October 2016 Issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

CHRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

Los Angeles • Volume 26 • Issue 2 • Oct. 5, 2016 • hwchronicle.com

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

MADDY DAUM/CHRONICLE

THE QUEEN’S SPEECH: (Left): Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts delivers her ﬁnal opening convocation speech. (Right): Huybrechts works at her desk. After 28 years at the school and assuming many different positions, she will retire at the end of the school year.

HUYBRECHTS TO RETIRE

By JESSE NADEL

After 28 years at the school, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts will be retiring at the end of this year, Chair of the Board of Trustees Philip Holthouse and President Rick Commons announced in an email to students, parents and alumni Friday. “Jeanne made this plan some time ago, carefully considering other transitions taking place at the school and timing her own farewell with the best interests of HarvardWestlake in her mind and heart,” Holthouse and Commons said in the email.

Starting July 1, 2017, Interim Head of the Upper School Liz Resnick will become associate head of school, and Commons will add the position head of school to his title as president. Huybrechts started her time at the school as a science teacher at Westlake in 1989, ﬁve weeks before the merger was announced. For the ﬁfteen years following the merger, Huybrechts also held the positions of assistant ninth grade dean, assistant head of school for faculty affairs and head of the middle school, all while teaching at least one math or sicence class each year.

In 2006, Headmaster Thomas C. Hudnut decided to split his position into two parts, president and head of school. At this point, Hudnut assumed the title of president to focus on raising capital for the middle school renovation, and Huybrechts was named the ﬁrst-ever head of school. “In the ﬁrst years of this position, I was very focused on day-to-day operations at the school,” Huybrechts said. “The middle school head, the upper school head, the head of athletics and the director of studies all reported to me. That was my team, and I just

organized and led all of that work. I was the hub of all hiring decisions for faculty and I managed the school.” After several years of focusing on internal operations, Huybrechts then began to work on external relations. “Over time I began to take on some pet projects that potentially needed funding,” Huybrechts said. “I went to all the alumni and advancement events and pretty soon I was working with the advancement team to help them, and piloting projects so that I was not just the internal person, but • Continued on A3

Administration to restructure in July

By SAMMI HANDLER

After the retirement of Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, the administration will restructure, with President Rick Commons adding the position of head of school to his title and Interim Head of School Liz Resnick taking on the role of associate head of school, overseeing more allschool responsibilities, effective in July. A new head of upper school is slated to be announced before Thanksgiving after a nationwide search and more

interviews with the ﬁnal can- said in an email to parents, didates up for the position, students and alumni. Commons said. Commons and Resnick will “Thanks to the decide the division of administrative team leadership responsithat Jeanne has built bilities in the comand the smooth traning months, but her sition in the Presirole will be similar to dent’s ofﬁce that she Huybrechts’ role of facilitated, we have managing the day-toan excellent succesday operations of the sion plan, which will school. ’ include a return to “[Commons] has Rick a more traditional a great vision for the Commons school leadership future, and I think structure,” Comwhat Ms. Resnick’s mons and Chair of the Board role will be exactly in the fuof Trustees Philip Holthouse ture is a little bit undecided,” NATHANSON S

Huybrechts said. “She knows what she wants to do and she’s a great person with a lot of experience, but her exact duties are yet to be determined.” After the merger of Harvard School for boys and Westlake School for girls in 1991, Headmaster Thomas C. Hudnut led the administration, which included a head of upper school and a head of middle school. Ten years ago, Hudnut became the school’s ﬁrst president with Huybrechts as the school’s ﬁrst head of school.

The faculty will begin to enforce the dress code more vigilantly, Interim Head of Upper School Liz Resnick announced in an email to students and parents last Wednesday, sparking controversy among some. Resnick said that as temperatures rose, the faculty felt that students were coming to school in clothes that were not dress-code appropriate. “I feel that it’s the job of

students to be professional in our environment and to be in compliance with this dress code, which has been on the books for years,” Resnick said. Resnick informed faculty of the change in a meeting, saying that if they feel a student is in violation of the dress code, they should tell that student to see Assistant to the Head of the Upper School Michelle Bracken. “If a student is on the quad and in violation of the dress code, we will ask them to cov-

er up,” Resnick said. “If they have a sweatshirt in their locker, that’s ﬁne, and if they don’t have something, they don’t have to go buy something because we have clothing they can wear.” Some students feel that an emphasis on the dress code will inevitably affect female students more than their male peers. “I deﬁnitely feel like the dress code is more directed at girls, but at the same time I understand where the school

GIRLS’ GOLF: The girls’ golf team has gone undefeated and is prepared to finish the season strong.

• Continued on A2

Faculty to further enforce dress code policy By JEAN SANDERS

INSIDE

is coming from,” Haunani Bautista ’17 said. “All girls and guys should know what’s appropriate for school, but I’m a firm believer that if you feel confident in an outfit, you should wear it regardless of what other people think.” As of press time, the La Femme club was set to hold a town-hall meeting Tuesday afternoon to address the stricter enforcement of the dress code, which Resnick, Bracken and

• Continued on C1

ONLINE

QUAD TALK: Students share their opinions on the recent reinforcement of the school dress code.

A2 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

New administration to start in July • continued from A1

Hudnut told the Chronicle in 2006 that he wanted to focus on “Harvard-Westlake, Inc.,” while Huybrechts could focus on administering. He wanted to devote his time to serve the school’s business interests, describing himself as a “CEO” but also needed to bifurcate the position so someone could be readily available for faculty and the rest of the administration. His mission centered on the school’s future, while Huybrechts focused on the present, according to the Chronicle’s 2006 editorial. Though, Huybrechts said that over time both of their positions started to cross over into external and internal areas. So, when Commons took over, that division dissolved. Commons is aiming for the new 2017 dynamic to be “something in between” a headmaster structure and the current president and head of school arrangement, keeping in tune with Hudnut’s notion that the job is just too big for

one person. “Adding ‘head of school’ to my title reﬂects my devotion to the experience of students and faculty rather than any substantial changes to my responsibilities,” Commons said. “However, given the size and complexity of our school, I believe that we will continue to need two people working together to do the head of school’s job effectively—thus the Associate Head of School position.” Though Audrius Barzdukas, who left his position as head of upper school last year, also held the title of associate head of school, Commons said that was a “substantially different leadership structure,” and Resnick’s role will be much broader. “We will collaborate on the work that needs to be done, playing to our strengths and areas of experience,” Commons said. When Huybrechts ﬁrst became head of school, she looked to better coordinate the curricula of the Middle and Upper Schools. As a former di-

rector of studies, Resnick also plans to take heed of academic-related matters. “I will do primarily schoolrelated, academic, curriculum, educational program type things like Dr. Huybrechts,” Resnick said. Also effective in July, the new head of upper school will take over for Resnick. The search committee has been interviewing the eight semiﬁnalists. Commons initially expected to make the appointment Oct. 25, but now she predicts the selection will be made in early November before Thanksgiving. The committee is also prepared to make the announcement earlier if one candidate clearly stands out. Commons, though, “does not see that happening,” he said. Once the committee selects two or three ﬁnalists, more of the school and parents will become involved. “What I can certainly say is that students will be involved,” Commons said. “Faculty will be involved more broadly than just the search committee.”

External company conducts first diversity survey of school, identifies areas to improve By KAMI DURAIRAJ AND HANNAH CHO The ﬁrst of three diversity surveys was conducted by third party HR Matrix Sept. 29-30 to assess upper school community members’ experience with diversity on campus. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and administration made a joint decision to hire an outside group to impartially evaluate the school’s treatment of all aspects of diversity, including race, socioeconomic status and gender. HR Matrix “specializes in human resources consulting and organization development,” according to their website. “We’re using an external ﬁrm to help us do this work because we feel it’s valuable

for somebody on the outside, who doesn’t necessarily know our community, take the temperature of our environment and hold up a mirror to ourselves and say, ‘this is what you actually look like,’” project manager and HW Works administrator Zakariah Daniels said. While administrators feel that a third party’s evaluation of this issue would be beneﬁcial, students have expressed their doubts that this survey will affect change on campus. “I don’t think the school needs an outside source to tell us that we have an issue with diversity. It’s pretty obvious,” Naomi Barlava ’17 said. One hundred to 150 students, faculty, staff, parents and administration will be interviewed over the course of the three visits. Diversity con-

In the issue

News

sultants will divide community members into focus groups of four to 10 people and smaller groups of two to three individuals to have more in-depth conversations. They will meet with each constituent group individually in the Advancement House to ensure that their views can be openly communicated. “It’s a nice cross section of our community, and splitting up those 150 participants over six days feels more manageable,” Daniels said. “[HR Matrix] travels with two consultants each visit: one on the Upper School and one on the Middle School.” During their ﬁrst visit, HR Matrix interviewed members of the Prefect Council and the middle school student council. “I feel so grateful to have been a part of such an inter-

Changing Places 1991-2006 Headmaster

Head of Upper School and Head of Middle School

2006-2017

President Head of School

Head of Upper School and Head of Middle School

2017

President/Head of School Associate Head of School

Head of Upper School and Head of Middle School

“

I feel so grateful to have been a part of such an interesting discussion because I really admire that our school is working towards being a more diverse and inclusive community.” —Caroline Cook ’18 Sophomore Prefect

esting discussion because I really admire that our school is working towards being a more ‘diverse and inclusive community,’ and that it’s also letting students have a voice in the initiative,” sophomore prefect Caroline Cook ’19 said. However, the diversity survey coordinators have not yet decided how they will incorporate the views of the general student population during their upcoming visits Oct. 2728 and Nov. 7-8. “We know that we want to hit prefect council and student council since they’re our student government,” Daniels

NATHANSON’S

said. “We want some representation from our cultural and social afﬁnity groups. But we need to target more students who are not necessarily involved in the school in clubs or groups like that.” The survey will ask participants about their role in the school, their experience with diversity and their assessment of how the school is handling diversity and inclusivity. The school hopes to have the feedback before winter break. “After that, it’s up to us to work together and create an inclusive school culture together,” Daniels said.

Arts & Entertainment

C4-5

IN LES MIDST OF REHEARSALS: Re-

hearsals for the upper school production of Les Miserables began Sep. 12. The musical will feature 44 students. B4

SEMIFINALIST SENIORS: Twenty-six

seniors earned semiﬁnalist status from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation based on their 2015 PSAT scores. A5

Features BALANCING ACT: Despite a small in-

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL:

crease in female representation in HarvardWestlake STEM classes, there is still a gender gap in the highest math and physical science classes. C7

To diminish the conﬁnement of students to speciﬁc genders, the class of 2017 voted on a new graduation gown design. A3

Opinion

NO CUTS, NO BUTS: Is the value of rejection too understated while inclusivity is overvalued? Some argue that the competition of cut sports is beneﬁcial for athletes. A10

SOURCE: CHRONICLE ARCHIVES GRAPHIC BY EMORY KIM

ILLUSTRATION BY ESHANIKA CHAUDHARY

SYMPATHIZING WITH SYRIA: Despite the school’s seemingly large distance from the Syrian refugee crisis, some argue that students should learn about the events in Syria, especially now that refugees are ﬁnding new homes in Los Angeles. C4-5

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

Sports

COMING HOME: Oct. 15 the girls’ volleyball, ﬁeld hockey, boys’ water polo and football teams will be playing games throughout the day. D4-5

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

OCT. 5, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A3

Prefects make changes to color of grad gowns By SOPHIE COHEN

with which they identify. “I don’t think it’s fair to put the onus on the student, especially if they are too uncomfortable to discuss it with the administration,” Head Prefect Cate Wolfen ’17 said. “It is our responsibility to have a general principle of inclusion.” Prefect Council supported the change and, as of press time, were set to facilitate a discussion among the senior class at class meeting on Tuesday. “It just seems really backwards that in this area, where it is not necessary at all, we are enforcing such a gender division, especially for people who may not feel comfortable associating with one group specifically or another,” Wolfen said. Following the discussion in the senior class meeting, the prefects plan to synthesize the grade’s proposals and send out a survey for students in order to receive feedback on what they want to wear at graduation. “It is definitely a small thing that we can do to make everyone feel more included,” Wolfen said. “Changing tradition is always hard the first year, but I think that, after our year, this will just be the new normal. So even if it means making a small sacrifice, you have to look at it as us having the power to make students in the future more comfortable.”

The administration and Prefect Council jointly decided to end the commencement tradition of male seniors wearing black robes and female seniors wearing white robes in order to create a more inclusive community. They hope that this change will prevent the confinement of individuals to specific genders and break the separation between boys and girls at graduation. Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Lise Eliot proposed the change to Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts at last year’s coeducation workshop. According to Huybrechts, Eliot called out the behavior of people who generally stereotype girls and boys in the subtle and not so subtle ways. She referenced schools that require boys and girls to wear different colored robes at commencement as a way of gender stereotyping. Huybrechts said she privately questioned this tradition every year, but after hearing Eliot speak, she broached the subject with Interim Head of Upper School Liz Resnick. In years prior, some students felt uncomfortable wearing the gender specific robe they were assigned, prefects said. These students handled the situation by wearing the robe designated for the gender

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MIKE BIETZ

UP FOR DEBATE: (Left to Right) Jake Davidson ’19, William Park ’17, Indu Pandey ’18 and Evan Engel ’17 prepare for the ﬁrst round on nuclear energy at the Greenhill Fall Classic held in Dallas.

Debate team leads national ranks By ANTHONY WEINRAUB

but the Harvard-Westlake team prides ourselves in always being the most prepared team with the most high quality research,” Connor Engel said. The World Schools debate team of Jesse Nadel ’17, Liz Yount ’17, Dario Madyoon ’17 and Kevin Wesel ’17 won its division at Greenhill, defeating the United States national team. Yount debated on behalf of the school’s team even though she is also a member of the national team. “Being on Team USA helps me be a better leader for the team, which I hope the younger kids can see and eventually model,” Yount said. Evan Engel earned an additional bid at the Loyola Invitational in Los Angeles, giv-

Debaters started off the season with wins at multiple national competitions. Thirteen students attended the Greenhill Fall Classic Sept. 15-Sept. 18. Evan Engel ’17, Connor Engel ’17, Jake Davidson ’19 and Indu Pandey ’18 participated in the Lincoln-Douglas division. Connor Engel, Evan Engel and Pandey won qualifying bids to the Tournament of Champions. Davidson also made it to elimination rounds. Connor Engel won top speaker in the Round Robin and top overall speaker, Evan Engel won third speaker in the Round Robin, and Pandey won ﬁfteenth speaker. “It was a lot of hard work,

“

Huybrechts thankful for time at school

complishments of her tenure, along with her focus on STEM Tom Hudnut and I were both curriculum. She said she is particularly external and internal.” When Hudnut retired from proud of the strong girls that his position in 2013, Huy- the school has educated. “Everywhere I go, I talk to brechts mapped out when she too would leave the school. audiences about the strong “I knew that I girls we have in our wanted to help the new school,” Huybrechts president in learnsaid. “[I’m proud of] ing the ropes, and we the unafraid, conﬁall wanted to be part dent girls we have at of that transition,” our school and how Huybrechts said. “So, well they do. I think three or four years Harvard-Westlake until my retirement is a great school for seemed about right, girls even if it’s not a and this is the fourth girls’ school.” ’ year. It just seemed, Huybrechts’ colLiz Resnick for all sorts of reasons, leagues said that that this is a good time they are thankful for the work to end.” she has done. Huybrechts considers her “I haven’t really known this work forming the Kutler Cen- place without her as Head, and ter for Interdisciplinary Stud- I’ve so appreciated the ways in ies and starting the school’s which she has both supported debate team as it now exists the deans but also allowed us as some of the greatest ac- to work independently,” Up• Continued from A1

NATHANSON S

ing him a qualiﬁcation for the Tournament of Champions. The tournament lasted from Sept. 10-Sept. 12. Alexandra Mork ’20, Connor Engel and Pandey all lost in the octaﬁnal round of that tournament. “The coaches have made a focused push to organize our prep squad better, and it really payed off,” Evan Engel said. At the Grapevine Classic in Dallas, Davidson, Vishan Chaudhary ’19 and Spencer Paul ’19 advanced to the elimination rounds. Debaters attended the Jack Howe Memorial Tournament in Long Beach, California Sept. 24-Sept. 25. The tournament is intended for novices to hone their debating skills.

I haven’t really known this place without her as Head, and I’ve so appreciated the ways in which she has both supported the deans but also allowed us to work independently.” —Beth Slattery Upper School Deans Department Head

per School Deans Department Head Beth Slattery said. “That has been very much her stylesupport with encouragement and autonomy for academic departments-for the deans. In particular, I’ve also appreciated that she’s been very supportive of female teachers, female deans and women’s leadership and encouraged many of the women who work here because in some ways, in the time she was coming up, there weren’t as many opportunities.” Resnick said that she is excited to carry on Huybrechts’ legacy. “She has literally been at Harvard-Westlake the whole time that Harvard-Westlake School has been in existence in leadership positions deﬁning who we are today,” Resnick said. “She is just such a thoughtful, meticulous, warm, collegial leader. Every ﬁber of her being cares deeply about

the school, about the students and about the adults who work here.” In the upcoming years, Huybrechts is planning on continuing to work in some capacity, but she is not yet sure what that work will be. “It is impossible for me to go from a hundred miles per hour to zero without a slow deceleration,” Huybrechts said. “I will do something different next year, but I have no concrete plan. I just know that I will work next year, but I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Huybrechts said that she will miss every aspect of the school in her retirement.

NATHANSON’S

“What will I miss most? Where do I begin?” Huybrechts said. “I can’t tell you that there’s a most. I’ll miss it all: students, teachers, the great many friendships that I have here and the many great friendships that I engendered among parents and people who have graduated from the school. I’ll miss the people a lot. I’ll miss being this closely connected to Harvard-Westlake. Harvard-Westlake is an amazing institution and not having that everyday connection, that everyday touch with this place, I’ll miss very much.”

Huybrechts’ Years at Harvard-Westlake Middle School Science Teacher and Community Service Advisor

1989 Chemistry & Physics Teacher at Westlake

1995

1997

Assistant Head of Middle School for Faculty Affairs

1998

1999

Assistant 9th Grade Dean

Retirement

Head of Middle School

2001

Assistant Head of School for Faculty Affairs (Both Campuses)

2006

2017

Head of Harvard-Westlake

Math and Science Teacher SOURCE: JEANNE HUYBRECHTS GRAPHIC BY BRITTANY HONG AND ANTHONY WEINRAUB

A4 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

Admissons revamps tour system

OCT. 5, 2016

By SOPHIE HABER AND KAITLIN MUSANTE

Student ambassadors attended the annual Student Ambassador Training Dinner on the middle school campus Sept. 16. Associate Director of Admissions Janine Jones informed attendees that middle school student ambassadors will be able to sign up for tours on the Student Ambassador website, receive automated email confirmations and will be given more information about the applicants. “Those changes were made to streamline the process of signing up for tours and eliminate the need for constant email reminders,” senior cochair Jack Li ’17 said. “[The Student Ambassador Program] is thus more efficient as a whole.” Jones also announced that the Student Ambassador Program is holding a contest to find a logo and nickname to be used on all major student ambassador communications and sweatshirts for the program beginning next year. The contest is open to all students, regardless of whether or not they are part of the Student Ambassador Program. All submissions must be entered by Oct. 14 and the winner will be announced on Oct. 31. Jones said that the Admissions Office has received 25 submissions, most of which are from middle school students. “I’m most looking forward to having a unifying logo and catchy nickname to help brand and market the program,” Jones said in an email. Student ambassadors attended training sessions run by seniors and faculty members, where they learned about the program’s expectations and how to act in possible scenarios during tours. Following the training sessions, the admissions office provided students with dinner from Kogi BBQ trucks, In n Out trucks and Let’s Have a Cart Party.

DANIELLE SPITZ/CHRONICLE

STRONG SURVIVORS: Holocaust survivor Bob Geminder shares his story from World War II with the junior class on Sept. 23. The speakers came with the organization Builders of Jewish Education to educate students and promote the March of the Living.

Holocaust survivors emphasize power of hope

By DANIELLE SPITZ

Holocaust survivors Gabriella Karin and Bob Geminder spoke at the junior class assembly Sept. 23 to share their stories with students and provide personal insight into the atrocities of World War II. Director of the Center for Excellence in Teen Experiential Education at the Builders of Jewish Education Organization Alisha Pedowitz introduced the two guests. “Humanity has great capacity for hope and also great capacity for horror,” Pedowitz said. “One of the most profound examples of both that horror and that hope comes from the Holocaust.” Karin, originally from Slovakia, which was then part of Czechoslovakia, recounted her experience as a young 8-yearold girl when the war ﬁrst started. “Before the war we lived in a peaceful, democratic country, very similar to what we live in today,” Karin said. “In our wildest dreams, we could not have imagined what happened, but it did.” She discussed the new regulations that had been imposed on the Jewish population, including a strict dress code and a curfew of 6 p.m.

en away from you, even the In order to evade persecu- clothes you wear,” Karin said. tion, Karin was placed in a “But nobody can take away convent and took on the iden- from you what you have in tity of a Christian girl. your head. Put good stuff in it, “I went to mass every day, it’s yours.” and I cried myself to sleep evGeminder, originally from ery night,” Karin said. Poland, then shared his story. Slovak soldiers initiated the After ambushed by Gerdeportation of Jews in 1942, man soldiers, Geminder was but Karin was forcibly moved harbored by a east to the edge Everything can stranger along of Russia and with seven othbe taken away from you, what is now ers and hid in Ukraine. even the clothes you his one-bedThe Gerroom apartmans rounded wear. But nobody can ment. all 20,000 take away from you what up “For nine Jews in the you have in your head.” months I was community and sitting on a transported —Gabriella Karin them to a nearchair, unable to move by cemetery, around and unable to talk,” where 14,000 of them were Karin said. “The only thing I shot and killed. could do was read.” Geminder was one of the Now a sculptor and il- few survivors of this massacre. lustrator, Karin shares her “I survived by pure luck,” story with presentations and Geminder said. through her artwork. Her illusHe was then placed in a trations appear in “Memories ghetto with the other 6,000 that Won’t Go Away,” a book survivors, including his mothby Michelle M. Gold written in er and brother. memory of children who were After hearing that the saved by the Kindertransport, ghetto was to be eliminated, a series of rescue efforts ini- Gemidner’s mother made tiated by Great Britain that plans to escape. saved thousands of Jewish Once out of the ghetto, Gekids’ lives. minder disguised himself as a “Everything can be tak- Christian in the town of Kra-

“

kow. However, it was not long until others suspected he was a Jew, so Geminder hid in the attic of a farmer in the town. Eventually Geminder’s mother decided to move the family to Warsaw. There, he and his family, along with many other Jewish families, were brought to a train station and were meant to be sent to Auschwitz, but Geminder was able to make another escape and never arrived at the concentration camp. “The Germans were trying to deceive the people until the last minute that they were going to work instead of going to die,” Geminder said. Geminder is now a teacher and advocate for the March of the Living, an educational program that brings high school seniors to Israel and Poland to learn about the roots of the Holocaust. The assembly gave students the opportunity to reﬂect on past events but also their own lives. “It’s one thing to hear about the Holocaust but to listen to survivors is another,” Ayanna Frey ’18 said. “My heart hurt for these people when hearing their stories. I think that it made me realize how lucky I am today.”

Students download anonymous posting phone app, administration decides on campus restrictions By DANIELLE SPITZ MADDY DAUM

AND

The administration is contemplating how to regulate the recent surge in popularity of the anonymous app After School. The app is similar in nature to Yik Yak and What’s Goodly, which were banned on campus in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Once downloaded, the app asks for access to the user’s Facebook account, location services and contacts. Obtaining select phone numbers from these contact lists, the app sends out text messages that promote

the app and include a link to download it. The anonymity of the app allows students to post messages and pictures, create polls and write comments without fear of repercussions. “A lot of people will say things behind a computer screen because they think it is safe, but this takes it a step further because it is anonymous so you can say whatever you want, which can be very dangerous,” Kyle Hearlihy ’19 said. Deans have already received concerns from students regarding the usage of the app on campus. “Without knowing more

about it, if it is in the vain of Yik Yak, then I certainly think we probably should look at some geographic barrier,” Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo said. Daniel Arriaza ’19 said that the app has the potential to both invade the privacy of its users and to cause harm to students. “I think it puts pressure on us when we are already so full of anxiety at school, so when we leave we shouldn’t be worrying about this,” Arriaza said. “It puts more stress in an environment that is already stressful enough. Even if it seems like a positive thing, people can be cruel or malicious and

can start choosing people to make fun of.” Because of the negative feedback, Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken questions whether or not students should use the app on campus. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to be at school,” Bracken said. “I think at school we’re here to learn, and certainly there’s a social aspect of what we do, and so we should be having social interactions. But I do think that because they cause people harm and they can be harmful, the school does have a responsibility to say ‘I don’t think that’s appropriate’.”

GRAPHIC BY DANIELLE SPITZ

OCT. 5, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A5

Generation of Change to expand By EMORY KIM

Generation of Change, an organization focused on social and environmental issues started by Eitan Sneider ’17, has recently expanded to include two schools in New Jersey. The organization is also working on coordinating with Masai secondary schools in Kenya to further expand the program. Due to time constraints, Generation of Change is only able to pick one of the three potential Kenyan schools for future projects. Sneider started the organization in November of last year after he pitched the club’s concept to some of his friends, which was followed by weekly meetings. The goal of the club is to break barriers between schools around the world with the potential of uniting students through the discussion of environmental and social issues. Sneider said by spreading awareness throughout the 11 schools in Los Angeles and two schools in New Jersey, the organization hopes to instill in students the values of giving back. Generation of Change also hopes to get students to connect with their communi-

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF EITAN SNEIDER

WE ARE THE WORLD: Justine Barraza ’17, Sydney Tsutsui ’17 and Stephanie DeSoto ’17 participated in a beach clean up organized by

Generation of Change on May 14. Students cleaned up trash on the Santa Monica Beach to eliminate waste that would pollute ocean water.

ties at a young age. Some schools that are involved with the organization are the Archer School for Girls, Beverly Hills High School, Palisades Charter High School and Notre Dame High School. “I think this is a really positive movement, and it will unite the communities of all the involved schools,” Jadene Meyer ’18 said. The organization’s headquarters are located at Harvard-Westlake, but for each school there are two student representatives.

With their fellow representatives, Sneider and Alex Deronde ’17 meet every Sunday to talk about the latest issues that will resonate with the club’s members and discuss tactics that can be used to raise awareness on these topics. “I think it’s cool that students are leading a club like this rather than faculty members,” Ryan Bae ’17 said. Generation of Change representatives also organize different events to fundraise for various causes and promote

Fanatics to use alumnus’ sports app

By JENNY LI

The Fanatics plan to use former Head Fanatic and soccer captain Matthew Glick’s ’14 new app, Gipper, to feature special sporting moments. Gipper is a sports highlights phone app which allows users to upload short video clips of moments from every sport. Videos can be ﬁltered by school or by type of sport and shared through various social media sites. “I did some research and thought it was really cool,” Grifﬁn Fenady ’17 said. “The app itself is a great way to spread sports highlights from the high school to the professional level. No other apps I’ve seen are as dedicated to sports

highlights and as unique as Gipper.” Glick said he came up with the idea of the app during the Business of Life class his senior year. It was a year-long process to develop the app, which led to its release in the App Store Aug. 1. “The role of being Head Fanatic helped me understand how important sports are, especially to the individual communities and schools,” Glick said. “Sports have probably been the number one constant in my life. Seeing how exciting the content can be deﬁnitely correlated the vision for the app.” In support of their former captain, soccer players have been using and promoting Gipper to raise awareness of

the app among other schools. “Glick was a mentor to many of us younger players,” varsity soccer player Ethan Blaser ’17 said. “We look out for all members of the soccer community, both past and present. His app is really cool, and we are doing our part to help it get the publicity it deserves.” To encourage more of the community to use the app, Glick’s company is providing the Fanatics $100 for every 50 downloads made by students to be put towards future sports events and games. To download the app, students must use a specialized link in the Fanatic’s Facebook page so they can be counted as downloads coming from the school. The app will also fund-

National Merit Semifinalists Lara Bagdasarian

Eric Han

Jack Li

Rohan Prashant

Justin Ciccone

Matthew Henriks

Jake Liker

Rian Ratnavale

Serena Davis

Mathew Hogan

Tony Ma

Talia Ratnavale

Sabrina de Brito

Lauren Kim

Catrin Murphy

Brendan Rose

Kami Durairaj

Vincent Le

Jesse Nadel

Kevin Wesel

Oliver Friedman

Brennan Lee

Tivoli Nguyen

Eli Goldin

Jane Lee

Charlie Noxon GRAPHIC BY NOA SCHWARTZ

activism among participating students. “So far, we’ve held a brief book drive and headed over to an underprivileged library in Downtown for a remodeling project,” Sneider said. “We organize smaller events such as drives, and we are currently working on a larger event, which, of course, is more difﬁcult to put together.” Members of the club also went to the Santa Monica Beach on May 14 to clean up trash and help eliminate pollution in the ocean.

“

Sneider said that the expansion with Indian Hills High School and Ridgewood High School in New Jersey means that Generation of Change is that much closer to achieving what the organization wants to do and is following through with the meaning of its name: actually making change in the world. “The more you expand, the more you really are uniting everybody as a generation instead of just as a community within a school or within a city,” Sneider said.

The Fanatics are very excited to use and promote Gipper because it is a very cool and fun app to see snippets of sports plays from the high school level to the pros. —Kent Sheridan ’17 Head Fanatic

raise for the Fanatics. “The Fanatics are very excited to use and promote Gipper because it is a very cool and fun app to see snippets of sports plays from the high school level to the pros,” Head Fanatic Kent Sheridan ’17 said. “We are stoked to be helping relay this app into the Harvard-Westlake community.” The app will allow for the sports fan base to see highlights of games they have

NATHANSON’S

missed and increase support for athletes. Glick said that he is looking forward to tracking the app’s success and is hoping to further expand Gipper to more high schools across the country. “I’m super excited that they’re on board and using the app,” Glick said. “I’m excited for the future, and I hope that Gipper becomes the sports app for Harvard-Westlake and high schools in general.”

Seniors named National Merit Semifinalists By SAMMI HANDLER

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named 26 seniors as some of the 16,000 National Merit Semiﬁnalists based on their PSAT scores. Last year, the class of 2017 took the new PSAT, which is 35 minutes longer than the old test and has two sections as opposed to three. The new scores on the PSAT are on a shared scale with the SAT. The old PSAT had critical reading, writing and math sections all worth 80 points, and the new test has an evidence-based reading section and a math section each worth 760 points. To qualify, the semiﬁnal-

ists needed to meet or exceed a score of 1480. The number of Harvard-Westlake semifinalists is a decrease from last year’s total of 31 students and is also lower than 2013’s record 54 semifinalists. “I was really excited to be named a semifinalist and I’m super happy for all my peers who also received this distinction,” Mathew Hogan ’17 said. “I hate standardized testing, but this honor made taking the PSAT worth it. I think it’s very telling that Harvard-Westlake consistently has so many national merit semifinalists. It goes to show how intelligent the kids here are and how good the school is.”

THE CHRONICLE

A6 News

in brief

OCT. 5, 2016

Student publications win national awards

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association named the Chronicle a Gold Crown ﬁnalist, the highest possible honor, in its 2015-16 News Hybrid Critique for print and digital publications. The CSPA released results in an email Sept. 28. The Chronicle received a total score of 984 points out of 1000 possible, earning All-Columbian Honors in the Verbal and Visual categories. The middle school publication the Spectrum also gained recognition for excellence in the Print News category, receiving a Gold Crown. —Noa Schwartz

Club members to hold voter registration drive The Junior State of America club will host a voter registration drive throughout the school day and after school Oct. 17. The deadline to register to vote in California is Oct. 24. “We hope to register at least three dozen students at Harvard-Westlake and send many more home with information about how to register to vote, which they can then share with their family,” said Eleanor Halloran ’18, co-president of the JSA club. Volunteers will receive community service hours for their help. —Indu Pandey

Peer Support leaders, trainees attend retreat All 54 of the Peer Support leaders and trainees went on the annual retreat at Gindling Hilltop Camp in Malibu from Sept. 9 to 11. “The coordinators of the program, four seniors, had a lot of say in how it was run and worked more independently,” advisor and counselor Luba Bek said. Bek, upper school psychologist Kavita Ajmere and deans Celso Cardenas and Jamie Chan chaperoned the trip. “It is truly an essential part of the program where we build the initial bond between the newly selected juniors and current seniors,” Bek said. —Soﬁa Heller

Vocalists to preform at Sherman Oaks fair

Harvard-Westlake vocal students will perform a pop cover song set at the annual Sherman Oaks Street Fair for the second year Oct. 16. Students, parents and faculty members will also run a Harvard-Westlake outreach booth at the festival. Volunteers will distribute school brochures, sign up neighbors for the community newsletter and hand out Halloween candy. “By participating in events with the Studio City community, it’s continued outreach about who we are as a school,” Director of Community and Public Affairs Stacy Marble said. —Sabrina de Brito

JENNY LI/CHRONICLE

JOIN THE CLUB: (Top): Claire Keller ’18, Sacha Pritzker ’18 and Carolyn Kim ’18 sing for Community Council. (Bottom Left): Sydney Tsutsui ’17 and Gaby Enciso ’17 promote animal rights. (Bottom Right): Nick Plummer ’18 and Brandon Porter ’18 explain ﬂight club.

Students preview clubs at Activities Fair

By JENNY LI

senior prefect Carolyn Hong ’17 said. Clubs attracted students to Campus groups and clubs shared aspects of their orga- their booths with treats, demnizations to the student body onstrations and colorful postand recruited members at Ac- ers. KHWS, the student-run rativities Fair Sept. 19. A total of 71 groups ran dio station, utilized the fair to booths at the Fair, from stu- encourage students to sign up dent organizations such as for their club. “We’re attracting students Peer Support and Community with our hype music, Council to comamazing personalities and munity service amazing baked goods,” clubs such as club member Jessica Project Girl to Dickman ’17 said. Girl and Chinese Many clubs cited AcPen Pal Club. tivities Fair as their main Groups were source of sign ups, inrequired to recluding Stonecutters, the serve the booths school’s literary and art to sign up po’ magazine, which recruittential members Carolyn ed over 60 members. through Prefect Hong ’17 “We want to raise Council. awareness of the fact that Prefect Council, who hosted the Activities we have a literary magazine on Fair, also ran their own booth campus and also get everyone to promote excitement for the involved in every step of the publication process,” Stoneevent. “We want to have a place cutters leader Liz Kim ’17 said. where people can get donuts, “Every year we get lots of new promote the vibe of activities faces. The staff changes every fair [and] make it more fun,” year, and we have so many NATHANSON S

sign-ups this year.” new to the campus. Some clubs, such as the “We have to dig out all Environmental Club, credited those new tenth graders and their success because of stu- new people who love their dogs dents’ needs to attain their re- or maybe they’re vegetarian, quired community service. or just love animals,” Enciso “When kids have their hec- said. “We have to scope them tic schedules, it’s hard to plan out.” in their own time to go and get Most sophomores seemed community service,” Hannah to appreciate the opportunity Tuchman ’17 said. “Sometimes of being exposed to groups on there’s requirecampus, Sirus ments or orienWheaton ’19 tations, so this said. I had a few clubs way it’s easier “I knew for kids to get there were goin mind, but in the end, their hours. ing to be a lot I think I signed up my The people who of clubs, but name for just about have signed up I didn’t know seem excited there were goevery single club there by it.” ing to be as was.” The event many as there also allows —Sirus Wheaton ’19 were and how students who different they are new to the all were,” Upper School to preview the Wheaton said. “I had a few variety of clubs for the ﬁrst clubs in mind, but in the end, time. I think I signed up my name Gaby Enciso ’17, head of for just about every single club the animal rights club, WETA, there was. The people were all said that her club gained the so nice, and it was fun talking most members from the soph- to them about our shared inomore class because they are terests.”

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Mock trial team holds tryouts, selects members By INDU PANDEY The mock trial team selected 16 members, 15 with roles and one substitute member. Roles included witnesses, defendants, prosecutors and judges. Leaders held tryouts for all interested upper school students Sept. 21. “[The tryouts] were more successful than expected,”

team co-captain Ravi Durairaj ’17 said. “We had a lot of people try out, and we had a really good roster at the end of tryouts. I think we’re going be really successful this year.” Leaders assigned roles based on skills from the tryouts, such as ability to develop a good line of questioning, on-the-spot thinking and responses as a witness, Durairaj said.

“We have already achieved one of our goals: starting earlier,” faculty advisor and history teacher Dave Waterhouse said. “After that we are hoping to have a couple more scrimmages, so we can be reaching our peak when the county competition begins Nov. 2.” The team will attend their ﬁrst invitational tournament, the Beach Ball Tournament, in Irvine, Calif. from Oct. 29

to 30. “I hope to make a team that really works together to make the most cohesive and intelligent arguments for both the Irvine tournament and the country tournament, both coming up in about a month,” team captain Kat Edmiston ’17 said. “And, of course, I hope that we win, but I’m really focusing on it being a great year for everyone.”

Oct. 5, 2016

hwchronicle.com/news

News A7

in brief

Students chat with Uber exec

Alumni selected as MacArthur Fellows

By Kendall Dees and Anthony Weinraub

Conrad Whelan of Uber as well as Adam Checchi ’95, Sam Pfister ’95 and Danny Seo ’96 of Checchi Capital Advisors, a Beverly Hills based investment advisor, offered students career and life advice during lunch Friday. HW Venture set up the event as part of its first installment of its Lunch and Lecture Series. HW Venture held its first meeting last May and focused on innovation and idea sharing throughout the school community. “The preparations went very well,” club leader Miles Agus ’18 said. “In the future, we hope to branch out to many more areas besides just lectures. And getting more publicity will be our next goal.” Agus said that HW Venture is considering partnering with The Nantucket Project. According to The Nantucket Project’s website, its goal is to “exchange challenging ideas, build strong relationships and share ground-breaking insights that build a better tomorrow and unlock the power of human potential.” After speaking in The Business of Life classes during third and fourth periods, the

KENDALL DEES/CHRONICLE

UBER INFORMATIVE: Danny Seo ’96 of Checchi Capital speaks to Felix Brozyna-Vilim ’17, Justin Rose ’17 and Griffin Richter ’17 over lunch on the quad. Alumni from Uber also attended the lunch. guests joined seniors on the quad for lunch. Speakers shared their experiences at school and in their respective careers. They urged students to avoid basing their success on money, instead on experience and quality of life. “Students right now worry, ‘Am I doing the right things? Am I smart enough? Am I going to get into the right colleges? Am I going to make all of the right choices?’” Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research teacher

Robert Levin said. “What the speakers come in and say is ‘Don’t worry, you are good enough. If you can handle this, you have learned to work hard. You have learned to cope with things, and you are going to be fine.’” The event ran smoothly and the speakers were knowledgeable, Agus said. Seo connected Whelan, a computer systems engineer and one of Uber’s first employees, to HW Venture. He discussed his experiences at the company

and encouraged students to pursue career paths that will help them to grow as people and to not limit their own potential. “The toughest decisions you will have to make are about opportunities,” Whelan said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to work in a job that you like but every job is going to have things that you don’t like about it. Everything is going to have drawbacks and one of the toughest things is when do I make change [jobs]. There are no perfect answers.”

Speaker Series to focus on recent political news

By Jenny Li and Noa Schwartz

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

JUSTICE IS SERVED: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Mark Inaba ’86 talks to the Criminal Law and Advocacy class.

Deputy District Attorney visits Criminal Law class By Aaron Park

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Mark Inaba ’86 discussed the role of prosecutors at the District Attorney’s office and shared stories about his gangrelated cases with students in Criminal Law and Advocacy. Inaba’s presentation included photographs from a murder case he prosecuted and voicemails from a gang member who felt threatened into remaining in his gang. Inaba told students about the elements of the criminal justice system as well as individual cases in his career. During his 17-year career as a prosecutor, Inaba worked with the Hardcore Gang and Organized Crime divisions. “There’s a lot more to learn than what you see in the headlines of the newspapers,”

Criminal Law and Advocacy teacher Laurie Levenson (Dani ’17, Havi ’08, Solly ’06) said. “The really great thing about Harvard-Westlake students is that they’re smart and they want to get in-depth on in issue. So they’ve heard about gangs, they’ve seen them on television, but now they’re really getting the real story of what’s going on out there and what they can do.” Inaba also received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. “We learned a lot about what actually goes on in the world and some of the terrible things that actually happen,” said Aubrey Elwes ’18. “I feel like a lot of the younger generation doesn’t really understand how rough it can really be out there.”

cially right now with the stakes being so high in this election, with an economy that’s not The Harvard-Westlake Par- doing particularly well and the ents’ Association will inform state of the world as it is, it’s parents about recent political really important that people events and upcoming elections have a knowledge of politics, Oct. 13 for their Meeting/ and more importantly, participate and vote.” Speaker Series. The series is being conThe other three meetings planned for this school year tinued from past years and are scheduled for Nov. 10, invites speakers to talk to parents about relevant topics Feb. 8 and March 8. The October event will be concerning student life or curheld in Chalmers Hall at the rent events. Previous topics of discusUpper School at 7 p.m., and will feature a political discussion have been about stusion moderated by former host dents’ emotional wellbeing of radio program “Left, Right & and drug and alcohol abuse. “The overall purCenter” Matt Miller. pose of the speaker The panelists parseries is to offer participating in the disents a roster of events cussion will include that will enhance Yahoo News polititheir ability to parent cal consultant Brian their teens, promote Goldsmith ’00, Loyola diversity and comLaw School profesmunity within the sor and Criminal school and engage Law and Advocacy with noteworthy inteacher Laurie L. Lev’ dividuals who are of enson (Dani ’17, Havi Larry Klein interest to the parent ’08, Solly ’06), senior community,” HWPA writer of Politico and contributing editor for Vanity Program Vice President Carla Fair Todd Purdum (Stephen McLoughlin said. The November event will be ’22), public affairs and political consultant Matt Klink held in Bing 123 on the mid(Spencer ’20, William ’16) and dle school campus, but other history teacher and Interdisci- details for the meeting will be plinary Studies Department announced closer to the date of the panel. Head Larry Klein. Though the association “For parents, knowledge of politics is really important has not finalized topics for the because voting is the single remainder of the year’s meetgreatest act that we as partici- ings, the association aims to pants in a representative de- inform parents on subjects mocracy can do,” Klink said. that are the most applicable to “It’s always better if you know the daily lives of parents and what you’re voting on, espe- their families. nathanson s

The MacArthur Foundation awarded fellowships to Ahilan Arulanantham ’90 and Josh Kun ’89. The fellowships, often referred to as “Genius Grants,” come with an unconditional grant of $625,000 distributed over five years. Arulanantham is a human rights lawyer working at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California who specializes in securing due process for individuals facing deportation. Kun is a cultural historian who works as a professor of communications at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. According to the MacArthur Foundation’s website, fellows are selected for “exceptional creativity, promise for important advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.” —Anthony Weinraub

Prefect Council to host Homecoming Formal Upper school students will attend the fourth annual Homecoming Formal dance in the Taper Gymnasium Saturday. Prefect Council will host the dance, which will start outdoors at 7 p.m., running until 11 p.m. Attending students must be in the gym by 7:30 p.m. Students must stay on campus until it concludes at 11 p.m. In addition to the dance area in the gym, the event will extend to an outdoor walkway. There will be cocktail tables and couches along the walkway so students have the option to sit outside. This extended outdoor space was not available in previous years. “We’re encouraging students to utilize the outside space, as well as what’s going to be going on in the gym,” prefect Ryan Stanford ’19 said. Other attractions include multiple photo booths, a fortune teller and a magician. —Meera Sastry

Fanatics announce allschool scavenger hunt The Fanatics announced a campus-wide scavenger hunt for golf balls for various prizes to honor the school’s 25th anniversary during assembly on Sept. 7. To redeem their prizes, students can return golf balls to Assistant Director of Communications Shauna Altieri. The Fanatics told students about the history behind the golf ball scavenger hunt. “You probably didn’t know this, but before Harvard School moved to this site in 1937, it was the Hollywood Country Club, and our campus was mostly a golf course,” Head Fanatic Rasa Barzdukas ‘17 said. To honor the tradition, students will hunt for hidden golf balls around campus all year. —Lucas Gelfond

A8 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

Reception to take place for Israel trip

By SOFIA HELLER

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MELANIE HIRSCH

Parents meet teachers during Back to School Day MEET AND GREET: Parents attended classes Sept. 24 on Back to School Day, following their child’s regular school schedule. Teachers gave an overview of their respective curricula to give the parents an idea of the material their children are learning throughout the year. During free periods, parents and teachers mingled and enjoyed refreshments on the quad.

Latin students to travel to Greece By SABA NIA

Following last year’s trip to Rome, the administration has approved a trip that will give Latin students the opportunity to travel to Greece April 6-14. The students will travel in partnership with the Paideia Institute, a group they collaborated with during the Rome trip last year, the first Latin trip sponsored by Harvard-Westlake. As stated in its mission, The Paideia Institute, a non-profit organization, promotes the study of the classical humanities through academic programming in the United States and abroad. Middle school world languages teacher Mercedes Barletta, one of the co-chaperones on the trip to Rome, said she first got involved with the Institute through another organization, Septentrionale Americanum Latinitatis Vivae Institutum. Barletta spent the last three summers attending

Latin workshops sponsored by SALVI, which according to Barletta, is “run by Latin teachers for Latin teachers,” where one of her colleagues ﬁrst recommended partnering with the Institute. As with the Rome trip, for the trip to Greece, Barletta decided to collaborate with an internal source, middle school history teacher George Gaskin. “I chose him because he loves traveling, [and] he’s a history teacher so he brings a nice counterpart to the language component,” Barletta said. The two co-chaperones decided to work with the Institute once more due to their positive experience last year. “Last year the Paideia Institute was really wonderful and we had this amazing person, Emma,” Taia Cheng ’19 said. “She really knew about the history and culture of Rome and she brought us to

many amazing piazzas, so I’m hoping to get that same kind of experience from Greece with Paideia Institute again.” The students will be traveling to prominent archaeological sites and museums, such as the Acropolis in Athens, Olympia and Cape Sounion, and will be staying in monasteries or guesthouses in city centers. Throughout their journey, students will have the opportunity to read texts from authors mentioned in their curriculum, like Vitruvius, Ovid and Cicero. Barletta said that it’s her hope that the World Languages Department will be able to offer students a trip to Rome and Greece on alternating years. “Having a rotating option between Greece and Rome allows students to have different experiences with the classical and ancient world and allows me to pull from a smaller group of kids that are eligible

“

The school will hold a reception on Oct. 6 to thank the benefactors who sent 18 teachers on the faculty Israel trip this past summer in the Feldman-Horn Gallery . The immersion trip, which was sponsored by the school’s Gunter-Gross Global Fund, spanned from June 13 to 27. Despite political tensions in Israel, the group was still able to travel to locations such as Bethlehem, an Israeli Defense Force base, Jerusalem and the Knesset building. The reception will recognize parents Jeffrey Gunter, Keith Gross and Lorette Gross, who created the program several years ago with Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts. It allows faculty to travel and immerse themselves in different cultures. Huybrechts and history teacher Larry Klein will speak at the reception. “It will be a nice presentation,” Huybrechts said. “We’ll have a lot of pictures of the trip, and we’ll share with our benefactors how much this has meant for the teachers at our school.”

Having a rotating option between Greece and Rome allows students to have different experiences with the classical and ancient world and allows me to pull from a smaller group of kids.” —Mercedes Barletta Latin teacher

to attend,” Barletta said. The trip is open to all Latin students from levels Latin II onward, with 16 spots available. Registration on the school website is open until Dec. 1, with an informational meeting in early January. The cost of the trip is $3,965 per student. Compared to the Rome trip, there are two more spots available and the price is less expensive than the $4,200 per student price last year. Nonetheless, Latin students said they still appreciate that they are now able to travel to study their language abroad. “I’m really thankful I get to go to a school where you can

NATHANSON’S

actually turn down opportunities like that, where they’re so many opportunities for learning,” Davis Cook ’19 said. Upon reﬂecting on their experiences last year, participants also believe they made the right choice and said other Latin students should take advantage of the trip. “The Latin program is so wonderful, and if they’re enjoying studying the language they’ll also be interested in the history and the culture of the places that have been mentioned in their studying,” Cheng said. “And if they really want to see them, then they should sign up for this trip.”

Annual spring break trip to Spain now open for student registration By KRISTIN KUWADA

Signups for the Spring Break trip to Spain will be available starting from Tuesday. Students will leave March 30 to Toledo, Spain and will return home on April 16. Spanish teacher Javier Zaragoza planned this trip to strengthen Spanish-speaking skills and to broaden students’ knowledge on Spain’s culture beyond the classroom. “I felt like the trip gave me insight about the cultural aspect of learning about the lan-

guage and it was a big step up from Spanish III Honors where we didn’t focus as much on Spain’s culture,” Erin Lee ’18 said. Students will visit large cities such as Madrid and Seville, and smaller cultural cities such as Cordoba. On the last weekend, the group will stay in Barcelona. Students will also receive individual and group lessons at two different language institutes in Toledo and Cadiz in order to prepare for the AP exam. “We give the students a lot

of freedom within boundaries,” Zaragoza said. Alitzel Villanueva ’17 agrees and said she cherishes her experience from last year’s Spain trip. “I think the highlights were when we were able to explore the cities by ourselves,” Villanueva said. “There was no one imposing knowledge on us and we could ﬁgure out for ourselves what was important to learn about the city whether it be the food or watching people dance in the streets.”

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CAROLINE PHILLIPS

CULTURAL EX-SPAIN-SION: Students visited Granada, Spain in March 2015 to immerse themselves in the Spanish culture.

C HRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

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

OPINION The Chronicle • Oct. 5, 2016

Los Angeles • Volume 26• Issue 2 • Oct. 5, 2016 • hwchronicle.com

editorial

NEWS EDITORS: TERESA SUH, CLAUDIA WONG NEWS COPY EDITOR: JACKSON NOVICK ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: MADDY DAUM, NOA SCHWARTZ, DANIELLE SPITZ, ANTHONY WEINRAUB NEWS ASSOCIATES: EMORY KIM, INDU PANDEY OPINION EDITOR: KAMI DURAIRAJ ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR: BRITTANY HONG OPINION ASSOCIATES: CLAIRE KELLER, MATTHEW YAM FEATURES EDITORS: SOPHIE COHEN, DANIELLE KAYE FEATURES COPY EDITOR: KATIE PERRIN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS: JOSIE ABUGOV, NICOLE KIM, ALENA RUBIN FEAUTRES ASSOCIATES: KRISTIN KUWADA, KITTY LUO A&E EDITOR: LAUREN KIM ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS: GABI BERCHTOLD, KATE SCHRAGE A&E ASSOCIATES: ISABELLE ESHRAGI, SARAH LEE, CATY SZETO SPORTS EDITORS: JULIANA BERGER, JAKE LIKER SPORTS ONLINE EDITORS: DARIO MADYOON, CONNOR REESE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: ELI ADLER, OLIVER AKHTARZAD, ELLY CHOI SPORTS ASSOCIATES: ELLIS BECKER, SAM MCCABE, AARON PARK, ZACH SWARTZ, ADAM YU ONLINE EDITORS: CAM STINE, BRYANT WU ADS

AND BUSINESS MANAGER: OLIVER RICHARDS

ASSISTANT ADS AND BUSINESS MANAGER: JIWON PARK ARTS DIRECTOR: TIFFANY KIM CHIEF

OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVAN TAUH

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

JULIET SUESS ADVISER: JIM BURNS

THE CHRONICLE is the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School. It is published eight times per year. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Oliver Richards at orichards1@ hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or school.

TIFFANY KIM /CHRONICLE

Bridging the gap between genders

A quarter of a century ago, Harvard School for boys and Westlake School for girls merged under the founding principle that boys and girls learn better together. Students and parents were, at first, enraged, but when fall came around and it was time to come together, tensions fell to a simmer. But that is not where this story ends. Though we share a campus, it sometimes feels as if boys and girls attend different schools. The fact that senior girls felt the need to create their own Girls of 2017 Facebook page to discuss issues important to them is evidence of this. Repeatedly, conversations about gender issues spiral into inflammatory comments that polarized the student body. Whether it’s about Fanatics equally promoting sports of both genders, a La Femme bake sale that brought attention to the wage gap or arguments about whether or not there’s a double standard in our school dress code (see A1 for more details on the policy), male and female students cannot seem to find common ground. Additionally, a feature on C7 highlights how these divisions translate into the classroom. In her tenure here, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts has worked to lessen these differences, especially through encouraging gender balance in STEM fields. Even though she is leaving, we must continue to strive towards her goal. Next year, all of the school’s administrators will have known the school as HarvardWestlake and not as Harvard and Westlake. It’s time we start acting unified. As of press time, the La Femme club was set to hold a town hall meeting Tuesday to discuss the implications of the dress code.

This would be a perfect opportunity to have a discussion outside of the sometimes destructive social media environment. We all need to start making a conscious effort to avoid generalizations about gender because they only serve to divide us further. We all need to forget Facebook comments from a year ago that hurt our feelings and start realizing that everyone makes mistakes, which are often amplified and perpetuated by social media. Boys and girls alike need to be willing to respectfully listen to every idea, even if they don’t agree with it or with the way it was presented. The administration needs to help us in this struggle and realize that every action they make is amplified by each side and used as fodder. Change should be enacted through the faces we see every day. Our deans and teachers should be used as tools to help us understand why the administration makes certain decisions. We know they are always there to talk, but we should not always be the ones taking the initiative on these matters. We should see the diversity of ideas at our school as an advantage and a result of our school’s emphasis on free and creative thinking. We should be glad to go to school with people who see things a different way than we do and take every day as a chance to reevaluate our opinions. Our school isn’t a patchwork of ideas, with sharp borders and distinct lines; it is a mosaic with different parts that work together to create one beautiful image: a group of students prepared for life because they have learned from the school and they have learned from each other.

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

Feminism is not a joke

By Emily Rahhal

t’s no longer funny to joke about feminism. Throughout our time at the Upper School, the Class of 2017 has seen a plethora of Facebook wars that have prompted huge controversies on campus for a maximum of a week and then disappear until they can be used conveniently in a joke. The arguments always end the same way: the vibrant minority becomes the dominating voice, and the active minds that prompted the conversation are silenced and mocked. These innocent, “playful” Facebook conversations have reached a level of offensiveness that is impossible to ignore. We have reached an intense degree of peer demeaning and silencing that is frightening for the future of this community. We are nearly adults. Almost a third of the students on campus will be living alone in mere months. It’s time to take responsibility for our actions and our words. Harvard-Westlake prides itself on being an intelligent and progressive community that encourages open communication about controversial topics largely avoided by society, but the recent debates about the implemented dress code reveal that students may not be caught up to this level of maturity. We have displayed time and time again that we struggle with sensitive topics, most consistently the topic of feminism. The silencing of feminism is a global pattern that often seems impossible to break. We at Harvard-Westlake have the opportunity to be different, to set the model— as we so often do—for others to follow. We are an incredibly forward-thinking institution. We consistently set and break standards for high schools with our arts, ath-

letics, academics and other programs. It’s time we step up in our communication and our treatment of feminism. There is by no means a lack of active women in our community. We see women stepping up and speaking their minds daily. This willingness to step up is most likely why the strong women in our grade receive so much pushback: they put themselves out there in a manner most aren’t comfortable with. This boldness is something to celebrate and is all too often met with mocking, belittling and aggressive silencing responses. Mocking an issue that someone values and is passionate about is an extremely offensive action and is never the way to have productive conversation. A joke about a topic as sensitive as feminism is never simply a joke. There is always a hidden message of invalidation, an indication that feminism is something to laugh at. And while everyone may have different opinions when it comes to feminism, it is unfair to disregard the movement as insigniﬁcant. If we are going to discuss issues like feminism, everyone’s voice must be heard. Everyone’s opinions should be met with respect, no matter how popular or unpopular the opinion may be. I don’t think that feminists’ voices should be heard just because I am a feminist; having an opinion acknowledged has nothing to do with others’ ability to speak their minds or their points of view. People should heard because everyone has a valid opinion. Everyone deserves the space to speak openly and to be met with respect, and frankly, it feels as though the women on this campus are constantly being met with little to no respect. It’s not funny to joke about feminism. It’s not funny to mock active feminists.

Learning how to accept rejection

By Kate Schrage

arvard-Westlake strives to be an inclusive community, but at what point does inclusiveness compromise the pursuit of excellence? Rejection is an unavoidable aspect of life. Harvard-Westlake is a college preparatory school for a reason. Emerging into the adult world without having experienced true rejection puts young adults at risk for unrealistic expectations. It is a high school’s job to prepare its students for the outside world: the good and the bad. The campus buzzed with excitement. Students who had never auditioned for theater before were waiting for validation of their talent. The the-

atre veterans were looking to see how high up their names landed on the cast list. Then, in a moment of silence, the Les Miserables cast list came out. For the ﬁrst time in almost two decades, everyone got a role in the musical. This year, I applied to be a Peer Support Trainee. I felt strongly connected to the program and wanted nothing more than the position. To my disappointed, I was not selected. Though heartbroken, I came to terms with the fact that I will not always be able to get what I want and work for. As a member of the Jackanapes improvisation group, our frequent all-group rehearsals account for a signiﬁcant amount of our unity and

ANNA GONG/CHRONICLE

Italy through a cup of caffè: New culture, new language By Katie Perrin

woke up to and went to bed hearing the sound of the espresso machine in my ear, the best daily “Buongiorno,” or—in English—good morning. That sound would mark each of my transformative 271 days in Viterbo, Italy. Last year, I left home for the first time to spend my junior year abroad in Italy for nine months, armed only with a love of exploring the unknown and of Italian culture. I didn’t know how to speak a word of Italian when I first arrived. I had to adjust to living with a host family as well as adapting to a new culture in a foreign tongue. I believe I truly learned to be conversationally fluent by ordering my daily coffee, which I enjoyed while listening and talking with the Italians I met in my favorite coffee bar. I will forever be grateful to the owner of Blu Bar, Francesco, who recognized my American accent and taught me phrases like “Rome is a mess” and how to root for the local soccer team. Lured by the strong, foamy cappuccinos, my addiction to Italian coffee sustained me through the initial tremendous upheaval in every aspect of my life. Every morning, I walked to

the main street of Viterbo from my house in the city in search of a caffeine boost before school. As I walked, I observed a full spectrum of life at each coffee shop I went to. At the bars, Italian high schoolers crammed for their morning oral exams with friends while old men and women discussed soccer and business tips. Young children begged their parents to go back to sleep while young couples walked their dogs along the cobblestones. All flocked to the bar for a quick breakfast of coffee and a cornetto, a croissantlike pastry filled with cream, jam or Nutella. Gradually, I began to adapt to the Italian lifestyle and to find my place within the culture alongside them. I came to know the local patrons of some of my favorite coffee bars extremely well, especially the people who frequented the “Americanstyle,” yet culturally Italian, Happiness Cafe and Cafe BurBaCa. These bars became my living rooms in a foreign land, as they were the places I gathered with my friends to hang out and study as well as where I learned how to communicate who I was. Coffee shops are the hub of social life in Italy. The sweet

cinnamon caffè lattes and friendly conversation of Sandra, the Happiness Cafe owner, and her son Federico helped warm me through my ﬁrst real four months of winter. Everyone I knew was united by a strong passion for coffee. Even the young Italian children I taught English to at both a private Catholic and public elementary school drank a substitute for coffee, caffè’ d’orzo. Coffee revived me on overnight class trips to places like Perugia and Bologna and allowed me to appreciate the artistic and cultural differences between the dark, bitingly sweetened Sicilian espresso shots and thick, creamy caffe lattes of Milan. The coffee bar culture of Italy helped my American friends and me assimilate to the world around us. It literally and ﬁguratively opened my eyes to the rich, evocative Italian culture. Studying abroad and learning to live in another part of the world helped me to develop the perspective of a global citizen. It also compelled me to grow as a person as I became part of a different culture. In Italy, the coffee was potent enough to help me connect across cultural boundaries.

Harvard-Westlake students are in a highly competitive environment when it comes to academics, arts and sports. The musical this year decided to give all students who auditioned a role. This leaves room for discussion about the value of inclusiveness. stage chemistry. With such a large ensemble for Les Miserables, all-cast rehearsals occur less often and could potentially lead to a slower rehearsal process. While large sports teams don’t exactly face the same issue, there are still downfalls to operating on a no-cuts basis. An all-inclusive policy for groups can also hinder the success of other students. For example, a sports team without cuts would allow players with lower skill levels to take game time from teammates with more experience, which ultimately compromises the standing of the team. While it can be hard to accept that one person may not possess the skill to perform at a certain level, it’s reality.

Additionally, as students mature through the years of school and begin to consider their futures in college and beyond, they must come to terms with their strengths and weaknesses. A student with a lower skill level in a certain ﬁeld may feel encouraged to pursue a future that they may not realistically be able to achieve. In order to prevent unrealistic expectations and allow students to ﬁnd their own unique strengths, rejection is necessary. However, in our competitive environment, no-cut teams can be relieving. Encouraging participation creates diversity in groups or teams and a more comfortable atmosphere that doesn’t

heavily rely on competition. Students can explore their interests and improve their skills instead of relying on pre-existing ones. While the value of inclusiveness cannot be understated, neither can the value of rejection. Being turned away from programs teaches students how to take criticism and turn an upset into an incentive to improve. We must shift our perspectives from seeing rejection as a negative to viewing it as constructive criticism. Especially in a competitive environment such as Harvard-Westlake, all students are aiming to be the best. Unfortunately, not everyone can be. Strive for excellence, not perfection.

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

OCT. 5, 2016

quadtalk: “Do you feel that the dress code is fair?”

OPINION A11

“As a guy, I’m not affected that much by the dress code. I think that the dress code is fair. And I think that, in general, people should not be wearing clothing that is not appropriate for school.” — Charlie Kogen ’19

“Well, the question of whether or not the dress code is fair always comes down to one central dichotomy: Does a student’s right to free expression outweigh a teacher or student’s right to feel comfortable? The dress code justifies a norm in which we blame girls and boys for dressing in a sexual manner instead of blaming others for over-sexualizing students unnecessarily.”

KAMI DURAIRAJ/CHRONICLE

— Connor Engel ’17 KAMI DURAIRAJ/CHRONICLE

“At school, there should be boundaries, and what is and isn’t appropriate should be thought about. But at the same time, I feel like the email was more targeted towards females than it was towards males. — Tivoli Nguyen ’17 KAMI DURAIRAJ/CHRONICLE

INFOGRAPHIC BY BRITTANY HONG

Being considerate in the classroom By Eshanika Chaudhary

“

Harvard-Westlake is a diverse and inclusive community.” Many would argue for an amendment to this famous line of our school’s mission statement: “Harvard-Westlake is supposed to be a diverse and inclusive community.” Whatever your opinion may be, there’s an aspect to this that I, at least, haven’t heard anyone address, from Mr. Commons to students on the quad: diversity and inclusivity in the classroom. Although I could deﬁnitely wind up changing my mind, I’ve been planning to get my MD/PhD since before I got here in 7th grade, and unsurprisingly, this means a lot of math and science courses. Unfortunately for me, however, these subjects are not my strong suits, but this has been my dream for a good portion of my life now, and I’m not going to let something like being socalled right-brained stop me. Instead, I just work harder to

make up for not being naturally good at these things, just as anyone in any difﬁcult class would. However, sometimes I still don’t understand the concepts come class time, but really, that’s okay. We’re fortunate enough to have some amazing teachers here at HarvardWestlake who are more than willing to answer questions during class, and the seemingly obvious solution would be to simply use this class time to get the extra help I need. Well, obvious until you take into account that if others perceive my question as “stupid,” I’ll have to deal with a chorus of laughter, snide jokes and lots of well-meaning yet very unhelpful and loud suggestions from classmates before getting my answer. So, more often than not, students like myself wind up meeting with their teachers for things as simple as homework questions because they’re too intimidated to use class time.

Students find themselves unable to ask questions during class because they are often met with snickers and condescending comments among their peers. The solution to this problem is to try to include everyone in the classroom and be nice.

This, in theory, would be ﬁne, except that as we all know, Harvard-Westlake students tend to have a million other activities and classes, and this outside of class time can really add up for both the student and the teacher. This problem is really just a result of not translating the same inclusivity we have as a community into the classroom. Most, if not all, students understand that a school community that is diverse racially, economically, politically, etc. will beneﬁt students by creating well-rounded, aware citizens of the world rather than sheltered and narrow-minded people who have been raised in a bubble. The school has beaten this idea to death over the past few years, for good reason, and it’s undeniable that we’ve come a long way. We’re close to a balanced total gender ratio in STEM courses. It’s rare to see a class without at least one person

of color. However, diversity of thought and inclusivity when it comes to differences in skill level are still severely lacking. Why is it okay to disregard the opinions of the lone conservative student in a history class or sigh condescendingly when “that one kid” asks yet another obvious question? Why can’t we extend the same tolerance we show our peers in every other aspect of life into the classroom? So what’s the solution? Not laughing at classmates when they ask a question you think is stupid is a good place to start. I’ll admit that I’ve done it this before, and I doubt that anyone actually means it in a rude way. Regardless, we all still need to be conscious of how our actions may come off, regardless of our intentions, and remember that asking a question in class inherently puts one in a vulnerable position. Also, students aren’t the only ones at fault here. Some

teachers will create an environment that doesn’t encourage participation for fear of ridicule, either by the students (who are permitted by their teachers) or by teachers themselves. I don’t know if this is wittingly or not, but the fact of the matter is that it happens, and the only way to eliminate this problem is to first become aware of it. Becoming aware of these issues is a huge first step in fixing them. Start conversations. If you see people in class giving someone a hard time for a “stupid question,” call them out for it. Bring it to the teacher’s attention because they might not even notice. If your teacher is one who creates an uncomfortable class environment, talk to your friends, dean or the teachers themselves to see how you can work together towards a solution. Together, maybe we can actually translate the diversity and inclusivity we hold so dear into the classroom.

spotlight

A12

Oct. 5, 2016

Senior class puts a ring on it

The Class of ’17 continued the long standing Westlake Ring Ceremony tradition on Sept. 11, an occasion where seniors receive their class rings and a time for reflection on their last year as Harvard-Westlake students.

SOPHIE HABER/CHRONICLE

THE TRADITION CONTINUES: Head Prefect Cate Wolfen ’17 shakes hands with President Rick Commons. The entire class of 2017 assembled on the bleachers, with their parents facing them from the Ted Slavin Field, to be officially commemorated as seniors, receive their class rings, and reflect on their experience.

SOPHIE HABER/CHRONICLE

PINTEREST: Interim Head of Upper School Liz Resnick presents Spencer Towill ’17 with his ring while she shakes his hand. Each student was given a ring or pin at the ceremony to start the year.

SOPHIE HABER/CHRONICLE

SHAKE IT OFF: Brooke Sassa ’17 greets President

Rick Commons at the annual Senior Ring Ceremony.

SOPHIE HABER/CHRONICLE

FLOWER POWER: Emma Kateman ’17 shakes President Rick Commons’s hand before receiving her senior ring after the prefects opened the ceremony and welcomed their classmates to their last high school year.

SOPHIE HABER/CHRONICLE

BRIGHT STUDENTS: Prefect Matthew Hogan ’17 speaks to senior parents and friends, as well as his classmates about the experiences that led the senior class to where it is today and shares stories.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle • Oct. 5, 2016

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CHERI GAULKE

STILL LIFE: (Top): Jenny Lange ’17 stars as Persephone in Gaulke’s film based on the story of Hades and Persephone. Lange sits on a couch at a party in a still from the film “I Am Be.” (Bottom left): Lange appears in a basement scene in a still from the film. (Bottom right): Lange stars in Persephone’s birth scene in a still from the movie.

Gaulke to screen several short films in Ahmanson By ISABELLE ESHRAGHI

that. It’s women who empower each other. We can restore to Visual Arts Department each other our sense of joy and Head Cheri Gaulke will screen sense of self.” Gaulke was inspired to her film “I Am Be” as well as several teen public service an- tell a story about sexual asnouncements in Ahmanson sault using a Greek myth. In Lecture Hall Thursday at 7 the myth of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, p.m. Hades kidnaps PerseGaulke was inphone and makes her spired to create this his wife. Demeter then film after working vows not to help the with A Window Beearth’s harvests until tween Worlds, an orshe finds her daughganization that supter. When she finds ports women who her, spring comes have experienced again. This myth is trauma and domestic N ’ used to explain the violence. Cheri Gaulke origin of the four sea“These women sons. are struggling to own “I love researching the ortheir sexuality, to recover from sexual violence and to feel a igins of things in culture, and sense of their own power and I suddenly became fascinathealing,” Gaulke said. “A big ed with the Demeter Persemessage in the film is that phone myth,” Gaulke said. “As women help other women with I started reading it, I realized ATHANSON S

Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke will screen her film “I Am Be,” which is based on the myth of Persephone, along with student public service announcement videos Thursday.

that this story was full of rape. It was so perverse to me, and we don’t think about thatw part of the story.” Jenny Lange ’17, who plays Persephone, said that she became interested in working on the film after reading Gaulke’s script. “I was interested in the way she had redone an old Greek myth, but the story had a very good message,” Lange said. “It [ended] with an announcement to all women who have been sexual assault victims saying ‘you are not alone’, and I thought that was an important thing to express more and to share more.” Lange also said that Gaulke and the crew always made sure that the actors were felt safe during filming. “It was definitely an incredible experience because I worked with really awesome

people, and Ms. Gaulke was is also about a sense of being. I just very passionate about it am a body, I am a woman and and always making sure we I am empowered.” Gaulke hopes that this film were comfortable with everywill show how sexual assault thing going on,” Lange said. Gaulke made the film to has always been a part of soeducate its viewers about the ciety and how it is still present in our society impact of sexutoday. al assault. She “I think it is also wanted to It [ended] with a moving story. share a mesan announcement to all Even though sage of female is done as a empowerment. women who have been it Greek myth, “I wanted to sexual assault victims, it is also conbring out the temporary,” sexual violence saying ‘you are not She said. “We that we kind of alone’.” see a teenage just gloss over,” who is conGaulke said. —Jenny Lange ’17 girl fronted with a “There’s a third boy at a party female character in the story that most who slips her a date rape drug, people don’t know about, and and we see how violence is her name is Iambe. She is the embedded in the very fiber of one who empowers Demeter to our culture with something as find her daughter. The title is ancient as a myth and in our kind of a play on words, but it contemporary life.”

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B2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HW GO! showcases short films

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

By KAELYN BOWERS AND KATE SCHRAGE

Students who attended HW GO!’s Digital Storytelling trip to Guatemala created five short films, which they then screened at the Upper School. The films were shown to an audience of friends and family last month. Mia Nelson ’19, Jonah Cho, Olivia Bautista ‘19, Elly Choi ’18, Dylan Ollivier, Esther Ollivier ’18 and Angel Hoyang ’18 conducted interviews, visited Mayan ruins and learned about the social, economic and cultural situations in Guatemala as part of the trip. The shorts discussed pressing topics such as music, trash collection, education of children, abusive coffee production and discrimination against women. Hoyang produced a film about the abuses in the process of coffee farming in Guatemala and the importance of being aware of where our products come from. “At first, I was a little scared. I didn’t really know what to do,” Hoyang said. “But it was really the most world-changing experience I’ve ever had.” Nelson was especially inspired by meeting the Starfish Impact girls, an organization which helps create opportunities for girls in Guatemala and helps them build confidence. “The Starfish Impact girls that I met were so nice and driven.” Nelson said. “Seeing those girls change their lives and become the only person in their family to receive more than a sixth grade education was inspiring.” The student producers of the short films aimed to spread awareness and give important issues a voice. “I was really glad that the farmers had an audience,” Hoyang said. Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke said she plans to have another presentation during October to allow students to view the short films.

SARAH LEE/ CHRONICLE

PLAY-BY-PLAY: A group of students interested in getting involved with the Playwrights Festival takes notes and listen as alumna author Lindsey Rosin ’03 gives them advice about the creative process that goes into successfully writing and producing a one-act play.

Alumna, author of fiction novel leads workshops for student playwrights

By SARAH LEE

Lindsey Rosin ’03 spoke to students interested in submitting plays to this year’s Playwrights Festival the writing and editing process of plays and the importance of being passionate about one’s work. In order to be eligible to enter the festival, writers were required to come to at least one of the workshops, which were held Sept. 22, 24 and 25. As a student, Rosin had three plays produced in the Playwrights Festival. She has since published a young adult novel, “Cherry,” that is based on her experiences at Harvard-Westlake, and she is currently working as a television pilot writer. Rosin led the playwrights in several activities, including writing monologues in less than ﬁve minutes and dialogue-writing exercises. The

main lesson Rosin said she wanted students to learn from the workshops is that a rough draft does not have to be perfect. “Being a Harvard-Westlake graduate, I know there’s a lot of emphasis on the product,” Rosin said. “We all want A’s, and we all want things to be great, but if we’re worried about the ﬁnal draft before we even start the rough draft, it’s really hard to get there.” Playwrights Festival Director Christopher Moore said he wanted to have a workshop hosted by a female playwright this year. He chose Rosin because of her experience with the festival and her ability to connect with students. “Just given [Rosin’s] energy, her age and the kind of things that she writes, she can automatically relate to teenage writers,” Moore said. “I think that’s her strongest point, this

All choirs to convene for retreat By ALEX GOLDSTEIN

Choir students from the Middle and Upper Schools will come together to learn new music, sing for one another and meet students who also have a passion for singing on Saturday for the second-annual All-School Choir Retreat. “I thought that being associated for the ﬁrst time with the upper schoolers allowed for all the choir students to feel like one unit and a community.” Jake Schroeder ’20 said. During the event, choral students will have the opportunity to interact and meet with other students who sing in different grades and are on

different campuses. Students will then split off into small breakout groups where they will all learn a song called “Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie.” The day will end with each choir singing a song from their repertoire to the rest of the group. “I love singing with my choir, and I can’t wait to show the rest of the students what we have been working on,” Wolverine Chorus member Harry Garvey ’18 said. The idea behind the allchoir retreat was started last year by Adam Yaron ’16 and Shelby Weiss ’16 and has continued to be student-run based on the student’s ideas

with teachers acting as supporters and facilitators. The event was started in an effort to initiate a stronger relationship between campuses and the students who sing, middle school choral director Nina Burtchaell said. “I am excited to see my middle school friends and hear all of the other choirs,” Bel Canto singer Catherine Crouch ’19 said. “I had such a great time in choir last year, and I can’t wait to be back for a day.” All students who are in the seventh grade choirs, Vocal Ensemble, Wolverine Chorus, Bel Canto, Wolverine Singers and Chamber Singers will attend the event.

ability to relate to students of had to collaborate and come high school age.” up with a plot and characters Sophie Kim ’19, who at- for a play based on a song. “It was really out of the tended one of the workshops, said that the lesson she will box,” Kim said. “I think it helped people take with her is the idea that who were nerIf we’re worried vous or already writing is a stressing out process, and about the final draft about how they what matters before we even start the were going to most is the rough draft, it’s really write a play to journey and relax a little being proud of hard to get there.” and just have the final prod—Lindsey Rosin ’03 fun.” uct. Rosin said “If you Author she wants stupush through dents involved it, you’ll have a really incredible final prod- in the festival not to worry uct,” Kim said. “It made me re- about the competition but to alize that writing is not as diffi- take their time and enjoy the cult or as stressful as it seems writing process. “You’re just trying to write to be, and with hard work and fun you can create something the best play that you as a writer can write, and nobody that’s fun and important.” Kim said that her favorite else can do that, which is kind thing she did at the workshop of cool and liberating,” Rosin was an activity where students said.

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Harvard-Westlake Choral Groups By the Numbers Chamber Singers

Bel Canto

Madrigals

Vocal Ensemble

Wolverine Singers 15

Seventh Grade Combined Chorus 78

SOURCE: REES PUGH GRAPHIC BY KATE SCHRAGE

OCT. 5, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT B3

THE CHRONICLE

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CATE WOLFEN

MAJOR KEY: Seniors in Chamber Singers pose at the campsite during their retreat Sept. 16-17. Choir members attended the retreat at Camp Wrightwood to build friendships, strengthen relationships and bond as a choir. Attendees participated in a variety of different activities together over the course of the retreat.

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Singers rehearse, bond on retreat By SARAH LEE Students in Chamber Singers went on their annual retreat to Camp Wrightwood in the Angeles National Forest to practice and get to know each other Sept 16-17. Upper School Choral Director Eric Gault said that he saw the retreat as an opportunity for members to become more of a community by playing games and going on a hike. “Just by eating together, by hiking together and by being in a place where we were all as a group together [we were able] to get to know people that we didn’t know and develop friendships and relationships

within the group,” Gault said. Because it is his ﬁrst year at the school, Gault especially appreciated the chance to get to know his students better and gain a better understanding of Harvard-Westlake as a whole. “You’re seeing them not just in a classroom environment,” Gault said. “You’re seeing how they talk to their peers while we eat together or laugh together. Those are all important elements of getting to know people. It enabled me to get to know the students much more than in a classroom experience.” Esther Ollivier ’18, the leader of the second soprano

section, said that the retreat was a good opportunity to feel more comfortable around the other choir members. “Any time you have any kind of overnight thing with people, you just get closer as friends,” Ollivier said. “You feel a lot more comfortable talking with anybody. It makes a good space and a good environment for everyone.” Ollivier said that her favorite experience from the retreat was a “battle” between the older and younger choir members. Students fought with water guns, chocolate sauce and water balloons. “It helped us bond because we all had a good time,” Olliv-

Les Miserables Cast List Jean Valjean Javert Fantine Eponine Cosette Marius Enjolras Thenardier Mme Thenardier Bishop Convict Convict Convict Convict Convict

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Henry Platt Ben Pimstone Natalie Kroh Elizabeth Gaba Maya Hinkin Jack Nordstrom Michael Gaven Casey Giolito Natalie Musicant Jordan Yadegar Tosh Le Harry Garvey Russell Davis Eli Timoner Justyn Chang

Chain Gang Liam Daniels, Grifﬁn Gunn-Myers, Charles Kogen Farmer Laborer Constable #1 Constable #2 Foreman Worker #1 Worker #2 Woman Girl #1

Catherine Crouch Alex Goldstein Will Newhart Ari Yaron Jacob Tucker Odessa Chiklis Becca Frischling Evan Keare Charlotte Weinman

Girl #2 Girl #3 Girl #4 Girl #5 Sailor #1 Sailor #2 Sailor #3 Old Woman Whore #1 Whore #2 Whore #3

[The retreat] enabled us to get to know people that we didn’t know and develop friendships and relationships within the group. —Eric Gault Upper School Choir Director NATHANSON’S

ier said. “It gave us a common experience that we could remember and talk about. Charlie Kogen ’19 said that some of his favorite moments occurred during the downtime between activities. “Some people brought frisbees and footballs,” Kogen said. “We would play three ﬂags up or something else. It was a good way to bond with my fellow choir mates.”

Gault said that the most important thing for him personally at this retreat was learning how much his students cared about music and singing. “Since it is my ﬁrst year, I was really impressed by how students were able to articulate how much music and singing means to them and how the group is so important,” Gault said.

Students will perform “Les Miserables” in Rugby Auditorium Nov. 4-6

Tarin North Maddy Harbert Angel Hoyang Cate Wolfen Will Newhart Ari Yaron Charles Kogen Sophie Kim Caroline Cook Rachel Grode Carmen Levine

Whores/Prostitutes Lily Beckinsale-Sheen, Shana Brindze, Gisele Chu, Avery Keare, Jenny Lange, Esther Ollivier Pimp Bamatabois Fauchelevant Onlooker #1 Onlooker #2 Onlooker #3 Onlooker #4

Jessica Grody Eli Timoner Grifﬁn Gunn-Myers Avery Keare Gisele Chu Shana Brindze Lily Beckinsale-Sheen

Young Cosette Babet Brujon Claquesous Montparnasse

Natalie Winters Tosh Le Alex Goldstein Shana Brindze Harry Garvey

Thenardiers’ Gang Evan Keare, Grifﬁn Gunn-Myers, Justyn Chang, Odessa Chiklis, Catherine Crouch, Liam Daniels, Becca Frischling, Maddy Harbert, Angel Hoyang, Sophie Kim, Charles Kogen, Will Newhart, Tarin North, Eli Timoner, Jacob Tucker, Charlotte Weinman, Cate Wolfen, Jordan Yadegar, Ari Yaron Major Domo Beggar Soloists Solo Urchin Grantaire Feuilly Joly Combeferre Courfeyrac Prouvaire Lesgles

Eli Timoner Jenny Lange, Esther Ollivier Liam Daniels Will Newhart Ari Yaron Justyn Chang Liam Daniels Jordan Yadegar Jacob Tucker Charles Kogen

Other Students Russell Davis, Harry Garvey, Grifﬁn Gunn-Myers, Tosh Le, Eli Timoner Woman Woman Woman Woman

#1 #2 #3 #4

Jessica Grody Caroline Cook Becca Frischling Cate Wolfen

Other Women Odessa Chiklis, Angel Hoyang, Tarin North, Charlotte Weinman SOURCE: TED WALCH GRAPHIC BY ISABELLE ESHRAGHI

B4 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

ALL PHOTOS BY PAVAN TAUH AND KITTY LUO/CHRONICLE

MASTER OF THE HOUSE: Natalie Musicant ’17 (Top Left) praises Angel Hoyang ’18 (Top Left) in rehearsal. Shana Brindze ’19 (Top Right) and Tosh Le ’19 (Top Right)

practice a dance number. Actors (Middle Right) rehearse a scene taking place at the docks. Evan Keare ’18 (Bottom Left) and Catherine Crouch ’19 (Bottom Left) rehearse together as patrons of Thernadier’s Inn. Russel Davis ’17 (Bottom Right) rehearses with Lily Beckinsale-Sheen ’17 (Bottom Right) and Will Newhart ’19 (Bottom Right).

Do you hear the people sing? By KITTY LUO

Jack Nordstrom ’19, who will be playing the role of MarThe voices of two dozen stu- ius, finds that the rehearsals dents singing echo throughout helped him meet new friends the halls of the first floor of and upperclassmen. “[The rehearsals] are not Chalmers, evoking the revolutionary atmosphere of Paris that intensive,” Nordstrom 200 years ago. The music is said. “Everyone’s just hangcoming from the dance studio, ing out. You have to do work, but it’s not really where rehearsals for strict. Everyone’s just the fall musical “Les friends with each othMiserables” are well er and working tounder way. gether.” Rehearsals beHenry Platt ’17, gan Sep. 12, and the who will be playing musical will feature the role of Jean Val44 students. Perforjean, said the intenmances will be Nov. sive rehearsal sched4-6. ’ ule is necessary since Set in post-revHenry Platt ’17 “Les Miserables” inolutionary France, cludes many specific “Les Miserables” is based on Victor Hugo’s novel demands that can only be met of the same name. The mu- with many rehearsals. “We have to be very diligent sical tells the story of former convict Jean Valjean as he cre- about the rhythm because, if ates a new life for himself after the rhythm gets messed up, it being released from prison. He can destroy what’s trying to be is being chased by Inspector said,” Platt said. This year, all those who Javert, hell-bent on capturing Valjean. He and his adoptive auditioned received a role. daughter Cosette become in- Performing Arts Teacher and volved in the Paris Uprising of Director Ted Walch attributes this to the fact that the show 1832. The cast rehearses six will be entirely sung, which retimes a week, from 3 to 6 p.m. quires a large cast and extenon weekdays and from 1 to 6 sive vocal ranges. Platt said he appreciates p.m. on weekends. These rehearsals are required, and the inclusiveness of this year’s students have to manage their cast despite the schedulling schedules around these times. challenges that may arise. “I’m glad that everyone was While the rehearsals may seem tedious, most cast mem- cast because everyone has a bers believe that the posi- lot to offer,” Platt said. “Retive aspects of rehearsing are hearsals are harder to coordiworth the time and dedication. nate because they have to get NATHANSON S

Students in the fall musical “Les Miserables” have been preparing since early September for their upcoming performances, which will occur Nov. 4-6.

a lot of people to be at school for a long amount of time, but I think that more people enhance the show. This creates a better environment.” Walch also believes the decision to include everyone has led to a more positive and friendly learning atmosphere. “I hate to think of auditions ever as people winning something,” he said. “This gave us a chance to use a lot of people, give everybody something to do and to have fun with it.” Because “Les Miserables” has more characters than most musicals, actors must work hard to understand their characters. Many cast members said they feel they can personally connect to their roles or have performed songs from “Les Miserables” since their childhood. Maya Hinkin ’18 was five when she performed her first song, “Castle On A Cloud,” which is sung by a younger version her character, Cosette. “When they announced this show, this was immediately what I thought of because that was my first singing memoryand when I decided I liked to sing,” she said. “So now being ‘Big Cosette’ is really cool.” Elizabeth Gaba ’17 auditioned for the part of Eponine, a role she strongly relates to and has coveted since she was thirteen. “It was really really exciting because I’ve been dreaming of playing this role since I sang ‘On My Own’ at my Bat

Mitzvah,” Gaba said. “I con- said he and Performing Arts nect to her a lot, and I feel like Teacher Michele Spears chose I’ve definitely experienced that “Les Miserables” specifically because of this connection. idea of unrequited love.” “If you turn on the news In trying to portray Jean Valjean, Platt found simi- right now, there are people larities between himself and marching in the streets,” Spears said. “This is a his character. story of when He wishes to people that convey to the This is a story of have no power audience Valwhen people that have try to rise up jean’s internal against those struggle to stay no power try to rise up in power.” on the path against those in power.” Ben Pimof moral righstone ‘18, who teousness. —Michele Spears will play Jave“I underPerforming Arts Teacher rt, believes “Les stand someMiserables” times that it’s relates to the hard to do the recent controright thing, something that Jean Valjean versies facing America’s law struggles with a lot through- enforcement. “There is a lot of that with out the show,” Platt said. “I can also relate to his capacity the election right now and with to love because the most viable all of the police issues, like are thing that he gains is the abil- the police on the right side of the law or are they on the ity to love.” As he delved deeper into wrong side,” Pimstone said. “I the rehearsal process, Platt think in that regard, [the show] said he found himself discov- relates a lot to the state that ering more and more about America is in at the moment.” Platt, too, believes the show Jean Valjean’s character. “He’s a hero, but he’s not a includes many scenes that retypical hero in the sense that late to the turmoil and violence he’s not a perfect person,” Platt occurring today. “There are little things here said. “Even though he has imperfections and he has done and there in in the story that wrong, he can redeem himself we’re going to try and convey and still live an honorable life.” that have meaning and resoNot only are the characters nance in today’s world,” Platt of the musical relatable to the said. “This play is definitely actors, but the musical itself resonant with the amount of can resonate with audienc- hate in the world, but it also is es through its many parallels a good beacon of hope which I to current-day issues. Walch think we all need today.”

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FEATURES The Chronicle • Oct. 5, 2016

Addressing the Dress Code * Continued from A1

This is not the ﬁrst time the faculty felt the Assistant Director of need to re-emphasize the Communications Shauna dress code. Altieri had agreed to attend In 2012, Upper School the meeting. Dean Beth Slattery re“The La Femme club minded girls to wear doesn’t have a stance on the appropriate clothing at dress code, but we wanted school, warning them to give both students and that they [the] administration an open would be place to help each other un- forced to derstand where they’re com- change if ing from,” club leader Sohni they were Kaur ’17 said. in violation Others feel that the email of the dress was taken the wrong way by code. some students. She also “I don’t think the dress said that, as code has a sexist intent, f a s h i o n and I think it can also solve t r e n d s problems like boys dress- come and go, dress ing in offensive clothing,” code issues often William Park ’17 said. “So come up. I think overall it will have a Previously, boys decent effect.” were found violating Discussions about the the dress code due to dress code took place on var- sagging pants. ious class Facebook pages, Resnick said including on the girls-only some faculty members senior class page. would like to consider “The reactions from the a uniform. girls’ group on Facebook “I understand were constructive the ease with because, even if which a uniwe disagreed, we form could make were able to have dressing in the a genuine discusmorning,” Ression about it, and nick said. “At the we didn’t invalsame time, one of idate other peothe things that the ple’s views,” Maschool is preparing rie Begel ’17 said. you to do is to enter ’ “The [senior class] the world, to go into Marie Begel ’17 Facebook page just college and beyond devolved into madand to learn how to ness, and people used ex- dress appropriately for the treme examples to try to different environments you justify their point.” will be in.” NATHANSON S

“

One of the things that the school is preparing you to do is to enter the world, to go into college and beyond and to learn how to dress appropriately for the different environments you will be in.” —Liz Resnick Interim Head of Upper School PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY RAHHAL AND SABRINA DE BRITO

OCT. 5, 2016

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BONU$ POINT$

While some believe that using expensive SAT and ACT tutoring gives certain students an advantage, others believe that hard work is enough to level the playing field. By ALENA RUBIN

STATES ITED THE UN ERICA OF AM 8J

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Blake Wong ’17 sat across from his tutor, reciting his answers to the latest ACT practice test. The room, he said, felt like home, flooded with natural light and complete with warm wooden cabinets. “Yup,” “Yes,” “Correct,” his tutor said after each answer. His anticipation was rising after each correct answer. “Could this be the time I get them all right?” he thought. He hadn’t received a single incorrect answer so far, and had one question left. “Question 75. C?” Wong asked. “Correct.” A flood of relief rushed over him. He sat back in his chair, and for the first time thought “Yes, we’re getting there. We’re almost done.” The “we” refers to him and his ACT tutor, Sally Shultz (Brian ’11, Eric ’08), who he credits with helping to improve his scores on the exam he first took last April. “I’d say my reading especially wasn’t up to par until I went to Sally and then there was a dramatic improvement,” Wong said. “I think definitely it’s the reason why I did pretty well.” Yet, Wong’s improvement in his ACT scores came with a price. Wong said that he considered Shultz’s prices to be high. Shultz declined to comment on her exact prices. Wong had tutoring sessions for around an hour per week for a period of nine months, and he said that both the time and money he invested into his preparation were worth it. “The scores speak for themselves,” Wong said. Wong added that attending a less expensive company would not have helped him improve as much. “I think if I had gone to Compass, I wouldn’t have done as well,” Wong said. “I would say [Shultz] was definitely one of the driving forces in my improvement.” Oceania Eshraghi ’18 considered using Shultz for test preparation, but she said that she decided not to due to her pricing. “We tried to figure out if we could do less sessions with her so we could still get some

in but not have to pay the full ration companies. price, but she said that’s not “If someone is forthcomallowed,” Eshraghi said. ing about financial difficulAlexa Frandzel ’18 studies ties surrounding test prep, with Michael Fogelman, an- we can usually figure out other private Los Angeles tu- a way, through the relator, to prepare her for the ACT. tionships we have, to help Frandzel considers Fogelman’s them with that,” Upper School pricing, $350 per hour, to be Dean Chris Jones said. expensive. She doesn’t credDespite the discounted reit the high price of her tutor, sources that are available, Fohowever, to her improvement gelman believes that the high on the test. price of tutoring gives an ad“It just depends on how vantage to students of higher you and the tutor work to- income families. gether,” Frandzel said. “If you “The fact that people from think the same way, then it’s a higher socioeconomic backa good match. And if you don’t ground can afford tutors and think the same way, then obvi- prep creates a clear disously you’re not going to learn advantage and hopefully as efficiently. So I don’t think the colleges understand pricing matters as much as as they balance the imlearning quality and portance of test compatibility.” scores and everyShe said that thing else on a stuin addition to student’s application,” dent-tutor compatiFogelman said. bility, hard work and He said that bemotivation contribute cause of the inequalgreatly to student ity of the system, Fosuccess. gelman has offered “I think even if financial aid to stu’ you have a really exdents before. Alexa pensive tutor, you “It’s definitely Frandzel ’18 could not try at all something that and not do that well,” I’d like to do Frandzel said. “So I think it’s more of, and it’s a very a matter of your own personal inequitable situation,” Fopush and drive, and the tutor gelman said is just there to help you along Shultz said that she the way.” started her practice by tuThe College Board, the toring scholarship students nonprofit organization that ad- at Harvard-Westlake free of ministers the SAT, wanted to charge, and wants to coneliminate the advantage that tinue doing so in the fustudents who use tutors may ture. have when they revamped the “I would love to expand SAT last April, CNN reported my practice to include in February. more underserved students, The College Board part- but economic realities have nered with Khan Academy, a made this difficult without nonprofit online learning re- support from the adminsource for students, to provide istration,” Shultz said. “I free online SAT tutoring that is have built my life around accessible to every student. volunteering and will According to Reuters, the continue to do so in the new SAT has actually given a near future.” disadvantage to students of a However, Fogelman lower socio-economic back- believes that despite the ground by making the math efforts of tutors, inequity section more word-dense. still exists. He said that the In addition to free on- advantage granted to stuline tutoring options, Har- dents of a higher socio-ecovard-Westlake students who nomic background is not are on financial aid can utilize unique to test preparation. discounted in-person tutoring “I think that’s a big issue, from certain but it’s a big issue with all of test prepaeducation,” Fogelman said. NATHANSON S

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALENA RUBIN

OCT. 5, 2016

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Missing in Action Students struggle with the consequences of missing school, including the possibility of postponing graduation, due to long-term illnesses or injuries.

BY SAMMI HANDLER AND NOA SCHWARTZ

way to complete the months of work they missed. Last year, the school instituted a new polOne moment Jessica Dick- icy that said students who miss man ’17 was at a concert with 20 periods of a class, about 15 her friend, watching as a band percent of a full-year class, may member dove off the stage. The be denied credit. Some, like Dickman, can next, everything went dark. make up work during the sumAfter the band member mer. landed on her and Dickman “I think the hard part about passed out, her friend, worit is that it truly depends on the ried she would be trampled, nature of the issue for the studragged her to the side of the crowd. The paramedics showed dent, and it really is dealt with up a few minutes later. Dick- on an individual basis,” Upper School Dean Chris Jones said. man first thought that “It depends on the this would be a great level; there are multistory to tell her friends ple ways to deal with on Monday, though both minor and major she was so groggy situations.” that the paramedics When she was in and police assumed seventh grade, Lucy she was either high or Yetman-Michaeldrunk; she was actualson ’17 faced similar ly “stone-cold sober.” ’ challenges due to her Dickman wouldn’t Jessica chronic pain disorder. return to school for Dickman ’17 Michaelson’s pain another month and came from emotional wouldn’t finish her junior year until a month into her trauma and exhaustion, as she was dealing with the loss of a senior year. The paramedics took her close friend’s mother. “I was out of school for so to the nearest hospital, where Dickman waited alone as her much of seventh grade because parents were on the way. The the doctors just didn’t know doctors would not let her see what was wrong with me,” Yetman-Michaelson said. “A lot her friend. “It was one in the morning, of the medications they put me and I had a concussion,” Dick- on and things they told me just man said. “I was just alone in made it worse.” Yetman-Michaelson a dark hospital room crying. I bounced around to different had a huge bump on the back doctors as they tried to figure of my head and a three month long headache. It made me out what was wrong. Eventually, she found relief at the want to die.” The concussion left her un- UCLA Pain Clinic through techable to complete English and niques such as hypnosis and history by June, as she could acupuncture, though she had not concentrate long enough already missed the majority of to read. She had to finish a seventh grade. “It’s just a constant roller semester of work during the coaster,” Yetman-Michaelson summer or risked graduating said. “It’s always moving up, in a year later. Doctors and administrators suggested that terms of always getting better. I she complete classes online, like to think of it as kind of like which would mean she would a graph. There are times when have to drop all of her classes it oscillates, but it’s always at Harvard-Westlake and possi- moving up.” Her pain is still persistent, bly have to repeat junior year. and she had to deal with missDickman and her parents were intent on her completing her ing portions of her freshman and junior years, though she classes at Harvard-Westlake. Students who struggle with missed significantly shorter pelong-term chronic illnesses or riods of time than in seventh injuries face challenges like grade. During the summer, she this. They must choose be- made up some work from jutween switching schools, re- nior year. “If I was at any other school, peating a grade or finding a NATHANSON S

I know that it would have not is pretty horrible. I even worked out as well, which is had to do some summer why I’m incredibly loyal to this work last year just beschool,” Yetman-Michaelson cause there was so much said. I’d missed.” For Dickman, completing Dickman also had temmissed work was a process porary short-term memthat lasted several months. Af- ory loss and couldn’t read ter a month of missing school, on her own for more than she began to re-acclimate by five minutes at a time last attending a few class periods a spring. Initially, her mom day. read “The Great Gatsby” to “I had to be alone in a quiet her so she could complete dark room [while I was recover- her reading assignments ing] and couldn’t do anything,” for her English class. She Dickman said. “I was miserable eventually decided to finbecause I was ish the work in total isoladuring the tion. There was summer afMaking up school ter she had a three day pewas very stressful, trying r e c o v e r e d riod where I didn’t leave my her to move on to new when room. There memory imsubjects and keep track proved. She was a 15-day of midterms.” period where I also finished left my house her histo—Jessica Dickman ’17 ry course five times, but every time was through for a different Brigham doctor’s appointment.” Young University online. Just recovering, though, “I had one doctor that was not Dickman’s only stress, literally told me I and she now has to tolerate fre- had to drop out quent headaches in addition and repeat juto making up all her missed nior year,” Dickschoolwork. man said. “I cried “Making up school was very on the spot. I stressful, trying to move on to had already gone new subjects and keep track through four months of of midterms,” Dickman said. junior year; I was not “No one wanted to study with going to repeat it. I’m me, and no one could because happy with how it endof Honor Code purposes. The ed up. I’m really happy summer was the worst. I had to to graduate this year, cancel so many plans and had and I’m so happy to be more than 12 hours of tutoring done because I was trua week. That’s not even includ- ly miserable.” ing the work I had to do on my own as homework.” Yetman-Michaelson said teachers are a big help whenever she needs to find other ways to finish her schoolwork. “They gave me opportunities that I was craving after having not been in school for so long,” she said. “The teachers, specifically, were incredibly understanding. I did a lot of work for seventh grade over the summer. [I work] with my dean, [Sharon] Cuseo, who understands my whole situation, and I’ve never encountered a teacher who wasn’t understanding, which I just find amazing. [During] seventh grade, I would miss months at a time, which

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THE CHRONICLE

C4 FEATURES

Seeking Safety Civil war in Syria has forced millions to flee their homes, resulting in the largest refugee crisis in recent history. Students and teachers reflect on how the issue is discussed on campus.

By DANIELLE KAYE

comparison, Germany, a country about 85 percent the size of CalOnly hours after signing a ifornia, approved almost 150,000 contract with their landlord, Fa- asylum applications in 2015, acdia Afashe and her husband Jay cording to Eurostat. Afashe said that many of the Abdo lay shivering on the floor of their new apartment that they had difficulties she and Abdo have found on Craigslist. Beside them faced in assimilating into Amerstood two suitcases, surrounded ican society stem from a general by blank walls and empty rooms. lack of support for refugees. They Unfamiliar with the heating sys- have found that while the opportem and with nobody to contact tunities in this country are endfor help, the couple covered them- less, they are only available to selves with their own clothes for those who understand the system. Foreigners, Afashe said, are warmth. This night marked a step for- provided with few resources to ward for Afashe and Abdo in over- take advantage of all that the U.S. coming a significant obstacle as has to offer. While she said that she appreSyrian refugees in Los Angeles: finding a home. Without jobs or a ciates the generosity of the Amercredit score, they had been looked ican people she has met, Afashe upon with skepticism by landlord was surprised by how many are after landlord, leading to count- uninformed about global issues. “I have a different image of the less rejections and nights at moU.S. now,” Afashe said. “When I tels. “I felt I was homeless,” Afashe came, I was thinking I was coming to the free land, the free said. “No one knew me country of speech. But I to help me get an apartwas a little bit shocked, ment, so I felt untrusted because I had high exand I felt it was personpectations about the level al.” of education in general. I Afashe originally left had high expectations of her home city of Damasthe people understandcus in 2011 to study ing international issues.” public policy with the History teacher Dror Humphrey Fellowship ’ Yaron sees the Syrian Program in MinneapoDror crisis a central topic of lis, Minnesota. But as Yaron discussion in his classprotests against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s gov- es, he said. He devoted the first ernment turned to civil war, she week of homework assignments realized that the fall of the Syrian in his Middle East Studies class to regime would not be attainable in American foreign policy towards the near future, as she had hoped. Syria. He also examined the SyrWorried about her husband’s ian crisis with his World and Eusafety, Afashe convinced Abdo to rope II sophomore class. Yaron said that the students temporarily join her in Minneaphad, for the most part, a basic olis until the instability subdued. As weeks turned to months, knowledge of the issue. “There was a general awareviolence only increased, and all hope of returning home to their ness, among even sophomores families vanished. Abdo, a well- who are not so enmeshed in curknown actor and Syrian celebrity, rent events,” Yaron said. “They found little opportunity to contin- were aware that there was some ue his acting career in Minneapo- disaster unfolding in Syria. The lis, prompting him and Afashe to extent of it, the complexity of it, drive west and start a new life in they are definitely not aware.” Yaron said that Harvard-WestLos Angeles in May of 2012. Afashe and Abdo are only two lake students tend to be more of millions of Syrians who have aware of current events than most fled their country in recent years. Americans, noting that LibertarAccording to Amnesty Interna- ian Party presidential nominee tional, more than 50 percent of Gary Johnson recently admitted Syrians are now displaced due to during an interview that he had the ongoing conflict. A United Na- never heard of Aleppo, a major tions High Commissioner for Ref- Syrian city at the center of violent ugees study indicates that almost clashes between Syrian governfive million Syrians have fled their ment and anti-government forces. History teacher Jennifer Tiari, country since the start of the civil who worked to help resettle Iraqi war in 2011. Last September, President refugees as an undergraduate Obama announced his plan to student at Vanderbilt University, accept 10,000 Syrian refugees also pointed to Johnson’s lack of into the U.S. borders this year. In knowledge surrounding the conNATHANSON S

flict in Syria as an indication of her to better empathize with peoAmerican ignorance. ple seeking safety in the U.S., re“If a presidential candidate gardless of their nationality. doesn’t know what Aleppo is, I “My dad came because his can tell you that the majority of country wasn’t safe anymore and Americans probably are not clear the U.S. was a place where immienough on what the situation is in grants could come as a safe havSyria,” Tiari said. en, so it definitely resonates with Given the general oblivion me that people are trying to take among the American population that away from the people who towards global current events, need it most,” Barlava said. Tiari said that Harvard-Westlake Reflecting on Americans’ perstudents have the ability to use spectives on global issues such their knowledge to inform others. as the Syrian refugee crisis, Abdo “[Students] have so much po- stressed the importance of learntential to enact change,” Tiari ing about and understanding said. “That’s why I’d say that events that may appear distant. somewhere like Harvard-Westlake “We think that when atrocities is the perfect place to be engaging or tragedies or dilemmas happen with this conversation.” far away from us, we’re safe,” Jasmine Choi ’19 attributes Abdo said. “This is wrong. The her lack of understanding of the people on this earth are one huSyrian refugee crisis to the me- man body. If it affects a place far dia’s limited coverage of the issue. away from us, it doesn’t mean we She said that she has noticed a re- are safe.” cent decrease in talk of the crisis, Lola Clark ’17 said that she has as it is widely conlearned about the sidered old news. situation in Syria “When [the Syrby taking Yaron’s It’s hard to think ian refugee crisis] Middle East Studof things that are so first occurred, it ies class as well was a while back, as by discussing far away from us as so I think now that the issue with pertaining to us in our it’s older, people Rahhal. Learning lives, but really they do.” about the Syrian have kind of forgotten about it and refugee crisis, she —Lola Clark ’17 said, has taught don’t realize it’s still occurring,” Choi her the imporsaid. tance of understanding events Emily Rahhal ’17 is one of the that seem to be occurring far from few Harvard-Westlake students home. with a direct connection to the “It’s hard to think of things Syrian crisis. Her dad was born that are so far away from us as in Damascus and left Syria with pertaining to us in our lives, but his brother and parents in 1969. really they do,” Clark said. She said that when she reads the On a Sunday afternoon last news and hears about Syrian ref- month, Abdo and Afashe sat on ugees, she is reminded that her their living room couch surrounddad could have been one of them. ed by colorful pillows and decoRahhal, who is a Chronicle rated walls in the same room that Presentations Editor, said she was once bare and cold. Their lives discusses the conflict in Syria have improved since first arriving at home, allowing her to bring a in Los Angeles. They were grantunique perspective on the issue to ed asylum in June 2013 and now campus. hope to receive U.S. citizenship “I think there’s naturally a in less than two years. Abdo has lack of perspective from the Mid- succeeded in establishing himself dle East on campus,” Rahhal in Hollywood, having acted in the said. “It’s very different than the film “Queen of the Desert” alongconversations I have at my house, side actress Nicole Kidman last just because my dad has a really year. good understanding of the culture But as they flipped through an and what it is to actually be liv- old Syrian magazine and gazed at ing in Syria. It’s just very different a picture of themselves smiling at because he has a more personal a movie premier in Damascus, the perspective on it.” couple longed to return home. Although few students have “I miss my life in Syria bedirect connections to Syria or Syr- cause I miss this happiness with ian refugees, some have personal my family,” Afashe said. “Damasconnections to the refugee crisis cus for me is a very warm city beon a broader level. Naomi Barlava cause I have this love around me, ’17, whose dad left Iran in 1978 I have people around me. I never due to the Iranian Revolution, felt alone one day in my life. It’s said that her dad’s story allows very different here.”

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C6 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5,, 2016

Linking Up Technology allows teenagers around the world to connect and form new friendships with people they have never met in person.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTIN KUWADA

BY CARINA MARX

ton Post wrote a column in 2015 about how the people she met on A little less than a year ago, the internet are better than peoElizabeth Gaba ’17 was scroll- ple she sees in real life. Teen Vogue reported that 57 ing through Instagram when she saw that one of her favorite Vine percent of teenagers have met singers, Gillian,* commented on someone online, but that only 20 percent have gone on to meet up one of her friend’s pictures. with them in the Excited, she real world. texted her friend go with asking how he There’s an your“Just gut,” Sandknew her. safety in ers said. “I’ve beAfter talking emotional about Gillian, he talking to someone who’s come friends with at least five peogave her Gillian’s number, per far away from your life ple through social Gaba’s request. because you know they’re media, and all of them have been Gaba and Gil- not going to judge you.” who they’ve said lian have been best friends ever —Elizabeth Gaba ’17 they are. You can just kind of tell if since. there’s something “The internet gives people opportunities to off about them by the way they talk to people that you otherwise talk, manage social media or wouldn’t be able to,” Gaba said. present themselves.” Counselor and humanities “Being able to communicate with people is something we should teacher Luba Bek said that kids have always wanted to meet and absolutely take advantage of.” Gaba and Gillian met in per- talk to people in different places. son this summer at A Capella When she was a child, Bek had Academy, which confirmed to pen pals in different countries Gaba that Gillian was not pre- with whom she would corretending to be someone else on spond on a monthly basis. “It’s exactly the same,” Bek the Internet. Jillian Sanders ’17 has many said. “The only difference is that friends that she’s met on the this is instantaneous. You have internet and five who she’s ex- a chat; we had letters. But the principle of trying to connect tremely close with. She met two through Tum- with strangers to find out how blr and the other three through they live is pretty old, and I think it’s inherent to human nature to Twitter. Most of the time, Sanders be curious.” Her pen pals were also orgareached out to these people because she saw they had similari- nized by a program that worked ties, like the same favorite music with her school at the time. The program only signed up children or celebrities. They range in age from 16 to with their parents’ permission. Bek personally believes that 20-years-old and range in location from Maine to New Zealand. parents should be able to acAlong with being friends on cess what their child does on Facebook and Snapchat and fol- the internet before they hit their lowing each other on Instagram, late teens. She said parents can Sanders said she texts and Face- judge what is dangerous and what is harmless. times them semi-consistently. To Bek, conversations with With the introduction of social networking, the rate of teen- people online are similar to conagers and young adults meeting versations one might have on a people virtually and sharing in- plane. Someone can share their enformation is on the rise. Though most adults seem to tire life story, their deep fears see internet friendships as dan- and hopes and dreams, and then gerous, opinion-based websites never have to face the person like the Huffington Post, New Re- they confided in again. “There’s an emotional safety public and Buzzfeed have written articles on the benefits of in talking to someone who’s far meeting people on the Internet. away from your life because you Mary McLaurine of the Huffing- know they’re not going to judge

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you,” Bek said. “They’re not in- cerned at all because I’d seen [Gillian] on social media, and volved in your life.” Gaba believes that anyone knew that she was real,” Gaba hoping to make friends over the said. “It can still be dangerous internet should try to have the in a lot of cases. It’s just about person on at least two social net- being cautious and understandworks to confirm that they are ing the risk of talking to someone not a predator or a catfish, and you don’t know.” News sources have also reshe communicates with Gillian on both Snapchat and Insta- ported on sexual assaults due to online dating meetups. gram. The Daily Mail reported in Sanders agrees, saying that knowing of more than one social 2015 that a college student, who media account is necessary in was assaulted after meeting up order to proceed with the friend- with someone she met online, blamed her naivete and trust in ship. “Definitely try to talk to them the online dating world as the on the phone or video chat with cause of her assault. “Both parents and kids need them before you consider meeting up with them,” Sanders said. to be educated,” Bek said. “We “It’s also not a bad idea to bring aren’t doing enough to teach someone else like another friend them. In this day and age, we when meeting up with them for need to do that.” Not4Dating.com and Makethe first time.” One student, who wishes to friendsonline.com are websites, remain anonymous so she can formatted like Tinder, Match. avoid scrutiny from the adults in com or any other online dather life, she said, met a friend on ing platform, dedicated to peoTinder, even though she is op- ple who want to create lasting friendships with others online. posed to internet friendships. In fact, just a simple “makShe said that she only started talking to this person being friends online” Google search will result in ten differcause they had mutuent websites just for al friends, and doesn’t people who want to conthink internet friends nect on the internet. are a good idea unless Not4Dating.com you know the same peodoes have a Frequently ple, or are introduced. Asked Questions secThe American Psytion but has no mention chological Association of what to do if you befound that internet oflieve a profile is being fenders pretend to be N ’ used for catfishing or teenagers in only 5 perJillian scamming. cent of crimes studied Sanders ’17 All of Sanders’s exby researchers, howevperiences, however, er. They also said that homosex- have been positive. One time, ual teenage boys are at the high- she started talking to a girl on est risk of becoming victims of Tumblr about some celebrities internet crimes, and that teenage they liked, and they realized they boys were the victims in almost lived almost eight minutes away from each other. 25 percent of internet crimes. They met in person in 2012, In most cases, the conversations included comments about and Sanders got to watch her their homosexuality, or about friend go off to college in Boston. She met another friend on Twitquestioning their sexuality. Huffington Post writer Jaime ter and met up with him in the Zucker wrote a blog post in 2015 summer of 2015. “I’ve never met someone so about catching a catfish on Tinder and the lengths she had to funny and whose personaligo to to do so, involving hacking ty matches mine as much as his does,” Sanders said. “I miss techniques. Zucker was a criminal inves- him so much. When we’re in our tigator, though, so to her, check- twenties, we’ve decided we’re going profiles came naturally. To ing to take a trip to Thailand.” most teenagers, it will not. “In my case, I wasn’t con*Names have been changed. ANATHANSON S

OCT. 5, 2016

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES C7

The Root of the Problem Despite the administration’s efforts to balance gender in all classes, a disparity persists in certain high-level STEM courses.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSIE ABUGOV

By JOSIE ABUGOV

and the ability to have a diversity of voices but, for me, it was the toys that I played and ideas expressed.” with. I had trains. I was building stuff. I He said he is aware of instances in think that’s important for kids at a young As Kat Edminston ’17 scanned her Advanced Placement Microeconomics and which female students feel uncomfort- age.” Encouraging girls to pursue STEM Macroeconomics class on the first day of able speaking up in classroom settings school, she realized she was one of three because of their gender. According to a from an early age is crucial to diminishing girls in the class. A few weeks later, the poll of 303 students, 28 percent have felt the gender disparity in those fields, Arzy other two girls dropped the course, and uncomfortable in an academic setting be- said. “It’s not possible to end this STEM she was the only girl in the class of 16 cause of their gender and 58 percent believe others have felt this way in class. gap from an age where girls have already students. “It happens in society, and Har- established their interests,” Arzy said. “It’s kind of weird,” Edminston said. “It’s not going to stop me from asking vard-Westlake is a microcosm of our so- “We need to start at a younger age and questions, but I feel like I stick out a lot ciety. I know it happens here,” Cardenas introduce them to these skills and these said. “I know there are moments when the fields.” in class.” Last year, College Board introduced For Edmiston, this is nothing new. In male voice feels confident enough to domher Advanced Placement Physics 2 class inate the conversation, and the female AP Computer Science Principles. Less coding-heavy than AP Computer Science, last year, there was one other girl. The voice is kind of left in the background.” Slattery said cultural factors can play the new course doesn’t require any preother section had only four. While Upper School Deans Depart- a large role in student behavior and can requisites at Harvard Westlake. AP Computer Science Principles, as well as Prinment Head Beth Slattery said that even greatly impact academic decisions. “It’s the way we speak to girls,” Slat- ciples of Engineering, are both a part of a though there has been a slight increase in female representation in Harvard-West- tery said. “I find that, even at Har- larger effort to implement more entry-level vard-Westlake, STEM courses and bring an inlake STEM classes recentsometimes you’ll creased number of students from ly, a gender gap still perIt’s not possible to find parents who underrepresented groups into sists in the highest level of computer science fields. mathematics and physical end this STEM gap from will [say to their daughters], ‘You According to Slattery, havsciences. an age where girls have don’t want to be ing female role models in STEM “You might start off already established too stressed out. fields has been proven to mainwith parity in Chemistry You don’t have to tain girls’ interest in math and Honors, for example,” Slattheir interests.” take that class. science, despite cultural stigtery said. “When they split —Daria Arzy ’18 It might be too mas. Cardenas said that imple’ off, it may seem that there hard.’ It feels like menting a program between feKat are just as many girls who Edminston ’17 sometimes parmale faculty and students could are then choosing AP Biolbe helpful in maintaining female ogy as are choosing AP Chemistry or AP ents are trying to push boys to Physics, whereas, historically, boys tend be more motivated, and with girls, they’re interest in STEM. “I think we have incredible female to go towards what are perceived as the trying to ratchet down the stress.” This may consequently lead to female faculty in STEM, so having the opportumore mathematical sciences.” According to Girls Who Code, a non- issues of self-esteem, which can present nity for faculty to be mentors to young ladies would be really important,” Cardeprofit organization dedicated to decreasing itself during adolescence, Slattery said. “Girls do tend to be harder on them- nas said. “As teachers find themselves in the gender gap in technology, 74 percent of girls in middle school express interest selves, but what this can manifest into is courses where the female population is a in math and science, but less than 20 girls not taking as hard classes because minority, they should ensure that the fepercent of AP Computer Science test tak- everyone is trying to bring down their male voice is heard and really encourage ers are female. Statistics show girls often stress. Boys are pushed in a different that in all spaces.” Ollivier said that the school seems to lose interest in STEM fields during middle way,” she said. Ollivier has observed similar patterns be working hard to end the gender gap in school. “When you visualize a scientist, you in the behavioral differences between STEM. She thinks that women empowerment groups on campus greatly impact picture a guy,” AP Calculus BC 11 stu- boys and girls. “I think boys have a tendency to over- students’ lives in the long term. dent Esther Ollivier ’18 said. “I feel like “It’s about believing in yourself and bethat’s why girls aren’t pushed, or don’t shoot, and girls have a tendency to underpush themselves that much, to go into estimate themselves and to not believe in lieving that you’re capable,” Ollivier said. those fields. They don’t feel like they’re themselves as much as the guys,” Ollivi- “It’s about boosting girls’ confidence.” Compared to her previous school, Edsupposed to or that they can be good at er said. “I think girls go into hard classes thinking, ‘This is going to be a lot of work. minston said Harvard-Westlake is more STEM.” The deans take gender ratios into ac- I am going to struggle.’ But, I feel like a lot aware of gender issues on campus, specifcount when determining classes before of boys don’t think about how difficult it’s ically female involvement in STEM coursthe start of school. Upper School Dean going to be or if the class is even going to es. However, improvement still need to be be made, she said. Celso Cardenas said they strive for a gen- be difficult.” La Femme club Vice President and De“A lot of girls will say things like , ‘I’m der balance when possible, although this is easier for high enrollment classes and sign and Data Structures Honors student not good at science,’ and then do an exrequired courses. He said it can be diffi- Daria Arzy ’18 attributes her interest in periment and kick butt, but they just cult to reach an equal ratio for specialized science to her parents allowing her to fol- don’t realize it,” Edminston said. “They low any interest she wanted from an early think they’re not supposed to be good at classes. science, so they’re not. People don’t rec“It’s something we’re cognizant of,” age, regardless of gender stereotypes. “My parents instilled in me that I could ognize that it’s still a problem, and that’s Cardenas said. “When you think about what one achieves by having a gender bal- do anything I set my heart to,” Arzy said. also a problem. In reality, there’s still a lot ance, it’s about the classroom experience “I’m not sure if its made a huge difference, of progress to go.”

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NATHANSON S

C8 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

Third Party Or No Party As Election Day approaches, some students have voiced support for third party candidates, while others believe that a vote for a third party is simply a vote thrown away. By JESSE NADEL KATIE PLOTKIN

Frank Wells ’17 said. “Clinton panders to Wall Street and supports fracking. When Asher Low ’17 Among other things, Trump found out that his favor- has said some things about ite presidential candidate, women that I personalBernie Sanders, did not win ly ﬁnd disgusting, and he the Democratic nomina- has some economic policies tion, he knew that he could that I do not think will be not support either major good for the United States. I support Jill Stein because party candidate. “I’m looking for a candi- her platform is the closest date and a party that has to Bernie Sanders’ platthe best interests of the form.” Others support Johnson average American and isn’t looking out for the best in- for his focus on civil liberterests of big money corpo- ties, which comes from his rations,” Low said. “With belief in limited government these two candidates, you interference in the everyday life of citizens. have one that is “I’ve liked crazy and doesn’t Johnson’s platknow anything form as he’s done about governa great job of ment and one emphasizing civwho is running il liberties while from a party esalso focusing on tablishment that what’s important cheated in the and being more primary process progressive on and has a super ’ issues,” JonaPAC.” Asher Low ’17 than Damico ’19 In the 2016 said. presidential elecOther stution, which has been referred by some students as dents, however, feel that a the choice for “the lesser vote for a third party canof two evils,” an increasing didate is a wasted vote number of students have as these candidates have decided to support third much smaller followings party candidates over Re- and, therefore, chances of publican nominee Donald winning the election. Eleanor Halloran ’18, Trump and Democratic a Clinton supporter, said nominee Hillary Clinton. Some of the most prom- that while she agrees with inent third party candi- the stances of the Green dates are Libertarian can- Party and Stein, she would didate Gary Johnson and not consider voting for her Green Party candidate Jill because she feels that, even Stein. Johnson is running if Stein did win, she would on the platform of minimal not be able to pass any leggovernment involvement, islation with a congress of supporting ﬁscally conser- mainly Democrats and Revative policies and socially publicans. “I think third party liberal ideas. Stein believes in heavy environmental candidates are not vianational regulations and economi- ble at the level yet because cally liberal approaches. they will have no “Before the endorsement, I was a Bernie Sanders supporter, and I never liked Clinton or Trump in the slightest,” AND

NATHANSON S

congressional support upon which to draw when they need help achieving their goals,” Halloran said. “Third parties need to be built from the bottom up. I actually would consider voting for a good Green Party candidate for a state representative or congressperson if I liked them because the Green Party is actually more closely aligned to my views than the Democratic Party, but I would never vote for a Green Party president unless there was a sizable Green Party presence in congress.” Wells believes that supporters of third party candidates should still vote for them as the belief that they cannot win is a self-fulﬁlling prophecy. “I feel that our system of two parties is ﬂawed,” Wells said. “You can’t separate the opinions and views of the entire country into only two groups. People don’t vote third party because third party candidates rarely win, but they rarely win because people don’t vote third party. It is an endless cycle.” Tony Ma ’17 agrees that it is actually quite probable for a third-party candidate to win if everybody would vote their minds, he said. “I don’t think [third-parties] are unlikely to win,” Ma said. “This upcoming election features the two most disapproved candidates in American history, and count-

less Americans are refusing to vote for either. Others are only voting for Hillary in fear of Trump and vice versa. Surely, then, it may be time to step out of the two-party dichotomy and at least consider a third-party candidate.” Oliver Friedman ’17 also does not support Clinton or Trump, but he also does not support any of the third party candidates. Because of this, he is not planning on voting this November. “I ﬁnd Hillary to be a fundamentally dishonest candidate and disagree with her ﬁscal policies, whereas Trump is an arrogant bigot whom I would never trust as a person let alone as a president,” Friedman said.

GRAPHICS BY KITTY LUO

D2 SPORTS

Game to watch OCT. 7

Football vs. Salesian High School Ted Salvin Field Entering the week with a 3-2 record, Harvard-Westlake will look to win consecutive games for the second time this year when they take on Salesian this Friday. The Wolverines won last year's matchup at Salesian 48-44. It is the ﬁrst league game of the season.

KEY PLAYER

Thomas Glover '18 A key player on both offense at running back and defense in the secondary, Glover has been critical to the team's success this season. In his second varsity season, Glover has already surpassed his touchdown total from last year. With four rushing and two receiving touchdowns, he is the second highest scoring player behind quarterback Jameson Wang '20.

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

football

Team benefits from experienced leaders By RIAN RATNAVALE

The football team is looking to find the consistency that hasn't always been there as it heads into league play with a 3-2 record. The squad’s season started off with two dominant wins: a 20-7 win at Birmingham and a 42-23 win over Jefferson in the Wolverines’ home opener. However, the team blew a 21-point lead at home to Garfield and lost by three touchdowns at El Camino Real before getting back on track at home in a 14-10 win over Dominguez High School. Wide receiver and cornerback Max Robertson ’17 believes that the win against Dominguez, which saw the Wolverines make crucial defensive stops late in the game, is a good sign as the team starts its Angelus League schedule. “The win against Dominguez definitely helped

us find our rhythm again that we had in the beginning of the season,” Robertson said. “It is definitely a confidence booster and will help us as we push on to league play.” After losing two senior quarterbacks, Jameson Wang ’20 has stepped in as the new man under center for the Wolverines. The freshman has completed 53 percent of his passes and has thrown 11 touchdowns. Wide receiver and captain Zac Harleston ’17 said that he is impressed with the young signal caller’s calmness, who has only thrown four interceptions this season. While the squad's players are on average smaller than their opponents are, the Wolverines take advantage of their speed to overpower other teams with big plays. Four Wolverine receivers have a 40-yard or longer receiving touchdown, and running back Thomas Glover ’18 has a 92yard touchdown run under his

belt. Harleston said the coaching staff puts the players in a good position to mitigate the problems that come with being a smaller team. “On paper, pretty much all of the teams we play are bigger than us,” Harleston said. "Our coaching staff is great at producing schemes that put us in the best possible position to win against teams that have large size advantages.” Head coach Scot Ruggles pointed to the versatility of his team as a reason it runs the hybrid defensive scheme with a lot of interchangeable parts the way it does. "On defense, we are an odd-front, we have three player front, and are not a 4-3 with big guys with their hands on the ground," Ruggles said. "We essentially have 11 linebacker hybrid defensive backs in our defensive scheme and we move around everyone." Even with the lack of size on

the team, Ruggles attributed the team's struggle to defend the run to sub-par tackling but sees improvement on the way. "Stopping runs means that we have to tackle, and I don’t think we tackled very well in a few games," Ruggles said."The kids did well against Dominguez [High School], who had some physical kids in the trenches, including their running backs, but our defense took a step in the right direction." At the end of the day, the team recognizes that it is inexperienced, and with that comes panicking and nervousness. Still, the squad isn’t going to use that as a crutch to blame losses on. “I think since we are a pretty young team we tend to get nervous and panic at times,” Robertson said. “If we control the emotions and anxiety that comes with the game of football, I think we will be ﬁne, no matter what.”

& Figures Facts

Innings pitched in Major League Baseball by Lucas Giolito '12 in his rookie season

21.1

16.3

Boys' water polo's average goals per game

Average touchdowns scored per game by football

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

RUNNING THROUGH THE SIX: Cameron Jones '18 runs with the ball through the Wolverine’s 40 yard line against Garﬁeld High School on Sept. 9. Max Robertson '17 and Thomas Glover '18 each scored touchdowns for the Wolverines, who lost the game 38-31.

3.6 Average margin of victory in strokes for girls' golf.

Junior Varsity Field Hockey Next Game: Oct. 7 @ Glendora

Girls' Tennis Next Game:

Oct. 4 @ Flintridge Sacred Heart

Girls' Volleyball Next Match: Oct. 4 @ Flintridge Sacred Heart

Boys' Water Polo Next Match: Oct. 5 @ Crespi

Cross Country Next Match: Oct. 8 @ Santa Clarita Valley Invitational

girls' volleyball

Girls back on track in Mission League By DARIO MADYOON

The girls’ volleyball team will look to re-establish itself as a playoff contender after winning in three sets to league rival Louisville last Thursday. The win brings the Wolverines to a 13-7 record overall and an even 2-2 in Mission League play. The squad was able to dictate the pace of play throughout the game, something it struggled with in previous league match-ups. “We just focused on our side of the net a lot and played Harvard-Westlake volleyball instead of trying to adjust our game too much based on our opponent,” captain Pearl Accord ’17 said. “I think our serving was really good and we really controlled our errors, which helped us win the game.” This year’s team is one of the youngest in recent memory, featuring as many sophomores as seniors. While this inexperience may have contributed to the team’s shaky start, some underclassmen have been able to emerge as leaders. “We have a really sophomore-heavy team this year, but I think our setter Lindsey Kelly ['19] has really been our rock,” captain Sophie Tippl ’17 said. “She’s

been so on top of it and we rely on her so much to run the offense. Especially being a sophomore on the team, it’s so hard to come and be 110 percent ready to go all the time, and I think she’s done a great job of that.” Players have been able to gain this much-needed experience at both the Mohs and Durango tournaments they played at in September as they are also a great opportunity to play a lot of teams that the Wolverines otherwise wouldn't face in their league, outside hitter Bella Hedley '18 said. During practices, the squad has looked to six-onsix scrimmages in order to build unity while focusing on the fundamentals of the game. Now that the season is in full swing, players have been able to improve on working together as a unit rather than just polishing up their own skills. Despite being a major talking point at the beginning of the year, the squad hasn’t utilized much of its depth in the middle, focusing on a more outside-heavy attack. However, the Wolverines will try to capitalize on their talented middle rotation to get a competitive edge in coming games. “Our middles have been working so hard this year,”

PAVAN TAUH/CHRONICLE

READY, SET, SPIKE: Outside hitter Pearl Acord '17 spikes the ball over the net against Marymount High School in a 3-0 loss. Tippl said. “I think in our last game against Louisville, Micah [Dottin] did a really good job of getting away from their block and getting in some crucial swings.” Nevertheless, the stillyoung squad will have to rely heavily on its leadership if it hopes to make a deep playoff run. “I know last year when I was a sophomore it could get really intimidating playing in front of the huge crowds and there’s a lot of pressure that

comes with that,” Hedley said. “For me, I’m just trying to support everyone and keep them calm through all the distractions.” The Wolverines will play their next game in the California Challenge Tournament Friday. Players conditioned on their own for the whole summer and many did overnight ﬁeld hockey programs. They began practicing as a team at the beginning of the month for two hours each weekday.

Oct. 5, 2016

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D3

in brief

Water Polo

Water polo goalie commits to USC

CONNOR REESE/CHRONICLE

POSEIDON: Felix Brozyna-Vilim ’17 looks to pass the ball to a teammate during a game. Brozyna-Vilim is one of the multiple Wolverine water polo college commits. Others are Sam Krutonog ’18 (University of Southern California) and Luke Henriksson ’17 (UCLA).

Season going swimmingly for squad

By Jake Liker

Zero losses in 12 games. The winner of the Elite 8 Tournament. Two trophies in seven days. It’s a promising start with promising numbers for a boys’ water polo team that is showing a lot of – you guessed it – promise. The Wolverines ran the table in the inaugural S&R Elite 8 water polo tournament, which Harvard-Westlake hosted. En route to a tournament victory, the Wolverines defeated Cathedral Catholic, Loyola, Sacred Heart, Huntington Beach and Mater Dei. The championship game served as a stage for a breakout performance from Alex Bucur ’19, who scored three times for the Wolverines. While many were caught off guard by Bucur’s play, Aquatics Program Head Brian Flacks was unsurprised, though not

unimpressed. and staying out of foul trouble, “I keep getting asked about which is important, and we did Alex, and everyone’s like, a good job of getting [the other ‘Who’s this kid? Who’s this team] into foul trouble.” kid? Who’s this There were kid?’,” Flacks 22 exclusions said. “It’s not called against something At this point, [our Mater Dei, as that’s new to opposed to 12-0 start] just adds fuel five me. I see this against kid every day in Wolverto our fire and motivates the practice; he’s ines. Five difus to push ourselves to clearly very talferent players the limit. ented. It was fouled out for [only a matter Monarchs. —Spencer Towill ’17 the of] when he After emerging was going to from the South come out of his Coast Tournashell a little bit, and I think he ment a week later as the vichad a really good weekend.” tors, the Wolverines have even Flacks said he felt that his more proverbial laurels upon team’s discipline was the key which to rest. And yet, the to victory. team refuses to do so. “I thought we stayed com“[A 12-0 start] is obviously posed,” Flacks said. “I thought good, but it’s nowhere near Mater Dei was clearly very our ultimate goal,” Spencer physical, and I thought we did Towill ’17 said. “At this point, a good job of staying composed it just adds fuel to our fire and

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motivates us to push ourselves to the limit.” He expressed similar sentiments about winning the Elite Eight tournament. While no one has been able to stop the Wolverines thus far, Towill knows they have potential weaknesses and more importantly, knows how to address them. “There are a lot of teams out there who have a ton of natural athleticism, which we also do, but a couple have more than we do,” Towill said. “What we lack in athleticism we beat them with by using hard work and mental engagement. We practice every day and swim to the hardest of our abilities, but most of us pride ourselves in being the smartest team. Even with tons of natural skill, it is hard to beat someone who knows everything you are going to do and exactly how to beat it.”

Girls’ Tennis

Team eyes CIF title despite early issues

By Elly Choi and Ellis Becker

The girls’ tennis team started off its season with a 13-5 win at its first league match Sept. 20 against Immaculate Heart. The team is currently 6-2 overall and 2-1 in league play. “Immaculate Heart just joined our league, so we didn’t know what to expect of their team. We all played really, really well, and it was a good start to the official season,” Lara Mikhail ’18 said. “It was good practice for us in order to prepare for tougher league matches. It also gave our coach the opportunity to see what worked in terms of double pairings and singles players in order to formulate a strong lineup to use for the rest of the season.” Despite winning its next league match against Marlborough, the squad lost to Notre Dame High School 11-7 Sept. 29. “The team was definitely

disappointed with the loss [against Notre Dame], and we had several players who were sick and injured that day, which was pretty unlucky,” Jennifer Gadalov ’19 said. “But, we’re ready to go back and work even harder to beat them the next time we play them.” The team has been practicing to improve their overall performance during matches. “We’re still working out who’s going to play where, but I think we’re in a really good place,” Girls’ Tennis Program Head Kristie Gipe said. The match against Peninsula High School Sept. 21 was cancelled due to tension between the two schools. The Wolverines attributed the cancellation to Peninsula’s sportsmanship after a loss to the Wolverines at a Stanford tournament. “When we were at Stanford, it was very obvious that there was tension between us and the Peninsula girls,” Mikhail said.

Goalkeeper Sam Krutonog ’18 committed to the University of Southern California boys’ water polo program Sept. 19. Krutonog has been the starting goalie for the varsity water polo team for the last two years. Being a USC fan from the age of 10, Krutonog said he envisioned himself playing there and was honored to have been recruited by the university. “I’m super happy and excited with my decision to go to a school I have liked for so much of my life,” Krutonog said. —Ryan Albert

Slattery commits to Cal baseball squad

Baseball player Casey Slattery ’17 committed to University of California, Berkeley this month. Slattery plays as a pitcher and infielder for the HarvardWestlake baseball team. A lefty at the plate and in the field, he helped the Wolverines finish in second place in the CIF-SS Division I bracket. Cal finished last year third in the Pac-12 with a record of 36-21. “I am excited to have Casey as part of the Cal baseball program,” Cal head baseball coach David Esquer said. “He represents everything we look for in a student athlete. We are excited about his versatility as a player and will give him opportunities on the field and on the mound.” —Sam McCabe

Stanley receives offer from NCAA program Cassius Stanley ’19 received a scholarship offer to play basketball at the University of Arizona. The 6’ 6” shooting guard helped lead the boys’ basketball team to a CIF State D-4AA State Championship last year. Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller has held his position since 2009 and has lead the squad to appearances in each of the last four NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournaments. Stanley also holds offers from the University of Alabama, UCLA and the University of Southern California. —Zach Swartz

Drumline engages in friendly competition

ELLIS BECKER/CHRONICLE

GRAND SLAM: Jennifer Gadalov ’19 prepares to hit the ball to her opponent. The Wolverines lost the game 11-7 to Notre Dame. The squad is looking forward to their next league match against Flintridge Sacred Heart Oct. 4 and are very still determined to win the

CIF-SS championship. “Last year, we got to the finals at CIF, so we want to go one step farther and win,” Gadalov said.

While their football counterparts fiercely compete on the field, the Wolverine drumline takes part in friendly competition. The first competition this year was against El Camino Real’s full marching band on Sept. 16. El Camino Real’s band challenged the Wolverines to a “drum battle.” At the home football game against Dominguez High School, the Wolverines challenged their drumline to a competition Sept. 23. The Wolverine’s cheer team became involved as well. —Asa Saperstein

D6 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 5, 2016

Girls’ Golf

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

GREENER PASTURES: Claire Dennis ’18 practices a putt during the Wolverines’ 202-210 victory over Notre Dame High School Sept. 22. Dennis shot 7-over 43 in the match. The team has gone on to defeat Marymount High School by over 49 strokes. The squad’s record stands at 5-0, and the team is undefeated in league play.

Squad hopes to remain strong through second half of season

• Continued from D1

approach. They didn’t let the pressure of remaining undefeated rattle them. Mentally, they were calm and listened to what their coaches taught them to do. “Every match is just as important as another, so we try our best in every single one to do as well as possible,” Daisy Wan ’20 said. Chamberlain models her team’s poised and leveled approach off of the basketball teams of UCLA’s legendary Head Coach of the ﬁfties, sixties and early

seventies, John Wooden. Much like those players maintained humble composure, Chamberlain said she takes pride in her players’ balance and poise as they rack up win after win. “I think the girls know how to get it done,” Chamberlain said. “Last year, I think that the pressure got to them, and I think that they’d all say that about it. I think the best way to put it is that they’re just taking care of business.” For the past few matches, the underclassmen have played a pivotal role in

the team’s success. Wan, a freshman, has proven herself to be an important factor of the team and makes a great impact. “Daisy [Wan] is exceptional; there’s no question about it,” Chamberlain said. “She strikes the ball well, she putts well and she plays a lot of tournament golf. I mean, Karina [Guo ’18] and Josie [Baker ’18] entered as freshmen, and they played good golf as well. They were shooting par and under par as well.” Wan, meanwhile, credits her teammates for welcom-

“

“I think we have a really strong team this year and we definitely have the potential to make it through the playoffs and who knows, maybe even state.” —Josie Baker ’18 NATHANSON’S

ing her and helping her improve as a golfer. “Everyone on the team is really supportive,” Wan said. “It’s not like ‘Oh, you’re a freshman.’ They actually really welcome you, and it’s really nice.” Make no mistake, though; the team’s balanced mentality has not undermined its conﬁdence to win. “In previous years, we’ve

made it through to the CIF regionals, which is the round after league, and I think this year it’s a good goal for us to get one step further than that, to see how far we can take it in the playoffs,” Baker said. “I think we have a really strong team this year, and we deﬁnitely have the potential to make it through the playoffs and, who knows, maybe even state.

Cross Country

Team starts new season with success By JOE LEVIN

sult of miles upon miles of training. “Hard work. Honestly, Here’s the thing about cross country: it might not that’s it,” Hollander said. look like it, but it’s a team “We have an incredible group sport. A runner might finish of boys with natural talent, first, but without some help but without hard work, it from teammates, the win wouldn’t matter.” The girls’ team came into could mean nothing. the year trying to It’s a sport that is avenge their loss as much about talat Mission League ent as it is depth. Championships The Wolverines and got their first have a whole lot of chance at revenge at both. the Mission League At the WoodCluster Sept. 28. bridge Invitational They finished Sept. 16, Nate Holfirst, anchored by lander ’17, Nicholas ’ Casey Crosson ’17 Sweeney ’17, Jonah and Lochryn Howe Ring ’18, Andrew Jason ’17. Crosson and Shibuya ’19 and Santillán ’17 Howe came in third Keon Mazdisnian ’19 all ran sub-16 minute races and fourth overall respec(a cross country race is three tively, crossing the finishing line at nearly the exact same miles). It was the first time that a time. “Winning was definitely Wolverine team has ever had five runners hit break the nice, but winning league fi16-minute mark, and Jason nals is the real end goal,” Santillán ’17 has clocked that Howe said. “This was just time before, creating the pos- kind of a practice run.” Last year was the first sibility of six sub-16 minute time in eight years that the runners in the same race. “We’ve never had a team girls failed to win the Mission that was quite this deep be- League title, but the team is looking at that loss as motifore,” Sweeny said. The fast times are the re- vation for the rest of the seaNATHANSON S

son. “We have kind of grown to expect success increasingly over the last couple years, so last year was a wake-up call that reminded us that, if we wanted to be successful, we would really have to put in the work,” Casey Crosson ’17 said. The Wolverines don’t only have depth. They have youth too, with a crop of sophomores turning in top times for both the girls and the boys. Shibuya and Mazdisnian have turned in times among the best on the team and were both a part of the five runners to finish in under 16 minutes in the same race. “Mazdisnian and Shibuya have been really strong runners since middle school, and we expected them to step up this year,” Sweeny said. “Their success this season has far exceeded anything we expected. All their work this season has really been phenomenal, especially for their age. After moving from Boston, newcomer Lila Cardillo ’18 has added depth for the Wolverines, routinely ﬁnishing as the girls third or fourth fastest runner.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF NATE HOLLANDER

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Team captain Nate Hollander ’17 eyes the competition as he competes at the Seaside Cross Country Invitational Oct. 9.

“She has not only improved so much over a very short period of time but has become a crucial member of our varsity team,” Crosson said. Now, the Wolverines will look towards some of the biggest races of the season: the 69th Annual Mt. SAC Invitational (considered the biggest high school meet in the country) Oct. 21 and Mission League Finals Nov. 2 at Cres-

centa Valley Park. The team will adjust its training program and strategy for those multiple big meets, but they are keeping many of their strategies secret. When pressed, Hollander remained tight-lipped. “That’s classiﬁed,” Hollander said when asked about their plans. Whatever they have up their sleeves, one thing’s for sure: they’ll win or lose as a team.

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

OCT. 5, 2016

Karate chop: student wins 21st world championship By HANNAH CHO

Kathryn Tian ’17 won her 21st world title at the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes International World Martial Games XVI after defeating both girls and boys in the 17 and under black belt division in July. Tian traveled to Germany for the martial arts competition as one of 34 members on Team USA. Tian trained for a week with her teammates, getting to know them better and becoming familiar with the competition rules and layouts with this particular tournament. During that week, Tian had to train in conference rooms because of lack of training facilities. “I traveled with the team and competed with people from other countries,” Tian said. “It was really nice because before the competition we had a week to train and bond with other people from our team, and that helped me form connections with other people. During the competition, we would cheer for each other.” To compete at the international competition, Tian had to place in the top two at a qualifying tournament in January.

“It wasn’t easy qualify- petition was different,” Tian ing since there were so many said. “Usually, I compete in talented people there,” Tian taekwondo do or karate, but said. “I think most of the at this tournament, taekwondo, karate and stress just wushu were came from all combined traveling and in one. And competing It was really in the final while dealing with schoolnice because before the big competition, everyone work and competition we had a from all differtests.” week to train and bond ent kinds of The combackgrounds petition conwith other people. all competed sisted of two rounds. In the —Kathryn Tian ’17 against each other.” first round, In order to Tian competprepare for the ed against six upcoming tournament, Tian other girls. After defeating her oppo- trained intensely during the nents, she moved on to the month of June. She practiced next round where she went both forms, which is similar against four boys in the divi- to a martial arts routine, and fighting styles. sion to win the world title. However, she practices “For me at this point, [going against the boys] is not one to three hours on a daily that scary anymore,” Tian basis, depending on her work said. “I remember when I was load. Tian has been studying little I was scared, but now, I’m like ‘Hey, I can do it. I’m taekwondo since she was 5 years old and studying karate not scared.” Although Tian has been to for the last five years. Tian has also been teachtwo other international tournaments in Italy and Canada, ing students in these forms WOMAA was different be- privately at the Gold Medal cause it was bigger and con- Martial Arts Studio and at sisted of other styles besides the martial arts club that she the Japanese martial art ka- started at Harvard-Westlake. Overall, Tian felt that the rate, such as the Chinese experience exposed her to see martial art wushu. “The format of the com- styles from different countries.

SPORTS D7

“

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KATHYRN TIAN

SLICE N’ DICE: Kathryn Tian ’17 poses with her sword for a picture during her time in Germany when she won her 21st world title in July.

D6 Sports

The Chronicle

Oct. 5, 2016

Girls’ Golf

AARON PARK/CHRONICLE

Squad hopes to remain strong through second half of season

• Continued from D1

“

“I think we have a really strong team this year and we definitely have the potential to make it through the playoffs and who knows, maybe even state.” —Josie Baker ’18 nathanson’s

made it through to the CIF regionals, which is the round after league, and I think this year it’s a good goal for us to get one step further than that, to see how far we can take it in the playoffs,” Baker said. “I think we have a really strong team this year, and we definitely have the potential to make it through the playoffs and, who knows, maybe even state.

Cross Country

Team starts new season with success By Joe Levin

sult of miles upon miles of training. “Hard work. Honestly, Here’s the thing about cross country: it might not that’s it,” Hollander said. look like it, but it’s a team “We have an incredible group sport. A runner might finish of boys with natural talent, first, but without some help but without hard work, it from teammates, the win wouldn’t matter.” The girls’ team came into could mean nothing. the year trying to It’s a sport that is avenge their loss as much about talat Mission League ent as it is depth. Championships The Wolverines and got their first have a whole lot of chance at revenge at both. the Mission League At the WoodCluster Sept. 28. bridge Invitational They finished Sept. 16, Nate Holfirst, anchored by lander ’17, Nicholas ’ Casey Crosson ’17 Sweeney ’17, Jonah and Lochryn Howe Ring ’18, Andrew Jason ’17. Crosson and Shibuya ’19 and Santillán ’17 Howe came in third Keon Mazdisnian ’19 all ran sub-16 minute races and fourth overall respec(a cross country race is three tively, crossing the finishing line at nearly the exact same miles). It was the first time that a time. “Winning was definitely Wolverine team has ever had five runners hit break the nice, but winning league fi16-minute mark, and Jason nals is the real end goal,” Santillán ’17 has clocked that Howe said. “This was just time before, creating the pos- kind of a practice run.” Last year was the first sibility of six sub-16 minute time in eight years that the runners in the same race. “We’ve never had a team girls failed to win the Mission that was quite this deep be- League title, but the team is looking at that loss as motifore,” Sweeny said. The fast times are the re- vation for the rest of the seanathanson s

son. “We have kind of grown to expect success increasingly over the last couple years, so last year was a wake-up call that reminded us that, if we wanted to be successful, we would really have to put in the work,” Casey Crosson ’17 said. The Wolverines don’t only have depth. They have youth too, with a crop of sophomores turning in top times for both the girls and the boys. Shibuya and Mazdisnian have turned in times among the best on the team and were both a part of the five runners to finish in under 16 minutes in the same race. “Mazdisnian and Shibuya have been really strong runners since middle school, and we expected them to step up this year,” Sweeny said. “Their success this season has far exceeded anything we expected. All their work this season has really been phenomenal, especially for their age. After moving from Boston, newcomer Lila Cardillo ’18 has added depth for the Wolverines, routinely finishing as the girls third or fourth fastest runner.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF NATE HOLLANDER

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Team captain Nate Hollander ’17 eyes the competition as he competes at the Seaside Cross Country Invitational Oct. 9.

centa Valley Park. The team will adjust its training program and strategy for those multiple big meets, but they are keeping many of their strategies secret. When pressed, Hollander remained tight-lipped. “That’s classified,” Hollander said when asked about their plans. Whatever they have up their sleeves, one thing’s for sure: they’ll win or lose as a team.

hwchronicle.com/sports

Oct. 5, 2016

Karate chop: student wins 21st world championship By Hannah Cho

“It wasn’t easy qualify- petition was different,” Tian ing since there were so many said. “Usually, I compete in talented people there,” Tian taekwondo do or karate, but said. “I think most of the at this tournament, taekwonstress just do, karate and came from wushu were traveling and all combined competing in one. And It was really in the final while dealing with schoolnice because before the big competiwork and everyone competition we had a tion, tests.” from all differweek to train and bond ent kinds of The competition conbackgrounds with other people. sisted of two all competed rounds. In the —Kathryn Tian ’17 against each first round, other.” Tian competIn order to ed against six prepare for the other girls. upcoming tournament, Tian After defeating her oppo- trained intensely during the nents, she moved on to the month of June. She practiced next round where she went both forms, which is similar against four boys in the divi- to a martial arts routine, and sion to win the world title. fighting styles. “For me at this point, [goHowever, she practices ing against the boys] is not one to three hours on a daily that scary anymore,” Tian basis, depending on her work said. “I remember when I was load. little I was scared, but now, Tian has been studying I’m like ‘Hey, I can do it. I’m taekwondo since she was 5 not scared.” years old and studying karate Although Tian has been to for the last five years. two other international tourTian has also been teachnaments in Italy and Canada, ing students in these forms WOMAA was different be- privately at the Gold Medal cause it was bigger and con- Martial Arts Studio and at sisted of other styles besides the martial arts club that she the Japanese martial art ka- started at Harvard-Westlake. rate, such as the Chinese Overall, Tian felt that the martial art wushu. experience exposed her to see “The format of the com- styles from different countries.

Sports D7

“

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KATHYRN TIAN

SLICE N’ DICE: Kathryn Tian ’17 poses with her sword for a picture during her time in Germany when she won her 21st world title in July.

THE CHRONICLE

D8 SPORTS

Q&A

OCT. 5, 2016

Sam Krutonog Water Polo

By ELI ADLER AND MATTHEW YAM How did you start playing water polo and what made you decide to keep up with it? I’ve been playing water polo since I was 10-years-old, which was about seven years ago. The way I started playing was I was trying all these sports when I was younger, like basketball, soccer, kickboxing, but I never really found my way in them and didn’t love them. I kind of just stumbled upon water polo, and it was the only sport I stuck with. What was even better was that I ended up being the best at that sport, so I was really blessed that I found it. What drew you to being a goalie? When I started to play and started getting better, I felt that I had a natural talent. I started playing goalie about a year after. Early on, I just loved the feeling of scoring goals, and then when I got put in the goal for the ﬁrst time when they needed it, and started stopping goals, that was an even cooler feeling ever – it really, for me, was even more rewarding. How did being on varsity as a freshman change your approach to the game and impact your play, and how has your role on the team changed since? When I was a freshman, there was a senior goalie named Anthony Ridgley [’15] and he taught me a lot. Initially, I didn’t play a lot on varsity because I was the backup goalie behind [Ridgley]. Anthony taught me’ how to be a strong competitor and he always competed at such a strong level and instilled that in me, and was a talented goalie as well. He taught me about the process, about what the coaches were talking about. He respected what they had to say and he taught me a lot of what I focus on today in the sport. Freshman year was the only year that I was a backup goalie, so over the last couple years my role has evolved into a starting role, where I play a lot and help to contribute more. How do you feel about the squad’s play this season? I’m very happy about how well we’ve played so far. I’m stoked. We’re about halfway through the season, and we have a lot of really talented guys. It’s just a matter of how far we can go at the level we’re playing at now. We can always get better and we’ve come across some lucky wins, but we are such a talented team and it’s just a matter of us playing together and with unity for the rest of the season. What are your goals, both individually and for the whole team, for the rest of the season?

Stats

Games lost this season

Games played with USA Youth National Team

CIF-SS Championship

Our primary goal is to win a CIF Division I championship, which has been my goal since freshman year. During my freshman year, it was super cool to see the team win one – I was on the team, of course, and was so happy to see [Ridgley] win. Also, we don’t really have speciﬁc goals of numbers we want. I never go into a game thinking “I want to have 20 saves today.” Instead, I want to put myself in the best possible position so that I can have 20 saves today. I am always going to try my best no matter what. I do that by working hard, grinding in practice, watching ﬁlm outside the pool, meeting with coaches; I want to do whatever I can to be there for my teammates. Do you have any pregame rituals? What are they? I don’t really believe in them because I don’t think that constitutes whether you play well or not. What does constitute whether you play well or not is how much you prepare for the game. If I’m wearing a certain hat or wearing that hat backwards or if I eat a bagel for lunch, I don’t think that has anything to do with how I play. To me, no ritual is going to control how I play. What will control that is based on my preparation. What did it feel like to play on the US Youth Team in Montenegro? It was a super cool cultural experience, so I’m glad I went. Obviously, though, I was pretty upset about how we played. I feel like there were some things I didn’t do that I should have, and my teammates and I both made mistakes. I’m not happy about the result, but it was an honor and I’m stoked that I went. At the end of the day, we prepared and we tried hard, but the European teams were really good. Simply put, it was a great experience to play against European teams.

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/CHRONICLE