By Grace ‘ 22
Are you a polyglot interested in journalism and magazine production? Introducing Babel Magazine, Harvard-Westlake’s official world language publication! Starting in 10th grade at the Upper School, students can attend club meetings and meet our Editors-in-Chief, who will explain the logistics of the club as well as all of the wonderfully immersive experiences the magazine fosters. With categories spanning all Harvard-Westlake-taught languages, as well as a miscellaneous category for all the languages spoken in the homes of our students, Babel accumulates a staff of students in the first semester, ranging all skill levels and dialects. Over time, we’ll receive community submissions, sort and edit them, and arrange everything in a cohesive and themed spread for a single publication released in May. Students often get involved early by applying for Head Editor positions, art and design roles, and eventually, Editor-in-Chief designations as seniors. Responsibilities of these roles include everything from training sessions for Adobe programs to reading many student-written pieces! Babel continues Harvard-Westlake’s DEI mission by combining stories, essays, recipes, poems, and art from any and all cultures, both on and off campus. Babel staff is currently working with SLIDE, a Harvard-Westlake affinity group, to further diversify and collaborate on campus. Involving languages and cultures in that space has become important for all members of the Harvard-Westlake community; it gives a more cultural and linguistic perspective on community difference. Recently, Babel has also taken up more expansion into both a website and a radio show, and we cannot wait for all new HW students to carry forth the magazine and its stories! If you want to come into the Upper School with a place to call la maison, we can’t wait to wilkommen you to Babel! Te veo pronto!
