Life @ HW > Student Clubs & Activities

Asian Students in Action (ASiA)
Asian Students in Action (ASiA) is the Upper School’s Asian-American affinity group. We strive to promote collaboration and support for Asian and allied students, providing a safe space to celebrate Asian culture, explore one’s identity, and understand AAPI heritage. Through events such as an all-community discussion on anti-Asian violence, passing out pamphlets detailing how to report a hate crime, and a number of presentations and projects, ASiA has worked to increase its campus visibility over the last year. Club members also discuss important topics each week (model minority myth, Asian fetishization, mental health, etc) and help organize different club events (Asian holiday celebrations, food outings, work in the greater LA community, etc). This school year, we hope to continue empowering Asian-American voices and strengthening our allyship with other affinity groups on campus.

Babel Magazine
Do you write poetry in Portuguese, articles in Arabic, or stories in Spanish? Come join Harvard-Westlake’s foreign language magazine! We publish student work written in every language HW offers, as well as languages spoken outside of school.

Black Leadership and Culture Club (BLACC)
BLACC provides space for Black students, faculty and allies of all races to convene once a week to discuss Black culture, student life, student activism, self-expression, and more that are usually missed in an HW classroom environment. Along with club meetings, we host speakers, and community-wide events to foster an open and welcoming environment both to Black students in the Harvard-Westlake community, and anyone interested to immerse themselves in Black culture.

Chinese Pen Pal Club
The Chinese Pen Pal Club connects you with a student from a Chinese foreign school. Together you will exchange a monthly letter.

Chinese Pop Culture Club
Of all the language programs at Harvard Westlake, the Chinese program is by far the most intimate. With the fewest amount of students, the Chinese program is a community within a community. With the introduction of the Chinese Culture Club, we would hope to further knit this community, but simultaneously, we would hope to grant the opportunity for other language speakers to experience the beauty of the Chinese heritage. By implementing conversations of current Chinese pop culture, mini-lessons on Chinese history, conversations about Chinese politics (and their comparison to America), and (most importantly ...) yummy snacks, the Chinese Culture Club would be an amazing opportunity to familiarize yourself with Chinese culture or further immerse yourself in it.

Empower
Empower is Harvard-Westlake's women's empowerment and gender equality club. Empower strives to make HW a more inclusive community by striking up conversations about intersectional feminism and current events as well as celebrate women's voices in our community. The club also aims to combat gender inequality outside HW through fundraising, raising awareness, and taking direct action.

Gender and Sexuality Awareness (GSA) Club
GSA is an open affinity group for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. We host events such as GLSEN Day of Silence and coordinate with guest speakers. In meetings, we discuss current events, inclusivity on campus, our personal experiences, and more, all while celebrating our pride together. All are welcome!

Girls on Deck
Girls on Deck, a subsection of Empower, is dedicated to uplifting and empowering women, specifically those who are suffering through trauma, difficult economic circumstances, or societal prejudices. Through unique fundraisers, speaker events, and community service opportunities, we hope to become of service to underprivileged communities of women. This semester, we are placing a special focus upon Comfort Women and single mothers.

Jewish Students' Association
HW Jewish Students Association aims to provide a space for students, Jewish and non-Jewish to discuss holidays and religious views, share traditions, and talk about personal experiences as a Jewish teen in America. Through tasty treats, fun games, and interesting discussions Jewish club seeks to engage individuals at HW in a unique and fun environment that fosters learning and connectedness to Jewish Culture.

Japanese Language and Culture Club
The Japanese Language and Culture club mainly focuses on educating ourselves and those interested in Japanese language, but also provides a safe space to spread an appreciation for its culture and traditions. We always welcome honesty and openness, and at JLCC, you can always expect to find amazing Japanese snacks. We invite anyone interested in learning to join us!

LatinX and Hispanic Student Organization
The Latinx Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO) is a club founded in 2016 and is comprised of students in grades 10-12 at Harvard-Westlake Upper School. LAHSO focuses on the following areas: leadership, community service, cultural awareness, and bringing together the Latinx / Hispanic community at Harvard-Westlake. We thrive on unifying our wide range of cultures, and sharing our personal experiences to educate one another through discussions about current events and issues involving the Latinx community. LAHSO is a safe place for anyone who is a part of any of the affinity groups or allies. Whether through our weekly meetings, sleepovers, trips to cultural events, LAHSO Fest, or our keynote speakers, our club is determined to raise cultural awareness inside and outside of Harvard-Westlake. Everyone is welcome to our club and we are an affinity group that continues to promote diversity, inclusivity, and equity.

Middle Eastern Students' Association
MESA (Middle Eastern Student Association) is a group of students who will come together to celebrate Middle Eastern culture. We'll hang out, play games, and eat great Middle Eastern food. One of our goals will be to engage in discussions and help educate the HW community on current events in the Middle East, which have been particularly relevant in the past few months due to the flare-up in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the developments in Afghanistan. All are welcome and we'd love to have you join us!

Multiethnic Inclusion and Diversity (MIxD)
Multiethnic Inclusion and Diversity (MIxD) club is an affinity group for students of multiethnic backgrounds. We offer a space where once a week where people can discuss about their experiences being mixed race. Although the mixed community is widely diverse, we hope to bring people together. We give students the opportunity to voice their opinions, learn from each other, and navigate their own identity. We also bring up relevant multiethnic media and introduce new people they can support. This is a safe place to talk and everyone is welcome.

Plus One
Plus One is an affinity group that is a peer to peer support system for students who have suffered a loss and or gone through other trauma at a young age. It as well is a safe space to discuss and acknowledge mental health. The club is also a place of education for those who want to learn more about coping and how to help friends who are going through grief among other trauma.

South Asian Student Alliance
HW SASA or the South Asian Student Alliance is a student run affinity group that both teaches and celebrates South Asian culture. We have weekly meetings where we watch South Asian movies (with subtitles ;) ) and hold festivals all year. Last spring we celebrated Holi (Hindu spring holiday) and Eid al-Fitr (Islamic spring holiday). We ended the year by doing a Covid Relief drive for India where we raised over $400 to help fight Covid in India.

WOC (Women of Color)
Hi! We are WOC, or Women of Color. WOC is a safe space for women of color to feel represented, exist in their authenticity, and be empowered to be their best selves. At WOC, women of color can share their stories and find both understanding and support. Through fundraising and raising awareness for weighty issues, our group of POCs and any allies aims to make Harvard-Westlake a more diverse and inclusive community. We’re so excited for a great year!!

Boxing Club
At the HW Boxing Club we are making it our goal to promote fitness, mental fortitude, and athletic discipline through the training regimen found in the sport of boxing. This club seeks to combat lethargy by engaging in the healthy, physical activity involved in endurance training, while learning the various offensive and defensive skills that come with boxing.

Hidden Opponent Club
The Hidden Opponent Club is connected to the organization, The Hidden Opponent, which is focussed on spreading awareness for student-athlete mental health. The club is focussed on removing the stigma that surrounds mental health struggles for student-athletes as well as raising awareness amongst students, teachers, coaches, parents, and more of the struggles us athletes face at a school such as HW. As student-athletes face the added pressures of high performance athletics, they are at a higher risk for mental health challenges, and therefore it is imperative to have a resource for them to be supported and develop tools to help prevent and manage their difficulties.

Mountain Biking Club
Calling all bikers: if you are interested in mountain biking with members from the HW community, join the mountain biking club! We will discuss rides and invite both students and faculty to join us. We will find the perfect trails for you, whether you have no experience or are a mountain-biking expert. Bikes are required.

Surf Club
We are excited to surf together as a group and welcome any and all abilities. If needed boards and other equipment can be provided. We go on fun outings on the weekends and are hoping to go on a overnight trip sometime this year!

Ultimate Frisbee Club
The Ultimate Frisbee Club is dedicated to the pursuit of athletic excellence in disc related endeavors. Over the fall semester, we will prepare an elite group of HW students to compete in Ultimate Frisbee matches against other schools in the area in the winter and spring. Last year, the unofficial HW Ultimate Frisbee team defeated Santa Monica High School in an intense disc battle on the beaches of Santa Monica. Feel free to join even if you have never thrown a frisbee before! Athletes and Mathletes welcome!

American Red Cross Club
Join the American Red Cross Club as we support the Red Cross’s disaster relief work and make the Harvard-Westlake community as a safer place. This year, we are holding trainings in CPR, Basic First Aid, and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). Trainings are open to all community members. Additionally, the club will work closely with local Red Cross chapters to organize fundraisers, supply drives, and disaster preparedness outreach on the HW campus and beyond. Another exciting plan we have for this year is to organize an HW community-wide blood drive, if health regulations allow.

Bear Boxes
Bear Boxes aims to raise children's toys, books, blankets, school supplies, and other necessities to orphanages and places in need.

Best Buddies
Best Buddies is a club that fosters one-on-one friendships and bonds between Harvard-Westlake students and students from our partner school who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Cadence for a Cause
We provide opportunities and venues for musicians of all levels and commitment to play music in support of a cause that betters both the HW community and the community at large! Unlike traditional performing arts classes, we allow musicians to have a degree of flexibility over how and when they will play their music. All of this is to benefit causes like assistance for the unhoused, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and elder care.

Circle of Women
Circle of Women partners with local nonprofits and secondary schools, helping to provide quality secondary education to girls. We help our partners implement innovative, sustainable, and localized solutions to increase girls’ access to secondary school

Environmental Club
The Environmental Club strives to raise awareness about environmental issues and sustainability in the Harvard-Westlake community. We maintain the hydroponics system, organize community service events, invite guest speakers, write for the environmental newsletter, and run the community garden. We would love to have you and are always open to new ideas/suggestions!

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat For Humanity is a club that provides volunteer opportunities to lower privileged communities. Our club at Harvard Westlake partners with the well-known Habitat for Humanity organization, which offers various projects such as working in the Habitat Restores, Habitat offices, and even construction sites. Volunteers will be able to work with customers, construct furniture, stock shelves, and shelf inventory. Working alongside staff members within a professional business, it allows volunteers to develop and mature as someone who can reach out and benefit others. Habitat For Humanity provides great opportunities that will not only grant you with service hours, but also with the reward of giving back to your community.

Knitting Club
Knitting Club is a fun, stress-free club where students learn how to knit and crochet, work on projects ranging from hats to blankets, and donate their creations to charity. All skill levels welcome!

Meals on Wheels
The Meals on Wheels club works with the organization Meals on Wheels to combat hunger among the elderly in our community. We deliver food provided by Meals On Wheels to those in need and check up on how they are doing. We also connect and develop lasting relationships with the people we deliver to.

Miles of Smiles Social Justice Club
The Harvard-Westlake Miles of Smiles Club is devoted to philanthropic causes where it is needed most and to creating awareness for social justice and inequality. The mission of the club is to help these causes through fundraising and other activities, bringing together, educating, and engaging our community about the inequalities and injustices around the world, and how we can make a difference. Whether it is a violation of civil liberties, advocacy against violence, new beginnings for women and children that have faced abuse, and many more – we want to help. We believe awareness followed by appropriate action can and will lead to positive impact.

The Pantry
HW Pantry is a philanthropic club dedicated to helping students of schools in the Los Angeles area through organizing fundraisers alongside food and book drives. We will meet once a cycle where we will spend our time focusing on the different challenges and obstacles faced by L.A. schools in need of monetary or educational assistance (textbooks, school meals, etc.) and eventually choose one where we find that our impact will be the most profound. From there, club meetings will focus on planning, organizing, and executing upcoming events as we network with Harvard-Westlake faculty and staff to make our ideas a reality!

Project for the Innocence
Our club aims to highlight the inconsistencies in our justice system, hearing from the inspiring stories of exonerated people who were wrongfully convicted, and released with help from the Project of the Innocent. Our division will conduct research for the attorneys involved, and strive to spread awareness surrounding the injustice of false convictions around our community and beyond.

Service and Study Society
Service and Study Society aims to promote accessible and free educational and mental health resources for students globally. Being a part of the club and have a select leadership role provides the benefit of community service hours. Service and Study Society provides resources including scholarships, community service, tutoring, and hopes to help out aspiring leaders. Club communication primarily operates through Discord!

Smiles for Seniors
Hi, we are SFS, or Smiles for Seniors! If you enjoy arts and crafts, singing, or spending time with the elderly, and need some service hours, our club is for you! Our club goes to a senior home on Ventura every couple of weeks to do fun activities with the residents. The seniors there are lively and fun to be around, and they are always full of “grandparent-ly” wisdom. You don’t need any singing or arts experience to take part in the activities, it’s just about having fun and bringing joy to the seniors! We look forward to seeing you!

Youth Ending Hunger
Youth Ending Hunger strives to take an active role in raising awareness and advocating for the homeless and low income population in the greater Los Angeles area. This includes but isn’t limited to providing educational opportunities, donating goods/supplies, and fundraising. Our work takes place both inside school during meetings, and outside in the larger community. In the past, YEH has served hot meals at homeless shelters, raised funds through bake sales, and more. Taking part in this club provides and introduces opportunities to play an integral role in aiding the underserved in our city, while also giving community service hours. While our main focus is in food insecurity, we also expand into many other related issues.

Economics and Fiscal Policy Club
This club prepares students for life past Harvard Westlake, teaching them basic economic principles while introducing them to the stock market. We do student led presentations on economic sub topics throughout, have two stock market competitions, and discuss current events in the economic world. No prior experience is needed to join.

Investment Club
The investment club strives to provide a basis for understanding, managing, and investing your money, with a primary focus on the stock market and correlated areas of expertise. The club is open to all, and will contain a combination of lectures and competition based applications: Primarily, a simulated stock market challenge which puts your knowledge to the test and awards prizes to the top performing portfolios. The club will meet during lunch on day 6, alongside the club’s advisor, Joyce Wagner, with no upfront commitment.

Sports Business Club
The Sports Business Club aims to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the business side of sports. Members of the club will discuss important topics in the world of sports such as contracts, trades, and player image rights, as well as have plenty of opportunities to learn from guest speakers. This club will provide valuable knowledge for members in their pursuit of a career in sports business.

Bring Change to Mind Club
At Bring Change to Mind, we strive to destigmatize mental health issues in the Harvard-Westlake community through all-school assembly presentations, guest speakers, and fun events for the student body. We know our school can be a stressful place. Whether you simply need an outlet or are interested in planning large events, we would love to have you!

Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association
Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association is a club that allows students to get involved with the vast resources that Harvard-Westlake has to connect our alumni to current students. Through organizing Senior gifts, hosting HW4L Campuses, and utilizing HW Works, HWSAA is the bridge between students and alumni who want to reconnect with the Harvard-Westlake community or current Harvard-Westlake students that are seeking guidance and even job opportunities from Harvard-Westlake alumni.

Bring Change to Mind Club
At Bring Change to Mind, we strive to destigmatize mental health issues in the Harvard-Westlake community through all-school assembly presentations, guest speakers, and fun events for the student body. We know our school can be a stressful place. Whether you simply need an outlet or are interested in planning large events, we would love to have you!

Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association
Harvard-Westlake Student Alumni Association is a club that allows students to get involved with the vast resources that Harvard-Westlake has to connect our alumni to current students. Through organizing Senior gifts, hosting HW4L Campuses, and utilizing HW Works, HWSAA is the bridge between students and alumni who want to reconnect with the Harvard-Westlake community or current Harvard-Westlake students that are seeking guidance and even job opportunities from Harvard-Westlake alumni.

3D Modeling and Topology Club
This club teaches 3D modeling/texturing/animation using a software called Blender (which is completely free)! 3D modeling has a wide range of uses, from 3D animation projects like videos and logos, video games, 3D printing, designing hardware parts, physics/fluid simulations, VFX in live action videos, and simply making renders as a hobby! We'll casually teach the basics of 3D modeling, texturing, and animation with Blender during lunch through projects like modeling 3D mugs, donuts, lightsabers, etc., and depending on what members prefer, dig deeper in these 3 topics or touch on other specific uses of Blender like 3D printing, physics simulations, using Blender's python programming API, or tracking cgi to a real world video! Anyone is welcome, whether to join the walkthroughs or just watch, regardless of any experience you have in any of these topics!

The App Development Club
The HW App Development club will teach you the basics of Swift and XCode navigation. It is a low stress environment where you will work at your own pace, and there is no expectation of success.

Bioengineering and Biotechnology Club
This club is designed to teach students about the coolest parts about biology: bioengineering and biotechnology. These topics allow you to create technology to help in the medical, agricultural, and genetic fields. From prosthetics to synthesized muscle cells to virus-fighting mutagens, you will learn it all! This club will include student-led presentations, group discussions, and even hands-on experiments. Some of these topics may sound complicated and boring, but we will try to explain them simply make your experience as fun as possible.

Blockchain Club
If you want to learn, discuss, and experience blockchain technology, then this club is for you! Blockchain technology powers cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance, and non fungible tokens (NFT).

Catalyst
Catalyst is a digital publication focused on STEM topics, news, and issues. Students can write articles, host forums, share jokes, create experiments, and post videos about any topics pertaining STEM on the site. Women in STEM founded, women in STEM run, Yanni Emmanuel Vourgourakis sponsored.

Clean Technology Club
The clean tech club is an interdisciplinary student interest group that will highlight and educate others about evolving clean-technology methods. As scientists are making drastic improvements to tackle imminent environmental problems, it is important for us, as the next generation, to understand the advancements that will play key roles in our futures and the futures of those to come. We are a group of students particularly passionate about the technological aspects of environmental affairs and will discuss matters related to developments in clean energy as well as other emerging technologies looking to secure a sustainable future for humanity.

Competitive Programming Club
Interested in winning prizes to enlarge your anime memorabilia shelf? Or how about putting your Karel J Robot skills to use by outshining your peers whose passion is programming? If that piques your interest, then you should compete in the HW Competitive Programming Club! No matter what your skill level or place on the social hierarchy is, all are welcome. The questions provided in the competitions will focus more on critical thinking skills rather than advanced concepts, so only basic computer science knowledge is required! Prizes will be awarded to winners and an online leaderboard will be available to flex on your lesser friends and romantic interests!

Computer Science Club
A place for CS enthusiasts to learn and talk about a wide variety of topics that are beyond what's taught in class! We'll host talks about intriguing CS topics from web/app/game development to cybersecurity to machine learning, and we'll work on making fun CS projects. This club is a great place to swap ideas, show off what you're doing, and teach/learn from others! NO CS or coding experience required!

Geography Club
An ever growing group of passionate individuals interested in learning about the nuances of landscapes and languages of countries while testing our skills with a geography game(Geoguessr).

Gils Who Code
We are Girls Who Code, a club dedicated to fostering girls’ interest in STEM, increasing confidence, and creating a safe space for girls to bond and learn together. Girls Who Code believes that women have been far too long underrepresented and undervalued in the STEM field. Through meetings, activities, and shadowing/mentorship opportunities, we hope to instill in girls a love for STEM and a desire to pursue their STEM career dreams.

Neurology Club
The human brain is an amazing organ that is still unknown to us. As the most complex organ in our body, our brains account for all our actions, reflexes, thoughts, feelings and so much more. At Neurology Club, students will learn more about this key component of our central nervous system. Just think...3 pounds of muscle in both you and I is what allows us to continue breathing and living right now. How can we know so little about such a vital mechanism in our own bodies that subconsciously controls the rest of our organs while concurrently allowing you to rationalize and contemplate this very message I have written? Shouldn't everyone want to learn as much as possible about their amazing brains? The first step in this direction is to simply educate each other and this is what my friends and I will do at Neurology Club.

Quantum Computing Club
Interested in exploring the world of quantum computation and quantum physics? Our club will help you understand complex quantum topics like qubit superposition and entanglement, all while having fun.

Science Bowl
The goal of Science Bowl is to compete in the Regional Science Bowl Competition and foster a level of academic curiosity for those interested in science. In addition to practicing for the actual competition, we focus on helping those who are new learn the style of competition and think critically about problems with only minimal information given. By encouraging students to study topics that they are interested in outside of practices, students not only can contribute to the teams when competing in the actual competition, but also expand their own pool of knowledge.

Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is a competitive organization and club that is composed of teams with 15 members who compete in a variety of 23 events ranging from different STEM subjects such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Engineering/Building, Inquiry. Participants compete with their partners in engaging questions, labs, and building devices, such as towers, airplanes, etc.

Space Exploration Club
The Space Exploration Club is an interdisciplinary club focusing on a variety of Space-related topics. We are currently living through a very exciting time in regards to Space: We are entering a new era of space travel and we will likely have a permanent human settlement on Mars in the coming years. This club will allow you to learn about these exciting advancements. We will answer questions such as: “What are the current rockets in development?”, “How will astronauts generate energy on Mars?”, and “Why is Mars a good candidate for human settlement?” We hope to see you there!

Accidentals
We're the Upper School's one and only student-led a cappella group!
We're looking for singers and soloists who want to be part of a fun and inclusive community of fellow musicians. (You don't have to be enrolled in any Harvard-Westlake performing arts programs to join!)
This year, we're going to broadcast a cappella videos to senior homes and frontline workers at hospitals and host live solo performances over Zoom. In the past, we've performed live at senior homes, and we just live streamed a virtual solo show to hospitals & senior living facilities over the summer.

Ethics Bowl
We compete and tournaments and discuss ethical issues that are integral to the HW experience.

History Bowl
The National History Bowl is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for teams of up to 6 students. Four students can play at one time on a team (the other one or two students, if you have them, can substitute in between the quarters or games). Questions will reference the history of the arts, sciences, religion, philosophy, language, historical geography, recent history, and even a bit of the history of sports and entertainment. Of course, many questions will also reference political, diplomatic, social, and military history too. Questions can reference events in the past from all over the world, and from all eras in the past – from ancient Egypt until the present day. We will meet once each week to practice and compete in tournaments online throughout the year.

Jazz Band Outreach Performers
HWJBOP is an inclusive club dedicated to providing free entertainment (performing jazz music) for philanthropic events. Events such as, but not limited to charity (non-profit) functions, senior centers, homeless shelters, as well as hosting fund raising concerts for specific charities of the clubs choosing. This is an opportunity for us to share our passion for jazz music while pursuing philanthropic pursuits. The main time commitment for this club will be practices (for each individual performance) and the performances themselves.

HWOP (Harvard-Westlake Outreach Performers)
Do you like spending time with the coolest people at the Upper School while also getting ALL of your community service hours? H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS YEAH! That’s why you should join HWOP!!!! Harvard-Westlake Outreach Performers is an AWESOME community of performing artists who get together to perform for schools and other communities who don’t have access to performing arts. Come to meetings to chill out, do some fun improv, and participate in all things performing arts with fellow HWOPers! Not to mention the FREE SNACKS! Our rendezvous have historically been on Sundays, but we will work with club members to find the best day for everyone. HWOP is not a huge time commitment, however, in order to gain your community service hours we need to see your effort. Yay! So if you’re a singer, actor, musician, improviser, writer, dancer, arianator, or just plain curious…Please come on by!

HW Rock Band Club
We’re going to play rock music, improvise and solo, and record some music for the rock band insta (@hwrockband). casual, 40 minutes a week. Come join us during community flex time on Day 5’s if you like to play rock music, or if you just want to jam for half an hour!

Plot Twist
Working with underprivileged and hospitalized kids on how to create songs from scratch to express their personal experiences. Meeting with the kids online and through select in-person trips, we'll help them produce instrumentals/beats, write lyrics, etc.. We'll even record easy-to-follow-along songwriting lessons for those we don't see. Amount of commitment is up to you. Community service is offered. Musicians and writers especially encouraged, and all are welcome!

Quiz Bowl
Quiz Bowl promotes the pursuit of learning outside the classroom in a fun way. It also allows members of the HW community from all interests and grades to meet each other and work together as a team.

Spoken Word Club
The Spoken Word club is for anyone passionate about poetry and performance. We meet once a week and serve as a safe space to write, share new poems, and receive feedback. Sometimes, we just chill and talk with Dr. Cohen and Mr. Olson, too. All are welcome! And hey, if you like the club, consider auditioning for our tournament team as well!

Stone-Cutters Arts Magazine
Stone-Cutters is an arts collective at the Upper School (I promise we don’t actually cut stone). We publish 3 publications per year that feature written and visual student made art. We also host school wide open mics, workshops, and guest speakers. If you love to create art of any kind, we encourage you to join our staff or submit to be published! We meet in RG208 on Day 5 during lunch. Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Elbow
The goal of our club is to put out a humor magazine publication in the tradition of magazines like the Harvard Lampoon, McSweeney’s, The Onion, and the Yale Record. Students will collaborate to write comedic articles, draw comics/cartoons, and more, and we will also accept some submissions. These pieces will be either published online in a blog-type format or printed in a physical magazine, depending on whether or not we are at school in person. We currently have some preview articles posted on https://theelbowmagazine.blogspot.com/. Anyone who's interested in comedy, writing, art, design, marketing, or just helping a new HW publication get off the ground -- we'd love to have you join!

Westflix
Westflix is a film festival showcasing films from SoCal teens. Members of the Westflix club enrich themselves by judging these thought provoking films and helping to produce the festival.

Bridge to a Brighter Future
Bridge to Build a Brighter Future provides an incredible opportunity for Harvard-Westlake students to serve their community through education. Underprivileged students who are unable to receive help with their schoolwork are now given the opportunity to further their learning and meet a new mentor. One-to-one zoom meeting will take place once a week after school, and gives us an outlet to provide the resources we are extremely privileged to have here at Harvard Westlake with those who could benefit from them as well.

Ignia Education
Ignia is a non-profit organization that provides secondary language aid to children in developing countries and immigrants in developed countries. The organization is aimed to support underprivileged people around the world and bring their needs into the spotlight. Students also get to learn more about other countries' culture, society, and traditions by connecting with students from other countries and communicating with members of the club. We provide English language tutoring to non-native speakers in a virtual classroom setting. In the process, volunteers can practice their foreign language skills while exposing themselves to another culture. In addition, we are raising money to provide materials to aid the students in need. Club members can choose to participate in either one or both of the projects. Community service hours will be given and leadership positions are available.

Leaders United for Change
Join Leaders United for Change to be part of a global community of talented high schoolers with a passion for service. Our largest program is providing free tutoring over Zoom for younger students from underserved communities. Additionally, we are excited to help you implement any service ideas you may have - from benefit musical performances to fundraising to social activism - by connecting you with like-minded peers and providing organizational support. Looking forward to hearing your ideas at our next meeting!

A-Roll Film Club
What is A-Roll Film Club? We’re not quite sure, either. Well, from the name, it’s a film club, where artists who are passionate about movie-making come together. But that's not all. A-Roll is also a social club where people can truly unleash their creativity by exchanging ideas and working collaboratively. We leap beyond the label of a “film club” by dedicating our purpose to social change. We not only encourage our members to produce outstanding films, but also think about how their films impact the community. In this way, A-Roll is also a community service organization (and we do issue community service hours). A-Roll refuses to be labeled as one thing, and this philosophy of openness is reflected in the content we produce. Whoever you are - a filmmaker, writer, social advocate - you will find your place here and flourish with the most creative minds at HW.

Academic Decathlon
Join Academic Decathlon, a competition where teams participate in 10 various academic events. These events include art, economics, language and literature, math, music, science, social science, speech, essay, and interview.

Anagrammers' Club
Have you ever wondered what words like 'euouae' and 'sasanqua' mean? Or thought how you can create the word 'Presbyterians' from the letters in 'Britney Spears'? Calling all wordsmiths and logophiles to the Anagrammers Club on Wednesdays after school! We have word games like Boggle, Anagrams, Scrabble, and more! If you want to play Scrabble against a national champion, or if you just want some relaxing games of Bananagrams while eating homemade chocolate-chip cookies, we are the club for you.

Animal Rights Club
Animal Rights Club works to improve the lives of animals in the Los Angeles community and around the world. We host fundraisers, collection drives, and fun events all to raise awareness and supplies for animal rights charities.

Animators' Club
Come join the Animators Club!! We will explore the techniques and applications of different types of animation. The purpose of this club is to learn how to animate starting from the basics and progressing throughout the year to more advanced and less traditional methods. This is a learning experience for both us and you so there is absolutely no prior experience necessary. The content we will primarily focus on will be 2D animation, although the techniques we will be going over apply universally to all mediums. The aim of this club is to instill the techniques into you so you can pursue the medium independently and create your own works. We will start with basic exercises and by the end of the year you will be able to make your own animated works and collaborate together with your peers.

Auto and Motorsport Club
The auto and motorsport club is a club at HW for car and racing enthusiasts! We will be organizing meet-ups, drives, charity events, and many more! Also, we will be open for discussions about car culture, Formula 1, and anything related!

Chess Club
Does chess CAPTURE your interest? Do you want to play chess with your MATES? Or does chess just ROOK your boat? ROOK no further than chess club. Everyone is welcome, even if you are a ROOK-y. If you have any questions bis-SHIP us an email, contact Chase Hameetman and Eric Vartany. Sorry for the abundance of rook pAWns we r(ook)an out of ideas.

Cooking Club
Cooking Club is a club for those of us who love eating food, creating meals, and sharing with others. Come for weekly competitions over Insta that anyone can participate in, publish recipes or tutorials. If you like looking at food and cooking, this is the club for you.

Diversability: Overcoming Inequity Together (DO-IT)
DO-IT! (Diversability: Overcoming Inequity Together) is a new space on campus where students unite to advocate equity and visibility for the diversely-abled community. Through dialogue and education, we plan to address the stigma attached to disabilities and tackle issues of varying severity that students of all ability levels face daily (e.g. playing subtitles on videos and making our campus more accessible to those with physical limitations).

The Elbow Magazine
The Elbow is Harvard-Westlake's humor magazine, providing comedic articles, art, and more since it was founded in 1805 (back then called Ye Olde Arm Hinge) by moose trader, inventor of the curvy part of the umbrella, first restaurateur to offer a kids menu with a sudoku puzzle at his restaurant Moose Kidneys ‘N More, mural defacer, and entrepreneur Jedediah “The Elbow” Hudson. Join us to collaborate on funny pieces about current events, pop culture, and really anything at all! Visit our website: https://www.theelbowmag.com/ to see past articles.

Entertainment Art Club
A place for all the gamers of the HW community to meet, hang out, discuss, and play games together. We play Smash and other games during break. We also have a school League of Legends team, so join if you're interested in being part of the team (or maybe even a team for other games).

E-Sports Club
A place for all the gamers of the HW community to meet, hang out, discuss, and play games together. We play Smash and other games during break. We also have a school League of Legends team, so join if you're interested in being part of the team (or maybe even a team for other games).

Eco Swaps
Aiming to offer eco-friendly solutions to daily products that would otherwise become waste.

Fashion Club
The purpose of this these meetings is to create a place where students can be creative by sewing, designing clothes or accessories, styling in the fashion industry (what this means in terms of future jobs and practicing this), learning about the fashion industry and business. We are also open to new ideas, so feel free to email us and propose some! Our goal at the end of the year is for everyone to work with someone else to create their own pieces.

Financial Technology Club
Do you want to learn about how to make more money? Then this is for you! The Financial Technology Club, abbreviated Fintech, focuses on the overlap of innovative technology with the finance sector. The club will discuss how finance and technology overlap and delve into job positions that utilize both of these fields. The Fintech industry is one of the newest and fastest-growing industries. In our club, we will provide students with an opportunity to learn about potential careers in the industry. The club will spread awareness to people about what Fintech is, its different uses and applications, and other topics provided by club members. All are welcome and we hope to see you there!

Game Development Club
Video games are a medium in which programming and problem solving; music and sound; visual art and animation; story writing; and game design are all crucial pieces. Anyone who wants experience in one or more of those fields will feel right at home in this club. Some club members will be on competitive teams, some non-competitive, and some will contribute to a communal asset library when they can.

Game Theory: In the Cards
The Game Theory Club endeavors to educate participants about the mechanics of game theory through card games. During meetings we will engage in group conversations about methods and theories used by experienced card players, as well as act them out as a group.

Greeting Club
Our club will focus on reviving the lost art of greeting people.

Junior Classical League
JCL offers a club for classical enthusiasts, as well as anybody interested, to play games, learn more about the ancient world, and attend the annual CAJCL convention in Northern California. Harvard-Westlake’s chapter of JCL has a proud legacy of leadership and academic excellence on the state and national JCL stage. We hope to inspire students to pursue their classical interests in any form, and share our knowledge with each other.

KHWS
"Greetings from KHWS: Harvard-Westlake’s radio station! Broadcasting weekly Sunday through Thursday, KHWS will have a limited number of hour-long DJ spots for playing music, talk shows, and other programming. Everyone is invited to apply, regardless of music taste! Whether you listen to Taylor Swift or Death Grips, Yves Tumor or Aphex Twin, Minnie Riperton or Plumtree, you are all welcome.

Linguistics Club
Linguistics club aims to expose students to the field of linguistics before college. The club achieves this by teaching the various subfields of linguistics. We also learn and encounter languages that would not otherwise be seen in an HW classroom. Ultimately, we are trying to answer what language is and how it affects our identity.

Magic: The Gathering Club
Come enjoy one of the greatest games of all time -- Magic the Gathering -- with us! We are happy to welcome everyone ranging from complete beginners to long-time players of the game! We look forward to seeing you there!

Make Your Matcha Magazine
Have you ever sat on your bed, scrolling through pinterest, making playlists while you have piles and piles of work to do? As students, we’re familiar with the feeling of being overwhelmed, tired and demotivated. That’s what make your matcha is for—it’s a zine that provides a safe space for us to address stress and burnout. When talking about subjects like stress and academic or non academic burnout, there’s a lot of stigma. with this zine, we aim to break the stigma, and encourage like-minded people to chill. Here we can share our experiences, and project positivity into situations where a person feels vulnerable. Coming to this space, they know that there are people like them and like us with similar experiences, and together we can find a way to relax, “chill”, recharge and be ready for the next day. Share your articles, poetry, art, and more at MYM!

Math Club
Math Club will allow students of all abilities to partake in the enjoyment of math through exploring problems, playing games, and participating in competitions.

Movie Club
This club brings together lovers of movies to discuss the weekly assigned film. Movies are chosen by the leaders or proposed by the members. Discussions are vibrant and engaging and very fun. Come for the movie, stay for a good time!

Music Enthusiasts' Club
Music Enthusiasts Club is a place for music lovers of all genres. We will talk about music, give each other suggestions, and even share some individual creations. We will aim to broaden our music taste and make friends through common interests. (You do not need to make your own original music to join; we are primarily a music listening club).

NBA Club
Bi-weekly meetings where you share your power rankings, MVP ladders or other takes and judge other peoples’ takes as well. We’ll talk about March Madness too and we might try to run a basketball tournament among club members or go to a South Bay Lakers (G League) game too later in the year. Ran by an avid Lakers fan and an RJ Barrett fan.

Novelty Book Club
The Novelty Book Club hopes to reignite an interest in reading amongst Gen Z! The club plans to read different novels written by men and women from different time periods to examine how woman are portrayed throughout literature, and use those observations to compare to feminist theory. The club will foster exciting conversations about books, and how they apply to our daily lives to make topics in novels more relevant. The environment will be inclusive as the members will be able to vote on new books and lead discussions on topics they feel passionate about. We want to offer a low-stress opportunity for intellectual growth in a nurturing environment filled with friends. The club requires no assigned reading, so members can read as much or as little as they want.

Papyrus Literacy Club
Welcome! The Papyrus Literacy Club connects HW students with younger, eager to learn students- through weekly tutoring sessions, students will be able to build their own curriculum and spread their knowledge to younger students!

Pickling and Fermentation Club
Pickling and Fermentation Club is a casual environment for students to learn about the practice of pickling and fermentation. Returning after an almost two-year hiatus, come have fun and explore the science behind making foods like pickled cucumbers and kimchi!

Photography Club
In Photography Club you will learn to use proper techniques to take photos and go on outings to locations around LA to take photos of different subjects.

Picnic Society
Why eat your lunch at cramped tables on the quad when you could enjoy it while lounging on soft grass? Come join The Picnic Society on the lawn in front of rugby for a weekly lunch period with friends, lemonade and lovely ambiance. Bringing a picnic blanket and hat is optional but encouraged, and all are welcome!

Ping Pong Club
Do you think you are good at ping pong? So does everyone, now it's time to prove it. If you want to play ping pong at school with your friends during lunch, this is the club for you. We have tables, balls, and racquets all you need to do is show up and play. While most meetings will feature casual play, we will also be hosting club or all-school tournaments with fun prizes at stake.

Student Scholarship and Contest Federation
SSCF brings new opportunities to high school students and empowers their academic and extracurricular goals as well as removing some of the financial barrier of college tuition. There are millions of dollars of scholarship available to students every year so come learn about them today! During the meetings, students will get tips on writing winning essays, examples of winning essays, and leadership opportunities. Our goal for the rest of the year is for the members to win either a scholarship or a contest that they are passionate about and hopefully have another successful HW students only scholarship.

Skateboarding Club
The Skateboarding club is a place for all things skateboarding related. We review new videos, talk about products, skate, and share our experiences. It’s a place both to learn and to share for all skateboarding enthusiasts at any skill level. We’d love to see you here!

Society of Philosophers Club
If you're interested in thinking about the world around you, join our club for fun discussions, snacks, and guest speakers!

Spirituality Club
Spirituality Club is all about learning and growing into our higher selves! Come to our meetings to share personal experiences and discuss prevalent topics like meditation, mindfulness, religions, chakras, energies, lucid dreaming, astral projection, as well as physical, mental, and emotional well being.

Survivor Club
#the coolest club ever for survivor fanatics ONLY. I guess you can come if you're willing to start watching

Swiftie Club
Are you a fan of the great American poet Taylor Alison Swift? Well, we suggest you drop everything now and meet us to discuss her discography, her general aura, and her cats (Benjamin Button, Meredith Grey, and Olivia Benson). Trust us: making the fearless decision to fill the blank space in your schedule with this club will make your wildest dreams come true. Whether you’re fifteen or 22, we know that this club will never go out of style.