November 2016 issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

CHRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

Los Angeles • Volume 26 • Issue 3 • Nov. 22, 2016 • hwchronicle.com

School hosts wish reveal By MADDY DAUM

Community Council partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to reveal a trip to meet Rapunzel for a ﬁve-yearold cancer survivor Nov. 14 at an all-school assembly. Leighton Kaba beat leukemia through chemotherapy and a successful bone marrow transplant from her sister. She became eligible for a wish and decided to use her wish to go to Disneyland. Kaba and her family were greeted outside Taper Gym by a fairy godmother, played by Natalie Musicant ’17. They were then led inside to the awaiting student body and a royal scene including Head Prefects Cate Wolfen ’17 and Matt Thomas ’17 whowere dressed as king and queen. “All the students were really thrilled and there was such a great energy,” Manager of External Events at the Makea-Wish Foundation Greater Los Angeles Taylor Kalman said. After Musicant granted her a series of “wishes,” including pink and purple balloons and having the audience put on Mickey Mouse ears, she revealed that Leighton and her family would be traveling to Disneyland. Students then lined the path from Taper Gym to the quad as Kaba rode in a horsedrawn carriage.

Seeing Red By JESSE NADEL JEAN SANDERS

AND

Sitting in the lounge of her dorm at the University of Michigan, Katie Kreshek ’16 felt her stomach sink as she watched Donald Trump’s electoral votes rise. Around her, she heard the cheers of some of her peers as state after state went red. “It wasn’t until after the

ESHANIKA CHAUDHARY/CHRONICLE

Alumni in conservative states noticed a shift in political atmosphere in their new cities, which was highlighted by the presidential election.

election that I realized how much I naturally gravitated towards students who came from major cities and backgrounds similar to my own,” Kreshek said. “Sitting in that lounge was the beginning of a culture shock.” Kreshek began to notice the stark difference in political discussion between her hometown and her new city. “At Harvard-Westlake,

even when there were disagreements in political opinions everyone could understand each others’ perspectives at the very least and have intelligent discussions without immediately dismissing each other,” Kreshek said. “Here some people have been raised in different ways that I’m ignorant of coming from my background and discussion doesn’t come as easily.”

Presidential election reveals school strife

By EMILY RAHHAL SAMMI HANDLER

AND

In a mock election conducted by AP government students, 72.19 percent of 543 Harvard Westlake students polled voted for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine, while 14.73 percent of 543 HW students polled voted for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. “In every election there will be winners and losers,” Harry Gestetner ’18 said. “But the way many of those on the losing side have acted has been undemocratic and inordinately hostile — it’s not fair to brand all Trump supporters as misogynistic, racist homophobes.” This disparity among students left Trump supporters in the minority on campus, creating some backlash against these members of the community, Chaplain J. Young said. One student, who preferred to be anonymous, said he feels uncomfortable expressing his support for Donald Trump on campus for fear of how his peers and teachers will view him. “I just can’t express my

opinion at all without being labeled as a sexist or a racist,” the student said. “It’s pretty unfair. You’re honestly not even allowed to have your own opinion, which I think is very un-American.” Similar feelings of uneasiness with sharing political opinions plagues some students in support of Hillary Clinton as well, students said. Liz Yount ’17 stood among roughly 8,000 protesters in MacArthur Park Nov. 12. with Black Lives Matter, socialist groups, Palestinian liberation groups, and other political organizations. She marched with the other demonstrators, some of whom were also HarvardWestlake students, until she could not move. There was an authentic sense of coming together, she said. At school, Yount said she feels some sense of solidarity, especially amongst the senior girls, but not in the same way she experienced at MacArthur Park. “On campus there are people who dissent, there are people who are going to be mean to you and be aggressive if you even so much

Of the 524 students who have graduated from Harvard-Westlake in the past two years, 154 now go to school in states that voted Republican in the presidential election. This was a noticeable shift from the liberal climate of Los Angeles where 71.5 percent of the population voted Democratic in the election. Some students found these • Continued on C8

INSIDE

DANIELLE SPITZ/CHRONICLE

HILL-TO-THE-NO: Jake Neuman ’18 views the Electoral College results of the presidential election, which Donald Trump won.

as wear a Hillary shirt or do something even just subtle,” Yount said. “There’s unity at Harvard-Westlake from the girls in the senior class for example. That’s a good example of unity, but that came as a result of negativity, which is kind of what’s happening now [after the election] too. I just think what you get [at the protest] that you don’t get at HW is that intense community and authentic sense of togetherness.” Since Nov. 8, the school has been trying to reconcile how to embrace inclusivity and how to remain politically neutral. President Rick Commons said that after hearing con-

cerns and witnessing how the election “opened deep wounds for many” in the school, he decided to send an email Nov. 11 reafﬁrming the administration’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, regardless of anyone’s race, gender, nationality, religion, abilities or sexual orientation. The rhetoric of this election season, particularly Trump’s language throughout his campaign, does not reﬂect the school’s values or mission statement, Commons told the Chronicle. “I think the way it was written was very smart because • Continued on A3

HONOR BOARD: A deeper look into the inner workings of the Honor Board and how it functions.

ONLINE

BIG RED: The Fall 2016 Edition of Big Red is avaliable online at: hwchronicle.com.

A2 News

The Chronicle

Words come with impact

Nov. 22, 2016

By Danielle Spitz and Nicole Kim Anonymous quotes heard around campus involving offensive language regarding race, gender and sexuality flashed against a black screen at assembly Nov. 2. Student club leaders presented the video to spread awareness of microaggressions on campus and start a movement to stop derogatory language. Leader of the Latino-American Student Organization Carmen Levine ’17, Black Leadership Awareness and Culture Club and LASO leader Daniel Varela ’18, BLACC leader Anya Andrews ’17, La Femme Club leader Sohni Kaur ’17 and Gender-Sexuality Awareness Club leader Dana Anderson ’17 conducted the presentation. Andrews and Jillian Sanders ’17 compiled a video of students reciting offensive quotes heard by others on campus, including racial and homophobic slurs. The anonymous quotes included: “I wish I was black because it would be so much easier to get into college,” and “Two guys in a relationship makes my stomach hurt.” After presenting the video, Andrews acknowledged that reactions among students were varied. She said that some laughed at the absurdity of the quotes while others felt

NICOLE KIM/CHRONICLE

TALK IT OUT: Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michele Bracken leads the follow up discussion in Ahmanson during Activities Nov. 7. Faculty and students discussed miscroaggressions brought up by the video and brainstormed solutions for the school. confused and uncomfortable. fully this encourages more “Small little microaggres- people to begin that process sions like this can perpetuate if they haven’t already,” Ana lot more negative culture,” derson said. “Harvard-WestKaur said. “One of the lake holds itself to a first steps to stopping higher standard of hate crimes based respect for our peers, on gender, race or but too often we find sexuality is to be acthat language like we countable for our acshowed in the video tions and stop what is part of the norm.” we’re seeing.” Tali Perluss ’18 As a follow-up said she appreciated ’ project, students that members of the Sohni Kaur ’17 will take pledges in school community their class meetings took it upon themseland Choices and Challenges ves to fix an ongoing issue. classes to stop offensive lan“It was really surprising guage heard on campus. that kids at our school would “Becoming more informed ever say things like that, but I is an ongoing process, so hope- think it’s really good that this nathanson s

Commons announces Head of Upper School By Sammi Handler Effective July 1, Laura D. Ross will become the new Head of Upper School, leaving her position as Head of Upper School at the Greenhill School in Dallas, President Rick Commons announced in an email to students, parents and faculty Oct. 26. “Mrs. Ross stood apart for her inspiring educational vision, broad experience in secondary and higher education and notable ability to engage faculty, staff, students and parents in meaningful dialogue,” Commons said in the email.

Ross first came to Greenhill in 2012 where she was “lauded for her impact on the climate and culture of the school,” Commons said. Head of Greenhill School Scott Griggs accredits Ross with improving the student-school relationship. Griggs also said that Ross led Greenhill’s plan to start school at 9 a.m. “Laura’s intentional focus on the well-being of our students and faculty has helped to create a climate in the Upper School that is extraordinarily productive, but also fun,” Griggs said in a Greenhill ad-

In the issue

News

ministrative announcement. Ross said she was drawn to Harvard-Westlake because of the opportunity to “be part of one of the best schools in the country that also feels like a great fit for me and my family.” “I don’t know yet if there’s anything I’d like to change at Harvard-Westlake as I don’t believe it’s possible to really know a school until being there for a while,” Ross said. “I plan to spend the next year listening to as many people as I can and hearing their perspectives on the school.” Before Greenhill, Ross was the Director of College Coun-

topic was brought to the attention of the school because it clearly needs to be addressed,” Perluss said. Faculty and students continued the discussion Nov. 7. Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken led the meeting, asking questions about the school community’s reactions to the video. “Frankly, it’s not an easy issue to deal with,” Upper School Dean Celso Cardenas said. “It’s hard when we hold a mirror up to our community and recognize that there are flaws and that we ourselves need to think about the fact that we play a part in this. Sometimes, that leads to un-

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Mrs. Ross stood apart for her inspiring educational vision, broad experience in secondary and higher education and notable ability to engage [...] in meaningful dialogue.” nathanson’s

Commons said. Ross grew up in Santa Barbara and graduated from Wesleyan University. She also received a Master’s in Education from Stanford University. “After all my visits and conversations, I feel like Harvard-Westlake is a place I can belong,” Ross said.

Arts & Entertainment

C1, C7

LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE:

After two months of preparation, the upper school theatre department performed Les Miserables on Nov. 3-6. B1

Breitbart Alexander Marlow ’04 handles increased publicity since Stephen Bannon’s appointment to the Trump administration. A3

Features CAMPUS CRUTCH: Students feel that

THE GOWN DECISION: After the de-

the upper school campus is unsuitable for people with physical disabilities who have difficulty trying to get around with crutches or scooters. C2

cision to promote inclusivity, the class of 2017 voted to have all genders wear white gowns at graduation in June. A5

Opinion ety of early decisions, it is important to be supportive of other students instead of pinpointing their weaknesses. A10

—Rick Commons President

seling at Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin. Additionally, she has also served as the Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission and Director of Transfer Admission at Columbia University and “served as a primary reader for the many applications each year from Harvard-Westlake,”

TRUMPUS ALUMNUS: Editor-in-chief of

SUPPORT OR DENY: Despite the anxi-

comfortable laughter or efforts to distance ourselves from the issue.” Proposed solutions to address microaggressions included a school-wide campaign to encourage members of the school community to become comfortable talking about gender, race or sexuality and understand the responsibility of the individual to be an “upstander,” as opposed to a “bystander.” “It is our job as individuals to address others when others are using hurtful language,” Ashley Starr ’18 said. “If we continue to shrug the comments off, we are only adding to the problem.”

GRAPHIC BY ALENA RUBIN AND JOSIE ABUGOV

TRICKY TRANSITIONS: Some sophomores feel that their

transition from the Middle School to the Upper School is difficult due to obstacles such as the increased exposure to drugs and alcohol. C1, C7

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

LEAVING

FALL BEHIND: Football, boys’ waterpolo, field hockey, girls’ golf, girls’ tennis and cross country wrapped up their fall seasons as of Nov. 19. D6-7

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.

NOV. 22, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A3

Debate team continues winning streak Apple Valley Minneapple Debate

Meadows Invitational

Elimination participants

Indu Pandey ’18 (round robin), Will Park ’17, Will Berlin ’19 Vishan Chaudhary ‘19

Jake Davidson ’19 (Tournament of Champions qualified), Will Park ’17

Indu Pandey ’18 (winner), Jake Davidson ’19, Vishan Chaudhary ’19, Kimberley Kimura ’19

Voices Invitational and Round Robin San Jose

Minneapolis

Dallas

Damus Hollywood Invitational Los Angeles

Elimination participants

Evan Engel ’17 (finalist), Connor Engel ’17, Vishan Chaudhary ’19, Spencer Paul ’19, Jaya Nayar ’20

Jaya Nayar ’20, Alex Mork ’20, Lauren Morganbesser ’20, Spencer Klink ’20, Matthew Gross ’19, Will Berlin ’19

KNOCKED OUT: Indu Pandey ’18 holds the championship belt after

St. Marks Invitational

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SHANIA HUNT

Las Vegas

winning the Meadows Invitational tournament in Las Vegas on Oct. 30.

Alum’s position as Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief sparks controversy

By DANIELLE SPITZ

After President-elect Donald Trump named Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen Bannon his senior counselor and chief West Wing strategist, news surrounding the right-wing publication, which many critics consider to be a hate site, increased. After the announcement, The New York Times published an article quoting Alexander Marlow ’04, who now serves as the website’s Editor-in-Chief . Head of External Relations Ed Hu shared the article on Facebook, and alumni commented on the post disputing whether the school should have called attention to the alum’s role at the publication as an accomplishment.

Hu responded to comments saying he was not congratulating Marlow, but was simply acknowledging his part in the article. On his personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, Marlow has expressed that he is against gay marriage, does not believe in anthropomorphic climate change and supported Trump for president. “So much of the media mocked us, laughed at us, called us all sorts of names,” Marlow said in The New York Times article. “And then for us to be seen as integral to the election of a president, despite all of that hatred, is something that we certainly enjoy, and savor.” History teacher Nini Halkett, who had Marlow as a student and wrote a college

recommendation letter for him, said that Marlow showed interest in political discussion in class as a high school student and often voiced his opinion. “Although I did not necessarily anticipate that he would choose a career in politics, I am not surprised at all,” Halkett said in an email. “I remember him as being one of the most active participants in class. He was also an excellent student - smart, responsible and engaged.” History teacher Dave Waterhouse knew Marlow as his son’s friend and basketball and baseball teammate. He said he was extremely polite and friendly, remembering when Marlow was the only one of his son’s teammates to visit him in the hospital when

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GRAPHIC BY NOA SCHWARTZ

I would hope that coming out of our history classes students would have an understanding of the major issues that have shaped American politics, that they would have opinions based on evidence. — Nini Halkett History Teacher

he broke his arm. “I would never have imagined that he would get involved with an organization as deplorable as Breitbart News,” Waterhouse said in an email. Halkett said she encourages political discussion in class because she believes it is crucial to have an informed electorate in a democracy. “I think to understand the present you have to look at the past,” Halkett said. “I would hope that coming out of our history classes students would have an understanding of the major issues that have shaped American politics, that they

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would have opinions based on evidence and that they would know the difference between fact and opinion.” To discuss current partisan politics, Waterhouse said he tries to deal with political issues as neutrally and academically as he can. “I want a classroom where people feel free to say what they think, and I want students to try to understand various opinions, regardless of whether I or they agree with them,” Waterhouse said. Marlow did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for a comment.

Election results splinter community • Continued from A1

it also expanded beyond the election to other issues, [like how] people don’t feel comfortable for whatever reason,” Gillian Gurney ’17 said. “I, myself, and others have had reasons to not feel comfortable on campus and now this [email] shines light on issues that may not have been very visible before.” Interim Head of Upper School Liz Resnick also sent a letter to faculty Nov. 9 to make sure that all students were feeling safe, regardless of politics. Commons said some parents, students and faculty asked whether or not he was making a partisan statement. “My answer is that it was not intended to be,” he said. “It was intended to be a reafﬁrmation of our values in the context of big questions in our country about how important diversity and inclusion are.” The morning after the election, some teachers canceled quizzes, lesson plans and homework to discuss the election. History teacher Dror Yaron canceled a quiz for his classes and used the free time

to discuss the results and consequences, Naomi Barlava ’17 said. While some students appreciated this gesture, others felt their teachers’ adjustments were politically charged. “If Hillary had won, I don’t think the reaction would have been the same on campus,” Davis Ford ’18 said. “For teachers to cancel tests, assignments or homework, I think it’s unfair because that’s putting their own personal view into the class.” Keeping their personal political views to themselves has been difﬁcult task for teachers, Young said. “Yes, there were times that I had to bite my tongue,” Young said. “That I was tempted to say something that wouldn’t have been overly loving.” Some alumni have since criticized the school for seeming to be neutral about the divisive election after Head of External Relations Ed Hu posted a New York Times article about Alexander Marlow ’04, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the website Breitbart News, on Facebook Nov. 15. Buzzfeed News later wrote about the exchange.

“HW alumnus and Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlow ’04 in the news,” Hu wrote in the post, which was deleted that night. Trump’s new chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, was the chairman of Breitbart before joining the new administration and said earlier this year that the website is the “platform for the alt-right.” In August, the New York Times wrote that it is a source of controversey due to “material that has been called misogynist, xenophobic and racist.” “I expected some vocal reaction given the controversial nature of Breitbart, but not the volume of discussion that has occurred,” Hu said. “I am grateful that the conversation in the alumni community in the thread has been respectful and thoughtful, representing civil discourse which was sorely missing during the recent election season.” Heather Green ’98 said she needed to express her “sheer outrage” in an email to Commons, which she also sent to the Chronicle. “First, there was the posting of HW’s ties to Breitbart’s hate spewing in the same ba-

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF LIZ YOUNT

FEEL THE BERN: Asher Lowe ’17 protests President-elect Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory in Downtown Los Angeles. nal tone we hear about so-andso Gyllenhaal starring in a new role or so-and-so Collins on the court,” Green said in the email Nov. 16. “The absence of resistance was alarming right off the bat. THEN, in response to comments pointing this out, Hu posted [Commons’] letter of inclusivity. This was a perversion in the extreme; the principle and practice of tolerance to protect the vulnerable cannot be glibly translated to their tormentors without furthering assault on those you originally aimed to protect. As the kids

say these days, I can’t even. I can’t even.” Moving forward, the community needs to be respectful of each other’s opinions and avoid name calling, Ford said. “Being able to listen with open ears and open heart to people that you really, really disagree with is a pretty darn good lesson actually,” Young said. “I would hope that some positive fallout from [the election] would enable us to listen to points of view that are difﬁcult for us to hear.”

A4 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

Columnist speaks to parents

NOV. 22, 2016

By ANTHONY WEINRAUB

The New York Times columnist Frank Bruni urged parents of the Class of 2018 to understand the nominal importance of prestigious college acceptance Nov. 14 in a discussion in Taper Gym. Bruni spoke about his most recent book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be.” “[Bruni] was superb,” President Rick Commons said. “The way in which he delivered his message, I thought the tone was just right, and it’s hard to get that tone right.” In his book, Bruni explains that the college one attends has little impact on his or her eventual successes. “Where we go to college will have inﬁnitely less bearing on our fulﬁllment in life than so much else: the wisdom with which we choose our romantic partners; our interactions with the communities that we inhabit; our generosity toward the families we inherit and the families that we make,” Bruni said in his book. The discussion was organized by the upper school deans to provide additional information to parents about the application process and the impact of universities on their child’s life. “Bruni said that we should sculpt our education about what we need most, and I found that to be really inspiring,” attendee Junga Kim (Emory ’18) said.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DARRELL CARR

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM: At one of last year’s Justin Carr ’14 Dare to Dream Workshop, students were tutored in art and music. The ﬁrst Dare to Dream Workshop of the school year was held Nov. 12 at the Frank D. Parent Elementary School in Inglewood.

Students attend Dare to Dream Workshop

By SOFIA HELLER

Students went to Frank D. Parent Elementary School in Inglewood on Nov. 12 for the first Justin Carr ’14 Dare to Dream Workshop of the school year. Carr’s parents started these workshops in memory of their son, who passed away in 2013 while he was a junior at Harvard-Westlake. Carr wanted to spread arts programs to schools whose visual and performing arts departments were eliminated due to Los Angeles Unified School District budget deficits. At the workshops, Harvard-

Westlake students work with Darrell Carr attends each elementary school and middle workshop and helps to orgaschool children, who are split nize each one. into two different groups based “I think [the workshop] on age. went really well,” One tutoring Courtney Nunley ’17 group does art projsaid. “I think the kids ects while the other had a lot of fun and group is tutored by that the tutoring also Harvard-Westlake went really well.” students in math. In the past, othAfter an hour and er art activities that a half of each activhave been done inity, the groups switch clude painting to mu’ projects. sic, choreographing Courtney Darrell Carr, Jusdances, and creating Nunley ’17 tin’s father, provided peace-themed plates students with bark and other pieces of that fell off palm trees after a artwork. storm so that they could paint Nunley said she hopes the it and create African masks. art workshops and the math NATHANSON S

tutoring improves students’ daily lives as well as their academic performance. “For the math tutoring, [I hope] that the classes become easier for them and that they’re getting the attention they need,” Nunley said. “A lot of them don’t get the attention from teachers that they want or get to spend as much time on subjects that are hard for them. I hope that it becomes easier for them and that we’re beneﬁtting them in that way.” Nunley also said that she hopes the art workshops gives the students a creative outlet that they would otherwise not have due to curriculum and budget cuts.

Classes celebrate election with mock poll, dedicated discussions By SOPHIE HABER

To promote interest among the student body for the presidential election, Kutler Center courses each dedicated a class period to discussing the election and how it relates to their ﬁeld of study during the week of Oct. 30. History teacher Dror Yaron said that the dedicated classes were designed to increase awareness and excitement for the election. “We deliberately did this to give students time to think and ponder on the issues at hand,” Yaron said.

In the past, history teachers covered current elections in their classes, but this year the school decided to organize a forum for discussion. Each course applied the election to its own respective ﬁeld of study. In Analysis of Interactive Media, students participated in a role-playing game where they played politicians and simulated an election. In Criminal Law, students debated various California propositions and in Myth and it’s Meaning, students discussed myth and politics in the ancient world.

Students said they valued the opportunity to discuss and further understand the election. “It was amazing to be able to sit in on the lecture about Clinton and Trump’s foreign policy,” Lauren Morganbesser ’19 said. “I learned so much, and I really appreciated being able to learn about a topic that I’m interested in and otherwise wouldn’t have been able to have a lesson in without this program.” All upper school students also participated in a mock election, with students voting on the presidential race and

KAITLIN MUSANTE/CHRONICLE

I’M WITH HER: Math teacher Mike Grier watches students as they analyze the results of the election simulator they built. related topics. History teacher Dave Waterhouse announced the results of the nationwide mock poll Nov. 7. In the poll, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won 72 percent of the

votes cast, and Republican candidate Donald Trump won 15 percent of the votes cast. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein earned the remainder of the vote.

Schoolwide Mock Election Results Donald Trump (15%)

Hillary Clinton (72%) Gary Johnson (9%)

Jill Stein (4%)

SOURCE: DAVE WATERHOUSE GRAPHIC BY ANTHONY WEINRAUB

NOV. 22, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A5

Students celebrate Halloween

By JENNY LI AND KAITLIN MUSANTE

Students participated in a Social Committee-organized costume contest and took photos in a photo booth to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on Halloween. The committee organized the contest and showed Halloween-themed movies in the lounge to bring the community together in Halloween spirit. “Not many times during the school year can everyone come together,” attendee Sarah Wilen ’19 said. “With this contest, we hope to bring the Harvard-Westlake community together in a fun, stressfree environment of fun and candy.” Select students walked down the runway in the lounge during Activities Period to showcase their costumes to the student body. Sultan Daniels ’19 dressed up as the Avatar: the Last Airbender character Sokka and received a front-of-the-line pass for winning the individual costume contest. Father-daughter duo Lucy Yetman-Michaelson ’17 and English teacher Jeremy Michaelson, who dressed as Curious George and the man with

JENNY LI/CHRONICLE

UP, UP AND AWAY: Aaron Glazer ’17 and Pearl Accord ’17 dress up as Russell and Carl from the Pixar movie “Up” for the Social Commit-

tee-organized costume contest Oct. 31 in the student lounge. Students could enter the costume contest either individually or as a group.

a yellow hat, received a piñata after winning the group contest. “The contest went very well,” Daniels said. “Everyone seemed very excited and spirited, so I thought it was a great event.” Members of Miles of Smiles club raised $1100 in the CHLA fundraiser to help the children afford medical expenses. The event, Smile! for CHLA, invited members of the community to donate and take pictures in a LED inﬂatable photo

booth or with a Pikachu mascot costume in the lounge from fourth to seventh period. “We came up with the simple, yet memorable name related to smiling for a picture in the photo booth while supporting a great cause,” Miles of Smiles club leader Myria Chen ’18 said. “We realize that we are a part of a privileged community, and we would like to help others who are less fortunate.” Students in the lounge seemed excited to help the

Seniors to wear white at graduation By ALENA RUBIN

The senior class voted to all wear white gowns and caps to graduation this year, following the decision to end the tradition of female seniors wearing white gowns and male seniors wearing black gowns. The administration and Prefect Council said that they asked the seniors to make this change to promote inclusivity for all students. The Prefect Council sent a survey to seniors where they could choose whether they prefer to wear white or black gowns and caps at graduation, or if they were indifferent. At senior class meeting, they announced that the ma-

jority of students voted to wear white. “Obviously it’s going to be an awkward transition stage, but I think this is a change that needs to happen eventually, and I think it’ll be pretty cool to be part of the class that implements this change,” Prefect Carolyn Hong ’17 said. The Class of 2017 will be the ﬁrst class in which every student of every gender wears the same color gowns and caps at graduation. The following classes will continue the new tradition of wearing uniform caps and gowns. They will also continue voting for which color gowns and caps they would like to wear at

graduation. Maddy Harbert ’17 said that, although she voted to wear black gowns and caps, she supported the message behind all students wearing the same color. She did not mind that her ﬁrst choice for gown color was not chosen. “I didn’t really care about which color was chosen, but I thought it was important that they be inclusive of all genders and not categorize people based on their gender, so I thought it was really cool that we’re doing it all as one color,” Harbert said. Ethan Blaser ’17 said he was indifferent on the selection of the gown color, and vot-

kids while also taking the pictures, attendee Beata Hitterrer ’19 said. “This just makes Halloween even more fun,” Hitterrer said. “This is an awesome way to raise money for the children and have fun at the same time.” The club members were pleased with the turnout and are looking forwards to achieving their future plans. “We had a lot of success in this photo booth,” club member Allen Gan ’18 said. “We

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are one step closer in accomplishing our goals in helping the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.” Students said they enjoyed the contest and festivities and said that they felt that the events helped to bring the Halloween spirit to campus. “The costume contest was an awesome way to start off Halloween,” Isabel Wiatt ’18 said. “We saw some scary costumes and some fun costumes. It really got me in the spirit and ready for [the night].”

I didn’t really care about which color was chosen, but I thought it was important that they be inclusive of all genders and not categorize people based on their gender, so I thought [doing it as one color] was really cool.” —Maddy Harbert ’17

ed as so in the survey. “I don’t think it matters,” Blaser said. “I don’t think people really found it as big of an issue, from what I could tell. I’m ﬁne with white.” Blaser, however, said that he was glad that others were accepting of the new tradition. “I’m happy that it didn’t get blown out of proportion, that this issue wasn’t really made a big thing,” Blaser said. “People

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were just like, ‘Okay, it’s white now, alright.’” Harbert said that she, nonetheless, is looking forward to wearing the same color as the rest of her peers at graduation. Blaser noted that although he voted that he was indifferent in the survey, he is glad that the chosen color was not black because black fabric traps more heat.

School hosts annual UCLA blood drive By KENDALL DEES CAMERON STOKES

In order to be eligible to donate blood, participants were required to undergo a process The school held its annual involving a health questionUCLA Blood Drive in collabo- naire and a blood and health ration with the Parent Associ- history examination with a nurse. Some students who doation and Community nated blood for the Council. first time expressed The majority of that they appreciatdonors for the blood ed the opportunity to drive are comprised of give back to the comstudents. munity in this way. “If we provide a “I felt like since I place where students just turned 16, it was can come and donate such a cool opportufor the very first time, nity to have and a be with their friends, ’ cool thing to do, so I be in a comfortable Serena decided I needed to surrounding and Davis ’17 take advantage of it,” have a good experifirst-time donor Eve ence, they are more likely to become donors for life, Baxter ’19 said. Despite meeting the necand that’s what we are hoping to have our kids develop into essary requirements to particbeing,” event coordinator and ipate in the drive, some stuExecutive Assistant to the dents experienced dizziness or President Anne-Marie Whit- nausea after donating. “When they raised my man said.

AND

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chair, I just got super lightheaded and loopy, and then my face just turned totally white,” Baxter said. “The nurse rushed over and had to put my chair all the way back, covered me in ice packs and had me breath into a bag.” Community Council worked to recruit donors and help coordinate the logistics of the day. After a successful drive, students expressed their appreciation for the drive overall. “Hosting the drive within the Harvard Westlake community was also really great because a lot of people might not have necessarily gone out of their ways to seek out UCLA, but by having the drive at school, it became an apparent part of their day and had people talking about an issue that is really important,” Community Council member Serena Davis ’17 said.

KENDALL DEES/CHRONICLE

ARE YOU MY TYPE: An employee from UCLA hospital draws Jack Peterson’s ’18 blood, which will be donated to people in need.

THE CHRONICLE

A6 News

in brief

NOV. 22, 2016

JSA holds election night watch party

The Junior State of America club and government classes organized an election watching party Nov. 8 after school. The event was open to all students and faculty members. Attendees discussed the results with government teachers, as they watched the election on CNNgo. Students said that they enjoyed watching such a historic event with their peers. “This is our country and these are people that are going to lead our country,” attendee Will Newhart ’19 said. —Kaitlin Musante

Niche ranks school fourth best nationwide

Niche.com named Harvard-Westlake the best private high school in California and the fourth best in the nation for 2017. Rankings were calculated based on several factors, with the most weight on standardized testing, college enrollment and cultural diversity. Harvard-Westlake was given an A+ on their rating scale in academics, teachers, college readiness and clubs and activities. “Given their methodology, it doesn’t surprise me that we are ranked so high,” Upper School Dean Celso Cardenas said in an email. “I am very proud to work at HW.” —Jenny Li

StoneCutters holds bake sale to advertise The editors and staff of StoneCutters magazine held a bake sale to promote their club and encourage student submissions Oct. 24. Club members handed out baked goods such as cookies, pies and brownies. Students did not have to pay for treats, as they were given out in exchange for a follow on Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr. “The goal here is to drive the interest in StoneCutters and make sure people follow us [on social media],” editor of StoneCutters Talia Ratnavale ’17 said. —Jenny Yoon

Noise complaints stop cheer practice Neighbor complaints forced cheer practice to be cut short during their scheduled practice time Oct. 14. The team was practicing for their Homecoming dance routine under the direction of their coaches Octavia Ellison and Angel Dudley and with Drumline. Early into the practice they were asked to leave the ﬁeld by security guards. When the team did not leave the ﬁeld and continued to rehearse, the guards proceeded to shut off the lights while they were still dancing. Neighbors next to the school called to complain about noise coming from campus, Barnum said. —Alex Goldstein

LUCAS GELFOND/CHRONICLE

CHRONICLING WINS: Nearly 4,000 students gathered at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis to go to an awards ceremony at the JEA/ NSPA convention. Jake Liker ’17 placed ﬁrst in the multimedia sports category for his story “Cassius Stanley: Smooth Operator.”

Publications receive awards at convention By EMORY KIM

The Chronicle won seventh place Best of Show in the “Newspaper Broadsheet” category and sixth place Best of Show in the “Publication Website Small School” category at the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association High School Journalism Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. Nov. 13. The middle school news magazine The Spectrum won

second place for the junior high newspaper division. Additionally, Vox Populi came in 10th place for in the “Yearbook 289-336 Pages” category for last year’s yearbook. Several Chronicle staffers won individual awards. Jake Liker ’17 and Joe Levin ’17 won ﬁrst place and third place, respectively, for “Multimedia Story of the Year.” Pavan Tauh’s ’18 photo of Jon Nelson ’16 received second place for “Feature Photo of the Year,”

and Vivian Lin’s ’16 illustration for the article “Attacking Behind a Screen” placed third in the illustration category. “I’m glad we’ve been very consistent in winning these awards, but I hope we improve further throughout the year,” Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Sammi Handler ’17 said. “I’m very proud of our paper and what we have done.” Chronicle adviser Jim Burns, Spectrum adviser Steve Chae, Library and Technology

and World Languages teacher Jeannette Rodriguez, English teacher Michael Chavez and Communications teacher and yearbook adviser Max Tash accompanied the 25 publication students to Indianapolis. “Our staff works incredibly hard to produce each issue, and I cannot be happier with how it turned out,” Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Jesse Nadel ’17 said. “I think our winning seventh place in the competition really shows our work.”

International Relations students attend conference

By SABA NIA

Advanced Placement Human Geography and International Relations students attended the International Negotiation Project conference at Whittier College on Saturday, culminating their month-long online simulation, in which they learned how to represent a country and make political agreements with other nations. Harvard-Westlake was one of roughly 10 schools that went to the conference to discuss various global issues, including climate change, refugees, foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Each of the three classes represented its own country, either Mexico, India or Rus-

sia, as decided by history plexity and importance of the teacher Nini Halkett and Joyce issues. “I think what’s great about Kaufman, a professor of political science at Whittier College. the simulation,” Halkett said. Students spent class time “It makes [world issues] more real to them then just researching the four reading about it in a issues from the point book.” of view of their delHalkett said that egated countries and her students, who communicated online compared the simuwith other schools to lation to a series of make proposals and Model United Nations resolve the issues conferences, found that complied with the change of pace their respective na’ from a traditional tional interests. Nini Halkett lecture-style class inThough students vigorating. experienced some She said they appreciatfrustration after realizing that negotiations can be “very slow ed that the project was more and painstaking,” Halkett said student-centered and allowed that most students became them to be more assertive and more interested in the subject responsible. “I think the conference is after they recognized the comNATHANSON S

Seniors apply to schools early, reach more than last year

By INDU PANDEY

Seniors applied to colleges early action and decision by Nov. 15 in usual numbers, deans said. Roughly 95 percent of seniors applied early to at least one college, including early action schools, Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo said. “I think there was a coalescing around the usual suspects, the same ten or ﬁfteen colleges,” Cuseo said. “Maybe more so than usual. Maybe there was some applying in larger numbers.” Cuseo said this was likely due to the “every other year” phenomenon. “We often talk about the

‘every other year phenomenon,’” Cuseo said. “There’ll be a good year and it seems like, ‘Wow. Harvard-Westlake did so well.’ And then people will apply and be optimistic the next year. Just even a few more applications that aren’t as well qualiﬁed apply to schools with very small [percentage admission rates], and then, as you might expect, they don’t get in in larger numbers.” Higher deferral rates make it seem like a bad year, but statistically it is no different from the last, Cuseo said. “What we want people to know is that even if [the results] are entirely predictable, it might seem bad,” Cuseo said.

Top Nine

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a really interesting way to see students my age interact on a more professional, formal level, and it’s also really cool to see how informed kids are on current events and other topics,” Natalie Choi ’18 said. The simulation and conference, which has been taking place annually since 1989, offers Halkett a way to educate students about diplomacy and be more knowledgeable about international issues, she said. “That’s what’s personally meaningful to me: that I feel like I’ve contributed to their education about the world that they are going to have to live in and that their children are going to have to live in,” Halkett said. “I think that all teachers are trying to make the world a better place.”

Approximately 95 percent of 12th graders applied to schools early. Below are the top nine applied to.

University of Michigan Tulane University University of Virginia University of Chicago University of Wisconsin University of Indiana University of Pennsylvania Southern Methodist University Stanford University SOURCE: SHARON CUSEO GRAPHIC BY MADDY DAUM

Nov. 22, 2016

hwchronicle.com/news

Professional trains group peer leaders

News A7

in brief

Prefect Council to host first Coffeehouse

By Gabi Berchtold

Peer Support trainees and leaders participated in a training event at the Upper School on Nov. 19. The four hour event featured Mark Rosner, the director of the Council in Schools program at the Ojai Foundation, who spoke to trainees and leaders in Chalmers Lounge. Attendees learned about ways to better structure their groups and ideas and techniques to further improve the program. During the training session, Rosner taught the council method to the Peer Support leadership group to further their knowledge on the tactic so they can use it in group. “It’s a specific training that’s called the council training, which trains Peer Support leaders and trainees in a certain way to supplement what they do in group by giving them a different technique,” Peer Support Faculty Advisor Luba Bek said. “It’s very personal and it’s very spiritual because it’s taken from the Native American tradition of sitting in a circle.” Students were able to use the meeting as an opportunity to develop their leadership skills to use in their Peer Sup-

DANIELLE SPITZ/CHRONICLE

STUDENT COUNCIL: Will Granger ’18, Charles Flippen ’18 and Kevin Wesel ’17 (left to right) laugh as they reflect on their Peer Support training session. Mark Rosner spoke to the team. port groups. “I think it went well, and it was really helpful for us to have more training and more of a formal training in council in Peer Support,” Lexi Block ’17 said. “[Rosner] gave us a lot of insight on how to make council better and more powerful for the people that participate in it, and it really brought out some strong emotions in us.” Attendees participated in exercises to learn about the council method in an immersive and interactive way. “[The speaker] gave us examples and we role-played one of them,” Matteo Lauto ’18 said. “Council is a good

way to get group going and open up the floor for a more flowing conversation.” Students said they enjoyed the opportunity to come together as a larger group of Peer Support leaders, which is something that they have not been able to do since the peer support retreat this fall. “We grouped closer together as a peer support community in a way, and it was kind of interesting to see how the opinions of others on different issues were very similar to both mine and the rest of the group. [The experience] just further brought out the love that we have with one another,” Jake Neuman ’18 said.

Peer support trainee Emma Spencer ’18 said she thought that their time together would benefit the overall peer support program. Overall, members said that the experience was valuable for continuing the growth and improvement of the Peer Support program. Peer Support leaders and trainees said they believed the tools they gained would benefit the comfort of participants. “It was definitely helpful because now we have all sorts of tools to facilitate issues or stories that people maybe want to share that maybe before they were too uncomfortable to share,” Lauto said.

Student volunteers run daycare for faculty children By Jenny Li

JENNY LI/CHRONICLE

A BREAK FROM CRICKET: A student from South Africa plays ping-pong as Griffin York ’19 and Jack Nordstrom ’19 watch.

South African students visit, tour the campus

By Jenny Li

Twenty one student visitors from Westville Boys’ High School in Westville, South Africa, played pingpong and said Oct. 4 that HarvardWestlake’s classes are a lot like their’s except for the close relationships the students seem to have with their teachers. Westville Boys’ High School is a member of the World Leading School Association, a body co-founded by HarvardWestlake and comprised of international schools “to bridge cultural differences, promote further understanding between secondary schools and improve collaboration between leading schools and institutions of higher education around the world,” according to the WLSA website. “Any chance for students to experience what it’s like

to live and learn in another environment is important,” Director of Kutler Center and Summer Programs Jim Patterson said. Patterson and HW Works Administrator Zaakirah Daniels ’10 moderated a student panel with Strauss Cooperstein ’18, Alitzel Villanueva ’17 and Haley Hicks ’17, who answered questions about the academic program. “It was a really cool opportunity to give the visiting South African students a chance to experience our daily life and culture in general,” Cooperstein said. Tour guides then led the students around the campus. “This trip was pretty cool,” WBHS student Usanda Mbuldi ’19 said. “I really enjoyed the experience.”

from two and a half to ten years old, and those schoolTen student ambassador age kids may be too old for a volunteers watched over babysitter.” Student volunteers took Harvard-Westlake employees’ children during the Faculty care of the 19 children and Professional Growth Day on planned various activities at school, including drawing, Nov. 11. Students did not attend coloring and watching “The SquarePants school Friday because the SpongeBob Movie.” school day was designated for “We did so many activities, faculty development. The student-run from playing twister and babysitting program allowed soccer, to doing a cool science teachers the opportunity to experiment, to a dance-off,” take breaks during the day Rachel Madhogarhia said. “It seemed like all the kids had a with their children. It also relieved the stress of ton of fun. All of us babysitting definitely had fun.” finding an alternate Veteran’s Children seemed to Day plan, according especially enjoy the to organizer and outdoor activities, Assistant to the according to their Head of Upper parents. School Michelle “Before that Bracken. day, my daughter “It’s great for was convinced she teachers to feel like wouldn’t play soccer they can focus on until she was seven, what they have to and by the end of the do here, have lunch day, she was adamant ’ with their kids and that we put her on a Michelle feel comfortable that team immediately,” Bracken their kids are here,” Upper School English Bracken said. “They Department Head Larry Weber won’t have to worry about said. “It was really fun for my rushing to pick up their kid kids to come to school, and it or if their kids are okay.” was fun for them to have the Because the number of interaction with older kids.” faculty children began to The volunteers enjoyed increase, Head of Harvard- looking over and playing with Westlake School Jeanne the faculty members’ children. Huybrechts decided to bring “We had a lot of fun back the student ambassador watching over all the kids and babysitting program, Bracken making sure that they were said. not only safe but that they “[Huybrechts] thought were having a good time,” with this time, it might be a Youna Choi ’17 said. “It was good thing to offer,” Bracken really fun to see the kids from said. “We have kids ranging each teacher.” nathanson s

Students will perform in the first Coffeehouse of the year on Nov. 28 in the lounge after school. The event includes 18 acts with about one to four performers each. Acts range from songs to karate performances. All students have the opportunity to perform, and the sign up form has been released through email. Students said they enjoy the environment that Coffeehouse provides to show their own talents. “Coffeehouse is really great, open community of people,” Elizabeth Gaba ’17 said. —Angela Tan

Club tutors Valor Academy students Students in Bridge to a Brighter Future club visited Valor Academy to meet sixth and eighth-grade students who they will be tutoring over Skype. “It’s a really fulfilling experience because we’re giving back to the community,” coleader Brenda Zaragosa ’17 said. The members are tutoring students struggling in math, who may not have access tosufficient academic resources. Students will teach them, help them with their homework and answer any other questions that they may have. —Sam Ko

Tree People visits Enviormental Club Representatives from Tree People talked to the Environmental Club about their organization and how the school can make a difference in the world Nov. 7. The representatives spoke to the club during break about how they can make their campus more environmentally friendly. Tree People works with volunteers to plant trees throughout Los Angeles. The representatives also spoke about how the school can become involved with the program and encouraged student volunteering. —Claire Keller

Project Girl to Girl holds first workshop Project Girl to Girl had their first workshop at the elementary school Carpenter Community Charter School on Nov. 17. The club aims to decrease the gender imbalance in STEM fields. The Chronicle Assistant Features Editors Josie Abugov ’18 and Nicole Kim ’18 started Project Girl to Girl at school last year. The club holds workshops once a month at Carpenter Community Charter School to help fourth and fifth-grade girls with science experiments. “I love Project Girl to Girl because I think it’s so important to encourage girls to try the STEM field,” club memder Kate von Mende ’18 said. —Sofia Heller

A8 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

in brief

NOV. 22, 2016

Preschoolers to visit for Special Olympics

Preschoolers from roughly a dozen different Los Angeles Uniﬁed School District elementary schools will come to campus to participate in a Special Olympics competition Dec. 2. The event will include over 200 3-year-old to 6-yearold athletes. “I love seeing the enthusiasm in both the faces of HW students and the [Special Olympics] athletes. It’s also quite heartwarming to feel the genuine care and respect that our student body demonstrates to the athletes,” Chaplain James Young said. —Saba Nia

School announces plans to bury capsule The school community will commemorate the school’s 25th anniversary with a time capsule featuring objects representative of the 2016 school year. Students can contribute small sports memorabilia, digital or printed photos, recorded school performances or sports footage and short ﬁlms. The time capsule will be buried in the spring of 2017 at the Middle School and reopened in 25 years at a reunion. “[The goal is] to capture the wonderful spirit of the 201617 school year in all of its dimensions and complexities” Assistant Director of Communications Shauna Altieri said. —Kami Durairaj

Cards for Humanity club holds bake sale

Student members of the Cards for Humanity club held a card and bake sale Nov. 14 to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Child Life Program. The club leaders, Brigid Cawley ’18, Chronicle illustrator Anna Gong ’18 and Vivian Lu ’18, said they decided to support the charity after they became junior ambassadors to the program this summer and saw the effect of the contributions in person. The club sold handmade cards made by students, cookies, brownies and Krispy Kreme donuts. —Saba Nia

Club passes out ‘I am appreciated’ stickers As part of their initiative to express gratitude on campus, Community and Character Committee members passed out stickers with the phrase “I am appreciated” after assembly Nov. 16. They encouraged students to give the stickers to other students, faculty and staff that they feel left a positive impact on them. “We realize there are a lot of people on campus who work to improve our daily lives here and whose work we really do appreciate,” Community and Character Committee co-chair Allison Ghorokovsky ’17 said. “We launched our new project to tell everybody just how much they mean to us.” —Sophie Haber

KAITLIN MUSANTE/CHRONICLE

WATT ENGINEERING IS ABOUT: Brandon Porter ’18 tests his pinhole camera during the Principles of Engineering open house Nov. 1.

Students in the class designed cameras for people who have limited manual dexterity, and created manuals detailing their design process.

Engineering students showcase projects By KAITLIN MUSANTE

Principles of Engineering classes displayed their handmade pinhole cameras to students and faculty Nov. 1. Students in this class designed the pinhole cameras for people with limited manual dexterity. To simulate the disability, students wore oven mitts while designing their own pinhole cameras. “It was a really interesting project in general because we

were designing something for a niche market, which throws in a couple more constraints.,” Principles of Engineering student Brandon Porter ’18 said. “It makes you think more.” Each student also displayed a manual that described his or her process to visitors recreate his or her design and a collection of photos that were taken with their creation. The class also created a timeline of the evolution of the camera, which included facts

and photographs. The timeline was displayed in the back of the classroom for visitors to view and discuss. Principles of Engineering and science teacher Karen Hutchison said she was pleased with the end results of the project. “I was impressed with the diversity of ideas, and the picture quality was actually very impressive,” Hutchison said. Students, faculty and staff could stop by at any point and

discuss the design of each project with its creator. The attendees said they enjoyed the display and learning about each student’s thought process. “I liked the exhibit because the cameras were quite interesting, and it was cool how they created them out of plain cardboard boxes,” attendee Mia Nelson ’19 said. “I think the fact that they created it for those with a disability adds meaning to their project. I was very impressed with the work.”

Faculty attends professional growth day By NOA SCHWARTZ

Faculty from both the middle and upper school campuses attended Understanding by Design’s daylong workshop Nov. 11 to learn about the most effective way to plan a lesson. Understanding by Design is an organization that focuses on creating a standardized curriculum constructor model that improves communication between teachers when planning lessons. “I’ve known about the organization for at least 20 years,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. “I attended several of their workshops and

seminars when I was first the Director of Studies at the school and wanted to understand their model in order to be able to work with new teachers particularly who may not have gone to education school or learned curriculum development techniques.” Teachers broke off into small groups and learned how to build curricula by determining the final goal of a lesson before developing the lesson itself. “It was really nice to get to work with different faculty members that are not on my team for the classes that I teach,” math teacher Laffitte Lamberto-Egan said.

Huybrechts said the work- workshop. shop would improve teachers’ Lamberto-Egan liked ability to colthe ideas exlaborate pressed in the “The beauty It was really nice to workshop, he is in the desaid. When tails,” Huyget to work with different meeting with brechts said. faculty members that are the math de“I think it’s partment, it not on my team for the important for all of us bewas very apclasses that I teach.” cause it gives parent that us common —Lafitte Lamberto-Egan many teachvocabulary Math Teacher ers had aland a common ready been model that we s u c c e s s f ully can use in our implementing the techniques many team collaborations, so taught, He said he looks forthat’s the value.” Faculty also held depart- ward to continuing to learn ment meetings to reﬂect on the from his colleagues.

“

Entrepreneur speaks to Business of Life Class By SOFIA HELLER KAITLIN MUSANTE

neurship program at HarvardWestlake. Throughout his talk, Entrepreneur Evan Horow- Horowitz emphasized the value of breaking away itz ’99 advised Busifrom the norm when ness of Life students pursuing an activity to follow their dreams or career. and learn from their He urged students failures during his to focus on their own speech Oct. 27. happiness and not Horowitz came to concern themselves speak as a part of HW with “society’s formuVenture’s Lunch and la,” which he deﬁnes Lecture series after he as a set of rules and ’ was recommended by guidelines that peoentrepreneur Sameer Andrew ple follow to achieve Gupta ’99, an instruBeyer ’17 success. mental person in the “It’s more about how can I development of the entrepreAND

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enjoy the process of ﬁguring it out and enjoy the adventure of my life, rather than having a plan and following it,” Horowitz said. Students had the opportunity to ask Horowitz questions about his career, past experiences and any advice he had for them. They also sought advice on potential colleges and jobs. “I thought the lecture was inspiring because we were taught to not listen to expectations or pressures that others have for us, and that success can be achieved in many different ways,” Andrew Beyer

’17 said. “This is very different from what a senior in high school is used to being told.” Business of Life teacher Rob Levin said that learning to ﬁnd the right path in the future is crucial for high school students. “There is a road; you run,” Levin said. “There is not enough asking, ‘What is my road?’ So, I thought [the talk] was invaluable. He’s gone the traditional route and then jumped in. He is doing stuff about happiness, balance and the meaning of life, and that is what this class is ultimately about.”

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 • Nov. 22, 2016

Los Angeles • Volume 26• Issue 3 • Nov. 22, 2016 • 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 EDITOR: BRITTANY HONG OPINION ASSOCIATES: CLAIRE KELLER, MATTHEW YAM FEATURES EDITORS: SOPHIE COHEN, DANIELLE KAYE FEATURES COPY EDITOR: KATIE PERRIN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS: JOSIE ABUGOV, NICOLE KIM, ALENA RUBIN FEAUTRES ASSOCIATES: KRISTIN KUWADA, KITTY LUO A&E EDITOR: LAUREN KIM ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS: GABI BERCHTOLD, SARAH LEE, KATE SCHRAGE MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: ISABELLE ESHRAGHI A&E ASSOCIATES: 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, 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 PHOTOGRAPHY ASSOCIATE: 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.

ANNA GONG /CHRONICLE

Dear future Head of Upper School Laura Ross, Welcome to Harvard-Westlake; we’re glad to have you here. For students here, the beginning of a new school year is characterized by syllabi outlining teachers’ expectations and rules for the class. Though intimidating, these documents are often helpful in understanding what our teachers may want from us in an assignment. In this spirit, we wanted to extend to you the same courtesy. Below is our syllabus for you, a document detailing what we hope to see from you next year. To be clear, we are not trying to criticize the current administration, but rather express to you what we as an editorial staff value in the hopes that it may be of some help to you. 1. Talk to us. Sit in on our classes. President Rick Commons has done a great job of this so far, joining us at our lunch tables, learning our names and familiarizing himself with what daily life for a Harvard-Westlake student is like. We have appreciated this effort and feel that it has led to better relations between the student body and the administration — administrators feel less like out-of-reach figures and become real people we interact with every day. Former Head of the Upper School Audrius Barzdukas taught Choices and Challenges classes, which was an excellent way to reach out and get to know sophomores. We think, however, that the community would benefit from you taking this a step further by sitting in on classes for all grade levels. 2. Be involved in all student activities. Harvard-Westlake has tons of extracurricular activities; sports, choir, theater, improv groups, instrumental groups and the list goes on. Oh, and, of course, our award-winning newspaper. In all seriousness, students are passionate about these activities. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and time for an artist to complete a collection, for a musician to master a piece, for the robotics team to finalize their creation. So we want you to be there to witness the culmination of these efforts. Be a Fanatic but not just for sports; be a Fanatic for the entire school.

3. Be transparent. There’s a lot that goes on at Harvard-Westlake that students don’t know about and frankly that we wouldn’t particularly care about. There are certain functions, however, that impact our lives in a big way that have been shrouded in mystery for quite some time. The Honor Board is an example of this. As it is right now, the Honor Board is kind of like Dr. T. J. Eckleburg — an all-knowing omnipotent figure that watches over us. Perhaps some of this ambiguity is vital to its function, but we would like to know more about how and when decisions are made. We as the Chronicle have tried to clear up some of this haziness in our feature on the Honor Board’s functions on C4-5, but we want to see an administrative effort to do so, in this matter and others. Another big question on a lot of students’ minds is the allocation of school funds. When a school has as large an endowment as HarvardWestlake does, it makes one wonder. Having a clearer idea where the money goes would probably stop students from feeling neglected. 4. Address current events and their impact on our community. In our August editorial, we discussed our hope for the faculty and administration to discuss current events and prepare us to be citizens of the world. Commons’ letter addressing student reactions to the election and the importance of community and kindness was a great step in the right direction. So we ask you to continue and maintain this trend. When something happens in the world that affects our lives, address it and help us process it. We may be able to do multivariable calculus on our own, but we still need your help and guidance to understand tragedies and world events. We wish you the best of luck and hope these tenets can help you in some way. Most of all, we hope you love it here as much as we do. Sincerely, The Chronicle Editorial Staff

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016

Learning to be myself

By Saba Nia

choing the words of Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that every single man [or woman!] in possession of a good fortune must be in want of [happiness].” But, as Harvard-Westlake students know all too well, being financially and physically stable doesn’t automatically warrant emotional bliss. Though we are inherently blessed with genes finetuned for success, sometimes I feel as if our lucky lottery ticket failed to ensure our social and emotional well-being. And I say this because, though I am most often positively brimming at the seams with joy and gratitude, I feel as if it’s getting harder and harder to shine my light untarnished by the push and pull of outside influences and my own self-doubts. In some matters, I feel separated from my community. My priorities, which are less object-oriented and more focused on small experiences, differ so drastically from theirs. On a daily basis, with an eye roll that only the seasoned parent can pull off, I simultaneously criticize the concerns of my fellow teenagers and then promptly proceed to avoid them like the antisocial, introverted child that I am. At my most reclusive, I’m a strong but standoffish Victorian matriarch who values her leisure time and authenticity more than following the obligations dictated by some status quo. But my innocence and aversion to infringe upon my desire to remain as individual and self-assured as I can, to experience those customary experiences of adolescence often leave me admittedly feeling deprived. I, like some newly arrived foreigner, have to learn how to maintain my own personal beliefs while being open to new experiences. As much as I love being independent, my “ignorance

is bliss” mentality is not only distancing myself from my friends, but no longer protecting me from feeling the effects of peer pressure. With my world opening up even more with my arrival at the Upper School and the results of the recent elections, I’m beginning to understand that despite all the diversity, freedom and multitude of opportunities around us, there is still a mold for our places in society, whether student, American or teen. At times I feel as if my confidence is being muffled with the internal doubts I have about myself. But at the end of the day, opinions and trends and social obligations are mostly matters of perspective, not clear-cut rules. Too often we walk around presuming that if we don’t hold up to some imaginary standards of being more successful or personable or abide by Hollywood-infused stereotypes, we are failing in our personalities. I feel like though I’m confident and comfortable with myself, I’m always quietly apologizing for something that I’ve done, wary to fully embrace who I am. I’m worried that one day I will have indirectly influenced myself, despite all my banter to be unchangeable, to believe that I have something I truly need to regret. I am distinct. I have a range of opinions and interests and ideas. Not because they’re popular or not popular, but because they’re mine. As I’m becoming my own, individualized person, I’m appreciating the confidence and security that following my own beliefs and values – unclouded but aware of others’ – can bring. And I would apologize, I would credit my new growth and resolution to others’ influence on me, but the truth is, I kind of like truthfully and unapologetically voicing my opinions. It makes me happy, and isn’t that the best fortune?

MADY MADISON/CHRONICLE

No homework holidays: all work and no play By Alena Rubin

still remember how restless I was that Monday night, my mind anxiously recounting my day the way it tends to when I stare too long at the ceiling above my bed. In retrospect, it was a perfect type of day. But that day is tainted in my memory. I added cream to my coffee that morning and drew long sips, yet all the while my mind told me I didn’t deserve this. “You should be typing your essay,” I told myself. “You should be doing your textbook reading.” This subtle guilt crept up on me the whole day. It was a no-homework long weekend since Monday was a Jewish holiday, and per school policy, teachers are not allowed to assign homework on religious holidays. Despite the rule, I still ended up having a considerable amount of homework that I felt I needed to be doing over the holiday, though nothing was technically due the following Tuesday. I deﬁnitely was not the only one – I heard other students joking about the so-called “no-homework” weekend and complaining about the work that they still felt compelled to do. In some classes, teach-

Be supportive and happy for others By Rian Ratnavale

eniors, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’re tired. We’ve spent the last three years toiling away at the Upper School. Whether someone is a basketball player who has spent many hours on and off the court improving his or her game, an actor that gives up countless weekends to the stage, a student who sacriﬁces time with friends and family to grind for grades or anything in between, it’s clear that he or she done a substantial amount of work. And as our deans have told us time and time again, the college process is the time when we all get to see that payoff.

Is it really that hard for us to be happy to see that hard work pay off for other people, too? The conversation about college in our school has been downright disappointing so far. We’ve turned that dialogue into a game where we pinpoint other people’s weaknesses and use them to coddle our own insecurities. “Oh, he’s just getting in for sports. He’s taking away someone else’s spot who deserves it.” “She has a good GPA, but she does nothing outside of the classroom. No one’s going to accept her!” “She doesn’t deserve to get in. I know she’s smart, but

ers warned us about the high quantity of work that would be assigned Tuesday and encouraged us to utilize the weekend to get ahead. Others assigned projects and essays the week before and hinted that we would have the whole three-day weekend to be able to work. Some students said they felt pressure to study for Wednesday tests or ﬁnish work-intensive projects. Although no ofﬁcial due dates fell on that Tuesday, many students had plenty of work to do the night before. Having another night of homework isn’t a big deal. What is more troubling is the sly, indirect way that teachers encourage us to do work during an extremely rare situation when we are not only granted time for ourselves but are not technically allowed to do work. No-homework holidays are rare gems, and I cherish a day when I don’t have to think about all of the obligations I have. I would rather not have a no-homework holiday at all than know I have work to do when I should be relaxing. During this particular “nohomework” holiday, I decided not to catch up on that essay that was due the next week or start that extra long reading

that would haunt me Tuesday night. And instead of feeling good about granting myself a break, I felt guilty for not doing any work. However, my guilt was within reason. As I had anticipated, the week to come was extra stressful since I was technically behind in the homework cycle after not doing the highly suggested but ‘not required’ work assigned. I understand that our teachers have our best interest in mind, and are only trying to prepare us for upcoming tests or AP exams. However, with a little bit of shifting and planning, I think it is possible to create a schedule that eliminates one night of homework without putting a disproportionately heavy burden on the next few nights. I think it is also possible to assign due dates for projects and essays without treating no-homework holidays as more nights available to work. Students shouldn’t have to choose between feeling guilty about not doing work or feeling guilty about not relaxing. To a certain extent, it’s disrespectful to a student body that already works hard, puts in their best effort and could certainly use a break every now and then.

Seniors often focus on the competitive aspects of the college process and forget the importance of supporting their peers through the stress of college applications and decisions. There is more than one path to success and every senior deserves to go to a college that suits them.

she’s only even applying there because she’s a legacy.” Those are actual things that I have heard people say just this past week. I would say that I’m disgusted, but I feel like I’ve become desensitized to talk like this, and so has the rest of our school. Some people are even afraid to say where they applied because they fear that they’ll be judged and picked apart for their choice. We need to change that. No matter where a person is applying, we should be happy that they have an idea of where they want to continue his or hers search for excellence. If someone is applying to the same college, that’s a reason to celebrate too.

Just because someone didn’t do the same kind of work doesn’t mean that his or her work is illegitimate. It’s different and that’s the beauty of it. When a college combs through thousands of applications, it doesn’t look for one kind of student. Colleges, just like our school, are diverse and inclusive communities. There’s a reason that nearly every college stresses that its respective admissions process is holistic, or looks at the whole picture of a person. They’re looking for success and hard work, but unlike some of us, they realize that there isn’t just one path to the top or a path that is better than all the others. I’m not going lie. I will be

very upset if I don’t get into my ﬁrst-choice college. Like most, if not all of us, I’ve spent hours and hours scouring through schools, their programs and whether or not I would ﬁt at a college, and I’ve fallen in love with the ones I’m applying to. I’ll have the temptation if I get deferral or rejection letters mid-December to come up with ways that I am better than the people that do get into those schools. We’re human. It’s okay to be upset. It’s not okay to be upset and blame our circumstances on other people. Let’s be happy for all of the great things that our class has accomplished already, and will accomplish in the future.

hwchronicle.com/opinion

Nov. 22, 2016

Opinion A11

quadtalk: “What would you most like to see from the new Head of Upper School?” “I think at this moment I would like to have a Head of Upper School who really focuses on the community aspect and diversity, especially because at this time with the presidential election we are facing a lot of division.” — Lucy Kim ’19 CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

“I’d like to hear more classes like the Business of Life class, like life after college and that sort of thing. I feel like most high schools don’t teach enough of that and a new Head of Upper School could change that.” — Ori Zur ’18 CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

“I hope this new Head of Upper School embraces our school’s mission and community values. I really respect those values and those words carry a lot of meaning and I’d really love to see those embraced in the students’ daily lives. — Henry Dinapoli ’17 CLAIRE KELLER/CHRONICLE

INFOGRAPHIC BY BRITTANY HONG

Raise suicide awareness By Ellis Becker The fall season means a lot of things. It means the end of the summer, the start of school and the approaching holiday season. Whatever it means to you, it means something much deeper to me. September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Suicide is an extremely taboo topic in our society, as it is scarcely talked about and mostly looked down upon as a result of something wrong with someone. According to childrentrends.org, roughly eight percent of teenagers have attempted suicide. I am one of the eight percent. This past May marked the one year anniversary of my attempt. And although being that close to death might seem frightening, at the time it felt

so natural. Most people would assume that it’s a choice to end one’s life, but it’s not like that. No one just wakes up one day and decides to take his or her own life. It is human nature to want to survive. But somehow, when you’re that close to the end, the life around you seems so bad that the decision has already been made for you. Fighting depression is like walking on a cracked sidewalk. Sometimes, you walk for a while without any cracks, but other times, you trip and fall. And you pick yourself back up and trip and fall again. The real skill is not learning to pick yourself back up, but learning to step over the cracks. It’s taken years to learn how to avoid the cracks, and sometimes I still trip and fall. But

Statistically speaking, eight percent of teenagers have attempted suicide. There are peers among us that are among the eight percent, but we are not always aware of this. We must realize that some of our classmates, who are suffering from depression, are in need of a single friend that can listen to their story. every day I’m learning more. And that’s what I see my suicide attempt as, just one really big crack in the sidewalk. I am not alone. Too many of our classmates have been through this. You have passed them in the hallway, you have eaten lunch with them and you don’t know their story. When I was going through this, I didn’t look for help. I was afraid. Close friends stopped talking to me for months after finding out about my attempt, and that’s exactly the opposite of what we should do. I cannot tell you how much it would have meant to me if someone had just asked me how I was. Even if I didn’t share, just knowing that someone cares is huge. I write this because not committing suicide was the

greatest decision I have ever made, and as a community, it is our job to help people reach that decision. Depression can be fought, but only together. If you are someone who is going through this, trust me, it gets better. It may seem like life is a dark tunnel, but I promise you the light will appear soon. The best thing you can do is talk to someone. Talk to a friend, meet with a counselor, call a helpline. If you know someone who is going through this, I’ll tell you the same thing: tell someone. Even if that person might be upset, it’s better than him or her being dead. When I was struggling, I didn’t say anything. I’ve always regretted it, and it almost cost me my life. In a lot of ways, my de-

pression has been my worst enemy. It has plagued me for years, relentlessly bombarding me with thoughts of hatred and self-loathing. But I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful because it dragged me through the dirt, to show me there is life. I’m grateful because it showed me the darkness, to show me there is light. I’m grateful because it forced me to walk in the lowest of valleys, to take me to mountain peaks. I’m grateful because it has made getting out of bed impossible, to remind me that waking up means one more battle has been won. I’m grateful because it forced me to attempt to end my own existence, to show me how incredible life truly is.

A12

When you wish upon a star

spotlight

Nov. 22, 2016

In partnership with the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, Community Council rallied the school to grant 5-year-old Leighton Kaba, who is in remission, her wish to meet Rapunzel Nov. 14.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS: After being crowned Princess of Harvard-Westlake, Kaba enters her horse-drawn

carriage carrying Kaba and her family from Taper Gym to the quad where Community Council gave out donuts.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

“I SEE THE LIGHT”: Kaba and Musicant applaud as Chamber Singers perform their rendition of Kaba’s favorite song “I See the Light” from the Disney film “Tangled,” a film with Kaba’s favorite Disney princess.

BIPPITY BOPPITY BOO: Serving as Kaba’s fairy godmother for the day, Natalie Musicant ’17 performed magic as part of Kaba’s surprise. First, students released a sea of pink and purple balloons. Next, members of the community put on Mickey Mouse ears, and revealed that Kaba would be visiting Disneyland.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

HAPPILY EVER AFTER: Kaba smiles upon seeing a horse-drawn carraige that was waiting outside.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

PRINCESS DIARIES: Students, faculty and staff applaud as Kaba and her family parade across campus.

Community Council provided students and faculty with Mickey Mouse ears to go along with the Disney theme.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle • Nov. 22, 2016

ALL PHOTOS BY PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

I DREAMED A DREAM: (Top Left): Jack Nordstrom ’19, right, as Marius and Maya Hinkin ’18, left, as Cosette comfort Henry Platt ’17, middle, as he is dying. (Top Right):

Elizabeth Gaba ’17 sings as Eponine. (Middle Right): Natalie Musicant ’17 and Casey Giolito ’17 as the Thernardiers try to con Valjean of his money. (Bottom Left): Two prostitutes, played by Avery Keare ’19, left, and Caroline Cook ’19, right, talk to Fantine, played by Natalie Kroh ’18, middle. (Bottom Right): Ben Pimstone ’18 as Javert inﬁltrates the protest.

Vive la Révolution! By JOSIE ABUGOV

ning of October. Early rehearsals were typically three days a After almost two months of week for three hours, though preparation, the Upper School leading up to performances, Performing Arts Department they practiced daily for ﬁve showcased four performances hours. The pit orchestra includes of Les Miserables on Nov. 3, 4, 5 and 6. The cast of 44 told a both students and professionstory of interconnected char- al musicians. “Playing with professionals, acters in 19th century France, following the life and strug- I think I got better as a musician because they gles of ex-convict Jean know a lot on the Valjean, played by Henry topic, so there’s a Platt ’17. lot of ﬁrsthand ex“Kids who are not perience as to how used to being in shows, to play,” Calvin when they have an audiKaleel ’18 said. ence in front of them and Unlike last they realize they’re playyear’s fall musiing a story and they have cal, West Side Stoto be great storytellers, ’ ry, and previous something magical hapTed Walch Harvard-Westlake pens,” performing arts musical producteacher Ted Walch said. Walch and performing arts tions, Les Miserables is entireteacher Michele Spears co-di- ly sung. “Usually I will do more rected the production. Walch said Spears, who specializes work on the scenes that are in musical theatre, was the spoken, but in Les Miserables, lead director. Walch focused there are no spoken scenes, so on aiding the students in their [Spears and I], unlike most reacting during the rehearsal hearsals for musicals, were in the room together almost all process. Orchestra began rehears- the time,” Walch said. Cast members also said als for the show at the beginNATHANSON S

Actors, orchestra members and teachers reflected on their experiences performing a show taking place in 19th century France with no spoken lines. Students performed the fall musical Les Misérables Nov. 3-6.

they noticed changes in the rehearsal process, attributed to the absence of spoken scenes in the show. “Until a few weeks ago, our rehearsals were exclusively singing,” Maya Hinkin ’18 said. “It definitely felt very different from other shows I’ve been in.” In Les Miserables, Hinkin played Cosette, a teenage girl taken in by protagonist Jean Valjean, after her mother Fantine, played by Natalie Kroh ’18, died of an illness. Cosette falls in love with student and young revolutionary Marius, played by Jack Nordstrom ’19. The actors said that despite the historical setting and plot of Les Miserables, they felt a connection to the characters they were playing. “I think that Cosette is very often portrayed as not having real problems because she is a 16-year-old who finds love at first sight,” Hinkin said. “But, I think she actually has a lot more going on than what meets the eye and you really see her start to come out of her shell and grow up, which is definitely very relatable to

said. “This could very well be my life.” Elizabeth Gaba ’17, who my last show ever, which is has participated in musical very sad since it’s been such theatre throughout her time a huge part of my life. I’m at the school, said that relat- very happy that I got to play ing to her character has made [Eponine] for my last show.” Hinkin said one of the best this production especially rewarding. Gaba plays Eponine, parts about Les Miserables is who has an unrequited love for the importance of the entire Marius and is the daughter of cast. “This show doesn’t have petty thieves Madame Thenaran ensemble that’s dier, played just in the backby Natalie Musicant Even if someone’s ground,” Hinkin said. “Every sin’17, and super into it and you gle person is so Monsieur don’t talk to then, it’s relevant to every Thenardier, scene.” played by like everyone knows The production Casey Giohow everyone feels. was a very special lito ’17. bonding experi“I am in We’re all like one unit.” ence, Nordstrom love with —Jack Nordstrom ’19 said. He said the this role backstage environand it’s my favorite role I’ve ever played,” ment during a show could be Gaba said. “I connect to her described as both exciting and very strongly and I love her a emotional. “You kind of see people’s lot.” Unsure if she will contin- looks and just get it,” Nordue performing during college, strom said. “Even if someone’s Gaba said she reminisces on super into it and you don’t the impact musical theatre talk to them, it’s like everyhas had on her life during her one knows how everyone feels. We’re all like one unit. Everytime at Harvard-Westlake. “It’s very bittersweet,” Gaba one’s in sync with each other.”

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B2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Slam poets visit class meetings

THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016

By SARAH LEE

Poets from Get Lit, a slam poetry group, performed response slam poetry at junior and senior assemblies Nov. 4 and Nov. 7. The school’s slam poetry team invited the poets to get students to join the club. Last year, the school’s slam poetry team was a ﬁnalist at Classic Slam, a youth poetry festival hosted by Get Lit where poets recite a classic poem from memory and then present their original respons-

DANIELLE SPITZ/CHRONICLE

A SLAM DUNK: (Left): Brandon Brown ’18 and Isabel Wiatt ’18 volunteer for a “Juju on That Beat” dance battle led by representatives from Get Lit. (Right): Calvin Kaleel ’18 joins the poets in appreciation for his enthusiasm during the junior class meeting performance. es in the form of slam. Students at the assembly were invited to snap when they heard something in any of the poems that they agreed with or found meaningful. Poem

topics included classism in the college admission process, trouble with romantic relationships and anxiety. “I really liked the emotion that [the poets] put behind

their poems,” Denise Navarro ’18 said. “I was thinking about what they had said, asking if you had to relate to a poem to like it. They had made a really good point in saying that be-

Rehearsals begin for upcoming spring play By KATE SCHRAGE

A cast of twenty students and a live band of six instrumentalists are set to perform in the spring play “Almost Maine” taking place Feb. 2-4 in the Rugby Auditorium. The play, written by John Cariani, is a compilation of

nine inter-connected scenes set during wintertime in a small town in Maine. The story follows the forming and breaking of various relationships between the characters. Each scene consists of no more than three actors, and only two characters make repeat performances in the show.

Each pair or trio of characters has its own scene, such as Casey Giolito ’17 and Kameron Cooper ’17 portraying Rhonda and Dave in the scene “Seeing the Thing.” Students auditioned for the show Nov. 8-9 and all were called back for a second audition Nov. 10 in the Drama

Lab. Students auditioned both individually and in pairs, performing for all other students auditioning during callbacks. Performing arts teacher Christopher Moore released the cast list for the show in a series of emails to students Nov. 11 and rehearsals began Nov. 12.

Organization holds entertainment summit By JENNY LI

ke said that student involvement in this discussion is Students attended the crucial. “We’re living in a time second annual Women in Entertainment Summit at the where there’s an increased Hollywood Cinerama Dome on awareness about the lack of representation of Nov. 10. women both on the The summit censcreen or behind tered around panthe camera as direcels led by prominent tors in all roles in women in the media the ﬁlm industry,” and entertainment inGaulke said. dustries. “For our stuThe range of topics dents who are discussed on the panstudying ﬁlm or are ’ el included the need interested in going Annie for female-led storyWendorf ’19 in the industry, I telling, how gender think it’s a valuable and sexuality shape societal identities, female rep- opportunity for them to be resentation in everyday life exposed to producers, directors, writers and production and the multi-media. Upper school Visual Arts designers.” Speakers included ShonDepartment Head Cheri GaulNATHANSON S

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daLand Partner Betsy Beers, the Women in Entertainment Google Entertainment In- website. Attendee Annie Wendorf dustry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett and Saudi ’19 said that she had a great Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al time and that the summit was a thoughtful Mansour. The event and memorawas first creatI think it’s a ble experience that changed ed to promote valuable opportunity for her perspecand expand [students] to be exposed tive. upon ideas of women em“The ento producers, directors, tire day was so powerment writers and production” informative,” and open discussion to —Cheri Gualke Wendorf said. “It was such a more diverse Visual Arts Department Head good platform characters and roles for to open up the conversation of how women females to play. The organization also are portrayed in the media hopes to encourage the youth and the necessary steps to to take a stand against soci- dominating the notoriously etal norms, standards and male field of the entertainexpectations, according to ment industry.”

“

cause you don’t actually have to relate to something to enjoy it.” Auditions for the school’s slam poetry team are being held after school on Nov. 30.

Almost Maine Cast List Ginette: Caroline Cook Pete: Erick Gredonia Glory: Lily Beckinsale-Sheen Easton: Will Newhart Sandrine: Carmen Levine Jimmy: Jakob Klein Villian: Vanessa Payne Marvalyn: Cate Wolfen Steve: Liam Daniels Gayle: Talia Lefkowitz Lendall: Eli Timoner Randy: Ari Yaron Chad: Jacob Tucker Marci: Sakura Price Phil: Henry Platt Hope: Natalie Musicant Daniel: Clay Hollander Suzette: Brianna Blanchard Rhonda: Kameron Cooper Dave: Casey Giolito Almost Maine Band: Alex Liang Sarah Moon Ryan O’Donnell Adin Ring Clara Ross Ori Zur Music Director: Ori Zur

Dancers to hold show

By ALEXANDRA SO

Students from Advanced Dance I will perform in a showcase for clients and volunteers of The Arc Foundation of Ventura County on Dec. 6. The Arc Foundation is a nonproﬁt organization committed to helping individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The dancers have been working on two whole-class and eight small-group dances since September, all of which were choreographed by the students in each group. A cookbook for healthy food inspired the theme of the showcase. Students will dress up as various food items, including spaghetti and meatballs. “The theme allows us to be really creative with our dances and get to tell everyone a very fun, interesting and cute story,” Caroline Cook ’19 said. “It is super fun and will deﬁnitely put a smile on the Arc guests’ faces.”

Nov. 22, 2016

Arts & Entertainment B3

The Chronicle

Actors practice in workshops By Sarah Lee

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

MUSIC TO MY EARS: Jacob Frank ’17 plays the saxophone with the Upper School Symphony during its Nov. 18 performance. The symphony performed compositions by Bela Bartok, Antonin Dvorak and other composers in their Fall Instrumental Music Concert.

Musicians perform in instrumental concert By Kitty Luo Musicians from the Upper School Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Camerata Strings and String Quartet performed in the Fall Instrumental Music Concert in the Rugby Theater Nov. 18. Students performed piecessuch as Bela Bartok’s “Romanian Folk Dances,” Antonin Dvorak’s “String Quartet in F” and other compositions. Performing Arts Teacher Shawn Costantino conducted the Wind Ensemble, and Mark Hilt directed the Upper School Symphony and Camerata Strings. In addition to rehearsing

daily, the ensembles held after-school rehearsals in the days leading up to the concert. “It was exciting because it felt like a culmination of months of work, so it was satisfying,” Chronicle Illustrator Anna Gong ’18 said. For tuba player James Xu ’17, the concert was bittersweet as it was one of his last instrumental performances before he graduates, he said. “I actually felt kinda sad at first because I knew that it was going to be one of the last concerts I would play at Harvard-Westlake since I’m a senior,” Xu said. The String Quartet featured Gong and Christine Park

’18 on violin, Margaret Renton ’17 on viola and Samantha Yoon ’18 on cello. “It was a really special experience because you’re in a collaboration with other people, so it’s very intimate compared to symphony,” Gong said. Gong said that one of the most satisfying aspects of the performance was seeing the final product of all her hard work. “Putting so much time and effort into this quartet was all worth it because in the end, getting to see the finished product was really fulfilling,” Gong said. Hilt initially assembled

the quartet in May 2016, and the ensemble has continued to perform at various events since. “It was pretty casual,” Gong said. “Mr. Hilt put us together for the Spring Chamber Music Concert last year, and then we played a couple times over the summer for community service. So we’ve just stuck together since then.” After the instrumental performance ended, students and their families gathered for food and beverages at a reception on the quad. “I love the variety of music we get to play and the passion Mr. Hilt has for teaching and conducting us,” Xu said.

Jackanapes mentor Lisa Fredrickson led improv workshops for students in the Actor and the Stage I class Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 3 and 7. Fredrickson led the class in activities in learning to develop characters onstage. Performing arts teacher Christopher Moore chose Fredrickson to lead the workshop because of her background in improv and teaching skills, he said. “She is an incredible improviser with over 25 years of experience and a wonderful teacher,” Moore said. The improv workshops are part of a larger series of classes that will be taught over the course of the first semester. These seminars are designed to become progressively more and more complex as the semester progresses. The improv workshop is the second to last in the series. “There’s a very serious progression in terms of where the workshops are, a linear progression as to what they’re going to be working on next,” Moore said. Moore said the workshops were a good introduction to improv for his students and that it also helped them learn how to improve interaction with other actors onstage. “It helps the student open up to unscripted characters, working together with scene partners and further developing and engaging a sense of ensemble,” Moore said. Moore hopes that his students are able to learn the value of improv with regards to character development and apply the lessons they’ve learned even when performing scripted scenes. “We’re teaching the student that improv is not just about getting laughs but working to create a cohesive story, the ‘who, what and where’ and relating that to each other and the audience,” Moore said.

Symphony performs in Pasadena By Sarah Lee

ALL PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ARIANNA SHOOSHANI ’18

PHOTOGENIC: Arianna Shooshani ’18 was recognized by the YoungArts organization as a finalist for her submitted photography. Shooshani submitted five pieces in a unified body of work and five of her strongest photographs to YoungArts this year.

YoungArts names upper school photographer, singer as finalists in nationwide art competition By Isabelle Eshraghi and Caty Szeto YoungArts recognized Arianna Shooshani ’18 and Elizabeth Gaba ’17 as finalists for their 2017 contest submissions. Shooshani and Gaba were among the 691 artists selected out of a pool of 7,970 applicants representing 40 different states, the most applications that YoungArts has received to date, according to their website.

Both received the finalist title, the highest honor a student can receive from the program. Shooshani won the title in photography while Gaba won in the voice category. “To be among [the finalists] is really just an honor,” Shooshani said. “To know that my work has gotten stronger over the past year is really encouraging for me.” Shooshani’s submission consisted of a total of 10 pieces, five from a unified body of work and five of her strongest

pieces in general. Gaba submitted four songs in her application under the subcategory of popular voice. Her repertoire included “Goodbye Song” by Sara Bareilles, “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, “Not in that Way” by Sam Smith and “Gone” by Lianne La Havas. Both students turned in submissions last year and were named honorable mentions in their respective categories. This year, as finalists, the

two will have the opportunity to travel to Miami and participate in National YoungArts Week in January. They will also be eligible to participate in YoungArts’ Los Angeles regional program in the spring. “I am absolutely ecstatic to be a finalist this year,” Gaba said. “I’ve had a few friends who have been to National YoungArts week, and they said it was the greatest experience of their life, so I’m super excited to experience it for myself.”

Students in the Upper School Symphony performed a concert for the elderly at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church Nov. 9. This was the symphony’s first performance of the year, and the musicians wanted to get a sense of what it was like to perform together in front of others. Percussionist William Chow ’17 said that the performance was a good learning experience to help him prepare for larger concerts the symphony would perform in the future and that it helped him gain a new sense of appraciation for music. “When you’re rehearsing every day, you kind of lose sight of how impactful music can be for other people,” Chow said. “Once you perform for others, you kind of get that sense of what music can do for other people.”

B4 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016

PAVAN TAUH ’18/CHRONICLE

The men and women in black By AARON PARK

tion. In addition to the artistic The lights in Rugby theater and theatrical aspects of her dimmed, and the applauding job, Weinstock also took on a crowd quieted in anticipation. level of administrative duties. “It’s stressful,” Wein“Turn the house off, please,” Savannah Weinstock stock said. “There’s a lot of ’18 said, “standby six. Go six.” email-sending, but it’s worth From high above the it. The actors were really great stage, the orchestra played this year; they made it easy the first bars of “Look Down,” on me.” Weinstock began workthe opening song of Les Mising in technical theater three erables. “Standby seven and eight. years ago, when she was in eighth grade. Go,” she said. “I really started doing Slowly, the first actors entered the scene, shadows technical theater because I danced across the still-dark- wanted to help out with Midened stage. They struck a summer Jersey [the Middle pose and froze, as they waited School’s fall musical] when we did that, but I didn’t for the final sigwant to be in it,” Weinnal. stock said. “So I be“Go,” she came assistant director, said. and then my job kind of At the touch switched to stage manof a key, the ager.” stage was flooded While working on in light. The acMidsummer Jersey, the tors came to life, ’ experience of seeing the swinging pickaxDJ Lesh ’18 musical come togethes and shovels. er drew Weinstock into The fall musical stagecraft. was underway. “Certainly some of the Weinstock leaned back into her chair, settling in for payoff is in the journey, but a long night. Les Miserables the best thing is, from audiclocked in at about three tions, seeing everyone tryout hours, including the inter- for the first time and seeing mission. The musical’s vocal that in comparison to what [their performance] eventualbook was 176 pages long. As the stage manager, ly becomes,” Weinstock said. Weinstock was responsible for “It’s a great feeling.” Additionally, working on every light, sound and special effects cue throughout the en- such a large production has brought another facet of thetirety of the performance. Although Les Misera- atrical work to Weinstock’s bles didn’t open until Nov. 3, attention, she said. “There is a sense of family Weinstock began working on the show during the very first and community to it, which I week of school. She, as well as do love,” Weinstock said. For the stage crew memassistant director Jacob Klein ’18, were involved in every bers backstage, the start of stage of the musical’s produc- the play means their work NATHANSON S

was just beginning. Matt Major ’18 fit microphones onto the singers as they prepared to take the stage, and camouflaged the wires into their hair. Major was no stranger to theatre. He spent eight years as an actor in Hungary and San Diego before making the switch to stage crew this year. “I wanted to try out the other side of it because I relied on so many people that I didn’t even realize I needed in productions, and I was just curious about how the rest of it works,” Major said. The idea of creating the atmosphere and setting of a play also appealed to him, and he helped design much of the set, Major said. “Considering that you’re building a world and then you get to play around with that world, it’s incredible,” Major said. “And the fact that that happens every time you put on a production is, well, gratifying is one word for it, but it’s also magical.” In his time working on the stage crew, Major said that he’d been enjoying the experience. “I practically don’t miss acting,” Major said. “I find that this gives a lot more leeway than an actor because an actor answers to the director, the choreographer, has a script to abide by. But when DJ [Lesh ’18]’s doing his thing, when we’re doing the other thing, this is not just about slapping a mic onto someone. The entire process has a lot more liberty to it.” The audience sat as Natalie Kroh ’18 launched into “I Dreamed a Dream,” one of Les Miserables’ signature songs.

Crew members have been working behind the scenes on visual, lighting and audio effects to complete the school’s theatrical productions. She unleashed a high, sus- Lesh said. tained note, marred only by a More recently, Lesh had soft scratch at its very end. been working in professional The imperfection was qui- theater. Two summers ago, et, nearly imperceptible to the he earned his first professionaudience, but the show’s di- al sound design credit at the rector Michelle Spears turned Whitefire theatre’s production to look at the audio booth, of Fairy Child. Additionally, only to quickly find that there he mixed vocal shows and had been no need. upgraded facilities at the theLesh reached for the au- atre. dio console laid out before This summer, Lesh him. It’s an intricate collec- worked at the Glendale Cention of switches, dials, sliders ter Theatre, helping run their and lights, which control the performances of Peter Pan show’s sound levels. Lesh and The Wizard of Oz. turned to the console and Villaverde said that workadjusted Kroh’s microphone ing on professional shows output. The rest of the song has accelerated Lesh’s learnwent off withing and unout another derstanding of technical difConsidering that technical theficulty, and ater. you’re building a world Kroh received “Every time a standing and then you get to play you do anothovation from around with that world, er job, you’re the audience. gaining more it’s incredible,” Techniexperience, cal Director —Matt Major ’18 which makes Andrew Vilyou sharper for laverde said the next thing that, as a that you do,” whole, stage crew members Villaverde said. “Theatre is are a dedicated group. very transitive. You’re doing “No one comes in here something for one show, and because I made them,” Vil- that is the way it has to be. laverde said. “That would be The next show you’re working a terrible thing. I think that on, things are totally differthe students who do this end ent.” up finding their way here anyLesh said that the crucial ways.” nature of stagecraft in a proLesh is closely familiar duction draws him into techwith technical theater, having nical work. worked in it since he took over “This is slightly biased, assemblies at his elementa- but, in my opinion, the tech ry school, he said. He’s been is the most important part of involved with the school’s a show,” Lesh said. “Without stagecraft department since tech and without costumes, coming to the school in sev- which is kind of part of tech, enth grade. when you think about the “I’ve been doing it pretty world of backstage, actors are much for as much time as I naked people on a dark stage can put in and still do school,” that you can’t hear.”

“

Features The Chronicle • Nov. 22, 2016

Faded Innocence While there is often discussion about the academic transition from the Middle to the Upper School, sophomores also experience a change in the social atmosphere between the two campuses. • Continued on C7

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSIE ABUGOV AND ALENA RUBIN

NOV. 22, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES C2

It’s The Climb

Injured students describe the Upper School campus as difficult to navigate on crutches. They often find themselves late to class.

By SOPHIE COHEN AND SAMMI HANDLER Garnett March ’19 slowly places one crutch after the other as he ascends up the 36 stairs to his Spanish class in Seaver Center, the one area he cannot access via electric scooter. In a few days, though, he will be off his crutches for the first time while at the Upper School. After March chipped a bone in his knee, he could not exert pressure on it for three months, and worried about how he would navigate the stairs of the upper school campus. Even after learning his route from class to class with Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken, he sought to find a more handicap-accessible way. He thought that a scooter would do the job, as he recalled that his friend Kylie Wallace ’19 had used one at the Middle School. “Before sophomore orientation, I came here, and I met Ms. Bracken and she took me around my schedule, and showed me how to get around on my crutches,” March said. “I found out it was just too difficult to do that solely on my crutches, so I think that was what made me get the scooter.” When students have injuries that leave them temporarily handicapped, they struggle to find ways to handle the campuses’ staircases and hills. March, Wallace and Kerry Neil ’19 share a few scooters to ride from the parking lot to the Seaver Center and the quad, but still stumble as they balance heavy backpacks on their shoulders and walk with crutches. But, making the school more handicap accessible may be impossible, administrators said. “It would be a mon-

umental task to create ramps where stairs are right now,” President Rick Commons said. “One has to use the driveway, and that, I’m sure, is difficult for someone on crutches. Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo said the deans make sure to introduce injured students to the elevator in the library and the one in Chalmers Hall, which only goes to the first and second floors of the building. However, deans are sometimes forced to change a student’s schedule to avoid a class on the third floor of Seaver since it “isn’t really accessible,” she said. “It is a common topic of discussion to make the school more accessible,” Cuseo said. “We are in a situation where we hopefully will be making changes to the buildings in the future that obviously will change everything, but we are dealing with some very old architecture and we are obviously up to code, but I do think that would be a huge priority in the future.” Private schools are subject to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a civil rights act that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including schools. However, Professor of Law Laurie Levenson (Solly Mirell ’06, Havi Mirell ’08, Dani Mirell’17) said that the school is probably allowed an exception for buildings and walkways built before the act was passed in 1990. Students who have had to use crutches at the Upper School said it would be beneficial for many students to make some adjustments to the campus. “I was definitely not the only one who was on

crutches,” said Gillian Gurney ’17, who tore her ACL and partially tore her meniscus during her sophomore year. “I came back from winter break and there were seven kids who also had the same surgery that I did. Plus, I had friends who’ve been in wheelchairs who can’t even [climb] stairs at all. So I think it’s very important that there’s time devoted to helping kids because there’s a significant portion of kids who will be on crutches at one point during their Harvard-Westlake career.” To get to her art class from her English class in Rugby Hall, Neil has to use her crutches to get to the elevator in the science building, and then scooter across the back road to Feldman Horn. March said using his crutches takes a lot more time than the scooter, yet he does not have an alternative way to get to his Spanish class, causing him to be late. March, Wallace, Neil and Gurney said that teachers have been lenient and understanding, allowing them to arrive a few minutes late without any penalty. “I emailed all my teachers during winter break saying that I would be late,” Gurney said. “They were very understanding, it’s just that I felt pressure that I needed to get there even though they were very understanding.” S t u d e n t s

said they would like for the school to better accommodate handicapped students, an idea the Commons agrees with. “If there are good suggestions that people have, I’d be open to them,” Commons said. “We need to do everything we can to make it easier for people who are disabled temporarily or permanently.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KITTY LUO AND ALENA RUBIN

C3 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

highstakes

NOV. 22, 2016

In Suspense

ILLUSTRATION BY TIFFANY KIM

After submitting Early Decision and Early Action applications, seniors anxiously wait to hear back from their top colleges. By SOPHIE COHEN AND DANIELLE KAYE The Brain: Hoping to pursue his studies in the math and sciences, Sean* followed through with his original intention to apply Early Action to The University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology. He is speciﬁcally intrigued by the unique core curriculum offered at The University of Chicago and said he looks forward to combining courses in the core with courses in the sciences, making this university his top choice out of his three Early Action schools. Sean started writing his applications for the Early Action schools in August, which he said helped reduce the amount of stress during the week leading up to the Nov. 1 deadline. “Since I started writing some of my [University of] Chicago essays over the summer, I never really got caught in a huge crunch,” Sean said. Sean hopes to be accepted to at least one or two of these Early Action schools, and is excited to complete Regular Decision applications to Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Yale and the University of Southern California. Given that he has not visited the campuses of any of his Regular Decision schools, Sean has not yet been able to decide on whether he would prefer to attend any of his Early Action schools over Regular Decision schools, if admitted. Sean has so far enjoyed his courses this school year, with a schedule largely focused on

science, math and music. His favorite classes have been symphony and his weekly directed study course in music, which he chose to primarily focus on Advanced Placement music theory material. The All-Around: Amanda* was originally hesitant to apply Early Action or Early Decision to any schools because she worried that she would be granted less ﬁnancial aid than during the Regular Decision application period. After meeting with her dean and discussing her chances at the schools meeting her ﬁnancial needs, however, she was assured of the high probability that she would receive the aid her family required. Amanda therefore decided to apply Restrictive Early Action to Georgetown University, Dickinson College and the University of Miami. Georgetown’s political science, law and policy programs strongly appeal to Amanda, given her intention to go to law school. She also appreciates the opportunities to gain practical and hands-on political experience in Washington, D.C., as the city is the center of American politics. After pressing “submit” on Georgetown’s application, the stress of the application process did not subside, she said. “I feel like I should’ve felt something bigger [when I submitted my application],” Amanda said. “I feel like it should’ve been this big moment for me. But immediately, it was really stressful because I was like, now I can’t do anything and it’s completely out of my hands.”

Although Amanda is conﬁdent in her extracurriculars and grades, she often feels intimidated by Georgetown’s applicant pool from Harvard-Westlake. Hearing other students and her dean talk about the applicant pool, she said, makes her question whether Georgetown is too large of a reach. Despite her hesitations, Amanda has no regrets about her decision and has decided to be open with her friends about where she has applied. “As I’ve gotten farther in the process, I’ve realized that telling somebody [where I have applied] won’t change anything,” Amanda said. “It’s just a superstition of mine. If somebody asks me, I’ll share.” The Artist: Christina* has had her mind set on pursuing a career in pop music for many years. But recently, after having performed in the upper school production of “Les Miserables,” she has begun to have second thoughts. “I’ve always been pretty insecure about my acting, which is why I’ve never really considered theater to be a serious option,” Christina said. “But after doing ‘Les Mis’ and receiving such high praise for my acting as well as my singing, I’ve become more conﬁdent in that ability. I’m questioning whether or not I would be better off receiving an education in singing and acting and dancing, as opposed to one in just voice and performance.” The University of Southern California Popular Music Program is still Christina’s top choice because she would

be able to take part in musical productions along with her studies in singing. Since USC does not have an Early Decision option, Christina decided to apply Early Action to the University of Michigan, Emerson College, Tulane University and Pace University. “My strategy was just to apply Early Action everywhere that offered it, just so I could have some sort of acceptance or rejection, so I’ll know earlier,” Christina said. Christina received pressure from her college counselor and mother to apply Early Decision to New York University. However, after discussing her high chances at USC with her dean, Christina decided not to do so. Now that she has submitted all of her Early Action applications, Christina is now focused on the audition components. She has yet to ﬁnalize song choices and is in the midst of choreographing short dances that are required by musical theater programs at certain schools, such as the University of Michigan and Emerson College. The Athlete: Mark* verbally committed to Pomona College for swimming Sept. 28. He had already received an offer from Swarthmore College, but continued to push back the offer until he had heard back from Pomona. He was anticipating a phone call from Pomona since he was told by the school that he was their top recruit, but was worried that waiting too long would jeopardize his offer from Swarthmore. After ﬁnally receiving the

phone call from Pomona, Mark decided that it was the ideal college for him because of the school’s academic rigor and his desire to stay in California. He immediately cancelled his ofﬁcial recruit trips to Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Amherst College, Williams College and Carnegie Mellon University. Mark was also interested in Yale University and Brown University, but did not anticipate receiving offers. “Yale and Brown were risky and I thought they might not be the perfect ﬁt,” Mark said. “I settled on Pomona when they gave me the offer.” After committing, however, Mark started to doubt his decision. “I was afraid that the academic standards [at Pomona] were too tough and I wouldn’t be able to survive there because I know they are more academic and less athletic-minded,” Mark said. “I was thinking I’m an athlete, so maybe I should go to a more athletic school with less pressure on academics.” Despite his initial concerns, Mark is content with his decision. He looks forward to leading the Pomona men’s swim team to victories over their rivals Claremont Mckenna, Scripps and Harvey Mudd. Now that Mark knows where he will be attending university next year, he said that the burden of maintaining a high grade-point-average has lessened. “I truly feel like I’m learning stuff now without the stress of grades,” Mark said. *Names have been changed.

The Chronicle

C4 Features

Honor Board Students and faculty explain the functions of the often-mysterious Honor Board, with some sharing their own experiences with it.

Nov. 2

22, 2016

hWChroniCle.CoM/Features

Features C5

By ESHANIKA CHAUDHARY AND LAYLA MOGHAVEM

Alternatively, they could punish them. We’ve never had who were interviewed, howevfirst contact the student’s dean a ‘Twelve Angry Men’ moment er, are under no obligation to to find out if it is the student’s in the Honor Board. No one keep the case confidential but When Chris* ’17 received first offense. If so, the teach- has come in appearing to be are nonetheless encouraged an email from Chaplain J. er has the option to handle it guilty and, by the end, [been to. “There are very, very seriYoung requesting a meet- internally. If not, the dean is found] innocent.” The student’s dean is ous consequences for [breaking, his stomach dropped. He supposed to report it directly meant to serve as emotional ing confidentiality],” Head didn’t know why Young want- to Young. Science teacher Krista Mc- support, Upper School Dean Prefect Cate Wolfen ’17 said. ed to see him. “I’d had an issue with my Clain said she views minor Sharon Cuseo said, and walk “Not only is it not a kind thing friend, who did not once try to offenses as learning opportu- the student through the pro- to do, but all prefects undercontact me or talk to me about nities and handles them access. Chris, however, said he stand, and we reiterate all the it or how to resolve it, then I cordingly but still notifies the did not feel supported by his time, that if you were to break dean, who did not say his name confidentiality about an Honget an email the next day from student’s dean. “I feel like it’s a teaching correctly when discussing the or Board case or other things, FJ saying ‘come talk to me,’” Chris said. “And now I have an lesson, and so I try to enter case with him and seemed to then your position on prefect that as a teaching lesson to have already marked him as council would be jeopardized.” Honor Board infraction.” The Honor Board and PreChris had angrily “sub- them,” McClain said. “I always guilty. Cuseo said that deans also fect Council used to be septweeted” a friend after an ar- try to tell the dean so that gument, meaning he made a it’s on a record of some sort help students deal with Honor arate entities, but they were social media post complain- so that, if it keeps happening Board infractions in terms of consolidated because of a large overlap between their reing about the situation within lots of classes, the dean is college admissions. Infractions can negative- sponsibilities, Young said. The out identifying the friend. His aware of it.” Students who witness an ly impact a student’s chanc- Honor Board has existed in its friend, who felt hurt and targeted by the post, showed it to academic breach can report es, but, she said, the longer current setup for a long time, it’s been since he said. Young wishing to report it to the violation to the infraction, As a result, Noxon said, the the Honor Board. Chris said their teacher, the better it Honor Board has seen enough [The Honor that Young asked him to meet dean, a prefect is for the stu- cases at this point that, for to talk about the situation and or an adminBoard] did not care dent. Deans each case they see, there probwarned him that the Honor istrator. When what I had to say. They can help stu- ably has already been a simiReview Committee, a subset reported to a the dents explain lar one before upon which they did not care what I felt. of the Honor Board consisting teacher, still of generally three or four pre- teacher No one really listened to to colleges the can base current decisions. nature of the Each case, however, is diffects, a dean and a few teach- has the option me.” handling infraction and ferent, causing a conflict beers, would be looking into the of internally. case to determine if it should it —Chris* ’17 how they have tween the value of consistency Deans, prefects learned from it and the desire to personalize go before the Honor Board. and changed each decision. In several instances, a case and adminis“We wouldn’t need an Honwon’t make it past the HRC. trators will generally take the since then. “[Applying to colleges] has or Board if we said that every Chris’ wasn’t one of those cas- case straight to Young. When a case is brought been difficult because it goes kind of academic integrity vies. Chris said, seemingly out of to Young, he brings it to the on my record, and when col- olation will always have the the blue, without being called in front of the Honor Board, HRC, which is given the basic leges see an Honor Board in- same result and any violation he was called into a meeting facts of the case without any fraction, they don’t really un- of our substance policies will where he was presented with names. The HRC investigates derstand the circumstances,” have the same result,” Presia contract outlining the details whether there is a clear viola- Chris said. “However, I’ve had dent Rick Commons said. “We tor and clear evidence of a vi- a teacher, dean and adminis- need an Honor Board so we can of his punishment. “The Honor Board created olation and then decides if the trator who are writing letters look at each individual case on a list for me of rules I had to case is in their jurisdiction. If to colleges saying ‘he’s not this the facts of that case. But then abide by,” Chris said. “It was so, the case moves on to the type of person; this is a very it’s a special challenge for that one-sided story,’ in addition to group to be consistent.” like ‘The 95 Theses.’ It said, Honor Board. When Chris was brought to my letters of recommendation Noxon said he feels that ‘you [and your friend] have to this is a “core issue” of the have mediated meetings,’ for the Honor Board for bullying a to address the infraction.” Some students who were Honor Board process. example. I had to do all the second time — the allegation “I can think of three or four things on the contract, and if which he said was grossly ex- previously involved with the I didn’t, I would be suspended aggerated — six of his friends Honor Board believe there is cases off the top of my head were interviewed by the Hon- room for improvement when it where we had thought of a from school.” less severe punishment, and Although bullying cas- or Board to examine his char- comes to transparency. “I don’t have a solution but [after] looking back on prior es like Chris’ are rather rare, acter and verify his accuser’s Young said, they tend to be claims. Chris said he did not that there are a lot of problems cases, it had been voted upon get a chance to with the institution of that a more severe in more of a gray area speak to the Honor the Honor Code, and one would be warsince the Honor Code Board and present the Honor Board here ranted to maintain provision relating to it, his side of the story at Harvard-Westlake, consistency,” Noxon “I won’t violate the perin either case. and that transparensaid. “The problem son of others,” is broad. “The adminis- cy and confidentiality, with precedent is Cases in which a stutration did not lis- are only a few of the assuming equivalendent potentially broke ten to me,” Chris many,” said Shelby cy. Although cases the law go directly to said. “[In my second Weiss ’16, who was a may appear simithe administration and case], they had alprefect in her sopholar, when you get can sometimes result ’ ’ ready labeled me more, junior and seinto the interviews, in police involvement. Sharon Cuseo Shelby as a bully. They did nior years and sat in when you talk to the The most common casWeiss ’16 not care what I had on Honor Board cases kids, they’re radicales, however, concern ly different from each other. cheating, but Young said there to say. They did not care what during that time. Twenty-nine percent of The point of the Honor Board is no set protocol for reporting I felt. No one really listened to and handling these cases be- me or the friends who vouched students said they would be is not to punish; it’s to make for me.” concerned about confidential- sure the student can get back fore they reach him. Chris said the Honor Board ity if they were brought to the on their feet.” Only 39.5 percent of the Cuseo said that she wish342 students who responded was “out to Honor-Board Honor Board. Some students to a Chronicle poll said they someone,” which blinded them said they heard about Honor es students would look at gofeel they understand how from hearing his perspective. Board cases they weren’t sup- ing to the Honor Board as an opportunity to improve themthe Honor Board works well Since the investigation is done posed to know about. “I’ve heard prefects talking selves, not just as a mechaenough. If a teacher notices beforehand, the Honor Board a violation, they do not nec- serves as “more of a sentenc- about the details and specif- nism for punishment. “I believe so much in the essarily have to report it to ing hearing,” said Charlie Nox- ics of Honor Board,” said Aria* on ’17, who was a sophomore ’17, who requested to be anon- redemptive power of going beYoung. “Many teachers, myself and junior prefect and sat in ymous so as not to face inqui- fore the Honor Board and how included, try to handle those on cases during the 2014-15 ry from the Honor Board. “I important it is for students to actually didn’t know they were have this experience in high [minor] things internally if school year. “The vast majority of cases supposed to be confidential, so school where they’re forced to we can, sharing the circumstances as much as needed in which the student is inno- I never knew they weren’t sup- take a look at themselves and their motivations and their with the dean,” math teacher cent is never brought to the posed to [talk about them].” Young said that confidenti- patterns that, if my children Kent Nealis said. “It really, for Honor Board itself,” Noxon me, would have to be some- said. “In a way, I think that di- ality is absolutely required for were here, I would want [them] thing egregious and something minishes [its] power if the Hon- the teachers and prefects serv- to go before the Honor Board,” where the student wasn’t very or Board’s role is not to deter- ing on the Honor Board and Cuseo said. forthcoming [for me to take the mine if a student is innocent in the HRC. The accused and but is to determine how best to any accusers or third parties *Names have been changed. case to the Honor Board].”

“

NATHANSON S

C6 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016

“A” is for Asian? Some Asian-American students said the “model minority” myth affects their daily interactions.

categorizations of her ethnicity affect her self-perception, she When Steven Zhao ’19 left said. “There’s a lot of pressure his English class holding a graded essay, his friend took a quick when people try to put me in a look at the “B+” scrawled on a box even though there are so margin, cracked a smile and many things going on other than said, “you dishonor your family.” my race,” Lee said. “Also, if I had Zhao pretended to laugh a really bad day at school, I am along, though he didn’t really extra hard on myself because I find the comment funny, he said. feel like I’m always expected to For Zhao, who is a first genera- excel.” William Park ’17, a section Chinese-American, such remarks about his grades from his ond-generation Korean-Ameripeers are frequent occurrences, can, first learned about the model minority myth during a debate he said. As opposed to such com- tournament, he said. Since then, ments being reflective of himself he said he has become more as an individual, he said he at- aware of how his race influences tributes them to the fact that “so his daily interactions. “I try to be ‘white’ in some many people consider Asians to scenarios,” Park said. “I try hardbe so academically focused.” The existence of such er to have my voice heard and to a stereotype surrounding seem knowledgeable, especially Asian-American students may in the humanities. I realize that have older social and political or- the idea of a model minority puts igins, as suggested by the model me in a weird middle ground beminority myth, according to the cause I don’t feel like a minority, but I will also never be treated as Los Angeles Times. According to Diverse: Issues completely American.” Some students said they feel in Higher Education, the term “model minority,” coined by so- the need to prove themselves ciologist William Petersen in by dispelling stereotypes, some1966, claims that Asian-Amer- times affecting their relationicans have achieved greater ships with their peers. “It’s definitely subconscious, success socially, politically and economically when compared but when I’m hanging out with to other racial minority groups. my teammates and they talk about academics, I won’t It suggests that participate and also talk Asian-Americans are about how much I studable to attain their ied for a test,” Lee said. socioeconomic status “I don’t want to have the because of inherent stigma of being a studicharacteristics, such ous Asian.” as hard work, intelliPark also said he feels gence and obedience. compelled to spend more In the 1960s, time at school with nonpoliticians capitalAsian students. ized on the idea of ’ “I have a lot of Asian Asian-Americans and Erin Lee ’18 friends outside of school, their success as the but at school, I hang out model minority to discredit the demands of the Civil with more white people because I don’t want to fit into the stereoRights Movement. The American Communi- type that Asians clump together ty Survey states, however, that in social circles,” Park said. “It only 20.4 percent of Indians did deters me from hanging out with not attend college, while 65.8 the people that maybe I should percent of Cambodians did not. be hanging out with.” Park said he has also expeJudy Tzu-Chun Wu, a professor of Asian-American studies rienced racial microaggressions, at the University of California, often presented in the form of Irvine, said the idea of a mod- seemingly innocent racial comel minority fails to acknowledge ments or racist jokes. Although the disparities, such as this one the perpetrators may be unin college education, within the aware of their doing, he said that microaggressions can have the Asian-American community. “There are Asian-Americans same effect as outright discrimwho are coming in as political ination. “I found myself being refugees or undocumented to here,” Wu said. “There are high called Chinese many numbers of high school dropouts times, with people among some groups, high rates often making jokes of poverty, high rates of incarcer- about how I eat ation; there are all sorts of social dog,” Park wrote issues that get masked by the in a personal journal model minority representation.” for As a Korean-American, Erin entry Lee ’18 said there still are stereo- his Assimtypes of being Asian-American, ilation and which she defines as being studi- D i f f e r e n c e s ous, belonging to predominantly class. “It feels even Asian social circles and being worse when white assume asocial. These one-dimensional people

By NICOLE KIM

NATHANSON S

that calling all Asian-Americans smart is a compliment, even adding the accent as if it were some sort of compensation.” The outwardly positive nature of such discrimination may make it more difﬁcult for students to speak out, Upper School Dean Beth Slattery said. “Microaggressions affect Asian-American students in particular because people say things that they perceive as compliments,” Slattery said. “I think people probably don’t think that Asian-American students don’t have a problem as other students of color do. In fact, I would guess that most people don’t even identify Asian-Americans as students of color.” Ravi Durairaj ’17, an Indian-American, said that how his peers view him conforms to certain aspects of a stereotypical Asian-American student: smart, good at science and math, parents who work in the sciences. However, this perception is more largely inﬂuenced by his personality than being Indian-American, he said. “It doesn’t really bother me that much,” Durairaj said. “I don’t see being perceived as smart as a negative so much, and I usually am pretty timid until I get to know someone.” On the other hand, some non-Asian students said that while the stereotypes exist, they don’t affect the student body’s perceptions of Asian-American students. “One stereotype is the image of the tiger parents and a hardworking student that usually plays the violin or something,” Jonty Nobbs ’18 said. “This view doesn’t manifest itself in Harvard-Westlake because everyone is being pushed hard and is driven academically, and the Asian students don’t necessarily stand out in that regard.” Peter* ’18, who chose to stay anonymous because he was afraid of sounding racist, said that, as a non-Asian student, he agrees that a commonly-held view of Asian-American students is that they are “very focused academically and generally seen as more one-dimensional than the average student.” Such stereotypes originate from the general trend of having high numbers of Asian-American students in high-level courses, he

said. “ S t e reotypes are unjust and conﬁning, but there are some truth in them,” P e t e r said. “If you were to look at Harvard-Westlake, which is in Los Angeles and generally has a large Asian population, there are more Asian students relative to the entire student body in the majority of advanced classes.” He said that the trend that he perceives does not have any implications for the students’ social lives. “Every student at Harvard-Westlake has some extent of a social life,” Peter said. “The deﬁnition of social life does not have to be limited to going out to parties and does not have to be associated with alcohol and liveliness. From what I’ve observed, Asian-American students have a social life of some sort, as do all students at Harvard-Westlake.” *Names have been changed.

GRAPHIC BY NICOLE KIM

NOV. 22, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES C7

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

jump from ninth to tenth grade. “It was definitely a shock, and I don’t really know if there’s any By DANIELLE SPITZ way to address that,” Olivia said. It was only a matter of min- “I definitely think my grade has utes before Olivia* ’19 lost track of had to mature really quickly to her friends. She tried yelling their kind of catch up to where everynames above the blasting music one else on this campus is.” According to the National Inand locating them among the sea of Red Solo Cups, but eventually stitute on Drug Abuse, the pergave up and retreated to a corner. centage of students who drank al“I wasn’t really there to have cohol in the past month increases fun anyway,” Olivia said. “I was from 9.7 percent to 21.5 percent [at the party] because that’s what between eighth and tenth grade, and past-month use of marijuana my friends wanted to do.” Olivia said she felt reluctant to increases from 6.5 percent to 14.8 attend the party, which was her percent. Out of 358 Harvard-Westlake first as an upper school student, but her friends convinced her students polled, 77.9 percent said to come by telling her it was the they were exposed to more substances at the Upper School than “cool” thing to do. “People feel like parties are a they were at the Middle School. Seventy-two percent said it is much bigger deal and to be invitmore difficult to balance their soed to one is considered a cial and academic lives huge privilege, so I think as sophomores than it people want to capitalize was as freshmen. on it as much as possiUpper School Psyble,” Olivia said. chologist Kavita Ajmere Although Olivia said attributed the change in she never felt pressured exposure to substances to do anything she was to the shift in the social not comfortable with, network between ninth she was surprised to see ’ and tenth graders. how many of her friends Kavita Ajemere “When you’re in ninth indulged in drugs or algrade, you’re at the top cohol and how differently they acted. She remembered them of the totem pole in the Middle speaking less coherently, walking School, and then when you come aimlessly and sending text mes- to the Upper School, you have to sages and snapchats with regret- start that ladder all over again,” Ajmere said. “I also think that table content. Because she was one of the tenth grade may be the first time few sober people at the party, people are actually going to parOlivia said she had to prioritize ties. That might be their first entry her friends’ safety over her own, into any kind of drugs or alcohol.” However, Ajmere said she is ensuring that they continued to drink water and didn’t stray too not concerned about students’ social lives interfering with their far from her side. “[Being exposed to substanc- academic lives because Hares] has been interesting just in vard-Westlake students value the fact that I feel like it’s ruined their schoolwork. Classes such a lot of friendships and made a lot as Choices and Challenges also of people concerned about their spark conversation on campus friends and their wellbeing,” she and inform students about the consequences of substance abuse. said. “It wouldn’t be uncommon for Noting that substance use is more common at the Upper a high school student to experSchool because of the more prom- iment with something,” Ajmere inent party scene, Olivia said she said. “I think that’s part of natufelt very unprepared for the social ral development, but I also think • Continued from C1

NATHANSON S

that students see the dangers of eryone be older than you is really abuse when it comes to drugs and overwhelming, but it also forces alcohol. And it’s not just about you to know your limits because becoming an addict, but it’s also you don’t want to be the sophoabout their futures, their lives, more that flips out or messes evtheir health. Part of a complete erything up, so I think that forces education is not just about aca- you to know your limits and hold demics, but it’s also about char- back a little bit and relax.” acter and about life and about Having older students present mental health and about being a who have more experience, Lily good person.” said, sets a precedence for the Ethan* ’18 said he couldn’t incoming sophomores. Similarescape the exposure to alcohol ly, being a younger sibling, Jack or marijuana as a sophomore be- Nordstrom ’19 said having an oldcause they were accessible at al- er sister to look up to aided his somost every social gathering that cial transition from freshman year was not school-affiliated. This to sophomore year. transition, he said, was more in“My sister really included me tense than he had anticipated, in all of her experiences that hapand it began to affect the way he pened at the Upper School, so I approached his social life, think- knew what was going to happen, ing he could only have fun if he and it wasn’t a surprise to me,” was under the influence. Nordstrom said. “I never really do “At first it was hard to adjust any substances — don’t feel the because at the Midneed to — but dle School you’re so I’m also able to sheltered, and you’re still socialize on I feel like [being not really exposed to the weekends exposed to substances] this sort of thing, because there has ruined a lot of so you don’t really are others who know how to conalso don’t parfriendships.” trol yourself,” Ethan take.” —Olivia* ‘19 said. “But eventually Upper School you tend to catch on Dean Sharon pretty quickly what your limita- Cuseo enforced the importance of tions are.” empowering sophomores and inEven if he wasn’t particular- stilling in them a sense of self-conly enthusiastic about using sub- fidence to combat social pressures stances, Ethan said it just be- so those students who don’t feel came a normal part of his social comfortable with exposure to subexperiences at the Upper School, stances don’t feel like they have and eventually he didn’t even no- no other options. tice the presence of substances at “You shouldn’t be in a situaparties. tion where you can’t make a de“I just expect substances to cision that feels right to you, and be involved at every party,” Ethan I think that unfortunately that’s said. “They play a much bigger what happens because I think role at the Upper School than the sophomores feel that they aren’t Middle School.” able to do that,” Cuseo said. “StuWhile Ethan said he felt unset- dents come to me trying to find tled by the exposure to substanc- their lane and reassurance that it es as one of the youngest students exists. They’re exposed to big paron campus, Lily* ’19 said she ties, and then they need to find credits what she described as her their own because I think that “smooth transition” to the Upper through social media everyone’s School to the age gap between the aware of the big events, and then sophomores and the upperclass- they don’t realize that there are men. other options.” “I was really intimidated at my first party,” Lily said. “Having ev- *Names have been changed.

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C8 FEATURES

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THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016 The Political Climate in States where Alumni Live

On campus, it’s great, people here agree with my beliefs. But as soon as I wander into town, things aren’t as friendly.” —Taylor Ingman ’16 Colleges in states that voted republican (27.80%) Colleges in states that voted democratic (72.20%)

GRAPHIC BY KRISTIN KUWADA

• Continued from A1

change particularly striking after the election, they said, when incidents fueled by racism began to occur. In the days following the election, African-American freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania were added to a group messaging thread on the app GroupMe, which contained racial slurs and lynching threats, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. While the person responsible was found to be a University of Oklahoma student, the attack targeted UPenn students. “The fact that these students were speciﬁcally targeted and individually added to a GroupMe is sickening,” UPenn sophomore Elizabeth Goran ’15 said. “I know that older black friends of mine have brought up the fact too that these are just freshman who are still trying to get adjusted to college and now have to deal with the added weight of not feeling safe on their own cam-

pus.” Similar events took place on Kreshek’s college campus, where a student wearing a hijab was threatened with being lit on ﬁre, University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel said in a letter to students. Incidents on campus were not one-sided, with many Trump supporters being called racist by their classmates for their political beliefs, Schlissel also said in his letter. Events like these were not conﬁned to states that voted for Trump in the presidential election. At Kayla Darini’s ’16 college, Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, she said Hillary Clinton supporters were faced with degrading comments in group messages of Republican students on campus. “While the school is making an effort to ease tensions, it’s obvious that people are not being as sensitive to people with differing opinions on the election,” Darini said. “One of the things our school’s President said in an email the oth-

er day was that we need to be aware of how our comments impact the community. People are obviously not considering how traumatic this election is for many people.” For Emily Plotkin ’13, a senior at Emory University in Atlanta, election results came more in the form of peaceful protests against the president-elect. “This election truly divided the country like nothing else I have ever experienced, and there was a lot of frustration and anger after the election,” Plotkin said. “There was a walk of silence that took place on campus the day after the election; people walked through campus dressed in black and marched in silence and solidarity ‘for the healing of the hate in our country.’” Kreshek said she experienced a change in classroom discussions following her move to a red state. “In my philosophy class on inequality, discussion topics like gender inequality have at times led into conversations about issues like abortion that

have been surprisingly diffi- Lives Matter” with the words cult to engage in,” Kreshek “All Lives Matter” and “Presisaid. “I’ve definitely had to ac- dent Trump.” knowledge the influence that Other alumni, however, Los Angeles has had on me in have not experienced a large order to engage in discussion shift in the political environon a lot of the social issues ments on their campuses, that made this election so po- despite the fact that they are larizing.” now in red states, due to the Some alumni said, howev- typically liberal atmosphere of er, they didn’t notice this dif- college campuses and metroference on their campuses but politan cities. “The effect was rather in the communities surrounding actually negligible, them. and I honestly could “On campus, it’s hardly notice,” Washington University in great and people here agree with my beliefs,” St. Louis sophomore Brian Adler ’15 said. Oberlin College freshman Taylor Ingman “St. Louis is actually ’16 said of her school a blue city, despite located in Ohio. “But being in an over’ as soon as I wander whelmingly red state. Katie Because of that, into town, things arKreshek ’16 daily life here is really en’t as friendly.” Ingman cited renot too different from cent community incidents as being in Los Angeles, which examples of the political divide is also overwhelmingly blue. that she has seen following the St. Louis has a ton of liberal policies, too. That being said, presidential election. An Oberlin-based biker there are state policies that gang recently painted over occasionally make you realize rocks on campus covered in you really are in a pretty red statements such as “Black state.” NATHANSON S

Sports The Chronicle • Nov. 22, 2016

Cross Country

Runners advance to finals

By Joe Levin

Most teenagers use their weekends to catch up on sleep, but before most people even woke up Saturday morning, both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams accomplished what they set out to do at the start of summer practice: qualify for State Finals. And they did it all before 8 a.m. Needing to place in the top seven at Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV Finals to qualify, the boys finished fourth overall, while the girls finished fifth. For the girls, the feat was extra sweet, coming a year after finishing 12th in CIF-SS Finals a year ago. “I’m so happy,” Casey Crosson ’17 said. “I had been nervously anticipating this race for the past year, so to finally make it to today and to succeed in the goal we set out to accomplish is the greatest feeling.” Crosson anchors the girls’ team, along with fellow captain Lochryn Howe ’17. The two of them came in 10th and 12th respectively on Saturday. The girls won the Mission League this year, a title they

JOE LEVIN/CHRONICLE

RUN, DUSTIN, RUN: Dustin Jones ’17 competes in the 69th annual Mt. SAC Invitational on Oct. 21. Both the boys and girls qualified for the State Finals with their fourth and fifth-place finishes in the CIF Division IV Finals on Nov. 19. State finals begin Nov. 26. have been after since losing it last fall. “It really raised the stakes and made qualifying this year that much better,” Crosson said. The boys found a way to qualify in spite of running what they say was not nearly their best race of the season. “Most of us pushed the pace too much for the first mile to mile and a half of the race, so

we ended up getting too tired and people passed us,” Nicholas Sweeney ’17 said. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis on starting out fast to avoid getting caught behind people, and we just took it a little too far this time by not leaving enough energy for the later part of the race.” Jason Santillan ’17 turned in the top time for the boys’ team, followed by Jonah Ring ’18 and Andrew Shibuya ’19.

Missing from the list of top times is Nate Hollander ’17, the November Student Athletic Advisory Committe Male Athlete of the Month and, usually, the team’s top finisher. Hollander had been nursing a sprained ankle in the weeks leading up to CIF Finals. “Everyone else stepped up,” Hollander said. “We are a team with great depth, so even though I dropped off today and

had a poor race, we were never at risk of not qualifying.” Earlier in the year, the boys finished first at the 69th Annual Mt. SAC Invitational, the largest cross country meet in the country. The girls finished fourth at the same meet. Now, all attention turns toward State Finals, which will be • Continued on page D2

Girls’ Tennis

Squad falls just short of championship By Ellis Becker Elly Choi

and

ELLIS BECKER/CHRONICLE

BACK AT YA: Jennifer Gadalov ’19 steps into a swing during the team’s Sept. 29 match against Notre Dame, an 11-7 loss.

The girls’ tennis team fell to the Campbell Hall Vikings in the finals of the CIF playoffs on Nov. 11. Leading up to the finals, the team ended its regular league season 7-1, losing only to Notre Dame. The squad was able to comfortably beat Camarillo 13-5 in the first round of playoffs and defeat Arcadia 11-7 to move on to the quarter finals of the playoffs against Corona Del Mar. Last year, the squad fell to Peninsula in the finals, but was

able to beat them this season. Again, the team was unable to win in the finals. “I think this year, we took the loss harder than last year,” Amanda Chan ’19 said. “Last year, getting to the finals was a huge accomplishment, and we didn’t expect to beat Peninsula. I think we were more confident going into CIF, and I thought we really had a chance of winning.” Even with the loss, the team believes that it has learned a lot from this season. “I think this year we did a better job of coming together as a team,” Chan said. “Everyone contributed, and even if they

weren’t actually on the court, they cheered on the rest of the team. The whole team was an important part to our success.” The team is already looking forward to the next season and is preparing to take the title of champion next year. “I’m really proud that we were able to get so far two years in a row,” Chan said. “I’m really looking forward to next year, and I think that we have a good chance of making it to the finals and actually winning. As for preparation, we just need to continue practicing so we can be on top of our game for next season.”

Boys’ Water Polo

Team stunned by Huntington Beach in semifinals

By Jake Liker

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series, Leicester City won the Premier League, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead and the Wolverines were absent from the championship game of the CIFSS Division I Boys’ Water Polo Finals. In 2016’s sports world, common sense now makes no sense, as water polo players at Loyola, Mater Dei and HarvardWestlake experienced firsthand. After beating Mater Dei 11-5 in the quarterfinals, Huntington Beach took down the other water polo giant, Harvard-Westlake,

by a score of 7-6 in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Orange Lutheran upset top-seeded Loyola, and went on to beat Huntington Beach in the championship game 9-7. Anyone who predicted that final matchup two months ago would be wise to plan a trip to Las Vegas soon. It would fit this year’s pattern to attribute such an unforseen plot twist to the sports gods’ sudden desire for unpredictability, but mere mortals surely had an impact, such as the one who kicked the inside of Felix Brozyna-Vilim’s ’17 leg in the water over the summer. Brozyna-Vilim played through

this injury at the beginning of the season but ultimately was sidelined for its remainder, as a torn meniscus rendered surgery the only viable course of action. Losing is never fun, and the inability to play only magnifies the despair of defeat, Brozyna-Vilim said. “It was the hardest thing ever watching my best friends play the game I love,” BrozynaVilim said. “I was sad about the loss, but [more so] about never playing with my homies again.” Indeed, the blond band of brothers has been through a lot with one another. The season brought highs, such as hosting

and winning the S&R Sport Elite 8 Water Polo tournament, which Evan Rosenfeld ’17 cited as the highlight of his season. “Having eight solid teams in the tournament was probably my favorite part; no games were a waste of time,” Rosenfeld said. However, the playoff exit has awarded some players an unwanted luxury for now: the ability to waste time. The day after the loss, when The Chronicle requested comment from BrozynaVilim, he replied, “Yeah, I have time now.” Then he paused, looking sullen and pensive. “Too much time.”

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

LOCKED IN: Luke Henriksson ’17 prepares take a shot.

D2 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

Game to watch DEC. 9

Basketball vs. Compton Dominguez Taper Gym The varsity boys' basketball team's first home game this year will be against Compton Donimguez on Dec. 9. The two teams have not played each other since the 2011-12 season when Harvard-Westlake won by a score of 84-83. Last season, Compton Dominguez finished with a record of 19-9, and Harvard-Westlake won the CIF State Division IV title with a final record of 27-8.

KEY PLAYER Cassius Stanley '19 An essential player to the Harvard-Westlake basketball team, 5-star recruit Stanley is the 2nd best shooting guard in the nation, according to ESPN's class of 2019 national position rankings, and the ninth ranked player overall in the ESPN's top 25. The 6'4" high ﬂying sophomore starting guard wears jersey number three.

& Figures Facts

Wins this season for girls' volleyball

Number of goals ﬁeld hockey outscored opponents by in season

field hockey

Team loses in league semifinals By ELI ADLER AND A DAM YU

After losing in the first round of the Los Angeles Field Hockey Association playoffs in the 2015 season, the squad rebounded to advance to the semifinals this season. After beating the thenreigning champions, Edison, in the first game of the season, the squad cruised to a 15-3-3 overall record and an undefeated 8-0 league record, which they attributed to the closeness of the players. “I think what really made this season successful was that fact that our team was close on and off the field, and that we worked really hard and were able to go undefeated in league which we haven’t been able to do for a few years,” Nicole Bahar ’18 said. In the first round of the playoffs, the team defeated Marina by a score of 5-1 at home. “We tried not to let it get to our heads too much because we knew that the next round would be even tougher,” she said. “However, it was pretty awesome beating the team who had beat us in the first round of the playoffs the last two years,” Carolyn Kim ’18 said. They were defeated 2-1 at

home in the next round by Newport, who was the only team that had beat them during the regular season. The team ended up finishing fourth place in the playoffs, losing to Huntington Beach High School 1-0 in the third place game. “It was very disappointing to go through the the regular season undefeated and then get kicked out of the playoffs in the second round,” Kim said. Even though the team did not accomplish the goal they had set for themselves at the beginning of the season of winning the league championship, they did not find themselves down over the fact they had lost. “We never really had any low points [throughout the season],” Erin Lee ’18 said. “Even when we lost in semifinals, we were still positive about playing in the third place game.” Furthermore, the team emphasized the successes they enjoyed this season, including their defeat of Bonita in their first league game of the season by a score of 1-0. “The highest point of our season was definitely when we won during sudden death against Bonita,” she said. “We had never won a sudden death before, so it

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

FINISHING TOUCH: Forward Nicole Bahar ’18 dribbles past the goalie and defender to score a goal in a 6-0 victory Sept. 29. was amazing that we came together and were able to pull through.” The squad will lose ﬁve strong graduating seniors, which will make it hard for the team to readjust next year. However, they expect to

Cross country reaches state • Continued from D1

Boys' water polo's overall win percentage

Junior Varsity Boys' Basketball Next Game: Nov. 28 @ Heritage Christian High School

Girls' Basketball Next Game:

Nov. 28 @ Harvard-Westlake High School

Boys' Soccer Next Match: Nov. 29 @ Hueneme High School

Girls' Soccer Next Match: Nov. 29 @ Harvard-Westlake High School

come back even stronger than last year. “I do think it will be rough to start considering we are losing very talented players, but if there’s one thing to be said about our team, it’s that we always bounce back better,” Kim said.

CROSS COUNTRY

FOOTBALL

Number of losses in league for girls' golf

NOV. 22, 2016

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

NEED FIVE SPEED: Running back, Thomas Glover '18 breaks an attempted tackle by a defender near midﬁeld in a 20-7 opener win over Birmingham at Birmingham's home ﬁeld on Sept. 26.

Squad gains valuable experience By JULIANA BERGER

The football team spent its season adjusting to a lineup filled with underclassmen. They finished with a final overall recorded of 3-8 and a league record of 0-5. “Our team was extremely young with multiple sophomores and freshman starting on all phases of the game,” Captain Odin Hernandez ’17 said. “However, as the season went on we started to lose those class distinctions as we all went through the same hardships, and by the end of the season we were all equals on the field, no matter the age.” After losing 56-28, the players’ season ended in the first round to Calabasas on

Nov. 11. “I am most proud of the fact that in the ﬁnal game, though the odds weren't with us, we went down swinging, giving it our all— a complete reversal from the previous games,” Hernandez said. The team said its biggest issue was becoming too caught up in its past problems instead of focusing on playing in the moment. “In games prior, when something went bad we allowed it to grow, leading to more and more mistakes instead of moving on,” Hernandez said. “Essentially, we were our own worst enemy.” Looking forward to the next season, Football Program Head Scot Ruggles said that the experience gained by the

team this year will hopefully lead to greater success in coming years. “The future of the football program is bright and I am excited to put the pieces in place to make that happen,” Ruggles said. The players are also looking to use this year’s lessons to grow as a team in the future when they are older and know more about the sport and how to work together. “As a team, we were young this year, and moving forward as a team we can't use that as an excuse,” Loyal Terry ’19 said. “So this offseason everyone is getting on the same page and moving forward as a team, holding each other to the high standard that we know we are capable of.”

held next Saturday in Fresno. “I'm very excited to see what our team can do on the state course,” Crosson said. “We're not favored to win or anything, but I am confident that we can place well. We're a tough group, and the state course rewards tough runners because it is a pretty challenging course.” The boys will look to build off of last year’s experience in the State Finals. In last year's Sate Finals, the team finished their season coming in sixth place. “Our main problem there was that we didn't start the race fast enough, so a lot of people got ahead of us early on,” Sweeney said. “That's a big reason why we've been working on starting out fast this year.” The qualification is special for the Wolverines. It is special for them that both the boys and the girls team reached State, which is a very rare accomplishment. “Although we compete separately, we really are one single team,” Crosson said. “To have only half of us go to state [would have felt] very wrong.” No one knows what will happen when they wake up next Saturday morning, but one thing’s for sure: when they go to sleep tonight, the Wolverine runners will be dreaming of earning themselves and their team a state championship.

THE CHRONICLE

D4 SPORTS

OCT.

Winter

By OLIVER AKHTARZAD

AND

Girls’ Basketball

ADAM YU

After finishing last season with a 21-11 overall record and a 4-4 league record, the squad hopes to do better this year. “This season, our team hopes to win league and return to open division for CIF and win state [championships],” guard Ashlee Wong ’18 said. “I have high hopes for this season.” The team is also reflecting on last season’s shortcomings. “Last year, I think we had very high expectations, and [we] fell just short of a state championship,” Wong said. The team’s first home game is against Ventura High School Dec. 9, and their first league game is against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, at home, Jan. 5.

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

Boys’ Soccer

By ELI ADLER Under the direction of new head coach Kris Ward, the boys’ soccer team has high hopes for this season. Although the team ﬁnished last year with a 7-9-3 overall record, Ward has set lofty goals for the squad. “We want to win our conference. We would like to win both of the tournaments that we’ve entered, and we would like to then make the run to get as deep in the playoffs as we can,” Ward said. However, the players believe that these goals are attainable. “We worked hard last year, and although we didn’t have an amazing record, we still pushed the program in a positive direction, and we hope to build on that,” center back Ethan Blazer ’17 said. Their ﬁrst game is Nov. 29 against Hueneme HS.

JAKE LIKER/CHRONICLE

By SAM MCCABE

AND

ZACH SWARTZ

Wrestling

The varsity wrestling team is excited to get its season started after a long off-season, team members said. “I am looking forward to the ﬁrst tournament of the season,” Calvin Kaleel ’18 said “Everybody is ready to kick it into gear.” The 11 members of this year’s squad are looking to improve upon last year. “Last season was not the best for me,” said Kaleel. “However, since club wrestling started in March, I have been working on my takedowns and the overall basics, working to perfect them, so I will come into this season with those under my belt. Additionally, I have been running and weightlifting to get stronger and to get a greater endurance.”

CAMERON STINE/CHRONICLE

5, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

Vibes

SPORTS D5

Girls’ Soccer

By ELLY CHOI The girls’ soccer team will play their ﬁrst league match Jan. 11 against Chaminade High School. Last season, the squad ended with a record of 7-0-1. Under guidance of the Program Head Coach Richard Simms and goalkeeper coach Matt Whitcomb, the squad looks forward to this season and hopes to reach the championship playoff game. “The team is really looking forward to the team coming together this year,” Olivia Bautista ’19 said. “We are working on team chemistry a lot in practice because there are quite a few people that haven’t played together for a while. We are all practicing really hard to have a successful season.”

EMILY RAHHAL/CHRONICLE

By JULIANA BERGER

AND

Boys’ Basketball

RIAN RATNAVALE

Coming off of a Division IV California State Championship win, the boys’ basketball team is looking to repeat its success with the help of new talent. Cassius Stanley ’19 returns as the leading scorer for the squad. In his second year on varsity basketball, Stanley should add a burst of athleticism to the team, and based on his preseason play, space the ﬂoor for the Wolverines with his shooting. The combination of Stanley combined with freshmen Johnny Juzang ’20, as well as Max Hooks ’20, gives the Wolverines one of their tallest and youngest groups of core players in recent memory. Look for senior forwards Aaron Glazer ’17 and Ray Mueller ’17 and guards Carter Begel ’17 and Ali Iken ’17 to provide stability and veteran playmaking under second-year coach David Rebibo. BENNETT GROSS/CHRONICLE

Girls’ Water Polo

By ELLIS BECKER The girls’ water polo team is looking to extend its 20-year league win streak. The players believe that their league win streak, as well as their nine-year undefeated record, will add to growing expectations for the season. “The streak is always in the back of our heads, and our goal is always to continue it,” Camille Oswald ’17 said. “We’ve been training hard in preparation for season, in the pool and in the weight room. It should be a good season.” The players said they understand the level of work they must put in this year, especially after some key players graduated last year. Despite this, the squad got help from new players, including Paige Thompson ’17, who has played with many current team members, which she says will make the transition much easier. The team will also beneﬁt from players like Oswald, who recently committed to play at Villanova University.

JULIANA BERGER/CHRONICLE

D6 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

NOV. 22, 2016

Leaving Fall Behind As winter approaches, we look back on the boy’s water polo, girls’ golf, girls’ volleyball, girls’ tennis, field hockey, football and cross country seasons.

NOV. 22, 2016

15-3-3 Record

3-8 Record

27-3 Record

16-4 Record

21-11 Record

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

Field Hockey Football Boys’ Water Polo

Girls’ Tennis Girls’ Volleyball

in final

7-0 Record

2-1 Loss vs. Newport in Semifinals

56-28

Loss vs. Calabasas in First Round

7-6 Loss

vs. Huntington Beach in Semifinals

10-8 Loss

vs. Campbell Hall in Finals

3-1 Loss

vs. Valencia in Round 1 Boys took

Girls took

3rd

SPORTS D7

Cross Country

2nd

in final

8th at

Girls’ Golf

Northern Divison Regionals

D8 Sports

The Chronicle

Q&A

Nov. 22, 2016

Ethan Blaser Soccer

By Eli Adler How did you start playing soccer and what initially drew you to the sport? I started playing soccer when I was five in AYSO, but I also played basketball and tennis during the winter and spring seasons. I didn’t really get into soccer until I was nine, when I played my first all-star season. That was when soccer became my primary sport. Since then, I have played soccer year-round. What position do you play? I am a center defender. I basically picked this position because it best fits my physical attributes. I am tall, lanky and not very quick, so I wanted to play a position that would allow me to play a more technical position, where I would rely on my knowledge of the game to gain an advantage. Center back is the perfect position to do that. What do you like most about playing that position? I like playing center back because I get to see the whole field and be involved in the game at all times. It may not be the position that has the most amount of running, but it is certainly the most mentally exhausting position and the one with the most responsibility. If you’re ever caught out of position, or lose focus for a split second, the other team scores, and I enjoy the pressure that comes with the position. How did being on varsity as an underclassman change your approach to the game and impact your game? I was fortunate enough to have a great group of upperclassmen during my freshman and sophomore years. They helped me improve on the field, and also gave me advice on things such as upper school classes and the college process. Cole Fletcher ’15 and Parker Converse ’15 [both center backs] in particular had such a strong partnership, and I watched how they played to each other’s strengths and covered for each other’s weaknesses. I am trying to replicate their success with my center back partnership in order to solidify our defense. How do you anticipate your role on the team will change this year? I honestly think my role on the team won’t change much. Yes, I’m now a senior, and there is some responsibility that comes with that, but for the most part, our coaches push us to be “servant leaders.” This means all members of the program must share the responsibility of leadership and the only thing that should really change is the number next to your name that represents your grade. That being said, I hope to to teach the underclassmen the things the upperclassmen from a couple of years ago taught me, such as how to get through the Upper School and advice on how to balance athletics and school. What are your goals, both individually and for the whole team, for this season? I want to leave the program in a better state than it was in last year. We worked hard last year, and although we didn’t have an amazing record, we still pushed the program in a positive direction. I hope to build on that, by either winning titles, improving our overall record, or improving the culture of our program by making our program more serious. Of course we have some smaller goals along the way like beating Loyola or winning the league, but those are just goals that can help us reach our overall aspiration of improving the program. We also have a new coach this year, so I’m trying to do my part to ensure a smooth and successful transition by communicating our aspirations, concerns, and ideas with the coach. What are some of your pregame rituals? Last year, we listened to “Sun is Shining” by Axwell Ingrosso to get hyped before every game. I’m not sure what the song will be this year, but whatever it is, it will be blasting in the locker room before every home game and on the bus before every away game. We also often play futsal [mini soccer] and juggle in a circle inside the locker room. I don’t think the Athletic Directors will let us damage their new locker room, though, so we’ll see how that goes.

Stats

Shutouts last season

Career wins

Goals scored last season JOE LESTER/PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF HW ATHLETICS

Nov. 22, 2016

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D3

in brief

Girls’ Golf

Squad loses in first round of playoffs

By Oliver Akhtarzad and Aaron Park

For the first time since 2008, the girls’ golf team finished the season as Mission League champions, compiling a perfect overall and league record of 7-0 and two tournament victories. The Wolverines entered the midseason tournament undefeated for the second consecutive year, and unlike last year, were able to close out their perfect season this time around. The team earned 21 out of a potential 21 league points, which combine tournament and singlegame results. Beyond the statistics, program head Marge Chamberlain said the team is starting to establish a winning culture. “It seems like there was a lot of spontaneous eruptions of fun competitions at practices,” Chamberlain said. “I started to capture videos of the girls getting in line, all trying to synchronize a putt. I have some video of Chan-

talle [Wang ’17], Daisy [Wan ’20] and Carolyn [Hong ’17] all kind of ‘okay, on three: one, two, three’ and they’re all swinging at the same target at the same time. The girls found a way to compete against each other in a supportive way that was truly unique.” Although the team had success in league play, it suffered a first-round defeat in the CIF playoffs. Wang said that the team did not play up to its full potential during the playoffs. “I don’t know if we were tired or it was just the day, but it wasn’t the greatest day for us, and if we all played our best we probably could’ve been top five,” Wang said. “I guess it’s all in the past and we have to keep working at it.” Despite the team’s underwhelming finish, both Claire Dennis ’18 and Chamberlain said that they are confident in the team’s ability to compete in the long-term. “I think that we are a very close knit group and we defi-

Baxter receives award for UAA volleyball

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

POWER DRIVE: Daisy Wan ’20 stares at the ball after she drives it during a match against Louisville HS on Sept. 13. nitely get along well together. We are a very strong team, and we only need to keep that in mind the whole way through to do our best,” Dennis said. “I expect us to grow even more as a team next year, send many players to individuals, and I personally hope to also make it to individuals.” In addition, the team will benefit from the arrival of new blood and the experience

of veteran players. “The future of the program is incredible if we continue to have strong leadership,” Chamberlain said. “We have some great players coming up out of the eighth grade. I know because I work at the middle school program as well, so coupled with who’s coming back and who’s coming up, the program looks pretty good for a couple of years to come.”

Girls’ Volleyball

The Southern Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association named volleyball player Zoe Baxter ’16, who attends Washington University in St. Louis, Athlete of the Week Nov. 7. “It was an honor to be named Athlete of the Week for the first time,” Baxter said. “It was only possible because of my amazing team. I always play for them and give everything for my teammates, but it was exciting to be recognized for my own achievements too.” Baxter helped her team advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2010. The team won in that round to make the championship game for the first time since 2009, but fell short against Calvin College. —Sophie Haber

Three athletes sign letters of intent

Several members of the senior class recently signed their National Letters of Intent to play for the teams to which they were previously recruited. Adam Sraberg ’17 signed his letter to attend and play Men’s Division I Tennis for the Commodores of Vanderbilt University in the fall. Girl’s water polo player Camille Oswald ’17 committed to Villanova and Brandon Kewalramani ’17 will be playing Men’s Division I Golf for the Boston College Eagles next year. —Ben Tenzer

Basketball program to play doubleheaders

ELLIS BECKER/CHRONICLE

IRON LADY: Bella Hedley ’18 hits the ball back to the other side of the court during a game at home. The girls’ volleyball squad had an overall record of 21-11 and a league record of 4-4. The team lost in the playoffs to Valencia High School Vikings on Nov. 1.

Team finishes season with playoff loss By Dario Madyoon

The girls’ volleyball team lost in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs against Valencia. Despite coming off of a four-game win streak heading into the playoffs, the squad failed to control the pace of play against the Vikings. “I think we were just really low energy when we played Valencia,” team captain Pearl Accord ’17 said. “They were definitely a team that heavily relied off of their energy and we didn’t come out with that similar spirit.” The squad ended the season with an overall record of 21-11 and a 4-4 record in the Mission League

“I’m really proud of how, even though we were a very young team, we became really close by the end of the year and worked really well together as a unit,” middle blocker Micah Dottin ’18. The Wolverines will look to build on a successful season next year and look past the difficult defeat they suffered in their final game. “I think this season was just really eye-opening for a lot of the younger players on our team because they got to see what it’s like to play on a varsity team and the level of commitment it requires,” Accord said. “They all improved a lot this year, and I can’t wait to see them next season.” Although the six seniors

will no longer be on the team next year, their leadership has left a lasting effect on some players. “I learned a lot about how a leader should act from the seniors,” Dottin said. “They always set the standard for how we should act in practice and on game day, and they always encouraged us to push through.” The squad featured the same number of sophomores as seniors. The team has exciting talent that is looking to make an impact on the team next year. “Even though the season didn’t end up going the way we wanted, we all grew a lot over the course of the year,” Bella Hedley ’18 said. “We

have a lot of young talent on the team, with three sophomores starting this year. We are really excited to get back in the gym and prepare for next season.” Going into the offseason, many players reflect upon how they will be able to fill the void left behind by graduating seniors. “Heading into my senior year I am going to make it a top priority of mine to make sure that all the new players have a great transition onto varsity,” Hedley said. “I also think that team chemistry and unity is one of the most important elements of a team so as a senior leader I want to make achieving that one of my top priorities.”

Girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball will play their homeopeners in a doubleheader on Dec. 9. Boys basketball finished last season with a 27-8 overall record and highlighted the season with a 66-49 win over the Palma Chieftains in the CIF Division IV State Championship. Boys’ basketball home-opener is against Compton Dominguez HS at 7 p.m. after girls basketball, coming off a playoff run last season, plays Ventura HS at 5:30 p.m. Girls basketball beat Ventura HS last season. —Asa Saperstein

Reilly becomes MIT lead soccer scorer

Montana Reilly ’16 became the lead scorer for the MIT Engineers with eight goals scored, quickly acclimating to collegiate competition in her freshman season. Two of Reilly’s eight goals were game winners. Reilly led the team to a 176-1 record and advanced to the New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference Tournament championship loss against Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Reilly won the NEWMAC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 6 to 12. —Nick Reece