Over spring break, artistic swimmer Alina Zhu, grade 5, competed at the Pacific Association Intermediate Championships at the Miwok Aquatic Center in Novato, Calif. Zhu took home four gold medals for competing in figures, solo, trio and team routines. “It isn’t an easy sport, but I like the challenges,”said Zhu, who started artistic swimming with Santa Clara Aquamaids as a fourth grader. “[Artistic swimming] combines gymnastics, dance and swimming, and previously I had experiences in all three separately.” Zhu won her first gold medal in a mixed duet last June, followed by her second gold medal in a team routine in February. This was the first time she competed in every individual and team event in a single day and she was happy for both her and her team’s success.
Last week, first graders sent more than 500 items and more than $300 to the Humane Society Silicon Valley to cap off their annual donation drive. The effort ran from Feb. 28-March 10, collecting food, linens, toys and other goods for the many animals in HSSV’s care. “Our team was thrilled to receive the donations,” said Kristi Mack, HSSV’s human resources director. “Our team loved meeting all of your amazing first graders and their teachers. What a fun way to start a day learning about helping animals!”
Founded in 1929, HSSV is notable for being the world’s first model shelter, a distinction earned by meeting all of the more than 500 guidelines for animal care identified by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. It operates 365 days a year, providing services such as adoption, affordable spaying and neutering, vaccinations and microchipping.
Last month, Harker middle and upper school students received 256 regional awards in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, comprising 107 awards for art and 149 for literature. All of Harker’s 30 Gold Key winners are eligible for national awards, which will be announced in March. A national ceremony to honor all of this year’s national award winners will take place in June.
The full list of winners (some named multiple times to denote the number of awards they received) is as follows:
Art
Gold Key
Iris Cai, grade 10
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Angelina Hu, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Sophia Liu, grade 10
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Teresa Song, grade 7
Claire Su, grade 11
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Benjamin Xia, grade 9
Austina Xu, grade 12
Connie Xu, grade 9
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Elizabeth Zhang, grade 8
Silver Key
Iris Cai, grade 10
Jillian Cheng, grade 8
Laurel Davies, grade 11
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ariana Goetting, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Joy Hu, grade 9
Trisha Iyer, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Ally Lee, grade 12
Catherine Li, grade 11
Colin Li, grade 8
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Desiree Luo, grade 11
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Julie Shi, grade 11
Teresa Song, grade 7
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Brittany Tsui, grade 11
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Michelle Wei, grade 11
Isabella Wu, grade 7
Vivian Wu, grade 8
Austina Xu, grade 12
Celina Xu, grade 9
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Audrey Yang, grade 9
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Evan Zhang, grade 9
Sophia Zhu, grade 10
Honorable Mention
Ananya Bammi, grade 12
Iris Cai, grade 10
Shareen Chahal, grade 11
Jessica Chen, grade 8
Karina Chen, grade 12
Nanxi (Nancy) Chen, grade 8
Keren Eisenberg, grade 10
Mirabelle Feng, grade 10
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ariana Goetting, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Angelina Hu, grade 11
Trisha Iyer, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Ally Lee, grade 12
Catherine Li, grade 11
Emma Li, grade 9
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Helena Liang, grade 8
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Sophia Liu, grade 10
Claire Luo, grade 11
Desiree Luo, grade 11
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Smrithi Sambamurthy, grade 12
Julie Shi, grade 11
Teresa Song, grade 7
Claire Su, grade 11
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Kurtis Tong, grade 12
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Michelle Wei, grade 11
Isabella Wu, grade 7
Vivian Wu, grade 8
Austina Xu, grade 12
Celina Xu, grade 9
Connie Xu, grade 9
Olivia Xu, grade 11
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Cecilia Yang, grade 11
Chloee Yang, grade 9
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Elizabeth Zhang, grade 8
Katelyn Zhao, grade 11
Sophia Zhu, grade 10
Literature
Gold Key
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ashley Mo, grade 9, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Writing Portfolio
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Writing Portfolio
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Ananya Pradhan, grade 9, Poetry
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Austina Xu, grade 12, Poetry
Alison Yang, grade 10, Poetry
Albert Yao, grade 9, Journalism
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Personal Essay & Memoir
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Short Story
Ariel Zhang, grade 9, Poetry
Ellie Zhou, grade 8, Short Story
Silver Key
Tyler Beede, grade 12, Short Story
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Felix Chen, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Jillian Cheng, grade 8, Short Story
Emma Gao, grade 11, Journalism
Helen Gu, grade 9, Short Story
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Joy Hu, grade 9, Critical Essay
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Humor
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Short Story
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Journalism
Eden Kelly, grade 9, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Desiree Luo, grade 11, Journalism
Anaya Mandal, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Critical Essay
Edis Mesic, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Ananya Pradhan, grade 9, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ameera Ramzan, grade 8, Critical Essay
Ameera Ramzan, grade 8, Critical Essay
Ashley Ruan, grade 12, Short Story
Tanisha Singh, grade 11, Humor
Kairui Sun, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Cynthia Wang, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Poetry
Selina Wang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Selina Wang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Michelle Wei, grade 11, Critical Essay
Austina Xu, grade 12, Critical Essay
Selina Xu, grade 11, Poetry
Alison Yang, grade 10, Personal Essay & Memoir
Tiantong Yang, grade 9, Short Story
Albert Yao, grade 9, Critical Essay
Medha Yarlagadda, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ella Yee, grade 11, Critical Essay
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Ariel Zhang, grade 9, Poetry
Evan Zhang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Honorable Mention
Varun Bhupathi, grade 10, Critical Essay
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Ainslie Chen, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Varun Fuloria, grade 11, Critical Essay
Varun Fuloria, grade 11, Critical Essay
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Cyrus Ghane, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Ariana Goetting, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ramit Goyal, grade 11, Critical Essay
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Shayla He, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Critical Essay
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Humor
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Siddhi Jain, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
David Jang, grade 11, Journalism
Ally Lee, grade 12, Flash Fiction
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Poetry
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Flash Fiction
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Poetry
Jingjing Liang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Daniel Lin, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Claire Luo, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Spencer Mak, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Poetry
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Journalism
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Critical Essay
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Personal Essay & Memoir
Fifth graders Sophie Cai, Natalie Deng, Ariana Siamwalla and Alina Zhu had a successful run at Saturday’s VEX IQ Robotics tournament in Morgan Hill, where the team (known as Actuatorly Awesome) took first place in both Teamwork and Skills and also won the event’s Design Award. Their performance qualified them for the Northern California Regional Championship, set to take place March 4. The team thanked the members of another Harker VEX IQ Robotics team (Techtoro, made up of fifth graders Jolie Chao, Sophie Croswhite and Laura Zhang), who also qualified for regionals and offered their insights with other teams.
Last month, sixth graders Ethan Hao, Randy Hui and Terry Zhu, and fifth graders Isabella Du, Richard Li and Aixuan Sun, took first place at a First Lego League Northern California Qualifier event held at Piedmont Middle School. Known collectively as Tierra Bots, the team scored 360 points, and presented an innovation project for a robot that specializes in cleaning solar panels. The team plans to enter the regional competition in February.
This past summer, K-5 visual arts chair Gerry-louise Robinson and middle school art teacher Sofie Siegmann traveled to Thailand to learn more about the country’s art, culture and history, and how they can be integrated into Harker’s visual arts programs. The trip was part of the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program, which supports teachers seeking exciting professional development opportunities.
“Thailand is a rich melting pot of art and culture that has embraced traits from all the countries that border it,” said Robinson. “There are so many visible connections with India and East Asia, cultures that are part of our Harker community.”
The excursion began with a three-day stint at the University of Fine Arts in Bangkok, where Robinson and Siegmann gave a presentation and participated in a project with the university’s teachers and students. “We got to explore the many disciplines that the college has to offer and chatted with many professors who are practicing artists in their own right,” said Robinson.
“It was the most rewarding experience, because it brought everybody together,” said Siegmann “The students worked at home, and in the end we all created a wall with over 500 pieces!”
They then visited temples in the northern and southern regions of the country, admiring and analyzing the many different techniques that made each of the temples unique. The trek also included stops at places where locals were creating ceramics in a variety of styles, as well as visits to art studios to meet with and learn from local artists. During the several workshops they attended, Robinson and Siegmann took part in soap carving, paper making and mask painting.
Robinson said she hopes to use the striking scenes she experienced in Thailand’s floating markets into her instruction, in addition to paper making projects and works involving elephants, which are icons of Thai culture. Siegmann said she planned to integrate at least two pieces inspired by what she learned in Thailand into each of her classes, including paper making, soap carving and printmaking.
The teachers thanked global education director Jennifer Walrod for organizing the trip. “Jennifer Walrod did an outstanding job in putting this trip to Thailand together,” said Siegmann. “It was such a smooth, adventuresome experience.” Sakchai Boon-Intr, a professor at the University of Fine Arts, was also instrumental in making the experience so worthwhile. “He did so much to enable us to be at the college and engage with the students and staff,” Robinson. Finally, they thanked the Vegesnas, whose endowment granted this unique opportunity.
“Thank you to the Vegesna family for making this possible,” Siegmann said. “What an opportunity!”
Kindergartner Sophia Gu was a first place winner and received a Judges’ Distinction Award in American Protégé’s spring 2022 Music Talent Competition. This distinction earned the young pianist a trip to New York City next year to perform her original composition, “A Dream with Dinosaurs,” at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. A video of Gu performing “A Dream with Dinosaurs” is available on YouTube.
Last month, fifth graders Rohan Rajaram and Dylan Tang, and third grader Ethan Guo participated in the California State Chess Championship, where over 400 players competed across various sections. Rajaram won the K-5 section, with Guo taking second place and Tang taking fourth. Together, their strong performance enabled Harker to win the K-5 section! Great job!
Earlier this month at the US Squash Junior Nationals in Philadelphia, fifth grader Sarah Thiru received the Most Improved Player award in the U13 division. This award is given to the junior players in each division who exhibited outstanding growth. Congratulations!