The school announced Executive Managing Editor Zoe Goor ’25 and Jacob Massey ’25 as the valedictorian and salutatorian for the 2024-2025 academic year. The valedictorian is elected from a group of students with the highest grade point average (GPA) by a panel of faculty members, who judge candidates based on academic ability, standing among faculty members and their potential speaking ability. The salutatorian is chosen by a popular class vote.
President Rick Commons said he is glad Goor and Massey were chosen because of his familiarity with them.
“It’s always nice when I have a personal relationship with the speakers,” Commons said. “[Goor] is a reader, and a long time ago, she came into my office for something and saw my bookshelf. We immediately got to talking about books. I’ve had a lot of fun chatting with her over the years. [Massey], of course, is a personality you cannot miss.”
Goor said she approached academics at the school with a passion for learning.
“I never chose classes based on anything but whether or not I was actually interested in the course,” Goor said. “I think that it’s best to be motivated by your genuine interests. The goal should be learning, growing your mind and thinking about interesting things that make you excited to go to school.”
Massey said he appreciates the support of his fellow classmates and the time they have spent together.
“If I could thank my class for one thing, it would be everything,” Massey said. “This is probably the best class in Harvard-Westlake history. We’ve overcome so much and grown as people more than I could have imagined.”
School leaders celebrate construction milestone of River Park campus, to be completed in fall of 2026
By Connor Tang and Charlotte Fowkes
Leaders of the school gathered at the River Park construction site to commemorate the official “topping out” of the campus May 23. Joined by trustees, donors and project visionaries, participants were able to sign the last steel beam of the River Park gymnasium, which was eventually lifted and put into place.
The River Park property, known formerly as Weddington Golf and Tennis, was purchased by the school in 2017 for $42 million dollars. It is set to be completed in the fall of 2026. The athletic campus will have two athletic fields, eight tennis courts, a gymnasium and an Olympic sized swimming pool as well as walking paths and green spaces for Studio City residents to use.
President Rick Commons, who addressed the crowd on-site, spoke about how the campus will positively impact the school and Studio City communities, while thanking benefactors and supporters of the project. Head of Athletics Terry Barnum and
Board of Trustees Representative Jean Kaplan also spoke about the future of River Park.
“We will have an extraordinary third campus,” Commons said. “A place for all grades to gather, a place where our athletes, our community members, our dancers, our students, our parents and our alumni can gather. We will have a place that takes care of the environment. We will have a place that stands for our intention to share our facility with the neighborhood, the city of Los Angeles. That’s not something that we do with the Middle or Upper School. It is something that we aim to do with our River Park campus. It is historic.”
Gensler, the LA-based architectural firm that designed River Park, has directed other projects for professional sports teams, such as the Los Angeles Rams’ new practice facility in Woodland Hills, and Crypto.com Arena. Matt Construction, the company that also constructed the middle school campus in 2008, is in charge of building the property. JD De Matté, the head of construction for the school, said the project will greatly
serve student-athletes and the operation of athletics at the school.
“I’m really proud of this project, because what it’s going to allow the kids to do is get home earlier and be able to go home with their family and do their homework,” De Matté said. “We have to double up on sports at the Upper School with late practices, where we sometimes don’t have enough facilities. All the campuses have been special to me, but this one even more.”
Alan Wilson, the chair of the Board of Trustees, said although the community was initially unreceptive to River Park, it will accept and support the campus upon completion.
“Change is hard for people in general,” Wilson said. “Once the community gets a chance to get exposure to the facility and realize what good stewards we are for the property, they will realize, ‘you know what, this actually turned out to be better than I thought.’ We’ll really have to prove it to people, so they can see the promises kept.”
Steven Chung ’89, who is the Gensler architect in charge of the
project, said topping out in a construction project is always a remarkable achievement.
“Many will tell you, [River Park] is not done yet,” Chung said. “And it’s not, but I think it’s really important to pause here, because this is a milestone in construction. When you put the last piece of steel in place, you can double the amount of workers that you can get on a job site and work that much faster. We’re sprinting towards the finish line, but we have to take a moment to reflect before we do that, because it’s a lot of hard work to get to this point.” Additionally, Chung said he is grateful to be able to give back to the school through the architectural design of River Park.
“The way I think and the values that I have developed at Harvard,” Chung said. “What that means though, is how I think and what values I have exactly shaped how I design projects. So when I started hearing about this project, I felt uniquely well equipped to bring everything the school gave me to maximize this project for this school.”
alumni network
school. Big Apple Acapella: Various singing groups will head to New York City this summer to attend shows, perform music and explore. AdvAncing Athletics: Athletic Director Darlene Bible discusses her long history at the school, and her post-retirement plans.
Contemplating Colleges: Students and faculty discuss the various factors involved in
Trip Down Memory Lane: The Class of 2025 flocked to the Middle School for their senior prank, creating chaos and visiting teachers. A2
BEAMING WITH JOY: A parent signs the last beam of the River Park gymnasium at the school’s “topping out” ceremony, when the last steel beam is placed on the largest structure of a construction project. School leaders, trustees and project visionaries gathered at the site to celebrate the milestone.
Graduation speakers chosen
Commons said although a requirement of both the valedictorian and salutatorian is the ability to deliver an engaging speech to an audience, it is a more important quality for the salutatorian.
“The three explicit criteria [for selecting a valedictorian] are academic scholarship, character and the presumed ability to deliver an interesting address to a large gathering at graduation,” Commons said. “[Goor] had characteristics that led the faculty to elect her. The salutatorian process is simpler. It’s strictly [up] to the senior class. There are any number of [students] that could give a great speech at graduation, but it tends to be somebody who’s got a personality that has captured people’s imagination and sense of humor. The pressure is on [Massey] as the senior class has some expectation of hilarity.”
Goor said that although she started at the school later than the majority of students, the school community welcomed her.
“I was a new sophomore, and that was kind of a difficult transition,” Goor said. “I came to a new school where I didn’t really know anyone, and I had to learn everything all over again. I overcame it as I really threw myself into my extracurriculars, like The Chronicle, and I felt really supported by all of my teachers and the administrators. Any initial difficulty that I had in transitioning to the school was temporary, and I’ve had an amazing experience at [the school].”
Massey said he is looking forward to giving a memorable address.
“Being elected as salutatorian has changed both my goals and the way I view myself,” Massey said. “One of my main goals right now is to write a really good speech.”
Class of 2025 visits Middle School campus as a part of annual senior prank day tradition
By Abby Ryan
Members of the Class of 2025 traveled to the Middle School Campus for the senior prank May 21. The prank included students crashing classes, spraying students and faculty with water guns and throwing water balloons.
Lucas Schlumberger ’28 said that the senior prank amused him and that a student crashed his history class.
“I got sprayed with a water gun, and it was funny,” Schlumberger said. “There was a guy who came into my history class just to look around or something, which was entertaining.”
Victor Suh ’25 said he interrupted a class to see his sister.
“My sister called me saying, ‘please storm my classroom,’ but her teacher is one of the grouchy teachers who wouldn’t allow her students to go see their siblings
who were there,” Suh said. “I saw Kaylee through the classroom door window, and then I opened the door and interrupted a mid-class popcorn reading session to say hi to her. I was able to get a few laughs from her classmates, so I’m glad I could make their day.”
Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish said that during the prank, it was wholesome to see and talk to old students, a sentiment shared by other teachers at the middle school.
here, and that’s something that I heard from a number of teachers and deans as well.”
“A number of kids who I taught in English class came up to me said, ‘hello,’ and we checked in,” Wimbish said. “We were able to reminisce about the memories in the classes. It was really special to have them
Students receive Cum Laude title
By Chloe Kim
57 seniors were inducted into the National Cum Laude Society by History Teacher and Cum Laude Chapter President Lilas Lane during the annual Cum Laude assembly in Rugby Theater May 19. The recipients of this award are in the top 20% of the class based on the average of their weighted and unweighted GPAs from the three years they have been at the Upper School.
At the end of the ceremony, President Rick Commons announced Executive Managing Editor Zoe Goor ’25 as valedictorian and Jacob Massey ’25 as salutatorian.
Inductee Alexa Liu ’25 said she was grateful to be recognized academically and credited her teachers for playing a significant role in her academic journey.
“I felt honored to be selected for a class that is amazing academically and incredibly talented,” Liu said. “I am lucky
because I have had a majority of very supportive and kind teachers throughout my time at Harvard-Westlake. Their work enabled me to enjoy class and do well academically.”
Typically, the salutatorian and valedictorian are not announced together because the salutatorian is not always in the top 20% of the class. This year, however, Commons announced them together. Lane said she enjoys watching students she has taught walk across the stage and receive the award, as the salutatorian and valedictorian are announced together.
“It’s always great when I have some of my former students crossing that stage, giving them a wink and a nod,” Lane said. “I love it when [Commons] announces the valedictorian and the salutatorian, although it’s funny because normally he doesn't announce the salutatorian. It’s very unusual but fun. I loved it when they announced
[Massey’s] name.”
Inductee Ryder Katz ’25 said that a phrase his parents often told him as a child helped him persevere throughout high school, ultimately leading to his induction into the Cum Laude Society.
“Cum Laude had always been in the back of my mind, but I wouldn’t say it was a particular focus for me,” Katz said. “However, as I was coming down the stretch of senior year and felt it was in reach, it definitely was something that I was aiming for and hoping to accomplish. When I was in kindergarten, my parents began telling me that I was “a boy who could do hard things,” and since then, that’s been a phrase that’s guided me throughout my life. It’s allowed me to keep my head down and work even during the times when it doesn’t feel worth it. Even though it didn’t necessarily originate during high school, I think it’s a large part of what got me here.”
Wimbish said he was amused by the prank, although he did not want to get directly involved. “I kind of kept my distance because I didn't really want to get in the fray,” Wimbish said. “I saw Dr. Carroll really going at the other seniors with water balloons and water guns. I don't know where Dr. Carroll had gotten this huge Super Soaker, but he got one, and he was holding his own, and his shirt was absolutely drenched.”
Julien Liu ’25 said he hopes this prank becomes a tradition because it allows seniors and teachers to reunite.
“I think the prank went great, and this should become a senior tradition rather than a prank,” Liu said. “It was really wholesome because we got to meet our teachers that we had at the lower school and reconnect with them before we graduate on their campus.”
Members of the Class of 2025 continued the prank by stacking trash bins, phone caddies and tables on the Quad May 22. Cailyn Koo ’27 said that she thought the prank was hilarious, especially after faculty attempted to kick juniors off the Quad.
“I was walking down to the quad, and unfortunately, everyone got kicked off, but I still thought it was really funny,” Koo said. “Faculty was trying to kick juniors off the quad, even though they were helping, which was really funny to me and my friends.”
SENIOR TAKEOVER: Seniors traveled to the middle school campus after their last class to engage with middle schoolers for the annual senior prank, gathering to watch their peers dive in and play games by the Marshall Center swimming pool and basketball court May 21.
PURSUING EXCELLENCE: Cum Laude inductee and Presentations Managing Editor Nathan Wang ’25 shakes President Rick Commons’ hand.
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L. Wood
Julien Liu ’25
Junior SLIDE co-chairs selected to lead DEI efforts and support students on campus
By Ella Jeon
Dhara Jobrani ’26, Maylie Macias ’26, Nikhil Sarvaiya ’26, Ivy Wang ’26 and Michaela Williams ’26 will be co-chairs for Student Leadership for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (SLIDE) for the 2025-2026 school year.
Current Co-Chair and Asian Students in Action Club Leader Lauren Park ’25 said the selection committee searches for applicants who demonstrate dedication to diversity and strong teamwork skills.
“The leadership selection process is intended to be as holistic as possible,” Park said. “We consider their participation in the
organization all year, their character traits, the written application and their commitment to creating a sense of belonging on campus. We also consider how each applicant would contribute as a team player.”
Wang, who currently leads the Women of Color Club and First Generation and Immigrant Alliance Club, said SLIDE’s role in the school community changes depending on the needs of the current student body.
“SLIDE is a system and network of people coming together to express their identities,” Wang said. “This makes every single year look very different depending on the leaders, their priorities and the issues that arise in
the community. Over the past few years, SLIDE and Prefect Council have worked really hard on student well-being, and that is something I will continue to prioritize since it remains a pressing problem. Every generation calls for a different thing, so I’m excited to see what SLIDE is going to look like next year.”
Wang said she will prioritize making consistent, focused improvements to the school rather than tackling abstract issues without a clear plan.
“There are a lot of issues on campus that may seem too small for people to bring to administration, but a big part of this role is trying your best to make everyone on campus feel
NASA speaker visits, shares insights
By Yuna Jeon
The Global Leadership Organization of Business and Education (GLOBE) invited senior research scientist Dr. Jonathan H. Jiang of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to speak to students on May 23.
Jiang’s work at NASA involves research in satellite remote sensing, space studies, astrophysics and the exploration of extraterrestrial intelligence. Jiang has been a researcher at NASA for over three decades, as he contributed to developments such as his application of Earth climate models to exoplanet atmospheres. He also has extensive experience in the fields of both climate science as well as astrophysics.
You said. “What resonated with me most was his point that exploring space is also about protecting our planet and planning for humanity’s future.”
GLOBE Leader Nicolas Monroe ’26 said the event offered students the chance to speak with an expert in science.
“The event offered students an opportunity to hear from a well established figure in a field that is traditionally harder to access than others,” Monroe said. “Dr. Jiang was able to present the normally very complicated information and tons of statistics in a way that was both incredibly accessible and truly much easier to understand.”
“ I want people to leave feeling inspired and realize that there are so many ways, beyond just engineering, to be part of the future of space.”
Katelynn You ’25
GLOBE Leader Katelynn You ’26 said the speaker offered insights into careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
“Dr. Jiang gave students a rare glimpse into what a real career in space science looks like,”
Mark Dai ’26 said he enjoyed the event because of both Jiang’s joyful attitude and his apparent enthusiasm for science.
“I enjoyed the passion and energy of the speaker,” Dai said.
“He engaged the audience and kept everyone interested throughout the entire presentation. I really enjoyed that he talked about his personal work first, then transitioned into bigger topics like the future of jobs and technology.”
Dai said the event informed him about careers in STEM and inspired him to continue down that path.
“Before the event, I thought working in places like NASA or space research required a deep understanding of astronomy or astrophysics,” Dai said. “But I learned that engineers, physicists, technologists and mathematicians are the ones who really drive the field forward. Hearing that STEM will continue to play a major role in shaping the future made me even more excited about pursuing that path.”
You said she hopes the event helped students gain the inspiration to decide to pursue a path in STEM.
“I want people to leave feeling inspired and realize that there are so many ways, beyond just engineering, to be part of the future of space,” You said.
Jonah Kim ’26 said although there seems to be a shortage of job opportunities in the STEM field, they are starting to open up for more people interested in such occupations.
“STEM fields may be oversaturated right now, but there’s a downward trend as the population of baby boomers declines and the job market begins opening up,” Kim said. “There’s a ‘quiet crisis’ of a shortage of new young innovators in STEM fields.”
Special Olympics hosted
By Luca Gonzalez
Special Olympics Unified Club organized a basketball game with partner school The Help Group in Taper Gym on May 22. The game was the final event held between the schools this year with the purpose of supporting The Help Group’s athletes.
The Help Group is a nonprofit school for students with developmental disabilities and disorders. The school aims to support students by offering a variety of specialized learning programs.
Special Olympics Unified Club leader Bella Spencer ’25 said students were able to form bonds with the athletes by attending the game.
safe, no matter what,” Wang said. “Something I worked on this year was making bathroom stalls more comfortable for girls. Many other students and I noticed that none of the girls’ bathroom stalls in the library lock, and the doors have large gaps. When I talked to faculty on campus about this issue, it was their first time hearing about this, and they were very surprised. Sometimes you have to zoom in instead of trying to fix the big picture.”
Sarvaiya, who leads the South Asian Student Alliance, said he wants to foster connections between the many diverse cultures represented at school.
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“It’s super important to forge a strong sense of community,” Spencer said. “The Help Group kids are so excited to meet us and interact with new people outside of their space. And with Harvard-Westlake, as we’re such a welcoming community, I think it’s also important that everyone gets out here and supports these athletes.”
Special Olympics Unified Club leader Michaela Williams ’26 said the goal of the event was to connect the students with the neurodivergent athletes, creating an inclusive environment without any awkwardness.
“We are a school whose mission statement is about diversity, equity and inclusion, so we think that including students of all types benefits our school greatly,” Williams said. “We love talking one-on-one with other students. We just want it to feel like a natural relationship between [the school’s] students and The Help Group students.”
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SLIDING INTO LEADERSHIP: From left to right, Dhara Jobrani ’26, Ivy Wang ’26, Michaela Williams ’26, Maylie Macias ’26 and Nikhil Sarvaiya ’26 pose together as the newly elected SLIDE co-chairs. They will be tasked with managing all diversity, equity and inclusion matters amongst the students on campus.
SHARING ABOUT SPACE: Dr. Jonathan H. Jiang delivers a presentation to students surrounding his career as a scientist doing research for NASA.
MIxD Club showcases film made by students about exploring identity
By Tali Gurule
Multiethnic Inclusion and Diversity Club (MIxD) hosted a screening of its new documentary, “Mixed Up,” in Mudd Library May 23. The production highlighted the experiences of four seniors from several ethnic backgrounds, featuring Executive Editor Alex Dinh ’25, Sarah Parmet ’25, Maya Ray ’25 and Mason Walline ’25. MIxD led a discussion following the screening where students further shared their experiences as people who come from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
MIxD Club leader Micah Parr ’25 said the event was the club’s first step in sharing the multiethnic perspective with the school and broader community.
“Multiracial individuals have begun to overcome our racial divide and prioritize love over hate, which has created more multiracial youth,” Parr said. “Our narrative is becoming more important to discuss everywhere. Of course, we are starting with the Harvard-Westlake community, but this is a topic that needs to be discussed more broadly across the nation.”
Parr said it is difficult to idenity himself with four unique ethnicities and that he feels a deeper connection to his background because of the hardship his ancestors overcame.
“I am double mixed,” Parr said. “My dad is white and Japanese, and my mom is Afro-Indian. It is very interesting to balance four different cultures, especially when they’re all equally rich. I wouldn’t just characterize myself as a Japanese person. I would characterize myself as a person coming from a great-grandmother who was in the Japanese internment
camps and faced that adversity. I wouldn’t just characterize myself as a Black man, but as a man who descends from enslaved ancestors who went through extreme adversity and somehow overcame it. Once you understand where you come from and what that means, you experience a new sense of pride, power and identity.”
In the documentary, Ray said people from several racial backgrounds must work to address each part of their identity, and individuals should sympathize with the challenge of identifiying as multiple ethnicities.
“Everyone has their own struggles, but mixed people go through the world with an added assumption that when you walk into a room, people will question who you are,” Ray said. “The classic question is always, ‘What are you?’ It’s a weird and unnatural thing to ask someone. For people who are not mixed, they should try to understand that mixed people are dealing with not only the struggles of one ethnic group, but the struggles of identifying with two, three, four or even more.”
Dinh said it is possible for people from several ethnicities to completely identify with each part of their background.
“I’m a mixed person, but I’m still Asian,” Dinh said. “It’s important to recognize someone who’s mixed as a member of [each ethnicity] because it’s a part of their identity just as much as someone who’s fully that ethnicity.”
Parmet said she admires her parents’ relationship as a multiracial couple.
“My parents are just two people who happened to find each other and be of different races,” Parmet said. “They are in love, and I’m proud of that.”
Science Bowl Club hosts competition
By Tali Gurule and Ella Jeon
Science Bowl Club hosted a student-teacher competition between club members and science teachers in Ahmanson Lecture Hall May 22. During the event, Upper School Science Teacher Nate Cardin prompted science-related questions to the two teams, who competed in front of an audience of community members.
Team Captain Hugh Cheng ’25 said his experience on the team allowed him to pursue his interest in science in a supportive environment of his peers.
“I joined Science Bowl in seventh grade and have stuck with it ever since,” Cheng said. “This year, we were graced with an extremely motivated team, and each member had individual specialties to cover the diverse subjects in biology, chemistry, earth science, math and physics.”
Lisa Cheng ’26 said she hopes the competition sparked attendees’ interest in joining the club.
“This event was to help us recruit new sophomore and junior students, since it is the time of year when we are looking to find members who are really passion-
Peer Support hosts barbecue to end year
By Eila Shokravi
The annual Peer Support barbecue was held on the Quad on May 19. Attending students and faculty were provided with complimentary burgers, hot dogs and cookies to celebrate the last group meeting of the year. Peer Support is a peer counseling program with the largest student participation of any program at the school.
Upper School Counselor and Peer Support Adviser Brittany Bronson said the barbecue is held to encourage community-building and commemorate the hard work of the senior leadership team.
“The purpose of the barbecue is really to build community and celebrate our seniors who are leaving soon,” Bronson said. “Peer Support is one of our biggest programs at the school, and leaders and trainees can carry a lot of weight because it is their job to help support the students and their group. The barbecue allows for some space to have fun and celebrate the end of the year.”
Peer Support Trainee Sofia Giovine ’26 said she thought the event was very fun and ap -
preciated the positive environment the event provided.
“It was nice to see everybody come together for the last meeting,” Giovine said. “The music and the vibes were so good. It was super sunny, and the food was amazing. Also, the leaders and trainees swapped clothes [with each other], so it was really fun to see everyone wearing different clothing.”
Swapping clothing among trainees and leaders has been a longtime tradition for the last group meeting of the year. Peer Support Leader Julian Cortez ’25 said he always enjoys wearing the outfits his trainees give him and was entertained by the different outfits people wore.
“My favorite part is the dressing up,” Cortez said. “Within the past two years I’ve blindly put on what I’ve been given so it’s fun to have that mystery aspect. It [was] also really fun trying to guess who everyone is and seeing all the guys in ridiculous outfits.”
Bronson said she enjoyed seeing the leaders open presents gifted to them by the newly elected coordinators.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing the seniors open
up their senior gifts,” Bronson said. “Every year, the newly elected junior coordinators come up with a gift idea for our seniors. This year, the juniors made a Guess Who game by making AI cartoon characters of all of the leaders. Just seeing [the seniors’] reactions was so cute. All of their faces lit up, and [they] all started smiling and laughing.”
Bronson said the success of the event was a result of the hard work of staff who helped provide the food and materials.
“The barbecue was run by our wonderful cafeteria staff who helped cook the food, maintenance people who set up the grill and all of the other equipment,” Bronson said. “They really helped make it a smooth process.”
Cortez said he feels nostalgic about the last Peer Support meeting because it signifies the end of his journey as a member of Peer Support.
“It is a bittersweet feeling,” Cortez said. “The barbecue marks the end of the year, my three year commitment to Peer Support and spending time with my amazing leadership team every Monday.”
ate about science,” Cheng said. “We won second place in regionals last year, which is amazing, but we don’t have a lot of new people joining us.”
Ivy Wang ’26 said she was surprised at the strong sense of community she witnessed at the event.
“There was more community building than almost every other speaker event I’ve attended,” Wang said. “The school makes the mistake of thinking that to build community we should bring distant voices to our campus, but most of the time they have no relation to me as a student. I could tell everyone was having a great time because they wanted to be there to support and laugh with their peers and friends. Even the faculty attendees were laughing so hard. I remember Dr. Ellingson and Mr. Stout couldn’t stop hitting the button before they got the answers because they were so eager to win.”
Cardin said he admired the competitors’ team spirit and commitment to deepening their knowledge of science.
“This Science Bowl event drew a strong audience and shows how much the community enjoys games, friendly competition and
out-of-class interactions between teachers and students,” Cardin said. “I always enjoy this event because it gives the larger community a way to truly pursue educational excellence in a joyful way.” Cheng said the club is an opportunity to make friends, win prizes and pursue an interest in the science field.
“Science Bowl is really fun because you get to meet a cohort of students at school who are passionate about science, and in my mind are also some of the smartest people,” Cheng said. “Additionally, if you win the science world competition you can win a lot of money. Last year, each member received a thousand dollars because our team won second place.”
Wang said she appreciated that the event demonstrated the knowledge of the participants while also promoting social connection.
“I laughed so hard while being floored by the sheer amount of intelligence in the room,” Wang said. “At times, I couldn’t process what the question was, but by the time I understood, it was already answered. I wish the event was longer because I was grateful to witness a balance between the academic and social sides of the school.”
STEM SHOWDOWN: Science bowl club members and science teachers compete against each other in a mock Science Bowl competition. The event was run to advertise the club to students to grow student participation.
ELLA JEON/CHRONICLE
EILA SHOKRAVI/CHRONICLE
SENIOR SEND-OFF: Aiden Ahuja ’25 and Nate Arnold ’25 grab food from Peer Support’s annual barbecue at the culminating meeting.
ASiA club hosts screening of movie “Dìdi,” discussion panel with lead actor Izaac Wang
By Kayla Graff
Asian Students in Action (ASiA) and Asian American Culture Club (AACC) collaborated to host a screening of the 2024 independent film “Dìdi” and interview the movie’s lead actor Izaac Wang in Ahmanson May 16. The movie follows a Chinese American teenager navigating the struggles of adolescence in the late 2000s. Izaac Wang, who portrays protagonist Chris Wang, spoke about the making of the movie and the challenges Asian Americans face in the film industry.
During the interview segment of the event, Wang said although he originally did not like the “Dìdi” script, he eventually saw himself in his character.
“I hated the script originally,” Wang said. “I didn’t like Chris as a character because he was someone that I felt like
I couldn’t relate to, but once I dug deeper into myself and who I am as a person, I realized I could relate to it. I struggle to find identity sometimes. Sometimes I don’t know who I am.”
ASiA co-leader Maggie Koo ’26 said the event sought to bring attention to a unique film while also teaching about the experiences of people of color in the entertainment industry.
“The “Dìdi” screening was a fun event that aimed to expose our community to a film that centers around an Asian American experience,” Koo said. “We also wanted people to learn more about the film industry and experience as an Asian American from Izaac [Wang] himself.”
feel of the interview with Wang and appreciated the opportunity to get to know him.
Event attendee William Lin ’26 said he enjoyed the intimate
“It was so exciting seeing [Wang] in person,” Lin said. “I’ve been a huge fan of “Dìdi” ever since it came out last summer, so getting the chance to see [Wang speak] was a full circle moment. What I enjoyed most was the interview itself because it didn’t feel rehearsed or formal, but like a real conversation. Izaac was cracking jokes, throwing in little stories and speaking so casually that it felt like we were all just close friends catching up. He genuinely seemed like he was having a lot of fun, so that added to the experience of making all of us feel seen and included.”
Koo said she hopes attendees
walked away with a better sense of the Asian American adolescent experience in the late 2000s.
“I hope people enjoyed the movie and got a new perspective on the Asian American experience of growing up and grappling with culture and identity,” Koo said. “I also hope people were able to learn from Izaac and are inspired by his amazing work in the entertainment industry, which is notoriously hard to break into, especially as a person of color.”
Wang said although he acts because he enjoys the experience, providing Asian American representation in the media is a good side effect.
“I don’t act specifically because I want to represent my culture,” Wang said. “I act because it’s fun, and the result of that is that I get to support my people and the people who look like me.”
Interschool student event held
By Kara Jazaeri
Marlborough School hosted the Summer ‘Stang Event on their campus May 23. Students from Harvard-Westlake, Windward, Loyola and Palisades Charter High School attended the event, participating in various competitions to win prizes.
Marlborough Head of School Jennifer Ciccarelli said the highlight of the event was the wide range of options and activities that allowed students to unwind and have fun.
“My favorite part of Marlborough’s Summer ‘Stang is watching everybody truly relaxing and having fun in all the different ways they’re choosing to,” Ciccarelli said. “Some are in the sun, some in the shade, some playing games and some eating great food. All of those things are made possible by our fabulous parents.”
Marlborough Event Coordinator Cara Moreno said she enjoyed watching both old and new friends build community and connections.
“I love seeing the Marlborough girls having a chance to hang out with each other in a really fun pre-summer setting,” Moreno said. “It’s great to see them interacting with some of their best friends and new friends from other schools.”
Nelson Lobombard ’27 said he was glad he had the opportunity to attend the event with students outside of the school.
“The Summer ‘Stang was a really great place to meet people from other schools,” Lobombard said. “We are usually around the same crowd at school, so it was a good opportunity to socialize.”
Marlborough Student Chloe Swindler ’27 said she is thankful the school worked to put together the event.
“We really appreciate the parents, faculty, and administration’s efforts to host events that allow us to socialize with both our peers and students from other schools,” Swindler said.
School hosts alumni Reunion Day
By Holden Kim
The school’s reunion day, organized by the alumni association, took place May 17. This reunion allowed alumni to reconnect with their former school and see how the campus has evolved. The event offered students the opportunity to meet alumni while earning community service hours as campus ambassadors for returning graduates. The school’s Heritage Festival invited student volunteers to assist with family activities in the Alumni Village and Affinity Groups area May 4.
Director of Alumni Relations Sam de Castro Abeger ’07 said turnout for the event was one of the highest in recent years.
“We had over 500 attendees at our reunion, including alumni and guests,” de Castro Abeger said. “Although it wasn’t our largest reunion ever,
it’s still a top three result, and we’re thrilled and excited about the outcome. The class of 2015 won the attendance participation award, with over 25% of their class registering for the reunion. The class of 1995 won the reunion giving award, indicating the highest percentage of alumni who donated. For Harvard alumni, the class of 1985 won both the attendance and giving awards.”
Student Volunteer Mattin Tashbighoo ’27 said alumni attendees’ detailed that descriptions of their time at the school surprised him, particularly when touring graduates from different decades.
“What surprised me first was how much they remembered about the school, especially those who had such specific memories,” Tashbighoo said. “It was interesting to see how different the overall way of schooling was. I toured people
from three different decades, so I was able to see how school progressed. For example, the school moved away from corporal punishment and AP tests were implemented. ” Student Volunteer Noah Koo ’27 said learning about campus features from decades ago helped him appreciate how much the school has evolved while also maintaining ties to its history.
“While giving a tour to a pair of alumni from the class of 1985, I was surprised to learn that when they attended the Harvard School for Boys, even though it had already transitioned away from the military, there was still an armory on campus,” Koo said. “This reminded me that despite our school’s efforts to modernize, remnants of the past continue to help members of the school community remember the history that they have inherited.”
FROM STUDENT TO STARDOM: Members of the Asian affinity groups on the upper and lower school campuses pose for a photo with actor
Izaac Wang, who stars in the movie Dìdi as a young Chinese American teenager grappling with ideas of identity, belonging and growing up.
KAYLA GRAFF/CHRONICLE
CROSS-GEN CONNECTIONS: Alumni attend the Reunion Day event, getting the chance to speak with current students and old peers.
PHOTO BY ERISSON LAWRENCE
L. Wood Maggie Koo ’26
L. WOOD
Signing O
Teachers and students re6ect on the dedication, legacy and lasting in6uence of faculty that will be departing from the Upper School next year.
Dave Mintz: Administration
By Erin Ryu
Director of Operations Dave Mintz ’87 will retire after 34 years with the school and move to North Carolina. Since graduating from Harvard School, Mintz has worked as Middle School and Upper School Plant Manager, Director of Security and Director of Operations, overseeing several projects including renovating Mudd Library, among others.
Mintz said his lengthy career at the school allowed him to take on a variety of roles and get to know many members of the community.
Melody Lee: Science
By E rin R yu
Upper School Science
Teacher
and Department Head Melody
Lee will be leaving the school after six years to pursue a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Lee taught Genetics and Biotechnology, Honors Molecular and Cellular Biology, Advanced Placement (AP) Biology and Research in Molecular Genetics.
Lee said she hopes her students will remember the scienti c skills they have learned in her classes in
addition to the value of perseverance in their academic journeys.
“Getting to know my colleagues outside of class as well as seeing students thrive in both the classroom and in their extracurricular activities were de nitely highlights,” Lee said. “I know that not all students necessarily see themselves as ‘science students,’ but one thing I hope they get out of my class is scienti c literacy. I want them to know how to peruse through dense scienti c papers and know how to sift through so much information logically and
“Harvard-Westlake has been my sole employer for the entirety of my career, and I’ve held a variety of positions over the years, which certainly kept things interesting and kept me engaged, while striving to do my best for the school,” Mintz said. “My rst role was a part-time summer job in the Harvard School bookstore back in 1988, while I was in college. I was hired to do inventory and accept deliveries of textbooks. My nal role has been as the school’s Director of Operations. It’s been tremendously rewarding to play a part in the evolution and growth of
con dently in the world. But, most importantly, I want students to know that learning is a journey and that it’s okay if students don’t get it on the rst try.”
Upper School Science Teacher Nancy Chen said she will miss Lee’s presence in the science department.
“[Lee] has been more than just a colleague during her time at the school,” Chen said. “She’s been a supportive peer, a trusted friend and a steady, uplifting presence in the science o ce. From the moment she arrived, she t right into our community. She’s always ready
Neelima Reddy: English
By M ax Na,
Upper School English Teach
-
er Neelima Reddy will leave the school at the end of the school year and begin a new role at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge.
Reddy said she made the decision to leave in order to be closer to her family, especially her children, who attend school in La Crescenta.
“I moved to Los Angeles with my family two years ago when my husband became Dean of Faculty at Polytechnic School in Pasadena,” Reddy said. “Now
Gabriella Herrera: Learning Center
By Au5r-y K i,
Academic
Support Specialist
and Standardized Testing Coordi-
nator Gabriela Herrera will retire from her position at school after working at the school for 11 years.
In addition to teaching at the Learning Center and working as a librarian position in Mudd Library, Herrera managed SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) testing for all students.
After retiring, Herrera will step back from all her duties on campus, but will continue to try and coordinate testing remotely.
the school and to have supported tens of thousands of students and colleagues.”
Technical Director, Performing Arts Teacher and Performing Arts Department Head Aaron Martin said Mintz’s impact on the school is wide-ranging , and he is an integral part of the community, whether students realize it or not.
“[Mintz] is a friend, a thoughtful manager and a visionary in many ways,” Martin said. “He is someone who created some of the most visible impacts here at the school and remained invisible while accomplishing them. From overseeing
to listen with empathy and o(er thoughtful advice, whether it’s about work or life outside of it.”
Zoe Vourgorakis ’26 said she has enjoyed learning under Lee this year and admires her commitment to her students.
“)roughout the year, [Lee] has been an amazing teacher to have in one of my hardest classes,” Vourgorakis said. “She provides all her students with so much support, both inside and outside of class. She’s one of those teachers who you truly believe wants her students to do well.”
that I’ve gotten to know the geography of Los Angeles and what it’s like to commute here better, I realized it was important to make a shift to working at a school that is closer to my children in La Crescenta.”
Reddy said the most meaningful part of her time at the school has been working with her students.
“It’s all of the incredible students I had the honor of working with these past two years,” Reddy said. “I admire the intellect, wit and kindness students bring to every classroom experience. Students here have passion and drive, and
Herrera will be completing a doctorate in counseling psychology after her retirement and his hoping to eventually become a fully licensed psychologist.
Herrera said her departure is bittersweet, but she is also hopeful for her future.
“I will miss all the wonderful students I see everyday and the colleagues I’ve gotten the pleasure of knowing over the last decade,” Herrera said. “However, I am looking forward to all the new things I am going to learn as I move forward and to the new connections I will forge in my new community.”
Librarian Jessica Wahl said Herrera created a stronger link between the Learning Center and the library.
“)e connection between the two facilities has doubled the help that we are able to o(er students in the library now that both centers coexist in the same building,” Wahl said. “We’re able to help students at a much greater level.”
Wahl said she admires Herrera’s organizational skills and will miss them once she leaves.
“I don’t know how anyone could handle managing that many APs,” Wahl said. “Herrera’s atten-
they’re also incredibly generous.”
Reddy said her students helped her adjust to life in Los Angeles (L.A.) after relocating from the East Coast.
“When I rst arrived at the school, I was new to Los Angeles, fresh out of working at an East Coast boarding school for a number of years, and curious about all things L.A.,” Reddy said. “I learned a lot about L.A. life through my students, [like] the best vegan spots, hikes, neighborhoods and travel destinations. )ey were so curious and eager to help me acclimate and enjoy everything the city had to o(er. )eir parents were the
tion to detail and keeping everything on track is extremely admirable. It’s gonna be a lot for the next person to ll those shoes.”
Anaya Olivas ’25 said she will miss Herrera and former Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado, who were caring Latino role models on campus.
“Having both Preciado and Herrera leave in the same year really makes the Latino community at school feel a little less whole to me.” Olivas said. “It was really nice having their faces and presences on campus. I wish her successor the best of luck.”
and helping to create the FlagCourt Cafe [and] adding whisper practice rooms to our orchestra room [to] updating )e Chronicle and HWTV rooms [and] being the manager of every graduation, ring ceremony and homecoming for decades, his impact has always been felt even if those having feelings of gratitude for his work didn’t even know he was to thank. He will be greatly missed by this community and his legacy will continue to thrive through his multitude of accomplishments on both campuses.”
• Continued on
same way when I met them at the open house.”
Reddy said she will miss the support her fellow teachers gave her and her daily interactions with her students.
“I will miss my kind and generous colleagues, the administrators and their wonderful support of my work here,” Reddy said. “But most of all, I’ll miss the daily moments of connection with students. )ese conversations gave me insight into the world of students outside of the English classroom, and I will miss getting fresh perspectives from such a diverse group of voices from all over the Los Angeles area.”
Katherine Holmes-Chuba: History
By A lex R eisner
History Teacher Katherine Holmes-Chuba will retire from her position at the school after 40 years of teaching. Holmes-Chuba said she does not have any concrete plans or goals to achieve following her retirement, but hopes to read a multitude of books, travel with her husband and volunteer at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
She began her career at the Harvard School for Boys in 1985 as the assistant junior varsity soccer and tennis coach. During her time at Harvard, she took on various roles, including teaching history courses and serving as the ninth grade Dean of Students.
Following the merger between Harvard and Westlake School for Girls in 1989, Holmes-Chuba inherited the sophomore art history course and redesigned the Advanced Placement (AP) Art History class. She also took on numerous additional roles to teaching, including Dean of Faculty and Sta(, Co-Chair of the Faculty Academic Committee, Director of Financial Aid, curriculum grant committee member and leading the accreditation process.
Holmes-Chuba said she took on a wide range of responsibilities to keep herself busy and involve herself in new ways.
“ ) e school has been basically my entire life since graduate school,” Holmes-Chuba said. “I have held a lot of di ( erent roles because I never want to sit and be complacent. Every time I found myself thinking I was being lazy, I took on a new challenge. Life is all about experiences, and I have always thought of my time at the school as a journey.”
Holmes-Chuba said the greatest impact the school has had on her was allowing her to grow as an individual and the support she felt in pursuing her various interests.
“I work in a wonderful department, and the community has always been there for me and helped me grow,”
Holmes-Chuba said. “ ) e school has always encouraged faculty to continue to learn, travel and intellectualize which I have truly appreciated.”
Sophia Wiczyk ’26 said having Holmes-Chuba as a teacher has developed her as both an individual and a student.
“Holmes-Chuba shaped me
By C,l-e K i.
Upper School Mathematics
Teacher Catherine Campbell will retire at the end of the school year.
Campbell started her career at the school 34 years ago, the year after the Harvard School for Boys and Westlake School for Girls merger. Campbell worked as both a tennis coach and math teacher.
Campbell said she plans to travel around Europe after the school year ends.
“ ) e day after graduation, I am jumping on a plane and going to Europe,” Campbell said. “I’m doing a 12-day food and wine trip around Sardinia and Corsica, and then I’m going to Portugal for 10 days, and then four days in London.”
Over the years, Campbell has taught a number of rigorous courses. Campbell said she had an academic reputation that primarily developed while teaching Honors Precalculus.
“When I was teaching other classes, people knew that I was never going to be a pushover, but it was teaching that class where I got a reputation,” Campbell said. “Most Precalculus classes are hard because you have to use any algebraic thing
as a student during my sophomore year,” Wiczyk said. “In her history class, she helped me grow immensely as a writer and gain confidence in myself. I will forever be grateful for her guidance and support during my time at the school.”
History Teacher and Department Head Celia Goedde said Holmes-Chuba displayed great empathy towards her colleagues by fostering growth and resolving con icts with thoughtfulness.
“In my 15 years at the school, Ms. Holmes-Chuba has been the kindest and most insightful mentor to her colleagues,” Goedde said. “I greatly appreciated her diplomatic skills in nding a path forward when a compromise was needed. She is one of the most caring individuals, reaching out and helping colleagues when they are sick or need extra support.”
Goedde said Holmes-Chuba impacted her students by teaching them to nd passion.
“It is impossible to calculate Holmes-Chuba’s impact on the school,” Goedde said. “She taught more than 2,600 students in her career. Her classes were a transformational experience for many students, cultivating a love for history and especially for art history.”
Jane An: English
By T0li G1r1le
English Teacher Jane An is leaving the school to pursue a Masters in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An taught at the school for seven years, spending one year as an English teacher at the Middle School before moving to the Upper School.
An said she will following the values she has tried to impart on her students by taking the step to go to business school.
“It’s time to practice what I’ve been preaching,” An said. “As a teacher, I’ve wanted to instill my students with a lifelong
love for learning and a willingness to try new things.”
Molly Block ’26, a student in An’s English III: Living America class, said she appreciates An’s openness and ability to connect with her students.
“[An] is the kind of teacher you never forget,” Block said. “She’s one of the most genuine and kind people I’ve ever met. She always makes time for her students and she is there when you need someone to talk to, not as a teacher but as a friend. No words can express how much I’ll miss her, and I know Harvard-Westlake won’t be the same without her. I know she’ll keep bringing that same light to
everyone lucky enough to know her next year.”
Abby Juarez ’26 said she has improved as a student because of An’s teaching.
“Ms. An is one of my favorite teachers, and I have so much fun learning in her class,” Juarez said. “I’ve gained con dence in my writing, and I’ve spoken more when we’re close reading.”
An said she will miss seeing her students’ enthusiasm.
“I’ve learned as much from my students as I hope they’ve learned from me,” An said. “I will miss being around such energetic and dynamic humans. ) ey keep me young with their energy and their passion.”
that you’ve learned before, plus stu( that we’re learning in class.”
Campbell said her students recently began to reengage with the learning process after a period of over-reliance on studying with answer keys.
“I feel like learning took a bit of a dip for a while, because there was no discussion,” Campbell said. “People thought they could do the problems with the solutions manual, and then I would give almost the same questions on a test or a quiz, and they were unable to do it. Now, we’re at a better place where people look at the problems and talk about their approaches.”
Mia Ushiba ’26 said although Campbell’s teaching style was di / cult to follow at rst, it ultimately taught her how to keep up with the subject.
“One thing about Campbell’s class is that she has a lot more quizzes than other teachers,” Ushiba said. “I used to really not like this, and I honestly dreaded taking all these quizzes, but re ecting back on it, I’m grateful that she taught me to stay on top of my work and review units right after I learned it. It’s a helpful thing in math because it’s such a cumulative subject.” Campbell said she is ner -
vous to retire because the school has been such a huge part of her life, but said she is looking forward to what the future holds for her.
“Since I started in my 20s, there’s been a lot of changes in my life, but Harvard-Westlake has always been a part of it since I lived in this country,” Campbell said. “So it’s a little scary, but also exciting thinking of my life as no longer part of Harvard-Westlake. But I know my friends I work with here, and so I still will be part of [the community], just not here every day.”
Ushiba said she enjoyed talking to Campbell about non-academic subjects outside of classtime.
“My favorite memory with her is chatting with her about life outside of school because everything’s so school-focused,” Ushiba said. “It was really refreshing to have a genuine conversation with someone whom you were with the whole year.”
Hannah Fong ’26 said Campbell impacted her greatly as her math teacher.
“I’m sad to see Campbell leave,” Fong said. “She was so helpful in my Honors Precalculus class and she was one of the best math teachers I’ve ever had.”
Catherine Campbell: Mathematics
CHLOE KIM/CHRONICLE
TALI GURULE/CHRONICLE
ALEX REISNER/CHRONICLE
Senior Prom
Upper school seniors and their guests gathered together during senior prom May 17. Students posed for photos throughout the evening as they partied, danced and celebrated the end of their high school careers.
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF GEORGIA GRAD
PROM NIGHT: Cade Goldstein ’25, Sophia Jun ’25, Reese Jameson ’25, Wyatt Kline ’25, Tessa Caras ’25 and Miguel Villegas ’25 all pose together for a photo during senior prom festivities.
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SENIOR COMPANIONS: Bella Thompson ’25, Andres Alas ’25 and Presenations Managing Editor Georgia Grad ’25 pose together for a photo.
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THE OCTET: Julien Liu ’25, Katherine Shen ’25, Editor-in-Chief Connor Tang ’25, Ashlyn Park ’25, Print Managing Editor Justin Tang ’25, Mia Saikhanbayar ’25, Avery Kim ’25 and Sky Stubbeman ’25 pose together.
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PROM PORTRAITS: Jackson Hollis ’25, Mellow Eaton ’25, Maya Ray ’25, Calla Fox ’25, Naiya Gardiner ’25 and Jaiden Matthews ’25 pose together as a group.
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PROM CREW: Digital Managing Editor Shiara Navarro ’25, Presentations Managing Editor MeJo Liao ’25, August Kohn ’25, Sunny Lu ’25, Amelia Chirelli ’25, Rhenna Vradiy pose.
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FORMAL FOUR: Micah Parr ’25 and Rex Grube ’25 smile together with guests at a senior pre-prom event as they celebrate the end of their academic career at the school.
PROM SQUAD: Diya Schievink ’26, Mac Galaviz ’25, Presentations Managing Editor William Liu ’25 and Assistant Opinion Editor Eila Shrokavi ’26 pose together for a photo at senior prom.
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF EILA SHOKRAVI
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Founded in 1990, The Chronicle is the Harvard-Westlake Upper School’s student-led newspaper. Now in its 34th year, The Chronicle strives to report stories accurately and to uphold its legacy of journalistic integrity. The newspaper is published eight times per year and distributed to students, parents, faculty and staff. We are members of the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Private School Journalism Association. Be sure to check out the HWMedia+ app for more content from our publications.
editorial
Graduation Isn’t Goodbye
As the Class of 2025 nears graduation, it is easy to feel anxious about losing the life we have at the school. We will no longer spend lunchtime on the Quad with our best friends, laugh with teachers we’ve known for years in their offices or get a fist bump from Phairot at the cafeteria checkout. What we must remember, though, is that the school exists far beyond the bounds of the North Gate Entrance and Security Guard Earl’s famous checkout seat. The school will continue to impact our lives long after commencement.
The school’s alumni network rivals many elite universities, providing graduates with easy access to internships and career advice post-grad. The school even has its own networking platform, HW Works, which can directly connect students and alumni with graduates in a wide range of fields. Securing a position at a company straight out of college or getting to talk about an area of business with a successful professional could be foundational for the beginning of a career. Virtually no other high schools in the world offer the same level of support to its graduates that our school does.
Beyond the tangible benefits, there is simply a culture that is cultivated from day one at the school of looking out for fellow Wolverines. The classes that emerge from the school are so tightknit that it is easy to imagine graduates lending a helping hand to fellow classmates, or to one of their kids one day in the future.
The school fosters a consistent connection with alumni through the work of the Harvard-Westlake Alumni Association, which hosts monthly Thankathons, events for students to send thankyou letters to alumni for their donations to the school. Additionally, the association plans alumni events such as the HW Heritage
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Festival and the Harvard/Harvard-Westlake Reunion Day. Having an on-campus program with large student involvement focused entirely on honoring alumni underscores the value the school places in maintaining strong relationships with those who have graduated.
Perhaps one of the greatest resources of all is not an organization, but a person: Director of HW Works Kwaisi France. Mr. France sends the student body consistent messages about speaker events, internship opportunities and alumni speakers. He offers individualized help with job application questions, brainstorming summer plans and resume editing, making him the one stop shop for all postgraduate needs. Mr. France makes the future feel much more manageable, and inspires the student body through his constant efforts to improve our post grad experiences.
The school is often recognized for its unparalleled academics, but its greatest asset is the community it fosters. Whether it be teachers who keep in close contact with their graduated students, alumni always willing to offer a helping hand or even the sheer number of graduates that decide to come work at the school after they graduate, there is simply no greater force at the school than the people who call themselves Wolverines. When the Class of 2025 stands on Ted Slavin Field on June 6, adorned in purple leis and graduation caps, it will be an ending of sorts. It will also be a beginning — the beginning of a beautiful adult life, equipped with the tools the school has given us and the people it has surrounded us with, to guide us through our next chapter. is the point of school if not to explore the breadth of your intellect and curiosity?
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Homelessness policies will fall short
Eila Shokravi
Driving through Los Angeles, it is almost impossible to miss the rows upon rows of homeless tents lined up on the side of the roads. There have been 4,339 instances of homeless encampments in L.A. reported since 2019, according to Forbes. Homeless encampments are outdoor campsites on public or privately owned property used by people experiencing homelessness. CA Gov. Gavin Newsom has called to ban homeless encampments across the state, which would make it illegal to camp on public property. In order to fight homelessness, Newsom is offering billions of dollars in grants to go toward shelters and treating mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Although wanting to clear up the homeless encampments is a reasonable goal, large grants toward shelters and health initiatives will not solve the issue. Homelessness is a large-scale and complicated issue that cannot be solved with one decision. California has 1,300 shelters and 187,000 people homeless people, according to the quality-of-life news outlet CalMatters. There are simply not enough shelters to accommodate every
homeless person considering that state-owned homeless shelters can accommodate up to thousands of people while smaller shelters can hold up to 100 people, according to statewide news outlet The Center Square – California. Newsom plans to accommodate the homeless by using spaces from hotels and motels, according to ca.gov. Simply providing extra funds for homeless shelters and using resources from hotels and motels is not going to be substantial enough to support eliminating homelessness. Instead, Newsom should put money directly into supporting the development of new shelters so that every homeless person currently living in encampments can be accommodated without interrupting other businesses.
Large grants toward shelters and health initiatives will not solve the issue.
Supporting health initiatives is very important but will not solve homelessness. Homeless people will continue to be homeless even if these medical institutions can
heal every person, considering that the main cause of homelessness in California is not substance abuse, but deep poverty and lack of affordable housing, according to CalMatters. The average California resident makes $76,960 per year, according to financial information and advice center SmartAsset, while the average cost of living in California is $64,835, according to financial support website SoFi. This average doesn’t include the possibility of children. Living comfortably in California is extremely expensive and difficult to maintain, so that poverty and lack of affordable housing are the main causes of homelessness. It is important that Newsom starts at the root of homelessness: unlivable wages and lack of affordability. Considering factors like expensive housing and groceries, Newsom’s recent increase in the minimum wage doesn’t change how unaffordable living in California is. Taking Newson’s proposed grants and putting them toward providing more job opportunities in struggling areas such as healthcare, education and law enforcement would be beneficial.
• Continued on hwchronicle.com
Seperate American politics from the Vatican
By Audrey Kim
As we all watched white smoke billow out of a chimney thousands of miles away, my classmates and I understood the historic moment happening in front of us. The new pope had been elected, and an hour later, in my next class, we all saw the new pope step onto the balcony of the Vatican. Immediately, journalists began writing news articles about Pope Leo XIV being the first American pope in history, and speculating about his political leanings as an American citizen. People seemed to be mostly talking about his American nationality and his origins, not predictions for what he would do for the papacy. This was worrying to me, as people seemed to think that the pope would get involved in American politics. Given the increasing political polarization and corruption in the U.S. government, having an American pope raises valid concerns about potential bias and political influence. The pope may be forced to favor America or the American government may ask him to be a political spokesperson.
Although he was one of many strong candidates, many people failed to predict that he would actually become pope because of his nationality. America’s position as a secular superpower has made the election of an American pope a contentious decision for world relations and balancing power, according to the Catholic Herald. The pope should be an impartial figure when it comes to politics, only dealing with matters in the religious sphere.
America’s unique role in global politics also makes any additional influence more impactful.
However, with the election of Leo XIV, something has shifted for the Catholic Church, and they have decided to disregard the previously sound way that they balanced global influence alongside superpower countries. Prior to his papacy, Pope Leo XIV was not known for his connec -
ARaise the bar for films
By Ellika LeSage
week ago, my friends and I decided we wanted to see a movie together. I looked up “movies in theaters near me,” and found myself staring at a list of unoriginal content: “Lilo & Stitch” (live action), “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “Thunderbolts” and “The Accountant 2”. Most of them were reboots, sequels or spin-offs. It wasn’t that no original films were showing; it’s that the most heavily promoted ones were all part of something I’d seen before.
Generation Z has grown up in a time where recycled content is the norm. Instead of fresh stories, we get another version of something we already saw five or ten years ago. Hollywood isn’t chasing creativity anymore. Instead, it’s pursuing familiarity and guaranteed profit. The numbers tell the same story. The top 15 box office films in 2024 were entirely made up of familiar titles, with no original stories making the cut, according to Business Insider. While it may seem like a reflection of the general public’s deep love for these franchises, it’s actually a byproduct of what the industry prioritizes. Hollywood pours massive budgets into already established stories, giving them the marketing power and visibility to wipe out the competition. Meanwhile, original films, often with smaller budgets and limited promotion, don’t get the
same shot. It will always require more resources, whether that be time or money, to create a whole new story. Producers will always be more willing to spend on the more reliable option rather than taking the risk.
The imbalance is not just in production budgets, but it’s in marketing power too. Major studios dominate the conversation not just by making more franchise films, but by ensuring they are the ones audiences see and hear about. In 2019, marketing costs for indie films totaled $338 million, while the 5 largest production companies in Hollywood spent close to $1.122 billion on their movies, according to Variety. This kind of disparity means original films struggle not only to get made, but also to get seen. Without the funds to compete for attention, indie films are buried under an avalanche of ads for the latest sequel or reboot.
The success of sequels isn’t always about what audiences love most but instead about what they’re most exposed to. This endless loop of sameness comes from fear: fear of financial loss, fear of critical failure and fear of risk. Studios are clinging to recognizable names and formulas because they are guaranteed to bring in audiences. What we lose in the process is innovation. We miss out on truly personal stories that don’t fit neatly into a franchise.
• Continued on hwchronicle.com
tions to the American Catholic church; but instead known for serving as a missionary for four decades in Peru. The pope’s American nationality seems to be a lot more emphasized on the news and on social media platforms after his election, due to news sources being drawn to discussing American political power. The media focus on his nationality has turned the election into a political spectacle, centering more on what his American identity means globally than on his plans for lead
ing the Catholic Church.
America’s unique role in global politics also makes any additional influence more impactful. Any person of Ameri
can nationality in a position of power will cause an incredibly influential country to dominate another huge global sphere. Any influence in the Catholic Church for any country would also be a huge chance for more ideological representation globally, as Catholicism is itself the largest Christian denomination in the world, with over one billion followers.
• Continued on hwchronicle.com
ILLUSTRATION BY SABRINA SIMEK
ILLUSTRATION BY ANNABELLE CHEUNG
ILLUSTRATION BY ANNABELLE CHEUNG
SHOULD CONCERT ATTENDEES BE FANS OF THE ARTIST?
LConcerts are for fans
By Kayla Graff
ast week, I held my breath in anticipation as I joined the waiting room for the Lorde concert presale. As the seconds ticked down, my heart rate accelerated. I had done everything right: signed up for a presale code, joined early and had my credit card information at the ready. Finally, the Ticketmaster screen changed as I entered the queue. But my excitement soon vanished when I found myself behind 60,000 other people. Although I had streamed Lorde’s music for 7,000 minutes last year, I left the Ticketmaster website, dejected and ticketless. This scenario is all too common within the modern concert scene, but it could be avoided with stricter purchasing restrictions that limit the majority of ticket sales to actual fans.
One problem with the concert ticket market are ticket resellers, who take tickets in bulk away from an artist's real supporters. Ticket scalping is the act of purchasing tickets to an event solely to resell them for a profit instead of actually attending. In 2023, the ticket resale market was valued at $2.85 billion, and it is projected to reach $6.56 billion, according to Straits Research. When real fans have to compete with ticket scalpers who often operate bots to quickly swipe tickets, it becomes much harder to purchase tickets at market value. In turn, sky-high resale prices make concert attendance financially impossible for many. By making it difficult to buy concert tickets at their original price, the current system puts tickets in the hands of the wealthy over diehard fans of the artist.
The other issue with modern concert culture is casual listeners over-attending concerts. Especially in the social media oriented digital age, concert attendance has become performative. Attendees seem to focus more on over-the-top concert outfits than song lyrics as they hold their phones up through the entire performance to get the perfect clip for their Instagram story. When people unfamiliar with an artist’s discography attend concerts with severely limited capacity, they are harming the artist’s most devoted supporters who would naturally enjoy the concert more. Although
STATS AND FACTS
Tcasual listeners may become more interested in an artist after seeing them live, their enjoyment of the concert experience would be mostly retrospective. Meanwhile, people who have listened extensively to the artist before attending will find much more excitement and joy during the concert.
The concert ticket market are ticket resellers who take tickets in bulk away from an artist's real supporters.
A possible solution to the concert problem is instituting strict fan verifications. Although systems like the Spotify Fans First presales, which give presale codes to an artist’s top listeners and followers on the music streaming platform, are a good start, the system currently only accounts for a small portion of overall ticket sales. The fan verification system must be expanded to other music streaming platforms and should become the sale system for the majority of tickets to an event. That way, the people who care most about the artist — not scalpers or non-fans — are the ones filling the seats.
To make these fan-first systems truly effective, artists and ticketing platforms must work together to increase transparency and accountability. Platforms like Ticketmaster should be required to disclose exactly how many tickets are reserved for fan presales, sponsors and general public sales. Additionally, implementing multistep verification — such as linking ticket access to streaming accounts or fan club memberships — could better ensure that real fans are prioritized. Dynamic pricing models, often used to inflate prices based on demand, should be limited or banned entirely for fan-verified sales. If fans are the foundation of an artist’s success, they should be treated like a priority, not an afterthought. Such a system would make concert attendance more accessible to devoted fans, preserving the authenticity and energy of the concert experience.
Have you ever been to a concert by an artist you didn’t love?
Yes: 62.9%
No: 37.1%
Concerts welcome all
By Sienna Dall'Olmo
It was a Friday night in September and hours of homework waited for me at home. However, when my friend surprised me with tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert later that evening, I couldn't resist. The venue seemed small, and I did not know the lyrics to any of his songs on the way there, but five songs in, I had developed a newfound appreciation for Ed Sheeran's music . Being in a room full of people with energy and excitement, I quickly fell in love with the music and went on to
Concerts should be more accessible to anyone who wants to attend.
listen to it on repeat for months.
However, many ticket-selling platforms have begun creating barriers for new fans to attend concerts. Spotify's Fan First program offers presale codes to the top listeners of an artist, giving them early access to tickets before the general public. This system favors Spotify users over fans who use other platforms, making it inherently exclusive. Other systems for evaluating fans, such as Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, include quizzes on an artist to determine a purchaser’s spot in the online ticket queue. These methods create exclusivity and prevent people who are curious about an artist from being able to enjoy the concert experience.
Concerts should be more accessible to anyone who wants to attend, not just limited to those deemed superfans by their high number of minutes spent streaming an artist’s music on Spotify or correct answers to artist trivia.
While efforts to prioritize loyal fans seem justified, restricting access to concerts undermines the communal — and not exclusive — aspect of live music, discourages new listeners from engaging and harms the artists themselves.
Allowing a wider audience to access their live shows increases artists’ reach in the industry and creates more opportunities for growth in their fanbase. Narrow-
Does seeing an artist live change how you view their music?
Yes: 78.3%
No: 21.7%
ing access to shows comes with the expense of artists not receiving larger exposure. People who are not extreme fans of an artist deserve equal opportunities to buy tickets and attend concerts. There should not be barriers to ticket purchasing, Ticket Master’s Verfied Fan Program or Spotify’s Faken First program. Rather, tickets should be first-come first-serve and not a reflection of a person’s loyalty to the artist.
Implementing requirements fans must meet in order to attend a concert ruins one of the most important intentions of live music: creating a sense of community through a shared cultural experience. Live music’s ability to bring people together is a large reason people seek out concerts. These experiences and benefits should not be limited to top streamers and staunch fans. Only about 32% of the music streaming market share belongs to Spotify, according to Backlinko, a website providing statistics on website usage. Favoring concert admission based on Spotify listening minutes is not only exclusionary, but is also inaccurate to an artist’s true fan base, as Spotify users do not make up the majority of music streaming. Additionally, 19% of Spotify users share their account with another person, according to Statista. Listening data is unreliable and creates unfair advantages for certain groups of people. In addition to restriction on ticket sales for those not exposed to artists, ticket-buying bots and reselling scamet made buying tickets a chaotic endeavor. Ticket selling platforms should more strictly enforce tests to distinguish between humans and computers, ID checks when purchasing and resale price caps. The Better Online Ticket Sale (BOTS) act, enacted in 2016, makes it illegal to use AI-powered bots to circumvent ticket purchase limits or bypass ticket sale rules, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Although the BOTS Act attempted to minimize AI-powered bot purchases, 40% of ticket purchases for popular events are made by bots, according to the Global News. • Continued on hwchronicle.com
Does the crowd’s energy affect your enjoyment of a concert?
Yes: 88.7%
No: 11.3%
*119 students polled
Letter to the Editors: a clarification from the Head of Admissions
By Chris Sanders
hank you for your recent coverage of our school’s admissions cycle and the complex context surrounding it. While publicly sharing a decline in application numbers could generate concern, we value The Chronicle ’s role in informing our community and strive to support that mission through
openness and transparency. Unfortunately, the article includes some key mischaracterizations. I want to express my deep concern over the initial inclusion of a student’s name in relation to declining application numbers. That editorial decision was hurtful, misrepresented the spirit of
my comments and did not reflect our community’s values. The loss of any student is an unimaginable tragedy, and to link their passing to statistical outcomes is inappropriate and inaccurate. We would never, under any circumstances, attribute admissions trends to a singular cause, as the original
version of the article suggested.
A more accurate summmary of the most recent admissions season is that our school has remained open with prospective families about both our challenges and our enduring strengths. Throughout recent hardships, the school has responded with
honesty, compassion, and a comprehensive support system. As we move forward, we remain committed to empathy and authenticity for all current and prospective members of our community, so that Harvard-Westlake continues to attract and enroll students of exceptional promise.
Community
By Riya Iyer
The upper school performing arts program collaborated with Theatre Palisades Youth (TPY) to host a fundraiser cabaret show, a variety-style performance that combines dance, music and theater, called “Things We Found in the Fire” in Rugby Auditorium May 18. The proceeds from the show went towards building back the program’s theater, which was recently destroyed in the Palisades fires.
Performing arts students from
the school mentored TPY performers in preparation for the showcase, which featured vocal, instrumental, stand-up, dance and improv performances from both soloists and groups.
TPY Music Director Elizabeth Gaba ’17 said she felt grateful for how the school community rallied to support the theater after the fires.
“When the TPY community lost the physical space that had become their second home, I was immediately reminded of my own second home as a teenager, [which
was] my high school theater,” Gaba said. “The incredible teachers and students at Harvard-Westlake didn’t hesitate to step up to help raise the funds needed to keep our program alive [and] give our kids a space to express themselves and share their stories.”
Director of TPY Lara Ganz said the school’s theatre community offered connection and support to her students despite their of the difficult circumstances.
“It is truly humbling to be on the receiving end of such a beautiful gesture from the school’s inspi-
rational young leaders,” Ganz said. “Our TPY team is so fortunate to be supported, lifted and united in song, service and laughter with the brilliantly talented and empathetic school theater community.”
Isla Saperstein ’27 said she enjoyed engaging with and mentoring the TPY performers.
“I was blown away by their skill level and how they picked up the choreography really quickly,” Saperstein said. “They all had such amazing voices and stage presence, and it was such a cool experience to work with people
from age seven to 15 all in the same group.” Gaba said she believes the school’s welcoming nature allowed the event to be uplifting and successful.
“My hope is to bring joy, healing and a renewed sense of purpose to these young performers during this challenging time,” Gaba said. “My experience at the school has taught me that it is a community of empathy, creativity and action, which are qualities that make it the perfect place to lead this effort.”
Antisemitic markings on Ventura Boulevard School hosts Theatre Palisades Youth in cabaret event
By Riya Iyer
A swastika was spray painted on a bus stop half a mile from the school, at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Alcove Avenue, May 22. Next to the symbol was a message that read, “F**k you white b***h.”
The act follows a pattern of increasing antisemitism in 2025. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a 5% increase since 2023.
History Teacher Jennifer Golub-Marcus said she was disturbed but not shocked by the sighting.
“To me, seeing the swastika wasn’t that shocking because of how normalized hate has become,” Golub-Marcus said. “This incident, along with others, is a clear symptom of rampant antisemitism. As a secular institution, the school needs to open up honest conversations about the history of antisemitism.”
Isabella Zhang ’27 said the incident was distressing and reflected a need for systemic change.
“I think it’s especially bad because the whole purpose of educational systems is to teach us not
to repeat history,” Zhang said. “We need to learn from our mistakes so we know what is right, and we can stand on the right side of history. The fact that people are still doing this in 2025 is scary, and the way it’s so normalized to write symbols that represent evil in public with no remorse shows us how uneducated society is becoming. I hope that people can get the education they need and learn that it is not okay to do things like this.”
Hudson Phillips ’27 said the attack was a gross display of antisemitism, and the community needs to unite against hate.
“The Jewish community needs to stand together against these attacks, and the public needs to be educated on the historical context,” Phillips said. “As a Jewish person, it is horrifying to see this symbol representative of so much harm callously displayed. It is easy for people to not feel like this affects them until it is graffitied
on the bus station next to their school or carved onto their desk, but no matter where hate is, it impacts all of us.”
CABARET FOR A CAUSE: The school partnered with Theatre Palisdades Youth (TPY) for a cabaret event in Rugby Auditorium on May 18 called “Things We Found in the Fire.” Students from the school took part in improv, intstrumental, vocal and dance performances. The proceeds from the fundraiser were sent to theTPY program, whose theatre was lost due to the Palisades fires.
VILE VANDALISM: A swastika and profanity were found to be graffitied on a bus stop near Ventura Boulevard. Teachers and students at the school have experessed concern regarding the rise of antisemitism in recent years.
Final Farewells
By Sienna Dall’Olmo
Senior Send-Offs
Students and faculty members discuss the traditions that seniors participate in and how they impact students’ relationships with thier classmates.
ic hardship, though, so having these events is super important.”
It is May 29, 2016, and seniors fill the Quad beyond capacity as they prepare to count down their final moments of high school. Music blares from the speakers, and as the clock hits 3 p.m., the Class of 2016 cheers in unison as they rush to the Copses Family Pool for their senior pool jump. Ian Watts ’16 stands on the edge of the pool, watching his classmates come together one last time. Clothes and all, the seniors jump into the pool, celebrating the completion of their high school careers together. Watts said he felt more connected to his grade during his senior year because of the many opportunities for grade-wide events.
“These types of traditions bring unity to seniors be cause you all just had a shared experience togeth er,” Watts said. “You can just trust somebody more, and you feel a deeper sense of connec tion. You also just have more to talk about with them, and it puts you in situations with other people that you otherwise wouldn’t have been in. It’s a very valuable experience.”
Stibel said she has formed new relationships with classmates she had not previously known prior to her senior year.
“Senior year especially is a time where so many seniors from different friend groups are put together in situations that they wouldn’t normally be in,” Stibel said. “We get a chance to mix with each other, and the dynamics really shift. It was really cool to see that begin during the Senior Sunset because it was something I helped make happen. That was the beginning of that mixing, and it carried on throughout the year. I spoke to a lot of people that I hadn’t really talked to during the past three years, and we’re super close now.”
Traditions can provide space to connect, relax and reflect, which helps to relieve the pressure of daily life, according to Psychology Today. Dennett Stibel ’25 said she helped plan Senior Sunset, a new tradition where seniors gather at the beach before the school year begins. Stibel said participating in events as a grade helps foster community bonding before graduating.
“[The traditions are] such unifying events that allow people to feel like they’re part of a community in their grade,” Stibel said. “Having senior-only events is really nice because you all went through this really intense academic experience with each other, and that’s a really big thing to share. It’s great to be able to bond over something that isn’t just academ -
During the final months of senior year, students typically enjoy a decreased academic workload and the end of college application uncertainty, allowing them to further bond with classmates. High school seniors frequently feel bittersweet about leaving high school, which can intensify their desire to strengthen their relationships before graduation, according to Psychology Today.
Senior Prefect Rex Grube ’25 said he helped plan events for seniors throughout the year in order to congratulate them on their accomplishments throughout high school and promote strong ties between classmates. Grube said the grade came together during their senior year because they were able to focus less on academic pressures and more on their community.
“We’ve gotten a lot closer as a class over the course of the year,” Grube said. “The college process was a really stressful time for all of us, and I think we came out of it a lot closer because we had just shared a really difficult experience together. Especially now at the end of the year, I think everyone’s grown a lot closer to each other because we’re all much less stressed and able to focus on other things besides purely school.”
Grube said that the intense workload during junior year can make the grade feel more disconnected than in senior year.
“During junior year, everyone is really focused on working hard for their college apps and studying for the SAT or the ACT,” Grube said. “The year is really focused on academics and less focused on friends, and because of that I think the grade feels less close to each other. Since everyone can finally take some time to relax, I think the grade does get a lot closer once college apps are done in senior year.”
Grube said having senior traditions puts emphasis on the closeness of the senior class, and is a nice break from standard school days.
“Most of the time, it can feel like it’s just endless weeks of school where you’re going to your classes, taking tests and quizzes,” Grube said. “When you have [traditions], that’s a change from routine. It’s those sorts of things that make your year memorable and that’s what you look back on. You don’t look back on the string of weeks that you had to go to school where nothing really happened. You look back on the massive water gun fight on the Quad or jumping into the pool. It helps to reduce a lot of the stress we feel.”
the end of senior year.
“Unfortunately, college does seem to be a topic that creates division within a grade,” Cuseo said. “You start to become tense and you look at [your classmates] and think, ‘I don’t want them to apply to the same school I’m applying to. This is my school, you don’t get to apply here.’ I wish that wasn’t the case, but once that sorts itself out, then I think people start to see their classmates as fellow travelers on the road of high school instead of as competitors.”
Cuseo said that events like the senior ring ceremony can help to facilitate unity because they help students step away from the competition mindset and look more broadly at their high school experience.
47% of students report that stress makes attending school more difficult, according to the Amer ican Psychological Associ ation. Events and traditions during senior year can offer a break from academic pressure, creating a better environment for classmates to form friendships.
Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo, who has worked at the school for over 30 years, said she observes how dynamics between seniors evolve throughout their final year. Cuseo said that she has seen the college process create animosity between classmates that then eases at
“The senior ring ceremony is a uniquely positive day,” Cuseo said. “I don’t think anybody’s thinking anything other than how nice it is to all be there together. They start to get a glimpse of what they will look like at the end of the year. We always talk about Ring Ceremony and graduation as bookends because they both happen on the field, and there’s a similar vibe. That tradition can remind people that you’re going to be graduates together, and I also like the message of the ring ceremony because you’re being invested with leadership and responsibility.”
Watts said that participating in events and traditions with his classmates in his last year before graduating helped him to cherish his time at the school and come to terms with graduating.
“It helps the mind have a sense of moving on and creating a concrete transition point,” Watts said. “That is why traditions are so popular at [the school] and in so many aspects of life. They are valuable and help in transitioning to a new phase of life. It was just a great moment to both be appreciative and move on.”
L. Wood
Dennett Stibel ’25
Naked Truths
Students and faculty discuss the role of intimacy and sexual intercourse in high school relationships and the effects of intimate relations on young teens.
By Lyla Kavanagh
Eloise* sits cross-legged in a pair of oversized sweatpants as she twists a drawstring around her finger. She’s just had sex for the first time, an experience that turned out to be anticlimactic. Dozens of thoughts run through her mind: had she made the right decision? Should she have waited until he was her boyfriend? In retrospect, Eloise said she felt dehumanized and devalued while having sex for the first time.
“When you have sex with a guy, after a certain point, it feels like you’re not even there,” Eloise said. “There’s a moment where you feel like you could literally be anyone. You could be a piece of meat and it wouldn’t matter. He’s getting what he wants, and you’re not a person to him. That moment was a weird experience, and it made me feel like the person I was with didn’t actually care about me. Yes, we were physically intimate in that moment, but it created a certain emotional distance afterwards.”
likely having these experiences for the first time, and so having that sense of safety and trust with someone is really important.”
74% of female teens and 51% of male teens report having sex for the first time with a partner they had been consistently dating, according to a 2017 CDC study. Roman*, whose first time having sex was with his girlfriend, said being in a committed relationship is an important factor when thinking about having sex for the first time.
“I absolutely think that you should be in a committed relationship before having sex,” Roman said. “When you’re having sex, your brain releases oxytocin, so your body, for me at least, is emotionally tying you to that person. In a committed relationship, you’re communicating about what you want and what you’re uncomfortable with. So when you’re having sex, you don’t have to worry about if something went wrong, or if something was awkward because you have that complete trust in your partner. Sex is very intimate and very pure. When
and I] started becoming more physically intimate,” Eloise said. “Before losing [my virginity], I didn’t really want a relationship with him. After the fact, it felt a lot more serious for me. I felt a sense of shame, like ‘this isn’t my boyfriend, why am I having sex with him?’ Which was, in hindsight, stupid. He was not a virgin and had a couple of serious relationships before me, and I don’t think it affected him the same way. I felt a lot more attached to him because of it, and I don’t think he felt that same sense of attachment.”
“Losing your virginity or having sexual intercourse for the first time can be defined in a variety of ways for straight and LGBTQ+ couples, according to Planned Parenthood. Joyner said the portrayal of sex and virginity in pop culture and media has impacted adolescent views on sex and intimacy.
be difficult too if you’re wondering, ‘Is this person going to talk about this with other people afterward? Is this person going to disappear afterward?’”
Studies have shown pornography can have negative effects on adolescent attitudes towards sex, according to the National Library of Medicine. Roman said misconceptions about sex can come from friends, the media and pornography.
When it’s with the right person and it’s at the right time, sex can be something very beautiful.”
Roman*
“There’s so many narratives about having sex for the first time, this construct of virginity and that it’s something
“If you haven’t had sex and your friends around you have, you can feel a pressure to start, especially as you get to college and you don’t want to be too inexperienced,” Roman said. “A common misconception is that sex is going to be great right away, or that it doesn’t get awkward. If you’re getting your information from friends’ stories or porn, you might assume that on the first go, it’s gonna be amazing. But that’s not the truth, because you have to realize it’s two teenagers trying something new out.”
Eloise’s emotions following sexual in tercourse are not uncommon. During in tercourse, oxytocin and dopamine are re leased, and the subsequent crash as those chemicals fade away can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, according to The Cut. Eloise said aftercare, the practice of checking in emotionally and physically with a partner after intimacy, is an import ant part of intercourse.
“I’ve heard stories of guys that roll over and start playing Clash of Clans, which never happened to me,” El oise said. “If there’s a lack of aftercare, it can really make the experience horrible, especially when you first start having sex. It’s especially import ant because you can end up feeling like, ‘I just did this thing, and I was really vulnerable with this person who doesn’t actually care about me.’”
Upper School Counselor Emily Joyner said sex can bring people closer together and deepen their bond.
“At times, [intima cy] can make you feel closer in a relationship, if you already have an emotional bond and there’s a level of trust,” Joyner said. “When there’s a physical con nection but not trust or an emotional con nection, it can be a bit disorienting and you can feel confused about your feelings toward someone. The emotions that come up when you’re inti mate with someone can create a feeling like you like them, but it might just be related to the fact that you were in timate. As teens, many people are
Joyner said in heterosexual relationships, there can be stereotypes about the expectations of men and women.
“As teens, there’s just so much fantasy and imagining what something will be like,” Joyner said. “There are these ideas that guys just want to have sex, whereas girls want relationships. That myth can be really problematic because then people can fall into the trap of these stereotypes, versus having an open conversation up front.”
Beck* said his relationship with his girlfriend improved and deepened after they had sex.
“[Sex] brought me closer to my girlfriend,” Beck said. “It built trust. Once we crossed that line, our connection felt deeper and more genuine. Without trust, it’s hard to be vulnerable, and without vulnerability, real intimacy can’t happen.”
Eloise said she advises individuals to prioritize their own comfort and desires when considering whether or not to be intimate with a partner.
“The actual physical part of it is a lot more hyped up than it needs to be,” Eloise said. “ I don’t regret it, but my advice to anyone thinking about it would be to just wait. If you are not sure, if you don’t feel cared for or completely accepted, just wait. There’s no rush to lose your virginity. Sex happens when it happens. And if the person you are with has an issue with the fact that you don’t want to have that experience then you should not be with them.”
*Names have been changed.
L. Wood
Emily Joyner
CATCH ME
Members of the community discuss their experiences regarding the prevalence of shoplifting in teenagers and its repercussions.
By Erin Ryu
The scent of body mist clings to the air as pop music pulses through the store. In the makeup aisle at Sephora, Hazel’s* eyes lock on a lip gloss vial. After one glance over her shoulder, scanning for employees, she slips the gloss into her front pocket and heads for the exit. She’s lost count of how many times she’s done this.
That day, Hazel walked out of the store empty-handed and with a store ban to her name.
“I’ve taken the most from Sepho ra,” Hazel said. “Even though I’ve been banned from the store, I still shoplift sometimes because I don’t really care. I’ll just run for it next time. The only thing I regret is not getting away quickly enough.”
One in 11 Amer icans has admitted to shoplifting, while one in four adolescents has admitted to shoplifting before the age of 16. 550 thousand shoplift ing incidents happen every day, according to the National Associa tion for Shoplifting Pre vention. The frequency of shoplifting cases rose by 24% in the first half of 2024, according to CBS News. Likewise, there was an 87% surge in shoplifting instances from 2019 to 2023 in the Los Angeles Area, according to Safe and Sound Security.
Hazel said she first started stealing out of necessity and has contin ued over the years.
“I started shoplifting around eighth grade,” Hazel said. “I went to a mall with
when I needed food, like when I was in New York or Boston for school trips but didn’t have money, I just started taking it. I’ve taken over $1,000 a week on multiple occasions. Usually, I just put it in my pocket or walk out of the store with it in my hand. At school, I put it under my shirt or jacket. One time in the cafeteria, I put an entire churro up my arm sleeve.”
Teenagers may shoplift for several reasons, including poor impulse control, thrills, to test authority or peer pressure, according to Newport Academy, a resi dential mental health treatment center for adolescents. 52.6% of students at the school who shoplifted stated they were motivated by fun or thrills, while 26.3% stated it was
we wanted. We wore really baggy clothes, like cargo pants. I’ve taken the most from art rooms and even other people’s lockers. Now, the most expensive thing I’ve taken is a $326 bunny
theft in 2024 and are estimated to lose $53 billion in 2027, according to Capital One Shopping Research. As shoplifting has been on the rise in the Los Angeles area, faculty and staff have also noticed a growing increase in student theft at
Vanessa said she and Hazel have a tacit agreement to protect each other if things went wrong.
“I’ve personally never regretted shoplifting because there have yet to be any repercussions on my part,” Vanessa said.
L. Wood Gil Garibaldo
IF YOU CAN
hasn’t seen as many shoplifting cases at the school, they are increasingly prevalent at the university level.
“Here at the Upper School, everyone abides by the honor system, which is great,” Garibaldo said. “But in previous places where I’ve worked, most specifically in universities, the most common type of shoplifting was seen in students. Students there would go into the bookstore, find the book that they needed and just take pictures. That is a form of stealing because, really, they can just simply go to the library. In some instances where it was a repeat offender, we would just ask them to be removed from the store and delete the photos. But, we were understanding, and our customer service was set to prevent any future instances and shoplifting in general.”
Angel S., an Urban Outfitters sales associate, said the store has implemented several measures for loss prevention because shoplifting is so commonplace at the store.
“We have shoplifting cases every day, with many more happening during the summer or around the holidays,” Angel said.
“It encourages negative behavior that can be ongoing,” Wiener said. “I think a lot of the time, the actual effects of shoplifting are not that bad. For example, I think Target can afford to lose a few items. But, on the other hand, it also encourages not taking responsibility. A lot of these corporations have to raise the prices of their goods in general to account for shoplifting. So, that makes people who don’t shoplift have to pay a little bit extra.”
Lauren Kim ’26 said the culture of shoplifting among students is detrimental to other families who are lower-income.
“ It’s fairly normalized, to be honest, especially when it comes
to stealing at Sephora or maybe at the grocery store.”
“There are no good- faith actors among teenagers stealing from large corporations,” Kim said. “Frankly, most kids at our school probably don’t need to shoplift in an economic or financial sense. So, by having shoplifting be an encouraged culture among students, prices are raised, which affects people outside our school who actually do have to structure their lives around those prices.”
Assembly Bill 2943, or the California Re -
a little mini-mall selling specialty ingre dients and not a big box grocery store, had all these signs saying, ‘don’t shoplift, or we’re gonna post you on YouTube.’ These companies don’t like it.”
took something was by accident, but now she shoplifts when she sees some thing she wants but can’t afford.
years old, and I stole a packet of stick ers from an art store,” Kiesha said. “My mom made me return them. The last time I took something was a couple of months ago, at Sephora. If there’s something that I like, and it’s super expensive, I just put it in my pocket. I don’t like stealing from small businesses, but with large corpora tions, I feel like it’s fine, especially if I don’t have money on hand. I never feel guilty.”
caught 2% of the time, with the av erage being arrested once out of every 100
—Keisha*
“Treat everyone awesomely,” Garibaldo said. “No one assumes that you’re following them around the store. They just assume, ‘oh, the employees are just on top of it. They’re servicing everybody in the store, so I don’t feel like I’m being targeted or anything like that.’” Name has been changed.
Faculty and students discuss the reasons and impact of the school’s decision to remove all Advanced Placement courses next year.
By Celine Wang
Abby Landres ’26 sits in an empty classroom doing homework before her last class of the day. Her legs are propped up on a chair and she is focused on her laptop. She taps the keyboard as she scrolls through her latest texts with her friends. Her eyes moves quickly over the messages until they land on a bold headline halfway down: “School to replace all Advanced Placement (AP) classes starting next year.”
Landres said the elimination of AP options hinders students’ ability to prepare for the exam and narrows their academic opportunities.
College Board Newsroom.
Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said AP courses have become less important for the student population and that teachers are better suited to provide a more focused education to the community.
“It’s upsetting that they’re trying so hard to stop people from taking APs,” Landres said. “I’m glad there’s still the rigorous classes, like honors [classes]. But for me, with Latin specifically, it’s really annoying because I was planning on taking it next year. Now, the way they’ve changed the class, we won’t have all the information to take the AP. [The restriction] is blocking certain paths for people before college applications.”
The availability of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in U.S. high schools varies. 48% of public high schools offered five or more AP courses in the prior school year, and these schools represent 80% of the high school population in the U.S., according to the College Board. This indicates that larger schools are more likely to offer a broader range of AP courses. In general, AP participation and performance have been on the rise. Over 1.2 million students took more than 4.3 million AP Ex ams in 2024,
“APs are a standardized curriculum created by the College Board, and it has lost its relevance for our particular population,” Slattery said. “Our teachers are better equipped to actually be up on the innovation and the topics to educate our students than the College Board’s generic curriculum that is targeted at everybody. With the APs, it was a lot of kids just solely focused on what APs were going to do for their college application, rather than challenging themselves.”
Ryan Acosta ’26 said he recognizes the school’s view but noted that many students want courses that will help earn them college credit.
“I understand the school’s point of view [in that] they want to give teachers more flexibility with teaching other courses,” Acosta said. “There are a lot of students who are against it because they want to get that course specifically that will prepare them for the exam. Others don’t really mind, and they say that they’ll self-study. ”
Slattery said she acknowledges the varying opinions on the AP curriculum, but felt it was ineffective and required adjustment for the overall benefit of the school.
“For a few years now, we’ve given teachers the options to pick their curriculum,” Slattery said. “A lot of teachers decided on their own that they didn’t want to teach the AP curriculum any-
more, and we also still had a number of teachers who really liked the curriculum. But from my perspective, when thinking about everybody, [the curriculum] was broken. I know that it was an issue because I have a broader perspective of the whole school.”
Upper School Latin Teacher Bradford Holmes currently teaches AP Latin, which will transition into Honors Latin Literature I next school year. Holmes said having courses independent of the AP structure will give teachers the flexibility to structure the curriculum as they see fit and in a way that benefits students.
“We’re still keeping the curriculum in the program nominally,” Holmes said. “The class is now just two different literature courses. They both happen to have about a third or a quarter of their curriculum that is taken from the AP syllabus. Both courses use good texts, but the entire course is no longer built around the AP syllabus. I can take those two courses that can be sequenced out in a way that we, the teachers, want to do it. In the end, students can still take the AP if they want to, but they no longer have to.”
The removal of AP courses at the school could lead to less standardized curriculums for classes taught by multiple teachers, as each department will design its own advanced coursework, according to Slattery. Although some classes will continue with a similar format, without a common AP framework, students in the same course may face varying levels of academic rigor.
Landres said she is frustrated that the removal of APs adds to an already heavy workload by making self-studying for exams a burden.
“On top of all the other adjustments they’re doing next year, the removal of APs is really not great,” Landres said. “If I do end up taking tests next year, it would be a nuisance as I would have to self-study. We’re already so busy at school. It’s not great that this [new curriculum] will possibly add a load onto our plates.”
Holmes said he plans to adjust the spring curriculum if seniors in his class decide to take the AP exam, providing support to those who still choose to take the test.
“’If a lot of kids are planning to take [the AP test], then we’ll just spend some time in the spring reading through the AP curriculum.” Holmes said. “If not, then we’ll do other content that I had planned otherwise. So the entirety of the fourth quarter would be semi-dependent on how many kids are going to take [the test] when they’re seniors.”
Slattery said the exams cause unnecessary pressure and have minimal college impact, and the school’s own advanced courses remain challenging and more appropriate for its students.
“APs actually add stress to the students,” Slattery said. “There’s this inflated perception that AP exams matter a lot. They really don’t matter very much in terms of getting into college, and for a lot of colleges, they don’t matter that much in terms of getting credit. [What] makes Harvard-Westlake students unique is actually the Harvard-Westlake curriculum, and a number of college admission officers have said this to us. Our courses are not less rigorous. They are still really strong courses, just better suited for our population.”
L. Wood
Abby Landres ’26
By Kayla Graff
Andrea Cruz-Vazquez’s ’25 room is quiet, lit only by the pale glow of an open laptop. She sits cross-legged at her desk, her eyes moving between the three admitted student portals open on her screen. Cruz-Vazquez only has a few hours until the May 1 deadline to enroll at one of the three schools where she was accepted: Rhodes College, Denison University or Connecticut College. Her hand hovers hesitantly over the cursor as she thinks about how the choice will affect the next four years of her life and beyond. Finally, she makes her decision, and in an instant, her future is set. Cruz-Vazquez said her choice to attend Connecticut College was based on affordability and location.
and 22. That kind of pressure can be soul crushing, so it’s okay [and] even wise to factor that into your final choice.”
“In high school, it feels like the end of the world if you don’t end up going where you want to, but honestly, that’s just not the case.”
“It was a debate between where I could see myself being comfortable but also money,” CruzVazquez said. “At the end of the day, it was between Denison and Connecticut because those were the two best financial aid options. Denison gave better finan cial aid, but location ended up being the deciding factor because I’ve always want ed to go to the East Coast. It was the money that was holding me back from making my decision sooner.”
Nathalie Paniagua ’23 attended Syracuse University for her freshman year of college before transferring to the University of Southern California, where she is currently a sophomore. Paniagua said she originally chose Syracuse due to the prestige and opportunity presented by its Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Syracuse has a Latino student population of about 10%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Paniagua said the lack of Latino representation in the school’s community influenced her choice to transfer.
Nathalie Paniagua ’23
“When I decided to transfer, it wasn’t because of academics,” Paniagua said. “I was really pre-
munity, and I thought that I could find that being back in [Los Angeles]. I didn’t see a lot of people with my identity [at Syracuse]. It was hard to find them at the school. I spent time trying to find that community and feel welcomed and included, but I just didn’t feel it.”
Cruz-Vazquez said she also wanted to go to a school with a diverse student body that reflected her identity.
“Diversity was important to me,” Cruz-Vazquez said. “I wanted a community where there were Latinos. Even though nothing compares to Los Angeles, I wanted somewhere that I knew I could find someone who looked like me and spoke the same language as me.”
Sarah Parmet ’25 said she initially wanted to either apply Restrictive Early Action (REA) to Harvard University or Early Decision (ED) the University of Pennsylvania. Ultimately, she applied REA to Harvard because of
“The main decision I had to make was whether to stay on the Harvard waitlist or not,” Parmet said. “My dad, who went there, initially encouraged me to stay on. Ultimately, I took myself off the Harvard waitlist, and my parents supported my decision. I know it’s cliché, but I’m happy I was deferred from Harvard. I’m really excited to forge my own path at Penn. If I was going to Harvard, people would think ‘it’s because she’s a legacy.’ Penn is something that truly belongs to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Parmet said although name recognition and prestige were factors in her choice to attend Penn, the school also provides the best programs in her areas of interest.
“Obviously, there is an aspect of ‘it’s Penn,’ but also, out of all the schools I got into, Penn had the best music opportunities both in terms of extracurriculars and actual courses,” Parmet said. “They have an incredible creative writing program through the Kelly Writers House. Also, having the Wharton School right on campus is a very valuable resource.”
Upper School Dean Sarah Miller said students should take factors other than prestige into consideration when decid ing what college to attend.
“I want every student to end up at a school where they’ll feel genuinely proud and happy,” Miller said. “Students should look for a place that supports their growth and encourages them to be their authen tic self, however that looks for them. That institution may be perceived as prestigious, or it may not. The point is that joy matters.”
Nationwide, 67% of high school students rated cost of attendance as a “very important” factor in choosing a college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Miller said students should consider affordability when choosing a school because student loan debt can have an impact beyond college.
“An important piece, one that sometimes gets lost in the emotion of de cision season, is cost,” Miller said. “Every student, and by extension every family, has a different financial threshold for what feels manageable. I wouldn’t encourage any student to take on a level of debt that limits their career options throughout their twenties and thirties simply to pay for a degree earned between the ages of 18
Cruz-Vazquez said although she was disappointed about not getting into her ED school, she is content with attending Connecticut College and knows she has options for her future.
“At first, I was upset about not getting into my ED, but looking back at it now, I’m not sure if it would have been the right place for me,” Cruz-Vazquez said. “At the beginning of the process, I wanted to go to a small school, but at the end, I wanted something bigger. Overall, I feel good about my decision. I’m going into [Connecticut College] with an open mind to liking it, but if not, I already have a backup plan to transfer out. I know it’s not common, but transferring is definitely a plan that should be talked about more, especially as the college admission process gets more and more selective.”
Paniagua said it is beneficial for students to let go of rigid expectations and beliefs about the college admissions process.
“Having a dream school is a very difficult mindset because it places a lot of pressure on students,” Paniagua said.
“It’s always good to have goals set for yourself, but specific expectations will make it more difficult in the long term. Going into my junior year of college with the whole admissions and decision process behind me, I’ve realized that you end up where you need to be. In high school, it feels like the end of the world if you don’t end up going where you want to, but honestly, that’s just not the case. If you’re not happy somewhere, you always have the power to remove yourself and find something that is a better fit.”
L. Wood Andrea Cruz-Vazquez ’25
keeping it low-key
Read 9:33 AM
Students and faculty discuss how nonchalant attitudes can create distance in interpersonal relationships and can diminsh their authenticity.
By Colin Ho
It is 9 p.m. on a Friday night, and CJ Phelan ’26 is sitting in their room watching TikTok. As they scroll, a video captioned “Nonchalant Challenge” appears, featuring two high school students competing against each other to see who can act more nonchalant than the other. Annoyed, they quickly scroll past the video. Phelan said the idea of nonchalance promotes the often unachievable ideal of being effortlessly and naturally cool.
“There’s a notion that you have to be cool from the inside, that a real cool person doesn’t have to try to be cool,” Phelan said. “It’s in the same way people think of smart people as being born smart and naturally gifted. I feel that this culture encourages people to be untrue to themselves. It’s stupid that people think they have to act as if they don’t care to seem cool.”
The term “nonchalant” started to become popular on social media in July 2024 and surged in popularity through Oct. 2024, at which point it had 209 million posts associated with it on TikTok, according to Know Your Meme. Nonchalance is defined as “having an air of easy unconcern or indifference,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Similar terms such as “lowkey” have emerged as ways to make assertions more subtly or nonchalantly. Abby Landres ’26 said she dislikes the rising popularity of nonchalance because it lends itself to an increasingly monotonous and judgmental society.
apathetic has made it harder young people to forge genuine relationships.
“There’s this idea that you can’t care too much if you want people to like you,” Landres said. “ You shouldn’t get too invested in something or show your emotions if you want to be nonchalant. It’s harder to connect with people, beyond surface-level interactions, if they don’t put themselves out there in any way or show any personality.”
Being in a platonic or romantic relationship with someone who has a nonchalant and apathetic demeanor may lower one’s self-esteem and decrease engagement and connection to the detriment of the relationship, according to Life Coach and Psychotherapist Jason Shiers, who has worked with couples and individuals for over 25 years. Zarah Colmenares ’26 said her friends’ efforts to maintain their outward appearances created distance in their relationships.
“My friends and I tend to joke around loudly,” Colmenares said. “But that day, one of my friends became really embarrassed of me because I was being [too] loud for her. She didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day. I think it was in large part because of the influence of social media, since nowadays everyone is trying to present themselves as emotionless and unbothered.”
Performing Arts Teacher Zanaida Robles said many people try to hide behind a facade of not caring in order to close themselves off to the possibility of judgment or pain.
CJ Phelan ’26 said they believe the rise of nonchalance is a reflection of the shifting American political culture.
“The United States had a pretty liberal political period in the 2010s,” Phelan said. “But now, the pendulum is swinging again and we as a society are trending towards a more minimalist and conservative culture. The shift has [brought] a surge of people with more judgmental mindsets. It seems now that you will be judged for being anything other than the norm, and judging outwardly has also been a lot more acceptable recently. If you don’t conform to the norm, then you’re labeled as weird.”
Daniel Baek ’26 said he has noticed a lack of self-expression and playfulness in recent fashion trends.
“People are becoming less and less daring in putting themselves out there because of the social repercussions of being different,” Baek said. “It comes from a fear of being mislabeled or made fun of. Nowadays, people are following fashion trends that feel safe and comfortable, in contrast to five years ago, when there was a lot more individualism in fashion. This newer trend of nonchalance represents a societal shift that favors fitting in rather than finding your own style and niche.”
cards too early and to make it seem as if they have better things going on. If the relationship doesn’t end up working out, their nonchalance guards them emotionally because it gives the illusion that they never cared in the first place.”
Sophomore Prefect Jasiri Johnson ’27 said he has noticed a lack of participation in school events, leading to a less engaged community.
“People don’t want to risk looking uncool,” Johnson said. “They strive to be as cool as they can be, but make it seem like they’re not trying. In doing so, they jeopardize their ability to have fun. Many people decide not to participate in school-organized events even though they want to, like the dodgeball tournament. They think it will make them lose face and look bad, but only when they stop caring too much can they really have fun.”
“If the style is to look like you don’t care, then no one can really fault you if something doesn’t turn out well.”
Zanaida Robles
Performing
Arts Teacher
Nonchalance is a symptom of emotional unavailability and is oftentimes used as a defense mechanism that emerges due to a fear of being vulnerable, according to worldwidecoaching.com. Robles said many people decide to adopt a nonchalant attitude to protect themselves from facing criticism.
“I hate the trend of nonchalance because someone showcasing their interests and passions is what makes them unique,” Landres said. “Trends like these on social media heighten stress and fear of embarrassment, which takes a huge emotional toll. Nobody wants to feel embarrassed.”
Landres said the pressure to appear
“Many young people try to hide and close themselves off so that we can’t see who they are underneath their sweatpants and blank facial expression,” Robles said. “As a result of this, there is a real issue with young people not having enough resilience to withstand criticism for being artistically or emotionally expressive. They don’t want to leave themselves open to pain.”
In addition to fashion, Baek said he noticed that the growing trend of nonchalance has impacted how modern dating culture functions.
“I’ve noticed that many of my friends will try to come off as nonchalant when they are talking to their romantic interests,” Baek said. “They are trying to portray themselves as caring less about the relationship than the other person, because they think it is a safer position that will make them seem cooler. Many people also think that they shouldn’t respond too quickly to not show their
“This trend of nonchalance is a cover,” Robles said. “If the style is to look like you don’t care, then no one can really fault you if something doesn’t turn out well because you never cared in the first place. It prevents a scenario in which you [put yourself] out there, but it isn’t received well and you’re not validated for it. Yet, that’s a real problem because no matter what, no matter how nonchalant you present yourself to be, you can never escape external judgment. Your nonchalance is not achieving its goal. You can’t just hide behind your clothes and your apathy.”
Arts & Entertainment
By Luca Gonzalez
JOINING THE JAM
Beneath the stairs, perched on a bench outside Chalmers, Nate Arnold ’25 escapes the heat of a spring day with his guitar. Letting a few warm chords drift into the afternoon air, he uses the natural reverb and echo of the space to enhance the sound of his playing. Then, confidently and without a trace of uncertainty in his voice, he begins to sing. Combining the elements of his instrument and vocals, his song rings out, a solo performance captivating anyone within earshot. Arnold said his confidence comes from the very emotions that would normally prevent him from playing in public.
“I regularly participate in coffee houses and Songwriters Showcases,” Arnold said. “I also did musical theater in 10th and 11th grade. The jazz department at [the school] is incredible. [The school’s] music scene is wildly overlooked. We have great rock and indie singers, songwriters and artists who are super talented. I wish the school would find a way to put more focus on people like them.”
“Funnily enough, fear and nervousness are what encourage me to play in front of people,” Arnold said. “It’s like stage fright, the only way to get over it is putting yourself out there and realizing that it’s not too scary after all. I want to share my music with the world, and I want to perform, so that means I need to get comfortable with doing so.”
Despite the vast number of musicians at the school, only a small minority actually perform live with bands or release music themselves. 94% of high schools in the U.S. have music programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. However, only 19.9% of students actually participate in their school’s music program, according to a study published by the University of Delaware. Arnold himself released his first Extended Play (EP) titled, “Gush” in August 2024, which is available on all streaming platforms.
Emy Spieker ’26 is a member of the band “Cherry Amoia,” which she formed with two students from outside the school. Spieker said the school’s music scene is largely unknown to outsiders.
“[The school’s] music scene is somewhat underground,” Spieker said. “I’ve had numerous occasions where people at the school that I’ve recently gotten to know have no idea that I do jazz, even after being friends with them for a while. I think it’s interesting how many people outside of the music community have really no clue who or what is a part of the music scene at [the school].”
Spieker said members within the community are closely connected and often collaborate.
“ This group of people has also become such an important community for me because I know that I can really let go, be creative, and be myself. ” Finn Slootweg ‘26
Milan Hunter ’27 writes and records his own songs, having released his first EP titled “Wave” in January of this year. The music video for his EP is expected to come out in June. Hunter, who has been a part of the jazz program since arriving at school, said the overall experience allowed him to grow as a musician and connect with peers.
“Back at the middle school, I played for a few people at concerts, and I took the rhythm workshop class, which had a big performance at the end,” Hunter said. “I’m in Jazz Band this year, and I’ve made some close friends, and we were all trying to start a band. We played ‘Wave’ live once, but we’re on hiatus right now. The [school’s] music scene is great and the jazz program’s awesome.”
Arnold said he would have achieved much less as a musician without the support of his peers.
“The school music scene is why I am where I am today,” Arnold said. “Going through school with people like Manos Vourgourakis [’25] and Abe Effress [’25] in my class, such incredibly talented people who know their way on multiple instruments, has been such an inspiration for me to develop as an artist and push myself to be like them. I participate as much as I can in the school music scene, having actually mixed a 10-song album for a [classmate] of mine.”
Arnold said he actively participates in performing events hosted by the school and believes the school music scene and its musicians deserve more attention to encourage their growth.
“At the same time, the people within the music program at [the school] are very knit together,” Spieker said. “I made a sort of hype video for the jazz program last year that depicted this idea of rivalry between the different jazz bands, and I think it’s a great example of how within the community, everyone at least some what knows everyone else enough to have some healthy competition and interact in the same way friends would.”
Spieker said the students from her band outside the school have been welcomed into the school’s music scene thanks to the open ness of both the music commu nity and Upper School Jazz Director Chris Sullivan.
“While my rock band rehearses at school, both mem bers go to different schools,” Spieker said. “Nonetheless, we have a number of students, mostly in the music program, who have expressed interest in us and showed up to our shows. In a way, I feel as though my band is somewhat part of the school, even though I’m the only one from it. I have Dr. Sullivan to thank for that because he’s the person allowing non-Harvard-Westlake stu dents to come in after school once a week and use the music room that wouldn’t otherwise be used.”
Max Lee ’27 creates his own beats and has col
ed. I’m really grateful for these connections, as they’ve played a big role in shaping my sound today.”
Finn Slootweg ’26 is a member of the band “Nosebleeds,” a five-person group including Cole Firshein ’26, James Parmet ’27 and two students from outside of the school. Slootweg said there is unrecognized talent within the school music community.
Cherry Amoia,” Slootweg said. “[The school’s] music scene is full of incredibly talented people, whether that be within the jazz department, theater department, choir department or even people who aren’t involved with music within school. I think that more people should attend music-related events at [the school] because there is so much talent to take in, and there honestly aren’t that many places that Slootweg also said his own strengths as a musician are enhanced by being around and performing with other
“Personally, [the school’s] music scene has really inspired me to be a better musician,” Slootweg said. “When you are working with so many talented people with great visions, it really pushes you to be the best version of yourself. This group of people has also become such an important community for me because I know that I can really let go, be creative and be myself. I am so thankful to be involved with this community and I hope that more people become a part of it.”
Parmet said student musicians should use the many kinds of events available to them to perform, as he tries to take advantage of these unique chances whenever he can.
“There are always so many opportunities for musicians, such as the coffeehouses, the musical and of course, just taking classes at the school,” Parmet said. “The music scene at the school has definitely had an impact on me. Almost all of the music-related things I participate in stem from [the school], whether it’s my band outside of school, where the opportunity arose because of friends at school or playing the national anthem at a game.”
Sam Benardo ’26 performs as a member of a jazz trio outside of school and is also in the Upper School Chamber Orchestra. Benardo said music is often undervalued as an extracurricular compared to other options.
“[The school’s] music scene isn’t exactly unknown in the sense of how many people join or know of the program, but is certainly underrepresented in people who strive to make music a core part of their identity,” Benardo said. “From my experience, it can be difficult for people to put a lot of time and effort into learning pieces with the academic pressure [the school] already puts on the students. With sports as a more historically popular secondary extracurricular, not a lot of people make it a goal to reach the most advanced orchestra.” Benardo also said he felt that the program lacks the funding for expansion that would garner more interest from students in exposing their talents on a bigger stage.
“I noticed myself the lack of students from Symphony who auditioned for the Chamber Orchestra,” Benardo said. “If more resources were put into the program, such as a larger performance hall, so more students can attend concerts, more students would be interested in ‘buying into the program.’”
L. Wood Nate Arnold ’25
Upper School choirs to travel to New York for summer tour
By Eila Shokravi and Colin Ho
Chamber Singers, Bel Canto and Wolverine Chorus choirs are preparing to tour New York City from June 11-15 for their performance at Carnegie Hall June 14. Members of the groups will participate in activities like touring museums, attending Broadway shows and rehearsing music.
Chamber Singers Director Nadya Hitomi ’25 said she anticipates their performance of “Missa in Tempore Belli” will be a success because of the extensive time the Chamber Singers group spent preparing.
“All three of the Upper School choirs will be performing [Joseph] Haydn’s ‘Missa in Tempore Belli’ at Carnegie Hall,” Hitomi said. “[Chamber Singers will] be singing with the National Masterwork Chorus under conductor Julie Yu. We have been preparing this song all year long since it’s 84 pages and consists of six parts. It’s a really powerful song, and I think our performance will be transformative and emotional.”
Bel Canto singer Mae Mae Gad ’27 said she looks forward to performing at Carnegie Hall, as well as experiencing New York City.
“I’m most excited to perform at Carnegie Hall with all the choirs from different schools together, and especially with a full orchestra,” Gad said. “I’m also super excited to explore the city with my friends.”
2025-2026 Bel Canto President Maylie Macias ’25 said she has enjoyed her time in choir this school year because of the strong and inclusive community.
“This year in choir was one of my favorites so far,” Macias said. “I was in Bel Canto, and instantly everyone really connected and became a community, which made the process of learning and performing music that much more fun and rewarding. Even when a song was difficult, we always managed to pull through.
Everyone was really supportive, and we all improved and grew as singers this year. I’m very proud of my choir this year.”
Hitomi said she is looking forward to exploring museums and attending musical performances in
New York City.
“I’m so excited to go to New York,” Hitomi said. “The choirs, along with the orchestra, visited New York on tour in 2023. It will be fun to revisit all of the places we went as sophomores. We’re also going to be visiting some new places, like an observation deck, and the Guggenheim museum, and will also see the show ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ on Broadway. It’s going to be really exciting and a perfect way to round out my time in the upper school choral program.”
Gad said she has enjoyed her experience as a part of Bel Canto because of the strong support she has received from her peers.
“The upper school choir groups are definitely more challenging than the lower school, but the biggest difference is the community,” Gad said. “This year, I've been able to bond so much with the rest of Bel Canto, and I’m so grateful for being able to sing amazing music with them every other day. It’s been an amazing year in choir because of how uplifting and trusting everyone is of one another.”
Students present acting showcase
By Annabelle Cheung
Students from Acting II and Advanced Performance hosted the annual Advanced Performance Studies Acting Showcase in Rugby Auditorium May 23. The event opened with performances from Acting II students who shared scenes, monologues and other work they developed this year. The Advanced Performance Studies class performed “We’re Not Really Strangers,” a devised theater piece that reflects on how identity changes across different stages of life.
Calla Fox ’25 said developing stronger relationships with classmates build trust on stage.
“Getting to know them personally outside of acting has helped us grow such an incredible bond,” Fox said. “It’s really great creating that solid bond before you start acting, so then the chemistry’s already there.”
Naiya Gardiner ’25 said the showcase was inspired by the class's personal experiences.
“The Advanced Performance
Studies Showcase was like an experimental piece that was all based on a bunch of stories within our lives,” Gardiner said. “So it was mostly just based on conversations that my friends and I had.”
Mellow Eaton ’25 said the small class size of four allowed for deeper emotional expression.
“The smaller the class is, the more connected we are,” Eaton said. “Especially when tapping into those deep personal issues and societal issues.”
Gardiner said her pieces explored themes related to identity and personal struggles.
“One of was based on my relationship to my hair,” Gardiner said. “And then the other one was based around having trouble sleeping because that’s been a big thing for me.”
Jackson Hollis ’25 said one of his pieces addressed his experience dealing with identity and resilience.
“One of them was a monologue I wrote about talking to my grandma, who is homophobic and uses religion to try to guilt-
Choral program hosts lunch chapel concert
By Lydia Gugsa
Bel Canto, Chamber Singers and Wolverwine Chorus hosted a concert in St. Savior’s Chapel during lunch May 16. The concert featured Mae Mae Gad ’27, Alice Torosyan ’27 and Maylie Macias ’26 singing “Not Strong Enough” by Boygenius; Jaiden Matthews ’25 singing “Footnote” by Conan Gray; Assistant News Editor Colin Ho ’26 and Cole Firshein ’26 singing “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar. At the end, the ensembles performed “Missa” in tempore belli by Joseph Haydn and “Ave Verum Corpus” by Mozart.
Kieran Lyons ’26 conducted the Mozart piece and said he was honored to have the chance to share his passion with his peers.
“I’ve been fascinated by conducting since I was little,” Lyons said.
“I remember watching John Williams conduct the Star Wars score and thinking it was incredible. When Dr. [Sara] Shakliyan offered the conducting class, I immediately decided to sign up for it. Conducting my peers felt incredible because I had been working on this piece for a while. It was so rewarding to see it all come to life during the concert.”
“Since this trio was formed last minute, we all learned our parts separately and met only three times to rehearse the song together leading up to the concert,” Macias said. “We didn’t rehearse with an instrument accompanying us until the day of, but it still went decently well and we were proud of our performance. It was definitely stressful but once we got on stage, things managed to come together and we could feel the support from each other.”
Firshein said they love the chapel concerts because they offer a rare opportunity for the choirs to all come together in a supportive setting.
“The chapel concerts are a time for the choirs to show each other what they’ve been working on,” Firshein said. “Everyone works so hard, so it’s nice to see people grow as singers throughout the year. It isn't all about performance. We're celebrating progress and the sense of community that we've built. It’s really special to watch your peers improve over time as they work so hard on their individual pieces.”
Macias said the trio first began with her selection of a song that required a three-part harmony.
“The trio was formed because I really loved the song ‘Not Strong Enough,’ mainly because of how inspirational it is,” Macias said.
“I knew I wanted to perform it, but it’s a song with a three-part harmony. I thought it would be a great opportunity to perform with my peers, so I asked people in my choir to perform with me, and my friends [Torosyan and Gad] volunteered because they loved the song too.”
Macias said the performance went well despite setbacks during their preparation.
trip me about being gay,” Hollis said. “The second piece was more performance-based and done in the Brecht style. It was about the idea of always performing and always having to keep going. It was sort of about being gay but also about Harvard-Westlake, where you’re always expected to just never stop.”
Eaton said the class grew closer through group routines and shared experiences.
“Our first big thing was going to New York earlier in the year, where we went to see plays and did workshops,” Eaton said. “And then there were our morning check-ins, which we do every day. Everyone just trauma dumps and vents.”
Fox said she challenged herself to write and perform more honestly than previous works.
“I felt that I was very vulnerable, and I think that’s what I did best,” Fox said. “Normally, whenever I write a monologue, I write about the same surface-level things. I’m proud of myself for looking into myself a little deeper.”
Gus Mercado-Quinn ’25 said although he mainly attended the concert to support a friend, he was surprised with how well the choirs performed.
“Going into this event, I wasn’t very familiar with the choir program, I went to go see my friend, and I was blown away with with their performance,” Mercado-Quinn said. “I thought they were talented, especially for a high school choir. My favorite part was seeing them bond through a shared love of singing. The genuine connection between them made the performance even more memorable. You could tell they really cared about the music and experience they were creating together.”
LOVE LETTERS: Marcus Paek ’27 performs a skit as a typewriter who falls in love with a sheet of paper during the May 23 Acting Class Showcase.
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES: Jazz Singers perform “Mas Que Nada” during the annual spring choral concert. The performance took place before finalized preparations for their upcoming June tour to New York City.
How students spend break Summertime Setlist
By Analeigh Nava
It’s getting warmer, your summer playlist is on repeat and the shorts from the bottom of your drawer have made their way to the top. Whether you’re a sophomore, junior or senior, everyone is excited to finally have some time off. But the real question is, how do you balance work and fun? Students are looking forward to beach days, concerts, faraway trips and most importantly, some rest.
Chris Marin ’25 said as a senior, he plans to spend more time traveling and seeing friends than he did over past summers, when he focused on attending summer programs and building his activities list for college.
Colmenares said it is also important to take one’s mind off school during breaks.
“It’s all a matter of balance,” Colmenares said. “Instead of focusing on school, I’m going to try and forget about it at least a few times over the summer. I’m going to [go to] a Fuerza Regida concert, have fun with fambinge-watch my favorite show for a few days.”
Abigail Juarez ’26 said even though she is going on an Italy trip organized by the school, it feels like a fun and meaningful way to spend part of her summer.
Bucket list for seniors
By Annabelle Cheung
“I’ll definitely explore and travel more because I was focused on building my resume and such during the last few summers,” Marin said. “It’s important to build relationships with your friends, especially since it’ll be the last time you see them, at least for a while. For example, I’m going on a senior camping trip with a few friends from school.”
Along with visiting colleges and perfecting their resumes, Zarah Colmenares-Cifuentes ’26 said juniors will try squeeze in fun to make the most of their time before senior year. She said it is good to multitask and incor porate college visits into traveling.
“I’m going to San Francisco to visit a few relatives, but since it’s a far drive, my fami ly and I think it’s important to visit colleges along the way, even if it’s just a quick drive by campus and not an official tour or anything like that,” Colmenares said.
“Even though it’s school-related, I have a lot of fun with students and teachers of that class, so it won’t feel like something I’m dreading,” Juarez said. “I only have so much time at Harvard-Westlake, so I’m doing my best to make the most of it.”
Marin said he will save money during the summer to ensure he’s ready for his upcoming freshman year.
“I’m going to spend a lot of time with friends, but I’m also going to get a job for college,” Marin said. “It doesn’t hurt to build the funds to pay for college early, and I think my future self will thank me for that.”
Amy Perez ’27 said she’s always excited to visit family over the summer.
“I always go to Guatemala during break, and it’s almost like a reward after another hard-working school year,” Perez said. “My relatives congratulate me and remind me how grateful I should be to attend a school like this. Visiting them re-energizes me and motivates me to do even better next year. I feel at peace.”
As our beloved seniors finish their time at the school, it is important that they make the most of their last summer together before leaving for college. The summer before college is more than just a break — it’s the final chapter of high school and the beginning of something new. It’s a time to soak in the familiar, make memories with your closest friends, and cross a few unforgettable hometown experiences off your list before everyone heads off in different directions. Whether you’re looking for adventure, sentimentality, or just some good laughs, this bucket list is your guide to making the most of your last summer at home.
11. Make a summer scrapbook to share between you and your friends
12. Thrift a pair of jeans (just like in “The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants”)
1. Have a bonfire at the beach
2. Host a backyard BBQ and pool party
3. Eat an In-N-Out double-double in your cap and gown
4. Learn how to paddleboard and surf
5. Attempt singing karaoke in Koreatown
6. Wake up at the crack of dawn and polar plunge at the beach
7. Make a short film/vlog of your favorite moments from high school
8. Visit a local bookstore
9. Write a letter or email to your friends’ future selves
10. Create a mood board for your col lege dorm room
SUnny screening
“Barbie”
“I feel a deep personal connection to Ken. And Barbie.”
- Nathan Wang ’25
“Fast Five”
“Although it’s the fifth movie in the ‘Fast and Furious’ series, it’s number one in my heart. It has everything you could ever want in a movie. I rewatch it at least five times a year.”
- Lyla Kavanagh ’26
“21 Jump Street”
“Really funny.”
- Alex Dinh ’25
“The Notebook”
“Such a heartwarming and beautiful testament to romance.”
- Eila Shokravi ’26
“La La Land”
“I have so much love for the city of L.A. and the movie is perfectly made. Even though people hate on the ending, it’s actually one of the best endings of all time.”
- Eden Conner ’25
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
“It sets the tone for my new life in Chicago next fall.”
- Justin Tang ’25
“White Chicks”
“Simply a classic.”
- Chloe Kim ’27
“500 Days of Summer”
“This film will leave you dev astated, angry, hopeful and probably crying. Perfect to watch on a plane.”
- Kayla Graff ’26
“Luca”
“The movie was such a vibe and made me want to go to Italy.”
- Audrey Kim ’26
“The Godfather”
“I haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s a pretty good watch.”
- Alden Detmer ’25
“Sharknado 4”
“I was so pleasantly surprised when I found out there was a fourth Sharknado.”
- Sienna Dall’Olmo ’26
“Sharknado 5”
“Fifth time’s the charm.”
- Hannah Shahidi ’25
“Pitch Perfect”
“The (pitch) perfect portrayal of college acapella groups. Who doesn’t love a good sing-along?”
- Colin Ho ’26
13. Take vintage-inspired photo booth pics in your cap and gown
14. Make a time capsule and bury it under your house
15. Take a road trip to Joshua Tree or Big Bear with your friends
16. Go to a Dodgers game and eat a Dodger Dog and nachos
17. Get matching permanent bracelets or anklets with your friends
18. Visit every major Los Angeles neighborhood in a day
19. Throw a goodbye party potluck with your extended family
20. Visit all the meaningful places you grew up in
21. Sneak out with your siblings and get dessert
22. Catch a summer tan
23. Do a food crawl of all your favorite restaurants
24. Spend as much time as you can playing with your dog
25. Get lunch with your favorite teacher
26. Revisit your elementary school and say hi to your old teachers
27. Enjoy your last Hailey Bieber smoothie from Erewhon
28. Clean out your closet and refresh it for college
29. Remind your parents how much
Staff members share their favorite seasonal movies to enjoy this summer.
Made out in rugby during school hours
near car accident turning left froM halkirk
cried at junior faMily Meeting
left a sweat stain on the seats at convocation
fell asleeP during a last block class caught your teacher using chatgPt begged your teacher to round your 89.4999
victiM of hit and run in the junior lot
PregaMed a harvardwestlake sPorts event
left the hoMecoMing football gaMe before halftiMe
free sPace
if you want to keeP satire alive next year, text "don't kill the baby!" to 424-384-9668
wrote your caPstone 24 hours before it was due
gotten nauseous during 9th grade Pig dissection
got yelled at by security for sPeeding
sPent $20 on doordash for alfreds
cried in every dePartMent office forged a doctor's note for coachella weekend
got a c+ on your first honors english iii essay
did worse on your regular Precalculus retake
screen recorded your ihw
coMPlained about the soPhoMores your first day of junior year
What your university decision says about you
By Satire Staff
It’s the end of the school year, and that means that Harvard-Westlake seniors are getting ready to leave home for the colleges that they worked so hard to get into. As everyone knows, there is nothing that a high school senior loves more than hearing uneducated opinions about the college they’re going to. So, without further ado, here are my uneducated opinions on the colleges that all of you are going to.
Cornell: “Ivy League School”
UC Berkeley: The Harvard of Northern California.
University of Chicago: You’re not actually on the robotics team, but
why do I think you are?
Smith College: You cried when Hillary Clinton lost in 2016.
Stanford University: You worked hard to get in.
University of Pennsylvania: Your parents worked hard to get you in.
Boston College: You survived the ED massacre of senior fall.
Harvard University: 4.5 GPA, legacy and Visa required.
Columbia University: You camped at Coachella for the sole reason of preparing for your freshman year housing situation.
George Washington University:
Print Managing Editor pipeline.
University of Michigan: Getting into the sorority you want will be harder than getting into the school.
University of Wisconsin: Is the Michigan waitlist still active?
Syracuse University: Is the Wisconsin waitlist still active?
Rice University: You’re cute, according to people on TikTok.
Duke University: 6 feet and 9 inches tall.
University of Southern California: Close to mommy.
Boston University: “You don’t
need to study. You go to BU.” -Jesse Eisenberg playing the role of Mark Zuckerberg.
Northeastern: Which country are you having your extended summer Europe trip in?
Northwestern: Tangs and others.
New York University: Ready to leave your Harvard-Westlake classmates behind!
The New School: Charlotte Appel in the big apple.
Brown University: You are so indie and quirky for calling your major your “concentration.”
University of Virginia: Jewish girls cosplaying the Christian
Girl Autumn aesthetic.
Wesleyan University: You’re deliberately artsy.
Colgate University: You’re deliberately not artsy.
Wake Forest: You’re Eden Mahoney. Vanderbilt University: Southern girl cosplay.
Dartmouth College: Being immersed in nature for four years will surely prepare you for your career in finance.
Tufts University: You pay 90k in tuition a year to be a socialist, and your (doctor or lawyer) parents couldn’t be prouder.
Sports
Basketball
alum drafted no. 4 overall
By Connor Merrihew
Kiki Iriafen ’21 was selected No. 4 overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2025 Women National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft on April 15. Her selection follows a standout college career split between Stanford and USC.
While at the school, Iriafen averaged 23.3 points, 15 rebounds and two steals per game during her junior season, leading the Wolverines to a CIF Southern Section Division I title. She was named Southern Section Division 1 Player of the Year and earned a spot on SB Live’s First Team All-Southern Section. Her performances put her on the national radar of top colleges and established her as a fivestar recruit and top-10 player in the class of 2021.
Iriafen began her college career at Stanford, where she averaged 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game, shooting nearly 55% from the field. She earned the 2024 Katrina McClain Award as the nation's top power forward. For her senior season, Iriafen transferred to USC, where she averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game shooting 49%. That year, USC made a deep postseason run, including a Final Four appearance.
She now has joined the Washington Mystics, who were looking to add size and rebounding to their frontcourt rotation. She has started her rookie season with 12.2 points per game off 52.5% shooting. She also joins Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Satou Sabally as the only rookies since 2020 with three-straight double double games. Iriafen is now one of few alumni to reach the WNBA.
CELEBRATING A LEGACY:
Bible announces retirement after decades of coaching multiple sports and leading athletics
By David Rothbart
Athletic Director Darlene Bible is retiring at the end of the year after over four decades of working at the school. Since joining the School in 1981, she has spent the last 30 years coaching swimming, girls varsity golf and a season of girls soccer, as well as serving as one of the school's athletic directors for the last 14 years.
ing my grandkids.”
Bible said that hopes that she leaves a legacy of hard work, love of the school and dedication to every role she held.
Bible said that she has been at the school for a long time, and is ready focus on other things in her retirement.
“I've been at Westlake [and] Harvard-Westlake for 44 years,” Bible said. "Isn't that long enough? I’m ready to spend some time traveling and enjoy-
“I hope everyone remembers me by how much I loved this place, and how hard I worked every day,” Bible said. “I have had many roles over my years here including Athletic Director, Summer Sports Program Director, Swimming Program Head, girls golf program head, swimming teacher, freshman volleyball coach, middle school volleyball coach, middle school girls soccer coach, Human Development teacher, Choices & Challenges teacher, and Community & Character Committee Chair, and I have loved each and every role.”
Track athletes qualify for CIF Masters
By Luca Gonzalez
The track and field team reached the CIF Masters Championship after their performance during the CIF Southern Section Finals at Moorpark High School on May 17. Sofia Rakfeldt ’25 and Quinn Hamilton ’26 were the two athletes who reached the finals. Rakfeldt cleared 11 feet and 4 inches to take second place in the girls pole vault final, while Hamilton followed with a sixth place finish in the boys division, vaulting 13 feet and 8 inches, a personal record.
Rakfeldt said she is especially proud of her continuous achievements in track and field throughout her high school career. She said her combination of determination and passion allowed her to be as successful as she is.
“Making it to masters all four years of high school has been a huge accomplishment for me,” Rakfeldt said. “I feel like my hard work has paid off. I have really learned to accept the bad days, but if you work real hard the good ones will come. Honestly, the ultimate goal in this sport is to always be better and put one hundred percent of your effort into everything you do without losing sight of why you love it. If you do all of these, success will come.”
Hamilton said his growth as an athlete would not have been possible without his relentless training regimen and constant dedication to track.
“I’ve noticed a constant progression in all events during the season due to all of the effort that I’ve put in,” Hamilton said. “And getting this far would only
have happened with everything that I’ve done over the past eight or so months to prepare for it.”
Rakfeldt said she managed to overcome her lowest moments through patience and a positive mindset, helping her to become an even further accomplished athlete.
“In a sport like pole vaulting, aside from the physical injuries, often overlooked are the mental challenges and fears,” Rakfeldt said. “This sport can be dangerous and one bad jump can cause a mental block. What I’ve learned from these bad jumps is how to embrace the fear. Take a step back, look at the full picture and with the help from teammates and coaches, find the confidence because without confidence, it’s very hard to be successful.”
Bible said she is most proud of the love she has had for the school and the hard work she has put into the school over the years.
“I have always cared immensely about Westlake and HarvardWestlake, and my work has reflected that love,” Bible said. “I have spent countless hours helping with the planning of the new River Park facility, and I am so excited to see it open.”
Elliot Meth ’26 was at the Boys Tennis CIF regional tournament with Director Bible. His tournament will be one of the last she attends in an official capacity.
Meth said her Bible's departure will be a big loss for the school.
“She has worked here for so long and done just about everything to do,” Meth said. “It’s almost impossible to replace someone like that. She really embodied what it meant to be a Wolverine.”
Meth said that he hoped the
school will be able to fill the hole left by Bible's departure.
“It will obviously be hard because you don’t see somebody like that everyday,” Meth said. “I have to believe though that someone will step up and be that person for the next generation of students.”
Bible said that after she retires she plans to spend her time seeing the world, giving back to the community, going to more sports games and especially being with her family.
“I am going to travel, volunteer, and go to more professional sports events while spending time with my fabulous grandkids,” Bible said. Bible said she will continue to follow the school.
“I will continue to follow HW, especially the sports teams, always rooting for the Wolverines because once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine.”
Longtime coach and athletic director Darlene Bible shares a moment with a swimmer during one of her seasons while coaching swimming and diving. After 44 years at the school, Bible plans to visit new places while volunteering and spending more time with her family.
SOARING HIGH: Sofia Rakfeldt ’25 clears the bar during her pole vault attempt at a home track and field event. She qualified for California State Championships.
L. Wood Elliot Meth ’26
Softball loses in CIF semifinals
By David Rothbart
The softball team ended the season with an overall record of 18-8. They advanced to the fourth round of the CIF playoffs to play Long Beach Poly High school but lost 13-12. Their run included playoff victories over Oak Hills High School, Foothill High School and Dos Pueblos High School.
First baseman Ainsley Nutting ’26 said the most instrumental factor in the team’s recent hitting has been the energy.
“We’re all super excited to be competing at such a high level,” Nutting said. “That has made our gameplay just better overall and led to getting the right hits at the right time.”
Nutting said center fielder Kale’a Tindal’s ’26 great play as of recent has been an example for the rest of the team to follow and replicate.
“She’s been super good recently,” Nutting said. “She has really stepped up to the challenge and her clutch playmaking has really inspired the other kids on the team to be our best. All season we have been a super hard-working team and it seems like we have shown that recently.”
Outfielder Peyton Perriott ’26 said that the team’s dynamic is what has led to their success.
“We all trust each other a lot and we’re all friends outside of softball,” Perriott said. “That connection helps a lot in game because you can relax and focus on your own game. Our coaches are also really good at supporting us and that also helps because it makes us want to go to practice more and keep grinding.”
This year’s team includes has two seniors, but with six next season, Perriot said that the added leadership and maturity will give the team a strong chance at another deep playoff run.
“We’re gonna have a great season next year,” Perriot said. “Almost half the roster will be seniors next year so with our closeness, experience and us wanting to win because it’s our last year, I really think we’re gonna go far.”
HITTING HARD : Team Captain and singles player Alex Nickoll '25 prepares to serve against University High School in the CIF regional final. The team lost 5-2. They will play the CIF individuals tournament at the Bizants Family Tennis Center on May 28 and May 29.
Boys tennis team loses in CIF regional playoffs after 5-2 loss to University High School team
By Max Nam
After a series of matches in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division, the boys’ tennis team qualified for CIF State Regionals, falling one game short of CIF state playoffs. The team beat Loyola High School 14-4 in the quarterfinals and JSerra Catholic High School 11-7 in the semifinals before narrowly losing to University High School 10-8 in the final. In regionals, they placed second, losing 2-5 to University in the final round.
on most other teams these guys are star players. They are critical to the team spirit and keeping the team positive over a very long season.”
Reflecting on the CIF final, Hardt said it was an emotional moment to see players fully invested in the match.
Head Coach Bo Hardt said players who do not start still play an important role in practice and team morale.
“I do my best to include them in drills and get them playing time in matches,” Hardt said. “It sucks for them because
“In the finals, we lost very close,” Hardt said. “Something that reminded me of how much I love coaching however was seeing my players in tears after giving it everything, and hugging one of my players who had run till his legs gave out, and telling him it’s ok to lose when you fight as hard as he did.”
Doubles player Elliot Meth ’26 said the group dynamic is shaped by how players support each other regardless of playing their time.
“Our team culture starts off
Baseball ends the season 19-10
By Eila Shokravi
The baseball team lost in the first round of the CIF-SS Division I playoffs against Vista Murrieta High School. The team finished with an overall record of 19-10, going 13-4 in Mission League play and finishing second to Crespi Carmelite High School.
In the first round matchup against Vista Murrieta, the team went down 8-1 in the first inning, but fought their way back to 8-6 by the top of the fifth. Pitcher Evan Alexander ’26 said the team did a good job persevering through the game, despite falling behind early.
“Our recent game was difficult with a lot of ups and downs,” Alexander said. “We started the game down a lot and were working to get back runs in an attempt of a comeback. The team did really well keeping our heads up to try and win the game despite being down many runs.”
Outfielder Ira Rootman ’27 said the team did a good job persisting throughout their most recent game.
“It would have been very easy for us all to just quit and feel hopeless after going down early, but our perseverance really showed the maturity and the mental toughness and strength that we’ve gained throughout this year,” Rootman said. “We showed what it means to be a baseball player [at our school].
Third baseman Jack Laffitte ’25 said the team could improve their communication skills, as it was something that held them back in previous games.
“The team could work on communication and slowing the game down defensively,” Laffitte said. “In the heat of the moment, there were times that we were unsure and worried about being wrong. That led to miscommunications or lack of communication which cost us, as we allowed extra bases to be taken
by our opponents.”
Rootman said the team could work on working together rather than working independently.
“We could improve on taking more accountability for our faults and making sure that we aren’t isolating ourselves,” Rootman said. “We should stay together and compete as a group instead of getting individual failures dictate our successes.”
Laffitte said their 5-4 win against Notre Dame on Apr. 9 showed a great example of the group’s teamwork.
“A game that perfectly represented our grit and perseverance was our comeback against Notre Dame, our longtime league rival, ” Laffitte said. “Down to the last inning, we trailed by two runs, but our dugout was full of belief and emotion. We strung together hit after hit, quickly erasing that two run deficit before walking it off. ”
the court,” Meth said. “Everyone has a role on our team regardless of if they’re the best or the worst on the team. Our bench was absolutely electric through our finals match which was immensely helpful.”
Meth also said this season has stood out compared to past years.
“I’ve been on this team for 3 years and I can confidently say this is the best team we’ve put on the court,” Meth said. “Knowing this is an indescribable feeling. Because of all the hard work we put in, I know my team will do their part as long as I do mine. This stays true at states and on the road to states.”
Singles player Alex Nickoll ’25 said the players have developed a close connection, which has helped their performance.
“This team is super talented and very connected,” Nickoll said. “We all love each other and all want to win it for everybody, that’s just the culture.”
Doubles player Nikhil Sarvaiya ’26 said the team’s trip earlier in the season helped build confidence heading into these playoffs.
“I think a big turning point this season was our trip to Tennessee,” Sarvaiya said. “Having not had many matches this year, for the team to take on that journey together and battle through some really tough opponents was critical. We were able to form the strength to come into playoffs with confidence.”
Sarvaiya said the group stayed on track during the season by staying committed to their postseason goal.
“The senior leadership has been really strong and focused this year, and the boys have been united around our goal of winning a ring,” Sarvaiya said.“The team as a whole is also very close off the court this year and that chemistry has helped us stay motivated through long, grueling practices.”
PLACING THE TAG: Cade Goldstein ’25 attempts to tag out a Crespi High School runner during a home game. The team lost 7-6.
L. Wood Elliot Meth ’26
ATHLETIC ASSUMPTIONS
Student-athletes and Sports Psycologist
Dr. Kat Scardino discuss the stereotypes surrounding the college recruitment process.
By Eila Shokravi
University of Pennsylvania women’s volleyball commit Lauryn Lewis ’26 sits down at her first class of the day and begins pulling out her school supplies. As she digs through her backpack, she overhears her classmates discussing her recent college commitment. She listens as her classmates call her lucky, and discuss other students’ chances of attending the same college, now that she has committed. Lewis said many students believe being a student-athlete has given her a simple route to college, undermining the amount of effort she dedicates to volleyball and school.
“A lot of people think that being an athlete gives you an easy pathway to any school you want to go to, when in reality it’s the total opposite,” Lewis said. “You have to juggle both the athletic and academic parts of your life. There is a lot more weight on you and less time in your schedule compared to others, yet you still have to work hard and get good grades. People think I don’t have to worry about my grades, but that’s not the case at all. [These asumptions make] me upset because a lot of people undermine the amount of hard work, pressure and sacrifice I’ve put into volleyball and school.”
the people here who don’t play a sport always say that it’s easier for the student-athletes because we get recruited and know which college we are going to attend before others,” Lu said. “People think we don’t have to do as much work and write all the essays that they do, but we do. The amount of time other students are spending studying, we’re on the court sweating and working hard. Athletic recruitment is simply another way to get into college, and it’s just as hard.”
Sports Psychologist Kat Scardino said students might view athletic recruitment as simple because it is different from standard college applications.
Seven percent of high school athletes continue playing their sport on a varsity level throughout college, according to athletic scholarship statistics guide Scholarship Stats. Collegiate athletic recruitment is difficult and rare because of competition and the need for proactive effort from athletes. Despite these hardships,
“Recruitment is different from what a regular student is doing,” Scardino said. “It might not seem as difficult. Although, I think if people who aren’t athletes took the time to realize how difficult it is to train, recover, practice, bounce back and also be a student they might realize that being a student-athlete is not easy.”
Lewis said she does not agree with the assumptions that athletes are academically unmotivated.
“The main stereotype is that people think student athletes are lazy and don’t have to try in school,” Lewis said. “All of the student-athletes I know are very smart people. Especially going to our school, we still have to be qualified for the work.”
Additionally, Ivy League institutions require a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 with most committed athletes averaging around a 3.5 or higher, according to academic advice experts PrepScholar. Lu said her peers are unaware that athletes must maintain high grades while
be anxiety-inducing among athletes because of the lack of control throughout the process and ambition to play perfectly.
“It’s an exciting process but can also be anxiety-provoking,” Scardino said. “It can elicit more anxiety for people who are prone to it, particularly because there is a lot of uncertainty and there’s a lack of control over the coaches or their decisions. Even if you are playing perfectly and doing all the right things, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get recruited to where you want to go, and that can be really difficult.”
Duke University men’s basketball commit Nik Khamenia ’25 said although the high expectations set for him were nerve wracking, he has learned to use them to fuel his athletic growth.
“Seeing myself on top-twenty boards, I started to realize that there are people who come to games just to watch me play,” Khamenia said. “Every game, I felt like I had to perform to the best of my abilities, but the reality of playing a sport is that it’s not always going to happen. Although it can be difficult, learning how to silence out the [expectations of others] and staying true to the process and improving is important. A lot of people will look at themselves being high-ranked and stop working. I see my rank and look to the people above me and use them as motivation instead of settling with where I am.”
returns home, because she values her academics and athletics.
“I have to get my schoolwork done and go to practice while making sure I’m balancing everything correctly,” Lewis said. “I make sure to get as much work done as possible before practice because if not, I’ll get home at 10 p.m. with so much work left to do. School and volleyball are the most important pillars of my life.”
Khamenia said he missed out on opportunities to spend time with friends in order to develop his basketball skills, an experience that has allowed him to learn how to distribute his time properly.
“ The amount of time other students are spending studying, we’re on the court sweating and working hard.”
Sunny Lu ‘25
“During freshman and sophomore year, I wasn’t outside a whole bunch because I had goals and aspirations that I knew would be tough to achieve,” Khamenia said. “I wasn’t going out to parties and hanging out with my friends as much as I wanted to. Sometimes my schedule had practice everyday from Monday through Saturday, and I would have Sunday to do homework and catch up on things. I’ve had to learn how to manage my time with basketball and hanging out with friends because social stuff is important for your mental health in order to make sure you aren’t over drowning yourself with your workload.”
Lewis said she has been applauded for her commitment but that her recruitment status has come with added pressures from her community.
Scardino said she tries to encourage her students to be understanding of their individual identities as well as their athletic identities, especially throughout the recruitment process.
“Being an athlete can be a huge part of your identity,” Scardino said. “What we try to do in sports psychology is accepting that sports are going to be a part of your identity, but not the only part. When you’re going through recruitment and it feels like tity, it can be more rough. Whereas if you are aware of the other things that make you the whole person you are, it
Lauryn Lewis ’26
L. wood
wolverines only wolverines only
BY
Riyan Kadribegovic
RIYAN KADRIBEGOVIČ
As a child, I’d exclaim that I would be an app developer or coder when I grew up. I’ve always been fascinated by technology, coding and bringing concepts to reality, so I’ve jumped at every opportunity to participate in STEM, computer science and robotics. By the age of five and through elementary school, I was taking regular classes at Rolling Robots, a Los Angeles-based company committed to teaching STEM and engineering to younger generations. In middle school, I took the only robotics class available — coding Arduino robots in the programming language C++ — and loved it. I built a small Vex robot (that didn’t work) in the now-renovated middle school robotics lab. I went to Cambridge University during the summer between ninth and 10th grade to learn robotics through the Oxbridge program there. I took every available Harvard-Westlake computer science class, and I helped restart our First Robotics Competition (FRC) team during my sophomore year.
Sophomore year was transformative for me, not because I learned a lot about concrete robotics, but because I grew my understanding of the robotics world and the world that exists for women in STEM. I learned what a power distribution hub and RoboRio were and how to wire the robot. However, most of the technical aspects were taken care of, so I never needed to learn how to fabricate a part or use the Computer Numerical Control (CNC). It wasn’t my place to take away the precious time we had in order to learn; it was better to defer the space to the boys, the more experienced team members who’d been on actual Vex Roboticsteams before. After a while of trying and failing to be involved in the fabrication process, I took a more traditionally female role, fawning over aesthetics and team image rather than “real robotics.” I created a team Instagram account, talked to judges at competitions and walked around the tournament venues, meeting new teams and people. Going to competitions and seeing the robots in action and the dynamics between the tournament participants was the most fascinating part to me. Bit by bit, I taught myself the non-technical aspects of FRC: conversing with judges, communicating why our team deserved awards and understanding the culture of community and hard work while giving
opportunity to those who don’t know much about what the robotics organization, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), stands for.
By the end of 10th grade, the team had a complete overhaul in its administration. With a new coach, leadership structure and robotics being considered a varsity sport, it was easier for me to put myself out there. The team was going to introduce a completely new department — Outreach — that focused on what I had learned about during the year. I successfully applied for the Outreach Captain position and was one of two people interviewing for it because almost everyone else was honed in on “real robotics,” and Outreach didn’t fit that description.
11th grade was when I finally realized my true passion: understanding the details of engineering and computer science while bringing peers together to assemble and lead an award-winning team. Instead of putting my hands on the robot, I used critical decision-making and communication skills to advertise our team online to potential sponsors and competition judges. I wrote essays and delivered presentations that won our team its first ever awards and created a community outreach program that will last beyond my years here. It’s my job to translate our technical engineering processes into tangible words for the community.
One the main ways I impacted the team was by creating our Hope the Mission (HTM) community outreach program. Discrepancies in socioeconomic classes remove opportunities from underserved and immigrant populations. There are over 75,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles, many of whom are children, and educating mindful engineers from all backgrounds means offering STEM to everyone. So, we reached out to HTM, the largest nonprofit homeless relief organization in the country, and spent months planning and obtaining robot components to teach robotics to kids at their shelters. We’ve been running these programs since March 2024, and students have to participate in at least one community outreach event to receive a varsity letter so that we can raise conscious and attentive STEM students.
I still struggled with exclusion, though; it was hard being one of the very few girls (now the only
girl) in my grade on the team, and it was even harder because I wasn’t involved in the technical engineering processes at all. Instead, my small team was sectioned off into a separate room from our main areas, preferring peace and quiet over the chaotic mess happening the next room. However, this physical separation translated into a psychological barrier between the Outreach division and the other two: Engineering Design and Project Management, both very involved in “real robotics.” I had to work on my personal fear of “disturbing the peace,” and part of that was becoming headstrong, something not typically appreciated in women. It was difficult existing in a space where I was deliberately made to feel as if I didn’t belong, but part of being a leader is seeing that and making sure it didn’t happen to anyone else. I tried to offer meaningful advice to anyone on the team who wanted it and was a role model for girls just joining the team. I created spaces where everyone could feel accepted so we could all move forward together.
During the summer before 12th grade, I went back to Rolling Robots, this time as an instructor, because I wanted to spread my passion and excitement for STEM. At school, as a senior and still as Outreach Captain, I dedicated my time to training the Outreach team for the future past my graduation. As a direct result, the Outreach team is one of the most developed and prepared divisions of the HarvardWestlake robotics team. This year, we qualified for the FIRST Championships in Houston not for our robot’s ability, but through winning an Outreach award for both the HTM program and other initiatives we created.
I learned that FIRST is not about “real robotics.” It’s about preparing young students for the future world. Providing skills in engineering processes is important, but the organization’s core values are Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork and Fun because teaching students cooperation and how to be a gracious professional is what the program is really about.
I regret that I never got into “real robotics” on the team—but in a sense, I did, because what is more STEM than being able to look at your situation through a critical lens and filling the empty gaps? It’s on us to change our perspective.
FRIENDS TILL THE END ZONE
By Alex Dinh and Jack Ryan
For both of us, our time in elementary school was defined not by tests or grades, but by recess. It didn’t matter whether it was football, basketball, kickball or soccer; we were with our best friends, hav ing the time of our lives every day.Every gamefelt like our own Super Bowl.
Five years after our last recesses at Carlthorp and Georgetown Day School, we found ourselves on Ted Slavin Field recreating that same magic. The Quad was filled with ecstatic seniors in Hawaiian shirts celebrating their last day, and juniors and sophomores dreading their upcoming exams, wishing they were the ones in the Hawaiian shirts. Yet we and eight other juniors found an escape from the consuming thought of our upcoming finals: a football tournament to determine the draft order for the upcoming fantasy football season.
football league’s draft order, we took it to the next level this year: six teams with four players each, referees, replay officials and an Instagram page with professional quality photos from Editor-in-Chief Connor Tang ’25 and George Ma ’25.
Although both of our teams went 2-3 and missed the finals, HWFL made many of our second-semester senior lunches feel like fifth-grade recess again. It was lightning in a bottle. We had recreated a feeling that we had both thought only existed in our past lives. From our time on the field to Jack’s time as a referee and oligarch (Mi cah Parr Oligarch of the Year) and Alex’s time as a coach for the Super Bowl Champion team VACA we were with our new set of best friends, having the time of our lives.
While season one of the Harvard-Westlake Football League (HWFL) consisted of five teams of two to determine our fantasy
final regular season game between VACA and WAAM, the league provided all 24 of us with memories we will cherish for a lifetime.
Building upon the success of HWFL, we continued to reclaim other aspects of recess, creating Harvard-Westlake Basketball Association (HWBA) and laying the foundation for Harvard-Westlake League Baseball (HWLB). But more important than parodying the names of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) was the excuse to spend more time with our best friends, compete and create something entirely our own.
There were many highlights of HWFL season two. From the Super Bowl going to 4OT, played over the course of nearly a month, to the brawl in the rain during the
vibe-itor in chief
By Everett Lakey
Everyone knows the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of The Chronicle. One of the most coveted leadership positions at the school, EIC’s are responsible for ensuring The Chronicle’s news coverage is accurate, objective and transparent. However, there is a lessknown position on The Chronicle that some consider to have equal, or even greater importance to the paper than the EICs: the Vibe-itor in Chief.
Although not an official position, the Vibe-itor ensures that the vibes in Weiler Hall are always peak by playing perfectly curated playlists, projecting entertaining YouTube videos and forcing the
sophomores to supply the rest of the staff with Erewhon and Alfred’s. It’s the Vibe-itor’s job to ensure that no matter how tedious or annoying layout becomes, staff morale never plummets. My journey towards obtaining this significant, albeit ceremonial, role started as soon as I stepped foot in Weiler for the first time as a lowly sophomore. I was in awe of Former Digital Managing Editor Danny Johnson ’23 and the other seniors as they sat in the sports room, blasting music and joking around. Their camaraderie made a real impression on me and was something I thought about a lot as I became closer with the seniors during my junior year. I realized that it’s the people and the mem-
The Satire Sisters
By Zoe Goor and Hannah Shahidi
For The Chronicle Satire page’s grand total of zero loyal readers, you will remember in the May 2023 issue when the two of us reflected on the things we learned as sophomores and what we were looking forward to as juniors. The reason we didn’t write the piece again as juniors
was because we learned nothing during junior year except how to find derivatives and survive on less than six hours of sleep every night. But good news: we’ve learned a LOT during senior year, and we can’t wait to enlighten you, assuming this intro was captivating enough for you to keep reading. Everything we learned during senior year:
1. Working for The Chronicle may not make you a journalist, but it sure makes you battle-tested.
2. Phairot not charging you for your cafeteria lunch makes up for what you spend at Joan’s on Third.
3. Despite what you might see on Instagram, Former Print Managing Editor Davis Marks ’24 never actually went to college. Instead, he lives in Sharon Cuseo’s office and gossips all day. We saw them through the window.
Leaving My other half
By Eden Conner
As we mature and grow older, school often becomes more and more like an occupation. What occurs on this campus is meant to set us up for our next chapter. What often gets forgotten in this quest for tomorrow is what makes today worth enjoying. Even during this stage of growth, it’s important to remember what keeps us young. This isn’t the same for everyone, but for us, it is recreating the magic of our elementary school fields on Ted Slavin Field.
ories we have together that make the paper a truly special place, and I wanted to do everything I could
Growing up, if you asked me what my name was, I probably would have said Eden And. Now, before you go judging my parents for heinous middle name selection, my real one is a perfectly respectable Michelle. The reason I would have given you a different answer is because my name has never stood on its own — it has always been part of a whole, just as I have. One part of Eden and Michael.
Being a twin has never been a challenge for me. I love sharing my birthdays with someone, even if he always blows out all the candles before I get a chance to. I love that we share so many secrets that neither of us would ever rat the other out, thanks to the mutually assured destruction it would cause. I love getting to experience all of life’s big moments together, knowing that all of my milestones are shared with my best friend. There is one thing that I am simply and utterly unprepared for: losing him to college.
4. When you’re late to school, you can always blame the Coldwater Canyon garbage truck.
5. The Honor Board actually meets at the Erewhon across the street. If you feel bad enough about cheating on your test, Jordan Church uses the Prefect Council budget to buy you sushi.
6. Come to school when you’re sick. Stay at home when you’re not sick. Go loco!
7. No matter when the school promises River Park will be built by, it still won’t be finished by the time you graduate.
8. Even when you start sleeping earlier, you’ll still keep your Harvard-Westlake Eye Birkins™.
9. Uovo* is low-key a really fake person.
10. The longer you’re at this school, the more gentrified Studio City will become.
11. If you’re not gonna splurge on Splashin premium for 11 dollars, don’t even bother. (Make sure you canceled your subscription).
I have spent much of this year dreading the day that I say goodbye to living with my twin brother forever. In that time, though, I have realized all the ways that being a twin has shaped me into the individual I am today, and how you should all try it out sometime, because it’s truly extraordinary.
I have learned to look out before doing anything. Not in the “look both ways before crossing the street” kind of way, but in the way that makes me think about how I can improve Michael’s experience whenever I make a
12. There is no way to unsubscribe from Kwaisi France’s HW Works emails.
13. Prefect Council.....wait, we still don’t know what Prefect Council does.
14. Be yourself. Actually, scratch that. Listen to house music.
15. If you want to be indie, leave your car unlocked. This joke is directed at Executive Editor Everett Lakey ’25.
16. If you say the name “Larry Klein” into a mirror three times in a row, he will appear and ask you to submit your late discussion posts. What we’re looking forward to in college:
1. Having a totally real college campus. -Hannah
2. Living in the booming metropolis of Cambridge. -Zoe
3. Having something to blame our depression on (the seasons).
4. Having something different to compare the Harvard-Westlake
decision. I would give him half of the muffin I was eating if it was the last one left. I would take his plate to the sink along with mine. I would make sure to buy double school supplies for when he inevitably forgot to get his own. The constant voice in my head telling me to look out for Michael urges me to do the same for the rest of the people in my life. It guides me to put those around me before myself, and to be fully aware of the emotions and desires they experience. I have learned to make the fun wherever I go. Being a twin means having a constant source of entertainment. We made up a fake language when we were little so that no one would understand us (it was all just gibberish used to upset my older sister, former Print Managing Editor Claire Conner ’24. Sorry Claire.) We created dance performances that I would describe in detail, but that can be more easily accessed on my mom’s Facebook. We found a way to laugh together, no matter the circumstances. Michael taught me that as long as you’re with someone you love, there is always joy to be found.
Last but not least, I have learned what it means to love something with all of yourself. The love I have for my twin has allowed me to love everything in my life at double the level. I see it in the way I love this newspaper, in the way I love my friends and in the way that my love will only grow for my best friend when he moves across the country. Michael, if you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read one of my Chronicle articles in my three years here. And thank you for making me who I am. The best thing there is to be: a twin.
chicken and rice to.
5. Using a leather tote bag instead of a backpack.
6. Meeting people who have never tried a Hailey Bieber smoothie before.
7. No more LA traffic.
8. Using public transportation — what is that?
9. Coming back to awkwardly visit Harvard-Westlake during Winter Break.
10. Joining a club that actually has meetings.
11. Losing our LA accents.
12. Finally investing in a Canada Goose jacket.
13. Being able to wear said jacket in appropriate weather conditions.
In all seriousness though, maybe the real senior supplement was the friends we made along the way. Signing off, Hannah and Zoe *Name has been changed.
LEAVING A SPLASH
By Connor Tang
At the impressionable age of 12, I stepped on the deck of Copses Family Pool for the very first time for my very first water polo practice at Harvard-Westlake. I vividly remember that day when I joined LA Premier Water Polo Club as one of the youngest players on the 14U team, and looking the part, too. And when I swam my first set, trailing behind the other players’ wake, fighting to keep up while being tossed by water, I knew I was in for a long ride.
Two years later, with a little more experience and size under my belt, I was set to join the boys water polo team, starting the summer before my freshman year. I had heard things about the head coach Brian Flacks, commonly dubbed “Brian” by the team, things that certainly frightened but also excited me. That summer was a marathon — every waking moment of my
time was spent at the pool or fearing my next day at the pool.
Although Brian kept his focus on generational talents like Connor, Otto and Collin, he always gave me the time of day. I answered questions about water polo theory, scouted opposing players and filmed nearly every game, rather than sit idly and watch varsity play its games. I’d like to think that I was one of his favorite players in terms of the intangible qualities I brought to the team.
After Brian left for Stanford, I had a clean slate with Jack Grover. Although it took some time, I eventually reached a similar standing with him, doing whatever I could to support the team. But ask anyone who was there — we started to see culture issues with the team, especially in how players carried themselves outside of the pool deck. After one day of scrubbing the pool deck with my toothbrush in between running miles and plank-
ing on the track, I started to get tired of getting punished for a team that didn’t represent me. After our team won the highest division of 16U water polo for the second time that summer, in the short offseason that took place, there was still a shift in my upbeat attitude towards the sport. I thought about whether it’d be worth it to do all these things for a team that didn’t appreciate me as much as I ap preciated them. I wasn’t going to get recruited to top Ivy League schools even though I put in the same amount of time and care into the sport that they did. After enough deliberation, I chose to sever myself from the sport.
I knew I’d focus on The Chron icle more in lieu of my time spent on water polo, since I had already been in volved to some degree. But when I went to cover one what
mic drop: stories from the sideline
By Alden Detmer
I am in quite the predicament.
As I sit in Weiler Hall writing this senior supplement on Saturday afternoon, multiple sirens roar past campus on nearby Coldwater Canyon Avenue. Red lights flash from fire battalions and engines alike. Helicopters hover overhead as they approach to fight the new ly dubbed “Coldwater Fire.” I’ve had experience checking the WatchDuty app before: I guess you could say I used it once or twice on January 7, 2025. When I rushed out of the house on January 7, my head was swirl ing with nerves for the taping of the boys basketball Mission League Preview show. My AP US Government discussion was also due that day. I gave my mom a quick hug and sprinted out the door to start my car, my sister following a few steps behind. Little did
I know that would be the last time I walked through that doorway. I spent a few days sleeping on an air mattress at my grandmother’s house, and then we moved into my dad’s fraternity brother’s condo. While our friends and family were super nice, attempting to visit our home was not super nice. We were initially prevented from visiting by the National Guard, but they let us in at a different checkpoint. It was pretty surreal to see all of my belongings and possessions turned into white, flaky ash, with the exception of the ceramic mugs inside our dishwasher.
One of those bottles, in particular, had been with me when I spent a cold winter night in the bleachers of Ted Slavin Field.
When I broadcast a girls’ soccer game on HWTV for the first time during junior year, I butchered the names of nearly all of the players
on both our team and the visitors from a school in Hawaii. As I spoke sporadically, not wanting to say the wrong thing, I had no idea this was a big game against a top 10 team in the country, and there were hundreds of people watching. One of the parents let me know how to pronounce his daughter’s name, and I began to listen intently to ESPN and CBS Sports broadcasts. Now, reflecting on my time broadcasting from the Intuit Dome, from O’Malley Family Field or from Taper Gymnasium, what made me continue was how great the environment at each sports game was: filled full of my classmates and supportive parents. Making jokes and creating a good time is why I kept with it. No matter what happens, I think looking at things in a positive light is actually the best advice I can give. Whether it’s my house burning down or the softball team going down by 6 runs, everything will always work out in the end. –AD out.
remember ing our heritage
By Max Turetzky
The Chronicle is older and more important than you think. Founded in 1991 with the merger of Harvard and Westlake and their student papers, it predates Buzzfeed, Business Insider, HuffPost, MSNBC and even Fox News. Scroll through hwchronicle.com, and you’ll find articles from 2006 written by authors now in their mid-30s. Open the archives in Weiler 108, and you’ll pull out yellowed broadsheets from the early ’90s with bylines from students now in their 50s. Yet somehow, none of that history regis ters with us. Our staff turns over every three years, so institutional memory erodes fast. Most staffers couldn’t name an editor-in-chief from five years ago, let alone 20. We ob sess over shortterm deadlines, not our longterm legacy. The past feels
abstract, even irrelevant, and so does our future. But it shouldn’t be that way. I didn’t grasp the weight of our history until Mr. Klein, who’s been here since the ’90s, mentioned a forgotten fiasco in passing: the school’s failed bid to build a satellite campus in rural New Mexico in the early 2000s. The undertaking was an unmitigated disaster, costing the school millions and costing Frank Hedge, then head of maintenance and the director of the project, his job. Hedge, who was already infamous for shooting a burglar in the back and remaining on staff, was then let go for negligence
The kicker? The Chronicle had broken the New Mexico story with a dramatic page-one exposé. That was a time of extensive follow-ups and real, hard-hitting journalism. And yet, until Klein told me, I had no idea it ever
would be one of my favorite stories I’d ever written, the Alive Together walk in memoriam of Trey Brown, I saw the importance of in-person reporting. My articles became so much better as a result of creating human connections. I took this idea of reporting further when I covered the October 7 attacks and how they impacted our school. Covering a global conflict from my seemingly small position was a truly changing experience — throughout the year, I spoke to members of kibbutzim and a girl who escaped the Hamas attacks, which gave me the opportunity to communicate their stories to the community.
I also had a number of memorable experiences: sneaking into the CBU arena a two-hour drive away to take pictures courtside of the CIF-SS
Open Division Boys Basketball Championship, visiting college campus encampments and experiencing nearly every performing arts event the school has to offer. And I was rewarded even more on top of these experiences. I got handed the reins of The Chronicle and got to direct an amazing group of sophomores and juniors while working with the best seniors. Last but not least, I joined an elite group of student-journalists at Northwestern University last summer, who made me who I am today and will build me for the next four years.
One of the things that scares me the most in life is the possibility that all of it could’ve been gone in a second, had I chosen to stay in water polo. There will come a point in time in all of our lives where we will grow out of our roots and have to plant ourselves somewhere else, even if that comes with uncertainty and pain. It just comes down to making that life-changing decision, and living with the consequences to pave the best path for ourselves regardless.
Growth
By Nathan Wang
in perspective
happened, even after three years on the paper. No one had ever mentioned it, not even the school’s Wikipedia page. None of us knew about the earlier shooting incident either, despite it making the front page of the Los Angeles Times. I was in such disbelief that I had to comb through our Weiler archives to find the proof, which left my fingers black with decade-old ink.
That kind of reporting should be the bedrock of our identity. Stories of hard-hitting journalism should be passed down like lore, reminders of what we can be at our absolute best. Instead, we let them fade into the dustbin of history.
Over 34 years, The Chronicle has covered countless crimes, investigations, shootings and scandals. We’ve told real stories with real consequences, broken groundbreaking news, and held people in power accountable. This paper isn’t a run-of-themill student newsletter, and it never was. It has shaped and chronicled the story of Harvard-Westlake since the beginning. That legacy only lasts as long as we can remember it.
My commute to school has never felt ordinary. I live in Pasadena, which is, on average, 30 minutes to the Upper School and even longer to the Middle School campus. I also didn’t drive junior year like most of my classmates— partly because I was too young to get my permit, but mostly because it just never crossed my mind. When I got my license on June 7, 2024, I drove straight to Ted Slavin Field for the senior class’ graduation. In a week, I’ll be making that same drive with the same intention of attending graduation. In ninth grade, I was thrilled to take the bus. It was the luxury of a private chauffeur (thanks, Mr. Sanchez). I woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. on my first day, and watched Netflix on the way to Holmby Hills. The next day, I looked outside, trading screen time for scenery, and I observed silently to music in my AirPods. Somewhere in between Glendale and Burbank, there stands a large glass office building. In ninth grade, it was several stakes planted into the ground at calculated positions on the construction site. Today, it stands fully realized with empty floors to be leased to the newest startup.. When I passed by it earlier this year in my car and in traffic, I thought of the natural ways our surroundings grow up with us. I never explicitly registered this building during its erection, but the final product certainly adds a bold presence in the media-satu-
rated neighborhood of Burbank. Growth is subtle, marked not by one grand transformation but by small shifts. Whether it’s a rearranged beam or a slightly changed hairstyle, change feels unnoticed in the moment to others, and so forcing it is against nature. The bus rides, car drives, and shifting metropolis are reminders that progress is natural and time-consuming. Distance, though, has always been a trickier concept for me. I measure a mile by the distance of my childhood commute to school—from my home on Hallow Tree Ridge Road in Darien, CT, to Hindley School. I also measure the distance of my runs by steps. Distance for me is simplified by looking at other indicators. For example, the relationships I have forged are key ways I use to recalculate distance. From my extended family in Asia to my friends who live on the other side of town, I feel just as connected as my cousins in China or my friends who live together in Studio City. All it takes is just a shift of perspective. Perhaps I do live 16 Hallow Tree Ridge Road commutes away from school and run thousands of steps instead of three miles; however, that’s just a change of perspective. Whether it is emotional closeness or physical proximity, I find clarity in redefining the spaces I move through daily. And who knows? Maybe one day, my crazy perspectives will land me a floor in that tall glass office building.
ROLL THE CREDITS
Seniors in the graduating Class of 2025 share their post-high school plans and matriculation details in The Chronicle’s annual report.
Sasha Aghnatios Harvard University
Emily Ahn Dartmouth College
Matthew Ahn
Oxford College of Emory University
Aiden Ahuja Wesleyan University
Andres Alas Syracuse University
Rohan Amin Rice University
Hugh Amshen Arizona State University
Tyler Anderson University of Southern California
Charlotte Appel The New School
Alexia Aridi McGill University
Tiffany Armour Harvard University
Nate Arnold University of Michigan
Alec Avedissian Babson College
Elliot Bai New York University
Miles Baird New York University
Sophia Bakhtiari University of Michigan
Spencer Barber University of California, Berkeley
Michael Barr
Northeastern University
Kate Beckerman New York University
Marlo Beckman Vanderbilt University
Kira Beerel
University of Southern California
Roen Beiley Boston College
Jonah Benadon University of Texas at Austin
Alexa Benitez University of California, Santa Cruz
Clara Berg Smith College
Hannah Biggins Cornell University
Noa Blackman University of Virginia
Ben Boateng University of Wisconsin–Madison
Sophie Bobb Brown University
Ellie Borris
Dartmouth College
Rowan Callaghan Boston University
Collin Caras
Stanford University
Tessa Caras University of Texas at Austin
Damian Carrion University of California, Irvine
Isaiah Carroll Blair Academy
Tyler Castanon-Hill New York University
Isobel Chamas University of California, Berkeley
Katie Chambers New York University
Alexa Chang Boston University
Eric Chang New York University
Keira Chang Georgetown University
Satya Chang Boston College
Hudson Chen Columbia University
Kevin Chen Brown University
Hugh Cheng Stanford University
Amelia Chiarelli University of Chicago
Chazzy Cho New York University
Heather Choi University of California, Berkeley
Sophia Choi University of California, Berkeley
Sam Cleland Columbia University
Clara Conrad University of St Andrews
Julian Cortez New York University
Nicola Dadlani Brown University
Alden Detmer George Washington University
Aryadini Diggavi University of Chicago
Alex Dinh Georgetown University
Taj Draper University of California, Santa Barbara
Mellow Eaton
University of Southern California
Brody Eddy Northeastern University
Abe Effress New York University
Gideon Evans New York University
Daniel Farzinpour Tulane University
Arya Fattahi Boston College
Chloe Ferreira University College London
Brooks Fischer Tufts University
Talia Foonberg Tulane University
Calla Fox University of California, Berkeley
Sasha Gadalov Cornell University
Mac Galaviz Northwestern University
Naiya Gardiner
Yale University
Pearl Gatins New York University
Anthony Gerencher Boston College
Lok Gertschen-Klaseus Reed College
Kate Goldberg University of Wisconsin–Madison
Eva Goldrich University of Virginia
Cade Goldstein
University of California, Santa Barbara
Zoe Goor Harvard University
Ella Graber Vanderbilt University
Georgia Grad Vanderbilt University
Madisyn Grant Emerson University
Cole Grossman University of Chicago
Rex Grube Colgate University
Ava Guagliano Texas Christian University
Angie Guetta
University of Southern California
Justine Gustman University of Wisconsin–Madison
Ava Hakakha Tufts University
Ashley Ham University of Southern California
Sabrina Hamideh Boston University
Reina Hewes University of Chicago
Maddie Hliboki Smith College
Melissa Ho Colgate University
Jackson Hoffman Yale University
Jackson Hollis Northwestern University
Tonya Hodyakova University of Southern California
Sofia Indelicato Carleton College
Pranav Iyer
Princeton University
Reese Jameson University of Southern California
Sophia Jun University of Michigan
Van Kamenstein Indiana University–Bloomington
Maya Karsh George Washington University
Julie Kassin Washington University in St. Louis
Ryder Katz University of Pennsylvania
Nasib Kelly New York University
Nikolas Khamenia Duke University
Lorena
Banyan Kline
Wyatt Kline
August Kohn
Vanderbilt University
Olivia Kong University of California, Irvine
Addison Konwiser Tufts University
Chance Krezner Case Western Reserve University
Liv Kriger Stanford University
Saisha Kumar Georgetown University
Remy Kushner Brown University
Jack Laffitte University of Michigan
Everett Lakey University of California, Berkeley
Dominic Landes
Maya Leibzon University of California, Berkeley
Jack Letterman University of Michigan
Nathaniel Levin Stanford University
Sophia Levin Syracuse University
Wellesley Li Carnegie Mellon University
Mejo Liao University of California, Los Angeles
Ian Lieberman Stanford University
Alexa Liu Cornell University
William Liu Princeton University
Sunny Lu University of Chicago
Edwin Luhnow University of Virginia
George Ma University of Chicago
Eden Mahoney Wake Forest University
Savannah Mahoney Tufts University
Juana Markman Rhode Island School of Design
Jacob Massey University of Chicago
Jaiden Mathews Brown University
Aidan Mazdisnian New York University
Laura McNary Wesleyan University
Savannah McNicholas Emory University
John McNitt
Colgate University
Jaaziah McZeal Boston University
Ceumara Melvin Hernandez Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
Gus Mercado-Quinn Wesleyan University
Leila Mercado-Quinn Kenyon College
Asher Meron Harvard University
Milo Messinger University of Maryland
Hana Mehdi Williams University of Michigan
James Min Oberlin College
Lilah Mitchell University of British Columbia
Daniel Mittleman New York University
Izzy Mohr Tulane University
Mia Morgan Boston University
Avery Morrison George Washington University
Darius Mossanen New York University
Declan Murphy University of Notre Dame
Nicholas Nakamura New York University
Shiara Navarro Boston College
Alex Nickoll Vanderbilt University
Seth O’Brien University of Chicago
Anaya Olivas Brown University
Theo Ottoson University of Pennsylvania
Sean Ozalpasan Tufts University
Gemma Ozturk New York University
Ashlyn Park Carnegie Mellon University
Elynne Park New York University
Lauren Park Harvard University
Loren Park New York University
Tyler Park Columbia University
Sarah Parmet University of Pennsylvania
Micah Parr Emory University
Lola Peña University of California, Irvine
Taylor Peng Washington University in St. Louis
Olivia Phillips University of Chicago
Aviv Pilipski Yale University
Maddy Pimstone Kenyon College
Lucia Plata Kenyon College
Quinn Portegies
North Carolina A&T University
Daisy Pritzker University of Oxford
Alexander Puck New York University
Victoria Pugh
Vanderbilt University
Will Putzer California Institute of Technology
Vincenzo Rabizadeh Tulane University
Sofia Rakfeldt University of California, Santa Barbara
Maya Ray Williams College
Ashle Reese Washington State University
Rachel Reiff University of Wisconsin–Madison
Sam Reiner University of Pennsylvania
Matthew Reiter University of Pennsylvania
Mimi Rhee
Emory University
Alex Rho University of California, Berkeley
Riley Richards New York University
Natalie Ro
Georgetown University
Tess Rosenfeld Cornell University
Micah Rossen Case Western Resfsaerve University
Mercury Royer Haverford College
Henry Rutherford University of Michigan
Fiona Ryan Boston College
Jack Ryan University of Chicago
Mia Saikhanbayar University of California, Berkeley
Helena Salas Colorado College
Eliana Schaffer New York University
Sophia Schaffer New York University
Ace Schneider School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Sara Segil Northwestern University
Ethan Seung Stanford University
Hannah Shahidi New York University
Katherine Shen University of Pennsylvania
Olivia So Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jasmine Sorgen University of California, Berkeley
Bella Spencer Howard University
Samantha Stade Carleton College
Dennett Stibel Tufts University
Otto Stothart Princeton University
Christian Stubbeman Bowdoin College
Sky Stubbeman
Princeton University
Victor Suh Harvard University
Lily Tamkin University of Wisconsin–Madison
Connor Tang
University
Justin Tang Northwestern University
Bella Thompson University of Maryland
Deana Thompson University at Buffalo
Gus Townley Colorado College
Arielle Trakhtenberg University of Oxford
Dylan Tsai Williams College
Max Turetzky Northwestern University
Luca Umekubo University of Michigan
Manos Vourgourakis Temple University
Rheanna Vradiy Boston College
Harrison Walline Boston University
Mason Walline University of Chicago
Nathan Wang University of Pennsylvania
Chad Ward Northeastern University
Edward Ward University of Chicago
Max Warlick Boston College
Mason Wetzstein University of Chicago
Charlotte Whang Tulane University
Skyla Wilkins Northeastern University
Elijah Williams Long Beach City College
Ibrahim Wone University of California, Berkeley
Dylan Wuo University of Chicago
Megan Yeh Washington University in St. Louis Ryan You Boston College
Kyler Yun Purdue University
Amber Zhang Claremont McKenna College
Kyara Zhou Univeristy of Toronto
By Sabrina Hamideh
Since the seventh grade, I have worn a distinct perfume for each year. I never realized the little tradition I created as a pre-teen would become so sentimental.
Beginning in seventh grade, I strutted onto campus feeling on top of the world, my hair flipped into a side part in my Bath and Body Works At The Beach body mist. That bottle holds countless memories, from Bar Mitzvahs to tossing markers in Mr. Hoffman’s Pre-Algebra class to watching the ninth graders cheer and stand on lunch tables when our “four-week spring break” was announced. Every time I walk by a Bath and Body
Works, I am immediately transported to the innocent bliss of seventh grade.
The next year was dominated by quarantine, so my perfume use was limited. However, when given the chance to escape my house to see my friends, I used my mom’s “grown-up” perfume. I recall the perfume in that light pink bottle being strong enough to smell through a mask. Now, all I can smell is riding bikes and hanging out in friends’ backyards, preserving those memories through archived Instagram posts.
I was always told my freshman-year perfume smelled like Sprite. That lemon lime scent holds so many new friendships.
I spent many school days not understanding anything in my Biology and English classes with Kate Beckerman. Many evenings consisted of FaceTime with Alexia Aridi as we laughed for hours. My Pacific Lime perfume encapsulates the feeling of spontaneous plans with kids I would’ve never expected to be my closest friends.
The next scent, my sophomore year perfume, was far too strong for everyday wear. The places that this scent takes me back to consist of the old, crusty library couches, and Dr. Stewart’s Chemistry class. I loved going to football games and watching the class of ’23 cheer so loudly. Little did I know how
quickly our class would soon be the ones shouting on those bleachers.
Junior year, I dyed my hair, changed my style and bought a Flowerbomb perfume. I experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. The best nights out with friends were paired with hours locked in my room studying for the SAT. Now I feel like I’ve landed on my favorite perfume: Kayali Va nilla Candy Rock Sugar. This perfume is a sweet, sugary scent that mirrors the bittersweet feelings of
Boys Just Want to Have Fun
senior year. I have no clue what perfume will define my first year of college, what memories will cling to that new scent. But for now, I’m grateful for these accidental time capsules I created from age 12 and onward. My time at Harvard-Westlake may be ending, but the tradition continues, and I’ll keep track of my life through fragrances. Each time I have the opportunity to fly home from Boston, I’ll be able to inhale the priceless experience I had as a Wolverine.
By Justin Tang
If you told me one year ago that I would be throwing parties in my senior year, I wouldn’t have believed you for the slightest second. I would’ve also laughed at myself for calling them “Rizzfest.”
But today, I can acknowledge Rizzfest as a real thing that I created and am a part of. Rizzfest is more than just a party for the lounge kids. It’s a culmination of my high school experience that I wouldn’t have traded for anyone else’s.
In a school where students are subject to academic pressure and sky-high expectations, I was no exception. It was a natural intu-
ition for me to take the hardest path, but with that path came sacrifices that had to be made. I lost sleep, my physical condition, but most importantly, some of my friendships and bonds I had once formed. Although I achieved academic success, I wasn’t very happy in my pursuit of such excellence.
Following the summer of my junior year, I made a promise to myself that I would live my last year of high school to its fullest, leaving no regrets whatsoever. I was going to give it my all, making genuine connections and memories that I could look back on and remember with happiness. I needed to make this year the best year of high school.
For the most part, this was true – I put in consistent effort into my relationships, constantly went out and branched out of my comfort zone. However, this also came with a sacrifice – my grades were the worst I had seen during my time at Harvard-Westlake. I was constantly made fun of by my friends for having the worst senioritis in the group, but I was content because I was having fun.
A few weeks ago, when my brother, a friend and I had the opportunity to throw a party –shamelessly known as Rizzfest – after our AP Physics exam, it wasn’t something I shied away from; I took it as another opportunity to go out of my comfort zone. The first one was such a
success that we even threw a second party a week later, which went better than I possibly could have imagined. For me, they weren’t just celebrations to end the school year, they were a celebration of the cherished friendships I had worked all year to recultivate. At a school like Harvard-West lake, a perfect work-life balance is simultaneously impossible but utterly necessary. Academ ic success is just as important as social connection, and effort should be put into both equally. As I transition into college, I’m not sure how I will establish my worklife balance, as I haven’t quite yet found it in high
The Little Things
school. However, that’s a problem for future me, and for now we can just look forward to the next Rizzfest.
By Saisha Kumar and Olivia Philips
One of the most rewarding experiences at The Chron
By Georgia Grad
I went into Harvard-Westlake hoping to find my people among my classmates. While I did achieve that, I also built some of my most meaningful relationships with the adults at school.
I first met the legendary Sharon Cuseo as an introverted and awkward incoming seventh grader, and I honestly cannot imagine going through my upper school experience without her guidance, support and friendship. While many of my friends see their dean as someone who helps with scheduling and college applications, I see mine as so much more. I have felt comfortable enough to cry in her office, gossip about the latest drama and be com-
icle is watching an article come to life — blossoming from the first initial idea into 650 refined words, molded and reshaped by rounds of Camayak edits. As section editors, we make sure the first steps in this process and then can watch articles as they go through to publication. Section editor isn’t necessarily the most sought-after position in the paper, but as Features and Opinion Section Editors, we wanted to put our two cents in about why we love our positions.
Each person on The Chronicle takes a role in shaping the final paper, but we have the opportunity to take a more
focused look at one specific part. While other editors’ jobs are primarily carried out during layout, our job starts a few weeks before. Each class period prior to layout week, we meet with our sections, sitting on the stairs or benches outside of Weiler, and discuss pitch ideas.
Behind each article, we see the five pitches that didn’t make it, sharpening our understanding of the personality and specific lens that we are trying to imbue the paper with. Making the very first edits on every article in our section allows us to see the quirks in each individual writing style and the strengths of each of
our writers.
Moreover, since we work with the members of our section throughout the entire year, we guide them through the technical work of the paper, but we also get to see them develop as both writers and journalists. We’ve watched as juniors, who at the beginning of the year struggled to pitch developed ideas, write nu anced and in-depth piec es as if second nature.
Beyond sharing our love for our roles as section editors, we wanted to
More than Teachers
pletely myself. Even though she is one of the busiest people on campus (she’s left my texts on read multiple times), Ms. Cuseo has always made time for me. I am certain that we will keep in touch for years to come.
On my first day of Al gebra II class sophomore year, I sat nervously in the front row where an intimidating teacher spoke (or rather yelled) at us. I didn’t know it then, but Mr. Chien would become one of the most inspiring and attentive teachers I’ve ever had. He enthu siastically made time to meet with me and
created a tight knit classroom environment. At the end of sophomore year Mr. Chien told us he wouldn’t be returning to the school next year. I was heartbroken, but his encouragement and life lessons helped me through my next two years of high school. Aside from being my loud and funny math teacher, Mr. Chien became a friend I could rely on. I’m deeply grateful for the time we shared at the Upper School.
express the value we’ve found in getting something out of our position. With the juniors and underclassmen preparing for the college process, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the leadership titles and what looks best on college applications. So, we wanted to leave this small, last piece of advice as they look ahead: do something that you find purpose and value in, even if its as simple as becoming a section editor.
English has never been a class where I felt confident. When I received my schedule for senior year and saw that I had been placed in the class Same House, Different Worlds instead of the one I had wanted, I felt disappointed. Ms. Cuseo reassured me that I’d be more than fine because I had been assigned Mr. Michaelson. On the first day of class, he had us go around the room and share our underrated and overrated opinions. Right away, the classroom dynamic was fun and engaging. Mr. Michaelson is more than just a teacher, he’s someone who truly connects with his students. He’s vulnerable, often sharing personal stories that relate to the texts we’re reading. These moments bring our
discussions to life and challenge us to think more deeply. I am glad to say that I actually started to look forward to English class every day! I see it as a space where I can express myself, think creatively and be challenged. That change is entirely thanks to Mr. Michaelson’s passion for teaching literature and care for his students.
My advice for incoming sophomores is to be open. Be open to new people, unexpected connections and don’t underestimate the impact that teachers, deans and other adults on campus can have on your life. I’m leaving Harvard-Westlake not just with what I’ve learned in classrooms, but with a community that I’ll remember for years to come.
Contain the “crash out”
By William Liu
Those who know me well know
I’m the king of “crashing out.”
I spent much of high school selfishly locked up in Silent Study, freaking out over round decisions at debate tournaments and publicly declaring my anxiety over whether an arbitrary Ivy League admissions team would deem me a “holistic candidate.”
I have a reputation for “tweaking” over Advanced Placement (AP) Latin memorization, important music auditions, my competitive Valorant rank, the next one-hundredth decimal on my grade point average — all of the above and everything in between. Believe it or not, since it’s currently the last hour of
Chronicle layout and I’m barely beginning to write this, I may as well “crash out” one last time as I struggle to meet this deadline. I may be an extreme archetype for someone who “crashes out,” but at a place like Harvard-Westlake — a community where we’re expected to have bright, dazzling and rich futures — we all have an inner desire to “crash out” every now and then. It’s the pressure we put on ourselves for being privileged young people with virtually limitless opportunity — we are pushed to “dream bigger”, take our lives seriously and never settle for less.
That’s not a terrible motto, and it’s classic motivation for “locking in.” Whether I learned that from going to an elite private school or growing up in an Asian house-
hold, I followed it religiously for the last six years, putting every foot forward to maximize my awards and achievements. But as a second-semester senior who now spends most of my life scrolling through old photos and reminiscing about memories from cohorts in eighth grade, I can’t care less about all those tiny, irrelevant things I once crashed out about on the dai ly. Perhaps there wasn’t too big of a difference between second and first place, a 92.4 and an A, a slightly flawed or a perfect violin
performance. Perhaps Mr. Nealis was right: it was all going to turn out fine; I just needed to press the “I Believe” button. So to all those who may be desiring a “crash out” — and to myself next fall — here’s my two cents of junk teenage wisdom. Truth is, when I look back on my “worst” moments of high school, I don’t recall many of those overwhelming feelings of “stress.” I just smile at those hilarious AP Chemistry classes with Ms. Park, the way we all looked after taking Ms. Campbell’s Unit 4 Honors Precalculus test or the
time we all got up at 4 a.m. to float down a river on ninth grade retreat. My grades on those tests, my terrible physical condition on that canoe, the stress of receiving my grade sheets at the end of junior year — all that nonsense almost means nothing to me now. Even college, which encompassed 99% of my being just a couple of months ago, barely crosses my mind now. To the juniors reading this — those stuck in the darkest hours of high school — I promise you that a year from now, those fleeting moments of anger, stress and anxiety won’t mean much to you at all. Before you know it, high school will leave you forever, and you’ll realize how needless that “crash out” was.
By Hana Mehdi Williams
After tomorrow, I will have hit 100 Corepower Yoga classes. Having reached this milestone, I took a moment to reflect. Here is what Corepower has done for me over the past two years.
1. Curing my procrastination. During the heat of the college application season, it was my way of escaping my college counselor’s deadlines, because, in my eyes, working out was still being productive. Even in the middle of July, I would have to start my day with a 100+ degree Yoga Sculpt.
2. Therapy. As a person who chooses not to invest in true therapy sessions, a Corepower class has often been the only thing to completely clear my mind. I have no choice but to fill my brain with thoughts of how many seconds are left to hold my side plank or focus on my favorite instructor Bridget Anderson’s pre-class motivational speech. If any instructor had made an impact on me, it is Bridget. Bridget is one of the University of California, Los Angeles’ Track and Field coaches – being a Corepower instructor as just a hobby. Her class is always com -
pletely packed, with her twenty regulars claiming the front of the class twenty-five minutes before the class starts. Bridget is nearly six-feet tall, with bleach blonde hair highlighted with gold tassels, and rock-hard abs. She cranks the temperature to at least 107 degrees, and blasts electronic dance music that nearly bursts your eardrums. This might sound like a form of torture to some, but there is no better feelings than stepping out of her class and walking out into the cold air (at least com pared to inside the studio) of Ventura Boulevard.
the hour. Burpees are always a little less painful when you are doing them with a friend struggling next
Four studios, seven class-packs, and probably infinite liters of sweat later, I can confidently say that Corepower is so much more than a workout class to me. It is an integral part of my life. So much so, that I might have to create the Ann Arbor location because I can simply not live without it.
journey beyond a road too Corepower(ful)
By Crista Kim
As a perpetual passenger without a driver’s license, I can only imagine the perks of being able to drive. While Alexa Liu fights the glare of the sun with one leg propped up on her seat, steering with a leisurely hand on the wheel, I’ve been thinking of high school as a long road trip.
Beyond my vision, the road stretch es out like a thread pulled taut beneath the wheels. But not
every mile has been smooth — there were roads I didn’t recognize, unexpected traffic jams of deadlines and more than a few wrong turns taken. Still, what’s stuck with me most aren’t the roads I’ve taken, or the exits I’ve missed. It’s the little moments in between: windows cracked open, a breeze curling through the Tangs’ car while a large table rattled in the seat next to me; the pit stops I didn’t plan; and especially the people who rode shotgun, backseat, and
every seat in between.
Some were buckled in from the very beginning: my childhood friends of over 10 years who’ve seen every version of me, whether lost, loud or quietly listening. My parents, whose voices hummed steadily in the background, even when the map rerouted. Seventh-grade friend groups that bloomed and withered with the seasons. Group chats born during COVID-19 (half comfort, half chaos) filled with blurry screens, glitchy audio and the shared strangeness of growing up behind a webcam for Zoom classes. New ninth-grade students who, no matter how many years passed,
were always softly labeled “new.”
Teachers like Mr. Yang and Ms. Lee who patiently responded to my frantic midnight emails with a steadiness I never had. Mr. Chenier who still checks in with our ninth-grade history class through occasional emails. Some of them are still in the car, voices mixing with the music; others I’ve dropped off at strange exits I barely remember passing.
And then there were the ones who left. Some quietly, others mid-conversation, the door swinging open before the sentence could finish. But even those who unbuckled early left something behind — a candy wrapper stuck to the wedges of
the back seat, an echo of laughter caught in the rearview mirror, a version of myself that I might not have ever met without them. A reminder that presence doesn’t always need permanence to matter.
If I’ve learned anything at Harvard-Westlake, it’s that you don’t always get to choose the route. You’ll miss turns. Take the long way. Double back. The road will stretch, dip, detour. But you do get to notice who’s sitting next to you — who makes you laugh when you’re stuck in traffic, who holds the map when it’s too dark to read. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to be someone else’s passenger, too.
legacy redefined
By MeJo Liao
I recall my first dean meeting as a junior, sitting anxiously on a worn leather couch with my parents as I answered a slew of questions. “What are your academic goals? What do you do outside of school?” Those were easy enough. I couldn’t, however, come up with a response to the last one: “What do you want your legacy at Harvard-Westlake to be?”
I sometimes find myself reflecting back on that day, wondering why I had struggled so much to answer. Perhaps because the word “legacy” was
too daunting. Walking past student-made sculptures in Feldman Horn, watch ing the (then senior) editors of Chronicle confidently navi gate the chaos of a Saturday night layout, or buying pastries from a fundraiser on the Quad, I had come to equate it with grandeur. Though these surely inspired me, looking back at my time at Har -
vard-Westlake has made me realize that the definition of legacy didn’t have to be so limited. I can fondly recall countless moments when the community at Harvard-Westlake had profound, yet simultaneously subtle, impacts on myself: an upperclassman helping me find Munger 208 on my first day of school as a sophomore (I had mistaken it to be
the library), my friends dragging me out for coffee after a stressful physics test, Phairot deciding not to charge me for my seventh Milano cookie. Every member of our school has the ability to build and contribute to a legacy here — the legacy of a community I am beyond grateful for and proud to be a part of.
Harvard-Westlake is often described as cutthroat, and many of us know all too well that description isn’t far from the truth. In a place where impact is often conflated with achievements and leadership positions, it is easy to forget
that high school should be an experience filled with celebrating triumphs, learning from tribulations and most importantly, building bonds that will last after we have walked across the stage at Commencement. It is as true as it is cliche: it really is about the journey, not the destination. The people around us are integral to this journey, and I urge you to consider your own legacy within the community of Harvard-Westlake, big or small. To my fellow seniors, I hope we can continue this impact long after we have left this campus as we continue down our separate paths.
Senior Superlatives
The Chronicle staff of the Class of 2025 elect each other for different characteristicspecific awards as the year comes to an end.
1. Best dressed: Eden Conner
2. Biggest flirt: Mia Morgan
3. Funniest: Hannah Shahidi
4. Biggest teacher’s pet: Zoe Goor
5. Loudest: Hana Mehdi Williams
6. Quietest: Crista Kim
7. Most likely to succeed: Max Turetzky
8. Best athlete: Saisha Kumar
9. Most likely to be late to HW Media: Everett Lakey
10. Best bromance: Nathan Wang and Alex Dinh
11. Most likely to survive the Hunger Games: Jack Ryan
12. Couple that should have been: Mia Morgan and Max Turetzky
13. Eyes you get lost in: Alden Detmer
14. Most vibey: Everett Lakey
15. Best artist: Mejo Liao
16. Most likely to visit Weiler 104 next year: The Tangs
17. Most senioritis: William Liu
18. Biggest gossip: Georgia Grad
19. Most likely to get pregnant and drop out of college: Nathan Wang
20. Most Persian: Hannah Shahidi
21. Most nonchalant: Connor Tang
22. Most likely to protest not receiving most nonchalant: Everett Lakey
23. Most rizzy: Connor Tang
24. Most likely to get blacklisted from Rizz Fest: Hannah Shahidi
25. Most likely to be misindentified: Justin Tang...wait I meant Connor
26. Tallest: Shiara Navaro
27. Most likely to be married first: Sabrina Hamideh
28. Most likely to move to Barcelona: Olivia Phillips
29. Most likely to be Valedictorian: Zoe Goor
30. Most likely to win America’s Got Talent: William Liu
