November 2013 Issue

C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Los Angeles • Volume 23 • Issue 4 • Nov. 13, 2013 • hwchronicle.com

93 percent of seniors apply early to colleges

By Sarah Novicoff

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

It’s ‘Hairspray!’

SHOWTIME: Students performed in the musical ‘Hairspray!’, which addresses issues such as civil rights on television, in Rugby Auditorium Nov. 8-10. For more photos see page A16. For video coverage go to hwchronicle.com/video/hairspray-behind-the-scenes.

Parking Improvement Plan faces opposition from neighbors at public council meeting

By Julia Aizuss

Studio City residents already aggrieved by construction on Coldwater Canyon Avenue for the past two years expressed frustration with the Harvard-Westlake administration for ignoring the opinions of the community at a Studio City Neighborhood Council special board meeting about the school’s proposed Parking Improvement Plan Nov. 7.

Most members of the SCNC board seemed skeptical about the plan, but slightly more people spoke in favor of the plan than against it at the meeting at the CBS Studio Center.

Vice President John Amato debuted the plan, which includes a 750-spot, three-level parking structure for students, faculty, staff, parents and visitors with a rooftop practice field and a pedestrian bridge across Coldwater to

campus, last year. The project would also move the campus entrance 37 feet south and add two traffic lanes in both directions in front of the school.

During the time available for public comment, in which people were allotted one minute each to speak, 24 people who opposed the plan voiced a range of environmental concerns and worries about noise pollution, objected to subjecting Coldwater Canyon to another two years of con-

struction and said the school consistently ignored the opinions of its neighbors and Studio City residents.

Susan Jacobs, a member of nonprofit corporation Save Coldwater Canyon!, said that when she tells fellow Studio City residents about the parking plan, she typically receives one of two responses: either “utter amazement” at the absurdity of the proposal, or • Continued on page A10

‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero tells students to trust consciences

By Marcella Park

The hotel manager who sheltered more than 1,200 refugees during the Rwandan Genocide spoke at an allschool assembly Nov. 7 about his experiences and the importance of following one’s conscience instead of the majority.

Paul Rusesabagina started speaking about the 1994 clash between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups after a trailer for the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda,” in which he was

INSIDE FULL HOUSE: Students showcased poetry or musical talents in the lounge at the first Coffee House of the year Nov. 11.

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played by actor Don Cheadle, was shown.

Rusesabagina described arriving home on the day mass killing began to find neighbors and friends crowded into his house to hide from the violence.

When the Rwandan government sent an army escort to take Rusesabagina to the Hôtel des Mille Collines, where he worked, he was faced with the task of bringing all of the people in his house with him to be protected. So Rusesabagina told the escort that he would

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REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE: Efforts to conserve natural resources include spreading awareness, adjusting lifestyles and community service.

need to bring his family.

“The family used to be six people and maybe two housemaids and a watchman. But that time, that day, it was plus 26 more,” he told his audience.

He packed the people into cars “like potatoes.”

As they drove, Rusesabagina said they saw dead bodies littering the streets, some without heads, some with stomachs split open.

“Listen, you traitor, you are lucky. We won’t kill you today,” he remembered the soldiers telling him. “But take this gun

STANDING UP: Jonathan “Moose” Martin ’08 recently left the Miami Dolphins, revealing incidents of bullying in professional athletics.

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and kill all these cockroaches in disguise.”

“They were dehumanizing people before killing them,” Rusesabagina said. The soldiers were from the Rwandan army, and wanted to kill the Tutsis Rusesabagina was trying to protect.

He pointed to a baby one of the Tutsi women was holding, saying, “Are we sure that who we are fighting today is the baby? We can find other solutions.”

• Continued on page A9

In what may be the highest percentage yet, 93.4 percent of the senior class applied to colleges early decision, early action or both this year, upper school dean Beth Slattery said.

That number is a five percent increase from last year and a 21 percent increase since fall 2009.

“Most people, for one reason or another, want to hear something back sooner rather than later, and that’s become a trend,” Slattery said. “It’s the highest since I’ve been here— nine years—so I assume it’s the highest ever, since the number of schools offering early programs has only increased.”

The number of students choosing to apply early decision, meaning that they must attend the college if accepted in mid-December, has remained stable, though it has hovered around 50 percent for the past few years, Slattery said. This year, 49.3 percent of the class chose to apply early decision.

“It’s been part of a steady trend over the past few years,” upper school dean Pete Silberman said. “I think it’s in part because students believe that their best chance at a reach school is to apply early decision. While early decision generally gives you a modest boost over applying regular, I still see a number of students throwing a ‘hail Mary’ pass on a reach school early decision when they might have been better off going after something in the 50-50 range. It’s all about perceived advantage.”

The top 10 schools that students applied to this year were similar to last year’s top 10, but this year’s list includes more early decision schools, such as University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Cornell University.

“I chose to apply early decision to a school in New York based on a higher chance of ac• Continued on page A11

ONtheWEB “ORDINARY MAN”: Paul Rusesabagina spoke to students and faculty during an all-school assembly Nov. 7.

Watch a video of his full speech at hwchronicle.com/ hotelrwanda

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The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave. Studio City, Calif. 91604

Preview

EPIC PROPORTIONS: A student examines Photography III student Arthur Troy’s ’14 photoshopped project in the MiniMaxiMe exhibit.

ARTS INCLUDED: Alisha Bansal ’14, who submitted a dance supplement as part of her college applications, performs in the Advanced Dance II Showcase.

News A4

MARCELLA PARK/CHRONICLE

NOA YADIDI/CHRONICLE

Features B8 Sports C4

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/CHRONICLE JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

LETTING IT FLY: Goalie Anthony Ridgley ’15 winds up to pass in the boys’ water polo team’s 7-5 win over Agoura Nov. 9.

IN TUNE: Music Director Daniel Faltus conducts the pit orchestra for the fall musical “Hairspray.”

A&E B10

offbeat

Senior to star in independent film about golf, coach-player dynamics

By Elizabeth Madden

Bakari Bolden ’14 has taken his golf prowess to the big screen. Bolden has been acting in a feature film for the past two weeks in Palm Springs and will be filming until Nov. 20, he said.

The movie, entitled “Little Loopers,” is about a young golfer, played by Bolden, and his relationship with his new coach, who is a drinker and a former pro golfer, Bolden said.

The two characters don’t get along at first, but end up forming a close relationship.

“My old golf coach, Scott

Wood ’88, wrote the script along with middle school assistant Coach Boyd Kestner,” Bolden said. “They actually wrote the script about 10 years ago but it took a while for them to get everything together. They said that I was the first person to pop into their mind to play this role.”

Bolden, who committed to the University of Southern California for golf earlier this year, was the Wolverines’ scoring leader and Mission League boys’ golf champion last season.

This spring, he will lead the boys’ varsity golf team.

Bolden said he has been accessing most of his schoolwork online through slideshows and worksheets provided on the Hub. While he has tried to keep up with his classes the best he can, he admitted it was hard balancing schoolwork with filming. He does not film Mondays or Tuesdays, however, so he drives up from Palm Springs to school to meet briefly with his teachers.

“So far I’ve missed two weeks of school, but I’m going to be missing another week,” Bolden said. “My teachers have been very supportive and have answered all my ques-

The Chronicle, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published nine times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses. There are 727 students at the Middle School and 870 students at the Upper School. Subscriptions may be purchased for $20 a year for delivery by mail.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BAKARI BOLDEN

“LITTLE LOOPERS”: Bakari Bolden ’14 is missing three weeks of school to film a golf movie written by two of his former coaches. tions via email.”

Bolden does not know when the feature film will come out, as they are still filming on location.

“What I’m doing on set is

just a lot different from what I’m used to doing [at school],” Bolden said. “I really like acting, and it could be something that I would like to pursue in the future.”

Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be 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.

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/news

News A3

Civil War expert discusses influence of slavery on the war

By Nikta Mansouri

Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the AmeriUniversity of Richmond can Civil War,” and used the President Edward Ayers spoke graphic to explain to students to students about the emanci- how a civil war that would pation of slaves and the Civil permanently abolish slavery War, which he described as was completely unanticipated “two great mysteries that lie as late as 1852. in the heart of U.S. history,” in He also argued that GetTaper Gymnasium Oct. 30. tysburg wasn’t the decisive Slavery was so economical- point in the war and that more ly desirable that some states people died after that battle were unwilling to give it up, than before.

Ayers told students. He also He discussed more pragexplained that slavery might matic and gradual alternanot have ended for another tives to abolishing slavery that century had were champithe Civil War oned by the not occured.

Republican “It’s not Party at the [Slavery ending] p r o g r e s s ,” time. is not progress. It’s not Ayers said.

One of “It’s not these, an efthe natural course of the natuto simAmerican history. It’s by fort ral course ply stop the the skin of out teeth.” of American spread of history.

It’s slavery, would —Edward Ayers have weakby the skin of our teeth.”

President of ened the inUltimateand University of Richmond stitution ly, slavery brought it to caused the an end by the Civil War, Ayers said, not con- mid-20th century, Ayers said. flict over constitutional rights.

Aware of the North’s ecoAyers started his presen- nomic dependence on it, the tation by speaking about the South rejected these proposals factions of American politics in favor of secession. before the Civil War. “The South was drunk on He showed voting trends its own power,” Ayers said. via an interactive website deAyers ended his speech by signed by University of Rich- advising students to expect mond students, called “The the unexpected, as seen in the

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Civil War. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “Anybody who solemnly tells you this or that’s going to happen, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

After his speech, Ayers took questions from students and faculty. He answered one student’s question about getting into history by saying, “follow your heart.”

Interdisciplinary Studies department head and history teacher Larry Klein, a former student of Ayers, introduced him and described his undergraduate history class as “magic,” citing Ayers as the reason he became a history teather.

Ayers has written 10 books on American history and co-hosts a radio show called “Backstory,” which links history to current events. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and recipient of the National Humanities Medal, awarded to him by President Barack Obama in 2013.

“I thought the speaker was very insightful on his thoughts about the Civil War,” Astrid Garay ’15 said. “I learned a lot about the time period and the motives and results of the war, which will really help me in the future in my AP United States History class when we talk about this era.”

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

MAPPING IT OUT: University of Richmond President Edward Ayers speaks about the buildup to the Civil War with interactive maps made by his students at an assembly in Taper Gymnasium.

Workload committee administers survey

By Nikta Mansouri

JAKE SAFERSTEIN/CHRONICLE

CLEAN SLATE: One student serving detention wipes a table in the quad before school. Students in detention must help the maintenance crew before and during school for five days to fulfill detention.

New detention to include table cleaning

By Jake Saferstein

Students serving detention will now serve their detention cleaning tables and picking up trash in the quad.

Students who receive detention must help the maintenance crew for 15 to 20 minutes for five days before and during school.

Students in detention met Monday morning with upper school Attendance Coordinator Gabe Preciado to discuss the new format, and to get their detention forms. Students must get their forms signed off each day by the maintenance crew to get credit for their service.

This new punishment is designed to replace the system in which students had to show up Wednesday morning for an hour and sit quietly or write character building essays. The new detention is still not finalized, but likely will be the new standard, Preciado said.

So far, Preciado says, the just the maintenance crew,” new detention has been well Preciado said. “I want to see received by the maintenance how this could get them to crew, and Preciado will allow know a new aspect of the students to fulfill their deten- school by meeting the teachers tion during free periods if they they have to work with. I think cannot come before school. this can help in many ways, “I think and benefit it’s an effecthe school tive use of by giving I think it’s an time,” Preback.” effective use of time. ciado said.

So far, “Midday is nearly 30 Midday is when we need when we need students help [cleaning the quad] have served help [cleaning the quad] the new dethe most.“ the most.” tention, and —Gabe Preciado overall they This week, around 20 Attendance Coordinator too find it students have helpful to been serving the school. due to tardiness or cuts, so “I like the new format Preciado may expand how the compared to sitting in a classstudents help the school. He room and staring at a wall,” wants to increase the number Rebecca Armstrong ’14, one of departments who get help of the nearly 30 students who from students in detention. have served detention under “With the number of kids the new system said. “The [in detention] increasing, we new format is beneficial to the may need to extend beyond whole school at least.”

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survey online, using a Google Docs form, which is differThe workload committee is ent from previous years. The currently surveying students survey also includes questions about stress levels, time spent based on psychologist Carol on extracurricular activities, Dweck’s presentation to parsports commitments and so- ents and faculty about mindcial media. The survey’s goal is set. The survey was updated to understand students’ expe- to include a section on social rience at Harvard-Westlake, media due to its increasing inHead of School Jeanne Huy- fluence on students’ lives since brechts said. six years ago, Huybrechts said.

“We’re asking At the end of the those questions to survey, there was a make sure that we free response secunderstand what the tion where students students’ experience were able to write is and that we’re dowhat they liked about ing what we’re saying Harvard-Westlake, and that we’re saying what they disliked what we’re doing,” and what they would Huybrechts said. “We want to change. nathanson’s have a mission at this Each grade had a Jeanne school and we want slightly altered verHuybrechts to make sure that we sion of the survey to are doing what we say better understand we are doing. That is the rea- each specific grade. For examson for this survey.” ple, sophomores had a longer Factors at school like version of the survey so that sports and academic work can the committee can better unenhance students’ lives but derstand the ninth grade to also be sources of stress, Huy- 10th grade transition. brechts said.

The committee will start The survey, which is ad- analyzing the data by Dec. 1. ministered every six years, They will then review the data has led to many changes at and make recommendations school such as the three hour to the school based on the reper class per week homework sults in the third quarter of limit, the quarterly homework the school year. The commitsurveys and the Sports Coun- tee is made up of six teachers, cil committee. one junior and one freshman.

“We’re trying to find out if Two of the teachers, chemisthere is balance in kids’ lives try and criminal law teacher and, if not, where the imbal- David Hinden and middle ance is,” Huybrechts said. “The school Dean of Faculty and answers to those questions will Latin teacher Moss Pike, are inform us as we think about overseeing the project. students’ schedules, student “We’re confident again that workload and potentially some we can help our community, changes.” should there be important isStudents are taking the sues to address,” Pike said.

The Chronicle

A4 News

Nov. 13, 2013

Council adds fair to annual service week

By Eugenia Ko

Community Council will host the first ever Community Service Fair during Break Dec. 9 as a part of the annual Community Service week Dec. 9-13.

“The goal is essentially to establish a stronger presence of community service at our school,” Head of Community Council Tatiana Ettensberger ’14 said. “This has always been our goal, but the need to reach it became more obvious after the Civitalks activity in which students drew posters embodying Harvard-Westlake.

Almost none of them depicted community service as a significant aspect, and we just don’t think that’s right.”

A Community Service Fair will include booths from existing community service clubs and non-profit organizations not affiliated with the school.

“Each day there will be interactive activities for specific organizations,” Lili Cohen ’15 said. “We are also bringing some really special speakers to class meetings.”

Charities such as Big Sunday, City Year and Meals on Wheels will be present at the fair, although the Community Council is currently working on involving more non-profit organizations. Operation Gratitude, United in Harmony and St. Francis Center will participate later in the week.

“I’m really looking forward to see our work come to life and hopefully students will leave with a greater sense of how much they can both gain and give by community service and impact the world around them,” Becca Katz ’15 said.

Profits from a bake sale Nov. 7 will be used to purchase supplies for care packages and will be assembled by students during community service week.

MARCELLA PARK/CHRONICLE

Photography students showcase ‘MiniMaxiMe’ gallery

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS: Visual arts teacher Marianne Hall and Macie Vener ’89 look at a photo by Alberto Rivera ’14 in the Feldman Horn Gallery Nov. 4. Photography II students minimized pictures of themselves, and Photography III students maximized pictures of themselves. Students put the altered versions of themselves in different scenarios to juxtapose their size.

22 students perform at year’s first Coffee House

By Benjamin Most and Jake Saferstein

Students and faculty packed the lounge Monday after school to watch 22 singers, actors, pianists and guitar players for the first of three Coffee Houses this year.

To kick off the performances, coffee and snacks were served in the lounge, which was also decorated to look like a coffee house.

“It was wonderful,” Adam Hirschhorn ’16 said. “This is the first time I’ve ever been to a Coffee House and it was great. I wish I’d gone to this at the Middle School.”

Prefect Greg Lehrhoff ’14 hosted the show while prefects Rachel Persky ’15 and Shelby Weiss ’16 helped ensure the show ran smoothly.

“I felt like the quality of

acts was spectacular,” Leh- him ’14, who performed “After rhoff said. “I was actually Ever After”, a Disney Princess amazed at our sound system parody with Hannah Dains and the performances.” ’16, said. “It was the first time P e r I did a duet so formances it was better, ranged from but it was still classic singing hard. I’m very I’m very and playing dependent on the piano, like people smildependent on people Jona Yadidi ’16 ing, and I feel smiling, and I feel like who sang and like it’s a burplayed “Say den if they it’s a burden if they Aah” by Trey don’t, but don’t, but when I saw Songz and when I saw Daniel Davila the crowd at the Coffee the crowd at ’14 who sang the Coffee House they really and played the House they guitar.

Jenreally enjoyed enjoyed it.” sen McRae it.” ’15 and Oliver Other, less —Sanah Ebrahim ’14 Goodman-Watraditional ters ’14 sung a performancduet. es included “I don’t know how I get the Donhem Brown ’14 performcourage to sing,” Sanah Ebra- ing a skit where he played all

“

Peer Tutoring program to change, 6 head coordinators announced

By Julia Aizuss

Garrett Cayton ’14, Eugenie Lund-Simon ’14, Sarah Novicoff ’14, Chelsea Pan ’14, Rayne Peerenboom ’14 and Josh Shapiro ’14 will serve as Peer Tutoring Coordinators for this year, Head of Student Affairs Jordan Church said.

The six coordinators will head a program that will now incorporate more frequent group study sessions with the hope of attracting more people to the program, Church said.

When he observed Peer Tutoring sessions throughout last year, Church didn’t think they were effective. Additionally, some tutors expressed concerns that it had been a year or more since they had learned the material they were tutoring.

“So someone who is currently learning that material, it’s fresher in their minds, they’re closer to it, therefore it can also help out,” Church

said.

Students also told Church that group study sessions were effective, so the program will now include more group sessions than the typical one-onone sessions.

The student tutors currently enrolled in the course they’re tutoring, or “trainees,” will probably tutor only in these group sessions, Church said.

“We haven’t really worked out the exact relationship between trainees and tutors,” Church said, adding that this would be the responsibility for the Peer Tutoring coordinators to figure out.

Church expects the program to begin in about three to four weeks, and definitely in time for midterms in January and eventually finals.

Although different, the new program is much closer to the original than the one that Church proposed in a Faculty Academic Committee meeting

Oct. 15.

Church proposed a system in which each course would have “teaching assistants” who would assist the course instructors by helping any students who came to teachers during office hours and X periods.

In this way, the tutoring would have more oversight by and interaction with teachers.

“Ultimately I feel the best way for students to learn and get academic support is through the teacher,” Church said. “I think that’s the most ideal situation, so I was trying to come up with a solution that maximized teacher time.”

FAC disliked the idea, pointing out the abundance of work it would take to implement the program, especially for teachers.

“There’s a strong consensus and concern for overburdening teachers,” Church said.

“I think that we will start off trying to be independent and

five actors, and Teddy Leinbach ’15 reading “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg.

“I think it went excellent,” Leinbach said. “I was hoping to finish Part 1, which I didn’t before I got cut off. But you know what? I had fun.”

In addition to students, faculty also watched the Coffee House. The crowd was overflowing into the hallway.

“I think this is a wonderful opportunity for all students to display each and all of their unique creativity,” history teacher Dror Yaron, whose son, Adam Yaron ’16, also performed, said. “If you want community building, this is genuine community building.

I am in awe of how respectful everyone is to the performers and how talented the performers are. They should perform more often.”

soundbyte

“Although I find Peer Tutoring as it was previously constituted to be mainly ineffective, there are some ways I think that we can tweak it a bit to try to help out.”

—Jordan Church Director of Student Affairs doing the best we can to assist students without putting any burden on the teacher. But obviously if a teacher wanted that, we would be very much open to collaborating and communicating with the teachers.”

In addition to involving teachers more, Church hopes for Peer Tutoring to become part of a more extensive, formal academic support service at the school.

“Although there are some clear flaws in the program, it’s better than nothing,” Church said. “There are some tweaks that we can make to it to make it even more effective but ultimately Peer Tutoring

nathanson’s

has to be a small part of a bigger academic support service at this school.”

Novicoff said that many parts of the program still need to be determined, and the coordinators will finalize the plans in upcoming meetings.

“I hope this year we can make the program more professional and more effective,” Peerenboom said. “Last year it was kind of casual and sometimes not very organized, so this year we are trying to become more organized and we are also trying to introduce group tutoring sessions so it’s more easily accessible to a lot of students.”

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/news

News A5

English department offers new essay options

By Carly Berger

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

Head of Athletics rhymes about favorite rappers AT THE MIC: Math teacher Kent Palmer films Head of Athletics Terry Barnum as he performs slam poetry during a Moment of Contemplation at break Nov. 11. Barnum rhymed about rappers from 1990-2005, discussing the lyrics of Eminem, Jay-Z and Nas.

Huybrechts attends seminar for women empowerment, equal gender opportunities

By Noa Yadidi

Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts attended the firstever Women Aspire, Respond, Engage Summit Nov. 7, where she heard professional women in a variety of fields tell stories of their success.

Roughly 300 women attended the conference at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, which featured panels from women in business, health and wellness, the arts and social and philanthropic entrepreneurs.

“It was inspiring,” Huybrechts said, “inspiring to hear these leaders speak about their work and about the potential for other women.”

Women A.R.E. has previously sponsored smaller salons

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featuring a single individual urette-Ghez ’19), an astronowhich Huybrechts has at- mer and astrophysics profestended in the sor at UCLA, past. and Barbara The orgaNa t t e r s o n nization was Horowitz I was inspired founded in (Charles ’17), 2012 by Beth a faculty carto think about the Friedman diologist at possibilities for our (Spencer ’09, the David Wesley ’12, young women that were Geffen School Oliver ’17) Medicine perhaps not there 10 or of and Angella at UCLA who 20 years ago.”

Nazarian to wrote the bring togethbook “Zoobiq—Jeanne Huybrechts uity,” er accomboth plished and spoke about Head of School inf luential their research women leadbetween the ers to stir dialogue and bring panels, which Huybrechts about meaningful change, ac- called a “nice addition.” cording to the organization’s “The [panel on] social and website. philanthropic entrepreneurs Andrea Ghez (Evan LaTo- was the most interesting to

me because women were finding really creative ways to give back,” Huybrechts said.

“These four women had the resources to be able to do some good in the world and [found] extremely creative ways to do that.”

One story that stood out to Huybrechts was that of Alison Pincus, the co-founder and chief partnership officer for One Kings Lane, an online marketplace for home and lifestyle brands, which she launched after securing $4 million in venture capital.

“I saw in a couple of these young women our girls essentially, and I was inspired to think about the possibilities for our young women that were perhaps not there 10 or 20 years ago,” Huybrechts said.

For the first time, students in both junior English courses and Advanced Placement English Literature have the option to write essays based on an alternative prompt. As a response to the English Department’s “renew and review process,” English teachers Jeremy Michaelson and Jocelyn Medawar, along with several other teachers, proposed to create a bank of assignments to draw upon for alternative creative essay prompts.

Alternative options will be offered to students for all assignments except the first and last, but students can only choose the alternative option twice per year. These prompts are designed for some students to veer away from the standard analytical essay and take a more imaginative approach.

“We have many able writers who aren’t always served by traditional analytical essays,” Medawar said.

“The alternative assignments give them a chance to express themselves a couple of times a year in different ways while still responding critically to the text.”

One alternative prompt this year for English III students includes creating two alternative titles for the novel ‘O Pioneers!’ and explaining these choices. Another, for AP Literature students reading ‘Hamlet,’ is to choose two scenes and explain why they should be cut or retained.

“The alternative option allows me to express my creative mind in English in ways that were once not given,” English III Honors student Jason Gabaee ’15 said.

Student, alumna help overturn conviction with Project for the Innocent

By Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

School.

“It was just really exciting “We won!” read an email that I was able to be a part of from Loyola Law School Pro- all this,” Nimmagadda said.

Register was imprisoned fessor Laurie Levenson (Solly Mirell ’06, Havi Mirell ’08, for murder after a witness Daniela Mirell ’17) to Monica gave a false testimony against Nimmagadda ’14. Nimmagad- him in 1979. He was freed after da had just finished cross his conviction was overturned when the sister of a country practice witness said that her and was stretchsister had lied. ing on the field Nimmagadda and with friends when Moreno helped free she checked her Register by doing email. She jumped research on all the up and gushed to witnesses, such as her friends about looking at social mewhat had just hapdia pages and seeing pened. “AHHHHwhat types of people HHH!!!!” she texted nathanson’s they are connected to.

Yasmin Moreno ’13.

Monica They also researched She couldn’t believe Nimmagadda’14 the original lawyer what had happened in the 1979 case and — Kash Register’s conviction had been over- found that the lawyer had a history of malpractice. turned.

Moreno and Nimmagadda After 34 years of imprisonment for a crime he did also found and made copies of not commit, Register was transcripts of the case.

Nimmagadda and Moreno freed Nov. 7. Nimmagadda and Moreno helped free the joined Project for the Innowrongly convicted man by cent, an organization dediworking as interns for Project cated to help free wrongly for the Innocent at Loyola Law convicted individuals, last No-

vember. Nimmagadda became interested after finding out that Brooke Levin ’12 participated in the project.

Moreno, a freshman at Harvard College, became interested while taking Criminal Law and Advocacy last year.

Science teacher David Hinden, who teaches the course, told her about the project and helped her get in touch with Levenson, one of Register’s lawyers. Moreno and Nimmagadda were then brought onto the Register case, and reported their findings to Register’s other lawyer Adam Grant.

“It’s a great feeling for me to be able to participate in a little way by helping to recommend a student to work on the project,” Hinden said. “We’ve had a great and productive relationship with. Loyola Law School and its Project for the Innocent which does such amazing work.”

In addition to the Register case, Nimmagadda and Moreno worked on five other cases involving criminals professing their innocence.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MONICA NIMMAGADDA

ALL RISE: Monica Nimmagadda ’14, far left, stands in front of the courthouse with the Project for the Innocent team. The group was able to free a man wrongly convicted of murder in 1979.

“We read a lot of cases, and we sometimes discuss whether or not they would be possible to do,” Nimmagadda said, “None of them were as clear a case as Kash’s.”

Nimmagadda and Moreno went to Loyola Law School twice a week during the school year and three times a week during the summer for four to five hours to do research.

Although Nimmagadda never personally met Register, she did see him during part of his evidentiary hearing from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7.

“I was at first really just happy that it all worked out, but then I was incredibly sad because this man lost his whole life — 34 years due to simply a bad trial,” Nimmagadda said.

Nimmagadda said she will continue to work for Project for the Innocent.

“Because of cross country and college applications, I haven’t been able to go in, but once November is over, I’ll go back,” Nimmagadda said.

“Working at the project was one of the greatest experiences.”

A6 News

inbrief Cafeteria begins selling breath mints

The cafeteria began selling mints Nov. 11. Prefect Council led the move to resume selling mints. The cafeteria now sells Altoids and Lifesavers. All candy was banned from the cafeteria five years ago.

“It was very easy,” senior prefect Oliver Goodman-Waters ’14 said. “I emailed [Head of Upper School Audrius] Barzdukas and [Chief of Campus Operations JD] De Matte, and they approved.”

The Chronicle called for the cafeteria to resume selling mints in an editorial published Aug. 27.

—Scott Nussbaum

Mock Trial debates in first competition Students in Mock Trial attended their first competition Nov. 4.

Teams from over 30 counties across California competed in the event. The team portrayed lawyers and witnesses in its own version of a case called “People v. Concha.”

“I was nervous because I was the first witness going up, and the other team was going to be asking me questions,” Alex Arreola ’15 said. “The trail gave me a good idea of what a lawyer does.”

“I thought the kids did very well,” adviser David Hinden said. “I love workng with the Mock Trial team. The growth we see during the season is great.”

Mock Trial was to participate in its second tournament Nov. 12.

—Kristen Gourrier

Alumni Association holds Phone-a-thon

The Student Alumni Association hosted a parent phonea-thon Oct. 28 and 29 at the Oppenheiemer building in Westwood.

Meanwhile, Director for Alumni Giving Greg O’Leary hosted the Alumni Phonea-thon Oct 29 at the Middle School. Alumni gathered for dinner to discuss school news and call other alumni for donations. All alumni from the past 10 years, seniors and faculty and staff will be invited to a winter reception Dec. 16 to seek more donations.

—Sid Kucheria

Parents Association to hold blood drive Volunteers will be on campus Nov. 15 to conduct a blood drive sponsored by the Parents Association and UCLA. Volunteers can donate blood during their free periods in Chalmers East and West.

All students age 16 and under must have a waiver signed by a parent and students must have their ID with them to sign up.

“It is important for students in the community to recognize the importance of giving back no matter how small of an action,” Nicole West ’14 said. “Blood drives are quick and easy way to save lives. The ability to give back to those who would otherwise not be able to survive is extremely valuable.”

—Scott Nussbaum

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

Volunteers launch art enrichment programs for underprivileged

By Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

Justin Carr’s Dare to Dream Project took its fourth trip Saturday to Frank D. Parent Elementary School in Inglewood to lead art classes.

The day focused on how to make collages.

Justin Carr ’14, who died last February, believed that “art is very important to have as a child develops,” Carr’s mother Susan said. He was introduced to Eleanor Wallace, a math teacher at the elementary school who spends much of her free time tutoring students after school during the summer of 2012. Carr promised to bring BLACC and other students from the HarvardWestlake community to tutor on Saturdays. After Carr’s death last February, the Dare to Dream Project was founded in his memory.

This year, Danielle Stolz ’15 and Katie Hohl ’15 will lead the workshops.

“We arrived, not really knowing what to expect, but ended up loving the experience,” Stolz said. “Not only were we able to play and get to

know these younger kids, but it really was about learning how to be in a leadership position and teach a class yourself.”

In prior trips to the elementary school, all the art projects were designed by the students. Hohl and Stolz chose to work with oil-based pastels and water colors with the children. Children got to work with “black magic,” where they painted a paper with many different colors and put a topcoat of black paint. When the paint dried, the children could scratch through the black paint and reveal the color below with plastic forks or toothpicks. Children were able to apply this “magic” onto greeting cards for important people in their life.

“Kids love making art,” visual arts teacher Marianne Hall said. “It was really sweet, and we had a very good time.”

Throughout the three previous trips students worked with fourth, fifth and sixth graders. Each class had 4060 children each, with four to six students teaching. The program may be expanding to

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIELLE STOLZ

DREAM BIG: Katie Hohl ’15 (right) helps an elementary school student finish a piece as part of Justin Carr’s Dare to Dream project. kindergarteners as well, Hall said.

The art projects varied throughout grade levels, with more advanced projects such as figure drawing done with older children.

A principal from an elementary school in Chatsworth has contacted Harvard-Westlake asking for students to come and paint a mural for the school. Like Frank D. Par-

ent Elementary, this school’s art programs have also been cut.

“It’s a learning experience for these kids, but also for yourself,” Stolz said. “It’s a really great to teach these underprivileged kids who don’t get to have an art class within their education, and it’s also a lot of fun. We play music, do some art, and make some new friends along the way.”

Deans open signups for spring college tours

By Jake Saferstein

Juniors must turn in their tour preference form and a signed set of the college tour rules by Dec. 10 if they chose sign up for the east coast college tours.

Both tours will take place over the first week of spring break to give juniors a feel for many colleges. Each trip costs $2,495.

The Bison Tour is set to cover Bucknell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Chicago, Kalamazoo College, Kenyon

College, Swarthmore Col- sity, Davidson College, Duke lege, University of Michigan, University, Elon University, Northwestern University, Emory University, Fordham University of PennUniversity, George sylvania, University of Washington UniPittsburgh, Villanova versity, Georgetown University and WashUniversity, Georgia ington University in Institute of TechSt. Louis. The only nology, Johns Hopchange from last year kins University, is that Kalamazoo ColLafayette College, lege replaced Denison New York UniverUniversity, since it was sity, University of on the route already Maryland, Univernathanson’s and to “mix it up a sity of Richmond Beth Slattery little bit,” dean Beth and Vanderbilt UniSlattery said. versity, and has not The Spider Tour is set changed from last year. to cover Columbia Univer“We try to make a mix of

KHWS announces new two week DJ schedule Sunday 5 p.m.

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small and big, public and private, and stuff like that,” Slattery said. “We aim for a balance of everything we need: city schools, rural schools, schools geared towards science and community-driven schools.”

In addition to touring colleges, juniors are also scheduled to meet current Harvard-Westlake alumni at prospective colleges.

“Last year the students gave feedback, and there were small things like not enough free time, it went quickly, they said nowhere seemed like a waste of time,” Slattery said.

The student-run radio station has added new DJs and time slots in order to accommodate an increase in applications. Shows are scheduled to begin next week.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Week A

Jeremy Samuels

Daniela Grande

Cayla Blachman

Week B

Max Rolnick

Alex Grande

Amber Shooshani

Week A

Jordan Brown Tiana Coles

Monica Nimmagadda Bridget Hartman

Alan Yousefzadeh Teddy Sokoloff

Week B

Marc Shkurovic Jason Gabaee

Justin Kang

William Lee

Week A

Henry Muhlheim

Lex Ladge

Kevin Ho

Week B

Simone Woronoff Scarlett Wildasin

Ari Blut

Oliver Sanderson

Shyan Zakeri

Aaron Anderson

Jonah Blume-Kemkes

Ale Marenzi Hannah Kofman Emma Lesher-Liao

Week A

Andrew Friedman Mac Colquhoun Michael O’Krent

Week B

Andrew Friedman Mac Colquhoun Michael O’Krent

Theo Lee

Imani Cook-Gist

Alisha Bansal

Sam Sachs Bryan Polan

Week A

Matt Karo

Louly Maya

Sydney Foreman

Anser Abbas

Zita Biosah Rayne Peerenboom

Week B

Miles McQueen

Aiyana White

Jordan Garfinkel Jacob Glaser

Lauren Lee

Robert Lee

Week A

Julia Kim

Quinn Luscinski

Jason Park

Aliyah Daniels

Sam Schlesinger

Week B

Jono Klein

Alex Thal Jack Goldfisher

Oliver Goodman-Waters

Andy Arditi

Nikta Mansouri

Week A

Malcolm Neill

Brooks Hudgins

Malanna Wheat

Ethan Weinstein

Angela Knight

Week B

Kayla Shenassa

Andrew Friendly

Addison Abdo

Steven Lee

Jacob Byrnes SOURCE: SYDNEY FOREMAN GRAPHIC BY SCOTT NUSSBAUM

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/news

News A7

inbrief HWPA sends care packages to veterans

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

Helping Hands hosts scavenger hunt PROMOTING AWARENESS: Helping Hands club leader James Hur ’14, left, explains the instructions of the scavenger hunt hosted for Autism Awareness Day Nov. 4 to Elliot Sassouni ’14, Dominique Gordon ’15 and Amelia Miller ’15. Facts about autism were used as clues. The first 15 students to finish the scavenger hunt were awarded Sprinkles cupcakes or a Starbucks gift card.

Drama students view ‘Pericles’ on field trip

By Enya Huang

Students in Advanced Acting and Directing and the Actor and the Stage I and II attended a daytime performance of William Shakespeare’s “Pericles” at A Noise Within Theatre in Pasadena Nov. 6.

This was the first-ever daytime field trip that the drama department has done to expose students to classical theatre, performing arts teacher Christopher Moore said.

“I have taken trips to theater productions in the past as part of a theatre club I had,”

Moore said. “I decided to arrange this trip since all the current acting classes, The Actor and the Stage and Advanced Acting and Directing, are all currently working on Shakespeare pieces in our class work.”

Moore explained to his students that he and box office manager Melissa Ouellet, who helped organize the excursion, chose the venue based on its reputation for consistently good productions, Sabrina Batchler ’15, a student in Advanced Acting and Directing, said. Moore added that the

company regularly performs to educate the younger artistic generation.

“I wanted to expose our acting students to this terrific theatre company and I thought it would be both educational and fun for our acting students to attend a rarely staged play by Shakespeare and share the experience with an audience of students from other school’s theatre programs,” Moore said.

Students also attended a question-and-answer session with the performers after the production. For Covi Bran-

nan ’15, the trip demonstrated a real-life example of theatre outside of school.

“Theatre as an art form is so much about the community and the visuals and watching other people perform and watching full scale productions,” Brannan said. “By actually going out and seeing a play in the community that we live in, we were able to witness first-hand all the different elements that go into making a show and making a production and taking a play that is written on paper and seeing it in its true form.”

School displays photos in honor of veterans

By Jonathan Seymour

Photos that students submitted of their relatives who are veterans of the Armed Services were displayed on Veterans Day Nov. 11 on the bulletin board inside Chalmers and in the glass cabinets outside Chalmers. “[These photos] are a reminder that there are many who have gone before us,” Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken said.

“This is not just history but connections to the past.”

Bracken emailed upper school students Oct. 31 asking them to send her digital copies of the pictures and include their relatives’ name, rank, branch of service and relation-

ship to the student.

“I think it was a sweet way to honor those who have served our country and protected us,” Nina Milligan ’16 said. Milligan’s uncle fought in the Vietnam War. Middle school students were asked to send similar information and photos to middle school secretary Tim Smith.

“I think this recognition of veterans who are related to the Harvard-Westlake community was a great way to celebrate Veterans Day,” Bracken said. “I am hopeful that displaying photos on campus [on Veterans Day] will become a tradition.”

Approximately 25 students sent in photos of their rela-

JIVANI GENGATHARAN/CHRONICLE

REMEMBERING OUR VETERANS: Students submitted photos of relatives who were veterans to be displayed on Veteran’s Day. tives to be put on display inside Chalmers and in the glass cabinet outside Chalmers.

“A veteran is a veteran no matter what country he fought for,” Matthew Jung ’16 said.

Jung’s grandfather was in the

Korean People’s Army, which is the army of North Korea.

“My family and I celebrate Veterans Day and the service that my grandfather did for his country, even though it wasn’t the United States.”

Publications students to attend Boston conference

By Sacha Lin

A total of 42 students from Chronicle, Vox Populi and Spectrum will attend the fall convention of the National Scholastic Press Association and Journalism Education Association Nov. 14-17 in Boston.

It will be announced at the convention if the 2012-2013 volume of the Spectrum will win the National Pacemaker and Chronicle managing editor Sarah Novicoff ’14 the

award for Story of the Year in the diversity category for her feature on financial aid last year.

The Chronicle, Vox Populi, the Spectrum, the Chronicle website and Big Red will also be submitted for Best of Show.

Students will take journalism workshops and attend lectures about journalism at the convention.

In addition, the program includes a keynote address by Juliette N. Kayyem ’87, Pulit-

zer Prize finalist and columnist for the Boston Globe.

“I hope the kids can learn a lot from the classes they are taking and also from interacting with older students,” Spectrum adviser Steve Chae said.

Chae and science teacher Alex Ras will chaperone members of the Spectrum while Chronicle adviser Kathy Neumeyer, Vox adviser Jen Bladen and Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu will accompany the upper school students.

“I’m looking forward to participating in a number of journalism seminars, and I hope to learn different things I can use to improve both my abilities and the Chronicle,” Noa Yadidi ’14, one of the editors in chief of the Chronicle, said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and a great learning experience, and I’m excited to spend a few days learning about journalism and exploring Boston with my fellow staffers.”

The Parents’ Association Community Service Committee organized an Operation Gratitude event held Nov. 9 at the Encino donation center.

“There were several organizations that were coming to celebrate Veterans Day. We had probably over 100 people show up, so that was great,” co-chair of the Community Service Committee Mary Garvey said.

Operation Gratitude is a non-profit organization that sends snacks, entertainment items and personal letters written by volunteers to U.S. service members, their families and veterans.

—Justine Chen

Cheerleader suffers injury in practice A junior varsity cheerleader broke two bones in her right arm during practice Oct. 30.

The cheerleaders were practicing a stunt called a lib stunt for the first time when the flyer lost balance, fell onto a base cheerleader and then to the ground. A coach called 911 and an ambulance arrived at school and took the injured girl to the hospital.

She has told friends that she will be in a hard cast for 6-8 weeks and will have physical therapy after it is removed.

She will rejoin the team later in the season after she has recovered. None of the cheerleaders or coaches commented on the accident.

—Lauren Rothman and Kelly Loeb

Philomatheans to screen first film The Philomatheans Society, a club that watches movies, will screen its first film, “Strangers on a Train,” Nov. 18 in Ahmanson Lecture Hall afer school.

“The goal of the club is to expose people to great films and provide a forum to talk about them in a casual way, and we think we’re starting with a fun one,” club head Henry Hahn ’14 said.

The screening will be followed by a brief discussion with Cinema Studies teacher and club sponsor Ted Walch.

—Jonathan Seymour

SAAC initiates community service The Student-Athlete Advisory Council has started a one-to-one community service initiative for all athletic teams.

The council is trying to get all teams to participate in handson community service projects, unlike only walks or fundraisers which indirectly help those in need, SAAC senior representative Mintis Hankerson ’14 said.

All athletic teams will take part in more involved service, such as volunteering at Special Olympics.

“Athletic students can get community service hours without having to skip practice and it promotes team bonding,” Hankerson said.

—Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

A8 News

The Chronicle

Junior visits, aids school in Africa

Nov. 13, 2013

By Scott Nussbaum

Emily Kelkar ’15 returned to The Gambia the week of Oct. 28 to assist British organization Building and Assisting Communities with Education by painting a medical clinic and volunteering at a local school.

The charity brings education to African children who cannot attend school. Volunteers help the organization by completing projects including fundraising for school supplies and building public restrooms and school benches.

“I’ve always liked helping people and especially kids, so when I heard my friend talk about the trip, I instantly signed up,” Kelkar said. “I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity to experience a new culture and help out.”

During her five-day trip, Kelkar painted a medical clinic built near the Favour Preparatory Nursery School to provide medical services to village families. She also spent time at the school interacting with children by doing puzzles and art projects, playing sports and reading books with them.

“The children were so happy to see us,” Kelkar said.

“They would form a crowd around me because some of them had never seen someone like me before.”

Over the summer, Kelkar took a trip to The Gambia for five days, during which she worked with BACE to plan construction of the medical clinic and public restrooms and volunteered at the school.

“The entire trip was a learning experience of getting to know how people may seem different, but we all have the common goal to survive,” Kelkar said. “It was a lifechanging experience, and I know that my experience will follow me through the rest of my life.”

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

Junior Classical League visits Getty Villa Museum PRESENT MEETS PAST: Members of the Junior Classical League walk past a garden fountain at the Getty Villa Museum during their trip Nov. 9. A total of 18 students from all grade levels, accompanied by both middle and upper school Latin teachers, saw the Cyrus Cylinder and other antiquities in a collection of of classical pieces from the Greek, Roman and Persian cultures.

Greek professor speaks in Latin classes

By Benjamin Most

classical program and was invited to Harvard-Westlake to Regius Professor of Greek promote the college in Latin at Trinity College Dublin Bri- Literature Honors classes. an McGing told Latin students During his visit, McGing that translating ancient papy- spoke about his work as a pari is difficult because of issues pyrologist. Using a PowerPoint, including funding, he explained the chalpoor handwriting and lenges of overcoming grammar errors. grammatical errors, McGing is a paword omissions and pyrologist, a scholar poor handwriting to of ancient papyri, or decipher papyri. documents written “It was a privilege on paper made from to listen someone so the light and durable clearly knowledgepapyrus reed found able and truly excited nathanson’s in Lower Egypt. He about what he was Paul Chenier is also the author of teaching while adding a book examining andepth to our undercient Greek scholar Polybius’s standing of the ancient world,” “Histories.”

Latin Literature Honors stuMcGing is visiting schools dent Alisha Bansal ’14 said. to speak about Trinity and its “It’s a very, very special-

ized and difficult field because what survives is extremely incomplete, and a lot of his job is not only deciphering difficult handwriting, but it’s also having a knowledge of the language so he can supply what’s missing so that a text makes sense,” Latin teacher Paul Chenier said.

McGing works primarily with Egyptian manuscripts, which have survived due to Egypt’s hot desert climate.

He shared some of his own projects, including a papyrus signed by Cleopatra and a manuscript from the Gospels.

He also spoke about the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, texts written from the first to sixth centuries in Greek, Latin and Arabic and uncovered by archaeologists in the late 19th and

early 20th centuries near the Upper Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt.

McGing also said that the custom of using papyri to wrap crocodiles before they were buried in Egyptian tombs preserved many more papyri for thousands of years than would otherwise have survived, and papyrologists are able to read these documents to learn more about the everyday uses of papyri and the culture of the ancient Egyptians.

McGing said that papyrologists cannot study all of the papyri they have discovered.

The locations of thousands of unearthed papyri are already known, but linguists and papyrologists require funding to dig them up before they can be translated.

Robotics club starts offseason project, plans to join competitions

By Angela Chon

will drive themselves through the track course and around The robotics club has obstacles while following a colstarted its offseason proj- ored tape on the track.

Each vehicle may create ect and decided to enter one more tournament in addition or drop obstacles for other to competing in the For In- competitors that will not permanently spiration and damage or Recognition destroy other of Science and TechnolThe autonomous robots. Liquids cannot ogy Robotphase of the be released ics Competition in Long competition is the most from the robots, and each Beach. crazy time because you one has to T h i s complete the year’s offseajust see everything in track course son project action..” twice. consists of “ We ’ r e building au—Daniel Palumbo ’14 building VEX tonomous robots, and robots. Members were divided into groups we’re going to race them,” coof five to six students, and captain William Lee ’14 said. each group is building its own “It’s kind of just an experience for people to learn how to vehicle.

Each robot will drive along build robots. VEX is a compaa track built by club adviser ny that makes custom-made and science teacher Karen parts, and we bought four Hutchison.

Using built-in sets of parts to build the cars. computer programs, robots We’re using computers to con-

“

trol them.”

The club will also compete at the FIRST Robotics Competition March 20-24. As of now, the club is not sure of what they are building because tournament rules have not been released.

For the first time, the team, nicknamed the Wafflebots, plans to compete in another tournament and are choosing from competitions in Hawaii and Las Vegas.

Co-captains Lee and Frank Yeh ’14 agree that they are most excited for the end of each competition. As a club tradition, the team goes out to Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles after competing.

“The autonomous phase of the competition is the most crazy time because you just get to see everything in action,” safety captain Daniel Palumbo ’14 said. “All of your work going into play, all on its own, and you just sit back and watch the magic. It’s pretty awesome. It’s a magical time.”

ANGELA CHON/CHRONICLE

I, ROBOT: Christian Stewart ’15, left, and Amelia Miller ’15 work on their VEX car for a group race between robotics club members.

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/news

News A9

Latino Club helps students apply to private high schools

By Su Jin Nam

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF HYPE

HYPED ABOUT LEARNING: Alberto Rivera ’14 and friends from the organization Hype prepare for a summer Spanish class.

The Latino Club is collaborating with an organization called Hype to connect with aspiring middle school students and get underexposed but high-achieving public school students into private high schools. Mentors employed by Hype help students with standardized test prep and applications before acceptance. After enrollment, the mentor accompanies the student’s parents to dean meetings and continues to meet with the student. Even if the student is not accepted to a

Gun magazine publishes Visual Arts teacher’s article

By Henry Vogel

Upper school visual arts teacher Art Tobias’s article was recently published in a gun collector magazine. Tobias’s article, entitled “The Root of the Matter,” appears in the December 2013 issue of “Man at Arms for the Gun Collector and Sword.”

The story discusses the cabin and Indian scene on Colt’s Model 1855 Sidehammer Revolver.

It is accompanied by a variety of images including several

views of the scene engraved on the gun and some pictures of the gun itself.

After researching for a year, Tobias wrote the story in spring 2013 and sent it to the magazine in June.

Tobias was not notified by the publication that his story would be appearing in the next issue.

“They sent me four copies. It was a surprise to me,” Tobias said. “I assumed the magazine would publish [my article] sooner or later but I hadn’t heard from him since

I sent it in. I went to my PO box and I saw two copies of the magazine so I realized he published me!”

While he was collecting information, Tobias requested help from a member of a gun history group in Santa Ana, a gun collector on the east coast and a journal in the Dakotas that was finally able to answer a central question in his research.

Although Tobias does not own the gun featured in the article, he has been collecting guns for more than a dozen

private school, Hype does not drop the student, but continues to support them at whatever school her or she attends.

“It’s like a mentorship,” Alberto Rivera ’14 said. “They stay with you from the high school application process, through the college application process.”

Rivera, the Latino Club’s treasurer, is one of the first students to have been fostered

by Hype. The organization helped him as he applied to Harvard-Westlake and continues to mentor him through his college application process. Because he is one of the

“

first, he and Hype are unsure whether the mentorship will continue.

The public school students will be paired with a HarvardWestlake volunteer and communicate via Skype every Wednesday night.

Later in the year, the club plans to bring the students and their parents on campus to see and experience Harvard-Westlake.

“These families don’t really know anything outside of their immediate community,” Rivera said. “We’re providing an opportunity for them to expand their horizon.”

They sent me four copies. It was a surprise to me. I assumed the magazine would publish sooner or later but I hadn’t heard from him since I sent it in.”

—Art Tobias Visual Arts teacher

years and owns about 12 guns.

The pictures in the article are of his friend’s Colt 1855 Sidehammer Revolver in addition to loaned images from an auction house in Illinois and a major gun writer, R.L. Wilson’s, publisher Blue Book Publishing.

The editor and owner of

nathanson’s

the magazine, Stuart Mowbray, already knew Tobias from emails and letters they had exchanged prior to Tobias sending in his article to be published.

“I was really excited because he put it before the fold, so it was the third major article in the issue,” Tobias said.

‘They were dehumanizing people before killing them’ • Continued from page A1

Within two hours he had settled with the soldiers how to pay for each of the refugees’ passage.

This was the first of many times Rusesabagina would have to use negotiation, bribery and his connections to protect the people under his care.

“That was one of the greatest lessons I learned in my life,” he said. “I learned how to deal with evil and this would follow me for the rest of my life and up to this day. Nothing is impossible as long as you are willing.”

“I had stockpiled favors as a hotel manager,” he said. “I will say that I cashed them all in and borrowed very heavily [during the genocide].”

More refugees came to the hotel to hide under Rusesabagina’s protection.

He was trying to reach both local leaders and the international community for help at the time.

“I was calling the world, at least to shame them,” Rusesabagina said. “Silence – keep this in mind – is agreement, is complicity.”

At one point, Rusesabagina and his family were to be evacuated, but would have to leave many of the refugees without protection. These refugees asked Rusesabagina to warn them before leaving, so they might jump to their deaths from the hotel roof rather

than face attackers from out- to history. Is this the right anside. swer?”

“That time our main con“The important thing is to cern was not no one dying, remain the person you are,” but rather how to die, a bet- Rusesabagina said. “Listen ter death,” Rusesabagina said. to your inner, your own con“A better death was if someone science. Don’t follow the matakes a gun to your head and jority.” shoots you and you die.”

“The [United Nations’] “[The killers] would cut off mission has never been to the tongue, then go away to make peace or to keep peace,” torture more people,” he said. Rusesabagina said. “Their Then they would cut off hands, mission has always been to then go away observe, and again to torthen, at the ture more end of the people.” day, sit down, I f I leave, and In “the draft a report these people are killed, I and send it toughest decision” of his will never be a free man, to New York. life, RusesaAnd they I will drink and never be said, bagina said okay, he decided to we saw these satisfied, I will eat and let his fampeople butchnever be satisfied, I will ily go without ering each be a prisoner of my own other.” him, thinking to himself, “If After deconscience.”

I leave, and scribing the —Paul Rusesabagina lack of help, these people are killed, I Rusesabagina will never be continued, a free man, “And still I will drink and never be sat- keep in mind my message, isfied, I will eat and never be especially you young people,” satisfied, I will be a prisoner of Rusesabagina concluded. “ I my own conscience.” will not be surprised when I Rusesabagina continued to am an old man to hear that emphasize the importance of one of you is the president of one’s conscience. Later, after this country. Maybe you are he watched his family leave the solution. Why not you?” without him, only to return After the assembly, Rusbecause the truck carrying esabagina signed copies of his them came under attack, he autobiography at a reception said to a mayor who refused to in Feldman-Horn Gallery. help him, “One day it will all David Ono of KABC intercome to an end. And that day, viewed him in Feldman-Horn, you and I will have to respond asking about Rwanda’s cur-

“

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

MEETING THE STUDENTS: Paul Rusesabagina signs his autobiograhy “An Ordinary Man” for Zoe Dutton ’15 in Feldman-Horn. rent state.

“They say Rwanda has changed dancers but it’s the same music,” Rusesabagina said.

He discussed the failure to stop genocides from happen-

ing again after the Holocaust, when many had said, “Never again.”

“Let us make ‘never again’ never again. Let us give ‘never again’ back its meaning,” he said.

A10 News

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

Debate team hosts tournament

By Caitlin Neapole

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ANNIE KORS

WEST COAST VS. EAST COAST: The Harvard-Westlake team, left, Julie Engel ’14, Shelby Heitner ’14, Tommy Choi ’14 and Annie Kors ’14 competed against a rival team from the East Coast.

The debate team hosted a tournament at the Upper School Nov. 2-3.

The tournament was comprised of schools mainly from California with a select few schools from other states.

Harvard-Westlake debaters did not participate in the tournament which concluded at the Courtyard Mariott in Sherman Oaks.

“The tournament went well, the debaters were very respectful of the campus, although they seemed to have a very hard time navigating the massive maze that is the Upper School,” Connor Engel ’17 said.

At another tournament in New York, hosted by Bronx

School-proposed parking structure encounters resistance at meeting • Continued from page A1

resignation to the plan because of Harvard-Westlake’s money and influence.

When Jacobs told the SCNC board, “I urge you to do the right thing. Vote against the proposal. Make the public aware you’re on their side,” she drew so much applause that SCNC president John Walker asked the audience to cease clapping.

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church member William Dean said the plan wasn’t intended for the community but for the “easy comforts of the fortunate few.”

“There should not be two sets of rules in this city: rules for Harvard-Westlake and rules for everyone else,” Studio City resident Sarah Boyd said.

This wasn’t the first time the school ignored the neighbors’ wishes, 27-yearold neighbor Nancy Mehagian said. When the school installed lights on Ted Slavin Field, “No one asked me,” she said. “[The plan] sounds like an absolute nightmare,” she said. “What’s in it for the neighbors? Nothing.”

Of the speakers opposing the plan, three represented organizations and were granted 10 minutes to speak.

St. Michael’s rector Dan Justin wore a sticker saying “We Support HW,” which school administrators gave to supporters attending the meeting. Justin said he wore it because he supports the school but opposes the plan.

Justin worried that the church and preschool would drop in attendance because of noise pollution resulting from construction.

The pipe organ could face damage by inhaling dust from construction, Justin said, a possibility he said wasn’t investigated.

Loyola Law School professor and Save Coldwater Canyon! Board of Directors member Jennifer Rothman represented Save Coldwater Canyon!. She detailed many environmental concerns, disagreeing with many of the conclusions the school’s Draft Environmental Impact Report reached.

Rothman also denounced the large number of city law exemptions the plan requires, such as zoning laws,

height limits and cutting down protected trees. While bypassing these laws, the project would also result in light and noise pollution and garage vibrations that would affect wildlife, she said, including threatened and declining species. She disagreed with the draft EIR’s conclusion that wildlife would be undisturbed.

Additionally, Rothman said the plan ignores geological concerns about the bridge.

“The different soil on the two sides of Coldwater Canyon make the bridge a safety hazard in a seismic event,” she said. “One side is liquefaction, the other bedrock, making it likely to snap during an earthquake and block the roadway.”

Rothman also said the structure would worsen traffic and has no community benefit and denied that the school lacks the parking capacity it says it needs. She said she could share photos and videos documenting the “routinely numerous empty spots available on campus.”

Lawyer Bruce Lurie, of the law firm Lurie, Zepeda, Schmalz & Hogan, said he conducted an independent sixmonth investigation into the school’s legal rights to build on the west side of Coldwater and the legal requirements to which the school has been subjected in its land use since 1992.

“This is a residential neighborhood,” Lurie said.

“That school operates there as a privilege. They don’t have any right to operate there in a way that interferes with the residential character of that neighborhood.”

As a campus on a conditional use site in a residential zone, HarvardWestlake is required to limit its students, faculty and staff, Lurie said. In his investigation, Lurie found that each time the administration asked to build something new on campus, it promised no new enrollment.

However, according to a statement Amato made in January, Lurie saw that student, faculty and staff populations grew since a 1992 census. Lurie said these extra students, faculty and staff had “no legal right” to be there.

“They’re breaking the law,” Lurie said. “There’s criminal

sanctions for violating those.

For the administration to put parents and students in this precarious situation is unthinkable.”

A lawyer for the school later said Lurie’s allegations were not new, and that when the city investigated the school’s enrollment, it found no cap exists for students or faculty and staff at HarvardWestlake.

A total of 31 speakers supported the plan mainly on the basis of increasing safety and traffic flow and reducing off-campus parking.

The majority of the speakers were both Studio City residents and Harvard-Westlake parents, and many commute daily on Coldwater Canyon.

“The current situation is an accident waiting to happen,” 45-year resident and daily commuter James Chapman said.

Others supported the plan because of their history with Harvard-Westlake, which they described as a trustworthy neighbor and, in the case of Jerry’s Deli CEO Guy Starkman ’89, a steadfast supporter of local businesses.

“Harvard-Westlake has been an exemplary neighbor to me,” 15-year neighbor Frank Birney (Walshe ’02) said. “In the end, it’s just a matter of trust. I trusted HarvardWestlake with the education of my son—his education, his growth, his well-being. And I trust Harvard-Westlake with the well-being of my neighborhood because of their incredibly great neighborhood spirit and feel.”

Geologist Lori Belateche (Zachary ’16), who said she lives less than half a minute from campus, has worked on environmental impact reports and read the plan’s geological reports, which she called “very complete and very thorough.”

“I think it’s a great project,” Belateche said. “I think it’s important for safety, I think it’ll make traffic move along very nicely, I wholeheartedly support it and I am a neighbor.”

James David’s children attend Buckley, but he has lived next to the HarvardWestlake campus for more than 20 years and can see the proposed site from his house.

“It’s really a blight,” he said, calling the plan “innovative” and Harvard-Westlake a

Science Speech and Debate Team Oct. 16, Annie Kors ’14 qualified for the octofinals and the invite-only round robin, earning the second speaker award while Julie Engel ’14 and Shelby Heitner ’14 qualified for the double-octofinals.

At St. Mark’s School in Texas Oct. 19, Cameron Cohen ’16 and Nick Steele ’16 qualified for the double-octofinals and bid rounds, where Steele won 11th speaker.

The following weekend, Michael O’Krent ’14 made it to the quarterfinals and Steele and Cohen qualified for octofinals, and Cohen was awarded 10th speaker.

“The season seems to be going really well so far,” Cohen said. The first few tournaments have been really fun,

and I’m sure there’s more to come.”

The team initiated a new program this season where eighth graders can be exposed to high school style debate, which previously was only allowed for grades nine and up.

The debate team has a substantial amount of novices this season.

“The new program is a great way to give debaters more experience going into freshman year, the earlier you start the better you can get.,” Noah Simon ’17 said. This will be a useful tool to give Harvard-Westlake debaters an important edge.”

Since the beginning of the season, the team has competed in Texas, San Jose and Las Vegas.

soundbyte

“Harvard-Westlake doesn’t have lots of needs, but it has lots of wants.”

—Marian Dodge President of Hillside Federation

hillside federation

soundbyte

“Really trying to wrap my head around the need for this project. The numbers just aren’t adding up to me.”

—Jane Drucker Studio City Neighborhood Council

scnc

soundbyte

“It will relieve a very difficult and unsafe parking situation and transportation situation along Coldwater.”

—Ben Di Benedetto Studio City Neighborhood Council

“great” neighbor.

The meeting began with a presentation by Amato and Paul Hastings LLP law firm associate Edgar Khalatian.

In his presentation, Amato emphasized the school’s role in the community as a supporter of local businesses and community service. After explaining the need for the parking structure and extra athletic field, he assured that the field would be used for practice only, with the lights off by 8 p.m., and not used during the weekend. Amato said the structure would beautify the neighborhood by renovating a defunct development area used for storage by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. When Khalatian spoke about “myth versus facts,” he said every removed tree would be quadruply replaced and that most of the trees already suffer from an incurable fungus.

Khalatian said the process would take two years, with nine months of excavation and 15 months of construction, and that all staging would be on school property. Over 60

keller williams realty

percent of the property would remain open space, he said.

The possibility of building on the east side of Coldwater, traffic increases, light pollution and increased enrollment were among the concerns Khalatian labeled as myths.

After public comment, the SCNC board asked Amato and Khalatian about issues ranging from noise reverberation to student parking during construction. Often, the board members expressed doubt before asking questions. “I have so many places of contention regarding this proposed plan,” Lana Shackelford said.

As alternate solutions, board members suggested valets for major events, carpooling, subterranean parking and using public transportation.

“I do think you need to do something,” Gail Steinberg said. “I’m not sure this magnitude is what you need to do.”

The council will make a decision Dec. 11, but its recommendation will have no effect on whether the city will approve the plan.

Nov. 13, 2013

Majority of senior class applies early • Continued from page A1

hwchronicle.com/news

missions policy switched from rolling admissions, in which a -ceptance, a love of New York student may submit any time City and the abundant re- within a three-month period sources for science students,” and receive a non-binding deJustin Bae ’14, who applied cision within a month, to early early decision as well as ear- action. ly action, said. “I knew that I UChicago moved up two would be happy and success- spots on the list this year, ful at this school, so I might as thanks to its growing repuwell put my best foot forward.” tation as the “most selective The remainder of the non-restrictive early action list feature school,” Slatearly actery said. tion schools, “I didn’t I don’t want to which will apply early be bound to one college decision bereturn decisions in midcause I have and then realize that December but two top it’s not the right one for do not require choices, so I a commitdon’t want to me.” ment from be bound to —Caroline Moreton ’14 one college an accepted student. and then reStanford Unialize that it’s versity, tied not the right for eighth on the list, has a one for me,” Caroline Moreton restrictive early action poli- ’14, who applied to two schools cy in which students do not early action, said. make a binding commitment Christopher Yang ’14 didn’t if accepted but may not ap- apply early action or early deply to any other private col- cision, but he does plan to apleges early. “There are schools ply early decision II, an adwhose policies essentially say, missions program in which if you’re going to apply at all, students submit an application why not apply early — like the in January but receive a bindUniversity of Chicago and the ing decision in February. Yang University of Michigan, where didn’t feel ready to submit in you have nothing to lose, it’s time for a November deadline. not binding and they don’t “I didn’t have enough art prevent you from applying pieces for a portfolio I was satearly decision elsewhere con- isfied with,” Yang said. “I also currently,” Silberman said. knew that I could improve my Michigan has held the top grades and SAT scores with spot since 2010 when its ad- time.”

“

Top Ten 1 2 3

News A11 93.4 percent of the senior class sent in early applications. These schools are the top 10 schools students applied early to this year.

University of Michigan — early action University of Chicago — early action Tulane University — early action

4 5 6

University of Miami — early action

7

University of Virginia — early action

8

(tie)

Northeastern University — early action University of Pennsylvania — early decision

Columbia University — early decision Stanford University — restrictive early action

10 Cornell University — early decision graphic by claire goldsmith and lauren rothman source: upper school dean beth slattery

C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Los Angeles • Volume XXIII • Issue IV • Nov. 13, 2013 • hwchronicle.com

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

Opinion The Chronicle • Nov. 13, 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, Jessica Spitz News Assistants: Angela Chon, Justine Chen, Cole Feldman, Kristen Gourrier, Eugenia Ko, 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: 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, Jonathan Seymour, Henry Vogel, Audrey Wilson 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 Webmaster: David Gisser 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. Harvard-Westlake has an enrollment of 870 10th through 12th grade students. The Chronicle is also distributed at the Middle School, which has 727 7th through 9th grade students.

Stories go through a rigorous editing process and are rewritten by the writers listed on the byline or with additional reporting credits.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

editorial

Respect those who take the time to instruct you Not every assembly will feature a Paul Rusesabagina. How could it — there are a limited number of people in the world with that bravery, that conviction of character and that story, and we are so fortunate to have gotten to listen to one for an hour.

But every assembly speaker deserves the respect we afforded Thursday’s speaker, if not more. Incredibly, there was still some talking during the story of how one man saved 1,268 people from genocide.

But there was far less talking, texting, studying and sleeping in this recent assembly than there was the week before, when the president of a major university spoke to us.

We don’t all aspire to be Civil War historians. In fact, juniors were still embroiled in the tensions of the antebellum era, and sophomores were still 200 years and a continent away from the subject when we had that assembly. Seniors, meanwhile, had likely not considered the topic since their June final exams.

However, none of that excuses the blatant disrespect shown towards someone who had taken time out of his life to come and speak to us. And it’s a problem not unique to Edward Ayers.

In a Chronicle poll, 71 percent of the students surveyed think people act disrespectfully in assemblies, while 85 percent said they had seen people texting, 71 percent had seen people sleeping and 66 per-

cent had seen people studying.

As a solution, a number of survey responses suggested making assemblies optional. The impulse behind this desire is understandable. Not every student is going to be interested in every assembly, and with free time being the commodity that it is around here, many students would likely opt for that hour of free time. But the past two weeks where we had assemblies each week were anomalies; speakers usually come once every two months, if that.

The administration told the faculty that Rusesabagina was the last speaker of the semester.

Assemblies are meant to supplement our in-class education, and because of the vastness of the Harvard-Westlake network, we are exposed to an extraordinary array of people. If assemblies were optional, students would likely not attend those that did not immediately appeal to them. In doing so, they would miss the chance to experience what could very well be the most meaningful and educational hours of their week, month or even year.

And, if that’s not the case, it’s just an hour of your life. If you don’t want to listen, don’t be rude. All you need to do is stay silent, drift off into your own thoughts and study the championship banners on the walls. At the very least, our school has been successful enough athletically to keep us respectful for 60 minutes.

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/opinion

Opinion A13

Not another wake-up call

By Elizabeth Madden

S

he wasn’t answering her phone. I found out about the Los Angeles International Airport shooting at school, when I heard classmates talking about it in the lounge. I immediately picked up my cell phone and called my sister, who was supposed to be taking a flight to Dallas from LAX that morning.

I called her four times, each time getting her ironically cheerful voicemail message: “Hi! You’ve reached Kathryn Madden. I can’t get to the phone right now, but I will call you back as soon as possible!”

Right after I hung up on the fourth call and prepared to call her a fifth time (which, in retrospect, would have been useless, but at the time seemed crucially important), I received a text from my mom, and suddenly I could breathe again: Kathryn was fine, albeit shaken up, and was in lockdown on the tarmac.

I learned later that my sister witnessed the entire thing.

After going through security, she went to the bookstore right next to the security station.

While she was in the checkout line, she heard the gun go off, which, to her, sounded like a BB gun. It wasn’t until someone yelled “GUN!” that she took off running, following another man who had been in the bookstore with her. They rushed down the stairs of the emergency exit and hid behind some stray barrels on the tarmac until a police officer found them and directed them both to a waiting area on the other side of the tarmac, where the rest of the people in their terminal were being held.

If she had gotten to the security station just a few

minutes later than she did, she could have been seriously injured or worse.

To be honest, I have never thought much about gun control. While I paid attention to the news and mourned for the victims of the seemingly endless shooting sprees that have occurred in the past year, I hadn’t really spent any time researching or analyzing the details about gun control legislation, or the positions that different politicians have taken on the issue.

Ever since that Friday, I’ve been obsessively researching the gun control debate, trying to figure out what it would take for a gun control bill to be passed and what I could do to push it forward.

While the Obama Administration has now required insurers to cover care for mental health issues, which will hopefully help lessen gun violence, the National Rifle Association has been successful in blocking most gun control legislation through their vast monetary resources.

While I personally identify as a libertarian, I believe that both parties should be working together to advocate change, instead of using this issue to further polarize the American political system far more than it needs to be.

I’m lucky that my sister is safe, that she decided not to walk her dog before she went to the airport, that she didn’t hit just one more red light on her way there, and that she printed out her boarding pass before she got to the airport, instead of having to wait in line with the people who were checking their bags. The families of the victims of Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Aurora, Sandy Hook and the Navy Yard weren’t.

Enough is enough.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

A tried and true tradition

By Nikta Mansouri

M

y mom starts preparing for Thanksgiving about six months in advance. Around May, she’ll start thinking about what she’ll cook this year.

Of course there will be the staples: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and my personal favorite, pumpkin pie.

Then, she’ll start researching Thanksgiving décor. How should she design the centerpiece this year? How many candles should be on the table? Should there even be candles on the table? Suffice it to say, Thanksgiving is a big deal at my house.

Like my mom, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I think it’s the best time of the year. The leaves are changing (as much as they can change in Los Angeles), the air is crisp and Starbucks starts to serve peppermint mochas. But most importantly, it’s when I get to see my whole family, all under the same roof, enjoying each other’s company.

Three months before Thanksgiving, my mom calls the whole family to make sure that everyone knows that they’re coming to our house.

She doesn’t even ask anymore because it’s a given that Thanksgiving is always at the Mansouris’.

A month before, my mom starts to narrow down her list of what to make. The specialty this year? Beef stroganoff. She does the grocery shopping a week before and begins marinating the turkey the night before. Finally the big day comes. By the time I come down into the kitchen, my mom already has a pie in the oven and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV. The smell of the food has already filled the house, and the countdown to dinner has begun.

After I spend hours helping my mom prepare the food, setting the table, cleaning up the house and getting ready, the family finally arrives by

the dozens.

Being Persian, family is very important to me. We love an excuse to get the family together, make way too much food, sit around a big table and eat as much as possible. So Thanksgiving seems like an ideal holiday for us, which is why I think my mom loves it so much.

My dad and uncles sit watching the football game, pretending like they know what’s going on. My little cousins run in circles, infuriating their parents, while my older cousins talk about cars and girls. Meanwhile, my mom is still running around frantically making sure everything is perfect. I love this. I love watching my family talk, argue, play games, and eat together.

While I’m really looking forward to getting a lot of rest over Thanksgiving break, I’m also really looking forward to spending time with my family again.

Dear Los Angeles Times Writer James Rainey

By Lauren Sonnenberg

W

e met a few weeks ago when you pulled me aside after my second period AP Physics B class to ask some questions about my experience at Harvard-Westlake. Aside from the lack of a range of student voices, your story in the Los Angeles Times portrayed our school as a place of “privilege and pressure.”

While some of the issues you brought up are legitimate, I believe your article fails to reflect the entire picture and, as a student here, I think the perspective of someone experiencing it every day should be heard.

Some of what you say is true; students struggle to balance academics and extracurricular activities, the tuition is substantial and sometimes the pressure gets to us. I would love for the hour of 3 a.m. to retain its mystery, but instead many of us know it as the hour suited to perfect a difficult lab report or to finish

up government reading. You’d be hard-pressed to find any students or faculty members who wouldn’t concede that Harvard-Westlake is a highpressure environment.

So, I’ll give that to you — Harvard-Westlake is hard — and maybe the administration should be trying to make it a little less stressful here, but, in my mind, that is a different issue.

The results of the work we do here are more than apparent, as we boast more National Merit Scholars than almost any other school in California, we’re home to one of the best newspapers in the country (okay, I’m a little biased on that one) and we have the reigning CIF champion baseball team.

We also have an amazing performing arts department and more than 25 AP classes, among other things — things that were not touched on in your story.

The benefits of Harvard-

Westlake outweigh the negatives. When our students get to college, they know how to write. Our students know the importance of following their academic passions, they know how to think analytically and carry themselves among adults. Harvard-Westlake gives us the skills to not only survive in college but also to thrive there.

So yes, this school may be too demanding at times, but that’s how life works occasionally.

You questioned whether the standards here are too high, and my response is: no, they’re not. Encouraging perseverance and hard work seems a reasonable goal.

What’s so great about this school is that it inspires the individual to strive to do his or her best.

It’s cool to be smart here.

But not just book smart, smart as in thirsting for knowledge and being passionate about new academic

opportunities.

Students here also know, through the late nights and hard work, that they can get through whatever obstacles are thrown their way. This mentality is something special that we recieve as we graduate and are welcomed into the alumni association by our fellow survivors.

You mentioned science teacher Antonio Nassar’s tendency to leap on the desk while teaching, portraying his passion for his job. In addition to having Nassar as a teacher this year, I’ve had at least one PhD holding teacher each year at the Upper School.

They are emblematic of the quality of teachers here — those with or without doctorate degrees.

Likewise, my AP English Literature teacher Jeremy Michaelson had our class sitting on the floor last week discussing Hamlet as a Shakespearean “heartthrob.”

This informal setting allowed

for a contemplation of the character in a way more comfortable to teenagers. There is no disputing the quality of the teachers here and the breadth of knowledge they bring to class every day.

Yes, it’s stressful. Yes, there are times when I wonder why things are so hard.

But at the end of the day, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change my path. I would choose Harvard-Westlake again, I would take AP Biology again and brave Larry Axelrod’s meticulous lab grading, I would do it all again, and I will miss this place when I leave.

We appreciate the fact that you tried to get to know us, but I think you missed the crux of what our community is about. The stressful environment here does not define us. The character of our school — the community, the camaraderie, the drive of the students — that does define us.

A14 Opinion

The Chronicle What’s up?

Nov. 13, 2013

An unusual SAT experience

Another lockdown drill :(

By Alex McNab

T

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

This won’t always be a drill

By Claire Goldsmith

D

o you know what to do in the event of an emergency?

It might seem like an obvious question. After all, we’ve all run through fire drills and earthquake drills and lockdown drills since elementary school, to the point that “stop, drop and roll” has become routine.

The problem is, though, actual emergencies — those things we’re preparing for — are unpredictable. And if we’re not absolutely sure of what to do, if we haven’t practiced the appropriate procedure, it’ll be much more difficult to deal with the situation. We take a lot of things seriously at HarvardWestlake, but too often we let more immediate worries occupy our minds when we should be thinking about the future.

Let’s take our most recent fire drill as an example. At the end of break, the alarm sounded, and students who’d already been warned by their teachers that a drill would occur shuffled out of the lounge and found their friends on the quad before heading down to Ted Slavin Field.

As everyone slowly made it down the congested stairs and lined up in their dean groups, people texted or studied in anticipation of the next

period’s quiz.

Suddenly, dozens of kids ran in front of the bleachers to face the crowd and began dancing to “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” Realizing that the “Hairspray” cast was putting on a show, students broke free of their lines and clustered at the front of the field to watch the teaser — all thought of emergency preparedness completely lost.

It’s great that the school wanted to get the student body excited about “Hairspray,” and a flash mob is an inventive way of providing a teaser to the entire school without using up precious class meeting time. The cast could’ve performed its routine in a more appropriate setting like the quad, where much of the student body would’ve been able to see it — without turning a drill, which was already seen as a joke, into a literal song and dance.

Only three days before our fire drill, a gunman walked into Los Angeles International Airport and opened fire, killing a Transportation Security Administration agent and injuring other passengers and airport personnel.

LAX police responded quickly and stopped the shooter, and their success was due to their practiced procedures for a gunman in the airport.

Three weeks earlier, police shut down Ontario Airport in a drill and ran through precisely the same situation.

Although we should work to reduce the number of these mass shootings, right now this is the world we live in, and those who protect us in our everyday lives make sure that they’re prepared. So why don’t we take it seriously?

I think I can safely say that few students or teachers would choose to spend their free time performing lockdown drills, but we need to pay attention to these emergency preparedness practices.

The 10 minutes we spend doing the drill could make the difference in your or your friends’ safety if some disaster were to happen at HarvardWestlake.

As students, we spend a good deal of our time getting ready for the future. We read to prepare for the next day’s discussion; we do math problems to practice for the test. Even the concept of high school revolves around readying teenagers for their lives in college and as adults.

But for some reason, we can’t seem to apply this preparation mindset to emergencies, where knowing what to do and where to go would matter much more than knowing the answer to your pop quiz.

he SAT made me nostalgic. I don’t think it’s supposed to do that, but, with the time I had left at the end of the writing section, I couldn’t help but think back to the first time I took the SAT, in China.

It was my ninth month in Beijing, where I had been living as a student with the foreign exchange program School Year Abroad. The only preparation I’d done for the exam was helping my girlfriend with her practice tests during one of SYA’s infamously long bus rides through rural China.

However, I wasn’t nervous.

In fact, I felt almost serene — until the proctor came in.

He was an unsure-looking Chinese man, our college counselor’s husband. His name was Mr. Chen. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was speaking to us in Mandarin. His accent was as thick as the smog clouding the view of the skyscraper just outside the window of Er Fu Zhong, the Second High School attached to Beijing Normal University.

“Tou dei yu wail tah kuh de SAT,” he began.

All I could think was “Oh man. What am I doing here?”

In spite of the incomprehensible instructions and all the questions I skipped on the math section, I felt pretty good about the test.

Leaving the school and stepping out into the oriental traffic of Xin Jie Kou Wai Da Jie, I was more than a little surprised at how oblivious everyone else seemed. They had no idea that the SAT had just happened, and being around them felt a little bit wrong.

I was supposed to be standing in a circle with a bunch of other concerned students, trying to compare answers without giving away any information that would get our scores cancelled, but instead, I was deciding whether I wanted to eat at the dumpling stand next to school or at the Sichuan noodle restaurant further down the street.

As I stood in the middle of the sidewalk making up my mind, I played my iPod,

hoping that listening to Kanye West and Bobby Brown would put me a little closer to America and provide me with at least a bit more of the proper post-SAT experience.

I decided to go to the noodle restaurant. One of my American buddies was there with my girlfriend, both of whom had also just finished the SAT. We agreed that it was weird taking an American college entrance exam on the opposite side of the world, but we decided to, rather than reflect on American tests and American schools and American stress, spend the day enjoying China.

We went to Bei Hai Park, a sprawling emperor’s garden with a large lake in the middle, with our Chinese friends Alex and Dolly. We didn’t get home until after eleven p.m., my girlfriend and I reminiscing on our way back about our discussion about equality with a Chinese poet and fondly remembering the lamb kebobs we’d eaten for dinner.

I went to Olive Garden after my second time taking the SAT. The food was okay.

Then I went to Homecoming.

I got home late — not after eleven — but still late. It was a good day, but, for much of it, I was thinking of how much better its Chinese equivalent had been. I got my score back from the second test a few weeks ago. It was good, but it was a full 90 points lower than the one for the test I’d taken in Beijing.

Is that symbolic? I don’t know. Maybe being in China affected my score. Maybe, through some quirk of the brain, being surrounded in unstable serenity with oblivious Asians and less than adequate test administrators added 90 points to my future.

Maybe, or maybe not. I just know I was happier then, and, if I took the SAT a third time, I’d want to do it in China, with smog outside the window and Mr. Chen pretending to speak English. That is where the SAT feels right to me, not in Chalmers listening to Mr. Guerrero tell me to “put down your pencil.”

Take a step back and make memories you’ll never forget

By Beatrice Fingerhut

O

pening up the Google document, I was presented with a workload survey that would take me a good 20 minutes to fill out.

Finally I reached the last section that instucted me to answer three free response questions. It asked what I liked about Harvard-Westlake, what I didn’t and what I would like to change.

As I was shuffling through my brain and jotting down notes in each category that applied, I was really surprised to see what I was coming up with. What seemed to come out of nowhere was a list of negatives that almost doubled the length of my positive list.

I found this perplexing.

Obviously there have been moments at my time here

when I was a little unhappy, but sitting there staring at my list of complaints, I was almost frightened. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Harvard-Westlake feeling like I wasn’t content with or grateful for my high school experience.

We all know that this isn’t a school for the fainthearted.

We are held to a higher standard, and that isn’t a bad thing. Last year I decided to take two AP courses. On the first day of school one of my teachers told our class that, because we had chosen to take a college level course, we would be treated like college students rather than high schoolers.

That was something I wasn’t expecting on any level.

A couple of my classmates ended up dropping the course in the first couple of weeks, but I decided to test my luck and continue.

I can confidently say that this was the most rewarding class I had taken so far, but it helped me realize something — I didn’t want to be a college student yet.

For the majority of last year, I felt like my schoolwork had taken over my life. I was jealous of my friends at other schools who had time to see each other over the weekends and had a cliché high school dance in the school gym.

Thankfully, this year the administration was able to find a common ground with the students and gave us a small part of our high school experi-

ence back.

This year I finally came to terms with something I already knew from my first day of seventh grade. Obviously we all attend a college prep school, but we aren’t really regular high school students.

I’ve had people question my sanity when I tell them I’m in four Honors and AP classes this year, but that is probably around the average for a senior here. For us, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

There is nothing wrong with being unique, especially in an environment that nurtures it. By the virtue of going to this school, we set ourselves apart.

When striving to be unique, however, we shouldn’t strip students of having the

expected high school experience. While I have no desire for high school to be the best four years of my life, and the last thing I want to do is “peak” at 18, I do want to leave with fond memories.

Maybe once we all get those elusive college acceptance letters, we can allow ourselves to take a deep breath and remember we’re just seniors who, most likely, want to plan an epic senior prank or stage a ditch day.

We all have seen Disney Channel’s “High School Musical,” even if some boys will never admit to that fact. It’s okay to want to experience a small part of that cliché — it won’t make us any less unique or take away from the prestige of Harvard-Westlake.

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/opinion

Opinion A15

quadtalk

The Chronicle asked:

“Do students act disrespectfully during all-school assemblies?”

“What do you think can be done to fix this problem?”

“I think just a sense of respect is needed when we go into those kinds of assemblies, not necessarily teachers enforcing rules but just generally trying to get kids interested.”

—Lucia Connolly ’16

426 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll

Yes No

297 129

“The speaker the other day was really interesting, and if you’re going to use your phone, you’re going to miss that. I don’t think teachers getting involved will prevent it.”

“Is it the administration’s duty to punish or chastise such behavior?”

—Andrew Friedman ’14

414 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll

Yes

“I don’t think there’s much the administration can do to stop people from not paying attention or from talking too much, but I think the students should know not to do that.”

—Riya Garg ’15

133

No

281

“In what ways do you see students being disrespectful during all-school assemblies?”

349 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll “There are a few people talking in scattered groups, but it’s not really too bad of a case, but it’s certainly there.”

—Sampson Traenkle ’16

“People are on their phones and talk but I’m pretty indifferent. It’s not that bad that I can’t understand the speaker and be involved in the presentation.”

—Matt Klein ’14

83.7%

83.7%

T a l k i n g

T e x t i n g

66.2%

S l e e p i n g

64.2% S t u d y i n g

guest column

In defense of rigor

By Jesse Reiner, Science Teacher

A

Los Angeles Times headline recently proclaimed that “At Harvard-Westlake School, Some Wonder if Standards Are Too High.” I, for one, believe that as a community, we would be much better off wondering if our standards are high enough.

When I arrived at Harvard-Westlake 12 years ago, I knew that I had come to a very special place. The intelligence, warmth and integrity of the faculty and staff were impressive, the facilities were wonderful, but what really wowed me were the students: they were the most thoughtful, most positive and most disciplined group of students I had ever been around. I had attended an excellent public high school in a small town where most of my friends’ parents were college professors, had spent four years as an undergraduate at an Ivy League university and six years teaching at a very good private school in New York City, but the student population here impressed me more, as hard-working, confident and productive.

How is it that in a city

that has countless high schools, one school becomes the consensus top school in the area? The answer is simple: by attracting the most motivated, dedicated and imaginative students and then asking more of those students than any other school does.

What other way is there? By simply having more money than other schools? By filling the school with genetically superior students and faculty?

These are, of course, ridiculous notions — the only way to make Harvard-Westlake the best school around is to ask our students to work the hardest and to do the best work.

Certainly it is in everyone’s interests that the work be interesting and stimulating and that it encourages real intellectual and emotional growth, and high standards need to be accompanied by a high level of compassion and support. But we should never apologize for challenging our students to work harder than students at other schools, for that is precisely what makes us the school that we are, and more importantly, it is what prepares our students for suc-

We shouldn’t be asked to make excuses for academic pressure that produces some of the best students entering colleges around the world.

cess later in life.

We at Harvard-Westlake are fortunate to be part of such a special institution, which has a culture of excellence, a sterling reputation and tremendous financial resources. All of these factors are the result of the hard work of past generations who were held to high standards with no apologies. To relax those standards or begin to apologize for who we are is to begin the inevitable erosion of all that makes our school so special and to start an inevitable march toward mediocrity.

Students, of course, at times grumble about the amount of work that is expected from them — no one would expect it to be otherwise. I would challenge you, however, to find a single adult who would say, “Yeah, I had to work really hard in high school, I sure wish I hadn’t been challenged so much.”

But surely, you will find hundreds, yes, thousands of Harvard-Westlake graduates who will express gratitude for the knowledge, skills, discipline and confidence that they were required to develop by

being deeply challenged while they were here.

A small but vocal minority of parents will always petition for the lowering of academic standards and reduction of workload, motivated by an understandable concern about their child’s stress level, or by more Machiavellian concerns related to college admissions.

But stress is an unavoidable part of growth and will always be present wherever worthy challenges are being met. And in petitioning for a reduced workload, what a parent is effectively asking, whether he or she realizes it or not, is that their child be allowed to coast on the school’s reputation, a reputation that was earned by previous generations of students who had to work harder. Had those previous students not been held to those higher standards, these same parents would likely never have wanted to send their students to Harvard-Westlake in the first place.

Some who do not have the good fortune to be a part of this community will inevitably take potshots at HarvardWestlake, accusing us of being

a “pressure-cooker,” and try to imply that our students are less happy, healthy and well-adjusted than students at other schools where students don’t have to work as hard.

But does anyone really believe that this is true? Is there another high school out there where achievement-oriented 15 through 18 year olds don’t feel pressure, don’t have to make compromises, don’t struggle with their emotions at times? If there were, would anyone even want to send their children to such a school?

High standards and academic rigor are the foundation upon which HarvardWestlake is built and the engine that makes HarvardWestlake go. It is something for which we should never apologize, and something that we who are lucky enough to work here should do everything in our power to cherish and to protect.

If we are committed to being the best high school around, there is no choice but to ask the most of our students. This is, in fact, the greatest gift that we can give them.

exposure

A16

Nov. 13, 2013

Welcome to the ’60s

A cast of 55 performed the musical “Hairspray” in Rugby Auditorium Nov. 8-10. The show, set in the 1960s, follows the struggle for integration and civil rights in Baltimore through dancers on a fictional television show.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

TEEN IDOL: Daniel Davila ’14, as television star Link Larkin, sings “It Takes Two” to Tracy Turnblad.

ROLL CALL: Angus O’Brien ’14, left, as television host Corny Collins, introduces the dancers on the Corny Collins Show.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

ULTRACLUTCH: Daniel Davila ’14 and Camelia Somers ’14 spray Conor Belfield ’14 with Ultraclutch hairspray.

NIKTA MANSOURI/CHRONICLE

TURF WAR: The girls of the Corny Collins Show disapprove of Tracy Turnblad and her attempts to integrate the television program.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

“RUN AND TELL THAT”: Aiyana White ’14, left, and Zita Biosah ’14 act as Little Inez and Motormouth Maybelle.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

STAR POWER: Molly Chapman ’14 sings “Good Morning, Baltimore” as Tracy Turnblad in the first song of the musical.

THE DYNAMITES: Kayla Darini ’16, Imani Cook-Gist ’15 and Karin Rhynes ’16, from left, make up a ‘60s girl group.

Features The Chronicle • Nov. 13, 2013

Dying to be thin A distorted body image can lead to eating disorders, which typically begin during adolescence, experts say, with teenaged girls more vulnerable than boys. Two girls describe their struggles and their road to recovery.

By Sydney Foreman When Aurora* ’14 woke up on the floor of the dance locker room, she thought she must have died. Her first instinct was to reach for her thighs.

“Nope,” she thought, “these are still here.” If she had died, she thought, at least she would be skinny.

She had fainted and been unconscious for all of eighth period and had missed her bus. All she had eaten that day was low-calorie Greek yogurt, eight almonds and salad. Although she had fainted before, this was the first time she had blacked out since she had developed anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa the year before.

According to a UCLA Eating Disorder Awareness Newsletter published in February, anorexia nervosa consists of three elements: intense fear of gaining weight, restrained eating that negatively impacts a person’s health and a skewed view of a person’s own weight and body image. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person consumes huge amounts of calories and then purges them to prevent weight gain.

All of these tendencies fall under one larger umbrella term, school psychologist Kavita Ajmere said. If someone is under-eating, overeating, binging or binging and purging, it is considered an eating disorder.

Fiona* ’15 was under-eating.

When her anorexia reached its peak in ninth grade, her typical daily diet consisted of two egg whites for breakfast, one piece of fruit for lunch and grilled chicken for dinner.

While sitting in class freshman year, Fiona twirled her hair with her fingers and a substantial chunk of hair fell out. Although unsure if anyone noticed, she was still embarrassed.

“When you realize [anorexia] has an effect besides the weight loss — when your nails are chipping away and your hair is falling out — that’s the hard part,” Fiona said.

Hair falling out is not an uncommon consequence of an eating disorder, school psychologist Luba Bek said. Other side effects include hair growth all over the body, brittle nails and the loss of menstruation, she said.

Throughout her battle with eating disorders, Aurora experienced all of these, as well as bad breath, dry skin and feeling cold.

These consequences came after Aurora took severe measures due to the negative way she’s viewed her body since third grade.

Worrying about weight at this age is not uncommon. According to the UCLA newsletter, 81 percent of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat.

In eighth grade, her hatred for her body increased when 54 people called her “fat,” “ugly” and “horrible” on the now-defunct Facebook application “Bathroom Wall.”

“I was so unbelievably hurt,” Aurora said. “It was just so embarrassing.”

• Continued on page B6-7 ILLUSTRATION BY TARA STONE

B2 Features

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

Thanksgiving with a cultural twist

By Alex McNab

Families with recent ties to other countries and cultures celebrate Thanksgiving, the traditional American holiday, by combining the spirit of gratitude and goodwill with their own celebratory foods and traditions.

Norway

T

that they were the only ones celebrating.

“It was weird,” Miles said.

“No one else in Norway was celebrating. It was just a regular Thursday.”

However, Miles did her best to attach significance to what was, in Norway, just another day, making a presentation with her brother at the school they were attending about the history of Thanksgiving.

In America, at the annual potluck her dad’s side of the family holds each year to celebrate Thanksgiving, Miles’ Uncle Eric usually brings the mac and cheese, putting it on the table next to Swedish Aunt Ann-Christine’s fløtegratinerte poteter, cheesy Swedish potatoes.

“We always make stuffing,” Miles said. “And my dad always makes collard greens.”

This year, the Miles family may even invite two Norwegian students to their house to celebrate and learn about the holiday through an exchange program at UCLA. “We’re gonna show them what we do,” Miles said.

here is no sweet potato pie in Norway, and, in 2005, there were only two flavors of ice cream: vanilla and Neapolitan.

Considering the lack of ingredients, creating an American Thanksgiving in Norway was a difficult task.

“There’s no cornbread,” Helene Miles ’16 said. “That was hard.”

Miles spent her seventh Thanksgiving in Kongsberg, Norway, her mom’s hometown, trying in vain to help her father make macaroni and cheese out of norvegia, the only cheese in Norway besides goat cheese. She succeeded, but just barely, and she served it to her mother’s side of the family along with broccoli, mashed potatoes, salmon (a staple of Norwegian cuisine) and turvery Thanksgivkey. ing, kindergarteners The mac and cheese and across America wrap the vanilla ice cream they ate their right hands instead of their usual sweet potato pie wasn’t the only around their crayons and their compromise the Miles family left hands over a piece of paper had to make that Thanksgiv- to participate in a treasured part of American eling. ementary school culKalkun, Norweture—the drawing of gian turkey, is more hand turkeys. dry and plain than “‘Why’re you American turkey and coming home with a is usually only eaten turkey?’” 4-year old during Christmas, a Alberto Rivera’s ’14 feast that Miles said parents asked him. always involves turHaving grown up key. in El Salvador, Adan “We tried, [but] nathanson’s Rivera and Maria the food was super Alberto Diaz had no idea different,” Miles said.

Rivera ’14 what Thanksgiving “As American as we was, but, admiring tried to make [our Thanksgiving], it never re- their son’s artwork, they deally became American. It was cided to start celebrating that a very Norwegian Thanksgiv- year.

“My first Thanksgiving ing.”

The strangest part, howev- was a little late,” said Rivera, er, wasn’t the food but the fact who, even after his family

El Salvador

E

started celebrating, thought complain about the cumbia, a of Thanksgiving as more of a popular music genre in Latin turkey-centric family reunion America, playing in the house. than a national holiday.

“All the cousins grew up On Thanksgiving Day, Ri- [in America], so we like to lisvera’s family all gathers at Tía ten to our music. I don’t like Fini’s house to cook, eat and [cumbia] very much,” Rivera catch up. said. “But I’ll tolerate it.”

Before 4 p.m., Rivera said, Although Rivera isn’t a “that’s all preparation.” fan of the music, he feels more At the Rivera fam- connected to El Salvadorian ily Thanksgiving, Salvadorian culture than to American culfood is eaten, but they do at- ture, but he said, “I think I’m tempt to add some American connecting [to American culaspects to ture] more their celebrathrough my tion. education. In For exI would definitely school, I get ample, the more conlike to experience S a lv a d o r i a n nected.

Iman ordinary type of dish panes migrants con pollo, split come here, Thanksgiving and bread with their children compare it to mine.” chicken, maygo to school onnaise, cuthey —Alberto Rivera ’14 and cumbers and come back yerba buena, with hand is turned into drawings of panes con pavo, the same thing turkeys. I think the transition but with turkey to replace the of immigrants in this country chicken. celebrating Thanksgiving is In addition to the tur- children bringing hand drawkey, the Riveras eat macaroni ings of turkeys.” salad, mashed potatoes and a Rivera would still like to variety of Salvadorian drinks learn more about American that they make themselves: traditions. horchata, ensalada and tama“I would definitely like to rindo, along with apple juice. experience an ordinary type While the food is all pre- of Thanksgiving and compare pared in one day, the real prep- it to mine,” said Rivera. “I’d be arations begin long before the interested to see what they do. fourth Thursday of November. Chances are we have similar Rivera’s mom buys a turkey ideas.” and sends out invitations a Even if Rivera did try a whole month in advance, and more traditional Thanksgivthe amount of preparation ing, he thinks he’d still prefer pays off. his own way of celebrating.

People usually don’t start “I enjoy our type of Thanksdispersing until around 11 giving,” he said. p.m., and there are a lot of Even though Rivera’s enpeople. tire family enjoys the holiday, “Our table’s not big,” Rive- most of his family members ra said. “So we have to rotate. are ignorant of the story beThey eat their food. Then, hind it. they go to the living room and “They just know they give mingle.” thanks for…who knows what Mingling, in fact, is what they think? For us,” Rivera takes up most of the evening. said, “[Thanksgiving] just be“After [the food],” Rivera came another excuse for the said, “it’s sort of just family family to get together.” time. We’re pretty much just Rivera said he doesn’t talking. When we talk, it just know the traditional way carries on forever.” to celebrate, but he said he They talk about every- thinks that “the general way thing, Rivera’s mother catch- things happen are the same. In ing up with Tía Fini while the end, I think we can always Rivera and his seven cousins find something in common.”

“

Nigeria

F

or most people, giving thanks during the holidays is a short sentence about what they’re grateful for, but in at least a few households in America, thanks is shown through song.

“Ezechukwu” is one of the traditional Nigerian praise songs that Zita Biosah ’14 and her family sing every year during Thanksgiving.

“We pray for being alive,” Biosah said. “We pray for being together. We pray for being a good family.”

In Biosah’s family, Thanksgiving is divided into two parts. In the morning, she goes to her Grandma Catherine’s house to have a more American celebration.

There, she eats corn, turkey, mashed potatoes and other “white folk foods,” Biosah said. “It’s the time where we become American, but come night, it’s Nigerian Thanksgiving.”

Biosah and almost 50 of her family members go to her Aunt Stella’s house to drink Malta Huey and eat beans, cow feet, spinach with peppered goat, egusi soup (a popular West African soup made from ground egusi seeds) and fufu, a starchy ball of dough that is a staple of Nigerian cuisine.

All of the food in both the American and the Nigerian meal is cooked by Biosah’s family.

Biosah herself usually watches TV, sometimes a Thanksgiving special, while everyone else is in the kitchen.

The only thing they don’t cook is turkey.

“The Nigerian [meal] smells much better [than the American one],” Biosah said.

“You can smell the spices.”

However, the most anticipated event of the night isn’t the meal but the dancing afterwards.

“Dancing is the main highlight,” Biosah said. “Dancing is what feeds our souls. We turn up the speakers, it’s a big party.”

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B3

ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB GOODMAN

Families from other cultures augment the traditional American holiday feast with celebratory foods from their own heritages.

Listening to a cornucopia rather as another excuse to of Nigerian artists that in- celebrate. clude P-Square and Wande “I don’t feel like I have any Cole, Biosah and her family obligation to retain my Ameriget down to songs like canness,” Biosah said.

“Sweet Moda” and “I feel just so much Fela Kuti’s hit “Zommore alive [during bie.” our Nigerian celebra“The party song tion]. We’re embracis called ‘Premier ing a lot more of the Gaou,’” Biosah said, day. We’re thanking making note of the through dance. We’re fact that everyone’s thanking through “good clothes” in the prayer. We’re thankmorning are scrapped ing through singing.” nathanson’s come evening. “At When she grows Zita Biosah ’14 night, when it’s Nigeup and starts her rian,” she said, “wear own family, Biosah your good pants to dance in.” said “[I’ll] definitely focus a lot Some songs like “Azonto” more on the [Nigerian] part and Kukere” have their own because I’m so afraid of losing dances attached to them. that.”

“Then you bring your hands and wash your face,” said Biosah, moving around to try to explain the dance. eople in France love to “Adults do it. Kids do it. eat.

Everybody dances,” Biosah “There’s always an said. excuse to eat yummy This type of celebration, however, is typical of all the food,” Eugenie Lund-Simon Biosah family celebrations. ’14, who lived in Paris until In fact, Thanksgiving is a far she was eight, said. However, smaller deal than many of the she said, “French people don’t other holidays they celebrate, have feasts,” so, when she like Christmas and New Year’s moved to America in 2004, she Eve, a party that often doesn’t immediately fell in love with end until past one in the Thanksgiving.

“I love Thanksgiving bemorning.

Thanksgiving is the cel- cause I love food so much,” ebration that ends earliest for Lund-Simon said, although the Biosahs. Biosah doesn’t her first Thanksgiving meal was less than stellar. even know what day it’s on.

“We were staying in a ho“Thanksgiving is just not as important to a Nigerian,” tel,” Lund-Simon said. “[So] Biosah said. “I’m Nigerian to we got take-out turkey from the bone. I feel disconnected some fast food thing.”

That first Thanksgiving to a lot of [American] things was the last time the Lundbecause I’m first generation.”

The only reason they have Simons ate turkey together.

“It was disgusting,” Lundthe more American celebration in the morning is because Simon said. “We don’t like turher grandmother usually key. It’s just dry.”

Instead, the Lund-Simon doesn’t come to the evening family creates their own meal.

Much of Biosah’s family French Thanksgiving meal.

“Thanksgiving is a whole doesn’t even have a real understanding of what the holi- cooking process,” Lund-Simon said. “We don’t buy anything.” day is about.

Beginning with a 7 a.m. trip “My parents would probably just be like ‘I don’t know— to Beverly Glen Market Place pilgrims?’ It kind of goes over to buy baguettes, Lund-Simon, their heads because it’s some- her mother, her father and her thing they don’t care about as older sister Eléonore ’12 spend the majority of Thanksgiving much,” Biosah said.

They observe the holiday Day in their pajamas, preparnot for cultural reasons but ing for Thanksgiving dinner.

France

P

“We all have stations for French friends who want to food,” Lund-Simon said. “My experience Thanksgiving. thing is making the pear and In addition to the food, ginger tart.”

Lund-Simon celebrates To keep everyone’s energy Thanksgiving because of the up during the long day of cook- culture. ing, “[we play] some hard-ass “[At first,] I didn’t consider French music,” said Lund-Si- myself an American,” Lundmon. In particular, the Lund- Simon said. “[But] if I move Simons listen to Carla Bruni’s back to France, I’ll continue album “Quelqu’un M’a Dit” ev- celebrating Thanksgiving and ery year. watching the Super Bowl.”

During cooking breaks, the Lund-Simons play games like Twister, and, from four to five p.m., they all take a nap beellow paper burns in fore going to the gym for two the Chinese countryhours. side in August. Huang “We’re gonna eat some zhi, it’s called. It repnice food,” Lund-Simon said. resents money being sacrificed “So we need to work out.”

The ingredients the Lund- to Lao Tian, a “Chinese god,” Simons use are authentical- upper school Chinese teacher ly French, and they have to Yi Jiang said.

Jiang is from Shandong, go to a special dealer to get them. The company they buy a rural province in Northern the ingredients from is called China. In 2009, she moved to Saveurs, and is used by most of America with her husband Lund-Simon’s favorite French Hai Long and 3-year-old son, restaurants in Los Angeles, Yi Nan. Since then, she’s celebrated but they are not easy to find.

She said her mom usually just three Thanksgivings and will finds them at stalls in markets. soon enjoy her fourth.

Coming from a culture When dinner is finally served, “[it’s] pretty much a where the closest thing to bunch of French people [who] Thanksgiving is the annual get together and don’t eat tur- harvest festival in August, Jiang didn’t know much about key,” Lund-Simon said.

The Lund-Simon Thanks- the holiday, although she had giving meal comes in three learned a little from American books, movies parts. and her world First, the history class. appetizers: Eat turkey. That’s “Eat tureither nut what my first impression key,” Jiang soup, escarsaid. “That’s got or seafood [of Thanksgiving] was. what my first served with And thank the Indian impression champagne. [of ThanksLund-Simon people.” giving] was. and her sister —Yi Jiang And thank drink chamIndian poni, a nonChinese teacher the people.” alcoholic kids’ Although, champagne that resembles sparkling apple she’s been in America for four years, Jiang is still learning cider.

For their main dish, the about Thanksgiving.

“I get a lot of cultural conLund-Simons eat chicken, veal or duck, all with fruit stuffed tent from my elder son,” Jiang inside, accompanied by celery said. “But [I] also learn from root puree and warm apples friends and neighbors.”

Jiang’s neighbors are mostwith caramel. For desert, they share Lund-Simon’s pear and ly American. It was at one of her neighbors’ houses where ginger tart.

The eating continues into Jiang first celebrated Thanksthe next day when Lund-Si- giving.

“I didn’t know how to roast mon shares leftovers with her

China

Y

“

a turkey,” Jiang said. “It was my American friends who invited us to eat turkey with them. It was a very nice opportunity for us to have fun with our friends. The kids were very happy, and the adults were very happy to eat turkey.”

Jiang has since adopted many Thanksgiving traditions, but she still incorporates Chinese customs into her celebration.

Jiang’s friends taught her how to roast turkey, but, more accustomed to roasting Peking duck, Jiang said she combines American techniques for roasting turkey and Chinese techniques for roasting duck.

One year, she even hosted the celebration, but she and her family usually eat at their friends’ houses, barbecuing when the weather’s warm.

At her house, Jiang said they cook Chinese food like fish, chicken, pork and duck, the same foods that are sacrificed to give thanks to Chinese god Lao Tian.

Unlike American Thanksgiving, where the symbolism is in the idea of a community feast, in China, the food itself has significance. The chicken, pork, fish, corn and wheat are communally blessed and sacrificed to Lao Tian. Sometimes, there are firecrackers too.

“We eat because it brings people good luck,” Jiang said,.

But Jiang’s favorite part of Thanksgiving is the family, an aspect not in the harvest festival.

“Family is very important,” Jiang said. “But, unfortunately, we have to study hard and work hard, so there’s not a lot of time for family.”

The main difference Jiang said is that “in China, to celebrate the harvest is to give thanks to the god, but, in America, it’s more about thanking the Indians.”

Despite their differences, Jiang has no preference.

“They are both very good,” she said. “I like family reunions.

I like people to be grateful. I think people should have these kinds of appreciations. Giving thanks. I think that’s the most important thing.”

B4 Features

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

A Home Away From Home

Some Harvard-Westlake families celebrate Veterans Day every day by welcoming soldiers into their homes through Operation Mend.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID WOLDENBERG

By Leily Arzy Marine Corporal Aaron P. Mankin was critically injured May 11, 2005 while serving in Iraq when his assault vehicle rolled over and exploded. Mankin suffered burns on over 25 percent of his body. His ears, nose and mouth were gone along with two fingers on his right hand.

Mankin became the first participant in Operation Mend, a program that funds plastic and reconstructive surgery at the UCLA Medical Center for military personnel with severe medical injuries.

“People just think ‘Oh, it is just reconstructive surgery,’ but Aaron Mankin said he wants to do this so his daughter won’t be teased because he is disfigured,” Sara Evall ’15, who volunteers for Operation Mend’s buddy program, said. “It can be debilitating and, psychologically so, seeing people look at you differently or seeing little kids get scared when you walk down the street. You lose your identity, and you lose your confidence.”

The buddy program provides service members and their families support and companionship while they are undergoing treatment.

Many Harvard-Westlake students have gotten involved with this aspect of the program, including Evall and her family, who have been a buddy family for the Mankins for several years.

As volunteer director of the buddy program, Dana Katz (Gracen Evall ’13, Sara Evall ’15) is responsible for coordinating the buddy families, which she said can be a very difficult process.

Katz said it is important to match each patient with a family who shares a similar lifestyle and interests.

“We made a commit-

ment to the Army that source of support. we would wrap our arms The Graham family has around the wounded war- supported two buddy famiriors, that we were going to lies, including the family of bring them to UCLA like Marine Gunnery Sergeant they were our own fami- Blaine Scott, who was selies,” Katz said. verely burned in war but While service members through surgeries provided get surgery or treatment, by Operation Mend is now they are housed with their healthy enough to return to families at the Tiverton active duty.

House, which is in close Operation Mend has proximity to the had very few paUCLA Medical tients be redeCenter. ployed because the Once the docmajority of the pator permits their tients’ injuries are release, the service too severe. Howmembers go home ever, some patients for the remainder have returned to of their recovactive duty, which ery and return to includes training nathanson’s UCLA for their and educating othSara Evall ’15 next treatment er service memif it is necessary. bers as well as Depending on the extent of other administrative tasks. their injuries, patients may The Grahams’ current go back and forth for sev- buddy family is that of eral months or even years.

Army Staff Sergeant Lee Each patient is Jones and his two daughestimated to run up medical ters. bills of approximately Jones has had several $500,000, all of which is reconstructive surgeries covered by donations. through Operation This cost includes not Mend, but he still can’t only the surgeries but also independently eat or utilize psychological counseling, fine motor skills, Graham housing, plane tickets and said. other necessities associated “My experiences getting with medical treatment. to know the soldiers and Because many of the their families have been patients are in their mid- incredibly valuable to me in twenties, their parents the sense that I have been often accompany them to able to expand my horizons UCLA. If that is the case, and gain a larger perspective Katz will match that family of the world,” Graham said. with a couple who is similar “I am always shocked by in age with the patient’s the soldiers’ commitment parents and who also have to our country. It is very kids who are similar in age influential.” with the patient.

During the pre- and “Once you are a buddy post-operative periods, family, you just provide a the buddy families will do home away from home,” whatever they can to make Evall said. the process less daunting Evall introduced Emma for the service members Graham ’15 and Tyler and their families. This may Graham ’15 to the buddy include taking them out for family program six years dinner, exploring the city ago. Their main involvement or simply talking to them, in the program has been as the buddy system is helping the soldiers after intended to meet the needs surgery, taking care of their of the patients. kids and being a general Roman Holthouse ’15

and his family have been a Kreshek has held bake buddy family for five years sales, raising around $2,000 and have become very each. She plans to continue close with Army Sergeant holding bake sales for the Salvador Trujillo-Lopez, remainder of her high who is being treated for school years. severe burns on his body.

Kreshek and her family Whenever Trujillo-Lopez, have also been involved in accompanied by his wife and the buddy program. three young kids, returns “The idea is to get to UCLA, the Holthouse [service members] as close family invites them over for to ‘normal’ as possible,” dinner.

Kreshek said, referring to “I think their family the physical injuries from and our family have just a the wars. really good bond now and is Sloane Chmara ’15 just really nice when we see babysits at the Tiverton each other,” Holthouse said. House, so she primarily Patients are required to interacts with the service bring at least one person members’ children. She with them, but the program either plays with the regularly accommodates children or takes them out patients who bring their into Westwood. whole families. Patients also “When the kids are a must be in stable condition. little older, the dynamic A service member can not changes, and I kind of be in a life-threatening become like a friend to them,” state and C h m a r a come to said. “I am UCLA beglad that I cause of get to help

My experiences them in any the dangers that way, like by getting to know the could engiving the soldiers and their sue. Lastly, servicemen families have been patients a day off, must be they incredibly valuable to so injured don’t have me in the sense that d u r i n g to worry training or [ a b o u t ] I have been able to active battheir kids.” expand my horizons.” tle from a Many of p o s t - 9 /1 1 —Emma Graham’15 the students war. involved J o e with OpKatz ’16, Evall’s cousin, eration Mend have become has been involved with more aware and grateful Operation Mend since the of the sacrifices that these sixth grade. He recalls service members have made spending time with Army for their country.

Staff Sergeant Shiloh “I have learned a lot Harris’s one-year-old son about the armed services, Glenn and teaching him definitely a lot more than how to swim.

I knew before, and it has “I would like to advertise given me a new outlook the program more and try on just how important to keep doing it as long as I these servicemen are to can,” Katz said. protecting our country, to Katz remembers Ka- make sure we have a safe tie Kreshek’s ’16 Operation place to live every day,” Mend presentations dur- Evall said. ing school assemblies at the Middle School. *Additional reporting by AnSince the eighth grade, gela Chon

“

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/features

Where are the girls?

features

B5

In AP Physics C, SSR, and AP Chemistry, girls are outnumbered by boys four to one.

By Lizzy Thomas and Lauren Sonnenberg

Boys make up four-fifths of the students in advanced science classes.

Looking around the sixth period AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism class, something is missing. It’s not equations — the two whiteboards at the front of the room are scrawled full of Es and dqs. It’s not the students — all 17 of them are hunched over their desks, working to solve said equations. And it’s not the teacher — Antonio Nassar is walking between the rows of students, directing and helping them.

No — it’s girls.

Girls are conspicuously absent, outnumbered 14 to three.

It’s a disparity not endemic to the single section of E&M: only one-fifth of students enrolled this year in the four highest science classes are female.

In those classes, girls represent six of the 37 enrolled in AP Physics C: Mechanics, six of 23 in AP Chemistry and four of 19 in Studies in Scientific Research. The apparent underrepresentation of girls is not unusual, or part of any recent downward trend, dean Sharon Cuseo said.

“These numbers are fairly typical,” Cuseo said. “The numbers of girls in these classes wax and wane, but there definitely isn’t a decreasing trend.”

The second-highest tier science classes come far closer to equilibrium. AP Biology and AP Physics B split close to 5050 any given year, with biology slightly more female and physics slightly more male.

It’s a situation that Nassar, who also teaches AP Physics B and SSR, sees as analogous to UCLA’s enrollment in its physics and astrophysics majors, he said. Would-be astrophysicists are required to take the same core classes during their first two years of study as the physics majors, and yet women account for a full half of the astrophysics group and only 20 percent of the more general concentration.

“In Physics B, there is not a huge discrepancy, but then you go into Physics C and it is a huge discrepancy,” Nassar said. “It’s puzzling: Is it perception? It’s always a puzzle, because of course you see that girls are as capable.”

Cuseo likewise believes in the equal abilities of the male and female student bodies.

“I believe a possible explanation is the allure of particular vocations, not ability,” Cuseo said. “Female students who qualify for AP Physics C might choose to take AP Physics B instead because it is seen as more appropriate preparation for students on the pre-med or life sciences path as opposed to AP Physics C, which is geared more toward pre-engineers.”

Nassar believes one solution to the puzzle is a serious overhaul of higher-level science curriculums, an answer he acknowledges brings its own set of problems.

“I think cosmetic changes will never change this. We have to have changes at the core, at the curriculum level,” Nassar said. “But college dictates what we teach, whether

you like it or not. In my view there has to be a national outcry.”

If the underrepresentation of girls in advanced science is viewed as an issue, then the country has yet another education-related problem to worry about. Walking into an AP Physics C class in New York or Illinois would likely offer a similar female deficiency: nationally, girls take 54 percent of all AP tests, but only 32 percent of AP Physics C students are female, while AP Chemistry is almost balanced, according a study done by the American Institute of Physics and the 2011 AP Report to the Nation.

In fact, science teacher John Feulner is firmly of the conviction that there is no additional science gender imbalance issue at Harvard-Westlake, beyond the problems that affect the nation as a whole.

“Do I think we have a problem at this school? No, not in the slightest,” Feulner said. “I have never heard, and I certainly hope I never hear, a young women feel that she was discouraged from going into these fields.”

Gender imbalance was a top concern in years past. In the years immediately after the merger of Harvard and Westlake, the school carefully tracked female enrollment in all AP sciences, Feulner said.

“We compared our numbers to the national averages over a period of three or four years, and I would say at that time we had either greater numbers of females or about the average,” Feulner said.

Twenty years later, though, the school no longer pushes to gender balance any of the courses it offers, instead encouraging students to take what interests them, regardless of their gender.

Science department head Larry Axelrod believes that the academic environment of Harvard-Westlake adds another layer of complexity to the gender imbalance debate.

“From the standpoint of sheer ability, I see no reason why women at Harvard-Westlake are underrepresented in these courses. I just don’t see a gender difference in terms of intellectual capability,” Axelrod said. “And if it’s not an issue of ability, then what is it? We have a unique group of female students enrolled at Harvard-Westlake, when compared to the larger U.S. high school population. It might be too simplistic to just assume that all the traditional explanations which are given to explain low female enrollment would necessarily apply to our students.”

Chelsea Pan ’14 is under the overqualified-but-unenrolled umbrella. In spite of a junior year class load that included AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC, Pan opted for AP Physics B this year over Mechanics, largely because of interests that include a potential career in medicine.

“I chose Physics B because it covers more, whereas C is only mechanics but just more in depth,” Pan said. “I chose B just mostly because it’s more breadth, and also because I’m

not interested in engineering.”

School-specific problem or not, skewed ratios are a reality that’s noticeable to many students.

Divya Siddarth ’14 only began to notice the thinning ranks of her female classmates at the Upper School. Now one of the few girls in her Mechanics, E&M and SSR classes, Siddarth finds her academic environment more headscratching than anything else.

“I’ve never felt like I’m in a hostile environment due to any reason really at our school, but it’s still kind of odd to be in such an odd representation of people because it’s not something you’re used to,” Siddarth said. “I think it’s strange.”

Like Siddarth, Megha Srivastava ’14 has been one of the few girls in a number of her classes during her time at the Upper School, and is currently one of the three girls in the E&M class.

Although Srivastava has felt peer-pressured into thinking math and science classes were “not girly enough,” she attributes these sentiments as coming more from girls than from boys. Most boys she’s encountered in classes don’t seem to think girls should not pursue math and science, she said.

On a broader level, Srivastava sees this as a prevalent problem, especially in how the media presents women in science.

“Whenever a magazine profiles Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, the author just talks about how smart and innovative they are,” she said. “But when a magazine profiles Marissa Mayer, the computer scientist and CEO of Yahoo, the author always mentions ‘brains and beauty’ and the clothes she wears, as if being smart isn’t enough and unlike boys, who can just be smart, girls need to be smart and look good in order to be celebrated.

And with so much emphasis on appearances, I think it is easy for girls to gravitate to fields where there are many more celebrated females to emulate.”

That explanation may extend, on a smaller scale, to Harvard-Westlake as well — of the AP Physics Cs, AP Chemistry and SSR, AP Chemistry has the sole female teacher in Krista McClain.

Having a female teacher may pull more girls to a given class. In the UCLA astrophysics example, the major includes classes taught by Andrea Ghez (Evan LaTourette-Ghez ’19), a preeminent astronomer.

Whatever the nature of the imbalance at Harvard-Westlake, and whatever its cause, Siddarth believes the fields of science and math would be made better by its corrective adjustment.

“It’s never been a problem to me personally, but I think it’s a huge loss to the field,” Siddarth said.

It’s a sentiment Nassar echoes.

“We need women in science, and there are just so few,” Nassar said. “I am hopeful that because we’ve had so many changes, maybe it’s time for this change as well.”

Girls make up one- fifth of the students in advanced science classes GRAPHIC BY EMILY SEGAL AND MORGANNE RAMSEY

The Chronicle

Nov. 1

How does body image affect students at Harvard-Westlake?

The C 341 stud relations disorders

B6 Features

WEIGHED

DOWN

TO WEIGH

LESS Two girls relate the stories of their battles with anorexia and bulimia, eating disorders that can be life-threatening.

6.5% 71%

of students polled hav diagnosed with an eat

of girls polled describe ideal body type as thin

SOURCE: CH GRAPHIC BY

• Continued from page B1 The negative thoughts Aurora had about her body were already present, but it was not until preparation for her 15th birthday pool party that she finally acted on them. Leading up to the party, Aurora exercised daily and ate a maximum of 250 calories a day. Two days after her party, while studying for a biology test, she read that eating excess protein could lead to fat storage.

When she came down to breakfast the next day, she refused to consume any form of protein.

Her mother decided to take her to a doctor, and Aurora ended up entering UCLA in-patient treatment. Aurora fought to be transferred into outpatient care.

After transferring to outpatient care, Aurora continued to protest, so her treatment consisted mostly of “The Maudsley Approach,” an intense outpatient treatment in which family members play a dominant role.

Her parents monitored all of her meals and stayed with her an hour after eating to make sure she did not throw up.

“It was invasive, frustrating and potentially destructive to the family dynamic,” Aurora said. “It’s good for parents who want a hand in the recovery process.”

Despite her parents’ efforts, she continued to lose significant amounts of weight. By the end of freshman year, her yearbook was filled with comments that pointed out her weight loss and how much better she looked because of it.

“Little did they know I couldn’t participate in the dance show because my heart rate was too low, and [doctors] were scared I would have a heart attack,” Aurora said.

Her dance teacher was unaware of her situation until a phone call from Aurora’s dad.

If her teacher had noticed any suspicious behavior and reported it to a school psychologist,

she could have prevented her with teachers and from participating in activities could have directe until the school received a doc- healthier calorie tor’s evaluation, Bek said. Bek Aurora arrive said coach or teacher oversee- School 50 pounds ing an athletic activity can do she had left the M this in severe situations.

In 10th grade, he In her 14 years of coach- maintain a health ing at the school, varsity girls’ only worsened. basketball coach Melissa Hearlihy (Josh ’12) has never had an “It was athlete have to quit basketball due to an eating disorder. In me agains one case, however, one of her image-ob players once took a week off to “regroup,” she said. Through- school,” out her time coaching at the “Th school, she has known of four said. girls with eating disorders on part that her team.

“I report it to the authori- me decide ties,” Hearlihy said. “I usually switch sch start with the school psycholoPeer Supp gists and the trainers.”

Fiona, an athlete, found the After feeling trainers to be the most helpful her friends, and s resource on campus. of her ti One day, when she family an had a horrible headrora foun ache she assumed port a pla was due to lack of could re sleep, Fiona sought people he relief in the trainers’ “Thes office in Taper Gymsaw me as nasium. The trainer as the gir began asking Fioing disor na questions about nathanson’s said. her recent diet. The Melissa Unlike trainer told Fiona she Hearlihy na did no had been consuming in Peer S an unacceptably low amount of worried that her calories for her body weight.

Until this conversation, bers would pity h Fiona was in complete denial after two weeks. about how little food she was interfered with h too much, and she eating.

“When you have an actual unhelpful.

“They might sports medicine person explain of me as Fiona to you how many calories your body burns, it takes away some girl, which I don of the fear of eating more,” Fio- said.

Neither girl fo na said. psychologists to During training season, Hearlihy recommends that ful outlet. At bot her athletes eat approximately School and the U 2500 to 3000 calories a day. She Aurora was sen noted that this can vary de- will to the school pending on an individual’s me- She does blame h trying to meet wi tabolism.

“I think that more than but she thought counting calories, what’s im- times she did me portant is the type of food were disappointin “It just seeme they’re eating,” Hearlihy said.

She is primarily concerned laic,” Aurora said with protein consumption. looking for red fla Hearlihy directs her athletes looking for trigg to consume calories 30 min- but they weren’t utes after exercising. Food like me about how I w Aurora called chocolate milk is good after a work out, she said, because it gists’ style “m has protein that a body can She found the ap unsuccessful for h easily absorb.

Aurora continued dance at nized it may be h the Upper School, but she did ers.

Fiona has ne not interact closely enough

13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/features

Chronicle polled dents about their ship with eating s and body image.

ve been ting disorder.

ed their n or very thin.

What is the minimum number of calories you should eat per day?

STEP ONE

kind of st a body bsessed Aurora he only t made e not to hools was port.”

abandoned by spending most ime with her nd doctors, Aund in Peer Supace where she econnect with er own age. se people just s a person, not rl with the eatrder,” Aurora

e Aurora, Fioot find a haven Support. Fiona r group memher, so she left Peer Support her homework e considered it

start to think that anorexic n’t want,” she

ound the school be a helpth the Middle Upper School, nt against her l psychologists. herself for not ith them more, that the few eet with them ng. ed very formud. “They were ags, they were ger warnings, t really asking was doing.” d the psycholomatter-of-fact.” pproach to be her, but recoghelpful to oth-

ever had the

According to the Student Nutrition and Body Image Awareness study done by UCLA, this formula calculates your minimum daily caloric intake.

Men: a healthy body weight for your height x 11 Women: a healthy body weight for your height x 10

STEP TWO

Light activity level: multiply step 1 value by 1.5 for women and 1.6 for men Moderate activity level: multiply step 1 value by 1.6 for women and 1.7 for men Heavy activity level: multiply step 1 value by 1.9 for women and 2.1 for men

HRONICLE POLL Y LAUREN SIEGEL AND ZOE DUTTON

d trainers who ed her towards consumption. ed at the Upper s lighter than Middle School. er struggle to hy body weight

Features B7

desire to visit the school psy- couple of months ago, Aurora’s chologists. curiosity took over. As her dean “I’m the kind of person who was pulling up her junior year likes to work out my issues,” comments, Aurora glimpsed she said. at one. Her teacher mentioned She does, however, have that she had gained weight and a therapist outside how this can often put of school whom she stress on a teenager. greatly trusts. FioAurora could not believe na’s entire family that a teacher would so sees the same therdirectly remark on her apist, so she feels weight gain. more comfortable “It was mortifying,” having that connecAurora said. tion.

But her teachers “A search for a are not the only ones nathanson’s counselor, a search who have continued to Kavita Ajmere for someone you remark on her body at trust, is a process,” the Upper School. Like Bek said. “It’s like dating.” in Middle School, so have her Bek believes it is important peers. Aurora worried that she for a person to discover some- would be barred from the first one he or she feels comfortable party of her senior year betalking to, even if they are not cause the invitation stated that yet ready to admit they have no ”ugly” people would be let in. a problem. This is one reason Much to her relief, Aurora why she is happy to see several was granted admission. This counselors on campus. She also boosted her confidence, and she views this as a necessary asset began to relax about her apof the school because of a con- pearance. flict called dual relationships, As she circulated the party when a student recognizes an with a friend, she heard a boy adult on campus as both an ac- call out, “Hey you.” Aurora ademic teacher and a therapist. turned around and recognized “This is not a relationship the boy as a classmate she dethat should exist,” Bek said. scribed as “popular, attractive It is more awkward for the and confident.” They soon mastudent than the teacher, she made eye contact. said. She always refers her students to other counselors on “No, not you, facampus unless they are completely adamant about seeing tass,” he said. her.

In the past year, Aurora has These comments weren’t talked to her out-of-school psy- new. Two years before, when chiatrist about instances with she shed 15 pounds from her her teachers that have contrib- already underweight frame uted to her distorted percep- over winter break, Aurora artion of her body. rived back at school only to be Recently in her history greeted by a boy in her chemisclass, Aurora’s teacher pre- try class telling her how much sented students with a pho- more attractive she now looked. tograph of a fertility goddess. Comments from boys such as Aurora described the sculpture these, Aurora said, contribute as having specially carved cel- to how “extremely difficult” her lulite on its thighs. Her teacher, recovery process, particularly repulsed by the image, said he at school, has been. was unsure of who would find Students don’t need to have the image beautiful. eating disorders to notice these comments. Robert Lee ’14 said regularly hears boys mak“I knew it,” Au- he ing similar remarks to the ones rora said. “My dad that Aurora received.

“When talking about a girl was lying to me in their grade, the first thing the whole time, the [boys] usually talk about is how looks, and if she’s pretty or doctors were ly- she thin or not,” Lee said. “I guess ing to me the whole a way boys could improve being sensitive about the whole time. No one finds more issue is just thinking more fat to be beautiful.” about the personality before the body.”

However, Lee does not beWhile in her dean’s office a lieve this will happen anytime

SOURCE: UCLA STUDENT NUTRITION AND BODY IMAGE STUDY GRAPHIC BY LAUREN SIEGEL AND ZOE DUTTON

soon. that one has to walk between “There’s been a total sex- educating and encouraging,” ist and demeaning outlook on Bek said. women from the start,” Lee Like Aurora, Bek sees Peer said. “I think it will take years Support as one of the most and years and years to shift the helpful outlets for eating-recertain mindset that we have lated issues. Although she adon women.” mits it to be a particularly difSince she’s anorexic, Fiona ficult subject to educate about has felt the consequences of and provide help for, Bek bethis mindset. Fiona first took lieves the school is doing all it notice of how attentive people can after efforts like teaching were to her weight in middle in Choices and Challenges and school, when she lost only a few bringing in nutritionists and pounds, subsequently feeling specialists failed. If an idea of encouraged by her classmates how to improve in these areas to continue to do so. were suggested, she is sure the “Accumulating all of these school would be proactive about compliments about how your implementing it. body looks better, you create an “Ultimately, your parents idea in your head that you need are in charge of you,” Bek said. to keep losing weight because “If they aren’t willing to get you people like it,” Fiona said. help or they don’t see it as an To curb the onset of mind- issue, there is very little we can sets like the ones she and Fio- do as an institution.” na developed, Aurora said she Both Aurora and Fiona hopes to see a program, simi- have found the most relief in lar to Project 10, a confiden- their day-to-day recovery outtial support group for students side of school. who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning, “Through therstarted to offer more support to students at school suffering apy, I’ve realized from eating disorders. She enthat it’s not about visions the group to be made up of people who identify along a the food for me, spectrum of body image ranging from general unhappiness and it’s not about to a diagnosed disorder. She my body,” Fiona would like it to be a safe-haven “It’s about for them to discuss any issues said. that arise from body dissatis- having the control faction.

Bek said a group like this of a number.” used to exist in the 1990s, run Fiona has also by former school psyfound comfort in selfchologist Sheila Siegel affirmations. She tells and former physical herself every morneducation teacher Deb ing that she is healthy Phelps. The group and happy. consisted entirely of “I don’t want to girls and promised a live my whole life confidentiality system thinking about calosimilar to Peer Supries,” Fiona said. “It port’s. won’t be a disease that nathanson ’ s Bek said it was defines my life.”

Luba Bek very successful in the Aurora’s outlook beginning until a few on her struggle is not girls put themselves in such dangerous situations that their as optimistic. The only reason parents had to be contacted. she does not continue to starve Hearing about this, many other herself, she said, is because her girls were frightened that their body cannot physically take it. parents too would be contacted, and the group dissolved.

At around the same time, Bek said, a study came out reporting that support groups for eating disorders and education about eating disorders did more harm than good, because people who are prone to unusual eating habits often get ideas from these types of exposure.

“There is a really thin line

“That’s the worst part about it,” Aurora said.

“I would do it all again.” *Names have been changed

B8 Features

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Media

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Nov. 13, 2013 Submit

References

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF LUKE SOON-SHIONG

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ALISHA BANSAL

FORMS OF EXPRESSION: Andy Arditi ’14, left, plays the saxophone in a show at Vibrato Grill. Luke Soon-Shiong’s ’14 “Doesn’t Make a Difference” is one of the 10 art samples he submitted to colleges. Alisha Bansal ’14, right, practices ballet in a dance studio. All three submitted or plan to submit arts supplements with college applications.

Artful applications

By Sarah Novicoff Working on her college applications, Aiyana White ’14 stands in a recording studio, crooning “Almost Like Being in Love,” “On My Own” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” into a microphone. White is recording an art supplement: a portfolio of pictures, music or videos that students may send to colleges to complement the rest of their applications.

“I chose to submit an arts supplement to show why I’ve spent six years of my life doing choir,” White said. “I don’t plan to study music, but I would like to participate in a cappella during college, so it’s a good way to show a huge part of myself and my high school experience in a way other than an essay.”

White is part of the approximately 30.7 percent of

the 140 seniors polled in a Chronicle survey who submitted or plan to submit an arts supplement.

Instrumental music and two-dimensional art supplements were the most popular, each attracting 15 and 14 respectively of 37 seniors who submitted or will submit arts supplements.

“At the most selective schools, there are just so many kids who are smart, involved and good test-takers,” upper school dean Beth Slattery said. “Anything you have that distinguishes you, sometimes that’s a beautiful voice or artistic talent but other times that’s a leadership position in school or some independent research, helps your application.”

The hope that dance might help her application motivated Alisha Bansal ’14 to submit a

30.7 percent of the 140 seniors polled in a Chronicle survey submitted or plan to submit arts supplements with their college applications. supplement focused on ballet and contemporary dance.

Clips from school dance shows are mixed with classical ballet repertoire and a personal interview that explains the importance of dance in her life.

“As a dancer, you have very few opportunities to actually show admissions officers how dedicated you are and how much of your time dance has taken as well as your skill level, so a dance supplement is just one way in which you can try and do that,” Bansal said.

Slattery cautioned students, though, not to place too much faith in the power of a supplement to change an applicant’s chances.

“Whereas a positive rating from a faculty member might tip you in, a mediocre rating might tip you out,” Slattery said. “I think that it’s another factor, but it is definitely not

getting a kid who is outside of the realm of consideration academically in.”

Bansal plans to submit her video as a physical copy, a YouTube link and through a SlideRoom account, depending on the recommendations of each college.

SlideRoom, a website which White will also use, links to the Common Application and allows students to upload images, PDFs and audio and video files. Although a SlideRoom account normally costs at least $500 a year, when linked to the Common Application, an account becomes free, and students pay submission fees for each college.

Luke Soon-Shiong ’14, who will apply to an art school as well as liberal arts colleges, submitted a supplement that included ten paintings and drawings with individual cap-

tions.

“I’ve known that I wanted to work in visual art since I was six, so it wasn’t really a question of whether or not I was going to submit an art supplement,” Soon-Shiong said. “Along with essays, it’s a part of the application process that makes you feel like you’re not just a number.”

Andy Arditi ’14, who plays jazz saxophone, echoed those sentiments, saying performing is a big part of his identity and needed to be a part of his college applications.

“Music is a huge part of who I am, and I felt like my application would be incomplete without it,” Arditi said.

“While the Common Application, transcripts and test scores serve as academic benchmarks, the arts supplement can add a creative or artistic element to the process.”

Arts&Entertainment

The Chronicle • Nov. 13, 2013

ace R e sic Mu t a l o c o h Da C nce e r t o len Ta m i e t l c a i B d e Whit ju ge

Preversity Love Segregation Big Chan Di Respect Minority Protest C Show Contest olor Blonde Racism Passion Blac k Beautiful Ha Equalit ir y Vanilla Musical Sixties

Casting by color

By Morganne Ramsey

much interest from African- integration, the roles are typiAmerican boys. cally played by black and white n the first day of Pugh said that he reached actors. rehearsal, perform- out to multiple black boys to Kennedy Green ’14, a meming arts department try out, but realized that even ber of Motormouth’s Crew, head Rees Pugh though there were some Afri- found this to be a welcome waited for silence before ad- can-American boys who had change from “Oklahoma.” dressing the 50-person cast the skills to be in the show, “Traditionally Laurie and of “Hairspray,” this year’s fall they could not try out due to Aunt Eller are white, so it’s musical. athletic commitments. not like I was auditioning to be “I hope that this show will Richard said that the lack Laurie or Aunt Eller,” Green lead to many conversations of participation among Afri- said. “I was really auditioning about race and civil rights,” can-American boys may be to be in the ensemble.”

Pugh said, “but we won’t have attributed to societal expec“I did have questions about time for these conversations in tations. Richard also believes where to put certain people of rehearsal.” that “Hairspray” could help mixed ancestry,” Pugh said. “A The story of “Hairspray” close this gender gap in the lot of this was based on exteriis centered around race and long run. or two-dimension physicality, civil rights, and Pugh said that “As a black male it’s not which was a weird criterion to this is the first time okay to be singing use.” the performing arts or dancing — you’re Mazelle Etessami ’14, who department has prosupposed to be do- is Persian, auditioned for the duced a show, where ing something else,” show expecting to be cast as segregation is the baRichard said. “Hope- a member of Motormouth’s sis of the show. fully the younger Crew, but was shocked to In spite of Pugh’s kids will see [Don- learn that she was placed in hope that the show hem Brown ’14] up the white ensemble. would spark converthere and that will “I had to ask myself why sation, he said the push them to be in I was so upset that they connathanson’s show was picked in these kinds of things sidered me white when I’ve alRees Pugh order to promote diand not be forced to ways considered myself white,” versity and encourage fit this mold of what Etessami said. “I realized that minority students to audition it means to be a black male in it was a bunch of things that for school productions that America.” ultimately came down to that normally lack a diverse cast.

“It made us reach out to the I really didn’t like other people “I think unconsciously students to get them more in- deciding my race.” we were picking shows [like volved in this,” Richard added, Even after the initial “Oklahoma”] that were dis- “I know in the past there have shock, Etessami still found it couraging minority students been black students who have weird to be in the white enfrom auditioning,” Pugh said. felt that they had no chance of semble instead of the black wWhile the purpose of getting into the musical.” ensemble. producing “Hairspray” was to Pugh originally considered “I went on stage and I was promote diversity in produc- using race-blind casting for singing the black part,” Ettions, some students thought “Hairspray,” but felt that it essami said. “I’m not black, it didn’t go far enough. would confuse and would con- but I empathize. I remem“I think we should have tradict the point of the story. ber in third grade a dad gave done a show where black peo“I think the ‘I Have ple could play a bigger role,” that for the A Dream’ Kristen Lynem-Wilson ’15, di- here and speech, and I rector’s assistant said. “There’s now, sticking looked at my

I know in the still a white girl on the cover to the origiblack friend past there have been and not a black one.” nal concept and thought The obstacle in doing a of the show ‘you wouldn’t black students who show like that, however, would was really be here,’ have felt that they had be interest. So few minority important,” and then I students had auditioned for Pugh said. thought‘I no chance of getting past shows that Pugh was not T h i s , wouldn’t be into the musical.” certain that there was even however, nehere.’ ” enough interest among Afri- c e s s i t a t e d In spite of —Janiece Richard can-American students to do that the diEtessami’s exBLACC faculty adviser perience, she “Hairspray.” rectors conPugh spoke to the Black sider race thinks that Leadership and Culture Club, when casting “Hairspray” its faculty adviser Janiece the show and establish two en- will be a good thing in the long Richard and middle school at- sembles separated by race (a run. tendance coordinator Brenda white one and “Motormouth’s “I think that doing ‘HairSimon, who has “long-stand- Crew,” the black ensemble), spray’ was something that was ing relationships with black which Pugh said “almost flew really important to get minorstudents,” and is also involved in the face of what [the direc- ities involved in the theatre,” with the BLACC, to see if tors] were trying to do.”

Etessami said. there would be enough inter“In the past, in ‘Oklahoma’ “There’s a whole group of est from African Americans to and ‘Fiddler [on the Roof],’ talented kids who felt that do the show. an actor’s ethnicity was irrel- they weren’t being given a deThe production did have evant,” Pugh said. “In this it cent chance to participate, and an increase in participation became relevant to establish that was a shock to me,” Pugh among black girls, but the this idea of racial integration.” said. “I’m thrilled that we’re department still did not see To convey the idea of racial attempting this.”

h

Hairspray

O

GRAPHIC BY CARLY BERGER

“

B10 Features

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

By Default

Daniel Faltus has worked as the musical director of the fall musical for the last four years.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

MAESTRO: “Hairspray” musical director Daniel Faltus, conducts the orchestra during a rehearsal. Faltus worked for three months with the cast of the show, teaching both the ensemble and orchestra the music and conducting for all four performances of the show. This was the fourth upper school show where he served as the musical director.

By Jacob Goodman

D

aniel Faltus is employed for less than three months out of the year as the musical director of the fall musical and he’s not on annual payroll, but he has an Harvard-Westlake School ID card. He uses it to buy food at the cafeteria before heading off to the Drama Lab during seventh and eighth periods to rehearse with cast members of the current musical production. This rehearsal time is not part of the formal production. It is something that Faltus, or “Default” as students refer to him, offers to any cast member who wants to brush up on vocal parts before the full cast is called that afternoon for another three hours of rehearsal.

“I’m here because I love the kids so much,” Faltus said. “I’m such a music theatre junkie that I will pretty much come here as long as I’m asked to come here.”

Faltus started playing piano at age 9, late for any serious musician, he said.

He pursued further education in piano at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the University of Illinois where he received a bachelor’s degree in piano with a minor in organ. He moved to New York soon after graduating.

In New York, he took up acting lessons at HB Studios while playing piano during voice lessons for opera singers.

The acting panned out, and he joined the national touring company of the play “Master Class” with Academy Awardwinning actress Faye Dunaway.

“Dun-

away, during our tours, would say that someday she would have me teach her to sing,” Faltus said. “Which is like saying one of these days I’m going to have you teach me to play piano, or I’m going to have you teach me to do brain surgery.”

The tour ended with six weeks in Los Angeles, where, upon the insistence of a friend, Faltus decided to move after finishing the tour.

Three days after his arrival, the Los Angeles Opera offered him a job.

“It was for some teachers who didn’t really know anything about opera,” Faltus said.“They wanted me to bring five well-known operatic pieces and help each one of these groups of teachers write a 90 second opera. And we had two hours to do it.”

Faltus is now one of the musical directors with the L.A. Opera, where he mainly does outreach and teaching performances, a role that he prefers over helping with main stage productions, he said.

“I’m not the guy who sits and plays rehearsals all day,” Faltus said. “I admire those people greatly, but that’s not for me because that’s not a good use of my time. If my options are writing concerts and giving them to the public versus sitting at a piano and playing Don Giovanni for eight hours for four weeks, it’s a clear choice.”

Faltus had small acting roles in shows like “Monk” and “Even Stevens.”

The “Even Stevens” role, where he played Shia L a B e o u f ’s

character’s butler Chives, is a school production of “Oklahorunning fascination among cast ma.” He later came to the Upmembers. per School when it became ap“The funny thing about the parent that it was too much of ‘Even Stevens’ thing is that it a balancing act for a full time comes back to haunt me ev- staff member to be the musical ery year at this school,” Faltus director. said. “Somebody says, ‘Aren’t There is a general adorayou the guy?’ tion of Faltus and then they amongst the start passstudents who ing the video The students just work with him. around.”

There’s a lot adore him. He’s great to of joking and Faltus was first hired work with, he’s hilarious, sarcasm in reat Harvardhearsals, but but he can get the Westlake as it’s coupled with product done too.” a piano player a good deal of for the uphard work, An—Mark Hilt gus O’Brien ’14 per school production of Performing Arts teacher said.

“Brigadoon” “I love Mr. in 1998. PerFaltus because forming arts he brings the department most elegant head Mark Hilt hired him when balance of sassiness, humor and the student pianist for the show professionalism to rehearsal,” backed out the day before per- O’Brien, who has worked with formances started.

Faltus in the last two upper “I’d never heard from Har- school musicals “Oklahoma” vard-Westlake before that,” and “Hairspray,” said. “He Faltus said. “And so I came doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and over [to Harvard-Westlake], especially with shows as big as I grabbed the music, I went ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Hairspray,’ home, I learned it, I came back there’s no room to sugarcoat here at six o clock, and that’s how rehearsal is going. So if how I started.” we’re doing something poorHilt knew Faltus through ly and we need to speed it up, mutual friends in the opera he’ll just tell us and he won’t world. They had also both at- hold back. And that’s needed tended USIC at the same time, for a musical director in a high but didn’t know each other school production.” then.

It’s a mutual affection, FalIt’s hard to find somebody tus said. who works well with kids of “The reason I fit in so well high school age, Hilt said. here is because I finally found “First of all the person has my peer group,” Faltus said. to be able to relate, so it’s not Though he continues to exactly a professional gig -it’s work as a musical director for a professional educational gig,” the LA Opera as well as for Hilt said. “So you have to have Harvard-Westlake, Faltus says someone who can relate that he will always maintain his t o the students well. love and practice of piano.

And the students “To really be a musician, is just adore him. to keep working at it, and to He’s great to work keep exploring it,” he said. “I with, he’s hilarious, but heard [Laurence] Olivier say he can get the product done once how he wanted to be retoo.” membered, and After “Brigadoon,” Faltus that was as a workwas hired a couple of times as man.

I thought a rehearsal pianist for upper that was brilliant. school productions. The Because if you just first show he was the keep at it, and keep musical director of trying to do better, was the midthen what else is d l e there?”

“

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/ae

A&E B11

4 singers accepted to Honor Choirs

By Pim Otero

SYDNEY FOREMAN/CHRONICLE

GO FIGURE: Mintis Hankerson ’14, her charcoal pencil in hand, admires her artistic handiwork, of a finished sketch of a female nude model she made at the figure drawing workshop in Feldman-Horn.

Students sketch nude models in figure drawing workshop

By Sacha Lin

A total of 20 seniors stood at easels around the edges of a classroom early in the morning in Feldman-Horn, sketching out on newsprint and tracing paper what they saw in front of them.

The centerpiece was a female nude model posing atop a platform.

At the end of October, the AP Studio Art and Drawing and Painting III classes started their two-week long unit on figure drawing in which they created full-length drawings of a real-life model.

It is part of the art curriculum every year.

Each class period, students began with vine charcoal since it is easy to rub off and erase.

They drew the gestures of the model in their simplest form before moving outwards and adding in the flesh.

Use of charcoal pencil followed as students added in details.

All the while, teachers advised them to keep in mind basic proportions and light.

“We’ve learned how to draw something looking at it without just imagining it, and that really helped me with my proportions,” Mintis Hankerson ’14, a student in Drawing and Painting III, said.

The model changed poses several times in a class, so most drawings were quick sketches that contained the essentials.

The final product consists of drawings that fit into three categories.

The first is sustained drawings, which had the model sitting in the same position for approximately 20 minutes.

The other two types — choreographed dance pose drawings and ones that portray

movement — were shorter but more numerous.

“You learn so much from it and so fast. I’m always amazed how the skill level goes way up. There’s a lot of movement involved, so you have to pay really close attention,” visual arts teacher Marianne Hall said. “You are going for the essence of movement in gesture drawings and proportion very quickly.”

The dates for a figuredrawing exhibition are to be determined, but before then, students will finalize their sketches.

“I think it’s important because it is one of the most classical ways to do art. I mean, people a long time ago didn’t get to draw from photographs,” Matt Leichenger ’14, a Drawing and Painting III student, said. “Drawing from life creates a lot more dynamics.”

Choirs sing together in festival

By David Woldenberg

Bel Canto, Chamber Singers and the Wolverine Chorus performed together in the same choral festival for the first time in 13 years at the seventh annual College of the Canyons High School Invitational Choir Festival Nov. 12.

Bel Canto is composed of all female singers. The Wolverine Chorus is composed of all male singers.

Both the Wolverine Chorus and the Chamber Singers missed school all day Nov. 12, while singers in Bel Canto missed only half of their classes. “[I looked forward to] experiencing how other choirs work because I hear that ours is really good, but I [had not]

compared it to anyone [else’s],” Daniel Dávila ’14, a first-year Chamber Singer who had never attended any choir festival before, said.

Each Harvard-Westlake singer had to observe and take notes on the other singers and choirs that performed in the festival.

The students wrote down what the other singers and the other choirs did well, and they also recorded what aspects of their performance each of the singers and each of the choirs needed to improve on. The students’ notes on the other singers and choirs will be submitted to upper school performing arts teacher Rodger Guerrero, who will look at the notes and factor them in as a part of each student’s grade.

Bel Canto’s performance at the College of the Canyons High School Invitational Choir Festival was the culmination of all of Bel Canto’s work this year until that point, Julia Safir ’15, a Bel Canto singer, said.

“Everyone looks forward to [the festival],” Benny Weisman ’15, one of the students who performed with Chamber Singers, said. “It is fun, [and] it is a nice break from school.”

The choral groups at the festival sang songs from many different cultures that were in a variety of languages.

The lyrics for the songs the students sang were in languages like Latin, German and Spanish in addition to English.

Some of the songs they performed included “Cantante

preparing either five or six songs for its upcoming perforElizabeth Edel ’16, Michelle mance.

Lee ’14, Marcella Park ’15 and The Men’s Choir is preparBenny Weisman ’15, were all ing the songs “Asclendit Dechosen to participate in the sus,” “Lonely Island Baby/We Southern California Region All Fall,” “Send in the Clowns” High School Honor Choirs and “Tshotsholoza” for the performance Nov. 23 at Santa performance.

Monica High School.

The Women’s Choir will The auditions for the be performing in the same Southern California Region performance that the Men’s High School Choirs took place Choir will be performing in.

Sept. 28 and Oct. 5.

The Men’s Choir is preparDuring their auditions, ing the songs “Hoj, Hura, Hoj,” each of the students was given “Lauliku Lapse Poli,” “Dixt,” a solo piece along with scales “Idumea,” “I Will Be Earth” to perform for judges from the and “Still I Rise” for its perCalifornia American Choral formance.

Directors Association.

The Mixed Choir is preparAfter coming the songs pleting his “Hallelujah!,” or her audi“Splendid tion, each apJewel,” “OSI really enjoy plicant was chöne Nacht,” Honor Choirs because given a score “It Was a based on his Lover and His I get to learn so much or her perforLass,” “My about musicality from mance.

Shepherd The highthe conductors. It’s also Will Supply est scoring My Need,” great for bonding with applicants and “Let the were then seRiver Run” fellow singers.” lected to be for its perfor—Marcella Park ’15 mance. participants in the Honor This year Choirs. is Edel and After bePark’s first ing accepted into the Honor time partcipating in the HonChoirs, the selected students or Choirs. were divided into three sepa“I really enjoy Honor Choirs rate choral groups: the Wom- because I get to learn so much en’s Choir, the Men’s Choir or about musicality from the the Mixed Choir. conductors. It’s also great for Edel and Park joined the bonding with fellow singers, Southern California Region not just from school but from High School Honor Choirs’ choir camp as well,” Park said.

Women’s Choir.

However, this year is Lee Lee and Weisman joined and Weisman’s third year rethe Southern California High turning to perform for the School Honor Choirs’ Mixed Honor Choirs.

Choir.

After their performance in The Honor Choirs have held the Southern California Honor rehearsals only once so far, on Choirs, all of the performers Oct. 26, to prepare for their will be eligible to audition for approaching performance. a position as a chorus member Each of the Honor Choirs in the California State Honor is currently in the process of Choirs.

“

“

I think it is going to be amazing to see at our very first performance [this year] how we do and [to see] if we step up [from our performance last year].”

— Julia Safir ’15

Domino” and “Her Der Zigna auch.”

Harvard-Westlake is just one of the many high schools that competed in the festival this year.

Some of the other high schools that partcipated in the College of the Canyons High School Invitational Choir Festival include Santa Monica High School and Valencia High School.

“I think it is going to be

nathanson’s

amazing to see at our very first performance [this year] how we do and [to see] if we step up [from our performane last year],” Safir said. “[The festival] was a lot fun the past two years,” Alex Berman ’14, a Chamber Singer said. “It was really cool to see all the other choirs. There were a lot of different types of music and choirs, and that leads to a lot of interesting choral diversity.”

B12 Features

The Chronicle

Kay McCarthy ’14 squats amidst the chaparral and pats down the dry soil covering a whiteleaf Manzanita plant’s roots. McCarthy volunteers with the Theodore Payne Foundation, a native plant nursery, and is among those at school dedcated to environmental causes.

“Without the environment, there is nothing,” McCarthy said. “If we can’t live on the planet, who cares about the economy? That’s always been my logic, but I think that’s hard for some people to see, especially since it’s more longterm.”

McCarthy said that she has always been drawn to environmental causes, and taking AP Environmental Science junior year only confirmed her interest.

APES teacher Hillary Ethe ’00 agreed that a central purpose of the class was to encourage students to care more about the environment.

“One of the major goals that we have is to help students understand how even our day-today decisions are going to have a large impact on the world and the way we use resources, whether that means the simple idea of carpooling or choosing to print on both sides of the paper,” Ethe said.

Several students agreed that the course had motivated them to become more ecofriendly.

“We did a survey that calculated our carbon footprint, and since then there’s been a lot of times where instead of driving, I walk places or carpool,” Arin Schwimmer ’15 said. “I use less paper and fewer plastic bags.”

Sophia Szu ’15 said taking APES this year has changed her whole family’s attitude toward sustainability.

“APES has really been opening my eyes to how pollution affects the world and how each person’s actions has a really big effect on the environment,” Szu said. “Ever since this year started, I’ve been recycling all my bottles and cans, which we used to never do, and my family has just been being greener in general to try to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Szu said she would like to see more students take APES. “I don’t think that enough people take APES, because it has to compete with AP Biology and AP Chemistry,” Szu said. “I think there’s a general misconception that people who do take APES don’t care about the sciences or aren’t as smart. I used to think that, that if I took APES I wasn’t a credible science person and couldn’t cut it. I know better now, though.”

Some said that while APES was a step towards encouraging students to be more eco-friendly, they would like to see additional measures be taken, such as adding more environmental elements to the eighth and ninth grade science courses and promoting general ecological awareness.

Nov. 13, 2013 “I think kids would like to be greener, we just have to make it easier for them,” co-president of the Environmental Club Brian Adler ’15 said. “Of course, some inconvenience is going to be unavoidable, and that’s where you run into problems. I’d say getting kids in the habit early on in middle school would be the most effective. If you’ve been using only reusable water bottles since seventh grade, you’re not going to mind not having bottled water at the Upper School.”

Ethe echoed Adler’s opinion.

“I wish [the environment] was more a part of the core curriculum of the school,” Ethe said. “As members of a privileged community that have more access to more goods and purchasing power than a lot of other people have even in this country, it would give us an awareness of how we make everyday decisions. If you have more people striving to make a little difference, you can make a much bigger difference overall. I think that because the [APES] class is so practical in that way, it would be really nice to see every student who graduated from this school take a practical course like that.”

Most agreed that the administration has been supportive of ecological measures.

“I think the administration is doing the best they can. Most kids at Harvard-Westlake just aren’t that environmentally friendly,” McCarthy said, citing a Chronicle poll from the 2012 presidential election in which students ranked the environment as less important than eight other issues, including the economy, abortion and LGBT rights.

Science teacher Wendy Van Norden named water bottle consumption as an area in which the administration has tried to encourage eco-friendly behavior.

“The school has been really, really accommodating in making sure there’s cold, filtered water all over campus, but still kids want to go and buy plastic bottles which they tend to leave behind in the classrooms half full, spending money on something they could get for free and wasting plastic that may or may not get recycled, and even if it does it has a cost to the environment to recycle it,” Van Norden said. “It’s an astonishing waste.”

Ethe said that while solving the problem of water bottle consumption was “probably pie-in-thesky,” she still hoped there would be at least some progress in other areas.

“I don’t know any kids other than Kay who are active in environmental causes outside of school, which is kind of sad,” Ethe said. “I’d like to see that change.”

SCHANGE parking

Some students have chosen to reduce their consumption of natural resources and minimize their impact on the environment.

By Zoe Dutton

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH NOVICOFF AND EMILY SEGAL WITH PHOTOS WITH PERMISSION OF STOCK.XCHNG

An inconvenient truth

15%

of students said they used solar energy to be more eco-friendly

The Chronicle polled 392 students on their beliefs regarding the environment.

20%

of students said they used public transportation to be more eco-friendly

30%

of students said they only used reusable water bottles to be more eco-friendly

60%

of students said their peers do not act in an eco-friendly manner

95%

of students said they cared about the environment GRAPHIC BY JAMES HUR SOURCE: CHRONICLE SURVEY

Sports

TIME TO SHINE: Johnny Hooper ’15, left, and the boys varsity water polo team enter CIF playoffs as the number two team in California.

The Chronicle • Nov. 13, 2013

C4

Field Hockey

GRANT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

UP FOR GRABS: Midfielder Brooke Bagnall ’14 (#11) battles an Edison player for ball possession in the field hockey team’s 2-0 LAFHA championship victory Nov. 2.

Duel of Destiny

In an ending seemingly written by fate, the varsity field hockey team emerged from the Los Angeles Field Hockey Association finals victorious.

By Jordan Garfinkel

W

hile the Los Angeles Field Hockey Association title slipped just out of reach in 2012, the varsity field hockey team would not let the championship gold escape its clutches in 2013, as the Wolverines defeated Edison 2-0 in the finals at Moorpark College Saturday, Nov. 2 to become the 2013 LAFHA Champions.

Emma Wasserman ’16 and Maddie Oswald ’15, who have been consistent offensive forces throughout the 2013 season, each scored a goal in the shutout against Edison.

Coming into the finals, the field hockey team was on a roll, winning eight of its last nine games and shutting out its opponent in all eight wins. Their

last loss was more than a month behind them, in late September.

The Wolverines’ 14-1-1 season consisted of numerous accomplishments, starting with their win against Huntington Beach in the second game of the season, which avenged last year’s finals loss against the Oilers.

On Thursday, Oct. 24, the team defeated Louisville 8-0, clinching the Mission League title in its highest-scoring game of the season.

The team jumped over its first playoff hurdle, defeating Huntington Beach once again in the quarterfinals. The team shutout its rival 2-0.

“We didn’t want to feel the same way that we did in last year’s game,” Oswald said. “We wanted revenge and we knew from the beginning of the season that we could do it. We just had

to play our hearts out.”

In the semifinals Oct. 30, a goal from center midfielder Glenne Carter ’14 in the final seconds of sudden death overtime lifted the team past Newport Harbor 1-0 and into the championship game for the second straight year.

Fanatics as well as the varsity football team rushed the field and celebrated with the field hockey team after Carter netted the winning goal.

“It was definitely an amazing feeling but I was actually so shocked that it happened,” Carter said. “It felt awesome to just celebrate as a team too and have everyone run on the field.”

Goalie Daniela Grande ’15 and the defense ended this season allowing only three goals in the team’s 16 games. The Wolverines shut out their opponent

in every game of the playoffs.

“I think the defense this year really was a solid group of girls,” Carter said. “They always cheered each other on and helped each other throughout the season. Also, [goaltender] Daniela Grande did an amazing job.”

The lack of goals allowed by the Wolverines is not only credited toward a potent defense and a crafty goalie, but also to the ball control and consistency of the offensive front and the midfielders. In the 2013 season, the team averaged four goals per game.

“I think that realizing we got so far last year we had more confidence in ourselves carried forward into the season this year,” Carter said. “From the beginning we felt like it was our year to win.”

Martin ’08 leaves NFL team, sparks national bullying debate

By Grant Nussbaum

Jonathan Martin ’08 spent three years serving as both a sentinel for quarterbacks John Howe ’07 and Sean Berman ’09 on the offensive line and as a predator for opposing backfields on the defensive line.

Martin contributed to a new winning trend for the Wolverine football team, which moved upward from its 2-8 record the year before Martin’s varsity arrival to 8-4 his senior year.

After graduating in 2008, Martin continued playing the offensive line for four years at Stanford University, notably shielding current Indianapo-

lis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck’s blind side.

On April 26, 2012, Martin realized every football player’s dream when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 National Football League Draft. In a year and a half, Martin started 23 games as the Dolphins’ left tackle, then protecting Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

But Martin’s career blocking for the Dolphins was brought to an abrupt halt when he suddenly left the team Oct. 31 and allegations subsequently surfaced that Martin was bullied throughout his time with the Dolphins.

The NFL and NFL Play-

ers’ Association have since employed attorneys to investigate bullying in the Dolphins organization.

Martin returned to his family in Los Angeles and attended the Harvard-Westlake football team’s 73-0 loss to Chaminade Nov. 1. The same day, the Harvard-Westlake Athletic Department issued a brief statement backing him.

“Harvard-Westlake is extremely proud of Jonathan Martin and everything he accomplished as a student at our school,” the department said in the statement. “We remain supportive of him and • Continued on page C3

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

WATCHING YOUR BACK: Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin ’08 blocks Cleveland Browns linebacker Paul Kruger during the 2013-2014 NFL season. Martin left the Dolphins Oct. 31 after teammates pranked him in the team cafeteria two days earlier.

The Chronicle

C2 Sports

Facts &

Cross Country

Figures Number of seconds left in overtime when Glenne Carter ’14 made the gamewinning shot in the field hockey semifinals.

13 The total points that the football team lost in its last two games by.

10

113

17:59

Lizzy Thomas’s ’14 cross country time which broke Amy Weissenbach’s ’12 record 18:21 at Woodley Park.

Game to watch LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

NOV. 15 Girls’ volleyball CIF playoffs First Round Taper Gymnasium

Ranked as the top Mission League team in CIF Division I playoffs, the girls’ volleyball team will face the winner of the El Toro-Godinez wild card matchup. The Wolverines enter hot off winning the Mission League title with a 22-9 record on the season.

KEY PLAYER

Rachel Savage ’15 Savage’s return to the team following shin injuries has provided a key outlet for the offense. Her big swings will help finish rallies come playoff time.

Junior Varsity Cross Country (6-6) Last Meet: 4th place @ Woodley Park

Football (5-5) Last Game: L (29-27) @ Cathedral HS

Field Hockey (5-3-3) Last Game: L (1-0) @ Chaminade HS

Girls’ Tennis (10-0) Last Match: W (14-4) vs. FSHA

Girls’ Volleyball (30-5) Last Match: W (2-0) @ Alemany HS

Boys’ Water Polo (11-8) Last Game: L (8-9) @ Los Osos HS

Girls win 6th straight league title, prepare for CIF Prelims

By Tyler Graham

Jack Flaherty’s ’14 national ranking among high school baseball prospects according to Perfect Game.

MARATHON: Girls’ captain Lizzy Thomas ’14, above, played a big part in the team’s effort to win its sixth straight Mission League title. Thomas placed first in several races throughout the regular season, including the Mission League finals race.

Nov. 13, 2013

For the sixth straight year, the girls’ varsity cross country team will hang a banner up in Taper Gym after their Mission League Finals victory Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Woodley Park. After an undefeated season, the squad continued their dominance of the Mission League with a resounding win at League finals.

The girls’ team was led by captains Lizzy Thomas ’14, who finished first, and Monica Nimmagadda ’14, who finished third. Rounding out the top 10 for the Wolverines was Nicole Araya ’16, who placed fifth, and Rachel Porter ’16, who placed sixth.

“It has been a combination of excellent athletes who are dedicated to what they are doing and are committed to their process, which has led to the success of the girls,” head coach Jonas Koolsbergen said.

“They are willing to do it together, as a group, and they have good coaches who have given them a plan that they have embraced and followed.”

Thomas continued her outstanding senior campaign, which includes wins in both Mission League Cluster meets, the Seaside Invitational, and the Wayne Walker Invitational, by winning the race in a course record time of 17:59.

“I have never won an in- nahan’s fellow captain, Ben dividual cross country League Weissenbach ’15, who was held title before, so I was really out of the race due to a recurhappy,” Thomas said. “It’s so ring knee injury. The boys’ fun to win it as a team because team was able to advance to everyone worked so hard. It CIF prelims on the basis of an was also the first time the girls’ at-large bid.

JV team ever won the Mission “I feel very good about League title, which speaks to the team’s performance in the depth of our program.” the Mission League Finals,” The girls’ team will not Koolsbergen said. “Ultimately, take long to bask in the glory of the most important agenda their win, and instead, having item of the day was achieved, qualified for in that both CIF Prelimiteams qualinaries, will fied for CIF focus their prelims.”

We want to attention on Koolsberadvancing gen expects compete to the best deeper into both teams to of our ability against the postseahave success teams in the Southern son. in the postea“I really son. section.” believe that “Our goal —Jonas Koolsbergen is to have our team has a legitimate Cross country program both boys and chance to make head girls make a run the state for a CIF timeet,” Koolstle,” Thomas bergen said. said. “To do that we have to “We feel that the girls’ team in run really smart in addition particular has an opportunity to running well. I think we are to be among the contenders up for the challenge, and as a for a State championship. We senior, that would be a really want to compete to the best cool thing to accomplish.” of our ability against teams in The boys’ varsity team fin- the Southern section.” ished fourth at League finals, “We are hoping that the with captain David Manahan highlights are still to come,” ’14 leading the squad in 12 Koolsbergen added. “We hope place. that our best moments lie The team was without Ma- ahead of us.”

“

Boys’ Basketball

Wolverines adjust to numerous injuries

By Grant Nussbaum

With a dearth of big men fit to begin the 2013 campaign for the boys’ varsity basketball, small ball will serve as a major theme for Wolverines team as it begins the new campaign.

Both injuries and exits have hammered the basketball team’s post presence as compared to last season. With the graduation of leading rebounders Dave Winfield ’13 and 2012 Big Red Male Athlete of the Year Chad Kanoff ’13, and 6’6 Sam Weintraub ’14, 6’8 Nick Medavoy ’16, and 6’6 Daniel Schrier ’17 all down with injury, Derick Newton ’14 will be the team’s main option down low, though he normally tends to drive or create jumpshots off the dribble.

“You deal with adversity in sports and sometimes it adds up,” Hilliard said. “Medavoy and Weintraub have not played basketball since February or March of last year, and even if they get back in time for the season, we’ll have to bring them along gradually.”

“We’ll play an all guard lineup to start the season, most likely,” Hilliard continued. “As I was talking to Newton about, sometimes the 6’5 guy has to play in the post because he’s the biggest guy we’ve got. It’s not comfortable for anyone, everyone gets rotated a little bit out of their comfort zone.

If everybody buys in and does that, I don’t know if we can compensate, but we can get by

until everyone’s healthy.”

Newton, the team’s leading scorer last season, will return to fulltime regular play for the Wolverines after battling his own injuries last season. Newton went down with a shoulder injury at the beginning of Mission League play last season and missed a total of 17 games over the course of last season.

Newton’s play, which included several 30-point games last season and a 21-point game in his return from injury against Laguna Beach, has been hampered by upper body injuries throughout his varsity career.

“He looks really good right now and he’s been working really hard,” Hilliard said.

“When you look at it literally, he’s been here three years and only played one, his sophomore year. He played no games his freshman year, played a full season sophomore year, and last year missed seventeen. So he’s trying to make up for lost times, and he’s very healthy right now.”

The team will also face the issue of player inexperience.

Without Weintraub and Medavoy, only four players enter the season healthy with previous varsity experience – Newton, Mike Sheng ’14, Bryan Polan ’14 and Alex Copeland ’15. The Wolverines lost three players to transfer as well as graduation.

“It would be like an extra large senior class graduation,” Hilliard said. “You have to bring up the young guys you’ve

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

FADEAWAY: Forward Derick Newton ’14 releases a jump shot against Mira Costa in the Palos Verdes Tournament at El Segundo last season. The Wolverines took the game 80-77 in overtime. been working on and developing maybe a year earlier than what you had in the master plan, but sometimes they rise to the occasion, and that’s what they’re hoping for this year. Some of the young guys are really, really good, and their physical development is the only thing that isn’t there yet. The rising ninth graders are one of the deepest, stron-

gest classes we’ve had since 2010.”

Last season, the Wolverines were eliminated in the third round of the CIF Playoffs in a 78-58 defeat to Bishop Montgomery. The team, which went 16-11 last season, will begin their season with the Santa Monica tournament Dec. 2, and start league play Jan. 8 against Crespi.

Nov. 13, 2013

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports C3

commits

Catcher chooses Columbia University

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ADAM BLACK

SET THE STANDARD: The varsity volleyball team poses for a picture with three-time Olympic setter Lindsey Napela Berg after she spoke to them about her journey and experiences as a female athlete. The purpose of her visit was to inspire the team going into playoffs.

Girls’ Volleyball

National team setter speaks to squad

By Leily Arzy

Three-time Olympic volleyball player Lindsey Napela Berg visited the varsity volleyball team to stress the importance of teamwork and discuss the difficulties of being a woman in the spotlight.

“It was absolutely incredibly meeting Lindsey. I think we are all very motivated now going into playoffs after our Q&A with her,” setter Nicole Elattrache ’14 said. “She clearly knows the game so well and her competitiveness and work ethic has inspired us.”

“It was so surreal being able to talk to someone who has been through all the things we are going through and is playing at the highest level,” middle blocker Kayla Dillard ’15 said. “She was so humble and open, you could really tell she still has a love

“

for volleyball.” their bodies, and it was someBerg initially decided to thing I had to deal with bespeak to the cause I don’t girls as a fahave your vor to alum typical volRico Cabrera leyball body, It was so surreal Jr. ’97, who and I know she worked a lot of girls being able to talk to with through in general someone who has been go through a mentorship.

Berg said that whether through all the things that it turned they are on we are going through out to be an the volleyball incredible exteam or not.” and is playing at the perience.

Born and highest level. She was so raised “There in Hohumble and open.” are different nolulu, Berg circumstancgraduated —Kayla Dillard ’15 from Punaes that I had to deal with hou High and overcome School and that I know other people have later attended the University had to deal with as well. Hope- of Minnesota where she played fully, I can be a mentor or in- as the starting setter for four spiration to somebody,” Berg years. After her college casaid. “Women in general are reer was over, she played in a always being criticized about brief stint for the Minnesota

Chill in the short-lived United States Professional Volleyball League in 2002. From there, she was asked to join the national team, and she participated in the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics.

She won silver medals in both Beijing and London, losing to Brazil in the finals both times. She plans to go to the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, Berg is currently taking a break from her Turkish volleyball club team Fenerbahçe Istanbul.

“Come January or February, I will be back in the gym training with my coach,” Berg said. “For me, it is about keeping healthy so I can help the team as much as I can.”

“At any point in time somebody can get cut. I could get cut this summer, who knows.

If I make it to 2016, that will be the last one,” Berg said.

Alum accuses NFL teammates of bullying • Continued from page C1

his family.” Head of Athletics Terry Barnum reiterated the school’s support in a separate comment to the Chronicle.

“Jonathan is a great kid, [he] comes from a great family,” Barnum said. “He was a great athlete here and has been accomplished not only here, but beyond here. We are proud of him, we support him and only want what’s best for him. We are giving his family space to deal with this. Obviously this is a serious issue.

We want to just be there and be supportive of him.”

Though details continue to be reported in the media, a full picture of Martin’s bullying situation remains blurry.

The alumnus’s representatives and attorney released statements that Martin had constantly suffered from actions “exceeding hazing” since being drafted by the Dolphins in April 2012. Several national outlets have named fellow Miami lineman Richie Incognito as a lead aggressor in Martin’s harassment. ESPN acquired a transcript of a voicemail Incognito left Martin earlier this year, in which Incognito directed racial slurs towards the former Wolverine and said

he’d, among other things, “kill Palm Beach Post shortly after [Martin].” ESPN reported Martin left the team. that Martin gave Incognito “Before, he wasn’t around $15,000 for a team trip, though Nebraska, LSU kind of guys,” Martin himself did not travel Eumont, said. “He’s always with the group, stating been around Stanthat Martin “fear[ed] ford, Duke, Rice kind the consequences if he of players. In locker did not hand over the rooms full of Nebrasmoney.” ka, LSU, Southern Cal On Nov. 11, ESPN players, Miami players cited a source that – they’ll look at this as said Martin was una weakness. If he makes likely to play for the it through all this, and Dolphins again. Marif he was encouraged to nathanson’s tin himself has yet to come back, he’d come Jonathan publicly speak on the back with a vengeance.”

Martin ’08 issue.

Coach Greg HillSeveral Wolverine iard, who coached Marcoaches declined to speak on tin as a member of the WolverMartin’s situation, saying they ine basketball team, said that did not want to jump to con- “Jonathan was a great team clusions before all the details member, and we have his back. came out. Most football play- We hope everything works out ers declined to comment on for him.” the record, in adherence with The Chronicle contacted coachess’ orders. Students and Martin, who said he was “not administration who did agree talking to the media at this to speak about the issue kept time.” their comments brief and genHead of Upper School and eral. former Head of Athletics Au“All I can say is I wish him drius Barzdukas emphasized the best of luck,” football line- the morals Harvard-Westlake backer Desmond Butler ’15 instills in athletes such as said.

Martin.

Former football head Vic “At Harvard-Westlake, we Eumont, who coached Martin try to teach with everything during his Harvard-Westlake that we do, including teaching football career, talked to the how to do things the right way

and teaching what’s the right way to be with every single thing we do - arts, academics, athletics, operations, everything,” Barzdukas said. “We try and teach, and I think that our students leave here with a sense of what’s the right thing to do and what’s the right way to be.”

ESPN reported that Incognito felt “betrayed” by Martin’s bullying claims. The veteran Incognito told Fox Sports One Nov. 10 that Martin sent Incognito text messages of similar nature. Additionally, several of Martin’s Dolphin teammates have voiced support for Incognito.

Martin’s allegations have caused division about bullying throughout the sports world, including at Harvard-Westlake. While 69.4 percent of the Harvard-Westlake students that responded to a November Chronicle poll said Martin did the right thing by leaving the team, only 7 percent said they would leave their sports team as Martin did, temporarily or permanently. Rather, 48.7% said they would verbally confront the bully, 34.4 percent said they would confront the bully, and 9.9 percent said they would physically confront the bully.

Matt Karo ’14, catcher for the baseball team, has committed to play at Columbia University in New York City.

Karo, who has been playing baseball since he was 6 at West Los Angeles Little League, is focused on finishing his final season with the Wolverines off strong.

“It is a very stressful and difficult process that our coaches and program prepare us for, giving us a leg up on knowing what to expect,” Karo said. “As for playing [Division I] baseball, I’m psyched.”

Karo was a member of the CIF-winning team last year.

—Jonathan Seymour

Center midfielder commits to UCLA Girls soccer center midfielder Chloe Castaneda ’15 has decided to take her talents to Westwood and become a UCLA Bruin in two years.

Castaneda, who was selected for the United States U17 Women’s National Team, said that the school’s campus and coaches made her decision simple.

“They definitely had been one of my top schools since I started the college process,” she said. “When I visited the school, I fell in love.”

—Eric Loeb

Captain to join UPenn football team

Julian Shabahang ’14 committed to the University of Pennsylvania to play football Nov 5. Shabahang, a wide receiver, led the team in receptions this season with 47 and yards, 570. He had five total touchdowns, one rushing and four receiving.

Shabahang was a senior captain this season, which culminated in the football team’s 47-6 loss to Cathedral and season record of 4-6. Shabahang is a four-year varsity player.

—Bennett Gross

Softball pitcher takes next step at Harvard Softball pitcher Maddy Kaplan ’14 issued a letter of intent to Harvard College Oct. 15. Kaplan helped lead the Wolverines to the Mission League Title in 2012, accumulating eight wins on the mound. The varsity team captain was selected First Team All-League in 2012. Kaplan is looking to continue her dominance on the mound for the Wolverines in the 2014 season and into her college years at Harvard.

“I think that, for me, it was a really good fit and the people there are really nice. I really like the location. It combines great academics and great athletics,” Kaplan said. “I have been going to camp at Harvard since I was in ninth grade and have remained in touch with the coach for a really long time. So, the main appeal was that I really liked the coach, along with the entire staff and the assistant coaches.”

—Jordan Garfinkel

The Chronicle

C4 Sports

Win or Go Home

Wolverines win first title in 6 years

By Mila Barzdukas

A 20-2 rout over Notre Dame on Nov. 6 sealed the deal for the Wolverines to officially win their first Mission League title since 2007.

"It was pretty awesome, and specifically beating Loyola was pretty awesome," Raphael Raede ’15 said. "We came out on top." "[The win] was definitely exciting,” Head Coach Brian Flacks ’06 said of his first league title with the boys' program. "I’m really proud of the boys and how far the program has come in such a short amount of time.

Obviously that was one of our goals going into the year, and now we are changing our mindset and focusing on CIF.” The Wolverines beat rival Loyola 14-7 for the first time in six years, and they finished the rest of their league season undefeated.

As league has ended, the team has shifted their focus to the post-season.

CIF Southern Section brackets were released on Saturday, with the Wolverines seeded second, the rank they have held all season.

Powerhouse Mater Dei is seeded first and is the only team to post a win over the Wolverines this season.

The bracket has the two teams meeting in the finals, granted that both teams win all of their games. Flacks says the team’s mindset is to take playoffs one game at a time.

CIF run ends early for team

"In Division I, it is so competitive now that you can’t really look forward to Mater Dei," Flacks said. "You have to take each game at a time. Last year we were a wild card team, and we ended up making the quarterfinals. There are so many good teams now that you can’t really look beyond each round."

The Wolverines will square off against the winner of a wild card match between El Toro and Edison today at the Copses Family Pool at 5 p.m.

The team played El Toro last year in its first round matchup.

The squad has defense as its primary focus going into playoffs.

"In the North-South tournament, we gave up 10 goals [to Sacred Heart Prep] in the semi-finals and 11 goals [to Mater Dei] in the finals, so we’re really focusing a lot on defense," Flacks said.

Six-on-five offensive plays are also a main focus, as the Wolverines have failed to capitalize on "easy plays" as said by Raede.

As a primer for the CIF tournament, the team matched up against Agoura, the number one ranked team in Division II, on Saturday.

Flacks described the Chargers as one of the top five teams in the nation.

The game took place after scores and records had been sent for CIF seed consideration, so the game had no effect on the Wolverines’

Two Wolverine teams enter CIF playoffs as the topranked Mission League teams in their brackets, while three others saw their playoff hopes cut short.

Boys' Water Polo

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/CHRONICLE

HISTORY: Warren Snyder '14, top, takes a shot on goal in the Wolverines' recent 7-5 non-league victory over CIF Division II powerhouse Agoura. Duncan Froomer '16 and Anthony Ridgley '15, bottom, prepare to block an attack on goal by Agoura. The game marked the 1st win over Agoura in seven years. illustrious record. Regardless the team beat the Chargers 7-5 in a victory at the Copses Family Pool.

Ben Hallock ’16 led the team in scoring with a hat

trick. Johnny Hooper ’15 scored two goals, and Warren Snyder ’14 and Morio Saito ’15 scored a goal each.

"We actually haven’t beaten Agoura in seven years,

so it was a great win for us,"Hallock said. "We played good team defense and worked together, so this win is an excellent confidence boost going into playoffs."

Girls' Golf

Squad finishes 2nd behind Notre Dame

Girls' Tennis

By Sam Sachs

By Lucy Putnam

An 11-7 loss against Los Alamitos in the second round of CIF Playoffs Nov. 11 ended the girls' varsity tennis team’s winning season. This is the team’s first loss since winning League, going 11-0.

The team’s overall record is 14-3, with its only other losses coming against Peninsula and Santa Barbara.

The standouts of the final match were Rebecca Li ’15, Marissa Karo ’16 and Paige Moelis ’15, in addition to Jenna Moustafa ’17.

"Jenna Moustafa played really well as always," said captain Levi Craske-Curtin ’14. "She beat a really tough player 6-4 which is like the closest I’ve ever seen an opponent against Jenna.

Usually she wins 6-0."

Despite these noteworthy performances, the team was unable to recreate the success they found last year in beating Los Alamitos.

“Yesterday's loss was pretty disappointing, but it was not an easy match,” said

Nov. 13, 2013

JACOB PARDO/VOX POPULI

FOLLOW THROUGH: Sophie Gunter ’14 hits the ball during the teams second round loss to Los Alamitos in the CIF Playoffs.

The squad lost 11-7 Nov. 8 after being undefeated in league.

Rebecca Li ’15.

“In the first set I think we just should've started off better,” Craske-Curtin said.

“We had the chance to get up on them, so that by the second set, it would've been 7-5 but I lost a really important match, and one of the doubles lost an important match.”

When analyzing why the Wolverines were unable to triumph during the start of the match, Craske-Curtin cited fatigue as the cause.

“We never play on Friday,

and we had played every day that week, plus the players are required to hit on the weekend," the captain said.

"It's been about three months of solid practice and games."

CIF Individuals are set for late November, so while the season has concluded for the team, Moustafa and Craske-Curtin will continue competing individually.

Sophie Gunter '14, Joelle Choi '17, Isabella De Montesquieu '16, and Sophie Cohen '17 will vie for doubles titles.

After entering Mission League Playoffs having lost its last three matches, the girls’ golf team was able to right the ship and finish second in the Mission League league behind its rival, the Notre Dame Knights.

The team ended the season with a 5-3 overall record and a 5-2 league mark, with its league losses coming against Notre Dame and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.

“I thought the season went well,” Kate Kushi ’14 said. “We maintained our status as being the second best team in the league. It’s a bummer we didn’t advance further in CIF, and I wish I could have been there to play.”

Kushi missed the CIF playoffs due to a CIF rule that prohibits players from playing in either the league prelims or league finals if they have to miss anytime earlier in the playoffs, and Kushi missed time for a college visit.

With Kushi gone, captain

Maddy Abrahams ’14 was once again the only senior and the only upperclassman on the squad.

“The end of the season I think showed our team as a whole the direction our program needs to go,” Abrahams said. “Our girls have so much potential, and it is just a matter of time until that [translates] into impressive results.”

Abrahams missed the cut to advance further by just two strokes, but she stressed the team’s success especially the roles Emma Kateman ’17 and Paula Lahera ’16 played.

“I am especially proud of the girls like Emma and Paula who took on prominent roles late in the season to fill voids due to absences and injuries the team faced,” Abrahams said.

Kushi echoed Abrahams’ praise of her teammates, “I wish I could have played more, it’s unfortunate that I had both an injury and a CIF conflict,” Kushi said. “But again, very pleased with my season, and the team did a great job covering for me when I was out.”

hwchronicle.com/sports

Nov. 13, 2013

Wolverines begin CIF as 3rd seed in Division IA

By Elijah Akhtarzad

the Tologs by defeating them in fewer sets than when they After closing out its beat the Wolverines in their Mission League season with second matchup. FSHA was a victory over the Alemany defeated in three sets this Warriors Nov. 5, the girls’ year compared to the four varsity volleyball team was it took for them to beat the able to secure the third seed Wolverines. in the CIF Division IA playoff Outside of season play, the bracket.

The Wolverines Wolverines competed in the notched nine league wins on Cali Challenge, the Durango the season, while only losing Tournament in Las Vegas, one game to Flintridge Sacred and the Redondo Union High Heart Oct. 24.

School tournament where the “Our bracket is looking team took home a quarterfinal pretty manageable, but we finish in a loss to San Diego’s have to avoid falling into that Scripps Ranch. The squad was trap we fell into last year, able to go 3-4 overall in the which is stepping onto the Durango Tournament and was court thinking that we are placed in the silver bracket going to roll the team, but after matching up against we didn’t,” Assumption, outside hitter the fifth Rachel Savage ranked team I’m looking ’15 said. “This in the nation year, I think forward to playing with and the 1st especially ranked team the girls again, and with our in Kentucky. bracket, it’s Preceding its helping contribute to easy to get silver bracket the team and helping relaxed in finish in the the middle of D u r a n g o them win in CIF." a game, but tournament, —Rachel Savage '15 the squad went we can’t. We have to stay Outside Hitter 4-0 in pool focused, keep play in the pushing, end Cali Challenge the game and move on to the and defeated the 2013 CIF next game without taking a Division I State Champions breath.”

Marymount for the second Although the squad ended time this year. The team went the season with the same on to lose in the semifinals to record as Flintridge Sacred top-ranked Torrey Pines in Heart, the squad finished two sets. atop the Mission League by “The Durango tournament winning the tiebreaker against in Vegas provides a competitive

“

environment that allows us to deal with adversity, become even closer as a group and continue to ascend as a team,” Head Coach Adam Black said.

After missing a majority of the season due to shin splints, Savage returned to the rotation as an outside hitter just in time for CIF playoffs.

Savage was also available in the squad's last game against Alemany, where the team defeated the Warriors in three sets.

“I’m looking forward to playing with the girls again, and helping contribute to the team and helping them win,” Savage said.

The squad lost one league match the entire league season to FSHA, putting them in first place with a 9-1 record, while notching an overall record of 22-9.

Team captains Josephine Kremer '14, Nicole Elattrache '14 and Marielle Bagnard '14 will lead the team in playoffs this year, as all players have helped the team in a different ways; either defensively or offensively with hitting. The squad will face the winner of the wild card game between El Toro and Godinez in the first round of the bracket. The Wolverines were placed on the different side of the CIF bracket opposite top ranked La Salle, FSHA and St. Lucy’s.

The La Salle Lancers are currently the first seed in the bracket and are ranked fifth in the state.

Sports C5

Girls’ Volleyball

PRINTED WITH PERMISSIN OF BERNARD DILLARD

BOOM-BOOM-POW: Starting outside hitter Rachel Savage '15 spikes the ball over an Alemany blocker. The Wolveines defeated the Warriors in three sets in their last league match of the season.

6 game losing streak in Mission League concludes team's season

Football

By Eric Loeb

ELIJAH AKTARZAD/CHRONICLE

END ZONE: Wolverines wide receiver Julian Shabahang '14 fights his way into the end zone as time expires to give the squad their first touchdown of the night in a 47-6 loss to Cathedral.

Following a 47-6 loss to Cathedral Friday, the Wolverine football team finished its 2013 regular season on a six-game losing streak, and with a 4-6 record.

In its last game of the season, the team was not able to enter the red zone until the final 35 seconds of the game, when the Wolverines scored their first touchdown in its last two games just as time expired.

The Harvard-Westlake score was a Ryan Dominick ’17 completion to Julian Shabahang ’14.

But that play was a representation of the season as a whole, a team that suffered countless injuries and more than its fair share of bad luck, but stayed tough until the end, fighting to the last minute of every game.

“Obviously the season didn’t go as we wanted it to, losing six straight games,” Head Coach Scot Ruggles said.

“But the kids could have easily quit and used every excuse in the book. Hats off to our eight seniors and our football program for showing up under adverse conditions and playing until the last whistle of every game.”

The team will not make the CIF Playoffs after finishing winless in Mission League play, but players echoed the ideas expressed by Ruggles.

“Our team was a band

of brothers that refused to the year, but Cohen’s injury quit on each other,” Captain proved to be the most severe.

Desmond Butler ’15 said.

The quarterback suffered a The team’s season started torn ACL and meniscus in the with a surprising 27-21 win at team’s 23-31 loss to St. Paul home against Loyola Aug. 30. Oct. 18 and was out for the Led by first year quarterback rest of the season.

Marshal Cohen ’16, the team’s Freshman Dominick offense trounced its next three attempted to fill the void, and opposing defenses, scoring an although players say he played average of 54 points well under immense per game. The team’s pressure and in such defense was forcing a tough position turnovers, and the to succeed, the team won those three Wolverine offense games by an average was only able to of 35 points per game. accumulate 20 points But starting with in the three games he a 45-18 Homecoming started under center. loss to Palisades Ruggles was Charter Oct. 5, thankful for the nathanson’s and continuing efforts of his team, Desmond throughout the especially his seniors, Butler '15 entirety of the Mission and is excited to League season, for enter next season one reason or another the with a fresh start. team was unable to recapture “In the two years I’ve its early season success. been here, you learn that “We had a lot of injuries you’re never going to replace to key players that really set Shabahang, a captain David us back,” starting free safety Hartmeier ’14, a Chad Kanoff Carter Begel ’17 said. “This ’13, and Thomas Oser ’13 of made us a young football team the world,” Ruggles said. “We very quickly. A young team is just look forward to a year hard to win within the Mission from now and hope to be able League” to answer the question of how Jack Temko ’14, echoed to replace a Robinson, a Butler similar ideas, saying, the team and a Smith."

“Started off well and ended "Every year you hope [the season] badly due to somebody steps up into a new injuries.” leadership role and becomes Hassan Smith ’15, Alec one of the better members of Dominick ’15, and Garret the football team, and I hope Robinson ’15 all missed games that cycle continues as long as with injuries throughout I’m here," Ruggles said.

C6 Sports

The Chronicle

Nov. 13, 2013

Girls’ Soccer

Returning talent fuels CIF aspirations

By Eric Loeb

Following last season’s disappointing finish, a CIF semifinals loss in penalty kicks to Chaminade, the girls’ soccer team will look to secure the only goal it couldn’t last season, capturing a CIF Championship. But according to players and coaches, there is a key difference between last year’s team and this year’s.

“Last year’s team was very young and inexperienced,” Head Coach Richard Simms said. “This year’s team should be much better prepared for playoff and pressure situations.”

But players argue that a lack of seniors was not a major detriment to last year’s team.

However, they do believe that the experience obtained during last year’s season can only help them.

“We have always been a really young team,” Quinn Frankel ’16 said. “Last year, even while starting only one senior, we still had an amazing season.”

The team returns almost

all of its starters from last season, but players say this year’s team has a different vibe. They feel that the team has grown together over the years.

“I get flashbacks to the last two years of CIF games and I remember the tremendous amount of pain we experienced,” midfielder Malanna Wheat ’14 said. “Yet for some reason, this team appears as a completely new team. One that takes it all the way and wins, a team that makes the opponent cry as much as we did in the previous years. The amount of skill and heart we possess currently is pretty much unstoppable.”

The team features multiple players who took home individual awards and honors after last season, some for their career work, and others for their efforts last season. Chloe Castaneda ’15 recently tried out for the U17 National Team, and Courtney O’Brien ’15 and Courtney Corrin ’16 were named 1st Team All Area. O’Brien, along with Lucy Putnam ’14, was also

AARON LYONS/CHRONICLE

ONE TOUCH: Courtney Gazmarian ’16 dribbles past a Louisville defender in the Wolverines 6-0 shutout victory over Louisville in a league game at Crespi Carmelite High School last season. named to the All-CIF Division I 1st Team. Simms says he loves working with the team.

“Coaching at HarvardWestlake is a privilege,” he said. “I value the opportunity to work with all the players.”

But Simms also understands that talent alone isn’t enough to win, and believes that his girls will be able to do

whatever it takes to do so.

“Our expectation every year is to compete at a high level,” he said. “If we support one another and work hard, everything will come together.”

Players have a similar mindset entering the season, but they’re much more confident in their ability to succeed.

“Yeah, it is our last year and yeah, this team hasn’t won a CIF ring,” Wheat said. “But the desire increases because we have the ability to take it all the way. In previous years we overcame adversity and had obstacles in our way, but there is something about this team that has me feeling pretty confident.”

Boys’ Soccer

Season opens against Oaks Christian in non-league match

By Elijah Akhtarzad

GRANT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

ON BALL: Charles DuManoir ’15 dribbles up the sideline during the Wolverines’ Dec. 14 4-1 home victory against Campbell Hall.

After finishing Mission League play in third place last year, the boys’ soccer team will enter its season in a nonleague matchup against Oaks Christian Nov. 25 hampered by an exodus of players to academy teams. The squad will also face Campbell Hall Dec. 3 before competing in their first home game of the season against Cathedral Dec. 12.

“We are going into the season with the best attitudes possible, and even though we’ve lost some personnel with kids leaving for college and academy, I think we can put a solid team on the field and win games,” center midfielder Jonathan Klein ’15 said.

The Wolverines went 7-4-

2 last season in league play, and were handed two of their four loses by rival Loyola . The squad also started CIF playoffs with a first round win against Dana Hills, but fell to San Clemente in the second round.

This year’s club will participate in the South Holiday Tournament at Torrance High School and Oceanside Tournament in San Diego, before opening their league season against Crespi High School Jan. 8 at Ted Slavin Field.

“Every team’s goal going into the start of a season is to win league, and it’s no different with us,” Klein said.

“We’ve been training and lifting since the start of school two to three days a week, and now that winter season is coming around we’re going to

train every day to get ready for league.”

The squad finished third in league last year, one game ahead of Crespi.

The Wolverines will matchup against league rival Loyola twice this season and will seek revenge against the squad after falling short both times to the Cubs last year.

The first match will be a home game for the Wolverines Jan. 24, while the club will finish league play Feb. 10 at Loyola High School. The Cubs were undefeated last season in league play with a 12-0 record.

“Looking at the season, I believe we have a strong team and we have what it takes to do well and succeed in the Mission League,” starting forward Patrick Angelo ’14 said.

Girls’ Water Polo

Team aims to defend title despite thin roster

By Mila Barzdukas

Experience is going to be the key to the girls’ water polo team’s success this year as they work to continue their dominance in the Mission League and seek redemption for last year’s short playoff run.

The Wolverines are seeking another league title despite only sporting an eightplayer roster. The team has no newcomers and no freshmen, but is relying on its versatility and veterans to outsmart opponents.

“Our biggest strength is probably experience,” Head Coach Brian Flacks ’06 said.

“Because we have such a small program, we have a lot of young girls that have got-

ten the opportunity to play consistently in big games, so we never really have an issue of people never playing in games or there being little experience.”

The Wolverine roster contains only returners, led by Sydney Cheong ’14, Rebecca Armstrong ’14 and Sophia Gonzalez ’15.

“Our team is different this year not only by the number of the players on the team. I think also we are much more tight knit than last year,” Gonzalez said. “Some precautions we have to take in the water is to make sure no one gets too many ejections because if you have three you are out of the game. We also have to make sure we are in the best shape

ever because some subbing may be limited.”

Returning as starting goalkeeper is Daily Hartmeier ’16, who had several starts as a freshman towards the end of last year.

“I definitely think we have a chance to be as good as we were last year,” Hartmeier said. “And I hope we can make it to the finals this year.”

Last year, the team went undefeated in the Mission League but lost in the CIF Southern Section Semifinals to Palos Verdes. Previously, they won back-to-back CIF titles over Los Osos.

Flacks said the sport is getting more competitive, and the players will need to work hard to win a title.

“League and CIF are getting more competitive every year,” Flacks said. “It will be difficult this year, especially with having a smaller team than we have had in the past.”

Flacks said Louisville is the squad’s toughest challenge in the Mission League.

“They always put together a strong team,” Flacks said.

Despite the challenge, the team is hopeful about their Mission League chances.

“Even though we lost some really good seniors, I think that we can definitely come back and win Mission League again,” Hartmeier said.

“What I’m looking forward to most is playoffs at the end of the year and seeing how far we can go,” Gonzalez said.

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

TREAD LIGHTLY: Rebecca Armstrong ’14 treads water during a Mission League game last year. The Wolverines won Mission League last year.

hwchronicle.com/sports

Nov. 13, 2013 Girls’ Basketball

Wrestling

Squad returns significant players

Team looks to improve on winless 2012 season

By Tyler Graham

team is larger than last year.”

Ruiz expects Bracken and Coming off a winless sea- Jake Adler ’17 to have strong son, the wrestling team enters years. its upcoming season optimis“My individual goals for tic about its rising talent. “I this season are for the short feel pretty confident this year term to get better as a wrescompared to last year in my tler, and in the long run I have and my team’s ability to per- set a goal for myself to make form well at tournaments,” the State wrestling tournaPatrick Halkett ’14 said. ment,” Bracken said. “There “While our team is relatively are a few other things that I young this year, comprised of would like to accomplish, but mostly freshmen and sopho- that has been my goal since mores, I think they all have a I was a freshman. We have good attitude about wrestling worked pretty hard this offand I think they will learn a season and I’m excited to see lot this year.” what we can do. I am hopeful Last year’s team sent five that we can get a few wins this wrestlers to CIF despite their year in duals.” winless record, three of whom The team will start their are returning. Jake Bracken season with the Turkey Duals ’14, Halkett, at Birmingand Ryan ham High Ruiz ’16 proSchool on My individual Nov. 30, folvide the playoff experience goals for this season are lowed by the necessary for ewberry for the short term to get N the team to Park Individimprove on better as a wrestler, and uals at Newlast season’s Park in the long run I have berry campaign.

High School set a goal for myself to Dec. 7.

“During the offseason, T h e make the State wrestling team’s we practiced first tournament.” three times home meet a week and is the Bishop —Jake Bracken ’14 Amat Dual went to some tournaments match Dec. 11 on the weekat 6 p.m. ends,” Ruiz said. “Our team Their second, and last, goals are to have an overall home dual isn’t until Jan. 8 strong season and send more when the Wolverines will face kids to CIF. I definitely think off with Mission League rival that we will do well as a team Chaminade. The team was 0-4 this year, partly because our in League play last season.

By Jordan Garfinkel

With the 2013 season approaching, the varsity girls’ basketball team will look improve on their 14-15 overall record that it earned last year.

In 2012, the team lost in the second round of the CIF playoffs against Bishop Montgomery. Although the team is losing star guard Natalie Florescu ’13, who led the team with 13.6 points per game in 2012, the 2013 Wolverines believe they have the right personnel to make up for the loss. “[Florescu] was a key player on our team and it will for sure be hard with out her,” forward Glenne Carter ’14 said. “But I think with the new freshman we gained the returning varsity players will step up and we will come together as a team and play hard.”

Guard Teeana Cotangco ’15 was second in scoring and led the team in assists last year, averaging 8.8 points and 2.1 assists per game.

With the numbers that she put up last year, Contangco is set to take on a leading role, but she envisions the Wolverines as a more team-oriented

Sports C7

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

DRIVE AND DISH: Zoe Bohn ’14 drives the ball to the hoop in a game last season against Louisville at Taper Gymnasium. squad compared to 2012.

“The good thing about this year’s team is that we don’t have a main player to rely on and put all the pressure on,” Cotangco said. “We’re pretty well rounded and I think we play pretty well as a team.

Though [Florescu] was a major impact in our offense, I think our defense now will step up and help put points on the board.”

“I think the strength of our team this year is definitely our speed and also just the love for playing basketball,” Carter said. “Our weakness is definitely our height on the team but our speed makes up for that.”

Forward Zoe Bohn ’14 will try to make up for the Wolverines’ lack of size with her ag-

“

gression on the boards. Bohn snatched 7.3 rebounds per game and dished out 1.5 apg in the 2012 season.

In 2012, the Wolverines were 6-4 in league play, falling to both Chaminade and Alemany twice, while sweeping the rest of the league competition.

The gap was clear, as the team lost by 20 or more points in each of its four losses.

“Alemany and Chaminade play at a higher intensity level that some of the girls aren’t used to,” Cotangco said. “They both have high level players that play club and they also play an aggressive full court press.”

The girls’ basketball season will tip-off at home on Dec. 4 against El Camino.

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Nov. 13, 2013

ON THE LINE

Q&A with David Hartmeier ’14

ELIJAH AKHTARZAD/CHRONICLE

OH, SNAP: Starting center David Hartmeier ’14 prepares to snap the ball in the 47-6 Wolverine loss to Cathedral High School. Hartmeier is committed to Princeton University.

By Audrey Wilson

Recruiting Rankings according to ESPN

19th

Among centers nationwide

72

Scout grade

What has been the most memorable part of your high school football career?

Beating Loyola was definitely the most memorable moment because last year we had all the talent in the world, and we couldn’t pull out a victory, but this year we came in as the underdog, weren’t expected to beat them, but we did. We introduced a revamped offense where instead of passing the ball 30-40 times a game, we were running the ball 30-40 times per game and that caught them off guard. That win has been the most memorable just because so many people doubted us and didn’t believe in us, and we let that fuel us to come out and win.

What helped you make your decision to commit to Princeton University?

It was a very tough decision between Princeton and a few of the other schools I was considering; I loved the campus and the academics are great, but what stood out about the school was the coaching staff. When I went to visit over the summer, I got to meet Coach Surace, Coach Morrissey and Coach Verbit, and they are phenomenal coaches.

Their recent success in Ivy League play, undefeated right now, proved their football team to be a successful program. Also, talking to Chad [Kanoff ’13] and Henry [Schlossberg ’13], who are freshmen at Princeton this year, helped me make my final decision and made it feel like the perfect fit for me.

NATHANSON’S

How long have you been playing football and what made you decide to pursue it?

I started playing football for Harvard-Westlake in eighth grade.

I decided to pursue it because my dad played in college, and I grew up watching the sport and hearing about it from him, so as soon I got the opportunity, I wanted to play.

How do you think injuries have affected the team this year?

Obviously it’s hard when your starting quarterback goes down.

We have that next man up attitude, which is something you have to have in football. Guys have done a really good job of stepping up, especially because of the type of injuries we have had recently. We have had a lot of freshmen and sophomores step up which bodes well for the future of this program.

This season the team has had some incredible wins and some tough losses. How do you think that has affected the team’s mentality throughout the season?

We have been considered the underdog the whole season. With the graduation of guys like Chad Kanoff ’13, Thomas Oser ’13, Clinton Hooks ’13 and Henry Schlossberg ’13, people were counting us out and considering us an underdog , so we had to get used to that underdog mentality. We have had some tough injuries to guys like Garrett Robinson ’15, Marshal Cohen ’16 and Hassan Smith ’15, but we have just kept persevering and fighting through it.