On Tuesday, January 7, Viewpoint’s Middle School students had the unique opportunity to take part in an assembly with Lauren Gill. Ms. Gill is California’s Deputy Director of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), which has partnered with #SaveLACougars in their campaign to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. 

The crossing, which broke ground in 2022, will be the largest in the world when completed this fall. Spanning the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills, this visionary structure will preserve biodiversity across the region by creating a wildlife corridor for a multitude of mammals, birds, and reptiles, and will ultimately help save the area’s local mountain lion population from extinction.

Ms. Gill began her presentation by captivating students with the story of P-22, the famous “Hollywood cougar,” who managed to cross Los Angeles and ultimately settled in Griffith Park. Her visual presentation included photos of the process behind planning and building the crossing, including digging deep enough to provide a strong foundation, as well as designing a wide enough bridge to create a quiet and dark space for animals to safely cross.

In addition to teaching our students about the crossing’s structural elements, Ms. Gill shared photographs and information highlighting the importance of the multitude of native plants from the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem that have been added to the crossing. She also shared photographs of the significant team of experts who collaborated on this special project, which will serve as a model for urban wildlife conservation.

A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Gill is a native of Boston, but has made her home in California where she dedicates her efforts to community-based initiatives. In addition to her advocacy work for the NWF, she also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Conejo Valley Unified School District.  

As part of Viewpoint’s commitment to creating world ready graduates, we are grateful that our students had the opportunity to hear from Ms. Gill – a true community leader who shared her passion and expertise with our students. Learn more about the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing here. For more information on local programs and tours of the crossing, savelacougars.org.

Viewpoint’s Music Department closed out the fall semester on a high note with three Middle and Upper School concerts in December, bringing student musicians from the strings, band and choral programs to the Carlson Family Theater ahead of winter break.

The Middle and Upper School Strings Concert, directed by Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter and Ms. Marisa McLeod, opened the series on Tuesday, December 2, featuring Sixth Grade Strings, Middle School Beginners, Middle School and Upper School string quartets, and the Middle School and Upper School orchestras. The program included introductory pieces such as “Frog in a Tree” by Edmund J. Siennicki and the traditional “Old Joe Clark,” along with works by George Frideric Handel and Edvard Grieg, including “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” and “Holberg Suite.” The string quartets performed selections by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while the Middle and Upper School orchestras closed the program with selections by Percy Grainger and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Held Tuesday, December 9, the Middle and Upper School Band Concert featured a wide range of ensembles, including the Combined Beginning Middle School and Sixth Grade Band, Middle School Concert Winds, Upper School Wind Ensemble, Pep Band Selections, The Four and a Half, and Middle and Upper School jazz ensembles. The program opened with selections such as “Cumbia” by Jorge Vargas and “Creepy Crawly Creatures” by Brian Balmages. The Upper School Wind Ensemble performed “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky, arranged by Mark Williams, as well as “Spring Will Come Again” and “The Simpsons.” Pep Band Selections, directed by seniors, and The Four and a Half featured pieces including “Morning of the Carnival” by Luiz Bonfa and “Crimson,” composed by Jishnu Mukherjee ’26. The concert concluded with performances by the Middle School Jazz Lab and Upper School Jazz Ensemble, including “Take the ‘A’ Train.”

The concert series concluded on Tuesday, December 16, with the Middle and Upper School Choral Concert. The program featured performances by Voices Now, Sixth Grade Choir, Middle School Vocal Ensemble, Upper School Concert Choir and Combined Choirs. Selections ranged from contemporary and popular works, including David Bowie’s “Changes” and “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers, to choral repertoire by composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn and Stephanie Mabey. Voices Now performed arrangements by Music Director Bill Brendle and were joined by a guest beatboxer, while student soloists were featured throughout the evening. The concert closed with combined ensemble performances that brought our Middle and Upper School vocalists together.

As the spring semester gets underway, the Music Department will continue the concert season with several upcoming performances. Student musicians will take part in the CAIS Honors Music Festival on Saturday, February 7, followed by the Five through Twelve Grade Strings Concert on March 3, the Middle and Upper School Band Concert on March 16, and the Middle and Upper School Choir Concert on March 18.

On Wednesday, December 17, Viewpoint’s Middle and Upper School gathered for a Celebration of December Holidays. With festive music playing throughout the campus, students gathered to learn, connect, and celebrate together during an event organized by members of the Office of Belonging and Community Life team, with a tremendous amount of support from Viewpoint Operations.

The Upper School celebration took place on the plaza and featured a series of interactive and educational booths highlighting Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Student affinity groups played a central role in bringing the event to life, with the Jewish Student Union, Christian Student Union, and Black Student Union each hosting booths connected to the respective cultures and traditions. Students also had the opportunity to visit a Girls in STEM booth, where members led a hands-on snow-making demonstration.

Faculty and staff volunteers were present throughout the event and at a pop-up hot chocolate bar, where they made and distributed the delicious drink (cookies, marshmallows, and candy canes, too!), creating a warm and festive atmosphere as students gathered, learned, and connected with one another.

In the Middle School, the celebration featured a wide range of holiday-themed activities. Students participated in cookie decorating, snowflake designing, and snowman making. There was also an ugly sweater contest. A game of musical chairs, featuring holiday tunes and lots of participants, created quite a bit of attention and excitement.  

A campus-wide raffle added an element of friendly competition, challenging students to search for winter-themed penguins hidden throughout the Middle School campus. In addition to the activities, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa displays (supported by wonderful middle school parents) highlighted each holiday’s traditions and featured treats including cookies, candies and latkes for all to enjoy.

“During each school year, we offer opportunities for our community members to learn more about the many cultures and traditions that help to create our beautiful and vibrant Viewpoint family. These activities and events are designed to be inclusive, fostering kindness, respect, and very often, community service,” shared Patricia Jackson, Chief Belonging and Community Officer. “This is one of the ways we help to support education that leads to our World Ready Promise. The Celebration of December Holidays also serves as a nice segway into our winter break.”

From our Viewpoint Family to yours, we wish you health, peace, and joy during this time, and always.

From kickoff to tip-off, Patriot fans brought the energy for soccer and basketball season at Viewpoint’s all-community Winter Sports Fest on December 11. A robust turnout of students, parents, faculty, and staff gathered for the love of the game, good grub, and giveaways.

Winter Sports Fest commenced on Ring Family Field at our Boys Varsity Soccer game vs. Yula, resulting in a 5-1 victory. Next up our Girls Varsity Soccer team battled Calabasas High for a 3-0 win and the crowd was more than a little bit rowdy! Fans made their way to the Paul Family Athletic Center (PFAC) for two basketball games, stopping along the way at the Sunset Smash Burgers and Handel’s Ice Cream food trucks.

“Winter Sports Fest is about more than the wins on the field or the court - it's about bringing our entire community together to celebrate our student-athletes and the pride we share in being Patriots,” said Josh Frechette, Director of Athletics. “When our community comes out, our athletes feel that support in a powerful way.” 

As part of the festivities, limited-edition, Winter Sports Fest T-shirts were given away to student fans at the fields and in the gym. Our Middle School Girls Basketball team went up against Chaminade and kept the Viewpoint winning streak going with a final score of 26-16. And to wrap up Winter Sports Fest and deliver a shutout of our opponents,, our Girls Varsity Basketball team beat Maranatha 47-46.

Winter Sports Fest ignited school spirit, celebrated teamwork, and brought the community together in a shared show of Patriot Pride. With exciting victories, enthusiastic fans, and campus connections, the event was a reminder that at Viewpoint, athletics are not just about competition, but about community, and the joy of showing up for one another.