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The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor

All content by Claire Conner
A Ukraine flag waves in from of the independence monument.

War Fatigue, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
March 22, 2023

In the Luhansk region of Ukraine, a Russian military training facility sorts recruits using colored wristbands. They are preparing to fight in the trenches at Bakhmut, an eastern Ukrainian city that’s...

Wolverine Etiquette Guide

Claire Conner
March 22, 2023

Digital *    Zoom vs. Facetime— Facetime for everything, only Zoom for school. Everyone's sick of it. *    In text, only use lowercase “haha” and “lol” when adding them to your own...

An illustration depicts various posters made by the Jewish Club as  measure to address campus antisemitism. The posters were created after five swastikas were found around the school this year.

Addressing campus antisemitism

A tonally inconsistent and unfocused response to Nazism chips away at the school’s hard work to confront it. 
Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
February 9, 2023

“Harry Styles loves Jews, and so should you.” “Without Jews, you wouldn’t have Borat!” “Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” As a Jew, I know that each of these sentences, written on posters that...

We have a chance to recommit to our humanity and the individualized quirks and insights that make our thinking special.

ChatGPT and education, Claire-ified

In this month's print edition of The Chronicle, a response to this article written entirely by ChatGPT is featured on B8.
Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
December 14, 2022

A piano piece composed in the style of Mozart. An essay comparing Benedict Anderson’s and Ernest Gellner’s theories of nationalism. A Common App personal statement based on summaries of specific events...

Counting ballots, Claire-ified

We cannot afford to maintain a flawed system and lose monumental progress.
Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
November 14, 2022

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, it was election night in America — but that didn’t carry the meaning it once did. Just four years ago, poll workers, pundits and eager citizens stayed up until every race had...

FAC delays vote on weighted GPA proposal

FAC delays vote on weighted GPA proposal

Claire Conner
September 28, 2022

The Faculty Academic Committee (FAC) chose not to vote on a proposal from the Upper School Dean Team to add weighted GPAs to seniors’ transcripts this year, effectively postponing consideration of the...

Democracy, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
September 28, 2022

Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural address was delivered during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The nation, rocked by the Great Depression and clinging to whatever...

Illustration by Alexandra Liu

The Great British Baking Show Review

Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
September 28, 2022

A white tent rests on the perfectly-manicured lawns of Welford Park in England's Berkshire County. It is surrounded by trees that look like they were lifted out of a snow globe, and as sunlight skips across...

Coming to HWTV

Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
September 2, 2022

The Munger Games: Catching Fire (Sept. 2) This thrilling action film about a lab accident setting off fire alarms captures the ever-present danger of Honors Chemistry. As students on the field check Snapchat,...

Inflation Reduction, Claire-ified

At such a critical time, our nation cannot afford to ignore the present or avoid protecting the future.
Claire Conner, Print Managing Editor
August 24, 2022

There are few decisions as difficult to make as those regarding the current inflation crisis. Forming economic predictions during unprecedented times yields little that is concrete or easily interpretable,...

Earmarking and Greene, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Assistant Opinion Editor
March 24, 2022

President Joe Biden signed a $1.5 trillion spending bill March 15, enacting legislation that is historic on multiple fronts: It provides the largest increase in funding for high-poverty schools in a decade,...

Designers in Action

Designers in Action

Jina Jeon and Claire Conner
March 23, 2022

Sitting in front of a wall covered in magazine scraps, sketches and patterns, Paisley Kandler ’22 traced over her fashion designs on Procreate, a digital illustration app. A sewing machine hummed in...

We must make it clear that while the U.S. is unwilling to acquiesce to Russia’s threat-backed demands and thereby legitimize violent, coercive tactics, Americans will consider reevaluating the status quo to avoid war.

Ukrainian conflict, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Assistant Opinion Editor
February 16, 2022

As over 130,000 Russian troops flanked the Ukrainian border last week, President Joe Biden issued a dire warning to American citizens living in the Eastern European country: leave, immediately. The...

Jack Austen ’23 points out an efficient path for driver Oren Hartstein ’24 to take to pick up as many hoops with the robot’s mechanical claws as possibbe. The pair, who compete for team 62Z, practice every day after school to prepare for regional VEX Robotics competitions.

Teams find success at school’s first home robotics tournament

Claire Conner
February 7, 2022

The school hosted the Harvard-Westlake Challenge, its first robotics tournament, with 55 Southern California teams competing in two divisions Feb. 5 and 6. Middle school and upper school teams won each...

Icons representing some of the 16 personalities from the Myers-Briggs personality test interact with each other.

Personality on Paper

Community members discuss the rising popularity of personality tests and the accuracy of their test results.
Claire Conner and Emmy Zhang
January 22, 2022

Fernanda Hererra ’23 stared at the spinning wizard hat on her computer, waiting for the bright emerald crest to appear. She said that she felt confident she was a Slytherin and that she assumed the official...

Big pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, are taking over global vaccine distribution.

Vaccine globalism, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Assistant Opinion Editor
January 21, 2022

As the omicron wave surges to its crest, America and its high-income allies stand ready at the helm, confidently steering through the pandemic's stormy waters. Protected by an abundance of vaccines, these...

Student actively watches zoom classes

Administration announces COVID-19 safety measures for the return from winter break

Claire Conner and Lucas Cohen-d'Arbeloff
December 24, 2021

This page will be updated as new information about the school’s response to the Omicron COVID-19 variant is available. Last updated Jan. 6, 2:23 p.m. School mandates booster vaccination, updates...

Illustration Credit: Sydney Fener

An Agenda Adjustment

Claire Conner, Assistant Opinion Editor
December 22, 2021

Our school has always been an impetus for change. From former Governor Gray Davis ’60 to Sally Ride ’68, our alumni have guided major policies and shattered cosmic glass ceilings; from thousands of...

School engages in ALICE protocol during drill

Claire Conner and Natalie Cosgrove
December 11, 2021

Following several school shooting threats throughout various Los Angeles high schools, students participated in an active shooter drill Dec. 10. Palisades Charter High School (PCHS), Santa Monica High...

 20% of existing bitcoin (worth about $140 billion) has been lost simply because owners forgot their passwords, according to the New York Times.

Bitcoin and Bubbles, Claire-ified

Claire Conner
November 17, 2021

In the middle of the Dutch Golden Age, a single tulip bulb was worth as much as a mansion in the center of Amsterdam. The Netherlands' flourishing merchant class obsessed over exotic varieties of the plant,...

Alliances, Claire-ified

Claire Conner, Assistant Opinion Editor
October 15, 2021

French President Emmanuel Macron has never been known to shy away from his own chutzpah. From the moment he stepped under the effulgent glow of the Louvre pyramid to deliver his 2017 election victory speech,...

Peer Support Coordinators gather members in order to disperse them into groups. Prior to receiving their group assignments, students enjoyed food and drinks in the Student Lounge.

Peer Support reaches new sign-up record

Claire Conner
October 5, 2021

After receiving a record number of sign-ups, Peer Support gathered for its first meeting of the school year Oct. 4. Peer Support meets once weekly to share social and academic issues and bond with group...

Illustration by Sydney Fener

Community reflects on 20th anniversary of 9/11

Claire Conner and Emmy Zhang
September 12, 2021

As United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, History Teacher Sandra Brasda hunched in front of a clunky monitor in her first-period typing class. Her computer barely...

With a handmade sign, newly-elected Head Fanatics Ridley Berger-Sacks ’22, Kate Hasset ’22 and Julianna Ross ’22 cheer on the girl’s field hockey game. In addition to sports events, the fanatics will attend art performances this year.

Head Fanatics elected for 2021-22 school year

Claire Conner
September 9, 2021

Prefect Council announced the head Fanatics election results for the 2021-2022 school year in an email sent to the student body Sept. 5. Ridley Berger Sacks '22, Magnus Ferell '22, Kate Hassett '22,...

Konnie Duan ’23 shows her sticker after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-through clinic.

Full vaccination required by administration for school year

Claire Conner
September 5, 2021

The school required all students and employees returning to campus to submit proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 online by Aug. 13, which President Rick Commons announced in an all-school email...

Administration mandates vaccinations for all students and staff in new school year

Claire Conner
August 26, 2021

The school required all students and employees returning to campus to submit proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 online by Aug. 13, which President Rick Commons announced in an all-school email...

ANGEL CITY SPORTS: Promoting the Paralympic movement, Mayor Eric Garcetti ’88 speaks with participants and athletes on Ted Slavin Field. July 31.

Wolverines host Angel City Sports

Claire Conner
August 26, 2021

The school partnered with Angel City Sports, a Paralympic organization based in Southern California, to host an event for athletes with physical disabilities or visual impairments July 31. The organization...

Elections, Claire-ified

Claire Conner
August 26, 2021

When students submit their ballots for prefect elections in the spring, they will make two reasonable assumptions: their votes will be counted, and the candidates with the highest number of votes will...

Maximizing Minimum Wage Momentum

Claire Conner
June 15, 2021

Much has happened since July 24, 2009. Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs; America elected its first Black president to a second term; same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states; 195 nations...

Members of school robotics team 62B embrace after winning the 2021 Live Remote VEX Robotics World Championship.

Robotics team 62B wins VEX Robotics World Championship

Claire Conner
June 8, 2021

The robotics team won the 2021 Live Remote VEX Robotics World Championship May 22, becoming the school’s first team to win a world championship. They beat 260 teams, who all qualified for the tournament...

The student foreign language magazine Babel published its annual issue May 14.

Student foreign language magazine publishes new issue

Claire Conner
May 16, 2021

Babel, the Upper School’s foreign language magazine, published its annual issue containing essays, poetry and recipes in modern and classical languages May 14. In addition to a digital issue available...

Girls basketball defeats Chaminade High School in first Mission League matchup

Claire Conner
April 29, 2021

The girls basketball team defeated Chaminade High School 58-33 in its first Mission League game at home Thursday, leaving the team with an overall record of 10-2.  The squad led throughout the game,...

Boys basketball holds on for win against Crespi Carmelite High School

Claire Conner
April 25, 2021

The boys basketball team beat Crespi Carmelite High School 54-47 on Friday, adding another victory to its five-game win streak. The team now has an 8-2 record for the season, with nine games left to play...

Girls basketball defeats Palisades High School

Claire Conner
April 19, 2021

The girls basketball team defeated Palisades High School 72-41 to add to its 7-1 record for the season Monday.  The team dominated the scoreboard throughout the game, ending the first half with a 24...

Boys basketball explodes offensively in win against Bishop Alemany High School

Claire Conner
April 15, 2021

The boys basketball team beat Bishop Alemany High School 77-59 on Wednesday extending its record to 6-2 on the season. The victory furthered a streak of three games in which the Wolverines won by at least...

Week in review: baseball loses in final of JSerra Classic tournament

Claire Conner and Andrew Park
April 10, 2021

This week, the baseball team played four games in the JSerra Classic tournament and now has a 7-3 record after a three-game win streak followed by a loss in the tournament final Friday.  7-1 victory...

Girls basketball dominates Ventura High School

Claire Conner
April 2, 2021

The girls basketball team beat Ventura High School 55-33 in its second game Friday. The squad defeated Sierra Canyon High School 58-48 in its season opener on March 24 to lead to a record of 2-0 on the...

Football beats El Camino Real High School

Claire Conner
March 27, 2021

The football team beat El Camino Real High School 52-7 to continue its 3-0 streak Friday. They narrowly defeated St. Genevieve High School 20-19 in their season opener on March 12 and beat Salesian High...

Girls volleyball program head resigns

Claire Conner
March 27, 2021

Hayley Blanchard resigned as the Girls Volleyball Program Head after four years of working at the school March 24.  In a press release from the school’s Department of Athletics, Blanchard said she...

No. 9 Len Korol '21 keeps the ball underwater as a defensive tactic. Winning their fifth game of the season, the Wolverines bring their team's season record to 4-1.

Boys water polo team defeats Orange Lutheran High School

On a roll, the team now sits at 4-1.
Claire Conner
March 14, 2021

The boys water polo team defeated Orange Lutheran High School 16-11 in its fifth game of the season Saturday. The team has gone 4-1 overall this year, with victories against Crespi, Oaks Christian and...

Page Clancy '22 stands next to a collection of old computers and technological devices in the parking lot outside of Hamilton Gym on Feb. 21. Photo Credit: Printed with permission of Jordan Church

Junior hosts on-campus technology drive

Claire Conner
February 23, 2021

Page Clancy ’22 hosted a technology drive to collect used technology at the upper school parking lot for Human-I-T, a not-for-profit organization that refurbishes donated devices and gives them to low-income...

MSNBC correspondent speaks to students in Directed Study: The Election

Quincey Dern and Claire Conner
November 3, 2020

MSNBC correspondent and best-selling author Jacob Soboroff ’01 visited a class of Directed Study: The Election to speak with students about his profession and new book Separated: Inside an American...

2020: Just a number

Claire Conner
October 25, 2020

My last conversation in 2019 was with my friends. We spammed our group chat with cheers about the end of the year and lamented the difficulties of ninth grade, deciding that no matter what would happen...

Students created several Instagram accounts such as @hw.confessions and @hw.compliments. Some of the created accounts spread gossip about students and teachers while others are supported by many students as they share positive coments about their peers. Credit: Alexa Druyanoff/Chronicle

Students create controversial Instagram pages

Sandra Koretz and Claire Conner
October 19, 2020

Students created several anonymous Instagram accounts dedicated to posts about their peers and teachers in recent weeks. Accounts such as @hw.confessions posted rumors and negative messages about students,...

First Person Narratives: Prospective HW 7th graders describe advocating in D.C.

Thirty-seven sixth graders from Carlthorp School traveled to Washington D.C. with the nonprofit organization KidUnity from March 12 to 15 to learn about civic engagement and journalism. Three students,...

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Claire Conner