Chen savors life after college apps
In late January, Mia Chen (12) found herself on a road trip in the Joshua Tree desert with a few of her closest friends, sitting in the hot tub of an AirBnB they’d...
Dear young Caitlynn,
This microcosm that we call Westview feels so big right now, yet you steadfastly, foolishly hope to conquer all. With this unearned arrogance in an unfamiliar environment,...
At the beginning of the year, I decided to name my column “Social Butterfly.” Each fall, monarch butterflies migrate from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico. Similarly, next fall, I, Westview’s social...
There was a living, growing presence following the girls soccer team this season. Once you joined the team, this presence engulfed you. It’s there when forward Lily Bryan (12) tosses you a tangerine...
English teacher Antoinette Lemersal began reading when she was 4 years old. Her kindergarten teacher was so in awe of her ability to read at a young age, she would have Lemersal read to her husband...
A storm was brewing for many of us seniors: gray clouds rolled in, a thunderous roar erupted, and the sky began to pour tears. We were in the high seas—facing an unpredictable battle with the waves...
“Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth,” Mason Williams (12) instructed as he, Kadence Ly (10), and I ran to his 4Runner to see President Joe Biden. “Extend your arms, but not...
Sunny Khurana (12)’s time spent playing the violin has been much like a sonata form. Not to be confused with a sonata, a sonata form is how a movement can be structured.
In the exposition,...
Two weeks ago, I was having a really bad week. I had lost a best friend, I wasn’t attending my classes, I was overwhelmed by makeup schoolwork, and I had ripped my favorite pair of pants in a place...
On Dec. 3 at 5:43 p.m., the sun was fading on the horizon at Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School in Long Beach. The Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) field meet team, however, was...
For this column, I usually seek out experiences, but this one came barreling toward me at 100 mph. It didn’t knock. It didn’t wait for a “hello?” on the other side of the door. Instead, it...
Two weeks ago, I couldn’t escape it. It seemed that in every essay I read in APEL somebody’s mom, wife, or sister had cancer. The Washington Post reminded me on my Instagram story to get a mammogram....
Fresh out of retirement, former AP Environmental Science (APES) and physics teacher Robert Whitney leaves his house at 6:45 a.m. three times a week on a 17.5-mile trek from Escondido to Westview. He...
On June 9, after the class of 2022 graduates had cleared, the families and friends left the bleachers, and nothing was left in the stadium but littered graduation pamphlets, empty water bottles and...
As Westview leaves its first 20 years behind, its next 20 years present promise. It creates the same opportunity for innovation as when Westview first opened.
This new beginning follows on the heels...
I was told we’d be targeting elderly voters and because I have an affinity for elders, I hoped to spark conversation about World War II, listen intently to the whistle of their wispy voices, and...
Custodial Supervisor Art Wolfe stands at the side gate by the gym each morning, waves hello to each student, and smiles, radiating warmth. Although Michaela Liff (11) doesn’t know Wolfe well, his...
As I try to fall asleep, my thoughts keep swirling; I rhythmically rub my feet together to relieve some anxiety. Sometimes, I shut my eyes tightly and will myself to conjure an image in my head, one...
A red carpet was rolled out through the doorway into the ballroom of the Pacific Views Event Center at Camp Pendleton. On one corner of the room was the snackbar with an illuminated sign and clear...
In elementary school, I would bring PB & J sandwiches with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Gushers, and Strawberry Kiwi Caprisuns for lunch. My friend brought the food her mom packed her; fermented eggs,...
In eighth grade, Lucy Sullivan (11) and Lily Bryan (11) sat on top of the pole vault pads on the Westview track after they submitted their applications to be freshman class presidents.
“[We indulged]...
Color Guard coach Sarah Abdulal had been checking the forecast two weeks prior to the tournament, reassuring herself repeatedly that “we’re fine.” However, at the first Winter Guard tournament...
In 2017, living in Moscow was bleak for Max Kharebava (12). He said the people around him didn’t smile, and each man had the same traditional, buzzed haircuts and the same, traditional jobs in manual...
Josh Yang (10) lifts a bin of recyclable papers into a recycling dumpster. He and other ASB members volunteer to do this every Friday in order to grow the new ASB-led recycling program.
In the summer of sixth grade, London Hall (10) and her younger niece, Skye Powell, shared a space in the trunk of Hall’s mother’s white Ford Explorer. There, they scribbled pictures in marker of...
Johnny Levine (12) plays the bass and sings back-up for the band Hangman's cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, March 12. Levine and his bandmates formed the band last May to pursue their passions for music...
To strangers, Betty White seemed like the kind of person who would bake chocolate chip cookies, knit a soft sweater, and produce a stray Werther’s Original caramel from her purse for you. However,...
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Each morning in seventh grade, Matt Stevens lumbered downstairs, grabbed a cup of coffee from his Mr. Coffee coffee pot, and helped himself to a plate of Eggo waffles. Stevens...
After thoughtful consideration of the many criticisms and qualms filling my ‘tis the season to be quiet’ box, I’ve ultimately decided you’re all wrong. I believe I’m not only completely justified...
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At 8 years old, Jennifer Linnell (12) began with the basics; chocolate chip cookies. As she tied the strings of her dad’s oversized, black apron tight, she assembled her ingredients:...
GOLD President Katie Jacques (12) practiced her salute once before the competition—but she had messed up—so she stood in front of her mirror and practiced another 30 times.
The moment was surreal...
One of Kailyn Donnelly’s (9) favorite clothing stores smells like the beach. St Peter's Thrift Shop is a scene of chaotic beauty—many of the entrances are barricaded by boxes stacked high with...
One evening in 2019, coach Ron Stevens realized his team was going to be down a few players for a big flag football game. His daughter, Ava Stevens (9), who was twelve at the time, stepped onto the...
The last time I went to Homecoming I had braces, a 4.0 GPA, and what I now believe to be a naïve hopefulness for the world. Freshman year was a time of optimism; the world was my oyster and Homecoming...
Commanding Officer Caeden Giorgetta (12) stood in front of the judges and audience to deliver a battalion sound off as a united unit with his Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NJROTC)....
Caleb Dang (12) laced up his coveted Nike Undefeated x Kobe 4 Protro sneakers in the San Antonio Spurs’ team colors as he stepped onto the court. It was 20 minutes until game time and Rick &...
As an avid reader of the U.S. Constitution, I know all citizens are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So unless Congress has made a sudden amendment to the Constitution since...
Every time Ricky Zhao (12) entered into Rubio’s and saw his co-worker Logan Henry (12), he never failed to dap up his “homie” with a fist bump and a head nod. Sometimes, they even daringly went...
Science teacher Robert Whitney's favorite colors are unpopularly yellow and orange simply because they remind him of a sunrise. Each morning Whitney wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and then at 6:30 a.m. buckles...
“There is nothing in this room that I can’t trace back to the Industrial Revolution,” social science teacher Dan Lutgen said confidently in March to his second-period World History class; I was...
Nate Reyes (10) works on a new EDM track called "Phazer." It took him two weeks to create this 3 minute and 38 second beat. Photo courtesy of Nate Reyes.
While in English...
I initially praised the conviction of Derek Chauvin, who was declared guilty of all three charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter by the 12 jury...
For the past year, I’ve been riding the roller coaster that is American politics, and the neck-breaking twists and turns of the Mitch McConnell ride always leaves me disoriented.
McConnell truly...
When Armita Fazel (11) was in sixth grade, a boy asked her a seemingly innocent question, “Are you Iranian?” As she responded yes, the boy proclaimed that all Iranians were terrorists, then asked...
On Sept. 18 the formidable dissents, the witty and fiery Ginsburns, and the hopeful semblance of justice within America faded as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed from this world.
Despite being...
While Audrey Tu (12) grasped her water gun close to her side, her partner Sophie Wallis (12) positioned her phone’s camera just beyond the wall. I, as their bait—the unfortunate student...
CJ Latimer (12) runs uphill sprints, which are one of the many exercises he completes while he trains with his private coach, July 12. He later sent the recordings filmed at this time to various...
Each day, Ekene (11) and Nene Okolo (‘19) work to educate their followers on Black history that is rarely taught within the school curriculum through their Instagram account @BlackinPUSD. The account...
