It’s been a fabulous past few months for Harker’s speech and debate teams! Although the bulk of the speech and debate tournament season runs from September through March, many students qualify for end-of-year national championship tournaments in May and June. Both the middle and upper school teams were very successful at these tournaments.
Top School Honors
In May, the upper school team was recognized by the Tournament of Champions (TOC) as a School of Excellence. This award, sponsored by the National Speech & Debate Association, is given to the team with the most success in all TOC events. The TOC is one of the most challenging tournaments upper school students compete in, so this was one of the biggest accomplishments of the entire season. Harker reached this remarkable achievement by advancing to elimination rounds in all four debate events: Lincoln-Doulas, policy, public forum and congressional. Most schools are thrilled to have students advance in a single event; Harker was the only school to have students advance in more than two. Coaches Greg Achten, Carol Green and Jenny Alme shared in celebrating this special award.
Similarly, in June, the middle school team set a record by winning the Overall School of Excellence Award for the fourth time! The award, given by the National Speech & Debate Association, is presented to the top three teams in the country. It is the highest honor a middle school program can achieve. Karina Momary, middle school coach, said she is incredibly proud of all of her competitors.
These awards reflect the hard work and success of individual Harker students and also the overall strength of the program.
Outstanding Individual Achievements and Service
Many students also experienced great success in individual events. At the National Speech & Debate Association National Tournament in Dallas in June, Madhu Nori ’15 reached the quarterfinals in original oratory, finishing among the top 28 orators in the nation. At the same tournament, Nikhil Kishore ’15 and David Lin ’15 finished in the top 30 teams in the nation in public forum debate.
At the middle school Speech & Debate Association National Tournament, also in Dallas, many Harker students earned top honors and awards. In declamation, Nikki Solanki, now grade 8, and Arusha Patil, now grade 7, were both quarterfinalists. In dramatic interpretation, Riya Gupta, now grade 9, was a quarterfinalist, and Solanki placed sixth in the nation. In impromptu speaking, Nikhil Dharmaraj, now grade 9, finished fourth in the nation. In original oratory, Gupta, Dharmaraj and Avi Gulati, now grade 8, were all semifinalists. In storytelling, Dharmaraj finished third.
The strong showing by the speech team members was matched by the excellent results from the debaters. In policy debate, Jai Bahri, now grade 8, and Julia Biswas, now grade 7, were double octafinalists, as were Andy Lee and Jason Lin, both grade 7. Maddie Huynh, now grade 8, and Anusha Kuppahally, now grade 9, were semifinalists. In Lincoln-Douglas debate Annie Ma, now grade 8, was a double octafinalist. In public forum, Cindy Wang, now grade 9, and Clarissa Wang, now grade 9, were quarterfinalists. In Congressional Debate, Jason Huang, now grade 9, was a finalist.
These strong efforts were significantly aided by the coaching assistance of recent Harker alumni and current upper school students. Ayush Midha ’15, Pranav Sharma ’15 and Zarek Drozda, now grade 12 gave up two weeks of their summer to help the middle school team prepare for the tournament. They assisted students during a weeklong work session then traveled to Dallas with the team to help coach the students during the event. Nitya Mani ’15 also helped out during the work week.
Momary and speech coach Marjorie Hazeltine worked tirelessly to prepare the students for competition, supervise the students and assistant coaches, and coordinate this highly successful trip.
Ongoing study
After the conclusion of the season, rather than taking a break from speech and debate, many of our middle and upper school students spent the summer preparing for the coming season at speech and debate camps across the nation. Students attended camps, ranging from one to seven weeks, at Georgetown University, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, to name just a few. Also many Harker students attended the summer speech and debate camp hosted by Harker.
During summer debate camps, students study the theory and practice of debate, learning from instructors from prestigious college and high school debate programs around the nation. In addition to valuable speech and debate experience, students also get to experience college first hand, often living in dormitories, studying in college classrooms and getting a taste of what college life is like.
“Debate camp is one of the most intellectually enriching experiences a student can undertake,” said Alme, Harker debate chair. “I have seen thousands of students grow as debaters, researchers, independent thinkers and responsible global citizens. Because the nature of debate camp allows for students to immerse themselves in the study and practice of competition, there really is no substitute for attending camp.”
Though the camp schedule is rigorous, often involving long days and weekend work, the students are also able to learn more about the college campuses they visit and occasionally have great cultural experiences. For instance, several Harker students at the Georgetown Debate Institute were taken by camp faculty to the U.S. Supreme Court for the announcement of the historic gay marriage decision Obergefell vs. Hodges. The students were at the court for the reading of the decision and got to go inside the chambers. Debate camp allowed these students to be there for a truly historical event and it is an experience those students will likely never forget.
New Faces
At the end of the 2014-15 school year, Carol Green stepped down as communication studies department chair to take a position teaching history at Harker. Alme was named department chair and Sandra Berkowitz was brought in to coach the public forum and congressional debate team. Berkowitz has extensive experience coaching debate at the high school level and also has taught at the collegiate level at the University of Maine and most recently at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. With her wealth of teaching and coaching experience, along with the return of Alme, Momary and Achten, the team is in great hands and looks forward to another successful season.
Congratulations to middle school science teacher Thomas Artiss, who was named the 2015 Outstanding Biology Teacher for California by the National Association of Biology Teachers. Each year, the Outstanding Biology Teacher Awards recognize excellent biology teachers in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, Puerto Rico and other overseas territories. As a recipient of the award, Artiss is now eligible to attend a special honors luncheon at the 2015 NABT Professional Development Conference, to be held in November in Providence, R.I.
Established in 1962, the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award has since become one of the most prestigious annual awards given to biology and life science teachers. The award includes a complimentary one-year NABT membership, a special lapel pin and a gift certificate from Carolina Biological Supply Company.
This year’s Summer Institute (SI) was marked by numerous exciting, first-time happenings. Highlights of the increasingly popular program included an inaugural summer science research class, a visit from a coding expert during a new computer course and a bake sale that raised money for the Humane Society.
Held on the upper school campus from June 15-Aug.7, SI was open to both Harker students and those from area schools in grades 6-12. SI allowed participants to get a jump start on the coming school year, as well as enrich their learning on topics of interest.
SI has two tracks: one designed for middle schoolers and another for high schoolers. Many students combined a morning academic program with afternoon activities. Falling under the academic umbrella was a new course called “Summer Science Research Society.” Taught by middle school science teacher Kathy Peng, the offering gave participants in grades 6-8 the opportunity to explore and research real world topics of individual interest.
Meanwhile, a chocolate chip cookie baking project and sale, sponsored by a new SI math class, raised $283.53 for the Humane Society of Silicon Valley (https://staging.news.harker.org/summer-institute-math-class-raises-money-for-humane-society). “Lots of math was used to calculate how many cookies we could bake within our limited class time and oven constraints. In addition, the students had to determine the shopping list and recalculate a recipe based on that,” reported Eileen Schick, who taught the three-week summer school course called “The Eagle Project: Math!”
Another new offering for grades 6-8 was “Beginning Python,” taught by Mike Schmidt, Harker’s middle school computer science department chair. Python is a widely used general-purpose, high-level programming language. Harker alumnus Abhinav Mathur, who graduated from the middle school in 2004, designed the instructional software Schmidt used in the class. Mathur, a former student of Schmidt’s, came to campus in June to speak to the 17 students enrolled in the course.
Mathur created a website called Pythonroom.com, an online learning environment for the Python programming language. He and another young entrepreneur, Keshav Saharia, founded a company called HulaLoop, which provides educational platforms on the web for various programming systems of which Pythonroom is currently their main focus.
“I had been using their product for my newly created Python programming course to teach middle schoolers the world of text-based programming. The kids were crazy about it and absorbed all the lessons like sponges!” recalled Schmidt. Pythonroom provides a solid foundation to the world of Python programming by allowing students to move forward at their own pace, he added.
“I think Pythonroom is great for beginners and it is really fun,” agreed Angela Cai, a rising grade 7 Harker student who attended the class.
“Abhi was a great (guest) teacher, and he gave great advice on finding easier ways to do certain problems,” added Stephen Yang, a rising grade 8 student at Miller Middle School.
Noting how excited he was to be back at Harker, Mathur said he was glad to give back to the school that provided him with so much. “We (at HulaLoop) are passionate about spreading coding knowledge to all students, and progressive schools like Harker make this goal achievable,” he said.
After the morning academic sessions, many SI students stayed on for the afternoon activity program, which included an array of specialty classes and recreational activities. Some students in grade 9 also signed up for the afternoon activities.
“We had a wide variety of weekly fun classes that the students signed up for, which this year included a field trip to the Oakland Zoo, an Ice Age Carnival, a Red, White and Blue Bash, and a visit to Golfland,” recalled K-8 history department chair Keith Hirota, who was in charge of SI academics and activity programming for the middle school students.
Although they were not eligible for the afternoon activity program, students in grades 10-12 were welcome to stay on campus to swim, study, shoot hoops and socialize. While the majority of the older students were primarily concerned with earing credits, many took time out for some summertime fun.
“The Summer Institute continues to grow and this year we had more than 1,300 students signed up for classes on the Saratoga campus!” reported Kelly Espinosa, director of summer and preschool programs.
In May, five Harker students were honored by the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators’ 26th Annual Student Recognition Program. Held at the Morris Dailey Auditorium at San Jose State University, the awards recognition ceremony was called “Emphasizing Education, Affirming Our Future.”
In total, 336 talented and achieving students in grades 5, 6, 8 and 12 were recognized during the program. The Harker students cited for awards were Kai Due, grade 5, for student athlete; Brooklyn Cicero, grade 5, for fine arts/talent; Wynter Chaverst, grade 8 for academics/improved GPA; Jackson Williams, grade 8, for student athlete; and Christian Williams, grade 12, for academics/improved GPA.
The annual event is dedicated to the pursuit of cultural and educational excellence. It aims to encourage student achievement, affirm pride among African-American students, and recognize the support of family and community in their lives.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Middle and Upper School Students Orchestrate Pitch Perfect Concert
By Jared Scott Tesler
The Grade 6 Orchestra and Grades 7-8 Orchestra, conducted by David Hart, and The Harker School Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Florio, joined forces once again for their annual spring concert, held at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater. Amid a symphony of classical arrangements composed by Brahms, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and others, more easily recognizable numbers included the theme songs from “James Bond” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Senior violinist Helen Wu, who recently earned a spot on the National Youth Orchestra for the second year in a row, performed the Allegro from Samuel Barber’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.”
The event featured numerous members of the Class of 2015, in the final ensemble performance of their Harker performing arts careers: violinists Thyne Boonmark, Eugene Gil (assistant concertmaster), Vivian Jou, Leeza Kuo, Briana Liang, Sahana Rangarajan (co-principal), Sophia Shatas and Helen Wu (concertmaster); violists Lekha Chirala (co-assistant principal), Austin Lai (principal) and Patrick Lin; cellists Matthew Huang (principal), Julia Wang and Madelyn Wang; bassists Jackelyn Shen and Kelly Wang (assistant principal); oboists Jason Jeong (co-principal) and Allison Kiang (assistant principal); clarinetists Harry Xu and Eric Yu (principal second); clarinetist and percussionist Angeline Pan; bassoonists Rahul Balakrishnan (assistant principal) and Kailas Vodrahalli (principal); horn player Vishal Vaidya (principal); and tubist Madhavan Nair (principal). Congratulations on a job well done!
Kindergartners Take Aesop’s ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ to the Stage
By Jared Scott Tesler
This spring, the Bucknall Gym was alive with the sound of music – and laughter. In their stage acting debut, Harker kindergartners from each homeroom unleashed their inner animals during six performances of “A Race to the Finish,” a witty and whimsical mini-musical based on Aesop’s most popular fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” proving once and for all that “slow and steady wins the race.” Some multitalented actors also did a bit of dancing!
Along with the slow-moving tortoise and foolishly overconfident hare, the all-animal cast of characters ran the gamut of individual strengths and sizes: bear, beaver, blue jay, bobcat, bunny, cardinal, chipmunk, coyote, deer, duck, elk, fox, mare, moose, mountain lion, owl (portrayed by kindergarten teacher Michelle Anderson), porcupine, raccoon, squirrel, turkey and woodchuck. K-3 music teacher Carena Montany served as director, with stage crew duties carried out by members of technical director Danny Dunn’s grade 5 Technical Theater class.
Harker Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Dance Jamz
By Jared Scott Tesler
Inspired choreography, dazzling costumes, dynamic dance styles and eclectic music took center stage at Dance Jamz 2015, now in its 10th year. The annual middle school dance show, held in mid-March at the Blackford Theater and directed by lower school performing arts lead teacher Gail Palmer, featured 150 boys and girls in grades 6, 7 and 8, who danced their way into the hearts of family, friends and Harker community members.
Set to music from yesterday’s and today’s top talent, including Paula Abdul, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, Britney Spears and Stevie Ray Vaughan, 18 action-packed dance routines provided something for everyone, captivating the audience of children, teens, adults and seniors. Capping off the show, the entire cast performed to house and dance-pop group Deee-Lite’s best-known single, “Groove Is in the Heart,” which opens with a fitting lyric: “We’re going to dance and have some fun.” Mission accomplished!
Evening of Jazz Gets Toes Tapping
By Jared Scott Tesler
Middle and upper school jazz musicians specializing in a wide array of brass, percussion, string and woodwind instruments, conducted by David Hart and Christopher Florio, congregated in late March at the Blackford Theater for “An Evening of Jazz.” Rounding out the production staff were production manager Brian Larsen and technical director Paul Vallerga.
The students’ love of all things jazz was heard loud and clear as they paid tribute to many late, great composers, musicians and pianists – Jimmy Forrest (“Night Train”), George Gershwin (“Cuban Overture”), Antônio Carlos Jobim (“Chega de Saudade”/“No More Blues”), Charles Mingus (“Better Get It in Your Soul”), Ástor Piazzolla (“Libertango”), Horace Silver (various) and Fred Sturm (various). A good time was had by all at this year’s toe-tapping, finger-snapping concert, which spotlighted the following graduating seniors: saxophonists Alan Guo, Rishabh Jain and Daniela Lee; trombonists Juhi Gupta, Nikhil Singh and Kevin Zhang; drummer Gillian Wallin; and cellist and vocalist Julia Wang.
Cellists Thrive at Harker
By Jared Scott Tesler
Brava to cellist Angeline Kiang, grade 5, on her first-place finish in this year’s United States International Music Competition! Kiang’s talent, diligence and appreciation of cross-cultural music earned her a cash prize, a trophy, a certificate of recognition and a possible radio show interview.
As a cellist in the lower school orchestra, Kiang has received guidance and support from Louis Hoffman, who oversees the after-school instrumental program. “She has been a wonderful student, inspired her fellow musicians, been an active part of our program and a true example of a student who both loves to play and is willing to put in the hard work and time it takes to achieve excellence on a musical instrument,” Hoffman said. “I’m incredibly honored and blessed to have been one of her teachers.”
The middle school boasts its own star cellist, Rachel Broweleit, grade 7. Broweleit’s interest in orchestral music began to surface at The Harker School at the age of 6. Broweleit joined the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO), an award-winning youth orchestra for regional string musicians of high school age and younger. Now in her second year as co-principal cellist in PACO’s Sinfonia ensemble, she is also part of California Music Preparatory Academy’s chamber music program.
At just 13 years of age, Broweleit already has won several major international competitions, including first place at both the American Fine Arts Festival and the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and was named the grand-prize winner at this year’s United States Open Music Competition.
Broweleit says her early success is due in large part to her educational experience and the dedicated, caring faculty. “Dr. [David] Hart [middle school orchestra director] has been a great encouragement, providing a really exciting atmosphere and creating opportunities for me and my classmates to explore our interests in music,” she said.
Read full stories on both these talented cellists at news.harker.org. Just search for their last names or use these shortlinks: http://news.harker. org/?p=26002 (Kiang) and https://staging.news.harker.org/?p=25890 (Broweleit).
Musical Adaptation of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ Entertains, Teaches Acceptance
By Jared Scott Tesler
Ugly duckling or majestic swan? Come to find out, beauty – and ugliness – is in the eye of the beholder.
Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen’s literary fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” recently underwent a book-to-musical makeover at the Blackford Theater. Under the direction of performing arts teacher Monica Colletti, Harker’s seventh and eighth graders presented composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe’s “Honk! Jr.,” a musical adaptation of the classic children’s story created for younger audiences.
The plot and musical numbers served as more than just entertainment – they imparted many important life lessons such as self-discovery, tolerance and acceptance. Perfect timing, as our middle school students begin to unlock their full potential and form friendships that will last a lifetime.
Conservatory Class of 2015 Gives Stunning Final Performance at Certificate Program Graduation
By Catherine Snider
For a small group of students in the Class of 2015, Harker’s commencement exercises were their second graduation in as many days. Twenty-nine Harker Conservatory certificate students changed their status from candidates to graduates at the 14th annual Senior Showcase on May 22, held at the beautiful Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater in San Jose.
These artists completed a four-year guided course through the upper school performing arts department – the Conservatory – mentored by teachers in all the disciplines, with particular emphasis in one: vocal music, instrumental music, dance, theater, musical theater or technical theater. Senior Showcase is a culmination of those years of study, with the seniors providing guests in the packed theater with snapshots from their accumulated portfolios.
The evening ended with the formal presentation of their certificates by the performing arts faculty and a final group bow, greeted with a well-deserved standing ovation by the many friends, family members, teachers and administrators who supported them on their journey through the program.
Eclectic Lower School Spring Concert Delights Audiences of All Ages
By Jared Scott Tesler
This year’s lower school spring concert featured a jam-packed program of performances by the Bucknall Choir, Lower School Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, First Year Violin Group, First Year Cello Group, Preparatory String Ensemble, Guitar Group and String Ensemble. Audience members were doubly entertained by grade 5 soloists Samuel Boucher (alto saxophone) and United States International Music Competition first-place winner Angeline Kiang (cello). See page 21 for more on Harker cellists.
Time-honored tunes, ranging from popular nursery rhymes and lullabies to classical pieces by Bach, Liszt, Pachelbel and Sibelius, filled the theater. Even the Grammy Award- and Academy Award-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie” was tossed in for good measure. With so many genres of music, the concert offered something for everyone to enjoy!
Classic Fairy Tale Characters Venture ‘Into the Woods’ in Spring Musical
By Zach Jones
A who’s-who of iconic fairy tale characters got much more than they wished for at this year’s Harker Conservatory spring musical, a raucous production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” which played at the Blackford Theater April 16-17 and will travel to Scotland in August to play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Noted for its thematic and musical depth, “Into the Woods” intertwines the stories of Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood and other popular fairy tale characters who all have wishes they want fulfilled. At the center of the story are a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child but are stymied by a curse put upon the baker’s house by a witch. The through-sung musical, directed by Laura Lang-Ree, featured inspired performances from its cast, who brought out the surprising complexity of characters known mostly for their simple and moralistic stories.
‘Into the Woods’ Honored with Nominations
The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors results are in and although we didn’t win, the finalists in all categories were awesome and had a great adjudication experience and final performance on stage. “The entire cast really killed it during their performance,” noted show director Laura Lang-Ree. “Rita Moreno, for whom the competition is named, gave out the awards and took pictures with leading actor and actress finalists – including our kids, Jeton [Gutierrez-Bujari ’15] and Madi [Lang-Ree ’15].”
Harker had finalists in the following categories:
Best Show
Outstanding Lead Actor: Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, grade 12 (Baker)
Outstanding Lead Actress: Madi Lang-Ree, grade 12 (Baker’s Wife)
Outstanding Supporting Actress: Helen Woodruff, grade 11 (Rapunzel)
Kudos were given by organizers for the number of schools that were adjudicated from San Luis Obispo to Marin and they also noted how just being there as a finalist was a victory. “Very fun and a great learning experience,” Lang-Ree added. “Our students got to see a lot performing at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, met tons of people and collaborated like crazy!”
Diversity Takes the Lead at Annual Upper School Chorus Concert
By Jared Scott Tesler
In late April, Harker’s upper school performing arts department presented “In Concert: Pastiche,” featuring the vocal stylings of introductory choir Bel Canto, intermediate chamber ensemble Camerata, women’s chamber ensemble Cantilena, show choir Downbeat and men’s contemporary a cappella ensemble Guys’ Gig. Well-known songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen, “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)” by Billy Joel wove their way between songs in other languages, including German, Hindi, Latin and Spanish.
Student conductors, a trio of sopranos, a trumpeter, pianists and many members of the Class of 2015 accompanied the vocal groups. It all came together beautifully (the name of the concert, Pastiche, is defined as eclecticism in art) thanks to the vision, hard work, determination and dedication of each and every performer and seasoned directors Laura Lang-Ree, Susan Nace and Jennifer Sandusky.
Lower School’s ‘Dancing at Disneyland’ Delights the Young and Young at Heart
By Jared Scott Tesler
Gail Palmer, lower school performing arts lead teacher, dubbed this year’s lower school dance concert “The Happiest Dance Show on Earth” – and anyone in attendance at “Dancing at Disneyland” would be hard-pressed to disagree! For some audience members, the enchanted evening in late May provided a monumental trip down memory lane; for others, it was every bit as magical as a visit to their all-time favorite theme park.
Under the direction of Palmer, with assistance provided by Kimberly Teodoro and Jessalyn Espiritu, the concert featured 250 students in grades 1-5 dancing around a wonderland of fanciful props, sets and slides. Each performance was cleverly assigned the name of a popular Disneyland attraction, parade, ride, shop or show, with 11 of 29 lively numbers choreographed by Palmer herself, including the opening and closing routines set to the Academy Award-winning song “When You Wish Upon a Star” from the animated musical fantasy film “Pinocchio” and “Happy” by singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Ancient and modern China formed an intriguing focus of study for 21 middle school students during their recent visit to the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS), Harker’s sister school in Shanghai.
At the end of March, 16 seventh graders and five eighth graders united for an action-packed week with their WFLMS buddies, who had earlier in the school year spent time at Harker as part of an annual reciprocal student exchange program.
Journeying to China is a much-anticipated adventure and highlight of the middle school experience for many grade 7 and 8 students. While there, the Harker contingent visited numerous landmarks and historic sites.
Originally based around the grade 8 computer science class’ global issues forum, the annual China trip expanded two years ago to incorporate the grade 7 historical component of learning about ancient China.
Keith Hirota, grade 6 ancient civilizations teacher, headed this year’s trip. Carol Green, Harker’s middle and upper school communication studies department chair, who was already in China serving as an exchange teacher at WFLMS, joined the group as a chaperone.
Students engaged in many activities with their group and with their hosts. For details, go to news.harker.org and search on Shanghai.
The students’ time at WFLMS ended with a farewell ceremony and dinner. “The ceremony was bittersweet as we watched several students from both schools give touching speeches and performances,” recalled Hirota, noting that Harker students and their WFLMS buddies had been faithfully corresponding since the fall.
Reflecting on the trip, grade 7 student Jatin Kohli said he really enjoyed the homestay with his buddy and the time they spent walking along the Huangpu River and the Bund, a famous waterfront area. “I wish our buddies could have joined us on our trip north to Beijing. The trip felt too short and I wish I had more time,” he said.
Grade 8 student Julia Amick added, “My favorite part of the homestay was getting to tour around Shanghai with my buddy and her parents and trying new and exotic foods like stinky tofu!”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony Marks End of Middle School Years
Every year, the grade 8 promotion ceremony heralds the eighth graders’ exciting transition to high school. Held in the middle school gym on June 5, the ceremony poignantly marked the end of the students’ middle school years.
Parents and students were shepherded into the gym, accompanied by the music of the Grade 6 Orchestra, under the direction of Dave Hart. Cindy Ellis, middle school head, welcomed the students and congratulated them on reaching this important milestone and beginning a new stage in their academic lives. A celebration slideshow, put together by Taylor Vaughan, Claire Newman and Elise Mayer, all grade 8, delighted both students and parents alike. Patricia Burrows, middle school English teacher and Class of 2019 advisory dean, then gave a moving farewell address to the soon-to-be upper school students, encouraging them to welcome the many opportunities that await them over the next four years. Next up was a beautiful performance of the song “Stand Together” by Harmonics and Vivace, the middle school vocal groups directed by Monica Colletti and Jennah Somers, and Hart, respectively.
A welcome address to the Class of 2019 was delivered by rising senior Michael Zhao, who will be next year’s upper school ASB president. Following that, the eighth graders received their promotion certificates from Chris Nikoloff, head of school, along with Ellis, who made some warm closing remarks.
The ceremony concluded, as in years past, with the singing of “The Harker School Song,” followed by a recessional and well-attended reception in the amphitheater. Ellis also had created a small gift – a dragonfly pendant attached to a note explaining how the insect’s metamorphosis is a symbol for the students’ tremendous transformation during middle school. Along with the token, a personal note of appreciation to each family was distributed as the parents exited the ceremony.
Grade 5 Students Bid Fond Farewell to Lower School During Touching Promotion Ceremony
Grade 5 students received a warm send-off at a touching promotion ceremony held in the late afternoon on June 4 in the lower school gymnasium.
Members of the Class of 2022 officially ended their time as lower school students during the ceremony, which opened with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by class president Uma Misha. Kristin Giammona, elementary division head, then greeted the students, parents and faculty in attendance. She congratulated the students on reaching this important next step in their academic careers.
The grade 4-6 dance group Dance Fusion, led by Gail Palmer, delighted the audience with a performance to the song “Take on Me.” Following that, a slideshow recapping the entire school year was shown and then the excited students walked up to receive their promotion certificates.
Kellie Binney-Smart, lower school choral music teacher, led the newly promoted students in the songs “When I Close My Eyes” and the “The Harker School Song,” after which incoming middle school ASB president and rising grade 8 student Avi Gulati gave a speech welcoming the newest middle schoolers. Kate Shanahan, grade 5 English teacher, then offered a heartwarming send-off to the class.
Giammona closed the ceremony with a final farewell. The students and their guests then enjoyed a reception featuring a “Class of ’22” cake and other treats.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Art at Harker was in full bloom this past spring, during an array of creative and colorful exhibits held across all four campuses. Enjoy this look back at the varied and impressive artistic talents of students, who happily shared their “labors of love” with the Harker community.
Harker Preschool Holds Second Annual Art Show
For the second year in a row, Harker Preschool held its very own art show on the Union Avenue campus. The “Second Annual Year-End Art Showcase” featured works from every student on campus, which they had made in the art studio throughout the school year.
The captivating exhibit, which ran from May 1 to June 1, included works in the following categories: canvas paintings, self-portraits, ceramics, natural material collage, watercolor paintings, mixed media drawings and more. The exhibit was also a highlight of Grandparents’ Day at the preschool, held in May.
“It was a cumulative display of preschool artistry!” enthused Alexandria Kerekez, Harker Preschool’s art specialist.
Preschoolers of all ages are regularly invited into the art studio to paint, work with clay, hone their pencil skills and learn to observe the world around them while working in a variety of media, according to Kerekez. The school’s outdoor art area allows for further creative expression, where everyday things such as the sun, water and leaves can become part of a project.
Throughout the year, Harker Preschool holds art exhibits. A unique show held in the winter was the “Amazing Rainbow Gallery Show,” in which Kerekez curated a unique display on the exploration and investigation of rainbows. It demonstrated how the preschool curriculum often emerges from the interests of the children – in this case when children observed rainbows in the sky.
Contributions to the show included multimedia artwork from the students, as well as documentation of their work in the STEM and music and movement specialty classes. A fun highlight of the project was when the preschoolers made a rainbow on the ground with roller skates in the outdoor art studio.
When asked about their favorite art project of the year, many of the 4- and 5-year-olds responded that it was “The Canvas Project.” That project, which was included in the spring art show, consisted of a collection of canvas paintings crafted by the eldest preschoolers. The representational work consisted of drafting an image of “a wish” and then translating it into an acrylic painting.
Lower School Art Show Celebrates Artistic Flair of K-5 Students
The lower school art show is a much-anticipated, beloved annual tradition. This year’s exhibition began with an opening reception in the gym’s foyer on the morning of April 27 and ran until May 21.
Sponsored by the lower school art department and after-school art program, the show featured academic and after-school work from K-5 artists. The exhibition was shown in the main office, gym areas (including the lobby, kitchen, by the bleachers, stairwell and balcony), as well as the art rooms.
Exhibiting students once again demonstrated an impressive range of artistic abilities. Art- work on display included monochromatic pencil drawings, watercolor paintings, collages and ceramics. Parents, faculty members and students alike enjoyed the display, which featured works arranged both by theme and grade level.
According to Gerry-louise Robinson, lower school art teacher, this year’s show surpassed expectations. Reminiscing about the exhibit, she recalled: “The color, variety and detail in each and every piece on display would put a smile even on the harshest art critic’s face! Sunflowers, fanciful hens and rock guitars welcomed visitors into the gym lobby, while perfectly poised mannequins and cubist faces quietly watched students enjoy P.E. in the gym itself. Beware the eerie dark trees that followed you up the stairwell, guiding you through fall to winter and onto spring with pumpkins, penguins and printing. Finally, summer appeared with beautiful ceramic balloons and detailed insects. As only a snap- shot of artwork, every grade from kindergarten to fifth helped to transform the lower school into a visual festival of creativity both in flat work and 3-D.”
Hanging on a wall at the top of the stairs above the gym was a fun exhibit called “Ceramic Hot Air Balloons” made by kindergartners. The display featured hot air balloons made of clay, which appeared to be effortlessly floating amid the clouds. Another interesting ceramic display featured an array of colorful cat sculptures created by kindergartners and first graders in the after-school art program. The adorable animals were inspired by the artwork of popular artist Laurel Burch.
“It was cool because you could see your work and everybody else’s and show your friends,” observed Anoushka Khatri, grade 5.
“It was very nice because you could see everyone’s diversity which showed off through their art!” added Anya Warrier, also grade 5.
Grade 6-8 Students Display Works at Both Middle and Upper School Campuses
The middle school’s annual “Spring Exhibition” went on display in April in the up- per school’s main lobby gallery. Featuring selected art from students in all the middle school grades, the show also displayed culminating works from graduating grade 8 Art II students, which were on view in the adjacent college counseling gallery.
The gallery shows held a joint opening reception on April 10. The main gallery exhibition ran through April 22, while the show in the college counseling office ran through May 1. The two shows then moved to the Blackford campus for the May 6 opening of the combined end-of-the-year exhibit in the multipurpose room.
Sponsored by Harker’s middle school visual arts program, the middle school art shows included colorful paintings, sketches, ceramics, figurines and wire sculptures.
This year, Elizabeth Saltos, middle school visual arts teacher, also hosted a just-for-fun, school- wide “Jackson Pollock” cake eating party during the lunch period on May 15. Pollock was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his unique style of drip painting.
“I have a video of Pollock working, and we study his role in developing non-objective art. The kids always want to throw paint like he did, so we throw frosting instead,” explained Saltos.
Students who attended the cake party had a blast eating cake and checking out the art on display in the multipurpose room. Saltos said she felt particularly nostalgic about the graduating grade 8 students, whom she will miss teaching next year as they head off to high school. “These students worked with me for three years and really developed their skills,” observed Saltos.
Grade 8 exhibiting artist Anika Rajamani was one such student. Rajamani had taken Saltos’ elective sculpture course as a way to try something new. Standing in front of a Grecian urn she had created,
Rajamani explained that she had always taken illustration art courses before. “This is the first sculpture piece I have ever made,” she said, proudly. “All the vessels on display here were made using the coil technique.”
Meanwhile, her friend and fellow grade 8 student Ria Gupta had created a ceramic fountain that was on exhibit. The fountains were the culminating project of the advanced ceramics course, whereby each student designed a working tabletop water fountain, with no limits to creativity in terms of design. Both slab and wool techniques were utilized in these impressive works.
“After creating the fountain sculpture, we drilled holes and filled it with a water pump,” said Gupta. In the background came the soothing sounds of running water emanating from the prominently displayed fountains.
Upper School Art Show Transformed to ‘Artstravaganza le Deuxième!’
For many years the upper school art show has featured student works from projects created in its rich arts program. This year the event took on an exciting new twist as the upper school’s art and English departments joined forces to host the “Artstravaganza le Deuxième” during a long lunch in the Nichols Hall atrium on April 29.
The well-attended reception began with the sound of The Harker School Jazz Band performing outside the hall at the beginning of lunch. The show also celebrated the recipients of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and the release of the Harker Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM) 2014-15 publication.
A reading in the auditorium featured the Scholastic winners and HELM contributors, as well as awards presented to selected winners for their works of art. Sarisha Kurup, grade 10, a Scholastic regional gold and silver award winner for writing, read an excerpt from one of her short stories.
Fine arts teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza noted that the Scholastic winners’ reading was a welcome addition to the event. She also said the show was going for a more formal feel this year and noted that it showcased a variety of literary and visual pieces, ranging from poems and short stories to photography, sculptures and drawings.
Sophomore Alexa Gross was a guest speaker. She discussed her thoughts on having her visual pieces included in the exhibit, calling it a “great experience” to be able to showcase her artwork.
After the formal reading and discussion, students proceeded to explore the works on display in the atrium. Among the highlights were photography juxtaposed with narratives, an assortment of wire and wood sculptures, ceramic objects, and numerous illustrations, including still-life and self-portraits.
In February, the AP Studio Art (APSA) exhibit featured a collection of artworks from the largest group of APSA students ever, also in the Nichols atrium. In that show, the artworks of 23 students represented the approximate halfway point of their work on their concentration portfolio for the APSA exam in April.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Near the end of the school year, 24 grade 8 students took to the stage to celebrate the exciting culmination of their work with the middle school’s new optional Discovery X program. During the student showcase, held on the evening of May 20 at the upper school’s Nichols Hall auditorium, the eighth graders shared with fellow participants and their families their experiences as the program’s inaugural members.
The students had been working all year on independent research projects, with support from faculty advisors and outside mentors, many of who were also present at the event.
At the beginning of the evening, students spent time informally mingling with parents and answering questions about their Discovery X endeavors, discussing both the joys and tribulations. Following that, as the program officially got underway, they presented some of the projects they had created.
While the projects they worked on varied greatly, the students all had one thing in common: enormous amounts of enthusiasm for their creations. The endeavors included bicycle building, animation, playwriting, playing the flute, choreography, modern dance, developing an app, podcasting, discovering meditation, pastry artistry, horse photography, developing a board game and sculpting.
Discovery X participant Mathew Mammen chose woodworking, which has always been a passion of his, as his project. “I have always loved working with my hands, and I wanted to use Discovery X to dive further into it. My goals were to become a more knowledgeable and overall better woodworker,” said Mammen. He was mentored by Gary Hinrich, from Harker’s tech department, who is a master woodworker.
“The first thing we made was a chest, where he taught me the basics of woodworking, how to be safe around power tools, and how to go about designing a project. Now we’re working on a wooden sphere that I managed to primarily design myself. In the future, I would like to keep working with Gary, and maybe I could start a woodshop in my family’s garage. I am very grateful for Discovery X,” said Mammen.
Another participant, Devanshi Mehta, recalled that her Discovery X project was to form a Bollywood dance team. “Discovery X gave me the platform to share my ideas and progress with a group, and that motivated me to go further. My mentors checked up on me occasionally, just so that I could stay on track (and I’m very thankful for that). We were able to hold a Bollywood dance workshop at the middle school,” she said.
Discovery X is intended to give student participants the opportunity to more fully explore areas they are passionate about. “It is a journey of learning where they choose their own topic of interest, find a mentor to support their learning, and hopefully gain a better understanding about the topic – and, more important, themselves,” explained middle school art instructor Elizabeth Saltos, who served as one of Discovery X’s 12 faculty advisors.
Moreover, explained Saltos, one of the main goals of the program was to give students practice and enjoyment in the process of learning how to contact and gain knowledge from professionals in their fields of interest.
Discovery X mentors are professionals in various fields, who enjoy passing on their knowledge and expertise to inspire the next generation of innovators, designers, etc. Mentors worked with the students regularly with the support of a Harker faculty facilitator as needed. A few of the student mentors were Harker parents, but the majority were not.
For example, renowned physicist Dr. Leonard Susskind of Stanford University was a Discovery X mentor.
“Why did we name the program Discovery X? Because X is the big question mark! Discovery X is an opportunity to study, create, devise, explore and discover something of personal interest with a widening circle of adults who are committed to the students’ success beyond the classroom,” said middle school English teacher Patricia Burrows, who was instrumental in helping to implement the program.
Burrows, who also served as faculty mentor for the pro- gram, added that while Discovery X requires a meaningful personal commitment and investment on the part of the student, it is not extrinsically rewarded or driven. And, while the process was aided by Harker faculty facilitators and expert (non-Harker) mentors, there were no grades or credits given upon the program’s completion. Moreover, all meetings with the facilitators and mentors took place during the students’ personal time, either at lunch or before and after school.
“We wanted the students to know that we value their passions …. It was not about the outcome but the process,” recalled Burrows, noting that Discovery X is now slated to become an annual opt-in program for the middle school’s eighth graders.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
For the ninth year in a row, young cancer patients attending Camp Okizu will benefit from the annual Harker Cancer Walk.
On March 24, students, parents, family members, faculty and staff from Harker’s four campuses united at the middle school field for the walk, which has become a beloved annual tradition.
Cindy Ellis, middle school head, was thrilled to report that “between the baked goods, smoothies, shirts and donations, we raised over $10,000!”
Located in the Berry Creek area of the Sierra foothills and mirroring a residential camp experience, Camp Okizu provides a safe place for children with cancer to enjoy regular summer camp activities and social events.
The name Okizu (oak-eye-zoo) comes from the Sioux language and means “unity.” Camp Okizu is free of charge to all attendees, but it costs $700 to $1,000 to provide a weeklong camp experience for one child. Therefore, the camp relies on donations, making fundraising efforts such as the Harker Cancer Walk incredibly important.
“There’s always a moment at each Cancer Walk when I stop and look around at everything that’s going on. People are smiling, laughing and talking. There’s hustle and bustle in front of various tables. And even though the event can be a reminder of something sad, it also can be a reminder of those wonderful days gone by,” recalled Michael Schmidt, middle school computer science teacher and department chair, who had the idea for the fundraiser following the passing of his own mother due to cancer.
Today, he said, he no longer views the Cancer Walk as just a tribute to his mother “as much as I think of it as a tribute to the people and relationships I’ve experienced at Harker. Thank you all for sharing that with me.”
Prior to the walk, students engaged in activities to learn about different forms of cancer and cancer prevention strategies. In a further show of support for the fundraising effort, many teachers displayed door decorations with themes designed to promote cancer awareness.
For more information about Camp Okizu: http://www.okizu.org/about.