Harvard-Westlake • Studio City • Volume 32 • Issue 3 • Nov. 16, 2022 • hwchronicle.com
Honoring Jameson McMullen By Averie Perrin and Connor Tang
Jameson McMullen ’19 passed away Oct. 13 at Brown University. McMullen, 22, was entering his senior year of college at Brown University, where he was a member of the swim team. He graduated cum laude from Harvard-Westlake and was captain of the swimming and diving team, holding records in the 100 and 200 meter free. Athletic Director of Aquatics Darlene Bible said McMullen was talented and engaged and an important part of the school’s swimming program since his youth. “Jameson or Jamo, is what everyone called him since he was little, was a bright, talented, thoughtful, beautiful young man,” Bible said. “He swam for me at Los Angeles Swim Club when he was young, and he later volunteered and lifeguarded for me with the [Summer Enrichment Program] SEP at the Middle School. I was his swimming age group coach when he was just a young man and of course followed his career and supported his swimming once he came here to Harvard-Westlake.” Bible said that she found McMullen to be extremely kind, supportive and attentive during her time working with him. “He was patient and caring,” Bible said. “He was shy, but athletic and competitive. I remember him as a young swimmer listening well, working hard, being a natural in the water and loving his teammates.” • Continued on A3
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF WOO SIM
ILLUMINATING INTERVIEWS: Carter Staggs ’23, in character as Tectonic Theater Project member Greg Pierotti, interviews Elise Fried ’24 and Clara Berg ’25, in character as Reggie Flute and Marge Murray, respectively. The play uses the real words of Laramie residents gathered through interviews.
Student performers bring activism to the stage with “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” By Davis Marks and Alden Detmer
The Performing Arts Department opened the fall play, “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” to audiences in Rugby Theater on Oct. 28, 29 and 30. The show centers on how the community of Laramie, Wyoming grappled with the murder of Matthew Shepard in an infamous hate crime that took place in their town ten years prior. In October 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay college student,
was brutally beaten and left to die on the outskirts of the town. The hate crime received international attention, leading the Tectonic Theater Project to travel to Laramie and interview residents of the town. The result of the interviews was “The Laramie Project,” a play that examines the town’s reaction to the murder and the implicit hatred that enabled it. Written a decade later, “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” is the sequel to “The Laramie Project.” The show examines how Laramie residents made excuses
to avoid dealing with Matthew Shepard’s murder and how hate, ignorance and the spread of misinformation can mold a community. In an interview with The Chronicle, Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s mother, said performing “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” provides a uniquely impactful educational experience. “It’s a life-altering experience for everybody who participates in this [play],” Shepard said. “I don’t think they realize when they take it on [that] it educates folks in a way that I don’t think
they expect. It still engages some level of controversy in communities, so I am very proud of anyone who takes it on because it can be a challenge.” Both shows use verbatim theater, a form of documentary theater that uses the exact words of real people. The school previously put on productions of ‘The Laramie Project’ in 2005 and 2012, both directed by former Performing Arts Teacher Ted Walch. This year’s production honored Walch on the ten year anniversary of his final production of the show. • Continued on C2
Ben Freeman speaks on antisemitism
IN THIS ISSUE
By Alex Dinh And Sammy Glassman
A2
B6
Sky High: Daniel Katz ’09 is promoted to the Thunderbird Squadron, which performs air demonstrations with F-16s.
Assimilation Frustration: Immigrant students share their experiences and struggles with fitting in both at the school and in America.
C1
A11
Ye or Nay?: Community members debate whether you can separate art from the artist after Ye’s antisemitic statements.
A Message From Math: Math Teacher Derric Chien shares his story with math and urges students to be comfortable with uncertainty.
Jewish author, educator and DEI specialist Ben Freeman spoke to the Upper School on Oct. 25 following recent incidents of antisemitism. Freeman was brought in to speak soon after several Nazi swastikas and the words “Hitler Rocks” were found carved into an upper school desk. This was part of a larger response to the incident, which was outlined in that same email. Freeman spoke about antisemitism, hate speech and the importance of communities. Freeman said there has been a long history of antisemitism, which goes well beyond the antisemitic acts that occurred at the school. “It is a miracle that I am standing here in Harvard-Westlake, in 2022 and we are talking about Jewish identity,” Freeman said. “The reason that it is a miracle is because of the long history of Jew hatred. There was an incident at Harvard-Westlake where a swastika was carved into a desk. And that may be an incident at this school, this year, in this country and this city. But it is something connected
to a much deeper history [of an- It’s not really about that for me. It’s tisemitism], which stretches back about the way I was born, the comthousands of years.” munity that I was born into, the Middle East Studies Teacher history that I belong to, the lineage and Jewish Club Advisor Dror [and] the ancestry.” Yaron said Freeman’s definition Jewish Club Leader Charlotte of antisemitism as a series of Newman ’24 said Freeman’s speech stereotypes resonated effectively connected the with him. history of antisemitism “One very importand recent events. ant point that Freeman “I’m really glad he made is that antisemitalked about historical tism is not merely anantisemitism, like blood other iteration of racism libel and economic liagainst Jews,” Yaron bel,” Newman said. “I said. “Antisemitism is thought that was very an insidious conspiracy important and he did a Whites theory, which holds that really good job integratDror Jews are disproportioning that into the discusYaron ately powerful imposters sion about what hapand swindlers. This type of con- pened at school.” spiracy theory currently emanates Newman said she is hoping that from both the right and left of the more people, not just Jewish stupolitical spectrum.” dents, will attend Jewish Club to Freeman said that being Jewish continue to talk about the issues extends beyond religion. Freeman mentioned in his speech. “There’s a misconception that “I’m hoping that more people to be Jewish is thought of as simply and not just Jewish people will a religious identity,” Freeman said. come to Jewish Club because I “I wear a Star of David necklace think having that space is realand a Kippah to show the world ly good,” Newman said. “I also that I’m a proud Jew. Not to show think it’ll be good because peothe world that I believe in God, or ple are just more aware of the fact I believe certain things or a faith. that [antisemitism] is real.” • Continued on A2