During the fall semester, students in Kumi Matsui’s middle school advanced Japanese class got to play dress-up for their Supermodel Project. Taking place over two weeks in October, the endeavor let students pretend to be celebrities who were interviewed by other students posing as TV reporters.
Interviews were conducted entirely in Japanese, and the students-as-stars were asked such questions as where they lived, what type of car they owned, and whether they were married or had a significant other. “The students can answer to them as a celebrity, so the answers don’t have to be real. They can live in Hollywood, own a Lamborghini and have Megan Fox as a girlfriend,” Matsui said.
In addition to being great fun for the students, the project functioned as a method to learn and practice how to talk about fashion choices and physical features. Students were required to use at least five verbs in Japanese to describe their wardrobes.
Famed beach volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh visited the Blackford campus on Dec. 21 to give a pair of volleyball clinics to middle and lower school students. A Bay Area native and volleyball star since college, Walsh attended Archbishop Mitty High School and won national titles in 1996 and 1997 while at Stanford University. With her teammate Misty May-Treanor, Walsh was awarded Sportswoman of the Year from the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2004 and 2006. The appearance was arranged with the help of Harker volleyball coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith, a long-time friend of Walsh’s.
“It was really amazing because she’s like my role model and I want to be just like her when I’m older,” said Shannon Richardson, grade 7.
Walsh ran the students through several warm-up exercises and drills, having them work on fundamental aspects of the game such as passing and setting.
“I think fundamentals get glossed over a little bit,” Walsh said. “I feel like, especially at this age level, you need to take the time to really just break the game down.”
Students spent a significant portion of the lesson in pairs, passing and setting the ball to each other. In another exercise, Walsh hit the ball toward each student, who then made an attempt to keep the ball from touching the floor, a skill known as digging. After working rigorously on ball control, the focus shifted briefly to hitting and spiking.
Ball control, Walsh said, is especially important for young volleyball players to learn, and said she noticed improvement in the students’ ball control as the clinic progressed. “If you have great ball control, that means you’ll be an asset to any team,” she said.
“She gave a lot of good advice to us,” said Doreen Kang, grade 7. “It’ll help me a lot.”
Walsh’s biggest piece of advice to the students was to believe in themselves: “Don’t be afraid to look silly and take risks, because that’s when you become great, when you take those risks, and learn from your mistakes.”
The Harker Research Symposium, providing a forum for Harker students to foster their passion for science since 2006, promises to offer more excitement for science enthusiasts in 2011. The symposium, to be held April 23, 8- a.m. -4 p.m. in Nichols Hall, is titled “A Call to Innovation,” and is a salute to the computer science and technology industries. Scott McNealy, founder of Sun Microsystems and a Harker parent, will be the afternoon keynote speaker, with a morning keynote to be announced pending finalization.
“We’re trying to do a two-fold approach this year with our exhibitors,” said Anita Chetty, science department chair. “We want to salute the historical development of Silicon Valley.” The symposium will also take a look toward the future and showcase ideas in development that have yet to reach consumers. Chetty also hopes the symposium will stand as a tribute to Harker’s own contributions to the industry, as many of its graduates and parents have had successful careers in technological fields.
To this end, Chetty has been working with a committee of parents to help gather exhibitors. The exhibitors, she says, will offer interactive displays for visitors to enjoy, in addition to the keynote speakers and student presentations that have become staple aspects of the symposium. Parents interested in helping to bring exhibitors to the research symposium are encouraged to contact Chetty by e-mailing anitac@harker.org.
As always, students in grades 6-12 will play a key role in the symposium, with student poster displays and paper presentations remaining central to its purpose. Submission deadline is Jan. 28. The student organization WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will again have a large hand in planning and running the event.
A Harker middle school student has used his creative talents to help protect a local endangered species. Jonathan Armer, grade 8, and his older sister created a documentary focusing on burrowing owls, a species whose numbers are rapidly decreasing in Santa Clara County. Arranged under the auspices of the local Audubon Society, the Armer siblings worked on the documentary for close to a year, editing the countless hours of footage down to a 13-minute film.
Jonathan Armer, who has been making films for four years, said the most difficult parts of the project were things he could not control. “You can’t get the owls to do what you want,” he said. “You kind of just have to wait for them to do something interesting and then edit out the ‘boring stuff,’” adding that constantly varying light conditions made filming that much harder.
The Armers’ efforts were not in vain. The Audubon Society will be using their documentary as a lobbying tool as they press local city governments to establish and fund conservation plans, including an owl sanctuary at Shoreline Park in Mountain View and on the property of the San Jose Water Pollution Control Plant.
Armer plans to continue pursuing filmmaking, hoping eventually to study at the New York Academy of Film.
To see the documentary, as well as to learn more about conservation efforts, please click here.
The seventh grade class spent the week of Oct. 24 trekking through some of America’s finest national parks to see and learn about some of the country’s greatest natural wonders. Students and chaperones arrived safely on two separate airplanes in Phoenix, and from there embarked on hikes and tours via jeep through lovely Sedona, Ariz., famous for its red rock formations and stunning vistas.
Monday began with breakfast at Northern Arizona University, where the students enjoyed a hearty meal and prepared for a full day of hiking by filling up on snacks. The first stop was the south rim of the Grand Canyon, which was still something to behold despite the harsh weather. “Mother Nature certainly gave us a run for our money,” said Lana Morrison, middle school dean of students. “We experienced cool temperatures, rain, wind and fog.”
After enjoying lunch on the bus, the group enjoyed an IMAX presentation about the Grand Canyon, during which the weather became much more favorable. Upon returning to the Grand Canyon, students enjoyed a quick course in wildlife and geology, hosted by a professor at the University of Utah and the Academic Expeditions guides. Everyone enjoyed dinner at Cameron’s Trading Post before retiring for the evening at the Hampton Inn.
Day three of the trip began at Goulding’s Lodge, where everyone enjoyed breakfast before heading to Utah’s Monument Valley. There, they climbed Skull Rock with the folks from Academic Expeditions and heard stories about the Navajo people, who have lived in the area for thousands of years.
The group enjoyed a barbecue lunch at Moonlight Springs Ranch, where they visited several stations and were taught various aspects of the Navajo culture by the Holaday family, who were enlisted by Academic Expeditions for this stage of the tour. “This process is a once in a lifetime experience that was specifically designed for The Harker School, and Holaday family members traveled from different states to help out with the rotations just to enhance our learning of their beloved culture,” Morrison said. Harker students and chaperones learned how to make fry bread, how to clean wool and how to construct a traditional Navajo shelter, known as a hogan.
Following the activities, Lorenz Holaday blessed the Harker students and chaperones with a Navajo prayer, after which Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs, offered his heartfelt thanks to the Holaday family on behalf of the Harker visitors.
On Wednesday, the group drove toward Page, Ariz., to see Horseshoe Bend. On the way, they swung by the visitor center at Glen Canyon Dam for a brief history lesson. At Horseshoe Bend, a local ranger offered a detailed primer on water management and conservation. The expedition continued at the Colorado River, where students and chaperones rode pontoon boats while enjoying “a mixture of sun and shade,” Morrison said.
The tour guide on the boat trip told stories about John Wesley Powell, a geologist and soldier who explored the Colorado River on three wooden boats. The reservoir Lake Powell was named for him. The boat stopped at small island in the river, where the students finished their lunches and had fun in the sand. Upon boarding the boats, the group continued their ride to Lee’s Ferry.
The day concluded at Kanab, Utah, where some students and chaperones had dinner at the hotel, and others headed to Frontier Town to make a western-themed movie and enjoy a chuck wagon dinner.
Thursday, the final day of the trip, was spent at Utah’s Bryce Canyon, where everyone was treated to views of its famous hoodoos, visually striking protrusions of rock that arise from arid basins. Following dinner, the annual talent show was held at the Crescent Moon Theater. Each bus group performed an entertaining skit, and performances by students and chaperones were enjoyed by all in attendance.
While grade 6 hiked through Yosemite and grade 7 explored America’s national parks, the eighth graders traveled east to the Washington, D.C., area. The students and chaperones landed in Willamsburg, Va., on Saturday and enjoyed a dinner buffet at a local pizza restaurant before checking into the hotel.
The next day, the group made their first major stop of the trip at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement on American soil. Tour guides gave them an in-depth look at the day-to-day lives of settlers in the 1600s, such as how they prepared food and made clothes. Harker students were prepared to give presentations to each other on what they were seeing all throughout the trip, and the first presentations were in Jamestown, given by Sophia Shatas, Ashir Bansal and Helen Wu. Next up was Colonial Williamsburg, which was kicked off by lunch at the King’s Arm Tavern, one of the area’s finest restaurants in 1772. During the tour of the area, students learned much about life in Williamsburg during colonial times, including the workings of the court system and, of all things, how wigs were made and worn. Here, Neil Movva, Apporva Rangan, Harry Xu and Kelly Wang gave presentations.
Following dinner, everyone got to experience an interactive African music program. “For many students, this was the highlight of the day,” said Jennifer Gargano. “We were able to experience music and dance in a slave quarter in Colonial Williamsburg. Not only were the students able to learn about the importance of music at this time but they also actively sang and danced with the family during this program.”
On Monday, the students and chaperones made another trip to Colonial Williamsburg to tour the governor’s mansion. “Seeing the 18th century décor was interesting, but the highlight for the students was walking through ‘the maze’; a six-foot tall hedgerow maze located in the gardens behind the Governor’s Palace,” Gargano reported. After leaving the mansion, students visited colonial-themed businesses such as the blacksmith and silversmith. They also played a round of the colonial game trap-ball, a precursor to the sport we now know as baseball.
At Pamplin Park, one of the most faithfully preserved battle sites from the Civil War, the group visited the Civil War Museum and learned about the lives of soldiers who served in the war. Students Hement Kunda, Megy Appalaraju, Simran Sing and Dylan Patel gave presentations to their groups on the park. After exploring the park and reenacting some moments from the battle, two bus groups visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, while another went to the Jefferson Memorial. “It was absolutely beautiful to see in the evening,” Gargano said of the FDR Memorial.
The next day started with a guided tour of Capitol Hill. One group of students was introduced to a Capitol Hill employee who purportedly spoke 59 languages. One by one, 10 students held a conversation with him in a different language. “They were impressed, to say the least, and immediately understood why he might be a valued employee at Capitol Hill,” Gargano said.
From there, it was off to the Arlington National Cemetery, where the students got to see the eternal flame at the grave site of President John F. Kennedy, the memorial for the space shuttle Challenger and several other important monuments. “ The highlight, of course, was watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by the laying of the wreath ceremony,” Gargano reported. During the ceremony, students Stanley Xie, Ransher Dhaliwal, Nikita Mittal and Savi Joshi laid the wreath at the tomb, with a ribbon inscribed with “The Harker School.” During the bus ride from the cemetery, students Arya Kaul, Nikhil Kishore, Allison Kiang and Nephele Troullinos gave talks about the importance of Arlington National Cemetery to each bus group.
The next stop on this particularly busy day was the American History Museum, where the students got to see the “First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibit, which displayed various dresses worn by past first ladies. Students also enjoyed the exhibition “Science in American Life,” which shows how various scientific advancements have affected American culture, for better or worse. Finally, the group ended the evening with a viewing of the play “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center.
On Wednesday, the students visited the Newseum, which features interactive exhibits about news and journalism. Quite a few students told Gargano “that this was one of their favorite activities thus far.” After watching a film about some of journalism’s most important milestones, the students spent time discovering the Newseum’s many fascinating exhibits. “From what I heard from students,” Gargano said, “they seemed to particularly enjoy the exhibits about Hurricane Katrina and Elvis.” While at the Newseum, students Neil Chitkara, Glenn Reddy and Tiara Bhatacharya gave presentations.
Next was a trip to Gettysburg, site of one of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War, where they received a guided tour of the historic battleground. “Many of the chaperones, in particular, were moved when a few of our students delivered the Gettysburg address by memory on the same grounds where Lincoln first delivered that speech,” Gargano said. The famous speech was recited by students Allison Kiang, Pranav Reddy, Glenn Reddy and Apoorva Rangan. After dinner at Dobbin House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the “underground railroad” that was used to traffic slaves out of the South, the students visited various memorials, including the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the World War II Memorial.
More student presentations were given to help put the visits into perspective. Nikhil Reddy, Julia Wang, Lekha Chirala and Jai Ahuja presented on Gettysburg and the Dobbin House, and Leo Yu, Matt Ho and Leena Kim gave presentations on the memorials.
The final day of the trip was “probably our best thus far from the students’ perspective,” Gargano said. It began with visits to three of Washington, D.C.’s most iconic sites: The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial.
A quick tour of the White House was next on the agenda, and students visited several rooms on the first floor. “The tour was quick but the students were excited they were able to see the interior of the White House,” Gargano reported.
The final two weeks of October were very eventful for the students of grade 6, who met face-to-face with their buddies from Tokyo’s Tamagawa Gakuen during a trip to Francis Beach at Half Moon Bay. Later that day, the entire group visited Lemos Farm for some Halloween-themed fun, including a rousing romp through a haunted house.
Tamagawa students spent Oct. 20-22 at the Blackford campus attending class sessions to observe as well as participate, and took part in special art, dance and drama classes. They also had great fun touring the Exploratorium and its many engaging exhibits with their Harker buddies. While visiting San Francisco, they enjoyed lunch at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Friday evening was spent at a special barbecue dinner hosted by the Gauba family (Alexis, grade 6; Ashley, grade 2). Over the weekend, the Tamagawa students played laser tag and had dinner as a group.
The Harker grade 6 class spent the week of Oct. 25 taking in the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park, while their Tamagawa buddies also explored the park as a separate group. The travelers, which included chaperones Chris Nikoloff, head of school, Cindy Ellis, middle school division head and Susan Moling, middle school Spanish teacher, arrived safely on Monday and enjoyed the “clear blue skies,” said Ellis, who phoned in her daily reports due to limited Internet access. “The night sky was full of brilliant stars and the moon shone brightly throughout the night.”
Everyone made sure to get plenty of rest for Tuesday’s hike to Vernal Falls, which were highly active due to rainfall during the previous week, which also fed the rushing Merced River. Nikoloff accompanied Moling’s group to Glacier Point to witness some of the most spectacular views Yosemite has to offer. Tuesday was a special day for the students, who met up with their Tamagawa buddies at the Boystown amphitheater. Harker students gave some brief speeches to show their appreciation for the Tamagawa visit, and the Tamagawa students sang a song bidding their Harker friends farewell before they departed for Japan the following day. That evening, the Harker students embarked on a night hike beneath the star-filled sky.
Ellis checked in on Oct. 28 to report that everyone was “having a blast.” Hiking was the order of the day for the students, who enjoyed a campfire that evening to recuperate and reflect on the trip. The students returned to the Blackford campus at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday, just in time to enjoy the long weekend and the Halloween festivities.
Cross Country
Harker hosted the annual middle school cross country meet at Blackford in late October. Rather than six races, one each for boys and girls of each grade level, this race is similar to the league finals race in that there are just two races, boys and girls. Harker performed very well this year, with nine runners placing in the top ten. In the girls race, eighth graders Alyssa Amick, Gabi Gupta and Diba Massihpour took places two through four, respectively, while seventh graders Alex Dellar and Mary Najibi took seventh and ninth. In the boys race, our eighth graders had an impressive showing. Thomas Doyle took first with Corey Gonzales close behind at third. Rounding out the placers were Nikhil Kishor, sixth, and Vedant Thyagaraj, eighth.
The team then traveled to Shoreline to compete in the league race. For this race the team score is calculated by adding up the places of the top five finishers on each team. At press time final places and times were not available, but check back soon for the results.
Football
Varsity A football finished off their season on a solid note winning their last three games. They soundly defeated nonleague opponent Valley Christian 28-8 in their second match-up of the season (the Eagles had won their first match with V.C., but in a much more closely contested game). The Eagles then played their final home game against Pinewood in which they triumphed 25-20. The final Varsity A game of the season was a defensive showdown at Crystal Springs. While their first game against Crystal Spring was an offensive shootout, with Harker coming out on top 40-27, this game was decided by only three points, with Harker emerging victorious 12-9. This gave them a league record of 5-4-1.
Varsity B entered the last week of their season with an impressive league record of 5-0, coming off big league wins over Keys and St. Matthews, 18-6 and 40-19, respectively. Their opponent was the also undefeated King’s Academy squad and the winner would in all likelihood be crowned league champion. Unfortunately, the King’s team prevailed 19-0 in the defensive battle that ensued. In their final game of the season the Eagles were forfeited to by Priory, giving them a league record of 6-1 for the season and putting them in uncontested second place.
Junior Varsity A football was handed their first loss of the season against Sacred Heart Middle School. The Eagles were not able to put points on the board and were shut out 20-0. The boys came back strong with big victories over Pinewood, 32-6, and Valley Christian, 20-6, to finish with an overall record of 7-1.
Softball
Softball was also handed their first defeat in a close game against Crystal Springs. The Eagles were missing Regan Heslop, grade 7, who has been a key part of the team offensively and defensively. Even short-handed the girls almost managed to pull off a victory, eventually losing the close match 5-7. However, the team showed its tenacity by coming back two days later and soundly defeating Valley Christian 7-0. In their final game of the season the Eagles played league opponent King’s Academy. The game turned out to be a nail-biter, with Harker coming out on top 6-5. The girls finished the season with an impressive overall record of 7-1, which earned them second place in their league.
Swimming
Swim had their league meet as well last week, but at press time results were not available. Check back soon for updates.
Boot week at Harker precedes the annual grade 6 trip to Yosemite. During this time, the students are required to wear their hiking boots to ensure the footwear is ready for the arduous activity facing them. The sixth graders will meet up with a group of students from Tamagawa Gakuen School in Tokyo with whom they have been corresponding, sometimes for years, via e-mail and video conferences.
In September and October, three video conferences were held at the Blackford campus for grade 6 students to meet their Tamagawa buddies before their visit to Harker in late October. Each of the students chatted with their buddies about what they would like to do during their stay in the U.S. and about what the Harker students would like to do when they visit Japan in May. Parent Etsuko Tischler (Jonathan, grade 6) was on hand to translate. The students’ and buddies’ families were also present to participate. “The parents really appreciated this as they got to meet the families who would be taking care of their children,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education.