May 2015

CHRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Follow the Chronicle @hw_chronicle

Los Angeles • Volume 24 • Issue 8 • May 27, 2015 • hwchronicle.com

School considers Chinese exchange program

By Scott Nussbaum

COLE JACOBSON/CHRONICLE

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Imani Cook-Gist ’15, bottom left, prepares to take the baton from Courtney Corrin ’16 in the 4X100 relay.

The team took first in the race with a time of 47.66 seconds, which helped all five Wolverines who competed take second overall.

Girls take 2nd in CIF finals, 3 to compete Friday at Masters

By Jonathan Seymour

The girls’ track and field team placed second, narrowly losing 64-69 to the Santa Margarita Eagles, at the CIF Finals Saturday, while Imani CookGist ’15, Courtney Corrin ’16 and Alexandria Florent ’15 all qualified for the CIF Masters meet Friday, where they will compete against the best athletes in the Southern Section.

In her fourth long jump attempt at the track and field CIF Finals, Corrin left earth and landed 20 feet and 11 inches away in the

sand pit at Cerritos College.

Though she took the individual Division III CIF championship in the long jump, her jump Saturday was just an inch shy of her storied school record 21foot jump that she set as a freshman in 2013.

Corrin’s story is similar to the girls’ track team’s performance Saturday. Multiple runners and jumpers broke school records and had season best performances, but they came in second as a team to Santa Margarita.

“I think our team did amazing,” Shea Copeland

’15 said. “We excelled in ev- and also in the 300-meter ery event we were in, and hurdles, all three jumps we really gave it and the pole vault. our all. It’s tough PrepCalTrack to be runner-up, correctly predictbut second is still ed that the girls, amazing, espewho took the CIF cially with such title last year, a small number would come in of girls, and we second place bedid everything we hind the Eagles. could do, so I’m The finals so proud of our started with the nathanson’s team.” high jump and the Alexandria Previously, the long jump. After Florent ’15 girls won the Misjumping 20 feet, sion League Finals May 7. 20 feet one inch and fouling They won eight of the 16 in her first three attempts, events, taking first in every Corrin sprint but the 400-meter • Continued on page C3

Chronicle adviser retires after 192 issues

By Zoe Dutton

lake School in 1989 as a substitute adviser, and oversaw Communications Depart- a last-minute redesign of the ment Head and Chronicle October 1989 issue after the adviser Kathy Neusurprise announcemeyer will retire ment of the merger this summer after 24 between Westlake years at the school. and the Harvard “What she has School for Boys. built during her time A subsequent lawhere is incredible,” suit by parents who President Rick Comopposed the merger mons said. “[The led to another lead Chronicle] is a signastory, and at year’s nathanson’s ture center of excelend the Westlake Pi Kathy lence at our school for received its first Gold Neumeyer which she can take Crown from the Coenormous credit.” lumbia Scholastic Neumeyer came to West- Press Association, the equiv-

alent of a Pulitzer for high school journalists.

Neumeyer subbed again during the first year of the merger until she became the fulltime adviser in 1992.

Her publications have won 13 Gold Crowns, eight Silver Crowns, have been finalists for the National Scholatic Press Association’s Pacemaker 16 times and have won five Pacemakers. The Chronicle is in the High School Journalism Hall of Fame and the 90-member staff now produces the newspaper, an online edition, LIFE alumni magazine and Big Red sports magazine.

Melissa Wantz, a former journalist and adviser to Foothill Technology High School’s online newspaper Dragon Press in Ventura, will be next year’s Chronicle adviser.

“It’s fun to put out a newspaper,” Neumeyer said. “A lot of journalists think that when they retire they would like to run a small newspaper in the wine country or somewhere.

I’ve felt that I had that dream because I’ve been like the publisher of a small newspaper where my entire staff is people who don’t know anything • Continued on page A2

Head of Upper School Jeanne Huybrechts will visit China in June in an effort to establish a potential partnership with the Chinese International School, which could include a student exchange program.

“Everyone is really impressed with the program and so this is just a matter of actually visiting the campuses and solidifying our thinking about this,” Huybrechts said.

The headmaster of the Chinese International School, a private school that teaches its students both Chinese and English and offers International Baccalaureate classes to its students, visited the Upper School earlier in the year, met with teachers and administration and discussed the possibility of establishing an exchange program that would allow students from both schools to study abroad.

“It is a little like School Year Abroad, but this is for ninth graders,” Huybrechts said.

The year-long program would allow ninth grade students who have previously taken Chinese language classes in seventh and eighth grade to spend a year at the Chinese International School’s campus in Hangzhou.

While in Hangzhou, students would continue their studies in Chinese while experiencing the culture of mainland China.

Huybrechts will visit both campuses of the Chinese International School in Hong Kong and Hangzhou during her travels.

She will travel from China to Korea and meet 16 faculty members who will be visiting Seoul and Jeju Island as part of the Gunter Gross Global initiative.

“This would be an immersion program for the entire year in a very good boarding school,” Huybrechts said.

INSIDE

B10

ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN LIN

THE LAST SHOW: The class of 2015 looks back on six years at Harvard-Westlake.

A2 News

Levin steps down as CFO, will continue to teach classes Weil will assume the title of CFO on July 1.

David Weil ’93 will take Levin was Weil’s football over as Chief Financial Officer, and basketball coach when he succeeding Rob Levin, who is was a student, and said he has stepping down after 30 years continued to mentor his career to focus on teaching, President for the past decade.

Rick Commons announced “I couldn’t be prouder of May 4 to faculty and staff on- what David has accomplished, line and in an email. nor more excited about the Weil currently serves as grander work that he and his Business Manager in the Busi- team have in their sights,” ness Office.

Levin said. “And, I am pro“Rob has been training and foundly grateful that their taltransitioning responsibilities to ent and efforts have allowed him over the past two years, so me to leave the future in such David will step into his expand- caring and able hands in ored role with deep understand- der to pursue my own lifelong ing as well as superb dreams as an educaprofessional ability,” tor, dreams which I Commons wrote. hope will transform Levin will conthe lives of students, tinue teaching his alumni, our school class the Business of and perhaps even our Life, developing enworld.” trepreneurship initiaCommons emtives and connecting phasized that Levin students and alumni, would remain a valnathanson’s Commons said. ued and contributing Rob Levin “It’s been an honmember of the comor serving as Harmunity. vard-Westlake’s CFO,” Levin “The board, David and I will said. “I’m grateful that Har- continue to seek Rob’s business vard School took a chance on wisdom even as he focuses on a 25-year-old B-school grad teaching, counseling and inwith zero experience in 1985. novating,” Commons wrote.

In the decades since, events — “His official title has not been from merger to earthquake to set, but his work going forward Upper School construction to will emphasize ones he has long Middle School construction to cherished: teacher, coach and financial earthquake to mission inventor.” re-imagination — have affordLevin wrote a letter to the ed the opportunity to impact community about his transian extraordinary institution at tion on the Chronicle website: pivotal times in its history.” hwchronicle.com.

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

By Zoe Dutton

Previews FAMILY TIME: Casey Slattery ’17 and Upper School Dean Beth Slattery talk as she feeds Ruby Slattery, when Ruby was a baby. Read more about other families of teachers and staff on B2.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

Seniors perform in last Coffee House SINGING SENIORS: Claire Nordstrom ’15 sings and plays on the ukelele an original piece at the last Coffee House May 21 at the end of Senior Transition Day in Chalmers Lounge. The Coffee House was open to only seniors and gave them a last chance to perform in front of their peers.

Neumeyer to retire after 24 years • Continued from page A1

about journalism except for what I tell them. It’s been a lot of fun. “ After she graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Neumeyer was a reporter for United Press International covering the trials of Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy.

She later was The Economist’s southern California cor-

respondent and contributing editor to Los Angeles Magazine for 20 years.

She has twice been named an outstanding adviser by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund and has received the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Key. Neumeyer plans to travel, and will visit Australia and New Zealand in November and cruise around Cape Horn in February 2016.

She will return to Northwestern this summer to teach

two workshops at the fiveweek intensive Cherubs program for high school journalists that she attended when she was in high school.

“A lot of my life is as a result of my Cherubs experience, and I love being invited back because it brings my career full circle,” she said. “As I retire, I go back to where I began.”

Chronicle alumni and current staffers will celebrate Neumeyer’s retirement at a party June 8 in Weiler Hall.

B2

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BETH SLATTERY

A5

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Jensen McRae ’15 gets ready for an interview as a microphone is set up for a documentary about spoken word.

She and five other members of the Slam Poetry team were interviewed for the film.

C1 TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

CARMEN LEVINE/CHRONICLE

The Chronicle, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published eight times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses. There are 727 students at the Middle School and 866 students at the Upper School. Subscriptions may be purchased for $20 a year for delivery by mail.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial

HARD HITTERS: Adam Sraberg ’17 jumps up to serve the ball against Los Alamitos High School in the CIF Finals. With the loss, the team finished in second place.

Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Kelly Loeb at 818-487-6511. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/news

Top Honors

Students and faculty were recognized for their contributions and dedication to the school at the awards assembly Tuesday, May 26 in Taper Gym. The recipients of the Bishop’s Medal, Veritas Award and the Blanche Nelson Boyle Award will be announced Friday, June 5.

Valedictorian – Amelia Miller ’15

Senior Academic Awards

Salutatorian – J.J. Woronoff ’15

Each department honored a senior for an outstanding commitment to or achievement in that discipline.

Lester Medvene Award – Matt Thomas ’17 Awarded to a sophomore who contributes to the life of the school and embodies Lester Medvene’s “curiosity of mind and dedication of spirit.”

Rensselaer Award – Zack Belateche ’16

Computer Science – James Lennon ’15 Ducommun Award (Mathematics) – Marcella Park ’15 English – Parker Chusid ’15

Given to a junior who has distinguished himself or herself in the study of math and science throughout the year. If the student chooses to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, they receive a four-year scholarship.

Morris Michael Landres Award – Sammi Handler ’17 Recognizes a sophomore who has demonstrated “consistent effort, dedication and promise” through his or her work on a school publication.

Tamkin Community Service Award – Andrew Ravan ’15,

World Language – Perren Carillo ’15 The World Language Department recognized one exemplary senior who has taken Chinese, French, Latin and Spanish and inducted new members into the National Honors Society. See hwchronicle.com for more coverage.

History/Social Studies – Nadia Rahman ’15 Performing Arts – Covi Brannan’15

Alan Yousefzadeh ’15 and Elijah Akhtarzad ’15

Given to seniors who have given their time to serving the community, both on and off campus and both independently and with others.

Brendan Kutler ’10 “Two Hats” Award – Nicole Araya ’16 Awarded to a junior who pursues intellectual experiences outside the classroom, takes risks to pursue his or her interests and demonstrates kindness towards peers and adults inside and outside the classroom.

Jerry Margolis Jazz Award – Jason Oberman ’15 and Bridget Hartman ’15 Named in honor of performing arts teacher Jerry Margolis, who taught for 36 years begining at the Harvard School for Boys, to a student who contributed to the jazz program during his or her time at the school.

Frederick Douglass Diversity Award – Jensen McRae ’15 Recognizes a senior for his or her focus on his or her own culture or others based on ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation in a creative, courageous and compassionate way through art, activism or outreach.

Publications Chronicle Award – Cole Jacobson ’15 and Jacob Goodman ’15 Vox Populi Award – Benny Weisman ’15 Sandifer Creative Writing Award – Jensen McRae ’15 Science – Sriram Rao ’15 Visual Arts – Koji Everard ’15 and Danielle Stolz ’15 William L. Davis Award (Economics) – James Lennon ’15

Faculty Awards Garrett Hardin Award –

Cuscaden Blackwood Medal – Alexandra Gordon ’16 Given to a member of the junior class for his or her outstanding contributions to the school environment and spirit. The recipient is nominated and selected by senior class officers and faculty members.

Given to a senior, in memory of Lamar Trotti Jr. ’50, who made the most dramatic transformation in his or her life and work both inside and outside of the classroom during his or her time at Harvard-Westlake.

David Justin Rascoff ’91 Award – Jessica Spitz ’15 Given in memory of David Jusin Rascoff ’91 to a member of the senior class who has always spoken his or her opinions in his or her daily life.

Humanitas Award – Sarah Winshel ’15 Honors a senior who has demonstrated service to the school, friendliness, consideration for others and loyalty to the community.

Given to a senior faculty member for distinguished service to the school and a junior faculty member for early achievement in his or her department.

Created in honor of David Justin Rascoff ‘91, this award funds summer sabbaticals for faculty members which the recipients can decide how to use.

Senior Athletic Awards Lee Carlson Award for Athletics – Shea Copeland ’15 Michael Genender ’15 Awarded to two members of the senior class, one male and one female, who demonstrate excellence and dedication in athletics.

Schumacher Award – Cole Jacobson ’15 Given to a senior for his or her contributions to the athletics department, effort in a sport and display of sportsmanship during his or her senior year.

Debater, ‘Mean Tweets’ creator to give commencement speeches grateful to have the opportunity to speak in front of my teachers and classmates at Amelia Miller ’15 will graduation, and I’m very exspeak as valedictorian and J.J. cited for the tough challenge Woronoff ’15 as salutatorian at of writing the speech,” Miller commencement June said.

5.

She plans to draw Miller was elected inspiration from her to speak by faculty experience with demembers based on bate during high academic ability and school while writing Woronoff by students her speech, Miller earlier this month. said.

President Rick Com“My dad has almons announced ways told me that Miller’s selection ‘writing is not writnathanson’s at last week’s Cum ing, rewriting is writAmelia Laude induction cereing,’” she said. “That Miller ’15 mony, and Woronoff ’s pretty much says it post as salutatorian was an- all.” nounced at Tuesday’s annual “I’ve been watching a lot Awards Assembly. of speeches from other com“It’s a true honor — I’m mencements, and so many

Arthur Tobias (distinguished service) Tiantian Wang (early achievement)

Rascoff ’91 Faculty Award – Larry Axelrod

Lamar Trotti Jr. ’50 Award – Dora Palmer ’15

By Eugenia Ko and Marcella Park

News A3

are famous, interesting people sharing advice,” Miller said.

“I’m only 18 and don’t think I’ll have that kind of wisdom for a long time, if ever, so I just want to offer up some thoughts on our time at Harvard-Westlake and how I’m thinking about the future.”

Woronoff first became interested in running for salutatorian last year when he gave a speech dedicated to JV basketball coach Dwayne Garner and his friends suggested that he try.

He’s liked comedic roasts since 2009, when business magnate Donald Trump appeared in one aired by Comedy Central, Woronoff said.

When Woronoff found out he was speaking, he “was really excited because I think

“

SOURCE: EMILY KENNEDY GRAPHIC BY :SCOTT NUSSBAUM

If it doesn’t go well, I think it won’t be because the jokes are not funny. I’m pretty confident that they’ll be funny.

I just think it might not go over well because people are like ‘Why did he just say that at our child’s graduation?’”

—J.J. Woronoff ’15

it’s a huge honor, and I really think I can bring, if they allow me too, something that hasn’t been done before,” he said.

“I really think there were a lot of people who could’ve taken this job,” Woronoff added.

“Alan Yousefzadeh ’15 and Matt Beyer ’15, in particular, I think would have been great, and I think it’s important to give them a shout-out.”

He plans to keep his speech centered on jokes, and though he thinks it will be important to strike a balance between his classmates and their families as his audience, he will focus on the students, Woronoff said, “because the day’s about

nathanson’s

them.”

Woronoff will be the first salutatorian in at least six years who wasn’t a member of the Scene Monkeys, an upper school improv comedy group.

He co-created “Mean Teacher Tweets #1,” a video played at the final semiweekly assembly May 18 that featured faculty members reading mean lines about themselves.

“If it doesn’t go well, I think it won’t be because the jokes are not funny,” he added. “I’m pretty confident that they’ll be funny. I just think it might not go over well because people are like, ‘Why did he just say that at our child’s graduation?’”

A4 News

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

Students to research abroad

By Eugenia Ko

SHARON CHOW/CHRONICLE

LATIN ROOTS: Dylan Schifrin ’16, left, Chloe Shi ’16 and Teddy Leinbach ’15, right, perform in a skit about the assassination of Julius Caesar in Rugby Theater during the World Languages Honor Society ceremony May 19 to represent Latin culture to new inductees.

Honor Society inducts new members

By Scott Nussbaum

Students were inducted into the World Languages Honor Society for their achievements in studying Chinese, French, Latin and Spanish May 19 in Rugby Auditorium.

Following the reception, students and parents were invited to an outdoor reception.

In addition to the induction, teachers in each language named the recipient of the outstanding senior award.

Xenia Viragh ’15 was honored for excellence and dedication in Chinese, Covi Brannan ’15 for French, Alex Liao

’15 for Latin and Enya Huang ’15 for Spanish.

“Honestly I was pretty surprised to get the award,” Huang said. “But it was the best kind of surprise. It’s very flattering that I was considered, especially since I absolutely adore my language teachers.”

Her Spanish literature class in particular is going to “stick with me for years to come,” Huang said.

“I was really excited that I won the Latin award,” Liao said. “I feel like Latin has always been kind of an overlooked program, and I’m happy to know that I’ve done good

by it, I guess. [World language teacher Derek] Wilairat is an absolutely fantastic teacher and all-around great guy, so to know that he’s realized my work during my time here has made it completely worth it.”

During the ceremony, students performed songs, dances and skits to depict the different cultures studied at Harvard-Westlake.

Brannan performed a flamenco solo to represent Spanish culture and Kathryn Tian ’17 performed a martial arts demonstration with weapons.

Jessica Brandon ’16 and Shelby Weiss ’16 sang a French song, and Teddy Lein-

bach ’15, Elizabeth Rao ’16, Dylan Schifrin’16 and Chloe Shi ’16 performed a skit about the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Lucas Gelfen ’15 and Viragh, editors-in-chiefs of Babel, announced the release of the redesigned foreign language and literary arts magazine. Gelfen and Viragh were honored by the World Languages Department for the time they spent designing the magazine.

The ceremony concluded with a message to graduating students from students who are enrolled in world language classes at the Middle School.

School publishes new homework philosophy

By Hannah Cho

A new homework philosophy that outlines the purpose and guidelines of homework will be published in the student and faculty handbooks for the next school year.

Faculty Academic Committee chairs Julia Grody and Kent Nealis and Director of Studies Liz Resnick authored the philosophy, and it was adopted by the joint FAC to an-

swer the question of why departments give homework.

“We’ve never had anything like it,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. “We’ve had homework policies, but never had a homework philosophy.

I thought that it was important for Harvard-Westlake because…you ought to have a guiding philosophy.”

It states that the purpose of homework is to “enhance the classroom experience,

support course learning objectives and contribute to the joyful pursuit of educational excellence.”

In addition, the philosophy gives parameters that teachers also must follow when assigning homework, including giving students clear deadlines, assigning amounts in accordance with published homework time limits and incorporating practice work into class activities.

Junior raises money for filters

By Angela Chon

Cole Kawana ’16 was selected as a regional winner in the 2015 Kohl’s Cares Scholarship program May 15 and received $1,000 for higher education for his efforts in volunteer service through the Clean Water Ambassadors Foundation.

Kohl’s Department Stores and Scholarship America partnered to award students that were able to benefit a larger community through their community service efforts.

CWAF was founded by

Kawana last year to bring clean water to people in need through portable water filters.

The organization held a fundraiser that raised enough money from water bottle sales on campus to purchase 112 water filters that will provide clean water to 11,200 people for five years.

“The fundraiser far exceeded my expectations, and I hope it can become an annual event,” Kawana said.

Students that purchased water from CWAF were qualified to enter a contest by signing their name on the bottle

before placing it into a recycling bin.

The winners, Madison Foster ’16, Daniela Grande ’16, Nick Abouzeid ’15, Natalie Weigand ’16 and Alex Lennon ’17, will each sign a water filter that will be delivered to a community in need.

The foundation has donated 83 filters in eight countries.

“The overall plan is to continue delivering as many filters to as many places possible,” Kawana said.

Over spring break, Evan Keare ’18 delivered filters to Thailand, and Advancement

The philosophy also reiterates that homework must be done without any outside assistance and times when homework should not be assigned.

“I don’t foresee any immediate and substantive change,” Huybrechts said. “But it will guide our thinking about the kinds of assignments that we give and perhaps even the amount of homework that we give, I don’t know.”

“

Eun Seo Choi ’18, Truth Cole ’16, Cami Katz ’16, Victoria Keating ’16, Ara Mahseredjian ’16, Kaira Muraoka-Robertson ’16 and Cameron Stine ’17 received the 2015 summer fellowships and will travel across the globe to research various projects.

Cole received the Junior Summer Fellowship to travel to Murano, Italy for her project, “Exploring the Dying Art of Glass in Murano.” Katz, Keating and Muraoka-Robertson received the Global Initiative Asia Student Summer Fellowships. Katz’s project is titled “Camila Katz, A Window into Mysterious Tibet: Bringing Tibetan Culture and Lifestyle to the HW Community Through Visual Media.”

“I’m really excited because going to Tibet is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Katz said. “I can’t wait to learn more about Tibetan and Buddhist culture by visiting many monasteries, temples and stupas.”

Keating’s project is titled “Half the Sky” and MuraokaRobertson’s project examines deforestation in the Himalayas. The Iberian and LatinAmerican Studies Fellowship was granted to Choi, Mahseredjian and Stine.

Choi will travel to Peru, and Mahseredjian will retrace the steps of Don Quixote in Spain and will travel through small villages Quixote supposedly saw on his journey, Mahseredjian said.

“It’s impossible to know exactly where he went, because the author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, barely mentions any places in the book,” Mahseredjian said.

“There are touristic Quixote routes, but I’m trying to avoid those.”

He’s “really excited to be able to connect what we’ve learned in the classroom with an experience in a foreign country,” Mahseredjian said.

Stine’s project is titled “Hanging On By a Very Thin Thread – A study of the indigenous tribes of Mexico and the damage of discrimination, poor wealth distribution and economic migration.”

“I am very thankful to have the opportunity to be able to bring back my research to share with the community,” Stine said.

The fundraiser far exceeded my expectations, and I hope it can become an annual event...The overall plan is to continue delivering as many filters to as many places possible.”

—Cole Kawana ’16 nathanson’s

Administrator Lizzy Tooke ’05 delivered filters to Haiti.

CWAF plans to deliver 100 more filters to Argentina, Haiti, Kenya, Peru and Tanzania.

“In Kenya, there is an outbreak of cholera caused by drinking dirty water,” Kawana said.

Filters will be distributed there to help stop the outbreak, Kawana said.

“I hope that people traveling, or people that know of other that may be traveling, will bring water filters long after I’ve graduated,” Kawana said.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/news

News A5

Slam Poetry team places 3rd at finals

By Sabrina DeBrito My Word, the upper school student slam poetry team, was a finalist and came in third place overall out of 40 schools May 2 at the Get Lit Classic Slam Southern California competition.

This is the first time that the team has made it to finals since its creation two years ago. Last year, the team took second place in semifinals.

The finals were held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

English students and teachers supported My Word, resulting in a full-house audience. Team coaches and English teachers Eric Olson and Caroline Miller accompanied the Slam Poetry team members.

Jensen McRae ’15 and Alex Copeland ’15 performed

an original response titled “Trumpets” to the classic poem “For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide.”

Katherine Calvert ’15 recited the classic “I Cry,”

by Tupac Shakur and in response delivered an original slam poem titled “I Smile.”

“I think that [Slam Poetry] is the most supportive thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Calvert said. “You’re clapping for others and giving people hugs that you’ve never met because everyone has something so incredible and personal to say.”

Matt Beyer ’15, Hannah Dains ’16 and Liz Yount ’17 also performed. In their dressing room, the team members and faculty advise rs rapped the lyrics to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” to loosen up before the show.

SABRINA DEBRITO/CHRONICLE

SLAM DUNK: Matt Beyer ’15 performs at the Get Lit Classic Slam Southern California Competition. My Word, the slam poetry team, placed third out of 40 schools at th`e finals May 2.

Film crew interviews slam team

By Carmen Levine

Six members of the Slam Poetry team were interviewed for an independent documentary about the importance of spoken word poetry Friday.

A small film crew from Ruby Films is currently investigating the impact slam poetry has on the lives of high school students and is interviewing Get Lit poetry competition finalists for its documentary.

Team coach and English teacher Caroline Miller approached several slam poets to reflect on their experiences, including Hannah Dains ’16, a poet on the Harvard-Westlake team and

Department heads to leave middle school

By Liz Yount

Three middle school department chairs will leave the school at the end of the year. Spectrum adviser and English teacher Steve Chae will replace Middle School Communications Department Chair Jen Bladen, English teacher Amanda Angle will replace Middle School English Department Chair Jen Dohr and Spanish teacher Edgar Jurado will replace Middle School World Languages Department Chair Melissa Strong.

Bladen plans to move to Oklahoma to return to school to be a nurse. Chae said that he intends to build up the communication department’s online presence through websites and broadcasting.

“I’m really excited about being able to be involved in more of the bigger-picture decision making,” Chae said.

“I think that this year and in past years, obviously I care a lot about how the [Spectrum] is, but now I get to step back

a Get Lit player. She particiJensen McRae ’15, who pated in both this year’s and has been a slam poet for last year’s classic slams. two years, was also invited “In general, it’s a very to share the importance she exciting thing sees in slam to be seen poetry. with poetry,” “I really I really like the Dains said. like the idea “I love beof shedding idea of shedding more ing able to more light light on slam poetry tell stories. on slam poThat’s mainly etry because because it’s becoming what I want it’s becommore popular.” to do with poing more etry.”

—Jensen McRae ’15 p o p u l a r , ” The film McRae said. will be di“I think that rected by Linda Goldstein the more publicity it gets, Knowlton, who is part of the and the more visibility it Ruby Films crew, and will gets, the more people will be feature students from the helped by it. It really is an four schools who were Get amazing thing for self conLit finalists. fidence.”

“

“

I look forward to learning a lot in this new opportunity. That said, I have been at Harvard-Westlake for 11 years, and I’m proud of our programs, love our community and will miss my colleagues and students dearly.

—Melissa Strong World Languages Department Chair

and look at the publications department as a whole.”

Dohr will leave school in June to found Beacon School for Boys, a middle and high school without religious affiliation. She said that she plans to open the school in the fall of 2016.

Angle said Dohr has inspired her to focus less attention on the curriculum and more on the act of teaching and on the individual student.

After teaching English at Harvard-Westlake for 18 years, Angle understands the program and is confident that she can lead the department.

“Ms. Dohr had us focus a lot on our teaching process and practices, so I definitely want to continue with that and push our department to experiment, take more risks and try new things,” Angle said. “I’ve always been very interested in making some

CARMEN LEVINE/CHRONICLE

READY TO SLAM: A small film crew from Ruby Films interviews Jensen McRae ’15 about the impact of slam poetry on the lives of high school students. Harvard-Westlake came in third place in this year’s Classic Slam finals.

Alum returns for 31st season of ‘Survivor’ in Cambodia

By Jonathan Seymour

nathanson’s

changes to our book selection.”

Strong will join Viewpoint School as Assistant Head of the Middle School.

“I look forward to learning a lot in this new opportunity,” Strong said. “That said, I have been at Harvard-Westlake for 11 years, and I’m proud of our programs, love our community and will miss my colleagues and students dearly.”

Jurado said that he knows that he will face many challenges in the future, but is confident that he is surrounded by teachers who will support him and the students.

“My main goal for the first year is to make sure we continue on the current track that we’re on,” he said. “I would like to improve some elements of our teacher observation and feedback process and expand our access and communication exchanges with schools outside of the U.S.”

the show’s commercial breaks, host Jeff Probst announced the Alumnus Stephen Fishbach link to a CBS online poll that ’97 was one of the 20 former listed the names of 32 former contestants on the reality show contestants.

“Survivor” voted Wednesday He said that the 10 men night to return as a contestant and the 10 women with the on the show’s 31st season, most votes would be given a “Survivor: Cambodia – Second second chance to compete for Chance,” according to a CBS the $1 million prize that awaits entertainment press release. the winner of “Survivor.”

Fishbach was the runner- Fishbach was one of the 16 up on “Survivor: male contestants Tocantins — The listed in the poll.

Brazilian Highlands”, At the end of the the show’s 18th season, live finale of the 30th making it to the finale season May 20, after before losing to J.T. this season’s winner Thomas, who won in a was crowned, unanimous jury vote.

Probst announced Fishbach was a that after two fan-favorite on his weeks of voting, he CBS Studios first season and was would reveal the 20 Stephen nicknamed by his winners of the poll, Fishbach ’97 fellow contestants as who would leave the “The Wizard” for his finale immediately strategic play. by bus to begin filming for next “Survivor” is a reality season. television show in which Fishbach, who has been contestants are placed in a blogging about “Survivor” for remote location and compete People.com since competing each week to remain in on “Tocantins,” won the poll the game. Contestants are for the men and left on the eliminated by vote and the last bus with the rest of the newlycontestant wins $1 million. announced cast. He is currently Two weeks ago, during one of filming in Cambodia.

A6 News

The Chronicle

inbrief

May 27, 2015

Library coloring books help to relieve stress Coloring books will be provided in the library through the end of the year to help students relieve stress.

The librarians purchased the coloring books for the April 24 overnight reading of “Moby Dick” but decided to keep the books for the rest of the year.

“These books are having a resurgence in bookstores lately, especially those for all ages, not just for small children,” Head Librarian Shannon Acedo said.

Colored pencils are provided, and some students bring additional colored pencils from home.

Acedo also said that finals week will be a “perfect time for coloring.”

—Benjamin Most

Students volunteer at DIY workshop Students volunteered May 9 at a do-it-yourself workshop at the Pacoima Community Youth Center aimed at increasing elementary and middle school-aged girls’ interest in technology.

Parent Mirian Avalos (Karenina Juarez ’16) was in charge of the event.

Volunteers set up, organized the DIY materials and helped the girls and their mothers with the projects.

The e-textile workshop introduced the attendees to wearable electronics and sewing circuits, where one sews with conductive thread.

—Lola Clark

Students win awards for Latin exam scores

Four students received awards for their scores on the National Latin Exam.

Alexandra Liao ’15 and Howard Deshong ’17 were awarded certificates for their perfect scores on the March exam.

Additionally, Dylan Schifrin ’16 and Deshong won the Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award for receiving four consecutive gold medals on the exam througout their Latin careers.

“I was pretty happy, but honestly I was mostly surprised because there actually were some questions on the test that we’d touched on in class,” Liao said. “I’m glad I did well, but I’d chalk it up more to luck and Mr. Wilairat’s 10th grade grammar drills than anything else.”

—Jesse Nadel

Spectrum magazine starts online edition The Spectrum staff launched a website Jan. 15 to provide more space for articles and create video and photo galleries.

“I’ve been wanting to have a web presence for a while, but I’ve always been nervous because I don’t have a strong background in web,” Spectrum adviser Stephen Chae said.

“This year many of my staffers, in particular Nicole Kim ’18 and Alena Rubin ’18, spearheaded the website.”

The staff has focused on training eighth graders who will run the website next year.

—Phoebe Sanders

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ART TOBIAS

A WORK OF ART: Visual arts teacher Art Tobias works on a pot. He has taught art at the school for 25 years and is retiring after this year. He will continue working on ceramics, writing his book “Cowboys to Cab Guys” and rebuilding the engine for the sports car.

Visual arts teacher to retire after 25 years

By Angela Chon

Visual arts teacher Art Tobias will retire after 25 years of teaching at Harvard-Westlake to continue working in his ceramics studio and on other projects that are “halfway completed.”

Tobias began teaching in a reform school system in Arkansas for eight years and moved to California to teach at the Pilgrim School for another three years.

After deciding that the pay and facilities were better, Tobias started teaching at Harvard School in 1989, he said.

“Harvard School had very

strong visual and performing arts combined, and I really liked that,” Tobias said. “And I liked the vision of all the arts being taught together from a unified conceptual base.”

Although after the merger of Harvard School and Westlake School, the visual and performing arts departments were separated, Tobias has enjoyed teaching a variety of arts, he said.

He has taught almost all levels of media, started the three-year animation program, and taught all levels of architecture and drawing and painting.

Eight years ago, Tobias

started teaching AP Art History.

Tobias will work on ceramics, continue writing his book and rebuild the engine for his sports car.

“I can [retire] because I am at an age where I can be collecting money from my Social Security account and because I want to,” Tobias said. “And I have a lot of various things to catch up on.”

He has been working on his book with the working title “Cowboys to Cab Guys” for about three years and hopes to finish it in his retirement, he said.

The book is about the cul-

tural history behind the popularity of cowboys and cowgirls during the baby boom generation.

“Dr. T was not only an amazing teacher, but a mentor that we could all comfortably talk to and work with,” Diana Kim ’15 said. “He taught us everything he knew with humor and sensitivity and often came before school and stayed late afterwards to take care of our works.”

His students will not only take their ceramics skills with them to college, but also the experience of studying under a “caring” and “passionate” teacher, Kim said.

Yearbook adviser to attend nursing school

By Katie Plotkin Middle School Communications Department Head Jen Bladen will be leaving Harvard-Westlake after nine years of advising the Vox Populi yearbook to go to community college to satisfy her requirements for nursing school, which she plans to attend in the fall of 2016.

After seven trips to the emergency room last year and uncertainty over why she was becoming so sick, which she later discovered was pulmo-

nary emboli, Bladen recalled grade journalism club at the an instance in which she had Middle School in addition to a conversation with one of the advising the yearbook. nurses. “[Bladen] is hands-down Bladen’s friend was shocked the most compassionate perthat she had become son I have ever come so knowledgeable across in my life,” stuabout the medical dent Gwynn Pollard terms and medica’15 said. “She has made tions. the yearbook room “It reminded me like a second home to that it was someme, been like a second thing I had been inmother to me. She has terested in for a long been patient and kind, time,” Bladen said. and she has made me nathanson’s Bladen currently more patient and kind.

Jen Bladen advises the seventh I can’t imagine what it

will be like without her at the school, but I know she will be an amazing nurse because she makes people feel comfortable and safe.”

Bladen feels close to her students because she is the only teacher at HarvardWestlake that is able to teach her students for all six years.

“I have always been the only teacher crying at graduation because I am the only one that has known [the students] that long, but I am seriously going to be bawling at graduation,” Bladen said.

Mastin to become principal of Laurence School

By Nick Settelmayer

Assistant Head of Middle School Paul Mastin is leaving at the end of the year to become the principal at the Laurence School in Valley Glen.

After 23 years at HarvardWestlake, Mastin has decided that it is time for him to move forward after being both a dean and an English teacher.

“I’ve always appreciated and relished change as well as new adventures,” said Mastin, and “this new job provides both in large quantities.”

Mastin hopes to bring some important ideals he has seen at Harvard-Westlake with him to the Laurence School, including “the importance of community, the joy of learning and always a focus on the students as the reason for our love of education.”

Mastin said it was “certainly not easy to leave” after “teaching wonderful students, retreat, acting in student council videos, Dodgeball, and great friends.”

He also launched the Spectrum.

“

Students Harvard-Westsaid they will lake into what I always thought it is right now.” miss Mastin’s presence on H o w e v e r, I’d retire from Harvardcampus. this decision Westlake, not leave to “Mr. Maswas not easy. tin was a really “I love my take a new position. It charismatic colleagues and was one of the toughest the students, person, which made him expast and presdecisions of my life.” tremely fun ent,” Mastin —Paul Mastin said. “I always to be around, said Quentin thought I’d reMackenzie ’17. “Everything tire from Harvard-Westlake, that he did was so interesting not leave to take a new posito watch, too. It was just cool tion. It was one of the toughest to see him continue to develop decisions of my life.”

May 27, 2015

The Chronicle

News A7

inbrief

Cárdenas to replace Adegbile as dean

Environmental club plants native garden

By Sammi Handler

Celso Cárdenas will replace Dean Tamar Adegbile next year, Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas said in an email to parents May 7.

Cárdenas was on campus May 21-22 to meet students, attend meetings and shadow Adegbile. There was a reception May 21 for parents and students to get to know him.

“Judging from the brief introduction I had with him during the reception, I think he is a very well-qualified person to be our dean,” Sophia Van Iderstine ’17 said. “Although I am extremely sad that Ms. Adegbile will not be with us for the rest of our time at HarvardWestlake, I am excited to get to know Mr. Cárdenas and see what the future will bring.”

Cárdenas was previously the Associate Director of College Counseling at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. He will take over as dean for Adegbile’s current sophomores and juniors as well as next year’s incoming sophomores.

“The students I met in my interview were just incredible and diverse in their interests

SAMMI HANDLER/CHRONICLE

MEET THE DEAN: Sophia Van Iderstine ’17 talks to future dean Celso Cárdenas at his reception May 21. He is replacing Dean Tamar Adegbile, who will head college counseling at the Cate School. and super passionate about what they’re doing,” Cárdenas said. “The dean system in general appealed to me to be able to have these students that you get as entry to the Upper School as sophomores, and you get to follow them throughout their entire high school experience to ensure that they feel supported academically, socially and emotionally in preparation for post-secondary life.

I think that all of those things made me say ‘I’m going to take the leap and do this.’”

Adegbile will stay in contact with her students and

Cárdenas to make the shift between deans easier.

“Every transition is bittersweet, and while we are sad to lose an iconic dean and beloved faculty member in Ms. Adegbile, we feel incredibly fortunate and excited about Mr. Cárdenas bringing his talent, experience and wisdom to Harvard-Westlake,” Barzdukas said in the email.

At Francis W. Parker, Cárdenas worked with standardized testing, and visited various universities throughout the nation as well as in Canada and Ireland. He was

the first of his family to go to college, graduating from the University of Michigan. He also received a master’s degree in community counseling from Northeastern Illinois University and has experience with mental health counseling.

“We looked across the United States for a new dean and believe that we have found the best one in Mr. Cárdenas,” Barzdukas said.

Cárdenas is fluent in Spanish, has published a short story “Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities” and filmed an independent movie.

English teacher to pursue work in screenwriting

By Sabrina de Brito

Theatre in October 2011, and ran until March 2012. The proEnglish teacher Isaac duction was scheduled to run Laskin ’98 will be taking time only six weeks, but ran longer off next year to pursue work in due to popular demand. It was screenwriting. nominated for two LA Weekly Laskin said that he had Theater awards, best musical always been interested in and best director. screenwriting but had His time as an never before had the English teacher for chance to explore the four years, and as a field. He plans to write history teacher at and revise a number the Middle School for of independent comone year, has helped edy scripts to submit Laskin to become a to different TV shows better reader, which and film agencies. is an invaluable skill He also plans to for any writer, he continue work on his said. nathanson’s comedy rock musical Isaac Laskin’98 “He is one of the “Hey, Morgan!” The most intelligent peoshow depicts Los Angeles Jew- ple that I know, and he comish girl Morgan Farkas on her plements it with a brilliant wit quest for love. Laskin starred that commands a room,” Upper in and co-wrote the story and School Dean Adam Howard music for the musical, which ’93 said in an email. “Students opened at the Black Dahlia and co-workers love him, too.

It’s because he defines genuine goodness.”

Laskin said that he will miss the people that he worked with and the relationships he has with his students.

“I’m excited and inspired by the youthful, creative energy of my students every day,” Laskin said. “Being in front of a classroom, full of funny, happy, engaged students is one of the most energizing feelings that a person can have.”

Laskin’s students said that they will also miss him.

“I think one of the coolest things about Mr. Laskin is that you learn something new from him everyday, whether it has to do with English or himself, like this year we discovered he used to be in a band called Lincoln Bedroom,” Kami Cooper ’17 said.

Other students recounted how Laskin’s individual per-

sonality influenced the class’s nature.

“He’s always in a great mood and making jokes,” Aaron Glazer ’17 said. “ All of his classes were fun.”

Students said that Laskin’s teachings affected not only the class, but their greater outlook on the subject.

“Every single English class with him resonates with me,” Quinn Frankel ’16 said. “He has made me love literature and writing.”

Other teachers commented on what it was like working alongside Laskin.

“I’ll really miss joking with him over the [divider] that separates our desks, running “Seinfeld” lines with him, hearing about his growing fondness for cats, and generally commiserating about our respective lives,” English teacher Eric Olson said in an email.

Chronicle co-adviser to return to freelance journalism career next year

By Angela Chon

Upper school communications teacher Jenny Hontz will leave after one year of teaching journalism and co-advising the Chronicle to return to freelance journalism.

Hontz had been expected to take over Head of Upper School Communications Kathy Neumeyer’s position after her retirement this summer.

“I am honored and grateful to the school and to Kathy for offering me the opportunity,” Hontz said. “Ultimately, I decided that overseeing a daily website, an award-winning

newspaper and two separate magazines, on top of teaching and managing a staff of nearly 100 students, was just too big a job for one person also balancing the duties of caring for a young child.”

Hontz said she is very proud of the work she and her students have done.

“She clearly has a passion for her profession so it was really great to be able to learn from someone who really likes what she’s teaching,” Samantha Handler ’17 said. “Personally I feel like I am a better writer and reporter now, and I wouldn’t have gained the skills

I have without both [Neumeyer’s and Hontz’s] instructions.”

Hontz, who has written for publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Emmy and People, feels privileged to have worked with the Chronicle and has offered to serve as a consultant to help with layouts, she said.

Handler had never considered journalism as a major before this year.

“But now it’s something I am seriously thinking about,” Handler said. “Ms. Hontz definitely taught me a lot about journalism, and she inspired me to further pursue it.”

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

THIS JUST IN: Co-adviser Jenny Hontz, at her desk in Weiler Hall, will return to freelance journalism next year.

The Environmental Club planted a native plant garden on campus May 3. The garden includes plants that can grow in the dry California climate, not requiring much water.

The garden is situated in the area between the track and the back of Taper gym.

“Everyone had a good time and learned more about native plants, which is our ultimate goal,” co-leader of the club Alexandra Kass ’15 said.

The club has been working with TreePeople on the project, and their TreePeople representative helped plant the garden.

—Emily Rahhal

9th grader wins robotics competition Cameron Schiller ’18 placed first in the driver skills category at the VEX Robotics Competition April 15-18 in Louisville, Kentucky for efficiently controlling his robot to do various tasks.

Individual students and teams had to build and use robots against other teams. In most cases, teams of up to 30 students collaborated. However, Schiller went solo, an uncommon occurrence.

“I am very passionate about doing robotics, and it is like a sport to me,” Schiller said, “Next year I hope to start a VEX team at the upper school and expose more kids to robotics.”

—Connor Reese

Student to study healthcare in India This summer, Elliot Kang ’16 will travel to India to study public health and healthcare with The Experiment in International Living program.

The program allows students to go on trips that often include history lessons on the country, a homestay and a thematic focus. In Kang’s case the focus is on heath and healthcare.

“The aim of the trip is to educate students on public health policy and community development in India with a heavy focus on leadership development,” Kang said.

—Oliver Richards

Peer Support announces trainees

Twenty-six new Peer Support Trainees have been chosen to help run support groups for the next year last Friday.

The junior trainees are taught to ask appropriate questions and facilitate group unity.

After trainees submitted applications, senior Peer Support Coordinators interviewed each one. School psychologists Luba Bek and Kavita Ajmere then chose the trainees for next year.

“I know [Peer Support] needs to be run by leaders and trainees that are very devoted to the program and to providing an inclusive community,” next year’s Peer Support Coordinator Michael Swerdlow ’16 said. “I have complete and total confidence that our leaders and trainees for next year are the very people described.”

—Sharon Chow

The Chronicle

A8 News

May 27, 2015

‘Mad Men’ f inale has alum link

By Kelly Loeb

In the finale of television show “Mad Men,” created by Matt Weiner ‘83, Evan Arnold ’88 played Leonard, who made actor Jon Hamm’s Don Draper cry during a seminar at a retreat.

The AMC series first aired in July of 2007 and ran for seven seasons. It aired its finale May 17.

“Mad Men” centered on Hamm’s character, a Madison Avenue ad man in the 1960s.

In the finale, Arnold has a pivotal scene, describing a dream about being “on a shelf in the refrigerator.”

Weiner drew inspiration from a Harvard School art history class his junior year, taught by former teachers Carl Wilson and Karl Kleinz, as well as from history teacher David Waterhouse.

During his senior year, Weiner read “The Glory and the Dream,” by William Manchester in Waterhouse’s pop culture class.

The book became “like a bible” for “Mad Men,” focusing on how history gets processed in comparison to what actually happened, he said.

“This show is a product of my education and everything about it,” Weiner said.

In an interview with Esther Zuckerman ’08 in Time Magazine, Arnold described his experience.

“In terms of the context of the episode and the series as a whole, it was very intense, emotional, incredible,” Arnold said.

He was invited to a table reading, Arnold said.

“That’s when I had the opportunity to hear the script,” Arnold said. “I came into a room, a big conference table, writers and producers all sitting around, the cast. Matthew Weiner gives a beautiful, sincere, emotional speech.”

Zuckerman said that she did not know that she and Arnold attended the same high school when she interviewed him.

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

Alum, improv troupe hold improvisation workshop

AND, SCENE: Hank Doughan ’12 and his unnamed improvisation troupe from California State University, Northridge performed for upper school improvisation troupes the Scene Monkeys and the Jackanapes May 22. They also played improv games.

Junior debaters win top national rankings

By Katie Perrin and Henry Vogel

Led by two nationallyranked juniors, the debate team consistently earned top results this year as tournaments increased in difficulty throughout the season.

Cameron Cohen ’16 and Nick Steele ’16 consistently placed in the top five juniors at national events.

Cohen, who began debating as a seventh grader, finished second in the Harvard Round Robin and reached the quarterfinals at the Harvard Tournament, comprised of the top eight out of 300 debaters at the event.

He also attended the Voices Tournament, a nationally distinguished invitational.

At the Voices Tournament, he and Steele closed out their respective round robins, and were named co-champions of the round robin.

“We worked super hard preparing for the round robin and tournament to compete against a lot of kids we really respect, and it was super rewarding to see our results pay-

ing off,” Cohen said. expected. I didn’t think I was At the Greenhill Invita- going to get to any elimination tional, one of the most pres- round so I was happy that I tigious tournaments for high made the octofinals.” school debaters, widely reSteele and Cohen qualified garded as one of the most dif- for the Tournament of Chamficult tournaments, Cohen was pions, the most important nainvited to the round robin and tional tournament. reached the octofinals in tourEach had five of the necnament competition. essary two top perforSteele reached the mances, known as finals at Voices Tourbids, at big tournanament and was in ments during the the semifinals at the season.

Meadows and StanBoth finished with ford Tournaments. a 4-3 record in the Several debatopening rounds, one ers from Harvardwin short of advancWestlake went to ing to the elimination the National Debate rounds. nathanson’s Coaches Association Engel was a doutournament, one of ble octofinalist at the Cameron the two biggest naStanford University Cohen ’16 tional tournaments of Tournament, and the year. he was the runner-up at the Cohen, Steele and Con- Silver and Black Invitational nor Engel ’17 reached the oc- Tournament at Alta High tofinals, and Kevin Wesel ’17 School. reached the double octofinals, His second-place finish at one round before the octofi- Alta earned him one bid for nals. the Tournament of Cham“NDCA was a tournament pions, but he failed to win a that I wanted to get into at second bid and thus came up the beginning of the year,” En- short in qualifying for the gel said. “It went better than I tournament.

Engel and Steele were invited to compete in the California Round Robin, where Steele won third place.

New debaters Evan Engel ’17 and Liz Yount ’17 also competed at the varsity level as sophomores on the team.

At the Cal Invitational Tournament, eighth and ninth grade debaters, known as novices, competed at the varsity level for the first time in their careers at a national circuit tournament.

Indu Pandey ’17 went 4-2 in the prelims and was a few speaker points shy of advancing. Nick Platt ’18, Will Berlin ’19 and Matthew Gross ’18 went 3-3.

Steele was named double octofinalist, and Connor and Evan Engel were named triple octofinalists.

“All of them worked hard and did better than I would have expected,” Coach Mike Bietz said. “Every first-year debater achieved at least one win. It’s also worth noting that Evan Engel has been competing in varsity at a number of tournaments, and he is just a first-year debater.”

Students use new app to play campus-wide Assassin game

By Eshanika Chaudhary and Sophie Cohen

Gabriel Jenkinson ‘16 was one of the top five competitors in this year’s game of Assassin until his killer snuck past his friends, who were acting as bodyguards, and “shot” him in the back.

Although Jenkinson does not have a target of his own anymore, it doesn’t stop him from assisted murder.

“Gilbert Anwar ’16 and I teamed up after Gilbert killed me to get Tommy Tilton ’16, the winner from last year,” Jenkinson said.

Jenkinson proceeded to hide behind the door and pretended to try to kill Tilton while Anwar snuck up on Tilton from behind.

“Tilton saw me, and I had the camera out, and he was

like ‘I see you,’” Jenkinson said.

The camera he referred to is part of a new addition to the game of Assassin, a murder game led by a student administrator, this year being Landon Fadel ’15.

This is Assassin’s fourth year at Harvard-Westlake, but the first year using a new app which was created by James Lennon ‘15 last summer during a program at the Upper School called the Innovation Lab. Although the app was mostly finished by the time school started, it was difficult to get it into Apple’s App Store because originally it was only usable for Harvard-Westlake students. However, the app is now available to the public.

In order to have a target and an assassin, one must log into the Harvard-Westlake

website.

Players can see their target on the app’s home page, and to kill, they hold a finger gun to the back of the victim’s head, neck, or body and say “bang,” while simultaneously recording the kill on their phone.

The victim will then confirm the death on their device, and the assassin will gain 10 points as well as inherit the victim’s target as their next kill. There are designated safe zones, such as classes and Mudd Library.

There is also a Facebook group for the game, run by Fadel.

“James’s app has made our job a lot easier, since before everything had to be done manually on a Google Doc,” Fadel said. “It just made the system a lot easier in that sense, and anyone can also check their

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JAMES LENNON

AIM TO KILL: Left, a map on the app shows where on campus students have “died.” Griffin Richter ’17 “kills” David Ozen ’16. target at any time.”

Lennon is in the process of finding someone to take over the app when he starts at Harvard University in the fall and has already talked to Jus-

tin Rose ’17, he said.

This year, 382 students participated in the game. As of press time, 71 students were still in the game, and Jonathan Klein ’15 was in the lead.

Opinion

C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

The Chronicle • May 27, 2015

Los Angeles • Volume XXIIII • Issue 7 • May 27, 2015 • hwchronicle.com

Editors in Chief: Zoe Dutton, Scott Nussbaum Managing Editors: Elijah Akhtarzad, Jessica Spitz Executive Editors: Marcella Park Presentations Editors: Leily Arzy, Jacob Goodman

editorial

News Managing Editors: Enya Huang, Jake Saferstein News Section Heads: Angela Chon, Cole Feldman, Eugenia Ko News Assistants: Sammi Handler, Alyson Lo, Layla Moghavem, Jackson Novick, Jesse Nadel, Oliver Richards, Teresa Suh, Izzy Wiesenthal, Claudia Wong Opinion Managing Editors: Haley Finkelstein, Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski Opinion Section Heads: Kelly Riopelle, Jonah Ullendorff Opinion Assistants: Carmen Levine, Mady Madison, Katie Perrin Features Managing Editors: Carly Berger, Aimee Misaki Features Section Heads: Sacha Lin, Benjamin Most, Su Jin Nam Features Assistants: Eshanika Chaudery, Lola Clark, Kami Duraijaj, Sabrina deBrito, Danielle Kaye, Lauren Kim, Jean Sanders, Phoebe Sanders, Liz Yount A&E Section Heads: Sharon Chow, Pim Otero A&E Assistants: Nico Brown, Hannah Cho, Sophie Cohen, Tiffany Kim, Katie Plotkin Sports Managing Editors: Tyler Graham, Audrey Wilson Sports Section Heads: Bennett Gross, Jonathan Seymour, Henry Vogel Senior Sports Writers: Mila Barzdukas, Cole Jacobson Sports Assistants: Aleksei Aguero, Juliana Berger, Zac Harleston, Joe Levin, Jacob Liker, Dario Madyoon, Carina Marx, William Park, Emily Rahhal, Rian Ratnavale, Connor Reese, Griffin Richter, Nick Settelmayer, Cameron Stine, Bryant Wu Art Director: Vivian Lin Multimedia and Online: Nikta Mansouri, David Woldenberg Photography and Multimedia: Caitlin Neapole, Lexi Bowers, Kelly Loeb Photography and Multimedia Assistants: Eshanika Chaudery, Kami Duraijaj, Tiffany Kim, Joe Levin, Phoebe Sanders Ads and Business Manager: Kelly Loeb Advisers: Jenny Hontz, Kathleen Neumeyer The Chronicle is the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School. It is published eight times per year. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board.

Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604.

Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Kelly Loeb at 818-8255059. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

D

Goodbye Ms. Neumeyer

ear Ms. Neumeyer,

This year’s senior staffers are only the latest in a long line that have benefited from your tutelage. We are also the last. Twenty-four years, 192 issues and countless students later, you will retire from the school and the Chronicle.

When we first walked into Weiler Hall three years ago, we had no idea what we were in for. We entered these hallowed, ill-smelling rooms as innocent sophomores, and we leave now hardened journalists. All that knowledge and experience is thanks to you.

It was you who taught us how to craft a lead so tight it could float. Under your guidance, we learned to question, quote, transcribe and pica. We won awards, traveled across the country and won more awards (though it’s really not about the awards). We learned how to cover important and sensitive issues. We learned how to report the truth and stay strong in the face of adversity and pushback. We learned how to quickly react when unforeseen problems arose.

And we didn’t just learn about journalism. By participating in Chronicle, we learned important skills, such as time management, organization and leadership. Setting up and conducting interviews, editing pages, assigning stories and designing pages required us all to work together and think on our feet.

Layout encouraged both stress and fun. Those weekends were the best and worst times of our high school experience, and we wouldn’t be the same without them.

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

As a teacher, you made sure we learned the basics of journalism and reporting. You provided advice while stepping back and allowing us to create our own distinct newspaper.

In addition to Ms. Neumeyer the teacher, we had the privilege of learning from Ms. Neumeyer the person. You regaled us with tales from your days as a reporter: covering the return of Vietnam POWs, attending Charles Manson’s trials, staking out Liberace’s house.

When one of us fell ill on a class trip, you looked after her. And of course there was always that fabulous personality. When we told you we were writing this, your response was: “Be sure to compare me to Michael Phelps and God!” Every time we made the trek downstairs, we knew we would learn something new. Never did we attend a class without gaining either a piece of your journalism knowledge or a hilarious story.

As we leave Harvard-Westlake, we can only hope to earn a place in your memory among all of the distinguished alumni who have worked with you on the Chronicle. From the list of your former students’ professions and achievements, it is clear that your teaching leads people to find success in the world, and we hope to make you proud.

Ms. Neumeyer, the Chronicle wouldn’t be where it is today without you, and neither would we.

Thanks for an incredible three years.

Sincerely,

The Chronicle Seniors of 2015

A10 Opinion

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

Taking pride in my college

By Scott Nussbaum

A

s part of Senior Transition Day, the documentary film “The Hunting Ground” was shown to inform graduating seniors about the issue of sexual assault on college campuses across America. As part of the film, countless brave men and women were interviewed about their experiences with sexual assault on college campuses. With each survivor’s story, the sickening fact sunk in that virtually every college campus in America deals with not only the issue of students assaulting each other but also the problem of administrations not taking appropriate action by expelling students who are found to be guilty of these crimes.

However, the most disturbing and impacting moment during the movie for me personally was the story of Lizzy Seeberg. As a freshman at St. Mary’s College, Seeberg committed suicide after she was attacked on the neighboring campus of the University of Notre Dame. As soon as I heard this, I was moved. I knew that most people in that auditorium knew I would be attending Notre Dame next fall, and I started to feel sick.

As Seeberg’s father continued to tell his daughter’s tale and described how the police on campus claimed they were searching for the accused perpetrator, even though he was on the football team and his every day was scheduled down to the minute, I started to feel even more upset. I had heard about the allegations against the University of Virginia and the growing negative stigma.

Was I going to be attending a college with the same reputation for mishandling sexual assault allegations?

As I started to look around the room, however, and think of all the other colleges and universities my classmates would be attend-

ing, I started to realize that I was being unfair to myself and to Notre Dame. I was not the only person who would be attending a college that is affected by sexual assault in some way. As a member of the student body who is aware of this issue, it will be my responsibility to inform my classmates about not only the issues that have occurred at Notre Dame and St. Mary’s but also about the sexual assault issues that happen across the nation. And this responsibility does not mean I have to discount Notre Dame and shame the institution.

Watching “The Hunting Ground” made me realize that having school pride and loving your college is a vastly different thing than turning a blind eye to sexual assault. Just because I am proud that I will be attending Notre Dame does not make me a supporter of suppressing sexual assault reports. In fact, my love for my future college fuels a desire inside of me to make Notre Dame even better than it always is by raising awareness about this issue.

I am glad that I was able to take more from watching “The Hunting Ground” than a greater understanding of how college campuses are affected by sexual assault. I feel that it important for everyone, not just college-bound seniors, to realize that the students of a school determine its reputation and have the power and responsibility to establish the environment on campus. I hope that when I find myself in South Bend next year, I am able to voice my opposition to oppressing sexual assault claims and inform my class of this national issue. My goal in doing this is to help form and create a student body that would publicly debate such important topics and have the courage to stand up when injustices are committed.

MADY MADISON/CHRONICLE

Finding my own community

By Angela Chon

E

veryone told me that junior year would suck — and I believed it. From having English and history essays due on the same day to simply not having enough time to sleep, I, like many others, focused on the negative aspects of high school.

Every day, I hear about stress, and I completely understand, having the same pressure of college applications, finals, extracurricular activities, sports, etc. But as the year comes to a close, I realize that, despite my memories of hours spent crying because of high school stress, I do feel like I have found my community on campus.

For starters, I miss going to my AP classes. I do love having many frees, but I’ve realized that a lot of my classes brought my friends and me together. I don’t walk to my next class with the same people anymore, and, in retrospect, those seemingly meaningless five minutes of passing period brought me closer to once unfamiliar students.

For me, “community” isn’t necessarily composed of the entire school, but instead is made up of smaller groups of

people that have supported me throughout the challenges of junior year at HarvardWestlake.

A prime example is the community I’ve found at the Chronicle. As I see the seniors on staff get ready to leave for college and my advisers prepare to take the next step in their lives, I am starting to see the meaning of community.

Although I am a little late in realizing that there are many more positives in attending Harvard-Westlake than I’ve acknowledged, it’s never too late to appreciate the little things that make Harvard-Westlake the “diverse and inclusive” community that it really is.

This newfound sense of community isn’t just between students and me. I have failed to recognize that “community” can be defined by little things, like cafeteria cashier Phariot Janthep remembering my name and waving hello as I buy my lunch.

It can also be defined by the way I am able to sit and cry in Dean Chris Jones’ office, even though he’s not my dean, simply because of

a week-long college trip that made me comfortable with more faculty members.

I’ve most recently experienced the sense of community as I opened this year’s yearbook and felt butterflies as it finally hit me that the year is ending, and I remembered all the really good moments I’ve had with my friends scattered throughout a yearbook of friendly, familiar faces.

Our school community isn’t necessarily defined by the success of Civitalks or 1st and 3rd Wednesday assemblies, nor is it defined by how many people we know around campus.

Yes, our school is composed of competitive students and emphasizes the college application process, which may at times cause me to want to break down in tears.

But our school can be made to mean so much more than just a place for college-obsessed maniacs.

Hopefully, students will be able to see that HarvardWestlake can be the supportive community it claims to be when we don’t cloud our experiences with just memories of stress and anxiety.

Trying to maintain an inclusive student body

By Vivian Lin and Su Jin Nam

“H

arvard-Westlake strives to be a diverse and inclusive community united by the joyful pursuit of educational excellence, living and learning with integrity, and purpose beyond ourselves.”

We’ve heard these words of the mission statement many times from President Rick Commons, enough for the student body to make jokes about it, because most of us feel that those words are already a reality. And most of the time, we follow them.

Most of the time, Harvard-Westlake lives up to the goals Commons has set before us. However, recently, there has been an alarming number of people who recoil at any discussion related to feminism.

What disturbs us the most is not that people don’t believe

in feminism. It’s more so the extremely aggressive and hostile reaction to the very idea of feminism.

The political climate on campus is fairly liberal, and Harvard-Westlake promotes a community that is open to student ideas and encourages us to speak our mind. At the same time, we’re expected to respect and listen to each other’s opinions.

Recently, more and more people in our community are identifying as feminists.

However, it seems that many people immediately forget our values of respect and openmindedness when confronted with feminism. Women who do speak up are attacked with a tirade of insults such as “bitch,” “self-righteous,” “man-hater,” “dyke” and “feminazi.”

Women’s rights advocates

are considered so terrible we wonder why more guys by some on campus, that aren’t feminists. they are compared to racThese kinds of disrespectist, fascist, anti-Semitic mass ful and close-minded attacks murderers. on feminists only Men who It seems that many discourage the kind identify as of healthy discuspeople immediately sion that our school feminists aren’t taken forget our values of tries to promote. seriously and There are strong respect and openare regarded people who are as effeminate unaffected by these mindedness when or some kind insults and will conconfronted with of traitor to tinue to assert their the pack. This beliefs. feminism. denunciation However, not violates the exall people pospectations we should have for sess that type of unrelenting each other about a purpose strength. If you call someone beyond ourselves. a “bitch” every time they try Feminist men are assumed to speak their mind, they will to believe in the movement eventually lose the courage to with the motive to attract express their thoughts. girls. If they truly believe When they see others in feminist values, they are being abused into silence, labeled by their peers as “gay,” those who share the same or “having a mangina.” And opinions tend to live in fear

and are unable to speak up.

Before you degradingly label someone else’s beliefs, remember that your words and actions have an impact on the people around you. You have to remember that you have the ability to tear down the concept of respect that our community is built on.

We aren’t asking you to identify as feminist. All that we hope is that when you meet a feminist, you will listen to them and their experiences with an open mind and make the genuine effort to understand their points of view. And even if you do end up disagreeing, you can do so respectfully, in an educated manner, without insulting or belittling their beliefs.

Harvard-Westlake is proud of its inclusive community, and we hope feminists do not become the one exception.

hwchronicle.com/opinion

May 27, 2015

quadtalk The Chronicle asked:

Opinion A11

“Do you believe the administration incorporated the new mission statement into policy and daily life?”

467 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll: “Probably not. I don’t think they really accomplished the whole joyful pursuit of excellence, but they did a better job in building the school community with the assemblies.”

No Yes 290 169

—Jonathan Suarez ’15 SOPHIE KUPIEC-WEGLINSKI/CHRONICLE

Letter

“What was your opinion of the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays assemblies?”

469 students weighed in on the Chronicle poll:

I disliked the assemblies

132

I liked the assemblies

169

Indifferent

168

“I actually thought that they were much more efficient and effective as opposed to Civitalks. I personally just liked gathering together as a whole school as it was a better way to get announcements out. I thought it was a great way for people to showcase random videos or promote clubs and whatnot, so overall I think it was a great way to make a really good change.”

SOPHIE KUPIEC-WEGLINSKI/CHRONICLE

—Tiana Coles ’16

guest column

From the Brink family

To everyone in our Harvard Westlake community, We want to thank each of you for the unending love and support you have given us over the past months.

Father J. Young and everyone involved in making Jim’s memorial service an unforgettable celebration of his life were amazing. Dora Palmer ’15, who sang “Because I Knew You,” the Chamber Singers and the Jazz musicians were all fabulous. Those who suggested live streaming and then archiving his service made it possible for so many more alumni, family and friends to be a part of his service. Because of your dedication we continue to hear from friends all over the world.

The compassionate members of the administration and science department came forward immediately offering to help in every way imaginable.

They continue to offer their expertise guiding us on many issues.

The heartfelt letters from students, colleagues, alumni, and parents, filled with memo-

ries of their times with Jim, have helped us know how many individuals he has inspired over the years.

The creation of a Student Assistance Fund in Jim’s name was beyond our imaginations.

Yet because of the incredibly generous donations of alumni, faculty and parents, it now exists.

Words cannot express our gratitude for this lasting tribute to Jim’s devotion for his students that will enrich the lives of future generations.

The generous gifts of food and restaurant gift cards have lifted our spirits, and donations to the education fund set up for Lacey and Marissa will help them achieve their goals and secure their futures.

Your love and support has brought all of us more peace and strength than we could ever have hoped for.

We are incredibly grateful to be embraced by our Harvard Westlake family.

With love, Vivian, Lacey, and Marissa Brink

What we learned during March of the Living

By Lili Cohen and Marc Shkurovich

I

f you didn’t notice, during the two weeks after spring break, 24 seniors were absent from school. We were part of that group, the group that embarked on the two-week journey to Poland and Israel called March of the Living. We Harvard-Westlake kids were in the minority of the Los Angeles delegation, which had over 200 students, the majority of whom were from Jewish schools.

However, the lessons we learned transcended Judaism and apply to each and every student at school. In an impossible attempt to condense a perspective-shaking twoweek experience, one Martin Luther King Jr. quote works eerily well: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

What we want to ruminate on is that by going on March of the Living we bore witness to the horrors of the

Holocaust. Through bearing witness, we gained the responsibility of retelling the stories we heard and experienced, and of educating future generations to come.

One of the many memorable experiences of the trip was walking through the iconic entryway of Birkenau, the death camp in southwestern Poland where over 1.2 million people were murdered, holding hands with a woman who survived that horrible place. She whispered memories of beatings, starvation, disease and, most hauntingly, about the feelings of luck and gratitude. But it wasn’t just us there: 14,000 people, again, Jewish and non-Jewish, marched together on that cold, uplifting April day.

Another chilling moment came after we toured Majdanek, a death camp that is in such perfect condition that it could supposedly be up and running in less than 48 hours. The whole Los Ange-

les delegation stood around the memorial shaped like a kippah, which holds the ashes and remnants of the victims of Majdanek, and sang “Imagine” by John Lennon.

With our arms around each other, we were lucky enough to know that soon we would be walking out of the death camps that too many people never left -- and were about to fly to Israel, the place that for many signifies freedom from past oppression and a firm hope for a better world.

One constant on the trip besides the rollercoaster of emotions was the presence of the survivors. However, the six survivors who accompanied us are way more than just survivors. They are warriors, living heroes. Each rebuilt their lives after the war, gathering the remnants of their families and starting new ones. The fact that they were able to start over is a testament to their sheer will.

The fact that they were able

to smile and laugh with us, that they can smile and laugh at all, let alone cheerfully share stories of their lives before and after the war as they did, is a testament to the human penchant to value love over hate, to value light over darkness.

So, we are writing this to try to convey the importance of life. Though we take our lives for granted, that’s not what we’re trying to change.

There is a blessing in the fact that we are able to take anything for granted. What we want to do is impart a bit of the responsibility that we gained.

The trip was about humanity, and that message never ends. It’s about embracing the good with a fiery passion and unconditionally rejecting the evil around us — because, as Dr. King so eloquently put it, only love can dispel hate, and all it takes is a little bit of light to dispel darkness. We live sheltered

lives. Most of us have never encountered oppression of any kind. It’s easy to pretend like all the evils of the past are over and done with.

What we learned, beyond the atrocities of the Holocaust, is that it is our responsibility to be proactive, to embrace good now before destruction rears itself again.

The world is still far from perfect. It is the job of every participant on the March of the Living to do everything in our power to improve the world and protect it from hate and darkness. And now, we extend that responsibility to you.

As Gabriella Karin, one of the fantastic and inspiring Holocaust survivors, says: “Don’t ever think ‘I am alone, what can I do?’” because we all have the power and ability to live our lives with love, kindness and with the memories of what happens when we don’t. With that, we can create a better world.

exposure

A12

STEMfest 2015

May 27, 2015

Free tacos, nitrogen-infused ice cream and a ball-throwing robot were highlights of the annual STEMfest, where students and faculty checked out student-made science, technology, engineering and math projects.

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

JEAN SANDERS/CHRONICLE

AND THE SURVEY SAYS: Ian Green ’15 presents his music provider survey, in which he compared the popularity of iTunes to Soundcloud, to upper school math teacher Kasia Williams.

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

DEEP-FROZEN FUN: Grace Gerber ‘15 serves nitrogen-infused ice cream made by the Molecular Gastronomy class to students during the STEMfest.

BOOTHS BY THE BUNDLE: Projects ranged from iPhone apps, statistical surveys and new solar panel designs to nitrogen-infused ice cream, a ball-pitching robot and a pneumatic sentry gun at the STEMfest May 20. Students and faculty flocked to student projects on the quad and along the fire road.

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

COED CODERS: Melanie Krassel ’15 gives a high five at her booth displaying her Coed Coders program, which promotes the philosophy that anyone can code.

COLE FELDMAN/CHRONICLE

MECHANICALLY MINDED: Frank Wells ’17, right, holds a robot as he, Daniel Schneider ’16 and Paul Anderson ’16 discuss their robotics projects at their presentation booths by the Munger Science Building.

Features The Chronicle • May 27, 2015

CIF 1

championship

15

4,188

books circulated at the upper school libary

31,664 student absences

ON

college applications submitted

742

60

student tours of the upper school

upper school performances

1

admit

5

honor board cases

major speakers

TI

2,335

playoff wins

3

DE TE N

10,217

tickets sold at the upper school

240

350 peer support sign-ups

submissions to the harvard-westlake film festival

the year in

Numbers COMPILED BY SHARON CHOW

INFOGRAPHICS BY JACOB GOODMAN

B2 Features

The Chronicle

1

May 27, 2015

2

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JORDAN CHURCH

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SHARON CUSEO

A Balancing Act

3

Faculty members tell how they balance the daily responsibilities of being a parent to young children and working at school.

By Leily Arzy

PRINTED WITH PERMSSION OF JESSE REINER

4

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BETH SLATTERY

A FAMILY AFFAIR: 1. Jordan Church with his wife and children 2. Sharon Cuseo and her two daughters 3. Jesse Reiner with his two sons 4.

Beth Slattery with her husband and children.

Every Thursday morning, Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church’s wife takes their 4-year-old daughter Elsie and their 20-monthold son Owen to Elsie’s ballet class.

Afterward, the three of them go to a doughnut shop nearby where Owen has one spot where he must sit with his favorite doughnut in hand.

“Even if there are people right next to him, he will sit in that one spot,” Church said. “It’s those little moments that I miss out on. But it’s during the schools’ breaks that I get to have my own little moments with the kids.”

To balance the responsibilities of being a working parent with young children, Church said he has learned to become more intentional with his time. By being present and purposeful with his time, he is able to maximize his work hours and then have the most meaningful interactions with his children when he gets home.

“I am fortunate as someone working at a school, to have long chunks of time with my kids — during the breaks and summer,” Church said.

While physics teacher Jesse Reiner, who has two sons, also finds the breaks helpful, he has a very strict daily schedule — limited by the fact that he can’t suddenly decide to miss teaching a class. But, the school has been accommodating to the fact that he has kids. He has not had class before third period since having children, which allows him to drop them off at school in the morning.

Reiner recalls when his children were very young and needed a lot of direct attention.

“Initially, if having kids had any impact on my teaching, it was a negative one because I was just so busy and tired all the time,” Reiner said.

“But now, I would say having kids has had a more positive impact because I now have a more broad view of kids. I understand better where parents are coming from now. I’d like to think that it has made me a more sympathetic person.”

When the children were very young, there was a year when Reiner and his wife went out for dinner only four times. Now that his children are in elementary school, Reiner and his wife have planned

their schedules in a way that they don’t need additional childcare with the exception of occasional babysitters. However, because of their busy schedules, they don’t have much time together. They do not see each other in the morning and until dinner time, he said.

Science teacher Karen Hutchison, expecting any day now, has an opposite schedule from her husband, which she feels will be helpful when it comes to childcare, she said. He generally works in the afternoons and evenings while she primarily works in the morning and during the day.

Next year, Hutchison will be stepping back from her responsibilities as club adviser for Robotics to spend more time with her newborn.

At this point, Hutchison plans to continue working, but she is aware that her decision may change, she said.

“My husband is a little bit more excited about being a stay-at-home dad than I am about being a stay-athome mom,” she said.

Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo, who has twin 8-year-old daughters, believes that an expectant mother can never fully know what she wants to do about working until she has had her children.

“Beforehand, I was pretty sure I wanted to keep working after having children,” Cuseo said. “Honestly, being a full-time parent is harder than this. I do know that some people who fully intended to continue working after having children realized they needed to stay home.”

Cuseo grew up in a very traditional family, she said. To them, it was more likely that she was going to get married, have children and not work. She never allowed this traditional viewpoint within her family to limit her educational and career choices. While she did want a family, she was not willing to sacrifice her career and expected to have children when the time was right, she said.

“When there is a conflict, and the girls want me home, and I do have something I have to do for my job, I always try and explain to them that this is a privilege — that I get to be someone with a career and a family.

I hope they will be able to have the same choices.”

Missing out on time with her kids

can be a difficult choice to make, Cuseo said. She believes that there is “probably more guilt involved with women when it comes to missing out on their kids when they work than with men.”

When Upper School Dean Beth Slattery, who has four children, had her oldest son, she was a single mother who was also getting her Ph.D. and working in admissions at a university. She often felt guilty about being the last person pick up her son from daycare or having to study for long periods of time.

Years later, she remarried and had a daughter.

“By the time my daughter came along, I decided that women need to forgive themselves,” she said. “I have a great relationship with my son.

When I am with him, I try to be really present. I am just very conscientious. I don’t feel guilty anymore.

I have great kids.”

Slattery believes that working in education allows her to be a bit more flexible with her time.

She chose to work at HarvardWestlake because it would allow her to have more time with her children, whereas working as an admissions officer would not have that same flexibility.

Assistant Director of Communications Shauna Altieri, mother to Ruby, 11 and Logan, 8, said that her kids have grown up around Harvard-Westlake. She also feels lucky to work somewhere that allows her kids to be so present.

“They have been to our homecomings, to our film festivals and are often here after school and over the summer,” Altieri said. “It is a joy to have them in this wonderful environment.”

Her kids stop by the athletic office for a cup of hot chocolate and a conversation with Head of Athletics Divisions Terry Barnum, and her daughter often stays at HarvardWestlake after school, sitting at Athletics Program Assistant Steve Shaw’s desk doing her homework until it is time to go home.

“I do wonder what would have happened if I were trying to become a partner in a law firm,” Slattery said. “I certainly don’t think I could have worked full time, gotten a graduate degree and have been a single parent if I had worked in another field.”

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B3

Pierce Pressure

Of the 42.3 percent of students with pierced ears, 14.1 percent have gotten infections or other complications.

By Aimee Misaki June* looked in the mirror, staring at the holes in her earlobes that were now basically closed because of infection. As she tried to push her diamondstudded earring back into the hole, the only result was pus and blood.

According to students who answered a Chronicle poll, almost one out of six have had some sort of infection as a result of their piercings. Of the 42 percent of students that have had some sort of ear piercing, 14.1 percent have experienced complications.

Ear piercing infections can occur for several reasons — unsterilized equipment, improper care, such as touching the hole with unsanitized hands, tight earrings that block blood flow to the ears and rough surfaces on certain earrings.

There is a risk of transmitting infections, HPV and hepatitis if the piercer does not use properly sterilized instruments, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Feb. 25, 2014.

While her ear bled, June had to keep her bathroom door shut. June could never tell her parents who didn’t know that June had gotten an ear piercing in the first place.

In California, the law states that anyone under 18 can get a piercing only with the presence or consent of a parent.

However, June’s friend had

informed her about a jewelry store in a small mall in Koreatown that would pierce ears without any parent’s consent.

The following day, June was on her way to get her first lobe piercing.

In order to hide her piercings from her parents, June constantly had her hair down, covering her ears.

“Whenever I went back home, I’d take out my earrings, which made my ears infected and closed in the end,” June said.

Nikta Mansouri’s ’15 grandfather didn’t allow her mother to get any piercings until she was an adult, which her mother uses as a rule for her, as well, but with an exception. The policy was that Mansouri could get lobe piercings but nothing else until she was an adult.

“My mom says that I can do whatever I want with my body — like tattoos or piercings — but [only] when I am financially responsible [for] myself,” Mansouri said.

“Even though I was jealous of my friends who had just gotten cartilage piercings in 10th grade, I don’t really feel the need to get piercings now that I’m a senior,” Mansouri said.

“It’s just a fashion trend that comes and goes.”

Students who’ve gotten permission from their parents have the option to go to a tattoo parlor or a pediatrician to get their earlobes pierced. After trying the former, Erica Jaffe ’16 experienced an ear infection on

her left earlobe after two weeks of cleaning her ears daily and nightly. The next month, Jaffe, determined to get her left ear re-pierced, went to Dr. Monica Asnani’s Santa Monica office to get a “medically-safe” ear piercing.

“It was the best decision in the end because my ears haven’t been infected since,” Jaffe said. “It’s also just reassuring to know that a doctor — who certainly knows what she’s doing — will be taking care of you and not just some random girl in her 20s” who may have only a few weeks’ experience piercing.

One of the most popular, legal places to get ears pierced is the retail store Claire’s. On Claire’s Ear Piercing website, the store said it had performed more than 90 million piercing operations on ears over the past 30 years at more than 3,000 stores, domestic and international.

After her infection, June stopped fidgeting with her ears and let her holes fully close but intends to pierce her ears again. She thinks that she has no choice but to return to the illegal piercing parlor in Koreatown where she got her ears pierced for the first time.

“Once the summer ends, I’ll sweat less, and there will be less of a chance that I’ll get an infection,” June said. “I’ll re-pierce my ear lobes again and maybe even get my cartilages pierced.” *Names have been changed.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AIMEE MISAKI

B4 Features

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SACHA LIN AND SU JIN NAM JONAH ULLENDORF/CHRONICLE

PLUGGING IN: David Ozen ’16 plugs the last wires into his self-built computer. Ozen built his own computer to be able to customize the parts to match his preferences.

Artisanal Computers

By Jake Saferstein

Video games and the ability to customize are some of the main reasons for building computers from scratch.

of computer parts. Once parts “The Witcher 3” cost around parts you can use,” Ozen said. are all shipped, then it is time $800 to $2,000, with the most Builders can also overclock In the summer before his to build. While it is seemingly expensive part being the GPU the components, which sends sophomore year, Jacob Gold’s scary to work with parts worth at around one third of the total a part of the computer more ’15 laptop died and he needed a hundreds of dollars, most stu- cost. For example, Ozen’s build power, making it perform betnew computer. Instead of get- dents do not find the building cost around $1,500, whereas a ter, but also use more power ting the latest Macbook, Gold very difficult. prebuilt similarly priced com- and release more heat. decided he wanted “The actual build- puters on ibuypower.com costs Builders typically overto be able to play the ing of the computer $1,929 before tax. clock their CPU and GPU latlatest games on the was the easiest part,” “I liked watching the er in their computer’s life cyhighest graphics setGold said. “Except graphics card being clicked cle to keep up with the higher tings, so he chose to for one point when I into the computer,” Kuwada demands of newer programs, build his own commanaged to short the said. “It’s at the core without having to reputer instead. button system on the of the build and is place parts in their “It was a cheaper front of the case, but definitely the most computer. Pre-built and powerful alterthey sent me a new expensive part of my computers typically native to buying a one through express computer.” disable this feature. computer from some mail without even In addition to Still, most students nathanson’s big manufacturer asking for a serial gaming, students use who build their own Jacob Gold ’15 that would probably number or any kind their computers to computers still own have stuff I was paying for but of proof.” be more productive. laptops for schooldidn’t need,” Gold said.

Gold, and most students For example, Ozen work.

Building a PC from scratch who build computers, learn uses his computer to In addition to nathanson’s begins with determining ex- how to do so from a combina- run the Adobe Suite, building his own comBrandon actly which components one tion of online videos and any which can take adputer and helping Kuwada ’16 needs. Necessary components friends that have built com- vantage of a powerful Kuwada and three include a motherboard, the puters in the past. Typically, GPU. other friends build theirs, piece that connects all the students build their comput“I like being able to actu- Ozen is a co-head of the Hardparts together, the computer ers to be able to run games on ally do work on something like ware Engineering Club, along processing unit, which handles the highest graphic setting.

Microsoft Word while waiting with Harold Chong ’16. the bulk of the calculations “There are lots of games for games to start,” Kuwada “I started the club with of the computer, random ac- that just run said.

[Chong] to bring computers to cess memory, which allows the better on PC,” C u s t o m - the classroom of needy schools computer to access important said Brandon built comput- so underprivileged children I really like the information for the open pro- Kuwada ’16, ers are not can utilize online tools to aid better graphics on PC grams, a graphics processing who built his just part-for in learning or use the computunit, which renders the graph- computer with part-cheaper, ers to learn skills such as codgames compared to ics in games, a power supply David Ozen ’16 but due to the ing,” Ozen said. consoles, and being unit, which powers the PC, about a year ability to cusOzen hopes to continue able to play League of and a storage drive for long- ago. “I really tomize, custom this tinkering aspect of his life term storage of data. like the betcomputers are in his career down the road.

Legends.”

Additionally, builders pick ter graphics what the build“I would love to work in an out a case to store it all in, and on PC games —Brandon Kuwada ’16 er wants them electronics or computer-based typically fans to cool the com- compared to to be. field, but I do not know the opputer during use. The builders consoles, and “One rea- portunities available for buildalso need to buy peripherals being able to play League of son why I built rather than ers,” Ozen said. “My interest such as a mouse, keyboard and Legends.” bought my computer was be- in computer building has defiat least one monitor.

Typical new computers cause when building my com- nitely made me interested in Most users buy parts on built to play the latest, graph- puter I can customize all the possible pursuing a major in Amazon.com or Newegg.com, ics intensive games such as parts while prebuilt often have college that would set me up a website known for its supply “Grand Theft Auto V” and different models that limit the for a job in electronics.”

“

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B5

A Roll of the Dice Students slay vampires and villains with flaming swords and magical powers in the imaginary world of Dungeons and Dragons.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BENJAMIN MOST AND SHARON CHOW

By Marcella Park

“Dungeons and Dragons,” but I learned quickly that the imrowing tired, the Dun- pressive stuff was impressive geons and Dragons play- because it all lived in players’ ers flung spiked chains imaginations, where there and a flaming sword at the were no limits but the landing golden throne. The vampire of the dice and basic plot consitting on it wouldn’t budge, tinuity, which was the Dunand he was a stronger villain geon Master’s job to maintain. than they had ever faced before.

At least until Zumbrun“I told you I was taking the nen started play rehearsals training wheels off,” Dungeon and couldn’t run sessions anyMaster Henry Zumbrunnen more, members of the Dun’16 jeered at fellow Dungeons geons and Dragons Club met and Dragons Club members every week this year to take Henry Muhlheim ’16, Hannah on fictional roles and embark Dains ’16, Charlie Noxon ’17 and on fantastical quests that Cameron Wood ’15. he would narrate.

As our characEach member kept ters struggled to the same character overthrow a powerall year, but each ful lord in the land of meeting consisted Goluvno, Zumbrunof a new quest. I atnen’s version of Rustended one of these sia, we sat at desks meetings, mostly pushed together in curious because I Rugby 204, shelhad seen members ’ tered from that day’s dress up as their rain. The blackcharacters before.

Henry Zumbrunnen ’16 board at the front When I walked of the room still had in that Tuesday afnotes on it from Jane Aus- ternoon, the most substantive ten’s “Pride and Prejudice.” thing I would have been able to The fighters held onto re- tell someone about the game cord sheets to keep track of was that it had something to do each of their characters’ skills with dungeons. And dragons. and abilities, and ZumbrunI played that day as Barnen, in the teacher’s chair, rack the Struggler, a barbarkept a spiral notebook and a ian who carried a dwarven manual in front of him. The urgrosh — an axe combined members took turns making with a spear — but stayed back calls (for example, “I stab the from combat because of my vampire with my knife”) and inexperience. Originally, club rolling dice to see whether member Malcolm Neill ’15 had their characters would succeed played Barrack, but he hadn’t in their actions. On a 20-sided been coming to meetings die, someone who rolled a 20 lately. My character wasn’t would have a “critical success,” very good anyway, Zumbrunwhich meant anything he had nen informed me early on in planned on doing would go game play, so even if I had extremely well. A one, mean- tried fighting, I don’t think while, was a “critical failure,” it would have helped much. which meant the opposite.

Zumbrunnen started the I’d expected to see more meeting by recapping the last than a few dice and some session, in which Noxon’s and pieces of paper in a game with Dains’s characters had mansuch an impressive name as aged to burn down an inn.

G

nathanson s

Today’s quest was to kill the the imaginary room for se- using a laser beam, a dagger, a blood-drinking lord of a giant cret passageways and found a garter snake and a wild boar, castle in the neighborhood. hidden staircase, at the bot- Muhlheim made an admission.

Muhlheim, who tom of which a vast arena “This guy’s a highplayed a bard (bards, like bar- made of glassy black stone level boss,” he said. barians, are a class of charac- awaited the characters. This Dana Anderson ’17 walked ters in Dungeons and Drag- was where they would face in, pausing the fierce combat. ons), opted to try and raise the vampire. (My character There had been few silences in an army of nearby villagers would stay in the room mean- the room through the last two to help us kill the vampire. So while, “keeping watch,” be- hours of game play, and I’d forhe asked a village leader what cause I was scared to fight.) gotten that it was raining outside.

Zumbrunnen he knew about our villain.

Muhlheim, stared at some guide“Many people have dis- Dains, Noxon and lines with his nose appeared from the village,” Wood quickly put totwo inches from the Zumbrunnen responded, now gether a plan, shoutteacher’s desk. There in a Russian accent because ing to each other was still a vampire he was playing the leader all the while. Muhlto be slain, so Anserf. When Muhlheim asked heim’s bard would derson joined in, whether he’d join us, Zum- rap and distract piking the villain in brunnen stroked his chin. the villain, and then the stomach. MuhlMuhlheim had rolled too low Wood’s character heim, who thought it ’ on the 20-sided die for his at- would use his powwas “all about style tempt at diplomacy to work. ers to build a woodHenry at this point,” called “We have a lot of pota- en ramp up from the Muhlheim ’16 her move too plain. toes here,” Zumbrunnen said. ground to the vamShe should have “And wheat. And corn. But pire’s throne while Muhlheim cut off the vampire’s head. the one thing that grows made 20 copies of himself usThe vampire died evenfaster than corn is regret.” ing his mirror-image powers. tually, and the entire castle Muhlheim took that as a no. Dains would disguise herself collapsed, for all along it had We gave up on recruit- as one of those copies. Noxon been a projection maintained ing support and walked on to got a call from his mother in sheerly by the villain’s willthe castle, where our char- the middle of this conversa- power, Zumbrunnen told us. acters managed to get in by tion, so his character had to My character, Barrack, fell out posing as a rapper sit out for the begin- of the room he’d been waitand his entourage ning of the attack. ing in and landed in the snow come to entertain When it came next to the rest of the team.

Muhlheim gave a brief euits lord. Muhlheim’s time for Muhlheim’s character played character to split logy for the vampire: “So we the rapper because himself, Muhlheim killed a stranger, and we don’t after all, he was rolled high enough know who he is or what he a bard, and bards only to make one does,” and then it was time were professional clone. Each swing- for everyone to level up. Uspoets in medieval ing two chains that ing a black graphing calcu’ times. Once Muhlhe carried as rap- lator to add everything up, heim had attempted per gear, the bard Zumbrunnen granted our Dana to rap over a seand his copy zig- characters 1,500 points each Anderson ’17 to signify the experience ries of instrumental zagged up Wood’s they had gained that day. tracks played from his com- ramp and struck the villain.

As the meeting ended, Anputer (“We’re storming the Muhlheim shook the dice, derson told me it had been castle, ain’t no hassle, we’re raising his hands above his relatively uneventful in the little rascals”), Zumbrunnen’s head. “Oh God, please,” he D&D world. Last year, Dannarration took our charac- said. But he rolled low, and iel Palumbo ’14 had played a ters to the back right turret Zumbrunnen decided that sentient doughnut and rolled of the castle, up two flights of the chains would only glance around everywhere he went. stairs and two doors down the off the villain’s shoulders.

“In this club you’ll have first hallway to a guestroom.

After further attempts by the best stories,” Anderson Dains rolled then to search the team to damage the villain said. “But they’ll all be fake.” nathanson s

nathanson s

The Chronicle

B6 Features

In Your Dreams Mastering Dreams

By Su Jin Nam

Using a technique known as lucid dreaming, some students are able to manipulate their dream surroundings.

Waggoner said that the vi- finds that her lucid dreams vomiting, diarrhea, loss of apsual cue does not have to be happen as a result of her petite, weight loss and sleep he day before he had anything special or particu- nightmares. paralysis. to give a presenta- larly odd.

“When scary things are Another type of prodtion in school, Sean “At age 17, I created a sim- happening, I try to change uct that claims to induce luJung ’16 concentrated on en- ple technique them,” Schoen- cid dreams is called an REM graining the topic into his to help me beberg said. “Like Sleep Mask. memory while looking at him- come lucidly when I used to The mask determines self in front of a mirror, before aware after dream I was when the wearer is in a state of When scary he went to sleep. reading the in the ‘Hunger REM sleep by detecting slight things are happening, I In his dream that night, he book, “JourGames,’ I would eye movements and uses variwas able to give his presenta- ney to Ixtlan,” try to change them. Like try to alter the ous patterns of lights to alert tion to his class, and when he by Carlos Casdream so that the wearer to their dreaming when I used to dream woke up the next morning, taneda,” Wagmy friends and state.

I was in the ‘Hunger he wrote down a few notes on goner said.

I were safe.

However, according to what points seemed to work “Each night Those were a 2009 study titled “Lucid Games,’ I would try and what points did not. before goterrifying.

If Dreaming: A State of Conto alter the dream so Jung was able to lucid ing to sleep, I you’re having a sciousness with Features of dream, a form of dreaming in would look at nightmare and Both Waking and Non-Luthat my friends and I which the dreamer becomes the palm of my you realize you cid Dreaming,” published in were safe. Those were aware that they are dreaming hands for about are dreaming, “SLEEP,” the official journal terrifying.” and begins to control elements five minutes, then you can of the Sleep Research Society of the dream. while mentalchange or pre- and the American Academy of —Dora Schoenberg ’16 vent bad things Sleep, commercially available “People use lucid dreaming ly suggesting, for many things: to have fun ‘tonight in my from happen- products are actually ineffecand experience freeing.” tive in inducing lucid dom, to access credreams, I will see There are a numdreams. ativity, for emotional my hands, and then ber of cell-phone ap“It was not poshealing, for improving realize I am dream- plications and prodsible to induce lucidphysical health, for ing. Tonight in my ucts that claim to aid ity with dedicated exploring the dream dreams, I will see my in the lucid dreaming devices, either those state and for spiritual hands, and then real- process. One app that which are commergrowth,” said Richard ize I am dreaming.’” is available in the cially available (e.g., Waggoner, author of Caleb* ’15 has Apple store is called the REM dreamer), two books about lucid tried to lucid dream Awoken. It features or those of our own dreaming, ex-presion several occasions. a dream journal for design,” the study nathanson’s nathanson’s dent of the Interna“The first time I recording dreams, said. “These devices Sean Jung ‘16 Dora tional Association for heard about it was in audio cues to alert rely on emitting speSchoenberg’16 the Study of Dreams and the a cartoon show. In one of the the dreamer of their cific light or sound co-editor of the online maga- episodes, a character was lu- dreaming state and a pat- signals, and only led to arouszine, “The Lucid Dreaming cid dreaming. I’d heard about tern tracker that analyzes the als and awakenings but not to Experience.” it before then but hadn’t really most-used words in the dream lucidity in our subjects.”

Lucid dreaming came eas- thought about it so I decided journal.

Both Jung and Schoenberg ily to Jung when he first heard to look it up on the internet While Awoken aids the said that they do not use any about it in eighth grade. and thought that it might be user in becoming more aware of these supplemental aids to “It was a cool concept, so something interesting to try. of their dreaming patterns, induce their lucid dreams.

I tried it once, and it worked, I’ve lucid dreamt on occasion, galantamine, which is both a “I do not use special apps which got me more excited,” but it’s nothing regular.” prescribed drug used to treat or devices,” Jung said. “I use a Jung said. “I only attempt it Lucid dreaming is also Alzheimer’s disease and sold mirror to help me focus and occasionally now though.” something that takes practice. as an over-the-counter natu- sometimes write a couple of One method that is comMany people encounter ral supplement that claims minor brainstorming notes monly used to induce lucid difficulties, though, or can only to induce lucid dreams, is down on an index card.” dreams is to assign a visual lucid dream in certain situa- advertised as promoting the Luba Bek, counselor and cue that is easily recognizable tions. lengthening of the dreaming humanities teacher, believes in a dream.

There are classes offered state, elongating the duration that lucid dreaming is harmOnce the dreamer sees the in Los Angeles for anyone who of REM sleep and aiding in less and can actually be beneficue, he or she is able to become wants to learn the techniques. dream recall. cial in some instances. aware that he or she is dream“My ability to control my However, the U.S. Food “[Lucid dreaming] is a lot ing and control the dream. dreams, varies,” Caleb said. and Drug Administration is- of fun,” Bek said. “It works re“The visual cue varies by “It depends sometimes on my sued an alert about the drug ally well when you’re having dream, but I usually know emotional response to normal in 2005 once it was discovered a scary dream, you can steer that I’m dreaming when I see dreams that I may have. If the there was a higher mortality yourself away from a scary imsomeone very out of place,” dream is about something I’m rate among patients who used age and reframe it. Other than Jung said. “For example, I emotionally invested in, it’s a it. that, it’s a lot of fun. And also, might be at a restaurant, and lot easier to start lucid dreamSide effects of using the everybody likes to sleep.”

I see someone in full football ing.” supplement that some people gear sitting at a far table.”

Dora Schoenberg ’16 often experience include: nausea, *Names have been changed.

T

“

May 2

27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B7

Dreaming Awake

Some students find that daydreaming helps them relieve stress and increases their creativity on a daily basis.

By Pim Otero

utes to higher levels of unhap- dreaming] helps you catch a portant connections between piness. break in this huge informa- their inner thoughts and the t 13 years old, Elliot “A human mind is a wan- tional flow that is out there,” outside world.”

Kang ’16 imagined dering mind, and a wander- Bek said. “I don’t think it ever However, to Bek, a teachwhat it would be ing mind is an unhappy mind,” resolves an issue or ever makes er’s role in maintaining stulike to be the protagonist from Killingsworth s o m e b o d y dent attention does not lie his favorite show, “Dragon Ball and Gilbert plan some- with the student, but with the Z.” wrote in the thing because teacher.

The latest episode in his journal “Sciwhen you day“Things distract you.

I wouldn’t get series of superhero daydreams ence” in Nodream, you’re When they distract you, you much done because frequently interrupted his vember 2010. not quite con- stop paying attention, you learning in math class.

“The ability sciously there. start daydreaming,” Bek said.

I would be thinking “I wouldn’t get much done to think about [With] dreams, “Teachers can encourage kids about possibilities because I would be thinking what is not maybe, but not to pay more attention, but rather than what about possibilities rather than happening is daydreams.”

I think ultimately, it’s the what actually needs to be fin- a cognitive This ob- teacher’s job to make sure that actually needs to be ished,” Kang said. “But you a c h i e v e m e n t servation is there is something to pay atfinished.” don’t really need to get any- that comes at supported by tention to.” thing done in middle school.” an emotional who The creativity that is em—Elliot Kang ‘16 Kang, Kang said he would day- cost.” finds day- phasized and encouraged in dream whenever he got bored, This expedreaming use- school curricula, such as inan experience shared by many rience rings true to Schapiro, less in his everyday life and creased student discussion students across the country. who said that as she continues has stopped daydreaming with and self-expression through Similarly, Mady Schapiro ’16 to daydream, her dreams have his transition to high school. art or writing classes, is said daydreams every day in class become more negative.

“I don’t have time now,” to be connected to the creativbecause she is bored.

“The daydreams Kang said. “I’m stuck ity in daydreaming.

“I think I had [became] more in the now, not in a “The latest remy first actual day[about] dreams of fantasy world anysearch on imaginadream in the third failing and being more.” tion and creativity grade on the swings an outcast and unSchapiro has conshows that if we’re at school,” Schapwanted by society,” tinued to daydream always in the moiro said. “I used to Schapiro said. in high school. She ment, we’re going try and force myHowever, an- said that it has no efto miss out on imself to daydream in other theory of fect on her academics portant connections first grade because daydreaming was or extracurriculars between our own innathanson’s my friend would tell suggested by Scott and allows her to “esner mind-wandering nathanson’s Elliot Kang ‘16 me about her day- Mady Schapiro ‘16 Barry Kaufman, cape stress” while in thoughts and the outdreams, and I wantScientific Director class. side world,” Kaufman ed to do the same.” of the Imagination Institute at According to Kaufman’s told the Huffington Post in Daydreaming is often cast the University of Pennsylva- book, “Ungifted: Intelligence 2013. “Creativity lies in that in a negative light, and kids nia. Kaufman’s research sug- Redefined,” when students intersection between our outer who daydream are absent- gests that daydreaming helps taking standardized tests al- world and our inner world.” minded “space cadets” who people start to pursue goals low their minds to wander and However, Bek has experiare often found with their that carry personal mean- make personal connections enced different daydreaming heads in the clouds. ing, which “fosters creativity” to their lives, they are able to patterns in students.

However, counselor and and results in increased self- perform better on exams and “I don’t think people who humanities teacher Luba Bek awareness. in school. daydream in class think about does not believe that is true.

“Much of the same awareHowever, Cram said the anything large, [...] but the “We need to turn off our ness and goal-setting that is difficulty with daydream- vast majority [of people find] consciousness every now and pursued in schools is actually ing is maintaining its balance sometimes something really then,” Bek said. “Sometimes, it encouraged by daydreaming, with mindfulness. Conscious big that’s bothering them [will takes a little moment for us to according to this theory,” said awareness has been linked to distract them, and] you drift recharge because we’re bom- Ali Cram, a clinician at Uni- improved knowledge acquisi- off and think, ‘oh my god, my barded by millions of bits of versity of Southern Califor- tion, reduced stress and high- mom is sick, my paper is due.’ information every second, and nia’s Psychology Services. er levels of compassion.

But most people think of about if we noticed everything, we As a result, Cram said “Mindfulness is what you something immediate,’” Bek wouldn’t be able to function.”

Kaufman’s study attempts to hear a lot of schools empha- said.

Although humans have prove how daydreaming can sizing,” Cram said. “These However, it is difficult to been reported to spend around often lead to sudden connec- practices are usually related find definite research on day50 percent of their waking tions and deep insights due to to being in the here-and-now, dreaming, Bek said, because, lives in some state of mind- an ability to recall information paying attention, focusing only “it’s self-reported, and...as huwandering (particularly day- despite facing distraction. on what’s right in front of you. man beings, we have this indreaming), according to a 2010 This theory, however, does And even though it’s always nate desire to be liked, so we Harvard study by Matthew not fit Bek’s experience with smart to wonder if you should don’t necessarily report the Killingsworth and Daniel Gil- the Harvard-Westlake com- be living in the moment, al- truth. I’m not saying we’re lybert, they also discovered that munity. ways being in this state can ing, but we’re embellishing a this mind-wandering contrib“From what I know, [day- cause a kid to miss out on im- little bit.”

A

“

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BENJAMIN MOST AND SACHA LIN

B8 Features

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

GRAPHIC BY VIVIAN LIN AND PIM OTERO

Schooled in Stocks

By Benjamin Most

Dritley rarely buys new stocks, he said, but he has At age 10, Daniel Sing- earned several hundred doler ’17 realized that he was lars in the past few months. making little interest off of “I don’t spend that much the money in his savings ac- time working on my portfocount. lio,” Dritley said. “I kind of Singer asked his father just let it run, but I check to open an account for him it often. I have been pretty at E-Trade, a financial ser- successful in my investing.” vices company to help inSam Saferstein ’17 bevestors, and he transferred gan investing in 2012, when the money from his savings his grandfather taught account to his new E-Trade him about how the market account. works. He currently owns “I moved almost every stock in semiconductor dollar I had over company Analog there and started Devices and retrading,” Singer cently sold stock in said.

Discover Financial Singer inServices and Vail vested more and Resorts. more time into his “During the stock hobby, and weekend is when he quickly began to I analyze stocks,” profit.

Saferstein said.

“I started in “Also, because the nathanson’s 2010, which was stock market is Daniel coming off the heels closed during the Singer ‘17 of the recession, so weekend, it gives as much as I would like to me time to slow down and think I was good at invest- select new potential stocks. ing, almost anywhere you During the week, I have put your money with some notifications for my phone amount of risk during the that send me price alerts on comeback years netted you the price of the stock and a healthy amount,” Singer news alerts on any news in said. “I beat the indexes for the company.” the last few years. It’s nothSaferstein hopes to being special though, really come an investor as an just high appetite for risk adult. that’s been paying off so far.”

“My success isn’t based Singer currently owns on how much money I stock in companies such as make but rather how much Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, knowledge I am able to gain Apple and Tesla, along with in this process,” Saferstein a “mishmash of others.” Re- said. “A lot of the times I cently, he has only spent an simply mock invest so that hour or so every month on I can see how the stock his stock portfolio. would have done if I actually “I’ve pretty much just bought the stock.” stuck to keeping my ear on Students who don’t want the market, and I move if I to risk actual money in the need to, but I don’t do much stock market can use onday trading,” Singer said. line mock investment webRoy Dritley ’16 set up sites to see how they would an E-Trade account last do in the market by buying Christmas with some help fake stocks with fake online from his parents. money.

“I own some long-term Zach Belateche ’16 began mutual funds, some stock in using investment education oil, and a little in some large website investopedia.com technology companies like in eighth grade to practice Apple,” Dritley said. investing with fake online

Students invest in either mock or real stock markets for fun or profit. Some even go on to make a career out of investment.

money.

“I was pretty bad at first, but by the middle of my freshman year I got pretty good and recouped all of my losses,” Belateche said.

Belateche’s online portfolio includes stock in Apple, Verizon and King LLC, the company that produced popular mobile game Candy Crush.

“I plan to invest eventually but not to take it up as a profession,” Belateche said.

“If I do invest in real life, I’d probably be less risky than I was when I first started mock investing.”

Sean Jung ’16 began mock investing as a member of the Mock Investment Club at the middle school.

He now spends at least ten minutes a day analyzing stock prices and graphs.

“In the club, we set up accounts on updown.com, a fake stock market that closely mimics the real stock market,” Jung said. “I have had various accounts on Updown, but my most successful account, which I created in 2013, has made a 27 percent profit.”

David Hansen ’99 invested as a student, and he is now the president and founder of Los Angelesbased investment management company DRH Investments.

“My job is 100 percent investing all day, every day for the rest of my life,” Hansen said. “I love investing.”

Hansen was unsuccessful as a student investor and lost small amounts of money, but he said that his failures motivated him to learn about business magnate Warren Buffett and value investing, the investment strategy of purchasing stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic values with the assumption that those intrinsic values will eventually be realized.

“Had my initial investments been successful, I probably would have gam-

bled the rest of my life,” investing independently and Hansen said. “Losing a little read books on investment. money from summer jobs “‘The Warren Buffett encouraged me to educate Way’ was the first book I myself on investing.” read in high school, and it Hansen graduated from had a profound impact on the University of Califor- me,” Nathan said. “After nia San Diego with a bach- that I knew that’s what I elor’s degree in economics wanted to do with my life and began practicing cor- —discover great companies porate law. He then worked at cheap prices in which to in the investment manage- invest.” ment division at investment Nathan graduated from management firm Goldman, the Ross School of Business Sachs and Co. for four years at University of Michigan before becoming Vice Presi- with a bachelor’s degree in dent and eventubusiness adminally leaving to found istration. While DRH Investments in in college, he 2004. read investment Hansen believes write-ups on valthat all students ueinvestorsclub. should learn about com and refinances and debt searched compamanagement. nies so he could “It’s better to publish his own nathanson’s get on the right write-ups.

Roy Dritley ‘16 foot while attending He was ofschool than getting fered a job at in a bad situation later in Ameriprise Investment, life,” Hansen said. then called American ExFormer student investor press Ventures, but he Greg Nathan ’98 now works would have had to work in at First Pacific Investors, a Boston and wanted to work Los Angeles-based invest- in Los Angeles. ment management comNathan chose to work at pany. a small investment firm in “For the last 10 years, Manhattan Beach instead.

I’ve been a senior research “I took that job because analyst,” Nathan said. “Ba- despite being paid less than sically what that means is half of what I would have I identify businesses I think made at Ameriprise, I was would be good to invest in, confident I would learn and I come up with a stock more, and I did,” Nathan price I think is fair.” said. “The rest is history.”

As a student, Nathan Nathan heads the Alumwas a member of the Fi- ni in Finance affinity group, nance and Investment Club. which meets at local resHe and the other club mem- taurants every few months bers discussed investment to discuss investment ideas strategies and looked at cur- and recent business develrent stocks on the market. opments.

“It was interesting be“We get around ten peocause there was a group of ple and meet three times a people like ourselves, people year,” Nathan said. “Each who were interested in busi- person pitches a real, acness as that time,” Nathan tionable investment idea to said. “A lot of us went into the group, and the alumni investing. Some work in real donate. The minimum cost estate investing, some are to come to the dinners is a entrepreneurs, and some do $500 donation for the scholequity management. We all arship fund. That way it’s a kind of knew.” win-win, a win for the school Nathan also researched and a win for the alumni.”

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B9

36.4% Atheist or non-religious

Counting Congregations In a Chronicle poll, 445 students reported what, if any, religion they identify with.

31.2% Christian

26.1% Jewish 2.7% Buddhist 2.5% Hindu 1.1% Muslim

GRAPHIC BY SHARON CHOW SOURCE: CHRONICLE POLL OF 445 STUDENTS

Mocking Religion Some religious students have experienced prejudice or insensitivity in the form of polarizing jokes or broad generalizations.

By Sacha Lin

While the intent of the remarks made in Maynes’ math As she sat in her math class was not to offend her, she class one day, Emily Maynes has also dealt with outright ’15 overheard a girl say that mockery.

Brigham Young University had “Someone used to tease me sent her mail. She said that all the time because he was gay, it was unexpected and that and he just assumed I would be she would never want to go prejudiced toward him because there. Her classmates started my church doesn’t support gay to laugh about what it would marriage, though that doesn’t be like to go to a school where mean we don’t like gay people,” most students are Mormon.

Maynes said.

Maynes, who is Mormon, A Catholic, Penny* ’16 was remembers that one girl called also taunted because of her reit “a really freaky school.” ligion when she was in ninth “It was especially bad be- grade. Her classmates gave cause that’s where I’m going her a derogatory nickname, to school,” Maynes said. “I called her a prude and made hadn’t made the decision when a big deal about not swearing they had said that, but it was when she was around. looking like I was going to go She is no longer religious, there.” though only partly because of The girl apologized when the mockery she faced from she found out that Maynes students. was a Mormon, but she was “I would say it had a role,” laughing at the same time, Penny said. “But to some exMaynes said. tent, I had been in a system Other students have also where I was required to act in noticed insensitivity toward a certain way, and once I came their religious beliefs at school, to Harvard-Westlake, I realwhich may be relatized I could be my ed to the fact that own person.” the percentage of Some students Americans who do said that classmates not identify with a make offensive comreligion is on the ments due to their rise. ignorance and tenWhile 15.8 perdency to think of cent of Americans religion in its most said they were “nothextreme forms. nathanson’s ing in particular” in “Someone told Emily Maynes ’15 2014, the number of me the other day Americans unaffilithat in ninth grade ated with any religion jumped they were scared to talk to from 16.1 percent to 22.8 per- me on the bus because they cent between 2007 and 2014, thought I was a Christian funaccording to a Religious Land- damentalist and that I was goscape Study conducted by Pew ing to bomb them,” Penny said.

Research Center. The numMaynes noticed that stubers were slightly higher than dents often made false asthe national average in the Los sumptions about her because Angeles metropolitan area, she is Mormon. They thought where 25 percent of the popu- of her as a “goody two-shoes” lation was unaffiliated and 16 and a polygamist. percent was “nothing in par“A lot of people just don’t ticular” in 2014. know,” Maynes said. “They In a Chronicle poll of 445 are ignorant of what we bestudents, 63 percent said they lieve. They see crazy things on identified with a religion. the news that say we are cult

worshippers and have multiple wives. That is not my religion.

That is a completely different religion. They are a cult, they are crazy, but I am not one of them. I have one mom at home. If my dad brought home another one, I would leave.”

Maynes finds it difficult to stand up for herself when students tease her because they often defend themselves by saying that it was only a joke.

“They don’t realize how alienating it can be when you have 10 people making jokes or stereotyping you,” Maynes said. “They don’t realize that it adds up.”

Lenny* ’16, a Protestant Christian who goes to a Missionary church, thinks that the central problem is that people often make generalizations about Christians as a whole.

“I think a lot of people think of [Christianity] as a religion of blind belief and fanaticism,” Lenny said. “Certain sects of it are, but the large majority is not.”

While the three main branches of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestantism, many different denominations exist.

According to a report on the Pew Research Center website, there are approximately 2.18 billion Christians worldwide and 41,000 denominations.

Students have never said anything directly offensive to Jenny* ’16, a Shia Muslim, but she has heard passing remarks that are insensitive toward people of her faith.

“I remember once last year in one of my classes, we were talking about how all of the major monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam at their core have a lot of similarities that people sometimes do not acknowledge,” Jenny said. “One kid took offense to that remark and said you should not muddy the wa-

ters by saying things like that.”

Despite a nationwide trend The comment was an at- of increasing anti-Semitism tack on Muslims, Jenny said. on college campuses, many She thinks that students students at Harvard-Westlake could benefit from being more think that their classmates are educated about the different more sensitive toward Jews aspects of each religion be- than they are toward people of cause the majority of Muslims other faiths. are not extremists.

Jona Yadidi ’16 said that as James Lennon ’15, who a conservative Jew, she occagoes to a Presbyterian church, sionally hears others say that thinks that she is “so Jewstudents are ish” in a way generally very that is meant I think a lot respectful toto tease her, of people think of ward religion. but she is nevThough he acer offended by [Christianity] as a knowledges it. religion of blind belief that students “My Jewish and fanaticism.” are sometimes identity is so misinformed strong that yes, —Lenny* ’16 I am so Jewish about Christianity, they and I’m proud recognize that of that,” Yadidi their views are mistaken over said. time.

Yadidi thinks that students “There are definitely a lot of largely make less potentially misconceptions about Christi- offensive comments about anity, especially because there Jews because of the strong are a lot of people who are Jewish presence on campus.

Christian, and not everyone “I think that because there shares the same views,” Len- are so many people at Harnon said. “Some people view vard-Westlake who are Jewish, religion in general negatively students are aware of Jewish because of some of the violence customs and rituals,” Yadidi that is going on in the world said. and the extremist groups. But For some students, insenI think for the most part, peo- sitive comments about religion ple who know people of faith, it can actually be the cause for kind of breaks down the nega- them to strengthen their faith. tive stigma associated with it.”

“Sometimes it’s hard when In general, Lennon has people make intolerant renever faced any uncomfortable marks about the ignorance of situations in a classroom set- Christians, but at the same ting. However, he does notice time, I feel like that has acthat some teachers are more tually helped me,” said Talia hostile toward religion than Ratnavale ’17, a non-denomiothers, though never openly. national Protestant Christian.

“When it comes to biology, “Growing up in such a culture, I personally agree with evolu- I have been able to rationally tion, but I feel like some teach- come to the decision to beers are more contemptuous of come a Christian on my own.” creationism,” Lennon said. “I But that is not to say that don’t personally see the con- students condone such behavcept of species evolving over ior. time as something that inher“It helps you discover more ently conflicts with Christi- about yourself, but bullying is anity, but I feel that it’s often bullying,” Penny said. presented in a way that’s dismissive of religion.” *Names have been changed.

“

Arts&Entertainment The Chronicle • May 27, 2015

Rwanda documentary wins at film festival

By Nick Settelmayer

Mike Mapes ’16 won best documentary at the International Youth Film Festival for his film, “I Am Kizito,” about a young Rwandan man named Kizito.

In January 2014, Mapes visited Rwanda on a HarvardWestlake trip and met a man named Kizito, who told Mapes his story. Born in Rwanda, Kizito and his family grew up during a time of genocide, witnessing the confrontations of the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, and ultimately the mass killings of the Hutu tribe in 1994.

During this genocide, Kizito and his three-year-old brother endured the murder of their father and the rape of their mother. Although Kizito’s mother survived, she contracted AIDS and, later, lung cancer.

Kizito now attends Rwanda Tourism University College and is able to pay for his mother’s health insurance.

Upon Mapes’ departure from Rwanda, Kizito requested for him “to tell people what [he] saw [in Rwanda], and to share his story with [Mapes’] family and friends.”

Two student films win at South Bay Film Festival

By Layla Moghavem Two student films on genocide and domestic violence, “Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes” and “The Monster Within,” won awards at the South Bay Film Festival, which took place at Mira Costa High School May 15.

“The Monster Within” won “Best Animation” at the festival. It was made by Dora Schoenberg ’16, Angela Chon ’16, George Khabbaz and Jordan Seibel as part of last summer’s Harvard-Westlake Summer Film program in conjunction with A Window Between Worlds, a nonprofit domestic violence organization. The film warns viewers not to “feed the monster within,” ending domestic violence.

“Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes” was awarded “Best Nonfiction Film.” It was made by students in a Righteous Conversations Project and Harvard-Westlake Summer Film program last summer.

The film tells the story of Holocaust survivor Curt Lowens’ escape and resistance during World War II. Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke said she was happy with the results of the festival.

“I’m always very proud of our work,” Gaulke said. “I think we do good work that’s about issues that are important, like domestic violence, genocide, rape and the Holocaust — that’s what I’m most proud of.”

SACHA LIN/CHRONICLE

SPRING SING: Cate Wolfen ’17, Karin Rhynes ’15 and Kelly Morrison’16, from left to right, sing in the finale of the upper school Spring Choral Concert rehearsal in Rugby Theatre, top. Rhynes, bottom left, sings a solo in “Here’s Where I Stand.” Delilah Napier ’15, bottom right, dances to “Happy.” About 50 singers performed in the concerts, which were May 22 and 23.

Upper school choirs sing popular hits

By Griffin Richter

About 50 singers in the Upper School choruses performed on May 22 and 23 for their Spring Choral Concert, with the theme “It’s a Grand Night for Singing.”

The Wolverine Chorus, Chamber Singers and the Bel

Canto choirs performed.

Michelle Spears was choreographer of the concert, and Rodger Guerrero conducted.

The senior singers sang “I Was Here” as a salute to their time here at Harvard-Westlake.

“This concert was so diverse in its music, and it was

very enjoyable for both the audience and the performers,” Jillian Sanders ’17 said.

The concert featured classical songs for the first half of the performance and modern cabaret-style songs in the second half.

The singers were first dressed in traditional choir at-

tire but later changed into Tshirts.

“There was something for everyone, which gave me a chance to connect with the audience on any given song,” Sanders said. “So I think it made it a lot more fun and special, given that it was our last concert of the year.”

Student Film Festival to honor 10 films, PSAs

By Emily Rahhal

Ten student films will receive awards at the Los Angeles Student Film Festival May 30.

Students from several Los Angeles schools created these films during a Harvard-Westlake summer program.

Honored filmmakers will

walk the red carpet and attend an awards ceremony at El Portal Theatre before their films are screened.

The films in which Harvard-Westlake students participated are the following: “Children of the Genocide,”

by Nina Milligan ’16; “Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words,” by Noah

Bennett ’15 and Max Cho ’15; “Emergency Stop,” by Becca Frischling ’19, Jess Grody ’19, and Nina Juarez ’16; “Trauma You Don’t See,” by Su Jin Nam ’16, Will Park ’17, and Erin Lee ’18; “Triforce of Desire,” by Lauralee Harper ’16; “The Monster Within,”

by Angela Chon ’16 and Dora Schoenberg ’15; “It Shouldn’t

Be This Easy,” by Connor Reese ’17 and Cameron Stine ’17; “Mask,” by Katie Speaker ’16; and “An Irishman Foresees His Death,” by Javier Arango ’16.

The festival is organized

by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian in association with New Filmmakers Los Angeles.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Features B11

Gaulke postpones screening of Cuba multimedia projects

By Danielle Kaye

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ANYA ANDREWS

Students bring to life ‘The Glass Menagerie’

DEEP IN THOUGHT: Atticus Rego ’17 performs in “The Glass Menagerie,” a play by Tennessee Williams. The play was presented by Actor and the Stage classes May 18, and admission was free. The production lasted for about two hours, and refreshments were served.

said. “I’m really getting excited about the progress students have Student-made digital story- been making.” telling projects from the semesThe projects, which include ter-break Cuba trip will screen films, photos and blogs, address June 8 instead of the original topics ranging from Cuban basedate of May 20 in Ahmanson ball to Cuba’s relations with the Lecture Hall at 7 p.m.

United States.

The date of the Trip participant screening was postSophia Dienstag ’17 poned in order to give said she thinks that students more time to postponing the screenedit their work. ing is a good decision, Visual Arts Departas students would othment Head and trip erwise be unprepared. chaperone Cheri Gaul“[Making the projke said that the stuects] takes a lot of work nathanson’s dents were not ready and a lot of time,” Diby the May 20 deadline. enstag said. “I think Cheri Gaulke “Of course we want fitting that in with all our students to show their best of our schoolwork proved a little work and be successful,” Gaulke challenging.”

Advanced Performance Studies to perform 100-character production ‘Under Milk Wood’ with 13 actors, 1 prop

By Liz Yount

other than one stool.

“This is first time I have done Advanced Performance [‘Under Milk Wood’] where all Studies will present Dylan actors are on stage the whole Thomas’ “Under Milk time,” Walch said. “No Wood” in the Drama one leaves the stage, Lab May 31 at 4 p.m. and this is the first Performing arts time where I’ve done it teacher Ted Walch will where I have girls play direct the play, and no some boys’ roles and tickets are required. boys play some girls’ “Under Milk Wood” roles.” was originally an There are 100 80-minute radio dracharacters in the play, ma. However, Walch and Walch hopes that nathanson’s said that the class having the actors each Noah spent all semester replay multiple roles will Bennett ’15 hearsing a fully-staged provide them with a version. variety of material.

Walch has directed this play “It’s such a delicious mix of nearly 30 times. He said that humor, poignancy and some of there will be no props or scenery the most amazingly rich poetic

language you’re likely ever to break the fourth wall. find, and I want these actors to “I’m very excited because get their mouths around these this is kind of our master class delicious words and really make performance,” Bennett said. them soar,” Walch said.

“The material we are “It’s a very demanding working with is very text. This is truly AP complicated. We’ve all theatre. This is not for been working together weaklings.” for many years, so this Although he is sad is a great way for us to that this will be the go out.” senior’s last school The cast is Sabriperformance together, na Batchler ’15, Noah Walch said that he Bennett ’15, Covi Branwishes them the best nan ’15, Brianna Coonathanson’s in the future. per ’15, Will Hariton Ted Walch Noah Bennett ’15 ’15, Teddy Leinbach also said that he is looking for- ’15, Kristen Lynem-Wilson ’15, ward to the show.

Delilah Napier ’15, Claire NordBennett said he is excited for strom ’15, Julia Safir ’15, Oliver the cast to address the audience Sanderson ’15, Cameron Victor directly with the narration, or ’15 and Autumn Witz ’15.

Student self-portrait to be displayed in Capitol Rotunda

By Tiffany Kim Samantha Ho ’16 won an award for her “Self-Portrait after Seurat,” which will be displayed in the Capitol Rotunda in June. Ho will be flown to a reception June 24 in Washington, D.C. “Probably hundreds of thousands of people go through [the Capitol Rotunda] and will see it,” upper school art teacher Marianne Hall said. “It’s a really big deal.”

Ho’s submission was a pastel self-portrait.

The piece was an art assign-

ment she had done during her Ho developed the background sophomore year for Drawing and over the summer and finished Painting I. the requirements of the The background of piece by the time it was the work is “The Cirdue. cus” by Seurat.

“I didn’t think to “I picked [Seurat] enter [my art],” Ho because it looked difsaid. “I didn’t even ficult and I wanted a know the competition challenge,” Ho said. existed until Ms. Hall “I don’t like picking told me.” boring things to do. I Hall thought that nathanson’s wanted something difHo should enter the Samantha ficult. It’s boring if it’s contest to get her work Ho ’16 easy.” out in public.

Ho worked on the Hall described piece over the course of a month. many of the artworks that Ho

considered entering as political and critical of present conditions.

For one cubism art assignment, Ho’s piece included a person with an anguished face in Chinatown at night.

In Chinese script at the top, the work says, “The American Dream is dead.” “[With all of Ho’s work], she’s never content to do it the ordinary way,” Hall said. “She will take the most difficult route. If I say, ‘I don’t think you should do it that way. It will take too much time,’ there she goes and she gets them all done.”

Seniors put on solo show night

By Aleksei Aguero Seniors in Wolverine Chorus, Bel Canto, Chamber Singers and Jazz Singers performed at the annual Senior Solo Night in Saint Saviour’s Chapel on May 26.

Seniors performed solos, duets and group numbers. They selected their own songs, and many sang songs that they thought best captured their time in high school.

Summer video program to launch music workshop

By Lauren Kim A new pilot program will be added to the Righteous Conversations Project focusing on World War II-era music, folk song traditions and 21st century composing.

Participants in the Righteous Conversations Music Composition Workshop are required to have music composition experience and will compose for Righteous Conversations films and public service announcements.

“The idea just popped into our heads that it would be really wonderful if students could compose music instead of using [free music programs],” Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke said.

B12 Features

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

Two-Faced

With the rising popularity of editing photos for posting on social media, an app called Facetune makes this process easier.

By Haley Finkelstein Gigi* ’15 punches in her iTunes password, charging $3.99 to her father’s credit card so that she can use and abuse the new app which everyone is talking about – Facetune, which is like Auto-tune for your face.

The App Store describes Facetune as an opportunity “to look your Hollywood best” in photos taken on a mobile phone.

The app allows users to alter their bodies, whether it’s digitally slimming their thighs, shrinking their noses or blurring their blemishes.

“I would make myself skinnier, [narrow] the sides of my legs,” Gigi said. “I would smooth my skin if I had a pimple or two. I used to edit my nose before I got it done.

I used to edit my jaw line sometimes, and I would definitely [narrow] my hips because I always felt insecure about them.”

Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Kavita Ajmere disapproves of apps like Facetune and says that they can distort a student’s perspective.

“They are so hyper-focused on what they’re going to look like, but they forget about the part two of that conversation, the ‘what if these people actually see me in person,’” Ajmere said. “I don’t like that. I don’t think they’re thinking about the reality of it.”

In 2011, the American Medical Association enacted a new policy to encourage advertising organizations to work with companies and experts concerned with child and adolescent health to develop guidelines for their ads. The AMA hoped that children viewing these ads would be less inclined to edit their own photos if what they saw on television or magazines was not edited as well.

Mikayla* 15 alters photos via Facetune to follow the example that has been set by celebrities.

She says that when she logs into her Instagram account and sees celebrities looking stick-thin and airbrushed, she can’t help but feel she needs to do the same.

“I’m not embarrassed,” Mikayla said. “I know that every other girl does it too. I feel like given the pressures of society and the press, everything is airbrushed for celebrities.”

John* ’15 is aware of the Facetune phenomenon going on among young girls and says that the same issue goes on among boys as well.

Some boys will make their arms bigger in hopes of feeling more masculine or impressing girls, John said. Some smooth their skin if they have acne.

John personally does not use Facetune or any other Photoshopinspired app.

“Sometimes I post pictures because I know girls will think it’s

hot,” John said. “Sometimes if you have something to show off, you just want to show it off on Instagram.”

Gigi is often motivated to impress boys and get positive feedback from this.

“I knew boys were looking,” Gigi said. “It was like a sick high.

I thought it was such a big deal if they ‘liked’ my photo, that maybe they liked me, but truly they just pressed a button.”

Both Gigi and Mikayla have suffered from anorexia nervosa disorder and believe that Facetune and other self-editing apps have exacerbated their eating disorders. The less they ate, the less the reason they had to edit their pictures.

“One of my main goals was always so that I wouldn’t have to edit myself in pictures, and that’s part of what sparked my eating disorder,” Gigi said, adding that she no longer uses Facetune because she reached her ideal body weight.

Mikayla takes pride in not needing to open up her Facetune app for a bathing suit photo.

“On a recent vacation, I was so proud of myself that I didn’t need to thin myself on Facetune in a picture of me in a bikini,” Mikayla said.

For some, it can be obvious to tell whether or not a picture has undergone alteration through an app. Sometimes a wall

is bent behind the person, meaning they moved in a leg or arm, or sometimes a mole is removed that everyone knows is their signature birth mark.

“Sometimes you see a girl at school, then you see an Instagram of her, and you’re like ‘Hmm she doesn’t really look like that,’” John said. “I’ve also seen girls try to edit stuff, but in the background you can tell the wall is bent or curved, which makes it kind of obvious. I get it, though. Guys and girls put so much pressure on girls to look good or be a certain way.”

Although some students who edit their photos are embarrassed about doing so, they say they feel compelled to maintain a public image.

“Since social media is so big right now, it’s all about how you represent yourself and put yourself out there, so obviously I wanted to make myself look the best way possible, even if it was fake,” Gigi said, blushing.

Ajmere said that in the long run, apps like Facetune aren’t worth it.

“It’s a very superficial thing, and it’s not sustaining,” Ajmere said. “How many pictures are you going to post of yourself that is this illusion? It forces some sort of fantasy world. Fantasies are bad.

They are not reality.” *Names have been changed

Sports The Chronicle • May 27, 2015

Lacrosse head coach to depart

By Cole Jacobson

TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

POUND THE ZONE: Gabe Golob ’16 throws a curveball in the baseball team’s April 17 4-3 home victory over Loyola. Though they came in fourth in league behind the Notre Dame Knights, the Loyola Cubs and the Alemany Warriors, the Wolverines are the only Mission League team left in the playoffs. They beat Mater Dei in a wild card game and then beat Vista Murrieta in the first round of the playoffs.

Wolverines only Mission League team left standing before 2nd round of CIF Playoffs

By Mila Barzdukas

wasn’t anything new to us, nor was it intimidating. The group The first round of playoff of guys we have is so tough I baseball proved to be surpris- would have been comfortable ing for the Mission League. with anyone going up to the League champion Notre Dame plate that inning. On my home was blown out of the water run the pitcher just left the

by Saugus 10-0. Runner up ball over the plate, and I was Loyola was stunned by Va- able to put a good swing on it.” lencia 1-0. Alemany, the third Despite numerous chances seed from the Mission League, on both sides to score in the fell to Hart 3-0. next few innings, no runs were That left just Harvard- recorded until the top of the Westlake — a wild card pick tenth inning when third basethat had fought off Mater Dei man Cameron Deere ’16 hit a just two days earlier — to prove double. Suddleson hit a double their worth to get Deere to in playoffs dethird base and spite splitting designated hitWe know that their league ter Leo Kaplan series with ’16 hit the team’s we are good enough to the Knights, third double in a beat any team in this Cubs and row and brought Warriors. the score up to division as long as we And prove 5-3. Kaplan then go out and just play their worth stole home, makhard-nosed, Wolverine they did. ing the score 6-3.

Trailing The game baseball.”

2-3 to Vista was a big upset Murrieta in —Jake Suddleson ’16 in CIF Southern the bottom of baseball.

Center fielder Section the seventh Vista Murrieta inning with was the top seed two outs, center fielder Jake out of the Southwestern league Suddleson ’16 hit a home run and had home field advantage. to tie up the game.

The win was one of three up“Winning the seventh in- sets in the 16 games that were ning on the road is something played that day. we preach and something we To top it all off, the Wolpractice a bunch,” Suddleson verines were a wild card pick said. “Being in that situation and therefore had already

“

played on Tuesday with their come by just one run each usual starting pitchers Deere game. and Gabe Golob ’16.

However, though they won Other starting pitcher Paul the championship at Dodger Giacomazzi ’16 started on the Stadium two years ago under mound Thursday and had a the leadership of pitcher Jack solid performance.

Flaherty ’14 and catcher ArAfter Vista Murrieta den Pabst ’13, this year’s final scored two runs in the first will take place in San Berinning, Giacomazzi kept the nardino at San Manuel StaBroncos scoreless for dium, home of the the next five and two Inland Empire 66ers, thirds innings. Howa Minor League affiliever, he was pulled in ate of the Los Angeles the sixth inning with Angels of Anaheim. two outs and runners “At this point on second and third everyone you play base, and Ben Geiger is going to be good, ’17 was brought in to and we know that,” close the game.

Suddleson said. “We “At the end of the have had the same nathanson’s day, we put ourselves expectation from day Ben Geiger ’14 in the spot we are one, and that is to in,” Suddleson said. “We know win it all. We know we can and that we are good enough to we are doing all we can to get beat any team in this division there. We do our best to tune as long as we go out and just out whatever people are saying play hard-nosed, Wolverine about us.” baseball. Any win is satisfying The Wolverines played El at this point in the year, and Dorado Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. right now we are just taking in the second round of playit game-by-game and put all offs. The Crestview League of our focus on our next op- champions cruised through ponent.” the first round, beating Tustin Despite a low playoff seed, 6-0. the Wolverines are still toutResults were unavailed as a team that could make able as of press time, but the their way to the CIF Division game was live tweeted by I final June 6. They sport a @hw_chronicle, and an upflawless non-league record and date on the game can be read all of their league losses have at hwchronicle.com.

After a three-year stint headlined by a U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section Northern Division championship, a Mission League title and an impressive total of six playoff wins, varsity lacrosse head coach Alex Weber has announced to his players that he will be stepping down from his position at the conclusion of the 2014-15 school year.

“Weber has taught us so much as individuals,” said defender Andrew Park ’15, who finished second on the 2015 team with 81 ground balls.

“When Weber first started, quite frankly we just weren’t as good. He turned us around and set an expectation and standard for being a great lacrosse program. We all love Webs, and we’ll miss him.”

Weber compiled a 39-17 overall record in three seasons at the helm. However, while Weber enjoyed his time as the head coach, he cited the spread of lacrosse’s popularity and his entertainment career as primary reasons for his departure. Weber missed three games during the 2015 season due to acting roles, but the team was still able to go 3-0 under the control of assistant coach Peter Swander.

“Harvard-Westlake lacrosse is at a very unique threshold,” Weber said. “It’s time for us to put a flag into the ground and really solidify ourselves as an elite program, and that would take a full, undiluted effort from someone to lead that. I have other pursuits, so rather than possibly be uncommitted — honestly it breaks my heart — but I think it’s the right move to allow someone to come in and be that fully committed person.”

Weber came to HarvardWestlake in 2011 as an assistant, always planning to focus more on his comedy career than his coaching one. Weber is best known for a recurring • Continued on page C4

INSIDE C4

SLAM IT: Parker Chusid ’15 and the Wolverine tennis team fell in the Division I CIF Final to Los Alamitos with a score of 14-4.

Chusid and doubles partner Jed Kronenberg ’17 had a 1-2 record in the match.

C2 Sports

The Chronicle

Facts &

May 27, 2015

Lacrosse

Figures

5

Years since a Wolverine had broken 22 seconds in a 200-meter race before Alex Barnum '16 did it on May 7

Players in school history with more hits than Ezra Steinberg '15

11.99 Number of defeats in singles play for Michael Genender '15 during his entire senior season

0

School record 100-meter time for Shea Copeland '15.

1

COLE JACOBSON/CHRONICLE

Game to watch MAY 29

Track and Field at CIF-SS Masters' Meet Cerritos College

Three Wolverines are still alive for the girls' track and field team, as Courtney Corrin '16 (long jump, 300-meter hurdles), Alex Florent '15 (high jump) and Imani CookGist '15 (pole vault) will be competing against the best in the Southern Section. By finishing in the top five of their respective events, they can clinch spots in the State Meet the following week.

KEY PLAYER

Courtney Corrin '16 Corrin is the only Wolverine to compete in multiple events at the Masters, as her performances will be crucial in the girls' team standings. Corrin's mark of 20'11'' in the long jump May 23 was the best high school girls' mark in the nation during 2015.

Junior Varsity Boys' Baseball (16-7-2) Last Game:

T (9-9) vs. Chaminade

Boys' Lacrosse (8-10) Last Game: W (8-7) at Palisades

Girls' Swim (3-4) Last Meet: L (108-30) at FSHA

Girls’ Track (3-2) Last Meet: W (82-6) vs. Alemany

PUSH THE TEMPO: Drew Corlin '15, top left, carries the ball down the field, and Phillip Thompson '16, top right, shoots in a 16-11 playoff loss to Westlake May 7. Thompson, bottom, runs to score in a 26-6 over Chaminade April 14, in which he scored a school record 10 goals.

Squad falls in quarters for 2nd straight year

By Cole Jacobson

that we can run with the best.”

Two days later, the It had been two years Wolverines traveled to Loyola and three days since then- in a rivalry matchup between sophomore Roman Holthouse the league’s top two teams ’15 scored an overtime goal but weren’t quite able to get to stun Westlake 11-10 in a redemption for their 16-10 2013 US Lacrosse Northern loss on March 10. HarvardDivision semifinal showdown.

Westlake roared back from an In the teams’ first early 6-2 deficit to tie the game matchup since then on May in the fourth quarter, led by six 7, the Warriors wasted no goals from Tommy Park ’18, time getting but fell to the revenge.

Cubs in a 15-14 Despite heartbreaker.

A loss is always a f inishing “We started the game on off the game a loss, but there's always a 6-0 run, slow and some confidence to gain little the varsity lackadaisical,” by knowing that we can Andrew Park lacrosse team was unable said. “If you’re run with the best.” to make up a playing a good massive deficit —Andrew Park ’15 team, you can’t on No. 5 seed get away with Westlake. The playing three Wolverines fell to the Warriors quarters.”

16-11 to exit the playoffs in the Despite the loss, the divisional quarterfinals for the game represented a breakout second straight year. Harvard- performance from the younger Westlake finished the season Park. After suffering a severe with an 11-8 overall record ankle injury on his first carry and a 5-3 mark in Mission of his football season, he had League play. missed the final nine games “The season was a little bit of football in addition to the disappointing, since we didn’t first six games of the lacrosse win the Mission League or go season, and Andrew Park that far in the playoffs,” said expressed fraternal pride Kenyon College commit Joe when seeing his younger Woody ’15. “Still, we did pretty brother dominate. well. Going 11-8 against some “I’m really proud of how tough teams isn’t that bad.” he played,” Andrew Park said.

After clinching second “He stepped up and killed it place in the Mission League, for us that game. I feel like Harvard-Westlake entered a he’d downplay the severity of huge Senior Night matchup his injury, but his ankle was with then-undefeated Corona pretty much out of his foot, Del Mar. The Wolverines were and we feared that he might dominated in transition in the lose his leg. When we got to second quarter and trailed Loyola, their athletic trainer 12-1 going into the halftime who had treated him at the break, but the squad battled football game was surprised back to end the game on a 4-0 that he was even able to run run and bring the final score to by that point, let alone play a respectable 15-8. Holthouse, lacrosse, so I’m just so proud who led the team with 61 goals of the way he battled back.” on the season, had three goals After being rewarded in the final period. for their tough strength of “A loss is always a loss,” schedule with the No. 4 seed said Andrew Park ’15, second in the playoff bracket, the on the team with 81 ground Wolverines got a familiar draw balls, “but there’s always in No. 13 seed Chaminade confidence to gain by knowing after sweeping the Eagles

“

during the regular season. The Westlake back into the game. playoff matchup wasn’t quite In addition to absolutely as comfortable as the previous dominating the face-off circle meeting — a 26-6 win which set (winning 25 of 31 attempts the school's record for margin throughout the entire game), of victory — as the Wolverines Thompson scored three goals only led 1-0 after the first and had two assists to Tommy quarter. However, hat tricks in the final seven minutes. from Holthouse and Oliver “This team will always fight Levitt ’15 combined with a till the final whistle no matter very strong performance from what, and that was why we goalie Troy Hattler ’17 carried were able to make it a game in the squad to a 12-4 win. the fourth quarter,” Thompson “There were a lot of things said. “When Roman went going on to distract us,” down, I knew that somebody Woody said. “We expected to had to step up.” beat Chaminade because we Unfortunately, despite had never lost to them in our Thompson’s efforts, the clock careers, and then we also had simply ran out on Harvardthe new uniforms, so there Westlake’s miracle. were just a lot of distractions.”

“I’m really proud of the way Finally, after a full year of we fought back, because for us, waiting, the team returned during the entire season, we to the Northern Division were just out there playing quarterfinals. Despite its No. lacrosse,” Andrew Park said.

5 seed, Westlake entered the “The scoreboard didn’t matter, game with a strong 15-1 overall who we played didn’t matter, record, but the Wolverines we were just playing a sport may have been caught looking that we loved and having a ahead to a rematch against No. good time. Even when we were 1 seed Palos Verdes potentially down, probably going to lose in waiting in the next round. our last game, it didn’t really Westlake jumped out to a matter, because we played 6-0 lead after one quarter. with the same intensity.”

“They definitely came out Seven seniors will be hot, and I think we kind of departing, but there will still lost our ‘one game be plenty of young at a time’ approach,” talent returning in Woody said.

2016. In total, five of “We just didn’t 10 starters will come follow the game plan, back next season: and a team like that Hattler, defenders is too disciplined Niko Econn ’17 and and has too much Shane Houska ’17, firepower to not Thompson and the make us pay,” added younger Park.

Head Coach Alex Furthermore, five nathanson’s Weber. “Our hearts more freshmen suited Roman Holtwere there and our up on varsity at some house ’15 effort was there, but point this season, our minds were just not fully as Paul Rodriguez ’18, Jared in the right place.”

Goldman ’18, Lex Torrington However, even in the ’18, Simon Pompan ’18 and face of near-certain defeat, Nick Tatham ’18 joined Tommy the Wolverines wouldn’t go Park as freshmen players to down without making things get varsity experience. interesting. Holthouse missed “We have a lot of proven the fourth quarter with a talent on our roster,” knee injury, and the team was Thompson said. “If we work down 16-5 with 10 minutes hard in the offseason, I truly remaining, but Thompson think that we can win a CIF stepped up to lead Harvard- championship next year.”

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports C3

inbrief

Alumnus tries out for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ED HU

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: Kenneth Lee ’19 dodges a ball thrown by Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish. The video features Wimbish dodging the same ball immediately before the play. This clip was featured on ESPN SportsCenter and USA Today High School Sports.

Dodgeball play featured on ESPN, USA Today

By Bryant Wu

A highlight of a middle school dodgeball match was featured on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 Plays on May 8. This clip was ranked first for that night’s broadcast.

The highlight featured Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish as he performed a vertical leg-splitting leap to avoid a dodgeball, and threw his own dodgeball at middle school student Kenneth Lee ‘19. Lee in turn avoided the

throw by performing his own vertical leg-splitting leap over Wimbish’s throw.

The clip, which was filmed

by Head of External Relations Ed Hu, was then tweeted to Harvard-Westlake alumnus Doug Kezirian ‘95, who replied that it would be broadcast on that night’s Top 10 Plays.

“It was a real thrill. I never thought that I'd be on SportsCenter, but it was especially surprising that I was there playing dodgeball and even more so for a move

that required flexibility,” Wimbish said. “I'm very lucky that I didn't hurt myself.

More than any of that, however, I was so happy that Harvard-Westlake Dodgeball as a phenomenon was getting some publicity. It captivates the middle school for the entire second semester, and I'm glad that a little of the sense of what Assistant Head of Middle School Paul Mastin has built over the years was afforded the spotlight by the outside world.”

Watch the play: Scan this QR code on a smart phone or tablet

Daily News lists 3 in 50 most powerful

Track & Field

Three members of squad qualify for CIF Masters • Continued from page A1

took the championship title in her fourth and final attempt.

She is now three for three, winning the individual title in all three years of her high school eligibility.

Florent also won the individual CIF title for the second year in a row for her performance in the high jump.

Though she wasn’t able to match her school record jump of five feet 10 inches, she still handily won the championship, jumping five feet seven inches.

“Even though I didn’t match the school record, my season isn’t over yet, and I believe wholeheartedly that I’ll clear above five feet 10 inches this year,” Florent said.

“I think I’ve definitely had better performances, but five feet seven inches was enough to get me to the next meet, which is one step closer to state, and in the end, that’s all that matters.”

“The Masters meet is more of a qualifier meet for me,” Florent said. “If you jump the hard mark of five feet five inches, then you automatically move on to state, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Corrin and Florent are both expected to easily qualify for state finals, as the CIF Masters automatic cutoffs, known as hard marks, for the long jump and for high jump are 18 feet three inches and five feet five inches, respectively.

These are both jumps far below Corrin’s and Florent’s normal performances.

The Wolverines also won the 4x100-meter relay and the CIF title with a season best time of 47.66 seconds.

Corrin, Copeland, Cook-Gist and Ariana Miles ’18 ran the relay and beat out the Monrovia Wildcats by .08 seconds. Injured March 12 in the Chaminade track meet, Cook-Gist ran 100 meters competitively for the first time

in two months Saturday.

“It was so nice to run the 100 again,” Cook-Gist said. “I haven’t run like that since last year, and even though I wasn’t as much in sprint shape as I would have liked, I’m glad I got to have one more go at it before college.”

Though Cook-Gist and her relay team didn’t qualify for CIF Masters, she did qualify individually through her performance in the pole vault.

Earlier this season, Cook-Gist broke the school record and her own personal record by jumping 10 feet six inches. “[Setting a new personal record] honestly felt amazing,” Cook-Gist said. “I had a pretty nasty cold, so I wasn’t really sure how it was gonna go, and my plant had been pretty off in practice, but clearing 11 [feet] gave me confidence, which helped me clear the next bar.

It was pretty fun.”

At the finals, she twice beat her own record and the school record by first jumping 11 feet and then jumping 11 feet six inches, narrowly qualifying for the Masters meet. She placed third in the individual pole vault title race. She was unable to keep up with two of Santa Margarita’s jumpers, who both cleared the 12 feet marks.

Cook-Gist also placed fifth in the 400-meter sprint, running in 58.54 seconds, but the Eagles beat her again, taking third place and the lead between the Wolverines and the Eagles.

Losing 44-40 after 10 events, the only events that the Wolverines had left to compete in were the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter sprints, as well as the 300-meter hurdles.

Copeland ran 100 meters in 12.02 seconds to take second place in that event, but the Eagles maintained their lead by a point as they took fourth place in the race. She narrowly

missed the school record that she set earlier this season of 11.99 seconds.

She also broke the school record in the 200-meter sprint, running a wind-aided 24.47 seconds and taking third.

“It feels awesome to have broken another record,” Copeland said. “It’s always such a good feeling when your hard work pays off, so it was really exciting. It was also my last race of my high school career, which made it even more special.”

In an attempt to steal a few more points for the Wolverines, alternate London Alexander ’18 ran the 800-meter, but she didn’t have much warm-up time and only took ninth place.

Corrin ran a lifetime best race in the 300-meter hurdles sprint, winning the race and the individual CIF title in 42.81 seconds and setting a new school record. Putting the Wolverines above the Eagles 64-59, Corrin’s event was the last race in which the Wolverines competed because the girls didn’t even race in the 400 relay at the Mission League Finals.

They would have competed, but two of the normal runners as well as one of the alternates left the meet earlier to get ready for prom. This was a fatal absence, as the topseeded Eagles won the relay and beat the Wolverines by five points to take the team CIF title.

“The past four years have been absolutely amazing,” Florent said. “Being able to spend the season with such amazing talents and team members has made the whole experience breathtaking, and I can’t believe it’s coming to an end.”

Alex Barnum ’16 was the only male Wolverine to compete.

“This was a great year for me, especially based off of

Alumnus Will Oliver ’11 signed a tryout contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to participate in the team's mini-camp May 9 and May 10.

The Buccaneers organization hosted this camp to observe 27 unsigned prospects.

Oliver was the Wolverine football team’s kicker while also playing lacrosse and boys’ soccer. In his senior season, he kicked 33 touchbacks in 10 games while also making six field goals.

Oliver graduated May 9 from the University of Colorado Boulder. He was the Buffalos’ place kicker and finished his college football career second in school history in both scoring and kick scoring and first in both extra points made and attempted.

— Jonathan Seymour

COLE JACOBSON/CHRONICLE

INTENSITY: Shea Copeland '15 runs in the 100 meters CIFSS Division III finals May 23, where she came in second place. my ending times last year,” Barnum said. “It sets me up to have another unbelievable season next year and hopefully make it to state.”

He ran a wind-aided 21.85 second 200-meter sprint, which was only one quarter of a second shy the school-record set by Matthew Bedford ’10 in 2010. However, even with a sub-22-second time, he placed eighth in the 200-meter.

“It was the toughest heat out of all the 200s with everyone having sub-22 second times,” Barnum said.

Adam Knapp-Wachsner had won the Mission League title in the long jump and had the highest regular season mark in the triple jump, but he hurt his hip while warming up for the triple jump event at the Mission League Finals. Consequently, though he qualified for CIF in the long jump, he was unable to compete.

As a result, only scoring the single point from Barnum’s sprint, the boys’ team placed 48th at the CIF finals.

The Los Angeles Daily News mentioned two parents and an alumnus in the “Top 50 Most Powerful in L.A. Sports” article written April 24. Los Angeles mayor and school alumnus Eric Garcetti ’88 was listed as the 12th most influential person. The mayor is important for the potential addition of a Los Angeles-area football team and is known for being an avid fan of the baseball and basketball teams.

Parent Patrick SoonShiong (Luke Soon-Shiong ’14), was listed at 46 because he is a minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and is “the city’s most prime candidate to purchase a professional sports franchise," according to Clay Fowler of Daily News.

Neal Elattrache (Natalie ’16 and Nicole ’14), was number 48 on the article. He is a sports medicine surgeon and is known for repairing the injuries of Zach Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers.

— William Park

Basketball player transfers to Vermont Joshua Hearlihy ’12, son of girls basketball coach Melissa Hearlihy, is transferring from Tulane to play basketball for the University of Vermont Catamounts.

Hearlihy played an average of eight minutes per game for Tulane last season, scoring 1.5 games per game and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Hearlihy played for the varsity basketball squad and posted 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game in his senior year. He ended the year listed in the Max Preps Top 100 Recruits list last year, as a three-star player.

The Wolverines went 20-10 and ranked 40th in the nation that year.

The Tulane and Vermont basketball teams are both Division I programs. However, Tulane had a 15-16 overall record last year compared to Vermont’s 20-14 record.

— William Park

The Chronicle

C4 Sports

MOVING ON

May 2

Record

39-17 Playoff Record

6-3

After three seasons running the Harvard-Westlake lacrosse program, Head Coach Alex Weber has stepped down, choosing to pursue his acting career and allow someone new to take the team to the next level.

Division Titles

1

COLE JACOBSON/CHRONICLE

• Continued from page C1 role as “Grocery Store Bro” on Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, and he has also appeared on the “BroBible” website.

“I was actually thinking about leaving HarvardWestlake altogether, but they offered me the head position,” Weber said. “My thought was ‘Okay, I’m going to coach and give absolutely everything I have this spring, and then I’m going to be done and move on to the next chapter of my life.’”

With one legendary season, his perspective was entirely changed.

In the spring of 2013, Harvard-Westlake entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, before going on one of the most epic playoff runs in school history.

After dispatching No. 11 seed Peninsula in the first round, the Wolverines defeated the No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1 teams in the bracket to claim Harvard-Westlake’s first divisional title since 2004.

“I tried to stay away, but we won CIF and our players got a whole bunch of awards,” said Weber, who earned Big Red’s 2013 Coach of the Year award.

“It was the most tremendous experience in my whole life, from the kids to the families to the school and everything, so I decided to come back.”

In 2014, the Wolverines had the team fell to No. 5 seed a dominant regular season, Westlake in the quarterfinals. taking an outright league title “I really thought we could and gaining the No. 1 overall get that crown again,” Weber seed for the Northern Division said. “It just did not work out playoffs. for us. We had a trim varsity However, for the first time roster. However you dice it in Weber’s tenure, he was on up, having more people is the wrong side of a playoff a good thing because that upset, as Harvard-Westlake breeds competition, and then fell to No. 8 seed Crespi in the everyone gets better.” quarterfinals.

Despite the W e b e r unfortunate faced his e n d i n g , The vibe has most difficult players were challenges a p p r e c i a tive changed from ‘afterin the most of the changes school spring activity’ to Weber made to recent season, as his team the program. ‘we’re serious lacrosse was hurt by While Weber’s players,’ and that itself is the graduation achievements loads different than the on the field were of former LaxPower Allhistory of lacrosse here.” s t a t i s t i c a l l y Americans undeniable, Jack Temko —Alex Weber the changes he ’14 and Noah made to the Pompan ’14, culture of the the absences of attackmen team were equally praised.

Roman Holthouse ’15, Tommy “Coach Weber established Park ’18 and Paul Rodriguez us as a true powerhouse,” said ’18, and a rigorous schedule Joe Woody '15, who finished that included seven games third on the 2015 team with against top 10 teams in the 25 goals. “He changed the Southern Section. program from an afterUnderstandably, the school activity to a real team team had its worst record in sport that requires serious Weber’s three-year tenure, but dedication. it still finished 11-8, including “When I started playing a second place finish in the here, just making the playoffs Mission League and a fourth was good enough, but Coach overall seed entering the Weber taught us to demand playoffs. In the postseason, more of ourselves.”

“

Boys’ Tennis

Similarly, even though Weber was not satisfied with the results of his final year, he took solace in knowing that he had improved the program from top to bottom.

“When I came to HarvardWestlake [as an assistant], doing well in the playoffs wasn’t really in the breadth of goals,” Weber said. “Our standard now is without a doubt to win the league, but also that we should always be in that championship game.

“The vibe has changed from ‘after-school spring activity’ to ‘we’re serious lacrosse players,’ and that itself is loads different than the history of lacrosse here.”

Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said he understood Weber’s situation, and was appreciative of the coach's fine career.

“Any time a season ends, it’s a matter of what works for the school and what works for the coach,” Barnum said.

“He started in our program in a very difficult position, being the interim coach, but took us all the way to that championship game. He’s done a wonderful job, and we’re all grateful for his work.”

After the team went 3-0 in Swander’s control during Weber’s absences, the assistant seems to be the early favorite to take the job.

“Weber kind of let us do our own thing, but Pete is intense and takes more control,” Woody said. “I think Pete would not only be able to build on Coach Weber's success in establishing our program, but also bring an era of HarvardWestlake dominance.”

“I can’t imagine a better person for the job than Peter,” Weber added. “He’s as passionate as they come."

Barnum did not express a favorite candidate, merely stating that the search process will begin soon.

“Obviously we'd look at the assistants on the staff right now, but we would also look at other people from around Southern California,” Barnum said. “We’re going to cross that bridge when we get to it.”

While Weber hopes to have influence on the selection of the next head coach, he expressed confidence in the direction of the program regardless of who’s in charge.

“Our freshman class is nasty, and we have to tip our caps to the Middle School as well,” Weber said. ““Whoever does lead this, you are certainly not starting from level zero. If we do things right, we could be a national power, and I truly believe that. This place is poised and ready to make the jump, and it’s just time for someone to lead that charge.”

Wolverines fall short in CIF Final

By Henry Vogel

TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

END OF AN ERA: Michael Genender '15 rips a backhand against Los Alamitos in the CIF Finals. He dropped his first set in the second round of the match and had to retire in the third set.

The boys’ tennis team suffered a 14-4 defeat to Los Alamitos in the finals of the CIF-SS Division I Playoffs May 22 at the Claremont Club.

After an extremely close first round, the two teams were tied three wins apiece. From that point onward, however, the Wolverines collapsed, failing to win a single match in the second round.

“I have never witnessed a second-round collapse like that in my career,” Head Coach Chris Simpson told the Los Angeles Daily News.

Multiple HarvardWestlake players were in positions to win their secondround matches, with leads of 5-2, 4-2 and 3-0, but all of them conceded consecutive games in eventual losses.

Stanford recruit and star

singles player Michael set of the season.

Genender ’15 attributed the “He played really well, and losses to pressure and lack of I didn’t,” Genender said. “I preparedness. think [my loss] really changed “We had a much easier draw the momentum of the match.” than Los Alamitos,” Genender In his third match, said. “They had to Genender said his play two really tough shoulder started matches (Peninsula in to bug him, and he the quarterfinals and eventually retired San Marino in the down 5-2 in the set semifinals) to get to once the whole final the finals, so they were was out of reach for more battle-tested than the Wolverines. we were. [The collapse] “It is tough can happen to any in the one-set team, but it’s amazing format when you nathanson’s that it happened in so are playing good Michael many matches with us players,” Genender Genender '15 leading.” said. “Anything can Genender won his first- really happen in one set. In round match 6-4 against the my first loss, all of the games Los Alamitos’ No. 2 singles were close and could have gone player. In the second round, either way, but I ended up however, Genender lost 6-0 losing every close game.” to the No. 1 player for Los Alamitos in his first dropped • Continued on page C7

27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports C5

NEXT LEVEL

Class of 2015 Committed College Athletes Soccer Chloe Castenada UCLA Myles Pindus Hamilton Matthew Gooden Loyola Marymount Tiffany Guerra Loyola Marymount Courtney O’Brien Princeton Brianna Gazmarian Ohio State

Softball Victoria Hunyh

Claremont-McKenna

Baseball Matt Beyer Tom Fuller Chase Aldridge

Brown Yale Harvard

Ezra Steinberg Jackson Grayson

Oregon Emory

Golf Tyler Graham Adrian Berger

Tufts Carnegie-Mellon

Chase Aldridge TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

Boys' Tennis Michael Genender

Stanford

Fencing Justin Yoo

Pennsylvania

Lacrosse Joe Woody

Kenyon

Track and Field Shea Copeland Imani Cook-Gist

Princeton Oberlin

Alex Florent Wake Forest Adam Knapp-Wachsner Colby Ben Weissenbach

Princeton Brooke Reese

Crew Sabrina Zaks Riley Spain Ethan Drapac

BENNETT GROSS/CHRONICLE

Columbia Stanford Santa Clara

Field Hockey Maddie Oswald

Georgetown

Brooke Reese

Yale

Riya Garg

Swarthmore

Water Polo Anthony Ridgley Raphael Raede Johnny Hooper Charlie Oman Sophia Gonzalez

Harvard UCLA California California California

Sophia Gonzalez BENNETT GROSS/CHRONICLE

Swimming John Chu Bryanna Lee

Johns Hopkins Williams

Basketball Alex Copeland

Yale

Teeana Cotangco

Claremont-McKenna

Football Alec Dominick Zeph Williams Hassan Smith

WashU St. Louis Jeremy Tepper Bowdoin Desmond Butler Pennsylvania Garrett Robinson

Pomona Williams Brown

Volleyball Mila Barzdukas Emily Kelkar

Emory Oberlin Garrett Robinson HENRY VOGEL/CHRONICLE

C6 Sports

May 27, 2015

The Chronicle

Boys’ Volleyball

San Clemente eliminates squad from playoff contention

By Jake Liker

HENRY VOGEL/CHRONICLE

YOU’VE BEEN SERVED: Collin Shannon ’17 serves in the third set of the boys’ volleyball team’s match against Crespi April 21, which the Wolverines won in a 3-0 sweep. The squad ended with 7-5 in league play and 18-9-1 overall, in a second round playoff loss.

All eight seniors on the boys’ volleyball team played their final game of their high school careers May 14, when they were eliminated from the playoffs by San Clemente in straight sets.

The Wolverines advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs for the second time in three years after defeating Santa Barbara in the first round.

Head Coach Adam Black said that the game was one of the highlights of the season.

“We obviously wanted our game against San Clemente to go differently ... but overall, the guys did a really good job at learning, improving, getting better, and because of that we were able to beat a really good Santa Barbara team in the first round,” Black said. “We have a really nice upward trajectory throughout the whole season.”

The tightly contested match went to five sets after the Wolverines and Dons won alternating sets, 25-21, 20-25,

25-23 and 19-25.

“I felt a lot of pressure as a starting sophomore to really perform well so that I didn’t let my team down,” Colin Shannon ‘17 said. “In the fifth set we had game point and ... I had an open kill and I missed it. I could really feel the pressure on me, and I really didn’t want to lose it for my team.

Despite failing to close the game in the fourth set, the Wolverines outlasted their opponents in the fifth set through good defense, 19-17.

“That for sure was a moment for us that I think really showed what our hard work and improvement can do,” Black said.

Both Black and Shannon also mentioned that a late season victory over Mission League rival Notre Dame was another high point of the season.

“My favorite moment was when we beat Notre Dame,” Shannon said. “I know a fair amount of kids on that team, and one of our first games of the season was against Notre Dame, and we lost in five (sets). So to come back and

[beat] them in five was really satisfying.”

Now Black says there will be big holes to fill with eight seniors graduating. Among them is Hudson Ling ‘15, who led the team in kills with 172 in Mission League play.

Also off to college is the team leader in blocks, Nico Lubkeman ‘15, who recorded 21 of them in league play.

Shannon, who has been on the varsity team since he was a freshman, finished second on the team in both of those categories.

“I have big shoes to fill,” Shannon said. “I’ll definitely need to step it up. We have some juniors but very few of them play club. The nice thing about this year was all of our starters were club players, but next year it might not be the same.

“So as a club player, I’ll need to step it up, and also I’ll need to step it up as a returning starter ... I think people will look to me as a leadership role even though I’ll be a junior just because I’ll be one of the more experienced players.”

Softball

Team finishes winless in league

By Carina Marx and Juliana Berger The varsity softball team ended its season with a 0-8 league record but is planning to build on skills learned this year for upcoming seasons.

While the young squad faced hard losses throughout the season, players were able to bond during their practices and over their defeats.

Head Coach Claire Rietmann-Grout’s goal for the 2016 season is to take baby steps toward a better record, and she hopes that over the next several years the team will continue to grow.

She is proud of the team’s

attitude and the way players worked hard and came to practice every day.

“My philosophy as a coach is that winning is a byproduct of the things we do together as a team, whether that is working hard on the field, team bonding or community service,” Rietmann-Grout said.

“If we do those three things really well, and we work hard together, that is when we are going to get the wins.”

The squad is currently looking ahead to next season, when the team, which is mostly made up of current sophomores, will be older. It will remain mostly intact due to the loss of only two seniors.

Boys’ Golf

There will also be an increase of players on the field that will help ease the stress on current team members.

“I am excited to get a break from throwing so much and to have other girls to help me out,” pitcher Hailey de la Vara ’17 said.

Training and practice will continue over the summer to ensure that the Wolverines continue to enhance their skills throughout the offseason.

“I think next season we will improve even more,” shortstop Ashley Waco ’18 said. “Now that we have the basics down, we can continue to grow at a faster rate.”

COLE JACOBSON/CHRONICLE

STEALING THIRD: Ashley Waco ‘18 looks to steal third base in Harvard-Westlake’s 1-0 victory over Sierra Canyon April 26. The squad finished the season 2-15-1 and 0-8 in Mission League play.

Two players go to CIF Individuals

By Bennett Gross

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BRANDON KEWALRAMANI

PHOTO FINISH: Brandon Kewalramani ’17 finished in second place in the CIF Southern Section at Mission Lakes Country Club in Palm Springs on May 21. He shot 72 to advance to CIF Regionals.

ed the season on a high note, winning six of their last seven Following a 9-4 regular Mission League matches, with season in Mission League play their only loss coming in a and an 11-4 record overall, three-stroke loss to Loyola at Brandon Kewalramani ’17 is Rancho Park Golf Course. preparing for the CIF “Even though Individual Champiour Mission League onships at Brookside record was pretty Golf Course May 28. good, we should not After shooting have gotten swept a one-over 72 in the

by Loyola and Notre CIF Individual ReDame,” Jeffery Arongionals at Mission son ’15 said.

Lakes Country Club However, this on May 21 to qualify late-season success for the CIF Individdid not carry over to nathanson’s ual Championships, the postseason. In the Trey Fearn ’16 Kewalramani is lookMission League Team ing to avenge last week’s sec- Championships, the Wolverond place finish. ines came in second place beTrey Fearn ’16 was the only hind Loyola. The squad was other Wolverine to participate led by Fearn, who shot a 73 in in the CIF Individual Region- the tournament at Lakewood als, but did not qualify for the Country Club.

CIF Individual Championships In the CIF Central Team after shooting a 13-over 84.

Divisional tournament, HarAs a squad, the team end- vard-Westlake took third

place with a combined score of 378. Berger, who shot even par, led the squad. The team was not able to advance to the next round of CIF for the first time in three seasons.

Although Kewlaramani could still potentially win an individual championship, the golf team is already looking ahead to next year, when they believe they’ll have a good chance to advance far in CIF team sections.

With returnees Kewalramani, Fearn, Daniel Furman ’16, Bray Caverly ’16, Matt Ursin-Smith ’16 and Bryant Wu ’17, the Wolverine golf program has a lot of players with Mission League experience.

“Although we didn’t meet our expectations this season, we definitely developed some solid chemistry,” Aronson said.

“I think that the underclassmen will have a great shot at making a CIF run next year.”

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/sports

Swimming

Sports C7

Individual athletes go far in CIF playoffs, set school records

By Joe Levin and Rian Ratnavale

CAMERON STINE/CHRONICLE

BACK IT UP: Will Burford ’16 swims in the backstroke event during the swim team’s March 12 loss to Notre Dame High School.

“CIF was a great experiMany swimmers attribence since I got to see how uted their team’s success to fast the rest of California was Head Coach Jonathan Carroll, After a regular Mission compared to our own league,” who is leaving his position as League season in which the swimmer Marcus Tse ’17 said. swim coach to become a sevboys’ swimming team went John Chu ’15 finished in enth grade dean.

2-3 and the girls’ 10th place in Carroll has been swimming team the 100-methe head of the swim went 3-2, individuter freestyle program for three als on both teams in the inauyears. went far in the CIF gural State “We are all sad to Southern Section Championsee Carroll leave the Playoffs. The girls ship swim program but support also went 4-3 overmeet May 17 him in his transition,” all, while the boys with a time of swimmer Will Buford finished 3-4.

46.17. ’16 said. “He has been Both the boys We s l e y a charismatic, motinathanson’s nathanson’s and girls’ teams finChang ’17 and Marcus Tse ’17 Will Burford ’16 vating and encourished 17th overall Claudia Wong aging coach who inin the CIF Southern Section ’17 also competed in the state spired everyone to perform at Playoffs. The girls’ 400-me- meet. his or her best.” ter freestyle relay team set a Wong finished in 15th place “The program will not be new school record with a time in the girls’ 100-meter free- the same without him, but we of 3:33.52, and Alec Hsing ’16 style race, and Chang finished are excited for next year and finished third overall in the in 22nd place in the 100-meter hope to improve on this sea100-meter breaststroke final. breaststroke. son’s accomplishment.”

Wolverines fall in championship match • Continued from page C4

Los Alamitos also relied on loud sideline cheering from teammates at some points, which was unconventional behavior for a tennis match.

“We played them at the All-American Tournament, and they were riled up after every single point, so we knew what to expect between [doubles partner George Noonan ’16 and myself],” Adam Sra-

berg ’17 told the Los Angeles Daily News after his doubles team won two of their three sets. “Me and George knew it was going to be loud, and we were used to it, but I think it affected other people.”

In the third round, all the momentum had shifted to Los Alamitos, and Harvard-Westlake managed to win one set to finish with a final score of 14-4.

This is not the first time that the star-studded boys’

tennis team has fallen in CIF Finals. The Wolverines lost last year to University High School of Irvine, falling 10-8 after beating Palos Verdes 10-8 in the CIF Southern Section semifinals.

The Wolverines had State Playoff Regionals Tuesday, but results were not available as of press time. CIF Individual Sectionals are Thursday at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center South El Monte.

TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

SLICING AND DICING: Jaird Meyer ’15 slices the ball during the boys’ tennis team’s 14-4 loss to Los Alamitos in the CIF Finals.

The Chronicle

C8 Sports

May 27, 2015

Top of the Order Q&A with Ezra Steinberg ’15 TYLER GRAHAM/CHRONICLE

ONE LAST BREATH: Ezra Steinberg ’15 takes a moment to catch his breath after making an out in Harvard-Westlake’s 4-3 win against Loyola at home on April 17.

By Dario Madyoon

When did you start playing baseball, and when did you know it would be your sport?

My dad played baseball up until high school. Ever since I was three or four my dad would just toss me beach balls, and I’d hit them with this little plastic bat, so that’s where it all started. My dad used to coach all of my Little League teams, too. So my dad was the one who really kick-started my baseball career. He’s never pushed me to play when I didn’t want to play. He’s always pushed me to be as good as I could be. He would always make sure I was working out as hard as I could. Every level I was at, I would look up to the next one and say, “Wow, I really want to get there.” When I was 12, I would go and watch the Pali High games, and I would love to watch the high school kids play. And I would go to UCLA games, and I made it my goal to play college baseball, and now I want to play professionally.

Are there any pro players that you model your game after?

NATHANSON’S

128 .416 74

Career Hits Batting Average This Season Varsity career wins

I really admire the guys that just play the game hard and set a good example, the guys that don’t show a lot of body language. So I guess you could say [Boston Red Sox Second Baseman] Dustin Pedroia, [New York Yankees Shortstop] Derek Jeter, guys who just play the game the right way. For me, I really believe in sprinting on and off the field.

Sprinting to first base no matter how you hit it. Really trying to not show your body language when you make a bad play or strikeout or get out. At the end of the day, you having a clear mind and going up on your next at-bat and getting a base hit could be the difference between your team winning and losing, so it’s really just unselfish play.

Do you have any rituals that you do or any music that you listen to before your games?

I listen to pretty much whatever’s on my Soundcloud. Recently, before every game I’ve been listening to “Planes” by J. Cole and Jeremih. So that gets me in my game zone.

What goes through your mind when you’re on the field?

When I’m hitting, I try to focus on each pitch and taking the best swing I can in that situation, sticking to my approach.

In the field I try to make sure that my timing and my rhythm is right and that I’m making good throws.

What was the college recruiting process like for you? How did Harvard-Westlake help?

It was good. Starting on the team as a sophomore and getting a lot of games and exposure really helped me a lot.

Our coaches are really great about helping us out with that. Coach [Matt] LaCour was really helpful with the college recruiting process. I had a lot of options, and at the end of the day, I really wanted to go to Oregon.

What has been the most memorable moment of your Wolverine career?

I’d have to say winning CIF as a sophomore. We were so talented, and we had so much chemistry, and especially since I was a sophomore all the seniors and juniors took me under their wing, and they were really nice to me, so I was very thankful for that.

Seniors The Chronicle • May 27, 2015 • Class of 2015

ON THE NEXT EPISODE...

From being “Freaks and Geeks” to “Friends,” our time at Harvard-Westlake has come to a close, but let’s press pause for a moment and reminisce on the six seasons that have made up our time here.

ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN LIN

D2 Seniors

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

Seniors bond, watch film on transition day

By Jesse Nadel

Following a projector malfunction during the Senior Transition Day screening May 21 of “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses, members of the senior class held an impromptu discussion on the issue of sexual violence, the first of its kind to happen at the Upper School.

The conversation included multiple personal accounts and opinions shared by the classmates, who filled Rugby Theater.

“I thought the discussion was very positive,” Rachel Savage ’15 said. “I’m so impressed with my class that we wanted to talk about such an important topic as a collective body and that people felt safe enough in this community to do so.”

The portion of the film, produced by Amy Ziering (Hannah Kofman ’14, Emma Kofman ’16), that couldn’t be screened before the projector broke down was screened the next day after school.

Seniors also watched shorter educational films, ate from a Tommy’s burger truck and performed in a coffeehouse during the transition day, which was planned by prefects.

“I think Senior Transition Day is a commemorative day for the seniors where they can take a step back from their classes and come together for some pretty special activities that they couldn’t do every day,” prefect Cate Wolfen ’17 said.

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

THIS IS THE END: Adam Yaron ’14, right, sings an acoustic version of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” for seniors as they eat breakfast in Taper Gymnasium. Kate Goodman ’15, top right, signs a friend’s yearbook in the lounge while listening to a performer at the senior coffeehouse. Seniors gather for pancakes and waffles served by their teachers at the start of Senior Transition Day May 21.

The graduating class started the day by attending a pancake breakfast in Taper Gym, during which underclassmen performed music and stand up comedy for the seniors.

“I think that the breakfast went really well,” Wolfen added. “All of the underclassmen performers did a great job, and I think the seniors had a fun

Students complete independent research in social studies, arts

By Julianna Berger

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

SCOTT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

ton D.C. and was invited to the White House to watch Three seniors and one ju- President Barack Obama and nior researched women in first lady Michelle Obama give leadership, cultures in Los their Let Girls Learn speech.

Angeles, music in cinema and She also interviewed the post-WWII poetry under the CEO of Vital Voices, a nonsupervision of individual facul- governmental organization ty mentors for their indepen- that aims to empower women dent studies this year. through education and trainEvery year, stuing. dents doing inde“It was a topic pendent studies prothat was important to duce final projects me and that I wanted or papers presentto learn more about, ing what they have and I thought that learned about topthis was the only way ics they choose for I could do this before themselves. college,” Kelkar said.

In order to com“I wanted to do it in a nathanson’s plete a project, each safe environment inDanica Kim ’15 student must presstead of once I am off ent his or her findon my own.” ings to a board of faculty Danica Kim ’15 did an inmembers. dependent study of the various The board then decides cultures found in Los Angeles. on the student’s grade for the Her project was broken semester based on his or her into two parts, one made up of presentation and the grade short stories and the other of suggested by the student’s fac- photographs. ulty mentor.

The stories were based on This year, Emily Kelkar conversations she had with ’15 completed an independent people from all around the study researching the impact city, most of whom she did not of women leaders in non-vio- know very well. lent conflicts.

For the photography comAs part of her research, ponent of her project, Kim Kelkar traveled to Washing- took pictures of people walk-

time.”

Following the breakfast, the seniors watched a short video from NextGenVest detailing the process of résumé writing and presented their class gift, a donation that will go toward financial aid.

Seniors also met for the last time with their dean groups.

“

Seniors’ yearbooks were distributed to them at the end of the day, earlier than for other grades.

The day concluded with a special coffee house in the Chalmers Lounge, that only seniors could perform in and attend.

Performers included Jensen McRae ’15, Dora Palmer

It was a topic that was important to me and that I wanted to learn more about, and I thought that this was the only way I could do this before college.

I wanted to do it in a safe environment instead of once I am off on my own.”

—Emily Kelkar ’15

’15 and Alexander Copeland ’15.

“The day was a good chance to all be in the same place since everyone is so scattered and on their own tracks these days,” Sydney Concoff ’15 said. “The movie was really impactful, and it’s a topic that really needs to be talked about, so that was my favorite part.”

Administration emphasizes no-tolerance retreat policy

By Scott Nussbaum nathanson’s

ing around Los Angeles and in cinematic music, which is asked them what their cloth- something I’ve always been ing meant to them. fascinated by but never had Kim compares her project the chance to really study,” to the blog-style website “Hu- Edel said. “They both seemed mans of New York.” really open to the idea and “I chose this as my inde- genuinely excited to help me.” pendent study because beAlexis Ladge ’15, meaning born and raised while, analyzed the in Los Angeles, I felt impact of World War like I was visiting the II on the poetry and same places over and lives of four New York over again, meeting School poets, Frank the same people, and O’Hara, Kenneth growing too accusKoch, John Ashbery tomed to a city with and James Schuyler. endless opportunities She researched and things happening the poets under the nathanson’s every day,” Kim said. supervision of EngAlexis “I wanted to have a lish teacher Caroline Ladge ’15 better understandMiller. ing of the city and a “I was interested chance to meet new and inter- in the impact of world events esting people, so this seemed on the creative world and like a perfect way to try that found the development of the out.”

New York School particularly Elizabeth Edel ’16 chose to interesting,” Ladge said. study music in cinema because Ladge added that the proshe wanted to learn more cess of completing the indeabout music, and she had al- pendent study was similar to ready taken every one of the the work that would go into a music courses that the school combined English and history offered. assignment due to the amount “I approached my teachers, of background research she [Ted] Walch and [Mark] Hilt, completed and the number of about doing a directed study poems she analyzed.

There will be a no-tolerance policy regarding alcohol and drugs on the Senior Retreat June 2 to 4 in Big Bear, Assistant to the Head of Upper School Michelle Bracken stressed on Senior Transition Day May 21. The policy is a result of issues involving substance abuse at last year’s Senior Retreat.

“I am looking forward to spending time with everyone who over the years has become a second family to me and being able to bond in an environment that is much less stressful than the regular school year,” Riya Garg ’15 said. “I don’t think drugs are necessary to have fun so the administration stressing does not bother me.”

While on retreat, seniors will participate in a variety of activities that aim to bring the class closer, including a talent show and a dance with the theme of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

In an email sent to seniors, the Prefect Council reported that 197 seniors were registered for the trip.

“Although it is sad, I am looking forward to being with everyone for the last time,” Landon Fadel ’15 said.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com

Leaving L.A. Behind

Seniors D3

Six seniors have decided to postpone college and will be taking gap years in order to volunteer, travel and experience new cultures.

Brownstein fellows to travel to Nepal, South Africa

By Cole Feldman

Jaird Meyer ’15 and Sarah Winshel ’15 received the Michael Brownstein ’99 Gap Year Fellowship after submitting their proposals for humanitarian efforts in South Africa, Nepal and India. Before her travels, Winshel will work for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The fellowship was created to help students obtain a heightened global perspective while performing charitable acts. It was established in 2008 to commemorate the “humanitarian spirit” of Brownstein, who died in a rock climbing accident the year before.

Meyer, who has yet to commit to a college, said that his focus is to work with commercial businesses and charities that dedicate their efforts to provide clean water and sanitation to developing regions and nations around the world.

“I have joined a mentorship program with Engineers Without Borders and intend to travel to Nepal to aid with rebuilding their water and sanitation infrastructure,” Meyer said. “I am also going on an internship program to Mumbai to work for the charity Water for People and the engineering firm, Black and Veatch. While in Los Angeles, I will be working as a teacher’s aide for Rob Levin’s Business of Life Class as well as volunteer for water related charities based in Los Angeles.”

Meyer said that he hopes to be busy for the entirety of his gap year.

“I’m looking at [the gap year] as an opportunity to travel to another country and get involved on the grass-roots level in an organization with the goal to help improve people’s lives,” Meyer said. “My ambition is to return to the region periodically to continue the work I start during my gap year.”

While Meyer is in Nepal, Winshel will be in New York in Hillary Clinton’s personal office. She will be helping with fundraising and finance for the campaign.

“I love leadership,” Winshel said. “I love being on Prefect Council. I don’t know whether that translates to politics, so I want to get a sense of what the real world of politics is like to see if that is something I could be interested in. I love people, so I want to meet more people and see the struggles we are dealing with.

Even if I am working with highnathanson’s powered donors, I Sarah want exWinshel ’15 posure to people.”

Winshel will work for Clinton until she starts her travels in March.

Jaird Meyer ’15

GRAPHIC BY SCOTT NUSSBAUM

“I am going to South Africa allows me to fulfill all of them.” for one to two months. I got to After the months in Afknow a family there where the rica, Winshel wants to go to mom actually works another country, posas the president of a sibly Vietnam. children’s welfare fa“I was the vice cility. They are houspresident of Raymond ing me, and I will get Chung’s ’15 club, the to work with kids.”

Vietnam Initiative Winshel said that Project. I would love her parents never to go after working for pushed her onto a the people there these “linear educational past years and teach path.”

English or French.” nathanson’s “A gap year was This fellowship Jaird Meyer ’15 always an option,” will allow both seniors Winshel said. “The three to explore their life goals. things I wanted to do were to “I do hope to accomplish work on a political campaign, making contacts with a comgo to Africa and volunteer and munity in an underdeveloped work with children and this region of India with the expec-

4 seniors to travel, study abroad during gap years

By Cole Feldman

shi in central Japan for a semester, after which he will Four seniors, Koji Eve- study under thirteenth dynasrard ’15, Jesse Halpern ’15, ty potter Shinobu Hassen in Olan Moon White ’15 and Ben southern Japan for the followWeissenbach ’15, will be taking ing six months before attendgap years to pursue interests ing Harvard College in the fall such as pottery, art of 2016. history and travel.

“I hope to explore While taking off time my Japanese cultural from school, these heritage as well as students will take adadvance my techvantage of the oppornique and expertise tunity to study topat ceramics,” Eveics they have become rard said. “I grew up interested in while in mainly in Tokyo behigh school and parfore moving to Los nathanson’s ticipate in commuAngeles so I am very Jesse nity service. excited to get back Halpern ’15 “I decided to take in touch with Japaa gap year to pursue nese culture and lanmy passion for ceramics,” Eve- guage.” rard said. “I, as well as many Everard talked to many other Harvard-Westlake stu- pottery guilds before deciding dents, have worked very hard who he would study under. during their high “I found six styles school years and I of Japanese ceramthought it would be ics that interested me a great idea to take most and contacted a year off from acathe association of potdemic study to really ters at each region,” pursue my love for Everard said. “I wrote pottery. My parents a lengthy letter in Japwere extremely supanese explaining my portive. My mom passion for ceramics nathanson’s was the first to even and the origin of my Olan suggest the idea of a intent to pursue a gap Moon-White ’15 gap year.” year in the form of a He will be appottery apprenticeprenticing under fourth dy- ship.” nasty potter Masafumi OoniEverard visited four of the

Sarah Winshel ’15

“

tation that I will return there and help build up the entire region over the rest of my life,” Meyer said.

Winshel will start Wellesley College in the fall of 2016.

“I think everyone should travel to a place where they do not know the language or the culture, so they can know what it is like to be an outsider,” Winshel said. “So many people in our lives, particularly at Harvard-Westlake, try to make us insiders and part of the community as much as possible, which is one of the greatest things about this place, but I think it is invaluable to have the opposite experience.”

I decided to take a gap year to pursue my passion for ceramics. I, as well as many other Harvard-Westlake students, have worked very hard during their high school years, and I thought it would be a great idea to take a year off from academic study to really pursue my love for pottery.”

—Koji Everard ’15

regions with his mother over a school break, looking at the unique potinto college with a passion for tery styles from each. something.”

“I think many of these Halpern needed jaw surguilds found it fascinating that gery, and he said that he did a teenager from the United not want to experience the States was so passionate about recovery period in freshman Japanese traditional ceram- year of college. ics,” Everard said. “I talked to Halpern will attend the various representatives from University of Pennsylvania each pottery center over the the following year, graduating phone and, my bilingual up- in 2020, and will enter in the bringing certainly College of Arts and helped me obtain Sciences. these apprentice“I felt a gap year ships. Moreover, my was right for me,” Japanese grandfaHalpern said. “I need ther advocated on a change of pace, my behalf, contacting something differthese various pottery ent to gain a new guilds to help me.” perspective. I want While Everard is to have a producnathanson’s learning about physitive and busy year, Ben cal art, Halpern will but something difWeissenbach ’15 be in the program ferent than school.

Art History Abroad, I want to get on a touring France, Italy and Lon- better sleep cycle next year, don. and really enjoy not being on “Next year I want to paint, a grind with worries anout an a lot more than I have this past upcoming paper due or finals year to really see if it’s some- to study for.” thing I want to pursue further After the art program, in college,” Halpern said. “The Halpern has an open schedule same goes for art history. I and is not sure what he will do. think next year serves to help “I haven’t worked out the me better grasp what I’m tru- second half of the year, but I ly interested in, so I can come plan to either get an intern-

nathanson’s

ship somewhere in Los Angeles, visit the East Coast going from college to college staying with a different friend each night and write a blog about that, or do another program,” Halpern said.

Weissenbach said that he is a “little burnt out” after his four years in high school and that he needs some time away from a traditional classroom setting to reconnect with a love of learning before he attends Princeton University in the fall of 2016.

“I’ll travel with Where There Be Dragons to Peru and Bolivia in the fall and to the Himalayas in the spring,” Weissenbach said.Weissenbach said that he wants to see a lot of the world in his time off and experience new cultures that he has always wanted to learn more about. In addition, he looks forward to meeting new people during his travels.

“I hope to broaden my perspective and discover new passions,” Weissenbach said. “I also want to enter my freshman year rejuvenated and ready to take complete advantage of the incredible opportunities at Princeton.”

The Chronicle

D4 Seniors

Coming up next...

Nicholas Abouzeid Babson College (Presidential Scholar) Brian Adler Washington University in St. Louis Jacob Adler Tulane University Elijah Akhtarzad University of Michigan Chase Aldridge Harvard College

Andrew Corlin Tufts University

Jason Gabaee NYU

Tiffany Guerra Loyola Marymount University

Katherine Calvert UCLA

Kyle Corman Emory University

Divya Gupta USC

Liane Capiral NYU

Teeana Cotango Claremont McKenna College

Noah Gains University of Texas-Austin (McCombs)

Perren Carrillo University of Pennsylvania

Kayla Dillard Howard University

Chloe Castaneda UCLA

Alec Dominick Washington University in St. Louis

Audrey Chambers Georgetown University

Gilbert Anwar NYU (Engineering)

Marc Chattrabhuti University of Michigan

Jeffrey Aronson Indiana University

Sloane Chmara Vanderbilt University

Leily Arzy Macalester College

Max Cho NYU (Tisch)

Kacey Bae Johns Hopkins University

Albert Choi Declined to state

Harrison Banner Washington University in St. Louis

Morgan Choi NYU

Nicholas Baron NYU (Gallatin)

Clare Chou Kenyon College

Mila Barzdukas Emory University

John Chu Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)

Sabrina Batchler USC (dramatic arts) Jackson Beavers USC (Cinema) Noah Bennett Stanford University Adrian Berger Carnegie Mellon University Carly Berger University of Michigan

Covi Brannan The New School for Drama Danielle Brody Columbia University Morgan Brown Bard College

Jordan Ellison Colorado College Cosima Elwes University of St. Andrews Jack Ennis Declined to state

Miles Harleston Tufts University

Jon-Rene Glover NYU

Bridget Hartman University of Denver (Lamont)

Abhishek Goel University of Redlands

Jonathan Heckerman Stanford University

Sunaina Goel Marist College

Katherine Hohl Wesleyan University

Jacob Gold Columbia University

Roman Holthouse USC

David Goldberg University of MassachusettsAmherst

Jonathan Hooper University of California, Berkeley

Benjamin Goldstein Stanford University

Enya Huang Harvard College

Parker Chusid University of Chicago

Koji Everard Gap Year (Harvard 2020)

Matthew Gooden Loyola Marymount University

Katherine Hunegs Tulane University

Henry Clarke University of Chicago

Shingo Everard Brown/RISD Dual Degree Program

Jacob Goodman University of Chicago

Victoria Huynh Claremont McKenna College

Kate Goodman NYU

Alexandra Jackson Boston College

Elizabeth Goran University of Pennsylvania

Cole Jacobson University of Pennsylvania

Haley Finkelstein Tulane University

Dominique Gordon Columbia University (Engineering)

Erica Jaffe University of Michigan

Anai Finnie Barnard College

Emma Graham Wesleyan University

Daphna Fischel USC

Tyler Graham Tufts University

Andrew Fischmann USC

Jackson Grayson Emory University

Cameron Kao Case Western Reserve University

Cole Fletcher Indiana University (Kelley)

Ian Green Fordham University

Megan Kaplan University of Michigan

Alexandria Florent Wake Forest University

Nicolas Greenlee NYU (Steinhardt)

Alexandra Kass Emory University

Mark Fuller Kenyon College

Julianna Gross Vanderbilt University

Hana Kateman Columbia University

Thomas Fuller Yale University

Ethan Gruman Carnegie Mellon University

Rebecca Katz USC

Briana Cooper USC Alexander Copeland Yale University Shea Copeland Princeton University Alexander Corlin Case Western Reserve University

Most Viewed More than a third of the senior class will attend one of these seven schools in the fall.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY VIVIAN LIN

Zoe Dutton Williams College

Matthew Glick Colgate College

Nicholas Hariton USC

Dylan Humphrey Case Western Reserve University

Imani Cook-Gist Oberlin College

Ariana Blut Northeastern University

Nina Dubovitsky Boston University

Grace Gerber Kenyon College

Ian Hansen Santa Clara University

Sophia Gonzalez University of California, Berkeley

Parker Converse Syracuse University

Jacqlyn Blatteis Brown University

Charles du Manoir NYU (Gallatin)

Michael Genender Stanford University

Christopher Han Boston College (Carroll)

Sara Evall Duke University

Sydney Concoff University of Michigan

Cayla Blachman Wesleyan University

Aaron Drooks University of Pennsylvania

Lucas Gelfen University of Pennsylvania (Huntsman)

Jesse Halpern Gap Year (University of Pennsylvania 2020)

Raymond Chung University of Pennsylvania

Bradley Comisar Duke University

Matt Beyer Declined to state

Ethan Drapac Santa Clara University

Brianna Gazmarian Ohio State University

Serena Hakim NYU

Aaron Esagoff USC

Annelise Colvin Harvard College

Ari Berman Harvard College

Trishta Dordi NYU

Riya Garg Swarthmore College

Michael Chung Boston College

Lili Cohen Barnard College

Kaleigh Bergmann NYU

Members of the Class of 2015 report that they will matriculate to 83 colleges across the nation and overseas.

Marcus Butler Williams College

Peter Cha Pomona College

Ashley Aminian NYU

May 2

*Based on colleges reported to the Chronicle

Landon Fadel USC Marko Fejzo Brown University

USC - 23

Isabelle Jaffe Harvard College Katie Jones University of Pennsylvania

NYU - 20

27, 2015

hwchronicle.com

Seniors D5

Emily Kelkar Oberlin College

Antony Mare Cornell University

Grant Pecheck Davidson College

Rachel Savage Stanford University

Marianne Verrone Brown University

Tess Kemper USC

Emily Maynes Brigham Young University

Nicholas Penske Cornell University

Sam Schlesinger Skidmore College

Cameron Victor Tulane University

Anne Kim Boston University

Amanda McAdams Washington University in St. Louis

Netanya Perluss Wellesley College

Arin Schwimmer Washington University in St. Louis

Eibhlin Villalta University of Richmond

Branden Kim Boston College (Carroll) Danica Kim Wellesley College Diana Kim Columbia University Jonathan Klein Dartmouth College Adam Kanapp-Wachsner Colby College Ridgway Knight Bucknell University Grace Kotick Brown University Melanie Krassel Duke University Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski Boston College Henry Kyoung University of California, Berkeley Alexis Ladge Reed College Bryanna Lee Williams College Ryan Lee Carleton College Theodore Lee Manhattan School of Music Steven Leinbach Kenyon College

Spencer Perryman University of Virginia

Sarah McAllister Carnegie Mellon University

Rachel Persky University of Michigan

James McCabe Cornell University

Jazmin Piche Brown University

Clara McCarthy Tulane University

Myles Pindus Hamilton College

Jensen McRae USC (Thornton)

Gwynn Pollard American University

Jaird Meyer Gap Year

Mario Portillo USC

Amelia Miller Harvard College

Henry Prentice Wake Forest University

Drew Mirman University of Michigan

Paige Moelis University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Rebecca Li Scripps College

Courtney O’Brien Princeton University

Alexandra Liao Columbia University

Jason Oberman University of Rochester (Eastman Dual Degree)

Hudson Ling University of Michigan

Charles Oman University of California, Berkeley

Madeline Oswald Gerogetown University

Nicolaas Lubkeman NYU (Gallatin)

Dora Palmer Barnard College

Kriaten Lynem-Wilson Howard University

Andrew Park Columbia University

Ethan Madison University of Michigan

Marcella Park Harvard College

Nikta Mansouri NYU (Tisch)

Animaan Pathak USC (Thornton)

Benjamin Weisman Georgetown University

Jonathan Sington Stanford University

Bennett Weissenbach Gap Year (Princeton University 2020) David Weitz UCLA (Samueli) Zephraim Williams Bowdoin College

Sriram Rao UCLA

Theodore Sokoloff Yale University

Sarah Winshel Declined to state

Andrew Ravan Johns Hopkins University

Elizabeth Sondheimer Northwestern University

Nathalie Rebolledo NYU

Timothy Song Claremont McKenna College

Autumn Witz Syracuse University (Visual and Performing Arts)

Brooke Reese Yale University

Riley Spain Stanford University

Skylar Reiff Cornell University

Jessica Spitz Columbia University

Karin Rhynes Loyola Marymount University

Ezra Steinberg University of Oregon

Anthony Ridgley Harvard College

Christian Stewart Purdue University

Cameron Robertson University of Chicago

Danielle Stolz Columbia University

Garrett Robinson Brown University

Jonathan Suarez Colgate University

Rosalie Rubenstein College of William and Mary

Erina Szeto University of California, Berkeley

Joshua Rubin University of California, Berkeley

Javier Orozco Boston College

Alexandra Lopes Washington University in St. Louis

Amber Shooshani Lewis and Clark College

Sloane Wilson Stanford University

Rahul Natarajan University of California, Berkeley

Scott Nussbaum University of Notre Dame

Ethan Weinstein University of Chicago

Declan Sofen USC

Delilah Napier Yale University

Oliver Levitt NYU

Marc Shkurovich Yale University

Nadia Rahman Yale University

Maxine Moore Boston University

Claire Nordstrom USC (Thornton)

Talia Wazana Washington University in St. Louis

Phillip Smith University of Colorado at Boulder

Olan Moon White Gap Year

Isabelle Lesh Emory University

Aaron Shih California Institute of Technology

Raphael Raede UCLA

Astrid Montanez-Garay Princeton University

Malcom Neill University of California-Santa Cruz

Heather Wattles Case Western Reserve University

Hassan Smith University of Pennsylvania

Henry Quilici USC (SCA)

Xenia Viragh Harvard College

Ryan Shelley University of Michigan

Jamie Skaggs Yale University

Jack Price Northwestern University

Aimee Misaki NYU (Global Liberal Studies)

James Lennon Harvard College

Natalie Lim Washington University in St. Louis

Milan Severino Vanderbilt University

Jake Saferstein Brown University Julia Safir Boston University Morris Satio Declined to state Justin Saleh USC (Marshall)

University of Michigan Brown University Harvard College

Nathan Szeto University of California, Berkeley Sabrina Szu Johns Hopkins University Sophia Szu Johns Hopkins University Trevor Tatham Kenyon College

Brendan Wixen Carnegie Mellon University David Woldenberg University of Chicago Cameron Wood Reed College Joseph Woody Kenyon College Jacob Wornoff Georgetown University Justin Yoo University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Alan Yousefzadeh USC (Marshall) Victoria Yu Bowdoin College Shyan Zakeri New York University (Gallatin) Sabrina Zaks Columbia University Katie Zipkin-Leed Tulane University Sean Zoka USC

Jeremy Tepper Pomona College

Rob Sanders Northwestern University (McCormick)

Bryce Terman Tufts University

Oliver Sanderson Tulane University

Angel Vasquez USC

- 11

Audrey Wilson Brown University

*Specified schools or programs are noted in parentheses.

Columbia University

University of Pennsylvania

- 10

The Chronicle

D6 Seniors

NETFLIX

Browse

KiDS

May 2

DVDs

Are You Stil Written by Jessica Spitz

Illustrations by Vivian Lin · Des Play

7th Grade

The stamps on our virtual passports sealed the deal. We were no longer elementary school kids waiting anxiously to hear from secondary schools — we were Harvard-Westlake students. The rest of sixth grade passed in a blur of graduations and nervously interacting with our future classmates at that incredibly awkward pool party. In the fall, the transition to the North Faring campus proved somewhat difficult for most. We all felt like freaks, geeks, outsiders and newbies, and these feelings were only intensified by the much older and wiser eighth graders, who shouted “sevvies” at us as we ran to our classes (and attempted to navigate the convoluted maze that was Reynolds Hall). We were all trying to fit in, whether that meant finding a table on the terrace or sitting next to a potential friend in prealgebra. Much like Sam Weir, we were new to the scene with millions of questions: what am I supposed to do with a free period? Do I actually have to go on retreat while it’s pouring rain? Am I supposed to grind at Young Angels/Bar and Bat Mitzvahs? Do I have to wear that embarrassing neon yellow vest for during-school SQUID and after-school SQUID? Is that sushi in the cafeteria?

Our futures at Harvard-Westlake completely depended on whom we sat next to on the bus or partnered up with in P.E., or at least that’s how it seemed.

8th Grade

Blackberries seemed permanently attached to the hands of us eighth graders, who were slightly more comfortable in our environment but increasingly uncomfortable in our own skins. BBM was our form of a Gossip Girl website, and everyone knew about the latest breakups and make-ups. Some people seemed to have it all without even trying — the Serena Van Der Woodsens and the Nate Archibalds ruled the school, and everyone wanted to be them or be with them. The Blair Waldorfs and Chuck Basses of the grade knew everything about everyone and did not hesitate to spread rumors. And there were still the Lonely Boys and Little J’s, not yet completely used to the occasionally hostile surroundings of Middle School. Instead of hanging out on the Met steps, we hung out in Reynolds, where we were at risk of getting hit with a flying Gatorade bottle cap that was used in a game no one completely understood. Rather than vacationing in the Hamptons, we traveled to Joshua Tree or El Capitan. Harvard-Westlake fashion week compared to that of New York, featuring hair tinsel, feathers and Steve Madden combat boots. Most disappointingly, our dreams of a Winter Ball were crushed when Semiformal was canceled. Despite the seemingly endless drama, we were able to comfort ourselves with fresh cookies every day during seventh period.

My List

9th Grade

Finally — high school. Though we still remained physically at the Middle School, we felt like we were already on Coldwater. We joined JV and varsity teams, called ourselves Fanatics and showed up at Loyola games decked out in black and red. We attended “Friday Night Lights” football games and tried to acquaint ourselves with the campus we would call home next year. But we also had to deal with the not-so-fun parts of high school. Our grades actually mattered now, and we began to hear occasional mutterings of the “c” word — college. However, we still reveled in middle school traditions: ninth grade retreat, during which we suffered through days of not showering and donkey poop on the camp grounds; the dodgeball tournament run by our own Coach Taylor, Paul Mastin, and won by our own Dillon Panthers, the undefeatable AH?!; and (something that still pains a few of us to this day) copies of the Spectrum strewn across the ninth grade locker area as we tried to force our classmates to read them.

We ended our freshman year on a high note at the Happiest Place on Earth, optimistically looking forward to the Upper School next year. We relaxed peacefully on the field, because as far as we were concerned, clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/seniors

Seniors D7 Titles, People, Genres

Chronicle

ll Watching?

sign by Jacob Goodman

10th Grade

Oh, how wrong we were. Our transition turned out to be more of an incarceration. Like Piper, we were wide-eyed and frightened as we left our comfortable home at the Middle School and arrived, slowly, due to the traffic on Coldwater, at the Upper School, where in-class English essays were as frequent and unwelcome as strip searches, and history multiple choice was as difficult to swallow as prison food. We were forced to sign the Honor Code on every assignment, just as Piper was forced to sign away her freedom. We had gone from being the big fish at the Middle School to being the tiniest of minnows, getting pelted with water balloons on the quad by veterans who had been jailed for over two years. We were also new to the strict rules of attendance laid out by the Warden Gabe Preciado, and were scared away from parking on Halkirk by Officer Sanders Jackson. At the beginning of second semester, the failure of Whiteout to replace Semiformal resembled the depressing atmosphere of a makeshift prison party. But, like Piper, we were determined to appreciate the little things, like the Peer Support water fight at the end of the year and the famed Gustavo Dudamel visiting to conduct our orchestra. Next up was the big one – junior year.

11th Grade

Junior year was a ruthless battlefield of competition and manipulation. Frank Underwood has nothing on juniors who would push their best friends in front of a train if it would help them get into their dream college. The presidential race was similar to the race to first period from upper St. Michaels, and we were often panting and exhausted just when we realized we would need to pull an all-nighter. The Homecoming Dance was our Inaugural Ball, and we began the marathon that was junior year.

We were given new, elite technology in the electronic ID and scheduling apps, making it easier and more efficient to plan the merciless takedowns of our peers. We tested our knowledge (or so we were told) on the SATs and ACTs, but we also got to enjoy the fabulous production of “Hairspray.” The newly inaugurated President Rick Commons attempted to build community through Civitalks, an initiative that gained very little support among his constituents.

Towards the end of the year, we started setting our sights on new offices in higher places, narrowing our college lists and looking ahead to a summer of internships and college applications.

Our rise to power was almost complete, and our House of Cards was stacked precariously.

12th Grade

The beginning of senior year was just as jarring as Rachel Green’s move to the big city — we were thrust into the college process, and first-quarter grades seemed to be the end-all-be-all of early decision. But soon enough, the first quarter nightmare was over and more of our classmates found out where they were going to college. When second semester arrived, we were finally ON A BREAK. We bonded as closely as roommates as we played music at the senior tables, and we delighted in food as much as Joey Tribiani as we took advantage of our senior privileges and had lunch off campus. The 1st and 3rd Wednesday assemblies strengthened the “diverse and inclusive community” noted in the new mission statement.

We coupled up like Ross and Rachel, Chandler and Monica and Mike and Phoebe for Senior Prom, as we danced our hearts out at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Last week, Senior Transition Day ended with a final coffee house in the lounge, which, although not as comfortable as the Central Perk, was pretty nice. The final countdown and dash to the pool on the last day of school marked the end of our high school experience, until we graduate next week. So, The Chronicle would like to offer a “clap clap clap clap” to the senior class of 2015.

D8 Seniors

The Chronicle

Closing Remarks

May 27, 2015

Seniors end their Chronicle careers with their farewell columns.

Don’t be afraid

By Zoe Dutton

“T

rue terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.”

Kurt Vonnegut supposedly said that, and once a friend of an aunt of a friend at a family gathering quoted it to me. At the time I laughed, privately decided he was an obnoxious jerk and excused myself to track down another prosciutto-cantaloupe canapé.

But as graduation approaches and the uncertainties of modern adulthood — college finances and possible career paths and the prospect of nonstate actors starting a global nuclear war — loom large, the quote has become stuck in my mind.

Its immediate meaning, and what I think Vonnegut intended, is pure snark. He’s terrified because the idiots he went to high school with have no business running the country. I get it. For someone who loves learning and Harvard-Westlake and all the opportunities that being here has given me, I haven’t always been the biggest fan of high school myself. I was too impatient to enter college and “real life.” I had places to go and things to do. But while I perhaps understand where Vonnegut is coming from, I can’t agree with him.

My fellow students aren’t idiots. They’re intelligent, hardworking, passionate and most important of all, they

have heart. Last week during Senior Transition Day, we watched the “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. When technical difficulties forced us to stop mid-movie, the entire grade gathered for an impromptu, hour-long discussion on how to address the issue. Several girls shared their own stories. It was the most moving moment of my entire school career and reaffirmed my faith in our grade.

That’s not to say Vonnegut’s quote isn’t still terrifying, though for a different reason. If your high school class is old and important enough to be calling the shots, then that means that you are too. It means that our leaders have no secret superpowers enabling them to magically solve the world’s problems.

The kids with whom you crammed for physics tests and ate lunch and swapped acne cream are those leaders.

It means we are in charge, and it is we who will be responsible if things go wrong.

That’s scary, but also exhilarating. In a few days, we will stand together on Ted Slavin Field to receive our diplomas, hug and cry, then head off to face our futures.

And if I should wake up years from now to see a face familiar from my school days on the morning news, I won’t worry. I trust the friends I’ve made during my time at Harvard-Westlake, and I trust myself.

Chronicling my journalism experience

By Scott Nussbaum

I

t was the summer before I started attending Harvard-Westlake. My mom said it would help me make friends before I started at a new school. However, I got much more out of the summer course in journalism and newspaper design than new friends.

From the start of the course, I was immediately hit with the essentials of journalism. Inverted pyramids, leads, AP style and picas quickly made me feel inferior. To add to that, having an instructor who is as experienced in the world of journalism as Mrs. Neumeyer was slightly unsettling. Hearing stories about how she covered every major event in Hollywood, the Charles Manson trials and any other major news story for the United Press International added to my amazement. I was a naïve teenager with no experience in journalism who was being taught by a highly respected veteran of the journalism world.

Nevertheless, I emerged from the summer journalism program having learned the basics of writing and InDesign and eager to practice my newfound skills on the Spectrum, the main publication at the

Middle School.

After spending a year working on this publication, I was eager to move to the Upper School and join the staff of the Chronicle. I was moving up from the letter-size news magazine to a real newspaper with multiple sections and hard-hitting stories.

In my mind, I would immediately cover major issues in my stories and would start a list of stories other journalism students would respect, just like I respected Mrs. Neumeyer’s list of past stories.

However, I was a sophomore and much less experienced in journalism compared to the seniors on staff. Therefore, I tried to do what I knew how as best as I could. Rather than being embarrassed when Mrs. Neumeyer returned one of my stories covered in more corrections than words on the page, (although I may have done this for the first two or three stories I wrote) I resolved to learn from those corrections and strive to become a better writer. When my story wasn’t published in the issue, I tried not to take it personally or get discouraged.

As I write this, I can see how ridiculous I was in fearing corrections or perceiving a story being cut as a failure.

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

LEADERS OF THE PACK: Editors-in-Chief Zoe Dutton and Scott Nussbaum hold their favorite issues of the Chronicle outside of the building where the publication is produced.

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

MANAGING TEAM: Presentations Editors Jacob Goodman and Leily Arzy (left), Executive Editor Marcella Park, Head of Multimedia Nikta Mansouri, Managing Editors Elijah Akhtarzard and Jessica Spitz, Editors-in-Chief Scott Nussbaum and Zoe Dutton (front).

NIKTA MANSOURI/CHRONICLE

SENIORS: Jake Saferstein (top left), David Woldenberg, Tyler Graham, Cole Jacobson. Sophie Kupiec Weglinski (bottom left), Carly Berger, Haley Finkelstein, Audrey Wilson and Enya Huang.

However, I am glad for these experiences. Now that I am a senior, I can look back on my first year on the Chronicle and appreciate that I now have a better ability to categorize failure appropriately.

As I progressed in Chronicle and began to receive more responsibility, I continued to learn skills that one wouldn’t expect to learn from working on a high school newspaper. During layouts when we stayed long past Peer Support, sports practices or anything

else that requires students to be on campus, I learned the importance of being able to handle multiple tasks at once and being able to quickly solve problems in order to meet a deadline. Also, I learned the importance of being flexible and always willing to help.

Sometimes a page would need to be drastically changed or a story added at the last minute, and your hard work would go to waste.

Looking back on my time at Chronicle, I realized that

if I had not been a part of staff all three years I was at the Upper School, my education would have been mostly limited to things that are useful to the classroom. Thanks to Mrs. Neumeyer, journalism class gave me skills that I know I will be thankful to have for the rest of my life.

And yet again, I have to admit that my mom was right. I met a group of people that I hope will stay close long after we leave Weiler Hall for the last time.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com

Seniors D9

Proud to be a Wolverine

By Leily Arzy

A

s part of the annual Senior Transition Day, the school organized a screening of “The Hunting Ground,” a shocking documentary about sexual assault on college campuses nationwide, produced by Amy Ziering (Hannah Kofman ’14, Emma Kofman ’16).

Having seen this film once before, along with a question and answer panel with three of the many sexual assault victims featured in the film, I can full-heartedly say that this documentary is insightful.

And while it is commendable that the school arranged for our graduating class to see it, the screening seemed to be far from a success, at least initially.

Several times throughout the showing, the film stopped due to technical difficulties.

We saw less than half the film after skipping several parts.

The disappointing showing of this film was a disservice to and lessened the impact of this serious and important film. To make matters worse, during the pauses in between glitches, a few students — albeit a select number of the students in the room — thought the pauses were hilarious and started making loud clicking noises in jest.

These actions were especially jarring as they came on the heels of a woman in the film discussing her terrifying sexual assault.

After we were dismissed from the theater due to the technical difficulties, something incredible and spontaneous happened: Three students stood up and decided to facilitate an impromptu forum discussing the unfinished topic at hand. What initially felt like a competitive screaming match over who understood the effects of sexual assault best — each student wanting a round of applause for being the most conscientious and righteous person in the room — grew into a fruitful and genuine conversation.

Slowly, the discourse evolved and, one by one, my classmates stood up and shared their views about and personal experiences with sexual assault. Many boys asked thoughtful questions

about how to interact with girls without making them feel threatened. Some girls expressed their frustration and anger with being called “sluts” for the way they dress and the demeaning terminology used to describe girls in general.

Others commented on how sex with a girl is often viewed as a conquest that defines manhood. Some acknowledged how anyone can commit sexual assault, even those in our world of privilege.

It became overwhelmingly clear to me during this student-driven conversation that we live in a bubble. Our world at Harvard-Westlake is both isolated and unique. On the one hand, we have a collective inability to fully understand the hardships of those who lead less privileged lives.

On the other hand, we have an incredible ability to create a productive discussion about some of the most controversial issues that face our nation. I don’t know how many high school students would voluntarily — without adult supervision or coercion — spend an hour of their time debating and discussing sexual assault despite the fact that a truck full of Original Tommy’s Burgers reserved for their consumption was waiting outside.

This day made me the most proud to be a HarvardWestlake student. I can’t count the number of times I have been asked by a parent or potential student if I regret coming to Harvard-Westlake.

I genuinely have trouble answering this question.

Many who have asked me this question fear our heavy workload, competitive nature and intense environment.

While I believe these fears are legitimate, I think it is equally important to recognize that Harvard-Westlake students have a hunger for knowledge, a ferocious desire to challenge themselves and an open-minded approach to addressing sensitive issues — as exemplified by this day’s eye-opening events.

We will all graduate from this school with the tools to confidently articulate our ideas and the potential to be positive agents of change in our society, and that is why I am proud to be a Wolverine.

My rookie season

By Cole Jacobson

I

never wanted to leave the jazz program — teacher Shawn Costantino was a total bro. But when track and field reporter Tyler Graham ’15 showed me how cool writing about sports games could be, my decision was made. My gut feeling took me to journalism over another year of jazz, and I’m glad I made the choice.

In the fall, I covered the girls’ golf team. I found them to have one of the most interesting story lines on campus. No seniors were on the varsity team, and the top two scorers were freshmen.

I’ll be thrilled in the fall of 2017 when they’re absolutely shredding their competition.

Having proven myself as a writer, I got thrown into the big leagues, taking boys’ basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring. I felt serious adrenaline driving away from Chaminade after

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

PRESENTABLE PEOPLE: Presentations Editors Jacob Goodman ’15 and Leily Arzy ’15.

A wish unfulfilled...

By Jacob Goodman

I

watched the Cum Laude induction ceremony a week and a half ago. I had a lot of friends being honored and I wanted to be there for them.

However, I still ended up watching from the tech booth, removed from the audience in a small soundproof box at the back of Rugby auditorium.

I could very easily have sat in the audience, no one would have judged me for it, and my friends would have been able to see me, but I didn’t because I felt out of place in that crowd. I felt like I didn’t belong, that I was somehow not a part of this group of people that included peers and parents who I had known for years.

I decided to go to Harvard-Westlake because I knew I wasn’t being challenged by my old school. I wanted a place where the academic community was thriving and had the resources so that I could do what I loved, which at that time, was learning.

But I hit upon almost instantly that the major shortcoming of Harvard-Westlake was that there was an emphasis placed on achievement and

not on learning.

And so at the cum laude ceremony, I found myself separated from people I cared about because they were being honored for what they had achieved and I was not.

As history teacher Kenneth Neisser put it when starting off the ceremony; these were the students who had gotten more “A’s” than anybody else.

All those students who were inducted are brilliant.

They are wickedly smart.

They will do great things with their knowledge and make a way for themselves in college and in society.

These were the kinds of students that I had wanted to intermingle with when I originally came to HarvardWestlake, the kind that would change the world, that would talk about what they were learning rather than what they were achieving.

I leave Harvard-Westlake with this wish somewhat unfulfilled. Those students absolutely have the capacity to be a part of that great intellectual utopia I imagined HarvardWestlake to be, but the reality of Harvard-Westlake is that it wasn’t the stepping-stone I thought I had chosen.

I learned a great deal about myself and what I want out of an education at Harvard-Westlake. I was privileged to have some of the best, most passionate teachers, speaking on subjects that are in all-purpose mindblowing. But the eagerness for the consumption of knowledge that I felt when I began at this school in ninth grade, I know has been whittled down to something lesser.

I chose my college carefully. And ultimately my decision was made by one two-hour admitted student reception. I met students there who weren’t talking about how tough school was or how much homework they had to go do after this reception.

They were talking about what they had learned. And for a brief two-hours, I was incredibly happy.

President Rick Commons closed the ceremony by urging the inductees to focus on the pursuit of learning rather than the measure of it. His was the only speech made at that event that made me smile and listen. It gave me some hope that HarvardWestlake wouldn’t always be the way I experienced it.

After five years playing trumpet in the performing arts program, I took the gamble of joining the Chronicle staff for my senior year, and I’ll be eternally glad I took the risk.

the basketball team’s upset win, and I somehow felt like I could have done something differently after basketball’s playoff loss to Mission Prep and lacrosse’s postseason defeat to Westlake.

Since both teams played home games in the evenings, I was able to attend the majority of the games for both sports, which made the process even more fun. Despite the early playoff exits, covering these teams was a blast, and the fact that I happened to work with two coaches in their last seasons (Greg Hilliard and Alex Weber) added more excitement to my work.

Improving as a writer was an obvious plus, but I also grew bonds with kids that I wouldn’t have talked to in any other context. There are far too many sophomores to list, but they’re not only a hilarious group (I’ll always remember the “Fight Nights”), but they also were arguably as productive as the junior and

senior classes combined.

As for the juniors (Bennett Gross ’16, Jonathan Seymour ’16 and Henry Vogel ’16), I didn’t really know any of you well, but you’ve all become great friends of mine, as we’ve hung out during layouts and pretended to pay attention during class. The national anthem we sang after a classmate expressed interest in socialism was beautiful. I’m grateful that you have helped make my year so much fun, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys are capable of next year. Even with the other two senior sportswriters (Graham and Audrey Wilson ’15) (and rarely Mila Barzdukas ’15), you’ve become even better friends of mine this year, and I’m thankful that you immediately took me into the squad, even if it took eight months to get me in the “Big Red” picture.

With that “Kumbaya” deal out of the way, I’ll get into the less fun stuff. There was the

stretch of time when I didn’t know how to change our cameras to “Sport Mode,” and I ended up getting ripped on for taking atrocious photos of basketball games.

There was the controversy at the end of our football season, when I was irate at my colleagues for censoring the interview of my teammate Carter Begel ’17 when I felt he was merely expressing passion for the game. There was the time when I tweeted at the “Notre Dame Castle” criticizing their lack of a student section before the Knights ended up winning, and their student section was happy to respond to me.

There were countless occurrences when I put “oxford commas” in stories or put the apostrophes in students’ graduating years in wrong direction. There was another time on the Twitter feed where I referenced a crude joke comparing a varsity basketball player to a notorious

Dr. Seuss villain.

There were countless times during school days when the majority of the class would be involved in some feminism discussion and I wanted to leave my body and head to another dimension. There were times when I would refuse to leave the student section while taking pictures and subsequently get criticized for poor angles.

Still, when looking back at the year as a whole, I see these events with a sense of humor instead of regret. Even though I struggled at times, the positives of the year unquestionably outweighed the negatives. I not only discovered a new talent, but I also made a completely new group of friends. If there’s something you’ve thought might be fun but never had the guts to try, just go for it. If you like it, you’ll make memories that will last for a lifetime. Even if you don’t, the year will be over before you know it.

D10 Seniors

The Chronicle

May 27, 2015

I was dumb last year, I will be dumb this year

By Marcella Park

I

always think the same thing when I look back on the past: “Wow. I was kind of dumb last year.”

Let’s start with sixth grade, when I was a plain dork.

Then in seventh grade, I looked back on sixth grade, saw my dorkiness, and decided I had to change that by ditching my dork friends.

In eighth grade I realized that abandoning my friends had made me a jerk and an even bigger dork. That was a decent period of my middle school career.

In ninth and 10th grade I was overall clueless. I only knew that I’d also been clueless in eighth grade for thinking my middle school life was all there was in this giant world.

In 11th grade I knew how to handle my classes and extracurriculars better. Glad to be over the whole transition into high school, I spent most of my time working away at academic papers, newspaper articles and choir pieces.

At some point this year, I realized I was still clueless in 11th grade, though in a different way — I was unnecessarily afraid of upperclassmen and too absorbed in my work to remember to smile at people once in a while.

And soon I bet I’ll realize how naïve I was (am) now.

When I was little, I thought high schoolers were soooo grown up, but now I’m leaving high school and don’t

feel like an adult at all.

Sometimes, even now, I sit still, close my eyes and try to summon magical personal growth from within me. It’s funny though. I’ve grown the most at times when maturing as a person was the last thing on my mind.

The first time I put off an English paper until the last night before it was due, I couldn’t think of anything else but finishing it. But my dad told me, “Hey, at least you’re alive and feeling this stress and exhaustion instead of dead and feeling nothing.

Enjoy it.” I didn’t remember it until I had submitted the essay to turnitin.com minutes before my class started, but this lesson largely carried me through the inferno that was junior year.

One summer, when I found out that two of my favorite classes conflicted, all I could think about was making my dean (shoutout Mr. Jones!) fix it. Through that experience I learned eventually that I couldn’t have everything I wanted.

And I never knew prom could be an educational experience until I found it to be the grueling though fun process that it is. There were too many decisions to be made, about my dress and my date and my friends’ dates and the group I went with and where I went afterward.

I guess eventually it’ll be easier to make decisions like that. I guess they call this growing up.

It’s the little things

By Jake Saferstein

During football season, I would ride with Mike Mapes s my time at Harvard’16, Brendan Sanderson ’16 Westlake comes to an and other underclassmen who end, I’d like to share lived in the Pacific Palisades one of the most important after football, blasting music things I have learned. while winding down Mulhol“The little things matter,” land in the “Lades-mobile.”

Coach Scot Ruggles would I also would often ride constantly tell us. “We can’t home with Bryce Terman ’15 do anything around here until and Nick O’Brien ’17, who also we do the little things right.” would typically blast music, And while Ruggles would but typically music O’Brien often talk about how this had produced the night applies to the before, which real world, like always made “It is easy at Harvardgetting a job, I for interesting Westlake to get caught only recently car rides. up in the end goal of realized this And most phrase also commonly getting good grades applies to my after football and getting into college, season, I would entire life.

It is easy ride home with but if you don’t have at HarvardJackson Beaat least little bits of fun Westlake to vers ’15. Time get caught with Beavers throughout your day, up in the end especially your experience is going was goal of getting rare since he to be awful.” good grades is very busy and getting and had to stop into college, but if you don’t playing football this year after have at least little bits of fun a series of severe concussions. throughout your day, your In addition to talks about the experience is going to be latest rumors, with him being awful. One way I found fun on Prefect Council and me bewas through carpooling with ing on Chronicle, throughout others. Between not drivthe year he taught me how to ing through junior year, and freestyle rap. Yes, that’s right, my brother taking our car to most car rides home with baseball after school every day Beavers would just be a back this year, I rarely drive myself and forth of him showing me home. And so, I was forced to how to rap, and me attemptfind rides with many others ing to respond to his verses. who also make their way over Sure, I will be over 3,000 the hill to the Westside. miles away from most of those While it was a hassle people in a few months, and I sometimes to ensure I always will never have a career raphad a ride home, those 40 ping, but those little moments minutes every day added up every day have added up to to some of my favorite parts make my high school experiof high school. ence that much better.

A

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

PEAS IN A POD: Jake Saferstein ‘15, top left, and David Woldenberg ’15 stand back to back. Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski ’15 and Enya Huang ’15, bottom.

Missing an actual community

By Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski

I

n the last 1st and 3rd Wednesday assembly, we watched a video recap of the school year. This video was virtually all clips of various goals, touchdowns and other sports-related celebrations. Following this video was another clip titled “Mean Tweets #1” where teachers read mean tweets about themselves, and their reactions were filmed. It was hilarious. But I couldn’t help but think that if I were a potential student watching these videos, Harvard-Westlake would seem like a fun school, something that I have definitely not experienced during my six years here.

Don’t get me wrong, I am blessed that I was able to receive a world-class education in one of the country’s best high schools. I know that this education was the best investment in my future my parents have ever made. That doesn’t mean I enjoyed it.

Those videos that were shown to us really just seemed like a projection of community and togetherness, when in reality the only time I really feel a community at this school is in those pockets of all-school assemblies and some large sporting events. Even then, I think Harvard-Westlake has failed to provide an inclusive community.

Very few of my friends had a very rewarding experience at this school, and just the thought of this place

makes me sweat with stress.

The mountains of work, the extremely competitive environment and general lack of community are the memories that will persist of my high school experience. I’m happy that the administration is trying to foster community with new traditions such as applauding the soon-to-graduate seniors at the end of the last 1st and 3rd Wednesday assembly, but there is much work to be done. I can’t help but feel robbed of my “traditional” high school experience. But I guess that’s to be expected when you attend one of the best schools in the country.

But the blame can’t all be on Harvard-Westlake. I’ll admit it, I got caught up in how many APs I should take, the minimum GPA required for certain schools and the benefits of taking more SAT Subject tests. But how could I not when overhear some of my friends debating whether Harvard or Yale is a better school? I just wish I had some extra support when the stress became too much.

Yet other prestigious schools manage to juggle tough academics and student life, such as Brentwood School. Brentwood has a middle school to high school transition program in which groups of 10 ninth graders meet all year long with two senior students who lead discussions and even go out for lunch together. Brentwood also has “advisories,” much

like our dean groups, except students talk about anything, not just colleges. And all of this happens during the school day. At Harvard-Westlake we had a program like this called CiviTalks last year.

I personally liked the idea of this program, except everyone else completely hated it, thus making the entire program irrelevant. Maybe the underlying problem is that the student body refuses to take time out of their day to foster community.

I don’t understand why Harvard-Westlake can’t have an integration program for new 10th graders entering the Upper School. Sure, we have Peer Support but I always hear about how late it ends and the crazy secrets told during those sessions — even if all the attending students promise not to tell others about the tales told.

While I know that I am extremely well-prepared for college, and, logically, going to Harvard-Westlake was the best thing my parents could do to prepare me for the future, I still wish that instead of getting peer pressured into taking that extra AP class I had decided to hang out more with friends or relaxed a bit more. Maybe it’ll take a few years and some more maturity to realize the advantage of attending a tough, academically oriented high school. I just think that there should be more than monthly assemblies and funny videos to foster community.

May 27, 2015

hwchronicle.com/features

Seniors D11

My path to confidence

By Jessica Spitz

S

eventh grade was an unfortunate year. Nervous 12-year-olds flooded onto the middle school campus in all their pre-pubescent glory, desperate to find a place at their new school. Almost six years ago, I was one of those seventh graders, embarrassingly awkward and self-conscious as I attempted to settle down with new classmates and to navigate an intimidating environment. Now, as I end my senior year, that scared, timid girl is long gone.

I know a lot of people don’t love it here and are anxious to leave. And although I can’t say I have enjoyed every minute of my time here, Harvard-Westlake has truly helped me grow into the person I am today. I’ve thought a lot about my growing up process in the last few weeks, and what I’ve come to realize is that I am not a different person, but I am a person who was given the right tools to expand upon what I was too nervous to show back in seventh grade. What this all boils down to is the fact that I have gained confidence in the last six years, something I had relatively little of when I first stepped onto the middle

school campus.

I have realized that confidence is the key to everything, and when people tell you that, it’s not an exaggeration. You can work really hard, you can get good grades, you can have a lot of friends – but nothing matters if you’re not confident in yourself (I apologize for the cheesiness).

For me, I initially found my confidence in my academic passions. When I came to the upper school, I started loving English and history. I threw myself into my work, finding purpose in literature and stories of the past, looking forward to those classes every day and pushing myself to understand more, write more clearly and improve myself as a student. (Side note: “Jane Eyre” was also hugely inspirational for me as a sophomore, so 10th grade English team, I highly encourage you to bring that back into the curriculum.

It’s definitely a necessary read for people who don’t think of themselves very highly.)

Working on the Chronicle has been one of the biggest factors in my transition. I was given the platform to speak my mind, and I had to fight for people to take me seriously. When I wrote my column about sexism in sports

JACOB GOODMAN/CHRONICLE

FAST FRIENDS: Sports Managing Editor Audrey Wilson ’15, Presentations Editor Leily Arzy ’15, Features Managing Editor Carly Berger ’15, Opinion Managing Editor Haley Finkelstein ’15, Multimedia and Online Editor Nikta Mansouri ’15 and Managing Editor Jessica Spitz ’15. back in October, I was terrified. I couldn’t sleep because I was anxious about how people would view me: that crazy feminist who won’t shut up.

But I came out of that experience so much more sure of myself, and I take tremendous pride in that I changed some people’s minds. To the people whose minds I didn’t change, I’m still working on it.

Dear class of 2015

things don’t go your way, because that will happen a lot in high school. Leave yourself room to fail and be upset, but congratulate yourself on all of the things you have accomplished.

So when I move to New York in the fall, I’m going to take what I’ve learned at Harvard-Westlake and make my experience my own.

Hi, my name is...

By Nikta

By Aimee Misaki

Now that I’m graduating in a few weeks, there’s something I want to get off of my chest.

First, I want to say that Harvard-Westlake’s teachers and resources have passed on so much important knowledge to me that I can’t begin to even explain. My fervent curiosity and urge to voice myself are attributes that I have developed from my time here at Harvard-Westlake. I’ve had opportunities that I could never have anywhere else — hearing actor Samuel L. Jackson and Mayor Eric Garcetti speak, witnessing Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel conduct our school’s orchestra, getting to rent out noise-cancelling headphones from the library or experimenting in the overequipped laboratories. For that, I am thankful.

I’ve encountered many culture shocks since the first day I came to HarvardWestlake in seventh grade.

For the first time, I saw girls recklessly throwing their Marc Jacobs bags, which they used as backpacks—crazy!—on the ground. I saw some girls in my grade get nose jobs and other girls get $200 designer sweatpants. I saw people pay $40 to enter parties on the weekends. To this day, however, I still don’t quite understand the attraction to it all.

The biggest confusion I have come up against is the ability of some of my fellow classmates to actively ignore the social and cultural problems that are omnipresent domestically and internationally but don’t directly affect them.

Ask yourself, “When was the last time you took action for a problem that didn’t affect the wellbeing and lifestyle of you or anyone near you?”

When I say problem, I don’t mean a problem that can be

So I would like to end my senior column with some advice to the students who are starting seventh grade in the fall or beginning their journeys at the Upper School: dive into your passions, put everything you have into them and have something you can be proud of. Give yourself a foundation to rely on when people disappoint you or when

CARLY BERGER/CHRONICLE

HANGING OUT: Features Managing Editor Aimee Misaki ’15 and Executive Editor Marcella Park ’15. dealt by donating money or holding bake sales. I mean a social and cultural problem that is so complex to fully understand—such as gender and race inequality, police brutality or the prevalence of gang culture in dangerous neighborhoods that you wouldn’t dare enter. The unfortunate fact is few of you can say “YES” with a confident voice.

Neither can I. I don’t post enough videos and articles on social network sites to raise awareness. I don’t participate in enough marches. I don’t volunteer enough.

When I asked HarvardWestlake students and alumni about their opinion on the Ferguson shooting after it had happened, I have to say I was depressed hearing their answers. Many of the answers I received ranged from, “I don’t know much about it because it doesn’t affect me” to “I know about it, but haven’t taken action because it doesn’t affect me.”

When police shootings of unarmed black people have been prevalent in neighborhoods around the United States, how can you say that it doesn’t affect you? When black people make up only 13 percent of drug users in America, but 74 percent of those arrested for drug possession, how can you say that the disenfranchisement

of black people doesn’t affect you? When mothers of African-American children are scared that their children could be the fallen victims of police shootings, how can you look away from the crying voices of Baltimore? When racism is so embedded in our consciousness, how in the world do you have the right to say none of this affects you?

But now that we’re so close to graduating, having more responsibilities and becoming the leaders of tomorrow, we all have to have more compassion for other people’s problems. Judging by their parents’ lavish lifestyles, I can say that most of my classmates are part of the privileged top tier in society and will be the future employers of the world. Spoiler alert. So to everyone in my grade, use your privilege as a way to voice the problems of other people who aren’t being heard. Use the money you have to help those who don’t have the same opportunities.

Believe me that you guys have the power to do anything you want, which is why I’m worried that some of you will use your privilege for greed. You guys are the ones who can change the disgusting things we heard about the American government and culture in U.S. History class. Give me compassion or give me death.

Flash forward to the end of my senior year. I don’t It was one of the last days think I’ve met my future of the sixth grade and Rebechusband here (though maybe ca Katz ’15 and I were in the I have and I just don’t know bathroom of our elementary it yet), but I still sometimes school waiting to be picked introduce myself as Nikky. It up to go to the Harvardhas become more of a conWestlake 7th grade barbeque. venience thing and less of a I can perfectly remember the “fearing-I’m-different” thing. thrill I felt. Getting accepted However, I didn’t realize just to Harvard-Westlake was my how comfortable I’ve grown first dream come true. We in my own skin until this past leaned up against the wall and Saturday, when a classmate of talked about how excited we mine came up to me and wistwere to be going to one of the fully told me how much he most prestigious schools in admired how unapologetically the country. “me” I always was and how I “Do you don’t seem to think the classever be afraid es will be too of expressing I wish I could pinpoint hard for us?” exactly what it was that myself.

“What if It suddenly let me know it was OK the girls are all hit me how mean there?” drastically my to be different, to truly “Maybe mindset has be yourself so I could we’ll meet our changed since future husI was in that tell underclassmen do bands.” bathroom, to that exact thing and “I hope the scared to even pool is heated” tell people my viola: you’re set.”

“This is real name. middle school, I wish I the big leagues, could pinpoint you know?” exactly what it was that let “These people will be our me know it was OK to be difclassmates for the next six ferent, to truly be yourself so years, I have to make a good I could tell underclassmen to impression.” do that exact thing and voila: “Do you think people will you’re set. It would make think I’m weird?” sense that as I grew older, “I can’t believe this is hapI became more confident in pening.” myself, but I genuinely feel “Maybe we should change indebted to this school. our names.”

It was a culmination of all That was the day Remy experiences on the past becca decided to go by Becca six years here at Harvardand I decided to go by Nikky Westlake, especially the last because we felt a need to rethree years at the Upper invent ourselves. Though, my School, that encouraged me need for reinvention stemmed to, pardon my French, f *** from my fear of being seen the haters. as an outsider. I was afraid I owe so much to the “Nikta” would be too differteachers who always supportent and no one would want to ed me, my dean who always be friends with a girl whose believed in me, my friends name they couldn’t prowho never ceased to challenge nounce. me, and especially my parents This conversation between who pushed me to pursue my me and Becca happened dreams. exactly six years ago and, I In a few short months, think, like most prepubescent I’ll have to start introducing incoming middle-schoolers, myself again to a whole new I was afraid of standing out, class and I have no hesitation afraid of being myself. to say, “hi, my name is Nikta.” mansouri

prom2015

D12 Seniors

The Class of 2015 Takes Prom 1

4

May 27, 2015

7

9

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ASHLEY AMINIAN

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF NATALIE LIM

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CARLY BERGER

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MELANIE KRASSEL

5

10

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BENNY WEISMAN

2

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF REBECCA LI

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF LILI COHEN

3

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF LILI COHEN

6

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF PAIGE MOELIS

8 PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF BRIE GAZMARIAN

SWAN SONG: 1: Melanie Krassel ’15, left, Danielle Stolz ’15 and Zoe Dutton ’15 attend a pre-prom party.

2: Andrew Ravan ’15 and Libby Sondheimer ’15 chat while preparing for the evening festivities.

3: Rachel Persky ’15, left, Julia Safir ’15, Jules Gross ’15 and Lili Cohen ’15 show off their corsages.

4: Brie Cooper ’15, left, Carly Berger ’15, Courtney O’Brien ’15 and Sloane Wilson ’15 prepare for prom.

5: Covi Brannan ’15 and Benny Weisman ’15 share an inside laugh during pre-prom.

6: Nikta Mansouri ’15, left, Sabrina Zaks ’15, Paige Moelis ’15 and Sara Evall ’15 model their dresses.

7: Seniors make silly faces.

8: Brie Gazmarian ’15, left, and her date, Teeana Cotangco ’15, Desmond Butler ’15, Kayla Dillard ’15 and her date, Alexandria Florent ’15, Wolfgang Novogratz ’15, Chloe Castaneda ’15 and Cole Fletcher ’15 couple up in classic prom poses.

9: Alex Lopes ’15, left, Nina Dubovitsky, Ashley Aminian ’15 and Maxine Moore ’15 joke around.

10: Rebecca Li ’15 kisses her date, Joe Woody ’15, on the cheek.