August 2013 Issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Los Angeles • Volume XXIII • Issue I • Aug. 27, 2013 • hwchronicle.com

Students attend first all-school convocation By Noa Yadidi

JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE

Kicking off the year

WARM UP: Albert Choi ’15 evades a St. Monica’s defender in the football team’s preseason scrimmage Aug. 23, left. Andrew Park ’15 wrestles down the St. Monica quarterback, top right. Running back Garrett Robinson ’15 stiff arms a defender, bottom right.

New president stresses connection to students

By Jack Goldfisher

asked him to return as an assistant dean, soccer coach and As Rick Commons walks English teacher. Finally, it was across the quad, now quiet but Hudnut who telephoned Comready to come alive during the mons two years ago and asked school year, his toothy grin if he was interested in taking over his job while does little to conceal Commons was still the excitement of reheadmaster at Groturning to Harvardton School in MassaWestlake as its presichusetts. dent after leaving the “It’s not really an school 15 years ago. exaggeration to say Commons fills the that three times Tom vacancy left by Tom Hudnut has given me Hudnut, Harvardan opportunity to do Westlake’s first presisomething really exdent and the leader nathanson’s citing,” he said. of the school for the Rick Commons Commons is past 26 years. Comaware of the huge mons first worked in Harvard-Westlake’s admis- shadow cast by his predecessor. The respect he has for sions office. “It was mid-year; I had Hudnut’s career is apparent. “This school is only 23 come out [to California] thinking I was going to write a novel years old, it’s amazing what and learn to surf,” Commons this institution is,” he said. said. “Neither of those things “You can say it was Harvard were going very well, and I and Westlake before, but it’s decided I really wanted to be so incredibly different from eiback at school, and Tom gave ther that it really is a 23-yearold institution that has stature me a job.” Later, after Commons in the educational world like completed his master’s degree it’s been around for 200 years.” Commons says it would studies at Stanford, Hudnut

INSIDE

GREAT DEBATERS: Six students and an alum represented the United States in international debate tournaments this summer.

B4 GOT A RIDE?: Several students employ alternate methods of getting to school on time.

be foolish for him to try to be School and at Groton. Tom Hudnut. “The first thing I did when “I won’t try to fill his I moved in was pull it out and shoes,” he said. “But maybe stick it right here,” he says, I’ll bronze them and put them returning it to its home on a on the bookcase and admire bookcase. His beaming eyes them.” could convince one that the Recalling his time spent season took place yesterday, at Harvard-Westlake, Com- but his hair, then thick and mons proudly plunks down a coifed like that of ABC political picture of himself and a boys’ commentator George Stephavarsity soccer nopoulos but team that he now thinning coached to the on top, be I won’t try to fill CIF champitrays him. onship. “I look a his shoes. But maybe I’ll “It was a lot younger bronze them and put great group of in that picguys,” he says, ture, huh?” them on the bookcase that broad he said. “Difand admire them.” smile beginferent era.” ning to form The pho—Rick Commons on his face. to isn’t the President only “Whenever piece you’re workof Harvarding on a team, Westlake he you form bonds that just don’t carried with him during his get formed anywhere else.” tenure at Groton. The photograph, signed on “The place where I learned the back by the team members to believe in what can happen and given to Commons as a when you put really talented, gift, is faded from being dis- motivated faculty together played on office desks during with really talented, motivated his tenure at the McDonogh • Continued on page A10

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FRONTRUNNERS: The boys’ cross country team is a preseason favorite to win State, according to track website PrepCalTrack.

The first-ever all-school opening convocation this morning was highlighted by the announcement of this year’s motto, the investiture of President Rick Commons and the prefects and speeches by Commons and the Head Prefects. All middle school teachers and students were bused to the Upper School after first period to attend the 10 a.m. convocation outdoors on Ted Slavin Field. Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts planned to begin convocation by announcing “from caring comes courage” as the motto for the 2013-2014 school year. “If there is a single virtue that you’re going to need all through your life, it is courage,” she said. “The nice thing about courage is that you can cultivate it, you can get more, if you didn’t have courage the last time you can have it next time.” Huybrechts said she knew she wanted to emphasize courage this year, but could not find the appropriate phrase. She almost chose the word courage to stand alone until she found Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu’s quote that dates back to 500-600 BCE. “You can always get more courage,” Huybrechts said. “I think of the people that I most admire and they all have that quality in common, they were courageous. That’s courageous sometimes in jumping in and being the first to do something and courageous sometimes in saying no, no more.” Huybrechts said the allschool convocation, which included all students from seventh to 12th grade, was an idea proposed by Head of Athletics Terry Barnum almost two years ago. The seventh and 12th grade classes were asked to sit on the bleachers to depict “the beginning of the journey and the end of the journey,” Huybrechts said. Students were also asked to wear school colors in an email sent by Head of Upper School Audrius • Continued on page A10

ONtheWEB COMMONS’ GOAL: New President Rick Commons offers his thoughts about the future of the school. Watch the video at hwchronicle.com/ commons

A2 Preview

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave. Studio City, Calif. 91604

ARTIST AT WORK: Avalon Nuovo ’13 paints the outer walls of the Rugby Annex with quotes from literature chosen by the English department.

RESTORATION HARDWARE: Art teacher Art Tobias fixes a corbel on a West Adams, Calif. house during the summer.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JEANNE HUYBRECHTS

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ART TOBIAS

News A8 Features B2 A&E B11

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF HUGH KENNY

JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE

UNCONVENTIONAL SUMMER: Jacob Goodman, right, bikes cross-country as part of the Overland American Biking Challenge.

SAFE AT HOME: Jack Flaherty slides into home plate in the CIF Southern Section Championship game as the Wolverines captured their first CIF title.

offbeat

Sports C4

Science teacher’s shirts reflect curriculum By Julia Aizuss

Like years of AP Physics C classes before them, when this year’s crop of Phys C students stepped into their first class today, they were greeted by physics teacher John Feulner in his “I <3 Physics” T-shirt. His astronomy students received a similar welcome. For them, Feulner changed midway through the day into an “I <3 Astronomy” T-shirt. Sure, science teacher Walt Werner occasionally wears a biology T-shirt, and science teacher Blaise Eitner dons a rhinoceros T-shirt every day one of his classes takes a test, but no one tops Feulner, who wears a science-themed Tshirt every day of the school

year. “I’m either in a science Tshirt and my athletic pants, or a suit and tie when I go to board meetings,” Feulner said. “I don’t have anything in between.” Every August, Feulner throws his heap of T-shirts onto his bed to organize them for the coming year, so he can wear the relevant T-shirt for each lesson. “The more I got, the more I realized I really needed to organize them because there are those occasional times when I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, and I can’t seem to find the one that I want,” Feulner said. “And if you pass it by—it’s gone.” Feulner began wearing

themed T-shirts as a college student. When he began teaching at Harvard School for Boys, he decided to search for shirts specific to his lessons. The more he bought, he said, the more he felt obligated to have a shirt for every day, even if that meant designing his own T-shirt when he couldn’t find a certain subject. Although the common passerby might not be a fan of his black hole T-shirt that says “What happens in the event horizon stays in the event horizon,” Feulner said his students like them, and sometimes gift him their own. “If you’re into black holes, then that’s funny,” he said. “If you’re not, then it’s probably just dumb.”

NOA YADIDI/CHRONICLE

DRESS TO IMPRESS: AP Physics C teacher John Feulner shows off a few of his T-shirts that relate to his physics lectures.

signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Tara Stone at 310-430-8537. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

Aug. 27, 2013

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News A3

Forum launches for seniors’ reflections

By Lauren Sonnenberg

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF TINA CLEVELAND

GIZMOS GALORE: Abby Shaum ’16, left, and Ryan Finley ’16 test out Dell laptops in the middle school bookstore during summer break. There will be a similar display set up at the Upper School.

Bookstores to sell laptop computers at discounted price

By Lauren Sonnenberg

Students can now buy Windows laptops at the Upper School and Middle School bookstores. Both bookstores also offer students two Dell Windows 8 computers to try out in-store. To buy other computer models and accessories, students can visit the bookstore’s website. The availability of laptops in the bookstores stemmed from a decision last spring that mandated computers for seventh graders as part of the 1-to-1 initiative. The 1-to-1 program is the first stage of a six-year Technology Plan, which will extend to the rest of the student body by September 2015. Both computers offered on campus fulfill the requirements for the new initiative. Students can buy a 15inch laptop for $420 or a 14inch touch-screen laptop for

$650. After visiting a technology conference in May, Upper School Bookstore Manager Irma Hernandez and Director of Bookstore Operations Tina Cleveland decided to offer laptops at the bookstore. Selling laptops at school allows the school to “offer a great computer at a competitive price that all families can afford,” Cleveland said. Cleveland believes that students’ learning is enhanced by having laptops and she hopes that selling laptops on campus will ultimately lead to reduced use of textbooks and increased use of online materials. On a computer, “students can do research, study online access material, do homework and communicate with their teachers when it’s convenient for them,” Cleveland said. “I believe students will learn to utilize their study time more efficiently and that will allow them to spend more time with

their families and get more rest when they get home after a long day. And hopefully over time, we will be able to reduce the size of students backpacks by incorporating more online access materials that supports eBooks or textbooks depending on what a teacher prefers.” Dell offered the best pricing and technical support for an educational program, Cleveland said. HarvardWestlake is a member of the Douglas Steward Company, a buying consortium. The company offers its members “a variety of electronic products from various vendors that normally bookstores could not offer [their] customers at competitive pricing,” Cleveland said. By purchasing a computer through the bookstore, students are offered special promotions, such as a $200 Dell gift card included with the purchase of a touch screen.

cide whom to invite, they are required to invite at least 50 Seniors will speak about people from the Harvardtheir personal experiences to Westlake community and weltheir peers and teachers dur- come any faculty and staff. ing Senior Reflections, set to Programs are limited to 20 begin this school year, upper minutes, including “any preschool Science teacher Diet- lude music, introductory rerich Schuhl said. marks, readings and recesHe described the proposed sional music,” the email said. reflections as “very personal Students are warned TED talks.” against adding “thank you” An email was m e s s a ge s sent from Schuhl to individand the Senior uals durReflections Coming their It’s really great mittee to the ref lection that this program senior class to as they inform them of allows us to invite other are meant the new program to include people into our spheres Aug. 21. and stimParents of and come together as a ulate the the Class of 2014 entire aucommunity.” were also sent dience. a similar email In—Beth Slattery about Senior Restead, stuUpper School Dean dents are flections. The email advised included an apto give a plication, as well as “Senior copy of their reflection to peoReflections Tips and Sugges- ple whom they care about with tions” and “Senior Reflection a personal note attached. Guidelines.” Schuhl decided to bring the These documents described Senior Reflections program the nature, examples and steps to Harvard-Westlake after a for a reflection. similar program at the Hill Though Schuhl said it is School was so well received by difficult to describe the exact its community. nature of the talks, he offered Schuhl decided to involve possible topics of discussions students from the incoming such as “opportunities you senior class. embraced, decisions you regret Four seniors attended a live and decisions you believe were senior talk at the Webb School correct.” of California during the last The Senior Reflections school year and two of them, Committee is providing a fo- Oliver Goodman-Waters ’14 rum for students to share what and Kennedy Green ’14, helped they find important so that to draft guidelines for the exthey can reflect on their ex- ecution of Senior Reflections perience at Harvard-Westlake at Harvard-Westlake. as well as expand the strength “We’re all really good in and depth of the community, our own silos and own focuses, Schuhl said. but it’s really great that this Students can propose to program allows us to invite share their reflection in a set- other people into our spheres ting, time and audience of and come together as a comtheir choice. munity,” Head of Upper School Though students can de- Deans Beth Slattery said.

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Administration to establish soundbyte community building discussions By Claire Goldsmith

Small groups of students and faculty will gather to discuss community issues and events seven times this year as part of the new Civitalks program. Each section of 18 students will “come together and discuss matters of importance to our community,” Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas said. The first Civitalks meetings will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Barzdukas hopes to incorporate current events and school issues into the discussions of values and community and “pay attention to what’s happening in the world around us,” he said. Upper school dean Pete Silberman and former Character Education Committee and head math teacher Ashley Satterthwaite, who moved to Utah at the end of the last school year, had been searching for a way to improve what they saw as a lack of community among Harvard-Westlake students and faculty without imposing significantly on either party. “This came out of some

clear problems we identified 17 or 18 students. Two or three at the school: the need to build faculty members will lead each a community and a desire to group discussion, and each have more unstructured time group will include a Peer Supbetween students and faculty,” port leader or trainee along Silberman, now the head of with an equal balance of sophthe committee, said. omores, juniors and seniors. Barzdukas worked with “There’s a lot of kids in the the Character Education upper school, and you can’t Committee to implement the always get a perfect mix, and idea. They dealt with that’s one of the the lack of time and things we’ll see, space by splitting how the groups students into much will play out,” Silsmaller groups and berman said. incorporating the Barzdukas discussions into the likened the Civischool day. talks concept to Discussion a “family dinner” themes will vary in which students nathanson’s throughout the year, and faculty would Audrius Barzdukas with the first segbring their own ment focused on enstories to a collabsuring that students feel com- orative discussion. fortable talking within their “The way family dinner Civitalks group, Silberman works is we’re all doing what said. we do and somebody says it’s “We also know that things time for dinner, and we stop come up,” he said. “For exam- doing our own thing and we ple, it would’ve been wonderful come together for dinner and to have this last year after we we sit around and we talk lost Justin [Carr ’14], to have while we eat,” he said. this space built in.” The school will not, howAssistant to the Head of ever, provide food for the CiviUpper School Michelle Brack- talks program; Bracken hopes en divided the upper school that students will eventually student body into 49 groups of begin to bake or bring food to

“Whenever we get 18 students in a room and two or three faculty members, we’ll be able to have some really interesting discussions.” —Pete Silberman Upper School Dean

their groups as part of a bonding process. Food for the entire student body would have cost $60,000, she said. “Logistically, even if we had pizza delivered just for one of [the meetings], it means someone would have to be at the stations to deliver them and we couldn’t participate in the activity,” Bracken said. Silberman also vetoed the idea after considering the message the budget would send to students. “It certainly would be in our interest to spend $60,000 to get food for everybody, but the truth is that we didn’t necessarily think that was the best use of $60,000,” he said. “Part of it is that we want to model that you kind of have to prioritize the community over your own interests.” Student planners include a Civitalks module along with other assembly schedules, but Bracken realized that the planned Civitalks schedule

nathanson’s

would interrupt one of the school’s most common double lab periods. The program will follow Special Schedule D instead, meaning groups will meet for 45 minutes between fourth and fifth periods on the indicated days. Barzdukas said he would welcome discussion topic ideas from students and faculty, and he hopes that the program will further unite the HarvardWestlake community and capitalize on its preexisting unity. “Last year was my first year in this job and one thing that I learned was that in times of triumph, like when the baseball team won the championship, and in times of tragedy, and we experienced the ultimate tragedy this year, our community is incredibly strong,” Barzdukas said. The other six meetings, also on Wednesdays throughout the year, fall on Oct. 9, Nov. 13, Dec. 11, Feb. 12, March 12 and April 9.

A4 News

The Chronicle

Simon wins award

Aug. 27, 2013

The Carolyn and Marion Hays Award is given to a faculty or staff member every year. By Nikta Mansouri Middle School Attendance Coordinator Brenda Simon received the Carolyn and Marion Hays Award for her service to the school at a faculty and staff meeting Aug. 21. The award is given annualy to a faculty or staff member “who epitomizes loyal and dedicated service to the school, friendliness, good humor and encouragement, patience and thoughtful consideration for all members of the Harvard-Westlake community,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. Marion Hays was a dorm head, teacher and assistant headmaster at Harvard School from 1944 to 1970. His wife, Carolyn, was also very involved with the school. The award is endowed by their sons, both Harvard School graduates. “For the last 25 years, she has given loyal and dedicated service to our school in the most upbeat and thoughtful manner imaginable. No single job title can adequately convey all that she does: keeper of records, parent liaison, school nurse, school historian, conflict mediator, trusted source for curious and questioning middle schoolers,” Huybrechts said. Simon said she did not expect to be honored at the event. “[I feel] the same way I feel every day: extremely blessed to be a part of a community like this one,” Simon said.

SOPHIE KUPIEC-WEGLINSKI/CHRONICLE

SETTLING IN: New psychologist Dr. Kavita Ajmere discusses various upcoming meetings with counselor Luba Bek in her Seaver office. Ajmere will teach Choice and Challenges classes and Psychology classes in addition to training Peer Support leaders.

New psychologist plans to bring change based on student body needs By Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

This is the first year the job of Director of Counseling Kavita Ajmere sits in her and Psychological Services sparse Seaver office while a has been available as a fulltechnician explains how to time position. use her new desktop and lapIn prior years, Sheila Sietop setup. gel, who While she left at the is still setend of last I like the idea of tling in, Ajyear, held mere, the the posibeing able to have an new Direction partimpact on young minds tor of Countime. seling and As part and to be able to have Ps y c h o l o g i of her job, students have a healthier A j m e r e cal Services, perspective and make is excited to will teach work with psycholhealthy choices.” students. ogy and “I like the —Kavita Ajmere C h o i c e s idea of being ChalDirector of Counseling and and able to have lenges and Psychological Services help train an impact on young minds the stuand [being] dent leadable to have students have ers in Peer Support. a healthier perspective and “The students seemed make healthy choices,” Aj- to be very loyal to Harvardmere said. Westlake, very proud to be

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Changes to the AP Spanish Language and Culture Course The course will become more like a “social science” class, Spanish teacher Joaquin Fernandez-Castro said.

The new curriculum is divided into six general themes and 37 topics. Some of these themes are family, personal identity and contemporary life.

All 37 topics relate to life and culture in at least one of 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world.

Students will present three oral reports related to a topic discussed in class thoughout the year.

Each student must chose two Spanish-speaking countries to research and present reports on.

The AP exam will include tables and graphics for added difficulty in the multiple choice section.

Homework will the most critical part of succeeding in the class, since all class discussions will be based on the homework completed from the night before.

The new topics will lead to richer discussions because they are more relevant to life in Spanish countries. SOURCE: JOAQUIN FERNANDEZ-CASTRO GRAPHIC BY SOPHIE KUPIEC-WEGLINSKI

part of the student body here,” said Ajmere. “I want to be in a school where people feel proud of where they go to school.” As the school’s psychologist, Ajmere will also consult with students who feel overwhelmed with work, have trouble with relationships or have other mental health concerns. Ajmere plans to be the link between parents and teachers in case problems arise between the two. “I am the liaison person between, at times, parents and faculty members when there are certain concerns or needs arise for a student in whatever psychological capacity they might be,” Ajmere said. Previously, Ajmere worked as a psychologist at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. An avid yoga fan, Ajmere also led the school’s yoga club.

She hopes to find additional work as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles or lead a yoga club at school. Ajmere was attracted to Harvard-Westlake because she will be able to work with students at the middle school and upper school campuses. At her previous job, Ajmere worked only with high school students. “For me, it was an exciting opportunity to expand my work with students,” Ajmere said. “I’m excited to expand my understanding of adolescents and be able to reach out to middle school students.” Once she gets to know the student body, Ajmere will make adjustments. “I’d like it to be driven by the students’ needs,” said Ajmere. “I want to get an assessment from the students and what the students want more of,” Ajmere said.

Math teacher receives award for technology incorporation By Jensen Pak

ing the Ed-Tech committee for eight years, working Math teacher and Edu- with teachers from different cational Technology Com- schools to find new ways for mittee chair Jeff Snapp is laptops to improve the classthis year’s recipient of the room experience. This year, Snapp was apKogan Family Award for Innovation in Teaching, Head pointed to be the Director of School Jeanne Huybrechts of Instructional Technology announced Wednesday at the and hopes to ensure a smooth annual faculty/staff opening- implementation of the new laptop initiative in the comof-school meeting. ing years. The Kogan Fam“Whenever you ily Award, established receive an award, it in 2010 by Betsy and is an honor,” Snapp Mark Kogan (Ben ’11, said. “I don’t seek Eli ’13), “is intended recognition and feel to foster innovation uncomfortable as and acknowledge the center of attenthe most interesting tion, and prefer inteaching initiatives,” stead simply to know Huybrechts said. nathanson’s that my efforts help “The award is preJeff Snapp someone else to feel sented annually to less anxious or more a teacher who has developed and implemented enthusiastic about instrucpractices that have substan- tional technology. Whenever tially improved teaching, cur- I work with a colleague, they riculum design, technology express appreciation for my integration and/or assess- time and effort. This moment was special to me because ment in his/her classes.” Snapp has been head- of the collective, enthusias-

tic recognition from my colleagues in the audience.” Huybrechts described Snapp as a guide for many questions about iPads, the Hub and technology in general. “It is impossible to overestimate the depth of his caring and the magnitude of the work he has done with us and for us, often behind the scenes, but never unnoticed,” Huybrechts said. Snapp said he was pleasantly surprised by the award and is optimistic about the future of technology at the school. “I am blown away by the enthusiasm to learn that I have experienced among my colleagues in the last several months,” Snapp said. “Perhaps more than any other teacher, I get to see bits and pieces of what my colleagues do in class and the enthusiasm they bring every day. It truly is an honor to be part of this faculty at Harvard-Westlake.” Snapp said.

Aug. 27, 2013

News A5

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Offices, classrooms undergo renovations By Leily Arzy and Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JAMIE SKAGGS

WORLDLY SCHOLARS: Jamie Skaggs ’15 and Alessandra Marenzi ’14 pose at Bayfront in Singapore. The picture was part of a race around the city where they had to take pictures at certain locations.

Students direct studeies at sports science conference in Singapore

By Caitlin Neapole

Jamie Skaggs ’15 represented Harvard-Westlake at the E.W. Barker Institute of Sports International Youth Sports Science Conference 2013 held in Singapore in August. Skaggs, accompanied by Alessandra Marenzi ’14 and science teacher David Hinden, presented two studies she conducted to the group of international students. The group was in Singapore for a week and the first couple days were spent sightseeing and exploring the city, Hinden said. After, they met students from Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and India at the conference. They then had three days of presentations and research regarding sports science. “Some of the schools had a group of kids who presented, and other schools didn’t present, they just mainly came to

watch and learn,” Skaggs said. Skaggs’ first study tested maximum voluntary ventilation, which is how much air athletes move in and out of their lungs in various positions. “Coaches always tell their athletes to put their hands on top of their head after running to breathe, but we think it’s actually a lot easier to lean forward instead,” Skaggs said. Her second study related to how overall flexibility affects athletic performance. Skaggs worked with the coaches and physical trainers at HarvardWestlake, and used the track team for her study. She had athletes perform three different flexibility tests and then timed their 100-meter sprint and their vertical jump height. She hoped to find a connection between flexibility and their time and jump height. “We found that athletes with the most flexible hamstrings actually jump the

lowest, and that less flexible athletes jump higher,” Skaggs said. Marenzi wants to study sports medicine in college and Hinden suggested she go along. A lot of the kids attending the conferences researched recovery drinks, such as Gatorade V and chocolate milk, where Marenzi learned that chocolate milk is a better recovery drink. “After having gone on the trip I’m thinking about conducting a study once I figure it out and see what resources are available for my use,” Marenzi said. “It was a lot of fun meeting the other kids from the other countries and learning about how different their schools are,” Skaggs said. “The school that we visited had amazing facilities and they had a really good sports medicine program, and I hope we can expand our sports medicine program at school in the future.”

Committee to administer workload survey, evaluate student stress levels

By Nikta Mansouri

though the 10th grade survey will be longer in order to betA workload survey will be ter understand the transition administered in November to from ninth to 10th grade. monitor and understand stuScience teacher David dent stress Hinden, who related levels chaired the and to track work If we can find first stress isload study, ways to make them even and Pike are sues between generations happier, we hope that o v e r s e e i n g of students. the project. the survey data will help Pike is workThis assessment will be ing on transus to do [so].” the third inferring the —Moss Pike survey onto stallment of the survey, Latin Teacher Google Docs which is adso that it is ministered easier to asevery six sess the data, years. However, this year the instead of a handwritten evalsurvey will include to seventh uation like before. and eighth graders, middle Head of School Jeanne school Latin teacher Moss Huybrechts said that the surPike said. veys have usually been followed The survey will include by policy changes that serve to a variety of questions about lessen the stress on campus. homework, sleep, sports, exPike is also optimistic that pectations, class selection and the survey results will lead to the overall Harvard-Westlake improvements in school. experience. The survey in“We will convene a comcludes 70 to 80 questions al- mittee with an assortment of

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members from each campus who will review the data and make any appropriate recommendations,” Pike said. “The workload study has led to the homework survey, formation of the Sports Council committee and other important changes in the way we conduct daily business, and we’re confident again that we can help our community, should there be important issues to address.” Pike said that they do not know what to expect with the addition of seventh and eighth graders though they do not expect it to cause major changes. They will be focusing mostly on homework load, and they are “keen to see what trends [they] can identify in comparison to prior years,” Pike said. “We expect that our students are busy and under a fair amount of stress, but we also believe that they’re generally happy,” Pike said. “If we can find ways to make them even happier, we hope that the survey data will help us to do

During the summer there has been a case of what Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts called “musical chairs” in Seaver, as well as construction in Rugby and the orchestra room. Various offices in Seaver were swapped and construction took place in order to create a new history classroom, Seaver 205, which previously housed offices for Senior Alumni Officer Harry Salamandra, Director of Studies Liz Resnick, and Director of Communications Jill Shaw. The move was catalyzed by President Rick Commons, who wished to have his office located in Seaver, where he would be able to converse and interact with students and faculty more easily. Commons’ new office is in a former classroom, adjacent to the faculty lounge. Resnick and Shaw moved across the hall in Seaver while Salamandra and the Alumni Relations offices were moved

to the former president’s office in a house above the senior parking lot. Former English classroom Rugby 205 was converted in order to enlarge the English faculty office. The office received new paint on the walls, a new carpet, and new plastic mats for their chairs to roll on. The orchestra room was also renovated. The rooms were not flexible for all types of rehearsal groups before the renovations because it was hard to hear each other, Performing Arts teacher Mark Hilt said. The remodel, which started after the end of school and finished in late July, included raising the ceiling, removing the carpet, taking advantage of wasted space and improving the lighting. Hilt plans to add boards to the walls to deflect the sound waves back and forth. “It’s very crucial for a young orchestra to learn how to play by listening to each other as well as watching the beat and feeling the music,” Hilt said.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CASEY CAREY

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK: Brian Johnson, CEO of En* theos, reviews his theory and practice for optimism in one of the videos.

Sophomores watch video lectures on morals, values

By Claire Goldsmith

Sophomores watched an online video course about character and values during the summer to prepare for their Choices and Challenges class this year. The video series, Optimal Living 101, is the school’s first entry into web-based education and complements the curriculum of the required 10th grade class on personal development. Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken was looking for an online character education course, but when no such program was available, she and Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas worked with entrepreneur Brian Johnson to adapt his video lectures for adults to the school’s needs. Barzdukas and Bracken tested the course on a few Choices and Challenges teachers at the end of the last school year before opening it to students and parents. As of the beginning of school, more than 200 people have registered for the course, Barzdukas said. “It’s just Harvard-Westlake now, but I’m learning that it’s kind of virally sneaking outside, and we’re fine with that,” he said. Johnson, CEO of En*theos, decided to share what he deems 10 essential truths of

philosophy and teaching. Optimal Living 101, branded as “the class we never had,” shares Johnson’s views on optimism, purpose, self-awareness, goals, action, energy, wisdom, courage and love in 11 videos. “There was a lot of information, so I keep going back,” Bracken said. “There are three or four things that really resonated with me, especially the rubber band, where doing something that stretches myself out pushes me out of my comfort zone.” Of the 123 sophomores who responded to a Chronicle poll, 22 percent watched none of the series, 32.2 percent watched less than half and only 31.4 percent watched the entire 4.5 hour course. 52.6 percent said the course was not useful in their daily lives, 43.9 percent had thought about the concepts and only 14.9 percent discussed the videos with friends or family. Barzdukas, who calls himself a believer in Optimal Living 101, thinks the values in the series can be useful to parents and students in other grades and hopes to create other developmentally appropriate courses highlighting the same ideas. “I do think that those lessons can help you lead a happier and more productive life, and ultimately, everybody wants that,” Barzdukas said.

A6 News

The Chronicle

inbrief

Aug. 27, 2013

Faculty, parents to hear author speak

Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck will speak on mindset’s impact on achievement at the Middle School Oct. 8. Dweck wrote the book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” Dweck will speak to faculty at 3:30 p.m. and parents at 7 p.m. “Carol Dweck is a giant in her field, and Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, the division heads and myself believe she [has] an incredible amount of insight to offer our faculty, students and parents,” Director of Studies Liz Resnick said. —Cole Feldman

Computer Services replaces old Wi-Fi A new, faster Wi-Fi system was implemented over the summer, which Director of Computer Services Dave Ruben said will allow wireless projecting and printing. The project involved replacing all of the approximately 200 ceiling-mounted Internet access points and integrating the new Cisco Wi-Fi system with the school’s network equipment so that it will work with its “log-in” servers. Wireless printing will become available later this fall, Ruben said. —David Gisser

New class engages in innovative activities

Instructions instead of a teacher greeted The Unconventional Leadership students today. The class was tasked with three objectives: to retrieve an object suspended in the pool without getting wet, to have one student run a lap around the track without touching the ground and to silently act out either “Mean Girls” or “Anchorman” in Rugby Theater before an audience as a sort of charades. At each station, Unconventional Leadership teacher Jordan Church had planted a person who could help the class, if it thought to ask. The exercise was meant in part to teach students that they might not be the best person for a job and to survey all available resources before tackling a problem, Church said. —Lizzy Thomas

Faculty simulates security emergency Faculty members participated in a security drill Friday in Rugby Auditorium. The staff simulated a classroom and responded to security emergencies. Seventh graders and sophomores will receive ALICE training near the beginning of the year. An all-school emergency drill is planned for March 17; the police, fire department and paramedics will be present. Head of Security Jim Crawford said he hopes this year’s drill will be more organized, explaining that they learn from each drill. At least five drills are planned for this year. —Jensen Pak

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF PAVEK PRICHYSTAL

TALK OF THE COUNTRY: Sara Evall ’15 gestures as she speaks, left. The debaters pose with their fellow American teammates, right. Seven students participated in the tournaments.

Students debate for U.S. internationally By Jessica Spitz

Six students and an alumnus represented the United States in international debate tournaments in Alabama, Bermuda, China and the Czech Republic during the summer. Luke Holthouse ’13, Tommy Choi ’14, Annie Kors ’14, Sara Evall ’15, Timothy Song ’15, Amelia Miller ’15 and Nathan Lee ’16 competed with the United States World Schools Debate team, based out of Claremont McKenna College. Students from other schools also represented the United States while abroad. Kors and Miller partici-

pated in the National Forensics League Nationals World Schools Round Robin in Birmingham, Ala. They were part of a three-person team that finished with a record of 3-2. Kors placed 11th as individual speaker, while Miller won eighth place. Most of the competitors’ free time was spent preparing for upcoming debates, but they also interacted with students from other countries and toured the cities. Choi, who debated in Nanking, China, visited the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen and the Rape of Nanking Massacre Museum.

Choi was the only Harvard-Westlake student to participate in the Third China National High Schools’ English Debating Championship, where he won fourth place as an individual speaker. His team made the finals, where they were defeated by the Chinese national team. “Unlike most tournaments, there were only a few international teams,” Choi said. “Since most of the teams were from China, most of the kids were interacting in Chinese, making it much harder to interact with students at the tournament.” Kors, Song, and Holthouse

competed in the Pan-American Debate Championships in Hamilton, Bermuda. The team went 4-2, losing to two Canadian teams in the preliminary rounds. Holthouse received 10th place in the tournament. All seven students attended the Heart of Europe tournament in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Lee was on a team with debaters from other schools and lost in the quarterfinals, as did Holthouse, Choi and Song’s team. Kors, Miller and Evall lost to a Canadian team in the final round. Evall placed fifth for individual speaking while Miller received eighth place.

History teacher takes economics course By Tara Stone

History teacher Celia Goedde was one of 16 teachers chosen out of more than 100 applicants from the United States to study “The Dutch Republic and Britain: The Making of Modern Society and a European World Economy,” a course sponsored by the National Endowment of the Humanities in England and the Netherlands. Goedde grew interested in the course because it presented a topic she did not know much about: economic history. An important strategy of the class was relating economic change with contemporary political and cultural developments, she said. “I love political and cultural history, so I knew this would be a great way to gain a deep understanding of economic transformation and the roots of the Industrial Revolution,” Goedde said.

Goedde attended a NEH seminar in 2003 to study Mozart’s German operas in Vienna. This experience enthused Goedde to apply for other NEH courses. The NEH sponsors seminars every summer for teachers to extend their knowledge of the various humanities and obtain new methods of teaching through informal interfacing between participants. “When you have a group of teachers get together, there are a lot of discussions about how different schools and different teachers try to inspire a love of learning in their students,” Goedde said. This exchange was made possible by the interactive style of the seminars. Participating teachers ran discussions and arranged formal debates. The teachers read 150-250 pages each day to prepare for class discussions, supplemented by dynamic activities such as curating paintings from

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CELIA GOEDDE

GLOBETROTTER: History teacher Celia Goedde poses in Bruges, Belgium, one of the many cities she visited during the session. the time period of focus. Participants were also responsible for completing essays on seminar topics. Goedde decided to write about the art market during the Dutch Golden Age, examining Dutch painters’ attitudes towards economic change. Though they spent most of their time in London, England, and Leiden, Netherlands, the teachers visited Amsterdam, the Hague, Antwerp, Haarlem and other cities.

“One morning you are in class discussing how big of a role colonies played in building up these economies, and then in the afternoon you take a walking tour and get to see the docks and warehouses used in the 17th and 18th centuries,” Goedde said. “Visiting the actual sites is so meaningful because it gives you an immediate and concrete understanding of how much time and money were invested into these businesses.”

Teacher studies Civil War art at Met Museum By Leily Arzy

high school, are eligible to apply for a seminar. “I have looked every year History Department Head but it was never reKatherine Holmesally applicable to me Chuba attended a oneand what I teach, week course at the but this year they Metropolitan Museum had this class, ‘Civil of Art in New York War through Amerthrough the Gilder ican Art,’ and I was Lehrman Institute of like, well, I teach American History. art history and that She applied for the would be perfect,” seminar, “The Civil Holmes-Chuba said. War through Amerinathanson’s The seminar was can Art,” and was one Katherine centered around of the 30 participants Holmes-Chuba two art shows. One chosen out of 100 apfocused on Civil plicants. Teachers of all levels, rang- War-era American art and ining from elementary through cluded mostly paintings. The

other focused on Civil War photography. “We got to go through both with the curators and ask [them] questions about how they created these exhibits,” Holmes-Chuba said. Though she found the art interesting, photography struck a deeper chord in her, Holmes-Chuba said. “It was like a whole new world opened up; it was absolutely fascinating,” HolmesChuba said. “That was the highlight.” Most Gilder Lehrman seminars are held at schools and provide housing, but that was not the case for Holmes-

Chuba. “The school very generously gave me the money to go do this, to be able to stay in a hotel,” Holmes-Chuba said. “It was really nice. I would literally just walk across the park and I was at the Metropolitan museum.” Holmes-Chuba said she plans to use the lesson plans she made during her program for her senior art history course. “I think it’s good for students to realize that teachers constantly want to learn also. It doesn’t stop in high school or college. We are lifelong learners,” Holmes-Chuba said.

Aug. 27, 2013

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News A7

inbrief

Junior assists locals in Burma

‘Little Princes’ author to visit Middle School

By Enya Huang

Xenia Viragh ’15 used funds provided by the GunterGross Asia Initiative to get hotspot wi-fi on cell phones for students at Phaung Daw Oo, a school for students of all ages in Mandalay, Burma. “It’s a monastic center, so it’s not a government school,” Viragh said. “Myanmar is isolated and closed off because it’s been a military dictatorship for over five decades, and because the military didn’t want people rebelling against the system, they made their education system complete rote memorization.” Though it is not government-affiliated, PDO must adhere to state educational guidelines in order for students to pass the national entrance exams for university education, Viragh said. The exam is “kind of like the SAT but 70,000 times worse,” Viragh said. “When they study for their English exams, they chant, and you’d never know they’re speaking English, because they just chant incessantly, but they have no idea what they’re saying or what it means. They have no English language conversational skills.” Upon completing high school at age 16, many of the students stay at PDO to study and take care of younger students, Viragh said. “Because there’s not that much time during their high school years to study English as a language and not as a subject, they take English classes from international volunteers,” Viragh said. The high school graduates worked with Viragh because their English was better and they had more time and flexibility to use the internet, Vi-

PRINTED WITH PREMISSION OF XENIA VIRAGH

GIVING BACK: Xenya Viragh ’15 smiles with two students who attend the Phaung Daw Oo school where she visited and worked to provide the school with technological advances to improve education. ragh said.Through interviews that matches when Phaung with PDO students and teach- Daw Oo students have interers, she discovered that they net access, as their internet severely lacked English lan- connection is limited. guage practice, Viragh said. She used her grant money, Also, due to the Burmese gov- which was not provided by the ernment’s imposed isolation, Gunter-Gross Fellowship, to the citizens obtain hotspot lack general wi-fi for the knowledge students, who about the can refill their They were all so world, she internet cards eager and enthusiastic said. each month. to learn English, to learn “The stu“They can dents wantSkype in the about the world and ed to learn library with a our culture; that’s why so much,” good connecViragh said. tion, so hopeI thought it would be “They were fully longso fun for them to have all so eager term I help a buddy at Harvardand enthuthe school get siastic to more wi-fi,” Westlake to interact learn EngViragh said. with once a month” lish, to learn “I see the about the students there —Xenia Viragh ’15 and our stuworld and our culture; dents at Harso that’s why v a r d - We s t I thought it would be so fun lake having friendships and for them to have a buddy at relationships more than just Harvard-Westlake to interact emails, because if you’re trying with once a month.” to learn a language, it’s much Viragh plans to pair stu- easier to practice when you’re dents and create a schedule face-to-face and can gesture

“

and make up for communication by seeing each other,” Viragh said. She hopes the project will be long-term, carried on even after she graduates. “I really hope to support Phaung Daw Oo because it’s an amazing movement, and it’s one of the most respected communities in Myanmar,” Viragh said. After the Burmese cyclone in 2009, orphans and minorities moved to facilities on campus, Viragh said. “A lot of the kids go there who live there becauwwse their villages side are outside the city, so if they aren’t housed at schools like Phaung Daw Oo, they immediately start to work after primary education,” Viragh said. “The school has inspired me to help them,” Viragh said. “And it’s just a little thing that I’m doing, just trying to provide something, but hopefully by giving exposure to their communities, helping them find more volunteers can help them with financial things too.”

Seniors research stem cells in summer program By Benjamin Most

PRINTED WITH PREMISSION OF VICTORIA YU

FUTURE LEADERS OF AMERICA: Victoria Yu ’15, Zoe Dutton’15 and Samantha Garfield’14 attend a confrence in California.

Students hold office on junior state cabinet By Kenneth Schrupp

Four students were elected to senior positions in the California Junior State of America, a student-run youth organization, during the summer. JSA members participate in student government almost parallel in structure to that of the United States, with yearly elections for leadership positions. Samantha Garfield ’14, Jeremy Bradford ’14 and Zoe Dutton ’15 were appointed to the JSA state cabinet. Garfield’s duties include the invitation of speakers, or-

ganization of events and the collection of taxes. Bradford and Dutton jointly oversee the Waxton Youth Advisory Board, which coordinates meetings with local congressmen. “I hope my work here and now the expansion of the youth advisory program, paves the way for future generations of young adults to have a more active role in government,” Bradford said. Victoria Yu ’15 was appointed as Director of Photography and will chronicle the JSA’s engagements throughout the upcoming year.

in how to minimize radiation wounds,” Hur said. Five seniors participated in The program immersed a stem cell research program the students in both the soliat USC over the summer. tary and collaborative aspects Justin Bae ’14, Zachary of research. Birnholz ’14, Simon Gunter While the seniors worked ’14, James Hur ’14 and Chris- on projects independently, tina Woo ’14 spent eight weeks they were also able to interact working in USC’s Eli with teachers and and Edythe Broad other students with Center for Regenersimilar interests. ative Medicine and Their friends Stem Cell Research and parents outside as part of the Early the program were Investigator High also able to view School Summer protheir work through gram. their online jourOne week fonals. cused on lab trainGunter’s father, nathanson’s ing and the other Jeff Gunter, providJames Hur’14 seven weeks on pered financial support forming research on and gave the seniors how stem cells can heal seri- this opportunity to pursue ous diseases and wounds such their passions in a professional as Alzheimer’s disease. environment. The students wrote online Victoria Fox, the director journals, visited seminars and of the USC Stem Cell Core forums and conducted original Facility and a faculty memresearch under the guidance ber of the USC Department of lab mentors. of Medicine, oversaw the sumDuring their last week, mer program. they presented the results of “I confirmed my love of scitheir research through poster ence, and I made new friends,” presentations. Hur said. “I think it was an “Our lab was interested awesome experience.”

Conor Grennan, the author of this year’s middle school all community read “Little Princes,” will visit the middle school campus Sept. 23 to speak to students about the novel and his non-profit organization. The book, which chronicles Grennan’s journeys during his stint as a volunteer at Little Princes Orphanage in Nepal, was chosen by six members of the All Community Read Committee. “Everyone agreed that ‘Little Princes’ is incredibly inspiring, and we thought it was a book that all members of the Harvard-Westlake community could relate to and benefit from,” middle school English teacher Amanda Angle said. —Kristen Gourrier

Korean parents host annual dinner Korean students, their families and various faculty members attended the 19th annual Korean American Parents Association dinner on Aug. 18. New President Rick Commons, Admission Director Elizabeth Gregory and Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts spoke words of encouragement to both the new and returning students and their families. “I think one of the ways we can get to know each other better and build community is through smaller group meetings like the KAPA,” 11th grade parent representative Christine Pak (Marcella ’15) said. —Su Jin Nam

Quad signs stress cleanliness, respect New signs on the quad tables read, “Please help Gregorio keep our quad clean. Pick up after yourself. Thank you.” in a further effort to prevent student littering. Gregorio Hernandez, a member of the maintenance department, cleans up trash left on the quad and around campus. This is the fourth sign Head of School Audrius Barzdukas has installed within the past year. “It’s an appeal,” Barzdukas said. “We just want to make people aware that someone has to clean up after them.” —Claire Goldsmith

Record numbers attend summer classes During the summer, 1,041 students took 1,487 classes with Harvard-Westlake’s extensive summer program, a record number. This year, the program team added certain sports and extended others, leading to a higher enrollment of athletes. Students from other countries such as Korea, China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia also enrolled in various classes in the program. “The summer program really allows us to expand our reach beyond the 1,600 students that are here from September through June,” Upper School Dean Jim Patterson said. —Su Jin Nam

A8 News

FREAKBEAT REC

Alumna paints literature quotes on Rugby annex

The Chronicle

Department and with large canvas paintings through the Avalon Nuovo ’13 covered years. the walls of the Rugby annex, “This mural is unlike any the two temporary portable other large and colorful paintbuildings across from Rugby ings I have done, but it fits the Hall, with quotes from litera- atmosphere of the school,” Nuture chosen by the English De- ovo said. partment. The mural depicts multiple Painting began during July pieces of text oriented in difand was completed ferent styles and sizes the first week of Auaround the sides of gust. the two classrooms. “I saw Avalon bal“I like the mural ancing herself on ladbecause it is not overders and railings to whelming,” Nuovo make the mural hapsaid. “It is very geopen,” English teacher metric in its design Jocelyn Medawar and looks modern.” said. “I will think of The mural inher whenever I walk cludes quotes from nathanson’s by, and that’s always Avalon Nuovo ’13 works by Jane Ausa good thing. She’s a ten, Emily Dickinson, marvelous human being who F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Orleft a wonderful mark on cam- well, William Shakespeare and pus for the whole community.” other authors whose works are After Head of School included in the school’s EngJeanne Huybrechts ap- lish curriculum. proached Nuovo with the idea “I hope that as students to paint the Rugby annex, and adults are rushing madly Nuovo came up with the con- from one commitment to the cept of using selections from next, some golden nugget of novels and poems chosen by language embeds itself, conthe teachers in the English sciously or unconsciously,” department. Medawar said. “Ideally, stuNuovo said she was cho- dents and adults may even sen to paint the mural because stop the mad pace a minute of her experience and work and sort out a whole quotation with the school’s Visual Arts now and then.”

Aug. 27, 2013

By Scott Nussbaum

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A PLAY ON WORDS: Jim DeMatte, left, and Avalon Nuovo ’13, right, ponder possible designs for the mural on the walls of the Rugby annex in early July, top. In early August, the mural was completed and featured quotes from various literary selections chosen by English teachers, bottom.

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Aug. 27, 2013

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News A9

Librarian writes book on e-books

By Lizzy Thomas

SCREENSHOT PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CBS

IN MEMORY OF JUSTIN: A family photo of Darrell Carr, Justin Carr and Susan Carr was shown in a CBS broadcast in August. The segment featured Carr’s life, accomplishments and diverse interests, which included architecture, performing arts and swimming.

Local CBS affiliate station broadcasts short segment in tribute to Justin Carr By Julia Aizuss

Los Angeles CBS Channel 2 aired a story on Aug. 12 about Justin Carr ’14, who died of cardiomyopathy during swim practice last February. The broadcast covered Carr’s far-reaching passions, which ranged from architecture to swimming, as well as his death. The segment also chronicled his parents’ decision to found the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Memorial Fund. His mother, Susan Carr, said the story’s focus on his whole life and his diverse in-

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terests appealed to her and his However, they weren’t father, Darrell Carr. ready to talk and didn’t like “It will be the pressure more about being put on what he liked them to do a to do and his story, Susan It will be more passions for Carr said. about what he liked to art, then a “It wasn’t little bit of a sensational do and his passions for what hapstory, you art, then a little bit of pened,” she know?” she what happened.” said before said. the segment The Carrs —Susan Carr accepted CBS aired. Te l e v i Justin Carr’s ’14 mother feature news sion stations producer Ray began apBell’s proposproaching the Carrs shortly al because he had a connection after their son’s death. to their son that the other sta-

tions didn’t. About a year and a half ago, Carr was attending an early morning backstage tour of the El Capitan Theatre while Bell and his CBS crew were filming there, Susan Carr said. When Bell found out that Carr was the grandson of Burl Toler, the first black on-field official in the National Football League, he asked to film a documentary on Toler and interviewed Carr in October about him. “We felt that since he had a personal connection to Justin, he was the best to share his story,” Susan Carr said.

Head librarian Shannon Acedo’s first book is slated for publication sometime this fall by the American Association of School Libraries. Her book, entitled “Ebooks in School Libraries: A Handbook for School Librarians,” will be available in both print and e-book form. Acedo began the roughly 269-page, 16 chapter book about a year ago, after she and co-author Cathy Leverkus submitted an application to present on schools’ use of e-books at the American Library Association’s annual conference. Their proposal was not only accepted, but the ALA’s publications department also asked the two if they’d be interested in writing a book on the topic. “We said, ‘how hard could it be?’” Acedo said. “So we decided to do it.” Acedo and Leverkus, a librarian at the Willows School in Culver City whom Acedo knew from the Independent School Library Exchange, got to work, meeting after school and on weekends. The two had to manually create the book’s index and appendix. “That was perhaps the hardest part of the process,” Acedo said. To stay organized, Acedo and her co-author started with a preliminary outline. “And then you fill in the outline, so that every chapter’s got a zillion bullet points,” Acedo said. Because of the constantly changing nature of e-books, Acedo said she and Leverkus will likely update another edition of the book’s e-book form within the next few months.

Seniors engage in simulated state and national conferences By Jivani Gengatharan

Oliver Goodman-Waters ’14 represented California at a national conference from July 19 to July 26 in Washington D.C. and met President Barack Obama. Goodman-Waters was selected for the honor when he and three other seniors participated in a statewide Boys State conference in Sacramento from June 21 to June 29. The 1000 delegates from California who attended the Sacramento conference were split into parties randomly. Some delegates were then elected to different offices. Goodman-Waters was party secretary and in charge of the media for his party, Matt Klein ’14 was a state assembly member, Vincent Huang ’14 was a county treasurer and Grant Nussbaum ’14 was a citizen. As the event was meant to replicate state legislature, Nussbaum, Goodman-Waters, Huang, and Klein debated issues such as health care, the Middle East, gun control and education. “I learned a lot from meeting boys from greatly different backgrounds and interacting

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I learned a lot from...interacting with some truly charismatic leaders. Overall, I enjoyed Boys State more than I would have expected at a program where you’re isolated from females for an entire week.” —Vincent Huang ’14

with some truly charismatic leaders,” Huang said. “Overall, I enjoyed Boys State a lot more than I would have expected at a program where you’re isolated from females for an entire week.” At the end of the Sacramento event, five delegates, including Goodman-Waters, were nominated to go to the capital for the national conference. After the five delegates were interviewed, GoodmanWaters was one of two selected to go to Washington D.C. “I was sitting in the back, so when they called my name, I had to walk through the crowd, and it felt really cool,” Goodman-Waters said. The conference in Washington D.C. was a simulation of

nathanson’s

the Senate, with 98 delegates total, two from each state except Hawaii. All delegates had written and submitted their bills electronically. “My favorite part was getting to interact with people from different states,” Goodman-Waters said. The members met with President Obama in the East Wing of the White House. He spoke for about 10 minutes, explaining his appreciation for the program, and took a photo with all the members. “Everyone was very polite, very intelligent, and gave very reasonable arguments to issues that I didn’t necessarily support,” Goodman-Waters said. “It made me more openminded.”

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STATESBOY: Oliver Goodman-Waters ’14 stands at the podium in the state conference while giving his speech to fellow delegates.

The Chronicle

A10 News

Aug. 27, 2013

Schoolwide convocation begins the school year • Continued from page A1

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ZILLOW

WHAT’S UP, BARACK?: CEO of Zillow Spencer Rascoff ’93 sits down with President Barack Obama to discuss the United States real estate market since the 2008 financial collapse. The Q&A session was broadcast exclusively on Zillow.com, whitehouse.gov and Yahoo!.

Alum interviews Obama about housing market By Sarah Novicoff

Topics ranged from mortgage interest rates to refinancSpencer Rascoff ’93, CEO ing to the Obama Administraof online real estate database tion’s plan to further improve Zillow, conducted a Q&A ses- the market in the next four sion with President Barack years. Obama Aug. 7 Z i l l o w regarding the then picked housing mareight quesket and its tions that Meeting the President rebound from “ r e p r e of the United States is the 2008 colsented comlapse. one of those things you mon housThe ining themes,” hope to check off your terview took Rascoff said. place at the O b a m a bucket list, but never Hilton Hotel and his staff know if you will.” in Woodland did not know Hills. —Spencer Rascoff ’93 the questions T h o u prior to the sands of interview. homeowners, renters and pro“What we saw in terms of spective buyers from around the plunge in home prices in the country submitted ques- the midst of the great recestions to be asked via social sion was something we hadn’t media seen in a very long time,”

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Obama said, in response to a question from Andrew Houston in Gainesville, Florida about interest rates and the 2008 collapse. “And so what we did over the first three and a half, four years of my administration was throw everything that we could at helping homeowners who had seen their houses go underwater to slowly build back that equity.” The forum, part of a continuing partnership between Zillow and the Obama administration to further inform the public about the housing market and rebound after the 2008 collapse, was broadcast exclusively on Zillow.com, whitehouse.gov and Yahoo!. A full transcript of the interview can be found on whitehouse. gov. “Meeting the President of the United States is one of

those things you hope to check off your bucket list, but never know if you will. It was surreal right up until he entered the room, led and followed by his Secret Service detail. He was a very kind, personable man that I was honored to meet,” Rascoff said. “In all honesty, my speech and debate training from Harvard-Westlake has been invaluable throughout my career,” Rascoff added. “In fact, I thought of [forensics teacher Tedd] Woods the morning of my Obama discussion because he always told his students to ‘Pause and Smile’ before beginning a speech. I had the teleprompter operator add those words to the teleprompter and right before I introduced Obama, I did indeed pause and smile. Mr. Woods would be proud.”

Barzdukas. “While I may have been the one to open my mouth, the idea was had by many of us,” Barnum said. “In the nine years that I have worked here, there has never been an instance where every student and every faculty member has been in the same place at the same time. I think if we are one school, it would be nice to say that at some point, we are all in the same place at the same time.” Huybrechts said she didn’t previously pursue the plan due to logistical difficulties. But this year, with Common’s investiture, would be a good test run so all students could see the investiture, she said. The investiture was scheduled to be carried out after Huybrechts’ welcome by Board of Trustees Chair Christine Hazy (Steven ’00, Charissa ’03, Trenton ’05, Courtney ’11) in a similar fashion to that of the traditional prefect investiture. Commons, essentially saying the same words as the prefects, chose to be invested this way, Huybrechts said. Convocation was planned to continue with Commons investing the prefects, followed by speeches from Head Prefects Henry Hahn ’14 and Ashley Sacks ’14 and Commons, who was to conclude the assembly. “If this works, perhaps this will be a new tradition,” Huybrechts said.

Commons eager to ‘understand how students, faculty and staff experience life’ during school year • Continued from page A1 students was Harvard-Westlake,” he said. “That stuck with me.” This same level of academic excellence is present at the school today, which puts Commons in the “luxurious position to be able to do a lot of listening, a lot of learning, or re-learning about the place,” he said. “If the school were in crisis, I would owe it an answer about how I was going to change that, but as it is I’m giving myself time to get to know the community before I decide to make any grand changes.” Commons knows there is a definite tradeoff that big schools experience when trying to balance opportunity and community. “Our size allows us to do a lot of things that smaller schools simply cannot offer,” he said. “However, given Harvard-Westlake’s size, the school has to work really hard to feel like a community, and I’m eager to do everything I can to bring that to the school.” Commons isn’t bluffing when he says he wants to get to know the community. He’s

already moved the president’s office into the Seaver building, so instead of needing to go on a five-minute nature hike to visit him, students will be able to see him around campus more frequently. Commons, a Shakespeare fan, will also be teaching a ninth grade English class in an effort to connect meaningfully with the middle school campus. “I’m excited about it because I can be there in an authentic way and not just show up and say ‘Hi, I’m here to shake hands with anybody who wants to shake hands.’ I’m actually going to be in the classroom,” he said. “Teaching, that’s something that really means a lot to me.” He says the only bad memories he has from his first tenure at Harvard-Westlake that he hasn’t blocked out are the faces of English students that he bored with his lectures. “There were times when I stood in front of a class, 45 minutes passed and I realized I had just bored them out of their minds. I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I want to give my students the best ninth grade English experience pos-

sible.” Commons returns to Harvard-Westlake with a family of his own. Commons and his wife Lindsay McNeil Commons ’96 have two children, Matthew, 10 and Clara, 6. Lindsay grew up down the street from where the family now lives, on Chautauqua Boulevard, and her parents still live in her childhood home. “My kids will love being down the street from their grandparents,” Commons says. His face softens every time he mentions his family. He looks a little like a kinder, more approachable Hugo Weaving in this light; think “The Matrix’s” Agent Smith mixed with a kindergarten teacher. He hopes he’ll be able to spend time with his children even with the new responsibilities he’ll be taking on at Harvard-Westlake. Commons firmly believes that having children has helped form his identity as an educator. He recalls a time before he had his kids, when he was talking to the parents of a student he was dismissing from school as a disciplinary measure. “They looked at me across the desk and they said, ‘Be-

JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE

TAKING A STROLL: President Rick Commons, left, and English teacher Eric Olson chat while walking by the Rugby Annex. cause you do not have children, you cannot possibly understand.’ I didn’t respond to them, but I thought, ‘What an irresponsible thing for them to say, what an unfair thing to say, what an awful thing for them to say,’” Commons says, pausing. “Then I got married, had my own kids, and I realized they were absolutely right.” Commons believes that before he had his kids he couldn’t relate to the difficulty of “what it is like to love somebody so much and be totally unable to control what their experience is like and what their life is like.” At times, Commons struggled with raising a family on Groton’s communal boarding school campus. “Sometimes my kids would have tantrums, right in front of all the teachers and all the students and

all the parents who may have been on campus. They were all watching me be unable to control the temper of my 4-yearold,” Commons said. “It was really humbling.” At his previous jobs, Commons was able to know every student by name. While he admits it would be nearly impossible to accomplish this at Harvard-Westlake, he recognizes that it is crucial to know the people you are leading to lead them effectively. “If I was writing the headline for the article about my arrival, it would be something to the effect of ‘New President Excited to Know Community and to Teach,’” he said. “And I really want to do a great job as a teacher. That’s extremely important to me. It’s not the most aggressive headline, he admits, but it’s earnest, and that’s what counts.”

Aug. 27, 2013

hwchronicle.com/news

News A11

New to the Upper School

New additions to faculty at the Middle School

Foreign Language Department

>> Tim Schmall

The foreign language and math departments will each gain three teachers, whose native lands span from Poland to France.

JESSICA SPITZ/CHRONICLE

Jerome Hermaline Native French speaker Jerome Hermeline will teach French III, French III Honors and French IV at the Upper School this year. Hermeline was born in northern France, and he spent seven years in Paris studying at the Sorbonne. Last year was Hermeline’s first year of substitute teaching French at the Alliance Francaise in Newport Beach. “I left [Alliance Francaise] because it was a subbing job, and I wanted a full-time job,” Hermeline said. Hermeline chose HarvardWestlake because he liked the atmosphere he found here. “At every other school that I visited, the people there seemed to be sad and they were sulking, but when I came here, everyone was smiling and welcoming,” he said. — Jonathan Seymour

JONATHAN SEYMOUR/CHRONICLE

Tim Schmall, a lighting designer, loved his job, but wanted something more permanent and exciting. After stumbling upon Harvard-Westlake he instantly knew what he wanted to do. After lots of phone interviews Schmall flew to Los Angeles where he was interviewed by former president Tom Hudnut. Working with eager Harvard-Westlake students is the thing. Schmall said he is most JONATHAN SEYMOUR/CHRONICLE

Yi Jiang

Aaron Bluestein

Yi Jiang will teach multiple levels of Chinese from Chinese II to the AP courses at the Upper School. Jiang taught in China, Singapore and Norway before moving to Los Angeles in 2009 to teach at a parent’s association at Santa Monica College. Jiang has written articles for the Myriad Journal and papers on Chinese typology for conferences in China, Singapore and the United States. “The articles I published help me to build a very solid background,” Jiang said. Jiang said she is nervous but excited to meet students. “I am anxious about the new life, especially the first year, but I am very happy to be working with my students and my very good teaching team,” she said. —Cole Feldman

Aaron Bluestein will join the foreign language department this year to teach sections in both Spanish III and Spanish III Honors. “I am most looking forward to working with so many extremely bright and motivated students and an incredibly supportive team of passionate and seasoned teachers,” Bluestein said. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Bluestein worked at the Education First Foundation of Foreign Studies for 10 years before earning his Master’s at Columbia University Teachers College. Bluestein moved to California to get a change from New York City and to be closer to his brother, who was living in the Los Angeles area. —Henry Vogel

Math Department

JESSICA SPITZ/CHRONICLE

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/CHRONICLE

Six newcomers will join the middle school faculty this year. Three will go to arts departments and three to academics.

BENJAMIN MOST/CHRONICLE

Jason Fieldman ’98

Kasia Williams

Joe Busch

Jason Fieldman ’98 will teach Design and Data Structures Honors, Advanced Topics in Computer Science and Precalculus: Trig & Functions at the Upper School. Fieldman attended University of California, Berkeley for his bachelor’s degree and worked as a software developer at Stealth Startup and Aha Mobile. Middle school programming teacher Jessica Kaufman heard that Fieldman was making apps and asked him to speak to students. After a few talks, upper school math department head Paula Evans asked Fieldman to speak to the upper school students. Fieldman substituted a few times and decided teaching was more fun than coding. “It’s much more rewarding when working with kids and seeing the reactions of the kids and seeing them happy and it makes you feel proud,” he said. — Sid Kucheria

Kasia Williams began ballroom dancing when she was 11 and continued throughout her high school career in Poland, where she lived. As Williams got older, she realized her skill level was behind her age group, so dancing became just a hobby for her. Williams did not leave the ballroom behind when she moved to the United States at age 18 and joined a dance troupe. She has practice once a week and said she hopes to balance her dance career with eaching in the upper school math department. Williams is looking forward to teaching her Algebara II, Topics in Calculus and Statistics and Introduction to Calculus Honors classes. “I don’t know what to expect,” Williams said. “I don’t know if my teaching approach will reach all the students. I always like the moment when they go ‘ooh, I get it!’” — Caitlin Neapole

Joe Busch will teach AP Statistics, Advanced Honors Seminar in Math and Algebra 2 with Analysis this year. Born in New Jersey and raised in Connecticut, Busch went to college in Boston and got a master’s degree from NYU. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he received a fellowship to study mathematical logic at University of California at Los Angeles and earned his PhD. Busch also has experience at internet-based companies such as Monster.com and Lycos, where he worked before beginning his teaching career. He is especially excited about Harvard-Westlake’s collaborative math department and motivated students. “Mathematics is very elegant and beautiful and full of surprises, and I really enjoy working with students and having them see this side of mathematics,” Busch said. — Benjamin Most

excited about. “Working with the students is the most exciting part,” he said. “It’s fun to see students get excited doing what I love to do.” When Schmall isn’t working in his time consuming job of light design he enjoys being outdoors. “I go running and biking. I bike to work almost every day,” Schmall said.

— Jonah Ullendorff

>> Joe Schenck After teaching dance at schools and studios in Los Angeles for the past seven years, Joe Schenck will be a new dance teacher at the Middle School. Schenck will teach Contemporary Dance Workshop I and II as well as Dance Production. “I’m honestly most excited for getting into the studio with the students and turning

on the music and dancing with them,” Schenck said.” Schenck is a current core member of Diduolo Dance Theatre Company. “The company is a sitespecific dance company so we create dance pieces in unique locations using architecture and space instead of putting in just on a flat stage,” Schenck said.

— Kelly Loeb

>> Lilas Lane Lilas Lane, a former actress and SAT and ACT tutor, will join the middle school history department this year. Lane has been interested in history since early childhood when her father would recite Chaucer’s work in the original Old English. When she was an undergraduate, she was not planning to become a history major. However, she found herself

taking an increasing number of history classes and realized that was part of who she was. “There’s a relationship with history and acting because [acting] is getting into someone else’s life and trying to understand and embody it in a certain way,” Lane said. “That’s what history is; it’s thinking about the similarities of what people felt then and what I feel now.”

— Sharon Chow

>> Claire Cochran ’06 Claire Cochran ’06 will teach Visual Arts 7 and Mixed Media classes at the Middle School after acting as an assistant to upper school visual arts teacher Marianne Hall last year. Cochran has taught history courses at the Charter High School of the Arts Multimedia and Performing. However, this will be the Harvard-Westlake grad’s first

time teaching studio art in a formal classroom setting. “It’s interesting because for me, graduating HarvardWestlake seems like two years ago even though I graduated in 2006,” Cochran said. “It feels really, really recent so I am excited to kind of have a relatively recent perspective on being a student here and engaging kids in art.”

— Sacha Lin

>> Mercedes Barletta Mercedes Barletta moved to Los Angeles two weeks ago and will begin teaching Latin at the Middle School this year. Barletta will teach all grades and all levels of Latin. She and fellow Latin teacher Moss Pike decided to change the direction of the curriculum to focus more on the culture on which the language was founded. “I’m

really excited to work with colleagues who are as interested in the cultural aspect of Latin as I am,” Barletta said. Barletta attended Wesleyan College, where she double-majored in classical civilization and archaeology. “I’m excited to be in a new city and continue the work I love,” Barletta said.

— Lauren Rothman

Jennifer Lechevallier ’98

Jennifer Lechevallier ’98 will return to the middle school campus to teach French 1A, 1B and 1 New classes. After graduating from Bard College in New York with a B.A. in French Studies and a semester abroad in Paris taking classes at The University of Sorbonne IV. After college, Lechevallier pursued a career in film, working in film production and development.

However she soon found her way back to language, teaching both French and Spanish to students through a private company, and now her job at the Middle School. “There’s a lot of faculty here who taught me, which is completely surreal and amazing; they really remember you, which is a surprise,” Lechevallier said. “It’s a really special community.”

— Kelly Riopelle

C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Los Angeles • Volume XXIII • Issue I • Aug. 27, 2013 • hwchronicle.com

Editors in Chief: Jack Goldfisher, Noa Yadidi Managing Editors: Claire Goldsmith, Sarah Novicoff, Jensen Pak, Patrick Ryan

Opinion The Chronicle • Aug. 27, 2013

Executive Editors: Julia Aizuss, Lizzy Thomas Presentations Editors: Mazelle Etessami, Sydney Foreman, Emily Segal Sports Editor: Grant Nussbaum News Managing Editors: Elizabeth Madden, Lauren Sonnenberg News Section Heads: Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski, Nikta Mansouri, Jake Saferstein, J.J. Spitz News Assistants: Justine Chen, Cole Feldman, Kristen Gourrier, Eugenia Ko, Jonathan Seymour, Jonah Ullendorff Opinion Managing Editors: Beatrice Fingerhut, Kyla Rhynes Opinion Section Heads: Haley Finkelstein, Kenneth Schrupp Opinion Assistants: Alexa Bowers, Kelly Riopelle Features Managing Editors: Eojin Choi, Morganne Ramsey, Lauren Siegel Features Section Heads: Carly Berger, Marcella Park, David Woldenberg Features Assistants: Angela Chon, Sacha Lin, Benjamin Most, Su Jin Nam, Lauren Rothman A&E Managing Editors: James Hur, Alexander McNab A&E Section Heads: Leily Arzy, Zoe Dutton A&E Assistants: Sharon Chow, Siddharth Kucheria, Kelly Loeb, Pim Otero Sports Managing Editors: Lucy Putnam, Sam Sachs Sports Section Heads: Elijah Akhtarzad, Mila Barzdukas, Jordan Garfinkel, Tyler Graham Sports Assistants: Bennett Gross, Caitlin Neapole, Henry Vogel Chief Copy Editors: Jivani Gengatharan, Enya Huang, Jessica Lee Managing Editors of Chronicle Multimedia: Henry Hahn, Eric Loeb Art Director: Jacob Goodman Chief Photographer: Scott Nussbaum Ads

and

Business Manager: Tara Stone

Chronicle Online Webmasters: David Gisser, Josh Shapiro Adviser: Kathleen Neumeyer

The Chronicle is the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School. It is published nine times per year. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon, 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 Tara Stone at 310430-8537. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

Dear Mr. President

Tom Hudnut may be a tough act to follow, but we have high hopes for Rick Commons’ first year as president of school. We even have a few suggestions. Welcome to Harvard-Westlake, Mr. Commons—we know that coming after Tom Hudnut, Harvard-Westlake’s very own George Washington, you have a lot riding on your shoulders. Your arrival coincides with our school’s metaphorical exit from college into adulthood as it turns 22. With adulthood comes new responsibility, so here, in no particular order, is a list of suggestions to keep in mind. 1) Make ninth grade feel more like high school: Ninth grade is great: you’re the big man on campus, you get to play on high school sports teams and you still get a week off for retreat. That said, ninth grade feels like an extra year of middle school. A student can step on the upper school campus the first day of 10th grade never having been there before, and that’s not okay. All-school convocation is a good step, and there should be more integrated high school events throughout the year. 2) Bring back semiformal: It’s been three years since the events that led to semiformal’s cancellation. Most of the upper school never attended semiformal, and the seniors who did were not involved with or invited to the afterparty in question. Although the past two years have brought valiant attempts to make up for semiformal’s absence, the fact remains that we don’t have a single formal high school dance. We’ve learned from our predecessors’ mistakes, but now we’re missing out on a crucial rite of passage, and we want it back. 3) Sell gum and mints in the cafeteria: We know this isn’t that important, but hear us out.

They taste good, they make your breath smell good and they’re not completely unhealthy (like the candy that we still miss). It’s a win/win/win situation—what’s not to like? 4) Set midterms before winter break: Let’s settle this debate once and for all. Having midterms in January doesn’t save the last week before break for holiday fun and merriment; it creates a set of pseudo-midterms, where you’re tested in every subject that last week of school, and then again during official midterms week a mere month later. With midterms earlier, the new year would truly mean a new, less stressful start. 5) Forge a relationship with the student body: There’s no question Tom Hudnut was an excellent leader who transformed HarvardWestlake into the school it is today. However, after his role shifted from headmaster to president, many students’ sole interaction with him was shaking his hand at commencement. We applaud your decision to put your office in Seaver Hall, closer to the student body, and we hope to see you make similar endeavors to get to know us. We’ll wave on our way to history class; maybe we could do lunch. We know this doesn’t all fall under your direct jurisdiction. However, these suggestions come straight from members of your new student body, so please consider them as you settle into campus. Best, The Chronicle Editorial Board

Aug. 27, 2013

hwchronicle.com/opinion

Opinion A13

Continuing a failing tradition By Julia Aizuss

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

Already feeling swamped By Beatrice Fingerhut

tarting at the moment you reach the upper school, it hits you. Each year that sensation multiplies until it slowly dictates your life. We all deal with stress in different ways. Some choose to wallow in it doing nothing about it. Others drown themselves in work hoping to somehow lighten that burden. Most people assume that junior year is probably the hardest year of your high school career. That said, I believe that the most challenging time of all is the summer before senior year. The school year has just begun but I already feel swamped. A summer junior questionnaire remains partially completed - one that I promised to send my dean a couple of weeks ago-, my SAT tutor has me doing multiple sections a night before my Oct. 5 testing date, and my college counselor awaits another draft of my essay for the Common App. There aren’t any classes yet, no homework to complete, no tests to study for, yet I already feel like I’m drowning.

I started working on my common app the day it came out, I was working on my essay since early July and I began to study again for the SAT almost immediately after school ended. So the question remains, why am I feeling so unprepared? What I seem to have forgotten to include in my work ethic equation is one simple factor: summer. While we feel it may be everlasting, where each day feels longer than the 24 hours it possesses, it is in reality fleeting. It was just yesterday I was starting my internship in early July, and here I am now speeding towards my first day of senior year. From the beginning of seventh grade I remember being told by every teacher that time management will make or break you. It all felt so much simpler when summer was mostly exempt from such worries. Now, when having to factor in the stigma attached to becoming a senior, this juggling act becomes even more challenging. We all want our last year of high school

to have meaning. We want to spend time with our friends, solidifying those friendships because more likely than not we will no longer live 20 minutes away from each other. In this last year of transition we are pushed towards adulthood and the need to make the decisions that will benefit us the most. Sometimes that means seeing your friends, but in other instances it may be choosing school work and college applications. A true mark of maturity is the ability to weigh your options and see which is the more important. The right choice isn’t always the exciting one, and quite often we might feel like we’re missing out. Learning how to make the best decisions can help us manage our stress and cut down on some sleepless nights that we all know are coming. There are always going to be tough choices that we have to make. The earlier we learn how to readily accept them and come out on top, the easier future experiences will be once we’re on our own.

s a newly minted senior, I have many traditions to savor this year. Just last week we lunched with our teachers at a senior/faculty barbecue, and next month promises ring ceremony. The distant future holds prom, and even beyond that lies senior retreat. But none of these are my favorite senior tradition. No—that honor belongs to the failed senior prank. I admit, I’m a convert. For the past two years, like any good underclassman, I rolled my eyes when rumor spread of a brewing scheme and groaned at the sight of water balloons. My friends and I would agree angrily with one another: They’re not even funny! They’re not even original! If you’re going to prank us, think of something better than yet another water balloon flung down from the Seaver courtyard! All that changed with the creation of the senior Facebook group (I’m not sure if its existence is supposed to be a secret, but I doubt I’m revealing anything unprecedented here). Aside from the first post, in which Head Prefect Henry Hahn ’14 had the gall to post a calm and sensible reminder about the senior/ faculty barbecue, every post has proposed a prank. Initially, I was as annoyed as ever, judgmental of every Facebook notification I received. However, as the notifications continued pouring into my inbox, I began to regard them with an avuncular fondness. Oh, you meddling kids, I thought as I read the latest silly proposal. What will you think of next? And when will you give up on this latest plan? For that, I realized, is the

joy of the senior prank. Hiding under each bright-eyed and bushy-tailed proposal is a weary, cynical self-awareness: like those of our forebears, these pranks will not come true, and in due time we will resort to the time-honored tradition of haphazard water balloons flung down onto the quad from the courtyard of Seaver Hall. True, not every senior class ended up only toting water balloons. Still, none of these have boasted any great success, from the class of 2013, whose food fight weaponry was confiscated, to the class of 2007, who performed an inconsequential, easily fixed license plate prank. (Reading the Chronicle story, I’m still not sure why the ’07 seniors thought taping fake plates over the juniors’ cars’ license plates was clever.) What would happen if the class of 2014 pulled off that most mythical creature, the successful prank? What even constitutes a successful prank? These aren’t the philosophical questions I typically wrestle with, but as far as I’m concerned, we would betray history if we succeeded. What makes the senior prank traditional is its inevitable failure. As the playwright Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” If anything, I’m just hoping for a better, funnier failure this year. One senior, with something rather Beckettian in mind, posted in our Facebook group, “Prank: Board games in the lounge. Maybe Prefect Council can help set this up.” The proposal is, of course, utterly ridiculous. Since it’s a complete anti-prank, it’s a perfect failure. Now that’s the kind of success I can get behind.

Provide more opportunities for the study of humanities By Claire Goldsmith

did not spend my summer working in a lab at UCLA, but that doesn’t mean what I did with my time was worthless. If you’re passionate about the sciences and you work as a research assistant, that’s fantastic. Every summer, my classmates are injecting rats’ eyeballs at USC or in an internship program at Children’s Hospital. They seem to learn a lot from the graduate students and surgeons who supervise them, and it must be incredible to get that kind of access and experience even as a high school student. If you’re interested in the humanities, however, it’s much more complicated. For one thing, there are

far fewer opportunities for humanities research available, particularly at the high school level. On every college tour, student representatives tout the wide-ranging opportunities available for English and history majors to do research, but there are far fewer school-supported options here. As a senior, you can do an independent study – if your schedule isn’t too heavy already, if you find a faculty member who is willing to support you, if you can get it approved and find the necessary resources on your own. Marlborough School started a program to help its students find research positions in scientific fields. Two

years after its inception, the program expanded to include the humanities with the Honors Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Program. Thanks to the program, Marlborough students have worked at the Hammer Museum, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Political Science Department at UCLA, to name but a few positions. Perhaps the fledgling HW Works program will grow to include humanities research opportunities for HarvardWestlake students, but in the meantime, you’re on your own. I worked at a public radio station as the Assistant Producer for a news analysis

show, but I certainly didn’t get a citation for curing Alzheimer’s. I think this is indicative of a larger problem. So often, it seems that STEM fields are weighed far more heavily than languages or history. You can start taking honors science and math classes as early as ninth grade, yet there are no advanced English or history options until two years later. Even then, there is a much wider variety of sciences and many more levels of math than of any humanities discipline. More classes means more class periods, leading to more flexibility in scheduling math or science classes. It becomes much easier to add AP Biology than AP World History,

and the cycle feeds on itself and repeats. I realize this is an immemorial complaint – one without an easy solution and fraught with many more considerations than I probably know. At the very least, though, the school could benefit from a more egalitarian attitude when weighing these two areas of study. Math-science subjects are not inherently more valuable or more important than any other discipline. A cultured and civilized society needs both the arts and the sciences to thrive. I applaud those students who pursue their scientific passions, but we should remember that the humanities are important too.

A14 Opinion

The Chronicle

Aug. 27, 2013

I’m still attached to my life in China By Alex McNab

felt like crying right there in the middle of the baggage claim, and it wasn’t because I was happy to see my mom, who was hugging me now, holding me tight as though she believed that, if she squeezed hard enough, she’d be able to drain the nine months that I’d spent away as a student at the high school foreign exchange program School Year Abroad China right out of me. I wished she would stop. Standing there seeing my family beaming, joyous at my return made me feel like a jerk because I was supposed to be happy too, but I wasn’t. I felt bad, and it wasn’t because I’d just been sitting on a plane for 13 hours. I didn’t want to be back. In fact, LAX was the very last place I wanted to be. Living in a different place with different people for a year gave me a clearer perspective on the life I have in Los Angeles, and what I saw wasn’t good. It’s not that I don’t like my life here. It’s just that I like living in China more. Every conversation I have, every person I meet, every place that I go, I automatically compare to its Chinese equivalent; figuring that, were I in China, I would be discussing more engaging things, meeting more interesting people and going to more bizarre places. There wouldn’t be anything so wrong with my desire to be someplace else except that the place to which I want to return no longer exists. Of course China is still there, and the school, teachers, house and family with which I lived are still stuck in the same daily routines that occupied them while I was living in Beijing, but the people that I miss the most, the S.Y.A. China class of 2013, are no more. We have all dispersed to our own separate

parts of the country, each of us faced with similar struggles as we try to reconcile our three lives: life before, during, and after our S.Y.A. experience. I used to assume that seeing my friends from S.Y.A., even if we were not in China, would be enough to satisfy my desire to go back to Beijing, but I met up with eight of my colleagues this summer, and, although I enjoyed seeing them, not one person succeeded in making me any less attached to the life in China that I miss so much. These kids were an essential part of my experience, but they were only one piece of the totally new lifestyle I’d developed during my time abroad, and, without the other pieces, it just didn’t feel right. Talking about food with Ansley wasn’t the same if we weren’t at Jenny Lou’s, an expat supermarket in Beijing, trying to figure out which western ingredients they sold. Gossiping with Evan about the current status of Tamar and Noa’s love life seemed meaningless when it was considered that, by the time we next saw them, they likely wouldn’t even remember most of the details of their relationship. The sweet nothings I whispered to my girlfriend when I visited her home in Honolulu this summer seemed, for the first time, to really mean nothing since we both acknowledged the fact that we could never be together long distance. What’s the point to all this? I guess that’s what I’m trying to find out. At the moment, I cannot say, and I’m not exactly partial to the process of discovering the deeper meaning behind my abroad experience. For now, I’m just waiting for senior year to be over so that I can graduate and go to college, where I’ll start my next big adventure.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

Escaping my comfort zone By Eojin Choi

ne of my goals in life is to step on the soil of every single country in the world. Not quite realistic, I know, but I like the sound of it. This summer, I added Mongolia to my short list of countries I have been to. As part of a program called the Experiment in International Living, I played a flicking game with anklebones, attempted to throat sing and watched a sunrise in the Gobi with 14 other American students. Although I usually prefer travelling alone, I came to appreciate the company of my new friends and the drama that they brought along. After all, these people were my family for 31 days. The best part of the trip, however, was when we could not see each other for a week during the nomadic homestay. In the countryside, I lived with my host parents and sisters in a ger, a traditional, portable dwelling, surrounded by hundreds of sheep, goats, horses and cows. I experienced some culture shock at first; the first thing I saw was a goat being slaughtered and hung up on the wall. Being

Unplug, if just for a day By Noa Yadidi

few days ago, my uncle and I somehow got into a disagreement over whether Sydney or Canberra is the capital of Australia. After a bet was made, an iPhone was whipped out, “capital city of Australia” was Googled and within seconds the dispute was settled (I won the bet). There are so many times daily where this almost exact situation occurs – a small nugget of information is unknown or disputed and then easily researched and found out. No longer are long debates over simple facts necessary, and such knowledge even raises the level of discussion. On an average day, I use the internet a lot, as most of my peers do. I will casually check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram a few times

throughout the day, and then keep them open in the background as I work on my computer in the evening. As a newspaper-lover and news enthusiast, the somewhat occasional study break is normally used to quickly browse social media, send a message to a friend or follow links to the Associated Press website or to the expertlydesigned USA Today website. One could imagine my dismay when I got to my great-uncle’s beach house in a tiny seaside village in the south of Italy with not one means of connection to the outside world. The one television in the house, although plugged in, would not turn on, and the rotary phone that used to be in the hallway was gone – I was afraid of the

separated from the group and not hearing a word in English besides “Los Angeles” was also tough. Having to flick beetles off my face in the middle of the night was definitely not something I will miss. I could go on about how they didn’t even have bathrooms, but it didn’t really matter because in the end I was able to adjust. What I found more important were the walks to the river with my host sister, where we took up some water to wash our hair and clothes; my daily chores, like carrying a fresh bucket of mare’s milk and fermenting it to make aira; and new sights, like seeing a six-year-old boy herding animals while galloping on a horse three times his size. While I could not cook or handle animals as well as my family, I was trying to learn as much as I could about their lives. Despite the language barrier, I was welcomed into the family and even started to pick up on some Mongolian phrases. I almost felt like I was becoming more and more Mongolian. Except I really wasn’t. I realized that no matter how

much I tried, I would never be able to fully immerse myself in Mongolian culture. I do not speak Mongolian, nor am I Mongolian by birth. Even if I were beginning to understand some of the more subtle cultural differences such as their views on time, privacy and nature, I understood that I would never get the full experience of being Mongolian. Why then, do I want to travel so much? Is it to try something new? To try new foods, meet new people? Is it for the adrenaline rush that comes with going off the beaten path? Yes, it is, but there is a little bit more to it. While I may never get to see the entire picture, I am taking away a piece of it to contribute to my own picture. More specifically, there are certain advantages that come with having a Korean-American background in Mongolia, like the ability to compare and contrast three different cultures. Traveling forms new connections and opens me up to new perspectives that make my experience unique. And most of all, who doesn’t enjoy riding a camel?

Taking a break from using your cell phone, TV or the internet can open your eyes to endless possibilities.

puzzled looks I would receive if I asked about Wi-Fi. There was no chance I was getting on the internet any time soon. You know a village is small when a Wikipedia page doesn’t exist for it, nobody speaks a word of English, everyone is somehow your cousin and absolutely none of them have Wi-Fi. The first day, I didn’t know how I was going to get through another week of nothing. I pictured all of the potential news stories happening in the world that were passing me by. It seemed like I was stuck while the world was moving without me. It occurred to me then, that if there had been a terrorist attack, or some sort of major news event, we would have no way of finding out.

But after the first day of initial shock, I started to see the silver lining. By shutting off for just a week, my eyes opened and focused on the amazing opportunity I had in front of me: a whole week of beaches, cousins and food. The inability to find any sort of Wi-Fi connection allowed me to experience the week to its full capacity as I couldn’t just retreat away alone to my phone or computer. It wasn’t easy, but everyone should try it. Pick a day and turn everything off. Turn off your cellphone, don’t turn on the TV, shut off the Wi-Fi for a day. Clear your mind, read a book, catch up on some sleep, have a conversation with your family, play a game together – you’ll find that the possibilities are endless once

you take yourself out of that bubble. Not only did it allow me absorb all I could out of my vacation, but it also gave me a greater appreciation for the technology I might take for granted on an average day. Needless to say, as soon as I could I quickly “plugged back in” only to find that I hadn’t missed much. Sure, I missed a few stories here and there, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter because what I gained from shutting off far exceeded what I could have if I didn’t. Although it might be some time before my next “detoxification,” I’m glad I was forced to plug out so that I could enjoy what Italy had to offer. You never know what can happen when you unplug – until you try.

Aug. 27, 2013

hwchronicle.com/opinion

Letters

‘From caring comes courage’

BEATRICE FINGERHUT/CHRONICLE

TAKING CHARGE: Editors-in-Chief Noa Yadidi ’14 and Jack Goldfisher ’14 hope to increase communication in the student body.

Get in touch, get involved With the investiture of a new president, brand new community-building ventures, an online newspaper that is just a year old and a redesigned print newspaper that caters to a more visual generation, you might be expecting a grandiose statement about how quickly we’re moving forward in this time of change. We’re eager to take advantage of the possibilities this year will afford us, but we’d be remiss to keep our eyes trained straight ahead. As part of our coverage of Tom Hudnut’s departure last spring, we scoured 20 bound volumes of Harvard-Westlake newspapers for pictures of the school’s first leader. Poring over these yellowing, worn pages we noticed that, until recently, The Chronicle’s ongoing conversation with the student body felt a lot like a dialogue. Now, it seems there is little feedback when we publish an issue. No conversations overheard on the quad about an article we’ve published, no lively debates over an editorial. Space on the walls in Weiler Hall is getting crowded with plaques we’ve won, so we know our product is still critically competitive with the best high school publications in the world. To us, engaging with you is as worthwhile as entering our paper in any contest, and our predecessors of 10 years ago did an excellent job of this. Many of you frequent The Chronicle’s Twitter feed and hwchronicle.com, and our Facebook page has more than

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1,000 likes. A number of stories posted online have been read by far more people than the number of newspapers we print each month. We know you’re engaged in the content we’re producing, from videos and photo galleries to old-fashioned articles, but enthusiasm for interacting with us is waning. We know that our student body is intelligent and involved, and we know that the lack of engagement isn’t due to apathy. Like your head prefects, we encourage you to communicate with us in order to effect change in our community. In the same way that print is no longer our only avenue to reach you, we’re available through our Facebook and Twitter, our website and our email. Gone perhaps are the days of handwritten letters to the editors, but that doesn’t mean communication should be cut. Leave an aggressive note on a post, message us on Facebook or comment on a YouTube video. New for this year, we’ll be featuring opinion articles written by students not on our staff. If you want to write a guest column for us, let us know your idea and we’ll help you print it and publish it online. In an increasingly digital world, we’re asking you to help best inform and reflect the student body our paper was created for. Communicate more, be more, Jack Goldfisher ’14 and Noa Yadidi ’14, Editors-inchief

It has been our practice for the past several years to introduce a character education theme or motto at the beginning of each school year. The mottos are intended to be aspirational, to give all of us—students, teachers and coaches on both HW campuses—common language, a common experience, and a point of departure for conversations about character. This year, I chose to focus on “courage.” I suggest that if there is a single quality one needs to lead a good life—not necessarily an easy life, but a good life—it is courage. Courage to say yes, as in “yes, I can” or “yes, I’ll try”—or courage to

BEATRICE FINGERHUT/CHRONICLE

STEPPING UP: Head Prefects Henry Hahn ’14 and Ashley Sacks ’14 plan to create a greater sense of community this year.

Making a lasting difference It’s a new year and a new beginning; we have a new president and many new opportunities for change. Our transition to the heads of student government coincides with arguably the biggest administrative shift this school has undergone since its merger in 1992, and we feel privileged to be inaugurated at the same convocation as new President Rick Commons. Former President Tom Hudnut did an enormous amount for every facet of this institution, and he has created a school and environment that is difficult not to be proud of, even though it was already an impressive place 26 years ago when he first took

The Chronicle asked:

“What can President Rick Commons do to improve the school?” “If Mr. Commons gave more talks or just talked to us more, I think it would be better.” —Nick Abouzeid ’15

“He could organize more events to reduce the stress of senior year and college applications.”

—Zoe Bohn ’14

“I wish freshmen would interact more with the upper campus, so he could focus on that.”

—Jake Suddleson ’16

say no, as in “no, this bounce forward, is not right—not now, and the bouncing not ever.” forward part, in The great thing particular, takes about courage is that, courage. unlike innate talA few weeks ent or good looks or ago, I found a reathletic ability, there is markable reference no limit on how much to the word “couryou can have. Courage age.” Attributed to nathanson’s can be developed. It is the ancient Chinese Jeanne a renewable resource. philosopher and Huybrechts If you didn’t have poet, Lao Tzu, it courage the last time appears early in one you needed it, you can still get of the most important texts in some before you will need it Chinese culture—the Tao Te again. Ching. This year’s character Courage is linked to resiltheme is “From Caring Comes iency, another quality you will Courage.” want to cultivate. Resilient — Jeanne Huybrechts people bounce back and they Head of School

office as headmaster. With a new administrator in command, there is more room for fresh perspective and ambitions for new goals that elaborate on the vision President Hudnut set forth. Last spring, we had the pleasure of giving Commons a tour around campus and discussing the student experience at HarvardWestlake. It became clear to all of us that the next issue to tackle in this era of leadership would be the difficulty of maintaining a strong sense of community and school spirit amid the notorious workload that Harvard-Westlake often places upon its students. Finding a way to preserve a fun environment and ap-

preciation for one another despite rigorous academics and a grueling college application process is crucial if we want our school to continue to thrive as the community we are so proud to be a part of. It almost goes without saying that this newspaper is the strongest bond of community that our school has to offer. Certainly at the Upper School, where the Daily Bulletin is not read every week at an assembly, the Chronicle represents one of the few special organizations and publications that has such a wide reach on campus and such a strong role in keeping our community on the same page. It is for that reason that we hope not only to continue to build a strong relationship with our award-winning paper, but also to expand upon the existing avenues of communication in order to better inform our community as a whole. We look forward to working with the student body to help create new traditions and to foster a better sense of community at HarvardWestlake. If we are successful in our endeavors, we stand to not only make a difference in our time on campus, but to impact generations to come. — Ashley Sacks ’14 and Henry Hahn ’14 Head Prefects

“What aspect of HarvardWestlake would you like new Stressful President Rick atmosphere Commons to 179 devote the most attention to?” 360 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll

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Eat and Greet

Aug. 27, 2013

The class of 2014 reunited with faculty on the quad at the annual Senior/Faculty Barbecue Thursday, Aug. 22 .

6 4 PHOTOS BY SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

BONDING OVER BBQ: 1. Students and faculty members enjoy lunch at the tables on the quad to kick off the beginning of senior year. 2. Shelby Heitner ’14, Caroline Watts ’14 and Donhem Brown ’14 share stories about their summer jobs. 3. Hana Chop ’14, Alisha Bansal ’14, Amanda Reiter ’14 and Chelsea Pan ’14 chat with visual arts teacher Marianne Hall while Executive Assistant to the Head of Athletics Shauna Altieri passes by. 4. Senior Alumni Officer Harry Salamandra welcomes seniors back to school for the barbecue and discusses the success of the HW Works program, which helps students find connections for jobs and internships. 5. Brooke Bagnall ’14 and Mackenzie Howe ’14 catch up with Spanish teacher Joaquin Fernandez-Castro. 6. Latin teacher Paul Chenier shows off a picture of his new car to Alisha Bansal ’14 and Kay McCarthy ’14.

Features The Chronicle • Aug. 27, 2013

Four worldly fellows After winning either the Junior Summer Fellowship or the Gunter-Gross Asia Initiative Summer Fellowship, four seniors embarked to different corners of the world to explore their interests. By Julia Aizuss

ay you have a few thousand dollars to spend on 12 weeks of summer. If you’re not already committed to an internship, summer program or trip abroad, the money could finance three months of hardwon relaxation. After waking up luxuriously late at 11 a.m., a student might spend some of it when they head over to Venice Beach or on parking at

the Getty Museum. Dinner at, say, Katsuya would leave the student’s wallet a little emptier, and dessert at Blockhead’s Shavery would take a couple dollars more. Repeat for the rest of the summer, with some variation in the excursions, and that would be that: the money gone and the student satisfied. But not every student’s idea of a perfect summer entails weeks of well-deserved leisure in Los Angeles. For this past year’s recipients of

the $3,500 Junior Fellowship and the $4,500 Gunter-Gross Asia Initiative grants, the perfect summer meant something else. It meant the chance to deepen their understanding of a subject they love. It meant the chance to go abroad so that they could encounter firsthand what they had previously studied only in books, online or in the classroom. It meant the chance to learn for themselves what time in a classroom could never teach.

Shelby Heitner ’14 traveled to England to study the effects of the bubonic plague, Mazelle Etessami ’14 to Haiti to volunteer and take photographs, Sinclair Cook ’14 to China to research the simplification of the Chinese language and Divya Siddarth ’14 to India to study at a yoga institute. Although their fellowships took them to disparate corners of the globe, they’re united by their commitment to bring back what they learned to Los Angeles.

B2 Features

The Chronicle

Aug. 27, 2013

Six ways to spend the summer

Perfecting quadrocopters at JPL By Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

Christian Stewart ’15 spent his summer as a paid intern at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, part of California Institute of Technology, working on quadrocopters, which are small four-rotor helicopters. JPL, funded by the United States government, is the laboratory that created innovations such as the Mars Rover “Curiosity” and all the robots used by NASA. The problem with the quadrocopters is that they are extremely unstable when flown by hand and rely on undependable GPS. Stewart worked five days a week alongside undergraduates and post-doctorates with the goal of replacing the power-hungry computers on the quadrocopters and putting in place a lighter, more efficient processor.

Stewart and his group also made the quadrocopter rely on the more dependable visionbased algorithm, where a 3D map is created for the quadrocopter to maneuver with. Possible uses for the quadrocopter range from inspecting pipelines, buildings and cranes to scouting through forests. “There are really unlimited things you can do with this sort of a system,” Stewart said. During his time at JPL, Stewart was also able to present a demo of the quadrocopter system to the Head of JPL, Charles Elachi. His work was considered so successful that JPL invited him back to work throughout the year to continue the development. “I’ve seen so many cool things, from the clone of “Curiosity” used to test software before it is uploaded to the real

Rover, to new mission development,” Stewart said. Stewart said that seeing the rover was one of his two favorite experiences at the lab. The other was taking a tour of Mission Control floor. His road to JPL started when Stewart presented his civilian autonomous micro airplane project at the Los Angeles Science Fair, where he had the idea to take military technology and put it into an affordable plane which can be used for forestry, industrial and land uses. His presentation caught the attention of a CalTech scientist, and he was invited to be an intern at one of the laboratories. Stewart worked on low-noise amplifiers, which are devices that amplify noise without adding any interference. His mentor then forwarded Stewart’s resume to scientists at JPL.

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Cycling across the country in 40 days By Tara Stone

the cross country trip is kind of the big one, it is what you’ve Before the last school year been building up to,” Goodman even drew to a close, Jacob said. “It’s supposed to be the Goodman ’15 cumulative was already experience of out on almost Overland.” Once you’re part all of his SatThe prourdays, trying of the Overland biking gram’s group to get in as 10, led by community, the cross of much physitwo college country trip is the big s t u d e n t s , cal preparation as posone, it is what you’ve biked an essible for his timated 3,118 been building up to.” six-week, miles in 40 cross-coun—Jacob Goodman ’15 days. try biking Traveling trip with the an average of Overland summer program. 80 miles per day, the bikers Goodman would average 50 stopped at different cities evmiles per day, building upon ery night. this number until he finally Starting just south of departed for Charleston, S.C., Charleston, the high school the starting point of the trip, students cycled to Los Angeon June 21. les. Highlights for Goodman This summer endeavor, were the Rockies, San Franthe American Challenge, was cisco and the Grand Canyon. Goodman’s fourth biking trip Unlike most Overland with Overland. He had previ- trips, the American Challenge ously completed the Vermont, group used tents for only two Pacific Coast and European out of the six weeks, staying Challenge trips. for the most part in small“Once you’re part of the town churches, as well as in Overland biking community, community centers and mo-

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tels. “There’s no way around bonding with these guys on this trip,” Goodman said. “You have the same goal in mind, the same struggles, the same pitfalls, because everything rides on the group. If one member of the group fails, the whole group is there to support them.” The cyclists all carried a Camelbak water bottle in their backpack and held their possessions in two paniers, or saddlebags, strapped to the backs of their bikes. The “Challenge Day,” common to most Overland trips, requires the bikers to start biking at 3 a.m. and reach their destination in the afternoon during the California desert section of the trip. The early time was meant to beat the heat, as the sun did not rise until 6 a.m., yet the students still fought their way through 85 degree desert air. Goodman dealt with obstacles like this by relaxing. “I think the thing on Overland trips is, at some point, you have to let go,” Goodman said.

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Working at Teen Vogue not ‘Devil Wears Prada’ By Leily Arzy

iter considers herself lucky because high school students Amanda Reiter ’14 found typically are not allowed to inout about an interntern for more than ship at Teen Vogue a few days. almost by chance. Reiter’s work “It was a really hours ran from 9 fluke incident how a.m. to 7 p.m. every I ended up getting weekday. the internship,” ReShe spent the iter said. majority of her time She met a memworking in the enber of the Teen tertainment deVogue staff at a dinpartment, discussnathanson’s ner party, and they Amanda Reiter ’14 ing upcoming bands exchanged informaand movies. Howtion. ever, Reiter also spent time “She was the only one un- working in the fashion closet der 30 so we started talking, with garments sent by differand we really hit it off,” Reiter ent designers. said. “They gave me a lot of reTwo months before sum- sponsibility which made me mer began, Reiter sent in her feel like they trusted me,” Reresume to Teen Vogue and got iter said. “It was really nice to the four week internship. Re- know that.”

However, Reiter also did typical intern work which included picking up coffee and lunches, sending out packages, titling stories and transcribing interviews. Although she was the only teenager, Reiter felt that everyone was very kind to her. “[It was] not at all like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ like you would expect,” Reiter said, laughing. One of the highlights of Reiter’s experience was meeting fashion designer Zac Posen. “It’s funny because before I interned at Teen Vogue I actually worked at an autism clinic for the first part of the summer,” Reiter said. “I like so many different things so I am using the summer to kind of test the waters.”

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF AMANDA REITER

UNCONVENTIONAL: Christian Stewart ’15 stands with the Mars rover “Curiosity” at Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena, top. Jacob Goodman ’15, second from right, celebrates finishing “The American Challenge,” a cross-country biking trip, at the Santa Monica Pier, center. The “Teen Vogue” office in New York, NY, where Amanda Reiter ’14 worked for a month this summer, bottom.

Aug. 27, 2013

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B3

From scaling a mountain in Africa to interning for a fashion magazine in New York, students found unconventional ways to spend their summers. This enabled them to explore their interests at home and around the world.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro By Eugenia Ko

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Javi Arango ’16 spent a week trekking up and down the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. Arango and Aria Sarnoff ’16 spent the first weeks of their summer hiking up the 19,000-foot mountain with Rustic Pathways. “I’ve always been interested in climbing,” Sarnoff said. “A few of my family members have climbed mountains in different places of the world and so between hearing all of their stories and finding this opportunity, I knew that this was something I wanted to experience myself.” In order to climb the mountain safely, 10 local experts led the group of 12 American high school students and two guides from Rustic Pathways. Neither sophomore had accomplished anything as physically or mentally demanding

before, and being and hiked regularly the youngest memto prepare, Arango bers of the group, said nothing could both described the train him for the alexperience as the titude. most challenging “Some of the kids thing they had ever were passing out so done. much that they had “It was six days to stop at a certain of endless hiking, altitude while we nathanson’s and the last day kept going,” Arango Javier Arango ’16 was just treachersaid. “One of the ous,” Arango said. leaders stayed with “You wake up at the kids who couldn’t 11 p.m. the night make it.” before and hike 12 Despite the diffihours consecutiveculties, both felt that ly. There is [little arriving at the sumto] no oxygen so it mit was worth it all. gets difficult, but “Reaching the somehow you get summit was one of nathanson’s down and think the best feelings in Aria Sarnoff ’16 ‘Wow, that was fun the world,” Sarnoff somehow.’” said. “After conOn the four-day ascent stantly working so hard at one to the summit, many in the thing for a week, seeing the group considered turning back sign that told me I had finally due to altitude sickness. made it was the most accomAlthough both exercised plished I’ve ever felt.”

Volunteering for Mother Theresa By Lucy Putnam

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After 20 hours of traveling Tara Stone ’14 stepped out of the doors of the airport into Delhi and experienced for the first time the indescribable humidity she would face for the rest of her six week solo trip to India. Stone went directly from the airport in Delhi to the Himachal Pradesh region of the Himalayas, where she volunteered on an EarthWatch expedition entitled “Butterflies and Bees.” She and 14 other volunteers aided scientists studying pollination and the effect of pesticides on the Himalayan bee population. From the Himalayas Stone ventured to Kolkata for the rest of the trip. At her second location Stone went to the “Mother House,” the first mission created by Mother There-

sa to help the destitute. At the Mother House, Stone, along with numerous other travelers, signed up to volunteer as one of Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Every volunteer was tasked with choosing a welfare center in the city to work in. Stone chose to work with slum and street children at the Gandhi Welfare Center, teaching them basic English and math. “Another volunteer told me that she was just glad we were keeping them off the streets, even if it was for just a bit,” Stone said. Stone said she was glad she chose a small center to volunteer at. “This allowed me to have friends to wander through the city with,” Stone said. “Without them I don’t think I would have had the same enriching

experience.” After a few weeks Stone took a five-day excursion to the city of Shillong to get a break from the bustling and cluttered city. There, Stone stayed with a family and another volunteer. The particular family they stayed with entertained extended family regularly. One day, a family member who taught at the local university visited for tea and invited Stone to come speak to his class. “This was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up, so we agreed, but when we got there we were completely unprepared,” Stone said. “It was set up like a press conference and we were talking to an auditorium of students. We discussed the differences between the US and India and even talked politics.”

Going from Rugby stage to York Theatre By Enya Huang

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF COVI BRANNAN

SWITCHING IT UP: Aria Sarnoff ’16 and Javi Arango ’16 arrive at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with their group, top. Tara Stone ’14, right, is dressed in traditional Indian attire, center. Covi Brannan ’15, second from left, poses with the her co-workers at the York Theatre Royal while working there as an intern this summer.

Her role as Varya in last year’s spring production “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov landed Covi Brannan ’15 an internship this summer with the York Theatre Royal in England. Brannan’s performance caught the eye of YTR artistic director Damian Cruden, who directed Donald Freed’s “Tomorrow” in Los Angeles earlier this year. Cruden was impressed with Brannan’s performance and offered her an internship to work on YTR’s production of “The Legend of King Arthur.” The internship was for a month and focused on stage management and production design rather than acting. “I wanted to experience firsthand what it would be like to work in the theatre as an adult,” Brannan said. “Though

I have always been an actress, Annual Putnam County SpellI think it’s very important as ing Bee” at the middle school. an actor to get to know all “There is nothing I’ve ever the other aspects of the the- done that makes me happier ater that go or feel better into making about myself a production [than actbeautiful and ing],” BranI wanted to successful. nan said. experience firsthand Through the “Since fourth years, I’ve acgrade I just what it would be like to tually found knew that work in the theater as that I really theater was an adult. love the techwhat I wantnical part of ed to be doing. —Covi Brannan ’15 I wouldn’t be theater as well. Without happy doing [it], you wouldn’t really have a anything else.” show.” Brannan said that she Brannan said her experi- hopes to act for a living when ences at the internship were she’s older, and wants to do not ones she thinks she could different types of theater in have had in the United States. New York and England. Brannan, an avid partici“I realized in recent years pant in school productions, that I also have a passion for has played Darlene in “The stage management and playDiviners” and acted in “Auntie writing, and that is something Mame” and “Grease.” She also I want to cultivate as I mature assistant-directed “The 25th in my craft.”

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B4 Features

The Chronicle

The mode less traveled

Aug. 27, 2013 Some students choose unconventional methods of transportation, while most of their peers drive or ride the bus.

By Zoe Dutton

ick Ramirez ’14 kills the engine of his Kawasaki Ninja 300 motorcycle and dismounts, removing his helmet and red leather jacket. “Most motorcyclists call cars cages, and that’s exactly how I feel,” Ramirez said. While the majority of students drive or take the bus to school, a few like Ramirez opt for more unconventional forms of transportation. Ramirez has ridden his motorcycle to school since March of last year, and says he enjoys the speed it affords. “It takes me 20 minutes to get to school, even though I live 45 minutes away,” he said. Ramirez said he always wears a helmet and protective jacket when he rides. “When I first got the motorcycle my mom was really freaked but she went to the dealership with me and started to read up on it and now she’s really behind it and thinking about getting one herself,” he said. However, not everyone is on board with Ramirez’s choice of vehicle. “I get either ‘Oh, that’s really cool’ or ‘What do you think you’re doing? That’s the most dangerous and stupid thing you could possibly do,’” Ramirez said. Other students prefer slower means of transport. Kay McCarthy ’14 began riding her childhood scooter to school last year when her parents could not drive her and now uses it up to four days a week. “The trip usually takes me 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how heavy my backpack is,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy lives only two miles from school, but can’t drive herself, because while she has a subway to another license, she lacks a car. metro station to catch “People kind of doubletake [when they see me riding]…,” another bus that drops him McCarthy said. “Some people off at the corner of Ventura and Coldwater think it’s funny. One time, Boulevard some people took it and were Canyon Road, from where he riding around school, which can walk to school. “With traffic, the trip will was fine, but I was trying to take about two hours,” Portillo get home and I was like ‘My said. “Without traffic in the scooter’s gone!’” morning, it’ll take about an Some stuhour and a dents who live half.” close enough Po r t i l l o to school have It takes me 20 said he uses the luxury of time minutes to get to school, the walking. onboard to “I used even though I live 45 rest, since to live a mile minutes away.” it’s usually away, so I’d too bumpy walk or ride —Nick Ramirez ’14 for him to do my bike, but homework. then I moved,” “I’ve been Ben Greene taking the ’14 said. “Now bus since I was 11, so I’m used you can see the upper school flag from my house, so I just to it by now, but driving works miracles so I’d prefer driving walk. It’s great.” Greene said it usually over taking the bus any day…” takes him about five minutes Portillo said, “My dad doesn’t want to teach me how to drive, to get to school. “It’s great to walk because so that’s a first issue… He says you can clear your mind,” I’m not ready yet.” Other students who live Greene said. “I can wake up, closer to school choose to biif I’m good at getting ready, at about 7:40 a.m. Last year, cycle. “I enjoy biking; it’s relaxevery other day I had first and second [period] free, so I ing and a little meditative,” needed to be at school at 9:40. Anser Abbas ’14 said. He rides I didn’t wake up until around his bike half a mile to school every day. 9 or 9:10.” David Goldberg ’15 bicycles Students who live farther a mile to school each morning. from school must allot more “I live so close to school time to transportation. Mario Portillo ’15 wakes that there’s really no point up at 6 a.m. every morning in my driving,” Goldberg said. and catches the public bus “With traffic, it’s actually fastthat takes him to the subway er if I bike, and that way I get station. He then rides the to sleep in later.”

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zoe dutton/chronicle

Rush hour traffic ahead A group of 353 students estimated the average length of their school commute

40 percent of students need 30-60 minutes to get to school

percent of students need under 10 minutes to get to school

percent of students need 10-30 minutes to get to school

To each his own vehicle

Math Tutor / Study Coach • • •

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of students use alternative transport

A group of 375 students weighed in on what form of school transport they use

35%

of students take the bus to school

62% of students use cars to get to school

GRAPHIC BY ZOE DUTTON SOURCE: CHRONICLE SURVEY

Aug. 27, 2013

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Features B5

The H-W Chronicle @hw_chronicle

Keeping you updated on all things Wolverine. Studio City, CA • hwchronicle.com

#NewKidsOnTheBlock

11 sophomores and a junior are new to the student body this school year.

Daphna Fischel ’15 @daphnafischel15 “I’m looking forward to sports teams because I’m going to be doing cross-country and hopefully track and field.” from Milken Community High School (Los Angeles)

Karla Alas ’16 @karlaalas16 “I’m most looking forward to meeting new people, starting a new adventure and hopefully being successful.” from Chatsworth Charter High School (Chatsworth)

Cameron Cabo ’16 @cameroncabo16 “I am probably most anxious about meeting new people and making new friends.” from Wellesley High School (Wellesley, Massachusetts)

Marshal Cohen ’16 @marshalcohen16 “I switched from Brentwood to Harvard-Westlake for a better academic and athletic blend.” from Brentwood School (Los Angeles)

Trey Fearn ’16 @treyfearn16 “I’m excited to join and be a part of this great community.” from Loyola High School (Los Angeles)

Eliseo Gonzalez-Hagerman ’16 @eliseogonzalez16 “I’m looking forward to the sports, the extracurricular activities, the teachers and the people.” from Oaklawn Academy (Edgerton, Wisconsin)

Ava Gordon ’16 @avagordon16 “I’m really most excited about all the great programs and opportunities that Harvard-Westlake offers.” from Mirman School (Los Angeles)

Dharan Kumar ’16 @dharankuar16 “Harvard-Westlake seemed to have everything I could want in a school. I’m most excited to study math and I think I’m going to try out for varsity soccer.” from Mirman School (Los Angeles)

Troy Loizzo ’16 @troyloizzo16 “I’m looking forward to soccer and photography class.” from North Hollywood High School (North Hollywood)

Montgomery Samuelian ’16 @montgomerysamuelian16 “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved in choir and speech and debate and pursuing my interests after school.” from Bellarmine College Preparatory High School (San Jose)

Sampson Traenkle ’16 @sampsontraenkle16 “I get to meet new people and new teachers.” from Palisades Charter High School (Pacific Palisades)

Mikaela Wolfsdorf ’16 @mikaelawolsdorf16 “I thought that I could get the best education and meet really great motivated people at Harvard-Westlake.” from Viewpoint School (Calabasas)

The Chronicle

B6 Features

Aug. 2

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PHOTOS PRINTED WIH PERMISSION OF SINCLAIR COOK, MAZELLE ETESSAMI, SHELBY HEITNER AND DIVYA SIDDARTH

ALL AROUND THE WORLD: 1: Divya Siddarth ’14 practices yoga among the trees in Bannerghatta National Park, near the institute she studied at in Bangalore, India. 2: Sinclair Cook ’14 shares a meal with his Chinese host family. 3: Famous clock tower Big Ben stands over the Palace of Westminster in England, where Shelby Heitner ’14 traveled for her fellowship. 4: Westminster Abbey, as photographed by Heitner, houses the graves of English royalty and many other famous figures. 5: Mazelle Etessami ’14 gives the Haitian children she taught clothing she collected and brought with her on her trip to Haiti. 6: A Haitian refugee who was displaced by the 2010 earthquake stares off into the distance from her tent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 7: Siddarth sits in “sukhasana,” a common yoga meditation pose. 8: Siddarth poses with a cow, an animal considered sacred in India. 9: A Qing Dynasty-style building looms over tourists passing by on Traditional Ancient Culture Street in Tianjin, Shangdong province. 10: Etessami hugs one of the children that she taught in Haiti. 11: Cook rests by a lake at a recreational area in central Beijing.

Oh, the places they’ve gone... Mazelle Etessami: Haiti

By Eojin Choi

scorted by a member of the U.N. force due to a murder within the camp earlier that morning, Mazelle Etessami ’14 walked through one of the Internally Displaced Persons camps in Port-a-Prince, Haiti. At the camp, Etessami interacted with Haitians who had been displaced from their homes by the devastating 2010 earthquake. While she was there, a few Haitians yelled at her to get out of their country, calling her a white person. As a recipient of the Junior Summer Fellowship, Etessami spent 17 days working with the organization “Remember the Children.” She focused on helping street kids by teaching them, giving them food and clothing and applying fluoride to their teeth. “It was the hardest trip I’ve been on because the frustration was unbearable,” Etessami said. “This experience taught me resilience and courage because it is so easy there to give up wanting to help.” Her project also involved keeping a blog (helpinginhaiti. blogspot.com) and taking photographs, which she hopes to display in the senior art gallery at school in the spring to raise both money and awareness. The Haitians were more resistant to having their pictures taken than Etessami had

expected, some demanding payment for any photos they appeared in. “I took lots of pictures, but it was very hard because Haitians are very against foreigners taking their photos because they’re afraid of being exploited,” Etessami said. Etessami said she chose to travel to and volunteer in Haiti for her Junior Summer Fellowship because she remembered feeling helpless when the earthquake occurred in 2010. She had previously tried to help victims of the earthquake by raising money for the cause at a dance at Mirman School. The trip was also her first visit to the country. Although Etessami had done community service projects before in various countries, including nathanson’s India, Zambia and Mazelle Ghana, she said she Etessami ’14 found this experience to be especially difficult. “I think it was a big wakeup call for me because I’ve done various volunteering projects before; I do them all the time, but this time the suffering and poverty were literally everywhere,” Etessami said. “I realized that I can’t expect myself to save everyone and try to help everyone because there is so much of it.”

Shelby Heitner: England

By Zoe Dutton

helby Heitner ’14 spent time examining the bubonic plague and its effects on 14th century English society during her trip to London, England as a recipient of the Junior Summer Fellowship. Heitner met with Jelena Bekvalac, a curator at the Museum of London specializing in osteology, the scientific study of bones. Heitner toured Bekvalac’s laboratory and discussed her research with the staff members there. She learned about their efforts to recreate the bubonic plague bacteria and viewed the bones of some of the plague’s victims. Bekvalac’s laboratory also has a partner research center nathanson’s in Canada, Heitner Shelby said. Heitner ’14 “Those two labs are the only places in the world that are working on the Black Plague right now, so that’s pretty cool,” she said. Heitner also used part of the $3,500 fellowship grant she recieved to tour museums and a series of sites in the area that were historically involved in the spread of the Black Plague. “One area of London [I visited] was Hempstead, and

it used to be called ‘The Veil of Health’ because all of the people who were rich enough during the time of the plague moved to this area, which happened to be farther than where the plague would reach,” Heitner said. Heitner started to develop an interest in the Black Death after learning about it in her AP Biology and AP Human Geography classes. Heitner said she had always been attracted to the study of English history, and decided that examining the Black Plague’s effects would allow her to achieve a deeper understanding of London’s past. “The Black Plague [as we learned about it] in my science class was influencing the evolution of science and people’s migration,” Heitner said. “[A topic] that was touched upon in AP Human Geography was the development of diseases and how people were able to cope with that over time, which is what started my interest.” The trip to England was also Heitner’s first time in Europe. Heitner said she plans on continuing her study of the plague. “I came back and I’m still reading books about it,” Heitner said. “I think it’s really fascinating...they’re still finding out new things so it’s definitely something I want to continue to learn about.”

27, 2013

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Features B7

Four seniors researched and volunteered in four countries around the world as recipients of the Junior Fellowship or the Gunter-Gross Asia Initiative Fellowship.

Divya Siddarth: India

By Marcella Park

n the two weeks she spent at a yoga university in Bangalore, India, Divya Siddarth’s ’14 typical day started at 5 a.m. and consisted of hours of practicing yoga, chanting and meditating. She took this trip as a recipient of the Gunter-Gross Asia Initiative Summer Fellowship. Siddarth became interested in visiting Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, the only accredited yoga university in the world, when she came across some articles it had published on yoga while doing research. She had been working on a study about the mental and physical benefits of yoga and tai-chi, which was published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry the spring before her trip. “[The institute] sounded like kind of an oasis — I wanted to see it,” Siddarth said. “And so when I heard about the fellowship, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.” Siddarth first became involved with yoga mainly because she thought it would help her with dance, she said. Eventually, though, she began to appreciate yoga for a different reason. “I realized the incredible mental benefits of it; I found myself calmer, I could concentrate more and when I was upset, if I meditated or did yoga,

it always helped,” Siddarth said. While at the university, Siddarth was able to focus more on the mental and spiritual side of yoga than on the physical aspect she said Westerners tend to emphasize. “It’s incredible how difficult it can be to try to clear your mind and not be involved with your thoughts,” Siddarth said. “The amount of struggle I had with that was a little unexpected, and also the incredible feeling when you do get it, when you get to that state of bliss and contentment. That was something I had hoped for, but I hadn’t really expected it to turn into a reality.” Siddarth originally had a hard time practicing yoga and meditation daily, she said, but now that she’s back, she has been more inspired to nathanson’s make them a habit. Divya She intends to disSiddarth ‘14 cuss what she learned over the summer with the yoga teachers back at school to see if they could incorporate some of it into the classes they teach. “That’s the point they’re making at the institute — it’s bringing yoga to a wider community, to validate the reasoning behind it, so people know that it’s not just some random thing, it actually has scientifically significant effects,” Siddarth said.

Sinclair Cook: China By Sarah Novicoff

inclair Cook ’14 studied the simplification of the Chinese language during his six-week trip to China as the recipient of the Gunter-Gross Asia Initiative Summer Fellowship. He focused on examining how and why the government simplified the written characters. Cook met with linguistics professor Shi Feng at Nanjing University in Tianjin three times, spoke to other experts at the university and interviewed people who were alive before the simplification. “It was kind of hard to investigate the subject when [the people I interviewed] had never really considered it themselves,” he said. “I was considering it and looking at it critically, in a way nathanson’s that they never had.” Sinclair He had aimed to Cook ’14 gauge the interviewees’ opinions on the simplification. “Imagine if, in America, we decided we were going to reform the spelling, and all the people who had already known all the words would be upset, at least that’s what I thought,” Cook said. “But, apparently, they weren’t upset and they embraced it.” Cook, however, noted that he was not sure he was getting the real opinions of his inter-

view subjects because of their hesitance to oppose the government, especially the government of mid-20th century China, which implemented the simplification. The use of Chinese exclusively in interviews added another layer of difficulty, Cook explained. The government initiative began by researching historical versions of the Chinese characters and reverting the modern forms to their predecessors if they were simpler. Next, the government replaced modern characters with the cursive forms commonly used by calligraphers in their designs. The goal of the simplification was to improve the national literacy rate, which in 1950 was 20 percent, according to a UNESCO Global Monitoring Report. As Cook discovered, literacy rates did improve, but they simultaneously improved in Taiwan without the simplification and instead with education reform, which makes the success of the program harder to track. “It was something I was always really interested in and always wondered about,” he said. “Now I understand completely something I’d been confused about for a really long time.” Besides to research, Cook used the fellowship to improve his Chinese language skills and explore Beijing.

B8 Features

highstakes Daisy*, the all around

The Chronicle

Thelonius*, the artist

Melvin*, the brain

Beginning the common application

By Sydney Foreman

Daisy*, The All-Around Daisy* used her summer to pursue two of her passions, science and soccer, by interning at a UCLA neurobiology research lab and attending soccer camps. Daisy hopes to pursue a career in science, either as a doctor or a researcher. She is not being recruited for soccer, but intends to continue playing in college. “After playing soccer my whole life I can’t just cut it out completely,” Daisy said. Daisy, who sings at school, is also looking for a college where she can join a choir or a cappella group. After touring colleges, Daisy decided she would prefer a medium sized school on the east coast. She is still unsure

whether she wants an urban or rural environment. Daisy is not certain she wants to apply anywhere early, but her top choices at this point include Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and Brown University.

Thelonius*, The Artist In addition to working at a retail job this summer, Thelonius* played in a combo at The Colburn School and in a band with his friends. He did not however work much on his other passion, painting. Although Thelonius does not plan on majoring in fine arts in college, he does want an artistic, particularly musical, community. “I can paint on my own, but I can’t really play music on my own,” Thelonius said. He would like a strong arts program in case he decides to

Aug. 27, 2013

take art classes and because he believes “with a strong arts program comes a strong arts culture.” Thelonius’ ideal college setting would be New York City. This is part of the reason why he plans on applying early decision to New York University, particularly its Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Gallatin would allow him to pursue an interdisciplinary major. Melvin*, The Brain After spending the beginning of his summer driving with his family to almost 10 national parks, Melvin* spent time auditing beginning chemistry and music theory courses at UCLA. “UCLA is the only college campus I’ve ever been on,” Melvin said. “Most of what I know about schools is hearsay at this point.”

Florence*, the athlete

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACOB GOOMAN

Each year the Chronicle follows the path of four seniors through their college processes. Their identities are kept anonymous until after their final decisions have been made. Since he has not visited any schools and does not plan to before he applies, Melvin does not intend to apply anywhere early decision. However, he is considering applying early action to the University of Chicago and to the University of Michigan. Melvin is interested in schools that have strong research opportunities because he plans on pursuing research in physics and chemistry. He hopes to attend a school not too close to his home, but Melvin is still considering schools in California such as UCLA and UC Berkeley. Florence*, The Athlete At the beginning of the summer Florence* ran twice a week, but since the beginning of August she has been exercising every weekday. She has been running track since mid-

dle school and looks forward to pursuing it further. Florence plans on majoring in English and wants a school that emphasizes sports and school spirit. She toured many schools with Harvard-Westlake over spring break and is now sure that she wants a medium sized school in a relatively urban environment. “I don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere,” Florence said. “I don’t have to be in a city as big as Los Angeles, though.” Schools of varying sizes have contacted her about joining their track and field team, but Elon University and University of Pennsylvania are Florence’s top choices. She does not intend to apply anywhere early decision. * names have been changed

Arts&Entertainment The Chronicle • Aug. 27, 2013

The Sound of Music

By James Hur

eaning back in his chair, Varun Gadh ’14 hums his newly composed melody as he taps his Ticonderoga pencil on the table. For the next six hours, Gadh writes, records and edits before he is ready to publish his song on his website vgvarun.com and SoundCloud, a music-sharing site. Gadh is one of several students who has turned to the web to share the music he makes. “Some tell me that I should write with a message in my mind, but the music comes to me first,” Gadh said. Using the name “V.G. Varun,” Gadh has published 40 songs on his website and SoundCloud. In August, Gadh collaborated with about 20 other people to publish his most recent album, “Blu Light.” He plays violin, mandolin, guitar, piano and drums and sings, hums and beatboxes, according to Gadh’s website. “There are three reasons why I write,” Gadh said. “I want to spring out or exaggerate certain emotions. If people tell me a story, and I feel empathy for them, I will write

about that. Or, if I’m inspired by another artist, I will write a song that emulates their style.” Gadh uses SoundCloud instead of iTunes because it does not charge users to upload music. Since SoundCloud downloads are free, Gadh does not make money when his songs are downloaded. “I’m not on the moneymaking, producing side,” Gadh said. “I just make music.” SoundCloud also helps Gadh reach more people, including those at school. “He’s very good,” Victoria Yu ’15 said. “I know how much work he put into making that album.” Brandon Lim ’16 prefers to write and perform rap. To date, he has completed four albums and published two on SoundCloud. His first album “The Chillest and the Illest,” published in April, features 13 songs. Lim started writing music in fourth grade when he wrote a short song for Mother’s Day. “Even the song I wrote in fourth grade had a lot of rap influences,” Lim said. “I can’t sing very well. However, I really enjoy rapping and writing music.” Lim is currently working on another album that will feature songs about his per-

PHOTO ILLUSRATION BY SARAH NOVICOFF

Student rappers, singers and composers are publishing and broadcasting their original songs on popular music sharing and download sites like SoundCloud and iTunes.

sonal experiences growing up. Unlike Gadh or Lim, Ray Kim ’14 uses iTunes to publish his original work. He currently has three instrumental pieces, “The Life of an Olympian,” “Cheerful” and “Morning Dew” uploaded. Kim aspires to become a film-score composer like Hans Zimmer. Since English is Kim’s second language, he believes that the entirety of his thoughts cannot be conveyed through language. As a result, he has taken up songwriting to better express himself. “Whenever I can’t deliver a particular message, music allows me to represent what I believe,” Kim said. However, Kim is often faced with the challenge of deciding how he wants to present his music. Although generally prefering to compose music he called more unique, Kim said he is also capable of making music that is mainstream. But many students like his music because it is so different from what they usually hear. “I thought his music was great,” Molly Steinberg ’14 said, “I think he should give it to [orchestra conductor] Mark Hilt so that the orchestra can play it.” Kim plans on submitting

“

I publish songs so people can criticize me and tell me how I can get better, but I think it’s great that musicpublishing is so accessible. Everyone gets a better chance to contribute their input or perspective.” —Jason Park ’14

more of his pieces to competitions and donating any revenue generated from iTunes sales to World Vision, a nonprofit organization that seeks to lessen the effects of poverty. Jason Park ’14 also uses SoundCloud to upload his songs onto the internet. Over the summer, Park published “Where Did We Belong,” “The Land Promised in Our Younger Days” and “Marks on My Wall.” More than 300 SoundCloud users follow his account. Park started writing music in seventh grade. He turned to music-distributing services like SoundCloud to receive feedback on his work. “I publish songs so people can criticize me and tell me how I can get better,” Park said. “But I think it’s great

nathanson’s

that music-publishing is so accessible. Everyone gets a better chance to contribute their input or perspective.” When writing music, Park is most conflicted when he has to decide how he wants his music to sound. “There are so many great ways to write music,” Park said. “The hardest part is choosing which direction to take.” Although he initially wrote hip-hop, Park now focuses on dance and alternative music. Since he also plays the guitar, he plans to perform his original songs later in the year with a new band whose members include Robert Lee ’14 and Quinn Luscinski ’14. “I’m a bit of a slacker, but music is one of the few things I can do and be proud of,” Park said. “It just makes me happy.”

Dancer performs in professional music video

By Carly Berger

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

ONE, TWO STEP: Alexis McCarthy ’14 practices the choreography for the music video she performed in this summer.

ix days after responding to a friend’s Facebook post, Alexis McCarthy ’14 finds herself in a backyard filled with dancers, extras and cameras. Her hair and makeup are done, and she has her choreography down pat. The story of how she got to the backyard began when McCarthy saw Ali Bloomgarden’s ’13 post on Facebook, which asked if anybody was interested in dancing in her friend Bel Kertesz’s music video. Kertesz, a young pop artist, was looking for jazz funk dancers to star in her music video, which is a genre that McCarthy has danced for nine years. The next day, McCarthy auditioned with Kertesz’s

manager and within an hour she had learned the choreography and was hired. “I wasn’t really that nervous for the audition because I have gone on auditions before for dance so I knew what to expect,” McCarthy said. After auditioning, McCarthy practiced for the first of the two music video shoots. She went over the dance continually and recieved advice from others in order to improve. “I had to practice a lot since it is different on camera, because you don’t really know what you are going to look like on camera,” McCarthy said. McCarthy had people help her prepare for the camera by having them film her before the shoot. “I had to see what looked

good or bad, and change a couple of things,” McCarthy said. “The people were really nice about everything and they helped me because we had a bunch of rehearsals before the actual shoot, so I was pretty comfortable with the choreography by the end.” At the shoot, McCarthy was one of the five dancers, along with many extras for a pool party scene. McCarthy danced alongside Kertesz behind the pool while the extras were in the pool. “We were all doing the same thing and had a couple of different formations,” McCarthy said. “The choreography was pretty simple.” McCarthy has been dancing since she was a toddler, and so she felt very comfort-

able learning the choreography and dancing in front of the camera. “I definitely want to do more things like this,” McCarthy said. “I used to go to auditions a lot more than I do now, so I am thinking that this year I am probably going to get more into this kind of stuff.” With one more shoot to go, McCarthy said she hopes to find more opportunities like this one, and she might just have one in the near future. “[Kertesz] was really excited about me dancing, and she was talking about if she gets to perform, that I could maybe dance with her, so that is really exciting for me,” McCarthy said. The music video is set to premiere on Kertesz’s Youtube channel.

B10 A&E

The Chronicle

Aug. 27, 2013

Mark your calendars

Although auditions begin this week for the fall musical, “Hairspray,” upper school performing arts productions do not begin until November. This year’s productions include choral, jazz and orchestra concerts, as well as dance shows and plays.

August Events Aug. 29: Auditions for “Hairspray” begin on Aug. 29

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November Events Nov. 8, 9, 10: Musical: “Hairspray” Nov. 19: Fall Orchestra Concert

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December Events Dec. 13: Winter Choral Concert

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Dec. 14: Winter Jazz Concert

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Dec. 17, 18: Dance Showcase

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March Events March 1, 2: Dance Concert

March 7, 8: Jazz Combo Concert March 15: Spring Festival Choral Concert

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Feb. 7, 8, 9: Play: “The Matchmaker” Feb. 23: Winter Orchestra Concert

Feb. 28: Dance Concert

April Events April 26, 27: Playwrights Festival April 29, 30: Dance Showcase

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May 16: Scene Monkeys Improv Show

May 3: Spring Jazz Concert

May 23, 24: Spring Choral “Cabaret”

May 11: Scene Monkeys’ Mother’s Day Show

May 27: Senior Solo Night

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SOURCE: HW.COM GRAPHIC BY EMILY SEGAL, JAMES HUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAUREN ROTHMAN

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Aug. 27, 2013

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An Artistic Summer

Teachers devote their summers to pursuing artistic interests through restorations, activism and residencies.

Art teacher restores 103-year-old home By Jacob Goodman

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CHERI GAULKE

MAKING A CHANGE: Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke visits the family of a double amputee victim who lost his legs due to an unexploded ordnance left in Laos after the Vietnam War.

Visual arts head wins activist award By Scott Nussbaum

scribe a narrative that shows a through line of my 1970s Visual Arts Department feminist art activism through Head Cheri Gaulke will re- to the work I do at Harvard ceive the “Art is a Hammer” Westlake today.” Gaulke has worked on award Oct. 20 from the Center for the Study of Political numerous projects, including Graphics for her activism the Righteous Conversations Project, which connects teenthrough art. agers to HoA receplocaust surtion will take vivors and place in Holthe school lywood at Some threads video jourthe Professional Musithat run through all my nalism trip cians Union work are giving voice to to Laos. She will Local 47 also partner those who do not have where Gaulthis yearke and her a voice.” with English partner Sue Maberry —Cheri Gaulke teacher Malina Mamiwill receive Visual Arts gonian to the award. An auction Department Head mentor students parof vintage ticipating in posters and original artworks will also an independent study class focusing on gender studies take place. The awards presentation and feminism. Participants will also include a live band will explore the art history of performance and a presenta- feminism through examining print and video sources. tion on art activism. “The organization that is “I am very honored and am especially proud to be re- giving the award, the Cenceiving it with my life partner ter for the Study of Political as so much of the work we Graphics, will be a great rehave done has been together,” source to the school,” Gaulke Gaulke said. “I am also ex- said. “I hope to structure a cited for our presenter to de- project around using their

“

archives for students to learn about political posters and curate a show of posters at Harvard-Westlake as well as design posters of their own.” Gaulke will show her video “The Tapping of the Third Realm” Sept. 22 as part of an art activism exhibition at the Otis College of Art and Design gallery in Weschester, Calif. The public exhibition will play the video, which follows 33 artists, in a nonstop loop at the gallery. The video focuses on the artist’s spirituality and ideas on magic, witchcraft and the afterlife influence their paint and sculpture pieces. Gaulke’s piece will focus on how she uses nature and spirit in her art. “Some threads that run through all my work are giving voice to those who do not have a voice, whether that is war survivors, teens or survivors of domestic abuse, and creating a context for others to express themselves and using my work to give visibility to social issues such as marriage equality, environmental issues, social inequities, gender stereotypes and other prevalent issues in society,” Gaulke said.

And the winner is...‘Hairspray!’ By Morganne Ramsey When the performing arts faculty discusses what show they want for the fall musical each year, they try to choose a show with a large cast, a large musical value and lots of roles for girls. Performing Arts Department Head Rees Pugh said that the musical has to have many girl roles because about twice as many girls audition for the musical as boys. He also said that due to the large number of auditioners, the show must have a big chorus. However, these restrictions prevent the department from choosing many shows from the last 20 years because they do not have enough girl parts and

too small a cast. “We’d love to do a show with a smaller cast, but we have too many kids who want to be in it,” Pugh said. Another factor that decides which show the department puts on is the talent within the school. Pugh said that when choosing a musical, the directors, acting teacher Michele Spears and either Pugh or acting teacher Ted Walch, talk to other faculty in the department to see if they can pull off a certain show. For example, they ask instrumental mu-

nathanson’s

Rees Pugh

nathanson’s

Michele Spears

A&E B11

Visual Arts teacher Art Tobias completed work in June on a pair of plaster corbels, which are decorative features at the top of columns, for an old Wilshire house in the historic Los Angeles neighborhood of West Adams. The assignment, which took six months, was brought to him by the new owners of the house, who were looking to complete major renovations but were in a bind due to the regulations of living in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone. An HPOZ restricts modifications on historic houses in the neighborhood for the purpose of preservation. “Because we’re in an HPOZ, they couldn’t put up just anything; they had to put up something that looked exactly like what had been there,” Tobias said.

The couple met Tobias during a historic homes tour in December. They invited him to see the house around Christmas and showed him the damaged corbels. “I made the mistake of saying, ‘If you can’t find anybody, I could do it,’” Tobiassaid. “And so they came back in January and said, ‘Yeah, we can’t find anyone.’” The project required two months of planning after the original commission in January. Tobias started physical mold and plasterwork over spring break in March and completed the installation of the two corbels four months later. In addition to the corbels, Tobias also published a new chapter to his book entitled, “The Root of the Matter: The Cabin and Indian Scene on Colt’s Model 1855 Sidehammer Revolver,” which is available as a 14-page pamphlet along with the book.

Art residency will shape curriculum, teacher says By Elizabeth Madden Visual arts teacher Dylan Palmer participated in an internationally recognized art residency this summer. Art Omi, hosted by the non-profit Omi International Arts Center, takes place over four weeks during the summer in upstate New York. During the residency, participants are provided with a private studio and one-onone access to a distinguished art critic. The program culminates with Open Studio Day, during which hundreds of members of the public are invited to view the artwork and interact with the artists. “The draw for me [towards this program] was that its mission is to cull contemporary artists from any number of artistic disciplines

from around the world for a three week session of rigorous studio practice and critical dialogue,” Palmer said. Applicants must submit a resume, six photos of their works and an explanation of their work and creative process. Participation comes with no cost to the residents. This year, Art Omi accepted only 31 fellowships from approximately 1,100 applicants, Palmer said. Residents came from a variety of locations, such as China, Iran, Barbados, Israel, Yemen and Norway. “The experience was very valuable; [I] can’t say how exactly because I expect that it will have an ongoing effect on my studio practice, which in turn [will help] to shape the 3D art curriculum,” Palmer said.

After considering the number of female roles and songs as well as the size of the cast, the performing arts department decided on “Hairspray” as the fall musical.

sic teachers Shawn Costantino and Mark Hilt if there are enough musicians to perform the score, and ask choral teacher Rodger Guerrero if there are singers for all the roles. While the talent of students is a consideration, Pugh said that the department would never pick a show in order to cast a particular actor in the lead. However, the faculty will decide not to do a certain show if they know there is no person that can play the lead. “‘Sweeney Todd’

is a show that I would love to do, and unless we have a boy who can sing bass really low, we can’t really do ‘Sweeney Todd,’ Pugh said. “But, that doesn’t mean if we had that one kid we would do it; it would be nice to have a couple of options.” Pugh said that directors will often pick a show because they agree with its message and, alternately, will not pick a show if they feel the message is not appropriate for the mood of the school at the time. “You can’t do ‘Hair,’ which has a pretty ambivalent message about drugs, when you’ve got people getting kicked out of school for drugs,” Pugh said. The show that the department ultimately picked for this year, “Hairspray,” was a

suggestion from Justin Carr ’14 who died last year of cardiomyopathy. “I told [Carr] we were thinking about doing “Hair,” and he said to me ‘You mean “Hairspray”?’” Pugh said. “Hairspray” fit all of the requirements for a show, with almost twenty named roles for girls and a large chorus. “This show should have all kinds of opportunities for all kinds of kids and also be a very exciting score, which I think makes it a blast,” Pugh said. “I think the biggest reason I’m doing the show is because it’s so much fun and the music is so uplifting.” Auditions for “Hairspray” begin Aug. 29 and callbacks will start Sept. 4. The show will run from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10.

B12 Features

The Chronicle

‘More than anything, it’s a nerd convention’ By Jacob Goodman

Comic Con every year to sign autographs and participate on For four days in July, selfguest panels about their work, proclaimed geeks, nerds, fanbut the larger draw now comes girls, celebrities and several from new media on television, Harvard Westlake students film and video games. gathered in San Diego for the “It’s different, it’s not re44th annual Comic Con Internaally better or worse, because betional: a mass of TV and film fore, Comic Con was literally promotion, comic book fandom, Comic Con, and people were guest panels and endless souobsessed with comic books venirs. and would go to panels Comic Con Interfor them,” Benny Weisnational beman ’15, a third year gan as a small Comic Con at“The people comic book tendee, said. convention with “A lot of what there care about it as around 100 modern day much as you do, and people in the media is, is I made some good ballroom of what Comic the U.S. Con has been friends from that.” Grant Hotel incorporating in San Diego. into their reper- -Benny Weisman ’15 The massive toire recently, convention that and that’s the sprung from this smartest way original “Minicon” to keep it gohas, 44 years later, ing, while still maingarnered over 130,000 taining the opportunity for attendees: a Comic Con rethose fans of old comics.” cord. The shift to more media The new Comic Con mainpromotion for new movies and tains the fandom of those old shows like “The Amazing Spicomic books that were at the derman 2” or the final season of center of the first convention. “Breaking Bad” is not necessarHundreds of artists come to ily bad. It has added to the con-

Aug. 27, 2013

Students join superheroes, fangirls, nerds, celebrities and geeks at the 44th annual Comic Con International in San Diego.

vention and drawn a more diverse crowd, Sean Kiley ’14 said. “I think now it is what it should be,” Kiley said. “Because I get that it is a comic convention, but I think more than anything it’s a nerd convention. If you’re not into comic books, but you’re into video games or you’re into cosplay, there are so many different things that if you’re not into comic books you can still have fun at Comic Con. I think it’s developed into a much more fun atmosphere.” The self-proclaimed nerds and geeks who attend in extravagant costumes known as cosplayers bolster the fun atmosphere. Costumes this year featured a full sized centaur costume as well as the more classic Chewbacca from “Star Wars.” Their passion is evident and sets the tone for the convention, Ethan Weinstein’ 15 said. “There’s this atmosphere of ethos there, that being passionate about something, being nerdy about something, is cool,” Weinstein said. “It’s great to be around people who think that. One guy was in [‘Star Wars’] Sith robes, with yellow eyebrows and slit eyeball contacts, who was just sitting there eating

crackers.” Some people at Comic Con sleep out every night in tents or chairs to be in line for the more in-demand panels or events the following day. Weisman attended 22 panels over three days. “That first day we woke up at 4:30 a.m and didn’t leave until 7:30 p.m,” Weisman said. “Getting up at 4:30, the people there care about it as much as you do, and I nathanson’s made some good Benny friends from Weisman ’15 that.” The people at Comic Con may show near-insane dedication, but that’s what makes the panels so effective, Kiley said. “Comic Con is definitely run by a lot of smart people, and I think the people who have all the panels there are brilliant,” Kiley said. “The superhero stuff, the anime stuff; all the storylines are amazing; all the character development is awesome; even the fight scenes are cool. It takes really smart people to do that.”

May the Facts be with You The first guest panel in 1977, was on the movie “Star Wars.”

Comic Con director Kevin Smith makes a “Geek State of the Union” address every year.

The convention generates $165 million for the city of San Diego.

According to official Comic Con rules, it is illegal to save spots in line.

GRAPHICS BY JACOB GOODMAN SOURCE: WWW.COMIC-CON.ORG

Sports The Chronicle • Aug. 27, 2013

QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY: Albert Choi ’15, pictured, and Marshal Cohen ’16 are both vying for the starting quarterback spot.

Athletics department to stream sports games By Grant Nussbaum

Spearheaded by new athletic director Jason Kelly, the athletics department will livestream home sports games throughout the 20132014 school year. The department will first stream football games, beginning with the football home opener against Loyola Aug. 30. Kelly, who was hired to replace Vince Orlando as Athletic Director July 2, instituted a similar program as Head of Athletics at Milken and Stephen S. Wise Schools, where he previously worked for 18 years. “HWTV,” as the streaming service will be dubbed, will be streamed with two cameras on livestream.com and will include features such as instant replay, on-screen scoreboard and other on-screen graphics. The athletics department will assess the football game broadcasts before expanding to other sports. “We’re going to start with a manageable pilot program and see how far we can get,” Kelly said. “I think, based upon the experiences of work that I’ve done previously, that live streaming became extremely popular for a number of reasons: one of them is that coaches love to get footage of game film, to watch that again is very valuable for the coaches. Secondly, it provided an opportunity for students to engage in an extremely innovative type of educational format where, a number of students who are interested in broadcasting or potential television or f ilm work, I gave • Continued on page C4

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF RICH GONZALEZ

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ERIC DEARBORN

STARS AND STRIPES: Courtney Corrin ’16, left, finished fifth in the World Youth Championships in Dontesk, Ukraine July 14. Jack Flaherty, right, is shown swinging in the Perfect Game All-American Classic, which took place Aug. 11 in San Diego.

Top of the Heap By Mila Barzdukas and Grant Nussbaum Although they may have changed teammates, scenery and jersey colors, Courtney Corrin ’16 and Jack Flaherty ’14 ended their summers the same way they finished their springs: on top of the world. Reigning state girls’ long jump champion Corrin broke two national records to claim a spot on Team USA, and took fifth in the world at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships girls’ long jump finals July 14. Reigning CIF Division 1 baseball champion and Player of the Year Flaherty made the 20-man USA Under-18 National Team roster Aug. 22 after participating in the New

Balance Area Code Games and the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Flaherty will play in the “AAA” 18U World Cup in Taiwan, which starts Aug. 30. In the United States World Youth Trials on June 25, Corrin bounded 21 feet, topping the event and setting both a Trials meet record and an under-15 national record. Corrin had said 21 feet was her goal during the 2013 track and field season. At the championships in Dontesk, Ukraine, the rising sophomore finished first in her qualification round by leaping 20-feet, 8.4 inches. In the finals, Corrin finished with a jump of 20-feet, 3.75 inches to take fifth place out of 12. “It was an amazing experience,” Corrin said. “Not just on

After setting numerous school records her freshman year, Courtney Corrin ’16 represented the United States at the World Youth Championship, while Jack Flaherty ’14 earned a spot on the U.S. national team. an athletic basis, but the fact that I had the chance to meet people from all around the world, and make friendships that will last a lifetime. It was such an honor to represent the U.S. The focus and drive everybody competed and trained with was unbelievable.” With her qualification and participation in the IAAF Championships, Corrin has now placed in high school track and field events at the league, state, national and international levels, all before starting her second season as a Wolverine. In her first season last year, Corrin set school records in the long jump, triple jump and the 4x100 meter relay, and won the long jump event at the New Balance Nationals Outdoors meet June 17. After

facing rivals from all levels of track, Corrin found her international competitors to be at a higher level, as advertised. “The competition was definitely a step up, because we were competing against the best in the world,” Corrin said. “This was by far the best experience compared to all the other stages I have been on. It is great competing against people to have the same goal, focus, drive and heart as you.” Flaherty made the 18-U roster as a third baseman and pitcher after participating in several tryouts throughout the summer. Lucas Giolito ’12 made the team in 2011, but he did not accept a spot. Previously, he competed in the 2013 New Balance Area • Continued on page C5

Girls’ volleyball excels in preseason play

By Elijah Akhtarzad

SAM SACHS/CHRONICLE

JUMP SET: Nicole Elattrache ’14 jumps to set the ball to a teammate during a Aug. 23 preseason scrimmage against Redondo Union Hish School.

A rally back from the brink of elimination to win the So Cal Summer Challenge invigorated the girls’ varsity volleyball team with momentum as it prepares to battle reigning State champions Marymount Sept. 12. “This tournament win will definitely give us confidence throughout our season, but also remind us that nothing is a given and we won’t just win matches without working for it,” outside hitter Josephine Kremer ’14 said. “We have to earn every win.” The Wolverines’ early loss to the Thousand Oaks Lancers in the Challenge Aug. 10 threatened them with elimination and placed them in the losers’ bracket for the remainder of the tournament. The squad was able to avoid double elimination to reach the undefeated Lancers in the championship match. The

team had to beat Thousand Oaks twice in order to capture the title, while the Lancers had to win one match since they were part of the winner’s bracket. The championship match went down-to-the-wire, where the Wolverines defeated Thousand Oaks 25-23 in a third game. “Playing against elimination was tough since we knew we had to win four or five matches in a row to win the tournament, but it was also really good motivation.” Kremer said. “It really brought us together because we all really wanted to win the tournament.” The sqaud also particiapted in the Redondo Union High School Tournament where they went 1-2 overall. Unlike the So Cal Summer Challenge, the Wolverines participated in the Redondo Tournament as practice scrimmages and a warm-up to the upcoming season. The Wolverines will

compete in a scrimage against Thousand Oaks today before starting the regular season with a home game against Santa Barbara. “With our seven returning seniors, we have a really strong lineup who knows the game and are really determined to capture the Mission League title for their senior year,” opposite hitter Rachel Savage ’15 said. “We will come into every game wanting to win, and that mentality will carry us.” In their second match of the season the Wolverines will have their eyes peeled as they face Marymount, last year’s state championship team, in a non-league home match Sept. 12. “Even though it’s not a league game our biggest match will definitely be Marymount on Sept. 12,” Kremer said. “We’ve been preparing since the beginning of August just by taking every practice as seriously as possible, making every

rep count, and playing every game-like drill as if it’s the Marymount game.” The team will also face league rival Notre Dame Oct. 3 in a home match. The squad split the season series last year, losing the first match at Notre Dame and winning the second one at Homecoming. Since its inception two years ago, the beach volleyball program has participated competitively in the Amateur Athletic Union for Beach Volleyball. In its first year, the squad came in third in the championship tournament, but was only able to reach the semifinals last spring. Although the team is composed of many indoor volleyball players, only six athletes are able to participate in each tournament. “I think last year we had a lot of freshmen so we were a really young team, so we did really well for being such a young team, and it was really a learning year,” Kremer said.

The Chronicle

C2 Sports

Aug. 27, 2013

Facts &

Figures

Number of hits allowed by Lucas Giolito ‘12 in minor league debut for Auburn Doubledays on Aug. 21 Gold Medals won by Wolverines in the Maccabiah Games, in Israel.

Number of saves by water polo goalie Anthony Ridgley ‘15 in the State Championship Tournament

Feet jumped by Courtney Corrin ‘16 to qualify in the long jump at her U.S. World Youth Trials

Game to watch AUG. 30 Football vs. Loyola 7 p.m. @ Ted Slavin Field

The football team opens its season with a non-league game against Loyola. After suffering a 42-27 loss to the Cubs last year, the team is ready for a rematch with home-field advantage. The baseball team will receive their CIF Championship rings in a half-time ceremony.

KEY PLAYER

Julian Shabahang ’14 Shabahang snagged 10 of his 48 receptions and 3 of his 9 touchdowns last year in the season opening loss against Loyola, and is looking to repeat this individual success.

Junior Varsity Cross Country First Meet: Sept. 6 at Seaside Invitational

Football First Game: Aug. 30 vs. Loyola

Field Hockey First Game: Sept. 6 vs. Marina

Girls’ Tennis First Match: Sept. 10 vs. Palos Verdes

Girls’ Volleyball First Match: Sept. 3 vs. Santa Barbara

Boys’ Water Polo First Game: Aug. 30 vs. Agoura

SAM SACHS/CHRONICLE

BETWEEN THE TACKLES: Running back Garrett Robinson ’15 strides past several St. Monica defenders during a pre-season football scrimmage on Aug. 23. The Wolverines host the rival Loyola Cubs in the home opener this Friday on Ted Slavin Field at 7 p.m.

Quarterback battle looms over football team in anticipation of Loyola opener By Eric Loeb

As football head coach Scot Ruggles enters his second year at the helm, his first challenge is to jump start the teams rebuilding process. Entering this season, several position battles took place to fill the starting jobs left by what players say was one of the most talented senior classes in school history. “It’s kind of hard to compare, we are very different teams,” guard Andrew Park ’15 said. “I think we are definitely younger though.” Starters at 10 positions graduated this past year, resulting in more playing time for younger players, including at the quarterback position. The departure of Chad Kanoff ’13, who led the team with 3421 passing yards last season, leaves Ruggles with a decision he did not have to make in his first season, choosing who will start under center for the Wolverines. “We have Albert Choi who will be a junior and Marshal Cohen ‘16,” Ruggles said. “One of those guys will line up and be the quarterback against

Loyola. They’ve got big shoes to fill, but each one brings their own unique style to the quarterback position and I think whoever wins that job will put us in a position to be successful.” Although Ruggles remains undecided as of press time, players believe Cohen will enter the team’s first game Aug. 30 against Loyola, despite Choi’s experience in the system, serving as Kanoff ’s main backup last season. Cohen has been practicing with the first team more than Choi as summer practices come to a close. “I’m feeling really good about the upcoming season, but my teammates and I would agree that there is always room for improvements,” Cohen said. Although Cohen is expected to lead an offense similar to the one that Kanoff ran last season under Ruggles, players say his play-style should not be compared to that of the former Big Red Male Athlete of the Year. “Marshal is a more active quarterback,” left tackle

Ben Klein ’14 said. “He’s more willing to run, which provides two threats for the defense to cover.” Cohen attended Brentwood School for his freshman year, leading the Eagles to an undefeated season at the junior varsity level. Despite entering his first year on varsity, Cohen says he is up to the challenge of stepping into the starting role on varsity. “Stepping into Chad’s shoes will take time, just like it took him time to become the great quarterback he is,” Cohen said. “I think the only way people will be able to compare Chad and I is through wins and losses. I have an opportunity to do great things like Chad over the course of the next three years. However my main goal is winning games, not filling anyone’s shoes.” Choi, who presents more of a threat in the passing game, attempted only three passes last season as a backup. The teams will also need to replace their top two wide receivers and their top two linemen. Captains Davey Hartmeier ’14 and Julian Sha-

bahang ’14 will look to increase their roles, with Hartmeier moving from right tackle to center and Shabahang taking over as the team’s number one receiver. The teams first two tests are against top tier opponents, said players. “We’re scrimmaging Oaks Christian, and Notre Dame this Friday, which will definitely help us prepare,” nose gaurd Noah Pompan ’14 said. “Those two are top teams in the area and are nationally recognized programs.” Ruggles, who led the team to its first playoff appearance in three years, said he personally has no expectations for the season, but players say they hope to improve on last years disappointing finish, losing in the first round of CIF playoffs. “We are going to be young, there’s no surprise there, but sometimes to me being young isn’t a bad thing,” Ruggles said. “I think we’ve got a good group of kids this year that are working real hard and we will see sooner or later if the hard work has paid off.”

Wolverines win gold at Maccabiah Games By Elijah Akhtarzad

Representing the United States at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, three current and two former Wolverines took home gold medals. Madeline Kaplan ’14, Leo Kaplan ’16, and Charlie Horowitz ’17 won gold in open women’s softball, junior baseball, and junior epee respectively, while alumni Jeff Schwimer ’07 and James McNamara ’10 won gold with Team USA in open men’s water polo. Oliver Friedman ’17 also took home a bronze medal in the junior table tennis division. The tournament, which lasted from July 17 to July 30, featured Jewish athletes from across the globe who

represented their respective tournament play, beating Cancountries in the third largest ada in the finals 4-0. sports event in the world. Leo “Our toughest competition was part was Canada of the jubecause they nior basehad a good One of my favorite ball team, college level which took pitcher, but memories was walking home a for the most around the stadium at gold medal part we were Opening Ceremonies and pretty domiearly in the games by nant,” Kahearing 30,000 people in defeating plan said. the stands cheering USA.” Canada. “We were Kaplan —Madeline Kaplan '14 u n d e f e a t e d started in throughout right field the whole and batted tournament. second amongst a U.S. soft- One of my favorite memories ball squad that was primarily was walking around the stamade up of college athletes. dium at Opening Ceremonies The softball team finished and hearing 30,000 people in with an undefeated record in the stands cheering USA.”

“

After training the entire summer, Friedman ultimately secured a bronze medal in the team event and made it to the quarterfinals in the singles event. “I finally got to showcase my training from the entire summer against a very talented field, and my results were very gratifying because I had earned them myself,” Friedman said. “The most amazing moment was when they put the bronze medal on my neck because I really felt a sense of pride for my team and our country.” Schwimer and McNamara helped the U.S. water polo team claim victory in all six of its games, beating Israel 9-3 in the finals.

hwchronicle.com/sports

Aug. 27, 2013

Sports C3

inbrief

Boys’ water polo enters fresh off State Tournament victory

By Mila Barzdukas

After upsetting threetime defending CIF Champion Mater Dei this summer, the boys’ water polo team enters its season with a target on its back. The team beat several of southern California’s top teams this summer to win the State High School Championship Tournament. “I think that this year is exciting,” Head Coach Brian Flacks ’05 said. “This will be the highest we’ve been ranked in CIF preseason. And I think we gained a lot of experience from last season, but I don’t think we’ve quite proven ourselves yet.” After losing to Mater Dei 15-6 in the CIF quarterfinals last year, the Wolverines have bounced back with a 9-7 win July 21. The team will begin this season with its entire starting lineup returning from last year. All-CIF center defender Warren Snyder ’14 is expected to make an impact as the only starting senior. “Snyder has grown incredibly over the last three years,” Flacks said. “His sophomore year he didn’t play a single minute in the quarterfinal game and last year he won All-American and is one of our main scorers.” In addition, the team returns U16 Cadet National Team members Davis

Wachtell ’16, Duncan Froomer ’16 and Anthony Ridgley ’16. Johnny Hooper ’15 and Morio Saito ’15 were U18 Youth National Team selects. Young lineups continue to be a theme of the program, with only two seniors on the roster. Froomer believes it works in the team’s favor. “Being a relatively young team does help us because other older teams come into our games overconfident,” Froomer said. The team’s summer play culminated in a first place finish in the Championship Tournament, which included wins over Mira Costa and San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic along with a win against Mater Dei. “Cathedral is probably one of the top three teams in the nation,” Ben Hallock ‘16 said. “Warren scored the winning goal with four seconds left.” The season includes nonleague matchups against Division 1 team Long Beach Wilson and Division 2 Murrieta Valley. A rematch against Mater Dei is scheduled for Oct. 15. “I think Mater Dei is going to want to rip our heads off,” Hallock said. “They want revenge since we got them last time, and they’ve won 79 games in a row for Southern Section, so they’ll be out for blood.”

Jersey Change

New softball coach takes over program

Former Immaculate Heart softball coach Claire Rietmann-Grout will take the position of softball program head coach, the athletic department announced in a press release Aug. 6. “My goal is to learn as much I can about HarvardWestlake and work to build the strongest softball program in Southern California,” Rietmann-Grout said in the press release announcing her. Rietmann-Grout, a former University of Maryland softball player, coached Immaculate Heart to a league title in 2012 after a fifteen year drought. She will succeed former head Joe Aranda, who resigned from the position in May. The varsity softball team finished the 2013 season with a record of 18-5, falling to Colton in the second round of CIF Playoffs. — Grant Nussbaum

Athletics to propose Taper renovation

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

TARGET PRACTICE: Starting two-meter defender Warren Snyder ’14 winds up to take a shot against Huntington Beach last year. Snyder was named to the All-CIF Division I water polo team.

This past summer, five Wolverines selected the college for which they will play their sports for the next four years.

Malanna Wheat ’14

Brian Ginsberg ’14

Weber earns title of program head

Baseball, shortstop Brown University

Mia Natsis ’14

Girls’ volleyball, middle blocker Amherst College

Baseball, third baseman Fordham University

Senior golfer plays in pro tournament

Golfer Bakari Bolden ’14 participated in the Advocates Invitational Pro Tour Championship Amateur Division at Chester Washington Golf Course on Aug. 17-18. Bolden shot 72 and 73, totalling five over par to win low amateur. “I was really just playing golf,” Bolden said. “I was just out there trying to win.” —Bennett Gross

Girls’ soccer, right-back Southern Methodist University

Tyler Urbach ’14

A proposal to renovate the west side of Taper building will be presented to the Board of Trustees this academic year. The plan will include a remodel of the players’ and coaches’ locker rooms and the training rooms, Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said. There is no timetable for the project, but the construction length will depend on the scope of the renovations approved by the Board of Trustees. — Patrick Ryan

Mckynzie Dickman ’14 Girls’ soccer, midfielder Creighton University

Alex Weber was named head of the lacrosse program after serving as interim head coach last year. Weber led the team to a 15-4 record and reached the CIF Championship game last season. “My heart’s with Harvard Westlake lacrosse 100 percent,” Weber said. “I think it’s about time LA took down OC in the Cali champ game. ” The team returns three members of both the All Mission League First Team andSecond Team next season, including Mission League Player of the Year Jack Temko ’14. “I feel great about the season,” Weber said. “We had some stumbles in the middle portion but really turned it on down the stretch. Now that we all know that caliber is in us, no reason why we can’t make it the standard. And we will.” —Eric Loeb

The Chronicle

C4 Sports

Aug. 27, 2013

The Golden Age The summer of 2013 saw Wolverine baseball flourish in high school competition and beyond.

Austin Wilson '10 was drafted in the second round by the Seattle Mariners on June 6. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF AUSTIN WILSON

Josh Satin '03 was called up to the Majors by the New York Mets June 29 and made his first start for the team Aug. 4. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF GETTY IMAGES

Lucas Giolito '12 pitched in his first game for the Gulf Coast Nationals on July 2, and was promoted to the Auburn Doubledays Aug. 20.

The Wolverines captured their first ever CIF Division I championship June 1, defeating Marina 1-0 in the finals at Dodger Stadium. JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE

ROBBIE LOEB/CHRONICLE

Head coach Matt LaCour won gold as the pitching coach of the U.S. 15U baseball team at the COPABE Pan-American Games Aug. 4.

The baseball team received over 20 player and team awards, including three Team of the Year awards, four Player of the Year awards for Jack Flaherty '14 and two Coach of the Year awards for Matt LaCour.

ERIC LOEB/CHRONICLE

JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE

Sports broadcasting pilot program to start with football • Continued from page C1

them an opportunity to work behind the scenes, in front of the camera, post-production, pre-production, of a live broadcast. And that was very exciting, and a lot of our students at my previous school are interested in continuing that in college. Thirdly, it became very popular with our parents, grandparents and our alumni who can't make the games.” Kelly said the new network will be focused on and fueled by the student body. “I’d like to use as many Harvard-Westlake people as possible,” he said. “My goal

is to have a very studentcentric program. We’re really interested in creating a team of students interested in broadcasting, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.” Five to six students will work on graphics, editing and commentating for HWTV. As members of the program, students will also engage in pre-production and post-production meetings. Games will be broadcast live on the Harvard-Westlake Athletics website, and the entire broadcast will be made available on the Harvard-Westlake athletics website and the new HarvardWestlake Athletics Facebook

Page, which Kelly also led in developing soon after being hired. The ultimate goal for the broadcasting service is to stream all sports’ home games as consistently as possible, using three cameras with the student team working as editors, commentators and sideline reporters. “Week by week, you get a little bit better at it," Kelly said. “The students and faculty involved get a little more experienced, and as you gain the experience, you become a little more adventurous.” Kelly was considering bringing in outside advisers he's previously worked

“

My goal is to have a very student-centric program. We’re really interested in creating a team of students interested in broadcasting, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.” —Jason Kelly Athletic Director

with, but said he'll be looking among current HarvardWestlake faculty first. The athletics department was still looking for students to be a part of the program as of press time.

Didax

“We're looking for both kids who want to be reporters, and kids who are interested in camera work and editing work," Kelly said. “Hopefully we have the bodies and the interest at Harvard-Westlake."

hwchronicle.com/sports

Aug. 27, 2013

Shaolin Showdown By Marcella Park

They started out nervous. Eitan Sneider’s ’17 father had signed him, his cousin Daniel Sneider ’16 and another cousin up for three and a half weeks at a Shaolin school of Kung Fu in Yantai, Shandong, China. None of them had studied martial arts seriously except for when they were younger, Eitan Sneider said. “I have no idea why my dad did [sign us up], he said it would be really cool, and it would be a great experience if we went. It’s one of those things that everyone hears about but nobody does,” Sneider said. Sneider’s dad simply contacted the Shaolin temple before dropping the three cousins off in Yantai. “When he left, we were all like, ‘What are we doing? This is a terrible idea,’ but after a few days it kind of felt like home and it was really nice,” Sneider said. While at the Kunyu Mountain Shaolin Kung Fu School, each of the three was assigned to a Shaolin master to train with. Eitan and Daniel had the same master, who taught them ways to defend themselves in real life using the techniques they were learning. Their other cousin, Nico, was assigned to a different master, who specialized in more acrobatic fighting. Sneider said he thinks his training will help him with soccer, which he has been playing at home, partly because he started practicing to get into the habit of anticipating what would happen in the next moment of a fight with his kung fu master. He would be able to translate this skill to his soccer matches. Sneider and his cousins typically started their days at 5:30 a.m., training for most of the time when they were not taking meals. The same schedule applied to the rest of the students there, Sneider said. The school was hosting about 50 other students at the time, many of them from different countries ranging from France to Mexico. Most of them were significantly older than the three cousins. His master did not speak a word of English, so “a lot of the time we had to just look at his movements and see what we could interpret from them,” Sneider said. The occasional translator was a treat, he said.

Despite the language barrier, “[the masters] push you really, really hard,” Sneider said. “Wednesdays we had power training," Sneider said. Warmups before power training consisted of traversing a nearly 50 yard field doing clap push-ups. “My favorite part was probably power stretching, which was on Thursdays … you’d be doing the butterfly stretch and you’d be pushing yourself, then the master would come and jump on your knees,” he said, “so basically they stretch you to your breaking point.” Every Friday was the “temple run,” Sneider said. “We’d go up for about half a mile, about 45 degrees steep, get to the top and we’re all like, ‘Yes! We’ve finally made it, we’re done,’ and then the master looks at us, frowns and starts hitting us to move. So we start moving, and we see a staircase, and it turns out that we’ve gotten to the starting point of the run. And all of us there are already dying.” One of the biggest benefits of going to kung fu school, Sneider said, was that almost no training would be hard for them afterwards. “What I probably took most out of it was that your limits go a lot further than you think they do. Even when you think you have to stop, you can actually keep going,” Sneider said. A lot of the training was physical, but practicing tai chi and qi gong lent a more spiritual aspect to it, Sneider said “[The monks] don’t look that strong, or muscular at all, but with their technique, and their mastering their qi and all that, they’re really, really powerful,” Sneider said. “My master was 55 years old and one of the oldest monks there. You look at him, and you’re like, ‘this guy is super frail and old - what is he going to do?’ but he punches you from half an inch away with not even half of his strength – he says he’s going easy for a demonstration, and he completely knocks the wind out of you,” he said. As for food, Sneider said they got used to rice and the occasional side every day. “Now that we’re back, I don’t think any of us wants to eat rice for a while. That was what we were living off of the whole time,” he said. The three cousins also

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Eitan Sneider '17 and Daniel Sneider '16 learned to harness their qi as they studied at a Shaolin school of Kung Fu in China this past summer.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIEL SNEIDER

INNER POWER: Eitan Sneider '17 and Daniel Sneider performed power stretches in front of the steps of the Shaolin temple, where they learned the ways of kung fu from temple monks.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIEL SNEIDER

THE DOJO: The Sneider cousins practiced the kung fu they learned and performed various training exercises this summer at the Kunyu Mountain Shaolin Kung Fu School, shown above. found themselves without much technology, Sneider said. “Even though it was really tough, and they trained you really hard, in the end it was worth it,” Sneider said. The three cousins are planning to go back to the school next summer to train for a longer time than they did this year. All three cousins

have been continuing to practice since they got back home. “We didn’t want to lose the momentum we had,” Eitan Sneider said. They often practice independently, as well as at a local Kung Fu school and separately with a student of Bruce Lee. Both Daniel and Eitan Sneider have been practicing with the staff, a six-foot-long

wooden stick they learned to fight with, almost everyday. “I might just show some of my friends some of the things I learned and tell them some stories,” Sneider said. When asked if he would be demonstrating the short-distance punch his master had shown him, he said, “I have a feeling that it might not be a good idea to do it at school.”

Flaherty, Corrin compete internationally Code Games, Flaherty started at third base for the Milwaukee Brewers, which is made up Code Games from Aug. 5 to of top players from Southern Aug. 10, followed by the Perfect California. The annual tournaGame All-American Classic ment is a showcase of eight reon Aug. 11. “It’s a huge opporgional teams from throughout tunity to represent the United the United States competing States of America,” Flaherty against each other. Max Fried said. It’s a very selective pro’12 and Giolito, now members cess, so it means a lot.” of the San Diego Padres and The team left for TaiWashington Nationals franwan on Aug. 24 and Flaherty chises respectively, along with doesn’t expect to return to the Arden Pabst ’13 participated states until mid-September. in the Area Code Games in At the World Cup, pool play 2011. “I feel blessed to have determines playoff seeding in been able to play in this toura single elimination bracket. nament for two years now,” he “We are the team to beat,” said. “I just look at it as anothFlaherty said. er opportunity to go out and At the five-day long Area play baseball.” • Continued from page C1

Flaherty only played two games before leaving for San Diego to take part in the Perfect Game All-American Classic, in which he started at third base for the West team, managed by Wolverines head coach Matt LaCour. Flaherty scored twice to help the West defeat the East, 8-6. The All-American Classic, which also featured baseball prospects from throughout the United States, took place at Petco Park, home of the MLB’s San Diego Padres, and was televised live on the MLB Network. The rising senior pitcher/infielder was also a finalist for the Jackie Robinson award, which is given to the

player selected as the Perfect Game National Player of the Year. Corrin will return for her second year as a Wolverine in 2013-14 hoping to eclipse her record-breaking freshman year and defend her California State long jump title. Having conquered her first goal of 21 feet, Corrin has her sights set on jumping 24 feet by the end of her senior year. Flaherty, who committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last year, will return for his final year to defend his Player of the Year titles and help the Wolverines defend their CIF Championship.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ERIC DEARBORN

HAPPY FEET: Jack Flaherty '14 leads off second base in a Team USA trials game.

C6 Sports

Field hockey team seeks redemption after 1-0 finals loss

season,” stopper Hana Chop ’14 said. After claiming victory The Huntington Beach in the Mission League title Oilers not only squelched the game but losing to Hunting- squad’s championship aspiraton Beach in the Los Ange- tions last year, but were also les Field Hockey Association responsible for one of its two Championship last year, the league losses, leaving the Wolfield hockey team will look to verines winless against Hunredeem itself and excel as the tington in the 2012 season. top team in Southern CaliforHuntington Beach has nia in 2013. been a recurring roadblock, In the 2012 season, the field also eliminating the team in hockey the semi finals team acof the 2011 playcumulated offs. The team is We worked really aspiring to look 16 wins and two past last year’s hard to make it as far losses on playoff defeat as we did and obviously and triumph in its road to a third a Tournament of the outcome was Mission Champions vicdisappointing.” League tory. The WolTitle in —Hana Chop ’14 verines will play the last the Oilers Sept. ten years. 10. “We worked really hard to “We aren’t necessarmake it as far as we did and ily marking our calendars but obviously the outcome was were definitely looking fordisappointing, but, I was really ward to [facing Huntington proud of how we came togeth- Beach],” co-captian Brooke er as a team throughout the Bagnall ’14 said. “I think we

The Chronicle

Aug. 27, 2013

By Jordan Garfinkel

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MICHAEL ARONSON/CHRONICLE

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Emma Wasserman ’16 maintains control of the ball as Maddie Oswald ’15 runs to get open for a through pass in the background in a shootout win against Edison High School.

just need to work together, communicate, and keep up the intensity.” In her 10th year as head coach, Erin Creznic has led the team to three league titles and was chosen as the Southern Section Fall Coach of the Year by the California Coaches’ Association Southern Section selection committee on Jan. 7. Glenne Carter ’14 and Bagnall are the the co-capitans of the team. Carter played last year’s finals game injured, with torn ligaments and two micro fractures in her ankle.

“The drills [Coach Creznic] runs in practice really help us during the game,” Carter said “She also had great assistant coaches so we get different perspectives and ideas on how to improve. I think we need to work on passing the ball and staying strong on defense.” The field hockey team graduated eight seniors last year and will look to the leadership of four new seniors to continue the strong run. Despite the loss of veterans and is confident in the abilities of the team’s underclassmen.

“We wouldn’t have made it nearly as far as we did without them,” Bagnall said. “I think we have a great team this year. We have amazing new players as well as strong upperclassmen.” “This year I know we have a really strong returning varsity and a lot of upcoming talent and I’m really optimistic about this season,” Chop said. The field hockey team’s first game is at Marina High School on Sept. 6. against rival Glendora at their High School’s home field.

New coach to head girls’ golf program By Sam Sachs

MICHAEL ARONSON/CHRONICLE

STROKING: Maddy Abrahams ’14 hits a putt in a 199-225 win against Alemany last year.

After finishing second in the CIF Northern Division a year ago, an inexperienced girls’ golf team has their sights set on advancing farther in CIF as they break in two new coaches. Marge Chamberlain and Ric Moore fill the positions of program head and assistant coach, respectively. “Everyone’s definitely sad about Coach Linda and Coach Lisa leaving, but we all are very excited to have Coach [Chamberlain],” Kate Kushi ’14 said “She’s been extremely accessible over the summer.” Preparation before the

season will be key as captains Chaminade is one of the Maddy Abrahams ’14 and Wolverines’ main competiKushi are the only tors in the Mission upperclassmen on League, Kushi said. this year’s team, but Last year, ChamiKushi expects the nade finished secunderclassmen to be ond in the Mission “big contributors.” League. “We have a lot of The squad’s other young talent, and I main competitor is think that, balanced Notre Dame, whose with the experivictory over the Wolnathanson’s ence that Kate and verines last year was Kate Kushi ’14 I have, will make the only blemish on a very competitive the team’s otherwise squad,” Abrahams said. undefeated regular season reThe Wolverines open their cord. season with a league game “One of our goals this seaagainst Chaminade Sept. 3 at son is to beat Notre Dame, Encino Golf Course, the Wol- who we have lost to each of verines home course. the past three years,” Kushi

said. While this team has to replace the production of Amanda Aizuss ’13 and Jessica Wibawa ’13, Kushi belives they can. “We have a strong team possibly even stronger than last year,” Kushi said. These high expectations are shared by Abrahams, who is “glad to see the direction of the program only going up.” “I am thrilled to be the captain and the leader of a team with so much potential, and I believe we can continue to build upon the success we created for ourselves last year as CIF runners-up,” Abrahams said.

Seasoned cross country teams hold State meet aspirations By Tyler Graham

Following the team’s annual training trip to Big Bear, the varsity cross country teams hope to build off last year’s run to State Finals and the girls’ fifth straight League title. The Wolverines start their season off with the Seaside Invitational on Sept. 6 at San Buenaventura State Beach. The girls’ varsity team’s goal is to defend their Mission League title and win League for the sixth straight year. They enter the season aiming high, hoping to not only win the Mission League, but to also make a deep playoff run and compete for the State title. “We don’t feel any pressure to win our sixth straight title,” Bridget Hartman ’15 said. “We just use it as motivation to keep training hard. We would all like to make it to State and

place in the top five again.” Although the team enters the season with the loss of cocaptains Yasmin Moreno ’13 and Elle Wilson ’13, they still expect to improve upon last year. Returning to the girls’ team are co-captains Lizzy Thomas ’14 and Monica Nimmagadda ’14. Thomas and Trishta Dordi ’15 finished second and third in last year’s Mission League finals, respectively. “I think the team’s dynamic has definitely changed after the seniors graduated, but I think it helps the team grow and keep a fresh perspective,” said Audrey Wilson ’15. “We have a bunch of new freshman girls this year, which we didn’t have last year, and it is really cool to watch the next generation of runners blend into the program.” The boys’ varsity team, led by captains David Manahan

’14 and Ben Weissenbach ’15, will strive to improve upon last year’s runner up finish in the Mission League and 12th place finish in State Finals. “The boys’ team is looking really strong this year,” Weissenbach said. “I think we have the talent to challenge for the State Meet title. As for my goals, I hope to challenge for the individual State Meet title.” Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack, a high school track and field website, has the boys’ team ranked 77th in California, but wrote that “with any decent improvement this summer at the depth positions, Harvard-Westlake would then move into a co-favorite’s position for the (Division 4) state title.” Losing only one senior, the team returns with both youth and experience. Along with Manahan and Weissenbach, Ben Greene ’14 and a host of rising sopho-

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JOHN WEISSENBACH

FINAL STRETCH: Monica Nimmagadda ’14 and Audrey Wilson ’15 run in Mission League Finals at Mount Sac last season. mores make the Wolverines believe that they are primed for a deep run in this year’s CIF playoffs. “David Manahan is a standout, he and I should be the top two once we’re healthy,” Weissenbach said. “After that we have Greene and some really strong sophomores, such as Henry Roskin and Jack Stovitz.” Manahan is coming off a shin injury which he suffered during track and field season and Weissenbach is dealing with a stress reaction in his knee.

Weissenbach will not be running for the first two weeks of the season, but is eager to join the team and help in mthe push toward the postseason. On the girls side, Dordi is fighting a knee injury but hopes to get back into competition soon. “I am looking forward to seeing how the team fares in competition,” Weissenbach said. “Most of the team has been training very hard over the summer, so I am excited to see how that translates into fast racing.”

Aug. 27, 2013

hwchronicle.com/sports

Girls’ tennis aims for 6th straight Mission League win By Lucy Putnam

captains Margeaux “Levi” Craske-Curtin ’14 and Sophie In order to win its sixth Gunter ’14 believe that the straight Mission League title team’s real effectiveness lies in and make another deep run its character. “I think our team’s in the CIF Division 1 playoffs, strength is that we every member of the never give up during girls’ varsity tennis a match and also fight prepared during the until the end,” Gunter offseason by either said. taking lessons from “I think we’re a a private coach, very communicative playing United and supportive team, States Tennis Assoeven though individuciation tournaments ally we’re all very difor doing tennis nathanson’s ferent,” Craske-Curtin camps. Additionally, the team is expected Margeaux “Levi” added. “We train well to play on weekends Craske-Curtin ’14 together, especially because a lot of our drills during the season to require us to play off of maintain a high level each other, depend on of play. each other, and fill in While historifor one another, so we cally the Wolverines have to be very aware have had little comand in tune of where petition within the our teammates are on Mission League, they the court and what will have to defeat they’re doing.” close-matched opnathanson’s Craske-Curtin also ponents in Campbell Hall, Dana Hill, Palos Sophie Gunter ’14 acknowledged that the team has areas to work Verdes and Santa Barbara on their path to a CIF on. “There is a slight lack of championship. In recent years, these matchups have gone back organization on the team.” she and forth: The Wolverines beat said, “Players tend to arrive both Palos Verdes and Santa to practice late, which means Barbara last year, but lost to practice ends later than it Santa Barbara the year before. should, this is also partially beWhile the team has been cause the passion of the playplaying constantly, senior co- ers on the team varies; some

are much more driven to do well than others. I think we need to work on encouraging the players to put in their best and most efficient effort this season.” Practice for the two and a half month season starts today and the team will be working on its competition skill set, game mentality, fitness and endurance on the court. With the graduation of Savannah de Montesquiou ’13 and Kristina Park ’13, fouryear varsity members and “the backbone of the team,” according to Craske-Curtin, the early departures of Alexia Le ’14 and Emma Lesher-Liao ’14, two contributing players from last year who have decided not to continue playing their senior year, and Julia Goldberg ’16, a sophomore who expectations were high for before she moved to Florida, the roster will have holes that must be filled by less experienced players. One of these players is Juliana Simon ’16. Simon was unable to play last year due to a back injury but is set to come back and impact the team. Simon has a lot of experience in competition despite her youth. The rest of the official lineup had not been decided as of press time, because the junior varsity and varsity coaches were still debating the spots.

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LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

SERVING UP ACES: Paige Moelis ’15 serves in a doubles match against Santa Barbara High School. The Wolverines narrowly defeated Santa Barbara 9-9 with a final score of 81-75 games.

The Chronicle

C8 Sports

ON THE TURF with Glenne Carter ’14

Aug. 27, 2013

By Lucy Putnam

Season stats:

Q: A: Q: A:

Goals Scored

20 Assists

NATHANSON

Q: A: Q: A:

Why did you decide to start field hockey, and do you plan to play field hockey in college?

When I was in first grade, I decided to start field hockey because I wanted a change from soccer and I wanted to pick up another sport, so a group of friends and I joined a field hockey club when we were really young. I want to go to a big school and play club field hockey.

What game do you look forward to most this season? This season I look forward most to playing Huntington Beach because we lost to Huntington in the championships last year in overtime and I think we can easily beat them this year.

How do you prepare for each game mentally, physically and emotionally? I drink a lot of water and eat good food. Mentally, I really try not to psyche myself out and I try to keep my energy up and think about what I’m going to do in the game.

What has been your favorite moment during your HarvardWestlake career? Before the championship game for field hockey last year, the whole team was warming up and we all decided to start rapping. We all got pretty amped for the game and played our hearts out.

Q: A: Q: A:

What was it like to lose in the Tournament of Champions finals last year after coming so far, and what do you think the team needs to do in order to win this time? It was heartbreaking because we worked so hard. Even though we didn’t win, we played amazing and I could not be more proud of the way we played during the game. I think this time we need to make more passes to each other and work on how each player plays individually, as well as working as a team.

What injury did you suffer last year in the final? What was it like playing through that? I had three torn ligaments and two micro fractures in my ankle. My ankle was pretty painful but honestly all the adrenaline kicked in during the game and I just kept playing as best as I could.

What are your individual and team goals his season? My individual goals are to score more goals and play more offense rather than defense. My team goals are to win as much as we can and improve throughout the season. LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

SLAPSHOT: Center midfielder Glenne Carter ’14 dribbles the ball past a defender in a 2-1 win against Edison School. The squad finished the season with a league record of 7-1-1 and the Mission League title. The team fell in the Tournament of Champions finals game to Huntington Beach in sudden death overtime Nov. 1.