2009 March Harker News by The Harker School

MARCH 2009 (VOL. 15, NO. 6)

M O N T H L Y

N E W S L E T T E R

inside Harker Speaker Series: Photographer Rick Smolan.......4

T H E

H A R K E R

S C H O O L

In January, the entire Gr. 6 class got the chance to interact with their Tamagawa buddies in real time using video teleconferencing. Using what they had learned in class, the students engaged in a questionand-answer session on various environmental science topics.

Book Review Opportunity.........7 Triple Championships for Basketball...............................9 Jump Rope Team Wows Assembly...............................12

“The students are paired up with a Tamagawa buddy in the fall. They e-mail this buddy throughout the year to discuss environmental issues as well as to get to know one another,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. “The students created lists of questions here at school. However, they did not know what question they would be asked at the videoconference.” continued on pg. 16

Science Students Examine Own DNA..............................15 Entrepreneurs Do Well at First Competition............................17 Inserts in this issue: n Capital Giving Supplement n H&S Connection (K–Gr. 8 only)

Harker-Japan Videoconferences Exciting and Fun Videoconferences between kindergartners and their opposites at the Tamagawa School took place in late January in homerooms. Students wore their dress uniforms, green and black, with sweaters, for the events. Timing was tight to synchronize with Japanese time and limited seating allowed only for parents to attend, “to do everything we can to ensure that our kindergarten children can direct their full focus and attention on the videoconference,” said Sarah Leonard, primary division head. The conferences are part of the global education program, and students from all primary grades interact with their peers at the Japanese sister school throughout the year.

events

F R O M

Real Time Environmental Q and A with Tamagawa Buddies and Sixth Grade

NC E RT

The first conference went well, with 22 Harker and 31 Tamagawa students participating. “We had the children give a tour of our classroom, show the process for making a pizza and sing songs in Japanese and English,”

An Evening of Jazz

continued on pg. 13

Jazz Band Concert

Fri., March 20, 2009

ACE Club Learns About Globalization with Food

7:30–9:30 p.m. Blackford Theater To purchase tickets e-mail tickets@harker.org

Presents Rick Smolan, photojournalist & author

March 12, 7 p.m. Nichols Hall

See pages 2 and 4 for details.

Globe – ONT Design

est. 1893 • K-12 college prep

In early Januar y, MS students in the Academic and Cultural Exchange (ACE) Club learned about the concept of globalization by enjoying a chocolate fondue par ty. Students discussed how the production and expor t of various food items by multiple countries allowed them to enjoy such a chocolaty feast. “From Swiss fondue and American strawberries, to Ivor y Coast’s cacao beans and Ecuador’s bananas, I hope the students better understand the concept of globalization,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. Patricia White, MS histor y teacher, noted that the ACE Club students reflected Harker’s globalization as a collection of students from all around the world. To sum up her thoughts on the event, Gabriela Gupta, Gr. 6, exclaimed, “Globalization is yummy!”

editor’s note

important dates

annual giving

One of the most exciting events this month will be the 4th annual Harker Research Symposium, held in our new Nichols Hall. Plan to attend this event and see the impressive research work of our students – visit the Web site for details.

n Mon., March 9 – CAIS Training, no classes K-Gr. 12

Heartfelt Thanks!

n Mon., April 6 – Classes resume

UPCOMING SCHOOLWIDE EVENTS n Fri., March 6, 7 p.m. – Dance Jamz, MS production, Blackford Theater n Thurs., March 12, 7 p.m. – Harker Speaker Series presents Rick Smolan on The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World. Nichols Auditorium, Saratoga campus (see pg. 4) n Fri., March 20 7:30-9:30 p.m. – Jazz Band Concert, Blackford Theater n Sat., March 21, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. – New Frontiers, Harker science department’s 2009 Research Symposium, Nichols Hall, Saratoga campus n Fri.-Sat., March 27-28, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. – Harker’s Junior Classics League chapter hosts the 54th annual California JCL State Convention, Saratoga campus

Participation is at 58%

Help us reach ar

summer

The annual giving logo appearing at the end of some of our stories indicates those activities or programs funded by Annual Giving.

100%

–Pam Dickinson, Director Office of Communications pamd@harker.org

n Mon., March 30-Fri., April 3 – Spring Break, no classes K-Gr. 12

t Pa r t icipat

Common Ground Speaker Series n Tues., March 3, 7 p.m. Right on the Money: Teaching Kids Financial Responsibility with Nathan Dungan. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School, 16 Baldwin Ave., San Mateo; 650.342.5436. n Wed., March 4, 7 p.m. Castilleja School, 1310 Bryant St., Palo Alto; 650.328.3160. n Thurs., March 5, 7 p.m. Saint Andrew’s School, 13601 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga; 408.867.3785.

Enrollment now open for summer 2009! Visit the Web site and check out all the great offerings for: n K-Gr. 8 Summer Programs n English Language Institute n Harker Tennis Program n Harker Swim School n Summer Institute and more!

Sat., March 21, 2009 Nichols Hall, Saratoga Campus The fourth annual Harker Research Symposium, themed “New Frontiers,” will showcase the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries.

Special discounted summer tuition rates for current Harker students this summer – visit the HPP for details or contact campinfo@harker.org!

swim club The Santa Clara Swim Club is offering coached group swim practices to Harker parents, faculty and staff evenings Mon. – Thurs. at the Singh Aquatic Center. Harker parents, faculty and staff receive a 25 percent discount. The year-round practices are for all skill levels. The club also offers three practices daily at the George F. Haines International Swim Ctr., 2625 Patricia Dr., Santa Clara. For information, contact Megan Blomberg at mblomberg@ santaclaraswimclub.org.

events Dance Jamz 2009

Last year, almost 500 parents and students attended the symposium; this year, the symposium will be held in our new state-of-the-art science and technology center, Nichols Hall, and the Harker science department invites everyone to attend! Visit the Web site for more information – and see you at the symposium!

March 6-7, 2009 • 7 p.m. Blackford Theater To purchase tickets e-mail tickets@harker.org Harker News — March 09

HEAD

lines

Information Age Cannot Co-Opt the True Gathering of Knowledge

“Decontextualized,” “disconnected” and “vapid” are adjectives that are sometimes used to describe the torrent of information streaming through our televiNikoloff sporting bathrobe at sion and Internet, flowing straight into recent LS PJ assembly (see pg. 13). (and often out of) our children’s heads. Gutenberg’s printing press, invented around 1440, although credited with printing the Holy Bible, was also condemned for spewing a flood of trivial daily publications voraciously consumed by a growing reading public. The Internet today is the most powerful technology in the tradition of inventions that have shattered the barriers of time, space and access in humankind’s quest for knowledge. Today we can Google the King James Authorized Version of the Holy Bible and find it in its entirety at Bartleby. com all within seconds. Not so long ago, we’d need a library card to access rare books, and just a few centuries ago, before the advent of mass printing, no one except the slimmest minority – essentially the aristocracy or clergy – had a ghost of a chance of accessing the Holy Bible or any other book at all. Our director of information systems is fond of saying that “the urgent overwhelms the important.” I think there is a parallel for the Information Age: information overwhelms knowledge. Knowledge advances slowly, over centuries. The postulates of geometry are immutable, for instance. Through any two points there is a line. Information is not knowledge, though it often masquerades as knowledge. Abraham Lincoln, considered by many to be our most eloquent president, had less than one year of formal schooling outside his study of law, which typically took the form of an apprenticeship in his day. How did he become

so learned and eloquent? Well, he read. His reading list was not wide but it was exceptionally potent: The King James Bible; Aesop’s Fables; William Scott’s “Lessons in Elocution”; Byron’s “Childe Harold”; Shakespeare; the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.3

“

Knowledge shapes mind, character and destiny. There is a linear relationship between information and the power it gives; there is an exponential relationship, I believe, between knowledge and the power it gives.

“

Frederic William Farrar, dean of Canterbury, towards the end of the 19th century, warned against the use of time “deplorably wasted in devouring scraps of disconnected and vapid intelligence.”1 He was most likely referring to reading newspapers and other daily chronicles. Neil Postman reminds us that the telegraph, a 19th century invention, “made it possible to move decontextualized information over vast spaces at incredible speed.”2

How did Lincoln accomplish all that he did without the Internet or Wikipedia? Well, I contend that he focused on knowledge, not information. Knowledge shapes mind, character and destiny. There is a linear relationship between information and the power it gives; there is an exponential relationship, I believe, between knowledge and the power it gives. Information is not scalable – knowledge is. So yes, I offer the usual tirade against believing too much in the false promise of the Information Age and a reminder that the Internet is part of a tradition that dates back at least to the printing press. John Near, US history teacher, has said that his best researchers by far are students who already know the most history. Why? Because they have knowledge which helps them locate new knowledge. Information is not very useful when you do not know much to begin with. 1 Alex Beam, “A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books,” PublicAffairsTM, 2008, pp. 1-2. 2 Neil Postman, “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” Penguin Books, 1986, p. 8. 3 Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Team of Rivals,” Simon and Schuster, 2005, p. 51.

–Christopher Nikoloff, Head of School

Faculty Retreat Informative and Jam-Packed

Pam Dickinson - all photos

Faculty and staff gathered on the Saratoga campus for a full day of professional development, lively discussions, department planning – and a little fun – at the annual faculty retreat Feb. 7 organized by Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs. The keynote speaker was Dr. Christopher Thurber, a board-certified clinical psychologist, author, consultant, and Harvard University graduate who addressed the topic of professional boundaries and the tools that empower educators to confidently and successfully build the healthy relationships that naturally form between teachers and students. Widely published in the academic and popular press, he has also shared his youth development knowledge in a variety of areas on television and radios shows such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show and NPR. Other activities of the day included breakout discussions, department meetings and some lighthearted fun organized by Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs, where attendees participated in teacher-led activities such as knitting, swimming, blackjack and board games.

Harker News — March 09

SPEAKER

series The Harker Speaker Series (HSS) is an exciting program launched in 2007-08 to bring in leaders and visionaries from a wide variety of fields to share their expertise or unique experiences with the Harker community.

Past HSS Speakers: n Kyle Maynard Athlete, Author and Humanitarian Wrestling Hall of Famer Nov. 21, 2008

“The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World”

...Smolan commissioned 40 of the world’s leading photojournalists to record not only the run but also to visually document this grave developing tragedy.

Water also sometimes becomes a source of peril, either as a propagator of waterborne illnesses or a conveyor of industrial toxins.

“

Battles for control of water not only happen between developing countries, but also between states here in the U.S. Securing the rights to clean drinking water has even become a reason for regional terrorism. Smolan became immersed in the issue, quite unexpectedly, after being approached by the San Franciscobased nonprofit Blue Planet Run (www.blueplanetrun.org), who were in the process of organizing an around-the-world relay to focus attention on this critical humanitarian issue. Seeing a much larger story than just a run, Smolan commissioned 40 of the world’s leading photojournalists to record not only the run but also to visually docu4

Harvard Professor, Author and Leading Scholar Oct. 16, 2008

we see water as part of ritual, whether with shamans performing soul-cleansing at Peguche Falls in Ecuador or through Hindu pilgrims collecting a bottle of water at the headwaters of the Ganges.

In the richly-annotated volume, we see water as part of ritual, whether with shamans performing soul-cleansing at Peguche Falls in Ecuador or through Hindu pilgrims collecting a bottle of water at the headwaters of the Ganges.

dirty buckets or other containers) what little clean water can be found.

n Tal Ben Shahar, Ph.D.

Perhaps most striking are the images of violence, whether in Sri Lanka, Kenya or Nigeria, as water in many parts of the world becomes the new oil – a resource worth fighting and dying for. So join us on March 12 at Nichols Hall for an unforgettable visual expedition as we learn about this critical humanitarian issue.

Adam Tow ©

Water is truly the great untold story of our day. In the world today, 1.1 billion people (one in six) do not have access to clean drinking water. Every year, 1.8 million children die from waterborne diseases – that’s one every 15 seconds. In Africa alone, 40 billion hours are spent each year just to collect and manually haul (often in

“

The result is a beautifullyillustrated, large-format book featuring photography and text that tells the story of man and his relation to the source of life itself. In the richly-annotated volume,

“

ment this grave developing tragedy.

n About Rick Smolan Rick Smolan is a former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer, best known as the creator of the “Day in the Life” series of books featuring, among others, “A Day in the Life of America,” a project in which Smolan assembled 50 of the leading photographers in the world to capture the spirit and nature of the United States in a single 24-hour period. (Other books in the series included Japan, Australia, Hawaii, California, Spain and others). Many of Smolan’s books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list, and his photos have graced the covers of magazines such as Time, Newsweek, Fortune and U.S. News & World Report. Earlier projects include “24 Hours in Cyberspace,” “One Digital Day,” “Passage to Vietnam,” “From Alice to Ocean” and “The Power to Heal.” Oprah Winfrey chose Smolan’s book series “America 24/7,” as one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” for the 2003 holiday season. Smolan is a founder of Against All Odds Productions, a Sausalitobased venture that Fortune magazine has described as “one of the coolest companies in America.”

n Dahr Jamail Unembedded War Journalist May 16, 2008

n Dr. Seth Shostak SETI Institute March 7, 2008

Supplied by Dr. Seth Shostak

Join us on Thurs., March 12 at 7 p.m. for an evening with acclaimed photojournalist and author Rick Smolan, as he guides us through an amazing visual journey exposing one of the most important issues facing the planet today: water.

Harker News — March 09

FASHION

show

Proceeds from Freeze Frame benefit the Harker Scholarship Fund, faculty professional development, and the Capital Improvement Fund for the construction of the new library at the US campus.

While we are sorry to see San Jose Magazine discontinue publication we are delighted that Gentry Magazine ran a four-page spread on Harker. Please look for it in the February South Bay edition.

Sponsorship Committee – Harker’s A-Team for Fundraising Sponsorships contribute to a major portion of the funds raised for Harker’s annual fashion show. This year started as usual when the committee launched its efforts early in September 2008. But the climate proved to be very different from past years – the economic climate, that is! Yet, nothing could stop Christine Davis, Archana Sathaye, Marcia Riedel, Arati Navar, Vidya Lakshmi, Shraddha Agrawal, Jeanette Hajjar, Susan Cho and Shilpi Minocha from giving it their best as sponsorships marched past the magical six-figure mark. The impressive collection of businesses and families that are sponsors for this year’s show bears ample testimony to this team’s perseverance. –Naren Nayak, Sponsorship Committee Chair

A heartfelt THANKS to our newest group of advertisers: Age Defying Dermatology • Bellarmine College Preparator y • Bergeson, LLP • Bill Gorman – Coldwell Banker • Braces for Pretty Faces • Drs. Mashouf & Kouvaris Orthodontics • Hunter Labs – The Riedel Family • Manisha Jain – Realtor • Odwalla Juice & Bars • Parents of Dance Fusion • Parents of eCybermissions • Parents of Future Problem Solvers • Parents of Harmonics • Parents of MS Football • Parents of US Models • Parents of US Soccer • Peak Horizon, Inc. • Smythe European • The Harris Family • UBS – Denise Brodersen • Young Chefs Academy of Sunnyvale

sponsors fashions by

FASHIONS BY

569&%0 8&"3)064& 8FTUHBUF .BMM

What a Show! As of the Harker News deadline, many of us are up to our necks in the final preparations of Freeze Frame. It’s strange to pen this wrap-up now with so much ahead of us, but in many ways, it’s the perfect time. It’s actually an ideal opportunity to reflect on the months of preparation and the last-minute push to get a show of this magnitude and caliber to the launching pad. It’s been a wonderful experience to see how this community comes together – providing countless volunteer hours to put on an event that enables rich benefits that touch our children as well as our extended community through what The Harker School creates: outstanding future leaders and contributing citizens of the world. We thank everyone who has made this possible.

CONTACTS

–Tamra Amick, Betsy Lindars and Jennifer McClenon, Freeze Frame Co-Chairs

VOLUNTEERING: Sue Prutton – suep@harker.org PROGRAM AD SALES: Trish Tobin – trishtobin@pacbell.net SPONSORSHIPS: Naren Nayak – nn_nayak@pacbell.net DONATIONS: Showcases - Susan Ellenberg – susanell@flash.net Live Auction - Chris King – cking@pkscientific.com WEB SITE: www.harker.org – go to “Support Harker” tab, Fashion Show INFO LINE: 408.345.0115 • E-MAIL: fashionshow@harker.org

Harker News — March 09

San Jose Magazine* • Gentry Magazine • Davis Family* Tushar & Reshma Davé • Lon & Mary Allan Club Auto Sport • Marcia & Chris Riedel – Hunter Labs* Sutardja Family • Krish & Nina Panu Diamond Quality Printing* Air Systems, Inc.* • Capers • Citti’s Florist, Inc. C. Denise Brodersen, CFP® – UBS Financial Services, Inc. Heritage Bank of Commerce* • Joseph George Wines Rector Porsche – Audi • Sathaye Family Foundation* Jaja Hsuan Jones – Triple J Design • Wells Fargo Private Bank HAIR DESIGN & MAKEUP: James Craig Hair Color & Design PHOTOGRAPHY: Genesis Photography

* Six-year sponsors, to whom we are most grateful!

Event Coverage in Gentry Magazine

SCHOOL

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SUMMER MUSIC I NST I T UTE 2009 Harker’s intensive summer music program will focus on orchestral studies and technique to provide qualified students with practical experience in orchestral performance, while gaining important knowledge in music theory and history. Students will experience an enriching and enthusiastic musical environment filled with students and instructors who value a strong musical education. The institute is open to students who play violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba and percussion. Advanced and intermediate levels offered for

Gr. 9-12 and Gr. 5-8. The program will be directed by Harker’s own instrumental faculty Louis Hoffman and Chris Florio. As an instrumentalist, Hoffman has studied with jazz greats Ted Greene, Ernie Watts, Bob Shepard and Tom Peterson, has composed, orchestrated and sequenced for Disney’s Saturday morning lineup, and worked with a variety of artists in recordings and live sessions. As a composer and performer, Florio has worked with talents such as Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, Lalo Schiffrin, Alf Clauson, Bill Conti, Sarah Chang, Mehli Mehta and many others.

INSTITUTE INCLUDES:

n sectionals with professional coaches n courses on music theory (A) or music history (B) n ensemble rehearsal n recording technique workshops n culminating performance in the new Nichols

Hall auditorium

D AT E S & R AT E S :

n 8:30 -11:30 a.m. daily n (A) June 22-July 2: $540 n (B) July 6-July 17: $600 n (A+B) June 22-July 17: $1,140

Visit the Web site or contact SI@harker.org for info.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Visit the Web site and the Harker Parent Portal for details and updates. And ask about the Harker Family “Thank You” rate!

Where you belong! 6

Harker News — March 09

SCHOOL

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ANNUAL

giving

Everyone’s a Critic!

Ring, Ring: Administrator Calling!

Parents, encourage your students to write brief book reviews for our online catalog. Putting the online catalog behind a password-protected portal enables the students to sign their names on our private site.

When Chris Nikoloff took over as head of school in 2005, one of his key initiatives was to increase parent participation in Annual Giving. Parent participation is a reflection of parent commitment to the school and the strength of the school community, and over the past four years we have achieved participation rates equivalent to other independent schools locally and nationwide.

Reasons to Publish Reviews: Share your opinion of a book with the school community; practice the art of thinking and writing about what you have read; and get published on a prestigious online catalog!

Nikoloff is so committed to increasing parent participation in Annual Giving that he and other members of the school administration have been holding their own phone-a-thon and have been calling families who haven’t yet made a gift or pledge. Their phone calls will continue through the spring.

Possible Contents of the Review: Tell something about the plot; the characters; the writing style; the genre (mystery, science fiction, nonfiction, etc.); offer your opinion (negative reviews are accepted); and three to six sentences should be sufficient. Never tell the ending!

If you haven’t made your gift or pledge yet, you may do so online by clicking on “Support Harker” on the Harker home page.

Examples of Reviews:

The new Saratoga pool became the Singh Aquatic Center on Jan. 9 with its official dedication in honor of Jagdeep and Roshni Singh (Noor, Gr. 4 and Kismet, Gr. 1). The Singh’s gift of $1 million not only provided funding for the aquatic center, it also inspired 219 families to make gifts to Annual Giving this year; the Singh’s contribution was a matching gift, which provided five dollars to the Capital Campaign for every one dollar given to Annual Giving by Harker families who didn’t make a gift last year. In addition, gifts by US alumni (recent college graduates or current college students) were matched 10-to-1.

n LS: “The Yellow Fairy Book,” edited by Andrew Lang. “I loved all the awesome fairy tales in this book! It is really cool and I want to read all the other fairy books.” (Kavya S.)

n MS: “The Lightning Thief,” by Rick Riordan. “This book was amazing! I had never heard of Rick Riordan before I read this but now he is one of my favorite authors. If you liked this book, read some of his other action-packed, humorous and exciting novels.” (Rahul S.)

n US: “Twilight,” by Stephanie Meyer. “This was a fun read because of the bipolar relationship between Edward and Bella. On one hand, Edward wants to viciously murder Bella, and on the other, he’s in love with her. This constant struggle is different from other romantic stories and is engaging. However, the book only became hard to put down after 380 pages with the baseball scene. The previous pages were a little tiresome as Bella repeatedly runs through every emotion in great detail and at times becomes a little whiny.” (Nikita A.) Join the fun! –Enid Davis, Library Director

How to Access the Review Form: 1. On The Harker School Web site sign in using user name and password 2. Click on the “Library Portal” on the Student Portal Page 3. Click on the “Online Catalog” in your division 4. Sign in again, using your user name and password; look up the title of the book you wish to review (reviews cannot be written for books not in the catalog) 5. Click on the book’s title 6. Click on the “reviews” tab 7. Click on “Add review” 8. Write the review in the box 9. Click “save.” It will be sent to a librarian to approve. 10. You can also rate it with up to five stars.

Harker News — March 09

Pool Dedicated

Dan Molin, US athletic director, was on hand to watch the latest piece of the Harker sports complex being named, along with Chris Nikoloff, head of school, and representatives from the Advancement Office and athletic department. Swim co-captains Katie Comee, Gr. 12 and Cole Davis, Gr. 11, said a few words on behalf of the girls and boys swim teams. Davis said, “You don’t know how much this new facility means to our programs,” while Comee chimed in, “It is such an awesome pool [for competitions].” A handful of swim team members stopped by on their way to class to thank the Singhs personally for their gift. Nikoloff remarked that the Singh Aquatic Center is truly a community facility that will be used year-round, not only for swimming and water polo practices and competitions, but also for grade-level socials and over the summer for the Harker swim program.

Seniors Immortalized in Brick Laying Ceremony The latest installation of senior bricks took place in late January in Graduate Grove. Bricks to the number of 19 were installed during the senior class meeting. The senior brick program was started by parents of the first graduating class in 2002 to honor their children’s time at Harker in a permanent way. Bricks are purchased by a donation in the amount of the graduating year ($2,009 this year) to the Annual Giving Campaign, or by being a Harker Benefactor of the Capital Campaign. There will be a second senior brick ceremony in early May, so those interested in buying a senior brick, please contact Melinda Gonzales at 408.345.0111 or melindag@harker.org for more information.

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Eat Right and Celebrate National Nutrition Month Pineapple Pizza and Mango Lassi We are already in the third month of 2009 with spring within reach. The American Dietetic Association also reminds us that March is National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme, “Eat Right,” reminds us to make healthy choices for our bodies. What better way to do this than enjoying fruits and veggies for snacks and meals. Spring favorites include dark green leafy vegetables (collard greens, mustard greens and spinach), broccoli, snow peas, oranges, sweet corn, strawberries, melons, pineapple and mangos. One tropical fruit, the pineapple, is a great choice as a snack as it is high in vitamin C and fat free. By now you probably have already thought of Hawaii, where they grow. Actually, pineapples weren’t brought to Hawaii until the late 1700s by Captain Cook. This fruit, which got its name because of its resemblance to a pine cone, originated in South America. It actually takes 18 months to grow, doesn’t need a lot of water, and can be grown in large pots. Think about adding pineapple to your own home-made pizza. Stores like Trader Joe’s sell pre-made whole wheat pizza dough. Once you let the dough sit for 20 minutes, take some flour and place it on a cutting board. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and brush on some olive oil. Then add some tomato paste or pizza sauce, sliced pineapple, sliced red bell peppers, broccoli and shredded mozzarella. Set the oven to 450 degrees. This will bake quickly – 10 to 15 minutes – so keep an eye on it and set the timer. Another tropical fruit is the mango. There are about 50 varieties of this sweet fruit which originated in India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. By the late 1800s mango showed up in California. They are a good source of vitamins A, C and beta carotene. Of course, their big pit can make them challenging to eat. After washing the fruit you can slice them near the pit and scoop out with a spoon. Mangos are commonly used in Indian chutneys; think of chutney as a condiment served along with an entrée. Fresh mango can also be used to enjoy a mango lassi – like a fruit smoothie (see recipe below). If you don’t have ripe mangos in the house, you can also use mango pulp found in cans at Indian markets. Anne Kolker, MS, RD

Harker Contributes to Iraqi Schools Facilities manager Mike Bassoni spread the Harker love all the way to Iraq in mid-January. Bassoni spoke at the Venture Capital~Private Equity Roundtable on the development of Nichols Hall as a LEED-certified building and brought along some school supplies for his audience. The group is gathering the supplies for Iraqi schools. “We wish to thank our new ‘in-kind’ partner, The Harker School, for its contribution of a multicase shipment of lined paper, folders and other school supplies for the Iraqi Schoolchildren Project,” noted executive director Gloria Guenther. “Thank you, Harker teachers, administrators and staff for your generosity. The shipment is already on its way to Iraq, courtesy of FedEx and the U.S. military’s Operation Care and Comfort.”

Harker Employees Walk Toward Healthier Lifestyles Harker faculty and staff are donning their walking shoes and taking part in the second stage of the Harker Walking Program, which began in November with an initial eight-week program. “We were hoping to create different programs for our employees to be more aware of their overall health,” said Lori Villarreal, human resources generalist. “This is one of several programs available to our employees to help achieve a healthier lifestyle.” Participants in the program use a pedometer to keep track of the number of steps they take each day. Walkers jot down the number of steps they take in a daily log, then write down the weekly totals on a summary sheet. At the end of the eight-week period, the weekly steps are totaled, and the top walkers receive prizes for their efforts. According to Villarreal, “about 20 to 30 employees” participated in the first eight-week program, and the top walkers were given a Klean Kanteen water bottle. At press time, it was not known how many employees were active in the current eight-week program, and a prize for the top walkers was still being discussed.

staff updates n Congratulations

(www.cookinglight.com):

This recipe is lower in fat and calories than traditional versions. Ingredients for three servings:

• 1 1/2 cups fat-free plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt • 1 cup chopped fresh mango • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

• 2 teaspoons chopped pistachios (optional) • Dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Preparation

Combine mango and sugar in a blender; process until pureed. Add yogurt and milk; process until smooth. Serve with pistachios; sprinkle with cardamom, if desired.

are in order for Monica and Chris Colletti, whose son, Nicolas Francis Colletti, was born on Jan. 12, weighing in at eight pounds and measuring 21 inches long. Monica is a MS performing arts teacher, and Chris is the academic counseling chair for K-Gr. 12.

Provided by Chris Colletti

Mango Lassi

n Abbey Lile-Taylor has joined Harker as assistant director to BEST. She has worked as an arts enrichment/program coordinator for the Franklin-McKinley School District, was a director at Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose and production manager at Valley Christian High School’s theater department. BEST director Kim Coulter said, “We are very excited to have Abbey on our team, so please take a moment to introduce yourself and help her feel at home.” Harker News — March 09

Harker

sports

Early Winter Season Wraps Up With Championships LS/MS Sports

our next home game and win!” The varsity B (Gr. 7) girls team is off to a 3-0 start with a combined score total of 107-38! They have beat Bret Harte 27-20, St. Matthew’s 32-10 and Cr ystal Springs Uplands 48-18. Assistant coach Loreen Talagtag is enthusiastic about this winning team. “Ever y-

Boys Basketball In the early winter season, Harker’s boys basketball took three league championships!

Jessica Liu

The varsity B (Gr. 7) boys team went 7-2 overall and 6-1 in league, tying St. Joseph’s Sacred Heart for the league title. Our JV B1 (Gr. 5) boys team had an undefeated season at 7-0 taking not only the league championship, but also first place in the WBAL tournament! Our

one on the team is so talented it’s hard to give you a couple of names of our key players, but seventh graders Regina Chen and Nithya Vemireddy are our top players to look out for. I’m so proud of the girls always giving 110 percent at ever y practice and game! We won our first three games of the season and hope to finish the season undefeated.”

JV B6 (Gr. 6) boys team went 8-3 overall and were part of a three-way tie for league champs.

Girls Soccer The varsity A (Gr. 8) girls team went 5-3 and took third place in the WBAL. The JV B (Gr. 5) girls team turned in an impressive record of 4-1-1. They missed tying for first place in the WBAL by one goal! The late winter season had just begun at press time.

Girls Basketball Coach Tang Kitporka reports of the varsity A team, “We kicked off our first game with eighth graders Priscilla Auyeung scoring seven points and Shreya Vemuri scoring six points. Jen LaBruna and Tiphaine Delepine snatched their share of rebounds. Although the team lost 23-35 against Crystal Springs Uplands, Kitporka is optimistic. She added, “The team will continue to put in hard work; look forward to Harker News — March 09

Varsity C lost their first game to King’s Academy, 4-16. The junior varsity A team was 1-3, with losses to St. Joseph’s Atherton, Menlo and King’s Academy. They defeated Cr ystal Springs Uplands 18-15, and their last game before press time was a close one against King’s, 18-21. Junior varsity B6 had only played one game, which they lost 7-14 against Girls’ Middle School.

total of 85-35. With wins against St Joseph’s Atherton 28-18 and 31-12 and Woodland School 26-5, coach Tomas Thompson described the first win. “The team played great defense and had several steals that resulted in easy layups down the stretch of the game. The girls worked really well as a team and made the extra pass to find an open teammate. Standout performances were made by Joelle Anderson, Sarah Baz, Alayna Richmond and Jordan Thompson.” Coach Thompson has been pleased with the team’s hard work, excellent attitude and great team play, and is looking forward to a thrilling season.

fought back to tie the game on two goals by Nathaniel Stearns. Stearns got his second goal with less than a minute remaining in the game! The defense came up big with many saves by goalie Zac Clausen. The move of Arjun Narayan to sweeper proved to be

Boys Soccer In the MS, the varsity A (Gr. 8) team was 1-0 after beating a tough King’s team 1-0. Varsity B lost a close game to Cr ystal Springs Uplands, 2-3. The junior varsity A (Gr. 6) boys team is also 1-0 after an impressive victor y, 4-2, over Cr ystal Springs Uplands. Coach Walid Fahmy, LS P.E. coach and junior varsity B (Gr. 5) boys soccer coach, is proud of the work of his team thus far. “The team showed great perseverance as they came back to tie Keys Middle School 2-2 after going down 2-0 in their season opener. The Eagles

a good one as he came up with some key stops in the second half. Ryan Fernandes and Johnathon Keller held the midfield and possession of the ball for most of the game and continued to feed our for wards.” Coach Fahmy is extremely happy with the outlook of the team and looking for ward to finishing up with a strong season. Keep it up, boys!

JV B1 lost to St. Matthew’s 10-20; JV B2 lost to Keys 6-34 and St. Joseph’s Atherton, 7-34. Coach Casey Henderson is optimistic for the future of the B2 team. “There are so many talents that these girls have and they are learning to utilize their skills and become better athletes. Lindsey Trinh, Gr. 4, has shown outstanding sportsmanship, conduct and athletic ability. The girls are full of wonder ful personalities and enthusiasm and I hope that they continue to grow throughout the season.” The JV C team, composed of fourth graders, is also off to a 3-0 start with a combined point

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Basketball, Soccer and Wrestling Wind Up, Spring Sports Coming US Sports Boys Basketball Senior Alex Abarca passed a career milestone by scoring his 1,500th career point in late January. This placed him 17th in CCS

help seal the win. Plauck played stellar defense against their 6’ 7” big man.” At press time, the boys were 16-3 overall and 6-1 in league play and 15th in the Mercury News rankings. Molin said, “Out of about 130 schools in our section, to be named as a top 15 team speaks volumes about our boys’ efforts and places them in an elite category.”

Jessica Liu

Girls Basketball

history! Abarca was presented with a commemorative ball -- with “1,500” written on it -- by his coach, Jeremiah Brewer, towards the end of the game against Crystal Springs on Jan. 20. The CCS list includes former NBA player Kurt Rambis and our own LS P.E. teacher Tomas Thompson. Abarca was also recognized by the Mercury News as their athlete of the week. In recent games, Abarca scored 17 points in a victory over King’s Academy and Greg Plauck, Gr. 11, added 14. Describing one of the exciting games this season, Dan Molin, athletic director, raved, “Some may call it the biggest win in Harker basketball history. The varsity team traveled to Menlo School and rose to the occasion. Menlo’s rich sports and basketball tradition had little effect on our boys as they defeated last year’s CCS champions 56-52 despite their spirited, raucous crowd. Ryan Cali, Gr. 11, had 24 points and Abarca had 14. Among the highlights was Rohan Shah, Gr. 12, making a crucial three-pointer, getting fouled, and sinking the free throw with under a minute left to

With a 5-13 record thus far, the girls basketball team has had a challenging season. The five wins from this young team have included beating Alma Heights Christian, Orinda Academy, Point Arena, Live Oak and Pacific Collegiate. They cut a 20point deficit to just three after the third quarter at Crystal Springs before eventually falling to the Gryphons. In a nonleague game, the girls defeated Pacific Collegiate 39-23. In that game, Michelle Markiewicz, Gr. 10, scored 10 points, with Tanya Rai, Gr. 10, scoring six. Kacie Kaneyuki, Gr. 11, scored five, including a three-pointer.

Boys Soccer The league race in boys soccer is extremely tight and very exciting. At press time, Harker was 6-4 in league play, including a 1-2 loss to Menlo on a penalty kick with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Sean Mandell, Gr. 12, scored for Harker. Some of the highlights include an impressive 2-0 win against King’s Academy and beating Eastside College Prep 2-1 in the final minute of play on a goal by TJ Casner, Gr. 9, and a great assist by Julian Stahl, Gr. 12. After losing to them 5-1 earlier in the season, JV boys soccer defeated Mission San Jose High 3-2 behind goals from Max Quertermous, Gr. 9, Aadithya Prakash, Gr. 11 and Michael Patland, Gr. 10. JV boys soccer also earned a win over Priory 2-1 with goals scored by Nikhil Narayen, Gr. 9, and Prakash.

Girls Soccer Girls soccer ended a grueling nonleague schedule with two hard-fought contests against WCAL power Sacred Heart Cathedral, and 2008 NCS semifinalist Berean Christian. This prepared the Eagles for a very successful league campaign, where Harker was tied with Pinewood for second place with a 3-1-1 league mark. According to

coach and US teacher Troy Thiele, “Harker has been led by senior Kristina Bither, who is not only the CCS leading scorer, but also the 23rd leading goal scorer for all girls winter soccer players in the nation!” Bither was also awarded San Francisco Chronicle Athlete of the Week Honorable Mention for her eight goals in a three game span during the week of Jan. 1216. Thiele adds, “We are far from

in the news n San Jose Mercury News – Dec. 23, 2008 Michael Clifford, Gr. 11, received an honorable mention for his outstanding water polo performance in an article naming the members of the All-Mercury News boys water polo team. n San Jose Mercury News – Jan. 27, 2009 Senior basketball player Alex Abarca was named Athlete of the Week by the Mercury for his outstanding performance during the season so far, averaging 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game. n SJSUSpartans.com – Jan. 28, 2009 Alumnus and San Jose State University baseball player Jason Martin ’07 was recognized at the annual Santa Clara County Hot Stove Banquet on Jan. 27 for his standout performance on the diamond. In late January, Martin was named one of the winners of the Loyd Christopher Award, given each year to a single member of the San Jose State, Stanford and Santa Clara University baseball programs. Martin also earned a $500 scholarship for being nominated to receive the award. n SFGate.com – Jan. 21, 2009 Harker soccer player Kristina Bither, Gr. 12, received an honorable mention in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “High school athletes of

the week” article. According to MaxPreps.com, Bither was ranked 23rd in scoring nationwide in January.

Harker News — March 09

a one-dimensional team. Esther Belogolovsky, Gr. 11 and Veronica Bither, Gr. 9, have also lit the lamp several times for the Eagles. Of course, no goal scorer would be recognized without important setup plays, and Noriko Ishisoko, Gr. 11, has done a marvelous job creating chances for her teammates from the central midfield position. The back line has seen steady improvement as well, led by the valiant efforts of juniors Amy Rorabaugh and Anjali Menon, along with Monisha Appalaraju, Gr. 10 and Nicole Dalal, Gr. 9.” The Eagles are looking forward to solidifying their stranglehold on second place in the league during the second half of the campaign with a possible run at a league title if some results can come their way from the other sides in the league!

Wrestling

Ajit Punj and McCallaCreary all placing first; Wu placed second. At Lynbrook’s tournament, Ian Hoffman, Gr. 12, Mendel and McCallaCreary placed first, with Shirley Galbiati, Gr. 12, placing second and Wu taking third. McCallaCreary again took first place at the prestigious Cupertino tournament, and was named most outstanding wrestler of the tournament. Wu placed second, and Hoffman, Mark Roh, Gr. 11, and Punj took fifth; Galbiati placed sixth. At the Los Gatos Tournament, McCallaCreary was first, winning 5-4 in the final second, and Swaminathan and Mendel were fourth. These outstanding wrestlers are coached by James Arballo and Karriem Stinson.

Seniors Enrich Harker Sports History Senior Nights for girls basketball, boys and girls soccer and the wrestling teams were held in late January and early February to celebrate the multiyear contributions hardworking seniors make throughout their time at Harker. A world of thanks went to our senior girls varsity basketball team members Roshmi Bhattacharya, Nafeesa Laiwalla, Tara Panu, Dessi Vatcheva, Winny Huang and Connie Wu, and to senior wrestling team members Shirley Galbiati and Ian Hoffman. Both groups were honored on home

ground in the Blackford gym, prior to competitions. Girls soccer team members Kristina Bither, Michelle Lin, Elena Madan, Sanaz Oskouy and Candace SilvaMartin and boys team members Alex Achkinazi, Barrett Glasauer, George Gonzalez, Kevin Laymoun, Jeff Mandell, Sean Mandell, Nikhil Patel, Harrison Schwartz, Steven Silver, Julian Stahl and Aditya Yellapragada were honored in early February on Davis Field. Full credit to these athletes, who have trained up year after year and, wearing Harker colors, gone to the basket, goal and mat time after time, adding another page to the rich history of Harker competitors.

Sneak Preview!

For the second time in Harker history we have a CCS-ranked wrestler! Chris McCallaCreary, Gr. 10, is ranked number 25 in the CCS in the 130-pound weight class. Many wrestlers have placed in tournaments this season. At the Del Mar Tournament, sophomores represented Harker well. Santosh Swaminathan, Gr. 10, placed first

and David Wu, Gr. 10, took second. McCallaCreary also placed first to record his fifth title of the season, a Harker record. In the Harbor tournament, sophomores showed their strength, with Jason Mendel,

Baseball season was ramping up at press time. Here is a photo of the baseball squad at practice.

Harker News — March 09

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Lunar New Year Comes to Bucknall

Dean for a Day

Students in Rita Stone’s Gr. 1 homeroom were treated to a celebration of Chinese New Year in late January. Parents Yvonne Szu (Brendan Wong), Fanny Armstrong (Emiko), Bala Vegesna (Ramanand), Julius Fu (Lauren) and Deepali Halepete (Mahika) brought the holiday to the classroom, incorporating the story of the festival, special holiday treats and hands-on crafting of the Chinese characters for spring. Students learned how to wish each other Happy New Year in both Mandarin and Cantonese, and heard the story of the meaning and significance of this major holiday. They also had the chance to try on some of the bright, beautiful clothing associated with the New Year.

Gracean Linthacum-Janker, Gr. 3, got to live the dream in mid-January, as dean for a day on a busy Friday. Her parents bid for the privilege at the Harker Family Picnic and tied with those of Sarah Savage, Gr. 3, who will be dean for a day March 10. Along with the usual duties of monitoring classrooms and hallways, the youngest dean presided over the school’s Pajama Day gathering, celebrating the collection of pajamas for donation. Linthacum-Janker was escorted on her rounds by dean-for-the-year Joe Connolly. “After greeting students in the front loading zone we hosted a staff meeting with the BEST management team so we could make sure the rainy day recesses were covered appropriately,” said Connolly.  “After recess we prepared for the pajama assembly. We counted all the pajamas and books and prepared the gym for the assembly, including setting up microphones and pulling out the bleachers. We then wrote out the announcements we planned to make at the assembly.

“As always,” said Stone, “parents went far beyond the ordinary. We all benefitted enormously with the chance to experience a slice of another culture.” Emiko Armstrong and Brendan Wong both thought trying on the clothing was the highlight. Armstrong said, “Everybody got to try the clothes on and see how they feel,” and Wong added, “It was fun seeing people in the hats.”

“Gracean then enjoyed a special lunch with her friends. After lunch she accompanied me to the Gr. 5 show rehearsals, which led right into the pajama assembly. Gracean was a big help at the assembly and she even had a few words to share with the students. After the assembly we helped the representatives from the Pajama Program pack up the pajamas and books and put them in their van. We then did a brief safety tour of the librar y and a few classrooms.

Jump Rope for Heart Program Kicks Off On Feb. 6, LS students were treated to a special assembly which featured Santa Clara’s own Jumping for Joy jump roping team. Known internationally for their skill at complex and crowd-pleasing routines, the team performed to help kick off this year’s Jump Rope for Heart program, which is held each year to raise money for the American Heart Association.

“A shor t time later we met with a few students who were deser ving of CIA [Character In Action] cer tificates. We completed her day by attending a 3 p.m. meeting with the entire BEST staff. By the time I walked Gracean to her car at 3:30 she looked like she was ready for a nap. She told me the day was a 10 on a scale of 1-10, but she was also tired!” Connolly finished.

Following the event, the students will spend the next several weeks collecting donation pledges. On March 19, the entire LS student body will spend the afternoon at a variety of stations with different exercises to raise funds for the cause, including jumping rope, high jumping, long jumping, shooting basketball and even doing the limbo.

Gr. 3 Homerooms Share Valentines

Last year’s program raised more than $11,000, and the students will attempt to surpass that number this year. Since 2000, Harker has raised more than $120,000 for the American Heart Association and was recognized as the top fundraising school the last three years.

Kindergarten and Gr. 2 families enjoyed “Kung Fu Panda” during their family movie night at the Nichols Hall atrium in late January. Pizza, popcorn, beverages, cookies and brownies, enjoyed by all, were provided by the Saratoga kitchen interns. The students were supervised by Bucknall BEST staff members Hillaray Tiopo, Ashley Scheibli and Darrell Drummer, who kept the students safe and entertained. Many thanks to our grade level coordinators Helen Amick (Matthew, Gr. 2 and Grace, K), Grace Edvalson (Darian, Gr. 7 and Remi, K), Tina Mayer (Pumpkin, Gr. 2) and Allison Vaughan (Ryan, Gr. 4 and Taylor, Gr. 2).

Laena Keyashian

Great Fun at K and Gr. 2 Movie Night

Gr. 3 students got the Valentine’s Day celebrations underway early on Feb. 6, as each homeroom had its own Valentine’s Day party before the students departed for the Presidents’ Week break. Gr. 3 science teacher Tamara Kley-Contini’s get-together had the kids decorate a bag, followed by a Valentine exchange. The kids also participated in a relay game and had a round of Valentine-themed Bingo, which was created by Elise Schwartz, Gr. 3 English teacher, whose own homeroom also played Bingo and exchanged Valentines. Each homeroom also had various treats and snacks, and all the homerooms later gathered to exchange Valentines. “It’s a great way to kick off the vacation by sharing some love before we leave,” Schwartz said. Harker News — March 09

Robotics Teams Shine in December

Annual Videoconference, continued from pg. 1

Fellow teacher Gerry-louise Robinson noted a few of the topics students covered. “We discussed the time and weather, we looked at each others’ classrooms and talked about our daily schedules. Tamagawa played a game with us – guess the Japanese character (they had a drawing/picture as a clue and we in Harker had to guess its meaning). We used our new technology – the Ebeam with mounted LCD projected onto the whiteboard. It was wonder ful as ever yone, parents included, got to see the conference!” Robinson said. Overall, students were “as relaxed as they were in their own homeroom,” added Robinson. “They were proud to show all their ar twork seen on the walls when the camera panned around the room. The students loved it!”

Helena Jerney

said Colleen Lindsay, kindergar ten teacher. “There were approximately 25 parents in attendance. The students seemed to really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the classroom and the parents’ smiles were priceless!” she added.

LS students performed well at regional FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics tournaments in December. The RoboFerrets, Gr. 5 students John Nicolas Jerney, Alec Kiang, Ryan Lee and Robbie Underwood, received the Research Award at a regional tournament at California High School in San Ramon on Dec. 14, and advanced to the Northern California State Championship. Elizabeth Siegel, Gr. 5, and her team, Claws2008 Robotics, were the winners of the Robot Design award and placed second overall at a regional tournament at Valley Christian High School on Dec. 13.

kid talk After viewing the inauguration on a television in the gym, Harker’s youngest students were excited about our new president and talked about their expectations of him.

PJs at School? For a Good Cause, Yes!

Will Holaday, Gr. 3, “Barack Obama is going to do something different.”

The mood was celebratory at the special LS assembly on Jan. 23, where students wore pajamas to commemorate the conclusion of this year’s Pajama and Book Drive, organized by Gr. 3 students.

Shivali Minocha, Gr. 5, “I’m glad he is president, since I think that he’s going to help all the people who have really been affected by the bad economy.”

A total of 336 pairs of pajamas and 611 books were donated to the Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization that provides pajamas and books to needy children worldwide. Pallie Zambrano and April Fuchs, co-presidents of the Pajama Program’s Northern California chapter, were on hand that morning to personally thank the students for their efforts and receive their donations.

Lauren Trihy, Gr. 4, “I think President Barack Obama will stop the Iraq war and maybe improve our environment.”

In keeping with the theme of the assembly, Chris Nikoloff, head of school, read part of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Iron Hans” to the assembly, himself dressed in full bedtime apparel, complete with Tigger slippers. “I would like to offer a special thank you to Ms. Kathleen Ferretti and the rest of the third grade teachers for their hard work in making this event a success,” said Joe Connolly, dean of students K-Gr. 5, also taking the opportunity to thank the parents who set up the display in the Bucknall gym lobby. “Most importantly,” Connolly added. “I would like to thank you for your generous donations. Our service projects really help our children learn a valuable lesson about service and giving to others who are in need.” Harker News — March 09

Aditya Dhar, Gr. 4, “President Obama really worked hard and he really deserves the honor. I know McCain also worked really hard…and we all honor him. He should still be honored as a senator and as a soldier. I think McCain was doing well, but maybe picking Sarah Palin as his VP was his fatal point. Maybe he should have picked some person from a Democrat state, so that they could win another state.” Now, “I think President Obama is going to end the war in Iraq and he’s probably going to move our forces back and probably strengthen our position. I also know that he’s going to give universal healthcare. I remember that from the debates.” Dylan Williams, K, “Barack Obama is a great president. He’s going to make the world a better place. We’re going to help him, like, don’t waste electricity, and my mom says we’re gonna, like, bring our own yogurt bowls and spoons to the yogurt shop so that we don’t have to waste all of it, and to the donut shop we’ll bring our own bowl. And he’s the first African-American to be president!” Elizabeth Schick, Gr. 3, “Not that long ago, blacks were slaves, and now there’s a president who’s black. Maybe it was a little hard for him to become president because of the history.” Army Bigler, Gr. 1, “Barack Obama is the first black president and it’s a very big deal.” Emma-Leigh Stoll, K, says Barack Obama’s job is, “to take care of us.” “Ask not what your country can do for you…” —John F. Kennedy, 1961

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‘If I Were President…’

Fun on the High Seas at Musical

The excitement of the presidential inauguration took hold of the students at the Bucknall campus in many ways. The entire campus watched the feed of the inauguration in the gym, and students and teachers watched intently as the events occurred (See Februar y’s Harker News, page 1).

A swashbuckling good time was had by all at the Gr. 5 performance of “Pirates!: The Musical” on Jan. 29.

Many teachers took the opportunity during an election year to

“I hope you like us. I hope you will see us. We like you.” Fifth graders, of course, were more specific and demanding, and gave details as to how to address their requests. They all began their requests by stating, “If I were president.” Madison Tomihiro said she would stop water shortages. “The water shortage is happening because people are wasting it…. As president, I would tell people not to clean their driveways with water and take shorter showers.” Vikram Vasan would address the issue of speeding: “…put

The musical told the story of a boy who stows away on a pirate ship in hopes of being welcomed to the fold. He quickly learns that the ship is not run by the usual band of treasurehungry seafarers; every year, they sail to a singing and dancing competition. These pirates are always declared the winners, because one of their own, The King of the High C’s, happens to be an incredible singer. However, their hopes for the competition seem dashed when the King comes down with a nasty case of laryngitis. Fortunately, the stowaway himself is also a great singer in his own right, and is promised with becoming a “full-blown pirate” if he helps his newfound shipmates win the competition. In an interesting twist, the two leading roles each had different actors and actresses in rotation to play the parts. In the role of the stowaway were continued on pg. 20

incorporate politics into their curricula. Third and four th graders learned about voting in social studies classes, and most students on campus voted on election day for their choice of president. First grade students also voted for their favorite book, cereal and grapes.

The younger students’ enthusiasm about the president is evident in their letters. Kindergartner Courtni Thompson wrote, “I hope you keep us safe.” Isabella Ong wrote, “I hope you will love us…I hope you help world peace.” Bowen Yin went further with his requests. “I hope you will help world peace of the earth,” he said. He continued,

radar on ever y highway, which calculates the speed. If someone is speeding, the radar will catch the license and report it to the police.” Lauren Speckman would “make sure that gay people could marr y.” Arjun Narayan would “tr y to put an end to terrorism…. Suicide bombs are falling ever ywhere. I would pull our troops out of Iraq and send them to Afghanistan, where, somewhere in the mountains, Al Qaeda has its headquarters.” Other suggestions included supporting arts programs, banning smoking, reducing pollution, stopping child labor, changing the global warming problem, and preventing animals from going extinct. President Obama has a tough crowd to please in these students!

A group of Gr. 2 students visited the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos to increase their understanding of the science of aviation, and to have a little bit of fun on the side. “The field trip provided them an opportunity to see all the different flying machines they’ve been studying and further explore the history of aviation,” said Enni Chen, Gr. 2 English, math and social studies teacher.

Enni Chen - both photos

Following the inauguration, both kindergar ten and Gr. 5 students completed writing exercises related to the inauguration. Kindergar ten students in both Gerrylouise Robinson’s and Michelle Anderson’s Language Ar ts classes wrote letters to President Obama, and Gr. 5 English teacher and Gr. 4-5 department chair Kate Shanahan had her students complete a timed writing on what they would do if they were president. Shanahan then had the students turn that assignment into letters which were sent to President Obama.

Imaginations Soar at Museum

During their visit, the students learned about such flight-related scientific concepts as drag, lift and thrust, and got up-close looks at some well-known aircraft, including a life-sized replica of the famous Wright Brothers plane that made the first powered and sustained human flight in 1903. At least one student even got to sit in the cockpit of a Blue Angels jet plane! Students also got to build and fly miniature versions of the Wright Brothers’ glider, after learning how the inventors designed and built the original aircraft. Other activities included various flight simulators that allowed the students to put their aviation skills to the test. “The students thought it was fun,” Chen said. “They all wanted to go back with their parents on another day and spend more time on the simulators. Some said it was their favorite field trip so far.”

Harker News — March 09

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Two advisories are starting a three-year challenge to help the earth. Raji Swaminathan’s and Julie Pinzás’ groups are conducting a recycling program for used printer cartridges and cell phones. The items are collected in boxes in the office and bookstore and, when the boxes are full, students pack up the recyclables and ship them to Think Recycle (http://www. thinkrecycle.com).

Congratulations to Gr. 8 students Sierra Lincoln, Pooja Shah and Sonia Gupta, who took the First Place Championship Award and the Judges Award at a regional VEX Robotics competition at Bellarmine College Preparatory in mid-January. The team will head to Dallas in May for the world championship competition. VEX robotics matches are played with robots made from VEX Robotics kits, designed for use in competitions by schools. Four robots work in two teams on a 12-foot square field to manage tasks, thwart opponents and hold dominant points on the field.

The company pays cash to the school and they also plant trees in North America for a certain number of items shipped. “Today, we shipped five boxes of laser cartridges,” said Swaminathan. “The kids were great. They are sixth graders and small, (and) they had to pack everything, put labels on boxes and cart them to the office for UPS to pick them up.” Totals of trees planted and money returned to Harker were unavailable at press time, as the program is just getting on its feet, but watch for updates!

Science is for the (Fittest) Birds Students in Gr. 8 biology learned about the sur vival of the fittest in the avian population during a fascinating special lab in late Januar y.

December was a great month for students participating in the First Lego League (FLL) robotics tournaments. In early December, a trio of Harker Gr. 8 boys won the special Community Award at the QuixSilver FIRST Lego League competition, as well as finishing second overall in the Robot Performance segment of the event. The team, Batteries Not Included, is Michael Cheng, Ravi Tadinada and Tyler Yeats. Their success allowed them to advance to the Northern California FLL Championship competition in late January.

“The bird beak lab is an activity demonstrating natural selection,” said Scott Kley Contini, science teacher. “Students take on the roles of four different bird species competing for resources. It is sur vival of the fittest at its best! The birds with the highest fitness get to increase their population and those with the least fitness lose members and risk extinction. The students love the activity and to compete with one another for fun; plus they learn about natural selection in the process!”

Lorna Claerbout

Students in both Lorna Claerbout’s and Scott Kley Contini’s Gr. 8 science classes recently extracted their cheek DNA and preserved it in a little glass vial on a necklace. “The DNA lab we did gave everyone a hands-on experience in working with DNA,” said student Sierra Lincoln. “I was so proud and excited when I saw the DNA come out of solution right before my eyes! It was an amazing experience and I’m glad that I was able to really see all my learning about DNA come to life!” Classmate Deniz Celik added, “During the week before the experiment, we discussed DNA in depth and the process to extract it from cells. After adding alcohol to the solution, we waited with nervous anticipation to see the white silky mixture that would be our DNA. This experiment was great for teaching about DNA and then looking at our own.” Harker News — March 09

Helena Jerney

Students used various tools to simulate bird beak capabilities, finding that some beaks were adapted to scooping, others to inser ting in holes to gather food. Students had a great time while learning valuable lessons on adaptability!

Science Students Preserve DNA

Raymonde Guindon, Ph.D.

VEX Robot team advances to Worlds; Lego Teams to Nationals

Advisories’ Recycling Project

In mid-December, Harker’s all-girl GEARs team – Eva Bruketa, Cristina Jerney, Cecilia Lang-Ree and Payal Modi, all Gr. 8 – participated in their final tournament at Valley Christian School, receiving the Judge’s Award for their efforts and successes in the years they competed. The GEARs were the only all-girl team to compete for all five years in the league, which is open to competitors from ages 9 to 14. And in the true spirit of Harker’s technological prowess, Bruketa, who left Harker last year for a new home in Ottawa, Canada, communicated with the rest of her team using Skype, the Webcam service that allows real-time conversations via computer. She had a mock Lego model set up in her home, and she and her teammates designed their project long-distance. Bruketa did come down for the final tournament to join in the fun with her friends. The SAP elementals – Jeremy Binkley, Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, Alexander Thomas and Harry Xu, all Gr. 6 – advanced to the Northern California State Championship after competing at a regional tournament at Hopkins Junior High School in Fremont in mid-December.

Helena Jerney

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Tamagawa Buddies, continued from pg. 1 Questions asked during the videoconference dealt with such subjects as the greenhouse effect, global warming, acid rain, deforestation, biodiversity and habitat loss. In addition to helping them sharpen their knowledge of the subjects, the videoconference allowed the students and their buddies to become better acquainted. “The best par t by far about these

videoconferences is that it brings the students’ relationships with their Tamagawa buddies alive!” Abraham exclaimed. “Actually being able to see one another and interact with one another makes their e-mailing relationship so much more meaningful.” Tim Culbertson, who teaches the environmental sciences class attended by the students, said they enjoyed the oppor tunity to speak to their

Tamagawa buddies about important issues. “The students were extremely pleased,” he said. “I think they

really enjoy getting to meet their buddies, and I think they really enjoy getting to talk to their buddies about meaningful things.”

Science Students Celebrate Darwin’s Big Birthday with Fun, Food and Song Students in Lorna Claerbout’s Gr. 8 science class celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book, “The Origin of Species.” The celebration, which included a visit by a Darwin impersonator, had been keenly

anticipated since the beginning of the year and was the culmination of a study of Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection. Students demonstrated their creativity in honoring the memory of Darwin by writing poetry, making birthday cards, singing Darwin rap songs, painting pictures of the Galapagos, sketching giant tortoises, creating a slide show of images from a family trip to the Galapagos, baking

cookies shaped like Darwin frogs and tortoises, baking monkey cupcakes and evolution cakes, performing survival of the fittest skits, designing natural selection

games, and serving tropical fruit punch in glasses with images from the Galapagos. “It was a fun day that we will always remember!” noted Claerbout.

Harker News — March 09

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Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive and Well

Students Practice Calligraphy

Harker’s DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) chapter members attended the DECA NorCal Career Development Conference in mid-January and performed quite well. DECA is a national organization dedicated to helping students interested in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. They arrange for conferences, publications, competitive events and work towards leadership building.

In January, students in Masako Onakado’s Japanese class performed calligraphy exercises that will be displayed in March at a calligraphy exhibition in San Francisco’s Japantown. Students wrote different characters using various tools of the trade, such as the “fude” (“brush”) to write the characters and thin paper known as “hanshi” that is made specifically for calligraphy. Known as “shodo” in Japan, calligraphy is regarded as an art form and has been practiced for centuries. Although there are various styles of shodo, every character must be drawn in a specific number of strokes, and in the correct order.

Harker participants were Veronica Hsieh, Sonya Huang and Carissa Jansen, all Gr. 11; Rohan Mahajan, Gr. 10 and Daniela Lapidous, Gr. 9.

“I know that afterwards, several advisors from other schools came up to me and congratulated me personally for my win, since they were pleasantly surprised that Harker captured the first place and third place entrepreneurship trophies in our first-ever year at NorCals,” Huang said. Along with Harker’s fine showing, Huang received validation for her individual effort. “The high point of the conference for me occurred after I finished presenting my business plan to my judge,” added Huang. “He told me that my business plan presentation was the best that he had judged all day, and my hard work in creating a plan, writing it and implementing it was very evident. That really made me feel proud of all the effort I put into learning entrepreneurship from DECA – all in all, I probably spent over 50 hours working on my plan, and I was glad that my hard work and dedication finally paid off.” Huang earned first place in Entrepreneurship Participating – Independent, was a finalist in the Hospitality Management written test, a finalist in Hospitality Team Management Decision Making and a finalist in Economics. Jansen was also a finalist in Hospitality Management Team Decision Making and took second place in Economics. Lapidous was a finalist in the Hotel/Lodging Management written test and a finalist in Economics. Mahajan earned third place in Entrepreneurship Participating – Independent. Being in the DECA club has been an eye-opener for Huang. “DECA really provided me with hands-on experience in entrepreneurship. Before, entrepreneurship seemed like an abstract concept to me, and I could never really understand it, but through DECA’s workshops, study sessions and competition, I think I’ve really learned a lot in the field. I want to create my own startup, since I love the risk and thrill involved with creating a company from scratch.” Along with valuable experience, the team effort gave Harker credibility in the field. “Mr. (Peter) Itokazu, (club advisor) said that many advisors (from other schools) told him how mature, responsible and knowledgeable the Harker delegates were and how well they carried themselves, and I think that is something that we should all be proud of – for representing the Harker community so well,” finished Huang.

Key Club Assembles Aid Kits Members of the Key Club assembled first aid kits for all Saratoga classrooms in mid-January. The activity was a double whammy as both community service for students and assisting the school to comply with emergency needs at minimal cost. Harker News — March 09

Paul Vallerga

“Harker made a VERY strong showing at the conference, considering it’s our very first year,” said Huang. “There were several powerhouse schools, like Amador and Monta Vista, each bringing over 200 members, yet in terms of awards, we grabbed winners’ trophies and finalist honors in almost every event that we competed in.

Mathematicians Place in Contest The Harker School has some of the best high school mathematicians in the country, as demonstrated by their outstanding finish in the 2008 Ciphering Time Trials, a national mathematics contest administered by National Assessment & Testing. Several Harker students received individual awards which boosted the team into fourth place in the national contest. In the Gr. 9 division, Patrick Yang placed first, Albert Wu was fourth, Revanth Kosaraju placed sixth, Ramya Rangan, Michelle Deng and Katie Siegel were ninth, tenth and eleventh, respectively, and Lucy Cheng placed 25th. Sophomore Richard Chiou placed 12th in the Gr. 10 division and junior Kevin Zhang placed 26th in the Gr. 11 division. Coach Misael-Jose Fisico prepared students for the competition, which consisted of ten rounds in which they had three minutes to solve three problems. The problems covered a range of difficulties challenging students to answer all three questions or quickly decide which problems they would need to skip. Students participated in National Assessment & Testing’s next contest, the 2009 Four-by-Four Competition, in early February, but results were not available at press time. National Assessment & Testing administers a number of high-quality mathematics competitions covering a variety of formats, individual and team, ranging in difficulty from an easier 100 problems in 30 minutes to a more complicated 15 problems in one week.

Harker Quiz Team Enters Semifinals Harker’s Quiz Bowl team was on a roll in January, defeating Westmoor High School on Jan. 10 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals, where they earned what coach Bradley Stoll called “sweet revenge” against Bentley School the following day, securing a spot in the semifinals for the eighth straight year. Bentley defeated Harker in the quarterfinals of last year’s Quiz Kids tournament. The team of seniors Alex Hu, Vikram Nathan and Anand Natarajan will look to continue their streak on March 1, when they will face off against Gunn High School for the right to enter the final round. The competition will take place at 11:30 a.m. at 1250 San Carlos Ave. in San Carlos, on the second floor of the SamTrans building. Should Harker win, they will play again for the championship at 1:30 p.m. the same day. Good luck!

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Dancers ‘Wing It’ in Annual Show Color, motion and metamorphosis were the order of the day at the two performances of “Wing It,” the 2009 US dance production on Jan. 30 and 31. Directed by Laura Rae, US dance teacher, the production used various stages of the butterfly’s life cycle as an allegory for the trials and tribulations of life in general, stringing together a stunning array of elaborate set pieces, featuring the talents of both students and faculty. Varsity dancers Carmen Das Grande, Gr. 10, Adrienne Wong, Gr. 11 and Stephanie Chong, Gr. 12, were joined by the JV dancers during the production, which showcased a series of dance segments, each with its own theme and challenging choreography. Other featured dancers were Sarah Payne, Andrea Thomas, Karlene McCallaCreary and Cailin Mackenzie, all Gr. 12; Shanna Polzin, Gr. 11; and Michelle Vu and Daisy Mohrman, Gr. 10. In addition to the dazzling choreography and costumes, the show also featured some of the most creative prop usage ever by a performing arts production. During one piece, a dancer was encased in a makeshift cocoon and later freed from her bonds to swing freely about the stage. Another involved the use of a massive caterpillar costume manipulated by continued on pg. 20

The New Terminator? The US robotics team has been hard at work nights and weekends, building what they hope will be a winbot. The robot must be built within specified timelines so the crew spent long evenings and full weekends in the robotics lab testing and mounting components throughout January. Competitions had not started by press time, but you can bet we’ll cover the progress of this exciting project!

Tamagawa Students Catch a Glimpse of Upper School Life Two students from Tamagawa Gakuen visited the US campus from midJanuar y to mid-Februar y to get a look at what life was like for Harker students and to experience some aspects of American culture. Recent Tamagawa graduate Shiho Otsuka and Manaka Oishi, a senior at the Tokyo school, were hosted by seniors Mai Nguyen and Samantha Ipser. Otsuka and Oishi joined their hosts in class, where they got a chance to obser ve how the American school system works. “Harker is ver y popular [at Tamagawa],” Oishi said, adding that her friends told her Harker had a great reputation for both academics and social activities. Otsuka said she was impressed by the facilities of the US campus and by the diligent study habits of Harker students. Oishi said visiting Harker gave her a good oppor tunity to work on her English language skills. “Ever yone speaks English, so that’s ver y good for me,” she said. Oishi, who is also interested in gymnastics, accompanied Ipser to gymnastics practices after school, which gave her a chance to combine her interest in the spor t with her desire to learn English. They also got to enjoy non-academic activities such as shopping, and got to see some of California’s key sights, such as San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. One afternoon in early Februar y, they visited a kindergarten classroom to read the stor y “Tokyo Friends” to the students. After listening to the stor y of an American girl exploring Tokyo with her Japanese friends, the students colored various Japanese coloring sheets. “The students were ver y excited to learn about their visitors, asking questions about where the girls lived, what they liked to eat and when their birthdays were,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. During Presidents’ Week, Nguyen and Otsuka made a trip to Southern California to visit the quintessential California theme park, Disneyland.

Improv Night Displays Talent US students put their improvisational skills to the test at the most recent Coffeehouse, held the evening of Jan. 23 at the Bistro Café. In a style similar to television shows such as “Whose Line is it Anyway?” groups of students were given a variety of scenarios and then took the stage to act them out, with entertaining and often hilarious results!

US students saddled up in early February for a trike race. The junior team won the event, gathering glory for their entire class. Harker News — March 09

Debate Success Continues

Honor Code Receives Evaluation

Harker forensics students recently attended the NCFL Grand National Tournament regional qualifier in Sacramento. The top four students/teams in each event at the qualifying tournament will represent the region in Albany, N.Y., at the Grand Nationals over Memorial Day weekend.

On Jan. 22, a special assembly was held “to spark a constructive dialogue and community feedback about the state of the school, particularly as it applies to honor and our ability and willingness to uphold the honor code,” said Ramsay Westgate, US history teacher. The assembly featured speeches by Sachin Rangarajan, Gr. 12 and John Near, US history teacher. A podcast of the speeches is available online, in the “Podcasts” section of the schoolwide parent portal.

In Public Forum debate, Kelsey Hilbrich, Gr. 11 and Justine Liu, James Seifert and Christine Chien, all Gr. 10, closed out the final round and were named co-champions of the tournament. Ziad Jawadi, Gr. 10 and Akshay Jagadeesh, Gr. 9, made it to the semifinal round where they also earned a qualifying spot to nationals. Kristi Lui and Tyler Koteskey, both Gr. 10, made it to the quarterfinal round and are second alternates to nationals. In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Hassaan Ebrahim, Gr. 10, was named champion and earned a spot to nationals. In Policy Debate, Adam Perelman and Arjun Mody, both Gr. 11, went undefeated until the final round where they lost on a 2-1 decision. Taking second place at the tournament earned them a trip to Albany to compete at Grand Nationals.

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With debaters from 11 states in

attendance, Harker students were recognized in every debate event for outstanding achievement.

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Aileen Wen, Gr. 10, took sixth place in Dramatic Performance and will be second alternate to Grand Nationals. Wen is the first Harker sophomore to earn a spot in the final round of the regional qualifier. Over Martin Luther King weekend, Harker forensics traveled to Henderson, Nev., to compete at the Golden Desert invitational tournament. With debaters from 11 states in attendance, Harker students were recognized in every debate event for outstanding achievement. Perelman and Mody became the first Harker policy debate team to fully qualify to the Tournament of Champions in over five years by making it to the semifinal round of the tournament. They earned the first qualifying leg in September in North Carolina. Additionally, Perelman was recognized as the third best speaker in the division at the tournament and Mody was recognized in eighth place. Pratusha Erraballi and Kunal Modi, both Gr. 12, made it to the sweet sixteen in policy debate while Akum Gill, Ashish Mittal, Connie Lu and Andrew Zhou, all Gr. 11, were eliminated in the first elimination round (top 32, aka double-octofinals). In Student Congressional Debate, three students earned bids to the Tournament of Champions by earning a spot in the final round. Eckardt took third place, Mihai took sixth place, and Sonya Chalaka, Gr. 9, was named a finalist in the event. These are the first bids earned to the Congress Tournament of Champions this academic year. Public Forum debaters Hilbrich and Liu made it to the quarterfinal round and earned a bid to the Tournament of Champions. Hilbrich was also named as the top speaker in this event. Vikram Nathan, Gr. 12, represented varsity Lincoln–Douglas debate at the tournament. Closely missing the bid for the L-D TOC, Nathan was eliminated in the sweet sixteen of the tournament.

Feedback from the assembly is currently being evaluated, and a group of students will compare and contrast their resulting ideas with those of other schools. At the morning meeting on Feb. 26, the students will report their findings to the US student body. “We plan to be providing feedback to the school throughout the second semester in an effort to strengthen the community’s commitment to its mission and its ideals,” Westgate said.

Students Practice Mandarin Skills Shaun Jahshan, US Chinese language teacher, embarked on a field trip on Jan. 22 with the students of her Mandarin I class to the Cupertino Village Shopping Center to give the students a chance to practice some of what they had learned in class. Home to a wide variety of Asian shops, restaurants and tea houses, Cupertino Village provided an ideal place for the students to try out some of their newfound Mandarin language skills. “They had a worksheet on which they were asked to note down shop names and the names of different kinds of tea and coffee. They also had to order a beverage in Mandarin,” Jahshan said. “After that, they were free to wander around, get a snack or shop.”

Steven Tran

Harker Student Congressional debaters earned three of the 11 spots in the final chamber. Placing second and third respectively, Michael Tsai, Gr. 10 and David Mihai, Gr. 11, will compete in Albany in May. Chris Eckardt, Gr. 11, was named third alternate by placing seventh at the tournament

In addition to communicating with everyday Mandarin speakers, the students also got additional practice reading signs and menus, and saw how Mandarin speakers use the language in their daily lives. “They loved the pearl milk tea! One group went to a dim sum restaurant for a snack and enjoyed the food a lot,” Jahshan said. “Many students had been there before but had never tried to read the signs or menus. I think they found it entertaining to order a drink in Mandarin!”

Harker News (USPS 023-761) is published Monthly except July, Aug., and Sept., by the The Harker School, Office of Communications, 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Jose, CA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Harker News, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129.

Harker News — March 09

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Dancers ‘Wing It’ in Annual Show, continued from pg. 18 multiple dancers, and in perhaps the show’s most visually arresting display, dancers wore “wings” that shone brightly and color fully amid the intricate light displays, designed by professional lighting designer Natti Pierce-Thomson. Between each segment, US biology teacher Anita Chetty (who also per formed in the production, along with fellow bio teacher Kate Schafer and US physics teacher Miriam Allersma) read excerpts of poetr y that were pertinent to the fol-

lowing segment. Music selection during the show fittingly ran the gamut, from the electronic dance stylings of Goldfrapp and Imogen Heap, to the lush folk pop of Sufjan Stevens, to rock acts such as the Goo Goo Dolls and Nickelback.

Fun on the High Seas at Musical, continued from pg. 14 Gautam Prabhu, Lauren Speckman, Namitha Vellian and Suraj Jagadeesh. Playing the pirate were Elisabeth Siegel, Aashika Balaji and Lisa Liu. “It really was a

group effort,” said performing arts teacher Jennifer Cowgill, who acted as stage and music director. “All of the fifth graders played pirates and worked together as an ensemble of singers and actors.” Not to be outdone were the faculty and staff performers who played

the rival pirate troupe, consisting of K-Gr. 5 dean of students Joe Connolly, Gr. 4-5 division head Kristin Giammona, Gr. 4 English and Gr. 4-5 study skills teacher Katie Molin, Gr. 4-5 math teacher Diane Plauck, Gr. 5 social studies teacher Rob Regan, assistant K-Gr. 5 math chair Eileen Schick, assistant K-Gr. 8 English chair Kate Shanahan and Gr. 5 math teacher Pat Walsh. In the scene, a group of army commando pirates invade the enemy ship to sabotage their chances at the song and dance competition. After the student pirates threaten to make their rivals walk the plank, an agreement is reluctantly reached.

“It was a wonder ful experience to work with the kids and to watch them take ownership of the show,” Cowgill said. “The fifth grade show is not only an opportunity for the kids to learn about

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

singing and acting, but it is also an oppor tunity for them to work together as a team and to contribute to a result that they could only achieve when working together as a large group.”

The Harker News provides timely information, news and features about the Harker community to current and alumni Harker families. Editor: Pam Dickinson; Asst. Editor: William Cracraft; Copy Editors: Catherine Snider, Lauri Vaughan; Writer: Zach Jones; Production: Blue Heron Design Group, Triple J Design; Photos: Mark Tantrum, unless noted; Contributor: Stephanie Woolsey; Printing: Carol Sosnowski; Mailing Coordinator: Desiree Mitchell. Harker News — March 09