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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

Tessa Augsberger

Tessa Augsberger, Editor-In-Chief

All content by Tessa Augsberger
Editors-in-Chief Tessa Augsberger and Milla Ben-Ezra stand next to each other during the first Chronicle layout.

Letter from the Editors: Encouraging a new mindset

Tessa Augsberger and Milla Ben-Ezra
May 27, 2022

As teenagers living in the world today, we are inundated with pressure to improve ourselves. With social media hounding us about the importance of self-care and our high schools consistently emphasizing...

HW Visions Progress report released Sept. 15 highlights five administration goals set in 2015 and how the school will implement change based on student opinions in the community to better student life, local communities and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Commons develops new Visions

Tessa Augsberger and Milla Ben-Ezra
October 15, 2021

The school published its first Visions progress report and released its broad-based Visions survey for its next report in an all-school email Sept. 15. The report highlights five overarching categories...

Adam Luse '23 prepares to receive a COVID-19 nose swab test from a Mend Urgent Care representative at the school's drive-thru rapid testing facility Friday.

Administration announces COVID-19 safety protocols as both campuses reopen at full capacity

Tessa Augsberger and Milla Ben-Ezra
September 2, 2021

President Rick Commons released COVID-19 protocols and other reopening guidelines for the upcoming year in an all-school email sent Aug. 17. Both campuses will reopen at full capacity, resuming all campus...

QUEENS OF WEILER HALL: Editors-in-Chief Tessa Augsberger ’22 and Milla Ben-Ezra ’22 pose at the first Chronicle layout of the year.

Letter from the Editors: Committing to our community

Tessa Augsberger and Milla Ben-Ezra
August 25, 2021

Peering over the tops of our PC screens in Weiler Hall and seeing the faces of our 76-person staff, we cannot help but remember our view while laying out Issue I of Volume 30 last year: bedroom walls,...

MESA hosts open forum discussion

Sandra Koretz and Tessa Augsberger
June 1, 2021

The Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) hosted a discussion with History Teacher Dror Yaron about current events and historical tensions between Israel and Palestine on May 18. Two days later, President...

All Together Now: (From left to right) Josh Dickson ’23, Rasak Ayeni ’23 and Ethan Fullerton ’23
chat on the Lower Quad after school during the girls soccer team’s quarterfinal win over Temecula High School.

Students attend school on campus together for first time in over a year

Tessa Augsberger
May 29, 2021

All Together Now: (From left to right) Josh Dickson ’23, Rasak Ayeni ’23 and Ethan Fullerton ’23 chat on the Lower Quad after school during the girls soccer team’s quarterfinal win over Temecula...

Seniors will have the option to pass through the halls of Seaver Academic Center on their way to classes every day starting March 3, while juniors and sophomores will be able to attend classes in person for three days out of the six-day cycle.

Commons announces more opportunities for students to learn on campus

Tessa Augsberger
April 26, 2021
Sophomores will attend classes in person on Days One, Four and Six, while juniors will do so on Days Two, Three and Five starting May 3. Seniors will have the option to attend school in person every day for the rest of the year.

Chasing Trails

Students and teachers take advantage of their newfound free time over quarantine to explore Los Angeles's scenic hiking trails.
Tessa Augsberger
April 22, 2021

From the dusty browns of Fryman Canyon to the dazzling blues of Temescal Canyon and the murky greens of Will Rogers State Historic Park, the hiking trails of Los Angeles paint a picture of the city as...

GSA to host Day of Silence on Friday

Tessa Augsberger
April 22, 2021

The Gender and Sexuality Awareness (GSA) club will host a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Day of Silence demonstration Friday. In remembrance of LGBTQ students who have suffered at...

School prepares environmental impact report for river park property

Tessa Augsberger
March 26, 2021

The school is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Report for its proposed River Park athletic and recreational facility after applying to the City of Los Angeles for a Conditional Use Permit last...

Saving ourselves

Tessa Augsberger
March 25, 2021

Every morning before I went to school, I announced the daily weather forecast and the number of days until it would rain to my siblings. Of course, I started this tradition in elementary school in the...

State lifts COVID-19 lockdown

Tessa Augsberger
February 17, 2021

State officials lifted California’s stay-at-home order Jan. 25. The state implemented the order amid a surge in infections Dec. 3, but a recent decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations allowed...

Counselors send schoolwide mental health email

Tessa Augsberger
February 11, 2021

Upper School Counselors Michelle Bracken, Brittany Bronson and Tina McGraw and Athletics Counselor Kat Scardino sent an all-school email Thursday addressing heightened mental health concerns in the school...

Community reflects on MLK Day

Tessa Augsberger
January 21, 2021

The anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which many view as especially poignant this year, occurred Monday after a year full of awareness of the country’s systematic racial injustices. Alex Chon...

School suspends on-campus activity for three weeks

Tessa Augsberger
December 23, 2020

In an email Thursday, President Rick Commons announced the closure of both the upper and middle school campuses for three weeks from Saturday to Jan. 10. Both campuses will be closed over winter break...

Students reached out to voters in Georgia
encouraging them to vote in the upcoming Senate runoff elections Jan 5.
Illustration credit: Sophia Evans

Students advocate for voter participation in Georgia

Tessa Augsberger
December 15, 2020

Members of the senior class are organizing fellow students to increase voter turnout in Georgia in time for the state's Senate runoff. Allegra Saltzman ’21 is leading Instagram outreach to high school...

On Native Land

On Native Land

Tessa Augsberger
December 11, 2020

3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave. in Studio City, California is the ancestral territory of the Chumash, Tongva, Fernandeño Tataviam and other Native American peoples, according to Native Land Digital. Now,...

Senior representatives discuss their political opinions during the student presidential debate hosted by Prefect Council. Credit: Tessa Augsberger/Chronicle

Prefect Council hosts student political debate

Tessa Augsberger
October 26, 2020

Senior representatives participated in a political debate during Community Flex Time on Tuesday. Prefect Council hosted the debate, and history teacher Lauren Nichols '03 and former history department...

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards parent the Nobel Prize in Physics

Tessa Augsberger
October 22, 2020

Astrophysicist Andrea Ghez (Evan ’19, Miles ’24 ) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Oct. 6 for discovering a supermassive black hole at the center...

Illustration by Alexa Druyanoff

Upper school deans release updated standardized testing plans

Tessa Augsberger
October 17, 2020

In accordance with new guidelines released by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, the Upper School Deans Office released updated information regarding the school’s standardized testing plans...

English Department adjusts curriculum

Tessa Augsberger
October 14, 2020

In accordance with schoolwide efforts to integrate anti-racist education across academic disciplines, the Upper School English department revised its curriculum for the 2020-21 school year. The department...

Smoke produced by several wildfires on the Pacific Coast casts a shadow around the sun in Los Angeles. The fires, most of which started burning in late August, are record-breaking, as they killed over 30 people and burned millions of acres from Oregon to Southern California. Credit: Konnie Duan/Chronicle

Wildfires along the Pacific Coast produce poor air quality, evacuations in Los Angeles

Tessa Augsberger
October 14, 2020

Audrey Perkins ’23 watched as a plume of smoke rose out of the Bobcat Fire while at a friend’s house in Pasadena. Before long, a layer of gray smoke blanketed the sky, obscuring the Californian sunshine...

Jennifer Marcus joins history department

Tessa Augsberger
September 2, 2020

Jennifer Marcus joined the Upper School History Department to teach the World and Europe II and United States History this year. Prior to working at the Upper School, Marcus taught United States History,...

Credit: Alexa Druyanoff/Chronicle

Struggling with self perception

Tessa Augsberger
August 28, 2020

As a half-German, half-American girl living in the United States, I’ve always felt as though I live in two separate worlds. One is the world of salmon on Christmas Eve, backyard gatherings where barbecue...

Commons presents reopening plans for 2020-21 school year

Tessa Augsberger and Sandra Koretz
August 5, 2020

The administration released their Return to School Plans and Guidelines for the 2020-21 school year July 31. According to the plans, students will attend classes from home in a distance-learning model...

Alumni speak about sustainability during Scholar in Residence event

Tessa Augsberger
June 26, 2020

The Kutler Center invited 2020 Scholar in Residence Adam Werbach ’91 and environmental attorney Jake Levine ’02 to discuss sustainability strategies during a Zoom webinar Tuesday. The school originally...

Cleo Maloney ’21 rehearses her campaign speech on Zoom before the Head Prefect Election on May 5. Printed with permission of Cleo Maloney

Prefect Council members chosen in runoff elections amid campaign controversy

Tessa Augsberger and Sophia Musante
June 4, 2020

After electing Cleo Maloney ’21 and Jonathan Cosgrove ’21 as Head Prefects on May 7, students chose their Junior and Senior Prefects following several runoff elections. Prefect Council members elected...

Chronicle Photography Editor Caitlin Chung ’20, who was recently named a U.S. Presidential Scholar, poses in front of her photograph “Third Generation” during National YoungArts Week in Miami on Jan. 10. Photo credit: Printed with permission of Caitlin Chung

YoungArts finalists receive national recognition for photography

Tessa Augsberger
June 1, 2020

The National YoungArts Foundation awarded Chronicle Photography Editor Caitlin Chung ’20 and Chiemeka Offor ’21 the Art of Anthropologie YoungArts Award on May 26. The nonprofit organization also...

Shutting down for the environment

Tessa Augsberger
May 21, 2020

Although the global shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in humans’ daily lives, it has also affected our environment in various ways. Just two months ago, Angelenos lined up...

Head Prefects chosen for 2020-2021 school year following runoff election

The upper school student body elected Jonathan Cosgrove '21 and Cleo Maloney '21 as Head Prefects for the 2020-2021 school year May 7 following a runoff election between Chelsea Cho ’21 and Maloney. Candidates...

Photo illustration by Siobhan Harms

Former Vermont Gov. addresses climate change

Tessa Augsberger
January 31, 2020

Former Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin spoke to students about environmental leadership and climate change during second and third period Jan. 21. Shumlin calls on administration to improve environmental...

Maddie Boudov '21, Community News Editor Sarah Healy '20, Rachel Tan-Goldhammer and Chronicle Layout Assistant and Staff Writer Sarah Mittleman '22 engage in activities such as henna decorating. Credit: Tanisha Gunby/Chronicle

SASA organizes Diwali Festival

Tessa Augsberger
November 20, 2019

The South Asian Students’ Alliance (SASA) hosted a Diwali festival after school Friday on the Quad. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights observed in late October and early November primarily on the...

Robotics teacher Andrew Theiss, Erik Anderson ’20, Page Clancy ’ 22 and Dean Reiter ’20 pose in front of the SpaceX rocket with their new SpaceX logo cups in hand. Credit: Printed with permission of Andrew Theiss

Robotics students visit SpaceX Center

Tessa Augsberger
October 31, 2019

Robotics team members, Erik Anderson ’20, Page Clancy ’22 and Dean Reiter ’20 toured the SpaceX production facility with computer science teacher and Robotics Coach Andrew Theiss on Oct. 29. During...

Cristian Pang ’20 receives a crown from President and Head of School Rick Commons for winning the schoolwide TikTok competition. Credit: Caitlin Chung/Chronicle

Spirit Week festivities culminate in Fanatic Fest

Tessa Augsberger
October 23, 2019

Upper school students, faculty and staff gathered in Taper Gymnasium in an all-school assembly for Fanatic Fest Oct. 11. Songs played by Drumline members welcomed students entering the gym, and Jake Schroeder...

Students at Maya Primary School in Kenya learn at the desks provided to them by Caitlin Chung's '20 work with M-Tree. Credit: Caitlin Chung/Chronicle

Kenyan elementary students acquire tables through school fundraiser

Tessa Augsberger
September 12, 2019

Mtree, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating innovative solutions in developing countries, delivered tables to Maya Primary School in Kenya as a result of fundraising efforts by Chronicle Photography...

Gohar Movsisian joins math department

Tessa Augsberger
August 29, 2019

Gohar Movsisian joined the Upper School Mathematics Department this upcoming year to teach Algebra II with Analysis, Precalculus and Precalculus: Trigonometry and Functions. Movsisian worked as the chair...

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Tessa Augsberger