By Sydney ’29
Here at Harvard-Westlake, we have an abundance of resources available to students at all times.
For starters, the Munger Library is open from 7:30 – 4:30 every school day, with any of our three librarians there to assist you with any questions you may have with finding a book from our collection. We have public computers available to help with searches, as well as loaner laptops provided at the circulation desk in case you forget yours! Throughout the library, we have tables open for group or individual studying, silent study rooms, and several printers and resources that are available as needed.
One of the highlight features of the Munger Library is the Learning Center, which is open from 8:00 – 4:00 every school day, and has one of our three learning specialists at any given time. In addition to to it being a great place to socialize and hang out, the learning specialists are equipped to give help with studying, homework, study skills, organization, or just planning for every single subject.
Additionally, students have a great faculty support system, with each member of the community being assigned a dean and counselor. Their offices are both located in Hazy, with the counselors on the upstairs righthand side of the building, and the deans offices past the 9th grade lounge on the lower left hand side. They are able to help students with schedule changes, friendship or personal troubles, or just advocate for anything they need. They’re almost always available to offer advice or just a listening ear!
I know my dean, Ms. Day, was super accommodating for me and helped me out a ton when I was editing my schedule as a new 9th grader. She helped me fit in all the electives I wanted to take after I realized there were a few I wanted to drop.
We also have advisory periods during every Day 1, 3, 5 and 7, where we will meet with the same group of people for the next 4 years, though we might have a different advisor. In advisory, we discuss upcoming events such as retreat, do quick activities that help us learn to manage stress, problem-solve, and make decisions. It can also be a time to check-in with your advisor and group or have a fun period to play games and bond with your advisory peers. The advisors are also always there for guidance, whether they’re your teacher or not.
Since coming to HW, I’ve found the adjustment pretty seamless, thanks to all the great resources to help me along the way.
