December 2018 Issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

CHRONICLE THE HARVARD WESTLAKE

Studio City • Volume 28 • Issue 4 • Dec. 12, 2018 • hwchronicle.com

School alters midterm schedule

• Continued on B3

By LINDSAY WU

In order to allow teachers more flexibility and alleviate students’ stress, the Scheduling Committee formulated a new plan for mid-year assessments this year, Head of Upper School Laura Ross said. The new schedule consists of three 90-minute periods per day, with 60 or 90-minute breaks between each. The first periods of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be held in large venues, where students will take history, science, math and world language exams, respectively. Eight of the testing slots will be held in classrooms and are reserved for first through eighth period classes whose teachers choose to give alternative exams. There are also three make-up periods built into the schedule in order to accommodate students with PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SOFIA HELLER AND JENNY LI

• Continued on A3

Survey reveals students’ experiences By ALEX GOLDSTEIN AND SOPHIE HABER

Results from a survey examining student stress and sleep levels, parental expectations and cheating occurrences, taken by students of all grades last spring, showed a correlation between parent expectations and student stress, as well as an increase in the enjoyment of the overall experience of female students since 2013. The survey was administered by Challenge Success, a company associated with Stanford University. The school conducted its own workload surveys in 2001, 2006 and 2013. Although an outside source administered this survey, the information collected was a continuation of the school’s survey from previous years, task force member and science teacher Jesse Reiner said. “It was our attempt to find out more about, to use [Head of Upper School Laura] Ross’ phrase, ‘the lived student experience,’ and it really gave us a lot of good data,” President Rick Commons said. “It suggests that we have additional work to do to try to make it possible for students to experience the excellence of Harvard-Westlake with more joy, more balance and more healthy stress. Not all stress is unhealthy, but when the stress is constant and when it causes students to either not sleep enough or to not eat in a healthy way, we know that we need to find out how to make the challenge of the school [healthy].” The survey asked to what extent students feel that they achieve their parents’ expectations. The results showed that students perceive that their parents care more about their learning than their getting good grades, Reiner said. On a scale of one to five, with one being never and five being always, students averaged

around a four for how much they say their parents care about mastery and a three for how much they say their parents care about performance. The survey also found that while 70 percent of middle school students feel that they always meet their parents’ expectations, only 58 percent of upper school students do, Reiner said. Reiner said he found a correlation between students who report feeling like they do not meet their parents expectations and students who report enjoying school less. Those who said they do not meet parent expectations report a 3.1 on a scale from one to ﬁve on enjoyment of academics while students who said they do feel like they meet parent expectations report a 3.5. Those who said they meet parent expectations also said they get more sleep, Reiner said. Correlation is different from causation, Reiner emphasized. While the data shows that students who feel like they do not achieve their parents expectations also report sleeping less, for example, it does not show why, Reiner said. “There’s always three ways to explain a correlation: a causes b, b causes a or c causes both a and b,” Reiner said. The school’s workload survey in 2013 found that girls and boys reported very different experiences. In the survey, 81 percent of boys reported their school experience was positive, as opposed to only 66 percent of girls. “In 2013, girls were just not as happy at Harvard-Westlake and thriving in the same way as boys, and that looks to me like [it] has ﬂipped,” Reiner said. “I mean they’re at least on equal footing.” This year, while girls still reported doing slightly more homework and sleeping less, they are now overrepresented in highly rigorous courses and reported enjoying academics and the arts more than

boys. In 2013, there were twice as many senior boys as girls taking ﬁve or more AP classes. This year, that number had evened out, Reiner said. The survey also contained a section that studied cheating rates. Around 80 percent of survey respondents said they have done something that could be considered cheating, such as copying a homework assignment or working together on an individual assignment. Reiner said the data suggests that students are more willing to take shortcuts on small assignments, but few are willing to cheat on major assessments. “We’re not happy about that,” Reiner said. “I mean, as adults in the community obviously we’d like if there was less, but we also recognize that there are minor acts of cheating and there are major types of cheating. The data would suggest that we do not have a problem at this school in terms of huge major blatantly dishonest cheating, but there is a fairly high frequency of students that have at least done one or two little things in the last year.” The company that administered the survey said the cheating results were low compared to other schools, Reiner said. One section of the survey asked students what their major causes of stress are. Across all grades, workload and how students are being assessed are large causes of stress. More speciﬁcally for seniors, their largest cause of stress is college and their futures. One category that appeared to cause less stress for students was their extracurriculars, Reiner said. “Extracurriculars are not high stressors, they were actually lower than basically anything else, so for the most part the data suggests that even though • Continued on A2

Survey Results

70%

of middle school students feel that they always meet their parents’ expectations

58%

of upper school students report said the same

80%

of survey respondents said they have cheated on a small assignment

At the upper school, average sleep-per-night ranges from

6 to 6.5 hours

A2 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

DEC. 12, 2018

New test scheduling system starts

By CASEY KIM AND LINDSAY WU

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JESSE REINER

Challenge Success survey shows correlation between parents’ expectations, students’ stress • Continued from A1

the extracurriculars are very time consuming, students are doing them because they want to do them, it’s not because they feel pressured to,” Reiner said. Another topic students responded to was their average time per night doing homework. According to the data, seventh graders spend an average of two hours per night, and this rises steadily until it peaks at around three and a half hours in eleventh grade. These are averages, with some juniors reporting seven hours of homework a night. “To me, that shows that we can’t take this as the literal accurate truth of how much time students are spending on their

homework, and, to be honest, I think that’s a really difﬁcult question to ask a student because it’s not like you start a stopwatch,” Reiner said. The data suggests that as students get older, more feel their workload is too high. In seventh grade 36 percent reported having too much homework, and by eleventh grade, that rose to 68 percent. “Part of me also wonders why that [data is] not 90 percent, like there are students who are saying, ‘no I don’t have too much homework,’” Reiner said. “That almost surprises me a little bit that it wouldn’t be all students saying they have too much homework, but apparently many students don’t say that.” A large portion of the sur-

vey consisted of sleep data. The results revealed that on average, students are not getting sufﬁcient amounts of sleep, Reiner said. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nine hours of sleep per night, and seventh graders report seven and a half hours on average, and at the Upper School, average sleep ranges from six and six and a half hours per night. After collecting the sleep data, Reiner created a graph that correlated the amount of homework students reported with the amount of sleep they were getting. He hypothesized the data would say the more homework students have, the less sleep they got. While this proved true for the Middle School, for the Upper School,

the graph revealed that even with no homework, an upper school student would sleep less than seven hours a night, Reiner said. “[The data] suggests that if we want kids to sleep more, we need to come at it from a different direction than homework reduction,” Reiner said. “There’s nothing that suggests that homework reduction is going to signiﬁcantly help upper school students sleep more, and I guess I don’t know where the sleep is going, but students are ﬁnding ways to not go to bed whether they have a lot of homework or not.” The school will administer a Challenge Success survey next year and will repeat it every few years in order to see changes, Commons said.

In order to eliminate miscommunication between students and teachers, Prefect Council implemented a new Orange Sheet system, which students will use to move a test when they have three or more on the same day, junior prefect Michael Lehrhoff ‘20 said. Prefect Council announced the new initiative in an email to the student body Nov. 30. To complete the form, students must collect signatures from the teachers who are administering exams to them on that day. Students may only move individual assessments that are 30 minutes or longer, and must turn in the form at least three days before the originally scheduled test. Teachers are required to accommodate students if they turn in an Orange Sheet. “Prefect Council chose to implement this system because it actively shows a mutual sense of empathy and respect for the struggles of students and teachers alike,” Lehrhoff said. “I hope that now teachers will not feel as rushed to write new assessments and that they will not need to hastily rearrange their schedules to accommodate for students’ conﬂicts. I believe that this system helps encourage students to plan ahead as well as feel reassured that teachers and the administration recognize and want to help manage • Continued on A4

In the issue ...

A7 ORDER IN THE COURT:

Mock trial team completes season in quarterﬁnals. Student wins courtoom art award.

A11 BURNING UP: Climate change is a legitimate topic that cannot be ignored. Individuals should make efforts to help the planet.

B4 AT WHAT COST?: Students display varying attitudes towards spending money at the school cafeterias and bookstores.

THE CHRONICLE, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published 10 times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses. There are 732 students at the Middle School and 870 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

C3 OH DEER: Students discuss

their Christmas traditions and the need for greater represetnation during the holidays.

D3 APP-SOLUTELY AMAZING:

Fans can now follow their favorite Wolverine teams with the new HW Athletics app.

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 Cameron Stokes at cstokes1@hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A3

Prefects organize Winterfest By FRANK JIANG During the Prefect Council-sponsored Winterfest, students participated in various winter-themed activities, such as buying Wintergrams, refreshments and dress-up days, from Dec. 7-11 . Students received complimentary hot chocolate and cider, decorated cookies and listened to ensembles, including performances by Alec Davila ’20, Lauren Juzang ‘20 and duo Mila Fejzo ’19 and Becca Frischling ’19. Sophomore prefect Chelsea Cho ’21 helped sell Wintergrams on Dec. 6 and plan Winterfest. “I think that this was one of the Head Prefect’s favorite things about the middle school, since we had something at the Middle School called Winter Week, which is very much like this [Winterfest],” Cho said. “Basically, we tried to replicate the same idea of bringing holiday festivities to campus.”

CASEY KIM/CHRONICLE

POSING IN PJ’S: Amanda Rosenthal ’20, Rileigh Goldsmith ’20 and Taka Khoo ’20 pose for a picture in their sleepwear on Pajama Day. Pajama Day was the last of ﬁve dress-up days that Prefect Council planned as part of the annual Winterfest spirit week. Prefect Council’s plan for Wintergram sales shifted due to heavy rain, Cho said. Prefect Council sold the customizable notes with candy canes attached, which includ-

ed a holiday-themed pick-up line, in the lounge instead of on the quad, and they were unable to sell as many as expected, Cho said. Overall, however, Winter-

School to alter late-start block schedule for second trial period By SABA NIA

In response to surveys sent out to the student body following the ﬁrst late-start block schedule days Oct. 25-26, the administration will slightly adjust the second pair of latestart block days in March. Based on the students’ feedback, the Scheduling Committee will consider shortening the class periods and tweaking their order, Head of Upper School Laura Ross said. “I think [the responses] really showed people that if you’re going to have longer class blocks, they have to be planned differently both for

Corrections Dr. Christopher Clement was quoted in “Here Come the Signs.” 95 percent of 297 respondents said they would vote if eligible. 41 percent of 70 respondents said they were eligible to vote and did.

teachers and kids,” Ross said. “I think for the teachers it was hard especially for those who had three classes in a row to teach actively without a break.” During the block schedule days, all classes met for 70 minutes, and there were no X periods. Periods one, three, ﬁve and seven met on the ﬁrst day and periods two, four, six and eight met on the next. All students shared a 25-minutelong lunch period in the middle of the day. “I thought it would be nicer because of having those long free periods, but really those two days didn’t give me much

of a sense of it,” Xander Boldt ’20 said. “I only had one free period throughout the whole thing. I actually didn’t like it that much because the classes I don’t like were even longer, so having to sit through those for even more time was torturous for me.” Xenia Bernal ’19 said that while she imagined that longer periods would beneﬁt some of her classes, like her AP Spanish Literature and Culture class, in which students mostly read, discuss and analyze texts. Bernal, however, said that some classes felt unnecessarily lengthy. “There’s a balance,” Ber-

fest was a success, Cho said. “I thought it was really thoughtful of student council to organize events like the performance in the lounge and the cookie decorating, since

“

they allowed students to take a little bit of time and enjoy the holiday season rather than stress over college [applications] and midterms,” Sally Ho ’21 said.

I think [the responses] really showed people that if you’re going to have longer class blocks, they have to be planned differently both for teachers and kids.” — Laura Ross Head of Upper School

nal said. “I appreciate being able to wake up later, but I also thought the classes were stretched out too long and [the new schedule] didn’t really work out for the majority of students.” Bernal said that she discussed the schedule with her Spanish teacher and that they agreed that more discussionbased classes, like theirs, could beneﬁt from a schedule in which classes had longer periods but wouldn’t meet as

WHITE’S

often. Math teacher Kathleen O’Connor said she appreciated the opportunity to include a hands-on project in her Trigonometry and Functions and Introduction to Calculus Honors classes. Students wouldn’t have normally had that time to engage in an interactive activity, O’Connor said. “I was hoping by doing the hands-on activity that it might • Continued on A4

Students react to newly revised midterm schedule • Continued from A1

multiple science classes, world language classes, conﬂicts or extra time. The new schedule does not include a reading day. “This new hybrid schedule will allow the faculty to decide what type of assessment they want to give, whether they want it to be in a classroom or if they want it to be big and cumulative,” Upper School Deans Department Head Beth Slattery said. “Courses get to choose which kind of assessment they are giving. This schedule also spreads things out for kids, since the likelihood that [they] will have multiple assessments on one day is pretty small.” Four years ago, mid-year assessments were moved from

January to December so that students were not pressured to study over winter break, Slattery said. In that version of the mid-year assessment schedule, there were two 90-minute testing periods per day, following students’ order of classes. However, students did not like this schedule, as they either had too many assessments per day or took what they believed to be harder versions of tests. In addition, teachers were limited by the schedule, Slattery said. The new schedule was proposed by the history department and developed by the faculty schedulers. Slattery said she hopes the exam schedule will ﬁx issues from previous years. “The new change is not

only to help students, but also to help the teachers,” Slattery said. “It’s also about pedagogy, thinking about what the best way is that we can actually assess students. We shouldn’t let the schedule derive the assessments. That’s the way some people felt, like they couldn’t give what they really thought was effective for the kids because the timing wouldn’t work or because it’s too cumbersome. This way, teachers can give the assessment the way they think is best for the class, and then the schedule is malleable enough to make it happen.” However, individuals said that while the schedule is more ﬂexible, it is also confusing. “So far, I prefer last year’s schedule,” Justin Ansell ‘20

said. “It just seems like there are unnecessarily two periods for every class. It’s a little bit inconvenient because I have to figure out when all my classes are testing. My math assessment is not in the large venue math period, and neither is my Latin test. I feel like there’s a way for the school to make it simpler. But, I do not have any conflicts, so I guess that’s a plus.” Students with conflicts or extra time must work with the Deans to determine when to make up their exams. Because the schedules are so individualized, they cannot be programmed into Didax, the scheduling system, and will not show up on the iHW app, Ross said.

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A4

Students respond to first block schedule

days posed challenges for students who relied on others for help them learn it better,” transportation. O’Connor said. “Truthfully, “I feel like in some aspects, because I didn’t get to try it it was a lot easier because both ways, I don’t know if they I was able to sleep in a little did learn it better; that was the more and do homework in the hope.” morning and some at night Boldt said that despite and split it up,” Osborne said. the fact that the classes he “But also there was a bit of a disliked were longer, he en- challenge because my parents joyed the classes that included go to work pretty early so findhands-on learning. ing a way to get me to the bus “Most of the time, we was a little bit of a hassle also.” played some games or did fun Some students seemed apthings, which I liked a little bit prehensive about the late-start more, rathblock schedule er than just days, O’Connor learning and said. She noThe lunch periods listening,” ticed, however, were very short, so Boldt said. that her stuAs teachsometimes I didn’t get dents were very ers utilized energetic and to eat lunch, so that the trial block engaged in class period days definitely made my day for the majoridifferently, a little worse.” ty of their lessome stusons. After the dents said —Robert Osborne ’20 late-start block they enjoyed schedule days, the longer students said that would apand more immersive classes while others felt the longer preciate the opportunity to classes weren’t as productive. have more trial days in the fuAlso, within the surveys, stu- ture. “I think they should defidents indicated that the comnitely try it once more or at mon lunch period were not least poll more people and long enough, Ross said. “The lunch periods were have their opinions,” Boldt very short, so sometimes I said. The Committee will visit 20 didn’t get to eat lunch, so that definitely made my day a little schools around the country to worse,” Robert Osborne ’20 research school-wide schedsaid. “And some teachers have ule changes that will be imreally long lectures, so overall plemented for the 2020-2021 I’m not sure if it really paid off, school year. They will use their rehaving a block schedule.” Students said that while search, in addition to the data they enjoyed being able to collected from the trial latesleep in more, as school start- start block schedule days, to ed at 10 a.m., the late-start adjust the current schedule. • Continued from A3

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF TAIA CHENG ’19

JCL-LOVE!: Members of JCL pose together for a picture as they celebrate their successes in their ﬁrst SCRAM convention. The convention took place on Dec. 1 at Woodbridge High School.

JCL places at Latin SCRAM

By ALICE HE

Members of the Junior Classical League won ﬁrst place at the Open Certamen at their ﬁrst Southern California Regional Amici Madness convention at Woodbridge High School on Dec. 1. Students participated in workshops, impromptu art projects and a quiz bowl on classic-related subjects. Co-consuls Taia Cheng ’19 and Ben Beckman ’19, both on the JCL State Board, helped

the executive committee run the convention. “This is our ﬁrst year [attending SCRAM],” Cheng said. “We hope that we have started a new tradition of attending SCRAM so that the JCL Convention in the spring is not the only event to look forward to.” Simon Lee ’23 led his quiz bowl team to victory in the Open Certamen Novice Championship. Captains Lena Bagley ’22 and Avery Konwiser ’22 headed teams that participated in the championship round,

with Konwiser’s team placing ﬁrst. Additionally, Beckman and Davis Cook ’19 both participated in the Open Certamen Advanced Championship Round and scored second and third place, respectively. “This year’s SCRAM was wonderful, and we had a great turnout from both the Middle and Upper School,” Cheng said. “Based on the results, it looks like we still have solid teams on all levels for State Certamen this year.”

“

Prefects implement Orange Sheet system

• Continued from A2

with any last-minute changes to assessment dates, Sapir students’ stress.” Levy ’20 said. Head prefect Kevin Chen “Although I’m sure the ’19 wrote the form in order to sheet is intended to simplify simplify the process of moving the process of changing a test tests, Lehrhoff said. day, I think it complicates it Upper School Dean Sharon because students have to find Cuseo and Director of Student and print the forms and alert Affairs Jordan Church then all three teachers,” Levy said. proposed the Orange Sheet “Discussing with one teacher system in a Faculty Academic about moving a test is more Committee, where it was ap- time efficient, especially beproved. cause tests or assign“Before, when I ments may be moved wanted to move an at the last minute.” assignment, many Max Hahn ’21 said teachers would be that he would prefer if hesitant to say yes,” the forms were made Alex Daum ’20 said. available electronically “Since the sheets in order to make the establish the rule process less complicatmore officially, I ed. think more teachers “I think that there ’ will be more willing.” should be a more acSapir On the other cessible way to perform Levy ’20 hand, the long prothe same function that cess of filling out the form the Orange Sheet does,” Hahn could possibly prevent more said. students from utilizing it, Some students believe that Elaine Liu ’20 said. the system does not do enough “I understand that it might to effectively reduce students’ make things a little bit more stress, Lauren Morganbesser organized, but I don’t see a ’19 said. problem with just sending my “Specifically, [the sheet] teachers an email,” Liu said. “I doesn’t include take-home esalso think that more students says or quizzes, which both will be less willing to move contribute to stress, and in my tests, just because it is a bit of opinion should be included,” a hassle to fill it out.” Morganbesser said. “HowevNot only does the form take er, it’s a worthwhile initiative, more time for students to move and I’m interested to see how a test, but it also may conflict it turns out.” WHITE S

KHYRA STINER/CHRONICLE

PROV(ING)A IT WORKS: Jonathan Damico ’19 prepares to set up for the Prova Backpacks launch. The start-up company exceeded its initial goal of $35,000 and has raised $52,000.

HW Venture holds Prova Design Launch

By EVIE DE RUBERTIS

Jonathan Damico ’19 and Cameron Schiller ’19 held a launch party for their startup company, Prova Backpacks, to deliver pre-ordered bags to students Dec. 7. Schiller said that though selling commercial products at school can be difﬁcult as there are rules that restrict on-campus sales, he and Damico were still able to use the school community as a platform for selling the backpacks with the help and approval of the members of HW Venture. “It feels great; the validation is really nice because startups are really tricky and

you do not know if they are going to take off or not, and once you get that conﬁrmation, it feels absolutely great,” Schiller said. “We are going to produce Prova bags as long as people want them.” At the launch party, Schiller and Damico delivered the backpacks to students who had pre-ordered the product online along with stickers they designed that included their company’s logo.

“Whenever we give a bag to someone physically, it means a lot more to us than putting it in a box and shipping it away, and it is great to see a lot of people in this community who

have supported us for a while too,” Damico said. Immediately following the launch, Damico and Schiller delivered the bags to the people who ordered online all over Los Angeles. The school bags are also available on Amazon and through their website for people outside the school community to place orders. “It’s been a long time coming and we spent a lot of time on the project, so it’s just nice to see that we put a product in the world that people actually want,” Damico said.

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A5

Alumni offer career advice to students By LUKE SCHNEIDER

Sasha Cohen ’06 and Christine Sasaki ’13 spoke to upper school students about their careers in marketing at an event sponsored by HW Works and the Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association on Dec. 4. Cohen and Sasaki described their experiences working in marketing and gave advice to students who are interested in the field. Cohen, who works for the anonymous social media app Whisper, discussed how her school experience shaped her career and how students should take advantage of their current resources. “If I could go back in time, I would utilize the deans more in college and at Harvard-Westlake,” Cohen said. “I would find someone who had gone through the job process out of college and see how it worked for them.” Sasaki, who is a junior strategist for independent creative company Omelet, discussed her job in the market industry and how to find enjoyment in working. “I think with any job you’ll have moments where you absolutely love the work you’re doing but there are also going to be times when you just want to go home

and sleep,” Sasaki said. “The greatest things about where I work are that I really enjoy the people I work with, and [I have] a team that I can really rely on.” Both speakers discussed building a large professional network. Cohen particularly stressed that students should attempt to keep in touch with as many former classmates as possible. “Always keep in touch with people [and] keep your social media up-to-date because you never know who’s searching in whatever ﬁeld you work in,” Cohen said. Sasaki also shared her experience working in the tech industry as a woman. “If you walk into a room and it’s all guys, don’t feel intimidated,” Sasaki said. “You have the same right to be there as everyone else.” Student-Alumni Association member Carli Cooperstein ’20 said that the roundtable was a valuable experience for her. “It was really great to have alumni come in and talk about their experience in the workplace,” Cooperstein said. “It was really very helpful to get an insider’s perspective and ﬁgure out how one day we might tackle these hurdles.”

LUKE SCHNEIDER/CHRONICLE

MEET THE PROS: Jane Sidon ’20, Assistant Features Editor Kyra Hudson ’20 and Alex Poe ’20 listen to Christine Sasaki ’13 about her career as a strategist at the Student Alumni Association’s roundtable.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Speaker urges students to protect the environment By LUKE SCHNEIDER

Educator and artist Miles Hochhalter spoke to the Environmental Club about how disposable materials affect the planet and the necessity of environmental activism Dec. 3. Hochhalter also encouraged students to implement change by living environmentally-friendly lives. “It’s important to know that you guys have signiﬁcant change-making potential,” Hochhalter said. “If you’re one person who says,

‘I don’t want a plastic bag,’ you’re affecting hundreds of thousands of people.” Hochhalter also discussed the economic effects of better waste management. He said that conservation is not only the right thing to do for the planet but is also economically beneﬁcial. “If we made a system where we didn’t have to pay millions and millions of dollars every year for waste management, that ends up being better for us,” Hochhalter said. “It would save

us money and save the city money, so they could direct that to education or transportation.” Many societal factors that contribute to environmental effects, including a greater focus on individual convenience, Hochhalter said. “[We switched from] using things until they’re done to using things once and tossing them out,” Hochhalter said. “You’ve probably used thousands of plastic utensils in your life, not because you chose to, but because of sys-

“

We should be conscious that it is not only humans who live here and our actions affect everything. I don’t think we have a right to destroy the planet; it’s selfish.” — Anja Clark ’19 Environmental Club president

temic effects.” Club leader Anja Clark ’19 said she appreciated Hochhalter’s visit because she believes the school community can take steps to be more sustainable. “[Being environmentally friendly] is just common sense and [should be done] out of respect for the planet

WHITE’S

and everything other than us that lives in it,” Clark said. “We should be conscious that is is not only humans who live here and our actions affect everything. I don’t think we have a right to destroy the planet; it’s selﬁsh. It’s important to use sustainable products to help maintain natural resources and reduce fossil fuel consumption.”

Students perform in winter Coffeehouse By KHYRA STINER

KHYRA STINER/CHRONICLE

FIND YOUR VOICE: Jessica Gestetner ’20 performs her original song at the winter-themed event held together with the visual arts showcase.

Students performed covers of professionally written and produced songs, as well as original compositions at the second Coffeehouse of the year Dec. 3. Prefect Council organized the winter-themed event in conjunction with the visual arts showcase as a way to simultaneously celebrate both students’ visual and performing arts talents. The art showcase focused mainly on the painting and drawing visual arts projects that the students have worked on this year and last. Student photography projects from the past school year also lined the walls of the art gallery. Individual student perfor-

mances included Imani Allen ’19, who sang “Chlorine” by Twenty One Pilots, and the student band the Jack Riley Experience, who performed “Feliz Navidad” in honor of the holidays. In addition, Olivia Gubel ’21 sang “Bees” by The Ballroom Thieves. “This was my ﬁrst time performing at Coffeehouse, and I think it’s a unique experience at Harvard-Westlake,” Gubel said. “It’s a warm and casual atmosphere where people are free to experiment and share their art forms.” Jack Riley ’19, drummer for the Jack Riley Experience thought that the energy from the event really helped the band’s performance. “I was pretty happy with how the Experience’s performances went,” Riley said.

“The energy was really there that day, and as a performer, feeding off of that energy was a great experience.” To match the theme, Prefect Council embellished tables in the gallery with Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. The prefects also provided snacks for the attendees, including warm beverages and desserts. “I really liked how it was a merge of visual and performing arts,” Mimi Offor ’21 said. “Coffeehouse in the art gallery should happen more often because when people had the chance to look around while listening to the performers, they were able to take a closer look at the art and notice things that they might not have noticed around the gallery.”

A6 News

The Chronicle

Dec. 12, 2018

Teacher gives art research to Getty Museum By Casey Kim

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF ANDY YANG

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF ANNABEL ZIMMER

LET’S MEXIGO!: Left: Anja Clark ’19 facepaints with children near the border. Top right: Andy Yang ’20 poses in front of a statue in the Tijuana Cultural Center. Bottom right: Annabel Zimmer ’20 and Immi Shearmur ’20 stand in front of the border fence with their film equipment.

Students travel to Tijuana for Digital Storytelling Adventure By Casey Kim Students traveled to Tijuana, Mexico as part of the HWGo! US-Mexico Border: A Digital Storytelling Adventure trip to document the lives and stories of families near the border through both film and photography Nov. 8-12. “[The trip] really opened my eyes to the hardships and injustices across the border,” Andy Yang ’20 said. “People on the other side of the border are being take advantage of for cheaper labor. They are put in horrible positions everyday

and have to risk their lives attempting to cross the border in order to live a better life.” Immi Shearmur ’20, who is collaborating with Annabel Zimmer ’20 to produce a documentary based on their trip, said this was her first experience working on a long-term project. “[The premise of our project] is a comparison between how religious views manifest themselves in the culture of Mexican immigrants and those who work with them,” Shearmur said. “It’s about how those

same religious views are often used by powerful people in the United States government to justify the mass deportations and detainment of children that have been happening in the past year.” Students visited the United States-Mexico border, where they could witness families on both sides of the wall reuniting, Shearmur said. “Seeing how militarized it is on the California side [of the border] and how much joy and community is present in that same spot only a couple feet

away just separated by this giant wall was very eye-opening,” Shearmur said. The trip encouraged students to spread the stories of immigrants, Yang said. “It made me sad to see all the families, veterans and children who had lived and served our nation be kicked out and live alone in a nation they don’t know,” Yang said. “The trip gave me a drive to spread the message of those affected in Mexico by the U.S. government and American immigration policy.”

Visual arts teacher Cheri Gaulke donated her research based on the Los Angeles feminist art movement of the 1970s and ‘80s to the Getty Museum’s Research Institute. The Woman’s Building, a seminal Los Angeles-based center for feminist art, will digitize and process various artist archives, which include project files, research papers, flyers and postcards. “It is such a great honor to feel that a big institution like the Getty feels that the work that we made in the seventies and eighties is important enough to be studied and that they care so much about preserving the art and making it available to researchers,” Gaulke said. Gaulke said she moved to Los Angeles in 1975 to experience and participate in the feminist art movement. She also hoped to produce artwork that could relate to the community rather than to submit to different museums or galleries for recognition. “We addressed issues that a lot of art was not addressing at the time, such as sexual violence, and a lot of things that resonate with what’s happening today culturally, like racism and classism,” Gaulke said. “Those materials will be at the Getty and the Woman’s Building for researcher to come study to write articles and books about them.” Gaulke plans to work on films and art full time after her retirement at the end of this year, she said, as well as continue developing her documentary about feminist performance art, “Acting like Women: Performance Art and the Woman’s Building.”

Robotics team qualifies for State championship By Hannah Han The sophomore robotics team, subteam 62A, qualified for the state championships after placing first at the Rolling Robots Tournament at Palos Verdes High School on Dec. 5. The team, comprised of Yvette Copeland ’21, Jake Futterman ’21, Reggie Kim ’21, Isaiah Jeter ’21 and Chris Ladreyt ’21, met for 13 hours each week to code their robot, Futterman said. Futterman, the primary designer, said the task was particularly daunting, considering the type of equipment they had to work with during their practices. “It’s really time-consuming because we’re building with real metals, motors and tech,” Futterman said. “I have been in robotics in the past, but this

is a new level of effort. It is all about building, programming and testing stuff, and it consists of a lot of trial and error.” During the tournament, matches were split into two stages: the autonomous round, where teams pre-programmed robots to perform tasks, such as flipping colored caps, and the driver-controlled round, where students drove the robots themselves. In the qualification round, subteam 62A placed eighth, and subteam 62Z, the school’s junior team, led by Stephanie Cho ’20 and Jenna Kronenberg ’20, placed second. Subteam 62A ultimately defeated its competitors during eliminations, winning the final match 20-18. “The most memorable part of the competition was playing in the finals,” Copeland

said. “There is a lot of pressure during the elimination rounds because with any possible mistake, you could be done. By winning the Tournament Champion award, the sophomore team qualified for the Vex National Championship in addition to the State Championship, Copeland said. Robotics Coach Andrew Theiss attributed the teams’ successes to the many hours of hard work and effort they put into building the robots during their team practices after school. “Having a team win a championship at a tournament is no easy feat,” Theiss said. “Two of our teams performed extraordinarily well, and seeing our teams get second place in the qualifications and winning the championship both were equally incredible events.”

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ANDREW THEISS

DREAM TEAM: Subteam 62A and Robotics Coach Andrew Theiss display their first place trophy and winning robot after the competition.

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A7

Mock Trial artist wins competition By CAITLIN CHUNG The Mock Trial team ended their season after a loss to Monroe High School in the quarterﬁnals Nov. 28. They ranked within the top twelve high schools that competed in the annual Los Angeles County Mock Trial competition, which took place at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Additionally, courtroom artist Esther Grover ’19 received a Los Angeles courtroom artist award from the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Her drawing will be going to the state competition The results will be announced later this year. “I’m really happy I won,” Grover said. “It’s nice getting recognition for doing something I genuinely enjoy doing and it was fun going and supporting the team.” The Mock Trial team began preparing for the competition in September, and has worked on the same case throughout

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ESTHER GROVER ’19

HAPPY ‘TRIALS’: This winning drawing by Courtroom Artist Esther Grover ’19 depicts the school’s defense team, including Chronicle Features Section Editor Alison Oh ’19, Lauren Lee ’20 and Captain Lucy Kim ’19, presenting a case to a judge for Mock Trial. the entire season. This year’s case involved making a criminal threat and the false reporting of different emergencies. “I think it’s a pretty big accomplishment for a team that

relies solely on after school practices and the willingness of members to work on their own,” co-captain and defense attorney Lucy Kim ’19 said. “I remember I had a seven hour Skype call with my defense

team before our trial because all of us got so involved that we wanted to make sure we did everything perfectly.” Overall, the members of the team said they felt their season was successful and are

excited with the team’s results and experience. “It was a great season with a ton of hard work,” ofﬁcer Jacob Lapin ’19 said. “Each year we get so close to winning and I’m so proud of my team.”w

Student volunteers create lanterns at annual festival

By TANISHA GUNBY

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JAYA NAYAR

DYNAMIC DUO: Ari Davidson ’19 and Jaya Nayar ’20 hold trophies from the Damus Hollywood Invitational tournament. So far, the debate team has receieved 33 total bids for the Tournament of Champions.

Debaters receive record number of bids to TOC

By EMMA SHAPIRO

our chances as we prepare for TOC because I believe in our After the most recent tour- team so much,” McLouglin naments, the debate team said. Nayar also received the earned a total of 33 bids to the Tournament of Champions, an 10th speaker award out of 176, invitation only- national de- while McLoughlin placed 12th and Davidson placed 14th. bate tournament. Debaters also competed in Five Lincoln-Douglas debaters competed in the annual the Alta Silver and Black InviGlenbrooks Speech and De- tational tournament Nov. 29 to Dec.1 in Utah. bate Tournament on Nine students Nov. 17-19 in Northattended the the brook, IL. tournament, where Jaya Nayar ’20 finseveral advanced to ished second overall, elimination rounds. making it to the finals. Nayar and DaSamantha McLoughvidson placed in the lin ’21 reached the third seed in Policy semifinals. Chronicle ’ debate, receiving a Opinion Section Editor Samantha second bid to the Vishan Chaudhary ’19 McLoughlin ’21 policy Tournament advanced to the quarThey were terfinals, and Spencer Paul ’19 of Champions. and Ari Davidson ’19 advanced the first debaters in over 20 years to qualify for the policy to the octofinals. “I’m super optimistic about Tournament of Champions. WHITE S

Lincoln-Douglas debater McLoughlin was the second seed after the preliminary round. “I think that the biggest thing going into TOC will be getting as much practice and expedience as possible,” McLoughlin said. Nayar is one of 11 people to receive bids to the Tournament of Champions from the school so far; others included Alexandra Mork ’20, Davidson, Cronicle Assistant A&E Editor Joanna Im ’20, McLoughlin, Chaudhary, Assistant Opinion Editor Jessa Glassman ’20, Spencer Paul ’19, Matthew Paul ’21, George Zhang ’21, Andrew Gong ’21 and Olivia Feldman ’22. More tournaments will occur which will provide more practice for the debaters who qualiﬁed to the Tournament of Champions, Nayar said.

everything else at the festival,” Members of the school Niederberg said. Campo de Cahuenga is a community helped set up lanterns for the Studio City major historical site in the San Neighborhood Council’s eighth Fernando Valley where the annual Luminaria at Campo signing of the Articles of Capitulation, which ended the Mexde Cahuenga on Dec. 1. The Chair of Cultural Af- ican-American War, took place fairs, in collaboration with the 172 years ago. This led to CalCity of Los Angeles, Depart- ifornia joining the U.S. Having students volunteer ment of Recreation and Parks and the Campo de Cahuenga to set up the light show is a Historical Memorial Associa- way to give back to the community and celebrate the betion organized the event. The event included enter- ginning of the holiday season tainment by different choir together, Director of Community and Public and dance Affairs Stacy ensembles, as It was really cool Marble said. well as activito see a bunch of people “The Lumities for young children and that aren’t that farmiliar naria Festival is a great optheir parent. with each other come portunity for In additogether and work to our school to tion, attendput together an event.” partner with ees had the opportunity to —Mike Thomas ’20 local community leaders to take oral tours produce a community holiof the historic site. The festival culminated in day event for Studio City resa light show, which paid trib- idents,” Marble said. “I am ute to Spanish and western glad that students volunteered their time to help make this heritage. It also featured luminarias, event possible and make a which are lanterns construct- positive impact in Studio City.” Volunteers said they ened from paper bags with cutjoyed participating in the event outs and candles. Chair of Cultural Affairs and meeting new people. “I didn’t know anyone that Committee Richard Niederberg said the goal of the community I was going to be working service project was for volun- with,” Mike Thomas ’20 said. teers to prepare for the follow- “I think it was really cool to see ing day’s festivities and learn a bunch of people that aren’t about the history of the land- that familiar with each other come together and work to put mark location. “I want the audience to be together an event for the peohappy and enjoy the lights and ple of Studio City.”

“

A8 News

The Chronicle

You’re One Lucky Stiff!

Dec. 12, 2018

The fall musical “Lucky Stiff” opened Nov. 9 and closed on Nov. 12. The Helen Hayes Awards and Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical was the first offBroadway production the Upper School theatre department has produced.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

CHEERS: Alec Davila ’20, playing Harry Witherspoon, celebrates with Osric Holt ’20, playing Anthony Hendon. Harry accepts the terms of his uncle’s will in order to gain a $6 million inheritance during the train ride to Monte Carlo.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: Caroline Cook ’19, playing Annabel Glick, longs for Harry’s heart.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

SNEAK A PEEK?: Maddie Boudov ’21, Lilah Weisman ’20, Alex Goldstein ’19, Jake

Schroeder ’20 and Naomi Ogden ’20 hold up Harry’s telegram, wondering who sent it.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

OH SISTER!: Leila Dall’Olmo ’20, playing Rita, sings “Rita Confession,” breaking the news that she murdered her ex-lover Anthony to Jordan Yadegar ’19, playing Vinnie.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

OOH LA LA: Jess Grody ’19, who played Dominique du Monaco, sings “Speaking French” at a casino night club in Monte Carlo.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

HELLO UNCLE ANTHONY: (From left to right) Catherine Crouch ’19, Cameron Herring ’21, Andrea Yagher ’20 and Taylor Dees ’21 attempt to get Anthony’s attention.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

WELCOME TO MONTE CARLO EVERYONE: Asia Fuqua ’21 and Bianca Garfinkle ’20 perform around the Emcee Tyler Ganus ’20, who is welcoming his audience to a night out in Monte Carlo.

C HRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: SOPHIE HABER, JENNY LI PRINT MANAGING EDITORS: ALEX GOLDSTEIN, SOFIA HELLER, KAITLIN MUSANTE

OPINION The Chronicle • Dec. 12, 2018

Studio City • Volume 28• Issue 4 • Dec. 12, 2018 • hwchronicle.com

editorial

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: LUCAS GELFOND PRESENTATION MANAGING EDITORS: RYAN ALBERT, KENDALL DEES ENGAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR AND NEWS EDITOR: SABA NIA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: CASEY KIM, LUKE SCHNEIDER, LINDSAY WU OPINION EDITOR: VISHAN CHAUDHARY ASSISTANT OPINION EDITORS: TAMMER BAGDASARIAN, JESSA GLASSMAN, EMMA SHAPIRO, AMELIE ZILBER FEATURES EDITORS: KAELYN BOWERS, ALISON OH ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS: KYRA HUDSON, MADISON HUGGINS, JEANINE KIM, SPENCER KLINK, ANUSHA MATHUR, LAUREN NEHORAI, ZOE REDLICH A&E EDITOR: LEXI SO ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS: ANNIE BECKMAN, JORDAN MURRAY, SARAH REIFF SPORTS EDITORS: JACKIE GREENBERG, BEN TENZER

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: LUKE CASOLA, WILL MALLORY, KEILA MCCABE, ZACK SCHWARTZ WILLIAM SEYMOUR, EUGENE WYMAN MULTIMEDIA EDITOR AND BUSINESS MANAGER: CAMERON STOKES ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGERS: SARAH HEALY, JOANNA IM ASSISTANT BROADCAST EDITORS: TY GOODRICH, COLE KATZ, YOOHAN KO, ALEX MORK, DYLAN SHENSON ART DIRECTOR: SAMANTHA KO ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS: CAITLIN CHUNG, JAY LASSITER FREELANCE WRITERS: NOAH AIRE, VALERIE VELAZQUEZ LAYOUT ASSISTANTS AND STAFF WRITERS: OLIVIA BAER, CRYSTAL BAIK, MARIELA BREIDSPRECHER, LOLA BUTAN, LAUREN CHO, EUGEAN CHOI, EVA DE RUBERTIS, RUOSHAN DONG, OLIVIA GUBEL, TANISHA GUNBY, HANNAH HAN, SIOBHAN HARMS, FRANK JIANG, ETHAN LACHMAN, ALEXANDRA LANDECKER, AUSTIN LEE, LUCAS LEE, EMMA LIMOR, LEE NICHOLS, CELINE PARK, CHLOE SCHAEFFER, ANDREW SO, KHYRA STINER BROADCAST ASSISTANTS: ALEX AMSTER, ALICE HE, MATTHEW LEE, MADELEINE MASSEY, MARINA NASCIMENTO, JAIDEV PANT, KYLE REIMS, CHARLES WANG ADVISER: JIM BURNS

THE CHRONICLE is the student newspaper of HarvardWestlake School. It is published ten 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 Cameron Stokes at cstokes1@ hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or school.

An open letter to our parents

ear Parents, Last year, middle and upper school students took a survey about their experiences at Harvard-Westlake. The results are in, and we feel compelled to share them with you. Students who felt that they failed to meet their parents expectations suffered –– they got less sleep, enjoyed academics less and were more likely to cheat (see A1). In light of these statistics, we ask you to collaborate with us in order to help us achieve balanced success in these next few months. From a young age, we have felt pressure from a multitude of sources: extended family, peers, teachers, coaches and ourselves. It is often your opinion, however, that matters most; it’s your expectations we strive to meet and your nod of approval we seek. While we want to continue accomplishing our goals and relishing in our successes alongside you, we don’t want this to come at the expense of our mental health. With college decisions arriving for seniors and midterms beginning for all of us, we hope you will keep in mind the weight your opinions carry in our minds. Feeling like we don’t meet your expectations only results in negative consequences; we will feel discouraged with our surroundings and dissatisﬁed with our progress, causing us to seek ill-suited compensations to win favor again, ones that don’t necessarily guarantee success. We don’t wish to blame you for any erroneous choices we make ourselves, but it’s necessary for you to be aware that there is a correlation between how you respond to our behavior and how we react in turn. We strive to make you proud of us and to be proud of ourselves, but we also want to simultaneously stay healthy, happy and be at peace. At this point in our high-school careers, we

ask you to trust that we have internalized the values you taught us. You have seen us pursuing our dreams and putting our full effort into doing well in high school and getting to the next step of a good college. You have seen us juggle extracurriculars and academics. We want to succeed just as badly as you want us to, but we also want to enjoy our high school experience. The support you have given us throughout our lives has pushed us to become the students we are today –– thoughtful, passionate and highachieving. We are immensely grateful for this and the sacriﬁces you have made in order for us to succeed and become the people we are today. We know that we would not be here without you and your encouragement. That being said, we need you to continue giving us your support and input but in a less imposing manner. Your love and comfort are what pushes us to keep going when things don’t go as we wished. If we don’t get into a college we applied to, we hope you will recognize our dismay and only seek to uplift us. If we don’t do well on a midterm, we hope you will keep in mind all the hours we studied to perform the best we possibly could. If we don’t do as well on a standardized test as we expected, we hope you know we are just as disappointed as you are. If we don’t love a college as much you do, we hope you recognize that we have developed strong sense of selves and respect that we know where will succeed both academically and socially. We ask you to take the time to reﬂect on our thoughts about our Harvard-Westlake experiences. It’s important for our mental health and for yours. All our love and gratitude, The Chronicle

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

DEC. 12, 2018

Senioritis: don’t let it catch you By Lucas Gelfond

ear Unaware Saba, Today was not an extraordinary day. And neither was yesterday. It hurts to admit it to you, but not every moment is out of a John Hughes movie or a mystery novel. Life oscillates between shades of gray and technicolor rainbow and trying to make sense of the inconsistency of time is like trying to tame a raging waterfall. I hate to break it to you, young Saba, but life is not just kissing-in-the-rain scenes and epic game-winning goals; it’s a lot of waiting in the doctor’s ofﬁce and resisting the urge to slam your foot on the accelera-

BY S AMA NTH A KO

newfound time and lack of pressure as an opportunity for academic growth. We are surrounded by some of the most passionate and enthusiastic teachers in the world; they love the material they teach and, if we let them, they can bring us to love it too. Lessening our focus on grades does not necessarily mean dampening our focus on learning. Instead, it can have an opposite effect. Without the pressure of our transcripts, we can engross ourselves in our work, not simply using brute force memorization or shortcuts to survive a unit. That said, teachers should not ease up on their expectations or lower work loads in the second semester. They should still hold us to the same standard of excellence, a standard that pushes us and makes our school unique. Finally, we should acknowledge the privilege of the environment we are in. Our school gives us access to some of the strongest high school academics in the world. We study in an environment with some of the most talented students of our age group, and some of the most meticulously trained and distinguished teachers in their ﬁelds. Squandering a large portion of it is a complete waste and is ignorant of the thousands of schools in the country that lack adequate resources and funding to provide the same caliber of education. Even if only for the ﬁrst time, we should avoid the prevailing view of school as a survival challenge, instead recognizing it as the enriching experience we are afforded. As January closes in, we should be thoughtful about our choices in work habits in the second semester. So cover your mouths, wash your hands, and increase your vitamin C intake: do whatever you can to not catch senioritis.

ILLU STR ATIO N

enioritis, noun. An illness afflicting second semester seniors that renders them incapable of completing their work or engaging in their classes as usual. Our school seems to have a particularly dramatic strain of it spreading around. Jan. 18 is a time many seniors seem to have mentally designated as a time of mass relief. The end of first semester marks the end of years of hard work and the beginning of a semester of slacking. As grades begin to have less weight in college admissions, seniors take time with friends, go to more parties and relax. While all of these are independently good things, they often come at the expense of schoolwork. The culture of senioritis represents a failure both of students and faculty in this community. The mass movement away from school implies an ugly truth: students only work in school to present well in college admissions. If such is true, our mission of a joyful pursuit seems like an abject failure. Teachers, deans, administrators and students should work to focus their ambitions more on meaningful scholarship. Students should work for genuine interest rather than in pursuit of higher GPAs. Teachers should focus on meaningful feedback beyond percentages. Students should examine their mastery of a subject aside from year-end grades and take classes they like, not shying away from rigor or pursuing it just for its value on a transcript. Instead, we should use our school’s strong academic support as an opportunity to take more academic risks, challenging ourselves in classes we find legitimately and intrinsically interesting. High school should be an enriching academic experience of its own, not just a means to an end. Seniors should take their

tor when you’re at a complete standstill in LA traffic. Sometimes life is just ordinary, and the only reason why a moment is significant is because we believe it is. It’s the first day of winter. You are five years old and coloring at a desk. There was the scratching of crayons and the quiet bumping of elbows, simple connections you were unaware of making. In that fragile cocoon of innocence, you were ignorant of the need to draw inside the lines. Then, as you and the other students at the table toiled away on your disposable and forgettable art projects, one of

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Proud to be an American By Vishan Chaudhary

fter hearing the phrase “Make America Great Again” numerous times over the past two and a half years, I was forced to consider an unexpectedly difﬁcult question: when was America “great”? Surely we can’t claim that our nation was “great” during the eras of slavery or Jim Crow, and it is doubtful that most would regard today’s America that is characterized by mass incarceration, income inequality and police brutality as a model for other countries. After pondering the question for a while, I reached my conclusion. I believe that America became great in 1776 and has remained great since. I know that this may seem like it contradicts with what I mentioned earlier. After all, slavery was still legal, only rich white men could own property and the United States as we know it hadn’t even been formed yet (the Constitution was ratiﬁed in 1789). These objections, however, rely on the belief that America is only a nation-state. Instead, I view America as not only a country but as a set of values that we should aspire to embody. The Declaration of Independence set forth ideals such

as equality before the law, the concept of inalienable rights and the government deriving its legitimacy from the people, and it became the template for social justice movements throughout our nation’s history like the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and the LGBTQ+ movements. The United States has not always lived up to these ideals. In fact, I would argue that the nation has always been an imperfect one and has never fully realized the values set forth in one of its founding documents. There is no better example of these shortcomings than the country’s current immigration dilemma. The question of who deserves American citizenship has been at the center of political debates for the last decade, from the arguably unconstitutional sanctuary cities to the disturbing family separations at the border. The United States should obviously have some immigration policy, as an open border policy would be a national security risk, but a strict policy would lose sight of our nation’s ideals. During the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, children have been forced to appear in immigration court alone, and

veterans who served multiple tours overseas have been deported back to a country they barely know. At the same time, over 3.6 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, known as ‘DREAMers’, are holding their breath as their legal protected statuses are in jeopardy. All three of these situations seem to be antithetical to the ideals that America was built on. The U.S. was founded as a nation of immigrants, yet the divisive rhetoric surrounding the issue in recent years has made me wonder what it means to be an American today. Despite being born in the U.S., and thus being a citizen, I can’t help but feel like I’m viewed as “not American enough” by people whose families have lived in the country for generations. It’s time that we change our conception of what it means to be American. Our country should welcome those who embrace the values of freedom, equality and justice for all, regardless of their citizenship status or legal documents. America has always been great, but it’s time for us to try to make our country more American.

your peers asked out loud if you all believed in God. Your teacher’s pencil clattered to the ﬂoor. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed. Not with school or extracurriculars or personal matters, but with the knowledge that everything, including high school, ends.There’s not much of 2018 left. Isn’t it crazy that I’ll never get this year back? Or this week? Or this day? It doesn’t matter how many seconds ago it is; the past is the past, and it’s speeding off into the distance, away from us. The children said yes. And you thought that sounded right. Wasn’t there something out there, watching you all the time? You did not catch your teacher’s eyes boring into your heads, trying to telepathically change the conversation. For a columnist, I have a lot of opinions but absolutely no idea what to believe. I can’t listen to everything loved ones

tell me, and I can’t blindly follow a stranger’s advice. I grew up without a religion, without fixed practices. I’ve never felt the cool silver of a cross around my neck or lighted a menorah or read aloud the words within the Koran. I have no idea if I’m an atheist or agnostic or cynical or hopeful. “If God exists then where is He?” a child asked. He makes a good point you thought, considering your former stance. “God is in all of us,” a classmate replied confidently. “He’s always with us, watching us.” Okay, that’s a little creepy, you thought. The other students voiced their opinions. God was real, God was fake. God was one of many gods, God was black, God was a woman. God didn’t interfere in our lives, God directed every action. He was benevolent, He was cruel. You finally spoke up. “I don’t think it matters. I think we should keep coloring.”

We can go on with our daily lives and avoid philosophical debates, but I like to think there’s a sort of awareness in the universe, even if that belief is selﬁsh or naive or utterly human. So yes, Saba, there are some constants to this world: winter is coming, time is slipping away and people will always argue about religion. But this holiday season, open yourself up to the inconsistency of life, its extraordinary moments and its ordinary ones. Just believe; in whatever or whoever you want. Just have faith because there will be a time in your life when you can’t afford to ponder about God or life or death. Put down the crayon. Look up and see all the color that already exists in life and let it wash over you, as powerful as any river or cascade. Love, A More Connected Saba

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

DEC. 12, 2018

OPINION A11

Don’t run away from rejection By Jenny Li

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Our generation is doomed By Amelie Zilber

nergy dominance: it’s a defining phrase of the Trump presidency. Emphasizing the expansion of coal and oil production, the doctrine actively weakens attempts to curb the growing threat of global warming. A recent report by national climate scientists is the most detailed and blunt assessment yet of the dangers of unchecked global warming, and time is running out. The report suggests our planet will experience famine, war, global water shortages and the sinking of coastal cities by 2040. We are no longer at a point where action on climate change is a choice; these reports suggest that without significant actions in the next 12 years, my generation will witness the destruction of Earth. Arguing whether global warming is man-made is no longer important. Earth is getting warmer; there are more floods, fires, droughts and severe storms–all of which will

affect the human population. Our warming climate will not only have dire effects on the planet, but it will also directly cause a massive number of civilian deaths. Climate change will worsen already dangerous air pollution levels, which will cause aggravated respiratory or cardiovascular problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests there will be a signiﬁcant surge in premature deaths from air pollution. In 2018, nearly 500,000 people died in Western Europe alone–not to mention the eight million others who lose their lives to this silent killer every year globally. Air pollution kills more than three times the number of people who die from HIV/ AIDS and malaria combined, according to the CDC. So what can we do? My answer: we need big thinkers. Our country is desperate for strong leaders who will stand up to government inac-

tion. Turning off lights and appliances when not in use, switching to green energy and buying local produce to reduce transportation and storage are all small ways we can make a difference. Most importantly, however, we need to use our voices. The more conversations we have about climate change, the more global warming can become a universal issue, not a political one. The truth is, almost all countries have the capacity to minimize the impact of climate change. The necessary step now is to create the right political conditions to motivate action by combating the climate conspiracy and creating meaningful change. We must work collectively to boost our resilience to the unavoidable destruction of our planet. To ignore this reality is to gamble with the existential future of not only the global economy but the safety and preservation of our planet.

Examining intersections of identity By Joanna Im

inorities of all different types face discrimination and appropriation in American society. Thankfully, social media and public protests have recently been able to raise attention to current social issues, often using identity politics. As an Asian-American woman, I can acknowledge that this form of activism brings some awareness to the unique experiences that minorities face. However, a lack of context about other intersections (i.e. class) can make these movements counterproductive and only put the idea of an ideal minority at the forefront. Current identity movements recreate hierarchies by selectively representing minorities. In Asian-American movements, East Asian citizens are at the forefront of the movement, while Southeast Asians and Indians are often times overshadowed. In LGBTQ+ communities, the media often only features gay white men. Most black movements prioritize lighter skinned individuals and overlook stereotypes that are unique to dark skin African-Americans. These are not just examples of misrepresentation,

but they also show that there is an idealized ‘minority image’ that is prioritized within these movements, which may result in more microaggressions. I went to a critical race theory camp over the summer where I engaged with a diverse group of students from all economic, racial, gender and geographical backgrounds. Seeing so many people of color from different backgrounds was an experience that transformed my view on both privilege and oppression. While my school friends and I suffer from microaggressions, many people at the camp who were of a lower socioeconomic status opened up about the institutional exploitation within their communities. This is when I realized that my own struggles stemming from race pale in comparison to what others face. The broader and often-invisible factor of identity–class privilege–controls disproportionate representation within movements. One thing is for sure: wealthy, straight, white men have the most privilege, but other intersections of identity still argue about who is more privileged. Movements based around race and gender identi-

ties are mostly popularized by richer (or more privileged in other ways) individuals and thus fail to recognize how class affects oppression. The sentiment that all people can equally participate in activism is true but also misleading because it ignores the fact that people with more economic privilege have a larger voice in society. People struggling with economic disadvantages have a weaker inﬂuence over politics than their wealthy counterparts since lobbyists are more likely to change institutions if it is economically valuable. In the instance of critical race theory, acclaimed works usually come from professors at high-caliber and wellendowed institutions, such as Derrick Bell at Harvard University and Mary Frances Berry at the University of Pennsylvania. These authors cannot fully understand or represent less economically privileged people of color in their scholarship, since economic privilege exempts them from struggles that their lower class counterparts face. While these well-endowed institution have more access to resources, the authors may

here is an extreme vulnerability that comes with the college process. We are asked to write about our innermost dreams, reflecting on and analyzing our own identities, who we are and who we want to be. We meticulously attempt to fill out sections that have been pre-determined to be of the most value: our community service, work experience, awards, extracurriculars. We provide our academic transcripts and send in our standardized test scores. There is a feeling of emptiness from being summed up by a few pieces of paper to be evaluated and judged. We put ourselves out there to the best of our ability, hoping that admissions officers will notice what makes us special and why we deserve to attend a particular institution. It feels almost impossible, then, not to place our personal worth on the results of these college decisions. We must recognize that there are conditions beyond our control affecting every step of the college process. Admission officers strive to balance incoming classes, ranging from position on the soccer team to ethnicity. Not being accepted does not mean that we are not good enough, and it definitely does not mean that we have any less inherent value than someone else who may have been accepted. It just means that at that particular institution, we did not fit. Getting into a particular college cannot be the goal. College is only part of the journey, a place that can help us grow; something much more important

than the location for our next four years is what we do at the college. Throughout this process, we need to keep in mind who we want to be. As students, it is easy to fall into the trap of pursuing perfection. The premise behind this mentality is that only by “achieving” this impossible ideal can we be validated for our efforts and truly be successful. Self-worth, then, is based off others’ opinions of us, rather than our own sense of self. This will only lead to a self-perpetuating cycle of toxicity and dissatisfaction. What we should pursue, instead, is our personal excellence. This is not quantiﬁed by what college we go to, our GPA or how long our resume is. It’s about trying as hard as we can to achieve our own personal goals, separate from how successful we are. Pursuing success is entirely different and is impossible. We are entering a world where rejection is normal. It may not be easy, but we should try our hardest to embrace it and understand it for what it truly is.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

An A&E Assistant Editor and Assistant Business Manager discusses the role socioeconomic status plays in identity based conversations and movements. be selective in their research based on their own experiences, which still prevents awareness of class exploitation as a factor of racism. In day-to-day life, when wealthier individuals that are part of a minority group emphasize their experience, it is often difficult to distinguish between their privilege and oppression. While they experience microaggressions and discrimination due to their physical appearances, their financial capabilities mean that they are excluded from many other forms of institutional and economic exploitation. Because of class privilege, leaders of most movements omit class as a factor of oppression, which results in monolithic representation for the identity group. For example, the movement #NotYourAsianSidekick, is centered around the lack of East Asian representation, and defines Asian oppression by a lack of media representation while overlooking high poverty rates that the group faces. This can also be seen in other movements, such as the #MeToo movement, highlight economically privileged people affected by sexual harassment, even though lower class

is correlated with higher rates of abuse, according to a Wiley study. This new perception that I learned by bonding with people of signiﬁcantly different economic backgrounds helped me learn more about how to accept my own privilege, which sometimes required putting myself on the sidelines in order to prioritize others. Although I am an AsianAmerican girl, I’m also straight and ﬁnancially stable, which raises my status in America and allows me to have disproportionately more access to resources than others. In critical discussions of race, I remind myself to also bring attention to class struggle if I am only surrounded by people who overlook it as a factor of oppression. Minorities who are economically in the top one percent have privilege that others do not have, and while it is crucial to advocate for one’s own identity, it is equally important to contextualize it to others people’s experiences using class while it is crucial to advocate for one’s own identity, it is equally important to contextualize it to others people’s experiences using class.

Community The Chronicle • Dec. 12, 2018

Students respond to FDA rules By Caitlin Chung

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KAT SWANDER

BITTERSWEET MEMORIES: Peer Support Leaders and Trainees pose for a photo during their annual retreat to the Gliding Hilltop Campsite. After the Woolsey fire destroyed about 670 structures, including the camp, students have rallied together to rebuild it.

Students regroup, reflect after destruction of camp By Kyra Hudson

As she skimmed the list of ruined areas from the Woolsey fire, Rebecca Sugerman ’19 felt a wave of devastation when she found out that her longtime summer camp, Camp Hess Kramer, had been part of the nearly 100,000 acres that were burned. Sugerman has attended Camp Hess Kramer since she was first eligible at eight years old, and since then, she said her camp and its community has influenced her in a positive manner. “It’s my home away from home, and the place that molded me into the person I am today,” Sugerman said. “I honestly don’t know who I would be without Camp Hess Kramer. While camp is definitely about more than the structures, it’s still really sad because each of the places that burned had a special meaning.” The Woolsey fire was responsible for the destruction of an estimated 670 struc-

tures, causing almost 300,000 people to evacuate throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to NBC. The Malibu Mountains were particularly devastated by the fires, according to the Los Angeles Times. These mountains were home to summer camps, such as Camp Hess Kramer, that students have been attending for years. Camp Hess Kramer emphasizes creating long-lasting relationships while celebrating the Jewish culture, according to the camp website. Sugerman said she was particularly affected by the loss of her camp because of her long family history with the 65-year-old campsite. “My grandparents, parents and sibling went to the camp, and my grandparents even helped build parts of the camp,” Sugerman said. “Each of us have all physically contributed something to the camp as well, so it’s hard knowing that it is all gone.” Camp Hess Kramer was located at the Gliding Hilltop Campsite, which had hosted many other camp programs

throughout its long history. said. “The fires have been so One of these other camp pro- destructive and I feel terrible grams was Camp Harmony, for everyone who has been afwhere many students were fected by them.” deeply involved as volunteer Despite the tragedies that counselors for underprivileged which communities went youth in the Los Angeles area. through, the losses have “Camp Harmony is above brought the camp communiall a place where kids can ties closer together and the come to feel campers are safe, loved and hopeful for the open,” counselfuture, SugerEach of us have or Carli Cooman said. all physically contributed perstein ’20 “Since the said. “In wake fire, the camp something to the camp of the fires, community as well, so it’s hard of course, I’m has never been knowing it’s gone.” devastated, stronger,” Subut all I want german said. is for camp to “The amazing still mean the —Rebecca Sugerman ’19 part is that same thing to the menorah, the campers, [which is the no matter where it is.” camp’s symbol] and the woodThe Gliding Hilltop Camp en sign next to commemoratwas also a site for the school’s ing [founder] Alfred Wolf did annual Peer Support training. not burn down. We have bond“We just had Peer Sup- ed together to make sure camp port retreat at Hilltop about is rebuilt so that the magic two months ago so it’s hard we experienced is still there, to process that a place that and so we can bring back evholds so many amazing mem- erything that made our expeories is just gone,” Peer Sup- riences special for campers in port Trainee Paige Corman ’20 the future.”

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After the Food and Drugs Administration accused the company of marketing to minors, Juul Lab announced their new desire to restrict the sale of flavor pods Nov. 13. The company said they will also enforce stricter age verifications to prove buyers are 21 years old before viewing and making purchases on the company’s site and accessing their social media outlets. Flavors such as mango, cucumber, creme and fruit are being pulled from offsite markets while mint, tobacco and menthol are being kept in order to prevent smokers from reverting back to menthol cigarettes. “I feel like now that there is a ban to it, it just adds another layer to get through to get the pods that makes me want to stop,” Ruben* said. “I just don’t think it’s necessary to go through all that to just get pods.” While the announcement has deterred some users from Juuling as much, many students said they felt like the new policies haven’t impacted their use. “Once it is out there, it is out there,” Lydia* said. “Kids will always find a way to get it, it’s just the way to get it will be different.” The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2017 with the goal to “[improve] the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers,” as stated on their official website, but they have found themselves as one of the primary targets of the FDA’s crackdown on the e-cigarette market to reduce the popularity of vaping among minors. Although the timetable for the enforcement hasn’t been announced yet, Juul announced they will be enforcing a ban on flavored pod sales in many of their retail stores. *Names have been changed

Features The Chronicle • Dec. 12, 2018

A City on Fire The wildfires in Los Angeles affected HarvardWestlake students in various ways. The pictures featured are of Maayan Milchan’s ’21 home, which burned down during the fires. • Continued on B7

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MAAYAN MILCHAN ’21

B2 Features

The Chronicle

Dec. 12, 2018

As the weather cools down, students discuss the effect of “cuffing season” and its relation to the high school dating culture. By Zoe Redlich

start playing, a lot of people feel the association between the holiday As Noah Aire ’20 scrolled season and romance and want to be through Amazon to find holiday part of that,” Ahmad said. Although there is pressure from gifts for his father, he quickly became overwhelmed by the flood of the media, Michael Lehrhoff ’20 advertisements promoting gifts for said he believes the expectation to significant others. After a few more spend time with family is more imminutes of searching, the advertis- portant. Even though the media proing became too much for him, and he closed his computer. “Cuffing motes cuffing season, it does not season,” the time during the win- actually affect teenage behavior and ter when people begin to enter into mentality, Jess Grody ’19 said. “Maybe there’s a stronmore serious relationger sentiment among adults, ships, had officially bebut I think as teenagers we gun. don’t feel like we need to be “I think that the holin relationships with people iday season definitely just because it’s the holiincreases pressure to days,” Grody said. date because it is just According to a survey of everywhere you look,” 332 respondents, 17.17 perAire said. “If you want to cent of students said that buy gifts on Amazon for academics is the biggest example, there are ‘gifts factor affecting dating life on for him’ and ‘gifts for her’ ’ campus. which can make you feel Maitlyn Maitlyn Fletcher ’21 has like you need a signifiFletcher ’21 been in a relationship for cant other to be normal.” over a year. Social media plat“I think there are not many reforms, such as Snapchat and Instagram, also promote cuffing season, lationships because not only do people believe that being in a relaRiley Ruiz ’20 said. “I think there is some added tionship will affect one’s school perpressure during the holiday sea- formance, but it is also difficult to son to be in a relationship because socialize and meet new people when that’s the time of year when rela- you’re constantly working,” Fletchtionships are being posted every- er said. With the where,” Ruiz said. large Diego Ahmad ’20 said he feels this influence of holiday romance in music the most. “I think as holiday songs white s

amount of extracurriculars and unfamiliar relationships are formed school work students take on, it where students then feel compelled would be difficult to add a serious to start officially going out with their relationship to one’s life, Patrick dates.” Hyde ’20 said. Although their peers may worry “As most people are focused on about the negative effects of enterschool and don’t have time for seri- ing a long term relationship, many ous commitments, the people who students manage them without difare making these commitments ficulty, Fletcher said. might have to be sacrificing some of “I personally don’t find it too their academic life,” Hyde said. difficult to be in a relationship, as However, whether or not stu- my boyfriend and I are very underdents engage in romantic relation- standing of the fact that I’m overships is actually based on many loaded with work,” Fletcher said. “I more factors than also think it has benjust academic efited my performance work, psycholoin school as I have I think that gist Sophie Wasan outside support high school students son said. system whenever I’m feel pressured to date Social status stressed.” in particular afThe situation is because not having a fects dating at even easier if the sigdate to school dances is nificant other goes Harvard-Westlake, Ava Beto a different school, often stigmatized.” navente ’20 said. Ruiz said. —Michael Lehrhoff ’20 In the same sur“We both undervey, 66.27 perstand that we’re really cent of students busy during the day, said social dynamics play the big- so we text a little bit throughout gest role in affecting dating on cam- the day and then actually talk after pus. school once we’re both home,” Ruiz “It seems like each level of so- said. cial status has a different feeling Although some students do about dating,” Benavente said. “In date and social media does promote some groups, it is easier to date these relationships, in the end there than others. However, Homecoming is no true formula for any of it, Bedefinitely creates the most couples navente said. across the board.” “I think [cuffing season] is a Over the course of the year, nice idea that when all your famithe Upper School holds two danc- ly comes into town for the holidays es. The Homecoming Dance, for all and they ask, ‘Oh, so any boys?’ upper school students, takes because that’s what happens in my place in the fall, while Prom, family, to be able to say yes,” Bein the spring, is for seniors. navente said. “However, I think in While many students high school it happens when it hapattend the dance with a pens.” group of friends, many Although students may feel also go with dates. prevented from dating for various “I think that high reasons, it is an important step in school students a teenager’s development, Wasson feel pressured to said. date because not “Being social and experimenthaving a date to ing with dating and romantic life is school dances very important developmentally,” is often stigma- Wasson said. “Just as doing hometized,” Lehrhoff work is important. Like most things said. “Once stu- in life, it’s about trying to find a dents find dates, healthy balance.”

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ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO AND KYRA HUDSON

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES B3

Needle in a Haystack Students and parents share their differing opinions regarding vaccines, supporting both sides of the debate. vaccinations are ableist. “I think that [anti-vaccination] can be harmful to people who have A wave of frustration washed autism or ADHD because these peoover Angela Wheaton (Sirus ’19) ple are basically saying that I would when she saw the vaccination poli- rather have my kids die from genercies of her son’s college, forcing him al disease rather than be diagnosed to receive a potentially dangerous with autism or ADHD,” Yanover said. “That’s my biggest concern, injection. “[My older son] Noah, and Sirus and also I don’t know of any doctors soon, did have to have some kind who say you shouldn’t get vaccinatof inoculation to be admitted to his ed because of this. It’s not supportcollege,” Wheaton said. “He could ed by scientists.” Prompted by a measles outbreak not attend the school unless he had this vaccine, which irked me, be- affecting 131 Californians, Califorcause I like to research the pros and nia passed new legislation in 2015 banning personal and religious cons of the vaccine myself.” According to the National Insti- belief exemptions at daycare, pretutes of Health, vaccinations have school and K-12 schools. Previousseen opposition in recent years, ly, a Los Angeles Times investigaespecially following the publication tion revealed that at certain schools, of the Wakefield paper alleging that parents filed these exemptions at autism was linked to the measles, rates as high as 60 percent. California now only allows exmumps and rubella vaccines (MMR) in 1998. However, pro-vaccine sci- emptions from vaccines for medical reasons. According to entists such as Dr. Peter the California Department Hotez, professor at the Bayof Public Health, overall lor College of Medicine and kindergarten vaccination holder of the Texas Chilrates rose from 92.8 perdren’s Hospital Endowed cent to 95.6 percent afChair in pediatrics, have ter the law was passed. rejected paper’s claims. However, The Los Ange“Vaccines are the most les Times wrote that the important public health innumber of schools where vention we have in terms ’ more than 10 percent of of saving lives,” Hotez said. Clay students had a medical “It’s the most successful Skaggs ’20 exemption to vaccinations and cost-effective.” doubled. Vania Nguyen (Meera Dorit Reiss, professor of law at Sastry ’19), a pediatrician at Providence St. John’s Health Center, said UC Hastings who specializes in vacshe’s seen many parents concerned cine law, said that the rise in medical exemptions for vaccines is small with MMR vaccines. “Parents come in and say they overall but affects certain regions want to get vaccines, but they’re more than others. “While that is worrying, it is scared,” Nguyen said. “It’s okay for them to be scared because they still a small exception,” Reiss said. don’t know, and they hear so many “They make up less than one percent of the population. The problem lies, so many unfounded truths.” Nguyen said vaccines also allow is that they’re concentrated in some schools and not others.” for herd immunity to vaccines. According to an investigation by “Herd immunity is when you have a small percentage of people The Hollywood Reporter, the schools without the vaccine, but the over- most heavily affected by anti-vacciwhelming majority has it, which nation are ones in affluent regions protects most of us,” Nguyen said. of Los Angeles like Santa Monica or “If you have a huge amount of peo- Beverly Hills. Reiss said that she beple who are immune to the disease, lieves a number of factors result in you don’t pass it on in the commu- the prevalence anti-vaccination attinity, so then you protect the smaller tudes among the wealthy. “People with real resource probamount.” Izzy Yanover ’19, who is immu- lems and survival struggles don’t nocompromised, is unable to re- have the time to imagine downfalls ceive live vaccines. Yanover said she with vaccines,” Reiss said. “The othfeels that those who do not support er part is that people who are affluBy JEANINE KIM AND SPENCER KLINK

WHITE S

ent have more confidence in their while I’m younger and healthier.” Despite the fact that Gannon knowledge relative to experts, so they’re more likely to challenge re- supports longer-lasting vaccines such as those given at birth, she ality.” In Los Angeles, which has a said she is opposed to the flu vacthriving culture based on fitness cine. “This is my experience with the and wellness, holistic approaches to health are common, especially in flu shot: they put the virus in your body so you build up antibodies the yoga community. However, because of this focus against that disease, but what hapon nontraditional medicines, there pens with a lot of people is that they is a significant anti-vaccination sect get the flu shot and instantly they’re in the yoga community, according to sick,” Gannon said. “If you’re in some place like a school setting, you the NIH. “Within the yoga community, have to be more mindful about getbecause it is very focused on holis- ting shots because you’re around so tic health and alternative medicine, many people.” As an alternative, many individthey look at a lot of eastern medicine and see how they can use that uals against vaccination encourage more, so I think [anti-vaccination families to use more derivative medattitudes] are pretty popular, unfor- icines that focus on holistic well-betunately,” upper school yoga teacher ing. Gannon said she hasn’t received Cindy Gannon said. Additionally, Wheaton said she the vaccine in many years but rarely abstains from vaccinations because is diagnosed with the flu. She agrees more with those in they are rooted in the yoga communianti-blackness. I think, at their ty when it comes to “They’re going flu shots, using ancore, every high school to try [the Prevnar tibacterial essential vaccine] on poor has certain parallels, oils to compensate people who have with the development for lack of the vacnobody to advofrom adolescence to cine. cate for them and Nguyen said use them as guinadulthood. while the flu shot ea pigs,” Wheaton said. “Many years —Adam Howard isn’t always perago, there were Upper School Dean fectly accurate, she recommends that prisoners that they people still receive would try these vaccines on. Historically, there are it to guard against any potential cases where they would use in- illnesses, and Hotez said he thinks mates, especially young black men that people should receive the flu who are incarcerated, to test these shot every year. “Eighty thousand people died vaccines.” In a Chronicle survey of 333 stu- from influenza last year, includdents, while only three percent of re- ing two hundred children, most of spondents said their family opposed whom were not vaccinated,” Hotez the school’s vaccination require- said. “Thousands of people died in ment, 29 percent of respondents the flu epidemic last year, and many said they had not or planned not to were not vaccinated.” Gannon said that she personreceive the flu vaccine this year. Wheaton said that neither she ally does not agree with the beliefs nor her two sons have ever received of people who support anti-vaccinaa flu shot, and she said she’s wary tion. Her nephew who is not vaccinated is homeschooled because his of side effects. Clay Skaggs ’20 said he never re- immune system is at risk. “[Anti-vaccination people] listen ceives the flu shot since he thinks it to the people who are telling them is ineffective. “The vaccines are not protective not to eat romaine lettuce, but the against it because it changes, espe- moment they’re told to vaccinate cially since it’s just a speculation of children they view that as bad,” what the virus will be, not the actual Gannon said. “I don’t think vaccines disease,” Skaggs said. “I agree that are linked to autism. I don’t think it will lower your chances of getting that giving your children vaccinathe flu, but I’d want to get it now tions gives them ADHD.”

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“ ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

The Chronicle

B4 Features

Show Me the Money Students share how campus IDs have affected their perceptions of the value of money and their financial futures.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZOE REDLICH

Dec. 1

12, 2018

hwchronicle.com/features

By Jessa Glassman and Sarah Healy Cafeteria cashier Phairot Janthep’s daily routine consists of greeting students, some by name, who come in daily to buy their lunches, snacks and drinks. Seeing everyone who comes to the cafeteria, Janthep said he has an insider view of how much students actually spend on a daily basis. “There’s been some who spent $30 a day and sometimes like $20,” Janthep said. “They eat like that every day.” Although her spending habits at school have changed with her senior privileges, which allow her to leave campus during the school day, Rachel Grode ’19 said that it can be hard for her to grasp how much she is actually spending because her parents end up paying the bill, Grode said. “I definitely notice how much I’m spending, but I feel like with my school ID, I don’t really care because it creates a false pretense that it is not really money and it’s just scanning,” Grode said. While cash transactions occur on campus at certain food trucks or fundraisers, the majority of spending is facilitated by the school’s digital accounting system, Didax. Using scannable ID cards speeds up transactions and allows for a digital log of student spending on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis, accessible to both parents and students. The bookstore and the cafeteria are the two main places on campus where students spend money, Director of Middle School and Upper School Bookstore Operations Tina Cleveland said. She said she has seen the majority of students purchase responsibly. “I would say that probably about 80 percent of the student population is very concerned about how much money they’re spending because I think families now are talking more to their children about what it costs to provide for them,” Cleveland said.

Features B5

For some fundraisers on cam- manner to put limits on what stupus, the minimum charge for per- dents are able to spend,” Weil said. sonal accounts is $10, and stu- “At the moment, it’s typically done dents can opt to bring cash to pay in relation to cafeteria purchases smaller amounts. Nevertheless, on either of our campuses, but on Cleveland thinks it is best to min- a weekly, monthly, or even yearly imize cash transactions, especially basis we can put in limits at the rewhen purchasing from the book- quest of parents or guardians.” While students can access a spestore, to avoid any complications. “Kids lose stuff way too much cific log of their spending history at here to come to school with money,” both the bookstore and cafeteria on Cleveland said. “[Didax] is very se- the student portal, some students, cure, I believe, but if you lose your such as Anna Katz ’20, think that wallet, it is gone. When you start the school could do more to make dealing with cash and all that kind this information more accessible. “I spend more at school just beof stuff, you have to wait for change and it just drags out a little bit.” There is no specific class or program on campus designed to teach students about finance, a skill that Interdisciplinary Stud“[ID cards] create a ies and Independent false pretense that it Research Teacher and is not really money Counselor Michelle and it’s just scanning” Bracken said she be— Rachel Grode ‘19 lieves is a valuable capability in a student’s development. “I do think [personal finance] is a cause I’m here everyday and I spend skill that, regardless of kids want- money here much more often,” Katz ing it, would be something worth said. “But, I think it would be nice teaching.” Bracken said. “I’m not to see how much you’re spending sure there’s a responsibility [to on the ID app.” teach it], but I don’t think it would Discussions about the use of the be a bad thing to incorporate [into 20th century credit-based economy the curriculum] somehow.” have started in both World & EuHowever, there are a few sys- rope II and AP US History classes, tems in place to help out families Director of Financial Aid & histofinancially when necessary. For ry teacher Greg Gonzalez said. He example, students on financial aid believes encouraging this dialogue receive $1,300 per year in a draw will help students become more account that covers food from the knowledgeable about using a credit cafeteria as well as certain items or ID card. deemed necessities from the book“Many of us make that segue store, like textbooks and school pretty easily and say, ‘Look, here’s supplies. Anything discretionary, what happens when you use a such as class sweatshirts, come out credit card. You’re actually borrowof pocket. Additionally, any parent ing money to purchase something can request a budget for their stu- in the present,’” Gonzalez said. “So, dent, regardless of if they are on fi- hopefully students view their ID nancial aid, Chief Financial Officer card in a similar way so they know David Weil said. that their card represents money.” “I don’t know how widely known In a study from 2012 conducted these capabilities are, but we do by TNS, a marketing company, on have the ability in a rather flexible behalf of the multinational bank

ING Direct, 28 percent of surveyed teens in the United States recognized budget management as a necessary skill of adulthood, and 83 percent felt that they were not learning the skills they needed to maintain financial stability in the future. Similarly, 50.74 percent of 331 polled Upper School students said they are aware of how much they spend at school, but only 39.27 percent actually have conversations with their parents about their spending. Even so, Gonzales said he believes that it is not the school’s responsibility to teach the students about financial independence. There are certainly ways that students can manage their own money at school, but that doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t be talking about it as well, Gonzales said. “The school provides the service of food and merchandise and discretionary purchases for convenience,” Gonzalez said. “Students don’t have to pack a lunch, [but] of course they can. We provide refrigerators for students to store food, but many prefer the convenience of our cafeteria.” While students from financially stable households might not have to worry as much about spending at school, discussions about those who do have concerns cannot be ignored, Bracken said. “We used to have food fights here sometimes, and it used to make me really angry,” Bracken said. “People bring their lunch a couple of days a week because they can’t afford the week of food here, and they’re wasting it. But that’s not in everybody’s perspective. When you’re talking about these things, you can’t not talk about the fact that there are some people who have more of a financial awareness because they have to, not because they want to.”

In a survey completed by 331 upper school students,

60.73%

do not have conversations with their families about their spending habits at school.

49.24% do not pay attention to how much they spend in the school cafeteria and bookstore.

B6 Features

The Chronicle

Dec. 12, 2018

Love Thy Neighbor? • Continued from A1

trends, California also saw an up-tick in hate crimes last year. A As a senior in high school, report for the Attorney General’s Levy traveled with March of the office announced in July a 17.4 Living to Poland to learn more percent increase in hate crimes about the Holocaust. Experiences in the state. Specifically, hate like that helped her realize that crimes against Hispanic people in such forms of anti-Semitism are California have increased by 50 not new to 2018 but rather have percent in the last year, accordalways existed, she said. Yet, she ing to NBC. In the state, there are said this was the first time such 954 hate groups, according to the vehement hate affected Levy so Southern Poverty Law Center. Out of 337 students polled, 32 closely. “I feel like you just have this percent said they feel this up-tick broader cultural memory as a in hateful sentiments has affectJew, and when something like ed them. Shana Brindze ’19, who is both that happens it hits a nerve,” Levy said. “After seeing the results of Jewish and LGBT, said they have the height of anti-Semitism with been weary to attend temple since my own eyes, seeing that on my the Pittsburgh attacks and nercampus 70 years after the Holo- vous to attend some LGBT events caust, using the same emblems since the Pulse Nightclub shootand slurs that were used back ing. “Those events were really then, was very disheartening, and it’s scary, really, for lack of a tragic and really scary, not just for our community, but better word.” for people everywhere,” Last year, an FBI reBrindze said. port concluded that Similarly, Cassius there were 7,175 hate Bythewood ’19 said that, crimes that took place as an African American, in America, a 17% rise seeing the impacts of from 2016. This continhate crimes on the news ues the trend of a steady hits close to home. increase in hate crimes “[When I’m] out and over the past three years. about sometimes I worThe rise of hate crimes ’ Shana ry because, [in] my perin the country is affectBrindze ’19 sonal opinion, this new ing a wide variety of mipresidency has kind of nority groups. The FBI report, released in November, made people who were underfound that hate crimes targeting cover racists start to come out,” Jewish Americans increased by Bythewood said. Although they don’t always feel 37 percent and African Amerisafe off campus, Bythewood and cans by 16 percent. Since the FBI only takes into Brindze both said they feel proaccount hate crimes that were tected when they are at school. Nuñez said she feels that the reported to the police in its statistics, some say its estimates are culture of hate in the nation at low. For example, the Anti Defa- large normalizes insensitive and mation League estimated that an- racially charged sentiments, that, ti-Semitic hate crimes have risen at times, make their way onto by 57 percent, as opposed to the campus. “If you just look at our school FBI’s 37 percent. “It doesn’t surprise me,” So- in the past couple of years, while phia Nuñez ’20 said. “With the we are a pretty progressive camcurrent political climate, there pus, we definitely work very hard is a lot of fear mongering and a to make sure that this is an incluton of really strong language be- sive place, but we also have stuff ing used on both sides. It’s defi- like what happened on the Twitch nitely used to create a narrative stream last year, where someone and to stir emotions within peo- was screaming the f-slur and the ple, and they are not necessarily n-word a bunch of times,” Nuñez good emotions. They can be very said. “Someone [at Harvard-Westviolent and hateful, which is why lake] obviously has those sentithere is a rise in hate crime. And ments and was trying to rile up when that language is normal- others.” When she was in history class, ized it makes sense that people Nuñez remembered feeling upset would act on it.” In correlation with nationwide but not surprised when a classwhite s

mate of hers said that “all Mexi- lems head on, it will become more cans are rapists.” comfortable to talk about these In addition, Levy said she re- issues,” Bythewood said. membered encountering what As it is a priority for the school she referred to as “casual forms to create an environment where of anti-Semitism” while she was students feel comfortable despite in high school — comments that nationwide trends, it is working never made her feel like she was towards educating teachers in in danger but made her feel un- how to have the types of convercomfortable. sations that Bythewood values “Usually, I’ve encountered inside and outside of the classmore verbal stereotyping,” Levy room, as well as training students said. to use culturally responsive lanAs a leader of the Black Lead- guage, President Rick Commons ership Awareness and Culture said. Commons credits that work Club, Bythewood has facilitated to the Diversity, Equity and Incluconversations about both ste- sion office. reotyping and hate crimes with “We need to get a better unhis peers. The club is comprised derstanding of how to commuof students across the political nicate strong ideas in ways that spectrum who all have different are appropriate and never include ideas about why the incidents oc- hateful speech,” Commons said. cur and how they should be com- “Specifically the creation a year bated, but the one thing every- and a half ago of the DEI office one in the club can agree upon, has allowed for really good conBythewood said, versation around is that all hate how we can be a crimes are unacplace where there is If we face these ceptable. robust debate about problems head on, Having a space things that are to process the deeply emotional in it will become more events in BLACC many cases without comfortable to talk is important to crossing the line Bythewood, but into saying things about these issues.” he said those that are irresponsi—Cassius Blythewood ’19 ble in the way they same conversations take a difaffect somebody’s ferent tone when identity. There’s a they include the lot of work being broader school community. done.” “We all feel like we need to have Head of Upper School Laura a guard up even when talking to Ross said that there are two imother students at Harvard-West- portant factors to fostering such lake about it because I feel like an environment: teaching history a lot of times when we have con- fairly and promoting an underversations with other non-club standing for the value of commumembers, it can get a little heated nity. because of our strong opinions on “I think part of it is makhow we feel as black people being sure that that’s part of our ing affected by this, feeling like it curriculum: how the choices you could be me or one of by family make affect those around you,” members or friends affected by Ross said. “I think in our more this next,” Bythewood said. “I’ve polarized country, people are just come to understand that not ev- in echo chambers of whatever eryone can sympathize direct- they believe and that allows you ly with me because they’re not to ‘other’ people. This can go so going through what I am going far as to rekindle actual hatred.” through.” In the wake of this up-tick in Although they may be uncom- hate crimes, Levy, Nuñez and fortable, Bythewood said it is Brindze all said that it is imimportant to include the whole portant for communities to come community in the conversations together in support of those who to ensure that people of diverse feel unsafe. backgrounds at Harvard-West“If you hear something or see lake can feel that school is a safe something, you have a space, as he does, in spite of the moral obligation to hate that is prominent in the criticize that and country. stand up against “If we face these prob- it,” Levy said.

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Number of recent hate crimes in each state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH HEALY AND ASTOR WU

Dec. 12, 2018

hwchronicle.com/features

The Aftermath By Anusha Mathur and Madison Huggins

mouth so you do not inhale smoke,” Nuñez said. “Everything matters so much more than you think it does in With the wood and cement rub- a time of peril, so it was a lot to have ble that used to be her home crunch- to process all of that all at once.” ing beneath her, Maayan Milchan Nuñez said that she felt lucky the ’21 sifted through shards of shat- fires did not reach her house. Her tered pottery and other memorabil- neighbors’ houses two blocks down ia, attempting to piece together the and the park she played at as a child charred remnants of her childhood were leveled. home. “It was a very close, very scary “The first time going back there, a time, but I am very fortunate to still part of it [was] surreal,” Milchan said. have my house and that our commu“The things that I wish we could get nity is working hard to rebuild what [back] the most are the weird things has been lost,” Nuñez said. that would not seem meaningful in a For Milchan, the overwhelming monetary or material way, but they support from family, friends, and are just tied to the emotions and school has made the massive loss of memories of childhood, like weird lit- her home easier to cope with. tle drawings.” Though the Thomas, Skirball and Milchan’s house was just one Woolsey fires hit close to home for of the over 670 structures, includ- many members of the Harvard-Westing more than 400 single-family lake community, the reliance of homes, inside the Malibu city limits California’s Chaparral environment that were destroyed by the Woolsey on wildfires to spur growth is not a fire, according to NBC Los Angeles, new phenomenon, regional ecolowhose estimates are gist and researcher based on aerial imat the UC Davis Deagery and property partment of EnvironEverything records. mental Science and matters so much more The fire started Policy Hugh Safford than you think it does in said. However, cliNov. 9 in Simi Valley as a result of low mate change has ina time of peril so it was humidity and gusty a lot to have to, process creased the need for winds, and it rapidly focus on the effects all of that all at once.” swept through Los of these natural di— Sophia Nuñez ’20 sasters. Angeles and Ventura County, devastat“The warming ing 96,946 acres of climate is complicatland, according to data from Califor- ing things by increasing the length nia Department for Forestry and Fire of the fire season, drying fuels more Protection. This fire comes almost a and making for hot weather that is year after the Dec. 2017 Thomas and auspicious for hot fires,” Safford Skirball Fires that destroyed 273,400 said. “People who did not border acres of land and 422 acres of land the wildlands and thought they had respectively, according to NBC News. nothing to fear are realizing they are Upon hearing the news of the vulnerable,” Safford said. fire’s outbreak and its threatening Professor of Global Environmenproximity to their area, Milchan’s tal Health, School of Public Health at family was unable to return to their UC Berkeley Kirk Smith said that alhome one last time to gather any irre- though individuals can take precauplaceable belongings. It was through tions to prepare for fires, addressing aerial footage that she first found out the underlying issues behind the her home had been destroyed. magnitude of destruction that has “It started to become more and recently been reached is difficult and more clear [when] we saw overhead expensive. camera footage of our neighborhood, “The scale, time of year and the and we were able to zoom in and see link to climate change seem to be that our house was not there,” Mil- moving us to a new normal,” Smith chan said. “It was kind of difficult be- said. “But the issues of population cause you think you are gonna feel density, zoning, insurance and clione way, but it has not fully set in mate are not easily handled. It could yet. It is just still a bit of a fog.” be said that a basic issue is lack of When she arrived home from political courage to impose zoning school, Sophia Nuñez ’20 found her- and insurance restrictions so that self ushered into her Agoura Hills wildfires can be allowed to burn.” neighborhood by dense clouds of Students who were relocated said smoke. Nuñez was one of many dis- they found support in the school placed by the Woolsey Fires, as over community. Coco Kaleel ’20 offered 75,000 residents were evacuated ac- her top bunk to Nuñez, who would cording to the Los Angeles County not have easily been able to travresidents reported by California De- el to school from where her family partment of Forestry and Fire Protec- had temporarily relocated to escape tion, the blaze. Kaleel said that she feels “It was hard to breathe, and you that the reality of fires have become are holding your jacket over your normalized in California’s culture be-

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Features B7

The school community reacts to the destruction of the Woolsey wildfire and the environmental factors that contributed.

cause of how often they occur. event and that is somewhat defeat“It is crazy that when someone ist,” Valachovic said. “Similar to how texts on a group chat, ‘Guys I’m get- we manage earthquakes and hurriting evacuated,’ people ask ‘What’s canes, we [can] adapt to them. We the containment percent?’ ‘Mandato- have to figure out how to become a ry [evacuation] or Voluntary [evacu- much more resilient California, both ation]?’,” Kaleel said. “It is scary that in our ecosystems and our human we have the slang to describe life communities.” threatening situations because they Jack French ’20 was asleep at are normal.” home when police deputies drove Central and Southern Califor- around his neighborhood announcnia Region Lead Research Ecologist ing an immediate evacuation. French John Keeley said the increase in the was only able to prioritize his family’s magnitude of damage can be directly safety once he and a neighbor made correlated to rapid population growth sure that the elderly on his street and construction of communities in were placed out of reach from the areas susceptible to burning. threat of embers. This drastic increase in the obFor French, it was the burning servable impact of wildfires has of two houses, a park and a hill in pushed both fear and awareness of his neighborhood that completethem to the forefront of Californians’ ly burned to encourage his family conscience. to purchase industrial strength gas “We have just put more and more masks for future defense against the people into Southern California, and smoke. Unlike the intentions of many now more people are put at risk,” residents to take precautions that go Keeley said. “Since these fires are unfulfilled, French feels his family’s almost all started by people immediate response was either directly or through indriven by how directly affrastructure, such as power fected he was by the fires. lines, more people on the “If you are more aflandscape means more opfected by the fire you are portunity for fires to start more likely to take action,” under severe wind events.” French said. “We got the Keeley said that there masks because of the efis an observable urgency fect of the smoke on our ’ among Californians that family, which is worse for Maayan has pushed them towards me and my grandparents Milchan ’21 taking preventative action [who have lung damage]. regarding many natural diIt caused a lot of very bad, sasters, such as earthquakes and dry coughs.” flooding. However, despite a heightPresident Rick Commons said ened awareness in recent years, that the school has constantly been there is less of a movement towards taking measures to make the school preparing against the equally inevita- as safe as possible and provide the ble destruction of fires. most supportive environment for Amy Kronenberg ’20 housed community members affected by this her grandmother, aunt and cousins and last year’s fires. who had been evacuated from their “We have emergency response homes in Calabasas for four nights. systems that are being refined every Although the fire affected her more time we encounter something with personally this year, she said her regard to communication with parfamily has not actually taken precau- ents and families,” Commons said. tions to prepare for future disasters. “We are lucky that it has not touched “Every time a fire happens, my the school campuses, but it has cermom always talks about how we tainly touched the school communihave to get more water and canned ty.” food, but we do not actually do it,” Nuñez said that although educaKronenberg said. “The news always tion and precautions can help people has segments on what to do to pre- be ready for the inevitability of fires pare for disasters. I think that re- in our environment, nothing can preminds my mom, but when every- pare them for the emotional affects of thing is over, everyone forgets that such monumental loss. the natural disasters happened.” While the drastic increase in the County Director and Forest Ad- magnitude and frequency of devvisor for the University of California, astating wildfires has heightened a Yana Valachovic, said that while in- sense of awareness in our commudividuals cannot control the effect nity, there has been a simultaneous climate change has on the intensity tendency to surrender to their ineviof fires, actions can still be taken to tability, Valachovic said. protect lives and homes against fires. However, the constant commuShe said that small things such as nal support and encouragement of cleaning and maintaining one’s roof- individuals to address the underlying tops and air vents can be very help- issues with precautionary actions ful. should equip Californians with the “The media has really portrayed ability to coexist with such a necesthis as an entirely climate driven sary natural phenomenon. white s

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MAAYAN MILCHAN ’21

B8 Features

The Chronicle

Dec. 12, 2018

As four students continue to go through the college application process, they must wait for the release of early decision results before making their next move. By Kaelyn Bowers and Alison Oh The Sporty Scientist: Mary*

is not as motivated as she was at the beginning of the year. “I’m not motivated to do any work, but I have too much anxiety not to do it,” Mary said. “I just end up staying up really late and not doing the best that I can do. It’s not that the work is so hard that it’s impossible, it’s that it’s hard to get motivated.”

Mary ’19 submitted an early decision application to a topranked Ivy League school as an environmental science major. She will receive her application decision in mid-December. For Mary, that date couldn’t come The Artistic Activist: Ashley* soon enough. “I kind of just want Dec. 15 to So far, Ashley ’19 has applied happen so that I know, [whether to five schools. After submitting it’s] reject or accept,” Mary said. an early decision application to “I hate the uncertainty. I’m hope- Barnard College, Ashley also ful but not expecting [to get in].” submitted applications to the Although her friends have University of California Los Anbeen supportive throughout the geles, UC Berkeley, UC Santa application process, Mary said Barbara and the University of that their high expectations are Southern California. sometimes burdensome. “I would not recommend do“It’s so suping things last-minute,” Ashley portive that said. “You get overwhelmed it’s detriwith school mental,” work. You Mary said. have to do I would not “People a bunch of recommend are like, college apdoing this last‘Of course plications, minute. You get you’re gobut then you ing to get in! also have a overwhelmed You’re going to get in physics test, with schoolwork.” so easily.’ But if I don’t a chemistry get in, it’ll be worse.” test and AP —Ashley* ’19 In addition to her earHuman Geo ly decision school, Mary on one day.” applied to the University of Despite the Chicago through the early action stress of the process, Ashley has program. remained committed to her ex“I have a feeling that if I get tracurricular involvements. rejected, I’m going to be less mo“If it’s things that I really want tivated,” Mary said. “I made out- to make a difference with, to set lines for all of my schools. I also a precedent for next year and applied to four [of the University kids who will be coming to Harof California schools], and it to- vard-Westlake next year, I want tals to about 17 schools.” to do well,” Ashley said. Now that her varsity sport’s In line with her interests and season has ended, Mary has extracurricular involvements, more time to focus on academ- Ashley applied as a political sciics. However, she said that she ence and sociology major.

“These are things that I am very fired-up to learn about and things that I’ve really been learning about my whole life,” Ashley said. “I want to make a difference in a world, and this is going to help me do that.” Ashley said time management has been the most difficult part of the process, especially due to her perfectionist tendencies. She has not yet started writing supplemental essays for regular decision colleges because of this. “I rely on myself to do things exactly the way I think they should be done,” Ashley said. “The smart thing to do would be to just get it done, even if it’s trash, and just go over it again. Then, you can review and edit them again. But, I want to do it right the first time.” Charismatic Captain: Cody* Although many of his peers are still waiting anxiously on the results from their early application schools, Cody ’19 said he feels pretty relaxed. “At least at this point for me, a lot of my friends are more stressed out than I am,” Cody said. “I did my research, I got a thumbs-up from different people. I have my reach school, and I have my settle-in school already. It’s really nice. I’m kind of relaxed now. It’s out of my hands now, whatever happens.” Cody ultimately decided to apply to colleges through the recruitment process. After applying early action to the University of Puget Sound, he said he got a “thumbs-up” from the school coach. Last week, he visited Grinnell College on a recruiting trip. Cody said he has finalized an agreement with one school in particular, although he is not yet

officially committed. Cody said most of the stress of the college process has stemmed from the logistics of the application process itself. “I don’t like putting a lot of stress on myself for things that I can’t really control, but there has been stress with all the things that I could control,” Cody said. “Recently, I got an email, like, ‘Hey, you’re missing stuff in your financial aid.’ It was due on the 30th, and this was the 27th.” Cody said that he has appreciated the help his friends have given throughout the process. “They’ve been very helpful in reading over my essays, giving me pointers,” Cody said. “Even their families have been helping me out. It’s been really nice. We’re like our own support group.” The Musical Mitchell*

Mastermind:

Sitting anxiously through his improv meeting, Mitchell couldn’t stop thinking about how decisions for his restrictive early action school, Stanford University, came out. At 5:45 p.m., he opened the email. “[I prepared] myself very hard for rejection,” Mitchell said. “I couldn’t see myself getting into any school at the beginning of the week. I [had] told myself, ‘If I [didn’t] get into Stanford it [would have] red light, but it [would] eventually turn green.” To his and his family’s surprise he found out he was accepted. As a result, Mitchell has decided to not write more essays. Despite this, he is waiting to hear from USC Thornton School of Music for a potential music scholarship.

ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER KLINK

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle•Dec. 12, 2018

Practice & Perform Students involved in the arts explain the effect of social facilitation, the psychological theory that a performance can be affected by the presence of an audience. By ANNIE BECKMAN In her backyard, with headphones in, Caroline Cook ’19 choreographed a piece with the intention of someday sharing it. Months later, standing alone in a corner of the studio, she prepared for the overwhelming experience of sharing what was meant to be shared. With hundreds of eyes upon her on the momentous day, she allowed the music to overtake her body. In the Harry Potter-themed 2018 Dance Concert, Cook choreographed and performed a solo as Harry in the Mirror of Erised moment, in which Harry longs for his parents. Also a committed participant in the theater program and Playwrights festival, Cook said she feels that as a performer, she is more connected to her character when an audience is present. “In front of an audience, my movements and my facial expressions tend to be a lot bigger than when it’s just in rehearsals or when I’m practicing by myself because I know that I need to do more to be able to communicate what I’m trying to communicate,” Cook said. “My energy is catalyzed by just the sheer fact that there are people watching.” Social Psychology teacher Seth Wagerman said social facilitation, commonly known as the audience effect, is the phenomenon that a performer executing a simple or well-practiced task will excel in the presence

of an audience. However, if performing a complex task, while feeling insecure, their execution will be impaired. For example, a professional musician might feed off of the audience’s energy, whereas a middle school piano student might forget their piece as soon as they step on stage. “This really showcases the importance of preparation,” Wagerman said. “If you go into a big exam or a big performance feeling really practiced and conﬁdent, you’re going to do fantastic with the people around, way better than all your practice sessions alone. But if you try to wing it and feel underprepared, the social facilitation effect might actually make things worse in front of the audience. That pressure either really galvanizes you or rattles you, depending on the task you’re performing.” For choir, jazz and a capella singer Alec Davila ’20, a big part of performing is taking into account what he senses from the audience. In other words, he makes in-the-moment decisions to tailor his performance to his audience. However, regardless of the audience, Davila said he thinks his performance is always better in the presence of people because it is easier to engage and go full out. “When I was in fourth grade, I was singing ‘Grenade’ by Bruno Mars in my elementary school talent show, and mid-way through the song, one of my strings broke on my

guitar,” Davila said. “I just kind of put the guitar down and everyone started cheering. It made the whole performance so much easier when I knew they were still enjoying it. I deﬁnitely was living off of that energy for a while after that.” Some might expect that a poor performance could be a result of nerves rather than being unrehearsed. However, in Davila’s opinion, if he doesn’t feel nervous, the performance doesn’t matter to him. His nerves make the performance feel more important, pushing him to work harder, he said. Similarly, Cook said she gets most nervous the moment before she steps on stage. The minute she starts performing, however, it goes away because she completely assumes the character she plays. In contrast, when she’s alone, there are no nerves. “Nobody is watching; there’s no judgement being put on me; I can mess up as much as I want to, and no one will ever know,” Cook said. “Once you’re in front of an audience, of course there are nerves right before because you want it to be the thing that you constitute as perfect in your head. You want that to be what appears on stage.” Social facilitation explains that in order to beat stage fright, one should be as well-practiced in the task as possible. “As the scouts have always said, be prepared!” Wagerman said in an email.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

THE CHRONICLE

C2 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

As the holidays approach and festive music begins playing, students of different religions comment on the popularity of Christmas music and how music interacts with their own religion. By SARAH REIFF As Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” began playing on her car radio, Izzy Yanover ’19, creator and co-leader of the Jewish club, felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. It was the time of the year she said she can never escape: Christmas music. “Almost every radio station plays Christmas music,” Yanover said. “Beverly Hills starts blasting it on the streets, and it’s the same here even at our own school. During the [Winterfest cookie decorating], all they were playing was Christmas music. While I think Christmas music is fun, there is still a lack of representation of music from other holidays. During this ‘Festive Week,’ [Harvard-Westlake] has had practically no representation of Hanukkah, not only with the music they’ve been playing, but also in the decorations they’ve put up.” As Dec. 25 approaches, Christmas music is being played more frequently. According to statistics from 2017’s Spotify streams, Christmas music went from 1 percent of streams in early November to 22 percent of all streams on Christmas day. Regardless of the discrepancies between the amount of Christmas music and other religious music played, music as a means of celebration is something that is shared across a multitude of religions. According to the Library of Congress, music is used not only in Christianity and Judaism but also in Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. Tara Reddy ’20, who practices Hinduism, said that for her family, music is an essential part of their religion, regardless of the time of year. “A signiﬁcant portion of our religious ceremonies, which are known as Puja, include music,” Reddy said. “Music is an integral part of our religion because it is through music that we pray. I wouldn’t say though that I feel excluded by Christmas music or wish Hindu music was more mainstream, since I do really enjoy holiday music. I think there’s a difference between the two because our music is not radio music but are for prayers.” Mark Kligman, University of California Los Angeles’s chair of the Department of Ethnomusi-

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN AND SAM KO

cology and specialist in Jewish music, said that music has always played an important role in Jewish culture. “Music plays a role in Hanukkah, as it does in other aspects of Jewish life, where there is a signiﬁcant functional role for music,” Kligman said. “The key rituals for the holiday include blessings that have melodies uniquely associated to them. Melodies have been written in the last 50 plus years to facilitate celebratory home and group experiences.” Similar to most aspects of culture, the role Hanukkah and its music has played has evolved over time, Kligman said. “One of the oldest melodies sung today in the Jewish tradition is Maoz Tzur, which is older than 200 years old,” Kligman said. “Now, Hanukkah serves as a gathering of family and friends and the music is celebratory. Hanukkah has adapted in American culture with a parallel to Christmas in that it serves as a family gathering and a gift-giving holiday. Nowadays, many holiday concerts include a Hanukkah song.” However, Yanover said that she doesn’t see an increase in modern-day, mainstream Hanukkah music. “It is very hard as a Jewish person to ﬁnd music over the holidays,” Yanover said. “The Hanukkah songs that exist are either joke songs or are for little kids, which makes it so I don’t really feel tied to it. The role music plays is more linked to the aspect of listening to or singing it with my family, not the actual songs.” Adviser of the Christian Club and upper school math teacher Michael Mori said that he sees Christmas music as divided into two different categories. “There’s the secular, just about good feelings, family and holidays music, which is very nice,” Mori said. “And then, I think the religious aspect of it is probably twofold. One, it tries to tell the story, and [secondly] it tries to teach lessons in the lyrics. People have their beliefs, and it is nice to be able to hear in song and sing, kind of like the freedom of speech that this country is perhaps based on, your own beliefs.” Students said holiday songs could also resonate with people who either do not relate to the religion the song was made for or to any religion

at all. For example, while Lola Craig ’20, who identifies as an Atheist, said that she does not resonate with the religious content in holiday songs, she is not deterred from listening to or enjoying them. “Despite the fact that Christmas music includes religious beliefs that I don’t believe in, I still really enjoy and love it,” Craig said. “The memories it brings me of being with family during Winter break brings on a sense of joy that cannot be mirrored at other times of the year. Music during the holidays is incredibly uplifting and brings on a particular feeling of love and cheer that is hard to be replicated elsewhere.” Furthermore, Craig said that being able to separate herself from the religious meaning of a song allows her to enjoy the song more. “I just don’t worry about what the religious connotations of the songs are,” Craig said. “Focusing solely on the melody of a song and how it makes me feel has enabled me to appreciate and just enjoy the music instead of getting caught up in the literal meanings of these songs or the stories they are trying to tell.” On the other hand, Mori said that he believes it is important to find a balance between the purely fun and secular holiday music and the music that holds a deeper religious meaning. “There is the traditional ‘White Christmas,’ type song which is just fun, and then there are the songs about the nativity and that time in, what I call, history, that gives the songs’ meaning,” Mori said. “I think you need both. Sometimes I think we take life too seriously, but on the other hand, life is life and death, and people have to find meaning somewhere, no matter which side of the religious spectrum you’re from.” Regardless of what religion people believe in, Craig said holiday music is a great way to lift spirits. “I strongly believe that everyone should have their own beliefs, and so I have no problem listening to music that expresses ones that contradict my own,” Craig said. “Regardless of what religion anyone believes in, I think that holiday music and, of course, the holidays in general, provides an opportunity for people to come together and feel that holiday cheer.”

DEC. 1

12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/AE

A&E C3 Students discuss the lack of diversity in main stream representations of Santa Claus, and how the predominantly white Santas have influenced their Christmas time experience.

By JORDAN MURRAY When Angie Vasquez ’19 was a child, she became used to Santa Claus, the holiday figure she loved, as only being white. However, she said her perception of the jolly man in the red suit changed as she got older when she realized that Christmas focused only on white culture leading her to feel as though her own traditions were being ignored. “The food you see in commercials and ads is typical ‘white food’ with the turkey and mashed potatoes, while I grew up with tamales and pupusas,” Vasquez said. “Seeing Santa as white in [television] and movies felt and still feels like a constant reminder that I don’t belong in this country, or that my people and I don’t fit into the norm.” According to National Geographic, the picture of modern day Santa was first created in the 19th century by Thomas Nast, who only ever drew Santa as a white man. “It’s a tradition for children, no matter their race, to go take their picture with Santa, and from a young age they are teaching children essentially that it’s not okay to be anything other than white,” Vasquez said. “It’s very subtle, but it’s there. I constantly felt out of place with my friends because my traditions seemed weird. I internalized much of the discrimination and felt like I needed to hide my traditions because it didn’t fit into the norm of what I saw around me.” Vasquez also said that she believes diversity during the holidays is really important for young children. “I think representation around Christmas time is extra important because it is such a big thing for children, and if they don’t see the diversity now when inclusion and love are being advertised so heavily, when are they going to see

it?” Vasquez said. While most cities in the United States have continued to depict Santa Claus’ race as white, some malls are branching out by presenting Santa as other races. In 2016, Larry Jefferson became the first Black Santa at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, the biggest mall in America, according to NBC News. According to the New York Times, diversity in the race of Santa Claus is also becoming more present in merchandise. They reported that Baron Davis, a former N.B.A. player, has a website called blacksanta.com where he sells merchandise such as clothing and wrapping paper that show depictions of black Santa. Other Christmas figures have also opened up to more diverse characters, one of them being the Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. Actress, dancer and choreographer, Debbie Allen, has taken the original production and recreated it, adding aspects of comedy and making the majority of the cast black. The ballet is currently on its eighth production. Allen has also changed the name of the play to showcase its diversity by calling it “The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.” Students like Skylar Graham ’20 said they celebrate an increase in diversity of holiday figures but also don’t want the concerns about diversity to overshadow the holiday. “I think now, because the conversation of race and ethnicity is a bigger conversation at younger ages, I don’t think that it would be bad to expose kids to a black Santa or the Sandman as Asian, but we don’t really have the concept of what that would be,” Graham said. “I also think that it’s still important to focus on the spirit of Christmas that that person brings or like the connotation of Santa more than he has to look like.” Sophia Nuñez ’20 said she thinks all young

kids would benefit from diversity in portrayals of Santa Claus. “I live in a white neighborhood, to me, it didn’t seem out of place, but looking back on it, I definitely held myself to ‘white’ standards, which were enforced by everything around me being white, like [portrayals of Santa Claus],” Nuñez said. “I don’t think diversity could possibly hurt anyone in this situation, and in most situations. Children need to see themselves in the media.” A lack of racially diverse representations of Santa is not exclusive to the United States, Middle School Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Damaris Saenz said. “Culturally there are some versions of [Santa Claus] in Latin America, but a lot of the Latin American countries that actually feature Santa Claus [are] definitely European-based, and then if you look at Central America it’s less Santa Claus, as it is the Three Wise Men who show up in January for kids,” Saenz said. Saenz also highlighted the fact that some communities are not even exposed to Santa Claus at all. “As it pertains to the Latinx community here in the United States, it’s definitely going to depend on a socio-economic factor whether there [is a gift-giving figure] or what type of gift giving figure comes your way,” Saenz said. “Growing up here, socioeconomically challenged, we didn’t have Santa at all. It’s more than if there is an ethnically diverse Santa Clause, the question is there any kind of Santa Claus.” Josue Martin ’20 said he thinks it’s important for there to be more diversity in portrayals of Santa Claus. “I think kids should be seeing more diversity, so that they can see people like themselves who are contributing to life and can be important people,” Martin said.

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN AND SAM KO

C4 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Magnificient Music

THE CHRONICLE

DEC. 12, 2018

Members of the Upper School Orchestra and Choir came together to perform in a joint, two-day concert. The concert showcased pieces by composers, such as Dvorak and Bach, and ended each night with a performance of Magnificat.

By LOLA BUTAN Upper school students in orchestra and choir performed in The Fall Instrumental and Choral concert, their first joint concert of the year. Students ranging from 10th to 12th grade were featured in the concert at Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Preparation for the concert started at the beginning of the school year in August. Performing arts teacher Mark Hilt said the process of preparing for a concert is about mastering musical techniques and practicing the music often. “I see the whole piece and hear it in my head and then see on the page what might present difficulties,” Hilt said. “Then, we just take it apart and put it back together. We do a lot of repetition and break out into small groups.” Additionally, the string section had a specific coach that came to help them perfect and master the music, Hilt said. “[The coach] will work with them on individual passages that might be tricky or just technical stuff, and then we’ll put it back together and keep stopping and starting and refining and honing,” Hilt said. “It’s sort of like writing a paper. You don’t just sort of sit down and write the paper; you have a vision of where you want the paper to be and you start filling in the bits and pieces.” Both choir and orchestra

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM BEN BECKMAN

TREBLE MAKERS: Madeline Kim ’19, Chronicle Arts and Entertainment editor Alexandra So, Clara Ross ’19, Ben Beckman ’19 and Trevor Le ’19 gather after playing John Rutter’s Magniﬁcat. Other groups, such as Camerata Strings and Wind Ensemble performed pieces too.

performed, which is different from past concerts. In the past, the choir has been featured in orchestra concerts, but this was the ﬁrst of its nature. Choral director Zanaida Robles and Hilt chose the combined concert because they wanted to have pieces that included both the choir and the orchestra, they said. “We wanted to do combined work with the orchestra and the chorus, and this presented itself as a sort of discrete manageable thing to do,” Hilt said. Friday’s concert included Instrumental Ensembles

and closed with the choruses and symphonies performing a piece together. While Saturday’s concert was in the same venue, it featured choral ensembles in the ﬁrst half and closed with the same ending piece, a 40 minute “Magniﬁcat” by John Rutter. Upper School student, Ben Beckman ’19 and middle school accompanist Christopher Wong each composed pieces that the Chamber Singers performed during the concert. Hilt said the concert in-

2019 Young Arts Winners Cleo Maloney ’21 Visual arts Finalist

Alexandra Sassa ’19 Visual Arts Merit

Leyah Barris ’19 Play/Script Merit

Caitlin Chung ’20 Photography Honorable Mention

Lucca Dohr ’20 Photography Honorable Mention

Mimi Offor ’21 Photography Merit

Andrew Gong ’21 Piano Merit

Charles Kogen ’19 Voice Finalist

Charles Meenaghan ’19 Composition Honorable Mention

Esther Ollivier ’19 Composition Honorable Mention

Leyah Barris ’19 Cinematic Arts Honorable Mention

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

cluded ﬁve pieces from wind ensemble and one joint piece with Camerata Strings. Camerata Strings and Symphony each played two pieces. “It’s a nice wide variety of a little bit of everything,” Hilt said. “We [played] Bernstein, Dvorak, Chabrier and some Bach in there.” Symphony member, Jasmine Li ’21 said she believed everyone involved did a really good job. “We played really well during the concert,” Li says. “Everything that we struggled with before musically seemed

to come together when we played our pieces. It was overall a really fun experience and I really enjoyed playing.” Hilt said that students accomplishing something that they have been working hard on is both a satisfying and beautiful feeling. “I’m always excited to see the joy and the satisfaction that the students feel when they’ve completed a good thing like this,” Hilt said. “That sense of when you really accomplish something and it’s not just satisfying but it is beautiful as well makes me happy.”

Filmmakers in a Gray Area By EMMA SHAPIRO Jack Safir ’19 and Kat Swander ’19 won the Teen Press HERO Award for their short documentary entitled “Gray Areas” after their visit to Tijuana, Mexico and the United States border with Mexico. “Gray Areas” marks the second consecutive HERO finalist award that has been received by students. The festival, in which winners of the award are announced, takes place mid-November of every year. Safir and Swander’s film tells the stories of people who had controversial experiences at the border and their issues with the governmental policies and immigration. “It’s incredible to see the dialogue surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border that has been sparked by the film since we first screened it a few months ago,” Safir said. My HERO is an international contest where filmmakers of all backgrounds can submit projects that inspire and relate to current global issues. The Teen Press Award recognizes students who have used journalistic short-films to introduce a current event in the world, according to the My HERO official website. The award is used to celebrate students covering controversial issues and awards the winners $500. “We are looking for teens who are getting outside with their camera and their micro-

phone and their passion and connection to tell stories in a way that only they can,” Teen Press Award Sponsor John Seigel Boettner said on the My HERO website. Safir said that he and Swander came up with the idea of “Gray Areas” after the recurring topic of the gray areas within the government and the immigration process kept being discussed n their interviews. They were inspired to title the film “Gray Areas” and expand upon the message that their interviewees told them. “Our hope is that this film will give a voice to those who have been silenced or unable to speak for so long,” Safir said. “I think the goal of any documentary should be to inspire conversation.” Both Safir and Swander said they wanted to share the stories to enact change on the issue of border control. “We wanted this film to ignite a continued conversation among our peers and the larger community about an issue that is plastered across headlines and is often misconstrued by the media,” Swander said. Swander said the film was submitted by video arts teacher Cheri Gaulke who took the aspiring high-school documentarians to Tijuana last year.

Sports The Chronicle • Dec. 12, 2018

Boys’ Basketball

ASTOR WU/CHRONICLE

THE TRUMAN SHOW: Forward Truman Gettings ’21 drives for a layup against a St. Francis defender in Taper Gymnasium Jan 19. The Wolverines, propelled by 29 points and 16 rebounds from 6-foot-10 forward Mason Hooks ’20, defeated the Golden Knights 69-64. The squad finished the season last year with an overall record of 22-6.

Basketball overcomes injuries to find early season success By Keila McCabe

Boys’ basketball has begun its season with strong tournament play despite injuries to key starters. The team set high goals of winning, and games have demonstrated the seasons’ potential and given young players an opportunity to get game experience, wing Holden McRae ’20 said. “Everyone is working hard and well,” program head David Rebibo said. “They all feel a sense of something special brewing. The general mindset has been to stay humble, stay focused and just keep working hard.” All players on the roster, including underclassmen, have needed to work hard to fill in for key players early in the season due to injuries. Rebibo said while it has required adjust-

ments, he feels that the team will find its way when players are healthy once again. “We have been dealing with some injuries, so it is very hard to gauge where we are at currently,” Rebibo said. “We are getting a lot of other guys some quality minutes which will help us in the long run. Once we are healthy, I think we will have a better idea of our true identity and what we could be down the road.” With several starters absent, the team saw mixed results in the Redondo tournament. Guard Johnny Juzang ’20 and forward Mason Hooks ’20 were both injured, forcing McRae and guard Cameron Thrower ’22 to step up. In its season opener, the Wolverines suffered a close loss, 72-71 to Lynwood. The squad’s final record for the tournament was 2-2. Although the results

have not been complicit with the players’ expectations, McRae said he thought the games have shown promise for the season. “We are all aware of our potential,” McRae said. “We’ve had a few key guys injured or recovering from injury, so our chemistry is gradually evolving. I think we still have some ways to go to get to where we want to be, but I also think we have the means to do so.” Prior to the season, the player had been training physically and mentally. “During the preseason, we prepared by going hard in every lift and practice,” guard Spencer Hubbard ’20 said. “The leaders of the team really took in the young guys and taught them how we do things on and off the court, which helped them mature and get used things quicker.”

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We try to come into every game and every practice with a certain level of intensity. Every day, we strive to get better, take greater accountabilty for ourselves and hold ourselves to a higher standard.” —Holden McRae ’20

Last season, the squad had a solid record of 22-6 but exited in the second of CIF playoffs, failing to meet its goals. Fueled by the loss, players said they are more focused on their goals more than ever this season. “We try to come into every game and every practice with a certain level of intensity,” McRae said. “[Rebibo] challenges us every day to expect more of ourselves and each other. Everyday, we strive to get better, take greater accountability for ourselves and for each other and hold ourselves to a greater standard.” Most of last year’s team still remains, and current seniors and juniors make up a large portion of the roster. Forward Truman Gettings ’21 said that juniors in

white’s

a have stepped up as leaders. “I would say that [Hooks] is our biggest leader on the team and does a good job of keeping us focused,” Gettings said. The team has set high goals for itself for the upcoming season, currently with a record of 4-2. Players and Rebibo have said they believe they can meet their expectations with hard work and focus. “Our goals are pretty simple: get healthy, get better and become a great team,” Rebibo said. “We feel like if we can continue to grow and do those things, goals like league, sectional and state championships will follow.” The squad’s first home game is against Beverly Hills High School on Dec. 21.

Girls’ Soccer

Team gains momentum

By William Seymour

The girls’ soccer team is off to a positive start after beating San Juan Hills High School 3-1 in the championship of the OC Winter Showcase on Dec. 1. As of press time, they have a record of 5-0-3. On the road to this championship, the squad beat Long Beach Millikan High School 2-0, El Dorado High School 2-0 and Tesoro High School 2-0. The three winning goals in the final were from midfielder Natalie Barnouw ’21, forward Annabelle Heisel ’19 and midfielder Whitney Elson ’19. Coach Richard Simms

said that he is proud of the team’s performance so far. “We are off to a very good start but need to focus on being consistent and matching every opponent’s physicality,” Simms said. According to an article by athletic director Jason Kelly, this is the second OC Winter Showcase title win for the Wolverines in the past four years. The team only lost two members from last year’s squad, Ariana Miles ’18 and Denise Shkurovich ’18, to graduation. The 2017-2018 squad finished with a record of 13-5-3, going 5-2-1 in league • Continued on D7

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

KERRY(ING) THE TEAM: Midfielder Kerry Neil ’19 passes to a teammate downfield in a 2-2 tie with South Hills High School. The team’s next game is Dec. 13 at Marymount High School.

D2 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

Game to watch

DEC. 12, 2018

Girls’ Basketball

JANUARY 2 Boys’ Soccer vs. Chaminade Ted Slavin Field The boys’ soccer team started the season 3-0 without giving up a single goal. They hope to stay undefeated on their home ﬁeld against league rival Chaminade High School. In their two meetings last year, Harvard-Westlake went 1-0-1, only winning by one goal. The team is currently the top team in Division 1 Southern Section Soccer. Despite their strong start, the squad still looks to improve with an emphasis on moving the ball with agility and speed.

KEY PLAYER Pablo Greenlee ’20 Junior defender Pablo Greenlee ’20 is having a breakout year with three goals and three assists. In their ﬁrst league game against Crespi, he led the team to their 2-0 victory. Greenlee said that playing three years on varsity has provided him with a lot of experience on defense and as a leader for the Wolverines.

& Figures Facts

National ranking of girls’ basketball player Kiki Iriafen ’21

The number of offers boys’ basketball’s Johnny Juzang ’20 has

The number of goals that the boys’ soccer team scored last season

29 Girls’ soccer team’s ranking in California

Junior Varsity Boys’ Basketball Next Game:

Dec. 14 @ St. Francis

Girls’ Soccer Next Game:

Dec. 14 @ Marymount

Boys’ Soccer Next Game:

Dec. 14 @ St. Francis

Girls’ Basketball Next Game: Dec. 21 @ Ventura

WILL MALLORY/CHRONICLE

KIKI DO YOU LOVE ME?: Forward Kiki Iriafen ’21 shoots a free throw in a game against Palisades Charter High School on Nov. 27 while guard Kimiko Katzaroff ’21 and forward Ella Price ’20 prepare to rebound. The Wolverines won the game 71-43.

Young talent propels last year’s CIF runner ups By WILL MALLORY

The Wolverines proceeded to beat Valencia High School The girls’ basketball team 57-34 on Nov. 20, to advance picked up right where it left to 2-0. Their undefeated off last season, continuing its streak did not last long, howsuccess with an overall re- ever, as they fell to current cord of 6-3 to start the 2018- CIF champions, Windward School, 73-43 on Nov. 21. 2019 season. “After our first loss, we The squad debuted with were initially upa 60-52 victory over set because our El Camino Real High goal was to win evSchool on Nov. 14. ery game possible,” Led by 6 feet 4 inches guard Ella Price ’20 forward Kiki Iriafen said. “But after a ’21, the Wolverines little time, we were overcame early turnable to move on and overs to escape a late focus on the games push from the Conahead.” quistadors and start ’ The team finthe season undeished with a seasonElla feated. high 71 points Nov. Price ’20 “It felt good to win 27 in a game against our first game,” guard Charter High Mirabella Wong ’20 said. “But Palisades it is important to stay humble School. Iriafen, who finished and keep working until we get the game with 31 points, said that the squad has started to to where we want to be.” WHITE S

develop a strong chemistry on the court. “We are becoming more comfortable with each other which is translating on the court more and more every day,” Iriafen said. “We make sure everyone touches the ball and has an opportunity to score.” This season, the Wolverines were tasked with replacing the roles left by recordsetting twins Jayda and Jayla Ruffus-Milner ’18. The duo, now playing at Pepperdine University, led the Wolverines to the CIF Regional State Semiﬁnals with each twin averaging nearly a double-double per game. Sophomores Kimiko Katzaroff ’21 and Krista Semaan ’21 have stepped up along with Iriafen to lead the squad to several of its early wins. Katzaroff said she is content

with the team’s efforts so far. “We’re all becoming more conﬁdent as a team and we’re beginning to work together really effectively,” Katzaroff ’21 said. Iriafen said she knows that there are still a lot of improvements to be made. “We need to improve on defensive box outs and free throws,” Iriafen said. “They can ultimately determine who wins or loses when it’s a close game.” The Wolverines will play in the West Coast Jamboree Tournament over winter break. They will then participate in the Desert Heat Classic before kicking off league play. “We have developed a good chemistry, and it has been helping us perform successfully together and get through tight games,” Wong said.

Girls’ Water Polo

Team looks for success after move to CIF Open Division By EUGENE WYMAN

The girls’ water polo team looks toward a strong inaugural season in Open Division coming off of a sucessful run last season. The team saw its hard work in the off-season pay off this year on Dec. 4, with an 18-5 win against Louisville High School. The Wolverines began the game by scoring six goals in the first quarter and shutting their opponent out. They proceeded to take a 14-1 lead into halftime, allowing themselves to coast towards victory. Taylor LaCour ’19 said she was pleased by her team’s first win but wants the team to remain focused for the upcoming season. “I think the first game went great,” LaCour said, “An 18-5 win is always a huge confidence booster, but we still need to keep our heads down and grind since it was only [one of] our first games.” This year, the team is moving up from Division III into the more competitive CIF Open Division.

“I hope that we are able to upset some really good teams,” LaCour said, “It’s going to be easy for us to become discouraged or nervous facing the top teams, but I hope the team can pull through and not let our nerves hold us back.” The team trains 11 months out of the year, and Abby Wiesenthal ’20 said she is looking forward to seeing the hard work pay off. “The off-season is one of the most important parts of making the team better because we condition super hard and get a lot faster,” Wiesenthal said. The team is almost identical to last season’s Division III runner-up squad. The roster only lost one player, Pria Pant ’18, who was an integral part of the Wolverine’s playoff run, Wiesenthal said. In addition, six new freshmen joined the team. The team saw its effort in the off-season lead to more success last year, Wiesenthal said. “What really beneﬁted us last year was that we trained

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

EGG BEATER: Taylor LaCour ’19 passes the ball in a game against Bishop Alemany High School on Feb. 7 last season.

harder than any other team, and it showed in the games. We were faster and had better stamina.” The team was undefeated in league play last year, and, prior to the playoffs, its only regular season losses came against Crescenta Valley High School and Arroyo Grande High School, both at the Arroyo Grande Tournament. The team reached the

championship game in the CIF Playoffs before falling to Long Beach Wilson High School by just one goal. The team will play Huntington Beach High School next Dec. 10, a team they have not played since at least 2009. “This year is going to be tough because we are playing the best teams in our area, but we are all so excited,” Lacour said.

Dec. 12, 2018

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D3

inbrief

Boys Soccer

Former student wins National award

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

STRIKING A POSE: Gabriel Palacios ’20 leans in for a strike Dec. 5 on Ted Slavin Field against Crespi Carmerlite High School. Harvard-Westlake won the game to advance to a record of 4-1-1 with star Pablo Greenlee ’20 scoring two goals in the game.

Returning players look to win league By Luke Casola Boys’ soccer is currently 4-1-1 as of press time and looks to bounce back from placing second overall in the Mission League last year. The team finished 9-9-2 overall, losing to Warren High School 1-0 in the first round of the CIF playoffs Feb. 16. “In past years, we’ve had the problem of playing to the level of our opponents, so this year it’s important we play our game and our style no matter who we’re playing,” goalkeeper Charlie Mendes ’19 said. The squad started this season strong, shutting out Agoura High School 5-0 in the first game of the season Nov. 27, Beverly Hills High School 5-0

Nov. 30 in the following game and Crespi Carmelite High School 2-0 Dec. 5. Midfielder Connor Quinn Colao ’21 scored two goals in the first half of the win against Agoura and midfielder Alec Katz ’19 finished with a hattrick, scoring three of the five goals for the Wolverines in the game against Beverly Hills. Defender Pablo Greenlee ’20 scored both goals in the second half in the win against Crespi. Midfielder Henry Sanderson ’20 said that he believes beating Agoura set the tone for the rest of the season. “It builds our confidence and gives us a boost into the regular season with electricity and power,” Sanderson said. “It creates a nice feeling for the

whole team.” This year’s squad consists of seven seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. Despite the loss of eight seniors from last season, the team is still very experienced, as 14 of the 20 players on the team are returning to play again this season. Many of the returning players including midfielder Finn Gatins ’20 and Greenlee said they believe this experience will help the team win more of the games that they weren’t able to win last year. Program head Kris Ward said that he thinks the team has the potential to win the Mission League and even a CIF Championship behind the senior leadership.

“Our seniors occupy crucial roles in each unit within our team,” Ward said. “Mendes and [Eli Yadidi ’19] are both exceptional [goalkeepers] and the backbone of our team. [Maclean Witmer ’19], [Alex Schindler ’19] and [Nick Barnouw ’19] are all rock solid defenders. [Asher Vogel ’19] and [Katz ] are able to control games in midfield as well as score goals, so our seniors are extremely important to our success both on and off the field.” On Friday and Saturday, Mendes said that the team was able to bond by staying the night in a hotel together for the Santa Barbara College Cup Showcase Tournament and going to the NCAA Final Four games.

Athletics shifts to mobile By William Seymour and Siobhan Harms

The Harvard-Westlake Athletics Department released a new HW Athletics App which will allow members of the community to track their favorite Wolverine players and teams. “What we’re finding is that in order to engage with our community, we have to understand trends,” Athletic Director Jason Kelly said. “People don’t go to websites anymore and some social medias are kind of passé. But what we do know is that everyone is carrying a cellphone. If we don’t have a mobile strategy, then the ways that we are communicating are not reaching everyone.” The app was developed in partnership with the digital platform REPu. Currently, the app only offers program pages for the 2018 fall and winter sports, with spring sports coming soon. Each program page has tabs for each of the teams in the program and their

Harvard-Westlake alumnus Sam Krutonog ’18 helped lead the University of Southern California Men’s Water Polo team past Stanford 14-12 to earn the school’s 10th National Championship on Dec. 3. Krutonog defeated fellow Wolverine Ben Hallock ’16, who had five goals, including four in the fourth quarter. After being a former firstteam All-CIF goalie for the Wolverines last year, the six-foot Krutonog played in twelve games as a freshman for the USC Trojans, while totaling seventy-one saves. -Charlie Wang

Centerfielder wins gold medal in Panama Pete Crow-Armstrong ’20 won the COPABE U-18 Pan American Championships on team USA Dec. 2 by a score of 17-2 over Panama. The team went undefeated throughout all their games in the tournament. The United States won their 5th straight championship at the tournament. Armstrong is one of the few 17 year olds on the U-18 National team. He had a batting average of .375 with 13 RBIs and an OBP of .571. Armstrong has committed to Vanderbilt and has been playing USA baseball since 2014. Armstrong is one of the top baseball players in Southern California, Jared Halpert said. -Eugean Choi

Alumna awarded All-American honors

In the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Wisconsin, Lila Cardillo ’18 finished as the fastest freshman at the competition. The former captain of the HarvardWestlake track and field team, also set a personal best time of 21:50:2 at the meet. Despite the cold weather, she finished 30th in the competition and was awarded All American honors. Cardillo ’18 became the first freshman in Pomona Pitzer history and the sixth Sagehen to earn AllAmerican honors. -Lucas Lee

Senior selected as player of the year PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF JASON KELLY

HW ATHLETICS NEW APP: Jason Kelly and The Harvard-Westlake Athletics Department present the brand new HW Athletics app. The app transforms how fans can follow their favorite teams. individual schedules, rosters, media, news and social media pages. Individual athletes also have profiles with statistics including height, weight and position. “We have an incredibly wide catalog of sports media, but it’s all over the place,” Kelly said. “With the development of the app, we are able to centralize all of our communications.” The app also connects users with livestreams, HWTV and Chronicle podcasts. Addi-

tionally, media contributed to the app, such as photos and news stories, can be tagged to the appropriate team and athlete profiles after Kelly grants the contributor permission. “One of the really cool things is the community can now engage in uploading photographs,” Kelly said. “Athletic directors, coaches, assistant coaches, parents and students can now contribute to the app with any kind of media.” The Athletic Department is

excited about the app’s potential and the community has also expressed its interest. As of press deadline there are already more than 800 users, Kelly said. “The feedback has been awesome from parents, coaches and administrators,” Kelly said. “Everybody who has been using the app has really loved it.” The app is currently available for download on the Apple App Store and on the Google Play app.

Ryan Neapole ’19 was named CIF Southern Section player of the year thanks to his defensive ability. He was able to lead the team to an 27-5 recond and their first CIF win since 2014 by acting as an equalizer for the other team’s best player. Neapole’s teammates Pierce Maloney ’19 and Ethan Shipman ’20 were also named to the all CIF southern section boys water polo team, led by their coach Brian Flacks who was named CIF Southern Section Coach of the Year. Neapole will be playing next season at Princeton along with teammate Maloney. -Lee Nichols

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D4 Sports

The Chronicle

Dec. 12

Leafing Fall Behind

2, 2018

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D5

As the fall season comes to a close, the Chronicle looks back at each teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest achievements. Fall brought CIF championships and some record-breaking successes.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KEILA MCCABE AND SPENCER KLINK

D6 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

DEC. 12, 2018

Wrestling

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

BILLY JOHN-CENA: Freshman Billy Johnson ’22 competes in the dual against Crespi High School on Dec. 5. The Wolverines lost 36-24 to the Celts at the dual. The results

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of the meet at Bishop Amat High School on Tuesday were unavailable due to press time, and the team will compete in the Esperanza Holiday Tournament beginning Dec. 15.

Injuries hinder team’s success By ZACK SCHWARTZ

The boys’ wrestling team remains optimistic about its young core despite dropping its first match 36-24 to Crespi Carmelite High School on Dec. 5. The squad looks to overcome challenges including injuries to key members of the squad such as Kanoa Young ’21, Captain Kevin Chen ’19 and Chronicle staff writer Lucas Lee ’21 in addition to losing two strong players from last years squad. Although an inexperi-

enced young group of freshman are leading the way for this year, Coach Patrick Cartmill said that he still feels good about the team’s future. “They’re working hard,” Cartmill said. “I’m just proud of them for coming in and really trying to figure out what it takes, and I think they’re figuring it out. So I’m pleased with the way they’re moving and I hope we’re having a big year by February.” Part of the struggle of having such a young team is that the transition from middle school to high school

wrestling can be difficult for some, Cartmill said. However, Paul Boardman ’21 said he feels that the young freshmen are beginning to improve. “The freshmen are doing well with the transition from middle school to high school wrestling and have great potential,” Boardman said, “They show skill, and their focus and determination are steadily increasing.” Chen, who recently suffered an injury, said that he is excited to get back on the map and get working with some of his teammates.

They’re working hard. I’m just proud of [the new players] for coming in and really trying to figure out what it takes. So I’m pleased with the way they’re moving.” — Patrick Cartmill Head Coach

“My personal aspirations are to get healthy as quickly as possible to get back on the mat,” Chen said. “I want to be able to set a good example as a hard worker for the young kids on the team.” Although the team lost Riley Ruiz ’20 and Justin Butler ’19, among others, from last year’s team, Cartmill said that he remains fo-

WHITE’S

cused on the team’s current young core. “At this point, we’re kind of into the youth movement we have,” Cartmill said. “Our expectations at this point are just to try and get some guys healthy and try to get the guys that are in the room right now as improved as they can [be] before the [League Championships].”

Fencing

Squad begins training for second foil of the season

By JAY LASSITER

The Wolverines’ fencing squad, one of the few sports competing year-round, looks to repeat last season’s success and become back-toback league champions. There are three different fencing divisions based on the weapon blade used. The most basic of the swords, épée, has a hand guard, and touches can be scored on any part of the body. Similar to the épée division, foil division touches are scored by contact from the tip of the blade. The foil blade has a ﬂat guard, and fencers wear a

lamé, a mesh shirt that cov- different weapons. Each of ers the player’s torso. The sa- the divisions has two teams, bre blade fencers also wear a totaling to six different fenclamé, but it covers the player’s ing teams. Kaleel noted an inentire upper body. crease in conditioning “Harvard-Westas a key factor in this lake fencing has season’s success. had some success “The team has in recent years, and been doing a lot more we want to build conditioning than last on that,” fencer year, focusing on imMatthew Lee ’19 proving endurance said. “We hope to and strength,” Kaleel bring home anothsaid. “This should ’ er championship help the team comCoco while strengthening pete more consistentKaleel ’20 our bonds between ly and place higher teammates.” per individual.” Although fencing is an inThe next tournament the dividual sport, the team fenc- team will compete in is the es in tournaments in three second foil meet of the seadifferent divisions and with son Jan. 13. WHITE S

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF COCO KALEEL ’20

ON-GUARD: Sabre Fencer Coco Kaleel ’20 ﬁnished in second place at the Scholastic Women’s Sabre tournament earlier in the season.

DEC. 12, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

SPORTS D7

Girls’ Soccer

Experience fuels team’s early success

•Continued from D1

play and being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CIF SS D1 playoffs with a 1-0 loss to Upland High School. “This team should be much stronger than last year’s,” Simms said. “Almost the entire team returned and have several new players that can make an impact. We also have 12 seniors, so it’s an experienced group.” The Wolverines’ game plan has had to shift to a more offensive team. “We are definitely trying to possess the ball more as we have a very strong passing team,” Simms said. Whitney Elson ’18 and Katherine Hollis ’18 have stepped up in the Wolverines’ offense, each scoring three goals, accounting for eight of the team’s sixteen total goals. “The seniors have made everyone on the team feel so incredibly welcome and supported,” forward Brooke Stanford ’21 said. “I admire them and their ability to prioritize soccer and make everyone feel important even though they are juggling a lot.” ADVERTISEMENT

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FLYNNER FLYNNER CHICKEN DINNER: Defender Flynn Klace ’19 heads the ball in the 2-2 tie against South Hills in the ﬁrst game of the Aliso Cup Tournament on Dec. 4. Both forward Katherine Hollis ’19 and midﬁelder Whitney Elson ’19 scored for the Wolverines.

The squad played San Juan Hills again in a consolation game of the Aliso Cup Tournament on Dec. 8. The Wolverines beat them once again by multiple goals, winning 4-1.

So far in the tournament, the team tied with South Hills High School 2-2, Hart High School 0-0 and Northwood High School 1-1. After the Aliso Cup, the team’s next game is against

Marymount High School on Dec. 13. Coach Simms said he is hopeful about the team’s chances this season. “Our goals are to go deeper in the playoffs, win back our Mission League title and

continue to support one another,” Simms said. “We want every player to be a great teammate, play hard, compete every day and have a great time doing it.”

D8 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

DEC. 12,, 2018

Wolverines Only: Field Hockey By Rachel Brown

y first experience with Harvard-Westlake field hockey was in third grade. Young and scared, my three best friends and I had recently started playing and were looking to perfect our skills during the summer, or at least hit the ball a few yards further. The days were filled with great games, super fun, cool older girls and some field hockey too. We were all very impressed with Harvard-Westlake, and I don’t think I could have even imagined coming here at the time. The girls were too mature and full of confidence. Even now, I look around and realize my third-grade self would never believe I attend Harvard-Westlake next to amazing debaters, robot builders and people overall. When the hours get too long and I get home from practice a little late, I think of how my third-grade self would be in awe of my school. As a freshman, the HarvardWestlake field hockey team was intimidating. I didn’t know anyone yet and soon would have to fly to Florida with them. Always following the advice of “don’t get in the car with strangers,” it was even more daunting that soon I would get in a plane with a bunch of people I didn’t know to stay far away from home. But, the moment I got there, the team embraced me as their own.

Guest Contributor

I suddenly gained 20-something upper school role-models in a day. Every day, I looked forward to the shuttle bus to the Upper School (which is hard to do) because it meant I would soon get to hang out with my awesome new heroes. While I was still intimidated by their incredible skill, I was able to recognize how their abilities brought greatness to our team. Whether they are incredible at drama, chemistry, fencing or even dressmaking, each person is able to bring a different outlook and allow the team to see a full picture. Freshman year was a great experience with 12 returning seniors on the team. Perhaps it was the move to the new campus or just that we were closer in age, but sophomore year I began to see myself as not only a team member but a friend to the seniors that had sometimes intimidated me the year before. This transition has carried over to my general view: one day, you will probably be in the position that you look up to and see leaders not as someone to be scared of but someone to learn from. Be a friend to everyone coming up, once you were there, and soon they will be at the upper campus too. But, just like at the end of that year, when I lost my 12 role models, your leader might have to go one day too. This, however,

doesn’t mean that you can stop learning from them or forget the lessons you learned while you were there. You can only become your best self by constantly learning, so gather as many people to learn from as possible. We ended my sophomore season undefeated, winning the League and Tournament of Champions games. Having finished such an amazing year, and then losing 12 senior players, who had guided us to victory, we thought we may be in for a rebuilding year this year. The summer was spent at lots of camps, and we had many students continue to join WC Riptide so we could work together offseason in a hope to maintain our excellence. As readers of the Chronicle Sports section may know, we did it! Harvard-Westlake field hockey has been integral to my high school experience. As a studentathlete, there is often pressure put on improving one’s own game. With the pressure of academics and the long bus rides, there can be a temptation to just focus on improving one’s individual skills, but the excellent coaching and team bonds I found playing at Harvard-Westlake have provided me with skills and friendships that will last long after I leave HarvardWestlake. I look forward to cheering our Harvard Westlake field hockey team in 2021 and beyond.

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE