FEBRuary 2009 ((VOL. 15, NO. 5)
A
M O N T H L Y
inside
N E W S L E T T E R
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
F R O M
T H E
H A R K E R
S C H O O L
Harker Sets West Coast Record for Intel Semifinalists
Then and Now.........................3 Holiday Wrap........................6-7 Tamagawa Teacher Visits.......14 MS/US Collaborations......16-17 Exploratorium Visit Delights....18 Debate Team Heats Up..........19 Inserts in this issue: n Nichols Supplement n Fashion Show n H&S Connection (K–Gr. 8 only) n Summer Tuition Relief flyer
events
Tickets Now On Sale! Fri., Feb. 20, 2009 See pages 4-5 for details.
The results of Harker’s science program development have come home to roost. After two straight years with three semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, this year Harker takes top honors in California and is seventh in the nation with six semifinalists in 2009, more than any other California school has provided – ever.
called up the sixth researcher. In the end, there was an impressive array of students sporting oversized $1,000 checks and an equally impressive line up of photographers as local news, Intel and Harker photographers gathered images for posterity. The Harker School also won, receiving $1,000 for each semifinalist.
Intel spokesperson Mark Pettinger teased the audience in a special assembly in mid-January as he called up the first three winners, then slowly added the fourth and fifth semifinalists, and murmurs of surprise and appreciation rose from the student body as he
The six students, Dominique Dabija, Daniel Kim, Elena Madan, Anand Natarajan, Vikram Nathan and Denzil Sikka, all seniors, spent untold hours researching and painstakingly documenting their research and, for that effort, each is now $1,000 richer and has a shot
In Memory of Howard Nichols It is with a profound sense of loss that we mourn the Dec. 31 passing of Harker luminary Howard Nichols.. The memorial held Jan. 16 in Nichols Hall looked back at his life and contributions to creating The Harker School, and brought back the joy this tremendous man brought to so many individuals and families. See page 3 of this issue for Head of School Chris Nikoloff’s observations and other school observances, and the Nichols Memorial supplement sent with this month’s Harker News for complete coverage of the Jan. 16 memorial event. If you did not receive a copy of the memorial supplement, contact communications@harker.org for a copy.
at the grand prize of $100,000. There were only 25 semifinalists in California, out of 300 nationwide. Over 1,600 students submitted entries. Harker winners’ research covered a stunning array of subjects, from “Computational Methods for Identifying Functionally Important Residues Involved in Allosteric Communication Pathways” (Dabija’s) to “Novel Quantitative Models of Reaction Kinetics” (Nathan’s). Finalists were determined in late January, too late for publication. Harker graduate Yi Sun ’06 took second place, winning $75,000, in the 2006 contest.
All Campuses Celebrate Inauguration All three campuses held special assemblies so students could watch the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. Students in the LS watched the video feed on a big-screen monitor in a darkened gym, cheering with the crowd in an experience they will be able to relate as they grow up. The assembly was optional, but virtually every class attended. The atmosphere at the MS was joyous and many students were dressed in red, white and blue. They watched with rapt attention as the Bay Area’s Senator Dianne Feinstein announced dignitaries, two world-class musical performances, the inauguration of Continued on page 11