Harvard-Westlake • Studio City • Volume 34 • Issue 2 • Oct. 31, 2024 • hwchronicle.com
AP classes set to be removed By Colin Ho Starting next school year, the administration will remove all Advanced Placement (AP) classes, following the removal of most AP humanities and art classes, Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said. Slattery said she considered removing AP classes for some time, but finally decided to do so this year because many teachers felt restricted to teaching the AP curriculum in their classes. Slattery added that many AP classes caused extra stress for students because the content of the classes was condensed into a shorter period of time and teachers moved more quickly to prepare for the exam. “We said to faculty, ‘If you don’t want to teach APs anymore and if you want to create new honors classes because AP doesn’t work for you anymore, you have the freedom to do that,’” Slattery said. “APs really constricted innovation in the classroom.” Slattery said one of the most pressing problems with the school’s AP courses was the confusion they created in the college admissions process, since admissions teams have viewed APs as more rigorous than honors classes, when that has not been true for the school. “At most high schools, honors courses are less rigorous than AP courses,” Slattery said. “That’s not the case here, but colleges look at a student’s application and don’t know whether the student is taking the hardest classes, and I don’t want to disadvantage our students in the college process.” Rowan Callaghan ’25 said he recognizes the long-term benefits of removing APs, but he believes there may be drawbacks for students applying to college during the transition period. “In the long term, it’s probably a good thing, because colleges see the AP classes as harder than honors classes, but oftentimes it is the opposite,” Callaghan said. “Presently, it is bad for us because college admissions people are seeing honors courses and thinking they’re less impressive than APs, but there’s just less APs available to us right now.”
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AWAY FROM PHONES: Students use their phones on the Quad during a break. The Upper School is planning to restrict phone usage on campus during school hours next year, a policy that follows a similar policy enacted at the Lower School and other schools across the country to limit phone use.
Administration bans phones for 2024-2025 school year to promote interaction, wellness By Erin Ryu
Phones will be banned during the school day on campus next school year, the school announced. The administration is enacting a similar policy first instated by the Middle School in an attempt to encourage connection and minimize distractions, Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said in the email. Slattery said she has observed a growing reliance on phones during school hours, with a lack of social interaction on campus
and some students increasingly relying on their parents for help. “I see plenty of people talking to one another, but I also see plenty of times when people are sitting at a lunch table, all of them on their phones,” Slattery said. “We’re losing interaction. I’m also worried we’re making kids less resilient because they can have an immediate response to their distress, and they never are allowed to sit in discomfort.” The phone policy was first proposed by Head of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
Ari Engelberg ’89 to the administration. After administrators agreed, the school announced the policy and joined the Coalition to Limit Access to Smartphones and Social Media (CLASS) in cooperation with a group of other independent schools, including Marlborough School and Windward School, across Los Angeles dedicated to discouraging phone use among adolescents. Engelberg said he and the school decided to collaborate with other institutions because they were also working to curb
phone usage among students. “All of the research around limiting cell phone and social media usage suggests that a collective effort is most effective,” Engelberg said. “We knew that working with our peer schools made sense. When I checked in with colleagues at those schools, it turns out they were also thinking about ways to limit phone usage on campus. It was pretty natural to call them all together and develop a framework for a joint statement and a working group.” • Continued on A2
Baseball alum pitches for Dodgers in World Series By Eden Conner Baseball alumnus Jack Flaherty ’14 started for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Oct. 25. He pitched five shutout innings, recording three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Flaherty’s outing was reminiscent of his start for the Wolverines at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2013, when Flaherty pitched
IN MEMORIAM In loving memory of:
Benjamin (Ben) Ellis ’28
a shutout in the CIF Southern Section Division I championship game. Flaherty was a four-year letterman at the school, and was drafted as the 34th pick out of high school in the first round of the MLB draft. He played alongside current MLB pitchers Max Fried ’12 and Lucas Giolito ’12. During his time at the school, Flaherty played under Athletic Director and Former Baseball Program Head Matt LaCour.
Before Game 1, LaCour said in an interview with KTLA that he was looking forward to watching Flaherty play, but also felt some nerves going into the game. “We’re all proud of Jack and everything he’s done in his career, but tonight is a little bit more special,” Lacour said. “When we get to game time, it’s butterflies in there, hoping things go well and living and dying with every pitch.” Pitcher Jackson Alex ’25 said
Benjamin (Ben) Ellis ’28 was a caring son and beloved member of the school community. He had an unmatched desire to learn in the classroom, and was an eager Latin student and dedicated member of the Middle School Robotics Team. Ben especially had a passion for animals, especial-
ly his family’s pet cats, and never hesitated to share other interests with his peers around him. In his time at the Middle School, he established himself as a kind soul to his peers on campus, and expressed himself in a unique and authentic way. Ben will be missed by his peers, teachers and the community.
Flaherty’s impact on the school’s baseball program is apparent, with coaches often referring to Flaherty as a role model for players. “You have to bring that same intensity and commitment that [Flaherty] and everyone else that came through the program that’s held success brought and match it every single day,” Alex said. Flaherty is slated to start Game 5 against the Yankees in The Bronx, New York on Oct. 30.