DECEMBER 2005 (VOL. 12, NO. 3)
M O N T H L Y
inside
MS trip news .......... 3, 10, 11 Harker hosts Tamagawa students ........................... 7 Harker senior’s science project named national Siemens semifinalist ...................... 14 US students hear Gloria Steinem ..................... 17 Alumni mini-update ........ 20
harker.org New photogallery postings: ■ Comedy of Errors ■ Oct., Nov. & Dec. HN ■ MS trip photos Go to your division home page and click on Media Galleries in the right nav bar. Enjoy!
events Tickets Now On Sale!
N E W S L E T T E R
F R O M
T H E
H A R K E R
S C H O O L
Harker Named “Outstanding Philanthropic Youth Group” Harker’s student body was selected by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) as the 2005 Outstanding Philanthropic Youth Group of the Year, and were honored, along with seven other organizations and individuals, at a Nov. 4 Philanthropy Day luncheon hosted by AFP and San Jose Magazine at the San Jose Fairmont Hotel. At the luncheon a delegation of 20 Harker students, each holding a sign with the name of one of the many organizations our students have supported, lined the stage, while senior Ashley Yang, current president of Harker’s US Key Club, accepted the award on Harker’s behalf, expressing Harker’s continued priority in supporting the many organizations that do so many wonderful deeds in our communities and around the globe. “The students represented Harker admirably at the event, and I was really impressed with Ashley’s poise in accepting the award in front of so many people,” said Joe Rosenthal, a member of
AFP and Harker’s executive director of advancement. Harker’s charitable efforts during the 2004-05 school year included projects, fundraisers and thousands of volunteer hours for tsunami relief, coastal clean-up, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Heart Association, UNICEF and more.
Grant Makers – National Semiconductor (over 300 employees) and Rambus (under 300 employees); Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser – Fran Codispoti, Avenidas board member; Professional Fund Raiser – Angela McConnell, San Jose Museum of Art and Community School of Music and Arts. The AFP generates philanthropic
Joan Havard, parent
A
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
Honorees for this event are selected annually by a distinguished panel of professional fundraisers and community leaders. The other 2005 honorees were: Outstanding Philanthropist – Greg Avis, San Jose Repertory Theatre board member; Outstanding Foundation Grant Maker – Morgan Family Foundation; Outstanding Philanthropic Organization – Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; Outstanding Corporate
support for a wide variety of nonprofit, charitable organizations, representing 26,000 members in 172 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. Congratulations to our Harker students for their tireless and ongoing commitment to helping those in need. This is indeed an honor for the entire school, and we commend you all.
Models Tryouts Held For Annual Fashion Show Fri., Mar. 3, 2006 Fairmont Hotel San Jose New this year - charge to your Harker account. Reserve early for best tables! See flier enclosed or go to the Web site for more details.
Harker News — December 05
The MS multi-purpose room was filled with excitement as students, parents and faculty participated in model tryouts on Oct. 22 for Harker’s third-annual fashion show. Congratulations to the 69 students and 22 adults who were selected! See page 3 for a complete list of names.
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Throughout the month of December, our performing arts students will be busy sharing their abundant talent and enthusiasm with the Harker community and at various Bay Area venues – enjoy!
december dates
volunteer
■ Fri., Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m. – All campuses close for Winter Vacation. Have fun!
New Harker Hearts Volunteers Reach Out to Families
■ Tues., Jan. 3 – K to 12 classes resume. Happy 2006!
Kindergarten Q & A Kindergarten parents recently enjoyed a Q & A session with administrators in the LS library. Harker’s annual grade level Q & As provide parents with opportunities to ask questions of administrators, and share insights with other parents. Remaining grade level Q & As for the year are posted on your division Web calendars - see you there!
—Pam Dickinson, Director, Office of Communications pamd@harker.org
HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES Fri., Dec. 2
MS Harmonics & Choir Caroling Tour 6-8 p.m. – Various Locations
❄❄❄❄❄ Thurs., Dec. 8 Gr. 4-12 Orchestra Concert 7 p.m. – Theater/Cafetorium (BLD)
❄❄❄❄❄ Fri., Dec. 9 US Bel Canto Holiday Show 8 p.m. – Borders, Santana Row
❄❄❄❄❄ Tue., Dec. 13 Gr. 1 Holiday Show 3 p.m. – BKN Gym
Wed., Dec. 7 to Fri., Dec. 9 Attend our inaugural MS Scholastic Book Fair and find some great holiday gifts, plus some great reads for the whole family! Proceeds go towards the library’s book and media collection. Come do some shopping and support a great cause. Credit cards, checks and cash all accepted! ■ Wed., Dec. 7, 12 - 6 p.m. ■ Thurs., Dec. 8, 12 - 7 p.m. ■ Fri., Dec. 9, 12 - 8 p.m.
Pam Dickinson
US Downbeat Holiday Tour 1:30 p.m. – Filoli (tickets required) 8:30 p.m. (apprx.) - San Jose Fairmont Hotel
MS Holds Inaugural Book Fair
Harker Hearts is a new volunteer support group that lends a helping hand to Harker families facing crises (e.g., death, serious illness, absent parent). Their goal is to provide key assistance that reduces the strain, while also being sensitive to privacy and confidentiality issues. Depending on the need, assistance may include: ■ Preparation and delivery of meals ■ Transporting children to and from school ■ Miscellaneous errands ■ Child supervision/play dates ■ Hospital visits
Blackford Campus Update: Sport Courts Televised Quiz Bowl – Cheer on TV! ■ Sat., Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m. Peninsula TV Studios 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos Harker’s US Quiz Bowl team has their first match in the annual televised Quiz Kids competition on Dec. 3 – show up to cheer them on and show support of the Harker team during the live recording. Optional pom pons provided – bring the family!
New basketball and volleyball poles were erected in November as part of the continuing improvement and beautification projects on our new campus. Current projects include the transformation of the cafetorium into a performance venue and new windows in the gymnasium. Look for more updates in future issues.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please contact your division chair as outlined below (all numbers are area code 408): US: Kathy Polzin – 286.9494 or Violet Boyle – 997.1846 MS: Fran Axelrad – 868.9842 LS, Gr. 4 & 5: Ruth Mohanram – 738.4165 LS, K - Gr. 3: Roopal Mayor – 270.9192
parent chat
The contest will air on Channel 26 and KRON Channel 4 in January. Check future editions for recaps and complete information on the Quiz Kids’ broadcast schedule.
Roopal Mayor, parent
editor’s note
❄❄❄❄❄ Thu., Dec. 15 Gr. 2-3 Holiday Show 6:30 p.m. – BKN Gym
❄❄❄❄❄ Thurs., Dec. 15, 6 p.m. & Fri., Dec. 16, 7 p.m. US Student-Directed Showcase Theater/Cafetorium (BLD)
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Bloomingdale’s Shopping Day Benefits Harker! ■ Tues., Dec. 6, 1-9 p.m. Bloomingdale’s, Stanford Shopping Center Our fashion partner for this year’s fashion show fundraiser is offering a special way for you to finish (or start!) your holiday shopping and benefit Harker. Join us (see date and times above), register your receipts before leaving the store, and 10% of your shopping total will be given back to the school. What a fun and productive way to help Harker! See the special Cruisin’ News flier for more details.
Gr. 2 moms enjoyed dinner together on Oct. 10 at Mandarin Gourmet in Cupertino. Gr. 2 parent coordinators Roopal Mayor (Natasha, Gr. 2, and Alisha, Gr. 6) and Debra Speckman (Lauren, Gr. 2) already have planned a number of fantastic outings for Gr. 2 parents this year, including a party at The Jungle and a tailgate party prior to Harker’s Homecoming football game.
Harker News — December 05
misc
update
Middle School Students’ Behavior Praised from Coast to Coast As is becoming a normal occurrence on Harker trips, compliments regarding the behavior and attitude of Harker students came pouring in from tour guides, naturalists and other professionals involved in the three recent MS trips to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Washington, D.C. “We were constantly hearing from folks how wonderful and wellbehaved our students are,” said Assistant Head of School Joe Gill while accompanying Gr. 7 Harker
students on their trip to the Grand Canyon and surrounding national parks. “It is a wonderful feeling for all of us and we let the students know this as well.” Gr. 8 Harker students received similar praise upon their return home from Washington, D.C. When the students arrived at San Jose International Airport, Harker parent Carol Underwood (Alexander Gr. 10, Scott, Gr. 8, and Robert, Gr. 2) spoke with a businessman who had been on the same flight
as the Harker delegation. The businessman, who said he also spoke with Congressman Mike Honda aboard the flight, told Underwood that he was concerned after learning he would be sharing a plane with a large group of middle schoolers. However, the man said that both he and Rep. Honda were “very impressed with the behavior and intellectual level of the Harker students,” said Underwood. “He thought they were polite, calm, respectful and engaged young adults with whom he enjoyed
speaking during the flight.” The adults accompanying Gr. 6 Harker students to Yosemite also marveled at the students’ positive attitude. Said MS science teacher Ben Morgensen, “On the ninth mile of one day’s hike, our group was singing TV theme songs when everyone thought they would be falling down tired!” Congratulations to all of our MS students for their outstanding representation of Harker, from coast to coast!
Students Charm Prospective Families at LS Open House
Pam Dickinson
Over 500 interested parents and their children attended the annual K-5 Open House at the Lower School campus on Nov. 6. The event included a formal presentation, information stations in the gym, campus tours and classroom visits to meet and chat with our LS teachers. A cadre of Harker 5th graders – who served as greeters, guides and
speakers for the event – elicited many appreciative smiles and compliments from our guests for their knowledge, charm and professionalism as they acquainted visitors with the school and its programs. Many thanks to the following students (and
guide coordinator, receptionist Rhonda Mann) for giving up their free time (and free dress!) on that Sunday to represent Harker and share their enthusiasm with our guests: Michael Amick, Erik Andersen, Ragini Bhattacharya, Eva Bruketa, Jenny Chen, Connie Cheng, Keri Clifford, Isabelle Connell, Sondra Costa, Siobhan Cox, David Cutler, Karan
Das-Grande, Tiphaine Delepine, Ria Desai, John Patrick Doherty, Michelle Douglas, Madeline Gali, Matthew Giammona, Megan Grabeel, Matthew Harris, Jacob Hoffman, Samantha Hoffman, Bobby Kahlon, Michal Kranz, Cecilia Lang-Ree, Catherine Manea, Shivani Mitra, Hannah Prutton, Tara Rezvani, Shelby Rorabaugh, Pooja Shah, Ashvin Swaminathan, Eric Swenson, Andre Tran, Molly Wolfe and Tyler Yeats. See US Open House recap on page 18.
Cruisin’ the Runway Models Selected - Thanks to All Who Participated! Our thanks to all who took a trip down the catwalk, and congratulations to the following models chosen for this year’s Cruisin’ California show: Grades K-5: Alex Alonzo, Krishna Bheda, Ethan Carlson, Siddharth Chari, Tayro Cho, Siobhan Cox, Mia Giammona, Regan Heslop, Taylor Kohlmann, Emma Malysz, Ally May, Mary Najibi, Nicholas Navarro, Katherine Paseman, Glenn Reddy, Lauren Trihy, Chloe Vandendries, Amy Wardenburg Grades 6-8: John Ammatuna, Shivani Bigler, Isabella Conrad, Andrew Cutler, Aura Dave, Chris Guimarin, Alexander Kablanian, Elaine Ke, Joey Malysz, Amanda Pennell, Jenny Pennell, Alex Najibi, Naomi So, Taryn Spiller, Sonika Suri, Jane Thomas, Karen Wang, Erica Woolsey Grades 9-12: Cayden Berkmoyer, Harker News — December 05
Akhila Bhoopalam, Casey Blair, Steve Boyle, Mariah Bush, Carissa Chu, Caitlin Contag, Elizabeth Cutler, Hanh Dang, Shreya Gowda, Rachel Hammersley, Jason Han, Marina Heinrich, Laura Holford, Winny Huang, Chanelle Kasik, Ruehanee Killer, Michael Kim, Sejin Kwag, Simon Kwan, Mina Lee, Aarathi Minisandram, Gail Nakano, Kavitha Narra, Casey Near, Jaya Pareek, Arya Srinivasan, Priya Takiar, Irine Tyutereva, Alex Underwood, Tim
Wan, Ashley Yang Parents and Harker Faculty/Staff Models: Kim Alonzo, Deanna Barnett, Punita Bigler, Gary Blickenstaff, Ravi Chalaka, Pam Dickinson, Barbara Drummer, Kristin Giammona, Keith Hirota, Joan Howard, Dan Hudkins, Fred Keller, Monica MacKinnon, Craig Michalski, John Near, Debra Nott, Julie Pinzás, Mel Robinson, Preeti Sharon, Luanne Stanley, Steve Wang, and of course, our own Head of School, Chris Nikoloff.
of San Jose’s fashion show, and attorney with the office of the County Counsel; Linda Lance, professional model and model trainer; and Helen and Eddie Owen, experienced charity fashion show models and judges, and well-known volunteers and philanthropists. See page 5 for more fashion show updates.
Many thanks to our independent panel of judges: Sheila Barrett, professional model and model trainer; Kathryn Hogan, former chair for the Junior League
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harker
fund Multiply Your Contribution with a Matching Gift
last chance Get your Harker charitable gift in by Dec. 31 for filing in the 2005 tax year! Go to our online form at Giving@Harker, or contact: Melinda Gonzales director of annual giving melindag@harker.org
to date
Did you know that you may be able to double or triple your donation to Harker? More than 550 American corporations match their employees’ charitable donations with cash or in-kind equipment. The amount of the match varies – it could be a 25% match, a 100% match, or even a 400% match. Sometimes the employer will also have a maximum limit it matches for each employee. Last year, Harker received over $150,000 (cash and in-kind equipment) in corporate matching gifts. These donations make a huge and positive impact on our students and faculty. ■ How does Harker get the matched donation? • Typically, the donors get a matching gift form from their HR departments • The donors then fill out the form and submit it to Harker with their gifts • Harker’s advancement office completes a portion of the form and sends it to the corporation’s matching gift department, which sends a check directly to the school In some cases, corporations handle
this process via an online system. Please note that this process can take 30-60 days or more. Often, employers pay matching gifts only a few times a year, so if we miss a cutoff date, we may have to wait a few months for the next window of opportunity. For this reason, we ask families to get their gifts and paperwork in during the month of December. We cannot submit for a matching gift on the basis of a pledge alone; we need to have received the actual gift. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Melinda Gonzales at 408.345.0111 or melindag@harker.org. ■ What corporations have matching gift programs? The corporations we’ve worked most with are: 3Com, Abbott Laboratories, Adaptec, Adobe Systems, Advanced Micro Devices, Agilent Technologies, Allied Signal Electronic Materials, Analog Devices, Applied Materials, Astral Systems, Autobahn Motors, Autodesk, Bank of America, Capital International Research, Cisco Systems, eBay, Gap, Gartner Group, Genentech, Hewlett Packard, Hyperion Solutions, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Juniper Networks,
Knight Ridder, Lam Research, Levi Strauss, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, NEC Electronics America, Network Associates, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Northrop Grumman Foundation, Symantec, Synopsys, Tenet Healthcare Foundation, Texas Instruments, United Defense (UDLP), Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo Bank, Xilinx and Yahoo! Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of matching gift companies. You may want to check with your firm to see if this benefit is offered. ■ In-Kind Matching Gifts Some companies match their employees’ donations with in-kind gifts of equipment. In recent years, Harker has been the recipient of generous equipment gifts from Cisco Systems, IBM and HewlettPackard. Some examples of the equipment we’ve received are Cisco IP phones, IBM PCs and monitors, and HP printers and projectors. ■ Thank You! We’d like to extend our deep appreciation to the employees and corporations who have made it possible for us to benefit from these generous matching gifts.
—Melinda Gonzales, Director of Annual Giving
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
On In-Kind Matching Gifts: “In recent years, Harker has been the recipient of generous equipment gifts from Cisco Systems, IBM and HewlettPackard. Some examples of the equipment we’ve received are Cisco IP phones, IBM PCs and monitors, and HP printers and projectors.”
20% 10%
$785,015 4
Harker News — December 05
Polar Picnic Pals on the Go!
Polar Picnic Absolutely Cool! The photo above speaks for itself. Busy, smiling, laughing, focused on the task at hand...our picnic pals are the best. I marvel at their energy! Chances are, you know someone from the picnic committee. They seem to be everywhere -- juggling family, friends, work and play -- typically volunteering for several things at once. It’s not unusual for them to be roomparents or grade level coordinators, leadership council or development council members, fashion show committee members, new parent ambassadors, sports team volunteers, debate or drama parents, or all of the above. No job is too big or too small. Watch for their names and faces...you’ll see them over and over again! But most of all, they are a joy to know...wonderful friends (loyal and fun!) who have the abilities and the dedication to produce this memorable event year after year for all our famillies. And what a day it was! The polar theme was absolutely “cool!” Families arrived in record numbers to “chill out” on a beautiful Sunday, bringing in over $70,000 in picnic proceeds. From the fabulous silent auction and prize baskets to the chocolate extravaganza in the gym, along with the wheels and games, raffle and prizes (and much more!), the efforts of our “Frosty Flakes” and over 100 committee helpers and set up volunteers did not go unnoticed...especially in the “frozen fun” department. How often do you get to see (or touch!) an ice carving “up close,” or how often do you experience strategically timed “snow” falling? But those were just the final touches. Harker moms Melody Moyer and Alice Schwartz designed and created so many phenomenal decorations, including our favorite “Moose on the Loose,” we can’t thank them enough! After months of preparation, with Melody the master carpenter and Alice the accomplished seamstress, they were ready to bring in the artists to finish the job. Rest assured, creativity is alive and well at Harker. We were amazed! Special thanks goes to the team of parents, staff and students who painted, glued, assembled and placed each and every polar decoration known to man, including those adorable penguin centerpieces, compliments of the Delepine family. So what’s next on the picnic horizon? How can we ever top that! No worries. For now, let’s just say that we’re ready to “boomerang” back again to make Picnic 2006 something to “walk” about! Thanks one and all!
-Lynette Stapleton, Picnic Coordinator Harker News — December 05
Congratulations to (L-R) Lauren Yee, Gr. 1, Preston Yeung, Gr. 5, Nicholas Navarro, Gr. 4, Jordan Peetz, Gr. 3, and Brandon Stoll, Gr. 1 (not pictured) for being the top LS Family Picnic ticket sellers!
(L-R) Andree Beals, Gr. 6, Matt Azebu, Gr. 8, and Shanna Polzin, Gr. 8 sold the most Family Picnic tickets among MS students. Well done!
Picnic Coordinators
Bassoni, Bob Benge, Ram Bhoopalam, Robert Blickenstaff, Crystal Boyd, Vanessa Bullman, Tom Carroll, Marie Cheng, Heekyung Cho, Karen Coates, Erica Coye, Chris Daren, John Davis, J. R. Del Alto, Chris Douglas, Doug Edwards, Frederic Enea, Nayson Fernandes, Michelle Floyd, Allen Fung, Nick Gassman, Kim Gudmundson, Shawna Guttierrez, Smita Hashim, Mayumi Hashimoto, Fiona Hayes, Jennifer Helmonds, Keith Hirota, Jaja Hsuan, Karin Hughes, Deepa Iyengar, Helena Jerney, Allyn Johnson, Tom Johnson, Hrishi Kamat, Vidya Kamat, Takako Khojasteh, Ray Kitasoe, Peiling Kuo, Jane Kwant, Ha Le-Nguyen, Kitty Leung, Mike Leung, Roger Liang, Betsy Lindars, Erin Lloyd, Greg Martin, Sangeeta Mehrotra, Ruth Mohanram, Katie Molin, Diana Morabito, Lana Morrison, Kathleen Nelson, Ann Nguyen, Hale Nguyen, Leslie Nielsen, Angela Nolan, Carmelo Ortiz, Tejal Parikh, Maria Parry, Mark Peetz, Darryl Plauck, Steve Polzin, Simon Prutton, Anita Reddy, Joe Rosenthal, Partha Sarathy, Lori Saxon, Ashlye Scheibli, Lars Shaw, Jinhee Shin, Jane Sowards, Emily Stapleton, Sam Stapleton, John Stevenson, Joyce Sum, Mitsue Swezey, Jonie Takatsuji, Yuko Tiernan, Brandee Torres, Laura Vandendries, Terry Walsh, Heather Wardenburg, Paulina Wegrowicz, Therese Weisbloom, Roni Wolfe, Toni Woodruff, Winston Yee, Janet Yohannan, Jordan Yohannan
Lynette Stapleton Kelly Espinosa
Picnic Committee Chairs Sherry Ammatuna, Ken Azebu, Cherrie Blair, Lisa Blickenstaff, Candy Carr, Fred Carr, Nancy Claunch, Becky Cox, Kelly Delepine, Jeannine Hammersley, Angela Heslop, David Heslop, Jerusha Hew Len, Sandhya Jagadeesh, Lana Kipnis, Roopal Mayor, Melody Moyer, Chidori Okubo, Robyn Peetz, Kim Pellissier, Kathy Polzin, Sue Prutton, Alice Schwartz, Janet Smith, Judy Stapleton, Shankari Sundar, Joey Tyndal, Carol Underwood, Jane Villadsen
Student set-up volunteers
Cami Bedell, Casey Blair, Emily Carr, Guillaume Delepine, Quentin Delepine, Tiphaine Delepine, Regan Heslop, Suraj Jagadeesh, Cristina Jerney, Sadhika Malladi, Alisha Mayor, Natasha Mayor, Laura Pedrotti, Jason Peetz, Jordan Peetz, Christophe Pellissier, Stephan Pellissier, Amanda Polzin, Shanna Polzin, Michael Prutton, Mackenzie Schwartz, Alex Underwood, Robbie Underwood, Scott Underwood
Picnic committee volunteers Kim Alonzo, Michelle Anderson, Tamami Aoshima, Fran Axelrad, Jonathan Axelrad, Sonia Azevedo, Mike
Last month we mentioned that coach Theresa Smith was the faculty winner for the Picnic Shoot Out in the Anti-Freeze Bar, but neglected to mention the student winner. Apologies and congratulations to Matt Azebu, Gr. 8!
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HARKER
fund
FRI., MARCH 3, 2006 Fairmont Hotel, San Jose
11 a.m. Luncheon & Fashion Show
5:30 p.m. Dinner Gala with Fashion Show, Live Auction & Dancing
sponsors
Barry Swenson Builders Santana Row Swanson & Jackson Families Air Systems, Inc. • Communicart • Davé Family Trust • Davis Family • Diamond Quality Printing • Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP • Pennell Family • The Santora Family • Sathaye Family Foundation
CONTACTS
Alex Alonzo Accountancy Corp.• C. Denise Brodersen CFP, V.P.- Investments, UBS Financial Services, Inc. • Connell Family • Courtesy Chevrolet • Heritage Bank of Commerce • Malysz Family • Riedel Family • Smith Barney, the Hall Walswor th Group • Stevens Creek BMW • XL Construction Corp.
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Gearing Up For Our Third Annual Fashion Show Fundraiser! Proceeds from Cruisin’ California benefit the Harker Scholarship Fund, professional training and continued education for faculty, and the new Science and Technology Center at the US campus – so when you support Cruisin’ California, you support the school!
■ Tickets Available Now!
■ Special Thanks
Book your reservations NOW to guarantee some of the best seating possible for the shows! Tickets can be charged to your child’s Harker account, or starting Dec. 1 you can charge your tickets to your Visa or Mastercard on the Crusin’ California Web site. See the special Crusin’ California ticket order form included in this month’s newsletter packet for more details.
A great big THANK YOU goes out to John Davis for graciously hosting a showcase party on Oct. 21. John’s “Cruisin’ the Main” raised funds for the Cruisin’ California showcases and was a great evening of BBQ, drinks and entertainment provided by our very own Cathy Snider, US music teacher and her multi-talented husband, Tim Roberts.
■ Cruisin’ Showcase Prizes!
■ Newest Program Advertisers
Each Showcase is a wonderfully themed collection of goodies that will provide hours, days, maybe even weeks of fun and excitement!
We also want to recognize and thank this month’s new program advertisers: Bernadine Ai-Kuo of Re/Max Valley Properties, Bjork Construction, The Brenner Group, Inc, Byers Properties, Involuntarily Committed Forever (ICF) Book Club, Just Windows, Le Papillon Restaurant, Notre Dame High School, Pahl & Gosselin, Williams Party Rentals.
■ Cruisin’ the Coast, celebrating magnificent Morro Bay and Camarillo ■ Headin’ for the Hills, a host of Sierra- and Yosemitebased activities for the outdoor enthusiast ■ Northern Nirvana, with a focus on San Francisco and the beautiful Sonoma wine region ■ Soakin’ up the Sun, highlighting the fun and excitement of San Diego
■ Buy an Ad - Last Chance! Deadline Dec. 16 December 16 is the final day we can accept ads for the Cruisin’ California program guide, which will be distributed to all luncheon and dinner gala attendees. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to promote your company and products to the over 1,400 show attendees who will see this beautiful keepsake guide. Contact Ernaz Irani at ernaz.irani@hp.com, or see this month’s Cruisin’ News for more details.
Please join us on our journey to make Cruisin’ California a fun and successful fundraising event for our school!
Event Co-chairs: Mary Malysz, Sarah Pennell and Carol Underwood
See the special flier insert included with each month’s Harker News for more information.
VOLUNTEERING: Tina Najibi - tmm@cadence.com PROGRAM AD SALES: Ernaz Irani - ernaz.irani@hp.com SPONSORSHIPS: Archana Sathaye - archana@sathaye.com • Janet Smith - janets@harker.org DONATIONS: Showcases - Cynthia D’Agosta - Gdblick@aol.com • Live Auction - David Heslop - David.Heslop@prestonpipelines.com RESERVATIONS: Jeannine Hammersley - jhammersley@comcast.net • Violet Boyle - boylfam99@sbcglobal.net WEB SITE: www.harker.org/news.htm - click on Fashion Show link • HOTLINE: 408.345.0115 • EMAIL: fashionshow@harker.org Harker News — December 05
international
programs
Tamagawa Host Families, Students Enjoy 11th Visit to Harker
After spending their first day in America panning for gold in the California Gold Country, the Tamagawa group traveled to Yosemite to meet their Gr. 6 Harker partners. Once united with their Harker buddies, the Tamagawa students enjoyed an evening of fun activities while getting to know their new friends. The next day they took a scenic hike through the Tuolumne redwood grove. A welcome brunch was held for the Tamagawa delegation at the Alumni Gym on Oct. 29. After brief remarks by teachers and administrators from both schools, the students were treated to performances by Harmonics – one of Harker’s MS performing arts groups – and the Gr. 4-6 Dance Ensemble, as well as a wonderful magic show.
tional programs. The Tamagawa students also experienced traditional Halloween festivities, including a haunted house on the Blackford campus. In addition, they enjoyed art and dance workshops, as well as an IMAX movie at the San Jose Tech Museum. Perhaps the most meaningful aspect of the Tamagawa exchange, however, is the homestay with their Harker partners. Harker parent Cheryl Halloran (Kaitlin, Gr. 6) was pleased to see her daughter bond so quickly with her Tamagawa friend. “It was wonderful because I think Kaitlin noticed that, even though they speak different languages and eat different foods, she and Miwako (Ishida) were pretty much the same,” Halloran said. “They became fast friends.” When the Hallorans asked Miwako how she would like to spend her last night in America, Miwako chose a quiet night at home with her Harker family instead of a night out on the town. “Miwako came in to the kitchen and helped
me cook,” Halloran said. “We joked and giggled. It was lovely.” When asked what she thought her family had gained from the experience of hosting Miwako, Halloran replied, “Hopefully, a new family member.” During an eventful final day at Harker, the Tamagawa students enjoyed an old-fashioned American hoedown and a fantastic farewell reception featuring wonderful performances by MS vocal ensemble Vivace! and the MS Dance Troupe. Thanks to all of the performing arts directors for preparing their groups’ fabulous performances: Monica MacKinnon, Roxann Hagemeyer, Gail Palmer, Susan Nace, Laura Rae and Adrian Bermudez. Many thanks to all of the students, families, teachers and administrators who helped make the latest chapter of the Harker-Tamagawa exchange a great one!
Mark Tantrum and Steven Wong, parent
A delegation of 27 elementary students and four chaperones from Harker’s sister school in Japan, the Tamagawa Gakuen School, arrived in late October. The visit marked the 11th year of student exchanges between Harker and Tamagawa.
“The Tamagawa students had a great time and said they felt really welcomed,” said Bill Bost, Harker’s director of interna-
Teacher Exchange Programs and Other International News In October, Harker LS teacher Diann Chung traveled to Japan to observe the inner workings of the kindergarten program at Harker’s sister school in Tokyo, Japan, the Tamagawa Gakuen School. Doreen Ding, assistant English department chair at the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School
Harker News — December 05
(SWFLMS), is participating in a month-long exchange at Harker. SWFLMS is Harker’s sister-school in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Ding is spending most of her time in the MS English department, but also is teaching special lessons on Chinese history to Harker Gr. 9 world history classes. Also, the MS Academic and Cultural Exchange (ACE) Club, and MS English teacher Mark Gelineau, who participated in a teacher exchange to Shanghai last year, sent
a special Halloween package to SWFLMS. Michelle Jiang, the SWFLMS teacher whose class received the Harker Halloween package, wrote to Gelineau in an appreciative letter, “We ate the candies, and we have hung the decorations on the wall. You should see our classroom. It is very lovely.”
In addition, Adam Semanko, Gr. 12, is visiting Harker as a yearlong exchange student from the Foreign Language Institute in Bardejov, Slovak Republic.
Meanwhile, Harker Spanish teacher Diana Moss is teaching in Quillota, Chile as part of her yearlong exchange, while her exchange
Check the January 2006 edition for a full recap of Semanko’s experiences and these wonderful teacher exchanges!
photo supplied by Michelle Jiang
Harker’s International Program is currently participating in several exchange activities.
partner, Chilean teacher Luis Arcaya, is teaching Moss’ Spanish classes at Harker.
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LOWER
school
Storyteller Delights Once Again Storyteller Jim Cogan shared some tales with LS students during a recent assembly at the Bucknall campus. Students in grades K-3 heard a special rendition of Cinderella that encouraged
perseverance even in difficult times. The Gr. 4 and 5 students heard an original story about Cogan’s childhood and a former classmate of his who was different from the other students. Cogan’s original tale had a message of tolerance and respect, and of not judging a book by its cover.“ Jim has been coming here for many years,” said LS Dean of Non-Academics Kelly Espinosa. “He is a wonderful storyteller. His stories have a good character message and the children always enjoy them.”
Library Makes Research Fun! LS students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are hard at work on the ongoing “Ready, Set, Research!” project sponsored by the Bucknall campus library. New research questions on a wide range of topics are posted in the library three times a week. Students can conduct their research in the library before school, during recess, during lunch or after school, and must utilize various resources (reference books, Harker’s online databases, etc.) to find the answers. “The point of the project is to show students that learning to find answers involves more than what goes on in the classroom,” said LS librarian Kathy Clark. “Things like knowing where to look and what questions to ask are important skills for students to have.” Students receive varying certificates at the end of each four-week round, based on points earned for questions answered correctly. Points also are compiled throughout the three rounds of the contest, and students with the highest total scores will receive medals and pins at the end of the program. In addition to a plaque that will be awarded to the highest individual scorer, the grade level with the highest score will receive the coveted “Knowledge Cup” trophy at the LS special awards activities ceremony in May. Said Clark, “The ability to carry out research is something the students can carry with them, regardless of what kind of question they’re tackling.” Check future editions for updates on the innovative project.
Geography in 3-D! Grade 5 world geography students in the classes of LS teachers Jason Pergament and Robert Regan took part in a three-dimensional map project to study the dynamics of population distribution. Students were asked to explore the connection between physical geography and population patterns in a selected part of the world. The students then created maps that were
This year’s LS Halloween parade was a spirited success, with students in grades K-5 strutting their stuff. “Many, many parents came out to watch, and everyone had fun,” said LS Dean of Non-Academics Kelly Espinosa. The festivities had a new twist this year – two mini-parades prior to the schoolwide parade. This new format was designed to give LS faculty and students a greater chance to share their costumes with one another. For more pictures from the LS Halloween parade, please visit the Harker Web site.
Holiday Activities Make Math More Fun LS teacher Stephanie Woolsey has been using recent holidays to spice up her Gr. 3 math classes. On Halloween, Woolsey’s classes completed a special “Halloween Math” activity, in which the students determined the costs of various costumes, solved coordinate puzzles to answer a riddle for the “Miserable Monster Math” activity, and “bobbed for good apples” by comparing number sentences to find if they were greater than or less than each other. For the “Thanksgiving Math” activity, students developed a make-believe Thanksgiving menu. Students then pretended to shop for the meal and calculated the total cost within a given budget.
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shaded to represent population distribution and included 3-D features to represent population density and physical features such as mountains and rivers. At the conclusion of the project, the students put all of the regional maps together to create an amazing global map!
LS Kids Give Back to Community The Gr. 4 & 5 Ser vice Club visited Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose on Mon., Oct. 31 to deliver hand-made magnetic Halloween decorations. Club members met during lunch and recess throughout October to plan and produce the beaded decorations. At press time, Ser vice Club members were also assisting Pat Walsh’s Gr. 5 class in the annual LS Thanksgiving food drive. Check the next edition for the results of the food drive. Congratulations to our fabulous LS students for their dedication to community ser vice!
Eileen Schick - both photos
Kim Coulter - both photos
Costumes on Parade
Harker News — November 05
sports Third Grade Adventure
Representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Water District visited Michael Borquin’s Gr. 2 science classes on Oct. 26. The representatives discussed how water is distributed to homes and the importance of water conservation. They also organized a special game to teach the class about the life cycle of salmon. Many thanks to the Santa Clara Valley Water District for their fun and educational visit!
On Nov. 2 and Nov. 4, Gr. 3 Harker students visited the Oakland Museum. The main purpose of the trip was for the students to see the California Histor y display at the museum. The students took part in a museum tour titled, “A Walk Through Time,” where students were particularly impressed by the “weir” (a woven stick fence used by Native Americans to catch
Kimberly Sandoval
Gr. 2 Enjoys Gardens and Tea Ceremony Gr. 2 students took a field trip to the Hakone Japanese Gardens in Saratoga, culminating their social studies unit on Japan. The students walked through the tranquil gardens and saw a pond with carp, turtles and ducks, tall bonsai trees and a traditional Japanese house with sliding shoji doors and tatami mats. Teacher Judi Beil said that this year included a new element: students took part in a formal Japanese tea ceremony led by tea masters in full dress kimonos who ceremoniously served hot green tea and sweet cakes, and then had the students try their hand at hosting.
The grade 4 volleyball team worked hard all season to improve their skills and are looking forward to playing next year on a more competitive level. Ariana Shulman and Mercedes Chien were awarded the Coach’s Award and Eagle Award respectively by Coach Bither and Coach McKenna. It was fun to see the joy of accomplishment as the girls learned and improved their skills.
Photo supplied by Howard Saltzman
Michael Bourquin- all photos
Classes Learn About Water Conservation
salmon) and the complete suit of armor worn by Spanish soldiers in the late-1700s. Gr. 3 teacher Howard Saltzman said that the students had “the excellent good fortune” of visiting the museum during a tour-stop display from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum entitled, “Baseball as America!” Items in the display included Jackie Robinson’s 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and record-setting bats from Babe Ruth, Roger Maris and Mark McGwire. “It was frustrating because there was not enough time to see all the displays,” laughed Saltzman. “The exhibit was unbelievable.”
The fourth grade also finished a successful flag football campaign that included a lot of effort, skill work and scrimmages toward the end of the season. The season culminated with a game between the eager-to-bechallenged fourth graders and the confident and experienced fifth graders, who were very excited about the game as well. Gr. 5 came away with a 20-14 victory on a day when challenges were met, extraordinary plays were made and a ton of fun was had by everyone who participated. Highlights included a 40-yard scrambling touchdown run by Brian Bither, a difficult shoulder-high catch for a two-point conversion by Laura Thacker and many flag pulls for losses by numerous other Gr. 4 defensive players.
Bears Are Born
Grace Sabeh
This year the kindergarten classes enjoyed their first field trip to BuildA-Bear Workshop at Valley Fair. The children each received a heart to carefully place into their bear before stuffing it. “It was very precious to see them name their bears as they placed the heart into the bear,” said teacher Nancy Curran. The children also received “birth certificates” for their bears. The children and parents then traveled to San Tomas Park to enjoy a picnic lunch. What a great way to have begun our kindergarten year! Harker News —November 05
The Lower School swim team had a great season. They had over 50 swimmers, and they practiced hard each day. The annual intramural swim meet was a success, with the swimmers competing in a variety of events. They capped off the meet with a relay, and all of the swimmers were able to join in! continued on page 20
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Students Trek to Grand Canyon A delegation of 137 seventh graders and 12 chaperones embarked on Harker’s fourth annual trip to the Grand Canyon in late October. “The weather (was) great, sunny and around 70 degrees every day -- wonderful for this time of year,” said Assistant Head of School Joe Gill.
the Bryce and Zion National Parks. A group of naturalists traveled with the students to help them fully utilize the parks as an outdoor classroom. Students enjoyed a demonstration about birds of prey, an activity involving dream catchers and a “Wild West” dinner Experience.
Among this year’s favorite student activities were the traditional trek to the bottom of the Canyon and the rafting expedition on the Colorado River following the group’s tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. “There is nothing quite like rolling down the Colorado River and looking up at the canyon walls ranging from 700 to 1,600 feet high,” Gill said. “The rafting was amazing,” added Jason Mendel, Gr. 7. “The rafts move pretty fast. That was my favorite part of the trip.”
After-dinner activities included a talent show put on by the Harker students, followed by a live performance from a professional Celtic band. The campers also enjoyed special nighttime Star Parties on the last two nights of their trip.
Joe Gill, Stacie Newman
The students also experienced challenging, but enjoyable, hikes at
Many thanks to the chaperones who helped make the trip a success: Gill, Pat Burrows, Henry Cuningham, Isabel Garcia, Mark Gelineau, Monica MacKinnon, Margaret McGovern, Craig Michalski, Omar Nassery, Stacie Newman, Michael Schmidt, Camila Valdes and Moggs Wright.
Sixth Grade and Tamagawa Guests Explore Yosemite
Thirteen adults chaperoned 138 students and enjoyed a fantastic week of exploration and
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educational activities. In addition to hiking the beautiful Yosemite Valley, the group also explored caves and traveled to the top of the Nevada Falls. “One of the most memorable moments was slogging through six inches of water while lying on our sides inside the wolf caves,” said LS science teacher and chaperone Ben Morgensen. Robb Cutler, Assistant Head of School, Operations & Finance, summed up his impressions of the outing: “All in all, this was a fantastic trip. Students seemed to really enjoy the combination of outdoor activities, hiking and learning.”
The Harker students were joined during the trip by their partners from Harker’s sister-school, the Tamagawa Gakuen School of Tamagawa, Japan. Said Morgensen, “I believe all the students gained a new and wonderful appreciation of the natural world.”
Mark Tantrum, Robb Cutler
In late Oct., the sixth grade enjoyed its 29th annual trip to Yosemite.
Harker News — December 05
sports Gr. 8 Resumes Annual Trip to Washington, D.C. Rainy weather did not dampen the spirits of the 161 eighth graders and 16 chaperones who par ticipated in Harker’s first trip to Washington, D.C., since 2000. (The annual trip was temporarily replaced with a Hawaii trip following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.) The week-long visit to the nation’s capital began with a tour of some of D.C.’s landmarks, including the Jefferson Memorial, Holocaust Museum, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, Smithsonian Institution and the newly reopened National Archives. “I loved the National Archives because they had an amazing exhibit of letters that kids had written to the president over many years,” said Eileen Cho. “It was really cool.”
The first season for the Middle School cross country team was very successful and enjoyable. The team regularly had 25-40 athletes attend practices and meets. Top performers included: Brea Borlas, Gr. 8, Mackenzie Porter, Gr. 6, and Kristie Sanchez Gr. 7.
Jacob Schwartz was in awe of the historical significance of the Lincoln Memorial. “The memorial has so much meaning for the histor y of our countr y,” he said. The students also laid a wreath at the Sharma. “You felt like you were actually there.” In addition, students visited the homes of two presidents: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and James Monroe’s home, where the students participated in colonial dancing and learned the ar t of candle making. “I really enjoyed the Williamsburg experience because they did a great job of mixing of lots of educational stuff with really fun activities,” said Rohan Shah. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemeter y. “The ceremony was done with so much respect,” said Sarah Newton. “The soldiers who were marching in the ceremony were all ver y serious.”
Doug Knight - all photos
Evening activities included a dinner cruise on the Potomac.
Harker News — December 05
The students also enjoyed an evening of ice skating in Charlottesville, VA.
Chaperone and MS Dean of NonAcademics Jack Bither said the cruise was a highlight of the trip for many students. The Harker delegation also visited some nearby colonial sites, including historic Yorktown and Williamsburg. Students witnessed a reenactment of the Civil War battle at Pamplin Park in Virginia. “They put so much detail into the reenactment,” said Sumeet
Many thanks to all of the tireless chaperones who helped make the trip fun, safe and exciting: Jack Bither, Deanna Barnett, Don Barnett, CJ Cali, Judith Conant-Steinbach, Ilona Davies, Mari Finn, Keith Hirota, Kristen Janiak, Vandana Kadam, Doug Knight, Simon Keilty, Cyrus Merrill, Raji Swaminathan, Donna Ward and Pat White.
Impressive this year were the boys on the A football team who finished 11-2-1. Not only did they win the annual St. Victors tournament but they also won their own Harker flag football tournament. Some top performers included eighth graders Ryan Cali, Lung-Ying Yu and Justin Smith. The B football team finished a strong 7-2, with strong performances from seventh graders Partha Mahajani, Timmy Lin, and Gautam Krishnamurthi. The B team’s younger counterparts, the C boys football team, finished with no wins, but a strong sense of what they need to improve on for next year. This year’s batch of softball players enjoyed an entertaining season. Without any games the girls were able to work hard on fielding, hitting and strategy. -Nick Gassmann, coach
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Relief Efforts for Earthquake Victims
Latin Competition
At press time, the MS Student Council had initiated a program to assist in the relief efforts for those affected by the devastating earthquake in Pakistan and India in October. The MS program purchased tents for displaced families, a high-priority item with the upcoming winter season threatening the survival of the three million people left homeless by the earthquake.
The MS co-hosted the Ludi Novembres in early November. For complete results, see page 13.
The Council asked each MS advisory group to raise enough funds to purchase at least one tent, with an overall goal of donating 40 to 50 tents. For more information on this program, or to donate to Harker’s relief efforts, contact MS Dean of Non-Academics Jack Bither at jackb@harker.org. Check the Jan. 2006 edition for a recap of the MS relief effort.
Dia de Los Muertos On Tues., Nov. 1, Gr. 8 Advanced Spanish students celebrated Dia de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican holiday that honors the memory of departed family and friends. An altar was created in the MS library similar to traditional altars that can be found in Mexican homes. The altar included handcrafted student decorations and offerings of Pan de Los Muer tos (a sweet bread traditional for this holiday), flowers, fruits and nuts.
Crash Test!
Raji Swaminathan
On Nov. 3, Raji Swaminathan’s Gr. 7 science classes took part in a “Momentum Crash Lesson” laboratory activity utilizing Vernier Motion Detectors and Vernier software LoggerPro. The activity was designed to help students learn how the speed of a car affects the amount of damage during a crash. Said Swaminathan, “It is a cool lab, and it teaches the kids why it is not a good idea to speed.”
Memorable Halloween Extravaganza Harker’s 27 Gr. 6 visitors from its sister-school in Japan, the Tamagawa Gakuen School, experienced a full-fledged Halloween extravaganza on the Blackford campus. A spooky haunted house was set up in the Blackford gym, complete with skeletons and a vampire tour guide. After navigating the haunted house, Harker and Tamagawa students took portraits with their exchange partners to commemorate the celebration. Harker and Tamagawa students were also treated to a fabulous magic show and wonderful presentations by the MS performing arts. Thanks to all the MS students and staff for making this Halloween celebration a memorable one!
Unique Assembly Highlights Capoeira MS students were treated to fantastic display of Capoeira – a Brazilian art form that combines martial arts with traditional cultural dances – at the Blackford gym on Wed., Oct. 19. The Capoeira demonstration was provided by a group of performers led by Harker alumnus Loren Due (’85), who also teaches an after-school Capoeria class at the MS. The Capoeira event was the first in a series of exciting demonstration assemblies scheduled at the MS. Check future editions for updates on these special MS assemblies!
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Harker News — December 05
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College Board Recognizes Students for Top AP Scores The College Board recognized an impressive 195 Harker students with 2005 AP Awards, based on the recently released results from the Advanced Placement Exams taken last May. Twenty-nine graduates from the class of 2005 and six members of the current senior class were named National AP Scholars. This award is granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams (the exam is graded on
a 1-5 scale, with 5 the highest possible score). An additional 84 students, along with those 35, were named AP Scholars with Distinction, meaning they received an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Thirty-one students were named AP Scholars with Honor; these students received an average grade of at least 2.5 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Finally, forty-five students were named AP Scholars, receiving
grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. Harker has a thriving AP program, offering 26 different AP exams. Almost ever y graduating student has taken at least one AP exam. In 2005, a remarkable 60 percent of the Upper School took at least one exam. Per class, that works out to 96 percent of the senior class, 90 percent of the junior class and 60 percent of the sophomore class. Congratulations to all our scholars!
Harker Hosts Latin Conference at New Campus Harker MS and US students hosted a Latin convention called the Ludi Novembres the weekend of Nov. 5-6, welcoming more than 300 guests from Northern California schools on our new campus. Latin teacher Lisa Masoni reported the following awards earned by our students:
photos supplied by John Hawley
MS Level 1: Ilya Ryzhik, Gr. 6, 2nd place Certamen; Kaitlin Halloran, Gr. 6, 3rd place Derivatives; Max Lan, Gr. 7, 1st place Daily Life; Robert Maxton, Gr. 6, 1st place Roman History and Mottoes; Christophe Pellisier, Gr. 6, 2nd place Mottoes; April Luo, Gr. 7, 1st place Derivatives and 2nd place Mythology; David Wu, Gr. 7, 3rd place Certamen; Zach Heerwagen, Gr. 7,
Harker News — December 05
and Rishi Sharma, Gr. 7, 1st place Certamen; Supraja Swamy, Gr. 7, 3rd place Vocabulary. MS Advanced: Monisha Dilip, Gr. 8, 2nd place Certamen, 1st place Grammar; Matt Park, Gr. 8, 1st place Mythology, 3rd place Vocabulary; Chris Guimarin, Gr. 8, 1st place Roman History; Veronica Hsieh, Gr. 8, 1st place Certamen, 2nd place Grammar. US Level 1: Mohit Bansal, Gr. 9, 1st place Vocabulary; Winny Huang, Gr. 9, 2nd place Certamen. US Level 2: David Kastelman, Gr. 9, 3rd place Certamen, 1st place Reading Comprehension; Nafeesa Laiwalla, Gr. 9, 2nd place Certamen; Prachi Sharma, Gr. 9, 1st place Certamen; Pratusha Erraballi, Gr. 9, 1st place Daily Life, 2nd place Mottoes.
US Advanced: Aarathi Minisandram, Gr. 10, 1st place Certamen, 3rd place Pentathlon; Alex Vuko, Gr. 11, 3rd place Roman History; Colleen Lee, Gr. 12, 2nd place Mythology; Preeta Reddy, Gr. 11, 2nd place Vocabulary. Masoni also credits these students with outstanding participation during the entire event: Sarah Fingerhood, Gr. 12, Mike Kim, Gr. 12, Richard Kwant, Gr. 11, Yuanyuan Pao, Gr. 11, Ruchi Srivastava, Gr. 10, Lauren Ammatuna, Gr. 10, and Liz Cutler, Gr. 9.
Calling all Juniors and Seniors! We’re looking for a few good Cruise Directors to escort guests to their tables, sell donation drawing tickets, and provide show day support. Ask any past hosts or hostesses, and they’ll tell you the job is lots of fun! All interested juniors and seniors should contact Chris Daren at chrisda@harker.org.
US Adopts Families in Shelter Elves Program The entire US is participating in the Shelter Elves program for the Emergency Housing Consortium Life Builders’ program. At press time the students had already adopted over 35 families, and they will collect and wrap gifts and deliver them to the shelter on Dec. 16. History teacher Carol Zink said, “The kids, teachers and staff here are just so generous and kind-hearted. I love this place!” If you’re interested in participating, contact Zink at carolz@harker.org.
Students Volunteer at Local Holiday Event At press time, 20 students were helping set up for the annual Christmas in the Park event in downtown San Jose that runs from Nov. 25 to Jan. 1. Then on Dec. 4, Key Club members will be volunteering to help at the kick-off parade for this event, which is televised. “The students will be doing surveys and possibly balloon handling, like the big Macy’s Day parade balloons,” explained Kerry Enzensperger, US community service director. Any US students wishing to help with this event, which will be chaperoned by US teacher Jennifer Owens, can contact kerrye@harker.org.
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WiSTEM Mission Continues A new US organization has dedicated itself to spreading awareness among high school girls of women in the fields of science, mathematics and technology. WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) will invite professional women who have succeeded in these fields to speak to members of the club and other interested participants. The club’s inaugural meeting welcomed more than 65 girls (and four boys)! Once a national organization that is now dissolved, WiSTEM’s disbanded leaders have given their blessing to Harker’s use of the name, to carry on the organization’s mission. Science department chair and WiSTEM adviser Anita Chetty hopes that the group will attain more than just club status in the coming year, and become a full-fledged program. Chetty explains the beginnings of this group at Harker: “Joanne Mason (US math) and I had noted a decline in the number of girls enrolling in upper division math and physics classes. (Academic Dean) Heather Blair confirmed this and along with (Assistant Head of School for Opera-
tions) Robb Cutler, who at the time was teaching AP computer science, we all attended a panel discussion at the Tech Museum last year. What we heard inspired us to take action.” Chetty decided a club on campus would be a good way to link up girls with professional women in scientific fields. On Nov. 11 the group presented their first panel discussion, with participants who experienced science education in each decade from the 1960s to the present. Talking of their experiences as or with women in the science and math fields were Mason, Cutler, math teacher Judy James, Harker parent and computer science teacher at Challenger Sunita Mathur (Saloni, Gr. 12), Assistant Head of School for Academics Jennifer Gargano and Ryna Karnik, a current sophomore at Stanford majoring in physics. WiSTEM is run by president Samantha Fang, Gr. 12, promotions team Nandini Datta, Gr. 11 and Mathur, promotions team Elizabeth Burstein, Gr. 12, and Christine Yeh, Gr. 12, communications director Asavari Gupte, Gr. 12, and Web master Herman Bajwa, Gr. 12.
Wonderfest Science Competition Harker sent two teams to the fifth-annual BASIC WonderCup Challenge, a science competition held by the Bay Area Festival of Science. The two teams of four, accompanied by chemistry teacher Jennifer Owen, answered questions on the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics – some of which could have been at the Advanced Placement difficulty level. Advancing easily past the Round 1 qualifier, our teams competed in a playoff competition at UC Berkeley. Congratulations to Team Eagles, who placed 9th out of 25 in the second round: Jayasree Sundaram, Gr. 12, Jessie Li, Gr. 11, Arkajit Dey, Gr. 11, and Spencer Lian, Gr. 10. The selfstyled Team Ulcers won Round 2 and went through to the finals, where they were narrowly beaten by Mission San Jose. Congratulations to Yi Sun, Gr. 12, Hann-Shuin Yew, Gr. 12, Sandeep Karipineni, Gr. 11, and Rachel Fong, Gr. 10.
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Local Buddhist Monk Shares Views on Faith With Ethics Class Hoping to provide her students with an understanding of the ethics of an unfamiliar faith, US ethics teacher Shaun Kelley Jahshan recently invited a Buddhist monk to her classes. Wendy Abraham, the director of Stanford’s Center for Buddhist Studies – and a Stanford graduate school classmate of Jahshan’s – recommended the visitor, Venerable Jian Hu, Abbot (the highest rank for monks) of the Sunnyvale Chung Tai Zen Center. Jahshan explained that Hu’s journey to become a Buddhist monk was interesting and unusual. Though born in Taiwan, he became interested in Buddhism as a college student in the U.S. After graduating from Cal Tech, Hu pursued a Ph.D. in computer science at UCSD and a career in the defense industry. His search for a more purposeful life eventually led him to the life of a monk. “The students were very excited at the prospect of meeting a real monk, and had lots of questions before he came,” said Jahshan. Hu discussed the Buddhist concepts and ethical precepts that Jahshan’s classes had been studying, and then put the concepts into the context of the students’ lives. “In an illustration of the concept of gratitude, for example, he asked (the students) if they realize how many people they depend on every day, from their parents to the factory worker who made their clothing,” said Jahshan. “Hu commented that he was surprised how much the students knew about Buddhism from their reading,” Jahshan added. “He described them as ‘serious,’ and ‘very intelligent,’ and expressed an interest in coming back soon.”
Science Research Programs Expand US science teachers and students have spent the first part of the school year instituting and coordinating a substantial scientific research program at Harker. The program began with the submission of seven research projects from Gr. 12 Harker students to the College Board’s Seimens-Westinghouse Competition. US science faculty provided support to student researchers as they wrote and revised their research papers, all of which were submitted during the first month of the school year. The research project of Harker senior Chris Sutardja was selected as one of only 300 semifinalists nationally, selected in turn from the more than 4,500 research projects submitted. Sutardja’s project, entitled “Fluorescence Microscopy of Alzheimer’s Protein and Lipid Monolayer,” dealt with how the enzyme that causes Alzheimer’s disease penetrates lipids and spreads to other cells.
Meanwhile, Harker students will also submit projects to the Santa Clara Valley Synopsys Science Fair (SCVSSF). While Harker submitted a total of just eight projects to the SCVSSF over the past two years, the school has an astounding 26 submissions under development for this year’s competition. In addition, US science teacher Dan Matthews also leads a small research class – new this year – comprised of only four students. “We intentionally limited enrollment in an effort to promote and establish high quality research projects,” Matthews said. Students in the class have designed and conducted a six-week research project in which they collected soil samples from around Santa Clara County and analyzed each sample for lead concentration. The final report from this project was scheduled to be sent to Ocean Optics, a Floridabased firm focusing on optical sensor solutions, in November. Harker News — December 05
National Honor Society Inducts 45 Harker Students in 2005 Ceremony Forty-five Harker students were welcomed as new members of the National Honor Society (NHS) at the annual induction ceremony held Oct. 27 at the Saratoga Gym. The ceremony was quite different from past NHS inductions. This year the 47 curre NHS members presented skits to illustrate the four pillars of the NHS: scholarship, leadership, service and character. “I was extremely proud of the (current) members’ desire to educate the 45 new inductees about the
four pillars in such a visual way,” said Assistant Head of School for Academics Jennifer Gargano. “They showed a tremendous amount of leadership by meeting weekly to create and perfect their skits.” US math teacher Evan Barth was nominated by the students to be the faculty speaker for the evening. “Barth gave a riveting speech about how the four pillars of NHS all support one another,” Gargano said. To be a member of the Harker chapter of NHS, a student must have an
overall GPA of 3.7 or higher, participate in community service both at Harker and in the outside community, and demonstrate leadership and personal integrity. Applicants are also required to submit at least three letters of recommendation. Congratulations to this year’s inductees: Stephanie Benedict, Robyn Chan, Tiffany Chang, Neil Chao, Denaly Chen, Joseph Chen, Justin Chin, Catherine Chiu, Ashley Dang, Charlie Fang, Anshuman Gupta, Ayushi Gummadi, Kevin Hwa, Nikita Jeswani,
Sneha Jain, Jasmyn Johal, Andrea Kablanian, Kritika Kailash, Paula Lauris, Jessica Lee, Kyu Bok Lee, Kriti Lodha, Anjali Menon, Aarathi Minisandram, Sinthuja Nagalinagam, Kelly Rose O’Reilly, Julia Price-Madison, Vani Pyda, Deepa Ramakrishnan, Anusha Reddy, Vikram Reddy, Adam Rubin, Mansi Shah, Neil Shah, Ashutosh Sheth, Shrestha Singh, Natalie So, Kathleen Sun, Tonia Sun, Ruchi Srivastava, Andrew Anh Tran, Joanna Xu, Frank Wang, Jennifer Whang and Tiffany Yu.
Conservatory Tickles Funny Bone The cast of “The Comedy of Errors,” Shakespeare’s crazy play about two sets of twins who invade each other’s lives with much confusion, played to packed houses in November. The Conservatory’s success with difficult material continues to impress theater goers. Director Jeff Draper wrote in his director’s notes that comedy is much more difficult to do than drama, but the audience never saw the actors struggling as they clowned, strutted, tripped, somersaulted and cartwheeled their way through this hilarious
Harker News — December 05
piece. Kudos also to Anna Kendall, Gr. 4, who, by bidding on an auction item at the Family Picnic, won a walk-on role in the show! Sharp viewers saw her in the opening scene, being carried around by several cast members. Draper says she was “fantastic – a real natural!” Congratulations to Draper and all his cast and crew for a terrific fall play!
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Jazz Band Marches to a New Tune Attendees of the Homecoming festivities may have noticed a new musical presence at several events. Thanks to Harker’s new instrumental music teacher, Chris Florio, the Jazz Band is thriving and making its presence known!
This quarter, however, band members are putting on their jazz hats. They are concentrating on the traditional jazz repertoire, learning improvisation and soloing. Their portion of the winter concert will be all big band selections.
The band, which meets as a class each day, wears two hats, explains Florio. Most of first quarter, band members wore peppy hats – the Pep Band, that is – playing at the Homecoming football and volleyball games and the spirit rally. Florio tells his favorite Pep Band moment so far: “At the volleyball homecoming game, I went outside to get food. When I returned inside the band was playing, under the direction of student conductor Tara Chandra. It was great to know what I helped start could all function without me there!” The week before the games, lucky lunchers also got a sneak preview of the band out in the Edge patio. The band also will play the volleyball team on to victory at their CCS playoffs this month!
“Getting the exposure for the kids, and all the positive feedback, with people saying they’ve never sounded better – the kids in the band are proud to be a part of it. And I’m proud to be along on this journey in developing this growing program,” Florio says. Members of the Jazz/Pep Band are: Gr. 12: Chandra, Cheryl Chiu, Joshua Karnes, Jeff Le, Tao Lei, Sid Satish, Ariane Vartanian; Gr. 11: Michael Lee, Anton Sepetov, Winston Wey; Gr. 10: Isaac Ball, Patrick Gendotti, Shan Swaminathan; Gr. 9: Jeff Lu, Daniel Tien.
Update Debate! Congratulations to Adam Creasman, Gr. 11, who advanced to the semi-final round of International Extemporaneous Speaking on Oct. 21 at the St. Mark’s School “Heart of Texas” Invitational. Debate director Matthew Brandstetter notes, “Over 130 schools attended this annual event held at three separate locations over a three-day period. Adam’s achievement also earned him the first of two qualifying legs to the Tournament of Champions Extemporaneous Invitational at Northwestern University in early May 2006.” Congratulations also to Siddarth Satish, Gr. 12, for his winning 4-2 record in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Satish missed making the cut to the field of 32 debaters from an original field of 128 by a mere 2.5 points. This is the second year in a row that Harker has barely missed the cut; last year Alisha Tolani, Gr. 12, missed on a triple tie-breaker in the same event. The following weekend, four students traveled to Stockton to compete in the University of the Pacific Invitational Tournament. Congratulations to all four for their results: Meghana Dhar, Gr. 12: Seventh Speaker Open Policy Debate, Second Place Novice Impromptu; Mina Lee, Gr. 12: Ninth Speaker Open Policy Debate; Winston Wey, Gr. 11: Fifth Place Open Oratorical Interpretation, Sixth Place Open Dramatic Interpretation; and David
Linder, Gr. 11: Fourth Place Novice Impromptu, Semifinalist Open Original Oratory. In addition, the four placed third overall in Small Entry Sweepstakes (10 students or less), and Dhar and Lee were debate quarterfinalists. The accomplishments didn’t stop there! On Nov. 5-6 the team competed at the 43rd Annual University of Southern California Trojan Debate Championship Tournament, participating with students from 35 other schools representing eight different states. Here are the results: J.V. Policy Debate: Aaron Lin, Gr. 9, 6th Speaker; Jonathan Liu, Gr. 9, 12th Speaker. Lin and Liu were also quarterfinalists. Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Anuj Kamdar, Gr. 10, 5th Speaker; Frank Wang, Gr. 10, 8th Speaker and 3rd place finisher (losing to Harvard-Westlake on a 2-1 decision). Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Deepa Ramakrishnan, Gr. 10, 2nd Speaker and 1st place winner (defeating Granada Hills on a 3-0 decision); Nikita Jeswani, Gr. 10, 5th Speaker; Paula Lauris, Gr. 10, 7th Speaker and quarterfinalist; Akshay Udiavar, Gr. 10, 12th Speaker; Adam Creasman, 13th Speaker and octafinalist; Noel Duan, Gr. 9, 16th Speaker and octafinalist; Eugenia Sorotokin, Gr. 10, 20th Speaker.
Quiz Kids Harker’s Quiz Bowl teams kicked off their 2005-06 campaign at the Cardinal Junior Classic tournament on Oct. 23 at Menlo-Atherton High School.
Will Courchesne, Talon staff
Team A – consisting of captain Yi Sun, Hann Yew and Jonny Jenq, all Gr. 12, and Siddarth Chandrasekhar, Gr. 11 – posted a perfect 9-0 record at the tournament to bring home first-place honors. Team B – consisting of Gr. 11 students Jessie Li and captain Arkajit Dey, and Gr. 10 students Charlie Fang and Spencer Liang – won four matches, despite losing two others on the final question. Sun was the highest individual scorer of the competition. Based on its performance, Team A qualified for the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT) competition to be held in early June.
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Harker’s first match in the televised Quiz Kids competition will be played on Sat., Dec. 3 in San Carlos - see page 2 for details! At press time, the Harker team of Jessie Li (captain), Justin Chin, Spencer Liang and Anana Natarajan competed against 51 other schools in the first round of the Bay Area Academic League (BAAL) competition, an annual quiz bowl-type event held at Stanford. This was the first BAAL event for this particular team, and they played three exciting games, finishing with a first and two seconds, scoring 11 points and tying for first place. Congratulations to the team, and to US math teacher and BAAL/Quiz Kids coach Bradley Stoll. Harker News — December 05
Students Attend YWCA Event, Meet Activist and Author Gloria Steinem the press conference prior to the event, where Her interviewed Steinem, along with other students and members of the press (see excerpts of Her’s article this page).
A handful of Harker students – mostly female leaders in Harker’s Junior State of America (JSA) Club – recently attended the annual YWCA of Silicon Valley fundraising event where this year’s keynote speaker was Gloria Steinem, writer and women’s rights supporter. The event, held at the San Jose Convention Center, was also a celebration of the YWCA’s 100th year in the Valley, and drew a crowd of over 3,000. Harker annually sponsors a table at this event, whose past speakers have included astronaut Sally Ride, author Isobel Allende and actress Patty Duke. “As passionate females, we were all enthralled by everything Gloria had to say, from her jabs at the current administration to her declaration that it is up to us to make
“
. . . I got to shake the
hand of a modern day Susan B. Anthony. . .
”
Following the luncheon, the students participated in the optional book-signing event held in the lobby of the convention center. “Through the course of hand-shakes, autographs and a brief conversation with Steinem about one of my college application essays, it became very clear to me what the secret to eternal youth is,” said Valliani. “Steinem is 71 years old but could easily pass for 30 years younger…She stays engaged and opinionated and still believes she can change the world….”
a Dream, Part 2’ section of her speech,” she added. “Steinem shared a dream with us that at the YWCA luncheon 100 years from now, guests would stare . . . She stays engaged incredulously at the keynote and opinionated and still speaker when she said that there was once a time when believes she can change people believed that one’s thoughts were influenced by the world. . . the melanin in their skin or an extra X chromosome.” democracy a tool for individuals
teenager probably has no idea who Gloria Steinem is, but the fact that I got to shake the hand of a modern day Susan B. Anthony shows the kind of opportunities we have here at Harker.”
rather than one for political parties,” said Amira Valliani, Gr. 12, one of Harker’s student attendees. “More than anything, I was struck by what I have dubbed the ‘I Have
“I never thought I'd get to meet such an influential figure,” added another Harker attendee, Tara Chandra, Gr. 12. “Maybe I’m a total nerd, and I know the average
Pam Dickinson, Harker’s director of communications and YWCA event committee member, arranged for Winged Post co-editor-in-chief Sharon Her, Gr. 12, to attend
Other Harker attendees this year were: Casey Near, Gr. 12, YWCA event committee member; additional JSA leaders Jaya Pareek, Gr. 12, Deepa Ramakrishnan, Gr. 10, Natasha Sarin, Gr. 11, Shilpa Vadodaria, Gr. 12; Head of School Chris Nikoloff.
Winged Post Reprint
light (Gloria).
Excerpts from article by student co-editor in chief, Sharon Her:
Prominent in the Women’s Action Alliance, Gloria Steinem obtained funding to start the “first mass circulation feminist magazine, Ms.,” and served as an editor (Gloria). With its growing popularity came greater attention for women’s rights. Steinem also “helped plan the women’s agenda for the Democratic National Convention in 1975” and “participated in the national conference of women in Houston” in 1977 (Gloria). As a leader in the feminist movement, she gained notoriety and drew attention to other activists in women’s rights of the time.
into the Women’s Hall of Fame” and “into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame” in 1998 (Gloria).
taken seriously. Now, the biggest test is to “keep doing it”: “daring to be predictable” and “sticking with it.”
In a press conference preceding the convention, Gloria Steinem answered questions from various children and teenagers who benefit from some of YWCA’s programs… When asked what has shaped the modern feminist movement into what it is today, Steinem noted the tradition of patriarchy that has influenced the majority of attitudes toward a male-dominant society, along with factors from racism, nationalism, and even religion. Secondly, was she afraid to confront these issues? Steinem responded that the most difficult to face was not opposition, as expected, but ridicule. The women’s movement was frowned upon greatly in its early stages, and its leaders not
Lastly, the question of the most important role men play today in the progress towards full social, economic, and political equality between women and men was broached. Steinem believes that anyone who desires to be a “full human being without a role is an ally.” Both men and women contribute greatly to the liberation movement, helping to change laws and expectations…”
“
”
“…As the civil rights movement, among others, grew, bringing women into the fight for “a future based on racial justice and peace,” so did the feminism movement; women again began to support their own cause and mobilize for women’s rights (Gloria). Along with other leaders in the “women’s liberation movement [. . .] Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Freidan,” Steinem founded the National Women’s Political Caucus to promote participation through voting (Gloria). In these efforts, women’s “under representation [. . .] in politics” was brought to
Harker News — December 05
…Among her publications are Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Marilyn: Norma Jean, Revolution from Within: A Book of Self, and Moving Beyond Words. In 1993, “Steinem was inducted
Chandra added, “The YWCA function was absolutely incredible! Gloria Steinem is a dynamic speaker, and a true role model for women everywhere.”
For full article, request a copy of the Winged Post from chrisda@harker.org. “Gloria Steinem.” Women’s History. U·X·L® Biographies, U·X·L, 1996; Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. 4 Nov. 2005 <http://galenet. galegroup.com>.
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Sports Brief: Final Wrap Up of Eventful Fall Sports Season
At the WBAL coaches meeting, freshman Tara Panu was selected to the 1st all-WBAL team. Junior Jocelyn Ko and sophomore Natalie So were selected to the second team. Freshman Alyssa Boyle was voted Honorable Mention and junior Christina Yee was selected as the WBAL MVP. Yee finished with an overall singles record of 18-1, including winning the Singles Championship at the Santa Catalina Tournament. She also won the WBAL Tourney and qualified for the Individual CCS Championships. The team bids farewell to seniors Nandini Datta and Lynette Tsai who were instrumental players throughout their four-year careers at Harker. —Craig Pasqua, coach ■ Football By no stretch of the imagination, this has been a disappointing season for the Eagles. But with every disappointment comes lessons and opportunity. The Eagles came into this season knowing they would
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The few student-athletes who did play football this season showed a great deal of heart, courage and character in never giving up. Their commitment to the program will be the foundation for a much improved team next year. The 2006 season can be something special with the continued commitment from the 28 returning players. With nine incoming seniors next season, and four of the five incoming juniors with starting experience, the Eagles have a chance to be very good next year. Harker will have seven returning starters on both sides of the ball, along with this year’s 14 freshmen trying out for the varsity team. The foundation is already in place for next year’s team to be competitive at both the varsity and junior varsity levels. The sophomores next year who do not make the varsity team will be the building blocks to a great junior varsity team. —Mike Saltzman, assistant coach
Will Waggoner, Talon staff
Sophomores Victor Chen, Kyle Mui, Nick Sutardja, and Rowland Jiao all had to join the Eagles on varsity this season. Juniors Grayson Hurd and Eric Tsai hardly left the field this year providing great leadership on both sides of the ball. Seniors Wilson Haung, Chris Sutardja and Derrick Keung also started both ways for the Eagles. Senior Shawn Huda, and juniors Akshay Bhatia, Adnan Haque, Albert Chen, and Garrett Brooks round out the smallest roster in Harker history at the varsity level.
■ Girls Golf Varsity golf had a very successful year and finished in second place in their conference this season. The Harker Eagles were led by team captains Colleen Lee, Gr. 12, and Elyse Kim, Gr. 11. Lee capped her senior season by qualifying for the CCS tournament that was held in Monterey this year. Congratulations to all of our seniors: Lauren Choi, Xin Wang, and Colleen! The Eagle squad looks to fight for the conference title next year with our returning star players! —Chris Colletti, coach ■ Girls Volleyball The girls’ varsity volleyball team performed well this year, especially when competing against some of the toughest teams in the Bay Area, including St. Francis and Castilleja. They were impressive against the strong Lancers by taking the team to five sets. After that tough match, the girls continued with their success and went on to beat Castilleja in another exciting five-set match. Sister hitters Sylvia Schmidt, Gr. 12, and Tanya Schmidt, Gr. 10, tallied 17 and 15 kills that night, while senior Sharon Her had 35 assists. The girls finished up the season in the semi-finals of CCS. They played a tough Menlo School and weren’t able to push through the fifth set. The Lady Eagles bid farewell to seniors Her, S. Schmidt, Jamie Wei, Mariah Bush, Candace Chang and Amanda Polzin. —Theresa Smith, coach ■ Boys Soccer The Harker varsity soccer team finished with a solid performance in league play with an outstanding record of 11-2-3. This second place finish earned the Eagles a first time invitation to the CCS playoffs. The playoff game was against Latino College Prep Academy, and although our team played well, the Eagles came up short with a loss of 5-3. Special recognition goes out to our
team leaders and captains, senior Naushad Godrej and junior Adam Rubin. Godrej finished the season with a high school shut-out record of 8 games. Rubin was our leading goal scorer with a record 22 goals. Also, among the outstanding performers this year were Johnny Jenq, Gr. 12, Brandt Warecki, Gr. 11, and Edward Hejtmanek, Gr. 12. Finally, we want to pay special tribute to all the following seniors, all of whom were instrumental to the success of this year’s Harker soccer program: Godrej (4 years), Jenq (4 years), Aalok Patel (4 years), Hejtmanek (3 years), Apik Zorian (3 years), Tao Lei (3 years), and Thomas Holford (2 years). To all the departing seniors, good luck in your future endeavors, and we thank you for your many years of dedication to the Harker soccer program. JV also had a good run and a winning record. JV finished 5-3 this
Tiffany J. Lin, Talon staff
The team just missed an at-large bid into the CCS Team Championships, beating three teams who made it to CCS: Pinewood, Santa Catalina and Notre Dame.
have to fight for every opportunity to be successful. Several injuries to key players forced others to step in and shoulder the load. Senior OL/ DL Amit Mukherjee, and junior QB/ DB Jason Martin were lost for the season before the team’s first game. Senior Jeff Liu and juniors Michael Keller and Greg Ringold have all had to step in at various times during the season at quarterback. Even freshman Arman Gupta started two games as the field general for the Eagles.
Steven Wong, parent
■ Girls Tennis The 2005 varsity women’s tennis team wrapped up their team season in an impressive fashion, winning their last 7 of 8 matches and finishing with an overall 10-4 record (2nd place in the WBAL).
Harker News — December 05
—Philippe Gonzales, coach
Alex Chen, Talon staff
■ Cross Country After finishing 7th last season, the boys’ cross country team found themselves in 4th place this year. Jay Japra, Gr. 11, has continued to show why he is one of the best runners to ever grace Harker turf by setting records at both the Harker level and also at the CCS level. Sam Levine, Gr. 9, is a skilled new runner and it looks like he is on the same path of success as his predecessor Japra.
Beverages Raise Charitable Funds
Ali Abdollahi
The US International Club held their annual international drink sale in Oct. to raise money for the club’s charitable endeavors. The group sold a traditional drink from different cultures each day of the week, and their offerings included Persian sharbat, Italian soda, Vietnamese ice coffee, Asian pearl tea and Mexican horchata. The group collected $1,100 from the weeklong fundraiser, with all funds going toward future charitable efforts.
The girls’ cross country team was also able to move up this season, where they finished in 5th place. Roshmi Bhattacharya, Gr. 9, became the leader of the young
Huge Crowd Attends US Open House
■ Boys/Girls - Basketball and Wrestling ■ Girls Soccer Check the Web calendars for games, and come out to cheer on our teams!
unkown Winged Post photographer
Watch the next edition for updates on the next round of great Harker sports - go Eagles!
Harker News — December 05
Becky Yanovsky, Winged Post staff
Winter Sports Underway Our student athletes are gearing up for the next season of exciting sports offerings:
The US held their annual costume and pumpkincarving contests to add some levity to the day. Seniors Sarah Fingerhoood and Naeha Bhamabhra (pictured) won the costume portion, and the Class of 2007 won the top prize for the pumpkin-carving portion. Nice work!
Matt Wong, Talon staff
—Ismael Perez, coach
Halloween Spirits Spirited
Jocelyn Ko, Talon staff
squad. Mansi Shah, Gr. 11, had a strong finish to the season by qualifying for the CCS meet and breaking her own personal record by more than a minute. Both teams have proven to be very exciting and are looking forward to next season.
The annual US Open House drew a huge crowd to hear about Harker’s great academic, club and social offerings for Upper School students. The event, which began in the gym with presentations by administrators and students about our programs, included classroom visits - and a few demonstrations - and students and faculty at information stations in the Edge to showcase our various extracurricular offerings. Nan Nielsen, director of admission and financial aid, sends a huge “thanks!” to all of the student presenters, guides and faculty for sharing their knowledge, enthusiasm and passion with our prospective families. We’ll be seeing many of them next fall as new classmates, so this was a great introduction!
Pam Dickinson - all photos
year and showed a lot of promise for next year. Special thanks to the following players for their hard work and outstanding performances: freshmen George Gonzalez, Jeff Mandell, Barret Glasauer, Chetan Vakkalagadda, and sophomores Jonathan Shih and Phillip Chu.
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continued from page 9 MVP1s are fifth graders Connie Cheng and Baris Demirlioglu, with notable effort going to Megan Grabeel, Sumit Minocha, Pooja Shah and Wilbur Yang, all Gr. 5. Thanks for a great season! The Gr. 5 football team had a spectacular season. It was capped off by a second place finish at the annual St. Victors tournament. The team had many leaders including JP Doherty, Michael Amick, Kevin Cali, Andy Perez, Bobby Kahlon, David Cutler and David Lindars. Other key role players included Michelle Douglas, Pranav Bheda, Daniel Wang, and Mathew Harris. Combined, they become a solid group of athletes that will be special for years to come. The Gr. 5 volleyball team had another great year. As they worked towards a handful of games they capped the season off with an outstanding performance in the Apostles Lutheran 6th grade tournament. -Nick Gassman, coach
board Alumni Visit Their Alma Mater Steve Bitker, ‘65 KCBS Sports Anchor
Sehba Zhumkhawala Principal of KIPP
MS alumna, Sehba Zhumkhawala ’90, is the principal at KIPP Heartwood Academy, a charter school in San Jose’s Alum Rock district. In November, Zhumkhawala brought three Gr. 6 students and three teachers to sit in on some US classes. KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) has a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum and a strong culture of achievement and support to help the students make significant academic gains and continue to excel in high school and college. “As our students and teachers prepare for high school, we would love to visit excellent high schools and middle schools in the Bay Area, Of course the first place I thought about was Harker,” said Zhumkhawala. The full story of the visit will run in the next edition of the alumni notes in February 2006.
Mark Tantrum
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Harker Day School alumnus Steve Bitker ’65 recently visited Harker to help with the identification of people in some Harker Day School photos, to look through memorabilia and to reconnect with former Harker Day School employee and current board member Phyllis Carley. Bitker is the morning sports anchor at KCBS, part-time announcer for the Oakland A’s and author of the book, “The Original San Francisco Giants.” The full story will run in the next edition of the alumni notes in February.
Lemonade Stand Supports Polar Picnic Supplied by Shilpi & Sanjay Minocha, parents
Parent Education Events
Parent attend recent GoodParent event on helping teens manage stress (reported in Nov. issue). Mark your calendars for the next parent education event hosted by Harker in the BLD Gym on Tues., Feb. 7: “Yes, Your Teen is Crazy.,” presented by Michael J. Bradley, Ed.D., This presentation is part of the Common Ground Speaker Series offered free of charge to Harker families. Visit the Web site calendars and division home pages for reminders of this and other events.
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 (PHP) on the Harker Web site at www.harker.org. Editor: Pam Dickinson; Asst. Editor: Catherine Snider; Copy Editor: Jennifer Maragoni, Production: Crystal Boyd, Blue Heron Design Group; Photos: Mark Tantrum, unless noted; Lead Writer: Ali Abdollahi; Contributors: Nick Gassmann; Printing: Harker Copy Shop; Mailing Coordinator: Jerusha Hew Len.
The brother and sister team of Sumit Minocha, Gr. 5, and Shivali Minocha, Gr. 2, recently created a lemonade stand where, in addition to delicious lemonade, customers could buy tickets to the Harker Family Picnic. After two-and-a-half hours on the job, the siblings had collected $76. Their parents, Shilpi and Sanjay Minocha, agreed to match the funds raised, bringing the total amount collected to more than $150. Congratulations to the Minocha family for their innovative and charitable enterprise! The Harker School is a K-12 independent, co-ed, college-prep school.
Grades K-5: 4600 Bucknall Rd., San Jose CA 95130 Grades 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose CA 95117 Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose CA 95129
Harker believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate against its employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age (over 40), marital status, political affiliations, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by state or federal laws, local law or ordinance.