SLIDE LDP is a three-day/two-night residential program where students participate in daily programming on Harvard-Westlake’s Upper School campus. Below are the details for the 2026 program.
- Friday, December 4, 2026 to Sunday, December 6, 2026
- Open to students who will be in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade during the 2026-27 school year
- Students will engage in three days of programming on the Harvard-Westlake Upper School campus.
- Accompanied by their respective chaperones, students will spend two nights with evening activities. Harvard-Westlake has secured a block of rooms at the Hilton Universal City. Staying at the hotel is a required component of the program, as the bonding and connecting are important elements of the program.
- Schools are required to send at least one chaperone.
- Space is first come, first served: 20 schools (maximum)| 6 students maximum/2 minimum per school.
For the first year ever, while students are participating in SLIDE LDP, we invite adults to participate in The Collective.
2026 REGISTRATION AND FEES
Note: Student participants must be registered by a representative of their school, attending as a part of the school’s cohort and accompanied by the school’s designated chaperone. We are not able to accept individual registrations.
Fees: $850 per student. Schools are responsible for their cohort’s hotel stay and any necessary travel to Los Angeles.
Registration:
NOW OPEN HERE
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Questions about SLIDE Leadership Development Program should be directed to jmckay@hw.com.
While students are participating in SLIDE LDP, we invite adults to participate in The Collective.
The Collective is a space for connection, conversation, and inspiration for those doing the work of equity, inclusion, and belonging in independent schools.
Come for the community.
Leave with ideas, support,
and renewed energy for the work ahead.
$30 FOR ANYONE NOT AFFILIATED WITH SLIDE LDP
Two days. Two workshops.
ONE POWERFUL COMMUNITY.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4 1:30 PM
Hilton Hotel Universal City
555 Universal Hollywood Dr.
Universal City, CA 91608
WORKSHOP 1
Boundaries as Liberation: Coaching Tools for Protecting Your Energy and Expanding Your Joy
with Janine Jones
Assistant Head of School for Community and Belonging
Harvard-Westlake School
Together we will explore boundaries as a liberatory practice for educators, framed through a coaching lens. We will examine how unspoken expectations, invisible labor, and chronic overextension impact your wellbeing and sense of agency in independent schools. Through guided reflection, practice conversations, and strengths-based coaching tools, you will walk away knowing how to set intentional, compassionate boundaries that protects your energy, clarifies your values, and expands your joy. This session is rooted in the belief that boundaries are not barriers—they are bridges to sustainability, self-worth, and genuine success as defined by you. By reclaiming (or establishing) agency over your time, attention, and emotional labor, you will leave on the path to strengthening both personal resilience and communal flourishing.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 1:30 PM
Harvard-Westlake Upper School
3700 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
Studio City, CA 91604
WORKSHOP 2
Rewriting Our DEIB Mission: Visioning a Process with Students at the Center
with John Gentile
Associate Head of School
Oakwood School
This interactive workshop guides educators through a collaborative, student-centered process of imagining a writing or rewriting of their institution's DEIB mission statement. Moving beyond adult centric language, participants examine their existing framework through the lived experiences, diverse identities, and daily needs of the students. Participants work together to audit current messaging for actual impact, and elevate authentic student voices into the core vision. By grounding every commitment in student experiences, participants leave with an actionable, forward-thinking process to consider their DEIB statement that serves as a living document for their school community.