Opinion The Chronicle • May 24, 2023
Studio City • Vol. 32 • Issue 7 • May 24, 2023 • hwchronicle.com
Editors-in-Chief: Natalie Cosgrove, Will Sherwood Print Managing Editors: Lucas Cohen-d'Arbeloff, Claire Conner, Daphne Davies, Charlie Seymour
editorial
Presentation Managing Editors: Fallon Dern, Allegra Drago, Jina Jeon, Leo Saperstein Digital Managing Editors: Alex Hahn, Lily Lee Executive Editors: James Hess, Emmy Zhang News Editor: Natasha Speiss Assistant News Editors: Davis Marks, Chloe Park, Grant Park, Tate Sheehy Opinion Editor: Georgia Goldberg Assistant Opinion Editors: Jade Harris, Jackson Tanner Features Editor: Harry Tarses Assistant Features Editors: Dylan Graff, Iona Lee, Averie Perrin, Ella Yadegar A&E Editors: Becca Berlin, Vasilia Yordanova Assistant A&E Editor: Kriste An Sports Editors: Jaden Bobb, Paul Kurgan Assistant Sports Editors: Jackson Mayer, Christopher Mo Satire Editor: Georgia Goldberg Multimedia Editor: Danny Johnson Business Manager: Andrew Park Art Director: Sophia Evans Photography Editor: Raisa Effress Executive Broadcast Producer: Jake Lancer Assistant Broadcast Producers: Rohan Amin, Alexa Benitez, Hunter Bridgett, Eric Chang, Hudson Chen, Grace Coleman, William Coleman, Jack Limor, Aaron Milburn Freelance Writer: Carter Staggs Layout Assistants and Staff Writers: Sasha Aghnatios, Hailey Cho, Karsten Cole, Eden Conner, Alden Detmer, Alexander Dinh, MacArthur Galavitz, Samuel Glassman, Zoe Goor, Georgia Grad, Justine Gustman, Sabrina Hamideh, Jayan Kandavel, Crista Kim, Katelyn Kim, Saisha Kumar, Everett Lakey, Alex Lee, MeJo Liao, William Liu, Daniel Mittleman, Olivia Phillips, Madeline Pimstone, Caroline Plunkett, Fiona Ryan, Sara Segil, Hannah Shahidi, Olivia So, Connor Tang, Justin Tang, Arielle Trakhtenberg, Max Turetzky, Mason Walline, Nathan Wang, Tiffany Wang, Amber Zhang Advisors: Billy Montgomery, Max Tash
ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA EVANS
Caring For Our Community
Some of the most profound moments of the past few months came directly following the assemblies announcing the passing of Jordan Park ’25 and Jonah Anschell ’23. Upon hearing Ms. Slattery’s words of grief and instructions for the day, groups of friends took to the field, sat in big open circles and chatted together — not necessarily about their lost loved ones or the complete grieving process but about anything and everything that described their current feelings. With students’ minds totally flooded with every single conceivable emotion, they found solace in each other to help them in processing their grief. They were able to step up for their friends, for themselves and for those who needed support. What’s more, these moments came organically from students — it wasn’t expected they go to class that day, but neither were they told to sit on the field and engage in these conversations. The administration has done its part: After Jordan’s death, classes and assessments were made optional for the two weeks before Spring Break, and counselors were added to the regular school team. After Jonah’s, the administration took similar steps, additionally instituting a grade floor for the fourth quarter and making most final exams optional. Students still face the consequence of an “incomplete” on their transcript if they do not complete coursework, but teachers have been lenient, and many have lessened their number of assignments. Other actions directly linked to our mental health include a Field Day with different activities each Friday and speakers for certain affinity groups. Teachers have also made time for conversation about emotions, and class meetings have involved meditation and
grief-processing lessons. The school has recognized that grief is a complicated landscape to navigate for both an individual and a community as a whole, and everyone from Mr. Commons and Ms. Slattery to individual teachers have tried their best to make students feel safe. These actions are productive; of course, how much students are helped can’t be quantifiably measured, but there is absolutley no doubt the steps taken have at least helped to create a more caring and supportive school community. The school can and should continue to bring in outside counselors, speakers and therapy dogs: these actions are well-intended and have the potential to help students. Ultimately, though, it falls to each and every one of us to check in on our loved ones and see how they’re doing — a process in which we act not as substitutes for professionals but as empathetic people with similar ages, experiences and ways of seeing the world. These kinds of interactions are just as significant as any administrative measure and contain the kind of genuine connection needed now more than ever. As students, we are the only ones with the power to create them: they can be as simple as texting someone who looked down and as elaborate as participating with a friend in grief counseling — empathizing with those affected by grief can be hugely impactful in ways big and small. The tragedies of the past few months are horrific, and there is no right way of moving forward. But even as the administration looks to formal programs and outside-ofschool initiatives, we must keep in mind our sense of community and the positive effects of spontaneous acts of compassion and care.
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