The annual Academic Fair took place on the esplanade outside Munger Science Center on March 4, during Community Time. Students browsed new and existing courses for the 2025-2026 school year. Prefect Council set up posters and passed out Dippin’ Dots ice cream to encourage students to interact with booths. This year’s Academic Fair was the first to feature classes that will no longer be offered as AP courses in the 2025-2026 school year.
Junior Prefect Robby Louie ’26 said Prefect Council had to prepare extensively for the fair by working closely with the academic departments and the school’s maintenance team.
“The Academic Fair is a big event to organize, so there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes,” Louie said. “Because Harvard-Westlake is getting rid of all AP classes next year, our first step was to update all of the courses with their new names and add all of the new courses. Then, we had to confirm with the department heads which courses needed tables and which could merge with other courses, and from there we determined where to place each course. We also had to make signs for each of the courses and order sign holders and tablecloths. On the day of the fair, the maintenance team helped us a ton by placing all of the tables along the Fire Road.”
Chinese Teacher Bin He said he likes the academic fair’s supportive atmosphere because it allows students to learn from each other’s academic experiences.
“I truly believe it is a wonderful tradition that fosters connections among students,” He said. “I especially appreciate how it encourages senior students to share their insights and experiences, thereby creating a vibrant learning community. Additionally, I’m impressed by the way senior students get involved each year in designing posters and organizing activities because it really adds a creative and collaborative spirit to the event.”
Veronica Mnatsakanian ’26 said students sharing their experiences in their classes made her more interested in the different courses offered to her.
“It was nice to see everyone so passionate about explaining why they love the classes they were promoting, which helped me learn a lot about the classes I wanted to take,” Mnatsakanian said. “There are so many interesting classes at the school, so it’s hard to decide exactly what to take, but seeing everyone so willing and interested to share their love for that class really gave a selling point to everyone around me.”
