A new club on the MS campus, the Research Club, provides a conduit for budding researchers to refine their technique to prepare for large and small venue presentations, but the club wouldn’t be much help without the mentors that make it go.
Club advisors Lorna Claerbout, Ilona Davies and Scott Kley Contini worked hard all through the year to help students ramp up to a new level of research and presentation. The science research club in the MS is Claerbout’s “brain child,” noted Raji Swaminathan, science teacher. “She conceived the idea last year and put it all together and the rest of the department worked with her on that. The amount of time and energy she has devoted to organizing this club on a weekly basis, organizing the Synopsys competitors, and getting the kids ready for the symposium is really huge.”
Harker has encouraged an advancing atmosphere of research since Anita Chetty, US science department chair, was brought to Harker by Diana Nichols in 2001. Chetty started the Harker Research Symposium (HRS) in 2005, but her encouragement of young researchers goes way back: one of the 2009 HRS keynote speakers was Nimet Maherali, whose research career began in her Canadian high school when Chetty, then the AP Biology instructor at her school, “saw something in me that I didn’t see,” said Maherali.
Maherali’s path led to the University of Calgary and Harvard University, where she is a Ph.D. candidate in the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cancer. In her speech, “Cellular Alchemy and the Making of a Research Scientist,” Maherali said that research begins with a question and hers was, “Can any cell become any other cell?” Her results, featured in Time magazine and Discovery Channel’s “Top 10 Science Moments of 2007,” may eliminate the need for embryonic stem cells in research and someday lead to therapies for diseases such as Parkinson’s or Lou Gehrig’s (ALS).
Now, via the MS Research Club, the process of developing good research habits has already paid off. Club member Jackie Wang, Gr. 8, earned a silver medal at the California State Science Fair (see full article, pg. 30). “Ms. Claerbout and Mr. Contini were really encouraging in helping me learn deadlines for applying to science fairs, brainstorm ideas for my experiment, know what steps I needed to prepare my application, and understand how to present the project,” said Wang. “The Synopsys Science Fair was lots of fun and the California State Science Fair was a great experience. Being able to participate in the science fairs made the hours spent in the lab nights and weekends all worthwhile. Having the chance to present my research in the beautiful new science building at the Harker Research Symposium was such a thrill. I would definitely encourage others interested in science research to join the club,” she said.
Chetty was generous with her praise of Harker for supporting the symposium as the pinnacle of the internal Harker research effort. She thanked everyone from workers who set up the rooms to administrators who saw her vision for the symposium as a real presentation venue. “The 2009 symposium was dedicated to Howard Nichols,” said Chetty, “and I want to acknowledge his work, and Diana Nichols’, in making the science center a reality. In addition, and in particular, I want to recognize all students out there who have asked a science question.”
Would you like to have lunch at school served to you by Harker royalty? Lunch is served…by Chris Nikoloff, head of school; Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs; and Cindy Ellis, MS division head, to six Gr. 6 girls on a delightful spring day on the Blackford campus! Under the cool shade of a gazebo, the girls had a memorable dining experience. Madi Bourquin’s parents bought her the teacher auction package offered by English teacher Kate Murphy. While their classmates waited in line for lunch, the girls relaxed at the table in the open-air gazebo at a table adorned by soft linens, silver candelabra and beautiful flowers. They sipped apple juice and ice water from cobalt blue goblets as their wait staff served them a multicourse lunch. The auction package will again be offered at the next family picnic!
Vivace, the MS classical vocal ensemble, traveled to Anaheim in mid-May to sing at the Heritage Festival, an annual celebration of middle school choirs. Each choir sang three pieces of contrasting style for a panel of three judges and then received a clinic from one of the judges. “There are choirs from all around the country at this festival, so the students will have the opportunity to listen to other groups,” said the group’s director, Jennifer Cowgill, before they left.
The group performed “Sound the Trumpet” by Henry Purcell, a Spanish piece called “La Manana in Segovia” by Amy F. Bernon, and a medley of spirituals that included “This Train,” “Get on Board, Little Children” and “River Train.” The festival was held in the performing arts building at Fullerton College, and the students attended an awards ceremony in Disneyland with stellar results.
“The choir received a Superior rating from the adjudicators,” said Cowgill. “This is a huge accomplishment for these kids since this is the first time that I know of that a middle school choir from Harker has attended one of these festivals. I think that their confidence is much higher now! Because of this rating, we now have the opportunity to perform in one of Heritage’s gold level invitational competitions in either New York or Chicago next year.”
Crowds packed the Blackford Theater in May to catch two performances of the MS spring musical. This year, the troupe put on a rousing performance of the Broadway mainstay “Into the Woods,” Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece, which intertwines the stories surrounding several popular fairy tale characters, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella. In the process, the story also reveals the consequences of the characters’ actions and how they affect the lives of those around them. Because of the small cast size, the show was double-cast, meaning one group of performers did the show one night, and a second complete cast performed the next show.
MS performing arts teacher Kikau Alvaro directed and choreographed the casts, who sang and danced admirably throughout the elaborate production. Music teacher Roxann Hagemeyer was the musical director, while Paul Vallerga designed the beautiful scenery and props. The production was also helped along by student crew members Nicolas Semenza and Jeton Gutierrez, both Gr. 6, Wilbur Yang, Gr. 8 and Brian Tuan, Gr. 7.
At the WBAL track meet, Gr. 4-8 boys and girls represented Harker well.
Boys
For the Gr. 4 boys, Evan Dorrian took second in the 100 and sixth in the 200 meters; Arben Gutierrez-Bujari was fourth in the 200 meters, sixth in the 400, and sixth in the 800. Eric Pei also took second in the 800, and the Gr. 4 relay team took third place in the 4 x 100.
These Gr. 5 boys also did well. Johnathon Keller was third in the 50 meters, fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 400. Noko Stearns placed sixth in the 50 and fifth in the 100 meters. Jonathan Yiu took sixth in the 100 meters, Calvin Kocienda was second in both the 200 and 400 meters, Nick LaBruna took fourth in both the 200 and 800 meters, Trevor Lee was sixth in the 800 meters, and the 4 x 100 relay team placed third.
Gr. 6 students continued the success with Corey Gonzales placing fourth in the 400 and winning the 800 meters. Avik Wadhwa was fifth in the 400 meters, Vedant Thyagaraj placed third in the 800 meters and Nikhil Kishore took sixth in the 800 meters. Arjun Ashok took fourth place in the softball throw and Jeremiah Anderson was third in the long jump. The sixth graders also showed their teamwork in the 4 x 100 with the A team taking third and the B team taking fifth.
Adarsh Battu, Gr. 7, placed fifth in the 50 meters, fourth in the 100, third in the 200 and fourth in the softball throw. Classmate Ravi Bhandia was fifth in the 200 meters, and the Gr. 7 relay team took third place in the 4 x 100 relay.
Eighth graders were also well represented. Michael Chen took third place in the 50 meters and second place in the long jump; David Lindars was sixth in both the 200 and 800 meters. Sumit Minocha placed sixth in the 50 meters, second in the 100, and third in the 200, 400, and 800 meters. Ramakrishnan Menon was fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 800 meters, and J.P. Doherty placed fourth in the softball throw. Displaying strong teamwork, the A relay team took second and the B team took sixth in the 4 x 100.
Girls
Gr. 4 girls results were as follows. Sarah Baz won the 400 meters, placed sixth in the 50, third in the 100 and fourth in the 800. Joelle Anderson took fourth place in the 100 meters, second in the 200 and third in the 800 meters, while Meilan Steimle was fifth in the 400 and second in the 800. The relay team finished fifth place in the 4 X 100.
The Gr. 5 girls spread the wins around more than some of the other grades, with Nadia Palte taking fourth place, Panny Shan placing fifth and Shannon Richardson coming in fifth in the 50 meters. Lauren Speckman was sixth in the 100, Regan Heslop won the softball throw and Valerie Wang placed second in the softball throw. The relay team took fourth place in the 4 x 100.
Sixth grade girls also demonstrated a large group of contenders, as Michelle Stack took fifth place in both the 100 and the softball throw; Diba Massihpour placed fourth in both the 200 and 800 and second in the 400 meters, and Alyssa Amick placed fourth in the 400 and third in the 800. Julia Wang was fifth in the 400 meters, Katie Sanchez took fifth in the 800, Safia Khouja took fourth place and Gillian Wallin tied for fifth in the softball throw. The A and B relay teams took fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the 4 x 100.
Our Gr. 7 girls didn’t place in any events, but Roshmi Bhattacharya, Gr. 8, won the 800 and 1200, and placed fourth in the 400. Jacqueline Jordan, Gr. 8, came in second in both the softball throw and the long jump, and placed sixth in the 800 meters. The Gr. 8 relay team placed sixth in the 4 x 100.
With all these impressive results, Harker’s future in track and field looks bright indeed!
Even while school’s out, MS and US student athletes can work on athletic conditioning. Two options for incoming Gr. 7-12 students are the Eagle Iron conditioning program and a strength training program.
Eagle Iron, a tough, well-rounded workout for incoming Gr. 7-12 Harker student-athletes, is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. June 15 to July 30. Paperwork must be completed in advance, but attendance is optional.
Participants should eat a nutritious carb-heavy breakfast, wear workout clothes and bring a water bottle. In addition to this conditioning program, Jaron Olson, US athletic trainer, will provide ongoing treatment of athletic injuries as well as strength training instruction. Students who need attention outside of Eagle Iron hours can schedule appointments.
For more information on the Eagle Iron program, please contact Coach Theresa Smith at theresas@harker.org or coach Karriem Stinson at karriems@harker.org. To contact Olson about strength training or treatment of athletic injuries, please call 408-345-9245, or e-mail him at jarono@harker.org.
Coach Jim McGovern reports, “The Gr. 4 baseball team has been steadily adding to their experience and knowledge. Fielding, hitting and running the bases have all improved due to the dedication and determination of this group of players.” Game situations, stealing bases and pitching were the focus over the final few weeks of the season. Standout performances have included the power hitting of Alex Youn, Edward Tischler, Alex Mo and Brandon Stoll as well as the stellar fielding and catching of Alexander Lam, Brandon Chow, Aashish Jain and Varun Baldwa. McGovern added, “They have relished the chance to put their skills to the test and play games with and against the fifth graders.” The enthusiasm and overall excitement of the fourth graders this year can be summed up by the cheer written by Nikhil Manglik and Alexander Lam: “Our pitcher, he is great with a ball, when he throws, he never hits the wall. Our batters are the very best, they put the defense to the test! Our base runners go with lightning speed, you’ll never know when they’ll take a lead! Harker, Harker, yes we rule! The other teams – they simply drool.”
The Gr. 5 baseball team has showed great determination in staying focused throughout the season. The Eagles only had one game this year, but have been preparing with intrasquad exhibition games as well as challenging our fourth graders to some games. The team is led by Trevor Lee, who has shown a tremendous amount of talent at any position. Coach Walid Fahmy was looking forward to the big bat of Kevin Wang and the speed of Jonathan Yiu and Suraj Jagadeesh helping the boys to be competitive. Fahmy was extremely happy with the outlook of the team and was looking forward to finishing up with a strong season.
JV A baseball started the season with a close game (2-3) against Priory, and faced a tough schedule this season. They had an 0-3 record at press time, and were continuing to develop their skills.
The varsity A baseball team, coached by Joe Mentillo and Manny Martinez, is out to gain the respect of the league and is playing some fundamentally sound and competitive baseball. The squad is led by eighth graders Kevin Cali (shortstop/pitcher), Drew Goldstein (catcher/shortstop), J.P. Doherty (center field) and Oliver Chen (pitcher). Matt Harris (catcher) is off to a sizzling start leading the team in hits and playing solidly at catcher.
Volleyball
The Gr. 4 volleyball girls have been learning the fundamentals, including the bump, set and spike. They have also practiced footwork and timing of hitting the ball. Coach Tomas Thompson reports, “They have shown enthusiasm, positive sportsmanship and are eager to learn more about the game. The team has demonstrated consistent improvement and team play this season.” Outstanding effort and attitudes have been shown by Chetana Kalidindi, LeAnn Nguyen, Lindsey Trinh and Ankita Uppugunduri.
The Gr. 5 JV B5 volleyball team was 4-0, despite playing against only Gr. 6 teams. Coach Michelle Hopkins commented, “The girls are all doing an excellent job. Lauren Speckman has an awesome serve and is a positive influence on the rest of the team. All the other girls are playing great. I think volleyball is the sport at Harker!”
The JV B6 volleyball girls improved tremendously over the course of the season and their game scores are getting closer and closer. Coach Loreen Talagtag states, “Leeza Kuo and Helen Wu are key players on the team as they have fantastic serves! Simran Singh has improved tremendously over the course of the season.”
The varsity B2 girls have won two games, which pleased Coach Talagtag because they have had some really tough teams in their division. All the games have been really close but the girls lost by a couple of points. Talagtag reports, “Christina Wong and Manini Desai are key players to look out for. Also Callie Ding has improved so much in the small period of time that we’ve had. These girls are so talented and I’m very proud of how far they’ve come.”
The junior varsity A girls team had a 2-1 record at press time; varsity B girls were 4-2.
The varsity A girls volleyball team is having another phenomenal season. Under the direction of coach Michael Leonard ’04 and assistant coach Christine Emery, Gr. 12, the girls had lost only one game this season at press time, with a 3-1 record. The team is undefeated in league play and is in pursuit of the league championship. The coaches have been getting outstanding contributions from everyone, most notably Amie Chien, Gr. 8, Mercedes Chien, Gr. 7 and Paulomi Bhattacharya, Gr. 8. Leonard states, “The team bonding activities we take part in throughout the season have really helped this team come together. The team is united in pursuit of our goal, which is the league title. I could not be more proud of what these girls have accomplished as a team!”
The varsity B boys team was undefeated at 4-0 for the season. Great job, boys! The varsity A boys volleyball team, coached by Pete Anderson, finished the season with a 9-5 record. The team was led by eighth graders Michael Chen, David Lindars, Bobby Kahlon and Josh Tien.
Tennis
The MS tennis team, comprising 18 players in Gr. 6-8 with USTA ranking, finished the season 17-2 overall. The team was led by eighth graders Jenny Chen and Niki Bedekar and sixth graders Vikram Chari and Deepa Dhore, who are all top-ranked in their respective age groups. Coach Ganesh Vaidya’s hope for continued success was achieved as the girls defeated Bret Harte 7-2 to win the MTP championship!
The Blackford gym was abuzz with activity as 157 Gr. 8 students prepared to take the next step in their educational lives at the Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony on June 3.
After the students took their seats, head of school Chris Nikoloff welcomed the afternoon crowd of students, parents and faculty, and introduced MS division head Cindy Ellis, who greeted the Class of 2013, saying they were a very spirited group with a caring perspective. The crowd then rose to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. After a singing performance that included “The Harker School Anthem” and the handing out of the annual awards, the students rose one at a time to receive their certificates. As they left the stage, the students were also given leis made of candy as a congratulatory treat.
MS English teacher Patricia Lai Burrows then gave a heart-warming closing speech, congratulating the eighth graders on their hard-earned success and wishing them well in their high school careers. She bid them farewell with the Hawaiian saying “Aloha Ohana,” which fittingly translates to “Goodbye Family.”
“I have had the pleasure of knowing the Class of 2013 since their beginning days at Harker in kindergarten, first or second grade,” said MS dean of students Lana Morrison. “It has been a privilege to be part of their lives for such a long time. Watching them grow into young men and women has been an amazing experience.”
It all started with author/photographer Rick Smolan’s visit as part of the Harker Speaker Series. That visit spurred the founding of the MS Blue Planet Group and culminated with the visit of Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water.
Eighth grade science teacher Lorna Claerbout and many of her students went to hear Smolan speak. “Smolan’s talk opened my eyes to the need for clean water worldwide,” said group member Emily Wang, Gr.8.
Varun Gudapti, Gr. 8, added “he gave me the knowledge to make others aware of the impact of water.” Classmate Sondra Costa suggested the group could raise money to support one of Smolan’s “water heroes,” Scott Harrison, whose charity charity: water uses 100 percent of donations to build wells to get potable water to people in need.
Thus was born the Blue Planet Group. “About 45 people showed up to our first meeting,” said Lori Berenberg, Gr. 8. “Since then, we have focused on getting organized into committees that have their own focus in educating and fundraising to achieve our goal of funding a well,” she said. The group managed to raise $5,000, enough for the building of a new well in Africa, and doubling their original goal of $2,500.
Harrison heard about the Harker effort and offered to visit while on a visit at the end of May to speak at Apple, Google and Twitter. Harrison came first to the MS campus, then to the US campus to address student assemblies.
Just before the assembly began, Harrison tweeted, “about to talk to kids in San Jose about water. I used to hate first period!” After the assemblies he tweeted about “awesome kids at Harker.” In fact, he was so impressed with the original educational posters created by the Blue Planet Group that he took a photo of one and put it on posted a tweet of it, noted Claerbout.
Harrison’s impact was felt immediately and Berenberg posted comments to the club’s forum right after the visit: ”Well, the big day has come and gone. Scott Harrison gave his speech, and personally, I think it was a great success. I know a lot of my friends who weren’t really into it before are now so excited to help and realize that the clean water crisis is a real issue. That is really what we were trying to achieve here and we got it! I’m so proud of everyone because if it weren’t for each and every one of us, he wouldn’t have come and we would be nowhere near where we are today.”
Students have used a variety of efforts to educate and raise funds, including a school meeting presentation, a bake sale, a photo booth, and a water-themed school dance. “We decided it would be great if we could make it water-themed so people … understand what they are donating to if they gave money to the Blue Planet Group,” said Berenberg.
“The middle school students have been passionately working on the issue since Smolan’s presentation, so it was a fantastic way for the students to not only wrap up their current fundraising project, but help them continue their momentum when they start at our upper school next year. A partnership between middle and high school students has been proposed and is the works for next year,” said Claerbout.
In addition to the student club, water is the focus of a number of class projects. Angela Neff, Assistant Director of Instructional Technology at the Middle School and computer science teacher, noted her Population Studies classes have been “focusing their research on the international water crisis all year as a part of our Global 20/20 program sponsored by NAIS,” she said, further noting, “Tim (Culbertson’s) (computer science) classes are doing infectious diseases which are deeply exacerbated by water: too much, too little, or too dirty.”
Finally, Spanish teacher Susan Moling said her Unit 5 in Spanish class is all about conservation. “My students just made some amazing mini-posters about conservation including water, culminating in video public service announcements created in Spanish. I think the cross-curricular application is wonderful and gives the kids a real sense of pride knowing that everyone is working on such a critical issue,” she said.
For next year, Jennifer Abraham, global education director, is working with interested eighth grade teachers on a water project in collaboration with the Bayn Garden School in Saudi Arabia. Locally the focus will be to learn more about our own watershed and water issues here in California.
During a morning assembly in May, members of the MS Blue Planet group gave a presentation on the importance of clean water. Students were shown an enlightening video documenting developing nations’ unsanitary water conditions and their fight to install clean water wells. Afterwards, a highly entertaining “water dance” was performed by some members of the group and free water bottles were handed out. Inspired by Harker Speaker Series guest Rick Smolan, the middle schoolers have worked hard to raise both awareness and funds to support this organization.