This article originally appeared in the summer 2017 issue of Harker Magazine. The winter issue of the Harker Magazine will be in mailboxes at the end of December with great features on computer science, the first year at college, our wonderful BEST program and more!
About 21.5 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 play team sports, according to a 2011 survey by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. Nearly 40 percent of those are between the ages of 13 and 16. At Harker, nearly 70 percent of students in grades 4-12 participate in the school’s sports program. So, what attracts students to athletics?
We Are Family
A popular acronym in the sports world states: Together Everyone Achieves More. Sports aren’t just about making yourself better or boosting your own stats; they are about putting the team first. As upper school boys and girls golf coach Ie-Chen Cheng stated, “The most successful teams we’ve had are always the ones with team members who understand the importance of team goals.” This unity can be very meaningful to student athletes.
“The bond between teammates is something very unique and special,” stated volleyball and lacrosse player Taylor Iantosca, grade 12. “We go through a lot together: the wins, the losses, the victories, the tragedies, everything. I enjoy being able to contribute to something greater than myself while representing my school.”
Sharing these experiences and spending a lot of time together creates a deep sense of camaraderie and friendship. “Sure, we all like to compete and win,” stated middle and upper school coach Mike Delfino, “but as the years go on, the game results tend to fade a bit from memory. But the friendships made and the overall experience of being part of a team and competing last forever.”
Isabella Spradlin, grade 11, said, “My teammates on the volleyball team know me better than anyone else, because we are required to have such a deep understanding of each other’s personalities and abilities. Throughout the season, we spend so much time practicing and getting to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that we can get the best possible outcome in any match or situation.”
If teammates are like a family, then the coaches are like the parents. Harker prides itself on selecting the best possible leaders for every sport. When asked how Harker went from being a new high school in the late 1990s with little success in athletics, to a school that produces numerous WBAL, CCS and state competitors each year, Dan Molin, upper school athletic director, was quick to give praise to one group of people. “It really has to do with our coaches,” he said. “Kids recognize quality and it’s proven with our coaching staff. [The students] buy in and the coach shows them the way.”
The quality of the programs and coaches resulted in a 2015-16 season in which 13 of the upper school’s 20 varsity sports sent teams or individuals to the CCS or NCS playoffs, with one individual advancing to NorCals, and three individuals and one team making it all the way to state. This emphasis on top-notch coaching also has produced success at the middle and lower schools, with nine league championship teams during the 2015-16 season.
But the Harker athletic experience isn’t only about the victories. “We don’t talk about winning, although of course we try to win, but that’s not the ultimate barometer,” said Molin.
However, when individuals unite for a common goal, like a family, “it increases their chance of succeeding because they learn to have each other’s backs,” stated Karriem Stinson, lower and middle school assistant athletic director.
Have Some Fun
“First off, we want to make sure the kids are having fun,” stated Molin, regarding the mission of Harker’s athletic department. Athletics allows students to escape the books and classrooms for a short time; it gives their minds a break from academics and allows them to concentrate on a completely different area.
“In an academic environment like Harker, [sports] is the break that a lot of them need in the day,” stated Brighid Wood, a middle school coach and assistant to the athletic directors.
“Basketball is my outlet,” said Jordan Thompson, grade 12. “I can forget all my responsibilities and just focus on the game.”
Soccer and volleyball player Aria Wong, grade 8, agrees. “Having something to do after school lets me forget about tests and homework and lose myself on the field,” she said.
Rosh Roy, grade 8, who plays flag football, basketball, soccer and runs track, added, “I like sports because it lets me be free and also lets me share memories with my friends.” While some students simply want to have fun, others find great satisfaction in succeeding in sports.
“My favorite aspect of sports was simply the opportunity to accomplish something unique,” stated Shrish Dwivedi ’15, an accomplished golfer at Harker who now plays at Duke University. “Academic pursuits afford a self-satisfaction that is extremely fulfilling; however, athletic accomplishments provide an incomparable feeling that I find highly enjoyable.”
Growing from the Inside
Perhaps the most important benefit of competing in sports is the personal growth each athlete experiences. “Athletics help children understand a lot about themselves. You’re looking well beyond the Xs and Os,” said Wood. “You’re looking at the actual child. You’re helping them grow as a human being.”
When a coach can lift up a child like that, everyone wins. Competing in sports also gives students the opportunity to learn how to fail, as well as how to deal with not being the best at an activity. In a recent article for Observer.com, titled “How Playing Sports, Even Poorly, Can Make You More Successful in Business,” author Judy Mandell cited psychologist Robert Troutwine: “To persevere when one is not good at something shows a great deal of character. To continue to strive under conditions of failure shows determination, the ability to handle frustration and resiliency.”
Anthony Contreras, grade 11, explained that sports can help athletes grow in the face of adversity and use this growth in other areas: “Sports has shown me how to handle difficult situations and to how to properly learn from my mistakes. Everything that I have learned from sports carries on to my personal and student life.” This personal growth isn’t just a handy trait that helps someone be a good person – it can be useful in the professional world as well.
Mandell continued in her article citing Rachel Gary, director of media strategies and communications at ONE World Sports: “Many of the traits needed to succeed in sports are similar to those needed to succeed in business, including goal-setting, confidence, discipline and leadership skills.” These skills, along with others, have helped Kristina Bither ’09 in her medical career. “Now working in the emergency department, I am able to stay calm and focused when situations get stressful,” she said. “I know the importance of coming together to work as a team and stepping up to be a leader when it is needed.”
Theresa “Smitty” Smith, lower and middle school athletic director, summed up what it’s like being part of the Harker athletic department: “There are little victories every day.” Whether it’s seeing the athletes growing as a family, growing as individuals or just having some fun, the victories on and off the field, court or pool show why teens continue to flock to sports.
On Thursday and Friday of last week, middle schoolers made “kindness rocks” containing positive messages in the spirit of Veterans Day and World Kindness Day. Advisors used non-toxic spray paint to color the rocks and, following a discussion of the meaning of the activity, students wrote messages on the rocks, which were later placed in various spots around the middle school campus.
The project was part of a global effort to inspire people to create their own rocks and “recruit every person who stumbles upon [them] to join in the pursuit of inspiring others through random acts of kindness.” As an added bonus, each class enjoyed free dress on their respective rock painting days!
The speech and debate team is off to an amazing start this season. The team has competed at 15 tournaments this season locally and in Texas, Florida, Iowa and Southern California. Already the team has proven to be nationally competitive across all of the events we participate in, with multiple students winning awards at national competitions. When asked about the keys to the team’s success, coach Greg Achten explained, “I have been very impressed with how hard our students have worked this year. In all of the events, we lost very talented seniors to graduation, but our returning students have really stepped up this year and demonstrated tremendous leadership.”
In policy debate, we have had standout performances by Jacob Ohana and Alan Hughes, both grade 12, who did so well at the prestigious St. Mark’s tournament that they are partly qualified for the Tournament of Champions. Maddie Huynh, grade 10, and Andy Lee, grade 9, made it to the final round of a sophomore round robin. Megan Huynh, grade 12, Anusha Kuppahally, grade 11, Esha Deokar, grade 11, Deven Parikh, grade 9, Jason Lin, grade 9 and Jai Bahri, grade 10, also have all won awards in policy. The year-long topic in policy debate is about federal education reform. Our students advocate that the Supreme Court needs to guarantee unauthorized migrants a right to education.
The individual events competitors also have had an outstanding season. Avi Gulati, grade 10 and Haris Hosseini, grade 11, have each won first place in original oratory and made it to the final round multiple times. Gulati also has made it to the final round of extemporaneous speaking, along with David Feng, grade 10. Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 11, qualified for finals in original oratory. Nikki Solanki, grade 10, has made multiple final-round appearances in dramatic interpretation and programmed oral interpretation.
In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Serena Lu, grade 12, was invited to compete in an elite round robin at Presentation High School. Karoun Kaushik, grade 8, had a remarkable performance in the junior varsity division of the Presentation tournament, where he took first place! Harker also had a fabulous showing at the Harvard-Westlake tournament. Lauren Fu, Sachin Shah and Quentin Clark, all grade 10, Akshay Manglik and Aditya Tadimeti, both grade 9, and Anshul Reddy, grade 8, all made it to elimination rounds. The Lincoln-Douglas debaters are researching and arguing about whether wealthy nations are morally obligated to provide poorer countries with development assistance.
In public forum debate, Amanda Cheung and Annie Ma, both grade 10, have reached elimination rounds. The grade 11 duo of Clarissa Wang and Cindy Wang have been invited to two exclusive round robins and have represented the school in elimination rounds across the country. The public forum community is debating the very timely topic of universal background checks for gun sales.
In congressional debate, Andrew Sun, grade 9, and David Feng, grade 10, performed well enough at the University of Florida to earn their first bids to the Tournament of Champions. Jason Huang, grade 11, already has had such a great season that he is fully qualified to the Tournament of Champions. Congressional debaters argue about a wide variety of topics and must be very tuned into current events to be successful.
The coaches also have been incredibly proud of how well the students have operated as a cohesive team. There have been many instances where students who were eliminated from a competition immediately turned around to coach teammates who advanced. More experienced students have also done a great job of mentoring newer students before tournaments. Coach Scott Odekirk noted, “The friendly and supportive atmosphere of the team is on display at tournament. Nobody is eliminated until everyone is eliminated. We cheer each other on and lift each other when we are down. Honestly, it is quite inspiring.”
The Harker football team made history twice last Saturday as it both hosted and won the first ever football playoff game with a 56-0 thrashing of visiting Sonoma Valley High. Marcus Tymous, grade 11, scored three rushing TDs; Aaron Smith, grade 11, added two TDs; Devin Keller, grade 10, added a rushing score; and Jared Anderson, grade 11, caught a 56-yard TD pass from Nate Kelly, grade 12, and later returned a punt 79 yards for a score. Once again, the Eagle D was ferocious all night, pitching another shutout. The Eagles will host the Piedmont Highlanders this Friday at 7 p.m.
Cross Country
Harker was represented by five runners at the CCS Cross Country Finals this past Saturday. The boys were represented by Ryan Adolf, grade 11, Arya Maheshwari, grade 9, and Aditya Singhvi, grade 9, who finished off their fine seasons. The top two finishes of the day belonged to the girls, as Lilia Gonzales, grade 11, finished 56 out of 96 D4 runners, and Anna Weirich, grade 9, took home a seventh place finish in D4, qualifying her for the state finals on Nov. 25 in Fresno.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team won its opening CCS matchup with Stevenson 5-2 last week. However, the team’s season came to an end the next day as its second-round opponent, Monta Vista, got the best of the Eagles with the 6-1 win. But this Tuesday, Sachi Bajaj, grade 9, and the doubles team of Gina Partridge, grade 10, and Rachel Broweleit, grade 10, begin their CCS journey at Bay Club Courtside in Los Gatos.
CCS Honors
Congratulations to the Harker boys cross country and boys water polo teams as they were recently honored as CCS Fall Scholastic Championship Teams. Of all the CCS teams in their respective sports, boys cross country had the highest team GPA at 3.9430 and boys water polo was second in their sport with a 3.8150. Great job giving it your all in your sport and in the classroom! Go Eagles!
Last month, Kathy Peng’s grade 7 science students made fidget spinners as a lesson in Newton’s laws of motion. Peng prepared the exercise as a challenge in which teams of students designed and created their own version of the toy, which became popular this past spring. Users spin the toy using one of the prongs that protrude from its center.
Each team was tasked with creating a fidget spinner that spun for as long as possible. Teams were given two weeks to complete the project, during which they had access to the 3D printers at the middle school campus Innovation Lab. Students also created analysis documents tracking their design, testing and iteration processes, which enabled them to “explain the physics behind their project, and reflect on their group’s teamwork, design and testing process and future ideas,” Peng said.
Peng designed and executed the fidget spinner project as part of the LID (Learning, Innovation and Design) Grant program, which provides opportunities for teachers to bolster their teaching methods. “Doing a LID grant is doubly awesome because you get to learn a new skill or technology that’s transferable to future instruction, and prepare a lesson or project that you can implement in the coming school year,” said Peng. “So you gain not only theoretical knowledge, which is cool, but you also develop something that is immediately applicable.”
The fidget spinner exercise, Peng hopes, will help students “see how physics is everywhere and that an understanding of science, engineering and design can be not only useful but also fun.”
Harker CareerConnect took eight students to Constellation Research’s Connected Enterprise summit in late October at the Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton. It was an engaging conference for students interested in learning more about artificial intelligence and how it will affect the world of business by creating new business models and disruptive technology.
The event featured mind-expanding keynotes, market leaders and fast-follower panel discussions, one-on-one interviews with tech visionaries, and interactive workshops in an intimate executive setting.
This year’s conference explored how the world of artificial intelligence will transform digital business. “The conference was an amazing experience and I got to make new friends and network,” said Ayesha Baweja, grade 10. “The speakers and panelists all had unique and interesting opinions. It gave me a good insight into the current state of technology and I learned many new terms.”
Krishay Mukhija, grade 9, also attended. “The conference was a great opportunity to learn about new technology which are disrupting the market,” he said. “I was able to learn from industry professionals and connect with many individuals.”
The girls golf team made history last week as it finished fourth in CCS, the best finish ever for a Harker girls golf team. The team narrowly missed out on a NorCal regional berth by 13 strokes. The top finisher for the Eagles was Katherine Zhu, grade 12, who tied for seventh and was one stroke away from a NorCal individual berth. Congratulations on a great year!
Cross Country
The cross country team will be sending five runners to CCS after a great showing at the league finals. Anna Weirich, grade 9, took sixth place in the WBAL and will be joined at CCS by Lilia Gonzales, grade 11; Ryan Adolf, grade 11; Arya Maheshwari, grade 9; and Aditya Singhvi, grade 9. CCS will be held at Toro Park in Salinas on Saturday.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team begins CCS today as players travel to Stevenson High in Monterey. In addition, league champ Sachi Bajaj, grade 9, and the doubles team of Gina Partridge and Rachel Broweleit, both grade 10, qualified for the individual and doubles playoffs, respectively, to be played Nov. 14 and 15.
Football
After a record-breaking season, the football team made history again as it will host a playoff game this Saturday at 7 p.m. vs. Sonoma Valley High School. This is the first playoff football game ever at Davis Field as the Eagles earned the No. 3 seed in the NCS Division 4 brackets. Come and support your Eagles this weekend!
Seventh grader Grant Sims’ video submission to the 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge was ranked among the top 5 percent in the competition. Sims’ video, a quick and informative look at stem cells, can be viewed on YouTube. More than 3,000 original videos were submitted for the annual competition, in which students aged 13-18 were tasked with creatively illustrating scientific and mathematical concepts.
Grade 8 students embarked on the annual class trip to the Washington, D.C., area in late October, hitting many historic cities and sites throughout the week.
Their trip began in earnest on Sunday, Oct. 22 with a visit to the first permanent English colony on the American continent, Jamestown. “Students spent about two hours exploring and learning about life in the re-created colonists’ fort, Powhatan Village, as well as the three ships (Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery) that sailed from England to Virginia in 1607,” said Keith Hirota, middle school history chair and one of the chaperones on the trip. Later that day, the group visited Colonial Williamsburg to eat at the King Arms Tavern, established in 1722, which served the elite citizenry of Virginia during the colonial period. They then took a tour of Colonial Williamsburg. “We concluded our evening with an African-American slave interpretive program through song and dance,” Hirota said. “Students and teachers participated in several African spiritual dances as well as individual students who led the group with their own individual dance moves.”
The next day, at Pamplin Park, the students gained insight into daily life during the Civil War, visiting a reconstructed period kitchen, as well as livestock and tobacco barns. “Students learned, but were not sold on eating, the Confederate army’s ‘Johnny cake’ – corn meal poured over grease from fried salted pork,” Hirota reported. Their next stop was the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which dazzled the students with its many exhibits dedicated to the history and future of the U.S. Marine Corps. That evening, the students heard from two Harker alumni currently living in Washington, D.C., Margaret Krackler ’13 and Sean Knudsen ’14. Krackler chronicled her studies at Georgetown University Medical School, while Knudsen talked about his experiences as a political science and economics major at George Washington University.
Tuesday started with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where students learned about some of the many famous soldiers and political leaders interred there, and viewed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which included a flyover from four F-15 fighter jets. Other stops that day included the Capitol Building, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The students also had the chance to meet Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents California’s 17th district. He spoke to the students on a number of current issues and answered their questions. “Congressman Khanna was thoroughly impressed with not only the number, but quality of student questions,” Hirota said.
An activity-packed day awaited the students and chaperones on Oct. 26, as students visited some of Washington, D.C.’s most popular sites, including the Vietnam War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial and the White House. At the Holocaust Museum, students learned about the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and the children who lived through the Holocaust. At Mount Vernon, the famous 21-room mansion of George and Martha Washington, the students learned a number of fascinating details about the life of the Washingtons, including that they owned more than 8,000 acres of land and that the first president’s false teeth were not, in fact, made of wood.
On their final full day in Washington, D.C., the students walked to the National Mall and were treated to views of the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. At the Newseum, they looked at front pages from more than 700 newspapers from around the world and learned about the history of newspapers and magazines in the United States. During a visit to Ford’s Theater, the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, students learned about the conspiracy that led to the death of the 16th president and even saw the Derringer pistol that John Wilkes Booth used in the killing. Students visited other sites throughout the day, including the National Archives, which offered views of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Last week, grade 7 students went on their yearly trek through America’s national parks. After arriving in Phoenix on Oct. 22, the students enjoyed a short hike in scenic Sedona before settling down in Flagstaff for dinner at Northern Arizona University. “It was funny to watch the expressions of the NAU students who were trying to figure out why there were a bunch of middle school students eating in their dining hall,” said middle school dean Alana Butler, one of the chaperones on the trip.
The cold Flagstaff weather greeted the students the next morning, which “showed many of us that layers were important,” Butler reported. After reaching the Grand Canyon, the students participated in a “trust walk,” during which they were blindfolded and led step by step to the edge of the canyon, where they removed the blindfolds to experience the beauty of one of the world’s greatest natural formations.
Students separated into groups, one of which went on a hike, “where they were passed by tourists riding mules in both directions,” said Butler. They later took part in a program on Navajo culture. Other groups enjoyed a Navajo Hoop Man performance. Following their journey through the Grand Canyon, everyone headed to Cameron’s Trading Post, where some students sampled a “Navajo taco,” which consists of “a fry bread with beans, cheese and veggies on top. For non-vegetarians, ground beef is added,” Butler explained.
Tuesday started with a short drive to Monument Valley, where the students climbed up Skull Rock and learned about the Anasazi people. At Honeymoon Arch, Navajo historian Wally Brown – whose grandfather was a Navajo code talker during World War II – gave a presentation on local Navajo tribes and their customs. After lunch, the group headed to Oljatu Wash Ranch, where members of the Tsosci family taught them more about Navajo culture, including “basket weaving, sand painting, making fry bread, taking care of livestock, grinding corn, rug weaving and dancing,” Butler said. “This was the first time that we visited the Oljatu Wash Ranch, but the Tsosci Family with relatives traveling from three states made this experience unforgettable.”
The Glen Canyon Dam was the first stop on day four. The massive structure, Butler said, has a concrete wall that can fit two football fields in its height. Their next destination was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, a resplendent sight for the students and chaperones, who “walked, ran or jogged up to the top of the sand hill,” Butler said.
On the final day of the trip, the group headed to Bryce Canyon National Park, famous for its tall, thin rock formations, commonly called Hoodoos. Students and chaperones broke off into groups and explored various areas of the park, including Inspiration Point, Mossy Cave and Bryce Point. The day ended with an Italian dinner at Ebenezer’s Dining Hall, where students performed skits and musical numbers and reminisced about their trip.