November 2008

The Chronicle Harvard-Westlake School • North Hollywood, CA • Volume XVIII • Issue 3 • November 12, 2008 • chronicle.hw.com

Film director

Hangin’ loose

Jason Reitman ’95 interviews Oscar winner Diablo Cody.

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Ester Khachatryan/chronicle

Surfing helps students relieve stress caused by school.

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Faire Davidson/chronicle

Marathon runners

Three athletes train for long race.

A27

cOURTESy OF cARL lAWSON

School to start in August for 2009-2010 year

By Alexia Boyarsky

CourtesY Of mARI fAGEL, rOMI bARTA, SOPHI MAnCALL-bITEL AND rYAN lASH

milestone: Students and alumni participated in this year’s monumental election by gathering at Grant Park (top left). Ryan Lash ’13 protests against Prop 8 (top middle). Romi Barta ’06 points to her Obama pin (middle right). Michael Kaplan ’08 supports Obama in Grant Park on Nov. 4 (bottom left).

Embracing an historic moment

R

ecent alumni attending colleges in Chicago and Washington D.C. flocked to Chicago’s Grant Park and the White House on Election Night to be a part of the culmination of a historical presidential election. By Michelle Nosratian

The Nov. 4 election resulted in a landslide electoral victory for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, the Hawaiian-born son of a Kenyan father, who will become America’s first black president.

Harvard-Westlake chose Obama by a 76 percent margin in a Mock Election a week earlier.

Two screens set up at both ends of the field at Grant Park relayed the CNN coverage of the election and broadcast Obama’s speech to the throngs of people who had shown up to see him speak.

“We were there all day celebrating every time a new projection came out,” Michael Kaplan ’08, a student at Northwestern University in nearby Evanston said.

As it became clearer that Obama was going

to be the victor, all the major news stations began broadcasting live images of the scene in Grant Park.

“There were thousands of people there, but the mood was markedly different than what was shown on television,” said Ali Pechman ’08, also a Northwestern freshman. “It was a much younger crowd, mostly students.”

“I saw a lot of people with their mini flashlights and books studying for midterms during the commercial breaks,” Pechman said. “I saw dozens of people I knew from Northwestern and other schools and during Obama’s speech when he mentioned young voters or people who were voting for the first time, everyone on the field started screaming.” see ‘ELECTION 2008,’ A10 B Section

Julie Barzilay/Chronicle

pocket

change

GREEN ACTS:

WORLD WIDE:

B SECTION:

Students plant trees at a Community Council event.

Studying the foreign language spoken at home.

The economic crisis affects students, alumni and the school itself.

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A16

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The new schedule to be implemented next year will cause the school year to start more than a week earlier, will likely eliminate semester break and will cause the semester exams to begin three days after winter break ends, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts informed teachers and staff in an e-mail.

School will now begin on Monday, Aug. 31.

In the past, school has started on the Wednesday after Labor Day weekend. For next year’s calendar, that would correspond to Sept. 9.

By starting earlier, the administration hopes to give AP classes time to finish all material before AP exams start in early May, Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said.

“Final exams will be in sync with APs and then with the end of the year,” he said.

The Faculty Academic Committee voted to hold semester exams after winter break, because so many performing arts and music events take place right before Christmas, Salamandra said, However, Salamandra hopes students will not use their break to study for the exams.

“As a school, we expect our students to use their vacations to take time off and spend time with family,” Salamandra said. “We don’t want them to use their whole vacation for studying.”

Exams will be held three days after the school reconvenes from winter break. This will eliminate the transition period between break and exams, Salamandra said. Adminstrators are considering the removal of semester break.

IN DEPTH

With growing pains healed, trio set agendas for future

By Lucy Jackson

and

Derek Schlom

In July 2006, Thomas C. Hudnut traded in his Seaver office for a renovated house in the equivalent of the upper school campus’ backcountry, and Jeanne Huybrechts trekked over Coldwater to occupy the empty space.

Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau packed up her extensive collection of stuffed Elmo dolls and moved down the hall of what was then the Middle School’s Administration Building to fill the void Huybrechts left behind.

The moves were a result of then-Headmaster Hudnut’s decision to divide his role at the time into two specialized positions. He would become the school’s first-ever President, tasked with overseeing the school’s fundraising and outreach responsibilities, and Huybrechts would make the switch from Head of Middle School to Head of School, in charge of student life, faculty, and the curriculum. Cazeau assumed Huybrechts’ old job at the Middle School.

In the two-and-a-half years since the administration overhaul, the school has weathered scandals and public scrutiny, as well as a modernization that cost more than $100 million, all while attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy on both campuses and continuing to rake in academic and athletic accolades. see ‘TRANSITION,’ A11

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Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 The Chronicle

preview

cathi choi/chronicle

viewing the art: Rachel Krepak ’09, Nora Rothman ’09, Dina DeLaurentiis ’09, Coco Weaver ’09,

features

Taylor Hooks ’09 and Ryan Navi ’09 view the student selfportraits at the Senior Art Show on Oct. 20. The show, held

news

A14

Hella Epic is a student group that claims it’s promoting a lifestyle.

A4

A15

“Mad Men” creator Matt Weiner ’83 talks about his life as a Harvard student and his show.

Actor Tom Hanks will headline the Harvard-Westlake Film Festival March 20.

A6

An increase in theft of Phones, iPods, wallets and cash prompts greater security.

off-beat

By Lucy Jackson The teddy bear married, divorced and moved on, all in one week. The story, which AP Spanish Language teacher Margot Riemer described as one of her favorites thus far, was one of many that students in the course have conceived as part of Riemer’s new writing program this year.

The assignment requires that one student from each of Riemer’s three classes every week cares for the teddy bear designated for their class, taking it to his or her normal activities or events.

The students entrusted with the bears then write in Spanish about the adventures they had with the bear and give an oral presentation to the class to hone their speaking skills.

Frequently the bears’ journeys center around school events like Homecoming, Riemer said, but, in some cases students create elaborate, imaginary story lines, like the aforementioned marital strife.

“It’s a way to get writing practice in a nonthreatening way,” Riemer said. “It’s something fun and it’s not too onerous because only one student a week has to take it on.”

Last week, Nicky Tiger ’09 cared for eighth period’s white teddy bear Papa Frito, and told the class on Monday about the bear’s experience with Halloween, standardized testing and “High School Musical 3” on the big screen.

“I dressed him up as a pumpkin for Halloween and he got lots of compliments,” she said. “[The activity] is really valuable because it helps our creative writing and encourages us to learn new vocab. It’s not completely standard – you get to do what you want with it.”

Once written, Riemer puts the stories up on Moodle, an online forum to which teachers post resources for their students.

Riemer hopes that the adventures of the teddy bears will be archived on Moodle so that students can read the stories long after they’ve graduated, she said.

in Feldman-Horn Gallery, featured senior work from all art and photography classes.

sports A25 A27

Girls volleyball enters CIF with an undefeated streak.

Four seniors train for the L.A. Marathon. courtesy of allison lerner

cool kid: Allison Lerner ’09 reads her children’s book about the environment at Valley Beth Shalom. A5

opinion

judd liebman/spectrum

thicket of sprinters: Cross country freshmen and sophomores compete at the Santa Clarita Valley Invitational. A28

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Alexia Boyarsky ’09 advocates taking a class for fun to break up the monotonous day.

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A.J. Calabrese ’09 writes what the past means for the future in light of the election.

what’s online

chronicle.hw.com mondrian redone: Phoebe Novack ’09’s Reduction Project drawing is one of several drawings and photographs which are online in the main photo gallery.

» Photo gallery of Spirit Week » Video students’ award-winning work screened in Florida media festival

Photo gallery of the senior art gallery

» rebecca weinstein/vox

Nov. 12, 2008

News A3

The Chronicle

Rocketry Club wins grant from NASA

By Sammy Roth The Rocketry Club received a $3,700 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to build a rocket which can carry a scientific payload a mile into the air.

NASA gave the grant to 14 rocketry teams, most of which hail from high schools, as part of its Student Launch Initiative.

The 14 teams will demonstrate their rockets April 15-19 at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The team qualified to submit a rocket proposal for the SLI when they placed 13th out of over 700 teams at the Team America Rocketry Challenge last May in The Plains, Va. “I’m really excited to go to Alabama,” Spencer Gordon ’10, a member of the Rocketry Club, said. “I’ve never seen any serious rocket launch, so this is going to be really exciting.”

Gordon had attended the Rocketry Challenge last May, when the team successfully launched a rocket over 700 feet into the air.

Gordon said that launch will pale in comparison to the 5,280-foot launch that they hope to manage this time.

The team’s proposal to NASA, which was written primarily by Ian Cinnamon ’10, was one of 14 proposals chosen out of 21 submitted.

Cinnamon said that there is a chance that NASA will actually make use of the best rocket it sees at Huntsville.

“I am thrilled to get this opportunity,” Cinnamon said. “How many high school students can say they are a government contractor?”

Cinnamon’s teammate Brett Thompon ’10 was amazed at their opportunity at well.

“It blows my mind, the fact that we’re being contracted by NASA,” Thompson said. “It’s amazing how far we can go if we just put some effort into what we’re doing.”

For some members of the Rocketry Club, having their proposal chosen was no surprise. Gordon said that he was especially confident in Cinnamon’s abilities.

“Ian is way ahead of the game on this,” Gordon said.

Brendan Kutler ’10, also a member of the team, expressed a similar sentiment.

“Ian does all the planning,” Kutler said. “We help him with the rocket, but he makes everything work.”

Cinnamon said that the team will meet on Sundays over the next few months to build their rocket, design a team website and prepare the rocket’s scientific payload.

The payload will be a sample of live, but harmless, bacteria, an idea proposed by Richard Liu ’10. According to Cinnamon’s proposal, one goal of the launch in Huntsville will be to determine the effect of high altitude and fast acceleration on the bacteria’s rate of growth.

This will be attempted using small light-emitting diodes and wireless cameras built in to the rocket, which will record and send images of the bacteria during the rocket’s flight.

Gordon said that other teams were experimenting with different kinds of payloads.

In addition to NASA’s funding, Cinnamon’s proposal calls for $5,000 in school funds, at least part of which he expects the math and science departments will provide, and $3,100 in sponsorships, which he said the team hopes to obtain from local businesses.

The Rocketry Club was founded last year as a small endeavor, and has gradually expanded.

Eric Arzoian ’09 joined the team in its inaugural year and was surprised to be honored by NASA. “Truthfully, I haven’t even really processed it yet,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot, and I didn’t expect it to be as fun and rewarding as it is.”

photos Courtesy of ian Cinnamon

rocket men: A rocket built by the Rocketry Club (above) is launched at the 2008 Team America Rocketry Challenge in The Plains, Va. while Ian Cinnamon ’10 watches in the distance. Spencer Gordon ’10 and Cinnamon retrieve the rocket (below).

communitycouncil

Students volunteer for TreePeople at second Community Council event

By Anna Etra

Julie Barzilay/chronicle

Can you dig it?: Simon Hunegs ’10, Matthew Krisiloff ’10 and Sylvia Gintowt-Gindick ’10 (from left) dig a hole in order to plant a tree at the Community Council-planned event.

Sixteen students planted trees on Oct. 18 at an event organized by the Community Council.

The 16 sophomores, juniors and seniors gathered at the Upper School and took a bus to the Castle Heights neighborhood with math teacher Ashley Satterthwaite-Johnson.

Upon arrival, the students planted with a group of volunteers attending the event, which was hosted by TreePeople.

The school’s group planted at total of 10 trees. Some of the trees adorn the side of a road and some are in front of homes.

The rest of the volunteers planted about 30 trees in total.

Each tree takes about an hour to plant. Supervisors from TreePeople were on hand to help with digging, watering and securing the trees with posts. The group worked for five hours, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Community Council members Julie Barzilay ’09, Max Eliot ’09 and Ava Kofman ’10 organized the event.

They were in charge of creating and collecting all the forms, taking care of the liability and securing transportation.

“After Community Council’s first event, the Abbot-Kinney carnival, we wanted to focus on another aspect of community service – the environment and the natural world,” Barzilay said.

“Some kids are really passionate about cleaning, beautifying or preserving the Earth, and we wanted to give them a chance to spend time doing something meaningful that they would enjoy.”

Barzilay is also co-president of the Environmental Club, and is helping the club coordinate a beach cleanup with the Community Council on Dec. 7.

“It was really fun actually planting the trees,” Max Zipperman ’10 said. “It was nice to give some beauty and shade to a community that does not have that many trees.”

TreePeople is an organization that Community Council was excited to work with, Barzilay said.

“Students were very proud of all the hard work they put in planting the trees and were inspired by the legacy they left – 10 trees that will outlive all of us,” she said.

Because of the success of this event, Community Council is planning to hold more events with TreePeople this year.

A4 News

The Chronicle

Nov. 12, 2008

Hanks to headline at school Film Festival

tooting the night away

By Julie Barzilay

ALEX EDEL/chronicle

SENIORS PERFORM JOURNEY’S “DON’T STOP BELIEVING” ON KAZOOS during halftime of the varsity football game at Homecoming on Oct. 18. The Senior Kazoo Band returned to Homecoming after it was moved to Senior Night last year.

Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks will address an audience of 800 in the Arclight Cinerama Dome at the sixth annual HarvardWestlake Film Festival March 20.

Films will be submitted from high school students all over California until the January deadline.

Once all films have been submitted, film festival student directors Lauren Bailey ’09 and Jonathan Haile ’09 will watch each film and pick their favorite 40 or 50.

In the past, there have been around 100 submissions, out this year they anticipate significantly more entries.

These finalists will be evaluated by a screening committee, who will pick enough movies to fill one-anda-half hours of screen time, generally around 13 films.

Professional judges sought out by Bailey and Haile will then award the films for excellence in different categories.

Another difference this year is that the festival will be open to the general public.

Bailey and Haile want members of the school community to get priority in obtaining tickets, which are free, to encourage students to come and support their friends’ achievements.

This year the reception outside the theatre held after the screening will be private, meaning it will only be open to filmmakers, their guests and Harvard-Westlake students.

Performing arts teacher Ted Walch and video arts teacher Cheri Gaulke are the faculty advisers for the festival.

This year, the reception outside the theatre held after screening will

only be open to filmmakers, their guests, and to Harvard-Westlake.

Performing Arts teacher Ted Walch and Video Arts teacher Cheri Gaulke are the faculty advisers for the Festival. This year the advisers and student directors were interested in obtaining a high profile speaker to attract a crowd to the much-larger venue.

“Hanks is an inspiration not only as an incredible actor, but as a producer and general good person who works for the betterment of film,” Gaulke said.

Most of Bailey and Haile’s job thus far has consisted of writing letters to schools with video arts programs to encourage the submission of films.

Nick Merril ’09 is working on a new website design for a festival site that is nearing completion.

Haile said the expansion of the venue is indicative of the expansion of the school’s video arts program as a whole.

“Twice as many people means twice as many everything,” Bailey said. “We’ll have to work to organize parking, the reception, advertising, everything.”

Bailey and Haile view the festival as an opportunity for students to learn from and appreciate the talent of people their age.

“It’s so unique—Harvard-Westlake has all these resources and we are so fortunate to be able to share this with other kids in California,” Bailey said. “There are not a lot of festivals of this level for high school kids.”

Haile agreed.

“Kids who come will really get to put a finger on the pulse of artistic filmmaking in California,” Haile said.

New art classes to be offered for next year

By Mac Taylor Music Appreciation and Studio Art History will be offered as classes next year after being approved last week by the Faculty Academic Committee. Orchestra teacher Mark Hilt proposed the new music course, which had been a long-time goal of his, while Visual Arts teacher Arthur Tobias created Studio Art History.

With the help of Director of Studies Deborah Downing and the approval of Department Chair Rees Pugh, Hilt submitted the new class to FAC for review. He said the curriculum will “probably undergo significant revision,” but tentatively plans to have the class cover eight major composers from the 20th century.

“I want to help the students see the connections in the world of music that they already have from many of their other classes, such as history and English literature,” Hilt said.

He plans on using “The Rest is Noise” by Alex Ross as a textbook to situate the music in a broader social context so that it does not remain a “museum curiosity,” Hilt said.

“One of the main reasons why I feel the book will be great for the students is that he doesn’t really believe in any divisions between genres in music, and I believe this approach is one students can relate to,” he said.

Hilt plans to get University of California arts accreditation for the class before the start of the new school year.

Studio Art History will be offered as a companion to AP Art History. Instead of being lecturebased, however, the class will take place primarily in the studio.

The class was designed by Tobias as a way for students to create the same types of art as the cultures studied in Art History. These types of art include frescoes, etchings, and other mediums used from medieval to modern times.

“The idea is to better understand the images in the art history slides,” Tobias said. “I can’t guarantee a better grade in Art History if you take the new class, but it can’t hurt.”

Concurrent enrollment in Art History is not required, but is recommended. Tobias has submitted a course outline to the UC system which has been approved for arts credit.

courtesy of Tessa Williams

why so serious? Tessa Williams ’06 (right) peforms in a scene of “The Darq Knight,” a musical parody of this summer’s Batman film, in October at Yale University. Williams both acted in and wrote the musical.

Alumna helps write parody at Yale University

By Sammy Roth This summer, you may have seen “The Dark Knight,” the critically acclaimed sequel to “Batman Begins,” but chances are you have not seen its surreal parody.

Tessa Williams ’06 worked with three friends to write “The Darq Knight,” which was performed six times Oct. 16-18 at Yale University’s Off-Broadway theater. Williams is currently in her junior year at Yale.

The production was paid for by the Sudler fund, which grants Yale students money for ventures in the arts, so Williams and her friends were not allowed to charge admission.

As a result, she said, they had no problems with copyright laws.

Williams was involved in the theater and performing arts programs at Harvard-Westlake. She acted in eight school plays and musicals, wrote three plays for Playwrights’ Festivals, and participated in the improvisation group, the Scene Monkeys.

“We thought [‘The Dark

Knight’] was magical and deserved a wider audience,” Williams joked, referring to herself and her three friends, who are also Yale students.

“It isn’t that we wanted to parody it, it was just that we wanted to pair it with another great work so the two could mutually inform one another, and elucidate, transcend.”

Williams’ parody condensed the 152-minute movie into an hour filled with music from the 1980s.

“Basically, it was a word-forword one-hour condensed version of ‘The Dark Knight’ the movie,” she said. “And by that I mean it was set to popular 80’s power-rock ballads, and it wasn’t word-forword.”

Williams and her friends spoofed the film’s actors and characters.

Alfred, Batman’s butler, was portrayed as being secretly in love with his employer, and the role of Rachel Dawes year was split into two characters: actresses Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal ’95, who portrayed Dawes in the first and second movies, respectively.

Williams played the role of Gyllen-

haal.

Many plots and scenes were similarly distorted. Williams said that the movie’s ending —Batman and the Joker fighting, Harvey ‘Two-Face’ Dent holding Police Commissioner James Gordon’s family hostage, and two freighters full of people deciding whether or not to blow up the other one —was combined into just one scene.

“The ending climaxes of the movie were combined three-ringcircus-style to create one gigantic climax,” she said. “And for the record, the plot line of the freighters was symbolized by a game of Battleship.”

Williams was surprised by the reception the parody received. She said that they sold out the 150person theater for each of their six performances.

“We knew that people would be interested and probably like it a lot considering how much of a popular phenomenon the movie became, but we were surprised by the volume of response we got,” she said.

“The audience sizes were huge and they seemed to really love it.”

Nov. 12, 2008

News A5

The Chronicle

KABC features senior as ‘Cool Kid of the Week’

By Michelle Yousefzadeh

Allison Lerner ’09 was featured as KABC’s “Cool Kid of the Week” for working with and teaching her peers about the environment.

Lerner wrote a children’s book, “The Green Street Kids: The Earth Warriors,” which was published in September.

She has read the book to kids at her elementary school, Valley Beth Shalom Day School.

Lerner will also be featured in the Jewish Journal later this month.

The book is currently being sold at the student store.

“This book is meant as an introduction for kids to learn how their daily actions can impact the environment,” Lerner said. “It helps children understand how our planet is changing by educating them about the basic concepts of global warming, energy consumption, and reducing, reusing and recycling. It provides them with kid-friendly simple ways to ‘grow up green’ and help our planet.”

Lerner’s book is about four children who decide to start a club to save the world.

They talk to family members, scientists and friends to learn more about what they can do to stop global warming.

The Green Street Kids come up with a list of tips to save energy like changing incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, turning off light switches and running the washing machine only with a full load.

“As an active environmentalist, I recognized the challenges in trying to have people

change their habits to become more environmentally conscious,” Lerner said. “Doing small tasks such as remembering to turn off the lights when you leave the room or unplugging electronics while they are not in use seem simple, but if people are not accustomed to these green habits, it is hard for them to change.”

Lerner began drafting ideas for the book in the summer of 2007, taking almost a year to complete it.

The book was meant to encourage people to become more environmentally friendly in order to preserve the earth for future generations, Lerner said.

“With our world dramatically changing and habitats being destroyed because of our overly destructive ways of life, I wanted to help establish a brighter future for the earth,” Lerner said.

“By writing this book, I hope to educate children to become more environmentally aware and share this knowledge with their friends and families to work together to make a difference,” she added.

As co-president of the Environmental Club, Lerner works with administration to encourage students to be more environmentally-friendly.

“We are planning to incorporate a day of environmental education in the Choices and Challenges curriculum, to provide refilling stations for Nalgene type bottles so that students no longer use plastic water bottles and to post environmental reminders around campus,” Lerner said. “I truly believe that if we all work together, we can make a difference.”

photo courtesy of allison lerner

the green book kid: Allison Lerner ’09 reads her children’s book on environmentalism, “The Green Street Kids: The Earth Warriors,” to children at her temple, Valley Beth Shalom.

12 faculty members to tour China during spring break

By Sammy Roth

nick tolson/reprinted with permission

showing some style: A tee-shirt produced by Fifth Estate Clothing, founded by Josh Brown ’07, Jason Gold ’07 and Nick Tolson ’07, displays one of the company’s designs.

Three alumni start ‘street culture’ clothing line

By Matthew Lee Three students from the class of 2007 founded a clothing label that emphasizes urban fashion and street culture. Nick Tolson ’07, who attends Indiana Universtiy, Josh Brown ’07, who is currently at Cornell, and Jason Gold ’07, who goes to the University of Oregon, founded Fifth Estate Clothing this July.

Tolson said that he and Brown wanted to start something that they could be proud of when they were older. In June 2008, Brown asked Tolson if he wanted to start a clothing label, and Tolson agreed. A few weeks later, Gold contacted Tolson saying that he was interested in running the legal aspects of the company. Gold received $10,000 from his parents that the three alums used to start the company in July.

“We are really thankful for them,” Tolson said. “Without them this wouldn’t have happened.”

Brown runs the company’s day-to-day operations, Gold

is the president, and Tolson is the creative developer. Tolson also comes up with the ideas for designs of the shirts. The ideas are given to Sei Shimura, who creates the actual designs with computer programs.

Tolson sends the design to a printer based in downtown Los Angeles who prints as many shirts as Tolson needs.

Six different lines of shirts have been released. The shirts are sold from Tolson’s residence, but they will soon be available for people to buy on the company’s website. Gold’s goal is to sell 100,000 shirts in the next 15 months, Tolson said.

Fifth Estate Clothing has ordered stickers with the company label to use as advertisements.

Tolson said that the company also plans to advertise online.

The company also wants to release two new lines of shirts monthly by the beginning of next year, Tolson said. To complement the release of the shirts, the company will make a video explaining the designs of the shirts.

Twelve faculty members will travel to China during spring break, where they will tour and study in order to increase awareness of Chinese culture and history at HarvardWestlake, Director of Studies Dr. Deborah Dowling said.

The trip was made possible by a HarvardWestlake family which Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said will remain anonymous for the time being.

Huybrechts chose the 12 faculty members from a pool of 22 applicants. She picked Dowling, Vice President John Amato, middle school history teachers Stephen Chan, Rosemary Clark, Matthew Cutler, Karen Fukushima, and George Gaskin, middle school English teachers Steven Chae and Claire Pasternack, middle school Librarian Anna Martino, middle school visual arts teacher Katherine Palmer and middle school science teacher Sandra Wolchok.

The group, along with another faculty group from John Thomas Dye School and Dr. Yunxiang Yan, co-director of UCLA’s Center for Chinese Studies, will depart for Beijing on March 27.

The tentative 10-day itinerary has them traveling from Beijing to Kunming, and then to Shanghai. They plan to visit the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven, along with medical, educational and social institutions.

Dowling, who reviewed the 22 faculty applications before giving them to Huybrechts, said that the trip is meant to improve the quality of education at the school.

“We want the purpose of this trip to be to improve and enrich Harvard-Westlake’s curriculum by building in a stronger awareness of China,” Dowling said.

Dowling said that the group would take a short course on Chinese culture and history with Yan, whom she described as “a highly qualified, extremely impressive professor.”

The course will consist of three full-day workshops at UCLA, as well as a number of reading assignments.

“That’s going to make it a much richer experience because they will know so much about China before ever stepping foot on Chinese soil,” Huybrechts said.

“We want the purpose of this trip to be to improve and enrich harvardWestlake’s curriculum by building a stronger awareness of china.”

—Deborah Dowling Director of Studies

Chan, who has consulted with Yan on the plans for the workshop, agreed.

“If you go on a tour you’re exposed to a lot of Chinese culture and society, but this program adds workshops that really inform the participants about the social, political and economic realities of China,” he said. “This will add to the relevance of the things that they see.”

Wolchok said there is a particular economic reality which interests her.

“Of course, I am interested in seeing the cities and learning about the people of China, but I am also interested in learning how the government has dealt with and will continue to deal with the more recent industrialization of this nation,” she said.

Huybrechts said she gave priority to seventh and eighth grade history teachers because the school is considering changing those courses to incorporate more of a focus on Chinese history and culture. Beyond that, Huybrechts said, she tried to choose teachers from numerous departments.

“The trip goes hand in hand with expanding our Chinese language program,” Dowling said. For the first time this year, the school offers a Chinese course for seventh graders.

“We think that part of educating HarvardWestlake students is to make sure that they’re in touch with issues in Asia,” Dowling said.

“The U.S. has increasing economic ties with China, and they are really growing in their global impact,” she said. “And if you’re going to become a global citizen, it’s important to be conscious of what’s happening in China and to understand their background and be able to communicate with Chinese people.”

A6 News

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

inbrief

Theft reports increase on campus

Cafeteria takes ecofriendly approach The upper school cafeteria is taking on a new approach to becoming ecofriendly by introducing disposable plates, cups and compostable products.

The school’s decision to become more eco-friendly was to “work with the community and wanting to move in the direction of being greener,” Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said.

The compostable products recycle organic waste material into useful products.

According to Salamandra, students and faculty from the Environmental Club have been trying to change the cafeteria’s unrecyclable products to completely compostable products.

“I commend students wanting to do this at the school,” Salamandra said.

—Sade Tavangarian

Athletic Director tours local radio station Athletic Director Terrence Barnum spent the morning of Oct. 15 with local radio personality Big Boy. Barnum won the opportunity to tour “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” on 105.9 FM at an auction held by Executive Assistant to the Head of School Melissa Cherella. The auction was part of a fundraiser for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research.

Barnum toured the station, met the crew, took pictures and received a shirt.

“I had a lot of fun at the station,” Barnum said. “It was really interesting to meet all of the personalities that you listen to on the radio every day.”

—Cody Schott

Thankgiving food drive to benefit poor Students can donate food for the Thanksgiving food drive in bins that will be in the lounge Nov. 19-25.

The Community Council will assign each dean group a type of food to bring, such as rice or soup.

The dean group that donates the most food will receive special privileges such as off-campus privileges for a week for sophomores and juniors, the Community Council said.

The food will be sent to the Westside Food Bank, which will package and distribute the donations throughout Los Angeles to low income families.

—Alice Phillips

Model UN conference meets at UCLA Model UN met in Ackerman Union at UCLA last weekend for their second conference of the year.

Director of Student Affairs and Model UN adviser Jordan Church observed each committee to see how the students were doing.

“During our last conference, Jason Byun ’09 won a gavel, which is basically first place,” Church said. “Everyone sent their best to the Security Council, so it was really great to have a student from Harvard-Westlake win it.

This time at UCLA we won Best Small School Delegation.”

The Model UN secretariat includes Cathi Choi ’09, Gina Chang ’09, Alex Green ’09, Michelle Yousefzadeh ’10 and Joe Girton ’10.

—Tiana Woolridge

By Hana Al-Henaid

julie barzilay /Chronicle

SEEING GREEN: Environmental Club members Haley Feldman ’09 (left) and Casey Jarvis ’11 make signs for the beach cleanup event on Dec. 7.

Signs remind students to ‘Turn off the lights!’

By Ingrid Chang The Environmental Club is attempting to raise awareness about conserving energy through a series of projects, most recently by putting signs near light switches and computers saying “Turn me off!” and sponsoring a beach cleanup on Dec. 7.

The light switches idea, conceived

by Julie Barzilay ’09 and Sal Greenberger ’09, was carried out by members of the Environmental Club, who took the signs with them and posted them in their classrooms.

“Having the lights on is something we take for granted, because if we turn all the lights off, we still have enough light through the windows,” Barzilay said. “Even if you just turn it off for five minutes it saves so much energy.”

The signs seem to have been taking effect, with many people noticing and teachers commenting on them.

“I think it just puts the environment on people’s radars even if they’re not doing anything yet,” Barzilay said. “If they’re seeing it every day, they think about it when they go home and they

turn off the lights.”

The club is working on getting rid of Styrofoam in the cafeteria and ordering reusable water bottles for students, which some sports teams have already adopted.

They are planning an environmental education day in the 10th grade Choices and Challenges course, working with the Prefect Council to possibly make semiformal a green event, organizing a beach cleanup on Dec. 7 and will be holding a drive for recycling batteries, cell phones, ink cartridges, and contests involving environmentally related questions and prizes. They have also joined the Green School Alliance, which focuses on reducing schools’ carbon footprints.

“We just want people to be aware and know how to be environmentally responsible people,” Barzilay said.

The motivations of the Environmental Club for the year revolve around the conservation of natural resources.

“The earth is running out of many of the resources to create energy, so we need to save the energy that we have,” Barzilay said.

Reported thefts on campus have increased since the beginning of the school year, according to Head of Security Jim Crawford. The reported items have primarily been wallets, cash, phones and especially iPods, all taken from unattended backpacks.

When Crawford first received reports of thefts at the start of the school year, he believed the thief came from outside campus, but following the increase in reports, Crawford now believes the thief is someone from the school.

“I have a folder on my desk right now that probably has about 10 or 11 different reports of stolen items,” Crawford said.

In early October, Olivia Kestin ’09 reported that money was stolen from her wallet during a field hockey game.

“I went to get my backpack from outside Munger after my game and my wallet was sitting on the floor outside my backpack and all the money was missing,” Kestin said.

There were several games going on that day and visiting teams were walking around campus, Kestin said.

“I noticed my money was stolen after school ended and after my game was over,” she said.

“I was thinking that if the thief was from another school, they would still be on campus.”

Catie Barsky ’10 reported her stolen laptop to security last week. After Barsky told security where she remembered having her laptop last, the school’s security searched the areas, but found nothing, Barksy said.

Within the week, however, Barsky’s laptop was found in the Science Lab, although the room had previously been searched by security and by Barsky. “[The laptop] showed up in an office that I had been working in earlier, but it was checked by myself, security and the teacher,” Barsky said. “Security thinks it may have been taken then returned, but the truth remains a mystery.”

Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra and Crawford have discussed increasing the number of cameras around campus, Crawford said.

“We spoke about placing cameras in places where students have a tendency to drop their backpacks and leave, like the area across from Munger,” Crawford said. “Those are the areas that I’ve received the most reports of theft from.”

Crawford urges students not to leave any valuable items in backpacks, but to lock them in lockers instead.

“If you leave iPods or phones in your backpacks, at least put them at the bottom of the bag,” Crawford said. “Your best choice is to lock your stuff in your lockers.”

Antioch Review Students, teacher to film publishes poem documentary in Ethiopia

By Lauren Seo

By Catherine Wang

“Charon’s Humor,” a poem written by English Department Chair Laurence Weber was published in the summer issue of the Antioch Review.

“You hear it’s accepted, and then there’s a lay off don hagopian/chronicle time, and then it happens,” Laurence Weber he said. “It’s very exciting.”

Weber wrote “Charon’s Humor” three years ago as a narrative of its title character, Charon, a ferryman who transports the dead across the river in the underworld.

Charon wonders how he got what Weber calls “the worst job in human history,” and makes jokes at his own expense.

Weber said he tries to balance his 18 years of teaching with his life of writing.

“It’s hard to explain where these weird little obsessions come from,” he said.

To date, five of Weber’s poems have been featured in various publications. He is especially proud of being published in the Antioch Review, a prestigious journal he calls “a step up.”

Jake Gutman ’10, Billy Hawkins ’09 and visual arts teacher Cheri Gaulke will travel to Ethiopia from Dec. 19 until Jan. 1 to shoot a film that documents the difference the youth can make in the lives of others.

In Ethiopia, women and young girls must walk long distances every day to collect water for their families. In turn, they cannot go to school and develop themselves. Many organizations are working to build wells within villages to give the girls the opportunity to get an education.

“We hope to make a number of small documentaries that address the water well projects as well as other possible topics,” Gaulke said.

Gutman and Gaulke will be the primary camera operators, and Hawkins will be both a subject in the documentary as well as a camera operator.

Youth participants will be filmed Nov. 16 as they participate in the Pasadena Marathon, where they will carry water for part of the way in order to get a

glimpse into the Ethiopian girls’ experience.

“The documentary will focus on the process that these American youth will go through as they see how different their lives are and how they can make a difference in the lives of other people,” Gaulke said.

Gutman will be the lead editor and the editing will take place at the school’s video lab. Gaulke, Gutman and Hawkins are also working with a screenwriter to develop their filming approach in advance.

In addition to visiting the water well sites, Gutman, Hawkins and Gaulke will spend time in Addis Ababa visiting other charity organizations, including the Fregenet School, Mother Teresa’s Orphanage, the Fistula Hospital and Save the Children.

“My work as a teacher is all about empowering my students to use video and film to express themselves and make a difference in the world,” Gaulke said. “Facilitating our students to create a film with global implications is a dream of mine.”

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Republican club hosts candidate

By Shayna Freisleben

Griffy Simon/vox

Sion says: Steven Sion, a workers compensation lawyer and Republican candidate for the state assembly, spoke to students Oct. 23 at a meeting sponsored by the Young Conservatives.

A workers compensation lawyer who ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for a state assembly seat spoke to about 50 students on Oct. 23 at a meeting booked by the Young Republicans.

Steven Sion, who lost his bid for the 42nd district on Nov. 4, classified himself as a moderate Republican and answered questions for students about the presidential campaign of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain.

Sion decided to become a Republican when he was growing up in Rhode Island and was dismayed by the government control and bureaucracy of the Rhode Island state legislature, he said.

“There was so much regulation in state government that people were unable to break the barriers and cycles of poverty,” Sion said. “I believed that the Democrats didn’t have it right.”

The poor public school system and misappropriation of the state budget prompted Sion to run for state assembly.

He also ran in the same district in 2006 and lost.

Sion said that the belief in individual power within government is what aligns him with the Republican Party.

“I just saw a lot of handouts and somewhat of a buddybuddy system in the legislature,” Sion said. “I feel that the Democratic Party is more inclined to be a handout system.”

Sion also clarified student concerns about McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

“The role of vice president is to be there in case something happens to the president and ready to serve,” he said.

“I think there’s a difference between being ready and qualified, and the more we learn about Sarah Palin, the better we can make that assessment.”

Sion justified why the campaign of Democratic nominee, now President-elect, Barack Obama would not be successful in correcting the economic crisis and ending two wars.

“As a nation, we don’t want change, we want progress,” he said. “Change for change’s sake is no good.”

Prefects announce sandwich pre-order

By Anna Etra

Students can now pre-order sandwiches in the cafeteria for a quick pickup between classes.

A new sandwich order form was created in order to “make your lives a little less stressful,” the Prefect Council said in a school-wide e-mail last week.

The idea behind the new sandwich ordering process is to shorten the lines at the sandwich bar in order to allow students with few free periods to bypass the long lines and to get food faster.

Pre-ordering sandwiches is part of Prefect Council’s

campaign to “give you one less thing to worry about.”

In the email, the Prefect Council described themselves as “your friendly neighborhood Prefect Council.”

When a student purchases a sandwich, the sandwich is charged to his or her ID card.

The sandwiches will be ready for pick up between third and seventh periods.

If the sandwich is not picked up, it will be sold in the cafeteria.

If the sandwich is purchased by somebody else in the cafeteria, the person who originally ordered it will have a refund credited to his or her student account.

Community Council has set up its new office in the center of student activity in hopes of making community service a daily part of student life.

The space was laid out in the lounge in mid-October after the council discussed the need for a more tangible presence of the group among the student body.

“Community Council is really looking to help students become more involved with community service endeavors,” Community Council member Marni Barta ’09 said. “By putting the office in the student lounge, we establish the Community Council as a part of the campus and makes us more accessible to students.”

Each Community Council member is required to spend a

minimum of two free periods a week in the office so that students can come visit and ask questions or inquiries that they may have about many events that the community council organizes in an effort to promote community service.

The office neighbors those of the council’s advisers, Chaplain Father J. Young and Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church.

Young and Church suggested that an office be created as the headquarters for the group.

“We didn’t just want to be a group behind closed doors,” Barta said. “We want encourage students to come to us. By getting a office in the lounge we show that we really are there to get students to unite and to create projects for other students to get involved.”

inbrief

Deans prohibit food in lounge after trial fails

The deans set a new rule declaring that no student may eat or drink in the student lounge.

Deans and security officer Sanders Jackson walked around the lounge on Friday, Oct. 31, seeing bags of chips, half eaten lunches and bottles strewn throughout the lounge.

“No food or drink” signs have been posted on trash cans in the lounge and an e-mail was sent reminding students of this rule.

—Olivia Kwitny

Geology teacher initiates trip to save monument Geology teacher Wendy Van Norden will take students interested in helping preserve the natural monument, Trona Pinnacles, to Trona, Calif. in December for an overnight trip. They will help with projects that the land management ranger in charge of the monument deems appropriate.

Van Norden explained the first project has to do with campers parking their cars close to the pinnacles, which is destroying them. The other possibility for a project is a nature trail.

—Jordan McSpadden

Orchestra instructor undergoes surgery Performing arts teacher Mark Hilt was hospitalized for over three weeks last month for surgery related to a kidney ailment, performing arts department head Rees Pugh said.

Hilt entered the hospital on Wednesday, Oct. 8 and underwent surgery that Friday. He returned to teach his orchestra classes Monday, Nov. 3.

Daniel Faltus, who has worked with the performing arts department previously, began substituting for Hilt’s classes on Thursday, Oct. 16. Hilt’s responsibilities relating to “Into the Woods” were shared by performing arts teacher Shawn Constantino and accompanist Chip Colvin.

—Julie Barzilay

candice navi/chronicle

fall stroll: (left) Elijah Lowenstein ’10, Chelsea McMahon ’10 and visual arts teacher Kevin O’Malley at the Huntington Museum on Nov. 10 for a photography field trip.

Community Council Photography classes opens office in lounge visit local museums

By Michelle Yousefzadeh

News A7

By Jordan Freisleben

Visual arts teacher Kevin O’Malley and his photography classes Advanced Photo IIA, Advanced Photo IIB and Advanced Photo III explored art museums throughout Los Angeles on class field trips.

Advanced Photo III visited the Getty Villa in Malibu on Nov. 7 with the assignment to photograph someone who resembled a portrait sculpture at the museum.

The Advanced Photo IIB class went to the Huntington Museum in San Marino on Nov. 10 where they saw the Greene and Greene architecture exhibition, while the Advanced Photo IIA class went to Getty Center in Brentwood on Nov. 11 to see the Carleton Watkins exhibition of landscape photographs from the

19th century.

The Advanced Photo II classes did not go the museums with a specific assignment, but free to take pictures of what they wanted.

“It was a good experience,” Chelsea McMahon ’10, a student of Advanced Photo IIB said. “We could go around and take pictures of what we wanted while bonding with our other classmates.”

O’Malley thinks that the museum expeditions are a good release for his students.

“This will be a good way for my academically overloaded students to get off campus and take some photographs,” he said. “They can do so without having to rush home before the sun goes down or sneak in shots between homework assignments over their weekends.”

Students walk to fight AIDS, juvenile diabetes Middle school students walked to fight AIDS and diabetes in two fundraisers in the past month.

Head of Community Service Victoria Goddard said 43 middle school students went to the AIDS Walk on Oct. 19 and that 37 went to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Walk on Nov. 1.

Many students also participated with their own groups at the AIDS Walk or at the JDRF Walk, Goddard added.

Students who complete one walk and raise at least $50 earn six hours of community service credit.

—Alex Leichenger

Knitting club makes snuggles for donation Middle school members of the knitting club are making snuggles to donate to Pet Orphans, a local pet rescue. Snuggles are knit blankets that will provide dogs with security and comfort in the Pet Orphans’ kennel.

Math teacher and club sponsor Karen Stern hopes to donate about eight snuggles, she said.

Students have also made hats and booties to give to foster babies through the program Stitches from the Heart.

—Emily Wallach

A8 News

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Teachers, students evacuate homes

Health Fair

By Neha Nimmagadda and Michelle Yousefzadeh

Alex edel/chronicle

Assistant to head of upper school Michelle Bracken gets her blood drawn for tests on Oct. 28 at the annual health fair, where teachers can receive flu shots and blood tests in the lounge. A student blood drive will be held in the lounge tomorrow.

Photo class goes to Prada event

The A.L.I.C.E Lockdown System Proposed by Jim Crawford, head of CJL Security, Inc., the system would train students to respond to an active shooter in an aggressive manner. Crawford emphasizes the idea of putting students and teachers “in charge of their own destiny.”

By Michelle Nosratian

Ten students in Kevin O’Malley’s Advanced Photography II class were invited to an opening party for Prada’s new men’s fragrance, ‘Infusion d’Homme,’ and a screening of nine short films inspired by the fragrance at the Hammer Museum on Oct. 27.

Alumna Celine Khavarani ’95, a former student of O’Malley’s, is the public relations representative for Prada.

She called O’Malley and invited him to ask students if they wanted to attend the party.

The party consisted of a small reception in the garden area of the Hammer Museum.

“There were waiters with lots of different drinks and fancy finger foods,” Joe Girton ’10 said.

The reception was followed by the screening of nine short films.

Prada sponsored nine directors from different countries and provided them with a description of the different aspects of the cologne.

The directors then created short films depicting the fragrance.

“Each director was from a different part of the world, so each video had a taste of a different country and a different message,” Ilica Mahajan ’10 said.

Academy Award-winner Pietro Scalia edited the nine short films to create one end product called “Alchemy.”

“At the event, we were able to ask questions to two of the sponsored directors — Beng from Spain, Michael Merryman from the United States-and Pietro Scalia himself,” Chelsea McMahon ’10 said.

Alert Lockdown

Make campus aware of the danger

Begin to make safety moves from this starting point

Information Counter

Keep campus updated on situation

Use techniques to counter aggressive actions

Evacuation

Remove as many from danger zone as possible Source: Jim Crawford graphic by Emily Wallach and Mathew Lee

In the past month, hundreds of Los Angeles residents were evacuated due to the numerous fires that have attacked Southern California.

Helicopters flew over communities ordering mandatory evacuations while nearby firefighters tried to contain the flames.

Dean Rose-Ellen Racanelli was evecuated because of the Mountain Gate fire on Oct. 23.

“Driving down Mountain Gate road with flames on either side felt like I was going through a tunnel of fire.” Racanelli said.

Racanelli ended up on Skirball bridge she said and watched the fire consume the mountain with others.

“My son eventually found me and I ended up at his house at 4 a.m., where I slept for an hour before getting ready to go to work,” Racanelli said.

Countless others were evacuated due to fires that consumed more than 15,000 acres in just the past month.

Math teacher Beverly Feulner and science teacher John Feulner were evacuated due to the Marek fire on Oct. 13.

They slept at school in Weiler Hall with one of their cats.

“It is hard to decide what to take and what to leave behind,” Beverly Feulner said.

“We couldn’t catch one of our cats and I felt terrible leaving him behind, but I was pretty sure the house would not burn down. The hardest part was not knowing.”

However, evacuees were thankful to the firefighters.

“I do have to say thanks to the great work of the fire department, neither homes nor lives were lost,” Racanelli said.

“It was also comforting to run into [Dean Vanna Cairns’ husband] Jim Cairns, outside my home who is a fire chief, who assured me that the fire was under control. Somehow having a friend who was in charge made me feel better.”

Katrina Zandberg ’10 was evacuated because of the Porter Ranch fire on Oct. 13, which was not a new experience for her.

“We are evacuated due to fires almost every year,” Zandberg said. “Although it is always scary, we knew what to expect, had all of our important documents in a fire-proof safe, pictures on CD’s and carrier crates out for all of our pets, so we could just pick them up and go if it got really bad.”

“My parents stayed at home because we have firefighter hoses, as we live in a pretty remote area that the firefighters can’t always get to,” she said. “Because I had gone to school that morning, I couldn’t get back in, so I stayed at a friend’s house.”

Security considers A.L.I.C.E. system

By Spencer Gisser You are in class when you hear gunfire coming from the hallway. School alarms go off, indicating a shooter on campus.

There is little time before the shooter will get to your classroom. What happens?

This is the question that Head of Security Jim Crawford is considering.

In preparing for this hypothetical situation, he has proposed adopting the A.L.I.C.E. system to enhance the current lockdown system.

A.L.I.C.E. stands for alert, lockdown, information, counter and evacuation. The system was developed to deal with “active shooters,” shooters who actively pursue their targets.

To prepare for using the A.L.I.C.E. system, Crawford and his security team spent one week learing to use the system.

The Prefect Council will be trained to use the system and will provide feedback for the school administration to further assess whether the school should adopt the system or not.

If the school adopts the system, it will be the first school on

the West Coast to do so.

The current lockdown system, in which students go into classrooms and stay low under the windows, is geared towards making students and teachers small and thus hard to hit.

The A.L.I.C.E. system has these elements, but is also geared towards putting students and teachers “in charge of their own destiny” during the interval when security teams are not yet able to reach the shooter, Crawford said.

Under this proposed system, students and teachers would do whatever is possible to protect themselves, such as barricading doors or attacking the shooter, until security teams arrive.

The response time for the Los Angeles Police Department is 11 minutes, whereas CJL teams can get anywhere on campus in just one minute, Crawford said.

Crawford believes that students can assume leadership in a crisis.

Many colleges are taking similar action — Pierce College in Woodland Hills held an active shooter simulation, and Binghamton University in New York has a similar program.

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Musicians jazz up Vitello’s Restaurant

By Jamie Kim

Two school jazz groups, the Jazz Explorers and Shawn Feldman’s Sextet, performed alongside Performing Arts teacher Shawn Costantino’s professional band at Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City Nov. 2.

Alex Silverman ’10, a member of the Jazz Explorers, said these performances are a tradition.

The first Harvard-Westlake jazz gig at Vitello’s was in 2005. Since then, Harvard-Westlake groups have consistently played there a few times a year.

Every few months, Costantino selects two or three groups from Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble and Studio Jazz Band class to play at Vitello’s.

Shawn Feldman’s Sextet, one of two jazz combos in the Studio Jazz Band class, consists of Shawn Feldman ’09 on alto-saxophone, Alex Scharch ’11 on saxophone, Jordan Bryan ’11 on drums, Hank Adelman ’11 on the bass guitar, Kevin Schwarzwald ’11 on the piano and Edwin Lim ’10 on the guitar.

At Vitello’s, the group performed four songs – “Too Close for Comfort,” by George David Weiss, Larry Holofcener and Jerry Bock; “I Remember Clifford,”

by Benny Golson; “Love for Sale,”

by Cole Porter; and “Jazz Samba,”

by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.

Following the Sextet’s performance, Costantino’s band took the stage.

The Jazz Explorers finished off the night with five songs –

“So What,” by Miles Davis; “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes,” by Ben Weisman, Dottie Wayne and Marilyn Garrett; “My Romance,”

by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart; “Recordame,” by Joe Henderson; and a composition by their saxophonist, Leland Cox ’09.

Silverman says the group has been preparing this gig for roughly three weeks.

The Jazz Explorers consists of selected members of Jazz Band, the most advanced jazz class at the Upper School.

Members include Nick Chuba ’10 on guitar, Silverman on bass guitar, Charlie Fogarty ’10 on drums, Austin Park ’10 on trumpet and Leland Cox ’09 on saxophone.

The group, which rehearses after school at least once per week, is mostly independent of the band class, Cox said. In addition to playing at school-organized events like parent parties and Back to School Day, the Jazz Explorers also occasionally play private, paid gigs at the request of Harvard-Westlake parents, according to Silverman.

Cox, who was a member of the Explorers last year, said that despite a few “hiccups,” the group is playing “much better than the Explorers did at the beginning of the year last year.”

“It’s not that we’re better,” he later clarified. “We just have a completely different dynamic this year than we had last year.

I think everyone is a little more committed to playing the music.”

News A9

Cory Warshaw/vox

and all that Jazz: Jazz Explorers Austin Park ’10 (left) on trumpet and Leland Cox ’09 on saxophone play in a jazz concert at Vitello’s Restaurant Nov. 2. Vitello’s has hosted school jazz concerts since 2005. The Explorers spent three weeks preparing for the gig.

Dancers work with pros

By Mary Rose Fissinger Middle school dance students learned from professional dancers throughout October. Tina Finkelman Berkett and Julie Schulman, members of the Los Angeles dance company Body Traffic, came to the middle school weekly to work with members of the Dance Production class, middle school dance teacher Carrie Green said. They taught two-hour classes to five students at a time.

Berkett danced with Green at Barnard College, where the dance program centers on technical efficiency, Green said.

“It is good to get critiques from different teachers because they see different things in your dancing, and I found what Tina and Julie told me really helped my dance technique,” dance student Hallie Brookman ’12 said.

Green contacted Berkett in the beginning of the year about doing the series. Berkett has been substituting at Harvard-Westlake and teaching dance master classes for years. She has also performed in a world tour with Mikhail Baryshnikov and has performed with ASzURe & Artists, a dance group in New York lead by choreographer Aszure Barton. Shulman has danced for companies in Canada, Italy and Switzerland, among others.

“I thought this experience was a great way to grow because of the individual attention,” Jill Wilson ’12 said.

The teachers also enjoyed the experience.

“The students are more than a pleasure to work with, because, like in the academic arena, when it comes to dance they are committed to learning and bettering themselves,” Berkett said.

CNPA names Chronicle best high school paper in state

By David Burton The California Newspaper Publishers Association named The Chronicle the best 2008 high school newspaper in California.

The award was presented on Oct. 25 at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City.

The CNPA is a nonprofit trade association representing California daily and weekly newspapers.

Every year the CNPA holds a “Better Newspapers Contest” in which over 500 newspapers participate.

The Chronicle competed against 46 newspapers in the High School division.

The Chronicle has been awarded first or second place in the state for the past six years.

The CNPA referred to the Chronicle

as a clean newspaper with well written stories and great photography.

“I come away feeling I have a very good idea about what campus life is like at this school,” a CNPA judge said.

Chronicle adviser Kathleen Neumeyer said that the Better Newspapers Contest is her favorite contest to win because it is judged by professionals.

“Every year the Chronicle staff does a great job, and I am proud of them for winning and the hard work they put forth,” Neumeyer said.

The 2007-2008 Chronicle also won a first place George Gallup International Award from Quill & Scroll and AllColumbian Honors from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The Chronicle is a finalist for the National Scholastic Press Association’s National Pacemaker Award, to be presented Saturday in St. Louis, Mo.

A10 News

The Chronicle

Election2008

soundbytes Many seniors voted for the first time in the Nov. 4 election.

“I looked up the pros and cons on all the propositions, balancing what they accomplish versus how much money it was going to cost the state.”

—Spencer Friedman ’09 “Being able to vote was a very empowering experience.

It really made me understand how citizens in other countries feel when they finally obtain the right to have a say in their government, proudly presenting their purple inked fingers to the news cameras.”

—Shelby Layne ’09 “It felt amazing to exercise my right to vote, but since I did my sample ballot ahead of time it was really fast.”

—Stacy Shirk ‘09 “The first vote I cast was for the president and I was trying to punch a hole in the ballot... turns out they use ink nowadays.”

—Kate Osher ’09 “IT WAS SURREAL BECAUSE GROWING UP I ALWAYS WENT WITH MY PARENTS TO VOTE AND NOW THEY WERE GOING WITH ME.’’ —Alanna Bram ’09 “Voting was the most exciting experience about turning 18. I felt proud to fulfill my civic duty.”

—Taylor Flohr ’09 “In a democracy, a citizen’s vote is arguably the strongest voice that they have, so I was humbled as I realized that my voice, however small, was being added to millions of others.”

—Tony Baker ’09

Nov. 12, 2008

Obama wins in student mock vote Students participated in a school-wide mock election through the VOTES (Voting Opportunities for Teenagers in Every State) organization on Oct. 20-24. The survey was completed as part of a national study.

About 1,100 students, grades seven through 12, sent in responses to the 10-question survey sent via e-mail to the student body.

Harvard-Westlake Results McCain 18.7%

Obama 76.4%

% Other 4.9

On the Issues Which of the following issues do you believe is the most important one for the next administration?

Iraq War The “energy crisis” The US economy Immigration Health care The War on Terrorism

8.7% 14.2% 68.6% 0.8% 3.3% 4.6%

Should abortions only be permitted during the first trimester of pregnancy?

Yes No

49.0% 51.0%

Should partial birth abortions be legal?

Yes No

48.8% 51.2%

Source: Votes organization graphic by daniel rothberg and Alice Phillips

Senior canvasses for Obama

By Annie Belfield

Olivia Kestin ’09 rang the doorbell of a suburban-style house in Aurora, Colo. A middle-aged woman answered the door.

Kestin took a deep breath and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Olivia from Barack Obama’s campaign for change,” she said. “Can I ask you how you are voting in the upcoming election?”

Kestin, along with her mother and family friend Ellen Hoberman (Sarah ’07), spent three days working for the Obama campaign in Colorado this September.

They wanted to help out with the campaign but knew that it wouldn’t make nearly as much of an impact in California because the majority was so decisively for Obama, Kestin said.

Kestin felt that their efforts would be more worthwhile in Colorado, a state that could have swung either way in the Nov. 4 election.

“Obviously I knew a lot about Obama

before I went to Colorado,” Kestin said.

“But by being in the office and talking to people about the issues and policies I learned so much more.”

Kestin spent her mornings at the campaign headquarters in downtown Aurora making calls to potential Obama voters.

After overcoming her initial fear of being hung up on or not taken seriously, she realized that she ended up wanting to stay on the phone with people and talk to them about what issues were important to them, she said.

“Being around people who worked for Obama and who cared so much about the outcome of this election made me feel a lot more comfortable with the campaign,” she said.

In the afternoons, Kestin, her mom and Hoberman would go door-to-door in the suburban neighborhoods surrounding Aurora.

According to Kestin, the goal was to educate and mobilize the voting commu-

Students join protests over Prop 8 results

Alums rally in Chicago

By Allegra Tepper

After the passing of Proposition 8 in the state of California, students and teachers reacted with rallies and protests both on campus and around the city. Proposition 8, which passed with a 52.3 percent majority vote, amended the California Constitution, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry. This effectively reversed the California Supreme Court’s overturning of the States’ ban on same-sex marriage, which took effect on June 16.

Middle school librarian Susan Kallok, who married during the summer, said she was impressed by the political awareness of students. Kallok marched in a rally in Long Beach on Friday night along with 2,000 other protesters.

“I questioned what the fate of my marriage would be. Would I go to bed married and wake up not?” Kallok said.

“I believe that if this vote happened four years from now, when my current students and my daughters and their friends could vote, we would have a different outcome,” upper school art teacher Cheri Gaulke, who also married this summer, said.

Students on both campuses have taken action since the election. Ryan Lash ’12 protested outside of the Mormon Church on Santa Monica Boulevard on Thursday night, an experience she described as “empowering.”

Gillian Berry ’09 spontaneously joined a protest on Wilshire Boulevard as well.

“I intend to do whatever I can to ensure that everybody is guaranteed equal civil liberties, and nobody’s basic human rights are taken away,” Berry said.

Lash and Ben Platt ’11 both protested by not speaking on Thursday.

nity in the area.

“Having face to face contact with the voters was my favorite part,” Kestin said.

Kestin said that she was surprised by the reactions of some of the people she met.

“The first guy that we talked to told us that it wasn’t Obama’s policies or demeanor that was the reason he wasn’t voting for him,” Kestin said.

“He told us that there was just something else that kept bothering him and shut the door in our face.”

“I turned around and realized that it was because he was racist,” she said.

She also said that one man called her and her mom “baby-killers” when they tried to talk to him about Obama’s policies on abortion.

“I probably didn’t make a difference on the larger scale, but when you talk to a certain person for long enough you can hear that what you have said to them may be really making a difference,” she said.

courtesy of Ryan lash

Spread the word: Ryan Lash ’12 marches at a No on Proposition 8 rally.

“I participated in Day of Silence to make sure that people were aware of the side California had taken on the issue, whether they were for or against [Proposition 8],” Platt said.

Prior to Nov. 4, Gaulke made calls as part of a phone bank to spread the word.

“It was painful and emotionally taxing to talk to strangers about this issue. As a lesbian it means so much to me,” Gaulke said.

Prop 8 seemed to bring about more opinions than other political issues in the classroom.

“I’ve noticed that lots of teachers like to remain at least mildly ambiguous about politics, but with Prop 8 teachers had no problem expressing their feelings,” Eli Petzold ’10 said.

Kallok felt comfort in her freedom to be open about her relationship at school.

“I hope that we can reach a point in our lives when people are accepted for whom they are, not by the color of their skin, who they love or what they believe,” Kallok said.

Gaulke remained optimistic as well: “I believe that justice will eventually prevail and we will win this one.”

‘Grant park’ from page A1 Julian Hicks ’08, who attended the rally with Pechman and two other friends from Northwestern University, reflected on the heightened mood of the audience as the crowds in Grant Park witnessed Obama’s gradual rise to President-elect.

“As it got closer and closer to Obama being announced as President-elect, you could really feel the excitement,” Hicks said. “I cried. It was very emotional.”

Kaplan vividly remembers when the CNN coverage on the big screens in the park announced Obama as the winner of the election.

The celebration didn’t end at Grant Park, but continued into the early hours of the morning in the streets of Chicago.

“When he won, we were high-fiving and hugging the people around us whose entire life stories we knew because we had been standing in the same place all day,” Kaplan said. “People were dancing in the streets until 3 a.m. It felt very surreal, almost like a revolution.”

Pechman said the actual rally was more passionate and emotional in person than how it appeared on television.

“Walking the streets of Chicago afterwards with all 125,000 people was amazing,” she said. “Crossing over the Chicago River, the whole bridge was packed with bodies who were cheering and hugging each other. As a journalist, student, and citizen, it was an incredible place to be.”

Chris Ballard ’08, who attends Georgetown University, went to the celebration that erupted outside of the White House.

“I wanted to be a part of this key moment in history.” Ballard said.

“There really was no excuse not to go because I attend school in the area.”

Nov. 12, 2008

News A11

The Chronicle

VOX

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three’s company: Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts , Head of Middle School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau (with and President Thomas C. Hudnut (left to right) assumed their current roles in July 2006.

Administrators look back

‘TRANSITION’ from page A1

Heading up the Middle School Since she became the head of the Middle School, Cazeau has been faced with the expulsion of six middle school students for a drug-related incident, as well as the expansive renovation of the North Faring campus in a still-unfinished stretch that has spanned the entirety of her tenure in the position thus far.

The British-born, Boston-raised Cazeau, who had served as a seventh grade dean, English teacher, history teacher and admissions officer at the school since 1995, considers the past two years “a learning experience.”

“There are things I wish I could have done differently,” she said.

Cazeau’s “biggest challenge,” she said, was the adjustment from being one of a pair of deans to her current, solitary position. “[The two-dean system] provides a built-in sounding board. There was also Dr. Huybrechts to pass upset parents or students on to,” Cazeau said.

“Now, I am that person, and it is still tough beginning the day with an angry phone call or having to make tough judgment calls.”

The very fact that Cazeau rose to the role of head of the Middle School was, in itself, unexpected. She has previously referred to “frustrating years,” and that “10 years is a long time to be a dean.”

She even began to think, she told The Chronicle in April 2006, “What else is out there?”

In the summer of 2005, Hudnut, who knew Cazeau was interested in moving into a more administrative position, suggested that she apply to be the head of St. James School, an elementary school in Hancock Park. Cazeau was eventually one of the final three candidates for the job, but was passed over.

“I am very glad that I stuck it out, but I’m also happy that I applied for that job,” Cazeau said. “It taught me the skills I needed to work on in order to better run a school.”

Those skills were quickly put to use, with the modernization limiting facilities and significantly inconveniencing teachers and students.

A new academic building, library, and auditorium have been built, and the physical and logistical challenges of such an extensive construction job have, Cazeau admitted, taken their toll.

Phase 1-A of the project, which was completed in August, “was not an easy time,” she said. Phase 1-B, which includes the construction of a new field, is currently underway.

“When the field is finished I will feel as if the project is finally done,” Cazeau said.

The months of renovation put a premium on faculty morale: parking was significantly reduced, and teachers and staff were forced to carpool or take shuttles to school from various assembly points.

Cazeau’s primary goal throughout the project has been appeasing the faculty and meeting their needs.

“I tried really hard to let people know how much I appreciated what

they were going through,” she said.

“They weathered the storm.”

Despite her administrative responsibilities, Cazeau still teaches a section of a history class, a task that she said keeps her “in touch with students.”

“I love the fact that I still get to teach, and my class is a joy, especially on tougher days,” she said.

Tag team As Cazeau tackled problems at the Middle School, Hudnut and Huybrechts adjusted to their newly conceived posts at the Upper School. In order for the school to continue to operate efficiently, the bifurcation of what was previously the office of the headmaster was vital, Hudnut said.

“A school with 1600 students, two campuses, an over-$50 million budget, 200 teachers, and nearly 500 employees, with its funding needs and the necessity to be part of the broader world, it’s just too big for one person to try to manage all aspects of it,” he said.

“I had been doing it for 20 years, and recognized that things were not happening as smoothly as they should.”

As president, Hudnut focuses primarily on fundraising and the school’s role in the city and the world at large.

He is, in essence, “the Chief Executive Officer” of Harvard-Westlake, in charge of the school’s business and community affairs, he said.

“I run Harvard-Westlake, Inc.,” he said.

As such, a great deal of Hudnut’s job involves meeting with potential donors and garnering money for the school.

It’s a task, he said, that never ends.

“There isn’t anything I do – I think this is literally true – that’s not somehow related to the school,” he said.

“Even when I go someplace as a private citizen, I’m seen as the president of Harvard-Westlake, and that factors into people’s perception of who I am and what I do.

“I can never escape, but that’s been my life for a long time. I don’t choose to escape,” he said.

Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said that Hudnut’s fundraising prowess makes his current duties a natural fit.

“He’s such a people person, so he’s able to do what he does very well, even better than before,” Salamandra said.

“It has benefited the school. Before, he was doing two jobs, so he was only able to do so much with each job.”

The other half of the headmaster’s former duties have been allocated to Huybrechts, who is now in charge of academics and the day-to-day operation of the school.

Hudnut said that his role in academic and curricular decisions is practically non-existent, although he is briefed on the school’s affairs in weekly meetings with Huybrechts.

“Sometimes I’m called upon because of my experience for some assistance, but I really try not to be involved,” he said. “[Huybrechts] keeps me abreast of what’s going on, but they’re broad brush strokes.”

This division of labor, Huybrechts said, “is as it should be. That was [Hudnut’s] conception and his vision of how the school should be led and managed.

“There’s not a distinct dividing line between what he does and what I do, although on most of the work I do, I don’t even consult with him.”

A priority of Huybrechts has been the establishment of school-wide initiatives focusing on character development and sustainable living.

“I think that’s probably new for the school, to have overt school-wide initiatives every year, and that was the point,” she said. “Having somebody who had the time to look at these things and kind of think outside the box and ask people around here what needs to be done, that’s really important.”

This attention to detail and student life is a trait Hudnut was looking for in a head of school, he said, and one that he thought Huybrechts could apply to a more substantial degree than he was able to as headmaster based on her teaching experience.

“She has established more curricular initiatives than I did, because she is more knowledgeable of the curriculum and more involved in its articulation than I was,” Hudnut said. “[Director of Studies] Deb Dowling and Dr. Huybrechts spend more time stirring the pot and making things happen than I did.”

Although Hudnut deliberately moved his office farther away from the center of campus to avoid the potential of faculty and staff superseding Huybrechts’ authority by directing concerns within her jurisdiction to him, neither has seen any instance of this happening.

“It was a valid concern,” Huybrechts said. “I’ve never felt that people chose to go see him when it was appropriate to come and see me. People know what my role at this school is.”

Hudnut expressed a similar view.

“No employee I can think of has tried to run around her to try to get a raise or some kind of benefit or something,” he said.

‘Bit of standoffishness’

While Huybrechts may have been fully backed by her new upper school colleagues, she felt less than welcomed by students.

“Looking back, the senior class that year didn’t know quite what to make of me,” she said. “[They] hadn’t seen me in two years and they had been used to Mr. Hudnut. It’s not that they weren’t accepting, but when people don’t know each other that well there’s a bit of standoffishness. It wasn’t so warm and fuzzy.

“I wouldn’t say it was a particular hurdle, but it consumed a great deal of my time just learning about the culture at the Upper School,” she said.

The working partnership she developed with Salamandra, whose position was not affected by the administration overhaul, aided the adjustment from the community atmosphere of the North Faring campus to the admittedly harsher environment on Coldwater.

“I’d forgotten what it’s like to work with older kids, and the Upper School is significantly more complex than the Middle School,” she said. “There’s a greater number of people, many more courses offered, many more teams,

COURTESY OF MEDIA.HW.COM

many more coaches, just a much more complex program that requires the attention of several people to make sure it runs smoothly, and Mr. Salamandra does a lot of things at the Upper School that I used to do at the Middle School.

“It was a reasonable job for me to be overseeing the Middle School more or less by myself, but now I’m working much more closely with Mr. Salamandra,” she said.

Huybrechts had never been involved with an Honor Board case prior to becoming head of school, and found that working with the newly-established Prefect Council was “a learning curve for me. I actually found that somewhat challenging because I’d always overseen disciplinary actions myself or in conjunction with deans,” she said.

“I felt a little bit like I had walked into something that was controversial that I didn’t understand completely, and so in those situations the best thing is just to listen before doing anything, which is what I did.”

A global future?

Nearly 30 months after the revamp, those involved consider it a success, despite the challenges within the school community and with the school’s public image following last year’s cheating scandal and the hammer attack in May 2007.

“I think it has worked out splendidly,” Hudnut said. “I think that the curriculum and faculty get more high-level attention now than they did previously, and that can only be good. And I think that the school’s national and international involvements get more attention now than they ever did previously, and that’s good, too.”

Huybrechts plans to emphasize those global connections in the coming years.

“I wonder if we, as a school, could maybe be even a bigger presence in the world. That’s the way business is going now, so why shouldn’t a school of our stature be going in that direction?

“I think that all of our students would be better served if we were thinking more globally. For our kids to be able to see it firsthand or to have a realization that ‘we’re the big fish in this pond, but the pond is huge.’ Next year you could look for something like that,” Huybrechts said.

Hudnut is hesitant.

“I have been besot by educators in Asia — can we put our seal of approval on those schools, or regard them almost as franchise opportunities, which thus far we have not wanted to do,” he said. “I see practical obstacles to a lot of it, so I’m not particularly interested in an expansive exchange program.”

At least domestically, Huybrechts’ plans to continue her focus on curricular initiatives and to develop her role as head of school.

“I could crown myself queen,” she joked.

For Hudnut, the outlook is more of the same — daily fundraising lunches, meeting with donors, and serving as the public face of Harvard-Westlake.

“Besides, I get to sit up here and listen to opera as I work,” he said. “I wonder how I got along all of those years in Seaver without music.”

features

A12

Pressed for time

a necessary crutch: Alex Velaise ’11 takes a test with extended time in the silent study. Velaise was diagnosed with dyslexia in ninth grade.

Jamie

By Jamie Kim

and

The Chronicle Harvard-Westlake School Volume XVIII Issue 3 November 12, 2008

Extended time is a debated topic for some, but a necessity for others.

kim/ch ronicle

Lauren Seo

Paulina Shahery ’09 is not ashamed of using something that is her right. She doesn’t see her disability as anything but a difference in the way her brain is wired.

According to the National Institutes of Health, around 15 percent of the U.S. population is affected by a learning disability.

Shahery discovered her disability, a processing disorder, in ninth grade. In Biochemistry Honors, Shahery says she struggled with finishing her tests on time, something that seemed a simple task for most of her peers.

“Even if I understood the material, I wouldn’t even be able to finish half the test,” she said.

Shahery was diagnosed with a processing disorder, and was formally given extended time at school in her second semester of ninth grade.

Shahery says extended time has had a tremendous impact on her grades and test scores.

“The use of extended time is in no way an indication of a student’s intelligence level,” said school psychologist Dr. Sheila Siegel. “Some of these kids are absolutely brilliant. But not allowing [them] extended time is like telling them to take a test without their glasses.”

Seventy-four students at the Upper School and 11 at the Middle School have permission to use extended time. Siegel finds that more students are diagnosed at the Upper School because of the higher levels of thinking upper school classes require.

The two most common learning differences among students at Harvard-Westlake are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — inattentive type and processing disorders, Siegal said. Processing problems relate to the speed at which the brain can understand and manipulate information. Some students take longer to retrieve information, which means they need more time to perform on par with their peers.

Students who believe they might have a learning difference must go to a psychologist for a battery of tests before applying for extended time at school.

The tests, which can last anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks, can effectively pinpoint the student’s disability, Siegal said. Based on test results, the psychologist may choose to recommend extended time for a student. The student must then bring a written report to school for evaluation by the school psychologist.

It’s showtime

By A.J. Calabrese The first question in the FAQ on Lindsey Rosin ’03 and her father Charles’ (Avery ’09) website Showbizzle.com is simple. “Who is Janey?” it inquires, and rightfully so, as the first thing one notices under the site’s flag is a simple greeting: “Hi, my name is Janey and this is my blog.”

Janey is the pen name of a fictional up-and-coming 20something year-old living in Hollywood. Her blogs contain short vignettes or monologues in the three-minute range featuring her fictional friends (played by actual young actors) telling stories of the

“My tester had me repeat a list of digits forwards and backwards, and I had to take a bunch of math tests,” said Alex Velaise ’11, who has been using extended time since the ninth grade. After a full evaluation of his test results, Velaise was diagnosed with dyslexia.

The school allows registered extendedtime students 50 percent extra time on quizzes, tests, and final exams, but not longterm projects such as take-home essays or term papers.

At the Upper School, tests taken under these conditions are administered by Candris Madison in the silent study room of Mudd library. Students may choose to take their tests straight through or come in to finish what they started during a previous period. But many students don’t use extended time for all of their tests, Madison said.

Although students with extended time say that they perform better on tests with the extra time, some teachers are unsure of how useful that time is.

“In my experience, there is not usually a significant difference in grades for these students before and after receiving extended time,” Drew Maddock, A.P. United States History and A.P. World History teacher, said. Maddock also finds that with the extra time given, students have trouble focusing their essays, and often end up writing “long and rambling” paragraphs.

“The benefits of extended time may be more emotional and psychological,” he added. “The time might serve to relax students or make them feel more sure of themselves, but not all students get better grades because of it.”

Studies by the state of California in 2000 found a “wide demographic disparity” among students who took the SATs in 1999 with extended time because of claimed learning disabilities. Students in private schools were four times as likely as those in public schools to get special accommodations.

Seniors are not required to disclose the use of extended time in their college applications, according to upper school dean Vanna Cairns.

Despite extensive testing which has proven extended time a necessary crutch for disabled students to perform on par with their peers, there is still debate among students concerning the fairness of it.

11

26.3 Average score gain on the math section of the SAT I Students use extended time at with extended time the Upper School

74

Students who use extended time at the Middle School

4

68:00

Minutes given on a test for extended time at the Upper School

Number of times private school students are more likely than public school students to use extended time in California

GRAPHIC BY JAMIE KIM sources: (clockwise from left) Sheila Siegal, CollegeBoard.com, studies by the state of california

“I don’t think people understand how difficult it is.

It takes me three times as long as anyone else to read through passages,” said Velaise, whose dyslexia makes it difficult for him to keep track of where he is on a page when reading.

Some people theorize that it is possible to abuse the system and receive extended time without actually having any disability. Siegel asserts that these rumors are completely untrue.

The process of receiving an official report from a professional psychologist is not only extremely time consuming, but can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500, Siegel said.

“Here’s the problem with the myth. If you get extended time and you don’t need it, you do worse. You second guess yourself, and change your answers,” she said.

Although the skepticism surrounding extended time is often disconcerting, Siegel thinks that it seems to be lessening with more awareness.

“It is much more acceptable now. There is so much less stigma.”

Lindsey Rosin ’03 dove into showbiz by launching an entertainment website with her father toils of the young Hollywood life, elaborating on things like seeking an agent, playing a gig or general relationship drama.

The idea for Showbizzle was originally conceived by Charles Rosin in January 2007. A month later marked the first preliminary shoot, and in July, with the help of writer/director Lindsey, Rosin began filming the first bulk of episodes. The online series has grown to about 180 episodes, over half of which were written by Lindsey and almost all of which were directed by her.

“It’s been really fun because I can actually make [each episode] happen, and working with my

dad is really great,” Lindsey, who wrote for the One Acts Festival as a student, said. “Now we’re trying to just get the web address out there.”

In addition to Lindsey, several alumni have contributed to Showbizzle by writing and acting, including Molly Lambert ‘01 , Stacey Lloyd ‘02, Josh Margolin ‘07, Andrew Pattison ‘07, and Jonah Platt ’04.

“Ultimately down the line we’d like to build up to being the place for people who are interested in working in Hollywood to come and share stories and get information,” she said. “But right now we’re trying to entertain people.”

Courtesy of Showbizzle.com/chronicle

Janey’s life: The website features short, scripted, interviews that depict life in the entertainment industry.

Nov. 12, 2008

Features A13

The Chronicle

Courtesy of Lauren gold

quality time: Lauren Gold ’09 (in sunglasses), along with another counselor, chaperones the day at Dodger Stadium with children with special needs from the

Miracle work

By Carly Radist

W

hen Elana Fruchtman ’10 first met Elena, the little girl was hiding behind her mother and didn’t speak a word. Fruchtman had experienced this before in her work at a theatrical camp for children with special needs, primarily autism. She spent time with Elena, drawing with her and keeping her company, acting as a companion. This was their way of connecting. Before long, to Fruchtman’s surprise, Elena came running up to hug her, calling her name, making Fruchtman feel ecstatic that Elena spoke to her.

“Watching her grow each day and come into camp more enthusiastic than the day before made me feel so special,” Fruchtman said.

For the past year, Fruchtman has been involved with the Miracle Project, which is an organization run by the Jewish Federation at Vista del Mar. The program works with a broad spectrum of children with autism, as well as siblings of the autistic children called “typical kids.”

There are severely low-functioning children as well as high-functioning children with a form of autism called Asperger’s. The program runs from November to April in addition to holding a week-long summer workshop. Fruchtman is currently involved with the production Miracle Project is putting on this year, which meets once a week. Class begins with movement exercises to stimulate the brain followed by songs that the children are taught for the show.

“Every action that you do, there is a movement that is related to it, which triggers some-

Say N’ Play speech camp in Culver City. Cody (far left) has a very low-functioning form of autism and is one of the children Gold has worked with as a speech buddy.

Theodore Choi ’09, Lauren Gold ’09 and Elana Fruchtman ’10 volunteer at camps for children with special needs.

thing in their brain so that they remember,” she said.

Fruchtman’s curiosity sparked her interest in working with special needs children. She aspires to have a career working with the brain or another scientific discipline. At her elementary school, she participated in a program that aided children with mental and physical handicaps and she has grown to love working with special needs children.

“These kids should be heroes to everyone,” she said. “They have so much that stands in their way yet they love and learn every day. To be a part of that is extremely incredible.”

Lauren Gold ’09 also spends time working with children with special needs. For the past four summers, she has volunteered at the Say N’ Play speech camp in Culver City. It is a day camp that focuses on special needs children with speech problems. Most of the children have some form of autism, and some have Down Syndrome and speech impediments. Lauren is a speech buddy assigned to a classroom, each of which is divided by age.

“I never really met any kids with special needs when I was younger, so I didn’t know exactly what it meant,” Gold said. “Ever since camp, I’ve gotten extremely interested in working with special needs children.”

According to Gold and Theodore Choi ’09, who also works with autistic children, patience is an important trait to have when working with children with special needs.

“You really want to get frustrated and mad when they don’t listen, but they can’t help it

and you have to keep telling yourself that,” Gold said.

Since Gold has worked at Say N’ Play speech camp, she has gotten the chance to get to know many of the children. Cody, one of her favorites, has been at the speech camp for years. He has a very low-functioning form of autism, but has learned and improved over the years, Gold said.

“It was so wonderful to a part of Cody’s experience and transformation,” she said. “It means so much every time he runs up to hug me and remembers my name.”

Choi has worked with children with autism for about four years. He volunteers with the Wheat Mission in Southern California, specifically with the program Class Agape, which is religiously affiliated and begins each session with worship.

Choi works with Class Agape year-round, going to the sessions once a week on Saturdays. Volunteers do arts and crafts with the children.

“They are very smart,” Choi said. “A lot of them recognize the pattern they go through every day.”

One of his most memorable experiences was from this past summer, when he attended the camp retreat. Choi formed a close bond with a particular child, a fulfilling experience, Choi said.

For all of these students, these experiences working with special needs children have impacted the way they view others.

“I’ve gotten really into correcting people that say phrases like ‘that’s retarded,’ that it is politically incorrect to say that,” Gold said. “I’ve witnessed kids who lead a different life.”

Siblings grow up

All About Autism sharing brother’s Autism involves abnormal development of social interaction and of verbal and nonverbal communication skills, affecting the ability to process social or emotional information.

Facts One in 150 children are diagnosed with autism each year in the United States.

Asperger’s is more common in males than in females, and usually is first diagnosed in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years old.

Children with Asperger’s do not all have the same symptoms: Asperger’s has a spectrum of severity.

Symptoms Upset with trivial changes in their environment Preoccupied with a narrow range of subjects or activities Unpredictable mood swings Stereotypical motor mannerisms such as hand or finger flapping, body rocking or dipping Graphic by Marni barta source: www.webmd.com

Asperger’s limitations

By Shayna Freisleben Charlotte Abrams ’09 is protective of her brother Henry. She warded off his bullies when he was in elementary school. She often finds herself explaining why he does not attend the same school as she does. When Abrams received her driver’s license, she became responsible for his transportation around town. In many respects, Henry is treated like a younger sibling. However, Henry is three years older than Abrams and suffers from autism spectrum disorder.

Henry has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism that permits him to be relatively high-functioning and to participate in many regular activities.

It can be characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction combined with restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, according to the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Abrams said that Henry has trouble detecting social cues and making friends, frequently hides in his room, and occasionally has an off sense of humor. While Abrams is preparing to attend a four-year college, Henry has been in and out of a community college. He has had trouble adapting to different environments and making friends, which is

Courtesy of Charlotte Abrams

family care: Charlotte Abrams ’09 (right) and her brother Henry (left), who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, are pictured as young children. difficult for Abrams to watch.

“It can be hard to see him go at his own pace because of his disability,” Abrams said. “It’s gotten harder as I have gotten older because I want to do more for him.”

When Abrams was younger, she would seldom discuss Henry’s condition. She learned of her brother’s disability in elementary school, around the same time he began learning about it. Abrams takes comfort in the fact that they have grown with his Asperger’s together.

“We always knew that he was different from other kids, but [knowing] made things easier,” she said. Abrams believes that her family dynamic is not drastically different because of Henry’s condition.

However, having an autistic sibling has required Abrams to grow more independent than her peers. She has been accustomed to caring for herself from a young age when her parents were tending to Henry’s needs.

“Independence will never mean taking care of only me, it will mean making sure that he is okay too,” Abrams said.

Abrams’ responsibility for Henry has increased and proven more challenging as she has gotten older. As he nears the age of looking for a job, Abrams realizes the potential of taking even more care of Henry.

“I don’t look at it as a burden, but there is obviously a great chance of having to support him both financially and emotionally when I grow up,” she said.

Abrams and Henry have ultimately developed a relationship comparable to any brother and sister, and their differences draw them closer together. When Abrams attended a school year abroad in Spain last year, being away from Henry the hardest.

“We are really such polar opposites,” Abrams said. “Our lives are so different that we are able to go to one another and talk about things.”

A14 Features

Juniors instill new ‘lifestyle’

The Chronicle

Nov. 12, 2008

By Erin Moy It all started as an eighth grade joke. Casper Stockwell ’10 and his friends returned from skate camp over summer break and started a club called Hella Epic. Originally, their only idea was to watch skate videos, but this year the group began making clothing and bumper stickers “spreading the Hella Epic lifestyle,” Stockwell said. This year, the founders Stockwell, Adam Rubin ’10 and Alex Herrarte ’10 want people to know that they are more than just a group of entrepreneurs.

Hella Epic’s impact can be seen on campus and on the roads to campus. The Hella Epic logo defaces Mulholland and Coldwater through bumper stickers and graffiti bearing the grup’s name.

Though the founders deny any connection to the graffiti, students driving to school see “Hella Epic” scrawled in paint on the back of a street sign.

“You can’t be this whole charity-driven group but also defile property, it’s completely contradictory,” Megan Hilliard ’10 said. “If that’s the image they want, then why bother with the charity aspect?”

Hella Epic has also been “spreading their lifestyle” on campus through bumper stickers placed on the sides of class buildings, the cafeteria, tables and other school property.

“I guess [the bumper stickers] got taken down,” Stockwell said. Since the boys posted the bumper stickers without permission, they were not surprised that they were gone.

Hella Epic’s website seems to have been the most controversial part of the group. Currently, the Hella Epic blogs focus on their charity work and on events like Halloween and Homecoming.

The blogs are accompanied by a message explaining that if anything is offensive it will be taken down immediately, an addition that is fairly new. This is partly due to previous blog entries, photos and comments that have since disappeared.

“The deans, Mr. Salamandra and I all thought the appearance of the [Harvard–Westlake–related] photos implied that Hella Epic was a Harvard–Westlake

Alexia Boyarsky/chronicle

photo courtesy of casper Stockwell

Photo courtesy of casper Stockwell

Hella impact: (clockwise from the top) Hella Epic graffiti along Coldwater Canyon, Casper Stockwell ’10 teaches a child how to skateboard in Mexico and gives away skateboards in to children in India. sponsored and supported organization, which it is not,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrchts said. “When I asked the boys responsible to remove the photographs and Harvard Westlake references, they did.”

Though Hella Epic removed Harvard–Westlake references, other blogs and pictures were taken down as well because of their risqué nature and the risk of the organization being misrepresented. More specifically, a blog that described one of the boy’s “hookups” was removed from the website, the creators explained.

Huybrechts and the Hella Epic founders also discussed Hella Epic’s overall goals and mission.

“It sounded like a lot of other student-initiated and student-supported ‘recycling’ activities. Harvard–Westlake students recycle all kinds of things,” Huybrechts said.

Shirts, sweatshirts, hats and bumper stickers with the group’s logo have been seen around campus. The boys order the shirts and sweatshirts online, decorate and sell them to students on and off campus.

Stockwell explained that proceeds from the sales go to skateboards for underprivileged kids “as a positive recreational outlet to stay out of gangs and drugs.”

Hella Epic has distributed skateboards in India, Mexico and in downtown Los Angeles.

The boys explained that some of them had already been planning vacations with their families and they decided to go together. They donated all of their personal skateboards, a total of six, to kids they met along the way.

Though Rubin, Stockwell and Herrarte claim that “Hella Epic is not a clique, it’s a charity,” their peers seem to think otherwise.

“I think they’re the new Dreamboys,” Ernest Wolfe ’10 said, citing a group of junior boys who made shirts exclusively for their group of friends last year.

When asked whether Hella Epic is a company or a charity, the founders themselves stopped to think.

Ultimately, they came to an agreement. “Hella Epic is a charity, but it’s also a lifestyle,” Rubin, Stockwell and Herrarte said.

Nov. 12, 2008

I

t was the biggest moment on “Mad Men” last season when the show’s main character, Don Draper, presented an advertising campaign for Kodak based on nostalgia, showrunner Matt Weiner ’83 said. Draper projected slides of family photographs to accompany his campaign idea.

It was only 26 years ago when, as a high school junior, Weiner was sitting in his Harvard School art history class, absorbing a projected slide of the classical Greek statue “The Dying Gaul.” Weiner said former art history teachers Carl Wilson and Karl Kleinz defined nostalgia as a pain from an old wound.

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

“It was so amazing the way they taught that class. They had this thesis at the beginning about historicity, trans-historicity and meta-historicity,” Weiner said.

With “Mad Men,” Weiner creates and writes of the world of advertising executives working on Madison Avenue during the 1960s. With an Emmy award for Best Drama, “Mad Men” has just finished its second season, but Weiner gave birth to the idea for the show eight years ago, he said.

He first worked on various sitcoms, a profession he said he “had sort of fallen into.” After a year at the sitcom “Becker,” Weiner decided to quit, even though he was offered contracts to continue.

“I realized this was not what I wanted to do when I grew up,” Weiner said.

While without a job, Weiner began researching the 1960s and advertising.

The research became his sort of therapy, Weiner said.

While writing the show, he focused on the concept of history versus reality that he also remembers learning at Harvard, specifically as a senior in David Waterhouse’s history class.

The Chronicle

In Waterhouse’s class, Weiner said he picked up “The Glory and the Dream”

by William Manchester, a book that has become like “a bible” for the show. The book, Weiner said, focuses on the gap between how history gets processed and how things actually happened, a concept relevant to “Mad Men.” “Having lived through some things like 9/11 and seeing the reality—I don’t think history will remember that everyone was back in the mall by Halloween,” Weiner said. “It was a devastating moment that completely changed the culture, but in terms of everyday life, people were back in the mall – and that was something I learned in high school.”

With his written pilot for “Mad Men” as his writing sample, Weiner landed a writing job for “The Sopranos.” Working with its creator, David Chase, was another important learning experience, Weiner said.

“The show would have been very different if I had never worked with David,” Weiner said. “He taught me to indulge my imagination.”

With confidence in his own imagination, Chase taught Weiner how to appreciate his.

“If I thought something was good or interesting, it didn’t need to be explained and I also got to see him come up with these stories,” Weiner said.

Chase was also interested in making the show’s story “go deeper,” which inspired him to create an internalized and very personal show, Weiner said.

“Whenever something gets complicated, they go, ‘oh its very internal, it should be a novel,’” Weiner said. “But [“Mad Men”] has managed to express the internal state of the character.”

More than internalization, other factors that make up the show’s basic premise

Features A15

are the characters’ compartmentalization, duplicitous natures and loneliness – things he thinks youth can really identify with.

“If I were a teenager I’d love the show because it’s very honest about having one life on the inside and another on the outside,” Weiner said. “There’s a longing for love, for acceptance, to communicate with another person. And people blame it all on hormones, but it continues the rest of your life.”

And more than being an important audience for Weiner, youth also plays a key role in the show, which Weiner says resonates with the economic and social situation today.

In the 1960s, Weiner said, a lot of younger people were creating their own professional paths. Some dropped out of school and started businesses at young ages, and the older people depended on them, and Weiner says that resonates with the social situation today.

“We’re counting on them to vote this time, for example. We’re counting on them to fix a lot of these problems,” Weiner said.

While he hopes that those in ninth grade and younger, including his son Marten, a seventh grader at HarvardWestlake, will wait to watch the show, he still hopes that the show can communicate with youth.

“I hope that this show is there for them, to peek into their grandparents’ and parents bedrooms and that they know— whatever they’re seeing in there that they identify with is deliberate,” Weiner said.

“All of the feelings that you have about how you judge people and how you are in a social situation and what you want for yourself, and what you’re entitled to – that doesn’t change. And that’s what the show’s about.”

MADMAN

Matt Weiner ’83, creator of the Emmy Awardwinning show ‘Mad Men,’ says his experience at Harvard School for Boys provided material for his series. By Cathi Choi

The Ch

A16 Features

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Citizens of the world return home

By Jamie Kim

and

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The great thing about the United States is that different cultures and traditions are able to come together into what history teachers at HarvardWestlake have called a “salad bowl.” Students with non-American backgrounds like Biswaroop Mukherjee ’09, Charlotte Shih ’10 and Thalia Bajakian ’10 each have different experiences being raised in dual cultures.

Although Mukherjee was born in America and is an American citizen, he says he identifies more as Indian than American. Mukherjee cites his upbringing in India as the reason for this sentiment - he moved to Bangalore, southern India, at age five and only returned to the States when he was in ninth grade.

American culture has not impacted him much.

For the most part, he has stayed loyal to Indian culture and customs. At home, he speaks his parents’ tongue, Bangali, and is also fluent in Hindi, the national language of India. He listens to clas-

sical Hindustani music and watches old Bengali movies.

Mukherjee, whose family visits a sixth century AD temple in the Himalayas every summer and performs rites to the god Shiva, says his religion is one of the things that keeps him close to his Indian roots.

“For me Hinduism provides a way of life, and brings me closer to Indian culture through its literature and philosophy.” Two years ago, Mukherjee obtained an Overseas Citizen of India Card which does not make him a citizen but allows him to stay indefinitely in India if he chooses.

Mukherjee, who aspires to be a physicist, says he has considered returning to India after graduate school.

Shih was born in America, but her first language was Mandarin, the main dialect of Chinese.

“In elementary and middle school, when people found out that I spoke Mandarin, it was a big thing,” she said.

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Shih’s parents emigrated from Taiwan to the United States to get away from the troubles they were facing under Chairman Chiang Kai-Shek.

“They were hoping to leave all the terrible stuff in Taiwan behind,” she said.

Bajakian attended an Armenian school until ninth grade.

“Sometimes I do wish that I could talk to more people in Armenian,” she said.

To Bajakian, Armenian culture is, for the most part, relatively similar to American culture except for a few traditions and religious differences and she says speaking a different language has been an asset in Bajakian’s life and has allowed her to better understand different cultures while also providing variety and excitement in her life.

“It helps me be open to people with other cultures because I know what it is like,” Bajakian said. “I feel like life would be a lot more boring.

I love being Armenian and having my heritage is an important part of my life. I cannot see it any other way.”

For bilingual students, an unexpected struggle

By Drew Lash

F

or most students, studying grammar in English class is no big deal. But for some, studying grammar in their spoken language happens more than once a day.

David Fox ’10 learned to speak Spanish and English at the same time as a child. However, despite being fluent he has taken Spanish classes since the seventh grade. At home with his family, he speaks both languages with his parents who were born and raised in Mexico City.

“I was able to read, write, and speak it, but my writing had room for improvement and I needed

help to perfect my grammar,” Fox said.

“The first day of Spanish class in seventh grade in Spanish 1B made me feel as though it would be an easy A throughout the 6 years I would spend at HW,” he said.

“But the grammar and accent rules I never learned as a kid have been more challenging to learn than I originally thought,” he said.

As expected, Fox finds it easier to express his ideas than his classmates because of his fluency in Spanish.

Yet despite the obvious advantage of being fluent, Spanish has never been Fox’s easiest class.

With a large emphasis on gram-

mar and essay writing, Fox’s current AP Spanish Language class can be quite difficult.

“Sometimes it seems as if teachers and fellow students expect more out of native speakers because they come into class already knowing how to speak the language, but they also came in to class on the first day of school knowing just a small amount of the grammar and structure of the language,” Fox said.

Spanish teacher Javier Zaragoza said “All six [of my fluent students] have a certain degree of writing deficiencies due to the lack of writing exposure either at home or in previous courses. All six have stronger reading compre-

hension and deductive reasoning skills than the other students.”

Luna Ikuta ’11 was born in Japan and her parents taught her to speak Japanese. But because Ikuta moved to America at such a young age, she learned to speak English around the same time. “[At home] I usually speak both. My parents usually speak it to me but I usually respond back in English and only sometimes Japanese,” Ikuta said.

Even though her parents taught her to speak, she had a tutor until middle school who taught her to read and write the language as well. Like Fox, she finds the hardest part is learning the correct grammar structure of Japanese.

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Courtesy of elijah lowensiten

Courtesy of Sun ho lee

multiculturAL campus: (clockwise from left) Elijah Lowenstein ’10 bonds with his parents in England as a child, Sun Ho Lee ’09 sits around at Coffee Bean in Seoul, Korea, Fredel’ 11, Marina ’09 Romeno, and little sister, Gaby, play together as little children in Mexico and a young Katrina Zandberg ’10 (far left) wears a traditional Latvian costume with as a child.

Courtesy of katrina zandberg

Kim

Courtesy of fredel romano

Pledging multiple allegiances

and

Candice Navi

ayumi Kobayashi’s ’09 dual U.S. and Japanese citizenship allows her to reap the benefits that come with singular citizenship of both countries such as the right to work and the ability ceive an education in either country. obayashi is one of several students at Harvardlake who are foreign citizens. edel Romano ’11 was born in Mexico City and Mexican citizenship. She emigrated to the U.S. 02 because of “security issues,” she said. Roo says security was always an issue in Mexico. ecounted the story of getting on the school bus e age of seven and being told by an older boy he had just been robbed with a gun pointed to ead. eople heard about these things every day witheing shocked. It was just part of life, and everywas cautious about it,” she said. though it was “terrible” growing up in such a erous environment, she says her experience in co has helped her to see “the reality” and made more appreciative of living in the community she in today. remember one time I visited Mexico, my sister teddy bear as a present, and we were driving saw this little girl standing on the street,” she “My sister got out of the car and gave her this y bear. I have never seen anyone so happy in my

entire life, the smile on her face made me see how having so little made her appreciate so much for everything she gets. Now I feel the same way.”

Romano also appreciates certain aspects of Mexican culture.

“In Mexico everyone treats you like family, even if you’ve never met, and I miss that a lot, the informality and casualness and just that they like to have fun. Here it is hard to find people like that,” she said.

Still, she says she will probably not return to live in Mexico and believes she may apply for American citizenship later.

South Korean-born Sun-ho Lee ’09 is also not an American citizen. Lee moved to Los Angeles when he was in the fifth grade for his education. Despite his seven-year residence in America, Lee said he plans to return to Korea after college because he feels more at home in Korea. He stays closely connected to his homeland by speaking Korean with his family and visiting Seoul twice a year.

Katrina Zandberg ’10, who is also not a citizen of the U.S., was born in Jurmala, Latvia and moved to the United States when she was two years old.

Despite the distance between the United States and Latvia, Zandberg does not believe the two cultures are much different.

“I don’t think American customs and society differ that much from how I was raised in my culture,” she said. “We have adopted most American customs, like celebrating Thanksgiving and going trick-or-

treating for Halloween. I would say the most noticeable difference in my everyday life is that we usually eat Latvian food at home.”

Speaking Latvian is something that Zandberg is grateful for. It has played an important role in her life, she said. Zandberg attended a Latvian school every Sunday until middle school, where she studied the language, grammar, history, literature, traditional songs and dances. Attending a Latvian school allowed her to form lasting friendships as well as the opportunity to experience her culture in a setting other than her home, Zandberg said.

Elijah Lowenstein ’10, a British citizen by birth and a German citizen by descent who lived the first ten years of his life in the United Kingdom, said that his non-American citizenship does not make him feel any less American.

The time he has spent in America is what counts, he explained. Lowenstein lost his British accent by the time he entered Harvard-Westlake and said during the past six years, he has almost fully assimilated into American culture. Today, he feels more American than British.

Lowenstein says his diverse background and the experience of living in both the U.S. and the U.K., has widened his perspective of the world.

“I was brought up in two different cultures so I’ve experienced more than one way of how things work,” he said. “In Los Angeles, people live in a bubble. They are a lot more sheltered.”

A18 Features

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Catchin’ a wave

first camper, and the summer going into ninth grade, Levitt began working as an instructor at the camp.

She has worked there every day for two months each summer since, and she has taught at least 20 beginners how to surf.

During the summer Levitt goes surfing with friends three to four times a week, and during the school year she goes as often as she can.

“Surfing is one of those things I never want to be too serious about,” said Levitt. “I do it for myself and share it, bringing a good fun day to friends.”

Unlike Levitt, Henry McNamara ’13 is a competitive surfer with sponsors. McNamara, who has been surfing since he was nine, will sign this month with Rusty Surfboards and ZJBoarding House, which have surf shops in Malibu and Venice. The sponsors will pay his fees when he enters competitions, and he will display their stickers on his board. He was previously sponsored by Monster Energy.

McNamara currently competes with the Western Surfing Association. This summer he placed fourth in the final of The Freedom Artist Surf series, a major surf competition in Southern California.

McNamara, who has been competitively surfing for a year, trains once or twice a week at Malibu and Ventura county beaches.

McNamara has also surfed in many tropical places, including Costa Rica, Hawaii, Fiji and Mexico.

“I just love the freedom of being out on the water with the pure energy of waves and nothing else,” he said.

Jason Maccabee ’10 and Peter Schwartz ’10 are also regular surfers who go about twice a week. For Maccabee and Schwartz, surfing is a group activity. They are often accompanied by brothers Ernest ’10 and Russell ’12 Wolfe.

“For me, surfing is a release from all the work I have to deal with the rest of the week,” Schwartz said. “It’s my favorite thing to do in my free time, and it’s just a way to enjoy myself.” ap gr

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Hannah Levitt ’09 wakes up on a week day at 5 a.m. and reaches surf’s up: (left to for her wetsuit rather right) Ernest Wolfe ‘10, than her school clothes.

Russell Wolfe ‘12, Peter Though it is an early start, Schwartz ‘10 and Jacob Levitt doesn’t mind, because it Maccabee ‘10 head home guarantees that she will have a after spending a day surfing perfect day. Levitt looks forward at Santa Monica beach. to mornings she can escape from her monotonous school routine, and instead start the day off surfing.

“School is already so stressful, so why not go in the ocean and be with nature?”

Levitt asked.

Though Levitt mostly surfs on the weekends, there is something about being in the ocean in the early morning that appeals to her. It just gives off a different vibe, she said. Being alone in the cold ocean is initially intimidating, but to her it is the most relaxing time. The waves are smoother, the water looks cleaner and there are no distractions.

She also feels a sense of belonging among the morning surfing crowd. She refers to the group as the “old school surfers.” The gang is made up of an array of different types of people who are all connected through the common hobby of surfing. Just as Levitt enjoys the surf before a day at school, her surfing peers start their days surfing and then return to their lives as lawyers, doctors or other professions. Levitt has even met a zookeeper while surfing in the morning.

“Everyone comes together from different worlds to join in this one activity,” she said.

After an hour and half in the ocean, Levitt retires to the parking lot where she performs the “towel trick,” changing into the school day outfit, pulls at her tangled hair, and rinses off with the extra water bottles she, as a surfer, always carries in her car. Though a morning of surfing takes its toll on her energy throughout the rest of the day, Levitt doesn’t mind and enjoys the laid-back feeling that results from a morning in the ocean.

Levitt has taught three of her friends how to surf.

“It’s a hobby of mine because Hannah brought it to me,” Olivia Kestin ’09 said.

Levitt began surfing in elementary school when a teacher at Laurence taught her. This teacher then started a small summer camp at which Levitt was the

photo by faire davidson graphic by lauren seo

By Marni Barta

-Additional reporting by Catherine Wang

Nov. 12, 2008

A little extra push

W

By Faire Davidson

Features A19

The Chronicle

Students use independent college counselors to get an edge on the college admissions process.

deadlines. Truthfully, that wouldn’t be appropriate anyway,” Oxelson and Slattery said, on behalf of the ith nine deans, two dean coordina- upper school deans. tors, a 66—page college counseling “If kids really need someone to organize their enhandbook and weekly e-mailed col- tire process and neither of their parents is up for lege updates, it is safe to say Har- the task, an independent counselor could certainly be vard-Westlake college-bound seniors helpful,” Slattery and Oxelson said. get plenty of advice.

Both Darla and Lizzy* ’09 say their counselors However, each year a handful of students seek out- help them with their essays. Lizzy’s counselor reside help in the form of a college counselor and gen- views and edits her essays. She also tells her when erally do so without informing their deans. Though they are ready to submit and sets up interviews and these students may withhold this information to college tours. avoid offending their deans, the deans say that it is “My parents figured my dean is so busy and has actually helpful to be fully aware of how and where so many students that he wouldn’t really have the students are receiving extra input. time to read draft after draft of all my essays,” Darla Independent counselor Patricia Demoff has worked said. She also said that she believes there isn’t a lot with many Harvard-Westlake students, helping of direction about essay writing by the deans and her them organize their applications and perfect essays. confusion over that process added to her need for an Though Demoff cannot force a family to inform the independent counselor. student’s dean of her assistance, she actively encourHowever, students seem to be unaware of the ages them to and said that quality of a 32 to 1 student the deans regularly find out dean ratio. at some point in the process “It’s easily among the anyways. Demoff co-founded best ratios in the country, College Circuit, which has especially for a school our three counselors that share a size,” Oxelson and Slatmaximum of 35 students each tery said. The deans also year. expres sed their feeling “I have a great relationship that most services stuwith people at Harvard-Westdents would get from outlake,” Demoff said. side of school counselors For Willa* ’09 and Darla* are already provided by ’09, it was their parents who the deans and paying for suggested they use other reanother counselor is unHarvard-Westlake Student necessary. sources to aid with the college process. Willa’s mother found Additionally, the deans her daughter’s counselors through a friend who used constantly communicate with each other regarding them and was admitted into an Ivy League school. their students. Each student is not only supportWilla meets with two college counselors to ensure ed by his own dean, but by the entire staff. While that she has every possible advantage in the college Harvard-Westlake is known by other schools in the admissions process. The first counselor proofreads country as having an amazing dean to student ratio, Willa’s essays. The other helps refine her college list many students get independent counselors because and work on all areas of each application. She also they feel each dean is assigned too many students. meets with an art teacher outside of school to im“[My counselor] has really taught me how to highprove the quality of her portfolio before she sends it light my strengths, and I feel more like I am one of to colleges. his top priorities, rather than one of 30 kids assigned While it is a top priority of the deans to be avail- to him,” Willa said. Darla also expressed concern for able to their seniors and support them through the the number of students assigned to each dean, saying college admissions process, it is a learning experi- she has trouble finding her dean in his office. ence that the students should organize themselves, In September, Willa visited Dartmouth to meet according to upper school deans Canh Oxelson and with the directors of their art programs. These Beth Slattery. meetings were set up by one of her counselors be“There may be students who need constant hand- cause of a connection he had with a professor of the holding or ‘nagging’ during the process and it just art program. isn’t possible for deans to stay on top of every kid’s Willa was able to see the facilities and speak with and

Marni Barta

The deans’ take Beth Slattery and Canh Oxelson speak about outside counselors on behalf of the upper school deans.

don hagopian/chronicle

Beth Slattery

“[My counselor] has really taught me how to highlight my strengths, and I feel more like I am one of his top priorities rather than one of 30 kids assigned to him,” —Willa* ’09

High Stakes Chapter 3: Seniors submit their early applications and start anticipating the outcomes.

By Derek Schlom On the night of Oct. 31, as Halloween celebrations raged on and trickor-treaters canvassed their neighborhoods, much of the class of 2009 ditched the festivities to submit their online applications before the Nov. 1 Early Decision and Early Action deadline of most selective colleges.

Denise Denise turned in her non-binding Early Action application to Lewis & Clark College, as well as rolling applications to the University of Arizona and the University of Oregon.

A rolling school does not have a specific date on which applicants are informed of the school’s decision; rather, decisions are sent out gradually on a first come, first served basis. The earlier an application is submitted to a rolling school, the earlier the applicant will learn of the decision and the greater chance of acceptance.

courtesy of sharon cuseo

Canh Oxelson

infographic by faire davidson

* These names have been withheld upon request

Decision

Brian Brian submitted an Early Action application to Stanford and a regular decision application to Harvard. Both schools have recruited him heavily.

The coach of Brian’s sport at Harvard has indicated that Brian’s chances of soon receiving a “likely letter” from Harvard – which notifies a recruit that he or she is likely to be accepted to the institution when official decisions are made in the spring – are very high.

Harvard, which recently eliminated its Early Decision program, uses the “likely letter” system in order to draw recruits away from schools like Stanford that offer official acceptances in December.

Though he said that his 4.0 GPA is

“Each HarvardWestlake student has a dean, but in reality, there are nine deans working on behalf of all HW students.”

the professor about the program and the school’s goals within the department.

The deans, however, caution students about using independent counselors.

“Many independent counselors,” they said, “no matter how highly recommended they come, have neither college admission experience nor the context of our school in mind when they’re working with our students. It’s unlikely that outside counselors have the relationships with colleges that Harvard-Westlake deans do.”

Jonathan Sauer ’07, who currently attends University of California, Los Angeles, used an independent counselor because he was determined to get into a prestigious Ivy League school.

“I felt the outside tutor was worth it, if one could afford it, simply because it brings insight to the process and increases the options of colleges a student has to choose from,” he said.

Early

Denise visited Occidental College, her top choice, last Saturday and met with professors from the departments in which she is interested in. She was impressed, but she doesn’t regret her decision to not apply Early Decision to the school.

“I don’t just want to commit to anything, and there are still a lot of other schools I like a lot,” she said.

Her SAT scores were higher than she expected, and her grades for first quarter were her “best ever,” she said.

Denise will be submitting her application to the UC system and to USC within the next several weeks, prior to hearing back from the three schools to which she has applied so far.

“There probably isn’t a school in LA County with a [dean to student] ratio better than ours.”

Early

Action

graphic by drew lash

“mid-range” for applicants to Stanford, Brian’s chances of acceptance there “are about the same as the average Harvard-Westlake applicant” with help from the coach of his sport at Stanford, he said.

Stanford has been Brian’s first choice school throughout the process, and he will wait until Dec. 15, when he learns his fate at Stanford, to commit to Harvard in the event that he receives a “likely letter.”

Holly Holly submitted her application to Northwestern several days early, but not without incident. With her fam-

ily gathered in her kitchen and a batch of home-made cookies fresh out of the oven, she attempted to submit her Common App supplement – and the internet went down. After 15 minutes of delay, she was finally able to push the button.

“It was so nerve-racking,” she said.

Holly plans to relax for the next month until she hears from Northwestern, and doesn’t plan to work on the applications to the schools to which she is applying regular decision.

“I’m cramming during winter break if I don’t get in,” she said. “I have friends that I’ve been neglecting for the past few months, and I’m going to turn my attention there now.”

A20 Features

arts entertainment

Dynamic ‘Juno’ duo

By Ester Khachatryan In the first part of a three-part series to be hosted by Jason Reitman ’95, Reitman sat down with screenwriter Diablo Cody Nov. 5 in Ahmanson Lecture Hall.

Reitman and Cody said that “the great collaboration” of their lives was working together on “Juno,” for which Cody won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Reitman was nominated for Best Director.

Having won 18 awards for “Juno,” her debut screenplay, Cody discussed her misgivings about immediate fame.

“I had so many conflicting feelings about winning [an Academy Award]. It is different for someone who has worked all her life and who gets this final big price. For me, I don’t even know how I got here.

It was like being hit by a truck,” Cody told an audience of students, alumni and faculty last Wednesday in Ahmanson.

Cody was the first guest in a three-part speaker series Reitman will host at his alma mater.

In a leopard-pattern dress, bright red lipstick, pitch black hair, Cody entertained the audience with witty and often cynical remarks as she sat in a director’s chair, twitching her leg.

Cody also joked about her future career plans.

“It’s all downhill from here. But it has afforded me the luxury to do what I’m doing now. Make lots of weird movies that fail,” Cody said.

An eccentric screenwriter, Cody was voted Strangest Personality in her high school yearbook.

Cody and three friends have formed into what she describes a “gang,” a group of women screenwriters who work together and support each other in a male-dominated profession. The friends sometimes pass screenplays among each other according to their subject interest. On opening nights, Cody and her screenwriter girlfriends have a ritual in which they “storm” movie theaters to hear the audience’s reaction to their films.

“When the lights came up and the audience had

Nov. 12, 2008

Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody is the first guest in a speaker series hosted by Jason Reitman ’95.

tears in their eyes—that was really crazy,” Cody said.

“I was pretty blown away by that.”

Although Cody did not have a part in casting Juno, she said Reitman’s choice of actors was exactly how she had imagined the characters. The chemistry between actors Ellen Paige and Jason Bateman worked well enough that no other actors read for their parts, Reitman said.

Reitman and Cody were nervous about the rating “Juno” would receive. It was important that the film not receive an R-rating so that it would be accessible to young viewers, Cody said.

“We kind of slipped by on this one,” Reitman said.

Recently, Cody wrote and co-created a half-hour series, “The United States of Tara” about a mother with multiple personalities. Cody had to move from Minn. to Los Angeles to work on this project. Cody said she disliked the research she had to do with doctors and people with multiple personalities to help her accurately portray a mentally ill character.

“I like writing,” she said. “That’s it. I hate researching, I hate outlining.”

For Reitman, research is part of the job as a screenwriter and film director.

“I think every part of filmmaking is reactionary,” he said.

Reitman preferrs to adapt books that he imagined would make effective movies. Writing a recent script, “Up in the Air,” took five years and numerous revisions to complete.

Reitman said he often uses good screenplays like “Jerry Maguire” to focus the plot of his writing, bu t he tries to stay away from watching well-made movies so as not to be discouraged.

“Bad movies are great,” Reitman said. “You say to yourself, ‘Yeah! I can top that.’”

Cody’s newest screenplay produced by Reitman, “Jennifer’s Body” is about teenagers practicing cannibalism, and is currently in post production.

She described the film as combining funny, dirty and dark elements in a socially impacting story line about girls’ problems and relationships. Cody dis-

Candice Navi/chronicle

partners in crime: Jason Reitman ’95 interviews Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody about their film, “Juno”, which Cody wrote and Reitman directed.

The first installment of the speaker series was held in Ahmanson last Wednesday. cussed her plans for becoming a film director and her preference for writing spontaneously over being hired to write on a client’s idea.

Reitman praised Cody for her achievements at a young age and her talent as a filmmaker.

“She’s a fascinating woman who inspired me throughout our work,” Reitman said.

Reitman and Cody made a charismatic duo as filmmakers and while chatting at the series.

“You can see why the movie turned out so well; they have such a strong connection together,” Tim Orland ’00 said.

‘Into the Woods’ we go

By Michelle Yousefzadeh

Allegra Tepper/chronicle

Into the Rehearsal: Ben Platt ’11, Talia Seehoff ’10, Emily Altschul ’09, Chloe Korban ’10, Eli Petzold ’10, Elana Fruchtman ’10, Susanna Wolk ’10 and Beanie Feldstein ’11 (from left) rehearse for “Into the Woods.”

“Into the Woods,” the upper school musical, will be performed this weekend. There will be one performance on Friday and Sunday and two performances on Saturday in Rugby Theater.

The musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine intertwines the plots of fairytale characters from “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel,” and “Cinderella,” tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family.

Seventeen hours of auditions were necessary to choose the 24 students cast. Leads include Kat Arenella ’10 as

Cinderella, Ben Platt ’11 as Baker, Emily Altschul ’09 as Baker’s Wife, Chase Morgan ’09 as Narrator, Beanie Feldstein ’11 as Little Red Riding Hood, Nick Lieberman ’11 as Jack and Serena Berman ’09 as Witch.

Co-Directors Ted Walch and Michele Spears have included five more roles to expand the cast, Walch said.

Tickets can be purchased on-line or at the bookstore for $15.

This year’s big surprise was the quality of talent from the sophomores, Walch said.

“In a school as talented as HarvardWestlake, we see a lot of talented people who just aren’t right for the part,” Walch said, “but we always go into the casting sessions with a blank slate, always.”

Russell Tutoring ›› Math all levels to AP Calculus ›› Physics ›› specializing in H-W Chemistry

(310) 459-3239

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Opinion A21

The Chronicle Harvard-Westlake School•Volume XVIII• Issue 3• Nov. 12, 2008

3700 Coldwater Canyon, North Hollywood, CA 91604 Editors in Chief: Lucy Jackson, Andrew Lee Managing Editors: Alexia Boyarsky, A.J. Calabrese Executive Editors: Julie Barzilay, Derek Schlom Presentations Editors: Cathi Choi, Dana Glaser

Andrew lee/chronicle

Reconsider schedule changes

T

he new schedule changes to be implemented next school year will give students more time with their teachers at the expense of less time with their families and friends, which are the relationships that suffer most at a school as demanding as Harvard-Westlake.

More school days means more classes to learn the information, something that could potentially benefit students struggling with fast-paced courses.

But extra teaching days inevitably invite teachers to cram more in instead of encouraging them to stretch the same amount over a longer period of time. It also seems like the new schedule revolves almost entirely around AP classes, which gives little consideration to the many students who aren’t taking any. And when the expansion requires sacrificing days of vacation that could be spent reconnecting with people or simply relaxing, it’s not worth it, especially when the system in place has worked for years — over 90 percent of the 514 students taking AP tests last year scored a three or above.

With the new schedule, school starts a week and a half earlier, on the last Monday in August, but graduation remains in June. The schedule calls for midterms three days after winter break, entirely eliminates semester break and would likely get rid of the two week hiatus for upperclassmen after APs. By pushing midterms up to a mere three days after winter break, how many kids will actually get to unwind and relax over the vacation? Students will be too concerned with midterms, and this effectively reduces winter break to a work period. Three days does not provide enough time to adequately prepare for multiple comprehensive exams, and the vast majority of students will end up studying alone in their rooms. If the new schedule calls for midterms

to be moved to a different time, midterms before winter break might have been a better option as it would have provided for a burden-free vacation.

The abolition of semester break goes even further.

Semester break was a reward to students after months of hard work; many people used the four day weekend as a chance to go skiing with relatives or catch up with friends. But now it’s gone, taking with it another opportunity for reunions or just pure rest. Instead, students move straight into the second round, hardly getting a chance to catch their breath.

The same thing will happen when the AP students go immediately to finals — there is no passing Go, no collecting $200. All the breaks have disappeared.

The only added day off would create a single long weekend in October, and while one day is better than none, it doesn’t allow students to truly take any time off, and this extended weekend is still only a possibility, according to an e-mail sent by Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts to the faculty.

The goal of the schedule changes is to slow things down by giving students more time to absorb and process information. But without any prolonged respites, school days will just come faster, the school year will just seem longer and friends will see less of each other than they already do. In attempting to solve problems where there aren’t any, the new schedule actually creates new difficulties that detract too much from the planned benefits, rendering the schedule incapable of fixing the school at all.

Increase on-campus fun factor

I

n September, the Prefect Council tried to add an extra 25-minute break to the week, but FAC did not pass the proposal. The break was a good effort — it would have been a first step in breaking up the long week Upper School students face with a dose of fun — but it shouldn’t be the only effort.

There are many effective ways of achieving that end without changing the schedule. It’s time to move forward, and here are some of the Chronicle staff ’s suggestions: 1) Every few weeks when a grade has class meeting in Rugby, make the announcements — then let everyone out after 10 minutes. It’s a perfect opportunity for a grade-wide activity, be it music in the quad and Coffee Bean or something a little further off the beaten track.

2) Speaking of music in the quad…no one said it has to come from iTunes. Set up a student concert at break — the bands get free publicity, the students get free admission.

3) Remember the fall carnival at the end of seventh grade retreat? Cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn and contests — it’d be a great way to celebrate after school the day before Thanksgiving break begins, especially since there are no free periods in the days leading up to it.

4) Everyone likes free food and tons of students don’t get the chance to eat breakfast — let’s take advantage of the 25 minutes or so before school with a pancake breakfast open to everyone.

5) There’s no need to ask for another break if we waste the one we have. The Activities Fair and Community Service Fair are popular — why should those be the only two days of the year Monday

break gets interesting? The Prefect Council, the Community Council and various clubs should take turns planning activities during break every few weeks. No one will bear the brunt of planning event after event, and it’s a great opportunity to let students promote their groups.

6) If everyone has to study they might as well study together. Prefect Council could work with the Peer Tutoring program to make Finals Night: the night before midterms or finals, they could open all the computer labs, set up couches in the lounge and around the quad, and get Coffee Bean to provide the caffeine for students cramming for their tests in study groups until midnight.

7) Last year’s seniors had picnics in the quad their final few days at Harvard-Westlake. We don’t have to wait so long. The next time the weather is nice, students can set up picnic blankets on the field and the cafeteria can provide the sandwiches.

We realize that this list doesn’t work out all of the logistical details, and we’re not asking the Prefect Council to take on all of this responsibility alone.

There are plenty of student groups on campus — including, but not limited to, those mentioned above.

If the Prefect Council coordinates the efforts, and each group contributes to an event once in a while, the quality of student life at Harvard-Westlake can improve immeasurably.

Business Manager: Carly Mandel Ads Manager: Neha Nimmagadda Assistant: David Burton Chief Copy Editor: Ellina Chulpaeff Online Assistant Editor: Mac Taylor News Managing Editors: Shayna Freisleben, Carly Radist Section Heads: Hana Al-Henaid, Sammy Roth Production Head: Nicki Resnikoff Online Editors: Katherine Hong, Michelle Nosratian Copy Editor: Spencer Gisser Assistants: Olivia Kwitny, Matthew Lee, Alice Phillips, Daniel Rothberg, Sade Tavanganian, Emily Wallach, Catherine Wang Features Managing Editors: Marni Barta, Faire Davidson Section Heads: Drew Lash, Lauren Seo Production Editors: Jamie Kim, Candice Navi Assistants: Ingrid Chang, Jordan Freisleben, Jordan McSpadden, Kelly Ohriner, Hannah Rosenberg Opinion Managing Editors: Annie Belfield, Ashley Halkett Section Heads: Anna Etra, Erin Moy Production Editor: Ester Khachatryan Assistant: Sarah Enriquez Sports Managing Editors: Ben Goldstein, Cody Schott Section Heads: Sam Adams, Jack Davis Production Editors: Alex Edel, Jonah Rosenbaum Junior Varsity Editor: Cary Volpert Copy Editor: Jack Schwada Online Editors: Seth Goldman, Sean Kyle Assistants: Austin Block, Alec Caso, Alex Leichenger, Tiana Woolridge Supplement Managing Editors: Emily Friedman, Candace Ravan Supplement Section Heads: Allegra Tepper, Michelle Yousefzadeh Assistants: Mary Rose Fissinger, Jean Park Adviser: 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 senior members of the Editorial Board. Advertising questions may be directed to Business Manager Carly Mandel at (818) 481-2087. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

A22 Opinion

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

reader feedback

In the last issue, the Chronicle staff editorialized about two school issues.

Here’s what upper school students had to say*:

Peer Mentoring:

Political Beliefs:

A - Yes, it would work well and be beneficial to younger

A - Yes, I have felt personally attacked because of my

The Middle School recently implemented a mentoring system for 7th graders; seniors attempted to start a program last year. Should we reintroduce one here? students.

B - Yes, we should try because it’s a great idea in theory, but it probably wouldn’t work.

C - No, we have no need for a mentoring system.

D - No, mentoring isn’t the right way to solve this problem.

Online Comment: “The transition should be a natural and non “artificial” one.

The best way to stimulate that is to leave things be, and let a natural course play out.”

Do you think the upper school campus at Harvard-Westlake has a serious problem with political tolerance? political beliefs.

B - Yes, I have noticed it’s a serious issue that should be addressed, but I haven’t been personally attacked.

C - No, political arguments are healthy and normal.

D - No, our school is largely tolerant and open-minded.

D 12%

D 13%

A 35%

Online Comment: “As long as people are truly dedicated to the succcess of a mentoring program, the system could be really effective.”

C 60% B 28%

Cheerleaders, Fanatics are on same side

In Response to “Cheer up” from the Volume XVII Issue 2 on Oct. 1, 2008: The Fanatics have the utmost respect for Harvard-Westlake Spirit: We love your cheers.

We go wild for your halftime dances. Your routines made this year’s fall Spirit Assembly worthwhile. Unfortunately, we were somewhat saddened by the “Cheer up” article in October’s edition of The Chronicle.

We have never viewed ourselves as competing with H-W Spirit for the attention of the fans, and we are disappointed that this is how you perceive our interactions. In our opinion, both the Fanatics and H-W spirit are on the same side. We see no reason behind having to determine which organization should act as the “foundation” for school spirit. We can both serve this purpose together.

Thus far, H-W Spirit has concentrated on dances or long cheers such as “Change it, rearrange it, get that ball back,” while the

The Chronicle wants feedback from its readers. Letters submitted must be signed and may not exceed 350 words. The name of the author may be withheld upon request.

Letters must be received by Dec. 8.

All submissions can be e-mailed to chronicle@hw.com.

B 13%

C 25%

Letters & Columns

feedback

A 14%

Fanatics have specialized in short chants such as “Defense! (clap-clap).” These are two distinctly separate genres of cheering.

Whenever H-W Spirit starts a cheer, we do our absolute best to join in and make our fellow Fanatics do the same.

We regret that occasionally our spontaneous chants interfere with your cheers, but in sports this is inevitable. We are not attempting to “shut [you] out.” Just remember that the Fanatics have a duty too. Our job is to rile up the crowd and make every fan crave a Wolverine victory as much as the athletes themselves. The Fanatics know just as well as you that we can change the score without being on the field.

Regarding “Wolverines in the Front,” we never try to overpower any H-W Spirit cheer with it. But everyone loves “Wolverines in the Front,” and we have to give the people what they want.

We do not support H-W spirit “for the most part.” We support you 100 percent, and we cannot imagine what the games would be like without you. So lets put all of this behind us.

We will truly make an effort not to interfere with your cheering, but understand that we too have goals of our own to accomplish. At least we can both agree on one thing: GO WOLVERINES! — The Harvard-Westlake Fanatics

corrections In the Oct. 1 2008 issue of the Chronicle, we erroneously reported that the middle school literary magazine, The Tenth Muse, was edited by the Spectrum staff. Tenth Muse has a separate staff, and takes work from all middle school students, generated from Creative Writing, English and Visusal Arts Classes, Advisor Francine Norris said.

Online Comment: “People, even friends, think it’s okay to look down upon what I believe and automatically assume that their political beliefs, because a majority, should also be right for me.”

Online Comment: “Lots of political fights occur, but that’s the nature of an election year at a school with smart students.”

*Based on responses to an anonymous online poll sent to the HarvardWestlake Upper School student body through surveymonkey.com.

Graphic by Annie belfield, Anna Etra, ashley halkett and Erin moy

Alexia Boyarsky

Get psyched

I

n my Psychology class, we don’t get too much homework, we rarely have tests and many of our classes are composed of fun interactive activities and games. Oh, and we also get to learn about how the human brain works. One would think more people would take a class like that, but only 40 students in the entire Upper School are enrolled.

Classes like Psychology and the Music Appreciation class that will be added next year allow students the opportunity to study something they are interested in without the burden of AP tests. And at a school where students incessantly complain about stress, why wouldn’t more students be interested in a class that doesn’t require a lot of work, but is interesting and fun?

I applaud the school for allowing students the opportunity to take classes like Studies in Scientific Research, where they work as much they want to on projects that they are personally interested in. This type of classroom environment fosters independent thought more than most AP classes. When students are allowed to work on things they are interested in, they inevitably retain more information than when they are simply asked to regurgitate textbooks.

If there were more classes like SSR established across different academic disciplines, students who had the initiative to study a topic in depth would take advantage of the opportunity. I also urge students to consider taking more classes that allow them the freedom to learn what they want but that perhaps don’t add a boost to their grade point averages as honors and AP classes do. Courses that allow students more freedom and less pressure will, in the long run, have a more profound impact on a student’s knowledge.

Who wouldn’t want to learn about different flirting techniques used by girls and boys, a recent topic of discussion in my Psychology class? So, as first semester winds to a close, choose a class next semester that does not require a paper a week, but that you look forward to and can discuss with your friends over coffee.

Nov. 12, 2008

Opinion A23

The Chronicle

Julie Barzilay

Black and white and read all over

H

“what are we losing as these papers slowly but steadily convert to digital form?”

ave you seen The Los Angeles Times recently? It looks different. A more dramatic flag on Page One, larger bylines for columnists — a few minor but meaningful alterations. In newspaper speak, that’s called a redesign.

They happen periodically for a number of reasons, mostly just to rejuvenate the look of the paper and keep it fresh. The Chronicle does one every year. But this redesign made me slightly nervous when I first saw it. Why? Because newspapers worldwide are in more peril than books were in “Farenheit 451” (the Ray Bradury novel in which the sole duty of firemen is to burn literature) and I worried that The LA Times’ new look was an attempt to revive interest in a world-renowned publication before it was too late.

The Christian Science Monitor, a respected, century-old newspaper, has the following bit of “breaking news” on its website: “In 2009, the Monitor will become the first nationally circulated newspaper to replace its daily print edition with its website; the 100 year-old news organization will also offer subscribers weekly print and daily e-mail editions.” That means there will be one day a week where someone without a computer could possibly come across evidence of this newspaper’s existence. If that.

Keep in mind that, according to a 2007 study

by Stanford Professor Phillip M. Harter, one percent of people worldwide own a computer.

So what are we losing as these papers slowly but steadily convert to digital form?

For one thing, people are losing jobs. Under owner Sam Zell, the LA Times announced in June that it would cut 250 jobs by Labor Day. Along with the elimination of jobs, the downsizing cuts 15 percent of their news pages each week, eliminates some sections entirely and cuts the lengths of news stories.

But there’s something else that affects all of us about the decline of print journalism.

Haven’t we learned all our lives that America was founded on freedom of speech? How the pen was mightier than the sword?

That the colonial revolutionaries rallied to action through pamphlets and reports and newspapers? Newspapers have always been there to help us synthesize, analyze and put into perspective the traumatic, euphoric or unprecedented goings-on in our world. What is going to happen to our society when we can no longer grasp the gray pages of a newspaper, awkwardly unfold them and read the paper with our morning coffee?

My Grandfather worked as the Letters

Andrew lee/chronicle

Journalism: then and now.

Editor of The New York Times practically his entire career. He reads the newspaper cover to cover every day, like many people do – newspapers are and always have been a huge part of his life. Why should the next generation never know what that feels like?

It just seems like we should do something to make sure everyone is ok with this monumental departure from a tradition that shaped our nation’s history before the future becomes now and newspapers becomes extinct.

Maybe I’m biased. I’ve watched The Chronicle’s website evolve over the last three years, and I’ve seen us make judgments between what kinds of stories are immediate and website-worthy and which merit a muchbelabored, creative design and layout in the paper. Making these decisions and working on a newspaper gives you an appreciation for the work that goes into publications worldwide.

Essentially, I’m not willing to see the art of print journalism die yet. I applaud the history classes that emphasize the news, and the Spanish V classes where students present news stories in Spanish on an almost-daily basis. But it seems to me that there should be more ways to engage young people in the reading of newspapers — I know we’re busy

A.J. Calabrese

Unpack your bags, America

F

or the first eight years of my life in which I have been able to formulate my own coherent opinions, George W. Bush has been president. This doesn’t make me bitter, or concerned about my perceptions, but it really, really makes me curious.

A few weeks ago, my mom asked me why I was so cynical all the time.

I couldn’t help but wonder if our president had anything to do with it. I let it roll around in my mind for awhile. It couldn’t be any of the topical things, really: the economy, global warming, wars. I’ve deleted these things from my subconscience.

Thinking about them too much would turn me into a crazy person.

Maybe it was the news. There’s no way there were ever this many inyour-face news stations before Bush’s presidency. News tickers have been around since Sept. 11, but have stuck around long past their welcome, not unlike an annoying uncle at a family reunion. Using them for 24/7 purposes is absurd, and some stories are so unnecessarily rolled along the bottom of the screen that they could easily be self-parodies.

The other day on CNN, three stories scrolled across the screen,

all of them consequently related to Bush’s dog biting a reporter’s finger.

Is there really more of a demand for this? Has our world as we know it really become so surreal and absurd in the last eight years that people now demand to watch the news for entertainment? Maybe that was it, I thought, and then I stopped and wondered why anyone would ever want to think about that kind of stuff.

A few hours later my dad asked me why I was so cynical all the time.

Are we all pessimists? Our generation has grown up with much more dismal perceptions than those of the past. We’re riding the crest of the wave created by the Perfect Storm. The economy is like it was in the 1930s. We have modern day communists: terrorists, an image which has been grossly blown out of proportion just like it was in the ’50s. We have civil rights issues reminiscent of the ’60s because people aren’t exactly sure whether or not homosexuals deserve the same rights as heterosexuals. And I thought this kind of stuff had been dealt with already. How could all the principles our parents and their parents’ generations strived for be compromised for this issue? Then add

and computers are quick, but there must be a way. Maybe one day there could be a class offered in current events with an emphasis on journalism, or maybe once a month a news quiz could be replaced by a discussion in which the class analyzes how different newspapers chose to portray a particular piece of news.

We forget that the way ideas are presented on paper influences the way we absorb them — it’s something worth thinking about.

Newspaper sales increased dramatically on Nov. 5 because people were eager to frame front pages splashed with the momentous headline “OBAMA.” Clearly, there is still some sense that print journalism holds something powerful, lasting, and resounding.

I hope people might look at a discarded newspaper, hey, even a rumpled Chronicle strewn across a table in the lounge, with even just a slight moment of pause and appreciation for a dying art form, one that shaped our country’s history, and that can only be saved with a demonstration of popular interest.

That has to come from this generation. But will it? Who knows — but the fact that I’m trying to convince people through a column in a school newspaper has got to mean there’s some hope, right?

“The world’s been left on our doorstep in a cradle with a guilt note attached to it.”

stuff unique to modern times: global warming, AIDS. The world’s been left on our doorstep in a cradle with a guilt note attached to it. But will we even be more equipped to handle it than those who wrote the note? I guess that right there is the ultimate question.

What will we, the children of the new millennium, be like when we’re older?

Will we be timid, shocked, so fed up with modern paranoia that we try to remove ourselves from it altogether? Will we become vigilantes, devoid of faith in anything higher than ourselves? After the election on Tuesday, I got a Facebook invitation from someone I’d never met before to a group called “Canada Anyone?”

I wasn’t annoyed. If I ever actually considered joining Facebook groups as a substantial way of expressing my beliefs, I’m sure I would’ve been a member if my presidential team hadn’t won. I just thought it was funny, knowing the political and social opinions of those in the group, that if they did move to Canada, they’d find a lot more “socialism” there to fret about than in the new America set to come.

For everyone, even future Canadian citizens if they want to heed the call,

I hope this column makes you reflect on the past eight years, because the outgoing regime has shaped all of our lives whether we wanted it to or not.

But stay hopeful. We have a new president on the way, whose campaign slogan strikes that very chord. It’s a simple slogan, and I think that’s a good fit; the only way we’ll be able to retain hope will be to keep things simple. And after we’ve fixed those simple things, I hope people will feel safe enough to want to see the world, rather than spy on it, watching it through a plasma keyhole while its images are only complicated beyond recognition, plastered with meaningless facts and news stories voyeuristically and tactfully assorted by matters of interest.

I hate talking politics, and there’s a good change I’ll cringe at this when the paper comes out. But I’m making an exception this one time, just like the former non-voters who knew if there was just one time to speak out, this was absolutely it. I really do hope America has its image restored, both to its own citizens and citizens of other countries. And I hope I never get so cynical that I pick up and move to Canada, because I feel like I could like it here.

A24

sports

The Chronicle Harvard-Westlake School Volume XVIII Issue 3 November 12, 2008

Football team clinches CIF berth with win

By Sam Adams

It’s all over but the seeding.

The Wolverines’ football team clinched a spot in the CIF playoffs with a 19-6 win against the previously undefeated Cathedral squad at Ted Slavin Field last Friday night. The win puts the Wolverines in second place in the Del Rey League with a 2-1 league record, 6-2-1 overall.

The defense has emerged as a powerful force on the team, keeping opponents to a mere 9.7 points per game. Nick Okano ’10 tied a school record with four interceptions against Cathedral. Defensive ends Sean Fateh ’09 and Conor O’Toole ’10 have each acquired three sacks in the season.

Te’Rhon O’Neal ’09 has continued his successful season, accumulating eight touchdowns and 1109 yards in the season, but the passing game has really come into its own since the beginning of league play, with Corey Vann ’09 and Jackson Ligouri ’10 establishing themselves as the team’s top receivers.

The Wolverines were served their first loss of the season to nonleague opponent Alemany 17-10 on Oct. 3. Nicky Firestone ’11 scored the Wolverines’ only touchdown with a 90-yard fumble recovery. The score at halftime was 10-0 in favor of the home team, but three third-quarter Alemany turnovers allowed the Wolverines to tie the score after a field goal and Firestone’s run.

They defeated nonleague Chaminade 28-13 the next week.

To start Del Rey league play, the Wolverines crushed St. Bernard 37-0 in the homecoming game on Oct. 18, with the offense picking up towards the end of the first half, scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half to increase their lead to 20 at halftime. Ligouri reeled in the first touchdown after the Wolverines blocked a Viking punt, and O’Neal punched the ball into the end zone on a one-yard run with 46 seconds remaining in the half. Vann was responsible for two more touchdown receptions in the second half.

The defense effectively shut down the Viking offense, which only gained five first downs and accumulated 108 yards. Firestone intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter that enabled Will Oliver ’11 at kick a field goal for the final score of the game.

However, the Wolverines fell in their next game at league powerhouse Serra. O’Neal accounted for the Wolverines’ only points with a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but finished with only 19 yards against the stingy Serra defense. Vann reeled in 11 catches for a total of 93 yards.

“We shot ourselves in the foot sometimes,” O’Neal said. “We had our opportunities. We dropped some balls and missed some blocks. We could have made a

Sam Adams/chronicle

Enemy at the gate: Sean Berman ’09 searches for a receiver as a Cathedral defender closes

in. The Wolverines won the match with a score of 19-6, and faces Bosco Tech in an away game this Friday.

lot of plays. We’ve got to relax.”

In a break from Del Rey play, the Wolverines defeated Verbum Dei the next week 24-0.

“In the Verbum Dei game, the second half had some of the best football we’ve played all year,” Varsity Head Coach Vic Eumont said. “When we play that way, we have a shot to get in the playoffs, which is the ultimate goal.” A goal that was achieved with last Friday’s victory.

The Wolverines now look ahead to their final regular-season game of the season at Bosco Tech, a Del Rey team on a four-game losing streak.

Former UCLA running back Chris Markey was brought onto the coaching staff midway through the season to help with the team’s running game. He has played his final season with the Bruins, and joined

the staff after not making any NFL team this season.

Markey is coaching while training for the NFL for next year and finishing classes at UCLA. “Markey brings the immediate impact of the players knowing him, and they respect how he played.

When he says something they can relate that because they saw him play,” Eumont said of the new hire.

After the win, the Wolverines clinched a spot in the CIF playoffs. They move into second place in the Del Rey League with a 2-1 league record behind the undefeated Serra squad. If Cathedral manages to beat Serra in this Friday’s regular season closer and the Wolverines can defeat Bosco Tech, which is on a four-game losing streak, the three teams will move into a three-way tie for first place in the league.

The CIF playoffs will begin on Nov. 21.

Seventh grade girl plays football

Girls’ tennis gets share of Mission title after beating rival Chaminade

By Jonah Rosenbaum By knocking off rival Chaminade, the Wolverines girls’ tennis team gained a piece of the Mission League title, which they will split with the Eagles.

Because of the team’s earlier loss to Chaminade, they needed a large margin of victory to win the league title, and they acheived just that in a 12-6 win.

The win against Chaminade was followed by four consecutive league wins, ending with an 18-0 victory against Flintride that clinched the Mission League.

“We won back Mission League, which was our goal for the year, and the win should give us a good draw for CIF,” Nicole Hung ’10 said.

Head Coach Chris Simpson agreed with Hung about the importance of the win, and said the Mission League title, and an easy playoff draw is especially important since the team is dealing with several injuries to key players,

including Hung. Last year marked the first time in nine years that the team didn’t bring home at least a share of the Mission League.

“To take back the Mission League really feels great,” Simpson said. “This season has had low and high points, and this win was definitely a high one.”

He also singled out Caroline Richman ’09. “[Richman] really played like a college bound player for us against Chaminade,” Simpson said. “We needed her to win her matches and she really came through and stepped up for us.”

The team finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and a 9-1 league mark. Although they have now captured the Mission League title, both Hung and Simpson emphasized that they are not done yet.

The team’s stated goal is to get to the quarterfinals. The playoffs begin tomorrow against an undetermined opponent.

By A.J. Calabrese

COURTESY OF Kate OSHER

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Alanna Klein ’11 returns a serve Nov. 5 at home.

Angela Knight ’14 was fast. She knew that much going into tryouts. She knew she liked football, watching it on television and playing flag for her elementary school. She knew she wanted to play in middle school, but there was only one problem, which was hardly a problem at all.

“At Harvard-Westlake there was no flag football, but I just went ahead and played tackle,” she said.

The middle school football program converted from flag to full on tackle in 2005. In the history of the seventh and eighth grade flag football program, there was never a girl on the roster, according to Lew Roberts, one of the biggest advocates of the tackle program, and now also Knight’s head coach.

Around the time of the middle school football conversion, Angela was see FOOTBALL, page A25

Nov. 12, 2008

Sports A25

The Chronicle

Volleyball rolls into playoffs on 12-match streak

By Jack Davis The girls’ varsity volleyball team began its quest for a second straight state title yesterday, facing Moorpark in the opening round of CIF playoffs, after heading into the postseason with a perfect 10-0 league record.

After starting off the season with an 8-5 record, the squad ripped off 12 straight victories, concluding their regular season with a 3-0 victory over league rival Sacred Heart on senior night.

On the day of the match, senior members of the team wore one piece pajamas as a sign of unity, while junior and sophomore members made signs commemorating the seniors, that were hung on the bulletin boards in the quad.

“We love our seniors and they’ve been great to us and been the most important part of our team this year and we just wanted to show some appreciation,” Jillian McAndrews ’10 said.

With all their momentum and incredible recent success, reigning co-CIF Coach of the year Adam Black feels confident about his team’s chances in the playoffs. “I like where we are at in terms of how we are playing. We need to continue to be good over time and everything else will take care of itself,” Black said.

During their 12 match winning streak, the team has lost only four of 40 games.

“I am confident in our preparation that we have been doing all season long,” Black said. “Every day we practice what we want to be good at and what we need to implement in terms of strategy for each game.

Passing has become a constant for us. If we continue to take care of that first ball then we’ll be ok.”

Coming into the season, youth was a big question for the team, as it lost 11 seniors from last year’s State Title squad. However the younger members of the squad have stepped up, according to Black. “I think the group overall is very athletic and has translated into some pretty good matches over the course of the season. We just need to continue to learn the game and improve every day.”

“We’ve really grown together this year,” added

Cathi ChOi/chronicle

bump, set...: Emily Waterhouse ’09 spikes as Jackie Feiler ’10 and Meg Norton ’10 look on. The girls’ volleyball team heads into state with a perfect league record and a 12-match winning streak. lastw year’s State Title MVP Meg Norton ’10. “We started slow out of the gate, just like last year, but we never got too worried, it didn’t affect us. We knew we just had to work hard and stay together and everything would work itself out. This is a really tight knit group.”

While the Wolverines appear to be a favorite head-

Equestrian gallops to four shows

Middle school girl tackles barriers from football, page A24

By Austin Block The equestrian team placed fifth overall in the varsity division and the team as a whole finished 11th overall on Oct. 26 in the first of its four shows scheduled this year at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.

“I think the sense of team support is one of our biggest strengths. We have a close-knit team, and the riders like to cheer for the other riders when they are able to watch them ride,” Head Coach Christa Choe ’94 said.

Team Captain Phoebe Novack ’09 led the Wolverines in the varsity division, scoring 15 points and tying for 22nd.

She was followed by Kristen London ’10, Corinne Miller ’12 on her house Lucille, Emma Gerber ’12 on Celano, and Ariana DuBelko ’12 on her horse, La Luna.

Olivia Nathanson ’10 tied for 29th place in the first tournament with 13 points in the JV division on Time to Believe by participating in both the JV Equitation and Hunter sections, earning 11 points and 14th place in the Hunter section and getting the remaining two points in the Equitation section.

Rebecca Kelly ’09 (48th) scored five points on Amigo in the JV Hunter section.

Caity Murhpy ’11 (52nd) scored the remaining four points on Mysster E in the JV Dressage section to round out

ing into playoffs with their perfect league record and winning streak, Black is taking nothing for granted.

“I like where we are at in terms of how we are playing. We need to continue to be good over time and everything else will take care of itself I try not to think too much about State. We have to get there first,” Black said.

courtesy of darlene bible

horsing around: Phoebe Novak ’10 performs a jump on her horse. the Wolverine scoring in the JV division.

“I think last year we started out stronger, but we’re going to get better this year,” Novack said.

The team’s next match will take place on Dec. 7 at the Hansem Dam Equestrian Center in Lake View Terrace.

attending elementary school at PS1 in Santa Monica. Her friends started playing football at recess, and it took her awhile to catch on.

She admits she did not understand it that well at first and for this reason did not like it. But with the help of her friends, she soon embraced it and played it daily, her agility marking her as a constant threat during recess and flag football season.

Knight was assigned to the J2 team in the middle school program, a rookie to tackle football, like the majority of seventh graders on the team.

Her designated position was wide receiver, a given truth considering her speed. But after a program-wide scrimmage she was left yearning for something more.

“I realized I didn’t get to do much hitting,” Knight said. “So I asked the coaches to move me to a linebacker station during practice just to try it out and I really liked it, so I stayed.”

And thus the dual threat was born; Knight culminated a passion for the middle linebacker position, attaining a spot on the roster as second MLB in addition to starting wide receiver.

Linebacker, a much more physical position, requires more down and dirty play, not to mention more face to face with potentially discriminatory adversaries. But Knight says she has not noticed any resentment or singling out because she is a girl.

“My ponytail’s in the back, so they’ll only know if they’re staring at my back, which usually doesn’t happen,” she said.

As a matter of fact, the fiercest ad-

versaries Knight has had to face as a football player have been her parents, who at first were uneasy with the physicality of the sport.

“It took them a lot to be convinced,” don hagopian/chronicle Knight said. “My Angela Knight dad came over to my side pretty easily, but my mom was the hardest. I just told them there was so much protection and I was tough enough to take it.”

Knight has followed through on her reassurance to her parents, not to mention helping the J2 team to their best record in program history.

But the biggest winner from all of this is Knight herself, whose newfound passion for defense gave her a broader respect for the game as a whole.

“I love the in-game action, you never know what’s gonna happen next,” she said. “My favorite position is linebacker because of the excitement when I’m in position waiting for the play to start, looking at the coach to see if he’s going to give me the sign to blitz.”

Knight’s enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed on the field.

“Angela is one of the best downfield blockers on the team,” Roberts said.

“She has a great attitude.”

“I’m kind of secretly enthusiastic,” Knight said with a laugh.

But it’s no secret. Knight is planning to return to the team next year to contribute all she can while she can.

“Past (eighth grade), the guys get too big, and I don’t think I’m gonna get much taller,” the 5’3” player said.

A26 Sports

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Water polo heads into CIF, finishes 2nd in league to rival Loyola

By Alex Edel The water polo team will go into its first game of CIF playoffs this week with a record of 17-10. The team has a league record of 7-2, losing only two league games, both to Loyola.

The boys won their last league game last Thursday against Alemany, and will play their first round CIF game today against Dos Pueblos. Dos Pueblos came second in the Channel League losing only once to Santa Barbara.

“I feel confident that even though we may have lost a few important and challenging hands this season that we will be able to pull together for the first sound game and advance,” Russell Madison ’10 said.

Harvard-Westlake lost its first league game in 11 years to Loyola at home on Oct. 16, scoring 11 points to Loyola’s 13 points. The score was close the entire game, and after numberous penalties and a yellow card for shouting at the referees for Loyola’s coach, Erik Healy, Loyola pulled away in the

fourth quarter to win by a margin of two points.

Alex Popof ’10 had a standout game with four points, but the other points were spread out among five other players. The team also played in a tournament in San Jose and placed seventh, losing to both Miramonte and Sacred Heart by one point.

Coach Larry Felix said the team has a “rough road ahead” going into CIF. “We have been working really hard in practice to improve on all the little details and fundamentals which will make the difference in the playoffs,” James McNamara ’10 said.

The team is in Division I for CIF and last year got to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Northwood by only two points. Loyola will play their first round game against Ventura High School, and the only chance for a rematch with the Wolverines would be in the CIF finals.

If they advance to the next round, a possible opponent could be El Toro, and the game would be next week.

cathi choi/chronicle

DOUBLE TEAMED: James McNamara ’10 faces off with two Mater Dei players in their match on Oct. 18. The Wolverines won the game in front of a packed crowd.

5-time Olympian credits Westlake

Goalie plays with digestive disorder

By Cody Schott

By Ben Goldstein Although Dara Torres ’85 has been taken all across the globe in her swimming career, it all began in Los Angeles when she was still a Westlake Wallaby.

In 1984, while most of her classmates at Westlake were enjoying the last weeks of summer before their senior year, Torres swam for the United States in her first Olympics in Los Angeles.

At the age of 17, she won gold in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay; 24 years later, she medaled in the same race in Beijing.

In addition to her silver in the freestyle relay, Torres won two more silver medals this summer in the 50 meter freestyle race and the 4x100 meter medley relays.

The 41-year-old has won 12 medals during her career, and the Beijing Games marked her fifth games – the first time a swimmer has competed in five Olympics.

“I don’t look at myself as the oldest swimming medalist in Olympics history,” Torres said.

“The water didn’t know my age when I was competing, so it didn’t really dawn on me that I was older than my competitors. When people bring it up then I think it’s a nice honor, but I never felt my age when I was swimming.”

In her seventh through tenth grade years at Westlake, Torres

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COURTESY OF DARLENE BIBLE

SWEET 17: Dara Torres ’85, at the age of 17, poses for a picture at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles with fellow Olympian Jesse Vassallo. was coached by Darlene Bible, the current athletic director and head of the school’s swimming program. Torres and Bible have kept in touch over the years, and Bible was in Beijing in August to cheer on her former swimmer.

“Dara’s main strength and the key, I believe, to her success in regards to her longevity, is that she is an amazing athlete,” Bible said. Torres was not simply a star swimmer at Westlake. She played in CIF finals for volleyball and basketball, in addition to playing a year of collegiate volleyball at the University of Florida.

“Westlake played a role for me in everything I did, not just swimming,” Torres said. “I think the tough academic regimen helped me work harder in the pool and taught me what hard work is all about. It’s a school that teaches you about becoming a woman, learning to work hard and to dedicate yourself to the things

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you love to do.”

Over the years, Bible has coached many All-Americans and a national champion, Alexis Larsen ’94, but she certainly hasn’t had a swimmer as well-known as Torres. Bible regards the Olympian as a role model for her current swimmers.

“I talk about her commitment, dedication, amazing work ethic and kind, generous heart,” Bible said. “You do not have to be ruthless to be a world class athlete.

You just have to want it and be willing to work for it.”

Since competing in Beijing, Torres has travelled for sponsors and has given motivational talks.

“Right now I’m enjoying being home with my [2-year-old] daughter Tessa and spending time with her,” she said. “I’ve gotten back in the water to swim for exercise, and by the end of the year I will decide if I want to swim for world championships.”

Michael Boggan ’09 wakes up each morning to a simple breakfast of an english muffin or pancakes. But, these foods aren’t exactly what they seem to be. The key ingredient, gluten, is substituted with rice or corn.

For all of his life, Celiac disease has inhibited Boggan’s ability to eat whatever he wants.

Celiac disease is caused by a malfunction of enzymes in the small intestine. The nutrients from gluten cannot be absorbed and causes a serious reaction. Boggan was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 2.

Fast forward to 12th grade, and he brings a Zip-loc container to school each day with his lunch. Some days it's "quesa-dogs" (corn tortilla and cheese wrapped hot dogs); other days it's rice-crusted pizza. Sometimes he'll get enchiladas, and other times he'll get rice-based pasta. He munches on string cheese during the day, and when he feels like it, he'll buy a salad from the salad bar.

Eating like this has become second nature to him.

"I'm so used to not eating gluten, I don't even notice," Boggan said.

Boggan is the starting goalie on the water polo team.

The team has already defeated high ranked competition both in preseason and regular season play. Some of the credit belongs to Boggan, who has been keeping the net safe ever since Max Lubin ’08 graduated.

He is the next goalie following in the footsteps of Brian Pingree ’07 and Lubin, and there are more underclassmen in the wings.

As for Boggan, his patience playing at the varying levels of high school sports has paid off, and his teammates appreciate that. Fellow goalie Bryce Tobias ’10 is among them.

“He knows what he needs to do and he's always ready to step up to the plate,” Tobias said.

Boggan attributes his leadership role on the team to his ability to work hard and lead by example. He does that, almost to a degree of notoriety.

Once in Little League, Boggan said, he went for a fly ball during warm-ups, and ended up with multiple stitches above his eye. His team won the game, and Boggan was given the game ball as a token of his commitment to the team.

When Boggan gets out of the pool after each game, he takes solace in knowing that he can still get an In-NOut burger; it just has to be protein style.

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Nov. 12, 2008

Sisters stick together on volleyball court

Sports A27

The Chronicle

By Julie Barzilay Middle blocker Krystle Higgins ’09 reaches her hands above the net and shuts down the opposing team’s spike with a powerful block. As her team huddles for a quick cheer, Christina Higgins ’11 gets ready to substitute in as outside hitter and assume the position right next to Krystle. As the sisters turn towards the net, a player on the other team murmurs something quietly.

“Whoa, there’s two of them.”

Reactions like these are not uncommon for the girls varsity volleyball team, which boasts not one but two sets of “Twin Towers,” as their teammates call them: sisters Krystle and Christina Higgins and identical twins Mileva ’11 and Milena Popovic ’11.

At times, having siblings on the same team can lead to cases of mistaken identity. Krystle and Christina say their teammates never confuse them, but they are often lumped together as “the Higgins sisters.”

The Popovic twins explained that people generally have to use little details to tell them apart at first, like their shoes or hair. Eventually though, people have no problem determining who is whom.

“I have to take a second when distinguishing between Milena and Mileva, but it has gotten a lot easier,” Coach Adam Black said.

Not one of these four girls plays the same position as her sibling, which they each said alleviates most of the potential for competition between them.

“We’re not compared to each other because of the different positioning,” Krystle said. “Which is good, because we both have different strengths and weaknesses.”

The extent of the competition for the Popovics is their tendency to “smack talk through the net” at each other, Mileva said. They feel like the fact that they are twins is less important on this team than it has been on teams in the past – possibly because Mileva has been out for the whole school season due to a torn PCL, or Posterior Cruciate Ligament.

Nonetheless, Mileva attends all games and practices, and plans to play with the torn muscle for her club team.

All four girls agree that the roles of sister and teammate essentially blend on the court.

“We feed off of each other’s energy,” Milena said.

“If Mileva is mad, I sometimes get mad, but if she’s excited, I get excited.”

Christina and Krystle acknowledged that they can be more honest with each other than with other teammates.

“I know what she’s capable of,” Krystle said. “I

Julie Barzilay/chronicle

DOUBLE TROUBLE: (left to right) Christina ’11 and Krystle Higgins ’09 play opposite and middle blocker. Mileva Popovic ’11 and her twin Milena ’11 play middle blocker and outside hitter. have to remember not to get more invested than I would with another player.”

Krystle said she was initially worried that Christina, as a sophomore on varisty, would be nervous, but “she definitely holds her own on the team,” she said.

Both sets of sisters appreciate always having someone there for support and value the special connection they have when they play together.

Black doesn’t think the sisterly bonds alter the team dynamic at all, but says both pairs of siblings are “quite supportive of one another.”

Mileva and Milena began playing together five years ago on a recreational volleyball team coached by their mother, so they’re used to sharing the spotlight, warming up together, and working as teammates.

But for the Higgins sisters, this is their first time ever playing together.

Krystle began her volleyball career on the Harvard-Westlake team in seventh grade, and Christina got involved when she entered seventh grade, due to an interest in the sport piqued by her sister.

Having both daughters on the varsity team is significantly more convenient for the girls’ parents – whereas last year their parents watched both the varsity and junior varsity games and coordinated driving schedules for two sets of practices, now Krystle can drive Christina everywhere, and the family watches just one game.

Mileva and Milena don’t know what the future holds in terms of playing together in college. Milena said their attitude is essentially “if it happens, it hap-

pens.”

Krystle has committed to play volleyball at Boston College next year, while Christina will step up as a junior on varsity.

“It will be really different when Krystle goes to college,” Christina said. “It will be sad, and something I’ll have to adjust to, but I’m still going to watch her play on TV.” Krystle said she wouldn’t have minded having an older sister to look up to during her younger years of playing volleyball, though she found role models in older teammates and college players.

There is one thing that will not change when Krystle graduates from both the school and from the team.

“I look up to [Krystle],” Christina said. “And I aspire to be like her someday.”

Though the girls say that sometimes other teams do get intimidated by the two sets of tall sisters, Black doesn’t think that the fact that these girls are related is any kind of advantage.

“I don’t think siblings make any type of positive or negative difference other than that they have someone close to lean on after practice,” he said. “I think what gives us an edge is our preparation and if the individuals on the team work with and for each other.”

Teammate Emily Waterhouse ’09 agreed.

“We don’t even notice that there are two sets of sisters on the team, because we’re all like sisters,” she said.

Students train for L.A. Marathon

By Candice Navi Seniors Carl Lawson, Cherelle Patrick, Daniel Katz and Trini Rios will be running 26.2 miles on Memorial Day in the 24th annual Los Angeles Marathon.

During the marathon, participants run the streets of Los Angeles, beginning in Universal City and ending in Downtown Los Angeles.

Most of the students who plan on competing have already begun some form of training.

Patrick has been running around her neighborhood during the weekdays and on the weekends she has run numerous races in preparation for the marathon.

“Some weekends I run in races that are sponsored by organizations, such as the Alive & Running and the Learning for Life Run,” Patrick said.

Katz and Lawson have done a great deal of training together and even ran a half marathon jointly last May. Their decision to train for this marathon seemed like the next step.

“Starting 12 weeks before the race, I am going to be running 40 miles a week, with long runs on weekends.”

Lawson said. “I just run in Brentwood around my house.”

In preparation for the marathon, Katz has already begun running on a partially daily basis.

“To train I run five to eight miles about five times a week after school,

taking days off to rest,” Katz said.

“Normally I run around Balboa Park, which is a nice 3.3 mile loop. The number of laps depends on how I feel.”

Rios, on the other hand, has not begun any intense training but still runs about three times a week at the Upper School.

“I’ve been trying to run at least three times a week at school and slowly increasing the distances I run about every week,” Rios said. “Recently, however, I’ve been having shin problems so I’ve had to cut down on my running a bit.”

Their reasons for running the marathon all vary, whether it is for personal gain or to support a family member.

Patrick has spent years at the Los Angeles marathon supporting her uncle, but next year, she has decided to join him.

“Every year he would ask me to run with him the next year, but I never did.

But since this is going to be my last year in Los Angeles, it’s now or never,” Patrick said.

Katz’s main reason for running the marathon is to prove to himself that he can accomplish anything.

“I decided to run the marathon because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, while also getting in good shape,” Katz said. “I am also debating going to the Air Force Academy and I would need to be fit and have endurance, and I could get these by training for and running the marathon.”

The intensity of their training will only increase as the marathon date approaches.

So far, training has not affected their lives too much, although Patrick has been suffering from knee pain due to her regimen.

“The training has gotten really hard for me physically,” Patrick said. “It keeps my knees very sore. The training also takes up a lot of my free time on weekends. It’s very draining so I am getting to sleep a lot earlier.”

As the date of the marathon draws nearer, Lawson and Katz, who have been training together, will slowly increase the intensity of their training.

“Once the real intense training starts, Carl and I will start running about eight miles a day during the week, and then run about 12 to 18 miles on the weekend,” Katz said.

So far, the experience of preparing for a marathon has been a rewarding experience for all the students, giving them a greater appreciation for running and accomplishing such a difficult task.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve hated running,” Patrick said. “I’ve just never been a fan of it. But so far in my training, I’ve learned to love it.”

For Rios, training has caused her to become more aware of her health. If she plans on running later in the day, she must pay more attention to what she eats, Rios said.

“Training is fun because you get to

courtesy of CARL LAWSON

MARATHON MAN: Carl Lawson ’09 trains outside of school. He is training for the L.A. Marathon on Memorial Day. see yourself get in much better shape and you amaze yourself at the distances you’re covering,” Katz said. “I have never run a marathon, but I hope to complete this one in around four hours, hopefully under it.”

Lawson’s father has run two marathons in the past, which made Lawson think it would be intersting to try it out for himself.

“There is a great sense of accomplishment when you train this hard for something and succeed,” Lawson said.

A28 Sports

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Cross country goes to CIF under Hall of Fame coach

By Seth Goldman

COURTESY OF JARRED GREEN

TRANSCONTINENTAL: Elijah Lowenstein ’10 (above left) races in a competion at Mt. Sac and Charlie Stigler ’11 (below) nears the finish line.

and

Jack Schwada

The boys and girls cross country squad have the CIF Preliminaries to look forward to this Saturday at Mount San Antonio College, which will determine which runners will be going on to the CIF Finals a week from this Saturday at Mt. SAC as well.

First year cross country team head coach Johnny Gray, a former Olympian and recent inductee into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame class of 2008, sent seven boys and seven girls to the top 36 of their respective boys and girls groups in the Mission League Finals last Wednesday at Crescenta Valley Park.

The Wolverine squad competed against several schools, including Flintridge Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Louisville, Chaminade, St. Francis, Loyola, Alemany, and Crespi.

Three boys runners, David Abergel ’11, Michael Richardson ’09, and Kevin On ’11, tied for tenth place in the varsity boys three-mile run.

The boys squad had an overall solid performance with a combination of good times from freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior runners on the team.

However, the team lost as a squad by a considerable 48 point difference to the Loyola team.

Senior Chris Cheng ’09 took 14th place, junior Elijah Lowenstein ’10 took 17th place, sophomore Hank Adelmann ’11 took 29th place, and sophomore Charlie Stigler ’11 took 35th place in the boys division.

But the real story was the strong performance of the freshmen girls at the tournament.

Senior wins fencing gold medal

By Ellina Chulpaeff Coming one step closer to his dream of becoming an Olympic fencer, Danny Nguyen ’09 won the gold medal for the High School Individual Men’s Foil competition held at Chaminade High School on Sept. 20. Ngyuen’s win marks the first time a Harvard-Westlake fencer has placed first in the tournament since 2002.

The event marked the first competition of the Southern California Scholastic Fencing League season. Of the 14 participating schools, HarvardWestlake dominated the tournament, Nguyen said.

Ngyuen, a dedicated fencer, practices twice a week with the school team and also goes to the Los Angeles International Fencing Center at least three times a week.

He is nationally ranked A08, with an “A” denoting the highest possible

ranking.

The tournament was in a direct elimination tableau format. This allowed individuals to represent their schools, even though fencers from the same schools were sometimes placed against one another.

Although he had to compete against teammates and friends, Ngyuen felt that that there wasn’t a lot of pressure going into the tournament.

“It was not hardcore or anything, because the idea was supposed to give people a ‘feel’ for a real tournament that you would normally experience at a national or regional tournament,” Ngyuen said.

Ngyuen predicted that HarvardWestlake will likely win the foil title.

Nguyen plans to continue fencing

at college and go on to play at national

and international levels. His goal is to

one day be within reach of competing at the Olympics.

Camille Chapus ’12 came in first place in the Varsity Girls three-mile run beating the second place runner from Flintridge Sacred Heart by 12 seconds.

Chapus was followed by Nikki Goren ’12, another freshman, who took fifth place in the girls group over a minute behind Chapus.

“My freshman girls are very talented,” said coach Gray. “I know they have a bright future ahead of them.”

The other girls who ran were Lilly Einstein ’11, who took 14th place, Claudine Yee ’10, who took 16th place, Bridget Golob ’10, who took 28th place, Gina Benedicto ’10, who took 34th place, and Melissa Flores ’12, who took 36th place.

Despite the strong performance of the girls squad, they were unable to take first place and Flintridge Sacred Heart, a major league rival, took first place in the tournament 24 points ahead of the Wolverine squad.

This tournament comes after a season in which the girls team finished the year with a losing record with one win and two losses and the boys team finished the year with a record that was tied with one loss and one win.

“I’m happy with the season and the progress we made and I look forward to the future,” said Gray. “I look forward to the future because we are still on the basics in regards to my plans and where I want the team to go.”

Cross country, however, remains at its core about the people.

“I never approach cross country as an individual sport, but everyone will do their personal best [during the post season],” Gray said.

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Nov. 12, 2008

Sports A29

The Chronicle

Field hockey falls to Newport in playoffs

By Seth Goldman After cruising to a league championship with an undefeated record, the field hockey team’s run at a CIF championship ended with a double overtime loss to eventual champion Newport last Tuesday.

The Wolverines led for most of the game, but a late Newport goal sent the match to sudden-death overtime.

The game was ultimately decided in penalty strokes, where the Wolverines were unable to score.

The team rebounded two days later to defeat Glendora in penalty strokes and capture third place in CIF. “We really wanted to win CIF but we just didn’t get it done,” Brianna Sommer ’09 said. “I think that we played really well and tried hard all season.”

The Wolverines did not drop a game in league play all year, allowing only four total goals in seven games en route to a 5-0-2 record.

Overall, the Wolverines recorded a 13-2-2 record and shut out their opponents eight times during the course of the season.

“We had a tough loss to Newport, but it was incredible to win league,” Coach Erin Creznic said.

“We should have beaten Newport, but we just missed our opportunities. But I think it was more important to be consistent all season and win league than to play well in one tournament.”

The team finished off their regular season with a 1-0 home victory over Glendora on Senior Night. Before losing to Newport, they defeated Fountain Valley 4-1 in the first round of playoffs.

Next year’s team will look vastly different from this year’s league championship squad.

The team is losing 10 seniors, two of whom, Molly Goodman ’09 and Stacy Lee ’09, have already com-

Rebecca weinstein/vox

keep away: Stacy Lee ’09 tries to sneak the ball by a defender during a recent game. Varsity field hock-

ey lost in the third round of the CIF playoff tournament to Newport High in double overtime last Tuesday.

mitted to play field hockey in college. Several of the other seniors are being recruited.

Despite the loss of all of that talent, Creznic believes that the team has a strong group of juniors and sophomores who can help replace those seniors’ production.

Six juniors saw playing time for the varsity team this season.

The rest of the juniors and sophomores played for a JV team that also won their league championship this season. Because of that, Sommer is confident in next year’s team’s chances, saying that “next year will be a change, but a lot of the sophomores and juniors who are coming up to varsity played together on JV, so that team dynamic will already be there.

The team should be fine next season.”

Girls’ golf seeks revenge against Notre Dame in CIF

By Cary Volpert

jamie kim/chronicle

PUTTING GREEN: Tiffany Yang ’10 hits a ball during the CIF individual

sectional tournament at Oxnard Golf Course on Monday morning.

CIF association rule eliminated

By Cary Volpert Discussions have resumed among the various members of the Sports Council concerning the elimination of a CIF association rule, which prohibited contact between Harvard-Westlake coaches and Harvard-Westlake student-athletes during their respective sport’s off-season.

The rule has now been lifted and the council is determining the appropriate amount of time a coach could see a player during the off-season.

The council is changing a couple of athletic policies in response to the rule: “Before the association rule was rescinded, coaches were able to spend 45 minutes a day (3:45 per week) with students on skills training. That 3:45 hour total is being maintained although in a more flexible way. For instance, a coach might have one group of students practice an hour and a half

every other day but still stay within the 3:45 weekly total,” said David Hinden, the head of the Sports Council.

The Sports Council has many issues to consider because of the removal of this rule.

Now that Harvard-Westlake coaches can coach their teams all year, these coaches will not be forced to compete with other coaches from outside of school like they have had to in the past.

Hinden said this would create a problem because even though an athlete could still see another coach outside of school, the player would likely be pressured to participate on a HarvardWestlake club team instead of an outof-school club team.

Hinden added that the decisions made concerning practice time limits in the off-season are temporary: “Right now that’s our interim policy and we are in the process of formalizing [a more specific set of rules],” he said.

The girls’ golf squad finished its season placing 15th out of 18 teams during Monday’s CIF Sectional Team Championships at the River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard. The team sported an overall score of 504 as Mission League most valuable player Tiffany Yang ’10 had a score of 92 strokes and Charlotte Abrams ’09 led the team with an 89 stroke score.

“We’re really proud about our Mission League Championship win and we’re extremely happy with our improvement,” Abrams joked. “Maybe we’ll get in 14th next season.”

On Nov. 3, the team sent Yang, Abrams and Melanie Borinstein ’11 to Soule Park Golf Club in Ojai, Calif. for the Northern California CIF Individual Finals.

All three qualified to participate in the competition after Yang won Mission League Most Valuable Player when she scored an overall 164 on two 18 hole rounds; she was followed closely by Borinstein who posted a 176 score and Abrams who scored a 177.

Yang, Abrams and Borinstein were not as fortunate in Ojai as they were at the Mission League Individual Championship. Despite Abrams’ 90 stroke score, Yang’s 93 score and Borinstein’s 91 score, none of them advanced to the next round of CIF Individual Championships.

“We had an undefeated record and beat Notre Dame, our rival, twice.

Those were two of our goals and we finally accomplished them,” Yang said.

The golf crew won the Mission League championship on Oct. 23 at Encino Golf Course against Flintridge.

A30 Sports

JV roundup

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

Football

Boys’ Water Polo

The JV team has gone through their season with a 3-4 record, and an 0-2 leagure record.

The team went into their second to last game against Cathedral High School on Nov. 8. With the skyscrapers of downtown L.A. in the distance, the squad lost by a score of 6 to 19, and fell to a record of 3-4.

Receiver Noor Fateh ’11 caught a touchdown from Quarterback Max Heltzer ’11 to account for the Wolverines only score.

“The defensive line performed really well together,” said Adam Wolf ’11 after the game.

The Wolverines began the season with a 19-6 victory over Franklin, and have also defeated Rosemead 20-0, and Chaminade 21-6.

They were narrowly defeated by Lynwood 21-22, and also were shutout at home by Alemany 38-0, lost to Serra 14-42, and most recently Cathedral.

The team has not won a game on the road, and sports a 3-2 record at Ted Slavin Field.

“We have a lot of good guys on the team and they give it their all, but we are just stretched a little thin,” Coach Daryl Griffin said.

The team will play its final game at home tomorrow against Bosco Tech.

— Alec Caso

rising high: Amanda Hall ’11 goes up for a spike during practice in Hamilton Gym. The JV girls’ volleyball team won Mission League.

After finishing the season with a perfect league record, the Boys’ JV Water Polo team culminated a 17-4 season with a league title.

The team was able to overcome schools like Loyola that even the varsity squad struggled with. The 8-0 league record guaranteed the team the JV league title.

In eight league games, the Wolverines outscored Notre Dame, Alemany, Loyola and Crespi 82-26 combined.

They emerged victorious from each contest to post an unblemished 8-0 record.

After a 4-3 loss to Mater Dei at Homecoming, the Wolverines rebounded by winning three straight games at Zanuck before closing out the season with road wins at Loyola and Alemany.

“There have been nothing but bright results from the JV this year,” varsity Head Coach Larry Felix said.

“We have improved as the season has gone along.”

However, players like Tobey Casillas ’11 still see room for improvement.

“If we fix our mistakes, we can be the most dominant team in our division,” Casillas said.

Shot on goal: Conor Eliot ’11 winds up for a shot against the rival Loyola Cubs.

Girls’ Volleyball

Girls’ Tennis

Field Hockey

The girls’ JV volleyball team closed the season with a win at home against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.

With this win, the team ensured its spot as junior varsity league champions.

Going undefeated in the mission league, the JV girls won 10 games and acquired no losses.

Coach Shari Sakamoto said that she is very pleased with how the team has developed and how they have come together in the second half of the season.

“This season has been so fun, and we are all glad that our hard work has paid off,” said sophomore libero Anne Cohen.

After finishing the season with 11 wins and losses, most of the volleyball players will be playing on club volleyball teams to hone their skills.

“It is really great that the majority of girls will be playing on club volleyball teams outside of school, because it is way for them to improve and be able to come back next year ready to play,” said Sakamoto

Practicing and playing hard even through differences in age and game cancellations, the JV girls’ tennis team finished with an undefeated record in Mission League play, earning them the league crown..

Head Coach Nataliya Ostrovska was very satisfied with the season.

“We came out very well and a lot of the players really stepped up,” Ostrovska said. “I see a lot of potential in the girls and I am very proud of them.”

However, looking back on 2007, Becky Wolke ’11 and other returning players remember a much different and older team.

This season most of the older players moved up to varsity and their spots were filled by freshman.

Wolke enjoys having freshman on the team.

“It’s cool to have kids on the team who look up to you,” said Wolke.

The majority of freshmen on the team also affected the schedule during retreat week at the middle school, and two games were cancelled due to lack of players.

A record of 9-2 including 5 shutouts helped the JV field hockey team to win league this season. Led by captains Rachel Hall ’11 and Krystal Sze ’10, the team was a large one composed of 11 sophomores, two juniors, and six freshmen.

The leading scorer was Katrina Okano ’11 with 13 goals this season.

However, all members of the team contributed many points, demonstrated by the monstrous wins they achieved against teams such as Bonita whom they beat 8-0 and Louisville, whom they defeated 11-0.

Their only league loss went to Glendora on Oct. 14, by a single point, and the game ended with a score of 2-3.

The team was able to retaliate, however.

Coach Erin Jacob said, “We beat [Glendora] 5-0 in the last game of the season to win the league championship.”

“We bonded as a team, and we had an amazing season,” Hall said.

— Tiana Woolridge

— Mary Rose Fissinger

— David Burton

Cross Country “Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” said cross country Head Coach Johnny Gray. This alliterative five word phrase was a mantra of the now concluded JV cross country season, the first under Gray’s tutelage.

The JV teams finished with a 3-2 record for the girls and a 2-4 record for the boys.

Discipline and commitment are most important in the eyes of Gray, who has given himself the title of “drill sergeant.”

He explained that many of the runners on the team are sheltered and unaccustomed to “adversities in life,” so his more serious coaching style surprised some at first.

In the Dos Pueblos Invitational on Oct. 10 at Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara, Ben Saunders ’11 placed 26th in the sophomore race.

For the girls, Jackie Wee ’09 placed 39th in the Senior race, Mary Rose Fissinger ’11 finished 55th in the sophomore race.

“Patience is a virtue,” said Gray.

“Winners don’t always come in first place.”

— Austin Block

— Alex Leichenger

FEEL THE BURN: Ben Saunders ’11 races in a JV competition at Mt. San Antonio College.

Nov. 12, 2008

Sports A31

The Chronicle

In his own words...

Te’Rhon O’Neal ’09

Varsity football running back

Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A

What are your goals for the team in CIF? Hopefully we will be able to make it to the finals. I think we will see Serra again, and we lost to them before so that will be a tough game. I think we will also see Oaks Christian which is another good team. The road to the finals should be tough but hopefully we will win the whole thing.

How would you describe your role on the team?

I guess I would picture myself as a leader. The whole team voted for captains and voted for me. I like to take the younger guys in, and one of my biggest things is working hard and playing every play like it’s my last.

What do you need to focus on going into CIF? Staying consistent. I hurt my ankle so I’m trying to just stay healthy and make sure of ball security. As a running back it’s really important that I’m hitting it really hard every play. I have to try to be more explosive, to work with my cuts a little more and make sure I read the holes.

How do you feel you’ve improved this season?

Last season I had a couple of fumbles, so [I’ve improved my] protection of the ball, running north and south, and keeping my shoulders square. I ran track last season and that helped a lot with my speed.

Do you think you will play football in college?

Hopefully, that’s my dream. I mean, Navy is pretty interested; I am also talking to New Mexico, and UCLAthat’s probably my number one choice. It all depends what happens and after the season, I guess I will get a better assessment of whether that goal can actually come true.

Photo by Sam adams Interview by Alex Edel

November CIF Highlights...

11 12 21 22 Girls’ Volleyball CIF First Round vs. Moorpark* Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Taper Gymnasium

Overall: 20-5; League: 10-0

“We want to defend our state title so we have to start out with a win. It is going to be a much tougher road than last year.

Moorpark has two really strong girls so it’s important that we come out and play well.”

— Jillian McAndrews ’10

* Score unavailable at press time

Boys’ Water Polo CIF First Round vs. Dos Pueblos

Today at 3:15 p.m.

Dos Pueblos (away)

Overall: 17-10; League: 6-2

Football

Cross Country

Friday at 7 p.m.

Ted Slavin Field

Saturday at 9:45 a.m. (girls) and 10:45 a.m. (boys) Mt. San Antonio College

CIF First Round vs. TBD

Overall: 6-2-1; League: 2-1-0

CIF Primary Round

Boys: Overall:1-1; League: 1-1 Girls: Overall: 1-2; League: 1-2 “This is the first step to making it to the state meet. From now on we have to make it by, every weekend, in order to get to State.”

— Elijah Lowenstein ’10

photo

A32

Cathi choi/chronicle

masked: Gaby Cohen ’11 wears a clown mask on Halloween, above.

Eli Petzold ’10 and Romina D’Alessandro ’10 show off their Halloween costumes as Alex from “A Clockwork Orange” and a Chinese ancestor, respectively.

jordan friesleben/chronicle

Who’s got spiri off her moves on 80s day Keith Black ’09 wins app tor in a Sumo wrestling m

o finish

Nov. 12, 2008

Julie Barzilay/chronicle

Paper or Plastic? Sal Greenberger ’09 dons her Halloween costume made of 500 plastic bags.

‘One year, 500 bags’

By Julie Barzilay

cathi choi/chronicle

While her peers slipped into scary masks or neon 80s garb, Sal Greenberger ’09 donned 500 plastic bags – and a global message – for Halloween on Friday, Oct. 31. The “Bag Monster” costume was created by Chico Bags, a company which makes reusable bags, and lent to video arts teacher Cheri Gaulke for Halloween. Gaulke had to apply to receive the costume, proving her “environmental chops,” Cheryl Revkin, head of the Silver Lake green initiative, said. Gaulke felt the costume would make more of an impact if worn by a student, so she recruited Greenberger to act as her medium. The costume’s sign read “One person, One year, 500 bags.”

“Sometimes people are curious, sometimes they are confused,” Greenberger said of wearing the heavy costume all day. “It’s cool to be raising awareness, and people are definitely paying attention.”

in costume cathi choi/chronicle

it?: Raeye Daniel ’09 shows y with a group of seniors (top). plause after being declared vicmatch at the Oct. 17 pep rally.

From Fanatic Fest to Halloween, students donned colorful disguises throughout the month of October.

B Section

pocket change

How students, alumni and the school itself are responding to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

The Chronicle . Harvard-Westlake School . Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 photo illustration by emily friedman, candace ravan, allegra tepper and Michelle Yousefzadeh

B2

cr

The Ch

­

Nov. 1

coping with Private schools are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, with diminished endowments, lowered expectations of donations and more families needing financial aid.

School adjusts as endowment drops

By Allegra Tepper

T

his summer President Thomas C. Hudnut wrote one of his first letters of the school year to the parent body, as he does every year as part of his pre-school ritual.

However, this summer, Hudnut had new variables to keep in mind, as the economy’s downward spiral was only beginning.

“In this time of economic uncertainty and financial insecurity...education is about as good an investment as one can make,” Hudnut wrote.

And so began the 2008-2009 Opportunity of a Lifetime campaign, taking on a “very different, more sensitive tone,” Chief Advancement Officer Ed Hu said. Hudnut said Annual Giving provided the “soul” at school, a soul that provides about 10 percent of Harvard-Westlake’s annual operating budget. This school year, the budget is set at around $60 million.

“We are still continuing our asks [for donations], and still have to conduct ourselves as a business,” Hu said. “There are still bills we must pay, particularly for the middle school construction.

We are 92 percent of the way there, in our fifth year of a five year campaign,” he added, as he wiped the proverbial sweat droplets from his forehead. Hu estimated a $16 million gap to finish the construction campaign.

The Office of Advancement is consequently making strides towards even greater efficiency with their donations, spending half a penny on every dollar for campaign expenditures.

According to Hu, the standard is 10 to 20 percent spent on auxiliary expenses, and donors can rest assured that 99.5 percent of every dollar they donate is going to exactly where they intended.

In his words, “we do not spend money to make money.”

The current state of the economy has most affected donations in the form of capital gifts, which are often donated as appreciated stock. With the stock market in its current state, the school simply cannot expect these anytime soon. Fortunately, most donations come from donors’ incomes, which have not been affected, he said.

Hu said he and his colleagues are lucky to have close friends of the school who they are comfortable continuing asking for donations from, and whose situations have perceivably been unaffected.

Not only have donations taken a hit in recent months, but the school’s

endowment also plunged earlier this school year.

“Our endowment is not nearly as large as many think, and endowment performance this year has been not been very good, to put it mildly,” Hu said.

Harvard-Westlake’s finance managers placed large portions of the school endowment in investments in financial institutions that were hit particularly hard. The market value of the endowment dropped 20 percent last school year, and Chief Financial Officer Rob Levin estimates an additional 15 to 20 percent drop so far for this fiscal year. Essentially, the school is moving along the same trajectory as the broader market. Levin approximates the current endowment value to be $40 million.

However, Hu maintains great faith in the vigilance with which the Business Office conducts the school’s financial affairs, making reference to a keen move made last year when the annual budget was removed from the Common Fund. All money in the Fund was frozen in October, and the Business Office was pleased to have dodged the bullet.

And as the school struggles to maintain stability, families are facing similar problems. In past years, the school has received an average of 10 to 12 applications for financial aid from current families experiencing economic emergencies.

In just the first two months of this school year, the number has shot up to 27.

Hu said the school expects more families to follow, and the school is prepared for the situation, maintaining financial aid as a priority in the budget. Approximately $6 million is budgeted for aid each year, and this year’s emergencies have exceeded it by $200,000.

“The Financial Aid program is a part of who we are,” Financial Aid Officer Geoffrey Bird said. “Not only does it give opportunity to deserving students, but it makes us a better school.”

Faculty members are working together to tighten costs of supplementary enrichment for students, like college tours and studying abroad, “seeking sensible savings that will not unduly compromise the quality of the Harvard-Westlake student experience,” Levin said.

“Here in particular, we are a family,” Hu said. Levin agreed that “the school will do everything it can to help families in need.”

Trick T

By Derek Schlom

hey may not tor lenders brokerage fi gardless of level of affluence, a of the struggling eco subprime mortgage set has been forced spending – that m buying in bulk and ( addiction to cups of While most stud ly making do with person interviewed to cutting down on chases in the past s claimed stock losses Olivia Van Iderst forced to put her ca “A large coffee is constantly, so it ad have to wonder if i with the state of the in venti lattes.”

For the most pa a reassessment of are spending mone that their families h

Alum

By Andrew Lee

T

he economi and compan major fina around the c added pressure for dents looking for jo graduate. Seven alu tially developed an working in finance ed to the volatile jo changing their p school trajectory pla At least three alu to apply to graduat til the markets ligh chose to pursue job Wall Street, like a s sulting or engineerin “These business certainly going to ha time in this enviro firms are cutting bac go tens of thousand Senior Vice Presiden Stanley Brian Kat ’07, Daniel ’09) said.

The national un rate recently hit 6.

October, an increas centage points since cording to the Bure Statistics. The finan industry has lost since its peak in De according to the rep A poll by the Nat ation of Colleges an shows that 52 perce nies project they wi

cr isi

hronicle

B3

12, 2008

s

kle-down effect hits teens

t be the victims of predaor work for an imploding firm, but teenagers, retheir family’s income or are also feeling the pinch onomy in the wake of the crisis. The 18-and-under to endure a reduction in means fewer dinners out, (gasp!) even curbing that f expensive morning Joe. dents here are not exactthe bare essentials, each d for this story admitted unnecessary luxury purseveral months, and many s. tine ’10, for one, has been affeine habit in check. $4 and I go to Starbucks dds up,” she said. “I just it’s worth it and prudent e economy to be indulging

art, the crisis has caused the way that teenagers ey – most students said have not been affected in

a drastic way, but that they, either on their own accord or at the behest of their parents, are preparing for a scenario in which the current economic downturn worsens.

For some, this has been an impetus to either find a job or to maintain a current job for some extra spending money or to contribute to the family pot.

Jacquelyn Jasuta ’10 works, alternately, at a snack stand during Manhattan Beach Little League games, at Hammerheads Beach Camp, as a referee for the Southern California Volleyball Association, and as a babysitter.

“Ever since I can remember I’ve been very conscious about how I spend money,” she said. “I’m a saver.”

Although Jasuta said that she now watches her bank account closely and sets a monthly spending limit, the cash she earns from her jobs is mostly for peace of mind as the Dow Jones Industrial Average continues to ebb and peak.

“I don’t feel responsible to help pay for electrical or water bills or anything, but now I don’t mind covering some of the stuff I consider my parents responsible for,” she said.

“I pay for a lot of things I would never think to pay for myself even last year.”

Ingenuity like Jasuta’s can have its bene-

fits as the nation tightens its collective purse strings. Brooke Pechman ’11 said that secondhand stores and vintage boutiques have been her saving grace at a time when a Neiman Marcus spending spree à la Sarah Palin just isn’t sensible.

“I like the Crossroads Trading Company,” Pechman said. “Instead of buying new clothes, I try to trade mine for something if I can.”

For Olivia Kestin ’09, the economic crisis means more meals at the kitchen table than at restaurants.

“As a family we try and cut back spending – just less going out to dinner or picking up and more cooking and eating at home, for example,” she said.

Kimberly Wang ’09 said that, ironically, the depressed economy couldn’t have come at a better time: “I’ve been trying to not eat out as much, but with the college process going on simultaneously it’s not that hard to stay at home.”

Beyond its effect on credit card use, the financial situation has been a hot topic on campus. Sara Fleischman ’09 said that the causes and effects of the crisis are often discussed in her AP Economics class.

“People are just curious to understand and learn more,” she said.

mni face decline in job prospects

ic downturn ny layoffs at ancial firms country mean business stuobs after they umni who inin interest in have adaptob market by post-business ans. umni decided te school unhten. Others bs outside of study in conng. students are ave a difficult onment when ck and letting ds of people,” nt of Morgan tz (Matthew . nemployment .5 percent in se of 1.7 pere last year, aceau of Labor ncial services 172,000 jobs ecember 2006, port. tional Assocind Employers ent of compaill hire fewer

graduates in 2009 than in 2008.

“The temporary dislocation of investment banking has forced me to look to careers outside of finance. It’s a blessing in disguise,” a business school student said.

Now that the fall recruiting window for banking jobs is closed shut, he directed his attention to studying law.

“They should look for jobs outside of just corporate finance, investment banking, mergers and acquisitions because it’s going to be very difficult to get a job in those fields for awhile,” Katz said.

He encouraged students to look beyond Wall Street when looking for jobs and to consider a graduate study to gain more skills and to delay entry into the falling job market.

In such an economic downturn, students will increase their job opportunities if they are creative, flexible, open minded and a little more compromising, he said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to job offers being pulled before they start jobs,” Katz said.

He advised business students differentiate themselves from a pool of application with internships and extra curricular experience. The competition is getting tougher and employers are going to be more selective as they look for the top graduates from

the top schools, Katz said.

In this volatile job market, MIT freshman Carter Chang ’08 has now considered working in other fields outside of finance, like engineering and consulting.

Chang said he hopes to work abroad in China while going into energy venture capital.

“A lot of my friends who were initially interested in finance are now considering jobs in totally different fields,” Chang said.

Bob Beyer ’77 (Jacqueline ’13, Matthew ’15) CEO of the investment management firm TCW Group, Inc., said there will still be opportunities for graduating students but that they will just be even more competitive than they have been in the past.James Lee ’03, a senior at NYU Stern School of Business, was one applicant who was able to earn a job offer in investment banking at Credit Suisse in Los Angeles after he graduates this June.

“Timing has been a very critical factor in my post-college plans,” Lee said. “As a summer analyst, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to develop and interest in finance and earn a full-time offer.”

Phil Gross ’03 will also be working at Credit Suisse in New York after he graduates from Stanford University. He said he is more eager to work in the industry right now because the massive transformation will be

an informative and exciting experience to go through.

“My vision of finance as being a golden ticket to success has certainly changed,” Gross said.

“It is a lot more cost effective to replace more experienced, higher-paid and possibly tired personnel with young, eager and motivated talent,” Beyer said.

Other job options outside of investment banking could include heightened interest in the nonprofit or entrepreneurial sectors, where the pay isn’t as good but the work is rewarding and exciting, Beyer said. “It is safe to assume that investment banking opportunities will be far fewer in the next couple of years, and possibly forever,” he said. “Many of the investment banks are being further regulated into more basic services that may provide fewer opportunities for the deal junkies that have populated this area in the past.”

Today’s business students graduate with broad-based knowledge that will serve them well in many pursuits beyond Wall Street jobs, he added.

“Graduating students should feel free to pursue those occupations that truly interest them,” Beyer said. “I have no doubt that their business background will help them to succeed in whatever path they choose if it truly reflects their interests and raises their enthusiasm.”

B4

what can you afford?

Nov. 12, 2008

The Chronicle

In response to the economic slump, students are exploring new possibilities for college plans, and school revamps summer program.

Summer school markets as alternative to summer camp

By Katherine Hong

T University of Pennysylvania Annual tuition: $37,526

Columbia University Annual tuition: $28,000

University of California, Los Angeles

Annual tuition: $7,554

Seniors include UCs in their Plan Bs

By Candace Ravan

B

and

Emily Friedman

ecause of the current economic crisis, Naomi* has to apply for financial aid at every college she is applying to. Adrianna* is now considering University of California schools more heavily than she was before the financial recession. Tracy* has altered her college application plans because her parents are no longer willing to pay a private school tuition.

Adrianna’s father is a business owner whose business has been strongly affected by the turns of the economy and the plans of the new administration.

“I was always going to apply to the UCs but seeing how quickly the economy could turn around, it made me realize it is more important that I get accepted to a good UC than it was before,” she said.

Ultimately, where Adrianna goes will depend on the economy in the spring and whether or not Congress passes the tax plan President-elect Barack Obama proposed, she said.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the College Board released a report showing that the average price of college tuitions has risen 6 percent,

and the economic crisis will only make this worse.

Monica College and Pierce College. By going to a Tracy’s parents believe that, in the long run, it community college, Silver hopes to gain some basic is more beneficial to go to a UC without taking out college credits and later transfer to another school. student loans.

Mary Ann Doll (Mike Blum ’09), a college Upper school financial aid officer Geoffrey Bird counselor who works at Palisades Charter High agrees.

School, has noticed an increase in interest in the “The cost of education is going to keep rising, and UCs and California State Universities. in a period of economic slowdown fewer people will “Generally, kids seem to be applying more to UCs be able to keep up with the increase,” he said. and Cal States. It’s not just the cost of tuition [that Despite the economic turmoil, upper school is affecting students’ choices], but also the traveling dean Canh Oxelson hasn’t noticed a decrease in the expenses going from the east to west coast that add number of colleges to which seniors are applying, as up,” Doll said. of now. However, this may change after Dec. 1, when In light of the financial roller coaster, students final college lists are due. are feeling more financially responsible, she said.

“A few families have expressed some concern to Although the current economic situation has me about paying for college during these difficult caused distress among some families, Bird assures times,” Oxelson said. that there are financial options available to college“My parents will pay the equivalent of what they bound students. With private and government loans, would pay for a UC for any other school that I want student loans, need-based and merit scholarships to go to, and then I have to get loans to pay for the and part-time jobs, students will be able to finance rest,” Tracy said. “My parents don’t believe in state their college educations. universities outside of California.”

Silver* is seriously considering the possibility *These names have been changed because subjects of attending a community college, such as Santa wish to remain anonymous.

Information and photos courtesy of the university websites. Prices do not include room and board.

he summer school program hopes to cope with the economic crisis by promoting itself as an affordable alternative to sleepaway camps, said program director and upper school dean Jim Patterson.

The administration is working to adjust the program to suit the current economic crisis.

Last year, the summer program enjoyed a 14 percent enrollment increase after Patterson experimented with several different forms of advertising.

This year, the summer school administration hired an advertising consultant to help streamline the program. Meetings will be held throughout the year, but several forms of advertising have already been decided upon.

Advertisements will be published in small community newspapers that target a localized group of readers, as opposed to papers like The Los Angeles Times, which are impractical means of promotion in terms of the program’s budget.

“We are going to try to put out a number of press releases this year to all the local newspapers, like the Santa Monica Mirror, advertising changes to our programs as well as program successes,” Patterson said.

“We are hoping that will generate traffic to our website where parents can learn about all our programs this year.”

The socio-economic range of the children who attend the summer program has traditionally been similar to that of the students who are actual HarvardWestlake students, as the program is unable to offer financial assistance to non-Harvard-Westlake students, with the exception of the Summer Enrichment Program run by middle school attendance coordinator Brenda Simon.

However, that may change this year, as less and less people can afford to send their children to stay-away camps.

“I am hoping that, given the economy, we may benefit as it is less expensive

for parents to send their kids to a day program locally when compared to a sleep-away camp,” Patterson said.

“We are hoping that we will be able to continue to increase our enrollment even as the economy recovers.”

Of course, the flip side to the economic crisis is that fewer people can afford to allow their child to pursue a hobby in one of the myriad performing arts classes or practice a sport in one of the Gold Medal Sports Camps, which are taught

by Harvard-Westlake team coaches, Patterson said.

Although the school is widely recognized for its $25,000 tuition, which may intimidate prospective summer school attendees’ families, other expensive private schools in Los Angeles are able to fill up extensive summer programs.

Also, mailed brochures assure families that the cost of sending their child to a Harvard-Westlake summer program is significantly less than that of the regular academic year.

“So, I imagine that with appropriate marketing and advertising we could bring in a wider socio-economic range,” Patterson said. “I just don’t think we have tapped into this market to the extent that we would like. That’s part of the reason why we are continuing to expand our advertising and marketing.”

The economic crisis, though it may affect the greater Los Angeles community and its reception of the summer program, has not yet pervaded the school administration itself.

“Harvard-Westlake is a wonderfully stable place financially, and our budget was set last spring for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. I know of no plans to change those budget amounts at this point even with the economic woes,” Patterson said.

Still, the administration must deal with the outside community to draw more children into the Harvard-Westlake community.

“Of course, the summer programs still have financial goals, and the program has to be able to support itself,” Patterson said.