The opening song of “Cabaret” is called “Willkommen,” German for “welcome.” Not only was this message inspiring, but we also think it represents the production as a whole.
Though our community is notoriously competitive, we noticed how students and teachers came together to support the show and everyone involved. The cast welcomed all of us to the show and we also welcomed an opportunity to appreciate the work of our peers.
We should realize that we are fortunate to have the creative freedom, resources and mentors that enable us to create this kind of production. Not every high schooler can say they’ve watched their field hockey team win a league championship and a performance that explored gender roles on the same day. Not every high school teacher stays after school to watch their students’ performances.
Today’s political climate can be divisive, and our school’s environment is undeniably intense. That’s why it’s so important that we come together as a community as we did to support “Cabaret.” In the grand scheme of our high school experience, we’ll remember the moments we shared with our peers, not the chemistry test we spent a week stressing over.
We are encouraged by the support we saw for “Cabaret”, and hope that the same enthusiasm extends to other activities in our community. Students at Harvard-Westlake are talented across many disciplines, and we are fortunate to be surrounded by such a diversity of interests. So many of our girls’ sports teams excel, but receive little acknowledgement for their accomplishments. Girls’ volleyball, field hockey, tennis and basketball have all had successful seasons.
Our performing arts groups deserve recognition for the hard work they put into their shows. The musicians in Jazz Band devote so much time to producing unique and high quality performances. Scenemonkeys and Jackanapes continue to make us laugh at every show. We could continue this list of talented groups on campus for pages, which goes to show how many chances we have to support our peers in every discipline.
Harvard-Westlake is often criticized for its perceived lack of community, and with all that our school has to offer, there is no reason for this to be a reality.
Each student who attends our school is here because they bring something unique to the table, and when the skills and support of our community are combined, the result is extremely special. Excellence is not only about individual accomplishments, but also the way in which those accomplishments are shared.
While Harvard-Westlake students differ in interests and activities, we are similar in that we are all proud of where we go to school. The best way to demonstrate that pride is supporting those who help make our community so impressive.
