Late last month, middle school math teacher and department chair Vandana Kadam received the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Teaching in Middle School and High School. The Mathematical Association of America presents this award to teachers who foster student interest in mathematics by competing in the yearly American Mathematics Competitions.
Candidates are nominated based on recommendation letters from colleagues, and selected for the award based on criteria such as improving AMC scores, increased student participation and increased numbers of students invited to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) and the USA Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO). Congrats to Ms. Kadam on this well-earned recognition!
Have you ever felt dismay about the increasing quantity of litter along our freeways, including our own Saratoga Avenue exits? If so, you may take heart when you see white “Adopt-a-Highway” bags along the road! Several years ago, former upper school history teacher Carol Zink noticed the bags along our Saratoga Avenue exits, and decided to find out just who was responsible for taking on the eyesore of trashy freeways. She met former public school teacher Loui Tucker and her partner, Sabine Zappe, a math teacher at Del Mar High, who had adopted the section of highway between Meridian and Saratoga avenues 12 years ago.
Said Tucker, “I clearly remember becoming obsessed with an enormous piece of plastic (it could have wrapped a car!) on the off-ramp from 280 southbound up to San Jose City College. I snarled at it every time I drove past it. Finally, late one night, I stopped on the off-ramp, jumped out, grabbed the plastic, stuffed it in my car, got back in and drove off. I felt great! I contacted the Adopt-A-Highway program in Northern California and, after a couple of delays and false starts, got my first five-year permit. I suppose I could have asked for any section, but it made sense to clean an area that I would be able to easily keep an eye on during the month.”
Since then, the pair have faithfully coordinated groups of volunteers one Saturday each month, and this past July reached a milestone 5,000th bag of trash. After contacting the group, Zink put out an email to the Harker faculty, encouraging other members of our community to join the efforts, and since then several faculty members – including Diana Moss, Shaun Jashaun, Agnes Pommier and Brian Yager – students and parents have also volunteered. Kristin Carlson, administrative assistant to Jennifer Gargano, has even pitched in several times to buy lunch for the group, as Tucker and Zappe take the volunteers to lunch after each cleanup.
After each cleanup, Tucker sends amusing reports to participants chronicling the unusual discoveries along the freeways and on- and off-ramps. She said, “We have returned dozens of items to their owners. Many of them were obvious items like backpacks, wallets, purses, credit cards and drivers licenses. There was a chest X-ray that we dropped off at Good Samaritan Hospital. We returned an envelope full of very crisp new $5 bills, found along with a calendar that identified the owner, to the owner of a Chinese restaurant who had planned to give the $5 as Chinese New Year’s gifts to his employees. We found a wallet and called the woman who owned it. Initially she said to toss it because she’d replaced it – until we mentioned that tucked inside was a love note from someone named Dave. She gasped, said she’d be right over. She brought a bottle of wine.”
They are always looking for more volunteers to help, and high school students may fulfill community service hours for pitching in. Tucker explained, “You have to be 18 to work on the highway with us without permission of a parent. If you’re 16 or 17, you can work with parental permission. I try to give high school students who want to participate a relatively safe area to work – like Southwest Expressway – rather than the freeway shoulders. For those under 16, I have made bags available and sent them out to clean city streets or a neighborhood park instead.” If you would like to support this effort, you may contact Loui Tucker at loui@louitucker.com and ask to be included on the email list that she sends to each month.
We are grateful to Tucker and her group for helping pick up in our own neighborhood!
Harker chess powerhouses Omya Vidyarthi, rising grade 3, and brother Vyom Vidyarthi, rising grade 6, represented the United States at the 2018 Pan American Youth Chess Championships, held in Santiago, Chile, from July 21-28. Players from 22 countries participated. Omya, defending champion for the girls U8 division, upheld her crown, winning the event for a second time! She was the only player among 600-plus participants to win all nine games. In the Blitz event, Omya again stood first, winning all nine rounds. Brother Vyom had an excellent run in one of the toughest sections, taking fifth in the tournament and second in the Blitz event. Overall, Team USA earned four gold, two silver and six bronze medals to come in first in the medal count. Final standings.
A solid contingent of foil fencers from Harker competed in the Summer National Championships in St. Louis, Mo., in late June and early July, and Ethan Choi, rising sophomore, took the gold medal in Division III Men’s Foil, an adult competition open to fencers rated D and lower, with 279 fencers, a wonderful victory! Ratings, awarded based on tournament results, run A-E, A being the best, and U for unclassified. Choi started out the event rated D-2018, but the win upped his rating to C-2018. Here is the official video of the bout.Check out the U.S Fencing Facebook post of his victory being celebrated by team members. He also finished 115th in Cadet Men’s Foil out of 258 competitors. Choi fences for the M-Team in San Francisco. Harker’s student news posted a very nice story on Choi’s win.
Kishan Sood, a rising sophomore, rated D-2018, also fenced in Division III Men’s Foil and had a great finish at 17th out of the 279 fencers. He also fenced in Cadet Men’s Foil, Junior Men’s Foil and Division II Men’s Foil (open to fencers of all ages rated C and lower), finishing 108th in Division II out of 222 entrants, a very nice finish in a tough adult event. Just prior to nationals, Sood fenced in a senior foil event at CalTech in Pasadena, earning seventh out of 29 fencers and upping his rating to the D-2018 level. He also has been named to the USA Fencing All-American Team – Honorable Mention, which requires renewing or improving one’s rating as well as good academic standing and exceptional character. Sood was also named to the USA Fencing All-Academic First Team, which requires a GPA of 3.85 or higher. Sood fences for California Fencing Academy of Campbell.
Alumna Jerrica Liao ’18, A-2015, who heads off to fence at Northwestern in the fall, and Nerine Uyanik, rising junior, B-2017, both fenced in Junior Women’s Foil finishing 92nd and 128th, respectively, out of 226 fencers. In Division 1-A Women’s Foil, Uyanik finished a remarkable 18th while Liao had a tougher time, finishing 49th out of 86 entrants, all rated A or B. In Cadet Women’s Foil (age 17 and under), Uyanik finished 73rd out of 205 entrants. Liao fences for Silicon Valley Fencing Center of Los Altos and Uyanik fences for San Francisco Fencing Club in San Francisco.
Ishani Sood, rising seventh grader, D-2018, finished a notable 19th in Y-12 Women’s Foil out of 161 entrants, took a very respectable 61st in Cadet Women’s Foil out of 205 entrants, and was 41st in Y-14 Womens Foil out of 229 entrants, marking her as an ascending star in women’s foil. Sood, like her brother, fences at California Fencing Academy.
Upper school Fencing Club advisor and Harker Summer middle school fencing coach William Cracraft, B-2018, of Harker’s Office of Communication, finished third in the Charles Selberg Veteran Foil Invitational for men and women ages 50-plus, held in Berkeley on Father’s Day, for the third year in a row, out of 17 deeply seasoned entrants including a number of national point holders. Cracraft fences for Halberstadt Fencing Club of San Francisco.
Middle school students seized upon a great opportunity to learn about historical analysis through the lens of current events at the Middle School Summer Institute’s class about Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai. The course was taught by Harker history teacher Sara Pawloski, who first heard Yousafzai’s story when she took a class on migrant stories two years ago. “The one that really made an impact on me was Malala’s,” she said. Pawloski believed Yousafzai’s story of fighting for girls’ education in Pakistan was particularly important “because a lot of people, especially … in the Bay Area, don’t think it’s hard for people to get an education anywhere in the world, and it actually really is.”
That lesson was particularly important to student Ellie Schmidt, who will start grade 7 in the fall. “I learned that though we, in the U.S.A., take education for granted, in and around Pakistan many girls get very little education if any,” she said. “I didn’t realize that this happened.”
Students began the class by learning about concepts such as identifying primary and secondary sources. “That’s a skill that’s really important, especially with students this age,” Pawloski noted. The students also learned about bias, which Pawloski said has a negative connotation it does not always deserve, as it can often be important in understanding someone’s perspective.
The class, which is largely activity-based to maintain student engagement, gave students insight about the beginnings of history with regard to the dawn of civilization. “I do a hands-on activity outside where I put water somewhere and they have to hunt for food, and they have to try to build a shelter, so they can kind of get an idea of how history actually began,” said Pawloski.
Yousafzai’s book, “I Am Malala,” is another important piece of the class, as students first discussed what they believe the book will be about, followed by readings and class discussions.
Pawloski also had students investigate the work other activists around the world and make short comic strips about them. “My favorite part about taking the class was learning about all the women activists and what they did and still do to help obtain more women’s rights,” said Schmidt.
Seeing the students learn about the experiences of others around the world was especially gratifying for Pawloski. “I think what I’ve really seen them pick up on is that what they experience is not what everyone else experiences, and I think that’s a great lesson, especially for middle schoolers,” she said. “But I definitely have noticed that they’re starting to realize, we’re here, were lucky, and the outside world doesn’t have everything that we have.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Harker runs through the veins of middle school English teacher Mark Gelineau ’90. His late mother, Pam, was lower school admission director for years, and his late father, Dan, was not only an alumnus (Palo Alto Military Academy ’65), but went on to be athletic director, dean of students and assistant head of school. Gelineau’s wife, Tiffany, is a familiar face around campus as a substitute nurse. A kind and giving spirit shines through all he does, from co-leading the middle school Spirit Club to volunteering with theater organizations, from publishing a number of fantasy novels to supporting organizations that help fight the exploitation and trafficking of children. This Renaissance man shared some thoughts with Harker Magazine.
What one piece of advice you would offer anyone who asks?
Shyness is overrated. I was a super shy kid growing up. I got over it. Control the spotlight and you aren’t embarrassed to be in it.
What is something that you pretend to understand when you really don’t?
Sports. Pretty much all sports. My idea of fantasy football involves dragons and a hobbit. I wish there was an actual Quidditch team I could support.
What is something one of your parents said that you will never forget?
My dad once told me that the most important thing about teaching is that every single student, every child that you come in contact with that day, is the most important person in the world to someone. It took me becoming a father to really understand just how true and profound that was.
Why do you do what you do?
Because I get to talk about stories with brilliant young people. And that’s so awesome.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows?
I practice historical European martial arts. My specialties are medieval arming sword and shield, medieval pole-axe, and sword and buckler. It’s crazy and I love it.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Carol Parris is the department chair for the grades 1-8 modern and classical languages department, and – appropriately, given her name – teaches French at the middle school. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she lives in Sunnyvale. A woman of many interests, Parris especially loves travel, and singing in shows and with her vocal ensemble, the Sweet Adelines. She shared some of those interests, and a few surprises, with Harker Magazine.
Describe a great travel experience.
I went to Tahiti with a group of artists to paint watercolor flowers. I didn’t know how to draw or paint, but I wanted to speak French and visit Gauguin’s home.
What is something you would love to do so much that you would be OK with failing at it?
I wrote a novel of women’s fiction with romantic elements. Maybe one day I’ll publish it.
Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
The Dalai Lama. I’d like to bask in his light. And Steph Curry … for the same reason.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I’ll always be grateful that I was home one summer day years ago when [Harker Academy school principal] Alice Williams called, needing a language teacher right way. She said that she had tried to call me a few times, and this was her last attempt. I’ve been at Harker ever since, enjoying the family atmosphere that Howard Nichols talked about so often.
What is a recent accomplishment that you’re proud of?
I think that might be coming up in June. I grew up at a time when girls were rarely celebrated when they turned 13, although boys had a bar mitzvah. For the last two years, I’ve been attending an adult b’nai mitzvah class, and on June 2, I will be one of 11 adults celebrating my bat mitzvah, only just a few years late! Right now, I’m in the role of student with lots of homework to get ready for the big event, so I know what my students go through with their busy schedules.
Sriram Bhimaraju, who will enter grade 7 in the fall, was today named a finalist in the Discovery Education 3M 2018 Young Scientist Challenge! Every year, students in grades 5-8 submit videos for the competition, in which they detail a scientific solution they have devised to an existing problem. Bhimaraju developed a smartphone app that helps archers improve their aim with the aid of a Bluetooth sensor. In his video, Bhimaraju explains how he used Hooke’s Law and several formulas to calculate how various factors affect an arrow’s trajectory when shot from a bow, and how he utilized the smartphone’s gyroscope and accelerometer to help archers reach the optimal form. The final stage of the competition is set to take place Oct. 15-16 at 3M’s headquarters in Maplewood, Minn.
Eighth graders Rohan Thakur, Shahzeb Lakhani, Daniel Wu and Kailash Ranganathan had a successful run at last week’s Future Problem Solving Program International Conference, where the team took first place in the Presentation of Action Plan event. Teams in this event put together an impromptu four-minute presentation using provided guidelines and resources. Congratulations!
At last month’s MathCounts National Competition in Washington, D.C., the California team, featuring eighth grader Rishab Parthasarathy (pictured, second from left) and coached by middle school math teacher Vandana Kadam (far left), took second place overall. The event included 224 competitors from 56 teams, one from each of the 50 states and three U.S. territories (the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam), as well as teams representing the District of Columbia, State Department and Department of Defense. All of the members of California’s team were among the top 10 percent.
The second-place performance at MathCounts capped off a successful spring semester for middle school math students, who also had a stellar showing at the California Math League (CAML) contest in February, where all three middle school teams placed first in their region, which contains Placer, Santa Clara and Yolo Counties. Top scorers for grade 6 were Gautam Bhooma, Varun Fuloria, Emma Gao and Aniketh Tummala, who each scored 33 points, and Joe Li, Claire Luo, Julie Shi, Ella Yee and William Zhang with 31 points. In grade 7, Sally Zhu scored a perfect 35, Riya Gupta had 34 points and Tiffany Chang, Ashley Hu, Anthony Tong and Sabrina Zhu each earned 33 points. Eighth graders Alexander Hu, Rishab Parthasarathy, Kevin Wang and Gloria Zhu earned a perfect 35 points, while classmates Mark Hu, Angela Jia, Rohan Thakur and William Zhao scored 34. Esther Wu earned an impressive 33 points.