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)
T H E
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
In The
classroom
■ The MS and US Spanish classes once again celebrated the Mexican/Central American holiday of “El Día de los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead” during the week of October 29th. In Mexico this holiday is not a sad event, but rather a celebration in memor y of deceased loved ones whose spirits return to visit on November 2nd, El día de los muertos. Altars constructed by the Spanish students were put up in the main building outside of the library with offerings of food, flowers, candles, artwork and photographs.
■ Bill Barnes, Director of Instructional Technology reminds students and parents that Netscape Communicator 4.78 should be installed on the students’ home computers and on students’ laptop computers since this version is needed for working correctly with Harvey. On the Netscape.com website, you will find the link for Downloading Communicator 4.78 directly underneath the Download Netscape 6.1 box. The links says: “For other Netscape browsers and Browser related Products--CLICK HERE.”
■ Dean of Students, Kevin Williamson, reported that three Harker students have been selected for Congressman Mike Honda's Congressional Student Advisory Committee for the year, joining representatives from other high schools in the area. According to the materials from Congressman Honda’s office, “The purpose of the group is to increase student awareness of and involvement in government affairs, to research issues, and to author possible solutions.” Harker will be represented by Aditya Goradia, Alexandra Stanek, and Alex Iftimie—congratulations, students!
■ Mr. Rogoway’s Honors Physics class recently took to the outdoors to perform an experiment about motion. Ilya Arbatman, well protected with helmet and elbow pads, raced his scooter along the 60-meter walkway in front of the Edge. At 10-meter intervals, his fellow classmates stood, armed with stopwatches and notepads, to collect data on Ilya’s travel for later analysis by each student. The data will be tabulated and graphed. Each of Mr. Rogoway’s students will then derive a physical mathematical model of Ilya’s motion. Mr. Rogoway was quoted as saying, “This will be a mathematical model of a real person, not some abstract object in a text book.”
■ Harker's Upper School Speech and Debate team hosted its 2nd annual speech and debate tournament in October. According to Debate Coach, Dr. Matt Brandstetter, approximately 200 students attended from 16 high schools in nor thern California, and Harker students, competing in debate and individual events, brought home 15 awards overall. In addition, seven Harker debate teams advanced to elimination rounds in varsity and junior-varsity team debate, and six debaters received speaker awards. Some notable achievements were: Maggie Chen, 3rd place Expository; Anna Basevich, 5th place Orator y; Aruna Baruthi, 2nd place Orator y; Kamilla Khadyrov, 6th place Dramatic Interpretation. Many thanks to the parent volunteers who helped make the tournament run so smoothly! Over the Columbus Day weekend, 48 Harker students and 4 judges attended a tournament in Long Beach and returned with 39 trophies. Go to the web site for more details.
■ Marc Hufnagel's US English II classes presented three-dimensional castles with accompanying chivalric romances that they composed as projects in tandem with their study of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.” Students have been studying Medieval literature, history, and culture. These chivalric romances were written and then per formed by the students. The castles will be on display in the main building outside rooms 13 and 17 for a few weeks if you’d like to see their creations. ■ Thanks to all of the middle and upper school students who helped at our Back to School Nights and the High School Preview Night held in Sept. and Oct. Our US Ambassadors for the US Back to School nights (both of them....!) were: Ryan Alley, Vikas Bhagat, Rubina Chuang, Shibir Desai, Meghan Desale, Nikisa Hodgeson, Alex Iftimie, Ruchi Jahveri, Aid Jain, Opal Kamdar, Kamilla Khydarov, Sneha Krishna,
Allison Kwong, Stephanie Lahri, Challa Lehka, Jennifer Lin, Karen Lodha, Ana Mahesawari, Elise Manbert, Nayan Mehta, Shikha Mittal, Pooja Prasad, Esha Raganathan, Danna Rubin, Alexandra Selbo-Bruns, Singh Shiplam, Rishi Shukla, Aditi Uttawar and Raghu Vakkalanka. Our US presenters for the High School Preview Night were: Carmen Antoun, Leena Bhalerao, Peter Combs, Gabby DeMers, Kelly Gault, Elnora Hawley, RIck Hayashi, Leslie Hernandez, Maheem Kaleem, Vivian Nguyen, Stephanie Tsai, and Matt Wong. Those doing student demos were: Leann Duong, Anjali Khurana, Felix Lee, Vivian Leung, Alexandra Stanek, Brinda Venkatesh, Kenneth Wat and Andrew Zhang. The student guides were: Karla Bracken, Emma Hawley, Maya Hey, Courtney Johnson, Eden Kfir, Meghana Komati, Sneha Krisna, Sara Laymound, Kathryn Lee, Marc Leglise, Jacinda Mein, Jessika Scheerder, Erin Schwartz, Lisa Schwebke, Kimberly Wong and Lesley Wu. Student guides for the Middle School Back to School Night were
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the following 8th grade students: Jonathan Chu, Avanti Deshpande, Lauren Harries, Arjun Kohli, Mike Lee, Saloni Mathur, Mahncy Mehrotra, Priya Patel, Ira Patnaik, Mariam Rangwala, Alisa Tolani, Irine Tyutereva, William Waggoner and Freya Waldern. ■ Oriel Nissim was elected student council homeroom president for Mr. Gathy's 7th grade homeroom to fill a vacancy. Congratulations, Oriel! ■ Chris Nikoloff, Middle School Division Head, announced that the following students are this year's Middle School Mentors. They will be meeting with 6th grade homerooms for four sessions throughout the year “to generate meaningful dialogue and form relationships between older role models and younger students,” Mr. Nikoloff explained. Kudos to these students for their leadership efforts: Ellen Harris, Mina Lee, Rohini Venkatramin, Ira Patnaik, Mohammed Ahmed, Gareth Sheerder, Mike Lee, Asavari Gupte, Aaron Nemetz, Keir Meyers, Elizabeth Moul, Meghana Dhar, Tanuj Thapliyal and Miles Bredennord.
gallery Nicloe Chuang
Ariel Wang
Priya Patel Rose Kirby Karen Chiu
briefs
SPORTS The 8th grade flag football team defeated Hillbrook in its season opener last month 26-6. Nikhil Kumar's 3TD catches, Naushad Godrej’s 2 interceptions and strong defense were keys to victory. Harker then went on to dominate Carden in a 44-12 win. Their record is now 3-0. The A2 and B2 girls volleyball teams were also victorious in
St. Victors hosted their 2nd annual outdoor volleyball grass tournament Oct. 13th with ten teams from all over the area participating in each grade level. The 8th graders came in 4th and have a current record of 5-4, and our 7th graders came in second and have an overall record of 7-4. Our 6th graders came in second and have an overall season record of 7-3, and our 5th graders came in first place in their division! Congratulations to all our lower and middle school teams for their hard work under the hot sun! Team pictures for volleyball are Nov. 6th: C1- 3:45; C2 - 4:00; D - 4:15; 4th - 4:30.
beating Carden last month. Both teams continue to work hard and improve. Keep it up!
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Team pictures for football and swimming are Nov 13th: C - 3:45; D - 4:00; Gr. 4 - 4:15; Swimming 4:30pm. Sports Brief Reporter: PE Teacher and Coach, Mary Kay Olks
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news
you need
Security and Transportation Manager Bob Keefer noted there will be no inter-campus shuttles on Fri., Nov. 9th and Mon., Nov. 12th, due to Parent/Teacher conferences. There will be no school on Mon., Nov. 9th for grades K-6, and no school on Mon., Nov. 12th for grades 7-12. In our quest to make mornings run more smoothly, we have supervision at the lockers beginning at 7:30 am. We hope these arrange-
■ Kim Coulter, Director of Recreation for the Bucknall campus repor ts that the red, white and blue bracelet-making project was a wonderful success in the Bucknall Recreation Program, thanks to the enthusiasm of the staff and the students. Over 40 of our 4th-6th grade students made approximately 75 bracelets from glass beads donated by a local artist that were sold at Nordstrom, Draeger’s and other local stores with proceeds going to the Red Cross. “Coach Zak, Miss Rebecca, Miss Lana, Miss Emilie, and Miss Diana were especially instrumental in this project,” Ms. Coulter added, “and some of them participated in a bracelet-making evening of their own to contribute to the cause.”
Sophie Newman
Sabina Sood
Sabrina Paseman
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. ■ A crisis like this is also an oppor tunity to examine, discuss and re-dedicate ourselves to values we hold dear. Recently, Head of School Diana Nichols asked the teachers in Grades K-8 to have their students write a brief statement of what they liked about Harker. “Their responses provide a model for what is important in a community,” Ms.Nichols commented. “And though varied, their answers give us hope for the future and a belief that love and respect for differences can be taught.” She shared some of these responses at the recent Mother’s Dinner, and we will share a few relevant submissions here: “...in Harker, we are taught that everyone is equal no matter what the race. I like that because I feel we should all treat others equally, for literally they are the same as us.” —Alyssa Donovan. Gr. 5
Alicia Lee
Pauline Phan
Harker has instituted a more formal check-in policy for guests at both campuses, effective immediately. In the interest of safety for your children, we appreciate your understanding and compliance with these new procedures.
Student Outreach, cont.
Cosmo Sung Jyoti Nayaranswami
ments will help ever yone have a less hectic star t to the day! If you have questions, contact Christy Vail, Elementar y Division Head at Christinav@harker.org or (408) 871-4605.
■ 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 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.
“Many of them (the Harker children) are kind citizens that would willingly lend a hand. I have many friends (including teachers) that would soothe my troubles. I feel very safe among my peers because rules are well reinforced. This is a school of wonderful people.”—Daisy Shih, Gr. 5 “The community here at Harker is very welcoming, with no problems concerning racism or religion. I also like the diversity of people because I can experience different personalities.” — Robert Li, Gr. 8
parent
dates
Tues., Nov. 6, Saratoga Gym Jostens reps on campus during lunch to take grad announcement orders and measure seniors for caps and gowns Fri., Nov. 9, 11:20-12:05pm, Shah Hall Gr. 7 Awards for Qtr. 1 Fri., Nov. 9, 1:25-2:10pm, Shah Hall Gr. 8 Awards for Qtr. 1 Fri., Nov. 9 & 10, 7pm, STG Gym “Midsummer Night’s Dream” US Play Mon., Nov. 12 No School - Gr. 7-12 Parent/Teacher conferences Tues., Nov. 13, 7pm, STG Gym US Fall Sports Awards Tues., Nov. 20, 8am-4pm Sophomore Outdoor Ed Day - Ropes Course Tues., Nov. 20, 5:30pm Campus Closes for Thanksgiving Holiday (Classes resume Monday, Nov. 26th) Fri., Nov. 30 No School - Gr. 7-12 Parent/Teacher Conferences
spirit
alive
“Ringing” in Exciting News! Thanks to the dedication of our Development Council members and the generosity and support of our entire parent body, the October phone-a-thons were a success. We are excited to share with you that 45% of our $1.25 million goal has been committed. To top off this wonderful news, we are thrilled to announce that a Harker family has generously offered Harker a $25,000 Matching Challenge Grant. This participation grant will be matched dollar-for-dollar for gifts received by returning families who did not participate in the Million for the Millennium Annual Giving Campaign. If you qualify for this grant, it is a magnificent way to double your contribution, and ultimately, double the support of your children. Last but not least we have several additional ways you can support your children and their educational and extra-curricular experiences at Harker. By joining eScrip and SCHOOLPOP, participating in Trash to Cash or simply washing your car at Trellis Carwash, you directly enhance what we can provide for your children. To find out more about these programs or the Campaign, please contact Amalia Keyashian, Director of Annual Giving (amaliak@harker.org). Again, thank you so very much for keeping the spirit alive! —Kelly S. Parker Development Director
Volunteer Almost 50 Harker parents (30 in K-8 and 17 in the US) volunteered to be Ambassadors for our new families this year. Offering information, answering questions and sharing their knowledge of the school, Ambassadors provide the valuable perspective of an experienced fellow parent to help smooth the transition into the Harker community for our new families. They have met and greeted our newcomers at parent orientations, small get-togethers, and at the August Buddy Pool Party in August, offering a friendly smile and a warm welcome. We are ver y grateful to our Ambassadors for volunteering to be goodwill representatives of the Harker family. Thanks to the friendship and enthusiasm of these Ambassadors, new families this year seem to be off to a great star t!
notes
summer It’s never too early to start thinking about summer camp - mark your calendars! K-8 summer sessions for 2002 are:
Nancy Jones, Presley Troyer, Kim Pellissier, Ellen Harris, Leslie Nielsen, Roni Wolfe, Pam Araki, Nayana Patel, Sangeeta Mehrotra, Emiko Sung, Fran Axelrad, Terri Doyle, Kathy Polzin, Charu Prakash, Candy Carr, Debbie Dellar, Kim Hall, Sandy Berglund, Dana Briggs, Debbie Dawkins, Janie Fung, Smita Patel, Miri Rubin, Rosalba Sokhanvari, Gail Weeker, Mai Trinh, Sarita Kohli, Lori Chaykin, Cherrie Blair, Lori Nemetz, Niyati Thapliyal, Anu Barman, Idris Kothari, Shashi Mahendru, Jackie Bocian, Jessica Cu, Carol Douglas, Nancy Hartsoch, Jackie Liu, Susan Lee, Nimi Nagalingam, Dominique Ruegg, Gaurav Shah, Marian Sofaer, Sharad Srivistava and Nancy Tepperman. —Kathleen Santora Ambassador Chair
camp For more information about the program, visit the website and click on summer camp!
Session I: June 24th-July 26th Session II: July-August 16th Brochures and registration forms available on January 14th. Harker students and returning summer campers have priority for programs and classes!
The Saratoga and Bucknall editions of the Parent Pages are published monthly by the Harker Office of Communications. They are also available on the web at: www.harker.org. Click on PARENTS. Editor: Pam Dickinson Photography: Chris Daren, Mark Tantrum and volunteers Printing: Communicart Design : Blue Heron Design
Harker’s Inaugural Homecoming a Historic Event! Harker's inaugural Homecoming on Sat., Oct. 20, 2001, at PAL Stadium in San Jose was truly an all-school event, with excitement and participation at all grade levels—over 1,100 people attended this historic event!
performance of the National Anthem by the Show Choir and Bel Canto was a heartwarming and patriotic kick-off for the game.
Leading up to the game, Homecoming Spirit Week on the Saratoga Campus included fabulous daily spirit events in the US culminating with a rousing Pep Rally on Friday, with performances by the cheerleaders, a pep-talk by Athletic Director, Jack Bither, class skits and competitions, and the premiere performance of the Harker Fight Song performed by the Harker Pep Band and composed and directed by Robert Scannell of the Performing Arts Department.
The Harker Eagles played against Justin-Siena of Napa Valley, defending San Joaquin Section Champions. (Was it just me, or were those guys really big?). While the Eagles fought hard on the field, led by Chris Davis’ two touchdowns, our US cheerleaders, the new Pep Band, and the fans showed their support from the stands with painted faces, Harker signs and total school spirit. It was awesome!
On the Bucknall Campus, our US cheerleaders coached 80 “Junior Cheerleaders” in our lower school to help them prepare a spirited school cheer for the game. And Dance Director, Laura Rae, with the help of Primary Division Head, Sarah Leonard and parent and Art Dept. Asst., Alice Schwartz prepared the Baby Eagles to take flight. The Harker Anthem, composed by Music Teacher and Gr. 7-8 Choir Director, Len Allen was premiered during the pre-game festivities, and performed by the MS Harmonics, the US Show Choir and other singers from all grade levels. The stellar
Our mini-mascots, the Baby Eagles, stole our hearts throughout the game, and did a wonderful routine to “Fly Like an Eagle.” Our firstever Baby Eagles were: Gr. 1: Connie Cheng, Amie Chen, Chandler Golan, RachelYanovsky, Payal Modi, and Shelby Rorabaugh. G. 2: Veronica Bither, ShonaHemmady, Sarah Howells, and Margaret Krackele. Though too numerous to mention, the “Junior Cheerleaders” were absolutely adorable, and the precision “Faculty Stunt Cheer” was truly moving. We feel a tradition coming on...
The Homecoming Court stole our hearts as well, as they were presented at halftime, driven by Harker faculty. The 2001-2002 Homecoming Cour t were Freshmen, Catherine Ball and Abeer Desai; Sophomores, Maya Hey and Max Kubota; Juniors, Rebecca Chang and Poorav Patel and Seniors, Carmen Antoun,Tiffany Duong, Alexa Bush, Adam Vucurevich, Alan Liu and Akhsar Kharebov with Carmen and Adam being crowned Harker’s first Homecoming King and Queen. Though the Eagles lost to Justin- Siena 42 - 12, they were true heroes to the fans in the stands. There would be no Homecoming without them, and we salute their hard work, their dedication and their teamwork— Go Eagles! A huge “THANK YOU” to the Harker community for bringing your enthusiasm and suppor t to this inaugural event. From parents, to kids to bus drivers, you were there—cheering our team, our talented students and our school. Thanks also to... • Chris Daren, US Activities Coordinator, who helped the students organize all the Spirit Week activities and the Homecoming dance, produced the program and secured the cars, tuxes and gowns for the Homecoming Court. • Carmen Antoun and Vivian Nguyen, Spirit Club Co-Presidents and Irene Altman, Spirit Club VP for the great Spirit Week activities. • Leslie Hernandez, President of Harker’s National Honor Society, along with other members of the NHS, for organizing the Homecoming Dance
• Brian Larsen for his usual technical genius, Bill Bost, for being the “voice of Harker,” and the entire Performing Arts Dept. staff and students who brought so much talent—and magic—to the event. • Head of School, Diana Nichols, who thought a tug-of-war would be “a fun class competition” as a half-time event...and so did the class officers! Thanks to class officers, Ed Williams (Senior), Maheen Kaleem (Junior), Kathryn Lee (Sophomore), Kimberly Wong (Freshman) for selecting teams and ensuring that the first tug-of-war was a smashing succes (and to Mr. Dan Gelineau, Dr. Richard Hartzell and Mr. Kevin Williamson for making sure the event went off without a hitch!) • Faculty drivers for the Homecoming Court (it was such hard work driving those Mercedes....), listed in driving order from Frosh to Senior: Lisa Radice, Misael Fisico, Diana Moss, Joe Rosenthal, Heidi Rolfson and John Near. • And finally, to the following businesses who donated the use of their cars and apparel for our Homecoming Court: Smythe European for the Mercedes, New Things West for the gowns, and The Men’s Wearhouse for the tuxes—thanks for your generous support!