2006 January Harker News by The Harker School

JANUARY 2006 (VOL. 12, NO. 4)

M O N T H L Y

inside

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

Winter Concert Ofﬁcially Opens New Performance Venue

Schoolwide Outreach ....... 4, 5 First-ever Shanghai Teacher Exchange ............................ 7 New MS Tech Committee ... 10 LS Marin Headlands Trip ...... 8 All-League Athletes Named ....15 Robert Boucher, parent

est. 1893 • K-12 college prep

online ■ Weekly updates on Campus Home pages (LS, MS and US) ■ Recent Performance Photos: Gr. 1; Gr. 2 & 3; Fall Concert; Winter Concert. ■ Harker News photos & more!

events Tickets Now On Sale!

Fairmont Hotel - San Jose Friday, March 3, 2006 Luncheon & Fashion Show 11 a.m. - $85 Dinner Gala with Fashion Show, Live Auction & Dancing 5:30 p.m. - $175

The Harker community was introduced to its newest performing arts venue on Dec. 8, when the instrumental ensembles from all three divisions gathered in the Blackford “cafetorium” to perform their winter concert, under the inspirational direction of Chris Florio. The refurbished space, complete with a brand-new sound system installed just days before the concert, sparkled with the sounds of classical and jazz music. The Bucknall Strings got things started with two pieces, the popular theme from “Masterpiece Theater” and the even more popular “Canon” by Pachelbel. The Gr. 6 Orchestra performed three pieces, ending on a fast-paced note with a “Can Can.” The Gr. 7 & 8 Orchestra played the exciting “Hatikvah,” before turning the stage over to the US Orchestra. In all, twenty-three LS and MS students demonstrated how much the instrumental program is blossoming on those campuses. The US Jazz Band, with singer Tara Chandra, Gr. 12, took the stage and wowed the crowd with four Big Band tunes, including a tribute to New Orleans with “Basin Street Blues.” The US Orchestra, with concertmistress Audrey Kwong, Gr. 11, played a three-movement suite of folk songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, as well as the haunting “Our Town” by the great American composer

Aaron Copland. Percussion, deftly added by US faculty member Fred Triefenbach, was highlighted in the final number, a “Russian Sailor’s Dance.” In a rousing finale, the Gr. 7 & 8 Orchestra joined the US Orchestra for the theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a piece so well-received that Florio had the group play it again as an encore!

Thank you to technicians Paul Vallerga and Brian Larsen for such great work with the new sound system. And many thanks to Florio for his impressive work with the instrumental ensembles this year. What a wonderful inauguration of Harker’s newest performance venue! Visit the Web site for photos and see the collage on the back page of this issue.

Harker JSA Stands Out at Recent State Conference The Harker chapter of the Junior State of America (JSA) made a huge impression at the JSA Fall State Conference held in Santa Clara in November with a delegation of 83 students, the most of any school. Harker was represented in myriad ways at the conference, with high-ranking elected ofﬁcers at the regional and state levels, and a number of student speakers at the fall conference. Harker senior Amira Valliani, who serves as a senator in the Golden Gate Region (GGR) to which Harker belongs, said, “I have never seen so many Harker names on the agenda for a JSA conference. I was really proud of how Harker students were participating in both the planning and content of the events.”

As state-wide elected ofﬁcers, Valliani and fellow Harker senior Tara Chandra, who is now Northern California (NorCal) speaker of the house, were directly responsible for organizing and planning a number of events at the fall state conference, including the “political fair.” The political fair invited a wide range of political organizations and activist groups to present their platforms at the JSA conference. Under the organization of Chandra and Valliani, 28 different political organizations participated in the event, the most ever. Valliani, who also serves as the director of activism for the GGR, organized multiple events to address Continued on pg. 14

editor’s note This month’s Harker News mailing includes a special annual supplement that recaps and highlights some of the interesting internships and programs our US students participated in this past summer, and we thank those students who took the time to share their experiences. The January publication date each year is chosen to help families get ideas – and a head start – in making their own plans for the coming summer, so we hope you enjoy it! We also hope you enjoy the gift of precious time with family and friends this holiday season. We look forward to starting off a fresh new year with all of you in 2006! —Pam Dickinson, Director, Ofﬁce of Communications pamd@harker.org

quote “I just faked it badly

january dates ■ Tues., Jan. 3 - K to 12 classes resume. Happy 2006!

Fri., Jan. 6, 2006 • 7-9 p.m. • Dobbins Gallery @ US Campus Start the new year with a “Joint Venture” between current and alumni parents of the Harker Upper School. Our CEPs (College Executive Parents) will give insider tips on college life to interested apprentices. Our ECPs (Expert Current Parents) will update our parent graduates about current events at the Harker Upper School. In other words, it’s a chance to mingle, meet and reconnect with Harker friends!

Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!

“A heartfelt thank you to our Annual Giving contributors who make such wonderful opportunities and experiences available to our students and teachers,” said Melinda Gonzales, Harker’s director of annual giving.

Mark your calendar for the next Common Ground Speaker Series event, which will be hosted by Harker at the new campus:

REMINDER

Remember to bring an appetizer, wine or dessert to share - water and soft drinks will be provided. RSVP with your name, number attending and item you plan to bring to Lisa Blickenstaff at lisabl@harker.org.

Wed. Feb. 8, 2006 • 7 p.m. • Blackford Gym

Common Ground is a coalition of Bay Area schools that have joined together to provide opportunities for parents and educators to learn from experts in a variety of ﬁelds, to share ideas with others, and to support each other’s efforts to enrich our local communities. Since Harker is a member of this coalition, these events are free of charge to our parents, faculty and staff.

■ New Security Guard Security head Bob Keefer announced the addition of Kamlesh Dave to the security staff. Dave brings a wide background of security experience, and “I am sure his addition to our family will prove to be a valued asset,” Keefer said.

”

—Diana Moss (pg. 7)

thanks

It’s not too late to support our students and teachers and participate in the 2005-06 Annual Giving Campaign, which ends May 31, 2006. Gifts received from this point until the end of the Campaign will count toward the 2006 tax year. You can donate online (see the Giving @ Harker section of our Web site) or mail donations to: Advancement Ofﬁces, 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117.

“Yes, Your Teen is Crazy ” is a presentation by Michael J. Bradley, Ed.D. Free admission for Harker parents, faculty and staff. $20 for guests. Light refreshments will be served.

Staff Update

above my head.

Beginning in this issue of The Harker News, you’ll notice the annual giving logo appearing at the end of some of our stories, which indicates those activities or programs funded by Annual Giving.

Joint Venture - Upper School Parent Event

around opposite my

my handkerchief

Heartfelt Thanks!

■ Mon., Jan. 16 - Martin Luther King Holiday. No classes K to 12.

by smiling, moving

partner and circling

annual giving

For questions on annual giving, contact Melinda Gonzales at MelindaG@harker.org; 408.345.0111.

■ Former Teacher Publishes Book Former Gr. 4 language arts teacher Marcie (Gilbert) Shaffer updated us on her new life in Southern California. After coaching actors for a while, she is now “tutoring, writing, taking photographs and doing layout/design for art books.” She and an illustrator friend have formed a small publishing company, and she has two books coming out, one with her photographs and the other a children’s picture book. Her husband, Zak Shaffer, worked in Harker’s Rec department and taught kindergarten language arts. He is now teaching kindergarten at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, and keeping up with his rock ‘n’ roll as a hobby.

$805,354 - 81% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60%

She says she thinks about her Harker students all the time, and has saved everything they’ve ever given her. “I thank them for keeping in touch and welcoming me so graciously when I came to visit them last spring.”

40%

Shaffer’s Web site is www.librujas.com ■ New Face in Accounts Payable Elizabeth “Liz” Nava has joined the Accounts Payable team and Harker family. Nava is replacing Randall Dukes, who has moved to Accounts Receivable. ■ Bither Needs a Winter Break Our own MS dean of students was caught on camera with mismatched shoes one day in December. He’s received his ﬁrst warning for being out of uniform.

30% 20% 10% Cindy Kerr - both photos

The ﬁrst Harker Bloomingdale’s Shopping Day on Dec. 6 resulted in a donation to the school of $1,134.23 (10% of the $11,343.27 in sales from Harker families that day). Many thanks to Bloomingdale’s, and to all the Harker shoppers and volunteers, who made this ﬁrst event so successful!

50%

Harker News — January 06

Friday, March 3 • Fairmont Hotel, San Jose 5:30 p.m. Dinner Gala with Fashion Show, Live Auction & Dancing 11 a.m. Luncheon & Fashion Show

sponsors

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!

■ Online Tickets Available Now! Barry Swenson Builders Santana Row Swanson & Jackson Families Air Systems, Inc. • Banerjee Chopra Family • Communicart • Davé Family Trust • Davis Family • Diamond Quality Printing • Kris & Nina Panu • Pennell Family • Sathaye Family Foundation 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 • Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP • Meiying & Steve Shatas • Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe • Riedel Family • Santora Family • Sequoia Capital • Smith Barney • The Hall Walsworth Group • Stevens Creek BMW • XL Construction Corp.

CONTACTS

NEWEST PROGRAM ADVERTISERS: We want to recognize and thank this month’s new program advertisers: Action Day Nurseries, Air Systems Inc., Punita Bigler, Davis Family, Christine Douglas, Joe Escobar Diamonds, Alan Everett DDS Inc, Extron Logistics, Ernaz Irani, KPMG LLP, Stephen Miller Gallery, Brian J. Nettleman DDS, Piercey Toyota and Kim Pellissier.

Invitations will be mailed in January, but tickets are available NOW online! We do expect this event to sellout, so be sure to reserve your seats soon.

Luncheon and Fashion show — $85 Dinner Gala with Fashion Show, Live Auction & Dancing — $175

■ Cruisin’ the Dance Floor Dinner gala attendees will be cruisin’ the dance floor with David Martin’s House Party, one of the most respected and sought after party orchestras in the northwest. Members of the group have played with the Steve Miller Band, Robert Cray, Todd Rundgren, Linda Ronstadt, Eddie Money, Chris Isaak, Marty Balin, Elvin Bishop, Del Shannon, the Coasters, and many others. David Martin’s House Party performs a variety of music from the 60s through today, and you can be sure they’ll play all your favorite dance tunes.

■ Cruisin’ Showcase Prizes! Each Showcase is a wonderful, themed collection of goodies that will provide hours, days, maybe even weeks of fun and excitement! Visit the Cruisin’ California Web site for more details about the contents of each Showcase.

■ Evening Emcee: Pat Walsh The evening’s gala dinner show will be emceed by none other than our own Pat Walsh! You know him as a Gr. 5 math teacher, baseball fan and humorist extraordinaire, and now you can experience Walsh’s legendary comic wit for yourself when you attend the Cruisin’ California dinner gala.

■ Student Entertainers are Sure to Please The luncheon and dinner gala shows will both feature our own talented Harker performing arts students. Be sure to arrive early to enjoy the pre-show entertainment! Jazz Band: Isaac Ball, Tara Chandra, Cheryl Chiu, Patrick Gendotti, Joshua Karnes, Jeffrey Le, Michael Lee, Tao Lei, Siddarth Satish, Anton Sepetov, Shantanu Swaminathan, Daniel Tien, Ariane Vartanian, Winston Wey Downbeat: Lauren Ammatuna, Debanshi Bheda, Gavin Dutrow, Ben Englert, Michael Hammersley, Simren Kohli, Andrew Nasser, Molly Newman, Julia PriceMadison, Aseem Shukla, Siobhan Stevenson, Patrick Sweeney, Vyvy Trinh, Vijay Umapathy, Nina Vyedin Dance Ensemble: Veronica Bither, Sonya Chalaka, Mercedes Chien, David Cutler, Karan Das-Grande, Tiphaine Delepine, Michelle Douglas, Megan Grabeel, Margaret Krackeler, Daniela Lapidous, Cole Manaster, Montana Miller, Michelle Pagnon, Hannah Prutton, Neel Salukhe, Divya Sarathy Varsity Dance Team: Naeha Bhambhra, Sara Fingerhood, Laura Sanchez-Hartzell, Allison Wong, Julia Havard, Sasha Stepanko, Shilpa Rajopal, Rangita Raghavan, Ellice Park

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 inserts in this month’s mailing or visit the Cruisin’ California Web site for more information about event ticket purchases, Carousel of Showcases contents and ticket purchases, and volunteer opportunities.

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 • E-MAIL: fashionshow@harker.org

Harker News — January 06

OUTREACH

news

LOWER SCHOOL

■ Food Drive Yields Huge Bounty!

■ LS Toys for Tots Program The LS held its annual Toys for Tots drive, a program that collects new toys to donate to underprivileged children. At press time, the Toys for Tots program had already yielded a huge bounty of gifts, thanks to the efforts of Gr. 4 Harker students, who were in charge of the program, and the generosity of the Harker community. Members of the U.S. Marine Corps, which sponsors the national Toys for Tots program, were on hand for the ofﬁcial presentation of the gifts at the LS assembly on Dec. 16.

■ LS Spirit Club Spreads Holiday Cheer! Grade 4 and 5 members of the LS Spirit Club spread some holiday cheer during the week of Dec. 12 by spending their morning and lunch recesses singing festive holiday songs at different locations around the LS campus!

This year’s LS Food Drive, organized by Pat Walsh’s Gr. 5 students, was another smashing success. Math teacher Stephanie Woolsey kept a record of the donations made by each Gr. 3 homeroom on her classroom whiteboard. “It became a topic of conversation at the beginning of each period,” said Woolsey. “I had students update me daily, which helped encourage a little healthy competition.” After the food was collected, Harker parents and students packed an estimated 2,000-3,000 pounds of food into three SUVs and two pickup trucks, for delivery to St. Justin’s Community Ministries. Harker also delivered over $800 in cash and check donations to St. Justin’s. Congratulations to the LS for their tireless commitment to helping others during this holiday season!

MIDDLE SCHOOL ■ MS Undertakes Outstanding Holiday Charity Efforts The MS demonstrated their global citizenry with multiple charity drives over the past two months. The “Adopt a Tent, Save a Family” holiday fundraiser mentioned in the December edition collected a total of over $12,000 to help house victims of the devastating earthquake in Southeast Asia, helping to potentially save hundreds of lives during the upcoming frigid winter months. The MS also held its annual coat drive beginning in late November. Winter coats were collected up through the holiday recess for those in need. Nearly 200 coats were collected and delivered to InnVision, a San Jose organization that assists homeless people in moving toward employment and stability. Kudos to the MS for an astounding holiday season of humanitarian action!

UPPER SCHOOL

Twenty US student volunteers assisted in the set up of the annual Christmas in the Park festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose on Nov. 19. Even more US volunteers lent a hand on Dec. 4 at the televised San Jose Holiday Parade, which serves as the annual kickoff to the Christmas in the Park festivities.

Kerry Enzensperger

■ US Students Volunteer at ‘Christmas in the Park’ Festivities

■ US ‘Shelter Elves’ Program US advisory groups voted to participate in the Shelter Elves program, in conjunction with the Emergency Housing Consortium (EHC) Life Builders’ program. The Harker US has collectively ‘adopted’ over 40 families to donate gifts to this holiday season! “The kids are just so generous and kind-hearted,” said US history teacher Carol Zink, one of the program’s organizers. The Harker donations were delivered to EHC in San Jose on Dec. 16. Congratulations to the US for their continued support of humanitarian agencies! Harker News — January 06

HOLIDAY

fun

UPPER SCHOOL, cont.

Holiday Assemblies

■ Wrapping and Singing at Borders

All three campuses kicked off the holiday season Dec. 9 with special assemblies. Performing arts groups from all grades hit the road to entertain Harker students and faculty with a fun-ﬁlled seasonal show. Harmonics, the MS show choir, reprised their Picnic song, “Polar Express.” The Gr. 7 and 8 Dance Troupes rocked through “Toyland” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” US group Bel Canto reminded everyone that, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and added a Hanukkah touch with a song in Hebrew. The US varsity and JV Dance Troupes danced a Brazilian and a jazz number, respectively, and everyone’s favorite, the Gr. 4-6 Dance Ensemble, wowed the crowd

Catherine Snider

Students worked for tips by wrapping holiday gifts for customers at Borders-Santana Row. Working in three- to four-hour shifts from Nov. 18-20, 31 students and eight chaperones raised $250 for the Conservatory.

■ US Classes Send Gift Packs to Soldiers in Iraq Students in the advisory groups of US teachers Carol Zink, Rachel Freed and Françoise Thompson collected over a dozen boxes worth of gum, candy, magazines, playing cards and other assorted goodies to send to U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq. The Marines who will receive the gift packs are under the care and command of 1st Lieutenant Theresa Hornick, the best friend of Harker alumna Katie Chou (’95), Zink’s daughter. Included with the gifts for the Marines were stuffed animals to be distributed to Iraqi children.

Vocal Groups Spread Holiday Cheer Three of our performing arts groups spread holiday cheer in the community this season. ■ Dec. 2 was tour day for Downbeat, the US pop group co-directed by Laura Lang-Ree and Catherine Snider. They began at their favorite annual venue, Filoli Estate’s Holiday Boutique in Woodside, where they sang for guests in the beautiful ballroom. After that, they traveled to senior care facilities Lytton Gardens and Chai House, and then to the retirement community The Forum, where the residents threw them a party with homemade goodies and eggnog. The evening ended with their now-traditional show for family and friends (and passers-by!) in the lounge at the beautiful San Jose Fairmont. ■ On Dec. 4, Harmonics, the MS theatrical group directed by Monica MacKinnon and Roxann Hagemeyer, held an open rehearsal in the Blackford music room, “so parents could see a ‘live’ example of the performing arts,” said MacKinnon. Then they traveled to Westgate Mall where they stood right next to Santa in the center court and performed for holiday shoppers. From there they sang for residents at Terrano Gardens and Oak Meadows nursing homes. A festive dinner at Chevy’s rounded out their musical evening. Just two days later, Harmonics appeared at Christmas in the Park in San Jose, where they performed a 30-minute holiday show. ■ On Dec. 9, Bel Canto, the US choir directed by Snider, visited two InnVision temporary housing shelters in San Jose, bringing candy canes for the kids and roses for the adults, and ended their tour with their second annual performance for family, friends and the public at Borders – Santana Row, much to the delight of unsuspecting shoppers! Thanks to these groups for spreading Harker’s name in the community, while bringing joy to the public and the needy. Harker News — January 06

with their number. Downbeat, the US pop vocal ensemble, had hits with cool a cappella versions of “Deck the Halls” and “Carol of the Bells.” Some smaller groups were represented, including eight Bel Canto students doing a rousing version of “Jingle Bell Rock,” matched by a hilarious spoof of the same song by some Downbeat members. US students enjoyed special performances by Guys’ Gig, Cantilena and the Orchestra, and the LS students enjoyed their annual sing-a-long with the “big kids.” A terriﬁc time was had by all! Many thanks to department chair Laura Lang-Ree for organizing and directing such a joyful and well-paced show. And a big thank you to all the directors who once again launched the season so beautifully: Monica MacKinnon and Roxann Hagemeyer (Harmonics), Laura Rae and Adrian Bermudez (Dance Troupes), Gail Palmer (Dance Ensemble), Catherine Snider and Lang-Ree (Bel Canto, Downbeat), Susan Nace (Guys’ Gig, Cantilena), Chris Florio (Orchestra), and our amazing technical staff of Brian Larsen, Paul Vallerga and Danny Dunn. Kudos also to the two after-school Gr. 5 technical theater classes, who are helping provide technical support for LS shows. Visit the Web site for photos and see the collage on the back page of this issue.

Holiday Parties On the last day of school before Winter Break, the LS campus bustled with activities and parties - many thanks to all the grade level coordinators and other parent volunteers who helped make these parties so much fun for our children! Festivities included: ■ Kindergarten students were visited by our very own St. Nikoloff, much to their delight. St. Nik loved it, too! (photo to come Fri. of Nikoloff in Santa suit) ■ Many homerooms enjoyed fun par ties that included gift or book exchanges, stor ytimes, games, crafts and special holiday treats. Gr. 1 students had fun un-decorating the trees so they could take home all their handmade ornaments and decorations! ■ Gr. 4 student activities included a book exchange for less for tunate children, writing a card to the U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and enjoying the cookie decorating and karaoke rooms. ■ Joe Chung (aka Santa Claus) handed out candy canes and coal to the Gr. 5 students, who also had voluntar y book exchanges in their individual homerooms.

INTERNATIONAL

programs

Photos supplied by Diann Chung

Chung Given Royal Treatment at Tamagawa

LS teacher Diann Chung traveled to Tokyo, Japan, as part of a teacherexchange program between Harker and its sister school in Japan, the Tamagawa Gakuen School. Chung spent 16 days at Tamagawa, where

“The campus was absolutely beautiful, and the hospitality I received was just overwhelming.

”

she marveled at the school that houses everything from kindergarten through post-graduate university study. “The campus was absolutely beautiful, and the hospitality I received was just overwhelming,” Chung said. “There were many friendly cups of tea with the other teachers, and many dinners out.” Chung noticed immediately that Tamagawa was less structured than Harker. “The students operate a lot more on their own. They feel this will allow the kids to learn how to solve their own problems and conﬂicts,” Chung explained. “The kids are happy and having a great time.” Commenting on Tamagawa’s more “free-form” style, Chung said, “From my understanding, Tamagawa is different from typical Japanese schools. They have a very unique way and philosophy.” Chung also noticed many similarities between Harker students and Tamagawa students. “Kids are the same pretty much wherever you go,”

Chung said. However, she added, the style of teaching in the kindergarten classes illustrates Tamagawa’s unique educational philosophy. “Kindergartners are allowed to socialize and be creative using strings, poles, milk cartons and other similar items,” Chung said. “They play and create and explore. It’s really incredible. I joked to one of my friends that I now know where all of Japan’s engineers come from.” Chung even witnessed playful Sumo wrestling matches between students in the kindergarten classroom. During her stay, Chung also served as a guest lecturer for one of the education classes at the Tamagawa University. “I spoke with some of the college-level education students and explained to them what Harker is like.” Chung also had the opportunity to enjoy a number of cultural activities

Yuliya Dasheyeva from the Russian province of Irkutsk and Adam Semanko from the Slovak Republic are both studying at Harker this year. Read about their experiences on pg. 12.

both on and off the Tamagawa campus. She traveled to the city of Kyoto, visited a 40-foot tall statue of Buddha at Kamacura and experienced a professional Sumo wrestling event in Tokyo. One day, while walking through the streets of Tokyo, Chung was surprised to see a large festival and parade marching through the streets, which she later found out was called the Mondo Festival. “I was walking along and, all of a sudden, there were people carrying large, colorful floats and people banging Taiko drums. It was amazing.” Chung was honored with a seat in the “Royalty Box,” alongside the school’s top administrators and other special guests, during Tamagawa’s 71st annual traditional spor ts festival. “It was an incredible event,” said Chung. “Students par ticipated all the way from kindergar ten through the first year of university. They practice for six months, and performed dances, flag routines, tug of wars and relay races.” Chung says the time she spent in Tamagawa was extremely valuable to her and to both schools. “These exchanges allow us to strengthen our connection with Tamagawa and gain a better understanding of their philosophy,” she said.

International Events in January The following is a rundown of all the exciting International Program events happening in January: ■ A teacher from Saint Stephen’s College in Brisbane, Australia, will visit Harker for two weeks beginning Jan. 3 to observe Harker and get ideas for possible exchange programs between Harker and Saint Stephen’s. ■ A kindergarten teacher from Harker’s sister-school in Tokyo, Japan, the Tamagawa Gakuen School, will arrive at Harker as part of a two-week teacher exchange activity beginning Jan. 4. ■ A delegation from Harker’s sister-school in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (SWFLMS), will arrive on Jan. 14 for a two-week exchange visit. The delegation will consist of 14 Gr. 8 students, three chaperones, two members of the SWFLMS board of directors, as well as two teachers from other schools in Shanghai. ■ Four videoconferences will be held in January between Harker kindergartners and kindergarten students from the Tamagawa Gakuen School. These videoconferences will also incorporate the Gr. 8 students visiting Harker from Shanghai. ■ Two high school students from the Tamagawa Gakuen School will visit Harker from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18 as part of the Upper School exchange. ■ Grade 6 videoconferencing will begin in January with partners at the Tamagawa Gakuen School and Harker’s sister-school in Jaipur, India, the Neerja Modi School.

Be a Host Family! Next year’s visiting student from Slovakia will be a girl, and we’re currently seeking a Harker family to host her. It’s an extremely rewarding, oncein-a-lifetime experience - contact me if you’re interested! Bill Bost, Director of International Programs billb@harker.org; 408.553.0306

Harker News — January 06

Moss Family Celebrates Holiday, Chilean - and American - Style

The Moss family planned for a small Thanksgiving dinner, which quickly turned into a large feast with numerous guests. “We invited Cristina Cristobal (an American student also studying in Quillota) and another Fulbright teacher from Miami,” Moss said. “Cristina had another American friend who proceeded to invite two other American students who were about an hour away in the town of Los Andes. So our house became Thanksgiving central for ex-patriot Americans and one German guest who was curious about our holiday.” “It was quite an adventure trying to

ﬁnd the necessary ingredients for our feast,” Moss said. After tracking down cranberries, canned pumpkin and spices, and making their own stufﬁng, the Moss family “found the only whole frozen turkey in town at the big local supermarket.” Moss convinced a nearby bakery to roast the turkey for a small fee. “It turned out to be one of the best turkeys I’ve had in years, and it was a fabulous meal, so we ate ourselves into a stupor,” Moss said. “A bunch more American students showed up later, so we sat around and played games into the late evening.” The Moss family also enjoyed wonderful local festivities in recognition of the Chilean Independence holiday

in late September. Moss said, “Some friends of ours took us into the nearby hills to a traditional rodeo where everyone had brought their little grills and were grilling meat!” Moss and her children also participated in another traditional Independence holiday activity: kite ﬂying. “It was hilarious trying to leap over the small thorn bushes to get a running start to get our kites in the air,” said Moss. At night, the Moss family witnessed locals dancing the national folkdance, called the cueca. Moss said jokingly, “The kids had all learned it at school, so I just faked it badly by smiling, moving around opposite my partner and circling my handkerchief above my head.” Photo supplied by Diana Moss

US Spanish teacher Diana Moss, who is currently spending a year in Quillota, Chile, as part of the 2005 Fulbright Scholarship Program, recently experienced a number of special events and surprise visits. Moss and her children (Kendra, Gr. 8, and Kevin, Gr. 4) did their best to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving holiday – with a slight Chilean twist!

Moss also experienced the “lovely” graduation ceremony held for departing seniors at her school in Quillota. After the school’s head teacher shared thoughts and personal anecdotes about each student, the students were met by their parents at the bottom of the stage for a hug. “There were touching speeches and songs performed by both students and teachers,” Moss said. “The event culminated with each student waltzing with a parent, an enormous wedding-style cake and then a fun slideshow of the kids through the years, as many had attended the school since kindergarten.” Moss also had a special visitor in November. Harker alumna Joely Pritzker (‘99), who was a student of Moss’ in Gr. 6 and used to babysit Kendra, showed up at Moss’ doorstep in Quillota. Now in her junior year at Wesleyan College, Pritzker is participating in a semester abroad program in a nearby Chilean town. Said Moss, “(That was) an amazing surprise!”

First Shanghai Exchange Teacher Arrives at Harker, Charms All

Ding was immediately impressed with the size and structure of Harker. “Harker is huge in terms of size, the

Photo supplied by Doreen Ding

body of students and faculty members,” Ding said. “The campuses are beautiful, tidy, well-equipped and organized, and have a strong academic atmosphere.” While noticing slight differences between Harker and SWFLMS, Ding was very quick to point out the countless similarities between the two schools. “Students from both schools are all eager to learn, intelligent, creative, talented, respectful and motivated,” she said. “Both schools have dedicated and experienced teachers and supportive faculty members and parents, and both schools have the same mission: to help students develop academically, athletically, socially and culturally, and to prepare students for their future study and life.” While Ding’s focus was on the MS English department, Harker fully

Harker News — January 06

utilized her knowledge of Chinese history by having her teach a special lesson to Gr. 9 Harker world history students. While here, Ding also soaked up the local culture. Among her favorite activities: seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Disneyland, attending a performance of “West Side Story,” visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, attending a San Jose Sharks hockey game and eating In-N-Out hamburgers. She said she also enjoyed “a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, and all the time that I spent in Harker teachers’ homes.” She also experienced a number of memorable Harker events, including the MS Halloween celebrations, the Tamagawa welcome and farewell ceremonies, and the US production of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors.” “I enjoyed every minute during the trip, made many friends, and learned a lot,” Ding said. “In the long run, this exchange experience will beneﬁt me in different aspects. It will enrich my personal experience, improve my English and help

Photo supplied by Doreen Ding

Doreen Ding, assistant English department chair at Harker’s sister school in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (SWFLMS), arrived at Harker in late October for a six-week visit. Harker Director of International Programs Bill Bost said prior to the visit, “This will be the ﬁrst exchange teacher from the People’s Republic to come to Harker, and from all of the information that I received from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, she is probably the ﬁrst non-college level teacher to be given a full month visa to teach in a U.S. school.”

my teaching back at SWFLMS.” “I feel honored to be the ﬁrst exchange teacher to visit Harker, following (MS English teacher) Mark Gelineau’s successful visit to SWFLMS during March 2005,” Ding said. “I think it’s a very good start to the teacher exchange program between the two schools, and I believe with our joint effort, the program will beneﬁt more teachers and students from both schools.” This spring, MS history teacher Mari Finn will travel to Shanghai representing Harker in the second year of this teacher exchange. Check future editions for updates on this exchange program!

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Marin Headlands Trip a Great Adventure, Rain or Shine! Gr. 5 students experienced both beautiful and inclement weather on the annual class trip to the Marin Headlands Institute. Daytime activities included hiking, conducting pond studies, creating sand creatures on the beach, exploring the Marine Mammal Center and visiting Hawk Hill. A traditional

Math Contests Coming Up Gr. 3 students will participate in the monthly Continental Math League (CML) contests in Jan., Feb. and Mar. Last year, some of LS math teacher Stephanie Woolsey’s classes participated in the contest and performed very well. This year, all Gr. 3 students will participate in the CML contests, which are held one day each month and are designed to test students on their logical thinking and problem solving skills.

Gr. 2 & 3 Show Celebrates Harker’s Diversity and Spirit

Jason Oncay - all Marin photos

highlight of the trip is the night hike to the beach to study the animal life on the shore. Weather conditions proved perfect for at least one activity, as Grades 4 and 5 Division Head Kristin Giamonna said, “Our night hike was incred-

ible.” Students enjoyed ideal conditions for much of the trip, but also persevered through rainy days. “(Wednesday) was a perfect day full of sunshine,” said Giamonna. “(Thursday) was a different story. However, the students were extremely positive and braved the storm. We had to move our nighttime campﬁre indoors due to the rain and winds.” As always, Harker students displayed exceptional behavior on the trip. Kudos also go to the chaperones for helping to make this a fun and safe journey. This year’s chaperones were Catherine Le, Kathleen Ferretti, Rebecca Williams, Mel Robinson, Lisa Hirata, Joe Chung, Jason Oncay, Jason Pergament, Rob Regan, Walid Fahmy and Jeff Gatlin.

Family and friends of Harker’s second and third graders were charmed by the students’ holiday show, performed at Bucknall on Dec. 15. Under the skilled direction of teachers Jennifer Cowgill and Sandra Mabee, the students narrated a fun-ﬁlled evening that included songs, favorite images of the holidays, and a patient wait for snow (which ﬁnally and magically fell on stage at the end of the show!). The

“Just about every culture that exists has some

”

type of celebration!

performers talked about visiting family, playing in the cold, decorating trees, and sharing peace and goodwill. “We did pieces in other languages and from other cultures to bring out the multicultural aspect of the holidays, and of Harker,” said Cowgill. Songs included Hanukkah pieces, and songs of Diwali and Kwanzaa, as well as a song in Spanish. As the student actors said, “Just about every culture that exists has some type of celebration! The great thing is that everybody is so happy and that’s why holidays are so cool here.” The show was cool, too! Thanks to Danny Dunn for her technical support, and to the fabulous second and third graders for such a joyful introduction to the season! Visit the Web site for photos and see the holiday performances collage on the back page. Harker News — January 06

sports There was such a wonderful turnout for Gr. 5 boys basketball this season that the group had to be broken down into three squads. D1, lead

Colleen Linsay - all photos

Fun Projects Accompany Kindergartners’ Reading

Colleen Lindsay’s kindergarten class conducted special projects to accompany some of the stories they read in late November. One of the stories, “Dog School” by Joseph Bruchac, tells the tale of a dog named “Spritz” who does not follow directions and likes to chase trucks. The book follows the dog through his experience at obedience school. After reading the story, students made bendable dogs, wrote a story about their favorite pets, and made, decorated and ate cookies shaped like dogs and dog bones! Lindsay’s students also read a story entitled “Me on the Map” by Joan Sweeney. The main character in this story is a young girl who takes readers on a tour of her bedroom, her street, her community, her state and the United States, and eventually provides a view of the entire globe. After reading the story, students created maps of their own neighborhoods, and wrote about and drew a picture of their favorite rooms. In addition, students created a delectable “edible world” using rice cakes, cream cheese and Pepperidge Farm ﬁsh!

Holiday Traditions Celebrated in Gr. 1 Show The LS celebrated the holidays with their own ﬁrst graders, who put on a show on Dec. 13. The theme, Carrying on the Holiday Tradition, was explored with songs from several different cultures, including the Spanish “Feliz Navidad” and the Hebrew “S’vivon.” Harker’s own traditions were celebrated with numbers called “Christmas at our School,” and “Merry Christmas to You from the Cool Harker School.” Several students were special holiday dancers, and a quartet took on the personae of the Chipmunks and sang that group’s famous Christmas song. Eight student actors delighted the audience with a trip to the Wild West performing “Christmas at the OK Corral.” Many thanks to director Sandra Mabee and technical director Danny Dunn for bringing holiday smiles to the faces of all the LS families and students. Visit the Web site for photos and see the holiday performances collage on the back page of this issue.

Worldly Social Studies Party Gr. 2 classes held a special “Holidays Around the World” party on Dec. 9. Each homeroom chose a different holiday theme, including Hanukkah, Christmas, the Indian Diwali festival and the traditional Mexican Christmas festival of Las Posadas. Thanks to all of the parent volunteers and coordinators, including Sandhya Jagadeesh (Suraj, Gr. 2), Elizabeth Powers (Spencer and Connor, Gr. 2), and Faustina Chen (Jonathan, Gr. 2, Tiffany, Gr. 11).

Harker News — January 06

by Nikhil Panu, faced some tough competition, especially since most of their opponents were ﬁfth/sixth combo teams. Meanwhile, the D2 and D3 teams were excited to get some games under their belts as they kicked off the season on Nov. 18 with a game against each other. The Gr. 4 boys basketball team worked hard learning and practicing the fundamentals of the game this season. Dribbling, passing, shooting, defense and team play were just a few of the skills learned. Meanwhile, more than 30 Gr. 5 girls participated in after-school soccer this season. The players worked hard to improve their skills and had a great deal of fun scrimmaging each other. They also were excited to play the ﬁrst-ever game by a Gr. 5 soccer team at Harker. —Nick Gassmann, Coach

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MS Tech Advisory Committee Helps Provide New Learning Tools The Middle School Teachers Technology Advisory Committee (MSTTAC) was formed during the second semester of the 2004-05 school year. The committee, comprised of administrators and MS teachers, was designed to provide feedback and ideas regarding how teachers could utilize technology to enhance learning in their classes. Similar committees – The Upper School Teachers Technology Advisory Committee and the Student Technology Advisor Committee – already existed at the Upper School.

Harmonics Auditions For Next Year Auditions for the 06-07 Harmonics, the MS musical theater performing group, will be held the last two weeks in Jan. Any current Gr. 6 or 7 student is eligible to audition. All students should be prepared to sing the Harker school song, and may prepare another musical theater piece if desired. Exact dates and times will be announced at the school meetings in January.

Spring Musical — “Oliver!” MS choral groups Harmonics and Vivace! gathered for their third annual holiday party on Dec. 12. The singers enjoyed cookies, hot cocoa and fellowship, and eagerly awaited the announcement of the 2006 MS spring musical. Directors Monica MacKinnon and Roxann Hagemeyer did not disappoint, announcing that they will produce “Oliver!,” the musical based on the Charles Dickens tale.

New Grammar Club

In order to get what he called a “view from the trenches,” Director of Instructional Technology Daniel Hudkins purposely excluded MS department chairs from the committee. “Since I am present at all the department chair meetings, the chairs have an opportunity to discuss issues with me in a separate forum,” said Hudkins. “We wanted the MSTTAC to be a place where we could communicate directly with teachers to find out what is and what is not working as far as technology.” The MSTTAC enlisted a teacher from each academic department to help provide a sense of how technology could be applied to various subjects. Committee members toured a number of technologically proficient Bay Area schools, included the Harker US. “We spent a great deal of time finding out what type of technological capabilities the MS faculty would like to have on the new Blackford campus, which is why there are so many technological offerings at Blackford.” Among those new technological offerings is the program providing a laptop to every MS teacher, a dramatic increase in the use of LCD projectors, and the availability of five new computer labs, three mobile computer carts and the computers in the MS library. “The feedback we got from the teachers on the committee was, ‘If you provide these things, we’ll use them.’ And they have,” said Hudkins. While several MS science teachers have already begun incorporating laptop-based Probeware programs into their science curricula, the technological opportunities are also extending to subjects that are traditionally less technology-based. MS performing arts teacher and MSTTAC member Monica MacKinnon said, “I am looking forward to using our technological advances to record, review and archive student performances in class. I think this will help them in the short-term by allowing them to see themselves in performance, and also help them see their long-term progress.” According to Hudkins, the goal of the MSTTAC is to organize the technological offerings in a manner that compliments the traditional curricula, not the other way around. “In this committee, the technology is being shaped to fit the pedagogy,” said Hudkins. “We only implement a program when the teachers tell us it would be useful for them.” The members of MSTTAC are Jennifer Gargano, Cindy Kerr, Heather Blair, Hudkins, Camila Valdes, Concepcion Grande, Cyrus Merrill, Patricia Lai Burrows, Raji Swaminathan, Pete Anderson, Michael Schmidt, Margaret McGovern and MacKinnon. Watch future editions for updates on technological advances at the MS!

The new MS Grammar Club was formed in October. The club, which is open to all MS students, was created “so that students who are new to Harker or find grammar especially challenging could work on these skills once a week,” said club adviser Stacie Newman. The club uses practice exercises and proofreading on the overhead projector to test for real-world recognition of errors and to develop knowledge of how to correct mistakes. For more information on this club, contact Newman at stacien@harker.org.

Book Fair Supports Library Expansion The inaugural Blackford Scholastic Book Fair was held Dec. 7-9. Shoppers found fantastic holiday gifts and great reads for the entire family. All proceeds from the book fair went toward the continued expansion of the MS library’s book and media collection.

Dancing For a Good Cause The ﬁrst holiday dance at the Blackford campus was held on Dec. 9. Students danced the night away while contributing to the MS’s ongoing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. To raise funds, students paid a $1 entrance fee for the dance, while the student council sold relief bracelets and glow necklaces.

Problem Solvers Prep For More Wins The MS Future Problem Solvers (FPS) are deep into their preparation for another successful year, building off of their fantastic performance in the FPS International Finals, held in Kentucky in June. Last year’s team, now all Gr. 9 students, advanced to the final round of 12 teams from throughout the country in the Action Plan presentation competition. In addition, Namrata Anand, now in Gr. 8, earned third place overall in the Gr. 7-9 individual competition at the International Finals. Team adviser Cyrus Merrill was also appointed to the California Board for FPS last year, in recognition of his growing contribution to Harker’s program, which has qualified numerous teams for recent state competitions. At last year’s state finals, Harker not only had the largest delegation, but Harker teams and individuals finished in the top two of every division in which they were entered, except for one. At press time, the FPS team was busy preparing for this year’s first problem solving event, which will deal with an issue of free speech and be held at the MS campus on Dec. 10. Check next month’s edition to get a full recap of this event! Harker News — January 06

sports MS Students Crush Styrofoam Use As part of the 2005-06 eCybermission competition sponsored by the U.S. Army, one of Harker’s eCybermission teams – “Team Styrofoam” – has initiated an effort to reduce, or even eliminate, the use of Styrofoam cups on the Blackford campus. MS science teacher and eCybermission adviser Raji Swaminathan said, “We interviewed the kitchen staff and estimated that about 350 Styrofoam cups are used every day at the Middle School.” Upon further research, students found that not only were Styrofoam cups non-biodegradable, but that the production of Styrofoam also uses chemicals that are harmful to human health. The students interviewed Harker nurse Debra Nott, as well as Environmental Health News CEO John Peterson Myers, about the human health risks of those chemicals. The team plans to present its ﬁndings at the Jan. 6 MS assembly, in hopes of establishing a new program that eliminates Styrofoam use at the MS. “Team Styrofoam” also sponsored a Styrofoam poster contest to help build awareness about this issue. “There has already been a small reduction in Styrofoam use on our campus since the beginning of the poster project,” Swaminathan said. The winners of the Styrofoam poster contest, all Gr. 7 students, were as follows:

Despite a heartbreaking overtime loss in their ﬁrst game of the season, the B1 boys expected some wins throughout the season with contributions from Timmy Lin, Howard Lio, Kenny Wong, Spencer Jordan, and Rex Chen. The boys were 0-2 as of press time in early December. Meanwhile, the B2 team, built upon a strong defensive core, looked forward to a strong season.

Best Overall Poster – Daisy Mohrman, Rachel Fang. Best Content – First Prize: Anisha Agarwal; Runner-up: Ava Rezvani, Karen Wong and Naomi So. Most Creative – First Prize: Paul Boucher; Runner-up: Joanna Ahn, Lydia Demissachew and Zena Hassoun. Most Eye-Catching: Michelle Holt; Runner-up: Holt and Justin Lui.

Groovin’ To The Beat Of A Different Drum MS students were treated to a special assembly on Nov. 29 featuring a per formance by San Jose Taiko, who express the beauty and harmony of the human spirit through the voices of the Japanese taiko drum.

MS Group Joins US Choirs in Fall Concert A lovely addition to this year’s US Conser vator y fall concert was Vivace!, the MS choral ensemble. They joined US groups Guys’ Gig and Cantilena on Nov. 17 in the FDR at the US campus. Vivace! started the program with two songs: “Follow Me to the Top!” and “Double Trouble,” which Harr y Potter fans recognized from the film “Harr y Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Vivace! rejoined the US groups at the end of the concert for a rousing spiritual, “Walkin’ Down that Heavenly Road,” which featured Gr. 7 soloists Alice Loofbourrow and Shireen Moshkelani. Gr. 7 members of Vivace! are Sonia Bhattacharya, Niva Bigler, Jalyn Burrell, Mallika Dhaliwal, Nidhi Gandhi, Michelle Holt, Gokulesh Killer, Loofbourrow, Moshkelani and Anne West. Gr. 8 members are Brittany Chu, Daniel Clark, Jackie Ho and Nicole Lindars. Congratulations to Vivace! for participating in the fall concert, and many thanks to director Susan Nace. Please refer to the US section for a full recap of the evening.

First MS Open House at New Campus The first Open House at the new Blackford MS campus was held Dec. 4. Prospective Harker families took tours of the beautifully renovated campus, received an overview of Harker’s curriculum, enjoyed a performance by the MS vocal group Harmonics, and had an opportunity to visit with MS faculty and students. This year’s student speakers were Nicole Lindars, Arjun Mody and Nathaniel Edwards, all Gr. 8. The tour guides were: Nalini Jain, Katherine Harris, Arthi Padmanabhan, Chris Guimarin, Sachin Mitra, Patrick Campbell, Esther Belogolovsky, Michael Clifford, Alison Axelrad, Stefan Eckhardt, James Feng and Naitri Jadeja, Gr. 8; Ruhi Kumbhani, Katie Forsberg, Shreya Nathan, Brianna Tran and Alice Loofbourrow, Gr. 7; Indraneel Salukhe, Rachelle Kock and Kaitlin Halloran, Gr. 6. Harker News — January 06

The A1 boys basketball team picked up where they left off last season. As of press time, the team was 1-0 with the players looking forward to another great season with help from Patrick Smith, Ryan Cali, and Lung-Ying Yu. The A2 team started the season 3-0, one of the best starts of any “2” team in years.

Stephen Hughes, Rahul Madduluri, Ananth Subramaniam, Angad Randhawa and the rest of the C1 boys basketball team had been itching to hit the hardwood since before the season began. Despite a loss against Menlo Christian early in the season, the boys began improving and beat their following opponent by a 46-point margin. The C2 boys also showed a lot of determination and played tough in their ﬁrst game, with Frederic Enea and Cole Manaster leading the way, against a very solid St. Simon’s team. The varsity (A) girls soccer team had a 1-1 record going into the winter break after an exciting 3-2 win over a tough Menlo girls team. The team was led by Kristen Santora’s two goals, while a game-winning goal by Ava Rezvani sealed the victory. Harker also received strong play from Veronica Bither (a sixth grader playing with mostly eighth graders), Sarah Estrada and Esther Belagolosky. The junior varsity (B) girls, with a record of 0-2, are determined to ﬁnd some wins and big goals as the season progresses. —Nick Gassman, Coach

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Slovak and Russian Exchange Students Enjoying Year at Harker Two US exchange students from language institutes in Eastern Europe – Adam Semanko, Gr. 12, and Yuliya Dasheyeva, Gr. 11 – are spending the entire 2005-06 school year at Harker. Semanko is here as part of Harker’s established exchange program with the Foreign Language Institute in Bardejov, Slovak Republic, which has sent exchange students to Harker each of the past three years. He is spending the year living with the family of Gr. 11 Harker student Dylan Syrett. Meanwhile, Dasheyeva, who hails from the Russian province of Irkutsk, located just north of Mongolia, is part of a special exchange arrangement. She is living with a non-Harker family. Both students have marveled at the breadth of choices for both elective courses and extracurricular activities at Harker. Dasheyeva, who already has joined the International Club and Photo Club, said, “In Russia, we don’t have any after-school clubs, we just have about six hours studying after school. Here, they have activities and competitions and teams. It’s really cool.” She still hopes to try yoga and recreational tennis.

Semanko also has embraced the diverse offerings at Harker by signing up for some ﬁne arts classes and participating in a US dance production. “I want to try everything,” Semanko said. “It’s a lot of fun.” Both students said they are enjoying their Harker classes, but added that the structure is different than at home, where students spend the entire day with the same group of classmates. Semanko said he misses the camaraderie that is built as a result. Also, at Dasheyeva’s school, students study many more subjects than at Harker. “At home, we have 17 different classes, but only cover the surface of each subject,” Dasheyeva explained. “At Harker I have only seven classes, but the classes are almost every day and we get much deeper into the subject.” It took Semanko a little while to get acclimated to his new school. But Syrett said she has seen her new “brother” come out of his shell in recent months. “He was a little shy when school ﬁrst started, but now, he’s joined a dance production, he has his own friends, and he just seems a lot more comfortable being here,” Syrett said. “Now

Quiz Bowl Team Rebounds, Advances After Round One Loss After reaching the championship round of the televised Quiz Kids competition in each of the past two years, the Harker Quiz Bowl team hit an early bump in their ﬁrst match of the new season. The Harker team fell short in an extremely well-played match with Monta Vista High School, losing 350320. “Our team did a great job, and just lost to another exceptional team,” said adviser Bradley Stoll. In spite of their early defeat, the Harker team’s high point total earned them the sole “wild card” berth into the next round.

we have a bunch of inside jokes between us.” The Thanksgiving and Halloween holidays, and Harker’s annual homecoming festivities, gave both students a taste of American pageantry. “The homecoming events and rallies were exciting,” Dasheyeva said. “But I was really confused at ﬁrst about what it was all about.” Semanko said, “Halloween was really fun. I dressed up as Willy Wonka and we had a really good time going out trick-or-treating.” Dasheyeva also got into the Halloween spirit, dressing up as an “M&M” candy and passing out treats to the children in her neighborhood.

miss them very much, but it is not as hard now.” Semanko concurred, “I feel like I’m getting much more independent.” Dasheyeva recently decided that she wants to pursue a career as a journalist, and has even had one of her articles detailing her experiences in America published in her local newspaper in Russia. “I want to continue improving my language skills, maybe learning Japanese and Chinese as well. I will also write an article about how Christmas is celebrated in America. Hopefully, our newspaper in Russia will publish that one, too.”

Both students also enjoyed their families’ Thanksgiving traditions. “Thanksgiving was really cool,” Dasheyeva said. “We had a huge turkey and a ham, and we spent the entire day preparing the meal. I like the way the families here have a lot of togetherness.” Although they keep in regular contact with their families back home, both students have gained a strong sense of independence during their time at Harker. “At ﬁrst it was difﬁcult to be without my family,” Dasheyeva said. “I still

While Semanko is still contemplating his future career path – perhaps biology or genetics – he has been inspired by his journey to America. “Whatever career I choose, I want to be able to travel all over the world,” he said.

Winter Ball 2005 – A Winter Getaway This year’s Winter Ball was a wonderful success! The US Spirit Club organized the event, transforming the Saratoga Gym into a fabulous “ski lodge,” complete with an “ice skating rink” dance ﬂoor, a “winter park” area and even simulated snow fall. US Activity Director Chris Daren gave special thanks to the following Spirit Club members for their hard work: Cassie Kerkhoff, Casey Near, Brian Cho, Jocelyn Ko, Emily Chao, Matt Emery, Amanda Polzin, Shivani Bhargava, Tiffany Liou, Stephanie Guo, Diane Wang, Colleen Lee and Sharon Huang.

The team of Yi Sun, Gr. 12, Hann Shuin Yew, Gr. 12, and Siddarth Chandrasekhar, Gr. 11, made the most of their second chance, defeating Albany High School 310-150 to advance to the next round. “The initial loss may be just what we needed — a wake-up call,” said Stoll.

Chris Daren

The team was aided by the support of a large Harker delegation in the stands for the televised contest. “As a matter of fact,” said Stoll, “all the fans in attendance were from Harker!” Harker’s next Quiz Kids competition will be on Sat., Feb. 4 at 12:15 p.m. against Crystal Springs High School. The contest will take place at the Peninsula TV studios at 1250 San Carlos Ave. in San Carlos. Come out and support our outstanding Quiz Bowl team! Harker News — January 06

kudos Update Debate! Harker debaters joined students from 38 states to compete in this year’s 25th Glenbrooks National Tournament, which many consider to be the “granddaddy” of all high school tournaments. Nearly 200 competitors were entered in both varsity divisions of debate; limited numbers of junior varsity and novice competitors were allowed to enter on a space-available basis. Harker students performed at record-breaking levels for themselves and the squad. Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Siddarth Satish, Gr. 12, was seeded 8th overall after seven preliminary rounds of competition with a 6-1 win/loss record. He also earned 7th place speaker award out of 197 overall speakers. Satish lost to Lake Highland Prep in the round of 32 competitors (double octaﬁnals). Never before in the history of Harker forensics has a student earned such high honors in LincolnDouglas debate at the Glenbrooks. Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Deepa Ramakrishnan,

Gr. 10, in her first year of debate competition and third tournament this season, advanced all the way to the final round before losing to Trinity Prep. She also was the 5th seeded competitor after six preliminary rounds of competition with a 5-1 win/loss record. Ramakrisnan earned a 6th place speaker award out of 83 overall speakers in her division. This is also a first, as no Harker student has ever advanced to any final round at the Glenbrooks. Anuj Kamdar, Gr. 10, achieved a win/loss record of 4-2 after six preliminary rounds of competition. He was seeded 15th overall and earned a 14th place speaker award from a field of 83 competitors. Kamdar advanced to the octafinal round before losing to Ridge High School. Junior Varsity Policy Debate: Jay Shah, Gr. 10, earned 17th place speaker award out of 168 overall speakers. Harker debaters continued to exhibit spectacular showings at the 11th annual Ohio Valley Classic Debate Tournament held at the

University of Kentucky in Lexington on Dec. 4-6. Students from eight states participated in the three-day long event. Harker earned the following accolades: Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Robyn Chan, Gr. 10, 1st place; Vikram Nathan, Gr. 9, 3rd place. Speaker Awards: Nathan, 1st place; Noel Duan, Gr. 9, 3rd place; Chan, 4th place; Mohit Bansal, Gr. 9, 8th place. Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Deepa Ramakrishnan advanced to quarter-finals; Siddarth Satish, Christopher Xiao, Gr. 11, advanced to octafinals. Speaker Awards: Satish, 5th place. Novice Policy Debate: Christine Yu, Gr. 9, & Dominique Dabija, Gr. 9, and Prachi Sharma, Gr. 9, & Pratusha Erraballi, Gr. 9, advanced to octafinals. Speaker Awards: Sharma, 6th place; Palash Agarwal, Gr. 10, 10th place. —Matthew Brandstetter, Director of Forensics

Vocalists Wow Crowd in Annual Fall Concert Vocal groups were out in full force on Nov. 17 in the Conservatory’s annual fall concert. Under the direction of Susan Nace, Vivace!, Guys’ Gig and Cantilena performed repertoire from several genres to a crowd gathered in the FDR. Vivace!, the MS choir, started the evening of with two numbers, one of which, “Double Trouble,” was very familiar to fans of Harry Potter movies. After a hilarious entrance introducing its many new freshmen members, Guys’ Gig entertained the audience with three songs in their specialty genre – a cappella pop music. The next segment featured vocal majors in the Conservatory’s certiﬁcate program, all of whom chose pieces from the realm of musical theater. Emily Isaacs, Gr. 10, sang an aria from “The Phantom of the Opera,” Avanti Deshpande, Gr. 11, performed a piece from “The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd,” and Vani Pyda, Gr. 10, sang the title song from “Fade Out – Fade In.” The concert’s featured performers, Cantilena, impressed all with a collection of works in Spanish, Harker News — January 06

including two traditional Mexican songs and a piece by Spanish cellist Pablo Casals. Certiﬁcate candidates took the stage again following the Spanish theme. Junior Jessica Dickinson Goodman took on the persona of a gypsy lass in a zarzuela (Spanish popular music theater) piece, and junior Nina Vyedin gave an emotional rendition of a love song by Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Anjali Menon, also a junior, soloed in an Ecuador-

ian folk song, “La Lluvia,” which relied on the audience to make rain sounds during the piece. Senior candidate Gail Nakano had the solo in a poignant piece by Argentinian folklorist Atahualpa Yupanqui. Congratulations to Nace and all her performers for another charming and impressive show! Visit the Web site for photos and see the holiday performances collage on the back page.

Soph CandyGrams Members of the class of 2008 organized the sale and delivery of CandyGrams to US students and teachers on Dec. 5. The students began a fundraising campaign last year, and it continues to be this class’s ongoing project. “Two hundred CandyGrams were delivered this year,” said class advisor Marc Hufnagl. “The mailboxes were overﬂowing with CandyGrams!” said student organizer Ariel Gaknoki. Helping Gaknoki were fellow organizers Lauren Ammatuna, Shipla Rajgapal and Neil Shah.

■ Seniors Tara Chandra (non-fiction writing) and Samantha Fang (classical piano) are both finalists in the ARTS Awards sponsored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). In this extremely prestigious competition, a field of thousands of students is narrowed to a talented few, who win an all-expenses-paid trip to Miami to participate in the finals. There they enjoy live performances, master classes, exhibitions, workshops and further judging. “The final judging results in national recognition for the winners’ work and talent as well as an opportunity for cash prizes. ARTS Week finalists are judged against a standard of excellence within their chosen discipline, not against their fellow honorees,” says the NFAA Web site, at www. artsawards.org. Prizes range from $250 to $10,000. As a result of another state win, Fang also will represent California in the Southwest Regional Piano Competition, to be held in Las Vegas on Jan. 20-22. Congratulations to these two exceptional arts students! ■ In language news, senior Catherine Ho was accepted by the Reischauer Scholars Program, a distance-learning course sponsored by the United States-Japan Foundation and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education, and named in honor of former ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer. Harker Japanese teacher Masako Onakado explains, “The program selects approximately 20 exceptional high school juniors and seniors from throughout the United States to engage in an intensive study of Japan.” Selected students will participate in an Internet-mediated course from February to June 2006 and study a broad overview of Japanese history, literature, religion, art, politics and economics, with a special focus on the U.S.-Japan relationship.

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Chris Daren

Harker JSA - continued from pg. 1 the dire human rights situation in Sudan. Valliani brought in Santa Clara University professor Michael Kevane, an expert on the region, to speak at the convention regarding the genocide and atrocities committed in Sudan. Furthermore, Valliani organized the “Green Ribbon Project,” selling green ribbons to help purchase chickens for families in Sudan. “Giving those families chickens helps them get on the track towards economic stability,” said Valliani. “The eggs and poultry can be sold by the families for profit.” The project has already been expanded to some other local high schools, and Valliani hopes to push the expansion even further. Harker students Shilpa Vadodaria and Sriram Prakash, both Gr. 12, were recognized at the closing ceremony of the conference with Best Speaker awards for their earlier presentations. The most talked-about event of the conference, however, was the event regarding the clemency appeal of former death row inmate Stanley “Tookie” Williams, who was executed on Dec. 13. Harker senior Natasha Sarin, who is the lieutenant governor for NorCal, said, “When we watched the movie (“Redemption,” a recent biographical movie on the life of Williams) we decided that we had to get Barbara Becnel to come to the conference.” Becnel is a youth violence prevention activist, and was one of Williams’ most adamant supporters and closest friends. Sarin and the event’s other organizers then learned that Williams was willing to participate in the event via telephone. “We were ver y lucky to have Ms. Becnel and Mr. Williams speak at our event,” said Chandra. “It was such a moving moment when ‘Tookie’ was speaking to us on the phone.” The Williams event also included: rapper Snoop Dogg, who campaigned for Williams’ clemency; San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders, who argued against clemency; and Rebecca Owens, the daughter of one of Williams’ alleged victims, who insisted that clemency in this case would be unjust. “The ‘Tookie’ Williams event really increased my faith in the JSA,” said Valliani. “The students were ver y respectful in taking in both sides of the debate, and really listening to both arguments before they made up their minds.” “I think what JSA is doing is so important, because we’re reaching students who are on the cusp of gaining the right to vote, and promoting political awareness among those students and their faculty,” said Sarin. JSA faculty adviser Dan Hudkins credits Harker’s current JSA studentleadership and a wealth of faculty support for quickly transforming the Harker chapter into one of the JSA’s most significant. “In 2003, we took about 15 members to the fall state conference, and had no representation in the GGR or the state of NorCal,” said Hudkins. “Only two years later, we took the largest chapter in terms of members present.” In addition to the state-wide leadership, Harker is also represented by Deepa Ramakrishnan, Gr. 10, a two-term JSA senator, Tonia Sun, Gr. 10, the convention’s director of debate, and 14 other elected or appointed student representatives. Harker’s chapter officers are President Jaya Pareek, Gr. 12, Prime Minister Shilpa Vadodaria, Gr. 12, and Vice President Danyal Kothari, Gr. 11. Hudkins thanked all of the chaperones who helped make the fall convention safe and informative for the students. The Harker faculty and staff who ser ved as chaperones were Chris Daren, Shaun Kelley Jahshan, Naomi Schatz, Kariem Stinson and Susan Bass.

Annual Math Competitions Begin US students participated in several recent scholastic math competitions. Over 20 students participated in the second of four contests in the annual California Math League (CAML) competition. Four Harker students – Yi Sun, Gr. 12, Justin Chin and Jessie Li, Gr. 11, and Anand Natarajan, Gr. 9 – posted perfect scores in the ﬁrst CAML contest of the 2005-06 school year, and Harker posted a collective score of 29 points out of a possible 30. Seven Harker students also participated in the recent Santa Clara University High School Mathematics Contest in November. The Harker US participants were: Chin, Arkajit Dey and Tiffany June Lin, Gr. 11; Spencer Liang, Gr. 10; Dominique Dabija and Andrew Stanek, Gr. 9. Liang won an honorable mention award at the competition. Gr. 8 Harker student Andrew Fang was also a special participant in the high school-level math competition. A number of Harker students have also participated in the ﬁrst two rounds of the Mandelbrot Competition, an annual national math contest. Check future editions for updated results from these and other challenging math competitions!

Civil War Demonstration on Shah Field Representatives from the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) performed a special Civil War demonstration on Shah Field on Nov. 28. The performers ignited some black powder to give students a sense of what the battleﬁeld might have looked like during combat. US history teacher Mai Lien Nguyen said, “The goal of this demonstration was to give students a sense of what it was like to be there, and help them understand some of the military strategy of what was really the ﬁrst ‘modern’ war.” Regarding the importance of creating a context when teaching history, SUVCW representative Paul Lavrischeff said, “It’s important to use history as a lesson for kids, so that they don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

Chem Visits Nanosyn Students in the classes of US chemistry teacher Jennifer Owen traveled to the Menlo Park headquarters of Nanosyn, Inc. in Dec. Nanosyn is a chemistry-based company that specializes in the design, synthesis and analysis of small organic compounds for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Talon Earns Gold Medal The 2004-05 US yearbook, The Talon, recently earned a Gold Medalist Award in the Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Annual Critique (Columbia University, NY). The book, which was run by Editors-in-Chief Candace Chang and Jamie Wei, both Gr. 12, received 964 pts out of 1000. In addition, the book earned special recognition in the areas of Concept and Coverage, receiving All-Columbian Honors in those areas. Congratulations to all the Talon staff of last year’s book, as well as yearbook adviser Chris Daren, for this prestigious recognition. Harker News — January 06

WINTER

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US Winter Sports On the Rise, Spring Season Approaching Just as winter sports are in full swing, it’s hard to believe that spring sports are just around the corner. We recently conducted a spring sports sign-up and the turnout was great. Students realize the opportunity they have at Harker not only to compete, but compete at a high level. Ask your sons/daughters about which sport may interest them. Options for the spring include: boys & girls track and ﬁeld, boys & girls swimming, girls softball, girls lacrosse, boys volleyball, boys baseball, boys tennis, and boys golf. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the athletic ofﬁce. —Dan Molin, US Athletic Director danm@harker.org

■ Girls Soccer The varsity girls soccer team has been working hard with conditioning and ball work on Shah field since Nov. 1. They have twelve returning players from last year, including six regular starters. Before the Thanksgiving break, the team got off to a rough start against Redwood Christian, losing 3-0, but the time away from school refreshed them, and the first game after the break was a 5-0 victor y over East Palo Alto. Senior captain Lauren Gutstein had a goal and an assist in the effort as did junior Rachel Bareiss and sophomore Veronica Pugin. We’re excited about the level of talent the new players bring (five freshmen, one

sophomore and one junior) and expect to improve upon last year’s per formance. More news about meeting our goals next issue! —Coach Evan Barth ■ Boys Basketball After working hard throughout summer and fall, the boys basketball team, under the leadership of coach Jeremiah Brewer, has started out strong with a 4-0 record. The varsity boys are setting lofty goals for the season, striving for a return to the CCS tournament. They came from behind to

2005 All-League recipients were recently voted on by the coaches within Harker’s leagues. The girls league (WBAL) consists of seven teams, and the boys league (PSAL) has nine. It is with great pleasure that we announce the following fall athletes who were recognized for their tremendous efforts; and congratulations to all of our fall athletes for a fantastic season.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL First Team: Sylvia Schmidt, Gr. 12, Sharon Her, Gr. 12, Tanya Schmidt, Gr. 10 Second Team: Mariah Bush, Gr. 12, Nikki Woods, Gr. 9 Honorable Mention: Candace Silva-Martin, Gr. 9 BOYS SOCCER League MVP: Naushad Godrej, Gr. 12 First Team: Johnny Jenq, Gr. 12, Adam Rubin, Gr. 11 Second Team: Julian Stahl, Gr. 9, Brandt Warecki, Gr. 11 Honorable Mention: Ed Hejtmanek, Gr. 12, Vijay Gottipati, Gr. 11, Kian Ansari, Gr. 10 GIRLS GOLF First Team: Elyse Kim, Gr. 11, Colleen Lee, Gr. 12 Second Team: Lauren Choi, Gr. 12, Jenny Whang, Gr. 11 GIRLS TENNIS League MVP: Christina Yee, Gr. 10 First Team: Tara Panu, Gr. 9 Second Team: Natalie So, Gr. 10, Jocelyn Ko, Gr. 11 Honorable Mention: Alyssa Boyle, Gr. 9 FOOTBALL First Team: Jeff Liu, Gr. 12, Eric Tsai, Gr. 11 Second Team: Grayson Hurd, Gr. 11, Greg Ringold, Gr. 11, Chris Sutardja, Gr. 12, Akshay Bhatia, Gr. 11

Steven Wong

US Sports Honors

beat Del Mar 36-31 and outplayed Anzar in overtime. Using the strong fundamentals developed during the summer open gym sessions and the winter practices, the team has won its games by an average of 21 points. The eight seniors on the team have provided a strong leadership core around which the other players have rallied. The team has also been boosted by the stellar play of freshman Alex Abarca and sophomores Kyle Kitasoe and Charlie Fang.

■ Girls Basketball The girls basketball season has begun and both varsity and JV teams are anxious to begin playing games. The JV team, under coach Mike Smith, is young (all freshmen!), but what they lack in experience, they more than make up for with their enthusiasm. Their preseason schedule will last through December and then league play begins in Jan. The varsity, ably helped by assistant coach Keith Rucker, is looking to repeat the effort of last year’s team and once again make it to the CCS playoffs. With returning starters Sylvia Schmidt, Gr. 12, Casey Near, Gr. 12, and Faustine Liao, Gr. 11, along with the senior leadership of Amanda Polzin and Mariah Bush, the Eagles are one of the most experienced teams in the West Bay Athletic League. Natasha Sarin, Gr. 11, should help provide scoring off the bench, while Tara Panu, Gr. 9, and Vyvy Trinh, Gr. 11, will bring size and energy to the team. The preseason saw the Eagles in three tournaments before the holiday break, and the girls are looking to add to our trophy collection. Once league play begins, the Eagles are shooting to improve on last year’s fourth place ﬁnish and challenge the top two teams in the league, Mercy San Francisco and Notre Dame San Jose. It should be an exciting season for both teams, and we are looking forward to seeing lots of fans at the games. —Varsity Coach John Near

The JV team has also experienced early success, with convincing wins against Mt. Pleasant, Liberty Baptist and Anzar, and a hard-fought loss against Del Mar. The JV team is led by sophomores Alan Wong, Andrew Law and Joseph Shapiro, and freshman guard Bryan Yasukawa. Both teams hope to build on these early wins and extend their success for the remainder of the season. —Rohan Narayen, Gr. 11

Harker News — January 06

HOLIDAY

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The Harker News is published nine times per year by the Harker Ofﬁce of Communications. Current and archived issues are also available on the Harker Web site at www.harker.org. Editor: Pam Dickinson; Asst. Editor: Catherine Snider; Copy Editor: Jennifer Maragoni; Production: Crystal Boyd, Jaja Hsuan, Blue Heron Design Group; Photos: Mark Tantrum, unless noted; Lead Writer: Ali Abdollahi; Contributors: Nick Gassman; parents Steven Wong, Robert Boucher, Laura Vandendries; Printing: Communicart; Mailing Coordinator: Jerusha Hew Len.

The Harker School is a K-12 independent, co-ed, college-prep school.

Grades K-5: 4300 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.

Harker News — January 06