May 27, 2009
News A5
The Chronicle
Anderson, Neumeyer to chair departments
Rock ‘N’ Bowl
By Sammy Roth
jamie kim/Chronicle
MATH TEACHER KEVIN WEIS GETS READY TO BOWL AT THE MATH DEPARTMENT’S last weekly after school bowling party of the year, May 22 at PINZ on Ventura.
Goldsmith’s departure brings about staff changes By Sammy Roth Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Eli Goldsmith is leaving HarvardWestlake to attend graduate school at Harvard, sparking a host of position swaps in the Admission and Advancement offices, Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu said. Goldsmith will enroll in the fall at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for a one-year program in Education Policy and Management. Moving into Goldsmith’s position will be Susan Leher Beeson ’96, who has been the campaign coordinator in the Advancement Office since 2006. As campaign coordinator, she has helped raise money for the new middle school campus, among other projects. Beeson will be replaced by Casey Kim, who has been Assistant Director of Annual Giving since 2007. Kim’s role in the Advancement Office will be filled by Admission Administrator Whitney Althouse, who began working in the Admission Office in 2007. Hu said that Althouse’s transition will be eased by the fact that she already filled in for Casey during her maternity leave. Finally, middle school receptionist and secretary Bobbie Jo Dobbs, new to H-W this year, will take over for Althouse.
Dobbs said that the Admission Office is familiar territory for her, as she has occasionally helped out there this year. “[Dobbs] has been a wonderful welcoming face and voice of the Middle School this year and we enthusiastically welcome her into her new position,” Hu said. These changes were brought about by the departure of Goldsmith, who started working at Harvard-Westlake four years ago. He said that he has considered enrolling in a master’s program for the last few years because he has enjoyed working in education. This program at Harvard, he decided, was the right one for him. “It’s a one-year master’s program, which is very cool,” he said. “It’s just nice financially. It’s only a one-year tuition versus two.” Goldsmith said that after he gets his masters he might return to working in independent schools or fundraise for nonprofit organizations. As assistant director of alumni relations, he has organized alumni events, worked on the Senior Gift and coordinated Junior Career Day, among other duties. “I’m going to miss my colleagues, and I’m going to miss the alumni I’ve met,” he said. “And I’m especially going to miss the students.”
Brenda Anderson will replace Andrew LauGel as head of the middle school Visual Arts Department next year, and Chronicle Adviser Kathleen Neumeyer will lead the new upper school Communications Department, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. don hagopian/chronicle LauGel has taught at Harvard-Westlake for 18 years and was the middle school visual Brenda Anderson arts department head for the last nine. During that time he created the Introduction to Yearbook and Animiation classes. He decided to step down after finally implementing a new seventh grade art course this year, Foundations in Visual Arts. “I felt I had finally accomplished what I had set out to do when we added Foundations in Visual Arts to our curriculum this year,” he said. “Our department has achieved don hagopian/chronicle the course structure I had envisioned for it Andrew LauGel a decade ago, and now it’s time for a worthy colleague to take it for a drive.” LauGel has spent two years planning the Visual Arts Department transfer to the new middle school campus. Anderson will supervise the planned remodeling of the department’s new facilities. “Mrs. Anderson is a brilliant source of strength, energy, and enthusiasm for our department,” LauGel said. “Her passionate engagement, ability to innovate and caring nature are personal qualities that bode very well for the success and happiness of herself, her colleagues and most importantly, our visual arts students.” As head of upper school Communications, Neumeyer will continue overseeing student publications and journalism classes. A middle school Communications Department was established this year. “This just creates one department on the two campuses,” Neumeyer said.
Staff Swap: Campaign Coordinator Susan Leher Beeson ’96 will replace Goldsmith.
Assistant Director of Annual Giving Casey Kim will replace Leher Beeson.
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Eli Goldsmith is leaving the school.
Admission Administrator Whitney Althouse will replace Kim.
Middle school receptionist and secretary Bobbie Jo Dobbs will replace Althouse. source: ed Hu all photos by don hagopian infographic by sammy Roth
Teacher, student start Catholic group By Alex Leichenger
alex leichenger/chronicle
worshipping: Catie Yagher ’10, Gabriella Gonzalez ’12, her younger sister Sophia Gonzalez and Jose Angel Alvarez ’12 (right to left) attended a Catholic mass Sunday.
Three students met at St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catholic Church in Encino Sunday to discuss the formation of a Catholic liturgy group on campus. Catie Yagher ’10 and history teacher Greg Gonzalez came up with the idea of starting the group late this year. “When Catie and I discovered that we shared the same faith, we thought it would be a good idea to organize a liturgy and perform service,” Gonzalez said. Signs were posted around
campus last week to notify the students of Sunday’s informal gathering, which directly followed mass. In addition to Yagher, Jose Angel Alvarez ’12, Gonzalaz’s daughter Gabriella Gonzalez ’12 attended. “With time running out in school, we are shooting for next year to start a formal club, but we wanted to gather at least once before the summer,” Gonzalez said. The group plans to organize another meeting next fall to bring together more possible members
of the group. They hope to conduct monthly services and discussions at St. Saviour’s Chapel with St. Cyril’s priest throughout the school year. Yagher mentioned having meetings during Monday and Wednesday breaks as another possibility. Because there are not many Catholics at the school, the club hopes as many as possible will join, she said. “We are just trying to get all the Catholics at school who can’t practice their faith together,” Yagher said.