Late last month, the Japan Information and Cultural Center at the office of the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco recognized three Harker students in its annual New Year’s greeting card contest. In the middle school division, seventh grader Shareen Chahal received special recognition and Jessica Wang, grade 6, was awarded an honorable mention. Momo Matsui-Disini, grade 2, received an honorable mention in the elementary school division.
This contest invites local students to participate in the Japanese tradition of sending New Year’s cards (“nengajo”) to their loved ones. These and other greeting cards that Northern California students submitted for the contest (more than 640 in all) will be on display until Feb. 21 at the Japan Information and Cultural Center, located at 275 Battery St., Ste. 2100, San Francisco.
Update: Nerine Uyanik, grade 11, finished 32 in the Challenge CEP Marathon Flueret in Paris out of 150 fencers from around the world in under-17 competition! http://marathon-fleuret.com/resultats_2019.html
Also: Kira Bardin, grade 5, has been training in epee for about the past year and plans to begin competing soon.
Jan. 31, 2019
Harker has a strong contingent of fencers who compete regularly, along with alumna Jerrica Liao ’18, now fencing for Northwestern. Harker fencers, who train at various clubs around the Bay Area, recently competed in multiple local, regional and national events. Virtually all are on track to qualify for the national championships in June. Here are some of the results!
Liao, in her first year at Northwestern, is competing in individual women’s foil events as the college team has some strong starters returning from last year. Liao competed in Division 1 in the December North American Circuit (NAC) event in Cincinnati and in Junior Women’s foil in the NAC in Charlotte in January where she finished 39th out of 175 fencers. In a series of six meets in late January, Northwestern beat Temple, Columbia, NYU, Yale and the U.S. Air Force. Liao crushed, going 4-0 in individual matches. She holds an A-2015 rating. Ratings run from A-D, A being the best, followed by the year earned.
Nerine Uyanik, grade 11 has competed in several National and local events this season, taking three medals: two in November, earning fifth place in both cadet and junior events at the Regional Open Circuit (ROC) in San Jose, then taking seventh for another visit to the podium in a very tough Division 1-A event out of 36 rated fencers. Medals are awarded to the top eight finishers in regional and national events. Uyanik holds a B-2017 rating in foil and a C-2019 rating in epee earned in late January with a third place finish out of 31 fencers in a Division 1A (all ages) event.
Sana Pandey, grade 11, has competed in several local and national womens epee events, including Division 1 competitions, taking first place in junior womens epee in December to add to her second and third place medals from regional events in November for a clean bag of 3 top four finishes. Pandey holds a C-2017 rating.
Ethan Choi, grade 10, continues to build on his Division III National Championship from last summer, fencing foil in both the October and November NACs, finishing 18 of 154 in Division II in October and 85 of 249 in Cadet in November, both very respectable finishes in tough events. He medaled, finishing eighth of 57, in the ROC in late November. He holds a C-2018 rating.
Kishan Sood, grade 10, fenced in national events in October and November in Cadet, Junior and Division II events. He had a really great finish, taking a bronze medal out of 34 in Division II mens foil, open to all ages, in an ROC in late November. He also finished 18 of 53 in Cadet mens foil at that tournament. He holds a D-2018 rating.
Alysa Su, grade 9 has also fenced in at least 11 National and regional events at the Cadet, Division II and Division I levels, recently. She took third out of 37 in September in the San Jose RYC in Y-14 womens foil and earned a medal finishing seventh out of 43 in the January Regional Youth Circuit (RYC) event in San Francisco. She holds a C-2018 rating.
John Cracraft, grade 8, finished 38 out of 68 in the September RYC in Sunnyvale, then 43 out of 61 in the Y-14 mens foil event at the Treasure Chest RYC. No rating.
Ethan Liu, grade 7, has not competed yet this year but fenced in several events last year, finishing 43 of 73 in March 2018 Silicon Valley RYC. No Rating.
Ishani Sood, grade 7, has had a great year so far, with a bag of six medals, all except one a top-four finish. She has fenced in Junior, Cadet, Y-14 and Y-12 girls foil events, taking two first place medals at the Super Youth Circuit (SYC) event in Southern California in both Y-12 (48 fencers) and Y-14 (57 fencers). She also finished first in Y-12 and third in Y1-4 in the Super Youth Circuit (SYC) in Denver later in the fall. Finally, she competed in late January in the South Coast RYC and Regional Junior Circuit (RJC), placing second in Y-14 and fifth in Juniors, a remarkable finish in that age bracket! She has a C-2018 rating.
Alena Su, grade 7, has also had a great year earning RYC medals in two September competitions, coming in seventh of 44 in Y-12 womens foil; third of 28 in the same event earlier in the month. She took fifth out of 50 fencers in December in Y-12 womens foil, an excellent result. No rating.
Aaron Bao, grade 6, has fenced in many events this season with very respectable results. In September at the North Texas SYC, Aaron stood on the podium to receive his third place medal out of 63 fencers. In late November, he finished 12 out of 70 at an RYC, and in the mid-January RYC, took 15 out of 60, both in Y-12 mens foil. No rating.
Ethan Wang, grade 6, has competed in many events, local, regional and national as well, finishing 13 out of 60 in the Y-12 mens foil event at the Treasure Chest RYC in San Francisco. He took ninth of 25, locally, in October and traveled to a variety of events out of the Bay Area. He took 39 out of 49 in the Arizona SYC in Y-14 mens foil, 28 out of 38 in Y12 MF. No rating.
Chuyi (Luke) Zeng, grade 6 has fenced a number of local and regional events, taking a respectable 24 out of 60 in the Y-12 mens foil and 46 out of 61 in the Y-14 event at the Treasure Chest RYC in San Francisco in late January. No rating.
Zoie Wang, grade 5, competes very regularly and took second in a late November RYC in San Jose, out of 20, and took first of 14 in a local Y-10 Womens foil event. In the Late September RYC in Sunnyvale, Wang took second of 18 in Y-10 womens foil and 17 of 44 in Y-12 womens foil and in early September, she took second in Y-10 womens foil at the SYC in North Texas. No rating.
Jiening (Jason) Zhang grade 5, had an excellent result in late January at the Treasure Chest RYC on Treasure Island in San Francisco, taking second out of 38 in Y-10 mens foil and seventh out of 60 in the Y-12 event. Two nice podiums! He took seventh out of 17 in Y-10 MF North Texas Roundup, 44 out of 63 in Y-12 MF. He medaled in late November at the San Jose RYC, taking second out of 31 in Y-10 mens foil and 21 out of 70 in Y-12 MF. In early December, in the San Diego SYC, Zhang took fifth out of 36 in Y-10 mens foil action and 29 in the Y-12 event out of 97. No rating.
Please report all fencing and other activities results to news@harker.org. We love to report how our students are doing!
Last week, students in Rebecca Williams’ grade 7 English classes participated in an activity modeled after the popular TV show “Shark Tank.” Students created pitches to convince a panel of “Sharks” – middle school division head Evan Barth, assistant middle school division head Patricia Lai-Burrows, global education director Jennifer Walrod, English teacher Marjorie Hazeltine and middle school librarian Bernie Morrissey – to award money to charitable organizations chosen by the students.
Pitches were created by several students from each grade 7 English class, and each class voted to see who would face the panel in the final round. Williams came up with the idea for the activity both as a persuasive writing exercise and as a means of helping students “realize the privilege that we have.”
Harker parents raised the $700 in prize money, which was distributed among the finalists based on the judges’ evaluation of their pitches. Ritu Belani’s pitch took first place, earning $480 for the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund. Lera Vaisburd’s second-place pitch netted $90 for the American Cancer Society. In third place were Meishin Yen and Mira Goodwin, who donated $70 to the Best Friends Animal Society. Jason Monaghan won $40 for Doctors Without Borders, and Alice Tao and Reshma Kosaraju secured $20 for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“We really wanted the kids to have to consider their audience,” Williams noted. “I was just truly blown away by their preparedness, poise, confidence and passion.”
In November, seventh grader Shayla He appeared on the Chinese talk show “From Opinion to Future,” filmed in Beijing. She was invited to the program after its producers discovered her singing talents, and was featured in a 14-minute segment in which she also gave a speech, titled “Communicate With the World Through Music,” about discovering a passion for music at a very young age. In it, she explained that her musical studies have “helped me explore the cultures of different countries.” Her speech was interspersed with short musical performances to demonstrate what she had learned. Following a brief interview with the show’s hosts, she gave a performance of an original song called “Who Will Come,” written to highlight the plight of the homeless.
Last week, middle school students concluded their annual gift drive for Family Giving Tree, delivering more than 650 gifts to benefit families in need this holiday season. Advisors received the families’ wishes in late November, and students spent the following weeks collecting the gifts. This year’s donation far surpassed last year’s donation and nearly doubled the number of gifts collected in 2016. The effort was part of Family Giving Tree’s Holiday Wish Drive, which has provided more than 1 million Bay Area children from low-income households with holiday gifts since 1990.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
About The Harker School DECA Harker DECA is an international competitive business organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
About The Harker School DECA Harker DECA is an international competitive business organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
About The Harker School DECA Harker DECA is an international competitive business organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
Earlier this month, the middle school concluded its yearly food drive, which began Oct. 26 and ended Nov. 15. A total of 2,465 food items were collected for delivery to the Second Harvest Food Bank, which each month serves more than 257,000 people in need in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. This drive is one of several annual community service projects carried out by the middle school during the holiday season. Others include Suits2Empower, which donates business attire to young people whose families cannot afford it, and the Family Giving Tree, which provides holiday gifts to impoverished families in the Bay Area.
The girls tennis doubles team of Sachi Bajaj and Fonda Hu, both grade 10, defeated the duo from Soquel 6-0, 6-0 in its first round CCS matchup, but fell to the pair from Los Altos 6-3, 6-0 in the second round. Congrats on a great season ladies!
Girls Golf
Natalie Vo, grade 10, represented Harker at the state championships last week and shot a 7 over and finished the day tied for 28th. Great work Natalie and the whole girls golf team!
Cross Country
Ryan Adolf, grade 12, and Ritika Rajamani, grade 9, competed at the CCS finals over the weekend, which was rescheduled twice because of poor air quality. Ritika finished 35th out of 91 D4 runners and Ryan wrapped up his high school career with an 87th place finish out of 102 D4 runners. Congrats on a great season runners!
Winter Sports
The winter athletic season is quickly approaching, with basketball, soccer and wrestling beginning their seasons very soon. The varsity girls basketball team gets things going as it opens its season at University Prep on Nov. 21, with its first home game on Dec. 14 against San Lorenzo Valley. Girls soccer takes on The King’s Academy at Davis Field at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 to open its season. Varsity boys soccer hosts South San Francisco on Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. to kick off its regular season. Varsity boys basketball gets its season going at the James Lick Tournament on Nov. 28 and will play at home for the first time on Dec. 29 against Woodside. Wrestling will compete at the Los Gatos Tournament in early January. Go Eagles!