October 2011

UNHAPPY FEET:

Fashion forward footwear, whether flat or not, may be hazardous to your health.

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BREAKING THE RECORD: Aaron de Toledo ’12 ran the fastest 3-mile time in school history, just under 15 minutes. His cross country team is the defending CIF champion.

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The Harvard -Westlake

hronicle

Admins name 5 scholarship nominees

Los Angeles • Volume XXI • Issue II • Oct. 19, 2011

Cazeau takes job in Seattle

By Eli Haims

A committee of administrators and deans selected five seniors to compete for prestigious scholarships at East Coast colleges. Natalie Epstein ’12 was chosen as the Morehead-Cain Scholar candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. David Olodort ’12 is up for the Jefferson Scholarship for the University of Virginia. Jessica Barzilay ’12, Jessica Gold ’12 and Richard Polo ’12 were nominated for the Robertson Scholarship at either Duke University or UNC-Chapel Hill. All scholarships cover full tuition, room and board and research and travel opportunities. “We look at the students at the top of the class and then we present their profiles to see how well they match,” said Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo. Nominees for the Morehead-Cain scholarship must possess a “moral force of character, scholarship, physical vigor and leadership.” Epstein has already submitted her application for the first round of the competition and will find out if she is a semifinalist on Oct. 31. Epstein is a Peer Support Coordinator, a member of the Scene Monkeys, a varsity tennis player and has acted in various school plays. Jefferson scholarship candidates are expected to exhibit leadership, scholarship and citizenship. Olodort has to submit his application by Nov. 1 and will find out on March 30 if he is awarded the scholarship. Continued on page A8

By Judd Liebman

CHLOE LISTER/CHRONICLE

JAMMIN': Advanced Jazz Combo guitarist Max Quilici ’12 plays at Vibrato Grill & Jazz Sunday night. The Jazz Explorers and upper school performing arts teacher Shawn Costantino’s band also performed. See A16 for further coverage.

Head of Middle School Ronnie Cazeau will leave Harvard-Westlake to take a new post as Head of the Evergreen School in suburban Seattle at the beginning of the next school year. Cazeau’s departure was announced by President Thomas C. Hudnut in email to all faculty members Tuesday morning. He said he made the announcement “with pride and delight, because when one of us is supremely happy, as Ronnie most certainly is, we should all rejoice.” “It’s a huge promotion for me,” Cazeau said in a telephone interview with the Chronicle. “I am excited to be head of a school.” She said she had gotten the job offer last week after spending several days interviewing at the K-8 independent school, meeting with administrators, faculty, parents and students. She said the school felt like a comfortable fit for her and that she was drawn by its warmth. She said she would miss Harvard-Westlake enormously. Cazeau said she has family in the Seattle area, and her husband works at Boeing, which is headquartered there. During her 18 years at HarvardWestlake, Cazeau taught English and history, was a grade-level dean, admissions office and has served for five years as head of the Middle School. Hudnut said Cazeau’s “keen mind, her ready smile, cheery demeanor and abiding love for her students have helped her succeed at every step.”

INDEPTH

Campus construction forces evacuation routes to change By Saj Sri-Kumar

Ever since the first weeks of sophomore year, upper school students have practiced the emergency evacuation plans over and over again. With the construction of the Kutler Center and the new pool, it won’t be so simple this year. Traditionally, students have headed down the stairs from all over campus to Ted Slavin Field. However, with the part of the main staircase leading down from the upper part of campus now closed, evacuation could become significantly more difficult. “We tell people to be familiar with your buildings because you might not be able to use that route that you’ve always used in the drills to evacuate,” security guard Mark Geiger said. “All those people who evacuated from FeldmanHorn [and] the Library down into the quad and onto the field, they can’t go that way anymore. [The driveway] is going to be the main thoroughfare for any type of evacuation.”

Head of Upper School Harry Salamandra said he and other administrators had talked to faculty members about evacuation plans, which they plan to practice in upcoming emergency drills. “We’ll have opportunities coming up to try this out,” he said. “We have a drill coming up in October, the California ShakeOut. We’ll see how we, students and adults on the campus, can evacuate the buildings.” Salamandra said students and teachers who underwent Community Emergency Response Team training late last school year will be assets to the community. “I participated in the one in June, and it was pretty comprehensive,” Salamandra said. “It was a good program. They even had you put out a real fire with a fire extinguisher to give you some training.” Geiger also said he felt that the training could be helpful in the event of Continued on page A10

DANIEL KIM/CHRONICLE

TOUGH SHOT: Driver Alan Vucetic ’13 winds up to shoot in the Homecoming and Senior Night game against Cathedral on Oct. 15. The Wolverines won the game 10-7.

Boys’ water polo beats Cathedral, heads into Loyola game 12-6 By Michael Aronson

Brian Flacks ’06 entered UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center at his alma mater, but not as a player. This time, he was coaching the Wolverines, his former high school team, in its Homecoming game against Cathedral. Parents and students filled the stands at the game in Westwood, which doubled as the team’s senior night and Homecoming game. The Wolverines moved the ball with

ease and dominated early, jumping to a 1-0 lead. Cesar Velazquez ’12 put the first points on the board with a goal that barely snuck into the left edge of the net just three minutes in to the first period. Cathedral tied the game two minutes later, ripping a shot that beat goalie Rye Newman ’13. Flacks’ hands were in the air in Continued on page C6