OCTOBER 2003 (VOL. 10, NO. 1)
A
M O N T H L Y
inside S P E C I A L Alumni Edition Quarterly Alumni Update ... 25 Important dates & announcements ...... 2 & 3 Junior & senior internships special ...................... 8 -11 International programs update .......................... 22
N E W S L E T T E R
Harker and UC Santa Cruz have begun meetings to discuss an ongoing partnership between the two schools. Linda Goff, professor of biology and vice provost and dean, undergraduate education, wrote a letter to Diana Nichols, head of school, to introduce the idea of exploring ways, for example, in which Harker’s students and faculty can work with and learn from the researchers at UC Santa
Fri., Oct. 17, 7:00 p.m. Foothill College A K-12 Harker community tradition - be there!
Outstanding National Merit News At press time, results were announced in the 49th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.3 million juniors in over 21,000 high schools entered the 2004 National Merit Program by taking the 2002 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT). The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, is made up of the highest scoring entrants in each state.
Sun., Oct. 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saratoga Campus Another great Harker tradition!
THE BIG WEEKEND For information on both of these events, see page 4!
F R O M
T H E
H A R K E R
S C H O O L
Harker and UC Santa Cruz Discussing Partnerships
homecoming
53rd Annual Family & Alumni Picnic
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
Harker is proud to announce that 58% of the Class of 2004 (77 seniors) received National Merit recognition this year. Of that number, 42 seniors received Letters of Commendation, and 35 seniors (26% of the graduating class) were named as Semifinalists in this prestigious National Merit Scholarship program. Finalists will be announced in February. Warm congratulations to our students, as well as our outstanding faculty who continue to prepare our students for such newsworthy achievements!
Cruz. In the letter she stated: “I am a biologist, an educator and an administrator. I have taught high school biology, have been a professor at UC Santa Cruz for nearly 30 years, and I have been a senior administrator for the last five years. In these roles, I have learned a great deal about education and about the issues currently facing K16 education. I have learned that without absolutely dedicated professionals, who have a clear vision for what needs to be done to improve our children’s education, we would not have superb schools such as Harker. What you and your faculty have done in just a few short years is stunning. You have created an institution of which the entire Silicon Valley and
California can be proud, and many of your programs should serve as exemplars of best practices for the entire nation.” Nichols hosted a recent meeting at Harker with Goff and various Harker faculty members and administrators to discuss ways the university can share their research activities with Harker in such areas as the Human Genome Project, the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and in the fields of astronomy, marine science and environmental sciences. “We’re particularly excited about, and discussed at great length, the university’s Center for Adaptive Optics and ways our students can get involved in this exciting research,” said Nichols. Further details weren’t available at press time, so watch the November edition for more information on this exciting new partnership!
Apple Awards US English Project US English teacher, Marc Hufnagl, accredited colleges of in the U.S. was notified in September that his and Canada. Hufnagl’s lesson plan Canterbury DigiTales Project for and the iLife movie made by his British Literature junior Emily Hsi will class was selected be posted on the as third place Apple Web finalist out of site in late over 800 Sept. We entries in commend Apple’s firstour entire ever “Apple iLife English dept. Captured image from Educator Awards” for their creative Hsi’s “Beggar’s Tale” contest launched in April. use of technology in the The contest was open to all Kclassroom over the years, and 12 district or school level educators, we congratulate Hufnagl and Hsi as well as faculty and staff of on this special recognition!
Bucknall students honor local firefighters at recent assembly (see page 19)
IMPORTANT editor’s note EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the first edition of the Harker News for this school year! We’ve made a few additions to the newsletter this year: • Pages 2 & 3 - Time-sensitive parent reminders and announcements • Periodic “Behind the Scenes” feature written by students or alumni (see page 24) School communications, such as The Harker News, continually evolve to meet the needs of our expanding Harker community. Let us know how we’re doing, and keep us posted with your suggestions! —Pam Dickinson, Director Office of Communications pamd@harker.org
reminders
US Handbook Amendment: Network Use As many of you know, several new Internet worms have affected Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP. These worms do not require a user to open an e-mail or perform any other action to acquire or transmit the worm. All that needs to happen is to have an affected computer present on the network. A variant of this worm was introduced to the Harker network via a student laptop during the first week of school, and we subsequently discovered that other viruses which could have come from student files have been propagated within our network. Therefore, we are amending our computer and network use guidelines (Student/Parent Handbook 2003-04 pages 58-59) as follows. Acceptable levels, instructions and further details
important dates Refer each month to the monthly printed calendar sent home, or go to Web calendars for detailed division calendars and full listings. Web calendars are updated throughout the month and reflect the most current information. DATE CHANGES: Gr. 5 - Headlands Parent Information Meeting will change from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8 if the recall election remains scheduled for that day. Gr. 10 & 11 – PSAT date was changed from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21. This date is set nationally, and we were notified recently of the change. OCTOBER PARENT EVENTS Lots! Check the printed calendars we send home, as well as the division Web calendars, to make sure you have pertinent dates noted on your DayTimer, Palm Pilot, wall calendars and computer post-it notes! OCTOBER ALL SCHOOL DATES Mon., Oct. 13 - Columbus Day, K-12 No classes Fri., Oct. 17 - Homecoming (see page 4) Sun., Oct. 19 - Family and Alumni Picnic (see page 4) VOLUNTEER and PARENT SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES Wed., Oct. 15, 5:30 p.m., STG Sledge (next to Bookstore): Booster Club meeting (see page 17) Gr. 9-12 - Wed., Oct. 22, 11:45 a.m. Chevy’s, Westgate: USMoms’ Lunch (register online) Sat., Nov. 15, 1:45 p.m., San Carlos - Mark your calendars and plan to be a part of the studio audience for the US Quiz Bowl Team's televised match (see page 20 for story). Fri., Feb. 6 - Harker's first Fashion Show Fundraiser, Lights, Camera... Passion! (See page 6 for details)
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are posted on our Web site: • All Windows laptops must be patched to the minimum acceptable. This list will be updated periodically. • All Mac OS laptops must be patched to the minimum acceptable level. This list will be updated periodically. There are no current required patches. • All Linux OS laptops must be patched to the minimum acceptable level. This list will be updated periodically. There are no current required patches. • All student laptops must incorporate virus-scanning software. The virus data files must be no more than thirty days old. If you have further questions, please contact me. —Daniel Hudkins, US Director of Instructional Technology danielh@harker.org or 408.345.9631
Additional Insurance Recommended It's quite common for parents and students to use their personal vehicles for school-related activities, and Harker families are no exception. We appreciate the valuable assistance and generosity of our families who help us in this way. We do want to remind all our families, however, that these types of activities aren't covered by school insurance companies (including ours), and we recommend that families consider contacting their own insurance companies for additional coverage. In fact, while families have school-age children and may be driving many of their students' friends around on weekends (to the movies, parties, etc.), it's also prudent to increase your insurance coverage. Marie Clifford, Harker business manager, explained that many insurance companies will provide umbrella coverage for a nominal fee, and she recommends the following: Limits no less than $250,000 per occurrence $500,000 aggregate-bodily injury $100,000 property damage $2,000 medical For additional information, call your individual insurance company or contact Clifford at mariec@harker.org or 408.447.8521
New Peanut and Nut Policy In an e-mail from the administration sent to all parents Sept. 4, 2003, this new policy was outlined. It is posted on the Web site and key excerpts are noted below: “After careful consideration we have decided to institute a strong policy aimed at reducing the chance of someone having a reaction from the exposure to peanuts. Keeping community members safe is a responsibility shared by everyone involved at Harker and we are counting on your suppor t.
Harker School food service staff will not serve peanut products of any type in any prepared or prepackaged foods. Peanut and Nut Policy 1. Harker School food ser vice staff will not serve peanut products of any type in any prepared or prepackaged foods. When ser ving other kinds of nuts, the nut will be visible to the consumer and the dish will be clearly marked at the point of collection. 2. We will not allow food containing peanuts or peanut byproducts to be ser ved at school events including class parties, club meetings, team gatherings etc. The teacher or staff member super vising the event will be asked to make sure that this guideline is followed. 3. Harker parents, primarily those of lower school students, will be notified of the extreme danger connected with peanut allergies and are strongly encouraged not to use peanut products in food they provide for their own children for either snacks or lunch. Although sharing food may be unlikely, the chance does exist and we need to be cognizant of that fact.” If parents must send peanut butter products in their child's lunch (we recognize that this may be one of the few things some children will eat), we ask parents to help their child understand that sharing, in this case, is unwise. Harker News — October 03
event CAMPUS TRAFFIC UPDATE
recap
Harker Day at S.J. Giants
The safety of all concerned is very important to us for morning and evening drop-off. Below are some reminders from the administration and the San Jose police:
Bucknall Parents:
On campus:
1. Focus on safe driving. Save all other tasks for when you are clear of the busy streets around the campus. The speed limit around the campus is 25 MPH.
2. Respect parking signs and only park if you are actually getting out to enter the buildings, not just dropping off your child. 3. Do what you can to arrive a bit earlier to minimize the 7:45 rush and backup. 4. Remain attentive when exiting to the instructions of the officer. 5. Drop off your children at designated areas in order to prevent having your child walk through traffic.
Off campus: 1. Drive respectfully and carefully while crossing the 280 bridge. 2. At the top of the 280 N off ramp merge by alternating cars with those crossing the bridge before entering campus.
REMINDERS Freshman Service Day: Tues., Oct. 21 is a mandatory Freshman Service Day where all freshmen and their advisors go in advisee groups to various local service sites. Community service questions may be directed to Jaja Hsuan, student community service director, at Jajah@harker.org or 345.9259. Bucknall Reminder: Friday is assembly uniform check day. In the past, students received disciplinary referral if they were out of uniform. Beginning this year, students not in assembly uniform will receive an “Out of Assembly Uniform” report mailed home which will notify parents of the loss of free dress day for their child.
September 11th Remembered The Harker community observed a moment of silence the morning of Sept. 11 on both campuses to honor and remember the victims and families of the 2001 tragedy. Harker News — October 03
2. Come to a complete stop at stop signs. Stop at stop sign on Rincon and Westin and remain stopped until it is clear to proceed. LOOK BOTH WAYS. Many cars pull out in front of others waiting to turn onto Rincon or traveling straight down Westin so be cautious.
Senior College Night Event
3. Use your turn signals. Signals help others know your intentions. Much confusion can be eliminated if other cars know where you plan to go. 4. Be careful of pedestrians. Many of our families and staff park and walk onto campus. Yield to them in the crosswalks at Westin and Rincon. —Joe Gill, Asst. Head, NonAcademics, joeg@harker.org —Kelly Espinosa, Dean, NonAcademics (K-6), kellye@harker.org Attendance: Remember to call the attendance line if your student is going to be absent, late or needs to leave early. US students leaving without a parent must sign out at the Main or Dobbins office, and a parent permission must be received in the Attendance Office prior to your departure. Call Chris Collins at 345.9645 if you have US attendance questions. US Attendance Line: 345.9247 MS Attendance Line: 345.9288 BKN Attendance Line: 871.4600 Handy wallet-sized cards of frequently called numbers are being distributed at various parent events this year. You can also pick one up from the receptionist at the front desk at either campus or download and print your own copies from the Parent Home Page.
Correction: Our Gr. 8 graduation ar ticle in the June edition had an omission. Richard Kwant received a framed cer tificate as the Salutatorian of the graduating class. Our apologies, and congratulations to Richard.
Mark Tantrum
1. Please drive slowly and follow the instructions of the security and recreation staffs in the loading zones.
Vanessa Bullman
Saratoga Parents:
Harker faculty, staff and families joined together on July 26 to cheer on the San Jose Giants baseball team and enjoy a traditional family day of fun at the first-ever Harker Day at San Jose Municipal Stadium. Summer camp CIT’s (Counselors in Training) and current Harker sophomores Shivani Bhargava, Casey Blair, Lauren Gutstein and Casey Near sang the national anthem. Corey Gonzales, Gr. 1, threw out the first pitch.
Over 50 senior families attended a recent college night event, which included informational sessions on financial aid and the college application process. In addition, Harker Senior Parent Appreciation committee chair Alice Bracken and members John Keyashian, Jeffrey and Susan Lee, Gladys Liu, Meena Mehta, Kathy Polzin and Patricia Vucurevich hosted a buffet dinner and informed parents of the special Brick by Brick Campaign which allows families to honor their soon-to-be graduates. For more information on the program, please contact the development office at 345.0107 or visit the Web site!
Debate Cookbook... Hot off the Burner! The members of the Harker Speech & Debate Society have been busy collecting the best recipes from Harker families, staf f and friends over the past six months, and have compiled them into an attractive, firstever Harker keepsake cookbook entitled, “Cibus Fabulosus” (Fabulous Food). The books, which contain 300 wellloved recipes including appetizers, main dishes (meat and meatless), vegetables/side dishes, dessert and many others, will arrive “hot off the press” in November, and each recipe includes the contributor's name, so it will be easy (and fun!) to find the favorite recipes of family members, teachers and friends! All proceeds will go to the Speech/Debate Travel Fund. Advance sales for the books, which are $10 each, can by arranged by emailing eva@reeltales.com, and sales will continue at the Harker Annual Picnic next month. When the cookbooks arrive in November, they may be purchased from the front desk at either campus with checks made out to The Harker School and Cookbook in the memo line. Many thanks to debate parent volunteers for their tireless work in organizing this great fundraiser.
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october
events
HARKER’S 3rd ANNUAL HOMECOMING
53rd ANNUAL FAMILY & ALUMNI PICNIC
THE BIG WEEKEND!
All photos from Harker archives
Homecoming Fri., Oct. 17 Family & Alumni Picnic, Sun., Oct. 19
Fri., Oct. 17, 2003 7 p.m. Pre-Game Festivities 7:30 p.m. Game Time Foothill College, Los Altos Directions on the Harker Web site
The whole Harker Kingdom can join in the fun!
Sun., Oct. 19, 2003 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saratoga Campus Tickets $5 (pre-paid) for all Harker students, alumni, family members and friends. (FREE for anyone under 4 or over 75!). Tickets will be $7 the day of the event.
Homecoming highlights include: New location! Nicer stadium, great views, plenty of parking! No lines at the concessions! More windows and more help so you can eat more snacks faster! Harker Eaglettes! Command performance by our pint-sized mascots! Junior Cheerleaders! Small but mighty Bucknall group of 60 strong will keep spirits high! Faculty Cheerleaders! Be afraid. Be very afraid. Pep Band! From “Louie, Louie” to “All Right Now” — it just doesn’t get any better! Star Spangled Banner & Harker Anthem! US singing groups and lots of MS and LS students will inspire us with song! Alumni! We have ‘em, and we know lots are coming!
Visit the Web site to order tickets and for more information! And if you have fun prizes to donate, you can give them to the “Curbside Crazies” at the loading zones of both campuses in the morning before school! Picnic highlights include: Grand Prize Drawing! Win a “princely” sum of $10,000! Volunteer opportunities! Parent volunteers are “leaping” into action! Mother Goose Makeovers! Fairy tale face painting for the young at heart! Rapunzel Tower! Scale the climbing wall! Fe Fi Fo Football! 3 Little Pig Putt! Test your skills and win prizes at tons of fun games! Food Fit for Kings! And queens! Dozens of food booths with tantalizing treats from Italian sausage sandwiches to a wide assortment of ice cream delights! Songs in our Hearts! Enjoy student performances, including “Be Our Guest” sung by the Harmonics!
Free Dress Passes! All students attending earn a free dress pass! Crowning of King & Queen! All the kids are royalty in our eyes, but two people have to wear those crowns! Oh, yes - A Football Game! Cheer our team on to victory!
Be there! Go Eagles! 4
See you at the picnic… and we’ll all live Harkerly ever after! Harker News — October 03
ANNUAL
giving 2003-04
NEW! The Annual Harker Fund and 2003-04 Million for the Margin of Excellence We have consolidated the activities generating charitable dollars to support Harker’s annual operations each year. Proceeds from the three major activities outlined below will now comprise the new annual Harker Fund and fund Harker’s margin of excellence for our students:
• ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN • FAMILY AND ALUMNI PICNIC • FASHION SHOW Contributions from the Annual Giving Campaign, proceeds from the Picnic and a portion of the proceeds from the Fashion Show directly and immediately will benefit Harker students, faculty and programs including: • Nurses’ Offices • Recreation • Athletics • Library • Campus Security • Field Trips • Dance Productions • Performing Arts • Academic Counseling • Educational Contests • Student Activities • Multicultural Events• College Counseling
NEW! Earlier Annual Giving In addition to the new consolidated fund, we are changing the timeframe of our annual giving campaign. In previous years parent volunteers have held phoneathon weeks throughout the year to gather annual giving donations from Harker families. This process made budgeting and financial planning for needed equipment and student resources very difficult since final results of this campaign were not known until the end of the fiscal year. Beginning this year, we are asking that all of our families make their pledge by Oct. 19, the day of the Family and Alumni Picnic (see sidebar for details!)
NEW! Eagle Club for Designated Giving Most families will still want their contributions to The Harker Fund to be unrestricted, supporting all areas of the school operations. However, new this year is the Eagle Club for families wishing to designate some or all of their gift to specific program areas: 1. Athletic Boosters
4. Friends of Debate
2. Patrons of the Arts
5. Friends of Robotics
3. Friends of The Library
6. Scholarship Supporters
If you wish to support one or more of these programs, simply note that on your pledge envelope included in the Annual Report, which was mailed out early September.
Harker wants to make giving a gift to our school as easy, enjoyable and rewarding as possible - we hope you enjoy participating in this year's Annual Giving campaign and attending Harker's two great fundraising events: the Annual Family & Alumni Picnic and the new Fashion Show!
2002-03 Annual Report We thank all of our anonymous donors, as well as DC member Rob & Tamra Amick, who were inadvertently listed anonymously in this year's report. The anonymous donors, as well as the Amicks, were not listed in the class parent participation section on pages 4-8 of the 2002-03 Annual Report, however their participation and contributions were included in percent and dollar totals.
In future publications, all anonymous donors will be listed in the class parent participation section, but not in the gift club section which identifies the dollar range of your gift. If you wish to be listed as anonymous in both class parent participation and gift club sections of the 2003-04 Annual Report, please let us know and we will honor your request.
— Bran-Dee Torres, Donor Relations Manager, brandeet@harker.org
Harker News — October 03
Why Pledge by October 19? 1) Harker can purchase needed equipment and student resources earlier in the year. 2) Time spent on contacting families throughout the year for annual giving can now be spent securing foundation and corporation grants for the school. 3) Harker’s financial planning process will improve with the earlier knowledge of pledge totals. 4) Each family pledging by Oct. 19 will have a chance to win the fabulous weekend getaway at Bernardus Lodge and Spa in beautiful Carmel and dinner for two at their 5-star restaurant, Marinus!
Let’s Make a Million for the Margin of Excellence! Welcome back Harker families! We hope you had a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you at the exciting events this school year.
Welcome to these new Harker Development Council members: Jane Smith – Gr. 6 Dr. Jeffery Lee and Mrs. Susan Lee – Gr. 12 Dr. Sharadha Raghavan – Gr. 8 Mrs. Fran Axelrad – Gr. 6 Mrs. Ginny Haung – Gr. 10 Mrs. Hemangi Parikh – Gr. 9
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new
event
Lights, Camera… Passion! Harker’s first-ever fashion show fundraising event is well underway and the parent committee, now numbering over 100, is positively passionate about making this new event a smashing success! Mark your calendars for a day of passion, and plan to attend one (or both!) of these premier events:
Friday, February 6, 2004 Fairmont Hotel, San Jose • 11:00 a.m. Luncheon Fashion Show $75 • 5:30 p.m. Dinner Gala $150 (Fashion Show, Live Auction and Dance) The events will feature Harker students, parents and staff modeling the latest fashions from our presenting sponsor, as well as performances by our finest Harker performing arts ensembles.
All photos by Chris Daren
Celebrating our Passion for Education
students eligible to tr yout for modeling in grades K through 5 are children from the already established fashion show committee as of Sept. 15, 2003. Check out the Harker Fashion Show Web site for registration form and more detailed information, along with “ what to wear” (in addition to your BIG SMILE) for your runway audition. Models will be selected by an outside panel of judges.
Sponsorships
Fri., Feb. 6, 2004 Fairmont Hotel, San Jose Contact Information: Fashion Show Hot Line: 408.345.0115, fashionshow@harker.org MODEL CHAIRS: Galina Gaknoki ggaknoki@evelopers.com or Roni Wolfe roniwolfe@comcast.net SPONSORSHIPS: Shyamoli Banerjee shyamolib@hotmail.com or Archana Sathaye Archana@sathaye.com ADVERTISING: Sangeeta Gupta sgupte@r2tech.com or Vidya Lakshmi vidya-lakshmi@comcast.net SHOWCASE/LIVE AUCTION: Bill Bost billb@harker.org or Karen Hansen karen-hansen1@comcast.net
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In addition both events will also feature six Passionate Showcases and with the purchase of your lucky donation drawing tickets you could walk away with everything in one of these fabulous designed collection vignettes. Also, winning the grand prize of a one-year-tuition to Harker would be a great passionate finish for your evening at this premier evening event. Advance tickets will be on sale at the Family & Alumni Picnic on Oct. 19th and official invitations for the event will be mailed mid-November. Here are ways that you can join in on the success of this event, and passionately support it (see contact information at left):
Sponsor opportunities are available from $2,500 to $20,000+ and depending on the level, include such perks as VIP tables, program advertisement, free donation drawing tickets, gobo lighting, stage recogntion, logo listing in San Jose Magazine, our media sponsor for the event and much, much more. Take advantage of this time to feature your business and have it directly benefit The Harker Fund. Proceeds from this premier fundraising event will benefit the Harker Scholarship Fund, Teachers Fund and the new Math, Science and Technology Center.
Model Tryouts Sun., Nov. 2, 1-6 p.m., BKN Gym Be in the lights, in front of the camera and full of PASSION! If you or your child would like an opportunity to model at this event, plan to attend the tr y-outs! All Harker students in grades 6 through 12 are eligible for tryouts. (Downbeat, BKN Dance Ensemble and US Dance members will not be eligible to try-out, as they will be per forming in the show.) The only
Advertising Purchase an ad in the beautiful, keepsake program distributed the day of the event that will show your support for years to come! This will be a golden opportunity to showcase your company and other business’ that are friends of Harker that we’re all so loyal to year round, or to thank teachers, congratulate students and generally express your support.
Be PASSIONATE… Buy Tickets! Better Yet, Buy a Table! Show your suppor t by buying a whole table to enter tain family, friends and business associates. Contact the committee if you have names you would like added to the mailing list! Watch The Harker News, e-mails and the Harker Web site for continued updates and information on this exciting new event. Join us in celebrating Harker’s passion for education and excellence at this premier event! Passionately Yours,
Event Co-chairs: Marcia Riedel (Hunter, K; Randall, Gr. 3), Christine Davis (Cole, Gr. 6) and Ellen Harris (Matthew, Gr. 3; Katherine, Gr. 6) Harker News — October 03
SUMMER
galapagos
US Students Enjoy Memorable Summer Trip to Galapagos Islands By Julia Gitis, Class of '03 Current UC Berkeley freshman This summer, nine US Harker students embarked on a journey of a lifetime in Harker’s first-ever summer trip to the Galapagos Islands. US teachers Jeff Sutton (Biology) and Anita Chetty (Biology and Human Anatomy) chaperoned this exciting new trip from June 14 to June 26, accompanied by US students Ben Douglas, Andrew Hospodor, Munazzah Javid, Jackie Laine, Jennifer Lin, Lisa Nakano, Mickey Selbo-Bruns, Alex Tearse-Doyle and Rachael Warecki. The group visited two nationally designated World Heritage Sites, journeyed amidst the flora and fauna of unique ecosystems and enjoyed the camaraderie of their peers. From Quito, Ecuador, to Isla Fernandina and Isla Isabela, some highlights of the trip included saltwater lagoons, blowholes, bluefooted boobies, lava fields, volcanic formations, marine wildlife, local art centers and artisans’ markets, giant tortoises, prickly-pear cactus forests and guest lecturers from the Universidad San Francisco and the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences. The group visited eight of the 13 main islands, including Isla Santa Cruz, Puerto Ayora, Isla Genovesa, Isla Isabela, Isla San Cristobal and Isla Bartolome, led by tour guide Renato Perez. “It was really fun!” said Mickey Selbo-Bruns. “We did a lot of snorkeling with bat rays and all the marine animals, and Jennifer actually touched a penguin!”
abounded. It was a privilege to come so close to nature that you felt that you belonged with these living creatures.” Another salient aspect of the trip was joining forces with the students from the Colegio Nacional Galapagos and Miraflores High School as they collected data in various ecosystems around the islands, under the supervision of the Charles Darwin Research Station. As they immersed themselves in the culture, Sutton added, “Our students were so open and willing to trek the extra mile to see a distant waterhole, try a different food, and to try something new. The intellect, courage, overall flexibility, physical stamina, positive disposition of our students, and their delight in working with students of a different language and cultural background made the trip enjoyable and memorable.” Student Jackie Laine agreed that the trip was a success. “It was so much fun! The night before we left we crossed the equator and the cruise director asked us to perform a skit onstage. And at our last meal there the crew came out with chocolate cake, singing ‘We Just Called to Say We Love You,’” she laughed. “Our trip was great, and I loved everything about it!” Many thanks to teachers Jeff Sutton and Anita Chetty for organizing this wonderful expedition, and we hope this excursion to such a unique learning environment sets the precedent for many summers to come!
Plans are underway for another Galapagos trip in the summer of 2004. If interested, contact US teacher Anita Chetty at anitac@harker.org.
Harker News — October 03
Photos by Jeff Sutton
The Galapagos are famous for the biodiversity of the islands, and our students got the chance to witness different species - many of them endangered - in their natural habitats. Sutton remarked, “It was magical, and the students were thrilled to have such an encounter in nature. The sun shone, the water was warm, clear, and wildlife
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SUMMER
internships
As our upper school students prepare for college and explore career options, we asked our juniors and seniors to share a bit about some of the interesting internships and programs they participated in over the summer. Here’s a sampling!
Saahil Mehra (middle) enjoyed meeting and playing with Bolivian soccer friends.
I have never danced so much in my life! —Maya Hey
Any hesitations I had about the journey to becoming a surgeon have disappeared. —Karla Bracken
I had a great experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. —Vivek Saraswat
I learned how important diplomacy and compromise are. —Angela Lin
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■ Maya Hey, Gr. 12 LINES Pre-Professional Dance Program, San Francisco Japan Dance Grand Prix
■ Tanu Shenoy, Gr. 11 The National Development Centre for the Spastics Society, India
I spent four weeks dancing: six days a week, 7-1/2 hours per day, under the direction of Alonzo King and Summer Lee Rhatigan, ending with a performance of the repertory we learned. I have never danced so much in my life! Although this required both physical and mental stamina, the program was just as enjoyable since it helped me learn a lot about myself: my thought processes, (both positive and negative), my physical limitations and the lack of my mental limitations. Through this experience I have learned that the mind can inspire itself as long as the body allows the idea to be expressed.
The center trains people with various disabilities to become working members of society. These students have doubly difficult lives: their disabilities not only make it hard for them to cope with life on a daily basis, but they also live in a poor country where many able-bodied people are denied work and must resort to begging and scrounging to stay alive. Despite my initial doubts and hesitation, I had fun working with these people. I realized that they don’t feel sorry for themselves, but they live life to the fullest extent possible. My initial fear was that they would be too dependent on me—I thought that I would have to do their jobs for them instead of guiding them, but at times I was informed by students that I was doing something wrong! I learned how to open my mind to different ideas and perspectives and not isolate myself by listening to stereotypes.
Also, toward the end of summer, I spent a couple of weeks in Japan working as a Japanese-English translator for an annual dance competition. It offered workshops and scholarships to prestigious ballet schools around the world. I was hired by Martin Fredmann (the Artistic Director and CEO of Colorado Ballet). ■ Wendi Tsai, Gr. 12 Cornell University - Architectural Program, Ithaca, New York Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. At the age of four, however, I decided that pencils and markers, rather than diamonds, would be my best friends. With their companionship, I started my journey through the design world—first clothing, then houses, as I discovered Gaudí. After taking Introduction to Architecture in my sophomore year, I was certifiably obsessed with everything architecture related. I scanned college guides for information on architectural majors. I talked to as many professionals as I could. I noticed that they all ended their advice the exact same way: “It’s a tough field. Whatever you do, just hang in there.” Having memorized that line, I was determined to try out some classes at a prominent college like Cornell, just to be on the safe side. After all, five years of architectural school was a serious commitment, and I wanted to use my time for something I would enjoy. The six weeks at Cornell convinced me it was worth it. Seventy-six architecture students were divided into seven sections. Although the intensive class schedule and projects required students to practically live in the studio, where handson project are done, each section quickly bonded and learned to love the late night working environment. With the help of my peers, critics and professor, I expanded my knowledge of architecture to not just a practical, but also a conceptual level. For example, I derived the idea of my final project (a weekend resort) from a black and white photocopy of an abstract painting. This program, although intensive, confirmed my lasting passion for architecture. To me, it wasn’t work—it was a vacation. Not only did I learn more about architecture and make friends who share a similar passion, but I also have expanded my circle of companionship to include the T-square, architect’s scale and tracing paper. Having been initiated into the architectural world, I will never regret that diamonds were not my best friend.
■ Jennifer Lin, Gr. 12 National Youth Leadership Forum – Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia I chose this program to see if my interest in medicine was genuine. I experienced clinic and hospital visits as well as lectures from locally and nationally known doctors and medical professionals, including “Doctor Hollywood” and the CEO of Grady Hospital near Emory which serves many underprivileged people. I had always imagined that I would become a pediatrician, and I still do, but the NYLF has shown me that there are numerous fields to consider. Medicine is a vast field, and it’s easy to overlook areas that may be less popular. I am also more prepared for the years of hard work it will take…” ■ Jessika Scheerder, Gr. 12 Parsons School of Design, New York City I chose the product design program to determine if I really wanted to study this in college. I also thought it would be fun to live in NYC for five weeks. I learned a lot about design and the work that goes into it. My favorite part of the program was meeting people from all over the world and forming new friendships. ■ Saahil Mehra, Gr. 12 Tahuichi Way, Santa Cruz, Bolivia This month-long, extremely intense soccer program was originally started 25 years ago as a diversion for kids who were getting involved with the wrong crowd. The program supports over 3,000 kids, 90% of whom play at the academy for free. It has produced numerous professional players and has been nominated for five Nobel Peace Prizes for its efforts. The program I attended was intended to raise money for the school by allowing Americans to experience soccer in Bolivia. The camp mimicked the actual training regimen followed by Tahuichi’s top teams. I stayed with a Bolivian family and trained at the academy twice a day. Every afternoon after morning training we traveled a couple of hours by bus to play different villages and teams. Because I was able to speak only Spanish during this four-week period, I became much more conversationally fluent. Harker News — October 03
SUMMER
internships
■ Emma Hawley, Gr. 12 Acting Workshop, University of Southern California
■ Greg Perkins, Gr. 11 The Stories of Service Project, Sunnyvale and nationwide
I am interested in attending USC and was impressed with their theater department. I initially had no idea what to expect, but I soon realized that I made the right choice for my summer plans. These seminars were a great opportunity to meet amazing people from all around the country. The classes were academically focused, but there was still time for fun in the evenings and on weekends. I learned so much from my teacher Laura Zane, whose approach to acting is particularly helpful and inspiring. I feel I have developed as a performer. I recommend this program for anyone interested in acting.
This project is a partnership between the Digital Clubhouse Network, the Library of Congress, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs built around the making of short “Digital Stories” for veterans. These are 3-5 minute digital movies narrated by the veteran with videos, pictures and music woven together into a living memory of the veteran. Another aspect of the project is the Oral History Interviews, which are 40-minute interviews with these veterans for the Library of Congress Veteran’s History Project. I have worked with this project for several years and was named executive producer this spring. I have been working with the City of San Jose and the San Jose VA system and formed partnerships with all three San Jose VA sites. The technology and filmmaking aspects were major draws, but I soon realized that the major payoff is the chance to work so closely with veterans who have such extraordinary life experiences. I continue to be motivated and moved by their bravery and humanity.
■ John Tepperman, Gr. 12 Spanish / English Language Tutoring Taught free swim lessons at neighborhood pool I had a weekly session with a Colombian tutor to practice my Spanish and perfect his English. For half the time we spoke in English to help him with his accent and pronunciation and then spoke in Spanish to help me in the same way with my second language. It has helped both of us a tremendous amount to perfect our respective second languages. Also, since our community pool does not have a lifeguard, and I think that kids should be able to swim proficiently, I provided free lessons. ■ Farhad Darbandi, Gr. 12 VA Hospital, Palo Alto I worked in the autopsy lab and got a chance to participate in numerous autopsies. It was an unbelievable experience, especially since I’m considering medicine as a possible career. The best part was that they let me take an active role in all stages of the operation. If you are at all interested in medicine, this is a fabulous learning opportunity and I highly recommend it. ■ Shivani (Sheena) Tomar, Gr. 11 National Student Leadership Conference – International Diplomacy, Wash., D.C. For 11 days, students participated in lectures, briefings, and trips around the Washington, D.C. area specializing in programs such as law, business and commerce, international diplomacy, etc. I took part in the international diplomacy sector where I learned a lot about the United States foreign policy, UN policies and our Security Council. I chose this program because I was very interested to find out what goes on behind the media and the United Nations. I learned that I have a very strong interest in United States government and its foreign policies. I learned that as an individual, not everyone will see things the way I do; and if I take a diplomatic approach and listen to the other side, a solution is not always impossible to find. Countries, like individuals, have their own beliefs and tend not to be open towards one another—similar to what also happens in the confines of high school. Most importantly, I learned how countries all over the world work together to strive towards one common goal— peace. ■ Anita Gupta, Gr. 12 Stanford Psychology and Behavioral Center, Palo Alto This was a study involving autistic children and comparing their MRI scans with their normal siblings. I watched many interviews with the parents and autistic children and also observed the MRI scanning. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about psychology in a clinical setting and decide if I would like to pursue it further. ■ Estelle Charlu, Gr. 11 Harker Summer Camp – Junior Staff, San Jose Working with the Harker Summer Camp really tests who you are as a person. Being with kids the entire summer, you have to constantly be a role model because the kids always look up to you. It also helps develop your leadership and people skills as well as tests your patience and ability to show unconditional kindness at all times. This was an awesome and unforgettable experience and I recommend it for anyone interested in working with kids because the kids are awesome and the camp is great.
Harker News — October 03
■ Deepa Mathew, Gr. 12 Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Palo Alto I worked for two months as a summer intern at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. First, I grew protein crystals for a current project and diffracted the crystals using a high-energy x-ray beam at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Then, I collected the crystal data and determined the 3-d structure of the select protein, which will lead to a specific proteininhibitor drug. Due to my dual interest in biology and chemistry, I wanted to participate in a program that would give me further insight into biochemistry and biotechnology to help in my career choice and undergraduate major decision. This experience allowed me to apply my prior knowledge in the fields to hands-on laboratory research and I reconfirmed my interest in biochemistry and biotechnology. Additionally, I discovered my love for working in a research setting and working on drug design. ■ Vivek Saraswat, Gr. 12 Semizone Internship, Stanford Semizone, an e-learning company in the semiconductor business which works jointly with the Stanford Center for Professional Development, provides online technical courses and lectures in the form of streaming videos and various types of multimedia. I worked for the company as a Java programmer, creating a scientific grapher for use with several of their lectures. I gained a great deal of appreciation for programmers in the tech industry, as they work long hours looking at mounds and mounds of archaic code, while at the same time having a strict deadline. However, I found that I actually enjoyed the stress and problems that came with my job, even though I had to relearn a programming language that I had not used in over a year. I had a great experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. ■ Angela Lin, Gr. 12 Global Young Leaders Conference, Washington, D.C. and New York City This was a 12-day conference—6 days in Wash., D.C. and another 6 days in New York teaching high-school students about leadership in a political sense, providing hands-on simulation experience. At NYLC we visited the House of Representatives and listened to a speech sitting in the actual chairs of the representatives, and we listened to a debate on the Senate floor from the gallery. At GYLC, Secretary General to the UN Kofi Anon spoke to us in a real UN conference room! I learned how important diplomacy and compromise are. I talked to representatives from other countries attempting to form coalitions with them. It was a real test of compromise skills and patience. It turned my eyes towards politics as a possible interest, but at this point, that is a slight possibility. ■ Sonia Rastogi, Gr. 11 U.S. Tennis Association - South Bay Smash Wheelchair Tennis Team, Santa Clara This is a summer camp and tournament team for wheelchair-bound tennis players. The team practices twice a week at Santa Clara University. All of the participants go to tournaments in California and sometimes around the world! My friend Sharon Clark who is from the team (and also an instructor) is number one in the U.S. for wheelchair tennis, and she is currently
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internships
Lisa Radice
ranked number seven in the world. Two of the guys I met have full-ride college scholarships to play wheelchair basketball. This program originally started out as a way for me to get my community service hours; however, I no longer go for the hours. Through this experience, I now enjoy a greater appreciation of life. This experience has opened up my mind, changed my views on life and broadened my horizons. ■ Geetanjali Vajapey, Gr. 12 Pediatrician’s office, Houston, Texas Twelve Talon staff members and chaperones journeyed to Hawaii over the summer for the annual yearbook camp, where they took workshops, learned new skills and planned for the coming year. This year, 31 staff members will produce this year’s much anticipated Talon.
The biggest difference from my perception of physics is the large amount of interpersonal interaction and the large need for management skills. —Eric Berglund
Even one person can make a difference. —Simon Linder
I learned an immense amount about the scientific, social, and financial status of the HIV and AIDS community. —Karan Lodha 10
I chose this internship because I plan on going into the medical field. I had the opportunity to visit the hospital nursery many times and was able observe the doctor as she did her regular and not so regular checkups. I also learned how a private practice works and that it is much more than checking patients and writing prescriptions. ■ Danna T. Rubin, Gr. 12 Diller Teen Fellowship Program, Argentina The program is underwritten by the Diller Fund of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund and is jointly run by Israel Center and the Bureau of Jewish Education. It is a yearlong program, which consists of Jewish studies and a trip to Argentina for community service. The trip to Argentina exposed me to people who were in need of essentials due to economic conditions and high inflation. During my stay in Buenos Aires, I worked at a variety of social service centers. I worked at the soup kitchen, packaged medicine, baked for the hungry, visited a senior home, and provided clothing, which I brought from home for the poor. I experienced how few materials people need to survive and still have a rich culture and vibrant community. Most of the teenagers I met worked in order to support their families and themselves. They were just regular teenagers, like me, trying to have good time. ■ Tiffany Dell’Aquila, Gr. 12 Kyoto Traders, Japan Altura International provides the software necessary to execute online shopping, the “shopping cart” function for numerous merchants in the UK and the US. Altura is expanding its services to Japan, so Kyoto Traders was created to unify various reputable and established merchants to improve their success in foreign markets. Lekha Challa and I (the first participants in this program) were assigned to research various products and analyze their potential for success if launched abroad. I am very much interested in Asian culture and I know a good deal about Chinese culture, but not as much about Japanese culture. Throughout our stay in Kyoto, it astounded me to see how one theme seemed prevalent throughout all places we visited. This theme is assigned many names: the Tao, Zen or wabi-sabi (the appreciation of all things simple, functional, and a remarkable attention to detail). Though not always literally applied, the influences of this mindset could be seen in everyday business conduct, dress, architecture and essential mannerisms. This logical mindset has affected all aspects of Japanese culture (current as well as traditional) and I found this profoundly philosophical, and a great addition to my previous studies of the classics. Lekha and I intend to aid the involved students and faculty with next summer’s program.
■ Lekha Challa, Gr. 12 Kyoto Traders, Japan This is a company which has an online shopping mall at www.catalogcity.com. When people sign in to their accounts using a special online card that this company hosts, they can buy anything through the card at any place that Altura hosts at their malls. They have malls in the U.S. and England and are currently opening malls in Japan. Tiffany Dell’Aquila (my partner in this internship) and I went to research possible products that people might be interested in buying if they were available at the malls. The idea of analyzing Japanese advertising, daily life and customs was interesting. I wanted to see a world outside of my comfort zone. In Japan, I was the only Indian for miles, so I wanted to experience the feeling of being an outsider trying to glimpse inside a culture that is so tightly structured. I learned about the social taboos, customs and protocols that adhere to Japanese standards in the workplace. In a world where everything is technologically advanced, family values and traditions are the heart of Japan. I was surprised by the polite mannerisms Japanese people displayed, and I began to adopt their politeness. From giving up my seat in the bus for an older person, to publicly slurping noodles from my soup at restaurants (considered polite as it compliments the chef), I learned to appreciate the smaller things in life. ■ Eric Berglund, Gr. 12 Stanford Gravity Probe B, Palo Alto Gravity Probe B is a satellite research program centered at Stanford University that will test portions of Einstein’s General Relativity. The satellite is scheduled to launch in mid-November and will be the most complicated piece of hardware to be launched into space, the first controlled experiment of General Relativity and the most exact measurement of it. What interested me about Gravity Probe B is the unique and potentially groundbreaking goal of the experiment, and to have the opportunity to serve even a very small part in a landmark scientific experiment was exciting. I chose this program hoping to gain experience in the field of physics so that I can better decide if it is a field that I really want to go into. Physics is definitely different from what I thought it was, but I believe that I could be happy and successful as a physicist. The biggest difference from my perception of physics is the large amount of interpersonal interaction and the large need for management skills. I learned that it had more to offer me than simply being a significant scientific experiment. ■ Hillary Brooks, Gr. 11 Panim’s JAM Summer Program, Wash., D.C. This Washington, D.C. program focused on Judaism, Activism and Mitzvah work (community service). I chose this program because I felt that I would learn a lot about our nation’s capital. I also felt that by participating in this program I would be able to do some community service and lobby for causes which I believe in. I learned a lot about myself in this program. I learned that even though I am only one person, I can make a huge difference in the world. I know that I am making a difference in somebody’s life by doing community service and lobbying for something that I believe in. Harker News — October 03
SUMMER
internships
■ Simon Linder, Gr. 12 Panim’s JAM Summer Program, Wash., D.C.
most prestigious doctors and members of the medical profession. We were introduced to all areas of the medical field including the Public JAM (sponsored by the Jewish Institute for Health Commission, alternate healing options and Leadership and Values) was a three-week guest speakers involved in medicine, but not program in Washington, D.C. Forty Jewish necessarily doctors. Any hesitations I had about teenagers selected nationwide learned about the journey to becoming a surgeon have disaptheir heritage, did community service and visited peared. I realized that since I am so passionate Capitol Hill to meet with representatives from about medicine (I’ve wanted to be a doctor since Congress and special interest groups. Each age 5), the years of study and hard work will be week involved a different community service inspiring, invigorating and incredibly exciting. Along project on the issues of literacy, homelessness with gaining confidence to pursue my love of Kathryn Lee worked on research at NASA. and the environment. JAM was modeled after medicine, I learned about myself as well. Going into the forum, I knew no one at all; so not only was I able to explore the the E Pluribus Unum Project, a 1997-1999 program that joined 60 firstvarious aspects of medicine, but I overcame my shyness and made many year students, 20 Jewish, 20 Catholic and 20 Protestant, for three weeks great friends from all over the United States. It was a wonderful program that on the campus of American University to explore religion and social justice I recommend to everyone who wants to explore a profession in any field (the in an interfaith context. This program was the first inaugural project NYLF holds forums in law, medicine, business, finance, CIA, and more). blending religion, political advocacy and community service. I took classes in religious ethics and political advocacy. The essence of this program was ■ Karan Lodha, Gr. 12 Tikkun Olam, the Hebrew word for repairing the world and building a better Urrma R&D, Aubagne, France community. One of the channels for repair and reform is political activism, This amazing project found a treatment that will prevent HIV-infected so I was eager to meet with the special interest groups and congressmen, patients from progressing to an AIDS status by suppressing a protein on including Mike Honda. Through the meetings on the Hill and in the the surface of the HIV virus. This revolutionary treatment is currently in the classroom, I learned how to become a better political advocate. What I human testing stage and could possibly be out on the market as soon as learned and experienced will have a long-lasting impact on the world and six months from now. Dr. Jean-Claude Chermann, the director of the lab, is myself. Even one person can make a difference. one of the original discoverers of the HIV virus. For his work in the ■ Peter Combs, Gr. 12 biomedical field, Dr. Chermann has been awarded the French “Legion Summer Science Program, Ojai, CA d’Honneur,” one of the highest distinctions conferred by the country. Being Naval Academy Summer Seminar, Annapolis, MD able to work directly with him was an amazing experience. Since I was RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Santa Cruz Mountains completely involved in all of Urrma’s research, I learned an immense American Legion Boys’ State, Sacramento amount about the scientific, social and financial status of the HIV and AIDS community. Not only did I gain more knowledge about how to go about The Summer Science Program (SSP) is a six-week program, in which I disease prevention, but I also found out more about how little room there is guided a telescope to take images of an asteroid, measured its position for error and how difficult it actually is to get a treatment perfected and precisely, and calculated its orbit using a computer program that I wrote. approved. When you sit there with several thousand test tubes of HIVThis data will be incorporated into the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for infected blood in front of you, it really makes you look at things with a very Astrophysics’ database. I chose this program primarily to expand my different perspective. knowledge of physics, as well as to be conversant with my dad (who is something of an astronomy nut). Not only did I expand my knowledge of physics, astronomy, and math, I also learned a lot about research in the physical sciences. The guest speakers lectured us on a variety of subjects ranging from frogs to black holes. Then I participated in a 5-day orientation to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD., and also the RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), which is a leadership camp offered by the Rotary Club in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’m going to be starting an Interact Club this year (similar to Key Club). Then I spent one week at a mock government experience in Sacramento, sponsored by the American Legion, where approximately 1,000 boys from across California establish mock city, county and state governments. ■ Payom Pirahesh, Gr. 12 Berkeley Mentors, UC Berkeley This was an excellent debate program run on the UC Berkeley campus and headed by Dave Arrnett, the head coach of Berkeley’s debate squad, and Sarah Holbrook, a coach for West Georgia’s debate squad and two-time CEDA champion. This program takes only 16-20 kids each year: I honed my debate and research skills through large research assignments and many practice rounds. After several years of debating and debate camps, the biggest gain was the exposure and interaction with other great high school, college and former debaters. Having access to such great minds and resources while living and working on Berkeley’s campus made this program truly enjoyable. ■ Karla Bracken, Gr. 12 National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, Berkeley The 10-day forum, which completely immersed me in the medical profession, was filled with lectures, classes and shadowing led by some of the Harker News — October 03
■ Meghan Desale, Gr. 12 Kaiser Hospital, San Jose I shadowed a pediatrician on her patient visits with the Adopt-A-Family program. I created this program as my Girl Scout Gold Award project. We “adopt” low-income families, provide them with household items and clothes, spend time with the children and provide a tutoring service. I would like to go into medicine, but currently don’t know what I would like to specialize in. I spent a year with an OB/GYN and wanted to try a different area of medicine. I chose pediatrics because I wanted to learn about the various health problems that kids encounter. I chose the program as my Gold Award project to remind me that even though I want to be a doctor, I can still do community service work. ■ Kathryn Lee, Gr. 12 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View I conducted literature and laboratory research about the diagnostic parameters of breast cancer for the upcoming medical tool SmartProbe, which will someday be used on the International Space Station to diagnose and perhaps treat cancer. I thought it would be interesting to be a part of an institution with such cutting-edge technology. Originally, I wasn't quite sure if research would be something that would be very engaging (I thought maybe working directly with people/patients would be a better match for me). After my experiences at NASA, I realized that it wasn't bad at all, and it could be a possible part of my future. This summer, I also worked at my orthodontist’s office and my dad’s dental office, and by comparing all of my jobs, I’ve learned a lot about myself and my future goals. Debaters Earn Special Recognition at Summer Camps! See story pg. 21.
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John Hawley
JCL Students Win Awards at Summer Convention This summer 13 Harker students joined 1,600 students at the National Junior Classical League Convention at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. The Harker students earned dozens of top awards including several top point earners in various categories. “Earning awards in the top 10 is a special distinction at this convention,” said John Hawley, US Latin teacher. Here are the individual results of those placing in the top five in an event: Chapter Awards: Gabrielle DeMers, ’03 – 4th in Medium Schools, Local Scrapbook. Brian Biskeborn, ’03 - Level 5: 1st place each in Advanced Grammar and Reading Comprehension, Advanced Poetry; 3rd in Latin Vocabulary; 4th in Reading Comprehension, Advanced Prose. Sridhar Chadalavada, Gr. 12 - Level 4: 4th place in Roman History; 5th in Reading Comprehension. Kritika Kailash, Gr.8 - Level 1/2: 5th each in Ancient Geography and Grammar; 1st in Sight Latin (Girls); 3rd in Charts (Grades 6-8). Catherine Kim, ’03 - Level 5: 1st place each in Sight Latin Advanced Prose (Girls), Latin Literature, Mythology, Reading Comprehension Advanced Prose, Roman Life; 2nd each in Essay (12th Grade Girls), Heptathlon (academics), Latin Derivatives, Mottoes & Quotations and Roman History; 4th each in Latin Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension Advanced Poetry; 5th Place in Advanced Grammar and Greek Derivatives. Kim won 4th overall at the convention in Academics, 6th overall in all Events and 8th overall in Creative Arts (speaking, writing, costume, etc.). Shibani Mehta, Gr. 8 - Level 1/2: 3rd each in Grammar and Reading Comprehension; 4th in Dramatic Interpretation (Girls); 5th in Sight Latin (Girls). Aarathi Minisandram, Gr. 8 - Level 1/2: 5th each in Grammar and Mottoes & Quotations; 2nd in Latin Oratory. In Gr. 6-8 - 1st in Games; 2nd in Textiles; 3rd in Pastel; 4th each in Charts and Watercolor; 5th each in Pencil and 50 Yd. Backstroke (Jr. Girls). Minisandram also received special recognition for being 10th in the Graphic Arts category. Ivan Osokine, Gr. 12 - Level 3: 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation Poetry Boys. Eugenia Sorotokin, Gr. 8 - Level 1/2: 4th in Latin Literature; Gr. 6-8: 1st in Graphic Arts, Mixed Media. Ruchi Srivastava, Gr. 8 - Level 1/2: 3rd in Mottoes and Quotations; 5th each in Greek Derivatives and Hellenic History; 4th in Sight Latin (girls); 3rd in 50-Yd. Backstroke (Jr. Girls); 5th each in 100-Yd. Freestyle and 50-Yd. Breastsroke (Jr. Girls). The Upper Level Certamen (Latin Quiz Bowl) team consisting of Cathy Kim, Brian Biskeborn, Allison Kwong, Sridhar Chadalavada, and Ethan Karpel, with help from Nicholas Joy of Menlo School, placed 6th, marking the best performance ever of any California team in this event. Harker’s JCL will participate in its first event of the school, Ludi Octobres, “the games of October,” on Sat., Oct 25 at St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco. Also, congratulations to Brian Biskeborn, ’03, one of 21 recipients of the National Latin Examination Scholarship. The competition was open to seniors who had a gold medal on this year’s National Latin Exam. Brian competed against more than 200 applicants and was awarded $1,000 for every year that he will take Latin or Greek in college. Catherine Kim ‘03 and Allison Kwong, Gr. 12 were each awarded $100 in the national Medusa Mythology Exam. Over 100 junior and senior gold medal recipients joined in the competition with each writing an essay on what mythological event would have changed if the Greeks had lost the Trojan War. Many congratulations to Harker’s outstanding JCL students!
FACULTY
Summer provides an opportunity for Harker faculty to focus on professional development, concentrated study and the exploration of new ideas in order to bring fresh perspectives to the classrooms each fall. Below is a sampling of some of the ways Harker’s dedicated teachers spent their summers. ■ US history and economics teacher Jian Chai spent four days in mid-August in Singapore attending the 3rd International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS3). This was one of the largest gatherings of scholars - over one thousand from around the world - whose research on Asia and /or Asians, helped
Lougheed took an 8-week course in ballroom dancing, learning eight new dances that she plans to incorporate into her music movement classes and musical theater choreography.
generate a better understanding in the humanities and social sciences. Chai submitted a research paper, “An Outstanding Historical Issue in Sino-American Relation: The 1868 Treaty of Washington.”
■ Library Director Enid Davis composed a dozen songs for a new musical about Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss and the invention of blue jeans. She said this experience has sharpened her skills in the writing of the Ogre Awards, the annual language arts and music production she stages each year for second graders. In addition, she saw five shows on Broadway, which increased her drama savvy in the purchasing of new plays for the library.
■ US computer science department chairs Robb Cutler and Marc Micek attended a Brown University course, “Teach-Scheme,” which covered the pedagogy of teaching the Scheme language to all levels of high school computer science students. “Scheme was successfully used last year in the AP CS course and had a very positive effect on the students’ computer science understanding and AP scores,” said Cutler, who also coauthored a book, The Princeton Review’s “Cracking the AP Computer Science Exam” available January, 2004. ■ Art specialist and LS department chair Eric Hoffman took a class in glass fusing and slumping (a process of heating glass in a kiln to conform to the shape of a mold) at the Sundance Art Glass Center in Mountain View. He combined and melted glass to form mosaic patterns, incorporated sheet glass for jewelry designs and gauged temperature controls in stress testing and firing procedures. He will introduce students to glass jewelry-making and other related projects this year. ■ LS music teacher Sarah
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■ MS history teacher Cyrus Merrill went to Timbuktu and rafted along the Niger River following the routes of early African explorers and the West African slave trade. “It was very intense and moving,” he said. He improved his French, collected art and sat beside village master carvers who shared their techniques. He also traveled through part of the Sahara desert camping on a camel. Merrill plans to incorporate what he has learned into this year’s curriculum sharing his collected items and firsthand historical views.
■ Director of performing arts Laura Lang-Ree performed in June with Stoctet in San Jose doing solo numbers and singing with the group. She and her family also vacationed in New York City where she researched summer theater programs and colleges to enhance Harker’s Conservatory Program. (While walking in Manhattan, she was selected by the crew of “Live! with Regis and Kelly” for a makeover and strutted her stuff on the morning show, which aired on July 17!) ■ MS science teacher Raji Swaminathan took a 5-week online course on Forces and Motion with the Jason Academy. This course was very content-rich and focused on the conceptual understanding of the following topics: Kinematics, Accelerated Motion, Inertia, Gravity, Dynamics-the study of forces and why things move, Mass and Weight, Measuring Forces, Bernoulli’s Harker News — October 03
Principle, Friction, Terminal Velocity, Buoyancy, Mechanical Advantage, Work and Simple Machines. ■ For the second year in a row US English teacher Judy ConantSteinbach taught English literature and composition in England for seven weeks at TASIS, The American School in England. ■ US history teacher Ruth Meyer worked on her doctoral dissertation in depth psychology at the Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara. She is researching the therapeutic benefits of studying history with special reference to the empathic imagination of historians. She explained, “It is the process whereby we place ourselves in the shoes of a particular historical figure or situation.” ■ US French teacher Nicolas Manjoine was one of 15 school educators selected from a nationwide competition to attend one of the National Endowment for the Humanities seminars in Paris, “The Paris of Balzac, Zola, and Baudelaire.” The seminar involved an interdisciplinary study of urbanism, history and the representations of cultural change in the literature of the city of Paris throughout the 19th century. Manjoine was also awarded the status of visiting scholar at Brown University. ■ US history teacher Fred Morgan spent the first week of June in San Antonio, Texas, reading AP U.S. History exams for the College Board. ■ LS 5/6 language arts teacher Bina Barnabas visited schools in New Delhi, India, observing classes, talking to teachers and viewing administrative procedures in the prinicpal’s office. She also observed an MA level class at the Deklhi University. ■ US teacher Jeffrey Draper produced and directed a production of “Hamlet” at the Center Repertory Company. The cast included 17 high school and college students. “The show was exciting, funny, and, of course, quite tragic in the final scene,” he said, adding that he will use the same script for the fall Conservatory production. ■ Primary language arts teacher Mary Jo Townzen completed the last of her coursework, “Mainstreaming the Exceptional Harker News — October 03
Child” at the UC Santa Cruz extension program in Sunnyvale. She finished her student teaching in the Franklin McKinley School district and earned a 4.0 average at San Jose State University for a Clear Multiple Subject Credential. ■ US PA/assistant harmonics teacher Susan Nace auditioned and joined the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for the 2003-04 season. Her debut concert was Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Later offstage she took Mark Vail’s digital music class and learned a new sequencing software program. She wrote a comprehensive choral curriculum that integrates vocal pedagogy, ear training, basic musicianship, music reading (rhythm and pitch) and music vocabulary to be “beta tested” by Cantilena and Harmonics this next year. ■ US English and Gr. 12 dean Marc Hufnagl worked on an independent feature film, “Navengar es Necessario,” shot in San Francisco and directed by Spanish director Antonio Torres. He choreographed a street scene with a flair for salsa and modern dance. “The plot of the film concerns an older man who encounters his past through different locations in the Mission District, which bring him clarity and understanding about the meaning of his life,” he said. Hufnagl will share what he has learned about dramaturgy with his students.
out what kind of math program they utilize, what the goals of the program are and what methodologies are employed,” Kerr said, explaining that this was for her own professional development. “So many of these programs have popped up recently and the industry has no specific standards and no means of overseeing itself.” ■ US Latin teacher John Hawley went to the American Classical League Institute at the University at Buffalo, New York, where he attended a number of workshops to develop curriculum for the AP, the National Latin Exam and for transitional texts in Latin 3. He then went to Rome for the Taft Education Center Summer Workshop on AP: Vergil. He also took 13 Harker students to the National Junior Classical League Convention at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and attended the North American Society for Living Latin in Sonoma County where “I spoke only Latin for a week!” ■ Gr. 8 expository writing teacher John Buckley proudly says that on his “own initiative” he spent a good chunk of his summer reading compositional research essays and overhauling his whole curriculum “from the ground up.” ■ US physics teacher Philip Becker completed the 3rd level physics modeling 3-week workshop in “Waves, Light, Optics” at Arizona State University.
■ MS digital music teacher Mark Vail taught a course in digital music at Harker’s summer camp and published an article in the Spring 2003 SoundTree Resource News called, “Teaching a State-of-the-Art Music Class Using the Korg GEC3.”
■ US intern/sub/speech & debate teacher Dasha Polzik worked on French to Russian translations of educational/political action literature at La Fondation Jean Jaures in Paris for two months.
■ MS teacher Monica MacKinnon attended the Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals in August, where she saw Chekov’s “The Seagull,” the Oedipus trilogy a new Scottish adaptation written by Liz Lockhead, a new play, “People Next Door,” and “Ragtime” performed by students in the American High School Theatre Festival.
■ New K-8 English dept. chair and MS English teacher, James Eagen, designed and taught a course in Marin called “Base Camp” that introduced students in grades 5, 6 and 7 not only to climbing, but to the culture of rock climbing and the literature surrounding the sport. “We climbed, we wrote about climbing, we read about climbing and explored the culture behind it all,” he said.
■ MS math teacher and department head Cindy Kerr continued to write teacher resource materials as she did last summer, with this year’s focus being on Algebra 2, Geometry, Gr. 4, 5 and 6 math. “I also went around and examined a number of tutorial services to find
■ MS math teacher Vandana Kadam traveled throughout India, where she dropped in to visit Harker’s sister school in Jaipur. See page 22 for an update on this and other programs from Bill Bost, international programs director.
■ Third grade science teacher Jason Pergament explored Glacier National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone, honing his geology expertise with firsthand information on geisers, hotsprings and other natural phenomenon. ■ US history teacher Raymond Rogoway attended the Advanced Placement Psychology Workshop at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont. ■ Elementary social studies teacher and dept. chair 4-5 Kristin Giammona, completed her 4th year as summer academic principal on the Saratoga campus, supervising over 35 teachers and hundreds of campers. Giammona said that working with so many teachers each summer brings her “fresh ideas” as an educator. ■ Two Harker teachers, Pat Walsh and Tara McFarland, repor ted that they par ticipated in the Industr y Initiatives for Science and Math Educators (IISME), an 8week summer fellowship program committed to improving education by placing educators in local industr y. Walsh, an elementar y math teacher and IISME 4-year veteran, worked at National Semiconductor in the distribution group at Sunnyvale Corporate Headquar ters. “They wanted me to take a close look at the training program they had developed for their distributors and make recommendations based on my training and experience as an educator,” Walsh explained, adding that a great deal of the research was compiled by inter viewing engineers and outside salespeople who are close to the program. “I got to eat a lot of expensive lunches with some ver y interesting people,” he laughed. McFarland, a Harker kindergar ten teacher, was hired by Intel’s HRR (Human Resources Research) Depar tment to develop a bimonthly training series to enhance HR’s use of sur veys, statistics, metrics, indicators and external/internal resources. In addition to developing curriculum for the training series, she created a Web site for the HR employees to view the training materials and wrote two ar ticles for the Intel newsletter to promote the training series. She added, “It was a valuable experience that made me appreciate my passion… TEACHING.”
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BACK
to school 2003-04
Rohit Agar wal • Ishanya Anthapur • Chirag Aswani • Samuel Babu • Aashika Balaji • Rachel Bareiss • Josh Batra • Adarsh Battu • Akshay Battu • Sarah Bean • David Belogolovsky • Caitlin Benge • Anjani Bhargava • Akhila Bhoopalam • Alicsia Bittner Prince • Jacob Bongers • Aleksandr Borodulin • Klara Bost • Boris Brenerman • Garrett Brooks • Hillar y Brooks • Nikolas Bunton • Barbara Camara • Victoria Chan • Rishabh Chandra • Mark Chang • Mikayla Chapman • Spencer Chau • Rex Chen • Alex Chen • Serafine Chen • Eric Cheung • Tif fany Chien • Jeremy Chou • Alber t Chu • Jeremy Chung • Zachar y Clausen • Isabelle Connell • Laura Conner • Steven Courchesne • William Courchesne • Karlene Creary • Kristie Cu • Kathy Cutler • Dominique Dabija • Brandon Dai • Jonathan Dai • Juliana Daniil • Samir Datta • Marita Del Alto • Alexandra Dellar • Baris Demirlioglu • Arkajit Dey • Anish Dhamija • Jessica Dickinson Goodman • Emma Doher ty • Nikunj Donde • Aneesh Donde • Samuel Douglas • Lucas Ellison • Frederic Enea • Vladimir Feinberg • Kevin Fu • Ayumi Funaki • Kaitlyn Gee • Jasmine Gill • Julian Gill • Anjali Gill • Sophia Gilman • Aneesh Goel • Vijay Gottipati • Eliot Gruzman • Grace Guan • Varun Gudapati • Christopher Gudmundson • Lauren Guerra • Stephanie Guo • Gabriela Gupta • Samuel Gurevich • Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari • Alex Han • Jason Han • Ejaz Haque • Omar Haque • Tatsunori Hashimoto • Ryan Hayden • Alexander He • Ashley Hejtmanek • Waseim Helweh • Ana Henderson • Regan Heslop • Kevin Hou • Virginia Hsiao • Veronica Hsieh • Alex Hsu • Christine Hsu • Kenny Hsu • Lucille Hu • Allen Huang • Anna Huang • Grace Hudkins • Katherin Hudkins • Lauren Ill • Suraj Jagadeesh • Samantha Jagannathan • Arihant Jain • Rishabh Jain • Oliver Janik • Jay Japra • John Nicolas Jerney • Maya Jeyendran • Amy Johnson • Andrea Kablanian • Justin Kae • Arun Kanhere • Sarika Kanhere • Br yan Kao • Ozgur Karakucuk • Chanelle Kasik • Hari Kaushik • Danny Kawadri • Lerna Kazazic • Elaine Ke • Kevin Ke • Jonathan Keller • Abhinav Ketineni • Allison Kiang • Gokulesh Killer • Ruehanee Killer • Roger Kim • Jiyeon Kim • Rachelle Koch • Sandya Kola • Eric Kong • Hironobu Kozu • Anika Krishnan • Avanika Krishnaswamy • Jeffrey Kwong • Nicholas LaBruna • Caroline Lai • Minaz Laiwalla • Cordelia Larsen • Felicia Lee • Janet Lee • Trevor Lee • Melody Lee • Glenn Lee • Michael Leung • Megan Leung • Noah Levy • Joy Li • Celine Liang • Katie Liang • Scott Liao • Howard Lio • Caitlyn Liu • Rober t LougheedLowe • Vivian Lu • Christina Luu • Ethan Ma • Samantha Madala • Yasmin Mahmoudian • Andrew Mai • Michael Male • Howard Male • Kian Martin • Diba Massihpour • Natasha Mayor • Simran Mazloom • Anjali Menon • Sumit Minocha • Alexis Moon • Kevin Mu • Appu Muraleedharan • Mar y Najibi • Rishi Narain • Shahana Nasser y • Shefali Netke • Alexandre Nguyen • Elodie Nguyen • Mark Ollila • Jennifer Ong • Selin Ozcelik • Sonal Pai • Kent Paisley • Angeline Pan • Maneesha Panja • Jane Pao • Ravi Pareek • Riya Parikh • Neha Parikh • Kristen Park • Matthew Park • Christine Park • Nikhil Parmar • Mitali Parmar • Janisha Patel • Nikhil Patel • Alex Patil • Shaylin Patil • Reid Patterson • Raven Perot • Connor Powers • Spencer Powers • Megan Prakash • Shaila Punj • Spenser Quash • Dhaivath Raghupathy • Dhvani Raghupathy • Shanthi Rajagopalan • Anu Ramachandra • Nikita Ramoji • Angad Randhawa • Adarsh Ranganathan • Neil Raya • Shaan Raya • Jordan Read • Manasa Reddy • Anusha Reddy • Preeta Reddy • Ian Richardson • Shannon Richardson • Hunter Riedel • Jacqueline Rousseau • Ridhaa Sachidanandan • Ivo Saleminh • Trevor Sambyal • Candice Sarnevesht • Kevin Saxon • Marguerite Schimandle • Kur t Schwar tz • Anton Sepetov • Rober t Sesek • Ankita Sharma • Ayush Sharma • Sarah Shen • Cynthia Shwe • Ian Siam • Sonia Sidhu • Elisabeth Siegel • Natalie Simonian • Cooper Sivara • Sriram Somasundaram • Jacqueline Son • Lauren Speckman • Bogdan Spitters • Keshav Srinivasan • Neythra Srinivasan • Jaclyn Steger • Vaibhav Sutrave • Alexander Swafford • Vijay Swamy • Shannon Tan • Sarah Teplitsky • Gurutam Thockchom • Alexander Thomas • Daniel Tien • Madison Tomihiro • Sinead Toolis Byrd • Tiffany Tseng • Robert Underwood • Scott Underwood • Alexander Under wood • Kiran Vajapey • Chloe Vandendries • Vikram Vasan • Nithya Vemireddy • Vamsi Vemireddy • Victoria Vu • Alex Vuko • Jacqueline Wang • Kelly Wang • Kevin Wang • Steven Wang • Tony Wang • Carolyn Wang • Anne West • Paul West • Tiffany Wong • Vivian Wong • Helen Woodruff • David Wu • Helen Wu • Alexander Wu • Iris Xia • Christopher Xiao • Joanna Xu • Mounica Yanamandala • Benjamin Yang • Ashley Yang • Vincent Yao • Allison Yatco • Aparna Yellapragada • Jonathan Yiu • Michael Yu • Eric Zhang • Joyce Zheng • Andrew Zhou • Annie Zhou • Aline Zorian
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Photos by Mark Tantrum and Chris Daren
Welcome new students
Harker News — October 03
BACK
to school 2003-04 We welcome all of our new students, parents, staff and faculty to the Harker community! NEW STAFF (full time) Sondra Goldberger, Library Asst. Daniel Hudkins, Director of Instructional Technology Paul Vallerga, Performing Arts Technical Director Nishi Vellian, K-6 Nurse.
NEW FACULTY (full & part time) COMMUNICATIONS (Speech & Debate): Dasha Polzik COMPUTER SCIENCE: Tami Koval ENGLISH & LANGUAGE ARTS: Tammy Coia, James Eagen, Craig Michalski, Mark Mitchell, Elise Schwartz HISTORY & SOCIAL STUDIES: Mai Lien Nguyen, Rob Regan KINDERGARTEN: Jeanette Bhatia MATH: Diane Plauck, Anthony Silk PERFORMING ARTS: Adrian Bermudez, Richard Frazier, Kristin McEuen PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Paula Bither, Christine Chang, Leah Minnery SCIENCE: Janet Blanquies, Daniel Matthews, Eric Nelson, Jennifer Owen, Jason Pergament, Daniel Sommer
Many thanks to: • The 106 K-8 students who served as buddies in Harker’s New Student Buddy Program and helped make our new students feel welcome at summer pool parties, as well as during the first few weeks of school. • Our Ambassador co-chairs Sandy Berglund, Karen Saunders, Becky Cox, Violet Boyle and Gayatri Patel who made such a wonderful effort in welcoming new students and their families. • Our US student guides who helped out new US transfer students on the first day of school.
Harker News — October 03
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PERFORMING On Sept. 4 the US Conservatory held their kickoff meeting for the year where members joined together for an informative meeting with their instructors to discuss the audition and performance details of their groups and review the Certificate Program. The Conservatory welcomed the addition of new staff members Adrian Bermudez (dance), Richard Fraizer (instrumental music) and Paul Vallerga (tech) and announced “Damn Yankees” as this year’s spring musical. Auditions will be held the first week of January, and students are encouraged to go out and buy the latest Broadway CD of the show! The first Conser vator y production of the year will be Hamlet, and director Jeffrey Draper shares his thoughts on this year’s exciting show: “The Harker Conservatory is happy to present Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as this year’s fall play.
“A modified version of the play designed specifically for the Harker Conservatory will be presented. This is a rare opportunity for students at this age, and the choice of “Hamlet” allows them to play some great verbal and physical combat scenes along with having complex characters in dynamic relationships saying and doing amazing things. Jeffrey Draper
Conservatory Kick-Off
arts
“Many roles will be played tag-team style, with one actor replacing another during the performance. In transitional moments for a character, another actor will step in and take over the role. Five actors (two female, three male) will play Hamlet. Two actors will be cast as Gertrude, two as
Claudius and two as Ophelia. One actor each will play Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz (female), Guildenstern and Horatio (female). The roles of Gravedigger, Ghost, Sailor, Player Queen, Bernardo, Player King, Marcellus, Priest, Messenger and Osric will be divided among three or four actors, who will play multiple roles. With each role similar in size, the only “lead” will be the person speaking at any one time during the performance. This division of roles ensures that a true ensemble of players tells this amazing story. “Richard Lane will again return to Harker to choreograph the combat sequences including the climactic
“Hamlet” Thurs. - Sat., Nov. 20-22 8 p.m. · STG Gym · $10 Special Invited Preview Wed., Nov. 19 · 5 p.m. · $5 For tickets: tickets@harker.org sword fight. Mr. Lane is in demand all over the Bay Area for his skills in safe and believable combat choreography. We are lucky to have him return to us this fall. “The play will be staged in an innovative way, making the best use of the gym and ensuring that the audience is able to see all of the action. “Hamlet” is an exciting stor y with lots of humor, dramatic fights with words and swords, and a final act filled with great tragedy. I am looking for ward to seeing our cast and crew bring this play to our stage and I hope you enjoy the show.” —Jeff Draper, “Hamlet” director
Other Performing Arts Updates ■ Fall Conservatory Concert Cantilena and Guys’ Gig Thurs., Nov. 6, 7p.m. • FDR Free admission! Music for women written by women and Renaissance music will be the two main areas of focus for Cantilena at this year’s Fall Concert. 2002-03 Cantilena: Subha Gollakota, Lauren Gutstein, Lauren Harries, Kat Hudkins, Daphne Karpel, Pia Pal, Kathy Peng, Erin Schwartz, Mickey Selbo-Bruns, Paloma Solorio, Amanda Tobin and Kimberley Wong. Guys’ Gig will be singing guys’ a cappella harmonies in all contemporary genres, from rock and pop to barbershop! (See related article this page for names of 2002-03 Guys’ Gig members).
■ Instrumental Music at Harker Has Expanded! This year, all Instrumental groups will be under the direction of new teacher Richard Frazier with the MS and US students combined with the choice of three primary ensembles: The Harker Strings (a string orchestra); The Harker Jazz Ensemble (which will double as a pep band); and The Harker Winds (chamber music for flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons and
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French horns). There are plans to develop a “strolling strings” ensemble to showcase popular, jazz and folk string styles, and there will also be opportunities to create chamber music ensembles with members from the string orchestra. Bucknall will continue offering after-school orchestra for string players who have taken music lessons for at least one year. New this year, we are offering a basic strings class for LS and MS students who have never played before and for students who would like to learn another bowed string instrument or simply want to get a fresh start in the basics of fine string playing. MS students may take the shuttle to Bucknall after school and are welcome to take the strings class. If you would like your child to participate in the string orchestra or the strings class, contact Frazier at richardf@harker.org.
all to e-mail suggestions to her at sarahlo@harker.org. Lougheed noted that in addition to returning MS students, many new students have joined, as well as former Bucknall students who are now on the Saratoga campus. Rehearsals are currently scheduled for Mondays at Bucknall from 4-5 p.m. in the Music Room and Fridays at Saratoga from 5-6 p.m. in Rm. 47. Lougheed explained that Wednesdays may be an alternate rehearsal time if all choir members agree that staying late on Fridays is too difficult. In addition to learning eight new songs this semester, choir members will also work on audition techniques in time to audition for the spring musical. “Whether you sing like a star or just like bouncing your voice in the shower, come on out to Choir and have fun earning your Performing Arts requirement,” said Lougheed.
■ MS Choir needs a name!
Guys’ Gig is an astonishing group of fifteen US young men who sing. They have discovered not only their voices and harmonizing them in four-part harmony but also arranging tunes by Linkin Park, Voice Male and other contemporary groups. Kevin Busch led the way in arranging last year and Vivek
The MS Choir is already confirmed to sing at five performances this semester, but they need a catchy name! Music teacher Sarah Lougheed said that giving the choir an identity with a special name will be one of the first priorities this fall, and she encourages one and
■ Guys’ Gig Update
Saraswat is following this year. You may find Peter Combs, Ethan Karpel, Albert Wu and Vivek listening to a recording to pick up the bass line. You may also find John “Tep” Tepperman singing out melodies to classmates. The Guys celebrate newcomers Aseem Shukla and Matt Emery for their ability to carry high tenor. Jason Gutstein has worked all summer on learning vocal percussion, and Ivo Salemink has brought his robust musical theater voice to bolster the group. Jason Lee and newcomers Albert Chen and Zlatan Hodzic are singing tenor II and Robert Lougheed Lowe, Simon Linder, Houston Hoffman and Joshua Kwan are making the bass section profundo! Michael Lee is a part of the awesome baritone section and Sid Satish is soaking up all the jazz he can with Jazz Band with Guys’ Gig. All are listening and looking for tunes to fit the group’s tastes and capabilities. The group will attend the West Coast A Cappella Summit in Nov. and will also be singing jazz standards in their concert with Cantilena (see info this page). Join the fastest growing vocal ensemble on campus! —Susan Nace, US Music Teacher and Guys’ Gig Director susann@harker.org Harker News — October 03
Fall sports are underway, and Gr. 4-6 are enjoying swimming, Gr. 4-8 boys have flag football and Gr. 4-8 girls are playing volleyball. Watch this section for news, scores and photos in the next issue!
US Sports The fall athletic season is well under way. At press time only a few contests had been played out, with good results for Eagle volleyball, soccer and football squads. Harker is fielding teams in six different sports this fall, with cross country, girls’ tennis and girls’ golf yet to square off.
Chris Daren
Varsity girls’ volleyball served the first course of athletic fare with a three-game sweep of Mt. Madonna School at the Bucknall gym. With six seniors and four starters graduating from last year’s 23-7 team, Coach Theresa Smith is faced with a rebuilding year. With two sophomores, Sharon Her and Mariah Bush, in the starting lineup, the team easily dismantled its opponent, 25-8, 25-6, and 25-12. Volleyball fans might notice that scores are different from those in past years. High schools throughout the country have moved to the fan-friendly rally scoring system, whereby every play results in a point, different from the old side out system. With the new scoring, games go to 25 points, and each point is at a premium. The fast paced system is drawing rave reviews throughout the league and conference. Following their victory, both the junior varsity and varsity squads quickly disposed of
California School for the Deaf early in Sept. Following that, West Catholic Athletic League member Sacred Heart Prep avenged last year’s loss to Harker in a thrilling five-game match. After taking the first and fourth games, the Eagles fell a bit short in the fifth and final game. However, they served notice that they can compete with the elite leagues of the central coast section. The young JV team came up short against Prep but should be a force in West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) play this fall! Led by new soccer coach Dave Gold, the Eagles took the pitch against Liberty Baptist to open the season. Led by senior Sahil Mehra, junior Alex Dodd and senior Sandy Msutta, the Eagles toyed with their outmatched opponent and came away with a 5-0 shutout in their home opener. Playing home games on the Saratoga campus should add some excitement to the ball control strategy employed by Coach Gold, a successful professional player and coach in his own right. The team is anticipating a successful season and has its sights on obtaining their first ever CCS playoff bid. In order to do so, the team will have to finish in the top two of the always competitive Private School Athletic League (PSAL). Led by long-time Bay Area football coach Fred Barnes, the varsity and junior varsity football teams kicked off the season on Sept. 5 in a fiveteam jamboree at Pacific Grove High School. As is customary for the Eagles, they had the smallest squad in both size and numbers. That said, the Eagles opened some
US Athletic Booster Club Needs You! The US Athletic Booster Club is a parent-run club open to all the families and friends of Harker athletes, so join in on the fun! Parent volunteers are needed year-round as representatives from all sports. “Volunteers help with concessions of logo store items at home games, take tickets at basketball and football games and work with coaches to support the teams in whatever capacity they need,” said booster club parent Stephanie Woolsey. Club members encourage parents to contribute their ideas and/or energy and join them at their meetings, which are held in the Sledge on the Saratoga campus on the third Wed. of each month at 5:30 p.m. The next meeting is October 15. Go Eagles!
Harker News — October 03
New Tennis Training System! The new Harker/Oakwood Tennis Training System (HOTTS) will provide students with a high performance training agenda utilizing technical, tactical, physical and mental development skills within a team-oriented framework.
eyes with their gutsy effort and high intensity levels. The jamboree format has teams trading off running a series of 20 offensive and 20 defensive plays against rotating teams. Eagle defenders opened the night versus Pacific Grove and intercepted two passes and held the Breakers on downs several times. Doing much the same thing to San Jose High, the Eagles flew to the ball and played like a team to be reckoned with. Seniors Matt Vucurevich and A.J. Reid led the Eagles, with strong performances turned in by junior quarterback Ben Shapiro and junior receiver Adhir Ravipati. The Eagles scored several times on their offensive plays, successfully getting outside on their opponents. With the return of junior tackle Eric Gavarre, the Eagles look to strengthen the offensive line, where every successful football team begins. The junior varsity team, led by freshmen Jason Martin and Michael Keller, impressed coaches and parents alike with their intensity and hustle. In the first ever contact against another team for many of the players, they showed that they are intent upon following up on last year’s junior varsity team’s successful 7-1 record. Coach Kareem was indeed impressed with how the team typified their theme of courage, class and commitment! Check back in next issue for updates on the cross country, girls’ golf and girls’ tennis. Tennis looks to challenge for the WBAL title after finishing second last year, and golf is hoping to bring home a share of the league title as well. After three years of qualifying for the Division Five State Championships, the cross country team moves up to the much more competitive Division Four where they will have their work cut out for them. But they promise to give it a great run! —Reported by Jack Bither, US Athletic Director
Mark Tantrum
Gr. 4-8 Sports
briefs Chris Daren
SPORTS
HOTTS is an addition to Harker’s regular after school program for students ages 7 to 18 and qualifies for US P.E. credit (see below). Managing the new program will be Harker’s head tennis coach, Craig Pasqua, who recently coached the top ranked De Anza College Women’s tennis team to the finals of the 2003 CCTA Championships. He is joined by Nirupama Vaidyanathan who was the #1 ranked woman in India for ten years and currently provides expert commentary for ESPN. Additional tournament-qualified instructors will round out the staff. When: Mon., Tues., Wed. and Fri., 3:50 p.m. Where: Oakwood Tennis Center (a few blocks from STG campus Cost: Weekly cost is $85 for two days, $110 for three days and $125 for all four days. Fees can be billed to your Harker Student Account. Transportation: A bus will leave the STG campus at 3:30 p.m. and return by 5:30 p.m. (BKN transportation is not available at this time.) Other: US students taking two lessons per week will earn .3 units of P.E. credit per fall, winter and spring session. Check the Harker or Oakwood (www.oakwoodtennis.info) Web sites for more information, or contact Pasqua at pasqua@best.com or 408.983.5888.
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library
news
in the
news
Invisible Resources for K-12 Students: Wealth of Online Databases As the library director, I would like to share some of our “invisible” library resources that will enhance your student’s ability to excel at Harker. To the naked eye, the US library facility on the Saratoga Campus is small. There are approximately 17,000 volumes in the library and about a dozen magazine titles in print form. (Plans are on the docket for a much bigger library at Saratoga; the timing depends on finances.) The immediate good news, however, is that you and your students really have access to approximately 75,000-100,000 books and as many fulltext magazines in the electronic “section” of both libraries. All you do to access this expansive library resource is to become familiar with our electronic subscription databases that are accessed at the library web site: http://librar y.harker.org Many companies that have traditionally published reference products in print now offer them both in book and digital forms. These digital databases include reference works on science, history, geography, books of literary criticism, atlases, poetr y, essays, short stories, music and art; full-text magazines that originated in print form; and full-text newspapers from around the world.
San Jose Mercury News Three Harker students were featured in the weekly “Cool Kids” series: Wendy Tsai, Gr. 12 (July 31); Maya Hey, Gr. 12 (Sept. 4); Caroline Bitter, Gr. 10 (Sept. 11). In the weekly “Teacher of the Week” series, seven Harker teachers were featured: Sylvia Harp, Gr. 8 English (April 3); Simon Keilty, Gr. 8 Science (April 24); Cindy Kerr, MS math (May 8); Kate Shanahan, LS Language Arts (May 15); Richard Hartzell, US English (July 24); John Near, US AP U.S. history (July 31); Jaap Bongers, US art (Aug. 7). In addition, Kelly Espinosa, dean of non-academics, K-6 was noted for her “Camp Director of the Year” distinction from the American Camping Association (ACA) and Misael Fisico, US math, was noted for his Edyth May Sliffe Award win for distinguished high school mathematics teaching. (June 12).
Mark Tantrum
Unlike many Internet sites, reputable publishers, editors and writers control the information on the databases. The database editors often recommend links to Internet sites outside the database, but only those that have been examined by the publishers.
The library Web site summarizes each database in its section called Subscription Databases. We subscribe to fifteen different databases that contain a total of 39 modules. We pay about $18,000 a year for these subscription databases, and we believe they are well worth it! Although most are aimed at grades 7 to adult, several databases are accessible to children in grades four and up.
The passwords are posted on the Parent Home Page and are linked from the library’s Subscription Databases Web page.
The databases are accessed via the Internet, but you need to use a password to get in.The passwords are posted on the Parent Home Page and are linked from the librar y’s Subscription Databases Web page. Your password is the same one you would use to get into the Parent pages.
The librarians on both campuses welcome your questions on how to search these databases and would be happy to set up times to show you and your children how they work. If you’d be interested in attending an after-school workshop, please e-mail me and let me know. We plan to set up many lunchtime mini-sessions during the year for teachers and students. —Enid Davis, Librar y Director enidd@harker.org
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Since the last “In the News” report in the April 2003 edition of The Harker News, Harker programs, students and teachers have been noted 40 times in 15 different newspapers. Here are some highlights. Go Harker!
The successes of these other programs and individual students have also been noted: JCL state win (April 24); Julia Havard, Gr. 9, State Writing Contest win (May 1, 7 and 21); Harker Scholastic Championship Teams (May 27); Greg Perkins, Gr. 11, Digital Clubhouse Network Project (June 26); Sophia Wang, 2003 Valedictorian (Aug. 2)
San Jose Magazine Seniors Vivian Leung and Nikhil Deshmukh were featured in the annual Aug. “Whiz Kids” feature, and ’03 grad Sophia Wang received a full-page profile, “Renaissance Woman” in the April 2003 issue.
Other Media Notes • ’03 grad Gabriel De Mers was noted in the Fremont Argus, San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News for her $10,000 Beach Blanket Babylon scholarship contest win. She was also interviewed on KRON’s weekend morning edition in early Sept. • Harker’s Mathematica program is featured on the Wolfram Web site and in their current press releases. • Our nationally ranked JETS team was noted for their achievements this year in the Saratoga News, Morgan Hill times, and Los Gatos Weekly-Times. • In May the San Jose Mercury reported that Harker’s 2003 Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) team qualified for the FPSP international competition in Connecticut. • SoundTree’s spring 2003 edition included an article by teacher, Mark Vail, on Harker’s MS digital music class. • KLIV 1590 Radio featured Harker in a piece about the economy and private school tuitions on Sept. 19. —Pam Dickinson, Office of Communications, pamd@harker.org Harker News — October 03
AROUND
■ Nalini Jain, Gr. 6, was the principal for the day last spring as the picnic winner of this fun honor. Jain put in a full day visiting multiple classrooms, reading to a
Firefighters Honored in Focus on Citizenship
Mark Tantrum
■ In a Getting To Know Each Other project for Gr. 1 students in Linda Alexander’s homeroom, each child took home a lunch-size brown bag on the first day of school with instructions to return the next day with three items in the bag that reflected something about them. The following day students introduced themselves, presented each of their items and explained why they brought their chosen items to share. “I was delighted by the confidence that all the children showed during this activity,” said Alexander. “They all did splendidly during their first opportunity to be public speakers!”
bucknall
■ Our Tamagawa visitors will be arriving in Oct. to join up with their Gr. 6 Harker “buddies” in Yosemite and then visit Harker and stay with their host families. Watch for updates in the next two newsletters!
Mark Tantrum
New and returning students in grades 4 through 6 beat the heat and get to know each other at a welcoming pool party in August!
Bucknall After-School Program - Activity of the Month
Mark Tantrum
Karate has been a popular Harker afterschool activity for many years and is one of over 30 recreation offerings on the Bucknall campus. Here, Jim Mathurs of California Karate Academy demonstrates the basic punch move to our students.
Harker News — October 03
Students in grades K to 6 will participate in a newly developed character development program this year, using a wide variety of materials and resources. “Harker has always focused on character development,” explained Kelly Espinosa, K-6 dean non-academics. “We’ve used the Character Counts program for the past 4-5 years, but this new program is specifically designed for each grade level.” The focus for each quarter will be on a character trait or “pillar,” and this year’s pillars will be: Citizenship (Qtr. 1), Respect (Qtr. 2), Kindness (Qtr. 3) and Integrity (Qtr. 4). Subtopics will be covered within each topic. For example, during the first quarter, school pride, responsibility, sportsmanship, teamwork, cooperation, honesty and sincerity will be covered under the topic of citizenship. Lessons will be supplemented with assemblies, entertainment, community projects and campus-wide activities, and parents are encouraged to discuss the importance of character development with their children. Students participated in two activities to honor Citizenship, September’s pillar in the new character building program. Espinosa said the students hung a flag on the pool fence comprised of handprints that they had made from multicolored paper with a sign that said: The Hands of Harker - Reaching out in our school, our community, our country and our world! “We wanted to do something that could include all grades and help the kids remember that being a good citizen is something that happens all year long,” said Espinosa. In addition, the 6th grade class presented a Gratitude Basket to the firefighters of Station #14 at an assembly on Sept. 12 to honor and thank them for all they do for us. This will be a new tradition for Harker, as each month thereafter Harker will deliver homemade goodies to the firefighters “as a regular reminder to the students, and thank-you to the firefighters for what they do for us all year long,” added Espinosa.
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All photos by Mark Tantrum
■ At the end of their first week, teacher Rita Stone asked her Gr. 1 students what they liked about first grade. “Andrew Zhang said math, Allison Kiang and Alexandra Wong like science, everybody likes swimming and Jonathan Friedland and Maya Chatterjee think first grade is great because they’re responsible and are more on their own,” said Stone. “My favorite thing about first grade is watching the students become so comfor table so quickly and seeing their eyes get brighter and brighter as they really begin to learn more and more.”
1st grade class, responding to emails and phone calls and traveling to STG to meet the other members of her administrative team! The Bucknall student body benefited from the day when Jain declared a bonus free dress day via the PA system. “She was absolutely delightful, articulate and wellmannered and carried herself with quite a bit of grace and confidence for one so young,” commented Sarah Leonard, primary division head.
AROUND
saratoga Upper School
Middle School
Mark Tantrum
■ Elections were held in May for the 2003-’04 associated student body officers and class officers. Representing the US this year as ASB Officers: Maya Hey, president; Anshu Das, vicepresident; Anita Gupta, secretar y; Sahil Patel, treasurer. Senior Class: Derek Hwang, president; Kathryn Lee, vice-president; Sheena Vaswani, secretar y; Ed Peng, treasurer. Junior Class: Nicholas Rattazzi, president; Sara Laymoun, vice-president; Sheena Tomar, secretar y; Najm Haque, treasurer. Sophomore Class: Amit Muhkerjee, president; Arjun Banerjee, vice-president; Casey Near, secretar y; Apik Zorian, treasurer. Freshman class officers were not available at press time.
Mark Tantrum
■ Julia Havard received her award in Sacramento over the summer for placing first in the state in the 2003 California Center for the Book’s annual Letters about Literature contest that Gr. 8 English classes participated in last spring. Julia is a Harker freshman this year.
After-School Activity of the Month During the second quarter, Harker MS students will have the opportunity to sign up for Movie Making and Digital Imaging workshops to connect with students from our sister schools around the world (see article on page 22). Harker students will take digital photos and film short digital video clips to illustrate what a day in the life of an American middle school student is like, while our sister school students will help Harker students understand what interests students abroad. Watch for registration forms coming home next month! —Chris Yamashita, STG Recreation Director
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Over the summer Harker received a letter from the governor’s office on behalf of Wendy Tsai, who was given an Artistic Discovery Award in the form of a Letter of Commendation from the governor. The award, which was presented to Tsai at a student assembly in Sept., is in conjunction with the 23rd Annual Congressional Arts Competition reported on in the June newsletter. Tsai’s painting was selected to be on display in Wash., D.C. She is shown here in D.C. viewing her painting with Congressman Honda.
■ Coming in 2005 – New MS Heroes Project! Over the summer months, MS teachers Margaret McGovern and Mark Gelineau developed curriculum for an exciting new addition to Harker’s International Programs entitled “The International Heroes Project” that is scheduled to launch as a pilot program in the fall of 2005. This new program will challenge our 7th grade students to explore what it means to be a hero and how the subtle variations of culture can impact this term. The program was conceived by Head of School Diana Nichols after a discussion she had with a visiting teacher from the Tamagawa Gakuen in Japan about the distinct differences between the two cultures regarding the concept of “a hero.” Nichols proposed a formal program much along the lines of the “Our Trees” program in place in Harker’s sixth grade, so McGovern and Gelineau worked with the international programs office to build a curriculum around this idea. “The overall goal for this project is the hope that by discovering the core concepts of a culture’s heroes, one is better able to understand the values that culture holds most dear,” said co-author Gelineau. He added that this is a true humanities based project that will draw upon both literary and artistic analysis, as well as personal connections between students from all over the world, and will include critical reading, the
critique of artwork and art creation. The project will follow a natural evolution, starting with a student’s personal concept of a hero and building on that foundation to discuss what is a hero for their own culture. The discussion will then move to an examination of the hero in context of art and literature. “Students will share personal anecdotes and culturally significant works of literature and art, giving students a means of communication that can transcend translation,” added McGovern. Bill Bost, director of Harker’s international programs said that the key to the project will be an online discussion forum where students will view literature, works of art or personal anecdotes and statements, then comment on these pieces and respond to the comments made by students from other schools. All involved agree that the exploration of the concept of the hero as a fundamental cornerstone of cultures all over the world holds fascinating educational possibilities for our students, and Harker is excited about offering this unique program next year.” If we can understand a culture’s heroes, we understand that culture on a fundamental level. If that is not a worthy goal for a project,” Gelineau said with a smile, “I don’t know what is.” For more information about this and other international programs, contact Bill Bost at billb@harker.org.
Mark Tantrum
■ MS student body officer elections were held in May for the 2003-04 school year, and the following students were elected: Shilpa Rajgopal, president; Neil Shah, vice-president; Kevin Pan, treasurer; Kevin Dawkins, spirit representative; Rachel Lo, recording secretary; Christina Rowe, corresponding secretary; Raven Reddy and Tonia Sun, senators at large. Congratulations to all of these students who have taken on the additional responsibility of representing the MS!
Karan Lodha and Anita Gupta
■ Congratulations to Gr. 12 students Karan Lodha and Anita Gupta who will represent Harker on Mike Honda’s Student Congressional Advisory Committee for the 2002-03 school year. Harker has par ticipated for the past three years in this annual forum where students from twelve public and private schools throughout the 15th District increase their awareness of and involvement in government affairs, research a specific issue of import to youth and author a repor t of concerns and solutions on this issue.
■ Congratulations to the 2003 Homecoming Cour t: Seniors Sean Weinstock, Josh Zloof, Neil Bhalerao, Victoria Duong, Anita Gupta, Deepa Mathew; Juniors Shepahlie Lahri, Nima Tehari; Sophomores - Mariam Rangwala, Michael Hammersley; Freshmen Julia Havard, Rupan Bose. Remember to come to the game and join in on all the fun! See page four for details or visit the Web site. Harker News — October 03
AROUND
Mark Tantrum
Harker Herald sold to Winged Post in summer takeover!
The first edition of the US student newspaper will be distributed on campus Sept. 26th! Student Editorial Board: Jonathan Chung, Erika Gudmundson, Najm Haque, Shephalie Lahri, Esha Ranganath, Vivek Saraswat, Shilpam Singh, Ariana Vergara, Roberta Wolfson. Advisor: Chris Daren.
saratoga Debate Update ■ At press time The Harker Speech & Debate Society was preparing to host their 4th Annual Debate Tournament. Watch for a repor t in the next newsletter! Coming attractions include debate trips to CSU Long Beach, New Trier High School in Illinois and The Greenhill and St. Mark schools in Dallas, Texas. During the summer months, Harker debate students traveled to debate camps across the countr y, “and excelled as ar tisans of their craft,” repor ted debate coach Matt Brandstetter. “The dedication and tireless effor ts of
across the country begin their annual visits to Harker to meet
Harker US students participated in their first Quiz Bowl last spring and have decided to form a team this year! “One competition for this team will be the Quiz Bowl television show, and students may have a chance to compete or cheer Harker on in the studio audience!” said advisor, Bradley Stoll, adding that students will have the opportunity for other competitions scattered throughout the year. “Most colleges have Quiz Bowl teams and this also looks very good on their resume!”
Harker News — October 03
with interested juniors. Our first college visit this year was the
Mark Tantrum
University of Pennsylvania.
Mark Tantrum
US ACTIVITIES UPDATE US students create spirit posters (far left) at Gym Jam, and sign up for the clubs of their choice for the year at the annual Club Day (left).
The first mixer of the year was held Fri., Sept. 12 in the Saratoga Gym. Over 325 students attended. Over 40 students, including new incoming freshmen, gave up their last Sat. night of summer break to help decide some of the student events for the upcoming year at the 3rd Annual US Gym Jam. This group will meet once per quarter to monitor progress - we appreciate their spirit and their leadership!
Talon staff
The team will meet Wed. during Per. 5 study hall. Stoll is encouraging interested students to start reading major newspapers, like the New York Times, since a majority of questions revolve around current world events. The first televised match will be Sat., Nov. 15 – watch for more information about this in the next edition. Contact Stoll at bradleys@harker.org for more information.
D.C.; Payom Pirahesh, Gr. 12 (Policy debate) - Earned first place honors at the California National Debate Institute at UC Berkeley; Jerry Hong, Gr. 11 and Varoon Bhagat, Gr. 11 (Policy debate) Advanced to the semifinal round of the Capitol Classic Debate Institute in Washington, D.C. and were one of only three junior teams to advance to the initial elimination rounds, making their way to the final four. Sherwin Jiang, Gr. 11 advanced to the semifinal round of policy debate at the University of Kentucky Scholars program.
Representatives from colleges
■ New! Quiz Bowl Team Forming
Vivek Bansal, Gr. 12, who is helping organize the team this year explained that in Quiz Bowl two teams face off and earn points by answering questions covering a variety of categories from history and literature to pop culture and current events. “It’s kind of like Jeopardy,” he added. The contestants are read questions and participants buzz in as soon as they know the answer, which is often after only a few words of the question are read. “I encourage classmates to come and tryout as things like this are interest first, ability second,” said Bansal.
all Harker attendees deser ve applause,” he added. Congratulations to the following students who earned special recognition: Alisha Tolani, Gr. 10 (LincolnDouglas debate) - Her recognition was an induction to the College of Cardinals and a scholarship of $400 from the directors of the college for use at the Stanford National Forensic Institute 2004; Rose Kirby, Gr. 10 (Policy debate) - Earned first speaker award and subsequently received first-place honors during the 30-round policy debate program at the National Debate Institute in Washington,
In the first Spirit Event of the year, over 150 students and teachers participated in the “Shoe Golf - Closest to the Pin” contest, and the winners were freshman Matt Wong and teacher Fred Triefenbach. From 25 yards away, Wong kicked his shoe within 66" from the pin! —Reported by Chris Daren, US Activities and Yearbook
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INTERNATIONAL
programs
Helping Harker Students Become Global Citizens Education once focused on developing skills that would create success within a nation. The Harker School believes that education in the 21st century must prepare students to be successful in a workforce that transcends national boundaries. Students will have to develop transnational competence. Students will need to understand local customs and negotiation strategies. They will need to comprehend the political structure within organizations in order to know how to access leaders at corporate or government levels. With the start of the 2002-03 school year Harker’s international program welcomed The Neerja Modi School for an education program, joining the already-established exchange program with the Tamagawa Gakuen of Tokyo, Japan. During the spring of 2003, we began an innovative and successful educational exchange with students at the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School in Shanghai, China. This year, Harker is excited to have a unique opportunity to work with the Melbourne Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia. We are also developing a new 7th grade “Heroes Project” to launch in 2005 (see page 20). We’re pleased to share some highlights here about these dynamic programs, and we encourage you to check the Web site and future newsletters for ongoing information about the extensive international programs we offer our students. —Bill Bost, Director of International Programs • billb@harker.org
Tamagawa Gakuen, Tokyo Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Partnership This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of an international partnership between Harker and the Tamagawa Gakuen of Tokyo, Japan. In 1993, Dr. Yoshiro Tanaka, education professor at Tamagawa Gakuen’s university, met with Diana Nichols to discuss a way for students of the two schools to interact. Nichols had been preparing an interdisciplinary unit, the “Our Trees Project,” focusing on environmental
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science and technology and she thought it would be a perfect way for the students to share their ideas (see “Our Trees Project” description in Jaipur article). “Our Trees” and Global Friendships – 6th Grade From this initial contact came a succession of activities and collaborative programs between the
two schools, and now all Harker students in Gr. 6 take a year-long environmental science and computer technology class based on the “Our Trees” curriculum with an e-mail exchange and face
to face video conferencing to present information that they have gathered about global environmental problems. To help develop an even deeper sense of understanding, the two schools began a student exchange in 1995 and to date close to 300 Harker and Tamagawa students have traveled across the Pacific Ocean to spend a 10-day visit to their sister school, which includes a four night home stay with a student from their host school. Friendships are made and students still keep in touch even after they have graduated high school. Kindergartener’s Share Songs…and Snacks! Kindergarten students at both schools also participate in the relationship. Each winter, the classes meet via video conferences to get to know one another and students perform songs and sing together during the presentation. Students share information, such as what they eat, to help their counterparts become familiar with a culture that may be different from their own. “Population Project” – 8th Grade In Gr. 8, the two schools work on another joint unit of study called the “Population Project,” an interdisciplinary unit focusing on environmental science and computer technology. Through
videoconferencing, e-mail exchange and Web page design, Harker and Tamagawa students gain a closer insight into the minds of students in another country while investigating what effects the current global population has on the environment and society. Teacher Exchange The two schools have established a faculty exchange to give their teachers a first hand look at how another school in another country educates its children. Teachers in the areas of physical education, art, and science have been participants in the exchange. This year Harker’s K-8 math department chairperson, Cindy Kerr, will be traveling to Japan in late fall to spend two weeks at the Tamagawa campus.
The Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, India New Partnership Launched Last Year An educational exchange program partnership was forged during the 2002-03 school year with the Modi School, an English-based, coeducational, nonsectarian day school. Begun in April 2001, the program was initiated to address the need for a full and balanced education for the students of Jaipur. With an enrollment of over 1,200 students in grades K-12, over 100 faculty members guide students through a well prepared curriculum that encompasses language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, while also developing students’ inner souls with art, music, dance, theater and sport. The Modi School emphasizes that students learn best in an environment that is stimulating, innovative, tolerant and enjoyable and encourages intellectual inquiry and curiosity. In the spring of Harker News — October 03
INTERNATIONAL 2002, Bill Bost, director of international programs and Diana Nichols, head of school, met with Modi School founders, Mr. Saurabb Modi and Ms. Arpita Modi to discuss ways to connect the two schools. To prepare for the new partnership, the Modi’s invested resources to advance The Neerja Modi School’s educational technology equipment.
programs
Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School, Shanghai, China Technology Proves Key in New Relationship
“Our Trees Project” – 6th Grade In Sept. 2002, 74 Harker 6th grade students participated in the first partnership with Modi, beginning an idea exchange with Modi e-mail buddies about the “Our Trees Project,” which is continuing this year. Students from both schools study a common curriculum developed by Harker to address the importance of trees in our communities and the environmental problems that the world faces. Through an interdisciplinar y unit based in science and technology, this project looks at the ecological challenges that are common to different par ts of the world. The students study acid rain, habitat destruction, global warming, biodiversity, food chains and webs, and the importance of trees in their own community and in other communities around the world. Harker students prepare and present Power Point presentations about the environmental problems facing our world to share with their global buddies. Students also use StarLogo software to establish a simulated forest and then modify various environmental factors (such as car emissions and factory smoke) to test their theories of the impact these factors would have on the trees. Harker is ver y pleased to welcome The Modi School as a new sister school and is eager to have their students join our students in future projects! Harker News — October 03
In a time when it was inadvisable to travel due to threats of terrorism and the SARS outbreak, the use of modern technology proved to be the key to opening doors and allowing an open dialogue between students in China and the United States. During the spring of 2003, Harker began an innovative and successful educational exchange with students of the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (SWFLMS), which began operations in 1996 and today has a student body of over 1,300 students and 90 faculty and staff. Located in the spectacular city of Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China, SWFLMS is a semi-private school specializing in the study of foreign languages. Madame Luo Peiming, great aunt of Harker 4th grader April Luo, is principal of the school and a leading force in the drive to open Chinese schools to the international education community through technology. From the school’s first day, it abandoned the traditional pattern in foreign language, teaching in favor of students learning a foreign language by practicing the language at school, home and traveling abroad. The school strictly adheres to the principle that foreign language teaching should be student-oriented and should help students develop their communication skills.
exchange, a fundamental element in all of Harker’s international projects, about what it’s like to be a student in their respective countries. In March, Harker set up an on-line threaded discussion bulletin board for students to discuss overpopulation, led by Harker 8th grade computer science instructor, Campbell Miller, and moderated by teachers and administrators from both schools. Miller introduced a new overpopulation discussion question via an online Power Point presentation every two weeks and then students would share their thoughts and responses on the bulletin board, resulting in a virtual discussion about the topics. This was particularly valuable in view of the time difference between Shanghai and San Jose. This fall, the two schools will continue their exchange and will expand to not only include more SWFLMS students and Harker’s 8th grade computer science classes, but 8th grade students from the Neerja Modi School in India. Harker is proud to welcome the visit of Madame Luo Peiming and a delegation of educators from Shanghai in November 2003. The delegation from Shanghai will be visiting several schools across the United States as they look for new approaches to using technology in education.
The Melbourne Grammar School, Melbourne, Australia Harker’s Newest International Partner Another new international partner is The Melbourne Grammar School (MGS), a K-6 co-ed and 7-12 boys’ school with an enrollment of approximately 1,700 in Melbourne, Australia.
Founded in 1858, among the school’s alumni who have made contributions to Australia’s growth are three Prime Ministers, over 100 Anglican clergy, a few Antarctic explorers and the first Australian to be admitted to the Royal Academy. Today the school caters to both boarding and day students, and fosters the pursuit of excellence by offering an educational experience ranging across intellectual, social, cultural, spiritual and physical pursuits. The school seeks to attract students of outstanding academic ability, as well as students who will benefit from the broad and challenging experience offered. Glen DeKraker, the late father of Harker’s Performing Arts Director, Laura Lang-Ree, and grandfather to Cecilia (Gr. 3) and Madeline (Gr. 1) Lang-Ree, was a close friend of Mr. Paul Sheahan, headmaster of MGS, who visited Harker in the summer of 2002 to learn about our use of technology in instruction. In meeting with Nichols and Bost, it was then decided that MGS would join Harker’s international program. Harker and MGS sixth grade students will work together on the “Our Trees Project,” as well. We’re excited to partner with this fine and established school in the pursuit of a shared educational vision for the 21st century! International Students Join US This Year Harker also has two international students for the full school year this year, providing exciting opportunities for our special guests and for the Harker community. Join us in welcoming seniors Oliver Janik from the Slovak Republic in Eastern Europe and Ivo Salemink from Arnhem, Netherlands. Watch for updates on their visit in future newsletters.
Shanghai to San Jose – Schoolwork Comparison, 8th Grade Harker’s educational exchange with the school is focused on the issue of overpopulation, and in Feb. of 2003, 13 Gr. 8 students each from Harker and SWFLMS began an email
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BEHIND
the scenes
Facilities Department an Integral Part of Harker’s Successes Editor’s Note: This periodic new feature, written by Harker students and alumni, will showcase the dedicated Harker staff and volunteers who support our community of educators and students, and help make Harker a special place for all! Every morning the Harker community wakes up, brushes its teeth, and goes to school. Parents drop off their kids and drive to work. Teachers prepare their syllabi for the day and pull out the neat dryerase pens. Students pack their bags and brace themselves for another episode of riveting academia and extracurricular activities. And working behind the scenes of all these converging people are the myriad administrative and support staff who ensure that everything runs smoothly. At the forefront of every event on both campuses, the Facilities Department is an integral part of the Harker community, working yearround responding to all day to day custodial care, grounds keeping, building maintenance and event setup, as well as long range building projects.
Gene Sanchez, groundskeeper at the Bucknall campus (who holds the longest facilities employee record at 26 years of service!), said, “I enjoy working at Harker and with so many positive people. Every day I work with smiling and friendly teachers and staff who make everyone feel important.” Custodian Fortino Gonzales, with Harker for 15 years, enjoys the unexpected aspect of his work. “You never know what new thing is going to happen when kids are around!” Bassoni’s philosophy has gone a long way. “Kids should have the right to experience a quality education in a safe, clean,
nurturing environment that should not limit their energy or ability.” From recess on the playgrounds to studying in the Sledge, from spotless hallways to immaculate teacher lounges, the experience of
the Harker community with the Facilities Department has been spectacular. Each talented member brings knowledge, skills and a great sense of humor that are very much appreciated. Hats off to the Facilities Department, and thank you! —Juia Gitis, Class of ’03 Current freshman at UC Berkeley
Photos by Mark Tantrum
Mike Bassoni, facilities manager and Harker employee for 22 years, explained that his staff handled dozens of projects last year. On the Saratoga campus his staff managed construction and in-house
work on the student union, Patel Performing Arts Wing, bookstore, European patio and shipping and receiving. They also expanded the rear drive and Shah Hall parking lots, extended the Shah Hall soccer field to competition length, upgraded the Edge kitchen facilities, remodeled Manzanita hall and created additional office space on campus to relocate the advancement, communications, security and transportation offices. On the Bucknall campus they built offices for shipping and receiving and the copy center and installed modular offices for “floating” teachers. Every one of these changes has enhanced the personal experience of every member of the Harker community!
Janet Smith, managing administrative assistant for the past six years, described plans for this school year that are already well underway, led in part by MS/US Maintenance Director JR DelAlto, a 21-year Harker veteran, and Dan Rohrer, Bucknall’s maintenance director and Harker employee of seven years. This year’s projects include extending the Bucknall dance room, constructing an US communication kiosk in Graduate Grove and re-landscaping the Saratoga entrance and doing roadway repairs on the back drive. “I get personal satisfaction from supporting an organization that so positively impacts the lives of children. As a mother myself, I can think of no better place for my son to be growing up than at Harker. It is very gratifying to know that my small efforts help support each student at Harker and the school’s ultimate goals,” said Smith.
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Harker News — October 03
ALUMNI
update
Hello Alumni! The web registrations of former students of PAMA, Miss Harker, Harker Day, Harker Academy and The Harker School continue to come in at a steady pace! In fact, most of the alumni notes in this month’s edition are excerpts from these web registrations. Reading the memories and experiences of our alumni is truly the best part of my job, and I know your classmates and former teachers also thoroughly enjoy reading about what our alumni are doing. Please remind any classmates you are in touch with to check out the Harker Web site and register on the alumni site. And keep those updates and memories coming! An Alumni Weekend: Oct. 17-19. Mark your calendars! Homecoming is Fri., Oct. 17 so plan to come home for an oldfashioned weekend of fun - see page 4 for details! The 53rd Annual Family and Alumni Picnic is returning to its October roots and will now be held on Homecoming Weekend! Plan to join us on Sun., Oct. 19 and catch up with former classmates and teachers. The alumni program runs the Italian sausage booth, so give me a call or send me an e-mail and sign up for an hour time slot between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. It’s a lot of fun and a great place to visit with those who stop by. Harker’s newest event, Lights, Camera…Passion, a fashion show and auction celebrating our PASSION for education, will be held, Fri. Feb. 6, 2004. If you are interested in serving on the alumni committee for this event, give me a call or send me an e-mail. I look forward to seeing many of you during the Alumni Weekend!
Terry Walsh, Director of Alumni Programs 408.345.9205 • terryw@harker.org • www.harker.org
MH Diana Viola Tole Mandella delighted the alumni program with some detailed memories and experiences of her time at the Miss Harker School. The information we have on alumni from Miss Harker School is very limited so this was wonderful information to receive. Tole wrote, “during the summer we put on a play for the few adults there at the time. It was “Rumplestiltskin.” We were ingenious with making the set and props. Miss Sarah and Mrs. Prince were there and said we were sure to go far in the future.” She also remembers, “We were boarding there at a very hard time, World War II. I think we were all sad all the time. I was, however, exposed to art and music that I probably would not have gotten any other way. It opened my own love for art and music. We were taken to per formances of “La Traviata” and “La Boheme” at the opera house in San Francisco, and to a live per formance of Marian Andersen at Stanford.”
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Harker News — October 03
HD Lloyd Sliverstein received his BS from USC and is currently an optician. He is in contact with classmates Norman Hunter, Janet Eyre and Rick Kern. (none of whom are registered in our database, please ask them to!)
’66
HA Vicki Ramey Andrade is residing in Mobile, Alabama and remembers Harker as a wonderful experience with lots of special memories. She said, “I remember Col. Tuttle, Capt. Nichols, Mrs. Harris and friends, the Bagliettos, Meloni, James Santana, Rodeny, Frank (pancho) Doug, Scott, Kelly, Lisa, Chet, Linda, Erica, Margie, Julie, Scott, Kevin, Lola, Kathy and too many others to mention.” Vicki would like to be in touch with anyone from her time at Harker.
remembers Mr. Walsh as happy, strong in character and so very caring. Good has taught snow skiing at Mammoth, done commercial fishing in Alaska, did various jobs in Maui, Los Angeles and San Diego and now has settled down to be a full-time dad for his daughter Jenny. He still manages hobbies of surfing (“yep, even on Lake Michigan”), snowboarding, water skiing and sailing. He is in contact with Greg Argendelli and is very interested in a 25-year reunion in 2005. HA Greg Argendeli has checked in with the alumni program via registration and some e-mails. Greg is currently a VP of engineering in San Diego. He writes of his memories, “ Walsh, Tuttle, Harris, Mann, Anderson, Koenig, Near, Erskine… not a bad one in the bunch! Baloney Sandwich Day, the ‘new’ salad bar, running from PE to English, the early-morning frontoffice-table-rush to finish homework, Mrs. Carley (who seemed to know EVERYONE’S name), Yosemite in the winter, Marin in the spring, the campus after dark.” He is in contact with Tyler Good and is very interested in a 25-year reunion in 2005! HA Hooman Asbaghi received his masters of science from UC San Diego and is currently a biomedical engineer. He remembers fondly Col. Tuttle, Mrs Gray, Ms. Feldman and John Parsons. He said of his experiences, “Harker prepared me for the world.” He would love to hear from anyone in the class of 1980, especially Chris Campisi, Tom Vykukal and Dave Rosendin.
HARKER HISTORICAL LEGEND MN Manzanita Hall 1893-1919 MH Miss Harker School 1904-1959 PA
Palo Alto Military Academy 1919-1972
HD Harker Day School 1959-1972 HA Harker Academy 1973-1992 HS The Harker School 1993-Present
HA Scott Kendig received his BA from UC Santa Cruz and his AOS from the California Culinary Academy. He is currently a chef and remembers geography teacher Mr. Warnecke and English teacher Mrs. Offerman.
’83
HA Robert C. Prohl, JR received his BA from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursuing his MBA at the same university. His favorite memories include teachers Mrs. Kulp and Mrs. Tyrrell and his first girlfriend, Kirsten Vickery. Old friends he has lost touch with are Brian Klaas, Brett Riesenhuber, Dan Evans, Scott Kendig, Tony Wang and Upi Chaudhari. HA Karen Shriver earned her BA from Humboldt State University. She is currently an assistant programming director and fill-in coordinator with radio station KFJC. Karen wrote, “My memories include: camping trips with Mr. B; Mr. Warneke’s slide Continued on pg. 26
’79
HA Tyler Good sends word via e-mails from Arlington Heights, Ilinois. He has fond memories of Mrs. Carley and Jeff Haugaard, who listened to him. He
’80
Enrique Rodriguez ’90, Tony Ragano ’90 and Neil Gamble ’90 recently got together with Harker recreation director, Chris Yamashita ’90, and summer camp director, Kelly Espinosa. This group is interested in getting a mini-reunion together of the Class of 1990 contact the alumni office if interested!
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ALUMNI
update is currently studying vet microbiology at Texas A&M University.
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New! Check it out! ALUMNI
Harker’s new alumni Web site is now up and running at www.harkeralumni.org! Designed to promote communication with Harker alumni, we hope you will take the time soon to visit www.harkeralumni.org and: • Build a personal profile • Update your records • Read about alumni events
• Browse through old and new photos In the months ahead we’ll continue to update the site and add new features and information. Your feedback is important to us, so let us know how you like this new Harker alumni site and how it might serve you better.
Stay in touch – check it out today! www.harkeralumni.org
HA Karen Eichenbaum Wolk attended Cal Arts and National University and is currently a vendor representative for Merchandise Support Inc. She would like to know the whereabouts of Erica Wong.
’85
HA Michael Olsen received his BS in chemistry from UC Davis and his MS in chemistry from the University of Illinois. He is currently an F-15E fighter pilot with the 492nd Fighter Squadron. Of his experiences, Olsen wrote, “I still like science. I think that might have started at Harker. Also, I never had any desire to wear corduroy pants ever again!”
’89
’90 26
HA Kristin Sato received her BA from Scripps college and her JD from
Whittier Law School. She is currently an attorney in Hayward. HA Chris Yamashita received his BA in communications from Santa Clara University. He is currently the recreation director here at Harker! Chris’s special memory is of Jeff Howarth as the one-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater! He enjoyed all of his teachers but especially remembers Mr. Bither, Mr. Walsh, Coach Marshall and Mrs. Harp. Chris said, “Thanks to Mrs. Harp, I’ve been able to take awesome notes through high school, college and even today.” He is in touch with Enrique Rodriguez, Neil Gamble, Tony Ragano and Mark Gelineau. He would like to know the whereabouts of Mariam Morshedi, Kristie Welsh, Melissa Lodoen, Danielle Sommers, Susan Huang, Dawn Sylvestry and other classmates from 1990. HA Sean T. O’Hara is currently enrolled through the Louisiana National Guard at the University of New Orleans. He remembers Brooks Rosenquist and all the other boarding students. He would love to hear from classmates.
’91
HA Sean MacKay received his BA & BS from the University of San Francisco. He is currently a consultant working for David Evans ’91! Of his memories of Harker, Sean says, “I received a sound education
HS Alex Young-Anglim attended Choate Rosemary Hall and received his BA from Cornell University. He is currently living in Connecticut. HS Aaron Green received his BA from Lewis & Clark College. He writes, “I will never forget Sylvia Harp and the many ways that she challenged me to become a better writer, and through this process, more honest with myself. Carol Sowsnowski (aka Mrs. SOS) always had a smile for me, as did Ms. Mel & Ms. Lisa. Mrs. Kerr taught me the inherent beauty in math, even though I didn’t necessarily agree! Harker prepared me as a student of the world; I feel that my analytical skills developed at a faster rate than my contemporaries.” Aaron is in contact with classmates Jenny & Jaqi Erwin, Shelly & Nisha Gulati, Amanda Posner and Dana Hahn.
’94
• Search for friends by class year
shows of New Zealand and Australia; Mrs. Lerner’s English class (she let us pick our own vocab words!); and Mr. Saltzman’s first fourth grade class. I still have the 45 he gave us: Kenny Rogers-‘She Believes in Me.’” She added, “Harker provided me with an extraordinary education. I feel that most of the stuff I learned at Harker was extremely useful in putting me on the path to college. I also feel that I became part of a family in my 8 years with the school.” She would love to hear from Shelly Lane, Dana Stone, Any Glanzman, Stacey Simon and Valerie Tierney.
HS Sujay Jaswa received his BA in economics from Princeton University. He is currently a manager of corporate business development at Cisco Systems. He is in contact with classmates Ashis Roy, Matt Sampson and Ramesh Srinivasan.
that gave me the backbone for the future. Ms. Harp’s 7/8 English is still the hardest course I have ever taken.” He would like to get in touch with former classmates. HA Sarah Covey writes from NYC. She is currently the store manager at Starbuck’s located at “Ground Zero.” Sarah writes, “Working for Starbucks has been quite an amazing learning experience for me, and the skills I learned at Harker have really helped along the way – from people management, coaching and teaching to team dynamics and successful business management. My teachers at Harker always made me feel I could do anything.” Sarah encourages Harker alums and families to visit her at the Starbucks at 195 Broadway. She said, “It is definitely a warm, fun environment, like much of Harker was for me.” Sarah would like to hear from D.J. Sosnowski, Ashley Anderson, Richard Jin, Jason Cox and Loring Robba. HA Julie Amerian Johnson received her BA from UCLA and is currently an MBA student at UC Irvine. She remembers Mr. Walsh and Mr. Bither and would like to hear from classmate Elizabeth Spiering.
’92
’93
HS Kristen Nielsen received her BS from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and
HS Jocelyn Wang received her BA from Williams College. She is currently an assistant language teacher in Shimonoseki, Japan.
’95
HS Tom Garvey received his BA in classics from Santa Clara University this past June. The alumni program was informed by an alumni parent, Linda Michaelson, that Tom was the valedictorian for his class! Tom
HARKER HISTORICAL LEGEND MN Manzanita Hall 1893-1919 MH Miss Harker School 1904-1959 PA
Palo Alto Military Academy 1919-1972
HD Harker Day School 1959-1972 HA Harker Academy 1973-1992 HS The Harker School 1993-Present
Harker News — October 03
writes of his memories, “…a morning assembly, at which we vociferously touted the superiority of our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Nielsen, whenever her name was called.” He added, “I have kept in closest touch with Eliot Michaelson, but have also seen Mike Moul quite a bit (having just finished 16 years of attending the same school), Dave Carlin, and also Mike Berger. I would love to hear both from and about Lars Shaw, Ryan Basham, Arun Ramachandra, and Jenny FoxManaster. HS Thomas Neeley received his BA from UC San Diego and is currently attending Dartmouth College working on a master’s degree. HS Lisa Hall is currently working on her MA in playwriting at Boston University. She is still in touch with Andrea Nott.
’96
HS Marlen Alcaraz is currently a student at UC Santa Cruz and a congressional staff assistant for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. She remembers teachers Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Pinzas and the dorm staff. She keeps in touch with Sheila Collins. Marlen said, “Harker was an experience that I will always remember. It allowed me to experience life on campus as well as set my goals for attending college.” She would like to be in touch with Daniela Obregon, Mariposa Widdoes and Katie Bohannon. HS Alanna Krause is currently a student at Northwestern University. She writes, “I found my love of art, computers, writing, and intellectual pursuit at Harker, simply because the resources were available and I was allowed to discover them.” Alanna would like to hear from Ryan Lotz and other classmates from 1997.
’97
HS Jonathan Louie is attending the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. His parents report that in addition to his rigorous academic coursework, “Jonathan has made it through basic training consisting of combat assault training, confidence courses, living in tents and getting absolutely filthy.” He is a now fullfledged cadet and would enjoy hearing from classmates. Contact the alumni office for his contact information.
’03
Harker News — October 03
update Alumni from Class of ’93 Reunited in June Celebration
On Sat. June 7, over 40 members from the class of 1993 gathered together for a 10-year reunion. Matt Sampson and Emily Adler started the process of collecting addresses in March and, joining forces with several other classmates, were successful in contacting about 70% of their class. Classmates met on the Saratoga campus for a tour of the school and to try to find the only time capsule that was buried on the campus. Although the search pictured here was extensive (with
the help of the facilities crew and a small bulldozer!), the time capsule location eluded the determined searchers. In spite of the time capsule setback, the event was a huge success with classmates enjoying a stroll down memory lane, wandering through the halls of Harker and reminiscing about good times. The on-campus gathering was followed by a party hosted by Tala Banatao at her parents’ home in Atherton. Steve Kuzmic’s remarks sum up the event: “I thought the turnout was AWESOME! It was a perfect time to see everyone again. Some folks turned out exactly as I had envisioned, and others were quite a surprise,” he laughed. “We were one of the most talented and diverse classes I have ever been a part of, and it’s a privilege to be associated with the Harker class of 1993.”
All photos by Mark Tantrum
ALUMNI
Joe Rosenthal (2nd from left) and former teacher Mark Muller (3rd from left) catch up with Shawn Chang (L) and Lance Tate (R).
L to R: Christina Yan, Lindsay Clark, Emily Adler, Leila Nagel and Andi Mathers
US history teacher John Near with '93 grads Tomoe Hayashi and Yuka Abe.
LS math teacher Pat Walsh with '93 grad Tommy Wilson.
Some of the Class of '93 grads attending the reunion get ready for the group photo.
Monika Pataye (L) and Tala Banatao (R) get a hug from Harker's Kelly Espinosa.
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FROM
the archives
Harker’s Palo Alto Roots: Historical Walk With President Howard Nichols Melville and then repurchased it a few years later after he moved back to Palo Alto. That house still stands today surrounded by the same fence and yellow rose bushes that Nichols remembers were his dad’s favorites.
On May 8, 2003, the Harker history committee escorted Howard Nichols, president, and his former secretary and current board member Phyllis Carley on a walking tour of Harker’s roots to identify the sites of the original campuses of Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA) and The Miss Harker/Harker Day School. The tour, organized by History Committee chair, Enid Davis, began at the Palo Alto Children’s Library, which was frequented by the neighboring PAMA cadets in the 1940s and 50s. From the library, the group walked the neighborhood, strolling around what would have been the perimeter of the grounds of PAMA and the Miss Harker/ Harker Day School. Nichols pointed out where the original Manzanita
Hall was located and identified the locations of where open fields, band cabins, rifle sheds, school buildings, admission buildings and dorms had been. Nichols reminisced about bike drills, formations, sports and, most importantly, friendships made during the years he attended PAMA between 1949 and 1956. Major Donald Nichols, Howard’s father and owner of PAMA, lived directly across the street from the PAMA campus on Parkinson Street from 1950 to 1966. The house looks the same, as do several other houses that PAMA owned at the time. Many of the houses that stand along the perimeter of the campus can be seen in the photos in our archives. One of the highlights was identifying a stately palm tree that graced the front lawn of the Academy as far back as the 1920s and is still standing in what is now a residential neighborhood that was developed by the famous architect Joseph Eichler when the school property was sold in 1972.
On the corner of Harriet and Harker Streets, diagonally across from PAMA, stood the Miss Harker School/Harker Day school campus. Carley, who was employed there in 1952, described the location of the main building at 1050 Greenwood Street, whose lovely grounds were the scene of many annual Maypole celebrations. Carley recalled how Major Nichols, after purchasing the school, would change out of his military uniform into a business suit before coming over to Miss Harker’s! Major Nichols transformed the school from a girls’ boarding school to a coed day school in the mid-1950s and eventually combined Harker Day School with PAMA and moved the school to the present site on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose in 1972. For a few hours on this cloudy May afternoon, you could almost hear the cadets of PAMA marching and see the Miss Harker girls trimming the Maypole. As time has marched on, so too has the tradition of educational excellence that has come to mean the Harker School. —Sue Smith, Harker archivist
All photos by Chris Daren
In 1966 the Major moved from Parkinson to a home he built on the Harker school property on the corner of Harker and Melville. He lived there until the schools were moved to San Jose in 1972. At that time he sold the home at 814 The Harker News is published nine times per year by the Harker Office of Communications. Current and archived issues are also available on the Parent Home Page on the Harker Web site at www.harker.org. Editor: Pam Dickinson Asst. Editor: Terry Walsh Photographer: Mark Tantrum Additional photos: Chris Daren & Talon Staff
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Design: Blue Heron Design Printing & Mailing: Communicart Mailing Coordinator: Bran-Dee Torres Contributors: Sue Estes, Elizabeth Orr, Bill Bost and 30 Harker juniors & seniors!
The Harker School is a K-12 independent, co-ed, college-prep school.
Note: History Committee members, Terry Walsh, Chris Daren and Pam Dickinson, and Head of School Diana Nichols rounded out the escort group. Photographs of the tour were taken by Daren and a digital video recording was taken by photo intern Mark Tantrum.
Grades K-6: 4600 Bucknall Rd., San Jose CA 95130 Phone 408.871.4600 • Fax 408.871.4320 Grades 7-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose CA 95129 Phone 408.249.2510 • Fax 408.984.2325
The Harker School does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics or other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, sex, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or nonjob-related handicap.
Harker News — October 03