Te upper school administration recently reafrmed their commitment to enforcing a phone policy, which was introduced in the spring of last school year.
Te policy states phone caddies will be enforced in all classes and that phones are not allowed to be taken during class breaks. Headphones are also prohibited unless students are listening to videos assigned by teachers. Head of Upper School Beth Slattery reafrmed the policy in an email to students before the frst day of school. Te middle school’s rules state that phones are not allowed at any time of the day until the last period, Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish said in an email.
Slattery said she has not planned on introducing further restrictions on phones such as a full ban on campus because she has confdence in students’ ability to use their devices responsibly.
“I don’t think there’s anything we’re going to impose on day one, because this is an issue where I would like to have input from kids’ lived experiences,” Slattery said. “I’m just not ready to do anything yet because I feel like I haven’t gotten input from all of the stakeholders, and I don’t like making decisions banning something like [phones]. [Students] are going to be in college in short order, and so they should learn how to use it responsibly. It is probably not in their best interest for us to say they can’t have [their phones] when they can have it the rest of their life.”
Slattery said phone use has become an issue since students struggled to readjust to class after a break last year.
“Te thing that I would like to start of with is enforcing it in classrooms because that has gotten really lax,” Slattery said. “People don’t use the caddy anymore. Teachers have talked to me a little bit about how it is problematic when [students] go on break.”
Junior speaks at Democratic National Convention during Harris campaign
By Chloe Kim and Nathan Wang
Alexander Hudlin ’26 spoke to millions of viewers at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Aug. 21. Hudlin is Vice President Kamala Harris’ godson, and referred to her as his “auntie” multiple times during his minute-and-a-half speech. Alongside Harris’ nephew and niece, Jasper and Arden Emhof, Hudlin spoke about the Vice President’s strong family values.
Te DNC featured a diferent theme for each night of the convention, which lasted Aug. 19-22. Monday was named “For the People,” and Tuesday was “A Bold Vision for America’s Future.”
Hudlin, Jasper and Arden Emhof spoke before the convention on Wednesday night, which was themed “A Fight for our Freedoms.” In addition to Harris’ nephew, niece and Hudlin, former President Bill Clinton and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spoke that night. Te last night of the convention was themed “For our Future,” where Harris
and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democratic presidential nomination and the vice presidential nomination, respectively.
Hudlin said in his speech that he recognized the importance of Harris’ political career at an early age when he recalled her appointment to the U.S. Senate for California in 2016.
“She’ll lift us up,” Hudlin said to the crowd. “In 2016, when we celebrated Auntie’s Senate win, we saw Trump winning [president]. I was only nine, but I knew enough to be concerned. Auntie said, ‘Do you know what superheroes do? Tey fght back. And we will too.’”
Hudlin concluded his speech by calling Harris “a baller,” a remark which caught the attention of news outlets and social media.
In an interview with Te Chronicle, Hudlin said he felt supported by those around him when he spoke at the convention.
“It meant the world,” Hudlin said. “I just felt blessed being in this position. I have a great base of friends around me. It was really an incredible experience for me, and I’m so proud of [Harris] and just
so proud of how far she’s gone. I’m pumped for November, and I’m really excited about the election.”
Harris has signifcantly increased her support base over President Joe Biden after he dropped out of the running, according to U.S. Presidential Polls. Harris’ improvement over Biden is in part by reason of increased support among young voters. Hudlin said he is optimistic about young people getting involved in politics.
“I would hope that they’re excited for the future,” Hudlin said. “Young people are really excited for [Harris] to be president. Te future is now, and it was such an honor to be so young and to represent our generation, Gen Z.”
Hudlin said he wants his peers to cast a thoughtful vote in November.
“I’m encouraging everyone to vote to think about the future and just try to make the right choice,” Hudlin said. “Tis is a very important election, and a lot of our classmates can contribute to it and make an good impact.” “Every vote matters.”
Visiting policies updated
By Alex Lee
Te school is implementing a new set of security measures including a visitor management system and two new campus ambassadors who will take the responsibility of greeting guests from security. Te new policies were designed in collaboration with Pangaea Consulting, a private security frm. Te new safety policies and preexisting guidelines were presented to Upper School faculty and staf before the frst day of school. Director of Operations Dave Mintz led the presentation alongside Head of Communications and Strategic Initiatives Ari Engelberg ‘89 and CEO of Pangaea Consulting Cory Wenter.
Wenter said the new visitor management system would ensure student and faculty safety during a response to a potential disaster on campus.
“Te visitor management system is common at schools and there are some huge benefts,” Wenter said. “Te most simple one is knowing who is on campus at any time. If you have to evacuate this campus, knowing who was here frst is critical information, and you don’t want to send frefghters back into a dangerous building to look for someone who’s not there.”
Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said facial recognition would be required for visitors a part of visitor management, expediting the check-in process for frequent non-student visitors.
“Te frst time that somebody comes to campus, they have to sign in and go through all of that,” Slattery said. “But for somebody who’s been on campus, there will be facial recognition so that it doesn’t take as long every time. I do think the idea of knowing who’s allowed to be on our campus is being on the safe side.”
While other security measures are being expanded, staf members were also made aware of procedures for reporting harmful social media content.
A MESSAGE TO AMERICA: Alexander Hudlin ’26, pictured left, stands onstage at the DNC in Chicago, IL on Aug. 21. As Vice President Kamala Harris’ godson, Hudlin was invited to speak about her family values and character.
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ALEXANDER HUDLIN
Teachers tighten on use of phones in class
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“Tey go use their phone, but then it takes a really long time to acclimate to class because people are still checking their devices.”
Jonah Greenfeld ’27 said students sometimes use their phones too much.
“Students have formed too much dependence on using their phones,” Greenfeld said. “Whether it’s searching for answers on Google or hours spent on social media, [students] spend an irresponsible amount of time on their phones. A policy limiting use would be benefcial for students to learn on their own and not have their curiosity satiated by looking things up.”
However, Greenfeld said he doesn’t support a total ban.
“Phones do play an important role in keeping [students] connected and having fun,” Greenfeld said. “A complete ban wouldn’t be good, in my opinion.”
Phone restrictions should not be enforced because it’s just a matter of self control. If you’re on your phone too much, that’s on you.”
Yaroslav Milakin ’27 said students tend to often use their phones responsibly and there should only be limitations on usage during class.
Jett Jasper ’26 said he believes healthy phone usage should be up to the student rather than a schoolwide policy.
“In most cases, I’ve seen that the current policy of keeping your phone in the caddy works extremely well and successfully,” Jasper said. “A policy limiting phones [outside of class] would be unhelpful since most people would fnd a work around in the end. Tey would want to use phones in the cafeteria since it is a much smoother process.
“Although there is obviously both irresponsible and responsible use of phones at HW, I do think that most of the time people use their phones responsibly,” Milakin said. “I have only seen a few times when people were using phones outside of [set] parameters and even that was [usually] brief. While a rule limiting phone use during periods like class discussion would be very benefcial to learning, I doubt that extending that limitation to free periods such as lunch would be benefcial. Using your phone during that time doesn’t really hinder anything or prevent students from getting the most out of that period.”
Upper School Math
Teacher Amy Stout said she noticed that constant phone usage led to less participation in her class last year, and hopes that the reafrmed policy will solve the issue.
“I’m up for supporting what the school thinks is in the best interest of students’ mental health,” said Stout. “Getting students to focus in class is important and that was a struggle last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing how [the policy] helps with teaching.”
Junior gives speech at the DNC
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History teacher Peter Sheehy (Will ’22, Tate ’24) said Hudlin’s opportunity to speak was personally inspiring and reflects the important role of youth in political issues.
“That’s just a life-altering opportunity,” Sheehy said. “Hopefully, that’s inspiring for his career. The role of youth [in politics] is [when] the kids in the school shooting in Florida [were] very outspoken about gun control. You saw Amanda Gorman giving the poetry. Young people are such an important voice on the topics of so many issues, and the older
BOOKSTORE IMPROVEMENTS: Te bookstore was entirely refurbished over the summer. New additions include a new carpet, slat walls and a reconfguration of the registers with the supplies also being reorganized.
New renovations fnished on campus
By Tali Gurule
Te school renovated Taper Gymnasium, Chalmers Hall and the bookstore over the summer.
Taper Gymnasium received a new foor as part of its scheduled oncea-decade remodel. Te school also added two soundproof practice studios in Chalmers 107 and removed the cafeteria extension from Chalmers East. Te school added more slat walls for display, new carpet and a new confguration for the registers to the bookstore.
Boys basketball forward Barron Linnekens ’26 said he appreciates the changes to Taper Gymnasium because they refect the changes to the varsity basketball team’s makeup since last season.
“Te renovations are amazing,” Linnekens said. “We lost seven seniors last year and are a completely new team this year, so it fts that we have a new gym to win in.”
However, girls volleyball libero Sophia Jun ’25 said she is disappointed by the renovation because she thinks the new foor is more suited to the basketball team than the volleyball team.
“[Te new court] was made to be a basketball court, and they didn’t really care about volleyball,” Jun said. “I just wish they would’ve made the volleyball lines a little bit more clear.”
Performing Arts Teacher Neli Nikolaeva said she looks forward to having more room for musicians to practice in Chalmers Hall.
“Te thing we missed was a space for students to be able to practice,” Nikolaeva said. “A lot of times during lunch and conference hours, students would come here and want to practice but there was not enough space. I am excited about the possibility of students practicing and having the space for it.”
Ryan Acosta ’26, who plays clarinet, said he is happy to have a place to practice without an audience.
“Te soundproof rooms will be an amazing resource for students,” Acosta said. “Tese additional rooms will be great for students who would want to focus and practice by themselves without having to ever worry about any others hearing them.”
• Continued on hwchronicle.com
generation loves hearing from the younger generation.”
Trump’s family is involved with the politics of the Republican National Committee, according to the Washington Post. His five children, who were present throughout the Republican National Convention (RNC), are politicians in their own respect. Their recent prominence at the convention deepens their involvement in Trump’s campaign.
Sara Segil ’25, who attended the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses on a school trip, said Harris’ decision to bring her family on stage added humanity to her campaign.
“The younger generation has been struggling to be represented and just go out and vote,” Segil said. “Having a younger candidate on the DNC stage and even youth representation really shows how the tides have started to turn. [Harris’] younger family is in contrast with Trump’s, especially since Trump has made families so important in the RNC, with his family members being at the head of it. Having family play such a different role in the DNC is really interesting because her family is represented. Instead simply of being professional, they are really a testament to her character.”
Endowments recently awarded to teachers
By Yuna Jeon
Science Teacher Nate Cardin, History Teacher Paul Chenier, Interdisciplinary Studies Department Head and History Teacher Larry Klein and Performing Arts Teacher Starr Wayne were awarded with endowments by Head of Upper School Beth Slattery at the opening faculty and staf meeting Aug. 20. Head of School Laura Ross chose the endowment recipients with consultation from Slattery as well as the Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish.
“endowments is to recognize certain faculty members for their contributions to the school community.
“We are tremendously grateful to the donors whose philanthropic support makes this possible.”
— Nate Cardin Science Teacher
Slattery said the endowments are benefcial because they allow for the school’s budget to be utilized in other ways.
“[Te endowments] are called faculty laureates or faculty chairs,” Slattery said. “Te salary for that position comes out of the endowment, as opposed to out of [the school]. It allows us to use the school budget for other things like fnancial aid because a family has donated money that helped pay a teacher’s salary.”
Head of Advancement Eli Goldsmith said the purpose of the
“Endowed funds are established by donors to honor great teaching and enhance overall faculty compensation at Harvard-Westlake,” Goldsmith said. “Awards like these recognize and reward great teaching, as well as grow our ability to increase teachers compensation across our campuses. We are tremendously grateful to the donors whose philanthropic support makes this possible.” Cardin was awarded the Burdorf Family Endowed Faculty Laureate in Science, a gift from the Burdorf Family that will be lasting fve years.
Cardin said he felt grateful to be acknowledged among his colleagues because of his admiration of them.
“Receiving this honor was a tremendous and wonderful surprise,” Cardin said. “So many of my fellow teachers are remarkable in the work that they do, which makes it such an honor to be recognized amongst them. Wonderfully, the endowment comes with a stipend that I can use however I’d like.”
L. Wood
Beth Slattery
CONNOR TANG/CHRONICLE
STAR SPEAKERS: Alexander Hudlin ’26, left, was present as a speaker at the DNC in Chicago, IL. Hudlin stands onstage alongside his godmother Vice President Kamala Harris’ newphew and niece Jasper and Arden Emhof on Aug. 21.
Science teacher takes home $33,333 on Patton Oswalt’s “Te 1% Club” challenge game show
By Ella Jeon
Upper School Science Teacher Nate Cardin won “Te 1% Club,” a televised game show hosted by Patton Oswalt (Alice Oswalt ’28) where 100 starting players must answer increasingly challenging questions with logic and reasoning. As the episode progresses, remaining contestants compete until they are asked a fnal question that only one percent of the country can get right, according to the show.
Cardin appeared in episode four of the frst season in the United States, which streams on Prime Video. Cardin and two other contestants correctly answered the fnal question of the night and split the grand prize pot of $97,000. Cardin received an additional $1000 for making it through the competition without skipping a single ques-
tion, and ended up taking home $33,333, according to the show.
Cardin said he loved game shows from a young age but decided to participate in his frst game show, “Wheel of Fortune”, and later “Te 1% Club” when he realized the value of new challenges.
“
Game shows were my favorite TV shows as a kid, and I wanted to be a game show host when I grew up.”
“Game shows were my favorite TV shows as a kid, and I always told adults that I wanted to be a game show host when I grew up,” Cardin said. “Tat said, I do not think I ever had the confdence to try out for game shows until some friends encouraged me. My experience on both game shows has helped me realize
how often I had been saying no to the universe because I assumed those opportunities would not work out. Sometimes, though, the universe said yes. It has taught me to keep pursuing my goals and dreams, no matter how seemingly impossible they were.”
Nate Cardin Science Teacher
Cardin said his teaching background was helpful during the show because it allowed him to navigate confusing questions with ease.
“In order to get up in front of teenagers every day and help them tackle a tough subject like chemistry, you have to have a high level of patience and an
Upper School welcomes two new deans to decrease student-dean ratio
By Alex Reisner
Michael Durant and Jee Won Lee joined the Upper School Dean Team for the 2024-2025 school year. This new system will allow for a 25 student per dean average in the upcoming sophomore class.
Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo said that the additional deans will allow for more attention to be given to the sophomore class.
“The biggest impact will be on the experience of sophomores because they got ignored a little bit in the previous system during the beginning of the year,” Cuseo said. “It wasn’t feasible to give attention to the seniors and get to know the new sophomores, so now if there’s only 25 sophomores to get to know and only 25 seniors getting into college it will be a much better balance.”
Upper School Dean Adam Levine said the new deans will add additional support for the activities they plan.
“The deans can also join us for a lot of curricular things we are trying to do, such as new programming and revamping the college program that we have,” Levine said. “They’re going to join us to rethink what we can do to make the college process easier or less stressful for students. They will help to plan seminars and other after school programming. Their expertise in the field is invaluable.”
Durant previously worked as a college counselor at Miami Country Day School. Durant said he hopes to be able to give his students the support they need.
“I am looking forward to supporting students in their aspirations academically, athletically, and artistically, and I want to support students in
finding the balance between hard work and the joy of learning,” Durant said.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Lee worked at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. She said she already feels welcomed by the school community and is very much looking forward to the school year.
“I’ve already felt so warmly welcomed and embraced by the school,” Lee said. “I feel that I can show up authentically, I am inspired by the community members around me and I feel genuine support from all corners of the campus. We want all of our students to feel that sense of belonging, enrichment and support as well. Expanding the dean team will only help to further realize these important goals, which I believe the school already does so well.”
New safety policies to be enforced
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Engelberg said that while the school monitors social media for any security concerns, they can only view public accounts.
“Media monitoring does not and cannot take place for private student accounts, nor do we seek to monitor the public accounts of our students if they have them,” Engelberg said. “Our media monitoring is limited to public social media feeds, when certain specific keywords are included in posts and tweets. The monitoring platform we use is basically an advanced version of Google Alerts and is not designed to monitor private information.”
Mintz said the campus ambassadors will have the responsibility of greeting visitors, giving directions as well as other non-traditional security tasks. He said the new roles will take pressure of of the exisiting security guards and increase coverage.
ability to keep calm while felding a wide array of questions,” Cardin said. “In some ways, being on ‘Te 1% Club’ felt like a vacation from teaching. In class, I often have to answer multiple questions at once, with little time to think. On ‘Te 1% Club,’ I only had to answer one question at a time and had thirty seconds for each one, which felt like a downright luxury.”
Matthew Ahn ’25 said he felt happy and proud when he learned Cardin was on an episode of ‘Te 1% Club’.
“It’s always amazing to see Cardin on television,” Ahn said. “His brilliance makes us proud to be his students. his attentiveness, whether in the classroom or in game shows, helps him excel in both teaching and competitions.”
Continued on hwchronicle.com
“All of them have been thoroughly trained in CPR and first aid measures as well,” Mintz said. “They are an extra sets of eyes and ears and can report any safety concerns to the appropriate staff, build relationships, interact with students, faculty and staff throughout the day and foster a positive presence. All of this allows security to focus more on traditional security related functions.”
Wenter said the school community should also know they play an essential role in campus security along with the teachers and fellow faculty.
“Today, we were talking about situational awareness,” Wenter said. “It’s important to pay attention to the anomalies when something’s off, when someone may want to do selfharm or harm to others, and too often we assume that someone else is responsible for security. We think [the security team]’s got it, and that’s not always true. It’s all of us.”
GAME NIGHT: Science Teacher Nate Cardin won Episode 4 of “Te 1% Club,” hosted by Patton Oswalt. Te episode aired June 24 on FOX Broadcast Channel and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, fuboTV, Roku, DirecTV Stream, Youtube TV and Sling TV.
Prefect Council attends retreat for preparation, bonding
By Kara Jazaeri
Prefect Council traveled to Big Bear Lake for their annual retreat Aug. 15-17 after a week of on-campus orientation sessions to prepare them for the school year.
Junior Prefect Robby Louie ’26 said the week leading up to the retreat helped the group prepare for the new year.
“Te frst four days were intense,” Louie said. “We’re at school from nine to three and we have meetings with administrators. We did some icebreakers, got to know everybody and then we drove up to Big Bear. Tursday night through Saturday morning we stayed in Big Bear.”
On the overnight retreat, the group engaged in various group bonding activities. Te
activities included a bake-of, swimming in Big Bear Lake and karaoke.
Sophomore Prefect Chase Rudoy ’27 said he felt the retreat created a familial bond among the prefects.
“Te purpose of the retreat is to create a family environment between us,” Rudoy said. “Which is what I think that we do have, for sure.”
multiple purposes and gave him a chance to start working on projects for the upcoming school year.
Head Prefect Sasha Aghnatios ’25 said the retreat and its structure was a great success.
“Tis is my second year in Prefect Council,” Aghnatios said.
“Honestly I don’t think the retreat could have gone any better.”
Louie said the retreat had
“The purpose of the retreat is twofold,” Louie said. “The first reason is definitely to get stronger as as a council really is a family. I think it’s a great opportunity, especially because there’s new sophomores every year so to get close in that way, meet each other and get closer to people that you’ve already worked with before is always good. It’s also a great opportunity to start working on our initiatives.”
Aghnatios said she enjoyed that the group stayed together
Debate places ffth at national contest
By Colin Ho
Worlds Schools Debate
team members Nilufer Mistry Sheasby ’24, Liv Kriger ’25 and Nate Verny ’25 placed fifth in the annual National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa from June 16 to 21.
Kriger said she was thrilled with her team’s performance.
“I am super proud of this achievement,” Kriger said. “My team worked so hard this whole year, and we had to face tough competition from all around the country to get to this spot. My team is super close, and there is nobody else I would rather debate with than [Verny] and [Mistry Sheasby]. The fact that we got to do it one last time at the national tournament was extraordinary.”
Mistry Sheasby, who founded the school’s Worlds Schools Debate team, said this format
challenged her in different ways than other types of debate such as Lincoln-Douglas or Policy.
“The reason why I enjoy Worlds Schools is definitely the mental challenge that comes with it,” Mistry Sheasby said. “I like how it forces you to put aside your personal perspective on issues and is more about analyzing how arguments interact with each other. The power of bringing your own language and putting it in a persuasive setting where you’re using things like your vocal intonation and your gestures to convince people is just a fascinating exercise.”
Mistry Sheasby said she has faced unfair treatment as a woman in debate, but has not let that discourage her.
“[It’s important] to understand that [women] face marginalization in this space, and that it’s okay to be frustrated,” Mistry Sheasby said. “I can’t
count the amount of times judges have said things to me that made me leave the round after comments and go cry. People should give themselves that crying time, but never let that be the only way they see themselves in a debate space.”
Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debater Esther Goldman ’26 said she understands the struggles that women have to go through in debate.
“I respect [Mistry Sheasby] and [Kriger] for staying determined as women in debate,” Goldman said. “I have also been looked down upon by male debaters because of my gender, and I admire them for their perseverance.”
Goldman said she is proud of the team for their success.
“Qualifying for the Nationals is a major accomplishment,” Goldman said. “I am so proud of the team and how hard-working and dedicated they are.”
Community Council visits Big Bear
By Ella Jeon
Community Council attended an overnight retreat at Big Bear Lake from Aug. 17-18. Members planned for the new school year while participating in activities such as swimming in the lake, go-karting and exploring the town. Te council also began planning events and setting longterm goals for the year.
William Lin ’26 said the retreat began with a discussion about creating genuine student involvement at school.
“A common observation from Prefect Council is that many students seem to focus on getting a diploma and graduating, which defeats the purpose of the deeper meaning behind going to school,” Lin said. “Community Council noticed a similar pattern with students and community service, where the majority would just complete the service for the requirement without considering the impact of their work.”
Lin said the council decided that having students realize the results of their service might strengthen their connection to it.
for most of the retreat.
“What could have been improved from last year was that there were a lot of times when the group was split up,” Aghnatios said. “We would all be together for most of the time this year and there were very few moments when the whole group wasn’t together.”
Senior Prefect Rex Grube ’25 said the trip was useful for connecting with fellow prefects.
“[The retreat] is a great way for us to get to know each other,” Grube said. “Especially people like me since this is my first year being a prefect.”
Aghnatios said this years prefects are very connected.
“We stuck together this time, and it made all the difference,” Aghnatios said. “We’re going to be close this year.”
“One solution that we came up with was to show the efects students are having,” Lin said. “We all agreed that seeing the impact makes the experience more meaningful for everyone involved.”
Lin said the retreat was uplifting and that he appreciated getting to know fellow council members.
“Even though it was only one day, I still felt like I grew closer with some of the people on the council,” Lin said. “Whether it was playing pool, stepping into the freezing water at the lake or mini-golfng, everyone’s spirits felt cheerful and connected.”
Community Council Advisor and Counselor Michelle Bracken said she enjoyed witnessing the students form friendships and believes it will provide a strong foundation for collaborative work throughout the school year.
POSING PREFECTS: Prefect Council members take a picture together during a weekend of bonding on their annual retreat at Big Bear Lake.
Before the retreat, they met with administrators to discuss and outline plans for the year, and after, they traveled to Big Bear where they participated in activities.
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CAROLINE COSGROVE
New Faculty
Te school welcomes new faculty members for the 2024-2025 school year: Sarah Rapaport, Khamani Grifn, Marci Reichert and Sébastien Merle.
Marci Reichert: Director of Wellness
By Alex Reisner
Marci Reichert began her new position as the Wellness Director at the school for the 20242025 school year. In the newly created role, Reichert will curate a wellness curriculum for both campuses and promote student wellness initiatives.
Reichert received her master’s degree in counseling at Bastyr University and formerly worked as a yoga instructor and family therapist. She then began to specialize in counseling and worked at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington and Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she di-
Khamani Grifn: Assistant Director of Debate
By Angel Song
Khamani Grifn is the new Assistant Debate Coach and Assistant Director of Debate on both the Upper and Middle School campuses.
Grifn previously worked as a part-time assistant debate coach who worked with nationally competitive World Schools Debate teams. As the Assistant Director of Debate, he will manage Middle School debate operations and focus on the growing Lincoln-Douglas debate program. At the Upper School, Grifn will continue coaching the debate teams.
Grifn spent eight years coaching speech and debate, starting as an assistant coach at his high school. Grifn said he wants
to teach students core life skills through debate. He said he will focus on helping defne a healthy culture of inclusivity, fun and excellence for the debaters, letting students explore whatever niche they seek at school.
“I wanted to do what I could to cater to a group of students that I knew would utilize the skills from speech and debate to be successful in their respective programs,” Grifn said. “Te main thing that I want us to focus on this year is to be engaging and accepting of perspectives that are not their own and to foster a sense of curiosity.”
Grifn said he hopes to increase communication between the debate team and the school in order
Sébastien Merle: French Teacher
By Kasra Maghami
Sébastian Merle joined the World Languages Department this school year to teach French II, Honors French II, French III and Honors French III. Merle previously worked for two years as a French teacher at Te Polytechnic School.
Merle studied at the Universite de Toulouse Le Mirail in France, and then received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Merle taught French for ten years at the Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts and was a French teacher and the Global Languages Department Chair at the Chadwick School in Palos Verdes for ten years.
Merle said teaching at the
school had always been his longtime goal, but was difcult to achieve given the school’s limited employment openings.
“Because of the reputation of the school, Harvard-Westlake had been on my radar, so I was excited to see they had an opening,” Merle said. “Te teacher I am replacing was here since 1996, so there are not a lot of openings very often. I was looking forward to having the opportunity to teach at Harvard-Westlake at some point.”
Merle said he enjoys encouraging students to take risks in a comfortable environment.
“I love teaching students to take risks because learning a new language is stressful,” Merle said. ”I’m looking forward to meeting my students because all my students will be new to me.”
rected student wellness for four years before joining the school.
In her role as Wellness Director, Reichert said she hopes to help the school community by reducing student stress.
“To me, stress management is a good mental health practice,” Reichert said. “I believe we really need to be thinking about the things [the school] is doing to empower students. In addition, we should be brainstorming about how we can help to reduce stress.”
Reichert said she plans to hear student input before ofering changes and improvements to the community.
“I would love to hear from the
to make debate feel more open and approachable to everyone.
“I am looking forward to letting the Harvard-Westlake community know how strong and connected our debate team is,” Grifn said. “I am excited to encourage more of the community to become engaged in debate, and I feel like that communications pipeline is being established this year.”
Trough the team’s successes, Grifn said he hopes the team is able to increase their presence on campus.
‘We are excited that our team’s success can increase visibility within the community, showing that debate can empower more students to foster and lead meaningful discussions.”
students to see what they think would be useful to them,” Reichert said. “I want to learn more about the community before deciding what changes to make.”
Reichert said she hopes that she will have a better understanding of what needs to be accomplished in the future by the end of the year.
“If I had one goal, it would be to end the year with a deeper understanding of what the needs are in this community,” Reichert said. “I need to plan a map for the next fve years to see the things that parents, students and staf feel is important and what are the plans to implement that.”
Sarah Rapaport: Coordinator of Jewish Life
By Audrey Herrera
Sarah Rapaport joined the Upper School as the Coordinator of Jewish Life and Community Engagement, a new ofce of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) that will fulfll the school’s cultural needs while engaging with afnity groups and clubs. Rapaport will develop support and guidance for students, especially members of the Jewish community.
Rapaport previously worked at the University of Southern California (USC) for seven years. Her research focused on Jewish history, Middle Eastern Studies and comparative genocide studies. She focused on antisemitism and the Holocaust. Rapaport re-
Merle said he spends his free time watching movies, being outside and interacting with nature.
“I’m a big cinephile,” Merle said. “I watch a lot of movies, I’ve done deep dives on special directors, basically I’m a movie nerd. I hike a lot. I really like to hike around the San Gabriel mountains, and really anywhere in the greater Los Angeles area. I love being outside, and I love hiking.”
Merle said in joining the school community, he will bring experience and excitement towards learning French.
“Experience, from my previous schools, and excitement for learning languages,” Merle said. “I like to say the classroom is my happy place because that’s where I thrive. What I bring is really an excitement for learning.”
ceived her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and received a master’s degree from Hebrew Union College.
Rapaport said she chose to work in education because of her life-long interest in learning.
“I think initially I was really good at school, which is how I think a lot of academics end up in that path.” Rapaport said. “I think my own passion and desire for knowledge sparked my desire to continue to engage with that. And what’s great about being a teacher is that you’re a lifelong learner. You’re constantly a student.”
Rapaport said she approaches teaching with an open mind and sees inherent worth in the viewpoints of others.
“I am a person that is interested in engaging with a variety of opinions and ideas,” Rapaport said. “I value listening to others as a primary way that we can communicate and coexist in the world.”
Rapaport said she appreciates the engagement students bring to discussions.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity to be in a place where students are intellectually committed to their own education and want to learn and explore diferent ideas,” Rapaport said. “I’m at a point in my life where there’s a younger, active, intelligent generation that is out there to help teach me things about the world too.”
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MARCI REICHERT
Fellowship Features
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Sasha Gadalov: Assimilation in Alaska
By Tali Gurule
Sasha Gadalov ’25 visited villages in Alaska to study a religious group’s assimilation to modern American culture for her Junior Fellowship.
Te group, called the Old Believers, follows the traditional rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church and faced oppression from communists after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Many immigrated to Alaska to avoid persecution and formed communities removed from mainstream society. One of Gadalov’s ancestors was an Old Believer.
Saisha Kumar: Reform Eforts in India
By Angel Song
Features Section Editor Saisha Kumar ’25 visited a community of denotifed tribes in India as a participant in the Kutler Center Junior Fellowship Program. Kumar said she learned about this community from her grandmother, who lives nearby in Mumbai.
Denotifed tribes were classifed as “criminals” under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act, which prevented them from accessing educational and economic
opportunities. Tis law was repealed after India gained its independence, but the tribes could not regain access to resources.
Kumar researched assistance programs implemented by aid organizations to help tribes recover from poverty and earn a stable income by selling handmade items. While there, she interviewed a professor who was a member of the Rotary Club. Te club is one of the organizations providing economic assistance to the tribes.
Kumar said she gained in-
Gadalov said she chose to research the Old Believer communities to explore her family’s past.
“I realized there was this cool community of Old Believers in Alaska,” Gadalov said. “I thought it would be interesting to learn more about their lives and how they have managed to preserve it for so many years.”
Te Old Believers adopted English while maintaining their customs. Gadalov said she concentrated on the efect of schooling on their cultural adaptation.
“I researched how education plays a role in their culture and assimilation since they’re learning
sight into the various resources aforded to members of these tribes, especially the women.
“I interviewed many of the women because women were unable to have jobs due to a lack of educational opportunities,” Kumar said. “Te Rotary Club taught women how to make quilts and provided all of the supplies.”
Kumar said her trip was unique because the community she visited was completely diferent from her own.
“I talked to some young girls
Anaya Olivas: 30 Years Post Apartheid
By Oona Sawyer
As a participant of the Kutler Center Junior Summer Fellowships, Anaya Olivas ’25 traveled to South Africa to study the cultural contrasts between post-Apartheid South Africa and the U.S. post-segregation.
Olivas toured three diferent girls’ schools in South Africa where she observed students and attended classes. She also interviewed teenagers in Cape Town and Johannesburg to ask questions about their respective cultures.
“My main goal was to do a sort
of cultural comparison,” Olivas said. “I was able to talk with them about America’s shared history and answer any questions they might have, but also give them the opportunity to share their stories with people in America.”
Olivas also visited a number of historical sites and museums. She said one of her most impactful experiences was her visit to Soweto, a historical township in Johannesburg where Black people were segregated under Apartheid. Te city is famous for the 1976 Soweto uprisings, a series of protests started by Black chil-
everything in English through the Alaskan school system,” Gadalov said. “Te [Russian language] may fade over the years because they speak English, but their traditions and customs will remain the same.”
Gadalov attended a mass while visiting the villages. She said the way the Old Believers speak in English after their traditional mass shows their ability to preserve their religious culture while adapting to American society.
“[Te Old Believers] sing and do the mass in Russian, but then right after, they all speak in English,” Gadalov said. “It’s interest-
about why they go to school,” Kumar said. “I just go to school to go to school, but there was a nine-year-old girl who said she went to school because she wanted to make her parents proud. It was important for me to see the values that they had instilled in themselves and what they were doing, so I could appreciate my education and all that I have.”
Kumar plans to conclude the Junior Fellowship by creating a presentation or a video of the interviews she conducted.
dren in opposition to the use of Afrikaans in school.
“Te most powerful memory I had was seeing Soweto, which are the Southwest townships in Johannesburg,” Olivas said. “[I saw] houses that would be considered luxury homes even in Los Angeles, and on the next block, there were houses that were made of tin, or houses that had six generations living in them.”
Olivas said she is excited to share what she learned with the student body.
“I look forward to bringing that back to our school commu-
ing to see how the community comes together for their values and traditions, [while] moving forward, because they speak in English after the service.”
Gadalov said she is thankful the school gives students the chance to research their interests.
“It was a dream come true,” Gadalov said. “I’m grateful that Harvard-Westlake has the resources to send people to their dream destinations to learn more about the stuf they’re passionate about.”
Gadalov will present her research to members of the school community this fall.
nity and talking more about how Apartheid continues to afect people in South Africa, but also how similar it is to how segregation continues to afect people here in the States,” Olivas said. Olivas said she was thankful for the experience and the opportunity to learn independently.
“It defnitely put me out of my comfort zone,” Olivas said. “Te teachers helping out did provide lots of support throughout, and the budget was defnitely generous. I was able to do everything that I wanted to do, so I am very grateful for that.”
Shiara Navarro: Te Mayan Train
By Audrey Herrera
Shiara Navarro ’25 received a Kutler Center Senior Fellowship grant for her project, “Te Mayan Train: Te Environmental Impacts of Expanding Cultural Tourism in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.”
Te Mayan train is an intercity railway that traverses the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, constructed to expand cultural tourism and economically support less-developed states. Te train’s route across Mexico’s Caribbean Coast cuts through the local rainforest, negatively im-
Sam Cleland: Jazz in Te Big Easy
By Kara Jazaeri
Sam Cleland ’25 visited New Orleans to research the connection between Black American culture and jazz music for his Kutler Center Junior Summer Fellowship project, titled “Jazz in the Big Easy: Conducting Not So Easy Discussions about Race and Jazz in its Birthplace of New Orleans.”
Cleland, a saxophone player, said his history capstone paper about Black musicians’ invention of jazz music inspired him to begin crafting his fellowship proposal.
“I was doing research for my
[Honors] U.S. History term paper, which was about the history of jazz in relationship to the inhumanity of Jim Crow,” Cleland said. “I began to wonder if the jazz bands at Harvard-Westlake, which I knew to be mostly white and Asian musicians, had been appropriating Black American music.”
Cleland said he decided to travel to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, to discuss this topic with both jazz performers and scholars in order to learn more about the complex roles of race in music.
“I decided to go to New Orleans to research and talk with jazz musi-
pacting the environment, according to Rainforest Rescue.
Navarro said the railroad’s economic benefts were valued more by adult Mexicans than young people.
“Tere was a generational aspect to it,” Navarro said. “Te majority of the adults that I spoke to were in favor of it, but then essentially all of the youth that I talked to were against it. Te adults were more in favor of the train’s construction, because there used to be another railway in Mexico which was widely used by the whole of the population and greatly benefcial to the
cians as well as ethnomusicologists at Tulane in order to learn about the intersection between jazz and race,” Cleland said. “I wanted to learn how I, as a white jazz musician, can learn more about the culture and bring it back to Harvard-Westlake.”
Cleland said he gained a new understanding of the importance of engaging in conversation about topics that are rarely talked about.
“What I’ve learned is the importance of having difcult conversations, such as talking about topics like race or injustice, that we might feel uncomfortable talking about,” Cleland said. “Everybody in New
country. Tis train felt like nostalgic reminder of the older generations. Te newer generations have been more exposed to environmental education and they feel more strongly about the train’s negative impacts on the surrounding environment.”
Navarro said her project was inspired by her personal values and cultural background.
“I am someone with Mexican heritage, and I’ve traveled to Mexico multiple times, as my entire extended family lives there.” Navarro said. “Being someone that’s also concerned with environmental issues,
Orleans was just so kind and recognized the importance of having these not so easy discussions.”
Cleland said that he encourages juniors interested in receiving a fellowship next year to center their trip around something that truly matters to them.
“Choose something that you’re really passionate about that really affects you and something that you’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Cleland said. “I felt comfortable because I’ve been thinking about this for so long, and I was just eager to take that on, adventure and learn more.”
Ashley Ham: Ancient Korean History of Pottery
By Luca Gonzalez
Te Kutler Center Junior Fellowship Program awarded Ashley Ham ’25 a $4,000 grant to travel to South Korea to research ceramics, specifcally onggi pottery and its signifcance in both ancient and modern Korean culture.
Onggi are clay pots that were used in ancient Korea and continue to be used today to store food, water, liquor and sauces. Onggi are also micro-porous, meaning it has many small holes that allow air to pass through,
Arielle Trakhtenberg: Two Years Gone
By Emmeline Chan
For her Kutler Center Junior Fellowship project, Arielle Trakhtenberg ’25 visited Krakow, Poland to work for a number of organizations that help Ukrainian refugees who have fed the country since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. She raised money for an organization called Dobro Zawsze Wraca, which aids the people affected by the war and economic collapse. Te organization fnancially assists Ukrainian refugees by providing them
with employment and housing, according to their website. They also gather information on the Ukrainian immigration system, which helps make the process less complicated.
Trakhtenberg said that she was inspired by both History Teacher Larry Klein and last year’s fellowship presentations.
“Te idea of being able to help the war efort just a little more than I can from Los Angeles was nice to think of,” Trakhtenberg said. “I immediately knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do.”
increasing the quality of food stored and making the process of fermentation easier.
Ham said that she decided on her project due to her experiences with ceramics and her personal connection to Korea.
“I was really interested in ceramics because I took ceramics at Harvard-Westlake,” Ham said. “I liked to explore. I wanted to learn a new [style] that was diferent than what I was used to because I was a drawing and painting. But [I wanted] to learn something that was in 3D. It was an aspect that I re -
Trakhtenberg spent the summer exploring Krakow and interviewing people who worked in various organizations to gain insight into how Ukrainian refugee communities have adapted in Poland and how aid organizations and the Polish government have assisted the Ukrainian refugees.
Trakhtenberg said that contrary to her predictions, she observed faws in the current refugee processing system of many western countries.
“I went into the trip thinking that this would be an example
ally loved about ceramics, and it was to be able to have a little bit more creative freedom with it. I was researching topics related to pottery and that what is “that” just put it in brackets if shes talking about “onggi intertwined with my culture and my heritage as a Korean.”
During Ham’s trip to Korea, she visited Ye’s Park in Icheon, which is the largest ceramics and crafts village in the country. She also visited a workshop called Saniri Studio, where she had the opportunity to create a pot and an onggi plate.
of an ideal way countries deal with refugees coming from a neighbor, but it turned out that I was quite naive and it was not as great as I initially expected,”
Trakhtenberg said.
Trakhtenberg said that she her time in Poland was memorable and expanded her knowledge of people’s lives in Ukraine.
“During my time there, I discovered that there are some very cool people out there that are much more selfess than the majority of us are ever going to be able to comprehend,”
Trakhtenberg said.
Arman Tabesh: Healing Hearts and Bodies
By Luca Gonzalez
The Kutler Center Sophomore Fellowship Program awarded Arman Tabesh ’26 a $2,000 grant to go on a mission trip to Peru where he volunteered in a primary health clinic.
Tabesh said his project idea came from his interest in medicine and his desire to help those less fortunate than him.
“The first thing that came to mind when going overseas and being able to travel is the inequality when it comes to healthcare all around the world,” Tabesh said.
Tabesh said that half of the country is living on $3 a day and 20% of the population living in rural areas do not even receive healthcare. Following his trip, he said it is important to make people more conscious about the lack of government funding for healthcare and medicine in Peru.
“There’s not much awareness about [healthcare inequalities],” Tabesh said.”I know specifically Peru is tough because they have universal healthcare over there, so everybody is granted some form of healthcare. The Peru -
I just thought this was something very intriguing.”
Navarro said that her research showed the complexity of the railroad because it has both benefcial and negative consequences for the region.
“A main takeaway was that this is an issue that’s so multi-dimensional,” Navarro said. “It’s not just black and white, because the train was doing some positive things in boosting the economy and [creating] job opportunities, but it was also destroying a lot of the land and ancient agricultural and archaeological sites.”
Ham said that she achieved a deeper level of understanding about pottery, herself and her connection to Korea.
“I gained a lot of insight, not only into ceramics, but also into the history of my heritage and my culture,” Ham said. “It has taught me a lot about my identity as well. I learned about the impact that the pottery had, not just in Korea, but globally because it led to so many [techniques] that we still use nowadays. Additionally, I learned how to make pottery quicker and more efciently.”
vian government is improving a lot, especially when it comes to health outcomes.”
While in Peru, Tabesh volunteered at the Centro de Salud hospital in Cusco and assisted in a lab. He said his experience widened his understanding about healthcare systems in South America and gave him a greater sense of appreciation for the higher quality of healthcare in the U.S.
“I learned a lot about just how their healthcare systems run, and through my research, a lot about how other countries run,” Tabesh said. “It led me to learn about
disparities that even middle income countries face. All the hospitals and clinics are so understaffed. There are so many issues many countries around the world face, and I was grateful to be able to experience that firsthand and for being in the US, where even healthcare gets a pretty bad reputation. But it is pretty incomparable. Right at the turn of the 21st century, the death count of Peru’s young people was extremely high. And even to this day, the numbers are in the middle in the world, but it is still something that continues to be slowly improving.”
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Carefree Crossword
Science Teacher Nate Cardin has crafted up Volume 34’s frst crossword. Hint: Pay close attention to the clues with asterisks. Good luck and puzzle away!
ACROSS:
1. Every cloud _____ a silver lining
4. Chilled, like summer cofee
8. Secondary social media account, for short
11. Perform in a play
12. “Emily in Paris” star Collins
13. “With all _____ respect... ”
14. *Finger pointing activity
17. One who predicts the future
18. “E” on a gas gauge
20. San Antonio NBA player
22. “_____ it or lose it!”
24. Single-named “Chandelier” singer
25. Sport for future Little Leaguers
27. Word after speed or baby
28. * Defning accomplishment
31. What a dog wags
32. Heart or spleen, for example
33. Quaint hotel
34. Underwear with underwire
35. Tey’re served with chips
38. Nephew’s sister
40. Lose traction, like on ice
Chron-nections
42. * Publicly call out a wrongdoer
47. Infated sense of self
48. Palindromic horn sound
49. L.A. Clipper’s sports org.
50. Politician with a six-yr term
51. Boldly provocative
52. Place for a hearing aid
DOWN :
1. Fezzes and Fedoras
2. _____ and pains
3. Having a sharp incline
4. Sick
5. Espionage org.
6. “A Nightmare on _____ Street”
7. Salon coloring agent
8. Maroon 5 singer Levine (and Upper School Dean Levine)
9. Single payment in full
10. When a round of golf starts
15. “Savage!”
16. “Golly!”
19. Puppy’s high-pitched bark
21. Baseball stat found hidden in “dollar bill”
22. Chappell Roan song “Super
Graphic _____ Modern Girl”
23. Tiresome task
26. Spanish “love”
27. Expel
28. Pointy teeth
29. Ancestry
30. Short-lived craze, like fdget spinners
31. Sn on the Periodic Table
34. Spelling competiton
36. Air Force One, for one
37. “Te Lion King” lion
39. “Let’s go!”
41. Bottom-heavy fruit
43. Consumed (leaving no crumbs)
44. Silent show of agreement
45. Beagle or boxer
46. Pig’s digs
Sabrina Hamideh ’25 has designed the frst Chron-nections of the year. Find four groups of four words that share a common category. Each word belongs to only one category. Good luck!
Presentation Managing Editors: Georgia Grad, MeJo Liao, William Liu, Nathan Wang
Executive Editors: Alex Dinh, Everett Lakey, Max Turetzky
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Opinion Editors: Sabrina Hamideh, Olivia Phillips
Assistant Opinion Editors: Audrey Kim, Ellika LeSage, Eila Shrokavi
Features Editor: Saisha Kumar
Assistant Features Editors: Sienna Dall’Olmo, Kayla Graff, Lydia Gugsa, Lyla Kavanagh, Andrea Ricabal, Celine Wang
A&E Editors: Crista Kim, Katelyn Kim
Assistant A&E Editors: Annabelle Cheung, Analeigh Nava
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Founded in 1990, The Chronicle is the Harvard-Westlake Upper School’s student-led newspaper. Now in its 34th year, The Chronicle strives to report stories accurately and to uphold its legacy of journalistic integrity. The newspaper is published eight times per year and distributed to students, parents, faculty and staff. We are members of the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Private School Journalism Association. Be sure to check out the HWMedia+ app for more content from our publications.
editorial
Humanity Beyond the Humanities
At every desk in the teachers' department offices, an extra chair often finds itself filled during midterms and after grades are released. Students have lost sight of the value that instructors can bring to their lives and have primarily focused on meeting with teachers for grade improvement. Teachers are resources for education, but they are also people with real-life experiences that students should take more time to make connections with.
Time is always of the essence for students. This is particularly true when students take on rigorous courses and timeconsuming extracurriculars. The constant race to improve grades limits the time students spend with teachers outside of class, which leads to the loss of strong student-teacher relationships. If students center their interactions with their teachers around grades, they cheat themselves out of a role model and beacon of life advice at a critical stage of their development. A high school education is not only about chemistry and calculus; it is a time to learn about being a person. The best way to do that is to interact with those who have dedicated their lives to helping students grow as people.
The school’s faculty is full of individuals with colorful lives. One history teacher spent over a year working as a chef in France before pursuing his PhD, and another was an actress in many early 2000s movies. The English department houses a chicken coop owner and in the Science office sits the winner of multiple game shows and creator of a published New York Times crossword puzzle. By taking the time to build more personal relationships with their instructors, students form
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION:
The Chronicle strives to be a diverse and inclusive community that welcomes all who wish to contribute. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committewwe works to ensure that every member of the Harvard-Westlake community is recognized, included and given a voice.
The Chronicle's publications will aim to represent this diverse community and provide a variety of perspectives on the topics that they cover.
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Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of staffers and are written by the Editorial Board, which is composed of the Editors-in-Chief, Managing Editors and Section Editors.
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bonds with teachers and can draw on their life experiences as inspiration for future jobs and life paths.
Having a close relationship with a teacher would be helpful if a student needed emotional support during a tough time or simply a friendly face to talk to on a hard day. Building a relationship with someone on campus could make handling a personal conflict at school more comfortable, since many students spend more time with their teachers during the week than their parents. Additionally, when teachers have a greater understanding of a student’s situation, they can be more helpful if a student needs work extensions or extra help making up missed assignments.
At the end of every student’s junior year, they must choose two of their teachers to write recommendation letters for their college applications. Students strategize, considering factors such as how many letters each teacher might already be writing or whether their in-class performance is strong enough for a teacher to have enough positive things to write about. The best way to get a meaningful recommendation letter is not by getting straight A's or picking a teacher solely from an area one would like to study in school, but by getting to know teachers on a personal level, and picking the two teachers that one feels best understand who they are beyond the classroom.
From thousands of library books to the school's vast alumni network, students have access to some of the greatest tools available to high schoolers. What they must stop overlooking, however, are the individuals that come to school every day with lessons that classes alone cannot teach.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Letters 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 to conform to Chronicle style, space and format. We are committed to uplifting the voices of marginalized or underrepresented individuals and groups in accordance with our efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
PUBLICATION
UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS:
Though we always strive to be as accurate as possible, staff members identify inaccuracies and receive feedback from readers.
The Chronicle publishes corrections when we discover a factual error within a piece. We will continue to uphold transparency even in the face of mistakes following the publication of each issue.
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TAI Art: the good, the bad and the ugly
By Audrey Kim
As I scrolled through a random Google Images search, I saw two versions of one painting that looked almost identical. Tough it wasn't obvious, a closer glance showed one had several inconsistencies and many small errors, like strokes clipping through a human hand and slightly distorted eyes. I clicked on the photo which took me to an article about learning to recognize the slim diferences between AI (artifcial intelligence) art and human art forms.
AI art has become more prevalent over the past few years. Anyone can now realistically imitate brushstrokes, musical patterns and photography using AI with free websites and built-in software like the Midjourney AI on Discord. With the growing prevalence of AI art, it is likely to become more afordable and efcient than human art and media. Te increased use of AI creates concern about the possibility of an AI takeover of human art and the media.
In the coming years, AI art will be even more difcult to
Standardize class retake policies
By Jack Fener and Holden Kim
here is a certain hush in the classroom. Te hands on every desk tremble, and the mind of every student races with a mix of fantasies and fears. It is the frst day of school, and the teacher at the front of the room is about to announce their testing policy. Te school has a wide range of test retake policies that vary based on department, and even class within the department. While the variety of testing policies is not a bad thing given the diferent material and pacing of each class, ofering unlimited retakes, while potentially appealing to a student on the frst day of class, is not as efective as other retake policies.
In a small group of language classes, teachers ofer unlimited retakes for all quizzes and tests. One may assume that this method of testing is incredibly benefcial given the stress-free environment it creates on test days, but in reality, the policy is not efective in comparison with other options. Te greatest problem with unlimited retakes is the excessive freedom that comes with having seemingly endless attempts to redo an assessment, and the eventual pile-up of tests to retake.
When students have the entire year to redo tests as many times as they want to, assignments that have real deadlines become a priority. If a student had two tests in one day, it would make more sense for them to devote their time to studying for the one they could not retake and simply not
Much of motivation is fueled by the consequences of failure.
prepare for the test that had unlimited retakes. While this solution may be helpful in certain moments for students, assignments in the unlimited retake class could accumulate to a point where retaking all of them would not be feasible, leading to potentially higher stress about making up work as well as lower grades on the tests the student thought they would simply redo.
In a perfect world, students would be intrinsically motivated to study and get their work in on time regardless of the grading policies. Te fact is, though, that much of motivation is fueled
by the consequences of failure. If there are no repercussions for not studying material when one is supposed to, students may struggle in cumulative classes both in grasping new concepts that connect with previous ones as well as keeping up with makeups on top of new assessments.
Additionally, unlimited retakes limit the practice of students advocating for themselves at school. Part of being a good student is understanding what can be accomplished and what is going to be impossible. Teachers at the school are accommodating about project and test extensions under the right circumstances, and being able to assess one’s situation and reach out to a teacher in order to make a compromise about testing is an essential skill that will carry on into life. Tere are no unlimited retakes on contracts or meetings, so working in a class environment with seemingly no short term consequences for poor performance and a lack of efort does not teach good habits for students’ futures.
Te most realistically helpful testing solution could still involve retakes, but a more limited number of them.
diferentiate from its man-made counterparts. AI creates a threat to human painters, musicians and photographers. It costs more to hire human artists than to make AI art given the time and labor diferences of the two forms, according to Inbound Blogging. Marvel Studios used AI to make the introduction
With the growing prevalence of AI art, it is likely to become more afordable and efcient than human art and media.
sequence to their show "Secret Invasion" instead of employing visual efects specialists, according to Screen Rant. If AI art continues to be used to replace human artists, many will no longer fnd jobs. Another concerning result of the rise of AI art is the increasing prevalence of deepfakes . While some may not consider deepfakes to be art, the manipulation of an image or video could alter
the way a human views a historical event or feels about a person or thing, therefore becoming an art form. AI generated images of Taylor Swift endorsing former President Trump that were spread around on Truth Social and were taken as fact. Lewd images using the faces of high school girls at Beverly Vista Middle School in Los Angeles were also AI generated, according to CBS news, which violates people's privacy and might even be considered illegal child pornagraphy. As the practice of manipulating images grows, it is essential that everyone is educated on the potential abuses of AI on images and media.
Te ripple efect of misinformation and scare tactics can afect anyone, so as many people as possible should be taught to protect themselves from the tricks of AI art. Sure, social media networks like X put warnings and labels on AI-generated images, but that will not be enough. AI will get much more advanced in the future, and images may sneak past being fagged with misinformation warnings on social media.
ORethink sustainability
By Eila Shokravi
ne afternoon day, I suddenly began to taste distinct notes of paper blended in with the sweet caramel of my frappuccino. Te drink itself, which had tasted delicious just minutes ago, was now inaccessible through the disintegrating paper straw. As the straw became mushier and more shapeless by the second, I decided to throw the drink away altogether, now lost in a can full of plastic cups and wrappers.
Walking around Ventura and Sportsmen's Lodge, the uptick in “environmentally-friendly” initiatives such as paper straws or wooden spoons is painfully apparent. Over the last few years, food and drink companies have put an emphasis on moving toward one-of, supposedly monumental changes—many of which derail the consumer experience without any signifcant detraction from their carbon footprint.
Starbucks has fallen short of the majority of their environmental goals. Tey produce over six billion cups per year, and a negligible amount of this waste is recycled, according to Greenpeace. Even their paper to-go cups—which amount to one-point-fve million trees cut down per year—are lined with non-recyclable plastic. Even if corporations think their methods are helping maintain their carbon footprint, their manufacturing processes still release mil-
lions of tons of carbon dioxide. Although the movement away from plastic is undeniably a positive change, the ideas that companies like Starbucks have promoted are neither solutions to their carbon emissions nor enjoyable for consumers. Wood has an unusual taste and texture; wooden utensils add an unwanted earthiness to the taste of whatever is being eaten, and the dry texture can detract from the experience of eating. Meanwhile, paper straws are inconvenient because they soften and break easily. Poor initiatives are less attractive to consumers, nullifying the companies' appeal to consumers without actually contributing towards environmental consciousness. It could be argued that these movements towards environmentally-friendly options are better than no action at all. Despite the truth in this, companies should be held accountable for their massive carbon output, and should not be applauded by consumers for their minimal eforts. Around 36 percent of all plastic produced is from single-use packaging such as food and beverage containers, the vast majority of which ends up in landflls, according to the UN Environment Program. In order to meaningfully reduce their carbon emissions, companies need to promote not only a shift in products, but a shift in their philosophy itself.
A.I. GENERATED ILLUSTRATION BY ADOBE FIREFLY
Rethinking our mental health initatives
By Ellika LeSage
When the school released its new plans for improving student mental health last August, I felt a surge of hope. After a series of tragic events in our community and minimal support for students, it seemed like the school was taking real steps to address the tremendous academic and social pressures students faced every day. The plan promised more counseling support, a bolstered Upper School Learning Center, counselor assignments, a new mental health alliance and a Sophomore Advisory program with the hope of creating a community that was better equipped to support students. But as the year progressed, my initial optimism gave way to something unexpected: dissatisfaction. The plan had too many initiatives that overwhelmed the student population, as none of them were consistent or productive enough to improve students’ lives.
It’s no secret that the school is a challenging environment, designed to push us toward excellence. Students’ days are packed with tests, projects, homework and extracurricular activities, leaving little time to focus on mental health. These initiatives fall short because they focus on crisis intervention rather than prevention. 21% of students in the United States said they would not seek help from a mental health professional if they were having a personal problem that was “really” bothering them, according to the National College Health Assessment’s 2022 Survey Report. Students avoid getting help due to a pervasive stigma, believing their problems aren’t “serious enough” to warrant attention. This mindset often leads them to wait until their mental health deteriorates significantly before reaching out. Current initiatives are helpful as a baseline for mental health support, but create environments where students still must schedule a meeting or speak in front of an entire class in advisory to get help.
Rather than feeling supported by the school’s new plan, students have found themselves bombarded with well-intentioned but often excessive measures that have done more to add to their stress than alleviate it. Sophomores who already have to handle readjusting to the upper school find themselves losing time during their busy schedules to have mandatory advisories that fail to foster community. These advisories often feel disconnected from students’ actual needs, with little opportunity
It’s no secret that the school is a challenging environment, designed to push us toward excellence.
for meaningful interaction or genuine bonding. The large variety of new programs seems to provide many ways of getting help, yet accessing these resources is difficult. 86% of students said they did or would not have found Sophomore Advisory helpful according to a Chronicle poll. During the scheduled 45-minute conference time, sophomores gather in groups of around 20 students to do icebreaker activities and open sessions. As I sat in my advisory once a cycle, we would often sit in silence during open sessions — an activity peer support also does, though it is rarely silent. Ironically, the administration’s attempt to alleviate the anxieties of overwhelmed students through advisory actually created more stress by taking away valuable time to work. Having to schedule a meeting with a counselor or discuss one’s issues in front of Sophomore Advisory could further discourage a student who is reluctant to get help in the first place. These initiatives feel forced, spreading resources thinly and making schedules tighter than ever. Instead, administration should refocus the
letter from the editorS
initiatives to be preventative and one-on-one, such as counselors reaching out to students, checkins during classes and more student input. Additionally, when attending Sophomore Advisory, students miss out on chances to go to clubs and meet with teachers. These missed opportunities are inherently counterproductive to improving mental health because clubs foster essential social interaction, and meeting with teachers helps students build supportive relationships with adult mentors on campus. One-on-one support should be prioritized in order to form relationships with adults on campus that can be supportive.
To give students the individual support and attention they need, the school should create mandatory counselor check-ins that happen once a month. While optional counseling is a step forward, students — particularly those dealing with significant stress — often don’t feel comfortable seeking help on their own. Regular, short, required check-ins could help identify struggles early on and provide a much-needed safety net before stress spirals into something more serious. These check-ins don’t need to be extensive, but should be regular enough to ensure no student is left behind. Moreover, students should be a part of decision-making when it comes to their own mental well-being. So far, they have not been given the opportunity to create concrete mental health support initiatives, but are allowed to create more fun activities during the school day, such as music on the quad, goats on campus and food trucks. Last year, students worked with administrators to found the Mental Health Alliance, but failed to ask for the student body’s input when making decisions. The group gave presentations to students about mental health and sent out mindfulness playlists, which, while good ideas, failed to create change in the school’s mental health culture.
• Continued on hwchronicle.com
Setting journalistic foundations
By Eden Conner and Connor Tang
In America, newspapers have always been an essential aspect of our society. During the age of typewriters and early computers, the objective of news corporations was clear: report the news accurately and fairly. As society moved into an era of laptops, headlines became more about a chance to grab attention rather than chronicle the truth. Te most important aspect of any newspaper — and the key value we as editors-in-chief are committed to instilling — is integrity. Being a journalist comes with serious responsibilities. Whether in a high school classroom or a professional newsroom, the same standards of moral uprightness must be met. We strive to create a culture that does not take shortcuts, such as quoting one’s friends instead of seeking diverse perspectives or recycling ideas. While Te Chronicle is not examined by professional fact checkers like national publi-
cations are, it is essential that the paper holds itself to a high standard. Our goal is to instill in every staf member that practicing honorable behavior, even when no one is watching, is a fundamental quality of any good reporter. Teaching journalists the importance of reporting honestly in high school will help create a generation of people that value truth and hard work in the media over clickbait content. Te news outlets that high school papers look up to are not meeting the standards we hope to set for this publication. Articles often ft a single political narrative, report information that is inadequately researched or simply provide false stories. If we are ever to live a country that is less polarized, the frst step is to produce media that is objective, with a primary goal of sharing information rather than forcing a belief on the public.
By requiring that student journalists interview with school
STATS AND FACTS
Do additional mandatory classes add stress to your day?
administrators before writing opinions about policy and by promoting pro-con articles which evaluate topics from two angles, Te Chronicle will be the type of publication that student journalists from other schools can look to for inspiration. Integrity is not just about honesty. Its second defnition describes it as a state of being whole and undivided. It is our top priority to create a staf environment that works as a community. Often, there is a mentality to work hard with the goal of receiving a top position or getting credit. What matters most to any organization, though, are the people who show up and work hard simply because they care about what they do. Te people who volunteer even when they don’t have to, knowing that going the extra mile is what creates something great. Te people who prioritize being a good person above all else. Tis newspaper is made up of some
Do you feel like you need more mental health support on campus?
Are you satisfed with the school’s current mental health initiatives?
Did you fnd/would you have found sophomore advisory helpful?
Do you think student-led mental health initiatives would be better?
*70 students polled
of the most talented individuals in the country, and it is essential for its success that the staf shows up every day with the goals of reinforcing the integrity of the paper’s staf and making our nationally ranked paper even better than it already is. Te Chronicle is a newspaper, but it is also a learning environment. It is easy to turn in work simply to meet a word count or to attend layout ses-
sions without volunteering for any assignments. It is difcult to fully commit to a publication and make sacrifces in order to create the best work one is capable of producing. No one is expected to write perfect articles or have the strongest layout for every issue, but it is vital that the paper be a space where people work together and better themselves as journalists and individuals in our world.
TAKING CHARGE: Editors-in-Chief Eden Conner ’25 and Connor Tang ’25 share smiles for a picture at their frst Chronicle layout of the year.
PLANNED BUILDINGS: Studio City councilmembers voted 13-1 to approve the demolition of the hotel, replacing it with a new residential and commercial space. Te abandoned hotel, used as a homeless shelter during COVID-19, was signed of to Midwood Builders for renovation. Te community has expressed mixed feelings about the upcoming construction.
Sportsmen’s Lodge hotel ordered for demolition
By Emmeline Chan and Audrey Herrera
Sportsmen’s Lodge, a historic Studio City hotel built in the 1880s and the centerpiece of the Sportsmen’s Lodge shopping plaza, is set to begin renovations in 2025. The new layout will include 520 apartment units, 78 of which are reserved for low-income tenants and 45,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Store employees have raised concerns that the four-year construction plan, led by Midwood Development, will disrupt business by causing temporary closures and increased traffic.
Evan Kim ’27 said the Sportsmen’s Lodge plaza is an
ideal place for her to spend time during and after school, and that the temporary closure would negatively affect her.
“I would probably be upset, because it would be the loss of a super convenient place, not only for hanging out but also just studying or spending time,” Kim said.
Erewhon, a high-end grocery store and one of the largest businesses at Sportsmen’s Lodge, filed a lawsuit against the city and Midwood Development to prevent the construction, according to the Los Angeles Times. Their concerns included the preservation of the historic hotel, the height of the new building and the environmental impact of the project. The Los Angeles (LA)
City Council voted 13-1 to deny the appeal, allowing the construction to begin. Erewhon’s parent company has since filed an appeal in the LA Superior Court.
Ryder Katz ’25, who frequently visits the shopping complex, said he would be upset if Sportsmen’s Lodge temporarily closed, given his senior lunch privileges.
“I’d be disappointed to hear that Sportsmen’s Lodge is closing,” Katz stated. “I really enjoy being able to go [to Sportsmen’s Lodge] after school or practice with friends.”
Employees at local businesses have also expressed concern with potential inconveniences such as limited parking, increased traffic and noise.
Fred Segal closes, Alo shop opens
By Colin Ho and Yuna Jeon
Fred Segal closed its Sportsmen’s Lodge location in early July and will be replaced by sportswear and yoga brand Alo, which is set to open this fall. At its peak, Fred Segal had nine locations in California, in addition to stores in Switzerland, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia. However, as of August 2024, Fred Segal closed all of its remaining locations.
Pearl Gatins ’25 said she often went into Fred Segal but never purchased anything.
“I did go to the [Fred Segal] at Sportsmen’s Lodge,” Gatins said. “I would mostly just try on the sunglasses. I thought it was a great store and it’s sad that they are closing. I mostly shopped at the West Hollywood location, and it was one
of my favorite stores. They always had unique pieces, and it’s hard to see such a retail staple close for good.”
Summer Park ’27 said she enjoys shopping at Alo for dance clothes and suspects that she will be a frequent customer at the new location.
“I’m very excited for the new Alo store to open because I love shopping there, but there’s never been one close to campus,” Park said. “I may need to go and restock on some dance essentials now that I’m going to be at the upper school.”
Raquel Moradi ’26 said she predicts Alo will be more successful than Fred Segal because it is geared towards a younger customer base.
“I feel like Alo will be more popular among students because of their cute and trendy items rather than Fred Segal
which targets an older demographic,” Moradi said. “Most of my friends never went to Fred Segal because it wasn’t a store we felt drawn towards.”
Zarah Colmenares-Cifuentes ’26 said she hopes Sportsmen’s Lodge will open more fast food restaurants so there are more options for students hoping to go off campus for a quick bite.
“I feel indifferent about it, as I never really shopped there and I don’t even know what they sold there,” Colmenares-Cifuentes said. “Since it’s right near school I honestly feel like Sportsmen’s Lodge should open better restaurants that are accessible for students to go there during their lunch periods. Hopefully they open a fast food restaurant, so seniors can get food and get back to campus quickly.”
Though construction details have not been released, many shops fear that their businesses will be impacted and as a result, their customer count.
Barber, who declined to give a last name, works at Tuesday’s Sweet Shoppe, a candy store. Barber said the hotel construction might affect the number of shopper and hence the store’s customers.
“People see this shop and come in on a whim,” Barber stated in the interview. “So with less people and less foot traffic, the demolition will definitely affect the business.”
Rolling Greens Senior Sales Associate Nick, who declined to give a last name, said he was also concerned about the development and potential issues
with transportation.
“Residents are fighting because they don’t want a highrise here,” Nick said. “Also, the parking lot is already a mess, so construction taking away even more parking would be a serious issue.”
Reformation Sales Supervisor Reeve, who declined to give a last name, said Sportsmen’s Lodge has important historical significance and fears the construction will decrease the hotel’s business.
“The Sportsmen’s Lodge hotel is an iconic historical landmark, and it would be sad to destroy it,” Reeve said. “We would probably close temporarily, and the demolition of the hotel would absolutely affect business and jobs. ”
NEW OPENINGS: In Sportsmen’s Lodge, Alo, a yoga and ftness apparel store, will open this fall in place of Fred Segal, a LA-based fashion store.
DIGITAL TRAILS
TRACING TRACKS
By A
O n a S a t u r d a y m o r n i n g , L i l a W i m -
b i s h ’ 2 6 w a k e s u p, g r a b s h e r p h o n e
a n d o p en s h e r m o s t u s e d a p p, I n s t ag r a m . B u t a m i d t h e u s u a l p o s t s , s h e a l s o s e e s p i c t u r e s o f s t u d ent s h o l d i n g
r e d c u p s w it h g l a s s b o t t l e s f i l l e d w it h a l c o h o l d i r e c t l y b e h i n d t h e m . A s en s e o f u n c e r t a i nt y m a k e s h e r p a u s e a n d c l o s e o u t o f t h e a p p. S h e i s l e f t w it h a f e e l i n g o f s e c o n d h a n d e m b a r r a s s m ent
a t t h e r e c k l e s s n e s s o f t h ei r a c t i o n s
D e s p it e i n c i d ent s l i k e t h i s , W i m b i s h s a i d s h e enj o y s p o s t i n g o n h e r s o c i a l m e d i a a c c o u nt s y e t i s aw a r e o f t h e r e s p o n s i b i l it y it
c o m e s w it h
“A s s o m e o n e w h o u s e s s o c i a l m e d i a a l o t a c r o s s a l l p l a t f o r m s , I l o v e t o p o s t a n d h a v e f u n o n t h e a p p s , ” Wi m bi s h s a id . “How e ve r, I
u nd e r s t a nd t he i mp or t a nc e of
b ei n g c a r e f u l, a s t he i nt e r ne t i s f or e ve r, a nd one m i s t a k e
c a n je op a rd i z e y ou r f ut u r e a t a
l e g e “I h
Students and faculty weigh in on how social media and having a digital footprint can afect individuals in their future endeavors.
s c ho ol or g e t t i n g a jo b ” A 2 0 2 3 s u r v e y b y K a p l a n Te s t P r e p s h o w e d t h a t 67 % o f c o l l e g e a d m i s s i o n s o f f i c e r s b e l i e v e l o o k i n g i nt o a p p l ic a nt s ’ s o c i a l m e d i a a c t iv it y i s “ f a i r g a m e”; h o w e v e r, 33% v i e w it a s a n i n v a s i o n o f p r iv a c y Up p e r S c h o o l D e a n S a r a h M i l l e r s a i d b e c a u s e o f t h e nu m b e r o f a pp l i c a nt s a t h i g h l y s e l e c t iv e s c h o o l s , a d m i s s i o n s o f f i c e r s a r e l i m it e d i n h o w mu c h t i m e t h e y c a n s p en d l o o k i n g a t
a n a p p l i c a nt ’s d i g it a l p r e s en c e
“M a k i n g t hei r w a y t h r ou g h t he
ent i r e t y of a C om mon A ppl ic a t ion, t e a c he r r e c om mend a t ion s a nd c ou n s e l-
or r e c om mend a t ion s , p e r s on a l s t a t ement s , s upple ment a l e s s a y s , t r a n s c r ipt s ,
s t a nd a rd i z e d t e s t s a nd A P s c or e s m i g ht
a d d up t o 15 t o 2 0 m i nut e s [a nd ] i s no s m a l l t a s k ,” s a id M i l le r. “For mo s t a d m i s s ion o fc e r s a nd c ol le g e s , t he r e s i mpl y i s n ’ t t he t i me t o f nd a nd p e r-
h a p s d r a w c onc lu s ion s a b out y ou b a s e d on y i l m d i ” i s l h a s he a rd i n
d m i s s ion o fc e r s a r e t a s k e d w it h f nd i n g i nd iv idu a l s w ho w i l l s t r en g t hen c om mu n it ie s , e x h ibit e mp a t hy, s ou nd ju d gment a nd a g enu i ne r e s p e c t f or a l l i nd iv idu a l s ” On l i ne pre s ent at ion i s e s-
p e ci a l ly i mp or t a nt for at h le te s
lo ok i n g to b e re cr u ite d , a c c ordi n g to t he Nat ion a l C ol le g e S c out i n g
A s so ci at ion. A t M a rque t te Un iver sit y,
a l a cro s s e re cr u it lo s t t hei r sc hol a r sh ip
b e c au s e t he y m a de of en sive c om ment s a b out G e or g e Floyd ’s de at h. A C or-
ne l l fo otba l l re cr u it h a d h i s a d m i s sion
re vok e d a f ter a Sn ap c h at p o s t show i n g
h i m u si n g a r a ci s t slu r went v i r a l, a c-
c ord i n g to Te Ne w York Ti me s
B a r r o n L i n n e k en s ’ 2 6 , w h o p l a y s
v a r s it y b as k e t b a l l , s ai d m ai nt ai n i n g
a s t r o n g o n l i n e i m a g e i s i m p o r t a nt
b e c a u s e it i s a c o a c h ’s f i r s t i m p r e s s i o n
o f a p l a y e r “ You r so ci a l me d i a pre s enc e c a n b e
b ot h a g re at t h i n g a nd a ter r ible t h i n g a s f a r a s c ol le g e re cr u it i n g g o e s ,” L i n ne k en s
s a id . “C ol le g e s lo ok at you r so ci a l me d i a
lon g b e fore t he y e ver re a c h out to you to
s e e t he k i nd of p er son you a re. I a lw ay s
m a k e su re t h at t he t h i n g s I p o s t s t ay
t r ue to my va lue s a nd a c c u r ate ly repre -
s ent me not on ly a s a n at h le te but a l so a p er son a s a w hole ” M a S i l lw l l ’2 6 ho pl ay s va r siy c om m it te d iver sit y, s a id ok e d at her t h rou g hout it ment
A l o t o f c o l l e g e a c he s “ f olw e d m y I n sg r a m d u r i n g
a s a p
s o n e a f f e c t e d
m e w h en t h e y
o a d d s t e r. I d o n ’ t g h i g h l i g ht s n I n s t a g r a m a k f o r t h e it i n g pr o c e s s , t I k now t h a t it
de f n ite l y he lp
i n g c o a c he s t o c e y ou .”
L a u r y n L ewi s , a not her e yba l l player
o com m it ted to e Universit y of ns ylva nia, sa id
e wa s a lso m indf what she put
on socia l med ia du ring her recr u it ment “C o a c he s of t en r e l y on y ou r s o c i a l
me d i a t o g e t a g l i mp s e of t he t y p e of p e r s on y ou a r e a s id e f r om ju s t b ei n g a n a t h le t e ,” L e w i s s a id . “D u r i n g my r ec r u it i n g pr o c e s s , I he a v i l y c on s id e r e d how I put my s e l f out t he r e a s a p e r s on
b e c a u s e I ’ m not on l y r e pr e s ent i n g mys e l f but t he p e ople a r ou nd me a s w e l l.
T e i m a g e t h a t I put on my s e l f r e f e c t s on t he i mp or t a nt a s p e c t s of my l i f e
s u c h a s my s c ho ol, c lu b a nd
my f a m i l y. ” Upper School Dean Jamie Chan said she advises students to be careful and aware of what they choose to put online about themselves and to consider that once information is posted on the internet, it is permanent
“I n g ene ra l, s t u d ent s s hou ld a l w a y s b e m i nd f u l of w h a t t he y de c ide t o p o s t on s o c i a l me -
d i a pl a t f or m s be c a u se t he y ne ve r k now w ho w i l l b e lo ok i n g or w ho
wi l l s t um ble
a c r o s s t h e i r i n f or m a t i o n, ”
C h a n sa i d.
“ F ut u r e e mp l oy-
e r s , f r en e m i e s a n d c o l l e g e a d m i s s i o n
o f f i c e r s c o u l d u s e t h e i n f o f o r p o s it iv e
o r n e g a t iv e r e a s o n s . It ’s h a r d e r t o b e a
t e en a g e r n o w a d a y s t h a n it w a s w h en I w a s a t e en a g e r b e c a u s e s o c i a l m e d i a i s e v e r y w h e r e , a n d e v en
t h e s m a l l e s t o f m i st a k e s c o u l d en d u p o n t h e i nt e r n e t a n d f o l l o w s o m e o n e f o r a
l o n g t i m e .”
I n o n e c a s e , t en
p r o s p e c t i ve H a r v a rd
“Even the smallest of mistakes could end up on the internet and follow someone for a long time.”
s t u d ent s h a d t h ei r a c ce p ta n ce s r e s c i n d e d a f ter s h a r i n g s e x u a l l y e x p l i c it a n d r a c i s t m e m e s i n a p r iv a t e F a c eb o o k g r o u p i n 2 017, a c c o r d i n g t o T h e H a r v a r d Cr i ms o n . T h e r e w e r e a l s o s e v e r a l i n s t a n c e s o f c o l l e g e s r e v o k i n g a d m i s s i o n s d u e t o o f f en s iv e s o c i a l m e d i a a c t iv it y, i n -
— Jamie Chan
Upper School Dean
c l u d i n g a h i g h s c h o o l h o n o r s s t u d ent
w h o s e a d m i s s i o n w a s r e v o k e d b y t h e Un iv e r s it y o f Fl o r i d a f o r a r a c i s t I n s t a g r a m p o s t a n d a 2 019 c a s e w h e r e
H a r v a r d r e v o k e d a n i n c o m i n g s t ud ent ’ s a d m i s s i o n a f t e r t w o -y e a r- o l d
s c r e en s h o t s s h o w e d h i m r e p e a t e d l y
u s i n g t h e N - w o r d , a c c o r d i n g t o T h e
N e w Yo r k Ti m e s Te a dd it ion of a r t i fci a l i nte l l i g enc e
a dd s a l ayer of u nc er t a i nt y to a n i nd i-
v idu a l ’s d i g it a l fo ot pr i nt b e c au s e of it s a bi l it y to m a n ipu l ate i m a g e s
In Febr u a r y, fve eig ht h g rade st udent s were e xpel led at Be verly Vist a Midd le School for u sing t he fac e s of si x teen of t heir peers to generate nude pict u re s u sing A I a nd sha re t hem t h rou g h me ssa ging apps, ac cord ing to t he L os A ngele s Time s M i lo Me s s i n g e r ’ 25 s a id u s i n g t
e c i s
PASSION vS. PRESSURE
The school community reflects on the culture and impacts of tailoring student narratives to appeal to college admissions.
By Hailey Kramar and Erin Ryu
Dripping in sweat with multiple bags in hand, Sarah Parmet ’25 rushes up the stairs to Rugby Auditorium after her cheer practice, barely making it in time for rehearsal for the upcoming musical. Her vision is spotted from the fluorescent lights, aggravating her pounding headache. Exhausted from cheer practice and gasping for breath, she repeatedly struggles to remember her lines, slowly irritating her peers.
During a break after a rough run-
are no longer doing activities that they love and are solely focused on getting into college, students get more overwhelmed, have increased anxiety and feel miserable in school. I always encourage students to do things that will bring them joy.”
Parmet said participating in an excessive number of extracurriculars during the school year was overwhelming and hindered her overall academic performance.
year, I picked cheer, and I do think I made the right choice. I can’t do everything, but there are times when I watch the theater productions, and I think, ‘Oh, that would have been really fun to be in,’ especially looking at this year’s shows.”
Upper School Dean Sarah Miller said though students may be inclined to take on numerous activities for college, she encourages students to pursue extracurriculars of genuine interest.
“As deans, we try to help students remember that quality over quantity is something colleges recognize,” Miller said. “All colleges understand you’re not the best at your school or doing anything at a super high level in 10 diferent areas. When stu dents try to force themselves into certain boxes in a large number of activities, col leges see through that. It’s okay to be involved in something that you’re not at the top of the leadership for.”
Upper School Counselor Brittany Bronson said when students drop out of extracurricular activities, it can take a toll on their mental health.
“What I’ve wit nessed is an increase in burnout from students who engage in this way,” Bronson said. “Because they
“I was juggling too much and then was forced to drop something as a side efect,” Parmet said. “You think it will appeal to colleges, and then realize you can’t dedicate the proper time. It’s not being able to progress because you’re spread
Students who try to appeal to colleges with certain activities are called ‘pointed students,’ according to InGeniusPrep. These individuals seek to gain an advantage by constantly tailoring their application to one subject to appear as a strong candidate, leading students to overload on several extracurriculars they are indifferent about.
Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said students believe narrowing in on one area is the best way to present oneself in college admissions.
“Back when I was applying to college, there was so much more talk about being well-rounded, and now it’s all about fnding your passion,” Slattery said. “We need to start talking more about the fact that it’s fne to be well-rounded and not angular. Te pendulum has swung.”
Students are also pressured to shape their application based on their school curriculum. Though they may show interest in one area of study, they are recommend to pivot their application to appear as
was strongly advised to apply to college as a humanities major because the classes she took were more humanities-focused.
“Last year, I took a sports science class and ended up really enjoying the class, especially the sports medicine side to it,” Orwitz said. “I found myself considering the idea of becoming a sports medicine physician. After talking it over with my college counselor, I soon learned that it was unrealistic to pursue a STEM major since I don’t take high enough science or math courses to get into a STEM program. Since I take more humanity-based classes than STEM classes, we decided that it would be more beneficial to create the narrative that I’m interested in international relations or a language major.”
of a club volleyball team,” Eloise said. “I woke up at 3 a.m. just to drive there because I really loved it. I was encouraged by my coaches to keep pursuing it. When I entered Harvard-Westlake, my mom didn’t think I’d be good for volleyball, because it’s a very common sport, so colleges wouldn’t like it as much. She wanted me to do fencing instead, which is a more uncommon sport. Colleges like that better.”
We need to start talking more about the fact that it’s fne to be well-rounded and not angular.”
Beth Slattery Head of Upper School
Because Angela Ren ’26 participated in the school’s music program since middle school, she was urged by her parent to preserve continuity in her courses.
“I wanted to take the [Science of Psychology] class but I had to take that out because I’m taking Symphony, which I’m not excited to go back to,” Ren said. “I do want to change classes, but I can’t bring myself to tell my parents because they’ve heard that colleges want to see consistency.”
In addition to intentionally crafting academic profiles, students stop participating in certain activities because they believe those extracurriculars will not add to their application. Eloise* said that although she enjoyed playing a club sport, she was pressured into dropping it for one that would be more advantageous in the college application process.
“In elementary school, I was a part
Ella Graber ’25 said some students feel like it is unnecessary to continue their chosen sport because they don’t think they are going to be recruited.
“Some people quit extracurriculars because they didn’t feel like it fit their narrative,” Graber said. “[Another reason] is because the workload was cutting into it, especially with sports. A lot of people feel if they’re not going to get recruited, then there’s no point in doing it.”
Miller said the dean team encourages students to remain authentic on their college applications.
“Deans are always going to put your mental health and wellness at the forefront of these decisions above colleges,” Miller said. “There are times when you see students try to force themselves down a certain path because someone said it’s easier to get into college as one major, and then you can change your mind. Nothing feels worse as a dean than to see a student in front of you struggle to get through the path they’ve laid out for themselves because someone has convinced them this is the only way to get into college.”
*Name has been changed
FRACTURED
Students and faculty discuss the afects of ending friendships in high school and navigating growing apart from connections.
By Sienna Dall’Olmo
It is a Friday night and Siena Griswold ’26 is standing outside her best friend’s house. She lets herself inside, as she always does, excited to see her friend after months of missed calls and busy schedules. Griswold has been coming to this house for seven years — finding her way around isn’t difficult. She searches the entire house before her friend calls to tell her that she has ditched their plans for a party across town. As she walks into the bedroom, she realizes how much the room has changed since they were kids. Griswold said that night helped her come to the realization that her friendship was not as strong as it used to be.
“It was a turning point for me, and I had registered that we had both grown so much since we were kids,” Griswold said. “We had been drifting for a while, and it got to the point where I couldn’t consider her one of my best friends anymore. I knew [our friendship] was over for a while, but I had been holding on to the friendship we had when we were 10.”
close friendships and 52% of other so cial connections, like acquaintances or coworkers, fade after seven years, according to Forbes. Friendships can end for many reasons like moving cities, schools or having chang es of interest.
Griswold said that her best friend slowly became a neg ative example in her life.
“Our relationship had not only become a bad influence on me, but I also didn’t feel like I could be myself around her anymore,” Griswold said. “It was really hard for me to tell her I felt like our friendship was over because we had been through so much together. Part of us both knew that we had been drifting apart because I had told her I was unhappy in the past, but I didn’t have it in me to tell her I didn’t want to be friends anymore plainly.”
A “friendship breakup” is the dissolving or decline of a close relationship with a friend, according to Forbes. They can be sudden or gradually occur over time. While less covered by media than romantic breakups, friendship breakups can be emotional and hard to navigate. As many as 70% of
Like Griswold, many people find the confrontation of end ing a friendship to be the most dif ficult part. 39% of people reported being ghosted by a friend, according to a study by The New York Times.
“Ghosting” is the sudden ending of all contact and communication with another individual without any warning or clarification, accord ing to Merriam-Webster. Ending friendships through ghosting can often create even
ery activity together for as long as I can remember,” Varese said. “We were inseparable. When we got to high school, we were put in different classes, and she suddenly stopped speaking to me all together. I never understood what made her do that, because she never told me what I had done wrong. It was a really hard time for me. I also felt cut of from the rest of my friend group, because they all just stopped talking to me without reason. I did not really have anyone to lean on because my best friend was gone.”
When friendships waver, it can be difcult to find a person to talk to, as many people would typically go to a friend when put in an emotionally challenging situation, according to Charlie Health. Friendship breakups can often create tension between mutual friendships as well. This strain can further separate a person from their other friendships and leave them without emotional support.
Upper School Counselor Michelle Bracken said students frequently visit her when dealing with stressful situations involving friends.
“I often talk with students about friends and social issues,” Bracken said. “I help the student recognize that friendships change a lot during high school and talk
L. Wood
Allison Firtel ’27
Friendships
role is just to listen and support the student in their emotions surrounding their grief.”
Bracken said the best way to cope when dealing with a friendship breakup is to recognize what went wrong in the relationship.
“Loneliness is a real emotion that many young people struggle with,” Bracken said. “When you are feeling lonely, it is hard to see that there is a way to fnd your people. I try to brainstorm and fnd ways to make connections, rebuild friendships and look for opportunities to fnd people who like similar activities. It is hard to move from the comfort of friendships that have gone badly [to] putting yourself out there and making new friends. I try to help students focus on how they can improve their own qualities and learn from their previous relationships and what not to do [in the future].”
Friendship breakups are an extremely common phenomenon, especially during major changes in life, according to Vogue. Finding people to confde in is an important part of moving on and can help with navigating the challenges that going through a breakup may entail, according to the magazine Elle.
Many friendships tend to fade out when the individuals turn 25 because of jobs and other responsibilities, according to Vogue. Tis is a result of
common reason is that someone says or does something that is hurtful. For example, one member of a friend group invites everyone [except] one of the members of the group, and no one says anything. Tat person doesn’t always know why they weren’t included. Sometimes there are big events, like a verbal disagreement, and friends just stop talking to each other.”
Female and male friendships can difer greatly in the way the individuals interact with each other and show their appreciation toward one another. Female friendships are more likely to be dependent on communication and deeper emotional investments while male friendships are typically based on shared interests and activities, according to Psychology Today.
Female friendships rely heavily on vulnerability and honesty. Women have been found to communicate more frequently and honestly about their feelings with friends than men, according to the Institute for Family Studies. Conversely, men found it more uncomfortable to talk about their emotions with their friends. It is more likely that men will partake in activities together than engage in heartfelt discussions. Tis shared interest in certain activities can help facilitate similar mindsets and paths of growth, leading to less emotionally complicated friendships.
Ryder Katz ’25 said he has multiple friendships that have lasted for over eight years and is able to maintain a close relationship with friends who at-
“I have had a few friendships that have lasted since kindergarten,” Katz said. “ A couple [of them] still go to Harvard-Westlake, so I am very close with them and there are also some that I see every few months. [We have still] stayed in contact over the past years. What has made these friendships so strong is probably the fact that over time you just become more comfortable [with each other]. With a newer friend, you’re hesitant about some things and don’t [feel comfortable] showing Katz said that he and his friends often arrange activities to center plans around and that he rarely engages in emotional conversations with friends or peers.
“Sometimes there’s a structured activity and sometimes not,” Katz said. “Recently, my friends and I have been golfng, playing poker and cooking steaks. Tose have been fun and defnitely aregether. My friends and I never really havetions. If we do at all,
“Te degree to which people tend to share their emotions with each other is higher in friendships than in relationships, according to Te Advocate. Tis level of emotional intensity can result in the aftermath of friendship breakups to be very challenging.
Varese said her breakup with her friend was more difcult for her to get over than a romantic breakup because she never thought her best friend was capable of ignoring her.
“Tis experience was harder for me than any actual breakup because it’s harder to approach why things went wrong in the frst place with friends,” Varese said. “You expect for things to go wrong with relationships because your high school relationships aren’t necessarily meant to last forever. With friends, you go into the friendship expecting it to last forever. It can be really hard to come to terms with.”
Contrasting with Varese, Allison Firtel ’27 said her experience with friendship breakups have been less challenging than her experience with relationship breakups because the bonds she had with friends felt less intense.
When you are feeling lonely it is hard to see that there is a way to fnd your people.”
Palisades Highchael Conner ’25 said he is able to maintain close friendships with friends even after transferring to a diferent school by making time to see each other often.
Michelle Bracken
Upper School Counselor
“I would say I kept such strong connections with my friends by being present during hangouts on weekends, breaks, and in the summer,” Conner said. “Te more memories you create with people the better friends you become so I just look to create as many memories as I can with the time I have with them.”
Males are less likely to feel a strong need for intimate discussions with friends or to talk through difficult lifestyle changes among each other, according to Psychology Today. This lack of emotional intimacy can potentially result in males feeling more secure in relationships even while going long periods of time without talking to or seeing one another, according to Psychology Today.
Conner said he and his friends hardly ever discuss their emotions with each other because none of them have ever felt the need to talk about emotional issues.
“My friends and I don’t really talk about emotions with each other,” Conner said. “If one of my friends approached me to talk about their emotions, I would be happy to help, but it just doesn’t seem like it is a thi ng we do. It is probably just to ft the societal norm that guys shouldn’t talk about [their] feelings and should just tough it out. I would say I feel comfortable talking about anything with my best friends. It just doesn’t really come up.”
“To me, relationship breakups are much more difcult emotionally,” Firtel said. “A romantic relationship is on a diferent level because you create a closer bond in comparison to a typical friendship. It is more common for me to still have the thought of wanting to be friends [after a] friendship breakup. With a relationship break up, I wouldn’t want a relationship with that same person again, and depending on the way things ended, I wouldn’t necessarily want to have a friendship either.”
Firtel said friendship breakups don’t have to end with animosity between the people involved and are a natural part of getting older.
“[My] friendship ending was not really a breakup but was simply diverging to part ways,” Firtel said. “I peacefully talked to my close friend and my mom about it. I feel like friendships ending are pretty common. When people get older, they develop changes in [their] personalities, wants and needs. I haven’t experienced a friendship breakup to the lengths of never speaking again or having any sort of bad blood.”
Michaela Williams ’26 said she experienced a friendship breakup without any bad feelings toward the other person but just needed space from them to grow after being put into a new environment.
“This breakup was more for myself than any kind of [argument] between us,” Williams said. “I just needed to grow, and it required me to go through different things in order to get there. The ending of our friendship wasn’t definitive, as we do talk through social media sometimes. [I think] it was also important for her to grow too, and it’s okay to rekindle friendships after everyone has matured and found their own people as well.”
Choosing with Caution
Members of the school community discuss choosing colleges following recent antisemitic attacks on college campuses across the country.
By Lydia Gugsa
Maya Leibzon ’25 stared at her parents in disbelief — they had just told her about the recent antisemitic messages that had been found written at college campuses across the country amid protests and encampments. A million questions raced through her mind, but mostly she felt a paralyzing fear. Leibzon, whose sister went through the college process this past year, said the protests and campus antisemitism at college campuses have made her more wary about where she is applying.
“My parents and sister were concerned when she was applying,” Leibzon said. “I definitely am concerned, but hopefully, everything will calm down over the next year so by the time I get there, it will be fine.”
In March, protests regarding the Israel-Hamas War erupted on college campuses nationwide, but the protests gained national attention after April 17 when encampments emerged at Columbia University, according to bestcolleges.com. Across the nation, over 140 colleges and universities watched these protests take place.
students will be concerned about their safety. They [are] going to have to carefully reevaluate what kind of space they put themselves into.”
64% of Jewish high school students have eliminated schools they would have otherwise wanted to attend based on rising antisemitism since the attacks last fast, according to Hillel's website.
Charlotte Newman ’24, former co-leader of Jewish Club graduated last year in the spring and now attends Harvard University. Newman said how colleges handled antisemitic incidents and protests on campus impacted where she decided to apply in regular decision.
“There were schools that I decided not to apply to because of how antisemitism was being handled,” Newman said. “I ended up at Harvard, which was not famous for doing great stuff for their Jewish students. Still, I had already been looking for schools that had strong bonds and Hillels, and if a school didn t have any of those, I was already on the fence about it.”
Newman said she decided to apply to Harvard after reaching out to alumni who were already attending the schools she had been considering.
to Jewish students’ college and decision-making processes.
“What I’ve gotten from my relationship with parents that are going through these experiences is that there is an awareness that Jewish students do feel anxiety regarding their fears about antisemitism on a particular campus,” Rapaport said. “They have to re-evaluate or use a new lens with which to look at colleges in terms of their decision-making processes for where to apply and what kind of campus they want to be part of. Specifically within college campuses, I think that students are having to really integrate a new way of thinking about what is the right decision for them in a way that Jewish-American students haven’t had to do for a very long time.”
“
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement on the ADL website that colleges need to recognize antisemitism students are experiencing on their campuses.
“Because I was Jewish Club leader for three years, it was something that couldn’t be taken out of my application,” Newman said. “I couldn’t erase being Jewish from my file. Because you don’t have to report your race, you don’t necessarily have to include that you’re Jewish in a college application, but for me it was my main leadership position. I’m really passionate about it, and it wasn’t something that I could just take out of my application. I do feel that’s how I am now. I can’t imagine going to college and not participating in Jewish life.”
Similarly, Leibzon said she wants to strenghten her relationship with religion while in college, and considers the Jewish community at schools she is planning on applying to.
There were schools that I decided not to apply to because of how antisemitism was being handled."
Charlotte Newman ’24
Leibzon is not the only student with these concerns. Hillel International, a Jewish organization that serves more than 850 colleges around the world, reported in a survey that 93% of Jewish families are closely following the increase of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents on campus since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Hillel International has recorded more than 1,200 antisemitic incidents on college campuses over that period, a nearly tenfold increase compared to the same period last year before the attacks on Israel.
Upper School Coordinator of Jewish Life and Community En
“Because the Harvard-Westlake network is so strong, at every school I visited, I tried to reach out to Jewish kids I knew,” Newman said. “Even if I had reached out to people I didn t know, or that I knew they went to a certain school, I just talked to them about their experiences.”
Jewish Club Co-President Edward Ward ’25 said the strength of the Jewish community on campus has informed the way he goes about his college application process.
“When I’ve gone to look at colleges, I’ve looked for the presence of Jewish campus organizations like Hillel and tried to speak with stu
“Jewish students are experiencing a wave of antisemitism unlike anything seen before, but shockingly, non-Jewish students barely see it,” Greenblatt said. “Since the Oct. 7 massacre, Jewish students feel increasingly threatened on campus, but college leaders are not doing enough to address a very real fear of antisemitism.”
Ward said he tries to be as open-minded as possible when looking at schools that have struggled with protests.
“I’ve been looking in particular at schools that managed the protests fairly and have a strong commitment to free speech for everyone regardless of their beliefs,” Ward said. “It might be a bit naive, but I do believe that through dialogue it is possible
“I feel really connected to my Jewish identity, and my older sister who’s at Berkeley and part of the Hillel found a lot of nice Jewish people that she’s now really close to,” Leibzon said. “I want to experience the same. I want to be connected to who I am and find people who believe in the same things and are connected to Israel in the same way I am.”
Newman said many Jewish students will approach college applications with increased caution, potentially leading to a rise in applications to public universities.
“It will impact people probably to some extent, but no one’s going to stop applying to Harvard, Stanford, Yale or even Columbia, which had it the worst, probably,” Newman said. “Jewish students might choose to apply to big state schools because it feels like a safer environment. Places like Michigan, Wisconsin and even UMiami are all going up in the ranks [in terms of prestige] and already have
L. Wood Maya Leibzon ’25
Backing The Ballot
Students and faculty discuss the importance of youth being involved in politics and how those eligible should inform themselves before voting.
By Kayla Graff and Colin Ho
In less than three months, Avery Kim ’25 will look down to see his 2024 presidential ballot. After completing the registration process and reading the news daily for campaign updates, the moment will come where he must make a choice and cast his frst vote. Te many hours he has spent researching each candidate’s campaign and policies will fnally pay of as he marks the bubble next to his preferred candidate. Along with other members of the school community, Kim will stay up and watch as states like California and Indiana turn their familiar blue and red. He will watch as the last results from swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona come in.
Kim said he is politically knowledgeable because of his frequent consumption of Te Wall Street Journal and other digital news sites.
“I’ve always been a pretty avid reader of Te Wall Street Journal and occasionally online news articles, so I have a solid, though pretty general understanding of many of the main issues surrounding the election,” Kim said. “I do think I should do more research on specifc policies in the lead-up to the election.”
Kim said he is especially concerned about foreign policy, which plays a large role in his support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“Since I’ve always been interested in global events and super big-picture issues, I do believe each candidate’s foreign policy approach will play a huge role in my decision,” Kim said. “I would like the new president to maintain and strengthen the security commitments the US maintains throughout the world, especially in Europe and Asia. Specifcally, I think that they should be steadfast in their political and military support for Ukraine, especially at a time when isolationism is rearing itself back into the American consciousness. As of right now, I’m pretty squarely in support of Harris and Walz.”
Laura Brill (Ben Brill ’21) is the CEO and founder of Te Civics Center, a nonproft organization focused on increasing voter registration for high school students. She said there are other important ballot races besides the presidential election.
“Tis November, Adam Schif’s former congressional seat is open in Burbank,” Brill said. “Protection for marriage equality and other important measures will be on the ballot statewide.”
Seth O’Brien ’25 said he is mostly concerned with local politics such as the District Attorney election because he feels his presidential vote will not make a diference.
“Te most important issue for me in this election is the LA County district attorney race,” O’Brien said. “I am not satisfed with the way our current district attorney has approached crime throughout his term, and his opponent Nathan Hochman promises a more harsh stance on crime. I obviously care about the presidential race, but with the electoral college and being from California, my vote in that is less important.”
Te campaigns of both Harris and former President Donald Trump are trying to appeal broadly to young voters through social media. Tis year, both major candidates have been advertising heavily on platforms like TikTok in an efort to reach young people, according to MPR News. Notably, the Harris campaign’s “Kamala HQ” TikTok account has accumulated around 3.8 million followers. Te account posts trendy videos describing Harris as a “femininomenon,” referencing a popular song by artist Chappell Roan. At her rallies, Harris hosted Megan Tee Stallion and Quavo, celebrities who are especially popular with young people, according to Te Print Newspaper. Trump’s campaign also created a TikTok account which amassed around 10.5 million followers.
Te account posted a video of Trump dancing with social media star Adin Ross and other clips with popular infu-
encer and boxer Logan Paul. Alexa Liu ’25, who plans to vote this year, said social media posts about politics can make voting more appealing to young people, but they can also weaken a politician’s image.
“Media plays a huge role in shaping young and older voters,” Liu said. “A lot of the memes and jokes make [voting] more palatable to younger audiences who may have less experience with politics, but they can sometimes breed an image that ultimately undermines candidates’ authority, something that is important for a president to have on the domestic and international stage.”
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Kim said he has not been swayed by social media advertising from Harris or Trump, though he said he fnds their campaigns interesting.
ter Sheehy said it is important to get news from reliable sources and think critically about potentially biased outlets.
“I’m a pretty careful consumer of news,” Sheehy said. “I look at a variety of sources, and I don’t look at news through social media. I go directly to sources like The New York Times, The Washington Post [and] the The Wall Street Journal, but even those are is being framed in a particular way that one has to be mindful of.”
Sheehy said young people should cast their votes in the fall.
I would love to see everyone vote. Our voting turnout rates are extremely low in the United States, particularly among youth.”
“Neither Harris’ or Trump’s campaign advertising strategies alone have particularly attracted me,” Kim said. “I do really find the increasing prominence of social media and ‘trendy’-type advertising such as Harris’ campaign and Trump meeting with Adin Ross to be a particularly interesting and important development for future elections.”
Young voters are getting more election information from social media than ever before. 48% of US adults under 30 say they get most of their political information from social media, according to Pew Research Center. However, just a quarter of people in this age group intentionally seek out information about the election; the remaining three-quarters only receive election information when they happen to come across it. Recent polls indicate that Harris leads Trump 57% to 29% among voters under 30, according to the Pew Research Center.
Liu said she uses both traditional news outlets as well as news-focused social media to obtain election information.
“I have been reading up on the diferent candidates’ policies and have been somewhat keeping up with the national news,” Liu said. “I get my news and political information from mainly news channels such as KTLA, NBC, AP News and also TikTok.”
History teacher Pe -
Peter Sheehy History Teacher
“I would love to see everyone vote” Sheehy said. “Our voting turnout rates are extremely low in the United States, particularly among youth. I think that’s unfortunate, and I understand why a lot of youth feel unexcited or disenchanted by the system, but I don’t think sitting on the sidelines is the best solution to that.”
Brill said it is important for young people to use their voices and participate in the upcoming election.
“Democracy works best when everyone participates,” Brill said. “Young people have a stake in the future on issues from climate change to mental health and more. We can’t make efective policies when young people aren’t part of the story.”
Avery Kim ’25
Tire Pressure
Members of the school community discuss the culture surrounding driving at the school and the pressure on students to own a car and drive.
By James Corman
As Marlo Beckman ’25 saw her older brother return from a driving lesson, laughing with joy, she felt her heart beat faster, accelerating with the excitement of getting a driver’s license of her own one day. She took a deep breath and decided that she would get behind the wheel as soon as she was old enough to learn. Beckman said that after seeing how much fun her brother was having, she wanted to feel the joy and experience the same feeling that her brother did.
“I inherited my brother’s old car, and I wanted to also inherit the skills of driving with my dad,” Beckman said. “I wanted to experience learning how to drive and have those memories.”
Driving is considered a teenage rite of passage, but for some students, the road to driving has many twists and turns, according to a 2013 study by the University of Michigan. Some students get their license but do not have access to a car or permission to drive. Tese students can feel the social pressure to drive and even own a car, especially at the Upper School, where a majority of students can and do own cars as soon as they are able.
get their license before 18, compared to 79% with family incomes of at least $100,000, according to Teen Driving by the Numbers.
About 20% of students at the school receive fnancial aid, according to the school’s website. Sophia Wong ’27 said some students who receive fnancial aid might be stigmatized due to the standard of car ownership at the school.
“It’s expected around HW for students to have their own cars, which really is testament to the amount of privilege we are surrounded by,” Wong said. “Tis creates a set of expectations around owning a car and creates an environment where people who don’t own their own cars can be looked down on or judged.”
Socioeconomic pressure, however, is not the only reason students feel the need to drive. Emma Tseng ’26 said that some students need transportation to activities that do not provide bus transportation. Tseng said her main reason she got a license and car is out of necessity.
nities ofered by Harvard-Westlake that people are only able to go to [if they drive], like going to a football game on a Friday night or a basketball game,” Beckman said. “I think people want the freedom to be able to drive themselves and not have to rely on some one else, or their par ents plans. Tere are certain scenarios where they want to attend events, but I wouldn’t say it’s a social thing.”
Beckman said that feelings of missing out on ex periences are usu ally not related to car ownership.
Math teacher Michael Mori, who has two kids that have been through the driving process, said that students may feel peer pressure to start driving once their friends do.
“Students feel social pressure to drive because if somebody does, then they all want to do the same thing,” Mori said.
Mori also said that non-driving students pressure their driving friends to drive for the free rides.
“It was important for me to be able to drive on my own because my parents both work,” Tseng said. “Now I can ease the burden of them by driving myself to see friends or to go to softball practice.”
Driver’s licenses can be obtained at age 16 in California and 40% of Americans aged 16 to 19 drive. Despite this, some parents do not allow their teens to drive until they are 18 or later because of safety concerns.
“Friends who can’t drive want their friends to drive so they can take them places,” Mori said. “Tere might be some pressure in terms of the carpooling and wanting rides.”
Nearly a quarter of 16-year-olds have their driver’s license and 60% of eighteen-year-olds have their license, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additionally, the mean cost for private driving instruction is $350, with some Los Angeles driving schools cost ing twice as much. 25% of adolescents with family incomes below $20,000
get,” Wormald said. “Hopefully that there’s not a competition among the students to have a nicer, more fancy car than someone else.”
“Tere are defnitely moments where [someone] might have fear of missing out, but I don’t think that’s directly tied to not owning a car,” Beckman said. “I know in my situation, we celebrate Shabbat at my house, so I’m not allowed to go out on Friday nights. I’m not allowed to stay at school for the football or basketball games. I sometimes feel like I’m missing out. But that has nothing to do with me not having a car.”
Lily Stobo ’26 does not yet drive, and feels little pressure to do so.
Mae Gad ’27 said his parents feel worried and unsure about him driving before age 18.
“We live in [Los Angeles] where the driving situation is much more dangerous than most other places,” Gad said.
Despite having to wait, Gad said social pressure to drive is not an issue.
“I don’t feel social pressure to start driving, but I defnitely feel the pressure to start because to get anywhere in LA and not being able to drive limits my autonomy,” Gad said.
Beckman said she decided to start driving because she wanted freedom and independence, not because of
“For parents, there are both concerns and benefts when a child gets driving privileges. No longer having to drive kids to and from school, activities and friends’ houses is a rite of passage for parents as much as driving is for teens. However, along with the release from parental driving duties comes concern for their child’s safety on the road, according to Lois Park (Lauren ’25), who said she was not eager for her daughter to begin driving.
Hopefully that there’s not a competition among the students to have a nicer, more fancy car than someone else.”
Ed Wormald
“I don’t really have much experience driving because I don’t have my permit or license but I’m 15% through Aceable. Other than from [one of my friends], I feel no pressure to start driving because I can Uber most places if I need to. Maybe other people feel pressure and I can understand why, especially if everyone else is driving.”
At the school, what students drive seems to matter just as much as their ability to drive, according to Plant Manager Ed Wormald. Wormald said he is worried about students competing against each other to own the nicest cars.
Wormald said there should be acknowledgement for having a car of any kind, regardless of its price tag
“I was in no hurry to help Lauren get her driver license at age 16, so I ignored her request for help in obtaining a learner’s permit,” Lois Park said. “She still figured it out, passed the knowledge test and practiced with a driving instructor. She would arrange the instructor to pick her up from school and drive home together to get accustomed to the route to and from school. She was scheduled to take the test at the Winnetka DMV, which is rumored to be a better DMV to take the driving test. She failed the test twice. I’ve never been so happy to see her fail at something. The extra few months of practice helped hone her skills and she finally passed on the third try.” Finally, Park said she accepted that driving was an inevitable milestone for her daughter. “Although I was nervous about her driving once she was 16, I accepted that this was part of growing up,” Park said. “Sure, she’s scratched a side mirror and hit a pole in a parking lot, but overall, she
L. Wood
Marlo Beckman ’25
Arts&Entertainment
the rise of brat summer
By Annabelle Cheung and Analeigh Nava
On a summer day in June, Sofa Giovine ’26 scrolled through her phone, the screen lighting up with a video to a sound that had been fooding her feed on TikTok. Te caption read “brat summer,” the beginning of a trend that would soon take over the summer of 2024.
But what does “Brat Summer” mean? A simple phrase typically stylized in all lowercase Arial font on a lime green background, brat summer has become the defning refrain of the 2024 summer.
Students discuss the trend “Brat Summer,” sparked by Charli XCX’s new album, “Brat,” and its infuence in social media aesthetics.
catapulted the artist to new heights, earning her frst number one on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and her highest rank on the Billboard 200 at number three. Te album sold 30,000 copies on vinyl and received 46.72 million on-demand ofcial streams of the deluxe edition, according to Billboard.
Te inspiration behind this lime green craze is Charli XCX’s hit album “Brat.” Since the album’s release June 7, the word “Brat” has seemingly appeared everywhere on social media including Tiktok and Instagram. Lime green quickly became the color of the summer, comparable to last year’s inescapable Barbie pink.
Te distinctiveness of the “Brat” album fueled its rapid rise in popularity. Giovine said “Brat” ofers a break from a majority of the top-charting music released recently.
“‘Brat’ is just diferent
Te dance routine to the song “Apple” quickly gained traction as one of the most viral TikTok trends of the summer, resulting in nearly 1.5 million videos. Charli XCX later released “Girl, So Confusing” featuring Lorde and “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish, further boosting her popularity on social media platforms.
“Brat Summer” took heavy inspiration from the 2000s Von Dutch party aesthetic — a street style combined with luxury fashion. Charli XCX is slowly reviving its popularity, while also adding a messy, carefree vibe to the aesthetic. Te energetic dance-pop album attracted the attention of many teens, and was quickly noticed as the new summer theme. Its essence is reminiscent of older looks and styles that took place in the 2000s.
Anika Nor
2010s,” Norton said. “I also think of the Cobra Snake who photographs lots of parties that ft the profle of brat summer. Te music is really reminiscent of the scene during indie sleaze and that tech pop vibe that was so big in clubs at the time.”
People on social media quick ly recognized the lime-green trademark and cool-girl style. Te style is the direct opposite of last year’s “clean girl” aesthet ic, which consisted of a min imalistic and efortless style. “Clean girl” was characterized by simple, elevated comfort able clothes, neutral colors and a “no-makeup” makeup look. In contrast the “brat” style is careless: grungy street style with heavy Y2K inspiration, accord ing to Vogue. In a BBC podcast, Charli XCX said the “Brat” es sentials consist of “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, a strappy white top with no bra.”
However, some people think the “messy cool-girl” look might be a little too messy. Madeleine Maze ’27 said the “Brat” trend is exciting but not ftting to her personal interests.
“To me, ‘Brat Summer’ is just the ability to have a hot girl summer,” Maze said. “I think it’s just overall empowering and it’s so fun. But I’m not a huge fan of the messy look.”
allows people to embrace an unrestricted version of themselves.
“Te ‘Brat Summer’ aesthetic counters the culture that has ruled social media for about 3
trends by making dances or the bright green background color with black text,” Colmenares said. “Now I don’t agree with it because to me, it’s getting repet
others engage in the antics.
“It’s another big thing that the internet blew up,” Hanasab said.
On the other hand, Finn Slootweg ’26, a self-proclaimed diehard “Brat” fan, said that the new style is more inclusive and helps people express themselves.
“I’ve never really identifed with the clean girl aesthetic because I’m not someone who cares about simplicity or looking presentable in a traditional sense,” Slootweg said. “I think the messy look is a really good thing for so many people. ‘Brat’ shows people that not all parts of their lives have to be perfectly presentable. Tey can be weird and more authentic.”
Slootweg said the main reason “Brat” has made such an impact on social media is due to the contrast between this year’s trend and other aesthetics.
“‘Brat Summer’ has made such an impact in social media because the color and text of ‘brat’ are so distinct,” Slootweg said. “Anyone can use them in a multitude of diferent ways and most people would still understand that it’s ‘Brat’. Te reason why the aesthetic surrounding the album has become so popular is mainly due to the fact that this trend is the ‘Clean Girl’ aesthetic’s fraternal twin.”
“Brat” ofers a new and exciting trend, especially from the opposing “clean” aesthetics. Slootweg said “Brat Summer”
“But honestly, I like to see other people enjoying themselves when they fnd a niche that they really ft into. I fnd the dances and ‘brat’ references so fun, even if it’s a silly trend because why not make a big deal out of something fun? Tese things bring everyone together and that’s all a part of pop culure.”
Holding a similar sentiment towards “Brat”, Ibrahim Wone ’25 said it gained popularity by chance, but appealed to people because of its uniqueness.
“‘Brat Summer,’ to me is just a social media trend that has gained traction recently,” Wone said.
““I guess the impact that it brought was probably just based on random chance because that’s kind of what social media is. What makes people like it is the fact that it goes outside of what most people would expect in terms of an aesthetic and movement.”
ing candid and happy.
Charli XCX’s “Brat” era connected people with the “Brat” identity, leading to a shared sense of ownership and personal connection to the concept. Maya Ray ’25 believes the fan interaction is one reason the new aesthetic became so beloved and popular.
‘Brat’ shows people that not all parts of life have to be perfectly presentable. They can be weird and more authentic.”
Finn Slootweg ’26
However, while popular right now, some believe “Brat” is a trend that will come and go just as others.
Zarah Colmenares ’26 said “Brat” will go away once the attention is put on other things.
“In the beginning of when brat summer was gaining its popularity, it was cool and funny to see how others were making
“I feel that the most memorable part of ‘Brat’ is the amount of fan engagement Charli XCX was able to get,” Ray said. “Charli XCX incorporated her extremely supportive fan base in her marketing. Trough social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, she was able to have people truly be a part of ‘Brat.’ Tat led many people to start using ‘Brat’ as an adjective to describe themselves and others.” In agreement with Charli’s sentiment on Instagram, Ray said “Brat” captures a mindset that people can embody, making them feel personally connected to the trend.
“She was able to form real connections in her audience’s mind because now they will always remember what ‘Brat’ meant to them,” Ray said. “How they had a ‘Brat Summer,” how they streamed the music and how they participated in the trends. ‘Brat’ is about everyone, and is everyone, and I feel that is the amazing and most memorable part about it.”
L. Wood Ibrahim Wone ’25
Saves of the Summer
Memoir of a Sparklemufn: Not too much sparkle
By Analeigh Nava
Suki Waterhouse’s pre-released songs of her upcoming album “Memoir of a Sparklemufn”, showcase her undeniable talent, but do not achieve their full potential. Waterhouse will release the second album of her music career Sept. 13. Out of the 18 tracks in the album, six have been pre-re leased: ‘Super sad,’ ‘Blackout Drunk,’ ‘Faded,’ ‘My Fun,’ ‘OMG’ and ‘To Love.’ Her lead single, ‘Supersad,’ which de buted two months ago, has 3.7 million plays on Spotify.
‘Supersad’ has an upbeat, retro melody, but it lacks the originality that has historically set Waterhouse apart from many other indie-pop artists. While Waterhouse maintains the indie-pop style, in this song
she moves away from the melancholy tones usually present in her songs. In an attempt to make the song feel chaotic, there is a layering of instruments, however it is excessive and makes the song feel cluttered and messy, diminishing the overall quality of the song. With the right tempo and a more organized set of instruments, ‘Supersad’ could have better. But ‘Supersad’ is not alone in it’s lack of instrumental creativity. ‘Blackout Drunk,’ while thematically similar to ‘Supersad,’ has a raw, aggressive sound.
The song is a missed opportunity to showcase the unique emotional depth Waterhouse is known for, making the song feel more generic and uninspired. Waterhouse’s soft, high-pitched voice usually pairs well with her emotional songs, balancing the loud, slow instruments. But in
‘Blackout Drunk’, the fast beats overshadow her vocals, making her gentle voice less pronounced. Waterhouse might be using this musical approach to increase her popularity. Other recent successful female artists — Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, for example — have been able to succeed with a more modern style of pop, which lean into themes of relationships and heartbreaks. But Waterhouse doesn’t succeed as well in using this new version of pop in her recent songs. Waterhouse’s most successful songs, ‘Good Looking’ and ‘Moves,’ are characterized by a dreamy and smooth melody that create a comfortable atmosphere. Tese tracks both have a mesmerizing vibe with Waterhouse’s complementing vocals. Te lyrics are particularly unique, especially in contrast with her recent album. For example, in ‘Good Looking,’ she uses phrases like ‘opium haze,’ ‘the skyline falls’ and ‘play casino halls on one of my eyeballs.’ Tese lyrics add to the graceful feeling of the song, where listeners can interpret and relate to the song in their own way.
In her new, pre-released song, ‘Blackout Drunk,’ however, she uses lyrics like “Tose girls were not your friends, I was right,”, “You ruin every night” and “You always start the fght.” Tese lyrics are more straightforward and cliché and limit the song’s emotional reach. Tey only apply to certain situations like cheating and toxic re lationships, which nar rows her audi ence and the the matic scope of her lyrics. It’s a disappointing shift from the poetic imagery that char acterized her earlier music. In the name itself, ‘Supersad’, is expected to sound sad, but the melody is almost the opposite of that. Te lyrics are unengaging, as they don’t build a narrative. Tey simply feel like words on paper instead of carefully constructed lyrics that Waterhouse once made possible. Even though the lyrics are
bleak, they still involve a sense of sorrow. However, the melody sounds cheerful — the inconsistent tone can make the song feel confusing or emotionally shallow. Although, the entire album hasn’t been released and can only be judged based of a few songs, it has a unique blend of genres and an overall intriguing concept. While Waterhouse can produce lively pop music, her voice and talent stand out most in her dream like, melancholic style, which highlights her ability to express deep emotion, a style that is noticeably absent on this album. “Memoir of a Sparklemufn” feels too diferent from what made her music special in the frst place. While it is still possible that the album can grow on listeners and attract a wider audience, it feels like a step in the wrong direction for an artist who has previously excelled in a diferent style of music.
Childish Gambino’s last album: Te fnal hurrah
By Zara Groves
Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, released his fifth and final album “Bando Stone and the New World” July 19. Glover has delivered an album that showcas es diverse genres, illustrating his evolution within his music career.
“Bando Stone and the New World” serves as a fitting farewell to fans created by one of the most creative and unique artists to ever enter the music industry. Glover has already established himself as a cultural icon, with projects that challenge societal norms and push artistic boundaries, and Bando and Stone and the New World is no exception. Tis album is poised to continue this legacy, ofering a fnal commentary on themes that have pervaded his work, from the complexities of race and identity to the pressures of success. Much like ‘Tis Is America,’ which became a cultural phenomenon for its bold political statement, this album refects the zeitgeist of the moment, addressing both personal and collective experiences in a way that only Glover can.
The album blends also all aspects of Glover’s previous work. It features introspective lyricism and raw emotion reminiscent of ‘Camp,’ the strong rap flows and production found in ‘Because the Internet,’ synthy pop tunes similar to ‘Kauai’ and funky R&B cuts that harken back to ‘Awaken, My Love!’
Glover has crafted a sound that is both eclectic and meticulously polished. Each track is layered with inventive beats, unexpected turns and intricate melodies that challenge conventional music norms.
‘In the Night,’ is a standout track. Te featured artists on the track, Jorja Smith and Amarree, excel in creating a mood and telling a story through heavier bass and fowy vocals. Te track relies on its warmer synths and a pulsating baseline to show a desire of forbidden love and a longing for someone new. Te repetition of “I can feel you in the night,” implies a deep emotional bond that goes beyond the physical realm and lingers in the thoughts of the singer. Te lyricism and vocal talent on the track to take it to another
level. Gambino’s rap abilities shine on ‘Yoshinoya’ and ‘Talk My Sh*t’ featuring Amaarae & Flo Milli, where he embraces and demonstrates classic rap elements his and lyrical prowess. In ‘Yoshinoya,’ Gambino delivers his verses slowly before shifting into a funkier vibe in the second half, with repetitive vocals and scatting that provide a captivating backdrop for Gambino’s rhymes. Gambino showcases his versatility on the track, seamlessly transitioning between different rapping styles.
‘Talk My Sh*t’, featuring Amaarae and Flo Milli, is fun and high energy, incorporating the individual fair of each artist. Although Amaarae’s verses are weaker on this track because the lyrics have less depth and are rather simplistic compared to Glover’s and Flo Milli’s verses, the song overall pushes a strong narrative of confdence and success through playful arrogance. Lyrics such as “I did it myself, a million, a bajilion, I made every penny,” boast about Glover’s self-made success and his net worth. While it is not as groundbreaking as some of Glover’s previous songs, it showcases his ability to blend humor and clever wordplay, making it stand out from the rest of the album.
Glover also explores tracks that center around warm synthesizer and the use of softer vocals. Te track ‘Steps Beach’ stands out as a heartwarming
and introspective song that celebrates love, growth and everyday moments. Te lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that is real and imperfect yet flled with love and a shared vision for the future. It is not the Glover we are used to with the unique blend of rap and socially conscious lyrics . Still, ‘Steps Beach’ shines a light on his musical brilliance and there is an argument for it to be the best song in the album.
“Bando Stone and the New World” is a testament to Gam-
bino’s musical versatility. Te album’s diverse mix of genres and the seamless fusion of elements from Gambino’s past albums create a refreshingly unique and polished sound. Te tracks ‘In the Night’ and ‘Steps Beach’ elevate Gambino’s discography by conveying emotion through powerful lyrics and strong production and step away from his usual style. Te album overall serves as a ftting farewell, solidifying Gambino’s position as a groundbreaking fgure in contemporary music.
Te Bruno Mars Tour: A Night of Magic and Gaga
By Annabelle Cheung
Bruno Mars performed at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood Aug. 15 to launch his 2024 tour. Attended by over 18,000 fans, the concert marked his spectacular return to the stage after a fve-year hiatus and included a surprise duet from pop icon Lady Gaga.
Te setlist featured a diverse mix of his greatest hits, from heartfelt ballads like “Talking to the Moon” and “When I Was Your Man,” to high-energy songs like “24K Magic” and “Locked Out of Heaven.” When Mars’ music comes to mind, I think of catchy melodies and memorable verses that build up to a dramatic chorus reveal. Te anticipation to experience this is one of the reasons
I was so thrilled to attend the show. Each song on the setlist was a crowd pleaser that I was eager to sing along to, regardless of its genre. Te joy Mars’ music brings only intensifed in the live performance.
As someone who has always wanted to experience Mars’ music live, he did not disappoint. I could not take my eyes of the stage, and although I am an avid concert flmer, I refrained from reaching for my phone. Mars’ reputation as a brilliant performer is undoubtedly correct.
His vocal runs, characterized by their jazzy fair, showcased impressive skill and technique.
Besides his vocals, when it comes to stage presence, Mars is in a league of his own. Busting out synchronized choreography with his crew, he not
only made the concert visually captivating, but also created an atmosphere that encouraged everyone to join in. He boosted the audience’s moods by shouting encouragements to the audience to sing or dance. Te audience was frequently asked questions, prompting enthusiastic responses and boosting the crowd’s energy and excitement. Tere wasn’t a dull moment for the audience, and I, personally, didn’t sit down once.
Mars and his band were very intentional with incorporating audience, especially during “Treasure” and “Marry You.” Mars’ irresistible stage presence and infectious energy brought the crowd’s excitement up during “Marry You,” where he created a lively atmosphere by allowing the audience to take
over singing certain phrases. Audience members were shown on the big screens during “Treasure,” dancing and singing with their family and friends. Te montage of audience members shown on screen while the lyrics “pretty girl, pretty girl, pretty girl, you should be smiling” or “honey, you’re my golden star, you know you can make my wish come true” played made the experience feel wholesome and unique.
Te concert was visually impressive, with lights, freworks and confetti creating efects that complimented Mars’ choreography. Te saturated visuals of the big LED light screens ensured that the audience remained engaged and dancing until the show’s end at midnight.
In a stunning fnale, Mars in-
CHRONICALLY SUMMER
troduced Lady Gaga. She made a dramatic entrance in a ’70s-inspired cowboy outft. Te pair performed their new single “Die With a Smile,” which was released just 30 minutes before the concert. Te song’s combination of tenderness and passion was executed with impeccable skill, delivering a beautiful duet. It was clear the artists had something special. Listening to the song for the frst time, it already felt like I was listening to a classic song.
As I walked out of the concert venue, I was surprised to feel rejuvenated rather than tired after the performance. Te opening night of Mars’ tour proved to be an unforgettable performance, setting the stage for what promises to be an extraordinary tour.
Charli XCX
ss Ken Carson - Alden Detmer ’25
Jermaine Jackson, Pia Zador
Alex Lee ’25
Man Made a Bar
Morgan Wallen, Eric Church – Connor Tang ’25
Summer Bummer
Lana Del Rey, A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti – Olivia Phillips ’25
Live Well Palace
Eila Shokravi ’26
Best Part
Daniel Caeser, H.E.R. - Katelyn Kim ’25
Linger
Te Cranberries – Alex Dinh ’25
Satellite Harry Styles – Nathan Wang ’25
A Doll’s Dream
Kim Feelsun – Olivia So ’25
Forced Nancy Pelosi to force Joe Biden to drop out
Took rowing team photos (and a photoshop class) time traveled to FIX Brexit
Saved Weddington
Filmed a short FIlm using only items from mom's indie FIlm production company Lionsgate
Followed John Summit to Ibiza
Learned how to read analog watches
cleaned the LA river which Goop now calls it the "Fountain of Youth"
Got Rob and Leah back together
Replaced Alfreds addiction with Civil coffee addiction
Watched Brandy Helville and was inspired to shop the more ethical option, Amazon, instead
FREE SPACE
Won the Olympics
Became the OfFICIAL digital camera friend
Became your favorite artist's favorite artist
Taught Lea Michelle how to read
Solved the global water crisis with bottled tears from junior year
Found out the identity of @hw2025commits on Instagram
Became Kamala's godchild and spoke at the DNC
Resolved the Kendrick-Drake beef
Learned what demure means
Planned a Fred Segal funeral
Brought back Heelys
Found the perfect pair of jeans
Became FLUENT in gen alpha slang
Fell out of a coconut tree
Removed Dror Yaron's bald cap to reveal his luscious locks of hair
Taught a Waymo how to Feel emotions
Got the Wordle in ONly one
Brought Jon & Vinny's to Studio City
Had a Brat Summer
Raised money for “It Ends With Us” costume desigNer’s fashion schooling
Was inspired by Hailey Bieber to partner with Erewhon to release a 20+ dollar smoothie
Taught Raygun how to breakdance
Bought my FIrst 10k followers
Water polo alumni medal at Olympics
By Justin Tang
Alumni Ben Hallock ’16 and Johnny Hooper ’15 earned the bronze medal in men’s water polo at the 2024 Summer Olympics after Team USA rallied to defeat Hungary 11-8 in a penalty shootout.
Te bronze medal in Paris was a historic accomplishment for USA men’s water polo, as it was the team’s frst medal since they claimed silver in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Hallock was a dominant force in center, drawing 45 personal fouls – the most among all Olympians.
To open the bronze medal match, Hooper started the scoring to put Team USA up 1-0. Hallock also contributed two goals of his own, including a goal on the power play assisted by Hooper during the frst quarter.
Hooper and Hallock were standout players on the boys’ water polo team, where they won backto-back California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 1 championships in 2013 and 2014. Hallock began his Olympic career at the 2016 summer games in Rio De Janeiro, where Team USA failed to make it past the group stage. Hooper joined Hallock at the Tokyo 2020 games, where they placed sixth.
Center defender Collin Caras ’25 said it is an honor to play at a school that produces Olympic talent.
“Johnny and Ben are among the best players in the world,” Caras said. “To see that success sprout from the pools and program at Harvard-Westlake is really inspiring. Every time that our team puts on our cap, we recognize that we’re not playing just for our team, we're playing for the people that built this program. Te people that built this program are doing great things with their lives. Tey're winning bronze medals and inspiring the younger guys.”
Rebibo to step in as girls’ basketball program head; Nailes chosen as interim head coach
By Wynne Davis
Following the retirement of girls’ basketball program head Melissa Hearlihy, David Rebibo, the current boys’ basketball program head, will take on additional duties as the interim program head for the girls’ basketball team for the 2024-2025 season. Assisting him, boys’ basketball assistant coach Alex Nailes has been appointed as the interim girls’ basketball varsity head coach after temporarily stepping down from boys’ basketball.
letic department plans to fnd a long-term replacement for Hearlihy after the winter season.
Rebibo said in a press release he is eager for the new role and is committed to assisting Nailes and the team as a whole.
Athletics Director Terry Barnum said in a press release from HW Athletics that due to timing, a full search for a permanent coach wasn’t feasible, leading Rebibo and Nailes to take the reins. Te ath-
“I’m excited for the opportunity to support and work with the girls' program,” Rebibo said. “I look forward to contributing to their development, supporting Coach Nailes and helping ensure a great experience for the athletes.”
Barnum said he hasconfdence in Nailes’ ability to lead and support the team.
“Alex Nailes is a bright young coach who has supported our girls' program for years and has a strong knowledge of our athletes,” Barnum said. “I’m excited to give him this opportunity to lead.”
Nailes said he is grateful for the
Sophomore star leaving feld hockey team
By Max Nam
Valentina Ganocy, a rising sophomore and former standout player on the girls’ feld hockey team, has left the school after moving to Texas. Teir key center forward was instrumental in the team’s success last season, where she led the team to win the 2023 Sunset League Tournament of Champions (TOC). Te team currently has a record of 2-2 this season without Ganocy
Margaux Schlumberger ’27, a center midfelder on the team, said she feels a stronger sense of duty to guide the team this year
“Tis will be my second year on the varsity team,” Schlumberger said. “Terefore, I feel more of a responsibility to lead, as well as play in the new system the team is executing after losing key players from last year ”
Coming of winning the 2023 Sunset League, Schlumberger said the team has high expectations as they seek to replicate last year ’ s success.
“Te journey to the championship is never easy, regardless of who is on the team,” Schlumberger said.“However, with our current lineup, I’m optimistic about our chances this year. I’m sad I only got to play with Valentina on varsity for one season, but I’m excited to see what the new team is capable of accomplishing.”
Although the team is disappointed by Ganocy’s departure, Maggie Koo ’26, a right center on the team, said the team adapted well in their frst game.
“It was sad to see Val move away,” Koo said. “But our team dynamic has adjusted nicely. During games, we still play the same formation and other girls on the team
play the center forward position.”
Head coach Sue Hodgkins and assistant coach Andrew Giles also played a role in helping the team adjust to this change. Hodgkins said the coaching staf has been working closely with the athletes to reconfgure strategies and fll the leadership gap left by Ganocy “Val and the other departing starters had their roles on the team, played them well, and were instrumental to our success last year,” Hodgkins said. “Now that they are gone, the process is looking at the new roster and each player’s unique skill set and personality, determining where they can make the most impact, teaching them their roles and the HW feld hockey culture and coaching them to play unifed and to execute well, consistently and confdently ” Te team’s next game will be Sept. 10 on the road against Marina.
opportunity to support the girls.
“I’m thrilled about the chance to become the interim head coach of the girls’ basketball program. ” Nailes said. “I have been a supporter from the stands of these athletes for years and I’m excited to work with this team of exceptional young women and athletes.”
Hearlihy’s announcement comes just a few months after she led the team to win the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 2 State Championship this past season.
Hearlihy came to the school in 2000 after being the head coach for Bishop Alemany High School where she started in 1985. After 39 seasons of coaching, she has the second-most wins among all girls’ basketball coaches in California with a total of 839. In her time with the school, Hearlihy led the team to two state championships, four CIF Southern
Section championships and nine Mission League titles.
Hearlihy has been named girls' basketball Coach of the Year by CIF Southern Section, Los Angeles Daily News, Cal-Hi state and the LA Times seven times in total. In addition to winning the 2024 Division 2 state title, Hearlihy was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National High School Coach of the year
Despite her many accolades and victories, Hearlihy said she wasn't solely focused on winning throughout her career
“My goal here was to help young women on their journey to becoming confdent and understanding what it takes to sur vive in a man's world,” Hearlihy said. “My career has been so full of meaningful relationships with colleagues, student-athletes and families that words cannot do it justice.”
MAKING SUBSTITUTIONS: Boys’ Basketball Program Head David Rebibo will temporarily serve as the girls’ basketball program head while Boys’ Basketball Assistant Coach Alex Nailes will temporarily serve as the girls’ basketball head coach. Te school will conduct another search after the winter season.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION: Sophomore Valentina Ganocy has left the feld hockey team after moving to Texas. She was a standout player as a freshman.
L. Wood
Terence Barnum
Water polo adjusts to new changes
By Max Nam
As the fall season approaches, the water polo roster has undergone a series of changes.
Te team lost Aidan Romain, an attacker who is now playing abroad for the water polo club
CN Barcelona (CNB), Lucca Van Der Woude, a center defender who transferred to Newport Harbor High School and Jaaziah McZeal ’25, a goalie who has switched sports to focus on rowing.
Te coaching staf has been working to reconfgure the team’s approach, focusing on flling gaps left by the former players. Head coach Jack Grover said he plans to put the underclassmen in roles meant for more experienced players.
“With loss comes opportunity for new guys to step into new roles,” Grover said. “We spend a lot of the ofseason putting the underclassmen in very difcult and diferent positions.”
Despite the changes, the remaining players are preparing for the season and adapting to their new roles. Nathan You ’26 has now become the starting goalie after McZeal’s departure.
“Having to fll the void for
Jaaziah has not been easy,” You said. “His composure and refexes are something that very few goalies can replicate. Even though I don’t see him as much as I hope to, he has been there, supporting me and giving me the confdence to take on his role of goalie.”
Earlier in the season, the team had the opportunity to meet four-time Olympians Dénes Varga, who is Hungarian, and Dusan Mandić, who won gold
with Serbia in 2020 and 2024. Te team took photos with the players while asking them about their playstyle.
Attacker Connor Kim ’25 said meeting Mandić and Varga inspired him to step up as a leader and set an example for the team.
“It helped motivate me, especially the past couple practices, to really push myself,” Kim said. “With Mandić and Varga being the captains of their country, it
Bryce Rainer selected 11th overall in MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers
By Connor Merrihew
Bryce Rainer ’24, a standout shortstop standing 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, is headed to the Detroit Tigers after being selected 11th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Tis pick marks a notable moment for both Rainer and the baseball program, with the selection making him the ffth frst round pick from the school in the past 15 years.
Rainer had a batting average of .505 with four home runs
throughout the 33-game season, in the 2024 Mission League season. As a two-way player, Rainer also pitched, closing many games for the Wolverines. He pitched 23 innings with 35 strikeouts and posted a 1.83 ERA, one of the lowest in the Mission League. Rainer is viewed by scouts as an all-around player, which not only accounts for hitting and felding, but also his speed. He stole 17 bases his senior year with a 94% success rate.
Baseball Program Head Jared
Halpert said personally coaching Rainer made the draft an emotional moment for him as his baseball coach.
“Witnessing a person’s dreams come to life, let alone someone you care about, is one of the most precious moments anyone can have,” Halpert said.
In Detroit, Rainer met the Tigers team and threw the ceremonial frst pitch to former Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty ’14, who was drafted 34th after his senior year at the school.
By Justin Tang
Former Crespi point guard Joe Sterling ’26 has joined the boys’ basketball team for the 2024-2025 season. Te transfer was announced in an Instagram post by Sterling June 5.
Sterling was a standout guard at Crespi, where he became the fastest player to score 1,000 points in the program’s history and earned First Team All-Mission League Honors. Sterling led his team to the Mission League Championship after he scored a game-winning three-pointer in overtime, upsetting Sierra Canyon. Te four-star recruit averaged 20.9 points per game and shot 43% from distance during his sophomore season.
Sterling said he transferred to the school for both academics and athletics.
“In general, Harvard-Westlake is one of the best schools in the country, just school-wise,”
also reminded me to step into a leadership position, especially since I am a rising senior.”
Te team is also preparing to face strong competition from rival schools such as JSerra Catholic High School and Newport Harbor High School. Grover said the water polo team is focused on themselves going into the season.
“Te truth is, it’s going to be the most competitive year across the board that we’ve had,” Gro -
“ver said. “But the focus isn’t so much on other teams. I’m going to say this 100 times if we have 100 more conversations, the focus is on us. Although we don’t have 20 guys that we’re going to be rotating in every game, we’re going to have a great team, and if that team executes, we can beat anybody in the country.” Te team will travel to Orange County to compete in the South Coast Tournament, with their frst game on Sept. 12.
Bryce getting drafted was a cool experience for me, because it gave me an oppurtunity to be around someone who does things the right way. This means a lot, because it’s showing everyone that our school is a legit program for development.”
— James Tronstein ’26
“It was so cool to see him throw the frst pitch out to Flaherty,” Escalante said. “Especially because he’s an alumni.”
Outfelder James Tronstein ’26 said he felt Rainer’s achievement was well-deserved because of his respectful character and strong development through the school’s baseball program.
Sterling said. “Te basketball program is also one of the best [with] two back-to-back state championships and one of the best coaches in the country. It’s really a no-brainer when you think about it like that.”
Te boys’ basketball team attended the Section 7 tournament in Arizona from June 21-23 with Sterling, where they went 3-1 and fnished third in their bracket. Sterling had only practiced with the team for two weeks before the showcase but said he has made signifcant progress since.
“Bryce getting drafted was a cool experience for me because it gave me an opportunity to be around someone who does things the right way,” Tronstein said. “For our program, this means a lot, because it’s a big deal in showing everyone that HW is a legit program for development and for becoming a better person as well.”
new guards seeing the foor this season, along with Amir Jones ’26, Cole Holden ’27 and Pierce Tompson ’27. Forward Isaiah Carroll ’25 said the team is still adjusting to the new backcourt options and plays.
“It’s stuf we’re just still getting used to,” Carroll said. “Tat’s only going to get better with time.”
“Even in the little time we’ve had, I think I’ve adjusted,” Sterling said. “I’m not all the way there, but I think it’s defnitely much better than it was the frst day.”
Sterling will be one of four
Sterling previously played under former NBA player and Crespi head coac Derek Fisher. Sterling said Rebibo’s playstyle is more dynamic and advanced than his former coach.
“Tere’s a lot more ball movement,” Sterling said. “You have to think about the game a lot more because it is very free -fowing. You have to be able to think and react.”
Te boys’ basketball team will begin their season Nov. 19.
SHARPSHOOTER: Collin Caras ’25 winds up for a shot at the goal. As the team’s roster undergoes major changes, the coach is experimenting with new drills to see which positions players will play. Caras usually plays in the defender position but will also play as an attacker this season.
all their points in the second half.
Football sees immediate improvements to ofense
By Connor Merrihew
To start the season, the football team lost 41-21 in their frst game against Cleveland Magnet High School. In the third quarter of the game, sophomore starting quarterback Aaryan Mehdi Williams ’27 tore his meniscus and was substituted out of the game due to injury. Backup quarterback Ryan Davidof ’27 took over for the rest of the game, but he was unable to kickstart a comeback for the Wolverines.
In the Wolverines’ second game against Venice High School, the football team came out victorious 20-17. After trailing 17-0 late in the frst half, they took over in the second half, scoring 20 points while shutting out their opponent.
Ellis Robinson ’27 and Kurtis Walter ’27 combined for three touchdowns, and a converted feld
goal by Ollie Rauch ’28 pushed the Wolverines past Venice. Prior to the 2024-2025 season, the football team struggled. After fnishing 4-5 in the 20232024 season, improvements proved imperative, leading to adjustments to the roster and coaching staf during the 2024 ofseason. Most notably, the team shifted to an air raid focused ofense under new Ofensive Coordinator Kevin Carlsen. As the ofensive scheme changed, players had to adapt to the new ofensive play style.
Wide receiver and safety Dylan Fullmer ’27 said the team is working on adjusting to the ofensive changes implemented over the summer.
“Te playbook is very diferent this year,” Fullmer said.
“It is a 60-40 pass to run ratio. It will take practice, but everyone will learn.”
Defensive lineman Asher Taillieu ’27, a transfer from Campbell Hall, stands 6-foot3 and is 200 pounds. He is a potential threat to opposing linemen and quarterbacks. Taillieu said he cannot wait for the season to start and is hoping the team fnds success on the feld.
“I’m excited to be coming to Harvard-Westlake and I hope we can have a successful season as a team and make it to the championship,” Taillieu said.
Outside of the overall team play style and game plan, Fullmer said this team connected better this year than they have in previous years.
“Te team chemistry is about double last year’s,” Fullmer said. “Te team really bonded during camp and we feel like a full team this year. Team chemistry and trust is extremely important for our passes and plays to develop, and
when everyone is on the same page, we feel comfortable. Trust also helps our team morale.”
Lineman Vincenzo Rabizadeh ’25 said the team is optimistic heading into this fall and that he believes their ofseason training and a new team dynamic can lead the Wolverines to a winning season. Rabizadeh said their summer practies helped the team feel united, as everybody understood their role on the feld going into the new season.
“Te team is working well together and my hopes are high for the season,” Rabizadeh said. “Our connections have strengthened through practices fand scrimmages. Our chemistry is really important.”
Te Wolverines will face Burroughs High School, who are 0-1 this season, at home Sept. 6 in their frst home game of the season.
Volleyball starts season of strong
By Zara Groves
Te girls’ volleyball team started the season 7-1, with wins over Campbell Hall and Notre Dame Academy, after going 9-18 with a 3-7 league record last year. Te team added new talent and trained the whole summer, looking to improve on the reults of last season.
Defensive specialist Maddie Hliboki ’25 said young players on the team have helped to elevate the team as a whole.
“Te level of play has increased because of all the new talent we have,” Hliboki said. “Te three freshmen we have on the team are insane. Getting new people in this team has helped us play better, and have a fresh perspective on the season.”
Libero Sophia Jun ’25 joined the varsity squad her freshman year, and said her experience on the team as an underclassman helped her develop into a leader who takes care of younger members on the team.
“I was terrifed as a freshman making varsity, but I think as the season went on and as we grew as a team and as a sisterhood, it became less and less intimidating.” Jun said. “Now being a senior on varsity, I defnitely feel for the freshman since I know exactly what the emotions and everything that they’re going through feels like. I feel like I can try to be a good senior and team leader because I always think that putting the team frst is super important. Te seniors when I was a freshman always did that and I really looked up to that.”
Troughout the summer, many members of the girls’ volleyball team announced their commitments to universities. Hliboki will be attending Smith College, Lauryn Lewis ’26 to the University of Pennsylvania and Maya Stillwell ’26 committed to Northwestern University.
Cross country kicks of season with retreat and half-marathon
By Wynne Davis
On Aug. 16 the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams went on a training and team bonding retreat to Big Bear both to get ready for the regular season and the Nike Victory Relay.
Aaron Escalante ’26 said the Big Bear retreat heightened the team’s morale for the coming season.
“Since four of our seven varsity guys were seniors last year, confidence was a bit low,” Escalante said.
“However, after Big Bear, the team is looking super strong and I think we have a good shot at making [California Interscholastic Federation] State again this year.”
At the retreat, the team trained at altitude to prepare for future courses. Charles Abemayor ’ 26 said the retreat helped to build stamina and strength as well as create a stronger bond between members of the team.
“Up there we train for a
little less than a week with lots of hard runs to get faster,” Abemayor said. “I think it’s less of a training retreat and more of an opportunity to meet everyone else on the team and get closer.”
The girls’ cross country team used the retreat to prepare for the Nike Victory Relay. The Victory Relay is an event meant to celebrate women’s progress in sports.
The last time Los Angeles hosted the Olympics was in 1984, the first time a women’s marathon was hosted. In a callback to that race, Nike hosted The Victory Relay at USC Saturday Aug. 24, and to show their support, some members of the girls’ cross country team decided to run.
Participants ran around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a distance of about 1.3 miles. While times and scores didn’t matter, the goal was to run it in the same time it took the winner of the 1984 Olympics. In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Olympics for the
third time in history and the girls planned to celebrate with a run in the relay.
Oona Sawyer ’26 said the event’s purpose was to celebrate the progress made by women in sports, with a special emphasis on the landmark women’s marathon in Los Angeles.
“The goal of the team is just to have fun,” Silis said. “It’s a metaphorical passing of the torch from Paris to LA.”
Elle Kirman ’27 said she was very excited about about the opportunity to participate in such a monumental event.
“It’s nice to have a low stakes run,” Kirman said. “It’s a nice chance to celebrate how far women have come in sports.”
Both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams will begin their season Aug. 31 at the UCSB Invitational. The teams will then compete at the Harvard-Westlake Cross Country Cluster hosted at the school Sept. 7. The teams look to continue their success in the Mission League.
ON THE MOVE: Wide receiver Elijah Williams ’ 25 braces for a tackle after a reception in a game against Cleveland Magnet High School on Aug. 23. After the Wolverines lost 41-21 in their frst game, they beat Venice High School 20-17, scoring
RUNNING FOR VICTORY: Te girls’ cross country team members pose at the LA Memorial Coliseum after completing a half-marathon Aug. 24.
WOLVERINES ONLY WOLVERINES ONLY
MBY
MADDIE HLIBOKI Madie Hliboki
y dad has recently said that I would kill someone to play volleyball in college. Now, as much as I deny that statement, I will say that my desire to play collegiate volleyball has always been very strong. Inspired by the dedication that my brother has, I have grown up with the knowledge that I could pursue this dream of mine if I worked hard for it and poured my heart and soul into the sport. When I first picked up a volleyball in fourth grade during the spring season, I didn’t have any intention to fall in love with the sport. I hadn’t even known volleyball existed before that. Sure, I thought the game was fun and I got to play with my friends, but there was nothing that really drew me in.
It wasn’t until fifth grade, when I first learned how to overhand serve that I decided I wanted to keep playing.
I remember we were in this massive gym, and there was so much serving room behind the court. I had done an underhand serve all throughout the fourth and fifth grade seasons, but for some reason, during this game’s warm up, I decided it was time to try an overhand serve.
All of my friends watched as I tossed the ball up and used all my power to rocket it across the net. I was so ecstatic and grabbed another ball to serve again. That was when I first started to love volleyball.
I started to play club in sixth grade and continued to pursue it during the the seventh and eighth grade seasons. Although my club experience was cut short due to COVID-19 in seventh grade, I grew to love the sport even
more during those three years. I was so lucky to be able to play club during eighth grade while the quarantine restrictions were being lifted throughout the year.
It was becoming more serious then because I was starting to sacrifice parts of my life to be able to play. One of the biggest things I wasn’t a part of were the cohorts in the spring of eighth grade. Because I was practicing three times a week and traveling to local tournaments at that time, I wasn’t able to be with my peers at school, which was really difficult but worth it.
Going into ninth grade with three years of club under my belt, I switched my position from middle hitter to outside hitter. I had very unrealistic expectations for myself that year, with the biggest one being that I would make varsity as a freshman.
So, as tryouts happened and that dream was not realized, I learned to accept my role on the frosh team and that I needed to work harder.
The Tuesday before freshman year started, I had a call with the head coach of the varsity team to talk about the possibility of moving me up to junior varsity the next day. I remember this being a big decision: do I stay with my friends and have guaranteed playing time on frosh or do I move up to JV where the emphasis would be on getting better more than playing time?
I called my brother, who was now in his junior year of college, to ask for his advice. He told me that if volleyball was really something I cared about and wanted to pursue, I needed to be determined to get
better and push myself. So, on the first day of freshman year, I hopped onto the shuttle during ninth period and travelled to the upper school to officially join JV. The next day, during our game against Redondo Union, I got playing time, which was something that I had never expected.
Later, my coach told me I had earned it during practice. Playing on JV that year proved to me that, if I worked hard everyday, I could achieve my goals and be on the court.
Following my two-year career stint as an outside hitter in ninth and tenth grade, I transitioned before junior year to become a defensive specialist. I had always known I would have to make this transition sooner or later because I had stopped growing in high school. To be honest, it was a really difficult transition because the role of a DS is so different from any position.
The consistency and calm that is needed to be a DS has been the biggest challenge for me over the past year to master. I was so lucky to be able to play on a club team during my 17’s year that had girls on it that pushed me to be better and work harder, which was such an exciting and refreshing experience from all my other club years.
As my last year of high school and club are approaching, I feel so lucky to have been able to grow up through volleyball.
I have worked so hard to be where I am today, and I still have so much work to do this upcoming season. I am forever going to be a student of the game, always searching for that new technique and reaching for my next goal.
