January 2019 Issue by The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

CHRONICLE THE HARVARD WESTLAKE

Studio City • Volume 28 • Issue 5 • Jan. 30, 2019 • hwchronicle.com

State to promote media literacy

Alum leads team to Super Bowl By JAY LASSITER

After serving ten years as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Rams, former Chronicle Sports Managing Editor Kevin Demoff ’95 brought the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl. The organization is building a new football stadium in Los Angeles that will be finished by 2020 and will hold the Super Bowl in 2023. Demoff played a role in bringing the team from St. Louis back to his hometown of Los Angeles, and, after only three years in the city, the Rams have made their first Super Bowl appearance since 2000. The Rams finished with an overall record of 13-3, giving them the second seed in the National Football Conference. Demoff cited his Harvard-Westlake education as a pivotal to his success. “One of the great things about football is being able to work as a team and as an organization,” Demoff said. “Working with the 300 people who work for the Rams makes the journey even better. That’s something I learned at Harvard-Westlake.” President Rick Commons taught Demoff’s sophomore English class during his first year as a student at Harvard-Westlake. “It’s always fun to see former students do amazing things,” said Commons. “[Demoff] was extremely bright, very original in his thinking, with a memorable sense of humor. I’m not surprised that he’s been successful the way he’s been.” • Continued on D3

By SABA NIA

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

YO HO, YO HO! A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME: Chronicle Managing Editor Alex Goldstein ’19 teaches Henry Reed how to navigate a pirate ship during Monday’s Make-A-Wish all-school assembly.

Aye aye, matey!

School partners with Make-A-Wish By KAITLIN MUSANTE Community Council partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the second time to reveal a Disney Cruise trip for a 6-year-old boy with cancer Monday at an all-school assembly. Henry Reed was diagnosed with leukemia in Feb. 2017 and recently became eligible for the program. After meeting with Make-A-Wish volunteers, he decided to use his wish to become the sea captain of a Disney Cruise ship. Community Council club members chose to reach out to Make-A-Wish and help plan Reed’s reveal after reﬂecting on the success of the event two years ago, Community Council faculty leader and Director of Student Affairs Jordan

Church said. “It’s really easy for us to go throughout our days, both adults and students, and really only think about ourselves — our needs, our tasks,” Church said. “We loved that last year’s assembly was a moment where we could stop and think outside ourselves, even if it’s just for a short amount of time. It shows that true magic comes from a culmination of effort by those who care.” Following the theme of the wish, Scenemonkeys member Jake Schroeder ’20, acting as “ﬁrst mate,” pushed Reed into Taper Gym on a miniature ship and led him through “captain training,” which included crew training, swordﬁghting and navigation training. Audience members also participated by following

Reed’s commands during his training and releasing a stream of blue balloons to mirror a wave. Development Coordinator of Make-A-Wish, Greater Los Angeles Area Elizabeth Espinoza said she is grateful that the community came together to support Reed’s family and garner excitement around his upcoming trip. “All of the school came together and played the part, whether it was the planning crew acting as the brains and vision behind it or the students untapping balloons,” Espinoza said. “They all made one kid feel like a rockstar. Just seeing what a little bit of kindness and planning can do for someone was incredible. He’s never going to forget this. I’m never going to forget this.”

Nearly 50 years after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of students’ method of free expression and a broader interpretation of the First Amendment in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, California lawmakers agreed to implement media literacy education to support students’ free speech against the growing threats of misinformation and “fake news.” The law, which former Governor Jerry Brown signed in September and went into effect Jan. 1, will require the California state Department of Education to compile media literacy resources, instructional materials and professional development programs to help equip teachers to empower their students with the tools necessary to evaluate fake and misleading news that they see in the media. Mary Beth Tinker, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case who was suspended from school for wearing a armband protesting the Vietnam War, said she supports California’s decision to implement a media literacy program in schools. “In a democracy, we have to all be involved in the decisions that are being made, and young people have every right to be involved as well and need to be involved,” Tinker said. “When they’re not involved, it hurts everyone. [Students] have great ideas, creativity, a sense of fairness [and] energy, so it’s really important for young people to be • Continued on A13

Government employees, students discuss impact of longest government shutdown BY KYRA HUDSON

ONLINE

Behind the scenes: watch to see how we made this issue

To give insight into how the Chronicle staff puts together the paper each issue, videographer and Assistant Features Editor Zoe Redlich ’20 filmed the News, Opinion, Arts and Entertainment, Features and Sports sections working on stories and designs during Issue 5 layout weekend Jan. 23-26.

For over 30 days, Tailor Gutierrez, a contact representative for the International Revenue Service, worked without pay, struggling to support herself financially without her daily income. Gutierrez had no way to get money she needed for her basic necessities, and since her job is labeled as “non-pay essential,” she was unable to file for unemployment and get financial help. If Gutierrez stopped showing up for work in order to find alternative forms of paid employment, she would be fired, she said. “I can no longer afford to

pay my bills, so I have to ask for forgiveness from my bank and landlord,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t eat the type of food I normally do. My food intake is rather limited as well. I’m eating noodles, rice products, cereal and TV dinners because I cannot afford fresh food without my income.” As the government shutdown reached over a month in length, making it the longest shutdown in the country’s history, many federal employees were ﬁnancially unstable. The shutdown began on Dec. 22, 2018 over funding for a southern border wall, the government has temporarily reopened the government for the next three weeks

Jan. 25, according to the New York Times. During the shutdown, all government entities that are labeled “non-essential” were closed leaving over 800,000 employees without pay. One of the entities that was on a “non-pay essential” status is the Coast Guards. “Because the Coast Guard isn’t in the [United States] Department of Defense, they don’t receive pay during this time, which has been detrimental to the men and women who protect and rescue on our coasts,” Cadet Corps leader Jacob Lapin ’19 said. Another entity that was • Continued on B4-5

A2 NEWS

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 2019

Admission receives over 1,200 apps

By SOFIA HELLER

Over 1,200 students submitted applications to Harvard-Westlake for grades seven through 12, Associate Director of Admission and Enrollment Management Nancy Jeon ’89 said. This is the second highest number of applications that the admissions office has received, having received the most applications in 2017. The number of applications has grown incrementally over the past five years due to a more global reach, Jeon said. With national rankings and application materials easily available online, Jeon said more people have been interested in applying to HarvardWestlake. Associate Director of Admission Oscar Cancio ’04 has reached out to schools in neighborhoods that have traditionally not sent students to Harvard-Westlake, which contributed to the high number of applicants, Jeon said. “We place great priority in our office in trying to find the best applicants from all over Los Angeles,” Jeon said. The admissions office is continuing such efforts and looks forward to the strong incoming classes, Jeon said. “It is more work, but it is exciting because we can really meet and choose the best candidates for our classes,” Jeon said. “There’s not one definition of what makes an applicant an excellent candidate for the school, and that’s great. Having such a diverse applicant pool will help us create a really diverse and strong class, and that’s exciting to work with.”

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

SAFETY FIRST: Manager of Security Mark Geiger checks classroom doors during the security staff’s ﬁrst active shooter drill, which involved the entire campus. Students and faculty were instructed to lock doors, turn off lights and remain silent inside their classrooms.

Security staff leads school in active shooter drill By JENNY LI

Security guards in tactical gear joined the rest of campus in a lockdown drill Feb. 23 to ensure that students and faculty members were aware of appropriate and secure locations in the case of an active shooter. The lockdown drill was required by an amended 2018 California law, Upper School Student Discipline and Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado said in his email to upper school students. Now,

schools are required not only to conduct lockdown training but to consult with local ﬁrst responder agencies and mental health professionals, according to California Legislative Information. This is the ﬁrst time security has participated in a drill with the entire community on campus, Head of Security Jim Crawford said. In the past, they have enacted their drills on an empty campus. “We can’t give direction to an empty campus,” Crawford said. “We have practiced get-

ting those areas when there’s nobody here, but not when there are cars, kids and maybe some obstacles that we have to think through when we get through these different areas of the school.” The guards attempted to open classrooms from all buildings on campus, which created a more authentic experience for students, Taylor Lacour ’19 said. “I think it helped,” Lacour said. “I was terriﬁed when they rattled the doors, but it made it more realistic.”

The drill allowed students to practice how to immediately react under a lockdown drill, Head of Upper School Laura Ross said. “Part of our job is to make sure that no matter what happens, we are prepared,” Ross said. “It’s situational. If you’re in a classroom, where do you go. If you are in Chalmers, where do you go. If you’re on the quad, where do you go. If you’re on the ﬁeld, where do you go. It’s trying to both get • Continued on A4

In the issue ...

A5 IN THE GALLERY: For his individual study project, Will Berlin ’19 photographed pedestrian life on Rodeo Drive.

A15 SHOW SOME RESPECT: As

grades come out, it is necessary to be considerate of others, despite personal success.

B2 GIRL POWER: A recent sur-

vey has shown that females are no longer overrepresented in AP and honors classes.

THE CHRONICLE, the student newspaper of Harvard-Westlake School, is published 10 times per year and distributed free on both the upper and middle school campuses. There are 732 students at the Middle School and 870 students at the Upper School. Subscriptions may be purchased for $20 a year for delivery by mail. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the seniors on the Editorial Board. Letters to the

C2 DOUBLE LIFE: Students pursing careers in the arts discuss their experiences in side and outside of school.

D3 PLAYOFF TIME: Despite injuries mid-season, boys’ basketball ﬁnished the season strong and will go to playoffs.

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

JAN. 30, 2019

Speakers reflect on Holocaust

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A3

Holocaust survivor and former Hitler Youth leader discuss differences By CASEY KIM AND LINDSAY WU In an effort to inspire future change, former German Hitler Youth leader Ursula Martens and Holocaust survivor Erika Jacoby shared their different experiences during World War II at an all-school assembly Jan. 16. Xenia Bernal ’19 hosted the speakers in partnership with the Righteous Conversations Project, a subsidiary of the non-proﬁt organization Remember Us. Bernal said that she invited Jacoby and Martens in order to facilitate conversation about difﬁcult subjects with people from contrasting backgrounds. “I have always been in love with the idea of focusing on the similarities we have as human beings rather than the differences because people often think that the differences are much larger than they actually are,” Bernal said. “I think

ALL PHOTOS BY CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

RECONCILING THE PAST: Top Left: Former Hitler Youth leader Ursula Martens speaks to a student after the assembly. Right: Holocaust Survivor Erika Jacoby smiles at an audience member. Bottom Left: Xenia Bernal ’19 joined the speakers and her mentors on stage. that it’s important for not only Harvard-Westlake students, but all students and young people to ﬁnd their similarities in order to create this kind of progressive change.” Bernal mediated the question-and-answer style conversation by asking the two

speakers to recall their memories from the war. Martens, who joined the Hitler Youth before she turned 10 years old, said she was indoctrinated to fully support the Nazi regime. “It’s very hard to explain, but it was almost like Hitler

was a father to us,” Martens said. “What he said was what he wanted us to do and what we wanted to do. It wasn’t bad at the time, but in the meantime we were fed all this Nazi stuff which I now see is terrible.” At a young age, Jacoby was

forced to leave her home in Hungary and enter Auschwitz concentration camp with other members of her family, where she was forced to complete physical work for the Nazis. “If I didn’t do exactly what • Continued on A6

Deans implement new college planning software By CASEY KIM

ANNIE BECKMAN/ CHRONICLE

TAKING THE LEAD: La Femme Club student leaders and advisor Shauna Altieri pose for a picture with speaker Jasmine Elbarbary. Elbarbary encouraged her audience to start involving themselves in politics.

Project coordinator speaks about public offices By ANNIE BECKMAN Jasmine Elbarbary, a Project Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles, spoke to La Femme Monday to educate students on the skills needed to run for public ofﬁce and discuss the youth programs that the city offers. Elbarbary, who works in the Department of Neighborhood and Empowerment, informed students about two programs: Civic Youth and IgniteLA. Civic Youth is a six week summer program hosted in Los Angeles City Hall that fo-

cuses on informing students about local governments and neighborhood councils. “We’re all aware of what’s going on at the national level, and that’s important, but people often aren’t aware of what’s going on at the local level that is going to impact you very quickly,” Elbarbary said. IgniteLA is a free program hosted twice a year that is focused on empowering young women to run for public ofﬁce, Elbarbary said. Elbarbary also asked students to stand up and give one-minute speeches on a topic of their choice. The activity

was supposed to mirror the experience of making a pitch to the Los Angeles City Council, Elbarbary said. Elbarbary said that she had hoped to stress how possible and important it is for Angeleno youth to use their interests and strengths to help the city. “I thought the speaker was very informative and knowledgeable of her ﬁeld and it made me feel inspired to work for my community,” club leader Conner Corley ’20 said. “It made me feel like I have a voice in determining what happens in the city.”

good tool that offers a lot more function, a lot more data and In order to improve the col- is a little easier to understand. lege search process, the upper It’s really going to enable them school deans introduced Col- to dive into the college search lege Kickstart, a software for process.” The deans have decided college planning and career assessment. The Class of 2020 to implement College Kickwill be the first class to utilize start because Naviance may the program, Upper School sometimes be misleading, as the program can not process Dean Celso Cardenas said. “[The deans] have been certain significant factors, such as hooks, talking about Cardenas said. College Kick“There are start for prob[College some limiably over two Kickstart] is really going tations on years,” Cardeto enable [students] to how you can nas said. “We dive into the college search, what wanted to enyou can search sure, before search process. ” and data that we rolled it —Celso Cardenas enables stuout, that it was Upper School Dean dents to have something that a good sense of would be usewhere they fall into terms for ful to our community.” Students will have access admissibility of these places,” to the new program along with Cardenas said. Jack French ’20 said that Naviance, the current software in place for the college applica- he is glad that the software is tailored to reflect data specific tion process, Cardenas said. “Naviance is still going to to Harvard-Westlake, which be our go-to in terms of the will help him to yield more acapplication process itself and curate readings. “I think it’s cool that [Colfor getting documents out, so we’ll still rely on it heavily for lege Kickstart] is essentially seniors,” Cardenas said. “But the same as Naviance, but inI think now as we move to im- stead of using national data it plement College Kickstart, it’s uses our data and is more fogoing to be our focus for ju- cused on Harvard-Westlake,” niors to make sure they have a French said.

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A4 News

The Chronicle

Jan. 30, 2019

Security staff leads school in lockdown

• Continued from A2

people procedures and encourage them to think on their feet in these situations.” Crawford said he hoped the presence of guards will demonstrate what their position is on campus. “We want [the community] to know that we’ve got your guys’ backs,” Crawford said. “We’re really not parking checkers. We are really here to protect you guys. This is the best way to give an inside look of what these guys do in the event that something is going to happen.” Although the presence of security guards helped to create a more realistic situation, Lauren McGee ’20 said it did highlight a sense of levity many students and teachers have during campus-wide drills. “It was almost like there wasn’t a drill,” McGee said. “We were just sitting silent. I still heard noises in other classrooms. It does help us prepare us for an actual lockdown, but I do think there should be more to make it more serious. Even if it’s a

drill or not, it should be taken seriously.” Given the increase of school shootings and security issues across the nation, Crawford said he hopes the drill will increase preparedness not only at school but also in all public situations. “These things can happen anywhere,” Crawford said. “We want to encourage the community here to look and be aware of what’s going on and to talk about what we are going to do if we hear gunshots on campus and are on lockdown mode.” After the lockdown drill, teachers discussed how students should react in the case of an actual active shooter. Those reflections, security guard Mark Geiger said, are just as important as the drill itself. “That conversation is what is going to stay with you and keep you ready, whether you are at school or somewhere else,” Geiger said. “You’re going to go with what you’ve talked about and what you know. If you have something to work with, you’re going to respond better.”

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

LOCKED AND SECURE: Manager of Security Mark Geiger surveys the quad during the lockdown drill. This was the first time security has participated in a drill with the entire community on campus.

School launches new pilot program, streamlines process to leave campus By Lindsay Wu

In order to make the current attendance process more convenient and organized, students will now check in and out of campus using iPads with specialized apps. Though the new initiative is currently in its pilot phase, the school hopes to formalize the process in future years, Dean of Students Jordan Church said. Previously, students signed in and out on paper logs located in Upper School Student Discipline and Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado’s office or the security kiosk at the main

entrance. Under the new system, iPads will replace paper logs for increased efficiency and accuracy. “With the iPads, I am now able to track information very easily,” Preciado said. “Also, it is an easier process for me and for campus security. Sometimes, it’s kind of hard to read when seniors sign out on the log. In the event that I would need to have that information, the new system is just more accessible because it is centralized and easy to read.” Students are still required to obtain passes from Preciado before departing

from campus. The iPads will track the exact time of students’ departures, as they sometimes pick up passes hours before leaving campus, Preciado said. Currently, there are two iPads designated for attendance, one for seniors and one for sophomores and juniors. Initially, Preciado installed both in his office, but has since moved them to test different locations, he said. Rehaan Furniturewala ’19 designed the current software used to check students in and out. Furniturewala has worked closely with Precia-

“

With the iPads, I’m now able to track information very easily. It’s an easier process for students signing out. Now, they don’t necessarily have to sign up in one place. ” — Gabriel Preciado Discipline and Attendance Coordinator

do since his sophomore year to craft the new system, he said. Church then proposed the new attendance policy to the administration, who supported the idea. “This was originally not even supposed to be for the students,” Furniturewala said. “I made it for the administration so that the school can be safer, but students also liked it. It’s nice to know that at least some people like the stuff I make, and that’s why I wanted to do it in the first place.”

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If the new system proves worthwhile, the Information Technology department will improve the software and integrate it into the school database, Church said. Students also said that they enjoy the convenience of the iPads. “I think the iPads are great,” Stephanie Cho ’20 said. “It makes the checkout process really convenient and easy, and I think developing the new system even further would be really useful for the school in the future.”

Debate team hosts annual tournament By Tammer Bagdasarian

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF ALEX MORK

RECORD-BREAKING: The tournament winners pose for a picture after the debates at Harvard-Westlake with their record-shaped awards.

Harvard-Westlake hosted 290 debaters from around the country for its annual tournament, the Harvard-Westlake Debates, an octafinals qualifier to the Tournament of Champions. The four-day event began Jan. 17 and was divided into two tournaments: the debateLA Challenge, a round-robin competition where students can challenge each other to debates and the main event, a Lincoln-Douglas style tournament. Harvard-Westlake debaters had several top finishes. Spencer Paul ’19 and Chronicle Opinion Editor Vishan Chaudhary ’19 each won the challenge event. “There is always an added bit of pressure when you are debating at your own tourna-

ment since you really want to win it for the school,” Paul said. “Closing it out with [Chaudhary] was special since we sent a message that HW Debate is ready to continue our domination into the final trimester of the season.” Assistant debate coach Jasmine Stidham said that although running a tournament is always chaotic, this event went surprisingly well due to help from volunteers and a new prize system. “Instead of giving everyone trophies for certain elimination rounds, we made a donation to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League in their name,” Stidham said. The school’s goal in hosting the event was to foster a sense of community and a competitive but enjoyable environment, Stidham said.

“Harvard-Westlake is always one of my favorite tournaments because it’s so close by and I’m friends with a lot of kids on the team,” tournament winner Rex Evans (Santa Monica High School ’20) said. “I was a little disappointed with my performance here last year, and it was great to see my hard work pay off this time around.” To qualify for the Tournament of Champions, which will be held April 27-29 in Lexington, Kentucky, debaters need two bids, which they can earn by placing highly at national or certain regional tournaments. “Going forward, our focus for the rest of the semester is to secure more bids to the Tournament of Champions and complete the qualification process for some of our varsity debaters,” Stidham said.

JAN. 30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

NEWS A5

Stone-Cutters introduces new project By LAUREN CHO

Stone-Cutters, the upper school art and literary collective, will publish a winter magazine for the ﬁrst time. Students were given the opportunity to submit their artwork and writings to the club in December. Stone-Cutters staff member Emma Poveda ’20 said that the members of the staff have made a concentrated effort to reach further into the school community and encourage those who are interested in writing and art to submit their works. “Stone-Cutters is a magazine that is also a space in the community,” Poveda said. “We’re about expressing yourself in all mediums of art and facilitating a space for young writers and artists to get their work published.” This year, the club decided to expand by focusing on not only publishing a spring magazine, but also encouraging artistic expression in other avenues. Club members said they hope to publish more smaller publications, like their Halloween “zine,” hosting coffeehouses and performance events and increasing their online presence. “I encourage everyone to submit to Stone-Cutters even if you don’t label yourself as an artist or writer,” Poveda said. “We do not like exclusivity and we have made it our mission to include anyone and everyone who wants to get involved.”

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF WILL BERLIN

PICTURE PERFECT: This photo and 63 others were showcased at Will Berlin’s gallery in Feldman-Horn Gallery, the largest photography exhibit created by an individual student. Berlin’s show combined the mediums of street photography and close-up portraits.

Senior showcases photographs in ‘Rodeo Drive’ show By JOANNA IM

Will Berlin ’19 held a photography show for his self-edited series, which focused on diverse faces of pedestrians, in Feldman-Horn Gallery on Jan. 16. The event, which culminated Berlin’s independent study, was the largest showing of photos on campus organized by an individual student. Berlin’s photography show, titled ‘Rodeo Drive’, included 64 pictures taken of local pedestrians on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. The show included a combination of traditional street

photography as well as candid pictures. As a nearby resident, Berlin said he chose Rodeo Drive as the location for his photography in order to capture the diversity of people in the area. “Growing up Rodeo Drive was merely another street in Beverly Hills, one I walked on going to dinner every Friday,” Berlin said. “As I get older, I became interested in the various people who visited this unique collection of blocks which inspired my project.” Berlin said he received guidance from both the Independent Study Board and vi-

sual arts teacher Joe Medina for the photography show. “I must extend my sincere gratitude to the Independent Study Board, the Harvard-Westlake Art Department and my mentor, Medina for all the support they have given me,” Berlin said. Students who attended the photography show said they enjoyed Berlin’s photography. “I was impressed with [Berlin’s] photos,” Matthew Gross ’19 said. “He took a lot of time in order to get the ﬁnal product. It’s really cool that he got to showcase it at the school.” Berlin said that putting to-

gether the show changed the way he views his photography. “Putting on a show was an entirely new experience for me which required me to think about photography in an entirely different way,” Berlin said. Medina said that the project helped Berlin develop as a photographer. “[Berlin’s] work became more about the people and the impact this site plays upon them,” Medina said. “I feel the [series] push the parameters of the established genre of ‘Street Photography.’”

Teacher displays sculpture in Bakersfield Museum of Art By KHYRA STINER

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JESSE CHEHAK

SAY CHEESE!: Video Art and Photography II and III students and teachers pose in front of the

Broad museum during their ﬁeld trip. Students viewed an exhibition called “A Journey that Wasn’t.”

Photography, Video Art classes visit the Broad By HANNAH HAN Video Art and Photography II and III students, accompanied by visual arts teachers Jesse Chehak and Cheri Gaulke, traveled to the Broad museum to view a newly opened, fully immersive exhibition called “A Journey that Wasn’t” on Jan. 18. Photography II student Caroline Sturgeon ’20 said she appreciated the opportunity to separate herself from her academic studies and focus on her artistic pursuits. “We talked about how a museum is a sacred space and how it’s somewhere in between

real life and something less tangible,” Sturgeon said. “For most of us, it was an opportunity to take a step out of our stressful lives and be a part of the art.” During the trip, students watched Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s hour-long installation “The Visitors.” In it, Kjartansson recorded and compiled videos of nine musicians performing a piece simultaneously in separate rooms of the same estate. Video Art II student Emma Poveda ’20 said the installation changed her perception of video art and inspired her to take a more nontraditional

approach to videography. “[The trip] taught me to think outside of the box and showed me I don’t have to stay in a defined structure,” Poveda said. Chehak said he hoped the installation would encourage students to fulfill their artistic goals, regardless of how daunting they might seem. “I find that some of my students have very ambitious ideas, but they’re timid to execute them, thinking they’re too large-scale,” Chehak said. “‘The Visitors’ showed my students that through collaboration, any idea is capable of being created.”

Visual arts teacher and department head Gustavo Godoy’s sculpture, which was inspired by the U.S.-Mexico border controversy, is currently on display at the Bakersﬁeld Museum of Art. The sculpture, mostly made of wood, is painted a color described as “MAGA Red”. It is topped with razor wire, which is meant to convey the strength and resourcefulness of those south of the border, Godoy said. As the son of a Mexican immigrant, Godoy said he wanted to use the sculpture to make a commentary on the country’s current political climate with the border wall. He said he wished to show the various struggles of those on the other side of the border, while also using the sculpture as a teaching opportunity for his students. “I teach students that the best work comes from who you are and your life experiences,” Godoy said in an email. “My family came from very poor conditions in Mexico, and was able to pursue the “American dream” that feels now almost unattainable for new arrivals of similar circumstances.” Godoy said he received the

opportunity to build a sculpture for the museum by his former student. He said he built and painted the piece in two weeks after researching and collecting the materials. “I went back to the Mexican border region around Tijuana to gather some more ideas, and to assess the climate as things have developed politically, then came back and began building the piece,” Godoy said in an email. “I spent a week collecting the used construction materials that I would repurpose to build the piece.” The piece will be displayed at the museum until May 4. He said he hopes that another art institute will choose to display his work. Godoy said he encourages his students to incorporate a part of them and what they are passionate about into the work they create, just like he did with this piece. Visual arts student Yvette Copeland ’21 commented on the sculpture and her appreciation for Godoy’s take on the political climate. “I thought it was really meaningful,” Copeland said. “Especially now, given the current situation with our government. And I loved to see the creativity that went into it.”

A6 News

The Chronicle

Jan. 30, 2019

Prefect Council starts ‘Tap Out’ competition By Luke Schneider

LAUREN CHO/CHRONICLE

SKETCH FOR SUCCESS: Ariana Pineda ’21 works on a draft of her Snapchat geotag to submit for the school-wide competition. The winner’s drawing will be uploaded as the official geotag for the school.

Students submit geotags for contest By Ruoshan Dong

Prefect Council hosted the first-ever all-school geotag design contest from Jan.11 to Jan. 25. Sophomore Prefect Chelsea Cho said the goal of the contest was to enrich campus life and to provide a platform for students to showcase their design talents. Geotags are Snapchat filters that are unique to a location. Creating a new geotag will be a refreshing update to campus life, Cho said. “We thought it would be

nice to start off second semester with a new [geotag],” Cho said. The contest provided student artists with a platform to display their work to a large audience. Ariana Pineda ’21 said her previous experience in digital design helped her create her filter. “I used digital art programs to create the logo of my online shop, and this contest was a good opportunity to practice and make use of my skills,” Pineda said.

Students designed geofilters on Snapchat and submited screenshots of their work to be judged by the school community. “We wanted to have a smaller, intermediate contest going on during the hectic time between winter break and the start of Tap Out, and we also thought it would be a nice, fun way to get people to be creative,” Cho said. “It’s just a cool way to let go of the stress from first semester ending and brings everyone together.

in different grades and social groups.” Prefect Council announced First-time competitors said Jan. 17 that Tap Out, formerly they are happy to play it for known as Assassin, will return the first time. to the Upper School this year. “I’m super excited to play According to Junior Pre- Tap Out this year,” Diego Ahfect Michael Lehrhoff, Tap Out mad ’20 said. “I remember differs from Assassin in that hearing about it when I was a players now must tap others freshman and wanting to try on the back to eliminate them it, so I’m glad they’ve brought from the game. In Assassin, it back this year.” players had to make a gesture Many students said that with their hands as if they were they had known about the shooting their competitors. game and were excited to play “The guns were removed it themselves. in light of re“I have cent violence at heard legendI remember other schools,” ary stories of hearing about it when Lehrhoff said. games in the “We didn’t find past from my I was a freshman and it appropriate siblings and wanting to try it, so I’m to include that from friends,” glad they’ve brought it subject matter Haley Levin ’20 back this year.” in our game.” said. “I can’t Dahlia Low —Diego Ahmad ’20 wait to put my’20 said that self in the areshe welcomes the change to na and see how I stand in the the gameplay. game. I’m absolutely stoked.” “It changes up the vibe but Tap Out pits students makes it harder, which I like,” against one another and reLow said. “I’ve never played quires those of all grade levbefore, but I’m super excited els to compete against their to be involved.” schoolmates. Lehrhoff also said that he Students said that they was very optimistic about the particularly look forward to future of the school-wide com- bonding with their fellow stupetition. dents in the competition. “Tap Out has the poten“I’m so excited to play,” tial to become an annual Amelia Koblentz ’20 said. “I Harvard-Westlake tradition,” think it’ll be a great opportuniLehrhoff said. “I think that ty to bring [the school] togethbecause it is a school-wide er through competition and game, students get the oppor- I’m looking forward to hopefultunity to interact with others ly making it to the end.”

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Nazi, Holocaust Survivor stress staying informed • Continued from A3

ly, with all our heart, but that was the start of my guilt. It’s I was asked to do, [the leaders taken me this long to process of the camp] would just hit,” what I felt I had done, just like Jacoby said. “I was probably [somebody] who had actually the lucky one because I wasn’t killed a person.” killed by the guns or the gas, Upon her release from but there were these Germans Auschwitz, Jacoby said that who had clubs in their hands, though she was able to exand if they didn’t like some- press her anger by destroying thing, they would just hit you Nazis’ material possessions in on the head. Maybe that’s why their homes, she did not seek I have a problem with or attempt physical my head now.” revenge or violence After the invasion on the members of of Germany, Martens Nazi party. and her family fled “After the war her hometown. when I was liberated, She said the end I took some kind of a of the war was the stick and went into first time she realized a Nazi house,” Jaco’ the extent to which by said. “I broke all Xenia Hitler had controlled the porcelains that I Bernal ’19 the state and the could see. There was thoughts of German citizens. no leadership, nobody to tell “It took me a long time to us what to do. When you’re make peace with myself,” Mar- angry, you don’t ask permistens said. “I blamed myself too sion for anything. You do what because I believed what Hitler you have to do to release. So had said, even though I was the day after we were liberatjust a child. We didn’t know ed, that’s what we did. We dewhat really went on, and that stroyed. And after the day was we would be taken away if we over, we just sat down, and we didn’t do what Hitler wanted cried.” us to do. And we did it willingMartens and Jacoby both white s

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

LIVING HISTORY: Taia Cheng ’19 speaks with Holocaust survivor Erica Jacoby while holding her hand. The speakers were available after the all-school assembly to meet and connect with students. concluded their stories by urging students to actively participate and stay informed in their communities in order to prevent the possibility of similar atrocities from recurring in the future. “I want you all to remember that you are all equally responsible for each other,” Jacoby said. “You are not responsible for what has already happened, but you are responsible now for your behavior. You are responsible to know that

[a similar atrocity] can happen if you close your eyes, if you don’t want to see what is happening in this world.” Martens and Jacoby stressed the import of learning about the Holocaust so that future generations can keep history from repeating itself. “It is your job to remember,” Jacoby said. “Remember what you heard from me and from [Martens]. It is my hope that your generation will never allow what happened to my

generation happen again.” The assembly also included a screening of “Hold the Sun in Your Hands: The Erika Jacoby Story,” an animated film that recounted Jacoby’s experience throughout during the duration of the Holocaust. Bernal, along with other students, created the film through the Righteous Conversations Project summer program, an initiative to facilitate contact between Holocaust survivors and teens.

JAN. 30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

Two new teachers join school

NEWS A7

By CRYSTAL BAIK AND SHIOBAN HARMS

Conrad Cuda and Jackson Kroopf ’06 joined the Upper School History and Art Departments, respectively, midyear. Cuda, an upper school football coach, previously taught at John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School for 15 years. Cuda said that he appreciates the intimate relationships between the students and teachers, especially in comparison to his previous schools, which had a larger student body. “There are times when I go home and I say to my wife, ‘I feel like I’m on Mars,’” Cuda said. “[This school] is just a different world. It’s a great one but it certainly is different. I don’t have anything but positive and good things to say about this whole opportunity and this place.” Kroopf returned to the Upper School to teach video art in his class, Cross Cultural Engagement. “It’s been interesting meeting the new generation of Harvard-Westlake students and meeting people from different backgrounds,” Kroopf said. “I have noticed a lot of interest in learning about other cultures, places and issues of social justice which are what I make ﬁlms about.” Before arriving on campus to teach, Kroopf taught at UC Santa Cruz. He also has experience teaching in Oakland, Calif. and New York. Kroopf currently teaches part-time. Outside of school, he is a freelance ﬁlmmaker and works on commercials.

CAITLIN CHUNG/CHRONICLE

A WARM WELCOME: Two prospective students play a game of rock-paper-scissors at the Multicultural Fair. The event was hosted by the Student Ambassador program with the purpose of creating an inclusive environment for applicant families of color.

Applicants participate in multicultural fair

BY CAITLIN CHUNG

As a way to share the experience of being a student of color on campus, 34 Student Ambassadors hosted a Multicultural Fair on Jan. 26 for prospective students and their families. Parents got a chance to sit down with the Director of Admissions Aaron Mieszczanski and the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Janine Jones to discuss the logistics behind the administration process while the students mingled with the ambassadors to learn more about the school. Associate Director of Admission Oscar Cancio ’04 said he feels a close personal connection to the event, which

“I feel like the event was has occurred for the past few much smoother and the amyears. “When I was a student here bassadors had more of a feel at Harvard-Westlake the num- of what was going to happen,” ber of students who self-iden- Payman said. “The kids were tiﬁed as students of color more involved. I think it was good that we talked to them wasn’t a whole lot,” before and we gave Cancio said. “Over them tours because the course of the last we got to know them 10-15 years, we cerand we stayed with the tainly have been trysame group so they ing to make strides got comfortable.” and bringing in more Many ambassastudents of color, dors said they enjoyed and this is one of the fair because it was the events to do just ’ different from many of that.” Ava the other Student AmAva Payman ’19, Payman ’19 bassador events. one of the senior Stu“I really liked that I dent Ambassador Co-Chairs, said that she thought the fair was able to meet a lot of kids went well and that she enjoyed from a lot of different schools in an intimate environment,” the event as a whole. WHITE S

Reducing our footprint: Club rewards sustainable students By CRYSTAL BAIK

To reward students for supporting sustainability, the Environmental Club held its ﬁrst ever “Donut Forget Your Water Bottle” Day on the quad Jan. 10. The days, which will be scattered throughout the school year, are the Environmental Club’s newest initiative to encourage individuals to reduce waste and stop using single-use plastic, especially water bottles, which are harm-

ful to the planet. The days are held randomly throughout the year, and they are not announced beforehand in order to encourage students to bring reusable substitutes to school consistently. In exchange for presenting a reusable bottle to the club on that day, students receive free donuts. “A lot of people have [reusable bottles] at home but don’t think to bring them,” Maddie Boudov ’21 said. “This could maybe motivate people to

bring them more often so we have much less waste on campus as a community.” Because plastic bottles take an average of 400 years to decompose, reusable substitutes should be utilized whenever possible, Environmental Club member Guy Hartstein ’20 said. Hartstein also said he hopes the event will help students think in a more environmentally-friendly way. “So far, I think this activity has attracted a lot of interest,

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student ambassador Lyon Chung ’21 said.”It was a very special time for us to bond.” Calista Chu ’20 also said that the fair was one of her favorite Student Ambassador events. “The environment that was created during the event was very lively,” Chu said. “I deﬁnitely had a great time and many others seemed to be having a good time as well.” The event provided an environment in which applicants could meet the school community and partake in the experience, Cancio said “It is a place where parents of color mingle with one another and other students of color mingle with one another and get to know each other.”

I do not know if people are going to keep bringing reusable water bottles just because they can, but I hope they continue for the good of our planet and our future.” — Julia McCary ’19

which I think is really the most important thing when you’re trying to enact lasting environmental change in the community,” Hartstein said. The Environmental Club has a history of events that raise awareness about plastic conservation. “Last year, they had an

WHITE’S

initiative to have people use fewer straws with free smoothies,” Julia MacCary ’19 said. “I think people like the donuts too. I do not know if people are going to keep bringing reusable water bottles just because they can, but I hope they continue for the good of our planet and out future.”

A cast of 26 students will perform an original variation of Shakespeare’s work as the annual winter play.

Upper School Academic Fair: Students will explore the various academic classes and electives available for the 20192020 school year.

2/18

At the first HW Journalism Festival, students from around the city will learn from student editors and speakers.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”:

2/11

Six students from the World Leading Schools Association in Shanghai will stay with host families for one week.

“Through the Looking Glass”:

2/10

WLSA exchange students arrive:

2/09

2/02

Upcoming Events President’s Dayschool closed: In honor of Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays, students will have a three day weekend Feb. 16-18.

A8 News

The Chronicle

inbrief

Jan. 30, 2019

Jonathan Martin ’08 stands trial for threats

Jonathan Martin ’08, a former NFL player who posted an image on Instagram of a shotgun and a reference to four individuals and Harvard-Westlake, will stand trial after a judge ruled Jan. 16 that there is enough evidence. Martin received four felony counts of making criminal threats, one for each person tagged in the post, and one count of carrying a loaded firearm in public, according to the Los Angeles Times. One criminal-threat was dropped after the target of the post, Mike Pouncey, a former Miami Dolphins teammate of Martin’s, said he was “not concerned” about the threat, according to The Palm Beach Post. Martin’s post resulted in the closure of the school last February. The text of his post read, “When you’re a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge.” Martin will appear in court Jan. 30 for a pretrial hearing in Van Nuys, according to the Los Angeles Times. —Saba Nia

School releases grades unintentionally online Due to a technical error, the school’s website displayed students’ first semester grades early through unofficial transcripts Jan 22. The premature release was due to a glitch with the system, upper school dean Celso Cardenas said. Teachers have a window between submitting grades and students receiving them so that they can make changes, Cardenas said. Students said that although they understand why teachers and administration are upset with the release, they think that seeing their grades beforehand was helpful and stress-relieving. “It was nice not having to wait to see grades. Waiting is worse than seeing them unexpectedly like this,” Naomi Ogden ’20 said. —Jeanine Kim

Student social media selfie receives 11k likes In response to the most liked post on Instagram, a picture of an egg, Dahlia Low ’20 shared a photo of herself on @most_liked_my_face, an account she created as a joke, she said. However, Low’s picture has now received over 11 thousand likes. According to NBC News, a picture of an egg from @world_ record_egg received 50.5 million likes, surpassing Kylie Jenner’s previous record. “I don’t like eggs,” Low said. “I thought, ‘What else could be the most liked photo that I like? Myself.’” Low said that though she thought her picture would get fewer than 20 likes, it suddenly blew up after actor Milo Manheim and Jack Hoppus ’20 reposted her photo. “I feel like I can run the world,” Low said. —Lindsay Wu

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF NADINE EISENKOLB

pH-ENOMENAL:

During a class field trip, AP Environmental Science student Ella Price ’20 measures the pH of the water from a stream in Malibu Creek state park. The excursion allowed students to test different water samples, which they will compare for a lab write-up.

Beyond the classroom: APES classes visit state park to test pH levels of creek water By Frank Jiang

Students in the AP Environmental Science visited the Malibu Creek State Park to conduct several water tests Jan. 22. All AP Environmental Science classes attended the excursion, as well as science teachers Nadine Eisenkolb and Nancy Chen. Students conducted several tests on the creek water, including a pH value test, a total solids dissolved test and a turbidity test. “We went to several parts of the creek to gather differ-

ent water samples, so that Tidepools in Malibu. we could compare and con“I thought this trip, altrast different levels of pollu- though less hands-on than tion within the water our trip to the tidesources and whether pools, was still a reit was safe to drink or ally good experience not,” AP Environmenfor us because we tal Science student got to go out here to Sam Yeh ’20 said. collect live samples Guy Hartstein ’20 in nature, somesaid that water’s pothing actual scientability is dependent tists would also do ’ on the level of nitrate for research,” HartGuy within it, and too much stein said. Hartstein ’20 nitrate could be fatal. The trip to MalIn the past, students have ibu Creek State Park was deconducted tests and observa- layed due to the heavy rains tions at other sites, including during the week prior. a trip to the local White Point Other obstacles, such as a

mudslide that occurred while the students were on the trip, affected the accuracy of the water tests. As a result, students drew water from only two to three sites, instead of the originally planned three to four as was intended for the experiment. Students in the class said they plan to use the water samples and the data collected from the excursion to complete a lab analysis. The lab will analyze differences in water quality, and is the culmination of their current unit, Human Resources and Ecology.

DeMatte said that the process The new law is just one of of implementing the policies many steps that the state is concerning alternative straws taking to reduce plastic waste. on campus was stream- A bill was passed in 2014 banlined, and people in the deci- ning disposable plastic bags at sion-making process agreed food markets, and Gov. Jerto the school’s substitution of ry Brown signed off on a bill plastic straws in 2015 that with paper planned to ban As a relatively ones after a the use of milong process. privileged school, I think cro-beads in “After a lot personal care we have an obligation of meetings goods by 2020. to be aware of the way with [Science However, our everyday actions Teacher Nasome critics, affect the world.” dine] Eisenincluding Dakolb, [Head of —Sam Mcloughlin ’21 vid Arkow ’20, Upper School said that the Laura] Ross, new California [Chief Financial Officer David] law requiring customers to ask Weil and Sonya [Ribner ’19] we for straws and the school’s paall decided that making these per straw policy might not be changes were really the correct effective in combating environthing to do for the campus and mental harm, and that the efschool,” DeMatte said. fort should be left to individual State authorities are also students. enforcing a new law that “Relating to straws, stuprohibits the distribution of dents should have a choice as straws without customers’ re- whether to use the plastic or quest in restaurants. paper straws,” Arkow said. “In

the end, it is up to the individual person if they really want to put in the effort to reduce plastic waste.” Other students, however, said that the policy is beneficial to the school’s efforts to combat environmental harm. “Paper straws are a great initiative because it’s an example of a simple and seemingly small action we as a school can take to resolve environmental issues,” Samantha Mcloughlin ’21 said. “As a relatively privileged school, I think we have an obligation to be aware of the way our everyday actions affect the world.” Ethan Hoddess ’20 said that he believes that the new school policy is consistent with the California law. “I feel like our school fits into the intention of the California straw laws – the fact that we even replaced the plastic straws with paper straws is taking the next step to reduce plastic waste,” Hoddess said.

white s

School substitutes plastic straws to reduce waste By Joanna Im

After the Environmental Club pushed for change, the school is now replacing plastic straws with papers ones in an effort to reduce the its amount of plastic waste. Environmental Club leader Anja Clark ’19 said that the new policy will raise awareness about the school’s resource consumption and encourages movement towards eliminating plastic waste. “The Environmental Club is focusing on making the school more sustainable and trying to shift the culture of students to be mindful of their consumption and its consequences,” Clark said. “Last year, our focus was on straws because the ‘Stop Sucking’ movement already had a fair amount of awareness and we need to take baby steps towards a plastic-free school.” Chief of Campus Operations and Construction Jim

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C HRONICLE the harvard-westlake

Editors-in-Chief: Sophie Haber, Jenny Li Print Managing Editors: Alex Goldstein, Sofia Heller, Kaitlin Musante

Opinion The Chronicle • Jan. 30, 2019

Studio City • Volume 28• Issue 5 • Jan. 30, 2019 • hwchronicle.com

editorial

Digital Managing Editor: Lucas Gelfond Presentation Managing Editors: Ryan Albert, Kendall Dees Engagement Managing Editor and News Editor: Saba Nia Assistant News Editors: Casey Kim, Luke Schneider, Lindsay Wu Opinion Editor: Vishan Chaudhary Assistant Opinion Editors: Tammer Bagdasarian, Jessa Glassman, Emma Shapiro, Amelie Zilber Features Editors: Kaelyn Bowers, Alison Oh Assistant Features Editors: Kyra Hudson, Madison Huggins, Jeanine Kim, Spencer Klink, Anusha Mathur, Lauren Nehorai, Zoe Redlich A&E Editor: Lexi So Assistant A&E Editors: Annie Beckman, Jordan Murray, Sarah Reiff Sports Editors: Jackie Greenberg, Ben Tenzer

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Assistant Sports Editors: Luke Casola, Will Mallory, Keila McCabe, Zack Schwartz William Seymour, Eugene Wyman Multimedia Editor and Business Manager: Cameron Stokes Assistant Business Managers: Sarah Healy, Joanna Im Assistant Broadcast Editors: Ty Goodrich, Cole Katz, Yoohan Ko, Alex Mork, Dylan Shenson Art Director: Samantha Ko Assistant Photography Editors: Caitlin Chung, Jay Lassiter Freelance Writers: Noah Aire, Valerie Velazquez Layout Assistants and Staff Writers: Olivia Baer, Crystal Baik, Mariela Breidsprecher, Lola Butan, Lauren Cho, Eugean Choi, Eva de Rubertis, Ruoshan Dong, Olivia Gubel, Tanisha Gunby, Hannah Han, Siobhan Harms, Frank Jiang, Ethan Lachman, Alexandra Landecker, Austin Lee, Lucas Lee, Emma Limor, Lee Nichols, Celine Park, Chloe Schaeffer, Andrew So, Khyra Stiner Broadcast Assistants: Alex Amster, Alice He, Madeleine Massey, Marina Nascimento, Jaidev Pant, Kyle Reims, Charles Wang Adviser: Jim Burns

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

The Importance of Discussion

s our school community came together to listen to Holocaust survivor Erika Jacoby and former German Nazi Ursula Martens Jan. 16, we witnessed two women reconcile their experiences on opposite sides of history (read more on A3). Both women eloquently demonstrated the power of being vulnerable in difficult discussions and offering empathy. Throughout the most recent government shutdown, the leaders of our country demonstrated the opposite as they threw combative language across the aisle and devastated thousands of people in their refusal to consider other perspectives. Impersonal social media instead of face-toface interaction has made it even easier to deny accountability. If only our leaders were as committed as Jacoby and Martens to promoting the general welfare of our world, regardless of their vastly diverging opinions. As one of our features mentions, understanding that duty goes beyond oneself is a concept that we feel is lost on our representatives, yet remains crucial to a productive society (read more on B7). We have been so lucky to receive an education through which we have been exposed to many examples of when the common human experience has been ignored in favor of discriminating against the stigmatized, and often innocent, ‘other.’ This has manifested in countless communities, era after era, where a majority has refused to celebrate the beauty that can be found in learning from differing perspectives. In our English classes, our history classes, and even in our math and science classes, we have seen the positive outcomes that can

result from collaboration. We have learned about periods of human conflict, and we understand that no good can come from refusing to communicate with people who we perceive to be different than us. Moving forward on our pursuit of becoming a more diverse and inclusive community, we should heed Jacoby and Martens’ advice and never forget the dangers of turning a blind eye to injustices being done to our fellow human beings. Within our school community, we recognize that we have a certain level of commonality between us. However, in order to truly achieve the goal of our mission statement, we must actively celebrate our differences, allowing our discussions to help us further empathize with each individual person we encounter. In the past, we recognize that there has been inevitable controversy over speakers that have promoted a certain ideology or belief that did not resonate with members of the audience. Although it is important and necessary to learn how to listen to and respect those who you don’t agree with, having both sides present at this most recent assembly to explain their experience was incredibly impactful. No matter political affiliation or personal belief, it was so valuable for all present at the assembly to learn from Jacoby and Martens’ ability to have a difficult, yet mature and open, conversation about a sensitive topic. We hope that the school uses this event as a launching point and continues to emphasize the importance of empathetic and respectful interactions between people with drastically different backgrounds.

A10 OPINION

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 2019

Read past the requirements By Tammer Bagdasarian

sat at home with my book, eyelids drooping as I desperately tried to finish the assigned chapter. The book told the same story, with the same characters and the same words. So why did reading it for school feel so different than when I read it over the summer? In July, it was “The Great Gatsby,” a captivating American classic that transported me to West Egg, where twenties jazz echoed through the hot summer nights. When I read it a week ago for English class, it was “The Great Gatsby,” a mystery about what the essay would be about and a tragedy about the grade I would get on it. Reading for pleasure is an essential part of a fulfilling life and a hobby that often goes highly underappreciated. Though assigned reading and analysis is a crucial skill to develop, it is not a sufficient substitute for leisure reading. When students read for pleasure, they do so unburdened from the anxiety of school. Rather than viewing a novel as a textbook to study, they can see it as a story, following its twists and turns, empathizing with the characters and reading the book as it was meant to be read. Not only does reading for pleasure provide a liberating experience, but it is also beneficial to cognitive skills and health. According to a 2013 Stanford University study, more blood flows to the brain when students read, stimulating its inactive areas. Additional reading also boosts vocabulary, which can increase confidence and lead to higher test scores. Reading for leisure is not just a way to increase how much students read; it can also broaden the scope of their knowledge. To some students,

ear Almost High School Saba,

Today I wrote this article like I write most of my pieces, late at night, drowsy on my lack of sleep and half-baked ideas. But whether it’s a news brief, thorough feature or rambling opinion, each piece begins the same: at some obscene hour in the morning, with a blank page and my Spotify playlist crooning softly through my headphones. I drew my blanket closer to my chin and found myself enveloped in the warm embrace of my stories. Your ﬂip ﬂops slapped nois-

having a preselected curriculum of books is stifling. When talking with my friends, many tell me that they would enjoy reading science-fiction, philosophy or historical texts. The school does its best to fit all varieties of books into the reading list, but at the end of the day, there is only so much time in the school year, and many great books and genres are left unread. It is so rare now to read just for the sake of reading that when I brought a book from home onto the bus a few weeks ago, I got strange looks from everyone around me. One of my friends laughed and said, “You actually read for fun?” It was just a joke, but his reaction was representative of how recreational reading is viewed today. To many students, reading a book for fun is last on their list of things to do, if it even makes the list at all. As the school year progresses, responsibilities only grow. Nobody is going to sacrifice studying or valuable sleep for reading a book, nor should they. But many times, I have found myself, as I am sure many others have, looking at my phone for hours, pushing my work off until late at night. Students would benefit from substituting the time lost flipping through apps while studying for flipping pages after they are done. They will not only be more productive, but they will also be sharper the next day, their brains will be stimulated and refreshed for the day of work. In the fast moving and hectic world we live in, it is important to take a moment to sit down and read — to travel to Kurt Vonnegut’s mystical land of San Lorenzo, Gabriel García Márquez’s turbulent town of Macondo, Homer’s fierce Aegean sea and countless other unfamiliar worlds. Now would be a perfect time to pick up a book and start.

hough 2019 has just barely begun, the 2020 presidential race is already beginning. Half a dozen Democrats have already declared their candidacy, and with the momentum from the 2018 Midterm elections, Democrats share one aim: defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. Yet, despite its unified goal, the Democratic party’s lack of cohesion is evident. Comprised of various genders, sexualities and ethnicities, the current field is the most diverse in history. However, the Democratic candidates are differentiated by the political standpoints and initiatives they promote in their bids for the presidency. On Dec. 31, HarvardWestlake grandparent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (Octavia Tyagi ’19, Lavinia Tyagi ’23) was the first candidate to enter the race, emerging as a possible front runner for the Democratic nomination. Warren is known for her role on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and for supporting harsher regulation of the financial industry after the 2008 financial crisis. In her campaign video, Warren portrayed herself as a family oriented woman dedicated to strengthening the middle-class and lessening income inequality. While she is well liked among liberal Democrats for her outspoken attacks on Trump, her colleagues have expressed concern over her unwillingness to moderate certain aspects of her agenda, such as bank regulation, at the expense of

party unity. In addition to Warren, three other women have also declared their candidacy: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Sen. Kamala Harris of California. Due to her gender, ethnicity and name recognition, Harris will likely enjoy a broad voter base. Representing the recent ideological changes in her party, Harris is a strong contender for the Democratic candidate. However, Harris takes a far left-leaning stance on certain issues, and sometimes her inability to compromise with some of the conservative members of the Senate on issues may prove problematic for her chances. Additionally, Gillibrand has positioned herself as a leader of the #MeToo movement and a maternal ﬁgure ﬁghting for mothers and families as a whole. Gillibrand has called for improving public schools and the education system as well as universal health care. However, allegations about possible racial discrimination in her past may prevent her from securing the African-American vote during the primary. Former Mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro also declared his campaign Jan. 12. Castro is a third-generation Mexican-American and a moderate in the Democratic party. Castro lacks the name recognition that Harris, Gillibrand and Warren possess which is crucial in running a popular campaign. Most recently, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete

Buttigeig also announced that he will run for president. Buttigeig is a 37-year-old, openly gay Afghanistan war veteran. Compared with major figures, such as Gillibrand, Harris and Warren, Buttigeig is entering the race with little name recognition. However, Buttigeig is a fresh voice in politics that can offer new perspectives. As of press time, there was also speculation over whether former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke will run. Both Biden and O’Rourke, despite their different levels of experience, would make the race for the Democratic nomination more competitive, considering both have a high level of name recognition. Biden will most likely obtain former President Barack Obama’s support, and due to his prior experience as Vice President, he is a likely contender. On the other hand, O’Rourke, who is semi-new to politics, gained his recognition and popularity during the Midterm election, and his new voice may appeal to a different set of Democratic voters. Even though there is an influx of candidates for the Democratic party, there is no clear front runner to win the nomination and face off against Trump in the general election. Most of the Democrats in the race are running primarily to oppose the president, but the unifying factors between them end there. The Democrats must find a guiding voice and platform to gain the support they need if they want to win the White House.

ily against the stone steps as you scrambled up the staircase. You kept waiting to see a stampede of boisterous seventh graders or a pair of sauntering teachers, but the campus was deserted. It was a sunny August day, a week before your ﬁrst day of ninth grade, and you were at school for your ﬁrst layout on the newspaper. Being a part of a publication has not been a light undertaking; there isn’t only pressure to succeed as a collective, but individual responsibilities. My weekends are a blur of layout meetings, impromptu photoshoots and

phone-call interviews. At night, I dream of deadlines and picas. For all its trouble, however, being a part of publications has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Besides allowing me to educate readers about importance issues, reporting gives me the opportunity to express others’ perspectives and connects me to a larger community. You knew some of the students, of course. But seated in a circle on the floor of the Publications Lab in Hazy, introducing yourselves to the new faces and describing your summer misadventures, it felt like you were meeting everyone for the first time. There was an excitement in the air, an awareness that moment marked an important milestone. From this day forth, you are going to be a part of your very first high school publication. Journalism isn’t simply a matter of penning pieces at

midnight. Reporting requires patience and empathy. To create compelling pieces and an inviting team, journalists have to practice these virtues both on and off the paper. So even when my story gets cut or I come home late after layout, when neighbors welcome me at community events, juniors seek my advice or shy sophomores wave to me in the hallways, I can’t imagine high school without reporting. That day, you learned more than the basics of journalism, Saba. You experienced lessons that you would remember for the rest of your life. AP style: just the facts, no editorializing. Inverted pyramid: the most important information comes ﬁrst. But you learned that for every word came the blood, sweat and tears of an entire team, a family with distinct voices. As you discussed newsworthiness and headlines, laughing through bites of Big Mama

and Papa’s pizza, you looked around and simply smiled. For once, words couldn’t communicate what you were feeling. This year is my last year writing for a high school publication. But it’s not the end of my story. My six years at Harvard-Westlake have taught me that. There’s always more we can do learn and grow and improve; there’s always a loved one we can help, stranger to befriend or new hobby to try. It’s almost daybreak, but I won’t shy away from looking back and reﬂecting on all the moments, light and dark, that led me to where I am today. It’s what has allowed me to ﬁnd the right words, nearly four years later, to describe what it feels like to be on the cusp of something new.

ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER KLINK

Democrats divided By Emma Shapiro & Lindsay Wu

Love, Almost High School Graduate Saba

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

JAN. 30, 2019

OPINION A11

Don’t parade your grades By Spencer Klink

S ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Justice for poets: Poetry is art By Annie Beckman

oetry is used as a form of communication and expression—a mode of storytelling. Whether it’s Homer’s “Iliad,” Shakespeare’s “Venus and Adonis,” Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” or even one of the most popular picture books of our generation, Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” poetry tells of our past, present and future. The earliest dated poem is the 4,000 year old Epic of Gilgamesh. Similarly, visual art has existed since prehistoric rock carvings and cave paintings. Since these ancient times, poetry has evolved as a form of literature, just as visual art has developed into many mediums, created by a broad spectrum of materials. Poetry is all around us, like song, dance and all sorts of visual art. But is poetry also an art? The deﬁnition of art, according to Oxford Dictionaries is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or

emotional power.” Some might argue that writing poetry is an intellectual endeavor, rather than a creative one and that the task of writing poetry is riddled with ﬁnding rhymes and sticking to meter. However, just like putting a paintbrush to canvas, every word that a poet puts on paper is a creative and artistic choice. When talking to my friends, I realized that some people think poetry isn’t an art form because anyone could just write a few words on a piece of paper and call it a poem. However, the same person could draw an abstract line on a piece of paper, and it would be accepted, by most people, as art. It might not necessarily be art that is sold or appreciated, but the line drawing is art in that person’s eyes. If a writer has the intention of creating a poem, then their poetry is art. If they just write words with no real meaning, then how is it even a poem in the ﬁrst place? The art within poetry can

also be seen visually and audibly. Some poets form their stanzas into images to strengthen their message. Other poets write with the purpose of reading their poems aloud. Poetry can even be sung and used as lyrics. The actual performing art of spoken word is centered entirely around poems, focused on reading them aloud to invoke emotion. Poetry has the potential to be both a visual and performing art. Whether it is as short as a haiku or as long as an epic, a poem should be considered art because of its emotional purpose and uniqueness. There are no forms or rules which deﬁne art, but rather, it is, in a way, subjective to the observer. As writing and performing poetry becomes more and more popular throughout the rising generation, it is important to note the incredible individuality and expressiveness that each young poet possesses. For every word a poet chooses, they choose from thousands. Poetry is art.

Start putting extra time to the test By Jessa Glassman

s many students struggle to bubble in all of their answers while taking the infamously time-crunched ACT, some are given between 50 and 100 percent more time to complete the exam. These students are recipients of extra time: a system created with the intent of equalizing the playing ﬁeld for test-takers with learning disabilities. Unfortunately, extra time has been exploited by some wealthy families who use their easy access to expensive medical professionals to give their children an upper hand in the college admissions process. At private schools across the country, the pressure of getting into Ivy League schools looms over both students and their families. Driven by these competitive environments, I have seen more than a few of my classmates ﬂock to specialists with the hopes of being diagnosed with a disorder that would qualify them for extra time on their entrance exams. Up to 46 percent of students that attend private high schools are recipients of extra time, despite the fact that only two percent of the population

has a learning disability, according to the College Board. At our school, the number is around 11 percent, according to Learning Resource Specialist Grace Brown. This is less than the national average for private schools; however, these numbers still all suggest that a disproportionate share of students receive extra time on college entrance exams, while many of them do not genuinely qualify for it. Low-income families with students who truly have these conditions often do not have the opportunity to see doctors that can diagnose their children and help them get the extra time they need to have a fair shot at taking the SAT or ACT. Because most of these specialists are often expensive, not covered by insurance policies and only located in wealthy areas, they are inaccessible in more than one way for people without resources or connections. The biggest and most common gripe against extra time is that it is not realistic. There is no extra time outside of the testing room, and oftentimes, this accommodation can give

students an inaccurate expectation of how they might need to manage and cope with their disorders in the real world. While I do believe that this criticism has some merit, in a perfect world, giving students who truly need it a bit of extra time to take their exams would be beneficial in order to give them more time to process the question and focus on the task at hand. Despite the benefits of extra time, it is extremely challenging to prevent it from being misapplied. There is no way to verify whether or not specialists are making uninfluenced diagnoses, nor is there a way for the College Board to account for resource inequities when handing out extra time. Because of this, the usage of the extra time system is shifting to favor students who don’t truly need it and away from those with learning disabilities that it was meant to serve. It is important to recognize that this corruption exists within the current extra time system and start a discussion that can return it to its original goal.

tudents should remain civil rather than cutthroat following the release of semester grades. Harvard-Westlake is a community that thrives thanks to its academically rigorous environment. After all, our Honor Code, the doctrine establishing Harvard-Westlake’s fundamental values, states that our community is “united by the joyful pursuit of educational excellence.” Although some level of competition is necessary to attain a challenging academic environment, competitive spirit can too easily become cutthroat when students place too much value on their Grade Point Average. Although grades are often discussed in innocent ways, such as students exchanging scores they received on a recent test to understand the way a teacher distributed points, conversations of this sort can often take a malicious turn. For example, I’ve overheard some of my companions boasting to others about perfect scores they received in a shared class and others discussing how their scores on standardized assessments surely qualiﬁed them for certain scholarship programs. This cutthroat competition is most devastating at the start of the second semester, which, for many students, signals that the end of the school year is approaching. As a result, students establish a needlessly stressful environment for themselves and for their peers. The goal of rising above the competition obscures the drive for a meaningful learning experience. Although a large aspect of this results-oriented culture is the product of a grueling college admissions process that is notorious for focusing exclusively on GPA and intense market forces demanding top-notch workers, this issue gets perpetuated at an individual level when students take it upon themselves to outrank their classmates, turning their peers into opponents. This is not to say that students should not take pride in having success in their

courses. Putting personal investment into one’s work is a necessary aspect of a pursuit for academic success. Rather, my argument is that students ought to engage in healthy, collaborative processes to help us all reach educational excellence instead of undermining each other. Additionally, bragging about grades might invalidate struggles other students may be facing. Although grades are a significant part of one’s life, for other students, mental health, physical health, identity struggles or family problems may take precedence over the grade one receives in a class. To boast about grades or judge someone for not maintaining a perfect transcript glosses over these issues, when, in reality, they are meaningful concerns in the life of a high school student. Another important consideration is the overall arbitrary nature of letter grades themselves. Although the letter system doesn’t have an equally effective alternative, hence its widespread use, it is incapable of placing a label on other aspects of a student’s life, such as political awareness, artistic talent or athletic capability. Thus, placing heightened value on academic endeavors fails to account for the totality of one’s high school experience. Creating a solution that addresses the entirety of the problem is complicated since, as described above, a number of structural factors influence these cultural problems. Given these problems, prioritizing collaboration over competition can help mitigate their impact. Although it can be easy to feel better about oneself after criticizing others for their supposed academic shortcomings, a healthier response would be to reserve judgment, since that person may be fighting other battles, and work with rather than against the other person to learn as much as possible. This is essential in ensuring that our community is united rather than fragmented in the joyful pursuit of educational excellence.

ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER KLINK

HWCHRONICLE.COM/OPINION

JAN. 30, 2019

OPINION A12

Protestors, let’s pay attention By Luke Schneider

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN

Appreciate don’t appropriate By Casey Kim

hough Ariana Grande’s latest single “7 Rings” may have landed a place on Spotify’s Global Top 50 playlist, it also landed the artist in a pool of angry listeners that have accused her of culturally appropriating black culture in her lyrics. Just as we begin to forget the topic that has slowly disappeared beneath the chaos of politics and pop culture, it somehow makes its way back into our headlines once again: cultural appropriation However, what we don’t realize is that cultural appropriation never disappeared, and will continue to exist in our culture as long as our world allows for an intermixing of different cultures. It’s everywhere around us: in our music, fashion and even daily jargon. With more people and more cultures there is more appropriation. Therefore, it is crucial for us to continue a conversation about this silently growing issue that most people don’t realize is becoming more acceptable. An example of this can be seen in non-Native-Americans sporting headdresses at music festivals or concerts. Their misguided attempt at being “hipster” is one that many Na-

tive-Americans have pointed out to be very offensive and disrespectful. Though it would be ideal to fully understand the cultural significance behind the headdress in Native-American culture, it is okay to simply respect its importance and choose a different accessory. In 2017, a mother of a five-year old expressed her concern regarding her daughter wanting to dress up as Disney’s Polynesian character Moana for Halloween in a blog post. This statement caused a lot of debate about what should and should not be considered appropriation. Though striking a balance between cultural appropriation and appreciation is certainly difficult, the key is to prioritize sensitivity and respect. For instance, while wearing a Moana costume is adorable, painting the child’s face brown or black is unacceptable, as it promotes blackface. The mother ultimately decided to dress her child as Scandinavian princess Elsa, steering away from possible backlash. This may have been a wise decision considering the scale of controversy it could have caused on the internet.

However, if we begin to stigmatize certain cultures and choose to completely avoid them in our lives, it would become extremely difﬁcult to do anything without sparking controversy. As long as we keep a boundary of respect and are cautious to avoid possibly offensive expressions of others’ cultures, we should be allowed to express ourselves. If people are unsure if something is or is not offensive, the safest route to take would be to make a decision after extensive discussion or research. If people are still worried even after thorough consideration, safer alternatives are always available. What is certain, however, is that this isn’t a conversation we should only have when preparing Halloween costumes or scrutinizing the lyrics of a hit song. It must be one that we should be able to comfortably speak about and respectfully approach at any time, or else it will, once again, fade beneath our crazy, chaotic world, and the next time we see the words “cultural appropriation” would be in a headline during mid-October before Halloween.

A case for more classroom collaboration

By Sophie Haber

very day I sit down at my desk in classes full of leaders and intellectuals, each having accomplished notable academic achievements. By the time we reach senior year, we’ve become masters of memorization, writing and analysis. That is, of course, the beneﬁt of a Harvard-Westlake education. Upon graduation, we will all be prepared for the academic rigor of college. When we are asked to work together in an academic setting, though, it becomes clear that we haven’t quite mastered the ability to work collaboratively. I’ve been at HarvardWestlake for six years now, and I can probably count the number of group projects I’ve

been assigned on my hands. I remember being frustrated because I thought I was the only person who put work into my group’s creative essay on “Of Mice and Men” in ninth grade, and I remember feeling lucky that a senior carried my group’s presentation on yeast fermentation last year. I can think of more examples, but the total number is slim. Maybe having fewer opportunities for collaboration in class is the price we have to pay to become independent thinkers. But, even though I’ve been known to complain about group work myself, I can only imagine the beneﬁt my classmates and I would receive from a little more practice working together. For the past few weeks, I

have had daily group reading quizzes in my government class. Never before has it been more apparent to me that we do not have much experience with relying on our classmates in an academic setting. Some of us did the reading every day and rolled our eyes at the thought of having to give our partners “free points.” Others never opened the book because the chances of getting a partner who did was so high. Many stood somewhere in between. Some groups struggled because two people were absolutely sure that they knew the correct answer, but each thought a different answer was correct. Others struggled because everyone said they couldn’t quite remember the answer, and nobody had the

s the leaders of the Women’s March sparked controversy, left-wing activists had to decide if they were willing to reconcile the anti-Semitic messages of the leaders with the liberal values of the march itself. The march drew harsh criticism after multiple leaders of the movement, including Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour, endorsed the Nation of Islam and its founder Louis Farrakhan, who has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as “anti-Semitic” and “racist.” Teresa Shook, the original founder of the march, called for the resignations of Mallory, Sarsour and two other board members as they “allowed anti-Semitism, antiLBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform.” The messages Mallory and Sarsour spread are bigoted and backwards, and many believe that the march attendees are culpable as well. However, they fail to recognize the difference between the prejudice of individual leaders and the morals of the march itself. Recently, Mallory appeared on The View to discuss a social media post in which she described Farrakhan as “the GOAT,” meaning “Greatest of All Time.” She also refused to condemn this statement made by Farrakhan: “I’m not anti-Semite, I’m anti-termite. It’s the wicked Jews, the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality.” Mallory tried to defend her statements by saying that she “should never be judged through the lens of a man.” However, her defense falls apart under scrutiny, as she chose to associate with Farrakhan in the ﬁrst place. When the 2019 Women’s March rolled around, protesters had to decide if they were willing to remain complacent with the hateful messages from the march’s leadership. In an article for the Washington Examiner, Alan Dershowitz said the protesters are as

morally wrong as the bigoted leaders—calling it “the equivalent of marching under the banner of David Duke.” I tend to disagree. Dershowitz makes the error of assuming that those protesting at the Women’s March marched in support of leaders like Mallory like Duke’s supporters would march in support of him. However, the Women’s March is a reaction to Donald Trump’s presidency. Most protesters did not march with the purpose of supporting Mallory. Dershowitz conflated the ideologies of the organization’s board members with those of the protestors. Of course, if one were to march in the name of antiSemitism or the Nation of Islam, or Mallory, I and all other reasonably moral people should have no choice but to condemn that action. However, those who argue that all protesters should be condemned need to take into account the ideological divide between the leaders and the protestors. While I believe that it is not necessarily unethical to join the Women’s March, I would urge anyone thinking of protest to consider alternative groups like March On. These groups have taken a very firm stance against all hate, and, by reducing the number of people marching with groups like the Women’s March, we can diminish the influence of their bigoted leaders.

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN

Editor-in-Chief Sophie Haber discusses the merits of group assignments and argues for increased opportunities for students to work together at school. conﬁdence to assert their ideas. These dynamics are completely normal. But to us, especially at the beginning of the exercise, they were completely frustrating. I complained. My friends complained. We wondered if we would have done better if we had taken the quizzes on our own. Truthfully, we all beneﬁted both in experience gained and scores earned from working together. But the concept of relying on each other, day in and day out, having to quickly work out kinks in group structures, seemed so foreign to us that it was easy to blame it for any shortcomings. We work on teams all of the time in our extracurriculars, but in the classroom, we don’t have much experience

ﬁguring out what to do if too many people want to be the leader, or if nobody does. This challenge will not go away after high school. In fact, it will only become more common. Therefore, now is the time to welcome the opportunity to learn to work effectively with different personalities rather than to dismiss it. Of course, some students may take advantage of not being solely responsible for their work, but, group work is a skill that we should all learn in and of itself. The ability to memorize, to write, to analyze—all of the skills we have worked hard to cultivate throughout high school—is so much more powerful when we also have the skills to effectively come together.

COMMUNITY The Chronicle • Jan. 30, 2019

City allows vendors to sell on street

By MARINA NASCIMENTO

Following an anonymous vote, Los Angeles City Council decided to officially legalize street vending. The street vendors’ advocation and aid from groups such as the East Los Angeles Community Corporation finally paid off and the implementation of the law began Jan. 1, according to the Los Angeles Times. For decades now, there has been an influx of street vending with food, music, jewelry as well as other products, according to the Los Angeles Times. The majority of vendors are immigrants and fall back on street vending as their primary source of income, according to attorney Doug Smith. Smith said that this new legalization will ensure protection of their jobs that the vendors were not able to have before the government passed the law. “With today’s vote, we are going to help thousands of mi-

AUSTIN LEE/CHRONICLE

SAY ‘WOOT WOOT’ FOR FRUIT: Street vendors in Studio City and across Los Angeles can now sell food, music, jewelry and more following the vote at City Hall. Vendors are now required to carry ofﬁcial permits from the state or city governments to sell legally. co-entrepreneurs come out of the shadows and become part of LA’s formal economy,” Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price said. Mia Shelton ’21 said she believes it will better the lives of all of street vendors in Los

Angeles. “I think that it will help street vendors have a steady income, and they don’t have to have the fear of going to jail,” Shelton said. The new law comes with restrictions on the items which

the vendors are able to sell and the circumstances in which they can run their business. Vendors will be required to be granted permits by the city or state governments and must avoid large venues, such as The Hollywood Bowl and

the Banc of California Stadium, when major events occur, according to the Los Angeles Times. In line with prior regulations, they will also not be permitted to sell any form or type of illegal CD or DVD.

Nonbinary genders to be shown on Calif. licenses By ANUSHA MATHUR

GRAPHIC BY EVIE DE RUBERTIS

TINKER THINKERS: This drawing depicts the armband that Mary Beth Tinker wore in the 1960s to protest the Vietnam War. The court case this created was pivotal in gaining free speech in schools.

Media literacy resources to be required on Department of Education’s website • Continued from A1

involved in the issues of the day that are that are going on. So as far as the news and media literacy [policies], we have to have the truth to base our strategies on, to base our planning for the future, to base our beliefs on what we think is important.” California State Senator Bill Dodd, a Democrat representing the Napa Valley, originally wrote the proposal to implement a media literacy curriculum in classrooms after reading a Stanford University study in 2016. The study indicated that 80 percent of middle school students didn’t recognize an ad that was masquerading as a news story, according to Voice of America. The study also found that high

school students had trouble telling the difference between the Fox News Facebook site and a fake account mimicking the conservative news outlet. Mike Hiestand, the Senior Legal Counsel for the Student Press Law Center, said that combating the spread of false information is integral to supporting free speech. “A big part of a student journalist’s job is to present accurate information to their readers, and if you don’t have the tools that allow you to evaluate the credibility of a particular source before you pass it on, then you’re kind of part of the problem,” Hiestand said. After more extensive media literacy-related measures failed to pass, the bipartisan authors of Senate Bill 830 had to drop language regarding the

development of a model curriculum, according to the Lompoc Record, a local California news source. The bill indicates that the state’s Department of Education website must list instructional materials and resources on analyzing and evaluating media, including professional development programs for teachers, by July 1. Students said they support the state’s decision based on their own experiences. “There has been a lot of delegitimization of the mainstream media,” Angela Tan ’19 said. “and many people now get their news from social media and small sources that are harder to hold accountable for spreading false information. Now, it’s especially important that the reader be better able to determine what to believe.”

acknowledging that gender is not just binary is a really powIndividuals applying for a erful change that acknowledgdriver license in California can es people who have not been self-certify their gender catego- acknowledged before,” Cardin ry as male, female or nonbina- said. English teacher Darcy ry as of Jan. 1. Driver licenses will be Buck, who identifies as nonbimarked with an “X” for those nary, is still deciding whether who do not identify as male or or not to have their documents female. This law also extends changed. Buck said that although to birth certificates. California is one of the it would be affirming to have few states, including Oregon, official documentation reflect Maine, Arkansas and Minne- who they truly are, they are sota, to offer non-binary gen- concerned that being more visder markers on driver licens- ible as non-binary would make them more vules, according nerable to vioto intomore. lence. com. Medical It provides an “It provides records or a opportunity and a an opportudoctors note conundrum to the non- nity and a coare no longer nundrum to required for binary members of the the nonbinary people to have community.” members of their gender -Darcy Buck the communimarked “X,” and no addiEnglish Teacher ty, as it does to me,” Buck tional fees are said. “There are required for changing a gender marker, students who don’t identify as making it easier for transgen- male or female and have either der, gender-nonconforming recently received a driver’s liand intersex people to have cense or are in the process of their identity accurately re- receiving a drivers license. If they chose “X,” they are choosflected. Science teacher and Upper ing documentation that reSchool Coordinator of Diversi- flects who they truly are, but ty, Equity and Inclusion Nate they also choose documentaCardin said that this change tion that might create issues is a step toward greater accep- for them. It would be great if none one of us have to fear tance for nonbinary people. “There are members of the being fully who we are in the Harvard-Westlake community community that we are in, and who do not identify as male or our hope of course is that our female, so to see the state gov- allies will work for us so that ernment and to see our school we can achieve that.”

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Jan. 30, 2019

Community A14

hwchronicle.com/news

Fighting For a Cause The streets of Downtown Los Angeles were flooded with teachers protesting for improved conditions in public schools Jan. 14.

By Saba Nia The streets were a sea of red. As Aaron Rovinsky (University High School ’19) maneuvered his car down crowded streets in Downtown Los Angeles, he watched as teachers, students and parents marched toward the Los Angeles Unified School District Board headquarters. Sporting scarlet ponchos and clasping colorful umbrellas, the protesters extended for tens of blocks, the growing mass becoming more animated as the downpour quickened. As children delicately picked their way around puddles and teachers brandished signs declaring “FIGHTING FOR OUR STUDENTS,” Rovinsky felt hopeful despite the murky skies above. “Although students are out of school and not learning in class during the strike, we get to fight alongside our teachers for present and future generations of students to have an overall better education,” Rovinsky said. “Teachers deserve the right to strike because they literally dedicate their lives to helping students grow into educated adults; they’ve given so much of their time to us, the students, so we should respect what they have to say and stand up with them for what they believe in.” Over 30,000 teachers went on strike Jan. 13-23

after 21 months of failed negotiations with LAUSD, CBSLA reported. The district, which is the second-largest in the nation, has not experienced a strike in last three decades. The union the picketers belong to, United Teachers Los Angeles, represents 34,000 educators, wants high salaries, smaller class sizes and more nurses, counselors and librarians, according to the Los Angeles Times. Brent Smiley, who teaches history and English and Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, said he and his colleagues are protesting unfit teaching and learning conditions. “It isn’t about money in our pocket,” Smiley said. “It is now fighting the fight for what’s right and education.” Although UTLA negotiated the maximum class size down to 34 to 37 students into their contracts, Smiley said the district included a clause which allowed it to waive those caps during “dire financial emergencies.” Teachers wish to amend this part of the contract to allow the district to waive class size caps bilaterally, not unilaterally, Smiley said. History teacher and football coach Conrad Cuda, who taught in public schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for 15 years, said that issues like large class sizes contributed to his decision to come to Harvard-Westlake. “Of all things that I’ve enjoyed about starting to work here is the personal relationship that students have with teachers, coaches, administrators and everybody else on campus,” Cuda said. “And I have to say that was sorely

lacking in my experience, especially the last several years at Santa Monica High School. Every year you felt like you got a little further away from really knowing your students. And obviously, if you don’t know them then it’s really hard to teach them, to help them.” Head of Upper School Laura Ross said that although the school didn’t necessarily have an official role to play during LAUSD strikes, she hoped they sponsored discussions amongst students and teachers about the importance of supporting education. Ross said that she encouraged students in her Life Lab class to consider what it would be like to go to school in the conditions that their LAUSD peers did. “I just feel like our responsibility is to make sure that our community is thinking about the fact that the success of our public schools is tied to the success of our city,” Ross said. Regarding different visions for Los Angeles, Smiley said that the strike represents the division between educators and “reformers,” including LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner (Michael ’14), whom Smiley said wants to run the school district like a corporation. This “fundamental fight,” has been growing since Beutner’s predecessor, former Superintendent John Deasy, tried to introduce iPads into schools in 2013, according to Time. The failed project revealed opposing visions for the future of education, Smiley said. “When you think back about your education, you don’t think back to the program that you learn the most from, you think back to the teacher

you learn most from,” Smiley said. “The idea that kids just sitting there working their way through a device can give them a quality education is ridiculous. On any given day I see up to 210 kids and I got 210 problems that I have to solve everyday. Not problems as in they give me a hard time, but a problem that has to be solved: how do I teach that kid today? How do I get each of these kids [engaged]? And a device ain’t going to do it.” Smiley said that while teachers drove to work, nearly all 34,000 left their classrooms and drove to LAUSD headquarters to protest, causing the district to bring in substitutes to teach the 600,000 LAUSD students. But even though schools were kept open despite the strike, Sean* (Northridge Academy High School ’21) said he decided not to attend class to support his teachers. “They aren’t just fighting for better pay, they are fighting for better education – for example, funding arts and humanities programs, updated books and technology, real-world-applicable classes or programs, etc,” Sean said. “School should prepare you for life, not a final exam.” In addition, parents supported the teachers on strike by encouraging their children to stay home or by joining the protesters on the streets. “I am 100 percent behind them because of what teachers are doing for our chil-

dren,” Mary,* whose child attends a school within the LAUSD, said. “And also it’s sad that they aren’t getting what they deserve. Although even if [students] get affected, it doesn’t bother me.” Rovinsky said there wasn’t an instructional point in him going to school, and that he utilized the day to join the strike downtown and support his educators. “The strike has definitely changed my perception of public school teachers,” Rovinsky said. “The majority of the demands UTLA has outlined pertain to improving schools for the students, and it’s so incredible and heartwarming that teachers are putting their jobs on the line to try to help the students they already dedicate so much of their time to. I think that a lot of students, myself included, take for granted the amount of work that teachers put in, and the strike definitely puts the passion public school teachers have for their students into perspective for me.” Rovinsky looked at the rain-splattered protesters again. As he watched more redclad teachers and students flood the road before him, he honked his car. And despite the heavy coats, thick layers of glass and pouring rain between them, they heard Rovinsky. Like a thunderous wave, they cheered back. *Names have been changed. Read the extended article online.

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF SOPHIE SANCHEZ/LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR ENRICHED STUDIES

JAN. 30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/NEWS

COMMUNITY A15

Cami Katz ’19 and her mother Deena Katz discuss their experiences chairing the Women’s March in Downtown Los Angeles this year amidst controversy surrounding the movement. only we don’t believe in, we don’t have shown her how politically active those around her are and align with,” Deena Katz said. The Los Angeles team was as- how much they care about makAs Deena Katz (Cami ’19) stood sured that the women at the cen- ing a change if they are not saton stage dancing to “We Are Fam- ter of the controversy were going isfied with what is going on, she ily” by Sister Sledge, surround- to resign, but as of press dead- said. “Young people and people my ed by her sisters, daughter and line, that promise has not been age were caring about politics 91-year-old father, staring out fulfilled, Deena Katz said. “We couldn’t let that bother in a way that I had never expeat 800,000 marchers, she knew she was witnessing a historic mo- us,” Deena Katz said. “There rienced before and caring about was a moment where I thought, the marches and doing things ment. Deena Katz has served as the ‘Gosh, do we not do this?’ And I to make a bigger change,” Cami co-chair of Women’s March Los said, ‘We are here to do good, and Katz said. “I felt that we used to Angeles since the first march I know in my heart this isn’t me, be very complacent because we in 2017, working alongside her and I know in my heart this isn’t thought that everything was just daughter and chair of the teen anyone surrounding us, and we okay, but now we all take it more can’t just let one person do some- upon ourselves to really underoutreach committee Cami Katz. “It is a really incredible feel- thing and ruin what is needed at stand what is going on in the world and do our best to change it ing, just all of [my family] being an emotional time.’” Going into this year’s march, even though we might be young.” together, and I am lucky to have As they began to plan and a close-knit family, but there is Cami Katz said the organizers organize the first had to take exsomething about putting march in January tra precautions on the marches and espeWe are here to of 2017, Deena Katz in order to show cially being at the marchsaid she expected a that the Los do good, and I know es every year,” Cami Katz turnout of around Angeles march in my heart this isn’t said. “We just feel so close 10,000 people. represented evtogether, and it feels great me, and I know in my However, soon eryone. knowing we are all trying into the march, she “The people heart this isn’t anyone to help this change and we realized they were who came ac- surrounding us.” are all doing it together.” ’ tually cared Prior to this year’s —Deena Katz going to far surpass Cami that estimate, espeenough to read march, controversy arose Katz ’19 cially when LAPD through [the when the east coast Women’s March organizers received headlines] and understand the officers told them there were backlash for making anti-Semit- Los Angeles march had nothing 800,000 people in attendance. “I always joke around that the ic comments, as well as for their to do with [the controversy], so it public support for Louis Farra- was so amazing to be among this first march wasn’t really a march, khan, the leader of the Nation of group of people who knew the it was a standstill because we had Islam who has publicly expressed march was more than the contro- no idea the amount of people we were going to have,” Deena Katz versy,” Cami Katz said. his contempt for Jewish people. Following the election of Presi- said. Even though the marches Deena Katz expects the marchacross the country are all called dent Donald Trump in 2016, “Women’s Marches,” the Los An- Deena Katz and Cami Katz sat es to continue annually, espegeles march is organized sepa- alongside their family trying to cially looking towards the 2020 rately and does not answer to any brainstorm how they could make congressional and presidential national leadership, Deena Katz an impact and affect positive elections, she said. During the rest of the year change. said. After hearing rumors of a however, she hopes people will As a Jewish woman leading the march in Los Angeles along- Women’s March being started in continue with their activism, she side her Jewish co-chair, it was D.C., Deena Katz had the idea to said. “Just make sure you take care difficult for Deena Katz to lead start a similar march in Los Anof each other and fight for everythe movement during this peri- geles. “I immediately thought, ‘We body,” Deena Katz said. “I think od when there is a rift centered around her religious identity, she should do something here, you that’s what [the march] has done. know, try and channel some of I think there’s a generation now said. “We were trying to plan [an what we were feeling into work- that sees. [This] generation, I event where] everybody’s equal, ing to make sure the human race think, is more motivated and and we have somebody that is try- was going to get to keep all of more educated than my generation was at 18, and I think this ing to be the face of the Women’s their rights,’” Deena Katz said. For Cami Katz, the marches helps [the cause].” March and saying things that not

By ALEX GOLDSTEIN AND SOPHIE HABER

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A16 Community

The Chronicle

We Stand As One

Jan. 30, 2019

Over 30,000 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers went on strike starting Jan. 14 as a call for educational improvments within LAUSD. The nine-day-long strike ended Jan. 23 after they reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

“WE STAND WITH LA TEACHERS:” Parents stand alongside their children and their teachers at the picket line to support the movement for better teaching conditions and district budget revisions.

STUDENTS FOR TEACHERS: On Jan.14, two-thirds of students did not attend school, costing the district $25 million dollars according to the Los Angeles Times.

THE UNFORGETTABLE NOW: UTLA members demand a 6.5 percent pay raise for teachers, according to the Washington Post.

RESONATING IN RED: Teachers wearing red ponchos flood the streets demanding smaller class sizes, higher salaries and better resources for their students.

ALL PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SOPHIE SANCHEZ/LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR ENRICHED STUDIES

THEIR DEMANDS: Teachers also demand a reduction in standardized testing and more nurses, counselors and librarians.

STRONGER TOGETHER: Over 30,000 educators distributed across 900 LAUSD schools participated in the strike alongside thousands of other supporters who stood out during the rainy weather.

Features The Chronicle • Jan. 30, 2019

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN ’20

“Students discuss the growing lack of professionalism in government and how it’s affected their behavior on campus.” • Continued on B7

B2 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 2019

This year, a record number of women are enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, changing students’ experiences in those classes. By LINDSAY WU

couraged me personally, and it needed to be changed. I’m excited for more On the first day of her senior year, girls to enter high level classes, where Tivoli Nguyen ’17 entered her Ad- they’ll see that they too can succeed.” After the workload survey in 2013, vanced Placement Physics C class and chose a desk amongst the two boys al- Slattery headed a task force commitready seated. After the rest of Nguy- tee to study differences between male en’s classmates filed in—one boy after and female students’ experiences at another—she realized she was the only the school. The committee held a professional development day to raise girl in her class of seven. “It was so intimidating to walk into awareness about ways in which gender a classroom full of guys, who I wasn’t influences learning Slattery said. Upper School Dean Chris Jones particularly close with,” Nguyen said. “They were all loud and overconfident. said he believes that the gender gap Especially because I’m usually pretty in AP classes has since closed due to quiet in any normal class, it was ini- these efforts. “There’s the confidence piece that’s tially scary to ask questions in this just huge,” Jones said. “We’ve tried boy-heavy environment.” AP Physics C has historically been to make sure all of our students feel as confident as a male-dominated possible. As a course, Upper School result, in fields Deans Department Parents were often that have been Head Beth Slattery dominated by said. This year, howmore willing to let their one group or anever, the gender gap boys push themselves to do other, the group has been greatly rethat has been something hard than their duced with eight feless represented male and nine male girls, but I think we’ve gottends to feel a students enrolled beten away from that. better and bigtween the two classes. ger sense of beGender balance is —Beth Slattery longing.” now significantly more In addition, Upper School Dean common in AP and the number of Honors classes than female role modin previous years. els for girls has According to a workload survey in 2013, the percentages increased within the school. Women of male seniors taking five or more AP teaching previously male-dominated classes and juniors taking three or courses, such as science teacher and more were nearly double those of fe- upper school scheduler Krista McClain male students. However, results from and science teacher Karen Hutchison, a 2018 survey administered by Chal- have been influential in bridging the lenge Success, an organization associ- previous gender gap, Slattery said. In ated with Stanford University, showed addition, both AP Chemistry teachers are female this year. more equal numbers. Though the gender balance is just Last year’s Challenge Success Survey showed that 20 percent of 109 se- closing within the school, females have nior girls surveyed responded taking consistently outnumbered males in AP five or more AP or Honors classes, as courses across the country. According opposed to 23 percent of 107 senior to the College Board’s annual National Reports, girls have been overrepresentboys. These numbers are essentially ed by approximately 30 percent since even, since the differences between 2013, and the percentage continues to them are not statistically significant increase. Additionally, Slattery said the given the sample size, Challenge Success survey task force member and school used to treat females as more fragile than males when assessing acscience teacher Jesse Reiner said. “I’m so glad to hear that there are ademic schedule, due to subconscious more girls taking higher level classes,” gender biases. “Parents were often more willing to Nguyen said. “The lack of female representation was something that dis- let their boys push themselves to do

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something hard than their girls, but dynamics, AP Physics C student Clara I think we’ve gotten away from that,” Ross ’19 said. “We’ve tended to sit with with our Slattery said. “I can acknowledge that I was cautious because I would worry friends of the same gender to the exabout what she would do if she got a tent that both last year and this year, bad grade, if she would wither or fall there has been a clear physical line apart. I just didn’t worry about the down the center of the classroom diboys that way, and I think that was viding females and males,” Ross said. “When the class gets rowdy, its also probably not fair.” The school’s lack of open enroll- harder for females to be heard.” Furthermore, the gender gap ment to AP classes may also have been a factor. For example, in order to take still persists in society. According to advanced science and math courses, Forbes, women are significantly unstudents often must start on or jump derrepresented in fields such as busito advanced tracks before entering ness, politics, engineering and techthe Upper School, Slattery said. Few- nology. La Femme Head of Art and er girls initially pursue these course Design Lilah Weisman ’20 said she paths, which leads to the imbalance in thinks education at the high school and college level are extremely importupper division courses. However, the gap has since bridged, ant in closing this gap. “The more young girls to see womSlattery said. Last year’s survey even en represented in the public indicated female overrepresphere with professions that sentation in AP and Honors require high levels of educlasses within a small portion cation, the more they unof the school. There were 14 derstand that they can be female and five male juniors like them,” Weisman said. who responded taking four or “They’ll start thinking early, more AP classes. Though the and they can take AP and sample size was very small, honors classes to use them this statistic, along with the to their advantage. Each overall increase in females moment the number of girls in advanced classes, shows promise for the future, Reinin AP and honors classes ’ er said. increases, we get further Meera Meera Sastry ’19 was one and further a w a y Sastry ’19 of the 14 junior girls from the from our history of survey. Last year, Sastry’s course load included AP Chemistry, unequal educaAP U.S. History, AP Spanish Literature tional opportuand A.P. Calculus BC 11. Sastry said nities offered the effect of gender balance in APs cre- to women. ated a more intellectually stimulating environment. “Diversity of all kinds is essential to any class, and that a range of perspectives adds a lot of depth to class discussions and to the way the students approach the subject material,” Sastry said. “For example, discussing gender in literature is really only productive if the class has a good gender balance and a range of experiences with gender can be heard.” This year, there is also gender parity in advanced science courses such as AP Chemistry and AP Physics C, Slattery said. However, while males and females are equally represented, gender divisions still affect the class WHITE S

ILLUSTRATIONS BY SPENCER KLINK

JAN 30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES B3

Shifting Focus Students and teachers share the effects multitasking and technology have on their schoolwork and sleep habits. By TAMMER BAGDASARIAN

tivity, she can also use multitasking to her advantage. “If I am texting friends, I don’t think Under the dim light of his desk lamp, Kevin Kroh ’20 sat restlessly, his there would be any reason for me to eyes darting back and forth between take 10 or 20 minutes entirely devoted his phone and his textbook. No longer to that since I can do work while waitable to sit still, he instinctively reached ing for a response,” Winters said. “I out toward his phone to check the Lak- think it is much better to use any empers game before glancing back at his ty time possible to do other activities and maximize what I can get done.” history reading. As the most technologically-reliant Kroh could not concentrate, thinking guiltily about the reading he was age demographic, teenagers are Silicon not doing while he watched, and won- Valley’s prime targets for addictive features, Jacobs said. dering who scored while he read. In 2005, software engineers working Kroh said that although he knows it is not the most efficient way to work, at MSN invented infinite scroll, a feahe often cannot help procrastinating ture that allows users to continuously by periodically reverting back to tech- swipe down to reveal more content and that is now integrated into apps such nological distractions. “A lot of the time I do it just because as Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Three years later, Apple inthe distraction is there,” Kroh troduced push notifications, said. “I know if I can just a new but revolutionary feafocus on my work, I’ll get it ture that could send messagdone faster and then I’ll have es to users while not on the more time for leisure after, app with the sole purpose of but I don’t think about it like drawing users back in. that at the time.” This plethora of addictive Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs, a psyfeatures in every app or webchologist and former assosite makes it harder to pull ciate clinical professor at ’ away from electronics, Kevin Kevin the University of California, Kroh ’20 Lu ’19 said. Los Angeles, pointed to the “The buzzing sound of a growth of technology in daily life as a catalyst for a more distracted notification makes me feel like I have to check it,” Lu said. “It can get so bad generation. “In the modern age, a student’s that I usually have to leave my phone ability to stay focused on activities that on another floor when I’m working.” Learning Resource Specialist Grace require deep concentration is reduced because they are now accustomed to Brown said meeting with and observing so many things going on at once,” Ja- students to learn how they best focus, study and absorb new information has cobs said. Habits form due to what BF Skin- allowed her to analyze technology’s imner, a famous behavioral psycholo- pact on the mind. Brown said that she gist, called intermittent reinforcement. sees technology playing a much larger Skinner’s studies show that when peo- role in students’ daily lives and conseple experience an irregular and disor- quently influencing their study habits. “There is such a dopamine hit when dered pattern of behavior on a regular basis, it becomes a subconscious ten- a phone rings, a bell goes off or lights begin flashing,” Brown said. “Technoldency. Natalie Winters ’19 said she has a ogy is purposely designed to grab the different experience with multitasking. user’s attention. There is something alWinters noted that even though trying most instinctive in today’s generation to do several focused tasks at once about wanting to have as much stimumay sometimes be harmful to produc- lation as possible.” WHITE S

A popular form of multitasking is phones in class. Winters said that when she first listening to music while doing homework. Several students said that they came to the school, she took notes on believe that while studying in crowd- her computer, but over the last couple ed areas full of background noise and of years, she has tried to move away commotion, certain genres of music from relying on technology in class. “Occasionally, I definitely get discan help them focus. “If I am doing math homework, I tracted by my phone or something like to put something on in the back- on my computer [during class], and ground, something that I can enjoy I zone out for a minute or two,” Winand that helps me get in the zone,” ters said. “Even though I don’t think Kroh said. “But if I’m reading a book I miss much, it affects my confidence. for English, I feel like I need to absorb During those few minutes, there could all the information I can, so I prefer si- have been a crucial fact that will be on the next test or a clue about an essay lence.” Kroh may be referring to a version question.” History teacher Larry Klein began of the Mozart Effect, the theory that studying while listening to some genres teaching at Harvard-Westlake 24 years of music may lead to mental perfor- ago, before smartphones and laptops were commonplace on campus. mance benefits, Brown said. Klein said that Unlike attenover the last several tion-grabbing distracOccasionally, I years, he has wittions, Brown added, certain types of mudefinitely get distracted by nessed positive effects of technology sic can stimulate the my phone or something on students, but feels brain and help stuon my computer [during that excess can lead dents work. to a dangerous addic“It is important class], and I zone out for a tion. that the music stuminute or two.” “I encourage takdents listen to is faing computer notes in miliar, with a some—Natalie Winters ‘19 class because I think what predictable it can be very benefibeat,” Brown said. “That kind of music can serve as white cial to be able to maneuver and move noise because students are not going information around,” Klein said. “But to be distracted by the sound of a plate at times, some kids are so addicted dropping, a person walking by or a that they cannot help shopping, playing Fortnite or messaging instead of loud car outside.” Brown said that the multitasking paying attention to what I am saying.” Jacobs said that he thinks there phenomenon’s effect in the classroom setting can be very different based on is a path toward less distraction, but that it is unreasonable to suggest that the situation. During normal class time, Brown students should abstain from all techsaid, students often feel a sense of nological stimulation and solely think complacency and boredom that they about work while they study. “What seems to be successful is want to fill with distractions. “From the students I have talked having a separation between work and to, test taking is a completely different play while keeping it as an incentive, world,” Brown said. “It’s high stakes, kind of like a reward system,” Jacobs the blood is pumping and there is a said. “But, there is not one cure-all for multitasking. Everybody is unique. rush of stimulation to the brain.” In a Chronicle poll of 264 Har- Their minds, bodies and surroundvard-Westlake students, over 45 per- ings are unique, so their study habits cent responded that they use their should be unique too.”

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THE CHRONICLE

B4 FEATURES

Powering Down Students and faculty reï¬&#x201A;ect on the short-term and potential long-term effects of the longest government shutdown in history.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

JAN. 3

30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES • Continued from A1

nies, according to Forbes. The continuation of the shutdown affected is the Transportacould have created long term tion Security Administration. economic problems, Math DeEmployees have been deemed partment Head and economics “non-pay essential,” and while teacher Kent Nealis said. they were required to keep “Small businesses that are working, the majority were not heavily dependent on governgetting paid, according to Fox ment contracts and small busiNews. Over 10 percent of TSA nesses that depend upon the employees called in “sick” due consumption expenditures of to financial limitations, accord- furloughed government workers ing to CNN. may close and not be able, for Tens of thousands of feder- financial reasons, to reopen,” al employees, who are dealing Nealis said. “The employees of with similar difficulties as TSA these failed firms will now be agents and Coast Guards, filed without jobs.” for unemployment to receive Government shutdowns have jobless benefits, according to had significant deficits on the the New York Times. The fur- economy before. The 1995 shutloughed employees, who were down under the Clinton admindeemed unessential istration, which only and are not working or lasted 26 days, cost the being paid, were able to government over $2.1 file for these benefits. billion, according to Workers like Gutierrez, ABC News. The current who are still working, shutdown is estimated were unable to receive to cost even more, acthe supplementary bencording to the Commitefits that come with fil’ tee for a Responsible Jacob ing for unemployment. Federal Budget. Lapin’19 Ann Marie Pugh, an It is not just federal information technology employees who were afspecialist for the International fected by the shutdown. For exRevenue Service had been on ample, the Food and Drug Adfurlough for over a month after ministration (FDA) did not have being a dedicated employee for enough employees working to over 16 years. Pugh was sup- continue all of their necessary posed to begin a new position regulations, according to CNN. at the same time the shutdown Not only were government serstarted and is unsure what the vices shut down, but many fedfuture holds for her position, eral buildings were as well. she said. “My family and I flew into “The shutdown is affecting Washington D.C. but had to me financially especially be- leave early because we thought cause both me and my husband it was a health risk,” Alex Poe are federal employees,” Pugh ’20 said. “There was no one to said. “I’m not the only one in pick up trash on the National this position, and there are fam- Mall because of the shutdown, ilies all across the country going and I saw the pile up of trash in front of the capital over the through undue hardship.” Since its start, billions of dol- three days I was there. Also, all lars had not been paid toward the Smithsonian museums and the salaries of federal employees government funded attractions as well as hundreds of thou- such as zoos were shut down.” Trump made a public adsands of government contractors and their parent compa- dress, Jan. 19 proposing $5.7 WHITE S

FEATURES B5 billion in funding for the border “There was [an occasion] where wall for three-year temporary we didn’t have quizzes because protection for children who were the government is acting in a previously protected under the way that it has never acted beDeferred Action for Childhood fore and was not covered in our Arrivals program and people textbooks.” from nations who qualify for The government shutdown Temporary Protected Status, created potential threats to according to the Washington students and the country as a Post. The offer was rejected by whole. Its continuation added the Speaker of the House of billions of dollars to the counRepresentatives, Nancy Pelosi, try’s debt, according to the New causing no progress on a deal York Times. to end the shutdown, according “Business investment decito CNN. sions, which ultimately affect Trump announced an agreethe rate at which our economy ment Jan. 25 to reopen the govgrows, [were] put on hold due to ernment for a three week period in order to pay federal employees the growing uncertainty about while still working on a solution the economic outlook,” Nealis to the border wall controversy, said. “This uncertainty can turn to pessimism according to the and lead to an New York Times. There was [an overall loss of “I’m happy occasion] where we didn’t confidence in that we are open have quizzes because the our economy by and going to be government is acting in a consumers and back paid for way that it has never acted b u s i n e s s e s . the time we have before and was not covered This loss of conbeen shut down and worked for fidence directly in our textbooks.” free,” Guitieraffects consum—Griffin Gunn-Meyers ’19 rez said. “But, I er spending don’t know if we and can lead will be open after the continuing to an economic downturn that resolution ends and that could would have much more signifiput me in the exact same finan- cant economic consequences.” cial situation.” Despite all of the potential There has been controversy economic problems, the biggest surrounding Trump’s proposed issue that the shutdown preborder wall since its first introsented was still the thousands duction in his 2016 presidential of workers that have no income, campaign, according to the New according to the Los Angeles York Times. Trump has promTimes. ised an emergency declaration “This is now affecting more of the border wall if the shutthan just the workers,” Gutierdown ends without an agreed upon funding plan, according to rez said. “This is affecting mothers and fathers. Food stamps Vox. In order to cover the histor- are changing. [The Special Supic event, the AP United States plemental Nutrition Program for Government and Politics class- Women, Infants, and Children] es addressed the shutdown and is changing and our aviation seissues that it presented in class. curity is running dry. We are in “Every day in class, we a national crisis and the people [made] predictions as to when up top that are still getting paid it [was] going to end and why,” don’t see what an issue they Griffin Gunn-Meyers ’19 said, have caused.”

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

B6 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 2019

Bring it On! Students and faculty explore the impact and significance of the various intra-school rivalries on campus. By CASEY KIM

motivated to perform better when competing against a rival, Though Abby Kirchmeier ’20 shortstop Drew Bowser ’20 said. “When we play against rival anticipated a big crowd as she walked into Taper Gym, she schools, it’s always really excitwas blown away by the turnout. ing for us,” Bowser said. “We’re Kirchmeier struggled to stand pumped up for every game we among the Fanatics on the jam- play, but there’s something about packed bleachers, with students competing against a rival like on both sides of the court hol- Notre Dame [High School] that lering chants and cheers for the gets us a little more hyped up.” Head Fanatic Bella Carino ’19 schools’ basketball teams. Despite having attended oth- said she notices a significant difer school sports games before, ference in students’ attendance Kirchmeier said that her fi rst ex- at games depending on the comperience of what most students peting school. “The Loyola and Notre Dame call the “biggest game of the year” against Loyola High School basketball games, for example, was fi lled with much more spirit were packed, but senior night unfortunately wasn’t,” and unity than she exCarino said. “These pected. games are really mem“So many fans from orable moments that I both schools came to know have been a big support their own team,” part of why I love HarKirchmeier said. “And vard-Westlake, and because it was such a these moments aren’t close game, it was expossible without the atciting for everyone to tendance and support watch.” of our community.” From infamous rival’ Rivalry games are ries such as “Star Wars” Abby much more personvs. “Star Trek” to Apple Kirchmeier ’20 al because students vs. Android, competition plays a big role in how people are usually familiar with playinteract. Students have shown ers from the competing schools, strong passion and support for Head Fanatic Lucas Lyons said. “Even if you’re not into sports, the side or team they support, football player Brendan Kang it’s fun to see your friends and classmates succeed and to just ’20 said. “I honestly love rivalry games be apart of a generally spirited because the pressure to perform and exciting community,” Lyons well, the intensity and the at- said. These games tend to form mosphere drastically changes for the better,” Kang said. “With stronger bonds between team the spike of attendance at these members when competing and events, you have the utmost evoke team pride, Head of Upper support from the entire school, School Laura Ross said. “I think rivalries exist when and [the game] can become incredibly more memorable with a you have schools with great pride win. Even though these rivalries in themselves and might bring out our ruthless and t h e i r even aggressive sides, they give us another purpose for an entire year to train and compete to the best of our ability.” While members of the baseball team always look forward to their g a m e s , they are m o r e WHITE S

Head Fanatic Brayden accomplishments that run up against other schools who have Borquez ’19 said he hopes to see similar pride,” Ross said. “I more students attend games that think that it is very human to are not against rivals as well. “We all want everyone to get want to demonstrate your pride in something you care about and as much support as we can,” have worked hard for, especial- Borquez said. “It’s awesome to ly at the high school level, when be out there and experience the schools are in the same city and season as a whole without just often students know each other those few games that are hyped.” In addition to affecting sport across schools.” Psychological scientist Gavin teams, school rivalries also imKilduff of New York University pact different clubs and competconducted a study using long-dis- itive extracurricular activities. tance runners and revealed that As long as it is done with mutual people report higher perfor- respect, they are helpful in enmance when competing against hancing school spirit by bandtheir rivals. After studying 82 ing students together against a runners in 112 races, Kildiff con- common rival, junior prefect and debater Jaya fi rmed that the Nayar ’20 said. presence of a ri“[Our debate val increased a I think [rivalries] team’s] biggest runner’s speed rival is probaby about 4.92 can be harmful when fans Greenhill seconds per kilo- switch from rooting for their bly School,” Nayar meter. said. “We have These spirited own team to denigrating a friendly reevents encour- the other team.” lationship and age a spike in —Laura Ross similar perstudent athletes’ spectives in competitiveness Head of Upper School debate, and we and urge to win, both have good girls’ golf team captain Skylar Graham ’20 said. debaters doing a lot of good work. “When it comes to playing We respect each other’s work against a rival team like Notre ethic, but it gets really competiDame or Marlborough School, tive between our two teams.” Though a healthy competition there is an extra surge of determination because knowing that with a rival school can positivewe are evenly matched against ly impact school performance another team makes me want to and student relationships, too prove that Harvard-Westlake is much of that spirit can destroy the best and that we have what the whole purpose of encourageit takes to get the win,” Graham ment, Ross said. “I think [rivalries] can be said. “With that being said, rivalries can bring out the best and harmful when fans switch from worst in teams, from the play- rooting for their own team to ers to the coaches, and even the denigrating the other team,” Ross fans. But at the end of the game, said. “I’ve witnessed that sort it’s all in fun, and we look for- of thing before at other schools ward to meeting where I’ve seen it get ugly. I’ve also seen teams in rivalries get again.” into physical altercations with the other team, which is also not a good thing to happen. I think as long as people stay focused on their love and pride for their own program, then it’s defi nitely beneficial. It’s fun to cheer for the team you love.”

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYRA HUDSON AND SPENCER KLINK

JAN. 30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES B7

Welcome to the Party Teachers and students share their various perspectives on the use of inflammatory language in modern political discourse. BY SPENCER KLINK

and sexist comments. “From the stuff Trump has said about women, it is appropriJust hours into her first day in Congress, Dem. Rep Rashida ate for someone to come out and Tlaib proclaimed that she had demean him similarly to how he a goal of impeaching President has been able to use swear words, Donald Trump, specifically saying like calling women inappropriate she would work to “impeach that names and addressing them in mother-f****r.” Tlaib’s use of a inappropriate ways,” Nayar said. swear word generated controversy “It’s so unprofessional for him to across media platforms, as it was do that, so why hasn’t somebody called out Trump?” seen as unprofessional. Will Berlin ’19, who identifies Professional norms, or norms that place an obligation on pol- as libertarian, said that Tlaib’s use of swear words iticians to act in her job was as symbols of unprofessionrespect and ciThose who al, disagreeing vility, have been come in now ought to with Nayar. valued for centuhold reverence for our “ W h e n ries, with political institutions as others have [Tlaib] cursed theorists such as done before.” in front of a Edmund Burke audiwriting passages — Emmanuel Zilber ‘19 large ence, I think describing how that is startpoliticians ought ing to cross the line,” Berlin said. to act in the 18th century. The media frenzy follow- “Politicians should be someone ing Tlaib’s comments was not a that children can look up to, and unique phenomenon. Such atten- they should speak professionally tion has surrounded politicians when discussing political matters. at various places on the political Dancing is an appropriate thing spectrum, ranging from articles for a human being to do, especialabout Trump’s frequent and in- ly in college, but cursing in front flammatory tweets to leaked foot- of a large audience while giving age of Dem. Rep. Alexandria Oc- a political speech is not and unasio-Cortez dancing on a rooftop dermines the value of the statein college. These events have put ments.” As Tlaib was criticized for into question whether politicians are maintaining standards of pro- swearing in a speech, GOP Rep. Steve King was stripped from fessionalism. Emmanuel Zilber ’19, who his committee assignments after identifies as a liberal, said he be- questioning the use of the term lieves that politicians should up- “white supremacy” in reference to hold a certain standard of profes- certain political views and movements. sionalism. Zilber said that the fact that “I believe the job demands that a person honor the stored Tlaib’s use of a swear word rehistory of [Congress],” Zilber said. ceived much more coverage than “Those who come in now ought to King’s racist statements, indicates hold reverence for our institutions flaws in current understandings of professionalism. as others have done before.” “[This media coverage] is comJaya Nayar ’20, who also identifies as liberal, said that Tlaib’s pletely ridiculous because one is statement about Trump was justi- a slur against the president who fied given his own unprofessional has said many other vile things,

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but Steve King’s comments were ity placed on her dancing footage. “I think [Ocasio-Cortez] stood direct statements of hate,” Zilber up as a great model to fight back said. In a Chronicle poll of 263 stu- against the ways in which men dents, 95 percent of respondents constantly put down women in said they thought politicians society, and her response in making a meme out of it and brushing should behave professionally. Footage of Ocasio-Cortez it off was the appropriate way to dancing leaked prior to Tlaib used go about that,” Nayar said. Berlin said that while he a swear word in her speech. The footage was leveraged by conser- thought Ocasio-Cortez’s response vatives to cast a negative image of to the scandal was not professional, he also did not think it was Ocasio-Cortez. particularly newsworthy. Nayar said she be“[Releasing her own lieves that these critivideo now] was getting cisms of Ocasio-Cortez, into the territory of a bit the youngest woman to much, but at the end be sworn into Congress, of the day, I really care are flawed. more about her policies “I think that it’s obrather than her dancviously a good thing to ing,” Berlin said. maintain professional ’ Overall, Nayar said standards, especially in Will she was concerned with context of discussions Berlin ’19 sexist double standards on the House or Senate floor because you should treat surrounding the ideal of profescolleagues with respect,” Nayar sionalism. “What I don’t understand is said. “I think things like the critique of [Ocasio-Cortez’s] dancing, why it has only been the women even if not the most professional, who have been called out, like was wrong since it shouldn’t have [Tlaib] or [Ocasio-Cortez],” Nayar been as politicized as it was, and said. “I think all of that goes to it shouldn’t have been weaponized show the very sexist nature of our against her since Congress mem- political system. Because Trump is a man and because men hold bers deserve to have fun too.” Berlin said he felt the dancing a dominant position in society, it means they’re able to get away controversy was irrelevant. “She danced in college, so with more ‘unprofessional’ comwhat?” Berlin said. “Now she’s a ments than someone who is a politician, and I care more about woman since there are so many what she says now, which I’m not more obstacles to overcome to get into politics.” a fan of.” As a response to the manipuOcasio-Cortez fought back against the criticisms. In response lation of professional standards, to the leaked dancing footage, Oc- Nayar said she encouraged others asio-Cortez tweeted footage of her to expose double standards. “I think not participating and dancing outside of her Congressional office and laughing. The spreading those kinds of mestweet’s caption read, “I hear the sages is important,” Nayar said. GOP thinks women dancing are “If you’re going to call out one scandalous. Wait till they find out side, call out both sides. Trump shouldn’t have said horrible Congresswomen dance too!” Nayar said that she believed things about women. Exposing Ocasio-Cortez had a valid and re- those falsities created by the mespectable response to the negativ- dia is important.” WHITE S

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MITTLEMAN ’20

“Unprofessional behavior by politicians have created a lot of public controversy on news media sources and social media.”

B8 FEATURES

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 30, 2019 Students discuss the different ways in which they use the dating app Tinder and the outcomes and consequences of their experiences.

By LAUREN NEHORAI Noah* ’19 scrolled through his camera roll, looking carefully for the perfect proﬁle photo. He decided on a photo with a big smile to make him look friendly, some stubble to make him look older and a blue t-shirt to bring out his eyes. Just a few clicks later, he became Noah, 18, 2.4 miles away, initiating his entrance to the world of Tinder. Tinder is a dating app that allows users to swipe to like or dislike other users and allows them to communicate if they “match” by expressing mutual interest. While it is commonly referred to as a hookup app, its original intent was broader, co-founder and former CMO Justin Mateen said. Mateen said he designed Tinder to provide a fun and convenient platform for people in close proximity to be introduced. “We never told our users how to use the product,” Mateen said. “We simply facilitated a connection and let them ﬁgure out what they want from each new introduction.” In a Chronicle poll of 265 students, 12 percent said they use Tinder and 8 percent said they plan to in the future. Amy* ’19 said she believes that talking to someone and expressing romantic interest over a screen

eliminates the awkwardness she sometimes struggles with in-person. “I’m known to be a very shy person, and I would never have the courage to go up to someone I want to talk to in a typical social setting,” Amy said. “With Tinder, all you need to do to express interest in someone is swipe right, and that is much easier knowing that the other user will only see if they swipe right as well.” Of the respondents who said they used Tinder, 33 percent said they used the app to increase confidence, and 22 percent said they used it to meet people. Amy said seeing matches fill up her chat box raises her self-esteem. “I, along with many of my friends, use it as a confidence boost,” Amy said. “I have personally never met up with anyone through the app, and my friends just swipe on people when they are bored and want attention. It’s kind of like ‘Hey, I didn’t realize that all these people find me attractive or want to be my friend!’” However, school psychologist Tina McGraw said the use of Tinder as a form of validation could have harmful psychological effects. The effects of social media on the dopamine reward system in the brain are well documented and can be viewed analogously to addiction, McGraw said. “Teenagers are a particularly vulnerable group of people because they seek a lot of external validation, have a need for thrills and are in the process of forming their identity,” McGraw said. “This mix can be challenging when navigating the uncertainties of dating apps. From experiencing rejection more deeply than an adult, to engaging in potentially risky sexual

behavior, teenagers can open the door to negative psychological out- T i n d e r . comes for themselves by partici- The page currently has two pating in the toxic culture of hook- million followers. Carl* ’20 said he and his up/dating apps.” Noah said that through his friends, inspired by the abmany text interactions on Tinder, surd submissions posted on the account, started using he has only had one negative Tinder to joke with experience. However, it affecteach other. ed him in a profound way, he “My best friend said. and I made “After we had been texting a bet to see for a few days, this who would one girl started askget more ing me to send her m a t c h selfies so that es using she could get We never aliases a better idea and fake what I looked told users how to p i c like,” Noah use the product. We tures,” said. “She simply facilitated a C a r l explained connection.” s a i d . how the last “Turns guy she met —Justin Mateen , out we on Tinder Co-Founder matched looked signifiwith each cantly different other and in his profile picdidn’t realize unture than in person, til after we were texting and she doesn’t want to deal with that again. I sent her a for two weeks. We began few pictures, as she wished, and to say the most absurd never heard back from her again. I things.” Despite using it as a definitely think less of myself now joke to begin with, Carl because of it.” In addition to the psychological is now a frequent Tinconsequences, Lindsey* ’20 said der user, and his utimeeting Tinder matches in person lization of the app has can led to uncomfortable encoun- changed. “After experimenting ters. “I had one meet-up from Tinder with the app for a few a year ago, and it was so awkward months, I set up a time because we were both complete- to meet a girl I had ly different than the way we por- matched with,” Carl trayed ourselves online,” Lindsey said. “Although I don’t said. “Overall, Tinder is fun, and want to have anything I’m pretty happy with it. I would to do with her in the just warn people about being care- future, it was an overful with who they choose to meet all positive experience, and I will defiin person.” Some horror stories are more nitely keep using the severe than others. An Instagram app moving forward.” account named Tinder Nightmares publicizes awkward exchanges be- *Names have been tween people communicating via changed.

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ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Chronicle • Jan. 30, 2019

Students discuss the benefits of frequent gaming, while also recognizing the potential for serious addiction. By JESSA GLASSMAN The circle shrinks, and Alex* frantically pickaxes a tree, hoping to gain materials to build a wall around himself and defend against enemy ﬁre. Out of the corner of their eye, they see a bush camper with a Gold SCAR in hand, so they quickly switch to a Boogie Bomb and throw it in the enemy’s direction. While this high stakes situation takes place in the imagined world of “Fortnite: Battle Royale,” created by video game and software development company Epic Games, for many serious game players like Alex, optimizing the number of “#1 Victory Royales” has a noticeable impact. Winning as many games as possible takes precedence over homework or other duties. “I’ve always loved video games,” Alex said. “They keep me mentally stimulated, and there are just so many different genres and styles of games that I could never get bored.” Video games are characterized by jargon and intense scenarios designed to interact with and test the player’s ability to accomplish the goal of the game, whether it’s destroying the enemy base or being the last avatar standing, according to Clinical Psychologist Dr. Brent Conrad from TechAddiction, a treatment and information center for those who overuse technology. In recent years, completing these virtual goals has grown into an unprecedented viral industry. Revenue in the gaming business is skyrocketing and is expected to increase by roughly 14 billion in this year alone, according to Newzoo’s Global Game Market Report.

Gaming has also found a platform in video entertainment. Top-ranked gamers ﬁlm and upload videos of their most impressive or high-scoring games to YouTube or even live stream themselves playing for millions of viewers to watch on Twitch, a site that gained traction for its platform dedicated solely to games. “I watch Twitch every single day, mostly watching Fortnite and Madden streams,” Alex said. “Twitch streams are like watching a live sports game, but you get to actually interact with the players over live chat.” Because of the interactive nature of many popular games, players can be a part of a team with friends, whether they are hundreds of miles away or right next to them. Grant Keller ’21 said that the social aspect of gaming is one of the main reasons he plays so often. “I play so many games because it’s fun,” he said. “I hang out with so many people. Guys I haven’t seen in three years I still play [‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege’] with.” Learning resource specialist Grace Brown said that she believes that while there are positive aspects to video game playing, there can also be detrimental effects. “[Gaming] has lots of positive sides, like it’s social and interactive, and it has all sorts of strategy,” Brown said. “But there’s also the danger of it becoming out of balance with the rest of their life because they’re just so passionate about it that it is all they want to do. It can even lead into tech addiction where it’s setting off the endorphins in their brain and they’re actually becoming physically addicted to the excitement. There’s all sorts of different levels of everything, from just immaturity and not managing their time to actually having an addiction.” The World Health Organization included “Gaming disorder” in the eleventh edition of its International Classiﬁcation of Diseases this past summer. The newly declared mental health condition is characterized by excessive video game playing that

affects both interpersonal and intrapersonal behaviors and relationships. According to a poll conducted by the organization, only around three to four percent of game players can be diagnosed with this condition. However, tendencies that can be classified as addictive are found in a large majority of gamers around the world, Brown said. Of 265 polled, 48 percent of upper school students said they play video games, and 23 percent play more than seven hours a week. These tendencies can lead to limited face-to-face interaction, lack of physical activity, decreased eating and diminished time spent on outside. If these inclinations become extreme, resorting to parental intervention can be beneficial, Brown said. “Sometimes, families have to put some parameters around [gaming],” she said. “Sometimes, technology actually has to be removed because just the temptation is too great. That’s where the parent education piece comes in.” Despite recognizing the harmful consequences that can come from gaming, Alex said that they will continue to play. “An addiction is an addiction, whether to drugs or to video games,” Alex said. “Video game addiction is purely psychological as opposed to physiological, but the symptoms of withdrawal are similar. I play ‘Fortnite’ almost every day, and I definitely will continue to play some sort of video game every day.” *Name has been changed.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

Jan. 30, 2018

hwchronicle.com/ae

A&E C3

Like a Broken Record Students reflect on the music industry’s limitations on artists’ originality due to a business focus. By Joanna Im As Sarah Bagley ’20 wrapped up her most recent gig with her recently formed new band, Root Canals, she went home satisfied with her performance. Later that night, she did homework, ran a shift for the KHWS radio site and relaxed without stressing over the stream numbers or the popularity of her band. “Being in the band has helped me realize that music is all about having fun and that you shouldn’t force yourself to write something that isn’t organically your sound or from the heart,” Bagley said. “But my general opinion towards the [professional] music industry is that it is obviously an industry, so the main goal of it is to make money.” Bagley’s purpose when making music is to create original music that others will enjoy, she said. “Making music in Root Canal is really about just having fun for me and my friends,” Bagley said. “We all love music so much and want to share that. We try to make music that makes people have fun [and] to make our own original sound.” However, more commercialized artists in the music industry do not share Bagley’s focus on music enjoyment. According to a study conducted by Skiddle, a website that reports on music festivals and concerts, 82% of workers in the music industry surveyed said they suffered from “intense and unmanageable” stress around issues of popularity and profit. Bagley said that she believes mainstream music is focused more on the industry than the artist. “Artists are signed to labels because record companies believe that those artists will make them money,” Bagley said. “I think mainstream songs are too similar to one another, but it has always been that way. When a genre like pop or

hip hop dominates, record labels see what’s popular and make more songs like that to make money and have a No. 1 hit. I think that [over-repetitiveness of music is] more of an issue with the music industry for creating those songs.” Former K-Pop Trainee Justyn Chang ’19 said that his experience with the industry is also one that focuses on profit and production, rather than artists themselves. Chang formerly trained with two separate companies, SM entertainment and Jellyfish Entertainment. Chang said that as a K-Pop Trainee, he had to live and train with other trainees under the same company. Trainees may have to train for years before being debuted into a new group. “The music industry [in Korea] is more about the executives than the artists themselves,” Chang said. “In the company I was at, they would even make people change their characteristics. For example, some girls are told to have ‘cuter voices,’ and many demands are made on boy groups as well. [This type of treatment] also applies pretty similarly to solo artists as well. All of the content that the companies make is pretty much the same – it’s an industry, so they’re mostly driven by profit.” Chang said that these patterns can also be seen in American mainstream music, even if they are not as obvious. “While [this type of music production] is different in America, it’s similar in a lot of ways that people don’t really notice,” Chang said. “[American artists] still have to stick to an image and work for a company that’s looking for money. They’re just less open [than the Korean music industries] about how industrialized the business is.” In a poll conducted by Vanity Fair, the majority

of respondents from all age categories agreed that the last three years is the worst and most unoriginal music since the 1990’s. However, KHWS radio host Landon Poon ’20 said that some mainstream music retains the artists’ message. “Popular music is not the best, but it is also not the worst,” Poon said. “Obviously, there were a lot of bad popular albums, but that doesn’t mean we should write off popular music altogether. People have a tendency to complain about ‘music these days’ like the popular music today is somehow worse than past decades.” Jazz Band Director and professional saxophone player Shawn Constantino said that popular music is inevitably controlled by profit and is practically put into an algorithm to gain popularity. “Commercial music is formulaic by design, especially ‘pop’ music,” Constantino said. “It’s still music, so the skill and creativity are present, but they are deployed differently. Production techniques are super creative these days for instance. It is also very difficult to write a hit song. It has to have great lyrics, a hook, and a strong beat.” Constantino said that within the classical music and jazz industry, profit often drives musician to transition into more popular music genres. “Money is always a concern so many jazz and classically-trained musicians turn to popular music to make money,” Constantino said. Poon said that he thinks the music industry’s desire for profit may stifle a performer’s artistic interests, but that it depends on each individual scenario. “I think the music industry typically has a negative effect on music quality, but it varies from artist to artist,” Poon said. “Record

deals trade artistic creativity for the backing of an established company, and I cannot blame artists for wanting the advantages and money that comes from working with a label.” Poon also said that the mainstream music industry still may have benefits, including propelling political messages that otherwise wouldn’t be as well-known. “With hip-hop being the biggest genre, there are things popular songs are doing today that they wouldn’t have done as bluntly in the past,” Poon said. “I think we also forget that ‘This is America’ [by Childish Gambino] was able to become hugely popular, and I don’t know of another time in which a song like that would be able to gain as much popularity. I am a little more optimistic than most people, I think the advent of streaming and the internet has allowed different types of music to be popularized as well.” Poon said he believes that the music industry does have heavy influences from business and profit, but that this doesn’t change the quality of the music. “People like to heavily critique all popular music to seem ‘edgy’ and ‘unique’ while forgetting to just have fun,” Poon said.

ILLUSTRATION ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH BY SAMANTHA MITTLEMAN KO

C2 Arts And Entertainment

The Chronicle

Jan. 30, 2019

Students actively pursuing artistic careers outside of school share their experiences on how they manage juggling school and a job. By Sarah Reiff and Jordan Murray

mitted [for] it and because I am very committed to my career. Auditions are a big deal and are very At 11 p.m., when Tyler Ganus exciting, so I knew I wasn’t going ’20 was eating dinner, he had al- to have time to study for that test.” Benavente said the possibility ready finished a lift session that began 5:30 that morning, a four- of having to miss large portions and-a-half hour long television of school for a job is what worries shoot for Disney XD’s “Walk The her most about having an acting Prank,” four hours of school, career. Upper School Student Discithree hours of Varsity Baseball practice, rehearsal for the school pline and Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado, said that all play and a piano lesson. “[That was] a crazy day,” students are expected to fulfill the Ganus said. “I had to make sure I same requirement of missing no coordinated with my agent, direc- more than 20 classes, but casetors, coaches and teachers a few by-case exceptions are a possibildays in advance to stay ahead of ity. “There are possibilities where the curve.” Ganus has been on “Walk a Dean and the Head of School the Prank,” a show that follows might agree on something, but a group of kids as they per- that’s on a special case basis form over-the-top pranks and based on what they see and look that combines scripted comedy at,” Preciado said. “Perhaps when someone is on a profeswith real hidden-camera sional level, if there is pranks, for the past three something they’re cerseasons, and was a voice tainly pursuing soon actor for “Monster’s Uniafter Harvard-Westlake, versity,” “Wreck-it Ralph” that’s when, from what I and “South Park.” Ganus know, the school might said that writing out a make other exceptions.” daily schedule is what Trying to create a helps him stay on track successful balance bewhile pursuing a career tween school and an outside of school. ’ outside career is also “I have to make Tyler something that sing[schedules] every single Ganus ’20 er-songwriter Graham day in order to keep purBerger-Sacks ’20 said he suing multiple passions,” Ganus said. “In addition to music works towards. Berger-Sacks said and acting, I have been playing that trying to juggle both school baseball at a very high level my and his musical pursuits was a whole life. I was fortunate enough challenge, but he has learned to to play on Team USA when I was view pursuing music as his own 12 and I currently play for the activity. “It’s a difficult balance,” BergHarvard-Westlake baseball team. By writing out everything that er-Sacks said. “It takes a lot of must be done throughout the day time, but essentially everyone has and week, I am able to prioritize commitments, and music is like my activities with short-term and my sport. I put the same amount of time into my music as anyone long-term goals.” Other students who, like else would put into their basketGanus, are trying to pursue non- ball or other activity. Obviousschool related careers said that ly, it takes up a lot of time, but I trying to simultaneously manage wouldn’t have it any other way.” While he has always had an inboth school and an entirely separate career can be daunting. Ava terest in music, Berger-Sacks said Benavente ’20, who is pursuing a he only began coming out with his career in acting, said that excite- own music about a year ago after ment for a movie audition was his parents got him a home stuturned into anxiety the moment dio for his birthday. Now that he she realized how unprepared she is creating his own music, Berger-Sacks said all the work has to was for her test the next day. “I knew I wasn’t going to be be done outside of school. “[The home studio] is where able to give my full attention to school work and acting at the I’ve been spending all my time same time,” Benavente said. “I working on music, and once I was knew that the audition was going able to begin that process, I knew to take priority [because] I sub- I was going to start putting music white s

out,” Berger-Sacks said. “For my painting three-dimensional scans process, I begin by producing at of her face, digital clothing design my home studio, and then when I and electronic soundtracks—but have a song I really like, I go into a is planning to wait until she gradprofessional studio to get the song uates before trying to get a job as mixed and finished and to tweak an artist. it around.” “I think [trying to expose my Less than half a year after the art] is not really worth it right release of his first song “Show now,” Seireeni said. “Especially You Some Love,” Berger-Sacks because in the digital field, the now has over 18,000 monthly lis- second you release work, you get teners on Spotify, with his most a lot of offers since it is such a popular song, “Pain On My Mind,” niche thing and not a lot of people earning over 179,000 plays. Like are doing it, and I can’t deal with Berger-Sacks, Benavente said she commissions now. It would be a only recently began to truly pur- lot with school, and also I still sue a career outside of school. want to work on my actual skill Benavente started acting in ele- before I put my work out there.” mentary school with voice-overs Seireeni said that like Bergbut said acting began taking up er-Sacks, she is unable to fully a substantial portion of her time pursue her art at school. She said this past year, when she booked that she credits this to the fact a larger project. Benavente said that digital art requires less-atshe now has had to learn to bal- tainable materials. ance her time be“Digital media tween school, audiis extremely diftions and meetings ficult to pursue with her agent. in high school “I think that because none of Harvard-Westlake the schools to my is already an esknowledge have a “It’s important to me to pecially difficult full-blown digital environment when program in place break the stereotype of it comes to just for students to the ‘starving artist’.” school, so it is refollow,” Seireeni ally hard to try —Echo Seireeni ’21 said. “It’s underand pursue a castandable given reer outside of it,” that the materiBenavente said. “I als and programs think that you have to be really are highly expensive and become good at time management in order obsolete very quickly, so all of the to successfully balance the two. materials that I do work with have It can be really easy to let school to be borrowed.” work slip and make one activity a Seireeni said that she believes priority over the other.” it is important to portray less traGanus said that meditation ditional jobs just as legitimately has helped him stay focused while as more obvious career choices, balancing many commitments. and that people should empower “Meditation has been the key students to chose careers they acto remaining calm and giving me tually care about. the opportunity to be in control of “It’s important to me to break every moment in my life,” Ganus the stereotype of the ‘starving said. “Being able to take a breath artist,’” Seireeni said. “That steafter a test, remain calm before an reotype ignores and undermines acting audition and hit every note the huge art market infrastrucin a music performance requires ture in place that offers literally a lot of concentration. Medita- hundreds of varied art-related cation has helped me keep a peace- reer options that can pay just as ful state of mind, allowing me to much—or more—than the more continue having fun pursuing my traditional jobs students are often passions.” urged to consider. In a social sysOn the other hand, students tem that generally rewards a more like Echo Seireeni ’21 said they linear thinking style and that dewill wait until after high school values the importance of original to fully pursue their artistic in- and creative thought, it is great terests. Seireeni said she hopes that there is an emphasis and to work in the digital art field— work put into changing the outwhich includes a large variety look on student artists and people of things, such as creating and in the art industry.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA KO

C4 Arts And Entertainment

The Chronicle

Jan. 30, 2019

Clay Skaggs ’20, who created Clay’s Magic, plans on performing at the Magic Castle and will volunteer at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Recently, Skaggs also created his own magic trick for beginners, Unleaded. By Sarah Reiff Ever since he first saw a David Blaine television special in fourth grade, Clay Skaggs ’20 became hooked on magic. He said he immediately fell in love with magic’s ability to transform the world around him. “What got me so interested was how you could change what you think is possible,” Skaggs said. “Even if it was just for a brief moment, you could change someone’s perception of reality and blur the line between what is real and not real, and between what is possible and what is impossible.” For the first five years of his magic career, Skaggs relied on YouTube to teach himself tricks. All of this changed, however, once he was in ninth grade, Skaggs said. “In ninth grade, through an audition process, I was able to get into the Magic Castle,” Skaggs said. “Since then, instead of using YouTube, I have been able to learn from mentors there and from lecturers they bring in, which has really helped expand my knowledge and skill.” The Magic Castle is a members-only clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts, where one must audition in front of their membership reviewing committee in order to join. For now, Skaggs said he is trying to perform as much as possible.

“I’m doing parties where I walk around and perform magic tricks,” Skaggs said. “I usually do adult parties, but I am trying to get into the bar mitzvah game. Also, I am going to start performing at the Magic Castle, hopefully within the next three or four months.” Skaggs’ business manager and Chronicle Assistant Photo Editor Jay Lassiter ’20 said that he is working on getting Skaggs as much exposure as possible by running his website and social media platforms and by helping him book gigs. “Being his manager gives me the opprotunity to make connections and network, which is really interesting to me,” Lassiter said. “I met with David Blaine’s manager, I talked to him for a while about what I should be doing and what I can get better at.” Upper School Mathematics teacher Andy Stout said he was amazed by Skaggs’ magic tricks when he saw him perform in the library. “He made things disappear from my hands,” Stout said. “It was unbelievable. [The show] was mind-blowing and all very professional.” In addition to performing, Skaggs has also recently come out with his own magic trick. “I just came out with my own original trick called Unleaded, which is a great trick to start with, since it’s very easy for beginners,”

Skaggs said. “You can basically take the pencil lead out of the pencil and throw it back in, it’s extremely visual and [is now] released on the world’s largest magic site, Penguin Magic.” Skaggs is also working on building connections between magic and community service. This summer, he will participate in Magicians Without Borders, which is a program that takes magicians to juvenile centers on the Mexican border, where they will teach and perform magic to the youth in the centers. Another way Skaggs said he is bridging magic and service is through the development of a magic-based outreach program in collaboration with HW Works. The program will bring magicians from the Magic Castle to the Children’s Hospital, where they will perform for the children staying in the hospital. Skaggs said he is aiming for the program to have an impact beyond himself. “I want to try and help kids

who are stuck in that type of situation feel happy,” Skaggs said. “Hopefully [the outreach program] will be able to live beyond me, and hopefully it will help cement a relationship between [Harvard-Westlake and the Children’s Hospital] that will last for many generations.”

Crossword

Shhhh!

Science teacher Nate Cardin presents Harvard-Westlake with a word challenge. This issue, the five starred across answers are each missing a letter, hinting at a well-known song. Crosswords are released each issue. 42. Opposite of “dis” 43. “Pinball Wizard” rockers 47. Sacred monuments 49. London lavatory 50. Charged molecule 51. * Cylindrical smart speaker 53. Sticky stuff 55. One of Santa’s sleigh pullers 56. Kanga’s son and Piglet’s friend 58. Head of France? 59. FBI or IRS rep. 60. * Winter holiday 64. Sticky stuff 65. Breakfast dish often topped with brown sugar 66. Luau instrument 67. Publisher’s abbr. 68. French Mrs. 69. Messenger molecule 70. ______ XING

Down

CROSSWORD BY NATE CARDIN

Across

1. South African professional golfer Ernie 4. 15, for many HW sophomores 7. Homophone of 7-down 10. American soldiers, for short 13. Sticky tree stuff

14. Postcard sign off 16. GOP org. 17. * Backbone 19. Consumed 20. Engrave glass, as with hydrofluoric acid 21. Bit 22. Obama’s Vice President 24. Winter carols

26. 29. 30. 32. 33. 35. 36. 37. 40.

* Legislature PC part Have debts Weather front feature Spain, in Spain Farm female Employ * S with a vertical slash MDs who deliver babies

1. Monthly magazine founded in 1970 2. Devices required for each HW student 3. Enliven 4. Reddit interview, of sorts 5. Decorated in gold 6. Kind of artist 7. Popeye’s girlfriend Olive _____ 8. Note of repayment 9. Related to 17-across 10. Ratings of good eggs 11. Extreme, as emotions 12. Aromas 15. Mr. Pibb or Diet Coke, for example 18. Stanley Cup org. 23. Like a challenge winner on Survivor, perhaps

25. Gram prefix for expectant parents 27. Word meaning “I Love You” in dinosaur 28. Misinforms 31. Thoreau’s pond 34. 320x100 for a large mobile banner trying to sell you something you don’t want 35. 19-across, in the present tense 38. Cut surgically with a beam 39. Breakfast chain 40. Internet exasperation 41. Singer Toni or her sister Tamar 44. Got smart 45. According to Urban Dictionary, “An opinion based on simplistic moralizing rather than actual thought.” 46. Cyclopean 47. Brutal but awesome 48. Description of a sgt. or corp. 49. Less fitting, like stretched out pants 52. Charges that aren’t civ. 54. Starts to Twitter identifiers 57. Middle Eastern country with a white, red, and green flag 61. Lunchmeat option 62. Rd. crossing 63. Just like

Scan for Answers!

Sports The Chronicle • Jan. 30, 2019

Football

Girls’ Water Polo

Underdogs victorious in key matches

By Eugene Wyman

KEILA MCCABE/CHRONICLE

NEXT CHAPTER: Former junior quarterback Jameson Wang rolls out of the pocket in a 49-25 win over Salesian High School on Sept. 14. Wang transfered to Oaks Christian High School while former sophomore receiver Terrell Long headed to Sierra Canyon High School.

Quarterback and receiver transfer mid-year By Zachary Schwartz

When students walked into school for their first day back from winter break, two students were noticeably missing. Football players Jameson Wang (Oaks Christian ’20) and Terrell Long (Sierra Canyon ’21) had announced to their friends and the school that they would no longer attend Harvard-Westlake. “I’m sorry that HarvardWestlake did not turn out to be the fit for them that they and we would have hoped,” Head of School Rick Commons said. “I wish them only the best at their new schools.” This is not the first time the school has abruptly lost talent; boys’ basketball forward Terren Frank (Sierra Canyon ’20), guard L Simpson and shooting guard Cassius Stanley ’19

(both Sierra Canyon ’19), who was ranked fifth nationally by ESPN all left for Sierra Canyon in 2017. Wang saw his statistics decrease this season, as the new offensive game plan was centered largely around running the ball, contrasting former program head Scott Ruggles’ ‘west coast offense.’ Wang totaled 2,584 yards in the air and 924 yards from the ground with a combined 48 touchdowns as a sophomore but 1,690 yards passing, 250 yards on the ground and a total of 18 touchdowns in his junior season. Wang transitioned from league Offensive MVP as a sophomore to league First Team All Offense this past season. Wang said the decision to leave was not an easy one. “Of course the decision is hard,” Wang said. “It’s never

easy to leave a school behind and start a new one. I am very thankful for my family and the sacrifices they have made with me. Leaving the friends I’ve made and the teachers I’ve built bonds with is going to be tough, but at the same time, I’m excited to do what’s best for my family and me.” Long said that a major push factor in his decision to leave was finding a school with a more serious football program. “I didn’t have much frustration with [the school], I just didn’t like the lack of importance football had and how it had such small value to the school,” Long said. “I disliked the parting of certain coaches and the style of play we had last season.” Team member Tyler* voiced his frustration with the current coaching staff and the direction

Boys’ Basketball

the program is headed. “Throughout the year, I was extremely frustrated, not only for me but my teammates,” Tyler said. “A lot was promised with little delivered, and to be honest, by the end of it, not many people felt any sort of satisfaction with the direction the program was heading. Everyone who is serious about the sport has thought of leaving. People are fed up, key players are quitting and things are going to be much more difficult next year.” Teammate Chase Harleston ’21 said it was possible that the play calling may have played a larger role in the decision than Wang would have liked fans to believe. “[Long] and [Wang] left because they are chasing bright • Continued on D6

The girls’ water polo team moved up into the CIF Open Division this year from Division III. The team has faced fiercer competition this season, leading them to a 12-10 record. Last year, they had the best season in school history and went 27-3 to reach the state finals. After securing a 21-6 win on Senior Night against Notre Dame on Jan. 22, the team’s Mission League record remained undefeated at 5-0. “It was super exciting to get a win on Senior Night,” Emily Hilliard ’19 said. “Notre Dame talks about beating us every year, and I think this game will finally be the end to that talk.” After she finishes her senior season at Harvard-Westlake, Hilliard will continue her water polo career at Marist University. “I knew since I started water polo in seventh grade that I wanted to play Division 1 college water polo,” Hilliard said. “With hard work and help from my teammates, I am proud to be ‘D1-bound’ for college.” In addition, Lacour committed to the University of • Continued on D6

HW ATHLETICS APP: Scan for news, scores and photos of your favorite HW team.

Squad finds consistency with playoffs approaching By Keila McCabe

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

JOHNNY BUCKETS: Guard Johnny Juzang ’20 releases a jump shot from the top of the key on Jan. 11 in Taper Gymnasium. The Wolverines fell to the Cubs 66-61 in their first matchup of the season.

Despite early season injuries, boys’ basketball adjusted mid-season and found success with the help of its deep roster, posting a 17-6 overall record and a 4-2 league record. The team has competed in three tournaments so far. Head coach David Rebibo said the schedule is more challenging this year in order to prepare the team for games later in the season. “We have really stepped up our schedule and played some of the best teams in [Southern California], while nursing injuries and illness,” Rebibo said. “We have persevered and found a way to compete and get better.” The squad secured a tournament win in the Bev-

erly Hills High School tournament, in which forward Mason Hooks ’20 made his season debut and the team took home the championship undefeated. Including the Wolverines’ three wins in the tournament, the team had an eight-gamewin streak Forward Holden McRae ’20 said that pre-game preparation is pivotal to being successful during games. “On the court, we always try to be tuned in to the other team’s plays and personnel,” McRae said. “We prepare really well all week, but the most important thing is that we are reactive. We know that no matter how much we prepare, it is ultimately the on-court decisions that matter the • Continued on D7

D2 Sports

Game to watch

The Chronicle Girls' Basketball

Young program looks for redemption in CIF

JANUARY 31 Girls' soccer vs. Notre Dame Ted Slavin Field The girls' soccer team has started off the season strong, staying undefeated. The Wolverines will play Notre Dame High School for the second time this season on Jan. 31. This is also their season night to celebrate the veteran squad. The last time the teams met, HarvardWestlake shut out Notre Dame and won by a four goal deficit. In league, Notre Dame has a losing record but have only lost once on the road. The Wolverines are currently the eleventh seed in the Division 1 CIF Southern Section.

By Will Mallory

KEY PLAYER KK Bishop ’19 Senior outside back KK Bishop '19 is having a breakout year with help from her cocaptains Flynn Klace '19 and Kerry Neil '19. Bishop expects to return for Senior Night after suffering a concussion earlier in the season. Her speed and leadership on defense contributed to eight shutouts this season. Her four years of experience on varsity and hard work have earned her a spot on the USC Women’s Soccer team.

& Figures Facts

Points per game for boys' basketball

64.1

12 Number of goals that boys' soccer scores per game

Number of fouls that girls' basketball commits per game

2.82

32 Total points by girls’ basketball player Kiki Iriafen ’21

Rebounds per game for boys' basketball

461

Jan. 30, 2019

WILL MALLORY/CHRONICLE

THREE IN THE KIKI: Forward Kiki Iriafen '21 prepares to shoot over a defender in a 71-43 win over Palisades Charter High School.

Just ten months ago, the girls’ basketball team was sent back to the drawing board after losing the four starters that carried the group to the CIF Southern Section Finals. Now, propelled by the blend of young talent and leadership, the Wolverines are picking up right where they left off last season. With an overall record of 18-7, the Wolverines continue to surpass fans' expectations, using their talented sophomore class to help them secure multiple victories in the first half of the season. The squad, 5-1 in league play, looks to improve their success as they begin to prepare for the playoffs. “The team has done a really good job adjusting from the loss of our starters last year,” program head Melissa Hearlihy said. “Moving forward, we have to continue to try to find our identity on and off the court in order to find success down the stretch.” The squad kicked off their season with a 60-52 win against El Camino Real on Nov. 14. They then posted a 2-2 record in the Redondo Tournament, losing their final game by one point to Serra High School on Nov. 24. The Wolverines regained their footing after a 71-43 rout of

Palisades Charter High School on Nov. 27. Forward Ella Price ’20 said she was happy with the Wolverines’ play both on and off the court. “We didn’t come off that strong, but we prevailed in the end,” Price said. “With energy off the bench and all players contributing greatly we got a great win.” Hearlihy said that Price, one of the players tasked with replacing last year’s starters, has consistently shown her discipline and commitment to the program, allowing her to continue to improve as the season advances. She also commented on the leadership of seniors Emma Sunkin ’19 and Giana Hubbard ’19, attributing much of the team’s success to both their skills and their support of the sophomores in their transition to the upper school. “[Price] has really committed to do the little things that have really helped us on the back side of this season,” Hearlihy said. “[Sunkin] has always been a great energy for us and has certainly improved along with [Hubbard], and both of them have done a great job assisting the sophomores as they learn the ropes of the Upper School.” • Continued on D7

Girls’ Soccer

Experience and depth results in an undefeated season By William Seymour and Charlie Wang The Wolverines are undefeated so far this season and clinched the Mission League title on Friday after beating Flintridge Sacred Heart High School. They have also out scored all of their opponents by a margin of 25 goals as of press date. The team is experienced; it has 12 seniors and a few strong underclassmen. So far, the squad is 5-0-1 in league play and is first in Mission League. "It feels so good to have clinched the league title, and we are all so proud to be part of such an amazing team," defender Sasha Vogel '21 said. "I am so grateful for the camaraderie we have." The Wolverines capped off non-league play with an

impressive showing at the National Elite Prep Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, holding their own against the nation's best. They went 2-0-2, with wins against Texas schools, Vandergrift High School and Boerne-Champion High School. While it wasn't counted as a win, the team’s most recognized feat of the tournament was arguably their 1-1 draw against Southlake Carroll High School, who is the number one team in Texas according to program head Richard Simms, "The tournament definitely boosted our confidence going into league,” midfielder Natalie Barnouw '21 said. The team's leadership, attitude and commitment has contributed its success, Simms said. "We have a group that is

truly a collective: great leaders, hard workers that press the opponent from start to finish, and players that train hard every day and truly compete," Simms said. "The commitment and attitude of the group is phenomenal." The Wolverines had a solid season last year, finishing 14-53. While holding the best overall record and the largest goal differential in league, the team fell a game shy of first place. “Last year was the first year in many that we didn’t win the title, so that is definitely something encouraging us to continue to do well,” Barnouw said. With this season coming to an end, the team looks to make a strong playoff push. "We can compete with anybody and would love to

win the first Division 1 CIF championship in program history," Simms said. "We have the team to do it." The squad beat Flintridge Sacred Heart High School 2-0 on Friday, securing the Mission League title. Last season, the Wolverines lost to Flintridge Sacred Heart 2-1 in their battle for the Mission League title, so the team's win last Friday was especially meaningful. The Wolverines are using their disappointing end to last season as fuel for this year, as well as their momentum from winning league, to hopefully set new heights for the program. “We are very determined to finish the season off strong," Barnouw said. "We want to go further in the playoffs than we did last year."

Junior Varsity Girls’ Soccer Next Game:

Jan. 31 @ Notre Dame

Girls’ Water polo Next Game:

Jan. 31 vs. TBD

ALL PHOTOS BY RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

SHOWKLACE: Midfielder Natalie Barnouw '21 and midfielder Whitney Elson '19 (left) both go after the ball in the Wolverines' 2-2 game against South Hills High School on Dec. 4. Defender Flynn Klace '19 (right) prepares to clear the ball in the same game.

Jan. 30, 2019

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D3

inbrief

Boys’ Soccer

Wapo alumni named Cutino award finalists Johnny Hooper ’15 and Ben Hallock ’16 were named Cutino Award Finalists for 2018-19. The Cutino Award is an annual award that goes to the most outstanding player for that season. This is the first time that two out of the three nominees come from the same high school. Hallock and Hooper play at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. The winner of the award will be announced June 1, at the Olympic Club. Both Hooper and Hallock were also named to the FINA World Championship USA Team Roster. The team is competing for a spot in the World Championship in South Korea this summer. —Lee Nichols

KEILA MCCABE/ CHRONICLE

HAPPY FEET: Gabe Palacios ’20 strikes a ball aimed at the net in their 4-1 loss to rival Loyola High School at home. Lucca Dohr ’20 was the lone scorer for the Wolverines as the team dropped to a record of 8-4-3. The squad tied Loyola once earlier in the season.

League title out of reach after loss to Loyola

By Luke Casola

1-1 tie with Loyola High School on Dec. 12 was the best game Boys’ soccer remains set on that the team has played so far making a deep CIF Playoff run, this season. According to a nagoalkeeper Charlie Mendes ’19 tional ranking list released by and forward Langston Holly ’20 TopDrawerSoccer, the Cubs said. The team is currently 10- were ranked the number one 4-4 overall and 7-1-2 in league team in the country going into after beating Chaminade High the game and were coming off an undefeated league School 1-0 Friday. The record season. results of the game “The tie to Loyola against Notre Dame at the beginning of the High School on Monseason definitely gave day were unavailable us the belief that we as of press time. could beat anyone be“I think our team is cause we almost won,” moving in the right dimidfielder Gabriel Palarection, and if we keep cios ’20 said. practicing the way we After the tie with have been, we will be W ’ Loyola, the team went more than ready for Henry on to win five straight playoffs,” Holly said. Sanderson ’19 league games, improv“I believe that we can achieve [a deep playoff run] by ing to 5-0-1 in league. Forward playing to our team’s potential Henry Sanderson ’20 said that because we have the talent to after this strong stretch, he bedo well in playoffs but haven’t lieved the team had a shot to finish first in the Mission League. always shown it.” Several players said that the However, in the Wolverine’s sechite s

ond and final regular-season match up with Loyola on Jan. 11, both standout midfielder Alec Katz ’19 and defender Pablo Greenlee ’20 didn’t play due to injury. The squad lost 4-1 after allowing three goals in during the first half. “We wanted to come out with more energy [in the loss to Loyola], but all we can do now is to prepare for our upcoming games,” Palacios said. “We can’t let this loss hurt the way we play going forward.” Katz and Greenlee were out for the second consecutive game in the 1-1 tie against St. Francis, a team that the Wolverines had previously beat 2-1 earlier in the season. “It’s been very difficult [to play without Katz and Greenlee],” Holly said. “Without [Katz], our team misses creativity in the midfield, and Greenlee was arguably our best player, so his injury obviously hurts the team also.”

Mendes said it has been challenging for the seniors to lead the underclassmen on the team because of injuries. “It’s been tough since three of our four captains, [Katz], Alex Schindler [’19] and Asher Vogel [’19] have all had long term injuries with [Katz] being out for the season, but guys like Maclean Witmer [’19] and Nick Barnouw [’19] have really stepped up defensively,” Mendes said. “During our away game against Loyola, [Witmer] completely shut down their best player.” The Cubs are currently 5-0-2 as of press deadline so the Wolverine’s chances to win the Mission League are slim. However, a loss for Loyola could change the outcome of the Mission League. “We want to win out, so we are holding ourselves accountable and are going to start staying after practice to train or watch film and go to the trainers,” Sanderson said.

Alum leads Rams to first Superbowl in LA • Continued from A1

After Harvard-Westlake, Demoff attended Dartmouth College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree before earning a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Before working for the Rams, Demoff worked in the Arena Football League for the Los Angeles Avengers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The organization is building a new stadium in Los Angeles that will be finished by 2020 and will host the Super Bowl in 2023. Rams fan Gideon Hyman ’20 shadowed Demoff during HW Works career day and said he learned about the basics of management. “He has clearly worked very hard to not only ensure success on the field but to also facilitate the building of the new stadium,” Hyman said. “It makes the success of the Rams even more

special.” Director of HW Venture Rob Levin also taught Demoff at his time at the school. In his senior year, Demoff scouted and helped run Levin’s middle school football team. “He was a very bright guy,” Levin said. “He’s always been interested in sports, coaching and as a fan.” Demoff said football’s importance appears on the field. “I think it is important to bring people together and that is what football does,” Demoff said. “[The] Super Bowl is a great reward for the players and for the city, but bringing everyone together as a community is what keeps us going.” The Rams will face New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday in Atlanta. “The story of the Rams coming to Los Angeles and being so successful so quickly has been really fun to watch,” Commons said.

Track and Field captain commits to Cal-Berkeley Tierni Kaufman ’19 committed to Berkeley after being recruited in early January. Berkeley stated they were “excited to welcome a national qualifier” into their family on Instagram. Kaufman is one of six people who were recruited by Berkeley, being the most recent to accept the university’s proposal. She is the Division 3 girls’ high jump champion, jumping 5-foot-7. She was the only girl to win a division title for her team, taking top honors in the high jump. In the most recent CIF-SS Division 3 prelims, Kaufman made her personal outdoor best, placing seventh, with a mark of 34’ 115, in triple jump. —Eugean Choi

Wrestler places second in major tournament

Daniel Guerrero ’20 finished second at the Thousand Oaks Tournament for the 160 lbs weight group. He finished the tournament 3-1 and was able to have two first period falls during the tournament before losing in the finals. Guerrero previously finished seventh at the Beresford Invitational and third at the Black Living Water Tournament at 170 lbs. Guerrero and the rest of the wrestling team are preparing for the Mission League Finals on Feb 2. —Jaidev Pant

Baseball player commits to play for Huskies

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF PATTI DEMOFF

ONE GAME AWAY: Kevin Demoff ’95, Rams Chief Operating Officer, prepares for the Rams’ first Superbowl in Los Angeles.

Infielder Michael Snyder ’19 committed to the University of Washington. Snyder’s combination of power and speed contribute to his success on the field. He stands at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and is very light on his feet, which make difficult plays look routine due to his athleticism. He was called up to play Varsity during playoffs of his Freshman season, and he has been a starter since. The right handed batter also plays club baseball for Pacific Baseball Academy that won the 13U, 15U and 17U Evoshield Classic. —Lucas Lee

D4 SPORTS

THE CHRONICLE

JAN. 30, 2

30, 2019

HWCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS

SPORTS D5

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KEILA MCCABE AND RYAN ALBERT

D6 Sports

The Chronicle

Jan. 30, 2019

Wrestling

Team seeks first place in league

By Luke Casola and Zachary Schwartz

In a season plagued by injuries, the wrestling team hopes to finish strong at the Mission League Finals. The team currently has a record of 0-4 in its meets but has seen strong performances from individuals. To prepare, the boys have been practicing daily and working on endurance. Several players said that while they believe the practices are tough, they can see their teammates improving every day. “I faced and am still facing the challenge of getting better at the flow of wrestling,” Paul Boardman ’21 said. “Thinking of the sport in terms of reacting to your opponent’s actions rather than just thinking in steps is tough to get the hang of, especially after drilling shots in practice on the same person every day.” Wrestler Lupe Lucero ’20 said that he believes building team camaraderie and chemistry is vital to the team’s success. “That is also a huge part of wrestling,” Lucero said. “Although each match is between you and your opponent, your teammates are always

RYAN ALBERT/CHRONICLE

BETTER CALL PAUL: Freshman Paul Boardman ’22 competes in the dual against Crespi High School on Dec. 5. The Wolverines lost 36-24 to the Celts at the dual. Currently, the squad is preparing for the league finals on Saturday and CIF Championships on Feb. 8.

there to support you and have your back, win or lose.” Head coach Patrick Cartmill said that he believes the two keys for the remainder of the season are consistency and conditioning. Despite the injuries to team members, Cartmill said that he believes Daniel Guer-

rero ’20 and Boardman are some of the team’s best wrestlers. “Boardman has wrestled well this year, and I’ve been pleased with the guys that have wrestled because our biggest struggle has been staying healthy and staying on the mat,” Cartmill said.

“Boardman has really stood out as a sophomore and has come a long way since a rough freshmen year last year.” Wrestlers will compete in the Mission League Finals on Saturday and those that place at the tournament will become eligible for the CIF Southern Section Champion-

Girls’ Water Polo

ships beginning Feb. 8. “Being able to wrestle at the speed we want to wrestle is definitely another one of the things that we need to improve on,” Cartmill said. “We need to stay on the mat without running out of gas and need to stay in shape in order to do that.”

Football

Star junior leaves after 6-5 season •Continued from D1

KYLE REIMS/CHRONICLE

MEERA MEERA ON THE WALL: Standout junior Meera Burghardt ’20 prepares to pass in the 12-3 win against Flintridge Sacred Heart High School on Jan. 17. After the win, the squad went on to beat Oaks Christian High School 13-12 Jan. 19 and Notre Dame 21-6 Jan. 22.

Squad gears up for CIF Open Division playoffs •Continued from D1

California, San Diego. After their senior night victory, the team increased their winning streak to six games. The team has completed all of their regular season league matches. The Mission League tournament began on Tuesday. “For the rest of the season, our goal is to win Mission League, have fun and hopefully upset a few really good teams,” Taylor LaCour ’19 said.

The move into the top division in the CIF Southern Section has caused the team to embrace an underdog mentality, Hilliard said. “Because this is our first year in the open division, we have absolutely nothing to lose,” Hilliard said. “We were picked last to move up into the division and started the year ranked in 24th place.” The team is now ranked 14th in the Jan. 22 CIF Southern Section Poll.

As the team is nearing the completion of their first year in the CIF Southern Section’s most difficult division, Juliette O’Brien ’21 said that the team did more than just improve in the rankings. “Since moving up to Division I, our team has really grown mentally and physically,” O’Brien said. “We have been doing a better job as the season has progressed by putting up with other teams that are ranked above us.”

The team finished their regular season schedule over the weekend with the completion of the Irvine Tournament. They lost their opening game to Orange Lutheran High School 10-6 at Foothill High School. On Friday, they lost a close game to La Canada High School 11-10 at Woolett Aquatics Center. They are now focused on the Mission League tournament. If successful in the tournament, the team will advance into the CIF playoffs.

futures as football players, and their full potential would not be realized under our coaching and offensive scheme,” Harleston said. “I most definitely share those frustrations sometimes and worry what kind of future I have, but I love my friends here and also believe that there is hope and opportunity for me in this program.” Moving forward, backup quarterback Marshall Howe ’21 said he doesn’t believe their transfer will change much. “I was planning on having the same mindset and attitude whether they were to stay or leave.” Howe said. “Obviously, as a friend, I don’t want to see them go, but, in terms of football, it does not really change my perception of the future moving forward. I think we would have had a great season with them as well, but we still have a ton of talent and a lot of our core guys coming back next year. It’s that kind of nextman-up mentality that is really important for all great teams, and that’s no different for us.” Head coach Michael Burnett declined to comment and said he wanted to keep his attention on the athletes still in the program. *Names have been changed.

Jan. 30, 2019

hwchronicle.com/sports

Sports D7

Girls’ Basketball

Sophomore carries team to playoffs •Continued from D2

Over the break, the squad attended the West Coast Jamboree Tournament, as well as the Desert Heat Winter Classic Tournament on Dec. 27-29 and Jan. 3-5, respectively. After posting a 2-1 record at the West Coast Jamboree, the Wolverines went on to win the Desert Heat Classic after four straight victories. Despite their early success, forward Kiki Iriafen ’21, who leads the team in both points and rebounds per game, said that there are still a lot of improvements to be made in order for the group to reach their maximum potential. “We need to be more patient on offense and defense, and we rush ourselves and let other teams rush us leading to our turnovers,” Iriafen said. “With patience, we can control how the game ends.” After the break, the Wolverines began league play with a 66-35 road victory against Notre Dame High School on Jan. 8. After defeating Alemany 6549 on Jan. 12 , the Wolverines faced their toughest opponent in Chaminade on Jan. 15, losing 73-41 in their biggest loss of the season. Guard Mirabella Wong ’20 said although the loss was frustrating, it helped motivate them to play harder in their remaining games. ADVERTISEMENT

“Our loss to Chaminade made us realize that we needed to focus on a lot of different areas, both mentally and physically,” Wong said. “We treated it as a learning process and hope to beat them next time at home.” The Wolverines then went on to win three straight games at home against Marlborough High School, Notre Dame and Alemany, bringing them to an overall league record of 5-1. The team faced Chaminade for the league title on Jan. 29 but the results were not available at the time of publishing. Many of the players said that they are grateful for the experience regardless of the outcome and have continued to bond as a team both on and off the court. “The more we play together, the more we understand how one another plays,” guard Kimiko Katzaroff ’21 said. “We have all gained so much trust on and off the court as the season progressed, and this is what ultimately leads us to execute what needs to be done.” Hearlihy also expressed her appreciation for her team and the connections they have made in just a few months. “I love this team,” Hearlihy said. “They get along, love each other, and have the best times when we travel. With our goals being as lofty as they are, it has been a great maturation process.”

KEILA MCCABE/CHRONICLE

AIR JUZANG: Johnny Juzang ’20 dunks against St. Francis High School on the teams 68-53 win. In the win the team honored seniors Kyle Hearlihy ’19, Darren Long ’19, and Trae Meyer-Whalley ’19.

Standout juniors lead team •Continued from D1

most. By keeping the scouting report in mind while simultaneously locking in during the game, we put ourselves in the best position to win.” In addition to practice and studying game plan, Rebibo outlines the team’s goals to win each game. “We have to be very good with our team defense: five guys working and helping one another for 32 minutes,” Rebibo said. “We have to do a great job rebounding and, last but not least, limit turnovers and be in the 14 assists range.” Although the team has upset several high-ranked teams, there have also been low points in the season. “The season has been up and

down,” Hooks said. “We started off with a lot of injuries, and we didn’t have [Johnny Juzang ’20] until about midway through the season. I think we had to adjust to his being back, just like every team struggles for a little whenever a star player comes back. I think we’ve adjusted well and we’re playing well now.” With Juzang injured, the whole team needed to fill his shoes and the entire roster was utilized. “We have had people step up the entire season from [Brase Dottin ’20], [McRae], [Spencer Hubbard ’20], [Cameron Thrower ’22] and [Adam Hinton ’21] who really stepped up when we had 3 starters out, to [Hooks] and [Truman Gettings ’21] coming back and picking us up big time while [Juzang] and [Darren Long ’19] were nursing injuries,” Rebibo said.

Thrower said he has learned a lot in his first year of high school basketball. “It is a huge adjustment in terms of learning new defensive and offensive concepts,” Thrower said. “It’s also different because the level of competition rises and everyone has some capability of playing and contributing at a high level.” All members of the team are now healthy, and the squad looks to end league play well and head into playoffs strong. “Our main focus approaching the playoffs is finishing off the regular season strong,” McRae said. “Having played each team once during the regular season, we know what lies ahead. Every team is going to bring their best, but we plan on bringing ours as well.”

D8 Sports

Jan 30. 2019

The Chronicle

WOLVERINES ONLY

MASON HOOKS

KEILA MCCABE/CHRONICLE

t’s May 13, 2004, game five of the Western Conference Semifinals. Lakers at Spurs. Derrick Fisher has just stunned the entire San Antonio crowd with a buzzer-beater that gave the Lakers an improbable victory. It’s a shot I have watched countless times as a Lakers fan, but only recently did I see the full broadcast of the shot. About a minute after Fisher’s miracle, the color commentator shouts into the microphone, “We love this game! We love this game!” When I sat down to write this article, I didn’t know where to start. How could I put so much of my life into just 800 words? The truth is that basketball is so much more than a game to me. It has taught me more than anything I have ever learned in school, and it has been the greatest influence on my character up to this point in my life. It would be impossible to list all the things basketball has taught me, but I will try my best. Firstly, basketball has taught me to work with what was given to me. In basketball, it is easy to focus on the traits or skills you don’t have. However, once I played the game for long enough, I realized that nobody is given everything and that I needed to play to my strengths and try to improve on my weaknesses as much as possible. I will never be able to run a 4.3-second forty-yard dash or jump forty inches off the ground. Nothing will change that. However, I can play to my strengths, mostly my height and frame, and I

can be just as effective on the court as someone who can run faster and jump higher than me. The beauty of the game is that for every person like me who isn’t as fast, there are just as many players out there who just want to be a few inches taller or a little stronger. All great players are able to focus on their strengths on the court while acknowledging their weaknesses. Everyone is unique. As Dr. Seuss said, “there is no one alive who is youer than you!” Basketball has also taught me that no individual is ever greater than the team. I’ve had the privilege of playing with and against some of the best high school players in the country. I have never met anyone who is good enough to play without a team behind him. Great players are the ones who always push their teammates and themselves every day in practice, and who have their teammates’ backs no matter what. There truly is no "I" in team. Basketball also taught me the importance of effort in everything that I do. As much as I hate to lose, it is impossible to win every single game that I play. I used to worry for hours before every game about how well I would play and if we would win. A few years ago, I came to the realization that most of the things that take place during any given game are out of my control. The only things I can control on the court are my effort and my focus, and nothing else. Once I realized this, most of my nerves went away. The game

was so much simpler! All I needed to do was control those two things and the rest would take care of itself. If I put in the work in and I come into the game with good effort and razor-sharp focus, good things will generally happen with much less stress. Finally, and most importantly, basketball has taught me the importance of confidence in life. Basketball is a game where if you don’t believe you are the best player on the court, you definitely aren’t. In basketball, you don’t have time to be upset about bad plays or worry about making mistakes. On the court and everywhere else, you need to believe you are the best to succeed. My freshman year I went through a bit of a slump, and I wasn’t sure why. I eventually realized that I was thinking too much on the court, over-analyzing and worrying about making a mistake instead of just being aggressive. Once I started to realize to completely trust my own ability and skill, I improved and had a great end to the season. It’s hard for me to call basketball just a game when it has been so much more for me. Basketball started as an innocent weekend activity, evolved into a hobby and finally, it has become so important to me that I can’t imagine my life without it. The game has shaped me, raised me, and turned me into the person that I am today. I love this game.