Harker Quarterly, Spring 2010

Outside the Box: The Harker Fashion Show Research Program Has Students Aiming High Stanford Collaboration Summer at Harker Libraries Enjoy Watershed Year Global Partnerships Cross Oceans S P R I N G 2 010

V ol u m e 1 路 N u m ber 2

ON THE COVER: Clara Blickenstaff, Gr. 11, wearing a studentcreated gown, one of several made from recycled materials

by Priya Bhikha, Gr. 12. Read all about the fashion show on page 8. The story on Bhikha’s creations can be found at Harker News Online, http://news.harker.org. Search under “recycled.”

Harker QUARTERLY

S P R I N G 2 010 / V o lU M E 1 · N U M B E R 2 Pam Dickinson Director William Cracraft Editor

Photo from Harker archives

AboutHarker

F

rom its early beginnings in 1893 — when Stanford University leaders assisted in its establishment — to its reputation today as a leading preparatory school with students attending prestigious universities worldwide, Harker’s mission has remained constant: to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, inspires intellectual curiosity, expects personal accountability and forever instills a genuine passion for learning. Whether it’s for academic achievement, raising funds for global concerns, performing on stage or scoring a goal, Harker students encourage and support one another and celebrate each other’s efforts and successes, at Harker and beyond. It’s a dynamic, supportive, fun and nurturing community where kids and their families make friends for life.

Capturing Harker life takes a village of photographers, and we’d like to recognize the team for this edition.

Many images taken by former staff photographer Mark Tantrum - who recently moved back to New Zealand – are used in this edition, and he’s had a virtual hand in continuing to help us out. Ashley Batz, our new staff photographer, has done a wonderful job jumping in and already feels like she’s been on the team for years.

Deadlines do that to you. Student photographers from our Winged Post and Talon staffs, advised by Chris Daren, took most of the fashion show photos, and we thank them all: Arjun Bhargava, Mahum Jamal, Gr. 12; Anisha Agarwal, Monisha Appalaraju, Rishi Bhatia, Tiffany Chang, Malika Mehrotra, Dawn Queen, Naomi So, Brianna Tran, Gr. 11; Michelle Lo, Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10; also Bridget Nixon, Gr. 10 (picnic package winner).

Finally, our gratitude and high-fives to Harker alumna and photo editor for this edition, Jessica Liu ’04. In addition to the fantastic photos she’s taken for us (she’s worked off and on for the O of C while attending UC San Diego), it’s her combined talent, drive and skill that brought all these great photos together for this issue during an especially busy time. We applaud her, and wish her the best as she heads off in the fall to the University of Michigan PharmD School!

We welcome photos from our students, parents and alumni, so if you’d like to contribute e-mail photos@harker.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 Contact communications@harker.org or 408.345.9273.

2

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Jessica Liu ‘04 Photo Editor Zach Jones Catherine Snider Lauri Vaughan Stephanie Woolsey Ashley Batz Mark Tantrum David Woolsey ‘06 Emily Chow ‘08 Theresa Halol Liat Noten ‘05 Winged Post / Talon Theresa Smith Contributors Desiree Mitchell Distribution Blue Heron Design Group Triple J Design Rebecca McCartney Design

ThePhotos

Harker News Online (HNO) was launched in April 2009 and reports timely news on the activities, programs and accomplishments of The Harker School and its students, faculty and alumni. You can subscribe to HNO via RSS feeds or a daily digest e-mail alert. Visit http://news.harker.org/.

Catherine Snider Copy Editor

Diamond Quality Printing Printing

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Cover photo by Jessica Liu ‘04 The Harker School is a K-12 independent, coed, college-prep school.

K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130 Grade 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117 Grade 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 Published four times a year, the 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: June 2010

32

inside Students Shine at Sold-Out Fashion Show Visual and Performing Arts Center in Motion Student Environmentalists Motivating Change Harker Assists Stanford Research Effort A Summer of Learning and Fun for All

28

Global Partnerships Connect Students

Science Research Program Has Students Aiming High Harker Libraries Enjoy

Watershed Year

8

8 18 12 14 22 16 18 22 28 34 departments Headlines.......................................................4

34

Greater Good.................................................6 Capital Giving..............................................12

25

32

Milestones....................................................21 Eagle Report............................................... 25 Performing Arts.......................................... 32 Out and About............................................ 36 Alumni......................................................... 37 Looking Ahead........................................... 42

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

S P R I N G 2 010

3

Headlines

By Christopher Nikoloff

Preparing Our Kids for the Future: Build Their Résumés, or Just Teach Them to Love Learning?

T

he author Kurt Vonnegut, in a 1994 commencement address at Syracuse University, offered the following insight: “I first declare to you that the most wonderful thing, the most valuable thing you can get from an education is this – the memory of one person who could really teach, whose lessons made life and yourselves much more interesting and full of possibilities than you had previously supposed possible.” I suppose that when schools cite “love of learning” in their mission statements, as most do, this is the spirit they are after.

Albert Einstein famously said that, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Aside from inadvertently giving courage to those who do not believe that children need to learn facts anymore, what the man who imagined riding elevators in space was trying to say, I believe, was that information alone, divorced from imagination, does not constitute a complete education.

Einstein was warning against a narrow pursuit of facts without context, knowledge without synthesis, learning without understanding. Mark Twain had a quip with a similar gist: “I never let schooling interfere with my education.”

“...information alone, divorced from imagination, does not constitute a complete education.”

Today’s parents and students are understandably anxious about the future. If anxiety is caused by, among other factors, a low level of predictability, then families today suffer from predictability deficiency.

The decline in civic life, the shrinking of the extended family, the onslaught of media and technology, the intensifying of world competition, the Great Recession – over the past decades these factors, among others, have eroded predictability in what sometimes seems a wild, uncaring world.

Parents often react to this uncertainty by attempting to manufacture certainty. They become “agents” for their children. As agents, parents guide their children through a raft of résumé-building exercises from violin practice to building schools in developing countries, all to help differentiate their precious little ones in the weary eyes of a college admissions reader. As a parent, I also find myself seduced by this “agent frenzy.” Do my children know their colors?

Shouldn’t I have initiated piano lessons by now? Are we really veering into a Saturday afternoon without a planned activity?

Won’t the kids be, well, bored?

4

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Some of this cultivation is good. I know I could have used a swift kick in the curriculum vitae by my parents when I was in school. But there is a growing backlash against these trends, including counter movements that carry titles such as “free-range parenting” or “slow parenting.”

Tom Hodgkinson, author of “The Idle Parent,” reminds us of D. H. Lawrence’s advice on childrearing: “How to begin to educate a child. First rule: leave him alone. Second rule: leave him alone. Third rule: leave him alone.”

Headlines However, when educators tell parents to relax, everything will work out fine, they ought to feel a twinge of hypocrisy, given that children today, it appears, face an uncertain, competitive future, with far fewer common assumptions about that future.

Parents either do not listen to or do not believe the rising tide of advice against the agent approach. And who can blame them? It takes a brave parent to climb down from the nuclear arms race of résumé-building.

“Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue ... as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.”

Colleges now give warning about two types of students who show up as freshmen on their campuses, “teacups” and “crispies.” Crispies are burned out from an uninspiring, connect-the-dots approach to education. Teacups never really faced disappointment in their careers; hence they shatter, like a teacup, when they receive their first setbacks. These profiles result, I believe, from an unhealthy focus on outcomes over process, grades over learning, – Victor Frankl activities over passion. Victor Frankl, author of “Man’s Search for Meaning,” said it best: “Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue … as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.” I love that. Success must ensue.

What Einstein called imagination, what Twain feared missing in school, what made life for Vonnegut more full of possibilities than he had previously imagined, what schools call love of learning – this will sustain a young person and carry him or her to success. In “Outliers: The Story of Success,” Malcolm Gladwell lists the colleges the last 25 winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine and chemistry attended – many you have heard of, and many you have not. My favorite is Berea College. Ever heard of it?

Berea College has a Nobel Prize winner. In fact, if you look at its Web site, you will see that the school boasts other accomplishments of its alumni too, like the invention of the touch screen.

It is fine and probably advisable to prepare our youngsters for the “Brave New World” they will face. We sense, like no other time in recent history, that we are buffeted by the unknown forces of what Andy Grove of Intel described as a ”strategic inflection point,” or many such points. A parent recently asked me what subject his child ought to learn to be prepared for future. I thought about his question for only a few seconds. All of them, I replied. I suppose I meant that since none of us can predict the future, a thorough grounding in traditional education, fueled by love of learning, is still the best preparation for success in an uncertain world.

In “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” Daniel Pink outlines three ingredients of motivation: mastery, autonomy and purpose. We rush to give our children mastery over something: calculus, violin, golf, soccer. But we fail to teach them to master themselves. In the end, Pinocchio is transformed into a real boy only by a fairy’s magic and his long journey, one he undergoes alone. A little magic, a journey and a promise to be good are what make Pinocchio (and all of us) human.

Oscar Wilde said, “The moment you think you understand a great work of art it’s dead for you.”

The moment we focus on grades over learning, competition over cooperation, quantity over quality, appearance over passion, outcomes over process, learning dies. I know letting go is easier said than done in this competitive world. But when was the world not competitive? Are we the first to live in interesting times? Besides, love of learning is still, I believe, the number one competitive advantage we can give to our children.

Christopher Nikoloff, Head of School H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

S P R I N G 2 010

5

GreaterGood

By Lauri Vaughan

Efforts Aid Haitian Earthquake Victims & Many Others

T

he response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti tops the list of Harker’s recent outreach efforts. Students, teachers and parents joined forces at all three campuses to fund ongoing efforts to provide food, medical supplies and shelter to the victims of the January temblor in Port au Prince, the tiny country’s densely populated capitol.

organize a hot chocolate and donuthole drive in January, earning over $3,000. Several lower school teachers and staff donated funds to offset the costs of food and drink to further enhance profit margin.

“Our student body truly outdid itself with its generosity and concern displayed throughout our fundraising effort,” said Kristin Giammona, elementary division head Gr. 4-5. “It is heartwarming to witness and be a part of such an outpouring of care and monetary support.”

The Bucknall Student Council and the Gr. 4-5 Spirit and Service Club helped

Similarly, middle school students participated in Coin Wars, a friendly grade-level competition to make a difference. The organizers asked students to donate pennies and nickels for Haitian relief. The class with the largest number of one- and five-cent coins in their collection earned the most points. The effort, won by the class of 2015, raised a total of $3,100 in ten days.

Photo by Zach Jones Photo by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

66

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Blood Drive Although they planned their fundraising and blood drive months in advance, members of the upper school Red Cross Club adapted their efforts to benefit Haitian relief.

The annual blood drive collected over 80 donations from eligible students, faculty, staff and parents. While donations will likely be used locally, the collection helps offset blood donations elsewhere that will be sent to Port au Prince.

and class presidents at the weekly school meeting, prompting generous contributions. The mounting piles of coin attracted daily attention in Manzanita Hall, and playful challenges by the deans and presidents to stuff the jars of their competitors added spice to the contest.

In the end, the sophomores were victorious, resulting in class dean Matt Harley and class president Revanth Kosaraju suffering a sliming worth $1,137. In total, the slime contest earned $1,983, an amount complemented by bake sales and pretzel-grams which earned $274 for a total of $2,267.

“We thought that it would be great to offer the Harker community an opportunity to assist Red Cross Haiti relief efforts during our week,” said Red Cross Club president Alex Han, Gr. 12. “We put our best efforts into raising awareness for the cause and making our fundraisers original and exciting, whether through selling handmade pretzel-grams or having a dean and class president get slimed.”

“It is heartwarming to witness and be a part of such an outpouring of care and monetary support.”

– Kristin Giammona

In another Red Cross effort, students emptied their pockets of change in a competition to slime the class dean

Harker parents joined in Haiti relief efforts as well. Siobhan Due, mother of Kai Due, K, and a stylist at Faux Hair Salon, donated several haircuts to earn funds on behalf of earthquake victims.

Due and her colleagues raised $305 for the effort.

GreaterGood Other Harker outreach efforts included: Acterra Photo by Tong Luo, parent

In late February 18 upper school students spent half a day removing non-native plants from the Arastradero Preserve as part of a project by Acterra, an environmental nonprofit in Palo Alto. “The weather held and everyone enjoyed working together; we got a lot done,” said Kerry Enzensperger, director of upper school community service.

Pajama Program Gr. 3 students collected new pajamas and books for needy children in the U.S. and elsewhere. Over 330 pairs of pajamas and 677 books were collected. “All of the third graders were encouraged to participate by bringing in books or pajamas,” said Joe Connolly, dean of students K-Gr. 5. “We had two third graders present the donations to Pallie Zambrano, co-president of the Northern California Chapter of The Pajama Program.”

Save the Bay On Martin Luther King Day, an official Congressional Day of Service, Colin Goodwin, Gr. 4 English teacher, organized a group of about 30 Gr. 4-5 students and parents to work with Save the Bay, planting native trees and grasses at the Eden Landing Ecological Preserve in Hayward. “On our day of service we planted something like 300 plants,” said Goodwin.

“This was my first year organizing this project, and I hope to do the project again next year.”

Jeans for Teens Upper school Key Club members organized a drive for denim in January, collecting lightly-used jeans for homeless teenagers worldwide.

Toiletries Drives

Lower school students authored and sent valentines to U.S. marines serving in Afghanistan.

Peace2Peace Members of the middle school Peace2Peace Club will transform donations of lightlyused toys, electronics and games into funds for daycare in India via a garage sale over spring break. The program allows older siblings who would otherwise be forced to stay home, to attend school regularly.

Hi, I wanted to thank you for the Valentin e’s Day cards. We enjoye d them all. Things are go ing well out here. W e will be headed hom e in April and we are all looking forward to it. Th anks, again, for the ca rds and your support.

–Lt. Sarah Miller , U.S. Marine Corp, Afg hanistan

Kicks for Cancer Upper school girls and boys soccer teams raised over $3,000 through T-shirt sales and donations for cancer research at their January doubleheader.

Warm Coat Drive The middle school Service Club gathered new and gentlyused winter coats to benefit the local organization InnVision (www.innvision.org), which helps Bay Area families and individuals who are homeless or struggling financially.

Kidango Christmas Math instructor Peggy Crisler challenged middle school advisories to provide Christmas gifts for families through Kidango, a Bay Area nonprofit child development agency.

Photo by Ker

ry Enzen

sperger

The class of 2011 held its annual toiletries drive, collecting hundreds of personal hygiene items for distribution at local homeless shelters. Similar efforts are mounted by lower school English teacher Pat Walsh and middle school librarian Bernie Morrissey on their campuses.

Afghanistan Valentines

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

S P R I N G 2 010

7

Harker Students Shine on the Runway at

Sold-Out

Fashion Show

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

By Zach Jones

T

he seventh annual Harker Fashion Show in February was another glamorous spectacle that put on fantastic display the many parts of the greater whole that is Harker. Titled “Outside the Box: Chic and Unique,” this year’s sold-out event was a celebration of Harker’s uniqueness as a school, creatively highlighting the various academic programs and activities in which its students are involved.

Photo by Jessica

8

Liu ‘04

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

Photo by De

by Photo

vin Nguyen

S P R I N G 2 010

, Gr. 10 Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

Devin

0 n, Gr. 1

Nguye

THE HARKER FASHION SHOW

Each portion of the runway show was themed after a different department or program, including performing arts, science, athletics and community service.

Students, parents, faculty and staff strutted down the runway dressed in ensembles from fashion sponsors Macy’s and Eli Thomas for Men. A special segment of the

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

Funds raised by the event are put toward scholarships for qualified students needing financial aid and to the Capital Campaign, which provides students with the ideal facilities to maximize their Harker experience. The final total of funds raised by the fashion show will be announced on Harker News Online in April.

show featured Earth-friendly fashions by Priya Bhikha, Gr. 12, who assembled short and long gowns using recyclable materials such as duct tape, candy wrappers and water bottle labels.

Some amusing surprises were in store as well, such as the opening routine by a professional circus performer who handled a large metal cube and twirled his way effortlessly through a series of complex and visually striking maneuvers. Later, the robotics team wheeled out one of their creations onto the runway during a highly entertaining sequence. Not to be outdone, the Harker forensics team put on a humorous mock debate to decide whether Harker was more “chic” or “unique.”

–Co-Chair Marcia Riedel

The fashion show took place in two phases, a luncheon and a dinner event.

The evening portion of the show featured dancing and the ever-popular live auction, which sold everything from a helicopter ride above Silicon Valley to a night at the Emmy awards to an American Kennel Club-certified black Labrador puppy. Dennis Baldwin Interiors, Concierge Du Cuisine, Chelsea Court Designs, Omesha Eternal Elegance, Inc. and Miller Design Company designed this year’s showcases, which were won in drawings at the luncheon and evening shows.

“I feel complete,” said fashion show co-chair Christine Davis, whose son, Cole, graduates this year. This

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

Photo by

Devin Ng

uyen, Gr.

10

Photo by Jessica

Liu ‘04

Photo by Naomi So,

Gr. 1 1

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

The show also had exciting performances

by Dance Fusion, a Gr. 4-6 group directed

by Gail Palmer; the upper school’s Downbeat, co-directed by Catherine Snider and Lang-Ree; and pre-show entertainment from Chris Florio’s Jazz Band and Laura Rae’s Varsity Dance Troupe. The show featured a total of 85 student performers.

“I really enjoyed the way that having this event has just brought Harker so much more outside of the Harker community. I have people walking up to me and saying, ‘This is where my kids are going to go to school.’”

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

S P R I N G 2 010

9

“I just like hanging out with my friends and doing this. It was just cool to see how we come together as a community.”

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

year’s fashion show, witnessed by nearly 1,300 people, was her last as a co-chair.

“It’s bittersweet, but it’s mostly sweet,” she later added.

Davis partnered with co-chair Marcia Riedel (Randall, Gr. 9; Hunter, Gr. 6) and a team of liaisons led by Sue Prutton, director of upper school volunteer programs, to put together the massive event. Davis and Riedel founded the fashion show more than seven years ago, when they first came up with the idea during a game of tennis.

Since then, it has evolved into one of the school’s two largest fundraisers (the Family & Alumni Picnic is the other).

The impressive design and execution of the show was largely the work of K-Gr. 12 performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree, who directed nearly every detail of the show as it happened, including video screen slides, skits, and lighting and musical cues.

Meanwhile, producer Beverly Zeiss brought the fashion aspect to life, directing clothes choices, choreographing the models and handling backstage management.

“The fashion show has always been a tremendous fundraising event for the school, but in addition to that it gives us an opportunity to show the world what we can do,” Prutton said. “Our emphasis on telling the Harker story in the past three fashion shows has proven to be incredibly popular.”

Students who participated as models said the fashion show presented an opportunity to get involved in a fun and exciting way.

“I just like hanging out with my friends and doing this,” said model Danielle Buis, Gr. 12. “It was just cool to see how we come together as a community.”

Veronica Hsieh, Gr. 12, also served as a model in her freshman year and said she enjoyed being a part of the show “because the entire school’s involved. It’s fun to all be part of the Harker community, to see all ages.”

Nearly 200 students took an active and highly important role in this year’s event, modeling on the runway, greeting attendees, acting as hosts and hostesses and performing in one of the performing arts groups.

elle Lo, Gr. 10

Photo by Mich

10

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Photo by Anisha Ag

–model Danielle Buis, Gr.12

After the show, Riedel reflected on how the event had grown since its inception.

“I really enjoyed the way that having this event has just brought Harker so much more outside of the Harker community,” she said. “I have people walking up to me and saying, ‘I wish I knew about Harker before this so my kids could go there,’ or, ‘This is where my kids are going to go to school.’”

This year, 92 committee members, all of them parents, came together to make sure the fashion show lived up to the reputation that it has established.

Whether they are securing sponsors, selling tickets or decorating the interiors, parent involvement has always been a crucial part of ensuring the event meets an increasingly high standard. Each aspect of the fashion show had a different parent committee chair to manage the many parts of the event that make it such a memorable experience. Committee chairs were: Sangeeta Balram, Noela Nakos, Heather Wardenburg, Debbie Buss, Mary Malysz, Minoo Gupta, Michelle Maxey, Lana Kipnis, Leslie Nielsen, Debbie Hutchings, Ingrid Semenza, Maria Lu, Sathya Thyagaraj, Tina Najibi, Barb Chappell, Ram Duraiswamy, Susan Ellenberg, Lalitha Kumar, Shankari Sundar,

elle Lo, Gr. 10

arwal, Gr. 11

Photo by Mich

THE HARKER FASHION SHOW

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04 Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

Najibi (Alexander, Gr. 10; Mary, Gr. 6) has been involved with the fashion show since its founding and served as model coordinator for this year’s event. She said the schoolwide nature of the fashion show makes it a great event for parents to network. “When my kids were in lower school and middle school, I met upper school parents, and I got hints on what kinds of clubs to join, what kinds of things to do, that I would not have gotten had I not volunteered for the fashion show,” she said.

Photo by Bridget Nixon, Gr. 10

Following the fashion show, Chris Nikoloff, head of school, thanked all involved for their months of hard work: “Sitting in the audience, as the Harker story unfolded before us throughout the evening, I was overcome with gratitude for the unique community we all share and help create.”

*Seven-year sponsors to whom we are most grateful!

Naren Nayak, Barbara Drummer, Shyamoli Banerjee, Archana Sathaye, Mariko Creasman and Betsy Lindars.

BANERJEE-CHOPRA FAMILY CLUB AUTO SPORT DAVIS FAMILY* DOHERTY FAMILY HERITAGE BANK OF COMMERCE* JAIN FAMILY TRUST KELLER FAMILY MADALA FAMILY KRISH & NINA PANU VERNON & SHERIAN PLASKETT RECTOR AUDI / RECTOR PORSCHE MARCIA & CHRIS RIEDEL – HUNTER LABS* SATHAYE FAMILY* SHAH-KRISHNAN FAMILY SUTARDJA FAMILY

Air Systems, Inc.* • C. Denise Brodersen, CFP ® – UBS Financial Services, Inc. • Mehrotra Family • XL Construction IN-KIND SPONSORS

Diamond Quality Printing* • Joseph George Wines • Triple J Design - Jaja Hsuan Jones • James Craig Haircolor & Design* • Signature Images by Lori Rose

Photo by Da wn Q u

Photos taken by Harker journalism students and the Office of Communication.

Visit the Harker Parent Portal for hundreds more photos!

een,

Gr. 11

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

Photo by Jessica

Liu ‘04

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

S P R I N G 2 010

11

Capital Giving

Next Phase “I

Harker’s six-phase capital improvements plan is currently completing phase 3, which was the building of the two new sports venues and Nichols Hall. (Previous phases improved the Bucknall campus and built Shah Hall.) Phase 4 is the long-anticipated PVAC, which will transform the 16-acre Saratoga campus yet again.

The groundwork for this next phase began in the fall of 2008 with a series of Head of School Gatherings, casual socials at the homes of Harker parents. At those events, Chris Nikoloff led discussions with interested parents about the future of the school, not only sharing information but gathering feedback about what parents wanted most for their campuses.

Photo by J Gaston

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

By Catherine Snider

f you build it…” The oft-quoted line from the movie “Field of Dreams” has been echoing in the halls of The Harker School the last few years. Nichols Hall, which opened to great celebration in the fall of 2008, has proven to be a spectacular home for science classes, competitive research students, music concerts and lecture series. Davis Field and the Singh Aquatic Center have taken the sports department to new levels of athletic achievement. And the buzz continues. Next on the plan: a performing and visual arts center (PVAC).

Chris Nikoloff led discussions with interested parents about the future of the school ... gathering feedback about what parents wanted most for their campuses.

12

Performing & Visual Arts Center

In 2009 focus groups were convened to discuss the master site plan in more detail, focusing on the gym and student union (phases 5 and 6). A third focus group narrowed the view on the PVAC. Families, students, alumni, faculty and administrators were invited to complete an online survey, which asked for very detailed opinions about the current performing arts and visual arts facilities, as well as the respondents’ wishes for the future. This information was crucial to the Photo by Pilar Aguero-Esparza administration and architectural team, and “uncovered all sorts of valuable ideas and highlighted several issues that [David Takamoto, our architect,] has been able to address so that once completed everything works very well

S P R I N G 2 010

CAPITAL GIVING: NEXT PHASE

Visual arts chair Jaap Bongers concurs: “Our current space does not allow our students to develop their artistic talents to their fullest extent, partly because they can’t spread out and are working in storage and drying areas. The new building will give us separate spaces for storing completed works, works in progress and active studio space. And a separate gallery will mean we can adequately highlight student and faculty art.”

Photo by Mark Tantrum

from parking, to campus flow to beauty,” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, of the survey.

Head of School Gatherings continued in the fall of 2009, when Nikoloff presented parents with a draft of the master site plan, incorporating all the ideas culled from families, alumni and employees from the past year. The next step will be spearheaded by former head of school and current trustee Diana Nichols, who will host a series of meetings in the spring of 2010 to get further input on the developing project and unveil the conceptual design of the master site plan.

All of these gatherings and drawings are leading up to the submission by Takamoto of a conceptual design to the San Jose City Planning Commission. Currently Harker is zoned for residential occupancy; the administration wants to convert that zoning to planned development use, which would maximize the use of buildings on campus and greatly minimize the red tape involved as permits are sought for each new building. Another major benefit of the rezoning is that campus buildings will be permitted to reach 50 feet instead of the current 35, allowing for three-story buildings and a theater with room to install a fly system for moving props and scenery vertically on and off stage.

Other designated areas within the building will include a third floor dedicated to visual arts, allowing for natural lighting and separate rooms for stone carving, painting and ceramics; two theaters – a black box and a full-size space with orchestra pit; costume, prop and set building spaces; music and art classrooms and libraries; practice rooms; gallery space; and dressing rooms and lounge areas.

The visual and performing arts staff is understandably excited about the project. Laura Lang-Ree, K-Gr. 12 performing arts chair, points out that, “We are the only high school in a 40mile radius that does not have a theater. Our lack of facilities is dramatic when contrasted with the level of education we provide and the sheer interest in the program and volume of children that we educate. Both students and teachers deal with this subpar facility issue daily.”

Mike Bassoni, Harker’s facility manager, who has overseen each of the large construction efforts on all of Harker’s campuses, speaks for many families and teachers who are eager for a space that can match the talents of our students: “The new center will greatly enhance an already wellrecognized Harker program. With new, state-ofthe-art facilities, the possibilities only become that much greater.

We know our programs are great, but a contemporary facility will serve as a picture frame to display that level of perfection for many, many people in the community to enjoy.” Rosenthal wants parents of all grades to “ensure that the legacy of excellence passes to the next generation of Harker students,” and that we “invest in programs that make a difference in the world.”

A small group of parents and faculty are already contributing to the $30-35 million that will be needed to build the PVAC. The architectural and rezoning fees are being paid for by the very generous contributions of a group of current and alumni parents whom Rosenthal calls “seed investors.” These kind donors will be recognized and thanked at this year’s Head of School Reception on April 30.

So will they come “if you build it?” Perhaps a project of this size needs a better tagline than one from a Hollywood film. Virginia Woolf once said that all that women needed to write fiction was money and a room of their own. Artists, too, need financial support and their own space to play, create, dream and exhibit.

That space will be coming soon for all to enjoy!

Diana Nichols to Unveil Conceptual Designs

D

iana Nichols, former head of school and current trustee, and other members of the Harker Board of Trustees and administration, will be hosting a series of receptions this spring for our parents and the school community as a whole. The conceptual design for the master site plan of the Saratoga campus will be unveiled at these receptions.

This design concept was created by school architect David Takamoto and incorporates input we received from over 500 members of the Harker community in focus groups and surveys conducted last spring. More information is forthcoming about this series of gatherings, which are being held in preparation for the school to submit its rezoning request to the city of San Jose.

If you would like to be invited to the gatherings this spring, please contact Danielle Wood at daniellew@harker.org.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

13

Harker Trio SCIENCE PROGRAM HAS STUDENTS AIMING HIGH

Gangs Up on Global Warming

Photo by Ashley Batz

by Lauri Vaughan

A

long with studying for history tests, meeting friends at the mall and signing up for drivers’ education classes, a trio of upper school girls have added “become agents of change” and “fight global warming” to their to-do lists.

Photo provided by Olivia Zhu, Gr. 11

Harker junior Olivia Zhu and sophomores Daniela Lapidous and Shreya Indukuri have already spun their interest in the environment into landing significant national awards, but continue their fights for environmental awareness and change.

Olivia Zhu, second from left, with the other three U.S delegates to the first Children’s Climate Forum (CCF), a precursor to the COP15, the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen, Denmark. These four were selected from across the country for their efforts to publicize the need for attention to climate change.

In December 2009, Zhu became one of only four teens to represent the U.S. at the first Children’s Climate Forum (CCF), a precursor to the COP15, the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. While there, Zhu and an international gathering of teens wrote a lengthy declaration on climate change for presentation to world leaders.

About her experience at CCF, Zhu said, “I was definitely surprised at how much the delegates from other countries were looking toward the

14

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

S P R I N G 2 010

U.S. with regard to climate change policies. While I knew that they were concerned about the state of American emissions, it was interesting to see how almost every single question they asked the moderators was about the U.S. and how many of the other delegates had really done their homework on the issue.”

Now, Zhu is channeling her efforts through San Jose District One’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC), which serves as a sounding board for city councilman Pete Constant. The YAC is the same vehicle Lapidous and Indukuri, who won a grant to install smart meters and improve energy use at Harker last fall, are using to encourage the duplication of their efforts in the Silicon Valley. Working together, the sophomores launched www.SmartPowerEd.org, a Web site built to help teens launch energy-saving programs at their schools. The site features a survey which teens fill out on behalf of their schools. Once the survey is completed, Lapidous and Indukuri get to work analyzing the data, which they return to students interested in making presentations to their school administrators. Lapidous and Indukuri can even direct interested schools to funding resources.

“The great thing about the program is that it requires students’ involvement and interest in energy reduction which ultimately lowers the school’s carbon footprint,” explains Indukuri. “Most schools are very enthusiastic about having a smart energy solution because the energy they conserve means saving money for the school – money that can be used for other projects.”

Zhu has been an avid supporter of her schoolmates’ work.

She’s already penned two articles for “Voice 1,” a publication of YAC – one about her CCF experience and the other promoting Indukuri and Lapidous’ undertaking. Zhu reported that news of the girls’ work got rave reviews in Copenhagen.

“Daniela and Shreya’s project really impressed the delegates from around the world as an example of small scale but effective change, and their current work with the YAC is an amazing example of how powerful local action can be,” said Zhu. “The CCF’s main goal was to instigate this type of

HARKER TRIO GANGS UP ON GLOBAL WARMING

community change, and it’s great that Harker and now San Jose can be a part of that because of their work.”

So far, the results are encouraging. “One of our goals is to get smart energy moving in at least 25 schools in California by the end of this summer,” explained Lapidous, who reports that they’ve already received completed surveys from three schools: Notre Dame, Bellarmine and Westmont high schools.

“Students like Olivia, Shreya and Daniela are inspiring,” said Butch Keller, upper school head, who has been following the girls’ efforts since last summer. “Everyone at Harker is so proud of what they’ve already done to combat the effects of climate change at every level. There’s no telling what these girls will accomplish in the future!”

One of our goals is to get smart “ energy moving in at least 25 schools in California by the end of this summer.

”

Maybe the girls will put off learning to drive until they’ve polished off this global warming thing.

Campuses Continue

Greening Efforts

by William Cracraft

G

The upper school HEART Club (Harker Animal Rights and Environmental Team) continues their ongoing effort of collecting recyclable paper from classrooms and offices around campus.

The weekly collection visits are reminders to the whole campus both to recycle and to take individual action to help the environment.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

reen is busting out all over Harker, and not just because it is spring.

On the upper school campus, the greenhouse is filled with flora cultivated by the Biology Club. The club has a crop-style garden planned with an herb section and is scouting the art department for a collaborator to help landscape the site.

In January, middle school students and teachers collected spare paper generated from routine printing runs, extra copies of homework, staff directives, etc., “so we could get a clear idea of what our monthly ‘waste’ US science department chair Anita Chetty and her biology students conduct plant experiments in the is,” said Cindy Ellis, middle school head.

Saratoga campus greenhouse.

The effort is part of a three-campus push “Our next step is to recruit students in the middle and upper to curb excess printing and paper use. The effort ran Jan. 4-29 schools to the effort.” and resulted in a 2.5 foot pile of paper that was then recycled as scratch paper at the Harker Math Invitational in mid-March.

In mid-December, Harker was featured on “Eco Company,” a national TV program covering teens who are taking an active role Chris Nikoloff, head of school, initiated the overall paper-saving in creating greener communities. The segment, aired on KTVU awareness effort and Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for Channel 2, featured the upper school campus’ greenhouse and academic affairs, took on the role of educating faculty on the effort organic garden, the LEED gold-certified Nichols Hall, the lower at schoolwide faculty meetings. “Teachers have been heeding school’s energy monitoring systems and more. Those who were recommendations – requesting fewer color copies, asking the unable to tune in can watch the segment on Eco Company’s Web print shop to send digital files and returning the colored pages site, www.eco-company.tv. separating print jobs to the print shop for reuse,” said Gargano.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

15

Stanford Researchers Partner with Harker to Study Virus Networking

By Emily Chow ‘08

Photo by J Gaston

O

n Jan. 14, the tables turned at the upper school campus.

The students, typically collecting awards at Intel and Siemens science competitions and presenting their own research at the annual and upcoming Harker Research Symposium (see December Harker Quarterly), became the subjects for a cutting-edge research study conducted by Stanford University.

The collaboration began in the fall of 2008, when biologist and principal researcher Dr. Marcel Salathé contacted Katherine Schafer, biology and research teacher at Harker. After meeting with Schafer, Salathé knew that Harker would be a great place to run the study and that Schafer would be a great partner in the project.

“There is no data of such detail about human contact networks at this scale, especially at schools, so the data will be the first of its kind, which is always a very exciting prospect in science.”

-Marcel Salathé

16

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

S P R I N G 2 010

“It’s … very important that everyone is excited about the research and the project,” Salathé said, “and after talking to a few teachers and students it became clear that Harker would be a very good place to do this.”

“There is no data of such detail about human contact networks at this scale, especially at schools,” Salathé said, “so the data will be the first of its kind, which is always a very exciting prospect in science.”

The data will be used to create a detailed contact network and Salathé and his team will run epidemic simulations on this established network to help advance understanding of how diseases spread through human interactions and, potentially, use the conclusions to improve epidemic control within schools.

Setting up the research took a year’s worth of preparation and two trial runs to work out kinks, but the experiment will offer new insight into the spread of viruses. For a day, students, faculty and staff wore wireless devices, called motes, around their necks, and stationary motes were mounted on the walls of most classrooms.

These low-powered sensory devices logged interactions with each other through weak Dr. Marcel Salathé, primary researcher in the radio signal detection. study. Photo provided by Rainer Spitzenberger.

STANFORD RESEARCH COLLABORATION

To properly set up the research, Harker forwarded a letter from the researchers to parents explaining the project. Then, Salathé and colleagues Philip Levis, assistant professor of computer science, and James Holland Jones, assistant professor of anthropology, provided details at a schoolwide assembly the day before the data collection to stress the importance of student involvement in the research.

The study is a marriage between Stanford’s biology, anthropology and computer science departments and highlights the interdisciplinary nature of major research to Harker students.

Harker is the only school participating in the study and the participation reflects the scientific spirit fostered on campus.

“One of the ideas [for the assembly] was to try and give a little bit of a feel for the different disciplinary perspectives and how it comes together in a single coherent project,” Jones said. Schafer also stressed the importance of reminding students to pursue multiple interests.

Harker is the only school participating in the study and the participation reflects the scientific spirit fostered on campus.

“One of the goals of this assembly, in addition to learning about the study, was to get the kids thinking about the fact that having lots of different talents is going to help them a lot down the line,” Schafer said. “Having knowledge of computer science and biology and all of these other things could potentially be a huge benefit for them in their careers and in their lives in general.”

considering research as a possible career, I believe it is valuable for us to have an introduction,” Lincoln said. “Perhaps seeing the WSN research will convince some students to look into research internships.”

Almost 800 motes were distributed across campus and roughly 6.5 million pieces of raw data were collected. Both Schafer and Salathé said the day went incredibly smoothly.

“This is in large part because we were so wellprepared,” Salathé said.

Pho

to b

yJ

Gas

ton

The entire process was also Schafer’s chance to get involved in research again. After studying the population ecology of stomatopod crustaceans and pygmy octopuses on coral reefs in Belize for her doctoral dissertation, Schafer said the Stanford research project contrasted significantly from the type of research she did as a field biologist.

Salathé is pleased with the whole data gathering process and results should be available in April. “I think we would do it pretty much exactly the same way if we were to do it again,” he noted, giving full credit for the successful effort to Schafer.

“She was excited from the beginning and is the main reason why this Harker-Stanford collaboration has worked out so well,” he said. “It couldn’t have been done without her.”

For more information about Harker’s science programs, e-mail Anita Chetty, science department chair, at anitac@harker.org.

Plan to attend Harker’s 2010 Research Symposium (see below).

Students were given the opportunity to expand their research interests by providing feedback and working closely with the researchers to determine the best possible way to extract data.

Salathé’s team initially thought self-logged data would be sufficient and tested this possibility with Schafer’s research club.

The students in the club were given journals to record their interactions throughout a school day to test the method, but returns were short of the mark. “We then switched to the advanced version of motes, and quite a few students helped us test that idea,” Salathé said.

Andrea Lincoln, Gr. 12, participated in the study and coincidentally did research at Boston University last summer using wireless sensor networks (WSN) similar to the motes used in Stanford’s study. Lincoln thought the experiment served as a worthy introduction to the vast world of research.

“Given the huge percentage of Harker students who are

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

S P R I N G 2 010

17

Summer@Harker Spend your summer with friends AND some of your favorite Harker teachers!

By Stephanie Woolsey

W

e’ve got a great line up of offerings this summer to keep your children energized, challenged and engaged!

Many of our own Harker teachers will be joining the staff this summer and we are so excited to have them! In addition to being a fantastic way for your children to explore new interests or spend more time in a chosen area, summer also is an opportunity for teachers to branch out, teach different subjects or grade levels, or have fun with a favorite subject. Our teachers love to have learning adventures right along with our students!

All photos by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

“It’s probably the most fun a kid could have with a computer, some Legos and an eagerness to solve problems.”

—Michael Schmidt,

computer and Lego Robotics teacher

Harker’s K-Gr. 8 Camp: Our Most Popular Program!

At the heart of this camp are top-quality morning academics – which focus on math, science and language arts – paired with a full and varied afternoon recreational program.

“This year we have added new curriculum materials to make language arts and math classes more challenging,” said Kelly Espinosa, Harker’s veteran summer programs director since 1978. “Diann Chung and Patricia Burrows have been working with the school-year division heads to make sure summer materials are appropriate for all levels.”

Four-Week Program: Morning Academics, Afternoon Recreation Gr. 1-4 students receive morning instruction in math and language arts, and then choose two two-week electives. Elective offerings change yearly and vary by grade level, but this year options include Ready, Set, Write; Readers’ Theater; Comic Creators; Kitchen Chemistry; and Just Dance.

For those in Gr. 5-8, the four-week sessions allow campers a chance to explore academic topics in depth, such as Zap It, an “electrifying engineering” class taught by Kristen (Nielsen) Morgensen ‘93; Periscope Algebra, taught by Eileen Schick, Gr. 1-5 math department chair and Gr. 4 math teacher; Periscope Pre-Algebra, taught

by Diane Plauck, Gr. 4-5 math teacher; and Forensic Science, taught by Ben Morgensen, middle school science teacher.

In KinderCamp, our youngest campers have a separate classroom and play area to help them with the transition

18

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

S P R I N G 2 010

HARKER SUMMER PROGRAM

“Harker’s Summer Camp has succeeded in balancing academics with play.”

- Carol Whitman, Harker parent

to a classroom setting. Incoming Harker kindergartners have the opportunity to get comfortable in the school and learn to love Harker, which really makes a difference when they start school in the fall. Harker kindergarten teachers Grace Wallace, Gerrylouise Robinson and Michelle Anderson will all be working with KinderCampers during the summer. Espinosa is excited that KinderCampers have this opportunity. ”We are really lucky to have all three of these teachers!” she exclaimed.

Two-Week Program: Project-Based and Thematic For those needing a shorter option, the twoweek sessions are structured differently than the four-week sessions. Campers in Gr. 1-4 will explore the Big Blue Marble of planet Earth this summer, learning about people, places and interesting things from around the world, with different sessions focusing on different continents. Kathleen Ferretti, Gr. 3 math and language arts teacher and Gr. 2-3 department chair, teaches the two-week sessions to Gr. 3 and 4 students each summer. Ferretti noted she enjoys the field trips, the environment and the fun of teaching summer camps because, “it gives me a chance to branch out and do some exciting learning-based activities.” Kim Sandoval, Gr. 2 teacher, will be teaching Gr. 1 and 2 students during session A and B, and Sejal Mehta, Gr. 1 teacher, will be teaching session C. Gr. 5-8 campers have project-based classes for their two-week sessions and can choose

from courses such as debate, rocket science, Web design, robotics and filmmaking classes. Classes include hands-on activities, group projects, field trips and special guests. Michael Schmidt, a middle school computer science teacher teaching the Lego Robotics course, said, “It’s probably the most fun a kid could have with a computer, some Legos and an eagerness to solve problems.” Another exciting class offered this summer is Science To Go, an outdoor ed class led by Pete Anderson, middle school P.E. coach; Jim McGovern, lower school P.E. coach; and Ben Morgensen. McGovern has taught summer camp for many years. He loves “seeing students let loose and have a lot of fun during their summer!”

Many campers - and parents - love Harker’s summer programs, and come back year after year. Carol Whitman, whose daughter Alyssa, Gr. 3, attends camp, said they’re both fans.

“Alyssa is very comfortable at Harker and enjoys the teachers and summer coaches.

I like the balance between academics and having fun. Harker has succeeded in balancing academics with play.” She added, “Alyssa was happy every morning when I dropped her off at camp and when I picked her up in the afternoon. She enjoyed the challenge of math, and creating a diary for language arts. Most of all she really enjoyed seeing her new camp friends every day!”

Claude Cartee, parent of Allison, Gr. 3, said he and his wife enrolled Allison in both four-week programs last year, but took her out for a few days for a quick trip to Disneyland. “She complained that

she would rather be at Harker than at Disneyland,” he laughed.

The K-Gr. 8 Harker Summer Camp is held on the Bucknall campus. All staff attends rigorous training, and the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association.

Summer @ Harker: Additional Offerings In addition to our long-standing and renowned K-Gr. 8 Harker Summer Camp, Harker offers a variety of other quality programs. Read on!

English Language Institute The English Language Institute (ELI) offers intensive programs for international students aged 6 to 16 interested in improving their English and writing skills.

Harker has earned a worldwide reputation for this program, where annual receptions are hosted in Asian cities including Kyoto, Seoul, Taipei and Shanghai.

Our own students also get involved in this program each year. Harker students who speak the native language of the ELI students help in the advanced classroom

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

S P R I N G 2 010

19

HARKER SUMMER PROGRAM

Instruction and activities are based on age and ability level, and players who stay until 4 p.m. will enjoy additional soccerrelated activities as well as a swim period each day. Coach Tom Vischer, Just4Kicks founder, has been coaching youth soccer players for the past 15 years, ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 18, and has been a coach or trainer at the select club level with numerous teams.

so international students can engage in academic discussions about their writing and language projects. These Harker students are great role models to our international visitors and provide a real-life peek into teenage life here in the United States.

Karen Glovka, lower school Spanish teacher, has been working with Harker’s ELI program since 2005. “It’s such a joy to watch the kids begin to understand and communicate!”

Glovka remarked.

Summer Institute Designed for middle and upper school students, Summer Institute, held at the upper school campus, offers both credit and non-credit courses for students who wish to complete a required class or spend some extra time on a favorite subject. Courses include art, math, science, expository writing, drivers’ education and more. The Harker Forensics Institute offers courses in Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Student Congressional Debate and Individual Events.

at Harker,” added Espinosa.

Soccer: Harker Soccer Clinic and Just4Kicks Harker Summer Soccer Clinics offer soccer players two options to learn techniques, improve skills and have fun while learning from some of the best coaches in the Bay Area.

The Harker Summer Soccer Clinic, for

Swim School: Instruction and Camps The Harker Swim School offers all levels of private, semi-private and group lessons for ages three to adult at Harker’s beautiful new Singh Aquatic Center on the upper school campus.

Also offered this summer are a variety of aquatic camps: Aquatic Fitness Camp (Gr. 4-8); Water Polo Camp (Gr. 6-12), taught by Harker’s water polo coach Ted Ujifusa (who will also provide swim instruction during the K-Gr. 8 camp); and Competitive Swim Camp (ages 11-18), led by Harker swim coach Bart Wells. “These programs are a great way for Harker kids to get additional instruction and build relationships with varsity coaches here

20

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

students aged 10-16, is led by coach Shaun Tsakiris. Players are grouped based on a combination of age, playing ability and gender with a different age-appropriate skill targeted each day. They also receive individual player evaluations. This camp offers kids a great chance to work out with and learn from our own varsity coach. Plus, surprise visits by professional athletes and prominent players will also be a part of each week. Coach Tsakiris has appeared in four consecutive NCAA tournaments, won a national championship in 1997 and earned UCLA’s MVP award in 2000. He played professionally for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL from 2002-06, currently works with top club programs and is Harker’s varsity soccer coach.

The Just4Kicks half- or full-day programs are for younger players aged 5-12 who are grouped by age: K-Gr. 1, Gr. 2-3, Gr. 4-6.

S P R I N G 2 010

Tennis: Camps and Instruction Harker partners with Oakwood Tennis Center to provide quality facilities for our tennis programs. Oakwood Tennis Center is on Saratoga Avenue just minutes from our Saratoga campus, and is equipped with five beautiful and well-maintained courts.

Run by Craig Pasqua, Harker varsity tennis coach and director of Harker tennis programs, Harker’s Summer Tennis Camp is open to kids aged 6-18. The camp provides quality instruction from professional coaches for all skill levels in two summer programs. Both include on-court technique instruction with a ball machine, video selfanalysis with the instructor and tactical strategy. Tennis Camp for students aged 7-14 is designed for players wishing to improve their tennis knowledge and skill base. The Harker Oakwood Tennis Training System, for those aged 6-18, offers four- to seven-week sessions for competitive tennis players who want to combine team practice with weekly interclub matches. Players under 19 desiring to compete will learn advanced technical strokes, footwork and sports psychology.

Harker has been providing quality summer programs for over 50 years, and our programs - and facilities - have grown and evolved over the years to meet the needs of our families and the greater community. We’re proud of the reputation we’ve earned for highlyqualified and well-trained staff; outstanding programming; and a very safe and nurturing environment for all. Plan to spend your summer @ Harker!

For more details and to register, visit http:// summer.harker.org or click on the summer ad on the Harker home page! You can also e-mail summerinfo@harker.org or call 408.553.0537.

Milestones

By David Woolsey ‘06

Upper school music teacher Susan Nace is a Grammy winner! Nace, who directs Cantilena and advises Guys’ Gig, is part of the Grammy-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus. The group was given the Best Choral Performance award for their live recording of “Symphony of a Thousand,” part of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major.

Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement, was one of several individuals and organizations honored by the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Fundraising Professionals at this year’s annual National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon in late November. Held at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara and attended by over 500 guests who represented dozens of Bay Area nonprofits and corporations, Rosenthal was named the Outstanding Professional Fundraiser for 2009.

Produced under the direction of San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and choral director Ragnar Bohlin, the recording was made during live performances in Davies Symphony Hall in November 2008.

Nace will receive a certificate and a pin to wear during performances, and will have an official photo taken with the Grammy statue after it arrives in May. The recording, including the “Adagio” from Symphony No. 10, has also won Best Classical Album and Best Engineered Classical Album awards.

Prior to the nomination, Nace was hopeful.

“We certainly hoped for a nomination because the concerts were magical,” she said. “After the nominations, I ordered the competition’s recordings. After listening to them, I thought they didn’t have a chance (in my humble opinion),” she added.

“[Davis]created many initiatives that moved our efforts in a forward-thinking manner.”

Davis stated that her proudest achievement is that she “has created a first-class library department that has grown from one librarian on one campus to five librarians, five clerks and an archivist on three campuses.”

Davis will continue to work at the lower school as a part-time librarian for the 201011 school year. In this role she will be able to focus on her first love, teaching library classes and encouraging students to develop a love for stories and storytelling. Sue Smith, currently upper school librarian, will be taking Davis’ place as library director and Lauri Vaughan will assume Smith’s role as campus librarian beginning next fall.

After winning, the chorus “had a little celebration after rehearsal the following night,” said Nace. “The big celebration will be at the Symphony’s end-of-the-year party in May,” she said.

A short video with behind the scenes footage and insights from the recording can be viewed at the San Francisco Symphony Web site under “A Universe of Sound: Recording Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.”

Photo by Pam Dickinson

Joe Rosenthal

Enid Davis, who has been Harker’s library director for 17 years, has decided to step down from her current position. Over the years Davis has been responsible for founding many libraryrelated committees and programs including a campus favorite – the lower school Ogre Awards. These awards celebrate learning about folktales via an Academy Awardslike ceremony in which students perform a segment of a fairy tale for their peers.

“During Enid’s directorship at Harker, she created many initiatives that moved our efforts in a forward-thinking manner,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Enid Davis

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Susan Nace

“Congratulations to Joe for all of his dedication to and hard work on behalf of the school and the children. This is a tremendous honor to him and the school community,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school, after Rosenthal’s selection for this award was announced in June.

Sharon Svensson, president of Essex and Drake Fund Raising Council, which recommended Rosenthal for the award, said, “The National Philanthropy Day selection panel was very impressed by Joe. They specifically said they were very impressed by the quality of the nomination and the length and breadth of Joe’s accomplishments.”

Rosenthal recognized his advancement team, who were all in attendance, for their outstanding work for Harker.

Also in attendance were many members of Harker’s board of trustees, Nikoloff and many of Harker’s key donors.

Milestones continued page 36

Photo by Mark Tantrum

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

Photo by Mark Tantrum

S P R I N G 2 010

21

GLOBAL Partnerships Harker students pose with their host family buddies from Saint Stephen’s College in Australia.

Students Connect Worldwide

S

ome of Harker’s most unique offerings are those of the global education department.

While the many exchange programs are well-known, they are just the tip of the iceberg, explains Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. The program has, especially in recent years, begun a transition to much more of an academic focus. In addition to student and teacher exchanges, the department sponsors cultural and curricular exchanges.

“Through the variety of exchange programs, Harker students will become better world citizens,” said Abraham. The global education department hopes that “by nurturing these meaningful relationships between young people across various continents, we have the ability to create lasting understanding between the future leaders of the world,” she added.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Phot

22

o by

Mark Tant ru

m

There are exchanges on all three campuses for students in all grade levels. Harker has sister schools in Japan, China,

Photo by Naomi Schatz

By David Woolsey ‘06

Russia, India, Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, Thailand, Ethiopia, Switzerland, France and Saudi Arabia.

Programs for the lower school focus on teaching students about the similarities and differences between students around the world. Through a variety of activities students learn from each other about their respective countries and cultures.

Kindergarten, second and third grade students work with students at the Tamagawa Gakuen School in Tokyo to learn more about each other before the exchange program that occurs in Gr. 6. Second graders work with students from Saudi Arabia and Australia in the Mascot Project. The schools exchange stuffed animal mascots, and throughout the year communicate with one another about the adventures of the visiting mascots as they travel with students around the Bay Area and beyond. For example, the Harker eagle that traveled to Saudi Arabia had many adventures “including making tea, dressing in traditional Saudi clothing and attending school,” says Abraham.

Sue Muir, a math teacher from Saint Stephen’s College in Australia, teaches while on exchange at Harker.

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Students at the middle school participate in e-mail exchanges, conversations include population growth and its impact on forum discussion groups, and video conferencing the environment. These talks culminate in an exchange with schools in Tokyo, Shanghai, Costa Rica, program, which according to Abraham was France and Australia. Regan Heslop, Gr. the “first of its kind between a U.S. middle “By nurturing 6, participated in this year’s video school and the People’s Republic of China, these meaningful conferences with Shanghai students. garnering significant international media relationships between “We talked about the environment and attention.” young people across global warming,” she said. “It was Upper school students continue various continents, cool to be able to ask them questions the relationship with sister school about school and life in Shanghai.” we have the ability Tamagawa through exchanges and One of the longest running – over to create lasting foreign language work. Last summer 15 years – and most popular middle understanding between seven upper school students traveled school programs is the student the future leaders to Japan to learn more about that exchange with sister school Tamagawa of the world.” country’s culture.

As part of the trip they in Tokyo. The students collaborate Jennifer Abraham, visited with buddies from Tamagawa and across the world on environmental director of global stayed with their families for the weekend. and computer science projects in e-mail education David Wu, Gr. 11, said that he viewed the trip as exchanges and video conferences. Each year a huge learning experience and that he “learned a a group of students from each school crosses the lot about myself, Japanese culture and Japanese girls.” ocean to spend 10 days in the others’ country, including a four-night stay with a host family. Many of the students renew Last summer, 10 seniors were also on a trip to Costa friendships in Gr. 8 when groups from both schools meet in Rica. Students worked with endangered sea turtles in Washington, D.C. an effort to learn more about their reproductive habits.

“The objective of the trip was to immerse students in Those students who are enrolled in advanced French language Photos (L & R) by Angela Neff

classes exchange letters and packages with students from Institution Sevigne, Harker’s sister school in France. These packages often include items such as “yearbooks, school newspapers and teen magazines,” said Abraham. Students in advanced art do a landscape project and post pictures of their work to an online gallery. Students then are able to view photos of their peers’ art and leave comments. Programs such as these help students to learn more about the people of another country than textbooks can ever teach.

Jennifer Abraham, director of global education, poses with Harker faculty Angela Neff and Melanie McKenna alongside Shanghai teachers.

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

During February middle school students video conference with peers from around the world. Since 2003, Gr. 8 students have video conferenced with their counterparts from the World Foreign Language Middle School in Shanghai. Topics of their Vandana Kadam, middle school math teacher, with MS students in Tamagawa.

Visiting Tamagawa teacher Manami Iso, teaching at the lower school campus.

Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs, on the middle school trip to Shanghai.

field research so they could experience first-hand the excitement of discovery with the challenges of conducting research in the wilderness,” said Anita Chetty, upper school science department chair.

Photo by Jennifer Abraham

After experiencing some difficulties with her research project, Adrienne Wong, Gr. 12, said the trip “taught me that not everything always goes your way and the solution is not to give up but to find another way to achieve your goals.” The trip focused on a variety of educational areas including biology, Spanish and computer science.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

23

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

In addition to offerings for students, there also exist programs for Harker’s teachers. These exchange programs provide our educators a means to learn about teaching techniques and styles from throughout the world. This includes exchange programs with schools in Switzerland, Japan and Australia.

Upper level French students in Fribourg, Switzerland, accompanied by upper school Spanish teacher Diana Moss (on right).

Photo by Chris Spenner

Overall, the programs offered by the global education department offer our students unparalleled access to their peers around the world.

This exposure plays a huge role in the school’s goal of creating wellrounded global citizens. Rather than teaching our students about foreign cultures only through textbooks, Harker is committed to providing an interesting, dynamic and first-hand set of experiences that are invaluable as our students grow into world citizens.

Photo by Joe Connolly

Upper school psychology teacher Naomi Schatz traveled to Saint Stephen’s College, Harker’s sister school in Australia. At one point she gave a lecture about sport psychology which she said included “performance anxiety, overcoming adversity, fear of injury, goal setting, confidence and self-talk.” She hopes that students will take these lessons and apply them in the classroom as well. Around the same time Sue Muir, a math teacher from Saint Stephen’s, visited Harker and, in addition to observing several upper school math classes, did some team teaching with math teacher Gabriele Stahl.

Upper school students in Costa Rica.

“There are exchanges on all three

Photo by Angela Neff

campuses for students in all grade levels. Harker has sister schools in Japan, China, Russia, India, Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, Thailand, Ethiopia, Switzerland, France and Saudi Arabia.”

Middle school trip to Shanghai.

Photo by Mark Tantrum 2009-10 Tamagawa welcome reception in front of Nichols Hall.

24

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

S P R I N G 2 010

EagleReport Lower & Middle School Sports Basketball Coached by Greg Lawson, the Gr. 8 varsity A team improved defensively over the season, but had difficulty scoring. The team finished the season 3-7, with wins against Pinewood, Crystal Springs and Woodside Priory.

By Stephanie Woolsey

Coach Mousa Katwan credits the camaraderie of the Gr. 5 JV B1 team for a strong finish. “Strong play down low from Alex Mo gave us an advantage on offense, while the strength and heart of Nicolas Bean on defense stopped opposing teams’ efforts. Overall the boys learned a lot and grew together while having fun,” Katwan said. The team ended the season with a 4-5 record.

Coaches Tobias Wade and David Ramos both enjoyed the season with the Gr. 5 B2 team. Wade reported, “Our boys practiced and played hard, and it was a learning experience for them.” Everyone improved throughout the whole season and the team ended with a 2-7 record.

The girls Gr. 4-5 basketball team had a fantastic season.

The JV B1 team, who finished one game shy of a perfect season before tournament play, led the charge and the JV B2 team truly enjoyed the spirit of competition and the fun they had with their teammates. Finally, the JV C team also enjoyed spirited competitions and the thrill of victory following exciting back-to-back wins.

Photo by Ashley Batz

The Gr. 6 boys junior varsity A team overcame the setbacks of injured players through good student leadership, finishing strong in league play. Coach Walid Fahmy said, “Look out for these boys as they move on to seventh grade!” The boys ended the season 2-7.

Photo by Ashley Batz

LS & MS Sports

Photo by Mark Tantrum

The seventh graders had much more depth than Gr. 8 – enough players to field three teams. The Gr. 7 varsity B1 team finished league play 7-0, making them league champs! The Gr. 7 varsity B2 team finished 3-4, and the Gr. 7 varsity B3 team finished 1-6.

The Gr. 4 JV C team had only two days of practice before the team’s first game but, reported coach and lower school P.E. teacher Jim McGovern, “The boys jelled quickly and worked on playing an exciting fast-break style of basketball.” Although their season record was 3-5, the boys were very close to flipping those numbers as two losses were only by one point each. McGovern added, “I look forward to the continued effort and love for the game by this group of players.”

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

S P R I N G 2 010

25

EagleReport Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

and Sullivan complimented several players with particularly strong play and excellent hustle. The season ended 2-5, and with several players returning, next year’s soccer season looks to be an exciting one.

Photo by Ashley Batz

26

and had a lot of fun with their teammates and coach Jim McGovern.

The team was led by Nirban Bhatia, Rohit Shah and Shaya Zarkesh, all Gr. 4.

The junior varsity B boys soccer team also had a fantastic season, with exciting victories against Crystal Springs, Pinewood and St. Joseph’s Sacred Heart. At press time, the team was 4-1 in league and in second place in the standings. The team was led by Nikolas Weisbloom, Kedar Gupta and Joseph Krackeler, all Gr. 5.

Girls varsity A soccer had an exciting season, coach Chrissy Chang reported.

“We faced many tough opponents but were still able to put the ball in the back of the net, and every player contributed to our awesome soccer season.” The team had individuals who played outstanding offense and defense, and they ended the season 2-5.

The intramural boys Gr. 4-5 soccer team also learned a lot about soccer

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

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

LS & MS Sports

Soccer

Coach Justin “Sully” Sullivan was impressed with the vast improvement of the girls Gr. 7 varsity B team, which showed in their strong finishes of their final four games, where they won two of the four and nearly earned a draw in another. Excellent goaltending was an important part of the team’s improvement

Despite the 1-5 season record of the Gr. 6 JV A team, coach Cyrus Merrill was impressed with the strength and growth of his team. “The ladies played even with a number of the teams in the league and surprised many of them with early goals and strong play,” he commented. The girls enjoyed practicing next to the upper school girls soccer team at Blackford this season.

The Gr. 5 JV B team finished 5-0-1 to take the league championship, making it back-to-back league championships for the Gr. 5 girls softball and soccer teams this year.

Coach Casey Henderson credited fearless goalkeeping and added, “The girls demonstrated a wide variety of skills and enthusiasm during the season.”

“We faced many tough opponents but were still able to put the ball in the back of the net, and every player contributed to our awesome soccer season.”

SPORTS

S P R I N G 2 010

— Coach Chrissy Chang

EagleReport Upper School Sports

Photo by Rishi Bhatia, Gr. 11 Photo by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

Basketball The varsity boys basketball team had a strong season that included a historic win against Sacred Heart Prep in Prep’s gym. They ended the regular season with a remarkable 20-4 overall record and 12-2 league record, securing second place in the league. In CCS play, the boys played Stevenson

at the Blackford gym after securing the sixth seed but lost to Santa Cruz 56-44 in the CCS quarterfinals.

The JV boys ended their season as WBAL champions! The team had a 20-2 overall record and was 11-1 in league.

Girls basketball ended their season with an overtime loss to playoff-bound King’s Academy and a loss at MercyBurlingame over the break. The girls were very competitive in every game this season and were actually one non-league win away from qualifying for CCS. They ended the season 7-14.

Soccer

Wrestling Although wrestling meets are team events, individuals, rather than teams, proceed to league championships and CCS finals. This year three wrestlers made it to CCS finals and one, Santosh Swaminathan, Gr. 11, made Harker history by taking fifth place in the 103-pound weight class, the first Harker wrestler to medal at CCS.

by Photo

i guyen, Gr. 10 D ev n N

Both photos by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

Boys soccer had a great season, coming close to making it to CCS. They faced Menlo School in the league finals where they lost 2-1, just missing CCS qualification. For a squad that started as many as eight freshmen per game, it was a remarkable season, which ended 8-8-2 overall.

their season with a loss to MercySan Francisco 2-1. This committed group of young ladies ended the season 2-5-3 in league play, was competitive in every match, and showed improvement throughout the season.

Girls soccer ended Photo by Mark Tantrum

Follow Harker sports at Harker News Online at http://news.harker.org.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

27

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Photo by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

Research Program Has Students Aiming High in Prestigious Competitions

By Catherine Snider

By Zach Jones

“I think the research these students are doing and the skills they are developing by communicating the results of their research gives them a big advantage over most students entering college.”

—Katherine Schafer, head of the research program Harker’s newest Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists pose with their parents, mentors and Intel representative. Anand was later announced as a top 40 finalist in the competition, earning a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for a chance to win $100,000.

28

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

WINTER 2009

O

n Jan. 13, Intel announced four Harker seniors had made it to the semifinals of the Intel Science Talent Search: Namrata Anand, Vishesh Jain, Kevin Zhang and Andrew Zhou. These four became the latest in a long line of Harker students, 17 since 2006, to reach the upper ranks of the competition.

Two weeks later, Anand was named a national finalist, the second since Harker began participating in the contest four years earlier. The first, Yi Sun ‘06, went on to place second in the national competition. For her efforts, Anand was awarded $7,500 and earned the trip to Washington, D.C., to compete among the nation’s top 40 contestants for a $100,000 grand prize. Intel is just part of the equation, though.

Just months earlier, Alex Han, Gr. 12, was announced as a regional finalist in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Since Christopher Sutardja ’06 was named a regional semifinalist in his senior year, Harker has produced regional semifinalists every year in the Siemens competition, which annually receives thousands of entries. Both Han and Anand will display their projects at the Harker Research Symposium in April.

“It’s hard to really describe the number of hours that students invest in these research projects,” said Katherine Schafer, upper school biology teacher and head of the research program. “The students work full time throughout most of the summer conducting the actual research.” She noted that some students continue

Photo by J Gaston

Research Program Has Students Aiming High

“It was a pleasure to work with such bright and motivated students. We would frequently sit down to brainstorm ideas for solving specific problems and that was always fun.”

Photo provided by Alex Han, Gr. 12

—Raja Guhathakurta, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC

their research into the school year. Rising seniors entering the Siemens competition usually spend the first two weeks preparing for the entry deadline at the beginning of October.

“The papers are 18 pages in length and require extensive library research on their specific fields and often countless hours of analysis,” Schafer added.

“Many of my experiments involved treating cells and observing them over a time course, so I spent a great deal of time in the culture room and worked about 50 to 60 hours per week over a 10-week period,” Han estimated.

Because of the work research students perform day to day for their classes, these tasks may actually be less daunting to them than for other high school students. “I think the research these students are doing and the skills they are developing by communicating the results of their research gives these students a big advantage over most students entering college,” Schafer said. “They have an idea of how much work is involved in research and can do things that many students entering graduate school cannot do.”

Harker’s success in these and other competitions is also due in no small part to the mentors with whom the students work while researching for and assembling their projects. Since Sutardja first enlisted the help of Gerald Fuller, a professor from Stanford University, mentors have played a crucial part in the success of projects produced by Harker students. Fuller mentors students to this day.

While working on his project for the Siemens competition, Han was mentored by Dr. Jonathan Hardy at Stanford University. “I was very thankful that he gave me the freedom to design and pursue my project independently from those ongoing in the lab, because I gained a consummate understanding and mastery of the research process while also having the opportunity to make a personal contribution to medical research,” Han said.

Raja Guhathakurta, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California at Santa Cruz, headed up the mentoring effort for three of Harker’s most recent Intel semifinalists. He and three graduate students helped the Harker students gather data for projects that covered the Andromeda galaxy. In the last decade, Guhathakurta has served as a research mentor “to scores of high school students,” he said.

Guhathakurta became involved with Harker after meeting science department chair Anita Chetty early last year. “It was a pleasure to work with such bright and motivated students,” he said. “We would frequently sit down to brainstorm ideas for solving specific problems and that was always fun.”

The biggest benefit Guhathakurta thought students gained from the experience was the ability to approach abstract problems. “In research, the act of looking for the answer to a particular question can often lead to more questions instead of a definite answer,” he said. “This can lead to great progress in thinking and knowledge,” he said.

“Part of this experience is imbibing the culture and sociology of a particular area of science, in this case astronomy.”

Chetty said it is also important for students to witness the day-to-day life of a scientist, which can provide invaluable insight into their choice of a possible career.

“Sometimes research is not very glamorous,” she quipped. “It’s many, many hours. It’s very repetitive.

It can be frustrating. You can find out on Friday that you made a mistake on the previous Tuesday, and that’s why your results all failed.”

The thrill of discovery, however, is what makes the hard work all worth it. “I think that’s the beauty of the mentor-student relationship,” Chetty said. “It’s the long-term commitment, the enthusiasm, the excitement of discovering something together.”

Photo by J Gaston

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

S P R I N G 2 010

29

Research Program Has Students Aiming High

Mentors are not necessarily people from outside the school.

Sushant Sundaresh ’08, who was a Siemens regional semifinalist as a senior, worked with upper school biology teacher Matthew Harley, who according to Chetty spent “hundreds of hours” with Sundaresh to help compile data for his project.

Science department teachers also coach students on how to compile the results of their research and communicate them in papers and oral presentations.

There are, of course, many research projects produced by students each year that are worthy of recognition, whether or not they earned placement in contests. The Harker Research Symposium, which takes place this year on April 10, has and will continue to provide a forum for many of these projects to receive well-deserved attention (see page 17 for symposium details).

“I just think that the caliber of the student presentations continues to improve. As we’re reaching down into the middle school, the younger students are learning about research. We’re seeing an escalation in the caliber of the presentations.”

—Anita Chetty, science department chair The symposium has also gained recognition and prestige for the guest speakers it has attracted over the years.

This year’s symposium, which pays tribute to the medical devices industry, will feature materials scientist Chris Gilbert as a keynote speaker. Gilbert has been involved with taking a product from development to approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and eventually to manufacturing and sales.

“He was involved in all of the parts of the process involved beyond the research part, beyond the discovery,” Chetty said.

Since its inception in 2006, the symposium, the brainchild of Chetty, has been modeled after the environment of an authentic research conference, and is open to students in Gr. 6-12. For many students, the symposium is an opportunity to share the results of their labor with fellow students and their peers outside of school.

Image provided by Namrata Anand, Gr. 12

Several exhibitors will also be visiting Harker during the symposium, displaying various medical technologies such as an ultrasound machine and an artificial heart valve, among others.

In addition, visitors to the symposium will have a chance to see Harker’s scientific talents shine. “I just think that the caliber of the student presentations continues to improve,” said Chetty. “As we’re reaching down into the middle school, the younger students are learning about research. We’re seeing an escalation in the caliber of the presentations.”

For more information on Harker’s science program, visit http:// news.harker.org and search for “science.”

30

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

S P R I N G 2 010

PerformingArts

By Emily Chow ‘08 be the group’s most ambitious work ever.

They also sang a spiritual, a piece in Latin, and ‘60s staple “Bye Bye, Love.” Elodie Nguyen, Gr. 12, accompanied the group on the piano, and they were directed by Catherine Snider.

Eight Conservatory Certificate candidates performed solos at the concert, Byalso Catherine Snider with works ranging from junior Shireen Moshkelani’s “When I Have Sung My Songs” by Ernest Charles to sophomore Alex Najibi’s rendition of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La donna e mobile.” Andrew Lee, WinterSong: Bel Canto and Friends Gr. 10, played his own four-movement Baroque-style composition on the Bel Canto and fellow performers wowed piano and Lydia Demissachew, Gr. 11, the crowd with a Conservatory concert played Johannes Brahms’ “Rhapsody, held on Jan. 22 at Nichols Hall. At Op. 70 No. 2.” John Ammatuna, Gr. 11, WinterSong, this ensemble of Gr. 9-10 was accompanied by Diane Villadsen, singers sang songs from a wide range Gr. 11, on a song from “South Pacific”; of genres, including Harry Belafonte’s also singing were Vrinda Goel, Gr. 11, “Turn the World Around” and a moving Sebastian Herscher, Gr. 10 and Nina rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Sabharwal, Gr. 9.

Love Songs,” which was considered to

Orchestra As Harker’s instrumental program has grown significantly in the past few years, directors Chris Florio, Louis Hoffman and Toni Woodruff split the annual winter showcase into two parts.

Despite the change, both concerts, held Jan. 15, were packed and the showcase was a rousing success.

The early evening show featured Woodruff’s Lower School String Ensemble, the new Lower School Jazz Ensemble led by Hoffman and Hoffman’s Lower School Orchestra. Florio’s Gr. 6 and Gr. 7-8 orchestras closed the concert with Brahms, Fauré and Tchaikovsky compositions.

The second show included Florio’s Jazz Band, featuring front singer Francesca Nagle, Gr. 11, singing smooth tunes and impressive solos from sax player Aadithya Prakash, Gr. 12 and trombonist Benjamin Tien, Gr. 11. The Harker Orchestra also performed all four movements of Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 1,” a Smetana overture and the humorous “Hungarian Dance” of Brahms.

All photos this page by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

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

S P R I N G 2 010

31

PerformingArts Choreographers selected percussion-heavy music and were challenged by director Laura Rae to create dances that allowed them to “move to their own drummers.”

Dance Production: Percussion Pathways Harker dancers hit the stage Jan. 29 and 30 in Percussion Pathways, this year’s theme for the ever-popular annual upper school dance production. Choreographers selected percussion-heavy music and were challenged by director Laura Rae to create dances that allowed them to “move to their own drummers.”

Student choreographers worked with Harker dance teachers Rae and Karl Kuehn, and dancers Heidi Landgraf, Adrian Bermudez and Sasha Stepanenko ’06 to create a three-part show, taking the audience through Harker All Percussion Pathway photos by Prestige Portraits school life into an exploration of larger themes about belonging, suffering and mystery. Some students, including Johnny Lau, Gr. 12 and Malika Mehrotra, Gr. 11, also had the opportunity to choreograph their own dances for the show, putting out toe-tappers and crowd-movers to “Break It Down” by Manu Dibango and “Shadowplay” by The Killers.

32

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

S P R I N G 2 010

PerformingArts Dance Jamz Electrifies Audiences Dance Jamz, the annual middle school dance show, energized audiences in early March, as nearly 150 dancers from all middle school grade levels performed several dance styles. The show ran March 4-6, first showcasing the students’ talents for Gr. 5, then entertaining their middle school classmates and finally performing for friends and family.

Directed by middle school dance teacher Gail Palmer, with co-direction by dance teachers Amalia Vasconi and Karl Kuehn, the show highlighted swing, contemporary modern, musical theater and hip-hop, with elements of Bollywood and Latin.

The dynamic lighting by middle school performing arts teacher Paul Vallerga brought more flair to each performance, including a dramatic shot of silhouetted hiphop dancers. Students and parents alike were thrilled to see the talented young dancers perform their hearts out onstage!

All Dance Jamz photos by Ashley Batz

Conservatory Classic The second annual Conservatory Classic, “An Evening with Past, Present and Future Harker Stars,” brought together the Harker community at the end of winter break, with proceeds going towards the performing arts program. Vocal and musical theater alumni Kartik Venkatraman ’09, Stephanie Kim ’08, Siobhan Stevenson ’07 and many others returned to campus to perform collaborative pieces with current students.

All Conservatory Classic photos by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

Graduated Guys’ Gig members joined the current crew in song. A string octet, an alumni jazz combo and solos from students were also performed to highlight Harker’s performing arts in preparation for Phase 4 of the school’s master site plan – a new performing and visual arts center.

For more information on Harker’s performing arts programs, e-mail K-Gr. 12 department chair Laura Lang-Ree at laural@harker.org.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

33

Harker Libraries Enjoy Watershed Year

“A librarian can provide the magnet that makes the perfect needle jump out of its haystack.”

—Bernie Morrissey, middle school librarian

Photo by Mark Tantrum

By Lauri Vaughan

T

he unwary might be fooled by the tranquil spaces that are the Harker libraries – but make no mistake: momentous changes are underfoot schoolwide.

“The most important contribution we can make is to teach faculty and students how to access, evaluate and synthesize all the information pouring over our heads from an infinite digital sky.”

Harker library director Enid Davis (see Milestones, page 21 has kept the department atop the morphing information world all along, but the addition of several features have resulted in a watershed year for all library users, including the construction of a new library on the upper school campus.

The new building will come in at 3,803 square feet – an 89 percent increase Enid Davis, library director over the previous library space – with a comfortable reading area, a separate classroom equipped with eBeam technology, expanded study tables with lighting and outlets, a print/scan/copy center, increased shelving, enhanced wireless connectivity and a security system to keep it all safe.

With the opening of the new upper school library, all three campuses will enjoy wireless learning spaces with ceilingmounted projector systems.

Other changes this year include: • streamlining of the library’s Web site design featuring customized resources matched to age and curricula at each division; • the addition of a proxy server, enabling single user login for all 80-plus subscription databases around the clock; • the addition of Questia, an electronic library containing nearly 30,000 full textbooks with robust tools for personalized note-taking; • significant growth of Harker’s eBook collection, including supplementary resources for class projects which necessitate simultaneous use; • online catalogue makeover to increase user access including the ability to add book reviews, and the addition of cover art to books’ listings; and • expanded use of NoodleBib, an online tool that allows students to collect, organize and synthesize research in personalized accounts, across grade levels and disciplines.

Connecting users with information is the primary job of Harker’s librarians – a job that’s become both easier and more difficult in a Web 2.0 world. Easier because information abounds; more difficult because, well, information abounds, and sifting through the chaff to find value can be an overwhelming task for children, teens and adults alike.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

34

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

S P R I N G 2 010

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Ph

“Our Internet age has made the information explosion possible,” explains middle school librarian Bernie Morrissey. “Libraries have become more important than ever. In many cases, a librarian can provide the magnet that makes the perfect needle jump out of its haystack.”

Dramatic change can be disconcerting, but Davis’ creation of the Information Literacy committees four years ago has made Harker’s transitions nearly seamless. The committees, which meet regularly on each campus, allow teachers to voice information concerns and share successes with library professionals and instructional technologists, thus serving as a crucible for innovation to address concerns and replicate successes.

As a result, Harker teachers have been taking greater advantage of professional librarians at all levels to help their students navigate through the information deluge. Teacherlibrarian collaboration projects have increased significantly, making Harker’s information professionals regular fixtures in kindergarten and Gr. 1 classrooms, in addition to the regularly scheduled library instruction K-Gr. 4.

“The most important contribution we can make is to teach faculty and students how to access, evaluate and synthesize all the information pouring over our heads from an infinite digital sky,” said Davis.

y Je oto b

ssica

0 Liu ‘

4

Staying in front of technology and the changes it causes in educational philosophy can be challenging, but Harker librarians have developed a reputation as leaders in their field. This fall Davis was invited to speak at the BayNet Librarian Conference, and librarians Kathy Clark, Lauri Vaughan, Smith and Morrissey all presented at the Harker Teacher Tech Institute last June.

In January, Vaughan and Smith were keynote speakers at a regional conference of independent school librarians. This month Smith will present with Donna Gilbert, upper school history department chair, on their collaborative efforts at the California Association of Independent Schools conference at Campbell Hall in North Hollywood.

“The role of school libraries has expanded,” said Smith. “They are important places for students to gather for collaboration and learning, but they also represent portals, both physical and virtual, to new resources, tools and technologies. The tools and technologies will change, but libraries as intellectual hubs of schools and communities – as learning commons – will outlive trum n a us all!”

T k y Mar

Photo by Mark Tantrum

b Photo

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

S P R I N G 2 010

35

T

OutandAbout

by William Cracraft

he final meeting in the 2009 series of Head of School Gatherings was at Shirish and Archana Sathaye’s (Priya, Gr. 12; Maya, Gr. 9) home in midDecember. Head of School Chris Nikoloff; Jaap Bongers, art department chair Gr. 6-12; and Brian Larsen, performing arts production manager, shared recent accomplishments in the Harker community and talked about the proposed master site plan for the Saratoga campus (see Capital Giving, page 12). The events were held to give parents a chance to see what is planned and provide feedback.

Many thanks to the Sathaye family for opening their home for one of these important meetings!

Both photos by Mark Tantrum

Milestones

by William Cracraft

continued from page 21

Harker’s Board Welcomes New Members, Jennifer Gargano and Marie Clifford

Gargano began at Harker in 1999 and assumed the assistant head role in 2004.

Her positions have included middle school head, community service director, Junior Engineering and Technical Society team coach and Honor Council chair; she is now National Honor Society (NHS) advisor. Prior to joining Harker, she taught middle and upper school math in the Chicago area, where she was born and raised.

While in grade school, Gargano enjoyed observing her classmates to see how they learned, and, thus motivated, went on to earn a degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics followed by a master’s degree in secondary math education.

Gargano considers herself lucky to have landed at Harker. “It is a unique place where the students are incredibly nice and kind to one another and faculty and staff 36

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

financial and other business systems.

Photo by Jessica Liu ‘04

H

arker has two new members on its board of trustees. A hearty welcome to Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, and Marie Clifford, Harker’s former and longtime business manager.

Jennifer Gargano (left) and Marie Clifford, newest members of the board of trustees, at this year’s fashion show.

are dedicated above and beyond to the students and the institution,” she said.

Outside of Harker, Gargano stays in shape running and volunteering, tutoring at a local charter school with NHS members, serving at her church and volunteering at food banks and other nonprofit organizations.

Marie Clifford joins The Harker School Board of Trustees after serving as the school’s business manager from 1989 until her retirement in 2008. Clifford spent 20 years at Polaroid Corporation, retiring as senior quality control manager for worldwide camera manufacturing. Then-president and head of school Howard and Diana Nichols drew her to the school to help lay out the

S P R I N G 2 010

“It was an exciting time,” said Clifford. “I helped through the years when there was explosive growth at Harker. Enrollment went from roughly 800 students to over 1,700 students.”

Clifford holds a B.S. degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Northeastern University, and her experience with managing large projects was of immense value to the school.

Clifford has strong ties to the school still, as she has two grandchildren, Michael Clifford, Gr. 12 and his sister Keri, Gr. 9, at Harker. “It is wonderful to continue a close relationship with the school, faculty and administration,” she said.

Aside from her interest in Harker, Clifford is active in a number of environmental areas and stays active with yoga and showing her pug dogs.

“I hope that my years of experience managing Harker assets will be useful, as the Board takes on the challenge of keeping Harker one of the best independent schools in the country.”

Alumni First Regional Event Draws a Crowd Alumni, Faculty and Administrators Meet at Popular Downtown S.F. Wine Bar Story and photos by Liat Noten ‘05

A

lumni Relations held its first regional association event in late February to bring together local Harker alumni from Northern California. In the rustic atmosphere of brick walls and exposed wooden beams at San Francisco’s The District wine bar, guests, including current faculty, staff and administrators, reminisced with each other about their times at Harker.

The Harker alumni office keeps alumni linked through their class years, their geographical regions and their affinity groups, which track interests. Regional associations reconnect Harker’s alumni within different geographical areas to one another (at least ten alumni live within two blocks of The District) and to their alma mater, developing the strength and richness of the Harker alumni network.

Bob Torcellini, a 1966 graduate of the Palo Alto Military Academy, Harker’s predecessor, reminisced about his time at the Academy: “There was a lot of camaraderie among the students because [the adults were] so strict.” Torcellini came to the alumni event armed with an old photo album.

He was hoping to find classmates John and Matt Brooks to show them a picture from a past alumni event where a banner had displayed their father’s name. Out of his teachers, Torcellini remembers Eugene Renaghan and Trevor Morgan. Of his friends, he remembers Dwight Haldan, Robin Beaty, Dean Riskas and Eric Lane.

“It’s rare that so many kids remember and have such fond memories [of middle school], and they’re really strong.”

– Tala Banatao ’93

Though Harker nowadays is different, Torcellini embraces the change. “It’s good that it’s evolved away from the military and pushed the academics and actually flourished in that. I’m proud that it’s evolved and survived,” he added.

Tala Banatao ’93 now lives in San Francisco and runs a successful children’s clothing line. Banatao believes that “it’s rare that so many kids remember and have such fond memories [of middle school], and they’re really strong. Harker was instrumental in laying the

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

S P R I N G 2 010

37

ALUMNI: FIRST REGIONAL ASSOCIATION EVENT

foundation for us in school and really contributed to a lot of our successes.” She remembers several faculty members from her days at Harker including history teacher John Near, who passed away last fall; former coach and dean of students Jack Bither; former history teacher and volleyball coach Howard Saltzman; current math teacher Pat Walsh; and current K-Gr. 8 athletic director Theresa Smith.

“I affiliate Harker so much with my childhood that I think it’s nice to be grown up and see how people have evolved.”

–Maheen Kaleem ’03

Upon learning that history teacher and Coca-Cola fanatic John Zetterquist is still at Harker, Eric Wu ’97 described a memory common among Zetterquist’s students: “plunging [his] hand into an ice-cold cooler for Cokes” during class.

Longtime Harker student Maheen Kaleem ’03 says she “spent more time at Harker than anywhere else in [her] life.” Some of her memorable moments are “every dance production and every moment with [dance teacher Laura Rae], and staying until 11 o’clock at night making decorations for spirit rallies the next day.” She expressed

her admiration for Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts department chair, whom she described as a “second mother.”

Coming to alumni events is an exciting experience for Kaleem, who has spent time visiting Harker in the past. “I affiliate Harker so much with my childhood that I think it’s nice to be grown up and see how people have evolved,” Kaleem said.

“Seeing them as adults is really cool.”

To enrich networks in other areas, upcoming alumni relations activity will include a March event in Manhattan, an April event in Southern California and gatherings in areas such as Washington, D.C., and the Midwest next year. Visit www. facebook.com/HarkerAlumniAssociation for exact details on events in your area, or contact Christina Yan ’93, director of alumni relations, at christinay@harker.org.

First Ever Alumni Matching Gift of $15,000 Donated by Family At press time we were informed of a very generous donation to support Harker’s alumni giving. To demonstrate their support of the Harker alumni as a vital component of the Harker community, the Jamal family (Asad and Ambreen; Mahum, Gr. 12; Daanish, Gr. 10; Hasan, Gr. 3), is providing a $15,000 challenge match.

This is how it works: the Jamals will donate one dollar for every dollar donated by alumni to the 2009-10 Annual Giving Campaign. This means that an alumni gift of any amount will be matched one-to-one, effectively doubling the benefit the school receives from the gift.

This is the first time Harker has received an alumni matching grant, and is an indicator of the passion for, and support of, Harker and the “K through Life” community. “We are so grateful to the Jamal family for setting the example, and we hope their generosity will inspire alumni to stay connected to the school and support its wonderful programs,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school.

Harker’s new alumni director, Christina Yan ’93, couldn’t be more thrilled. “I’m encouraging all of our alumni to take this great opportunity to have their gifts doubled by this generous matching gift. Several alumni have already done just that,” she said. “The most important part of this challenge is to show your support by participating!”

As always, annual gifts such as this can be made in honor or in memory of a teacher, friend or family member. To have your name included in the Annual Report, gifts must be received by May 1. Visit www.harker.org and click on “Support Harker” for our online giving form.

38

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

S P R I N G 2 010

“The most important part of this challenge is to show your support by participating!”

–Christina Yan, Director of Alumni Relations

HOW IT WORKS: 1 Support Harker with an alumni gift of any amount.

2 Go to www.harker.org and click on

“Support Harker” for the online giving form. All gifts received by May 1 will be included in the Annual Report.

3 The Jamal family will match each alumni gift, dollar for dollar.

FlashForward

’

Alumni Q & A Colin Dickey MS ’91 holds an M.F.A degree from the California Institute of the Arts and is finishing a Ph.D. in comparative literature at the University of Southern California. He resides in Los Angeles and is the author of “Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius.”

Emma Hawley ’04 studied acting at the University of California at Los Angeles and graduated valedictorian in 2008.

Since then she has performed improvisational comedy, sung professionally, signed with a commercial agent and has appeared in two commercials for Jack in the Box. She lives in Los Angeles, where she continues looking into lead roles in voiceovers and theatrical productions.

A:

CD: I love working with words: seeing how a sentence can be put together, thinking of the way words sound and how they look on the page, and developing a sense of music and rhythm through writing.

Colin Dickey ’91

A:

EH: I love this opportunity to collaborate with talented, tenacious, conscious beings.

Q: What personal traits make you successful at what you’re doing?

A: CD: I’ve always had an insatiable

Emma Hawley ’04

Q: When you were at Harker, did

you dream of doing what you do now?

A: Colin Dickey: Absolutely. I really developed a love of reading through Sylvia Harp’s literature classes in seventh and eighth grades. And the first story I ever wrote was a western that was based on all of my best friends at Harker.

personal and professional “lists” right now?

A: CD: Um, I’m reading a lot of

Henry James – does that count?

I’m also trying to find a way to try something on “The Thuringian War,” a long poem written by the sixth century German saint Radegund, which I think is incredibly beautiful and which no one I’ve ever met has heard of.

A: EH: The real priority is striking

a balance between knowing what I already have going for me, moving through the steps I need to take and opening to the myriad opportunities presenting themselves every day.

curiosity, but I’ve also always been more interested in the stories that don’t get told, the things that run counter to the party line, the stuff that nobody knows about but is often hiding in plain sight. That desire to seek out the stuff that isn’t being talked about has been a great asset in terms of my current writing, since it allows me to bring these stories to light.

Q: Tell us something surprising

A: EH: I have an unceasing desire to

current Harker students?

be more fully myself.

Q: What in your life so far took you the longest time to learn?

A: Emma Hawley: While at Harker I A: CD: When to use “that” and knew I was going to pursue acting and a creative career – and I am.

when to use “which” correctly in a sentence.

Q: What do you find most exciting

A: EH: I understand a lot less than I

about your career or current project?

Q: What’s on the top of your

think I do, and there is nothing wrong with that.

about yourself.

A: CD: I’m a really big fan of karaoke.

A: EH: I frequently swing on the

traveling rings at the original Santa Monica Muscle Beach.

Q: What advice do you have for A: CD: Have a healthy, positive

relationship to failure. The more you can let yourself be okay with failure, the more risks you’ll take, and the more you can achieve. Failing at great things is always better than doing mediocre things.

A: EH: Learn to balance your

head with your heart and your gut.

Gratitude is your best friend. Stillness is underrated. Play more.

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

S P R I N G 2 010

41

LookingAhead

42

LY HHAARRKKEERR QQUUAARRTTEERRLY

SSPPRRIINNGG 22001100

LookingAhead

Summer@Harker

Harker Quarterly (USPS 023-761) is published four times per year (December, March, June and September) 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 News, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129.

LY HHAARRKKEERR QQUUAARRTTEERRLY

SSPPRRIINNGG 22001100

43

1977-78

Harker

Science Lab

Teacher Diana Nichols (now a trustee) oversees a Gr. 9 biology lab in what was, until recently, one

– John Near, Baccalaureate speech ‘08

of our main science classrooms. Biology is now taught in Gr. 11 in our beautiful new – and aptly named – Nichols Hall, which opened in the fall of 2008 and was dedicated to Howard and Diana Nichols. We’ve come a long way!

4 0 8 . 2 4 9 . 2 510 H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

•

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

S P R I N G 2 010

·

S a n

J o s e ,

C a l i f o r n i a O of C: 3/10 (BHDG/JJJ/RM/DQP) 4931