October 2018 Issue

CHRONICLE THE HARVARD WESTLAKE

Studio City • Volume 28 • Issue 2 • Oct. 3, 2018 • hwchronicle.com

REMEMBERING ERIC ZWEMER 1954 - 2018

Mr. Zwemer changed my life, though I know he’d attribute that power to the art he shared. He gave me a reason to care, a sheer exuberance for the evolution of artistic practice, during an otherwise bleak time. -Hank Gerba ’12 Mr. Zwemer was perhaps the single most engaging lecturer that I ever encountered across 18 years of schooling. He could not have brought more energy or interest to history. It simply would not have been possible. -Rhett Dante Gentile ’13 He had a poster on the wall of a Churchill quote said after the Battle of Britain: ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few.’ The same could be said about Everything that teachers like Mr. Zwemer. He will be missed, but, like the history he loved, not forgotten. came out of his mouth -Nick Melvoin ’04 He changed my life, was like music.” pushing me not only to be a better student but —Chloe Donovan ’19 • Read more on B8 also a more engaged and thoughtful member of the world. I know I will never have a teacher nearly as passionate, brilliant or incredible as he was. His impact on the Harvard-Westlake community is incomparable. -Noa Schwartz ’18 His lectures were like 45 minute one-man shows, packed with information and energy that no other teacher could provide. Not only was the information he communicated invaluable but so was his passion and zeal for teaching. -Emma Spencer ’18 Mr. Zwemer brought me out of my comfort zone as a student and brought me to academic levels I never thought I could reach. He was one of the people who made this school the special place it is. I’ll never forget his wit and humor. Losing him is a great loss for the community. -Lucas Gelfond ’19

“

A2 News

The Chronicle

Oct 3, 2018

School investigates social media account

By Jenny Li

more class third period Monday to discuss the impact of The school administration spreading those messages in identified the creator of the the school community.

“They are people who since-deleted Instagram account @hwmeme, which con- got [the memes] who either tained explicit racist, sexist, laughed or did nothing, which homophobic and anti-semitic is tantamount to supporting references to specific members what the person said,” Ross of the sophomore class, Upper said.

In order to move on from School Dean of Students Jorinstances like these, Ross endan Church said.

Students alerted Church of couraged members of the comthe account the day it was cre- munity to discuss the importance of treating one another ated, Sept. 26. with respect Director of and to address Communicathat these tions Ari EngelThere are people problems still berg was able who got [the memes] exist. to shut down “I hope peowho either laughed the Instagram ple recognize account beor did nothing, which the importance cause the acis tantamount to of continucount had used ing to have supporting what the the school logo conversations and name in its person said.” about respectprofile picture — Laura Ross ing everyone’s and username, and the Head of Upper School worth Church said. harm that can Julia* ’21, be caused by who was one denying the of the students dignity of other targeted in the posts, said the human beings,” Ross said. “I posts were hurtful and unwar- think some people think we are ranted. too busy to have conversations “I felt really upset and as if about the community and dig my privacy was violated,” Ju- into these sort of things.” lia said. “I couldn’t believe this This will serve as an examhappened because I know peo- ple for students to be aware of ple talk, but I never thought their actions online, Ross said. anyone would act on these “What I said to the sophoideas and statements.” mores was, ‘I hope you are However, Julia said she intrinsically recognizing that was grateful that students being in a diverse community spoke to the administration like ours, surrounded by peoimmediately about the ac- ple who look differently and count. think differently than you is “Personally, I think [the inherently valuable and makstudent] was an outlier, and it ing you better and making the seems like no one else would world better,’” Ross said. “‘If do this,” Julia said. “It’s impor- you’re not there yet, I hope tant to recognize that things you are recognizing that the like this do happen, and it’s things that you do and say are important to make it clear that going to follow you for the rest of your lives.’” it’s unacceptable.”

Head of Upper School Lau*Names have been changed ra Ross spoke to the sopho-

“

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

EMBRACE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES: Lisa See spoke to the school community regarding the importance of being open to a more fluid interpretation of race and conversations about diversity.

‘See’-ing diversity in action: Author speaks to school about cultural identity

By Casey Kim and Luke Schneider

The Asian Students in Action club invited New York Times bestselling author Lisa See to speak about her family history and her personal struggles with identity Monday.

See is the first all-school assembly speaker chosen by the club.

ASiA Club invited See in the hopes that her speech would initiate more conversations about cultural identity among the student body on campus, club president Lucy Kim ’19 said.

“We thought she would offer a unique insight on what identity means, and this is because she grew up in a very unique situation,” Kim said.

“Something that we want to accomplish through this is

[to] facilitate meaningful discussions about the way identity plays a role in our lives and how we choose to identify, even though other people might have a different perspective of us.”

See discussed how her experience growing up in a Chinese-American family has influenced her writing.

See grew up in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles surrounded by both cultures and learned about her great-grandfather, Fong See, who came to America in the 1870s from China.

“My first book is about the Chinese side of my family,” See said. “I had a line in my foreword, ‘I know I don’t look Chinese, but I’m Chinese in my heart. Out of the whole book, that was the one line people kept coming back to.”

Members of the English

department are considering incorporating some of See’s novels into the upper school curriculum, English teacher Jocelyn Medawar said.

“Whenever students have the opportunity to hear a writer like See speak, they are invited to pick up a book and read more,” Medawar said.

“Personally, I’m interested in novels that take place in Los Angeles, and learning more about Chinatown in the 1930s could be interesting for the students as well.”

Students said that they enjoyed listening to the inspiration behind See’s novels and the stories of her Chinese family’s history.

“I thought her talk was very interesting,” Izzy Yanover ’19. “I like that she described all the creativity that went in her books and her experience writing them.”

In the issue ...

A8 CITY OF ANGELS:

Wolverine Chorus and Chamber Singers sang the National Anthem at Angel Stadium.

A11 FLU SZN: Students affected by the powerful flu season should reconsider attending school while they are sick.

B7 STAND FOR SOMETHING:

The #MeToo movement is influencing the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

The Chronicle, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published 10 times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses.

There are 732 students at the Middle School and 870 students at the Upper School.

Subscriptions may be purchased for $20 a year for delivery by mail. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the

C2-3 STRUT YOUR STUFF: Three

students showcase their individual sense of style through the clothing they wear.

D1 MAKING A SPLASH: Boys’

water polo reached back to back tournament championships, winning one.

editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Cameron Stokes at cstokes1@hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school.

Oct. 3, 2018

hwchronicle.com/news

News A3

Submission of hours up on hw.com

By Frank Jiang

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA BAER AND SPENCER KLINK

Record number of seniors reach 4.3 GPA bracket, more than 25 percent more students than last year

By Casey Kim Seventy seniors received a GPA of 4.25 or above, the highest number of students to qualify for this grade bracket in the past decade.

The number of students in this group of the graduating class of 2019 shows an upward trend: 50 seniors were acknowledged last year.

This record can be attributed to a variety of things, including the possibility of students taking more weighted classes, Head of Upper School Laura Ross said.

“I think it’s an interest-

ing question to ask if they are [achieving this record] in the same number of weighted classes and scoring higher, or if more people are taking more weighted classes because both of those paint a different picture,” Ross said. “It certainly means that by any measure, they are a pretty accomplished class.”

Ross hopes that the administration’s newly implemented policy to remove the weighted GPA for AP and honors courses starting with the Class of 2022 will encourage students to choose classes according to their interests, rather than the

grade boosts they will receive.

“I’ve certainly heard students say ‘I have to take that class because I need the bump,’ but the rigor of program is still going to be a critical element of what students do,” Ross said. “It will be interesting to see if people start making really different choices or not, but we are still going to be advising people to challenge themselves to the top of their ability in their areas of interest.”

Many seniors have also reflected on the change.

“I’ve known since 7th grade that my class is really excel-

lent academically,” Meera Sastry ’19 said.

Sastry said that while this change may affect college admissions, she isn’t worried.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to end up being severely short changed because they were part of a high-achieving class,” Sastry said. “It’s not going to be a fun senior year if we’re so worried about our friends being better than us. instead of just enjoying [their] company. [We came here] to be surrounded by a community of talented, skilled and very passionate classmates, and this is just really a reflection of that.”

Schedule Committee plans changes for 2020, begins shadowing program with specific students

By Luke Schneider In order to gather information for their plans to restructure the daily schedule, the Schedule Committee has launched a shadow program for faculty to spend the day with a variety of different students.

The committee will use their findings to help plan a series of changes that will go into effect during the 20202021 school year.

“It started with the Schedule Committee wanting to get a little bit more perspective on what we call the ‘live student experience,’” Schedule Committee Chair and science teacher Krista McClain said.

The program currently involves 35 faculty members

who have been paired with students’ lives, they said. students to shadow.

“The greatest stress level As a result of this process, for students was workload and committee members see first- assessments, so we’re taking hand the successes and fail- those two factors in considerures of the school’s current ation as we research for differschedule, McClain said. ent types of schedules,” Mc“We have no [planned] Clain said. schedule in mind,” McClain Members said the commitsaid. “That’s the tee selected a diverse whole purpose of group of students to this year, to really best get a sense of the research what it is variety of experiences that is unique about that students have on our school and our a day-to-day basis. schedule that we “[We selected] tenth love and what it is graders, eleventh grad’ that we feel is chalers, twelfth graders, Anja lenging for our stustudents with five acClark ’19 dents.” ademics, students McClain and with seven academics, other members of the Schedule students with extended time, Committee have already start- students who play sports and ed noticing some trends in the students who do art,” Head of white s

Upper School and Committee member Laura Ross said. “It’s a broad variety of experiences.”

Over the course of the next two years, the Schedule Committee hopes to finish its research, plan a new schedule and put it into action.

“Current research shows that a lot of what Harvard-Westlake is doing and how the day is run is contrary to how students learn best,” Committee member Anja Clark ’19 said. “The relatively short class periods with lots and lots of classes per day with not many breaks and downtime and no structured lunch are all bad things. A block schedule isn’t something we’re necessarily trying. We’re just trying to see what happens.”

Students can now submit their community service hours digitally on the school’s website, instead of turning in physical community service hours forms through the Community Council’s new electronic submission system.

The Council said the new page will encourage students to perform more community service, increase its presence on campus and make the process of submitting hours smoother in general.

“The biggest difference is that it’s just easier, and you don’t have to really worry about losing the form,” Community Council member Amy Kronenberg ’20 said. “I know last year I lost the form like 10 times, and I didn’t turn in my hours until the end of the year even though I had already completed them at the beginning of the year.”

Previously, students submitted paper forms to Father Young or Dean of Students and Community Council Advisor Jordan Church, which would then be filed, and the hours recorded on the students’ profile on theportal online.

Church said he hopes that the students will appreciate the more modern submission system.

The updated website also features upcoming events.

“I think that it’s great that they’ll be able to see through the online portal exactly what they’ve done and for how many hours,” Church said. “Before, it was just kind of this generic, nebulous ‘you have done 12 hours, and you have done 25,’ but you didn’t know what was being accounted for in the system, so I think that’s definitely a big plus in this whole new system.”

Corrections Madeline Kim ’19, Ryan Kim ’19 and Charlie Meenanham ’19 also attended the Boston University Tanglewood performing arts program this past summer.

Jake Futterman ’21 worked with Ethiopia Health Aid, not Ethiopia Health Association, to create a robotics program for the children at the school.

A4 News

The Chronicle

BLACC screens new f ilm

Oct. 3, 2018

By Khyra Stiner

The upper school Black Leadership Awareness and Culture Club members attended a pre-screening at Fox Studios of “The Hate U Give” on Sept. 30. Movie director George Tillman and actor Lamar Johnson, who plays Seven Carter in the film, spoke after the screening.

“The Hate U Give” describes the life of 16 year-old Starr Carter, an African-American girl living in a poor, predominantly black neighborhood, who attends a predominantly white private school. After watching her best friend get shot by police, Starr has to decide which part of her life she identifies with the most and whether or not she is going to speak up about what she saw.

Attendees said they enjoyed the movie screening because of its message, in addition to the ability to discuss their opinions with other members of BLACC. “I think it’s cool because it gives us a chance to support black-created movies which are really important especially in the world today,” Natalie

KHYRA STINER/ CHRONICLE

3-2-1 ACTION: Students listen to memembers of the production team of “The Hate U Give” after the pre-screening. “The Hate U Give”

pre-screeing was first open only to BLACC, but was later opened to other students. The screening was followed by a discussion about the film.

Ayeni ’21 said. “It provides a really fun way to have a bonding experience for us to have fun and be together. It also helps spread awareness on the issue that the movie may be portraying, like ‘The Hate U Give,’ which is about police brutality, and it just gives us something to talk about. ” The screening served as BLACC’s first event of the

school year, with about 35 out of the invited 46 members in attendance. As of now, the screening is expected to be one of the biggest BLACC events of the year in terms of the number of students in attendance.

Members of BLACC, as well as students from Larchmont Charter School, attended the screening event.

“Honestly, I just want ev-

eryone to understand that the feelings depicted in the movie aren’t fake,” BLACC leader Nya Beckham ’19 said. “They are real, this is how we feel all the time in these scenarios and to just be compassionate enough to know that these things to happen to us, these things do happen to people who don’t live here and to us it is extremely important to be

there for one another, to unite with one another, especially in the world that we live in today.

I hope that everyone kind of understands that.”

The event was followed by a discussion with Tillman and Johnson about what it was like to work on the film and how the movie’s message pertains to the life of high school students in today’s world.

Aperture Photo project on display in the gallery

By Ethan Lachman

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ABE KAYE

MEMORIES: Abe Kaye’s ’20 grandfather holds a picture of himself from when he was working as a circus

dancer. Kaye’s photo, along with pictures from other students, is currently on display at NYU and Photoville.

NYU and Photoville hold exhibitions

By Lauren Cho, Tanisha Gunby and Austin Lee

Photographs by Abe Kaye ’20 and Chronicle Assistant Photography Editor Caitlin Chung ’20 were selected to be displayed as a part of an exhibition in Photoville and New York University called “cit.i.zen. ship: Reflections on Rights by Teen Photographers.”

Visual Arts Teacher Joe Medina gave students the chance to submit pictures to the contest.

The Department of Photography & Imaging at NYU Tisch School of the Arts collaborated with United Photo Industries

and For Freedoms’ 50 State Initiative to assemble the exhibition. High school students from around the nation submitted photographs, collages and videos inspired by current human rights and social justice issues.

Both Kaye and Chung’s winning images were displayed at Photoville, an open air photography gallery in Brooklyn, from Sept. 20-23. The photos will also be displayed at Tisch from Oct. 4-Jan. 18.

Chung, an American of Korean descent, submitted a photo illustrating her cultural roots in the Korean peninsula.

Her submission, titled “Second Generation,” is about her

grandmother’s identity and how the oppressive government of North Korea has affected her mother and her family as a whole.

Kaye focused on ideas of citizenship in America. He submitted photographs of his grandfather in Israel and America to relate his project to the main ideas of the contest.

Kaye reflected on his experience of submitting his photography for the contest.

“You might as well submit whatever even though you do not think that you will get in because you really never know,” Kaye said. “It was free, so you might as well try and see what happens.”

acy, mind mapping,” Medina said in an email. “It also used Upper and middle school photographs as symbols and students, as well as those from metaphors and photo-based Esteban Torres High School documentary projects that incame together to create works vestigate social issues in each of documentary photography. student’s neighborhood.”

These projects are on disAfter the workshops took play in the Feldman Horn Gal- place, Medina gave his stulery. Visual arts and photogra- dents point-and-shoot camerphy teacher Joe Medina worked as to take photos that would with photojournalist and ed- ultimately help to compose ucator Alice Proujansky and their online books.

Estaban Torres High School For the final phase of the Media Arts Teacher Adriana ongoing project, Medina said Yugovich to he plans on crelaunch the ating an online project.

It is here where we forum. In this Medina forum, he will will cross virtual borders said his goal and share the things that share the stufor the endents’ work so make our communities deavor was that people from meaningful.” for all of the across the Los students —Joe Medina Angeles area can across both gain a betterVisual Arts teacher understanding schools to develop an unof the multiple derstanding of one another’s different cultures in the city. different backgrounds.

“It is here where we will Proujansky taught stu- cross virtual borders and dents the fundamentals of share the things that make documentary photography in our communities meaningful,” workshops, which she held at Medina said in an email. “This the Middle School and Upper online space will be opened up School in 2017, as well as at to communities across Los Anthe Humanitas Academy of Art geles. Together, we will provide and Technology at Esteban a template for the people of Torres High School this year. greater Los Angeles to contrib“Each workshop investigat- ute to the continuing story of ed and developed visual liter- the Family of Man.”

“

Oct. 3, 2018

hwchronicle.com/news

News A5

HW Venture begins year with rally

By Lindsay Wu

PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JAKE SCHROEDER

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME: (Top Left) Chamber Singer Justin Park ’20 smiles while preparing to sing at the Angel’s game. (Top right) Chamber Singers Chase Garvey-Daniels ’19 and Josh Lee ’19 pose for a picture in the stadium. (Bottom) The Angels line up before the game.

Chamber Singers Boys and Wolverine Chorus perform at an Anaheim Angels baseball game

By Zoe Redlich

The tenor and bass members of the Wolverine Chorus and Chamber Singers sang the National Anthem at Angel Stadium Sept. 8.

The students joined other choirs from across Southern California to perform during a primetime Angel’s game against the Oakland Athletics.

“Students have an oppor-

tunity to bond and have fun while studying the parallels between sports and ensemble music-making, which are substantial,” Upper School Choir Conductor Zanaida Robles said. “I feel this is really a valuable experience for both groups to develop a better understanding of the teamwork, camaraderie, and group dynamics necessary in choir.”

Although the Chamber

Singers have performed at Dodger Stadium in the past, this is the largest recent performance to include both of the groups.

“To my knowledge, this is first time we’ve had students from both Chamber Singers and Wolverine Chorus participate in such a high-profile performance like this one at the stadium,” Robles said.

According to Justin Park

’20, this is one of few occasions that the two groups get to spend time together outside of school.

“I think it was a great bonding experience for us all because Chamber and Wolverine singers never really get a good chance to bond with each other, even though we are all in choir,” Park said. “It was great to hear what the combined boys choir sounded like.”

Students from both campuses participated in the HW Venture kick-off rally event, where they listened to speeches from keynote speakers and Venture students Sept. 27.

To begin the event, alumni Sameer Gupta ’99 offered advice to students about how to utilize HW Venture and the school community.

“The important thing is that we acknowledge how special the people around us are, we see and understand what they have done and that we feel comfortable asking for help in what we’re going to do next,” Gupta said.

Nick Abouzeid ’15 also spoke about the challenges he faced when he was a student, as well as about what he had accomplished professionally.

Following the alumni speakers, the new Venture students presented their projects, which they will continue to develop over the course of the year including Artelli, co-founded by Caroline Choi ’19 and ICC Records, started

by Cassius Bythewood ’19.

After a short break, returning Venture students summarized their companies.

Jonathan Damico ’19 and Cameron Schiller ’19 introduced their journey in developing Prova. Alec Katz ’19 spoke of his project Soles4Good. Lastly, Ari Sokolov ’18 presented TheTrill Project.

Kaleel said she hoped the event helped students for the upcoming year.

“I’m most excited for Venture to help launch more companies and help more students participate in unconventional and entrepreneurial opportunities,” Kaleel said.

Environmental group holds workshop

By Emma Shapiro

The Student Climate Emergency Coalition founded by Sonya Ribner ‘19, hosted a workshop and panel at the Congress of the Neighborhoods. While there, speakers fielded questions from attendees regarding climate change and the environment.

“Our goal is to get local high schools to become more sustainable and more aware of their own environmental footprint,” Ribner said. “We also want to motivate our neighborhoods to look into the local impacts of climate change and to try and limit them.”

The event included panelists such as Nalleli Cobo (Alverno Heights Academy ’19), who shut down a gas refinery in her neighborhood, Bonny Bentzin, the chief sustainability officer at University of

California, Los Angeles, Anna Cummins, the director of Five Gyres and Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at the NASA jolt proportion lab.

“The panel was for the Neighborhood Council to learn how climate change is affecting their neighborhood and what they can do to help combat the problem,” Ribner said.

SCEC includes students from different schools who are working to better the environment, Ribner said. With each member working towards creating a lasting impact in the environment and for a common initiative, the goal will hopefully be achieved more effectively, Ribner said.

“If students are learning about how to take better care of their environment, then we’ll have a more conscious community of people who are knowledgeable about the

subject and who are able to do their part to benefit their respective communities as a whole,” Ribner said.

The workshop helped introduce attendees to the issue of climate change and helped propose functional solutions and ideas to combat the global issue, Ribner said.

“Our mission of SCEC is to educate fellow students and also adults about the issue of climate change to show that the younger generation cares.”

SCEC member Anja Clark ’19 said. “Our event caputred that because we talked to council members since we’re not yet old enough to make decisions in government.”

In the future, SCEC hopes to continue to engage other schools in workshops and other events intended to combat the growing and dangerous climate crisis, Ribner said.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SONYA RIBNER

BE GREEN OR BE MEAN: Members of the SCEC and Environmental club pose outside of City Hall, where they held their workshop and panel.

A6 News

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

NOAH AIRE/CHRONICLE

Seniors honored at annual ring ceremony

BRING IT ON: Genesis Aire ’19 shakes hands with Head of Upper School Laura Ross on Sept. 16. Prior to receiving their honorary rings or pins, the senior class listened to speeches by the senior prefects Loyal Terry ’19, Vanessa Payne ’19, Lucas Lyons ’19, and Caroline Cook ’19. As part of a new annual tradition where the seniors elect their speaker, DEI Coordinator and Science Teacher Nate Cardin also advised students to respect each other in their final year together, and to not inflict any “scars.”

Debaters start season with a series of wins and bids to TOC

By Ethan Lachman and Celine Park

With nine bids, the debate team solidified its spot as the top team in the country thus far.

The team started the month off at the Loyola Invitational for Lincoln Douglas Debate on Sept. 7-9, in which Alexandra Mork ’20 got her first bid to the Tournament of Champions.

Debaters Andrew Gong ’21 and Chronicle Opinion Editor Vishan Chaudhary ’19 advanced to the elimination rounds, while Matthew Paul ’21, Spencer Paul ’19, Will Berlin ’19 and Chronicle Assistant Features Editor Spencer Klink ’20 placed in the top

32 debaters.

Jaya Nayar ’20 placed in the top 16 and Mork placed in the top four.

Additionally, Chaudhary won first speaker, Nayar second speaker and Spencer Paul fifth speaker.

The following week, 117 student debaters participated at the Greenhill Memorial Classic Tournament from Sept. 13-17.

Spencer Paul won the tournament, and placed as the fifteenth best speaker.

Nayar, Chronicle Assistant Opinion Editor Jessa Glassman ’20 and Samantha Mcloughlin ’21 placed in the top 16 at the Greenhill Memorial Classic Tournament.

Glassman placed third and Mcloughlin 11th in speaker points. Chaudhary placed top four in the point system and won second speaker.

Ari Davidson ’19 placed top eight, winning sixth place in speaker.

Mork completed her qualifications for the Tournament of Champions, which takes place in April, and placed within the top 32 speakers in points.

Berlin went 4-2 in preliminary rounds and Klink went 3-3 in preliminary rounds, and unfortunately, none of them advanced to the next round.

“It was really great [winning the tournament] because I had worked really hard to do well at that tournament since

“

It was really great because I had worked really hard to do well at that tournament since it was the first big one of the season. And for all of the hard work to pay off and finally win was a really great feeling.”

— Spencer Paul ’19

it was the first big one of the season,” Spencer Paul said.

“And for all of the hard work to pay off and finally win a tournament was a really great feeling.”

Eighty five students entered the Jack Howe Memorial Tournament at Cal State Long Beach.

Matthew Paul won the tournament and received his first bid to the Tournament of Champions.

Davidson and Nayar competed in policy debate, reached quarterfinals and received

white’s

a bid to the Tournament of Champions for policy debate, a feat that has not occurred in over 25 years.

Landon Poon ’20, Nathan Russell ’21 and Andrew Gong ’21 proceeded to the double octofinals.

Glassman, who also placed as the second speaker, and Chronicle Assistant A&E Editor Joanna Im ’20 proceeded to the octofinals.

The debate team’s next tournament is The Presentation Voices Invitational in San Jose from Oct. 5-7.

Cancio introduces changes for Ambassadors

By Emma Limor

CAITLIN CHUNG/ CHRONICLE

FRIENDLY FACES: Student Ambassador Alyssa Kam ’19 speaks to prospective students and families during a tour of the upper school.

Due to changes Associate Director of Admission Oscar Cancio ’04 and his team have implemented to strengthen the program this year, a record number of Student Ambassadors attend the annual Student Ambassador Training Dinner, with over 600 students currently enrolled in the program this year.

Although the increase in student participants may suggest the strength of the existing program, Cancio said that he is taking initiative to decrease the number of students admitted into the program and ensure that Student Ambassadors consistently volunteer and contribute to the program.

“When I left the office, we had about 683 students

signed up,” Cancio said. “That number’s going to go down a bit, and it’s because the program is a little too large at this point, and we’ve been getting a lot of students over the last couple years who sign up and never do anything.”

In addition, Cancio said he is working to increase opportunities for upperclassmen to volunteer, as the current number of events hosted at the Upper School is limited.

This year, Cancio said certain events will be opened to the students at the Upper School before those at the Middle School. With the increase in student volunteer opportunities, a variety of different students have been able to attend admission events.

Student Ambassador Isaiah Jeeter ’21 said this volunteer

diversity is integral to creating a very inviting atmosphere for prospective students to the school.

“Whenever I volunteer I see more diversity in the Student Ambassadors,” Jeeter said.

“Diversity in Student Ambassadors is always really, really important in welcoming minority applicants.”

Cancio also said he believes the training dinner, which took place Sept. 20, helped generate excitement for the Student Ambassador program.

“There were zero students who attended the training dinner and then emailed me afterward saying ‘you know I’m not interested,’”Cancio said. “So I would say yes, there was a lot of energy at the training dinner. [The dinner] has always been a fun event.”

Oct. 3, 2018

hwchronicle.com/news

News A7

LAHSO leaders speak at LAPA family fiesta

By Tammer Bagdasarian

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

KING OF THE COURT: Kyle Hearlihy ’19 participates in the student-faculty dodgeball game during the Fanatics Fest on Friday. Senior Prefect Kevin Chen ’19 organized the upper school’s first tournament this year.

Prefect Council to organize first upper school dodgeball tournament

By Marina Nascimento To help bring new spirit to the upper school community, the annual dodgeball tournament at the Middle School will now take place at the Upper School for the first time, Upper School Dean of Students Jordan Church said.

“We really wanted to bring some of the great culture from the Middle School to the Upper School,” sophomore prefect Jonathan Cosgrove ’21 said.

“We felt that was embodied by dodgeball.”

Head prefect Kevin Chen

’19 said he and other members of Prefect Council worked hard to prepare the tournament and are pleased with the positive response from students.

Since the tournament was announced around 60 students have taken sign-up forms, Church said.

“This falls under that category of community enjoyment, feeling like you have a good time at school and building relationships with friends,” Church said.

The tournament will be set up on first come, first serve basis. Games will take place in

Taper Gymnasium during Activities period.

Chen said dodgeball was a chance to encourage unity between students, as well as with faculty members.

The teams formed will consist of students, and faculty are encouraged to join alongside them.

“Dodgeball games and dodgeball teams have been talked about long after students have left the Middle School, so there’s definitely some community-building opportunities embedded in that activity,” Church said

Truth tree spreads awareness during National Suicide Prevention Week

By Hannah Han and Ethan Lachman

In an effort to spread awareness regarding teen suicide and mental health, Ally Salvador ’19 initiated a project called the Truth Tree from Sept. 11 to Sept. 14.

Members of the community who took part in the national endeavor wrote their feelings and goals anonymously on slips of paper, which Salvador referred to as “truths,” and hung them from a tree outside of Rugby Hall.

The objective for the Truth Tree was to give students, faculty and staff an outlet to express their emotions without fear of criticism as a part of

National Suicide Prevention Week, Salvador said.

“I wanted to show the student body how people in our community are feeling without any censorship and for them to really understand the reality of suicide awareness and mental illness,” Salvador said.

Salvador also installed a table in front of the tree, where she displayed posters with resources, including the National Suicide Prevention Line as well as Upper School Psychologist Sophie Wasson and Counselor Michelle Bracken’s contact information.

Bracken, who helped organize the project, said she supports Salvador’s commitment to spreading mental health

awareness, especially in light of rising suicide rates among teenagers.

“Suicide rates in high schools are increasing, and when we see something like that go up, we have a responsibility to do something about it,” Bracken said. “A lot of times kids’ reactions are much more effective than another adult standing there, telling you that suicide is a bad thing.”

Stephenie Cho ’19, who also participated in the project, hung a note on the Truth Tree, which said, “I wish people could see that I’m not happy all the time. I wish I could tell people that everything isn’t always okay.”

Cho said the communi-

Latin American and Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO) leaders spoke to faculty, students and parents about the importance of coming together as a community at the Latin American Parent Organization (LAPA) Family Fiesta Sept. 16.

Attendees gathered at Anejo Cantina and Grill in Sherman Oaks for a lunch buffet, followed by a speech by LAHSO leader Xenia Bernal ’19.

The turnout for this year’s event surpassed all others to date, underscoring the strength of Latin membership, Bernal said.

“For me and for the LAHSO club, our goal is to have more cohesion between the student and parent groups and to have a bond between the Middle and Upper Schools, and I think continuing the event annually would really help that mission,” Bernal said.

Several faculty members and parents said that they enjoyed the event and believe that affinity groups play currently play a vital role in the school community.

“Anything that helps people identify with others that they have something in common with is great for students and makes them feel more connected,” Head of Upper School Laura Ross said.

Max Valdez ’20 said that the fiesta was a great way to

“

unite parents and students within the Latin community and he hopes they increase the number of events they have per year.

“I think it is really very important for us Latinos to be together and organize as one because we absolutely cannot let all this hate and discrimination divide us,” Valdez said.

He added that the speakers provided an empowering message for him and that he left the event inspired to make change in the world.

“I loved how we were able to interact so cohesively as one group,” Valdez said. “All of the leaders were so empowering and they set amazing examples for all of us.”

The event also provides a natural setting for faculty to interact with students’ families, rather than at a school function, Ross said.

“It is a fantastic chance for those of us who work at the school to get to know lots of different families and understand their perspectives on everything,” Ross said.

Going forward, both of the organizations plans on continuing the event to further expand their reach within the school community and beyond, Bernal said.

“We are strong,” Bernal said. “United, we have so much power, and there are so many amazing things that together we can accomplish in our city, our country and the world.”

I wanted to show the student body how people in our community are feeling without any censorship and for them to really understand the reality of suicide awareness and metnal illness.”

— Ally Salvador ’19

ty needs to bring attention to mental health.

“Stress is a major factor that influences our lives, and it takes a toll on our mental health,” Cho said. “That’s why it’s so important to discuss this issue.”

Salvador said she originally formed the idea of the Truth Tree with the assistance of her therapist, who noticed an increasing number of teen suicides in Burbank. Their vision was to inform students with mental health illnesses of

white’s

other options to cope with their stress and remind them that they are supported.

“I wanted to let people know that they’re not alone in whatever they’re facing and that their feelings are always valid, and I also wanted people who don’t fully understand mental illness to know that it is prevalent in our community,” Salvador said. “Instead of shaming those who do have those issues, we should embrace them and learn to help them through it.”

Empower Conference: Featured speakers include Lily Collins, Knatokie M. Ford, Jaime Lee, Nury Martinez, and Cathy Gelfond (Lucas ’19)

PSAT Testing: Sophomores and Juniors will take the PSAT exam. Mid-Semester Break will begin after the test.

11/08

Homecoming Formal: Students will attend the annual fall dance on the upper school campus from 7-11p.m. Tickets will be sold until Oct. 5.

10/10

10/06

10/06

Upcoming Events Mexico Trip: As part of the Digital Storytelling Prograam, students will travel to the border to interview indivual’s stories.

A8 News

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

Feel the HW Spirit!

To conclude Spirit Week, students and faculty members participated in a Fanaticfest event. The following day, members of the school and the greater L.A. community gathered together for Homecoming festivities Sept. 28.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

READY-SET-SPIRIT: (Front row left to right) Spirit leaders Allison Park ’21, Rachel Grode ’19, Rebecca Sugerman ’19, Lily Block ’19 and Eva Elattrache ’21 perform their combined dance routine.

WHEEL OUT THE FUN: Bill Baker ’22 and Mateen Sharifi ’22 laugh as they get on the ferris wheel during the Homecoming fair.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

RIDING IT OUT: Vito Ameen ’20 rides the mechanical bull as one of the students picked from the crowd to participate in Fanaticfest.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

RIDE WITH THE MOB: (Clockwise from top left) Vanessa Payne ’19, Luke Rowen ’19, Jonah Turk ’19, Brayden Borquez ’19 and Asher Early ’19 stand in the student section cheering on the football team.

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

LEADING THE PACK: Jameson Wang ’20 charges onto Ted Slavin field followed by the rest of the football team for the squad’s homecoming game against St. Anthony High School. The team won 28-21 against the visiting Saints.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

STEPP’IN UP: Math teacher Adam Varney performs a two step dance with his dance partner.

C HRONICLE THE HARVARD-WESTLAKE

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: SOPHIE HABER, JENNY LI PRINT MANAGING EDITORS: ALEX GOLDSTEIN, SOFIA HELLER, KAITLIN MUSANTE

OPINION The Chronicle • Oct. 3, 2018

Studio City • Volume 28• Issue 2 • Oct. 3, 2018 • hwchronicle.com

editorial

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: LUCAS GELFOND PRESENTATION MANAGING EDITORS: RYAN ALBERT, KENDALL DEES ENGAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR AND NEWS EDITOR: SABA NIA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: CASEY KIM, LUKE SCHNEIDER, LINDSAY WU OPINION EDITOR: VISHAN CHAUDHARY ASSISTANT OPINION EDITORS: TAMMER BAGDASARIAN, JESSA GLASSMAN, EMMA SHAPIRO, AMELIE ZILBER FEATURES EDITORS: KAELYN BOWERS, ALISON OH ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS: KYRA HUDSON, MADISON HUGGINS, JEANINE KIM, SPENCER KLINK, ANUSHA MATHUR, LAUREN NEHORAI, ZOE REDLICH A&E EDITOR: LEXI SO ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS: ANNIE BECKMAN, JORDAN MURRAY, SARAH REIFF SPORTS EDITORS: JACKIE GREENBERG, BEN TENZER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: LUKE CASOLA, WILL MALLORY, KEILA MCCABE, ZACK SCHWARTZ WILLIAM SEYMOUR, EUGENE WYMAN MULTIMEDIA EDITOR AND BUSINESS MANAGER: CAMERON STOKES ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGERS: SARAH HEALY, JOANNA IM ASSISTANT BROADCAST EDITORS: TY GOODRICH, COLE KATZ, YOOHAN KO, ALEX MORK, DYLAN SHENSON ART DIRECTOR: SAMANTHA KO ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS: CAITLIN CHUNG, JAY LASSITER FREELANCE WRITERS: NOAH AIRE, VALERIE VELAZQUEZ LAYOUT ASSISTANTS AND STAFF WRITERS: OLIVIA BAER, CRYSTAL BAIK, MARIELA BREIDSPRECHER, LOLA BUTAN, LAUREN CHO, EUGEAN CHOI, EVA DE RUBERTIS, RUOSHAN DONG, OLIVIA GUBEL, TANISHA GUNBY, HANNAH HAN, SIOBHAN HARMS, FRANK JIANG, ETHAN LACHMAN, ALEXANDRA LANDECKER, AUSTIN LEE, LUCAS LEE, EMMA LIMOR, LEE NICHOLS, CELINE PARK, CHLOE SCHAEFFER, ANDREW SO, KHYRA STINER BROADCAST ASSISTANTS: ALEX AMSTER, ALICE HE, MATTHEW LEE, MADELEINE MASSEY, MARINA NASCIMENTO, JAIDEV PANT, KYLE REIMS, CHARLES WANG ADVISER: JIM BURNS

THE CHRONICLE is the student newspaper of HarvardWestlake School. It is published ten times per year. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the editor may be submitted to chronicle@hw.com or mailed to 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Chronicle style and format. Advertising questions may be directed to Cameron Stokes at cstokes1@ hwemail.com. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or school.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO, OLIVIA BAER, CHLOE SCHAEFFER AND LOLA BUTAN

Attitude of Gratitude

Less than a month ago, history teacher Eric Zwemer passed away after nearly three decades of teaching. His death caused immense grief and pain in our community and was followed by a period of deep reflection. His students thought about their last interactions with him. His colleagues remembered their last conversations.

Those who didn’t know him well recalled his constant presence at the top of the hill, his suit and tie immaculate, with a cigarette in his hand.

The day after he passed, faculty members read student-written letters addressed to Zwemer at an all-school assembly. One could not help but imagine how much he would value hearing those words of appreciation, respect and admiration.

Zwemer exemplified the dedicated and engaged teacher. His lessons were incredibly wellprepared and brought into the context of current events.

He took pride in a commitment to learning and preferred not to focus on grades and was quick to prioritize content over studying for Advanced Placement Exams or other standardized tests.

The immense effort and passion he brought to his classes were clear to his students and colleagues. In light of his death, we should all take time to recognize the effort our teachers put into their courses.

Our teachers can make a lecture on the “factivity of art” become an exploration of how ideas can transcend their time.

Our teachers are willing to explain the intricacies of unsolvable proofs, and our teachers bring weavers to class to parallel themes from Moby Dick.

Our teachers can make original Latin versions of Ciscero come alive, engaging us in the vibrance of world language.

Our teachers will literally hammer their hand

under a lead brick to demonstrate Newton’s Law of Inertia.

Our teachers devote their lives to bringing us outside of our academic shells, encouraging our growth, bolstering our voices and providing sacred spaces for discussion. They explain the unexplainable and inspire us to take risks and try new things.

Our teachers are the greatest vigilantes against ignorance we have, bringing context to the news and training us to be global citizens.

As a result of their efforts, we grow not only as students but also as human beings.

Genuine expression of appreciation is difficult. It requires us to put down our textbooks to take a moment to reflect on our teachers as humans who are dedicated to making us all better people. It takes looking beyond grades and values to look at teachers’ impact on who we are.

Many alumni look back on their teachers fondly and thank them many years down the road.

There’s no reason for us to wait.

We don’t know what will happen. What we can do is take every moment to show others that we appreciate and respect them. In a world in which our school is constantly in competition with others, we have an unfair advantage; Harvard-Westlake has some of the best people in the world. Smart, kind and passionate students.

Dedicated, supportive and creative teachers who strive for greatness. Administrators who put immense thought into all of their decisions affecting our school. Maintenance and support staff who work long hours to silently and perfectly put together our school’s events.

Our teachers shape us as young adults and change us as humans. At the very least, they deserve some of our gratitude.

To all of our teachers: on behalf of the Chronicle, we thank you for your hard work.

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 3, 2018

A new school year in Spain

By Valerie Velazquez

I

t’s been four weeks since I stepped off a seven-hour plane ride and into the country that I will call home for the next nine months: Spain.

In Zaragoza, the sun sets at nine, life bustles in the streets until dawn and 64 American high-schoolers are sprawled across the city, one of them being me.

Studying abroad has been a dream of mine for years, but not one that I ever thought would come true until at least college.

Because of my need to hold onto that dream for as long as I could, I delayed telling anyone about my longing to study in Spain for almost all of my sophomore year.

A couple weeks before the application deadline, I held my breath and decided to go into my dean’s office to tell her of my plan.

To my surprise, she was onboard. After convincing my parents and straightening out all of the logistics, it finally dawned on me that my fantasy of studying abroad was closer and more real than I could have ever imagined.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I had always been so caught up in the idea of studying in a foreign country that I often found myself romanticizing the experience in my head—so much so that I never paused to ponder on what the reality would be like.

I never even stopped to think about what would happen if I didn’t get along with my host family, what this would look like to colleges or if I would end up regretting this year.

Most people would have thought through all of these doubts and worries before making such a big commitment, but I didn’t have the time to bother myself with them—I was so preoccupied with making the dream come true.

I didn’t have the time until the week before leaving, when everything suddenly piled on me, including the guilt of

D

ear “Stressed Out” Saba,

Today is the one-year anniversary of my grandfather’s death. I had my first history test of the year, so naturally, my focus was directed toward this perceived “life-or-death” matter, and the sudden sadness and guilt hit me in a twopunch succession to my gut.

Sadness because I nearly forgot, and guilt because even a year later, I can barely reconcile the fact that I never did enough with him, id not tell him I loved him enough, and never got to say goodbye.

Four years ago, you have

abandoning the life I had in Los Angeles.

The rest of sophomore year whizzed past me, and even now I can only remember it as a hazy blip.

Before I could come to terms with the fact that my dream was becoming reality, I was suddenly saying my goodbyes.

When I first started telling people that I was leaving for Spain, I almost always got the same responses: “that sounds like so much fun,” “I couldn’t leave for a year” and “you’re so lucky.”

It is fun, but it’s also a lot of work to not only have the same responsibilities of keeping up with your grades and academics, but also trying to figure out a completely new culture, society and, of course, language.

The truth is that a lot of high-schoolers probably couldn’t leave for a year. This is a huge commitment that would be easier and more comfortable later in life.

I’ve found that there are two main obstacles that prevent young students from studying abroad: resources and one’s own doubts.

Upper school students have so many resources, financial and otherwise, available to them from the school that it isn’t as much of a restriction as they might think. The most significant restrictions that most students on this campus have are their own doubts that stunt the idea before it has a chance to feel like a possibility.

At the beginning of the month, after two consecutive, long, painful plane rides and two nights without sleep, I could have told you the same thing that I think now: it’s worth it.

Studying in Spain is an incredible privilege that I still can’t believe I’m fortunate enough to have.

And I am lucky to be here.

Lucky to be doing something I love, with no fear of regretting it later.

his past Monday, Lisa See addressed the school during an all-school assembly. See is a multiple times New York Times bestselling author, with years of leadership in the local ChineseAmerican community and considerable public speaking experience.

But to be honest, as one of the leaders of Asian Students in Action, when we as a club first started considering her as a potential speaker, I was concerned.

What message would we be sending as a club by inviting someone who looked white and was only one-eighth Asian as our first all-school speaker?

How would we address the apparent contradiction in See’s physical appearance and her ethnic identity? But, I immediately felt guilty about my doubts.

See’s writing centers around Chinese history and her personal connection to it, and she has conducted exhaustive research on Chinese and Chinese-American culture.

Most importantly, she clearly personally identifies with her Chinese-American roots.

Why was I trying to police someone else’s identity?

Ultimately, we decided to invite See because of her unparalleled experiences researching and writing about Chinese and Chinese-Amer-

ican culture. But, we also believe that the she has an important perspective to offer, one that is particularly relevant in a society as diverse as America. The complicated dynamics and contradictions present in my feelings about See can be seen in many aspects of the dialogue surrounding race and identity today.

See’s identity, for example, was undoubtedly shaped by her personal connection to Chinese-American history and her experiences growing up in Chinatown.

But, I would be remiss to ignore that her experiences have also been impacted by her comparative privilege within society as someone who looks white.

Personally, as someone who looks obviously East Asian, I don’t have the privilege of escaping the stereotypes or assumptions that come with being Asian.

However, I am also aware of how I have benefited from “looking Asian,” in that my cultural identity has never been questioned by others on the basis of my physical appearance.

In her first book, “On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My ChineseAmerican Family,” which follows the story of her greatgrandfather, See wrote that “I don’t look Chinese, but I’m Chinese in my heart.” What

does it mean to be Chinese at heart? What about the impact of outward appearance and the advantages and disadvantages that come with looking like a racial minority? See has Chinese ancestry. She grew up in a Chinese-American community and she has made significant efforts to stay connected with that part of her identity.

See has continually maintained that she did not “choose” to be Chinese. But imagine if someone who was seven-eighths Asian and one-eighth white decided to present themselves as racially white.

Regardless of his or her cultural upbringing and personal identity, he or she would not be accepted into “white society” as someone who looks like a racial minority. It is because of the privilege that comes with looking white that See can maintain her hybrid identity.

Our goal as a club in inviting See thus centers around this important discussion about how personal identity intersects with society’s perceptions of identity. America, Los Angeles and our school community are all increasingly diverse places.

In order to reckon with and understand the dynamics surrounding race and ethnic identity, we need to start a dialogue about how we define and understand them today.

just received your worst history grade. Ever. The number glowed from your computer screen, and you quickly reloaded the Hub page to make sure you had seen it correctly.

Time is a funny thing. I can tell you exactly how many minutes it takes to drive to school (28 minutes, given normal traffic), and I can describe with painful accuracy the crawl of seconds that characterize my double periods, but the passing of these 365 days seems incomparable to anything I have experienced before.

I guess that’s what happens when you’re too caught

up in life to start living it.

Two years ago, you were freaking out about your math exam. Just absolutely freaking out. Who in their right mind gave you the false impression that you are good at this subject? You put away your Math Analysis Honors notes as you took your seat with the other members of your tenth-grade class, tapping your pencil in nervous anticipation.

There is so much that goes unnoticed. So much that I should spend my time on – so many I should spend more time with – but don’t because I get too caught up in school or grades or extracurriculars.

This summer I spent several hours a week playing card games with my aunts and cousins.

Without the presence of my phone, the kiss of the sun’s rays and the intoxicating scents of our cooking dinner were the only indications of the passing of time.

I walked around barefoot and left my hair unbound. I read and swam and ate and laughed and all because I wanted to. I was not stressed. I was a truer, freer me.

One year ago, your parents called you to get ready to visit your grandparents. Exclaiming in frustration that you need to finish “The Scarlet Letter” and that you’ll visit your grandparents next Sunday, you returned to your work.

Four days later, your mom received the call that your grandfather had suffered a heart attack and slipped into a coma. He stayed barely over a week in the hospital before your grandmother made the decision to allow the doctors to let his heart stop beating.

Age is not an indication of maturity, and it definitely doesn’t correlate to someone’s wisdom. But I like to think that I have grown to appreciate the impermanance of life and enjoy it that much more

candidly.

There was so much that I never got to tell my grandfather. So much that was never discussed – not because of the language barrier or age gap or cultural differences – but because there are some things in life that simply cannot be conveyed through words.

So perhaps this article is pointless – just the ramblings of a teen going through an existential crisis.

Perhaps some readers will throw this paper away (hopefully in the recycling bin) before they even get to this article.

Perhaps this page will smear and fade, and one day crumble away.

But perhaps that doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that you taught me to appreciate life.

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA BAER AND SAMANTHA KO

Speaking on behalf of ASiA

By Alison Oh

T

Love, A Saba who Stresses the More Important Things

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

OCT. 3, 2018

OPINION A11

Info-Wars

I

By Vishan Chaudhary

nformation is spreading faster than ever before. In this era of retweets, shares and reposts, worldwide communication has been streamlined such that a breaking news story in California can make its way to China in mere seconds.

However, the new speed at which information spreads has a downside, as unsuspecting citizens are sharing fake stories faster than ever before.

A recent study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that fake stories get shared up to ten times faster than true stories, likely due to their intriguing headlines about hot-button issues.

The spread of false information can have disastrous consequences, as a misinformed public would be ill-equipped to hold public officials accountable or make responsible political decisions, eroding democracy. The fake stories promoted during the 2016 presidential election likely impacted how people cast their votes in a crucial election.

We as citizens have a responsibility to try to stop the spread of fake information.

The MIT study also found that humans are more responsible for this proliferation of fake news on social media and other platforms than automated bots.

This means that we have the ability to limit the diffusion of fraudulent stories. It is vital that we are aware of the threat and do our best to contain fake stories.

Vigilance is the first step.

Skepticism about the credibility of internet articles is crucial to the solution.

Almost all readers know to be suspicious of unknown news outlets and to gut-check stories that seem too outrageous to be real. Even when news comes from a seemingly reliable website, however, cross-checking the information with multiple trusted sources before clicking the “share” button can help curtail the spread of fake news.

It becomes even harder to separate real facts from false information when stories are quickly developing. In the aftermath of the Boston Bombings in 2013, for example, a false theory of who was responsible for the attack spread across social media.

Instead of sharing information while a story is breaking, it would be wise for citizens to wait for official statements to minimize the spread of misinformation.

It’s up to us to step up and stop the dissemination of fake news.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Don’t Suffer from Sickness

By Tammer Bagdasarian

I

t’s nighttime, and I can feel the virus spread through my body, creeping up my throat and exiting with a weak cough. I know that tomorrow, I will wake up exhausted and sick, and that there is nothing I can do about it. So now the question becomes: should I subject myself to more suffering and risk infecting others for the sake of staying up to date on my schoolwork?

While it is a tough decision to make, choosing to bite the bullet and stay home for a day not only helps students’ own health and performance, but also that of the people around them. Even though it seems like a better option to endure it and go to school, containing sickness to one’s own home is the right choice.

We are now in the flu season, and it seems like the virus spreading throughout school is impossible to evade.

The fix is simple: don’t come to school when sick. However, the decision is much more complicated. Everybody knows that they can make

up classwork by meeting with teachers and getting notes from classmates, but the idea of departing from their daily routine scares students. With first quarter being a crucial time of year for sophomores and juniors, and even more so for seniors, falling behind is simply not an option.

The rigor of a normal school day is already tough enough, and to be sick on top of everything that is expected of us makes school almost unbearable. By the time a sick student gets home, they are ready to collapse. However, due to homework and upcoming tests, that is not an option. To finish their work, many students must stay up late and often do not get nearly as much sleep as a sick person should. The next day, they are exhausted and feel even worse than the day before.

In addition to being in poor physical and mental condition for a longer period of time, a student’s schoolwork will also suffer when

they are sick. An inability to focus on work in class and at home can drag the quality of a student’s work far below their standard. Though some might think that grinding through a cold is worth the suffering in exchange for a better grade, it actually ends up having the opposite effect.

Attending school while sick is also inconsiderate to the rest of the school community. Every cough puts even more people at risk of illness, unjustly causing harm to other teachers and students.

While it may seem idealistic, if every student stayed home when they got sick, there would be far fewer illnesses spreading throughout campus.

I know it is easy to cast logic aside and go with what, on the surface, seems like the best option (I have done it many times myself), but for the sake of the student body, please put misconceptions aside and make the right choice by staying home when sick.

Guest Editorial

The Chronicle invites Ryan Kim ’19 to write about the impact classical music has on his life in our first guest editorial.

By Ryan Spencer Kim

T

raveling to the mountain peak town of Verbier, Switzerland requires a flight into Geneva, a changeover of two trains and boarding a teardrop-shaped gondola that shoots straight up a dizzying incline.

The streets are paved with cobblestone and lined with pricey shops, bistros and banners that point the way to the music festival.

The panoramic view is breathtaking. On day one, I took so many photos, I thought my iPhone memory would give out. I felt a little dizzy. Not just because Verbier sits almost a mile high in altitude.

For twenty-five years, Verbier has served as home to an international music festival which includes the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra that I auditioned for and was invited to play the double bass with this past summer.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Sixty students from twenty-two countries converged to share and learn from each other. I made friends with young artists from Israel, China, Italy, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Ireland—every corner of the globe.

When the rehearsals began, our native languages no longer mattered. We all spoke a common language of music.

Being part of this unique group changed the way I look at the world. The embrace you receive from a European audience is unlike any experience.

Europeans feel a deep connection to classical music because so much of the greatest music ever written comes from composers on that continent. The audiences feel about classical music like we do about baseball, cars and apple pie.

The experience goes so

much deeper. It gave real hope and meaning to my belief in music. I wish more people could have experienced what I did so they could appreciate the beauty of classical music more.

During my three weeks living, working and playing in Verbier, I rode a gondola down to the town of Le Chable with a patron who told me he had traveled sixteen consecutive years from the United States to hear the musicians perform at Verbier. That interaction sparked something. I thought a lot about what music means to me.

Staring out at the audience which huddled under a tent in ninety-degree heat, watching their faces enjoying the music, my mind drifted. Images of memories like photographs flashed inside my head—of places, moments from the past: going to Disneyland with

my sister; I thought of my grandmother who passed away from cancer and never made it to Verbier; my room at home; strolling the early morning campus at HarvardWestlake.

Somehow, being surrounded by powerful music created a connection.The sound without a word went into my heart and never left me.

It made me think that classical music will never die.

This past summer, I also spent two weeks at Tanglewood where I played my third consecutive summer studying with Todd Seeber of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The friends I’ve made through music at these festivals and in the music program at Harvard-Westlake is a bond we will always share.

When I got home, I asked one of my musical mentors,

the cellist Lynn Harrell, if what happened to me made much sense and if the same thing had ever happened to him in his 60-year career making music.

Maestro Harrell said yes.

He shared: “If you let the journey of music into your heart, it will never leave you.”

Classical music is a living art form. The notes exist and die away. But, the journey like great art in literature, painting, film—it stays with you.

There are certain answers that the great composers figured out a long time ago.

They express their profound ideas without words and only in music.

Classical music is something we need in our lives. It uplifts. It gives us a connection between each other and with ourselves. It’s also a mirror to examine our inner thoughts.

Community The Chronicle • Oct. 3, 2018

TreePeople partners with Boeing

By Casey Kim and Lindsay Wu

By Ryan Albert

Local environmental nonprofit TreePeople and American multinational corporation Boeing partnered with the help of other sponsors to revitalize burned and at-risk forest areas around California in a new campaign called ‘Forest Aid’.

This new partnership followed statewide fires in 2017, the most destructive year of California wildfire history, and multiple record-breaking fires this year, according to the TreePeople website.

The campaign will work to replace invasive species with native plants. The initial fouryear commitment will primarily serve to revitalize the forested areas around Southern California.

The unique addition to this program is a state-of-the-art sapling nursery called a “clean room,” where native plants will be nurtured. TreePeople hopes this will lead to the growth of stronger native plants and a natural solution to the megafires in the area.

“It is definitely important to prevent fires even though fires are necessary for a lot of ecosystems,” Environmental Club leader Anja Clark ’19 said.

“In places that are so close to home doing what as much as we can to prevent them but also to maintain as natural an environment as possible is definitely a good thing.”

The initiative officially kicked off at the TreePeople headquarters in Studio City on Sept. 7. Representatives from partner organizations and supporters of the cause from across the state spoke at the official kickoff event and help plant the first saplings.

“On behalf of Boeing and the 13,000 employees we have working here in Southern California, I just wanted to say how excited we are to be a part of this movement,” a Senior Manager with Boeing Global Engagement said in a press conference.

The program was established with a $1 million legacy gift from Boeing with the aim of mitigating the effects of years of devastating fires and restoring forests by mobilizing communities, businesses and schools, according to a TreePeople press release. The other supporters present at the launch included Cal Fire, Spectrolabs and State Sen. Bob Hertzberg.

Although TreePeople usually works with neighborhoods, schools and homes with environmental projects, this program is not the first push for fire prevention. This summer, TreePeople launched a fundraiser called, “Fight for Forests,” where the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation promised to match the first $275,000 donated.

Residents oppose FAA

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF UNITED TEACHERS LOS ANGELES

STANDING STRONG: A protester holds up a sign in support of United Teachers Los Angeles. One of the organization’s primary concerns is to increase wages for teachers due to the high living costs.

Teachers protest salaries as housing costs continue to soar

By Kaitlin Musante

Alicia Dobrow’s tiny Calabasas condo was no longer big enough.

Pregnant with her second child and priced out of every other home she had made an offer on, Dobrow, a third grade teacher at Carpenter Community Charter School in Studio City, said she and her husband were forced to pack up their home and move to Ventura County.

“It’s sad to me that teachers in Los Angeles cannot afford to live in the communities where they teach,” Dobrow said. “Even living out of the city, we are surviving paycheck to paycheck.”

Dobrow now wakes up at 4:30 a.m. each morning to battle three-hour traffic and get to school on time. Her commute totals over 100 miles a day round-trip, she said.

Dobrow said it has been discouraging to continue to make so little at a job she has sacrificed so much for.

“We’re led to believe that if we work hard, go to school and pursue a career, we should be able to afford to live comfortably,” Dobrow said. “I have a graduate degree and post-graduate credits, and I would not be able to survive if it weren’t for my husband and his career.”

Dobrow’s situation is not uncommon. Los Angeles is one of the ten most expensive cities in the United States according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and prices are only continuing to rise. The median home price in Los Angeles hit an all-time high of $530,000 this year, according to a June report from CoreLogic. In comparison, the median home price for the United States is only around $216,700, according to Zillow.

President Rick Commons in general, Melvoin said that contributed the large number the issue extends far beyond of teachers who left the school the LAUSD. Ultimately, it boils down to last year to this affordability the allocation of state funds, crisis.

“The cost of housing in Los which is out of the hands of Angeles is, in many ways, pro- him and his fellow board memhibitive for people who have bers, Melvoin said.

“Our mission as a school chosen a life as a teacher,” Commons said. “The teach- board is to educate kids and ers who have been here a long so even though we have the time have figured out how to opportunity to help with this, make it work, but, at the end every dollar that we spend of last year, we lost half a building a house for a teachdozen teachers who had got- er is a dollar that’s not in the ten the opportunity to move classroom,” Melvoin said. “The to a city or a town where they people that really need to be could more easily afford to live building houses are city hall in the kind of circumstances and private developers so that teachers can afford to live in they wanted to live in.”

The issue has also become Los Angeles.”

Until the late 1970s, Calia primary concern of United fornia spent more on Teachers Los Angeles, education per child the main representathan any other state, tive organization for Melvoin said. HowLos Angeles County ever, after the introteachers. In a recent duction of Proposibattle with the Los Antion 13, which aims geles Unified School to decrease taxes, District, the organizathe state government tion rejected a LAUSD began spending less proposal that includ’ and less on educaed a six percent pay Rick tion. Now, California raise, calling it “inCommons spends less money sulting” and a “stunper child than 42 ning example of disreother states. spect” to its 33,000 members.

The key to solving both Although mediation resumes today, the question the affordability crisis and the remains of how to resolve the teacher salary issue lies in the repeal of Proposition 13, Meloverall issue.

In 2016, the school board voin said.

Melvoin said he hopes that experimented by constructing three below-market apartment school board members and complexes for its employ- teachers can unite to consult ees. However, not one LAUSD state and local governments, teacher lives in them, accord- put an initiative to eliminate ing to the Los Angeles Times. Proposition 13 on the ballot Alumnus and former Chronicle and resolve the issue together.

“We are with them on these Editor-in-Chief Nick Melvoin ’04 said that these apartments issues, but we need to go colare instead mainly occupied lectively to these other agenby bus drivers, cafeteria work- cies because we don’t have the power to do it unilaterally,” ers and custodians.

Yet, despite backlash Melvoin said. “That’s the only against the school board over way we are ever going to fix both the project and pay raises this.” white s

In opposition to the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposal to officially change flight paths from the Burbank and Van Nuys airports, over 2,100 residents have signed a petition created by Studio City for Quiet Skies. The procedures were initially scheduled to publish Nov. 8, but are now delayed to Jan. 3.

Studio City for Quiet Skies is an organization that is working to reverse the air traffic laws. The group launched the petition through Change.org.

The FAA’s proposed procedure will not only change flight paths from over the 101 Freeway to over residential areas, but will also narrow them from six miles to half a mile, a founder of Studio City for Quiet Skies Kimberly Turner (Sophie ’12) said.

The decreased size of the flight paths causes an increase and concentration of airplane noise. Though the procedure has not been officially approved, planes have been following these flight paths since March of last year.

“They did this without any notice to our community,” Turner said. “We get [from Burbank and Van Nuys airports] over 240 jets a day over our homes. They’re about ninety seconds apart. They’re very low and loud, and we never used to have this type of noise. It’s quite the incursion now.”

Despite a voluntary curfew from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Turner said planes frequently disrupt residents around 6 a.m. and past midnight.

In addition to the noise, residents are concerned that pollutants from the low-flying planes will harm their health and the environment.

“The pollutants fall to the ground instead of into the atmosphere,” Turner said.

“These pollutants are dangerous, especially for your lungs.”

Turner said with that City Attorney Mike Feuer, City Councilman Paul Krekorian and Congressman Brad Sherman have assisted the residents in their efforts by writing letters to the FAA. Additionally, a legislation passed in the House of Representatives on Sept. 26 imposes new requirements on the FAA regarding low-altitude flights over certain areas. Turner said Section 175 of the legislation, which addresses community noise concerns, was tailor-made for the local residents who signed the petition.

“Sherman’s office told me he’s never seen three communities come together so quickly as they did when we were trying to get people to comment on the FAA’s procedures,” Tuner said.

Studio City for Quiet Skies will hold a meeting with representatives of the Burbank Airport at the Buena Vista Public Library on Oct. 17, where residents will be able to voice their opinions to the Airport Authority.

Features The Chronicle • Oct. 3, 2018

Moving Forward With #MeToo • Continued on B7 1991: “I am not given to fantasy. This is not something I would have come forward with if I was not absolutely sure of what I was saying.” -Anita Hill said in the Thomas-Hill hearings regarding her allegations against Clarence Thomas 1992: “She has resumed some normalcy, but she doesn’t really have a private life anymore. No matter where we go for dinner, someome feels free to intrude.” -Shirley Wiegand, professor at University of Oklahoma and colleague of Hill, said to the New York Times regarding Hill’s personal life 2010: “I can tell you Clarence Thomas was telling the truth. I believe that Anita Hill was an excellent witness. I think she actually believed and talked herself into believing what she said.” -Senator Orrin Hatch told CNN in reflecting on the Hill-Thomas hearings 2017: “One of the worst things about experiencing sexual trauma is feeling like you’re all alone.” -Tarana Burke, who started the #MeToo movement, told Elle Magazine regarding her personal experiences with sexual violence 2018: “I believe if I listen, keep learning, and keep trying, I can overcome obstacles.” -Ava DuVernay, movie director and first African-American winner of the directing award at the Sundance Film Festival, said to ReigningIt, a feminist organization working to increase diversity in STEM 2018: “Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life... I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world.” -Christine Ford said in the Kavanaugh-Ford hearings regarding her allegations against Brett Kavanaugh 2018: “This is a circus. The consequences will extend long past my nomination.” -Brett Kavanaugh said in in the Kavanaugh-ford hearings regarding Ford’s claims 2018: “To my republican colleagues, if you vote no, you’re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.” -Senator Lindsey Graham said in the Kavanaugh-ford hearings 2018: “I have been accused of acting out of partisan political motives. Those who say that do not know me.” -Ford said in the Kavanaugh-Ford hearings in addressing arguments upheld by some politicians to disprove her allegations

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER KLINK

B2 Features

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

Sliding into Direct Misconduct With the growing influence of social media on people’s lives, female students share how their experiences of harassment online have affected them.

By Jeanine Kim

private email,” Zimmer said. “There are boundaries that people shouldn’t After posting photos from her cross, and it’s something that everynew photoshoot, Annabel Zimmer ’20 one should realize.”

In fact, one of Zimmer’s followers opened her phone, expecting supportive comments from friends. Instead, once used her social media to find her she said she was hit with a barrage work email, which she uses for photoof unwelcome private messages from shoot purposes only, she said. Howstrangers and suspicious requests ever, she said this stranger used it to find her personal account, which he from unknown people.

“It’s really disheartening to see tried to use to contact her.

Zimmer is 16, and so are many of random men send girls whatever they want just because they think they can the subjects that she shoots. Despite being underage, many of the people get away with it,” Zimmer said.

Zimmer, a photographer with a who contact her are adults, she said. sizeable following on both her private Not only is it a violation of her privaand her public photography accounts, cy, but when she receives messages, said she has been using social media it is actually illegal, as it is under the for over six years and has experienced age of consent according to California State Legislature. many different forms of haBeing underage on sorassment over the years. cial media means sacrificing While she said she gets freedom and privacy, but it positive comments from folcan also be potentially danlowers, she also gets her fair gerous, especially for those share of unwanted messagin school, Ferreira said. es.

There are other forms of Many other girls have harassment women experiexperienced some form of ence on social media. While social media harassment, sexual comments may be from comments on their ap’ more common, there are pearances to attacks on their additional ways of making Annabel opinions, Ginebra Ferreira women feel uncomfortable Zimmer ’20 ’20 and Gabriela Martinez online, Zimmer said, such as Celaya ’20 said. attacks on their political beZimmer said she has received messages from older people liefs or questions about their families.

Ferreira has a public Instagram who compliment her appearance and comment on her body. Although most account and said she has also been of the subjects in her photos are her sent messages and comments on her friends, she’ll occasionally post a pho- photos, mostly about her body.

“I wouldn’t say that I’ve felt vioto of herself or a behind-the-scenes on her Instagram story. In response, lated by any of these comments, but she’s gotten comments about her there’s something that is scary and appearance, some people calling her off-putting about people you don’t “beautiful” or remarking on her face know commenting on your body and appearance,” Ferreira said. rather than her work, she said.

Ferreira said that some of her Zimmer said her social media changed from a platform for her work posts can be misinterpreted by her to a way for people to contact her for followers, who don’t understand the meanings behind her photos. their own reasons.

“I think all women are vulnera“Just because someone posts about their lives on social media ble to this harassment but especially doesn’t give others the right to seek ones that happen to have more folthem out and send things to their lowers or tend to post ‘scandalous’ pictures which to them can simply be white s

empowering,” Ferreira said. of sharing music with my father,” Likewise, when Martinez Celaya Zimmer said. “What I do is completely sees explicit messages from strang- separate from that.” ers, she said she feels disappointed by Additionally, there is danger with the people online. While she said that being opinionated online. As people she can see how social media can be a become more politically active on soway to meet new people, many of the cial media, users can be vulnerable comments she’s received are not what to those who disagree with their opinshe’s expected. ions, Ferreira said.

“Whenever I receive weird or disDahlia Low ’20 has been attacked turbing comments and messages, it for the political views she expresses catches me off guard,” Martinez Cel- on her Instagram. She said she has aya said. “It’s never something I expect had to block people for commenting to find when checking my phone,no on things she’s posted and attacking matter how many times it happens.” her beliefs.

Martinez Celaya’s experiences Low, who considers herself a libhave gone further than just com- eral, has even had a stranger DM ments. When she ignored these men, her, sending conservative articles and they responded with insults and ag- constantly messaging her, which she gression, she said. responded to until she realized he “I think this wasn’t going to to stop, shows a sense she said. After the of entitlefrequent messaging “Men must realize that women ment withdidn’t stop, she said do not owe them anything in in a large she just blocked number of him. life and no matter what, wommen in soLow’s account en have every right to reject ciety and used to be public, this issue is but after all the hatheir advances.” something rassment she has —Gabriela Martinez Celaya ’20 that needs been sent, she said to be solved,” she felt compelled to Martinez switch it to private.

Celaya said.

“Women are not only “Men must realize more vulnerable, but I that women do not owe them know that they’re more restricted as anything in life and no matter what, well,” Low said. “I know for a fact that women have every right to reject their women are more likely to get blocked advances.” or have accounts taken down for exTo both Zimmer and Ferreira, pressing their honest opinions while these instances are just examples of there are literal troll accounts run a larger issue regarding behavior on by men which do nothing but harass social media. others, and those remain active.”

“People need to be more conLow’s experience as a woman scious, and there really should be speaking out on social media has more awareness about etiquette when been an eye-opening journey for her, it comes to matters of social media,” she said. She said she feels that she’s Zimmer said. changed the way she uses social meZimmer, the daughter of compos- dia because of the harassment she er Hans Zimmer, has received direct has faced. messages from aspiring musicians.

“People feel safe behind a screen, To Zimmer, she said it detracts from sending violating comments about a the purpose of the account, which is woman’s body or the way she portrays to showcase her own work. herself online, and that’s an issue we “I’m not here to serve the purpose need to face,” Low said.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Oct. 3, 2018

hwchronicle.com/features

By Zoe Redlich

turn out, Caroline Cook ’19 said.

“They’re accurate to everyone’s Michael Lehrhoff ’20 emerged high school fantasy,” Cook said. “I from the AMC 7 after watching the just don’t think think that they’re achigh school coming-of-age film, curate to real life.”

“Love, Simon” with an empty popIt’s not simply students who arcorn bag and a mind full of ideas en’t always portrayed correctly, it’s ready to be shared. However, when also the relations between adminishe turned around to discuss the trators and students, Upper School movie with his friends, he found that Dean Sharon Cuseo said. they had already begun laughing and “I just rewatched [‘Ferris Buelcomplaining about the inaccuracies ler’s Day Off,’] and I didn’t relate to in the portrayal of a high school ex- the administration in that particular perience. scenario,” Cuseo said. “I just feel like “In my opinion, high school mov- there isn’t that much of an antagoies do a good job of explornistic relationship.” ing the various aspects of However, most stuthe teenage mind,” Lehrhoff dents watch teen movies said. “However, I do think for entertainment’s sake, these films often portray not for an accurate depicworlds that don’t include tion of high school, Cook how boring everyday life can said. often be.”

“It’s just a fun escape “Love, Simon” is one of to look at and fantasize multiple high school films to about,” Cook said. “I just ’ come out this year, including feel like I’m working harder Michael “Alex Strangelove,” “To All than all the fictional charLehrhoff ’20 the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” acters.”

“The Kissing Booth” and “SiFor Dahlia Low ’20, it’s erra Burgess is a Loser.” However, this mix of fantasy and real life that this genre of films is no new phe- makes these movies so addicting, she nomenon. High school films have said. been a staple of the film industry for “I think that obviously, the point decades, from “Grease” in the 1970s of a movie is to show something that and the John Hughes films in the might be relatable but that you can’t 1980s to “Clueless” in the 1990s and imagine yourself,” Low said. “If you the “High School Musical” franchise were watching your own life on the in the 2000s. screen, it wouldn’t be that interestMost movies about high school do ing. The movies aren’t that accurate, not resemble the reality of the Har- but they have certain general convard-Westlake experience, Madeleine cepts that can be relatable.”

Dupee ’20 said.

Low said it’s the smaller details “It’s possible that it could be like that allow her to tie her life into the that for some people in other schools,” films she sees.

Dupee said. “At least here, there are “We have a retreat like they do in almost no similarities. I sometimes ‘All the Boys I’ve Loved yell at the television screen because Before,’ and it those films are not how high school w a s is. I really don’t think it’s at all like a big the actual experience.”

However,nNicholas Weinstock (Savannah ’18), producer of high school movies ‘Alex Strangelove’ and ‘The Package,’ said filmmakers try to take teenagers’ perspectives into account.

“I think the key to making the films good, for me anyway, is to be painfully aware that I’m a guy in my late 40’s working on stories that belong to people who are literally 30 years younger than me,” Weinstock said.

In order to bridge this gap, filmmakers incorporate teenagers into the creative process, Weinstock said.

“The project needs to be driven and shaped by younger people who are closer to the source,” Weinstock said. “The teenage actors need to be able not only to improvise on set, which is crucial but to see a draft of the script early enough to have real input. We need to interview high school students before production, show rough cuts of the film to them early in the editing process and actually incorporate their critiques and ideas.”

Still, even if the films may not be accurate to people’s actual experiences, they are usually accurate to how people hope high school will white s

Features B3

deal,” Low said. “I think the rela- on teenagers depending on how reletionships between friends are more vant the movie is to them,” Bracken realistic [than the romantic relation- said. “I do realize that teenagers are ships.]” not dumb and can separate out fanThe films that were popular when tasy from reality. However, the conUpper School Dean Adam Howard stant messages do have an influence ‘93 was in school had a similar effect on teen attitudes.” on him. He always saw them as ficUltimately, despite the differenction, but realistic fiction. es between the high school experi“I was fortunate enough to have ences shown on film and the Harmovies in my life like ‘Fast Times vard-Westlake experience, everyone at Ridgemont High,’ ‘The Breakfast can relate to the process of growing Club’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ up and entering adulthood, Howard before going to high said. school,” Howard “I think, at their said. “While part core, every high I think, at their of me anticipated school experience core, every high school some Jeff Spicoli has certain parallels, and John Hugheswith the development has certain parallels, style antics to from adolescence to with the development come, I don’t think adulthood,” Howard from adolescence to I ever fully bought said. “At the same into them beyond time, I think the acaadulthood. the fiction.” demic drive that ties However, In—Adam Howard most of our students terdisciplinary together makes us a Upper School Dean little different.”

Studies and Independent Research It’s the emotionTeacher and Counal core of the films selor Michelle Bracken said that that draw teens to keep seeing them, such films had a significant influ- Weinstock said. ence on her expectations and behav“I think I’ve always been drawn ior in high school. to make high school movies, not be“The movies all influenced the cause they’re ‘marketable’ or ‘comway I dressed and thought about mercial’ or can strategically ‘get to boys and friends,” Bracken said. “I kids’ but because high school is wanted the friendships these mov- such a raw, brutal, emotional time ies portrayed and hoped for the ro- that it tends to unearth characters mances they had.” and stories that are particularly rich The way that movies portray dif- and brave,” Weinstock said. “It’s the ferent lifestyles can influence stu- same reason a good war movie is so dents, often on a subconscious level, impactful: the epic pain of the expeBracken said. rience can be turned “Movies can have a positive into power.” or negative impact

“

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALISON OH AND KYRA HUDSON

B4 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

Locking in on a f f i r m at i v E Action Students applying to and attending Harvard and Yale discuss affirmative action in the context of the recent Department of Justice investigation.

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN

OCT.

3, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES B5 Affirmative Action Timeline

By SABA NIA

community resources and the likelihood that they will contribute to the Yale community In 1978, the Supreme and the world,” Salovey said Court ruled in Regents of Uniin the email. “This whole-perversity of California v. Bakke son approach to admissions that using race as a part of complies fully with all legal the admission decisions was requirements and has been conditional but that strict raendorsed repeatedly by the cial quotas violated the 14th Supreme Court.”

Amendment.

Yale student Jarett Malouf In 1997, Proposition 209 ’18 said that he believes Sabarred public California instilovey even though he has not tutions from discriminating remained up-to-date on these on the basis of race, sex or recent developments to the ethnicity. affirmative action debate.

In 2018, the Department The investigation into Yale of Justice and the Departfollows the Trump adminment of Education began civil istration’s public backing rights investigations into Harin August of a 2014 lawsuit vard and Yale College. brought against Harvard The recent investigation College by Students for Fair seeks to discern whether the Admissions and a coalition institutions discriminated of Asian-American students. against Asian-Americans “by The Supreme Court allows treating applicants differently colleges and universities to based on race during the adconsider a variety of factors, missions process,” according including race, in admission to a letter from the Departdecisions but has stated that ment of Education’s Office these deliberations must be for Civil Rights sent to the conducted in a manner to student who filed a complaint promote diversity, according against Yale. to the Associated Press.

Seniors, who are currently Edward Blum, president undergoing the college appliand founder cation proof Student cess, said for Fair AdI think with the rethey are missions, unsure how cent lawsuits, no one repreviously the investi- ally knows what is going filed a lawgations will suit critito happen and there is a affect them. cizing afhuge air of uncertainty.”

“I think firmative —Pam* ’19 with the reaction policent lawcies against suits, no one the Universireally knows what is going to ty of Texas at Austin in 2016. happen and there is a huge That case, in which Blum reair of uncertainty as to how cruited a white student who this will affect my classmates’ claimed she was rejected by and my college prospects,” the university due to her race, Pam* ’19 said. according to Vox, went to the Sebastian Ko ’19 said he Supreme Court but failed to was not surprised when he dismantle affirmative action. heard news of the lawsuits.

Supporters of affirmative Ko, however, supports affir- action criticize Blum’s acmative action even though tions because of his motives. he believes it “works against A Washington Post piece writhim.” ten by two law professors said “Even though there are that Blum is using the case to lawsuits now, it’s not like I’m delegitimize the use of affirshocked that it’s going on,” mative action as whole.

Ko said. “I feel like it’s some“If we look at the backthing that was already going ground of the person who on, and now it’s only becom- helped spearhead the lawing public.” suit, I’m not sure if his backFollowing the announce- ground totally lines up with ment, Yale President Peter supporting minority groups Salovey wrote in an email to or helping them get into colstudents, faculty and alumni lege or have better opportunithat Yale does not discrimi- ties in life,” Asian Students in nate against any group in the Action Vice President Sarah admissions process.

Moon ’19 said. “They seem to “We take into consider- be using affirmative action as ation a multitude of factors, a tool to decrease the presincluding their academ- ence of minority groups, even ic achievement, interests, if they’re increasing the presdemonstrated leadership, ence of [Asians], overall, the background, success in tak- presence [of racial minorities] ing maximum advantage of will be lessened.” their secondary school and Moon said that critics of

“

affirmative action may be tween friends. supporting this lawsuit to Students may not even priemphasize a flaw in the pol- vately discuss the investigations because affirmative acicy.

“Asian students are who tion no longer affects them or people say affirmative ac- it did not influence their own tion is hurting the most, but college admissions processes I think overall [prominent that much, Harvard student critics of affirmative action] and former Chronicle Assisare not trying to really help tant News Editor Indu PandAsian students,” Moon said. ey ’18 said.

“There’s a weird concep“Although Asians might be helped, their motive is some- tion that everyone here talks about [the lawsuit], but the thing entirely different.”

Blum and his projects re- people here who are literally ceived almost $2.9 million at Harvard were the ones that from DonorsTrust—which weren’t affected by bias and gives money from conserva- affirmative action,” Pandey tive donors to a number of said. “They were either bencauses—and affiliated non- efited by affirmative action, profits between 2010 and affirmative action had no effect on them or they were able 2015, according to Politico.

Upper School Dean Celso to overcome whatever potenCardenas said that he hopes tial negative bias there might that those who take up a have been.”

Gong said that though the cause, like the one around affirmative action, are genuine- case does not affect her directly anymore, she personally invested.

“You just question what ly believes that it’s important the motivation is behind cer- to consider the motivations of tain individuals, especially the groups that are backing those that don’t have kind of a the lawsuit.

“I think these backers are personal stake in something,” Cardenas said. “Is it more so definitely pushing their own political agenda, and I that they’re trying don’t think they have to do this to move the students’ best ina certain agenda tentions in mind conforward or just for sidering how dividnotoriety?” ed our own opinions The plaintiffs of are,” Gong said. “Rethe lawsuit contend gardless of the results that Harvard uses of the lawsuit, I’m amW ’ a policy of “racial Celso bivalent about how balancing” in which Cardenas influential this case it artificially lowis. What gives them ers the amount of the right to decide what’s Asian-Americans students, right for schools all across while admitting less qualified applicants from other racial the country? Shouldn’t the backgrounds, according to students get a say?”

Regardless of the results The New York Times.

The group filed court doc- of the lawsuits, the diversity uments in at federal court in that affirmative action policies seek to increase on camBoston in June.

The information field in- pus is an integral part of the cludes an analysis of more college experience, Gong said.

“I honestly feel like I didn’t than 160,000 student records that revealed Harvard consis- understand what diversity tently rated Asian-American was until I entered college,” applicants lower than others Gong said. “When your roomon traits like “positive per- mate is Australian, your stand sonality, likability, courage, partner is from Tallahassee, kindness and being widely re- Florida and your classmates in your math section alone spected.”

One of the documents in- are from five different coundicated that though Harvard tries, you start to understand conducted an internal inves- how different peoples’ experitigation into its admissions ences are and how important policies in 2013 and found it is to value every experience. bias against Asian-American I’m in favor of affirmative acapplicants, the school never tion. It might seem ironic conmade the findings public or sidering this is the very poliacted on them, according to cy that could have prevented me from being accepted, and The New York Times.

Harvard student Anna you might think I’m only sayGong ’18 said the Harvard ing this because I got in, but College administration has I understand that there is a not addressed the student bigger societal picture that body as a whole and that dis- needs to be seen to.”

HITE S

cussion about affirmative action usually only occurs be-

*Names have been changed

1948 Regents of University of California v.

Bakke

1997 California Proposition 209

2013 Harvard internal investigation

2018 Justice and Education Departments investigation

B6 Features

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

Meditating on Medication Students and faculty discuss the use of non-Western medicinal practices and their presence in society.

By Sarah Healy and Anusha Mathur

stability in my life, and that was just a way I knew how.”

Meditating in a cultural For Tara Reddy ’20, sitting context has been an integral on the cold cement of her back part of Reddy’s life from a porch with her eyes closed and young age. In contrast, Head hands folded on her knees as of Upper School Laura Ross’s the sun dips below the horizon first exposure to non-Western is a daily practice. Surround- medicine was in an educaed by candles, lavender and tional setting. When she was white sage incense sticks, she asked by a former colleague to inhales the herbal fragrances, teach an academic elective on and said she feels them drift mindfulness and meditation, through her body. After five Ross had no prior experience minutes, her heart beat slows with non-Western practicdown and her mind begins to es. She now regularly meditates and teaches clear. With her body centering exercises relaxed and thoughts such as journaling, less clouded, Reddy controlled breathsaid she concludes her ing and meditation. daily meditation, ready Ross said that to begin her homework. although non-WestReddy was initially ern medicine is exposed to meditation becoming more and incense-burning mainstream, its through Hindu puja, a religious connotaprayer ritual she per’ tions have preventforms with her family.

Tara ed it from gaining At age ten, when she Reddy ‘20 widespread accepstarted to experience high blood pressure and con- tance in the United States.

“For a long time, mindfulsistent stress, she turned to the methods she had been ness and meditation were conusing her whole life for relief. sidered religious,” Ross said.

“Certain scents in gener- “Certainly Buddha was talking al just calm your body down, about this stuff 25,000 years and if you have a certain scent ago, but this is really a secuassociated with an activity lar wellness movement too.”

As alternative techniques such as meditation and smell them, it naturally makes you are increasingly accepted as feel calm,” Reddy said. “I just secular medicinal practices, needed some aspects of Eastern medicine p e a c e have been integrated into the community.

Upper a n d school School Dean of Students Jordan Church and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher and Counselor Michelle Bracken redesigned the sophomore Life Lab class to include mindfulness units, and yoga classes, wellness-related clubs and weekly faculty meditation groups at school provide both faculty and students avenues to learn about new techniques.

Even so, the public has held back from readily accepting such forms of medicine because of a perceived lack of evidence supporting the practices, Arya Nielsen, former acupuncturist and Assistant Clinical Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount S i n a i , white s

said. She said she has titioner, has been exposed to seen prejudice coming from alternative medicine her whole the medical community life. Growing up, she said she as they struggle to accept doubted the efficacy of acunon-pharmaceutical options. puncture and herbal medicine, “The medical profession but said she has ultimately continues to situate acupunc- grown to respect the practices. ture as ‘alternative medicine’ “It is fascinating how inwhich implies ‘not studied,’” serting paper thin needles into Nielsen said. “This is a myth.” strategic spots in your body Acupuncture is approved can facilitate healing,” Kim by the Joint Commission for said. “I think herbal medicine inpatient pain care, the largest also relies more heavily on the hospital accreditation orga- cooperation between nature nization in the United States, and the human body by usNielsen said. The ing plants most recent analand roots ysis found that Some people see as primaacupuncture is ry ingrediit as just easy exercise or ents, while effective for chronic pain and its even a trend, and I think W e s t e r n benefits persistis some people are against medicine ed after one year, a lot more the spiritual connection industrial.” something that no other medication However, the practice entails.” has demonstrated. non-WestUpper school —Cindy Gannon ern practicyoga teacher Cinare still Yoga Instructor es dy Gannon said not stuthat another facdents’ first tor affecting the spread of choice for treatment, clininon-Western practices is the cal psychologist Alexa Rabin prejudice against it from the ’03 said. She said that she public. According to a survey thinks looking to Western of 189 respondents, 15 per- medicine for solutions is incent have been criticized or grained in American society. received backlash for using “Their cultural influencnon-Western practices. Gan- es, whether it be family, sonon said she has been criti- cioeconomic, ethnic, racial or cized for practicing yoga, as other, may have taught them people view it as a fad rather to rely on Western medicine than a natural way to improve when they are experiencing mental and physical health. a health issue,” Rabin said.

“Some people see it as “Our healthcare system supjust easy exercise or even a ports Western medicine. Some trend, and I think some peo- health plans may not cover or ple are against the spiritual reimburse for alternative therconnection the practice en- apies, leaving individuals with tails,” Gannon said. “I have limited reimbursable options.” even had people tell me that Monica Guggenheim ’99, a my job as a yoga teacher is licensed clinical social workstupid and not very serious.” er, said that she believes Reddy has faced judgment non-Western medicine can be for meditating in the past, but beneficial but that it should be she said that she believes us- used in conjunction with Westing a non-Western form of relief ern prescription medication. does not have to be associated “There are times when Westwith a particular religion. For ern medicine, such as psychiher, it is simply a way through atry, is absolutely necessary which she improves her and highly recommended,” mental and physical health. Guggenheim said. “However, “I like to hold off on us- just addressing the symptoms ing prescription medication,” with medication does not Reddy said. “I just need to change the maladaptive befind more peace through- haviors underlying stress or out the day so that I do not unhelpful thinking patterns.” get stressed out and stress Similarly, Teen Line does not reflect physically.” Program Director and liGannon also said censed marriage and famnon-Western medicine can be ily therapist Cheryl Eskin frustrating because its ben- said that using non-Westefits may not be as obvious. ern medicine together with “Non-Western practic- Western medicine is ideal. es do take longer because it “I think our world is scientifdoes take work to heal from ically driven, so people want to whatever ailment you are do what has been ‘proven,’ and suffering from, and it takes do not always take alternative consistency,” Gannon said. medication seriously,” Eskin Lucy Kim ’19, whose fa- said. “Ideally, I think people ther is a former acupuncturist would embrace and use both and oriental medicine prac- to complement each other.”

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH HEALY AND MADISON HUGGINS

OCT. 3, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

BY SPENCER KLINK

issues and confine them to the margins makes them more pervasive withWith a few minutes remaining be- in society by recreating stigma and not fore her first period history class Sept. allowing us to address the problem.”

The allegations of sexual harass28, Jaya Nayar ’20 focused intensely on her computer screen. She wasn’t ment surrounding Kavanaugh come working on homework or finishing roughly thirty years after Anita Hill, a up a last-minute essay. Instead, like former professor at University of Oklamany others acorss the nation, she homa at the time of her allegations, was watching the hearings with Brett accused Supreme Court Justice ClarKavanaugh and Christine Blasey ence Thomas of sexual misconduct.

Ford. Nayar said she was shocked at Hill’s allegations also entered the fray during Thomas’ nomination process what she was witnessing.

Ford testified to the trauma she and resulted in 10 days of televised said she experienced when she was hearings. Coco Kaleel ’20 said she beallegedly assaulted by Supreme Court lieves the Kavanaugh hearings have nominee Kavanabecome so signifiugh when they were cant because this is The majority both teenagers. Over the second time asof Americans believe 20 million people sault allegations have watched as the hearcome out during the sexual assault is bad, ings were broadcast, appointment of a new which is good, but according to Reuters. justice.

Republicans need to Both Kavanaugh and “In history class, take a stricter stance on we talked about [the Ford said they were this.” confident in the truth Kavanaugh hearings] of their testimonies, — Will Berlin ’19 because it is a historbut their accounts ic moment, especialwere polar opposites. ly because the last At the hearings, United States time something like this happened Senator Lindsey Graham of South was with Hill,” Coco Kaleel ’20 said. “I Carolina criticized Ford’s allegations think times have changed. I’ve seen it as “the most unethical sham since on social media too.” [he’s] been in politics.” Kavanaugh Will Berlin ’19, who describes himself painted Ford’s allegations as himself as a libertarian, agreed that purely political and with no factual conservative politicians need to take basis, only meant to prevent the nom- a more strong stance against sexual ination of a new conservative justice. assault.

Nayar said she felt that conserva“[Conservatives] have to get with tive representatives do not adequately the times here,” Berlin said. “The marespond to issues of sexual assault, jority of Americans believe that sexuallowing the problem to continue un- al assault is bad, which is good, but noticed.

Republicans need to take a stricter “I think that the way that conser- stance on this.” vatives do things, such as saying that The allegations against Kavanawhat happened to Christine Blasey ugh come after the rise of the feminist Ford doesn’t matter or isn’t really rele- movement #MeToo, which was first vant, is morally reprehensible,” Nayar created on social media platform MySsaid. “I also think that the way that pace by Tarana Burke in 2006 and conservatives refuse to discuss these gained traction in 2017 after numer-

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FEATURES B7

ous celebrities revealed that producer came more outspoken. Student acHarvey Weinstein had been harassing tivism, especially since 2016, has inthem. Women and nonbinary indi- creased so much.” viduals shared stories of abuse and In moving forward, students said harassment on social media with the that are a number of goals which goal of challenging rape culture and movements like #MeToo need to acexposing assault. complish, such as working toward Students such as Dahlia Low ’20 including other marginalized commusaid they believe that the #MeToo nities into the discussion on sexual movement has helped shift conversa- assault.

“I’m very grateful that celebrities tions more in favor of survivors. Low said that this change can be seen in are speaking out and making this the reaction to the Kavanaugh hear- more of a mass movement,” Low said.

“However, I do think that a lot of peoings.

“A lot of the supporters of Kavana- ple that are speaking out who are in ugh have been very cruel to Dr. Ford the media are people with money who can afford lawyers to sue and sent her death threats, their abusers and get out and she’s had to relocate of situations. I think that twice, but there definitely is we need to work more on more awareness in the leadbringing voices that we arership,” Low said. “They can’t en’t always talking about to just discount her because she light. That includes a lot of is a survivor and the #MeToo minority opinions who armovement has really brought en’t in the spotlight, whose an awareness of rape culture ’ stories aren’t being told. We to society.”

Dahlia need to focus on them and Low said that she expects Low ’20 get their stories out.” the Kavanaugh hearings to Additionally, when it comes to relead to more discussions about asforming feminist activism on campus, sault.

“I definitely think that the school students agreed that the best place community as teenagers is more to begin is by staying educated and aware of what is happening,” Low said. aware on current events like the Ka“For instance, we were watching the vanaugh hearings.

“I think that staying aware of the Kavanaugh hearings during a lunch period. You have much more political news is not that hard, but a lot of awareness among students, which is people don’t do it,” Nayar said. “It’s as really good for starting a conversation simple as getting notifications on your for how we as the next generation can phone. Just read the headlines. You don’t even have to read the article.” fix rape culture.”

Low said that student awareness Will Newhart ’19 said he expects a strong response from the feminist on sexual assault is key to mobilizing movement if Kavanaugh is appointed. a response to the problem.

“We need to understand that this “If Kavanaugh does get put on the Supreme Court, it’ll definitely be a isn’t a problem that is going to solve blow to the movement, but it will still itself,” Low said. “We have to be the inspire more activism and a push to- ones to solve it, for starters by not letward that,” Newhart said. “I feel like ting someone who is a known sexuthat’s what happened when President al abuser into the one of the highest Trump got elected. More people be- courts in the land.”

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER KLINK

B8 Features

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

Commemorating Zwemer Hearts are filled with cherished memories of history teacher.

By Kendall Dees and Sophie Haber

things crossed my mind, and I mean this in my heart of hearts,” Walch said at the assembly. “I want Brilliant, passionate, talented to be in a place that has students and witty. During his 29 years of like [Zwemer] was when I taught teaching at Harvard-Westlake, Eric him at St. Albans School. I also Zwemer impacted the lives of stu- want to be in a place where my dents and teachers alike. From his colleagues are like [Zwemer]. So, I engaging lectures to his legend- got two-in-one. Well, actually I got ary sense of humor, he stood out three-in-one. I got a great friend.” in the community as a man who At the assembly, Commons read had earned respect and admira- an excerpt from an email sent by tion from everyone who knew him. Chronicle Digital Managing Editor Zwemer died peacefully Sept. Lucas Gelfond ’19 to Zwemer eight 13, surrounded by friends and days before he died. family. The following morning, the “You are easily one of the best school community gathered in teachers I have had,” Gelfond the Taper Gym to wrote. “Your passhare memories of sion, knowledge, Zwemer.

His love of history, engagement and President Rick are so clear his students and teaching effort Commons, Viin each 45-minute sual Arts, In- inspired us each and every period. I tell nearly t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y day.” everyone around Studies and Indeme that you are —Katherine Holmes-Chuba one of the smartpendent Research History Teacher est people I’ve ever and Performing Arts teacher Ted met. The best hisWalch, Head of tory teacher and Upper School Laura Ross and Fa- most engaging lecturer I’ve ever ther James Young, who returned to had. I mean that.” campus for the assembly, all spoke Since receiving news of his passto the impact that he had on the ing, students and faculty have conschool. tinued to reflect on Zwemer’s life Walch, who taught Zwemer and legacy at the school. Chloe as an eighth-grader at St. Albans Donovan ’19, who was enrolled in School in Washington D.C., shared his classes for two years in a row, stories about Zwemer from his per- remembered covering her dean’s spective as a longtime friend and desk with post-it notes to try and colleague. request Zwemer for her junior year.

“When I got a call to come here Determined to experience his thetwo years [after Zwemer], two atrical and dynamic lectures for another year, Donovan wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I went into his class in tenth grade not loving history as a subject,” Donovan said. “It was probably one of my least favorite because I was never really interested that much in what they were saying, but he honestly made me look at history in a

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completely different way, like instead of just looking at a bunch of dates and sequences and events, like he completely transformed it for me.”

Commons said he remembered being a young teacher, watching Zwemer stride to and from classes in his blazer and tie. Although Zwemer always seemed to be taking the job of teaching seriously, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t incredibly funny and fun to be around, Commons said.

“The most important thing, clearly, to him was the teaching life that he chose and being ready to do everything he could in every class and be inspiring and instructive as one could possibly be,” Commons said.

“For me, that was inspiring to watch. He was a role model.”

For close to 30 years, history teacher Katherine Holmes-Chuba worked with Zwemer to teach art history.

“Our art history team meetings were a joy, and we had so much fun expanding our lectures and fine-tuning assignments that we came up with,” Holmes-Chuba said.

“I will miss those exchanges dearly. We carpooled for many years and became close friends. He was a wonderful friend and truly one of the funniest people of all time.

He would have the department in stitches with his so-called ‘funny voices.’ My personal favorite was Marvin the Martian.”

Within the history department, Zwemer helped those around him become better teachers, Holmes-Chuba said.

“The breadth of his knowledge was truly astounding,” Holmes-Chuba said. “His love of history, his students and teaching inspired us each and every day.

No one worked harder and no one could get to the heart of the matter faster than [Zwemer]. His intellect was fierce.”

Those who learned under Zwemer’s instruction recall the vivacity that he brought to every lecture, whether he was performing William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech or bringing history alive through accents and languages.

“He is lecture-based, particularly in his art history class,” Walch said. “They are performances. They speak well for that kind of teaching.

He and I are very different teachers, but my respect for him and admiration for him is boundless.”

Walch attributed Zwemer’s talent as an engaging lecturer to his background in acting and performance. At St. Albans School, Walch directed Zwemer in a production of the British comedy “Beyond the Fringe.” He recalls the production as one of his fondest memories at his time at St. Albans with Zwemer.

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N OF VOX Walch POPU LI remembers Zwemer being so talented and perfectly matched with the three other boys starring in the production that he barely needed to give them much direction at all.

“I think they all agreed without ever saying it that [Zwemer] was the smartest of the bunch, [Zwemer] was the most prepared of the bunch and [Zwemer] was outrageously the funniest of the bunch,” Walch said. “He’s screamingly funny. I mean to this day when I think of one of the sketches he did in the Fringe, I can just laugh.”

After receiving news of his death, alumni who had taken Zwemer’s classes shared their memories of him on Facebook (included on A1).

Posts include art history graduate students crediting him for helping them find their life passion, students remembering him as the “most engaging lecturer [they’ve] ever encountered” and alumni reflecting on how lucky they were to have had the opportunity be in his class.

There will be a memorial service held Friday, Oct. 5 in St. Saviour’s Chapel that will be open for students and alumni to attend. Following the service, people will have the opportunity to share memories of Zwemer in an open mic session.

“I think [Zwemer’s] words to you would be two-fold,” Walch told students and faculty present at the assembly Sept. 14. “The first is always bring your A-game; he always did. And, the second is, never ever forget to laugh.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle •Oct. 3, 2018

ASMR You Satisfied?

ASMR has gained popularity through social media as a form of entertainment, but research demonstrates its efficacy.

By Jordan Murray and Sarah Reiff The crunch of an apple.

The tapping of a pencil. The whisper that “everything will be okay.”

While these sounds are seemingly random, they have one thing in common: they are all a part of one of the Internet’s newest crazes, autonomous sensory meridian response, or more commonly known as ASMR. Although only more recently popularized, ASMR has been going around the Internet for years. ASMR is a physical sensation that is brought on by some sort of noise, such as whispering, scratching or page turning. For some, these sounds can trigger a tingling sensation on their skin and bring on feelings of relaxation, leading to it gaining popularity not only as an Internet trend but also as a form of anxiety relief.

Professor of Psychology at Univerity of Sheffield Giulia Poerio was one of the first doctors to conduct scientific research on the effects of ASMR. She credits ASMR’s newfound popularity with the fact that it works to help people relax.

“The term ASMR has only recently come into the public sphere, meaning that people now have the language to describe a feeling that they may have experienced for most of their lives,” Poerio said. “I think ASMR videos are so popular because they work and help people with things like stress.”

People felt the benefits before the term ASMR was coined in 2010, but they just didn’t know what to call it, she said.

“It’s important to remember that although there is a large community of ASMR content online, this feeling existed before there was a term for it so people can, and often do, experience ASMR in everyday life situations,” Poerio said.

“YouTube has allowed people to experience this feeling ‘on demand’ to

help promote relaxation.”

Despite ASMR’s long existence, the lack of scientific reasoning behind it prevented people from doing research up until the past few years. However, now that studies regarding ASMR are becoming more common, research is supporting what was once just speculation.

A c cording to research done by the Swansea University in 2015, out of 475 people who regularly watched ASMR, 98 percent thought that ASMR was helpful in providing relaxation, 82 percent reported that ASMR helped them sleep and 70 percent used ASMR to help deal with stress.

Naomi Ogden ’20 agreed with the findings and said that she has found ASMR to be a helpful tool to aid her stress.

“If it is something that would normally be soothing, like going to the hair salon, getting your hair done or something like that, then that’s good,” Ogden said. “But, if it’s just someone haphazardly poking at some slime, it’s just very anxiety-inducing. [The feeling is] just like a wash of calm, like I’m transported to somewhere else. I can take my mind off whatever’s going on.”

The question, though, about whether or not people who do not get that “tingling” sensation can still feel the benefits of ASMR is up in the air.

“Whether or not ASMR videos could be a tool to help people who don’t experience ASMR is an open question,” Poerio said. “People who don’t experience ASMR might find ASMR videos relaxing, but that isn’t the same as the response which is a tactile and almost trance-like experience.”

Regardless of the scientifically prov-

en benefits of ASMR, to some, it is viewed as a form of comedy, leading to a new era of memes revolving around the fad. New YouTube creators like 13-year-old Life With Mak have brought on an onslaught of new attention to the ASMR community. Her ASMR skits have been retweeted and shared throughout the summer, bringing her monthly view count from 17,400 in May to 27,580,000 in August.

Life With Mak is not the only one feeling the effects of ASMR’s surge in popularity. After taking five years to get to 600,000 subscribers, Gentle Whisperings, another ASMR YouTuber, gained 830,000 subscribers in the past four months.

With increased attention, ASMR has developed to become more creative, with creators spending more time on their production and performances.

However, just because these videos are more theatrical, it does not necessarily mean they are as effective.

“Anecdotally speaking, I’ve heard some people say that videos with a ‘produced’ style can make their ASMR experience feel less naturalistic, and you can see some artists move back to more basic videos such as simple talking recorded on phones,” Poerio said.

Lola Craig ’20 said the videos are a good form of entertainment.

“I don’t really find it satisfying or helpful for actually calming me down, but I think it is super entertaining,” Craig said. “I think it’s so enjoyable because people do a lot of skits that I enjoy and find funny, especially when they use props. I think that makes ASMR fun to watch and a good laugh.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

C2 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

OCT.

Three students identify the unique aspects of their style and comment on their favorite designs from New York City Fashion Week 2018.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANNIE BECKMAN AND SAMANTHA KO

3, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/AE

By ANNIE BECKMAN

AND

JORDAN MURRAY

Fashion is not only about beauty and design, but it has a deeper meaning and impact for Bianca Garfinkle ’20, Jakob Adler ’20, and Juliet Colitre ’21. Acting as a means of self-expression, it can provide the ability to outwardly express their personality and feelings. The students said fashion helps to better their lives on a day to day basis.

Beyond the aesthetics, fashion helps to relax Garfinkle, she said. When taking a break from homework or studying, Garfinkle said she often thinks about her outfit for the next day.

“It clears my head because you don’t really have to think about anything,” Garfinkle said. “It’s just whatever looks right to you.”

Additionally, Garfinkle likes to incorporate this relaxation through the actual clothes she wears. When it comes to picking out her outfits, being comfortable is her first priority. Garfinkle also said that she values the historical aspect in fashion.

“Obviously fashion has changed over time, and I think it’s interesting to see how history affects people’s tastes,” Garfinkle said.

Design number one seen below, which was showcased on Ulla Johnson’s runway during New York City Fashion Week 2018 and chosen by Garfinkle, provides this sense of history for her.

“I like that this look is kind of old-style,”

A&E C3 Garfinkle said. “I love old music and things, and I wish I lived during that time. Fashion is another way of bringing it closer to me.

I think this look makes it more interesting because it allows me to feel what life was like when my parents were younger, before I was born.”

For Colitre, fashion serves a different purpose — it provides a sense of control by being a constant in her life. She said her outfits allow her to make a bold statement.

“There’s never a day when I’m dressed down very much,” Colitre said. “I always want to go all out. I have a big personality, and I like to express that through my clothing.”

Beyond expression, Colitre described her style as an important aspect of self-acceptance. The comfort Colitre finds in fashion has more to do with feeling balanced and comfortable in her own skin than anything else, she said.

“I’ve struggled with mental illness for most of my life, but learning to find my personal style really helped me cement my confidence and learn to live with and love myself,” Colitre said. “When you dress yourself, you get to decide how you present yourself, and that influences how other people see you. When you’re confident with what you wear, other people respond to that.”

Through discovering her aesthetic, Colitre said she has developed a sense of pride in the clothes she wears. The second design below, created by Alexander Wang for New York City Fashion Week and chosen by Coli-

tre, reflects her bold style.

“I feel drawn to this design because of the story it tells,” Colitre said. “It’s very modern, almost space age, and it feels adventurous and new age.”

Adler, similarly, said fashion is an essential part of his life. If it were taken away, Adler said he would not feel like himself. He uses fashion to stand out and be different.

“There would be a huge part of me missing if I had to dress in shorts and a t-shirt every day,” Adler said. “I used to dress ordinarily and wasn’t comfortable with the way I looked. Fashion has helped me grow into who I am.”

Adler said he is also inspired by the innovation in fashion and how it is constantly changing.

“The idea that culture and countries are so different from each other makes clothing a uniting factor and something that people can relate to each other with,” Adler said.

For Adler, in particular, Japanese fashion is a staple. Design number three, seen below, by Rei Kawakubo from Comme des Garçon HOMME Plus’ Fashion Week show, stuck out to Adler because of its representation of this Japanese style and the inspiration he draws from that.

“Although I don’t wear Comme des Garçon often, I love the pieces they do,” Adler said. “It’s so out there and bright and in your face, and the loud colors are equivalent to the way I act, and the way I talk. It correlates with my personality, and who I am.

Innovative, fresh fashion can never get old.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

C4 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 3, 2018

Bass player Jasper Richards ’20, guitarist Otis Gordon ’20 and singer Lauren Juzang ’20 formed an alternative-indie band and have played at a number of professional gigs this year. They will be releasing a new album mid-year.

By JOANNA IM The large crowd excitedly cheered as Deli Hours, a rising indie band formed by Harvard-Westlake students, finished up their most recent gig at hipster cafe, Homie, in Manhattan Beach.

Deli Hours unofficially formed at the beginning of their freshman year in 2016 when the original band members, Otis Gordon ‘20, Lauren Juzang ‘20 and Jasper Richards ‘20, met. “[Richards] and I met [Juzang] officially for the first time one night on the beach,” Gordon said. “[Richards] and I were both amazed by [Juzang]’s unique voice. Next thing you know, we’re in the studio recording our first song together ‘Cactus Love.’”

The band members play alternative music that is influenced by jazz, R&B and indie styles but are open to trying out different music styles, Juzang said.

“We make indie-R&B-alternative music is the best way to describe it,” band vocalist Juzang said.

“When we write, we just write something that we think sounds good and that we feel proud of, not necessarily to fit a genre. Inspirations come from everywhere.”

The band is often influenced by their friends, their surroundings and the members themselves, Richards said.

“Our inspiration comes

from [Gordon]’s and my love for the genre of jazz,” Richards said. “We are both in jazz band together, so the music is around us daily.”

The members of the band also expressed that being close friends in addition to their common knowledge of music theory connected their group.

“There aren’t any defined roles because on every song there is

a different stratification of power,” Gordon said. “On some songs, [Richards] has a specific vision for the lyrics and chords and on others, [Juzang] has an image of what direction she wants the mood and lyrics to go to. I feel like this is the best way for us to create the best sound because we can constantly come up with fresh ideas.”

Recently, the

band started booking more professional gigs.

The band invites additional student members to play with them based on what instruments they need for a particular song, Gordon said.

The band finds guest players from the school jazz band.

“We’ve started working with a few recording engineers who we know who also help with production, but the main parts we can do ourselves,” Juzang said. “We’ve started branching out to more professional studios.”

Because of their professional gigs, the band now records their music in professional studios, Richards said.

“We have used Logic on my laptop but recently have been going to my friend’s studio,” Richards said.

“Our music production has been getting better and better as we have started to narrow down what type of sound we are going for.”

The band is now working on a new album in addition to performing gigs at places such as Aviator Nation on Dec. 7 and Buffalo Exchange Sherman Oaks on Oct. 20. Grace Burton ’20 booked the gigs and will play trumpet for them in future shows.

“I’m super excited for this year with the band because we have so many things to look forward to,” Juzang said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO AND JOANNA IM

Crossword

Teacher Feature

Science teacher Nate Cardin presents Harvard-Westlake with a word challenge, this time, featuring teachers from our school. Crossword puzzles will be featured in every issue.

41. Roof overhangs 42. Volcanic output 43. Kind of torch on “Survivor” 44. FBI employees 46. Fishing gear 47. Australian rapper Iggy ___ 49. San Diego baseball player 51. TV commercial in the UK 53. October birthstone 55. Average grade (not at HW, but on the grading scale, anyway) 56. Melodies of a certain HW administrator?

62. Type of salad dressing (or appetizer dip) 64. ___ Raton, Florida 65. Statistical calculation of a set of number that isn’t the mean or median 66. Dodge and avoid 67. Flightless birds 68. Christmas song 69. Take the wheel 70. One way to order a steak 71. Slanted type: abbr.

CROSSWORD BY NATE CARDIN

Across 1. Get ready (for) 5. Sorry! or Monopoly 9. ___ Lama 14. Dice throw 15. Iranian money 16. Apple digital music players 17. Woodwind instrument

18. Condition of sale of a used item, often 19. Schwarzenegger’s nickname, to some 20. Enemy of a certain HW dean?

23. “Golly!”

24. No longer here 25. Element #55

27. Place on a jacket for a pin or flower 30. Loud sounds 32. Obama’s key achievement, briefly 33. Flourish 36. Many 39. Global health scare of 2002-2003

Down 1. “Sure thing! No ___!

2. Prefix for cop or call 3. Tesla CEO ___ Musk 4. Oath 5. Oat, for example 6. Location in a supermarket or wedding 7. Thing that comes more in the e- variety and less in the snail variety these days 8. “Frozen” princess 9. von Furstenberg, Sawyer, and Keaton 10. Month after Mar.

11. Tropical getaway for a certain HW English teacher?

12. French farewell 13. “___ to recall...”

21. Nine-___ battery 22. Most frosty 26. Tightly close 27. Definitely not first 28. Trendy antioxidant berry 29. Roadway for a certain HW science teacher?

30. Skin care brand 31. Bakery appliance 34. Doctor’s concern 35. Seething anger 37. Done with 38. London art gallery ___ Modern 40. Small, medium, or large 45. Like unwanted stuff in your inbox 48. Animated cartoon about a dysfunctional spy agency 50. Graduates of a school (who are often asked to donate) 51. Large lots of lands 52. Passed out cards, like in a poker game 53. Take place 54. Stage of development 57. Lyft competitor 58. Capital of Italia 59. Fireplace residue 60. Notion 61. Biological building block 63. Alphabet trio Scan for Answers!

SPORTS The Chronicle • Oct. 3, 2018

Boys’ Water Polo

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

SHOOT YOUR SHOT: Attacker Ryan Neapole ’19 prepares to shoot over a defender in their home victory against Notre Dame on Sept. 4. The Wolverines defeated the Knights 15-1 to kick off their season and claim first place in the Mission League. The squad now has a perfect 3-0 league record heading into the season’s second half.

Team rolls through elite eight

By W ILLIAM S EYMOUR

The Wolverines reached back to back tournament championships, winning the Elite 8 title game Sept. 15 but losing in the finals of the South Coast Tournament on Sept. 22.

The Wolverines had triumphed over Newport Harbor in the semifinals of the Elite 8 Tournament 11-7 just a week earlier, but fell short of back-to-back tournament titles when they lost 13-11 in the championship game of the South Coast Tournament.

“The South Coast Tournament was frustrating for us as a whole,” attacker Alexandru Bucur ’19 said. “We stopped playing as the disciplined team we’ve prided ourselves on being. As a result, we ended up in very close games with a lot of teams that weekend before ultimately losing to Newport in the final.”

The loss in the championship game of the South Coast Tournament capped off the Wolverines’ record at 11-2.

Earlier in the tournament, the boys beat Edison High

School 19-2, San Clemente High School 11-4 and Santa Margarita High School 10-9 in their three pool play games, the games in the tournament before the semifinals.

In the semifinals of the South Coast Tournament, the squad faced Campolindo High School in a match that went into golden goal overtime, which happens when the score is tied at the end of regulation.

Once overtime starts, the first team to score is the winner.

The Wolverines won the match 11-10.

“

We ended up turning towards the coaching staff and really embraced taking pride in being more disciplined than we were, which led to our success.”

— Nolan Krutonog ‘20 Goalkeeper

In the championship game of the Elite 8 Tournament, the Wolverines defeated Sacred Heart Preparatory School 12-5 on Sept. 15.

The Wolverines lost to Sacred Heart in their second game of the tournament 1011, but Pierce Maloney ’19,

WHITE’S

said the loss united the players and allowed them to focus on improving themselves for the final. Goalkeeper Nolan Krutonog ’20 agreed that the loss helped the team.

“We ended up turning towards the coaching staff and • Continued on D3

Boys’ Tennis

Head coach leaves after 18 years ships under Simpson and are currently on a 198 match win Boys’ tennis program head streak in league matches.

Before coming to the school, Chris Simpson elected to step down as the head of the pro- Simpson worked with the jugram after helping the varsity nior tennis program at Hilltennis team achieve a 22-1 re- crest Country Club and was cord and a Division I title last a coach at the Santa Monica Tennis Center. season.

Varsity player MiSimpson worked chael Thomas ’20 at the school for 18 was sad to see their years, having coached longtime head coach boys’ tennis all 18 depart but also exyears, girls’ tennis for pressed optimism for 15 years and boys’ the future of the prosoccer on both camgram. puses.

During his “I’m very sad that tenure, Simpson led ’ [Simpson] is leavthe boys’ program to Michael ing Harvard-Westfive CIF-SS and four Thomas ’20 lake,” Thomas said.

Division I champion“I have known him ships, including backto-back titles the past two sea- since I was around ten years sons. The boys’ team also won old, from playing at his sum18 Mission League champion- mer camps, and it is really sad

By MATTHEW LEE

WHITE S

to see him leave after such a long and victorious career. He left Harvard-Westlake a true champion, and we will all miss having him around us as both a coach and a friend.”

Simpson was also credited by players for having a positive influence on players on and off the court. “[Simpson] was a great head coach and team leader,” Varsity player David Arkow ’20 said. “He really cared about all of us both as tennis players and as people. He has played a big role in my high school tennis experience and has helped make it a memorable one that I will never forget.”

Varsity player Pat Otero ’21 also expressed appreciation for Simpson’s understanding and consideration for players.

“Coach Simpson was a ded-

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MICHAEL THOMAS

BACK TO BACK: Simspon (right) led his squad to two championships in a row in 2017 and 2018. He coached for 18 seasons. icated person and a players coach,” Otero said. “He always cared about our health and well-being in addition to winning matches.”

Despite the loss of Simpson, Thomas remains confident in the squad’s ability to succeed in the future.

“No matter who the next coach is, our team will find ways to get to where we want to be again,” Thomas said. “[Simpson] has left his mark, and no matter who our coach is next spring, his impact will still be felt.”

D2 SPORTS

Game to watch

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 3, 2018

Football

OCTOBER 4

Girls’ Volleyball vs. Notre Dame Taper Gymnasium After losing 3-2 to Notre Dame High School earlier this year, the Harvard-Westlake volleyball team looks to redeem themselves on their home court. Despite the loss, the team bounced back with a two-game win streak beating Marlborough twice. This is also the team’s senior night and final face-off with Notre Dame in the regular season.

KEY PLAYER Lindsey Kelly ‘19 Princeton commit, cocaptain and setter Lindsey Kelly ’19 is looking to keep the team’s CIF run alive. In 2017, she was 2nd team all area and has been a big contributor to the team. She is no stranger to the CIF setting where she helped lead the Wolverines to a comeback against Temecula Valley last year.

& Figures Facts

Boys’ water polo win percentage

33.3 Girls’ volleyball state ranking

0

.91 Football’s average points per game

10

Goals field hockey has let up at home

Junior Varsity Field Hockey Next Game: Oct. 4 vs. Chaminade

Girls' Tennis Next Game:

Oct. 4 @ Notre Dame

Girls' Volleyball Next Match: Oct. 4 vs. Notre Dame

Boys' Water Polo Next Match: Oct. 17 vs. St. Francis

Football Next Game: Oct. 6 vs. St. Genevieve

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

RUNNING IT: (Left) Quarterback Jameson Wang ’20 passes in the Homecoming game against St. Anthony High School on Saturday. (Top Right) Running back Sultan Daniels ’19 runs in the same game. (Bottom Right) Kicker Liam Weetman ’21 kicks off in the Homecoming game.

New coach’s first season hindered by injuries

By KEILA MCCABE

With several injuries to key starters, the football team is focusing on developing young players and adjusting to new football program head Michael Burnett.

“We have had a lot of bad luck with injuries,” Burnett said. “I am proud of our young players for measuring up. We are trying to build a program where kids can enjoy playing for all four years.”

The squad lost 27-48 to St. Francis High School on Sept. 21 but said they were proud of their performance against a strong team and saw it as an opportunity to strengthen pre-league play.

Starting quarterback Jameson Wang ’20 left the game early with a hip injury and quarterback Mar-

shall Howe ’21 filled in. “[Burnett] does a fantastic job in developing our younger guys, whether it’s in practice or in the actual games,” Howe said. “In practice, everyone gets a ton of reps whether it’s on scout team or running our own offense and defense.

Also, this year we’ve been fortunate enough to have guys be able to get into the varsity games as well as having a full JV schedule.”

Since last season, Burnett and the Wolverines have reconstructed their offense to primarily run the ball rather than pass.

Offensive lineman Vito Ameen ’20 noted the upside to the heavy run game.

“I’m a big fan of Coach Burnett’s run-heavy offense,” Ameen said. “Our heavy run game opens up the

passing game, giving an opportunity for passes downfield due to the defense having to worry about the run.”

Running back Sultan Daniels ’19 has increased touches throughout the season due to Burnett’s heavy running offense.

Daniels leads the team in yards and has scored at least one touchdown in every victory thus far.

Daniels said blocks and trust are very important in order for him to succeed.

“I need to trust everyone in front of me to do their job in order for me to run where the play is designed to go,” Daniels said. “The absolute faith that Coach Burnett has in us with all of the risks he takes transfer over to the way the team feels about each other.”

With a strong perfor-

mance against St. Francis, the Wolverines have set high expectations for the rest of the season.

Last year, they had an overall record of 8-3 and league record of 3-2, exiting in the first round of CIF playoffs.

Burnett said he has higher hopes for this year.

“We believe we can win our league,” Burnett said.

“If we can go toe-to-toe with St. Francis, we have a shot at winning our league and making a good run in playoffs. That always has to be our goal. We have to compete for a CIF Championship, whether we win or not, that has to be the mindset for our program.”

The Wolverines’ next game will be at St. Genevieve on Oct. 5 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Field Hockey

Team remains undefeated for two consecutive seasons

By LUKE CASOLA

hand what it takes to win championships. The playThis year’s field hockey ers work hard every practice team looks to build upon their to improve their skills and winning streak after finishing to push their games to the with a record-breaking unde- next level. Finally, we have feated 20-0 season in 2017. been lucky to have three Currently, the squad is outstanding freshmen, [Belundefeated with an overall la Ganocy ’22, Ella Ganocy ’22 and Fiene Oerrecord of 8-0 and a lemans ’22,] join league record of 2-0. the team this year; The results of the all of whom are game against Glengreat at scoring.” dora High School The team has not were not available lost a game since as of press time. the 2016 season.

There are many Center mid fieldreasons that the er Rachel Brown team is undefeat’20 said that she ed so far this sea’ attributes the son, Head Coach Rachel team’s success to Erin Creznic said.

Brown’20 the strong bonds “The girls have among teammates. great chemistry, “We are all good friends and they all have a lot of fun playing together as a team,” on and off the field,” Brown Creznic said. “We’ve also said. “This allows us to amazing chemistry been fortunate to have 12 have returning players from last and no teammate ever gets year’s record-breaking team, down about a mistake bewho have experienced first- cause they know that the WHITE S

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

FOCKTOBER: Center mid fielder Rachel Brown ’20 dribbles the ball in a 10-0 win against Westminster High School on Aug. 31. whole team supports them.

I truly love this team.”

During practices, forward Sam Yeh ’20 said that the players prepare and focus on what they can improve on before the next game.

“In practices, we’re always

very competitive with each other,” Yeh said. “We have a lot of fun but we always push each other to get better and play harder which helps the team’s overall skill a lot.”

• Continued on D6

OCT. 3, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

SPORTS D3

inbrief

Girls’ Volleyball

Jameson McMullen ’19 commits to Brown Swimmer Jameson McMullen ’19 committed to Brown University with offers from Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth.

McMullen chose Brown because the open curriculum allowed him to be flexible with his education.

“I can concentrate in neuroscience while still exploring other interest, such as economics,” McMullen said.

His connection with the Brown Swim Team also factored in on his commitment.

“Athletically, the swim team and coaches all have an amazing relationship and made me feel right at home with them,” McMullen said.

He has been swimming since 2008 and specializes in the 200 meter freestyle, but also swims the 50 and 100 freestyle as well.

—Lucas Lee

ASTOR WU/CHRONICLE

PICK IT UP AND SLAM IT DOWN: Britt Gronemeyer ’20 rises up for a spike in Girls Volleyballs 3-0 loss against Marymount High School on Sept. 7 in Taper Gym. The team returns to play Oct. 4 at home against league rival Notre Dame High School.

Team prepares for second half playoff push

By WILL MALLORY

Leading 12-8 in the fifth set, the girls’ volleyball team was three points away from solidifying a victory Sept. 18 against Notre Dame High School. After nearly three hours of back-and-forth play, the Wolverines hoped for one last serving run to defeat their cross-town rival and cement a 2-1 league record.

However, the Knights were not going down without a fight. They proceeded to go on a 9-3 run to defeat the Wolverines and defend their home court. Mobs of navy and gold stormed the court, leaving the Wolverines stunned and exhausted, looking helplessly through the net as the Knights celebrated their 17-15 victory with their teammates and fans.

Two weeks later, the Wolverines said they have only one thing on their mind: revenge.

“We definitely didn’t play to our full potential, and it served as a reality check for us,” opposite Bella Treadwell ’20 said. “We need to clean up our side of the ball so we can show them our true capabilities and beat them at home.”

Despite the loss, the Wolverines impressed in the first half of the season, posting

an overall 21-7 record along with a 3-2 league record. Led

by Girls’ Volleyball program head Hayley Blanchard, the squad also placed well in the Lakewood and Durango Tournaments, re-establishing its dominance outside of league competition and extending its success in tournament play.

In the first round of league matches, the Wolverines defeated Flintridge Sacred Heart High School 3-0 on Sept.

4 but fell 3-0 to Marymount High School three days later.

Outside hitter Britt Gronemeyer ’20 said the loss was tough but she was confident she and her teammates would rebound.

“Obviously losing to Marymount isn’t what we wanted,” Gronemeyer said. “We definitely played competitively, and there are a lot of good things we can take from this game and apply to practices and future matches.”

The squad then fell to Notre Dame but bounced back with a 3-0 win against Marlborough School on Sept. 20, completing the first half of league play.

The Wolverines defeated the Mustangs once again just a week later with an overall score of 3-1.

Defensive specialist Eve Baxter ’19 said that she thinks the squad got distracted by

their opponents’ style of play in the Durango Tournament in Las Vegas from Sept. 14-15. both league losses.

“One of the most important The sophomore hitter said she things for our success this was nervous to play at first but season is treating every team ultimately found comfort in her that we play the same,” Baxter teammate’s encouragement.

“The whole experience was said. “If we focus on our side and our game, we can handle very nerve-wracking at first,” Lekovic said. “The whole team any team we play.”

This summer, the squad was super supportive, which traveled to Hawaii for a week made it a lot easier.”

As the season progresses, to establish team bonds the Wolverines will and develop early continue to refine chemistry both on their skills in hopes of and off the court. making another playoff Throughout the year, push.

Blanchard the team has spent said she has seen a lot of time together a lot of potential both in and out of from her players but school and their acknowledges that connections have there is still a lot of translated well on the W ’ work to be done. court this season.

“As we get towards Britt “While a few losses have definitely stung, Gronemeyer’ 20 the end of season, we are looking for the girls have bounced back stronger,” Blanchard consistency in our serving said. “We have a number of and passing,” Blanchard said. girls who have stepped into “When we are in system, we are new roles and positions and close to unstoppable, so we just have improved a ton over the need to focus on improving our serving and passing slightly to course of the season.”

Most notably, opposite Eva keep our offense at it’s best.”

The squad looks to even Lekovic ’21 has blended well into the Wolverine offense and the series with Notre Dame established her presence on the at 6 p.m. on Oct. 4 in Taper right side. Lekovic, returning Gymnasium and will finish from the 30-day sitout period their league play on Oct. 9 at required from all transfers, Flintridge Sacred Heart High recorded nearly 40 kills during School.

HITE S

Water Polo

Squad dominates in major tournament • Continued from D1

WATCH THE

SEPT. 14 HWTV

SPORTS REPORT

really embraced taking pride in being more disciplined than we were, which led to our success,” Krutonog said.

The Wolverines’ record in the Elite 8 Tournament was 4-1, after beating Vista High School 14-7, Oaks Christian High School 14-1 and Newport Harbor High School 11-7 in addition to Sacred Heart High school.

The squad beat Orange

Lutheran High School 18-6 Sept. 25.

They also beat Crespi Carmelite High School 19-2 in a league match Sept.

26.

They faced off against Mater Dei High School in their homecoming matchup Sept.

29 which they won with a score of 10-5. The homecoming win sets their record at 14-2.

The Wolverines’ next match is set against league opponent Oaks Christian on

Oct. 3. In their last faceoff, the Wolverines won at the Elite 8 Tournament.

In preparation for the game against Oaks Christian High School, Bucur said that the squad is attempting to refocus.

“We are taking a step back and focusing on the fundamentals and identity of our team so we can go back to playing sound, disciplined water polo,” Bucur said.

HWTV presents first SportsReport The students of Broadcast Journalism I and II recently began creating sports video broadcasts, which run through notable sports games explaining who has won or lost, scores and notable players.

They have broadcasted about cross-country, tennis, football, golf and more, and will release a broadcast Friday, which focuses on homecoming game results.

Broadcast Journalist students will soon expand their broadcasts to also include news stories, and later, feature stories.

“I enjoy doing broadcast because I think it’s a specifically interesting way to cover story since not only are you able to just write what happens, but it’s more engaging with the viewer or since it also can provide visual and, audio and live interviews.”Assistant Broadcast Producer, Alexandra Mork ’20 said.

—Allie Landecker

Johnny Juz ang ’20 earns national acclaim Junior small forward Johnny Juzang ’20 has moved up on the Rivals.com, national rankings for boys basketball players, placing as the number twenty ranked player in the entire country, up five spots since Aug. 16th.

He is also listed as the number six small forward in the U.S., according to the website which ranks the top high school athletes in multiple sports from all over the country.

Juzang averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, leading HarvardWestlake to a 22-6 record and earning himself a spot on the First Team All Mission League roster.

Juzang received a five star rating, the highest possible.

Juzang has received 17 scholarship offers, including Kansas, UCLA and USC. Juzang recently also worked out with Assitant Coach Joel Justus from University of Kentucky.

—Kyle Reims

THE CHRONICLE

D4 SPORTS

OCT

Picture Perfect The Wolverines’ sports booth captures each sport as they begin their seasons The Wolverines’ athletic programs are underway.

Field hockey continues its undefeated run, now at a combined 27-0 in this season and last. Girls’ golf is also undefeated, with a victory at the All-League midseason tournament. Continuing with Wolverine success, Boys’ water polo excels in league and tournament play. Cross-country races to a great open with top finishes for the boys’ and girls’ teams.

Girls’ volleyball begins its season well, sitting on a 21-7 overall record, and 3-2 in league play. Football has struggled to overcome injuries en route to a 3-3 record in the first six games. After losing starters, girls’ tennis struggles to recapture last season’s success, currently holding a 2-4 record.

ASTOR WU/CHRONICLE

G v CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

Fanatics: The student section get rowdy with helmet theme during girls’ volleyball loss 0-3 against rival, Marymount High School.

Boys’ Water Polo: Chris Kim ’20 gets up and out of the water preparing to shoot against Notre Dame High School during their 15-1 win.

3, 2018

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

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RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

Field Hockey: Bella Ganocy ’22 shoots during the second blowout of the season against Westminister High School 10-0.

Volleyball: Britt Gronemeyer ’20 and Caroline Tilton ’19 block during Marymount loss.

Cross Country: Avery Keare ’19 leads the pack during the Woodbridge Invitational.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO AND SPENCER KLINK

D6 Sports

Team still dominates league play

The Chronicle

Oct. 3, 2018

Cross Country

•Continued from D2

Compared to last season, this year’s team has allowed more goals.

The squad has let in five goals through eight games after letting in only three goals in all 20 games last season. The results of the game against Glendora on Tuesday were unavailable as of press time.

Despite the strong start to the season, Creznic said that she believes there are a few areas in which the team can improve.

“I feel like the biggest area that we need to focus on is our defense,” Creznic said. “As the saying goes, ‘Offense wins games, but defense wins championships,’ and we haven’t been tested much on defense, which worries me.”

This year’s team consists of five seniors, Isabella Guanche ’19, Isabella Huang ’19, Pizer, Cypress Toomey ’19 and Emily Wesel ’19, compared to last season’s 11 seniors.

The team lost many seniors that played important roles in last year’s CIF titlewinning season including current field hockey player at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mia Reilly ’18.

However, the returning players on the team said that they believe the current seniors have brought the same energy and leadership that the captains did last year.

“The seniors have been a huge factor in our success, both on the field as instrumental players and as leaders off the field,” defender Scarlett Strasberg ’20 said.

“During practice and before games they keep us focused and inspired. On the field, they consistently play great games and are amazing team players.”

The Wolverines are scheduled to play Chaminade High School on Thursday in a non-league matchup and Westlake High School on Monday in a league matchup. Last season, the team shut out both Chaminade and Westlake finishing 2-0 against each team.

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RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

RUN LIKE THE WIND: Diego Ahmad ’20 competes in a race at the Woodbridge Invitational on Sept. 15. At the invitational, Andrew Shibuya ’19 beat his personal record for the three mile race along with other runners. Shibuya finished with a time of 14.59.1.

Runners compete in three invitationals

By Eugene Wyman

Shibuya said. “I think it was important for me to execute The cross country team well on the day, I knew that I has started its year strong at had trained well all summer.”

Shibuya and Aaron de Tolo its first three invitationals.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams ’11 are now the joint record started off their seasons at the holders for the three mile race.

The Wayne Walker InvitaSeaside Invitational on Aug. 31 at the Ventura County Fair- tional on Sept. 22 at Craig Regional Park was the team’s last grounds.

“It was great to see how invitational.

“Woodbridge, and our summer training Wayne Walker went went (at Seaside) and fantastically for both all of the Invitationthe boys and girls.” als were a success,” Alexandra Ankai ’19 Andrew Shibuya ’19 said. said.

With the invitaThe Wolverines tional portion of the experienced success season behind them, at Woodbridge Invitathe squad is now fo’ tional which was held cusing on their league at Silverlake’s Sports Andrew meets.

Shibuya ’19 Park on Sept. 15.

The team’s first At the invitational, multiple runners beat their Mission League meet was personal records, and Shibuya Sept. 26 at Crescenta Valley. tied the school record for a While invitationals are importhree mile race with a time of tant, they have no effect on the team in the postseason.

14.59.1.

“At league meets, we come “I didn’t look at it any differently than another race,” in with very specific goals that white s

are necessary to achieve, and we don’t do that as much or at all for invitationals,” Shibuya said.

Both the girls’ and boy’s teams have high expectations this season.

“The girls are dropping time rapidly, so I’m anticipating a great performance for our first league meet.” Ankai said.

The main goal for the team is to excel in the playoffs and make a run towards state, Shibuya said.

“We want to run well and compete against the rest of the league, but there’s definitely no expectation to completely dominate,” Shibuya said. “The focus is to make it successfully into the postseason and execute from there.”

In preparation for league, the team has increased its workload in practice.

“Practices have definitely gotten harder, volume wise, so a lot of us are trying really hard to bump up our weekly mileage,” Ankai said.

Because of a lack of play after their first league meet, the team has extra time to train for their second league meet Oct. 16.

Shortly after the second league meet, the runners will participate in their final invitational, the Mount SAC Invitational on Oct. 19. Their final regular season race, the Mission League Finals, will be Oct. 31.

“Overall, I think we have an extremely good chance of bringing home a Mission League championship by the end of the season,” Ankai said.

“The boys will be looking out for Loyola, while the girls will mainly be aiming to beat Immaculate heart, Flintridge Sacred Heart, and Notre Dame.”

The Mission League Finals will be the team’s final regular season race Oct. 31.

If the runners meet their expectations, shortly after the Mission League Finals, the team will compete in the CIF Prelims.

Oct. 3, 2018

hWchrOnicle.cOM/SpOrtS

SpOrtS D7

Girls’ Golf

Team begins season with winning record

By Jay LaSSITER

“We’re shooting for a lower team score and our end goal is The girls’ golf team is off to CIF. To get this done we need a strong start with an unde- all our players in the sevenfeated league record of 5-0 after ties.”

These goals have helped narrowly defeating Notre Dame High School 181-182 on Sept. guide the team members 20. The squad also placed first throughout the season and are in the All-League Mid Season leading them to continue their Tournament at Brookside, set- winning streak.

“The team is really great this ting the team up for success for year,” team capthe CIF playtain Daisy Wan offs. said. “So far Despite The team is really ’20 we’re undefeated early success, great this year. So far and we plan to the team capfinish the season tain Skylar we’re undefeated and that way. We are Graham ’20 we plan to finish the really deep this said the team season that way.” year and I’m exis still detercited to get more mined to im—Skylar Graham ’20 wins.” prove upon its Team Captain Wan also said scores, and that the squad’s win their third depth of skill is straight Mission League title. To do this, fundamental to its success.

The consistently strong they will need to keep the determination they had early in team allows the squad to switch the season, and continue to set their lineups each match. Havand reach their goals for the ing multiple lineups gives remainder of the season, Gra- players a break, and helps to maintain the team’s success in ham said.

“As we head into the second future matches. half of the season, we want to The squad continued their hit more greens,” Graham said. winning streak against Mary-

“

JAY LASSITER/CHRONICLE

HOLE IN ONE: Skylar Graham ’20 drives the ball as her teammates watch in a 182-181 victory against Notre Dame High School on Sept. 20. Currently, the team is 5-1 overall as of press time. mount at Rancho Park in a 202-258 match Sept. 27th.

The team faced Marlborough School for Girls at home Oct. 2 but results were unavailable as of print time.

The team hopes to contin-

Girls’ Tennis

Loss of standout sophomore players forces team to rebuild

By ZaCH SCHWaRTZ

The girls’ tennis team has struggled to continue its momentum from last season, and started the year with a 2-5 overall record and a 1-2 Mission League record.

Kate Konvitz ’20 attributes the slower start to a difficult early-season schedule.

“So far, the team has had a lot of tough competition this season,” Konvitz said, “But, we’re all playing really hard and putting in 100 percent.”

The team began the season after losing Sophia Ekstrand ’20 and Erika Ekstrand ’20, two key members from last season.

The two chose to take the ADVERTISEMENT

school season off to play with outside coaches, and new younger players have stepped into their roles.

“I think that one of the freshmen, [Kimberly Tan ’22], has been playing really well this season and is a great part of the team,” Maddy Dupee ’20 said.

The squad also features freshmen Jade Zoller ’22 and Kate Burry ’22, both whom have had lots of playtime and have helped replace players who didn’t return.

Girls tennis program head Jelena Durisic said that the team has struggled to find a way to finish matches strong.

“It’s been a work in progress,” Durisic said. “We have

a much younger team who is still adapting to playing girls who are a bit older and more experienced in matches. We are working on better starts in matches. That has been one issue that has affected us, especially stronger teams because then we are constantly chasing from behind and it shows. We will continue to tweak the errors that we see and grow this young team to its full potential.”

The team remains unfazed despite their losing record, putting an emphasis on teamwork.

“The season’s been going fine so far, and we’ve been playing well against tough teams,” Dupee said. “I think we can

ue their success in the second half of the season as they wrap up their season with a game against Alemany High School on Oct. 11, and their All League Finals on Oct.15, said Graham.

Last season, the team fin-

ished in first place at the AllLeague Finals on Oct. 16.

After the All-League Finals, the Top 16 at League Finals CIF Individual Qualifiers will take place Oct. 6.

outtakes

“So far the team has had a lot of tough competition this season but we’re all playing really hard and putting in 100 percent.”

—Kate Konvitz ’20 Tennis Player always improve our teamwork and unity, and that’s something we’ll do in the future for sure.”

Konvitz said she shares the same confidence in the squad’s ability moving forward.

“I think we’ve grown a lot as a team and become a lot closer which translates to how well we’ve played,” Konvitz said.

“Even though tennis is an individual sport, the stronger and more supportive we are as a group, the better we perform on the court.”

Durisic is optimistic about the future with the young core

WHITE’S

she said.

“The good news is that it’s a young team and many things can be improved,” Durisic said.

“Therefore, there is no limit to what they can accomplish.

“The team is in its first season playing at Weddington Golf and Tennis and has struggled at home, posting a record of 1-3, after suffering a 12-6 loss to Marlborough High School on Sept. 25.”

The girls will host league rival Marymount High School on Oct. 2 at home. However, the Wolverines did not play Marymount last season.

D8 SPORTS

Q&A

THE CHRONICLE

OCT. 3, 2018

Garnett March Football

By JAY LASSITER When did you start playing football, and what inspired you to begin?

I’ve been playing tackle football since I was in the third grade, but had played flag football practically my entire life. I was inspired by my father, who played both high school and college football.

Do you have any pregame superstitions?

My pregame routine is always the same. For every game, I put on a cross my parents gave me and the same undershirt, washed of course. Finally, before every game since I was a freshman, I’ve been the one in charge of the [auxilary port]. I have to play hip-hop or I don’t feel ready for the game.

Why do you wear the number two, and is there any significance behind it?

I know it sounds funny, but since I'm Garnet II and most of my family calls be Lil G or G2, I thought number two would be a nice homage.

How have you changed as a football player since freshman year?

I have changed both physically and mentally since freshman year in regards to my game. I’ve grown six inches and even put on a couple pounds. I also feel much stronger and better conditioned than in last season. Aside from my physical growth, I feel that I have matured as a player. I’m much more focused and determined each time I set foot on the field.

How has transitioning from primarly playing defense in the past to playing both ways at tight end on offense?

Playing both sides definitely can be very tiring, but this summer, the coaches helped me with my conditioning and making me practice at full speed. I credit it to Coach Casey and all the strength and conditioning coaches for helping me with this.

What are your goals and expectations for the rest of the season?

Personally, my goal is to get in the double digits for sacks, and maybe get one more touchdown. Team wise, my expectation is to win league, and the goal is to win CIF. What is your favorite memory from your HarvardWestlake career?

My favorite memory has to be our game this year against Crespi. We won a huge game as an underdog. I had four sacks, and Sultan Daniels ’19 had one of those crazy games.

Statistics

7

11

25

Sacks this season Tackles for loss Total tackles CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE