NOVEMBER 2001 (VOL. 8, NO. 2)
A
M O N T H L Y
N E W S L E T T E R
SARATOGA CAMPUS
F R O M
student Community Service Day
Check out the latest features on the new…
PARENT HOME PAGE. Go to www.harker.org and click on the word PARENTS at the top of the page. Old and new features to this site are: • Download-able files of these newsletters • E-mail directory of all Harker faculty • Parent Q & A if you need an answer fast • School calendars, schedules and menus • Parent event updates and registrations • Emergency information Safety and security have always been a high priority for Harker, and we continue to evaluate our procedures in light of current world events. We will be posting more detailed information on our Emergency Plans link on the PARENT HOME PAGE this month. Also, for the safety of our families, we will be instituting password protected entry to certain links on the site in the near future. We will keep you posted.
On Mon., Oct. 8th, approximately 400 US students, along with all of the US faculty, participated in the annual Community Service Day. Visiting 21 different sites, Harker students logged 2,000 hours that day, assisting at various local service organizations, such as The Ronald McDonald House, ARIS (AIDS Resources Information Services), The St. Vincent DePaul Society, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, The Emergency Housing Consortium, The Children’s Recovery Center, the Terrano Gardens Hospice and more. This annual day, organized by US Math teacher Jennifer Gargano, is intended to familiarize students with the needs in our communities and encourage them to find organizations they can serve on an ongoing basis. Students shared the observations of their Service Day experience below. We’re proud of our students and certain that their experiences will help them find ways to continue serving their communities. And a big “Thank you!” to Jennifer Gargano for her tremendous efforts organizing this annual project. “I was surprised by how grateful and optimistic the people that we served were. I was surprised to hear from an older woman that she did not want more food than she would eat because she did not want to waste it. This came from someone who does not have a place to stay and cannot eat what she wants.” —Surbhi Mahendru (Julian St. Inn) “I found out that people don't want pity. They want acceptance and that is what I tried to give them.” — Aditi Uttawar (Winchester Convalescent) “It just felt good to help.” —Michael Leonard (St. Vincent DePaul Society)
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H A R K E R
S C H O O L
outreach “I learned to appreciate the effor t and care put into the food that I get every day at school since I had a chance to be on the other end of the spectrum.” — Illana Traynis (Emergency Housing Consortium) “I realized the value of life and how important it is to keep family close and to respect the old. I also value the stories people tell me about their lives because when they share something with you, they are giving a part of themselves.” — Courtney Johnson (Westgate Rehabilitation)
blood drive will be held Fri., Nov. 2nd from 12-5pm in the Dining Room of the Saratoga Campus. Donors must be at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Donors should not have donated blood in the last 56 days or gone to India or Mexico within the last year. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact our Head Nurse, Debra Nott at debran@harker.org.
“I initially viewed elderly people as slow and uninteresting. However, after this experience, I have gained a new understanding of elderly people. I learned that they are interesting and have the capabilities to do many things.” — Neha Bajwa (Lytton Gardens) “Now I want to volunteer more. I want to help in the community more often.” —Stephanie Chun (St. Vincent DePaul Society)
Sept. 11 Response The Harker community continues to find ways to help those affected by the events of Sept. 11th and to respond to the current world events. Coming together to share time, energy and resources in offering assistance to those in need is a productive way for our children to cope with feelings of sadness, anger and helplessness. It helps all of us “grown-ups,” too. Here’s a report of just some of the school-wide activities to date: ■ US student Shalini Lal has instigated a school-wide blood drive through the Stanford Blood Center. With the help of the Key Club and the National Honor Society, this blood drive is open to all students at or above the age of 17, and all staff and all parents (grades K-12). The
Bracelet-making fundraiser at Bucknall
■ The US Key Club members participated in a candy sale to raise funds and are now in the process of a holiday writing compaign to send cards and candy canes to those fighting oversees. ■ Harker is supporting President Bush’s request for each school child across America to donate one dollar to help the children of Afghanistan. Donations are being collected on both campuses. ■ In addition to meeting individual needs as they arose, the US Counseling Dept. moderated a discussion group surrounding the events of September 11th for both students and faculty in October. ■ Now more than ever it’s important for our students to have a sense of pride and patriotism. Many of our classrooms have continued to continued on pg. 3