Harvard-Westlake • Studio City • Volume 32 • Issue 1 • August 24, 2022 • hwchronicle.com
Financial records published
Weekly PCR tests suspended By Chloe Park
By Will Sherwood
The school announced revised COVID-19 health protocols in its “Return to School” document Aug. 8. Among the policies are compulsory self-testing before returning to campus, optional masking and mandatory vaccination. Schoolwide PCR testing will no longer be required. Associate Head of School Laura Ross said although COVID-19 is unpredictable, she thinks the new policies are appropriate for the current situation. “Throughout the past three years, we have tried to not set policies too far in advance because if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that circumstances shift,” Ross said. “There could be a time when we need to reintroduce mandatory indoor masking, or there could be a time when, God forbid, we have to be remote again, but we cannot predict what will happen.” Ross also said the school’s policies align with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) guidelines. She said a lack of parent pushback makes her confident about the policy adjustments. “We always follow LADPH protocols, and we do not know how those will shift, but for the moment, we are happy that the surge in Los Angeles seems to be declining,” Ross said. “When we sent out the protocols, we got almost zero responses, which lead me to believe that people think that we are taking the right approach and that people feel comfortable coming back.” The school introduced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in August 2021. The COVID-19 protocol document says all members of the school community are expected to stay up to date on booster shots. The school plans to fully reopen campus programs, athletics, performing arts, student travel and other activities without capacity limits, policies that follow LADPH guidelines.
While the losses resulting from the pandemic seem incalculable, the school’s tax returns for 2020-2021 tell a different story. In a year when its campuses were closed and its community reeled from the effects of COVID-19, the school’s financial performance broke all records, with net income surging 327%, according to its latest tax filing. Total assets, a measure of the school’s net worth, grew to $520.8 million, up 25.9%, driven by investments in the booming stock market and record fundraising. From July 2020 to June 2021, the school’s net income –– the profit of a not-for-profit organization –– totaled $39.3 million, according to the school’s Form 990, which is submitted annually to the IRS by organizations with tax-exempt status. It was the most profitable year in the school’s long history, exceeding its previous record of $31.8 million in 2016, according to the returns visible on the internet. In 2021, total expenses dropped 2.4% to $5 million. While tuition increased 4% to $41,300 during the 2020-2021 year, the school reduced its program expenses for its 1,624 students by 4.4% to $64.9 million. Chief Financial Officer David Weil ’93 said because the school’s annual budget is planned ahead of time, many of the funds allocated for canceled activities during the 2020-2021 school year and events were redirected, but the still lower than expected expenses left a larger net income than normal. “Come May 2020, with just two months’ experience with online [schooling] and a rapidly-changing COVID-19 landscape, school administrators and the Board of Trustees passed the 2020-21 budget and, conservatively, assumed a regular school year replete with events, sports, travel, conferences and the like,” Weil said in an email.
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PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF REB LIMERICK
WALCHFLIX IN ACTION: Former Performing Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher Ted Walch entertains the crowd at the 2019 edition of Westflix, the school’s film festival.
School hosts celebration of Ted Walch’s career after his retirement
By Davis Marks
Community members celebrated the life and career of former Performing Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher Ted Walch at an event at the Upper School campus Sunday. Walch, who taught at the school for over three decades, retired in August after being diagnosed with brain cancer. The event, organized by producer Marc Platt and the school, offered over 800 in-person attendees and virtual viewers the opportunity to honor Walch with him present. The Today Show on NBC will also be producing a segment about Walch’s life and career and will feature footage from the event and testimonials from attendees. Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said the purpose of the event was to celebrate Walch’s impact on the school community. “This event really came out of the idea of what a blessing it would be for Walch to actually be there,” Slattery said. “I was
in charge of his email because he could not type, and reading tribute after tribute [people sent to Walch] showed he is emblematic of what good teaching can do. I love the idea of bringing all these people from different parts of his life, and [it is great for] him to be able to enjoy how much he means to thousands of people in his life.” Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo said students admire Walch because of the confidence he inspires in them. “Walch is one of the most beloved and influential teachers who [has] ever taught at the school,” Cuseo said. “He believed in every student he ever taught. To have a teacher that thinks you’re brilliant in whatever way you are brilliant is an incredible gift that will be missed.” Attendees were welcomed into Taper Gymnasium at the start of the event to watch a program honoring Walch. In addition to pre-recorded videos, the program featured live speeches and performances from President Rick Commons, actresses Allison Jan-
ney and Beanie Feldstein ’11, singer and actor Ben Platt ’11, journalists David Ignatius and Jacob Soboroff ’01, former President Tom Hudnut, members of Walch’s family and others. Following the program, attendees ate dinner from food trucks on Ted Slavin Field and socialized with each other and Walch. Hudnut hired Walch in 1991 to create a theater program for the school. Walch directed the school’s theatrical productions and built up the performing arts department while serving as the Performing Arts Department Chair. In recent years, Walch taught Cinema Studies, a course that teaches seniors how to deeply examine and better understand film as an art form, and co-taught Philosophy in Art and Science with Mathematics Teacher Kevin Weis, which examined various philosophical principles through a collection of works. Since 2016, Walch hosted Cinema Sundays, a Kutler Center program in which he screened a variety of films and hosted discussions about them, often including guest lecturers. • Continued on A2
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IN THIS ISSUE
A4 Nationally Noticed: Alex Lee ’24 won the National Debate Championship and speaker award in Louisville, Kentucky.
A10
B3
Junior Jailbreak?: Junior Averie Perrin ’24 outlines her opinion on juniors being allowed to leave campus during the day.
Senior Celebrations: With Ring Ceremony on the horizon, students past and present reflect on the changing traditions of the event.
C1 Fellowship Recap: Julia Im ’23 and other fellows look back on their summer projects comissioned by the school.
D3 Waterpolo Warriors: This season, the boy’s varsity waterpolo team started practicing against college-level athletes to train.