C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake
Los Angeles • Volume XXIII • Issue I • Aug. 27, 2013 • hwchronicle.com
Students attend first all-school convocation By Noa Yadidi
JACK GOLDFISHER/CHRONICLE
Kicking off the year
WARM UP: Albert Choi ’15 evades a St. Monica’s defender in the football team’s preseason scrimmage Aug. 23, left. Andrew Park ’15 wrestles down the St. Monica quarterback, top right. Running back Garrett Robinson ’15 stiff arms a defender, bottom right.
New president stresses connection to students
By Jack Goldfisher
asked him to return as an assistant dean, soccer coach and As Rick Commons walks English teacher. Finally, it was across the quad, now quiet but Hudnut who telephoned Comready to come alive during the mons two years ago and asked school year, his toothy grin if he was interested in taking over his job while does little to conceal Commons was still the excitement of reheadmaster at Groturning to Harvardton School in MassaWestlake as its presichusetts. dent after leaving the “It’s not really an school 15 years ago. exaggeration to say Commons fills the that three times Tom vacancy left by Tom Hudnut has given me Hudnut, Harvardan opportunity to do Westlake’s first presisomething really exdent and the leader nathanson’s citing,” he said. of the school for the Rick Commons Commons is past 26 years. Comaware of the huge mons first worked in Harvard-Westlake’s admis- shadow cast by his predecessor. The respect he has for sions office. “It was mid-year; I had Hudnut’s career is apparent. “This school is only 23 come out [to California] thinking I was going to write a novel years old, it’s amazing what and learn to surf,” Commons this institution is,” he said. said. “Neither of those things “You can say it was Harvard were going very well, and I and Westlake before, but it’s decided I really wanted to be so incredibly different from eiback at school, and Tom gave ther that it really is a 23-yearold institution that has stature me a job.” Later, after Commons in the educational world like completed his master’s degree it’s been around for 200 years.” Commons says it would studies at Stanford, Hudnut
INSIDE
GREAT DEBATERS: Six students and an alum represented the United States in international debate tournaments this summer.
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B4 GOT A RIDE?: Several students employ alternate methods of getting to school on time.
be foolish for him to try to be School and at Groton. Tom Hudnut. “The first thing I did when “I won’t try to fill his I moved in was pull it out and shoes,” he said. “But maybe stick it right here,” he says, I’ll bronze them and put them returning it to its home on a on the bookcase and admire bookcase. His beaming eyes them.” could convince one that the Recalling his time spent season took place yesterday, at Harvard-Westlake, Com- but his hair, then thick and mons proudly plunks down a coifed like that of ABC political picture of himself and a boys’ commentator George Stephavarsity soccer nopoulos but team that he now thinning coached to the on top, be I won’t try to fill CIF champitrays him. onship. “I look a his shoes. But maybe I’ll “It was a lot younger bronze them and put great group of in that picguys,” he says, ture, huh?” them on the bookcase that broad he said. “Difand admire them.” smile beginferent era.” ning to form The pho—Rick Commons on his face. to isn’t the President only “Whenever piece you’re workof Harvarding on a team, Westlake he you form bonds that just don’t carried with him during his get formed anywhere else.” tenure at Groton. The photograph, signed on “The place where I learned the back by the team members to believe in what can happen and given to Commons as a when you put really talented, gift, is faded from being dis- motivated faculty together played on office desks during with really talented, motivated his tenure at the McDonogh • Continued on page A10
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FRONTRUNNERS: The boys’ cross country team is a preseason favorite to win State, according to track website PrepCalTrack.
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The first-ever all-school opening convocation this morning was highlighted by the announcement of this year’s motto, the investiture of President Rick Commons and the prefects and speeches by Commons and the Head Prefects. All middle school teachers and students were bused to the Upper School after first period to attend the 10 a.m. convocation outdoors on Ted Slavin Field. Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts planned to begin convocation by announcing “from caring comes courage” as the motto for the 2013-2014 school year. “If there is a single virtue that you’re going to need all through your life, it is courage,” she said. “The nice thing about courage is that you can cultivate it, you can get more, if you didn’t have courage the last time you can have it next time.” Huybrechts said she knew she wanted to emphasize courage this year, but could not find the appropriate phrase. She almost chose the word courage to stand alone until she found Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu’s quote that dates back to 500-600 BCE. “You can always get more courage,” Huybrechts said. “I think of the people that I most admire and they all have that quality in common, they were courageous. That’s courageous sometimes in jumping in and being the first to do something and courageous sometimes in saying no, no more.” Huybrechts said the allschool convocation, which included all students from seventh to 12th grade, was an idea proposed by Head of Athletics Terry Barnum almost two years ago. The seventh and 12th grade classes were asked to sit on the bleachers to depict “the beginning of the journey and the end of the journey,” Huybrechts said. Students were also asked to wear school colors in an email sent by Head of Upper School Audrius • Continued on page A10
ONtheWEB COMMONS’ GOAL: New President Rick Commons offers his thoughts about the future of the school. Watch the video at hwchronicle.com/ commons