This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
In early May, Grandparents’ Day was held at both Harker Preschool and the lower school. On this charming day, grandparents and “grandfriends” toured the campuses and participated in activities with the special children in their lives.
A long-standing tradition at Harker, the day gives students on both the lower school and preschool campuses the opportunity to welcome grandparents or adoptive “grandparents-for-the-day” to the school for an educational and memorable visit in their honor.
On the preschool campus, the morning of exploration and play allowed teachers and specialists to provide a glimpse of all the incredible happenings at Harker Preschool. There were a variety of displays and interactive activities from the preschool’s talented staff, including the art, music and movement and STEM specialists.
At the lower school, the theme of the day was “Hawaii,” with entertainment and activities such as hula lessons, lei and other craft making, a photo booth, luau food and Hawaiian shave ice. Other highlights of the day included performances by lower school ukulele players, singers and dancers, and extended book fair hours.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
This year’s Head of School’s Circle Celebration, held in early April, was a momentous event as it recognized the generous donors who made gifts of $2,500 or more to the school in the last year.
The event allows donors to see the impact that their contributions have had on students’ educational experiences. The evening began with a champagne welcome and remarks from Chris Nikoloff, head of school.
Parents were then entertained with performances by Varsity Dance Troupe, Downbeat and Dance Fusion. Between each performance, students shared how various programs have enriched their educational journeys at Harker.
Senior Jonathan Yiu spoke about joining the basketball team, classmate Kristen Park explained how dance and orchestra gave her a newfound passion, which she is carrying on to college, and Shannon Richardson, also a senior, spoke about her volleyball experience and how it made her not only a well-rounded athlete but also a well-rounded student.
Junior Kayvon Solaimanpour, a member of Downbeat, explained how various programs allow students an opportunity to achieve balance between academic work and extracurricular interests.
The event showcased programs from various divisions, including the lower school’s Makerspace program, middle school’s Discovery X, the robotics program, the Near and Mitra scholar endowments, and the Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program, as well as numerous academic competitions in which students participate, including math and economics.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
In late April, the 2016 John Near and Mitra scholars were honored at a reception in the Nichols Hall auditorium. Then in May, six Harker teachers were announced as grant awardees from the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program, allowing them to pursue a variety of professional development opportunities.
Near and Mitra Endowments Established in 2009 and 2011, respectively, The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund and the Mitra Excellence in Humanities Endowment have allowed students to pursue research on a wide variety of topics.
Donna Gilbert, upper school history and social science chair, opened the Near and Mitra event by remembering beloved history teacher John Near, who passed away in 2009, saying, “He inspired in his students a love for the excitement of historical exploration, which lives on in this special program.”
Gilbert also shared her appreciation for the Mitra family, “whose vision and kindness extended the scholars program to allow students opportunities to study topics in the broader disciplines of the humanities and social sciences.”
This year’s John Near scholars were seniors Jasmine Liu (“A House Divided: Residential Segregation in Santa Clara County”), Sadhika Malladi (“Graphic Soldiers: Popular Sentiment as Reflected in Captain America and Spider-Man”), Zarek Drozda (“Learned Lessons: Financial Innovation and the Panic of 1873”) and Sahana Narayanan (“‘Bee-Boppa-Doe’: The Sounds of Musical Revolution”).
The 2016 Mitra scholars were seniors Elisabeth Siegel (“Ideology Through Subliminal Propaganda: A Critique of Portrayals of Palestine and Palestinians in Israeli and Western Online News Media during Operation Protective Edge”), Kaitlyn Gee (“Pretty in Punk: An Examination of European Female Punk Rock of the 70s and 80s Through a Feminist Lens”), Natalie Simonian (“Whispers in Russia: The Influence of the Rumors Surrounding Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on the Russian Revolution and Their Role in the German Effort to Overthrow the Tsarist Regime”) and Kavya Ramakrishnan (“The Eggleston Effect: Color Photography as Fine Art”).
These eight seniors conducted “hundreds of hours of research that led … to scholarly analysis of musical scores, journals, maps, images, song lyrics, interviews and on and on,” said library director Sue Smith. All of the scholars took the stage to share their thoughts on their research and thank their mentors for their invaluable guidance.
Malladi also thanked her parents “for almost believing me when I said I was reading comic books for research. “Being a Near scholar has been an incredible experience,” she continued. “I realized it was my responsibility to think critically about what I read.” Gee also had kind words for her mentors, upper school English teacher Ruth Meyer and Smith. “Their encouraging, patient and accommodating nature is beyond compare,” she said. She also expressed her gratitude to Harker “for providing me with 13 years of outstanding education.” A video of the entire reception is now available for viewing at https:// harker.wistia.com/medias/asuuh39xd1.
Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program
The 2016-17 awardees in the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program were also recently announced. Launched in 2015, this program awards grants to teachers seeking professional development opportunities.
It is the most recent opportunity provided by the Raju and Bala Vegesna Foundation, which has also supported the summer tech grant program and the Harker Teacher Institute. Scott Kley Contini, middle school director of learning, innovation and design, will use his grant to provide Harker teachers with a special class on design thinking, taught by a professor from Stanford University’s d.school.
Preschool science teacher Robyn Stone will work with the Lawrence Hall of Science in a series of workshops about early childhood education, titled “Physics and Engineering Design.” Galina Tchourilova, upper school French teacher, will attend a program in Vichy, France, that instructs French teachers from around the world on teaching methodologies.
Upper school history teacher Andrea Milius will travel to Greece to attend a summer session at The American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Finally, upper school science teachers Kate Schafer and Chris Spenner will head to Alaska to participate in a program at the Inian Islands Institute to learn how to improve student understanding of climate change.
To learn more about the Near and Mitra grants, visit http://library.harker.org/upperlibrary/ nearmitra. For more information on Harker’s endowment giving opportunities, visit https://www.harker.org/giving/ endowment-planned-giving.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
On May 3 Harker took a historic step toward building its new athletic and performing arts centers. On that day, students, faculty, staff, donors and the board of trustees gathered and broke ground during an afternoon ceremony on Rosenthal Field, site of the new facilities.
Since Harker’s founding in 1893, the school has been committed to bringing out the best in students by helping them discover their talents and reach their full potential. It was with this clear vision in mind that Head of School Chris Nikoloff made his opening remarks to the crowd before introducing Diana Nichols, chair of the Harker Board of Trustees and former head of school.
Nichols thanked the donors for their vision and generosity. She gave a special thank you to alumni parents Suhas and Jayashree Patil (Teja Patil ’02) who were in attendance and were among the first visionary benefactors who supported the expansion of Harker to include a preschool. The theater in the performing arts center will be named in their honor. Nichols acknowledged the close involvement of the Harker trustees, noting that they have worked quietly and in the background on every detail; without their effort the project could not have come to fruition.
Addressing the students, she said: “Students, you are the very heart of this project. Everything we have done and are doing is for you, and I thank you for being the kind of student body that inspires the adults in your life to want to do good things for you.”
Nichols noted that Harker was fortunate to have true leaders in Harker parents Jeffrey and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac ’14; Jackiel, grade 12). “The Rothschilds’ $10 million matching gift was crucial to making the project possible and inspired others to rise to the challenge,” she said.
Shortly after, the Harker Eaglets presented flowers to the Rothschilds. In addition, the Patils were honored for being the first donors to support the capital campaign for a theater. Numerous groups of people were then given the honor of breaking ground with gold-painted shovels. Members of the board of trustees, donors including faculty and staff members, the construction team, performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, athletic director Dan Molin, as well as student council representatives of every grade level, all took turns digging.
Harker continues to focus on all aspects of the school’s mission by supporting numerous, broad extracurricular programs that enhance opportunities for students to discover their passions and thrive in their respective fields of interest. Whether playing on the court, taking center stage or participating in one of many extracurricular events, these new facilities will have a long-lasting positive impact on all students and their families.
Beginning in June 2016 Harker launched two new state-of-the art building projects on the upper school campus, the result of a $45M capital campaign. The 33,000 square-foot athletic center, opening August 2017, features a 12,000 sq.-ft. gym, athletic training room with advanced hydrotherapy unit, and spacious team rooms. The Rothschild Performing Arts Center, opening spring of 2018, features a 450-seat theater with fly loft and hydraulic orchestra pit, a state of the art scene shop, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater classrooms and dressing rooms. For more information visit the news and video links below or contact communications@harker.org
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
The 2016 Harker Golf Classic united Harker parents, alumni, alumni parents and their friends at the renowned Stanford Golf Course to raise funds for Harker’s general endowment. For the second year in a row, the event was presented by the Harker Alumni Association.
The April 11 event brought 96 golfers out on a pleasant spring day. Jeremy Pomer ’91 was the event chair, while former Harker faculty member Howard Saltzman and current lower school math teacher Pat Walsh served as honorary marshals for the day. The marshals had a great time handing out prize ribbons and libations to golfers.
“Everyone had a wonderful time, made all the more meaningful with the knowledge that it was good fun for a good cause!” enthused Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations.
A variety of special awards and prizes, as well as numerous generous sponsors, helped make the day special. Capping off the event was a 19th hole reception with live music on the clubhouse patio for golfers, as well as non-golfers wishing to join in on the fun.
A highlight of the day was the announcement of the winning foursomes. The winning men’s foursome comprised Harker parent Mike Armstrong, Trask Leonard, Josh Breeding and Rodney Plett ’81. The winning women’s foursome comprised Thu Ka, Connie Kim, Kavita Patel and Kavita Tankha, all Harker parents.
The Stanford Golf Course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus. In 2009, it was rated the nation’s third-best college course by golf coaches.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Over spring break, a group of 16 Harker history students in grades 9 and 10 took an amazing trip through Italy and Greece, absorbing the rich history and culture of both countries. The journey gave the students the rare opportunity to see many historical sites in person and hear the fascinating stories behind them.
The students, accompanied by upper school world history teacher Andrea Milius, global education director Jennifer Walrod, and upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn, arrived in Rome after a 12-hour flight. They checked into their hotel, then headed off to dinner, which included authentic Italian pizza and fried mozzarella.
The next day they ventured to the famous Trevi Fountain and Piazza Venezia before heading to Piazza Navona for gelato. After trekking through the city and sampling more local food, they headed to the Spanish Steps for a bit of shopping, then to the Piazza Del Popolo to take in some local scenery.
A highlight of the day was a trip to Vatican City, where the group toured the lovely gardens and a museum filled with papal carriages that had been used in the last several centuries to protect the pope on international visits. At the Vatican’s renowned art galleries, the students viewed works such as the sculpture of “Laocoon and His Sons.”
They also got an up-close look at the many paintings adorning the walls and ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, including the famous works of Michelangelo and Botticelli, and took a stroll through St. Peter’s Basilica, which houses Michelangelo’s sculpture of “Pieta.” After taking a break for lunch at St. Peter’s Square, they explored the Domitilla Catacombs, which Milius observed “were comprised solely of volcanic ash, which we could scrape off.” Returning to Rome, the students enjoyed more shopping, gelato and dinner near Via del Corso before returning to their hotel to rest up.
The students got an early start on day three with an 8 a.m. bus ride to the Colosseum, where they learned that Colosseum gladiators were “criminals, slaves or men looking to pay off their debts; they were trained in a school adjacent to the structure,” wrote Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9, in one of several blog entries about the trip. “Because of the prize money and adoration, over time men would choose this profession.”
Their tour of the Colosseum was followed by a walk past the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Senate House and more. Their hike through Rome continued with stops at the Castel Sant’Angelo (the burial site of Hadrian, one of the “Five Good Emperors”), the Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum and Via del Corso.
The day was capped off by another delicious meal and reflections on their trip through one of the world’s most historic cities. “We are sad to leave Rome, but excited to explore Naples and Capri tomorrow,” wrote Dharmaraj.
Waking up early the next morning, the students traveled by bus to Naples, where a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea awaited them. The group took a boat to the nearby island of Capri, where they admired its amazing rock formations and learned about its history as a popular vacation spot for Roman emperors and home to authors such as Norman Douglas, Friedrich Alfred Krupp and Axel Munthe.
At Capri Village, the group explored the various shops and purchased products made from lemons, a fruit for which Capri is particularly famous. They then boarded a boat bound for Sorrento, where they stayed the night. After unloading their luggage, they enjoyed dinner and a sampling of Sorrento’s nightlife. “It was awesome,” reported Dharmaraj, “We bought many different things, like ties, tea cups, leather gloves, sunglasses and clothes for great prices. We even saw a mini puppet show!”
The next day, everyone traveled by bus to Pompeii, the city famous for being buried under ash and rock during the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The students viewed casts of some of the bodies discovered by archaeologists, and their tour guide gave them a look into Pompeiian daily life and commerce.
“Pompeii was a business city, so there were small businesses around every corner,” Dharmaraj wrote. “Along these streets, various items were sold: clothes, drinks and foods.”
After wrapping up their tour of Pompeii, the group boarded a ferry to Greece to begin the second stage of their trip. On their first day in Greece, the group started their lengthy trip to Delphi, stopping for lunch in Glovinos and enjoying a brief jaunt on the shore of the Ionian Sea. Upon reaching Delphi, they explored the narrow streets and local shops, and purchased food to feed the stray dogs they encountered. “From goats to stray cats and chickens, we were pleasantly surprised by the wonders of this alcove in the altitudes of Greece,” Dharmaraj wrote.
The group awoke early the next morning ready for a full day in Greece which began with a tour of Delphi’s historical sites, including the Temple of Apollo.
“Our tour guide Angelica first introduced us to some background on Delphi itself, the small town actually originally being a religious center rather than a city,” Dharmaraj reported. “Legend has it that Apollo’s first arrival in Delphi angered Mother Nature, so to reconcile with her, he demanded that priestesses instead of priests should be the main religious guides.”
These priestesses of the Oracle of Delphi were said to receive divinations by inhaling gases and then sharing their insights with visiting diplomats and rulers. Continuing on, the group also explored the ruins of the stadium, which was the site for many Olympic games. Their last stop in Delphi was a nearby museum, which housed one of only two Greek charioteer
statues left in the world. Dharmaraj briefly recounted the story of its miraculous discovery: “An earthquake buried this statue, saving it from Emperor Nero, who stole most of the others.”
On the bus trip to Athens, the group admired the Greek countryside and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Upon arriving, they enjoyed a short walk through the town square and briefly explored the city. That evening, they took a guided tour of the legendary Greek Orthodox church, the Metropolis, and explored the streets of Athens and its many shops and eateries before returning to their hotel for a good night’s rest.
The next morning the students toured numerous landmarks in Athens, including the statues of important Greek Civil War-era politicians and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“Whereas in America, the memorial contains a tomb of the remains of an actual unidentified soldier, the memorial in Athens is dedicated to the numerous soldiers who died in all the wars of the history of the Peloponnesian peninsula,” observed Brian Park, grade 9.
At the Acropolis, known first as a citadel for Athens and later as a place of religious significance, the students took in the wonder and history of one of the world’s most famous landmarks. “According to legend, King Cecrops, the first king of Athens who also happened to be half man half snake, built his palace there,” Park wrote. “As time passed, the Acropolis of Athens soon became a place of worship.
During the Golden Age of Athens, temples such as the Parthenon began to be constructed.” The Acropolis’ accompanying museum housed many statues that were once housed in the famous structure. “While many of the statues were damaged in some shape or form, we were able to see how careful the sculptors were in constructing them,” wrote Park.
For more student comments, details and photos from this trip, visit the Italy and Greece student blog!at http://harkeritalygreece2016. blogspot.com/. To read more global education stories, visit Harker News at https://staging.news.harker.org/tag/ global-education.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Harker library director Sue Smith and upper school librarians Lauri Vaughan and Meredith Cranston contributed an article on information literacy to the May/June issue of Knowledge Quest, the journal of the American Association of School Librarians. In the article, titled “An Argument for Disciplinary Information Literacy,” they discuss the importance of teaching information literacy to students in a manner appropriate for each discipline.
In April, Daniel Hudkins, Harker’s director of learning, innovation and design (LID), attended the Associated Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) Conference in Atlanta. He co-presented with Jamie Britto, CIO of the Collegiate School in Richmond, Va., on the topics of security and data privacy, sharing a recent occurrence of ransomware appearing on Harker’s network. The conference also provided Hudkins with valuable lessons.
“Among the most important were the importance of having and maintaining planned responses to emergency situations, and that the role of information technology in independent schools is continuing to grow not only as it applies to student learning, but also as it is used as a better way of analyzing data and enhancing productivity,” he said.
Upper school art teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza was recognized as an artist laureate by SVCreates for her contribution to the arts and culture of Silicon Valley. SVCreates, which identifies itself as “a network of leaders” whose goal is to “ignite investment and engagement in our creative culture,” recognizes five artist laureates each year, awarding them with a cash prize to help them continue their work in the arts. In addition to her work as an arts educator, Agüero-Esparza has been active as an artist and arts administrator throughout the Bay Area. Her work has appeared at the San Jose Museum of Art, Triton Museum of Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Santa Cruz Museum, among others.
Please welcome Whendy Carter as Harker’s new preschool director! Carter comes to Harker from New York City, where she served as an educational coach for the NYC Department of Education and Bank Street College of Education. Her previous experience also includes directing the Montclare Children’s School and the Church of the Epiphany Day School and several years as a preschool teacher. As a preschool advisor to The Parents League of New York, she led workshops on early childhood education, and as adjunct professor at Hunter College’s School of Education, she taught a graduate course in early childhood creative arts.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
After another stellar season, the Harker boys golf program has proven itself as one of the best in the state. The team won its third consecutive league title, while going undefeated in league for the second year in a row, winning each league match by an average of 27 strokes and stretching its league winning streak to 22 matches. It placed second in CCS, third in NorCals and sixth in state, further cementing its position as a force to be reckoned with. Since her first year as head coach in 2011, Ie-Chen Cheng has seen the team steadily improve to the point where one of the most difficult parts of her job is deciding on a lineup. “This year, we have not fielded the same lineup once,” said Cheng. “We go 10-11 [golfers] deep. And it’s a very nice luxury to have.” In fact, eight different golfers led the team in scoring this season.
What’s more, the team has proven its prowess against some formidable opponents. “To keep everyone sharp with such a deep squad, we purposely scheduled a very tough season,” stated Cheng. “We play the best competition.” Early season success against this top competition gave the Eagles a confidence that they rode all the way to the state finals. “Our very first tournament was the Joe Gambetta Tournament at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch,” said Victor Shin, grade 10. “There, we had a nice fourth place finish, which really boosted our confidence, but showed us that we still had a long way to go.”
The team’s success continued as it finished third at the Marin Catholic Wildcat Invitational, where it beat many of the best teams in the Bay Area. “With the added confidence, we just kept moving forward,” stated Avi Khemani, grade 11. “We had our best finish ever at the Champions’ Invitational in Palm Springs, finishing sixth out of over 40 teams nationally.” Khemani led the Eagles in Palm Springs, tying for 17th out of 250 individual golfers. Sprinkled around these tournaments was a dominating undefeated league season that was a testament to the team’s devotion, passion and work ethic. “The amount of dedication and commitment that each of the players put into this game really defines this team and makes it this good,” stated Shin. “With everyone putting many hours into golfing and wanting to improve every day,” added Khemani, “we’ve become a team that has a great chance to win every tournament that we play.”
Although team members have their eyes on a state title, they also strive to be their best in the classroom. “After seeing the success of Maverick [McNealy ’13, Stanford University] and Shrish [Dwivedi ’15, Duke University] at an elite level, the boys had great role models and want to follow in their paths of success on and off the course,” explained Cheng. “Going to a great university which offers both excellent academics and a golf program is important to them.” Continuing on this path is the lone varsity senior Dakota McNealy, who will play golf with his brother at Stanford in the coming year.
The boys ended the year by facing the best competition in California at the state finals. Although they fell short of their ultimate goal, what they took from their time at state will only serve to help this talented group in the future. “We learned how to play in this type of environment,” said Sandip Nirmel, grade 11, “so next year we will have the experience to play even better.” Looking ahead to next year, the Eagles have reason to be very optimistic. “I think we have a good shot at making it to the state championship again next year, but nothing is guaranteed,” said WBAL Golfer of the Year Ryan Vaughan, grade 11. “We have to keep working and playing our game.”
Losing just one senior and returning all six golfers who competed at the state finals, as well as promoting some of the talented JV players and middle schoolers, the Harker golf team looks like it will continue to be among the best in the West for years to come.
McNealys Make Golf a Family Affair
Some of the success of Harker’s upper school golf program over the past few years can be credited to the talents of one family. Since 2009 the McNealy brothers – Maverick ’13, Dakota, grade 12, Colt, grade 11, and Scout, grade 9 – have helped the program become a powerhouse. When Maverick and Dakota were very young, their parents decided to choose a family sport that they could play with their children, and golf seemed like a natural fit. “We almost spend more time together on the golf course than off of the golf course,” stated Scout. All that time on the course was not only great for family bonding, but also developing the talents of the four boys.
With three McNealys on this year’s varsity boys golf team, the brothers are spending even more time together, and enjoying every day on the course.
“It’s definitely fun,” said Dakota. “Luckily, we are all mature enough now that we aren’t excessively competitive, so we aren’t a distraction to each other.”
The McNealys show this maturity, as well as their skill, in their scores. At a tournament earlier this year, “Scout led the field in par-3 scoring average, I led the field in par-4 scoring average and Dakota led the field in par-5 scoring average,” recalled Colt.
At this year’s CCS regionals, Scout tied with teammate Avi Khemani, grade 11, for the team lead and a fifth place finish. In the CCS finals, Dakota led the team with a fifth place finish. All three McNealy brothers helped advance this team further than any golf team in Harker history.
“What impresses me the most is how much they are each other’s biggest fans even during times when they are competing against each other,” stated Harker’s golf coach, Ie-Chen Cheng. “They don’t get jealous of each other’s accomplishments but rather utilize it to get better.”
When an entire family plays the same sport, the natural question becomes, “Who is the best?” Even though older brother Maverick is one of the best college golfers in the nation, Colt says the best McNealy golfer is their mom. “She could probably win a few LPGA major championships if she wanted to chase that career.” In the fall, Dakota will join Maverick at Stanford, but Colt and Scout still have time to help the Harker golf program reach its ultimate goal of a state title.
On Oct. 10, all four Harker campuses celebrated the birthday of Howard Nichols, the longtime Harker president who was crucial to Harker’s identity as a school dedicated to growth in character as well as academics.
Nichols, who became head of school in 1973, served the Harker community with his wife, Diana (who has served on Harker’s Board of Trustees for more than 30 years). As president, Howard helped shape Harker into a school that prized character as much as academics. His vision for the school lives on in many key areas, including the Honor Code, the expansive performing arts department and the broad array of programs.
In 1992, when Harker Academy was renamed The Harker School, Howard was named president while Diana assumed duties as head of school. Together, they led a massive effort to add an upper school, which opened in 1998.
Howard and Diana retired in 2005, and just three short years later, Howard passed away from cancer.
Every year, the school celebrates Howard’s birthday by serving fresh chocolate chip cookies to students, faculty and staff. This custom is a nod to Howard’s practice of keeping a jar of cookies in his office, signaling to all who passed by that his door was open to anyone who felt like dropping in for a chat.
The morning upper school meetings were marked by touching tributes from Spanish teacher Diana Moss and upper school science chair Anita Chetty. Moss recalled being astounded by Howard’s ability to personally honor the people who helped run the school, when at a special event he recognized by name every member of the faculty and staff and thanked them for their service. Chetty remarked that Howard’s birthday is a chance to remember and learn from his leadership style, based not on authority, but on “kindness, compassion and generosity.”
The 2016 Family & Alumni Picnic: Harvest Festival brought members of the Harker community out in droves for fun and camaraderie on Oct. 9. Harker families and friends — combining for a total of more than 3,000 attendees — braved the unseasonably warm weather to enjoy carnival games, great food, student performances and much more at the 66th annual event. Popular attractions such as the laser tag arena and zip line thrilled attendees all afternoon. Meanwhile, Harker alumni reunited with friends and faculty at the special alumni area.