Harvard-Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California, with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve. Its two predecessor organizations began as for-profit schools before turning non-profit, and eventually merging. It is not affiliated with Harvard University despite being named after it.
| Harvard-Westlake School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| , United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent college-preparatory high school |
| Motto | Possunt Quia Posse Videntur (They can because they think they can) |
| Established | Harvard School for Boys: 1900 Westlake School for Girls: 1904 Fully Merged as Harvard-Westlake: 1991 |
| President | Richard B. Commons |
| Associate Head of School | Laura Ross[1] |
| Teaching staff | 212.0 (FTE) (2015–16)[2] |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Gender | coeducational |
| Enrollment | 1,598 (2015–16)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 7.5∶1 (2015–16)[2] |
| Color(s) | Red Black White |
| Athletics conference | CIF Southern Section Mission League |
| Nickname | Wolverines |
| Accreditation | WASC, NAIS, CAIS |
| 2013 SAT average | 688 verbal/critical reading 703 math 707 writing[3] |
| Newspaper | The Chronicle |
| Yearbook | Vox Populi |
| Website | www |
| Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
700 North Faring Road Los Angeles , California United States | |
| Information | |
| Grades | 7–9 |
| Enrollment | 727 (2015–16)[2] |
| Campus size | 12 acres (49,000 m2) |
The former Administration Building, Middle School (demolished summer 2008) | |
| Upper School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
3700 Coldwater Canyon Avenue , California United States | |
| Information | |
| Grades | 10–12 |
| Enrollment | 871 (2015–16)[2] |
| Campus size | 22 acres (89,000 m2) |
Ted Slavin Field, Upper School | |
The school has two campuses, the middle school campus in Holmby Hills and the high school, or what Harvard-Westlake refers to as their Upper School, in Studio City.[4] It is a member of the G30 Schools group.[5]
History edit
Harvard School for Boys edit
The Harvard School for Boys was established in 1900 by Grenville C. Emery as a military academy, on the site of a barley field at the corner of Western Avenue and Sixteenth Street (now Venice Boulevard) in Los Angeles, California.[6][7] Emery was originally from Boston, and around 1900 he wrote to Harvard University to ask permission to use the Harvard name for his new secondary school, and received permission from the university's then-President, Charles W. Eliot.[8][7] In 1911, it secured endorsement from the Episcopal Church, becoming a non-profit organization. In 1937, the school moved to its present-day campus at the former Hollywood Country Club on Coldwater Canyon in Studio City after receiving a $25,000 ($509,000 in current dollar terms) loan from aviation pioneer Donald Douglas.[7] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Harvard School gradually discontinued both boarding and its standing as a military academy, while expanding its enrollment, courses, classes, teachers, and curriculum.[9]
Westlake School for Girls edit
The Westlake School for Girls was established in 1904 by Jessica Smith Vance and Frederica de Laguna in what is now downtown Los Angeles, California, as an exclusively female institution offering both elementary and secondary education. It was so-named because it was near Westlake Park, now known as MacArthur Park.[7] At the time, the school was a for-profit alternative to the already-established Marlborough School, which had been established as a non-profit before the turn of the century.
It moved to its present-day campus located on North Faring Road in Holmby Hills, California, in 1927.[7] The school was purchased by Sydney Temple, whose daughter, Helen Temple Dickinson, was headmistress until 1966, when Westlake became a non-profit institution. The Temple family owned the school until 1977, with Dickinson serving in an ex officio capacity. In 1968 Westlake became exclusively a secondary school.[9]
Merger edit
As both schools continued to grow in size towards the late 1980s, and as gender exclusivity became less of a factor both in the schools' reputations and desirability, the trustees of both Harvard and Westlake agreed to a merger in 1989. The two institutions had long been de facto sister schools, and interacted socially. Complete integration and coeducation began in 1991.[9]
Cheating scandal edit
In 2008, six sophomores were expelled and more than a dozen other students faced suspensions as a result of a cheating scandal.[10][11]
Campuses edit
Currently, the school is split between the two campuses, with grades 7–9, the Middle School, located at the former Westlake campus in Holmby Hills and grades 10–12, the Upper School, located at the former Harvard campus in Studio City.[12]
The Middle School campus completed a four-year modernization in September 2008, replacing the original administration building,[13] the library, and the instrumental music building. The campus now features a new library, two levels of classrooms in the Academic Center, the new Seaver Science Center, a turf field, a new administration office, a putting green, a long jump pit, and a large parking lot. Another significant addition of the project was the Bing Performing Arts Center which features a two-level, 800-seat theater, a suite of practice rooms, a few large classrooms for band, orchestra, and choir classes, a black box theater, a dance studio, and a room with atomic pianos for composing electronic music.[citation needed]
Remnants of the former Middle School campus include the Marshall Center, which houses a gymnasium, weight room, and wrestling room, a 25-yard (23 m) swimming pool and diving boards, an outdoor basketball court, and a tennis court. Reynolds Hall, an academic building which is home to history, foreign language, and visual arts classes, began a modernization effort in June 2014 to be completed by September 2015. The building was named Wang Hall in honor of two parents who donated approximately $5 million to fund the project.[14][15]
The Upper School campus features the Munger Science Center and computer lab; the Rugby building which houses the English department, 300-seat theater, costume shop, and drama lab; the Seaver building, home to the foreign language and history departments as well as administrative offices and the visitor lobby; Chalmers, which houses the performing arts and math departments, book store, cafeteria, sandwich window, and student lounge; Kutler, which houses the Brendan Kutler Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research [16][17] and the Feldman-Horn visual arts studios, dark room, video labs, and gallery.[18]
The athletic facilities include Taper Gymnasium, used for volleyball and basketball as well as final exams; Hamilton Gymnasium, the older gymnasium still used for team practices and final exams; Copses Family Pool, a 50-meter Olympic size facility with a team room and stadium for viewing events for the aquatics program; and Ted Slavin Field, which features an artificial FieldTurf surface and a synthetic track and is used for football, soccer, track & field, lacrosse, and field hockey.[19] In 2007, lights were added to Ted Slavin Field.[20] The school also maintains an off-campus baseball facility, the O'Malley Family Field, in Encino, California.[21]
The Upper School campus also features the three-story Seeley G. Mudd Library, which is undergoing a large renovation over the Summer of 2023, and Saint Saviour's Chapel, a vestige from Harvard School for Boys' Episcopal days.[22]
In 2017, Harvard Westlake paid more than $40 million for Weddington Golf & Tennis, a 16-acre country club located less than a mile from the Upper School campus, with plans to build a Community Athletics Center on the location.[23]
Tuition for the 2023–2024 school year is $46,900, with a new student fee of $2,000. Other expenses—which include books, meals, and class activities—typically average $2,500 to $3,500— with an additional $3,000 to $3,300 for those who take advantage of the school's comprehensive bus service.[24]
Harvard-Westlake provided $14 million in financial aid in 2023.[25] That year, approximately 20% of the student body received financial aid, which averaged $33,500 for each student that received financial aid.[26]
Academic achievement edit
For the HW Class of 2019, average SATs were 716 (verbal) and 745 (math). Among the 292 seniors, there were 27 National Merit Semifinalists. Out of the approximately 1400 graduates between 2014 and 2018, twenty or more matriculated at the following universities: Barnard (20), Brown (33), Colgate (20), Columbia (37), Cornell (36), Duke (20), Emory (24), Georgetown (21), Harvard (45), Johns Hopkins (23), Kenyon (22), New York University (83), Northwestern (31), Stanford (38), Tulane (25), U. Cal Berkeley (42), U. of Chicago (43), U. of Michigan (70), U. of Pennsylvania (42), U. of Southern Cal (92), Wash U. St. Louis (50), Yale (22). [27]
For the 2019–2020 school year, Niche ranked Harvard-Westlake the best private high school in Los Angeles, the 2nd best private high school in California, and the 6th best private school in the United States.[28]
Athletics edit
Harvard-Westlake fields 22 varsity teams in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section, as well as teams on the junior varsity, club, and junior high levels. 60% of HW students participate in interscholastic sports.
Notable alumni edit
- Jonathan Ahdout, actor
- Elisa Albert, author
- Dorothy Arzner, film director[29]
- Jillian Banks, musician
- Candice Bergen, actress[30]
- Peter Bergman, actor
- Steve Bing, film producer, philanthropist[31]
- Brennan Boesch, MLB player [32]
- Autumn Burke, California State Assemblymember
- Jessica Capshaw, actress[33]
- Mindy Cohn, actress[34]
- Jarron Collins, NBA player[35]
- Jason Collins, NBA player[36]
- Lily Collins, actress, model, host[37]
- Jamie Lee Curtis, actress[38]
- Gray Davis, Governor of California[30]
- Emily Deschanel, actress and model
- Ned Doheny, musician
- Dominique Dunne, actress[39]
- Breck Eisner, TV and film director
- Tony Fagenson, songwriter, drummer for the rock band Eve 6
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actor[30]
- Beanie Feldstein, actress
- Ayda Field, actress[40]
- Stephen Fishbach, contestant on Survivor: Tocantins and Survivor: Cambodia
- Jack Flaherty, MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles
- Bridget Fonda, actress[41]
- Max Fried, MLB player for the Atlanta Braves[42]
- Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor (2013–2022)
- Scott Garson, basketball coach, College of Idaho
- Jean Paul Getty, businessman
- Lucas Giolito, MLB Pitcher
- Russell Goldsmith, attorney, Chairman and CEO of the City National Bank
- Ashley Grossman (born 1993), water polo player
- Jake Gyllenhaal, actor[30]
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, actress[30]
- Julia Hahn, Breitbart News reporter, special assistant to President Trump[43]
- H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff (1969–73)
- Mark Harmon, actor, NCIS
- Evan Harris, British Member of Parliament
- Frank C. Hoyt, theoretical physicist
- Peter Hudnut, Olympian; three time U.S. Men's Water Polo
- Alex Israel, multimedia artist, writer, and eyewear designer
- Jon Jaques, professional basketball player, assistant basketball coach (Cornell University)[44]
- Johnny Juzang, NBA player for the Utah Jazz
- Chad Kanoff, NFL player[citation needed]
- Twila Kilgore (née Kaufman), head coach (interim), United States women's national soccer team[45]
- Juliette Kayyem, author, TV analyst
- Fran Kranz, actor
- David Ladd, producer and actor
- Phil LaMarr, actor, voice actor, stand up comedian
- Pepi Lederer, actress and writer[46]
- Greta Lee, actress
- June Lockhart, actress[47]
- Billie Lourd, actress and daughter of Carrie Fisher[48]
- Jon Lovitz, actor[49]
- Myrna Loy, actress[50]
- Danica McKellar, actress, author[51]
- Alex Marlow, Breitbart News editor-in-chief[52]
- Jonathan Martin, retired NFL player
- Elizabeth Montgomery, actress[53]
- Sara Moonves, magazine editor[54]
- Tracy Nelson, actress[55]
- Masi Oka, actor [56]
- Ethan Peck, actor, grandson of actor Gregory Peck[57]
- Elvis Perkins, singer, son of actor Anthony Perkins
- Ben Platt, Broadway and film actor
- Spencer Rascoff, Co-founder of Zillow, Hotwire, Pacaso, Recon Food; former CEO of Zillow
- Jeff Rake, television producer, screenwriter
- Jason Reitman, Golden Globe-winning screenwriter, director[58]
- Sally Ride, astronaut[30]
- Ali Riley, soccer player [59]
- Josh Satin, retired major league baseball player
- Andrea Savage, actress
- David Sauvage, filmmaker, empath [60]
- Jason Segel, actor, screenwriter[61]
- Ben Sherwood, president of ABC News[62]
- Brad Silberling, film director
- Jacob Soboroff, journalist and correspondent, NBC News and MSNBC
- Tori Spelling, actress[63]
- Alex Stepheson, professional basketball player
- Erik Swoope, NFL player
- David Talbot, journalist, author, media entrepreneur[64]
- Stephen Talbot, child actor; documentary filmmaker, PBS Frontline[65]
- Shirley Temple, actress, diplomat[66]
- Kirk Thatcher
- Alyssa Thompson, soccer player
- Dara Torres, swimmer and Olympic medalist[67]
- Nik Turley, baseball player[68][citation needed]
- Matthew Weiner, writer, creator of Mad Men[69]
- Eric Weinstein, Podcast host and a former Managing Director at Thiel Capital.
- Douglas Wick, movie producer[70]
- Austin Wilson, baseball player[71]
- Jessica Yellin, journalist[72]
- Dean Zanuck, motion picture executive and producer
Notable faculty edit
- Amy Alcott (born 1956) – Hall of Fame professional golfer
- Paul Cummins – educator, co-founder and first headmaster of Crossroads School, Santa Monica, California[73]
- Caitlin Flanagan (born 1961) – writer and social critic
- Ethan Katz (born 1983) – pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox
- Ashton Kutcher (born 1978) – actor
- Nathan Reynolds (born 1933) - educator, headmaster, Westlake School for Girls [74]
References edit
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- ^ a b c d e "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for HARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
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- ^ "Our Campuses". Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
- ^ Cooper, Suzanne Tarbell; Lynch, Don; Kurtz, John G. (August 19, 2018). West Adams. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738559209 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e "Harvard Westlake creates employee friendly environment". Los Angeles Daily News. April 29, 2013.
- ^ Lowe, Janet (October 30, 2000). Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780471244738 – via Google Books.
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- ^ Rivera, Carla (February 27, 2008). "Scandal rocks private school". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ William-Ross, Linsday (February 27, 2008). . LAist. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Harvard-Westlake School". Retrieved May 19, 2007.
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- ^ "School holds Wang Hall reception - The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle". hwchronicle.com.
- ^ "Administration, trustees rename Reynolds Hall - The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle". hwchronicle.com.
- ^ "The Impact of Giving". Hw.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Pool, Bob (September 23, 2012). "Harvard-Westlake building reflects standout student's interests". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Harvard Westlake - Michael Maltzan Architecture". www.mmaltzan.com.
- ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 4, 2014) "Harvard-Westlake School's plan for parking structure upsets neighbors" Los Angeles Times
- ^ Sokoloff, Zach (May 30, 2007). . Harvard-Westlake Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- ^ "Facilities & Locations". www.hw.com.
- ^ Sweeney, Robert Lawrence (August 19, 2018). Casa Del Herrero: The Romance of Spanish Colonial. Random House Incorporated. ISBN 9780847833276 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Harvard-Westlake begins push for approval of River Park sports complex". LA Times. July 16, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "Tuition Information". www.hw.com.
- ^ "Admission > Financial Aid". www.hw.com. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "Admission > Financial Aid > Frequently Asked Questions". www.hw.com.
- ^ "School Profile" (PDF). Hw.com. September 15, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "2020 Harvard-Westlake School Rankings". Niche.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil. "The New York Times – Movies & TV". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Groves, Martha (October 8, 2004). "Goliath vs. Goliath in Battle to Expand School". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ Heyman, Marshall (June 2009). . W Magazine. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
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- ^ "2006 Harvard-Westlake Film Festival". Hw.com. April 21, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Dunne, Dominick (March 1984). "Justice: A Father's Account Of the Trial Of His Daughter's Killer". vanityfair.com. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ "Pictures from Robbie Williams' wife Ayda Field's past, including her taking part in a hula-hoop contest at school". Mirror Online. August 19, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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- ^ "Cornell University - Jon Jaques - 2009-10". Cornellbigred.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (August 17, 2023). "Twila Kilgore named interim U.S. women's soccer coach as search for replacement begins". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
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- ^ Jon Lovitz. . Biography.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
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- ^ "Elizabeth Montgomery Biography –". Biography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Jacob Bernstein (September 30, 2019). "The Most Watched Editor at Fashion Week". The New York Times. p. D1. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
Ms. Moonves also has a fear of missing out that has been with her ever since she was a student at Harvard-Westlake school in Los Angeles, talking about Nicolas Ghesquière as if he were a god.
- ^ Tracy Nelson. "Tracy Nelson Biography –". Biography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Donahue, Ann (September 12, 2007). "OUR HIRO". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
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- ^ TANKERSLEY, JIM (October 23, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street's Marketing Crisis: What Would an OWS Brand Look Like?". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ Jason Segel. . Biography.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ . Harvard-Westlake School Alumni News. December 3, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ . Biography.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Abcarian, Robin (May 30, 2007). "JFK, RFK and the brother of all conspiracy theories". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ "The Day the Beaver Died". October 1, 2017.
- ^ Shirley Temple. "Shirley Temple Biography –". Biography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Downey, Mike (August 16, 2008). "She's propelled by dad's memory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ "Staten Island Yankees defeat Connecticut Tigers behind southpaw Nik Turley, 6–3". SILive.com. July 30, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ^ Sarah Nilsen, Sarah E. Turner (April 4, 2014). The Colorblind Screen: Television in Post-Racial America. NYU Press. ISBN 9781479832446. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ^ "Harvard School - Sentinel Yearbook (North Hollywood, CA), Class of 1972, Page 276". E-yearbook.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Whether on the field or in the classroom, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) outfielder Austin Wilson is at the top of his game, writes Ryan Canner-O'Mealy". Espn.go.com. February 12, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ . Harvard-Westlake School Alumni News. March 22, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ https://smmirror.com/2005/11/the-many-facets-of-paul-cummins/
- ^ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/nathan-reynolds-obituary?id=8595443
Further reading edit
- "Westlake School for Girls, Dormitory, 700 North Faring Street, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA". Library of Congress.
External links edit
- Official website