THE KUTLER CENTER TURNS
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INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES & INDEPENDENT RESEARCH SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE TWO HATS AWARD GLOBAL EDUCATION & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING HW WORKS CINEMA SUNDAYS HW VENTURE
HARVARD-WESTLAKE SPRING / SUMMER 2O22
Dear Friends of Harvard-Westlake, A week before graduation in 2010, seniors built a giant pirate ship on the upper school flag court. The idea of a ship was originally conceived earlier that year as the ultimate senior prank, but when classmate Brendan Kutler ’10 passed away suddenly, a group of his friends decided to name the boat the S.S. Kutler in his honor. The ship became a quirky way to celebrate how extraordinary Brendan was and how meaningful his friendship had been. Around that same time, Brendan’s parents, former Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts, and several other members of the administration were working on another tribute to Brendan, something outside the box that could truly memorialize his spirit. That vision took shape as the Kutler Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research, which marks its tenth anniversary this year. The establishment of the interdisciplinary studies and independent research department represented the first change in our curriculum since the merger. When we were first imagining what the Kutler Center could become, interdisciplinary education didn’t really exist at the high school level. Today, however, this seed of an idea has flowered into a vibrant and integral part of Harvard-Westlake, encompassing not just interdisciplinary studies and independent research, but also educational travel, fellowships, a professional network, the Scholar in Residence program, and much more. As we celebrate the opening of the Kutler Center’s doors, we also celebrate all the doors the Kutler Center has opened for a decade of HW students. Please join us in kicking off the tenth anniversary of the Kutler Center in this issue of HW Life (page 22) and with a host of events over the year ahead.
Cheers,
Ed Hu Head of External Relations ehu@hw.com
HW LEGACY
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Tributes to Our Retiring Teachers & Staffers In the words of their colleagues
HW TODAY
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10
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Respect, Compassion & Joy
One for the Record Books
A tribute to Barbara Jacobson, former math teacher, dean, and assistant head of the middle school
Remembering Allan Sasaki, former Spanish and photography teacher and archivist
HW VOICES
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Unconvention Center
Walking Across New Zealand
Peer Support Turns 30
The Kutler Center turns 10
An alum shares a poem and photos from his gap year abroad
By Fallon Dern ’23 and Alex Hahn ’23 in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
ALUMNI PROFILES
NOTES
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The Girl Who Would Be President
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58
Class Notes
In Memoriam
Head of TriStar Pictures Nicole Brown ’98 on her own hero’s journey
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Faculty & Staff Notes
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Class Reunions
LAST LOOK
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Harvard-Westlake’s First Ring Ceremony
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Tributes to Our Retiring Teachers & Staffers In the words of their colleagues
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JIM DOUGHAN PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER
& COMMUNICATIONS TEACHER 12 years at harvard-westlake Students—even ones Jim doesn’t teach—tend to congregate in Jim’s orbit. Once, I found my entire acting class crammed into his office, declaring “We’re the Mr. Doughan Club!” Jim is always sharing stories of how he has been moved and impressed by his students in Drama Workshop, Acting, Public Speaking, and Debate. In the 12 years he has run the middle school theater program, Jim directed all the plays and musicals* and the One-Act Festival and Acting Class Scene Nights. He wrote and directed original material for the HW Summer Arts program and
mentored students for the upper school Playwrights Festival. Jim’s dedication to teaching students how to be professional are on display in the classroom and on stage in rehearsal. He expects excellence and encourages laughter. Jim has often said the best compliment he can get is when an audience member leaves a show saying, “That was so good, it’s hard to believe it was a middle school production.” Jim, thank you for your indelible contributions to the performing arts at HW and for setting the bar high for all who learn from you and for those who follow in your footsteps.
*Annie, Grease, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A u F nny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown, Footloose, The Drowsy Chaperone, 13, Violet, Songs for a New World, All Together Now, The Diviners, Midsummer/Jersey, The Rememberer, Is He Dead?, Dancing at Lughnasa, Once in a Lifetime, Curious Savage, The Diary of Anne rF ank, The Tavern, Arsenic and Old Lace, 10 Ways to Survive a Quarantine, and Scapin
—Dean Department Head & Performing Arts Teacher Kate Benton
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MATT MARING MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER 25
PERFORMIRFNRFG- EOMARTE
Our school has been fortunate to have Matt as a pillar of the math department for a quarter century. He has taught nine different courses at the middle school, spanning from Advanced Algebra I to AP Calculus BC. For many years, Matt was among the first to arrive and last to leave campus, always happy to help whichever student wandered into the math office (regardless of the student’s course or teacher). His high standards for himself and his students and his interest
in the math curriculum have played a special role in his courses and the department. His dry sense of humor was appreciated by students and colleagues alike. Unassuming and understated, Matt has always been generous with his time. Over the years, he has helped me countless times with practical items—for no other reason than that I simply asked. Matt helped define a generation of teachers at Harvard-Westlake School, and he will be missed.
—Middle School Math Teacher Darin Beigie
JOEY NAVARRO SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER 16
PERFORMIRFNRFG- EOMARTE
Having had the privilege of working with Joey for the past 16 years, I have seen firsthand his diligence, thoughtfulness, pleasant demeanor, and sincere interest in the success of HarvardWestlake. He is insightful, thorough, and forwardthinking, which has greatly benefited everyone he has worked with. He has taken on considerable responsibilities and worked on countless projects. Every project was given keen attention and careful
planning to deliver features and functionality that have our trademark of excellence and professional quality. Indeed, much of his work will continue to benefit us for many years to come. I believe everyone who worked with Joey would agree that he is friendly, helpful, considerate, and a joy to work with. Joey is an accomplished software engineer who has perfected his craft here with us and he will be greatly missed.
—Software Development Manager Alan Homan
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ELLIOTT PARIVAR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER 33 years at harvard &
Dr. Parivar is a Harvard-Westlake institution, embodying the joyful pursuit of educational excellence long before that phrase was ever part of our mission statement. He’s quick with a corny joke or a witty pun, and he’s been known to pull a clever prank here and there. Who could forget him in a chicken suit for the annual egg drop challenge? He cares deeply for his students and their well-being, often highlighting the ways the science he’s teaching can lead to their safety and
harvard-westlake
improved decision-making. Taking a hike with him on retreat is an ambulatory master’s program in botany, as he expounds on the local flora. Having launched careers in medicine, science, and engineering, countless alumni look back on their time with Dr. P as a defining moment of inspiration. As his colleagues, we have likewise been inspired by our time alongside Elliott Parivar, and we hold dear the memories we have made together.
—Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish
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ANN-MARIE WHITMAN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT 33 years at harvard & harvard-westlake
For the HW Parents Association, Board of Trustees, and two Presidents, Ann-Marie Whitman has been our close confidante, key collaborator, and constant conscience. She is superbly effective in responding to the needs of those who depend upon her, but her influence is much more than functional—it is profoundly wise and deeply kind. No responsibility is too large or too small for Ann-Marie to volunteer, and all who pass through her office receive her full and generous attention. Knowing this, many faculty and staff go daily out
of their way to stop by and say hello, collecting the blessings of her patient ear and contagious laugh. Organizing school events, drafting board agendas, and advising school leaders, Ann-Marie pursues and personifies the school’s values, especially “purpose beyond self,” which manifests in her commitment not only to Harvard-Westlake, but also to the wider community of Los Angeles. Her devotion and friendship have made an enduring mark on our school and on everyone fortunate enough to have spent time in her wide embrace.
—President & Head of School Rick Commons
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A TRIBUTE TO BARBARA JACOBSON, FORMER MATH TEACHER, DEAN, AND ASSISTANT HEAD OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL Barbara Jacobson started at Westlake School in 1964 as a math teacher and later became Assistant Head of the Middle School. After the merger she continued at the middle school as a math teacher, Assistant Head of the Middle School, and seventh grade dean. She retired in 2005 and passed away last June. By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98
FEBRUARY 26, 1937–JUNE 21, 2021
This page, from top: Giving a lecture, undated; working on a recent watercolor; teaching, 1965 Opposite: In the classroom, 1969
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JONI IVY HAMILTON ’72, TRUSTEE: Barbara was the reason I came to Westlake. In 1966, my mother and Barbara were suitemates in the hospital. One day when I came to visit my mother, I introduced myself to Barbara and started talking with her. Following our conversation, she said to me and my mother, “She’s a Westlake Girl.” I guess I must have impressed her because she was very excited, and then she said, “She belongs at Westlake.” After that she invited us to visit the Westlake campus and subsequently helped us through the admission process, and I was accepted in 1967. Barbara was an angel that God brought into my life. This was at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, so there was a lot going on, but I always felt so welcome and like I was supposed to be here. I had a wonderful time at Westlake. I graduated and went to college and became a math major because of Barbara. She was a phenomenal teacher, mentor, and advocate. Everyone, particularly our young people, needs to know that someone believes in them and has their back. Barbara was one of those people for me at Westlake, and I shall be forever grateful to her for that. I want to thank Barbara for opening those doors and making it possible for me to experience something that I may never have otherwise.
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JULIET BERMAN ’03: Ms. Jacobson was the one who interviewed me when I applied to Harvard-Westlake, and I always felt such a special bond with her. Michelle Elise Simon ’03 and I spent all our lunch periods in seventh grade playing games in her office! I remember how proud I was that she let me carry her bag to class every day when I had her for math (nerd alert, I know). She was kind, nurturing, wise. She will be missed.
HARRY RITTER ’03: Barbara Jacobson was one of the most influential and important educators and friends in my life. I remember meeting Barbara on my first day at Harvard-Westlake. She was someone you immediately knew cared about students and loved the school. She became a really close friend of our family. I always thought of her as a guardian angel. I remember when I was in ninth grade, I was struggling with math and expressing that frustration to her. And it wasn’t just, “Oh, you’ll figure it out.” No. She immediately offered to spend time working with me to help me. It was her tutoring in those extra hours that helped me get unblocked and do well in that class. And throughout the rest of middle and high school, she was always there for me.
Above, from top left: 1967 yearbook photo; Barbara’s Knits; with the Class of 1969 in 2019 Opposite page, from top left: At Westlake, undated; with her beloved dog Angel; 1968 yearbook photo; at the Westlake Olympics with an unidentified teacher and former Westlake Headmaster Nat Reynolds ’51; teaching, 1968
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ELLIOTT PARIVAR, SCIENCE TEACHER: Barbara was my mentor and friend. She was pretty stern with students, yet compassionate and kind, so I learned a great deal working alongside her. Barbara taught me to be a better teacher in so many ways; she was the master educator with lots of knowledge and experience and was well respected by everyone in the community.
VICKI GODDARD ’60, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICE: Barbara loved her students even more than she loved her Dodgers. She had the ability to knit, watch or listen to a Dodgers game, and carry on a sensible conversation simultaneously. Barbara had a delightful British sense of humor and was extremely close to her family. With regard to her students, Barbara knew which child needed a gentle response and which needed a stern one, given the moment. I miss our chats about baseball, our pets, travel, and often funny school happenings.
SUE JACKSON, FORMER MATH/COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER: Barbara was head of the math department when I applied for a job at Westlake in 1976, and we shared an office when I started teaching there. We quickly became friends, with a shared love for students, animals, music, and Dodgers. Even though Barbara lived in the U.S. for over 50 years, she was proud of her heritage and loved returning to Britain for family visits. Barbara loved her students and friends and referred to many of them as family. She was a remarkable woman who lived life to the full, an individual who was caring, generous, determined, responsible, loyal, and had a keen sense of humor.
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MONA HOUGHTON ’69: Barbara was formidable. She would walk down the halls projecting this feeling that she could see around corners. The halls were hers, and we were to treat everyone in them, starting with her, with respect. As I look back, her greatest strength was that she let us get to know her as an individual and took the time to get to know us as individuals. We were not just a group of kids that needed corralling. We were kids on a cusp, and each of us had unique needs. She shepherded us with those sensitivities in mind. It was that quality that differentiated her from other authorities.
ABBY HARRIS WOODS ’94: Barbara always had a twinkle in her eyes when she spoke with me. It was as if she saw my power before I realized I had any. I was drawn to student government, and I enjoyed learning how to be a leader and to present by watching her. I adored her strong spirit and am so grateful that I had the chance to continue to see the twinkle in her eyes as we sat on the HarvardWestlake Alumni Board together.
Top: Barbara Jacobson’s watercolor of the Westlake School Administration Building, circa 1970 Middle: Seated in the center with mom Peggy Jacobson, Sue Jackson, and Betty Henderson (standing) at a fundraiser gala, undated Bottom left: With Francine Werner ’68 (seated), undated
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Bottom right: Wearing a corsage at her retirement party in 2005 with (from left) Barbara Welsh, Patricia Whiting, Kay Carlson, (to the right) David Coombs, Elizabeth Gregory Riordan, Sue Jackson, Sallie Reynolds, and Vicki Goddard ’60
THREE CHEERS FOR THE JACOBSON CUP
The Jacobson Cup, a middle school house competition launched in 2006, is named for Barbara Jacobson. On the Jacobson Cup Field Day, middle school students, faculty, and staff compete in a variety of contests to win points for their house and the ultimate prize, the Jacobson Cup. The four houses of the Jacobson Cup are Badgers, Ferrets, Otters, and Polecats, all of which are in the same Mustelidae family as the wolverine, reminding us that though we compete, we are all still in the same family—an ideal that was very important to Barbara.
BARBARA JACOBSON, IN HER OWN WORDS FROM THE FIRST JACOBSON CUP PRESENTATION Well, final examinations are complete, the sun is setting a little later in the western sky, the Memorial Day sales are over, the hot movie season has begun, and yes, Field Day has come and gone. Summer is indeed almost here. My name is Barbara Jacobson, and I am once again before you to announce whose name shall forever be etched into the Jacobson Cup—an award, a distinction that is near and dear to my heart.
BETSY ILG, MIDDLE SCHOOL DEAN AND FRENCH TEACHER AND AN ORGANIZER OF THE JACOBSON CUP: On Cup presentation day, Barbara Jacobson made a special effort to come to school and be a part of the celebration. I would read a version of this introduction of her to the school to offer a sense of the mission of the Cup and of Barbara’s legacy to HW: “Harvard-Westlake strives to be a diverse and inclusive community, united by the joyful pursuit of academic excellence, living and learning with integrity, and purpose beyond ourselves.”
Generations of my family have worked tirelessly to promote and support friendly competitions such as the Jacobson Bowl, the Jacobson Goblet, and the Jacobson Mug. But, it is the Jacobson Cup that is most meaningful to me, as I spent nearly 40 years at Westlake and Harvard-Westlake dreaming of the day when Badgers, Ferrets, Otters, and Polecats would join together for Type-a-Thons and spirited matches of bocce, Name That Tune, Rust Chef, and tug-of-war.
Twenty-six words that are fairly new, but they are merely a concentration of what has always driven us as a school community. Barbara Jacobson, for whom the Jacobson Cup is named, has always personified our mission. In her many years of service to HarvardWestlake, she has been a teacher as well as an Assistant Head of Middle School, but it isn’t so much her titles that define her influence as much as her enormous spirit, her willingness to do any task (there were rumors that she even filled in for a bus driver), and her enthusiasm for making her work meaningful and enjoyable for all.
I applaud each team for coming out and participating fearlessly, wholeheartedly, and in the spirit of good fun.
Field Day and the Jacobson Cup represent a reminder that the work we do is great and important, but that it is meaningless without the joy and moments of fun.
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REMEMBERING ALLAN SASAKI, FORMER SPANISH AND PHOTOGRAPHY TEACHER AND ARCHIVIST Allan Sasaki joined Harvard School in 1982 to teach Spanish. In 1993, he started teaching photography as well as Spanish at Harvard-Westlake. In 2008, while still teaching photography, Allan became HW’s first archivist, establishing a much-needed archives to organize the hundredplus years of historical records and items from three schools. He stopped teaching to focus on his role as archivist in 2015 and retired in 2017.
MARCH 31, 1949–MARCH 4, 2022
Above: In front of the Upper School World Languages Department, 1991; right: eating sushi with Harvard students, undated Opposite page, from top: 2008 yearbook photo; behind the camera, 1986; teaching Spanish, 1980s
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CHERI GAULKE, FORMER VISUAL ARTS TEACHER: Allan delighted in so many things— food (especially sushi), photography, Spanish, storytelling, teaching, archiving, calligraphy, bookbinding, and the list goes on. He adored his students and could always remember not only their names but their family members’ names as well. A highlight for me was going to Asanebo, a local sushi restaurant, where Allan ordered all kinds of things I’d never had. He would go every Friday night and order in Japanese. Allan will be missed, and I am thankful for his devotion to Harvard-Westlake over so many years.
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ALARICK YUNG ’91: Mr. Sasaki wasn’t just a longtime teacher at Harvard-Westlake. He was one of those faces and personalities that defined our memories of the school. Even after graduation, he was one of those teachers that you’d always hope to (and expect to!) bump into whenever you came back for homecoming or a reunion. It’s a shame that we won’t get to see his smiling face or chat with him again.
JONATHAN RATH ’90: Mr. Sasaki was my all-time favorite teacher, period. He inspired me with his passion for photography, his humor, his kindness. He was truly an amazing person, and I will never forget him. Rest in love, Allan. You made the world a better place.
MARGOT RIEMER, UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER: Allan’s kindness and generosity knew no bounds. We taught Spanish IV and AP Spanish together for many years. When we started team teaching, Allan was everlastingly patient with me, as he was with the students; he was always open to new ideas, and he had the gift of making every task feel lighter. In addition, Allan was truly creative and artistically talented. At some point when we were teaching Spanish IV together, Allan and I were reading poetry with the students. As a gift to me at the end of the year, Allan created a beautiful handmade book, and on each sepia-toned page was one of the poems we had studied, done in his exquisite calligraphy. Now, I don’t know how it happened, but one day during the following school year Allan overheard one of his students saying to another, “Isn’t it exciting that Mr. Sasaki is going to give us each a poetry book?”
From top: Santa with a camera, 1980s; Harvard Spanish class, 1980s; 2010 yearbook photo Opposite page, from top left: Dressed up for Halloween, 2009; serving as guest chef in a molecular gastronomy class, 2013; experimenting with photography tricks, 1989; 1984 yearbook photo
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Now, any normal person who wanted to preserve their sanity would have gently clarified to the students that that wasn’t going to happen. But Allan didn’t want to disappoint the students, and he got to work making poetry books. At the end of that year, each student in Spanish IV—mine as well as his— had a replica of the book that I had. That’s Allan in a paragraph: always looking for ways to make others happy. I am thankful for all Allan did for me, for Harvard-Westlake, and for the years of love and friendship and memories. Most of all, I am thankful that he saw the best in everyone and for his being the kind of person that we should all strive to be.
JENNIFER GORE ’02: Mr. Sasaki was an amazing teacher and human. I admired his passion for photography, and his class was truly a favorite. Mr. Sasaki was such a comforting presence. I’d often pop into the photo room just to talk to him when I needed to disconnect. He created a safe space, and I’ll always be grateful for his sincerity, kindness, and warmth!
ANN-MARIE WHITMAN, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Almost 22 years ago, a few staff who work in the summer convinced Allan to teach us photography. It didn’t take much convincing. Allan was always so generous with his time. That summer, five or six of us met Allan in the Feldman-Horn photography studio in the late afternoon for several weeks. He taught us to see the beauty in everyday objects. The photo I took that summer of stacked silver bowls in the kitchen has been in my office ever since. Thank you, Allan.
DAVID HOVITZ ’92: Too soon! Mr. Sasaki was my very first Spanish teacher and one of my favorite teachers of all time. Mr. Sasaki’s Spanish I class introduced me to the beauty of this special language, made accessible through his remarkable teaching ability. Mr. Sasaki engaged us with a sense of humor that resonated with middle schoolers. Mr. Sasaki had a kind and quiet way about him, except for his laugh, which was hearty and frequent. He loved photography, teaching, and our school, as evidenced by the wealth of treasures found in Allan’s Attic. I’m forever grateful to Mr. Sasaki for instilling in me a lifelong fondness for the Spanish language and for modeling what it means to pursue passionately the things we love.
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ALLAN’S ATTIC Allan truly is synonymous with the school’s archives and history. This plaque hangs outside the office he established, and each month in our alumni newsletter, we share something from our archival collection in a section lovingly called “Allan’s Attic” to honor his 35 years of service to the school. It is always the most popular and well-read section of our mailing.
MARY KIANG LIM ’00: Mr. Sasaki was a teacher whose warmth, kindness, and many talents really stood out. I had the pleasure of having him as my Spanish and photography teacher, and I enjoyed seeing him walk around the track after school, usually with another colleague, during track practice. Teenagers have a tendency to view teachers as just teachers, with no life or interests outside of school. But Mr. Sasaki’s humanity really shone through. He was probably one of the first teachers I viewed as a full-fledged person, a grownup I would be happy to be like one day. At one of my first HW alum events, while I was still trying to scan the room and settle in, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Sasaki, grinning and greeting other students from a distance. There was just something about seeing that familiar smile and wavy gray-white hair that made me instantly feel at ease.
Above: Faculty advisor and staff of Foreign Outlook magazine, 1984 Opposite page: 1988 Harvard Sentinel yearbook tribute; at Westlake Reunion Day with (from left) Joannie Parker, her daughter Sabrina Parker, Walt Werner, and Martha Wheelock in 2018
EMILY MAYNES ’15: I was in one of the last upper school Photo I classes that Mr. Sasaki taught at HW. I still talk about his class with other students from my year—we all loved starting our day with him. He used to end his lectures with puns, like: “Why do ants always get sick? Because they have little tiny antibodies!” We adored him for it and appreciated every minute that we spent learning how to use different cameras and then develop and print black-andwhite film together. He brought so much joy to my life and the HW community, and I know I am just one of many who will sincerely miss him.
ALEXIS SHERMAN ARINSBURG ’98, ARCHIVIST: Almost without fail, any time I speak with an alum and tell them what I do at the school, they respond by saying that I must be the new Allan. I take that as the biggest compliment. Even though I never had Allan as a teacher, 20 years later when I returned to work here, he still knew who I was and asked about my favorite memory as editor in chief of the Chronicle. I remember spending a few hours that first day during my walk-through of the archives frantically taking notes, trying to capture everything he told me about our collection. There was nothing he didn’t know about the school’s history and no detail about anyone or anything that he couldn’t recall. Allan’s passion for preserving the school’s history was inspiring and contagious. He told me how everything had been in various boxes spread across both campuses before he made it his mission to formally establish the archives almost 15 years ago. With his vision and devotion, he has created something we all benefit from and something envied by many other schools. Even though Allan retired five years ago as archivist, I still had him on speed dial and continued to pick his brain regularly about the school’s history. Allan will surely be missed, but we should all be comforted knowing that his legacy will live on in the archives he established, ensuring that the history of Westlake, Harvard, and Harvard-Westlake will always be documented for posterity.
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By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98
In 2010, then Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts sent an all-school announcement declaring plans for a “new academic department, complete with a director, a facility, a faculty, a program, and a mission: to cultivate and sustain independent research and interdisciplinary studies at Harvard-Westlake.” Two years later, in September 2012, the Kutler Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research opened its doors. The Kutler Center is named in honor of Brendan Kutler ’10, a student whose curiosity and broad scope of interests provided its inspiration. Brendan Kutler was a member of the HarvardWestlake class of 2010 who died suddenly and unexpectedly on December 29, 2009. Soon thereafter, according to current President and Head of School Rick Commons, “[Brendan’s parents] Sara and Jon [Kutler] and Jeanne Huybrechts put their minds and hearts together to envision a high school department of interdisciplinary studies and independent research.” Indeed, Huybrechts and the Kutlers sought to “capture the essence of Brendan and his unfettered pursuit of knowledge,” recalls Larry Klein, the Kutler Center’s inaugural director. “Together with a group of diverse and interesting faculty, we went to work figuring out how the center and department could tangibly manifest that vision, creating a place and program in which our kids could meander and explore, adventure and wander.” When the Kutler Center was created, remembers Huybrechts, “Harvard-Westlake had been operating for two decades as a highly academic
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UNCONVENTION CENTER
The Kutler Center crackles with the intellectual electricity and vitality that was the hallmark of its namesake.” LARRY KLEIN, INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES & INDEPENDENT RESEARCH DEPARTMENT HEAD
coed school with exemplary extracurricular and athletic programs. All really great! But with an emphasis on AP and SAT scores—and their counterparts in athletics and the arts—there was little room for experimental courses or teaching methodologies. So what was missing? Opportunities to do independent work with a mentorteacher and exposure to areas of interdisciplinary investigation.” That’s what the Kutler Center would provide. It would also begin offering directed study courses focused on current issues and other topics beyond the standard curriculum; recent courses include the COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Education in America.
As the Kutler Center has evolved, the scope of its offerings has grown well beyond the courses, including the Scholar in Residence program, global and experiential learning opportunities, awards and fellowships for interdisciplinary pursuits, HW Venture, HW Works, and Cinema Sundays. “I wanted to think about the Kutler Center in the vein of a university academic center and research lab,” notes Jim Patterson, Director of the Kutler Center since 2014. “What that meant to me was not only having classes, but also thinking about specialized programming that would support the center’s work.” Today, says Huybrechts, the “Kutler Center is an incubator, an internal think tank, an outward-facing bridge, and a center of excellence, for sure.”
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The Kutler Center really does embody the exploration, kindness, and generosity with which Brendan inhabited the world.” BETH SLATTERY, BRENDAN KUTLER’S DEAN
A TRIBUTE TO BRENDAN KUTLER ’10 Brendan Kutler embodied the notion of intellectual curiosity, but he did not confine himself to a single discipline. Instead, Brendan pursued many passions, including computer science, cinema studies, Japanese language and culture, music, and photography. Brendan enjoyed independent study, even taking classes without credit for the sheer joy of learning. Brendan’s varied pursuits are reflected in both the interdisciplinary studies and independent research focus of the Kutler Center and the metaphors in the design of the building. Classrooms form a bridge between Mudd Library and the upper school history department in the Seaver Academic Center. Large windows visually create a learning greenhouse where interdisciplinary ideas can sprout and grow, and those windows speak to the expanse of knowledge that transcends the traditional classroom. Etched bamboo on the glass walls reminds students of the global nature of the world they inhabit as well as the importance of stewardship for its natural habitats. “Brendan was as smart as they come,” recalls interdisciplinary studies and independent research teacher Ted Walch, who taught Brendan for both Cinema Studies and Directed Study in Film right before his passing. “He excelled across the board in sciences and humanities and mathematics, and yet Brendan always wanted to stretch.” When Brendan died, the other students in his directed study course took over his project examining the films of Akira Kurosawa. “The students presented an hourand-a-half event that I still think of as one of the highlights of my time at Harvard-Westlake,” says Walch. “The Kutler Center allows kids to do something that they’re passionate about that might not fulfill the strict academic requirements. It honors Brendan perfectly because that’s who Brendan was.”
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STUDENT PROFILE FELICITY PHELAN ’21
INTERDISCIPLINARY
KUTLER CENTER STUDENT PROFILE: FELICITY PHELAN ’21
Senior year, Felicity Phelan took four interdisciplinary studies and independent research courses through the Kutler Center: Philosophy in Art and Science, Middle East Studies, Directed Study: The Election, and Directed Study: Nature and Artifice.
STUDIES & INDEPENDENT RESEARCH TOOK 4 ISIR CLASSES:
PHILOSOPHY IN ART & SCIENCE MIDDLE EAST STUDIES DIRECTED STUDY: THE ELECTION DIRECTED STUDY: NATURE & ARTIFICE
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DISTINGUISHED YOUR KUTLER COURSES FROM OTHER CLASSES? Kutler Center classes blend multiple elements and subjects. In my Middle East Studies class, for example, we did the history of the region, the culture, and the language. WHAT WOULD YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW ABOUT THE KUTLER CENTER? The Kutler Center supplements and moves beyond traditional high school subjects into things students might pursue in college or as careers. That early exposure to and empowerment in those subjects is really beneficial for students. Harvard-Westlake excels as an educational institution not only because it provides high-caliber courses in traditional subjects, but because it provides nontraditional subjects as well. The Kutler Center relates directly to educational excellence at Harvard-Westlake. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL CURRENT STUDENTS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST THROUGH THE KUTLER CENTER? If you get too lost in trying to take the highest or the most weighted course load, you miss out on trying something new and figuring out what you like. The Kutler Center is such a wonderful way to experience more. Just go through the course list and see if anything piques your interest because it’s most likely stuff you’ve never heard of in a classic academic context.
The Kutler Center courses were some of my favorite classes I took at Harvard-Westlake.” FELICITY PHELAN ’21
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FACULTY PROFILE LAUREN NICHOLS ’03
INTERDISCIPLINARY
STUDIES & INDEPENDENT RESEARCH WITH A FOCUS ON:
PROJECTS
KUTLER CENTER FACULTY PROFILE:
STUDENT-LED DISCUSSIONS & PRESENTATIONS
LAUREN NICHOLS ’03
In addition to her history and social studies classes, Lauren Nichols teaches two Kutler Center courses: Race, Identity, and Law in American Society, which she designed, and Human Conflict from Intolerance to Genocide. WHAT DISTINGUISHES A CLASS IN THE KUTLER CENTER FROM A MORE TRADITIONAL HISTORY OR SOCIAL STUDIES COURSE? Kutler courses bring in interdisciplinary texts and materials. These courses are also more student centered and creative. I give one test in both of the classes, but everything else is projects and student-led discussions and presentations. It’s this rich, in-depth, off-the-beatenpath way of engaging academically. When you look at the Kutler Center course descriptions, they feel like college offerings.
HOW DID YOUR STUDENTS REACT TO THIS YEAR’S SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE, KIMBERLY WESTFAULCON, VISITING YOUR RACE, IDENTITY AND LAW IN AMERICAN SOCIETY CLASS? I think it was inspiring for them to see a role model who has gone to elite schools and clerked and held really interesting legal positions and is now a constitutional law scholar. I had several students, particularly young women of color, come up afterward wanting to connect with her and ask her questions. They definitely had questions about law and some of her opinions on that. But I think they were particularly struck just by the personal example that she offered. WHAT WOULD YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW ABOUT THE KUTLER CENTER? When I was in high school, the electives that most interested me were all performing and visual arts, and I loved them. But I always thought if you aren’t an artist or an athlete, if you just purely love to geek out on all academic courses, what do you do? Now there is that space for kids who don’t identify with the artistic electives.
I’ve had students who have gone on to college reach out to me and say, oh, that thing we read in your class, we’re doing it in my college class now.” LAUREN NICHOLS ’03
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HW TODAY
INTERDISCIPLINARY & C O L L A B O R AT I V E
SCHOLARS IN RESIDENCE K I M B E R LY W E S T- F A U L C O N CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SCHOLAR
S T E P H A N I E B AT I S T E ’ 9 0 BLACK STUDIES SCHOLAR
ADAM WERBACH ’91 ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEUR
SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE The Kutler Center Scholar in Residence program brings noted thinkers to Harvard-Westlake to share their expertise. Scholars in Residence are chosen for their ability to highlight the importance of interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to advancing knowledge and solving the world’s problems. Scholars have included Juliette Kayyem ’87, former assistant secretary for homeland security, Harvard professor, CNN analyst, and author of the new book The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters; Josh Kun ’89, cultural historian, music critic, USC professor, 2016 MacArthur Fellow, and author of the recent book The Autograph Book of L.A.; and this year’s Scholar, Kimberly WestFaulcon, an expert on constitutional law and the Supreme Court and a professor at Loyola Law School.
J U L I E T T E K AY Y E M ’ 8 7 NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT
LUCY JONES GEOLOGIST
JOSH KUN ’89 CULTURAL HISTORIAN
DA N I E L H O LT PIANIST & COMPOSER
PETER BOUCKAERT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
In March, West-Faulcon visited eight classes during her three-day residency on campus. “We developed the Scholar in Residence program based on the model of an academic center on a university campus, where you’ll have visiting faculty and scholars come and support the research of the center,” says Director of Kutler Center Jim Patterson.
The goal is to have the Scholar interact with small groups of students and to have that interaction be very deep and intimate.” DIRECTOR OF KUTLER CENTER JIM PATTERSON
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“ The Kutler Center
enables students to chart their own course.” TWO HATS WINNER GRAHAM CAIRNS ’12
INSPIRED BY BRENDAN KUTLER
TWO HATS AWARD DEMONSTRATES
AWARDED TO A JUNIOR WHO … KINDNESS
TOWARD PEERS PURSUES INTELLECTUAL AND ADULTS EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE THE CLASSROOM CLASSROOM TAKES RISKS TO PURSUE HIS OR HER INTERESTS
DEMONSTRATES KINDNESS TOWARD PEERS & ADULTS INSIDE & OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
TWO HATS AWARD Each year, the Kutler Center gives the Two Hats Award to a junior who reflects Brendan Kutler’s personal values. The name of the Two Hats Award comes from Brendan’s interest in multiple fields of study as well as his habit of wearing two baseball caps, one on top of the other. “The main academics are important, but there is also a lot of learning to be done in the connections between them,” says Graham Cairns ’12, who won the Two Hats award his junior year. Cairns’s studio art portfolio linked his passions of visual arts, cooking, and politics. During his senior year, he incorporated his study of Chinese in his analysis of the films of Wong Kar Wai, a director from Hong Kong, for his Directed Study: Cinema course. Lucy Kim ’19 received the Two Hats Award in 2018. Her project “How Protest and Poongmul Led to the Democratization of South Korea” was inspired by her experience of learning Poongmul, a traditional Korean folk music and dance. Kim recalls not having the opportunity to travel much growing up due to financial restrictions. “My world stopped with the city limits of Los Angeles,” says Kim. However, she continues, the “richness of culture within LA itself connected me to people from across the globe, and the Kutler Center supplied me with a plethora of ways to satiate my curiosity about the rest of the world.”
Photos by Lucy Kim ’19 for her “How Protest and Poongmul Led to the Democratization of South Korea” project
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HW TODAY
A S E L EC T I O N O F STA R T U P S FOUNDED BY STUDENTS IN
HW VENTURE SOPHIA RASCOFF ’23: RECON FOOD, A SOCIAL MEDIA APP FOCUSED ON FOOD CAMERON SCHILLER ’19 AND JONATHAN DAMICO ’19: PROVA, BACKPACKS DESIGNED BY & FOR STUDENTS
HW VENTURE HW Venture is a Kutler Center program that encourages student entrepreneurship to address community needs. A Venture directed study course fosters creative and critical thinking skills via a yearlong entrepreneurial project. Students can also sign up for an intensive week-long entrepreneurship summer camp called HW Inc. In addition, HW Venture connects students in the program with other HW students, alumni, faculty, parents, and friends seeking feedback on their own companies or projects.
AARIZ FURNITUREWALA ’23: MCGUY ACADEMY, AN ONLINE CODING EDUCATOR ARI SOKOLOV ’18: TRILL PROJECT, AN ANONYMOUS SOCIAL NETWORK FOR LGBTQ+ TEENS
“Some years ago,” remembers serial entrepreneur Sameer Gupta ’99, “I had a conversation with [Head of External Relations] Ed Hu: Why did HW encourage students to be doctors and artists and athletes, but not entrepreneurs? The timing seemed right, and in typical HW fashion, once the decision was made, the execution was excellent.” Gupta went on to act as a mentor for Venture students, moderator for Venture panel discussions, and judge for HW Inc. and the Venture-sponsored Hackathon. While part of HW Venture, Alec Katz ’19 and Amaan Furniturewala ’19 cofounded Soles4Good, a nonprofit empowering youth and women in developing nations to become entrepreneurs by reselling donated shoes. After graduation, Katz went on to cofound Curious Cardinals, a learning platform offering virtual classes taught by college students. “HW Venture is an example of how Harvard-Westlake goes above and beyond a classroom experience to provide its students with real-life opportunities.”
In addition to providing funding, HW Venture gave us priceless opportunities and advice.” ALEC KATZ, COFOUNDER OF SOLES4GOOD & CURIOUS CARDINALS 30 | HA RVA R D- W E ST L A K E LIF E
learned so much about myself “ Iand what I’m capable of, the way other people around the world live, and how I want to live.” HAUNANI BAUTISTA ’17
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
GLOBAL EDUCATION &
EXPERIENTIAL
LEARNING STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMS INTERNATIONAL FACULTY-LED TRAVEL JUNIOR SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS GAP YEAR FELLOWSHIPS
GLOBAL EDUCATION & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING The Kutler Center’s global education and experiential learning programs enable students to experience interdisciplinary concepts in action, develop empathy, and expand their cultural competence. Opportunities include global field trips, exchange programs, summer fellowships, and gap year experiences. Teachers typically lead about a dozen field trips abroad each year. This spring and summer alone, students could go on a French language immersion trip, a jazz band tour of Eastern Europe, a Latin class visit to Italy, a trip walking the Camino de Santiago trail of Spain, and an exploration of World War II’s Western Front.
Students can apply for short-term and long-term exchange programs in China, Spain, France, and Italy, as well as at a school on a farm in Vermont and in a program combining studying with backpacking through the mountains of Colorado and canyons of Utah. The Junior Summer Fellowship program provides selected juniors the opportunity to pursue an independent, immersive project during the summer before their senior year. Seniors are eligible for the Michael Brownstein ’99 Fellowship and Service Year Fellowships, which support gap year programs. Brownstein Fellow Haunani Bautista ’17 spent her gap year shadowing midwives in Sri Lanka and Germany and studying ceramics in Japan and Taiwan. “During my gap year I learned how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she says. “For the first time you have full autonomy to decide what you want to do and what you enjoy doing.”
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HW TODAY
THE BENEFITS OF
HW WORKS GET ACCESS TO ADVICE FROM EXPERTS WITH EXPERIENCE FIND CONNECTIONS THROUGH HW’S GLOBAL COMMUNITY ADVANCE YOUR CAREER WITH PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING MENTOR YOUNG ALUMS & STUDENTS
HW WORKS HW Works is Harvard-Westlake’s private online professional networking community. Specifically, HW Works sponsors four programs: CAREER DAY allows 10th grade students to shadow HW parent and alumni mentors and experience their professional workplace environments. CAREER FAIR helps students gain crucial real-world experience in trusted settings. Summer internships connect upper school students with HW parents and alumni. COLLEGE CONNECTIONS connects HW juniors with HW alumni for college advice. HW juniors can ask for tips on dorm life, what a typical workload in a particular academic program is like, and more about the transition from HW to college. HARVARD-WESTLAKE FOR LIFE (HW4L) connects alumni experts in their field with young alumni or current students in a personal and intimate setting. HW4Ls are hosted at a venue of the host’s choice or on campus. The idea behind this program is that once you’re part of the HW community, you will have access to the support and resources of the alumni community for life. “The idea of HW Works is to facilitate relationships between parents, students, and alumni, creating a cohesive professional network with a focus on current students and young alumni,” says Director of HW Works Kwaisi France. “We want to highlight paths to success for our students and alumni in almost every conceivable area of interest they may have.”
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Everybody should have access to opportunity, and that opportunity should be as expansive as possible.” DIRECTOR OF HW WORKS KWAISI FRANCE
A SELECTION OF THIS YEAR’S SCREENINGS
CINEMA SUNDAYS NICOLE BROWN ’98, PRESIDENT OF TRISTAR PICTURES & STUDIO EXECUTIVE ON BABY DRIVER MUSICIAN SCOTT HEALY ON JERRY GOLDSMITH’S ICONIC SCORE FOR CHINATOWN
CINEMA SUNDAYS On Sunday afternoons over the course of the school year, about a dozen films are screened and followed by a thought-provoking Q&A. Hosted by interdisciplinary studies and independent research teacher Ted Walch, the Cinema Sundays series is open to parents, alums, parents of alums, faculty and staff, current students, and community members.
I want the people who attend to feel that they’ve just had a good discussion, not that they’ve been to class.” I NTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES & INDEPENDENT RESEARCH TEACHER TED WALCH Walch’s favorite Cinema Sundays are the ones where alums come back to share a film. In November, Cinema Sundays showcased the award-winning Mass, about the aftermath of a school shooting, written and directed by Fran Kranz ’00. “That was, in truth, the most significant of all the ones I’ve done,” reflects Walch. “Fran was so good in his discussion. It’s a difficult subject. It really gave people a perspective on the cost of those events.”
OLIVIA CHUBA ’12 ON EDITH HEAD’S COSTUME DESIGN FOR REAR WINDOW ALEX O’FLINN & JOI MCMILLON, EDITORS FOR THE BARRY JENKINS EPISODIC THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Photo: Lola Peña ’25
WALKING ACROSS
NEW
ZEALAND An alum shares a poem and photos from his gap year abroad
“Sir Harry Scott” ’20 recently sent Jim Patterson, Director of the Kutler Center, a report on his gap year crossing New Zealand on foot without a cell phone or computer. When asked if we could reprint his reflections, he replied, “I specialize in lipogrammatic poetry [a form of writing that leaves out a letter or group of letters], and I would be honored to share my experiences re: Aotearoa—on the conditions that they be published without the letter ‘E,’ under a pseudonym, and only in paper format. My name has far too many letters ‘E,’ which necessitates the nom de plume: Sir Harry Scott.” Here is his recollection of his arrival in Auckland in 2020, when New Zealand was essentially COVID free.
V.I) Arising from Manukau at sunlight, V.II) Atop Taranaki pulling snow tight, V.III) Our aircraft was gliding on Maui’s fish, V.IV) Gazing at wondrous Waikato. My wish— V.V) Down to Pavlova’s origin looking— V.VI) Was to know Maoriland. Notions cooking V.VII) In hippocampus curiosity V.VIII) Rip past practical animosity V.IX) Against voyaging into grand unknown: V.X) Manawatu’s magic dairy was shown. VI.I) Island chains drip topaz sub-tropical; VI.II) Sub-antarctic (bark, tick); sub-optical VI.III) Conditions from which to look at Mount Doom: VI.IV) Tongariro Volcano’s lava tomb. VI.V) South of Taupo-Moana, gushing gloom VI.VI) Zips thru North Island’s low-rain, dry crossing, VI.VII) Around which Australasian flora bloom: VI.VIII) Houpara, Poroporo bush tossing. VI.IX) Kiwi wool socks—of which I had no pair— VI.X) Would work aptly in frigid, racing air.
Nga Mihi I.I) Flying thru fog from our South Spring’s first night, I.II) Atop Tamaki-Makau-Rau’s bright light, I.III) Past grassy hillocks, plus volcanic shoals, I.IV) Salty pupils had burnt up most cool coals. I.V) Dorothy’s odd city of Oz glows with I.VI) Colors that shroud Hauraki Gulf in myth: I.VII) Atop Mount Rangitoto’s rim run rains, I.VIII) Alighting arcs from that Ark of Noah’s— I.IX) Proof of God—across this Land of Moas, I.X) All of whom—summiting alps—pull down pains. II.I) Upon Auckland Airport’s tarmac at dawn— II.II) Just prior to Spring’s first shook shafts of sun— II.III) That Hauraki Gulf looks as if a con, II.IV) Brimming with cyan that outcrops shan’t shun, II.V) In glory of glowing opals and golds II.VI) Which go twinkling in South Pacific calm, II.VII) For ultra-indigo rays of which, balm— II.VIII) Upon skin—a chilly, sticky play holds. II.IX) Smokily suffocating chaparral II.X) Could not look similar to this at all. III.I) Inland from Alta California’s coast III.II) Tons of months prior to Autumn had brought— III.III) Back to blazing—many a flaming ghost, III.IV) Who would cough gray, pinkish hazings that caught III.V) Hollywood by storm, many a lung torn III.VI) Throughout filmy dazings, in which was born III.VII) Hardly any hoping for survival III.VIII) In civic harmony. An arrival, III.IX) Thus, to this Trans-Tasman isthmus shocks III.X) Any aorta who pumps polar locks. IV.I) Tamaki-Makau-Rau, Isthmus of a, IV.II) Myths say, Thousand Loving Souls—who can’t pay IV.III) Thoughts worth rubbish to global goings-on— IV.IV) Fights against turning to a paltry pawn. IV.V) Plus, this Quasi-British city will not IV.VI) Allow most inhabitants to fall poor: IV.VII) For All-Blacks winning rugby, Kiwis roar. IV.VIII) Thanks to sour socialism, any pot IV.IX) Holds poultry, possibly kai moana, IV.X) Tasting distinct from Brazil’s piranha.
VII.I) Moving up against mad Marlborough Sounds, VII.II) Which push out—magnanimously in mounds— VII.III) Of what was long ago a thalassic VII.IV) Mammal hunting hub: Cook Strait, triassic VII.V) In rock origin, but truly as young VII.VI) As cold capitalism’s swan song sung VII.VII) To ginormous milk-animals di mar, VII.VIII) On which Captain Ahab staid far off par. VII.IX) Across from Picton, Port Whaling Station VII.X) Took tons of cuddly cubs from lactation. VIII.I) From Tamaki-Makau-Rau took our flight VIII.II) To Port Nicholson. Political blight VIII.III) Pounds so poor in this capital city, VIII.IV) That locals call it Wailing-Town (pity)— VIII.V) Or Wailington, from which port did abort VIII.VI) Maori colonists to Chatham Islands. VIII.VII) Spiritually similar import VIII.VIII) Looks to Cymric, Pictish, Manx wool-highlands: VIII.IX) Bicultural constitutionally; VIII.X) Brit-Maori mix attitudinally. IX.I) Our day out of quarantining shook, IX.II) All lissom body parts with joy. It took IX.III) Six plus two plus six nights of staying put IX.IV) In a singular room, but our last hook IX.V) Could cook out any sort of sultry soot, IX.VI) At additional waiting hours for which IX.VII) I could not bring paltry pupils to look. IX.VIII) Dousing diaphanous lockdown with pitch, IX.IX) Our group got to—upon confirmation— IX.X) Sprint into vibrant, no-virus nation. X.I) Hopping outdoors (Sunny!) was outstanding, X.II) Onto a full, panoramic landing— X.III) In an airport full of crowds without masks— X.IV) I could go mingling, in hand with tall tasks, X.V) A singular goal of which was to walk, X.VI) About all my plans for which I would talk, X.VII) Fast flying back to that City of Sails, X.VIII) In which kids quickly find Tui-bird tails X.IX) Around, across this volcanic isthmus X.X) Of Auckland—as amazing as Christmas.
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HW VOICES
By Fallon Dern ’23 and Alex Hahn ’23 in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
THIRTY YEARS AFTER ITS FOUNDING, COMMUNITY MEMBERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES OF THE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM It is 6:30 p.m. in Chalmers 305. With their backs pressed against flipped-over desks, 14 students are seated facing each other. Unopened boxes of Animal Crackers and Lay’s potato chips are piled in the center of the room. It is 1991, and the first-ever Peer Support has begun. When the clock strikes 8 p.m., the cookies, chips, and awkward tension will have all disappeared. The 2021-2022 school year marks the 30th anniversary of Peer Support, a program that began as an interpersonal counseling program and gradually evolved into the largest club on campus. In a 1991 interview with the Chronicle, then Director of Counseling Louise Macatee said Peer Support created an open space to foster empathy and genuine communication. “We are giving people a chance to share what’s going on in their lives, to talk about concerns or issues,” said Macatee.
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“We’re also trying to teach people how to have more meaningful relationships by learning how to listen, share, and develop their interpersonal skills.” Former Peer Support leader Melanie Banders ’92 said the program is designed to initiate open communication between students. “[Peer Support hosts] small groups designed to create an atmosphere where students can open up and talk about the world,” Banders said. Current Peer Support Program Head Tina Grdan McGraw ’01 said she regrets having not joined Peer Support while attending the school as a student. “In the late ’90s it was a smaller program than it is now, but I heard from classmates who attended [back then] that they loved it,” McGraw said. “I am sad that I wasn’t able to have the student experience in Peer Support now that I get to see how special it is from my adult point of view.”
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HW VOICES THE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM MODEL Peer Support has since expanded and adopted a leadership program in which four coordinators supervise 26 senior leaders and 26 junior trainees. The coordinators, leaders, and trainees are split into 11 groups with roughly 30 students in each. Coordinators are responsible for delegating groups and handling any issues between group members, while leaders and trainees run Monday night group meetings. According to Coordinator Milo Kiddugavu ’22, this school year, roughly 70% of the entire upper school student body signed up. “In bringing different backgrounds and perspectives together with the intention of supporting each other for who we are, we are able to establish a more safe and united atmosphere that really allows people to flourish, as they know they have people who will have their back no matter what,” said Kiddugavu. Coordinator Prentiss Corbin ’22 said she admires the consistent effort the program has put forward to support students. “I think Peer Support has really aimed to create a safe place for students as well as forge deeper connections in the school community,” Corbin said. Kiddugavu and Corbin work alongside Coordinator Estee Eidinger ’22 and Michael Lapin ’22 to lead the program, bringing a different perspective to the team, as both Kiddugavu and Corbin were new tenth graders. Kiddugavu said upon entrance into the school, interacting with both upperclassmen and other sophomores through Peer Support provided him a community he otherwise may not have found. “I feel like learning about my new classmates and their personal lives brought a whole new element to my experience that really allowed me to get to know the community and not be afraid to put myself out there,” Kiddugavu said. Corbin shared a similar experience. “Peer Support 1,000% improved my experience being a new sophomore,” Corbin said. “My [former] leaders really took me under their wing and always checked in on me or said ‘Hi’ to me on the quad, which made me feel a sense of belonging in a new environment. I have definitely tried to carry that on with the sophomores in my group.”
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PERSPECTIVES ON THE PROGRAM Josh Barnavon ’24 said he was surprised by how much he enjoys being a part of his group. “My experience in Peer Support has been amazing,” Barnavon said. “When I first heard about the club, I was skeptical of how a group of strangers could develop such a high level of trust and confidentiality [with] each other. I now see there’s no age or grade level divide among the group, and everyone is treated with the same amount of respect. As a sophomore on a new campus, it also made me feel much more included in the upper school community.” Barnovan said he was initially doubtful of the high praise Peer Support received. Trainee Audrey Yang ’23 said these suspicions are not uncommon. “I had heard a lot about Peer Support from upper school students and how it was an amazing club that everyone should join,” Yang said. “Beyond that, however, everyone in Peer Support was very secretive about what the club was actually about, so when I first joined, I was excited but also nervous because I had no idea whether I would enjoy it.” Yang said the privacy of Peer Support is tied to a popular phrase associated with the program: “Big C.” This “C”refers to confidentiality, and the requirement for group members to keep everything private, from serious shares to lighthearted games. Kiddugavu said in a 700-person program, those who break the rule are often caught, spoken to by the leaders or coordinators, and expelled from the program. Yang said the respect for confidentiality kept her coming back to her group every Monday night. Now Yang leads a group with Harry Tarses ’23, Sophia Haynes ’22, Alex Shane ’22, and Cory Porter ’22. Yang said the program has helped her social intelligence and ability to interact with new people. “Being a trainee has definitely required me to step outside of my comfort zone,” Yang said. “At first, I was extremely nervous about having to speak in front of an entire group of people, many of whom I didn’t know. However, I realized that the main reason I was in [Peer Support] was to help others by listening with attentiveness and responding with empathy. This mindset took away the pressure of having to be the ‘perfect leader’ and encouraged me to be genuine and speak from my heart.”
ENVISIONING THE PROGRAM’S FUTURE “The program’s legacy is of human connection, empathy, and growth,” McGraw said. “It is impossible to measure the impact that it has had on individuals and the community as a whole, but I have had many students tell me that being in Peer Support was their most meaningful experience at the school.” Kiddugavu said he knows Peer Support will continue to be a staple of the school community. “The 30th anniversary of Peer Support means a lot to me, as I have been given the chance to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Kiddugavu said. “Going forward, I want Peer Support to continue on the path that it has been on for these 30 years, only getting better and better as classes introduce new ideas.”
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HW VOICES HEAD OF PEER SUPPORT TINA GRDAN MCGRAW ’ 01 WANTS YOU TO
LISTEN UP
In 2018, Tina Grdan McGraw ’01 came back to Harvard-Westlake to become the head of the Peer Support program. Although she also teaches and counsels students, Peer Support is her favorite part of her job. “I love it!” she gushes. Here, in her own words, she explains how Peer Support helps students—and what actually happens every Monday night.
HOW IT STARTED [Former Head of School] Harry Salamandra and [former dean] Jordan Hampton started Peer Support right before Harvard and Westlake merged as an idea to help integrate the students from Westlake and the students from Harvard, to make a bridge for the students to come together. The program was based on a model and training from a peer support organization and the book Friends Helping Friends, which we still use today.
HOW IT WORKS The first core skill we train Peer Support leaders in is listening. And that sounds really simple, but it’s fundamental. We talk about why we have rules about not giving advice. We ask things like, What gets in the way of deep listening? Are you just waiting to talk when someone else is talking? Are you thinking about lunch? We also teach empathy and talk about how empathy is not only words, but also body language. How do you show someone that you’re listening to them? What’s the body language and posture? How do you reflect back what they’ve said in a way that names both the emotion and the content? Empathy is a therapeutic intervention in its own right. You don’t have to be a therapist; you could help somebody just with empathic listening. And that is what Peer Support is all about.
HOW IT’S SET UP Over 200 people show up for Peer Support meetings every Monday night from 5:45 to 7:15. Beforehand, we serve pizza. Once groups start, they sit on the floor in a big circle and put all their cell phones in the middle. The leaders and trainees often bring snacks. Every week they go over the rules: They talk about confidentiality, not giving advice, not using any names, and being respectful. Next they share what they did over the weekend as a fun way to connect. Then they open the floor, and everyone sits quietly until somebody has something to share. Both leaders and group members respond to the shares without giving advice.
So if someone shares something like “I’m so sad, my boyfriend broke up with me. My ego is shattered,” they might get, “Wow, that sounds really tough. I’m so sorry this happened to you.” And somebody else might ask, “Was there something in particular that happened?” The leaders perhaps step in more, but anyone can respond, and as group members catch on to the culture of the group, they participate more and more. So there’s this continuation of the culture through the grades. And every student who experiences Peer Support for the first time gets brought into that fold of empathic listening and learns how to do it. And then when the person sharing is done, they swish out [pantomimes dunking a basketball]. That’s the signal to the group that their issue is closed. And then it opens the floor again.
BIG AND SMALL PROBLEMS It could be any issue—social problems or stuff at home or anything academic. No share is too small. Sometimes we also get serious shares about more urgent mental health issues. We call these red flags: If someone’s hurting themselves or hurting someone else, someone else is hurting them, or any really serious issue comes up, the student is referred to the professional counselors who are on hand as Peer Support supervisors. There are also a lot of gray areas that the students are trained to consult with us on. They’ll come to us without giving the student’s name and share with us what they heard the student say. We ask some follow-up questions and if we determine it’s a red flag, then they’ll give us the name of that student, and we’ll follow up with the student and their family if needed. In some groups you’ll have five, six people sharing over 45 minutes. Other times there aren’t any shares because nobody has an issue. And so the room will be silent for a good long time, five or six minutes, and then the students move into get-to-know-you games, which usually close the groups.
NO ADULTS ALLOWED The reason Peer Support is really popular is because we allow it to be a teenage space where teens talk to each other about teen stuff in teen language. The counselors rotate supervising, so we’re on site, but there are no adults in the room, and that’s the magic of why it works so well. We’re not trying to make the senior leaders into therapists. Their role is to be Peer Support leaders. It’s a long process to be trained as a Peer Support leader because we have to put an enormous amount of trust in them. Not only do they need empathic listening skills, they also need to act as a safety net and know when they need to involve an adult. The personal growth in our leaders and trainees is incredible to watch. You can just see their gears turning. They learn so much about themselves, becoming good listeners and empathic people. These skills translate into their own personal lives, and they become less judgmental and more aware of the spectrum of human experience. They develop better boundaries and better communication skills. They learn to be better friends. I find some of them remarkably changed from the experience.
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ALUMNI PROFILES
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THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE PRESIDENT HEAD OF TRISTAR PICTURES
NICOLE BROWN ’98
ON HER OWN HERO’S JOURNEY
N
either of my parents are in the business,” muses Nicole Brown ’98. “But I had this obsession with TV shows and movies and really wanted to be a part of that, even as a child. And I’m grateful that I wore my parents down and convinced them to let me explore it. I ended up getting an agent and we would go on auditions. I was in Boyz n the Hood and on a TV show called Kids Incorporated.”
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ALUMNI PROFILES The late Boyz n the Hood director, John Singleton, was an early mentor. “John Singleton was one of the youngest filmmakers I’d ever met. And I hadn’t really met many Black filmmakers,” Brown remembers. “We kept in touch, and when I came back to LA after college, I shared with John that I wanted to become an executive. And he was like, ‘Oh, that’s the best idea. We need people like you! Go all the way!’ He was so supportive and excited that I had hung up my actor jersey and was ready to take on the sport of being an executive.” Sure enough, in October 2020, the kid who played 10-year-old Brandi in Boyz n the Hood had grown up to be president. Now head of TriStar Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, Brown tells the story of how she got there and what she’s doing now that she’s running the show.
OW DID HARVARD-WESTLAKE H AFFECT YOUR PATH? At Harvard-Westlake, I was given the opportunity to delve deep into theater. I had great teachers, and we put on fantastic, practically professional performances. I took Advanced Dance with [former performing arts teacher] Cyndy Winter, and as a group we would think of a theme and build and produce the whole show ourselves, the choreography and solos and duets and big group numbers, the costumes, the lighting. And the freedom to explore and express ideas and create something that could entertain our classmates and families was such a thrilling responsibility. That was really formative for me in terms of loving the journey of storytelling and producing. After high school, I double majored in history and film at Columbia University. While I was there, I started a theater group and named myself head of the script committee. I didn’t want to be the director of the show or the performer. I wanted to pick the thing we were making, which was odd, but telling. I remember I selected a titillating and controversial show, thinking it would bring the most audience and make the most noise on campus. It was fulfilling to be in the wings, watching my actors and my director take a bow for their great accomplishment. And at that moment, I said, “Whatever this is, whatever this job is, that’s what I want to do my whole life.”
H OW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A PRODUCER? I graduated from Columbia in two and a half years, Phi Beta Kappa, and applied to the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. But the summer after undergrad, I got an internship in Los Angeles at Marc Platt Productions, whom I found through the Harvard-Westlake parent-alumni network. Marc Platt is an extraordinary producer who sincerely believes a good idea could come from anywhere. So as an intern, I felt very supported and seen, and at the end of my internship there, I was lucky enough that there was a job opportunity for me. I took the job, because I was so sure that working there would give me the education that I really wanted. And it was the best decision I ever made. I had a great experience at that company working on films like Honey and Legally Blonde and watching Wicked, the musical, become a global phenom. Several years into that job, I got curious about how other aspects of the business worked and moved to a company called Mandate Pictures. I ran the creative department there and worked on films like the Harold & Kumar franchise, Last Vegas, and Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It. I made horror films in conjunction with Sam Rami like The Possession and Evil Dead. I also did a run of comedies with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg from 50/50 to This Is the End to Neighbors. It was a lot of very eclectic, exciting, bold content.
‘
IT WAS FULFILLING TO BE IN THE WINGS, WATCHING MY ACTORS AND MY DIRECTOR TAKE A BOW FOR THEIR GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND AT THAT MOMENT, I SAID,
Whatever this is, whatever this job is, that’s what I want to do my whole life.”’ After a few years there, I then left to help [Chairman, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, and former Chairman of TriStar Pictures] Tom Rothman reboot TriStar Pictures [a division of Sony Pictures]. I started with films like Money Monster and Baby Driver and eventually began running the company in 2019.
HAT UPCOMING FILMS ARE W YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT? I love all my films, but there are three that I’m very excited about. First, Matilda the Musical, a coproduction with Netflix. I love the story, that kindness and intelligence can defeat even the biggest of bullies. We have a musical biopic of Whitney Houston called I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Kasi Lemmons is directing and Naomi Ackie is starring. What could be more exciting than to celebrate an epic legend like Whitney Houston? Then we have The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, helmed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. I describe it as a Black female Braveheart about a real army of badass female warriors who existed in the 17th and 18th century. It’s a big, fun, thrilling real-life superhero story.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE HEAD OF A MAJOR STUDIO LABEL? It’s a great honor and responsibility. I don’t take that lightly. It’s been very rewarding to be recognized at Sony and have a label that I get to define. I’m looking for content that reflects the world we live in. But my job first and foremost is to entertain. The great joy of what I do is when those two goals intersect. Lately there’s been a magnifying glass on Hollywood with studies looking at things like the percentage of women working behind the camera and the percentage of films that feature diverse characters. That research is really valuable, because it quantifies how we’re doing and creates clear benchmarks for us to do better. I’ve seen a movement toward more diversity, behind and in front of the camera and amongst executive ranks. And that’s a wonderful, positive aspect that we must continue to improve. But I do believe that the best way to advance the business and culture is through successful content. Hits can change the world! We’ve got to create great, gamechanging material that audiences want to see.
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CLASS NOTES
WESTLAKE CLASS NOTES
1950s
CHATTY COLLIER ’55 writes, “Broke my right arm the first week of December, the end of my arm up by my shoulder. Still healing but much better finally!”
SIGRID BANZHAF TOYE ’56 writes, “Here’s the picture from the mid-late ’60s when I chaired that year’s Valentine Tea in the Great Hall. The kid whose eyes are just over the info (stage left) are those of Vicki Toye ’81. I was on the Board of Trustees during the time I was alum pres and a bit after, possibly at the beginning of Nat Reynolds’s tenure.
As an educational and behavior therapist, I hold a PhD in clinical psychology. I am also happily involved as a freelance writer and storyteller. I love all things creative, including my two grown children, both working artists.”
1960s
DEBORAH MORGAN MULLEN ’65 writes, “After I graduated in 1965, I spent two years as a professional model while attending college part time. I graduated from the University of Maryland. In 1967 I met my future husband, Michael Mullen, who was a Midshipman, First Class, at the United States Naval Academy. Michael, a Notre Dame High School graduate, was raised in Studio City. We married in 1970.
Michael never planned to make the Navy a career; however, he owed the Navy a five-year commitment following graduation. During those five years he discovered he loved the Navy, the sailors, and the sea. So, the path of our lives changed, and we began an exciting 41-year chapter, from our marriage in 1970 to Michael’s retirement from active duty in 2011. Michael and I have lived on both coasts and overseas in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, and Naples, Italy. After nine years of marriage we were blessed with two sons. Jack was born in 1979 and Mike in 1980. They followed their father to the Naval Academy. Jack is still on active duty. Mike is now a civilian. Michael and I have five grandchildren— from 3 to 12 years of age. In 2005 Michael became the Chief of Naval Operations, and in 2007 he was confirmed as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During our marriage I met with military spouses and family members at bases and installations in the United States and overseas to understand the challenges they faced and find solutions that would help. Following 9/11, I focused on the significant stresses faced by families— especially children—experiencing multiple deployments of a loved one to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. I advocated and spoke on behalf of surviving families grieving the loss of their military loved ones as well as
homeless veterans and service members suffering from PTSD and traumatic injuries—both visible and invisible. After Michael’s retirement from the Navy in 2011, I continued my support and advocacy for military families as a member of the boards of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which provides comfort, care, and resources for all those grieving the death of a military loved one; ThanksUSA, which provides needbased scholarships for the children and spouses of our troops; and the 1887 Fund. The goal of the 1887 Fund is to return the West LA Veterans campus to its origins as a home for veterans, and to restore the Wadsworth Chapel plus the other four original buildings located on the campus. I also serve as an honorary member of the advisory board of Easterseals DC MD VA. Easterseals provides services and resources to people living with disabilities, military, veterans, and their families.”
CONSTANCE ZEC BESSADA ’67 writes, “I welcomed my second grandchild to the world just before Christmas. At this writing, he is actively smiling and on the cusp of his first laugh (age 10 weeks). Fun to observe how easily a little one seduces everybody around him.”
CYNTHIA CUMMINGS MURPHY ’69 writes, “My mother, Carol Virginia Klune, class of 1950, passed away on September 23, 2021, in McKinleyville, California. She kept in touch with several of her classmates and will be missed by her friends and family, including my sister Linda Cummings Mortenson, class of 1973. Mom still had an original Westlake study hall desk and treasured her memories of her Westlake days.”
Class Notes is a regular feature in HW Life magazine, and all notes are submitted by alumni. If you have any news you’d like to share with the alumni community, submit it via the alumni website (hw.com/alumni) by logging into your alumni account or by emailing alumni@hw.com.
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TIMA FARMY SCHWADA ’69 writes on behalf of her class, “We are now 70 years old, most of us, anyway. But older does not mean moldier. To the contrary, Maggie Wellman Cerminaro has become a pickleball goddess and rides a motorcycle. Judy Merrill Stewart tends her outrageously beautiful Montecito garden with her green thumb. Daphne Anderson Deeds, a former museum curator, lives in Connecticut, where she has a private art gallery and is an art consultant. Sandy King Carpenter continues to scare us all by producing horror and science fiction TV series, movies, and podcasts. She also has a comic book publishing company called Storm King Comics. Trina Mitchum is an author and is finishing her movie about celebrity tailor to the stars Nudie, who designed rhinestone-covered cowboy suits. Cynni Cummings Murphy has a boatload of grandchildren who amuse her endlessly. Cathy Craine Unabia left the brutal LA winters many years ago for a Hawaiian lifestyle. Think she may be pretty relaxed by now. Melissa Greene lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she is the director and teacher of Write from the Heart, a creative writing workshop for adults, kids, and cancer patients. Susan Sharp Anderson is a dentist in the Virgin Islands...not too shabby a place to live and work. Linda Day Wilson is a nurse in the San Diego area and must have had a busy year or two with the damn pandemic. Thank you, Linda! Sara Tollefson Hammond lives in a super lush area of southern Oregon, where she was an organic gardener. She has a large property with buildings for making ceramics and other art objects. Her grandchildren are very lucky. Carla Howard is a rabbi in LA. Cecily Waycott Steele lives in the South and visits LA on occasion. Karen Ulery Maxwell lives in Ventura and has adorable dogs and a very nice life. Arrelle Warwick von Hurter is still as dramatic and
entertaining as ever. She has four kids who are gorgeous and drive her crazy. I think Tina Webster Le Marque-Denison lives in Tucson and is pursuing her art career. Louise Steinman is the founder of the ALOUD program at the LA Central Library and is a published author of multiple books. As she puts it, she is the Director of Cultural Espionage at My Muse—look her up! Kelly Stewart Harcourt lives in Davis and has published many books about anthropology and mountain gorillas. She is the funniest person on the planet. Berenice Stevenson de la Salle lives in Mammoth and is a writer, and she also works in real estate and retired from the world of finance. Mona Houghton is a retired teacher and author of a novella and short stories, for which she has won numerous prizes and awards. And as for me, I don’t know what I am doing.”
1970s
JULIE HUBER CAMPEAU ’70 writes, “Six years ago, after having lived my entire life in Southern California, I moved to Austin, Texas, to retire and start a new chapter. My three children have given me three grandchildren in the last four years. I’m happy to say we are all thriving.”
MELISSA REA HEDGES ’70 writes, “I was 18 when I married JonStephen Hedges, a young, idealistic Christian pastor. Our bond of over 50 years was broken by his sudden passing at age 73 in February. He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, commonly known as Fr Jon, became an assistant priest at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, serving parishioners, the St. Brigid Fellowship, DWW Santa Barbara Street Medicine, and with the Red Cross in numerous national disasters. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, SB Sheriff and District Attorney, as well as the National Red Cross, the Santa Barbara NewsPress, and the Independent newspaper honored him for his dedicated work as a mental health counselor during times of crisis and his ministry serving the unhoused. Fr Jon is dearly loved and missed.”
EMILY GOLD MEARS ’76 writes, “I have written a book called Optimizing Your Health, which will be released on May 17, 2022. I live in Los Angeles with my two sons.”
NANCY ARONSON ’79 writes, “In March of last year our house caught fire so we were living in a hotel for a year. Just me, my husband, our 15-year-old daughter, and the two dogs. Added to a few medical issues, culminating with me having to have spinal surgery in December to avoid paralysis. Seriously, paralysis. They gave me two to three months in September. So, I had the surgery and am doing okay. One dog has a torn ACL and the other might be diabetic. So, having said all that, on March 12 we moved back in on the oneyear anniversary. Love symmetry. So fingers crossed for 2022!”
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CLASS NOTES 1980s
PATTI BANK FINKELSTEIN ’81 writes, “I love keeping in touch with so many Westlake classmates and friends. My husband, Jeff, and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in Napa last August. We feel very happy and lucky to have our adult kids, Brandon ’12 and Haley ’15, in town as well. Our almost 3-year old English Cream Golden, Nilla Bean, keeps me in shape with lots of walks and hikes. Nilla made the HW WolveRun so much fun!
I am enjoying my retirement from Crossroads School as Director of Major Gifts. I loved my five years there and feel so proud of all my team accomplished. Also grateful for everything I learned volunteering as an alumna and parent for so many years at HW, which taught me so much about advancement and was instrumental in launching my career. I’m happy to have time now to spend with family and friends and glad I can focus more on my role as a proud member of the HarvardWestlake Alumni Association Board. I am also having a blast and love playing pickleball and mahjong with many Westlake friends! I am still smiling and feeling SO happy from the Westlake class of ’81
- WESTLAKE LIFE 48 | HARVARD
40-year reunion last November! It was an amazing Westlake Reunion Day on campus with friends and former Westlake faculty and staff, followed by the class of ’81 dinner with classmates and their spouses/partners at the home of our wonderful classmate Teresa de Castro McNamara ’81. A fabulous time was had by all catching up with old friends; picked up right where we left off, a blink. We channeled our beloved history teacher, David Coombs, as we recited ‘Willie, Willie, Harry, Ste’ with gusto and love, not missing a beat! Thanks to HW, Ivy Bunnak, and our kick-ass Reunion Committee for making it all easy: Teresa de Castro McNamara ’81, Adrienne Barat Bunting ’81, Teri Appel Wilks ’81, Ami Kramer Cohen ’81, Margo Wright Lane ’81, Kathy Moses ’81, and Juliana Keaton Moritz ’81! We had a great time planning it.”
VICKI TOYE ’81 writes, “I graduated with a master’s in museum studies and spent my career at the National Gallery of Art in DC—curatorial (film) and administration.”
KRISS KEVORKIAN ’82 writes, “In seventh grade, our class took a field trip to go whale watching. It was the first time I saw whales in the wild, but not my last! From that moment, I knew I was going to study whales! With the support of Ms. Corlett, our science teacher, I started the Save Endangered Marine Life Club. I wish I could say it was a popular club, but it was just the two of us. Whales were put on hold for a bit when I discovered another passion, thanatology, the study/science of death, dying, and grief. I combined my two passions when I coined the terms environmental grief and ecological grief decades ago. In addition to offering grief and end-of-life care counseling and support, I am founder of the group Legal Rights for the Salish Sea, working to educate our elected officials to recognize the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. If you’re interested in helping with our rights of nature campaign, please visit our website at legalrightsforthesalishsea. org.”
STACEY NEUFELD ’82 writes, “Class of ’82! Would love to have Westlake alums at our vacation home in Idaho (thecabinescape.com), next to which I am now living full time with my hubby, five horses, two mules, and two dogs. My kids are in Spokane, WA, one in med school, one working from home. Hope to see some of you!”
RACHEL BERNSTEIN ’83 writes, “I’m the proud mom of three, ages 18, 21, and 23, and the youngest, Shoshie, is a soon-to-be HW graduate, class of ’22. I have had my therapy practice for 30 years, wrote a children’s book about divorce for all families no matter the gender of the parents (Now I Know: Kids Talking to Kids about Divorce), and host my weekly podcast, IndoctriNation.
I have loved my continued friendships with the really interesting women I first met as classmates at Westlake and am so happy Shoshie has been able to benefit from an HW education in an environment that is now more enriched by being more inclusive and diverse. I wish you all good health and safety in 2022. I hope this year proves to be a lot less stressful and weird.”
BLITHE POWELSON-SMITH BOCK ’83 writes, “I’ve had a wonderful career and I believe my success in college and now in my career can be traced back to the teaching I received at Westlake. I graduated Westlake in 1983 and went to the University of Chicago, graduating in 1987. After a two-year break, during which I worked in a factory, waitressed, and did other odd jobs, I attended UCLA School of Law. I graduated and began my career as an attorney in 1992. I started in a private law firm, then joined the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office in 1999. My career there has been wonderful, as I represent the City of Los Angeles in very significant cases involving the LAPD, the DWP, and other City departments. I am the head of the Civil Appellate Division, which represents the City in all appeals before the Ninth Circuit and the Court of Appeal. I am also a Certified Appellate Specialist with the California State Bar. I live in Highland Park. I’m divorced with two wonderful boys, ages 16 and 18.”
ELLEN JOVIN ’83 writes, “I have a new book coming out in July called Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (HarperCollins), about my traveling pop-up grammar advice stand.”
CARRIE PANAMA REQUIST ’83 writes, “After a long career in technology and startups, I transitioned to teaching entrepreneurship, starting with three years in an assistant role in the Penn State University online MBA program. In January ’22, I was hired by my alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, as an instructor in the College of Engineering Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET), teaching entrepreneurship and leadership to undergraduates and global students on campus. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching college students and have found a real love for class creation (many of the classes I have been involved in have been new classes that I have created by myself or in conjunction with others).
This has coincided with my three children leaving home for college. My eldest daughter graduated from the University of Arizona in May ’21 with a BS in biomedical engineering and a BM in music performance (flute). She is now at the University of Utah in the MD-PhD program for the next eight years. My son graduated from UArizona with a BS in computer science and a BM in music performance (oboe) this May and started a job as a software engineer with IBM. He is engaged to be married in March ’23. His twin sister is studying systems engineering and music performance (clarinet), also at UArizona. She will intern at Garmin
Systems this summer and finish her bachelor’s degrees in May ’23. I continue to live in the mountains of Colorado with Tony, my husband of 35 years, and our fluffy dog. I commute to Cal each week to teach. This summer/ fall (July to October), my husband will attempt a southbound thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, and I will support him along the way from our travel trailer, allowing me to travel from the Canadian border in northern Washington State to the Mexican border in Southern California. Along the way, I will visit with my classmates, Nan (King) Inn ’83 and Jennifer (Ellis) Tyler ’84 and perhaps others.”
WHITNEY ROSENSON SINCOFF ’88 writes, “My classmate Justine Stamen Arrillaga and I were at her recent solo art show in Waikiki, Ka Lele Paheona (Flying Art). The culmination of this three-event series took place in Los Angeles at the Open Mind Art Space on April 2. Justine and I have been friends for 30 years. Justine’s new website is justinestamenarrillaga. art. It has been such fun to work with her on this series as Justine’s gallery representative. My website is artdimensionsonline.com.”
1990s LISA NIVER ’85 writes, “I won a Southern California Journalism Award for technology reporting and was a two-time finalist for the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. During COVID, I have been working on a memoir, and my YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/WeSaidGoTravel) is now over 1.5 million views. I hope my next update is that I have a book contract! Read my article about My Octopus Teacher in HuffPost Personal (bit.ly/3uBrTCJ).”
JULIETTE KAYYEM ’87 writes, “I continue to keep busy as a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School and a CNN analyst. On March 29, I published my latest book, The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters (Public Affairs). The book (bit.ly/3uwD8fX) provides historical analysis and practical advice for an era that never seems to let up.”
VICTORIA ORDIN ’90 writes, “What began as a 10-month break from Manhattan to write a memoir in Santa Barbara turned into a two-year hiatus. I visit New York between subletters and visit my rescue cat, Taco, at my mother’s home in the Palisades.
Santa Barbara remains the dullest upscale place on earth, but it’s beautiful, it has a great athletic club— and booze is cheap. I miss civilization but am enchanted by two-bedroom life. In 2021, I placed second in my category (45 to 49, non-wetsuit) at Golden Gate Sharkfest. (There were only two competitors.) More importantly, I raised $7,105 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights. I will swim my third Sharkfest on July 23, 2022. I recently completed work on the website for Sotheby’s top realty team in Los Angeles. I continue to help students with college essays but am eager to do more in this vein. Personalstatementsandmore.com.”
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CLASS NOTES
HARVARD CLASS NOTES
1960s
1980s
PAULO RANGEL ’81 writes, “I have been married to Dana since 1999. We have two children—Griffin (21) and McKenna (18). Both are at UC Davis and want to become physicians.
I started Primmune Therapeutics, a cancer immunotherapy company, in 2017. We started our first human studies in 2021. The next two years will be very interesting for the company. Dana and I live in Carlsbad, CA.” ERNIE WOLFE III ’68 writes, “I have for 20 years gone up to Monterey with my pals and members of my ’68 HS class, and here’s last year’s salmon lip-ripping adventure! Sea-run king salmon aka ‘chinooks’—yum! (I would hope that this could become a yearly event for the NorCals to meet the SoCals, etc.) Left to right are Hale Fletcher ’68 (his wife, Vicky, passed away from melanoma recently), Rev Miller (started with our class— graduated from Pali, I believe), Rob Barry ’68, and me, back on the dock after ‘our’ charter.”
STUART RAPHAEL ’82 writes, “After more than 30 years as a trial and appellate lawyer, I was elected by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021 to serve as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia. My chambers are in Arlington, where Abby and I have lived since 1989.”
1970s
MARTIN DAVIS ’74 writes, “Phil Davis ’70 passed away May 13, 2021. Phil was captain of the water polo team, a four-year varsity swimmer, the editor in chief of Harvest, and cofounder of the student publication Palantir.”
- WESTLAKE LIF E 50 | HARVARD
KIRAN SIDHU ’82 writes, “I recently moved back to Beverly Hills after 27 years away. I live with my four children—Mila (21), Nina (16), Omar (12), and Priya (11)—and my partner, Nicole. I currently work with two cannabis early-stage businesses: Akanda (AKAN) and Halo (HCANF). I came back to open three large LA dispensaries and build out Halo’s California operations.”
PETER SICKLE ’85 writes, “A year ago, I joined the founding team of the Tel Aviv Heat, Israel’s first professional rugby team, upon winning a bid to join the newly formed Rugby Europe Super Cup. As CEO of a ‘rugby startup,’ I have sought to balance the innovation and agility of a startup, the camaraderie, inclusion, and selflessness of an amateur-era rugby club, and the competitive, high-performance environment of a professional sports team. Oh, and COVID. It’s been a great ride so far and I invite my HW brothers and sisters to join our journey. Love this team.”
CHRIS HOLMES ’87 writes, “After a long stretch in Guatemala, I’ve settled in Washington, DC, where I’ve married a wonderful man, Rick. He’s an art therapist with a penchant for ceramics, and I manage the finances of a global health nonprofit, for which I travel to Africa and Asia. We have a happy little home in the ’burbs with our baby bulldog, Pepper. Give us a shout if you’re in the area!”
MIKE PATTERSON ’87 writes, “I’ve recently started a digital marketing and advertising agency that I run alongside my men’s athletic apparel (read: underwear!) company. When I’m not working, I’m usually spending QT with my girlfriend of three years and our cat, Boo Kitty. In my downtime, I’m reading, writing, working out, surfing, or watching sports! References: gettrau. com, mpattyfly.medium.com.”
HARVARD- WESTLAKE CLASS NOTES
1993
ADAM HOWARD writes, “I was recently selected for the Road Theatre Company’s Under Construction Playwrights residency! The 10 writers in the cohort are spending the next nine months each working on a brand new play—the group relies on each other for critical feedback and collaboration. Each of the playwrights will have a completed play by the end of the residency, which will lead to a public reading in Los Angeles, and then the theatre company has first option on producing each work.”
JENNIFER HUMPHREY writes, “I was recently promoted to Clinical Specialist Supervisor in the UCLA Resnick Hospital clinical social work department. I spend a lot of time with my 3-year-old nephew and 8-month-old niece. I live in Brentwood and would love to connect with other HW alums in the area.”
NICOLE MONASTIRSKY KILEY writes, “In December of 2021, my husband, Mike, and our three little boys (at the time 7, 4, and 1) left the sunshine of LA for the forest of Springfield, OR. Preceding the move was a spiritual awakening that gifted me the opportunity to live a life more aligned with soul. I no longer wanted to live life at its patriarchalized pace. I had a triple mother wound (biological mother, inner mother, and great mother) that needed my attention; otherwise I would not be able to mother myself, my children, or our dying, crying world.
for dance, like when I founded the MIT Dance Troupe, choreographed for the HBS show, did a local community musical in LA, or arranged a flash mob dance at my wedding years ago.
Life today looks very different. It is not full sun all the time, but rather shadow play and divine light singing through tree gaps. It is also shuttling kids off to school and schedules, but softer and slower, like me. I watch and feel all the cycles of life and seasons here. And I create and heal and teach in my messy, muddy way. If you are interested in learning more about my work as a Priestess, weaver, and holder of the Maiden-to-Mother Rite of Passage, you can find me at mutualspirits.me.”
1996
SHIRA RAYKOFF writes, “I am a documentary and reality television writer, producer, and director, working on shows such as Breaking Bonaduce, Pit Bulls & Parolees, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, America’s Best Dance Crew, Botched, and The Hills to name a few. Prior to my career in television, I worked as an elementary school teacher and a DJ. I live with my husband and soon-to-be 5-year-old daughter in Topanga Canyon.” PEBBLES VADAKAN writes, “I am back in sunny Southern CA after spending time living in MA (during my years at MIT and Harvard Business School), Michigan (with Ford Motor Co.), Minnesota (with Activision), and Thailand. I pursued marketing to stay creative in my career and am now VP of Marketing at Pelican Parts. Every now and then, I will try to fulfill my passion
While I continue to love the Playa Vista lifestyle in LA, my husband, Robert School, and I just purchased a threeplus-acre vacation home in Southern CA’s wine country area of Fallbrook and would like to invite HW alums to come visit and enjoy the ‘Italian wine country’ and direct sunset views together!”
PETER RICHARDS writes, “Naia and I are delighted to share the news that we welcomed Anya Gerel Richards into the world November 4 at 3:05 a.m. We’ve been busy doing the new parent thing—lots of feeding, diaper changing, and not much sleeping! Everyone is happy and healthy and we are thrilled about this new expansion of our family.
A little about Anya’s name: Naia’s family on her father’s side is Kalmyk Mongolian. These are Mongolian peoples who settled in what is now Southern Russia near the Caucasus Mountains in the 1600s. Anya is a common name in Kalmykia and is a variation of Anna or Anne, which is, in turn, a family name for both Naia and me: Both of our mothers have the middle name of Anne, and I have a cousin Ana as well. Gerel means ‘light’ in Mongolian and is part of Naia’s given name, which is Narna Gerel Elizabeth Cucukov. Richards is, well, Richards.”
- WESTLAKE| LIFE 51 HARVARD
SPRING / SUMMER 2O22
CLASS NOTES 1997
MARIA CAMACHO writes, “I am honored to be a part of the Los Angeles Rams organization (for the past six seasons!) and to celebrate not only the accomplishment of hosting a Super Bowl but playing at home and winning the big game! Let’s just say our household was all Super Bowl and Rams chatter during the months of January and February (and even my kids were prepared to ‘talk shop’ with anyone who mentioned the game)! And while that professional accomplishment was achieved, my husband, Dayton, and I geared up for the fun kindergarten application process for my son, Landon. Nothing but excitement in the Camacho Miller household these days!”
- WESTLAKE LIFE 52 | HARVARD
ROCHELLE ISRAEL GLUCKSMAN writes, “I live in Los Angeles with my husband, Jake, and our three children, Samuel (12), Henry (10), and Grace (8). After leaving the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in 2011, I have spent the last decade operating my own real estate investment company. We are excited and grateful that our eldest son, Samuel, will be starting seventh grade at Harvard-Westlake this fall! Go Wolverines!”
SALLY MAHLOUDJI VOGELHUT writes, “I live in New York City with my husband, Ethan, and our two children, Lucy (11) and Bobby (8). After 12 years of working at MVision, where I worked with private equity firms to raise institutional capital for their funds, in April 2021, I decided to move in house as Head of Investor Relations at Lee Equity Partners. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in person at our reunion!”
SHELDON WONG writes, “Antonella Wong and I were thrilled to welcome Serena Kathryn Wong to the world on January 19!”
1998
SUZANNE MEYER BERKMAN writes, “My husband, Marc, and I are living in Los Angeles with our kids, Lily (10) and Nate (7). I am a dermatologist practicing in Beverly Hills, and Marc is the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety.” WILLIAM HATTMAN writes, “I’ve been living in the Portland (OR) metro area since 2000 and working in digital marketing since 2011, after a miserable sweaty decade as a full-time musician. I still play in bands and have a songwriting/recording project of my own, but now I can afford food and stuff. I married my wonderful wife, Alissa, in 2015 and we bought a house in Canby, south of Portland, in 2019. She writes short fiction and teaches English. We have cats instead of kids. See janaosta.bandcamp.com, wearemonths. bandcamp.com, swimswamswum. bandcamp.com, downgown.bandcamp. com, alissahattman.com.”
2002 DAVID SUN writes, “My wife and I had our first child, Elizabeth Jiayi Sun, in September of 2021.”
2001
MELISSA GREENFIELD (aka Keaton Shyler) writes, “This year I moved to Italy for six months to pursue my longtime dream of making my first feature film.” JESSICA RICHMAN writes, “I am still living in San Francisco and working for the Australian government. I continue to focus on generating foreign direct investment opportunities and am now working closely with Australia’s Chief Scientist to develop Australia’s quantum technology industry and ecosystem.
My boyfriend and I had a handsome, intelligent, and very funny baby boy in August and are having a great (albeit tiring) time with him. Please reach out if you are in the Bay Area and/or are interested in learning more about doing business in Australia.” ERICA RUBIN writes, “I am living in Austin, Texas, with my husband, Christian, and fur baby, Emmet, while working as Communications Director for Orangetheory Fitness.” STEPHEN SCHULTHEIS writes, “I am currently teaching piano in Woodland Hills! Love to hear from any musician/music teacher classmates!” JULIA SILBERGELD writes, “I split my time between Oakland, CA, and Leadville, CO. I am VP of People at FreeWill, a technology startup focused on raising $1 trillion for nonprofits.”
KATHRYNE COOPER writes, “The last couple years has been a lot of new, good new! In the pandemic, I got engaged, was married at my mother’s home in View Park, and celebrated our marriage with an extended group of family and friends over a lovely weekend. My husband and I moved within Santa Monica, and I launched a $55M venture capital fund, Jumpstart Nova—the first Black healthcare venture fund in America—backing incredible Black healthcare founders.” TREVOR DAVIS writes, “I’ve been a community organizer and nonprofit executive for about 15 years, leading advocacy that helped pass the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative in LA County, among other grassroots efforts. I founded the nonprofit REACH for Community, which fights to advance the field of arts-based social work, and recently hosted an Arts + Healing Summit with Senator Ben Allen and others speaking in support. I also consult on marketing strategy for impact campaigns and serve as Executive Producer, alongside Sir Ken Robinson and the Viktor E. Frankl Institute, on Straight Up Impact’s film series ‘Meaning in Madness,’ addressing the youth mental health crisis. I’m happily married to my wife, Kate, and a grateful dad to our 10-year-old son, Aiden.” STEPHANIE MORELAND DEKIN writes, “I live in Mar Vista with my husband (Sam) and three children, Leo (8), Poppy (5), and Zoe (1). My husband and I own a mental health intensive outpatient facility, Mission Harbor Behavioral Health, where I work as the CFO. We have a location in Santa Barbara and recently opened our second location in Los Angeles.”
NICOLE GAREN EDWARDS writes, “My husband and I recently moved out of California to our 160-acre ranch in Wyoming. Our puppy and three children, Beatrice, 8, Theodore, 6, and Agnes, 3, are loving the woods, rivers, and adventures that surround them. We have homeschooled since the beginning of the pandemic and are thankful for the time together as a family.”
ASHLEY FELTS ANDERSON writes, “We welcomed our first daughter, Olivia Josephine, to the world on September 14, 2021. She is such a smiley, happy, curious baby and the light of our lives!” ELYSA KAHAN writes, “I am living in Encino, California, with my husband and two daughters, Ava (3) and Maya (1). I started my orthodontic practice, called Kahan Orthodontics, in Tarzana eight years ago and have truly enjoyed working in our Valley community and making people smile each day.”
MIMI ALBERT writes, “I married Chris Kellogg in Traverse City, Michigan, in October 2021. In January 2021, after over eight years at Stanford, I began a new position at One Medical, a primary care–focused healthcare organization. I also ran the 2021 Boston Marathon (my third Boston), bringing my total marathon count to 10. Chris and I currently reside in Palo Alto, CA.”
- WESTLAKE| LIFE 53 HARVARD
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CLASS NOTES
2003
NOEL HYUN MINOR writes, “I left my legal career in 2018 to establish a real estate investment company with my family. I married Sky Minor in 2019. We welcomed a son, Wolfgang, in 2019 and are expecting baby girl Cadence in 2022.” KRISTEN KURIHARA writes, “I started a business called MoveForward Community during COVID to provide marketing coaching to female fitness professionals around the world and help them navigate changing times and grow their online fitness businesses. It has been an exciting adventure!” SCOTT LONG writes, “I live in Austin with my partner, Jami. After navigating a couple of different careers, I’ve settled in as a design researcher at IBM. During the pandemic, I picked up disc golf and learned how to make picture frames.”
MAX MEDNIK writes, “Our daughter Milana (‘Millie’) was born in January this year. I’m continuing to work on my latest startup, Epsilon3, which is building software to power complex operations like space launches. We recently announced raising $2.8 million in seed funding for it and have been working on growing the team.”
- WESTLAKE LIFE 54 | HARVARD
DAN TOUR writes, “My wife and I welcomed our daughter, Serena, on July 2, 2021. I work for Omninet Capital, a family office in Beverly Hills, where I lead the acquisitions, dispositions, and investor relations. We focus primarily on value-added multifamily and office real estate investments throughout the country.” FLAVIA ZUÑIGA-WEST writes, “I am the recipient of two national awards this year from the National Art Education Association. I received the 2022 National Art Education Association Committee of Multiethnic Concerns (COMC) In-Service Teacher Award, which is given in support of an art education curriculum, project, and/ or programming that fully recognizes the contributions of artists and art educators from traditionally underrepresented and minoritized communities. I was also honored to receive the 2022 Independent School Art Educator of the Year Award from the National Art Education Association Independent School School Art Educators’ Interest Group.”
MAX HAYMER writes, “After two long years, I am back on the road traveling the globe playing piano for 10-time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval as well as jazz singing icon Jane Monheit. When I’m not performing, my days are spent keeping up with my two daughters, Lucy (6) and Zoe (1).” MATT KAUFMAN writes, “I treat kids and adults at my dental practice, Kaufman Dentistry. I live with my wife, Lauren, in Playa del Rey, where we foster dogs for Camp Cocker Rescue.” LINDSEY KIMURA writes, “I have spent the past 14 years helping to grow and shape the pole fitness industry since its inception. I codeveloped an internationally recognized teacher training program and started a professional pole championship league to further the growth of pole sport. I love entrepreneurship and am currently working with conscious dating platform humhum and am excited to birth some new creations this spring!”
2005
DANIELLE VALNER ABRAMSON writes, “I am an educational therapist with a private practice in Beverly Hills. I live in Los Angeles with my husband, Sean, and our son, Wolfie.”
2008
KC KANOFF writes, “I recently became engaged to Alex Wulff. We reside in San Francisco, where I am a Vice President with Mainsail Partners.”
NICK WARSHAW writes, “I began working for former California Governor Gray Davis ’60 at Loeb & Loeb LLP. I work with Governor Davis providing strategic counsel to companies, nonprofits, research institutes, and universities.”
2007
SAM DE CASTRO ABEGER writes, “My wife and I recently welcomed our second son, Gabriel, into the family. I also started a new role at Starz as part of the international partnerships team.”
2009
AVERY ROSIN writes, “Hannah Platt Rosin ’08 and I welcomed our first baby boy, Hayden Simon, on October 21, 2021! He can’t wait to be a Wolverine! :)” JONO WAGMEISTER writes, “I recently tied the knot in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 9, 2022! My wife, Kayla, and I are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives together!”
CATHRYN QUINN MCCARTHY writes, “On July 8, 2021, Keenan and I welcomed our son, Quinn True McCarthy, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 22 inches. We reside in Pacific Palisades after moving back to the West Coast from NYC in March of 2020. I’m a VP at Anthos Capital, and Keenan is a Senior Principal at Promontory Financial Group.”
2012
BRANDON FINKELSTEIN writes, “I am loving my job as a TV agent at CAA. Started in the mailroom in 2016 and never looked back. But always down to revisit my HW digs, both professionally and personally.”
2015
HALEY FINKELSTEIN writes, “I am enjoying my communication management master’s program at USC Annenberg and expect to graduate in May 2023! I love staying in touch with my HW classmates and had the best time at our reunion this past November.” JENNA SPINKS writes, “In 2021, I joined the tech and startup community in Miami. My husband, Collin, and I also welcomed Archer to the world!”
KATHERINE SEBASTIAN writes, “Brian Flacks ’06 and I are to be married in December 2022. I work at Palantir Technologies on the commercial leadership team. Brian was at HarvardWestlake as the Head Coach of the boys’ water polo team and was recently named the Program Director and Head Coach of the Stanford men’s water polo team.”
- WESTLAKE| LIFE 55 HARVARD
SPRING / SUMMER 2O22
CLASS NOTES
JIM STELLAR AND BUDDY MOSS: Classmates, Friends, Philanthropists THE CLASS OF 1948, which once numbered 39, is now only one. This past year, three
members of the class of 1948 (Jim Stellar ’48, Buddy Moss ’48, and Peppy Hilton ’48) passed away. They leave behind Harold Ramser, Jr. ’48, and a legacy of active alumni participation. In the previous calendar year, six of the six remaining graduates made a gift to the school, achieving their 12th consecutive year of 100% participation, a tradition initiated by Jim Stellar ’48. Stellar deeply appreciated the educational opportunity that Harvard School provided him and his brothers. When World War II started, automotive manufacturing and sales were suspended, so Stellar’s father lost his job as a manager at Packard and moved the family to Long Beach, where he took a position at a medical practice supporting the 250,000 workers who had arrived to build ships for the war effort. Local public classrooms were overcrowded and scheduled in double sessions. Harvard School provided three scholarships to the family, who like the rest of the country were facing wage controls during the war, enabling the three Stellar boys to attend the school. In a 2017 interview with the school’s archivist at the time, Allan Sasaki, Stellar recalled first being drawn back into the life of his alma mater at his 35th reunion, but it was attending Tom Hudnut’s installation as headmaster that really grabbed his attention. Hudnut challenged alumni to get involved and proposed the creation of alumni scholarship funds. Stellar heeded the call and established the school’s first independent fund, the Stellar Family Scholar Endowment. He considered the fund “payback for the school’s generosity” when his family needed help. Since 2001, there have been seven Stellar Scholars, receiving support for three to four years until they graduated.
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JIM STELLAR ’48
BUDDY MOSS ’48
George “Buddy” Moss, Stellar’s closest classmate and lifelong friend, took up the challenge too. Prior to his death, Moss was Harvard-Westlake’s largest non-trustee alumni donor. His wife, Thuy Moss, recalls how close he remained with his Harvard classmates and how much he loved hearing about the accomplishments of current students. He endowed two Faculty Chairs in English to honor excellence in teaching, establishing one at the upper school in 2007 and one at the middle school in 2014. Jeremy Michaelson now holds the George E. Moss ’48 Endowed Faculty Chair in English at the upper school, while Amanda Angle holds the Thuy and George E. Moss ’48 Endowed Faculty Chair in English at the middle school. According to Senior Advancement Officer Jim Pattison, Moss loved the school’s insistence on excellence and the students and families he met at the annual Spotlight Dinner highlighting financial aid recipients. “It was always a joyful experience to be with him and see his face light up about the school, past and present,” said Pattison. “He was a very proud graduate. In all of this he was a gift to us all.”
CONGRATULATIONS
to alumni with graduates in the class of ’22! Barbara Rosenthal Bagley ’85 Lena Bagley
Anessa Karney ’88 Justin Goldstein
Karen Bender ’84 Shoshie Bernstein
Dina Ghodsian Levy ’90 Eve Levy
Rachel Bernstein ’83 Shoshie Bernstein
E-Ho Lin ’84 Kathryn Lin
Gary Burdorf ’82 Henry Burdorf
David Lippman ’78 Gemma Lippman
Craig Coleman ’89 Jack Coleman
Cara Rachelefsky Luse ’90 Colin Luse
Carlo DeAntonio ’88 Ollin DeAntonio
David Pokress ’88 Sam Pokress
Jenny Mintz Eidinger ’83 Estee Eidinger
Alison Scott Salas ’84 Eva Salas
Mahshid Hariri Feiz ’92 Mia Feizbakhsh
Christopher Scharff ’79 Amelia Scharff
Langston Holly ’87 Anthony Holly
Darrin Schnabel ’83 Laurel Elliott
Allison Demoff Jacoby ’89 Ben Jacoby Caroline Jacoby
Randy Schoenberg ’84 Joey Schoenberg
Andrew Jameson ’86 Keira Jameson Nancy Jeon ’89 Isabelle Ahn
Riki Shulman-Llevat ’91 Sofia Llevat Chris Silbermann ’85 Josh Silbermann Jon Weisman ’85 Casey Weisman
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SPRING / SUMMER 2O22
FACULTY & STAFF NOTES UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER JANE AN writes, “Wesley joined our family on April 13, 2021, with some strong kicks and a full head of hair. His big brother, Anderson, is totally smitten.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER ANAMARÍA AYALA
writes, “This past December I completed my MFA in English-Spanish Bilingual Creative Writing at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. My thesis, titled ‘Carrusel de colores,’ is a collection of fiction consisting of short stories and a novella. I hope to publish it sometime soon.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER MAYAN BENAMI writes, “We welcomed our fourth child, Noa Eve Benami, to our family on December 16, 2021!”
- WESTLAKE LIFE 60 | HARVARD
COUNSELOR BRITTANY BRONSON writes, “Baby Zen Kairi was born January 12 (the day before his dad’s birthday). His birth may not have been so Zen, but we are happy and grateful to add our second son to our family!”
ASSISTANT CONTROLLER & STUDENT FINANCIAL AFFAIRS SUE CHONG writes, “My husband, Andy, and I welcomed our first child on November 16, 2021. We are so in love with Carter, although our two cats are still getting used to him. He’s a happy baby and recently started laughing, so that’s been a lot of fun to experience with him!”
FORMER WESTLAKE SCIENCE TEACHER SELENA EVANS writes, “We are now living on Hilton Head Island, SC. I am now 80 but remember 18 years at Westlake fondly—the science and math classes, but above and beyond that, the backpacking, the skiing at Mammoth, and the weeks at Yosemite and Cedar Lake. It was so special. My husband, David, and I have reminisced many times about the great weekend backpacking trips we took in the San Gabriel and the Sierra Mountains with Violen and Geoff Poulon and Peter Mann’s family about 1967–70. I found this well-worn patch among my photos. Fondly, Ms. E.”
SCHOOL CHAPLAIN THE REVEREND ANNE GARDNER writes, “Walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago changed my life. Writing about it changed everything else. On March 1, 2022, my debut book, And So I Walked, was published by Adelaide Books (NY/ Lisbon). The irony of having a book about long-distance hiking released on the first day of March isn’t lost on me. But in some ways, it seems right in sync with the continuing magic of this journey. Completing such an adventure presented its challenges. But the most interesting parts of the book reveal the underlying emotional and spiritual reasons someone would take on such a formidable task. Writing And So I Walked was a true labor of love. I am grateful beyond measure to share it with all of you.”
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT ELI GOLDSMITH writes, “My wife, Heather, and I welcomed our second daughter, Gloria Habes Goldsmith, on June 18, 2021. She is always smiling. We call her Glo.” UPPER SCHOOL DEAN ADAM HOWARD ’93 writes, “I was recently selected for the Road Theatre Company’s Under Construction Playwrights residency! The 10 writers in the cohort are spending the next nine months each working on a brand new play—the group relies on each other for critical feedback and collaboration. Each of the playwrights will have a completed play by the end of the residency, which will lead to a public reading in Los Angeles, and then the theatre company has first option on producing each work.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICE AND COMMUNICATIONS TEACHER KEITH JORDAN writes, “I am proud to say I’m getting back on the bike and taking part in the 2022 AIDS/ LifeCycle ride this June! I’ll be riding 545 miles from SF to LA, raising a minimum of $3,000 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and trying to do my small part to raise awareness and help out a truly excellent cause. Please consider visiting my page (tofighthiv.org/goto/ KJJordan) to find out more about my involvement and maybe even make a donation!”
*
CLERICAL ASSISTANT EDUARDO LOPEZ writes, “On May 31, 2021, we welcomed Link Alexander Lopez to our loving family. His wild bursts of laughter fill our hearts with immense joy each and every day.”
UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER ALEXANDRA PACHECO GARCIA writes, “My husband, Jeffrey Plunkett, and I welcomed our second daughter, Zora Garcia Plunkett, on July 18, 2021. Zora was 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 21.5 inches long at birth. Big sister Ruby Lou, 3, is a huge help to the newest member of the family.”
CURRENT AND FORMER TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS CAN SHARE THEIR NEWS BY EMAILING ELIZABETH HURCHALLA AT EHURCHALLA@HW.COM
UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER ZANAIDA ROBLES writes, “The Leipzig-based ensemble Neue Kammer performed the world premiere of my music composition ‘Blühende Bäume’ (Blossoming Trees) for choir and strings at St. Lawrence Church, in LeipzigLeutzsch, on February 26, 2022. Also, the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective performed the world premiere of my five-movement ‘Mass in E Minor’ for an a cappella SATB choir at St. Patrick’s Church in Binghamton, New York, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Finally, my work ‘Magnificat’ for choir and organ has been accepted for publication by Oxford University Press as part of The Oxford Book of Choral Music by Black Composers, which is scheduled for release in February 2023.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER ADAM ROSE writes, “The four-issue sci-fi comic book series I wrote, Corollary, started coming out monthly in comic book stores nationwide in April and will later be released as a graphic novel. In Corollary, everything comes in twos, even the people, and if your twin dies—so do you. This is the way it’s always been, so when Captain Andromeda’s twin loses her life in a far-off military battle, and Captain Andromeda herself does not die, the universe demands answers.”
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FACULTY & STAFF NOTES SENIOR ADVANCEMENT ADMINISTRATOR MARLA SCHLOM writes, “I’m a grandma! Our family was thrilled to welcome baby Archer to the world this past year. Mom Jenna Spinks ’07, dad Collin, uncle Hunter Spinks ’09, and I are over-the-moon in love with this bundle of joy.”
Photo: Clarissa Brown ’24
UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER CONOR THOMPSON writes, “Mars Georgia Thompson was born on September 6, 2021, at the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. She arrived at 3:11 p.m., which is the exact same time of day as her mama, Cally, was born.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER FLAVIA ZUÑIGAWEST ’02 writes, “I am the recipient of two national awards this year from the National Art Education Association. I received the 2022 National Art Education Association Committee of Multiethnic Concerns (COMC) InService Teacher Award, which is given in support of an art education curriculum, project, and/or programming that fully recognizes the contributions of artists and art educators from traditionally underrepresented and minoritized communities. I was also honored to receive the 2022 Independent School Art Educator of the Year Award from the National Art Education Association Independent School School Art Educators’ Interest Group.”
Painting: Ari Ogden ’22
- W E STLAKE LIF E| HARVARD
NOVEMBER 13, 2021
HARVARD REUNION DAY This page, from top left: Patty and Joe Kraus III ’51 (70th reunion) Class of 1976 (45th reunion) at the Beach Club October 16, 2021 Class of ’60 (60th reunion) at the home of Chuck Thornton Jr. ’60 September 18, 2021 Class of 1971 (50th reunion) at the Beach Club September 24, 2021 Opposite page, from top left: Class of 1980 (40th reunion) Class of 1981 (40th reunion) Class of 1985 (35th reunion) Class of 1986 (35th reunion) Class of 1990 (30th reunion) Class of 1991 (30th reunion)
NOVEMBER 6, 2021
WESTLAKE REUNION DAY
Opposite page, from top left: Class of ’61 (60th reunion) at the home of Joan Singleton Prestine ’61 October 9, 2021 Chatty Collier ’55 (65th reunion) Class of 1970 (50th reunion) Class of 1976 (45th reunion) Class of 1980 (40th reunion) Class of 1981 (40th reunion) This page, from top left: Class of 1986 (35th reunion) Class of 1990 (30th reunion) Class of 1991 (30th reunion) Former and current faculty/staff Front row: Jayne Campbell, Kim Hieatt, Sue Olson, Vicki Goddard ’60, Nancy Holme-Elledge, Sue Jackson, Christine Bruner Back row: Deborah Dowling, Francine Werner ’68, Jeanne Huybrechts, Walt Werner, Harry Salamandra, Darlene Bible
- W E STLAKE LIF E| HARVARD
Opposite page, from top: Class of 1995 (25th reunion) Class of 1996 (25th reunion) Class of 2000 (20th reunion) Class of 2001 (20th reunion) This page, from top: Class of 2005 (15th reunion) Class of 2006 (15th reunion) Class of 2010 (10th reunion)
NOVEMBER 27, 2021
HARVARDWESTLAKE REUNION DAY
From top left: Class of 2011 (10th reunion) Class of 2011 (10th reunion) in New York City August 21, 2021 Class of 2015 (5th reunion) Class of 2016 (5th reunion)
READY, SET, WOLVERUN! THE ALUMNI RELATIONS TEAM HOSTED ITS SECOND ANNUAL WOLVERUN IN JANUARY 2022. This month-long campaign and series of events was organized in response to the pandemic to encourage health and wellness. On their own time, alumni ran or participated in exercise equivalent to a 5K (with the option to complete 25K); results were shared in a weekly leaderboard. While the team was unable to offer in-person events due to the omicron surge, alumni volunteers Hugo de Castro-Abeger ’13, Ashley Felts Anderson ’02, and Kathy Moses ’81 offered Zoom yoga, meditation, and Pilates, respectively. Thank you to these hosts, to the WolveRun committee members Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98, Andrea Levine Firtel ’95, Michelle Neman Ghodsian ’99, Angel James Horacek ’95, Katie Lim ’13, and Sunny Ahn Whang ’92, and to the 140 alumni from 15 states and two countries who registered and submitted 329 WolveRun activities!
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LAST LOOK
HARVARD-WESTLAKE’S FIRST RING CEREMONY By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98
Thirty years ago, Harvard-Westlake’s first class of seniors participated in Ring Ceremony, a tradition that began at Westlake almost 90 years ago. “It is your job to keep the traditions alive,” Reynolds reminded the class of 1992. The tradition carries on today as the Senior Ceremony.
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| HARVARD - W E STLAKE LIF E
After receiving her ring from former Assistant Provost Susan Perry, Sunny Ahn Whang ’92 shakes hands with former Headmaster Thomas Hudnut and former Headmaster of Westlake and former Harvard-Westlake Provost Nat Reynolds ’51. Photo from 1992 Vox Populi
Artwork: Ceu Melvin Hernandez ’25
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