It’s a new year and a new beginning; we have a new president and many new opportunities for change. Our transition to the heads of student government coincides with arguably the biggest administrative shift this school has undergone since its merger in 1992, and we feel privileged to be inaugurated at the same convocation as new President Rick Commons.

Former President Tom Hudnut did an enormous amount for every facet of this institution, and he has created a school and environment that is difficult not to be proud of, even though it was already an impressive place 26 years ago when he first took office as headmaster. With a new administrator in command, there is more room for fresh perspective and ambitions for new goals that elaborate on the vision President Hudnut set forth. Last spring, we had the pleasure of giving Commons a tour around campus and discussing the student experience at Harvard-Westlake. It became clear to all of us that the next issue to tackle in this era of leadership would be the difficulty of maintaining a strong sense of community and school spirit amid the notorious workload that Harvard-Westlake often places upon its students. Finding a way to preserve a fun environment and appreciation for one another despite rigorous academics and a grueling college application process is crucial if we want our school to continue to thrive as the community we are so proud to be a part of.

It almost goes without saying that this newspaper is the strongest bond of community that our school has to offer. Certainly at the Upper School, where the Daily Bulletin is not read every week at an assembly, the Chronicle represents one of the few special organizations and publications that has such a wide reach on campus and such a strong role in keeping our community on the same page. It is for that reason that we hope not only to continue to build a strong relationship with our award-winning paper, but also to expand upon the existing avenues of communication in order to better inform our community as a whole.

We look forward to working with the student body to help create new traditions and to foster a better sense of community at Harvard-Westlake. If we are successful in our endeavors, we stand to not only make a difference in our time on campus, but to impact generations to come.

— Ashley Sacks ’14 and Henry Hahn ’14
Head Prefects