Harvard-Westlake Life Magazine, Winter 2024-2025

Sean Quinn ’18 in the 2024 Tour de France

IN THIS ISSUE

LEGACY

Dear Friends of Harvard-Westlake,

I hope you enjoy this latest issue of HW Life . I've added a few notes to the stories below.

2 Making History

Remembering David Coombs, Westlake and Harvard-Westlake History and Social Studies Teacher

David Coombs was a legend. Whenever you’d mention his name, people's eyes would just light up.

6

Service with a Smile

In memory of Vicki Goddard ’60, Westlake Alumnae Director and Community Service Coordinator

Vicki Goddard was so passionate about community service and gave so much of her time to the alumni board, right until the very end. She had an incredible impact over the years.

Construction Choreography

A River Park update

ALUMNI PROFILES

Kutler Center Fellowships

Experiential learning around the globe

12

Wild Ride

Catching up with pro cyclist Sean Quinn ’18

By Chloe Saleh ’30

24 Administration Plans for 2024–2025

Phone Ban to Promote Wellness, Connection

By Erin Ryu ’26 in the

25 Putting Down the Phone

Editorial by Max Turetzky ’25 in the Harvard-WestlakeChronicle

38 Alumni Events

Bringing people together is the best part of my job, whether it’s on campus or at an international event. At the London reception last fall, people couldn’t believe how many alumni were there from across the generations.

62 The Supporting Cast

By Eli Goldsmith

Eric Zwemer: A Legacy of Great Teaching and Enduring Philanthropy

When I started at HW, I was lucky to have been a part of Eric Zwemer’s department and to see firsthand what a special person he was. He brought the flair of an actor to the classroom, but he was also uber smart and a really kind, funny guy. It’s incredible that he’s still making an impact today.

& Staff Notes

Welcome to New Faculty & Staff

Westlake Retreat at Cedar Lake

Wishing you a safe and healthy 2025. Cheers, Ed Hu, Head of External Relations ehu@hw.com

Making History

Remembering David Coombs

Westlake and Harvard-Westlake History and Social Studies Teacher

By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98

Beloved teacher David Coombs passed away in June after four decades of inspiring Westlake and Harvard-Westlake students. In addition to teaching at Westlake and HW from 1968 to 2008, David also worked at several other esteemed institutions in the US and UK, touching lives and shaping futures across the globe. David was known not only for his exceptional teaching and deep knowledge of history, but also for his unwavering commitment to students’ academic and personal growth.

May 8, 1938–June 23, 2024

David is often remembered for sharing a famous poem with students to help them recall the succession of British monarchs—just one of the ways he made learning engaging. David even updated the poem when King Charles III ascended the throne in 2022.

David leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Gail; their children, Sarah ’96 and Stephen ’98; two grandchildren; and the thousands of students he taught at Westlake and Harvard-Westlake and while running the Westlake and HW Summer Programs.

Here, alumni and faculty reflect on his legacy.

Mr. Coombs brought history to life at Westlake! He was such a lively and energetic teacher. I was watching a 17th-century period drama based in England recently and began to recite ‘the poem’.... I’m 63!

Jennifer Butefish ’78

The last time I talked to David Coombs was at an HW alumni reception in Seattle around 2019. I hadn’t seen him for almost 20 years and he remembered me immediately. As always, he took a genuine interest in what I was doing with my life and offered his help if I ever needed anything. That was the David I knew. An incredibly kind, generous man who genuinely wanted to help people any way that he could. The world would be a better place if there were more people like him.

Sam Yaggy ’98

Words cannot begin to express the huge impact this amazing human had on my life! I started at Westlake School for Girls in ninth grade, and my very first class was history with Mr. Coombs. I remember him telling us to put the textbooks under our chairs, which were set up in a semicircle. The books would be there for reference, but real learning would happen through discovery.

The entire year he brought history to life reenacting events in a one-man show. I, who had previously hated history, loved his class more than anything. For the next four years, anytime I needed him he was there.

Mr. Coombs encouraged my mom to allow me to travel to Switzerland during my seventh and eighth grade summers. It was a glorious experience to travel from my neighborhood in Gardena all the way abroad. I am forever grateful to him for seeing me and showing me that I belong everywhere.

Abby Harris Woods ’94

I remember David jumping up onto a desk to demonstrate how some priests would ‘sell’ indulgences to avoid purgatory. He was very effective at encouraging people to learn.

Allison Malin ’82

Mr. Coombs also ran a summer camp for younger kids on campus, and I worked for him one summer. My senior year was rough. I was quite rebellious and shaved off all my hair—not something most Westlake girls would do, especially in ’89. But Mr. Coombs never judged. He embraced me and saw my potential working with kids.

And who from that class could ever forget the ‘Kings and Queens’ poem?! I still know all the words! I remember my freshman year of college being in the library at Johns Hopkins and hearing someone reciting it in the next cubicle. I couldn’t believe it. I jumped up and said, ‘Mr. Coombs!’ The person next to me looked up, so excited. We spent the next hour talking about how much we learned from him and how much we loved his teaching style.

Flash-forward a few years and I’m a teacher. First back-to-school night, I’m telling the parents about my mentor, Mr. Coombs. Afterward, a parent came up to me and said, ‘David Coombs is my neighbor.’ A few months later, he showed up unannounced to watch me teach—such a surreal moment. I feel so privileged to have had him as a role model. As an educator, my goal has always been to meet my kids where they are at and hopefully impact their lives a fraction of how much David Coombs impacted mine.

Farnaz Mobasheri Kaufman ’90

HW LEGACY

While I adored having David as my history teacher at Westlake, what I recall most fondly is the friendship we developed many years later. After an alumni event in Portland, Oregon, we exchanged emails and met for coffee. David was so kind, smiling and asking me all about my life. He also openly shared stories of his own life, including the years spent in England during the London Blitz. I will miss him dearly.

Lisa Cohen Greenfield ’88

Mr. Coombs was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had—kind, thoughtful, funny, generous with his time, so enthusiastic about the subject matter, and filled with an infectious energy for learning and growing together. The copy he gave me of the book 1215:TheYearofMagnaCarta as a gift for writing the best term paper in ninth grade European history—inscribed with a warmhearted, handwritten note—is one of my treasured possessions from high school.

Sammy Roth ’10

Merger time was tough. David Coombs was a cornerstone who brought our new community together. Always warm. Always classy. Always kind. And always open to new ideas and reinvention. He safeguarded the soul of Westlake Summer Programs as he worked tirelessly to create HW Summer. Along the way, he did so much to heal the souls of colleagues rent by change. What a gentleman. What a leader. What a giant!

Rob Levin, Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher, 1985-Present

Rest in peace, Mr. Coombs. I am forever grateful for your teaching me how to take notes and study. I learned to appreciate Shakespeare from you, and I can still recite the King and Queens of England poem and tell you which of Henry the VIII’s wives were beheaded. Thank you for hiring me for the Summer Program; I was truly humbled to be one of your staff. Your unsolicited letter of recommendation was truly my most cherished throughout my career. ‘Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.’ Rest in peace, Mr. Coombs.

Kathy Romig Russell ’80

Everyone knew ‘Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee.’ But there is another quote burned into my memory from Mr. Coombs: ‘History is facts and interpretations.’ He would pace around the classroom repeating this. Mr. Coombs, you were the best history teacher a ninth grade kid could ask for.

Alexander Chang ’03

That wonderful, gentle soul has left us. David was a man of great goodness and a warm persona that endeared him to students and faculty for decades. Erudite, always a force for good, his memory will be cherished by so many fortunate enough to have known the man. P.S. Dear David, as per your advice, I did read Christopher Wren.

Jerry Margolis, Harvard-Westlake Music Director, 1970-2006

I remember more from Mr. Coombs’ class than almost any other. On the very first day, he had us read the introduction to our history book and then write down any sentence that we remembered. The intro started with ‘History is bunk.’ That’s what most of us wrote down, and I think he was making a point that colorful, blunt language makes more of an impact than flowery prose. And he was right—I still remember that phrase over 35 years later...! I also recall several pop quizzes he didn’t even collect. He’d say, ‘How well you did shall remain between you and God.’ And one of my favorite quotes in the world is one that he taught us: ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Talk about impact. Rest well, good sir!

Danica McKellar ’93

I had the privilege of portraying Mr. Coombs in the senior year-end tribute play, complete with beret and scarf, while carrying a banker box full of materials. I am truly fortunate to have been his student; I have such vivid memories of his passion for teaching us, which made me both delight in him and all things history.

Erika Anderson Kemmerer ’88

June 28, 1942–September 25, 2024

Service with a Smile

In memory of Vicki Goddard ’60

Westlake Alumnae Director and Community Service Coordinator

By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98

Vicki Goddard graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1960 and returned to work at her alma mater 20 years later as the alumnae director and community service coordinator. She retired from Harvard-Westlake in 2016, having served since the 1991 merger as the director of the middle school community service program, a role in which she supervised countless middle school community service trips, taught the seventh grade community service class, and founded and advised Pathways, the community service magazine. She also returned as a temporary dean in 2017–18. “Vicki was a longtime member of our alumni board, and, even after her retirement, she remained deeply involved in countless aspects of HW life, always encouraging students and colleagues to be cheerful and useful in all endeavors,” according to Harvard-Westlake President Rick Commons.

In this tribute, alumni, classmates, faculty, and staff reflect on Vicki’s

impact and legacy.

Vicki loved Westlake and Harvard-Westlake. Vicki was synonymous with our school, as she was ever present and ever involved.

Vicki didn’t just run our community service programs, she built them, fostered the relationships with institutions and organizations over the years who, because they trusted her, would open their doors to rambunctious middle school students who had the potential to bring as much mayhem as they did helpfulness. But those students toed the line because Vicki would make sure they were on task. She was caring and kind, but she could also be direct. Were the kids just a little bit afraid of Vicki? Yes. Did she relish it a little bit? Yes. Were the students ultimately better off for their understanding that care and high expectations can coexist? One hundred percent.

She was always a believer in children’s potential. In the summer, you’d find Vicki here on campus with the kids in the Summer Enrichment Program, accompanying them on field trips and helping to keep things orderly. In the afternoons during the school year, you’d find her on the sidelines of a game or poolside at a meet cheering them on. In the evenings, you’d find her in her reserved seat in the balcony of the Saperstein Theatre, taking in the dance concert, the fall musical, or the symphony and choral performances. Following each of those performances, the director or conductor would receive an email from Vicki expressing how impressed she was by what the kids had done on stage and by the work of the adults who prepared them. She would gush about how she had never seen anything quite like it.

Vicki was raised to be strong, self-reliant, and independent, traits that were no doubt reinforced by the Westlake School for Girls. She was not mushy or overly sentimental. I’m told she would not have wanted us to cry [over her passing] or make a fuss. Well, too bad, Aunt Vicki (for a few minutes here today anyway). But in typical fashion Vicki will win out. Her enduring influence in our lives means that we will also do the things that she would have wanted—connect and share a laugh, take a walk and whisper some gossip, maybe sign up to volunteer somewhere. And as we do all that, we’ll carry Vicki in our hearts.

Jon Wimbish, Head of Middle School, 1998-Present, excerpted from his remarks at Vicki Goddard’s celebration of life

Even after I became the Director of the Summer Enrichment Program, Vicki always came for every Fun Friday and every Family Night. Often she would be the lone adult setting up for Family Night for over 200 people, arriving on campus around 3 p.m. and not leaving until all evidence of SEP was put away. Her help allowed me time to focus on the students and the program. I will never forget her kindness and will miss her more than I can express.

Brenda Simon Tillman, Summer Enrichment Program

Director and Attendance and Health Coordinator (1988-Present)

Vicki was consistently caring, positive, and cheerful. She went out of her way to do thoughtful things, whether it was gifting me with a tiny stuffed animal otter (my Jacobson Cup house) or taking the time to talk about my family. She was a huge supporter of the Summer Enrichment Program and continued to come see the kids and faculty each summer, long after her retirement. Her kind heart and love of animals was extraordinary.

Darlene Bible, Athletic Director and Director of Summer School Sports Programs (1982-Present)

There are so many things I learned from Vicki, but most importantly: ‘By simply being good and kind, leading with love and acceptance and behaving generously, one can make a lasting impact’ and ‘Family share your life story and should remain precious your whole life—and sometimes the friends you choose can be the best family of all.’ Clearly, Vicki viewed her colleagues, parents, and students at Harvard-Westlake as family.

Laurie Condon Ostridge ’93

When I think of Vicki, devotion and commitment come to mind. Vicki was a huge Westlake School for Girls cheerleader, and after the merger, a huge supporter of HW students, community, and alumni—while continuing to be a loud and wonderful champion of Westlake. I was fortunate to join the Westlake Alumnae Board 28 years ago. Vicki ran that board well and worked so hard to keep the Westlake traditions and rich history alive. She was kind and jovial with a great sense of humor and laugh and tough as nails when she needed to be.

About 25 years ago, I joined the Harvard-Westlake Alumni Board. There wasn’t a meeting or event that Vicki attended where her enthusiasm and love for Westlake, HW, and the alumni didn’t shine. She loved the school and devoted so much of her life to it as an alumna and member of the faculty and staff. Vicki sure made our school and this world a better place.

Patti Bank Finkelstein ’81

Vicki was such a warm spirit on campus when I was a student, and it was truly special to reconnect with her when my boys participated in the Summer Enrichment Program. Her warmth was always present as she offered a bright smile and genuine interest in hearing all of our family updates. Vicki had a way of making everyone feel seen and valued. She was a remarkable person, and her light will be missed by so many.

Carla Woods Cretaro ’94

I was Westlake School’s first director of development and hired Vicki to coordinate the alumnae activities and mailings. She worked part time, but through her networking and tireless efforts, she developed an alumnae list and kicked off our first phonation, which became an annual event. She was a joy to work with and had a wonderful sense of humor.

Susie Bremer Jensen ’68

From the 1960 Westlake Vox Puellarum Vicki will always be remembered for her dogs—both the live ones and the ones she draws! Vicki has put her artistic ability to good use on the Poster Committee, and Westlake’s literary endeavors have also benefited from her talents: she was a member of the Pi staff, and has worked diligently as a copy editor for Vox. It is easy to see that Vicki, with her friendly personality, will be a success wherever she goes, in whatever she does.

Top: A student plays with kittens on a community service trip Vicki organized to an animal shelter in 1994

Bottom: An illustration Vicki drew that appeared in the 1960 Vox Puellarum

Just after 7 a.m. on December 5, the first of that day’s 132 concrete trucks started rolling onto the former Weddington Golf & Tennis grounds.

A RIVER PARK UPDATE

Construction

Choreography

The new 16-acre Harvard-Westlake River Park is officially under construction! Here’s a behind-the-fences look at one day in the building process.

Electrical, plumbing, gas, and sewer lines were buried and rebar laid for the parking garage.

At 7:32 a.m., trucks began pouring concrete to form the 30-inch slab foundation for the gym.

Meanwhile, a crane operator and a handful of the 120 workers on site that day installed the underground concrete storage tank cells designed to reclaim water runoff for irrigation. “Placing the cells with the crane is a precise ballet, albeit with one-ton concrete blocks,” said JD De Matté, HW’s Chief of Construction.

lines and reinstalled windows

Workers laid utility

in the historic clubhouse, which was built in the 1950s.

ALUMNI PROFILES

“ Cycling is very friendly, not like the trash talk mentality of some American sports,” says Sean Quinn ’18, who took the US national championship title in May. “Sometimes on the flat, easier days, you talk to your teammates about random stuff, or to your rivals, getting to know them to pass the time. But when it starts going hard, you’re just left with your own thoughts, hearing your own heavy breathing.”

SEAN QUINN ’18

Wild Ride

CATCHING UP WITH PRO CYCLIST SEAN QUINN ’18

A full-time cyclist for a team called EF Education-EasyPost, Sean Quinn ’18 has been racing professionally since he turned 21. He rides 10 months a year on the Union Cycliste International WorldTour, which consists of the most elite bike races on the planet, including the Tour de France, which Quinn competed in for the first time last summer. In this Q&A, Quinn shares both the highs and the lows of riding pro.

How did you get into cycling?

In France and Spain, it’s normal to grow up watching cycling, whereas in the U.S., most people don’t understand the rules or even the concept of the sport. My parents were cycling fans, so I grew up with the Tour de France on TV. One summer when I was about 10 years old, I just watched it every day. I started riding my bike more, and at a pretty young age, I was like, I want to do the Tour de France one day. And then I figured out the steps to take toward that—junior racing, getting selected for the national team…. By the time I left high school, I was already in the pipeline to turn professional.

What was it about it that hooked you?

If you watch the Tour de France enough, you start to understand the tactics behind it, and you get this emotional attachment to the riders. It’s not just an individual sport where this guy wins, this guy gets second, etc. It’s sort of like a combination between Formula 1 and running a marathon, but with the teamwork of professional basketball. aspect. But so much of it is strategy and teamwork and play calling, and also bike handling because you’re racing down these super fast descents.

TIRE

WHEEL

CRANKSET

How did you start training?

When I was really young, I started riding on an indoor cycling track called a velodrome twice a week. But once I got into high school, I had a little more freedom, and that’s when I started to explore the roads in LA. I wouldn’t say it’s the best cycling in the world, because there’s just so much traffic. But once you get far enough out of the city, like into Malibu, it’s actually beautiful training. And so I would just ride out there four or five days a week throughout high school.

What’s been the most rewarding moment of your cycling career so far?

Maybe winning the US national championship this year. Anytime you win a big race, it’s really cool to see friends just being happy for you and to celebrate a victory with your teammates and the people who have supported you. Before the championship, I had just had a horrible crash in Spain that broke my sternum. I was concussed, so I couldn’t train for a while and didn’t race for almost two months before the national championship. My physio [physical therapist] put in a ton of hours helping me recover from my injuries, and I felt I was physically good enough to win, but I didn’t really know how I would handle racing again—and then I won my first race back. So, yeah, that was pretty rewarding.

What’s your day like when you’re racing?

It’s pretty busy, like at a Grand Tour [multi-day European professional race], you wake up, eat, get on the bus, get to the race, go to an interview, do the race strategy meeting, go on stage in front of a bunch of fans while they announce our names, then get on the bike and race for five hours. Then you get back on the bus, drive an hour to the next hotel, eat, do massage, see the chiropractor, go to dinner, and by the time you get back to your room, you’re like, Well, I haven’t even responded to anyone’s texts all day, so I’m gonna get on my phone for 20 minutes, and then it’s like, Oh, now I need to go to sleep. You can look out the window from your hotel room, but it’s not like you have time to even go on a walk around whatever town you’re in.

CHAIN

“ Once your heart rate gets high enough and you’re over your lactate threshold, you just feel burning all over your body, and you can’t breathe fast enough, and your muscles can’t shuttle lactate out of your body fast enough. So you feel terrible and everything in your body is telling you to stop, but your brain wants you to keep going so you can win the race.”

How do you work with your teammates to succeed in a race?

Every team has seven or eight riders, depending on the race. And most teams pick one guy, maybe two, to try to win the race that day, and the rest of the riders are in a support role. What’s often undervalued is what a massive difference drafting makes. On a flat or downhill road, if someone’s riding in front of you, or you’re in the peloton—the main group of bikers—you don’t have to work hard at all because you’re protected from the wind. There are also times where you can pace a rider up a climb, or strategically send riders ahead of the main group earlier in the day, and then your leader can go catch them later, and they can help the leader once they’re ahead.

What was your strategy in this year’s Tour de France?

We went this year without even the goal of our leader winning the race. We just wanted to win as many individual days as possible, but even just to get the individual days, all seven of us had to sacrifice for one guy. If it was a flat day, for example, we were working for our team’s Dutch sprinter, Marijn van den Berg. He can go super fast at the end of the race, but we needed to get him in position in the five hours beforehand so he could sprint for the last 20 seconds. There’s a lot to be said about fighting for position, because the road is only so wide, and maybe there are 200 guys in the race but only 10 guys in the front. Almost every day at the Tour there’s a crash because two guys are fighting for the same spot. It all comes down to millimeters and splitsecond decisions.

ALUMNI PROFILES

What’s it like to crash during a race?

You’re going so fast, and everyone’s riding inches apart, so one guy crashes somewhere near the front, and then 40 guys behind him are in a giant pileup. Sometimes you can kind of see it coming, but not to the point where you can stop. And sometimes a crash comes out of nowhere, and you’re just on the ground suddenly, crazy adrenaline, guys screaming around you, and you basically just have to pick yourself up and assess the damage. I’ve had times where I haven’t been able to get up and times where I’ve jumped back in the race completely unscathed. I’ve been in crashes where guys have gotten injured pretty badly, but I’ve been lucky and only broken a few bones. Still, when you have a really bad crash, and you’re off the bike for maybe a month, coming back to competition is always a bit of a shock to the system, especially when the last time you rode a bike, you ended up in a ditch at 50 miles an hour with a broken collarbone. So when you come back to racing, it’s hard to take the same risks. Even if you’re physically just as good, if you crashed on a slippery corner and now you’re going downhill in the rain, you’re just thinking about it constantly, whereas a month before, you were just doing it without a thought.

How do you prepare for competitions?

Physically, it’s pretty simple. You’re training year-round, 20 to 30 hours a week on the bike, usually two or three days of three to seven hours of hard training, and then you take a rest day, and repeat. The harder part is preparing yourself mentally. It’s an endurance sport, so there’s a ton of suffering, and that’s something you have to be mentally prepared for, because if you’re not, you might as well not be on the start line.

What does that suffering look like?

Once your heart rate gets high enough and you’re over your lactate threshold, you just feel burning all over your body, and you can’t breathe fast enough, and your muscles can’t shuttle lactate out of your body fast enough. So you feel terrible and everything in your body is telling you to stop, but your brain wants you to keep going so you can win the race. difficult is when you’re not even trying to win the race, realistically you’re just going for a top 10 or a top 20, or working for a teammate, because if you lose the reason why you’re suffering, you get a bad result in the race. You need to be willing to push your brain further than your body can go, because if you don’t get 100% out of yourself physically, you’re not going to win.

What’s going through your head in that situation?

Right before it starts hurting, you can be like, Oh, yeah, this is awesome. I’m going to win this race. And then you get to that physical limit. Maybe you have three or four minutes left in the climb you have to get over, and your body’s just like, out, like you can’t move your legs anymore, you just have to stop. And then if you get the wrong thought in your head—like, Why am I doing this? What am I here for?—then you’re probably just going to give up. But if you think about people suffering much worse than you, and you’re blessed to be suffering in that situation, maybe that’ll help you, or maybe it’s something simple, like a mantra, one step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time, or a song in your head. And at the same time, you’re also subconsciously jockeying for position or trying to follow the wheel [ride closely behind the cyclist in front of you] and making sure your carb intake per hour is good enough and you’re hydrated, because at this point you’re four and a half hours into a race. Sometimes it can overwhelm you, but you have to try to find focus within the chaos.

What happens after a race like that is over?

At first you have a lot of adrenaline from finishing super fast, but later that night, it hits you and you’re like, Wow, I’m insanely sore. But the most difficult part is that a lot of times you’re in a multi-day race, like the Tour is 21 days. And so let’s say day three, you went full all out, super deep, and you’re on the team bus leaving the race, like, Wow, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to walk tomorrow, but you have to do the whole thing over again the next day. Meanwhile, you also have to focus on recovery. The main thing is nutrition, and sleep is a big help, and we have massage therapists and chiropractors who travel with the team and try to help us recover as much as possible. But to a certain extent, in a three-week race, your body’s declining the whole time.

FRAME

CASSETTE

ALUMNI PROFILES

“

Anytime you win a big race, it’s really cool to see friends just being happy for you and to celebrate a victory with your teammates and the people who have supported you.”

Photo: Ashley & Jered Gruber

How has the sport of cycling evolved?

There was this giant wave of performance-enhancing drugs in the late ’90s and early 2000s, so riders were pulling off crazy physiological feats that then stopped for, like, 10 years, and we’re finally getting to the level where the best guys in the world are now almost as good as the best guys in 1995. So there’s this weird period where the sport developed way faster than it should have, and then it went down after Lance Armstrong, and now it’s catching up. The biggest evolution in the last few years has been performance improvements from research on nutrition and aerodynamics. In a race, you’re burning, like, 8,000 calories some days. So you basically just have to eat a ton of carbohydrates. We eat a lot more on the bike than people would expect—tons of energy gels and drink mix. And thanks to the internet, younger guys know how to train and eat properly. When I was growing up, you didn’t even think about that stuff. You just went and raced your bike, and if you had a bad day, you just had a bad day. You didn’t think, Oh, I didn’t eat this many grams of carbs during that hour of the race, so that’s why it went wrong. We just kind of left it to chance.

How did your experience at Harvard-Westlake impact you?

SADDLE

I can’t say enough good things about Harvard-Westlake. I had a really supportive dean—shoutout to Mr. [Adam] Howard—who helped adjust my schedule so I could have all my classes straight through in the morning and leave at 1 or 1:30 to train before it got dark. Harvard-Westlake also taught me how to be diligent, which has helped me in so many areas of life. I’m grateful.

Test yourself: Can you answer this question from a Harvard-Westlake teacher?

Answer at the bottom of the page.

BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT EACH LAYER OF THE SKIN, PROVIDE A HYPOTHESIS FOR WHY TATTOOS ARE PERMANENT WHILE DRAWING ON YOUR HAND WITH A SHARPIE IS NOT.

THIS ONE IS FROM DR. UPPERSTEWART’S SCHOOL HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY CLASS

A: The cells in the stratum corneum of the epidermis are dead and frequently rub off the surface to be replaced by other cells. Because of this, any ink in that layer would fall off and be replaced with un-dyed cells. The reticular layer of the dermis has fewer cells that are not replaced as often. As a result, dye in the dermal layer persists.

Lucie Benoit ’27

Yuna Jeon ’26 Chase Mayer

CHAMPION’S SWIM A

By Chloe Saleh ’30

In the hush before the plunge, the water shifts below. Quietly waiting. My competition, stiff and blank as statues, stand poised side by side. My heart, meanwhile, drums fiercely, yet my legs tremble, and my arms quake. I breathe deeply, clearing my mind as nearly the whole world dissolves, except a hole in the ground with water within.

The whistle pierces my ears, sharp as a hawk’s cry. We take our marks, tension building, adrenaline pumping through my veins. The buzzer sounds, ringing through the silent deck. A dive, a slice through liquid blue, the current bends, the lanes stay true, as I fight through,

Stroke by stroke by stroke.

The distance is thinning, But my arms are getting heavy, My legs are burning, And I’m struggling to breathe. But I’m determined to push through, Knowing I must keep swimming. I feel my love and hate for my opponents, Embrace the insane drive to get to the wall. To win.

To become a champion.

And at the end of the day, I know only 3 things: My weapon is my body, My element is the water, And my world is swimming.

Administration Plans for 2024-2025 Phone Ban to Promote Wellness, Connection

By Erin Ryu ’26, excerpted from the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

Phones will be banned during the school day on campus next school year, the school announced. Students will be unable to use phones throughout the school day—a policy first enacted by the middle school—in an attempt to encourage connection and minimize distractions, Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said in an email.

Slattery said she has observed a loss of social interaction and a growing reliance on phones, with several students increasingly turning to their parents for help.

“I see plenty of people talking to one another, but I also see plenty of times when people are sitting at a lunch table, all of them on their phones,” Slattery said. “We’re losing interaction. I’m also worried that we’re making kids less resilient because they can have an immediate response to their distress, and they never are allowed to sit in discomfort.”

The phone policy was first proposed by Head of Communications and Strategic Initiatives Ari Engelberg ’89 to the administration. After the administration agreed, the school joined the Coalition to Limit Access to Smartphones and Social Media (CLASS) in cooperation with a group of other independent schools across Los Angeles dedicated to discouraging phone use among adolescents.

Engelberg said he and the school decided to collaborate with other institutions because they were also working to curb phone usage among students.

“All of the research around limiting cell phone and social media usage suggests that a collective effort is most effective,” Engelberg said. “We knew that working with our peer schools made sense. When I checked in with colleagues at those schools, it turns out they were also thinking about ways to limit phone usage on campus. It was pretty natural to call them all together and develop a framework for a joint statement and working group.”

Zoe Vourgourakis ’26 said she believes the phone ban will lead to an increase in usage and further isolate students.

“As we know, restricting things will only make them more desirable, and therefore more likely to be abused,” Vourgourakis said. “We had a similar policy prohibiting the use of phones at the middle school, which caused kids to become even more isolated from others due to the prospect of being caught on their phones by teachers in popular areas. If socialization is what the school wants to promote, why not allow students more opportunity for socializing instead of taking away a useful tool for it?”

Upper School Counselor Brittany Bronson said the counseling team is open to supporting students who have heavily relied on their phones as an emotional outlet.

“The hope is that soon students will realize that not having their phones during the day will not be as impactful as they envisioned,” Bronson said. “But of course, there are the challenges of students trying to find their way around these new rules and have their phones somehow. The entire counseling team is here to support the student body.”

Sophia Wong ’27, who was subject to the lower school phone policy last year, said she supports the policy based on her experiences without a phone at school.

“The phone policy is a step in the right direction and I’m glad that the school, and many other schools, are taking action,” Wong said. “Coming from the middle school, where phones were banned the whole day, I saw a drastic shift in how we interact with each other during our free time and how much more isolating the culture here is. [The phone ban] will definitely shift us away from this culturally imbedded habit of being so reliant on our phones and foster greater connection among students, even if this is subconscious or not immediately noticeable at first.”

Engelberg said although resistance toward the policy is understandable, the research shows the policy will yield significant benefits over time.

“Of course any major policy change is going to be met with fair questions, and there are still a number of outstanding

Students on the quad look at their phones. Starting next year, the school administration will ban phone use during school hours, in a similar policy enacted by the middle school.

Photo courtesy of

questions even now about how a restriction on cell phone usage will work at the upper school,” Engelberg said. “But the research about the toxic effects of overuse of cell phones and the distraction they create on school campuses is compelling, so there weren’t a lot of principled challenges to the idea. I’m sure there will be a few bumps in the road when the policy goes into effect, but with a little patience, understanding, and a willingness to adapt, we’ll get them smoothed out.”

Instead of asking students to come to school without their phones, the school is considering providing students with pouches to store their phones during the school day,

Slattery said. These pouches would limit phone usage during the day but still allow students to carry them on their person in case they need to be accessed during an emergency, such as contacting a parent or therapist. Slattery said although the exact logistics of the policy are still being finalized, some measures have been proposed to balance student freedom with reasonable restrictions.

“We give you guys a lot of independence,” Slattery said. “I don’t think teachers want to start getting into the habit of monitoring the lunch area and constantly taking phones from people. I’d love to actually get to a place where you could have them and use them responsibly.”

Staff Editorial: Putting Down The Phone

By Max Turetzky ’25, excerpted from the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

When Steve Jobs announced a revolutionary new type of smartphone in 2007, neither he nor anyone else could have predicted its unprecedented impact on an entire generation of society. Almost all of us have been raised with constant access to an ever-present mobile device, giving us readily available updates on everything from the latest social media trends to our friends’ current locations with just a few clicks. Ninety-five percent of American teenagers now have a smartphone, according to Statista. The fundamental changes to our psychology, culture, social, and education phones have brought are incomprehensibly enormous and equally as dangerous. We spend hours each week mindlessly refreshing our social media feeds to catch up with the news or our classmates’ vacations, chatting with friends through faceless text conversations, and procrastinating on work in favor of quick dopamine hits from short-form content. As much as we teenagers hate to admit it, we’ve lost something tangible through our obsession with our phones. Real-world connections and meaningful passions have been traded away for instant gratification. Though many students are obstinately opposed to the new phone policy, the schoolwide phone ban on phones will give us a new opportunity to foster empathy and create deeper bonds with one another. It’s saving us from ourselves. Face-to-face interactions are more than just a nostalgic idea—they’re a critical part of fostering our growth as individuals and members of a community. Through this, we can become more emotionally and socially present, both in our learning environment and with the humans around us.

The educational harms are even more apparent than the social harms. Our attention spans have been obliterated by ubiquitous 15–to 30-second video clips, which have trained us to become easily distracted. Even at school, students often spend their break time on the quad staring at their phones instead of talking with their friends. Despite the ban on phones in class, the most screenobsessed kids can be seen peeking at them under desks, which undermines a learning environment. At this point, the best solution increasingly seems to be an outright ban—allowing these urges to be fully put to rest.

Phone usage has permeated every facet of our lives, whether at home or at school, whether alone or with friends. Beyond just distracting us, excessive phone usage has profound implications for our mental health. Research from Columbia University has consistently shown that the more time we spend on our devices, the more likely we are to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media feeds create a cycle of comparison and self-doubt, making it harder to focus on personal growth and well-being. The most prominent example is Instagram’s Stories feature, which offers an endless photo gallery of classmates dancing at concerts or traveling to exotic locales. We only see the highlights of other people’s experiences, which triggers an ever-present fear of missing out—the anxiety that we’re not having the same exciting lives as our peers.

How the school handles the specifics is a question we have the rest of the year to figure out. Should seniors be able to take their phones off-campus? Is it acceptable if phones stay undisturbed in lockers and backpacks during school, or do they need to be confiscated at the beginning of the day? What if a student needs to call a parent during an emergency? These are legitimate points for debate, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture—that phones have completely disrupted the way we relate to others and ourselves, and the school is helping us see these impacts. We should approach the next school year with an emphasis on healing and connection, and that requires us to see each other face-to-face, not separated by the invisible barrier of our phones. It’s natural for students to be wary of such a huge change, but we need to put our trust in the new policy and make an active effort to create a stronger community in line with the administration’s vision.

Illustration by Alexa Liu ’25

CLASS NOTES

WESTLAKE CLASS NOTES

1980s

KAREN MCBRIDE ’80 writes,

“Hello to all my 1980 classmates. This year I visited ELIZABETH HALL ’80 in LA several times and enjoyed hanging out in Huntington Gardens with her. Growing up in LA, I had never visited the gardens. I have been enjoying living in the San Juan Islands, consulting, and traveling to Europe a few times a year. I recommend Sifnos Island (a foodie island) in Greece. Also, Sappada, Italy, in the Dolomites. I am looking forward to visiting ANNA MARTIN TSOUPAS ’80 (Long Island) in October. I hope everyone in our class of 1980 makes it to next year’s 2025 reunion. It will be our 45th!!! ”

TARA RICEBERG ’86 writes, “Señora Armstrong taught my Westlake School for Girls seventh grade Spanish class. She had a profound effect on my love of learning, desire to travel, and ability to communicate. To the best of her ability she tried to get me to speak without using my hands, but if anyone has ever seen one of my store videos, you know that was an impossible challenge.

She is a vibrant 98½ years young and I visited her last fall in Oahu to let her know in person that she made a difference in my life. I invited my 82-yearold dad to join me on the trip and was hoping that after an evening of kibbitzing and reminiscing with her he might stop kvetching about being old and cranky.

She invited us Saturday night to her club to watch the sun set over Waikiki. We enjoyed a light meal and a local band covering ’80s tunes like the Talking Heads’s ‘Once in a Lifetime.’ I tuned out of the conversation between Señora Armstrong and my dad and into the lyrics. ‘And you may ask yourself, Well, how did I get here?’ I often wonder about my choices that led me to where I am and am quite aware of the people along the way who guide me.

After we finished dinner, we exited past the band playing ‘Louie, Louie,’ which immediately transported me back to 1984, when Animal House cast members Otis Day and the Knights played at the Harvard School homecoming.

The next morning, while claiming the perfect lounge chairs between the Halekulani Hotel’s pool and the gate to the beach, I told the pool attendant Kawelo, whose family traces back to the Polynesian settlers of Hawaii, about my evening with my teacher and how grateful I was that my parents made sacrifices to send me to private school. He corrected me and said, ‘They invested in you.’”

1960s

ED STANTON ’63 writes, “Between 1976 and 2016, I coached 30 Little League/AYSO teams. We were champions three times, lost more than we won, and I never got fired. Here are some of my memories.

In 1975, our son, JOHN STANTON ’89 , contracted meningitis and lost all hearing in one ear and 80% in the other. He could hear somewhat while facing the person, which shocked the doctors. He loved sports, so when I signed him up for Y-Ball (Parent Pitch/Tee Ball), I was afraid some coach would ignore him. I decided to be the assistant coach, and after the first game I was hooked.

Over the next nine years, I coached 20 of my son’s and daughter’s teams and then retired; so I thought.

COACHING PART 2

In 2013, I returned to coaching my grandchildren and had a different perspective. My role wasn’t to win the most games, but rather to make it a fun experience so that most of the players would return next season. Only God knows who will grow to be strong, big, and fast, but if a player has a bad experience and quits, it is all for naught. I introduced Popsicles and a squirt gun fight at the end of each practice, and Nobody Missed Practice.

Over the next six years I coached three of my grandchildren in AYSO soccer. The last year, my grandson’s team went 9-1 and I felt God was saying, ‘It’s time for you to retire.’ I did and for the last time.

WHY WE COACH

Looking back, I have many memories of my children and grandchildren, but the one that stands out is about an 11-year-old boy, Reese, class of ’88, on my 10/11 PPBA baseball team. Reese was a delight. Always a big smile, did everything I asked, and almost void of any baseball talent. I played him in right field and hoped the ball would never go there.

That year we made the playoffs. We’d lost the first in a 2/3 series but were ahead in the second game 6-5 with 2 out in the bottom of the last inning. They had two on and one of their best hitters up. He was a lefty, so I moved Reese to left. As fate might have it, he hit high, a pop to left. Reese staggered back, raised his mitt, and God kindly dropped the ball into it. Reese fell, raised the ball up with his throwing hand, then burst into tears of joy; so did his father. The team then mobbed him. I never gave out a game ball, since it usually went to the same guys, but I gave this one to Reese, and I told him that he’d won the game for us.

Reese didn’t play the next season, but some years later I heard he’d contracted an aggressive form of cancer and died. I called his father to express my condolences. He told me, ‘Remember that ball you gave Reese… Well, it is still on the shelf in his room.’ Neither of us could speak for the next several minutes.

IT’S MEMORIES LIKE THIS THAT MAKE COACHING WORTHWHILE.”

ROGER ERICKSON ’64 and DAVID MCNAIR ’64 write, “On September 20-22, the Harvard class of 1964 celebrated their 60th class reunion. This Harvard class has had a class reunion every five years. Out of a graduation class of 52 cadets, 21 came from all over the world to celebrate and rekindle the bonds that have held up for over 60 years. These classmates, many with their wives, convened for a Friday evening reception, with the highlight being PAUL CUMMINS ’55 , our senior year English teacher, reading his poem ‘1964—A Sonnet Sequence.’ Saturday afternoon was spent swapping wonderfully remembered stories of our high school time together, including student high jinks like the ‘Senior Satire,’ which was so scandalous, the school banned it forever. A banquet dinner Saturday evening was followed by a Sunday ‘Happy Trails Goodbye Brunch.’ Infrequently mumbled about was the year 2029, as we all look forward to our 65th reunion.”

HARVARD-WESTLAKE NOTES

1999

SPENCER VILLASENOR ’99 writes, “I recently joined The Commerce Casino & Hotel, which has been an awesome transition for me after spending nearly 17 years as a legal recruiter. My new position as the Director of Guest Experience has me overseeing marketing, events, the host program, and more. Also, I got to enjoy an incredible trip out to Hong Kong, South Korea, and Macau as part of my market research. If you like to play poker, blackjack, or baccarat, (or even pai gow tiles/poker), please come see me and I’ll take great care of you!”

JENI MULEIN ’99 writes, “Fellow alum CELA SUTTON ’06 and I assembled a dinner for other female alums working as creative executives, producers, and in representation in TV and film. We kept our first dinner to LOGAN CLAIRE ’99 , LINDSAY SLOANE ’93 , NICOLE BROWN ’98 , RACHEL HORVITZ LEWIS ’07 , BERNI BARTA VANN ’10 , and then Cela and me, but we are hoping to slowly expand the network with writers and other women working in the industry.

Cela and I were first introduced last year, as she is a buyer at HBO and I’m a producer working with IP at Wondery, and yet we had no idea that we both were HW alums because of our age gap. We decided we couldn’t be the only ones and set out to create a little network. I am looking forward to connecting with more alums in the industry and growing this as a way to connect.”

2001

ROMINA RODRIGUEZ-CROSTA ’01 writes, “In 2022 my husband Oscar and I founded Patagonia Tango Company, an Argentine tango and folklore company based in LA. The company started with a small but devoted group of students we would teach tango choreography to for small local presentations. Since then, the company has grown to include a roster of professional Argentine artists at the top of their field. We premiered our first international show in Buenos Aires in November 2023 at the Teatro Broadway on Calle Corrientes (the Broadway of Buenos Aires), among other venues. This year we were presented by The ALEX Theatre in Glendale. It was our largest production to date and I couldn’t have been more excited and anxious. The show on November 22, 2024, featured a cast of 18 dancers, musicians, and singers. I hope dance-loving alums in LA check us out! PatagoniaTango.com.”

2003

MATT CHEREP ’03 writes, “My wife Katie, son John (5), and I have settled in Charlotte, NC. I recently reached out to Mr. Hu and the alumni office to try to find connections to any HW alumni in area. Armed with emails of local alums, I was able to start reaching out and luckily schedules finally synched up for ROSEMARY MORGAN ’02 , CHRISTINE KAHM ’00 , CARLY SULLIVAN ’03 , JOHN LUDDEN ’03 , and me to meet up with their families. We plan to keep connecting and reaching out to the alums who could not make it this time.”

LINDSAY KIMURA ’03 writes, “Teamed up with KRISTIN WALD ’02 and MISSY FINE ’02 to launch the podcast Uncharted Paths! Hear from fellow HW alumni who have taken the road less traveled and forged paths of authentic expression. Our podcast dives deep into the journeys of those who lead with heart, embrace the unknown, and overcome challenges with unwavering resilience. Listen and subscribe to Uncharted Paths on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms! Follow us on Instagram @unchartedpaths_thepodcast and YouTube @unchartedpathspodcast.”

2007

TJ TAYLOR ’07 writes, “Recently launched my new venture capital firm—Hobart Ventures. Currently raising for Fund 1. Focusing on investing in pre-seed and seed-stage consumer software enabled companies!”

2008

DOROTHY ( ETRA ) KATZ ’08 writes, “Dorothy and Daniel Katz welcomed a new daughter, Isabelle Brooke, in August, joining big brother David and big sister Paula.”

2013

HUGO DE CASTRO-ABEGER ’13 writes, “I am excited to share that I am officially launching my handmade ceramics on Instagram! Each piece is crafted with love, care, and creativity, bringing a unique touch to your space. Follow along for updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and beautiful ceramics that are perfect for your home or as gifts! Feel free to reach out for commissions! You can follow me on Instagram @hugo_pottery. None of this would be possible without my incredible ceramics teachers through the years at HW: KATIE PALMER , DYLAN PALMER , and ARTHUR TOBIAS . Thank you all so much!”

ROBBIE LOEB ’13 writes, “Wildlife photography is a hobby that has taken me all around the world. Most recently, I traveled to the South Pacific island of Rurutu to photograph humpback whales during their birthing season. Thank you to SAM DE CASTRO ABEGER ’07 for loaning me some of his underwater camera accessories!”

Class Notes is a regular feature in HW Life magazine, and all notes are submitted by alumni. If you have any news you’d like to share with the alumni community, submit it via the alumni website (hw.com/alumni) by logging into your alumni account or by emailing alumni@hw.com.

Westlake Alumnae Director and Community Service Coordinator, 1980–2017

Bruce MacDowell ’69

Sylvia Leighton Wikle ’45

John King ’45

Jerome Moiso ’59

William Stevens ’50

David Askey ’55

Vicki Goddard ’60

Coombs Westlake and HarvardWestlake History and Social Studies Teacher, 1968–2008

Middle School Director of Printing and Supplies, 1991–2024

Janet Ramsay Burd ’72

Ingrid Roper ’88

David

Ken Reid

Eric Lebovitz ’96

Steven Weitz ’09

Benjamin Ellis ’28

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF LEARNING CENTER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNING SPECIALIST ROBBIN BIBBS writes, “I’m excited to introduce Vibrants Eats: A Cookbook for Healthy and Flavorful Living. This is my ultimate guide to quick, healthy, easy-to-make, and utterly scrumptious meals, designed specifically for busy professionals. Say goodbye to dull dinners and hello to a world of flavor-packed dishes that you can whip up in no time! From mouthwatering salads to delicious desserts, this cookbook has it all. You can be among the first to dive into this culinary adventure that will tantalize your taste buds and nourish your body. The Vibrant Eats cookbook features over 50 recipes, including breakfast, healthy juices and smoothies, salads, Southern-inspired dishes, Caribbean flavors, vegan options, pasta, and desserts.”

BUS DRIVER HOWARD BROADNAX

writes,“I am the Harvard-Westlake #6 route driver for the West Valley area. Prior to the pandemic, I hadn’t painted anything in approximately 35 years. After searching for something that would keep me busy during those challenging times, I turned back to painting. Before I knew it, 17 pieces had been completed in just a few weeks’ time. In February of 2021, I had my very first art show with three other local artists, Mr. Terry Bolen, Ms. Michelle Brown, and Ms. Kimberlyn Brown. My exhibit was entitled ‘Heavenly Divas,’ honoring a few of those African American songbirds who have passed away, such as Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Billie Holiday, and others. After the show was so well received, I realized that my passion for this particular form of art had returned. Since then, several shows have followed and also been well received. My Louis Armstrong painting was featured at the upper school during one of the jazz concerts. Thank you, MANOS VOURGOURAKIS ’25 , for arranging that. Many of my route families and Harvard-Westlake faculty and staff have come out to support me not only with the artwork, but with my attempts at acting as well, particularly my role as the Serpent in Genesis from Creation to Christ. I am so grateful to my Harvard-Westlake family for allowing me to share just a few moments of this journey that I’m on. Your love, support, and encouragement means more than you’ll ever know.”

NATE CARDIN writes, “Two exciting things happened to me last summer: First, the in-flight magazine for United Airlines chose my January 2024 New York Times crossword to reprint as the crossword for its June 2024 magazine! Second, I followed up my 2022 Wheel of Fortune win by going on (and winning!) another game show, Fox’s The 1% Club. If you’d like to watch and play along as I answer a set of increasingly tough logic questions, look for Episode 4 of The 1% Club, streaming now on Amazon Prime video. I’m the guy in seat 20!”

STEPHANIE CHIANG writes, “The Taipei Art Book Fair is an annual event that gathers a curated selection of local and international publishers, artists, and independent creators. I was there over Thanksgiving break exhibiting my work. ASHLEY TING ’26 , a current student of mine at HW, also returned to Taiwan during the break and visited my booth with her father—it was very sweet to see her there!”

UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER

UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

UPPER SCHOOL CRIMINAL LAW TEACHER

ALAN CROLL writes, “My son Bobby and I won the National Hardcourt Father-Son Tennis Championship—our eighth Gold Ball/National Championship. We are currently number one in the nation and have been for more than two-anda-half years!!”

UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

LUCAS GONZALEZ writes, “This winter, we welcomed our daughter Remi Mac Gonzalez into the world. When she was born, folks from across the Harvard-Westlake community were by our side to support us in our journey as new parents.”

UPPER SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGES

TEACHER BIN HE writes, “I have been elected as the President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Southern California for a two-year term!

I’m also excited to share that I’ve launched an Interdisciplinary Teaching Cohort for the 2024-2025 academic year at the upper school. Each month, teachers from different disciplines come together to share ideas and collaboratively design interdisciplinary activities and curriculum content. In our first meeting, we had 24 participants representing seven different academic departments. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see faculty engage in meaningful discussions and create innovative, cross-disciplinary learning opportunities for our students.

Additionally, I am honored to have been a speaker at a hands-on workshop at the Huntington Library Museum this January. During this workshop, which was designed for K-12 educators

to explore innovative ways of incorporating cultural resources into teaching, I shared insights and experiences from the HW Chinese program. The event was presented in partnership with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and supported by the Freeman Foundation, with a focus on enhancing education about Asia.”

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

ALAN HOMAN writes, “My wife, Karen Wong, and I had our second child, Kaimana Tin Yau Wong-Homan, on August 21. Kaimana is welcomed by his big sister, Makena.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

SIDNEY KOHLS writes, “Matilda ‘Tillie’ Moon Kohls-Feld was born Saturday, August 17, weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and measuring 19 inches. She is perfect and we love her so much already.”

UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

WHITNEY LASKER writes, “I am pleased to announce that I graduated from my master’s program at Teachers College last summer.”

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES

UPPER SCHOOL CHOIR DIRECTOR

DR. ZANAIDA STEWART ROBLES

writes, “I released an album of sacred choral music entitled Ecstatic Expectancy on December 1, 2024. The album is available on all major music streaming platforms. The title track from the album was featured on Classical California KUSC Radio with host Jennifer Miller Hammel at 8:03 a.m. on Friday, October 4, as part of her series ‘The Coolest Thing I Heard All Week.’”

MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

ADAM ROSE writes, “Something huge is coming…. I’m thrilled to introduce my new five-issue comic series, Huge Detective, now being released monthly through Titan Comics. When a string of murders and disappearances sweep the United States, a human detective and a giant with impressive detective skills team up to solve the case. After a race of giants emerged from a deep sleep beneath the earth, a brutal conflict erupted, known as The Omega Event. Eventually, a treaty was reached, leading to the creation of the state of Brobdingnag, where humans and giants could coexist peacefully. But now, tragedy threatens to shatter that peace. Detectives Tamaki and Gyant form an unlikely partnership to stop the criminal at large, only to find themselves entangled in a mystery bigger than either could have imagined. By the end of 2024, Huge Detective made AIPT and Geek Vibe Nation’s Top Comics of 2024 Lists! Look for the series each month and stay tuned for the graphic novel/trade paperback collection coming in Spring 2025!”

UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

LISA RADO writes, “Late last spring I was very honored to be awarded a 2024 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Educator of Distinction Award. I was nominated by recent Harvard-Westlake graduate and Coca-Cola Scholar DO HYEONG (ALEX) LEE ’24. Only 150 students nationwide receive this scholarship each year (out of 85,000110,000 applicants!), and each of the 150 national finalists is offered the opportunity (if they wish) to nominate a teacher of their choice for this award and explain why they think that person should receive it. Then there is a vetting process after those applications are submitted and the educator awards are selected. It was a great joy and privilege to work with Alex at HW and I was deeply touched that he put me forward for this award.”

UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER

JESSE REINER writes, “I managed to finish another album last summer, which began streaming on September 22. Free Body: Good Enough For You is built around acoustic guitars and harmonica, 18 tracks totaling 79+ minutes, soon to be available as a double vinyl LP. The cover art was converted via Photoshop from an old picture of me and two of my best friends (both of whom are on the album) playing an open mic in college almost 33 years ago. AIDEN

DANESHRAD ’23 makes a guest appearance on two of the final three tracks, and jazz program director CHRIS SULLIVAN plays on the last track. I’ve been listening to LPs since before I could talk, so when that box of records arrives from the pressing plant, I believe my life will have come full circle. ”

UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER

JESUS SALAS writes, “I would like to announce that my first book was released on Amazon this past April! It’s called the Sword of Vega, and it’s a fantasy story with magic and sword fighting. The main character, Amanda, has her life altered irrevocably when she stumbles upon a mysterious sword. Upon deciphering the inscription etched across the blade, she unwittingly resurrects Kay, a formidable warrior from four centuries past. I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.”

SENIOR ADVANCEMENT ADMINISTRATOR

MARLA SCHLOM writes, “We welcomed my newest grandchild Sabine to our family in May! She joins sister Selma (dad HUNTER SPINKS ’09 ) and cousin Archer (mom JENNA SPINKS ’07 ) as ‘Grammie’s Little Dividends.’”

UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

CONOR THOMPSON writes, “My wife, Carolyn Robertson, and I welcomed our second child, a boy named Gene Webb Thompson, on September 30.”

December 25, 1962–July 30, 2024

REMEMBERING KEN REID

KEN REID , Director of Printing and Supplies at the middle school for 33 years, died suddenly in July. Middle school clerical lead and Ken’s coworker of almost two decades, Erwin Yupe, shares some reflections about losing his colleague and friend.

“Ken’s infectious sense of humor brought joy to our workplace, turning even the most challenging days into moments of laughter and camaraderie, reminiscing and using punchlines from our favorite ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s movies and shows. Ken was the biggest and most devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys, USC, the Dodgers, the Kings (hockey), and the Lakers. His passion for sports was matched only by his love for those closest to him.

I shared the print shop space with Ken for 19 years. He had a heart as big as his love for the game, always ready with a smart comment to lighten the workday and kind words for those who sought his counsel. His warmth and generosity will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege to get to know him. It was a privilege to work shoulder to shoulder with such a caring human being. As I remember Ken, I will celebrate the love, laughter, and friendship he brought into our lives and into the HW community. His spirit will forever remain in our hearts as a reminder to live with the same passion and integrity that he did every day. Rest in peace, friend! You will always be a part of our HW community.”

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES

UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

NICOLE STAHL writes, “I was invited to show in my first professional-level solo art exhibition. Excitingly, over 100 people attended the artist talk and opening reception.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY/SOCIAL

STUDIES

TEACHER LAURA STEINMETZ

writes, “We welcomed Baby Eloise Shay Brookwell on June 23, 2024!”

MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

RYAN WILSON writes, “I’m happy to share with you that my play for high schoolers, Bowlarama, was published in May. If you think the description sounds interesting and have any friends who teach theater, feel free to pass along the link: tinyurl.com/3bwst4ha

The publisher’s description: The events of Bowlarama unfold in small-town Mexico, Missouri, during an all-night bowling competition for high school seniors. Eight classmates—all bound by a tangled knot of betrayal and lust, each battling their own inner struggles—vie for a fullride college scholarship, sponsored by the very corporation that economically devastated their town. As the night deepens, strikes, splits, and gutterballs reveal the hopes, fear, and grudges that have written the closing chapter of their high school lives. Bowlarama finds these teenagers in the midnight space between the old century and the new, adolescence and adulthood, decay and rebirth, and despair and hope. What awaits them as they face the dawn? ‘Good times.’”

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT MELISSA

ZIMMERMAN writes, “This year, I turned my grief into My Little Loves coloring books. I created them as my own therapy and get so much joy when I hear from grateful caretakers of dementia patients and moms of toddlers that they are really loving this series. I even brought them to the MS for tired teachers to enjoy in the staff room after retreat week. I’m always so thankful for the HW community’s support of each other’s hobbies, side hustles, joys, and pains.” Current and former teachers and staff members can share their news by emailing Elizabeth Hurchalla

Sabrina Simek ’26

Riley Richards ’25

WESTLAKE ALUMNAE DAY

One hundred alumnae and guests attended a lovely day on the middle school campus celebrating all Westlake graduates with special celebrations for the classes ending in 4 and 9.

In connection with the history of Westlake School for Girls, Harper Fogelson ’24 and Janie Chandrasekhar ’24, co-chairs of Empower (the women’s leadership student group on campus), gave a rousing, entertaining, and poignant speech to the Westlake alumnae about what it means to be a female student at Harvard-Westlake today.

Stay

HALLOWEEN 2024 ALUMNI WITH

YOUNG KIDS

Over 250 alumni and their children came together to celebrate Halloween with pumpkin decorating, costume contests, dodgeball, and much more. This annual event is a highlight for our Alumni with Young Kids Network, which hosts three large events like this a year. Stay tuned for more from this group. To get involved with Alumni with Young Kids or any other affinity group, you can find more information on the alumni portal, or contact the alumni office at alumni@hw.com.

JULY 8, 2024

HW ALUMNI EVENT IN LONDON

Nearly four dozen alumni from the UK and Europe gathered at Serpentine Gallery (CEO Bettina Korek ’96 hosted) to connect and meet other alumni also abroad.

Sammy Yamaguchi ’28

HARVARD/ HARVARD-WESTLAKE REUNION DAY

Over 500 alumni and guests—our largest turnout ever—were in attendance on the upper school campus for an afternoon/evening of mini-classes, campus tours, and festivities on the field.

The Harvard class of 1974 really showed up for their 50th reunion, with 51 of their classmates returning to campus to celebrate this momentous occasion.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2024

HOMECOMING 2024

Another record-breaking event with nearly 500 alumni and guests joining us at Feldman-Horn Plaza in front of Saint Saviour’s Chapel for an alumni pregame reception honoring our 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.

This year, the athletes honored were (back row, between President Rick Commons in red and Head of Athletics Terry Barnum in white) RJ Schreck ’18 (baseball), Olympian Alex Osborne ’05 (rowing), Alex Stepheson ’06 (basketball), River Ruffus-Milner ’18 (basketball), and (front row) Frank Pfister ’04 (baseball), Stacy Schwartz ’95 (soccer), and Ali Riley ’06 (soccer).

summer 2024 FELLOWSHIPS

dual heritages—muslim and jewish influences in spain and morocco kutler center faculty/staff fellowship:

In support of the Kutler Center’s mission to cultivate interdisciplinary studies and independent research at Harvard-Westlake, this past summer’s faculty/staff fellowship offered the opportunity to explore Jewish and Muslim heritage through the culture, art, architecture, and religious sites of Spain and Morocco.

This educational opportunity included three background sessions in the spring and a 12-day immersive experience in Morocco and southern Spain in June. Upon return, participants led a concluding symposium for the rest of Harvard-Westlake’s faculty and staff to share their experiences and insights and outline how their learning will enhance interdisciplinary education at Harvard-Westlake.

“I am filled with a deep sense of appreciation for the chance to collaborate with my esteemed colleagues and explore the historical sites that have long captivated my imagination from the classes that I teach and the religious practice in my personal life. The knowledge and insights I have gained will undoubtedly enrich my teaching and inspire me to share the wonders of these fascinating regions with my students.”

History Teacher Naqib Shifa

“I learned so much about the ways that Muslim and Jewish cultures have impacted Spain and Morocco. Because of this experience, I have a greater understanding that I can bring into my role as a counselor. I now have a more holistic lens that allows me to provide greater support to all my students, especially the ones who identify as Muslim or Jewish.”

Counselor Brittany Bronson

“The Islamic tile work! As a seventh grade math teacher, I teach my students about shapes and tessellations. We make constructions of polygons using compasses just as it was done in ancient times. I was able to see and experience firsthand some of the most beautiful and incredible examples of tessellations created with tile that dated back over a thousand years.”

Math and Science Teacher David Cleland

“Whenever I teach the ‘show/not tell’ rule of including sensory detail when writing, I will share with students the information about how mosques have a central courtyard that is meant to evoke Muslim paradise by bringing to life all five senses, which is why they are so lush with flowers, fountains, edible fruit, and so on. I often think students believe our mantra of ‘bring it alive with sensory detail’ is some random English teacher obsession.”

English Teacher Julia Grody

summer 2024 FELLOWSHIPS

kutler center student fellowships:

The Junior and Sophomore Summer Fellowship programs awards selected students to pursue independent, immersive projects over the summer. These students extend and enhance their knowledge beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom in destinations around the world.

Here, a selection of the 2024 recipients share their experiences.

Sasha Antonia Gadalov ’25

Assimilation in Alaska: Old Believers and the Evolution of Their Identity

JUNIOR SUMMER FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Sasha Gadalov ’25 visited villages in Alaska to study a religious group’s assimilation to modern American culture. The group, called the Old Believers, follows the traditional rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church and faced oppression from Communists after the Russian Revolution. Many immigrated to Alaska to avoid persecution.

“I researched how education plays a role in their culture and assimilation since they’re learning everything in English through the Alaskan school system,” Gadalov said. “The [Russian language] may fade over the years because they speak English, but their traditions and customs will remain the same.”

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Tali Gurule ’27

Ashley Ham ’25

Uncovering the Ancient Korean History of Pottery

WERNER FAMILY JUNIOR SUMMER FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Ashley Ham ’25 traveled to South Korea to research onggi pottery and its significance in both ancient and modern Korean culture. She visited Ye’s Park in Icheon, which is the largest ceramics and crafts village in the country, and a workshop called Saniri Studio, where she had the opportunity to create a pot and an onggi plate.

“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 more quickly and efficiently.”

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Luca Gonzalez ’26

Shiara Navarro ’25

The Mayan Train: The Environmental Impacts of Expanding Cultural Tourism in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

JUNIOR SUMMER FELLOWSHIP AWARD

The Mayan train is an intercity railway that traverses the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, constructed to expand cultural tourism and economically support less developed states. The train’s route across Mexico’s Caribbean Coast cuts through rainforest, negatively impacting the environment, according to Rainforest Rescue.

“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.”

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Audrey Herrera ’27

HW TODAY

Anaya Olivas ’25 30 Years Post-Apartheid: Life as a “Coloured” Girl in South Africa

JOANNE PARKER SUMMER FELLOWSHIP AWARD

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 girls’ schools in South Africa where she observed students and attended classes. She also interviewed teenagers in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

“I look forward to bringing that back to our school community and talking more about how apartheid continues to affect people in South Africa, but also how similar it is to how segregation continues to affect people here in the States,” Olivas said.

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Oona Sawyer ’27

Arielle Trakhtenberg ’25

Two Years Gone: Lives of Ukrainian Refugees in Krakow

JOANNE PARKER SUMMER FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Trakhtenberg spent the summer exploring Krakow and interviewing people 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. “During my time there, I discovered that there are some very cool people out there that are much more selfless than the majority of us are ever going to be able to comprehend,” Trakhtenberg said.

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Emmeline Chan ’27

Arman Tabesh ’26

Mission Trip to Peru in a Primary Health Clinic

IMMERSIVE EXPLORATION AND ENRICHMENT AWARD

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 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.”

From a story in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle by Luca Gonzalez ’26

michael brownstein ’99 memorial gap year fellowship

Michael Brownstein ’99 had a strong humanitarian spirit and sense of social justice and lived life to the fullest, passionately pursuing life-affirming experiences through extensive travel. The Brownstein Fellowship is awarded to one or more members of the senior class for a gap year experience that incorporates both travel and service to others. One of the 2024 recipients, Hank Schoen ’24, shares his experiences so far.

Hank Schoen ’24: 2024 Brownstein Fellow

Language immersion in China and environmental study in Australia and New Zealand

I spent the first month and a half of my gap year traveling around China with a group. We hiked along the Great Wall and explored the Terracotta Army and Bronze Chariots, and I stayed with a Chinese family, took Chinese classes, and worked with a local glass artisan who taught me glass flameworking. From there, we took an amazing threeday trek across the Tiger Leaping Gorge on the border of Tibet. We then moved to a small rural village, where I got to experience the Naxi people and language. I went to the weekly local market, worked with the host families in the fields, and did a lot of stargazing. Finally, I spent five days in Shanghai on my own, exploring the city and taking day trips that led me to unexpected places and encounters with various local people.

Through my connection with [Head of External Relations] Ed Hu, Thabiso Blak Mashaba (a recipient of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship) invited me to an International Development Design Conference (IDDS) in a small New Zealand town called Tolaga Bay. The IDDS is an annual event that brings together people from different backgrounds and countries to design low-cost solutions to challenges in developing countries. The summit is community based, hands-on, and emphasizes the importance of “co-creation.” The idea is that working with communities is more powerful than designing solutions for them. During our summit, a group of New Zealand locals and international participants, including myself, worked in teams to identify problems and solutions, test prototypes, and make adjustments after receiving feedback. My group was tasked with creating technologies to improve the process of making earth bricks. In small indigenous towns along the New Zealand coast, there is significant poverty and a lack of housing. Mud, a weed, and water are mixed to create a compound that can be compressed into bricks to make naturally insulated, fire-resistant, sustainable houses. However, the process is labor intensive and inefficient; it takes about 30 minutes to make a single large earth brick. My group of four designed and built a hand-crank drum mixer and a more efficient wooden brick compression system.

My experience in this summit was truly transformative. It wasn’t only the exhilaration of creating a technology that would improve people’s lives. It was also the cultural experience of working with an ethnically diverse group of people, living in a marae (an ancestral house of Maori people), and even participating in a protest for indigenous people’s rights. We organized potluck dinners where everyone made a dish from their country, game nights, talent shows, etc. We also learned about community businesses, from those making charcoal briquettes out of bleached driftwood (Slash For Cash) to those taking rusty copper pipes and turning them into sustainable jewelry. At the end of the summit, we crafted a continuity plan and officially handed ownership of the projects and prototypes to the community. Afterward, I volunteered for the “Slash for Cash” project, calculating a PPE gear budget, recruiting trainees, and teaching them digital literacy, which covered how to write a resume and cover letter, make a Google slides presentation, craft an email, and use Google. These are basic skills that many adults in the communities around Tolaga Bay are not familiar with. I wanted to introduce them to skills that would help them gain employment and empower them in the workplace.

After completing my volunteer work, I went snorkeling and kayaking in the Poor Knights Islands, hiked the challenging Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and toured the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. I have begun traveling in Australia and will soon be making my way to North Queensland, where I will volunteer on a sustainable organic vanilla farm owned by Jason S.C. Fung ’99. I will be performing a checkup on all their varieties of plants and entering this data into their database. I will also be following staff members around the farm, learning about sustainability practices, helping with projects, creating artwork of the farm for cards that can be used by staff members, and learning how vanilla is being used in aromatherapy practices.

I never imagined that this year would be as incredible as it has been. I have formed really close relationships with people of different cultures, ages, and backgrounds; I’ve improved my Chinese language skills; I’ve become so much more confident in my ability to plan adventures and bring them to fruition; and, more than anything else, I have expanded my view and my understanding of the world and have developed a passion for travel, adventure, and cultural exchange.

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES

Harvard-Westlake would like to recognize these faculty and staff members for their many years of service. Congratulations—and thank you!

Brenda Simon Tillman Middle School Attendance and Health Coordinator

Maria Arias Middle School Receptionist and Admission Assistant

Michelle Bracken

Upper School Counselor and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher

Ed Hu Head of External Relations

Jim Patterson Director of Kutler Center and Director of Summer School Programs

Margot Riemer Upper School World Languages Teacher

Sharon Cuseo Upper School Dean

Greg Gonzalez Director of Financial Aid and Upper School History Teacher

Michael Mori Upper School Mathematics Teacher

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES

Amanda Angle Middle School English Teacher

Middle School World Languages Teacher

Middle School History/Social Studies Teacher

Karen Fukushima Middle School Dean Department Head and History/Social Studies Teacher

Upper School Maintenance/Athletics

Upper School Administrative Assistant

Middle School World Languages Teacher

Roberto Hernandez

Silvia Jalomo

Jeannette Rodriguez

Andrew Brabbée

Paul Chenier

Lisa Peters Upper School Performing Arts Teacher

Beth

Jordan Church

Upper School Dean of Students and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher

Upper School Science

Emily Reola Middle School Dean and Performing Arts Teacher

Yanni Vourgourakis ’90

Teacher

Kevin Weis Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Slattery Head of Upper School

Terry Barnum Head of Athletics

Geoff Robertson Middle School Science Teacher

Annie Abrams ’99 Advancement Assistant

Emily Kennedy Executive Assistant to the President and Head of School

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES

Upper School World Languages and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher

Social Studies Teacher

Middle School History/ Social Studies Teacher

Jason

Swimming and Diving Program Head and Physical Education Teacher

Middle School Science Teacher

Upper School HWTV Livestream Teacher

Leslie Wang

Max Tash

Lauren Nichols ’99 Middle School History/

Schwarz

Brad Holmes

Jamie Chan Upper School Dean

Jim O’Leary

Andre Addley

Upper School PC Support Specialist

Jane An Upper School English Teacher

Karine Bruno Upper School World Languages Teacher

Nate Fox Upper School Assistant Technical Director

Jehan Giles Middle School Librarian, KITS Teacher, and Faculty Academic Committee Chair

Bin He Upper School World Languages Teacher

Eric Hernandez Middle School PC Support Specialist

Heather Hersey Middle School Librarian and KITS Teacher

Cole Hoffman Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Cathy James Middle School English Teacher

Melody Lee

Upper School Science Teacher and Department Head

Reb Limerick

Upper School Visual Arts Teacher and DEI Coordinator

Gohar Movsisian

Upper School Mathematics Teacher

Mark Nelson

Middle School History/Social Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher

Neli Nikolaeva

Middle School Performing Arts Teacher

Tripp Reed

Middle School Science and Robotics Teacher and Robotics Program Head

Sakura Schmall Human Resources and Talent Acquisition Administrator and DEI Coordinator

Elsa Songalia Accounts Payable

Conor Thompson

Upper School Visual Arts Teacher

Jessica Wahl Upper School Librarian

Jane Zink

Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Welcome to Harvard-Westlake’s New Employees!

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES

Griffin Upper School Assistant Debate Coach

Middle School Maker Space Director and Teacher

Eilish

Upper School Information Technology Coordinator

World Languages Teacher

Khamani

Jesus Lopez Upper School Maintenance

Steven Huynh

Mitchell Nobile Sports Performance Coach

Michael Durant Upper School Dean

Jee Won Lee Upper School Dean

Marci Reichert Director of Wellness

Morales

Sébastien Merle Upper School

Pedram Pourghazi Middle School Performing Arts Teacher

Sarah Rapaport Coordinator of Jewish Life and Community Engagement

Jeremiah Bruner Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Victor Campos Upper School Maintenance

Christopher Childers Middle School World Languages Teacher

Courtney Nunns Middle School English Teacher

Resto Middle School English Teacher

Dan Alig Chief Information Officer

Monique Geisler Middle School World Languages Teacher and Department Head

Andrea Poppiti Middle School Science Teacher

Tius Reyes Middle School Clerical Assistant

Michael Plourde Upper School Bookstore Assistant

Luivette

Congratulations

to these teachers and staff members on their new roles!

Rosemary Van Vlijmen

Middle School History/Social Studies Teacher and Department Head

FACULTY & STAFF

Keith Jordan

Middle School Dean and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher

Eduardo Lopez

Middle School Clerical Lead

Haley Hicks

’17

Assistant Director of Stewardship

Scott Phillips

Upper School Head of Debate Program and Summer Debate Program Coordinator

Maggie Thompson Associate Director of Teaching and Learning

Alton Price

Middle School English Teacher and Department Head

Robertson ’13

Associate Director of Annual Giving

Halsey

Jia Rhee ’28

ERIC ZWEMER: A LEGACY OF GREAT TEACHING

AND ENDURING PHILANTHROPY

When legendary history teacher Eric Zwemer lost his battle with cancer in the fall of 2018, the tributes from the HW community were overwhelming. Ellie Burrows Gluck ’02 remembered the “smiles, kindness, laughter, and humility” in his classroom, and Lucas Gelfond ’19 recounted, “Mr. Zwemer made his class a stage,” noting Zwemer’s ability to “ignite fascinating discussions, encouraging us to disagree and validating our voices as young academics.”

Expressions of love also arrived from Eric’s colleagues, including the late performing arts and cinema studies teacher Ted Walch. Ted, who also taught Eric at St. Albans School, wrote, “When I got a call to come [to Harvard-Westlake] two years after Eric, two things crossed my mind,

and I mean this in my heart of hearts: I want to be in a place that has students like Eric. I also want to be in a place where my colleagues are like Eric. So, I got two in one. Well, actually, I got three in one. I got a great friend.”

Reading through these reflections today, I am reminded that when great educators like Eric Zwemer leave us, their legacy is imprinted on every student and colleague whose life they touched—whether it is inspiring passion in a subject, motivating us to be our best selves, or just being the adult who truly sees us and accepts us. But in Eric’s case, thanks to a unique form of enduring philanthropy, his legacy lives on at HW in more tangible ways.

THE ERIC ZWEMER FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ENDOWMENT

After Eric’s death, funds from Eric’s retirement savings were used to establish the Eric Zwemer Faculty Development Endowment. Because professional development was so important to Eric—and with the guidance of his longtime friend Kyle Button—the endowment was dedicated to supporting “the continual growth and learning of HW faculty and staff by enabling them to seize travel study opportunities during the summer.”

Six years later, tributes continue to pour in about Eric Zwemer’s life and generosity from the many grateful recipients of these travel grants.

In 2022, middle school history teacher Elias Solano traveled to Croatia, Montenegro, Austria, and Slovakia to explore the regions covered in his World Civilizations and European History courses. In reflecting on the trip, which was made possible by the Zwemer endowment, Elias said, “One day I was a teenager dreaming of being able to travel the world, and now as an adult, I work at a school that supports that. Wherever you are, Eric, thank you for your generosity and know that thanks to you, I am making a difference in the classroom with this award.”

WITH ELI GOLDSMITH

When donors like these create or amend an estate plan, they may decide to designate Harvard-Westlake as a beneficiary, through either a percentage or specific dollar amount. At Harvard-Westlake, bequests can be allocated to one of three areas: 1) financial aid; 2) faculty and staff support; or 3) designated at the school’s discretion. These parameters exist to assure that bequests support enduring school priorities, rather than niche areas that may no longer exist at a future date.

In 2023, upper school history teacher and former department chair Katherine Holmes-Chuba examined elements of art history in Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, and Rome with the help of the Zwemer endowment. Katherine found the trip particularly meaningful because she and Eric had created and co-taught an art history course together at Harvard-Westlake. She wrote of the European voyage, “I often thought of Eric and paid silent homage to him at several places that I knew he loved. Creating and teaching the art history class together was the high point in my career at HW.”

LOYALTY (NOT WEALTH) IS THE LARGEST PREDICTOR OF A PLANNED GIFT

What Eric’s story illustrates is an important truth about planned gifts. While one might assume it is the largest donors who choose to include places like Harvard-Westlake in their estate plan (even the word “estate” evokes the image of a “mansion on a hill”)—studies show that it is a school’s most loyal donors, regardless of amount, who are most likely to make a commitment like Zwemer’s.

At Harvard-Westlake, donor loyalty abounds. Currently more than 600 living community members—including alumni, parents of alumni, employees, and former/retired employees—have given to the school for 25 years or more. In our Annual Report, active 25+-year donors are recognized with a “gold paw” next to their names, exemplifying the pinnacle of philanthropic loyalty to Westlake, Harvard, and Harvard-Westlake.

Once donors notify Harvard-Westlake of a bequest intention and provide appropriate documentation, they are invited to join the school’s Canyon & Glen Society, which is also recognized in the Annual Report. Canyon & Glen members receive various forms of stewardship throughout the year, including an invitation to the annual President’s Donor Reception. If you are interested in learning more about gift planning at Harvard-Westlake, please contact Director of Major & Planned Giving Kate Villasenor at 818-487-6622 or kvillasenor@hw.com.

“IT’S MAGIC TIME”

On a personal note, when I was a young HW employee, I recall spending many lunch periods with Eric Zwemer around a hexagonal table on the quad outside Chalmers. At the conclusion of every meal, without fail, Eric would famously clear his tray, walk toward his next period, and announce, “It’s magic time.”

As an admirer of Eric’s and of so many HW teachers, I marvel at the lifelong impact they can have on students. Thankfully, through the Zwemer endowment, Eric’s profound influence also endures among HW’s faculty. And with each passing summer, as I envision another HW teacher stepping off a plane—ready to learn and grow and explore the world thanks to Mr. Zwemer—I also imagine Eric is somewhere looking down on them, beaming with joy and pride and encouragement. “It’s magic time,” he’d say.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

Eli Goldsmith is Head of Advancement and host of The Supporting Cast, a Harvard-Westlake podcast available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts.

To explore how you can make a philanthropic impact at Harvard-Westlake, contact Eli at egoldsmith@hw.com.

Thanks to the Eric Zwemer Faculty Development Endowment, art history teacher Katherine Holmes-Chuba enjoys an up-close look at a fresco by Piero della Francesca, an artist both she and Zwemer loved.

WESTLAKE ON RETREAT AT CEDAR LAKE

By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98

Every fall, Westlake’s senior class would travel to Cedar Lake near Big Bear for their final retreat. On their last day in the mountains, the seventh grade class would arrive for their first retreat and begin their own class bonding experience. Each seventh grader was matched with a senior, who sent them anonymous gifts and whose identity remained a mystery until the two classes met at the retreat.

The class of 1989 meeting their senior “big sisters” from the class of 1984. Melissa Jacobs Butka ’89 (front middle in turquoise) remembers her “awesome” senior, Natalie Hansen ’84 (standing behind her). “She knew I liked the cartoon cat Garfield, so she gave me several Garfield bookmarks,” recalls Butka. “She also gave me a lot of candy!”

Headmaster Nat Reynolds and Director of Upper School Connie Miller at the class of 1984’s senior retreat

Francesca Varese ’26

Office of Advancement

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Los Angeles, CA 90077

700 North Faring Road

Los Angeles, CA 90077

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Postal regulations require Harvard-Westlake to pay for each copy of this magazine that is undeliverable as addressed. Please call the Office of Advancement (310.288.3308) or email advancement@hw.com to notify us of any changes of address. Include both the old and new address.

Parents of alumni: If the graduate to whom this magazine is addressed no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Office of Advancement of the new mailing address.

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK

We want to hear from you! Let us know what you thought of this issue and what you’d like to see in future HW Life issues. Please send your comments to Elizabeth Hurchalla at ehurchalla@hw.com.

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS: ARI ENGELBERG ’89

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & DESIGNER: LIZ WELCHMAN

CONTENT DIRECTOR & WRITER: ELIZABETH HURCHALLA

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: SHAUNA ALTIERI

ARCHIVIST & WRITER: ALEXIS SHERMAN ARINSBURG ’98

PHOTOGRAPHERS: ASHLEY & JERED GRUBER, SAM DE CASTRO ABEGER ’ 07, SNOWYMOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY, FAB FERNANDEZ, SHAUNA ALTIERI, ERRISSON LAWRENCE

COVER PHOTO: ASHLEY & JERED GRUBER

Alexander Wiezorek ’24