Please see the accomplishments of our lower and middle school fall sports teams and individuals below:
MS Swim
Team awards went to Johnathan Mo, grade 8 (MVP), Rajas Apte, grade 6 (Eagle), and Linette Hoffman, grade 8 (Coaches). The team was coached by Tania Chadwick and Sachi Ujifusa.
WBAL Swim Finals top three finishers:
Grade 6 boys 100-yard medley relay, second place
Grade 6 boys 100-yard free relay, third place
Oliver Roman, grade 6, 100-yard IM, third place, and 25-yard fly, second place
Adam Pawliger, grade 6, 20-yard free, second place, and 25-yard back, second place
Stefan Maxim, grade 6, 25-yard back, third place
Angelina Burrows, grade 6, 100-yard free, third place
Reshma Kosaraju, grade 7, 50-yard breast, third place
Johnathan Mo, grade 8, 50-yard breast, second place
Carlo Banzon, grade 8, 50-yard breast, third place
LS Swim
Team awards went to Janam Chahal, grade 5 (MVP), Shloka Chawla, grade 5 (Eagle), and Justin Yang, grade 5 (Coaches). The team was coached by Tania Chadwick and Sachi Ujifusa.
MS Cross Country
Team awards went to Markus Zhang, grade 8 (MVP), Shaila Tandon, grade 6 (Eagle), and Eric Zhang, grade 6 (Coaches). The team was coached by Samantha Salfen, Sara Pawloski and Brighid Wood.
WBAL Cross Country Finals top five finishers:
Grade 7/8 boys team, second place
Michael Pflaging, grade 8, fourth place
Markus Zhang, grade 8, fifth place
MS Golf
The middle school golf team took first place in the WBAL fall tournament, winning by 17 strokes and shooting a 139 (best score since the tournament started)! The top golfer of the tournament was Claire Chen, grade 8, who shot a 32 and also got a hole-in-one on the fifth hole, followed by Ryan Zhang, grade 7 (34), Athreya Daniel, grade 8 (36), and Freddy Hoch, grade 8 (37).
VA (Grade 8) Flag Football: The varsity A team, coached by Richard Amarillas and Tim Hopkins, finished in sixth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-5 and went 0-7 overall. Team awards went to Chris Tonev and Nicholas Delfino (Eagle) and Sukrit Kalsi (Coaches).
VB (Grade 7) Flag Football: The varsity B team, coached by Mike Delfino and Dini Wong, finished in third place in the WBAL with a 3-3 record and went 3-4 overall. Team awards went to Thomas Egbert (MVP), Ryan Barth (Eagle) and Jack Ledford (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Flag Football: The junior varsity A team, coached by Matt Arensberg, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 1-3 record and went 2-4 overall. Team awards went to Vyom Vidyarthi (MVP), Drew Diffenderfer (Eagle) and Rahul Yalla (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Flag Football: The junior varsity B team, coached by Karriem Stinson and Walid Fahmy, finished as co-champs in the WBAL with a 4-0-2 record. Team awards went to Brennan Williams (MVP), Rishaan Thoppay (Eagle) and Topaz Lee (Coaches).
LS Intramural (Grade 4) Flag Football: Team awards went to Zackary Delfino and David Kelly (Eagle), and Ian Lee (Coaches). The team was coached by Tobias Wade.
VA (Grade 7/8) Softball: The varsity A team, coached by Raul Rios, Vanessa Rios and Adam Albers, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 4-1 and went 4-2 overall. Team awards went to Katelyn Abellera, grade 8 (MVP), Gwen Yang, grade 8 (Eagle), and Saira Ramakrishnan, grade 6 (Coaches).
JVA (Grades 4-6) Softball: The junior varsity A team, coached by Jon Cvitanich and Megan Regan, finished in third place in the WBAL with a record of 0-4. Team awards went to Raeanne Li, grade 4 (MVP), Elie Ahluwalia, grade 5 (Eagle), and Sofia Shah, grade 5 (Coaches).
LS Intramural (Grade 4) Softball: Team awards went to Sophie Chen (MVP) Gizelle Sanchez (Eagle) and Arshia Sankar (Coaches). The team was coached by Colleen Campbell and Brittney Moseley.
Last month, Alice Feng, grade 9, and Sriram Bhimaraju, grade 7, were announced as winners in this year’s Broadcom MASTERS competition. Feng won a STEM Award in the engineering category for her project, “The Effect of Mushroom Species and Substrates on the Properties of a Novel Biodegradable Material: Mycelium,” which earned her an iPad and $3,500 to attend a STEM summer camp of her choice. Bhimaraju’s project, “Low-Cost Archery Assistant with an Interface for the Visually Impaired,” won the Rising Star Award, which netted him a trip to Phoenix to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May of next year as a Broadcom MASTERS International Official Observer. In recognition of their hard work and achievements, each student also received a certificate of recognition from U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris.
The girls volleyball team steamrolled its way through the first three rounds of CCS, defeating Marina, Mercy Burlingame and Santa Cruz all in straight sets, which led to a matchup with Notre Dame Belmont in the D4 championships. It was a tight match, but the Tigers defeated the Eagles in five games, winning the decisive game 16-14, giving Harker the second place finish. However, this qualified the Eagles for a trip to the NorCal tournament. The girls travel to Fairfield on Tuesday to take on Vanden High in the D2 brackets.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the WBAL finals last week, with Ryan Adolf, grade 12, and Ritika Rajamani, grade 9, qualifying for the CCS finals on Sunday at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course.
Girls Water Polo
The girls water polo season came to an end last week as the team fell 4-11 to Aptos in the opening round of the CCS playoffs. Congrats on a great year!
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team opens up CCS on Monday as it travels to Mountain View High. On Nov. 13, the doubles team of Sachi Bajaj and Fonda Hu, both grade 10, will face off against Soquel to start the tournament.
Girls Golf
After a second place CCS finish, the girls golf team heads to Lodi today to begin its quest for a NorCal championship. Check out results throughout the day at https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/1288547
Scholastic Teams
Harker once again made its presence felt on the Fall Scholastic Championship Teams list. Boys cross country (3.9 GPA) and boys water polo (3.728) earned the top spots in their sports, while girls golf (3.786) finished second in their sport. Congrats to our wonderful student athletes!
The girls volleyball team steamrolled its way through the first three rounds of CCS, defeating Marina, Mercy Burlingame and Santa Cruz all in straight sets, which led to a matchup with Notre Dame Belmont in the D4 championships. It was a tight match, but the Tigers defeated the Eagles in five games, winning the decisive game 16-14, giving Harker the second place finish. However, this qualified the Eagles for a trip to the NorCal tournament. The girls travel to Fairfield on Tuesday to take on Vanden High in the D2 brackets.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the WBAL finals last week, with Ryan Adolf, grade 12, and Ritika Rajamani, grade 9, qualifying for the CCS finals on Sunday at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course.
Girls Water Polo
The girls water polo season came to an end last week as the team fell 4-11 to Aptos in the opening round of the CCS playoffs. Congrats on a great year!
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team opens up CCS on Monday as it travels to Mountain View High. On Nov. 13, the doubles team of Sachi Bajaj and Fonda Hu, both grade 10, will face off against Soquel to start the tournament.
Girls Golf
After a second place CCS finish, the girls golf team heads to Lodi today to begin its quest for a NorCal championship. Check out results throughout the day at https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/1288547
Scholastic Teams
Harker once again made its presence felt on the Fall Scholastic Championship Teams list. Boys cross country (3.9 GPA) and boys water polo (3.728) earned the top spots in their sports, while girls golf (3.786) finished second in their sport. Congrats to our wonderful student athletes!
The girls volleyball team steamrolled its way through the first three rounds of CCS, defeating Marina, Mercy Burlingame and Santa Cruz all in straight sets, which led to a matchup with Notre Dame Belmont in the D4 championships. It was a tight match, but the Tigers defeated the Eagles in five games, winning the decisive game 16-14, giving Harker the second place finish. However, this qualified the Eagles for a trip to the NorCal tournament. The girls travel to Fairfield on Tuesday to take on Vanden High in the D2 brackets.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the WBAL finals last week, with Ryan Adolf, grade 12, and Ritika Rajamani, grade 9, qualifying for the CCS finals on Sunday at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course.
Girls Water Polo
The girls water polo season came to an end last week as the team fell 4-11 to Aptos in the opening round of the CCS playoffs. Congrats on a great year!
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team opens up CCS on Monday as it travels to Mountain View High. On Nov. 13, the doubles team of Sachi Bajaj and Fonda Hu, both grade 10, will face off against Soquel to start the tournament.
Girls Golf
After a second place CCS finish, the girls golf team heads to Lodi today to begin its quest for a NorCal championship. Check out results throughout the day at https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/1288547
Scholastic Teams
Harker once again made its presence felt on the Fall Scholastic Championship Teams list. Boys cross country (3.9 GPA) and boys water polo (3.728) earned the top spots in their sports, while girls golf (3.786) finished second in their sport. Congrats to our wonderful student athletes!
Grade 7 students spent last week visiting America’s scenic and historic national parks, viewing their many natural wonders. Early in the trip, the students ventured to the Grand Canyon, one of the world’s most breathtaking sights. “The students and teachers who have never seen the Grand Canyon before experienced a blind trust walk to a scenic spot,” said assistant middle school division head Patricia Burrows, who accompanied the students on the trip. “When they took off their blindfolds, the gasps of delight, wonder and marvel were so satisfying.”
The next day the students moved on to Monument Valley, situated on the Arizona-Utah border. Highlights included driving to Honeymoon Arch for a climbing challenge and to hear a Navajo elder share some of the tribe’s values and traditions. At lunchtime the students enjoyed an outdoor barbecue near the Three Sisters monument where their guide, Daryl, shared more about the Navajo culture. “He distributed to them healing rocks, which he encouraged them to keep in their pocket,” said Burrows. “The one he has in his pocket is 15 years old.”
On their last day in Monument Valley, students started their trip to Bryce Canyon, a journey which included stops at the Glen Canyon Dam and Pink Coral Sand Dunes. Playing among the dunes was a highlight for many students.
The students’ first sight of Bryce Canyon the next day elicited many awed gasps. “The vibrant colors of orange, white, green as well as the blended colors in between transported us to a world we do not experience in Silicon Valley,” Burrows said. “This is why this is such a special trip for our students.” Each bus group spent the day hiking around the canyon and preparing for skits they would later perform.
Before heading home, the students went on a short hike in Zion National Park, which was a favorite part of the trip for some students, who enjoyed “the wide variety of environments,” Burrows said.
The yearly grade 8 trip to the Washington, D.C., area took place last week, as students traveled across the country to learn more about the history of the area and its role in the formation of the United States. After arriving in Williamsburg, Va., the students visited Jamestown, North America’s first permanent English settlement. Guides showed the students various facets of everyday life, including food preparation, living arrangements and the making of clothes. Afterward, the students visited Colonial Williamsburg, a living recreation of a colonial city, visiting its capitol, court and governor’s palace, in addition to a wig maker, apothecary and other shops. While visiting the College of William & Mary, the students toured the campus and saw several of its landmarks, and visited an interactive African-American music exhibition.
The next day, in Washington, D.C., the students visited Pamplin Park, and learned much about the Civil War, including the daily lives of soldiers. They toured the Tudor Hall Plantation, home to the Boisseau family and a confederate general’s headquarters during the war. A highlight of the first day was a visit to the Capitol Hill Club to see Maheen Kaleem ’03, now working in Washington as a program officer for NoVo Foundation’s initiative to end violence against girls and women. Kaleem introduced the students to her work and informed them that they could make a difference by “standing up for others, asking questions and in general trying to advocate for what is right,” reported assistant head of school Jennifer Gargano. Following Kaleem’s presentation, the students visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.
Day two in Washington began with visits to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) and Arlington National Cemetery, where they witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The students later enjoyed lunch at Old Town Alexandria, home to many shops and restaurants, before visiting Mount Vernon, the storied home of George and Martha Washington. Students explored the Washingtons’ mansion and visited the tomb of the first U.S. president, while also speaking to guides on the property who were in-character as people who lived during Washington’s presidency.
On Wednesday, Oct. 24, the students headed to the Newseum to view its amazing series of exhibits on the importance and influence of journalism on American society. Students marveled at the Pulitzer Prize photograph gallery and the front page gallery. Later, at FBI headquarters, the students were treated to a tour that featured various interactive exhibits, as well as a scavenger hunt that had them searching for information at the exhibits. Their final stop for the day was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where they delved into the history of one of the greatest tragedies of modern times. “They took a lot of time reading the displays and watching the various available videos to more deeply understand this atrocity,” Gargano said.
Day six of the trip was very packed, as students started with a tour of the Capitol Building, where they viewed the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate. “The students were excited to see where the State of the Union address takes place, among many other important affairs,” said Gargano. They also had the opportunity to meet with three members of Sen. Diane Feinstein’s staff and ask them questions about the work of a U.S. senator. Other stops included the Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Supreme Court.
After Mikhil Kiran, grade 5, attended a children’s business fair in Burlingame, he decided to bring a similar event to the South Bay. He checked with Kristin Giammona, Harker’s elementary division head, who directed him to the upper school’s DECA program. After weeks of planning, the Santa Clara Children’s Business Fair took place in Santa Clara’s Live Oak Park last weekend, with more than 40 children’s businesses displaying products and several hundred attendees shopping.
The event was co-sponsored by the Harker DECA club as the event was created to promote and inspire student entrepreneurship and encourage children from ages 5-12 to pursue business.
Kiran had help from his father as the venture required fundraising, working with city officials on permits and marketing efforts to make it a reality. Kiran made a video to help raise money and he pitched the sponsorship to multiple retailers and corporations, successfully raising most of the money required, his father, Kiran Ganesh, noted.
Prior to the fair, Mahi Kolla, grade 11, executive vice president of Harker’s DECA club, gave a pep talk about her entrepreneurship journey building the Minty Boutique to help inspire the budding entrepreneurs. Following the event, the kids noted that Kolla’s pep talk was very motivating.
The displays at the fair featured innovative products and ideas including hand-drawn comic books, slippers made to slide on carpet, cosmetic products, handmade arts and crafts, and recycled papier-mache decor pieces.
For three hours, the kids pitched their products and made sales while customers visited booths. Ishaan Chandra, grade 11, Harker DECA’s vice president of operations, and DECA advisor Juston Glass, helped at the event and acted as judges. Representatives from Sand Hill Angels Investment Group also participated as judges.
“The event was a great success with over several hundred attendees shopping and interacting with the kids,” said Ganesh.
At the end of the event, certificates were awarded to the top three businesses in two categories, “Business Potential” and “Salesmanship,” in each age group. Two Harker teams won prizes. Bee the Key members Mikhil Kiran, Krish Nachnani and Sahil Jain, all grade 5, won second place in Best Salesmanship age 10 and above, while Slip-n-Slide members, Trisha Shivakumar and Risa Chokhawala, both grade 4, took first place for Best Salesmanship ages 10 and under.
Kathy Watanabe, vice mayor of Santa Clara, was a special guest at the event and spoke about the need to encourage student entrepreneurship and the importance of students in business. Students left with the experience of an amazing first step into the business world. Check out this great video of the event!
Congratulations to Alice Feng, grade 9, and Sriram Bhimaraju, grade 7, on being named finalists in this year’s Broadcom MASTERS competition! They are two of just 30 students who are headed to Washington, D.C. next month for the final stage of this national middle school STEM contest, which had a record 2,537 applicants this year. While in Washington, the top 30 — who will each receive a cash prize of $500 — will demonstrate their knowledge of STEM, as well as their acumen in critical thinking, collaboration and more in a competition for the top prize of $25,000.
Sept. 5, 2018
Five Harker students were recently named to the Top 300 in this year’s Broadcom MASTERS competition, one of the top middle school STEM competitions in the country. This year the competition, organized by the Society for Science & the Public, included more than 5,000 nominees and 2,537 applicants, each evaluated by distinguished members of the scientific community.
Harker students in the Top 300, who entered the contest during the 2017-18 school year, are Harsh Deep, Alice Feng, Shounak Ghosh, and Arely Sun, all grade 9; and Sriram Bhimaraju, grade 7. More information, including project titles, is available at the competition’s website.
Later this month, 30 of the Top 300 MASTERS will be selected as finalists to travel to Washington, D.C., in October for the final portion of the competition. Congratulations and best of luck!
Seventh grader and pianist Nathan T. Liu visited Germany last month to perform at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival. SRIMF is a major event for the area, attracting students from 30 countries to study and perform, according to the festival’s website. Liu, who was performing for the second time at the festival’s invitation, seized the opportunity to learn from top musicians from around the world and also visited the Sing und Musikschule, a music school situated in a castle that has become one of Sulzbach-Rosenberg’s most famous landmarks.