The Harker School: 2023 K-12 Brochure

welcome to harker

A Learning Environment Like No Other

At Harker, we help students discover their unique talents and passions through a world-class education and a community that inspires children to be kind, compassionate human beings.

Focusing on the whole student means offering an outstanding educational experience where every child is valued and supported. This includes hiring outstanding faculty, providing deep academic opportunities, and offering an incomparable array of extracurriculars, including visual arts, performing arts, athletics, and more. Our programs of support – such as advisory, wellness and counseling – foster an environment that empowers students to follow their passions and pursue their interests at a deeper level. All of this is accomplished in a community that values their well-being and provides a safe space for them to express themselves and celebrate who they are and the unique gifts they possess.

While we are incredibly proud of the fact that since 1893 Harker students have gone on to achieve great success in their colleges and careers, we are most proud to see our students lead lives of purpose and passion and demonstrate a commitment to making the world a better place.

We invite you to be a part of our unique and inspiring community!

Brian Yager, Head of School

“ Harker remains the most significant professional and personal influence on me. Harker provided me with the study skills to succeed in school, and more important, the ethics and values to succeed in life.”

John Owens

’85 John is a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He is currently the youngest serving federal appellate court judge in the nation.

lead the way

Since its founding in 1893, The Harker School has been on a mission to make students uncommonly prepared for college and beyond, and enthusiastic about future possibilities.

Prepared for success in an ever-changing world

Renowned for instilling lifelong qualities of inquisitiveness, critical thinking and leadership, Harker has been on the leading edge of educational excellence since the day it was founded.

For more than 125 years, our campuses and curriculum have continually evolved, incorporating the latest best practices, creating the innovative programs, and building the state-of-the-art facilities that have earned Harker its reputation for offering the most dynamic K-12 learning experience in Silicon Valley.

From our innovative lower school methodologies to a university-quality upper school campus, Harker students dive deep into a rich array of academic and extracurricular programs that develop young adults prepared for success in today’s global society.

“

I am impressed with Harker’s individual approach to students: The teachers make the effort to learn who each student is - how they are motivated and what their individual learning style is - and then factor all that into account to address the needs of each.”

Alina Gicqueau, parent

inspire passion

Outstanding teachers, small classes

When learning is inspired, exploring becomes excelling. We search nationwide for our faculty, then select and retain those who demonstrate the ability to bring out the best in our students. Many hold advanced degrees; each is passionate about teaching and focused on individual student success.

Individualized curriculum, inspired learners

As a student’s interests and talents evolve, each is evaluated for the course placement that will best engage and inspire them to personal and academic excellence.

Our proven teaching techniques and comprehensive support systems ensure that high expectations are met through a nurturing balance of challenge and encouragement. It’s an approach proven successful to instill students with confidence, resilience and poise.

“ Harker provides the best combination of top quality academic and extracurricular programming, dedicated and caring faculty, incredible resources and facilities, and a vibrant community that anyone living in the Silicon Valley could ever hope to share with their child. ”

Bill Stevenson, parent

discover talents

Where opportunities become accomplishments

We help students hone talents they never knew they had – ones which they will always be grateful to have discovered. Our richly diverse offerings encourage students to pursue interests outside the classroom where extracurricular activities can become the accomplishments that inspire a lifelong joy of learning.

Outside the classroom: from STEM to strings

Our K-8 after-school program offers a myriad of learning adventures, including Mandarin, yoga, violin, cooking, storytelling, athletics, robotics, debate and Japanese anime; the middle school additionally has dozens of clubs and programs.

The upper school boasts an amazing array of more than 100 student clubs, enriching electives, extracurricular activities, and programs from competitive sports to powerful research projects.

Whether it’s our earth-conscious Green Team or

the

forward-thinking Future Problem Solvers, Harker students are empowered to implement ideas for clubs and introduce initiatives that reflect their own interests and passions to make a real impact in the world.

“

I was able to to explore every aspect of performing in ways that I couldn’t have foreseen when I chose Harker for its academic rigor. Having the breadth of performing experience from Harker gave me tremendous confidence that paid dividends in my performing life.”

Gabrielle DeMers ’03

Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and a Master of Music in opera performance from the University of Maryland, College Park. She currently performs with and is on the board of the Bizarre Noir Theatre Company.

perform and create

The chance to share their gifts with others

Nurturing the creative spirit in children, and giving them lots of opportunities to share their gifts with others, plays a vital role in their development and teaches them how to be part of something greater than themselves. And knowing, for instance, that music also fosters math comprehension in early learners (just as athletics help promote strong character development) it’s easy to see that your child’s chance to participate in extracurricular activities isn’t anything other than essential.

That’s why Harker students perform in 25 major events each year – from musicals to dramas to concerts. Our groups have even been invited to perform internationally, including five times at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.

An annual artist in residence program brings in renowned artists from around the world to inspire our budding artists.

The opportunity to grow

Through an array of opportunities they wouldn’t have elsewhere, and in ways they would never have otherwise imagined, Harker students discover and nurture their own talents, develop self-confidence and unleash their creative potential.

Tanya Schmidt ’08

Tanya is a Santa Clara University graduate and played professional volleyball in Germany and Belgium. She has a master’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University, and is currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

“

I still draw inspiration from my athletic experience at Harker, and our journey to the state championships!”

compete and grow

Eagle spirit: character with a competitive edge

Teamwork, sportsmanship, dedication and leadership are the cornerstones of our athletic program. From the very start, our programs focus on character development and are designed to instill positive attitudes, strong core values and the habits of healthy living.

Each campus features extensive athletic facilities and playing fields, from a lower school swimming pool to the upper school’s state-of-the-art Singh Aquatic Center and 33,000-square-foot athletic center.

Eagle athletic offerings include football, soccer, volleyball, swimming, softball and lacrosse, to name a few. We participate in the South Valley Athletic League, West Bay Athletic League, Bay Football League and others. Year after year our sports teams have earned league and tournament championships in a wide range of sports activities.

Whether student athletes pursue sports for pure enjoyment or have a desire to compete at the collegiate level, we provide the guidance, leadership and support they need to get and keep their game on. Go Eagles!

Surbhi earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She founded venture-backed nVision Medical in 2009 to develop technology to more quickly detect ovarian cancer. The medical device that resulted received FDA approval in 2015.

“ Harker had a lot to do with my drive to be an entrepreneur and I’m grateful for all of the teachers who inspired me while I was there. It was a fantastic journey.”

Surbhi Sarna ’03

expand horizons

Worldly views

Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the core of our mission and philosophy at Harker. We are firmly dedicated to building, sustaining and retaining a safe, loving and inclusive environment for all through our educational opportunities for students, and our development opportunities for faculty, staff and parents. We embrace the conversations needed so that our students are equipped to be the changemakers needed in our country and throughout the world. In addition, our global education program has provided collaborative experiences with schools in 25 countries through projects or visits since the program began in 1993.

Impactful research

Research programs enable upper school students to pursue their passions through original, real-world research projects. The John Near and Mitra Family endowments allow students to engage in deep research in the humanities, and the annual Harker Research Symposium in the sciences provides deep, collegelevel research opportunities.

Business and entrepreneurship

Our business & entrepreneurship program prepares students to be emerging leaders in engineering, technology, finance, marketing, and hospitality tourism. A new incubator program offers unique opportunities to leverage the entrepreneurial engine of Silicon Valley.

“

Our kids are learning a lot, and have also made great friends. It shows because they are raring to go to school in the morning!”

Raghu Subramanian, parent

make lifelong friends

Our students cheer each other on in athletics, applaud their friends in school performances, celebrate the activities of the student-run clubs, and just enjoy hanging out together from morning to evening.

Schoolwide traditions

We have some long-held social traditions – such as our annual Harker Day in the fall – that bring students, faculty, parents and alumni together just to have a great time!

Campus communities

Lower school students take pride in sharing fun events with family and friends at our annual Hat Parade, Grandparents’ Day and Halloween parade. Harker’s Eagle Buddies program pairs grade 3 students with an upper school buddy. Fun buddy events are planned throughout the year, which has formed warm connections between our youngest and oldest students.

Middle school students cheer on their friends at sporting events and attend barbecues and dances, all ensuring that your pre-teen has plenty of opportunities to make friends, build confidence and have fun.

Upper school students form deep and lasting friendships at Harker, creating a warm, fun and supportive social life. Dozens of events like class competitions, spirit activities, events, dances and outings make for an engaging and exciting high school experience.

In addition to the academic rigor, Harker does a very good job of creating a caring and supportive community for the kids. It’s been really rewarding to see our son’s friends, who are seniors, support and encourage our 9th grade daughters. It really does feel like a family.”

Kurt Leafstrand, parent

nurture and thrive

Building a foundation of balance, wellness and resilience.

Harker students receive a world-class education within an intellectually challenging and supportive community. But to truly thrive we believe students also need to be healthy, self-aware, resilient and empathetic. The curriculum for developing these traits starts the moment students begin their journeys at Harker.

The lower school uses a curriculum called The Toolbox Project, which is designed to empower the children with 12 specific tools that will guide them in managing their own social, emotional and academic success.

Middle and upper school students are assigned to a faculty member’s advisory. They remain in that group throughout their time at that division. Advisories offer downtime to chat and play, to discuss topics of interest, give and receive guidance about wellness and social issues, and form a close-knit group of friends outside of one’s regular classes or pursuits.

At the upper school, the LIFE (Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm) program sponsors workshops throughout the year that help our students navigate through topics including healthy relationships, performance anxiety and college readiness.

Harker students encourage and support one another and celebrate each other’s efforts and successes with hugs, high-fives and applause. It’s a supportive, safe, fun and nurturing place where kids thrive.

“ Harker students are always curious to learn, enthusiastic to help and are really connected to the importance of giving back. You have a tremendous group of future leaders in your midst.”

—Sarah Uldricks, Camp Okizu’s director of marketing and special events

give back

We teach character development skills as a part of the regular curriculum, engaging our students to develop essential character traits including kindness, respect and integrity. With hands-on learning opportunities for character development both in the classroom and out in the community, students will have many options for participating in service and helping others.

Big hearts, kind souls

Students raise awareness and funds for both local and global issues, and they enthusiastically support each other in celebrating successes.

Immersed in an environment of integrity and respect, our students are generous, kind, considerate and thoughtful. They learn to think of others and have a desire to help those around them. No wonder college reps say, “Harker kids have soul!”

“

I’m grateful for the opportunity I had at Harker to explore so many areas that helped nurture my intellectual curiosity growing up, such as exploring different disciplines like art history and economics; participating in various after-school activities like volleyball and the school musical; and pursuing college-level advanced computer science courses that influenced my professional ambitions.”

Andy Fang

‘10, Co-founder, DoorDash

Grammy nominee Taylor Eigsti has appeared four times at the Harker Concert Series.

share with others

Harker Concert & Speaker Series

Harker invites visionaries, innovators and artists from a kaleidoscope of disciplines to share their talents and expertise with our students and the greater Bay Area.

Being green

At Harker, being green means more than wearing our school color. From earning a commendation for our “dedication to environmental stewardship” for helping to implement San Jose’s new recycling program, to opening the first LEED Gold certified school building in Santa Clara County, our commitment to sustainability runs deep.

Ready to change the world

To be a true global citizen is to understand the impact one person can have on the world. Our students are guided to become knowledgeable, ethical and responsible contributors to society, empowered with the desire to share their gifts and make a difference.

ABC7 News Anchor Cheryl Jennings interviewed author Khaled Hosseini at a 2012 Harker Speaker Series event.

“

It’s been an awesome 13 years at Harker! I will miss every part of Harker so dearly, but I am happy that I will always be welcomed back home. I’m a ‘Lifer,’ I love Harker, and go Eagles!”

Vikas Bhetanabhotla ’14

Vikas is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and is a cloud security software engineer at Palo Alto Networks.

celebrate community

K through life

Harker is a vibrant community where rich traditions and special events bring students, faculty, parents and alumni together to form deep and lasting connections.

Parents connect through volunteer opportunities, parent coffees, education events, luncheons and more, forming valuable friendships and support along the way.

We treasure our alumni and stay closely connected through nationwide social opportunities, reunions and mentoring programs.

Finally, our annual Harker Day, attended by nearly 2,000 people each year, brings the entire community together for our homecoming game, performances and celebrating everything that makes Harker special. It is a favorite and long-held tradition!

Join us!

connect with us

We invite you to become a part of the Harker community. Whether it’s to attend Harker, participate in an event or become a mentor, we welcome you to join our commitment to excellence in education.

General: 408.249.2510 | communications@harker.org | www.harker.org

Admission: admission@harker.org

Summer Programs: summerinfo@harker.org

Harker News Online: http://news.harker.org

The Harker School | K-12 College Prep | Summer

Upper School 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129

Middle School 4525 Union Avenue., San Jose, CA 95124

Lower School 4300 Bucknall Road, San Jose, CA 95130

“

For our daughter to attend the new middle school is the sweetest homecoming I could wish for her. And to be buoyed by such a remarkable community is a blessing and an opportunity for which we are forever grateful. The new campus reflects the spirit, innovation, creativity and grace of the Harker family.”

Julie Sachse ‘88, parent