In December the lower school hosted a festive and fun holiday cookie decorating event for parents. Coffee and a light breakfast was served. Parents had been asked to bring in gently used children’s clothing for donation to the lower school’s dress drive, to help make the holidays more special for kids in need in the community. The middle and upper schools held their cookie decorating events together at the upper school campus, with both parents and students invited to attend. An unexpected side benefit of the activity was that it proved to be a great stress reliever for the high school students, who were able to relax in between taking their finals. In fact, it was so effective that talks are already in the works to bring it back next year during finals!
The Harker wrestling team dropped its league opener to Los Altos last Thursday, but Davis Howard, grade 11, and Anthony Contreras, grade 10, each picked up wins. Over the weekend, the Harker wrestlers traveled to Cupertino High for the Bianchini Memorial Tournament. Diego Figueroa, grade 11, and Kobe Howard, grade 9, placed third and fourth, respectively, in the JV tournament, while Davis Howard placed fourth in the varsity tournament. They travel to Saratoga High this Thursday for another league matchup.
On the middle school level, Dezi Johnsen, grade 6, placed second in the 12 and under division at the California Republic Tournament, which is one of the top tournaments in the state. Johnsen wrestles for Harker during the late winter season and for Bay Area Dawgz Wrestling Club during the off season.
Girls Soccer
The girls soccer team lost to Pinewood 3-1 and Crystal Springs Uplands 6-1 last week. Lyndsey Mitchell, grade 11, scored the lone goal for the Eagles vs. Crystal Springs. The girls team looks to pick up its first win of the season on Tuesday as it hosts Sacred Heart Prep at 3:30 p.m. on Davis Field.
Boys Soccer
Winning its third game in a row, the boys soccer team has been on fire as of late. Last Wednesday the boys team defeated Sacred heart Prep 2-1, getting two goals from Jared Anderson, grade 9. The team travels to Crystal Springs Uplands today at 3:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team dropped two tough league games this past week. In a 73-54 loss to King’s Academy, Rohan Desikan, grade 12, led the Eagles with 17 points, while Elijah Edgehill, grade 12, added a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Later in the week the Eagles fell to Sacred heart Prep 72-46. Roy Yuan, grade 9, led Harker with 17 points. The Eagles host Pinewood on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Blackford.
Girls Basketball
Coming off back-to-back losses, the girls basketball team rebounded as it defeated King’s Academy 52-37 last Friday. Jordan Thompson, grade 11, once again led all scorers with 23 points. (Jordan also got some love from CalHiSports.com this week: http://www.calhisports.com/2016/01/07/state-stat-stars-of-the-week-110/). Joelle Anderson, grade 11, added 20 points of her own in the win. The 10-3 Eagles host Mercy Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Blackford.
Each fall, middle school students embark on various weeklong class trips, opening up a world of learning outside the classroom. The annual adventures are a highlight for middle schoolers. This year, grade 6 students visited the Santa Cruz Mountains; grade 7 toured national parks around the Southwest; and grade 8 sojourned to Washington, D.C.
Grade 6 Students Bond at Mt. Cross
The Santa Cruz Mountains set the scene for grade 6 students to actively bond during their class trip to Mt. Cross. A camping and retreat site located in the redwood forest, Mt. Cross provided plenty of opportunities for kayaking, bird watching, completing a ropes course, swimming, and enjoying the area’s gorgeous weather and scenic beauty.
A highlight of the trip was a visit to Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 28 such reserves established nationwide as field laboratories for scientific research and estuarine education. Following the reserve visit was an excursion to nearby Moss Landing, a quaint, historic fishing village known for its shopping, fresh seafood, fine art studios, and bird and whale watching.
“The skies were blue, the temperatures warm … and the excitement palpable!” recalled Cindy Ellis, middle school division head, of the trip.
Grade 7 Students Enjoy Southwestern Adventures
Grade 7 students were amazed by the Southwest’s scenic and historic national parks. In Arizona they enjoyed a jeep tour of Sedona, famous for its red rock formations and wildlife. In the Grand Canyon’s south rim, students participated in an organized trust walk (listening to directions while walking with eyes closed) as they headed toward the rim of the canyon.
They also toured Monument Valley, known to many as “the eighth wonder of the world.” Monument Valley has been a significant place for centuries, and houses ruins that some believe belong to the mysterious Anasazi people who disappeared from the area hundreds of years ago. Another highlight was traveling to Zion National Park to hike the Emerald Pools, Whistling Rock and several other well-known trails.
“It was a week of learning, adventure and fun!” recalled Alana Butler, middle school dean, adding that it was also “amazing to see everyone come together as a community.”
Grade 8 Students Take in Historic Nation’s Capital
History came alive for grade 8 students visiting the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. Accompanied by Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, the group’s tour began with a visit to the Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in North America, and Colonial Williamsburg, an interpretation of a colonial American city.
“Specialized guides showed us what it was like to live in Jamestown in the early 1600s. We were able to see how settlers prepared their food, how they made their clothes and the types of living quarters they had. The guides were impressed with our students’ knowledge of Jamestown,” reported Gargano.
On a more somber note, the group visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the Iwo Jima U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.
During a visit to Ford’s Theatre, students learned about what occurred on the day of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and were able to view the balcony where he was shot. The trip concluded with visits to the Capitol building, and tours of the House of Representatives, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2015 Harker Quarterly.
The fall sports season was a huge success, with more than 300 participants in grades 4-8.
We are very appreciative of all the parental support we received this season. So many parents stepped up to provide snacks and support for the coaches. We also appreciate the hard work and dedication of our athletes.
Here are the final West Bay Athletic League standings and award winners for the lower and middle school fall sports teams.
Varsity A (Grade 8) Flag Football Finished in fifth place in the WBAL at 2-4, 5-6 overall. Team awards went to Naveen Mirapuri (MVP), Jeffrey Liu (Eagle) and Vedanth Sundaram (Coaches).
Varsity B (Grade 7) Flag Football Finished in third place in the WBAL at 4-1-1, 7-3-1 overall. Team awards went to Srinath Somasundaram (MVP), Marcus Anderson (Eagle) and Nikhil Gargeya (Coaches).
Junior Varsity A (Grade 6) Flag Football Finished in second place in the WBAL at 5-2, 6-2 overall. Team awards went to Eric Bollar (MVP), Anquan Boldin, Jr. (Eagle) and Richard Amarillas (Coaches).
Junior Varsity B (Grade 5) Flag Football Finished in second place in the WBAL at 4-2. Team awards went to Rohan Gorti (MVP), Frederick Hoch (Eagle) and Drake Piscione (Coaches).
Intramural (Grade 4) Flag Football Team awards went to Om Tandon and Jack Ledford (Eagle) and Jerry Li and Enzo Lucketti (Coaches).
Varsity A (Grades 7-8) Softball Finished in third place in the WBAL at 3-1-1, 4-2- 1 overall. Team awards went to Alaina Valdez, grade 7 (MVP); Hunter Hernandez, grade 7 (Eagle); and Alex Baeckler, grade 7 (Coaches).
Junior Varsity A (Grades 4-6) Softball Finished in first place in the WBAL at 4-1-1. Team awards went to Brooklyn Cicero, grade 6 (MVP); Annalyn Bean, grade 5 (Eagle); and Maya Kelly, grade 4 (Coaches).
Intramural (Grade 4) Softball Team awards went to Cecilia Yang, Maria Chrysa s and Claire Bauschlicher (Coaches).
Middle School Cross Country Team awards went to Courtni Thompson, grade 7 (top runner); Mihir Sharma, grade 8, Anna Weirich, grade 7, and Kevin Chen, grade 8 (MVP); Arya Maheshwari, grade 7, Grant Miner, grade 8, and Anna Gert, grade 8 (Eagle); and Raj Patel, grade 6, Minali Kapadia, grade 6, and Annabelle Ju, grade 8 (Coaches).
First place finishers were: Courtni Thompson (Harker meet, Rolling Hills meet, JD Morgan Park meet) Arya Maheshwari (Harker meet) Grade 6 boys team (WBAL final meet) Grade 7 boys team (Harker meet) Grade 8 boys team (Harker meet) Grade 8 girls team (Harker meet)
Middle School Swimming Team awards went to Allison Jia, grade (8) MVP; Nina Gee, grade 7 (Eagle); and Elizabeth Fields, grade 7, and Rishab Parthasarathy, grade 6 (Coaches).
Lower School Swimming Team awards went to Alexis Nishimura, grade 5 (MVP); Rani Patel, grade 4 (Eagle) and Linette Hoffman, grade 5 (Coaches).
First place finishers at the Castilleja meet were:
William Zhao, grade 6, 100 IM Rhys Edwards, grade 7, 100 IM and 50 y Leland Rossi, grade 7, 50 free and 200 free Alyssa Huang, grade 8, 50 y and 50 breast Kurtis Tong, grade 5, 25 back Arjun Akkiraju, grade 8, 50 back Brittany Shou, grade 6, 100 free Anish Pai, grade 6, 200 free Avery Young, grade 7, 50 breast Grade 6 boys, 100 free relay Grade 7 boys, 100 free relay Grade 6 boys, medley relay Grade 7 boys, medley relay Grade 8 boys, medley relay Grade 8 girls, medley relay
In early November the middle school participated in its first Wellness Day of the school year, featuring a special bell schedule to allow time for yoga and meditation activities. Prior to the event, students and faculty had been instructed to wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle, yoga mat and towel to school that day. Wellness activities occur across all four campuses to help students keep stress down and practice healthy activities.
In early December, middle school families were treated to a special after-school teen panel discussion on social media and the digital age with a representative from Common Sense Media.
Harker hosted the panel, which was held in the campus’ multipurpose room, for a handful of independent schools in the South Bay, explained Scott Kley Contini, the middle school’s director of learning, innovation and design.
“This panel took the form of a live discussion of social media and teen use with a representative from Common Sense Media and the seventh and eighth grade students from the participating schools,” recalled Kley Contini. He noted that parents of students from the participating schools, as well as Harker’s entire middle school faculty, were also invited to attend.
“This was a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the real digital lives of our students,” said Kley Contini.
Earlier this month, Jason Kwok, grade 7, competed with the Santa Clara Swim Club at the 2015 Short Course Junior Olympic Championships.
Kwok’s relay teams did very well, ranking No. 1 for the 400 freestyle relay short course yards, No. 2 for the 200 freestyle relay short course yards and No. 3 for the 200 medley relay short course yards in the USA Swimming national age group rankings. As an individual, Kwok was ranked No. 8 in the 100 breaststroke short course yards.
Singing at Carnegie Hall
Shayla He, grade 4, sang at Carnegie Hall this past weekend! She entered the American Fine Art Festival (AFAF) Golden Voices of America 2015 International Vocal Competition and was awarded third place in both the classical category and musical theater category in the 9 to 10-year-old group, performing four songs. Her performance earned her a spot in the AFAF-organized Winner’s Concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Dec. 13 with singers ages 9 to 20-plus from all over the world. Huge congrats to Shayla!
December has been a great month for Harker math students, who’ve been performing very well in annual math competitions.
Last week, Harker took first place nationwide in Interstellar’s Math Madness finals at the high school level. Middle school mathematicians also performed very well, with their team placing in the top 10 nationally. The competition, which comprised more 25,000 middle and high school contestants, was conducted through the Interstellar Web application, which allows teachers to create teams of students representing their schools and compete against other schools either by inviting them to compete or by entering events organized by Interstellar. Students had been competing since the September opening rounds, which separated schools into various divisions. Harker ended up in the Division I bracket at both the middle and upper school levels, with the upper school defeating University High School of Irvine to take first place. The middle school narrowly lost to Raymond J. Grey Junior High in Acton, Mass., who went on to win first place.
During the first week of December, National Assessment and Testing announced that Harker placed second in two national math contests. Upper school math teacher Anuradha Aiyer acted as coach for the two contests, each of which contained 100 problems that had to be solved in a half-hour. The Fall Startup contest had students solving problems on their own, while the Team Scramble allowed students to work as a group to solve tougher problems. The division in which each student competed corresponded to their grade level.
Harker’s placing was highlighted by several standout individual efforts. Grade 9 students Katherine Tian and Rose Guan placed 11th and 17th, respectively, in the ninth grade division. Sophomore Swapnil Garg took first place in the 10th grade division, where Rajiv Movva placed sixth and Joanna Lin placed eighth. David Zhu took 25th place in the 11th grade division. Finally, Richard Yi earned first place in the 12th grade division, in which Allison Wang took fourth place and Lawrence Li finished 23rd.
In late October, Harker’s chapter of the Junior Classical League headed to Stanford University for the Ludi Octobres event.
Numerous upper school competitors placed high. Bobby Bloomquist, grade 9, took first place in Grammar III, in which Mathew Mammen, grade 9, won an honorable mention. In Mythology III, Praveen Batra, grade 10, took first place, with Allison Wang, grade 12, and Sara Min, grade 9, taking second and third, respectively. Kaushik Shivakumar, grade 9, finished third in Grammar III, and Alexander Young, grade 9, tied for first in History and received an honorable mention in Mythology III. Batra also won second place in Advanced Reading Comprehension, in which Arnav Tandon, grade 11, Andrew Semenza, grade 10, and Allison Wang, grade 12, tied for third. Alexander Lam finished second in Advanced Vocabulary, while Edgar Lin, grade 10, tied for first place in Derivatives and took third place in History. Semenza had another tie for second place in Derivatives and received an Honorable Mention in Advanced Grammar. Wang took second place in Mythology and tied for second place in Vocabulary.
Middle school competitors were no less impressive. In the MS-1 division, Lucy Ge, grade 6, took third place in Grammar I, while classmate Aaron Lo earned third place in History. Brandon Park, grade 6, was awarded second place in Mythology and an honorable mention in Derivatives. Grade 7 had a strong appearance in the MS-2 division, as Arohee Bhoja had first place wins in Vocabulary and Greeting Cards, and took second place in Grammar II and third in Reading Comprehension II. Angela Cai took first in Mythology and tied for second in Daily Life with classmate Jason Lin. Akshay Manglik took second place in three categories: Derivatives, History and Mythology. Annamma Vazhaeparambil won first place in History and second place in Greeting Cards, while Mariamma Vazhaeparambil had honorable mentions in Derivatives and Mythology. The MS-3 division, in which Harker’s grade 8 students participated, saw Ashley Duraiswamy take first place in Reading Comp II and tie for third in Grammar II, while Jeffrey Fung took first in History, second in Grammar II and third in Derivatives. Allison Jia had a first place win in Vocabulary and received an honorable mention in Derivatives, in which Kyle Li took first place in addition to taking first place in Mythology and second History. In Reading Comprehension II, Kalyan Narayanan took second place in addition to tying for third in Grammar II. Jin Tuan had second place finishes in Derivatives and Vocabulary, and George Wehner, grade 7, took first in Grammar II. Finally, Jasmine Wiese, grade 8, was awarded an honorable mention in Derivatives.
Both of Harker’s Quiz Bowl teams had strong showings this past weekend at California Cup #2, a quiz bowl tournament held at UC Berkeley. The upper school team – made up of Nikhil Manglik, grade 11, Swapnil Garg, grade 10, Edgar Lin, grade 10, Derek Yen, grade 10, Andy Semenza grade 10, and Sukrit Ganesh, grade 9 – were 7-2 on the day and finished third out of 20 teams. Just as impressive, the middle school team – Kyle Li, Arun Sundaresan, Jin Tuan, Simar Bajaj, Jeffrey Fung and Catherine Zhao, all grade 8 – entered the tournament in the junior varsity category and ended up placing a solid fifth out of 31 teams. Team coach Jonathan Brusco said the tournament was initially meant to be a learning experience, making their performance, which included victories over Saratoga, Monta Vista, Valley Christian and Menlo, all the more impressive.