It All Happens Here
Poem and Drawing by Sabrina Simek ‘26
It shaped me before I even knew what it was.
Worlds colliding, past, present,
and future.
An impact rippling through generations.
Standing here on the concrete, I felt like I belonged.
Buildings meet a clear blue sky.
Crisp morning air skimming across the lawns.
Bright, wide open spaces.
Cleaner, clearer, closer.
Closer to home.
It was beautiful.
It IS beautiful.
I was here and I was going to experience the cherished memories my mom and uncle had before me.
All in a different time.
30 years later I get to walk the same halls.
I get to be a Wolverine.
The campus has changed, an ever evolving map, growing and expanding.
But the destination is still the same.
The journey has new stopping points, new waters to ride, a boat held together by a community striving for better.
A sail made from bonds lasting lifetimes, a wheel made from maturity.
I’m finding myself in the same place, but it’s not the same place.
The three of us each went to the same school, but our experiences are so different.
Each of our legacies holds something unique.
He experienced Harvard before Westlake.
She experienced Harvard-Westlake right after the merger, trying to find its identity as one.
She sees its progressions and adaptations,
Growing
Uniting
Defining
The Harvard-Westlake experience.
And I see a new beginning.
It’s changing, but more than that, it’s creating
A safe harbor to so many from all over.
Driving in each morning, a greeter meets us with a wave,
A horizon beckoning ships.
Teachers welcoming
Students welcoming
The exploration of ourselves and the world around us.
There is a freedom found here to be yourself, whoever that may be.
It is here that your academic journey is defined by an unparalleled educational experience, where goals are not just goals.
They become reality.
It is here, 30 years later, I get to find myself in the same place my mom did.
It is here, 30 years later, I have found myself.
It is here, we find a way to impact the world just as the school has impacted us.
We grow together, learn together, and work towards a better future.
It
All
Happens
Here.
