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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

Prefects decide to revise Honor Code

Prefects decide to revise Honor Code

Hannah Shahidi, Assistant News Editor
March 20, 2024

Prefect Council will update the language of the current Honor Code to modernize it and lessen ambiguity following preliminary discussions with members of the administration, according to Upper School Dean...

President Rick Commons and Head of School Laura Ross sent out an email to parents at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday informing them of a student's arrest.

Student arrested at upper school campus

Hannah Shahidi, Assistant News Editor
February 29, 2024

A student was arrested at the Upper School by a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detective Wednesday morning, according to an email sent to parents by President Rick Commons and Head of School Laura...

Two students are seen sitting at tables on the quad having a conversation.

Behind the Wellness Plan

Hannah Shahidi and Connor Tang
August 25, 2023

The school is implementing new schoolwide wellness initiatives in response to recent student deaths in the community, as announced in an email from President Rick Commons on Aug. 1. The current Mental...

Prince Harry to Replace Commons as Head of School

Eden Conner, Staff Writer
February 10, 2023

Prince Harry will replace President Richard B. Commons effective immediately, according to an all-school email sent Jan. 23. The ginger, who made millions streaming his move out of his parents basement,...

Associate Head of School Laura Ross will begin serving as Head of School in July. Prior to becoming Associate Head of School in July 2020, Ross was Head of Upper School from 2017 to 2020.

Ross to become Head of School

Davis Marks and Chloe Park
January 3, 2023

Associate Head of School Laura Ross will become Head of School in July, according to an email sent by President and Head of School Rick Commons on Jan. 3. Following the change, Commons will serve solely...

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’88 poses for his yearbook photo during his junior year at the Harvard School for Boys.

Mayor Eric Garcetti ’88 explains allegations

Davis Marks and Will Sherwood
November 16, 2022

Discussing his time as mayor with Los Angeles Magazine on Oct. 26, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’88 said he was a survivor of sexual harassment in high school. According to Garcetti’s Press Secretary...

Antisemitic messages found carved into upper school desk

Antisemitic messages found carved into upper school desk

Will Sherwood, Hannah Shahidi, and Alden Detmer
October 12, 2022

Several Nazi swastikas and the words “Hitler Rocks” were found carved into a desk on the upper school campus, President Rick Commons said in a school-wide email Oct. 12. The carvings were first found...

President Rick Commons announces the Ted Walch Scholar endowment at an event honoring Walch in August.

School honors Ted Walch with new arts scholarship

Davis Marks
September 8, 2022

President Rick Commons announced the Ted Walch Scholar Endowment, named in honor of former Performing Arts Teacher Ted Walch, at an event celebrating his life and career August 21. Established by Marc...

A sign advertising the school’s River Park plan to replace Weddington Golf & Tennis is posted on a tennis court fence next to the Weddington parking lot. The River Park plan came closer to completion when the City of Los Angeles released its draft environmental impact report (DEIR).

City of LA releases River Park draft environmental impact report

President Rick Commons announced that the City of Los Angeles released the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the River Park project in an email to the school community March 10. Commons said...

Harvard-Westlake shows real financial strength against its peer schools in Southern California.

Profitable Nonprofit: Inside Harvard-Westlake’s Tax Records

An analysis of the school’s tax filings reveals it is the wealthiest school in California with $398.7 million in net worth, up 93% over 10 years.
Will Sherwood
January 19, 2022

Featured on its website and published in various brochures, the school’s numerous accomplishments are well known. Today, the school boasts 1,620 students, 206 full-time teaching faculty, more than 300...

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 14, 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...

In an illustration, a figure takes notes watching the Back to School virtual meeting of an English class. For Back to School Day, parents and guardians were able to follow their child's schedule and attend their classes.

Teachers host Back to School Day

Lucas Cohen-d'Arbeloff
October 1, 2021

The school hosted a virtual Back to School Day for upper school parents Sept. 25. The event helps parents learn more about their children’s courses, teachers and learning experiences. Although students...

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