CHRONICLE the harvard westlake
Studio City âą Volume 28 âą Issue 9 âą May 30, 2019 âą hwchronicle.com
Chinese teacher departs By Sofia Heller
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAITLIN CHUNG, SPENCER KLINK AND KYRA HUDSON
By Kyra Hudson
The Abortion Argument
After realizing that the guy she had just had sex with didnât use a condom, Piper* â20 had to take Plan B OneStep. The emergency contraception kept Piper from facing an unwanted pregnancy, but under the anti-abortion bills that are being passed in states throughout the country, Piper would not have the ability to have gotten the abortion that she said she could have potentially needed. âI think that once youâve gone through that kind of experience, itâs really scary thinking that some women wonât have access to the same things I did,â Piper said. âItâs an eye-opening experience, and I realized how lucky I was
to live in a place where things were so accessible to me.â The recently passed controversial anti-abortion bills restrict abortion rights, generally making abortion illegal as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Usually, a heartbeat can be detected at six weeks, but in many cases this is before a women is even aware that she is pregnant, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Over the span of the last five months alone, six states have passed anti-abortion bills, with Alabamaâs being the most restrictive as a near-total ban on abortion, according to the New York Times. The legislation in Alabama makes no exception for rape or incest cases, and doctors who per-
form abortions could face life in prison. After being signed by Governor Kay Ivey, Alabamaâs new law is set to be put into effect in six months, but due to the strong disapproval of the extremity of the bill, it might ultimately be blocked, according the HuffPost. Abortion was banned in the state over 150 years ago, but after the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade, abortion has been legal throughout the entire United States. While there has been a lot of vocal public disapproval for the bills, especially the one in Alabama, almost half of all Americans consider themselves âpro-life,â according to the Washington Post. Contrarily, in a Chronicle poll of 303 students, only 6 percent
consider themselves âpro-life.â âI am anti-abortion,â Sion Yoo â20 said. âI consider the fetus inside the womb to be a baby. A lot of the time people get an abortion because they donât want to be responsible, and I donât think itâs right that they are avoiding that responsibility when they decide to be sexually active by getting an abortion.â The number of states passing anti-abortion bills is continuously increasing, with bills being close to passing in states such as South Carolina and Missouri, according to the Washington Post. Following a 10-year period where abortion was allowed, âą Continued on B6
The school reported testing irregularities to the College Board that they felt unfairly benefited studentsâ performances on the Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture exam, President Rick Commons said. âHarvard-Westlake will always report any irregularities that compromise the integrity of our standardized test or any other kinds of tests,â Commons said. AP Chinese student Mary* â19 said that when she arrived late to the exam, her teacher was sitting outside the entrance of the testing area. Before Mary walked in, she said the teacher asked her if she knew what the Spring Festival, the festival that celebrates the new year, was and if she was prepared to talk more about it. After the break, Mary said the teacher was still sitting by the entrance of the testing area and proceeded to discuss the Cultural Presentation portion of the exam. âSomehow, it came to the general understanding that Spring Festival was going to be the prompt, so during the break, everyone was swarming the teacher, where [the teacher] was sitting the whole time,â Mary said. âThey had to run into [the teacher] when they walked out of the room, and they were all asking [the teacher] questions about the Spring Festival.â After working with the College Board, Commons said AP Chinese students will be able to retake the exam. For the duration of the school year, [the teacher] will be on leave, Head of the Upper School Laura Ross said in an email to the students and parents of her classes.
School to welcome Interim Associate Head of School By Jenny Li
Debbie Reed will assume the position of Interim Associate Head of School, President Rick Commons announced in an email to students, parents and faculty May 9. Reed will take the office during the 2019-2020 school year. During that time, the administration will search for a long-term appointment for the position, Commons said. âIn addition to partnering with me in the overall leadership of our school, [Reed] will focus on teaching and learning, working closely with the division heads on faculty hiring, professional development
and curricular oversight,â Commons said in an email. Although the school will change structurally in the coming years, including the implementation of a new block schedule and the introduction of new classes, Reed said she will work to help the community adjust next year in her interim position. âI have seen a lot of change because change management is something I understand and transition is something I understand,â Reed said. âThe ability to check in with teachers, to check in with your classmates, to work with your classmates, all of that will happen. I can assure people
that the excellence of the program will remain and teachers will be provided with the support that they need.â Reed is currently a member of the Board of Trustees and served as an English teacher at Harvard School for Boys, as well as Head of Middle School, Director of Admissions and seventh grade dean after the merger. âShe was beloved by colleagues for her wit and her warmth and her work ethic,â Commons said. âWhen I was a young teacher, I went over to the Middle School to coach soccer every afternoon in the fall. As I would leave practice, âą Continued on A4
ONLINE
Behind the scenes: listen to the Chronicle Podcast Network
Members of the school community have recorded podcasts of various topics, including politics, sports and current events, throughout this past year. Use this QR code to access the Chronicle Podcast Network and listen to our student podcasts.