This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
On Oct. 12, the Harker community united at the middle school campus for the Harker Family & Alumni Picnic Harvest Festival, held each year to draw together families, faculty, staff and alumni in a fun – and fundraising – setting. As in past years, attendees played carnival games, enjoyed a variety of foods, watched performances by Harker students, renewed past friendships and made new friends. This year’s festival was capped by great news about the events center fundraising effort, which exceeded the $20 million goal and raised $25.4 million.
Festivalgoers had no shortage of activities to choose from. Some headed to the field for classic pastoral games such as the sack race, while others enjoyed a round of laser tag, new last year, which featured an improved arena with more obstacles.
The silent auction was also as popular as ever, with a wide array of prizes from wine tasting trips to boogie boarding lessons to premium seating at a 49ers game at Levi’s Stadium. This year’s raffle was improved to offer entrants more opportunities to win prizes by having students sell tickets at every school event leading up to the festival, including Homecoming. Prizes included gift cards to local businesses and eateries, fashion accessories and free dress days.
“It exceeds our expectations,” said Harker parent Lloyd Bakan (Cooper, preschool), who was attending his first Harvest Festival. “I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly is a great atmosphere and fun for all the kids and parents.”
Harker students, meanwhile, were excited to see their friends and enjoy the atmosphere. “You get to have a lot of fun and you get to see all your friends and play a lot of games,” said Alaina Valdez, grade 6.
“I’ve been coming here for 10-plus years and each year I have more and more fun,” said senior Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari. “I love the different booths and seeing all my friends. I think having your friends here is definitely a plus.”
Many alumni gathered at the alumni barbecue luncheon, where graduates reunited to catch up and share memories of their years at Harker.
The middle school campus’ outdoor amphitheater was the center of attention for much of the day as performing arts groups from the lower, middle and upper schools – including the upper school show choir Downbeat, middle school dance groups Showstoppers and High Voltage, and the lower and middle school jazz bands – kept audiences entertained.
One of the biggest attractions this year was Witch’s Flight, a 300-foot long zip line ride that enticed thrill-seekers throughout the day. Riders hollered with delight as they flew across the air 30 feet above the festivities.
Elsewhere, attendees enjoyed the many food choices available. Food trucks served diverse items such as tacos, Korean barbecue and grilled cheese sandwiches, in addition to the selection of grilled foods, pizza and Indian cuisine.
Capping off the fun and excitement was the announcement about the $25.4 million raised for the events center with the generous help of the Rothschild matching gift challenge. The announcement was made with the assistance of Harker’s MathCounts team, who guided the audience through the somewhat complex nature of the fundraising process. Naturally, the announcement was met with much applause, gratitude and excitement from those in attendance!
This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s 2014 Homecoming was a fun-filled event for the entire community. On an unseasonably hot fall afternoon, students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni arrived at the upper school campus in droves to socialize, enjoy fresh food pre- pared by the Harker kitchen staff, watch performances by talented Harker students and root for the Eagles football team.
The bounce houses set up on Rosenthal Field were again a popular attraction for the younger attendees, while alumni gathered to catch up and reminisce at a special area set up by the Harker Alumni Association. John and Christine Davis (Cole Davis ’10) stationed their RV a few steps over, where onlookers stopped to watch various ongoing sporting events on the RV’s side- mounted television screen.
Mrs. Carley’s Café was busy for the duration of the event, providing hot food to a steady line of attendees. A nearby gelato truck offered a highly sought-after cold treat. In addition, representatives from various classes sold pizza to help raise money for class events.
Prior to the game, the crowd began to gather to see the first of the pregame performances, a dance routine by the junior cheer squad, who received enthusiastic applause. Varsity Dance Troupe amped up the crowd with its spirited choreography, and the strains of Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” rang through the air as the Eaglets soared on to the field for their ever-popular Eaglet Fly-By.
The Harker Pep Band, directed by Chris Florio, took its usual position in the bleachers, where it remained for the entire event, playing enthusiastically in response to the on-field action and keeping the crowd pumped.
Halftime opened with a performance by the Harker cheer squad, after which the seniors met the juniors for the finals of this year’s tug-of-war contest. The juniors made the struggle contentious at the start, but in the end were no match for the might of the seniors, who were crowned this year’s champions. Later on, grades 9 and 10 faced off for third place in the competition, with the sophomores coming away victorious.
Soon after, the crowd greeted this year’s stunningly dressed Homecoming Court, who circled the field waving to the adoring audience. The crowd applauded vigorously as senior siblings Shiki and Shreya Dixit were named Homecoming King and Queen.
Meanwhile, on Davis Field, Harker cruised to victory over Los Angeles’ Ribet Academy, with a final score of 51-6. Harker pulled ahead early, scoring no less than seven touchdowns in the first half. Ribet answered with a touchdown in the third quarter, but the Eagles held them off until the end of the game.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Becomes Urban Fantasy in Upper School Production
The Harker Conservatory modernized Shakespeare’s popular tale of love and enchantment in its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which played at the Blackford Theater Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Director Jeff Draper brought the comedy into the present day, staging the play in a city park setting that occupied the majority of the theater floor, with scenic designer Paul Vallerga strategically placing signs of urbanization throughout: a picnic bench here, a swingset there. This unorthodox set drew the audience closer to the story and also gave them a more well-rounded view of the cast.
Harker’s upper school players buoyantly unfurled the story of arranged marriages, mistaken identities, magical formulas and theatrical ineptitude, giving the play just the right amount of whimsy and charm. Carol Clever’s costume design put the human characters in modern dress while the mischievous, magical fairies were draped in garb that ranged from the regal to the outlandish.
Middle School Fall Play Explores the Conflicts of Character Archetypes
Middle school thespians found themselves in a motley collection of roles in this year’s middle school fall play, Alan Haehnel’s “The Unfinished.” Directed by Monica Colletti, this one-act comedy found its characters at the mercy of a writer (Alexander Kumar, grade 6) who has not yet finished their stories, essentially imprisoning them in his mind. When the innocent Melisande (Claire Russell, grade 7) enters their already crowded world, the characters are forced to examine the significance of a newcomer. The ever-cynical Guy (Haris Hosseini, grade 8) and the hopeful Narrator (Claire Newman, grade 8) disagree on the likelihood that they will ever be realized while the surly Janitor (Max MacKinnon, grade 7) simply wishes they would all leave. In the end, the wide variety of character archetypes, including the Bride and Groom (Dilara Ezer and Matthew Hajjar, both grade 8), the Cheerleader (Ellie Lang-Ree, grade 8) and the Clown (Jai Bahri, grade 7), find themselves freed through the Writer’s clever inclusion of them all in one manuscript – a play titled “The Unfinished.”
Paul Vallerga’s set design was appropriately sparse for this particularly character-driven story. Carol Clever’s costume design was also simple but effective, making the characters appropriately recognizable.
Upper School Singers Shed Light at ‘Ad Amore’
Upper school vocal groups delighted an evening audience in the Nichols Hall auditorium on Nov. 13 with “Ad Amore: Love as a Light,” which featured Bel Canto, Camerata, Guys’ Gig and Cantilena. Bel Canto, directed by Jennifer Sandusky, opened with Michael Praetorius’ “Anima Mea,” the first of a series of songs by European composers, which included the traditional French song “Brilla Brilla Piccola Stella” and “Funiculi, Funicula” by Luigi Denza.
Camerata, the upper school’s mixed chamber ensemble directed by Susan Nace, opened with a pair of hymns – “Barechu” by Salamone Rossi and “Alleluia” by Michael Praetorius – and concluded its set with Adriano Banchieri’s “Contrapunto bestiale alla mente,” which had its singers imitating the sounds of animals over a nonsensical poem sung by the basses.
In a slight departure from its usual fare, the student-run boys group Guys’ Gig began with the traditional “Gaudeamus Igitur,” with an arrangement by Johannes Brahms. Alex Henshall, grade 11, then sang solo on “McDonald’s Girl,” arranged by the Harvard Din and Tonics.
Closing the evening was the women’s choir Cantilena, also directed by Nace, who began with the concert’s namesake, “Ad Amore” by Lee Kesselmann and continued with “Suscepit Israel” from Bach’s “Magnificat.” Following a rendition of Franz Biebl’s uplifting “Ave Maria,” Cantilena ended with Greg Jasperse’s dynamic “Voice Dance.”
Violinist Frank Almond Gives Master Class Prior to Concert Series Performance
Prior to his performance at the Harker Concert Series (see page 40), Milwaukee Symphony concertmaster and player of the 1715 “Lipinski” Stradivarius, Frank Almond, gave a special master class to Harker students in the Nichols Hall auditorium. Almond discussed and taught classical violin technique to several students, going over concepts such as proper bowing technique, posture and changing the character of notes by holding the bow at various angles.
Excelsa Quartet Offers Workshop to Harker Students
The Maryland-based Excelsa Quartet gave a special workshop to Harker students in early October. Currently a quartet in residence at Stanford University’s Emerging String Quartet Program, the all-female ensemble played selections from their repertoire, offered insights as to how they work together and advised students on how to be more cohesive. For example, the group suggested using words as signals when learning to play rhythmically complex passages and practicing with simpler pieces to warm up for more complex material.
Harker Performers Show Up Big at Santana Row Tree Lighting
Harker performing arts groups had a big presence at the Santana Row tree lighting ceremony, “Light Up the Row,” on Nov. 18. Seven groups performed at the event, which was attended by thousands of people. The students practiced for weeks to prepare for the event, and Harker students comprised more of the evening’s performers than those from any other school. This was the first Santana Row tree lighting to feature Vivace, the middle school mixed choir, which performed The Beach Boys’ “Melekalikimaka.” Also present were a variety of dance groups from the middle and upper schools, including the upper school’s junior varsity and varsity dance squads, the grade 7-8 girls dance group Showstoppers, and the grade 7-8 boys dance group High Voltage. Each of the groups performed two sets, including the upper school show choir Downbeat, which did a funny, Tim Burton-esque take on the holiday mainstay “Deck the Halls.”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
It’s identified as the gender gap and has been a topic of heated discussion in recent years. According to various organizations, statistics and studies, there is a significant gap between males and females entering – and staying in – the computer science fields.
The National Science Foundation found that computer science is the only field in which women are receiving fewer degrees since 2002 – only 18 percent compared with 37 percent 12 years ago.
Even before getting to the college level, only 23 states – including California – and the District of Columbia count computer science as a graduation requirement and those offering AP computer science classes are down 35 percent since 2005, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
These trends are important to note because of the impact computer science will have on the future job market. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there will be more than 1 million computer specialist job openings by 2020, but our universities will only produce 29 percent of the qualified graduates needed to fill these jobs.
At The Harker School, however, administrators, educators and students are setting their own trend by embracing computer science education and the school is encouraging all its students to explore the field by making it a graduation requirement. Robust class offerings include Digital World, a foundational class that offers insights into computer science history, the digital representation of data and computer architectures. Other classes offered include introductory and advanced programming, data structures, AP Computer Science and 11 courses in advanced topics in computer science, seven of which are UC-approved courses.
According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, only 5 percent of U.S. high schools are certified to teach AP computer science courses and only 10 percent of U.S. K-12 schools offer computer science classes at all.
Harker’s dedication to teaching and inspiring all students equally, regardless of gender, makes for an inviting classroom atmosphere.
“I think Harker is unique because it creates a safe environment where everyone feels like they have the chance to try anything without worrying about factors that could potentially ostracize them such as gender,” said Shivali Minocha, grade 11. “While students at other schools may find it unconventional to take computer science classes, at Harker the class feels just as accessible and welcoming as any other class I’ve taken here.”
Classes spark Curiosity Minocha took her first robotics class in grade 7 as a part of the curriculum, which exposed her to basic code and the various applications of computer science. Her first programming course, during the Harker Summer Institute, was a prerequisite for the AP Computer Science course she’s currently enrolled in.
“It’s always exciting to have the ability to actually apply the skills I’m learning in class outside of it,” she says. “There are several clubs and programs at Harker that make this possible like the Computing Club, the Programming Club and the Robotics [Club].
“It’s also extremely cool to be able to successfully run a program after working on it for a long time,” Minocha said. “It’s a great feeling when your code finally compiles correctly.”
Earlier this year, Minocha and a team of three other Harker students entered Technovation, an entrepreneurship program and competition for girls, with an app they developed called Aura, aimed at helping teenage girls deal with their emotions in a safe way. The app matches a girl’s mood with images, quotes and music and allows them to share with their friends. Teammate Sameep Mangat, grade 9, was first introduced to computer science and the world of coding by her father and older brother.
“Even at a young age, I was given the opportunity to contribute to the software and the design,” she said. “This experience overall fostered a curiosity that [grew] through the creation of an app called Aura with my friends. We submitted this app to a competition, and although we didn’t win, it was an amazing experience and helped me learn a lot more about coding and design.”
Investing in Our Brain Trust Eric Nelson, computer science department chair at Harker, teaches numerous computer science classes. He began his career as an experimental physicist in the defense industry and is well aware of the much-talked about gender gap, but says not engaging girls and women in computer sciences is a disservice to the greater population.
“I am a firm believer in investing in our brain trust, and ignoring half of that potential seems to go way beyond negligent,” he said. “New ideas and inventions require a critical mass. By encouraging women to join in the computer science revolution – and you have to capture their attention early in life – the probability of an earth-shattering discovery or idea is greatly increased, to the benefit of all.”
Nelson witnessed the power of this potential during his career prior to Harker.
“In all my years managing software engineers, one of my absolute best was a young woman in Albuquerque,” Nelson said. “She was methodical, organized and had an amazing attention to detail. Her ability to think algorithmically was also top notch.”
Nelson became the chair of the upper school computer science department in 2010 with a goal of better preparing students through a diverse portfolio of classes that would allow them to better explore multiple opportunities within the computer sciences.
Harker’s location within Silicon Valley also plays a role in its trendsetting. Being in the midst of technological developments, new ideas and even newer challenges helps to organically elicit interest in computer sciences from the student body – and the girls are no different.
Daniela Lee, grade 12, took her first programming class during the summer between her freshman and sophomore years to learn more about computer science. She and classmate Sadhika Malladi, grade 11, were regional finalists in the Google Science Fair competition this year, and received a commendation from the city of San Jose recognizing their effort. The online competition, open to students around the globe, has taken place every year since 2011. Lee and Malladi entered their project, “Non-Invasive Search for Optimal Cancer Treatment.”
“We love people, we’re good at programming and we want to predict cancer,” begins their video.
The basis of the project was to avoid unnecessary surgeries, particularly those related to triple negative breast cancer, through the use of a learning algorithm and a new type of MRI machine to better predict response to treatment.
“Since we live in the Silicon Valley, we see and experience a lot of the newest technological innovations, most which are related in some way to programming,” Lee said. “Moreover, a considerable amount of things in our lives come about due to some code someone programmed.”
Lee found computer science much easier than she first anticipated and an exciting field of study she hopes to continue to explore, particularly within graphic design and medicine.
Malladi caught the computer science bug early, after taking an elective class in middle school where she learned how to create websites using Dreamweaver.
“I was inspired by the potential that the rapidly growing field holds for solving a diverse set of problems that pervade society,” she said, adding that many people have the misconception that computer science is used just for creating programs and applications.
“In reality, almost everything is fueled by computer science,” Malladi said. “It’s at the forefront of revolutionizing everyday life and changing the world around us. Computer science is something that we experience through music, video games and the Internet, but it’s also something that is pioneering new interdisciplinary fields that solve important problems.”
Reading and hearing all about the gender gap never swayed her decision to enroll in a class.
“In a way, Harker’s subtle recognition of the minority position is one of the best ways to approach the issue,” Malladi said. “By not explicitly addressing the underrepresentation of females in computer science, Harker avoids perpetuating the stereotype that discourages so many high school girls. However, Harker still takes steps toward encouraging women into [computer science] careers.”
Providing a diverse list of classes, as well as a deep bench of educators to connect with students, is key to the program’s success. And it was within this deep bench of teachers that one educator made her mark on many of her pupils, particularly the females.
Passing It On Susan King joined the Harker faculty seven years ago after her family left their home in Florida and moved to the other sunshine state: California. Originally from Montana, King was first introduced to computer science in the sixth grade after her math teacher read a short article about the up-and-coming field of computer science.
“He said it offered equal opportunity for both men and women and you had to be good at math and I said to myself, this was for me,” she said.
King was part of the first group of graduating students to receive a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Montana State University and went on to receive her M.Ed. in educational technology from the University of Central Florida.
She spent the first decade after college as a programmer and loved it. “I just love the puzzles,” King said. “For many years, it was like being in a candy store – sampling all these candies that were puzzles. The other thing that I loved about the profession was the people. There were so many interesting people in this new field.”
She later left programming to start a family and then decided to pursue education as a career.
“I went into teaching and fell in love with it even more than programming,” King said. “I’ve been at Harker now for seven years and it’s a phenomenal place to work. It’s the first school where I wasn’t the only programming teacher and a great opportunity to work with other teachers in the field. I have been fortunate to have two careers that I loved.”
King has worked with countless students – including many girls – who have gone on to participate within the computer sciences through projects, research and professional careers after Harker.
Life After Harker Rashmi Sharma ’10 majored in bioengineering at Stanford University. She has a minor in computer science and now works at Genentech, in its process development rotational program.
She credits her time at Harker for instilling within her a desire to learn more about computer science.
“I definitely wouldn’t have had the guts to have minored in computer science without the confidence from Harker and Mrs. King,” Sharma said.
She really liked science and math and had already taken biology and chemistry during high school but computer science was the only “techie” class she hadn’t explored. Sharma wanted exposure to it before heading to college, so she signed up for AP Computer Science and immediately felt intimidated by the coursework. This quickly changed once the class began.
“The way Mrs. King approached introducing [it to] us, it all felt less intimidating and less abstract; a less obscure concept than what I thought it would be,” Sharma said. “She started all lectures from the ground level. I never felt disadvantaged. Everyone was on a level playing field.”
It was only after leaving Harker that Sharma realized how different the learning environment actually was.
“Before I went to college, I never felt there was a difference in expectations between girls and boys,” she said. “It wasn’t until college that I saw a difference.”
The disparity in the male-to-female ratio became especially obvious in Sharma’s computer science lectures and, for a moment, made the field feel intimidating once more.
“All these guys had been breathing computer science way longer than I had and [also had] more previous exposure than I had; it made it harder for me to be more comfortable in class,” she said. “But it’s evolving.”
Fellow Harker alumna Katie Siegel ’12 agrees. Siegel is now studying computer science at MIT. She began exploring computer science in a programming class at Harker.
“I intended it to be a one and done but found it fairly easy and I liked the projects we did,” Siegel said. “Mrs. King made it very interesting and explained the concepts in a comprehensive way. We were able to see the relevance of what we were working on and the infinite number of opportunities.”
She was unaware of the gender gap while attending Harker.
“I never felt like there was any sort of [gender] barrier at Harker,” she said. “I never paid attention to the gender ratio. I feel like it was fairly even. I didn’t know there was a gender problem until I got to college.”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
by Chris Nikoloff, Head of School My son’s basketball team had its first tournament of the season recently. It was my son’s first basketball tournament in his life. The tournament was an opportunity for the team to experience the dual nature of competition: each contest can teach us about our opponents and ourselves. Sun Tzu, in “The Art of War,” says, “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”
At the end of the day, our primary competition ought to be against our own potential, not others. We compete and compare with others all the time, but hopefully only to understand our own potential more clearly. Aristotle said that man is by nature a political animal. We learn about ourselves when we compete and compare, but our competition with others ought to be secondary. Making the comparing and competing with others our primary focus can throw us off track.
A parent recently referred me to William Deresiewicz’s book “Excellent Sheep,” in which the author talks about how students in elite colleges lose themselves to conformity of thought, majors and career paths. A review in The New York Times captures his proposition: “We’ve spawned a generation of polite, striving, praise-addicted, grade-grubbing nonentities.” I don’t think this is entirely fair, but a herd mentality, striving toward a limited definition of success, breeds unhealthy competition and an uninteresting conformity that Deresiewicz laments.
As the nation’s high school seniors are in the thick of early admissions season for college, the parent’s book recommendation is timely. It used to be that a few go-getters applied early to college. Now the majority of ambitious students apply early and often. Competition and comparing are rampant. Deresiewicz caused a stir with his article in The New Republic, “Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League” and its subtitle, “The nation’s top colleges are turning our kids into zombies.” Apparently no one is listening to his advice.
Deresiewicz is not without his critics, but I believe his message can help us pay more attention to the second half of Sun Tzu’s advice, “know yourself.” Too often, comparing to others can lead to following others, as Deresiewicz warns. The parent’s son who referred me to Deresiewicz’s book followed his own path in high school, didn’t necessarily load up on APs, and is currently studying something he is deeply passionate about at an Ivy League college.
That is the irony: parents compare their kids to others hoping for any hint of advantage toward getting into top colleges, but those same colleges are actually looking for hints of authenticity in the students they admit. They want interesting learning communities and students who “think outside the box.” As Deresiewicz learned during his stint in admissions, colleges are looking for students with PQs (personal qualities) or who are deeply “pointy” if not well-rounded.
My son’s basketball team learned in competition that they need to switch between man-to-man and zone defense more effectively, and that they need more plays that they can execute. Perhaps they learned more; I don’t understand basketball well enough to say. They could only learn this in competition.
But after the competition they have to return to their practices and face themselves to see if they can reach their potential. Plato famously said, “Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” That battle with ourselves, our potential, has to be fought alone, and in that battle our true identity is forged, our true path found, after which comparing should mean very little anyway.
This article was originally published in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
A special accommodation has been made by the Rothschilds, trustees and fellows. This accommodation will allow those who have not yet participated during the short six-month original period of the Rothschild challenge to still double the impact of their gifts and become a part of the Partners’ Circle.
The accommodation will allow Harker to “replace” up to the $2.5 million used from the Trustees & Fellows Fund with new contributions from those who have yet to participate or who wish to increase the amount of their existing pledge. Current families, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents and staff who would like to know how they can participate in the Partners’ Circle should contact Joe Rosenthal at joe.rosenthal@harker.org, or visit www.harker.org/eventscenter and click the “pledge now” icon.
This article was originally published in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In keeping with Harker’s culture and tradition of philanthropy, more than 1,000 families rallied to help meet the school’s historic $10 million Rothschild Matching Gift Challenge.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, announced the remarkable achievement at the conclu- sion of the annual Family & Alumni Picnic on Oct. 12. He said that Jeff and Marieke Rothschild’s intention was to inspire other members of the community to act and join them in supporting the construction of a new events center by accelerating fundraising to a level that enables Harker to move from the conceptual design stage to actually bidding out the project.
The challenge was met with $7.5 million in direct capital gifts and $2.5 million of the $5 million Trustees & Fellows Matching Fund, which matches qualifying gifts made to annual giving. “With the Rothschild challenge met, we went from just under $5 million dollars to just over $25 million dollars in our overall campaign goal in just six months,” Nikoloff reported.
All donors who made gifts helping Harker to meet the challenge will be recognized as members of the Partners’ Circle and will have their names listed on a special plaque in the new events facility.
Harker performing arts groups had a big presence at the Santana Row tree lighting ceremony, “Light Up the Row,” on Nov. 18. Seven groups performed at the event, which was attended by thousands of people. The students practiced for weeks to prepare for the event, and Harker students comprised more of the evening’s performers than those from any other school. This was the first Santana Row tree lighting to feature Vivace, the middle school mixed choir, which performed The Beach Boys’ “Melekalikimaka.” Also present were a variety of middle and upper schools dance groups, including the upper school’s junior varsity and varsity dance squads, the grade 7-8 girls dance group Showstoppers and the grade 7-8 boys dance group High Voltage. Each of the groups performed two sets, including the upper school show choir Downbeat, which did a funny, Tim Burton-esque take on the holiday mainstay “Deck the Halls.”
San Jose Mercury News – Nov. 20, 2014: Football player Keanu Forbes, grade 12, is mentioned in the Varsity Extra Highlight Reel for his performance against St. Francis CCC, in which he ran for 223 yards on 14 carries and had 91 yards on two kick returns.
San Jose Mercury News – Nov. 14, 2014: Rajiv Movva, grade 9, is mentioned in the Around the Valley’s School Scene insert for winning first place in the mathematics category in the Broadcom MASTERS competition.
IndiaWest – Oct. 24, 2014: Sadhika Malladi, grade 11, is mentioned for being named a regional finalist in this year’s Siemens Competition.
ServiceSpace.org – Oct. 23, 2014: A blog post features an image of the Winged Post’s coverage of hip-hop artist and activist Nimo Patel’s visit to the upper school.
San Jose Mercury News – Oct. 22, 2014: Water polo player Emma Brezoczky, grade 9, was recognized for the four goals she scored in Harker’s 10-9 victory over Fremont.
SweetyHigh, Oct. 20 – 2014: Junior Sadhika Malladi and senior Daniela Lee are featured in a post about the Google Science Fair, in which they finished as global finalists.
Big news out of Harker sports! An Eagles golfer made it farther than any other Eagle, while varsity volleyballers achieved one of the highest seeds in Harker’s history. Two cross country runners finished second in league and join two teammates for what is sure to be an epic CCS race this weekend. Tennis is off to CCS as well, while both water polo teams ended the season with wins. Let’s get to the news!
Golf
At the CCS Golf Championships last Tuesday at Rancho Canada in Carmel, freshman sensation Katherine Zhu shot a 3-under-par 69, the best-ever Harker golf finish, catapulting her into the Northern California Championship in Salinas – the furthest any Eagles golfer has ever advanced! There she finished 19th out of 84 golfers, capping off a season in which she also won the WBAL individual league championship.
After defeating Sacred Heart Prep on senior night to earn the WBAL league co-championship along with Menlo, the girls varsity squad earned a No. 2 seed in the CCS Tournament, tying them with the 2007 team for the highest-ever seed achieved by an Eagles girls volleyball team. This Saturday night, they’ll have the opportunity to advance in the tournament when they host a quarterfinal match at Blackford against either Del Mar or Sacred Heart Prep. You can be a part of the action, too! For CCS contests, there is an admission price of $8 for adults and $4 for students. The girls finished their regular season with a 16-8 overall record and a 9-1 league record.
Senior Corey Gonzales and sophomore Niki Iyer each finished second on Friday in the league cross country championships. They will be joined by two additional qualifiers – juniors Alexandra Dellar and Jack Rothschild, both in their first year of running cross country – at this Saturday’s CCS Cross Country meet in Toro Park, Salinas.
Tennis
The girls qualified for CCS! The Eagles will begin with a first-round match-up when the team hosts York School today at 2pm at The Bay Club-Santa Clara, where a win would send the girls to Menlo tomorrow.
Both the boys and girls teams ended the season with wins! The boys trumped Lynbrook 8-7 at to finish in third place with a 12-11 record, while the girls wrapped up their year in fifth place with a 12-7 victory over Cupertino, giving them a 9-12 overall record.
Football
The Eagles and the cheer squad have their senior night this Friday under the lights against St. Francis-Watsonville at 6pm. Come support senior players Sid Krishnamurthi, Keanu Forbes, Alyssa Amick, Christian Williams and Allen Huang in their final game and cheerleaders Riya Godbole, Daniela Lee, Erika Olsen and Mariam Sulakian.