April 2017 issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

CHRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Los Angeles • Volume 26 • Issue 7 • April 26, 2017 • hwchronicle.com

Students violate trip policy By Katie Plotkin and Jean Sanders

ELLIS BECKER/CHRONICLE

Lacrosse defeats Westlake 11-7

CHILLAX: Midfielder Jared Goldman ’18 reaches to pick up a loose ball as he leads an attack forward in a home game against Westlake. The lacrosse team is currently undefeated for the season, with a 14-0 record as of press time. The perfect record includes a 13-12 win over rival Loyola at home.

Prefect Council adjusts method of disclosing Honor Board case summaries

By Emily Rahhal

Prefect Council began posting anonymous Honor Board case summaries on the Hub on April 18. The summaries, which will be placed on class pages under the label “Communiques,” are part of an effort to increase Honor Board transparency and allow the community to learn from each others’ mistakes, Head Prefect Cate Wolfen ’17 said. The Prefect Council and administration have made similar efforts in the past to increase Honor Board transparency and make Honor Board case decisions available to students. Honor Board case reports were initially sent to students via email, and in an effort to create communication throughout the community Honor Board cases were discussed in “town hall” break-

out groups beginning informally in 2012. This system eventually changed due to poor attendance in 2014, when deans began reading anonymous Honor Board case summaries in class meetings. The large venues of class meetings weren’t personal enough and lent themselves to inconsistencies in the details and interpretation of the cases, Wolfen said. “The Hub statements are a version of the emails, they essentially say the same exact thing as would be emailed to the student body with name changes, gender changes,” Wolfen said. “But this way they are password protected. Since they are on the hub, only members of the HarvardWestlake community can see them.” The Prefect Council intends to anonymously release

a summary for every Honor Board case on the Hub, Chaplain James Young said. “I think that the practice of communicating what has taken place anonymously is a good practice,” President Rick Commons said. “There are going to be times in the arch of the school’s history, nearterm history, where privacy concerns lead us to make an exception to that practice. So I would prefer to call it a practice rather than a policy.” Some students feel this new system of disclosing case summaries serves as unnecessary punishment. “You get punished for what you did but then there [is] the lasting punishment of what people are saying about it,” Colin Shannon ’17 said. According to a Chronicle poll of 385 students, 60 percent said the Hub is an effective way to communicate Hon-

or Board case summaries. Some students fear this won’t bring much change. “I think it could be affective, but the first post used incredibly vague language, to the point where I don’t believe a student could read it and learn a lesson for how to act responsibly themselves,” Jack Hogan ’17 responded to the poll. The Prefect Council has had the opportunity to grow and learn from sitting on Honor Board cases, Wolfen said, and they want to find the most efficient way for the entire community to have this opportunity. “What we have now is an improvement,” Head Prefectelect Wilder Short ’18 said. “We will keep trying next year to find an efficient way to keep this transparency between the [Prefect] Council and the student body.”

Roughly half a dozen students violated the Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking Policy on school trips over spring break, President Rick Commons said. The school’s policy as written in the Student Parent Handbook states that “it is forbidden to use, sell, or possess drugs or alcohol on campus, when traveling to or from campus, or at any school function, including school-sponsored trips and occasions when one is representing the school, even during vacation time.” A junior on the Spider College Tour said that two students used illicit substances on the trip. “After a kid was suspected of having purchased marijuana, [Upper School Dean Celso] Cardenas said on the bus, ‘Hey guys, we heard about some stuff going on. Just don’t do anything stupid in the next five days,’” the junior said. “He was very straight with us. On top of all the stuff we already knew about not doing stuff in past cases, he even said ‘For those of you who I know have done this,’ even though they didn’t know who it was, ‘just stop it.’ They were very lenient with it in the beginning, and then after they got confirmed evidence, they had no choice but to pursue it.” Commons said that typically, when a student violates the Drug, Alcohol and Smoking Policy, the punishment is a suspension. “I think that it’s part of the responsibility of the school to try to respond clearly and make both the individuals involved and the community more broadly understand that this isn’t allowed and there are very good reasons for why it’s not allowed, beginning with health and safety and secondly, the law,” Commons said. Upper School Dean Jamie Chan said that the students were sent home from the college tour. “There was an incident on • Continued on page A7

Conservative students request a speaker to INSIDE better represent their political interests C8 By Noa Schwartz

Saying she feels overwhelmed and judged in a community that is predominantly liberal, a sophomore girl, who identifies as conservative, is attempting to bring a conservative guest speaker to the school. The student, who wished to remain anonymous because she was uncomfortable publi-

cizing her political views, said hosting a conservative speaker would be a logical addition to the school’s agenda for diversity, equity and inclusivity. “I believe that a school should be relatively apolitical or at least bipartisan, and with the school doing things like giving community service to those who attended the Women’s March, I think that they made their motives and who

they supported in the election very clear,” the student said. The student also said recent speakers such as Democratic CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers motivated her to push for a conservative speaker. She referenced recent controversies, such as Milo Yiannoupolis planning to speak at the University of California, Berkeley, as inspiration. “I think that once [the

school] involves themselves by bringing in people like Bakari Sellers, they then have an obligation to tell both sides of the story in a non-biased way,” the student said. She said a recent exchange in the sophomore class Facebook group made this eagerness to express differing political opinions more evident. • Continued on page A2

CARBON FOOTPRINTS: An examination of the steps the school has taken to adjust its ecological impact.

A2 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Public hearings will address varied concerns about parking structure

By MADDY DAUM

will only be affected positively, our plans call for planting four There will be four to five times the number of trees that public hearings for members we will remove, and we have of the community to discuss no plans or desire to increase the parking structure project enrollment, so I do think the later this spring, President public hearings will help our Rick Commons announced in cause.” A peer review of the project an email to parents that. Commons said that con- will show how the parking gacerns about safety, parking rage will affect the neighboring environmentally and the environment will be community and present addressed in Harvard-Westthe hearings lake’s research and hopes that Studies show to Save Coldsupporters of the project will that traffic will only be water Canyon. “This recome to prove affected positively, [...] view was timehow important the structure is so I do think the public consuming but a worthwhile to the school. hearing will help our Save Coldendeavor, and cause.” water Canyon!, highlighted an organizathe im—Rick Commons again tion against portance of President this project to the PSA Improvement the HarvardProject, will be Westlake community,” Comrepresented and is looking to mons said in an email. put their concerns and objecBoyd said she hopes the tions forward, President of public hearings will address Save Coldwater Canyon! Sar- project alternatives and enah Boyd said. vironmental concerns, which “I also expect that our op- she believes Harvard-Westlake ponents’ concerns about traf- has not done. fic, environmental impact, and “We want the public hearincreased school enrollment ing to address all the commuwill be addressed,” Commons nity concerns and objections said. “Studies show that traffic to the project, because in the

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past 3 years, the school has not addressed the community’s concerns at all,” Boyd said. “In fact, since the community ﬁrst spoke out against the project back in 2013, the School actually made its project bigger, and its destruction greater.” Save Coldwater Canyon has created a petition with 2000 signatures that will be sent to Mayor Garcetti and Councilman Krekorian. “We believe it is important for our elected representatives to see the thousands of LA citizens that oppose this project on environmental grounds,” Boyd said. “The environmental impact is being downplayed by the school, however it is one negative impact that is undeniable.” Commons said that Save Coldwater Canyon! is asking fair questions, but making unwarranted allegations about the school’s intentions. “I think their fair questions, such as how we will mitigate construction headaches, deserve consideration, Commons said. “Their unfair assertions, such as their suggestion that we plan to increase enrollment, will be discounted and should not cause any difﬁculty in the approval process.”

Junior tries to bring a conservative speaker to ‘liberal community’ • Continued from page A1

One sophomore posted to encourage her classmates to buy treats at a bake sale raising awareness for the gender pay gap. “The Facebook group got so out of hand, but it showed me that people want to debate and also people don’t know how, because they’ve never been able to in a school setting,” the student said. History teacher Dror Yaron agreed to help the student try to achieve her goal. He said bringing in a speaker will be difﬁcult because the topic of diversity is a sensitive one.

“If you don’t know your viewpoint is being taken seriopponent’s arguments and ously and is not only used as world views even better than the punchline of a joke,” Reiff your own, then you certainly said. President Rick don’t understand Commons agreed your own, and I think that after more leftist that’s how the school speakers such as Los could beneﬁt,” Yaron Angeles Mayor Eric said.” Garcetti ’88, it is reaIzzy Reiff ’18, who sonable for students also identiﬁes as conto ask for a conservaservative, said she is tive speaker. excited at the pros“I worry a little bit pect of a conservative ’ about extremism, or speaker. Asher views contrary to the “I feel like a lot of Low ’17 school’s values on students here have not been exposed to view- either side being given a platpoints other than their own in form by the school,” Commons a context where the different said. “But, differing views on

In the issue

News

NATHANSON S

4 2

PSA Improvement Plan 1

Second Southbound lane on Coldwater Canyon

Two right hand turn lanes into the parking structure

Pedestrian bridge so students will not have to cross traffic

Northbound dedicated left turn lane into the parking structure

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all sides of the spectrum seems to me to be a responsible thing for us to go after.” Out of 225 students polled, 66 percent said they identify as liberal, 95 percent said they thought past speakers have been primarily liberal and 86 percent said they would appreciate the opportunity to hear a speaker with a viewpoint opposing those of past speakers. Asher Low ’17 who identiﬁes as liberal, said he would welcome a speaker with a con-

WHITE’S

servative perspective. “As one of the biggest leftwingers on campus, I believe totally in diversity of ideas and freedom of speech,” Low said. “To only have speakers from one political side, whether it’s my side of not, ruins the diversity that Harvard-Westlake speaks of in its mission statement. Both liberals and conservatives should be ﬁghting to bring in more conservative speakers because it enriches our political discourse.”

Arts & Entertainment

C4-5

STANZAS AND STUDENTS: Harvard-

Westlake hosted the annual poetry festival on April 22. Students listened to speakers and attended workshops. B1,3

Features TAKING A BREAK?: Although many

students take gap years between high school and college, some students feel that there is a stigma surrounding the decision to take a year off. C3

head prefects Julia Cosgrove ’18 and Wilder Short ’18 talk about their plans for the 2017-18 school year. A4

that assemblies are not an efﬁcient use of time and do not unify the campus. A10

GRAPHIC BY CLAUDIA WONG SOURCE: HW.COM

If you don’t know your opponent’s arguments and world views even better than your own then you certainly don’t understand your own.” —Dror Yaron History teacher

THE PREFECTS-ELECT: Newly elected

1ST AND 3RD AND HOPEFULLY LAST: Jake Liker discusses his viewpoint

1 2 PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF HW.COM

CRISIS AVERTED: Administrators discuss the new Crisis Manager app, which aims to familiarize students with the school’s plan during an emergency. A3

Opinion

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLE KIM AND JOSIE ABUGOV

BE-JUULED: New smaller vape pens allow students to more easily smoke in class without being caught. Some students say they have seen an increase in vaping on campus since juuling became a trend. C4-5

THE CHRONICLE, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published eight times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses. There are 727 students at the Middle School and 869 students at the Upper School. Subscriptions may be purchased for $20 a year for delivery by mail. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the

Sports

NEXT LEVEL: Among alumni who are cur-

rent collegiate athletes, the highest number play baseball, followed by volleyball and track and ﬁeld. D4-5

editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Oliver Richards at orichards1@hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

APRIL 26, 2017

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

What in refutation: debate team prevails By ELI ADLER

debaters and having some success,” Paul said. At the international HarFollowing a successful regular season which included a vard College World Schools win of the Duke and Bailey’s Invitational, the team of Liz Cup and a semifinal finish at Yount ’17, Kevin Wesel ’17, Editor-in-Chief the National Debate Coaches Chronicle Association tournament, the Jesse Nadel ’17 and Chrondebate team is gearing up for icle Sports Online Editor their Tournament of Champi- Dario Madyoon ’17 saw success. ons run. They advanced to the Evan Engel ’17 notched the school’s first win of Duke and quarterfinal round after goBailey’s, an award given for ing undefeated in the prebest performance throughout liminary rounds. Evan Engel has overall the season. In addition to this victo- been very happy with the ry, Engel also finished in the team’s performance. “We have the best debate semifinals at the elite NDCA team in the country both tournament. While this may not have socially and in skill, and I wouldn’t have it been the finish that any other way,” he the team wanted, said. Head Coach Mike Even the youngBietz said that he er debaters in the is overall still satisteam have seen trefied with the tournamendous success in ment’s results. debate tournaments. “NDCA maybe was At Woodward a little disappointing Academy, the novice to lose in the semifinational championnals,” he said. “How’ ship, they advanced ever, it was a positive Mike eight debaters to experience and we all Bietz elimination rounds enjoyed it.” and took home the In addition to Evan Engel’s high-level finish- tournament win. This was the team’s seves, Spencer Paul ’19 finished in the quarterfinals of the enth win at the tournament in NDCA, capping off a success- eight years. The team is now beginning ful season for him. “My sophomore year has to prepare for the Tournament been a great experience get- of Champions in Louisville, ting rounds against high level KY. NATHANSON S

NEWS A3

USC Damus Spring Trojan Championship

Woodward Academy Novice Nationals

Harvard World Schools Invitational

Los Angeles

Atlanta

Cambridge, MA

Elimination participants:

Evan Engel ’17 (winner), Connor Engel ’17, Alex Mork ’20 (TOC qualified), Vishan Chaudhary ’19, Jaya Nayar ’20, Spencer Paul ’20

Jonathan Cosgrove ’21 (winner), Allie Landecker ’21 (semi-finalist), seventh win out of the last nine years and fifth consecutive win

Liz Yount ’17, Kevin Wesel ’17, Jesse Nadel ’17 and Dario Madyoon ’17 were the only undefeated team in preliminary rounds and quarter-finalists.

King Round Robin

NDCA National Championships

Tournament of Champions Preview

Ogden, UT

Lexington, KY

Houston

Elimination participants:

Indu Pandey ’18 (quarter-finalist and second most ballots won), Spencer Paul ’19 (participant and four ballots won)

Evan Engel ’17 (semi-finalist and Dukes and Bailey Cup winner), Spencer Paul ’19, Jake Davidson ’19, Alex Mork ’20

Participants:

Evan Engel ’17, Connor Engel ’17, Indu Pandey ’18, Spencer Paul ’19, Jake Davidson ’19, Vishan Chaudhary ’19, Jaya Nayar ’20, Alex Mork ’20 SOURCE: MIKE BIETZ GRAPHIC BY INDU PANDEY

Nick Steele ’16 won the tournament last year and fellow team member Cameron Cohen ’16 had a semifinal finish. The tournament will take place between April 29 and May 1. This year, the team qualified eight debaters, which is more than Bietz expected. He is confident that the Wolverines will perform well. “I don’t think any school will be more prepared than us,” he said. “We have the most people going, have a team

that works exceptionally hard, and I feel good about where we are.” Bietz also sees the results at the NDCA tournament as motivation for a higher place finish at the Tournament of Champions competition. “I’m hoping that the semifinal finish [at the NDCA] will mean that Evan [Engel] and everybody else is just hungry for the Tournament,” he said. Bietz, who has known both Evan Engel and his brother Connor Engel ’17 since they were in sixth grade, is excited

to attend one last tournament with them. “It’s exciting to go to TOC with Evan [Engel] and Connor [Engel] because it’s their last year,” Bietz said. “It’s hard to think about the end of the year when something so big is coming up, and I’m really excited for it.” Evan Engel said that he is hoping for a high ﬁnish at the tournament in a ﬁtting conclusion to his high school debate career. “My goal is to win it,” he said.

Stop, drop and download: school promotes emergency information app ‘Crisis Manager’ By RYAN ALBERT

GRAPHIC BY LUCAS GELFOND

Faculty introduced the school’s speciﬁcally adapted page on the emergency information app, Crisis Manager, on April 19 during an allschool assembly. Science Teacher Wendy Van Norden and Upper School Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado collaborated to create better emergency plans and add all the necessary information to the school’s page. “The Crisis Manager app is our means of giving you mobile access to our crisis plan,” Preciado said. Preciado and Van Norden worked with the app’s developer “SchoolDude” to generate

a template for the information. They later compiled essential disaster information including everything from emergency procedures and first aid techniques to building floor plans and field trip contact information. Along with collecting past crisis plans, Preciado and Van Norden began to create the brand new “incident action plan,” with Van Norden assuming the role of Crisis Incident Commander in the event of an emergency. Preciado will fill that position beginning next year. They created faculty groups assigned to different areas of post-crisis support, including search and rescue, triage and

Assembly phone ban comes into effect By ALEXANDRA SO

The Upper School Deans announced a new cell phone policy regarding student cell phone use during assemblies following an increase in student distraction during a presentation by Director of Los Angeles County Museum of the Arts Michael Govan on March 20. Students will be monitored for their cell phone use during future assemblies and cellular devices may be conﬁscated until the end of the day if faculty members observe student use. “We have a responsibility to train students to be good

hosts and good listeners,” Upper School Dean Jennifer Cardillo said. “As a new member of the community, I was really surprised that we were not more strict about cell phone use during gatherings.” This announcement was formulated during a dean meeting regarding a series of recent gatherings where students were disengaged with speaker presentations and visibly used their cell phones during the presentation despite warnings not to. The distractions brought on by device use started to have an impact on the effectiveness of speaker presentations and negatively affected

guests’ thoughts about the school environment. “It takes a lot of guts for people to stand up in front of other students and make an announcement or speak, and I think that looking at your cellphone while the assembly is going on would be disrespectful towards the person talking,” Prefect Kevin Chen ’19 said. “That being said, I believe that this policy would deﬁnitely be hard to enforce due to the sheer amount of students during assemblies.” During a presentation from Govan, faculty noticed blatant cell phone use and the detrimental effect that it had on student engagement with Go-

taking care of the emergency supply bunkers. Near the end of last year, the pair had the idea to upgrade the school’s emergency protocol and modernize the distribution method for that information. “We had all these supplies for earthquakes and other emergencies but no one quite thought through how we use them,” Van Norden said Although the app is in its primary stages, it shows potential for growth in applications and efﬁcacy, Preciado said. “Clearly it is still in its initial phases and we want to expand it more but at least it gives us something to work

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with,” Preciado said. Along with emergency uses, the app also has other features, like a bullying information page, steps to take in the event of an allergic reaction and how to deal with a suspicious package. The team hopes to diversify the uses to include utilities such as after school-hours emergency plans and ﬁeld trip management. The app is accessible by downloading it onto a mobile device, and then by adding the school’s ‘client page.’ Afterward, the data will be available even without an internet connection and the school is able to update it anytime.

It takes a lot of guts for people to stand up in front of other students and make an announcement or speak, and I think that looking at your cellphone while the assembly is going on would be disrespectful towards the person talking.” —Kevin Chen ’19

van and his message to the school. In his presentation, Govan spoke about transforming LACMA from a conventional museum to one that often put on unconventional exhibits, including “Levitated Mass.” “I was fascinated with what he had to say, and I was a little disappointed that the behavior

WHITE’S

of the student body did not reﬂect either fascination, which it is okay not to be fascinated, or full respect for the speaker,” President Rick Commons said. “I wish that there had been a greater demonstration on the part of our full student body of respect for something that someone is presenting seriously.”

A4 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Ni-hao: faculty visit Asia By SAM LINGARD

LUCAS GELFOND/CHRONICLE

PREFECT TO BE: Julia Cosgrove ’18 speaks to sophomores and juniors as part of her successful bid to become Head Prefect for the 2017-2018 school year. Cosgrove, who will serve alongside Wilder Short ’18, defeated current junior Prefect Princie Kim ’18.

Head Prefects-elect ready for next year’s challenges By INDU PANDEY ANTHONY WEINRAUB

AND

Julia Cosgrove ’18 and Wilder Short ’18 headed to chaplain James Young’s ofﬁce after school March 30. Together with current Head Prefects, Cate Wolfen ’17 and Matt Thomas ’17, dean Sharon Cuseo and fellow candidates Princie Kim ’18 and JP Cherry ’18, they eagerly anticipated the results of the Head Prefect election. Then, Young announced the results: Cosgrove and Short had won. Short then called his mom and continued his afternoon like usual, attending Playwrights Festival rehearsal. “The next morning when people were congratulating me, that’s when I started to realize [that] this is happening,” Short said. “This is really happening. I can’t be more appreciative of the whole process and the community coming out and supporting me.” Their victory followed a two-part election process. First, a wider ﬁeld of juniors

gave speeches to the junior running,” Young said. “He class. After juniors narrowed was like a pro. For Julia, she’s down the field, the four re- had the experience of having maining candidates delivered more years experience, which speeches to the sophomore I think’s important.” Current Head Prefects aid and junior classes. “I’d like to give back to the in the transition process for community just because last the new role during the sumyear was a very difficult period mer and the beginning of the of time for me and coming to a school year, Wolfen said. “I’ve seen such growth [in new school, I would’ve expectCosgrove and ed something Short] just far different from the beginfrom what I reI’ve seen such ning of the year ceived,” Short growth [in Cosgrove until now,” said. “I’m really grateful for and Short] just from the Wolfen said. “I really couldn’t that and giving beginning of the year be happier for back in my own either one and way as a leader until now.” I also think on campus and —Cate Wolfen they’ll work off campus is something that Head Prefect very well together. I think I really aspire their skill sets to do.” Cosgrove has served on are very complimentary.” Both Cosgrove and Short Student Council and Prefect Council since seventh grade, emphasized their goal of unity. “As Head Prefect, I’d like to while Short first joined Prefect unify the Upper School more,” Council this year. “For [Short], he came in a Cosgrove said. “So bring our somewhat unknown quantity grade closer together, bring and definitely hit the ground our grade closer to the other

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grades, have more communal activities on campus such as Spirit Day, Spirit Week.” Cosgrove and Short acknowledged misconceptions some students have about the role of Prefect Council. “That’s deﬁnitely an illusion that Prefect Council doesn’t do anything,” Cosgrove said. “We literally have class every day where we’re constantly working to try to improve the school. We’re constantly working on new events, promoting diversity and happiness and balance, all of the things that our Mission Statement and our ‘Vision Statements for 2020’ discuss.” As Head Prefects, Short and Cosgrove will set the tone and agenda for the rest of Prefect Council, Short said. “I can’t really put it into words quite yet, like the whole Head Prefect thing,” Short said. “It’s still sort of going home and like smiling wildly when I take my backpack off. Just the fact that you guys trusted me in the voting process.”

Three administrators traveled to East Asia during spring break to promote the school and meet with alumni and parents. Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, head of external relations Ed Hu and director of Kutler Center and summer programs Jim Patterson spent 15 days in China, Japan and Korea. While on the trip, the faculty members organized alumni events and visited multiple schools. “We spoke at length with a couple of schools about potential partnerships,” Huybrechts said. “We were also meeting with organizations that might be able to help us find opportunities for our students in Asia.” The group visited the Harvard Club, the Stanford Club and the Yale Club while in Shanghai and Beijing. They also used some of the time to meet with prospective parents and parents of alumni. There have been many previous alumni gatherings in Asia, such as one in Korea two years ago. The population of alumni living in Hong Kong is substantial and growing Huybrechts said. “Most of our alums who are working in China are perfectly fluent in Chinese, and that’s nice to see,” Huybrechts said. Huybrechts has been to China for school-related reasons five times, four of those times on behalf of the school and once to see alumni Peter Hudnut ’99 and Dara Torres ’85 compete in the 2008 Olympics. Huybrechts said it was the longest trip to Asia any group from the school has ever taken to promote the school.

A whale of a time: students take part in Moby Dick read By ALEXANDRA SO

Editor Nicole Kim ’18, on the quad April 19-21. A portion of Students and faculty read the proceeds from the shirts the entirety of “Moby Dick” sold will go to the Paciﬁc Maaloud over the course of ap- rine Mammal Center. “This has been quite a seproximately 21.5 hours in Seeley Mudd Library, starting at ries of years with development 10 a.m. April 21 and ending to climate change, and the needs of the environment have the following morning. The readings were broad- become more obvious to us,” Mamigonian said. “I casted on KHWS so think that Moby Dick that students who not only galvanizes were not able to atthose themes but tend the event in peralso the themes of son could listen in. intersectionality and “This novel gets diversity that we are more intriguing evalso addressing now ery year, Moby himculturally. It is probself gets cooler every ably one of the most year and I hope we all ’ representative Ameriare able to appreciate Malina can novels that I can the way this novel exMamigonian think of.” plores what is imporAfter signing up tant to us now as we seek truth both scientiﬁc and on a Google Doc, volunteers humane in the pursuit of ac- mostly made up of students ceptance for all, justice for all, from English teacher Charles beauty for all,” English teacher Berezin’s and Mamigonian’s and event coordinator Malina English III classes, Mamigonian said, read their choice Mamigonian said in an email. Along with the event in the of chapters aloud to listeners library, students sold t-shirts, on a ship podium that was designed by Vivian Lu ’18 and accompanied with nauticalChronicle Assistant Features themed decorations put up by

ANTHONY WEINRAUB/CHRONICLE

NATHANSON S

ABOARD THE PEQUOD: Josue Gutierrez ’18 reads a chapter of Moby Dick. The read-a-thon, held by English teachers Malina Mamigonian and Charles Berezin, lasted a day, starting on April 21. student volunteers. Later in the night, the ﬂuorescent lights in the library were turned off, so students could read from the light of the lamp to create an ambient environment, while other students could sleep throughout the night. From 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.,

the library was locked to ensure the safety of students, and during that time students could only leave the reading if an adult picked them up. In addition, participants of the event were provided with dinner and a light breakfast. For dinner, Whole Foods catered multiple types of chow-

der for the reading. Doughnuts, cookies and Starbucks coffee were also provided to attendees of the read-a-thon. “It’s an event like no other at Harvard-Westlake, where people who enjoy reading can read for fun,” Marie Eric ’18 said.

APRIL 26, 2017

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

Robotics rules the Worlds

NEWS A5

By JENNY LI

Robotics club member and 2017 VRC state tournament champion Aeden Gasser-Brennan ’19 won the science division at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, KY from April 19 to 22 with team member Ben Adelstein from Grover Cleveland High School. The group lost in the round-robin styled finals between the winners of each of the six divisions. The duo have been training and building their robot, Quantum Flux, for this tournament for the past year, Gasser-Brennan said. Cameron Schiller ’18, Jonathan Damico ’18 and Daniel Lesh ’18, who were finalists at the state competition, also attended the tournament and made it to the quarter-finals in the research division with their team robot Kanalgasabathys. The experience at the world tournament exposed the members to different styles, cultures and ideas, Gasser-Brennan said. The members competed among teams from various countries including Thailand, Puerto Rico and Egypt.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ISOBEL PHILLIPS

MR. ROBOTO: Brandon Porter ’18, Isobel Phillips ’17, Mentor Deniz Armani, Cameron Schiller ’18, DJ Lesh ’18, Jonathan Damico ’18 and Miles Agus ’18 stand behind their robot, Kanalgasabathys, at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, KY. “It’s great to meet people who have a lot in common with me in some ways, but are totally different in other ways,” Gasser-Brennan said. “There is a lot of teamwork in [the tournament] so you really have to try to communicate with people who speak different languages and have really different perspectives. It has

been such a great experience.” The tournament’s theme is called “Starstruck,” where two teams of two robots are divided by a fence on opposite sides of an enclosed area with stars and cubes on both sides. The allied teams gain points by picking up and throwing the stars and boxes to the other side of the fence.

Physics teacher publishes research book

By SOPHIE HABER

Physics teacher Antonio Nassar published a research book entitled “Bohmian Mechanics, Open Quantum Systems and Continuous Measurements” in March, which he co-authored with Salvador Miret-Artés of the Spanish National Research Council. In the book, they discuss

Bohmian mechanics, an interpretation of quantum mechanics, and its measurement theory. They propose that it overcomes the need for a measurement that has historically been accepted as true, which entails wave function collapse. Due to their different times zones, Nassar and Miret-Artés wrote the book entirely on

Organization fundraises for school in Guatemala

By ALEX GOLDSTEIN

The Latin American Student Organization sold handmade jewelry from Guatemala, Mexican sweet bread and tamales April 21 with all proceeds going to the Nino’s School in Guatemala. The money raised went to buying textbooks, backpacks, clothing, school lunches and other school supplies for the students of the school as well as to help fund teacher salaries. “Elena Montoya [‘18], a LASO member, visited that particular school during the HW [Go!] Guatemala trip over the summer, so she was able to communicate with the leaders of that school,” LASO member Cannoli Blanchard ’18 said. “The situation there is really bleak, students only go to school half the day because the school cannot afford lunch for the kids, teachers are not paid, and Elena brought that to our attention. After seeing how much those kids struggles to get an education while we have such easy access to one, she really wanted to do what she could to help them.”

Students said they enjoyed visiting the fundraiser, which was held on the quad. “The LASO fundraiser was really cool because we were donating money by buying products that were related to where the money was going, which was a unique aspect compared to the other fundraisers,” Rebecca Sugerman ’19 said. “I got two little beaded chains for my car keys and I’m so excited to use them.” The fundraiser was visited throughout the day by many members of the community wishing to either try native Mexican food or purchase the handmade bracelets, necklaces and keychains. “I was really happy that the fundraiser sold out before the end of the day,” Blanchard said. “I think it shows that our community really realizes the importance of education and the privilege that have at Harvard-Westlake and wants to ensure that those without our opportunities can receive an education as well.” The fundraiser also exposed students to Latin culture.

Dropbox. Nassar wrote in the mornings and then Miret-Artés edited the work and added in a continuous cycle. Nassar has published over 70 research papers, including other works that he co-authored with Miret-Artés. “It’s inspiring to have the opportunity to learn from a teacher as accomplished and specialized as Dr. Nassar,”

The students have been working hard so far this season, with mini-competitions twice a month since the beginning of the year, and it has paid off, team advisor and science teacher Karen Hutchinson said. “I am very impressed with the time that both teams have put into making their robots

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effective and consistent scorers,” Hutchinson said. “They have worked hard to perfect their driving skills and improve the programming of their robots.” The tournament was a great chance for the members to compete among the highest-ranked robotics teams in the world, Lesh said.

It’s inspiring to have the opportunity to learn from a teacher as accomplished and specialized as Dr. Nassar. He punctuates our lectures with unconventional demonstrations and interesting tangents.” —Jordan Barkin ’18

Physics 1 student Jordan Barkin ’18 said. “He punctuates our lectures with unconven-

NATHANSON’S

tional demonstrations and interesting tangents related to his research.”

2017 Cum Laude Inductees Lara Bagdasarian

Troy Hattler

Tivoli Anneliese Thanh-Ha Nguyen

Andrew Chilton Berg

Robert Thomas Heckerman

Keon Niknejad

Jonathan Berman

Matthew Henriks

Charlie Noxon

Jason Chang

Mathew David Hogan

Henry Jacob Platt

Youna Choi

Carolyn Jiyoung Hong

Rohan Prashant

William David Chow

Elly Hong

Talia Aanjalie Ratnavale

Sophie Emmanuel Cohen

James Kanoff

Noam Ringach

Casey Elizabeth Crosson

Danielle Dassa Kaye

Brendan Rose

Serena Julia Davis

Anthony Kukavica

Justin Rose

Sabrina Maud de Brito

Brennan W. Lee

Rachel Daisy Miranda Seplow

Howard Cooper Deshong, IV

So Min Lee

Quinton Anthony Simmonds

Kamala Anjali Durairaj

Talia Rebecca Lefkowitz

Matthew Thomas

Ravi Karthik Durairaj

Jack Li

Charles Humphreys Thompson

Oliver Bennett Friedman

Dario Alexander Madyoon

Kathryn Tian

Andrew Joseph Gaut

Alec Potters Mendelsohn

Theodore Fate Velaise

Eli B. Goldin

Layla Sarah Moghavem

Kevin Eric Wesel

George Wilson Gong

Jenna Moustafa

Bryant Wu

Eric Han

Catrin Hathaway Murphy

James Xu

Emerson Harris

Jesse Brian Nadel

Bennett C Yee SOURCE: UPPER SCHOOL DEANS GRAPHIC BY MADDY DAUM

THE CHRONICLE

A6 News

in brief

APRIL 26, 2017

Publications receive 2017 Crown Awards

The Chronicle received a Gold Crown award for high school hybrid news from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at the 93rd Annual Scholastic Convention at Columbia University on March 17. Big Red received a Silver Crown for high school print magazine. The middle school magazine The Spectrum received a Gold Crown for middle school print news. “We just try to put out the best issues possible each month, and make our website the best possible, so it’s always nice when our dilligent work is recognized,” Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Sammi Handler ’17 said. —Meera Sastry

Juniors order rings for senior ceremony Juniors ordered personalized class rings last week on campus from Jostens from April 19 to 20. Students could choose either the traditional ring, which features the school crest, or the achiever ring, which features the student’s birthstone. “I wanted something to remind me of my experience at Harvard-Westlake,” Claire Tan ‘18 said. “The rings will last a pretty long time.” Students who chose not to order rings will instead receive class pins at the Ring Ceremony in September. —Alison Oh

Nate Sneider ’94 to advise HW Venture

Students of the HW Venture club welcomed alumnus Nate Snyder ’94 on Tuesday at the inaugural Council of Alumni meeting. Snyder is a Los Angeles based medical entrepreneur who has developed medical devices for multiple companies. As the current CEO of Ovation Fertility, Snyder helps to treat and test infertility in patients. Snyder was the ﬁrst alumni advisor to be introduced into the HW Venture program. At Tuesday’s event, club members discussed the future of the program. Snyder outlined his plan for guiding HW Venture club members. —Ryan Kim

Community Council extends deadline

Applications to join Community Council were due Friday at 2:40, after the deadline was extended due to an oversight on timing. Since the applications were originally due the day students returned from spring break, fewer applications than expected were turned in and many students asked for an extension Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church said. The council thus decided to extend the deadline by two weeks. The applicants are competing for 12 spots. —Kaitlin Musante

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ALLISON GOROKHOVSKY

IN REMEMBERANCE: Allison Gorokhovsky ’17 speaks at the Holocaust remembrance event Od Avinu Chai. Gorokhovsky, who hosted the event, invited students and faculty to attend the event and devote the day to commemorating Holocaust victims.

Never forget: honoring the past and ancestors By LUCAS GELFOND

Allison Gorokhovsky ’17 held the Holocaust remembrance event Od Avinu Chai, translated to “our forefathers live on” April 23 at the Westside Jewish Community Center. The event commemorates Holocaust remembrance day April 24. The event was divided into three segments. The “past” segment focused on two Holocaust survivors who told their stories to the group, both who went through Auschwitz as children.

“Their stories are quite remarkable and I’m hoping they will inspire those that attend to really feel a sense of belonging and identity with people who have been through and endured so much so that the students who are there have the freedoms that they have today,” Gorokhovsky said. The second segment focused on the current leadership of those promoting a sense of responsibility and awareness about Holocaust victims and who create a safe Jewish community now. The last segment

will be about the new generation and how they will go on to lead the movement. The event was inspired by Gorokhovsky after she helped organized Holocaust Survivors to speak to the junior and senior class during class meetings and wanted to create an event for both Harvard-Westlake and non-Harvard-Westlake attendees. Gorokhovsky hoped the event would persuade students on the importance of remembering the Holocaust. Taking the advice of others, Gorokhovsky traveled to Po-

land before holding the event. “A lot of people told me ‘you have to experience Poland before you organize this event because it will change the perspective you will take’ and they were 100% right,” Gorokhovsky said. “This past summer I traveled to Poland on a summer trip, both to Poland and Israel and it changed the way I looked at the Holocaust from pure form to a sense of ‘I need to do something about it’.” Gorokhovsky said a large focus on the event was making it purely student based.

Ace-idic: Juniors advance in Chemistry Olympiad

By ANGELA TAN

Two AP Chemistry students advanced to the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam, the second tier of the United States Chemistry Olympiad. Jordan Barkin ’18 and Marcus Leher ’18 were the top scorers of the school on the local exam and took the national exam April 22. The local exam consisted of 60 multiple choice questions in 110 minutes, and students had to score at least 44 questions correct to be eligible to take the national exam. “The Chemistry Olympiad has been a great experience,”

Barkin said. “Walking into the local exam, I had no idea what to expect. Everyone in AP Chem was required to take the test, and none of us had studied much at all. Nevertheless, we were pretty well-versed in most of the concepts from class.” Although several HarvardWestlake students scored over 44 on the local exam, only two students per school were allowed to take the national exam according to the Olympiad rules. The national exam consists of three parts, a multiple choice section, problem-solving section and a lab practical

my interests in science,” Leher section. “Advancing to the sec- said. “It is a chance to compete ond round has been awe- against some of the smartest high schoolers in some since there’s a Southern California, 90-minute laboratory and is a fun and recomponent on the warding challenge.” exam,” Barkin said. The top 20 scor“It’s nice to have an ers of the national opportunity to apply competition will have our lab experience tothe opportunity to atward solving a probtend a study camp for lem we’ve never seen training in Colorado before.” Springs, Colorado. The Chemistry ’ The top four stuOlympiad has been a Marcus Leher ’18 dents in the study great opportunity to camp will be able to expand knowledge of represent the country the ﬁeld, Leher said. “The Chem Olympiad is a in the International Chemistry great opportunity to advance Olympiad July 6-15. NATHANSON S

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: combination of Coachella, Senior Ditch Day contributes to record low attendance By SOPHIE HABER

combination of Coachella and senior ditch day, as well as the One-hundred-twenty stu- fact that it fell the day after spring break, dents missed which he said school after usually correCoachella on When I see lates with more April 17, exabsences. ceeding the students aren’t here The amount number of abduring Coachella of detentions sences in retime, it makes me feel served due to cent history. Coachella-reU p p e r uneasy.” lated absence School Atten—Gabriel Preciado have increased dance Coordinator Gabriel Attendance Coordinator from only 63 detentions Preciado said served in 2014 this year’s absences were slightly higher and 110 served last year, Prethan in the past due to the ciado said.

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In 2013, former Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas created the “Own It” policy that encourages students to take responsibly and tell the school they are missing after attending Coachella rather than making up an excuse. Students then must serve one detention, which can range from helping a teacher set up a lab to cleaning up the quad. “Coachella is frowned upon for many reasons,” Preciado said. “Teachers prepare so much for their instruction, so we really expect students to come in and take advantage of their Harvard-Westlake educa-

tion.” Prior to this policy, students could be excused the day after Coachella. In the 2011-2012 school year, 180 students were absent but no detentions were served. Preciado said that while he understands students need time to unwind, his main concern is students’ safety, especially with regard to driving. “When I see students aren’t here during the Coachella time, it makes me feel uneasy,” Preciado said. “The more students I see here, the better I feel.”

April 26, 2017

hwchronicle.com/news

News A7

in brief

Chariots of fire: JCL goes to convention

Marine Bio students set sail on field trip

By Alex Goldstein

Middle and upper school Latin students and Junior Classical League members participated in the California Junior Classical League Convention during the weekend in San Francisco. At the convention, students competed in activities such as academic testing, athletic competitions, poetic recitations and chariot races. “The Friday evening we arrived, we took tests that were later scored and, if you scored high enough, you got a ribbon, so I hoped to discover some of my strengths and weaknesses in the classics,” Opal Lambert ’19 said. “We also occasionally attended workshops that taught us new information we don’t usually get a chance to learn about in class.” Another activity at the convention was Certamen, a quiz bowl to test a student’s knowledge of Latin and the classics. “At the convention, I played Certamen, which is essentially the highlight of the convention, and participated in other activities like chariot racing,” Taia Cheng ’19 said. “There is

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BEN BECKMAN

WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CONQUERED: Ben Beckman ’19 and Will Wright ’17 participate in a chariot race at the California Junior Classical League Convention in San Franciso on April 22. a point system for participating in the sports competitions [such as] basketball, bubble soccer and capture the flag; whichever school collected the most points by the end of the convention was awarded.” In preparation for the convention, students competing in the chariot races had to build and test out their chariots while students playing

Certamen met up to study before the convention. “Some schools take it super seriously,” Latin teacher Brad Holmes said. “I know there are some schools where the quiz bowl teams meet after school like it’s a sport. We don’t do that, we just want to have fun.” The convention brought schools from all over Califor-

nia together and gave them the chance to hang out and study Latin together, Holmes said. “I mostly like to hang out with friends who are just as interested in the classics as I am,” Lambert said. “I really like Latin, specifically, and it’s a lot of fun to be with classmates who share that interest.”

Students break school alcohol, drug policy on trips • Continued from A1

[a] college tour previously, and they did the same thing,” Chan said. “When they found out that something had happened, they sent the kids home that day, that night. So there has been [a] precedent set before.” On the spring break Spain trip, however, no one was sent home despite incidents of several students buying and consuming hard alcohol, a sophomore on the trip said. “When issues like drinking or drug use or other serious violations happen on a trip, it’s as if they happened here at [Harvard-Westlake],” Director of Kutler Center and Summer Programs Jim Patterson said.

Although these students were held responsible for violating school policy, all students on the trip were provided a drink with less than four percent alcohol in a threeounce glass at a lunch in Madrid, world languages teacher and trip chaperone Javier Zaragoza said. “Every trip we have gone to an Asturiano restaurant in Madrid where we toast with an Asturiano cider with less than four percent alcohol,” Zaragoza said. “Each student gets a three-ounce glass. I remind them this is a treat intended to complement the meal.” Patterson was not immediately available for comment regarding this specific incident in which students con-

are in that country, and our sumed alcohol with chaperStudent Parent Handbook is ones present. pretty clear about drugs and However, he said that, in alcohol. So those continue to general, the Student Parent apply on school trips Handbook is clear regardless of the age about the alcohol of the student who is policy when it comes on that trip and of the to school-sponsored legalities in the countrips. try to which they are “There are lines traveling.” that we have drawn, The legal drinkand we have said ing age is Spain is that, yes, we would typically 18; in some like our students, regions, however, it when they travel W ’ is lowered to 16, acabroad, to experiJim cording to barcelonaence the culture of Patterson connect.com. that country,” PatterThe sophomore son said. “However, on the trip said that those the Harvard-Westlake rules caught in violation of the althat are expressly written in cohol policy were under the the handbook still apply to age of 18. those students when they hite s

Put your dukes up: boxing club teaches self-defense By Saba Nia

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF IZZY REIFF

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Charles Connon ’18 trains with a member of the L.A. Family Housing Program on April 21.

To increase their engagement in community service, members of the Boxing Club conducted self-defense classes to underprivileged children March 21 and sold bags of kettle corn and caramel corn to support the homeless March 25. The boxing lessons and fundraiser supported LA Family Housing, which is a nongovernmental organization that provides low income affordable housing for families throughout Los Angeles. Club leader Charles Connon ’18 serves as a member of LAFH’s Youth Action Council, which he said entails a combination of volunteering duties and interning with the corporation. He decided to involve the Boxing Club in this charity work because it would allow

them to teach more people how to box, which is one of the club’s goals, while serving the community. “Boxing is a pretty social sport, so we thought we could bring boxing to the kids and teach them a sport that we enjoy at school,” Connon said. Membes of the club also sold bags of Kettle Masters kettle corn and Le Bon Garcon caramel for $10 each on the quad March 25. “Boxing Club is always trying to make purpose beyond ourselves, and I think doing these outreach events is not only good for our members to see how other people are because they’re not as privileged as Harvard-Westlake students, but it’s nice to reach out to the community,” Connon said. “Also, it’s just fun to go and get involved and make a difference in these kids’ lives.”

The Oceanography and Marine Biology class took a field trip to Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach for a boat ride April 19. Science teacher Blaise Eitner led the trip. Once boarding the boat, the staff facilitated some activities and studies for the students. “We began with throwing out a large net, and collectively pulling it back in, filled with sea creatures, like sting rays, shrimp, crabs, California lizardfish and more. We identified all the creatures and got to touch some of them,” Josue Gutierrez ’18 said. The trip allowed students to learn outside of a typical classroom setting. —Alex Goldstein

The last song: prefects host last coffeehouse

Prefect Council hosted the fourth and final Coffeehouse of the year on Monday in the Chalmers lounge after school. Acts included Elizabeth Gaba ’17 singing “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and Ori Zur and Charlie Kogen singing “Penny Lane” by the Beatles. In addition to musical performances, students recited poetry and did magic tricks. “I think the Coffeehouses have been extremely successful this year,” Prefect Julia Cosgrove ’18 said. “We have had amazing turnout and incredible performers at each one.” —Jackie Greenberg

Senior prank falls without a splash

Security guards thwarted an attempt at a senior prank following the Head Prefect election assembly in Taper Gym on March 29. The seniors planned to throw water balloons at the underclassmen as they exited the assembly, but, under an order from Assistant to the Head of the Upper School Michelle Bracken, the security guards confiscated crates of the balloons. Security guard Sanders Jackson said he was able to stop the prank from occurring because of the pre-planned assembly that kept the senior class busy and warnings about the prank from a few students. —Kaitlin Musante

Queen Sweep: Chess club distributes shirts Chess Club distributed shirts to students in the lounge Monday periods three through six. Leaders offered seven base slogans, such as “Trap Queen” and “Rookie Mistake.” They also featured an option to customize the slogan on the back of the shirt in 25 characters or less. Each shirt costs $23.99 on Didax to the buyers’ student account. Proceeds go towards supporting the Chess Club. —Indu Pandey

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

APRIL 26, 2017

Enrollment in trip hits record high

NEWS A8

By SABA NIA

One of the largest groups to travel with the program in its history, 26 Spanish language students visited Spain to immerse themselves in the culture and language from March 30 to April 16. Spanish teacher Javier Zaragoza and Receptionist and SAT/ACT Test Center Supervisor Nathaly Blanco chaperoned two freshman and 24 sophomores. Zaragoza has been leading student trips to Spanish-speaking countries since 1991, said that they allowed more than the typical 22 students to attend due to the increased interest this year. “I really liked learning about Spanish history and culture in Spanish with my friends,” AP Spanish student Emily Wesel ’19 said. Participants toured four different cities to visit historical sites, experience Spanish culture and attend language schools. In Madrid, travelers visited tapas restaurants and El Prado, a museum. They also went on excursions like a soccer game, shopping and going on a scavenger hunt in Sevilla. Students also took classes at the Aula Language Institute in Toledo and the Cadiz Institute in Cadiz, where they lived with host families. “I very much enjoyed communicating with my host family about Spanish culture and politics,” Wesel said. “I feel that I gained a perspective that was new and different.” Zaragoza said that understanding the culture better and being forced to think completely in Spanish allowed students to develop their own personality in the language. “If they were not asleep, they were with the family, with us, in school [or] were traveling, so there were a lot of opportunities to [be immersed in],” Zaragoza said.

ALL PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF TAIA CHENG

GO GREECE LIGHTNING: (Left): Students and teachers race in an ancient stadium in Olympia, Greece. (Top Right): The attendees pose in front of ancient ruins. (Bottom Right): Students overlook the Cape of Sounion while visiting the Temple of Poseidon.

My Big Fat Greek Trip: Latin students visit Greece By SABA NIA

The Latin program offered its first trip to Greece April 6-14 to expose students to the practical use of the language and Ancient Greek culture. Latin teacher Mercedes Barletta and history teacher George Gaskin, who chaperoned last year’s trip to Rome, led one eighth grader, five freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and a senior. Like on the Rome trip, the Latin students traveled with two guides from the Paideia Institute. At the historical and cultural sites they visited, like the Castle of Agamemnon in Mycenae, an ancient stadium in Olympia and the Castle of Palimidi in Napflio, students used their knowledge of the language to translate ancient texts. “I think my goal for any trip is to help bring the ancient

world alive for my students,” Barletta said. “I think any student of Latin will throughout their life be asked why do you study that language.” Barletta said seeing the language in practice in another country allows them to see the uses in daily life. “Giving the students the opportunity to see really ﬁrsthand [that] you can study this language and go be in the world and see amazing things, and, yes, read inscriptions off walls, I think it’s really just a special opportunity for them to realize that there’s more than just being in the classroom and studying this language in a book,” Barletta said. The group spent its ﬁrst two nights in Athens, where it visited the Acropolis and ancient temples. They also visited Nafplio, the original capital of modern Greece, which Barletta said was “very clean, or-

ganized and beautiful with its the Aegean Sea. She said that harbor.” Barletta said Nafplio every place appeared to be was the group’s favorite city prettier than the last and that because of its natural beauty. they were captivated by the “I think my favorite part “diversity of the landscape” was just the and “wonderful scenery we lushness of evwere able to erything.” It’s really just a see,” SamuStudents el Buckleysaid in addispecial opportunity for Bonano ’19 tion to visiting them to realize that said. “Every cultural atthere’s more than just day we were tractions and able to climb being in the classroom.” exploring the a different forvarying topo—Mercedes Barletta graphical landtress and see a vista larger they Latin teacher marks, and more inappreciated credible than having a setting the last, so just the experience to practice their Latin. of that was great and getting “Trips like these are amazto know people in that same ing for bonding with your setting.” classmates while also seeing The students also traveled beautiful places and getting to to Olympia and Delphi after experience the culture,” Taia Nafplio, where Barletta said Chen ’19 said. “Students can they enjoyed the picturesque have a wonderful time with mountains and valleys with their classmates.”

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March of the Living attendance decreases

By SOPHIE HABER

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MADDY HARBERT

MARCHING UP TO HISTORY: Students stand in front of one of the remaining walls of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland.

Only four students from the senior class, a sharp decrease from past years, travelled to Poland and Israel on the annual March of the Living April 19-May 3 to learn about the history of prejudice, intolerance and hate. Student involvement has shown a downward trend, with 12 attendees last year and 22 the year prior. Because of the trip’s close proximity to AP tests and spring break this year, students may have been less inclined to sign up. Rabbi Emily Feigenson said this may be because there is no longer any outreach to the sophomore and junior classes, so less students were aware of the opportunity to attend as they were in past years. In the future, Feigenson said she may restart her effort to raise awareness about the program in lower grades by showing a documentary made by Jessica Sanders ’95 about the march.

While in Poland, students will go to Krakow, Lublin and Warsaw, accompanied by Holocaust survivors who act as their guides when they visit the concentration camps Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdenek and Treblinka, as well as Jewish ghettos, mass graves and other historical sites. “I feel an obligation to learn about the horriﬁc history that came with the Holocaust and gain a more authentic understanding of the consequences that came of discrimination and hate,” Jordan Khorsandi ’17 said. On the Jewish holiday Yom Hashoa, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, students will march a mile alongside survivors and other students from around the world from the gates of Auschwitz concentration camp to Birkenau death camp to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. “I know that I will be one of the last people to truly be able to leave the grounds of Auschwitz with Holocaust sur-

vivors, and I think the only way to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive is to learn the stories ﬁrst hand so that I can teach it to my children,” Maddy Harbert ’17 said. “That way we will never forget what happened.” After walking in the footsteps of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, students will travel to Israel to celebrate Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron and Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut. There, they will tour different cities, visit beaches. In addition to being an opportunity for high school seniors to make connections with teens from around the world, the March of the Living acts as an catalyst for reﬂection and introspection, its website said. “I’m hoping to get out of it a deeper understanding of my Judaism and lineage, as I’m very interested to know what my ancestors were like and who they were,” Harbert said.

C HRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: SAMMI HANDLER, JESSE NADEL MANAGING EDITORS: LAYLA MOGHAVEM, KATIE PLOTKIN, JEAN SANDERS EXECUTIVE EDITORS: HANNAH CHO, CARINA MARX, RIAN RATNAVALE PRESENTATIONS EDITORS: ESHANIKA CHAUDHARY, SABRINA BRITO, EMILY RAHHAL

OPINION The Chronicle • April 26, 2017

Los Angeles • Volume 26• Issue 7 • April 26, 2017 • hwchronicle.com

editorial

NEWS EDITORS: TERESA SUH, CLAUDIA WONG NEWS COPY EDITOR: JACKSON NOVICK ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: MADDY DAUM, NOA SCHWARTZ, DANIELLE SPITZ, ANTHONY WEINRAUB NEWS ASSOCIATES: EMORY KIM, INDU PANDEY OPINION EDITOR: KAMI DURAIRAJ ASSISTANT OPINION EDITORS: BRITTANY HONG, CLAIRE KELLER FEATURES EDITORS: SOPHIE COHEN, DANIELLE KAYE FEATURES COPY EDITOR: KATIE PERRIN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS: JOSIE ABUGOV, NICOLE KIM, ALENA RUBIN FEATURES ASSOCIATES: KRISTIN KUWADA, KITTY LUO A&E EDITOR: LAUREN KIM ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS: GABI BERCHTOLD, SARAH LEE, KATE SCHRAGE ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: ISABELLE ESHRAGHI A&E ASSOCIATE: CATY SZETO SPORTS EDITORS: JULIANA BERGER, JAKE LIKER SPORTS ONLINE EDITORS: DARIO MADYOON, CONNOR REESE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: ELI ADLER, OLIVER AKHTARZAD, ELLY CHOI SPORTS ASSOCIATES:

ELLIS BECKER, SAM MCCABE, AARON PARK, ZACH SWARTZ, MATTHEW YAM, ADAM YU

ONLINE EDITORS: CAM STINE, BRYANT WU ADS

AND BUSINESS MANAGER: OLIVER RICHARDS

ASSISTANT ADS AND BUSINESS MANAGER: JIWON PARK ARTS DIRECTOR: TIFFANY KIM FREELANCE CARTOONISTS: ANNA GONG, MADY MADISON ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: PAVAN TAUH LAYOUT ASSISTANTS AND STAFF WRITERS: RYAN ALBERT, KAELYN BOWERS, VISHAN CHAUDHARY, JAKE DAVIDSON, KENDALL DEES, MATTHEW DRUYANOFF, LUCAS GELFOND, ALEX GOLDSTEIN, KELLY GOURIER, JACKIE GREENBERG, SOPHIE HABER, SOFIA HELLER, RYAN KIM, SAMANTHA KO, JENNY LI, SAM LINGARD, KAITLIN MUSANTE, SABA NIA, ALISON OH, JIWON PARK, NICK PLATT, NICK REECE, ASA SAPERSTEIN, MEERA SASTRY, ALEXANDRA SO, CAMERON STOKES, ANGELA TAN, BEN TENZER, JENNY YOON LAYOUT ASSISTANT ADVISER:

JULIET SUESS ADVISER: JIM BURNS

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, Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Oliver Richards at orichards1@hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or school.

Agree to disagree

At Harvard-Westlake, there is one thing that we have been striving towards, particularly in recent months: having a multitude of diverse voices shared on campus. To achieve this goal, a politically conservative speaker is necessary to truly pursue excellence in diversity. In the past several years, we’ve brought speakers to campus to share their different perspectives. The speakers have included liberal politician and African-American activists Bakari Sellers, LGBT activist Andrew Goldstein, mental health advocate Jordan Burnham, and countless other important and impactful orators. There is no reason that a more conservative voice should not be included among them. This is not about making liberal students more conservative. In fact, the school should not purposefully influence the political views of its students. However, to give students a complete education, the school must expose us to the viewpoints we will face in the real world, and that includes both sides of the political spectrum. When Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election, some experts decided one of the main reasons for her loss were liberal sounding-boards and communities where liberals will share their views with one another without listening to any other perspectives. The dangers of political echo chambers extend beyond the word of politics and into the world of education as well; it is just as important for high school students

ANNA GONG/CHRONICLE

to consider informed viewpoints besides their own as it is for voters and politicians, especially when students can fill their Facebook feeds with opinions they agree with. Many in our community associate conservative viewpoints with offensive ones. While there is no denying that this can sometimes be the case for both sides, it is possible for the school to find a conservative speaker who can challenge but not offend our students. Despite portrayals of conservatives that some may feel pervade mass media — like “Saturday Night Live” sketches where conservative or Republican politicians are often shown as unqualified and clueless or prejudiced — educated, informed conservatives do exist and they do have valid beliefs that are worth being heard. We as a staff appreciate the perspectives that past speakers have shared with the school community. From Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to South Carolina Representative Bakari Sellers, our speakers have all been well-established in their given fields and have insight that has enriched our perspectives. However, what would make their presentations even more impactful is hearing from the other side of the political spectrum. Even and especially if we disagree, their viewpoints can help us strengthen our own convictions and relate to people who may think differently. How can the school be expected to help us become well-rounded, knowledgeable people without sharing both sides?

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Sharing posts is not caring By Indu Pandey

ike any diligent junior, I scrolled through Facebook in between homework assignments. Among animal videos and Coachella photo albums, I see articles: “Stand with Standing Rock!,” “What’s wrong with PC culture?” and “Assad murders Syrian children.” While I’m inundated with my friends sharing posts of pressing local and global issues, there seems to be a lack of action. No one posts pictures of themselves at town halls or donation pages for foundations, just links to the Borowitz Report or the Onion. It’s easier to say that you’re in support of an ideal than to stand up for that ideal, of course. But, who does that beneﬁt? Although it’s an expression of your personal beliefs, it shouldn’t be a substitute for action. While some may claim armchair activism spreads the message about a particular issue, this dissemination of knowledge is negligible. People seldom carefully read and internalize an article over watching a colorful food video or looking at “dank memes.” It’s simply the wrong forum to ﬂex your political consciousness. Armchair activism is the new feel-good project of our generation. For armchair activists, if they share it, they solve it. How does sharing an article about Lemonade by Beyonce advance productive discussions about intersectional feminism? Short answer: it doesn’t. Of course, not everyone on social media wants to solve a problem, but the problem is that not enough people do. Rather than advocate and get involved in issues that concern us, we often content ourselves in passive thumbs ups and “atta-boys.” It’s often easier to get in-

volved than many realize: rallies happen nearly every weekend, donations are easy online and volunteer opportunities are endless. Ignoring concrete actions is a mark of incredible privilege that often pervades our community. Our bubble allows us to ignore issues or only noncommittally have opinions about relevant issues. I did not have a sense of the proximity and relevance of social and political issues to the people they affect until I started traveling frequently for debate. Living in a more socially progressive part of the nation doesn’t often demonstrate the urgent need for activism. But that also doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference regardless of your geographical location. They don’t care whether or not you’re an “ally” or you “stand with them.” Assad doesn’t stop massacring his own people because you clicked a button. And certainly Trump doesn’t disappear because you sneered at his ineptitude or tiny hands. Following South Park doesn’t problematize safe space culture. Get up and be a real activist if you care. You don’t have to be affected by xenophobia towards refugees to help a refugee or able to vote to make phone calls for a political candidate. You don’t have to be a woman to refuse to allow violence against women to be swept under the rug. The world may seem like it’s crumbling around us: global warming, terrorism, political upheaval or what have you. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Go ahead and share your post with a clever little hashtag, but don’t be surprised when you ﬁnd yourself running out of hashtags for the issues you were complicit in.

ANGELA TAN/CHRONICLE

‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ not to romanticize suicide By Claire Keller

iping away my tears, I attempted to continue watching without waking my brothers in the hotel cots next to my bed. I was ten days into spring break, relishing the freedom of traveling and spending time with my family. However, as I consecutively watched every episode of “13 Reasons Why,” I found myself in the same situation as many of those who were affected by the weight of Hannah Baker’s story. As I’m sure many of you have learned in the past few weeks, “13 Reasons Why” has raised international controversy and praise for its destructively realistic depictions of teen suicide. I, too, was intrigued with the idea and in all honesty was excited to watch what those around me were calling “an incredibly accurate portrayal of depression and suicide.” A Netﬂix original show addressing the taboo topics of mental illness and bullying felt like a refreshing escape from the norm. However, as I sacriﬁced sleep for the adrenaline that rushed over me as I clicked

The college process is not a competition

“next episode,” the night turned from a typical Netflix binge to an overwhelming realization that I would not be able to set aside my past experiences to watch a fictional show. Social media, rightfully villainized within the show, is currently swimming in an ocean of opinions, mine included. In the digital age, we have learned to let them wash over us, yet we recognize that this limits the boundaries of our own knowledge. Exposing ourselves to such extremes, like dedicating hours to a TV show while skimming the world news, leaves us vulnerable to blindly accepting what we are told is the truth. I do not believe that “13 Reasons Why” tells the truth. As human beings, we cannot help but crave being known. We act out of character, make mistakes and ultimately sacrifice our own happiness for the fleeting gratification of popularity. I believe that the writers and produces of “13 Reason Why” exploit this intrinsic value by romanticizing the reality of suicide. Hannah Baker is not dead.

Her character lives on through the tapes, each bringing her back to expose a reason she took her own life. She makes us fall in love with Clay Jensen, the boy that makes suicide seem like a twisted aphrodisiac. Her intricate plans for remembrance and revenge solidify the idea that suicide will allow others to see the fault within themselves. Though providing appalling experiences to justify Hannah Baker’s suicide, “13 Reasons Why” failed to genuinely convey the emotion and mental state one lives in when they are considering taking their own life. The failure to acknowledge that suicide is a mental illness underlines the idea that, when bad things happen, people choose suicide. However, the reality I have come to understand is that, when bad things happen, your mind tells you it’s your only choice. We all know, miss or are our own Hannah Baker. Though, we cannot allow her to become our reality. As much as our hearts swell when we dream of our own Clay Jensen, suicide is not a romance story.

Instead of comparing ourselves to our peers, we should focus on our own assets and present ourselves in the best manner to colleges. Critizing others’ accomplishments does not help anyone.

By Kate Schrage

t’s the college race. It starts for most in ninth grade. Sometimes there are faulty starts or changes in direction, hurdles or shortcomings. But nevertheless, it is a race. And much like any other race, it is not often our own performances which we worry so much about — it’s those of our opponents. It’s not too far a reach to say that college is a driving force behind most life at Harvard-Westlake. College determines which classes we take, which clubs we join, which sports we play and which extracurriculars we prioritize. Much like a runner, your upcoming races determine which exercises you practice and how often you do them. However, regardless of our

preparation for this upcoming process, nothing can change the fact that, as we approach the starting line, all we can think about are the runners against us. Too often do I ﬁnd myself doing test preparation or applying for programs and having only my competition in mind. Too often is it impossible for me to be genuinely happy for someone else’s accomplishments. Instead of being happy for anybody else, I only take their wins as my losses, things that I now must ﬁnd a way to beat or overshadow. And as much as I would like to believe Chelsea Handler when she says, “There is room for everybody,” the truth is that, in applying for college, there isn’t. Living so defensively is not

only dangerous for my own well-being but also to the relationships with others around me. My own best friends and I have started keeping secrets from each other about the schools that we’re interested in and have begun playing elusive games about our plans for internships and colleges programs. I’ve let a process that, beyond my best efforts, is entirely out of my hands destroy and complicate valuable relationships that are worth more than any internship or summer program in the end. I’ve stopped focusing on my own resume and achievements to try to drag others down about theirs, spending more energy on diminishing the assets of my friends than

building up my own. Unfortunately, I think this negative thinking has become an epidemic around the community, very evident in the backlash after this year’s college admission decisions. While nobody can be blamed for being upset with perhaps not getting into their ﬁrst choice school, there’s no justiﬁcation for feeling the need to bring others down about their successes. Maybe if we spent more of the college process focused on doing as much as we can to elevate ourselves instead of sabotaging others, we wouldn’t feel as much like there was more we could have done in the end. To spare ourselves the potential regret, we need to start using our time and energy on ourselves, not on our

competition. Though secrecy is inevitable in such a competitive process, moving forward, we need to minimize just how much of it is used to hurt others in our community. We need to truly understand the value behind crossing a ﬁnish line and knowing there was nothing more we could have done, regardless of the place in which we come. And most of all, we need to learn how to celebrate the successes of others, no matter how painful it may be. While this is all easier said than done, the earliest time to start is now. Approaching the starting line, we can’t be looking at our competitors — we need to keep our eyes on the prize to ensure we’ve given it all we’ve got.

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

APRIL 26, 2017

quadtalk: “How do you feel about a conservative speaker coming to campus?”

OPINION A11

“I don’t think I would mind having a conservative speaker on campus because a lot of people here are liberal, so I think it is fair to represent both sides.” — Jacqueline Ayestas ’18

CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

“I think everyone has a right to be heard on campus, regardless of political views.” — Tess Haber ’17

“I think it would be really cool to see a conservative speaker, and as long as people are respectful to the speaker and allow them to speak, it could be a good experience.”

CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

— Benjamin Block ‘19 CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

INFOGRAPHIC BY JAKE DAVIDSON

On My Mind: a better way to create community

If community is what we seek, 1st and 3rd Wednesday Assemblies are not where we’ll find it. Instead we could focus on increasing attendance at extracurricular school events.

By Jake Liker

have something On My Mind, but I’m going to elaborate here in The Chronicle, so you can actually hear me. And because you’re not being forced to listen to me. And because you’re genuinely interested about what I have to say, instead of waiting for the magic words: “You’re dismissed. Third period begins at 10:15.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of creating a sense of community, but a thousand people who just want to move on with their lives in a large space with poor acoustics and an incessant drone of various announcements which may or may not pertain to them isn’t a community. It’s a delayed ﬂight at LaGuardia. But at least at LaGuardia no one tells you to get off your phone. I appreciate what Community and Character Committee does. I, too, care about creating a sense of community at Harvard-Westlake. That’s exactly why I’m so disappointed

by Wednesday assemblies. The Committee is generally good at its job; The Chronicle polled 388 upper school students, “Do you think there is a strong sense of community at Harvard-Westlake?” A little over 59% of those students said “yes.” However, the poll results also suggested that 1st and 3rd Wednesday Assemblies are a failed experiment. Students were also asked if they enjoy these assemblies, and upwards of 77% said “no.” More than 78% of respondents said that they do not think that the assemblies have fostered a sense of community. There are clearly better ways to go about this. Let’s campaign to get more invested in the extracurricular activities of our peers, whether on the stage or on the ﬁeld. Back in October, I was texting a friend of mine, a high school senior in suburban Philadelphia. It was midnight on the east coast when he said

“I’m only having this conversation because tomorrow is our pep rally, and I can’t sleep.... The greatest day of high school ever is tomorrow, and it’s gonna be wild,” to which I replied, “Tomorrow is senior night for football, and I’m hoping 15 kids show up.” Why was that game scheduled for mid-semester break? Why is attendance paltry even when it’s after a school day? Our pep rally featured a Kahoot and a knife-swallower. We compensate for a lack of school spirit with pyrotechnics. And if the football team is overlooked, imagine how other, less prominent teams feel. Let’s ﬁx that. Head Fanatic support and coverage of each team is not equal, and that’s understandable – no one could be expected to care about all teams equally. Instead, at the beginning of each season, let’s have people apply to be a Head Fanatic for a speciﬁc team. Someone who

is close with the players on the girls’ basketball team would have a vested interest in promoting girls’ basketball games because they would be going to all the games in the ﬁrst place and want their friends to be supported. That’s what community is about. Let’s try and sell out every theatrical, choral, orchestral and dance show on campus, employ incentives to go those performances that will further bring the community together. “Almost, Maine” sells out all three shows? Let’s use that increase in ticket sales to fund a food truck to come during the next 1st and 3rd Wednesday, days during which assemblies would be replaced with a break period. Everyone goes to Rugby on a Saturday night. Then everyone enjoys crepes on the quad on Wednesday. Announcements can be made in ﬂyer form since there’s ample wall space on the quad and would create a friendlier,

more involved atmosphere. These new community-oriented break periods will improve student life and add some joy to that pursuit of excellence we hear so often about. Imagine surprise a capella performances and ping-pong tournaments and coffeehouses during that break period. That’s community. Let’s have a community service day once a quarter, during which there are no classes but 5-10 ﬁeld trips that people could sign up for. There are so many opportunities to help the greater Los Angeles area: animal shelters, food pantries, soup kitchens, daycare centers, beach cleanups, old-age homes, etc. It’s better than the current broken, dishonest, bribery-ridden 12-hour system that people view as a burden rather than an opportunity to help. That’s community. And that’s what’s On My Mind. You’re dismissed. Third period begins at 10:15.

A12

Putting a Spring in their Steps

spotlight

April 26, 2017

Before leaving for Spring Break, students participated in a variety of activities during the annual Festival to Spring on March 31. An In-N-Out truck was also on campus to serve students free burgers and chips.

DODGING SCHOOL: Yusuke Kimura ’18 throws a ball during a game of dodgeball in Taper Gym. During the festival, students competed for their grade in events ranging from soccer to sodoku. The Class of 2019 won the Festival of Spring competition, winning a front-of-the-line pass to next year’s In-N-Out truck.

HAMBURGER HELPER: Gabriella Levy ’19, Bella Guanche ’19 and Allison Salvador ’19 get their In-N-Out burgers during the Festival to Spring on March 31. There were free burgers and chips available for students.

FRIS-BEEING HAPPY: Wesley Chang ’17 participates in a round of ultimate frisbee on the Ted Slavin Field

with other seniors on his team. Students played several games on the field, including socceer and tug-of-war.

BALLER: Ryan Wixen ’19 prepares to throw the dodgeball and is cheered on by his teammates.

ALL PHOTOS BY PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

THAT’S WHAT A HAMBURGER’S ALL ABOUT: JP Cherry ’18 and Chester Ranger ’18 leave the In-NOut truck with their burgers. Due to their seniority, the Class of 2017 got their burgers and chips first.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle • April 26, 2017

Rhyme Time BY

SARAH LEE

AND

SABA NIA

Student poets from all over Los Angeles disembarked from school buses and poured onto the upper school campus. Ambassadors for the poetry festival led the poets up to Chalmers Lounge for breakfast and an opportunity to meet other poets from the area. •

Continued on page B3

SLAM-A-RAMA: Sakura Price ’18, Natalie Choi ’18 and Jenny Yoon ’19 perform slam poetry for attendees of the poetry festival. SABA NIA/CHRONICLE

B2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Alumnus makes Time 100 list

Ensemble takes first trip By SARAH LEE Students in Wind Ensemble traveled to Quebec, Montreal and Boston to learn about music and music education outside of Los Angeles and to gain more experience playing together as a group April 2-9. Because this is the ﬁrst trip in the history of Wind Ensemble, the musicians said they were tasked with the responsibility of setting a precedent while on the trip so the ensemble could continue to take trips in the future. Oboe player Henry DiNapoli ’17 said another purpose of the trip was to let the musicians have the experience of playing on tour. “I felt like it helped the whole band learn how to adjust to the situation that is given,” DiNapoli said. “Some things weren’t planned, but we kept going and adjusted really well. The ensemble rehearsed on weekends before spring break to prepare for the trip and had to perform for multiple days in a row on the trip. Trombone player Jason Santillan ’17 said he had never been to Canada before and appreciated the opportunity to better understand the culture. “A few of my friends and I went out to explore the area after we got to the hotel, and we had a blast just trying to

By KATE SCHRAGE

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF STARR WAYNE

I AM THE MUSIC MAN: Wind Ensemble musicians perform instrumental pieces in venues in three cities during their tour over spring break. This tour was the ﬁrst trip in the history of the ensemble.

walk through the deep layers of snow,” Santillan said. “I had never seen snow before that; it was a totally new experience to me.” Performing arts teacher Shawn Costantino said he is

grateful that the group had the experience of getting to see some other ensembles perform and gain some performance experience themselves to improve and grow as musicians.

“They now have seen some really advanced groups, and now our goal is to push our band to those types of levels so that the Wind Ensemble can achieve that for itself,” Costantino said.

Time Magazine named Ben Platt ’11 one of the 100 Most Inﬂuential People of 2017 on April 20, following his starring role in the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” The alum is best known for his performances as Elder Cunningham in the Chicago and Broadway productions of The Book of Mormon and his role as Benji in the Pitch Perfect series. Platt got his debut at age nine as Winthrop in “The Music Man” at the Hollywood Bowl with Kristen Chenoweth and performed in multiple Harvard-Westlake productions before graduating and continuing his professional career. Platt was named to the list for his performance touching on teenage suicide and anxiety dubbed “instantly relatable for any person who has ever felt conﬂicting emotions without having an outlet” by actor Zac Efron on behalf of Time Magazine. The list also includes celebrities such as Donald Trump, LeBron James and Viola Davis. This edition marks the fourteenth year of the magazine’s annual list celebrating individuals that “embody a breakthrough,” Time Editor-in-Chief Nancy Gibbs has said of the honor in a 2016 Time article.

Alumni exhibit photographs By GABI BERCHTOLD

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KEVIN O’MALLEY

PUT IT IN FOCUS: The portraits in the gallery depict alumni, students and celebrities. Three professional photographer alumnni compiled their various photographs to create a collection of new and old works.

Alumna debuts in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ on Broadway By ALEXANDRA SO

acters Cornelius, Barnaby and Mrs. Malloy, played by Gavin Beanie Feldstein ’11 made Creel, Taylor Trensch and Kate Baldwin, respectiveher broadway debut ly. She also sang in April 20 in ‘Hello, Dol“Motherhood March” ly!’ as Minnie Fay, a and “Dancing.” Feldshopgirl working in stein was cast into the the hat shop of Irene Broadway revival in Molloy, a widow who October after her role is searching for roas sorority sister Nora mance. in the movie “Neigh‘Hello, Dolly!’ is bors 2: Sorority Ris’ a Broadway musiing.” cal from 1964 about Beanie “This wonderful Feldstein’11 matchmaker Dolly production of HelGallagher Levi who comes to New York City to ﬁnd lo, Dolly! is made all the more a wife for “half-a-millionaire” wonderful because Beanie is in it,” performing arts teacher Ted Horace Vandergelder. Feldstein’s debut was in Walch said. “She has a big part, the song “Elegance” with char- as they say, but for Beanie it’s NATHANSON S

about the ensemble, and that’s something we try to teach at Harvard-Westlake.” In her time at HarvardWestlake, Feldstein was a Scene Monkey for two years, sang as a Chamber Singer and participated in the Playwrights Festival. Her senior year, she won the end of year award for performing arts along with Ben Platt ’11. “She was always the consummate professional and dedicated to the art and craft of acting,” performing arts teacher Christopher Moore said. “I think this production of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ will be just the ﬁrst of many future major roles on Broadway, television and ﬁlm for this tal-

The Decades photography exhibit opened April 24 and features the work of three alumni from three different decades, Art Streiber ’80, Michele Asselin ’90 and Matt Sayles ’00. The exhibit features the artist’s work in two different parts. The ﬁrst section focuses on the photographers’ previous work, mainly their portraiture which includes images of ﬁgures such as Donald Trump, Meryl Streep, Warren Beatty, Eric Garcetti, Monty Python and Justin Bieber. “[The second part is] like a retroactive high school assignment of new work,” photography teacher Kevin O’Malley said. Streiber photographed se-

nior “outliers,” students who live more than 20 miles away from school. Asselin shot portraits of 25 seniors as she read them their college application essays, and Sayles photographed seven notable Harvard-Westlake alumns. “I have always had it in the back of my mind that we should do a show of professional alum photographers,” O’Malley said. He invited Streiber, Asselin and Sayles to show their work in the Feldman-Horn Gallery. O’Malley had both Asselin and Sayles as students, and he was introduced to Streiber at Sayles’ wedding. O’Malley’s former photo student January Parkos Arnall ’96, a curator at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, joined the team to curate the gallery.

APRIL 26, 2017

THE CHRONICLE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT B3

ALL PHOTOS BY SABA NIA/CHRONICLE

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT: Top: Isabelle Eshraghi ’18, Josie Baker ’18, Matteo Lauto and two students from various high schools collaborate during a workshop. Bottm Left: Festival attendees sit on the grass while listening to poetry. Bottom Right: Tayllor Johnson performs a slam poem at a reading on the grass next to Rugby Hall.

“It brings people from a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different perspectives.” —Darcy Buck English Teacher

•

Continued from B1

through writing and sharing their writing. The festival, called “Wider “I think, especially for peoThan the Sky: A Young Peo- ple from marginalized comple’s Annual Poetry Festival,” munities of any kind, those was a celebration of diversity, communities hear from a lot of both in terms the world that of the backtheir selves grounds of the It would be really don’t matter,” poets attending Buck said. awesome to know that “When you’re and their writing all of the kids here felt like e n c o u r a g e d techniques. “All of the express they learned something, to different kinds yourself, felt like they had fun and you’re being of people who felt welcome.” are here at the told the opevent have an posite of that: —Sam Radlovic ’18 that your self opportunity to see themselves is valuable, reﬂected in the poets and the that what your self has to say poems that we offer,” English is valuable.” teacher and director of the Sam Radlovic ’18, one of festival Darcy Buck said. “It the ambassadors for the festibrings in people from all dif- val, said one of the main goals ferent corners of Los Ange- of the festival was to create an les, from lots of different high open and tolerant environment schools and middle schools. where poets could broaden It brings people from a lot of their horizons. different backgrounds, a lot of “It would be really awedifferent perspectives.” some to know that all of the Through the theme of di- kids here felt like they learned versity, the festival also tried something, felt like they had to encourage the young poets fun and felt welcome,” Radto recognize their own self- lovic said. worth and self-importance Buck said the festival staff

“

was especially concerned with establishing a climate in which all students, especially those without much writing experience, felt comfortable. “Some of it is just for people that maybe thought about writing but have never written before,” Buck said. “‘How do you get started?’ ‘How do you continue?’” She added that the festival was also a venue for people to share their work, even if they had never done so before. “A lot of people today were super excited about the opportunity to take poems from the words on the page to the performance,” Buck said. “People were really excited to read aloud and listen to people read aloud. There’s something really cool and communal that happens.” Aubrey Elwes ’18, who attended the festival, said what helped him grow the most as a writer was listening to the other poets attending and using their varied perspectives and approaches to writing as inspiration. “Everyone has so many different ideas, whether it be

some people looking at things an important forum is its abiliand taking a broad view or ty to bring writers together. others taking a more deep look “Not everybody in the world into things,” Elwes said. “It loves poetry,” Buck said. “This helps map out your way as a is an opportunity for all of writer and what you want to the people who like [poetry] write about. It’s reto come together and ally cool listening to connect with one another people’s poetother and celebrate it ry and incorporating together. People are their ideas into your performing live and work.” people are cheering, Drawing inspiso I think it’s just reration from other ally special for people writers was also to come together and expressed through share enthusiasm. You ’ keynote speaker get to ‘geek out’ a little Aubrey Claudia Rankine’s bit.” Elwes ’18 speech. Rankine The unity between discussed the role of her expe- people she saw at the festival riences with race in her writing and their willingness to share as well. their work was a triumph for “You want a destination tolerance and confidence, for the African-American body Buck said. in the American landscape,” “A student might say, ‘Oh, Rankine said. “You call it, this writing in my notebook you name it, you write it, but that I do actually is important, you’re looking back at every- actually is valuable; the thing thing that came before.” that I have to say about my Though the festival was life matters,’” Buck said. “We mostly centered around cele- are affirming our own humanbrating the different aspects of ity, and we are affirming oththe poets attending that made ers’ humanity, and affirming them different, Buck said what the connections between ourmakes “Wider Than the Sky” selves.” NATHANSON S

B4 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

MEET THE PLAYMAKERS

APRIL 26, 2017

Students submitted their original one-act plays to a committee of 33 readers. After a selection process, here are the ﬁnal 12 playwrights.

CANNOLI BLANCHARD ’18 “RULE OF THREES” “‘Rule of Threes’ was a way to vent my frustration of being somewhere between a child and an adult.”

SOPHIE KIM ’19 “EXPULSION FROM PARADISE” “I was inspired by Adam and Eve and kind of humanizing them and examining how they would be as real people.”

ALYSON LO ’17 “DOOMSDAY” “Everyone has felt or will feel stress about the future at some point in their lives. It’s something everyone can relate to.”

SAKURA PRICE ’18 “SUBWAY STORIES”

“I was inspired to write but had no ideas. As I was riding the New York subway thinking of ideas for poems, I thought of the idea for my play.”

SOPHIA DIENSTAG ’17 “BADDEST OF THEM ALL” “My play ended up being about power dynamics. I guess that aspect of it turned out to be pretty relevant.”

DANIELLE KAYE ’17 “RENDEZ-VOUS” “‘Rendez-Vous’ is about communication and is inspired by my study abroad experience last year.”

JAKOB KLEIN ’18 “PATH OF THE RECKONED”

JENNY LANGE ’17 “THE OWEN B. FALSTAFF CENTER FOR THE RECLAIMED SELF” “In [Shakespeare class] we read Henry IV, and I liked the character of Falstaff and wanted to create a character like him.”

JARETT MALOUF ’18 “FACETIME”

GAIA MURPHY ’19 “IN THE WAKE OF THE SUN”

“If students have questions about morality and morals, then I think it would be a good play for them.”

“[Facetime] is about how technology affects modern relationships. It is loosely inspired by true events.”

KATE SCHRAGE ’18 “THE UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTERS”

“My main goal was to convince the audience that we’re all humans with the same feelings and that we’re never alone in our pain.”

“I wanted to take the voice of the people and write about and interpret them and create two characters that displayed people’s identities.”

SOPHIA VAN IDERSTINE ’17 AND CATE WOLFEN ’17 “OUTTA THIS WORLD”

“We just thought of a wacky storyline that we would both want to see on stage.”

PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF PAVAN TAUH AND NATHANSON’S

Features The Chronicle • April 26, 2017

Facebook Official

While many students choose to post on social media about where they will be attending college, others fear being insensitive towards their peers during the college process. • Continued on C7

PHOTO BY PAVAN TAUH PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALENA RUBIN

C2 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Is porn okay? In light of recent speaker Gail Dines, who spoke about the farreaching impacts of the porn industry, students assess their experiences viewing porn and its potential negative effects. chological Association study, approximately 42 percent of Tim’s* ’18 mom walks into 1,500 surveyed kids between his room as Pornhub.com was ages 10-17 have viewed porn. Boys are more likely to displayed on his computer screen. He quickly shuts it as watch than girls as 38 percent his face begins to feel hot and of 16-year-old and 17-year-old turns bright red with embar- male Internet users deliberaterassment. He nervously disre- ly visited porn sites, while only gards the pornographic video eight percent of girls did, the as a random pop-up. While his study found. “I’m not sure that it’s ever mom’s face erupts in anger, Tim is confused as he had never healthy to watch porn,” Upper been told that watching these School Chaplain James Young said. “Coming at it from that videos is destructive. “I didn’t really understand point of view, the younger a what was so bad about [watch- person is, the more I’m going ing the video] at the time,” he to be opposed to it because I’m said. “Nobody had ever told me not even sure if a 30-year-old that it was taboo and supposed should be watching porn. If I to be kept a secret. My mom had a 12-year-old kid, I would didn’t really talk about it and be very concerned if they were just said not to do it again and watching porn.” When he was younger, the left it at that.” only accessible porMany students like nography was PlayTim have never had a forboy magazine, which mal education on how to minors could not approach porn. However, purchase, making at the junior class assemit more difficult for bly Feb. 22, Professor of younger kids to view Sociology and Women’s these images, Young Studies at Wheelock Colsaid. lege Gail Dines brought “It saddens me attention to the issue ’ to think that we are of porn and sexual vioChaplain probably raising a lence’s profound effect on James Young whole generation of our culture. younger kids who “I would argue that that violence [in porn] is causing a have the same degree of sexual mass generation of trauma be- knowledge that I didn’t have uncause it is so traumatic to see til I was 17, and here they are 10 those images, and you don’t or 12 [years old],” Young said. “I have anyone to speak to,” Dines can’t imagine that doesn’t have said. “This is a terrible thing to some effect on them, but I don’t do to your sexuality. You have pretend to know what that effect the right to be the author of that would be. For children at a your own sexuality, yet [porn young age to lose their naivete producers] have come in and hi- about sex is certainly a societal shift.” jacked it for profit.” Violent porn normalizes that Tim began watching porn online when he was 13 years type of behavior, Young said. old and believes that it should However, not every person who be restricted for children under watches violent porn will sexually assault someone, he said. that age. In a recent Chronicle survey “I felt like Gail Dines had some extremely valid points of 397 students, 59 percent of about the actual porn industry students report having watched and the hyper sexualization of some type of online porn, while our society; however, with re- 22 percent of students have gards to the violence she de- viewed violent porn. “I think that one of the picted in porn, although it can be found, it isn’t an overarch- fallouts from porn, whether ing theme in porn,” Tim said. “I it is violent or not, is defifelt like, with that respect, she nitely the fact that it norwas almost overemphasizing it. malizes certain kinds of However, it is there, and it can behavior,” Young said. be found, and it could lead some “I’m sure studies have been done to indicate people to be more violent.” Although he said he has nev- that there is a link er accidentally come across vio- between people who lent porn, he believes that it is watch violent porn and people who comeasy for other people to access. “I feel that although kids are mit sexual assault. watching it, I think they would There are certainly be too afraid to go through with people who would [a violent sexual act],” Tim said. watch something “It might have an impact, and it and think, ‘Wow, might not. For example, a ton of that is really horkids play violent video games, rible. I would never yet only one or two of them will do that,” but ,nevactually become violent. Most of ertheless, I would them will not [carry out a violent bet that you can act] and realize that there is line plot some sort of a correlabetween video games and real- statistical ity. I think it is the same with tion.” For Ella* ’18, [porn].” Tim is one of the many boys watching porn reacross the country who watch lieves stress, and she porn several times a week. Ac- watches once a week. cording to a 2007 American Psy- She thinks that vio-

By MADDY DAUM

NATHANSON S

lent porn should not be avail- affects the users’ attitudes and able to anyone since it can neg- behaviors toward women.” In her study, Bridges referatively impact their idea of a ences Luis T. Garcia’s study in healthy sexual relationship. “I think it is relative to every The Journal of Sex Research, person,” Ella said. “When some- which stated that a group of one watches porn, they general- surveyed male college students ly start in middle school, and it use of porn that was non-violent is the only type of sexual thing did not affect their attitudes tothey are exposed to, so when wards women. However, this they think of sex, that kind of study showed a correlation besex is what they think of, the tween watching porn and men violent sex and boys being dom- expecting their partners look inant. If that’s what they learn have a “traditional” female apsex is, that is what they are go- pearance and be less assertive. Rob* ’18 who has accidentaling to expect, whether or not it is violence in porn or just porn ly stumbled upon violent porn, said he finds it funny since it is in general,” Teens should be able to so detached from his life. “I think that it depends on watch porn as long as they are doing it in a responsible way, the situation, and I think that when you bring together the facshe said. “If you watch [violent porn] tors of watching porn, it’s a lot constantly or you have repeat- different of an environment,” he said. “I don’t ed exposure to think that this type of violence, then it will If you watch [violent the videos themselves eventually be in porn] constantly or you are ok, but your head,” she said. “I think it is have repeated exposure to I don’t think is Constipossible because this type of violence, then it tutional to most people in it will eventually be in your put a ban on the world watch them. porn, and if you head.” R o b consistently watch anything —Jenny* w a t c h e s porn about violent, you can twice a week be more influand said he think it’s possible enced by it.” According to Ana J. Bridges that sexual assault is correlated from the Department of Psy- with violent porn. “I don’t think porn has afchology at University of Arkansas, porn increases negative at- fected my relationship in any titudes towards women. Many way,” Rob said. “However, I videos depict women as subor- think that porn definitely prodinates, existing for male sex- motes sexual assault. If crazy ual pleasure, she wrote in her people who watch it decide to study, Pornography’s Effects on act on it, it has the same effect that watching a movie does. It Interpersonal Relationships. “Pornography increases neg- causes people to want replicate ative attitudes to women,” she those actions.” wrote. “Media depicting wom*Names have been changed. en as objects, existing for male sexual pleasure, and as subordinates, negatively

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KITTY LUO SILOUETTES LICENSED FOR REUSE WITH MODIFICATION FROM GOOGLE IMAGES

APRIL 26, 2017

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Mind the Gap

Students address the stigma surrounding gap years as well as the benefits of taking a year off of school following gradution.

I had a very, very specific plan of everything that I wanted to After a summer of intern- do and everything that I wanting at Otium, a restaurant in ed to explore so that it was Downtown L.A., Oliver Fried- reasonably structured.” After being deferred from man ’17 fell in love with cooking and working in the hos- her Early Decision school, Gepitality industry. He realized nie Kilb ’17 was told that, if that he wanted to learn more she maintained a 3.3 GPA for about the process that goes her first year of college, she into creating new restaurants will automatically be accepted and hotels, but at the same for Sophomore year. “In the moment, I think I time, he did not see himself working for a hospitality group would have appreciated obviright after college. Friedman ously if I had got in just nordecided then that he would mally, but it honestly worked take a gap year before attend- out to be a better situation for ing Stanford in the fall of 2018 me,” she said. Kilb will first major in fashto gain work experience and explore more of the industry ion merchandising and take all of her core classes at Unihe loves. While most students take versity of Georgia. After a year, the more traditional path of she will transfer to Cornell, entering college directly af- where she will be in a fashion ter high school, an increas- design program. Though not a traditional ing number of students, like Friedman, are opting to take a gap year, Kilb views this as a gap year, typically an academ- good opportunity to pursue ic year taken in between sec- personal interests. In fact, her ondary and higher education parents had initially wanted to gain exposure to opportuni- her to take a gap year, she ties and experiences outside of said. “Honestly, my parents school. wanted me to take a gap year According to travel, kind to the New York of do commuTimes, howevnity service, When I decided er, some see fi nd myself gap years as an I wanted to take a before college, excuse to postgap year, I had a very, I guess, and pone schoolfind out what work and bevery specific plan I really want to lieve that they of everything that I do,” she said. negatively afwanted to do.” “But I just told fect academic them that’s success. NBC —Oliver Friedman ’17 not really what News stated I want to do. that students who choose to take such a I’m really excited for college, path are often seen as less ac- and I want to go next year.” Upper School Dean Vanademically rigorous and less mature. Additionally, because na Cairns said students often gap years are often expensive, look down on gap years becritics accuse them of being cause they don’t understand elitist and only possible for what a gap year actually enstudents who are financially tails. Some think that a gap year presents an opportuniprivileged. Despite the stigma sur- ty to “trade up” or to attend rounding them, gap years a more prestigious college, have become increasingly which she said is an ignorant popular, a trend that has has belief. “A gap year is really a become more apparent with Harvard-Westlake students as wonderful opportunity, and every Harvard-Westlake stuwell. Friedmanw has divided his dent should take a gap year gap year into three parts, ded- because it’s an opportunity icating the first to working for to get off the treadmill, to get a startup restaurant group in out of the Harvard-Westlake Downtown L.A. and the second bubble, and to learn and grow to learning to cook at Mocoto, and have some different pera Michelin two star restaurant spectives, some different inin Sao Paolo, Brazil. For the teractions and some unusual final months of his gap year, experiences,” she said. To dispel the myth that he will work for Make It Nice, a hospitality group in New York gap years are expensive to to learn about the hotel side of take, Cairns said that there are many ways a gap year can the industry. Even though he has re- be put together cheaply. Stuceived positive feedback on his dents may attend gap year decision, Friedman said there fairs and programs to discover is still criticism expressed cost-efficient gap year opportoward other students who tunities. Harvard-Westlake offers a spend their gap years differprogram called the Brownstein ently from how he plans to. “The main negative thing I Fellowship, which is awarded have heard about gap years is to a Senior based on a proposthat a lot of people just say ‘I al for a “gap year” experiences don’t really want to go to col- that the student presents. The lege right now. I want to travel,’ award grants up to $10,000 and people go to Europe and to be used toward expenses of just end up partying for a year, the proposed gap year. “With enough imagination, and they end up not really using it productively,” he said. you can put together some“So when I decided I wanted thing that is just a fabulous to take a gap year, combination of experiences without it costing much at all,” Cairns said.

By KITTY LUO

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“So the whole goal of a gap year is to get out of the bubble, have some interactions, get a new perspective, and start college fresh.” One of the largest concerns parents have regarding gap years and other less traditional college paths is whether a student who has taken time off will be able to get back on track when they enter college a year later. Kilb, however, said spending a year at another school will be beneficial to her, for it will offer a period of stressfree relief. “I think it will be great in terms of easing my way into college, but I know that the transition of academics would probably be easier going from Harvard-Westlake straight to an environment like Cornell,” Kilb said. “But it’ll be nice to have kind of a relaxing year and just be able to get my core requirements out of the way.” Likewise, Friedman said he does not anticipate this to be an issue for him due to his appreciation for education and school in general. “I take school very seriously, and I’m very focused,” he said. “I don’t feel like taking a year off is going to take me off that track. If anything, I will probably be hungrier because I love school and because I won’t have done that for a year, I’ll be even more excited. I’m also not going to be slacking off during the year. I’m going to be working hard, so it’s not like I’m going to lose the motivation to work hard in school.” On the issue of the stigma surrounding gap years, Friedman said he agrees that there are many who disapprove of gap years but believes that these negative opinions have recently become increasingly less prevalent. “I think there’s definitely a little bit of a stigma, particularly in some colleges, more so the older institutions on the East Coast, I found just in my experience,” he said. “But I think that’s changing a lot now because I think it’s becoming way, way, way more popular to take a gap year.” Kilb, too, said she has heard people criticize students who are taking gap or transfer years because it is their only option in order to get into certain schools. She said the best college path to take is different for everyone and that the most important factor in making these decisions is the happiness of the student. “People take gap years for so many reasons,” Kilb said. “I definitely think that, if you’re happy with that choice of school, I think it’s a great thing to do. If you’re going to be happy in the end, then it’s worth it. People shouldn’t really judge you for it.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SAM KO

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APRIL 2

The Crown JUUL Students discuss the recent popularity of the JUUL, an e-cigarette that some say has an aesthetic appeal.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLE KIM AND JOSIE ABUGOVA

26, 2017

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By NICOLE KIM AND

JOSIE ABUGOV

Vodka and tequila bottles rested on a basement table. Bongs, vaporizers and weed pens were scattered around the room. It was around 10 p.m. on a Saturday evening, and after a stressful academic week, Bradley* ’18 said he needed to relax. He had taken a few “pulls” from a weed pen, and he was just beginning to feel its effects. When his friend gestured toward him and unclenched his hand to reveal a grey, rectangular object, Bradley brought it to his lips and inhaled. Thinking it was weed, the sharp sensation and strong minty flavor came as a shock. He couldn’t help but cough. “It was like a much faster dosage of the smoke going into my lungs than any other substance that I’ve smoked before,” Bradley said. “It sucks up into your throat much more quickly than THC does. It kind of stings the first time.” Over the course of the evening, however, his initial dislike changed into a more pleasurable feeling. “Throughout the night, I was taking longer and longer pulls because I was able to stomach it more easily,” he said. “I got a really heavy head-rush, and I felt as if the floor was much further away from my head than it actually was.” Although Bradley does not regularly JUUL, he said he understands the appeal of the high, to which the slang word “domey” refers. “I felt light on my feet, and my head felt kind of heavy,” he said. “When you get [weed] high, you feel relaxed and low to the ground. When you’re domey, everything is in your head. It feels really good.” Released in June 2015, the JUUL is a rechargeable e-cigarette created by PAX Labs, a company that also sells other vaporizers. Because the JUUL

utilizes vaporization to release point where they are a liquid active ingredients in nicotine, to a vapor. That’s theoretically it does not produce heat or less dangerous for your lungs. smoke. But we don’t really know about Removable cartridges, or e-cigarettes, whether the vehiJUULpods, come in five flavors: cle or delivery systems are safe.” mango, mint, virginia tobacco, While Travis said he sought fruit medley and creme brulee. an alternative to smoking, OlivThe JUUL website claims ia* ’18 was first exposed to nicthat, “if you are an adult smok- otine through JUULing. er who has been looking for an She started JUULing in Jane-vapor alternative that can sat- uary and said she enjoyed the isfy like a cigarette, then JUUL head rush that made her feel may be a good choice for you.” intoxicated for a few moments. This is how Travis* ’18 be- Now, when at home, she uses gan JUULing. Smoking up to her JUUL every hour and a half two packs of cigarettes a day or two hours, she said. during the summer, he has “If you’re addicted, you can’t since then transitioned to using not smoke at school,” she said. the JUUL. Although Olivia does not “ [ T h e plan on smoktransition] ing cigarettes, was pretty according to seamless, the National Kids are JUULing but it’s still Institute on socially. I think the fact that pretty bad. Drug Abuse, the popular kids at school I should 30.7 percent of probably use it makes it more popular. teenage e-ciguse it less,” arette users Most of what you call Travis said. began smokpopular kids have a JUUL, I “I just did ing within 6 it because months after guess.” my friends starting to use —Bradley* ’18 at school e-cigarettes. were giving Similar to me shit for Bradley, her smoking.” first experiences with JUULing He said he uses between were in a social setting. a JUULpod in three days or a “I knew tons of people that pack in a day, depending on his had it, and whenever I would hit stress levels. A pack of JUUL it, it was like, so amazing,” she comes with four pods. The said. “It felt so nice. So then, my JUUL website says that each friend got one when he was in JUUL pod contains the nicotine town, and so I used his. Then content that is equivalent to after he left, I was just like, ‘I’m one pack of cigarettes. just going to get my own.’” According to Matthew A. Bradley said he believes the Torrington, M.D. (Lex ’18), a JUUL’s popularity is partly due board-certified Family Medicine to his idea of the typical student physician with a specialty in who owns a JUUL. Addiction Medicine, vaporiza“Kids are JUULing socially,” tion theoretically poses fewer Bradley said. “I think the fact risks than smoking. that the popular kids at school “When you smoke, you light use it makes it popular. Most of something on fire and breathe the what you call popular kids it into your lungs, and there have a JUUL, I guess.” are thousands of chemicals Kyle* ’17, who also regularly and particles that enter your JUULs, says it is not difficult to lungs,” Torrington said. “When obtain one. Olivia spent $50 at you vaporize something, you’re a gas station for her JUUL and just heating something past the Travis got his from a dealer.

JUULing and Schooling

64% of students know of students who JUUL at school.

FEATURES C5

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“We’re in the valley, and you know, you can pretty much ﬁnd anything you want here if you put your mind to it,” Kyle said. Despite the accessibility of JUULs, Torrington said that nicotine is a substance with a short latency between exposure and addiction. Moreover, teenagers are more prone to addiction, he said. “The part of the teenage brain that helps you control yourself, your brakes, as you will, develops more slowly than the part of your brain that activates you and gets you to do stuff,” Torrington said. “Some of these things like alcohol and cannabis impair the ability for your braking system to develop. So, you end up with further eroded brakes that make you more susceptible down the road with impulse control.” Additionally, Torrington said there is a problem with the lack of regulation on e-cigarettes in general. “E-cigarettes have a false perception that they’re safer. Though they may be, they’re not a great thing to have in the body,” Torrington said. “Although the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] said they’re going to start regulating them in 2018, no one really knows what that means yet. There is no regulation on e-cigarettes, no laws on how much nicotine they can contain, no clinical trials which are some of the things that make them scary.” Considering the possible negative consequences of nicotine, Bradley also said that the recent popularity of the JUUL is a shame. “I know it seems cheesy for me to want my generation to be the one that ends smoking, but the fact that it’s so popular is disappointing,” Bradley said. “No kids are really seeing the long-term effects of it. It’s just irresponsible.” *Names have been changed.

The Chronicle polled 425 students on April 22 about the popularity of JUULing at Harvard-Westlake.

4% of students consider themselves addicted to JUULing.

22% of students have JUULed before.

GRAPHIC BY NICOLE KIM AND JOSIE ABUGOVA

C6 FEATURES

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APRIL 26, 2017

Scout’s Honor

Although some Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts stop participating after elementary school, others continue on and are grateful for the experience. By JESSE NADEL AND LAYLA MOGHAVEM

know what I’m capable of, and that’s all thanks to Girl Scouts,” Estrada said. In both of the programs, there When Angelica Estrada ’17 was in elementary school, she had are different levels for different age to knock on doors and camp out- groups, and it takes time and dedside of grocery stores to get people ication to rise through the ranks. Girl Scouts begin as Daisies to buy her Girl Scout cookies. The competition amongst the 20 other and Brownies at the beginning of nine-year-old girls in her troop was elementary school and then gradfierce. Now that she is one of the uate as Ambassadors. Boy Scouts few Girl Scouts at Harvard-West- has a similar hierarchy system with boys starting out as Scouts lake, people come to her. “Honestly, it felt kind of cool and ending as Eagle Scouts, the being one of the few girls selling highest level. Kent Sheridan ’17 graduated cookies during cookie season,” Estrada said. “It made Girl Scouts as an Eagle Scout two years ago, having initially been enfeel even more special couraged by his brother to me. Like, I was even and friends to join Boy prouder to be a Girl Scouts in elementary Scout.” school. While the common Though he said he conception is that Girl wasn’t sure what to exScouts and Boy Scouts pect when he began, he is is an activity that ends very thankful for his time with elementary school in the program. graduation, some stu’ Sheridan said the trips dents are active particKent he and his troop went on ipants throughout midSheridan ’17 were his favorite memodle and high school. According to a Chronicle poll ries from the program. “This summer was the internaof 374 students, 5 percent are still tional Jamboree in Denmark, and active members of a troop. Girl Scouts do far more than we got to see and hang out with just sell Thin Mints and Samoas a bunch of people from all over once a year. According to the web- Europe and the world and reconsite, Girl Scouts at the elementa- nect with our Danish Girl Scout ry school level earn badges, sell friends,” he said. “That was one of my favorite trips in my whole life, cookies, hike and camp. In middle and high school, the the most vivid memory being the commitment grows more intense Europe tour through Amsterdam, as participants begin to explore Normandy and Paris once the careers in STEM and other fields Jamboree was done.” Joyce Shin ’18, who is currentand travel and work on projects to ly a Girl Scout, shares Sheridan’s better their communities. “Girl Scouts also gives me appreciation for the Scout-sponthe chance to refine my leader- sored trips she has participated ship, business and outdoorsy in. “The most fun memories I have skills, and I feel like I’ve become so much was when I went to San Diego with more sure of my troop for a weekend,” she said. myself be- “We worked hard for two years to cause I fund it, and we had a great time.” Yet, all three of these students recognized a decline in participation as they have gotten older. In fact, 29 percent of students polled said they discontinued their involvement in the program. Sheridan said this can be due to several reasons, including simply graduating from one’s troop or a lack of time with the increased high school workload. Even Estrada, an active member of Girl Scouts, said she has had to sacrifice her involvement in the Girl Scouts program, specifically in cookie sales, as school has intensified. “I’ve always been the top seller in the troop every year, except for this year because college stuff was kicking my booty,” Estrada said. “When I was younger, I was hard-core into cookie selling because I wanted to do as much as I could to help my troop earn money, but my passion cooled just a little bit these last two years because I was preoccupied with other stuff.” NATHANSON S

ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA GONG

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APRIL 26, 2017

Keeping ’em Posted Started University Fall 2017 Comment

BY ALENA RUBIN AND DANIELLE SPITZ

Harvard-Westlake students are more sensitive about posting about colleges on social media than students at other Dani Mirell ’17 opened the portal to high schools. While Mirell said that her decision the University of Michigan website hesitantly. She knew she loved the school, to post required a significant amount but she told herself she would be okay of deliberation, Goldsmith had no reservations about posting. if she didn’t get in. “It’s really common for people [at Marlborough student Lily Goldsmith ’17 opened her email inbox and Marlborough] to post as soon as they searched for the email from the Uni- decide,” Goldsmith said. “At Marlborversity of Pennsylvania. She anxiously ough, there isn’t really any pressure to wait or to post, so it really comes clicked the link. “Congratulations and welcome to down to what you want to do. Most of the Class of 2021,” both students read. the people who [got in] early decision Both Mirell and Goldsmith said that posted around that time, and same for their immediate reaction was excite- regular.” Eden Burkow ’17, a student at the ment, but Goldsmith decided to make the announcement public via social Buckley School, said that posting colmedia two days after finding out while lege decisions is the norm at her school. “Basically every senior posts where Mirell waited to post the news. they are attending colMirell was acceptlege,” Burkow said. “It ed in the Early Action is the one thing that pool in December but I didn’t want to we all have in comwas not immediately hurt the feeligs of those mon, that we are exset on attending. Worcited about doing and ried people would think who didn’t get in or have looked forward to she was showboating pressure other people doing for a while now. and being insensitive who were waiting for They post on all differto her peers who had ent platforms of social not yet been accepted regular decisions,” media from photos and into college, Mirell said she waited until spring —Dani Mirell ‘17 changing bios on Instagram to statuses and to post when most pictures on Facebook, other students had alor even various Snapready heard back from chats here and there. The seniors at schools. Mirell said she would have to wait- the Buckley School definitely post their ed to post on social media about her ‘end-all-be-all’ university online.” She said although almost every stuacceptance even if she had been positive that she would go to Ann Arbor in dent posts where they will be attending college, they are still considerate of the fall. “I didn’t want to hurt the feelings of others’ feelings. “We are a very sensitive environthose who didn’t get in or pressure other people who were waiting for regular ment and acknowledge those that don’t get into the same schools as those who decisions,” she said. While Harvard-Westlake students do,” Burkow said. “We definitely are like Mirell might be more hesitant to able to have a conversation about colpost about their college decisions on lege and feel safe having that conversocial media, students at other high sation and being personal about ourschools in Los Angeles said they don’t selves.” Similarly, Kyra Terenzio ’18, a stufeel that it is necessary to spend time dent at Marlborough School, said most contemplating whether or not to post. According to an April Chronicle poll students, especially students who are of 421 students, 75 percent believe accepted Early Decision, decide to post

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Poster Children

91% think it’s appropriate for students to post where they’re going to college on social media

on social media, unlike Harvard-West- still feels uncomfortable publicizing lake students who often decide to wait the information with people besides his close family and friends. to post or not post at all. “With the college process around “It’s highly coveted to commit early decision at Marlborough just because the corner, I didn’t really want to make usually those who get in are getting into people upset or jealous about my proher first choice school, which is usual- cess being accelerated and much less ly a highly competitive school, and sec- stressful,” he said. “Harvard-Westlake ondly, it’s obviously a major relief to be is a super competitive place, and peodone,” Terenzio said. “Therefore, when ple sometimes get upset that athletgirls do get in early decision, they usu- ics give kids an advantage in the adally post about it on social media, and mission process. Nonetheless, all my it’s considered very normal, and very friends know and everyone who knows infrequently is it considered obnoxious has been super happy and supportive, but I didn’t feel compelled to post anyor insensitive.” According to the Chronicle poll, 27 thing on social media because I knew percent think Early Decision admits that people I wanted to know immediat Harvard-Westlake should wait until ately would know without me having to broadcast it.” spring decisions are released to post. Soccer player Bridget Stokdyk ’18 The school has no official policy recommitted to play at Brown garding social media posts. University during her junior However, they advise stuyear and decided to post about dents to be considerate of othher decision on Instagram afers during the college process. ter being encouraged to do so “Because students do a by her teammates, some of lot of their communicating whom had posted about comon social media, I think it’s mitting. She was tentative to appropriate for students to post at first, fearing negative post when they have decidfeedback, but was ultimately ed where to attend,” Upper W ’ pleased with the reaction. School Deans Department Beth Slattery “It was a milestone in my Head Beth Slattery said. “I life,” Stokdyk said. “But I do don’t think it’s necessary to post all their decisions, but I can un- think there are some ups and downs derstand wanting to let people know with it, like coming off as pretentious, which I was really concerned about. I where you’ve decided to attend.” Like students who are admitted didn’t want to come off that way. But early decision, athletes often commit to in the moment, I was kind of on a lot of colleges earlier than their peers. How- adrenaline, and it was really exciting, ever, some said athletes face less criti- especially with my soccer friends.” Slattery hopes that students will be cism for posting early. “In all honesty, I don’t think anyone happy for their classmates when they should post about where they’re going post on social media rather than think to college whether or not they get in competitively. “I do wish that we had a culture early, but since athletes find out about admissions earlier than everyone else where everyone could publicize where does, they’re not hurting the feelings they are attending and everyone would of others who have been rejected from feel celebrated for their choice,” Slatcertain schools,” Kyra Rosen ’18 said. tery said. “I just wish our environ“In that sense, I think people see it as ment valued the wide range of amazing schools our kids get admitted to, rather more socially acceptable.” Varsity athlete Hunter* committed than feeling like there are winners and to play to a school the summer going losers in the college process.” into junior year, but has yet to post *Names have been changed. about his decision on social media and HITE S

The Chronicle polled 421 students on April 22 about their opinions on the etiquitte of posting on social media about college decisions.

40% think it’s more socially acceptable for athletes who commit to a school to post on social media.

75% think Harvard-Westlake students are more sensitive about posting college decisions than other students. ALL GRAPHICS BY ALENA RUBIN

C8 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 26, 2017

Environmental Footprints Students and faculty members address their concerns regarding the school’s conservation efforts and its progress towards becoming more environmentally conscious. By ANTHONY WEINRAUB AND EMORY KIM

age. The school has attempted to reduce its ecological footprint Last month, when Governor with the transition to the use of Jerry Brown declared an end to special blue recycling bins and the six-year drought that plagued most recently with Interim Head California, Environmental Club of Upper School Liz Resnick’s leader Hannah Tuchman ’17 elimination of styrofoam cups in breathed a sign of relief, but re- faculty meetings. Members of the science departminded herself that the steps taken to reduce water usage at ment also believe that the school has taken enough measures to school needed to be continued. “I also think saying the drought improve the environment. “I think we did a great job by was over may be true in that we ﬁlled a certain quota, but we turning off the water fountain,” should always be trying to con- Environmental Club adviser and serve water because having a sur- AP Environmental Science teachplus of water will go a long way, er Nadine Eisenkolb said. The Environmental Club and we don’t know aims to encourage a more when we will need it,” ecologically-friendly use of Tuchman said. natural resources. In the The administrapast, the club has raised tion took a number trout to restock native popof steps during the ulations and helped restore drought to reduce the Los Angeles River.The the school’s water club also plans to build usage, including ’ a garden full of native, turning off the water Nadine drought-resistance plants supply to the school’s Eisenkolb next to Taper Gym. two fountains and re“We were actually visited ducing the frequency that the maintenance crews wash by a representative of the school’s Environmental Club, who herself the quad. “Through the drought we were felt that she had observed things watering far less, washing our on campus that didn’t seem revehicles far less, washing our sponsible in drought conditions, pavements and courtyards [far and I told her that I thought less], using far less water,” Pres- she was right,” Comident Rick Commons said. “I was mons said. “We turned aware generally that we were do- off our fountains as a ing things to try to make sure result of that converwe were conserving water, and I sation.” The drought is think we will continue to do those things, recognizing that [Califor- not the only envinia] is likely to go in and out of ronmental issue severe drought for the foreseeable H a r v a r d - W e s t lake has faced. future.” environIn a Chronicle poll of 427 stu- The dents, 54 percent said they think mental impact that the school is environmental- of the proposed ly friendly. Only 25 percent were t h r e e - s t o r y aware of the steps that the school parking garage has taken to reduce its water us- has sparked a WHITE S

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTIN KUWADA

flurry of complaints by neighbors. the construction site, and an “Say no to destruction of trees estimated 100 trucks will be at and wildlife” demands a sign in the site every day for almost two heavy red lettering. years. Signs with similar messages “The reason so many LA citiline Coldwater Canyon on the zens are opposed to this project is stretch between the school and because it creates a horrible precVentura Boulevard. edent for LA — a private bridge “Say ‘No!’ to...airborne pollut- over a scenic roadway, excavation ants” reads another. and construction far in excess of The proposed three-story hillside limits, destruction of rare parking garage, which recently oak and walnut woodland, and underwent a six-month peer re- 160 daily truckloads for nine to view process, has 12 months in an sparked controveralready terribly sy in the surroundcongested comI also expect ing area with neighmuter roadway,” bors voicing their Boyd said. that our opponents’ opinions at public However, concerns about traffic, forums, writing letthe administraenvironmental impact, ters to public offition said claims cials and opening made by Save and increased school a Facebook page to Coldwater Canenrollment will be spread word about yon!, the main addressed.” opposition to the neighbor group project. opposing the —Rick Commons project, over the “The City’s EIR President environmental [Environmental Impact Report], impact of the the Santa Monica parking garage Mountains Conserare exaggeravancy, the Sierra Club of LA, [and] tions and that there will be a net an independent expert Biological increase of 400 trees once the gaResources report all agree the rage in completed. project will indeed have a signifCommons expects that the opicant negative impact on biolog- ponents’ concerns about traffic, ical resources,” President of Save environmental impact and inColdwater Canyon! Sarah Boyd creased school enrollment will be said. “Simply put, the project addressed in the public hearings. Seventy-eight percent of stuwill destroy wildlife habitat, resulting in a ‘multi-acre dents said the school needs to do disturbance zone’ and ‘the more work to reduce its carbon most severe native wood- footprint, and Tuchman said, in land impact’ in three the end, Harvard-Westlake will be decades in the Santa able to begin work on the garage Monica Mountains...and despite any environmental fallthreatening numerous out. sensitive and declining “Honestly, I don’t think anybird and mammal spe- one or anything can stop [Harcies that are known to vard-Westlake],” Tuchman said. be on site.” “The school will do what it wants Roughly 140 trees regardless of it hurting the enviwill be removed from ronment.”

“

Sports

The Chronicle • April 26, 2017

Lacrosse

ELLIS BECKER/CHRONICLE

GOING FOR GOLD: Team Captain Zach Harleston ’17 drives towards the net in an attempt to break through the defense and score a goal April 22. This was one of the 14 goals the team scored in their 14-4 victory. With two league games left in the season, the Wolverines hold an overall record of 13-0 and a league record of 8-0.

Division leaders excel in league, overall play

By Ellis Becker

so far this year, racking up a 14-0 record over the course of The last time the boys’ la- the season. The undefeated recrosse team lost a game, no cord includes a 13-12 win over one knew what Brexit was, Loyola on March 25, in which Gary Johnson wasn’t known Paul Rodriguez ’18 scored the for not knowing what Aleppo final winning goal in overtime. Rodriguez, along with felis and Obama and Biden were low attackers Reid still the greatest broHudgins ’18 and mance in the White Tommy Park ’18, House. have scored more It was May 7, 2016, than 80 goals comand the Wolverines bined this season, were playing Loyola accounting for a in the US Lacrosse vast majority of the Regional Semi-Final team’s points. Some Playoffs. Just a few players, as well as days before, they had Lacrosse Program WHITE’S crushed West Ranch Head Erik Krum, atReid and Chaminade to get tribute the attackHudgins ’18 to where they were, ers’ success to good but they had lost to Loyola twice already that sea- team chemistry. “On the field, they play exson. After fighting hard, they lost to the Cubs 10-8. But the tremely hard together, [and] off the field, they’re very good rest is history. The team is undefeated friends, which translates to

outtakes

the field, because they all have each others’ backs and they all trust each other,” Krum said. “When we were in preseason in January, I knew that we were going to have a strong team because I saw the chemistry on the field and in practice, so I was hoping for a very, very strong team and that’s exactly what we got.” At the beginning of the season, the players said their goal was to be in a strong position for CIF, and now they feel that they are close. “Coming into the season we definitely wanted to be a contender for CIF and I think we’ve put ourselves in a good spot,” Rodriguez said. “We definitely need to keep going on the same track though and match the intensity and energy we’ve had thus far in the season. We [had] Loyola yesterday and we [had] been

“We are happy that we’ve earned our spot as number one, but we defnitely realize how much work it takes to get there. —Paul Rodriguez ‘18 watching film on them almost everyday, playing scout offense and defense, preparing for whatever sets they [came] in, and playing high pressure defense to prepare ourselves to match their pace.” On the other end of the field, the team has continued its strong defensive form. The team has only conceded five goals per game on average. Krum credits the success to three senior starters in the defense: Troy Hattler ’17, Shane Houska ’17 and Marco Marenzi ’17. “These three seniors are really the tough, strong kids who are playing with a lot of passion, playing with a lot of energy and being great leaders,” Krum said. With its impressive record, MaxLax has ranked the team number one in Los Angeles for the fourth week in a row. With

WHITE’S

the ranking, as well as the impressive record, the players said they know that they have a big reputation, and understand the effort it takes to uphold it. “This season has been really successful,” midfielder Jared Goldman ’18 said. “An undefeated record is definitely something we are very proud of. On the other hand, the season is long and we know we need to maintain a high level of play.” The team was excited for its game against Loyola yesterday, the results of which were unavailable as of press time. “The biggest question is always how do you stay undefeated when you are facing another great opponent,” Krum said. “If we can be focused, if we can stick to our game plan, and outwork them, I think we can end up on top.”

Baseball

Squad wins IMG tournament By Aaron Park

The baseball team won the IMG Tournament in Florida April 10-13, taking the squad into the last two weeks of the season on a seven-game win streak. The team, ranked 14th nationally as of press time, has compiled a combined 173-1 record, 8-3 in league play. “We definitely fired on all cylinders the last couple of games,” Baseball Program Head Jared Halpert said. “I think it even stretches back further than that, obviously the two losses against Notre Dame they just beat us, but I think we were actually playing really good baseball there. We just weren’t getting rewarded. We were having really good at bats, the kids were committing to their approach, we just

couldn’t find any holes.” After seven consecutive wins to start the spring, the Wolverines encountered a mid-season slump, going 3-31 over their next seven matchups. During its slump, the team focused on returning to its offensive production during the fall and winter preseason. “We were hitting balls all over the place, scoring a lot of runs,” outfielder RJ Schreck ’18 said. “We realized it was just focusing together as a team, and getting behind each other, and trusting each other that we will come through, has really helped us bond, get behind each other and just put balls all over the diamond. We just trust each other to deliver in the clutch and we’ve been delivering in the clutch lately

with runners in scoring position.” Now, the team seems to have regained its form, averaging seven runs scored over their current seven-game winning streak. Schreck’s batting has been particularly prominent in the squad’s offensive revival. “[Schreck’s] been excellent all season,” left-handed pitcher Adam Rich ’17 said. “He’s had great discipline at the plate, his hands are incredible, his vision’s incredible, he just has a knack for hitting, it’s that simple. He’s just so composed up there, nothing rattles him. He’s always prepared. I think the biggest thing he does is he works opposing pitchers in their pitch count; when it gets to two strikes, RJ is so good at knowing where the edges of

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

SWINGERS: RJ Schreck ’18 makes contact with the ball against Notre Dame on March 29. The team ended up losing the game 2-1. the strike zone are.” The team went undefeated in Florida, despite a slight misadventure en route to Sarasota airport. Due to bad weather, Delta Airlines was

forced to cancel the team’s flight. Though the team was able to secure transportation, some players were forced to • Continued on page D2

D2 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

Game to watch MAY. 3

Volleyball vs. St. Francis Taper Gym The boys' volleyball team's last home game of the regular season and senior night will be against St. Francis on May 3. The two teams played each other in the ﬁrst match of the season when HarvardWestlake won 3-2. Last year, the Wolverines won one game 3-2 and lost one 2-3 against St. Francis. The game is the last game of the regular season and is important for the team's morale going into playoffs.

KEY PLAYER Collin Shannon An essential player for the Harvard-Westlake volleyball team Shannon is a 6'7" outside hitter and opposite. In his four years on varsity, Shannon has proven his importance to the team. Shannon is a vital role in the squads offense and defense. As the captain of the team, Shannon leads the Wolverines.

& Figures Facts

Shutouts thrown by baseball this season

185

Consecutive victories in league matches for the boys’ tennis

Claudia Wong's ’17 school record for the 100 yard ﬂy

55.30

3:20.56

APRIL 26, 2017

Track and Field

Squad runs away from competition By ELLY CHOI

Even with a shift in team dynamics due to the different number of people on the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams from last year, the squads have found success in their meets, having an overall record of 9-2 and 9-1, respectively. “This year we have a lot of naturally talented athletes, and that definitely leads to a very strong and balanced team in a wide variety of events,” distance runner Jonah Ring ’18 said. “The universally high level of performance in most events, especially on the varsity level, has allowed us to score a lot of points at meets. As a team, we don’t really have many weak areas in terms of track or field events.” The girls’ squad is 9-1, and the boys’ squad is 9-2. Though the girls were looking forward to defeating Notre Dame, a rival for over five years, they ultimately lost 75-52. “Losing is never fun, so of course it was pretty disappointing, but we all recognized that we gave it 100 percent,” long jumper Ryan Stanford ’19 said. “Notre Dame is an incredibly strong program, and we gave it our all, so we’ll face them again in league finals and hopefully get a win.” The team is not dwelling on the negative aspects of the

meet, but rather, is using the loss to improve. “The girls have lost our only dual meet so far to Notre Dame, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it an upset,” Stanford said. “Even if the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, we were proud of our performance as a team and used it as a motivation to continue to improve. Recently, more than ever, we’re putting focus on fitness and endurance in practice, so sprinters are being exposed to longer workouts. We’re also perfecting relay exchanges and field event technique to prepare for league finals.” During the dual meet, the boys’ team was able to clinch a win, defeating the Knights 65-52. “The win over Notre Dame was unexpected because we have not beaten them in a dual meet for years, so that was really exciting and showed what we could accomplish with the team this year,” Ring said. The boys’ squad will face their main rival Loyola April 24, and both teams are looking forward to the meets in the rest of the season. After practicing every day for the past several months, the members of the teams are excited to put their skills they have worked on to the test, team members said.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

LEADING THE PACK: Top: Ben Beckman ’19 leads the race. Bottom: Matthew Wang ’18 leads in the 110m hurdles March 7. “It’ll be interesting to see how our team stacks up against [Loyola’s],” distance runner Andrew Shibuya ’19 said. “The following week we have league prelims and ﬁnals,

and I’m also really excited for those because it’s possibly the last chance to run this season. It’ll be really competitive and a great chance to run better times.”

Baseball

New school record set in boys’ 4x400 meter relay AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

Junior Varsity Boys' Volleyball Next Game: April 28 vs. Notre Dame

Baseball Next Game: April 28 vs. Loyola

Lacrosse Next Game: April 29 vs. Chaminade

Swimming and Diving Next Game: May 5 vs. TBA

Track and Field Next Game: May 1 vs. Mission League

TAKING THE LEAD: RJ Schreck ’18 takes a lead off ﬁrst base in a league match against Notre Dame on March 29. The Wolverines fell in the contest by a score of 2-1, and Schreck accounted for the one run with a solo homer. The squad has eight league victories.

Team regains mojo with tournament victory • Continued from page D1

make multiple layovers, not arriving at Sarasota until late at night. As a result, the team’s first game was pushed back until later in the afternoon. Once the players were on the field. However, they were all business. The team started with an 11-1 rout of Flanagan in its first game. Ace pitcher Jesse Begin ’18 threw five-inning complete game, as the game was cut short by mercy-rule. The Wolverines also shut out the hosting IMG Academy 6-0, backed by a complete-game shutout from pitcher Sam Hliboki ’19. The sophomore

right-hander earned tournament MVP honors for his performance. “It’s deﬁnitely really good for the rest of our season, get some more momentum heading into the last couple series we’ve got,” Hliboki said. “All those teams we played were really competitive teams, so it was good. All four were good team wins.” After the tournament, the team waited through a gamefree week before a rivalry showdown against Loyola April 25-28. Although the break slightly disrupted the team's schedule, Halpert said the respite was welcomed nonetheless. “There’s always a routine

that you’re going to want to have, and you’re going to want to stick to throughout the course of the season whether you’re an offensive player or a pitcher, but that kind of midway, maybe three-quarter way break where you don’t do anything for a couple days to just recharge your body, and probably more important, your mind, that time off is really really valuable and important for us, absolutely,” Halpert said. The team will play a three game series versus Loyola, including an HWTV livestream of their home game today. "I think our kids are excited," Halpert said. "I think they’re just excited to ﬁnally

get back onto the baseball ﬁeld here. It feels like we’ve been away from the game forever. It’s been a week, but I think they’re looking at this like they’re really eager to get back onto the baseball ﬁeld and go back to doing what they love to do." Of course, it wouldn’t be Loyola Week without a little extra rivalry heat. “We’re really excited,” Schreck said. “We’re always excited to play our rival school, especially when you really gotta take it to them and win these last couple weeks. I’m really looking forward to it and trying to play some good baseball. Hopefully we can go 3-0.”

April 26, 2017

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D3

inbrief

Boys’ Volleyball

Squad fights for playoffs

HW basketball teams earn multiple awards

By Eli Adler

Although the Wolverines’ record through the first half of the season was below .500, the players are confident in their ability to turn the tide and make the playoffs. As of press time, the team holds a league record of 3-5 and an overall record of 6-71. Despite the team’s losing record, Andrew Lehrhoff ’17 does not feel it is an accurate representation of the team’s determination and playing ability. “It can be frustrating because while we constantly compete hard in practice, sometimes it doesn’t translate over to our games,” Lehrhoff said. In the two non-league games that the Wolverines have played since returning from the break, they have gone 1-1. Though the team lost to El Camino 3-1, it defeated Viewpoint 3-0 heading into the final four league games of the season. During the break, the

PRINTED WITH PERMISSON OF KATE SALKE

BUMP, SET, SPIKE: Outside hitter Colin Shannon ’17 rises up to spike the ball against Alemany on March 23. The squad now holds a 6-7-1 record overall, including 3-5 in league competition. squad focused on practicing hard to prepare themselves for the second half of their season. “We practiced all of the second week of spring break and worked very hard, so heading back into the rest of the season, I think we are more prepared than we have been at the other points so far this season,” Anthony Navarro ’18 said. The Wolverines are confident in their ability to end their season strong, even though it has been hampered by injuries to key players such as Xander Klein ’18. “Fortunately, we have capable guys who are able to

compete to play,” Volleyball Program Head Adam Black said. While the team continues to be anchored by key seniors such as Colin Shannon ’17 and Lehrhoff, it has also relied on strong play from junior members such as Chester Ranger ’18 and underclassmen such as Cole Welsh ’19 and Jack Nordstrom ’19, who have risen to the occasion. While Black said he is happy with the players’ chemistry, he still believes there is room for growth on the court. “Even though we’re improving and our personalities are merging to form an identity, for the remainder of the

season, we still need to focus on being consistent in our play and making sure our focus is constant,” Black said. Lehrhoff wants to end the season on a strong note. “Ultimately, as we approach the most important games of the season, we want to continue competing hard in league play and then make a run in the CIF playoffs,” he said. Black’s goals for the rest of the season echo those of Lehrhoff. “We want to make playoffs, make a run and see where we end up,” Black said. “Our goal is to go in and do everything we can to win.”

Boys’ Tennis

The Wolverine’s basketball program received 7 awards this season. Jayla Ruffus-Milner ’18 won the 2017 Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year. The 5’10 junior averages 15 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Coach Melissa Hearlihy won the 2017 Los Angeles Daily News Coach of the Year for the first time in her 34 years of coaching. Jayda Ruffus-Milner ’18 was named to the 2017 Los Angeles Daily News First Team. Senior captain Justine Barraza ’17 and Melanie Hirsch ’18 were both named to the 2017 Los Angeles Daily News Second Team. Boy’s basketball player Cassius Stanley ’19 was named to Los Angeles Daily News All-First Team. —Jackie Greenberg

Baseball pitcher wins tournament MVP

Pitcher Sam Hliboki ’17 earned the Los Angeles Daily News Boys Athlete of the Week on April 17. The Daily News also named him a nominee for the SoCal Prep Legends Athlete of the Week. Hliboki was awarded MVP of the IMG Classic in Bradenton, Florida, helping Harvard-Westlake win the tournament. Against IMG Academy, he threw a complete game shutout. “It was really cool to get an award like that,” Hliboki said. “I really appreciate it. It’s an honor.” —Asa Saperstein

Softball player commits to UPenn

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF WOO SIM

GET SERVED: Left: Kenneth Lee ’19 leaps up and slams down a serve. Right: Stanley Morris ’18 prepares to return the ball to the other side of the court. The team won its first 14 matches of the spring season, including a 15-3 win against Westlake on March 3.

Division leaders prepare for playoff battles By Aaron Park Matthew Yam

and

The boys’ tennis team started the season on a twomonth winning streak, earning 17 consecutive divisional victories before an upset loss to rival Peninsula. The squad currently sits at 17-2 overall, with the only other loss coming from a Palisades team stacked with four Division I recruits. The squad was ranked first in Division I by the CIFSS Boys’ Tennis Advisory Committee in their most recent poll, published April 10. Jacob Tucker ’17 said this is largely due to the skill present across the team’s entire roster. “Our team’s greatest

strength is and will always be our depth. Our last starter is always going to be better than the other teams’ last starter,” Tucker said. The widespread talent of this young squad has also created unique problems for the team. Although skilled enough to start, many of the underclassmen don’t have experience playing in big moments like playoff games. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores starting who haven’t played in championships,” Tucker said. “We also haven’t had many close matches this year since we’ve been so dominant.” Even though the squad faced a recent loss, its combination of star power and depth

could take them to a division championship. Team captains Adam Sraberg ’17 and Jed Kronenberg ’17 have led the way as the team closes in on end of the regular season and postseason play. “[Sraberg is] very comfortable taking initiative at the number one spot,” program head Chris Simpson said. “He has beaten top players, but in his mind, it’s all fair game.” Meanwhile, the Pomonabound Kronenberg has been Sraberg’s counterpart as the squad’s premiere doubles player. “[Kronenberg is a] really good team guy, doesn’t have an ego and is easily my second best player and on any given day can be my number one, too,” Simpson said.

The squad does not have many more opportunities to fine tune its play in competitive matches. The Wolverines have three more regular-season games. Then they will begin the CIF Ojai Individual Tournament on April 27. League finals start May 2, and the CIF tournament opens May 10. The team may also hold a rematch against Peninsula on May 19. “The match to Peninsula was a wake-up call,” Tucker said. “We’ve had it pretty easy so far this season, and it’s a big sign that we need to keep on getting better. It also makes us a lot hungrier for a chance at some good oldfashioned revenge.”

Softball team captain Ashley Waco ’18 committed to play at the University of Pennsylvania. In 12 games this season, Waco has scored 10 runs and has recorded a batting average of .438. She has been a starter since her freshman year in 2014. In her career, Waco has a .431 career batting average. She has also scored 47 runs in her 55 games played. —Vishan Chaudhary

Soccer junior selected for National team Denise Shkurovich ’18, a midfielder for the girls’ varsity soccer team, was selected to Team USA for the World Maccabiah Games in Israel. “I have the opportunity to bring together three of the most important aspects of my life: Judaism, Soccer and Israel,” Shkurovich wrote on the Maccabiah Games website. This is Shkurovich’s first time competing in the games, which will be held July 4-18 in Jerusalem. The games consist of around 10,000 Jewish athletes competing from 80 countries in 43 different sports. —Matthew Druyanoff

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Wolverine Alumni Playing in College Featured Athletes Hannah Lichtenstein ’13 Soccer - Swarthmore

29 goals, 22 assists in 60 appearances 3-time All-Centennial Conference First Team NATHANSON’S

NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team

Maddy Kaplan ’14

NATHANSON’S

Softball - Harvard University Career Batting Average - .400 2015-16 Batting Average - .472 RBI - 14 Hits - 39

Justin Yoo ’15

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Fencing - University of Pennsylvania First team All-Ivy First team All-American 2 epee titles at NCAA mid-Atlantic Regionals Went 11-4 at Ivy League Championship

26, 2017

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April 26, 2017

the chronicle

Swimming and Diving

Both boys’, girls’ look forward to CIF By OLIVer aKhtarZad

for the season,” Fejzo said. “They are constantly giving The boys’ and girls’ swim- pep talks, leading cheers and ming teams finished their cheering on from the sideseasons strong with a win lines, which gets the swimagainst Orange Lutheran on mers excited for the compeApril 18. The boys defeated tition. They are all amazing the Lancers 125-51 while the swimmers who love their sport and constantly give it girls won 133-33. The boys’ team compiled their all.” Despite being undefeated an overall record of 7-1 and a league record of 5-1. The this season, the girls said girls’ team finished the sea- they can fix their previous son undefeated, averaging 86 mistakes from past seasons points more than its oppo- and surprise everyone with nents. The girls accumulated more success. “Last year, the CIF and an overall record of 7-0 and State group wasn’t too a league record of big,” Bautista said. “I 4-0. am hoping this year This season the we can gather up a girls’ swim team larger group of people started off strong. who not only go for reThe team won every lays but in individual one of its matches events as well. I see and finished first the amount of potenin the Justin Carr tial the swim team has Friday Night Lights W ’ this year and hope event. Brennan that we exceed everyThough the Lee ’17 one’s expectations.” boys’ team views After a loss to its size as an advantage, the girls’ team said Loyola on March 16, the boys’ it both helps and weakens team capped its season with a four-meet winning streak. them. “We have a really well- In those meets, the swimmers rounded team in terms of defeated St. Francis, Alemafilling up the events and cre- ny, Notre Dame and Orange ating strategic relays,” Mila Lutheran all by a large marFejzo ’19 said. “I think the gin. Members of the team major weakness of the team think the reason for their is that because we have achievements and successes grown so large this year and this season was their great because swimming is an in- depth and ability to support dividual sport, we don’t have each other regardless of the the chance to get to know results. “I would say that our each other as well as team strengths are that we have sports might.” In addition, the members a lot of depth on both Varof the team credit their lead- sity and JV, a great coachers and captains for their ing staff and very dedicated success due to their constant swimmers,” Marcus Leher ’18 said. “Also, I think one of our advice and support. “I think [Chronicle News greatest assets is that we are Editor] Claudia Wong [’17], all very supportive of each Haunani Bautista [’17] and other no matter how we do in Brennan Lee [’17] have really the pool.” The members of the team come forward as the leaders HITE S

Boys’ Golf

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF WOO SIM

DIVING IN: Claudia Wong ’17 takes a breath and throws her arms forward as she races in a butterfly event. The girls’ team finished its season undefeated, with an overall record of 7-0. agree that, as a program, they have been working harder and being more productive than last year. “Practices are run with a lot more organization and efficiency this year,” Lee said. “On Mondays, every level of the swim team practices together which is a cool expe-

rience. In general, everyone has been more on top of their own work this year.” After the ﬁnal meet of the season, the boys’ swim team has expectations to be a big force in the CIF playoffs and go all the way. The team also hopes to set a good base for next year despite many se-

niors on the team graduating. “Our expectations are to be very competitive in the CIF Southern and CIF State Championships and to be able to build a good foundation for next years’ season, despite the fact that a large number of talented seniors are graduating,” Leher said.

Squad continues the season strong with multiple wins in a row By adam YU

BENNETT GROSS/CHRONICLE

FINISH AND POSE: Brandon Kewalramani ’17 follows through his swing and searches for the shot in the air in a golf match.

The boys’ golf team has won six consecutive matches and boasts an undefeated league record of 4-0 with an overall record of 6-1 as of press time. This record includes victories against Granada Hills on March 16, Crespi on March 21 and Chaminade on March 28 by scores of 195-207, 192283 and 188-195, respectively. The squad also won its ﬁrst match of the season against Alemany 182-250 on Feb. 28 at the Hansen Golf Course. “[The success] is really thanks to hard work by each individual player and leadership from our captains and coach,” Chase Rosenblatt ’18 said. “The rest of the season seems very promising.” Having not lost since its match against Buckley by a score of 283-285 on March 2, as of press time, the team is conﬁdent going into its last league match.

The players ended up get- will follow.” Dylan Wan ’18 said he ting their revenge on Bucksimilar thoughts ley when they defeated them shares about why he thinks the team 184-195 on March 7. has been The squad successful. only has one “I would league match in say that the the regular sea“This year, we whole team son remaining is very supagainst Loyola have a good mix of portive of on April 27 at experienced players and each other on the Wilshire and off of the Country Club. rookies.” course,” Wan Teamwork —Dylan Wan ’18 said. “We and participation from all Boys’ Golf have a good mix of expesquad memrienced playbers have been ers and rookamong the reasons attributed to the suc- ies, [and] we’ve worked well together as a team to build cess of the team. “Our team success is each other. We all have a based on dedicated practice great sense of humor, and we sessions, team chemistry all look out for one another.” Following the conclusion and good leadership qualities from our three seniors, Owen of the regular season, the Calvin-Smith [’17], Brandon golfers will play in CIF IndiKewalramani [’17] and [Digi- viduals at the Brookside Golf tal Editor] Bryant Wu [’17],” Club on May 4. The squad will then play program head Tony Kewalramani said. “We need to con- in the CIF Team Divisionals tinue doing what we have on May 8 at an undetermined been doing, and the results location.

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hwchronicle.com/sports

April 26, 2017

Sports D7

Softball

Team undefeated in league competition

By Sam McCabe and Zach Swartz

With three straight wins to kick off its league play, the softball squad has improved its overall record to 5-9. “We have been gaining confidence with every run we score, and I definitely think that’s a huge contribution to our 3-0 league record, as well as our continuous hard work at practice,” Kinly McCaffrey ’18 said. McCaffrey has taken on a greater leadership role this year after being elected as one of the four team captains. “I have been doing a lot more individual work to improve my hitting to try to lead by example,” McCaffrey said. “I’ve changed my mentality in the batter’s box to just focus on each individual pitch.” The team said the most important thing it wants to focus on is continuing to give maximum effort. “My goal for the team this year is to leave everything out on the field and work together to play to our full potential,” Ashley Waco ’18 said. “If we do this every game, we will have our most successful season yet.” A major key for improvement will be working on the

mental aspect of the game. One emphasis has been on awareness of certain situations whether at the plate or on the base paths. “Once we get that down, I believe we will finally be able to reach our full potential,” McCaffrey said. There was an expectation for growing pains as individual skill developed for such an inexperienced squad. Waco wants to focus on a skill that requires no special individual athletic talent though. “We can always improve on our communication,” Waco said. Even after the slow start to the year, recent success has reaffirmed pre-season high expectations of making a deep playoff run. “I would say I have had pretty high expectations for our team throughout the season, and I don’t think it has changed much,” McCaffrey said. “As long as we keep working hard and focusing well, I’m hoping the team will be able to exceed mine and everyone else’s expectations.” The team has four more league matches remaining. Next, the team will play Marlborough in a home match May 2.

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

PITCH PERFECT: Top: Hailey De La Vara ’17 winds up at the mound, preparing for her pitch. Bottom: Emily Nutting ’20 pivots her body as she swimgs at the ball looking to get on base.

D8 Sports

The Chronicle

Q&A

April 26, 2017

Sam Hliboki Baseball

By Eli Adler When did you start playing baseball, and what initially drew you to the sport? I started when I was around 3 or 4, and it’s just been my favorite sport since then. I’ve played other sports, but baseball definitely stood out to me from an early age, and it’s why I stayed with it. How has being on varsity since your freshman year impacted your game? Last year, there were a lot of older guys, including seniors, on the team. I was able to learn a lot from those guys and gain a lot of tips from them. Making the deep playoff run we did last year, I got to get a taste of the playoffs, which was really helpful and fun. We don’t have a lot of experience, but we are a really exciting team, and I am looking forward to that for the rest of the year. How do you feel about the team’s play so far this season? Especially from my perspective as a pitcher, the defense and offense have just been amazing this year, and I think they’ll continue to be really good. It’s been really fun to have that comfort with those guys being behind you or hitting for you, and I think it will just continue and progress through the rest of the season. What is your favorite part of being on the mound? Competing each pitch. That’s why I love pitching so much; it’s because I’m constantly competing and I’m the guy who always has the ball, and that really appeals to me. What are your goals, both individually and for the whole team, for the rest of the season? We’re coming down to the time in the season where every game matters, and we’re trying to be in playoffs. Hopefully, if we make playoffs, we’ll be able to have some of the success we had last year. My biggest goal right now is to do everything I can to help the team get back to where we were last year and hopefully win. I heard baseball players all have nicknames. What’s yours? Beef Tips. What’s the story behind how you got that nickname? The summer of my freshman year, we were at dinner, and Nate Kimmel [’17] looked at the menu as they were trying to come up with nicknames for the two freshmen, me and JP Corrigan [’19]. He saw on the menu Beef Tips, and so they decided that would be my nickname. I’ve been Beef Tips ever since.

Stats

How did it feel to win MVP at the IMG Classic Tournament over spring break? It’s something really cool to win, and I feel honored to be named the MVP, but I like to try to stick to the team mentality, and the fact that we won the tournament meant a lot more to me and was really special. Do you have any pregame rituals? What are they? Not really. We just like to have a lot of fun prior to games. The guys who aren’t throwing that day like to have some fun, yelling and stuff like that, but otherwise, that is pretty much it. Ultimately, what do you hope to eventually accomplish? My personal expectations and goals for the team largely revolve around taking it step by step. The first step is winning league and then from there, just taking each playoff game one by one, obviously trying to win each. At first, we just want to focus on trying to win each series and then hopefully win league after that and then take the playoffs game by game and hopefully win each of those and ultimately get a CIF ring.

Strikeouts this season

Team wins this season

2.14

ERA this season

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE