Harker Quarterly Summer 2016

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Starts Work on New Centers

Priscilla Chan Gives Heartfelt Speech to Grads Preschool Buddies Programs: Cute, Fun and Full of Learning Harker’s Golf Juggernaut Builds Momentum Ogre Awards Celebrate 20 Years of Storytelling S U M M E R 2 016

VOLU M E 7 ¡ N U M B E R 4

CoverPhoto

About Harker

F

rom its early beginnings in 1893 — when Stanford University leaders assisted in its es-

tablishment — to its reputation today

T

he historic groundbreaking of our theater and gym project on the upper school campus on May 3 was a day of dirt, drones, gold shovels, confetti and

celebration. Donors, students, teachers, board members

as a leading preparatory school with

and others turned over the first shovels of dirt, initiating

graduates attending prestigious uni-

the 15-month construction cycle. The group in this photo,

versities worldwide, Harker’s mission

by Harker photographer Mark Kocina, represents student

has remained constant: to create an

athletes, performers and class officers. The short ceremony,

environment that promotes academic

which included the entire upper school student body,

excellence, inspires intellectual curi-

featured heartfelt speeches by administrators and faculty,

osity, expects personal accountability and forever instills a genuine passion

and the excited anticipation of the students to use these new facilities (as shown on these faces)!

for learning. Whether striving for aca-

The gathering finished up with cheers and a blast of confetti as a drone flew overhead to catch

demic achievement, raising funds for

the whole panorama – a fitting start for a momentous project!

global concerns, performing on stage

UnderConstruction

or scoring a goal, Harker students en-

I

courage and support one another and celebrate each other’s efforts and successes, at Harker and beyond. Harker is a dynamic, supportive, fun and

t’s a construction site! The upper school campus is a bustle of heavy equipment and construction workers as the ground is prepared for the building of the performing arts and athletic centers, and everything seems so big! Big tractors, big empty space,

big trees waiting in the wings to be replanted. It’s a big job! We’ll be posting video

nurturing community where kids and

and photos and reporting progress via Harker News (news.harker.org), Instagram

their families make friends for life.

(www.instagram.com/harkerschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/harkerschool) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/harkerschool), so stay tuned this summer for construction updates along with our usual student updates!

S U M M E R

Pam Dickinson Director William Cracraft Editor Catherine Snider Jenn Maragoni Copy Editors Mark Kocina Photo Editor Blue Heron Design Rebecca McCartney Triple J Design Design

Greg Achten Jenny Alme Stefan Armijo Debbie Cohen Nicole DeVelbiss Zach Jones Mark Kocina Chris Nikoloff Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell Theresa Smith Jennifer Walrod Contributors

2 0 1 6

/

V O L U M E

·

N U M B E R

Subscribe to Harker News and get the latest daily updates. Visit www.harker.news.org.

Find, Friend & Follow Us!

Join us for tweets, videos, announcements, photo sharing and more! http://www.facebook.com/harkerschool http://www.youtube.com/harkerschool http://twitter.com/harkerschool http://www.flickr.com/groups/harkerschool http://instagram.com/harkerschool/

Prefer to Read Harker Quarterly Online?

HARKER QUARTERLY AWARDS

You can opt out of receiving Harker Quarterly by mail and just read it online at https://issuu.com/ theharkerschool. To be removed from the mailing list, email us at communications@harker.org.

The Harker School is an independent, coed, college-prep school serving preschool through grade 12.

Preschool: 4525 Union Ave., San Jose, CA 95124 K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130 Grades 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117 Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 Published four times a year, Harker Quarterly showcases some of the top news, leading programs, inspiring people and visionary plans of the greater Harker community.

Produced by the Harker Office of Communication 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 communications@harker.org · 408.345.9273 NEXT EDITION: SEPTEMBER 2016

2

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

4

Printed on partially recycled paper

Diamond Quality Printing Printing

Winner of CASE silver and bronze awards, and two Marcom platinum awards.

7

S U M M E R 2 016

inside

18 SUMMER 2016

features

Priscilla Chan Speaks at Graduation

8

Harker’s Annual Harvest Festival is Coming!

12

12

Preschool Buddies Programs: Cute, Fun and Full of Learning 14

Ogre Awards Celebrate 20 Years of Storytelling

25

32

Harker’s Golf Juggernaut Builds Momentum

8

14

departments

Headlines 4

Performing Arts

18

Harker Speaker Series

24

Eagle Report

28

32

Business & Entrepreneurship 36

Milestones 37

Global Education

38

Advancement 40

38

25

8

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

3

Headlines

By Christopher Nikoloff Head of School

2016 GRADUATION ADDRESS

‘Take and Make’ Your Life

G

ood morning. I would like to welcome the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family, alumni, and the true guests of honor, the graduating Class of 2016. Each year, I have the privilege of saying a few words of farewell to our graduates. Like most graduation speeches, my talk takes the form of advice. Previous titles include “Love Like a Labrador” and “Dare to Singletask.” Last year’s talk was titled “Let’s Get Philosophical.” Parents almost stormed the stage thinking I might have been encouraging their children

to major in philosophy. Since my talk is the only remaining formality between you and your diploma, I will continue the tradition of confining my remarks to one page of single-space, size-12 font. I will continue, however, to make no promises about the size of my margins.

Today I want to offer some advice that also might incite parents to storm the stage. My advice to you is to drop any concept you have about who you should be in the future. Definitely do not have an ideal of who you should be or what you should do. Yes, you can have goals and plans, but just don’t get too attached to them. Use them but do not let them use you.

I am calling this the “take and make” model of life. I will explain that name later, but I am not above admitting that

You are taking and making your life as you go, and who knows what ripples throughout eternity you will create?

I needed something catchy. The words “take and make” have the mnemonic advantage of rhyming with each other. They also rhyme with the memorable phrase “shake and bake,” which is a famous basketball move or a tasty method of making chicken.

Now what do I mean by “take and make”? Everyone talks about “making” our lives, but no one mentions “taking” our lives. I find this uncanny, because life provides abundant evidence that the “make” model of life is incomplete.

By “take” I do not mean steal. By “take” I mean accept. And by “accept” I do not mean “resignation.” I mean a more active acceptance, the way a Warriors

teammate “accepts” a pass from Steph Curry. (I promised my boys I would sneak in a Warriors reference.) Hence my advice to you today is to “take and make” your life, or the less catchy “accept and make” your life.

To illustrate what I mean, allow me to engage in some audience participation. I will ask the adults in the audience a question. Adults, if today your life path, including your career, has taken the exact course you imagined when you were 18, raise your hand. Keep them high. Graduates, look around. I want this picture to be seared in your memory for the rest of your lives. Your life will take unexpected, unplanned, unnecessary, unfruitful and even unpleasant turns, and there is no way you can know where you will be or what you will be doing. This is a good thing. Start with being born – you didn’t know that would happen, did you? Much of what else happened probably surprised you, too. But you took what came

4

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Headlines and made the best of it – and now you are here. This is just the beginning, and that is why we call it “commencement.” The beginning of what? We don’t really know.

In philosophical terms, making your life is an existential point of view; taking your life is a fatalistic point of view. I say both viewpoints are true: you make your life but only after it is handed to you. Ben Horowitz, founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, in a commencement address at Columbia University, advised graduates not to follow their passion, but to follow their contribution. How do you know what your contribution will be? You don’t, but life will show you as you go. It is showing you now as we speak. Or as I speak. Your life is your contribution, and you have more than begun it.

You are taking and making your life as you go, and who knows what ripples throughout eternity you will create? Some ripples already created you. That is why you are ripply. “Ripply” is not a word, but I needed a surprise right about now.

The great philosopher Schopenhauer said that our life is like a mosaic. A mosaic cannot be understood when viewed up close – we need to have distance and perspective to understand its totality. He also said that most of us miss our lives while waiting for it, planning for it. The poet Randall Jarrell put it this way: “The ways we miss our lives are life.” So do not overly plan, do not wait for some undefined future, because you will miss important cues life is sending you, or you will miss life itself. Life will come, and all you need to do is take it and make it what you will.

If you take and make your life, you will not only find many unexpected wonders, you will see that you too are one of those many wonders.

Pho to b

yM

ark

Koc ina

Thank you.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

5

P R O M OT I O N S

Grade 8 Students

Bid Fond Farewell to Middle School

By Debbie Cohen

E

dean. Next up was a beautiful performance of the song “Seize the Day” by Harmonics and Vivace, the middle school vocal groups directed by Monica Colletti and Maryloie Espinoza, and Hart, respectively.

Parents and students were shepherded into the gym, accompanied by the music of the Grade 6 Orchestra, under the direction of Dave Hart. Cindy Ellis, middle school head, welcomed the students and congratulated them on reaching this important milestone and beginning a new stage in their academic lives.

Outgoing ASB president Avi Gulati delivered a “Farewell to Middle School” address followed by an encouraging challenge for the rising high schoolers by Scott Kley Contini, middle school learning, innovation and design director, computer science teacher and Class of 2020 advisory

Photos by Mark Kocina

very year, the grade 8 promotion ceremony heralds the eighth graders’ exciting transition to high school.

Held in the middle school gym on June 2, the ceremony poignantly marked the end of the students’ middle school years.

A welcome address to the Class of 2020 was delivered by rising senior Sandip Nirmel, who will be next year’s upper school ASB president.

Following that, the eighth graders received their promotion certificates from Chris Nikoloff, head of school, along with Ellis, who made some warm closing remarks.

you for all the support they have provided and the singing of “The Harker School Song,” followed by a recessional and wellattended reception in the amphitheater.

Ellis also created a small gift – a dragonfly charm attached to a note explaining how the insect’s metamorphosis is a symbol for the students’ tremendous transformation during middle school. Along with the token, a personal note of appreciation to each family was distributed as the parents exited the ceremony.

The ceremony concluded, as in years past, with the students giving a rousing round of applause to their families as a thank

Grade 5 Students Receive Warm Send-Off During

Promotion Ceremony

By Debbie Cohen

G

rade 5 students received a warm send-off at a touching promotion ceremony held in the late afternoon on June 1 in the lower school gymnasium.

Members of the Class of 2023 officially ended their time as lower school students during the ceremony, which opened with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by class president Alexander Lan. Kristin Giammona, elementary division head, then greeted the students, parents and faculty in attendance and congratulated the students on this exciting next step in their academic careers.

Photos by Mark Kocina

The grade 4-6 dance group Dance Fusion, directed by Gail Palmer, delighted the audience with

6

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

a performance to the song “Dancing on the Ceiling.” Following that, a slideshow recapping the school year was shown before the excited students walked up to receive their promotion certificates.

Kellie Binney-Smart, lower school choral music teacher, led the newly promoted students in the songs “Stand By Me” and the “The Harker School Song,” after which incoming middle school ASB president and rising grade 8 student Jason Lin gave a speech welcoming the newest middle schoolers. Binney-Smart then offered a heartwarming send-off to the class.

Giammona closed the ceremony with a final farewell. The students and their guests then enjoyed a reception featuring a “Class of ’23” cake and other treats.

B A C C A L A U R E AT E

Graduates Wish Rising Seniors Well at

Baccalaureate Ceremony

By Zach Jones

H

arker’s annual baccalaureate ceremony on May 18 offered the Class of 2016 a chance to say their goodbyes and welcome the juniors into their new roles as leaders. Attendees gathered at the upper school campus quad, as the upper school vocal group Cantilena serenaded the audience with its wistful yet spirited version of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” followed by a stirring Harker String Orchestra performance of the first movement from Ottorino Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite 3.”

College counselor Martin Walsh, who was chosen by the seniors as this year’s faculty speaker, asked both the soon-to-be graduates and soon-to-be seniors not to be wary of ceremony.

Recalling a helicopter ride to Kazakhstan, he said, “I had finally made that mythical

transition into adulthood. In retrospect, I desperately needed that helicopter ride. Up to that point in my life I was sleepwalking through all of life’s ceremonies.” He then urged the students to “not sleepwalk through your ceremony,” as it, like the helicopter ride, is an important signifier of change.

“Something big is happening here.”

Edward Sheu, grade 12, delivered the student farewell, recalling his time as an aspiring water polo player who felt nervous for having to wear a Speedo. He eventually relented and tried one on, only to find “a shorts tan so blinding it was like two marble and diamond pillars sitting above my knees.”

Despite his initial uneasiness, Sheu pressed

on. “Water polo went on to be an activity that taught me work ethic, teamwork, perseverance and other values that made me into who I am today.” His story contained a valuable lesson for both the graduating seniors and the juniors about how to push past their apprehensions in pursuit of their passions.

Photos by Mark Kocina

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

7

G R A D U AT I O N

2016 HAS MOMEN F O TO SS A US CL

Graduation Ceremony

By Zach Jones

YO U A R E TO O G O O D TO B E FO R G OT T E N

By Zach Jones

T

he Class of 2016 received a grand send-off at this year’s commencement exercises, held at the beautiful Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Graduates, the board of trustees, families and faculty came together one last time for a special evening of inspiring words and lifelong memories.

In her speech, valedictorian Anika Mohindra confessed that she found it “ironic that they ask the person who has presumably spent the most time holed up in a room studying to give you life advice.”

After cleverly enumerating all the possible nuggets of academic and career advice she could give, Mohindra remarked on the many talents of her classmates and how they’ve likely been reminded of those talents many times. However, she added, “Talent doesn’t breed success or, more importantly, fulfillment. Talent simply means that you have an inherent knack for doing something – a natural skill.”

It was passion, however, that truly set her classmates apart, she said. “We can be good at things – talent – but not enjoy doing them. We might not be so good at other things but still enjoy doing them. And that’s a much better place to start, efan Armijo oto by St because ifPh you’re truly passionate about something, you will be able to push yourself to work hard, to improve and to attain success by our traditional standards.”

Commencement speaker Priscilla Chan, co-chair of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (which seeks to promote equality in health, education, scientific research and

Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

8

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

G R A D U AT I O N

Allaying the anxieties typically facing high school graduates, Chan told the class not to panic in response to questions about college and careers. “The answer isn’t necessarily the path towards a specific job or title,” she said. “The world changes too fast for that.

Rather, focus yourself on the change that you want to see in the world. Take on what’s most interesting to you. Take lots of risks.

Ask for help. Believe in yourself and ask others to take a bet on you.”

Toward the end of her speech, Chan presented the elementary school yearbook from the last year she taught at Harker and read a few heartwarming messages that some of her students – sitting before her now as almost-graduates – had written for her as she left Harker to begin medical school. “Good luck. I really, really hope you graduate. (You probably will.)” wrote Namitha Vellian. “Too good to be forgotten,” scribbled Naomi Molin.

“Class of 2016,” said Chan, choking back tears, “you are too good to be forgotten.”

Head of School Chris Nikoloff, the final speaker, delved into what he called the “take and make” model of life. “By ‘take,’ I mean accept, and by ‘accept’ I do not mean resignation. I mean a more active

acceptance, the way a Warriors teammate accepts a pass from Steph Curry,” he said.

“I promised my boys I would sneak in a Warriors reference.”

To illustrate this concept, he asked the adults in attendance to raise their hands if their lives had gone the way they imagined they would when they were 18 years old. When, inevitably, no hands were raised, he told the graduates to look around. “Your life will take unexpected, unplanned, unnecessary, unfruitful and even unpleasant turns, and there is no way you can know where you will be or what you will be doing,” he continued. “This is a good thing. Start with being born – you didn’t know what would happen, did you?”

Following Nikoloff’s speech, the graduates walked to the stage one by one to receive their diplomas, greeted by joyous applause when each name was announced.

After the last name had been called, the graduates flipped the tassels on their caps to commemorate their accomplishments and all at once threw their caps in the air, chanting: “Twen-ty-six-teen! Twen-ty-six-teen!” The ceremony officially ended with released doves rising to the sky to symbolize the graduates’ trek into the wide world beyond high school.

See Harker’s Facebook page for more photos and a short video clip!

Photos by Mark Kocina unless otherwise noted

other areas) and a former Harker teacher, recognized some of her former students among the graduates.

Photo by Stefan Armijo

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

9

TRADITIONS

Amherst College........................................................................................................... 1 Boston University......................................................................................................... 3 Brown University.......................................................................................................... 3 Butler University........................................................................................................... 1 California Institute of Technology.............................................................................. 4 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.................................................... 1 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo...................................... 1 Carnegie Mellon University........................................................................................ 3 Chapman University.................................................................................................... 2 Claremont McKenna College...................................................................................... 2 Colorado College.......................................................................................................... 1 Columbia University..................................................................................................... 3 Cornell University......................................................................................................... 5 De Anza College ......................................................................................................... 1 Drexel University.......................................................................................................... 2 Duke University............................................................................................................ 3 Emory University.......................................................................................................... 2 Emory University - Oxford College............................................................................ 2 Georgia Institute of Technology................................................................................. 1 The George Washington University.......................................................................... 1 Georgetown University................................................................................................ 1 Harvard University....................................................................................................... 2 Hawaii Pacific University............................................................................................ 1 Indiana University at Bloomington............................................................................ 1 Johns Hopkins University............................................................................................ 2 Macalester College....................................................................................................... 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology..................................................................... 7 Mills College.................................................................................................................. 1 Mount Holyoke College............................................................................................... 1 New York Film Academy............................................................................................. 1 New York University................................................................................................... 10 Northeastern University ............................................................................................. 1 Northwestern University............................................................................................. 2 Occidental College....................................................................................................... 1 Pitzer College................................................................................................................ 1 Pomona College............................................................................................................ 1 Princeton University..................................................................................................... 2 Purdue University......................................................................................................... 2 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute................................................................................ 2 Rice University.............................................................................................................. 2 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology...................................................................... 1 Salve Regina University.............................................................................................. 1 San Jose City College................................................................................................... 1 Santa Clara University................................................................................................. 7 Southern Methodist University.................................................................................. 1 Stanford University...................................................................................................... 9 Stevens Institute of Technology................................................................................. 1 Tufts University............................................................................................................. 3 University of Chicago................................................................................................... 4 University College London.......................................................................................... 1 University of California, Berkeley.............................................................................17 University of California, Los Angeles........................................................................ 3 University of California, Irvine................................................................................... 1 University of California, San Diego............................................................................ 1 University of California, Santa Barbara.................................................................... 1 University of California, Santa Cruz........................................................................... 2 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign............................................................ 7 University of Maryland, College Park........................................................................ 1 University of Michigan................................................................................................. 3 University of Notre Dame............................................................................................ 1 University of the Pacific............................................................................................... 1 University of Pennsylvania......................................................................................... 4 University of Puget Sound........................................................................................... 1 University of Redlands................................................................................................ 1 University of Southern California.............................................................................. 9 University of St. Andrews........................................................................................... 1 University of Toronto.................................................................................................... 1 The University of Texas, Austin.................................................................................. 2 University of Washington............................................................................................ 3 University of Wisconsin, Madison............................................................................. 2 Virginia Commonwealth University.......................................................................... 1 Washington University in St. Louis........................................................................... 2 Wesleyan University.................................................................................................... 1 Whitman College.......................................................................................................... 1 Whittier College............................................................................................................ 1 Worcester Polytechnic Institute................................................................................. 1 Yale University.............................................................................................................. 3

10

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Commemorates Students’ Years at Harker

Photos by Mark Kocina

The Class of 2016 Matriculates

Annual Brick Ceremony

By Debbie Cohen

M

embers of the Class of 2016 and their parents gathered at Graduates’ Grove on the upper school campus in late May for the annual brick ceremony, where dozens of graduating seniors placed bricks in the walkway to commemorate their years at Harker.

Each year, the bricks are laid in the path, which winds through Graduates’ Grove, past a babbling brook and fountain and among towering redwood trees, a tangible reminder of those who’ve come before.

This Harker tradition was started by the parents of the first class of upper school graduates in 2002. It has since become a way for graduating students to preserve the memories of their time at Harker, while serving as a reminder of their legacy for future graduates.

Placing bricks in the grove at this year’s ceremony were: Sachit Agarwal, Shalini Arimilli, Sorjo Banerjee, Akshay Battu, Jonathan Dai, Victoria Ding, Emma Doherty, Elizabeth Anne Edwards, Kaitlyn Gee, Arthur Wolff Goldstein, Prithvi Gudapati, Cynthia Vivian Hao, Jonathan Hochberg, Shannon Hong, Kevin Hu, Kaylan Huang, Raghav Jain, John Nicolas Jerney, Kevin Ke, Johnathon Keller, Malvika Khanna, Mehul Khetrapal, Philip Krause, Lawrence Li, Lisa Liu, Sophia Y. Luo, Alex Lyon, Dhanush Madabusi, Sadhika Malladi, Shreya Mathur, Natasha Mayor, Dakota McNealy, Michael Moncton, Melina Nakos, Kristen Park, Shannon Richardson, Jackiel Rothschild, Edward Y. Sheu, Elisabeth Siegel, Ameek Singh, Surya Solanki, Sai Shreya Sunkara, Chandini Thakur, Allison Wang, Tong Wu, Kevina Xiao, Daphne Yang, Richard Yi, Jonathan Yiu, Michael Zhao and Ashley Zhong.

TRADITIONS

Harker Lifers Dinner

By Zach Jones

O

n the day before graduation and immediately following the baccalaureate ceremony, 35 “lifers” – students who attended Harker from kindergarten through their senior year – gathered at the home of Head of School Chris Nikoloff for the annual Lifer Dinner. Upon arriving at the home by bus, the students enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and dessert, the latter of which came in the form of a cake with an edible photo of the lifers on it. The seniors had a lively discussion about their Harker experiences and even broke into an impromptu rendition of “The Harker School Song” to cap things off.

Parents Celebrate

Graduating Students in Two Separate Events

By Debbie Cohen

This year’s lifers are: Aashika Balaji, Akshay Battu, Caitlin Benge, Rishabh Chandra, Jonathan Dai, Marita Del Alto, Alexandra Dellar, Emma Doherty, Kaitlyn Gee, Eliot Gruzman, Grace Guan, Suraj Jagadeesh, John Nicolas Jerney, Maya Jeyendran, Kevin Ke, Abhinav Ketineni, Janet Lee, Natasha Mayor, Mary Najibi, Rishi Narain, Selin Ozcelik, Kristen Park, Nikita Ramoji, Shannon Richardson, Kurt Schwartz, Ankita Sharma, Elisabeth Siegel, Natalie Simonian, Gurutam Thockchom, Madison Tomihiro, Allison Wang, Kevin Wang, Helen Woodruff, Aparna Yellapragada and Jonathan Yiu.

Class of 2016 Enjoys Sun, Sand and Disneyland onSenior Trip

By Zach Jones

H

arker seniors and their advisors spent a memorable three days in Laguna Beach for this year’s senior trip, held May 14-17. The advisors spent the first evening of the trip at a special dinner, reflecting on the Photo provided by Gabriele Stahl four years they had spent seeing the students grow into seniors. The next day, the entire group invaded Disneyland and California Adventure, where they played a game of tag in which each student was given another student as a target. Upper school math teacher and chaperone Anthony Silk called the game “a huge success, with students running all over both parks looking for each other.” The following day, the students enjoyed leisure time on the beach, including volleyball, sand castle building and just plain relaxation. Before leaving home, the students enjoyed an evening of live comedy, games, magic and karaoke.

At the annual Harker Senior Moms’ Luncheon, held in the gym, mothers of graduating seniors enjoyed a delicious meal served by the moms of juniors, while surrounded by collages commemorating the students’ academic journeys. During the event, mothers took to the podium to share memories of their children’s Harker experiences.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Photo by Mark Kocina

T

he mood was bittersweet as parents of seniors gathered to mark their students’ final days at Harker, during a pair of celebrations for moms and dads held on the afternoon and evening of May 16.

“Drink in this [graduation] week … it is a beautiful and special time,” Chris Nikoloff, head of school, advised the moms in attendance.

Later in the day, fathers enjoyed a new event of their own: Dads of Grads. The evening gathering, held on the quad, was a casual barbecue for all upper school fathers, with fathers of freshman, sophomores and juniors hosting the senior dads.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

11

2016

66th Annual Family & Alumni Picnic

K R I CKS U O Y PICNIC

AT

GET

Photos by Mark Kocina

T

his year will mark the 66th annual Family & Alumni Picnic and promises to be a fabulous day of fun, food and festivities for the entire Harker community.

This year the event is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 9 on the middle school campus.

This year’s Harvest Festival will be fall-themed as usual, but with a twist. Celebrating its 66th year, the picnic will head down famed Route 66 (one of the U.S.’s most famous highways and a major pathway for those migrating West) with fall- and travel-themed activities and entertainment. The event will bring together Harker families, faculty, staff and alumni.

12

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

ON

!

9 O C T.

So save the date for this special day for the Harker community, put on for our families with the support of our dedicated volunteers and our terrific faculty and staff. It will be a fantastic day of fun for all ages!

Photos by Mark Kocina unless otherwise noted Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

Each year students flock to the picnic’s auction table to bid on fun outings sponsored by their enthusiastic teachers. Here’s a recap of three of those adventures!

Grade 2 teachers Mary Holaday and Hillaray Carroll enjoyed leading students on a trip to Felton, where they rode a 19th-century train through the redwoods. It was a day filled with lots of laughs with second graders Charlotte Ludlow, Sophia SchaferWharton, Kira Bardin and Bardin’s little brother, Reid, K. They spent the train ride learning about each other.

It was a perfect sunny day and a wonderful outing!

Holiday Lights

Surf and Boogie Board Lessons Photo provided by Carena Montany

Photo provided by Shelby Guarino and Kate Molin

Photo provided by Hillaray Carroll

Take a Ride on the Roaring Camp Railroad

Grade 4-5 teachers hosted a few lucky fifth graders on a walking tour through Willow Glen to enjoy the Christmas lights.

Jared Ramsey, Tobias Wade, Catherine Hsieh, Melanie Robinson, Katie Molin and Shelby Guarino had a festive tailgate with students Harper Brada, Rigo Gonzales, Ryan Jeffers, Sam Jonker, Jack Lyon, Aspen Shen, Stephen Xia and Isaac Yang.

On Memorial Day teachers Andrew Gersh, Jaja Hsuan and Carena Montany hit the beach in Santa Cruz with third graders Angelina Burrows, Julia Ernsting and Sofia Marino for a day of fun in the sun. With the help of their teachers, the girls caught countless waves, boogie boarding and surfing.

Each of them even stood up proudly on a surfboard for the first time! By the end of the day, students and teachers had smiles from ear to ear. What a great way to start the summer!

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016 13

Thanks

to several innovative buddies programs, Harker Preschool STEM students are becoming increasingly connected to the larger school community. The various programs bring “big kids” from the lower, middle and upper school campuses together with preschoolers for shared learning.

Math Buddies, a partnership with grade 5 math students, and Eco Buddies, an ecological program with grade 8 students, are both new this year. Meanwhile, STEM Buddies, a collaboration with the upper school’s WiSTEM club, has been happening for a number of years, serving as a role model for the new student mentoring programs.

Buddying

Up! 14

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

Harker Preschoolers Bond with Older Pals in Schoolwide buddies Programs

S U M M E R 2 016

By Debbie Cohen

BUDDYING UP

Grade 5 Students Mentor Preschoolers in Fun New Math Buddies Program On March 14, as math enthusiasts around the world celebrated Pi Day, students at Harker united in a math-based celebration of their own called Math Buddies.

favorite Math Buddies activities. Their big buddies, meanwhile, said they enjoyed traveling to the Union campus and spending time with the young mathematicians.

Math Buddies is a new partnership between Harker’s preschool and grade 5 students.

The group’s inaugural effort, a math fair, was held in the afternoon at the preschool’s STEM lab. The lower school big buddies presented hands-on math activities at various stations they had designed for Harker’s 4-year-old preschoolers and transitional kindergarten students.

“I think this is very fun and educational for young kids and I also think it would be

fun to continue next year,” said Keesha Gondipalli, grade 5.

“This was an amazing experience. It made math social and super fun!” agreed fifth grader Sara Bhowmick.

Schick said she was especially proud of the effort the fifth graders made to connect with their math buddies.

“All their hard work, creativity, initiative and dedication created a truly enriching, educational event. However, I was most impressed by how engaged the buddies were with the preschoolers. They addressed each preschooler by name, got down to eye-level with them, and invited them to participate. In other words, I could not ask for a better result!” said Schick.

“Pi Day was made especially memorable for students at the preschool,” said Robyn Stone, the preschool’s STEM specialist.

“Lower school students brought their passion and enthusiasm for math to introduce pi and other mathematics concepts to our young learners.”

“This was an amazing experience.

It made math social and super fun!”

In math circles, March 14 (3.14) is known as Pi Day in honor of the number representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. “So, it was a natural date for us to select,” Stone added.

Working in small groups under the guidance of Eileen Schick, lower school math lab teacher, 20 fifth graders developed handson, developmentally appropriate math games and activities for their younger pals.

They also committed six lunch periods to creating posters and working on a script for how to engage with preschoolers.

– Sara Bhowmick, grade 5

Transitional kindergarten student Julia Ho recalled that her favorite activity was “making a pattern bead bracelet.”

Meanwhile, 4-year-old Zayd Ahmed said he “liked the bean bag game.”

Other preschool students cited making a height kite, playing with Legos and dice, and making pattern block flowers as their

Photos by Mark Kocina

They then brought math activities (incorporating math concepts such as algebra, geometry, measurement, number/ operation and data analysis) to the preschool through themed stations including height kites, pattern block design, beading bracelets, number bean bag toss, Lego towers, fraction circles, color chip coding and match the shape. At the end of the program, each child received a “Math Buddies” sticker and a goody-bag filled with math prizes.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016 15

BUDDYING UP

Photo by Zach Jones

Preschool and Middle School Launch Eco Buddies Program on Earth Day On Earth Day, April 22, the entire Harker community celebrated by wearing green and engaging in environmental activities across all four campuses. At Harker Preschool, students used the occasion to launch a fun and educational new preschool/middle school program called Eco Buddies.

The largest buddies event yet, Eco Buddies was open to the entire preschool and united more than 50 eighth graders with 120 preschoolers. The event also marked the first time the preschool’s 3-year-olds had the opportunity to meet with students from another Harker campus.

“Eco Buddies is unique because it is a program for all of our preschoolers, even the youngest ones,” said Robyn Stone.

During the event, a collaborative effort between Stone and grade 8 biology teacher Kristen Morgensen ’93, the eighth graders presented hands-on ecology activities to their younger preschool pals.

“This whole experience meant so much on all levels – as a teacher getting to share the magic of our preschool with her own students, as a parent getting to watch her own child learn from the big kids, and

16

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

sharing the magic of our middle school students with the preschool community as a whole,” said Morgensen, who, in addition to being an alumna, is also a current preschool parent (3-year-old Teagan).

Both Morgensen and Stone thought Earth Day was a perfect day to launch the new Eco Buddies program, since events are held around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

“As a Green Committee member, I knew Harker was aiming for a schoolwide Earth Day celebration. Since Kristen and I are both science teachers, it seemed natural for us to collaborate on an Earth Day program,” said Stone.

“I wasn’t sure how many grade 8 students would make the commitment. They amazed me with how many volunteered and how excited they have been to participate!” recalled Morgensen.

The big buddies worked hard to create posters and activities for the different hands-on stations, which were grouped by ecological themes such as animal care, solar energy use, composting, wind energy, plant germination and water conservation.

S U M M E R 2 016

“It was really fun!” said Henry Wiese, grade 8. “It was really cool to see the preschoolers make connections between how real cars and solar toy cars move.”

Classmate Vedanth Sundaram agreed, noting, “It was really fun to watch the kids learn from the worm sock puppet about what goes in the green (wet) and blue (dry) [recycling] bins.”

Reflecting back on the day, transitional kindergartner Danya Arun said, “I liked making the bird house.”

“I liked filtering the dirty water and making it clean,” added classmate Hannah Micchelli.

Meanwhile, 4-year-old Aria Mehra reported enjoying “sprouting radish seeds.”

“I liked filtering the dirty water and making it clean.”

– Hannah Micchelli, transitional kindergarten

BUDDYING UP

Teens and Preschoolers Bond Over STEM Learning in Unique Buddies Program STEM Buddies days at Harker Preschool are always special, with students proudly donning buddy badges and taking turns filing excitedly into the science lab. There they have the unique opportunity to visit and interact with their upper school pals, who visit to share their love of all things STEM. Passing along the joy of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is the goal behind Harker’s innovative STEM Buddies program, which teams the school’s littlest learners with upper school students from the WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) club for fun, interactive learning through a series of themed workshops. At their first visit in 2013, club members presented each preschool student with a special button to wear during their time together.

Anita Chetty, upper school science department chair, and Robyn Stone came up with the winwin idea to pair members of WiSTEM with the preschoolers for hands-on STEM exploration.

Since then, the STEM Buddies workshops, held several times throughout the year for the 4- and 5-year-olds, have been a huge hit.

Each activity is focused around a particular topic or strand of STEM. The younger students are excited to have their big buddies visit, while the teens are gaining confidence about sharing and teaching complicated knowledge in ways that are simple to understand.

“This collaborative opportunity is aligned with WiSTEM’s mission to spread the love of STEM,” reported Chetty.

According to Stone, the workshops have proven to be the perfect fit for the preschool’s STEM specialty class, offering a balance between child-directed exploratory learning and WiSTEM-directed activities.

WiSTEM’s mission is to foster female students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to provide role models and mentors in those fields, and to educate the community about gender issues in the sciences. The club, which Chetty advises, sponsors guest lecturers, holds technical workshops for the Harker community led by

Photos by Mark Kocina

female scientists, and creates a network of female mentors – including Harker alumnae – working in STEM fields.

Last year, Harker Quarterly observed seven members of WiSTEM (current seniors Grace Cao, Alyssa Crawford, Shreya Mathur and Chandini Thakur and 2015 graduates Allison Kiang, Daniela Lee and Nitya Mani) as they traveled to the preschool campus to work with students on a series of STEM activities related to life science and the human body.

At one station on the skeletal system, the youngsters met an artificial skeleton named “Mr. Skelly” and participated in a “bone dance.”

Another station featured the muscular system, allowing the students to use a sensor to squeeze a muscle and determine how much force it exerted, as well as examine the muscles of a chicken wing. Yet another station, on the cardiovascular system, allowed the children to use a stethoscope to hear how their heart sounds before and after jumping; they were also able to view a dissected pig heart.

Wearing a white WiSTEM T-shirt, club member Cao was working in the muscle

station, measuring and graphing her younger buddies’ grip strength. She said she found the STEM Buddies event to be very enjoyable and the children to be outgoing and active participants. “I feel that the program is going really well. Teaching and interacting with preschoolers is a fun experience!” she added.

Other STEM Buddies events have revolved around chemistry, environmental science, space science, explorations in light/dark, human physiology, anatomy and mathematics.

The WiSTEM Club also put on a short musical for the preschool students about composting using worms (to reduce waste on the preschool campus).

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 17

PerformingArts

By Zach Jones

Conservatory Grads Bid Fond Farewell at 15th Senior Showcase

Graduating seniors honored at the event were:

Dance: Sharanya Balaji, Helena Dworak, Emily Pan, Ankita Sharma and Allison Wang.

Vocal music: Madhu Karra, Sahana Narayanan, Gurutam Thockchom and Helen Woodruff.

Musical theater: Rishabh Chandra, Mary Najibi, Rachel Renteria, Kaushik Sankar and Namitha Vellian.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Nearly three dozen seniors in the Harker Conservatory’s certificate program gave their final performances of the year and received their certificates at the 15th annual Senior Showcase, held May 13 at Foothill College’s Smithwick Theatre.

Each graduate of the Conservatory had spent their four years at the upper school focusing on one of six disciplines in the performing arts: dance, vocal music, musical theater, theater, instrumental music/ composition or technical theater.

Theater: Janet Lee, Naomi Molin, Melina Nakos and M.C. Smitherman.

Instrumental music composition: Jonathan Ta and Alice Wu.

Instrumental music: Victoria Ding, Andrew Kim, Kevin Min Hwan Kim, Jason Lee, Selin Ozcelik, Kristen Park, Nikhil Parmar, Elina Sendonaris, Daphne Yang and Jessica Zhu.

Technical theater: Zarek Drozda, Aishu Murari, Chandler Nelson and Shilpa Repakula.

Heartiest congratulations to all the Conservatory certificate graduates of 2016!

Upper School Choral Concert Features Spanish Songs and Modern Favorites Photo by Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell

18

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Upper school vocal groups Bel Canto, Camerata, Guys’ Gig, Cantilena, Acoustics and Downbeat took the stage at the Nichols Hall auditorium on April 29 for the final upper school choral concert of the year.

Titled “¡Yo le Canto!” the concert featured several songs sung in Spanish, from composers including Juan Ponce, Josquin des Prez and Carlos Benavides. The performers’ repertoire also included a number of popular modern songs, including Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” (performed by Downbeat, with accompaniment from senior Gurutam Thockchom on guitar and freshman Neil Ramasawamy on drums), Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” (performed by Guys’ Gig) and the finale, a performance of Billy Joel’s “River of Dreams”

by Downbeat and Bel Canto.

PerformingArts Middle school performers celebrated the work of Dr. Seuss during the production of “Seussical,” this year’s middle school spring musical, directed by Monica Colletti. The production stitched together characters and themes from Seuss’ most famous stories, including “Horton Hears a Who!” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Lorax.” The plot from “Horton,” in which an elephant tries to save the tiny people of Who-ville, made up most of the story, while themes from Seuss’ other works found their way into the songs.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Dr. Seuss’ Works Leap From the Pages in ‘Seussical’

In addition to the sturdy work of the performers, music director Maryloie Espinoza, set designer Paul Vallerga, costume designer Caela Fujii, lighting designer Spencer Doughtie and a host of others worked together to bring the world of Dr. Seuss to life, with crowd-pleasing results!

In late April, the kindergarten classes of teachers Katherine Lo, Grace Wallace, Kimberly Sandoval and Michelle Anderson held their annual kindergarten shows. Titled “Wing It” and directed by lower school music teacher Carena Montany, the shows followed the story of several baby birds who are hesitant to leave the nest but are convinced by their feathered friends to learn to fly so they can see the world beyond home.

Gail Palmer provided the choreography, while the costumes by Marilyn Watts and scenery by Whitney Pintello brought the aviary theme to life.

With the help of her grade 5 technical theater students, Danny Dunn kept all four shows running smoothly.

Photo by Mark Kocina

Young Performers Learn to Take Flight at Annual Kindergarten Show

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

19

PerformingArts Crowd Pleaser ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Rocks Blackford Theater Birdie (Emre Ezer, grade 11), who has just been drafted into the army. Conrad’s appearance in the town sets off a series of events involving jealous lovers, disapproving parents and plenty of funfilled musical numbers!

Photos by Mark Kocina

Weekend audiences took a fun-filled trip back to the late 1950s during the Harker Conservatory’s performances of “Bye Bye Birdie,” which ran April 15-17. Directed by Laura LangRee, this rollicking period piece takes place primarily in the fictional town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, where love-struck teenager Kim MacAfee (Mia Giammona, grade 11) wins a contest to receive a kiss from rock ’n’ roll heartthrob Conrad

Backed by a six-piece band (led by musical director Catherine Snider), the cast did a wonderful job realizing Charles Strouse’s score, which was splendidly interpreted by Katie O’Bryon’s choreography. Scenic designer Paul Vallerga, costume designer Caela Fujii and Harker’s go-to lighting designer Natti Pierce-Thomson brought their great instincts for visuals to the production.

“Bye Bye Birdie” was one of six nominees for Outstanding Overall Production at the 2016 Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors. They performed live at the Tony-like ceremony in San Jose in May 23. Zahra Budhwani, grade 11, was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress, as well.

Evening of Jazz Showcases Talents, Delights Audience

Photo by Stefan Armijo

Middle and upper school jazz musicians came together in mid-March for the 2016 Evening of Jazz at the Blackford Theater. The show featured the talents of the Grade 6 Jazz Band, Grade 7-8 Jazz Band and the upper school’s Lab Band, all directed by Dave Hart, as well as The Harker School Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio.

The folks in attendance were treated to works by the likes of Thad Jones, Horace Silver, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis. For the final number, all of the evening’s musicians appeared on stage to perform a rendition of Pee Wee Ellis’ “The Chicken.”

20

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

PerformingArts

The show featured the talents of the Bucknall Choir (directed by Kellie Binney-Smart and Carena Montany), the Lower School Jazz Ensemble (directed by Louis Hoffman), the First Year String Group (directed by Natachia Li and Pierre Dazin), the Lower School Orchestra (directed by Hoffman), the Guitar Group (directed

by Christopher Motter and Owen Stewart-Robertson), the Lower School String Ensemble (directed by Toni Woodruff) and the Preparatory String Ensemble (directed by Woodruff).

The students performed a wide variety of pieces, ranging from John Williams’ theme from “Star Wars” to selections from jazz greats Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane to traditional American folk tunes such as “Land of the Silver Birch” and “The Water is Wide.”

Sophomore Wins Full Scholarship to Prestigious Dance Program In April, sophomore Liana Wang was named one of 30 winners of an essay contest held by the New York City-based Joffrey Ballet School. As one of the winners (chosen from 1,200 entrants), and as an award-winning, accomplished dancer, Wang received a full scholarship to a two-week intensive jazz and contemporary dance program that will take place this summer.

“Liana is an incredibly talented dancer and performer,” noted Karl Kuehn, dance teacher, “and we are very fortunate to have her on the varsity dance team, and as a Conservatory dance certificate candidate. Her strong work ethic, advanced technique, and exceptional performance skills identify her as an ideal candidate for this summer intensive program.”

Dancers Pay Tribute to Broadway at Annual Show The lower school dance show, held May 27-28 and directed

by Gail Palmer, was an uplifting tribute to Broadway’s “Magical Musicals.” Dances were set to famous songs from musicals and films including “The Lion King,” “School of Rock,” “Matilda” and “The Wiz,” all chosen for their positive messages and casts featuring children. The dancers from grades 1-5 – with choreography by Palmer, Kimberly Teodoro, Jessalyn Espiritu, Brittany Watts, Brianna Alday, Alexandra Venter, Rachelle Haun and Amira Townzen – dazzled the crowds with their finesse and hard work.

There are many photos available via the Harker Parent Portal!

Photos by Mark Kocina

The lower school Spring Music Concert on May 5 brought parents and family members together to hear the results of many hours of practice.

Photos by Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell

Lower School Musicians Perform Diverse Selection at Spring Concert

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

21

PerformingArts Lower, middle and upper school dance groups got together in March for Just Dance, an annual performance for the Harker community. Groups who performed at the show were the grade 4-6 girls and boys group Dance Fusion, grade 7-8 girls group Showstoppers, grade 7-8 boys group High Voltage, the grade 9-12 boys group Kinetic Krew and the upper school’s JV Dance Troupe and Varsity Dance Troupe.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Dance Groups Gather for Annual ‘Just Dance’ Performance

“Just Dance not only serves as another performance opportunity for our dancers,” said Kimberley Teodoro, K-8 dance teacher, “it’s a wonderful bonding experience for all of our dance teams from the lower school, middle school and upper school that provides them with a sense of community and family.”

22

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

PerformingArts Spring Concert Features Middle and Upper School Musicians The 2016 Spring Orchestra Concert, featuring the middle and upper school orchestras, took place April 8 at De Anza College’s Visual & Performing Arts Center. The Grade 6 Orchestra, directed by Dave Hart, started the evening off with the iconic theme from “Star Wars” and a collection of favorites from the “Harry Potter” films.

Following a series of special performances by chamber groups, the Grade 7-8 Orchestra, also directed by Hart, performed pieces by Johannes Brahms and George Gershwin, as well as a medley of pieces from “The Empire Strikes Back.”

Director Chris Florio and The Harker School Orchestra delivered the final performances of the evening, with a set that included a series of dances from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and a rousing rendition of the “William Tell Overture.”

Photos by Mark Kocina

Middle School Orchestra Receives Unanimous Superior Rating at CMEA Festival

By William Cracraft

Orchestra Performs at Sonoma Music Festival, Dramatic Arrival for Conductor By Zach Jones

In early May, the Grade 7-8 Orchestra participated in the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Music Festival at Independence High School and, for the first time ever, received a Unanimous Superior rating. The orchestra performed about 20 minutes of prepared music for three judges and was evaluated on sight reading as well. About 40 students participated.

In April, The Harker School Orchestra traveled to Sonoma State University to perform at the fourth annual Sonoma Invitational Wind Band & Orchestra Festival. They performed a selection of pieces from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” as well as the finale from Howard Hanson’s second symphony. Director Chris Florio reported that the performances were well-received by Sonoma State faculty.

“This is the highest possible rating an ensemble can receive at CMEA,” said Dave Hart, orchestra director, “and it just shows all the hard work they put in individually and as a group! There were wonderful displays of teamwork throughout the entire festival.”

Florio nearly missed the concert due to the birth of his son the previous day. Luckily, a family friend who is a pilot graciously flew him to a nearby airport so that he could conduct the performances.

Congratulations to the entire Grade 7-8 Orchestra and director Dave Hart!

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

23

Denis Belliveau Follows

‘In the Footsteps of Marco Polo’

By Zach Jones

P

hotographer, explorer, author and filmmaker Denis Belliveau visited Harker on March 22 as the final guest of the 2015-16 Harker Speaker Series season. Using photographs and his unique storytelling ability, he gave the audience a 40-minute summary of his two-year journey to retrace the legendary travels of explorer Marco Polo. This story was told in the 2008 documentary “In the Footsteps of Marco Polo” and later in a book by the same name.

They realized that 1995 would be the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s return to Venice, and began discussing the prospect of retracing his 15,000-mile trek through Asia and back. It turned out that many attempts at a similar journey had been made in the last several decades, but none had been successful.

Before explaining why he decided to traverse the path Marco Polo traveled more than 700 years ago, Belliveau briefly discussed Polo’s life. Polo was the son and nephew of Venetian merchants who left Venice for Asia before he was born. Upon returning to Venice, the two merchants met the teenage Marco for the first time and set off again for Asia, this time with Marco in tow.

Belliveau recapped the journey through select photographs he took while traveling. In one slide, he showed the audience a woodcut of Marco Polo returning to his home in Venice, saying he’d hoped to find this same place in his travels. The next slide showed a photograph of the home, with many features still preserved, including the cross above the archway that formed the front door.

Polo’s stories of his travels would later become what Belliveau called “the first travel book.” He explained that Marco Polo was the first to leave behind a detailed account of his time in Asia, inspiring many later explorers, including Christopher Columbus. “His personal story reads like a fairy tale,” Belliveau remarked.

While in Israel, Belliveau and O’Donnell visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Marco Polo journeyed to at the request of Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan. There, Belliveau gained entrance by consulting the family in charge of opening the main gate. The same family has maintained this arrangement for eight centuries, he explained.

In 1992, which marked the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to North America, Belliveau and fellow traveler Francis O’Donnell observed that many were retracing Columbus’ journey, which they dismissed as boring. “You spend six weeks at sea and then you’re in the Caribbean,” he said.

To get across Afghanistan safely, the two travelers had to make arrangements with the Mujahideen, the guerilla military outfits that fought against the Soviet Union. Their group was ambushed the Hazaras and they were held for several hours before being allowed to travel again. Eventually they made their way to the famous Wakhan Corridor en route to China.

Following his talk, Belliveau answered questions from the audience and signed copies of the book that accompanied his film, which can be viewed in its entirety at www.thestepsofpolo.org.

Photos by Mark Kocina

24

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

BeloveOdgre Awards Show Grade 2

L

! e n o t s e l i M r a e Reaches 20-Y

By Debbie Cohen

ong after second grade, many Harker students still hold nostalgic memories of performing in the lower school library department’s annual Ogre Awards, which reached its 20-year milestone this spring.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro, c. 2013

The recent show marked two decades of entertaining and endearing performances by the grade 2 Ogre Academy. The production was created in 1996 by former library director Enid Davis, who retired four years ago.

The first Ogre Awards show to hit the lower school stage was an instant success, paving the way for what has become a beloved annual tradition. Today, the goal of the Ogres remains remarkably the same: to make literature come alive for young children.

rst time I “It was the fi n a stage! ever acted o e all got w r e b m e m e Ir ards at mini Ogre aw y.” the cast part grade 12 – Abhi Ketineni,

Every second grade student performs the role of a folk or fairy tale character in the show, held in the Bucknall Theater, bringing classic

tales from around the world to life. “Ogres” are awarded for the students’ favorite villains, witches, heroines, tricksters and other characters, as well as for the students’ favorite story.

Danny Dunn, technical director of the Bucknall Theater, now also serves as the show’s writer and director. Lower school campus librarian Kathy Clark routinely serves as the storyteller and mistress of ceremonies for the show, made possible each year thanks to a dedicated team of faculty, staff and parent volunteers.

Up until Davis’ retirement, the Ogres followed an Academy Awardstyle format. Following her departure, the show evolved to focus around a particular plot topic (this year’s was a timely election year theme) while still retaining the general feeling of the original production.

Dunn recalled that she had only just started at Harker in 2000 and was sitting in the lunchroom when Davis approached her, asking if she might be Photo by Mark Tantrum, c. 2006 able to help out with a “little project.” Davis then started telling her about the Ogre Awards.

“I was absolutely hooked and simply had to be a part of it. Writ-

Photo by Mark Kocina

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

25

ogre awards

Photo by Ashley Batz, c. 2010

ing and directing the Ogres is a dream job for me. I honestly think I am as passionate about it as Enid was, and that’s saying something!” said Dunn, adding that she maintains a spreadsheet detailing more than a decade’s worth of possible future themes and storylines.

“I was ner vous in the beginning, because th ere were a lot of peop But I really le. loved play character, ing my the Fisher m an’s Wife, and it was a really me morable experience .” – Nina Fra nz, grade 5

“I have been lucky enough to be part of the Ogre Awards from the start, when Enid Davis first put the idea forward of a comparative folklore curriculum for the second graders,” said Clark. “From the very beginning, we felt that this particular age was still eager to listen to stories and old enough to have opinions about the archetypical characters.”

Clark added that past Ogre Academy participants often reminisce fondly about their roles and the stories they represented, with all participants receiving a mini Ogre Award for their participation.

The Ogre Awards originally began as a gala evening performance.

A few years later, it expanded to smaller shows split between homerooms, until it evolved to its current format of one big afternoon show.

According to Susan Smith, Harker’s K-12 library director, increased collaboration has allowed for a blending of the curricular goals of the library with the performance expertise of the performing arts department. “This has allowed for efficiencies in teaching the students about their acting roles as well as allowing the librarians to spend more time teaching the folk and fairy tales as comparative literature,” she said.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro, c. 2013

Dunn noted that many of the costumes that have appeared in the Ogres over the years have been around since the show’s early days. “One fun story is that the Anansi costume was worn by Kathy Clark’s son [Daniel Clark ‘10] when he did the show as a kid.

Now he’s an adult and working as part of the

26

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Photo by As

hley Batz, c.

2011

tech crew for the Ogres. And that costume is still in the show!” said Dunn.

Daniel Clark called second grade a fun age with which to work.

"The students still have a sense of whimsy that is often lost with adults,” he observed.

Dunn further reported that one popular costume, which is still in use is from the first year of the Ogres, is that of the Russian witch Baba Yaga. For the past five years, the show’s costumes have been created by Karoli Clever, one of the lower school’s regular performing arts costumers.

“I love how we embrace opportunities to let our students join all kinds of productions from an early age,” said Clever, noting that in addition to costumes from past Ogre productions, the Ogre costumes include new creations she has made as well as some from other lower school productions.

Among the more vintage costumes are fairy tale royalty and peasants. “The favorites that keep getting picked are also the Chinese, Arabian, African, Polynesian and Japanese robes and ensembles,’ said Clever. “The stories are so inclusive and international. There are also such icons as giants, hunters, crocodiles, clouds, sun, bears, hip-

Photos provided by Kathy Clark, c. 1998

ogre awards

In her post-retirement career, Davis continues to keep storytelling alive by performing and teaching the craft at schools, libraries and senior centers through her consulting company, Story Friends (www.storyfriends.org).

pos and several other fable creatures that are a staple of many of the stories.”

2011

dressed up as a wizard at the inaugural Ogre Awards.

Photo by Mark Kocina

“We present that award to real people who are very library friendly,” recalled Davis, who herself won an Ogre Award for lifetime achievement in 2013, shortly after her retirement.

Sophia Bronder-Chang, grade 5, acted in that show. “I was really happy to be able to express myself. And I loved my character, the Stage Manager, because I was able to have some really funny lines, which I enjoyed,” she recalled.

Looking back at the beginnings of the Ogre Awards, Davis recalled her passion for writing, directing and producing the first 16 performances. Prior to coming to Harker, she had 20 years of experience working as a children’s librarian with the Santa Clara County Library District, where her favorite duty was telling stories in the oral tradition.

She brought that love of storytelling to Harker and recalled that, over time, she realized that it was the students, not the stories, who kept her so enthusiastic. “They were very eager to step inside the world of make-believe. I really miss them!” she said.

One of her former students, Harker senior Abhi Ketineni, reflected back on his Ogre performance. “I remember it was the first time I ever acted on a stage! We all got mini Ogre awards at the cast party. … I didn’t know we were going to get anything. Everyone was playing around with theirs and it was really fun.”

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro, c. 2013

Photo by Ashley Batz, c.

All but one of the Ogre Awards are bestowed upon the colorfully costumed fairy tale characters, with a special award given to a member of the Harker community who provides exceptional service or support to the Harker libraries. The first winner of that honor was Howard Nichols, former head of school, who accepted his award

Fifth grader Nina Franz recalled her experience as a second grader in the 2013 Ogre Awards. “I was really nervous in the beginning, because there were a lot of people. But I loved playing my character, the Fisherman’s Wife, and it was a really memorable experience,” she said.

“The students still have a sense of whimsy that is often lost with adults.”

– Daniel Clark ’10, tech crew

“Some of the stories change from year to year, and the themes of the shows have changed,” said Clark. “However, the underlying messages in each of the stories have endured through the centuries, and they still resonate with the students. Through stories, students learn the universal nature of empathy and kindness. This is the true curriculum that we have taught for the past 20 years, and will continue to teach.”

Read the specifics about this year’s Ogre Awards at http://wp.me/ pOeLQ-7pQ

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

27

EagleReport Spring Sports Report

By Mark Kocina

Read the full Eagle Report in Harker News, with team statistics and player and coach interviews, at http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7ER.

Boys Volleyball

Photos by Mark Kocina

Boys volleyball started off the season losing eight of its first 10 nonleague games, but dramatically turned things around when they started league play, winning a league title with a perfect 10-0 record and qualifying for CCS. All told, they ended their season with a 16-12 record.

Boys Tennis It was an exciting year for the boys tennis program. Competing at the California Tennis Classic in Fresno early in the season, the Eagles went 1-2, but there was more to this weekend than just numbers.

After winning the division 4 championship in the tournament last year, the Eagles were moved up two divisions to face some of the best teams in the state.

Their sole victory came against

28

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

defending section champ Clovis West, proving that they could play with the big boys. The team then finished the season in third place in the WBAL, which produced a CCS berth. Their season ended in the next round of CCS as Gunn High defeated Harker 5-2.

Swimming The 2016 swim season was full of amazing individual and team achievements, and led to many All-League selections. In addition to their prowess in the pool, both the boys and girls swim teams were CCS scholastic champions with a 3.5441 and 3.8451 GPA, respectively. “We had a very committed core who were encouraged by their improvements,” said coach Tania Chadwick. “By the end of the season it was great to see swimmers come together showing their team unity and camaraderie as they supported each other during practice and meets.”

Softball The Harker softball team started the year on fire as it went 4-0 in its first four games, winning each game by an average of nine runs! The Eagles would finish the season tied for fourth in the WBAL with a 6-10 overall record.

EagleReport Boys Golf Photos by Mark Kocina unless otherwise noted

What a year for the boys golf team! They were WBAL champs for the third consecutive year and enjoyed a second-straight undefeated season, which included 22 consecutive league wins. They had a second place finish at CCS, third place finish at NorCals, and sixth place at state.

Read the full story on the boys golf team on page 32.

Girls Lacrosse It was a tough season for the girls lacrosse team as team members played their hearts out through a 2-18 season.

In addition to being a CCS scholastic champion, leading all CCS girls lacrosse teams with a 3.9098 GPA, the team also received many All-League awards.

Baseball The varsity baseball team ended its season with a 9-13 record, but the future looks promising for this team. With only three graduating seniors on a 19-man roster, a solid core of players will return next year. “Even though we will only have one senior next year, we’ll have eight to nine juniors, all of whom will be beginning their third year on varsity,” said coach Mike Delfino. “So, we’re definitely optimistic about the next few years. I am proud of the efforts each of the players put into the season. These guys worked hard and steadily improved as the season went along.”

Photos by Stefan Armijo

Track and Field It was one of the best years in Harker history for the track and field team! Every meet seemed to produce multiple personal and/or school records. At the WBAL finals, the Eagles had 14 season bests, and five athletes earned trips to the CCS championships. Junior Niki Iyer had a particularly stellar season; see the story on page 30.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

29

EagleReport Alumna Shatters Records at Pepperdine

Connell actually broke her own record in the 200 three times throughout the season! “At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t focused on the records,” said Connell. “I concentrated on achieving my own goal times in specific events and breaking records was just icing on the cake.”

This is the school’s first year competing in indoor track, and Connell had the unique experience of traveling to Arizona with her teammates to race against collegiate and professional

With one more year running for Pepperdine, we are sure to see more record-breaking performances from Connell!

runners. “Racing in between professional women was intimidating but the competition made me faster,” she recalled.

Connell, who is studying psychology, has been named a scholar-athlete both seasons that she has competed at Pepperdine.

Her secret to success is managing her time well. “I never procrastinate because that just makes things worse in the long run,” Connell said. “Being a student athlete has definitely taught me to be disciplined when it comes to my studies.”

Connell ran varsity track all four years at Harker, qualifying for CCS every year. She also set school records in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 runs and the 4x400 relay, all of which still stand, except the 800, which was broken by Niki Iyer, grade 11.

Photo provided by Pepperdine University

It has been a very good year for Izzy Connell ’13! After a break from track while she spent her sophomore year abroad in Florence, Italy, Connell returned as a junior this year to set three Pepperdine University records in indoor track (60-, 200- and 4x400meter relay) and four school records in outdoor track (100-, 200-, 400- and 4x400-meter relay).

Niki Iyer Continues Stellar Career

Photo by Stefan Armijo

In her time at Harker, Niki Iyer, grade 11, has accomplished a lot. The distance runner has multiple first team and league MVP awards; she holds the Harker record in the 800-meter, the 1600 and the 3200; she has been a top three CCS finisher in cross country and a top five CCS finisher in the 3200 for the past three seasons, with back to back fifth place finishes at the state cross country finals; she briefly held the top high school 3200 time in the country earlier this year; and, most recently, she was the 2016 CCS champ in the 3200 that led to a third place finish at the state finals.

30

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

The week before CCS, Iyer was ranked eighth in the state in the 3200, but according to coach Scott Chisam, “She has not pushed a fast race since early April … she will go all out this Friday.”

And go all out she did, taking home a CCS championship, outrunning the next runner by 2.5 seconds and earning a trip to the state finals. At state, Iyer ran an incredible race, finishing third, less than a second behind the second place finisher.

“It’s been such a fun experience this past season, because I was blessed by being healthy,” said Iyer. “I’ve never had a full season where I’ve been injury-free, so it was pretty awesome to go out there and actually be able to perform to the best of my ability.”

Heading into her senior year, Iyer hopes to leave Harker with a lasting impression of who she is as an athlete. “I feel like the legacy I’d like to leave is not just one of fanfare and athletic accomplishments, but one in which people remember me as an athlete who just loved the sport.”

EagleReport Lower, Middle School Spring Athletes Finish Strong

By Theresa “Smitty� Smith

VA (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity A team, coached by Diana Melendez and Stephanie Coleman, finished as league champs in the WBAL with a record of 7-1. Team awards went to Emily Cheng, grade 8 (Eagle), and Julia Yusupov, grade 7, and Lauren Beede, grade 8 (Coaches).

VB (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity B team, coached by Xiaofeng Foret, finished in third place in the WBAL with a record of 5-2. Team awards went to Rachel Abellera, grade 8 (MVP), Hannah Grannis, grade 7 (Eagle) and Anvitha Tummala, grade 7 (Coaches).

VB2 (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity B2 team, coached by Josh Miller, finished in sixth place in the WBAL with a record of 3-4. Team awards went to Anu Selvaraj, grade 8 (MVP), Aria Wong, grade 7 (Eagle) and Ayla Tanurhan, grade 8 (Coaches).

JVA (Grade 6) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Tina Mai, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 2-4. Team awards went to Tara Ozdemir (MVP), Leyla Artun (Eagle) and Sarah Leafstrand (Coaches).

JVB6 (Grade 6) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B6 team, coached by Sarah Bell, finished as league champs in the WBAL with an undefeated record of 6-0. Team awards went to Michelle Liu (MVP), Emily Tan (Eagle) and Elizabeth Shchegrov (Coaches).

JVB1 (Grade 5) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B1 team, coached by Ellie Pereria, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 5-1. Team awards went to Claire Chen (MVP), Shea Bryden (Eagle) and Lexi Nishimu-

ra (Coaches).

JVB2 (Grade 4) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B2 team, coached by Sydney Voss, finished in ninth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-6. Team awards went to Kate Grannis (MVP), Margaret Cartee (Eagle) and Masha Velikhovskaya (Coaches).

LS Intramural Girls Volleyball: Team awards went to Emily McCartney and Maggie Yan, both grade 4 (Eagle), and Emma Cai, Ceren Erdogan and Cecilia Yang, all grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Maria Maldonado.

VA (Grade 8) Boys Volleyball: The Varsity A team, coached by Pete Anderson, finished as league champs in the ADAL with an undefeated record of 8-0 and an overall record of 9-0. Team awards went to Jeffrey Kwan (MVP), Vedanth Sundaram (Eagle) and Vance Hirota (Coaches).

JVA (Grades 6-7) Boys Volleyball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached

by Pete Anderson, finished in second place in the ADAL with a record of 6-2.

Team awards went to Marcus Page, grade 6 (MVP), Avery Young, grade 7 (Eagle) and Sujith Pakala, grade 6 (Coaches).

VA (Grades 7-8) Baseball: The Varsity A team, coached by Jeff Paull and Matt Arensberg, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 1-4 and an overall record of 2-4. Team awards went to Nicholas Coulter (MVP), Marcus Anderson (Eagle) and John Lynch (Coaches), all grade 7.

JVA (Grades 6-7) Baseball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Jon Cvitanich and Richard Amarillas, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-3-1 and an overall record of 0-5-1. Team awards went to Richard Amarillas, grade 6 (MVP), Chirag

Kaushik, grade 6 (Eagle) and George Wehner, grade 7 (Coaches).

JVB (Grades 4-5) Baseball: The Junior Varsity B team, coached by Dan Pringle, Randy LeGris and Kristian Tiopo, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a record of 2-4. Team awards went to Frederick Hoch, grade 5 (MVP), Tyler Beede, grade 5 (Eagle), and Wyatt Cote, grade 5, and Ashwin Kuppahally, grade 4 (Coaches).

VA (Grades 6-8) Water Polo: The Varsity A team, coached by Ted Ujifusa and Allie Lamb, finished with a WBAL record of 0-5 and an overall record of 1-6.

Team awards went to Cassandra Ruedy, grade 8, and Bayden Yazalina, grade 7 (MVP), Anna Arnaudova, grade 7 (Eagle) and Chloe Affaki, grade 7 (Coaches).

VA (Grades 6-8) Tennis: The Varsity A team, coached by JP Fruttero and John Fruttero, finished as league champs and tournament champs of the WBAL with a record of 7-0. The team also finished as league champs of the MTP with a record of 4-0. In the MTP playoffs, Harker lost 5-4 to Kennedy in the finals. The Eagles finished the season with an impressive 13-1 record.

Team awards went to Mihir Sharma and Ramanand Vegesna (MVP), Simar Bajaj and Gina Partridge (Eagle), and Jack Hansen, Bryan Wang and Rachel Broweleit (Coaches), all grade 8.

VB (Grades 6-8) Tennis: The Varsity B team, coached by Matt McGee, JP Fruttero and John Fruttero, finished as league champs and tournament champs of the WBAL with an undefeated record of 6-0 and an overall record of 8-0. Team awards went to Fonda Hu, grade 7, and Shika Tseitlin, grade 6 (MVP), Dawson Chen, grade 6 (Eagle), and Alexander Liou and Dhruv Saoji, both grade 6 (Coaches).

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

Photos by Mark Kocina

It was another great season for lower and middle school athletes!

S U M M E R 2 016

31

Boys Golfers Among the Best in the State

By Mark Kocina

A

fter another stellar season, the Harker boys golf program has proven itself as one of the best in the state. The team won its third consecutive league title, while going undefeated in league for the second year in a row, winning each league match by an average of 27 strokes and stretching its league winning streak to 22 matches. It placed second in CCS, third in NorCals and sixth in state, further cementing its position as a force to be reckoned with.

Since her first year as head coach in 2011, Ie-Chen Cheng has seen the team steadily improve to the point where one of the most difficult parts of her job is deciding on a lineup. “This year, we have not fielded the same lineup once,” said Cheng. “We go 10-11 [golfers] deep. And it’s a very nice luxury to have.”

The team’s success continued as it finished third at the Marin Catholic Wildcat Invitational, where it beat many of the best teams in the Bay Area. “With the added confidence, we just kept moving forward,” stated Avi Khemani, grade 11. “We had our best finish ever at the Champions’ Invitational in Palm Springs, finishing sixth out of over 40 teams nationally.” Khemani led the Eagles in Palm Springs, tying for 17th out of 250 individual golfers.

In fact, eight different golfers led the team in scoring this season.

What’s more, the team has proven its prowess against some formidable opponents. “To keep everyone sharp with such a deep squad, we purposely scheduled a very tough season,” stated Cheng. “We play the best competition.”

Sprinkled around these tournaments was a dominating undefeated league season that was a testament to the team’s devotion, passion and work ethic. “The amount of dedication and commitment that each of the players put into this game really defines this team and makes it this good,” stated Shin.

Early season success against this top competition gave the Eagles a confidence that they rode all the way to the state finals. “Our very first tournament was the Joe Gambetta Tournament at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch,” said Victor Shin, grade 10. “There, we had a nice fourth place finish, which really boosted our confidence, but showed us that we still had a long way to go.”

“With everyone putting many hours into golfing and wanting to improve every day,” added Khemani, “we’ve become a team that has a great chance to win every tournament that we play.”

32

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Photos by Mark Kocina

The boys ended the year by facing the best competition in California at the state finals. Although they fell short of their ultimate goal, what they took from their time at state will only serve to help this talented group in the future. “We learned how to play in this type of environment,” said Sandip Nirmel, grade 11, “so next year we will have the experience to play even better.”

Looking ahead to next year, the Eagles have reason to be very optimistic. “I think we have a good shot at making it to the state championship again next year, but nothing is guaranteed,” said WBAL Golfer of the Year Ryan Vaughan, grade 11. “We have to keep working and playing our game.”

Losing just one senior and returning all six golfers who competed at the state finals, as well as promoting some of the talented JV players and middle schoolers, the Harker golf team looks like it will continue to be among the best in the West for years to come.

Photo provided by the McNealy family

Although team members have their eyes on a state title, they also strive to be their best in the classroom. “After seeing the success of Maverick [McNealy ’13, Stanford University] and Shrish [Dwivedi ’15, Duke University] at an elite level, the boys had great role models and want to follow in their paths of success on and off the course,” explained Cheng. “Going to a great university which offers both excellent academics and a golf program is important to them.” Continuing on this path is the lone varsity senior Dakota McNealy, who will play golf with his brother at Stanford in the coming year.

McNealys Make Golf a Family Affair By Mark Kocina Some of the success of Harker’s upper school golf program over the past few years can be credited to the talents of one family. Since 2009 the McNealy brothers – Maverick ’13, Dakota, grade 12, Colt, grade 11, and Scout, grade 9 – have helped the program become a powerhouse.

When Maverick and Dakota were very young, their parents decided to choose a family sport that they could play with their children, and golf seemed like a natural fit. “We almost spend more time together on the golf course than off of the golf course,” stated Scout. All that time on the course was not only great for family bonding, but also developing the talents of the four boys.

With three McNealys on this year’s varsity boys golf team, the brothers are spending even more time together, and enjoying every day on the course. “It’s definitely fun,” said Dakota. “Luckily, we are all mature enough now that we aren’t excessively competitive, so we aren’t a distraction to each other.” The McNealys show this maturity, as well as their skill, in their scores. At a tournament earlier this year, “Scout led the field in par-3 scoring average, I led the field in par-4 scoring average and Dakota led the field in par-5 scoring average,” recalled Colt. At this year’s CCS regionals, Scout tied with teammate Avi Khemani, grade 11, for the team lead and a fifth place finish. In the CCS finals, Dakota led the team with a fifth place finish. All three McNealy brothers helped advance this team further than any golf team in Harker history.

“What impresses me the most is how much they are each other’s biggest fans even during times when they are competing against each other,” stated Harker’s golf coach, Ie-Chen Cheng. “They don’t get jealous of each other’s accomplishments but rather utilize it to get better.”

When an entire family plays the same sport, the natural question becomes, “Who is the best?” Even though older brother Maverick is one of the best college golfers in the nation, Colt says the best McNealy golfer is their mom. “She could probably win a few LPGA major championships if she wanted to chase that career.”

In the fall, Dakota will join Maverick at Stanford, but Colt and Scout still have time to help the Harker golf program reach its ultimate goal of a state title.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

33

Speech & Debate Strong Finish for Speech and Debate Team

By Greg Achten and Jenny Alme Harker’s speech and debate team finished the 2015-16 season strong, with many students earning national honors and awards. The end-of-the-year championship tournaments were a capstone to another great season in which Harker students competed against the best and brightest students nationwide. The success of our students at those tournaments is a testament to their hard work and all that they have learned this year.

Upper School Team Success Harker’s upper school speech and debate team attended several end-of-year championship tournaments. Qualifying for these tournaments was a great honor, resulting from top performances throughout the year.

Twelve Harker students competed at the National Debate Coaches Association National Championship in Orlando, Fla. At the tournament, Raymond Xu and Srivatsav Pyda, both juniors, advanced to the elimination rounds in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Xu lost in the first elimination and finished 17th in the nation, while Pyda reached the quarterfinals and finished fifth in the nation.

Several Harker debate students also qualified to the Tournament of Champions, held in Lexington, Ky. Pyda was joined by teammates Aditya Dhar, grade 11, and Michael Tseitlin, grade 11, as well

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

Dhar also qualified for the National Catholic Forensics League National Tournament in Sacramento, where he reached the final round of the tournament and finished fifth overall in the nation.

In speech competitions, three Harker students qualified for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions in Denver. Sana Aladin and Divya Rajasekharan, both grade 11, qualified to the tournament in duo interpretation of literature, and Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9, qualified in original oratory. Dharmaraj advanced to the final round of the tournament and finished fourth overall out of more than 140 students! Dharmaraj is the first Harker student to reach the final round of this prestigious tournament. He

also qualified to the National Speech & Debate Association’s National Tournament in Salt Lake City, which will take place in mid-June.

Young Debaters Winning Big One of the bright spots of the season was the success of grade 9 students throughout the year and especially at the end-of-the-year tournaments. Students from Harker’s team earned top honors at several late-season tournaments designed for students in their first or second year of competition.

The St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas holds a championship tournament in May for grade 9 and younger debaters. At that tournament Anusha Kuppahally, grade 9, and Maddie Huynh, grade 8, reached the semifinals and finished third overall. Both Kuppahally and Huynh also won individual speaker awards.

At the Western JV & Novice National Championship at San Francisco State University, three Harker students were crowned national champions in their respective events. In second year public forum, Cindy Wang and Clarissa Wang, both grade 9, lost only one ballot on their way to winning the tournament.

In novice Lincoln-Douglas debate, Kelly Shen, grade 9, also won the final round of her division and was named a national champion.

Photos provided by Jenny Alme

34

as Alexander Lam, grade 11, in congressional debate; Joyce Huang, grade 11, Emily Chen, grade 10, and Jimmy Lin, grade 10, in international public forum debate; and Emaad Raghib, grade 11, and Suraj Jagadeesh, grade 12, in public forum. At the tournament, Lam and Huang entered the elimination rounds as the top overall seed. They were joined in the elimination rounds by Chen and Lin. Both teams reached the octofinal round of the tournament, finishing in the top 20 in the nation. In congressional debate, both Dhar and Tseitlin advanced to the semifinals.

S U M M E R 2 016

Speech & Debate Many other Harker students also won awards at the Western tournament. In policy debate, Esha Deokar, grade 9, and Deven Shah, grade 6, reached the semifinals of the novice division and finished third in the nation. Meghna Phalke and Alycia Cary, both grade 9, reached the octofinal round of novice policy, finishing ninth in the nation.

Kuppahally and Jacob Ohana, grade 10, finished ninth in the second year policy debate division. In novice public forum, Raymond Banke, grade 9, Floyd Gordon, grade 10, Aimee Wang, grade 6, and Alina Yuan, grade 6, finished in the top 20 in the nation, while Sascha Pakravan, grade 6, and Anshul Reddy, grade 6, were in the quarterfinals of the tournament and finished fifth overall. In second year public forum, Betsy Tian, grade 7, and Shomrick Mondal, grade 8, finished the tournament in the top 10 in the country.

In novice Lincoln-Douglas debate, Karoun Kaushik, grade 6, and Aditya Tadimeti, grade 7, reached elimination rounds and finished in the top 20 overall.

Also in novice Lincoln-Douglas, Rishi Jain, grade 6, reached the quarterfinals.

In second year Lincoln-Douglas, Cat Zhao, grade 8, Avi Gulati, grade 8, Satvik Narasimhan, grade 9, Nishant Ravi, grade 9, and Suraj Pakala, grade 9, all reached the elimination rounds and finished in the top 20. Annie Ma, grade 8, and Neha Tallapragada, grade 9, both reached the quarterfinals and finished in the top eight in nation. Given the success of these young students, the future of the program is indeed very bright.

Middle School Team Success Harker’s middle school team recently attended the California Middle School State tournament at Skyline High School in Oakland, and many of our students won awards!

In impromptu speaking Bryan Wang, grade 8, reached the finals and was crowned state champion. Avi Gulati also

reached the finals of impromptu. In storytelling Gulati, Katelyn Chen, grade 8, Arusha Patil, grade 7, and Rhea Nanavati, grade 7, all were finalists.

In prose Nikki Solanki, grade 8, was a finalist. In oratory Gulati and Patil were finalists. In duo interpretation of literature, Chen and Wang were finalists. In dramatic interpretation Solanki was a finalist. In public forum debate the teams of Amanda Cheung, grade 8, and Jason Pan, grade 8, as well as Krishay Mukhija, grade 7, and Anshul Reddy were quarterfinalists.

Also in public forum, the team of Kenneth Liou, grade 8, and Jeremy Ding, grade 8, as well as Zain Awais, grade 7, and Chandan Aggarwal, grade 8, reached the octofinals and finished in the top 20, while the team of Datha Arramreddy, grade 8, and Vibha Arramreddy, grade 8, were doubleoctofinalists. In Lincoln-Douglas Annie Ma and Cat Zhao reached the quarterfinals.

Aditya Tadimeti was an octofinalist.

The following students reached the double octofinals in Lincoln Douglas: Sachin Shah, grade 8, Aditi Vinod, grade 7, Akhilesh Chegu, grade 6, and Montek Kalsi, grade 8. In congressional debate Nakul Bajaj, grade 8, and Andrew Sun, grade 7, were finalists.

The middle school team also attended the Glendale Middle School Championships. In policy debate Andy Lee and Jason Lin, both grade 7, were the tournament champions. The teams of Quentin Clark, grade 8, and Shah, as well as Jai Bahri, grade 8, and Deven Parikh, grade 7, were semifinalists.

In Lincoln-Douglas debate, the team swept the tournament, claiming all of the top seven spots with the following students being named co-champions: Shah, Akshay Manglik, grade 7, Tadimeti, Kalsi, Ma,

Chegu and Zhao. In public forum Reddy and Mukhija were octofinalists and the teams of Liou and Ding as well as Cheung and Pan reached the quarterfinals. In congressional debate Sun, Bajaj, and Reiya Das, grade 8, all finished in the top eight at Photos provided by Karina Momary the tournament.

The following students reached the final round of speech competition: Aaditya Gulati, grade 6; Shyl Lamba, grade 8; Annamma Vazhaeparambil, grade 7; Wang and Chen. Patil won the oratory competition while Avi Gulati finished first overall in impromptu speaking and storytelling and Solanki was named tournament champion in both prose and dramatic interpretation.

Karina Momary, head coach of the Harker middle school team, credits the success of the program to the work of the students. “This group of students has certainly worked hard individually, but more importantly has worked collectively as a team to support each other. Our success this year is a direct result of our students working with and for each other.” The middle school team next heads to the National Junior Forensics League National Championship Tournament in Salt Lake City in mid-June.

Welcoming a New Coach In fall, Marjorie Hazeltine will transition from the middle school to the upper school to become the head coach of the Harker speech and congressional debate teams.

Hazeltine had previously worked with the Harker middle school team, in addition to teaching English classes. She joins returning upper school coaches Jenny Alme and Greg Achten. Department chair Alme noted, “The upper school students and coaches are thrilled to have Ms. Hazeltine join us. She is very talented and has a great track record of success as a coach.”

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

35

Business & Entrepreneurship Young Entrepreneurs, DECA Students Bring Home Awards By Zach Jones and William Cracraft Business and entrepreneurship (B.E.) and DECA students have been busy! DECA students attended and earned accolades at the International Career Development Conference in April and the State Career Development Conference in March, and a B.E. student won a $20,000 award for managing personal finances in a nationwide contest.

History Made at 2016 ICDC

operations research category.

In late April, 20 students from Harker’s DECA chapter attended the 2016 International Career Development Conference (ICDC) at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., with great results, including a firstplace win.

Harker advanced two teams to the final round of competitions: Lu and the team of Dworak, Mo and Sikand. Harker DECA members exploded in cheers as Lu was named a top 10 finalist. Within minutes, it was announced that Lu won first place in her event.

“It felt amazing,” said Lu. “I was very surprised and I was kind of scared when I went up. I was really excited and I thought that I did well already, but I really wasn’t expecting it. When they announced third and second, I thought that I wouldn’t get it, but then I did, and it was amazing.”

“The four-day business conference featured competitions with tough opponents, skillbuilding leadership Photo provided by Harker DECA academies and unforgettable experiences,” said Shania Wang, grade 9, director of communications for Harker DECA. Two Harker teams finished in the top 20 during preliminary competitions, earning them the chance to compete in the final round. And, for the first time in Harker DECA history, a student from the chapter received first place in a role-play event at ICDC. Enya Lu, grade 9, took top honors in the principles of finance category, while teammates Dolan Dworak, Brandon Mo and Michael Sikand, all grade 10, were finalists in the independent business plan category.

“It was a great opportunity to learn about how business works in a culture like that of Nashville and get feedback from local business owners about how to appeal to a non-Bay Area market,” said Shreyas Chandrashekaran, grade 10, Harker DECA vice president of competitions and strategy and a competitor in the finance

36

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

“This year’s ICDC was an amazing experience for students who were able to connect professionally, serve their community, and develop further as future business professionals and emerging leaders,” added Juston Glass, Harker DECA advisor.

Read the full story in Harker News: http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7z9.

CardioBand wins at DECA Career Conference Grade 9 students Natasha Maniar and Kelsey Wu won first place at the DECA State Career Development Conference in March for a product they designed called CardioBand.

“CardioBand is an innovative three-inone personal medical and fitness device which will revolutionize the way people monitor their heart health,” said Maniar.

The proposed device will function as an electrocardiogram, emergency alert and a fitness monitor. Utilizing a Velcro harness

and an app, CardioBand would be able to detect irregular heartbeats and prevent deaths related to sudden cardiac failures.

Maniar and Wu recently had their plan reviewed by venture capitalists and financial analysts, and are happy with the feedback they received. “CardioBand is a huge step up,” said Alex Antebi of Connective Capital Management. “It leapfrogs the competition with its continuous monitoring and proactive notification system.”

Read the full story in Harker News: http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7CY.

Freshman Entrepreneur Nails Life Finance Challenge Rithvik Panchapakesan, grade 9, was named an H&R Block Budget Challenge scholarship winner! Panchapakesan won the award for proving himself a personal finance master in the game of “life.” Students who participated in the challenge were given a virtual job, complete with a 401(k), credit card bills and student loans.

They then had to successfully manage their paychecks for 10 weeks. Panchapakesan competed with thousands of students nationwide and was one of only 22 to receive the $20,000 scholarship.

“The most challenging part of the budget challenge was managing my credit card utilization rate,” said Panchapakesan. “I think this challenge will help me manage my money in life because it brought the different issues of money management to my attention.”

Read the full story in Harker News: http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7yF.

Milestones Upper school art teacher Pilar AgüeroEsparza was recognized as an artist laureate by SVCreates for her contribution to the arts and culture of Silicon Valley.

SVCreates, which identifies itself as “a network of leaders” whose goal is to “ignite investment and engagement in our creative culture,” recognizes five artist laureates each year, awarding them with a cash prize to help them continue their work in the arts. In addition to her work as an arts educator, AgüeroEsparza has been active as an artist and arts administrator throughout the Bay Area. Her work has appeared at the San Jose Museum of Art, Triton Museum of Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Santa Cruz Museum, among others.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Photo by Dan Fenstermacher

By Zach Jones

In April, Daniel Hudkins, Harker’s director of learning, innovation and design (LID), attended the Associated Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) Conference in Atlanta.

He co-presented with Jamie Britto, CIO of the Collegiate School in Richmond, Va., on the topics of security and data privacy, sharing a recent occurrence of ransomware appearing on Harker’s network.

The conference also provided Hudkins with valuable lessons.

“Among the most important were the importance of having and maintaining planned responses to emergency situations, and that the role of information technology in independent schools is continuing to grow not only as it applies to student learning, but also as it is used as a better way of analyzing data and enhancing productivity,” he said.

Photo by Mark Kocina

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Harker library director Sue Smith and upper school librarians Lauri Vaughan and Meredith Cranston contributed an article on information literacy to the May/ June issue of Knowledge Quest, the journal of the American Association of School Librarians. In the article, titled “An Argument for Disciplinary Information Literacy,” they discuss the importance of teaching information literacy to students in a manner appropriate for each discipline.

Please welcome Whendy Carter as Harker’s new preschool director! Carter comes to Harker from New York City, where she served as an educational coach for the NYC Department of Education and Bank Street College of Education. Her previous experience also includes directing the Montclare Children’s School and the Church of the Epiphany Day School and several years as a preschool teacher. As a preschool advisor to The Parents League of New York, she led workshops on early childhood education, and as adjunct professor at Hunter College’s School of Education, she taught a graduate course in early childhood creative arts.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

37

GlobalEducation Inaugural Trip to Ancient European Cities Dazzles Student Travelers By Zach Jones Over spring break, a group of 16 Harker history students in grades 9 and 10 took an amazing trip through Italy and Greece, absorbing the rich history and culture of both countries. The journey gave the students the rare opportunity to see many historical sites in person and hear the fascinating stories behind them.

Photos by Jennifer Walrod

“We are sad to leave Rome, but excited to explore Naples and Capri tomorrow.”

The students, accompanied by upper school world history teacher Andrea Milius, global education director Jennifer Walrod, and upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn, arrived in Rome after a 12-hour flight. They checked into their hotel, then headed off to dinner, which included authentic Italian pizza and fried mozzarella. The next day they ventured to the famous Trevi Fountain and Piazza Venezia before heading to Piazza Navona for gelato. After trekking through the city and sampling more local food, they headed to the Spanish Steps for a bit of shopping, then to the Piazza Del Popolo to take in some local scenery.

A highlight of the day was a trip to Vatican City, where the group toured the lovely gardens and a museum filled with papal carriages that had been used in the last several centuries to protect the pope on international visits.

– Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9

At the Vatican’s renowned art galleries, the students viewed works such as the sculpture of “Laocoon and His Sons.” They also got an up-close look at the many paintings adorning the walls and ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, including the famous works of Michelangelo and Botticelli, and took a stroll through St. Peter’s Basilica, which houses Michelangelo’s sculpture of “Pieta.”

After taking a break for lunch at St. Peter’s Square, they explored the Domitilla Catacombs, which Milius observed “were comprised

38

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

solely of volcanic ash, which we could scrape off.” Returning to Rome, the students enjoyed more shopping, gelato and dinner near Via del Corso before returning to their hotel to rest up.

The students got an early start on day three with an 8 a.m. bus ride to the Colosseum, where they learned that Colosseum gladiators were “criminals, slaves or men looking to pay off their debts; they were trained in a school adjacent to the structure,” wrote Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9, in one of several blog entries about the trip. “Because of the prize money and adoration, over time men would choose this profession.” Their tour of the Colosseum was followed by a walk past the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Senate House and more.

Their hike through Rome continued with stops at the Castel Sant’Angelo (the burial site of Hadrian, one of the “Five Good Emperors”), the Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum and Via del Corso. The day was capped off by another delicious meal and reflections on their trip through one of the world’s most historic cities. “We are sad to leave Rome, but excited to explore Naples and Capri tomorrow,” wrote Dharmaraj.

Waking up early the next morning, the students traveled by bus to Naples, where a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea awaited them. The group took a boat to the nearby island of Capri, where they admired its amazing rock formations and learned about its history as a popular vacation spot for Roman emperors and home to authors such as Norman Douglas, Friedrich Alfred Krupp and Axel Munthe.

GlobalEducation Photos by Jennifer Walrod

ping for lunch in Glovinos and enjoying a brief jaunt on the shore of the Ionian Sea. Upon reaching Delphi, they explored the narrow streets and local shops, and purchased food to feed the stray dogs they encountered. “From goats to stray cats and chickens, we were pleasantly surprised by the wonders of this alcove in the altitudes of Greece,” Dharmaraj wrote.

At Capri Village, the group explored the various shops and purchased products made from lemons, a fruit for which Capri is particularly famous. They then boarded a boat bound for Sorrento, where they stayed the night. After unloading their luggage, they enjoyed dinner and a sampling of Sorrento’s nightlife.

“It was awesome,” reported Dharmaraj, “We bought many different things, like ties, tea cups, leather gloves, sunglasses and clothes for great prices. We even saw a mini puppet show!”

The next day, everyone traveled by bus to Pompeii, the city famous for being buried under ash and rock during the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The students viewed casts of some of the bodies discovered by archaeologists, and their tour guide gave them a look into Pompeiian daily life and commerce.

“Pompeii was a business city, so there were small businesses around every corner,” Dharmaraj wrote. “Along these streets, various items were sold: clothes, drinks and foods.”

After wrapping up their tour of Pompeii, the group boarded a ferry to Greece to begin the second stage of their trip.

On their first day in Greece, the group started their lengthy trip to Delphi, stop-

The group awoke early the next morning ready for a full day in Greece, which began with a tour of Delphi’s historical sites, including the Temple of Apollo.

“Our tour guide Angelica first introduced us to some background on Delphi itself, the small town actually originally being a religious center rather than a city,” Dharmaraj reported. “Legend has it that Apollo’s first arrival in Delphi angered Mother Nature, so to reconcile with her, he demanded that priestesses instead of priests should be the main religious guides.”

These priestesses of the Oracle of Delphi were said to receive divinations by inhaling gases and then sharing their insights with visiting diplomats and rulers. Continuing on, the group also explored the ruins of the stadium, which was the site for many Olympic games. Their last stop in Delphi was a nearby museum, which housed one of only two Greek charioteer statues left in the world. Dharmaraj briefly recounted the story of its miraculous discovery: “An earthquake buried this statue, saving it from Emperor Nero, who stole most of the others.”

On the bus trip to Athens, the group admired the Greek countryside and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Upon arriving, they enjoyed a short walk through

the town square and briefly explored the city. That evening, they took a guided tour of the legendary Greek Orthodox church, the Metropolis, and explored the streets of Athens and its many shops and eateries before returning to their hotel for a good night’s rest.

The next morning the students toured numerous landmarks in Athens, including the statues of important Greek Civil War-era politicians and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “Whereas in America, the memorial contains a tomb of the remains of an actual unidentified soldier, the memorial in Athens is dedicated to the numerous soldiers who died in all the wars of the history of the Peloponnesian peninsula,” observed Brian Park, grade 9.

At the Acropolis, known first as a citadel for Athens and later as a place of religious significance, the students took in the wonder and history of one of the world’s most famous landmarks. “According to legend, King Cecrops, the first king of Athens who also happened to be half man half snake, built his palace there,” Park wrote. “As time passed, the Acropolis of Athens soon became a place of worship. During the Golden Age of Athens, temples such as the Parthenon began to be constructed.”

The Acropolis’ accompanying museum housed many statues that were once housed in the famous structure. “While many of the statues were damaged in some shape or form, we were able to see how careful the sculptors were in constructing them,” wrote Park.

For more student comments, details and photos from this trip, visit the Italy and Greece student blog!at http://harkeritalygreece2016.blogspot.com/. To read more global education stories, visit Harker News at http://news.harker.org/tag/ global-education.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

39

Advancement

by Debbie Cohen

Golf Classic Brings Community Together to Benefit Endowment Fund The 2016 Harker Golf Classic united Harker parents, alumni, alumni parents and their friends at the renowned Stanford Golf Course to raise funds for Harker’s general endowment. For the second year in a row, the event was presented by the Harker Alumni Association.

The April 11 event brought 96 golfers out on a pleasant spring day. Jeremy Pomer ’91 was the event chair, while former Harker faculty member Howard Saltzman and current lower school math teacher Pat Walsh served as honorary marshals for the day. The marshals had a great time handing out prize ribbons and libations to golfers.

“Everyone had a wonderful time, made all the more meaningful with the knowledge that it was good fun for a good cause!” enthused Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations.

A variety of special awards and prizes, as well as numerous generous sponsors, helped make the day special. Capping off the event was a 19th hole reception with live music on the clubhouse patio for golfers, as well as non-golfers wishing to join in on the fun.

A highlight of the day was the announcement of the winning foursomes. The winning men’s foursome comprised Harker parent Mike Armstrong, Trask Leonard, Josh Breeding and Rodney Plett ’81. The winning women’s foursome comprised Thu Ka, Connie Kim, Kavita Patel and Kavita Tankha, all Harker parents.

The Stanford Golf Course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus. In 2009, it was rated the nation’s third-best college course by golf coaches.

Photos by Mark Kocina

40

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Advancement Harker Breaks Ground on New Theater and Gym On May 3 Harker took a historic step toward building its new athletic and performing arts centers. On that day, students, faculty, staff, donors and the board of trustees gathered and broke ground during an afternoon ceremony on Rosenthal Field, site of the new facilities.

Since Harker’s founding in 1893, the school has been committed to bringing out the best in students by helping them discover their talents and reach their full potential. It was with this clear vision in mind that Head of School Chris Nikoloff made his opening remarks to the crowd before introducing Diana Nichols, chair of the Harker Board of Trustees and former head of school.

Nichols thanked the donors for their vision and generosity. She gave a special thank you to alumni parents Suhas and Jayashree Patil (Teja Patil ’02) who were in attendance and were among the first visionary benefactors who supported the expansion of Harker to include a preschool. The theater in the performing arts center will be named in their honor.

Nichols acknowledged the close involvement of the Harker trustees, noting that they have worked quietly

and in the background on every detail; without their effort the project could not have come to fruition.

Addressing the students, she said: “Students, you are the very heart of this project. Everything we have done and are doing is for you, and I thank you for being the kind of student body that inspires the adults in your life to want to do good things for you.”

Nichols noted that Harker was fortunate to have true leaders in Harker parents Jeffrey and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac ’14; Jackiel, grade 12). “The Rothschilds’ $10 million matching gift was crucial to making the project possible and inspired others to rise to the challenge,” she said.

Shortly after, the Harker Eaglets presented flowers to the Rothschilds. In addition, the Patils were honored for being the first donors to support the capital campaign for a theater.

Numerous groups of people were then given the honor of breaking ground with gold-painted shovels. Members of the board of trustees, donors including faculty and staff members, the construction team, performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, athletic director Dan Molin, as well as student council

Photos by Mark Kocina

representatives of every grade level, all took turns digging.

Harker continues to focus on all aspects of the school’s mission by supporting numerous, broad extracurricular programs that enhance opportunities for students to discover their passions and thrive in their respective fields of interest.

Whether playing on the court, taking center stage or participating in one of many extracurricular events, these new facilities will have a long-lasting positive impact on all students and their families.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

41

Advancement Near and Mitra Scholars Recognized, Vegesna Program Awardees Revealed by Zach Jones In late April, the 2016 John Near and Mitra scholars were honored at a reception in the Nichols Hall auditorium. Then in May, six Harker teachers were announced as grant awardees from the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program, allowing them to pursue a variety of professional development opportunities.

Near and Mitra Endowments

Established in 2009 and 2011, respectively, The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund and the Mitra Excellence in Humanities Endowment have allowed students to pursue research on a wide variety of topics.

Donna Gilbert, upper school history and social science chair, opened the Near and Mitra event by remembering beloved history teacher John Near, who passed away in 2009, saying, “He inspired in his students a love for the excitement of historical exploration, which lives on in this special program.” Gilbert also shared her appreciation for the Mitra family, “whose vision and kindness extended the scholars program to allow students opportunities to study topics in the broader disciplines of the humanities and social sciences.”

This year’s John Near scholars were seniors Jasmine Liu (“A House Divided: Residential Segregation in Santa Clara County”), Sadhika Malladi (“Graphic Soldiers: Popular Sentiment as Reflected in Captain America and Spider-Man”), Zarek Drozda (“Learned Lessons: Financial Innovation and the Panic of 1873”) and Sahana Narayanan (“‘Bee-Boppa-Doe’: The Sounds of Musical Revolution”).

The 2016 Mitra scholars were seniors Elisabeth Siegel (“Ideology Through

Subliminal Propaganda: A Critique of Portrayals of Palestine and Palestinians in Israeli and Western Online News Media during Operation Protective Edge”), Kaitlyn Gee (“Pretty in Punk: An Examination of European Female Punk Rock of the 70s and 80s Through a Feminist Lens”), Natalie Simonian (“Whispers in Russia: The Influence of the Rumors Surrounding Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on the Russian Revolution and Their Role in the German Effort to Overthrow the Tsarist Regime”) and Kavya Ramakrishnan (“The Eggleston Effect: Color Photography as Fine Art”).

These eight seniors conducted “hundreds of hours of research that led … to scholarly analysis of musical scores, journals, maps, images, song lyrics, interviews and on and on,” said library director Sue Smith.

All of the scholars took the stage to share their thoughts on their research and thank their mentors for their invaluable guidance. Malladi also thanked her parents “for almost believing me when I said I was reading comic books for research.

“Being a Near scholar has been an incredible experience,” she continued. “I realized it was my responsibility to think critically about what I read.”

Gee also had kind words for her mentors, upper school English teacher Ruth Meyer and Smith. “Their encouraging, patient and accommodating nature is beyond compare,” she said.

She also expressed her gratitude to Harker “for providing me with 13 years of outstanding education.” A video of the entire reception is now available for viewing at https:// harker.wistia.com/medias/asuuh39xd1.

Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program

The 2016-17 awardees in the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program were also recently announced. Launched in 2015, this program awards grants to teachers seeking professional development opportunities. It is the most recent opportunity provided by the Raju and Bala Vegesna Foundation, which has also supported the summer tech grant program and the Harker Teacher Institute.

Scott Kley Contini, middle school director of learning, innovation and design, will use his grant to provide Harker teachers with a special class on design thinking, taught by a professor from Stanford University’s d.school. Preschool science teacher Robyn Stone will work with the Lawrence Hall of Science in a series of workshops about early childhood education, titled “Physics and Engineering Design.” Galina Tchourilova, upper school French teacher, will attend a program in Vichy, France, that instructs French teachers from around the world on teaching methodologies. Upper school history teacher Andrea Milius will travel to Greece to attend a summer session at The American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Finally, upper school science teachers Kate Schafer and Chris Spenner will head to Alaska to participate in a program at the Inian Islands Institute to learn how to improve student understanding of climate change.

To learn more about the Near and Mitra grants, visit http://library.harker.org/upperlibrary/nearmitra. For more information on Harker’s endowment giving opportunities, visit https://www.harker.org/giving/ endowment-planned-giving.

Photo by Mark Kocina

42

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Advancement This year’s Head of School’s Circle Celebration, held in early April, was a momentous event as it recognized the generous donors who made gifts of $2,500 or more to the school in the last year. The event allows donors to see the impact that their contributions have had on students’ educational experiences.

The evening began with a champagne welcome and remarks from Chris Nikoloff, head of school. Parents were then entertained with performances by Varsity Dance Troupe, Downbeat and Dance Fusion. Between each performance, students shared how various programs have enriched their educational journeys at Harker.

Senior Jonathan Yiu spoke about joining the basketball team, classmate Kristen Park explained how dance and orchestra gave her a newfound passion, which she is carrying on to college, and Shannon Richardson, also a senior, spoke about her volleyball experience and how it made her not only a well-rounded athlete but also a well-rounded student. Junior Kayvon Solaimanpour, a member of Downbeat, explained how various programs allow students an opportunity to achieve balance between academic work and extracurricular interests.

The event showcased programs from various divisions, including the lower school’s Makerspace program, middle school’s Discovery X, the robotics program, the Near and Mitra scholar endowments, and the Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program, as well as numerous academic competitions in which students participate, including math and economics.

Photos by Mark Kocina unless otherwise noted

Head of School’s Circle Celebration

Grandparents’ Day: A Special Tradition at Harker Preschool and Lower School

A long-standing tradition at Harker, the day gives students on both the lower school and preschool campuses the opportunity to welcome grandparents or adoptive

“grandparents-for-the-day” to the school for an educational and memorable visit in their honor.

On the preschool campus, the morning of exploration and play allowed teachers and specialists to provide a glimpse of all the incredible happenings at Harker Preschool.

There were a variety of displays and interactive activities from the preschool’s talented staff, including the art, music and movement and STEM specialists.

At the lower school, the theme of the day was “Hawaii,” with entertainment and activities such as hula lessons, lei and other craft making, a photo booth, luau food and Hawaiian shave ice. Other highlights of the day included performances by lower school ukulele players, singers and dancers, and extended book fair hours.

Photo by Maria Gong, parent

In early May, Grandparents’ Day was held at both Harker Preschool and the lower school. On this charming day, grandparents and “grandfriends” toured the campuses and participated in activities with the special children in their lives.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

43

GreaterGood

By Debbie Cohen

Two Programs, One Cause Middle and Upper School Outreach Efforts Raise Money for Camp Okizu This past spring, two of Harker’s popular outreach efforts, the middle school’s annual Cancer Walk and the upper school’s Kicks Against Cancer event, raised money for the same cause: Camp Okizu.

The 10th annual Harker Cancer Walk raised about $14,000, while Kicks Against Cancer raised $1,500, for a total of $15,500.

Photos by Mark Kocina

44

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

GreaterGood The funds from both events benefited Camp Oziku, a nonprofit organization that allows children with cancer to “just be a kid for a week.” Located in the Berry Creek area of the Sierra foothills, Camp Okizu offers a free weeklong summer camp that gives cancer patients and their families a sense of normalcy and stability.

Students, parents, family members, faculty and staff from all four campuses gathered at the middle school field on March 22 for the Cancer Walk.

“This time was a bit more special as it was our 10th anniversary celebration walk!” said Michael Schmidt, middle school computer science teacher and department chair. Schmidt had the idea for the walk following the passing of his own mother due to cancer.

Prior to the walk, students engaged in various activities to learn about different forms of cancer and cancer prevention strategies. In a further show of support, many teachers displayed door decorations with themes designed to promote cancer awareness. And during the walk, honor flags – honoring someone who is fighting or has fought cancer – were placed in the ground along the inner edge of the field’s walking path.

Meanwhile, although the upper school’s soccer teams lost this year’s Kicks Against Cancer games to Menlo High School, Harker students were still excited over the real winner of the event – Camp Okizu.

The seventh-annual soccer match took place on Feb. 5, with the junior varsity boys, varsity girls and varsity boys playing against their respective Menlo High School teams. The JV boys lost 0-2, the varsity girls lost 0-3 and the varsity boys lost 1-4.

Sparsh Chauhan, grade 10, scored the only goal for Harker during the last game of the night. After the JV boys finished their game, the varsity girls team presented a check for funds raised to four visiting Camp Okizu families.

“[The walk] has been used as a moment for our entire community to come together and celebrate the lives of those we love and those we’ve lost.”

- Michael Schmidt, Cancer Walk founder To help raise money for the camp, Kicks Against Cancer onlookers had the opportunity to buy T-shirts and wristbands, make monetary donations and purchase yummy treats at a bake sale. During halftime of the last game, spectators were given a chance to play “Butts Up” with some faculty members lined up on the goal line. Cheerleaders, meanwhile, performed a special routine.

Be sure to check the Harker News website at http://news.harker. org/tag/outreach for more Greater Good stories.

Photos by Mark Kocina

“This is an event that Harker was kind enough to let me start in 2007 in honor of loved ones afflicted with

cancer,” he continued. “Since then, it has been used as a moment for our entire community to come together and celebrate the lives of those we love and those we’ve lost. It is a symbolic walk that is measured not by the miles covered, but by the love and understanding between us all.”

HH AA RR KK E R Q U A R TT EE RR LY LY

SS UU M MM M EE RR 22001166

45

Art Shows

By Debbie Cohen

Feature Creative Works from Students of All Ages

S

tudents of all ages displayed works in a colorful array of art exhibits held across all four campuses. The entire Harker community was invited to enjoy the annual shows, which featured the talents of both budding and seasoned student artists. Enjoy this special Harker Quarterly art show retrospective!

preschool

Year-Round Exhibits Throughout the year, Harker Preschool holds various art exhibits. The third annual Year-End Art Showcase featured works from every student on campus. The captivating exhibit, which ran during the last month of the school year, was also a highlight of Grandparents’ Day at the preschool, held in May. “Every other month at the preschool, we displayed new studio artwork in the art gallery. Our Grandparents’ Day showcase was a culminating event that highlighted the variety of processes experienced by the artists throughout the year,” said Alexandria Kerekez, Harker Preschool’s art specialist.

When asked about their favorite art project of the year, many of the 4- and 5-year-olds responded that it was “The Canvas Project.” That project, which was included in the

“Every other month at the preschool, we displayed new studio artwork in the art gallery.”

-Alexandria Kerekez, preschool art specialist

art showcase, comprised a collection of canvas paintings crafted by the eldest preschoolers. The representational work consisted of drafting an image of “a wish” and then translating it into an acrylic painting.

Meanwhile, transitional kindergartners started a new art studio project known as “The Shell Shop,” in which they created shells not for exhibit, but to be sold on-site in a store, complete with name tags for employees and a cash register.

Photos by Mark Kocina

46

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

lower school

Art On and Off Campus

Pho

to b

y Ja

ja H

sua

n

The Lower School Art Show opened on the morning of April 25 at the Bucknall campus, with grade 5 docents on hand to help guide parents through the show and serve refreshments afterward.

Sponsored by the lower school art department and afterschool art program, the show featured a wide array of creative works, including drawings, paintings and ceramics.

The display, which ran until May 20, was arranged by themes and grade levels, with all classes represented.

Adding to the excitement this year was the fact that, for the first time, a dozen lower school students also had their work represented at the 59th annual Saratoga Rotary Art Show, held the weekend of April 30. The Rotary show displays the best works of up-and-coming artists, ages 5-13, from local schools as part of its larger, daylong event held at West Valley College in Saratoga. “This was the first time we have done this, and I was so excited! I hope to enter our wonderfully creative students annually in the years to come. I was so proud of each one that it was very difficult to select so few,� recalled lower school art teacher Gerry-louise Robinson.

Photo by Jaja Hsuan

Photo by Jaja Hsuan Photo by Mark Kocina

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

47

middle school

Winter Preview Exhibit and Spring Exhibition It wasn’t business as usual for the middle school art show this year. For the first time, an art exhibit was held at the conclusion of each semester, instead of one show at the end of the school year.

The Middle School Preview Exhibit, held Jan. 5-29 in the Blackford campus’ multipurpose room, showcased the works of Art I students. The Spring Exhibition featured the works of Art II students. It opened on April 8 at the upper school’s main lobby gallery and then moved to the middle school campus on May 9 where it remained for the year. A special morning art reception with tea and coffee was held on May 12 for parents.

Splitting the shows not only allowed each semester’s students to enjoy a show devoted to their work, but it allowed more physical space for each piece, giving attendees room to more fully enjoy the art. “The result [of having two shows] was breath around the pieces!” recalled Elizabeth Saltos, middle school visual arts teacher. figurines and wire sculptures. For the second year in a row, there was also a campuswide cake party held in the multipurpose room during the lunch periods on May 18.

Attendees had a blast eating cake and checking out the art on display.

Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

Photos by Mark Kocina

Both shows included colorful paintings, sketches, ceramics,

48

HHAARRKKEERR QQUUAARRTTE ERRLYLY

S SUUMMMME ERR 2 20 0 11 66

upper school

Winter AP Studio Art Exhibition and Spring Artstravaganza In late April, upper school artists, writers and musicians showcased their work at the annual Artstravaganza, held in the Nichols Hall atrium. Students, faculty and parents perused artwork and writing (including several winners of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards) while music poured in through the

Photos by Mark Kocina

rotunda, courtesy of The Harker School Jazz Band in its final

Back in February, students in AP Studio Art showcased their Advanced

performance of the year.

Placement exam portfolios. A throng of visitors took in a wide variety

The event afforded students the opportunity to share their

of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints in many different styles

work with the Harker community in a relaxed setting. “It’s

and media.

something that students and faculty look forward to quite a bit,

One of the featured artists, Kaylan Huang, grade 12, used ink and

because it’s always a fun thing and they’re always amazed,”

colored pencil to create small-scale drawings of cities including Tokyo,

said Jaap Bongers, visual arts department chair. “It boosts [the

San Francisco and Amsterdam. Fellow senior Ankur Karwal used clever

artists'] self-confidence; it makes them proud. That’s really the

graphic design to examine the symbolism of famous brand names

main benefit – and it’s a party at the end of the year!”

including Louis Vuitton, Apple and Nike.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

49

AlumniNews Alumna Gives Back to Harker Robotics Program

J

acqueline Rousseau ’07 has such fond recollections of her time on Harker’s robotics team that, upon graduating from college and landing a job, she decided to donate funds annually to Harker Robotics.

Photo by Mark Kocina

“I‘ve been donating to Harker Robotics since I graduated college so other students will be able to have the wonderful experiences I did.”

– Jacqueline Rousseau ’07

Rousseau, who now works as a trader in foreign exchange options at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York, said that some of her best memories of Harker revolved around time spent on the robotics team. “We would spend up to 40 hours a week during the sixweek build season, constructing and testing the robot before going to FIRST Robotics Competitions. Not only did I learn programming, and electrical and mechanical design skills, but the experience of working with other students to complete a full engineering project on schedule was invaluable,” she said.

In mid-March, while in town visiting family, Rousseau dropped by the alumni office to say hello and was treated to a surprise visit from one of her former mentors, Eric Nelson. Nelson is the upper school’s computer science department chair and supervisor of the robotics team.

Since launching at the upper school in 2001, the robotics program has grown into an opportunity for both middle

50

and upper school students to learn real-life engineering skills in addition to providing a fun, competitive environment. The program is designed to emulate the structure of a Silicon Valley startup company.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

“It was so touching to see the two of them reuniting!” said Karri Baker ’84, Harker’s director of alumni relations.

Baker called Rousseau an alumna with a strong history of giving, who now serves as a role model for other alumni wanting to give back.

Rousseau said one of the best things about Harker is that the teachers encourage students to question the world around them and to keep learning.

“Harker helped give me a foundation of critical-thinking skills that have proven useful no matter what tasks I'm working on,” she said, advising current Harker students to take as broad a range of electives as possible.

“Harker's teachers are some of the best in their fields, and the breadth of electives offered is truly impressive. It's a great opportunity to take a semester course that may open up a new field of study to you,” she noted.

Rousseau said she is driven to be philanthropic for two main reasons: to give back to communities that were critical in shaping her and to support the education of children who don't have the same opportunities she had.

“I've been donating to Harker Robotics since I graduated college so other students will be able to have the wonderful experiences I did,” she said.

Inaugural Harker Alumni Networking Luncheon Held During Research Symposium The inaugural Harker Alumni Networking Luncheon attracted some 100 graduates from various class years. The event was held on April 9 during the 11th annual Harker Research Symposium at the upper school campus. Harker alumni enjoyed eating and socializing at special reserved alumni and VIP tables, at no cost. Alumni interested in the research symposium went on to attend poster sessions and exhibits, and hear keynote speakers.

This year’s symposium theme was “The Future of Data Science, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics.”

Photos provided by Karri Baker '84

By Debbie Cohen

AlumniNews

Keller Tours Continue to Keep Recent Harker Graduates Connected of Fame. About 15 Harker supporters attended, cheering on both teams in the game, which UCSB ultimately won.

Later in the year, over spring break, the Keller Tours headed south again, this time to visit the University of California, San Photos provided by Jane Keller Diego and UCSB, s the 2015-16 school year wound its which included an oceanfront dinner with way to a close, so too did the annual various alumni. It was there that Perez shared Keller Tours, led by Butch Keller, upthe exciting news that he had been named a per school head, and his wife, Jane captain of UCSB’s soccer team for next year.

Keller, an upper school math teacher.

A

The couple uses the tours, which occur throughout the year, as opportunities to visit with Harker alumni attending various colleges throughout the United States. The first Keller Tour occurred in spring 2009 when the couple headed to New York to attend a performance by The Harker School Orchestra at Lincoln Center.

Several alumni living in the area heard the Kellers were in town and asked them to stop by.

Soon after, requests began flooding in from other alumni to “come out and see us,” recalled Butch Keller.

Today, the tours serve as an opportunity not only to stay in touch with alumni, but also to visit with them while they are still in college, gaining invaluable feedback on how well Harker prepared them for university life.

In early September, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) junior Andy Perez ’13 traveled to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play soccer against UCLA junior Michael Amick ’13 in a match between their respective schools’ teams. Before the game, the Harker Alumni Association sponsored a small gathering for Harker graduates and parents, held in UCLA's Hall

The largest Keller Tours gathering this year was at the University of California, Berkeley, where they met with more than 30 students who shared stories from their first quarter.

“The Keller Tours reconnect [alumni] in a special way.”

- Butch Keller, upper school head

After spring break the Kellers continued their trek of the UCs by visiting the University of California, Santa Cruz for a campus tour with Nick Nguyen ’15 followed by dinner with him and Lydia Werthen ’13.

The final stop on the Keller Tours was the University of California, Davis. “We had a fantastic dinner with students of every grade, from senior Ila Dwivedi ’12 to freshman Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari ’15. Sophomore Huck Vaughan ’14 shared stories of his summer bike trek from Santa Cruz to San Diego while Michael Chen ’13 talked about his rafting adventures. Andre Tran ’13 shared stories of club volleyball, while Dwivedi talked about her post-graduation plans to pursue a master’s at USC,” recalled Jane Keller.

“This year it was again evident that Harker alums enjoy reminiscing with one another … in their current college environment. The Keller Tours reconnect them in a special way,” said Butch Keller.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

51

Photo provide d by Ru

AlumniNews Alumni Use Scientific Knowledge to Address Contemporary Issues

Back in April, as spring came into bloom, so too did the medical career of Ruchi (Srivastava) Doshi ’08, a student at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Doshi is currently pursuing a master’s of public health in epidemiology and biostatistics at the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health and was a corecipient of the annual Junior Investigator Awards, a prestigious honor sponsored by the Annals of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians (ACP).

She was recognized for her article, titled “Efficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs: An Updated Systematic Review,” published in the Annals’ April 7, 2015 issue.

Doshi was presented with the award, given to early career physicians who are new to publishing in the journal, at the ACP’s annual scientific meeting in Washington, D.C., in May. She said she was both surprised and delighted to receive the recognition.

Established in 1927, Annals of Internal Medicine is the flagship journal of the ACP, the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. The publication is one of the most widely cited and influential medical journals in the world.

“As a result of winning, I had the privilege of being able to present my findings at the ACP conference, which was my first major presentation,” recalled Doshi, who received the award along with her mentor and co-author, Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, an 52

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

Their article provided a systematic review of commercial weight-loss programs available in the U.S. “Several million Americans try to lose weight each year, and as a country, we spend billions of dollars on the weight-loss industry. Our review aimed to look at which commercial programs had evidence supporting them – which programs actually resulted in long-term weight loss,” reported Doshi.

“There’s something immensely satisfying in knowing that my research will have a far-reaching impact.”

– Ruchi Doshi ’08 To that end, she and Gudzune looked through thousands of abstracts and more than 1,500 articles before including 45 in the study. Ultimately, they found that a few programs (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig) had some evidence of long-term weight loss and other programs had evidence of short-term weight loss (Nutrisystem, Atkins), but the majority of the programs didn’t have enough evidence to determine conclusively if they are, in fact, helpful.

Doshi also has conducted research regarding bias against obese physicians and other health professionals. She is currently working on a project regarding obesity treatment and medical education. “I’m obesity-focused, but I’m still working on finding my niche!” said Doshi, who took this year off from medical school to pursue her master’s and explore the topic – a pressing public health and medical problem – in greater depth.

After graduating from medical school next year, Doshi plans to train in internal medicine-pediatrics, with the ultimate goal of becoming a clinician investigator at a teaching-heavy academic center. She credits Harker with giving her many tools necessary for success. One learned lesson she would

S U M M E R 2 016

like to pass on to other alumni interested in going into medicine is to work hard but also to be sure to have a balanced, wellrounded life.

ch i ' 0 8

Ruchi Doshi ’08: Receiving Recognition as an Early Career Physician

assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

chi D o

Many Harker alumni are applying their scientific know-how to contemporary issues, including improving women’s health, understanding obesity and helping to make commercial space flight a reality. Although their career paths differ, the desire to make the world a better place is the tie that binds these three Harker graduates.

“I started college believing I needed to major in biology/biochemistry, do clinical or basic science research, volunteer in a hospital and be the top of my class in order to go to medical school. Instead, I majored in psychology and classical studies. So when I entered medical school, I had other interests outside of medicine,” she said.

Surbhi Sarna ’03: Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Alumni Award

Surbhi Sarna ’03 has dedicated her career to using STEM research to improve health care for women. Recently, in recognition of her groundbreaking efforts in that arena, she was named recipient of Harker’s 2016 Outstanding Alumni Award.

“The award honors a prominent alumna/ alumnus who exemplifies the very best of Harker,” said Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations, “whose contributions have led to extraordinary advances that benefit the greater good, who gives back to the community and to Harker, and who inspires others by his or her professional leadership and commitment.”

Sarna fits that bill as a previous keynote speaker at Harker’s annual research symposium, along with her past inclusion in Forbes magazine’s prestigious “30 Under 30” list of young movers and shakers in the fields of science and health care.

It was Sarna’s personal experience with painful ovarian cysts in her early teens that left her determined to create better conditions in the field of female health. To this end, only six years out of Harker, she founded venture-backed nVision Medical in 2009 to develop technology to help

AlumniNews gynecologists more quickly detect ovarian cancer. In November 2015, the company received FDA approval for its device, following a successful clinical trial.

“It was lots of work, but it couldn't be more worth it. … From a dream, to a slide deck, to a prototype, to raising money and hiring a team, to first use in a person, to 90 patients successfully treated, to FDA approval!” she said, reflecting back on her whirlwind of achievements.

Crediting her time at Harker with helping pave the way for her current success, Sarna said, “I know Harker has a lot do to with my drive to be an entrepreneur and I’m grateful for all of the teachers who inspired me while I was there. It has been a fantastic journey.”

Offering advice to other recent graduates interested in pursuing STEM and research education, she stressed the importance of seeking out mentors and advisors. “Take meetings with everybody, even when you don’t understand the direct benefit in doing so. Cast your net wide to open up doors,” she said.

It is also important to follow your own passions, she added. “I started out as a patient, and I had to believe there were better options out there for women like me.

I wanted to make a mark, and at the end of the day you have to follow your passions.

It’s extremely rewarding to now be in a career providing service to others.”

According to Sarna, STEM careers for women are advancing, but as a woman “you still have to up your game. When you walk into a room, you have to do so with the knowledge that nobody knows their subject material better than you. Harker set the stage for future success, because the view at Harker is that a girl can do anything!” she said.

The life of a rocket scientist is just another day at the office for Evan Maynard ’09, who works as a propulsion devlopment engineer for Blue Origin, a privately funded commercial spaceflight services company. Maynard works at the company’s headquarters, a development facility near Seattle.

Owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin is making headlines by developing technologies to enable private citizens access to space by dramatically lowering the costs and increasing the reliability of spaceflight.

“To that end we have successfully launched, landed and reused our entire vehicle on several journeys past the Karman Line [the “line” at 100 km above Earth that defines the beginning of outer space]!” said Maynard.

Named because the blue planet, Earth, is the point of origin, Blue Origin is developing a variety of technologies, with a focus on rocket-powered vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, for access to suborbital and orbital space. In April, the company enjoyed a widely publicized third successful landing of its suborbital rocket named New Shepard. A video is on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1TvrmuW.

“Just go out and start doing it ... you don't have to be an expert in the beginning.”

– Evan Maynard ’09 Maynard graduated two years ago from Purdue University, a major research university located in Lafayette, Ind., known for discoveries in science, technology and engineering. There he obtained his master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics, with a specialty in propulsion.

In his master’s thesis, he wrote about creating experiments to supplement more traditional rocket injector design techniques to better allow for quick performance prediction. “While at Purdue’s Zucrow

Laboratories, I also gained experience in cryogenic and gaseous test stand integration and operation while training new students in the lab,” he recalled.

It was Maynard’s thesis and work at the Purdue lab that caught the eye of Blue Origin, which was using the lab to do research of its own. “There are not that many propulsion labs in the world,” explained Maynard, adding that many leading companies use the teaching labs at Purdue, providing incredible learning and networking opportunities for students.

Back when Maynard was a student at Harker, he had no idea he would go on to become a rocket scientist or work at a company on the forefront of making history with commercial spaceflight.

However, he believes the strong work ethic he learned at Harker has contributed toward his current employment. That, and “being exposed to critical thinking and coding early on,” he added.

Photos by Mark Kocina

Evan Maynard ’09: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality

He also cited “learning from the ground up and being allowed to make mistakes” as a catalyst for future success. His advice to current Harker students and recent graduates interested in a career off the beaten scientific track is to “just go out and start doing it … you don’t have to an expert in the beginning.”

Harker Quarterly loves to hear about alumni endeavors and successes across the spectrum of employment and personal exploration. If you know of classmates who are making their marks in any field, or have made an epic journey, we would love to hear about it – and don’t be reluctant to tell us about yourself! Just email news@harker.org.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

53

AlumniNews

By Debbie Cohen

Photos by Mark Kocina

Induction Luncheon Warmly Welcomes Class of 2016 to Alumni Association The Class of 2016 was officially welcomed into the Harker Alumni Association during an induction luncheon held in the upper school gym on May 18.

During the event, various speakers offered words of inspiration to the graduating seniors, including Chris Nikoloff, head of school, Matthew Harley, Class of 2016 dean and upper school biology teacher, and Tony Silk, upper school math teacher. Silk was the keynote speaker, offering inspiring words about his own journey, as well as on the importance of boredom as a prelude to creativity.

“The world needs you to be creative. There are problems out there that it will be up to your generation to solve,” said Silk, urging the students to put their electronic devices away, even if just for a little while. “Be bored. Be creative,” he advised.

Dan Hudkins, Harker’s director of “The world needs you to be learning, innovation and design, creative. There are problems then gave an overview of how to use the new alumni portal, out there that it will be up to allowing graduates to staying your generation to solve.” connected with each other and with Harker. He also spoke about – Tony Silk, upper school math teacher the Harker social media tools available to alumni, and the importance of networking.

The seniors were introduced to their class agents, who will act as liaisons between Harker’s alumni department and the Class of 2016. And the class announced that its parting gift will be something of use (as yet to be determined) for the new gym and theater buildings.

“As a fellow graduate, I know firsthand that once you’re a Harker alum, you will always feel at home here on the Saratoga campus,” said Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations, noting that she would be working in tandem with the class agents to help keep all the new graduates connected to Harker.

As the event drew to a close each student received what has become a fun Harker tradition: a laundry bag along with instructions on doing one’s own laundry. They were also handed a boba tea as they exited the gym to sign yearbooks and chat with one another.

54

HH AA RR KE KR E RQ U Q AU RATRETRELY R LY

S USM UME MRE R2 021061 6

Submitted by Class Agents

ClassNotes

Alumni from all classes through 1997 are listed under the years they would have completed grade 8 at The Harker School, Harker Academy, Harker Day School or Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA). For all classes after the Class of 1997, alumni are listed under the class years they would have graduated from high school, regardless of whether they completed high school studies at Harker. For unlisted classes, we invite you to email alumni@harker.org if you are interested in becoming a class agent or would like to nominate a classmate.

1982

1996

2007

Jana Bartley and her husband, Milt, adopted their 3-year-old grandson, Jayce, in May.

Jerome Keene got married.

Please see the Celebrations section for details.

Lower school English teacher Kate Shanahan recently met up with VyVy Trinh. VyVy is currently attending the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with plans Photo provided by Kate Shanahan to go on to medical school. “VyVy was in my class the second year I taught at Harker. She loved to learn, was excited about literature, and always had a big smile on her face! Her enthusiasm for life was so contagious. I realized that year that Harker was such a special place, and that if all my students had a little bit of VyVy in them, that I would stay here quite a long time. It’s been 18 years now,” shared Kate.

1984 Former classmates Kristin (Marlow) Quintin and Elise (Tremba) Robichaud had a great time catching up over lunch in downtown Campbell.

Photo provided by Karri Baker '84

1993 Kristen (Nielsen) Morgensen works at Harker’s middle school as a grade 8 biology teacher.

Recently, her students presented hands-on ecology activities to their younger pals at Harker Preschool (for the full story, see page 14). Kristen is also a current preschool parent (3-year-old Teagan).

1994 Jason Reid stopped by the upper school to catch up with Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement. Jason said he has known Mr. Rosenthal since he was 5 years Photo provided by Karri Baker '84 old. He also reported that his brother, AJ '04, recently had his first baby, a boy named Evan.

Andrea Miles had a baby. Please see the Celebrations section for details.

Sheila Collins and her husband, Mike, are enjoying spending time with their 10monthold twins, Alex and Theo.

Photo provided by Sheila Collins '96

1997 Congrats to Will Jarvis of Jarvis Estate Winery in Napa, who was recently promoted from vice president to president of his family's winemaking business.

2004 Kudos to Vivek Saraswat, whose group Halfway to Midnight won the 2016 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes Regional A Cappella Festival!

2006 Roshni Mehra wrote in with some exciting updates. She is now the external relations donor stewardship and communications manager at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also recently got married and, prior to that, went to Cabo with some fellow Harker '06 girls for her bachelorette party. For her honeymoon this summer, she'll be traveling to Italy, Greece and Croatia!

Class Agents 1972 Stephen Worsley

saworsley@hotmail.com

1973 Alan Stevens

alanclassreunion@earthlink.net

1976 Joy Aliason Younes

joycyounes@yahoo.com

Cindy Cottrell DeAngelo cldeangelo@yahoo.com

1977 Mike Pons

michael.pons@gmail.com

1978 Silvia Malaccorto

smalaccorto@contoural.com

1979 Chip Zecher

chipzecher@hotmail.com

1980 Edrice Angry Wright

xenaneve@sbcglobal.net

Lisa Sharon Morel

lisa.morel@gmail.com

1981 Kristin (Scarpace) Giammona

2008

kristing@harker.org

Tiffany Liou spent the last two years in Iowa and Illinois working as a reporter. In March, she moved to Oklahoma City and is now a news reporter at the CBSaffiliate KWTV News 9. “It's been a whirlwind moving from one state to another, but for me it's the best way to travel the United States while following my dream.

For those who don't know the TV industry, Oklahoma City is a step up in market size from my last job.

I'm slowly moving my way up and hopefully back to the Bay Area one day. I would love nothing more than to be a reporter in my home state. Truly, this career

1982

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

Tina (Johnson) Murray

tinammurray@earthlink.net

Pauline (de Vos) Aasen thedutchfox@gmail.com

Keil Albert

kaalbert@geo-consultants.com

1984 Karri Baker

karribaker@me.com

Jeff Rogers

dad@vivianrogers.com

Kristin Quintin

kristinq1030@yahoo.com

1985 Miyeko Kohlmann

miyeko_kohlmann@yahoo.com

Loren Due

voodue2@hotmail.com S U M M E R 2 016

55

ClassNotes Class Agents

change is the best decision I've made for my life,” she said.

1987 Michelle Nguyen hoaitrang_nguyen@yahoo.com

1988 Eric Xanthopoulos eric.xanthopoulos@gmail.com

Aileen Eveleth

Photo provided by Tiffany Liou '08

a_eveleth@yahoo.com

1989 Katie Wilson

mkate_wilson@yahoo.com

1990 Jennifer Cady Logan

Check out Harker News for a previous story about Tiffany: http:// news.harker.org/alumna-passionate-about-career-as-broadcastjournalist/.

skinbyjennifer@gmail.com

2009

Chris Yamashita

Sanaz Oskouy shared that she just graduated from Duke

iamtheyamo@yahoo.com

2011

Medal, an honor that requires a 3.96 grade-point average and goes to a graduating senior who is seeking to make a difference in people’s lives. Chun just graduated from the university with a double major in chemical engineering and environmental engineering.

In May, Swetha Repakula joined IBM as a member of its open source cloud team. Here she is featured in an IBM blog about her current work: https://www. cloudfoundry.org/welcome-tothe-ibm-dojo/.

Harker upper school math teachers Gabriele Stahl and Anthony Silk recently went to Napa Valley to visit Mike Patland, who had invited them up for a private tour of his family’s estate and vineyard.

“It was a fantastic afternoon. Mike is such a fine young man. I had

2013

1991 Ashley Anderson

anderbruin@gmail.com

1992

Photo provided by Gabriele Stahl

amandambonomi@gmail.com

1993

Photo provided by Sanaz Oskouy '09

Joy Paterson

joypaterson@gmail.com

Tala Banato

tala.banato@gmail.com

Kelle Sloan Saunders

kellessanders@gmail.com

1994 Leyna Cotran

leynacotran@gmail.com

2010 Nicole Lindars got married.

Please see the Celebrations section for details.

Alexander Miller just graduated from Cal Poly in computer science.

1995 Lisa (Bowman) Gassmann lisagassmann@gmail.com

1996 Andrea Miles

andreamil3s@gmail.com

Ann Chu

annwchu@gmail.com

1997 Lindsey Hochrine

lynn.laka@fireskyresort.com

56

University School of Law and is looking forward to the next Class of 2009 reunion.

Kelsey Chung is entering grad school at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Kelsey is pursuing her master’s in art history. She will be moving to New York this summer, and would like to connect with any alumni living in the area.

Mark-Phillip Pebworth won the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

him in calculus. To see him again was really special. He is now managing and growing the family wine business,” recalled Ms. Stahl.

Cecilia Lang-Ree was recently named Reserve National Champion in the Collegiate Cup Novice Equitation on the flat division (second place in the nation) at the 2016 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Finals. She was at the nationals as a member of the 2016 Zone Champion Stanford Equestrian Team.

Michael Prutton just finished his master's in medical device and diagnostic engineering at the University of Southern California.

Michelle Markiewicz was part of a student team from the University of California, San Diego’s department of urban studies and planning who came up with a winning formula for redoing a nearby commercial property. She and her team were featured in an article in the April issue of the San Diego Metro Magazine, highlighting their accomplishments.

2012 Chun Man Chow was a runner up for the University of California, Berkeley’s prestigious University

Photo provided by Laura Lang-Ree

Amanda Mathias Bonomi

Photo by Mark Kocina

In mid-March Amy Johnson spent a day visiting the upper school as part of a research assignment she is doing as a current student at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. “I was enrolled in an education class for which I had been asked to conduct a school visit. This visit helped give me hands-on experience in understanding the theories we had been discussing in class,” she explained.

ClassNotes The spring sports season proved to be very good for a pair of alumnae athletes! Ashley Del Alto gained attention as the starting left fielder for the Briar Cliff University Chargers and was named a GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports softball player-of-the-week.

The Chargers went 4-0 in one week, thanks in large part to Ashley, who went 8-15 with seven RBIs in four victories. She is currently leading Briar Cliff with a .338 batting average. A little closer to home, Izzy Connell has been tearing up the track and the record books at Pepperdine University. Izzy broke her own school records in the women’s 100-meter (12.13 seconds) and 200 (24.96 seconds), placing fifth and sixth, respectively, at the Bruins Legends Invitational, held recently at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also holds the school record in the 400.

2014 Congrats to Anika Ayyar who recently launched The Sheroes Project, an interactive, online video talk show to showcase inspirational stories of women

in technology. Enjoy her first episode: http://bit.ly/1VkXWkm.

2015 The cast of the Harker Conservatory’s spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie” had a nice surprise when alums Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, Madi LangRee and Caroline Howells visited a rehearsal and led the warmup routine. All three are

Fred Chang and Priscilla Pan are spending their summer expanding an award-winning journalism video project they began at Harker. Enjoy their first "In a Nutshell" project at http:// bit.ly/24i8yRh. These longtime buddies – all “lifers” except one who started Harker in grade 1 – reunited after

Class Agents 2002 Akhsar Kharebov

axarharebate@gmail.com

Yasmin Ali

yasminfali@gmail.com

Isabella Liu

isabella.a.liu@gmail.com

2003 Julia N. Gitis

juliag@gmail.com

Maheen Kaleem

maheenkaleem@gmail.com

2004 Jacinda A. Mein

mjacinda@gmail.com

Jessica C. Liu

jess.c.liu@gmail.com

2005 Photo provided by Laura Lang-Ree

the completion of their freshman year of college. From left: Sarah Bean, Sheridan Tobin, Delany Martin, Madi Lang-Ree, Zoe Woehrmann and Alyssa Amick.

Photo by Laura Lang-Ree

graduates of the musical theater certificate program at the Harker Conservatory and continue to be active in the arts now that they are in college.

Erika N. Gudmundson

erika.gudmundson@gmail.com

2006 Meghana Dhar

meghanadhar@gmail.com

Jeffrey Le

Jeff87@gmail.com

Casey Near

caseylane@gmail.com

2016 Congratulations to the Class of 2016 on your graduation and welcome to the Alumni Association! We look forward to hearing updates from you.

2007 Cassie Kerkhoff

ckerkhoff@ucsd.edu

Audrey Kwong

audmusic@gmail.com

2008 Stephanie Syu

Stay Connected

ssyu363@yahoo.com

Connect with alumni through Facebook and LinkedIn as your new social and professional lives ramp up.

We’d love to hear from you!

rachel.serendipity@gmail.com

Senan Ebrahim

sebrahim@fas.harvard.edu

2009

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Harker-Alumni-166447 (or go to LinkedIn and search for Harker alumni)

Rachel Wang

Stephanie Guo

stephanie.j.guo@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/HarkerAlumniAssociation (or – you guessed it! – search for Harker Alumni Association while logged in to your Facebook account)

2010

We have partnered with EverTrue, an app that puts Harker’s alumni network right at your fingertips! Discover what your classmates are up to, find jobs and reconnect with old friends. Download the app, available for iPhone and Android, at http://web.evertrue.com/network/harker.

Adrienne Wong

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Kevin Fu

kf800@yahoo.com adriee@gmail.com

57

ClassNotes Class Agents 2011 Rani Mukherjee

rani.mukherjee18@gmail.com

Hassaan Ebrahim

hassaan.e@gmail.com

2012 Will Chang

thewillchang@gmail.com

David Fang

Alumni Celebrations

ALUMNI SAVE THE DATES

Please join us in congratulating the following alumni: Jerome Keene ’96 married Briana Parra last spring.

His sister, Rachel Keene ’00, was a bridesmaid, and Steve Blomquist ’96 was a groomsman.

HARKER FAMILY & ALUMNI PICNIC Sunday, Oct. 9

Class agent Andrea Miles ’96 and her husband,

Join us at the 66th annual Family & Alumni Picnic for some good, old-fashioned fun! Free admission and lunch for alumni and their families. The alumni relations office will be hosting a barbecue luncheon for recent and not-so-recent alumni from noon to 1 p.m. in our shady Alumni Grove. We’ll be grilling up our legendary sausage sandwiches, chicken and more!

david.fang75@gmail.com

2013 Kathir Sundarraj

13KathirS@alumni.harker.org

Nikhil Panu

13NikhilP@alumni.harker.org

Nicholas Chuang

13NicholasC@alumni.harker.org

Photo provided by Andrea Miles '96

Gary, had their first baby, Soren Jeffrey Miles, on Dec. 24, 2015.

2014 Nithya Vemireddy

nithya.vemireddy@gmail.com

Adith Rengaramchandran adithram@gmail.com

connieli32@gmail.com

2015 Katy Sanchez

ktlynnsanchez@gmail.com

Nikhil Reddy

reddnikhil@gmail.com

David Lin

david.lin210@gmail.com

Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari

Photo by Soulmates Photography

Nicole Lindars ’10 got married on June 4. Her husband is Harker middle school teacher Chris Caruso, who began teaching grade 6 Latin and grade 7 history last year.

Christopher Park ’97 and his wife, Kwi Young Sung, welcomed baby Hadley into their family.

jetongutierrez@gmail.com

2016 Grace Guan

guanzgrace@gmail.com

Stephanie Huang

stephaniehuang17@gmail.com

Mary Najibi

mary.najibi@gmail.com

Kurt Schwartz

kurticus100@gmail.com

Edward Sheu

edwardsheu.ca@gmail.com

Michael Zhao

michael.zhao@gmail.com

Online Channels Our alumni love to hear how their classmates are doing, so some Class Notes submissions will be shared on the Harker Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels.

Some news is so much fun, we won’t wait for Harker Quarterly but will publish it online when we get it, then run it in the Quarterly’s Class Notes; other times we’ll wait and post a complete class year’s notes after the magazine is out. If you prefer not to have your Class Notes submissions shared in social media, please just drop us a line at news@harker.org.

– Karri Baker ’84, Director of Alumni Relations

58

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S U M M E R 2 016

Photo provided by Christopher Park ‘97

Connie Li

HOMECOMING TAILGATE Saturday, Nov. 5 Alumni relations will be providing food, drinks and giveaways to alumni and their families.

Come visit with old friends and teachers in our special alumni area! No RSVP required.

SANTA’S WINTER WONDERLAND Saturday, Dec. 3 Join us in the Bucknall gym for breakfast, crafts, cookie decorating, story time, a jumpy house, photos by a professional photographer and, of course, Santa! All alumni, alumni families and friends are welcome.

Stay tuned for more information from your class agents about these events.

LookingAhead KEYDATES Preschool Mon., Aug. 22 Orientation (Parents Only) Tue., Aug. 23 Little Visits (Parents with Children) Wed., Aug. 24: Classes begin Thurs., Aug. 25 Welcome Coffee Thurs., Sept. 1 Cottage Cookout

Pledge Week Sept. 25-Oct. 1

Lower School Mon., Aug. 22 (Kindergarten) Parent/Student Orientation and Welcome Bash Tue., Aug. 23 (Grades 1-5) Parent/Student Orientations Wed., Aug. 24: Classes begin K-5 Welcome Breakfast and Volunteer Sign-Up Fri., Sept. 9 (Grades 1-5) Welcome Barbecue

Middle School Tue., Aug. 16 Parent Welcome Breakfast and Volunteer Sign-Up Mon., Aug. 22: Classes begin

Upper School Wed., Aug. 17 Grade 9 Parent Orientation Thurs., Aug. 18 Student Orientation/Class Activities (Grades 9-11) Fri., Aug. 19 (Grades 9-12) Student Matriculation/Photo Day Mon., Aug. 22: Classes begin

Labor Day Holiday

Mon., Sept. 5: No Classes (Preschool-12)

Visit the website for complete calendar information.

HOMECOMING Davis Field | Sat., Nov. 5

Harker Quarterly (USPS 023-761) is published four times per year (September, December, March and June) by The Harker School, Office of Communication, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Jose, CA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Harker Quarterly, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

SUMMER 2016

59

1973

Harker Academy

Photo courtesy of the Harker Archives

T

he quad at Saratoga has seen a lot of activity over the years and, despite the growth of the campus around it, has remained intact and instantly recognizable. This photo circa 1973 shows middle school students maximizing the quad’s best use: loafing in the sun, talking to friends.

The tree just to the right of the central foursome grew into a towering oak, became diseased and was removed this spring, but another oak displaced by the new performing arts and athletic centers will be replanted in the quad, offering shade to succeeding generations of Harker students.

4 0 8 . 2 4 9 . 2 510

•

w w w. h a r k e r. o r g

·

S a n

J o s e ,

C a l i f o r n i a O of C: 6/16 (BHDG/JJJ/RM/DQP) 5,751