The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
Pursuing Excellence: Cum Laude inductee and Presentations Managing Editor Nathan Wang ’25 shakes President Rick Commons’ hand.
Students receive Cum Laude title
Senior Takeover: Seniors traveled to the middle school campus after their last class to engage with middle schoolers for the annual senior prank, gathering to watch their peers dive in and play games by the Marshall Center swimming pool and basketball court May 21.
Class of 2025 visits Middle School campus as a part of annual senior prank day tradition
ASiA club hosts screening of movie “Dìdi,” discussion panel with lead actor Izaac Wang
ASiA club hosts screening of movie “Dìdi,” discussion panel with lead actor Izaac Wang
Valedictorian and Salutatorian selected
Valedictorian and Salutatorian selected
Antisemitic markings on Ventura Boulevard
Coast-to-Coast offers summer opportunities at fair
Coast-to-Coast offers summer opportunities at fair
Restaurant Lemonade closes Studio City location
Restaurant Lemonade closes Studio City location
A structure fire broke out internally at 4132 Vanetta Place and spread up the Sunswept hillside to a neighboring four-story building.
What happened at the Sunswept Fire?
Holiday shopping in Sportsmen’s Lodge offers an opportunity to browse stores, buy gifts, and enjoy the wintertime ambience.
Holiday Guide in Los Angeles
Coldwater Canyon Ave. is undergoing maintenance again and is set to finish by November 2025. The street's last roadwork project was in 2023 after a water breakage. Just like with the construction in 2023, the increased traffic and congestion has hindered students' and faculty's commute despite them taking alternate routes.
Roadwork on Coldwater Canyon to finish by 2025
Legacy Redefined
Legacy Redefined
Journey Beyond a Road
Journey Beyond a Road
Too Corepower(ful)
Too Corepower(ful)
Contain the "Crash Out"
Contain the “Crash Out”
Seperate American politics from the Vatican
Seperate American politics from the Vatican
What your university decision says about you
The Unofficial Curriculum Guide 4: A New Hope
Chron-Clave: Selecting New Editors
Chron-Clave: Selecting New Editors
Guest speakers we actually want to see
Guest speakers we actually want to see
Asking for Letters of Recommendation: Your Foolproof Template
Senior Send-Offs
Senior Send-Offs
Naked Truths: Intimacy and Relationships
Naked Truths: Intimacy and Relationships
Illustrated by CJ Phelan
Joining the jam
Catch Me if You Can: Behind the Shoplifting Trend
Catch Me if You Can: Behind the Shoplifting Trend
Academic Pivot: Responses to AP Curriculum Changes
Academic Pivot: Responses to AP Curriculum Changes
Students Present Acting Showcase
Upper School choirs to travel to New York for summer tour
Choral program hosts lunch chapel concert
How students spend summer break
How students spend summer break
Bucket list for seniors
Bucket list for seniors
Printed with Permission of Nic Monroe
Softball sees success in new league
Printed with Permission of Nic Monroe
Wolverines Only: Franklin Wimbish
Printed with Permission of Savvy Mahoney
Wolverines Only: Savvy Mahoney
Seniors Lead Championships Follow
Striker Cole Grossman '25 fights over a ball with a Jurupa Hills defender.
Photo Gallery: Boys soccer brings home first CIF-SS championship in school history
The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
Colin Ho

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor

Colin Ho ’26 is an Assistant News Editor and is in his second year working for The Chronicle. Colin is the Bass Section Leader of Chamber Singers, and enjoys making music and hanging out with friends in his free time.

All content by Colin Ho
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[Photo] Valedictorian and Salutatorian selected

Erin Ryu, Assistant News Editor
May 30, 2025

Upper School choirs to travel to New York for summer tour

Upper School choirs prepare for Carnegie Hall performance and cultural tour in New York City
Eila Shokravi and Colin Ho
May 29, 2025

Chamber Singers, Bel Canto and Wolverine Chorus choirs are preparing to tour New York City from June 11- June 15 for their performance at Carnegie Hall June 14. Members of the groups will participate in...

School Attendance Coordinator Bids Farewell

School Attendance Coordinator Bids Farewell

Audrey Kim and Colin Ho
May 8, 2025

Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado looks around his office in the Chalmers Lounge for what will be the last time. As he reminisces over his 23 years at the school, he fondly looks at his photos from...

Global Affairs Club hosts LAWAC for AI discussion

Global Affairs Club hosts LAWAC for AI discussion

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
May 8, 2025

The Global Affairs Club hosted the Los Angeles World Affairs Council (LAWAC) on campus in a forum in Ahmanson Lecture Hall on April 25. The discussion, titled “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI),”...

CRASH AND DASH: A suspect was apprehended on April 25 in front of a home on the intersection of Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Clawson Place (not pictured). The pursuit started in Hollywood Hills after the suspect got in an argument with her partner and attempted to run him over. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and SWAT team were able to corner the culprit.

[Photo] Hit-and-run suspect arrested on Coldwater Canyon

Lydia Gugsa, Assistant Features Editor
May 8, 2025

CRASH AND DASH: A suspect was apprehended on April 25 in front of a home on the intersection of Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Clawson Place (not pictured). The pursuit started in Hollywood Hills after the...

Speech and Debate teams attend annual TOC competition

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
May 8, 2025

The school's Speech and Debate teams sent 16 students to the J.W. Patterson Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Lexington, Kentucky from April 26-28, with six breaking into the finals of the tournament. Molly...

Head of School Laura Ross poses with Santa Monica and Malibu School District Superintendent Antonio Shelton.

District Superintendent visits Directed Study class

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
March 19, 2025

Santa Monica and Malibu School District Superintendent Antonio Shelton spoke to students taking Public Education in America March 12. The course, taught by Head of School Laura Ross, focuses on issues...

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[Photo] Founder of Homeboy Industries visits school

Angel Song, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
March 19, 2025

Coming Around to Coming out: How LGBTQ+ Students Find Acceptance and Community

Coming Around to Coming out: How LGBTQ+ Students Find Acceptance and Community

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
March 19, 2025

It was a Friday evening after school when Walter*, an eighth grader at the time, sat in his living room watching thedrama show “ER” with his mother. During the episode, a scene was shown in which a...

HW Media students attend journalism competition

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
March 11, 2025

Seven HW Media students attended the annual Los Angeles Journalism Education Association (LAJEA) Regional Write-Offs at California State University, Northridge on Feb. 22. Five students placed in the top...

HWCCC holds Chinese New Year Banquet

Colin Ho
March 5, 2025

Students and faculty gathered at the Skirball Center for the annual Harvard-Westlake Chinese Cultural Club (HWCCC) Chinese New Year Banquet, celebrating the Year of the Snake on Feb. 23. Each Chinese language...

Four WLSA Shanghai Academy students visit Upper School in weeklong exchange program

Four WLSA Shanghai Academy students visit Upper School in weeklong exchange program

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
February 12, 2025

Four students from the World Leading Schools Association (WLSA) Shanghai Academy participated in the East to West Exchange program at the Upper School from Jan. 27-31. This is the second year that the...

The Sunset Fire burns through Hollywood Hills Wednesday evening. The fire broke out in the afternoon in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, following the two largest fires, the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire.

Structure fire ignites half a mile away from Upper School

Colin Ho and Connor Tang
January 9, 2025

A structure fire has broken out at 3656 North Sunswept Drive, roughly half a mile east of the Upper School. The school has not reported any damage to campus at the moment.  The newest fire, the most recent...

School to host exchange students 2025

Colin Ho and Erin Ryu
December 19, 2024

The school will host exchange students from Shanghai in early January in partnership with the World Leading Schools Association (WLSA) East to West Student Exchange program. The exchange...

Tuition raised to $49,700

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
December 18, 2024

Tuition for the 2024-2025 school year has risen to $49,700, a 6% increase from $46,900 last year. Adjusted for inflation, this is an increase of around $1,200.  Chief Financial Officer David Weil ’93...

Released nearly a decade after the original takes were made, Knight’s documentary serves as an eye-opening time capsule perspective into the life of a high schooler at the school in 2014, providing a comparison to the present-day state of the school’s academic, social and cultural communities.

Alumnus director presents 2014 documentary ‘Harvard-Westlake High’

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
December 18, 2024

The documentary “Harvard-Westlake High,” created and produced by  Líto Knight ’14 in his senior year at the school, was screened in Ahmanson Lecture Hall on Dec. 9. The documentary consists of...

Tuition increases by 6% from last year, nearing $50,000

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
December 18, 2024

Tuition for the 2024-2025 school year has risen to $49,700, a 6% increase from $46,900 last year. Adjusted for inflation, this is an increase of around $1,200. Chief Financial Officer David Weil ’93...

Senior Prefect Victor Suh speaks to attendees of the November Coffee House, which was held in Chalmers Lounge on November 11.

Students perform in November Coffee House

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
November 19, 2024

Senior Prefect Victor Suh speaks to attendees of the November Coffee House, which was held in Chalmers Lounge on November 11.

Students at the school discuss their opinions and reactions after the 2024 presidential election.

Students react to election results

Colin Ho and Erin Ryu
November 12, 2024

Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump was elected to be the 47th President of the United States on Nov. 5, defeating Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential...

School to replace all AP classes starting next year

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
November 6, 2024

Starting next school year, the administration will remove all Advanced Placement (AP) classes, following a removal of most AP humanities and art classes, Head of upper School Beth Slattery said. Slattery...

National Merit Semifinalists Named

National Merit Semifinalists Named

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
October 31, 2024

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) selected over 16,000 students  as National Merit Semifinalists, including 32 members of the Class of 2025. In California, students needed to achieve a...

Club leaders Amelia Chiarelli '25 and Rheanna Vradiy '25 stand together in the Quad. They both organized the booth for students to register.

Club organizes booth on Quad to register voters, promote voting

Colin Ho, Assistant News Editor
September 26, 2024

The Human Rights Watch Club ran a voter registration and pre-registration booth on the Quad during lunch on Sept. 19. Students 16 and older were able to fill out necessary forms in order to vote in future...

An elephant and donkey, representing the republican and democratic parties, face off under an "I Voted" sticker.

Backing the Ballot

Kayla Graff and Colin Ho
September 4, 2024

An elephant and donkey, representing the republican and democratic parties, face off under an "I Voted" sticker.

Worlds Debate team members pose for a photo with their trophies for placing fifth in this year’s NSDA National Tournament.

Debate places fifth at national contest

Colin Ho, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
September 4, 2024

Worlds Schools Debate team  members Nilufer Mistry Sheasby ’24, Liv Kriger ’25 and Nate Verny ’25 placed fifth in the annual National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in...

Summer journalism student Vivienne Kremser Marlborough ’30 poses with "seat fillers" in the Dolby Theater on a tour.

Summer school sights stars

Even before students started investigating LA, they had brushes with fame
Summer School Staff and Colin Ho
June 20, 2024

When you attend summer school at Harvard-Westlake in Studio City, star sightings are a common occurrence. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was training on the track at Ted Slavin Field...

MixD club leaders Micah Parr ’25 and Nilufer Mistry Sheasby ’24 pose with club members and guest speaker Sasha Khokha. Khokha spoke about her experiences being multiracial and her new speaker series, "Mixed Race."

MixD club hosts multiracial journalist to speak about personal experiences

Colin Ho, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
May 30, 2024

The Multiethnic Inclusion and Diversity Club (MixD) hosted Radio Host and Producer Sasha Khokha to speak about her new podcast titled “Mixed Race” in Feldman Horn on May 22. Khokha is also the host...

Rex Grube '25 gives a speech to his peers for Head Prefect elections.

Senior Prefects elected for 2024-2025 school year

Colin Ho
May 8, 2024

Marlo Beckman ’25, Gideon Evans ’25, Rex Grube ’25 and Victor Suh ’25 were elected to be Senior Prefects for the 2024-2025 school year. After 19 candidates gave speeches in Rugby Auditorium on...

Peer Support coordinators selected for 2024-2025 school year

Colin Ho, Staff Writer
April 24, 2024

Van Kamenstein ’25, Pearl Gatins ’25, and Assistant Opinion Editors Eden Conner ’25 and Hana Mehdi Williams ’25 were chosen to serve as Peer Support coordinators for the 2024-2025 school year,...

The school gathered along the Quad and viewed the solar eclipse through telescopes and solar eclipse glasses. Asher Meron '25 attempts to take a picture of the solar eclipse through a telescope.

School community views solar eclipse

Colin Ho and Eila Shokravi
April 23, 2024

Areas of the United States experienced a total solar eclipse April 8. While Los Angeles (L.A.) did not witness a total eclipse, a partial eclipse was visible. The last time a total solar eclipse was observable...

MESA club observes the Persian New Year on March 19

Colin Ho
March 20, 2024

Middle Eastern Student Student Association (MESA) hosted its annual Nowruz celebration on the Quad on March 20. Nowruz is the first day of the Persian New Year, which falls on the first day of spring and...

The annual Spring Jazz Combo Concert was held in Rugby Auditorium on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25

Jazz ensembles perform in Spring Jazz Combo Concert

Colin Ho
March 4, 2024

The annual Spring Jazz Combo Concert was held in Rugby Auditorium on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. On the first night, Jazz Ensemble Combo #1, Jazz Rhythm Section Combo #1, and Blue Whale Combo performed. On the...

Students perform in acting showcase

Colin Ho, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
February 14, 2024

Students in the Advanced Performance Studies class this semester performed the play “Do You Feel Anger?” by Mara Nelson-Greenberg on Jan. 20 in the Drama Lab, which now serves as a new blackbox theater....

SANAH hosts bake sale for refugee children

SANAH hosts bake sale for refugee children

Colin Ho, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
January 4, 2024

Supporting American Newcomers At Home (SANAH), a school chapter of a program created by the non-profit Miry’s List, hosted a bake sale fundraiser Jan. 4 during lunch on the quad. All proceeds from the...

Mark Dai ’26 and Mike Dai ’26 set up their booth "Mark and Mike's Jams."

Prefect Council hosts annual Winter Market

Colin Ho, Layout Assistant and Staff Writer
December 16, 2023

Prefect Council hosted the annual Winter Market on the Quad during lunch Dec.13. Winter Market is an opportunity for faculty and student vendors to promote their small businesses and sell their products...

Senior Independent Studies

Eleven Seniors were chosen this semester to work on independent study projects. The seniors and their advisors are highlighted here.
Sienna Dall’Olmo, Erin Ryu, Everett Lakey, Colin Ho, Nathan Wang, Audrey Kim, Alex Lee, Max Turetzky, Justin Tang, Lydia Gugsa, and Eila Shokravi
November 15, 2023

Chloe Dolkart By Sienna Dall'Olmo Chloe Dolkart ’24 is studying the relationship between COVID-19 and developing Type 1 diabetes for her Senior Independent Study. Dolkart is working with Upper...

Choir students pose for a group photo during choir retreat outside of Feldman-Horn.

Choirs convene for annual retreat

Colin Ho, Staff Writer
October 3, 2023

Wolverine Chorus, Bel Canto and Chamber Singers convened at Saint Saviour’s Chapel from Sept. 22-23 for their choir retreat. Conventionally, the retreat takes place at a center in the San Bernardino...

Local communities report rise in COVID

Alex Lee and Colin Ho
September 21, 2023

As national COVID cases increase, the school has faced an increasing number of absences from students and faculty. According to Student Discipline and Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado, four to five...

BUILDING UP A DREAM TEAM: 2023-2024 Head Fanatics Zion Otaño ’24, Lily Stambouli ’24, Annabelle Mass ’24, Ben Boateng ’25, Fiona Ryan ’25 and Boaz Maydew ’24 pose for a group photo after meeting in preparation for this year’s spirit activities at athletics games.

Head Fanatics elected for 2023-2024 year

Colin Ho
September 21, 2023

Upper school students voted for their Head Fanatics in a survey sent out by Prefect Council on Aug. 30. Prefect Council announced the election results in an email the following day. Lily Stambouli ’24,...

Newly elected senior Head Fanatic Lily Stambouli '24 cheers with the crowd at a football game during the 2022-2023 school year.

Students elect head fanatics for 2023-2024 school year

Colin Ho
September 2, 2023

Upper school students voted for their Head Fanatics in a survey sent out by Prefect Council on Aug. 30. Prefect Council announced the election results in an email the following day. Lily Stambouli ’24,...

New faculty and staff join for 2023-2024 school year

Alex Lee, Erin Ryu, Lyla Kavanagh, Nathan Wang, Tali Gurule, Connor Tang, Colin Ho, Lydia Gugsa, and Ella Jeon
August 29, 2023

Sarah Miller: Upper School Dean By Alex Lee Sarah Miller joined the Upper School as a dean, replacing Sara Miranda, who left after three years at the school. Miller worked in college admission...

Mudd Library will be closed off until the renovation is completed in November. In the meantime, a temporary library has been created.

Mudd Library to remain closed until November amid renovation

Eden Conner and Colin Ho
August 27, 2023

Construction on Mudd Library began in June following graduation and is on schedule to be completed after Thanksgiving break in November. The renovated space will house the school’s relocated Learning...

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Colin Ho