weight class.”

“We have high hopes,” Sonnenberg said. We have a lot of younger guys. A lot of the freshmen who qualified we want to do well, and we hope they pull through. But as for the older kids we all want to get to Masters, and that’s been my goal the past couple years.”

The top five wrestlers in each weight class at the CIF Championships this weekend will qualify for the CIF Masters Tournament, which will be held at Temecula High School Feb. 25-26.

From the Masters Tournament, the top nine wrestlers in each weight class will qualify for the State Championships at Robobank Arena in Bakersfield March 4-5.

Photos by daniel kim/chronicle

Ball control: Nikki Hirschorn ’12 tries to keep the ball inbounds during a game against Chaminade, top, Alixx Lucas ’13 attempts a layup against Chaminade, right, Aaron Strauss ’12 crosses the ball against Alemany, left.

Girls’ water polo beats Alemany on road The JV girls’ water polo team finished its season with a 9-1 win at an away game against Alemany.

It finished the season with a league record of 4-4, and an overall record of 9-9.

Despite starting the season with losses against Notre Dame, Marymount and Louisville, the team rebounded to win all of its games except another against Louisville.

“The season started off a little rocky, but by the end there was a lot of improvement,” Chanel Thomas ’13 said.

—Ana Scuric

Boys’ soccer finishes 2nd in league competition Finishing its season with an overall record of 7-3-9 and a league record of 6-1-5, the JV boys’ soccer team ended on a high note with a 2-0 victory against the Alemany Warriors.

The team bounced back after not winning in the preseason with two losses and four ties. By the middle of the season, the team found its stride and went on a 10 game streak without a loss, beating its league conterparts Crespi and Alemany in the process.

“We lacked experience but compensated with younger and newer talent,” midfielder Blake Nosratian ’13 said.

—Michael Aronson

Boys’ basketball falls to Loyola, wins 10 overall Wolverines Eat Pizza From Mama’s and Papa’s !!!

Winning all but two league games, the JV boys’ basketball team took second place in the Mission League.

The team lost in overtime at home against Loyola 63-60 Jan. 14.

At Loyola, it lost 66-45.

The Wolverines finished with a

league record of 10-2.

“We had great team chemistry and defense,” Jeremy Schreck ’13 said. “Our presses rattled other teams and forced them to make mistakes. Our success was a result of our energy.”

—Robbie Loeb

Girls’ basketball wins league championship The JV girls’ basketball team clinched the league championship after a 60-42 win over Alemany in its final league game Feb. 10. The team, coached by Samantha Gossard, had an overall record of 18-5.

The team was undefeated in its seven home games. The team’s only league match loss was to Notre Dame on Jan. 6.

“I thought that we worked really well as a team together, which led us to play really well and hard during our games because of the chemistry we had both on and off the court,” Ana Scuric ’13 said. “Overall, we had a really great season.”

—Bo Lee

Girls’ soccer reaches finals of Edison Tournament The JV girls’ soccer team has finished its season with an overall record of 8-6-3 and a league record of 4-3-2.

In league it only lost to Notre Dame and twice to Flintridge Sacred Heart and won against Chaminade, Louisville and twice against Alemany. The team was a finalist in the Edison JV Tournament.

Though the season has ended, players Lucy Putnam ’14, Mackenzie Howe ’14, Jacqueline Ridgely ’14 and Tess Winebaum ’12 have joined the varsity team for playoff games. “[Varsity Coach Richard Simms] was very happy with our season... and will choose many of these girls next year,” JV coach Sean Alvarado said.

—Ally White

Feb. 16, 2011

The

Chronicle

Dragovic adds veteran influence

“

The athletic department hired experienced college and high school-level coach P.C. Shaw, husband of Director of Communications Jill Shaw, to be the camp coordinator for Harvard-Westlake’s Gold Medal Sports camps and an assistant varsity baseball coach.

For the past four years, Shaw was an assistant coach at the University of California, Los Angeles, which reached the College World Series in 2010, according to the UCLA athletics website. Prior to coaching at UCLA, Shaw worked as the Bruins baseball team’s director of operations and won back to back CIF and national titles as an assistant coach at Chatsworth, the UCLA website said.

Lacour said Shaw brings an intensity to the baseball program that has “started to drive our team in a direction I really like” and that Shaw has a “familiarity with what high level players do.”

—Austin Block

Swimmers take top 3 positions at Junior Olympics meet in Long Beach Daniel Kim/chronicle

never got a chance: Danilo Dragovic ’11 hugs his host father during Senior Night, a game in which he was unable to play.

Head Coach Greg Hilliard said. “It tests our starters and gives them something to go up against that might be closer to what they are going to face.”

Dragovic has also acted as a mentor to freshman Michael Sheng and sophomores Clinton Hooks, Chad Kanoff and Francis Hyde.

“He’s one of the hardest working guys we’ve ever had,” Hilliard said. “He’s the first guy in the gym and the last guy to leave, and you pretty much have to use your foot, boot him out the door and lock the door because he would play endlessly. And he’s given that role modeling to our younger guys that to be as good as Danilo is, you have to work as much as he does.”

Dragovic has also been working with a trainer outside of school to keep his game sharp. He said that multiple Division I coaches have expressed interest in him, and many have attended Wolverine practices and spoken with Hilliard.

“They’re very reluctant to actually offer a scholarship to someone they haven’t seen play in a high school game… so they’re offering all the different range of possibilities from a prep school year back east to a walk-on position,” Hilliard said. Dragovic could “get a foot in the door” at some schools due to his family’s connections with other Serbian players in the United States, including his brother Nikola Dragovic, a former UCLA player, and his cousin Nikola Vucevic, who plays for USC, Hilliard said.

Dragovic said he will make a decision on his future sometime between the end of the basketball season and the end of the school year.

In the meantime, he expressed gratitude for all the faculty who have helped him adjust to the school and everyone who has supported him in the appeals process “for being with me in this situation.”

at some point, it kind of just flashes through my mind, ‘How would it be if I was there, if my name was announced in the Starting Lineup?’”

—Danilo Dragovic ’11

Students attend Super Bowl XLV in Dallas

By Michael Aronson and Shawn Ma Among the 100,000 fans at Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas were Jacob Weiss ’13, Kody Greenbaum ’11, and Jono Glassman ’11, who witnessed the Packers take their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.

Weiss has been an avid Packer fan his entire life and had complete confidence in his team to win it all by the time they reached the NFC Championship. He attends one game a year and had already seen them play against their rival Vikings in Minnesota, but once he knew they would play for the Lombardi trophy, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them play once more.

quicktakes Athletic department hires new camp coordinator, baseball coach

from DRAGOVIC, C1 basketball, Gregory said, which violates the hardship waiver by law. But the CIF reasoned that Dragovic would not have enough of an impact on the track team to justify ruling him ineligible in that sport.

Dragovic acknowledged that the strength of the basketball program was a factor in his decision to transfer to Harvard-Westlake, but insisted that it was not the chief impetus.

“My moving wasn’t motivated only by athletics,” Dragovic said. “I came here to get a better education because Harvard-Westlake has a great academic program, and obviously it has traditionally good basketball. But that’s not a primary reason why I came here.”

Dragovic is still getting a first-rate year of education, and the 22-4 Wolverines are favored to win a CIF championship despite his absence, but those lonely minutes before tip-off are a downer for the usually energetic and upbeat senior.

So what is going through Dragovic’s mind at that time?

“I’m definitely getting hyped for my team, and I’m really happy for the guys, and I want them to do well,” he said. “But at some point, it kind of just flashes through my mind, ‘How would it be if I was there, if my name was announced in the starting lineup?’ ” Dragovic has been caught in the midst of a particularly trying time for high school transfer cases.

Although some perceive the CIF’s ruling on Dragovic as evidence of a crackdown on athletically motivated transfers, Head of Athletics Barzdukas did not think Dragovic was “lumped in” with other cases.

“I just think his unique puzzle didn’t fit in with the way those rules are written,” he said.

Dragovic came to the United States from Serbia with a visa that allowed him to attend public school for only one year.

After playing JV basketball at San Marcos High in Santa Barbara as a junior, he transferred to Harvard-Westlake and learned that playing JV made him ineligible for this varsity season.

For the weeks after he was initially denied eligibility, Dragovic and Gregory fought the ruling through numerous steps of the appeals system.

After his first appeal was denied by the CIF appeals judge, Dragovic filed for a Temporary Restraining Order against the CIF ruling. The restraining order, which was denied, would have allowed him to play for the Wolverines while awaiting his Jan. 18 trial date.

“It was constantly on my mind,” Dragovic said. “I was really hyped to get a green light to go… It was kind of frustrating being as ready as it gets to start playing, but then you’ve got to wait to go through this process.”

Although Dragovic cannot contribute in games, he has been a valuable asset to the varsity squad in practices. In scrimmages, he leads the reserve team against the starters.

“It’s a luxury to have a guy who’s actually that good on your deep bench who can come in and play for the second or third string and be [Loyola point guard] Parker Cartwright or whoever we need him to be, and he can do it pretty close to what it is,”

Sports C7

After a win against the Bears to propel the Packers to the big game, Weiss and his dad got tickets, booked their flights and found a hotel. They took two flights on Saturday and arrived in Dallas midday to participate in the pregame festivities along with other football fans in the city.

With a Packer hat and a Donald Driver jersey, Weiss arrived at the stadium five hours before kickoff and got into the stadium two hours early to watch the athletes warm up.

“The game was spectacular,” Weiss said. “I can honestly say that it was one of the greatest days of my life.”

Weiss witnessed his Packers become world champions first hand and stayed in the stadium hours

after to watch his team celebrate.

He made his way down to a section by the field after the game and was able to be up and close to one of his favorite players, cornerback Charles Woodson, who held up the Lombardi Trophy to the remaining Packer fans in attendance.

Greenbaum and Glassman met up before the game. They arrived days before the Super Bowl and were able to attend festivities and parties.

“There are activities and parties all weekend leading up to the game which were fun, and of course the game was awesome,” Greenbaum said. “What I will remember most is Aaron Rodgers’ great game. He deserved to win, and he played like a champ.”

Two swimmers placed at the Southern California Spring Junior Olympics, which started Feb. 10 and lasted three days. Sam Ruddy ’11 placed second in the 200 yard freestyle and Andy Liu ’14 placed third in the 200 yard butterfly.

Harvard-Westlake swimmers Catherine Wang ’11, Henry Copses ’14, Jon Copses ’14, Reyna Calderon ’12, Shan Shan Heh ’12, Sydney Wong ’14, Liu and Ruddy were among the 1,000-plus participants that competed at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach.

“The competition is intense, since most swimmers’ training seasons are planned around the Junior Olympics and have high hopes for the meet,” Wang said.

—Allana Rivera and Shawn Ma

3 fencers place in Scholastic Fencing Individual Tournament at Brentwood Three fencers finished in the top positions at the second Scholastic Individual Epee and Saber tournament held at Brentwood High School Feb. 13.

Josiah Yiu ’12 and Michael Leuchter ’11 captured the top two places in high school mens’ saber, taking first and second, respectively. Anne Kim ’15 finished first in middle school girls’ saber.

Harvard-Westlake has kept the championship sword for eight consecutive years since 2002. Last year, all three of the men’s fencing teams placed first and women’s saber also placed first last year.

“We’ve had a very difficult year and the difficulty really has nothing to do with fencing but rather outside things,” Head Coach Ted Katzoff said. “One of the things I have always been proud of is the fact that I think the fencing team has always been a crosssection of the brightest and best kids in the school.

Always.”

—Daniel Kim

Varsity baseball players and alumni compete in game at O’Malley Field The baseball team faced Harvard and HarvardWestlake alumni baseball players at O’Malley Field on Feb. 12. Lucas Giolito ’12, the starting pitcher for the varsity team, led his team to a 9-0.

Brennan Boesch ’03, who plays for the Detroit Tigers, attended but was unable to play due to a major league contract rule.

Alumni who played included Matt Horn ’04, former baseball player for Penn, and Jason Glushon ’03, a former minor league pitcher.

“Facing Jason, who is only a year removed from pitching at the Triple A level was good for our guys,” varsity coach Matt LaCour said. “Our players handled the day really well. We threw a bunch of strikes and played solid baseball.”

—Michael Aronson

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The

C8 Sports

Masters of the Mat

By Alec Caso

Q A

Feb. 16, 2011

Chronicle

and

Kelly Ohriner

Eleven wrestlers, the most in school history, qualified for CIF playoffs. Senior captains Jordan Bryan ’11, Ben Kogan ’11 and Jake Sonnenberg ’11 hope to add to the Wolverines trophy case and bring home Masters titles.

Q A Q A

What was your biggest challenge in becoming a wrestler?

Bryan: You’re dealing with kids who have wrestled for, more or less, their whole lives, so the biggest thing is having to cope with that. When you’re a little kid, you learn how to dribble a basketball, throw a football, and kick a soccer ball. You might not learn it at a really high level but you have these ingrained skills because they are the natural sports that everyone plays. But no one wrestles in elementary school. So it’s like you’re learning the sport as a second grader and you have to get up to a high school level in a very quick amount of time.

Kogan: Initially I wasn’t very athletic, so to speak I was kind of a shrimp. So the physical challenge of that and kind of getting around that and making myself more athletic and working out around that. The challenge is something everyone goes through.

Sonnenberg:

Q A

It’s just a tough sport physically, but it’s also pretty tough mentally because you have to put yourself on the line every single time. You’re responsible for yourself, when you win you’re responsible and when you lose there is no one else to blame.

Q A

How do you feel the team will do, looking towards next year?

Kogan: Next year, we definitely have a bunch of juniors that will do really well. Brandon Chen ‘12 is one that wrestles really well and I think it will be a great year for him. We are also a really young team. We have a large number of freshmen and sophomores and they can all do really well if they continue to wrestle. I think we could do really well the next few years, for sure.

Jake Sonnenberg ’11

How do you anticipate the team doing in the upcoming tournament?

Sonnenberg: We have high hopes. We have a lot of young guys, a lot of the freshmen who qualified we want to do well and we hope they pull through. But as for the older kids we all want to get to Masters, and you know that’s been my goal the past couple years.

As a senior and captain, how do you feel you set the tone for the season?

Kogan: As a senior, I don’t have anyone above me so there are no older people to look up to in a way. Myself as well as Jake and Jordan have to set the tone and keep working well. Everyone works well together and everyone just gives it their all. It really just comes down to setting the tone, keeping up the energy and wrestling hard so that everyone else will wrestle hard.

With CIF finals approaching, what extra preparations have you taken?

Bryan: This past week we had a pretty intense week in terms of running and drilling. We upped the level of intensity in practice. This next week we’re probably going to taper off a little bit. We’re still going to work hard but we’re going to make sure we don’t get ourselves beaten up because I’m pretty sore right now. Since we had a two week break and now a week of intense practices, now we’re just going to have a week of just preparing for the tournament.

Ben Kogan ’11 Jordan Bryan ’11 Photos by Alec Caso/chronicle