This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Upper School
The speech and debate team had a great showing at the state qualifying tournament in late February. Harker students participated in public forum and speech with students qualifying in both events. Eesha Chona and Sorjo Banerjee, both grade 12, will represent Harker in public forum debate, while Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9, qualified in oratorical interpretation. Sana Aladin and Divya Rajasekharan, both grade 11, qualified as a team in duo interpretation of literature.
The California High School Speech Association will host the state tournament at Mission College in Santa Clara April 15-17.
Middle School
Also in February, more than 60 Harker middle schoolers competed at the Cesar Chavez Memorial Tournament at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Union City. About 400 middle school students from 19 schools, including 62 from Harker, attended and the results were great! In Lincoln-Douglas debate, rishi Jain, grade 6, Montek Kalsi, grade 8, Annie Ma, grade 8, and Aditi Vinod, grade 7, were undefeated.
Avi Gulati, grade 8, took first place in congressional debate. Nikki Solanki, grade 8, took first in declamation and third in dramatic interpretation. Gulati and Bryan Wang, grade 8, tied for third in impromptu debate. Arusha Patil, grade 7, took first in original oratory, while Gulati took second.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s middle school students have enthusiastically welcomed the transformation of several classrooms into contemporary flexible learning spaces. The recent ergonomic make-overs provide positive in-class outlets for their natural energy – including the ability to stand, swivel, slide and even bounce while learning.
These innovative “moveable classrooms” were designed within the last couple of years to bene t middle schoolers, who often have a hard time sitting still for extended periods of time. The redesign has been a labor of love for three forward-thinking middle school teachers: Patricia Lai Burrows, English; Scott Kley Contini, computer science; and Thomas Artiss, biology.
Their students, meanwhile, report they nd it easier to stay on task and learn in class. Among the most popular items in the moveable classrooms are swivel chairs, stand-up desks, yoga balls, bouncy bands and podiums that students can use with either a stool or yoga ball.
“At some point in classes, you need to move around,” said Cameron Main, grade 6. He called the new moveable classrooms “relaxing” and said they help keep him focused, “unlike unmovable furniture.”
Classmate Minali Kapadia agreed. “I love it! I always feel really squirmy in classes and nd it hard to pay attention. The chairs make me feel comfortable. I feel like I’m more relaxed, and that is the reason my grades are significantly better than previous years,” she said.
Burrows said she was inspired to change her room after reading articles about people – both adults and children – spending so much time sitting. She wanted to create an environment that would enable her students to move and wiggle since “that is what their bodies want to do.”
So she brought in a variety of items that would allow students to expend energy in class without disturbing others, including yoga balls for students to use instead of chairs, bouncy bands (resembling giant rubber bands) and bicycle pedals that attach to the front legs of the traditional student desks.
She noted that some of her best classroom discussions now take place as students gather in a circle and sit either on yoga balls or on the floor. She also said she loves using swivel chairs on wheels because she and the students can easily wheel them around for small or large group discussions, or simply move them out of the way for added floor space.
Her classroom also contains podiums, which students can opt to use with a chair, stool or simply by standing. “The students seem jazzed about coming to class because it feels a little more like play than work, but at the same time, when they are working, they are doing so with focus and diligence,” she said.
Kley Contini, who in addition to teaching computer science is also the middle school’s director of learning, innovation and design, shared that he has been having much success using flexible space desks with moveable chairs. He said he appreciates that they allow for individual and group work to occur fluidly.
He first got the idea for the new classroom set-up after present- ing at the Merit Conference at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College. “I fell in love with the center’s flexible classrooms. one item that I really liked was a moveable desk on rollers with an adjustable work surface. I was able to redesign the look of the room in minutes and enjoyed watching participants completely change the layout to their own comfort by either moving closer to the presentation, nearer to a window, toward an available outlet or to be closer to colleagues,” he recalled.
“By allowing students to have the mobility and flexibility in their own learning space, I feel that the needs of both the teacher and the students are best met. Students are able to swivel, shake, roll … whatever they need to stay focused without interfering with other students. By releasing them from the rigid rows of traditional desks, they have been allowed to relax, nd their best zone of focus and contribute to the learning more efficiently,” he said.
Artiss agreed, reporting that his biology classroom has really benefited from the addition of standing desks. He had been thinking about incorporating the desks ever since his previous job as a department head at a private school in Seattle.
“Back then, we went through a complete redesign in the science department there. We were considering what desks to put into our newly renovated classrooms. At the time, there were stories in the news about desks that were high, had stools instead of fixed chairs and had foot swings, which we ultimately chose,” he said.
“Whoever made fixed chairs and desks has never taught middle school!” he said, adding that kids are restless and fidgety as well as really kinetic. “Forcing them to sit in immovable chairs and tiny desks doesn’t make sense. The foot swings also allow students to get rid of excess energy that might go other places. Kids love the foot swings. Students from other classes and other grades come into my classroom at lunch just to sit and try them out. And parents loved them at Back to School Night.”
Not only are the tall stools and option to stand at their desk better for students’ posture, but it also seems to keep them awake and focused, Artiss pointed out. Students particularly like standing at their desks while they are working together. “The desks are big – sort of like drafting tables – and students really like their space,” he said.
According to pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, the ability to sit still for an extended duration is counterintuitive to the middle school student’s normal need for movement. In an article (http://wapo.st/1PQE8E5) in The Washington Post, she reported that if middle schoolers have to learn by staying in their seats most of the day, their brains will naturally tune out after awhile. “Why do we assume that children don’t need time to move or play once they reach sixth grade?” she questions in the article, noting that “learning doesn’t have to be done in a chair.”
Although moveable classrooms are a deviation from more rigid traditional ones, Kley Contini believes they can be a welcome addition for both students and teachers alike. “I am looking forward to helping more teachers, when they are ready, to move into the flexible learning environment. They just need to roll on over and ask!” he said
Award-Winning Design Firm Visits Harker Classroom
Back in the fall, representatives from IDEO, an award- winning global design and consulting firm, visited Burrows’ classroom as part of their research into the various teaching environments of middle school classes both in the United States and abroad. Burrows recalled that during their visit, the IDEO team pointed out that the new chairs in her room had been ones they, in fact, had helped to create. “It was a complete surprise!” recalled Burrows.
“For this particular project, we are designing something to help students have a more individualized education,” explained Miki Heller, an educational designer at IDEO.
“At this early point, we are visiting schools to learn both what the needs are (from the teachers’ and the students’ perspectives) and to get inspiration by seeing what others are doing well.
“It was such a treat to visit Harker! We saw so many interesting and creative ways that Ms. Burrows and her students are innovating in their classroom. We all left incredibly inspired,” added Heller, whose visit to the middle school was arranged by fellow IDEO colleague Rohini Venkatraman ’06, a Harker alumna. Venkatraman began working as a business designer at IDEO last year.
“I collaborate with teams of designers to help clients solve customer problems in ways that also meet their business goals,” said Venkatraman. “The work has been both fun and challenging, and I am continually learning from and inspired by the people here. The Harker visit is a great example of what we do at IDEO; we go into the field to talk to real people and better understand the lives of the target customer. This project was one focused on the teaching space.”
Remi Edvalson, grade 7, recently competed in the weeklong USA Diving Synchronized National Championships, held in San Antonio, Texas. Representing the Stanford Diving Club, she and her partner, Francesca Noviello, won both the girls 13-and-under platform and 3-meter events.
“I love the excitement of competition!” said Edvalson.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
With hundreds of grade 5-8 students competing on dozens of teams and using facilities at three campuses, the lower and middle school sports program has become a force to be reckoned with. The program is a finely tuned machine that helps produce well-rounded Harker students, many of whom will move on to the upper school. It balances competitiveness, hard work and learning, all while emphasizing the love for the game.
Theresa “Smitty” Smith has the task of managing 55 lower and middle school teams in 16 sports, as well as coaching the upper school varsity girls volleyball team – for which she recently eclipsed 300 career wins. But it is all in a day’s work, she says. “There are a bazillion kids in the program, there are tons of teams. It’s a huge undertaking. But we have a really good program and I’m proud of that.”
Dedicated Coaches
Gazing around the middle school gym just outside of Smith’s office, one can see the source of her pride in the many championship banners.
Since 2008, the middle and lower schools have won 56 league titles. Smith gives the credit for the program’s success to her amazing coaches. “Any extra help that I need, all hands are on board. It’s a great unit of people to work with,” Smith said. “All are willing to jump in and take initiative, and it makes my job easier.” There are plenty of hands to help, too, as Smith has more than 40 devoted coaches and assistants, with about a 50-50 split between walk-on coaches and Harker employees.
One of those coaches is Raul Rios, who has been working with Harker athletes for a decade. During the fall and winter, Rios can be found with the middle school athletes; in the spring he works with the upper school students. “I coach because I love sports and working with kids,” said Rios, who also heads up the shipping and receiving department at Harker. “It’s very rewarding seeing somebody using something you taught them and succeeding with it.”
Dan Pringle is another loyal coach, who first began coaching at Harker in 2000. Pringle is involved with four different middle school sports and also assists the upper school’s girls varsity basketball team. One might think that kind of schedule would take its toll on a coach, but not Pringle. “Every year coaching at Harker, there has been a special memory of a team, player or season that brings a smile to my face and shows me how lucky I am to be coaching at such a great school,” stated Pringle.
The sound of dozens of basketballs beating against the pavement as three girls teams practiced on the blacktop was almost deafening, but Charlotte Blanc, grade 8, loudly stated, “Coach Pringle is the best basketball coach I’ve ever had. He’s really serious and he’s really funny. He pushes you to work really hard.”
Hard Work On and Off the Field
Hard work is a common theme in conversations with Harker athletes, and is clearly something they do not shy away from. When asked for a favorite Harker sports memory, Ryan Tobin, grade 7, said, “We were playing soccer against Menlo last year and it was back and forth all game. The whole team worked their hardest and never gave up and we eventually won.”
So what makes Harker athletes wantto work and try so hard? “Our students are unique, because at a very young age they are motivated to be successful in the classroom,” said Brighid Wood, coach and assistant to the middle school athletic directors. “We have been able
to extend that focus onto the eld and have seen some amazing results.”
Dhruv Saoji, grade 6, thinks the influence sometimes moves in the opposite direction. “Sports help you focus. It lets you clear your mind and then you have a fresh mind when you go back to academics.” Whether it is academics influencing sports or sports influencing academics, Harker students seem to enjoy bringing the same intensity into both arenas.
The work ethic displayed by Harker students produces an amazing effect in that the student athletes actually grow and evolve in their sports, and as people. “My favorite part of coaching is getting to see the progression in the kids,” said first year Harker coach Brittney Moseley. “Just seeing how much they’ve grown on and off the field is beneficial and shows that I’ve done my job.” Wood added. “As [the students] grow in our system, we’ve seen some great strides on and off of the field. I feel like the success is found in development of character alongside ability, and that is always our goal.”
The Element of Fun
But the middle school athletic program isn’t only about work ethic and personal growth, it is also about the athletes enjoying themselves. According to Smith, one of the philosophies of the program is “the element of fun.” When asked why he plays sports, Saoji answered just as one would expect a sixth grader to: “It’s time to have fun!” Though a little older, Blanc answered the question similarly: “It’s always so much fun. Even if your teammates aren’t your friends regularly at school, you connect as a team.”
“Last year we won the championship and all had an amazing time,” said basketball player Ashley Barth, grade 6. “We bonded as a team and became really close friends!”
Pringle hopes his coaching style encompasses all these qualities. “I want all my student athletes to gain confidence and self esteem while learning how to work as a team, and build lifelong relationships while having fun.”
Preparing for High School
The results of the middle school sports experience are evident at the upper school campus. Jared Anderson, grade 9, is one of the stars of the boys varsity soccer team this year and a product of the Harker sports program. “The middle school sports program prepared me for high school sports because it led me to understand the competitiveness of high school sports without too much pressure being placed on me,” Anderson noted.
Joelle Anderson, grade 11, who has been lighting up the scoreboard this year for the girls varsity basketball team, partially credits her success to her Harker middle school coaches. “They help you develop your skills. Those skills come in to effect when you play at a higher level,” she said.
In addition to the sport-specific preparation the Harker athletes receive in middle school, the variety of sporting opportunities also serves students well at the next level.
This year, Rachel Cheng, grade 11, earned a West Bay Athletic League first team honor in volleyball, but she might not have discovered her talent if not for the breadth of sports offered at the middle school. “I delved into a number of sports when I was in middle school,” she said. “I ran cross country, track and eld, played soccer and played volleyball,” recalled Cheng. “I experimented with all these different kinds of sports, so I could easily nd which ones I was good at, and which ones were my passion.”
Giving young student athletes choices and opportunities is all part of the pathway that Harker’s sports community has built over the years. Academics have always been prevalent at Harker, but appealing to students with a high interest in athletics has become a focus in recent years. “When we initially started the upper school one grade at a time, a lot of our students and parents were hesitant to go [there].
Our better athletes went to the Mittys and Bellarmines and St. Francises,” remembered Smith. “Within the last ve years, the retention rate on those top athletes has exploded.” This retention rate has shown great results as the upper school just came off one of its best fall seasons in Harker history, with five teams making the postseason. This success may not have been possible without the groundwork that Smith and her coaches create in their athletes at the lower and middle school levels.
On any given day, on any given Harker campus, a sixth grader could be scoring his first-ever basket, or an eighth grader kicking her nal goal before heading to the upper school. But whether their teams are playing in a championship or working on drills, the Harker playing eld is always filled with joy.
“You can’t make everyone happy, but I think we make a lot of people happy,” stated Smith with a slight grin.
On April 5, middle school students taking advanced Japanese enjoyed an annual culinary and cultural field trip to local Japanese restaurant, Tomi Sushi. Their teacher, Kumi Matsui, said the students benefited from practicing Japanese outside the classroom.
“The staff of this restaurant spoke native Japanese and the students ordered dishes only in Japanese. After lunch, we went to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga to learn and experience a tea ceremony. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn about Japanese culture,” she said.
Last week, the softball team defeated Notre Dame San Jose 15-2 behind four hits, three runs and two RBIs from Kristin LeBlanc, grade 10. Marita Del Alto, grade 12, picked up the win, allowing just one earned run and four hits, while striking out four. However, later in the week the Eagles ran into an undefeated Lincoln team and fell 6-0. The softball team hosts Mercy Burlingame today at 4 p.m. at Blackford.
Swimming
Last week the Harker swim team traveled to Menlo High for its first WBAL meet, which also featured Mercy Burlingame and Pinewood. Vivian Wang, grade 10, won both the 200 free and 100 back; Michael Auld, grade 11, won the 200 free; Grace Guan, grade 12, finished first in the 200 IM; Alex Yu, grade 9, topped the 200 IM and 400 free; and Angela Huang, grade 12, was best in both the 50 and 100 free. Come support your Harker swimmers this Friday at 4 p.m. at the Singh Aquatic Center as they host another WBAL meet.
Track and Field
Over the weekend, Niki Iyer, grade 11, competed at the Arcadia Invitational in Southern California, which featured some of the best runners from California and eight other states. Iyer continued her stellar season as she ran a personal best and the top CCS time of this season! The entire track and field team competes this Wednesday against their WBAL rivals at Bellarmine, and this Saturday at the Bearcat Invitational at San Mateo High.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team picked up two wins last week to improve to 5-8 on the season, and 3-0 in league. First, it defeated Wilcox in three games with Andrew Gu, grade 11, leading the way with 16 kills. Later in the week, the Eagles defeated Santa Clara in four games. The boys volleyball team will host Pacific Collegiate School on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Blackford and travel to King’s Academy on Friday.
Baseball
The baseball team dropped its non-league matchup with Del Mar last week 9-2. Nate Kelly, grade 10, had two hits and an RBI in the loss. The Eagles travel to San Mateo High today and host San Mateo on Thursday.
Girls Lacrosse
The girls lacrosse team lost a close match to Notre Dame San Jose 11-10 last week, but rebounded with a win over Newark 9-4. The Eagles host Carlmont today on Davis Field.
Boys Tennis
Last week, the boys tennis team picked up victories over King’s Academy and Aptos. The Eagles have a busy week as they face off with Pinewood today, Priory on Thursday and Evergreen Valley on Friday.
Boys Golf
The boys golf team continues to play well as it notched three wins last week. In a 209-250 win over King’s Academy, Ryan Vaughan, grade 11, led the way shooting a 38; Scout McNealy, grade 9, shot a team-best 34 in the team’s 185-193 win over Menlo; and in the 186-214 victory over Pinewood, Victor Shin, grade 10, and Dakota McNealy, grade 12, each shot a team-best 35. The Eagles meet up with Palo Alto today.
MS Wrestling
Dezi Johnsen, grade 6, competed at the NUWAY Nationals in Battle Creek, Mich., this past weekend. Facing some of the best wrestlers in the country, Johnsen placed seventh in the 126-pound weight class. Congrats, Dezi!
Harker enjoyed another successful year at the Synopsys Science & Technology Championship, garnering numerous grand prizes and other top honors.
Upper school students were particularly successful in the physical science and engineering category. Cameron Jones, grade 9, received a first award in the category, as well as recognition for outstanding sustainability project, a third place award from A Society for Materials International, a second place certificate from the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC) and recognition from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Other first award winners in this category were Aditya Dhar, grade 11; Cindy Wang, grade 9; and Katherine Zhang, also grade 9.
Sophomores Maya Kumar and Anooshree Sengupta each won a second award in the same category, in addition to receiving a certificate of achievement from the Wireless Communications Alliance and recognition from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Derek Yen, grade 10, received a second award, and fellow sophomores Sumer Kohli and Neelesh Ramachandran received honorable mentions. Meanwhile, Karena Kong and Linus Li, both grade 10, received certificates of achievement from the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin.
In the RRI (Registered Research Institution, denoting projects from students who worked under professional mentors) physical science and engineering category, sophomore Amy Dunphy won a grand prize and a first award, as well as a first place award from the American Chemical Society. Juniors Rishab Gargeya and Manan Shah each won a grand prize and a first award, as well as a $1,000 Muddu Family Entrepreneurial and Startup Award and a certificate of achievement from the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin. Sneha Bhetanabhotla, grade 11, received an honorable mention.
Upper school students also did extremely well in the biological science and engineering category. First award winners were Emily Chen and Shreyas Chandrashekaran, both grade 10. Sophomore Rajiv Movva also did well, receiving a second award in the category, along with recognition from Morgan Lewis and IBM. Juniors Shasvat Jawahar and Raymond Xu also received second awards, while Trisha Dwivedi, Kshithija Mulam, Winnie Li and Joyce Zhao, all grade 11, and Shaya Zarkesh, grade 10, received honorable mentions.
In the RRI biological science and engineering category, seniors Jonathan Ma and Sadhika Malladi won grand prizes and first awards. Additional first awards went to junior Scott Song, sophomores Jerry Chen and Amy Jin, and freshmen Krish Kapadia and Anjay Saklecha. Junior Arjun Subramaniam received an honorable mention and a certificate of achievement from Varian Medical Systems.
Middle school students performed very well in the biological science and engineering category. Cynthia Chen, grade 8, was named a middle school finalist and received the Synopsys Outreach Foundation n+1 prize, as well as a first award and a nomination to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. Fellow eighth graders Aarzu Gupta, Maya Shukla, Vibha Arramreddy, Sejal Krishnan, Allison Jia and Jasmine Wiese also received first awards and nominations to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. Eileen Li, Catherine Zhao, Naveen Mirapuri and Rohan Sonecha, all grade 8, received second awards, while fellow eighth graders Grace Huang, Anika Tiwari, Henry Wiese, Rachel Broweleit and Jackie Yang earned honorable mentions.
In the physical science and engineering category, a second award was won by Jeffrey Kwan, grade 8, and honorable mentions went to Rakesh Nori and Montek Kalsi, both grade 8. Amla Rashingkar and Gloria Zhang, both grade 8, each received an honorable mentions and a certificate of achievement from the Society of Vacuum Coaters.
Once again, the middle school Wildlife SOS Club created watercolor cards and origami spinning toys, which they then sold to parents during the recent parent-teacher conferences, to raise money for animals in need.
The group, made up of students in grades 6 and 7, raised a record-breaking $135 for Wildlife SOS, an organization that rescues and cares for abused elephants and other animals.
“By selling our toys and cards, we contribute in a way that makes us feel proud for helping elephants while convening weekly with friends,” said club member Vienna Parnell, grade 6.
Science teacher Raji Swaminathan and Japanese teacher Kumi Matsui (who came up with the idea to make the origami toys) are the club’s mentors. They said working with the club members is incredibly rewarding.
“Every card and toy is very special, since it takes several club periods for a child to finish one,” said Swaminathan. “Club members have done this [fundraiser] in the past. Each time, they made about $70 to $80, which provides for the food of an elephant for a month. It is a small financial contribution from the students, but a lot of work and love go behind it.”
Meanwhile, club members said the benefits of being in Wildlife SOS Club include working together as a team, learning craft making skills, and relaxing together while raising money for wildlife in distress.
“These cards are better than Hallmark’s!” said grade 6 student Alysa Su, proudly.
MS Wrestling – The wrestling team, coached by Karriem Stinson, Charlie Ward and Jeff Paull, participated in the Maverick’s Invitational in Santa Cruz. The following team members placed: Eric Bollar, grade 6, first place; Dezi Johnsen, grade 6, second place; Rohan Arora, grade 8, second place; Max MacKinnon, grade 8, fourth place; and Eric Fang, grade 8, fourth place.
Team awards went to Eric Fang, grade 8, (Eagle), and Henry Cunningham, grade 8, and Ava Lett, grade 6 (Coaches).
VA (Grades 7/8) Girls Basketball – The Varsity A team, coached by Josh Miller and Dan Pringle, finished in second place in the WBAL with a 6-1 record and went 8-2 overall. Team awards went to Courtni Thompson, grade 7 (MVP), Hunter Hernandez, grade 7 (Eagle) and Haley Arena, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB (Grades 7/8) Girls Basketball – The Varsity B team, coached by Jon Cvitanich, finished in a three-way tie for second place in the WBAL with a 5-2 record. Team awards went to Mariamma Vazhaeparambil, grade 7 (MVP), Renee Page, grade 7 (Eagle) and Reina Joseph, grade 7 (Coaches).
VB2 (Grade 7) Girls Basketball – The Varsity B2 team, coached by Richard Amarillas and Raul Rios, finished in seventh place in the WBAL with a 1-6 record. Team awards went to Shalini Rohra (MVP), Aditi Vinod (Eagle) and Anna Weirich (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Girls Basketball – The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Brittney Moseley, finished in third place in the WBAL with a 5-2 record. Team awards went to Jacqueline Hu (MVP), Ashley Barth (Eagle), and Priya Rohra and Anya Warrier (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Girls Basketball – The Junior Varsity B1 team, coached by Lisa Lubke, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 3-4 record. Team awards went to Amrita Pasupathy (MVP), Avery Olson (Eagle) and Alexis Nishimura (Coaches).
JVC (Grade 4) Girls Basketball – The Junior Varsity C team, coached by Maria Maldonado, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 2-4 record. Team awards went to Kate Grannis (MVP), Maya Kelly (Eagle) and Harshini Chaturvedula (Coaches).
LS Intramural Girls Basketball – Team awards went to Jasleen Hansra, grade 5 (MVP), Alena Su, grade 4 (Eagle) and Emily McCartney, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Ken Allen and Kristian Tiopo.
VA (Grades 7/8) Boys Soccer – The Varsity A team, coached by Chris Salcido and Matt Arensberg, finished in third place in the WBAL with a record of 3-5. Team awards went to Andrew Cheplyansky, grade 8 (MVP), Ryan Tobin, grade 7 (Eagle) and Arya Maheshwari, grade 7 (Coaches).
VB (Grade 7) Boys Soccer – The Varsity B team, coached by Brighid Wood, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 4-3 record. Team awards went to Anton Novikov (MVP), Rosh Roy (Eagle) and James Pflaging and Marcos Acero (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Boys Soccer – The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Cyrus Merrill and Dan Williams, finished in third place in the WBAL with a record of 3-2-3. Team awards went to Ishaan Mantripragada (MVP), Sasvath Ramachandran (Eagle) and Dhruv Saoji (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Boys Soccer – The Junior Varsity B team, coached by Jared Ramsey and Tobias Wade, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 2-1-1 and went 3-1-2 overall. Team awards went to Rodrigo Gonzales (MVP), Pranav Mullappalli (Eagle) and Michael Pflaging (Coaches).
LS Intramural Boys Soccer – Team awards went to Neel Handa, grade 4 (Eagle), and Andrew Au and Matthew Goetting, both grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Randy Le Gris and Jim McGovern.
Middle and upper school jazz musicians came together in mid-March for the 2016 Evening of Jazz at the Blackford Theater. The show featured the talents of the Grade 6 Jazz Band, Grades 7-8 Jazz Band and the upper school’s Lab Band, all directed by Dave Hart, as well as The Harker School Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio.
The folks in attendance were treated to works by the likes Thad Jones, Horace Silver, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis. For the final number, all of the evening’s musicians appeared on stage to perform a rendition of Pee Wee Ellis’ “The Chicken.”