February 2012

DUCK, DIVE AND DODGE: Watch dodgeball teams compete every Monday in Hamilton and Taper gyms for the next four weeks.

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C2

PERSONAL TOUCH: Junior spruces up cars with spray-painted emblems and other colorful details.

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The Harvard -Westlake

hronicle

Los Angeles • Volume XXI • Issue V • Feb. 8, 2012

Baseball, girls’ soccer reach top 10 nationally

By Austin Lee

CHLOE LISTER/CHRONICLE

BRINGING “LARAMIE” TO LIFE: Nick Healy ’13 and Nadia Dubovitsky ’12 play Shannon and Jen, high school students who knew the accused attackers of Matthew Shepard, a

INDEPTH

gay teen in Laramie, Wyo. “The Laramie Project” depicts the aftermath of Shepard’s beating through dialogue from interviews with town residents. See A12 for further coverage.

Andrew LauGel: 1952 – 2011

3 AP curricula to change next academic year

By Megan Kawasaki

The curricula of three Advanced Placement courses will change for the 2012-2013 school year, according to the College Board website.

AP Biology, which has been taught for the past 20 years mostly through lectures and occasional lab work, will now emphasize student-directed labs and conceptual understanding rather than repetitive memorization of large quantities of information, said Upper School Science Department Head Larry Axelrod.

“I’m looking forward to having more time for labs that are less cookbook-type and more open-ended or to have students put more effort into understanding the design and structure of a lab,” Axelrod said.

The number of labs will increase and will be broader and more exploratory, including computer simulations, AP Biology teacher Walt Werner said.

They will focus more on basic and essential biological processes and span over several days rather than take up one double-period class. This ensures that students can do extra hands-on work that there was not enough time to do previously.

Continued on page A5

Baseball’s 3-2 victory over topranked Bishop Gorman High School from Las Vegas Saturday and a string of four consecutive wins for girls’ soccer solidified both teams’ ranks among the top 10 teams in the nation.

The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranked Wolverines eighth in the nation and Bishop Gorman first in its preseason poll last month. In addition, Lucas Giolito ’12 and Max Fried ’12 were respectively ranked the first place right-handed and left-handed pitchers nationally of the senior class

by ESPNHS. The team was also invited to play at the National High School Invitational over spring break in Cary, N.C., along with 15 other highly ranked schools from around the nation.

“We’ll see a lot of highly regarded schools this year out in North Carolina,” Head Coach Matt LaCour said.

“I saw something like nine of the top 30 teams in that first national poll are going to be there, so it’s going to be a highly competitive tournament.”

Meanwhile, the girls’ soccer team also shot up in rank, reaching ninth place in the Powerade Fab 50 on ESPNHS in week nine of the rankings, based on games played until Jan. 29.

This is up three places from the team’s 12th place ranking the previous week and does not take into account the team’s latest wins, which include a 3-1 victory over Chaminade, currently ranked 31st in the poll.

“I think it’s well deserved,” Head Coach Richard Simms said. “But it’s sports, so whatever is written down on paper matters a lot less than what happens on the field. I hope the players understand that and just stay focused and don’t get distracted.”

See C1 and C4 for further coverage

ANDREW LAUGEL

“AN INSPIRATION”: Visual arts teacher Andrew LauGel photographs himself in a “12 o’clock portrait,” one of the staple projects he taught. LauGel died Dec. 22.

Mourners remember LauGel as ‘guiding force’ in arts program

By David Lim

A Buddhist service Thursday will conclude 49 days of special chanting marking the death of former visual arts teacher Andrew LauGel, who died of cancer Dec. 22 and was remembered at a memorial Jan. 27 in the middle school library.

The memorial, titled “Andrew LauGel: A Celebration of Life,” was organized by Chaplain Rabbi Emily Feigenson as the first of three gatherings dedicated to LauGel, who headed the middle school visual arts department for part of his over 20-year tenure.

LauGel retired last spring after being diagnosed with cancer and moved to Connecticut with his family.

His family will hold another service in the first week of March at a Santa Monica beach, Feigenson said. “[LauGel] was a man of fine character, and he was a character,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said as the first of six faculty speakers. “He was a guiding force in the creation of our outstanding middle school arts program. He was a force for good, and he was a force to be reckoned with.

Continued on page A4

INSIDE CRACKDOWN:

25

A4

The LAPD will begin enforcing speed limits more strictly on streets near campus.

PLAY MAKER: Midfielder Adam Wininger ’12 is one of the top goal scorers since he returned from a year in France.

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The Chronicle Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave. Studio City, Calif. 91604

A2 Preview

ELI HAIMS/CHRONICLE

‘I BELIEVE’: Blaise Ormond ’12 leads the crowd in the “I Believe” chant in the fourth quarter of Monday’s boys’ varsity basketball game against Crespi. The Wolver-

ines began to close the gap after the first half but ultimately fell 63-57. Ormond first led the chant at the away Crespi game, which the Wolverines won in the last seconds.

Features B7

News A6

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ELLE WILSON

TEAM USA: Michelle Choi ’12 and Elle Wilson ’13, second from right and right, pose with teammates in Capetown at the World School Debate Championship.

Sports C3

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

AVALON NUOVO

RAWR: Avalon Nuovo ’13 sculpts, draws and paints in a variety of different media, including acrylic paints, watercolor, gouache and colored polymer clays.

PINNED DOWN: Jake Bracken ’14, right, puts his opponent in a headlock during the match against Chaminade Jan. 11. Six wrestlers advanced to CIFs.

Offbeat

Senior pitcher loses bet at baseball practice, dons penguin suit to school as punishment

By Allison Hamburger

KATIE PRICE

TRICK OR TREAT: Baseball player Alex Rand-Lewis ’12, left, lost a bet to teammate Lucas Giolito ’12, right.

It was Halloween again in February for baseball pitcher Alex Rand-Lewis ’12, who waddled though campus in a full-body penguin suit last Friday after losing a bet to fellow pitcher Lucas Giolito ’12.

While the rest of the team batted at practice earlier in the week, the two pitchers killed time by playing a game where they tried to roll a ball toward a bucket. They bet on whether Giolito would hit the bucket, and the loser would have to wear a Halloween costume to school the following Friday.

Needless to say, this was not Rand-

The Chronicle is the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School. It is published eight 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 Ave., Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be

Lewis’s day.

Faced with the impending embarrassment, he considered wearing a fluffy Scooby-Doo costume but ultimately decided to borrow Giolito’s penguin suit.

“I decided the penguin would be less hot than Scooby-Doo, and having a Scooby-Doo on top of my head would probably not be the most convenient thing being in classes all day,” RandLewis said.

Giolito called Rand-Lewis the day before to remind him of the next day’s significance. “[Giolito] said, ‘You have to wear the penguin costume. You have to wear

it. Come get it tonight,’” Rand-Lewis said with conviction.

“I got a lot of awkward glances and awkward stares from kids who don’t really know who I am or couldn’t tell it was me,” he said.

Giolito first saw Rand-Lewis’s outfit in their second period class and laughed the second he saw the costume, Rand-Lewis said.

“Everyone would make fun of me, but it was just jokingly,” Rand-Lewis said. “It was kind of a bonding experience in a way. It was fun.”

More silly baseball bets should be expected in the future, Rand-Lewis said.

signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format.

Advertising questions may be directed to Alex Gura at (310) 467-1797. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

News A3

Activist to advocate sustainable lifestyle

By Judd Liebman

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ALLEN SASAKI

FOREIGN EXCHANGE: Chinese teacher Quinru Zhou, left, interacts with a Beijing student during a meeting in the

Emery Room welcoming the students and teachers from the High School No. 1 Affiliated to Beijing Normal University.

Beijing students stop during college tour to visit school, attend classes

By Rachel Schwartz

Twelve Beijing teenagers were surprised by the sense of freedom and teamwork they observed in the classes they audited during their visit to the Upper School on Feb. 1. The High School No. 1 Affiliated to Beijing Normal University visited some of the most prestigious universities in the country, and Harvard-Westlake hosted them for a day.

In return, during the Spring Break trip to China, Harvard-Westlake students will spend time at the Beijing high school.

Chinese teacher Quinru Zhou, who made arrangements with the high school’s administration, has been looking for a school to connect with for Harvard-Westlake’s spring break trip to China since 2000.

At the end of March, “we will have a 10-day language and cultural study program supported by them, including living in their international student dorms, having meals at their cafeteria and extension language and cultural courses,” Zhou said.

“We visited some famous universi-

ties in China and we went to famous American Universities so students can see what their futures might be,” English teacher and chaperone of the trip Yizhu Deng said, though attendance as graduate students rather than undergraduates is more likely for students from China.

“Generally, Chinese modern schools are established under the guidelines similar to Western systems,” Zhou said. “The essential difference is that in the U.S., students choose classes with the guidance of deans according to the school’s requirements and policy, and Chinese students go through the same required classes.”

In China, all students are required to learn English and begin their studies in primary school where they receive English names.

“I think the way of thinking is different,” Johnny, one of the visiting juniors, said. “At Harvard-Westlake, you can do what you want to do and the school offers that.”

The students spent the morning auditing English, history, journalism, math and science classes. Deng said the students were interested by the

Dance troupe performs to honor black history

By Jack Goldfisher

An African-American dance troupe from the Lula Washington Dance Theatre performs today in an assembly to celebrate Black History Month. Hosted by the Black Leadership and Culture Club, the dance troupe showcases “contemporary modern dance works that reflect African-American history and culture,” according to its mission statement.

“When it’s just a speaker talking about one specific experience, not everyone can relate,” BLACC president Evan Brown ’12 said. “We didn’t want the assembly to be just for the black students in our school.”

The Harvard-Westlake AfricanAmerican Alumni Network originally suggested the Lula Washington Dance Theatre for the annual Black History Month assembly. The professional dance company is a part of the Lula Washington Contemporary Dance foundation, a non-profit organization for minority dance artists in Southern Los Angeles.

The company tours internationally and performs dances choreographed by Lula Washington and her professional staff.

They have “focused on using dance to explore social and humanitarian

issues, including aspects of AfricanAmerican history and culture,” according to the Lula Washington Dance Theatre website.

The BLACC members felt that dance is a universal language that anyone can understand, and therefore a good way to educate the general student body about black culture, Brown said.

Throughout the month of February, members of the BLACC will be wearing nametags with the names of important people, places and events pertaining to black history.

Two years ago, the BLACC employed the same tactic, however, this year they added places and events, as well as less well-known black leaders to the nametags.

“The members of BLACC don’t even know about all of the things that we’re going to have on our labels either, so it’ll be an educational experience for the people wearing them and the askers,” Brown said. “Even though they’re not the most famous, somebody did something somewhere that kind of affected the whole consciousness of the world.

I think that now it’s important for black people to educate others on the more minute things because every little person has made a change.”

range of choices afforded to students at Harvard-Westlake.

“Their main work is to pass their exams,” Deng said when visiting the Advanced Journalism course.

She noted that the rigor of their courses does not allow for many extracurriculars and electives.

“Your school is so big,” Alex said.

“From the outside corner of our school to the other end is a one minute walk.”

High School No. 1’s campus is one building at the center of Beijing. Except for classes that require special facilities, students at High School No. 1 stay in one classroom all day while the teachers rotate.

Each of their classes usually has about 40 students.

“China has too many people,” Johnny said.

Foreign Language Department Chair Paul Chenier, who hosted the visit along with the rest of the department, prepared the event with student hosts Eli Haims ’12, Justin Ho ’12, Gabi Kuhn ’12 and Rayne Peerenboom ’14.

His colleagues and the student hosts helped welcome the students in the Emery Room.

The president of Conservation International will promote a more environmentally friendly lifestyle as the Brown Family Speaker on April 11.

The Brown Family Series was founded

by Abbott and Linda Brown (Russell ’94, David ’96).

This will be the second visit for Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, who came to Harvard-Westlake in the ’90s to promote sustainability, President Thomas C. Hudnut said.

“I want to relay the message that our environment is being destroyed, and we are the cause,” said Alán Sneider ’12, president of the Environmental Action Committee, who helped plan the speech. “We have the power to slow it down and reverse it.”

Conservational International “works toward conserving biodiversity hotspots,” said Sneider, who travelled to China with the organization to observe endangered species.

The organization “engage[s] nations in a common goal — to preserve natural resources for the benefit of all life on Earth,” its website says.

Mittermeier wrote “Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions,” among others works.

Sneider hopes his club’s membership will increase after the speech.

“I’m hoping for awareness that will provoke thought and action,” he said.

Lately, the club has been working on replacing the school’s lightbulbs with fluorescent ones that last longer, Sneider said. The agenda, however, will change after Mittermeier speaks.

Previous Brown Family Speakers include documentarian Ken Burns, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Katona, artist and conservationist Maya Lin, violinist Goto Midori and photographer Art Wolfe.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIELLE DUHL

SUITED UP: A group of seniors poses on the stairs in formal attire, imitating past semiformal traditions. Semiformal would have been on the following weekend.

Seniors orchestrate mock dance

By Michael Sugerman

Last year, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts stood in front of the student body and said, “Semiformal as we know it is history.” This year, seniors brought it back in a whole new way.

Decked in formal garments, armed with cameras and ready for a game of “sparkling cider pong,” seniors staged an impromptu semiformal on Friday, Jan. 27.

The event was instigated via the senior Facebook page.

The morning of the in-school formal, seniors displayed a poster under the stairs to Seaver that read “Welcome to Semiformal,” and by midday, the poster had changed to “Welcome to After-Party.” According to senior pre-

fect Hank Doughan ’12, the after-party aspect was meant to be a tongue-incheek mockery of last year’s after-party, which — due to excessive drinking and hospitalization — ultimately led to semiformal’s indefinite cancellation.

“I think our grade just wanted to do something to keep the spirit of semiformal alive and bond as a class,” Kristen Lee ’12 said.

For the most part, the event was well-received by administration, Doughan said. However, the sparkling cider pong was immediately halted

by Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church and Upper School chaplain Father J. Young, as it was seen to be inappropriate.

“I think it was justified,” Doughan said. “Truthfully, it was kind of stupid.”

The Chronicle

A4 News

Feb. 8, 2012

Researchers, teachers visit math classes

By Lauren Siegel

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KATIE PRICE

DANCING IN THE DARK: Kathryn Gallagher ’11, Max Sheldon ’11 and Beanie Feldstein ’11 dance in a musical

number along with 30 other professional dancers hired by the Oprah Winfrey Network for an episode set to air in June.

Walch to be featured on Oprah show

By Keane Muraoka-Robertson Performing arts teacher Ted Walch will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network in June as part of a series thanking individuals of various professions.

“It is not the kind of thing that I would ordinarily have been a part of,” Walch said. “It’s so, in many wonderful ways, not like me that I kind of like it.

It will be fun to see the final results.”

“Originally they told me, ‘There is going to be something on the Oprah Winfrey Network that is going to be about you,’” Walch said. “I said that if it is something the school is good with, then I’m good with it. The next thing I heard was that it was a competition among 50 teachers from 50 different

states and that there would be documentaries done on all of them, but only 10 would be chosen.”

A camera crew from OWN spent a day on campus filming Walch for his documentary. They visited his Cinema Studies Class and a rehearsal for “The Laramie Project,” the winter play.

They also interviewed Nick Lieberman ’11, his former student, and President Thomas C. Hudnut.

On Jan. 8, OWN hosted and filmed a pep rally in Hamilton Gym for students, faculty and alumni to show their support for Walch.

Walch originally thought that he was competing to be featured on OWN. However, OWN planned to feature him from the very beginning when they had approached the school in August.

OWN created the fake contest so the camera crew could film Walch’s reaction during the pep rally, where he found out he would be on the show.

“It started as though it was a pep rally with Alex Rand-Lewis ’12 being head Fanatic,” Walch said. “Then the video with Jason Segel ’97, my former student, came on. All these people started singing a thank you song and then these kids who used to go here came out and started dancing with them. Slowly but surely, I started to figure out what was going on.”

According to Walch, about 30 professional dancers were used in the musical number.

Recent graduates Kathryn Gallagher ’11, Max Sheldon ’11 and Beanie Feldstein ’11 attended.

Colleagues share memories of LauGel

By Saj Sri-Kumar

The Los Angeles Police Department will be patrolling Greenleaf Street (A) between Valley Vista Boulevard and Van Noord Avenue after receiving complaints from residents about speeding cars. The road is commonly used by student drivers, as it avoids the often congested intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

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The Los Angeles Police Department is cracking down on drivers speeding on the residential streets around the Upper School after receiving numerous complaints from residents.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Ron Carter said the police received reports of speeding from homeowners along Greenleaf Street, a cut-through street used to access Coldwater Canyon Avenue from Valley Vista Boulevard which avoids the busy intersection with Ventura Boulevard.

“The complaints that I have been receiving are between 7:30 and 7:45 in the morning, Monday through Friday,” Carter said. “These were youthful drivers, some, obviously, very likely coming from the school.”

He said that officers would start to patrol the street more regularly in the mornings to try to catch drivers who are exceeding the speed limit.

Head of Security Jim Crawford agreed that some of the drivers are likely students.

“We have the nearest school, and the people have youthful appearances, and are driving nicer cars than most teenagers,” he said. “Our guys are pretty crafty about finding side streets to get here.”

Carter said that he hoped to have the speed limit reduced on Greenleaf to 20 mph from the current 25 mph.

“In driving through there myself, 25 miles per hour is not even reasonable,” he said. “It’s a very small street, barely wide enough for two cars, and there’s generally parking on at least one side.

There are children, animals. So if you drive at 20, and try to accelerate to 25, it’s totally unsafe. I’m not sure we can have it reduced, but I’m hoping we can have some warning signs requesting people reduce their speed.”

After receiving the complaints, the LAPD placed a radar machine on the street to display drivers’ speed and record the number of drivers exceeding the limit, Carter said. That information could be presented to the city’s Department of Transportation, which has final authority over speed limits.

Cracking down on speeders

ulevard

LAPD enforcing speed limits after complaints from neighbors

LauGel’s time at Harvard-Westlake.

Anderson read a yellow card she found on which LauGel had scribbled a quote and that she kept for the past three years on her desk.

“The arts transmit the values and ethics which are born of the human experience. We remember the values of civilizations past primarily through the arts and what we inherit from them.

When a civilization turns away from the arts, it risks losing both its arts and its legacy,” LauGel wrote.

ista Bo

He was impossible to ignore.”

She recalled the first time she met LauGel as a middle school science teacher working on a community service slideshow. LauGel graciously offered to help organize the slides and offered her his lightbox.

“I thought the exercise would take no longer than an hour but it took four hours because Andrew wanted it to be perfect,” she said. “[LauGel] had raised

my sights. Good enough wasn’t good enough anymore. But that’s what a great teacher does, inspires you to become a better version of yourself.”

Huybrechts and Middle School Visual Arts Department Head Brenda Anderson recalled LauGel’s lengthy, multicolored and uniquely punctuated emails which he signed off with “8 ) =,” which Huybrechts later realized was a representation of his face sideways.

Ninth grade dean John Kim also played a ukelele during a slideshow of

Valley V

Continued from page A1

Researchers and teachers from other secondary schools visited the math department Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 as part of Renew and Review, in nathanson ’s/chronicle which the departPaula Evans ment reflects on its strengths and weaknesses with the help of unbiased sources.

“They’re sitting in our classes and meeting in small groups to give us feedback on things that sometimes we don’t see ourselves,” upper school Math Department Head Paula Evans said. “[They served] much in the way an accreditation committee serves, except these people have been hand selected by our school and are very clearly math experts,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said.

Renew and Review is a six-year process comprised of two phases, the research phase and the methodology phase.

The research phase analyzes data from Harvard-Westlake and other schools. From the data, conclusions can be drawn about the math curriculum and how it is taught, Evans said.

The methodology phase uses the conclusions reached in the research phase to make specific goals for the department and to outline steps to achieve those goals.

The visitors were upper and middle school math department chairs Chris Jones and Tom Petras from The Horace Mann School in Riverdale, N. Y., Bradley Stoll from The Harker School in San Jose, and Chris Rasmussen, researcher and math and statistics professor at San Diego State University.

“It’s really cool to see people from other prep schools, Harker and Horace Mann, help us take a look at our action plan to see if these are feasible goals, if they fit in with things that are important and overall give us feedback to achieve success,” Evans said.

The Renew and Review feedback process has worked well since its creation in 2009, resulting in stronger teachers and therefore successful students, Evans said.

“Students are achieving their goals and kids are clearly enjoying math more because they’re doubling and tripling up in math courses,” Evans said.

Harvard-Westlake Main Entrance SOURCE: LAPD GRAPHIC BY SAJ SRI-KUMAR

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

News A5

Curriculum Changes

Fair offers Math course to add online component chance to browse classes

By Anabel Pasarow

Starting next year, one Trigonometry and Functions class will have part of the classwork online as part of a pilot program.

There will be daily online lecnathanson ’s/chronicle tures and stuMichael Mori dents can then ask questions via email, the five most popular of which will be discussed online the following day.

Once a week students will meet in class to take a quiz or test and to have their portfolios checked. Each student will have 15 minutes per week to meet with his or her teacher to keep students up-to-date. Students can request to be in this section and will decide

with their dean, teacher and parents if this option makes sense for them, said Math Department Head Paula Evans.

“Many schools offer this option to students,” Evans said. “The school has discussed the possibility for years. It was really a situation where we wanted to see if this could be helpful for certain students.”

This section of Trignometry and Functions will include the same material as the other sections of the course.

“There will be around 15 students in the online section,” said math teacher Michael Mori. “It is a pilot program, so we want to give it the best chance for success and not overburden it.”

The math department has chosen to do this to accommodate students who have busy schedules and need more flexibility, those who are better able to focus in the late afternoon or evening and those who learn concepts quickly without a classroom environment, Evans said.

“Our school wants to be a leader, so when we heard of online learning we did not think keeping our heads in the sand was a good approach,” Mori said. “We came up with a way to use technology and the internet to conduct a class. We shared it with [Head of School Jeanne] Huybrechts and the deans and they thought it would be worth a try.”

In April 2011, the math department began thinking about the concept and came up with a sketch of a course, but the idea became more concrete at the beginning of this school year, Mori said.

“Personally, I do not want to do this because I like the classroom interaction,” said Mori. “But as time goes on, I do not want to be left behind. My hope is that I will have one live classroom section and the online section. That way I can record the online lectures in my live class so that students’ reactions to the material will be recorded too.”

Collegeboard to restructure curricula of 3 Advanced Placement courses Continued from page A1

Although teachers will present a basic method of how to complete a lab, the students will be largely left to design their experiments. The work will then become mostly discussion-based and encourage students to think about broad concepts, Axelrod said.

“They require students to be thinking and applying more because with real science, you ask a question and test it, and if it doesn’t work, then you try something else,” Werner said. “The attempt is to look at fundamental, important biological principles and to use long-term lab activities to emphasize them more. The sense is to try and get away from long lectures as much as possible.”

Certain portions of the course, such as ones on plants and human physiology, may be greatly reduced or removed entirely to concentrate on the labs, he said.

Because the teachers will be breaking new ground, Werner said organizing the class and the new labs may produce some challenges.

“It’s always interesting to embark on a variation in the education process,” he said. “It’s going to be a work in progress. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going to happen.”

Another course that will change is

“

It’s always interesting to embark on a variation in the education process. It’s going to be a work in progress. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going to happen.”

—Walt Werner science teacher

AP Latin: Vergil. The class currently focuses only on reading Vergil’s “Aeneid,” but in the coming year, students will also read the “Gallic Wars” by Julius Caesar, which is about his military campaigns in Gaul. With this addition, parts of the “Aeneid” will no longer be studied, concentrating mainly on the first six books of the work.

“The trade-off is that students will get to read some prose as well as poetry,” said Upper School Foreign Language Department Chair Paul Chenier.

“The students are being introduced to the writings of one of the most famous and influential figures in antiquity.”

Students will be able to sight-read Latin with more facility by studying prose, which Chenier said will help them with the AP exam. They will also get a very different perspective of the

The Changes Ahead The AP Biology, AP Latin and AP Spanish Literature curricula will each change significantly for the upcoming year.

AP Biology Before: Largely lecture-based with occasional lab work covering a wide range of biological concepts

After: Greater emphasis on student-run labs and a reduction in the amount of topics covered

AP Latin: Vergil Before: Focused solely on reading, analyzing and discussing the entirety of Vergil’s “Aeneid”

After: Integration of “Gallic Wars” by Julius Caesar and a focus on the first six books of the “Aeneid”

AP Spanish Literature Before: Coursework revolved around After: A reduction in the amount of reading, analyzing, discussing and required readings and a greater emphasis on the cultural and historical writing about several pieces of context of literary works literature SOURCES: LARRY AXELROD, ROSER GELIDA, WALT WERNER GRAPHIC BY NIKA MADYOON

nathanson ’s/chronicle

Roman Empire than what they were studying before, he said. “[The ‘Gallic Wars’] gets away from Italy, so students will look at topics that have to do with a province of the Roman Republic,” Chenier said.

The course will still consist of daily reading and class discussion, but Chenier hopes that the combination of the poetry and prose, as well as historical context, will offer new depth to the class.

“It really does help to read prose,” he said. “You get to sample a different style of Latin and read it closely too, not just Vergil.”

The third AP course that will be changed for next year is AP Spanish Literature, soon to be called AP Spanish Literature and Culture, according to a preliminary draft of the course guide written by the College Board.

The amount of required readings will be reduced to allow more time for teachers to introduce students to the cultural contexts of the works and further their understanding with a variety of media such as music and television.

“Right now, we’re just reading and discussing and writing about it,” said Upper School Spanish teacher Roser Gelida. “[The College Board] wants us to relate cultural products, like a short story, to others, like a painting or a movie, and [study them] in a historical context.”

Gelida said that although she finds the course changes to be relatively significant, she is optimistic about the new additions.

“What’s always been the goal of this AP is to promote the understanding of literature and analytical skills while discussing and reading and writing,” Gelida said. “That’s still there, but now it’s been expanded with something more interdisciplinary, which goes well with the school philosophy and is similar to what students will find in college.”

By Abbie Neufeld and Sarah Novicoff

For the first time, the deans and the Prefect Council are organizing an academic fair for Feb. 22.

Tables nathanson ’s/chronicle set up in the Beth Slattery quad will give sophomores and juniors a chance to learn about the classes that are open for them to choose as they plan their schedules for the coming year.

Teachers will organize tables explaining their classes and answer any questions that visiting students have.

Students who are currently in the class or have taken the class in the past will also assist the teachers, and projects will be on display.

Upper School Dean Beth Slattery decided to organize the fair in response to students “feeling like they needed more information about the courses from the faculty and kids who have actually taken the classes,” she said.

Sophomore prefect Henry Hahn ’14 said that a lot of students sign up for classes when they are not informed about the material taught or the teacher.

The academic fair will serve to inform the student body about their classes and ensure that students choose classes they will enjoy.

“We’re hoping to make course choices more meaningful and more informed,” Upper School Dean Jon Wimbish said.

Slattery also cited the new Kutler Center classes as another motivation for the fair.

“I hope kids will actually use this opportunity because teachers are taking time out of their schedules to do this, and if it’s successful we hope to continue it in future years,” Slattery said.

Cinema Studies to be offered only to senior students

By Allison Hamburger

Cinema Studies will be offered only to seniors next year because of the recent high enrollment. There are currently 89 students in the four sections, 25 of whom are juniors.

Cinema Studies teacher Ted Walch said he suggested the change to lighten his seven-class load. Next year, he will also teach Kutler Center Class Philosophy of Art and Science with math teacher Kevin Weis.

“Because Cinema Studies has attracted so many kids and we are adding new classes, this will open up population for new courses,” Walch said.

Grading so many exams has also been unrealistic, he said.

“I do this reluctantly because I love having these kids,” Walch said. “It’s an amazing difference between 71 and 89 kids. The kids aren’t getting my best work.”

The Chronicle

A6 News

inbrief

Feb. 8, 2012

Students able to access grades online for 1st time

At the end of the first semester, for the first time since grades were made available online, students could access their grades using their own login information. Prior to the change, grades could only be viewed by signing in to the hw.com parents’ portal, which “seemed silly,” Upper School Dean Tamar Adegbile said.

The deans and members of Prefect Council proposed the change to Head of the Upper School Harry Salamandra. Salamandra spoke with computer services to make the change.

—Jack Goldfisher

6 members of JCL club head to regional qualifier Six members of the Junior Classical League will compete at a Certamen qualifier on March 3 at the Polytechnic School in Pasadena. Certamen is a team trivia competition that includes questions on a variety of topics such as Latin grammar and Greco-Roman mythology, JCL advisor and Latin teacher Derek Wilairat said.

If the team qualifies at the regional event, they will get a chance to compete in the actual competition at the California Junior Classical League State Convention in Atherton, Calif.

Additional Latin students from the club will join the delegation to the convention in March, Wilairat said.

—Morganne Ramsey

Girls Learn International club to attend conference Members of the Girls Learn International chapter will attend the Commission on the Status of Women Conference from Feb. 27 to March 2 in New York. GLI is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls and encouraging leadership.

“I’m excited for us to take what we learn there and bring it back to share with the rest of the club and entire school community,” English teacher and chaperone Malina Mamigonian said.

—Keane Muraoka-Robertson

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ELLE WILSON

ON TOUR: Michelle Choi ‘12, left, and Elle Wilson ‘13, center, take a break between rounds at the World School Debate Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. Choi and Wilson spent two weeks there as part of Team USA, which finished 38th out of 47th.

Debaters compete in South Africa

By Mariel Brunman Debating topics ranging from justification of racial profiling by police officers to pornography, Michelle Choi ’12 and Elle Wilson ’13 competed in the World School Debate Championship in Cape Town, South Africa from Jan. 15 to 28. Wilson and Choi, along with the rest of the United States team, competed against debaters from Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Scotland, Sweden and Wales.

“It is really fascinating to see what political perspectives are coming from different parts of the world,” Wilson said. “Despite these differences, everyone gets along so well.”

Two teams debated in each round, and the USA team drew more opposi-

tion sides than proposition sides for the debate. The USA team debated many of the teams that ultimately made it to the final rounds and placed 38th out of 47th in the competition.

“Often, we were unlucky with the sides we drew to debate,” Choi said.

“We ended up with the harder sides.”

Debaters qualified for the tournament in a two part process. If they made it past preliminary video auditions, they competed in a second round where they found out their topics minutes before the debate began.

The remaining four to five debaters after the auditions made up the national team for the championship competition.

Practices were held via email, conference phone calls or Skype sessions

Reitman ’95 to interview writer-director

Model UN cancels trip because of low attendance Model United Nations cancelled its annual February trip to the National American Invitational at Georgetown University this year because of the lack of student interest. This is the second time a MUN trip has been cancelled for this reason.

MUN President Vivian Mao ’12 credited the lack of interest to the difficulty of missing school.

“It’s definitely a harder conference, so a lot of people don’t want to put in the time for research and stuff,” she said. “A lot of time it’s stress that you don’t have time for.”

—Noa Yadidi

Administration visits alumni across the country Alumni receptions are being held all this week in different cities across the country and at the Bel-Air Club in Los Angeles on March 7.

The first event was held in San Francisco on Monday. There will be one tonight in Boston and another tomorrow in New York City. Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, Vice President John Amato, Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra, and Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu are attending the various reunions, but President Tom Hudnut will only be attending the reunion in New York.

—Jivani Gengatharan

throughout the year as Choi and Wilson’s teammates live in different states across the country.

On days when Team USA was not competing, Choi and Wilson toured Cape Town with their teammates.

They hiked to the top of Table Mountain and visited Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

“We saw amazing views of the ocean and surrounding city, and it was so moving to see the similarities and differences between our two cultures.”

Wilson said.

“A huge part of the experience was meeting everyone and learning from all of their different experiences and viewpoints. [Cape Town] is such a beautiful, and everyone at WSDC is so friendly,” Wilson said.

By Justine Goode

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ELANA STROUD

READY TO FLY: Elana Stroud ‘13, second from left, stands ready with her fellow cadets. Stroud leads a squadron in the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary air force unit.

Junior cadet wins award serving in Air Force Civil Air Patrol

By Keane Muraoka-Robertson Elana Stroud ’13, a Technical Sergeant in the Non-Commissioned Officer Phase of the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the air force, won CAP’s 2011 NCO of the year award on behalf of the 10 airport squadrons located in Los Angeles. The senior members in her squadron, Squadron 51 in Santa Monica, nominated her for the award.

“It’s an honor just to be nominated,” Stroud said. “It’s really cool to see my transformation and the transformation of cadets around me. Just a few years ago, I was a new cadet and didn’t know how to plane or suture a wound.

Now, I know all of these things and get the opportunity to teach others.”

CAP, a civilian division of the Air Force, runs about 90 percent of search

and rescue missions and is located throughout the U.S. She has achieved her Advanced Communication Users Training allowing to operate radio during emergencies and hopes to get a pilot’s license.

Stroud has worked to adapt to the military discipline.

“It’s a whole new environment having to say ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ in response to questions and wearing a uniform that you have to maintain,” she said.

Stroud, along with other NCOs, leads her squadron of cadets. Her job includes planning and leading monthly meetings for 25 cadets ages 12-18.

“As a cadet, the main focus is learning how to lead, learning about the military’s customs and courtesies, and training others of less experience,” Stroud said.

Oscar-nominated director Jason Reitman ’95 will interview writer and director Rian Johnson on Feb. 28 as part of his ongoing “Speaking of Movies” series. The interview will be held at 7 p.m. in the Ahmanson Lecture Hall. Johnson is the writer and director of the films “Brick” (2005), a high school crime drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and “The Brothers Bloom” (2009), a film with Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz.

Video Art teacher Kevin O’Malley recently showed “Brick,” Johnson’s directorial debut, to his Video II class.

“We were all completely baffled,” O’Malley said. “But intrigued.”

The movie resets a classic film noir mystery at a San Clemente high school, with the dialogue written in the distinctive and confusing language of detective stories.

The film won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.

“Jason has such eclectic tastes when it comes to films and filmmakers,” O’Malley said. “We are always surprised and, invariably, delighted with his choices.”

Johnson is currently at work on the science fiction film “Looper”, a timetravel thriller starring Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Johnson has never directed a film that he did not also write.

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Senior gives presentation to doctors and students

The club showcase next Monday will include roughly 30 clubs and the work they have done up to this point.

KHWS will provide music for the event during break. The showcase will present fewer clubs than the 50 that participated in the activities fair earlier in the year. Junior Prefect Katie Lim ’13 said participation has decreased because only certain clubs want to present their current progress and work.

Despite the smaller size, “it’s a fun way to see what the clubs have accomplished,” she said.

—Beatrice Fingerhut

Habitat for Humanity to return to New Orleans

PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JEFFREY BU

WATCH AND LEARN: Jeffrey Bu ’12 prepares to start his presentation to doctors and medical students, top. He presented on acute promelocytic leukemia, and involved microscopic pictures and time v. incidence graphs into his slideshow, bottom. he enjoyed the chance to attend the conference.

“It gives you a chance to present your research rather than just submitting it for a competition,” he said.

“Not only did I get to present, I also got to meet all these really, really, real-

ly smart people. I was a little nervous, but when I started talking it was okay.”

At the conference, Bu said he also learned about recent developments in the medical profession through other lectures, including possible forthcoming treatments utilizing stem cells.

Security restocks bunkers, buys triage unit

By Michael Rothberg The security department is adding new search and rescue supply bags to the two emergency bunkers on the upper school campus in accordance with the Community Emergency Response Team program. The school also recently purchased a mobile triage hospital that can be rolled out in an emergency situation in lieu of smaller triages.

“Every couple years, we upgrade our bunkers,” said Head of Security Jim Crawford. “We have possibly the most updated and durable bunkers on the planet. We even are going to maintain students’ medications inside the bunkers. If someone has an urgent

Beijing No. 12 administrators study AP classes

“

Every couple years, we upgrade our bunkers. We have possibly the most updated and durable bunkers on the planet.”

—Jim Crawford Head of Security

need for a medication, we have that.”

One is stocked with water and other rations, and the other is a first responder bunker, containing supplies for first aid and search and rescue.

“Now every time we have a fire drill

or a lockdown drill, all this equipment is going to be rolled out and set up,” Crawford said. “We’ll have the triage area set up, we’ll have our search and rescue people have their bags and hard hats, and a lot of them will include students who are CERT trained.”

The security department is also training its staff in national protocol for emergency response. “[Security Guard] Mark [Geiger] and I are going through training right now called NIMS, the National Incident Management System,” Crawford said.

“Phone companies, fire departments, police departments, schools and hospitals want everybody talking the same language, so if there was an event, everybody can coordinate.”

By Lara Sokoloff Five teachers from a Beijing high school will observe classes at the Upper and Middle Schools this week to help establish their AP curriculum. Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said she hopes this is the beginning of what will hopefully be a long-term friendship.

Associate Head of School Audrius Barzdukas piloted the program, working to create the itinerary for the educators from Beijing No. 12.

Teachers were given a list of all AP classes every period of the day and have the opportunity to sit in on any of them. Harvard-Westlake teachers will also speak to the educators about “Their Approach to AP.” “Their principal and teachers were delighted to have been invited to observe the best practices at Harvard-

inbrief

Club fair to feature approximately 30 groups

By Saj Sri-Kumar

Jeffrey Bu ’12 stood in an auditorium with nearly 50 medical students and doctors. Unlike many of them, however, Bu was not there to hear a presentation on two rare forms of cancer — he was there to give it.

Bu’s research into synovial sarcoma and acute promyelocytic leukemia started with a paper he wrote as part of an independent research project he started last year. Studying data he received from the National Cancer Institute, Bu applied statistical techniques to measure the number of diagnoses of the two diseases versus the age of the patient. With that information, he was able to calculate the number of mutations that the cancers have, a step that could help develop new treatments.

After Bu initially reached his conclusions, he compiled the data into a paper that he submitted to the Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition.

Last year, he was chosen as a semifinalist in the research competition.

Bu later submitted an abstract from his paper to the American Federation for Medical Research. He received an offer to speak at their conference in Carmel, Calif., and also had his abstract printed in the federation’s publication, the Journal of Investigative Medicine.

A marked change from the paper he wrote earlier, Bu’s presentation entailed making a PowerPoint presentation for the live audience and fielding any questions that they asked. Bu said

News A7

Over spring break, a group of 15 to 20 students will build homes in New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity.

The trip, which has taken place every year since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is planned and chaperoned by upper school chaplain Father J. Young.

Young sent an email in mid-January to gauge student interest in the trip and confirmed that nearly 20 students wanted to participate, which was enough to renew the trip, he said.

“The trip is important for HarvardWestlake students because, as a privileged school, we have a responsibility to reach out to those less fortunate than we are,” he said.

—Michael Sugerman

Students bake challah with Holocaust survivors

Six students from The Righteous Conversation Project baked challah with Holocaust survivors last Wednesday as part of a joint effort with UCLA’s Challah for Hunger chapter. The Righteous Conversation Project was founded by four seniors and aims to create an ongoing dialogue between teens and Holocaust surviors.

The challah was sold to UCLA students and the proceeds will be donated to Jewish World Watch’s Solar Cooker Project, which provides solar cookers to refugee women from Darfur.

—Abbie Neufeld

Alumna’s film ‘White Frog’ to premier at film festival “White Frog,” an independent movie written and produced by Ellie Wen ’05 along with executive producer David Henry Hwang ’75, will have its world premier the opening night of the 30th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival March 8.

“We are extremely excited and honored to be selected as the opening night film for the festival,” Wen said.

“It’s especially meaningful to me because I was just at the festival one year ago as an attendee and getting ready to shoot ‘White Frog.’”

—Keane Muraoka-Robertson

3 publications nominated for CSPA Crown Awards

MICHAEL ARONSON/CHRONICLE

TAKING IT IN: Teachers from Beijing No. 12 high school are visiting to learn from the school’s AP program. They watched a boys’ varsity soccer game on Monday night.

Westlake, and I believe that we (and by extension our students) will benefit from an ongoing dialogue with them,” said Huybrechts in a message to the faculty.

The teachers initially planned to

visit in October but were delayed due to problems with visas. The school began building a relationship with Beijing No. 12 two summers ago when Huybrechts and President Thomas Hudnut first visited the school.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association has selected three HarvardWestlake publications as finalists for its 2012 Crown Awards. The Chronicle is a finalist in the High School Print Newspaper category, Vox Populi is a finalist in the High School Print Yearbook category and the middle school magazine the Spectrum is a finalist in the Middle School Print Newspaper category.

The CSPA will present all the finalists with either a Silver or Gold Crown Award at its 88th Annual Convention in March.

—Julia Aizuss

The Chronicle

A8 News

Feb. 8, 2012

Rascoff ’93 takes Zillow public, rings Nasdaq bell

By Michael Sugerman

sity, founded his first website, Hotwire. com, in 1999. In 2003, he sold the disSpencer Rascoff ’93 has rung both count travel site to Expedia, where he the opening and closing bells of the worked for a year.

Nasdaq stock exchange in the last six “By that point I had grown weary months. Rascoff is the Chief Executive of working at a large company,” he Officer and co-founder of Zillow.com, said. “I wanted to do another startup, the largest real estate database in the so I started looking at other categories country. Last July, the company went that could thrive via the internet. The public, joining the Nasdaq at $20 per real estate industry seemed like a great share (stock symbol Z). Zillow’s cur- candidate.” rent market cap exceeds $877.5 million.

By 2006, Zillow was up and runAfter pricing the company’s initial ning. The company compiles data from public offering in mid-July, Rascoff and over 100 million homes nationwide, atZillow Chief Financial Officer Chad taining data from county records. UsCohen ’93 were ers can visit the invited to ring the site and search Nasdaq opening an address; Zilbell.

I’ve always been interested low then provides “The really exprices, mortgage in technology, especially citing moment for quotes and other us was when we facts. The compawhen it can be a tool to officially priced ny also uses algorevolutionize information.” rithms to produce our IPO,” he said.

It signified that —Spencer Rascoff ’93 “Zestimates,” or we’d achieved a propCEO of Zillow.com projected level of success erty values. Via and financial staZillow’s iPad and bility.” iPhone applicaIn the months tions, users have after making its shares open to the an interactive real estate experience. public, Zillow’s profile and capital have They can trace neighborhood shapes skyrocketed, Rascoff said. The com- and pinpoint residential areas with the pany now has more resources to move touch of a finger to find desirable propforward and maintain its relevance in erty. Realtors and brokers use the site the years to come. To thank Zillow’s to list about four million homes curbiggest advertising partners, Rascoff rently for sale. arranged a VIP appreciation event at “The goal is to create an informathe Nasdaq headquarters on Jan. 12. tion-intensive outlet that helps conAs a result, Rascoff, accompanied by sumers get the facts,” Rascoff said.

VIP advertisers, was invited to ring the “I’ve always been interested in technolclosing bell. ogy, especially when it can be a tool to Rascoff, a Goldman-Sachs invest- revolutionize information.” ment banker out of Harvard UniverRascoff, who was Head Prefect

“

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SPENCER RASCOFF

GONE PUBLIC: Zillow Chief Executive Officer Spencer Rascoff ’93, left, and Chief Financial Officer Chad Cohen ’93, right, smile as their real estate website is officially “Nasdaq listed” following the release of its initial public offering on July 19, 2011. and editor-in-chief of the Chronicle in 1992-93, appreciates how journalism provides others with useful information.

“My experiences on the Chronicle undoubtedly inspired me to pursue websites like Zillow,” he said.

Rascoff said he was also influenced by former Harvard-Westlake debate coach Tedd Woods, who taught him public speaking skills that Rascoff uses to this day.

He also credits English and humanities teacher Philip Holmes and history teacher Karl Kleinz with his writing style.

“They taught me how to make ef-

fective arguments in written format,” Rascoff said. “Being able to do so has been critical to my current development and success.”

Rascoff also works with fellow alumni Cohen and Erin Lantz ’97.

When he founded Zillow, he invited Cohen, who he had kept in contact with since high school graduation, to be the CFO. and Lantz is the director of Zillow’s Mortgage Marketplace.

“A company’s internal management is based on a certain level of trust that can only be attained through years of work together,” Rascoff said. “In employing fellow alumni and former colleagues, that trust is already present.”

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Harvard-Westlake Proud Book your events now!

Chronicle The Harvard-Westlake

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Editors in Chief: Judd Liebman, Lara Sokoloff

Managing Editors: Eli Haims, Allison Hamburger, Austin Lee, Saj Sri-Kumar Executive Editors: Justine Goode, Rebecca Nussbaum

O

The Chronicle • Feb.8, 2012

pinion

A9

Los Angeles • Volume XXI • Issue V

Presentations Editors: Chloe Lister, Arielle Maxner, Victor Yoon Ads Manager: Alex Gura Business Managers: Sanjana Kucheria, Susan Wang Assistants: Tara Stone Chief Copy Editor: Micah Sperling Chief

of Photography: Daniel Kim Photoshop Editor: Hank Gerba

News Managing Editors: Maddy Baxter, Nika Madyoon Section Heads: David Lim, Keane Robertson, Michael Sugerman News Copy Editor: Ana Scuric Assistants: Julia Aizuss, Beatrice Fingerhut, Jivani Gengatharan, Jack Goldfisher, Claire Goldsmith, Lauren Sonnenberg, Noa Yadidi Opinion Managing Editors: Abbie Neufeld, Anabel Pasarow Section Heads: Mariel Brunman, Rachel Schwartz Opinion Copy Editor: Ana Scuric Opinion Assistants: Sarah Novicoff, Lizzy Thomas Features Managing Editors: Cami de Ry, Megan Kawasaki Features Section Heads: Michael Rothberg, Megan Ward, Elana Zeltser Features Copy Editor: Carrie Davidson Features Assistants: Eojin Choi, Leslie Dinkin, Sydney Foreman, Eric Greenberg, David Gisser, Jessica Lee, Jessica Murdock, Morganne Ramsey, Emily Segal, Lauren Siegel Science & Health Editor: Jessica Barzilay Science & Health Section Head: Gabrielle Franchina Centerspread Editors: Caitie Benell, Jamie Chang Arts & Entertainment Managing Editor: Claire Hong Arts & Entertainment Section Heads: Maggie Bunzel, Aaron Lyons Sports Managing Editors: David Kolin, Julius Pak Section Heads: Michael Aronson, Luke Holthouse, Camille Shooshani Sports Copy Editor: Robbie Loeb Senior Sportswriter: Charlton Azuoma Assistants: Eric Loeb, Grant Nussbaum, Patrick Ryan, Lucy Putnam, Sam Sachs

Chronicle.hw.com

Editors in Chief Eli Haims, Austin Lee Online Editors: David Gobel, Alex Gura, Sanjana Kucheria, Chelsea Khakshouri, Cherish Molezion, Shana Saleh, Meagan Wang, Susan Wang Online Assistants: Mazelle Etessami, Jensen Pak, Malanna Wheat Adviser: Kathleen Neumeyer

AIDAN YETMAN-MICHAELSON

Tell us more about what’s going on

We can see why “The Laramie Project” nearly sold out on Friday and Saturday night. It’s a shocking story sprinkled with humor and acted with sincerity and candor. Last week the cast performed scenes at class meeting, giving us a peek at their show that made us want more. So students came to Rugby Auditorium this weekend, and the show was a success on all accounts.

But “Laramie” wasn’t the only happening on campus last week. The closing show for the Life Drawing class was on Jan. 30, the day of senior class meeting, yet there was no mention of this. Our deans could have had us sign out of class meeting in the FeldmanHorn Gallery.

Sure, some students would find their deans and then sprint back to the familiar Quad, but once up there, plenty of students would stay. First of all, it’s really good art. But more importantly, it’s our friends’ really good art.

Generally the student body

wants to support each other.

We just need a slight push in the right direction. Show us a slideshow of photos from photography classes. Show off the Robotics Club’s robot in class meeting.

Musicians and vocalists should perform in the Quad during break to promote upcoming concerts. Make chronicle.hw.com the homepage of school computers to make it easy for students to keep up with school events.

We saw the posts in the Fanatics Facebook group about the Loyola game, and Friday we drove to Northridge, eager

to see Josh Hearlihy ’12 back on the court and to make a “Z” with our hands when Zena Edosomwam ’12 scored.

Because if we know about these events, chances are a lot of us will attend. And that’s how school becomes a smaller place. It’s fun to know that the kid on the other side of your history class is the lead trombonist, or to see your lab partner score touchdowns. It’s connections like these that elevate a school from a place of learning to a community. Help us make this transformation.

We want to be aware, so keep us aware.

Don’t make us empty promises

Semiformal had hype. That’s one reason it was popular, and a big reason it’s been missed. At the opening ceremony on the first day of school this September, the Prefects ushered us into the school year by telling us that we are the students who get to establish a lasting tradition that we really want. We would be a pioneer class of sorts, “making our mark” on our community. And we were into it.

The surveys distributed in class meetings that asked for our ideas for the replacement event indicated that things were moving in the right direction. So what happened?

We haven’t heard anything since.

A single survey doesn’t mean much. Even if only some of us filled it out, the efforts shouldn’t have stopped there.

Tell us what other people proposed. Ask us questions along the way. At least let us know how far along the planning is.

Instead, we are completely in

the dark. Insubstantial rumors float around, but we have yet to learn anything concrete, let alone actually contribute to the planning.

Without even knowing the expected date, or whether it will happen at all, it is impossible for us to generate the excitement upon which a successful event is built.

Hopefully, it’s not too late. Our weekend schedules are filling up. Unlike the semiformal that occurred the same weekend each year, no one knows which Saturday to keep open.

We really do want an event, a moment in the year to pause and do something fun, but if the planners don’t keep us in the loop, we have little motivation to show up when, or if, it happens. It’s not our event, not the customized tradition the Prefects guaranteed in September.

If the Prefects meant all along that they were going to fill the void of semiformal, then that’s one thing, but democracy was dangled before us and never followed through.

Don’t make promises that only let us down.

The Chronicle

A10 Opinion

Feb. 8, 2012

Applying to college, finding myself

By Abbie Neufeld

I

AIDAN YETMAN-MICHAELSON

Sequester us the right way

By Rebecca Nussbaum

Q

uarantine is a practice used by doctors in the Middle Ages and by Harvard-Westlake teachers.

Let me elaborate. Both my biology and physics midterms were morning exams, so to avoid the conflict, my biology exam was moved to the afternoon.

After taking my physics test, I was escorted to the Emery Room, where I was sequestered for the two hours between the exams without my phone to ensure I didn’t talk to any students who had taken the biology midterm.

When I got an email from my teacher the day before my finals reminding me of this, I was annoyed to say the least. The teacher’s hyper— suspicion offended me. I was going to be locked up, treated as a criminal before I did anything wrong.

But my imagination’s unjust quarantine was not realized. I wasn’t treated as a criminal as I had indignantly predicted the night before.

Teachers came in every so often to check on us, but out of concern, not suspicion. Hungry students

were escorted to the cafeteria as the rest chattered quietly in the Emery Room.

However, sitting next to me at the table was a student with my same biology and physics conflict, but he took his biology exam first.

This means that he’d just taken the biology exam that I was about to take while I’d just taken the physics exam that he was studying for. In effect, the science teachers ensured that I spent two hours with the very student they wanted to keep me from.

I didn’t use my time in the Emery Room to study. I’d finished preparing for the test the night before, and I thought that relaxing would be more useful than extra cramming, so my friend and I exchanged no information.

However, we were curious as to how our predicament had arisen. My friend kind of shrugged, saying that his instructions had been unclear and went back to studying physics.

The teachers were trying to eliminate the temptation to cheat, but somehow they multiplied it. Sit-

ting next to me was a student who held all the answers to my questions.

There was nowhere to excuse myself to as there would be in everyday life.

We were both stuck in that room for two hours.

If I had been studying, it would have been so easy to look over my study guide and casually ask, “Hey, what should I know about photosynthesis? I didn’t study ecology, does that matter?”

Originally I was angry at the principle of forced isolation, but in retrospect my indignation was immature. My isolation wasn’t painful, and if it prevents cheating, I’m all for it. But sequestering us with the wrong students defeats the purpose of the entire event.

This compromised isolation was likely the result of poor planning.

So email students days, not hours, before their final, spelling out the details of their isolation. Maybe send multiple emails if that’s what it takes to ensure that there are no conflicts like mine.

Because if you’re going to sequester us, do it right.

Why isn’t African history taught in history classes?

can finally say that I am done with my college applications. Each yellow box on commonapp.org that signified an application was in progress has now turned into a green triangle, and what a beautiful sight all those green triangles are.

It was a long and hard process. I cannot estimate the amount of time I spent writing all the essays, but I can say I probably spent more time thinking about my responses than I spent writing what would become my final essays. Now that I have finished the process, I am glad to have gone through it, and not only because of the schools the applications could lead me to. I am glad because the questions they asked forced me to think about who I am. What are my intellectual interests, my goals? Where do I come from, and where do I want to go? These were some of the questions I was asked, both directly and indirectly.

I went into the process with ideas for my future, but as I went further into it, I kept building a more solid vision of who I want to be, and how I had come to this point. I can now look back on my life and see it as more than an abundance of disparate experiences. Though it had been long and winding, it was still a road, and I was going somewhere.

As I arrived at these conclusions, I also had to think about why I arrived at them. It was this “why” that led me to go beyond the limits of these society-construed positions and go deeper into the meaning of what I hope to achieve in and get out of my life.

As we progress through school, there’s this idea that we’re always preparing for the next stage in life.

Yes, I have been preparing for the next stage in my life, but the beauty of the American educational system, despite its downfalls, is that this preparation can lead to so many places. I am happy to be in an American high school because of the broad education and the degree of creative freedom I’ve been given.

Without these things, I do not think I would have been able to formulate, to the same degree of satisfaction, the person I am, and the person I wish to become.

College applications might seem like just another mountain to climb, but once you get to the peak, you will never have seen a more beautiful view.

A continent three times larger than Europe and the cradle of humanity receives only two days and a 17-page supplement in The World and Europe II

By Alex McNab

I

f black people are African-Americans, why does black history start when we were stolen from Africa?

I began asking myself this question last December when I first picked up a copy of “Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience.” This book, edited by Harvard University professors Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates Jr., attempts to keep a complete record of black history from 4,000 B.C.E. until 1999 C.E. As I struggled through its 2,095 pages, learning about great African kingdoms such as the Malians, the Zulus and the Nubians, I began to realize the great gaps there were in my black history education. Aside from learning about ancient Egypt in

my sixth grade history class, the only things I had learned about Africa in school were told through the eyes of the Europeans destroying it. I thought to myself, “Why is Europe given two years of required history courses at Harvard-Westlake while Africa, a continent more than three times larger and the cradle of humanity, receives only two days and a 17-page supplement in The World and Europe II?” I didn’t know the answer, so I decided to ask Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra about making a pre-Imperialist, sub-Saharan African history class. He directed me to Upper School History Department Chair Katherine Holmes-Chuba. HolmesChuba told me to talk to Kutler Cen-

ter Department Chair Larry Klein, who agreed to help me.

When he asked me what material I wanted to cover in the class, I couldn’t give him an answer. My knowledge of the history of my people was so limited that I could not even provide a foundation for which to base the teaching of this class.

Since our meeting, Klein has met with Head of Harvard-Westlake Jeanne Huybrechts to talk about creating the class.

I have heard nothing else about the future of this class, except that if it is approved, it probably will not appear on the Curriculum Guide until 2014, the year I graduate. I guess it’s true what they say, history is written by the victors.

RACHEL SCHWARTZ/CHRONICLE

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Opinion A11

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF LESLIE DINKIN

MOUNTAIN GIRL: Leslie Dinkin ‘12 went on three expeditions during the semester she spent at High Mounain Institute. Left, Dinkin, center, visited Slot Canyon in Utah with members of her expedition group. Above, Dinkin, third from left, and her expedition group at the highest point they reached during their hike up Mount Elbert in the Rockies.

Life with frozen toes: A semester at HMI

By Leslie Dinkin

M

y alarm clock went off inside the tarp. I heard it, and so did my tarp mates, but all four of us chose to ignore it. We were tired, as it had been a very long couple of days. The second expedition delivered exactly what had been promised: loads of rain, harsh winds and now, tons of snow. I was thankful for five extra minutes of sleep, for I knew that we had another very full day ahead of us. We had planned on making pancakes the night before, but I could tell that oatmeal would be more reasonable if one of us didn’t get up soon to light the stove.

This was one day in October at the High Mountain Institute, a semester school in Colorado. For the last four months as part of the program, I spent about two-thirds of my time on campus and the other third on expedition, where we hiked and basically lived out of our backpacks. We were split into four groups, about ten students and three faculty members each. Each day in the backcountry was different.

I groaned as I unzipped my sleeping bag and reached for my headlamp in search of my boots.

They were frozen, but I wasn’t surprised. The same thing happened yesterday morning, so I had made sure to leave them untied. The zipper of the tarp was also frozen, so

I crawled out the bottom instead.

Two days ago, the aspen trees that surrounded our site were dressed in orange and gold leaves. This morning the trees were barren and the ground was covered in snow. I had never seen a season change like this before. I walked towards the kitchen, which consisted of four blue food bags, a pot, a pan and a black lightweight stove. I set up and lit the stove using a lighter I always kept in my pocket so it stayed warm and usable. I poured whatever water I could find that wasn’t frozen into the pot. I then placed the pot on top of the stove.

My tarp mates had awoken, and I could hear them scrambling, putting their sleeping bags and thermarests away. One of them crawled out of the tarp to take over working at the stove so I could get ready for the day. We were supposed to meet the rest of the group at 9 a.m.. First we would have English class and then re-ration at 11, which meant that we would get a new supply of food for the rest of the expedition.

It was really cold that morning, and I couldn’t feel my toes, so I put on a third pair of socks. I heard my tarp mates yelling that the water was finally boiling. All four of us prepared our bowls with oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. We sat down and enjoyed a very quick breakfast.

Expeditions were all about doing.

We learned from experience rather than textbooks. While each day was hard, I have never laughed more. We had English for an hour, when we read a few poems and then wrote a few of our own. We were told to write about our surroundings, so I wrote about the newly fallen snow.

At re-ration, we were told to expect a huge storm the next morning.

Our plan to climb Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado, had been foiled. One student suggested we make the hike that day, but another thought it was too late. Our teachers agreed to host a vote. All but one student wanted to go, but he easily gave in. We returned to camp excitedly, grabbed snacks, left our heaviest clothes behind and filled our Nalgene water bottles. We had a long day of hiking uphill ahead of us.

Elbert peaks at 14,440 feet above sea level. If we were to make it to the top, we would have to move quickly. We were each assigned a job for the day. We had our leader, pace makers and time keepers. I was supposed to watch the weather and make sure everything would be safe.

I was tired, but I felt great, like I could do anything.

By the end of the first mile on the Elbert trail, we had already stripped most of our outer layers and finished a half Nalgene of water.

My group was eager, telling stories of our childhoods as we climbed further uphill.

Once we reached the top of the treeline, a place where trees can no longer grow because of the harsh environmental conditions, we could see that the storm was moving in early.

I could see my group was tired.

If we wanted to reach the peak, we’d have to beat the clouds. We hiked faster and conversation stopped. The sky grew darker, but we had at least two miles of steep uphill in front of us. This was the first time I thought we might not make it to the top.

The group stopped for a quick packs-off break. I sat down in the snow and grabbed a handful of trail mix. Heavy clouds now covered the sky. The storm was here, and hiking up any further would have been dangerous.

While disappointed, we celebrated our feat anyway with a Snickers bar at 13,500 feet. I don’t think a candy bar has ever tasted that good.

From here, we headed down.

If I could live every day like this one, I would. Before HMI, I had never been so excited, never been so challenged and never been so happy to be exactly where I was. Coming back to Harvard-Westlake was strange. I don’t have days where I climb mountains anymore, but one day I know I’ll find that again.

“Do you feel like you have been involved in planning a semiformal replacement?”

400 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll:

No 344 Yes 56

“We have had the opportunity to be involved, yet we didn’t feel encouraged to do so.”

—Lauren Li ’12

“If no, do you wish you had been more involved?”

336 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll:

No

“Although they opened up the questions, there hasn’t been very much involvement or updates from Prefect Council. I’m okay with them planning it.”

213

Yes 123

—Anton Beer ’14 RACHEL SCHWARTZ/CHRONICLE

exposure

Feb. 8, 2012

Wyatt Kroopf ’12

A12

Natalie Epstein’12

CHLOE LISTER/CHRONICLE

MEET THE PRESS: Noah Ross ’12, as hospital CEO Rulon Stacey, addresses the media in “The Laramie Project,” above. The 18-person ensemble portrayed over 60

Nick Healy ’13

Noah Ross ’12

Olivia Schiavelli ’12

Cory Batchler ’13

roles in the Rugby Auditorium production last weekend. The play, directed by performing arts teacher Ted Walch, portrays the aftermath of the murder of a gay man.

The faces of ‘Laramie’

By Leslie Dinkin

Nicky Hirschhorn ’12

Hannah Zipperman ‘12

Jake Chapman ’12

The Rugby Theater was packed last Friday for the sold-out opening night of “The Laramie Project,” a play written by Moisés Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater.

Seventeen students played over 60 roles as they depicted the story of the beating and murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay boy, in Laramie, Wyo. Each line said in the play was a direct quote from interviews with Laramie residents. The show was directed by performing arts teacher Ted Walch.

“For weeks, the entire cast worked for

hours after school,” said assistant director Natasha Simchowitz ’13. “Because just a few kids played so many different parts, it took a while to really get started. I was really excited to see it finally finished this weekend, and I thought it went great.”

The show was divided into two parts with one 15-minute intermission. Guitarist Max Quilici ’12 played all of the music during the show.

“I became closer with a lot of older kids,” Molly Chapman ’14 said. “It was a great opportunity to bond because it was such a small cast. The fact that we got to play multiple characters helped me learn how to be a more

versatile actor.”

By the end of the play, some of the audience members were brought to tears.

“I think ‘The Laramie Project’ was a great play to perform because it addressed an issue that is very serious today,” Simchowitz said. “I think some people really connected with the characters.”

“I really enjoyed it. I thought it was one of the best productions I had seen at HarvardWestlake in a long time,” Eli Putnam ’13 said.

“The acting and casting were great.”

“I thought it went very well,” Walch said. “I was very pleased.”

The play ended with a standing ovation.

Xochi Maberry-Gaulke ’12

Max Quilici ’12

Stephen Carr ’12

Hank Doughan ’12

Autumn Chiklis ’12

Brooks Hudgins ’14

Molly Chapman ’14

Nadia Dubovitsky ’12

Lucas Foster ’13 PHOTOS BY CHLOE LISTER AND ARIELLE MAXNER

Year of the dragon

nathanson ’s/chronicle

“I’m pretty sure everyone knows I run a few businesses, so of course I enjoy making money, and getting money from my parents on New Year’s is like making money, but without doing any work.

It’s awesome.”

—Eusene Lee ’12

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by adults to their children. Chinese people have “red pockets,” which are small decorative red envelopes enclosed with money.

Korean children also bow and wish New Year’s blessings and good health to their elders because, like most Asian countries, Korea is a Confucian society with a hierarchy based on age. After all the New Year wishes are complete, parents give children money in small envelopes, similar to Chinese “red pockets.”

Lee said receiving money is always his favorite of New Year’s festivities.

Another more apparent tradition of Korean New Year is the “hanbok,” a colorful dress worn by girls that flares out under the chest.

In Japan, men and women dress in “kimono,” traditional Japanese clothing, during “Omisoka” to visit Shinto shrines and pray for blessings in the New Year. At Buddhist temples in Japan, people ring a large bell at midnight of “Omisoka” 108 times to erase the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief. Many Japanese citizens watch this ritual on TV, as well as another music show called Kohaku.

“In Japan they have very elaborate celebrations with many ceremonial activities,” Sasaki said.

P

irecrackers, red pockets and dumplings galore — Chinese New Year is a holiday accompanied by myriad traditions, which stem from the same roots as those accompanying Japanese and Korean New Year’s celebrations.

Japanese New Year is celebrated on Jan. 1 of the Gregorian calendar, while both Chinese and Korean New Year are celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar, which was Jan. 23 this year. Chinese New Year includes 15 days of festivities, ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, while Korean New Year lasts only three days.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The holiday has been observed since the Han dynasty as a festival to fight a mythical beast called “Nian,” the Chinese word for “year,” that attacked children and ate farmers’ livestock and crops.

In China and Taiwan, New Year’s Eve is filled with the sounds of exploding firecrackers, as they are used by farmers to ward off evil spirits. Firecrackers designed for the New Year are shaped like small cylindrical hard candies and emblazoned with gold symbols for luck and fortune. Though firecrackers are heard into the early hours of New Year’s Day in Asia, a city-wide ban prohibits their use in Los Angeles.

“I really wish we could do firecrackers here,” said Vivien Mao ’12, who celebrates Chinese New Year every year with her family.

Each year is represented by a different animal of the traditional 12-animal zodiac. This is the year of the dragon.

Chinese New Year’s Eve, called “Chuxi,” is the main night of events.

Families hang an upside down Chinese character for “fortune” outside their door, which is meant to bring fortune and luck. Scrolls with couplets about blessings and health are posted on interior walls. Families then feast on a large dinner of dumplings, stewed pork, chicken soup, spring rolls, shrimp, bamboo shoots, “Eight Treasure Rice” and, most importantly, fish.

“We always leave some of the fish on the plate because it’s supposed to bring fortune in the New Year,” Mao said.

“The Chinese word for ‘fish’ sounds the same as ‘surplus,’ so it’s like leaving

surplus fortune for the next year.”

Taylor Yang ’12 also observes some Chinese New Year traditions with her family.

“My favorite part [of Chinese New Year] is dinner, because there’s always so much amazing food,” Yang said. “My mom cooks and invites the entire extended family over. I usually end up overeating, but it’s worth it.”

For Korean New Year, families and relatives gather for a big dinner on the first day of the New Year rather than on New Year’s Eve. Eusene Lee’s ’12 family doesn’t usually visit other relatives but always has a big dinner on Korean New Year’s Day. “I love my mom and grandma’s ‘dduk gook,’” he said. “It’s a soup with sliced oval rice cakes, and all Korean families eat it during New Year.”

Michelle Chang ’13 and her family also eat rice cake soup.

“It’s Korean tradition to eat ‘dduk gook’ on New Year’s Day, so my grandmother always makes it,” she said.

Japanese people also have their own special foods they eat during the New Year celebration. On Japanese New Year’s Eve, called “Omisoka,” families eat a dinner of noodles, sushi, stewed vegetables, pickled side dishes, shrimp, “oden” (fishcakes simmered in a bonito-based broth) and mochi for dessert.

“On the night before New Year’s Day, my family would pound mochi from rice when I was young,” said Upper School math teacher Michael Mori.

It is considered taboo to cook on New Year’s Day, so many Japanese will make enough food during “Omisoka” to eat the next day.

Upper School photography teacher and archivist Allan Sasaki is a third-generation Japanese-American who celebrates the New Year with his family at relatives’ houses.

“One thing the Japanese do anywhere in the world is to celebrate New Year with a lot of food,” Sasaki said.

A custom that all three cultures share during New Year’s is the giving of money

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By Susan Wang

eatures

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The Chronicle • Feb. 8, 2012

“Typically children will wear ‘hanboks’ on New Year’s Day. I used to wear one when I was younger but haven’t worn one in a long time.”

—Michelle Chang ’13 nathanson ’s/chronicle

“Our family primarily focuses on the food as we wish all our guests a prosperous and healthful new year.”

—Allan Sasaki photography teacher

“My goal in life is to be in China for Chinese New Year and set off firecrackers late at night, and wake up to them in the morning.”

—Vivien Mao ’12

nathanson ’s/chronicle

nathanson ’s/chronicle

Chinese Cultural Club celebrates Lunar New Year at luncheon The Chinese Cultural Club will host its annual luncheon Sunday, Feb. 12 to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the Hilton Hotel at Universal City. Tickets are $45 each. All the members of the HW Chinese Club and students in the Chinese language program are invited to the luncheon. Various members of the faculty and administration are invited on a rotating basis.

“It is important because the lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries and cultures throughout Asia,” said Teresa Mayer (Cathy ’12), co-chair of the event this year with Nancy Wu (Bryant ’17). “We feel this is an opportunity to share this wonderful tradition with the Harvard-Westlake community and with each other.”

—Mazelle Etessami

The Chronicle

B2 Features

Class connections

Feb. 8, 2012

Chemistry students make bonds in, out of laboratory

By Nika Madyoon

Jake Schapiro ’12 ripped off his shirt as he became consumed with the excitement of the chemical reaction taking place before him. He grabbed a bottle of distilled water and squirted David Kolin ’12, as was customary.

Katy Perry’s vocals blasted from Schapiro’s computer, filling the room with music.

It was a typical lab day in Advanced Placement Chemistry.

Students performed labs, a central feature of the AP Chemistry course, about two times each week.

When Schapiro wasn’t shirtless or drinking from the classroom sink during lab, he was either engaging in a meter-sick swordfight with Mark Swerdlow ’12 or tasting various chemical concoctions.

“Anything with liquid nitrogen I would eat,” Swerdlow said.

AP Chemistry has become known for its ability to create strong friendships in the classroom.

“I think a big part of it is the atmosphere of the class itself, because it’s so small and the schedule is based around labs,” said Maddie Lear ’13, a current chemistry student.

Lear explained that while the course is competitive in some ways, the focus is equally on having fun and working together to arrive at conclusions.

She cited the students’ familiarity with one another as well as the course material as other sources of relaxed classroom environment.

Hannah Schoen ’12, who took the course last year, also noticed the impact of laboratory experiments on the students’ overall learning experience.

“Because you’re not really sitting there listening to a teacher, you can talk to people and bond that way,” Schoen said.

The difficulty associated with AP Chemistry also contributes significantly to the bonds students form.

“It’s such a difficult class,” Patrick Kang ’12, a chemistry student last year, said. “We were up until 1 or 2 a.m. on Facebook chat trying to figure out the answer to lab questions. And we all

loved what we were doing.”

“It was hours and hours of work for even a trivial lab,” Swerdlow said.

“Labs were the kind of thing where you almost certainly had to ask someone else for help.”

Kang explained that, last year, students often came together and planned ways to “mess around” with the prelabs they produced once per quarter before performing experiments.

“One time, we all changed the font to Wingdings,” he said.

Science teacher Krista McClain played a significant role in the students’ bonding as well.

“I have a feeling all of her students love her,” Swerdlow said. “She got me into ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and got me all the DVDs.” “She’s alright, I guess,” Schapiro said. “But her husband is really cool.”

“Her husband is the bomb,” Swerdlow added.

At the end of last year, McClain’s students were invited to join her at her wedding, an experience they were excited to share with her.

“It started as a joke,” Swerdlow said. “And then by the end of the year we were like, ‘we actually want to be there.’”

The students got together outside of the classroom on several other occasions as well, whether it was eating lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, playing laser tag as a class with McClain or seeing “Transformers: Dance of the Moon” together.

At the end of the year, members of McClain’s class created a large poster collage complete with photos taken of them in chemistry class over the course of the year.

Though last year’s students have since moved on to other science courses, they continue to maintain close friendships as a class unit, competing together in the dodgeball tournament under the team name “DJ Paul and the PVnRTs.” “I walked into that class with one friend. I left like I was friends with everyone else,” Swerdlow said. “You start talking about chemistry, but you end up talking about other things and you get close.”

THEY HAVE CHEMISTRY: Jake Schapiro ’12, Mark Swerdlow ’12 and David Kolin ’12 participate in an AP Chemi lab that created ice cream with liquid nitrogen extract top. Some of Krista McClain’s AP Chemistry class attended her wedding last summer, middle.

Krista McClain and her students ALL PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MARISSA LEPOR pose at her wedding, bottom.

‘Nobody gets left behind’ in Photography III

By Rebecca Nussbaum

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CHLOE LISTER

PICTURE PERFECT: Photography III students stole a christmas tree from the quad for a prop in their holiday card.

Halfway through fourth period, photography teacher Kevin O’Malley’s silver hair glinted as he rushed into the photography lab.

“Mr. O’Malley!” cheered the Photography III students at the sight of their teacher.

“You’re late,” Jon Chu ’12 said.

O’Malley said he had confused the schedule, and although it was two days before the opening of his students’ showcase, he wasn’t very worried.

After all, this photo class is different than his other periods, he said. This is “Ohana.”

Most of the 11 seniors in Photography III have been in photo class together since sophomore year, Asha Jordan ’12 said. Junior year they named their class the Hawaiian word for family, “Ohana,” from the Disney movie “Lilo and Stitch.”

“Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind,” Nikki Goren ’12 said, quoting the movie.

“I think I just said it one day,” Chloe

Lister ’12 said. “Ohana. And it stuck.”

As usual, Reyna Calderon ’12 searched for the right background music on YouTube, settling on Tyga’s “Rack City.”

She then joined the rest of Ohana in the back of the classroom where they were taking pictures in front of a white screen. The classmates smoothly alternated between snapping pictures of their friends and posing in the shots.

Simone Bookman ’12 danced with Graydon Feinstein ’12 in front of the camera. “’Scuse me, why are you on my husband?” Jordan said.

Jordan reclaimed Feinstein and smiled triumphantly at the lens as she pulled on Feinstein’s tie.

The intimacy in Ohana is particularly unique because the photography students come from different friend groups, Calderon said. Unlike typical classroom friendships, though, the photographers sit with each other in the quad or talk whenever they see each other, she said.

“I’m friends with Emma Gerber

[’12],” Goren said. “That’s really cool to say.”

After about 15 minutes, the photographers refocused and made their way toward the computers to write “blurbs,” explanations of their photo projects. However, the playful energy didn’t dissipate.

Sophie Turner ’12, dubbed “class model,” twirled in a swivel chair while taking pictures of herself.

“The fact that Sophie is over there taking selfies is ridiculous,” Jordan said.

Lister reminisced about the early days of Ohana.

“That time when Emma’s horse died, and we group hugged,” Lister said.

“I felt it.”

Goren asked Calderon if she would continue to shave the side of her head, and Josiah Yu ’12 replied for her mockingly, “I don’t know, I do whatever I want with my hair, whatever, whatever,” with a fake sigh.

“And this is how almost every class is,” O’Malley said with a half smile at the end of the period. “See you guys Monday.”

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Underclassmen

reach new heights

Features B3

Sophomores accelerate their high school education by qualifying for Advanced Placement and honors classes typically reserved for juniors and seniors.

By Megan Kawasaki

Ahead of the curve Although sophomores in most AP classes are rare, this year 30 enrolled in classes for upperclassmen.

11 8 5 3 2 1

“

AP Calculus BC 11 AP Spanish Language

AP French Language

AP Physics B

AP Latin: Vergil

Advanced Seminar in Mathematics Honors

SOURCES: PAULA EVANS, LARRY AXELROD, PAUL CHENIER GRAPHIC BY JESSICA BARZILAY

Blending in

“

I don’t make any major distinctions between 10th, 11th and 12th graders.

I just treat them as regular friends.”

—Larry Zhang ’14

my classes, and that’s what ended up happening,” Larry said.

Heading to his seventh period sciWhile Larry is gregarious, Kevin ence class, Larry Zhang ’14 strolls up is more introverted, only interacting to Munger 101, earbuds in and hands with the juniors and seniors if he needs shoved into the pockets of his sweat- to find a lab partner, Kevin admits. shirt. His teacher, Yanni Vourgourakis, “The seniors are actually quite is already inside, having placed a neat nice,” Kevin said. “I just mostly keep to stack of graded tests on the table be- myself though.” hind him. Zhang sits in his spot in the Both Kevin and Larry are the lone second row and tosses his binder and sophomores in their physics classes, pencil case onto his desk. Slowly, other but in their AP Calculus BC 11 classes, students trickle in, the majority groan- they are two of many, which helped ing when they see the pile of graded them settle in more easily. papers up front.

“It’s half juniors and half sophoVourgourakis smirks as he hands mores, so it helped going into the class out the exams, causing a full spectrum because I already had friends there, of emotions to appear on the 12 faces in unlike in physics,” Larry said. the class.

The twins “How did Larry said their do?” someone eateachers rarely gerly calls out, just keep an eye on as the test lands on their progress.

These aren’t kids who are his desk.

Both enjoy just smart. They seem “He did fine,” the rigor that Vourgourakis says. comes with a bit more emotionally “Almost a hundred.” learning the developed, so they know “Ugh, sophoadvanced topmore!” another it’s going to be a challenge, ics just like the shouts. upperclassmen. and they appear ready for The ensuing “My classes laughter digresses at public school it.” into genuine comwere not dif—Yanni Vourgourakis ficult, but here pliments, all while science teacher they are defiZhang simply stays quiet and studies nitely a bit his nearly perfect more challengtest, looking embarrassed but proud. ing, which I enjoy,” Larry said.

This class is AP Physics B, a science Larry is one of the top students in course typically taken by juniors and Vourgourakis’ physics classes. seniors. Zhang is one of three sopho“I have had very few sophomores in mores, including his twin brother, Kev- my junior and senior classes, but they in, who are enrolled in the course this seem well-placed, and they do well year. To his classmates, that makes in them,” Vourgourakis said. “These him both a genius and occasionally the aren’t kids who are just smart. They target of grade-related teasing. seem a bit more emotionally devel“They’re just joking,” Larry said oped, so they know that it’s going to be with a shy laugh. “It’s never anything a challenge, and they appear ready for mean-spirited.” it.”

In the sixth grade, Kevin and Larry Vourgourakis doesn’t notice a mastarted working with private tutors jor difference between his sophomores from various programs such as A* and and the rest of his students, since they Math Zoom. Neither ever struggled in tend to demonstrate high levels of matheir classes at Suzanne Middle School, turity for their age, he said. but both studied more at the encour“I don’t feel like I teach Larry,” he agement of their parents to try out for said. “To be honest, he just sits there, the United States of America Math- does his work, and occasionally he’ll ematical Olympiad. ask a question, but I don’t need to help Before Harvard-Westlake, the two him at all. had never taken advanced math coursMath teacher Kevin Weis, who es, but after performing well on place- teaches one sophomore, Aaron Anderment tests, they entered a precalculus son ’14 in Advanced Seminar in Mathclass as freshmen. This is the first year, ematics Honors, agrees. He said Anthough, that they are taking acceler- derson is extremely prepared for and ated courses with upperclassmen. interested in the challenging work and “At first I thought that it would be that he is easily keeping up with the rather awkward, but I figured I could rest of the students. make some friends with the people in “He’s one of the best students in

the class,” Weis said. “He seems to fit in fairly well, and he keeps up with the work just fine. We even have long conversations after class often that go beyond what we were talking about in class.”

Anderson made a name for himself at the Middle School for taking accelerated math courses far beyond the norm. Starting in the fourth grade, his parents bought computer programs for him through which he could learn abstract mathematical concepts. With an understanding of math up to trigonometry, Anderson began advancing two years ahead of the normal math curriculum at his elementary school.

“In sixth grade, I was doing calculus in the back of the geometry class on a computer,” Anderson said.

After he matriculated from the Mirman School, Anderson was put into a precalculus class as a sophomore, three years ahead of the normal math track. Having exhausted the Middle School’s resources, he took online classes on linear algebra and multivariable calculus before taking Advanced Seminar with seniors and juniors.

“We still haven’t gotten to where I had left off last year, but it is nice to have a teacher again,” Anderson said. “Thankfully, the class goes off on random tangents where we talk about things I’ve never learned.”

The upperclassmen in Advanced Seminar respect Anderson for holding his own in the difficult class.

“He’s pretty mature for a kid of his age. Most of the class is pretty amazed,” Hannah Schoen ’12 said.

“There’s always the thought that he’s much younger than us and that it’s a bit intimidating, but for the most part, we’ re mostly over it. He’s just a part of the dynamic and part of the group.

He’s well-qualified and that’s great.”

The same sentiment exists in Larry’s AP Physics B class. Gus Woythaler ’12 doesn’t mind having the younger student in his class and said there is mutual respect.

“He’s keeping up with us academically, if not surpassing us,” Woythaler said. “He’s in that class for a reason.

Students can get a little miffed when he gets his very high test scores, but in the long run, the whole ‘rivalry’ between the sophomore and the rest of the upperclassmen is really in good spirits. I think he adds a fun dynamic to the class.”

His sophomore status has not impacted how Zhang saw his classmates.

“I don’t make any major distinctions between 10th, 11th and 12th graders,” Zhang said. “I just treat them as regular friends.”

While academically comfortable in their advanced classes, the accelerated sophomore scholars have found that their classmates and teachers also made the social atmosphere welcoming.

“

In sixth grade, I was doing calculus in the back of the geometry class on a computer.”

—Aaron Anderson ’14

ARIELLE MAXNER/ CHRONICLE

AUSTIN LEE/CHRONICLE

“

The seniors are actually quite nice.

I just mostly keep to myself though. I just be quiet and do work.”

—Kevin Zhang ’14

ARIELLE MAXNER/ CHRONICLE ART BY AIDAN YETMAN-MICHAELSON

B4 Features

The Chronicle

Fighting back

Performing a front snap kick This move is common to multiple martial arts, such as Shotokan Karate. It is a swift, powerful kick in which the practioner’s leg snaps up and then retracts immediately to avoid counterattack.

1 Back leg straight to keep body weight forward

Hands in the ready position, prepared to punch or block

Front knee bent, staying low to the ground

2 Left knee lifted, preparing to perform kick

Right knee remains bent to maintain stability

Feb. 8, 2012 Martial arts offer practical techniques in self defense as well as physical fitness, enabling its practitioners to develop confidence and overall body awareness.

By Michael Rothberg

E

quipped with no weapon besides his bare hands, Ben Gaylord ’13 can take down a grown adult with the techniques of Aikido.

Like some other students, Gaylord has been mastering the art of self defense from a young age.

“Aikido is all about self-defense,” Gaylord said. “It emphasizes the use of finesse and fluid body movement over brute force and muscle power.

Unlike most martial arts, there is no punching or kicking, just joint locks, throws and hip movements.

Although he has never had to use Aikido in a real life situation, Gaylord said his training has made him significantly more confident overall and increased his body awareness as an athlete.

“I rarely ever find myself tripping, and it helps with balance and technique, especially concerning athletics,” said Gaylord, a varsity pole-vaulter and track runner.

Arielle Maxner ’12, who started training at age 6, is a double black belt in Shotokan Karate and has competed both on national and international levels.

“I did quite well in them, even though they were more nerve-wracking to me than training or testing,” Maxner said.

Like Aikido, Shotokan Karate focuses primarily on self defense, with fighting only as a last resort.

After every practice at the dojo, a training area, five basic rules were recited in Japanese: seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor to excel, respect others and refrain from violent behavior.

“When people hear that I did karate, they always ask if I can break bricks and such.” Maxner said. “We never did any of that, as that seems to be more

nathanson ’s/chronicle

Ben Gaylord ’13

nathanson ’s/chronicle

Elliot Storey ‘12

for show. In fact, karate in movies is very much fake and showy, as ours was direct and rather quick. If you saw Shotokan karate being done in a movie, you’d probably be disappointed.”

Eventually, she had to quit because the hours of training were cutting into her time for homework, cello and sleep.

“Karate has definitely made me confident in my abilities to defend myself, but I’m out of practice now, so I’m not sure how well I’d do,” Maxner said.

“Of course, karate is unarmed selfdefense, and I’d be rather defenseless against a gun. A stick or a knife, maybe not.”

Elliot Storey ’12, a member of the varsity wrestling team, took up Krav Maga, an Israeli self defense technique, when he was 11 and recently became a certified instructor.

Krav Maga, Hebrew for “contact combat,” is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces.

It is a non-competitive technique that builds on instinctual reactions to threats, using simple, effective moves, Storey said.

Throughout his training, Storey practices his defense or combat moves on partners with pads, along with some conditioning and sparring.

“While I have never been in serious danger, in minor scuffles the ability to assess the situation and prevent any parties from being harmed has been invaluable,” Storey said.

Modes of Combat Martial arts combine practical self defense with physical and mental strength. The following represents a few of the many widely practiced styles.

3

Aikido: Founded in the early 1900s in Japan

by Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido is performed by redirecting the momentum of the attacker rather than countering it directly.

Leg fully extended during kick, impact at the ball of the foot

Body weight remains forward throughout kick

Krav Maga: This non-competitive Israeli martial art style focuses on neutralizing the opponent as quickly as possible and targets the most vulnerable parts of the body.

Shotokan Karate: A self defense style and a competitive sport, it consists of three components: “kihon,” basics, “kata,” forms of movements and “kumite,” sparring.

SOURCE: TYPESOFMARTIALARTS.COM GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL ROTHBERG

PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL ROTHBERG AND AUSTIN LEE

Feb. 8, 2012

chronicle.hw.com

wise mouth

By Allison Hambuger ­In a dark, empty office, an oral surgeon puts stitches in Noah Weinman’s ’12 mouth by flashlight.

A few hours earlier, Weinman was at a birthday dinner, a week after having his wisdom teeth removed, when he noticed blood in his water glass.

“I thought I was fine, but while I was eating dinner, I burst my stitches, so I had to leave,” Weinman said. “I think I emotionally scarred everyone at that birthday.”

Weinman drove home, but the bleeding would not subside hours later.

Weinman’s father took him to the oral sugeon’s office, which had already closed. Because the building shut off its power automatically at night, a doctor met them with flashlight in hand.

He recovered about a week later.

Gil Young ’13 and Bradley Ho ’12 both had their wisdom teeth pulled in January, a few months after their dentists told them they should do so.

Wisdom teeth are the “third molars,” located in the back of the mouth, as shown above, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons website.

Ho said his wisdom teeth were growing in “almost horizontally,” and he began to feel them emerging.

“Usually when people go for a checkup, we can take a look at the angle at which the wisdom teeth are erupting,” said dentist Dr. Fara Nosratian (Blake ’13, Michelle ’10). “Sometimes they can cause damage to the adjacent tooth.”

Patients also sometimes complain of pain, another indication to get the teeth out. The procedure can be easier on patients in their late teens to early 20s, but age is not universally a factor, she said.

“It varies case to case and patient to patient and where the patient is in terms of teeth development,” Nosratian said.

If the teeth might correct themselves in the future, Nosratian said she would rather leave the patient with four functional teeth.

“A lot of times it is over-diagnosed,” she said.

Danielle Duhl ’12 had her wisdom

YAMAMOTO RADIOGRAPHY PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GABRIELLE FRANCHINA

For some, wisdom tooth extraction is an almost seamless procedure. Others endure a painful surgery and a drawn-out recovery process.

teeth removed at age 15, which she be- in my living room for like three days. I lieves may have affected the length of slept there because I had to sleep upher recovery because the teeth were so right because of drainage.” far buried in her gums.

Duhl said she is “pretty bitter” beDuhl said her face was swollen cause she had expected a quicker refor weeks after, compared to Ho and covery than the one she experienced, Young’s few days of puffy cheeks, and but Ho and Young both said the experishe also had adverse reactions to the ence was fairly easy after the first few anesthesia. days.

She woke up screaming and crying “Luckily I did it during vacation, during the surgery and vomited blood so during school, pain was not really a later in the day. factor,” Ho said.

“Basically everything that could go However, Ho could not play his alto wrong did, except dry socket, thank saxophone for a week, whereas WeinGod,” Duhl said. man stopped playing trumpet for a Dry socket is when the hole left by month because his doctor was worried the tooth becomes exposed, which can it might affect the healing of his gums. lead to infection.

Duhl, a member Duhl said of the varsity socshe, her family cer team, said playand close friends ing soccer again First my dad laughed at think that the caused pain as runswelling never ning inhibited her me a lot and took a lot of disappeared mouth from movpictures. Then I didn’t get c o m p l e t e l y, ing up and down. off of the chair in my living though her doc“I would detor suggested scribe [my recovroom for like three days.” her face could ery] as pretty inhave coinciden—Noah Weinman ’12 convenient, but I tally become know so many othfuller around er people who were the time she just fine,” Duhl said. got her wisdom Soup, apple teeth pulled. sauce, pudding and pasta were among Duhl, Ho and Weinman went to the foods Duhl, Ho and Young ate oral surgeons, but some dentists, like during the first few days when their Nosratian and Young’s dentist, extract mouths were most sore. Young said he the teeth in the office. moved on to more solid foods within Young was awake while his teeth the week, while Ho said he was told were pulled. He was given laughing gas, to avoid hard foods like peanuts for a calming medication Valium and local month. anesthetic to most of his face.

Weinman said trying to eat nor“I could feel it but it wasn’t a pain- mally was what caused his stitches to ful sensation,” he said. “It was just break. sometimes I would feel a tug or some All four emphasized that smoothies pressure.” were a good way to go. Young even purNosratian emphasized that teen- chased a Magic Bullet blender specifiagers should keep up with biannual cally for the occasion. check-ups. Though wisdom teeth “For two days I was making these growth is genetic, proper hygiene is vi- really crappy smoothies without any tal to dental health, she said. yogurt or anything because I didn’t Immediately after the surgery, the know how to make a smoothie, and four patients said they relaxed on their then my mom showed me how to do it couches. with frozen fruit and yogurt and juices, “First, my dad laughed at me a lot and it was so good,” Young said. “I was and took a lot of pictures,” Weinman so proud of it. I made a couple myself said. “Then I didn’t get off of the chair that were delicious. So good.”

“

Features B5

10 common symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth If four or more of the following symptoms apply, a visit to the dentist is advisable. >> Continuous pain while chewing food >> Pain when opening mouth >> Tingling of the cheeks >> Chronic bad breath >> Ongoing headaches >> Redness around the wisdom teeth >> Tenderness in the gums >> Bleeding of the gums >> Unpleasant taste in the mouth >> Swelling around the jaw

SOURCES: WWW.MAYOCLINIC.COM AND WWW.WISDOMTEETHFOOD.COM GRAPHIC BY ELANA ZELTSER AND GABRIELLE FRANCHINA

The Chronicle

B6 Features

Feb. 8, 2012

RIC TENNENBAUM

RIC TENNENBAUM

CLAIRE HONG/CHRONICLE

CUSTOMIZING CARS: Ric Tennenbaum ’13, left decides how he will next design his car. He detailed Lucas Giolito’s ’12 Volkswagen emblem, top, by painting the inside red and specialized his own car by changing the red stripe on his car’s grille to blue, bottom.

Splash of color

With only a screwdriver and spray can, Ric Tennenbaum ’13 details cars for classmates to give them a customized look.

By Claire Hong

and

Shana Saleh

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Even though it seemed just about impossible to find a purple Volkswagen emblem, Ric Tennenbaum ’13 did not let that stop him. Instead, he grabbed a spray can and a screwdriver and got to work. While initially, Tennenbaum added bits of color to his car for fun, his hobby turned into a business he could manage right out of his garage.

“I just like pretty colors,” Tennenbaum said. “I wanted them on my car, so that was kind of my inspiration. It’s hard to get a purple Volkswagen badge.”

Last year, Tennenbaum got together with his friend Eli Kogan ’13, who had also decorated his own car, to fulfill requests from friends and classmates who wanted their own cars customized.

Although Kogan is currently doing a school year abroad in Spain, Tennenbaum has continued to exercise his talents. “ W e mainly just change colors on

BY IE

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badges and emblems or remove them entirely, as well as tint lights and reflectors,” he said.

Tennenbaum said he has noticed that customers like a “blacked-out” look on their cars, in which they have everything possible on the car painted black.

“I’m not really a fan of that,” he said. “It’s boring and doesn’t show any expression, but I’m happy to do it for people because it’s pretty easy on my part. I prefer making cars stand out with subtle color changes and alterations.”

Tennenbaum said he is especially pleased with his work on his own car.

He painted his car’s Volkswagen badges white, changed the red stripe in the front of his car’s grille to a sparkly blue and removed the two GTI badges. He also painted the backing of one Volkswagen badge black and painted the other badge sparkly blue on the inside.

“I’ve played with a lot of different colors on my car,” Tennenbaum said.

“I like the way it is now, and if I ever get bored I can always change it. I love cars, and I treat mine like it’s my baby.

She’s always nice to me.”

Sometimes Tennenbaum does more than just add color to car exteriors. For his own car, he installed a cold air intake, blacked out his side reflector and took off his rear windshield wiper. He also added fake buttons labeled “seat

eject,” “don’t panic” and “trunk monkey,” as well as toy monkeys on the side of his car. “[The monkeys] cheer me up, and [the buttons] make me giggle when I see them,” Tennenbaum said.

In addition to being especially proud of the detailing he did for his own car, Tennenbaum said he is happy with the detailing he did on the cars of classmates Matt Edelstein ’13 and Lucas Giolito ’12.

Giolito owns a Volkswagen GTI and had asked Tennenbaum to paint the front and back Volkswagen badges, remove both GTI badges and install two different types of lights for his car’s reflectors and side view mirrors.

“Ric did an unbelievable job, and I’m very glad I went to him instead of doing it myself or even going to a professional place because that probably would have been too expensive,” Giolito said. “I have already recommended him to a bunch of my friends. He’s very good at what he does.”

Tennenbaum said he hopes to continue his business in the future.

“My favorite color is purple, so if anybody wants to make a part of their car purple I’ll do it for free,” Tennenbaum said. “I encourage anybody who has questions about modifying their cars to ask me about it. Even if they don’t want me to do it for them, I can teach them how to do it themselves.”

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chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Features B7

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIEL SUNSHINE

EYE-CATCHING: Avalon Nuovo ’13 works with spray paint to create a mural on Daniel Sunshine’s ’13 bedroom wall. Nuovo used the medium for the first time a week

before she began the project and painted it freehand without outlining it. In addition to these large works, she also does numerous small sketches and drawings each week.

mixed media

By Elana Zeltser

shelves and walls around her house.

However, Nuovo’s art can also be Over winter break, Daniel Sun- seen frequently around school campus. shine ’13 invited Avalon Nuovo ’13 to Nuovo has been asked to do T-shirt or his house so she could experiment for sweatshirt designs for the Jewish Stuthe first time with spray paint cans he dent Union, the Middle School French had bought but never used. A week lat- Club, KHWS, Peer Support, Advanced er, she went back to Sunshine’s house Dance and the Harvard-Westlake Box and created a full-fledged mural on his Office. Nuovo’s illustrations could also bedroom wall in the spray paint me- be seen in Foreign Outlook, last year’s dium she had tried only once before. yearbook advertisements and on the “I didn’t trace it out before hand,” cover of the “Fiddler on the Roof ” Nuovo said. “I just started painting. It playbill earlier this year. These designs was a gamble for him, so I’m glad he Nuovo does on the computer, using her trusted me.” drawing tablet attachment and PhotoNuovo is accusshop. They can tomed to playing take anywhere with different art from two to six I have been really happy forms and materihours to comals. With two parplete, she said. with the few [sculptures] ents involved in art “I always ask I’ve done recently. My style for any specific and design, she has been doing crafts elements they has really evolved.” for as long as she want in the de—Avalon Nuovo ’14 sign, but it is can remember.

“My grandpa not uncommon designs museums for people to and galleries, and I remember in pre- not have much of an idea of what they school I would go over to his house and want, so I often have to do some good we would do craft projects almost ev- brainstorming before I get started,” ery day,” Nuovo said.

Nuovo said.

While she has continually changed On top of that, Nuovo has occasionher preferred medium, Nuovo said ally been paid to do art or design projshe enjoys working mainly in acrylics, ects. For instance, a logo she created which she says can paint on practically can be seen on gottaminutemom.com. anything, and gouache, which can be Nuovo often makes home-made used as both an opaque paint and a wa- gifts for friends and family. tercolor.

“It is frugal, and it’s also something “Also, those Papermate pens you I enjoy that will mean more,” Nuovo can buy in a pack of 12 for like $4 are said. the best,” Nuovo said. “You can press Nuovo has gifted miniature sculpdown hard for a thick black line or use tures, Converse shoes and tote bags it to lightly shade.” that she drew on and home-made colDoing five to six detailed drawings oring books. She also made Mazelle or projects a week, Nuovo has filled Etessami ’14 a hand-painted cell phone up countless sketch books that crowd case for her birthday. When Etessami’s storage space in her room or sit on friends saw the cell phone case, they

“

Using a variety of materials, Avalon Nuovo ’13 does everything from making sculptures to painting pictures with acrylics for friends and classmates.

paid Nuovo to make cases for them, too.

“It took me a while to perfect them,” Nuovo said. “I use those plain cases you can buy at Century City kiosks and paint on them with acrylics.”

Nuovo is currently in Drawing and Painting II, where her projects are assigned to her. At home, however, she created a band out of sculpture penguins, painted a guitar and has been working with Kidrobots, pre-made alien-like statues that she can turn into whatever she wants. In the past, she has made a rapper and a Frenchman.

“I have been really happy with the few I’ve done recently,” Nuovo said.

“My style has really evolved.”

A tomboy growing up, Nuovo enjoyed drawing monsters, sci-fi creatures and Pokemon characters. Now she likes taking cartoons and rendering them human with different shading techniques.

Nuovo hopes that this hobby of hers will manifest itself into an occupation.

She is now looking for an art internship over the summer. Her summer plans also include building up her portfolio for AP Studio Art next year, and updating her Flickr account. Nuovo posts pictures of her art projects each month onto Flickr to show people outside of her home and school what she has been working on.

Nuovo plans on applying to art schools, and she hopes to someday study at the Art Center where her parents went and met.

“I’m interested in illustration in general but not really from a fine arts approach,” Nuovo said. “I’m thinking about commercial or advertising applications for illustration, or possibly entertainment design and even animation.”

As Seen on Campus Besides creating art for her peers, Avalon Nuovo ’13 also designs sweatshirts for school clubs.

Middle School French Club

Peer Support

KHWS ILLUSTRATIONS BY AVALON NUOVO GRAPHIC BY MEGAN KAWASAKI

B8 Features

highstakes

Seniors are half way there

By Rebecca Nussbaum

Diana* Diana applied to 21 schools regular decision, including film schools, liberal arts colleges and all nine UC campuses.

“I haven’t applied to any schools that don’t Diana*, filmmaker have media or film that I could major in,” she said.

Although Diana wants to wait to see which schools accept her, Kenyon College, Pitzer College and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts stand out on her list.

“I’m kind of scattered,” she said.

“My top choices kind of change every day.”

Diana completed her college applications smoothly thanks to weekly meetings with an outside college counselor.

Beginning this summer, the counselor helped Diana with her essays and paced her so she didn’t procrastinate.

“It really helped to have that extra support,” she said.

Diana applied to three film schools in addition to NYU, Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television, USC School of Cinematic Arts and Boston University School of Theater.

These applications were more extensive than traditional applications,

Feb. 8, 2012

The Chronicle

with essays asking about storytelling and collaborative working, two coresaspects of film. Some schools additionally ask for a student portfolio, so Diana submitted a five minute film that she made over the summer.

“I sent the DVD to all the schools as well,” Diana said. “I felt that if they had the opportunity to watch it, I guess I’d like them to see that.”

Leo* After committing in September to a mid-sized university to play his sport, Leo was thrilled when he received his early decision acceptance in November.

He knew the exact time the decision would be available, so he checked his acceptance on his phone at school the minute he could, he said.

“I was expecting it, but you still can’t be 100 percent sure that everything will work out,” Leo said. “I was happy to finally have it Leo*, athlete in writing.

Leo then signed his national letter of intent on Feb. 1 at the dinner table, he said.

“I didn’t know it was a big deal,” he said. “I just did it with my family.”

Leo looks forward to visiting the university in April for an accepted students’ day, which will give his dad the opportunity to meet the coaches and see the campus.

We continue to follow the lives of four seniors as some wait for college decisions and look forward to relaxing after the stressful application process.

In the meantime, Leo “definitely” has a bit of second semester senior syndrome, he said.

“It’s nice to have some of that,” he said.

Haley* Va n d e r b i l t University is in the minority of schools that sends admissions decisions via snail mail instead of email, which made Haley anxious as she waited for Haley*, all-around her decision “I was getting really nervous because everyone was getting their letters online, and I didn’t know when mine was coming,” she said.

Haley was on a bus with her team to an away game when her mom called her to say that her Vanderbilt letter arrived.

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” Haley said.

So her mom opened the letter.

“She just screamed,” Haley said.

“I freaked out because I assumed that was a good thing.”

Soon everyone on the bus knew that Haley had been accepted, and it was nice to share that exciting moment with her teammates, she said.

Haley was also accepted Early Action to the University of Michigan, which she declined, as the Vanderbilt

decision is binding.

Kyle* After Yale University deferred his admission decision, Kyle made it his goal to prove himself and be accepted in the spring pool, he said.

“People say once you get deferred it feels like they don’t want you,” he said.

“I took my defer as a chance to prove myself, and I treated it in a different way.”

This week Kyle is finalizing a letter to the Yale Admissions Office explaining why Yale is still his first choice.

“My dean told me it can’t be too long, so I have to make sure that I can get as much stuff as I can in one page,” he said.

Kyle’s favorite school besides Yale is probably Brown University, he said.

“That was always one of my top choice, and I probably would have applied there ED had I not gone Kyle*, brainiac to visit [Yale],” he said.

While Kyle’s college applications took over his winter break, he’s excited to be a second semester senior.

“I don’t have senioritis,” Kyle said, “It’s not that I’m not doing my homework, I just don’t ever have any. It really is a lot more laid-back.” *names have been changed

A

The Chronicle • Feb. 8, 2012

rts & E ntertainment

B9

Los Angeles • Volume XXI • Issue V

‘The Laramie Project’

Unseen by the audience, the crew helped put together ‘The Laramie Project’ by acting as stage managers, and lighting and costume designers.

Stage crew is ‘in charge’

By Jamie Chang

ARIELLE MAXNER/CHRONICLE

BACKSTAGE: Ben Vigman ’13 practices his lighting cues before the show, above. Danielle Wolf ’14 goes over last minute stage directions in the booth, right.

LESLIE DINKIN/CHRONICLE

When lights rose on the stage of the upper school production of “The Laramie Project” last weekend, the director and other adults who had helped create the play sat in the audience as students ran the show.

“No one is holding their hands,” Pugh said.

For each play and musical, technical theatre teacher Rees Pugh and the director choose students who show interest in contributing to the show in a leadership position. For the winter play, “The Laramie Project,” Danielle Wolf ’14 was stage manager, Benjamin Vigman ’13 was the lighting designer, Nadine Perez ’14 was the assistant stage manager and Patric Verrone ’13, Natasha Simchowitz ’13 and Rebecca Hutman ’12 were assistant directors.

As the stage manager, Wolf attended every rehearsal since auditions.

“I write down all the blocking, light cues, sound cues and backstage cues during the rehearsals,” Wolf said.

The stage manager must note the blocking at rehearsals because scenes may be rehearsed and not revisited for weeks. During the actual production, Wolf calls the entire show, meaning she tells the light and sound board operators when to go to the next cue.

“Once the show is going on, I’m in charge,” Wolf said.

Wolf also managed “Grease” at the Middle School and worked backstage for “Fiddler on the Roof ” this year.

“The upper school stage managers are given much more responsibility,” Wolf said. “I love seeing the show develop over time. There is a huge difference between what we originally started with and what everyone is going to see on stage.”

During tech week, the week prior to the show, the director teaches the stage manager all of the cues who then teaches the board operators.

“The director and all other adults

should be able to sit in the audience during the show,” Pugh said.

As the lighting designer, Vigman was responsible for “creatively lighting the show in context of its themes, moods, and content,” he said.

Vigman created the lighting by first coming up with a lighting plot that is “conducive to the artistic objectives” he is trying to meet. Once he made a plan, Vigman worked with the master electrician to execute it and hang the lighting fixtures needed.

“Only after setting up both the lights themselves and the light board did I actually start the process of designing the show,” Vigman said. “I enjoy all the work that I have to do to get the job done and the whole process is very satisfying.”

Vigman was also a lighting designer for the Playwrights Festival in 2011.

“I feel that the ‘Laramie Project’ is a much larger undertaking and the first chance I’ve had to be a main contributor to a show from start to finish,” he said.

Vigman has always been interested in theatrical lighting and has worked as an electrician, board programmer and operator.

Although Perez has been a light board operator, sound board operator, backstage manager and stage manager, this was her first time acting as an assistant stage manager. She helped the stage manager call the show and had to ensure that the show was properly set for the beginning of each act.

Verrone said that he and the two other assistant directors, Simchowitz and Hutman, were a second, third or fourth pair of eyes and ears for director Ted Walch. The three took down blocking, gathered missing actors and read lines if someone was absent. Each of the students had volunteered for the position.

“We have an incredible cast and an amazing director to work under, it has just been incredible,” Veronne said.

Senior designs flexible costumes

By Claire Hong

Ruby Boyd ’12 faced a new challenge while trying to design the costumes for the actors of the upper school play “The Laramie Project.” Boyd had to find costumes that would appropriately fit all of the multiple roles played by each actor.

“Because each actor is playing multiple parts, the challenge has been to figure out what the appropriate base costume should be that will work for each of an actor’s characters,” she said.

“Then the next step is to find an interesting piece that clearly captures a character’s persona, but is also simple enough for all the quick changes in the show.”

To come up with designs for the characters’ costumes, Boyd said she first looked through the script to try and understand each of the characters.

“I started by reading the script and taking notes about my initial impressions of the characters,” she said.

“Then I did research on the time period and the town of Laramie itself. My next step was to collect images that reminded me of individual characters, so

“

The challenge has been to figure out what the appropriate base costume should be that will work for each of the actor’s characters.

—Ruby Boyd Costume Designer

that by the time I started looking for physical clothing, I had reference images for each character.”

Boyd said the costumes for “The Laramie Project” did not require very much sewing because they were very modern. While making and designing the costumes, Boyd works in the costume shop, which is next to the drama office in Rugby.

“I’ve had to alter various pieces to make them fit correctly, but apart from that, this show has required very little sewing,” she said. “It has been mostly finding the right piece at thrift stores and costume rental houses.”

Because of the minimal sewing needed for the costumes of this play, Boyd said upper school performing arts teacher Lisa Peters helped her mostly with researching and organizing the proper materials needed to make the show’s costumes.

“Ms. Peters has been very, very helpful for this entire show,” she said.

“She has been an amazing mentor and has taught me a lot about the process of costuming a show.”

Boyd said it took about two fullmonths to research, buy, fit and alter all of the costumes for “The Laramie Project.”

RUBY BOYD

WHAT TO WEAR: Boyd sketched costumes for the characters of Laramie.

The Chronicle

B10 A&E

Feb. 8, 2012

Artists display work at CSUN

By Meagan Wang

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ED HU

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jay Paulson ‘96 stands with Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu at the Sundance Film Festival where the film “Black Rock” premiered.

Alumnus stars in film as discharged soldier

By Abbie Neufeld

“Black Rock” featuring Jay Paulson ’96 premiered on Jan. 21 the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

This is the second film Paulson has been in that has premiered at Sundance. The film “Rolling Kansas” premiered in 2003. “Black Rock” is a thriller, directed by Kate Asselton, that tells the story of three childhood friends, played by Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell and Asselton, who visit a remote island off the coast of Maine, where they meet three men, one of whom is played by Paulson, recently discharged from the military who are on the island hunting. A struggle then ensues between the two groups.

Paulson said the character is different from the roles he is usually cast in.

“It required a lot of hard work and a lot of research and a lot of pushing myself out of my comfort zone,” Paulson said. “I really wanted to do justice to these guys who fight and serve our country. I was trying to avoid being a one note cartoon image.”

The movie’s North American distribution rights were acquired by LD distribution, and the movie will be theatrically released in at least 25 markets at an undetermined date. “[With an independent film] there’s never a guarantee that it’s going to be distributed, so you’re always taking

sort of a gamble,” Paulson said. “We worked for deferred payments in the hopes that if we sold it we would get a bigger piece, so to find out that we were picked up by a distributor was really exciting. And it also means more people will be able to see the work we put into this.”

Asselton cast Paulson in the role after seeing him in the first season of “Mad Men.” Paulson began acting in ninth grade at Harvard-Westlake and said it is one of the biggest influences to his career.

“It literally provided the stage for me and also provided me with amazing teachers and instructors like [performing arts teacher] Ted Walch,” Paulson said. “I’ll never forget how magical it was. Harvard-Westlake was where I fell in love with theater and drama and acting and those memories and some of what I learned there are indelibly etched in every cell of my being.”

When Paulson starred in the school production of “Once in a Lifetime,” in 11th grade, he was seen by a talent manager. Seventeen years later, he is still Paulson’s manager.

Though Paulson has been acting professionally for many years, he still says he studies acting every day.

“I think you can always be improving as an artist and as a human being, and I try every day to do something to improve myself in both areas,” he said.

Six students’ artwork was exhibited at the 15th Annual High School Art Invitational at California State University, Northridge’s Main Art Gallery from Jan. 9 to 28.

Artwork created by Nikki Goren ’12, Nick Lenard ’12, Chloe Lister ’12, Jake Schapiro ‘12, Sophie Turner ’12 and Jack Wilding ’13 was selected by their art teachers to be put on display at CSUN. Visual Arts Teacher Kevin Palmer chose a vase that Schapiro made in Directed Studies Visual Arts: Glass.

“I didn’t really have a specific inspiration for my piece, I just sort of used what I knew and went with it,” Schapiro said.

The other piece of artwork selected

by Palmer was a glass sculpture made

by Lenard.

Visual arts teacher Kevin O’Malley selected photographs that Goren, Lister and Turner took as part of their Photography III class.

He also selected a photograph that Wilding took as part of his Photography II class. It was of a gourd that appeared to be floating.

“We were learning to look for details in ordinary things and to find a way to capture them and turn them into something else,” Wilding said. “It’s really an honor, especially since it’s a very rare chance.”

“While it is nice to have art on display at Harvard-Westlake, it was really cool to see my art out in the real world and for the public to see,” Schapiro said.

Singer auditions for ‘American Idol’

By Eric Greenberg

Charlie Troy ’12 watched the “American Idol” San Diego auditions on Jan. 22 to see if he was on TV because he had auditioned along with more nathanson ’s/chronicle than 10,000 contestants.

Charlie Troy ’12 “I wanted to go so badly because I believed it was an experience that would help me become an overall better singer,” Troy said.

Troy went to San Diego with his mother to audition for “American Idol” on July 8 and then checked into a hotel.

The next day, Troy woke up at 4 a.m. and headed to Petco Park, where the auditions where being held.

The contestants went through two cuts. The first sets of cuts were the preliminary auditions, where the contestant body was narrowed from more than 10,000 people to a few hundred.

After waiting eight hours to audition, Troy was only allowed to sing for about 20 seconds in front of random selectors and producers, choosing an R&B version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“The reason I chose this song was because I had seen something similar before on the show, and I wanted to modify it a little and make it my own,” he said.

Although Troy did not make the cut, he said that he felt pretty good about his performance.

“I encourage everyone to do it,” Troy said. “It’s something you don’t forget.

It’s a fun experience for everyone, and you could get on TV.

Scholastic Art Awards A total of 37 upper and middle school students won 53 awards in the high school and middle school divisions of the Los Angeles Regional Scholastic Art Awards.

Gold Key Winners Jackie Arkush ’12 (x3) Bray Caverly ’16 Gabriel De La Rosa ’12 (x2) Mazelle Etessami ’14 (x2) Daniela Grande ’15 Christopher Hedley ’15

Frank Lewis ’16 Chloe Lister ’12 (x2) Matthew Mantel ’12 Jake Schapiro ’12 (x2) Jamie Skaggs ’15

Silver Key Winners Lukas Czinger ’12 (x2) Sophia Dienstag ’17 Mazelle Etessami ’14

Ben Goldsmith ’16 Emma Kofman ’16

Juliet Nguyen ’16 Henry Roskin ’17

Honorable Mention Winners Jackie Arkush ’12 Lauren Choi ’12 Molly Cinnamon ’14 Brad Comisar ’15 Lukas Czinger ’15 (x2) Aaron Drooks ’15 Mazelle Etessami ’14 Samantha Gasmer ’13

Bennett Gross ’16 Samantha Ho ’16 Vivian Lin ’16 Chloe Lister ’12 (x2) Merissa Mann ’13 Carina Marx ’17 Emily Maynes ’15 Sarah Novicoff ’14

Avalon Nuovo ’13 Jake Schapiro ’12 Aaron Shih ’15 Danielle Stolz ’15 Sophia Szu ’15 Talia Wohlberg ’16 Cameron Wood ’15

SOURCE: ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS GRAPHIC BY AARON LYONS

15% Discount for Harvard Westlake Students

Pick-ups and Dine-ins from the regular menu

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Lights, Camera, Film Festival Judges:

A&E B11

The judges and films have been announced for this year’s Film Festival on Friday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.

Student Festival Directors:

>> Dan Chuba (Olivia ’12)- Special Effects Producer >> Rona Cosgrove - Paramount executive

Faculty Festival Directors:

>> Olivia Chuba ’12

>> Cheri Gaulke

>> Jamie Ember ’12

>> Kevin O’Malley

>> Roz Naimi ’12

>> Ted Walch

>> Matt Ember (Jamie ’12) - Screenwriter >> Mary Hart and Burt Sugarman (Erin ’13, Kyle ’13) - Former Host of Entertainment Tonight and Producer >> Tim Ryan - Senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes >> Tom Schulman (Peter ’12, Max ’06) - Screenwriter >> Elizabeth Yale ’04 - Founder of the Festival

Selected Films:

“Aave” —Santa Rosa High School

“Chopsticks” — Centro Valley High

“The Flight” — Van Nuys High School

“A Day” — Harvard-Westlake School

“Getting Rid of Mormons” — SF Art & Film

“Baseline” — Harvard-Westlake School

“Just to Say You’ve Won” — Bell High School

“The Text Can Wait” — Capistrano Valley High School, FilmEd Academy

“Be a Courteous Test Taker” — Northwood High School, FilmEd Academy of the Arts “Beards” — Providence High School “Bowling Over Breakfast” — Idyllwild Arts Academy

“Lessons in Film Making” — SF Art & Fiilm

“This PSA is Gay” — Harvard-Westlake Summer Film Camp

“Love Our Families/Learn the Difference” — The Righteous Conversations Project

“She’s a Doll” — Harvard-Westlake School

“Lucy” — El Dorado High School, FilmEd Academy of the Arts

“We Used to Wait” — Capistrano Valley High School, FilmEd Academy of the Arts

“Bookstore” — Harvard-Westlake School

“Metro” — Calabasas High School

“Brother” — California State Summer School for the Arts

“One Week of Danger” — Harvard-Westlake School

Judges will view the films before the festival and give awards in various categories at the event.

SOURCE: OLIVIA CHUBA AND CHERI GAULKE GRAPHIC BY MEGAN WARD

Leaders of symphony tune group for perfection

By Abbie Neufeld

A

lmost every morning, while other students attempt to rise from their previous night’s slumber to the sound of their teachers’ voices, the 55 students in the upper school Symphony Orchestra enjoy a different kind of wake-up call: the sound of music. Though these students rehearse almost every day, they only have two major concerts a year, the second of which takes place this Friday.

The Principal Oboist, a.k.a.

“The Tuner” When it’s time for first period, Lia Seraydarian ’12 must make the trek down dozens of stairs to get to the bottom floor of Chalmers Hall. nathanson ’s/chronicle She then traLia Seraydarian ‘12 verses the elongated hallway lined with posters advertising concerts, music camps and volunteer opportunities and finally enters Chalmers 104.

However, she must be careful to conserve her energy for the long breaths she will need to hold later. She heads to the left and takes her place on the first step.

Seraydarian takes out her reed and soaks it in water for about a minute while she puts together the rest of her oboe. The reed must be moistened before playing in order for the oboe to play well. Though this is common knowledge for any oboist, Seraydarian attempts to go one step further

than the average high school player.

Like a professional oboist, Seraydarian has attempted to make her own reed.

Though she has made several, she has yet to perfect one enough to suit her playing needs.

“It’s really hard to make one that works well enough to actually use,” she said. “Maybe one day, but for now I’ll stick with buying one.”

After soaking the reed, Seraydarian puts it in her oboe, and plays a couple of notes to warm up.

Mark Hilt, the conductor, begins to talk, then ends his remarks with “An A please,” referring to the musical note.

Seraydarian plays the requested note, holding it for about 12 seconds. The woodwinds tune their instruments to the A. She plays the same note for another 12 seconds. This time, the brass section tunes their instruments. She again plays the A: this time for the concertmaster.

The Principal Violinist, a.k.a.

“The Concertmaster” Sydney Cheong ’14 takes the A, and plays it on her violin, tuning her strings to the note.

It has been the practice in previous years for the oboist to continue to hold the A with nathanson ’s/chronicle the concertmaster. Sydney Cheong ’14 However, Cheong likes to tune the stringed instruments herself.

“It is easier for the winds and brass to tune to the oboe, and it is easier for the strings to tune to a stringed instrument,” said Cheong. “The tones

just match better.” And Cheong knows what she is talking about. Cheong, who has been playing the violin since age 4, also held the position of concert master in the middle school Symphony Orchestra, leading the orchestra to win three awards at last year’s Heritage Music Festival, not including her own win for a solo performance.

It is with a wide array of musical knowledge and decisions about details like the minutia of tuning that the concertmaster is able to really help lead the orchestra and give it a unique touch.

Though the title concertmaster might suggest an air of bravado, Cheong is hesitant to call herself a leader, and emphasizes the group aspect.

“Playing in an orchestra is very different than playing a solo piece,” she said. “You have to really listen to everyone else. It’s about working as a group to create the best blend and musicality possible.”

Now that all instruments have been tuned, the orchestra can now begin to rehearse. One section, however, is noticeably absent from the tuning process: percussion.

The Principal Percussionist, a.k.a.

“The Lead Beat” Most percussion instruments used in the orchestra’s pieces, with the notable exception of the timpani and piano, do not require tuning.

Though the section doesn’t participate nathanson ’s/chronicle in the morning Jay Kleinbart ’12 tuning ritual, it still

plays an integral role, helping define the orchestra’s rhythm.

Jay Kleinbart ’12 is the principal percussionist. Though Kleinbart’s role as principal percussionist might appear less obvious than other sections’ principals, he still has a defined role.

As section leader Kleinbart usually plays the most difficult parts, and he is often in charge of assigning the percussion parts to the section for each piece.

Unlike most other sections, percussion has flexibility with the instruments they play, depending on the piece of music. So far this year Kleinbart has played the timpani, temple blocks, bass drum and says by the end of the year he will probably end up playing everything, aside from the piano. Kleinbart’s proficiency in all of the percussion instruments allows him to help others with their techniques.

The Show Though these three musicians all have different roles in the orchestra’s organization, they all agree that they enjoy starting their day off with music.

Seraydarian and Cheong both say that it is a nice way to ease into the school day, while Kleinbart says the attention required helps him stay alert throughout the day.

At this Friday’s concert, the symphony orchestra will perform movements one and three from Sergei Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony. The orchestra will then break up into chamber groups consisting of a brass ensemble, a string quartet, a brass quartet and a piano duet. The duet will be played on the same piano and is called “piano four hands”. This is the symphony’s second winter concert.

The Chronicle

B12 Features

Feb. 8, 2012

CHLOE LISTER/CHRONICLE

GABRIELLE VELKES

STILL LIFE: Spanish teacher Dianne Tritica discusses the exhibit with Visual Arts teacher Marianne Hall, top. Gaby Velkes ’12 sketched the model as she was maintaining a sustained pose, above. Melissa Flores ’12 drew gesture poses of the model, right, as did Connie Lee ’12, left. Velkes did a series of more colorful gesture drawings, below.

MELI FLORES

Exhibit showcases sketches from life drawing classes

By Elana Zeltser

M

CONNIE LEE

unching on complimentary mini muffins, students, faculty and parents took a last look at the senior Life Drawing exhibit in Feldman-Horn during a closing art Jan. 30 at break.

The exhibit included portraits featuring model Patty Arquette. Drawing and Painting III teachers Marianne Hall and Kevin O’Malley hired Arquette to come class for two and a half weeks, and seniors drew her nude in various positions.

“She did sustained poses that would take about two class periods of her sitting or standing in one position,” Hall said. “Then she would do gesture poses for about 15 seconds each.”

Hall said students drew detailed portraits involving shading and close detail of the sustained poses, whereas

they focused on capturing the movement and flow of her gesture poses.

Drawing with a model was a change of pace for the students, many of whom had never worked with a live subject before.

“It is a lot more natural than you would think,” Nicky Hirschhorn ’12 said. “You are looking at her like a series of lines to draw and not as a naked woman in front of you.”

The class put a strong focus on learning how to realistically depict the body.

“It was worth it,” Connie Lee ’12 said. “Everyone got better at drawing the human form.”

The class will now move on to concentration projects, where students will work with their own portfolios of work to create new art. The gallery will next feature pictures taken by students in Photo III.

GABRIELLE VELKES

ports S The Chronicle • Feb. 8, 2012

Spring Previews

C6-7

Four spring teams will defend league or CIF titles this upcoming season.

Los Angeles • Volume XXI • Issue V

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

ROBBIE LOEB/CHRONICLE

IN THE SHADOWS: Zena Edosomwan ’12, left, reacts to the boys’ basketball team’s defeat to Loyola last month. Alex Goodwin ’12, right, hangs his head in disappointment at the boys’ soccer team’s narrow loss to Loyola on Friday.

No luck against Loyola

By Robbie Loeb

With two seconds remaining, Josh Hearlihy ’12 approached the free throw line for the chance to to keep his team alive and avoid suffering the first series sweep in eight years. He needed two of three free throws to trim the deficit to one possession against rival Loyola.

He sank the first. The second shot popped off back iron above the height of the backboard and miraculously fell through, and the Fanatics let out a sigh of relief. The Wolverines were unable to pull through, however, and walked off the court, eyes glued to the floor as they fell for the second time this season at the hands of Loyola.

Only hours before, upon hearing the blast of the final whistle, midfielder Alex Goodwin ’12 sank to his knees in despair. The game that had seemed so close ended in a single-goal defeat for the boys’ soccer team, also the second of the season.

“We all really wanted to beat them, and we had it in our hands,” Goodwin said. “It was probably the

most frustrating loss of the season.”

Loyola had not swept in basketball in eight years, and the Wolverines have swept twice, in 2004-2005 and 2009-2010.

“It is one of the greatest high school rivalries in Southern California,” boys’ basketball Head Coach Greg Hilliard said. “We will have ups and downs on both sides, but that game will always be a battle.”

In recent years, the basketball teams have split the series with varying success in the postseason, but they could still say, “at least we beat Loyola.”

The soccer team, however, has not triumphed over Loyola in three years.

“I don’t believe winning or losing to Loyola

should determine the success of our team,” boys’ soccer Head Coach Freddy Arroyo said.

The difference between previous sweeps and this year’s is that the teams are more evenly matched this year, he said.

The rivalry began as the two schools continually competed for dominance in the Mission League and grew expansively with fans of both schools fueling the fire.

“Loyola fans are probably the closest to the Fanatics when it comes to cheers laden with clever innuendo, inspired lunacy and pointed jabs,” Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas said. “The Cubs seem to bring out the best in our boys.”

Great expectations surround senior pitchers

By Robbie Loeb

Wolverine baseball has high expectations for this season with just three months to win a CIF title before southpaw Max Fried ’12 and righty Lucas Giolito ’12 move on to bigger and better diamonds after their senior season, either at UCLA or in the MLB. The season will be laden with distractions as Fried and Giolito, ESPN’s top-ranked left and right-handed pitchers have drawn more than 20 MLB scouts every time they have stepped on the mound since December, Head Coach Matt LaCour said.

Montclair Prep shut down its athletic program last year, and Harvard-

Westlake baseball landed Fried as a result. O’Malley Family Field was already home to a top MLB prospect in Giolito, making the Fried acquisition all the more game-changing.

“Our guys have handled this extremely well so far, there is no question about it,” LaCour said. “There is a pressure that we will talk about prior to the season with so much attention from those professional scouts coming to all of our games, but our guys have maintained a really good focus and a really good perspective on where we are in our progression and what we need to get better at. It’s a mature baseball group that hasn’t shown any ill effects from all the attention we’ve

been getting.”

“At this point, I don’t feel any pressure or distraction from scouts,” Giolito said. “The desire to attack the batter I’m facing and win the game far outweights all the stuff going on behind the fence.”

The program experienced similar “baseball heat,” as LaCour dubbed it, two years ago when professional teams were scouting centerfielder Austin Wilson ’10. With the pitchers, the volume of scouts has been much higher, LaCour said.

“Because they are pitchers, [the scouts] only get to see them once a Continued on page C7

INSIDE IN CHARGE: Offensive coordinator Scot Ruggles replaces Vic Eumont as the head of the football program.

C2

KICKING IT: Girls’ soccer remains undefeated in league this season, led by Danielle Duhl ’12 and Catherina Gores ’13.

C4

The Chronicle

C2 Sports

Facts & Figures

19

Halftime point deficit overcome by the boys’ basketball team to beat Crespi 6766 on Jan. 20.

58

Goals scored by Morgan Hallock ’13 scored this season for the girls’ water polo through 24 games.

Goals girls’ varsity soccer has scored this season through 17 games.

125

379

Points girls’ basketball player Natalie Florescu ’13 has scored through 26 games this year.

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

game of the month GIRLS SOCCER vs. Flintridge Sacred Heart

DIRECTING: Former Harvard University and Marshall University assistant coach Scot Ruggles signals to a player

Feb. 10 at Flintridge Sacred Heart 5:30 p.m.

After beating Flintridge 2-0 in their first matchup at home, the Wolverines will head to Occidental College for the second meeting with the Tologs. A win for the Wolverines would keep them atop the Mission League standings with a league record of 7-0-2.

Previous Records:

Harvard-Westlake:

13-1-3 overall; 6-0-2 league Flintridge Sacred Heart:

12-4-2 overall; 5-2-1 league

Opponent to Watch: Breeana Koemans ’12 Position: Forward The senior striker leads the Tologs in scoring this season with 11 goals. With 11 assists, she also leads the team with 33 points (two points per goal, one point per assist). ESPN’s High School sports website lists her as one of the best players in California.

School Comparison:

HW

FSHA

ESPNHS National Rank:

9

Unranked

SAAC January Athletes of the Month

Hannah Lichtenstein ’13

nathanson ’s

Zena Edosomwan ’12

during last year’s game against Venice. Ruggles was promoted from offensive coordinator to Head Football Coach on Jan. 13.

Offensive coordinator takes over football program after 5-5 season

By Luke Holthouse

nathanson ’s

Feb. 8, 2012

New Head Coach Scot Ruggles, last year’s offensive coordinator who implemented the hurry-up style into the Wolverines’ playbook, has taken over the football program. Ruggles’ promotion fills the void left by former Head Coach Vic Eumont following his retirement in December.

“I’m extremely excited and honored,” Ruggles said. “I can’t wait to get going.”

Ruggles only coached the team for a single season before his promotion.

He coached at Harvard University and Marshall University as an assistant before coming to Harvard-Westlake at the start of the 2011 season.

Under the hurry-up style, offenses quickly organize themselves after each play without a huddle to try to catch opposing defenses off guard and to give

them less time to rest between plays.

Under Ruggles, the offense averaged 32 points per game, an 11 point improvement from the 21 points per game that the 2010 Wolverine offense averaged. Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas was impressed that Ruggles could successfully implement a complex offense in just one season.

“I think the best part was that he got our students to buy into a system,” Barzdukas said. “You could see the power of belief. Our kids believed in the system, and the system was successful. The statistics and the results bear that out.”

Even though the team improved, finishing 5-5 overall after going 2-7-1 in 2010, the team continued to struggle in the Mission League.

The team missed the playoffs for the second straight year after going 1-4 in league. The Wolverines’ victory over

Cathedral on Oct. 28 was their first win in the Mission League since the team joined it before the 2010 season.

To help make the team more competitive in league, Ruggles said he will try to bring the same fast pace and intensity to the defense and special teams as he did to the offense.

Like the offense, Ruggles will try to implement a defense that favors the Wolverines’ speed and balances out their lack of size.

“Obviously, with the tempo of the offense, we want to be able to have the same tempo on defense and special teams,” Ruggles said. “We’ll be a hurry-up offense, we’ll be a multi-front defense, and we’ll be exciting on special teams.”

Ruggles has also made an effort to recruit athletes from other sports at Harvard-Westlake to join his team in the fall.

SAAC organizes 24-team dodgeball tournament

By Patrick Ryan

A dodgeball tournament sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council began last week and will continue for the next four Mondays before Spring Break. Langston McElroy ’12 and Matt Wolfen ’12 brought up the idea early in the school year.

“The biggest goal was to promote SAAC,” McElroy said. “We knew [dodgeball] was very popular at the Middle School, and we knew that it would give SAAC a bigger spotlight if we brought it to the Upper School. It was a really good way to bring the upper school community together.”

SAAC worked with the Prefect Council and the Planning Committee to run the tournament. Each game is held during break on Monday.

“Since there is only one break a week at the Upper School, there have

to be four games going on at a time,” SAAC member Davey Hartmeier ’14 said.

The school administration made a rule that there must be at least two of each gender on each team.

SAAC made the official seeding of the tournament, pairing the highest seeded teams against the lowest seeded teams. SAAC hoped that this would match the best teams up against each other towards the final rounds.

“We ranked the teams based on the athletes that we knew, how talented they were, and the personnel that each team had,” McElroy said.

Teams Derick ‘n’ Friendz, Tune Squad, Dodge So Hard and ReLax beat their opponent last week and teams Rogue Squadron, TK Funzone, Montreal Stinging Cobras and The Creamery beat their opponents this week, advancing to the second round.

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Josh Ha ’12 tries to catch a ball during the first round of the SAAC dodgeball tournament.

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Sports C3

inbrief

Junior films X Games for ski video company

Jacob Weiss ’13 attended the Winter X Games as an intern with Poor Boyz Productions, a ski film production company.

During his three day stint at the games, Weiss was in charge of filming “cut-away shots,” the footage of the crowds watching the athletes, he said.

“I basically filmed a lot of people hanging out,” Weiss said. “I got more lifestyle shots of what was going on instead of the actual skiing shots. We ended up going to sleep at around 1 a.m. each night. The whole process was really complicated, but it was worth it.”

—Michael Aronson

Sophomore to open home gym this month

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

HEADACHE: Elliot Storey ’12 flips his opponent during the Wolverines’ 60-15 loss to Alemany at home on Jan. 9. Six wres-

tlers did well enough in the League Finals meet on Feb. 4 to advance to the individual CIF playoffs on Feb. 18.

Wrestling sends 6 to CIF playoffs

By Luke Holthouse

Six wrestlers qualified for individual CIF playoffs after placing in the top three of their respective weight classes at the League Finals meet Feb. 4.

Brandon Chen ’12, Patrick Halkett ’14, Ben Klein ’14, Charlie Nelson ’13, Henry Schlossberg ’13 and James Wauer ’13 all qualified for playoff spots.

CIF playoffs are scheduled for Feb. 18. If wrestlers advance past the first round of CIF playoffs, they will be invited to battle in the CIF Masters playoffs the following week.

The overall team did not place well enough at the league tournament to advance to the CIF playoffs rounds.

Head Coach Gary Bairos said the

overall team has struggled as most members of the team are freshmen with little wrestling experience. The program does not field a junior varsity team.

“We have a very young team, a lot of freshmen and sophomores,” Bairos said. “I think we’re a good team for the future, but right now we’re a little young and immature.”

The team did not win any of the four duals meets it entered in this year. At duals meets, each wrestler on the team fights an opponent from his weight class, and the combined scores of all wrestlers determines which school wins.

At the League Finals meet, the top three wrestlers from each weight class

advanced to CIF playoffs.

Last year’s team sent 11 wrestlers to the first round of CIF playoffs. None of those 11 advanced to CIF Masters playoffs.

The wrestler that has the best chance of advancing to the Masters round is Chen, a co-captain of the team, Bairos said.

“I think Brandon Chen is our leader,” Bairos said. “He’s been really coming on strong.”

Klein said that Chen sets himself apart from the other wrestlers because of his intense work ethic.

“He’s just so dedicated,” Klein said.

“He’s been wrestling for a while. He works really hard and fights when he’s on the mat.”

CCA nominates track coach for state award

By David Lim

DAVID KOLIN/CHRONICLE

POINTERS: Coach Jonas Koolsbergen advises Branden Kim ’15 on his form.

Head of track and field Jonas Koolsbergen has been nominated for the California Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award.

“We have enjoyed a very special confluence of tremendous coaches knowing exactly what they are doing and athletes committed to the process and doing it all very well to the best of their ability,” Koolsbergen said.

His second year in the running for the award, Koolsbergen was selected by his fellow CCA coaches based on his achievements coaching a team that has set national records and sent runners to international competitions.

“It is a truly remarkable honor to be nominated two years in a row,” Koolsbergen said. “Since coaches decide who is worthy, having your work appreciated by your peers is very, very

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special.”

Koolsbergen is one of three CCA Southern Coaches nominated for the track and field award this year. Five finalists will be chosen from the 15 coaches that have been nominated and a winner will be announced in May. The Coach of the Year nominiation also recognizes Koolsbergen’s coaching outside school with the Gold Medal AC track club.

In his 22nd year heading the track and field program, Koolsbergen describes his coaching style as “positive, encouraging and thorough” and emphasizes that his athletes should “compete with character,” he said.

“Coaching a team with tremendous talent is a great opportunity, but most importantly it is a very enjoyable experience because our best athletes are also tremendous young people,” Koolsbergen said.

Kings Gym, founded by Teddy King ’14 in his family’s home gym, is set to open on Feb. 25. Services offered, according to the gym’s Facebook page, include yoga, mixed martial arts workouts, free range use of the equipment, one-on-one classes with King and group classes.

The gym offers various perks for athletes such as use of the jacuzzi and free protein shakes for premium members. Free towels and water are also offered to all gym-goers.

“I have been really enthusiastic about weightlifting,” King said. “I have done lots of research on it for about three years.”

—Lizzy Thomas

Field hockey seniors granted national honor

Five seniors on the varsity field hockey team were named to the National High School Academic Squad, which was released by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.

Jessica Barzilay ’12, Michelle Choi ’12, Kristen Lee ’12, Rebecca Nussbaum ’12 and Brigid Sofen ’12 were honored.

Only two other California high schools had student-athletes on the list, which is based on cumulative unweighted GPAs through the first quarter of senior year.

“This is the type of honor that really embodies Harvard-Westlake students’ diverse interests and how they are engaged in the classroom and on the field,” Barzilay said.

—Sam Sachs

Football to face Loyola in next year’s opener For the first time since the merger of Harvard and Westlake, Loyola will play the varsity football team in a highly anticipated matchup at Valley College on Aug. 24 for the first game of the Wolverines’ season.

While Loyola frequently plays the Wolverines as league opponents in most sports, the Cubs do not play football in the Mission League, but rather the more competitive Pac-5 League.

“Obviously, they’re a great football program,” Head Coach Scot Ruggles said. “My theory is if you want to be the best, go play the best, so we won’t shy away from anyone.”

—Luke Holthouse

The Chronicle

C4 Sports

Girls’ soccer beats rival Chaminade

Feb. 8 , 2012

By Michael Aronson

After the first nine weeks of the season, the girls’ soccer team stands as the top team in the Mission League after a 6-1 victory over Louisville and a 3-1 victory over rival Chaminade Feb. 1, a game that was aired on television.

The Time Warner Cable High School Sports Television Network aired the Wolverines’ victory over Chaminade in one of the network’s first high school girls’ soccer games. The girls were ranked 33rd in the Powerade FAB 50 national rankings in November and gradually climbed to the ninth spot after shutting out nine of the 16 teams they played from November through February.

With the recent win over Chaminade, the Wolverines extended their undefeated streak in the Mission League to 10 games, dating back to last season.

“I think we have a lot more good players than we have had any other year,” Simms said. “We are not relying on one or two players like we have the last few years. We have a lot of depth and a lot of balance, and over the course of a long and tough season, we have had different players step up in a lot of different games. Players like Hannah Lichtenstein ’13, Danielle Duhl ’12, Mackenzie Howe ’14, Catherina Gores ’15 and Brianna Gazmarian ’15 all have stepped up and scored so many important goals for us.”

Last season, team captain Katie Speidel ’11 was the team’s predominant scorer, leading the girls with 22 goals on the season. As of Monday, Gores and Lichtenstein were the group’s top two scorers with 17 and 14 goals.

Heading into the girls’ rivalry match against the Chaminade Eagles, the Wolverines and the Eagles held the top two spots in the Mission League.

The teams split their season series last year.

The Wolverines drew first blood after Howe crossed the ball into the penalty box to Gores.

Gores made a quick pass to the freshman Gazmarian who netted a goal on a low-flying rip to the lower right corner in the sixth minute of the game to put the Wolverines up 1-0. The Eagles equalized in the 28th minute,

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

RIVALRY MATCH: Bella Hicks ’12 contests the ball against a Chaminade forward in the girls’ 3-1 victory over the Eagles but Howe capitalized on a corner kick from Duhl in the 42nd minute to retake the lead.

The Wolverines continued to put pressure on Chaminade goalie Chinaar Desai, but the Eagles’ goalie was able to prevent the girls from scoring until Gores beat out two defenders in the 65th minute to take a 3-1 lead.

Wolverines’ goalie Reba Magier ’12 did not allow any goals for the rest of the match.

“After we jumped on them early, it was like any other game for us,” Simms said. “[The girls] embrace playing under the lights. They’re not a group that shies away from the pressure and the spotlight.”

The Wolverines improved to 12-1-3 and 5-0-2 in league with the win over the Eagles, leaving them as the top team in the tightly-contested Mission League.

last week, which vaulted the Wolverines to the top of the Mission League and extended the team’s undefeated record in league.

“There was a lot of build up throughout the day about being on [television], and we were definitely nervous in the first few minutes,” Lichtenstein said. “Once we calmed down though, we were able to play our game and get the job done.”

“It was exciting that we were able to be on [television] and handle any nerves or pressure that may have come with being on camera,” Duhl said. “We were able to stay composed.”

Despite being the nation’s ninth best high school girls’ team, the Wolverines have yet to clinch a spot in CIF playoffs.

“We still have a couple more games,” Simms said. “If we make the playoffs, then we just need to keep playing the way we are playing. We match up pretty well against a lot of the better teams, so hopefully we can stay healthy and everyone can play with confidence.”

JV Girls’ Soccer The JV girls’ soccer team fell to Chaminade 1-0 at home Feb .1 after winning five Mission League games.

Overall Record: 6-3-3 League Record: 3-1-3 Last games: Louisville W(4-0) Chaminade L(1-0) “We have played a system that works for the type of players we have.

It allowed us to attack and defend [well].”

— Hannah Kofman ’14

SOURCE: HW.COM/ATHLETICS

Boys’ soccer falls to rival Loyola 1-0, rebounds with 2-0 win over Crespi

By Julius Pak

JULIUS PAK/CHRONICLE

YOUNG STAR: Boys soccer player Patrick Angelo ’14 looks for a teammate to pass to in the boys’ 1-0 loss to rival Loyola.

A 2-0 win over Crespi Jan. 6 allowed the varsity boys’ soccer team to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 loss to rival Loyola Cubs.

For almost two months, the team went undefeated while scoring six goals in their first three Mission League victories. The team has gone 7-3-1 in Mission League play so far this season and now holds an overall record of 1543.

“There’s a lot of continuity, a lot of us are good friends off of the field so it’s easy to communicate, find each other, and predict where we will all be,” midfielder Alex Goodwin ’12 said.

After the Wolverines’ hot start, however, things began to cool down and they now have dropped three out of their last seven matches, two of which were losses to Loyola.

“We played really hard, but that’s how soccer is. Sometimes the ball doesn’t fall in the back of the net,” Goodwin said.

Although they haven’t been filling up the win column like they had hoped they would, their defensive play remains a good sign for this team. Goalkeeper

and Duke-commit Wade Clement ’12 has led the Wolverines’ defense to only 18 goals allowed in 23 total games played.

“Defensively, we’ve been solid. The only goals scored on us have been from free kicks,” defender Akosa Ibekwe ’13 said.

The team attributes a lot of its defensive success to a holistic team effort to mark their men.

“We’ve gotten a lot more physical on defense,” goalkeeper Wade Clement ’12

said. “We have a lot of organization.”

A lot of the contributions on defense have actually come from our midfielders and forwards,” Clement.

The Wolverines are currently in third place for the Mission League standings with 19 points and are in good position to make the playoffs. The boys will play Alemany tonight 5 p.m..

“After the loss to Loyola, the team is really fired up, and our goal is for that to be our last loss, and to bring back a CIF ring,” Ibekwe added.

JV Boys’ Soccer After starting league play 0-2-3, the JV boys’ soccer squad rebounded with three straight league wins against St. Francis, Notre Dame and Chaminade.

“At the beginning of the season, we had a hard time playing as a unit because of how many games we missed to play for club teams. We need to play together more for the rest of the year.”

— Parker Converse ’15

Overall Record: 5-6-4 League Record: 3-3-3 Last two games: Loyola L(1-0) Crespi L(2-0) nathanson ’s

SOURCE: HW.COM/ATHLETICS

chronicle.hw.com

Feb. 8, 2012

Sports C5

Boys’ hoops drops 2nd straight league match

By Robbie Loeb

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

BIG HOPS: Center Zena Edosomwan ’12 wins the opening tipoff against Crespi’s Michael Milligan Jr. in the boys’ basketball team’s 63-57 loss Feb. 6 to the Celts.

JV Boys’ Basketball Like the varsity squad, the JV boys’ basketball team was swept by rival Loyola this season after a 67-44 loss Feb. 3.

“We’re not exactly the biggest team, the fastest team or the strongest team, but we have pulled of a couple of upsets and won some games we shouldn’t have won.”

— Bryan Polan ’14

Overall Record: 6-18 League Record: 3-8 Last two games: Loyola L(67-44) Crespi L(71-38) nathanson ’s

SOURCE: HW.COM/ATHLETICS

For the first time in four years, the boys’ basketball team will not finish atop the Mission League standings.

Instead, the Wolverines could finish anywhere between third and fifth place, depending on tonight’s result in the last game of the regular season against Alemany and Chaminade’s result against winless Notre Dame.

The top four teams in the Mission League make the playoffs.

If the 6-5 Wolverines beat Mission League champion Alemany tonight, then they will make the playoffs tied for third with Crespi.

If they lose, then they will stand at 6-6, and their playoff hopes will depend on result of tonight’s Chaminade and Notre Dame game. A Chaminade victory will force a tie-breaker game between Chaminade and HarvardWestlake for the fourth playoff berth, while a Chaminade loss would propel the Wolverines into the playoffs.

The Wolverines lost to Crespi Monday night, 63-57, in a game that drew close in the final quarter. The Wolverines were down by 16 in the early minutes of the fourth, but after a 16-4 scoring surge highlighted by backup center David Winfield’s ’13 three steals and six points in three minutes, the team cut the deficit to five with two minutes remaining.

The Wolverines could not complete their comeback and lost their second straight, dropping in the standings to fourth place for the time being.

Crespi had dropped six of their last seven before Monday’s win, with their only win coming against the Knights.

Center Zena Edosomwan ’12 scored 24, small forward Josh Hearlihy ’12 finished with only two and Winfield put up 15 off the bench.

The Wolverines handed Crespi their first loss when Edosomwan willed his team to a 67-66 win at Crespi Jan. 20 after Michael Sheng ’14 found him under the basket for the game-winning layup at the buzzer. Crespi handed the Wolverines a 63-57 loss, in their second meeting Monday, to tie the season series.

At the start of the season, boys’ basketball Head Coach Greg Hilliard said avoiding the injury bug would be pivotal to the team’s success in the tough Mission League.

But just two weeks into the season, Hearlihy went down with a partially torn patellar tendon before league play even began. In Hearlihy’s absence, the team went 5-3 in league. With him on the court, the Wolverines are 1-2.

Throughout the season, the team has not been playing the same highcaliber ball as teams like Alemany, Crespi and Loyola because the team has not been at full strength, Hilliard said.

“Now that [Hearlihy] is starting to come back, we hope by the time we get to playoffs we will be at their level,” he said. “As long as there’s time, we are always positive and always hopeful. Can it happen? It’s more difficult, certainly.”

Hearlihy, who committed to University of Utah in the fall, was on the brink of losing his entire senior season to the injury, but he successfully underwent an experimental treatment in which a knee specialist drew blood and then injected it into his injured knee, Hilliard said.

The procedure is similar to, yet less experimental than, the platelet-rich plasma therapy for which Los Angeles Lakers star shooting guard Kobe Bryant travelled to Germany over the summer. The innovative treatment will save Hearlihy from having surgery, provided that he does not reinjure his knee.

Hearlihy saw his first action back from injury in a non-league outing against Torrey Pines, in which he scored nine points in limited minutes.

He started in the next game against Chaminade and also put up nine points, then broke out against Loyola in front of a large Wolverine crowd with 16 points.

The Wolverines suffered their first league defeat at the hands of Chaminade three games into the season when Chaminade guard Jaron Martin ’13, who finished with 30 points, dialed in the game-winner from long distance in Taper Gym with two seconds left to put his Eagles up 44-42.

Alemany took the first matchup against the Wolverines, 77-68 behind forward Marqueze Coleman ’12 30-point performance.

Alemany, ranked fourth in Southern California by the Los Angeles Times clinched the Mission League title and stands at 10-1 coming into tonight’s game against the Wolverines.

Girls’ basketball awaits playoffs

By Camille Shooshani

Thursday’s 32-point triumph over Louisville put the girls’ varsity basketball team back into the running to qualify for the playoffs, giving it a 4-4 league record.

The girls played Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy yesterday, though results were not available as of press time. Depending on yesterday’s outcome, the girls could advance to the playoffs. A win against FSHA would put the girls in a tie for third place in league where a coin toss would determine playoff hopes.

“I’m kind of nervous,” co-captain and shooting guard Natalie Florescu ’13 said. “The idea that our fate is determined on one game and a coin toss is hard. As far as the coin toss goes, we don’t have much control. We do have control on the game though, and I have faith in my team. We’re going to come out hard and play hard.”

Florescu leads the team in scoring with 15 points per contest and a game high 20 in the team’s 66-46 loss to El Camino Real in December. Head Coach Melissa Hearlihy cited turnovers as a source of weakness for the team. “[Turnovers] have been a problem,” Hearlihy said. “But I think a lot of that stems from confidence, and I think we’re building that at this point.”

On Thursday, the girls will host

Alemany, who blewout the Wolverines 74-48 in January. Despite recent large margin losses, Florescu is convinced the girls can compete against anyone.

“I think we have a chance to win against anyone,” Florescu said. “We need to have the mindset going in that we can win, we can stop them. The first time, it was so intense, and the atmosphere was different. I think some of the girls were intimidated.”

“We’re getting better as whole,” Hearlihy said. “I think we’re playing much better basketball than we’ve played all year long.”

JV Girls’ Basketball The girls have taken their last three games over Louisville, Chaminade and Beverly Hills.

Overall Record: 4-11 League Record: 3-5 Last game: Louisville W(40-30) “Our team is mostly freshmen, we didn’t have the maturity we needed at the beginning of the season. Over time, we started winning games.”

— Aliyah Daniels ’14 SOURCE: HW.COM/ATHLETICS

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

SURROUNDED: Two-meter forward Morgan Hallock ’13 takes a shot against Louisville. Hallock leads the team in scoring so far this season with over 100 goals.

Girls’ water polo wins league

By Luke Holthouse

The pressure situation that comes with CIF playoffs won’t be foreign to the girls’ water polo team this year.

The Wolverines have faced difficult opponents when they travel outside of their league, many of whom are in better divisions. These non-league games have gone down to the wire, some decided in overtime.

While non-league games have provided challenges for the team, the Wolverines are undefeated in the Mission League so far this season.

The Wolverines have won a league championship every year since 1997 and have won 54 straight Mission

League games.

Seven of the eight league wins have been by more than ten goals. The lone exception came against Notre Dame on Jan. 5, where the Wolverines won 16-7.

The relative ease of the team’s league schedule may be negatively affecting the Wolverines, co-captain Bella Gonzalez ’12 said.

She said it is hard to stay focused and improve every week for non-league games against relatively weak league opponents. But she said the team should have enough experience in onegoal games to improve under pressure.

“We know how to play it now,” she said. “We’ve had enough games where we’re not losing by one anymore.”

C6 Sports

The Chronicle

Feb. 8, 2012

Spring Previews Jay Pfeifer to head lacrosse

By Camille Shooshani

With a new head coach and the loss of nine seniors, the varsity lacrosse team will be hard-pressed to repeat the undefeated league record it had last year.

“Coming off an undefeated season, it’s a lot to live up to and to get back to.

That’s going to be tough but [losing upperclassmen] is pretty typical,” Head Coach Jay Pfeifer said. “Seniors graduate and freshmen and sophomores step up.”

Pfeifer, a former goalie, started four years at Syracuse from 2001 to 2005 and was the team captain during both his junior and senior seasons. Pfiefer won two Division I National Championships with the Orange and has the second most career saves of any goalie in Syracuse history.

He briefly played in Major League Lacrosse before a thumb injury ended his professional career.

“Playing wise, I’ve been at the top and I know what it takes to get there,” Pfeifer said. “I know the work ethic you

DAVID KOLIN/CHRONICLE

BOX OUT: Captain Evan Meister ’12 fights off a Crespi defender for a ground ball during last year’s 23-4 victory on April need and I think the boys listen to me a little more because I’ve been there, done that.” “[Pfeifer] is great,” attackman Evan Meister ’12 said. “He’s fitting our offense and our defense to our personnel.”

Pfeifer said he is unsure which players will start this season. The team graduated seven of 10 starters from

16. Last year, the team went undefeated to win the Mission League title for the first time in program history.

last year’s squad.

Pfeifer plans to gradually integrate a fast paced offense, which will utilize the team’s speed.

The team has seen three head coaches in the past three years. Despite the constant adjustments, the team went 13-0 in league last season to win league for the first time in program history and lost in the first round

of CIF playoffs after a goal from an Agoura player with 0.1 seconds left.

“It was a huge disappointment,” Meister said. “We definitely thought we could have gone further. I feel like we have a really good goalie in Matt Mantel [’12] and a good offense. I think we can come together as a team again and have an awesome season,” Meister said.

Swimming loses medley team, assumes younger leadership

By Michael Aronson

The boys’ swim team will enter its 2012 season without the leadership of last year’s 200 medley relay team, while the girls’ team will return most of last year’s roster.This year’s boys’ team will swim without last year’s top three swimmers, Mitchel Oei ’11, Patrick Edwards ’11 and Nick Duckwiler ’11, all members of last year’s 200 medley relay team that reached the CIF Masters meet. The team will also lose the final member of the four man squad Nick Edel ’13 who opted to sepnd his second semester at the High Mountain Institute.

Despite the loss of key swimmers, 500 freestyle swimmer Matthew Chen ’13 is confident in twins John and Henry Copses ’14 to fill the empty roles on the boys’ squad and defeat major competitors Crespi and Loyola.

“It will be tough not having [Edel] on the boys’ team,” Chen said. “He was really important for us last year but we will have to try to beat [Crespi and Loyola] without him. The Copses twins have improved a lot and will be really important for us.”

On the girls’ team, Shanshan Heh ’12 is coming off a strong showing at last year’s CIF Masters meet. The 100 butterfly and 100-yard backstroke swimmer finished 13th out of 51 entries with a 100 butterfly time of 59.49 seconds.

Heh was also the only girl to reach the event.

Because both Loyola and Crespi don’t have girls’ teams, the girls’ do not have a strong squad standing in the girls’ pursuit of a Mission League title.

“I think we have a solid chance at winning league and sending a few swimmers to CIF,” Heh said.

Golf adapts to new coach

STREAMLINE: Shanshan Heh ’12 swims the breaststroke at a meet against Notre Dame last year. Heh finished 13th out of 51 entries in last year’s CIF Master’s meet.

Boys’ tennis expects to win 16th straight Mission League title

By Luke Holthouse

By Charlton Azuoma

Under the leadership of new Head Coach Tony Kewalremani, the varsity boys’ golf team is aiming to better its 6-6 overall record last season. “[Kewalremani] has been preparing us by running a very fair and organized tryout system to make sure we get the best team possible,” team captain Charlie Benell ’12 said.

Benell, a Texas A&M commit, and returning varsity golfer Max Goodley ’12 will be leading the boys this year along with sophomore standout Bakari Bolden ’14.

Bolden has already been recognized as one of the best young golfers in southern California, having received attention in the form of sports magazines and a commercial on ESPN. The team’s first set of matches will both be against Chaminade at Woodland Hills Country Club and at Griffith Park Golf Course later this month.

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

SERVICE: Dylan Eisner ’13 serves the ball in a match last season. The team has won league for the past 15 years.

University High School in Irvine had won three of the last four and six of the last 11 CIF championships before they took on the Wolverines in the Div. I Final last season. The boys’ tennis team came into the matchup as heavy underdogs, having lost the previous match against University by a score of 14-4, and ultimately fell to the Trojans by the exact same score of 144. But despite the disappointing finish, Jackson Frons ’12 was very proud of his team’s playoff run up to CIF Finals.

“It was tough, but we had a good run,” Frons said. We won a lot of matches against teams that had beaten us and probably could have beaten us.”

Frons said that the team’s run included upset wins against Corona Del Mar in the quarterfinals by a score of 10-8 and Palos Verdes by a score of 11-7 in the semifinals. Palos Verdes had won the regular season matchup against the Wolverines by a score of 11-7.

The team graduated two starters from last year’s team, Matt Wagner ’11 and Roy Murdoch ’11, but will gain two noteworthy freshmen in Michael Genender ’15 and Jarid Meyer ’15.

“Matt was probably the biggest guy on the team for the last few years so he’ll be a big hole to fill,” Frons said.

“We’ve got Michael Genender, who is one of the best 14-year olds in the country so he’ll be a big addition right away, and then Jarid Meyer as well.

He’s a good young player.”

The team is expected to win league again this year for the 16th consecutive time. The team finished an undefeated 10-0 in the league last year and has not lost a match against a Mission League opponent since the 2000 season.

“The key to this success is being prepared for every encounter and never underestimating our opponents,” Head Coach Chris Simpson said.

“These league matches are crucial for our younger and developing players to showcase their talents.”

Feb. 8, 2012

chronicle.hw.com

Sports C7

Spring Previews

Track and field team welcomes new coach

By Julius Pak

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

ROUND THE TRACK: Aaron de Toledo ’12 runs in a meet last year against Alemany. De Toledo is one of the top boys’ long-distance runners on the squad.

After breaking 11 school records nearly 30 times, the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams are aiming to emulate the best season in school history. Seniors Cami Chapus ’12 and Amy Weissenbach ’12 are returning to the track team after a cross-country season that saw them place in the top three at the state meet.

The reigning state champions in the 800 and 1600-meter events also hold eight school records between the two of them and will hope to make this year as successful as their previous three. “[Leaving is] really sad,” Weissenbach said. “I want this to be my strongest year and I just want to do my best and look back on my high school career with no regrets.”

“I want to end this season knowing that I did my best,” Chapus said.

The boys’ team will seek to qualify members past CIF. Last year, David Manahan ’14 barely missed qualifying for CIF Masters with his seventh place finish in the 800-meter event despite posting the fastest freshman time in the state.

Head of Program Jonas Koolsbergen unveiled a new addition to the track and field staff at the beginning of practice on Monday.

Softball adapts to changes in field, coaches, players

By David Kolin

The varsity softball team will be adjusting to numerous changes this year with a new field, assistant coach, and multiple new players. Last year, the team played its home games at Los Angeles Valley College but will play this year’s games at Birmingham High School. Fielding Coach Bianca Mejia joined the team this year. She already trains captain and starting pitcher Lauren Li ’12 outside of school and has a professional background in softball, playing shortstop in the National Pro Fastpitch League.

Jessica Johnston ’14 and Jordan Ellison ’15 have also joined the team this year. Although she still has two years of high school remaining, Johnston has recently committed to UCSB for softball. Although two seniors left last year, they are not significant losses as they did not play very much, Li said.

“We definitely have a great chance of getting farther in league than we

did last year,” Li said. “We have a lot of talent this year. Getting farther in CIF will definitely be a reachable goal.”

Last year, the softball team lost 9-0 to Warren High School in the first round of CIF playoffs.

“We got to CIF last season which was a big deal because we hadn’t done that in a while before that, but we definitely want to get farther in CIF,” Li said.

Chaminade is the team’s biggest rival this year and has been tough competition for the team during the last few seasons as the games have been extremely close, Li said.

“We have the tools to do well this year, and I hope that it all comes together and turns out fine,” Li said.

During the preseason, there is once a week practice on the field. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the team hits and lifts. Starting third trimester, the team will play at Valley College every day. Birmingham High, however, will be the team’s home field by the time the season begins.

Boys’ volleyball loses height, 4 starters

By Luke Holthouse

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

ON THE MOUND: Pitcher Lauren Li ’12 plans her next pitch in a previous match with Louisville. The girls won 16-0.

Top 2 pitching prospects lead baseball squad Continued from page C1

week so everybody’s going to be there,” he said. “Whereas Austin was a position player, it wasn’t such a concentrated group at every outing.”

Despite the amount of attention the team will get in rankings and mock drafts, LaCour said he needs to keep his team focused on the next game.

The Wolverines will play their first game against Burroughs on Feb. 24 and open league play against Alemany March 3.

“We have a very narrow focus,” LaCour said. “If you want to point to important games, then our first league series is against Alemany. That’s where we want to be playing our best baseball. Each game, one by one, is where we have to maintain our focus. And if we do that, we stop ourselves from getting caught up in any kind of hoopla.”

With no state title to play for in

high school baseball, anything short of a CIF title would be generally considered a disappointment for a team that features both the top left-handed and top rightnathanson ’s handed pitchers Lucas Giolito ’12 in the nation, Giolito said.

“The thing about baseball is we never try to put our goals into something that can’t be measured,” he said.

“We could go out and play one of our best games of the year, but run into a guy that’s really hot on the mound and have a wind-aided home run against us at a field that’s really small and lose.

You can’t measure anything that you’re doing on something as simple as that.”

Giolito pitched a two-hitter in five

Koolsbergen brought in Steve Baylor, a former coach at UCLA, to take over coaching duties for jump events.

“He is a jump expert. He has got a lot of high jump experience, also a lot of good triple jump and long jump experience,” Koolsbergen said. “Any opportunity we have to improve, if we can make the staff better, if we can bring in excellence, we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity.”

Members of the team quickly took on to the new coach.

“My first impression is that he’s a really nice coach, very patient, and he’s very clear in his explanations,” Jeremy Bradford ’14 said.

Baylor hopes that the rest of the season works as well as his first day.

“Today worked really well, and I’m really happy,” Baylor said. “Over the years, I’ve developed some different techniques that worked for me and other athletes and I hope to share those things with them. Hopefully, there are some state champions out there.”

Although the first meet on March 1 at home is still a month away, there is still a long way to go for the team.

“We want to establish a tone that we step up to the challenge, and we want to make sure that we’re on a good process in terms of looking like we have those basics together,” Koolsbergen said.

innings and gave up one earned run during a 3-2 win over top-ranked Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas last weekend.

The Wolverines have been playing games nathanson ’s since NovemMax Fried ’12 ber and will come into the season in stride and at the top of their game, LaCour said.

While the team has thoroughly dominated throughout fall and winter ball, LaCour again stressed the importance of the progression and improvement of his players over the actual results.

“We’re not concentrating on the score a whole lot quite honestly,” LaCour said. “We’re trying to get ready for the season, but the fall and the winter have gone well.”

Stranger things have happened, as boys’ volleyball Head Coach Adam Black put it, but his squad did something pretty unusual in the world of sports last year: it finished with losing records of 5-7 in league play 10-17 and overall, yet somehow qualified for playoffs.

With nine of 13 members from last year’s squad returning, Jake Schapiro ’12 thinks that the team has what it takes to go back to the playoffs.

“We graduated some great seniors,” Schapiro said. “Talent wise, I think we’re probably about as good. Everyone has gotten better since last year.”

The seven-team league has consistently been dominated by rival Loyola.

The Cubs have gone undefeated in league the last four years.

The top four teams in the Mission League automatically qualify for CIF Division I playoffs. The Wolverines lost both matches to Loyola but split the other 10 games in league play, giving them just enough wins to stay out of the bottom half of the league.

“Last year, the league wasn’t too strong,” Schapiro said. “The top four teams in the Mission League make it, and we did just well enough to make the playoffs.”

The Wolverines didn’t last long in playoffs, losing in three straight sets to Newport Harbor in the first round.

The team lost a lot of height from last year’s squad with the graduation of some of its seniors. Middle blocker David Burton ’11, opposite hitter Damiene Cain ’11 and outside hitter Spencer Eichler ’11 all stand at over 6-foot-3.

However, Black said that more members on the team are playing volleyball year-round on club teams. He said that the extra time spent playing club outside of school greatly improves players knowledge of the game.

“We lost a lot of height,” Black said.

“But I like to think that we’ve got a few more guys in the gym that know how to play the game. I think the IQ out there is going to help us and make up for what we lose in the height factor.”

The Chronicle

C8 Sports

Feb. 8, 2012

On the field with

Adam Wininger ’12

Season stats:

14

7

Goals Assists

Center Midfielder MICHAEL ARONSON/CHRONICLE

Midfielder and co-captain Adam Wininger ’12 is one of the boys’ soccer team’s top scorers this year after returning from a school year abroad in France.

By Michael Aronson

Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

BALL POSSESSION: Co-captain Adam Wininger ’12 is one of the leaders in goals scored on the boys’ soccer team, with 13 goals on the season. He has also contributed seven assists this year.

What is your role on the team this season?

Wininger: “I was more of a team player than a scorer. I play center midfielder, so obviously the first thing I do is look to set people up when I get the ball. If I am in the goal area, I will take the shot because that is what’s best for the team, but I am more in charge of getting the ball to everyone else.”

What was it like to play for a club team in France?

Wininger: “It was pretty different because French kids are less intense about [soccer]. They aren’t really trying to use soccer to get into college, so when we showed up to play, we were showing up pretty much to have fun.

They really like soccer over there, and they don’t have to really keep up soccer for a club team. It makes the atmosphere a lot better.”

What do you think are some of your strengths and weaknesses this season?

Wininger: “I think that my strengths this year are my vision and my shot-taking. One of my weaknesses is my touch. I also have kind of a slow speed of play.”

Which one of the goals you scored this season stands out in your mind?

Wininger:

“My goal against St. Francis in the first game in league stands out. There were about 40 seconds left in the game. The goal helped us win 1-0 and it was nice to win our first game in league. I had a good feeling it was going to go in, but it was all Ty [Gilhuly ’13]. He made the perfect pass.”

What do you hope to accomplish this season?

Wininger: “We need to play better at the start of games. We always start to play really well in the second half, and so far in every game we have played, we’ve either been down in the first 10 minutes or were close to that. To win playoff games, we need to come out strong and play a full 90 minutes.”

Have you met the goals you set at the beginning of the season or surpassed them?

Wininger: “I feel I have surpassed them. I didn’t think at the beginning of the season that I would be scoring as many goals as I have. I am pleased with how many games we have won and how we have a chance to go deep in playoffs.”