By James ’27
Many people view Harvard-Westlake as a bastion exclusively for highly academic students. However, this is not entirely the case. Although I enjoy academics, I am also an incredibly creative person, and I have been able to thrive and find incredible outlets for creative expression at HW.
Last year as a new 9th grader, I took part in the electives Music Technology I and II, and Drawing and Painting: Technique. These classes have dedicated teachers who take these creative fields just as seriously as academic subjects, and I was able to improve my skills in both music and art last year as a result. There are many other creative classes at both the middle and upper school campuses, including classes in dance, video art, sewing, music theory, and creative writing.
Furthermore, I am a member of Cadence for a Cause, a community service club where we perform live music for people in need. Last year, we played at a senior home, and at the Inclusion Matters Holiday Party at Aidan’s Place park. This was a fantastic opportunity to be creative while giving back to Los Angeles communities, and there are countless other creative clubs to join, including literary and humor magazines, an English Honor Society, and a songwriting club.
This year as a tenth grader, there are two history options, the standard course, and an art history class taken in conjunction with a drawing and painting class. I enrolled in the art history class, and I have found it to be a fantastic course that epitomizes the crossover of creative and academic worlds at HW. We study historically significant artworks in class, and incorporate what we learn in history into the art we create. For students interested in the visual arts, this is a great class to take in tenth grade.
This year, I am also a part of the HW New Play festival, as both a director and playwright. This extracurricular activity is a program run by Upper School Performing Arts Teacher Sabrina Washburn. I have already written a one-act play, titled “Echolalia,” for the program, and I will get to direct a play by one of my peers. In the spring, ten student-written and directed plays will be performed at the school. Personally, I think the HW New Play Festival is one of the coolest opportunities the school has to offer, and as far as I know, it is a program unique to HW.
During tenth through twelfth grade, there is a requirement that each student take at least one year of an art course. This goes to show how much Harvard-Westlake values creativity.
The opportunities I have detailed just scratch the surface of all of the school’s outlets for creativity. If you are a creative individual, I have no doubt that you can find your place at HW. I certainly have.
