By Lindsay Der
Though widely considered a class rather than a club, the true embodiment of ASB is something completely different than either: a family. How can ASB be anything but when its students spend every morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m., every rally night from 2:40 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and countless hours outside of school together, planning and preparing? As treasurer of ASB Junior Rachel Griffith explains, “The goal of ASB is to improve the lives of Westmont students.” ASB’s upward of sixty dedicated student leaders plan everything from Winter Wishes to prom, working diligently to provide an unforgettable high school experience for the students of Westmont. Right now, the club is hard at work organizing this year’s Battle of the Classes, complete with spirit days, lunchtime activities and a rally, where the esteemed Wally Cup will be rewarded to the winning class. To get involved in these awesome events, be sure to follow the school account to keep up to date on all things Westmont. Senior class president and four-year ASB student Senior Sophia Christensen says “although ASB can be a lot of work, it is totally worth it.”
What was your favorite tv show in high school? The A-Team.
What was your favorite novel? The Lord of the Rings trilogy (still is my favorite actually.)
What was your favorite movie while in high school? Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. 4 Life.
What are your favorite memories of high school? I guess it was just hanging out with my buddies and going down to the beach and playing volleyball and basketball and hanging out at the park. I had a lot more free time since I wasn’t involved in sports.
What is your least favorite memory of high school? I broke my arm playing flag football during PE. Some guy twice my size rammed into me and I flew and landed on my arm… the bones split.
By Hailey Abdilla, Kendyl Brower, Sophia Christensen, and Lindsay Der
A SoCal superstar, a statistical genius, and a stud teacher—John Shieh makes the Westmont high school experience complete. Senior Arlind Kraja, a barely passing AP Statistics student, consistently asserts “Shieh knows the way!” despite his hatred for unit tests. But what was his own high school career like?
Where did you go to high school? I went to a school in Rosemead, which is in SoCal!
What was your school’s mascot? A tiger, my friend drew the image of the mascot that they used for the symbol.
When did you graduate? A looooong time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
What was your favorite class in high school and why? I had fun in my junior English class, my electronics class, and my econ class senior year.
What was your most challenging class and why? My high school did not have any AP classes. So the most challenging class was probably chemistry. I did not understand what my teachers were saying, they had really thick accents.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in? I tore my ACL freshman year so I couldn’t play sports. I did do karate club though… and beat up my best friend–it was by accident too.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why? My favorite extracurricular activity was when a bunch of friends and I would go to parks and beaches to play basketball since I grew up in SoCal.
Who were your favorite bands/artists/songs while in high school? I listened to a mix of rock ‘n’ roll and rap.
What time did school start and end? 8 am till 4 pm.
What was your GPA? Over 3.0!
Did you receive any awards? I was on the Dean’s List.
How did you get to school (if you drove, what kind of car)? I didn’t get a car until after high school, in college.
Did you ever have to go to the dean or principal’s office? Why? Yeah, one time, I was accused of writing on a desk.
How many girlfriends did you have? I focused on myself.
What was your dream? To go to college and get a business degree… then work in the tech business.
By Alessandra Kelly
NYU, a private research university located in New York City, was founded in 1831.The University holds 19 schools and colleges, including academic programs in Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, and 11 study away sites. Today, NYU remains one of the most prominent and exclusive research universities in the world, accepting fewer than one-in-five undergraduates.
Students, faculty, and staff entering the university come from nearly every state and 133 countries, ensuring the university’s scholarship and teaching benefit from a wide range of perspectives.
Additionally, the university provides a rigorous, demanding education to more than 50,000 students and undertakes nearly $1 billion in research annually. As a result, NYU has a vast number of alumni who have succeeded across professions, from the sciences to the arts and government. Notably, some of the university’s top alumni include Selma Blair, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Olsen, and Lucy Liu!
By Alfonso Garcia
If you are the type of student who enjoys living a healthy life and would like to promote your lifestyle with wonderful Westmont students, we invite you to join our TUPE (Tobacco-Use Prevention Education) club. We promote healthy habits and educate our community in the harmful risk factors of vaping, smoking tobacco and the use of drugs in our community. We will have exciting and engaging activities with our students in order to share healthy ways of having fun in a powerful way with our students on campus. If this sounds appealing to you, come by and talk to Alfonso Garcia, Kate Mullen, or Jennifer Halas.
