Harvard-Westlake Life Magazine, Winter 2023-2024

HARVARD-WESTLAKE WINTER 2023–2024

Therapy dogs on the quad

WINTER 2023-2024

IN THIS ISSUE Dear Friends of Harvard-Westlake, Happy New Year! A few notes on the stories in this issue…

HW LEGACY

Uncommon Sense

HW TODAY

FACULTY & STAFF PROFILES

Here to Help

Remembering Charlie Munger, Harvard-Westlake’s longest serving trustee

How Harvard-Westlake is cultivating a culture of caring

Charlie Munger was so influential and supportive of HarvardWestlake. In additional to his philanthropy, he handpicked our former headmaster, Tom Hudnut, and helped bring in our current president, Rick Commons.

Harvard-Westlake simply wouldn’t be the school it is today without his support and stewardship.

Alums often still think of HarvardWestlake as it was when they were a student, but a lot has happened in even the last five years. Excellence remains a core value and kids still work hard, but happiness and excellence are not mutually exclusive. Today, mental health is a priority, and we are committed to providing support to students.

Meet Chris Sanders, the new Head of Admission and Enrollment

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Everyone’s Story Matters

We’re in really good hands with Chris Sanders. He’s genuine and thoughtful, and he really understands young people. He also gets HarvardWestlake and is excited about the changes we’re making and the direction we’re going.

HW VOICES 43

POP QUIZ 36 ALUMNI PROFILES Julia Wick ’07 & Melanie Mason ’03 Win a Pulitzer

38 NOTES 44 46 Class Notes

In Memoriam

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Faculty & Staff Notes

The Supporting Cast

Field Hockey Wins Tournament of Champions

By Justin Tang ’25 in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

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By Abbie Her ’27

By Anaya Olivas ’25

Fancy Braids

ALUMNI EVENTS 48 LAST LOOK 68

Wait in the Water

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES 60

Feldman-Horn Turns 25

By Eli Goldsmith

All the best to you and yours for 2024.

Cheers, Ed Hu Head of External Relations ehu@hw.com

WINTER 2023-2024

HW LEGACY

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I am very proud of the school in every way. It is outstanding in education and in moral tone.

It has improved over the years, the faculty has steadily been upgraded, and there was nothing wrong with it before. I regard it as one of the best institutions of its type in the world…. Many of the students have never experienced anything else, so they don’t know what an unusual privilege they have, but we trustees marvel at it.”

Charlie Munger in a 1995 HW Life interview

“It’s easy to focus on the urgency of what’s right in front of us,” says President Rick Commons. “But Charlie Munger thought far beyond now, far beyond five years from now. He thought about what the school needed in order to be the best possible version of Harvard-Westlake 20 or 50 years from now.”

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And that’s exactly what Charlie Munger, business magnate Warren Buffett’s right-hand man and Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman, did ever since he joined the Harvard School board of trustees in 1969. In fact, Munger acted as a philanthropist and guide for more than half a century—and transformed the school in the process.

For the past 54 years, Munger played a pivotal role in every transformative moment in the school’s history, beginning with Harvard’s transition from a military to civilian institute and from religious to secular leadership in 1969. In 1991, he provided guidance and financial support as the school navigated its merger with Westlake. His foresight in helping the school acquire additional land made possible the middle school modernization project completed in 2008 and more recently the establishment of faculty and staff housing as a tool to recruit and retain the best talent.

Even at age 99, he continued to provide his vision to the board in the development of Harvard-Westlake’s new campus, River Park. In this remembrance, we reflect on his wisdom and service to the school community.

Illustration: Jane Mount

January 1, 1924–November 28, 2023

UNCOMMON SENSE Remembering Charlie Munger, Harvard-Westlake’s longest serving trustee

By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98

WINTER 2023-2024

HW LEGACY Limit hallways as

much as you can since it is more important to have education and auxiliary spaces MUNGER SCIENCE CENTER for the students and BUILT TO LAST faculty then mazes of hallways in a building. If you must have hallways, they Design the need to be useful and building so you “ preferably outside. can remove or at the Upper School

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Both the middle school library and the upper school science building bear Charlie Munger’s name and were designed in conjunction with Munger himself. According to Chief of Construction Jim DeMatté, Munger incorporated three design principles into the construction of these projects: exceeding building safety codes, limiting hallways to prioritize the use of space for education, and building so that walls could be easily added or removed as the school’s needs change.

The upper school’s science building, the first significant addition to the newly merged Harvard-Westlake, was completed in 1995. Nestled below Seaver on the hillside overlooking Coldwater Canyon, the state-of-the-art science facility was designed with significant input from the science faculty. “We are thrilled to have a donor who wants the best of its kind,” former science teacher John Feulner, who taught at Harvard and Harvard-Westlake from 1980 until his retirement in 2017, recalled in a 1995 interview in HW Life. Munger Science Center was built with a dozen customized laboratory classrooms, a conference room, a computer center, and a theater-style lecture hall with

I’d like to see the school get better and better and stronger and stronger.

I think all the trustees do.”

add walls in the future since things Charlie Munger

Illustrations: Ramón Hone

MUNGER LIBRARY

at the Middle School

every seat wired to accommodate laptop computers, which were not yet in wide use at the time. In fact, the whole building was computer-networked at a time when internet use was in its infancy.

Opened in 2008 as part of the middle school modernization project, the Munger Library features a cathedral ceiling to make it feel inviting and open as people walk in the doors. It also includes a grand area at the south end with large windows where students can look out onto the trees while reading or working with classmates. A decade after its opening, the library underwent a significant renovation when the space that once housed the computer lab was reconfigured to make room for the new Learning Center, where students can seek out additional help or find a quiet place to study.

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The problem with most buildings is that they don’t build enough flexibility into them. We tried to assure that it will work, and work well, for the better part of a century.”

r u o l l a d l i u b Make sure we whatever d e e c x e o t s g n i build s e d o c g n i d l i u b t the curren y t e f a s o t s e m o are when it c faculty. d n a s t n e d u t s r of ou

“The problem with most buildings is that they don’t build enough flexibility into them,” said Munger upon the opening of Munger Science Center. “We tried to assure that it will work, and work well, for the better part of a century.”

Charlie Munger upon the opening of the Munger Science Center

WINTER 2023-2024

HW LEGACY ON JUNE 13, 1986 Charlie Munger delivered what has since become a frequently referenced and influential commencement address to Harvard School graduates. Here is an excerpt of Munger’s speech.

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HOW TO GUARANTEE A LIFE OF MISERY Now that Headmaster Berrisford has selected one of the oldest and longest serving trustees to make a commencement speech, it behooves the speaker to address two questions in every mind: 1) Why was such a selection made? and, 2) How long is the speech going to last?

I will answer the first question from long experience alongside Berrisford. He is seeking enhanced reputation for our school in the manner of the man who proudly displays his horse that can count to seven. The man knows that counting to seven is not much of a mathematical feat, but he expects approval because doing so is creditable, considering that the performer is a horse.

great. If you like being distrusted and excluded from the best human contribution and company, this prescription is for you. Master this one habit and you can always play the role of the hare in the fable, except that instead of being outrun by one fine turtle, you will be outrun by hordes and hordes of mediocre turtles and even by some mediocre turtles on crutches.

The second question, regarding length of speech, I am not going to answer in advance. It would deprive your upturned faces of lively curiosity and obvious keen anticipation, which I prefer to retain, regardless of source.

My second prescription for misery is to learn everything you possibly can from your own personal experience, minimizing what you learn vicariously from the good and bad experience of others, living and dead. This prescription is a sure-shot producer of misery and second-rate achievement.

But I will tell you how my consideration of speech length created the subject matter of the speech itself.

I was puffed up when invited to speak. While not having significant public-speaking experience, I do hold a black belt in chutzpah, and I immediately considered Demosthenes and Cicero as role models and anticipated trying to earn a compliment like Cicero gave when asked which was his favorite among the orations of Demosthenes. Cicero replied: ‘The longest one.’

However, fortunately for this audience, I also thought of Samuel Johnson’s famous comment when he addressed Milton’s poem, Paradise Lost, and correctly said: ‘No one ever wished it longer.’ And that made me consider which of all the twenty Harvard School graduation speeches I had heard that I wished longer. There was only one such speech, that given

by Johnny Carson [to Harvard School in 1979], specifying Carson’s prescriptions for guaranteed misery in life. I therefore decided to repeat Carson’s speech with some added prescriptions of my own.

After all, I am much older than Carson was when he spoke and have failed and been miserable more often and in more ways than was possible for a charming humorist speaking at a younger age.

What Carson said was that he couldn’t tell the graduating class how to be happy, but he could tell them from personal experience how to guarantee misery. Carson’s prescriptions for sure misery included: 1) ingesting chemicals in an effort to alter mood or perception; 2) envy; and 3) resentment.

Here are four more prescriptions from Munger: First, be unreliable. Do not faithfully do what you have engaged to do. If you will only master this one habit you will more than counterbalance the combined effect of all your virtues, howsoever

My third prescription for misery is to go down and stay down when you get your first, second, third severe reverse in the battle of life. Because there is so much adversity out there, even for the lucky and wise, this will guarantee that, in due course, you will be permanently mired in misery.

My final prescription to you for a life of fuzzy thinking and infelicity is to ignore a story they told me when I was very young about a rustic who said: ‘I wish I knew where I was going to die, and then I’d never go there.’ Most people smile (as you did) at the rustic’s ignorance and ignore his basic wisdom. If my experience is any guide, the rustic’s approach is to be avoided at all cost by someone bent on misery. To help fail you should discount as mere quirk, with no useful message, the method of the rustic, which is the same one used in Carson’s speech.

Finally, minimizing objectivity will help you lessen the compromises and burdens of owning worldly goods, because objectivity does not work only for great physicists and biologists. It also adds power to the work of a plumbing contractor in Bemidji.

Therefore, if you interpret being true to yourself as requiring that you retain every notion of your youth, you will be safely underway, not only toward maximizing ignorance, but also toward whatever misery can be obtained through unpleasant experiences in business.

It is fitting now that a backward sort of speech end with a backward sort of toast, inspired by Elihu Root’s repeated accounts of how the dog went to Dover, ‘leg over leg.’ To the class of 1986: Gentlemen, may each of you rise high by spending each day of a long life aiming low.”

WINTER 2023-2024

HW LEGACY

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Certainly, honesty and treating people well was very important to Charlie, and it is to me. Something that might surprise people about Charlie is how flexible he was. He could speak with a very dogmatic voice at times, but when presented with salient arguments on the other side of an issue, he was persuadable, and I saw him, on a number of occasions, change his mind during the course of a meeting, and I think this is really very commendable.”

Tom Hudnut, headmaster of Harvard and Harvard-Westlake, 1987-2013

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One valuable lesson from Charlie is his expression that a problem thoroughly understood is half solved. And I think about that regularly. It’s so tempting and common for all of us to encounter a problem and immediately begin thinking of solutions. Charlie’s mantra reminds me that we need to take the time to investigate the problem from all angles, to understand it, and only then to begin trying to solve it.”

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Rick Commons, president of Harvard-Westlake, 2013–Present

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What inspired me about Charlie was his courage.

He would say it like it is, even though it might go against the current sentiment. And what was also wonderful about him was that he did it with such sarcastic humor that it enlightened you.”

Shirley Wang, trustee, 2009–Present

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One of the greatest things about Charlie was his ability to point out easy decisions—what Charlie always called ‘no-brainers.’

We don’t need to make things hard on ourselves; sometimes we just need to make simple, commonsense decisions.”

Chris Hazy, trustee, 1997–2021

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Since the first day I met him, Charlie’s energy and enthusiasm impressed me tremendously. He’s treated HarvardWestlake like a family. He was totally devoted to the school.”

Diana Chen, trustee, 2019–Present

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Charlie Munger demonstrated time and time again that if you surround yourself with people who have good judgment and clarity of thought, there is no limitation to what you can accomplish. While there will never be another Charlie Munger, the people who are like minded, who have his clarity and ethics and integrity and character are the kind of people who should be leading this institution. And we should do everything we can to find those people and make it possible for them to participate in the leadership of the school.”

Trustee profile from 1969 Harvard School publication Toward Manhood

Bobby Kotick, trustee, 2011-Present

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY

Here to Help How Harvard-Westlake is cultivating a culture of caring Teens are facing a serious mental health crisis. According to a 2021 JAMA Pediatrics analysis of 29 studies, the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among youth under 18 doubled during the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control reported in 2021 that 42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless for at least two weeks over the past year that they stopped engaging in some of their usual activities, and 22% seriously considered suicide.

And Harvard-Westlake students are not immune. Thirteen percent report symptoms of anxiety and 10% symptoms of depression, according to a 2023 survey given to all students last spring. The community has also suffered several recent tragic losses, including three students who died by suicide.

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In response, the school has intensified its long-standing efforts to bolster student mental health. For the past decade, under President Rick Commons’s leadership, the school has committed to fostering student happiness, purpose, and wellness. As Head of School Laura Ross puts it, “This is intentional work we’ve been doing for years, though our recent tragedies have made us work even harder and faster. We want to create an environment where every kid is able to meet their challenges and reach their goals, whatever fears they face, whatever’s going on in their lives or at home, whatever their learning differences might be, whatever emotional issues they’re dealing with.”

The following pages outline the ways the school is working to accomplish just that.

IN MAY 2023, THE U.S. SURGEON GENERAL RELEASED A REPORT DECLARING A NATIONWIDE EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION.

Illustration: Liz Welchman

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY “ OUR KIDS ARE SMART, THEY’RE AMBITIOUS, THEY HAVE goals, but that doesn’t make them immune from mental health issues,” says Ross. In fact, according to a 2021 U.S. Surgeon General report, students attending high-performing public and private schools are an “at risk” group— along with kids living in poverty and foster care, recent immigrants, and those with incarcerated parents. “Many kids feel anxious and insecure about what success looks like,” Ross continues. “They’re worried about meeting the expectations of their parents, of the school, of college admissions.”

And those aren’t the only concerns teens struggle with. “Take the hormones and emotions of being a teenager with a prefrontal cortex that isn’t fully formed yet, and add social media, COVID, plus bigger picture questions about inequality and world events, and it can feel overwhelming,” says Ross.

Here are the people, policies, and programs in place at Harvard-Westlake to help.

STUDENT

RESOURCES: PEOPLE COUNSELORS Nine counselors are available to meet one on one with students and provide short-term counseling. Counselors also refer to and work with outside professionals, including psychiatrists, psychological testers, and licensed mental health care providers, and liaise with a student’s dean, teachers, coaches, and parents to ensure a student is getting the help they need. This school year, for the first time, all upper school students were assigned a counselor, and all sophomores met with their counselor at the beginning of the year. The counseling team also programs special

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events, from therapy dogs on the quad for students to yoga for faculty and staff.

If something comes up, my assigned students now know to come find me. Other students might just know of me through going on retreat where I was a chaperone or to an event I attended, or a friend has said, ‘Oh, you should talk to Dr. Emily.’ Sometimes they email and set up an appointment, but often students just materialize in the doorway, poke their head in my office to casually say hi, and then go, ‘Actually, wait, I do have something to check in about...’ and then we talk about it.”

Upper School Psychologist Emily Joyner

With the mental health crisis, the needs are a lot more acute than they used to be. But now kids know ‘I come to my dean for this, I got to my counselor for that, I go to the Learning Center for this,’ and families are connected with other adults at the school, which is absolutely a good thing.”

Upper School Dean and Dean Department Head Chris Jones

SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST The goal of sport psychology is to help athletes gain a mental edge over competitors and develop confidence. HW’s sport psychologist provides mental skills training, including managing performance anxiety, overcoming mental roadblocks, preventing and managing burnout, enhancing communication with teammates, and navigating injury recovery, to help athletes and teams perform consistently in practice and competition.

I hope the sport psychology program reduces the stigma that athletes have to withhold discussing their emotions—despite being told they need to have their ‘mindset right’—and can instead own their emotions and use them to their advantage.”

Sport Psychologist Kat Scardino

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY

DEANS Seven deans at the middle school and ten at the upper school (with a plan to hire two more next year) help students choose classes and assist with academic challenges; they may also help with personal issues and/or refer students to someone on the school counseling team.

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Upper school deans also provide college counseling.

Hiring additional upper school deans means fewer students in our individual care. That will give us more opportunity to prioritize connection with all of our students, especially in the fall, when we’ve had to focus most of our attention on seniors applying to college.”

Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo

LEARNING SPECIALISTS Students can learn new study tools, get help on executive function skills, or receive support on their academic work from four learning specialists, an academic support teacher, and a writing support specialist. The upper school also offers peer tutoring.

When students are struggling socially or emotionally, they’re often also struggling academically. From what we know about the brain, students are unable to access knowledge or learn well when they are not in a regulated state; their brains are essentially in flight, flight, or freeze mode. We must address the social-emotional piece before we can touch academics. Sometimes that looks like referring a student to a counselor; other times it’s simply helping the student understand their emotional needs, getting them to a more grounded space, and then supporting their academics.”

Director of Middle School Learning Center & Learning Specialist Jenn Gabrail

DEI TEAM Assistant Head of School for Community & Belonging Janine Jones and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team serve as resources for students with identity-specific concerns as well as aim to ensure that everyone in the community feels seen, heard, and known.

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY STUDENT

RESOURCES: PROGRAMS & POLICIES UPPER SCHOOL BLOCK SCHEDULE The new schedule was created pre-pandemic to deepen academic focus, reduce homework, increase sleep, and allow more opportunities for students to connect with friends and teachers.

Classes meet every other day and there is one late start per cycle and a common hour-long lunch period, giving students time to eat, relax with friends, and/or meet with teachers.

NO-CUT MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS On seventh and eighth grade teams (with the exception of tennis and golf due to current facility limitations), everyone gets to play.

Before, some kids would say, ‘Oh yeah, I’d like to try playing volleyball,’ and then get cut in the first two weeks of school. That’s rough. Now, if you want to participate, wear the Harvard-Westlake colors, and represent your school, there’s a spot for you. Kids who don’t go to any clubs or activities are likely to feel more isolated. And so it’s our job to have as many of those opportunities as possible.”

Head of the Middle School Jon Wimbish

NO CELL PHONES ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS Screen time and social media are linked to a negative effect on adolescent mental health, and the new no-phone policy means fewer distractions and more face-to-face interactions.

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The cell phone policy at the upper school is also currently under consideration.

The ban has minimized phone and headphone use to the point that students who would hide in the lounge or sit by themselves at lunch on their headphones are now engaging and laughing with their peers. It has been beautiful and heartwarming to watch them building these connections.”

Middle School Counselor and Dean Rebecca Neubauer ’07

KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION AND TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

SOPHOMORE/JUNIOR/ SENIOR SEMINARS

Through problem solving, critical thinking, and research into real-world topics, this course teaches seventh graders how to self-manage, relate to others, and learn effectively; evaluate sources and conduct research; analyze and use social media; regulate their use of devices; and practice ethical digital citizenship.

Upper school deans and their group of students in each grade meet weekly to discuss human development topics and academic concerns.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Required for eighth graders, this course aims to nurture emotional, moral, and character development and a sense of responsibility by creating a safe and supportive space. The goal of the course is for students to improve awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and choices.

Topics addressed include identity development; wellness, stress, and relaxation techniques; integrity in interpersonal relationships; self-esteem, assertiveness, relational aggression, and harassment; stereotypes, implicit bias, and appreciation of cultural diversity; prevention of substance use and abuse; and body image, puberty, sexual health, and reproduction.

SOPHOMORE ADVISORY Designed to foster lasting relationships with mentors and classmates through experiential learning, this course helps sophomores develop stronger socialemotional skills and connects every 10th grader with at least one faculty or staff member who has no link to their academic performance. Topics include self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision making, and social/global awareness.

Harvard-Westlake can feel competitive, which can make it hard to feel a part of the community.

Sophomore advisory helps kids find that sense of belonging and purpose that’s so important to their mental health at school. Even just having one person on campus who makes you feel you belong here makes everything else so much easier.”

Upper School Counselor Michelle Bracken

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY PEER MEDIATION The middle school’s confidential new peer mediation program allows students in a conflict to meet with two students trained to serve as neutral parties. The peer mediators can help students at odds gain a better understanding of each other’s perspectives and come to a mutual agreement.

PEER SUPPORT Founded over 30 years ago, Peer Support has evolved into Harvard-Westlake’s largest student organization, typically attracting over 300 upper school students every Monday night to participate in peer counseling. The students meet in small groups to discuss any issues group members have on their minds. Senior leaders serve as mentors to junior trainees within each group, providing encouragement and guidance, while the trainee learns the communication skills to become an effective peer leader.

Peer Support builds community and offers a space where students can feel comfortable just being themselves and getting support when they’re having a hard time. We train our leaders and trainees to look out for red flags and consult with a counselor when needed. And we have been able to support so many students who are struggling just because they said something in Peer Support.”

Upper School Counselor and Peer Support Advisor Brittany Bronson

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS CLUB/STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE

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The Mental Health Awareness Club at the middle school and Student Mental Health Alliance at the upper school are dedicated to promoting mental well-being, reducing the stigma around mental illness, and working with the counseling team to help the school come up with new and better ways to reach students.

We want to be more proactive about listening to student feedback and ideas about how to improve mental health on campus. Kids often feel like adults don’t understand what it’s like to be a teenager now. So having those conversations is important. And there are a lot of thoughtful kids out there who are really concerned about their classmates and the school in general.”

Upper School Counselor and Student Mental Health Alliance Advisor Michelle Bracken

MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT Every October, accompanied by teachers and staff members, seventh graders take day trips around Los Angeles, eighth graders go to Catalina Island or Joshua Tree, and ninth graders go canoeing on the Colorado River.

The goals for the annual retreat are for students to develop relationships, foster an appreciation for the outdoors, and cultivate self-confidence and independence.

COMMUNITY SERVICE The community service program aims to provide students with direct knowledge of social problems, instill in them a sense of responsibility to help solve those problems, and develop a sense of cooperation and community spirit within the school. Students are required to complete 12 hours per year.

HEARTS & MINDS Other existing school policies and programs to support student mental health: • Scheduled downtime (regular nonacademic flex days for community-focused activities, middle school R&R days with no homework due after a long weekend, a day off at least every three weeks, and a week-long Thanksgiving break) •R egular community time, bringing students together for events such as Activities Fair, Academic/Electives Fair, Multicultural Fair, and field days •G ender-inclusive policies (re: student leader positions, awards, dress code, restrooms, etc.)

• Emphasis on restorative justice in the discipline process •C haracter-focused initiatives (including upper school Character Committee, seventh grade character comments, and character-based awards) •P revention Solutions drug and alcohol education sessions for students and parents

• Assembly speakers on mental health

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HW TODAY

AFFINITY GROUPS Harvard-Westlake affinity groups provide support and a safe space for students to explore and celebrate their identity. Allies are also welcome. Student groups include Armenian Club, Asian American Culture Club (AACC), Asian Students in Action (ASiA), Babel (world language magazine), Black Leadership Awareness and Culture Club (BLACC), Diversability: Overcoming Inequality Together! (DO-IT!), Empower (women’s empowerment and gender equality club), First Generation and Immigrant Allies (1GIA), Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Japanese Language and Culture Club, Jewish Club, Jewish Culture and Antisemitism Awareness Club (JCAAC), Latin American (or Latinx) Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO), Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA), Middle Eastern and North African Student Association (MENASA), Multiethnic Inclusion and Diversity (MIxD), Muslim Students Association (MSA), Native American Student Alliance (NASA), Nigerian/African Diaspora Club (NADC), Persian Students and Culture Club (PSCC), Simon Says Girls’ Club, South Asian Student Alliance (SASA), Women of Color (WOC), P10 (confidential LGBTQIA+

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group), and Student Leaders for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (SLIDE).

FACULTY AND STAFF TRAINING IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AND MENTAL HEALTH To help ensure students feel an equal sense of belonging, a two-day DEI workshop is required for new employees and DEI training is offered yearly for all teachers and staff members. Faculty and staff also receive mental health training to better assist students in managing stress, anxiety, fear, and other negative emotions.

GATEKEEPER TRAINING The school has partnered with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to provide training for faculty, staff, and students to identify others at risk of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and mental health struggles.

JED HIGH SCHOOL This three-year initiative in partnership with the Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit focused on protecting teens’ emotional health and preventing suicide, includes a survey of the school culture and aims to further develop policies, programs, and practices to enhance students’ mental health and well-being.

In the face of our recent tragedies, I have felt tremendous support from the community. HW Parents have brought in their own programming and created a subcommittee for mental health and wellness, as did our board. The number of people who have said, have you talked to this person, I know this person who runs this program…. I mean, every aspect of the school is in. In moments of crisis, this community comes together in powerful ways that makes doing the work all the more rewarding.”

Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish

WHAT’S NEXT Future plans to bolster student well-being: • Hire a Director of Wellness, whose role will include reviewing curriculum with a mental health lens (for example, promoting social media literacy), examining school policies (such as cell phone rules), planning parent mental health education, and encouraging healthy sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits, to begin in the 20242025 school year

•R enovate the upper school library to allow more opportunities for students to congregate and connect and an expanded space for the Learning Center

•C reate a Wellness Center at the upper school, with counseling team offices surrounding a central space for students

•E xpand confidential means for students to express concerns regarding mental health, harassment, bullying, bias, etc.

•S tandardize grading policies across classes to prioritize subject mastery, including allowing test retakes and paper resubmissions

Learn more and check out Harvard-Westlake’s new Mental Health & Wellness Plan

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HW TODAY

“Somewhere around 12, 13, 14 years old, our children fire us as their managers—and we immediately apply to be a consultant. In that consultant role, you help guide them along their journey—not leading the way anymore, but helping them find their own path.”

Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish

Parental Guidance Suggested What parents can do to support their child’s mental health “As a recovering high-pressure parent, I had really high aspirations for my oldest child,” Head of Upper School Beth Slattery recalled at the State of the School meeting in September. “When he was in seventh grade, he placed into the highest level of math, and I was like, ‘I’m such a good parent.’ And then he failed the first couple of tests, and I was like, ‘Okay, maybe not.’ But I kept him in that class even though he probably shouldn’t have been in it. He didn’t love school…and I wanted him to love school because I wanted outcomes for him.”

Slattery understands the stress some parents feel. “If you can’t slap a bumper sticker on your car that says your kid goes to a fancy college, it’s like you’ve somehow failed as a parent. It can feel like some badge that you earn, when obviously, the real goal of parenting is raising kind, thoughtful humans who care about other people and the world.

But there’s no bumper sticker for that.”

Eventually, she recalled, “I came to a crossroads where I could either have a strong relationship with my son or continue to just pound. And I decided to have a strong relationship with him.”

Today she has a fresh perspective. “When you see your kid suffering, you care about nothing else—but it shouldn’t have to take a kid suffering before we realize what’s important.” Being a teenager isn’t easy—and neither is parenting one. But there are some things you can do to prioritize your child’s mental health and help make their teenage years a little smoother.

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HW TODAY PARENTS WHAT TO DO

TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH WITH YOUR CHILD Provide a safe space for your teenager to share the challenges in their lives.

Having an ongoing dialogue about mental health normalizes the topic and makes it easier for teens to seek out help. Even if your child doesn’t share a lot with you (which is not unusual), it doesn’t mean that they don’t need your support.

Parents should trust their instincts. If you notice any significant changes in your child, consult with the counseling team at your child’s school or your child’s mental health provider.”

Middle School Psychologist Jullian Lee

TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING Parents have an opportunity to model for their teens how to maintain mental health and overcome barriers to wellness. Even from inside their bedrooms and behind their devices, teens observe the adults around them—especially their parents. And it’s difficult to function well as a parent if you’ve drifted away from your own well-being.

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Children’s loneliness and depression is impacted by their parents’ loneliness and depression, so part of what we can do to help our kids is actually cultivate our own relationships with other adults.

I have a group of very close friends with whom I do not have to be anything other than myself, and that gives me the bandwidth to better handle hard stuff at home. Just knowing that you have those relationships when you need them is a protective factor.”

Head of Upper School Beth Slattery

STUDENTS WHO REPORTED FEELING THAT THEIR PARENTS SEEM DEPRESSED, TIRED, STRESSED, OR IRRITABLE REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS THEMSELVES. 2023 HARVARD-WESTLAKE SURVEY

PLAN FAMILY TIME Family dinners, outings with your child, and even just watching something or gaming together strengthens your bond, provides a break from studying, and helps your child feel secure and loved.

Device-free family dinner every night is nonnegotiable in my household. My daughter was an athlete who didn’t get home till 8, so the four of us ate at 8:15, no phones at the table. I love it, and it’s kept us together in a way that’s been really helpful.”

Head of School Laura Ross

TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S PEDIATRICIAN ABOUT INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING IN YEARLY CHECKUPS Strengthen the network of support around your child and give them another opportunity to get help if they need it, even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong.

STUDENTS WHO REPORTED FEELING THAT THEIR PARENTS’ RULES AND CONSEQUENCES AROUND DRUGS AND ALCOHOL USE ARE NOT SERIOUS REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS. 2023 HARVARD-WESTLAKE SURVEY

CREATE AND ENFORCE RULES AROUND SUBSTANCE USE Teens feel more secure with boundaries.

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY

THE SCHOOL IS COMMITTED TO PARTNERING WITH PARENTS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY VIA INCREASING COMMUNICATION FROM TEACHERS, COACHES, AND ADMINISTRATORS AND OFFERING SPEAKERS AND OTHER PARENT PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON TEEN MENTAL HEALTH.

STAY CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR CHILD AND THEIR INTERESTS When you ask your kid about the things they’re into, you’re showing that you care about them.

I thought my childhood was pretty good, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing it replicated and pushing my own children into places I found fulfillment, knowing they would’ve really loved those things too. But by taking an interest in their interests, I have learned a tremendous amount about running, about cheerleading, about Taylor Swift, about stagecraft, about Middle Eastern studies. And all that has come through my kids, whose interests may be different than mine, but have become mine because I’m interested in them.”

Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish

KEEP ELECTRONICS—INCLUDING CHARGING DEVICES—OUT OF THE BEDROOM AFTER BEDTIME According to the nonprofit National Sleep Foundation, teens need eight to ten hours of sleep a night, but the CDC reports that 73% of high school students aren’t getting that.

Unfortunately, devices often keep them awake. According to a 2019 survey from the nonprofit Common Sense Media, 68% of teens keep a mobile device within reach at night, 29% sleep with a device in bed with them, and 36% wake up to check their device at least once during the night. Electronics stimulate the brain, often delaying bedtime, and blue light from devices suppresses the production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.

Setting an electronics curfew can help.

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SET SOCIAL MEDIA LIMITS According to a 2023 U.S. Surgeon General report, heavy social media use among adolescents is linked to depression, reduced sleep, and body image issues. Less time on social media, on the other hand, encourages more in-person connections, which promote better mental health. Discuss the pros and cons of social media and the importance of protecting personal information with your child, then create a digital media agreement together. One possibility, for example, is for your child to use just one social media network, such as Instagram, instead of multiple platforms; it may also be helpful to connect with parents of your child’s friends to establish common limits. If your child experiences cyberbullying or online exploitation, report it to their school, the social media platform, and/or law enforcement. Finally, limit your own social media use and what you share about your child.

TAKING CARE OF FACULTY & STAFF Some of the HW programs in place for teachers and staff members: • No annual deductible for faculty/staff mental health office visits, including coverage for both in- and out-of-network providers • 24-hour unlimited phone access to a no-cost counseling service and multiple free face-toface sessions with a professional counselor

• On-campus wellness programming such as breathwork, yoga, and art-making • Community-building social activities • Asian/Asian American, Latinx, Neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, and Black/ African American faculty/staff affinity groups

Our adult wellness is critical to the work we are doing with our students. Supporting the adults teens are interacting with at school is good for the adults and good for the kids—it’s all connected.”

Head of School Laura Ross

ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO CONSIDER HOW THEIR ACADEMIC CHOICES AFFECT THEIR WELL-BEING Taking too many classes means more homework, less sleep, and fewer opportunities to meet with teachers, connect with friends, and pursue other interests. Likewise, taking one or more courses at a level that is not appropriate means added stress. Students are signing up for additional homework when they choose an AP or Honors class, and that homework will likely take even longer if they are not taking the right level course. Your child’s teachers and/or dean can advise what classes are best for them.

I didn’t let my kids take seven blocks in the upper school schedule because I know they need time to do homework, and it’s too much. And that was a fight with my older one, who has a ton of intellectual interests and was like, ‘But I’ve got to take ancient Greek, and I’ve got to take…” But that’s what college is for. You’re not going to be able to take the whole curriculum.”

Head of School Laura Ross

BE CONSTRUCTIVE INSTEAD OF CRITICAL Regulating your own responses will help your child regulate theirs.

I’m a big eye roller. When my son came to me with disappointing news, my reaction used to be, ‘You got a 68 on the test? You’re kidding me.’ And then I stopped that and started with, ‘Okay, how can we figure this out?’ or ‘That must be hard for you. What can I do to help?’ We have to learn to control our own disappointment, because our kids are usually feeling that disappointment themselves.”

Head of Upper School Beth Slattery

ALMOST ONE-THIRD OF HARVARD WESTLAKE 10TH AND 11TH GRADE STUDENTS INDICATED THEIR PARENTS “MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT DOING WELL ENOUGH” AND 86% OF STUDENTS WITH HIGH PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS REPORTED A HIGH LEVEL OF ACADEMIC WORRY. 2023 HARVARD-WESTLAKE SURVEY

WINTER 2023-2024

HW TODAY DON’T OBSESS OVER A FEW COLLEGES When a student’s emotional well-being depends on admission to a university with an under 10% admission rate, the pressure can feel overwhelming—and that school may not be the right fit in any case. Your child’s dean or college counselor can help them find the best options for them.

LET YOUR CHILD LEARN TO BE INDEPENDENT Although it may be tempting to ask your child for their student login so you can keep tabs on their assignments or intervene if their best friend drops them, kids develop more resilience and often feel less stress when they are allowed to sort out their own issues.

One piece of advice from my husband [Harvard-Westlake Upper School Dean Head Chris Jones] was to only talk about college with our daughter Taylor once a week. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it whenever I thought about it or text her ‘Did you do this? Did you do that?’ Now, our daughter Avery had a different journey as a recruited athlete, so I wasn’t as good about it—and she told me that I was stressing her out, so I tried to step back. Once a week was enough. ” Assistant Head of School for Community & Belonging Janine Jones

STUDENTS WHO REPORTED FEELING ANNOYED OR IRRITATED BY THEIR PARENTS HOVERING OVER AND AROUND THEM ALSO REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS. 2023 HARVARD-WESTLAKE SURVEY

ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES AND BE TRANSPARENT

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Modeling that it’s okay to mess up encourages kids to try new and/or hard things— and recover quickly if it doesn’t go well.

I tell them when I screwed up. I want them to know that perfection is the enemy of the good, and I want them to be good kids. But if they’re focusing on being perfect, not only are they not going to get there, but they’re going to be unhappy along the way. So I don’t edit out my mistakes. Your father’s not perfect. I don’t expect you to be perfect. I just expect you to try your best. And if you do that, you’re gonna be okay.”

Head of Athletics Terry Barnum

Tear out this page and keep it handy at home.

WELLNESS RESOURCES & HOTLINES I’m worried about my teenager’s mental health.

What should I do?

Reach out to anyone on the counseling team (or any other adult at Harvard-Westlake) at uscounseling@hw.com or mscounseling@hw.com if your child needs mental health support and/or you see changes in their behavior.

A counselor will connect with your child to assess any mental health challenges.

If they observe any serious mental health concerns, they will let you know and discuss next steps in supporting your child. If it’s an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

If you or someone you know is in an immediate crisis, please get help immediately.

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988, call or text National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800) 273-8255, available 24 hours Crisis Text Line Text “Home” to 741741, available 24 hours Teen Line Text “Teen” to 839863, available 6-9 p.m., daily National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline (866) 331-9474, available 24 hours Text “loveis” to 22522 Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) (800) 656-4673, available 24 hours Rape Treatment Center (424) 259-7208, available 24 hours The National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-7233, available 24 hours Trans Lifeline (877) 565-8860, available 8 a.m.-2 a.m.

The Trevor Project (866) 488-7386, available 24 hours Text “Trevor” to (202) 304-1200 available 12-7 p.m., Monday-Friday

Head of Upper School Beth Slattery

Tear out this page and keep it handy at home.

“Trying to really love our kids and meet them where they are, even if it’s not everything we hoped and dreamed for them, even if they’re not like us—love them as they come to us, and it will mean everything to them.”

Francesca Varese ’26

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF PROFILES

EVERYONE’S STORY MATTERS Meet Chris Sanders, the new Head of Admission and Enrollment

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After six years in admissions at Francis Parker School in San Diego and at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla prior to that, Chris Sanders came on board this year as Harvard-Westlake’s new Head of Admission and Enrollment.

In this Q&A, he takes a break from interviewing prospective families to answer a few questions himself.

WHAT WAS YOUR OWN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE LIKE? I attended my neighborhood public middle school and have fond memories of teachers, coaches, and administrators there. But it was drastically different from the experience that I had when I transitioned over to an independent high school.

For example, in middle school, it was “you’re going to choose one elective, and that is what you’re going to take for a full year.” But when I went to an independent school, it was “you can take a language and an art elective. And even if you want to do something beyond that, you have that opportunity.” It felt refreshing that I was now in this world where I could bring to life more than just one aspect of my budding self. For me, that looked like being involved in athletics, the arts, and student government. That opportunity to travel amongst all those different groups in the school community was really rewarding.

WHAT DREW YOU TO HARVARD-WESTLAKE? Being a Southern California native, I’ve always known about Harvard-Westlake, and it stood out as the example of excellence on the West Coast. I was particularly drawn to it because I’d previously worked in a large school and seen the advantages from an admission standpoint of having more room to bring in a variety of students. But beyond that, I was impressed that Harvard-Westlake wasn’t resting on its laurels. Between River Park, the wellness initiatives, the diversity and inclusion hiring fair…it was very clear that Harvard-Westlake still thought “we can become better—and it’s imperative that we do become better.” The chance to be around thought leaders and folks who were interested in growth just really appealed to me.

WHAT IS YOUR GUIDING LIGHT IN YOUR ROLE AS HARVARDWESTLAKE’S HEAD OF ADMISSION AND ENROLLMENT? I spend a great deal of time talking to my team about my core belief that everyone’s story matters. And even if the current edition of their story is not a fit for Harvard-Westlake, I still want that student to walk away feeling like “they cared about who I am and what I’m interested in, and ultimately made me feel seen in some capacity.” In a lot of ways, admissions is evaluative in nature. But I don’t think it has to only be that. I think it can be a first glimpse for young people figuring out how to express who they are and envisioning who they want to become. Everything we do in our admissions process is designed to get students to not only reflect but to dream and imagine what could be next. And then we have the difficult task of trying to figure out how that all fits together to continue the institutional priorities of the school. But at least we’re hopeful that whether they end up here or elsewhere, every student can walk away feeling like they’ve learned something about themselves in the process.

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF PROFILES

GIVEN THE TRAGEDIES OF THE SPRING AND SUMMER, THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT TIME AT HARVARD-WESTLAKE. HOW ARE YOU RESPONDING TO PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES’ CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT HERE? First and foremost, the admission office is not shying away from talking about it. One reason is that we believe it’s a disservice to the families in our community who lost children, and beyond that, we don’t want to stigmatize mental health.

At all of our events, we talk about Harvard-Westlake’s long history of caring about mental health and wellness, whether that’s changing to a block schedule, hiring more deans, or having clinical psychologists on staff.

We’re also trying to get prospective families in front of our leadership team. And we want families to come on campus so they can see that despite it being a challenging school, students are still smiling and moving through their day in a joyful capacity. And finally, we want families to get to a community event, whether it’s homecoming or a play or an athletic competition— moments that show that our community is still vibrant, despite hurting for the last few months.

WHAT ROLE DOES FINANCIAL AID PLAY IN HARVARD-WESTLAKE ADMISSIONS?

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Our financial aid program enables our office to visit hundreds of schools every year, introduce what we’re doing to families, and put them at ease so that they can at least consider what a Harvard-Westlake education might be like. We want Harvard-Westlake’s excellence to be representative of every type of community in LA. That’s challenging work, because LA is such a vast place. But as much as we can, we would like to represent every aspect of LA that makes it such a vibrant place. And so as we try to approach our diversity goals, we can really focus on fit and allow families to identify if we are the experience they’re looking for, as opposed to just immediately crossing us off the list because of finances.

Relative to other schools, the most noteworthy thing we do is to allow our students, regardless of what share of the tuition they pay, to have a full experience. Athletic uniforms, lunches in the cafeteria, global trips—any activity that a student paying full tuition would experience, we want our financial assistance recipients to be able to experience as well. The fact that so many things beyond tuition are covered is a pretty unique part of our program.

IF YOU COULD SAY ANYTHING TO PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would say the beauty of HarvardWestlake is that there’s not one type of Harvard-Westlake student—there’s a range of interests and talents and curiosities, so prospective students should feel encouraged to approach the application process from a place of authenticity. We just want to see who your child is, not make them feel they have to fit into a specific mold.

WINTER 2023-2024

POP QUIZ

In this new column, you get the chance to test yourself: Can you answer this question from a Harvard-Westlake teacher?

Answer at the bottom of the page.

NE IS THIS O DDLE MI FROM CHOIR L O SCHO R PAUL O T DIREC ACH. L I KE B

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CAN YOU NAME THIS TUNE?

A “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (or “The Alphabet Song,” which has the same melody)

Bjorn Walthers ’25

WINTER 2023-2024

ALUMNI PROFILES Shining a Light in the Dark

Julia Wick ’07 and Melanie Mason ’03 win the Pulitzer

In October 2022, Los Angeles Times reporter Julia Wick ’07 got a tip about a secret audio recording of a private meeting of members

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of the Los Angeles City Council making racist remarks. Reporting on that recording rocked Los Angeles, leading to City Council President Nury Martinez’s immediate resignation and sparking a series of stories that won the LA Times newsroom, including Wick and Melanie Mason ’03, a 2023 Pulitzer Prize.

“I received the tip on a Saturday afternoon and quickly brought in the rest of our City Hall team to begin going through the recording,” remembers Wick. “Our immediate task was trying to make sense of everything that was being said, because it’s this sprawling conversation with a lot going on and much of it is hard to hear. That first night we were also concentrating on getting in touch with the people who are on the tape [including Martinez, LA City Councilmember Kevin de León, former LA City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, and former LA Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera], and some of the people they are talking

1) Photo courtesy of Julia Wick 2) Photo courtesy of Melanie Mason

JULIA WICK ’07

MELANIE MASON ’03

about, since we wanted to give people a chance to respond. From there, everything sort of mushroomed exponentially once the first version of the story was up on Sunday morning and stayed very chaotic for several weeks. It was a massive team effort and great to work with so many fantastic colleagues like Melanie [Mason].”

Wick continues to work as a metro reporter at the Times; in June, Mason took on a new role as a senior political reporter at Politico. In this Q&A, they discuss their award-winning City Hall reporting—and how HarvardWestlake helped inspire them to become journalists in the first place.

Your reporting on the City Council scandal hit like a bombshell in Los Angeles. What long-term impact do you hope this story will have on the city’s political landscape?

MM There’s a perception that journalists set out to “take out” politicians or other prominent figures in their reporting, but in my experience, the main goal in reporting a story is to be accurate and fair (beating the competition is always a plus). Hoping for specific outcomes doesn’t really enter the picture. That said, any story that underscores the importance of what’s going on at City Hall is a good thing, especially if that whets people’s appetite for more information about their local government.

The recording came from an anonymous source and was recorded illegally without consent. What are the legalities and ethics of reporting on such a recording?

JW That’s a great question. It’s illegal to record a conversation in California without both parties’ consent, so it would have been illegal and unethical if we helped create the recording. But once something is recorded, there is a host of legal precedent that says it’s okay for a reporter to report on an illegally obtained recording, as long as we acquired it legally and didn’t participate in recording it.

WINTER 2023-2024

ALUMNI PROFILES

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How did you verify that the recording was real? In the era of AI where voices, photos, and video can be easily copied and faked, how can journalists be sure they are reporting on the truth?

JW If I remember correctly, our first official verification that the recording was real actually came from a lawyer representing the LA Federation of Labor, who sent us a letter prepublication saying the conversation was “recorded in violation of California’s privacy and recording laws on LA County Federation of Labor property,” which doubled as confirmation.

More broadly speaking, new technology has created a lot of possible pitfalls for journalists in terms of the potential for being duped. High levels of caution are warranted, but there are a lot of practical things you can do to further verify before running with something.

According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 66% of American adults say they have very little to no trust in the media. With that in mind, how do you think Pulitzer Prize wins like this affect the public’s perception of the LA Times and journalism as a whole?

MM It’s gratifying to win journalism awards, especially the Pulitzer Prize, when it comes from peers in the industry who recognize good work when they see it. And if that helps bolster our reputation with the public, even better! But I think the trust deficit that the media faces is the result of decades of criticism (some justified, some bad-faith demonization), and it’s going to take a long time of concerted effort to improve our standing.

The LA Times won its 50th and 51st Pulitzers in 2023—and a month later cut 13% of its newsroom. What does that say about the future of investigative journalism in America?

MM Unfortunately, this is not a problem unique to the LA Times. Our entire industry is going through an extended economic crisis; the business models that worked for us a generation ago don’t translate well in the digital era. The type of journalism that wins Pulitzers— investigations, all-hands swarms of breaking news events, compelling photojournalism, etc.—requires an investment of time, resources, and talent. When those resources are cut to the bone, the ability to do that work suffers. I don’t think there’s any one solution to journalism’s woes, but there’s one thing everyone can do: Pay for the news (please!).

What does it mean to you to have won the highest honor in journalism?

MM The best part is that it is a testament to our collaboration in the newsroom.

Above all, it honors the stellar work of our City Hall team, who not only dominated this story, but did so while covering a competitive mayor’s race.

They also were eager to work with folks elsewhere in the newsroom (like myself). The LA Times is at its best when it swarms a story, tapping into all the expertise and creativity of its journalists, so it’s especially sweet to be recognized for that team effort.

How did you celebrate the win?

MM At our El Segundo newsroom on the afternoon of the announcement, we were treated to tacos and champagne, which is an unbeatable combo.

Were you on staff at the Chronicle at Harvard-Westlake? If so, what was that experience like, and how did it inform your choice of career?

JW Yes, I was a proud Chronicle r my whole time at the upper school, and on the Spectrum before that at the middle school. Being on the Chronicle and studying journalism with Ms. [Kathy] Neumeyer were really important experiences that helped shape my career path. Mr. [Tim] Newhart’s seventh grade civics class was also very formative for me and sparked a lifelong interest in how government works.

MM

I was not on the Chronicle (or on my college newspaper), and I’ll always be a teeny bit jealous of folks who got to experience the camaraderie of student journalism. Still, being in an environment like Harvard-Westlake where the student newspaper was so respected absolutely influenced me. The school also made me a better consumer of news, which was the vital first step for a journalism career.

Who knew those weekly news quizzes would end up being so important?

What advice do you have for middle and high school student journalists?

JW Write and read as much as you can! Student journalism is serious journalism and deserves to be treated as such. I feel so lucky and grateful to have been on Chronicle, where that was very much the case.

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WINTER 2023-2024

HW VOICES

Dominic Landes ’25

Photo: Lily Stambouli ’24

FIELD HOCKEY WINS

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

By Justin Tang ’25 in the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The field hockey team poses with their medals after defeating Bonita High School 2-0 in the Tournament of Champions final on October 28.

The field hockey team defeated Bonita High School 2-0 in the 2023 Sunset League Tournament of Champions (TOC) final October 28. The victory marks the team’s eighth TOC title in program history, with the team winning their last title in 2021.

Val Ganocy ’27 scored both goals for the Wolverines and won Most Valuable Player for the championship game. The team finished the season with a total record of 14-2-1, with a league record of 7-1.

Forward Savannah Mashian ’24 said the team won the championship by playing with a controlled yet fast-paced intensity.

“I think we stayed connected by working as a unit, keeping our structure and connecting passes,” Mashian said. “We moved at a higher speed and pace than the other teams. And in the end, we were just more calm, cool, and collected.”

Mashian said she was emotional to have played her last game of high school field hockey despite winning the championship. “[The championship win] felt very reminiscent of my past six years of field hockey,” Mashian said. “I’m extremely devastated to have [field hockey] be in the past, but I know that the future of this team is extremely bright, and they’re going to go all the way [next year].”

WINTER 2023-2024

CLASS NOTES

WESTLAKE CLASS NOTES

1960s

1980s

ELLEN JOVIN ’83 writes, “My book Rebel with a Clause—about my traveling pop-up grammar advice stand, called the Grammar Table—was a national bestseller last year. My husband, Brandt Johnson, has just finished a documentary film (also called Rebel with a Clause) about the adventures of the Grammar Table that he is submitting to film festivals.”

future events. I will be speaking at AdWeek NY, Business Travel Awards Miami, DEMA in NOLA, Penn Bookstore in Philly, and a keynote in London. I have virtual events too—I am doing a global book club with Wanderful and an author’s corner for BookFest. Invite me for your next book club or conference (info at lisaniver.com/braveish). Thank you for all of your support for me and my writing! I am very grateful for my education at Westlake School for Girls and look forward to reconnecting.

Please contact me through my website or on social @LisaNiver.”

1990s

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SUSAN OKIE ’68 writes, “This year my poetry manuscript won the Off the Grid Poetry Prize, an annual contest for poets over 60. It was published in October 2023 by Grid Books—my first full-length poetry collection. I hope to do a reading in the LA area!”

LISA NIVER ’85 writes, “I wish I could share my new book with my favorite Westlake teacher, Joannie Parker. I wrote about her class and being at the United Nations Global Assembly for Ms. magazine (bit.ly/ Joannie23). My memoir, Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty, is now available.

Thank you to everyone who came to my events at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena and Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica. I hope to see you at one of my

JENNIFER WULFFSON BEDFORD ’91 writes, “I’ll be returning to the West Coast to live for the first time since 2008. My husband Chris is the new director at SFMOMA and I’ve put off the move for a solid year! We’ve loved our seven years in Baltimore (and time in Massachusetts and Ohio before Maryland). We’ll be in Marin with our two daughters and our son will be going into his second year at Colgate. I hope to find time to finish editing a novel I wrote during my time on the East Coast. Looking forward to being closer to my sister GWEN WULFFSON ’94 and her family!”

HARVARD CLASS NOTES

1960s

MORTON HURT ’63 writes, “Sally and I watched Spielberg’s latest movie The Fabelmans. None of us have any idea how long we will remain on this amazing planet. So the first thing I did today was to pay my $25 for our 60th reunion on May 9. Simply deja vu. One more time to tell stories, catch up on life events, laugh, cry, most of all simply remember when it was our turn at Harvard School and where the passage of time has taken each of us. Namaste.”

JOHN ROBERTS ’69 writes, “May 17, 2023: Retired from Intel after 32 years but still active, doing some coaching and consulting. I’m also a planning commissioner for the City of Tigard, Oregon, and a director for our regional chapter of AFIO (Association of Former Intelligence Officers). I’m working with JOHN JACOBSON ’69 and DAVIS MASTEN ’69 to organize our 55th reunion in ’24. Married again (almost 10 years now). Kids are in their 30s. One is going to Portland State University and working in healthcare; the other going to Portland Community College and teaching at OMSI, our local science museum. We curtailed travel due to COVID but should resume in 2024.

Meanwhile, we have a fabulous garden and a new cat, who should deliver kittens this week. Retirement is just as busy as working, but life is good!”

BRIAN WRIGHT ’79 writes, “We enjoyed an unofficial class of ’79 mini reunion-lunch last summer (when several out-of-towners returned home for a Dodgers game). Photo is of me, SHAUN SAMUELS ‘79, CHRIS FORMAN ‘79, BILL GLEASON ‘79, and MICHAEL MONROE ’79.”

HARVARD-WESTLAKE NOTES

1994

2003

SHANEE MICHAELSON ’94 writes, “On May 22, I was ordained as a rabbi by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University. Attending ordination was my friend and former classmate STERLING NEWTON ’94, who showed his support along with other friends and family. In July I will begin my rabbinate in Las Vegas, where I recently reunited with my Vegas resident friends, former classmates ALICE FANG ’94 and JILL LICHT SOUMAS ’94.”

1998

MARISSA KASE SEGAL ’98 writes, “My husband Gideon and I welcomed our son Landon Kase Segal on February 12, 2023. Our son Jasper (9.5 years old) and daughter Maya (6.5 years old) are loving their new baby brother. I am Healthcare Counsel at USC.”

MARCIE ROGO ’03 writes, “I am excited to share that I married Patrick Friedman Schaffer on April 29, 2023, at Stone Manor in Malibu (with eight amazing HW alums in attendance). Some of you may know his mother, Dr. Linda Schaffer, who recently retired from Curtis, where she was a beloved science teacher for over a decade. Similarly, Patrick leads content for an e-learning software company. I recently transitioned to serving as a fractional CMO for various startups, with special expertise in software for baby boomers and/or elders.”

2014

SINCLAIR COOK ’14 writes, “I graduated from Columbia Law School in May and, at the time of this writing, was studying hard for the New York bar exam in July. Starting in October, I became an associate at the Manhattan office of the law firm Sidley Austin. In the interim, I traveled to Iceland and Japan.”

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.

WINTER 2023-2024

IN MEMORIAM Michael Daves ’57

Marcelite Ford Troeger ’50

John Bartlett ’62

Jacqueline Trueblood Blanchard ’39

Leland Dolley ’53

Judith Fisher Peterson ’63

Virginia Hall Moro ’48

Thomas Underwood ’54

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Caryn Horsfall Craig ’68

Margaret-Ann Futch Holschauer ’49

John M. Johnston ’57 Carl Jesberg ’69

Travis Smith ’73

Donald (Trey) Brown III ’25 Harold Horton ’69

Peter Meyer ’74

Alan Levy Trustee, 1984–2021

John Jergens ’69

Betsy Baum Heston ’77

charlie Munger Trustee, 1969–2023

John Walker ’69

Cari Ross ’81

Chitra Kallay

Jane Friedman Freeman ’73

Westlake & Hw English Teacher, 1986–2007

John Lee ’19

WINTER 2023-2024

ALUMNI EVENTS

HARVARD AND HARVARD-WESTLAKE REUNION DAY

Harvard and Harvard-Westlake Reunion Day took place on Saturday, May 20, on Ted Slavin Field with food trucks, a silent disco dance floor, and over 350 alumni in attendance. We look forward to welcoming back class years ending with 4s and 9s next spring!

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Thank you to the reunion committee volunteers who helped to plan this special day, as well as our class hosts Vanna Cairns, Sharon Merrow Cuseo, Ari Engelberg ’89, Ed Hu, Larry Klein, Rob Levin, Elliott Parivar, Harry Salamandra, Dave Waterhouse, and David Weil ’93.

Special thanks to President Rick Commons and Head of School Laura Ross.

*

We are looking forward to celebrating classes ending in 4 and 9 at Harvard and Harvard-Westlake Reunion Day on May 18, 2024! Interested in volunteering for your reunion committee?

Email Associate Director of Alumni Relations Ivy Bunnak at ibunnak@hw.com.

WINTER 2023-2024

ALUMNI EVENTS

WESTLAKE REUNION DAY

It was a pleasure to welcome back Westlake School for Girls alumnae for Westlake Reunion Day on May 6.

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Thank you to our incredible speakers Tiffany Alexander Aldridge ’87 P’15, Yoshimi Kimura ’23, and Sophia Rascoff ’23.

An additional special thanks to harpist Grace Hong ’26 for graciously performing throughout the event.

*

We are looking forward to celebrating classes ending in 4 and 9 at Westlake Reunion Day on Saturday, May 4, 2024! Interested in volunteering for your reunion committee?

Email Associate Director of Alumni Relations Ivy Bunnak at ibunnak@hw.com.

Last spring, former Westlake faculty member David Coombs updated “Kings and Queens of England” to reflect the most recent coronation of King Charles III.

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES

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UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER NATE CARDIN writes, “My latest crossword puzzle was published in the New York Times on October 10.

(No stranger to word puzzles, I also won an episode of Wheel of Fortune last year!) Three of my other puzzles have also been accepted and are in the queue at the New York Times—stay tuned for their publications! In the meantime, you can regularly find more of my crosswords in USA Today and the Apple News+ app.”

UPPER SCHOOL LIBRARIAN & PROGRAMS COORDINATOR KACIE COX writes, “I got engaged!

E. GABA ’17 planned a beautiful surprise proposal, complete with peonies, balloons, a string quartet playing our songs, and a stunning view of the Santa Monica Mountains. I was over the moon and blacked out from happiness. We’re very happy to be able to share this next step in our lives with our HW community.”

UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER JOHN GARRISON writes, “My book, The Pleasures of Memory in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, has just been published by Oxford University Press. I so enjoyed the opportunity to explore the nature of recollection—from the Renaissance ‘memory arts’ to modern-day psychology—in this famous set of poems.”

UPPER SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER BRAD HOLMES writes, “My wife, Wendy Wang, and I are happy to announce the birth of our first child, Ilus Gorden Holmes, on October 4.”

UPPER SCHOOL DEAN ADAM LEVINE writes, “My wife, JORDAN LEVINE (HELLER) ’08, and I welcomed our first son, Heller Michael Levine, on April 9. He loves music, laughing, and yogurt. Heller also joined us this summer at Oxford, where I finished my master’s degree through Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English.”

DIRECTOR OF KUTLER CENTER AND DIRECTOR OF SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMS JIM PATTERSON writes, “In October, I attended the 2023 national meeting for SPARC (the Summer Program and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative) and was given the 2023 Excellence in Auxiliary Award for the work that I have done supporting those in the field as well as the work I have done here at HW. In the picture with me is Nat Saltonstall, the executive director of SPARC, and Karen McCann McClelland, the auxiliary program director at Sidwell Friends School as well as a senior advisor to SPARC.” UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER JESSE REINER writes, “Free Body’s second album, Here It Is!, was released in late August just before the start of school. In addition to featuring my best friend from high school, Tim Story, this one includes appearances by HW Jazz band director Chris Sullivan on alto saxophone and HW parent Scott Healy (NICK HEALY ’13 and SARAH HEALY ’20) on Hammond organ, as well as cover art designed by HW librarian Edie Darling (@velvetbrainfop).

Check it out at Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, or just about anywhere else music is streamed.”

UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER JESUS SALAS writes, “Over the summer I published my second piano album. It’s called Sunset on the River. You can find it on Spotify and other music streaming services.”

ATTENDANCE AND HEALTH COORDINATOR AND SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM DIRECTOR BRENDA SIMON TILLMAN writes, “June 10, 2023, was the most beautiful day, my wedding day! I was married in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, surrounded by many loved ones from far and near. Although only a few Harvard-Westlake community members were present (including two alumni: CAMERON HERRING ’21 and VALENTINA GAXIOLA ’21), I was so happy because I carried in my heart the good wishes of the whole HW community. My husband (Lue James) and I are thankful for all the support we received. I’m now Brenda Simon Tillman.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER JOE SCHENCK writes, “Last summer, I was associate choreographer for Drag Daddy Productions’ queer adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar in Louisville, Kentucky.”

*

CURRENT AND FORMER TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS CAN SHARE THEIR NEWS BY EMAILING ELIZABETH HURCHALLA AT EHURCHALLA@HW.COM

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WINTER 2023-2024

HW VOICES

Lauren Daub ’26

FANCY BRAIDS

By Abbie Her ’27

Three years old, I only fancied braids.

Grandmother sensed my appeal and Gently linked strand by strand,

Her noble fingers taming my feral hair into Three long paths.

Sweet mellow tones of her reassuring

Voice wrapped me with warmth as—ow!

Grandmother asked if that tangle hurt my head.

But I was known for my hair, my braids,

Pippi Longstockings in her eyes.

So no, it didn’t hurt.

Braiding was the blood we shared.

One day, I wondered, How one braids.

Barbie told me she fancied braids as well.

I separated the silky, blonde hair into Three long paths As gently as I could.

Now she was known For her braids, while I Adventured into something new.

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WINTER 2023-2024

NOTES

FRED WARRECKER (1938-2023)

WITH ELI GOLDSMITH

THE PROFOUND & INDELIBLE IMPACT OF A GREAT COACH Last summer I attended a celebration of life for Fred Warrecker, who died in June after leading the Santa Barbara High School baseball program for a stunning 43 years. When I arrived at the service, the turnout was overwhelming, with hundreds of family, friends, and former players filling the historic El Paseo restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara. Like many other former players, I wore my old high school jersey, #23, which, coincidentally, I hadn’t worn in 23 years. But what drew me and so many others to the celebration wasn’t nostalgia, but the acknowledgment of the profound and indelible impact of a great educator.

Fred Warrecker, like so many transformative coaches, introduced me to an entirely new value system.

Fred’s loudest praise came not for the muscle-bound slugger, but the diminutive hustler beating out a throw to first. He admired not the loud and brash, but the supportive and generous—the athlete who quietly picked up trash, raked infield dirt after practice, or took the time to encourage a downtrodden teammate. It wasn’t that Coach didn’t want to win (he did, desperately). But Fred was shrewd enough to understand that baseball is, by nature, a practice in consistent and inevitable failure—and yet, even defeat offers abundant opportunities to be courageous and noble and even heroic. Victory wasn’t an outcome so much as a process governed by work ethic, character, and sacrifice for the collective good.

When I consider the deeper values Harvard-Westlake aspires to impart to its students, I think a lot about athletics.

As Head of Athletics Terry Barnum puts it, “Our hope is that every athlete graduates from HW with a healthy appreciation for teamwork and self-sacrifice, as well as the ability to be resilient. As the greatest successes are often accomplished after the deepest failures, appreciation for the process of excellence becomes an essential life skill.” I would argue there are few better arenas to learn such a skill than team sports.

Despite the enormous successes of our athletic programs, however, the challenges of recruiting and retaining great coaches at Harvard-Westlake are significant. With the cost of living skyrocketing in Los Angeles, we rely more and more on philanthropy to make it possible for employee salaries to rise at commensurate levels. This mission is central to the school’s advancement efforts because we believe the journey toward excellence within every class—and every team—begins and ends with the talent and character of the educator who leads it.

To illustrate this impact, during every episode of The Supporting Cast, guests are asked about the educators in their lives who inspired them. Inevitably, guests will reference a mentor who believed in them and taught them profound lessons that have endured. Some get emotional discussing them, and perhaps reading this, you are thinking about who that great teacher or coach was for you. Some lessons, like Coach Warrecker’s, last a lifetime.

What are lessons like that worth?

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Eli Goldsmith is Head of Advancement and host of The Supporting Cast, a Harvard-Westlake podcast available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts.

To explore how you can make a philanthropic impact at Harvard-Westlake, contact Eli at egoldsmith@hw.com.

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WINTER 2023-2024

HW VOICES

Chazzy Cho ’25

WAIT IN THE WATER

By Anaya Olivas ’25

Wade in the water children. Forced to wait in the water. Trouble in the water.

Their water is murky, my water is clean.

We can fix this. But instead we wade in the water. It’s so warm here in the water.

The ice, the bears, the fish panic and they drown.

What can we do

to make it cool again? Not just wade in the water. Until everything’s in the water.

You care only for yourself.

I need you to wait

and to stop because we are gonna be stuck under water. We can not be forced to live under water. We can not keep on running.

We can not keep on wading.

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF CONGRATULATIONS— AND THANK YOU! MILESTONES

HARVARD-WESTLAKE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THESE FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS FOR THEIR MANY YEARS OF SERVICE.

40 YE A

RS

Ivonne Lopez-Alvarez REGISTRAR

30

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YE A

Terry Baris DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS TEACHER

Tara Eitner SCIENCE TEACHER

RS

Jessica Kaufman COMPUTER PROGRAMMING/ MATHEMATICS TEACHER

Michael Chavez ENGLISH & COMMUNICATIONS TEACHER

Lisa Rado ENGLISH TEACHER

25

Kanwal Kochar

R YE A

MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER

Jonathan Wimbish

Dror Yaron

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH TEACHER

20 R YE A

S

Alan Homan

Matthew Cutler

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

DEAN & HISTORY/ SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

S

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES

15 YE A

Eric Olson

Eli Goldsmith

Rick Commons

ENGLISH TEACHER

HEAD OF ADVANCEMENT

PRESIDENT OF HARVARD-WESTLAKE

10 YE A

RS

David Weil ’93

Jason Kelly ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Lilas Lane HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

RS

Tim Schmall TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER, DESIGNER, AND DEPARTMENT HEAD

Joe Schenck Jenn Lechevallier ’98 WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER

PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER

Kasia Williams MATHEMATICS TEACHER

5

YE A

Megan Cotts RS

VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

Tina McGraw ’01

Julia Kraft

HEAD OF PEER SUPPORT & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH TEACHER

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

LaShonda Long

Kat Scardino

Sandra Brasda HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

Junior Amazan WRESTLING PROGRAM HEAD, SPORTS PERFORMANCE COACH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER

ENGLISH TEACHER

SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST

Heather Trawick

Joe Makhluf

Josh Helston MATHEMATICS TEACHER

Lucas Gonzalez ENGLISH TEACHER

Nicole Stahl

VISUAL ARTS TEACHER & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH TEACHER

HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER & KITS TEACHER

VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

Alexandra Pacheco Garcia VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

Flavia Zuñiga-West ’02

Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98 ARCHIVIST

Jenn Gabrail DIRECTOR OF LEARNING CENTER & KITS TEACHER

VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

Shuang Yang

Ryan Ellingson

WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER & KITS TEACHER

SCIENCE TEACHER

Richard Vo SCIENCE TEACHER

Conrad Cuda HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE HW TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS ON THEIR

NEW ROLES!

Laura Davidson Ross HEAD OF SCHOOL

Jen Bladen

Jenn Gabrail

HARVARD-WESTLAKE LIFE

YEARBOOK/JOURNALISM TEACHER & HW MEDIA DIRECTOR

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Janine Jones

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR COMMUNITY AND BELONGING & ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER & KITS TEACHER

Ryan Wilson

MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES DEPARTMENT HEAD

Celia Goedde

UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY/ SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT HEAD

Jacque Myers

MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER & DEPARTMENT HEAD

Sky Stubbeman ’25

WINTER 2023-2024

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES WELCOME TO

HARVARD-WESTLAKE’S NEW EMPLOYEES! UPPER SCHOOL

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HARVARD-WESTLAKE LIFE

Stephanie Chiang

Michelle Martinez

ENGLISH TEACHER

HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

Joel Colom-Mena

Sarah Miller

WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER

DEAN

John Garrison

Neelima Reddy

ENGLISH TEACHER

ENGLISH TEACHER

Emily Joyner

Jesse Rueter

PSYCHOLOGIST

DEAN

James Lane

Nicole Stanton

MEDIA ASSISTANT

ENGLISH TEACHER

Fabricio Larin

Amy Stout

MAINTENANCE TEAM MEMBER

MATHEMATICS TEACHER

MIDDLE SCHOOL Robbin Bibbs ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF LEARNING CENTER & LEARNING SPECIALIST

Ubaldo Lopez MAINTENANCE TEAM MEMBER

Claudia Keuchkerian

Katya Malikov

WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER

MATHEMATICS TEACHER

Jullian Lee

Alquin Torres

PSYCHOLOGIST

ATHLETICS Hannah Baker SPORTS PERFORMANCE & PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER

MAINTENANCE TEAM MEMBER

ALL-SCHOOL Samuel de Castro Abeger ’07 DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Chelsea Heyward

Cliff Hahn

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Mitch Kallick

Pretha Jobrani

VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM HEAD

MAJOR GIFTS

Laura Lopez

Megan Remo

GIRLS WATER POLO PROGRAM HEAD

STUDENT LOGISTICS MANAGER

Jesus Puentes Montes

Christopher Sanders

ATHLETIC TRAINER

HEAD OF ADMISSION & ENROLLMENT

WINTER 2023-2024

LAST LOOK Former trustee Janis Feldman Horn and her father, Leonard Feldman, cut the ribbon of the Feldman-Horn Center for the Arts as then Headmaster Tom Hudnut looks on.

FELDMAN-HORN TURNS 25

By Alexis Sherman Arinsburg ’98

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Twenty-five years ago, the upper school Feldman-Horn Center for the Arts opened its doors on the former site of Harvard Hall. The 23,800-square-foot complex, which took five years of planning and construction, includes an art gallery and visual arts studios. Made possible through the generosity of longtime former trustee Janis Feldman Horn and her father, Leonard Feldman, the project was designed to honor Janis’s mother and Leonard’s wife, Naomi Feldman, and her love of children, education, and the arts. Feldman Horn and then Headmaster Tom Hudnut had been talking since 1987 about expanding the arts program, so when the Munger Science Center started construction, Hudnut sug­gested converting Harvard Hall into an art building. Today, students continue to benefit from Feldman-Horn facilities, taking art classes in the building and displaying their work in its gallery.

A quarter century later, Feldman-Horn continues to be a hub for student art activity at the upper school.

Sabine Kang ’24

700 North Faring Road Los Angeles, CA 90077 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Postal regulations require Harvard-Westlake to pay for each copy of this magazine that is undeliverable as addressed. Please call the Office of Advancement (310.288.3308) or email advancement@hw.com to notify us of any changes of address. Include both the old and new address.

Parents of alumni: If the graduate to whom this magazine is addressed no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Office of Advancement of the new mailing address.

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK We want to hear from you! Let us know what you thought of this issue and what you’d like to see in future HW Life issues. Please send your comments to Elizabeth Hurchalla at ehurchalla@hw.com.

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS: ARI ENGELBERG ’89 CREATIVE DIRECTOR & DESIGNER: LIZ WELCHMAN CONTENT DIRECTOR & WRITER: ELIZABETH HURCHALLA PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: SHAUNA ALTIERI ARCHIVIST & WRITER: ALEXIS SHERMAN ARINSBURG ’98 PHOTOGRAPHERS: F AB FERNANDEZ, SHAUNA ALTIERI, ERRISSON LAWRENCE ILLUSTRATORS: L IZ WELCHMAN, JANE MOUNT, RAMÓN HONE

Tehmina Malhotra ’26