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Harvard-Westlake School

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Location
Harvard-Westlake School

Possunt Quia Posse Videntur trans. They can because they think they can. lit. They are able because they are seem to be able.
Middle School: Los Angeles, CA, U.S. Upper School: North Hollywood, CA, United States
Information
Religion	None, formerly Episcopal (Harvard)
Administration	Jeanne M. Huybrechts, Ed.D. Head of School Thomas C. Hudnut, President Harry Salamandra, Head of Upper School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau, Head of Middle School John Amato, Vice-President
Faculty	214
Student:teacher ratio	7:1
Average SAT scores (2006)	685 verbal/critical reading 701 math 697 writing^[1]
Type	Independent
Campus	Suburban Middle School: 12 acres (5 ha) Upper School: 22 acres (9 ha)
Athletics	22 CIF Varsity teams
Mascot	The Wolverine; formerly the Saracen (Harvard), and the Bird of Pardise (Westlake)
Color(s)	Red, Black, White
Established	Harvard: 1900 Westlake: 1904 Fully Merged: 1991
Enrollment	Middle School: 730 Upper School: 830
Homepage	www.hw.com

Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school located in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12. The school is known for its strong academic program, selective admissions, high college matriculation, and well-known parents and alumni.

History

Harvard-Westlake is the product of the 1991 merger between the Harvard School and the Westlake School for Girls.

Harvard School

The Harvard School for Boys was established in 1900 by Grenville C. Emery as a military academy, located at the corner of Western Avenue and Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. In 1911, it confidently secured endorsement from the Episcopal Church and became a non-profit organization. In 1937, the school moved to its present-day campus on Coldwater Canyon in North Hollywood after receiving a loan from Sir Donald Douglas of the Douglas Aviation Company. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Harvard School gradually discontinued both boarding and its standing as a military academy, while continually expanding its enrollment, courses, classes, teachers and curriculum.^[2]

Westlake School

The Westlake School was established in 1904 by Jessica Smith Vance and Frederica de Laguna in what is now downtown Los Angeles, California as an exclusively female institution offering both elementary and secondary education. It moved to its present-day campus located in Holmby Hills, California in 1927. The School was purchased by Sydney Temple, whose daughter, Helen Temple Dickinson, was headmistress until 1966, when Westlake became a non-profit institution. The Temple Family owned the school until 1977, with Mrs. Dickinson serving in an ex officio capacity. Mrs. Dickinson's nephew, Hunter Miller Temple, continued the family tradition of teaching in the independent school environment and was the Headmaster of the Brentwood School in Los Angeles for twenty-five years, retiring in the 1990's. In 1968 Westlake became exclusively a secondary school.^[2]

The merger

Ted Slavin Field, Upper School

As both schools continued to grow in size towards the late 1980s, and as gender-exclusivity became less and less of a factor both in the schools’ reputations and desirability, the trustees of both Harvard and Westlake effectuated a merger in 1989. The two institutions had long been de facto sister schools and interacted socially. Complete integration and coeducation began in 1991.^[2]

Campus

At this time the school is split between the two campuses, with grades 7-9 located at the former Westlake campus in Holmby Hills, colloquially referred to as the Middle School, and grades 10-12 located at the former Harvard campus in North Hollywood, colloquially referred to as the Upper School.^[3] The Middle School is currently undergoing almost complete modernization, replacing 35 structures, including the original administration building.^[4] As of November 2006, a fund raising campaign has commenced for the modernization of the Upper School.

Academics

The academic program at Harvard-Westlake is regarded as one of the most rigorous in the country. The school offers a myriad of classes, especially in the junior and senior years, many of which are College Board Advanced Placement.

The Administration Building, Middle School

Diploma Requirements for Grades 10-12 in 2005-2006:^[5]

English—three years
History and Social Studies—two years
Foreign Language—completion through Level III in a modern language or two years of Latin and two years of a modern language
Science—two years of a laboratory science
Fine [or Performing] Arts—any two semesters
Physical Education—five trimesters
Community Service—required each year, usually twelve hours or one collaborative project

Harvard-Westlake students are regarded as some of the hardest working and most accomplished high school students in the nation. This recognition can be credited to not only the superior quality of classes at Harvard-Westlake, but also to the caliber of the students that are admitted to Harvard Westlake. Admissions at Harvard-Westlake are extremely selective each year, attracting the best and the brightest students from a plethora of schools in the Los Angeles area.

Advanced Placement

Starting in the tenth grade, Harvard-Westlake offers a wide array of College Board Advanced Placement preparation courses, the tests for which are administered by the school in May of each school year. In the 2005–2006 school year, 35 Advanced Placement preparation classes were offered. Of these, the English Language, English Literature, Physics B, and Spanish Literature courses were cited by the College Board as the best in the world among high schools with an enrollment of more than 800 students. Approximately 90 percent of students score above a three on the AP exams^[6]^[7]

National Merit

112 students in the Class of 2005 received National Merit Recognition, with 49 National Merit Finalists among 52 National Merit Semifinalists, placing Harvard-Westlake among the top ten schools in the nation for National Merit qualification^[7]

Student life

Students are involved in many extracurricular activities, from student government to a strong athletics program.

Clubs

As of the 2005–2006 school year, Harvard-Westlake had 43 registered and sponsored clubs and organizations across both campuses, among which were both serious concerns such as the Upper School's chapter of Amnesty International and more light-hearted gatherings such as the Middle School's Will and Grace Club. There is a middle and upper school debate team.

The Chronicle

Harvard-Westlake's mascot, the Wolverine

Harvard-Westlake's school newspaper, The Chronicle, is published monthly during the school year. Run completely by students, from the editor-in-chief to the opinion columns, The Chronicle is a member of the Quill & Scroll International Journalism Honorary, which has awarded it 15 consecutive George Gallup Awards; the National Scholastic Press Association, which has awarded it three National Pacemakers; and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, which has awarded it four Gold Crowns and four Silver Crowns. The California Newspaper Publishers Association named The Chronicle as California’s best high school newspaper yearly since 2003.^[8]^[9] Along with the newspaper and the yearbook, the Upper School Publications Department also produces a literary magazine entitled Stone-Cutters.

Mock trial

Harvard-Westlake's mock trial team, coached by former District Attorney and Federal Prosecutor David Hinden is one of the many extracurricular activities offered at the school. The team has a strong competitive record and won first place in the Los Angeles County Mock Trial Competition in 1995, 2000, 2003, and 2006. ^[10] The competition is conducted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation.^[11]

Performing arts

At the middle school level exclusively

Beginning and intermediate ensembles for both strings and band, as well as a symphonic orchestra
A large jazz ensemble
Classes for electronic music production
Rhythm Section Workshop
Classes offered in production, drama, acting, and contemporary dance
Grade-specific choral groups
Clark Porter Look-A-Like Association, where younger students attempt to capture the mannerisms of All-CIF selection Clark Porter.
Many dance classes and one advanced dance company, with a Dance Production Concert in the Spring and several student-choreographed shows throughout the year

Each class or ensemble is given the opportunity to perform at least once a year.

At the upper school exclusively

Two orchestras
Four jazz groups, along with workshops for trios, quartets, and quintets
Four choral groups
Two synthesizer classes
An annual film festival
An annual Playwrights Festival written and directed by students
Many dance classes and two advanced dance companies, with a Dance Production Concert in the Spring and several student-choreographed shows throughout the year

Cross-campus performing arts opportunities

Two annual stage productions (drama and musical)
Various other opportunities for collaboration, including the Upper School Concerto Concert and the Middle School Chamber Music Concert

Athletics

Harvard-Westlake fields 22 Varsity teams in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section, as well as teams on the Junior Varsity, Club, and Junior High levels.

College placement

Approximately 99 percent of graduating seniors enter a four-year college or university within two years of graduation, well above the national average and among the best in the country.