Grace Gerber ’15 talked about her experience being sexually assaulted and shared statistics on rape and sexual assault at the 1st and 3rd Wednesday Assembly Dec. 3.

Gerber began her announcement by asking every female student and faculty member in Taper Gym to stand up.

“One in five women will be raped,” Gerber said. “And one in three will be sexually assaulted. I was one of those one in three.”

Gerber said the most important lesson she learned at Harvard-Westlake was when a teacher told every student in the class they had value, and she encouraged students to keep this in mind and respect one another. Since one can’t know another person’s struggles, she said, making everyone feel safe and supported is important.

“We as a community need to appreciate everyone in this room,” Gerber said. “Women and men are objectified every day. This culture exists everywhere, even at Harvard-Westlake.”
Gerber received a standing ovation following her speech.

Community and Character Council also held a three-point basketball shootout between Teeana Cotangco ’15, Spencer Perryman ’15, history teacher Dave Waterhouse and science teacher Florence Pi. After two rounds of tiebreakers between Cotangco and Waterhouse, Waterhouse won the contest.

The Student Athletic Advisory Committee awarded track runner Casey Crosson ’17 and water polo player Johnny Hooper ’15 with Athlete of the Month awards for November.

Prefects Nina Woythaler ’16, Grace Pan ’16 and Charlie Noxon ’17 announced that the school will issue club grants of $500 for the first time to select clubs. Applications are due before winter break.
Perren Carrillo ’15 told students about an upcoming trip to Cuba over spring break, from March 28 to April 5, where freshmen through seniors will interact with Cuban teenagers and create a documentary about the experience. Visual arts teachers Joe Medina and Alyssa Sherwood will chaperone the trip.