On Thursday afternoon, the Class of 2026 will be boarding buses going to the Middle School campus, bringing lunch, inflatables, and a feeling of nostalgia to the place where most began their journey at Harvard-Westlake.
The visit, which has been led by led by senior prefects and student leadership, is building on what was last year’s senior prank, which is when the graduating seniors showed up to the Middle School with water guns looking to spray. This year’s version however is much more organized and officially on the calendar.
According to Head of Middle School Mr. Wimbish, the main reason behind the visit comes from what graduating classes usually feel as their time at HW comes to an end.
“The graduating class always feels a certain wistful fondness for the middle school as the place they began their HW journey,” Wimbish said. “To think about their middle school selves takes them back to a time when they were just coming into who they are today.”
Last year’s prank, despite being technically unsanctioned, ended up as a huge hit with both seniors and faculty. “It was really fun for what the vast majority of seniors AND middle school faculty, in particular,” Wimbish said. “So the seniors wanted to add it to the calendar, so we knew they were coming and so they could enjoy the middle school one last time.”
For current Middle Schoolers, the visit holds a different yet still valuable kind of moment. Many of them haven’t been on the same campus with the senior class since convocation, and for some, this is their first look at what HW looks like for students 4 to 5 years down the road.
“It’s a chance for the seniors to remember their middle school times, but it’s also cool for the middle schoolers to see the seniors and picture themselves at that age someday,” Wimbish said.
There’s also another part of this visit that makes it extremely meaningful. The Class of 2026 includes students who entered HW as 7th graders during the pandemic, meaning they didn’t actually start at the middle school in person. “They started on Zoom because of the pandemic. For them, getting to set foot (finally) on the middle school was an even greater joy because it meant that the world was coming back from shutdown. Finally, the school they had been dreaming about was a reality.” Wimbish said.
Mr. Wimbish also added that the future versions of this visit might shift earlier in the day so there could be more overlap between the seniors and middle school faculty and students.
“We’ll see how this year goes and keep adjusting as we need to.”
For the Class of 2026, the visit is going to be one of the last things they do together as HW students. For everyone else, it might be the start of something new.
